922 Biblical Characters – Be Strong and Courageous (Joshua)
Exploring Biblical Characters • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 8 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
- 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
------------
- 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
--------------
- 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
---------------
- 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
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
1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.
- 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
13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
-----------
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
-------------
- 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…
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
- You have a sense here of presenting yourself before the bar of the judge Himself
------------
- 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
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
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
-----------------
- 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
32 So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. 33 “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
- Panic stations – we can’t humanly defeat them – they’re bigger & more powerful than we are
----------
- 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
2 All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 “Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
- 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
6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 “If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 “Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
- 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
14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, 15 while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.” 16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
- 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
-----------------
- 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
7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
- 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
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
- The Spirit is God’s enabling powerful presence in the Christian’s life
2. The Imperative of Strength
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
------------
- 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)
-------------
- 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
-----------------
- 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
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
113 I hate those who are double-minded, But I love Your law.
- Boldly, Joshua challenges the people to make up their minds & make a firm decision
15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
- Interestingly, he doesn’t give them the 3rd option he chose
- Choose the gods of the Ur of Chaldees from whence your fathers came or the gods of the land we have now conquered
- But as for me & my house, we will serve Yahweh, the living creator God
----------------
- If we are true to our faith, then we need to confess that a pandemic is not the greatest danger a person will face
- It is sin & the real danger of departing from He who is the only source of salvation – Jesus
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
- The truth is that sin is what will condemn a person & it is only Jesus who can set you free from sin
- People want to find plenty of other forms of salvation other than the one that really matters
- They want salvation from boredom, salvation from a health crisis, salvation from loneliness, salvation from financial insecurity - & whilst all those are important, they fade into insignificance in comparison with the salvation from sin
---------------
- For there is a key factor that separates salvation from sin from all these other types of salvation
- It is this – all those others are temporal – they are locked into this life span alone
- The salvation from sin which Jesus gives, lasts into unending time
----------------
- I think one of the foremost characteristics of a leader is that of being biblically truthful with the people
- Not only is a lie contrary to the teaching of the Lord, but it is cowardly – there is no integrity in lying so a leader can be popular or well spoken of
- That is not God’s leader & that does not resemble the call to be strong & courageous
7 “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. 8 “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.
- This is the encouragement given to Joshua
- The American General Andrew Jackson said “one man with courage makes a majority,”
4. Passing of the Mantle
4. Passing of the Mantle
- Leadership comes & leadership goes
- No leader is a leader forever – the mantle gets passed down onto others
- There is always an uneasy tension between the past & the present when it comes to leadership
- Old ways of doing things – old methodologies & ways are replaced with new ways
---------------
- New generations come along & leadership needs to be adaptable to accommodate changing times
- Yet, not all changes are compatible with best practises, nor compatible with biblical teaching
- Remember one of the church’s singled out in the book of Acts, as a noble congregation, is the Berean church
11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
- They were commended because they didn’t just accept what was dished up to them – they checked out the Scriptures for themselves to ensure they were not being led astray
- It is a noble thing to check out what I say – I welcome it – because that is a noble endeavour
--------------
- The Lord has qualifications for leaders that have nothing to do with changing trends
- In the NT it is all about the character of the person & their tenacity at holding fast to biblical values
- The apostle Paul calls for 2 traits to be in the life of Timothy – a young pastor who would shepherd the church at Ephesus
16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
- Close attention to yourself – that has to do with your private life
12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
- The leader must be an example of what the outcome of a person’s life is to be
- The people who follow a leader will imitate that leader
- If a leader is morally questionable, the people will end up morally questionable
------------
- As I have mentioned before, in the days of Hosea the priests who were responsible to not only teach the people but to be living a life based on the law of God themselves, failed miserably
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed on the sin of My people And direct their desire toward their iniquity. 9 And it will be, like people, like priest; So I will punish them for their ways And repay them for their deeds.
- They feed on the sin of my people – they capitalise on the people’s weaknesses & use it to their advantage
- It was common in Israel for prophets to not say a “thus says the Lord” & then give a hard saying, because it was not popular
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?
- It’s always tempting to go with the flow & be popular, but a leader who wants to walk in the footsteps of Jesus must be strong, courageous & speak the truth
- “But what will you do at the end of it” is an ominous warning of the pending wrath of God
-------------
- The apostle Paul says to Timothy
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
- The latter times had begun then in the apostle’s day so this has been going on for 2000 yrs
- Teachings of demons – how can that be – in the church of Christ!
- But it is true & the leader needs to take stock of the seriousness of the role of sound teaching
6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
- Paul writes to Titus about the Elders who are to be appointed in Crete
- An Elder is to be…
9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
- Over the time I’ve been in ministry the general trend in churches is to only speak positive things
- To a degree this is helpful, but it is not true of the Scripture to always speak positive words – in fact, most of the pronouncements of the true prophets of God were only negative words – it was the false prophets who would only give positive words, in spite of the condition of the people
-----------
- The role of an Pastor/Elder/Leader is a challenging one
- He has to hold fast the teaching according to the faithful word - not a church tradition, nor a philosophy, nor an ideology, nor even a trendy sentiment
- He must hold, as of number one importance, the faithful word of Christ
- The challenge to Joshua, although different in form to our setting, is the same in kind for Christian leaders – to be strong and courageous
- Whilst this is, specifically, what a leader is to be, so too, generally, what the people are to be
- Strength of conviction & courage is what is needed to move forward with the Lord