The Courage Of Love Series

Text: Joshua 1:1-9

(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.

(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. (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.

REVIEW:

We began a series of messages declaring that what the world needed was LOVE, God’s LOVE!

There’s no greater need! There’s no great call! There’s no greater act of Courage!

Christ’s greatest commandment is “Love God with all our heart, soul and mind.”

Christ’s second greatest challenge was to “Love our neighbor as our self.”

How does the text we have read today in the Old Testament relate to the teaching of the New Testament?

How do the words to Joshua relate to the words of Jesus?

Loving God is about obeying God! Right?

Obedience to God will open the door for us to receive all the wonderful things he has in store for us…

Deu 10:12-13 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, (13) To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

“If you love me, you will obey my commandments.”

Luk_12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

God had promised to give the children of Israel the land of promise, all they had to do was to go in and claim it.

They failed because they feared. They doubted. They were disobedient.

Let’s consider our text more closely…

THE SETTING: Joshua 1:1-3

(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.

Contents: Joshua’s commission and command.

Consideration: Those who make the Word of God their rule and conscientiously walk by that rule will both do well and make great progress. We will be animated and emboldened for God’s work as we keep our eyes upon the divine warrant.

Striking Facts: Joshua, type of Christ as Captain of our Salvation. Heb_2:10, Heb_2:11. He comes after Moses, Joh_1:17. Leads to victory, Rom_8:37. Our Advocate when we have met defeat, 1Jn_2:1. Allots our portions, Eph_1:11, Eph_1:14.

In light of our text and in seeking to see how it applies to us today, notice…

I. THE PLAN OF GOD Joshua 1:3-6

(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.

(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. (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.