Resilient

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Sermon Bumper Video -Resilient

Title of the message this Morning

Resilient

Big Idea:

God calls His people to be strong and courageous, not because life is easy, but because He is with us wherever we go.

Christian resilience is rooted in the presence of God and the eternal hope we have in Christ, enabling us to stay faithful through trials, adversity, and discouragement.

Prayer:

“Father, open our hearts to Your Word today.

Teach us to trust You in the places where we feel weak, tired, afraid, or discouraged.

Remind us that Your presence is our strength, and help us become people who remain faithful because our hope is in You.”

Scripture: Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:20

Introduction

Most of us like the idea of being resilient.

We admire people who can keep going when life gets difficult.

We look up to the person who walks through loss and still worships, the parent who keeps showing up for their kids when they’re exhausted, the friend who stays faithful through disappointment, the believer who keeps praying even when the answer hasn’t come yet.

And if we’re honest, we want that kind of strength too.

But then real life happens.

The diagnosis comes.

The relationship gets strained.

The bills pile up.

The dream doesn’t work out.

The door closes.

The child wanders.

The job becomes uncertain.

The grief lingers longer than people expected it to.

You wake up one morning and realize you’re still carrying something you thought would be resolved by now.

That’s where our faith gets very practical.

Because most of us believe God is good.

We believe He is faithful.

We believe He is with us.

We would say that with confidence in church, in a small group, in a conversation with a friend.

Then Monday comes, and the pressure hits, and fear starts whispering louder than faith.

Discouragement settles in quietly.

You’re trying to trust God, but you’re also checking every possible outcome in your mind.

You’re praying, but you’re also bracing yourself.

You’re reading Scripture, but you’re also wondering how much longer you can keep going like this.

That’s the place where resilience matters.

Biblical resilience isn’t pretending everything is fine.

It isn’t having a personality that never gets shaken.

It isn’t spiritual toughness where you never cry, never question, never feel weary, and never need help.

Christian resilience is learning to remain faithful because God remains present.

It’s the ability to keep walking with God when the path is unclear.

It’s choosing obedience when your emotions are loud.

It’s trusting the Lord when you don’t have all the details.

It’s getting up again because your hope is deeper than your circumstances.

Today, we’re going to look at a moment in Scripture where God speaks to a man standing at the edge of a future he did not fully understand.

Joshua stepped into leadership after Moses had died.

That alone is heavy.

Moses was the leader God used to confront Pharaoh, lead Israel out of Egypt, part the Red Sea, receive the law, and guide the people through the wilderness.

Now Joshua is called to lead God’s people into the Promised Land.

The promise is real, but so are the battles ahead.

The land is ahead of them, but so are fortified cities, strong enemies, and unknown challenges.

Joshua has God’s command, but he also has every human reason to feel afraid.

So God speaks directly to him.

Let’s step into Joshua chapter 1 and listen to what God says to someone who needs courage for the road ahead.

Main Teaching

Cue: "Read: Joshua 1:9” - “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.”

Point 1: Resilience Begins with God’s Command

When God says to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous,” He isn’t offering a motivational phrase for a good day.

This is a command given at a critical moment.

Joshua is not sitting in comfort, wondering what to do with extra time.

He is standing at the edge of responsibility.

Moses is gone.

The wilderness season is ending.

The Jordan River is ahead.

The Promised Land is occupied.

The people are looking to him.

The next chapter will require obedience, leadership, faith, and endurance.

Into that moment, God says, “Have I not commanded you?”

What a startling question -

Is it a rebuke?

Or is it a reminder?

God is reminding Joshua that courage is connected to obedience.

He isn’t asking Joshua to manufacture bravery out of his own personality.

He is calling Joshua to respond to the word of the Lord.

Joshua can be strong and courageous because God has spoken, and when God speaks, His command carries His authority, His wisdom, and His presence.

A lot of us think courage is something we’ll have once the fear goes away.

We assume we’ll obey once we feel ready.

We tell ourselves we’ll take the step once the uncertainty clears up, once we feel more confident, once people understand, once the risks are lower.

But Joshua doesn’t receive a full map.

He receives a command.

That is often how God leads His people.

He gives enough light for the next faithful step.

He calls us to trust Him in the place we’re standing, with the information we have, while leaning on the character of the One who sees everything we can’t see.

Maybe there’s an area of your life where you’ve been waiting to feel strong before you obey God.

You know you need to forgive, but you’re waiting until it feels easier.

You know you need to have a hard conversation, but you’re waiting until there is no risk.

You know you need to surrender a habit, a relationship, a resentment, or a secret, but you keep telling yourself you’ll do it when life calms down.

You know God is calling you to serve, give, lead, reconcile, repent, or trust, yet you’ve been treating obedience like something that depends on perfect circumstances.

God’s word to Joshua presses on us too.

Resilience begins when we take God seriously in the place where obedience feels costly.

That doesn’t mean it feels simple.

It means God is worthy of trust.

Strength and courage grow as we respond to Him, step by step.

The command comes before Joshua sees the victory. (did you get that)?

The call comes before the walls of Jericho fall.

The courage is needed before the outcome is visible.

And for us, that’s where faith becomes more than an idea.

It becomes a way of living.

Point 2: Discouragement Is Real, but Not Final

God continues, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

I’m grateful the Bible speaks honestly about fear and discouragement.

God doesn’t talk to Joshua as if these things are impossible for faithful people.

He names them because Joshua will likely face them.

Fear often rises when we think about what could happen.

Discouragement settles in when we feel worn down by what has already happened.

Fear looks ahead and imagines threats.

Discouragement looks around and says, “This is too much.”

Joshua had reasons to face both.

He had seen the unbelief of the previous generation.

He had watched people grumble in the wilderness.

He knew the land was good, but he also knew the obstacles were real.

Years earlier, Joshua and Caleb had trusted God’s promise when the other spies focused on the strength of the people in the land.

Now, after decades of waiting, Joshua is being sent forward again.

Fear could have said, “What if the people don’t follow?”

Discouragement could have said, “I’ve seen this go badly before.”

Anxiety could have said, “What if I’m not Moses?”

Weariness could have said, “I’ve already waited so long.”

God doesn’t shame Joshua for needing courage.

He strengthens him with truth.

That is important for us because many believers feel guilty for feeling afraid or discouraged.

We assume if our faith were stronger, we wouldn’t feel the weight of life so deeply.

Then we add shame on top of exhaustion, and the burden gets heavier.

Fear may confront you.

Discouragement may visit you.

Weariness may sit beside you for a season.

Those experiences are real, and God is not surprised by them.

Still, they do not have authority to define your future.

There is a difference between feeling discouraged and letting discouragement lead your life.

There is a difference between noticing fear and obeying fear.

A faithful person may feel deeply shaken and still keep turning toward God.

"[Pastor -

Can you share here about a season/story related to this point?

How did you feel? What did you learn?]"

Share the story when I got a phone call From my Neurologist Office

Some of you are living in that place right now.

You’re tired of being strong.

You’re tired of acting like everything is okay.

You’re tired of carrying responsibilities nobody sees.

You keep showing up, but inwardly you wonder if you’re running out.

Hear me when I say: God sees you.

He sees the quiet prayers.

He sees the tears in the car.

He sees the effort it takes to get out of bed, to keep parenting, to keep serving, to keep believing.

And He is not asking you to deny the difficulty.

He is inviting you to let His voice become louder than the discouragement.

Practically, that may mean you stop feeding fear with constant worst-case thinking.

It may mean you ask trusted believers to pray with you instead of isolating.

It may mean you return to Scripture before you return to the Negativity of your own thoughts.

It may mean you say, “Lord, I feel afraid, but I’m still Yours.

I feel discouraged, but I’m still listening.”

Discouragement may be real today, but it is not final.

God always gets the final word over His people.

Point 3: God’s Presence Is Our Strength

The final part of Joshua 1:9 gives the foundation for everything God has commanded:

“for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

That word for is doing important work.

God does not simply say, “Be strong and courageous,” and then leave Joshua to figure it out.

He gives the reason Joshua can live this way.

The Lord will be with him wherever he goes.

The strength Joshua needs is rooted in God’s presence.

Joshua will still have to cross the Jordan.

He will still have to lead the people.

He will still have to face Jericho.

He will still have to make decisions, fight battles, handle setbacks, and keep obeying.

God’s presence does not remove every hard thing from the path, but it means Joshua will never take one step abandoned by God.

That is the heart of biblical resilience.

We endure because the Lord is with us.

The same truth carries through all of Scripture.

David could walk through the valley of the shadow of death because God was with him.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could stand in the fire because God was present there.

Paul could endure prison, hardship, rejection, and suffering because Christ strengthened him.

The early church could remain faithful under pressure because the risen Jesus had promised,

“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

And for us, this promise is even clearer through Jesus.

In Christ, God has not kept His distance from human suffering.

Jesus entered our world.

He carried grief.

He knew rejection.

He endured temptation.

He suffered injustice.

He went to the cross for our sin, and He rose from the grave, securing a hope that cannot be taken by sickness, disappointment, loss, or death.

That means our resilience is not rooted in positive thinking.

It is rooted in resurrection.

Because Jesus is alive, your suffering is not the end of your story.

Because Jesus is alive, your obedience matters even when nobody applauds.

Because Jesus is alive, your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Because Jesus is alive, grief does not get to write the last chapter.

Hope keeps us faithful.

There are times when God strengthens us by changing our circumstances quickly, and we praise Him for that.

Other times, He strengthens us by sustaining us in the middle of circumstances we would never have chosen.

He gives daily bread.

He gives peace for one more step.

He gives grace for one more conversation.

He gives courage for one more act of obedience.

So when God says, “I will be with you wherever you go,” that includes the hospital room, the courtroom, the counseling room, the empty bedroom, the difficult workplace, the uncertain future, the quiet apartment, the long recovery, and the season where you don’t feel like yourself.

Wherever you go, He is there.

The presence of God is stronger than the pressure you’re under.

That doesn’t mean you won’t feel weak.

In fact, many of us discover the strength of God most deeply when our own strength has run thin.

The Lord meets His people there with mercy, patience, and power.

Resilience, then, is staying near to Jesus and taking the next faithful step.

You don’t have to solve the whole future today.

You don’t have to feel brave every minute.

You don’t have to carry what only God can carry.

Look to Him.

Listen to His Word.

Lean on His people.

Keep obeying.

Keep praying.

Keep hoping.

The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Conclusion

We started today by talking about the kind of resilience we admire and the kind we often feel we lack when life becomes heavy.

Then Joshua 1:9 brought us to a man standing at the edge of a difficult calling.

God told him,

“Be strong and courageous.”

That command was given before the battles, before the victories, before all the details were clear.

We saw that resilience begins with God’s command.

It grows as we take Him seriously and obey Him in the places where trust feels costly.

We saw that discouragement is real, but it is not final.

Fear may speak loudly, and weariness may be present, but God’s people are not ruled by those voices.

And we saw that God’s presence is our strength.

The Lord does not send us forward alone.

In Christ, we have a living hope, an eternal anchor, and a Savior who is with us wherever we go.

So here is the call today: take the next faithful step.

Maybe that step is repentance.

Maybe it’s asking for help.

Maybe it’s forgiving someone.

Maybe it’s opening your Bible again.

Maybe it’s coming back to prayer after a long silence.

Maybe it’s choosing obedience when every feeling in you wants to retreat.

Maybe it’s telling another believer, “I’m struggling, and I need you to walk with me.”

Don’t wait until you feel unshakable.

Bring your fear to God.

Bring your discouragement to God.

Bring your tired heart,

your unanswered questions,

your unfinished story, and

your honest weakness to God.

Then hear His Word over you today:

“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.”

Let’s pray together.

Salvation:

The Word of God says in: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Pastor [e-mail]

Church Office: 909-922-8090

And I will send you a Bible & a Free Book on how to begin your first 21 steps with Jesus (show the book)

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Pepper Praise Reports

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Prayer Requests - (Pepper Read)

Let us Pray (P/P)

Praying for the 10-40 Window

Prayer initiatives focus on breaking spiritual strongholds, bringing humanitarian relief, and supporting the persecuted church.

The Unreached:

Pray for the billions of individuals who have never heard the Gospel message, particularly among Frontier People Groups.

The Persecuted Church:

Intercede for local believers who face severe restrictions, imprisonment, or violence for their faith.

Humanitarian Crises:

Pray for relief from extreme poverty, human trafficking, and the oppression of women and children.

Laborers & Discipleship:

Pray for the protection of frontline missionaries, effective local church planting, and the translation of scriptures.

Pray for the United StatesI

Today, we focus our prayers for the nation on asking for unity to overcome the division, wisdom for the government leaders, and a nationwide spiritual revival.

National unity and healing: pray for reconciliation where division exists, asking that the nation learns to live together peacefully despite differences.

Government and local leaders: intercede for wisdom, godly counsel, and discernment for all elected officials (local and national) to make righteous decisions

Spiritual revival: pray for a national to return to godly values, with a focus on repentance and the desire to seek truth.

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Benediction

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.”

Have a Great Week! Goodbye!

This is Pastor Doc and Lady Pepper signing off until next time we meet. Blessings to you all!