Date: 25-Jan-2025
Name: Josh Aleri
Topic: CROSSROADS
Content:
Crossroads
1. Greetings + pre-sermon declarations:
- Psalms 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made;We will rejoice and be glad in it.
- 1 Chronicles 16:34: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2 minutes
Prayer point – Let us give thanks to the Lord for his love, mercies, grace and provision.
2. What is a crossroad?
Can mean:
a) physical intersection of roads / a place where two or more roads meet
b) or a figurative situation that requires a difficult decision / a critical point in a person’s life / a point where a person must decide which way to go next.
- In life we are daily faced with crossroads and the danger is you can’t stay too long in the red light and if you go the wrong way you will have a crush and if don’t wait sufficient time you run the risk of running into something.
- So what will you do at the crossroads?
- I am sure some of us are at the crossroads already or just came from one or about to go into one. What do we do?
3. Important quotes on decisions reflecting on crossroads:
ü “Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.”– Napoleon Bonaparte
ü “Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right.”– Phil McGraw
ü “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”– Maya Angelou
ü “Decision is a sharp knife that cuts clean and straight; indecision, a dull one that hacks and tears and leaves ragged edges behind it.”– Gordon Graham
ü “Every decision you make reflects your evaluation of who you are.”– Marianne Williamson
ü “Decision making is easy when your values are clear.”– Roy Disney
ü “Some of our important choices have a time line. If we delay a decision, the opportunity is gone forever. Sometimes our doubts keep us from making a choice that involves change. Thus an opportunity may be missed.”– James E. Faust
ü “We are our decisions.”– Prof.Salam Al Shereida
ü “Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.”– Paul Tillich
ü “Decision making is the specific executive task.”– Peter Drucker
4. Fire scriptures:
a) What is the Lord saying at the crossroad - Jeremiah 6:16 – 17
16 This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’17 I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
Take home:
i. Stand and look
- Stand with the armour of God. Ephesians 6:10 – 18 0 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
ii. Ask for the path and God’s will - Jeremiah 33:3, Mathew 6:33, Mathew 7:7
iii. Keep walking
- Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!”
- Psalm 1: 2 Blessed…….but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
iv. Assurance of finding rest
b) Joshua Installed as Leader
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”
c) At the crossroad cry like Jabez - 1Chronicles 4:10 - Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
Take home
Jabez prayed for four things:
1. That God would bless him
2. That God would enlarge his territory
3. That God’s hand might be with him
4. That God would keep him from evil
d) Genesis 32:22 – 32 Jacob Wrestles With God
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[a] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[b] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
e) Luke 8:43 – 48 43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
f) John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. Jude 1:20 says, "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life
5. Characteristics of being at the crossroad
- You will fill like you are alone
- You will need to make decisions
- You will have pain
- The enemy will play the fear card
- The what if’s will be many
- You will see a lot of traffic
- Life and death
6 Other examples of crossroads
Job, Jabez, Joshua, The woman with the blood issue, Daniel, Esther, Our Lord Jesus
7) While at the Crossroads:
- Stand and Look
- Ask for direction
- Cry for mercy, God’s will
- Be patient like Job
- Strong and courageous like Joshua and Jacob
- Don’t be angry like Elisha
- pray in the inner most with holy spirit
Pray points
- Let’s pray for mercy
- Direction
- Courage and strength
- Blessing
- Against covid and respiratory attacks from the enemy.
Conclusion: Be blessed, back to Pastor Lakers – Thank you.
Prayer Points:
