Be Courageous

This life can be difficult. So many challenges of different types continue to face us today. Joshua had a huge job looming over him that he was commanded to do. To bring the people of God into a land that they people had been to terrified to enter 40 years prior. Becasue of their lack of trust in God, He wiped out that generation.

We see here at the beginning of the book of Joshua, the charge that God is laying on him, before he lead the people into battle.

Joshua 1:5-9

The Command Given to Joshua, Be Strong

Why?

God gives promises, that are to strengthen us.

Promises: (v.5)

No man shall be able to stand before you.

Don’t fear the enemy Joshua.

The one who is sovereign over the battle is saying He would give Joshua victory.

Battles are won by how God determines them to be won.

The battle of Jericho taught the people that battles aren’t won by the amount of warriors, but by the will of God.

The battle of Ai showed what happened when man tries to win a battle by their own strength and might.

I will be with you as I was with Moses.

Was it easy for Moses? say no

But He was guided by God almighty through the trials.

God had provided supernatural salvation multiple times through Moses.

God is telling Joshua that he will do the same thing through him.

I will not leave you

This promise is to squelch the “what if” questions we have.

For we can generate numerous scenarios where the unexpected takes place.

What if the gods of the land were stronger than Yahweh?

What if Joshua made a mistake.

All of the “what if’s” are generated by a low view of God, that doesn’t believe He actually knows the course of the world.

God is telling Joshua don’t fear because El Shaddai, God almighty who determines the course of the world was with him, and would not leave him.

God is giving Joshua the reasons why he shouldn’t fear.

What Does God Command of Joshua?

Be strong and courageous, but that is a chiasm.

A spiritual sandwich, this should lead us to ask the question, “what’s in the middle?”

Be careful to do according to the law of Moses.

Meditate on the law day and night.

The character and the will of God is revealed in the law of God.

We discover who He is, and what God requires of us.

God is telling Joshua, “You need to follow me!”

But to follow, He needed to know the character of God, so He could follow correctly.

Joshua Was Commissioned to go

Deuteronomy 31:7

God wasn’t calling Joshua to be strong to remain where he was. But in order that He might go in and take the promise land.

Could Joshua have been strong and courageous, and remain where he was at?

He could have thought he was courageous.

Until you are put into a fearful predicament, you don’t know if your courageous.

Being courageous demands action, for it calls you to take a step into the unknown.

Is it difficult? Yes

God knew the challenges Israel would be facing, God created Joshua for that time, for that place.

God knows the challenges we are facing.

God has created you, for this time, for the purpose of glorifying God.

Understand, we are commanded to be strong as well!

We Are Commanded To Be Strong

Ephesians 6:10

Does this sound familiar?

It should.

We have the same call placed on our lives, the call to be strong, be courageous. This is by standing in the might of God.

By putting on the armor, that He has supplied us with.

Just as with Joshua, God will not leave us!

He gives us the words we need, at the time we need them.

He gives us the strength we need to endure the trials we might face.

Becasue of this, we are commanded

1 Corinthians 16:13

1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon (The Dedication of a Soldier (Joshua 1:6–9; 1 Samuel 14:6–7; Acts 4:13; 13:44–47; Romans 5:3; 2 Timothy 2:3))

At Waterloo one of the British lieutenants, in the early part of the day, had his left forearm broken by a shot. He could not, therefore, hold the reins in his hand, but he seized them with his mouth and fought on until another shot broke the upper part of the arm to splinters, and it had to be amputated. But within two days there he was, with his arm still bleeding and the wound all raw, riding at the head of his division.

Brave things have been done among the soldiers of their countries. O that such brave things were common among the armed men of the church militant! Would to God that in the teeth of suffering we could all persevere in living the holy life he bids us live, and in zealously spreading abroad that glorious gospel which has saved our souls and which will save the souls of others.

God requires courage from His people for the battles that lie ahead.

It that scary? Yes!

Courage isn’t the absence of fear.

It is a stoutness of heart, in the face of opposition.

Courage is the control of fear in the face of societal evils.

Courage is the will to endure even unto death for a worthy end.

Courage is confidence in God, that his will will be done. Even if His will is to bring us home to glory.

What Is Our Battle

It is against, the world, the flesh, and the devil

The world

Romans 12:2

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

When we speak of the world, we are talking about those who’s minds are not set on things above, but are planted firmly in this world.

The glory they desire isn’t glory for God, but for themselves.

Their mindset and their actions are antithetical to the ways of God.

Our minds are to be transformed, so we are set on the ways of God.

If we fail to be courageous, we break to cowardice and end up looking like the world.

There is inevitable hostility building towards Christians. Where they want us to be tolerant, and to look more like them than Christ.

It isn’t as great here in Montana as it is in other places. But it’s coming.

We cannot become apathetic, where we are spiritually asleep becasue we have it easy here or we will fall.

We must build a culture with a Christian worldview now; if we don’t want to see it crumble around us.

This begins by you reaching out to your neighbors, have people over for a cup of coffee.

Tell them about Jesus.

If discussion goes towards politics, use that to show what a God centered worldview on the political issues.

If discussion is on the craziness around us, abortion, homosexuality, trans movement. Bring the word of God into that discussion.

What does God say about those topics.

This is how we build allies and a stronghold in the culture war that is coming so that we might be the city on a hill. A city that shines the light of the gospel.

The Flesh

1 Peter 2:11

1 Peter 2:11 ESV

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

We are saved, we are being transformed from one glory to the next.

But we are still in the flesh, as such, we are inclined to certain sinful tendencies, and we have to battle against those desires.

Be courageous

When you do sin, don’t become downcast and defeated believing you will never be rid of that sin.

Repent of it, turn to God, continue the battle.

God is with you to strengthen you!

The Devil

1 Peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Satan is seeking to destroy.

This does not mean that every sin we struggle with is a demon…we are told that the passions of the flesh wage war against us.

We do a good enough job without Satan.

However, he will try to temp you, he will try to deceive you.

Satan will

try to get you to fight with other Christians over trivial matters and leave the church.

Make you doubt the goodness of God.

Make you doubt the effectiveness of prayer.

Make you believe this world is bad, and their is nothing you can do to change it.

Make you believe that things in this world don’t matter, so you don’t fight to win them over for God.

He will do whatever he can to take your attention from the battle and get you out of the fight.

Don’t give in.

Just as Joshua was in a physical battle to take the promise land, we are in a spiritual war over the culture.

This isn’t a time for weak Christians with empty heads, driven by empathy, and not speak the hard truths that need to be heard and lead to salvation.

“If you really long to save man’s souls, you must tell them a great deal of disagreeable truth.” Charles Spurgeon

We are in a battle, we must stand strong

2 Timothy 3:14-17

To be courageous in this life, we must remember what we have been taught.

We must lay hold of sacred scripture.

We must remember that scripture is breathed out by God.

It is given for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.

Let the word of God guide you, and strengthen you.

Let it prepare your mind and hand to not lose heart in the battles ahead.