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When Israel was ready to cross the Jordan River to take possession of the promised inheritance of Canaan, the ark of the covenant went before them, a space of two thousand cubits separating the ark from the people. Israel was warned not to come near it, “that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before” (Josh 3:2-4). God was present among His people and would lead them by His powerful hand into the Promised Land – even though they had not passed that way before. They would need faith in God. They were told to sanctify themselves and prepare to see the wonders of God (Josh 3:5). Great was the power of God that held back the flooding waters of the Jordan, allowing all Israel to cross on dry ground (Josh 3:14-17; 4:18).

     Life is a journey with many first time twists and turns. Some people throw caution to the wind and with reckless abandon hurl themselves into life. The outcome often is not pretty (Prov 10:23; 14:16; 15:21). The wise at heart listen to the wisdom of age and experience, because it has “passed this way before”:

¹⁰Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. ¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. ¹²When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble. ¹³Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life. ¹⁴Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. ¹⁵Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on” (Prov 4:10-15).

     God’s word is a constant source of wisdom that guides us in every right path (Psa 119:105). When facing life’s journey it is God’s powerful presence in His word that shows “the way you must go.” Put your faith in Him, follow His direction, and He will lead you home to the land of eternal rest (Heb 4:8-9).

     1) Salvation from your sins. The lost person has not yet passed the way of salvation, but not because he or she cannot be saved; they must hear, believe and obey the gospel to make this journey (Rom 10:13-17). If you are not a Christian you must let the word of God guide you to your salvation (Acts 8:30-39). You have not been this way before, so trust the word of God to show you the way to salvation, not men’s wisdom, creeds and doctrines (Isa 55:8-11; Matt 7:21-23). Believe, confess your faith, repent of your sins and be baptized into Christ to be saved (Mk 16:15-16; Acts 2:36-41; 8:12-13; 17:30; 22:16).

     2) Getting married. God joins together the man and woman who have not passed this way before (Matt 19:4-5). God’s word can guide you to the joyful expectations and happy fulfillment of honorable marriage (Heb 13:4). Do not be deceived by the world’s false definitions of marriage and by false notions of what a “modern” marriage consists. Trust God’s word to lead you on life’s journey of marriage.

     3) Having and rearing children. Children are a blessing from God, not an inconvenience on life’s journey to self-indulgence (Psa 127:3; 128:1-6). New parents “have not passed this way before” and those who are wise will seek counsel from God’s word and from those who have (Prov 11:14). The job of being a parent is not accomplished in one day, but over a life time. Steady, consistent training is key. God’s word shows you the way you have not yet passed (Eph 6:4; Prov 22:6; Heb 12:5-11).

     4) Death. We have not yet passed the way of death, but we shall (Heb 9:27). The Lord God will lead us safely home through Jordan’s waves; let us trust and follow Him (Jno 14:1-6; 2 Tim 4:6-8).

     Many are the ways we have not yet passed. God will safely lead us through them all.

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You can find the complete outline of this sermon plus PowerPoint and MP3 Audio files at BIBLE ANSWERS

You can find the complete outline of this sermon plus PowerPoint and MP3 Audio files at BIBLE ANSWERS

1. Gospel teaches us to depend on God, Phil 4:13; Heb 13:5-6.
2. You need God every moment of your life.
3. Our sufficiency is of God, 2 Cor 3:5; Phil 4:10ff

I. DANGERS OF THE COMFORTABLE LIFE.

  A. Danger of Forgetting God, Deut 8:11-20.
    -Can lose fear of God in times of abundance, Psa 106:6-15, 19-21; Psa 78:5-11.
  B. The Danger of Trusting in Self and in Material Things, Lk 12:15-21; 1 Tim 6:6-10.
  C. The Danger of Self-Indulgence, cf. 2 Sam 11:1-2; Amos 6:1, 3-6 (Dan 4:30; 5:20).

II. WE ARE SUFFICIENT ONLY IN GOD, BECAUSE GOD ALONE IS SUFFICIENT.

  A. Sin Takes Us to a Place Where We Need God: Only God is Sufficient to Save Us from Our Sins, Col 1:19-22 (Lk 15:17); Acts 4:12; 1 Cor 15:55-57; Psa 78:21-22; Mk 10:17-22 (Dt 9:4-7).
  B. Suffering Takes Us to a Place Where We Need God: Only God is Sufficient to See Us through Our Times of Suffering.
    1. Suffer for His sake, Phil 1:29; 1 Pet 3:14; 4:12f
    2. When life brings its share of suffering and sorrow, Eccl 3:1-8 (4); Jas 5:10-11.
    3. Suffering keeps us humble and trusting in God, 2 Cor 12:7-10.
    4. Suffering teaches empathy, cf. Heb 2:18; 4:15-16; 1 Jno 3:16-17.
  C. Not Knowing Where to Turn Takes Us to a Place Where We Need God: Only God is Sufficient to Guide Us in Truth, Jno 14:6; Psa 119:105-106; Col 2:3.

Conclusion  Wise people depend on God, Eccl 7:13-14; Phil 4:19; 2 Cor 9:8; 1:6-7 (Psa 115:1-3).

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According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) it matters that the animals of the Bible are “he” and “she” rather that “it”. “The group is asking translators of the New International Version (NIV) to remove what it calls ‘speciesist’ language and refer to animals as ‘he’ or ‘she’ instead of ‘it’” (“PETA: Don’t call animals ‘it’ in the Bible”, Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor). By urging Bible translators to reject the gender neutral “it” for gender specific animal references, PETA not only shows its bias but also its ignorance of Bible languages.

     Bruce Friedrich, PETA vice-president of policy and practicing Roman Catholic, says “Language matters. Calling an animal ‘it’ denies them something. They are beloved by God. They glorify God,” and, “God’s covenant is with humans and animals. God cares about animals” (Ibid.). Yes, God created the animals. We doubt PETA really believes the Bible, which clearly says God also gave the animals to man for food (Gen 9:3).

     “Friedrich, who is also a vegan and suggests the Bible promotes vegetarianism, puts a religious face on PETA’s ethical arguments. ‘What happens in slaughterhouses mocks God,’ he said. People know intuitively that “animals are ‘who’ not ‘what’” (Ibid.). Really? Evidently Mr. Friedrich has not read how animals were sacrificed under the Law of Moses (Lev 1:4-17).

     Furthermore, David Berger, dean of Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel graduate school of Jewish studies, notes that “In Hebrew all nouns are gender-specific. So the noun for chair is masculine and the noun for earth is feminine. There’s simply no such thing as a neutral noun…It’s unusual to have a noun that would indicate the sex of the animal” (Ibid.) PETA does not believe the Bible. PETA wants to destroy Bible accuracy to advance its social agenda. PETA does not glorify God.

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The Spirit's Sword is a free, weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA
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