Things Change, But What’s Most Important Remains the Same

If you have your Bibles, please scroll or turn with me to the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy. We will be reading Chapter 34. This will be our jumping off point for the message this morning.

Deuteronomy 34: 4-12 says, “4 And the LORD said unto him, This [is] the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see [it] with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

7 And Moses [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping [and] mourning for Moses were ended.

9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.

10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,

11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,

12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.”

Let’s Pray

A lot changes doesn’t it? Chrystal, the kids, & I went to a store yesterday where they made you wait in line like it was a theme park ride to get into the store. Let me tell you it was a fun store if you like kitchen utensils, blankets, & coffee mugs. But let me tell it was no theme park. But 6 months ago there would have never been a line, believe that many people would not have wanted to get in. However, because this store limited the number of people that could come in due to COVID restrictions you had to wait your turn just to get through door. A lot changes.

Let’s look further than 6 months. Let’s look at when Grace Free Will Baptist Church was founded in 1982 & compare it to now.

The average cost for a beautiful brand new house was $82,000.

The average cost for a gallon of gas was $0.91.

The average cost for a loaf of bread was $0.50.

The 1st CD Player was sold in Japan.

According to the ARPANET Directory, which was a directory about the size of your Sunday School Book which contained every email address in the world, there were only 3 people named Danny who had an email address. Today there are about 3.9 Billion active email users so I guarantee there are more than 3 Dannys now.

This morning in our text we read about a major change. Moses, the servant of the Lord as our text calls him, died. The people of Israel had to come to grips that things were probably going to be a bit different. Our text tells us that they mourned him for 30 days, they didn’t just wear certain garments to show they were in morning, they just didn’t talk about how devastated they were, but rather you can see through God’s Word that they were impacted so much that they wept for 30 days.

But then we are told that after 30 days it came to and end and now, God has chosen a new leader. That leader is Joshua.

The title of the message this morning, “Things Change, But What’s Most Important Remains the Same.” I believe God will bless by this message this morning.

1.) It Came to Pass

If you still have your Bibles, I am going to read some more to you from the Word of God this morning. I am prayerful that you will read along with me. We will be turning far in our Bibles to the Book of Joshua. Before we begin reading in Joshua there is one thing that is necessary to point out concerning the death of Moses. If you noticed in Deuteronomy that God allowed Moses to see with his own eyes the land which he had left Egypt for. The promised land.

Now understand the final words which were spoken by God to Moses on this earth was, but you shall not go over thither. You can see it but you can’t touch it. Not at 1st glance they may seem cruel. But the fact of the matter is this, I think this is a beautiful illustration of God’s grace & mercy. You see Moses was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land. Some people will argue there are different reasons for why this took place but let me boil it all down to the main reason, it was because Moses had disobeyed God. He had sinned.

There will always be consequences for sin. I see God’s grace in this because God allowed Moses to at least see what the land was like. I imagine that it filled Moses’ heart with joy though at the same time it had to be somewhat upsetting. Even if you think you have gotten away with sin remember, here is Moses who was called the servant of the Lord, reaped the consequences of his sinful actions. That should serve as a reminder to all of us.

The 1st point I have for you this morning is It Came to Pass. What came to pass? Well let us pick back up in Joshua Chapter 1 Verse 1.

Joshua 1: 1-4 says,

“1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, [even] to the children of Israel.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.”

So, after the death of Moses we have Joshua. According to Exodus Chapter 17 he was Moses’ personal aide as well as a Military Commander. It is important to know & understand Joshua’s background because we as Christians are called to what? Serve God. Notice that Joshua was a servant 1st, and he was good at it, prior to God choosing him to become a leader. Brothers & Sisters in Christ we have to be faithful servants to the Lord. If we are reserving our walks with Jesus to simply going to church services, then we are missing the mark by more than a little bit.

But by serving the Lord you not only honor & show your obedience, but you also reap the blessings that come from it. I read the testimony of a young boy named James. James determined one day that he was going to be the most successful cheesemaker the world had ever seen. So, he made cheese, loaded it up on a wagon being pulled by his pony named Paddy and hit the streets of Chicago to sell cheese and make a fortune. But after some time, James’ ambition began to dwindle and why? Because he was not making any money, his cheese business was not profitable.

That young boy did something that I am sad to say a lot of us do not do. He went home that night and made a promise to God. He promised that he would spend the rest of his days serving the Lord. That boy eventually grew up and was worshipping at a church in Chicago. He proclaimed one day that he would rather be a Deacon in the Church then run the greatest corporation in America. Grown up James now said, “My first job is to serve Jesus!”

How many of us have that mindset this morning? That our 1st job, before all else, is to serve Christ? Little James ended up doing okay. In fact, when you leave here this afternoon and you drive to Wal Mart, or Food Lion, or maybe go home and open your fridge or pantry. You look around and you see Philadelphia cream cheese, or DiGiorno’s pizza, or some oreos, or maybe even some Macaroni & Cheese in the blue box you can think about that little boy who decided to put God first.

That young boy was James Kraft and though he died in 19853, his company last year alone sold $25 Billion worth of products. James Kraft would have more than likely told you his greatest accomplishment was serving Jesus. Serving God brings blessings. No, we will all not reach the heights of James Kraft in terms of industry & finances, but we can serve the same Lord as diligently and faithfully as he did – AMEN.

In our text Joshua was a faithful servant who is now the leader. A major change had taken place but God’s hand was in it. How do we know this? Well we know this because God blessed Joshua by filling him with what Deuteronomy 34:9 says was the “full of the spirit of wisdom”. But what does that really mean?

Isaiah 11:2 gives us that answer when it says,

“2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;”

Not only was Joshua blessed by being full of the spirit of wisdom but he will be the one that leads Israel into the promised land. You see this land was promised by God in both the Mosaic & Abrahamic Covenants. Israel’s foretold return after a 400 year exile is now right before them and it is Joshua who leads the way. Remember though, Joshua was a faithful servant. We all should aspire to be faithful servants of God. But don’t just stop at hoping or wishing to be a servant but rather start serving.

2.) God is Faithful

Joshua 1:5 says,

“5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, [so] I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

The 2nd point is God is Faithful. This is a critical and powerful moment in Joshua’s life. Here he is given a guarantee by God. What was the promise given to Joshua by God? Victory! This served as encouragement for Joshua. I mean, who would feel defeated if they knew they had God on their side?

Well sadly, a lot of Christians walk around feeling defeated, downtrodden, disengaged and for what? Has God changed from the times of Moses & Joshua? This morning if you are a Follower of Jesus Christ you should be encouraged by the Word of God. You should feel empowered. We have reason to be optimistic and cheerful in Jesus. Why? Because God has promised us things just as he promised Abraham all the way down to Moses & now to Joshua. What has he vowed to the Follower of Jesus Christ?

a. 1 John 5:11 contains probably the most important promise when it says, “11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” We have been saved from eternal torment & hellfire because of Jesus – AMEN.

b. Matthew 7:11 holds another promise when it says, “11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” If we are within the will of God, and we ask something of Him, He answers prayer. Maybe not as soon as we hope for but He is faithful to answer prayer.

c. Romans 8:14 gives us another promise when it says, “14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Understand that if you are Follower of Christ then you are a child of God. If you are a child of God then the Holy Spirit leads you. What does He lead you to? I like how 1 commentator puts it, “He leads us to repentance, to think little of self & much of Jesus, to truth, to love, to holiness, & to usefulness.”

d. 1 Corinthians 10:13 gives us yet another promise when it says, “13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].” When temptations & trials of this world are before us we have strength from God. Unfortunately, there are times when you may ignore God and His will for your life and reject that strength because your interested in that season of pleasure from sin. But if you rely on God, He will see you through.

e. Romans 8: 1-2 gives us one more promise, “1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” That means that if you are one with Jesus, if you have truly made Him the Lord of your life & you do not reject that He is your savior and the one who you Follow, then condemnation will not come to you. But understand, if you habitually sin, you are not one with Jesus.

Joshua 1:5 is God assuring Joshua that He would be with him & never forsake Him. It reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 28:20 when he said, “…I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world…” Understand that God is faithful. If you are with Him, then He is with you. When times are tough God is there. When times are good, God is there. When you feel like crying, God is there. When you feel like praising, God is there. When things seem grim, God is there. When leaders change, God is there. But we must put Him first before all else. God must be 1st in our lives and if He is, then we are promised so much! God is faithful.

3.) Courageous Faith

Joshua 1: 6-9 says,

“6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it [to] the right hand or [to] the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

People love quoting God’s Word with be strong & courageous. Amen. It sounds good. It is empowering. However, when it is quoted it is often said from the standpoint that the individual, you or I, need to be strong. That is missing the most important part. Joshua’s charge from God here is not only for him to be have courage but to have courageous faith. That’s the 3rd Point this morning, “Courageous Faith”.

But how does a person come by having courageous faith? How is this possible? Verses 7 & 8 give us the big secret. We are to obey God’s Law & Meditate on it Day & Night. Our faith, Brother’s & Sisters in Christ, should not be based upon our feelings, the songs we sing, the clothes we wear, the logistics on how we cheerfully give, none of it. Our faith should not be based on the works that we do, the people we like to congregate with, nor the preacher in the pulpit. Our faith should be grounded in the very Word of God.

Deuteronomy 29:9 says,

“9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.”

You know what a covenant is, it is a promise. You know how you can keep & act upon the words that are given by God. By actually reading those words. By spending time in your Bible. By not worrying about everything else involved with this world and focusing on Jesus.

Psalm 119:105 says,

“05 …Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Courageous faith comes by reading, knowing, and doing what the Word of God commands us. Not just by reading the words on the page to say we read them but actually focusing and meditating on them. Finding out how they apply to your life.

Psalm 1: 1-2 says,

“1 Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

This morning I pray that we all realize that no matter what changes, no matter what comes to pass, that God is faithful. The fact that God is faithful should create a desire within us to have courageous faith. Things may change, people may change, but the most important thing never changes, and that is God.

Will you pray with me this morning?