Sermon Tone Analysis

Joshua

The account of God’s faithfulness, strength and the account of the events that He used to make Himself known to the Israelites and the people living in the Promised land.

God is still at work today.

Last week we looked back to the first place Joshua is mentioned in the Bible.

We saw in Exodus 17, the miraculous work that God did to give Moses and the Israelites the victory over the Amalekites.

HE became THE LORD OUR BANNER!

We were able to observe three major attributes of God, that are a aspects of His amazing character.

His Limitless Power

His Eternal Presence

His Unfailing Promises

Now we are going to dig into the first few verses of the book of Joshua to see more specifically how God was working at that time in history.

We see in verse 2, God is speaking directly to Joshua- and he essentially says . . .

Joshua- You're up!

This was probably not a huge surprise to Joshua, since he has been watching Moses and the relationship between he and God.

I would assume that most of you have been to a dentist’s office for a visit, at least for a check up or cleaning.

Can you remember the first time you went to see a dentist, or doctor, or maybe had a court appearance (for a minor traffic infraction of course).

What was it like when they called your name?

What was going through your mind as you sat in the waiting area or in the court room, waiting for your name to be called?

Or maybe you’ve had a mentor or authority that you’ve been trained by or had apprenticed under, and then they sent you off on your own.

We saw last week from the passage in Exodus, that Moses was told to instruct Joshua, the Lord wanted to reveal Himself to Joshua.

This happened on more than one occasion, as Joshua assisted Moses, even as Moses went up on Mt Sinai to receive the Law from God, Joshua was with him, at least nearby.

Now we have just read about the fact that Moses is dead, and it’s Joshua’s time to lead.

But this wasn’t a mistake, and Joshua had been prepared.

“Joshua, let me tell you something.”

Have you ever been lost, maybe you had someone with you but you both forgot the directions to where you were heading.

It is a hopeless feeling.

God commanded Moses to write down what God had done and to tell it to Joshua so he wouldn’t forget.

Joshua demonstrated his trust in God a number of times leading up to this point.

Defeating the Amalekites, Spying out the promised land, making charges against those worshipping other Gods, etc. . .

Joshua, remember, member when. . .

That was cool wasn’t it?

Joshua proved himself to be a faithful servant and God rewards him with additional responsibility

God instructs Moses to commission Joshua and gives Moses clear directions of what to do, what to say and how to accomplish this commissioning.

Notice the process that is spoken of in verse 20 . . .

Where did Moses get his authority from?

It was from God.

The only authority that Moses had was God-given authority.

If not for God he would have been convicted of murder or would still be hiding out tending his father in law’s livestock.

It didn’t have anything to do with Moses’ ability or stature, but God gave Moses authority to lead the Israelites and once the authority was given, maintaining that authority was dependent upon Moses’ obedience and his submission to God.

Joshua, are you seeing this?

Joshua, you are on deck!

Joshua, it is your turn!

You’re Up!

Not.

Joshua, you’re on your own

Not.

Joshua, you’ve got this, but. . .

Be Strong and Courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.

What about us?

God won’t send us to do something that He isn’t going to equip us to do.

What are we told /commissioned specifically to do, in the New Testament?

Joshua was told to arise, go, be strong and courageous, be careful to keep all the law.

He tells us to be content, don’t love money, don’t worry about your future, be faithful obedient

Friends vs. Slaves

Telling others and building “altars” to the LORD OUR BANNER

As we live our lives, constantly aware of God’s presence, power and promises. . .

We should always be asking God,

What’s next?

God, what do you want me to be busy doing?

What are you trying to teach me?

What should I be learning?

Willingly and freely enslaving ourselves to God, walking in love, humility, compassion, gentleness, thinking about other people’s needs, rather than our own.

We can only do this effectively when we reach out to the lost the poor and the needy.

Not reaching down to them, reaching out to them.

As children of God, it is time for us to get up and start accomplishing the things He has asked us to do.

COMMUNION: This morning we will are having a time of communion.

This is a time for those who have acknowledged their need for Christ’s forgiveness and have place their trust in Him and Him alone for eternal life, to remember the amazing grace of God which Jesus showed to us, by His death on the cross.