The Joshua Generation, “It’s time”, Sermon 08/01/10

The Joshua Generation

It’s time

Synopsis of Sermon 08/01/10

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

Text: Joshua 1: 1-3

Our lives are a series of preparation. They are preparatory moments that prepare us for a moment. Each event in your life is didactic. It is training and development. There are lessons in each experience we go through. It is important to keep your spiritual radar on so you don’t miss what God is saying in this season. You have to be sensitive to every event happening.

The children of Israel were God’s chosen people. They came to Egypt as privileged and welcomed guest. However, the bible says there rose up a Pharaoh that didn’t know Joseph. If you remember Joseph, found in the latter part of Genesis, was the one who put together that economic plan to help Egypt make it through the famine. There rose a Pharaoh that did not know Joseph and as a result, his people were subjected to life of bondage and servitude. When people don’t know your history, they will mishandle you. They cried out for a deliverer for 400 yrs. and eventually God heard their cry and rose up Moses. God told Moses his assignment by speaking from a burning bush. He told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. Moses’ Ministry yet powerful, was seasonal. We must be sure not to waste time. We need to recognize that we must make a contribution in our generation to pass to the next generation while we are here, because we will not be here forever. Moses assignment was to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Next we are introduced to Joshua. He was supposed to take the children of Israel into the Promised Land. No longer could Joshua lean on Moses and set back as a student. The occasion has presented itself where Joshua must stand up and be responsible for this moment. Know that everything that happened to you up to this time     has happened for this moment. We can no longer be followers. We must no come to the forefront. The mantle has been passed to you. It is time! What you got on paper, it’s time. What you got in your belly, it’s time. It is time to stop talking about it and start being about it. The Joshua generation is about doing what God has called us to do. When we hear the voice of God, we have got to walk out into this thing. This is a kairos moment, a God moment. It is about stepping out into your season no matter what’s going on. When we hear the voice of God, we have to step out!

I. Prepare for purpose

Joshua 1:1 says ¹Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, -Joshua is a student of Moses. You can’t lead, if you haven’t learned to follow. God won’t entrust leadership to those who have not learned to follow. Wherever Moses was, Joshua was there submitted to leadership.

1. God was preparing Joshua for leadership. Joshua was faithful and the anointing on Moses would eventually flow down and be upon Joshua.
2. God had Moses pick some leaders. Numbers 11:14-17 says ¹⁴I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. ¹⁵And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness. ¹⁶And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.¹⁷And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.- God told Moses to get some people that had been faithful, because he was going to put his spirit on them. In other words he would give him part of Moses anointing. We must understand that the anointing on leadership is not just an anointing blessing, it is also an anointing of burden. Remember that Jesus said if we don’t suffer with him, you can’t reign with him.
3. We must be willing to:
   1. Share – 2 Corinthians 4:1 says ¹Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; – We have to share in this burden with the Lord.
   2. Support– We need people that support the vision and give of their vital resources.
   3. Serve-Joshua served another man’s vision (Moses) until his season came. Serving until your season has come prepares you for your future.
   4. The bible says Moses died. His death represents one chapter in his life being over and another chapter moving forward. Your destiny begins now. If you will notice, God never spoke to Joshua, until Moses was dead. God is a God of order. He doesn’t’ rule with two heads, because a two headed being is a monster. You have to recognize that your time has come. God is about to turn the keys over to you. Everything you have gone through was for this moment. In Exodus 24, Moses took Joshua up to Mt. Sinai. In Numbers 27, Joshua was appointed as Moses successor. Everything you have been through, every lay-off and every set back, was for this moment. It’s your time!

II. Pursuit of the prophetic

Joshua 1:2 says ²Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. – First notice we underlined the phrase, “All this people”. We will be coming back to this. If you are going to manifest your time, you can’t spend time second guessing God. You got to be about moving the thing. When you are a successor, you just move when God tells you to. You can’t wait for affirmation from people. This subjects you to persecution just like Noah went through, but you are willing to do what God wants.

1. Moses season is over in the text. You got to be willing to walk in your season. You can’t walk in somebody else’s season. Stop speculating. Just move when God says move. You got to get to a point that you just trust God when you can’t trace him.
2. This is about faith. Your blessing is on the other side of the Jordon. It is on the other side of fear or complacency. You can’t get what God wants you to have until you get to the other side. This takes crazy faith.
3. This is why you have to do it. It is not just about you. Verse 2 says to take all this people with you. Your decision impacts God’s people. Your decision not to go will affect God’s people. You can hinder others from getting their breakthrough. This is bigger than you. If God tells you to go, he is counting on you to take folk with you.
4. A bona-fide child of God only needs a word from God in order to go. You might not have the money, the land, the tuition, or anything else, but when you hear the word that tells you to go, you just go! Wherever your faith will stretch you, your feet will take you, and when your feet take you God will give it to you. When God tells you a thing, you are going after it. Ex-When you order from a sales catalog, you operate in faith. You see what you want, you take the order number, and then you pick up the phone. You call the 1 800 number pull out a seed offering, then you give them a transaction # over the phone. They in turn give you a confirmation by phone. You hang up and say you just bought a bike, even though you don’t physically have it yet. You don’t have it, but you still say you bought it, because you have a confirmation number. You have to wait for Fed Ex to bring it to you. You put an investment on what you say you bought. In like manner, when we see a word, God says we can have it, we put a seed on it, we believe God for it, God gives confirmation, and we wait till God works it out. All we need God to do is give us one word! If you only knew what we were waiting on, you would understand why we act like we act. When God speaks it, we have to move!

III. Praise him on promise

The Joshua generation praises him on a promise. Joshua 1:3 says ³Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. – When God speaks a thing in your life, it becomes a promise. He doesn’t speak suggestions. When God speaks it to you, it is promise, he blesses it, and then it will become a done deal.

1. God tells Joshua, every where his feet treads, God would give it to him. Psalm 37:23 says ²³The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. – As servants of God, we don’t walk where we don’t have orders. Every place we walk, God is going to give it unto us. Wherever you faith can stretch you, your feet will take you, and God will give it to you. Ex-Jesus walked on water and Peter asked if he could come out there with him. Jesus told him to come. Translation: If Peter’s faith could stretch far enough to allow him to step out on the water, then Jesus would give him the ability to walk on the water.
2. Something happens when a child of God walks in what God tells them to walk in.  Ex2-When we first decided to purchase the land that Mt Zion (Old Hickory Location) sits on, it was hunting land. The Lord told Bishop to go and walk on the land. God reminded him that everywhere the sole of his feet walked, he would give him. God will just give you stuff. This was 130 acres, so we wondered how would be afford to buy it. You can imagine the cost. Bishop had friends that had paid 10milion dollars for just for 60 acres before even starting the building portion of the project. Land cost money. How could we ever afford this? The owners told us that they would give us the property for $980,000. This is like somebody giving you a brand new car for a $1000. When God has it in the plan for you, this is called favor. When we step on stuff, instead of giving us more money, God will change scenarios so our money will stretch further. There is favor on you! Every step you take, God will give it to you! Whatever God has shown you, just take a walk on it, and he will give it to you. Whatever we walk on, it is already done. We are going to praise him on his promise! Give God glory for favor! It’s time! Every dream and every vision within in you, know that it is time!