Bible Text: Joshua 3:1\u201317 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Bea\u00adti Fors\u00adter | Series: Like you and me | Tho\u00adse who want to dis\u00adco\u00adver new lands need cou\u00adra\u00adge. It chal\u00adlenges us to take steps in faith, even though we do not know whe\u00adre the jour\u00adney is going. We do not yet know the path we should take. But Joshua gives us advice in the Bible on what we should pay atten\u00adti\u00adon to when we are on the way to dis\u00adco\u00adver new things. First\u00adly, our eyes should always be on God (Ark of the Coven\u00adant), and second\u00adly, it is important that we start new adven\u00adtures with a pure heart.<\/p>\n
Oh how gre\u00adat it would be if God still work\u00aded mira\u00adcles today? To cross the Jor\u00addan on dry feet, that would be a gre\u00adat thing. To cross the Reuss or the Aare wit\u00adhout get\u00adting wet. Or in other words, for Jonas and Judith, whom we are sen\u00adding out to Cen\u00adtral Asia today, we expect that their desti\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon coun\u00adtry will open up again and that they can final\u00adly lea\u00adve for their NEW<\/span> LAND<\/span>. \tWhat is the name of the new ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry you are facing? (Pen\u00adsi\u00adon, reti\u00adre\u00adment home, new job, app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship, stu\u00addy, mar\u00adria\u00adge, etc.) Bible Text: Joshua 3:1\u201317 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Bea\u00adti Fors\u00adter | Series: Like you and me | Tho\u00adse who want to dis\u00adco\u00adver new lands need cou\u00adra\u00adge. It chal\u00adlenges us to take steps in faith, even though we do not know whe\u00adre the jour\u00adney is going. We do not yet know the path we should take. But Joshua gives us advice\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[69],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-beati-forster","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3034","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nAfter 40 years of wan\u00adde\u00adring through the desert, the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel stand befo\u00adre a gre\u00adat river, this time the Jor\u00addan. When the adven\u00adture of the exodus from Egypt began, the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes had to cross the Red Sea. Wit\u00adhout a doubt, God had set clear signs at the begin\u00adning of this jour\u00adney. He was the God who per\u00adfor\u00admed mira\u00adcles. The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel had then gone through a 40-year long ups and downs jour\u00adney in the desert with highs and lows \u2013 but God pro\u00adved hims\u00adelf again and again as the one who per\u00adfor\u00admed mira\u00adcles. Now the peo\u00adp\u00adle of God stood befo\u00adre the water again. This second time, they only knew about the first water crossing, back then at the Red Sea, from hear\u00adsay. This time the\u00adre were no enemies at their backs, even the omens from the scouts from Jeri\u00adcho, from what Rahab told them, were all posi\u00adti\u00adve and promising.
\nAnd they did not yet cross the Jordan
\nThe Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land lies befo\u00adre the peo\u00adp\u00adle who have been tra\u00advel\u00adling for 40 years. At last! Let\u2019s cross the river, let\u2019s go. The scouts had just retur\u00adned to give a report on the situa\u00adti\u00adon. The peo\u00adp\u00adle were cam\u00adped at Sit\u00adtim, a place just abo\u00adve the Jor\u00addan. The mes\u00adsa\u00adge was clear that Jeri\u00adcho was rea\u00addy to fall into their hands, the inha\u00adbi\u00adtants were afraid of the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes. The peo\u00adp\u00adle cam\u00adped on the banks of the Jor\u00addan for a who\u00adle three days. God\u2019s ways always take time and God\u2019s ways have time. Jonas and Judith, you have now also com\u00adple\u00adted a mini desert jour\u00adney in eas\u00adtern Switz\u00ader\u00adland. You plan\u00adned to be the\u00adre for four months and now it has beco\u00adme a year. Wai\u00adting often seems like a was\u00adte of time to us, but God\u2019s ways some\u00adti\u00admes include the\u00adse sto\u00adpo\u00advers or wai\u00adting times. Howe\u00adver, befo\u00adre the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes could cross the river, some pre\u00adpa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adons and inner adjus\u00adt\u00adments had to be made.
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\n\u00abAs soon as you see the priests of the tri\u00adbe of Levi car\u00adry\u00ading the ark of the coven\u00adant of the Lord your God, break camp and fol\u00adlow them. But keep a distance of a thousand met\u00adres bet\u00adween you and the priests, so that you do not come too clo\u00adse to the ark of the coven\u00adant. It will show you the way you should go\u00bb (Joshua 3:2\u20134). The focus is on God, the gaze towards the Ark of the Coven\u00adant is cen\u00adtral. God shows us the way you should go. The Ark of the Coven\u00adant embo\u00addies God\u2019s pre\u00adsence. In it are the com\u00admandments of God. When it is said that the Ark of the Coven\u00adant should go ahead, it means not\u00adhing else than who and what deter\u00admi\u00adned or should deter\u00admi\u00adne its life. The 10 Com\u00admandments were the basis for life, one should ori\u00aden\u00adta\u00adte ones\u00adelf accor\u00adding to them. The Ark of the Coven\u00adant navi\u00adga\u00adtes our way. Tra\u00advel\u00adling wit\u00adhout God\u2019s pre\u00adsence car\u00adri\u00ades con\u00adsidera\u00adble risks. So God ahead and we don\u2019t let him out of our sight.
\nWal\u00adking unknown paths \u2013 ven\u00adtu\u00adring down unfa\u00admi\u00adli\u00adar paths
\n\u00abYou have never gone the way. It (Ark of the Coven\u00adant) shows you the way to go, for you do not yet know it\u00bb (from Joshua, 3, 3 and 4). If you want to expe\u00adri\u00adence God, you have to ven\u00adture on unknown paths. You have never been to Cana\u00adan, ever\u00ady\u00adthing is new, you have never crossed the river, no one knows how dan\u00adge\u00adrous the river is and whe\u00adre the rapids are. We can only expe\u00adri\u00adence God when we set out on unknown paths. May\u00adbe you imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly think, what the far\u00admer does\u00adn\u2019t know, he does\u00adn\u2019t eat! We are not doing any\u00adthing new now or we have always done things this way. Why is that? Dare to try some\u00adthing new, no thanks, wit\u00adhout me! If I walk on old fami\u00adli\u00adar paths, then I don\u2019t real\u00adly need God, then I can mas\u00adter and mana\u00adge ever\u00ady\u00adthing on my own. I have ever\u00ady\u00adthing under con\u00adtrol, I know how to do it, I don\u2019t need God. I only pray as a rou\u00adti\u00adne exer\u00adcise. I work all day until evening, but I don\u2019t need God. The work of the nor\u00admal Swiss is desi\u00adgned in such a way that he can do almost ever\u00ady\u00adthing hims\u00adelf \u2013 the fac\u00adtor God, help from abo\u00adve he only needs in excep\u00adtio\u00adnal cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances \u2013 Alt\u00adhough we know Jesus, we rare\u00adly expe\u00adri\u00adence that we have to try some\u00adthing new. What does a Swiss per\u00adson do when he has to go some\u00adwhe\u00adre he has never been befo\u00adre? He makes mas\u00adsi\u00adve pre\u00adpa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adons like: Set\u00adting the sat nav, prin\u00adting out a map, buy\u00ading a tra\u00advel gui\u00adde, asking others, etc.\u2026
\nWhen I embark on new paths, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s going right or left, or if it\u2019s even going any fur\u00adther. In the case of Bur\u00adgers it\u2019s the same, some\u00adti\u00admes we just don\u2019t see what\u2019s around the next bend. God loves it when we are depen\u00addent on him, when we have to ask him, how is this going to hap\u00adpen now, whe\u00adre do we go from here? When you do pio\u00adnee\u00adring work among Mus\u00adlims, we have no choice to move into new ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry. NEULAND<\/span>. When you are on a mis\u00adsi\u00adon, new and unknown things always await you. And it\u2019s almost always unclear what\u2019s in store.
\nFron\u00adtiers\u00bb core busi\u00adness is to send peo\u00adp\u00adle to places whe\u00adre the\u00adre is no church yet and whe\u00adre the\u00adre is litt\u00adle or no staff. We talk about \u00abUnen\u00ade\u00adga\u00adged peo\u00adp\u00adle groups\u00bb. You can\u2019t plan well whe\u00adre the\u00adre is not\u00adhing yet. Or quick\u00adly call a fri\u00adend to pick you up at the air\u00adport. May\u00adbe we have a dream on our hearts but we have never dared to turn our dream into rea\u00adli\u00adty becau\u00adse ever\u00ady\u00adthing is not cer\u00adtain. May\u00adbe we as a con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon have a pro\u00adject ahead of us, steps of faith, unknown paths. Should or can we dare to take such steps? One thing I know for sure, if we only walk paths we alre\u00ada\u00addy know, then your jour\u00adney will never cross over to Cana\u00adan. Then we stay whe\u00adre we are, then you can mar\u00adry the 08<\/sup>\u204415<\/sub> pro\u00adto\u00adty\u00adpe. Start working on a plaque. Do you still have dreams? Do you still have things you wan\u00adted to do?
\nThe\u00adre is a sur\u00advey among dying peo\u00adp\u00adle who have only a few weeks to live. They were asked, if they could turn the wheel back again, what would they do dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly today? 80% said that they would dare to do the things they once drea\u00admed of, things they once wan\u00adted to do. But they never real\u00adly dared. We should always live with the per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve, what remains on our death\u00adbed? Ven\u00adture down unknown paths. Whe\u00adre is your NEW<\/span> LAND<\/span>? \u00abAbra\u00adham: Get thee out of thy father\u2019s coun\u00adtry, and from thy kind\u00adred, and from thy father\u2019s house unto a land that I will show thee\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 12:1). Lea\u00adving kin\u00adship and one\u2019s fami\u00adly was unhe\u00adard of in the fami\u00adly tra\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon of that time. I hard\u00adly think that ever\u00adyo\u00adne rejoi\u00adced, final\u00adly he is lea\u00adving. Final\u00adly we have our peace again. They were not Swiss.
\nKeep yours\u00adelf pure
\n\u00abSanc\u00adti\u00adfy your\u00adsel\u00adves, for tomor\u00adrow the Lord will do won\u00adders among you\u00bb (Joshua 3:5). Hope for all says puri\u00adfy your\u00adsel\u00adves, make sure you are pure, as the Lord requi\u00adres of you. Do we still belie\u00adve that God does mira\u00adcles? God does per\u00adform mira\u00adcles. He likes to do mira\u00adcles when his peo\u00adp\u00adle are pure and our rela\u00adti\u00adonships with each other are pure. Often we ask gre\u00adat things of God \u00abLord grant revi\u00adval\u00bb but we live in sin. God will not ans\u00adwer. You know, I am extre\u00adme\u00adly chal\u00adlen\u00adged. Am I mys\u00adelf puri\u00adfied or do I allow mys\u00adelf to com\u00admit my favou\u00adri\u00adte sins? Okay, nobo\u00addy sees what\u2019s going on. Do you ever won\u00adder why we expe\u00adri\u00adence so litt\u00adle with God?
\nI think we should ask our\u00adsel\u00adves this ques\u00adti\u00adon more often. If we want peo\u00adp\u00adle to deci\u00adde for Christ at the next cru\u00adsa\u00adde in the lake val\u00adley, then suc\u00adcess is only pos\u00adsi\u00adble through the ver\u00adse from Joshua 3:5. No con\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adons with unre\u00adcon\u00adci\u00adled rela\u00adti\u00adonships, resent\u00adment towards the elders, bit\u00adter\u00adness against the pas\u00adtor, an unre\u00adcon\u00adci\u00adled rela\u00adti\u00adonship with X or Y. Becau\u00adse tomor\u00adrow God wants to do a mira\u00adcle among you! Do you want that, or have you rea\u00adched the point whe\u00adre you don\u2019t even want to see mira\u00adcles? Becau\u00adse mira\u00adcles always bring extra difficulties.
\nExpect extra difficulties
\n\u00abAt this time the Jor\u00addan River car\u00adri\u00ades so much water that it over\u00adflows its banks\u00bb (Joshua 3:15). It was the stu\u00adpi\u00addest time ever to cross the Jor\u00addan. If Isra\u00adel had crossed the Jor\u00addan in sum\u00admer, the\u00adre would have been a chan\u00adce to get across the river with dry feet to some ext\u00adent, but no, God brings them here as high water pre\u00advails. Charles Stutt pio\u00adneer for Afri\u00adca wro\u00adte in a let\u00adter: When\u00adever we got into trou\u00adble, we could hard\u00adly wait to get into the next one, for we were anxious to see how God would inter\u00adve\u00adne this time.
\nRisk wet feet
\n \u00abThey dipped their feet in the water\u00bb (from Joshua 3:14 and 15). Know your Jor\u00addan! When was the last time you ris\u00adked get\u00adting your feet wet? We do ever\u00ady\u00adthing we can to avo\u00adid get\u00adting our feet wet. That is a no-go, becau\u00adse \u00abavo\u00adi\u00adding risk is Swiss\u00bb.
\nThe bea\u00adrers of the Ark of the Coven\u00adant and the priests had to pave the way. What does that mean exact\u00adly? In a figu\u00adra\u00adti\u00adve sen\u00adse, I belie\u00adve that we must first pray, wor\u00adship, cross the Jor\u00addan with God, cross your Jor\u00addan with God. But it does\u00adn\u2019t hap\u00adpen by its\u00adelf, you have to pull out a shoe full once, a \u00abshoe of God\u00bb befo\u00adre his bea\u00adver army is acti\u00adva\u00adted to build the dam. I wish that when we grow old, we have sto\u00adries to tell our\u00adsel\u00adves. Some\u00adti\u00admes we hear older peo\u00adp\u00adle say, do you remem\u00adber the floods of yes\u00adteryear and how we fought against them?
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\nDear fri\u00adends, mira\u00adcles do not come for free! We will not expe\u00adri\u00adence church growth if we do not pay atten\u00adti\u00adon to the prin\u00adci\u00adples we are poin\u00adting out this mor\u00adning. We need to take steps of faith! The\u00adre are peo\u00adp\u00adle in the hall this mor\u00adning or at home via live stream who know that some\u00adthing new is coming. NEW<\/span> LAND<\/span>! New job, reti\u00adre\u00adment home, mar\u00adria\u00adge, having child\u00adren, emi\u00adgra\u00adting, going on mis\u00adsi\u00adon, etc.\u2026 Make things firm with God this mor\u00adning and get your feet wet. God will gui\u00adde your paths.
\nFinal thought
\nDis\u00adco\u00adve\u00adring new ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry is always exci\u00adting but is also always asso\u00adcia\u00adted with dan\u00adgers (floods). Howe\u00adver, if we pay atten\u00adti\u00adon to God\u2019s com\u00admandments and always keep our eyes on the Lord (Ark of the Coven\u00adant) and on the other hand always exami\u00adne our hearts so that we are pure of heart, then you can con\u00adfi\u00addent\u00adly tack\u00adle new things. Yes, then you too will one day be able to tell your child\u00adren and grand\u00adchild\u00adren and fri\u00adends how God led you through your Jor\u00addan. Be cou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adous and dare to take new steps!
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: Joshua 3:1\u201317<\/p>\n
\n\tWhen was the last time you had to take steps of faith? (Put your foot in the water first befo\u00adre the water gives way)
\n\tKee\u00adping your eyes on the Ark of the Coven\u00adant, in all of life\u2019s important decis\u00adi\u00adons it is important to keep the focus ful\u00adly on God. How can you encou\u00adra\u00adge each other to keep this focus?
\n\tHow can you encou\u00adra\u00adge and sup\u00adport others who are about to take steps into an unknown land (work, fami\u00adly, etc.)? (Priestly ser\u00advice \u2013 tho\u00adse who held the Ark of the Coven\u00adant in the river until the peo\u00adp\u00adle were on the other side).<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"