Joshua 1: Courageous Calling (Joshua)

Welcome to Family Worship with the church body of Eastern Hills! Whether you’re here in the room or online this morning, we’re glad you’ve decided to be a part of our worship and celebration of Jesus. Thanks to the Youth Praise Band for leading this morning.

If you’re a guest in the room this morning, I’d like the chance to just meet you briefly and thank you personally for being here after service is over, if that’s okay. After the benediction verse at the end of the service, would you mind just coming down and introducing yourself if we haven’t met yet? That’s also a great time to give me your welcome card, that you can find in the back of the pew in front of you. You can also put those in the boxes by the doors after the end of service if you don’t have time to come and meet me. If you’d rather fill out our digital communication card, you can get a link to that by texting 505-339-2004.

I have a few announcements to make before we get into the Scriptures:

Announcements

NMSMO and video ($6,100... more thank halfway there!), goal $11,500.

The Women’s Ministry is going to be holding a women’s self-defense class led by Amy Yee on October 14 in Miller Hall. Sign up in the office.

Trunk or Treat is over a month away, but now is a great time to get candy for this annual outreach event! T or T will be on Friday night, October 27.

Business meeting tonight at 5:30 pm. Several important things to vote on tonight, so please plan to be here.

Opening

This morning, we begin an eight-week look at some of the big figures and moments in the book of Joshua. Joshua is really a transition narrative: the Israelites are going from where they were—wandering in the desert for 40 years following their unwillingness to obey God—to where God had planned for them to go—into the Promised Land, the place where they were meant to be and where God had declared they would reside. Throughout the first five books of the Bible, called collectively the Pentateuch (literally the “five books”), we have followed Abraham and his descendants since chapter 11 of Genesis, before which we saw the creation narrative. Once we meet Abraham, God declares that He is going to do something special with him and his descendants, promising to make them into a great nation, and to bless the whole earth through them. These descendants were the Jews.

The Jews eventually found themselves in captivity in Egypt, and through God’s miraculous intervention, they were brought out and began the journey to the land promised to Abraham’s offspring in Genesis 15. However, when the time came to take the land, the people had refused. Only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh believed the promise of God, and so of that entire generation of adults, they were the only two who survived the desert wandering. Through Moses, God had given Israel special laws that were to govern their society, their religious practice, and their morality, and which set them apart from the other nations of the time, who were basically all polytheistic pagans.

Even though the wandering was a punishment from God, He had miraculously provided for His people during their sojourn, and now He had brought them to the precipice of their future: the taking of the land that God had given to them.

With that background in mind, let’s read the first 11 verses of the book of Joshua. If you’re able and willing, let’s stand together in honor of God’s Word as we look at Joshua 1:1-11:

Joshua 1:1–11 CSB

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’s assistant: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance. 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’ ”

PRAYER (Valencia County Cowboy Church, Los Lunas)

We like stories of bravery and courage. Consider tales like Tolkein’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, or movies like The Avengers or the Harry Potter series: Heroes who face impossible odds and who keep doing what must be done in order to overcome evil. We love the underdog in sports who digs deep and comes out of top. And we hear true stories of people who act in bold and courageous ways during times of crisis or tragedy, and we hold them in high esteem: people such as the first responders on 9/11, for example.

While Joshua and the nation of Israel weren’t facing a time of disaster or active crisis as we open this book, they were facing what from a human perspective was an impossible task. They had been called by God to invade a land that held many nations, some of whom were massive numerically and some even massive physically, and to take the land that God had promised to them, even though Israel wasn’t particularly strong militarily. Their calling was to be bold, to be courageous, and to be obedient.

Our consideration of the message of Joshua is going to focus on using it as an example to us. Just as the people of Israel, and Joshua in particular, were exhorted to boldness, courage, and obedience in fulfilling the calling of God on their lives, so we who are in the church today have a similar exhortation placed upon us—one that will demand that we act boldly, that we live courageously, and that we walk obediently, so that the name of Jesus would be lifted up, so that people would come to know Him and His love, and that God’s family would grow. In short, we’re called to invade the world system through engaging our families, neighbors, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances with the life-giving message of hope in the Gospel, telling others about what Jesus has done for us and for them, and calling them to repentance and faith unto salvation. This is our ultimate focus for this series.

And where it begins is the calling of God on our lives to follow Him into His purpose and plan: to advance His Kingdom.

1) The Calling: Advance God’s Kingdom

The opening verses of the book of Joshua are basically a continuation of the book of Deuteronomy. At the close of Deuteronomy, Moses commissioned both the people and Joshua to the task that God had planned for them:

Deuteronomy 31:6–7 CSB

6 Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.” 7 Moses then summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land the Lord swore to give to their ancestors. You will enable them to take possession of it.

Moses himself was not allowed by God to enter into the Promised Land, and so he died and was buried by God Himself at the very end of Deuteronomy (chapter 34). The Lord spoke to Joshua to open the book that bears his name:

Joshua 1:1–4 CSB

For Israel, it was time to go forward in faith. Moses’s time of leadership was over. Joshua had served him faithfully as his assistant throughout the wilderness wanderings. And so now, God calls Joshua up to this new position of leadership of the nation. And the task before him was to advance God’s purposes for His kingdom by taking the Promised Land.

One aspect that is interesting about this passage is the “now and not yet” perspective. In one sense, according to verse 3, God has already “given” the land to Israel, simply by dint of His declaration that it is so. The land is promised to them, and so it is theirs. However, in another sense, it is a reality that hasn’t come to pass yet, because in verse 4, the Lord says, “Your territory will be...”

Similarly, we who are in Christ live in a “now and not yet” tension as well. Jesus lived a perfect life in our place so that He could die in our stead in order to pay the penalty that we owe because of our sin, and then He rose again so that we could inherit eternal life with Him through faith. Because of what He has done, if we believe in Him and surrender our lives to Him as Lord, we are declared now to be saved, to be made pure, to be adopted into God’s family, to be justified before our Holy God. However, we also know that we haven’t experienced complete and total victory over sin, and our bodies are still vulnerable to injury, sickness, and death. We haven’t received our full inheritance in Jesus yet. It’s ours, but we aren’t experiencing all that it means. So we live also in the “not yet.”

Can I just take a moment to call those of you who have never trusted in Christ to place your faith in Him for your salvation? In the Gospel of John, Jesus said that even the lost live in a “now and not yet” dichotomy: that now, you are under God’s wrath because of sin, but you haven’t received the full venting of that wrath, which you will later:

John 3:17–18 CSB

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

Jesus died so that you could be made right with God, forgiven through trusting that He has paid your debt of sin. And He beat death so you could live forever with Him if you belong to Him by faith. Say “yes” to Jesus even right now.

Back to those who have already trusted in Christ, those who through their faith make up the church. We’re called to be a part of the advance of God’s kingdom here on earth. Yes, God’s Kingdom is a current reality. He rules and reigns over the entirety of creation. However, creation is full of rebels—those who are rightfully His subjects but who resist His good lordship and rule. And His desire is that those who are in rebellion would surrender to Him in trusting faith. And we have been given a task as His people to promote the advance of God’s kingdom, because God’s kingdom advances where the Gospel is preached and believed. It’s like we take ground where that occurs.

I don’t know if we see ourselves this way, but we should. Jesus invaded the world order by coming in the flesh, declaring that the kingdom of God had arrived:

Mark 1:15 CSB

15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

And now, we who are His followers are called to continue that mission: to storm the gates of hell, as it were, as the church; preaching and proclaiming the truth that Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, has come in the flesh to save humanity, and all are subject to Him.

Matthew 16:15–18 CSB

15 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

The gates of Hades are all around us, if you think about it. Everywhere that someone is lost, they are but a moment from entering through that gate into eternal death, separation from the God who made us and loves us. The fact that they don’t believe doesn’t stop the Gospel, and it doesn’t make the Gospel untrue. Their unbelief can never overpower the truth of that message. That’s the rock on which the church is built: the message of hope that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. And it is by this rock that the gates of Hades will be overpowered!

Brothers and sisters, we have a calling to advance the kingdom of God through active invasion against the gates of Hades, to rescue those who are bound for eternal darkness through sharing the hope that we have in Christ with them! Are we willing to serve in the Lord’s army in this way?

I know it sounds scary and intimidating to share the Gospel. I know that we might feel inadequate or unprepared. I know that we might be afraid of how people might respond to us. But we don’t do this alone, and we don’t do it in our own strength. No, we go forward in the strength of God through His promised presence with us, just as Joshua did:

2) The Promise: God’s presence

As I said earlier, the Israelites were not the most militarily dominant people. To this point, they were a nomadic group of formerly enslaved refugees, and had only fought when they had to defend themselves. In order to fulfill God’s calling to advance His kingdom, Joshua was going to need much more than what they had in the tank on their own. Which is why the blessed promise of God’s presence was such a vitally important one:

Joshua 1:5–6 CSB

5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance.

This wasn’t the first time that this promise had been made. We already saw in Deuteronomy 31:6 that Moses told Israel that “…the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.” Just after Joshua’s commission in verse 7, Moses said this to Joshua in verse 8:

Deuteronomy 31:8 CSB

8 The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

And then as a preface to what He would say to Joshua in our focal passage, the Lord Himself spoke to Joshua and said much the same thing in verse 23:

Deuteronomy 31:23 CSB

23 The Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

God’s presence is what would make all the difference for Israel and for Joshua. Because of God’s presence, what God was calling them to could be accomplished, even though it wasn’t something that Joshua could accomplish on his own. God could command Joshua to “be strong and courageous” because He knows the end from the beginning, He has all power and authority, and because of His presence in Joshua’s life, Joshua had access to God’s wisdom and God’s strength. When God told Joshua that he would eventually “distribute the land” to the Israelites, God both knew that it would happen and how it would happen.

One great thing about Joshua is that this trust in God’s presence was something that he had always held. Even when he and Caleb and the 10 spies went in to scout out the Promised Land back in Numbers 13, look at what he said to the people afterwards:

Numbers 14:6–9 CSB

6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite community, “The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us. 9 Only don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!”

God’s presence was all that was necessary for Joshua to be strong and courageous enough to be willing to step out in faith to do what God had called him to in advancing God’s kingdom. God had promised to be with him, so God would be with him and would accomplish all that He wanted to accomplish through Joshua.

And in the same way, we have an incredible promise from Jesus about His presence with us as we fulfill our calling to advance the kingdom of God through sharing the Gospel:

Matthew 28:18–20 CSB

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Just as the Father has all authority, so Jesus has all authority. And in His authority, He commands us that as we go that we are to make disciples of all nations.

A quick side note: Sadly, we have a tendency to somehow pit evangelism (the proclamation of the Gospel) and discipleship (the teaching and training in being a follower of Jesus) against one another. But there’s no conflict here: disciples are those who follow Christ. Only those who hear and believe the Gospel are disciples. Evangelism and Christian discipleship go together and can never be separated.

But the foundation of both our calling to proclaim the Gospel and to disciple those who follow Christ is the same: the very real presence of Jesus with us as we go about these things. He promised essentially the same thing that was said to Joshua: “I am with you always.” This is how we are to do evangelism: in the confidence of the power and presence of Jesus in our lives by His Spirit. It’s not about us. It’s all about HIM, as Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:

2 Corinthians 4:5–10 CSB

5 For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake. 6 For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body.

It’s the presence of Christ in us that empowers and compels our evangelistic endeavors. We can’t save anyone. We can only be faithful to what we have been called to do, and God does the work of saving. But He still chooses to use our obedience in the proclamation of the Gospel, just as He would use Joshua’s obedience in leading the Israelites into the Promised Land:

3) The Path: Courageous obedience

The calling of Joshua here in chapter 1 isn’t about works. It’s not about jumping through hoops. It’s about walking with God in such a way that God would be glorified when His purposes and plans were fulfilled. This is why He said to Joshua:

Joshua 1:7–9 CSB

7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I think it’s interesting that the command for Joshua to be “strong and very courageous” was in the context of obedience: “Be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction…commanded you.” God knew that if Joshua didn’t keep his focus on the Lord, then he would not fulfill his calling. He wouldn’t bring the people in. He wouldn’t experience success and victory because he would no longer be walking in the presence and power of God.

It wasn’t about legalism: it was about relationship. God was going in one direction—Joshua wasn’t to turn aside from that direction to the right or the left. God had spoken the Word through Moses—Joshua was to constantly meditate on that Word in order to follow it carefully… and notice that it was to not depart from his “mouth...” He was to speak the Word of God as well. And at the bottom of it was the renewal of the promise of God’s presence.

So Joshua was called to being strong and courageous in his obedience to God. And I think that this is where we need our greatest encouragement for obedience as well. Think about it. If you’re a believer, you’ve likely agreed with everything that I’ve said so far: that we have been called by God to advance His kingdom by sharing the Gospel, and that the Scripture promises us that we do so not on our own, but in the power of the presence of Jesus by His Spirit.

So why don’t we tell people about the Gospel? I think it’s usually fear.

I’ll confess to you that I don’t have this all together, and I honestly wish I could say that I do. The reality is that sometimes I’m afraid to share the Gospel. Many of the people in my extended family (my brothers and sisters and their spouses and kids) have never trusted Jesus, as far as I know. And while I strive to live out my faith in front of them and am always willing to discuss Jesus or sing songs about Jesus (we used to play music at like every family gathering), for the longest time I felt completely burdened to clearly articulate the Gospel, and out of fear of being ostracized, I didn’t.

And then at our Christmas gathering in 2017, I was powerfully convicted that I was being disobedient. My excuses didn’t hold water. I needed to tell my family about my Savior. I was literally shaking as I told them about the love of God in Christ, because of my fear of rejection.

We need to remember that if God is with us, we have no need to be afraid. There are about 365 “Do not be afraid” statements in the Scriptures. Consider just a couple of them:

Psalm 118:6 CSB

6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?

Ezekiel 2:6 CSB

6 “But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them and do not be afraid of their words, even though briers and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions. Don’t be afraid of their words or discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house.

Isaiah 41:10 CSB

10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.

Now, I wish I could say that revival broke out after I shared, but it didn’t. But the door is open and we do speak more readily and openly about things of God since then. But would that have been the marker of success, anyway? No. While the call to obedience for Joshua very likely referred to success and victory for Israel (they were embarking on what would be a military campaign, after all), what does it mean to be “successful” in evangelism? It simply means being obedient in honoring Christ by obeying the command to tell others about His grace. And in that way, I was “successful.”

This isn’t always easy. And it can include a bit of discomfort and maybe even suffering along with it. But it’s what we are called to, as Paul wrote to Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:7–10 CSB

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. 8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10 This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Because God is with us, we can share the hope of Christ with boldness and courage, simply being obedient to His command to tell others about what Jesus has done for them. We aren’t commanded to save them. We’re commanded to tell them. God is the One who saves them.

So what’s left? Our response.

4) The Response: Preparation

Very quickly, following God’s reminder to Joshua that He has called him to be strong and courageous, not to be terrified or discouraged, and that He is always with Joshua, we find that Joshua takes action. He responds to the instruction of God with active preparation:

Joshua 1:10–11 CSB

10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’ ”

Notice that Joshua doesn’t tell them to get their weapons sharpened and their shields ready. The Lord was going to bring them across the Jordan without a battle (although Jericho would follow closely afterwards). Joshua tells them to get the basics ready.

Obviously, the application of most of this message is that we are to understand that we are called to declare the promise of the Gospel in the power of God’s Spirit through His abiding presence. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a part to play in preparation. The truth is that each of us who are in Christ are to live our lives with Jesus in view—that we would be ready to follow when He calls us to go. In 2 Peter chapter 1, it is written:

2 Peter 1:5–10 CSB

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.

We want to bear fruit! And like Joshua, who was called to meditation and proclamation of the Word of God, so we are called to always be prepared to share the hope of Jesus, not to shy away from doing so because we are afraid:

1 Peter 3:14–16 CSB

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.

Closing

My prayer for this series is that it will serve as some of the preparation that we should engage in so that we are ready to proclaim the truth of the Gospel. As we look through the book of Joshua and are reminded of the boldness, courage, and obedience of Joshua and others in the book, I pray that we all grow in our trust of God, our desire to tell others about Jesus, and our obedience in doing so. Plan to be a part of this journey each week.

This morning, most of the message was directed at the church. But if you’re here and have never surrendered to Jesus, please know that the church family of Eastern Hills wants you to understand and believe the Gospel: That Jesus came, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose to life again so that we can have eternal life through Him. It is only by faith in Christ that we are saved. Believe in Jesus, turning from going your own way, and surrender to Him as Lord. We would love to talk with you about it. In a moment, the band is going to come up and play, and if you would like to talk more about Jesus, or if you’d like to share with us that you’re surrendering to Him this morning, please come and share with one of us. If you’re online and you’d like to talk more about Jesus, you can send me an email to bill@ehbc.org.

If you believe that Eastern Hills is a church family where you can grow in your faith and serve the Lord, and you’d like to join in formal membership, please come and let us know that as well. We’ll make an appointment to sit down and discuss church membership, share our testimonies, and get to know one another a little more. If you’ve already had that conversation with me, please plan to come down during the invitation so I can present you to the church body.

You can come for prayer if you would like one of us to pray with or for you, or you can pray at the steps or in your pew this morning.

This time of invitation is also a great opportunity for you to give your tithes and offerings. If you’re giving physically today, you can put your offerings in the boxes by the doors. If you’d like to give online, you can do so through the app or the website.

Let’s stand and pray as the band comes.

PRAYER

Closing Remarks

Bible reading (Judges 19)

No Pastor’s Study because of business meeting

Prayer Meeting this Wednesday

North parking lot will be closed for at least Monday this week, while 2 of our HVAC units for the sanctuary are installed!

Instructions for guests

Benediction

1 Corinthians 16:13–14 CSB

13 Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. 14 Do everything in love.