Joshua - CCL Men's Breakfast

Joshua: Picture of a Faithful Leader

(NLT)

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

(NLT)

29 After this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. 30 They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 The people of Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him—those who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel.

GOD BURIES HIS WORKERS, BUT HIS WORK GOES ON.

Joshua provides an excellent example of a faithful leader whose faithfulness prompted God to raise him up over the three periods of his life.

1. 40 years in Egypt;

· born into slavery,

· first born in his family

· witnessed all the miracles God performed in Egypt,

· was there when Moses parted the Red Sea

2. 40 years in the wilderness;

· Lead the Israelites in the battle against the Amalakites

· Was one of the 12 spies who saw the promised land

· Had to endure the long years watching the un-faithful die off

· Could have easily gotten bitter about the events up to this point

3. 30 years in Canaan

· Was put in charge

· Lead faithfully

· Did all God asked him to do

God gradually moved this trustworthy man into leadership.

Notice the indicators of Joshua’s faithfulness:

· Obedience (; ); Compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority.

(NLT)

8 While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. 9 Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek.

Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 11 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. 14

After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”). 16 He said, “They have raised their fist against the Lord’s throne, so now the Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.”

(NLT)

10 Then the Lord was very angry with them, and he vowed, 11 ‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. 12 The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’

These are great traits of Joshua, how about us? Are we called to obedience?

Obeying Christ - (NLT) 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

Obeying the gospel. (ESV): through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

Obedience should come from the heart. (NLT)

17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.

· Servanthood (; ); A person who serves others:

(NLT)

13 So Moses and his assistant Joshua set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God.

(NLT)

15 As the Lord had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. And Joshua did as he was told, carefully obeying all the commands that the Lord had given to Moses. (Servanthood and obedience in the same verse)

(NLT)

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Are we called to serve? Some examples.

(ESV): Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

· Loyalty (; ); A strong feeling of support or allegiance.

(NLT)

11 Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.

(NLT)

24 So Moses went out and reported the Lord’s words to the people. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the Tabernacle. 25 And the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then he gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied.

But this never happened again. 26 Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” 28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!” 29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!” 30 Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of Israel.

Are we called to be loyal men? Whom are we to be loyal to?

· Courage (; ); The ability to do something that frightens you.

(NLT)

25 After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. 27 This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.” 30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

(NLT)

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel. 6 Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. 7 They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! 8 And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. 9 Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” 10 But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.

Is courage a good character trait for a Christian man to have? Give some examples.

● Promotion (); Activity that supports or provides active encouragement for the furtherance of a cause, venture, or aim.

(NLT)

15 Then Moses said to the Lord, 16 “O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. 17 Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” 18 The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. 20 Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. 21 When direction from the Lord is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim—one of the sacred lots cast before the Lord—to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.” 22 So Moses did as the Lord commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community. 23 Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Interesting how this shows us promotion is many times for the benefit of many, not just ourselves. Are you promoting others in your daily walk?

Ever get a promotion you wish you could give back?

· Responsibility (, );

The state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone.

(NLT)

7 Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. 8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Joshua is given some major responsibility – Asked to do the things his mentor Moses failed to do!

The giants are still there, just like they were 40 years ago.

Are you handling the responsibility areas of your life in a way that is pleasing God?

· Power ();

The ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality.

(NLT)

9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So, the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The book of James speaks much on the topic of doing.

(ESV): But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

True power comes from being obedient to God’s word and commands.

Has God blessed you with power in any certain areas of your life or ministry? If so, are you using that power for God’s glory?

· Credibility ().

The quality of being trusted and believed in.

(NLT)

9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

How is your credibility among others, family, friends, co-workers?

Closing

Joshua's faithfulness challenges us even today to lead as he did:

1. Live ahead of your contemporaries. Joshua and Caleb spied out the same land at the same time as the other ten spies, but only Joshua and Caleb returned with a positive report. He lived ahead of his time. How do you respond when the majority is against you?

2. Live above your circumstances. Joshua faced so many challenges: He followed Moses; he had to conquer mighty Jericho; he had to cross the Jordan with more than one million people, But he did it . What is your go-to strategy when you face challenges?

3. Live deeper than your calamities. When Israel began to make progress in taking the Promised Land, some disobeyed God and brought defeat on the nation. Joshua overcame it all. How do you react when tough times hit?

4. Live beyond your capabilities. Joshua's dream, his determination, and his ability to develop his leadership skills enabled him to soar beyond his own personal gifts. Are you allowing excuses to limit your spiritual walk, or are you living beyond your capabilities?