Unafraid: Prompted by courageous faith
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Title- Unafraid: Prompted by courageous faith
Passage- Joshua 1:1-9
Attention-
Two explorers were on a jungle safari when suddenly a ferocious lion jumped in front of them. "Keep calm" the first explorer whispered. "Remember what we read in that book on wild animals? If you stand perfectly still and look the lion in the eye, he will turn and run." "Sure," replied his companion. "You've read the book, and I've read the book. But has the lion read the book?"
Introduction-
A reading of the history of the OT will bring you to a man named Joshua
A man that is not a prominent figure until Moses dies and Joshua takes his place
This first chapter of the book of Joshua is best known for its encouragement to not fear.
As I will point out later, I don’t think that Joshua was a fearful man..but he was a man none the less
He was a human being facing new challenges and responsibilities he has not seen yet
For the rest of this series on fear I am going to strive not to use the words pandemic or COVID-19
We have dealt with them specifically that last couple weeks, there are articles all over social media and the internet on these topics in particualr.
I want to continue in the series though because fear will not leave once we are allowed to freely gather again, or when the curve is flattened
We will continue to face other fears
We will be given other responsabilities
We will face other daunting circumstances
Whether or not you are fearful now, at some time in your life and most likely often in your life you will face fearful circumstances and responsibilities
So as we face different circumstances and responsibilities lets face them with a biblical understanding.
Main truth-
I do not in the least bit want to oversimplify our fears, but to some degree we need to understand that foundational to the battle against fear is a faith in God’s character, His word, and His presence
Transition #1-
Lets look and see what God has to say about fear in this chapter
What is being taught? (Explain the passage and draw out the 1st century truth)
Verses 1-2- Moses has died and now Joshua is in charge
I don’t know what you think when you read these first few verses but how would you like to step in and take over after Moses is gone?
I couldn’t imagine trying to fill the shoes of Moses
Verses 3-4- God tells Joshua that the promises made to the patriarchs are the same promises He is making now.
The promises haven’t changed and God hasn’t changed.
Verse 5- Everything that God did for Moses he will do for Joshua
Verse 6-
Just be strong…I would say be secure or fortified in the promise that God makes
Also be of good courage...
I think there a few ways this could be stated but I think it comes down to walking in the faith of God in the midst of adversity and challenges.
Why does God tell Joshua these things, and God repeats them to Joshua
Verses 6, 7, and 9 God tells him to be strong and courageous
Is it because Joshua was like we think of Timothy of the NT, a timid person?
I don’t think that is the case
Joshua was not a fearful or timid man
In Exodus 17 Moses charges Joshua with being in charge of selecting men to defeat Amalek and carrying out the battle
Unlike the other Israelites he accompanied Moses up Sinai while the others stayed back in fear
He was one of the two who of the twelve who spied out the land and wanted to go in and possess it.
So why the reminder? This was something new....
Sometimes in our Christian life we confuse comfort with courage
Just because I have dealt with something numerous times does not make me courageous
It is about how often I trust God in that situation over my own abilities
Courage is about confidently stepping into something we know we cannot handle while knowing we serve the God of the impossible.
Joshua had fought in the desert, but now he had to cross a river and face the enemy on different terrain
He had fought against capable opponents, but now he would face giants.
He had fought in the open, now he would attack fortified cities
He had led an army now he will lead a nation
This was something new that they were about to face and God reminds Joshua that it wasn’t up to Joshua to win the battles but it was God who would win the battles through him.
It wasn’t up to Joshua to lead the people but God would lead them through him.
Comfort relies on self
Courage places its faith in God
Verses 7-8- God gives Joshua some words to live by as he is about to embark on the conquest of the Promised Land
What are God’s reminders for Joshua’s success and safety?
Obey the Law…and God even helps Joshua by telling him to meditate on it.
What does this mean?
I think it means first that Joshua is to remember that he is the leader and commander if Israel but he is still subject to God’s commands
I think it means as well that the Law (10 commandments) were to be something that was so ingrained into Joshua that it was his natural response to obey them
Why else the the day and night meditation
The constant reminder of the importance
Because human nature doesn’t naturally submit, especially in times of fear, stress, anxiety, or worry.
It is these times we respond in the abundance of our hearts
And God is challenging Joshua to fill his heart with God and His word
Transition #2-
How do we understand this in our context? (Bridge 1st century truth to today)
As we transition into understanding this passage in light of our current context what are some observations we can make about our response to fearful situations?
1- We can trust God’s character
2- We can trust God based on His promises
3- We can trust God’s Law
4- We can trust God’s presence
Transition #3-
How do we live this out in our context? (Application of the biblical truth to us personally)
I think that as we take this passage and draw out these observations it is just as important to apply these observations practically in our lives
I want to close with some responses that will help us to keep moving forward in the face of fear and difficulties
As we see God’s character, especially His faithfulness to His promises we ought to respond in thanksgiving
Over and over through out the Psalms David and others cry out in distress but then remember God’s promises and the faithfulness of his character.
I will bless the Lord at all times:
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:
The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
Open to me the gates of righteousness:
I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:
This gate of the Lord,
Into which the righteous shall enter.
I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me,
And art become my salvation.
The stone which the builders refused
Is become the head stone of the corner.
A Psalm of David.
I will praise thee with my whole heart:
Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
I will worship toward thy holy temple,
And praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:
For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,
And strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord,
When they hear the words of thy mouth.
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord:
For great is the glory of the Lord.
Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly:
But the proud he knoweth afar off.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:
Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies,
And thy right hand shall save me.
The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me:
Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever:
Forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Psalm 44:1-8
We have heard with our ears, O God,
Our fathers have told us,
What work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.
How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them;
How thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.
For they got not the land in possession by their own sword,
Neither did their own arm save them:
But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance,
Because thou hadst a favour unto them.
Thou art my King, O God:
Command deliverances for Jacob.
Through thee will we push down our enemies:
Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.
For I will not trust in my bow,
Neither shall my sword save me.
But thou hast saved us from our enemies,
And hast put them to shame that hated us.
In God we boast all the day long,
And praise thy name for ever. Selah.
And on and on the Psalms declare thanksgiving for God’s faithful character.
We need to be a people who train our minds to look for God’s goodness, faithfulness, grace, mercy, and so on so we can thank and praise Him!!!!
If you are busy thanking God for all the blessings he has given you you remove the temptation to wallow in your anxiety and worries
In response to God’s Word we should be studying it, memorizing it, applying it, living by it.
Throughout Scripture we read do not fear...
But as a counterpart to all the passage we read about not fearing we often read these words
But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Let the words of my mouth,
And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight,
O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
My mouth shall speak of wisdom;
And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
When I remember thee upon my bed,
And meditate on thee in the night watches.
I will meditate in thy precepts,
And have respect unto thy ways.
And numerous other places in Psalms
Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
Meditate on God’s Word
We also read these words:
Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.
Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law;
Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
We need to observe the things we read in God’s Word
This has the idea of heeding what we are reading
To put into practice what we learn as we study God’s Word
When it comes to God’s presence we need to respond to life in ways that glorify Him…not what necessarily makes us comfortable
Read through the Scriptures and skip over each account where God asks them to do something difficult, scary, or even life threatening
You wouldn’t have much left would you
Yet God is faithful
Read Hebrews chapter 1, the great hall of faith, and remove each person that faced fear, difficulty, death and who do you have left?
No one!!!
Conclusion
Review-
Call to action-
Sit down at lunch, as an individual, a couple, or as a family and list out all the reasons you have to praise God and thank Him!
If it is not your practice, start tomorrow morning, or evening, or whenever you can find some quite and sit and interrogate God’s Word
Interrogate
I mean examine it
Question it
Cross examine it
Come back to it and come at it from a different perspective
Digest it
Study it like a lawyer would study and question a witness on the witness stand
Thoroughly
We do not need to live our lives in fear
We can live our lives Unafraid
But we need to have faith in God’s character, His word, and His presence
We opened with the silly story about the explorers and the lion. The second explorer asked a question about the lion I would like to leave you with.
He asked If the lion read the book
The question for us have you read this book.
Closing song-
