MOVING AMIDST OUR FEARS

JOSHUA 1

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[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.

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.”

(307words)

SERMON - MOVING AMIDST FEARS

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Change.

We are often afraid of change.

My first memory of going through change, was when my family was moving house.

I remember being so against moving.

Simply because I was so comfortable where we were.

And I was afraid of the changes we would have to make.

Saying goodbye to our neighbours who we had so much fun playing nintendo together.

Saying goodbye to our familiar surroundings.

Change.

Maybe you’re in a new school. New workplace. New appointment at work. New responsibilities. More responsibilities. New season of life. More people to take care of.

You feel excited.

You feel uncertain.

You feel fearful. What if I can’t cope??

Change.

Joshua was in a season of change.

He grew up under the leadership of Moses.

Joshua spent much time with Moses, his mentor.

Joshua would have seen Moses’ devotion to the Lord.

He would have seen Moses’ challenges and struggles.

He would have seen how his people complained about food and water, having to eat the same thing everyday, or not having the good food they used to have in Egypt.

He would also have known that Moses was barred from entering the promised land, because of one disobedient act.

And now, as Joshua chapter 1 emphasises, Moses is dead.

Joshua must have felt uncertain.

Afraid.

Alone.

To top it off, Israel was about to encounter a great challenge in claiming the land.

Maybe you’re in a season of change, and you feel like you’re alone now in facing it.

Maybe you face changes in the year ahead. And you don’t like change.

You are afraid. Because you do not know what to expect. Or you do not know if you are up to the task ahead.

Maybe God has put something in your heart. You know where God wants you to move in His church.

But you’re afraid to move. For some reason.

How can we move in obedience to the Lord, amidst our fears of change, or uncertainty, of this and that?

3 ways we can Move amidst our Fears <click>

1. Be Strong & Courageous <click>

Notice how many times the Lord repeats this statement to Joshua.

“Be strong & courageous” v6

“Be strong & very courageous” v7

“Be strong & courageous” v9

Even the people said to Joshua: “be strong & courageous” v18

On the surface, we may think that Joshua was strong and courageous. Because of the number of times we see the words “strong and courageous”.

It’s actually the opposite.

The Lord knew that Joshua was probably feeling afraid.

The Lord knew that Joshua needed encouragement to be strong and courageous

Hence he repeats Himself to Joshua: Be strong & courageous.

In fact, being strong and courageous does not mean feeling confident.

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John Piper: ”True courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to move ahead in spite of fear."

The courageous person is not the person with no fear.

The courageous person is the person with fears, but also the person willing to move ahead in spite of fear.

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CS Lewis (in the Screwtape Letters): "Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

What Lewis means here is:

it’s one thing to be courageous when you have no fear, or the fear is not salient to you.

But when you have real fears, that’s where true courage comes.

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One group of dear friends I still keep in touch with is from my secondary school class. We have a WhatsApp chat group since WhatsApp was started. Recently one of my friends posted on the chat about this earthworm laksa in Sim Lim Square, and asked “anyone game to try?”

Some of us said yes, including me. And so we agreed to meet up to try this after CNY.

It’s easy for me now to say yes.. because any fear of eating worms is not really salient to me now

But I’m not sure whether I will be as courageous, when we are in the Laksa stall, with the bowl of earthworm laksa right in front of me. That will be the testing point.

it’s one thing to be courageous when you have no fear, or the fear is not salient to you.

But when you have real fears, that’s the testing point.

That’s where true courage comes.

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Again: ”Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

It’s one thing to believe in honesty when telling the truth is easy.

But when telling the truth might cost you your job, or an important relationship, that’s the testing point. We need courage to be honest here.

Perhaps it was easier for Joshua to be courageous when he had Moses praying for him, and showing him how to lead.

Perhaps it was easier when Joshua was part of a team, including his friend Caleb.

Perhaps it was easier when Joshua wasn’t the leader for the whole group.

But now, Moses is dead, and Joshua is called to lead the Israelites into new territory, that’s the testing point.

Joshua really needs courage.

God knows that very well.

That’s why He repeatedly calls Joshua to be strong and courageous.

But what helps us move ahead in spite of fear?

What helps us conquer our fears?

It’s not willpower.

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Why can we be strong and courageous? <click>

v9 “..for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

v5 Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

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Be strong and courageous, because God will be with us

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord

Strength will rise as we look to the Lord.

Strength will rise as we call upon the Lord and say, Lord I need YOu.

But how was Joshua going to be assured that God was with Him?

How can we be assured that God is with us

That leads to the 2nd way we can move amidst our fears

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2. Steep ourselves with the Word <click>

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.

To steep is to soak or saturate something in water or a liquid.

Like steeping a teabag in hot water, until the flavours of the tea leaf permeate the water.

Here the Lord calls Joshua to steep himself with the book of the Law, until the law permeates Joshua’s heart & action.

What does it look like to steep ourselves with the Word? <click>

a. being careful to DO according to all the law

b. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left. This is a common phrase in the 1st 5 books of the Old Testament referring to wholehearted focus.

c. 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.

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In Hebrew, to meditate literally means to ‘murmur’, ‘utter’, ‘groan’.

It shows that meditation is not just quiet reflection, but reading God’s Word out loud, whether to oneself or to a group.

When you read something out loud, you are more likely to remember it, you are more likely to understand what you’re reading in a deeper way, compared to just reading silently in your head.

Maybe we need to read the Word out loud more often!

If you are following a Bible reading plan, one thing you can do is ask the Lord show you a short phrase in the day’s reading,

and read it out loud to yourself repeatedly.

Allow the Word to steep in your heart, until it permeates your spirit.

We are to meditate on God's Word, so that we might obey it.

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And why is it important for us to steep ourselves in the Word?

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• that you may have good success[a] wherever you go. v7

• For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. v8

But what does success mean?

Success does not mean being successful in the world.

Achieving financial security.

Or getting that promotion at work you’ve always wanted.

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Success in Hebrew means to be prudent and wise.

So don’t pray for worldly success.

Pray for Godly wisdom

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Success in God’s eyes, is obeying His wisdom to know how to navigate change and challenges in your life.

One of the fears we may have in facing the future, is we do not know how to proceed.

Or we do not know what decisions we should make.

Or we do not know how to navigate the future.

Or we worry that we won’t be able to cope.

So the second way we move amidst fear, is to

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Steep ourselves with the Word,

so that God’s wisdom may permeate our hearts.

So that we can navigate change God’s way.

So that we can move in obedience to God amidst fear.

And not move in obedience to our fear

When we are guided by our fears, we will never make good decisions.

But when we are guided by God’s wisdom, He helps us to see beyond our fears, and be strong and courageous.

We need God’s wisdom to be humble and grateful when we enjoy earthly success.

We need God’s wisdom to be discerning and hopeful when we experience failure or setbacks.

We need God’s wisdom to see beyond our challenges and fears, to move onward.

Steep ourselves with the Word,

so that God’s wisdom may permeate our hearts.

To move amidst Fear, we are to be strong and courageous, we are to steep ourselves in God’s Word.

Last but not least, we are to..

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3. Step out in faith & obedience

At the end of the day, God calls Joshua to be strong and courageous.

God calls Joshua to steep Himself with the Word, for one purpose: to lead Israel to step out in faith and obedience to take the land that the Lord had given to them. <click>

• v2 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.

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Another repeated idea in this passage is that the Lord has given the land to the Israelites.

• v3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, ..

• v6 you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

• v11 the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

• v13 The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’

• v15 the land that the Lord your God is giving them

The key point here is, the Lord has given them the land.

It is not something they have earned.

It is not something they are entitled to.

But one thing they need to do: To step out in faith & obedience, to take possession of the land.

Just like how salvation in Jesus Christ is given to us today.

Forgiveness of sins is given to us today.

It is not something we have earned

It is not something we are entitled to.

But one thing that is needed. We need to believe in what Christ has done for us. And step out in faith & obedience to receive it.

God had already given the Israelites the land. But they need to step out in faith & obedience, knowing what God has already given them. if they don’t step out, they will not receive the benefits of having the land that God promised to them

God has already given us salvation and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. But we need to receive it in faith & obedience.

God already has a plan for our lives, for us to grow and mature as His disciples. And God has already promised that He will complete the work He had begun in us.

But we need to step out in faith and obedience, knowing what He has already given us.

How is God calling us to step out in faith and obedience today?