JOSHUA 1 (Part 2)
Joshua: Courage To Fear • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ” 12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.” 16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! 18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Last week, we tore off into this exciting book of the Old Testamtent, Joshua.
It follows right after the first 5 books of the Bible, the Pentateuch.
It follows just on the heels of Moses’s death.
We get that record in the narrative. We get it directly from God’s voice in Joshua 1:1
Joshua was Moses’ assistant and all the people new him relatively well.
He had a great reputation of faithfulness to the Lord
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.
He had a history of obedience in following the LORD.
As we move forward in this series entitled COURAGE OVER FEAR…I wonder what comes to your mind when those two words are invoked?
COURAGE…for what?
to stand true?
to whom?
for what?
FEAR…of what?
family circumstances
financial instability
hostility
losing something or someone
“Courage is simply FEAR that’s been to a prayer meeting.”
“Courage is FEAR that has been forced to kneel at the feet of Jesus!”
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In the first part of Chapter 1,
We find God speaking to Joshua clearly laying out
His Purpose for them now that Moses is dead
His Promises for them were great and awesome!
His Word would strengthen and change them as they follow Him.
We saw that we could easily make the application to our own lives based on who Christ is and what He has done for us today.
God has told US His Purpose
God has given US Great Promises
God changes US and leads US by His Word!
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.”
When we as God’s people get God’s Word
on our lips
in our hearts
as the foundation for our feet
and in our heads
and we put it into action…
we set ourselves up to
please the LORD
be a blessing to those around us
be filled with HIS strength
act courageously
and be aware of His presence (not afraid, not dismayed)
So thats some of what we an learn as we observe God speaking to Joshua.
In the second half of this chapter, we see Joshua turning to the people to SERVE THEM…TO LEAD THEM as they prepare to walk with God in incredible ways.
notice the quick turn…
Joshua is commanded to be strong and courageous, not to be afraid or dismayed
and HE TURNS AND COMMANDS THE PEOPLE!
It’s time to prepare for action…
Look at verses 10-11
10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
1. CALL TO ACTION (vv10-11)
1. CALL TO ACTION (vv10-11)
notice the involvement of the leadership
Joshua is not doing everything himself.
He inherited a good system of ELDERS / LEADERS / COMMANDERS from Moses…after Moses learned the hard way.
In Deut 16, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law gave him some incredibly wise counsel, “you can’t do all this yourself!”
Deuteronomy 16:18 “18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.”
In our community group on Tuesday night this week, Luis noted it was like a clean military operation.
WHAT DO WE SEE HERE IN THE CALL TO ACTION
ORDER - there was an effective structure in place to make things happen
“officers of the people”
“pass through the midst of the camp”
“command the people”
they weren’t just about to tear out of there…that would have been disastrous.
PREPARATION -
“preapre provisions”
“3 days”
PLAN
“cross over”
“take possession of what God has given”
Note: Joshua didn’t ask God HOW they were going to cross the Jordan River which would have been at flood stage, likely (Josh 3).
He was likely in his 40s when he stood on the banks of the Red Sea
with Pharaoh’s army behind them
and no ship in front of them.
He saw God make a way where there was NO WAY
The children of Israel walked across the dry ground of the Red Sea’s river bed
“On Time God”
…they had water all around them
and Pharaoh on their tracks
but from out of nowhere, God stepped in
and made a highway just like that
- He’s an on time God, yes He is!
GOD WAS FAITHFUL TO ISRAEL AT THE RED SEA
GOD WOULD BE FAITHFUL TO THEM AT THE JORDAN
AND ABOUT 1500 YEARS LATER, GOD WOULD DISPLAY HIS POWER OVER NATURE AGAIN ON THE SEA OF GALILEE, as Jesus would say, “Peace, Be Still” and the winds and waves would obey - to show that God is the all powerful God who can protect His children.
Joshua has stood before these leaders, giving them the word from God because He knew that God was the God of His Word! He can be trusted…
We can take action with courage and strength BECAUSE HE IS FAITHFUL!
In the next section, Joshua honors the agreement that 2½ tribes had with Moses that was very important to them.
In verses 12 - 15…let’s read:
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
They respond in verse 16
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
So, not only is there a CALL TO ACTION, here we see a…
2. CALL TO UNITY (vv12-17)
2. CALL TO UNITY (vv12-17)
Joshua leads well here. He is aware of the nuances of the tribal agreements and covenants and Joshua honors all of those that honor the LORD’s.
There is unity here.
BUT THERE IS NOT EXCUSE FOR PASSIVITY - they’re “arrangement” does NOT excuse them from the call to action.
Believers today can sometimes let a stage of life be an excuse for NOT entering the work of the LORD
In his book, Rethinking Retirement, Piper cautions Christians from thinking that the life of total leisure is an ideal for living. In fact, that may kill a person more quickly than old age.
For Christians living sent / on mission, it’s an opportunity to FINISH BETTER THAN THEY STARTED; TO PERSEVERE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS WITHOUT FEAR; TREASURE WHAT MATTERS MOST…AND TO LIVE DANGEROUSLY FOR THE ONE WHO GAVE HIS LIFE IN HIS PRIME!
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
Mission Bible, we have exciting days ahead…but we are A FAMILY - A FLOCK - AN “ORGANISM” - A BODY.
We GET to ENJOY JESUS TOGETHER!
You can KNOW God…but you can know Him better, TOGETHER like He commands in the New Testament.
You can LOVE God…but you can love Him better, TOGETHER - building one another up and stirring one another in love.
You can OBEY God…but you can obey Him better, TOGETHER - actually, you can ONLY obey so much of the New Testament AS YOU LEAN IN TO A LOCAL BODY OF BELIEVERS - A LOCAL CHURCH FAMILY AND SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER.
Here’s a quote from a fellow church planter in Provos, UT….David Gaskins:
There’s a massive difference between ATTENDING a local church and being a part of a local church.
One is attending an event.
One is gathering with your family.
One is lonely and awkward.
One is joy and fellowship.
Lean into your local church.
Arrive early, leave late.
Join that midweek group.
Grab lunch with your pastor.
Be vulnerable with your struggles and serve those in need.
You might just find that there’s nothing better than being rooted in a healthy local church.
Joshua can’t see “the church” yet, but He knows God is calling HIS PEOPLE TO MOVE TOGETHER!
There is a CALL TO ACTION…a call to UNITY
AND AGAIN WE SEE A
3. CALL TO COURAGE (vv16-18)
3. CALL TO COURAGE (vv16-18)
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! 18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
Joshua is not in the Driver’s Seat…the LORD AND HIS PROMISE ARE!
Joshua was quick to obey the LORD
…the people were quick to respond to HIM!
Within three days the Israelite congregation will cross the Jordan River and go over to the promised land, which the Lord had promised their forefathers and had already given to them. Joshua is to lead the people as they cross to take possession of the promise.
This 3 Days…reminds of us some other important 3-day periods in Scripture
In Genesis 22:3–4 it takes Abraham, Isaac, and the servants three days to reach Mount Moriah from Beersheba, where Abraham lived.
Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17).
BUT THE SIGN OF JONAH would be the most important one—the three days between the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
This is NOT an easy commission!
The people are many
The enemies are real
The land is unforgiving
The standards are HIGH
The stakes are HIGHER
The people are watching His life and doctrine to see if GOD is in fact, WITH HIM as He was with Moses.
There is an EXPECTATION that they are ALL IN STEP WITH THE LORD —-UNIFIED…MOVING FORWARD…COURAGEOUS!
(Note: Heb 13)
6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
THEY SAY, We’re going with you!
But they cry…this is who we are! We’re in this together! There is LIFE as we do this together - in covenant!
They echo God’s command - BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS!
That phrase keeps showing up doesn’t it?
We’ve talked about the fact that so much in Joshua’s life and this book point us to the BETTER JOSHUA - Jesus Christ - and the New Covenant in His blood.
JUST LIKE THEY HAD COME OUT OF THE WILDERNESS AFTER BONDAGE…
Christ, our new beginning, brings us out of the wilderness of sin
through the power of the Spirit to do the work of the kingdom of God.
The people of God have a real tendency to forget.
God knows us…perfectly…deeply. That’s why God repeats the same thing to us over and over again.
Just like Israel…like the disciples, it could be due to the fact that we are HARD OF HEARING…OR THAT WE EXPERIENCE SPIRITUAL AMNESIA SO OFTEN.
Wer’e going to be reminded often through this - FEAR NOT, HAVE COURAGE, OBEY THE LORD!
BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS!
BE UNIFIED!
BE ABOUT OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS, COURAGEOUSLY!
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TRANSITION TO COMMUNION!
