The messages that I’ve been bringing to encourage you, to inspire you to help you see the big vision have come from God’s commission to the Old Testament man named Joshua who succeeded Moses and was the catalyst to bringing the Jewish people into the promised land. There were more than a million Jewish people who had escaped out of Egypt by the mighty hand of God. But these people were not faithful to God. They whined, they complained, they rebelled, they tried to oust Moses as their leader, they worshiped idols and they failed to go into to the promised land when God had given them the opportunity. For that God had said that every person over the age of 20 would never see the promised land. Joshua Chapter 1 is the beginning of a new day. Joshua 1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 2 “Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’” Let me draw your attention to something that God mentions twice to Joshua. Joshua 1:7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. What is this book of the law? The book of the law are the first five books of the Old Testament. It is commonly believed that Moses wrote these books under the inspiration of God’s spirit. And now God points to his very word and he tells Joshua several things… 1. Do what my word says. 2. Do not turn from it. 3. Do not let it depart from your mouth. 4. Meditate on my word. 5. Be careful to do it. 6. Be careful to do all that it says. 7. Honoring God’s word will bring success. Our God is not ambiguous. He does not change with the times. There’s no confusion about his ways. Why we love the Bible is because God has spoken. God has spoken. Listen to these verses that tell us the authority of God’s word. Psalm 1:3 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. Psalm 19:7 The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. 9 Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. 10 They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. 11 They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. Psalm 119:89 Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven. 90 Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created. 91 Your regulations remain true to this day, for everything serves your plans. God the father, God the son, God the Holy Spirit and the word of God all are interconnected and operate together. Jesus is called the word in the flesh. God speaks the word. The word is truth. The Holy Spirit interprets the word to us. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. The word of God is like a portal into the things of heaven. Now there is only one thing left to do. Get to the promised land. He immediately tells all the tribes to get their provisions together because they are going in three days. He even says in chapter 3:5 that they are about to see great wonders. Joshua 3:5 Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.” There is only one problem. How are they going to get over the Jordan River They didn’t have boats. They didn’t have pontoons. They didn’t have a bridge. How are they going to get across? By faith. Joshua 1:7 The Lord told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. 8 Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’” 9 So Joshua told the Israelites…11 Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River! 13 The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.” We can sit around and talk about what God can do, we are really good about talk. But we need to step into the river. We need to get our feet wet. We need to make an irreversible commitment. We can talk about how God can do anything, but now we have to act like you can do anything. We have to say the great prayers. We have to make the great moves. We need to give great gifts.