Dr. Dan Hayden - A Word From The Word

Victory is a wonderful word. We sing about it and talk about it, but how can you actually live a victorious Christian life? The answer is found in a five letter word: Faith. That is the big word we find emphasized in the book of Joshua. They were willing to take God at His Word and they were victorious. (49:29)

Joshua chapter five concludes the section on Preparation, then the conquest of Jericho is recorded in chapter six, followed by the failure of Achin, and then the final conquest of Ai. (46:45)

God is merciful to us. We are saved of the basis of the mercy of God. He will forgive us of our sins and take us unto Himself so we can enjoy Him as our God. Mercy is God not holding us accountable for our sins. The message of God's mercy is beautifully illustrated in Joshua Chapter 2. (44:40)

Hebrews 3-4 provides insight from the New Testamant on the book of Joshua. Is it a picture of salvation or santification? Then, Joshua chapter 1 begins with the death of Moses, the beginnings of Joshua's command, and God's instruction to possess the land and obey the Book. (49:20)

Joshua was prepared by God for what he was going to do. Preparation is sometimes minimized in our world, but God often maximizes it. It is better to be prepared and have quality opportunity for a short time than to be unprepared and drizzling opportunity that doesn't amount to much over a long period of time. God puts emphasis on and rewards preparation. (46:36)

Heir to Earth's Fortune - Isaiah 53:12. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors. (31:32)

The Pleasure of the Lord - Isaiah 53:10. Understanding the purpose of God in the death of Christ. (24:02)

In the Hands of God - Isaiah 53:8-9. From man's viewpoint, the future is uncertain and turbulent times seem to be ahead. Yet, the Bible does not encourage us to be pessimists, but rather to commit our lives to a faithful God in quiet confidence regardless of what may come. Jesus is our Savior from a sinful world and He is also our example of how to live in a sinful world. He didn't strike back at the sufferings of life with revilings and threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. (28:33)

Healing in the Atonement - Isaiah 53:4. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (29:45)

The Refusal - Isaiah 53:3. Rejection is a terrible thing - especially when it is undeserved. Yet, that is what happened to our Lord when He presented Himself as the Savior of the world. The people of that day refused to acknowledge Him as the rightful Messiah, largely because He didn't fit their expectation. They were looking for a powerful and attractive Deliverer, not a meek and lowly Savior - so, they refused to accept the One whom God had sent. (27:50)

A Despised Deliverer - Isaiah 53:1-2. Why was Jesus rejected? Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied the hostile reaction to the One who would be sent as the Deliverer. (25:29)

God's Vision for the Church, Part 8 - Ephesians 4:11-12. Reaching people with the Gospel of Christ is an integral part of the mission of the Church. Our Lord role-modeled that concern for us as He reached out to people from all walks of life with the message of salvation. Then, just before He left, He commissioned the founders of the Church to keep doing what He had begun - Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15). In our day, and in our community, we are to continue that tradition of the Body of Christ. The church is to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world with the message of salvation in Christ (Matthew 5:13-16). (39:38)

God's Vision for the Church, Part 7 - Ephesians 4:16. When some members of the body of Christ don't fulfill their God given purpose in the church, then other members have to compensate for that lack. Some become over busy, while others do nothing. To the extent that that happens, the body of Christ becomes handicapped and its efforts in the cause of Christ are crippled. On the other hand, it is a beautiful thing when the body of Christ functions as God intended with every Christian contributing. (41:12)

God's Vision for the Church, Part 6 - Ephesians 4:12. Before going out, your body ministers to itself. You wash, groom, and eat so you will be as prepared as you can be to face the day. If you are unclean, disheveled and famished, you will not be nearly as effective in what you do. The body of Christ, the Church, is like that too. Christian service is the body ministering to itself in love. It is ensuring that the body is well prepared to meet the challenge of witness in the world. If the Church is disorganized and untrained it will not be very effective as a witness for Christ. However, if the church is well organized and fully equipped for it's task, then it's ministry as a light of the Gospel will be more powerful. Serving one another in the love of Christ is the means by which God prepares us for witness. (41:41)

God's Vision for the Church, Part 5 - Ephesians 4:13-14. Most people do not know when they are being deceived. That's the nature of deception - it takes them off guard because there is something they don't know about what is happening. On the other hand, when a person knows the truth, that person is able to see through the deception and is not deceived. Therefore, a wise person is diligent in the pursuit of truth. Learning the truth of God's Word helps us to mature as Christians. This means we are continually growing to become more like Christ. It also means we will be less and less likely to be deceived by spiritual error. (39:43)

God's Vision for the Church, Part 4 - Ephesians 4:13-15. Spiritual maturity is linked to knowing. A Christian cannot act responsibly unless he knows what to do. Learning is the means of growing up in Christ. (41:39)

God's Vision for the Church, Part 3 - Ephesians 4:15. The most important thing we can do as Christians and as a church is to praise God for who He is and for what He has done. Acknowledging God and honoring Him is the basis of all meaningful life. This is especially true with regard to our relationship with Jesus Christ for He is our HEAD and all things from the Father come to us through Him. Our primary task is to worship God by worshipping the Son of God, our Lord and Savior. We do this when we respond in our hearts by giving Him our devotion and allegiance - that is, when we both honor Him and obey Him. (45:12)

God's Vision for the Church, Part 2 - Ephesians 4:11-16. There are four distinct means by which God's purpose for the church is to be fulfilled. The first is WORSHIP, our verticle response to the Lord, which is our chief responsibility. Second is LEARNING, which is obviously essential to growth and maturity. Then there is SERVICE, where each part of the body has a significant role to play in ministering to the rest of the body. Finally, God wants the church to REACH OUT with the gospel so others can come to faith in Christ and be added to the church. (45:46)

God's Vision for the Church, Part 1 - Ephesians 4:11-16. Direction and purpose are essential ingredients of success in any endeavor. God says, where there is no vision the people are unrestrained - which simply means that lack of direction (vision) leads to lack of purpose (unrestrained). As a church, we should have a clear idea of God's direction and purpose for our ministry. We need a clear vision so we can have a well defined purpose. (39:08)

Philippians 4:6-7 - Peace That Keeps. The solution for true and lasting peace offered by the Bible is not built upon government sanctions and military pressures. It emanates out of an inner peace based upon a right relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Instead of us trying to keep the peace it is rather the peace of God that keeps us. It is an internal peace that leads to external peace. When our prayers are bathed in a spirit of thanksgiving for God's mercy and grace, we become the recipients of God's perfect peace. (29:31)