Joshua Chapter 18 Verses 1 – 3

•So why had they not received their inheritance? Simply because they hadn’t taken it. The land is subdued, ready for them to go, and yet we find them laying down roots right where they are at and this peeves Joshua. And this is where I’m so thankful for godly leadership because it is Joshua who says, “Why are you slacking!” Literally that word there…and slacking always leads to sinking. Always!

•I remember when we moved out here to Colorado. We lived in a hotel for 6 months. A family of five in a hotel room! That was an adventure! And then we rented an apartment, we signed a two month lease, so that we could find a house. Now mind you we didn’t have any of our belongings except for our cars and our clothes. My company wouldn’t deliver our household until we had permanent residence and so we had a couch, a lamp and Blitz! HA!

•So for about three and half, four months, we attended Calvary Chapel Aurora…just loving it! What an awesome church that is! So very different and amazing in comparison to all that we had ever known in terms of church. The Calvary we came from in Virginia was less than 100 people and here we are in a multi-million dollar facility with a powerful servant leadership team and a couple thousand people. And so naturally, we started to get comfortable…

•And Pastor Ed was a great encouragement to me. He knew we were trying to get our family settled. Get permanent housing and figure out schools for the kids and get all moved in and stuff and so he kinda kept a close watch on us and encouraged me to rest and pray and get my family situated. But as soon as we were, the encouragement changed. I even remember one day him asking me, “What are you waiting for?” And you know what, I didn’t have an answer…other than…well, my family and I had set up the tabernacle of meeting here…

•And so shortly after that, we stepped forward in fearful faith…and opened the doors to Calvary Cherry Creek at Campus Middle School…I don’t know how much longer we would have stayed at Calvary Aurora if Ed had not exercised Godly leadership like he had…I know for certain that it would have been longer…but he knew my calling, he knew what God had done in my heart and in April’s and he was about advancing us! “Go, possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you!”

•And this scenario has happened countless times in my walk with the Lord. When I was somewhere that I shouldn’t be. Slacking. Not moving forward…and God used my pastors in Virginia and my pastors here in Colorado to prod at me and exhort me (that’s like encouraging with a commandment) to get out of sub-optimal and step forward into God’s way…now the trick, the lynch pin, the essential…is not so much the push from Godly friends, or Godly parents, or Godly pastors and leaders, the crucial key…is to obey!

•This is what blesses me and obliterates me as a pastor…as a father, as a leader…folks get set in their ways or “trapped” in their situation that is far outside of God’s will and I’m so blessed to come along side of them and help them back onto the Way man…and watch them grow and mature and unlock…watch them breathe the fresh air of freedom again…although it always takes suffering in the flesh on their part…and yet there remain so many wasting time…not willing to trust God and obey His Word and so they remain without inheritance…that obliterates me man…so very discouraging…

•And the same for Joshua…as he sees them settle in…he says no…God has more for you…but you will need to go! But look at all the work we’ve done! We’ve set up this tabernacle, we’ve laid down roots, things are good…But Joshua has great wisdom and urgency and says go…while you slack the Canaanites recover strength and spirit and are every day fortifying what land they have left…the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be…

Joshua Chapter 18 Verses 4 – 5

•Interesting that the number is now three that will rise, go through the land, survey it (search it), and ultimately the inheritance will be divided perfectly (into seven parts). Just as after the rise of Jesus from the grave, death defeated, the church exploding on the scene, folks being filled with the Holy Spirit and being saved, coming alive unto eternity…the Three go through the land…searching and seeking and saving the lost and ultimately, when the time of the gentiles is full (Romans 11), then will come the great division…the wheat from the tares, the goats are separated from the sheep…Matthew 25…just a cool parallel there…

•And notice, seven tribes sent three…another Biblical pattern of three sevens…now one last cool nugget…Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that this survey took seven months…seven months…and I love what Matthew Henry points out…there were still Canaanites in the land…raging as a bear robbed of her cubs is how Henry puts it…and as these surveyors would begin to chart their land, no doubt it would be known and it would be dangerous…but notice, they all return. I believe that God protects obedience to leadership. To your boss, to your parents if you’re a kid…I mean read Romans 13…if you’re not being asked to sin and yet authority is instructing you…the Godly response is immediate obedience…and therefore the wise response is immediate obedience…and the Godly result? Peace, praise and a solid conscience…(extrapolated from Romans 13 verses 1 – 7).

Joshua Chapter 18 Verses 6 – 10

•So three times now we have read in this chapter that the decision making process was casting lots. Literally throwing dice. We see this often in the Old Testament and yet in the New Testament it is completely inappropriate. What do you mean, Matt? Well in the New Testament we only see casting lots twice. Once for the robes of Jesus. As prophesied in Psalm 22 we see in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23 and John 19 that the soldiers cast lots for His garments as He was upon the cross. And the second time we see casting lots is in Acts Chapter 1 when the disciples are trying to replace Judas Iscariot.

•But remember what happened? By this method they chose Matthias and yet we never hear about Matthias again. Why? They chose wrong. Well, let me say it this way, they chose inappropriately. The 13th disciple was always Paul…

•You Jesus sent to us the Holy Spirit…He said in John 16, “I will go and I will send Him to you…to be with you and to be within you…” We need not cast lots to make our decisions now…we need simply to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. And how does He do that? By the Word of God and by Godly leadership…Proverbs 18:18 says, “Casting lots causes contentions to cease, and keeps the mighty apart….” But now we have an entirely new way to cause peace don’t we? A New Covenant if you will…and so we see casting lots in the Old Testament but after the giving of the Holy Spirit…why? Why casts lots…? Inappropriate…wait upon the Lord, allow the Spirit to lead…read the Word…surround yourself with uncompromising good Godly counselors and leaders…and then, you will know what to do! Well then why is there no peace? Because the issue isn’t knowing…the issue is obeying…

Joshua Chapter 18 Verses 11 - 28