INTRO: A few months from now the Summer Olympic Games will begin. Thousands of athletes from around the world will come to compete. Before the games begin a ceremony “lighting the Olympic Flame” will be held. This process starts in Greece (first Olympics held in 776 BC) where the torch is lit and then passed on to many runners until it finally reaches its destination. No one is commissioned to carry it the whole way.
-Like Christianity no one runner is to carry it the whole way. The torch of Christianity is passed from one generation to the next.
TS: Today, look at OT character, Joshua, who was passed the torch by Moses. By looking at his life we can learn some spiritual truths to help us.
TITLE: Jewels From Joshua
TEXT: Joshua 1:1-2 (READ)
I. Preparation:
A. Get ready – KJV (arise), he (in front, in the presence).
1. Take on leadership responsibility: to lead, to rally, to be in front guiding and directing, like Moses.
a. (New job excitement, fear) New Leader: Joshua is directed to take charge over millions of Jews and to guide and direct them into new challenges and opportunities.
-One generation passing the torch to the next generation.
2. Same today: This will happen to some sooner and to some later.
a. Learn from Joshua: Get ready, to prepare now! Time is short. It’s shorter for some than others.
-Umbrella of protection from mom and dad.
-Responsibility will come soon enough (Amen!)
3. Joshua’s preparation: He just didn’t step into leading millions of Jews.
a. Training under Moses:
-Learning from Moses how he handled the exodus dealing with millions of people.
-Crossing the Red Sea, fighting their one great enemy (Amalakites) (Moses holding arms up, Joshua leading battle.)
-Mt. Sinai – 10 Commandments (Golden Calf).
-12 spies to spy out promised land.
-40 years wandering in desert (feeling punishment that he did not deserve).
-Joshua learned, watched how Moses handled these situations and what the outcome was.
b. Young people: need to be like Joshua and learn to have a learning attitude.
-How am I preparing? What am I doing?
c. Adults: How are you preparing?
-Pr. 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
-Train with purpose in mind: follow Christ.
-Proverbs tells us two ways to go.
1. Way of the wise.
2. Way of the fools (wicked).
1. Young learn from old, children learn from parents.
a. Great responsibility – children will learn our traits GOOD & BAD.
Ex. Joshua learning from Moses.
-Children/grandchildren will view Christianity by our own walk!
b. Disappointment – things didn’t turn out the way you had hoped. Son didn’t turn out to be
a doctor. Daughter married wrong person. Kid’s don’t have a close walk with the Lord.
1. Don’t give up: hang in there, never quit praying!
Ex. Coach never thought I would be a minister. We need to pray for the next
generation because times are getting tougher.
TS – Turn to 2nd point
II. D-Day (rubber meets the road) What you have learned goes into practice.
-Some will be going to college.
-Some will be going to high school.
-Some will be going to Jr. high.
*Each step comes more responsibility and more pressure, and we need to learn from men like Joshua.
A. Joshua’s role: Deut. 31:7 (READ) To take the Isrealites into the promised land.
1. First major task: Crossing the Jordan River at flood stage. It was bad enough to cross when the river
was normal but at flood stage. (Scholars tell us that it is an amazing sight) speed of the river, power
of the current.
-Imagine trying to organize a crossing of millions of Isrealites. (Learn administrative duties from
Moses, similar tasks, Red Sea).
a. Instruction 3:8 (READ) Go and stand in the river (weight of Ark).
-God wants us to act in obedience, not to just stand on the bank and wait.
-They made it and after several days camp in the plains of Jericho.
2. Joshua’s reflection
a. Campfire, wondering about the instruction he had received from the Lord about marching around
the city once for six days and on the seventh day march around seven times and then shout.
1. Past memories of victories and defeats with Moses.
a. Lord’s words bring comfort – Joshua 1:5-9 (READ)
-9 commands 5 be, 4 do not.
Basically relate to two things:
1. Leadership.
2. Importance of the law.
-be strong -do not be terrified
-be strong & very courageous -do not be discouraged
-be careful
b. Gold nugget of truth we can learn is: look how important obedience to God is in these nine
commands:
-Interesting to look at some of the words (careful, courageous, do not be terrified, do not be
discouraged).
-These descriptions seem like it is going to be hard to be obedient to God.
Ex. 1. Spiritual battle – forget word, sermons, Bible readings.
2. Obedience brings blessing. First must know God’s way.
-Reading Bible teaches us about God.
a. Inner strength, closeness, booster shot.
*Young people we need to be like Joshua and be obedient to God’s Word.
-Hard times will come. That’s just life. What you need to remember is God’s Word will
help you through.
-Lord will not ask you how the ride was/obedient.
3. Outcome
a. Spiritual truth (general to specific)
-Wondering how to cross the Jordan.
1. Chap. 1:2 – Joshua told to cross Jordan and take possession of the land.
-At this point God did not tell him how.
2. Chap. 2:1 – Joshua sent two spies to spy out Jericho (Scriptures does not tell us that God told
him to do this.)
-Joshua is gathering information not just lying around wondering what God is going to do.
Ex. Bible college, job.
3. Chap. 3:2 – Camping at Jordan. Verse 2 tells us they waited three days.
Verses 7-8 tell us they were instructed by God (priest go in front carrying the ark and to go
stand in the river) obeyed, the river dried up.
4. Chap. 5 tells us the Isrealites camped in the plains of Jericho.
-Waiting on a specific command to conquer (remember the general command to cross the
Jordan and take possession of the land).
-Not given the specifics yet.
5. Chap. 6:2-5 – Lord gives instructions on how to take the city. Six days march around the city
once seventh day march around seven times and shout. Verse 20 obeyed and victory was
theirs.
-General – cross Jordan and take possession of the land.
-Specific – how to cross Jordan.
-how to conquer Jericho.
b. Some of us here today: have received general instructions and are waiting on specifics from God,
but they are not coming because we have not taken the step of faith that
God requires.
1. Some standing on the banks of the river Jordan waiting and God is saying wait. To have
patience!
2. Others have crossed the river and are camping in the valley of Jericho and staring at what
seems to be an overwhelming task. You feel you have no chance. With God anything is
possible.
CONCLUSION: Passing the torch to the next generation is our most important task we have.
1. Passing the torch is the most dangerous time because the torch can be dropped.
-Preparation (get ready)
-Battle will come
-Outcome
a. Dependent upon how much you depend upon God!
