SCRIPTURE READING:
Joshua 23: 6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.
1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain."
Last week we talked about developing the attitude of faithfulness.
We learned that man by nature is selfish and there is no inherent faithfulness in his life.
But God is faithful and He wants to give us this character of faithfulness.
And so, we come to the cross of Christ and acknowledge His Lordship over us.
Then, we learn to be faithful by reading His word and to trusting Him more each day,
And that attitude of faithfulness that we received from God should last a lifetime.
Someday, the Lord will reward us if we have lived a life of faithfulness.
God's reward for faithfulness is always a life of blessings and a word of commendation.
"Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things!"
In our message for today, we will talk about developing the attitude of steadfastness.
Steadfastness is one aspect of the many parts of faithfulness that we need to develop.
While faithfulness means being reliable, being trustworthy or devoted to the cause of Christ.
Steadfastness on the other hand means the ability to be fixed in one direction, to be steadily directed and to have an unwavering faith on God in the midst of great trouble and difficulty we are facing.
Faithfulness is finishing the race under normal circumstances.
Steadfastness on the other hand is finishing the race under very difficult circumstances.
To illustrate, imagine for a moment the steadfastness of a soldier during the second world war.
He was asked by his commanding officer to deliver a message to another battalion on the other side of the mountain because there was no radio contact.
Faithfulness is when he is able to deliver the message without much delay in full obedience to the command.
Steadfastness however is when he is able to deliver the message even if he had to go through being fired at by the enemy and maneuvering himself along the way through dangerous land mines.
Hence, steadfastness is coupled with determination, with courage and fortitude.
In the same manner, God wants us to remain steadfast in our faith even if we are under great trial or stress.
Because in our lives, we will always be tested and tried every single day.
I believe that the best way for us to be able to understand this word steadfastness is to consider the words of the apostle Paul to the church at Corinth when he wrote these words during their most difficult moment.
The apostle Paul encourages them to be steadfast in 1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain."
The most serious problem that the Corinthian church was facing at the moment was worldliness, an unwillingness to be separated from the clutches of materialism.
At the same time, most of the believers could not consistently detached themselves from their old, selfish, immoral pagan views.
And the entire church was being corrupted by this unholy union.
It was therefore necessary for the apostle Paul to write them a letter in order to correct them.
He even goes to the point of breaking fellowship with the disobedient and the unrepentant members so that the church will not be contaminated with such immoral actions.
Moral purity is the goal of the Christian life.
In this aspect, the apostle Paul told them to be steadfast, to be fixed in one direction in spite of the many temptations around them.
He tells them to be pure and pleasing before the Lord at all times.
He bids them in order to be steadfast, they should focus upon one thing - "The work of the Lord."
Focusing on God and His mission for us will make us steadfast.
And he tells them WHY they should be steadfast on God's work.
"Because your labor is not in vain, or your labor will be rewarded someday."
And so, it might seem that all our labors for God might not be appreciated at this moment, but someday, it will be if we remain steadfast.
To look at it in a different aspect, it is as if he was saying: "All your labors in the Lord will be in vain if you are NOT steadfast in your faith.
You are almost there to receive the reward, one more mile and you will be commended by the Lord.
But if you give up soon enough, all the past efforts will dissipate in thin air because of the corruption of sin.
And that is why we need to develop this attitude of steadfastness in our church as we face this New year.
You see, our culture is becoming more and more worldly, materialistic and selfish.
Finally, there were three winners, one coming from this State of California, the other from Florida and another from Tennessee will split the record $1.6 Billion Powerball jackpot that lured millions of lottery hopefuls.
It has generated a lot of excitement all over the United states.
Everyone wants to win the lottery ticket even if the odds of winning was so great - one in 292 million.
And so, they had to buy more tickets to give them more chances of winning.
The focus is on getting rich quick.
But we all know that playing the lottery is a gamble and it involves risk that depends on chance.
And a life based on chance will hinder you from fulfilling God's purposes for your life.
At the same time, riches that is acquired on chance will corrupt our spiritual lives.
Mark 4:19 (NIV) " 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."
In the same manner, as Christians, we had to learn the attitude of steadfastness.
When we are steadfast, we know that this attitude of getting rich quick is not for our spiritual benefit.
When we are steadfast, we know that working hard to earn a living will be for our great advantage.
When we are steadfast, we know that if want to to have more money, we have to budget our expenses, save more, and spend less.
When we are steadfast, we prioritize our money according to the very purposes that God gave us.
Our success in life and ministry therefore is dependent upon our steadfastness in our faith.
This is the message we can learn today from Joshua 23.
Here in this chapter, Joshua very old and stricken in years or he was about to die.
He was worried about the future of Israel whether they are able to continue the work he had started.
And so, he had to give them a piece of advice regarding steadfastness in their faith.
He then summoned all the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel.
When they were all gathered around him, he reminded them of what the Lord has done for them in the past by giving them an inheritance of the land.
He also cautioned them that the task is not yet finished and there are still a lot of lands to be conquered.
And so, he encouraged them to be steadfast and remain focused in one direction because they will face troubles and difficulties ahead.
Since he will be leaving them soon, they had to remain strong in the faith.
They must not associate with the wicked nations around them because these nations will try to influence them to the wrong path.
They must not serve or bow down to their idols because the Lord is a jealous God and His anger will burn against them.
They had to be steadfast in their faith so that what they have worked hard in the past will not perish.
Being steadfast therefore is the key to dwelling safely and successfully in the Promised land.
And so, today, we will talk about three important things on how to be steadfast in the work of the Lord.
By being strong and not turning aside to the left or to the right.
By not serving the idols and not bowing down to them and
By holding fast to the Lord our God.
1. WE MUST BE STRONG AND DO NOT TURN ASIDE.
Joshua 23: 6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left."
The first thing we can lean from this chapter is that Joshua encouraged them to be strong in their faith.
Now that he is about to depart and they will be on their own to fight the battle, it is important that they must be healthy and powerful.
And the only way to be strong is to obey all that is written in God's Word, the Bible.
Their inner strength does not come from within them but from God's Word.
Once they have gained strength, they can now continue the path that God has given them and not be dissuaded to turn in other directions.
Joshua warned them not turn to the right or to the left.
They had to take the straight and narrow path that leads to life.
There are many temptations pulling them to the wrong directions but there is only one path they need to travel.
Once they found the path to life, they had to travel on that particular path for the rest of their lives.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 (NIV).
We had to constantly follow Jesus for the rest of our lives.
He will lead us to eternal life and show us the way in which we need to live.
This is the first requirement for developing the attitude of steadfastness in our lives.
Follow Jesus because there is no other way for our salvation.
When we follow Jesus, we read His Word, we understand His Word and we obey His commands for our lives.
When we follow Jesus, we do not turn to the left or to the right regardless of how difficult the way might be.
When we follow Jesus, there is only one path that we travel.
This is what steadfastness is all about.
Being steadfast means we keep on reading God's Word even in the midst of our hectic schedule.
Being steadfast means we keep on discovering new truths from His Word even if you thought you knew a lot already.
Being steadfast in the faith means we keep on obeying God even if other people are doing differently.
Being steadfast in the faith means we keep on living a holy life even if others are living lives that are immoral and shameless.
1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain."
Let me give you an example.
Many of you are familiar with this famous actor and director, Danzel Washington.
He is also a two time Oscar winner and the former star of the hit TV drama "St. Elsewhere," and has earned popular acclaim for his roles in an array of films such as "Glory", "Malcolm X", "Training Day" and "American Gangster."
But according to the on-line version of Conservative post.com, he is a Christian and he is not afraid to speak about his Christian faith.
"I read from the Bible every day, and I read my daily Word." he told reporter, adding that it was not difficult for him to grow up as the son of a preacher.
"Everyone I grew up with didn't have a father," he continued. "But I had a father. My father was decent man. He was a very spiritual man and a gentlemen."
However, when he was in his early teens, Denzel became rebellious after feeling that attending church was like a "job."
This feeling settled in his heart until he was in his mid 20's when one day, he had a personal encounter with God that occurred in the same church he attends today.
"The minister was preaching, "Just let go," Washington recalled. "I said, 'I am going to go with it.' And I had this tremendous physical and spiritual experience with God."
"It did frighten me," he stated. "I was sobbing, crying, sweating. It was too intense.
It almost drive me away. I called my mother and she said I was being filled by the Holy Spirit."
From then on, he kept holding on to his faith and learning what it meant to be steadfast in his faith even in Hollywood, a place where there are a lot of temptations everywhere.
He gave this advice to staying close to God.
"Put your slippers way under your bed so when you get up in the morning, you have to get on your knees to find them.
And while you're down there, start your day in prayer.
Ask for wisdom.
Ask for understanding.
Don't just aspire to make a living.
Aspire to make a difference in this world."
Good advice.
May we also learn the value of having this attitude of steadfastness in our faith.
Here are some Scriptures for us to think about.
When we are strong, we can overcome all our fears. Joshua 1:9 (NIV) "9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
When we are strong, we can do all things. Phil. 4:13 (NIV) " 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
When we are strong, we learn the value of perfect love. 1 John 4:18 (NIV) " 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Brothers and sisters, let us be steadfast in our faith so that we will not turn aside from the path God has called us.
2. WE MUST NOT SERVE IDOLS OR BOW DOWN TO THEM.
Joshua 23: 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them."
The second thing we can learn about steadfastness from this chapter is about our association with the friends we choose.
Joshua warned them that if they want to be steadfast in their faith, they must choose the right friends they spend time with.
Hence, they must not associate or collaborate with the wicked nations around them.
Why is it dangerous to partner with the nations that are ungodly?
Joshua said that Israel might get contaminated by the wickedness and sin from the other nations around them.
They might even get to the extent of invoking the names of their idols and swear by them.
They might even worship these idols and bow down to them.
God is a jealous God and all these are abominations to the Lord and He will burn with anger.
Exodus 20:5 (NIV) " You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me."
God cannot forgive the sin of idolatry.
He hates it and unless the people will repent, even the children of the third and fourth generation will suffer the consequences of God's wrath.
This is serious business, my brothers and sisters.
This is the truth we need to learn if we want to be steadfast in the faith.
We must not hang out with the wrong people if we have no intention of winning them for the Lord because we might get infected with the wrong stuff.
But if we intend to win them for the Lord, we had to be careful that their character traits does not rub off on us so that we will maintain our godly testimony.
But even then, we had to maintain our distance with wickedness because character traits can be passed on from one person to another.
Prov. 22:24-25 (NIV) Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared."
That means many wicked behavior such as bad temper can be contagious and we can get infected if we are not careful.
It says we can easily learn their ways because they are like snares to us.
Therefore, we had to be extremely cautious when considering who to spend our time with especially the spouse you intend to live with for the rest of your life.
This is the time to be in prayer for God to give you the right person to marry.
If we surround ourselves with the wrong people all the time, we will become the wrong person all our life.
But if surround ourselves with the godly people who love the Lord, we will become godly ourselves loving the Lord.
Being steadfast in the faith is dependent upon the company we choose.
Proverbs 12:26 (NIV) " The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."
The word careful here means discreet, cautious and painstaking.
You are protective of your faith.
You are particular and observant with the people you go with.
When we do that, we learn to walk in the company of godly people.
We walk in the wisdom of God.
We all know the most famous evangelist Billy Graham who preached the gospel to millions and spoke with hundreds of leaders, dignitaries, rulers and even shaking hands with wicked dictators of various nations.
Because of this, many conservative Christians criticized him for associating with despots and autocrats.
But it was a great relief when I read a story by Joseph Stowell, the President of Cornerstone University and the author of over 20 Christian books.
He tells of attending a dinner with the famed Evangelist, Billy Graham for the staff and board of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
Billy was eighty at the time and Dr. Stowell asked him a question:
"Of all your experiences in the ministry, what have enjoyed most?"
"Was it your time spent with the presidents and heads of state?
"Or was it..."
Before he could even finish his next sentence, Billy Graham responded:
"None of that, by far, the greatest joy of my life has been my constant fellowship with Jesus.
"Hearing Him speak to me, having Him guide me, sensing His presence with me and His power through me.
"This has been the highest pleasure of my life!"
This is what steadfastness is all about.
Even if we associate with wicked people, yet, our constant communion with Christ in prayer never waver.
When we do this, we are focused on the goal and our hearts are constantly in the faith.
However, sad to say that after Joshua died, Israel was not able to follow the warnings and advice.
In fact, they associated themselves and intermarried with the wicked nations.
They brought other gods to their nation, worshiped and bowed down to them.
Ultimately, Israel became an idolatrous nation.
This was the start of their downward decline in the faith until God has allowed a foreign nation, Babylon to put them in captivity.
Here are some Scriptures for us to think about:
When we are steadfast, we are careful. 2 Peter 3:17 (NIV) " 17 Dear friends, you already know about this. So be careful. Don’t let these evil people lead you away by the wrong they do. Be careful that you do not fall from your strong faith."
When we are steadfast, we faithfully obey the Lord. 2 Chronicles 27:6 " 6 Jotham became powerful because he faithfully obeyed the Lord his God."
When we are steadfast, we do not turn away after idols. 1 Samuel 12:21 (NIV)" 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless."
3. WE MUST HOLD FAST TO THE LORD OUR GOD.
Joshua 23: 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now."
Thirdly, in order to develop this attitude of steadfastness, Joshua encouraged Israel to hold fast to the Lord our God.
The Lord has been fighting their battles.
And no one was able to withstand them as they keep on advancing.
And that will continue as long as they are careful to keep on loving the Lord their God.
The words: "Holding on" means to hang on, to linger, to persist, to endure.
This is a picture of a person who wanted very much to stay closely with God in order to survive.
And, so, he never refuse to quit or to discontinue his faith.
He never refuse to surrender and be defeated.
You see, our grasp on God should always be stronger regardless of the severe trials that we go through.
Our grasp on God should always be steady and stable.
While others are are giving up and losing the anchor of their faith, we remain steadfast, firm and resolute.
James 1:12 (NIV) " 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."
It says that if we persevere under the most difficult trial, we will receive the crown of life.
And so, being steadfast means to hold fast and enduring to the very end.
Brothers and sisters, may you all remain steadfast in the Lord.
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