New Ground
A Long Obedience | New Ground | Pastor Steve Andres
August 27, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • 2 Corinthians 6:14, Joshua 24:14–15
What will you choose today? This weekend Pastor Steve concluded our series, NEW GROUND, with a sermon about the last words of Joshua. Joshua 24:14-15 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth… choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Now in the twilight of his life, Joshua addresses a people who have followed him through disappointments and victories. We can see from Joshua’s life the keys to going the distance. 1) Authenticity leads to longevity. Joshua says to serve the Lord in sincerity and in truth. A commitment to the Lord that lasts has both passion and integrity. 2) Priorities are pre-decisions. We can make decisions today that will protect our tomorrow. Joshua had made a decision about his family before knowing what the future would hold. 2 Corinthians 6:14 Don't be yoked together with unbelievers. Commitments compound over time. If we establish boundaries and priorities, they make an impact over the course of our lives. 3) Legacy is intentional. Joshua led a family who served the Lord, and left a legacy of faithfulness. This doesn't happen by accident. Joshua’s obedience only pointed to a greater leader to come. Jesus was faithful, even to the point of death, and made a way for us to serve God in sincerity and truth. Choose today!
The Battle Is In God's Hands | New Ground | Pastor Joaquin Pardo
August 20, 2023 • Pastor Joaquin Pardo • Joshua 6:16, Joshua 6:2, Joshua 6:1, Joshua 2:9–10
Are you struggling to trust the Lord in the midst of your battle? In the book of Joshua, we see faith is the overwhelming and unwavering trust one has in God. It's overwhelming to it's enemy and unwavering to its circumstances. This weekend, Pastor Joaquin continued our series, NEW GROUND, by reminding us that the battle is in God's hands! Joshua 6:16 ...And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city." 1) Your promise is a part of His purpose. God made a promise to Abraham 430 years prior to its fulfillment. Why would God make a promise to a man that wouldn't be around to see it? Because his promise to Abraham was always a part of a greater purpose that would outlive him. What was the greater purpose? To redeem the world. 2) God overwhelms the enemy. Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. Jericho, the place that was known to be an impregnable city with mighty skilled warriors, was completely locked down because of the people of Israel. In Joshua 2, Rahab, a woman who was a part of the land of Jericho, gives more insight as to why. Joshua 2:9-10 ...“I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt..." The enemy was overwhelmed by the miraculous stories they heard about God and his people. They knew they didn't stand a chance against a powerful God! 3) We fight from victory, not for victory. This story starts off by God speaking in past tense about an event that had not yet occurred. Joshua 6:2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor." The reason God can do this is because the battle belongs to him! It is his victory that he hands over to us but what he asks of us is to trust his strategy. For the Israelites, that meant to circle around the walls of Jericho, blow a horn and give a shout, a strategy that would appear to be strange for battle. Yet as we see in this story, God doesn't ask for OUR best strategy, but instead to trust HIS!
Take Off Your Shoes | New Ground | Pastor Steve Andres
August 13, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • John 17:19, Joshua 5:13, Joshua 5:15, Psalm 86:11
Do you have an undivided heart? Pastor Steve Andres continued our series, NEW GROUND, this weekend with a message about holiness. Joshua 5:13,15 When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” the commander of the Lord’s army replied. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Joshua faced an impossible situation, and God appeared in order to help him, but first Joshua needed to acknowledge the holiness of God. Why? 1) God’s holiness is GOOD NEWS. For many people, the word "holy" means morally rigid or even proud and judgmental. God's holiness is UNDILUTED PERFECTION, which means he is unchanging in his love, justice, mercy, and beauty. That's good news! 2) God’s holiness is the GOAL. In the Old Testament, something was holy if it was reserved for God's use only. Holiness in our lives looks like UNDIVIDED DEVOTION to God. Psalm 86:11 Give me an undivided heart to fear your name. God's design is for our devotion to him to be the soil in which all other commitments grow. 3) God’s holiness is a GIFT. Jesus was already morally perfect, but holiness is more than that. As he faced the cross he prayed for his followers: John 17:19 For their sake I make myself holy, that they too may be truly holy. Jesus was undivided in his devotion to God's plan to save, all so that you and I could receive forgiveness and the freedom to live holy lives!
Be Strong | New Ground | Pastor Steve Andres
August 6, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • Joshua 1:5–6
What is your assignment for this season? This weekend Pastor Steve started a new series from the book of Joshua called NEW GROUND, with a message about being courageous in the face of uncertainty. Joshua 1:5-6 As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Joshua had trained in Moses’ shadow for 40 years, and now his assignment was to lead the people of Israel to new ground. Though he would never bring water from a rock or call down bread from heaven, God promised Joshua he would be with him as He had been with Moses. 1) YOU GET HIS PRESENCE. God’s presence is the difference-maker in every area. It rids us of pride, fear and cynicism, and it fills us with peace in the face of challenges. 2) YOU GET A PROCESS. The process is the ordinary work of practicing faithfulness at home, at work and in relationships. You can’t copy someone else’s process any more than you can copy another person’s friendship! You get His presence and a process, so BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS!