Joshua: The Man God Can Use
Deuteronomy 34:8-10
Introduction
For forty years Moses led the children of Israel. I do not believe that any man has ever been called upon to undergo any more hardship than Moses had.
Moses was a great man of God, but who was going to take his place. Which leads me to the first question for tonight’s study?
I. Who Can God Use?
• There was no man of the caliber of Moses upon the horizon.
o The most likely candidate to take over when Moses left off would be:
Caleb
• He was an older man and full of experience and leadership
Phinehas
• He was the son of Moses
• He would be the natural successor.
• But the very interesting thin is that God bypassed by these men, and chose Joshua, and ordinary man.
o I suspect that Joshua least of all, though that he would be called.
o Joshua is what Dr. Blackwood said years ago: “Joshua is a demonstration of what God can do with an average man when he is completely yielded to Him.”
• Now Joshua was definitely an average man.
o Why did God overlook better qualified applicants?
o Because that has always been the policy of God.
o God never chooses the strongest
o Note God’s rule, as Paul stated it in 1 Cor. 1:26-29, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not to bring to null the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”
• Moses was initially too strong for God to use.
o He was raised and trained in preparation to possibly be Pharaoh someday.
o God has to remove Moses from that and stick him in the wilderness herding sheep, until Moses came to the place where he would say, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of God out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:11)
• You see that is the problem that god has with most of us.
o We are too strong for God to use us.
o God usually chooses for a particular task a person who has some weakness.
o Have you ever noticed it in Scripture?
Gideon was the least in his father’s house, but God used him.
David was just a little shepherd boy whom his own father overlooked.
Elijah and Jeremiah were strong prophets, yet they were very weak men underneath.
• One wanted to commit suicide and the other wanted to resign.
• The great problem in our churches today is we have too may people who have talent and ability.
o They feel that God can and will use them.
• Let me ask you a very personal question right now.
o Have you ever wondered why God has not used you in a wider way?
• May I say to you that Joshua was the man that God could use, and he was only an average man?
o But Joshua was better equipped then even he thought he was.
o The Lord had already been preparing him.
• Joshua was an army man; a man used too taking orders.
o Even now as the new leader of the children of Israel, he understood this.
o From the get-go Joshua understood that even if he was the commander and chief now, he still wasn’t to give orders, but take them.
o As the children of Israel where starting there march into the promised land and Joshua had given strict orders to keep their swords at their sides and not doing anything aggressive, he notices a man standing outside the camp with his sword drawn and raised up and Joshua goes out to see who this was.
o Look at Joshua 5:15, “Then the Commander of the Lord’s army [the Pre-incarnate Christ] said to Joshua, “Take your sandals off your feet for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.”
o Joshua when he was just a young man leaving Egypt till now understood one important thing; someone else gives the orders and he is merely to follow them.
• At this moment, right now, our Lord is in heaven at God’s right hand and he is still the commanding officer.
o The headquarters for the church are still up there, not down here.
o All the orders still come from above.
o God gives the orders and we are to obey.
o Here is where most of use fail in finding God’s will for our lives.
II. How Can you Know the Will of God?
The will of god for our lives, for your life and for my life, is to obey Christ.
It doesn’t matter where you read in the Bible; you will find that those who did the will of God (like Joshua) followed some simple conditions.
1. There must first of all be on our part recognition that Jesus Christ has a right to our lives.
• Joshua didn’t even raise that question.
• When he went out to that person on the outside of camp not obeying his orders in Joshua 5, and discovered that it was the Captain of the host of the Lord, Joshua immediately changed from being the general to being a private.
• He fell at his feet and said, “What has my lord to say to his servant?”
• In our lives there must be a honest recognition that Jesus Christ is in charge of our lives.
2. There must be a realization that God wants something of us.
• The most amazing thing is that God can take the feeble, spoiled, helpless, and mixed up person and use them to do something for His glory.
• Joshua was an ordinary man, yet God wanted Him.
• Joshua knew he was only average, but he also recognized that God wanted something of him.
• And Jesus wants something of you today as well.
3. The Third condition is: There must be determination on our part to know that will of God.
• We need to make an effort to find out what it is.
• I’ve always wanted to ask Joshua when I get to heaven, about that trip he made around Jericho for seven straight days, waiting to God to tell them when it was time to attack.
i. I don’t know what he will say, but I think he would tell me, that “When God put his hand on him, and he knew that he had taken Moses’ place, he was determined to know what God’s will was for him and he was determined to do it.”
• God’s marching orders for us are right here in the Bible.
i. One of the reasons today that many of us are having problems and difficulties is we just haven’t read the orders yet.
ii. You need to make an effort to read the orders for your will and follow through with them.
4. The last condition for knowing God’s will and this is the hardest one is: There must be a day-by-day yielding to do what he lays on your heart.
• I truly believe that God desires to make it very clear what he wants us to do.
• Our problem is that we wait until we get into a crisis in our lives, and then we go to Him and call upon Him.
i. We treat God like that spare tire in our cars. We hope we never have to use it, but we are glad we have it when we get a flat.
ii. A lot of us wait till we are in a crisis before we go to God.
• May I remind you that Joshua was born a slave in Egypt?
i. Then for forty ears he walked in obedience to God in that wilderness.
ii. I am sure every now and then, Joshua would look over into that Promised Land and ask God, “Is today the day Lord, and God would answer “not today.” And Joshua would answer, “Yes Sir” and keep on marching.
iii. It is no wonder that Joshua had yielded to the Captain of the Lord’s army that day.
iv. He had been doing it all his life.
Closing
In the next ten seconds you can know your status as a Christian and know the will of God for your life, by answering this one simple question. Is the Lord Jesus Christ, truly the Captain of your salvation?” A lot of people would say, yes of course I ask God to be my Savior. But the question is he the captain of your salvation. Are you obeying and trusting Him for everything. We need to stop playing around and start meaning business with God and following his orders. Let’s Pray.
