Commissioning of Joshua

Intro

Following anyone any great leaders in leadership is very hard and very difficult

Often times you will continually be compared with that individual

Often times people will say so and so didn’t do it like that

Joshua followed one of the greatest leaders in history

His names is well known throughout history and when it is mentioned it carries alot of weight

Joshua had the privilege and challenge of following Moses

Others in the bible have followed great leaders

Timothy followed Paul

Elisha followed Elijah

But whenever God calls someone before He commissions them He will thoroughly prepare them

God will use the very mundane things in life to produce within the person the needed character to be a great leader

Let us begin in Joshua 1:1-9

Joshua 1:1–9 (NASB95)

Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,

“Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.

“Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.

“From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.

“No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

“Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Moses Has Died

Because of Moses disobedience he was not able to enter the promise land

Moses struck the rock when he was commanded by God to speak to the rock

Joshua was chosen as the successor of Moses

Joshua has an incredible responsibility before him

The Lord gives Joshua a command

Joshua 1:2 ““Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.”

But God not only gives Joshua a command, He gives Him a promise

Joshua 1:3 ““Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.”

The Lord says every place Joshua places the sole of His foot will be given to Him

When God calls anyone He gives them authority

The authority comes from Him

Jesus has given us a command and He has given us authority

Mark 16:15-18 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.””

Joshua was given authority by Almighty God

Joshua is given a specific target and mission

When God calls us, He has a destiny and a promised land before us

God’s promise land for Israel was specific and defined

Joshua 1:4 (NASB95)

“From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.

The promise land before Israel was filled with great and mighty armies and filled with Giants

Israel and Joshua in themselves could not accomplish this

But we must remember when we are called by God we are empowered and equipped by God

His grace rests firmly upon us

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

We have been created by God for a specific purpose

When we come to Christ we are forgiven

But it is simply the beginning of a journey

Now what stands before us is our destiny and promise land

God promises to be with Joshua

Joshua 1:5 (NASB95)

“No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

God’s promise was to be with Joshua as He was with Moses

Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19-20 ““Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Jesus tells us He is with us always

God told Joshua that He would be with Him always

The reason we are able to conquer and advance is because the Lord is with us

When the enemy oppose us it doesn’t matter

We must stand strong in the Lord and His mighty power

When we trust the Lord and bring all things before Him in prayer, The battle is placed in the hands of Almighty God

The secret of Joshua’s success

The Lord tells Joshua in verses 6 and 7 to be strong and courageous twice

God knows that we will face fear

God knows every weapon the enemy has

Nothing takes God by surprise

the word strong is the Hebrew means to make strong or prevail

The word courage in the hebrew means be strong, powerful, courageous, resolute

God knows that Joshua will face fear

Courage is not the absence of fear

Courage and strength is how we respond to fear

But here is the secret to Joshua’s success

Joshua 1:7-8 ““Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

The word mediate in the Hebrew means growl, mutter, speak, proclaim

When God calls Joshua to meditate upon the law it was never to depart from His lips

Law means direction or instruction

God tells Joshua he is to live according to it

He is not to turn from the right or the left

It is always to be upon his lips saturating his life

The only way to true victory is to saturate our lives in the word of God

When our lives are saturated in the word of God, we will live according to the word of God

It is obedience that unlocks the blessing and increase of God

When we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness everything else is added unto us

The secret to victory in the Christian life is Jesus must be the priority

He must be the center of everything

All of us face fear

All of us are assaulted on a daily basis by the enemy

Satan is always trying to redirect and deter us from walking in the promises and purposes that God has for us

But we must make the word of God the center piece of our lives

Not merely to read it

but to study it

Not merely to study it

But to live it out

The bottom line is the Lord our God is with us

Yes we will face challenges in the coming days

Every inch of the promise land that Joshua took was taken by war

Nothing was taken peacefully

But Joshua’s heart and life were fully committed to the Lord

We must be fully committed to the Lord