CONDITIONS For ASSUMING LEADERSHIP-II—Joshua 1:1-18
New/Begin/Start/Change
Before we assume leadership/take control we better be sure conditions are right.
Need:
Resentment/Disappointment/Anger/Uneasy/Frightened/
Confused
—Accepting/Invigorated/New Life
Look to the future with...
Joy/Anticipation/Goal/Purpose/Accomplishment
Upon Moses’ death, God called Joshua to lead Israel.
God always calls capable leaders to lead His people.
What is involved in being an effective leader of God’s people?
6 Conditions for leadership among God’s people are An Established...
1. POSITION(:1-2)
2—A Condition for Assuming leadership among God’s people is
A Defined/Decisive BOUNDARY(:3-4)
Explanation:(:3-4)Vision/Goal/Task
:3—“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.
God bestows this land to Joshua just as He had told Moses previously. Joshua is being employed to continue Moses’ ministry.
Deut. 11:24—“Every place on which the sole of your[Moses’] foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness & Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory.”
We are Called/Gifted & Equipped of the Spirit of God to operate within the confines of the task God Himself has ordained. We must accomplish God’s desire within the bounds of our faith.
Rom. 12:6-21—“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless & do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, & weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
:4—“From the wilderness & this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, & to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.”
The land which Joshua would conquer would extend from the wilderness(where they were located E. of the Jordan river) in (“this”)Lebanon(a huge region inclusive of multiple mountain ranges extending from N of Israel S. to Sinai) to the river Euphrates(North flows out of Turkey thru Syria & into Iraq where it empties into the Persian Gulf).
“All the land of the Hittites” would be theirs. Israel would not possess the full extent of this land until the reign of David.
“All the land of the Hittites”—Possibly originating in Anatolia(Turkey). At this writing, the dominant tribe in northern Canaan as the Assyrians mention them—FBD. They inhabited the whole region between the Euphrates & Damascus. For a long time they were formidable rivals of the Egyptian & Assyrian empires—EBD. Their land includes parts of modern-day southeastern Turkey, Syria, Lebanon & Jordan.
From their current location(east of the Jordan) to the Great Sea(the Mediterranean)— “toward the setting of the sun” would also be theirs.
We have Duties-Directions-Goals
Area(s) of Effectiveness/Efficiency...
—Ordained of God
—Regardless of perceived obstacles(Hittites—Current possessors of the land—Lost-Indifferent-Poor-Rich-Mexican-Oriental-African-Jew-Muslim-Buddhist-Mormon-Jehovah’s Witnesses...Ad infinitum).
These must be conquered in order to take possession of the land. They must be conquered thru the living testimony of Christ in ourselves!
What is attainable for some may not seem attainable to others. Our calling is to show you/others the land(boundaries) & encourage you/others to conquer it!
**What is attainable in God’s power is always beyond that attainable in our flesh.
The land must be conquered THRU the leadership not BY the leadership.
* “Aim at nothing & we’ll hit it every time!”
*Aim beyond Maintenance to Growth...Beyond the past to the future.
Argumentation:
Col. 3:2—“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
Don’t look for power or prestige or recognition...Look to serve God.
Rom. 8:6-7—“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life & peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so...”
Prov. 29:18—“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.”
God’s word, written & spoken, gives us our vision/boundary.
Isa. 6:1-13—“In the year that King Uzziah died, I[Isaiah] saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high & lifted up, & the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, & with two he flew. And one cried to another & said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, & the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, & said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” And He said, “Go, & tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return & be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered: “Until the cities are laid waste & without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate, The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. But yet a tenth will be in it, And will return & be for consuming, As a terebinth tree or as an oak, Whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump.”
1Cor. 12:4-7—“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:”
Illustration:
The Carrabelle River Bridge/It is narrow-limited- & purposeful/A Defined/Decisive BOUNDARY
Laura Nettles’ plate/She is an adult but uses a divided plate(like used in grade school) for her meals/Why?/Because she wants a Decisive Defined Boundary between the different types of food!/She gets all of the flavor of particular foods with no danger of mixed flavors!/A Defined/Decisive BOUNDARY
Our need for a ‘College & Career’ teacher in Sunday School—Readily filled/BUT left a gap for Older Teens/We need both!/A Defined/Decisive BOUNDARY
Decision to give a ‘talented’ person a position just because they can do it in the world/However, the person may not be committed to the Lord for guidance—a ridiculous exception for church leadership!/A Defined-Decisive BOUNDARY
The same reason defines why unrepentant or ‘practicing’ homosexuals(LGBT) should never be in church leadership! Allowed in the church, but not in leadership!—A Defined-Decisive BOUNDARY
Does our Christian influence stop & start with certain areas?...No!/It is not limited to the four walls of the building we have constructed for worship, study, & fellowship!/We carry Jesus into the workplace, schools, homes, play places, places of governance(county/city/state/federal, etc.), politics, etc./A Defined-Decisive BOUNDARY
What are the means of our boundaries are more important/Do I go into Harry’s Bar/Yes or no?/‘Why’ to either is vital!/BOUNDARY
Rancher goes to town for fencing supplies/ ‘James, I need to do some fencing but I’ll need a sizeable loan’/ ‘Bob, that loan depends on what you’re plannin’ on doing’ with that fencin’/‘Bob says, I’m fencin’ in 2500 acres’/ ‘Bob, your materials will be here the end of the month!/Boy working with James asked, why did you give Bob the loan so easily?/‘Well, son, the deciding factor is whether a man is fencin’ in or fencin’ out’/If a man is fencin’ out, he’s runnin scared; but if he’s fencin’ in he’s got vision & plans for the future/A Defined/Decisive BOUNDARY
Application:
?Assumed God’s Defined/Decisive BOUNDARY(Vision/Goal/Task) in your Leadership?
?What is your Defined/Ordained BOUNDARY?
?You fulfilled the Conditions for Assuming Leadership?
?What does God want to accomplish here?
?What will God have to do?
?Where will God guide our feet?
God must give it to us.
?What boundaries have we set? Are they God’s boundaries?
The Second Condition is constantly in a state of flux.
God doesn’t want us to lay back enjoying/basking in the glory of our past successes...
He wants us to go forward to bring about new ones
Our Vision must more than just populating committees...they are a means to an end—to achieve balanced growth of the church according to our giftedness.
3—A Condition for Assuming leadership among God’s people is
A Defined/Decisive ADVANTAGE(:5-6)
Explanation:(:5)Blessing/Power
:5—“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
YHWH promises Joshua that no one will be able to defy Joshua all of his life.
Joshua is also promised that YHWH would be with him “just as” He had been with Moses. He would not “leave/fail” nor “forsake” Joshua.
“Stand”—buy yaw-tsab'—To place, set, stand, set or station oneself, present oneself.
“Before”—Mynp paw-neem'—1)Face—1a)Face, faces, 1b) Presence, person, 1c)Face (of seraphim or cherubim), 1d)Face (of animals), 1e)Face, surface (of ground), 1f) As adv of loc/temp—1f1)Before & behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before, 1g)With prep—1g1)In front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of.
“Leave you/Fail thee”—hpr raw-faw’—Hiphil[causative] Imperfect—To sink, relax, sink down, let drop, be disheartened—1d) (Hiphil)—1d1)To let drop, abandon, relax, refrain, forsake, 1d2)To let go.
“Forsake you”—bze aw-zab'—1)To leave, loose, forsake; 2)To restore, repair. Strong—To loosen, i.e. relinquish, permit, etc.
:6b—“Be strong & of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
He needed to be strong & courageous in order to give the people possession of the land.
Why?...
1)Due to the nature of leadership—There will always be those who oppose & those who seek to discombobulate, discredit & dismantle. This is because they disagree with the direction headed. They have lost their Advantage, being outside of God’s will.
2)Due to the nature of the task at hand.
The land had been promised to the ancestors(Abraham, Isaac & Jacob) of the Israelites.
God must work thru leadership!
Blessing—A Gift/Anointing
—Strength & Courage needed...
*But...No possibility of failure—on one condition—God must be with me!
“Strong”—qzx khaw-zak'—To strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore.
“Good Courage/Courageous”—Uma aw-mats'—To be strong, alert, courageous, brave, stout, bold, solid, hard.
“Divide”—lxn naw-khal’—Hiphil Imperfect—1)To get as a possession, acquire, inherit, possess—1d) (Hiphil)—1d1) To give as a possession,1d2) To cause to inherit, give as an inheritance. Strong—a primitive root; To inherit(as a [figurative] mode of descent), or generally—To occupy; causatively—To bequeath, or generally—Distribute, instate.
“Swore”—ebv shaw-bah’—Niphal[passive] Perfect—To swear, adjure. Strong—a primitive root; propr.—To be complete, but used only as a denominative from ebv sheh’-bah[a primitive cardinal number; seven]; To seven oneself, i.e. Swear(as if by repeating a declaration seven times).
Argumentation:
Jn. 16:1-3—“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
A Defined/Decisive Advantage seems absent here. However “they have not known the Father nor” Jesus!
Jer. 1:16-19—“I will utter My judgments Against them concerning all their wickedness, Because they have forsaken Me, Burned incense to other gods, And worshiped the works of their own hands. Therefore prepare yourself & arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them. For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city & an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land-- Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the LORD, “to deliver you.”
Neh. 6:15-16—[of the post-exilic wall of Jerusalem]“So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it came about when all our enemies heard of it, & all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”
Php. 4:13—“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Gal. 2:20—“I have been crucified with Christ; & it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; & the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, & delivered Himself up for me.”
Rom. 8:28-39—“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; & whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, & furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Num. 14:9—[Joshua & Caleb said]“Only do not rebel against the LORD; & do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, & the LORD is with us; do not fear them.”
Illustration:
Indiana Jones—Raiders of the Lost Ark—Setting early WWII era/In crowded street in Cairo hiding from Germans & henchmen/Crowd parts & a huge Egyptian(head & shoulders above everyone else) brandishing an imposing sword advances toward Indiana/The crowd parts giving him room/Indiana helplessly braces himself for the encounter/Swordman gets closer/Indiana then shrugs his shoulders, pulls out his pistol & shoots the swordsman killing him/Indiana Jones had an Defined/Decisive ADVANTAGE!
Application:
?Assumed God’s Defined/Decisive ADVANTAGE in your Leadership?
?What is your Defined/Ordained ADVANTAGE?
?You fulfilled the Conditions for Assuming Leadership?
Christian leaders must have a decided Advantage...God Himself in Christ by the Holy Spirit!
?What is my/your/FBC’s Advantage?
?Is it ordained?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Conditions for Assuming Leadership among God’s people are A Defined/Decisive...
2. BOUNDARY(:3-4)
3. ADVANTAGE(:5-6)
1. POSITION(:1-2)
Presented 10/26/2014am to:
FBC C’belle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-3 Presented 11/07/99am to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, GA 31797
