“I Have Assurance”
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
One thing that we have to understand about ourselves is that we are not here by accident. God did not just put you on this earth for any old reason, but you are here and alive for a purpose. Friends, let me let you know that God has called you and I to be set apart and to be leaders.
God tells Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” You and I are set apart and called to be leaders. Leaders in schools, leaders in churches, leaders on sports teams, etc. We are called to be leaders, but God knows that being a leader has its challenges.
Sometimes, as young leaders and even young Christians, we go through some tough and challenging situations, and we sometimes find ourselves asking God if he is really with us, but I believe that today, God is reminding us through this text, that we have assurance.
We have assurance that even though we will face challenges and go through some things, God will be with us and the truth is…we all have to be reminded of that. I had to be reminded of that this morning, while I was touching up this message.
See, an “assurance” is a promise that is designed to give you confidence, and God wants you to be confident in the fact that you have assurance that he is with you. We have to understand that no matter what we will go through, we have assurance that God is with us. And allow me to talk about that for a few minutes.
Text Context
Text Context
This book of Joshua is one of the most important books in the Old Testament. It is one of the books of History in the Old Testament. This book highlights God's faithfulness to his promise with the Israelites, in order to bring them back into the Land of Canaan.
Originally, God chose a man named Moses to lead the people. Moses is not really new to us. We all know Moses very well. This is the same Moses that God appeared to through a burning bush. The same Moses that wrote the Ten Commandments, but now, here in chapter 1, Moses is dead and God has chosen another person to lead.
Israel now has to stop looking back to when Moses was the leader, but now they have to face forward and deal with the fact that God has chosen somebody new. Friends, if we are truly going to walk by faith as young Christians, we cannot have our focus fixed on the past, but we have to face forward. Israel has to now accept that Joshua has been chosen leader.
At this point, the Promised Land is no longer perfect as it was. It is now full of enemies and now it is up to a young man named Joshua to lead the Israelites back into the Promised Land and restore it. Joshua served as Moses’ close assistant. He was on Mount Sinai with Moses and actually saw God’s presence.
Back in the book of Numbers, Israel refused to trust God when God said that they have to take the Promised Land. They were just too afraid. Israel’s lack of courage and faith actually made them wander outside of the Promised Land for 40 years, but Joshua always believed that God would give them the land even if it seemed impossible.
And now after 40 years of wandering, it is time. God chooses Joshua and tells him that he is about to give the Land of Canaan to Israel as a gift. All of Israel’s enemies will be defeated because God will be with them.
Joshua is chosen to lead the Israelites, but Joshua needs to be courageous. God tells Joshua three times that he is with him and he commands him four times to be strong and courageous. After hearing and receiving God’s orders, Joshua turns and speaks to his officers and tells them that they have three days to prepare before they take possession of the land.
The offices accept Joshua as their new leader and they prepare to take the Promised Land. Joshua and the Israelites will then go on to cross the Jordan River and eventually end up taking full control of the land.
Body of Message
Body of Message
The text already tells us that God promises to be with Joshua, and Joshua has the assurance that God is going to be with him, but there are some things that he has to do.
Joshua has to take action.(vv. 3-6)
In verses 3-6, God is commanding Joshua to be strong and courageous as he leads the Israelites into the Promised Land, assuring him that he would give him every place he would set his foot on and that nobody will be able to stand against him.
See, God reminded Joshua that the promised land was already given to them, but that didn’t mean that they were just able to sit there and wait for the people to leave Canaan to them, but in order to walk into what God had for them, they needed to make decisions based on their faith.
Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves if we are really willing to take action in order to walk into what God has for us. Are we willing to let go of some habits that are holding us back and preventing us from thriving? Are we willing to let go of the certain people or the certain friend group that might not be encourage us, but putting us down on the low? Are we willing to commit and become devoted to God? When God promises you something, you have to make actions of faith.
And if we’re being honest y’all, some of us make the mistake of waiting on God to do his part, when we haven’t done ours, and let me let you know that if we don’t do our part, God won’t do his, and then we find ourselves looking up at God asking him why he hasn’t done his part, but whole time, God is looking down on us asking the same thing. We cannot just sit here and expect God to do his part, when we haven’t done ours.
EX: I like Marvel DC movies. I’m more of a Black Panter kind of person, but one character I also like is Spider-Man. I used to think that Spider-Man was so cool, because he can jump on top of buildings and shoot webbs out of his hands. That was so cool. But in the 2002 movie called “Spider-Man”, Uncle Ben is driving Peter Parker, who is Spider-Man, to the New York City Public Library, and while they are in the car, they are talking about Peter’s recent behavior, and before Peter gets out, Uncle Ben tells him that great famous line that is still said today: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
This right here is an example of power and responsibility, believe it or not. God has the power to give Joshua every place he steps his foot on, but Joshua has the responsibility to lead. God has the power to make promises, but it is our responsibility as children of God to obey God in order to secure them. Take action.
Joshua has to have God’s Word.(v. 8)
Verse 8 says “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
God had called Joshua to fulfill his purpose and lead the people of Israel across the Jordan River. In order for us as Christians to fulfill our purpose, we have to have God’s Word. God’s Word is the guide for us, so that we can learn how to live and how to act. It is the blueprint that tells us how to become more serious and mature Christians.
To have God’s Word means that no matter what happens in life, you always have a Word that is in your heart to help you overcome. Whenever challenges strike, you have the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
We have to keep God’s Word and meditate on it. To meditate on something means to focus your thoughts on something and think deeply and carefully about it. When you meditate on God’s Word, it is driven deeply into your soul so that your actions, your thoughts, your emotions can reflect all that is in the Word.
God tells him that he needs to keep this Book of Law and meditate on it, so that he would do everything that is in it, but can I also tell you that God tells Joshua to keep this book and meditate on it, because God already knows that Joshua is going to need the Word to guide him and give him direction.
EX: I was so happy towards the end of October, because I finally got the opportunity to fly for the first time. You couldn’t tell me anything, because I was going on a plane. I traveled from Shreveport to Orlando, FL. Me and a few of my classmates were going to a Leadership Conference for Student Council. And while I was enjoying that experience, I found out something interesting. I learned that when planes take off, they need something called a control tower. The control tower basically gives the plane and the pilots instructions. The control tower guides them and gives them direction. It reveals what kind of weather is going to take place that may affect their flight plan. The people in the control tower basically give the pilots the information that they need in order to have a safe flight.
Let me help you out. God knows that there will be some situations that Joshua will go through, and he won’t be able to make sense of them, but what he is telling him is that he has to take God’s Word with him, because the Word of God is the guide that will help him, give him direction, and reveal some things to him. There will be some situations that we go through that we can’t make sense out of, but the good news is that we have a guide to give us direction and to help us, and that is the Word of God. Joshua has to have God’s Word.
Joshua has to follow the command(v. 9)
Verse 9 says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
God’s command for Joshua is to be strong and courageous, to not be afraid or discouraged. Being strong and courageous is made up of small decisions we make every day that show our trust in God. As we look for his direction, study his Word, and follow his example each day, we will have the courage to face any challenge.
As we turn to Jesus Christ in faith and follow him, we have strength and courage. But notice…God tells Joshua to be strong three times in these few verses. Why would God tell Joshua to be strong three different times? I believe that God tells Joshua three times because he already knew what was going to happen. God knew the challenges that he would face.
God needs Joshua to know that if he is going to be in this leadership position, he has to have strength and courage. And let me let you know that our strength and courage does not come from ourselves, but it comes from God. Your strength and courage does not come from the people around you, but your strength and courage comes from God.
God not only tells Joshua to have strength and courage, but he tells him to not be afraid or discouraged. At this moment, Joshua could’ve been scared. He had just been chosen to lead these people across a great big river and into a place that God had for them. Joshua could’ve scared and he could’ve had his head down but God tells him to not be afraid.
We all have fears and moments of discouragement, but we cannot allow our fears and those moments to get to us and control us. We have to remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind. I feel like when we allow fear and worry to control us, we forget who’s on our side. I want you to know that you don’t have to be afraid or discouraged when you know who’s on your side.
When you know that God is on your side, you can put faith over fear and discouragement. You can have an attitude that says that no matter what, I am not afraid or discouraged, because there is somebody who is on my side. God with and he will not leave us. When you're faced with a moment of fear and worry, you can have faith, because you know that there is somebody who is on your side, who is greater than your challenges, who promises to be with you wherever you go. The assurance means that we have to follow the command.
Conclusion
We have assurance. I believe a great assurance, that no matter what we go through, God is with us. And since we have assurance, we have to be like Joshua and take action. That means that in order for God to come through on his part and his promises, we have to do our part. We have to have God’s Word. That means that we have to keep and meditate on God’s Word, because the Word has power and helps us to see what we can’t see. We have to follow the command. That means that the command for our lives and for whatever we are called to do is for us to be strong and courageous, to not be afraid or discouraged, but to know that there is somebody who is with us and on our side. We have to take the time to thank God for the assurance!!