God is with Us

Joshua 1:1-9

Have you ever felt like you are alone? We have over 125,000 people between Evansville and Newburgh, but people feel isolated, alone, and defeated daily. Some of us have been promoted and might feel overwhelmed. Maybe the person you replaced was a legend and changed how that position worked and its effectiveness. I have great news; you are not alone! If you are a new creation in Christ, you are never alone. We will look at the person who led Israel into the Promised Land, Joshua.

Do you think the shoes you are trying to fill are big? Try on Joshua’s shoes. He was the assistant to Moses, who passed away. Moses was an excellent leader; no one had ever risen like him until Christ. Deuteronomy 34:10-12 Don’t screw this up Joshua. Moses leads Israel out of captivity, through the wilderness, and to the cusp of their inheritance. But he would not be the one who would walk across the Jordan with Israel; that would be Joshua. “As one scholar notes, “Yahweh’s fidelity does not hinge on the achievement of men, however gifted they may be, nor does it evaporate in the face of funerals or rivers.”

Deuteronomy 34:10–12 ESV

And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

He was a son of Nun, a man with little written about. The name Nun means, “Let his name have increased.” I think we can agree that his son Joshua fulfilled his name. Moses changed Joshua’s name. His name was Hoshea, which meant deliver, and Moses called him “Joshua” Yehoshua “Yahweh,” so now it means the Lord Delivers. Joshua is the first person whose name was changed to incorporate God’s holy and personal name, Yahweh.

Yahweh is our deliverer and is with those who are called by His name. First, God's promise is fulfilled. Second, God speaks to us through His Word. Third, nothing evil shall stand against us when God is leading us. Lastly, His Word encourages and strengthens us, showing that He never leaves us.

God’s Promise is Fulfilled

There is nothing sweeter than God’s Promises. This world will let you down and even lie to you, but we have a place where we can stand, and it is not like sinking sand. I think of the hymn, “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.” The lyrics go like this:

“My hope is built on nothing less/ Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; No merit of my own I claim/ But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.”

“When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In ev’ry high and stormy gale/ My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.”

“His oath, His covenant, and blood/ Support me in the raging flood; When ev’ry earthly prop gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.”

“When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found, Clothed in His righteousness alone, Redeemed to stand before His throne! On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.”

Verse three clearly states that Joshua’s foot tread was already given to him everywhere. The word “given” is a past participle which in Hebrew means give personal or deliver to. Joshua knew that he stood on God’s Promise which is a solid rock unlike man’s.

God’s Promises to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob were about to be fulfilled. Why? Because God is not like a man who will change His mind or lie. Numbers 23:19

Numbers 23:19 ESV

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Nothing evil shall stand against us.

Why does it seem we are fighting a battle that we are losing? I look around and think, “God, why is evil prospering, and why is Good digressing?” The answer that keeps coming to my mind is That Christians have stopped fighting and given up.

Could you imagine if the Allied stopped fighting and gave up? What kind of world would we live in? America would not be America, and the Third Reich would be in control. We would be in slavery back in Egypt, and there would be only despair for tomorrow.

What if Christ decided to get down from the Cross?

What if spouses stopped fighting for their marriages?

Parents who stopped fighting for their children?

May I give you a scripture for you to write on your heart?

Isaiah 54:17 “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.””

Absolutely nothing or nobody who is evil can stand against us!

We can now fight the enemy, knowing we are victorious!

Read verse 5

God Speaks to Us

I hear people coming and saying, “Thus says the Lord.” Let me advise you: "If it does not align with His Word, you, my friend, are a false prophet!”

I want you to read these verses and think, where have you heard them before?

Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:16 ESV

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.

Deuteronomy 6:13 ; 10:20

Deuteronomy 6:13 ESV

It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

Deuteronomy 10:20 ESV

You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.

The Lord told Joshua, “Do not allow the Law of Moses to depart from him…do not let the law depart from his mouth.” Jesus used those verses to ward off Satan's attack in the wilderness.

Jesus and Joshua were both in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. Joshua was going to lead Israel to take captive the land, and Jesus was going to take captive sin and death.

God Never Leaves Us!

I can remember walking through the house's dark with confidence growing up. If my dad was in that bed, I knew nothing could ever get me. Whenever we would go somewhere, I knew I was protected. I could walk like I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof. My dad was my protector. I hope my children feel the same way when they are with me.

When I know my Father in heaven is with me, I am courageous, strong, and confident in my ability to face every day. I am not alone, abandoned to face the difficulties or to fight. I stand victorious in Christ. I can return to His word and read how He has already won the battle for me. I can meditate on what He wants me to do and where He wants me to go.

I KNOW A GUY!!!

We no longer walk around dismayed, frightened, or timid. We now walk around VICTORIOUS!

Do you remember the scene from The Lion King where Simba roared, and the Hyenas ran away? They did not run because of Simba; they ran because his dad, the Lion King, was behind them.

We have the TRUE LION in us, and the enemy sees that our Father is the One who fights for us.

Application:

We must do three things. First, we must put His Word in us daily. Second, we must fight on our knees in prayer and fasting. Lastly, stand firm and courageous for the Lord!

If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Romans 8:31 ESV

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?