Courage to Follow
Notes
Transcript
Courage to Follow
INTRODUCTION
My assumption coming out of OBU and first pastor experience= People will follow the vision of the pastor.
First full time pastorate= awesome growth
6 months in the former interim/ retired DOM flexed his muscle to save the church from the crazy young pastor.
I went on vacation- The former interim called a special business meeting and the church voted to buy a church van. Spent $20,000 of the $22,000 in the checking account.
I realized I wasn't the leader so I ran.
I struggled for years in leadership because of it. Reminded often "Be strong and courageous"
I have come to understand that it is hard for Christians to follow.
We would rather hire people to do ministry for us and to us than to follow.
We've also had bad experience with leaders and do not want to be hurt again.
Following makes us vulnerable.
We've seen what happens in cults when people blindly follow a leader.
If the People of Israel were going to take the Promise Land they were going to have be courageous and follow.
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.’ ”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,
13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’
14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them,
15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses!
18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
3 Ways We Need Courage to Follow
3 Ways We Need Courage to Follow
1. Courage to Be Accountable (10-12, 16-17)
1. Courage to Be Accountable (10-12, 16-17)
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.’ ”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,
-only one person communicated the vision. Rest had to buy it.
-what we see here is not monarchy. That comes with David.
This is a theocracy.
God is the King and he appoints leaders for tasks as they are needed.
Book of Judges.
- there is accountability built in.
There should be leadership within the church. But there must be accountability.
Our structure has the pastor as the leader of the ministries of the church but we built in a lot of accountability.
Just because a pastor held accountable does not mean he is not given authority.
Joshua spoke directly with God. He had a clear command from God.
- New Testament we have the Holy Spirit. We are all priests.
We can all go before God and know God's will.
Therefore, our leadership structure works differently than what we see in Joshua.
- yet leadership was an important part of the early church.
God appoints leaders.
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Notice- Joshua mostly just listened. Let God do the talking.
Joshua spoke the vision.
Similar words that he used 40 years earlier.
"You shall pass over! You Shall possess the land! The Lord will give it to you!"
Ends with Submission (16)
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
submit to those in authority over you.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Submission to anyone is hard. It takes trust and faith.
Most have been let down by those in authority at some time in their life.
Again- we have an advantage. The Holy Spirit.
If our leaders are blessed, we are blessed.
17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses!
-gave their blessing to their leader. Asked God to bless him. His success meant their success.
-heard that the best way to get rid of a pastor is to pray for God to bless them so another church wants them.
Pray for me- If Satan can take out the leader he can hurt the entire organization.
2. Courage to Be United (12-15)
2. Courage to Be United (12-15)
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,
13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’
14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them,
15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
Moses had promised them they could settle if they helped the other tribes receive their land.
1 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock.
2 So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation,
3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
4 the land that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”
5 And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”
6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?
7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them?
20 So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war,
21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him
22 and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.
23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.
24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.”
25 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands.
26 Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead,
27 but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord orders.”
Unity takes sacrifice
- for the good of the whole group.
They kept their word
However, it was always a problem that they were on the wrong side of the Jordan.
They wanted what they could see immediately- didn't wait for the best of what God had on other side.
-1 Corinthians 12- one body. Each part sacrificing for the whole.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
--not all parts of the body are visible and seen as important. Some are even seen as dishonorable. Yet all are important.
Whatever your gift, it is not for your own personal benefit. It is to benefit the whole Body of Christ.
3. Courage to Provide Accountability (18)
3. Courage to Provide Accountability (18)
18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
They hold the nation accountable to do what Joshua says.
They hold Joshua accountable to be strong.
ready to defend their leader.
consequences for living without authority.
It's how you end up losing your friends and family. It’s how you lose your qualifications to lead.
When you think no one can tell you what to do.
No one will know.
ILL- accountability keeps us from making poor decisions.
God knows the best way for us to live our life.
Cheating on your spouse has consequences
Pornography has consequences
Wrong use of money has consequences.
They all cause a person to not be qualified for leadership.
Someone needs to be the leader and that leader needs to be named.
the followers now asked something from their leader- “be strong and courageous”.
Same thing God commanded him to be.
They wanted him to have confidence. — Their submission should be reason for him to be strong and courageous.
Confidence that they were all going to do their part. They have his back.
Sin has huge consequences- God took this seriously.
(New Testament we see Grace- because of the blood of Jesus)
Sin is disobeying God.
-wages of sin is death.
Warren Wiersby, "If God’s people today saw obedience to Christ a matter of life or death, it would make a big difference in our ministry to a lost world. We obey the Lord’s orders if we feel like it, if it’s convenient, and if we can get something out of it. With soldiers like that, Joshua would never have conquered the Promised Land!
Choose- death or life
CONCLUSION
52 years later Joshua had served with integrity. The Israelites had forgotten who they served. They had a choice.
14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
You have a choice today. Who will you serve?