CONDITIONS For ASSUMING LEADERSHIP-III—Joshua 1:1-18
New/Begin/Start/Change
Before we assume leadership/take control we better be sure conditions are right. Otherwise you’ll be ‘landing on a short runway’ every time!
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?
So far we have found 3 Conditions for Assuming Leadership among God’s people are
A Defined/Decisive...
1. POSITION(:1-2)
2. BOUNDARY(:3-4)
3. ADVANTAGE(:5-6)
4—A Condition for Assuming leadership among God’s people is
A Defined/Decisive COURAGE(:6-7, 9)
Explanation:(:6-7, 9)
:6a—“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.”
Joshua is told to be “strong & of good courage.” He needed to be strong & courageous in order to give the people possession of the land. The land had been promised to the ancestors(Abraham, Isaac & Jacob) of the Israelites.
Strength is—“The ability to resist being moved or broken by a force; or The quality that allows someone to deal with problems in a determined & effective way.” “One regarded as embodying or affording force or firmness.”
Courage is— ‘The ability to do something that frightens one”; “Strength in the face of pain or grief” “The ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous.”
“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.
:7a—“Only be strong & very courageous; ...”
God again encourages Joshua to be strong & intensifies his need to be courageous.
He is exhorted to do according to all the law that Moses commanded. Joshua must take great personal care in doing so. If He turned away from it to either the left or the right, Joshua would not be guaranteed success in his efforts.
:9—“Have I not commanded you? Be strong & of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””
The LORD yet again exhorts Joshua to be strong & courageous. He is told not to “afraid”/tremble(from fear) or be dismayed(lose hope, become disillusioned, dread).
The reason for Joshua’s lack of fear & dismayal is due to the continual presence of the LORD his God regardless of where Joshua was. If we are within God’s will every step of the way, then God is always there.
Upon being encouraged in his task by the LORD, Joshua would/was only then able to command those under him.
“Afraid/Tremble”—Fearful of a negative impact of my decision/Anxiety about future.
“Dismayed”—Disillusioned/Lose focus/Cause to question—Give up.
“Commanded”(See :10, 11)—hwu tsaw-vaw’—Piel(intensive/intentional) Perfect—To command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order—1a) (Piel)—1a1) To lay charge upon, 1a2) To give charge to, give command to, 1a3) To give charge unto, 1a4) To give charge over, appoint, 1a5) To give charge, command, 1a6) To charge, command, 1a7) To charge, commission, 1a8) To command, appoint, ordain (of divine act). Strong—primitive root; intensively--To constitute, enjoin.
“Afraid/Tremble”—Ure aw-rats’—Qal Imperfect—To tremble, dread, fear, oppress, prevail, break, be terrified, cause to tremble. Strong—a primitive root; To awe or intransitive--To dread; hence--To harass. Used 15X.
“Dismayed”—ttx khaw-thath’—Niphal(passive) Imperfect—To be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To prostrate; hence--To break down, either (literally)by violence, or (figuratively)by confusion & fear.
Argumentation:
**Eph. 6:10-20—“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord & in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, & having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, & having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer & supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance & supplication for all the saints-- & for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
*Isa. 41:10—“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you[ “be not dismayed”(NKJV)], for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”[NASB]
**2Tim. 2:1—“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
**Jer. 1:4-10, 17-19—“ “Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. Then the LORD put forth His hand & touched my mouth, & the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations & over the kingdoms, To root out & to pull down, To destroy & to throw down, To build & to plant.”.....“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.” ”
**Acts 4:5-22—[Peter, with John, healed a man who was lame from his mother’s womb. then boldly proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth to be the Christ!] And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, & scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, & Alexander, & as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people & elders of Israel: “If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, & to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter & John, & perceived that they were uneducated & untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, & we cannot deny it. “But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” And they called them & commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter & John answered & said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen & heard.” So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.”
Illustration:
*Chairman of the Cement Block Inspection Committee/Must be strong enough to publicly say, this block is not up to standard—We’ll have to replace it—That involves the Building Committee—They suggest closing a Sunday School room & moving classes for 2 Sundays—Also involve Finance Committee, etc./COURAGE
*Point man/woman must:
—Have a heart for his/her church—burdened
—Willing to move toward the future
—Willing to take risks
—Willing to accept failure & experience pain but also to recuperate from the loss/hurt & move forward/COURAGE
*Point man for any committee takes the heat/Some aren’t cut out for that/COURAGE
To lead anyone in a church setting—volunteers— we must have Courage—& it must be from God— because there’s just so much flack to face/COURAGE
*A major portion of my job[pastor] is getting you to hear God’s voice & not mine so you will be awakened to God’s leadership!/That takes courage!/COURAGE
Without An Established Courage we see ‘on-fire for God’ Christians, becoming heads of committees or even just workers on a committee, & without warning drop out of the church completely, never to be heard from again.—They lack Godly courage/COURAGE
Application:
?Assumed God’s Defined/Decisive COURAGE in your Leadership?
?What is your Defined/Ordained COURAGE?
?You fulfilled the Conditions for Assuming Leadership?
5—A Condition for Assuming leadership among God’s people is
A Defined/Decisive COMMANDMENT(:7-9)
Explanation:(:7-9) Care with the Word/Standard/Interpretation
:7—“Only be strong & very courageous; that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.”
“To do according to all the law”—Overall message/implications
“Do not turn from it to the right or to the left”—
Success is guaranteed!
BUT...How do we do according to the Law?... :8...
:8—“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day & night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, & then you will have good success.”
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth...”
“...But you shall meditate on it day & night,...”—Intended Interpretation & Personal Application.
“...So that you may “prosper”/have success wherever you go.”
“...For then you will make your way prosperous, & then you will have good success.”
**Meditation may lead to Obedience which always =Success!!
*Your pastor must spend a great deal of time in the Word of God. He must Establish the Commandment of God in the church of God & he cannot do it unless he is intimate with it. Time in the Word takes time. This means that he should not feel obligated to rush over to your house every time Aunt Sally breaks a fingernail or dents a fender.
Only then will you discover the reality of prosperity with God & only then will you find that kind of “success” which is “good.”
*Success depends upon one’s care with the commandment!
:9—“Have I not commanded you? Be strong & of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””
*Lack of fear(do not tremble) & lack of disillusionment(or be dismayed) comes from dependence upon the LORD’s word & Experience. Experience is good but experience in the power of the Holy Spirit gives God glory!
Argumentation:
Deut. 5:29, 32—“‘Oh, that they[Israel] had such a heart in them that they would fear Me & always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them & with their children forever!”.....“Therefore you shall be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”
Deut. 28:1—“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.”
Deut. 28:14—“So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”
Ex. 18:23—“If you do this thing, & God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, & all this people will also go to their place in peace.””
Gal. 6:2—“Bear one another’s burdens, & so fulfill the law of Christ.”
2Jn. 1:5—“And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another.” (see 1Jn. 2:7-8)
***1Jn. 2:4-11—“He who says, “I know Him,” & does not keep His commandments, is a liar, & the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him & in you, because the darkness is passing away, & the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, & hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, & there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness & walks in darkness, & does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
Isa. 28:16-18—“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Also I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it.”
Amos 7:7, 8—“Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said: “Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.”
Rev. 1:12-18—“Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, & in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet & girded about the chest with a golden band. His head & hair were white like wool, as white as snow, & His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, & His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, & His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First & the Last. “I am He who lives, & was dead, & behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades & of Death.”
Heb. 5:12-14—“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; & you have come to need milk & not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good & evil.”
Illustration:
The Heritage Village at Largo, FL(West of Tampa) is looking for a Blacksmith’s Apprentice/He has the 1st day jitters, he’s nervous/Not only is he responsible for producing a chronologically accurate ‘period piece’ but he must do it in front of tourists! & that with a new ‘boss man’
The Blacksmith tells his nervous apprentice, ‘When I take the horseshoe out of the fire & hold it to the anvil, I’m gonna nod my head & you hit it with the hammer’...Don’t hold back, ’cause if you do we will have wasted the fire, damaged the metal, & made our work even harder than it is! You can’t be shy, you’ve got to hit it as hard as you can!
The Blacksmith is going to make a horseshoe. He preps it in the fire, pulls it out & the next thing he does is wake up in Tampa General Hospital surrounded by family-doctors & his apprentice.
The blacksmith apprentice says, ‘You told me when you nodded your head to hit it with the hammer, so I did!’
The Blacksmith’s ‘Commandment’ wasn’t fully Defined.
Application:
?Assumed God’s Defined/Decisive COMMANDMENT in your Leadership?
?What is your Defined/Ordained COMMANDMENT?
?You fulfilled the Conditions for Assuming Leadership?
?Do you take care with the commandment?
Our responsibility!
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Conditions for Assuming Leadership among God’s people are A Defined/Decisive...
4. COURAGE(:6-7, 9)
5. COMMANDMENT(:7-9)
1. POSITION(:1-2)
2. BOUNDARY(:3-4)Goal/Vision/Task
3. ADVANTAGE(:5-6)God’s Blessing/Equipping & Power
Joshua never entered any battle on his own...never by himself...He had his/God’s army behind him, which He led.
Part of what attracts someone to any position/work in the local church is the intimidation factor. It is intimidating to be responsible with so much & so many people. The leader does not have the ability to lead. When God is glorified during their time as leader, it will be because God has done it...thru the power of Jesus, working in those who are faithful.
CHILDREN’S—’Leader Needed’
Baggies with a small amount of rice.
Appoint someone to ‘lead the children to the foyer to place these bags of rice in the box for the North Korean Mission because they don’t have enough food.’
After they return, ask the ‘leader’ if he thought it was easy being a leader?
Ask him to describe the bad parts & the good parts.
Pts. 4-5 Presented 01/25/2014pm to:
FBC C’belle
206 Storrs Ave.(Ave A) SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 4-6 Presented 11/14/99am to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, GA 31797
Presented 01/04/98am to:
Penia Baptist Church
3738 Old Penia Rd.
Cordele, GA 31015
