Be Strong
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
So many people relate the crossing of the Jordan to the death of the believer. However, the overarching theme of Joshua isn’t the death of a nation, but it is the life of a nation.
Additionally, many people relate God moving a congregation forward to the “death of the old way”, when it is actually moving the church to life.
Not long after I got here, a man came to me hurting because of something we did that was different. And with a broken heart and tears in his eyes, he said, “I guess we can’t hang onto the past forever.”
And when he said that, I wanted to express to him that “killing off the past” isn’t my heart and it’s not the heart of God.
I was unprepared for that for that statement.
But now that God has begun to mature me as a leader, what I have learned in my time here is that we are not “killing off the past”, but we are “building on the past.”
Church, there was a time when this beautiful church building was new.
There was a time when every hymnal that you sing was new.
There was a time when that vehicle that you drive was new.
And the point is not whether something is new or old…
the point is how have those things that are passed, allowed us to move forward toward tomorrow? How have those things, those sacrifices that you made in the past, those sacrifices that you are making now, how are those things allowing us to move into the promised land, into the direction that God is taking us?
One glaring observation that I have made in the book of Joshua and have made from the leadership of Moses is that everybody in the congregation went, regardless of the destination.
Congregation
Congregation
Think about it church, why do you call yourself a congregation?
Well, we call ourselves a congregation for the same reason that Israel was called a congregation.
For the Israelites, they were a people that were joined together, a people that congregated, because of the covenant they made with God.
The first time that Israel is called a congregation is when God is sending the Angel of Death as the 10th plague in Egypt. God is going to command them to sacrifice a spotless lamb and then paint the blood on the door posts and the lintel. And he calls them the congregation of Israel because they are entering into a blood covenant with God.
Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.
And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
The Hebrew word translated congregation is a different word than what is often translated assembly in the Old Testament. The word translated as congregation here is the word, Edah (aye-dah). It literally means, “covenant-bound community”.
ʿēdāh (עֵדָה) = “covenant-bound community”
They are entering into a covenant of salvation by painting the doorposts and the lintel with the blood of a spotless lamb. They are joining with one another in their acceptance of the God of Jacob as their God.
In the same picture, we as a church, as a congregation, are a people that are joined together because of the covenant we share in Jesus Christ.
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
We are a congregation because we have been washed by the Holy Spirit…not with water, but in the heart. Water baptism is just the symbol or the demonstration of what the Holy Spirit did to our hearts.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
We are a congregation because we are united under the blood of Jesus Christ. We have taken the blood of the spotless lamb of God, sacrificed on the cross, and have painted it on the doorposts and lintel of our hearts.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
The word for “church” is the word, ekklēsia. It literally means, “the community of those Redeemed by Jesus” in other words, a congregation of people that are under the blood of Jesus. That’s what the word church means.
ekklēsia = “the community of those Redeemed by Jesus”
And so it’s true in the life of Moses, and of Joshua, and it will be true in the life of Providence, that wherever we are going to go, the whole congregation is going to arrive at the same destination.
We are people bound together by more than just four walls and some traditions. We are a people that are bound together by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.
Why do I bring this up?
Because for us to go where we need to go, we need the Grannies and the Carmeans. We need the Tommys and the Patsys, we need the Shawns and the Kaylas, and we need the Troys and the Gatlains too.
From the youngest babies to the eldest seniors, Joshua brought them all into the promised land. And from the youngest babies to the eldest seniors, we as a congregation of believers have to bring everyone in with us. We cannot leave anyone behind.
Building on the Past
Building on the Past
So, what do we have to do?
We all have to lay down our personal preferences and allow the Lord to lead us bring us in His direction.
People who hold on to their preference and won’t let them go for the sake of new life are like people who would refuse to drive a truck because horse and buggy is how they were raised.
It’s a remarkable thing that so many Christians will have the latest songs from the country music stars playing in their brand new vehicles, but they would restrict life and growth in the church over silly arguments over music or tradition.
What’s worse, is that when tradition and “the old way” has brought only death and exile, and when God offers life, a stubborn and stiff necked congregation would reject it.
This is exactly what Jesus Christ faced. The Jews were dead in their sins and transgressions. They were dead in the law…and yet, when Jesus came to offer them life, they held on to the “old way” and died in their sins.
But those that “prepared their hearts for the Lord” began to experience life in a way that they never imagined.
This is the imagery of the book of Joshua, that they are not entering into death, but they are entering into life. They are going across the Jordan to the place that God had in mind for them while they were still alive and on earth, not for when they went to Heaven.
What they are not doing, is “killing off the past”.
Joshua and Israel are still holding on to the past covenant that God made with them way back in Exodus 12. The same covenant that God promised to Abraham 470 years earlier in Genesis 12.
What they are doing is “building on the past.” Joshua and Israel are taking the promise that God made them, to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey, and they are trusting it.
But Joshua didn’t become Joshua without Moses. And those little babies born in the time of exile were there because their parents brought them there.
And while they were in Exile, God continued to establish them as a nation…
And so, when they went into the Promised Land, all of Israel’s past went with them. It wasn’t erased, it was built upon.
They were able to remember both the covenant of God and the sins of their fathers. They were able to celebrate with both the young and the old…and because of the people’s obedience, generations passed and generations to come now share in the blessings that God gave them.
The Lord has put in my heart a direction for this church. He has put in my heart a compassion and love for its people. He has put in my heart the truth that we must move forward as a people and that we’re going to bring everyone with us.
Just like Joshua brought the young and the old across the Jordan, that is my task, that is my burden, that is my assignment from the Lord…to bring the young and the old into a place of vibrant spiritual and practical life and prosperity here at Providence Baptist Church.
And, as I began to study these four verses, as God began to reaffirm my calling here at Providence, I began to feel the weight of my task. I began to feel the burden of making sure that I am walking step-by-step as the Lord leads me.
Now, here in v. 6-9, God is speaking with Joshua. And He encouraging Joshua.
You see, Joshua had the knowledge, the wisdom, and the experience to get the job done. So, God doesn’t give him any of those things. What God does is He gives Joshua four words of encouragement so that Joshua would complete the task that God has now assigned Him.
I. Have Confidence in Me
I. Have Confidence in Me
The first thing God says to Joshua is, “Have confidence in Me.”
Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
God wants to encourage Joshua and remind him that he can have total confidence in God’s promise. The Promised Land was full of massive armies, fortified cities like Jericho, and giants that intimidated the spies of yesteryear.
In Numbers 13, we find the report that the spies brought back. We also see that Moses told the spies the very same word that God spoke to Joshua in 1:6.
whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.”
God spoke to those spies the same thing that He is now speaking to Joshua.
“No matter what you see Joshua, don’t be afraid. Have confidence in Me.”
Why would God tell Joshua to have confidence in Him?
Because when God tells us to do something, whether we happen to be rich or poor, whether there happens to be forests or not, we need to have confidence that He is going to provide for us.
And what God is repeating Joshua here is that “I will defeat the enemies of the land, I will allow you to possess that land, and I will deliver on the promise that I made to Father Abraham.”
And Joshua would have confidence in God. He didn’t find confidence in his strength, but he found his confidence in the promises of God.
When Joshua is getting ready to die, he remembers where his confidence comes from and he reminds the people of Israel to remember it as well.
“Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.
“Nothing has failed” said Joshua, “have confidence in God” Joshua said.
Our Responsibility
Our Responsibility
Now, Joshua had his part to play. God gave the same command to Joshua that He gave those other spies, and only Joshua and Caleb believed Him.
In order for God to work in the life of Joshua, in order for v.6 to be made complete, Joshua had to exercise faith. Read it again.
Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
He instructed Joshua to act in faith by being strong, and having courage.
Not in his own strength, but in God’s strength.
Not in worry and trembling, but in boldness and courage…Joshua, as the leader of God’s congregation, was to accept the direction and the leading of God.
Here is the reality of this command
This was not a command that would allow Joshua to rest and take it easy. This was a command for Joshua to get up and get going.
The moment that God tells you to do something is the moment that you need to act…because when God gives you a word, it may be a word of encouragement but its also a word of action…and action is how we prove our faith.
Because when we take action, we prove that we have confidence in God.
Think of the centurion who had the sick servant.
In Matthew 8:5-10, this centurion comes to Jesus and says, “my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.
Jesus responds, “I’ll come and heal him.”
The centurion responds, “I am not worthy of that, all You have to do is speak a word and you can heal him.” He continues and says, “I also have a command and I command other soldiers. If I tell them to go and do, they will obey. If You speak, You can heal him.”
Scripture says that Jesus marveled and said, “I have never found this kind of faith, not even in Israel.”
What is the faith that the centurion displayed?
The faith that the centurion displayed was to acknowledge the authority and lordship of Jesus in such a way that he humbly approached Jesus, made his request known to Jesus, and then had confidence in the command of Jesus.
It was taking action through approaching Jesus and asking Jesus, and then trusting in the command of Jesus that caused Jesus to marvel at his faith.
When the centurion believed in God’s power, he didn’t just sit around and do nothing, he went and he sought out the Lord. He had confidence in Him, just like God is encouraging Joshua to do.
He’s saying, “Joshua, be strong and of good courage, now isn’t the time to wander around, but it’s time for you to take the land I swore to give to your fathers.”
So, God says, “have confidence in Me”…
II. Seek Wisdom from Me
II. Seek Wisdom from Me
Then God says, “seek wisdom from Me.”
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
This is the difference between a person with knowledge and person with wisdom.
Someone with knowledge is proud of how much they know. Someone with wisdom is humbled by how much they still need to learn.
So, God says, “abide in my wisdom”.
There’s no way that Joshua could have known the difficulties and the hard times that he was going to have to face.
However, when you walk in the wisdom of the Lord, you don’t need to know, you simply need to trust. If God says, “take a right”, we trust that it’s wise.
If He then says, “ok, now that we’ve gone right, let’s stop, turn around, and go back the other way”, we trust that it’s wise.
When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
Now, what the world’s wisdom will do for you is leave you fishing all night and catching nothing.
But the wisdom of God surpasses anything that we can understand, and so when He says something that seems foolish to us…something like, “cast your net again”, we would be wise to cast our net one more time.
God’s wisdom produces something so unbelievable, that Jesus used this same miracle to announce to Peter that He was back.
In John 21, same thing. They’ve been fishing all night and caught nothing, Jesus tells them, “Cast your net on the right side”…same result, nets are now breaking.
We have to get our wisdom from the Lord because it produces something that we can’t produce on our own.
And God tells Joshua exactly that, God says, “follow the instructions I gave to Moses.”
Now, God didn’t just give Moses all those instructions because God is a rule loving dweeb. He gave Him all those instructions because they contain in them the wisdom of God.
And so for Joshua not to turn to the right or to the left doesn’t restrict him, but it frees him to prosper in his assignment from God.
So, let’s say that God calls our church to do something unconventional. Let’s say God calls us to do something out of the ordinary…or calls us to do something that you don’t think is going to work.
Maybe, after we’ve been working all night, God says, “Dylan, drop your net on the right side of the boat.”
What do I do?
What if I come to you and I say, “God is telling us to drop our net on the right side of the boat.”
What are you going to say?
Our first and natural response is to respond like Peter. It’s our natural response to say, “God, I’ve already tried this. I’ve done everything that I can possibly do…I don’t want to drop my net on the right side…I’m tired and besides that I’m afraid it’s not going to work. Don’t you know how much work it is to drop these massive nets? You’re asking for a lot, God.”
And we don’t do it.
And instead of having our hearts full and breaking because we are overflowing with the blessings of God…we just pull back into the docks empty handed and exhausted.
There we are, standing on the wrong side of the Jordan, telling God, “We’re too afraid to enter into the Promised Land.”
On the way here, Elizabeth and I are talking, and now I know this is something that God put in my heart…
We’re talking and I said, “Elizabeth, I’m just going to forget everything I know about ministry. I’m going to forget everything I know about churches…and I’m just going to ask God what to do.”
Yes, I have my schooling, and my training, and my past experience…but I came here with nothing but empty hands and love in my heart.
And when I tell you that I can’t take any credit for all that God is doing here, I mean it. I’m not doing anything.
I have people say to me all the time, “Man, things look like they’re going great where you are.” and I just say, “Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with me. It’s all the Lord.”
And, church, I’m serious. I’ve given up.
Here’s what Scripture says…Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
I like the way the NIV writes it…it says,
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
That’s what I did…I cashed in everything I had to the Lord, and He has directed every step that I’ve taken. He’ll do the same for you.
Cash in “the way you were raised” and He’ll give you His wisdom.
Cash in “what you want from the church” and He’ll give you His wisdom.
Cash in your personal preference, and He’ll give you His wisdom…
Here’s what Danny Akin says about this very same verse.
Exalting Jesus in Proverbs You’ve Got a Problem with Jesus (Proverbs 4:1–19)
what this means is that the first step to being wise is making a faith decision to commit to Wisdom—Jesus. Other English versions say something like, “Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom” (CSB). The point is the same: Wisdom—Jesus—is the most important matter in all of life, so commit to Him.
He goes on to say,
Exalting Jesus in Proverbs You’ve Got a Problem with Jesus (Proverbs 4:1–19)
Wisdom begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because wisdom is not principles to learn. Wisdom is a person to know and follow—infinitely superior to Dear Abby tips. Jesus is the pearl of great price. He’s the one worth forsaking all else to get. David says to prize Wisdom highly, and she will exalt you, just like the Lord in due time exalts the humble
Exalting Jesus in Proverbs You’ve Got a Problem with Jesus (Proverbs 4:1–19)
Wisdom is Jesus Christ, and you have to relate to Him above all else! Prize Him and He will honor you.
So, God tells Joshua, 1) have confidence in Me. 2) Seek Wisdom from Me…
III. Maintain Fidelity to Me (Scripture)
III. Maintain Fidelity to Me (Scripture)
Man! Churches get all out of whack when they ignore to follow the Word of God we call the Bible. How we measure what’s good for us and what’s bad for us is against the truth of Scripture.
Now, listen here. If you come to me and say we ought not do something, you better come with Scripture. If you say, “I don’t want to”, that’s not a good reason.
That’s your preference and has nothing to do with the Bible. Scripture is our authority, not your raising and not your preference…not your fond memories, but Scripture.
And guess what, church ain’t about you, or me, or anybody else other than Jesus.
If we’re going to select some other group to honor, we’re going to honor our guests and people that need to know Jesus Christ. Everything that we do must bring glory to Jesus Christ, and not to ourselves.
“What Bible verse is that preacher?”
Pick one.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe 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.
Warren Wiersby used to say to his Bible students, “If you don’t talk to your Bible, your Bible isn’t likely to talk to you!”
God tells Joshua that the Book of the Law, that is the commandments of God, is not to depart from your mouth.
It’s not that Joshua was just supposed to read the Word of God, but He was supposed to pray the Word of God. He was supposed to meditate on the Word of God. And He was supposed to obey the Word of God.
If you’ve noticed, we’ve added Scripture reading to our worship lineup. Sometimes we can get to singing songs and we don’t have any clue what they have to do with the Bible.
In fact, I’m convinced that most people who don’t like the newer songs simply because they’re new don’t know their Bibles that well…
Because, it doesn’t really matter if they’re old or new, the only thing that matters is do they bring glory to Jesus Christ.
Now, there’s a lot of new stuff that down right unbiblical…but there’s a lot of old stuff that’s unbiblical too.
Like my preacher used to always say, “When we all get to Heaven….”
He’d then remind the congregation that everybody isn’t going to get to Heaven.
For the newer, what about, “like a rose, trampled on the ground, you took the fall, and thought of me, above all”
Was Jesus thinking of me above all? Scripture says that He was thinking of glory of God above all.
God tells Joshua that he will prosper and have success if he maintains fidelity to the Word of God.
But the Lord’s definition of prosperous is so much different than the world’s definition.
As a church following the leadership of the Lord…myself as the pastor of this church…the only questions I should ask myself are 1) Did I obey the will of God? 2) Was I relying on the Spirit of God? 3) Did I do it for the glory of God?
If the answer is yes, then I’ve done my job, even if it’s not what others might think of as success.
God says, 1) Have confidence in Me; 2) Seek Wisdom from Me; 3) Maintain Fidelity to Me…
IV. Find Rest in Me
IV. Find Rest in Me
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Wiersby says, “God’s commandments are still God’s enablements for those who obey Him by faith.”
There are sometimes that I have been afraid. There are a lot of challenges that I see on the horizon for our wonderful church.
But God, in His nature, is a God that walks with us, and He is a God that goes before us.
So, when we run into trials and challenges that cause us to be afraid…let’s go back to those three questions.
1) Are we obeying the will of God? 2) Are we doing it by the Spirit of God? 3) Are we doing it for the glory of God?
If we can, with a good conscience, answer yes to those things, then God says to us,
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
Prayer - Let us walk with wisdom,
as we look into the promised land, let us not be afraid but of good courage.
