Joshua 1:1-7, “After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.”
Joshua 21:45, “Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”
BIG IDEA: GOD DOESN’T PURSUE US ONLY TO RESCUE US FROM OUR PAST OR SUSTAIN US THROUGH OUR WILDERNESS. HE PURSUES US BECAUSE HE IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES.
TRUTH: GOD’S PROMISES ARE WORTH TRUSTING, AND THE FUTURE HE CALLS US INTO IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR.
STEPPING INTO GOD’S PROMISE
1. GOD’S PROMISE CAN OUTLIVE THE PEOPLE WHO FIRST RECEIVED IT.
Joshua 1:1-2, “After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.”
**FAITHFULNESS IS NOT JUST DOING SOMETHING THAT BLESSES YOU. SOMETIMES IT’S PLANTING SOMETHING THAT WILL BLESS PEOPLE YOU MAY NEVER MEET.
YOU MAY NOT BE THE PERSON WHO RECEIVED THE ORIGINAL PROMISE, BUT YOU CAN BE FAITHFUL WITH THE PART GOD HAS PLACED IN YOUR HANDS.
2. YOU HAVE TO STEP AND PLANT INTO WHAT GOD PROMISED
Joshua 1:9, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
SOMETIMES GOD DOESN’T SHOW YOU THE WAY ACROSS UNTIL YOU’RE WILLING TO TAKE THE STEP HE TOLD YOU TO TAKE.
FAITH IS NOT SAYING, “THERE ARE NO OBSTACLES.”
FAITH IS SAYING, “THE OBSTACLES ARE NOT GREATER THAN THE GOD I TRUST.”
FAITH IS NOT SAYING, “I KNOW EXACTLY HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK OUT.”
FAITH IS SAYING, “I KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT GOD’S CHARACTER TO FOLLOW HIM IN THE DIRECTION HE HAS GIVEN ME.
TRUTH: FAITH DOES NOT MEAN WE IGNORE THE RIVER. IT MEANS WE TRUST GOD ENOUGH TO TAKE A STEP IN IT.
3. WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BUILD IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR.
Joshua 6:1-5, “Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. 2 But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3 You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”
**COURAGE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF OPPOSITION
BIBLICAL COURAGE ISN’T PRETENDING THE TASK IS SMALL. IT’S TRUSTING GOD WHILE TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TASK HE HAS GIVEN YOU.
TRUTH: WE ARE NOT FIGHTING TO MAKE GOD KEEP HIS PROMISES. WE ARE RESPONDING FAITHFULLY TO THE GOD WHO HAS PROVEN HIMSELF FAITHFUL.
4. DON’T FORGET WHO DELIVERED YOU INTO THE PROMISE
Joshua 4:1-7, “When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’” 4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”
THE VICTORIES GOD HAS ALREADY GIVEN YOU SHOULD BECOME REMINDERS OF HIS FAITHFULNESS WHEN YOU FACE THE BATTLES STILL AHEAD.
DON’T LET TODAY’S UNCERTAINTY ERASE YESTERDAY’S EVIDENCE OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS.
**REMEMBERING GOD’S FAITHFULNESS DOESN’T TELL YOU EVERY DETAIL OF TOMORROW. IT REMINDS YOU THAT YOU DON’T FACE TOMORROW ALONE.
