Be Strong and Courageuos

Introduction

People don’t like change.

Especially if they’re comfortable with the way that things are going.

We want things to just continue to rock along like they are.

After all, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of world we live in.

Things are constantly changing.

In fact, time is change.

If nothing ever changed, how would you know that any time had passed?

Change is not an option, it’s an unstoppable reality.

I. The Transition of Leadership

So, since change is unavoidable, how do we deal with things changing?

How do we deal with transitions of leadership when we were happy with the way things were going?

I. The Transition of Leadership

I. The Transition of Leadership

A. Moses

Everybody knew Moses.

He had been their leader for 40 years.

He was trained in Pharaoh's palace with all of the education necessary to run a country.

God had delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery through the hand of Moses.

The people had witnessed God working miracles through Moses.

God had established Moses’ authority by defending him against challenges to his leadership.

B. Joshua

Joshua had been Moses’ assistant.

When it came to running the show, Joshua was the new guy.

Moses had announced Joshua as the new leader, but is he really up to the task?

Deuteronomy 1:35–38 ESV

35 ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!’ 37 Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

Deuteronomy 1:37–38 ESV

37 Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

Joshua

Deuteronomy 11:24 ESV

24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea.

Deuteronomy 1:35-38

Deuteronomy 11:24

He’s not trained.

He’s not trained.

He’s not trained.

There’s a huge difference between being the assistant and actually running the show.

There’s a huge difference between being the assistant leader and actually running the show.

How do we know that he can do this?

II. The Promises of God

A. Promise Fulfilled

God always keeps His promises.

He points out that their going into the land is a promise He’s keeping.

He’s using this to say, “See, you can rely upon my word.”

B. I will Be With You

He repeats this 3 times in this passage.

At the end of verse 5 He says, “I will be with you.” and “I will not leave you or forsake you.”

Then at the end of verse 9 He says, “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

In ancient writing, they didn’t have bold font, highlighters, or underlined words.

They didn’t write things in all capital letters when they were yelling at you in an email.

The things they wanted to emphasize, they repeated several times in short succession.

What an encouraging thing for Joshua to hear.

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

I would imagine this buoyed Joshua’s spirits and put spring in his step.

What a confidence booster!

I will be with you.

No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.

Deuteronomy 11:25 ESV

25 No one shall be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you.

Deuteronomy 11:25 ESV

25 No one shall be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you.

God is communicating emphatically to Joshua that he’s not in this alone.

God is communicating emphatically to Joshua that he’s not in this alone.

Don’t get out of line with my word or take advantage of your position, because I’m always here.

I’m both watching over you and watching you.

III. Your Responsibility

God isn’t just handing out participation trophies here, though.

There aren’t going to be any free rides on this train.

Have you ever seen what happens to a child when his parents give him whatever he wants whenever he wants it?

You want to talk about a recipe for raising a tyrant.

God is up to something here.

He’s teaching His children to work for the things that they want and to rely on Him to provide what they need.

Work like it all depends on you and pray like it all depends on God and somewhere they meet.

A. Be Strong and Courageous

Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV

6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

Deuteronomy 31:7 ESV

7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.

Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV

8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Verse 6 of starts out, “Be strong and courageous”.

Verse 7, “Only be strong and very courageous.”

Verse 9, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed.

It’s though the thunderous voice of God, the voice of many waters, is being shouted through a public address system over the life of Joshua.

Be bold, Man.

Move out and take what I’ve given to you.

In the words of David, Joshua should have been ready to run through a troop and leap over a wall.

He should have felt like Superman, here.

Do not fear.

Do not falter.

Do not even hesitate.

B. Don't Deviate from the Word

Here again, we have the repetition of a command to Joshua.

In verse 7, “…being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.”

Also in verse 7, “Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left.”

In verse 8, “…you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.”

Everything is to be done in accordance with God’s direction and guidance, though.

Everything depends upon Joshua following God’s commands.

Success or failure.

Life or death.

Are you inheriting the land or are you floundering in the wilderness?

Here, again, we have the repetition of a command to Joshua.

Do you know Christ as Lord and Savior?

Are you consistently attending to God’s word, so that you might obey it fully?

Joshua was to be so wrapped up in God’s word that every decision was rendered through the lens of God’s commands.

Every uncertainty, every time there was a lack of knowledge or understanding, Joshua was to be so saturated with God’s word that divine wisdom flowed from his mouth.

Success in your endeavors will largely be determined by your knowledge of and obedience to the word of God.

IV. Results

A. You Will Make Your Way Prosperous

Psalm 1:1–3 ESV

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

B. God is With You Wherever You Go

Hebrews 13:1-

Hebrews 13:1–6 ESV

1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

V. Conclusion

God said three things to Joshua and He repeated them 3 times.

Be strong and courageous.

Do not turn aside from my word.

I will be with you wherever you go.

It was a trinity of trinities.

As if God was saying, “Don’t worry, Joshua, my fingerprints will be all over this situation.

So, here is what I believe I was sent here to tell you this morning....

Let God pick the leader.

Neither Moses nor the people chose Joshua.

Moses simply announced the decision that God had already made.

You don’t need to campaign for anybody.

God hasn’t asked our opinion about who should be the next pastor.

There’s no need to squabble over who is going to fill the office.

God already has the job filled.

He just hasn’t revealed it to the church yet.

Be Strong and Courageous

Psalm 46:10 ESV

10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Don’t fret or lose hope.

God doesn’t need your help to fill the position.

God has the situation well in hand.

He wasn’t caught by surprise when Pastor Hunt retired.

Let the board do their job.

They will bring qualified candidates to you for your consideration.

Don’t ask them about the search.

They’re as eager to have the situation resolved as you are to know how it will be resolved.

It’s not appropriate for them to discuss the search with you.

If you ask, all they can properly tell you is that everything is going fine.

They can’t tell you if they have any good resumes yet or if they believe they have found the next pastor yet.

Pray for them.

Pray for unity among them.

Pray for God to lead and direct them.

Pray for the pastor to come and his family.

That God will clearly reveal to them and to you that they are the family that is to be the first family of the church.

Stay in the Word

You need to be saturated with the word of God as Joshua was commanded to be.

You need God’s wisdom and guidance.

Be faithful to God’s instructions because the outcome is already determined.

God is With You

Trust God to reveal His will by the vote of the members.

If the guy that you favor doesn’t carry the vote, trust that God has not chosen that man.

God hasn’t led you out into the wilderness to die.

He is with you.

He’s doing His work among you.

Trust and know that He is going to bring the right man at the right time.

Don’t be in a hurry.

There are lots of men that would love to preach from this pulpit every week.

There are lots of men that sound good when they speak.

There is, however, only one man that God has called to pastor this church.

Take your time and seek God’s will in this matter.

Take your time and seek God’s will in this matter.

The worst thing that you can do is to get ahead of God.

Of all the men that would take the pastorate if Cornerstone if asked, only the man that’s called can truly fill the position.

May God bring that man quickly.

May He lead, feed, and protect this flock through the man that He’s called.

May He glorify His name through the union of pastor and church by bringing in a harvest of souls into the kingdom.

May God make an eternal change in the lives of men and women in this community by working through this church.