Sermon Tone Analysis

- When a person goes through life, they find they have “many rivers to cross”

- That’s an expression meaning that – in another way of putting it - there are many hurdles in life to jump over – difficulties to deal with

- For Joshua he had one river to cross, but that river was a significant milestone in his life & in the life of the Israelites

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- This river represents the border between faith & unbelief – the promise/blessings of God & a life of hopelessness

- If they cross the Jordan River & go ahead in the promises & power of God, in stall for them are great blessings & a great future

- If they become fearful – if their vision only extends to the human level, they won’t cross that river

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- Over 40 yrs the Israelites had the option to cross that river, but the majority held back – were unbelieving, fearful & had a vision that could only extend to what they could immediately see with their eyes

- The generation that were disbelieving & disobedient died out in the wilderness over a 40 yr period

- It was a new leader and new generation that would enter the Promised Land

- But it will take a firm resolve & dog-headed determination to see it happen

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- Likewise, Christians have had rivers to cross in order to stay faithful to God

- But we have an arsenal that no one can stand against

G. K. Chesterton rightly put it: "Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave."

- This is a message for all of us, but especially leaders and those who would become leaders

1. Leadership in the Ancient and Modern World

- Leadership always comes with benefits and risks

- The benefits come with serving the Lord in such a position - a position that many avoid because of the high level of responsibility

- There are great rewards for those who lead and teach the people of God faithfully & accurately according to God’s word

- If a man aspires to lead as an elder, it is described as a good work

- Many have translated it as a “noble” work – meaning an important & significant form of work

- Deacons are encouraged as well

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But there are risks involved in leadership.

- The risk of making mistakes and taking a direction that’s not appropriate

- The risk of not bringing the people with you in the direction you take

- Often, A faithful leader can be a target for those who do not want to walk in the ways of God and who take offence at any goading in that direction

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- There is too, the responsibility that comes when you’re dealing with other people’s lives

- The responsibility you have before God who will judge those who teach, more strictly

- Paul writes to Timothy…

- You have a sense here of presenting yourself before the bar of the judge Himself

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- Now, it’s a good, noble work so I don’t want to put any of you men off

- It’s an important work

- I like what President Kennedy once said which is quite encouraging…

"An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."

- We need to remember that God is not an unforgiving God

- There are a couple of main points here I want to address that come from this today’s passage

a) There is a promise and a goal

- Without a goal, you’re bound to get lost & if you aim at nothing, you’re bound to hit it every time

- God has given a specific promise - is a land flowing with milk & honey

- God has given a specific goal - to take the land & inhabit the land, but it won’t come easy

- Part of this promise is also that no one will be able to stand against you

Jos 1:5 —5 “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.

- Now before you get upset thinking that the Israelites are going to war with the inhabitants of the land, just remember who owns that land

- Furthermore, remember that God justly judges & He has judged that those people are not worthy of that land

b) There is a path to that goal

- The command to Joshua to be strong & courageous is stated 4 times in this chapter

Q. Do you think it is important being stated on 4 separate occasions within the one chapter?

- Of course, the question we need to ask is why such a command was needed to be repeated 4 times

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- We have the answer to this question if we go back some 40 yrs to when the Israelite spies were sent into the Promised land to spy it out

- There were 12 men sent, inclusive of Joshua & Caleb

- Joshua & Caleb came back affirming that God will be able to do as He says

- However, the other 10 brought a bad report

- Panic stations – we can’t humanly defeat them – they’re bigger & more powerful than we are

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- Faith doesn’t rely on human strength to achieve God’s end result

- Only unbelief works on this level – even having the whole world against you doesn’t mean God won’t win

- When the people of God start fearing what is immediately in front of them, they have taken their eyes off the Lord & on to their present circumstances

- Look what happened to leadership in Israel – namely to Moses & Aaron

- Let us appoint a leader who will lead us in our ungodliness

- Let us appoint a leader who will give us comfort & speak only things of comfort

- Let us appoint a leader who will say what our itching ears desire to hear

- We further get an understanding of what was driving this here

- It was not only a lack of faith, but something else that pushed the people into a corner & into a lack of faith

- Twice there, Joshua & Caleb points out the source of their error – fear

- It was fear that was driving them into disobedience

- A leader of God’s people ought to be very careful to not be a promoter of any fear other than the fear of God – but to encourage them to stay courageous & true to His word

- The people of Israel sided with the 10 spies who gave a fearful report of their pending destruction if they go into the Promised land

- Since they refused to obey God, it amounted to unbelief

Q. Did you see that there in the last sentence – “but to those who were disobedient?

So, we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief”

- The source of disobedience is unbelief

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- When considering the dilemma of fear…

Q.

What kind of Spirit did God give to His people?

- A Spirit that is timid, shy, weak, passive, inept?

- Well, for Timothy, the apostle Paul had to remind him that God’s Spirit was not timid at all & that he had no business shrinking away from the challenges that faced him as a church pastor & representative of the apostle

- Paul had to remind Timothy to not let people brush him off because he is a younger man, but to set an example

- He had to remind him to stay strong & courageous in the face of terrible times that were ahead

- The Spirit is God’s enabling powerful presence in the Christian’s life

2.

The Imperative of Strength

- Be strong, God’s says to Joshua - Strength is here, not referring to literal strength so it’s not a command to get into the gym & build up your muscles

- Strength has at its heart the ability to take what God says & to act upon it

- Here for Joshua, he had to rely on 3 promises of the Lord

1. God has given the land to the Israelites – it’s yours, take it!

2. No one will be able to stand against you

3. The Lord, Yahweh, will be with you: “As I have been with Moses, I will be with you”

- Joshua had 3 wonderful promises here which, by faith, he could rely on

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- Strength has to do with actually making decisions in line with God’s will

- Decisions are always difficult to make – Christians of all varieties make decisions everyday in the sight of God

- In recent days, Christians are making decisions about the vaccines – whether to take them or not

- Many have had no choice as they have been essentially blackmailed into taking them – do that or you don’t have a job (can’t support your family)

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- Contentious decisions are made often by every Christian & it is between them & God

- For many, that decision is difficult & costly & hasn’t come easy

- Whatever a person thinks about the vaccines & the mandate, we should have the maturity & obedience to God in respecting the decisions that each Christian makes – Rom. 14 has some strong things to say about protecting another person’s conscience decisions in the sight of God

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- For Joshua, he had his generation to lead – all the parents of that unbelieving generation died out in the wilderness & the Lord would not permit them to enter the Promised Land of rest

- Joshua will face the same prospect of fear that Moses faced, but he must remain strong & resolved to follow the Lord in what He commanded

3. The Imperative of Courage

- Courage has a number of nuances, but the one that I wish to highlight with Joshua is his ability to take on the fears & overcome them

- Joshua does not waiver between 2 opinions

- He is not like the double-minded man spoken of by James in the NT

- The man who waivers between 2 options: will I follow the Lord on this occasion, but I might not on that occasion