Courageous Leadership

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Joshua 1:1–9 NLT

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

JOSHUA 1:1,2

Joshua 1:2 NLT

2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.

GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR YOU

Joshua 1:5 NLT

5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

Joshua 1:9 NLT

9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

GOD HAS PROMISED YOU HIS PRESENCE

Joshua 1:7–8 NLT

7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

Only 45% of people who regularly attend church weekly read the bible 1/week, 40% read the bible once a month, 5% never read the bible in a year!

Joshua 1:6–9 (NLT)

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.

7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

When we embrace God’s purpose and His presence it changes our posture.

Observations & Ideas:

We experience the promises of God by walking in obedience and staying in step with His presence

Leaders lead as they are led, as they walk in obedience and follow God - best leaders are followers of Jesus

success is found in obedience. Success is not always the result of obedience, success is obedience.

Courage comes from God’s promise & His presence

Moses’s fear and discouragement was from the fact that Moses had just died. He lost the leader and now had to take on Moses’ mantel, had to lead the people to the Promised Land w/o his mentor.

Joshua 1:6–9 (NLT)

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.

7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Be strong & courageous 3x with three diff follow-up statements

Our success comes from walking in His word and in His presence!

Intros:

verbal presentations, UofM QB second string had to go in, going home from the hospital w/Zae - weight of being the successor and living up to the standard, maybe being second born, etc

not only is there a bar that has been set but theres a pressure to perform at a high level and you feel alone. Have you ever done something really challenging alone? Spiritual warfare, passing your class,

maybe you’ve lost someone you love due to a death or a breakup and it’s just took the wind out of your sails. I believe God’s word has something to say to you and I this morning.

New outline

Problem - external circumstances

Solution: Purpose, Presence, Posture

New Outline

Read the text

Emphasize Moses’s death, the void of leadership and Joshua’s calling to lead the people into the promised land and the fear and discouragment he must have felt losing his mentor

Story not having a mentor or person in your life

Nasa

Parent

Coach

Maybe you’ve been in Christian culture before and you’ve heard Jesus’ words we are to do greater works than He did and youve felt the wight of how do i follow up to Jesus

Story of a time had to got second after someone amazing

Jesus gives us the key to walking in those footsteps b/c it isnt about the leader that preceded us but about the one who goes before us. Joshua’s mission wasn’t to follow Moses but Christ

Jesus gave Joshua the key - obey His word

OUtline God’s will with His word

God’s will for our life is experienced more profoundly when we walk in step iwth God’s word and His presence

We can be strong and courageous b/c God is with us.

Action Obey

JO’s Outline

Big Idea: How do we experience the promises of God? By walking in step with His presence.

Intro: Example of a time i sought after earthly success and felt discouraged or fearful.

Or example of something God asked me to be obedient to but was fearful or discouraged b/c of external enemies or obstacles

Recap last week - doubt and insecurity, excuses that get in the way of us fulfilling God’s calling b/c of internal concerns. This week we look at reasons we can succeed in our calling despite external concerns. - the enemies and inhabitants of the land.

In week 1 - heard God’s promise to Abraham I will bless the world through your descendent (Ch12) in chapter 15, renews covenant with Abraham and then promises the land.

Week 2 - 400yrs later, God raises up Moses to lead ppl to that land

120yrs later (40 Egypt, 40 Midian, 40 wandering) God calls Joshua.

The text Joshua 1:1-9.

God’s will for Joshua was not that he would, like Moses, be a deliverer of God’s people but rather that he would be a conquer for God’s people. That he would conquer the Promised Land. But How would he do so? By trusting God’s Promise/His Word, walking in obedience to His word and in step with His presence.

His obedience allowed him to experience victory

Our obedience is the practical means by which we experience God’s will and His plan for our life

Joshua

Jesus Phil 2:8 “8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

What success is not more money, new car, promotion, starting on the team, better earthly outcomes. Success is not achieving. It is not something we accomplish or receive, it’s something we walk in.

God had already promised them the land. The mechanism by which you gain access to the plan and purpose God has for you is by walking in obedience to His word.

sometimes that doesn’t mean life gets “better”. Share example of time I was obedient and life got harder. — My obedience allowed me to walk in God’s plan and purpose for me.

Ultimately my obedience allowed me not only to walk in step with His Word but with Him.

Success isn’t found in where we go or what we do. It’s not found in the victories we achieve, it’s found in WHO we spend time with.

Example:

Close: it’s okay to be fearful or discouraged, but remember God is WITH YOU! and if He is for you, who can be against you.

Last week we saw how Moses was a foreshadow of the Great Deliverer. This week we saw how Joshua was a foreshadow of the Great Conquer, one who didn’t come in militant force, one who didn’t take life, but rather gave up His life, that we might walk in His victory on over sin, death and the devil!

If we walk with Him, we can be strong and courageous even if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. b/c He is with us!

So what’s the action step? Walk in step with His Word & His presence - obey!

If you don’t know what God’s called you to be obedient to - get in His word! list some examples

If you have been in your word and He’s been talking to you - obey! It is the means by which you will experience His calling for you!

(Do i have to address disobedience? Disobedience doesn’t mean you mess with the Sovereignty of God and all the sudden have messed up His plan for you. He’s bigger than your mistakes. Our disobedience keeps us from experiencing God’s best for us - example of Moses smashing the rock)

Other big ideas

-God promises land that’s possessed by other nations and is going to give it as a possession for His people. God is already the owner of that land and is going to transfer the steward of that land. Our possession isn’t just the land its Christ

Dale’s Version

Joshua 1:1–9 NLT

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The Will of God Obeyed through Joshua's Faith

Introduction: In this sermon, we will explore the life of Joshua, a faithful leader who obediently followed God's commands. Joshua's unwavering faith and courage in fulfilling God's will provide valuable lessons on leadership and obedience.

Key Points:

Called to Leadership:

Þ God appointed Joshua as the successor to Moses, entrusting him with the responsibility of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Þ Joshua's faith and trust in God's guidance enabled him to step into this role with confidence.

Embracing God's Promises:

Þ God assured Joshua of His presence and promised to give him every place he set his foot.

Þ Joshua clung to God's promises, knowing that His faithfulness would prevail.

Courage in the Face of Challenges:

Þ Joshua faced formidable obstacles, including crossing the Jordan River and conquering fortified cities.

Þ His unwavering faith and courage, rooted in God's promises, propelled him forward in fulfilling God's will.

Wholehearted Obedience:

Þ Joshua exemplified wholehearted obedience by following God's commands without compromise.

Þ His obedience led to great victories and the fulfillment of God's plans for the Israelites.

Conclusion: Joshua's life serves as an inspiration for leaders and followers alike. His unwavering faith, courage, and obedience to God's will demonstrate the transformative power of trusting in God's promises. As we seek to fulfill God's will, may we emulate

Joshua's example and lead with unwavering faith, courage, and obedience, trusting that God will be with us every step of the way.