“A Conquering Faith”

Scripture Reading: Joshua 1:1–9

“1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,

2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.

4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Introduction

One of the most encouraging books of the Old Testament is the book of Joshua. All of us need to know the power of faith so that we can be “more than conquerors.”

God’s Word says that “this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith” (1 John 5:4).

We need to know that we can conquer the challenges of the day by faith.

Joshua’s life is a beautiful illustration of the power of faith.

Joshua teaches us the key to victorious living.

The principles Joshua lived by and by which he was successful are the same principles we may live by to be victorious in Christ.

The key principle is faith.

Who was Joshua? He was the man God used to fulfill his promise to his people regarding the land of Canaan.

He was born as a slave in Egypt but experienced the supernatural deliverance from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea.

During the second forty years of his life, Joshua was a minister to Moses, assisting, leading in battle, and observing the ways of the Lord.

Now Joshua had come to the time of his appointment as leader of the Israelites following Moses’ death.

In Moses was the anticipation of the Promised Land; in Joshua was the realization of it.

Joshua’s heart and life were prepared for this challenge. Numbers 27:18 says that he was “a man in whom is the Spirit” (RSV).

He was controlled by the Spirit of God.

Numbers 32:10–12 says that he was a man who wholly followed God in faith. He was victorious and obedient. Deuteronomy 34:9 says he was “full of the spirit of wisdom” (RSV).

Joshua can teach us how to conquer by faith.

1. Faith’s challenge (Josh. 1:2).

2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.”

Verse 2 indicates that it is a challenge from God to accept his Word and act on it. Joshua’s greatest challenge is to see what God will do!

He had already seen God at work in other victorious experiences in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and against Amalek.

Joshua already knew what people could not do.

Numbers 13 and 14 record the Kadesh-barnea experience and the bitter consequences of unbelief.

And just as Israel suffered these consequences, so does unbelief… disqualify us from service and God’s success.

A life lived according to self is like Israel wandering in the desert for an entire generation.

It is a picture of the carnal life of a Christian.

Now God challenges Joshua to go into the land and possess it. It is a challenge to experience the victory God had already given.

It is God’s commission to him.

This is our challenge: to experience the victorious life in Jesus Christ and to experience spiritual conquest in obeying the Lord’s commission to us following his resurrection.

2. Faith’s assurance (Josh. 1:5, 9).

“5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”

“9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

God not only commands; he also assures fulfillment. His promises are ours to accept.

A. The promise of divine authority.

All of God is behind his Word. God’s “I will” is enough! As he commands us to service, he obligates himself to see us through (John 15:16; Phil. 1:6).

B. There is the promise of divine faithfulness.

Verse 5 states God’s promise of his abiding presence: “I will be with thee.”

This is not just for Joshua; it is repeated elsewhere in the Bible, especially in Hebrews 13:5.

This is God’s eternal principle made real through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

3. Faith in Action (Josh. 1:3).

“3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.”

As Joshua responded by faith, the promise would be fulfilled in every place that the sole of his foot would tread.

Here is the principle of action.

He was to claim what God had already given. God promises to give the land, but the people must possess it.

God provides, faith takes.

God waited for them to believe his Word and claim the land for themselves.

It was legally theirs from the moment God uttered his promise; it was experientially theirs when they entered the land to possess it.

All of God’s provisions are waiting to be claimed today.

After we have claimed salvation in Jesus Christ by faith, there are other vast spiritual possessions in Christ that we are challenged to claim in faith.

When we do, we are wonderfully rich; when we do not, many of the Lord’s riches remain unclaimed.

4. Faith’s victory (Josh. 1:5).

“5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”

In verse 2, Joshua is told to “go over this Jordan.”

In verse 5, he is assured that no man would be able to stand before him—nothing could stop faith in action.

Verse 10 records that Joshua accepts the challenge and moves out according to God’s Word.

Verse 16 describes the people’s response in obedience to God’s command through Joshua.

Victory is assured in God’s word to Joshua. And the rest of the book of Joshua tells the story.

5. Faith’s secret (Josh. 1:7–8).

“7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success[a] wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Verses 7 and 8 teach that successful living is living by the principles of God’s Word.

It was God’s purpose for Joshua that if he was to be a leader, he must have spiritual discipline in his life through the Word of God.

There was also to be absolute obedience—obedience to the Word of God, the source of our strength and courage.

If we are to experience God’s secret to life, we must get into God’s Word and meditate on it, allowing it to do its work in us.

Conclusion

How can you exercise faith today?

You can accept God’s challenge to you, whatever it is.

You can believe in Jesus Christ and receive him as your Savior and Lord.

You can believe that God will never leave you nor forsake you.

You can believe that God has an answer for your problem, your suffering, your circumstance.

You can believe God’s Word and begin today reading it, memorizing it, and meditating on it.

*Pray