|
Moses in his day had set his face to a splendid,
audacious and impossible adventure.
He sought awaken a passion for liberty in born
slaves, people broken with no hope, no stars No tomorrow.
He sought to weld that soft crumbling stuff of
which the Israelite People had been made into a nation, A people of
pride and prosperity.
Moses sought To wrest a home for these poor
souls out of the hands of a sturdy vigilant strong Black race of
Canaanite people, people who were not willing give up their land, no
matter what Yahweh said. After all their God was Baal, and Yahweh they
thought was no match for Baal
It was a dwarf dream that Moses had, nothing
more. And yet patiently, persistently, whole heatedly, Moses gave his
life to it, leading, coaxing, thundering, Rousing tired hearts
rekindling hopes that had gone out till at last it all but came
through. The hour had struck, the years of weary waiting had crawled
past, there lay the land full in sight at last, another step or two,
and it would be reached.
Here they stand, at the edge of the Jordan.
Millions of Israelite slaves. The Jordan's water swift hustling
currents, cascading merrily over the smooth stones that had sat at the
bottoms of its water for some 5000 years.
According to the book of Numbers, their were
72,000 Black Families in this massive crowd awaiting the command of
the Lord to cross over this Jordan. They were descendant of Ephraim
and Manhasset. Further more, there was in this crowd the mixed
multitude, black Egyptians who came with them for they had married
into this Hebrew race, and where their family went, they went also.
Then there were the Black in-laws of Moses, including Horab the
Midianite, who according to Num 10:29-33 Moses convinced to go with
Him to Canaan and be a Head Scout
Numbers 1:33-34.
Num
1:33 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim,
were forty thousand and five hundred.
Num 1:34
Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their
families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of
the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go
forth to war;
Num 1:35
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were
thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
Gen 41:45.
Gen 41:45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name
Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of
Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of
Egypt.
Genesis
41:50-52
GEN 41:50
And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came,
which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him.
GEN 41:51
And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said
he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.
GEN 41:52
And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me
to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
Number
10:29
Num 10:29
And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses'
father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD
said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good:
for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.
Here they
are, millions of Hebrew slaves standing at the Jordan. Moses was their
leader, their law giver, their oracle. This Senior Citizen Moses had
staggered Pharaoh and out whited all the wisdom of the Egyptians. This
80 year old man, showed up the youthful Ramses, Out maneuvered the
Politicians of African, by winning the vote of the Populace.
Educated the Doctors, who themselves had taught Him all the wisdom of
Egypt, the greatest civilization on earth. He blew the mind of
the meteorologist, causing hail in the summer, and night in the day
time. He Confounded the oceanoligist who had never seen a red
oceans, red rivers, or red lakes. This senior citizen bewildered
the Agriculturist, by bring drought in the time of plenty. He amazed
the Astrologist by showing fire at night in the Sky, and cloud by day
which led the way to the promised land. He caused frogs, and flies,
and caterpillars to appear in places they had never been before, so
that the Counselors of the African King Ramses, begged Him, "Let the
Hebrew people go, for we have never seen anything like this, in
Egypt".
This Senior Citizen Moses. Despite all this,
when his dream still only a dream, His achievement not yet achieved.
Still hoping to lead Gods people into the promised land, God said
Moses, this is not a job for Senior Citizens, it the youths time.
Choose you another leader.
Moses, God said, I know you want to go into the
promise land, I know you have longed for it, and prayed for it,
I know you had dreamed of it, but I am the leader Moses, The pillar of
fire by night, the pillar of cloud by day, I am the true leader, fall
out Moses, It's Joshua turn. Its youth Time.
One of the greatest insight in being a leader,
is knowing when to fall out. All good general must know when his
soldiers has had enough, and Jesus is the greatest of Generals. And
he knows when it youths time.
Many a good work
has been spoiled by the worker obstinately dragging it on after the
finger of God has written finish upon it,
This thing is not ours, it is God's, and when
God's says quit, you quit, because God knows best. Fall out
Moses, Gods says, its Joshua turn.
I Chronicles 7:22-27.
1CH 7:22 And Ephraim their father mourned many
days, and his brethren came to comfort Him
1CH 7:23 And when he went in to his wife, she
conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it
went evil with his house.
Beriah means - in times of trouble, God always has
his man, in times of trouble.
1CH 7:25 And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and
Telah his son, and Tahan his son,
1CH 7:26 Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama
his son,
1CH 7:27 Non his son, Jehoshua his son.
Joshua, Yahweh is deliverance, the Son of Nun,
born of the Black tribe of Ephraim, military commander of Moses during
the wilderness wanderings. It was this man Joshua, borned on the
continent of Africa who went up into the mount that day, when God had
invited Moses to come up to Mount Sinai so that He may give Him a
table of stone containing law which God himself has written with his
own fingers.
It was this man Joshua, borned on the continent
of Africa to the descendants of an African Priest who stood by, When
like a devouring fire, God appeared upon the mountain. And for forty
days, and forty nights, communicated with Moses, and God shared with
them, as he had shared with no man before. Joshua was there.
It was this Man of African descent name Joshua
who was inaugurated by Moses as His successor, and when Moses died, It
was this man Joshua Who became Israel's great African leader, who
began immediately to make preparations to enter into the promised
Canaan. It was An African named Joshua.
He led with all His might, no doubt, Just like
Moses, He moved as a man possessed. He was a man on a mission, God
had called Him and ordained Him for a specific purpose. Conquer the
land, Joshua, Conquer the land. And when the people thought it was
time to rest, Joshua kept pushing them on and on and on.
Joshua, a black man of energy and push,
Joshua, a black man who had great enterprise to
his credit,
Joshua, a black man with a long roll of fame to
show.
For forty years he observed the slavery and
sorrow of a captive people.
His childish eyes had witnessed the brutality of
the Egyptian taskmasters.
And deep within his breast burnt a desire to set
his people free.
And I submit to you this morning, that what the
black community needs, are leaders who have a passion within their
breast to set them free. And if not us, then who, and if not now,
then when. Wake up Advent youth, for God is calling you and it's time
to take your place, its your turn, its our turn.
Joshua was a soldier. He was not a teacher or a
prophet. God did not appear to Him as a burning bush, no as Captain of
the Lords Host God came, sword drawn in his hand. And Now God
Speaks to this great Black leader.
JOS 1:2 Moses 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.
Go over this Jordan, to Canaan. Canaan, home of
the Giants. This is black mans country. Joshua. They are Canaanites,
Sons of Ham, Brothers to Nimrod. In this country are black giants.
Military geniuses. They settle here because it is the cross Roads of
the world, and they alone have proved to be militarily able to
withstand the onslaught that living in Palestine requires.
Genesis 10:6
And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and
Phut, and Canaan.
All Negroes, Cushites, were Ethiopians,
Mizraimites - Egyptians, Phutites - Libyans and Canaanites. The
People who dwelt in Palestine.
We blacks have a tremendous heritage.
Canaan, this is black mans country. Cities
strongly fortified. Jericho, Ai, Gilgal, Jerusalem, Hebron, Lachish,
Eglon, Jarmoth. Cities that had stood as a monument to the ability of
the Black race to build structure of magnificence and beauty, where
peace and tranquility existed within its walls, Mountainous fortress
and strongholds that would defy any power in those days.
Canaan, this was black man's country. They were
a powerful people fierce and warlike. Armed and ready to stop any
intruder, any nation ready to claim Palestine as their own. They
have Horsemen, and chariots, and instruments of war, which Israel
has none.
Canaan, this is Black man's country empire
builders. "Before you Joshua, Jericho, behind you Joshua, Egypt". To
your right Babylon, to your left Hittites, all great black empires.
Built by the sweat of their brows, with the strength of their hands.
They fear no one thus far, But Joshua, You Great Black military leader
of Israel, shall put fear into hearts, for with you is not Baal. With
you is not Isis. With You is not Astoreth. Experience said, it could
not be done, But youth says:
Fear thou not, for Yahweh is with you,
Be Not dismay, for Yahweh is your God
I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with the
right hand of my righteous
Arise, great Black Military leader, Arise, and
take my people over this Jordan.
When a man knows he had been called to a certain
work, he is invincible. He is not unconscious of His own
deficiency. He is not insensible of difficulties. None is as quick
to see the great stones, the iron gates as he is.
He sees the walled cities the broad flowing
rivers
He feels the shaft of ridicule and adverse
criticism.
But from all these he looks steadily away to the
declared purpose to which God has called Him, and he yields himself a
channel through whom God can operate.
And I submit to you this morning, that Gods
church is powerless today, because we are filled with people who do
not feel Gods call.
The supreme inquiry for each of us, when
summoned to a new work is not whether we possess sufficient strength,
not whether we possess sufficient qualifications no.
When we are called by God; there is no further
cause for anxiety. If it is in His plan that we should march through
a river, march on. If it is in His plan that we take a walled
town, take on. If it is in His plan that we turn to flight an
army, the we simply must go forward. God will make a way through
the mountains. God will make a way through the rivers. God
will make a fires. Rivers will dry up. Walls will fall down,
armies will scatter, the devil will tremble in his boots. There is no
such thing as impossibility when God says Forward; Arise go over this
Jordan.
JOS 1:5 There shall not any man be able
to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so
I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
All through the arduous campaign that followed,
nothing could daunt Joshua courage. As long as that promise kept
ringing in His ear, he had no fear, I will be with thee
Here me Ephesus in Harlem, the center of of
Afrocentrism, And as we pitch our tents in this city. As you take on
Lucifer, and challenge his hold upon the Black community in the name
of Jesus, the devil will turn up the fire seven times higher.
He will send his enemies to hate, He send his
mouth piece to criticise, He might cause the stingy people in Gods
church to be cheap and steal Gods tithe so the funds will be short.
The river may be deep, The mountains may be
high.
But who can faint when there hand is in Gods
hand.
Young folks pick up your swords, and move
forward under the banner of prince Immanuel, singing.
Guide me Oh thou great
Jehovah
Pilgrim through this
barren land.
I am weak but thou art
mighty
Lead me with thy
powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Feed
me, till I want no more.
When I tread the verge
of Jordan
Bid my anxious fear
subside
Death of death and
hells destruction
Land me safe on Canaan
side
Song so Praise, Song of
praises,
I will ever give to
thee.
Rise Up Israel's Great Black Military leader, go
over this Jordan.
Rise up Black men and women of New Jersey, Rise
up, Advent youth its your turn now, and we must go over this Jordan.
|