Joshua
Joshua 1:1-9
In this series we’ve been looking at heroes because the stories we tell and the people we lift up and celebrate tell us a lot about the lives we seek to lead and the people we long to be. There are numerous stories in Scripture of people who have been embraced and celebrated because of their faith and the impact of their lives. They lived stories worth telling. Throughout this series, we’ve been looking at their stories to see what we can learn from them for our lives. The hero we’re looking at today is Joshua. If there was one word to describe Joshua, it’s courage. The word courage shows up five times in the first 18 verses of the book of Joshua. If we’re going to talk about courage, it’s important for us to have an understanding of what we mean by that word because often we confuse courage with bravery. Bravery is having the guts to do something that involves risk. Bravery is the ability to confront pain or danger without any feeling of fear.
Courage is different. It comes from the Latin word for ‘core’ meaning heart. Courage literally means strength of the heart. It is having the strength to do what is right in the face of fear, undertaking an overwhelming difficulty or pain despite the eminent and unavoidable presence of fear. More than a quality, it is a state of mind driven by a cause that makes the struggle all worth it. It is the willful choice to fight, regardless of the consequences. This is why we love our heroes so much, whether that be on the silver screen, in literature or people in our communities. We celebrate them because they have the strength to do what is right in the face of fear and great danger. Courage is absolutely essential if we are going to live a life worth telling, namely because of the ever present reality of fear.
Most psychologists believe that fear is one of the biggest drivers in our lives. In fact, studies have found that fear is the basis of our first memories. How many have as one of your earliest memories getting lost, or being afraid of the dark or another experience shaped by fear. One of the biggest challenges of living a story worth telling is the affect fear has over our lives. How much of what we do or don't do, say or don’t say has to do with fear? The fear of what other people think about us, the fear of rejection and the fear of failure all impact us. How many of you have regrets and what role did fear play because you didn't do what you knew you should do? How many of you feel stuck right now? How has fear has been holding you back?
The kind of stories we love involve both risk and sacrifice and that brings up fear. If we’re committed to living a story worth telling, then fear is going to be an ever-present reality in our lives. The question becomes, “How can we have the courage to do what we know needs to be done?” The story of Joshua has a lot to teach us about that. Joshua succeeded Moses in leading the Hebrew people out of the wilderness and into the promise land. Israel has been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years because the previous generation allowed fear to get the best of them. They were afraid to fully commit to and trust God. They were afraid of the people in the promise land. They were afraid of the unknown. This journey before them looms larger than life. All of this together impacts them. When Moses sent in 12 spies for reconacense, only two of them, Joshua and Caleb, came back confident they could take possession of the land.
In our Scripture today, the Hebrew people are on the edge of the promise land and Joshua is the chosen one to lead them into it. Our Scripture today could be described as God’s pep talk for Joshua. Obviously, Joshua is dealing with a lot of fear. Who wouldn’t be? If not, God would not have to tell him many times not to be afraid and be courageous. Imagine for just a moment what he was facing. He’s has to fill the shoes of Moses, who defeated Pharoah, a god, Moses who parted the waters, who met with God face to face and then led the people for 40 years. And what’s worse, even after he accomplished this, Moses couldn't lead the people into the Promise Land. And now a group of former slaves are supposed to go into this new land and defeat the people inhabiting it who are living in fortified walled cities? So what do we learn from Joshua?
First, God is the source of courage. Joshua 1:5,9 says, “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you…. 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.” Courage comes from an awareness of the presence of God in our lives. One of the reasons we give into fear is because we focus on what we are up against and take our focus off the one who is with us. Life can look awfully scary when we lose touch with the presence of God in our lives. Everything looks bigger, scarier, more threatening and more catastrophic. We do this all of time. Our boss brings a small suggestion of critical feedback and suddenly we think we’re going to be fired. Or our kid gets a ‘D’ on a test in 7th grade and we think he or she is going to end up in Juvie. Fear can take on a life of its own and magnify everything negative. Instead, we need to refocus on the one who has promised to be with us, no matter what we face: the god who created all of this, the God who knows all and the God who will never forsake us.
Second, courage is not the absence of fear, it is the proper allocation of fear. Courage is a matter of being afraid of the right things. The most frequent command in Scripture is this: “Fear not!” The second most frequent command is, “Fear the Lord.” Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” When Scripture talks about fear of the Lord, it doesn't mean being afraid of God that he is going to seek vengeance and justice and punish us. Fear of the Lord is having an understanding of who God is in light of whom we aren't. It is a sense of awe of who God is and what God can do. When we claim that and live with a healthy fear or awe of God, we can embrace the kind of courage that can overcome any obstacle. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who is against us?” In Philippians, Paul who is facing death writes, “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” When you take the fear, even the fear of death because you have the promise of eternal life, watch out because you become a dangerous weapon of the kingdom of God. Then absolutely nothing can overwhelm you or frighten you because you are in the loving hand, care and presence of God. I don't know about you but I want to be dangerous for the Kingdom! Courage comes from being afraid of the right things. When we have courage, we move from “what will happen if I do this?” to “what will happen if I don't do this?” Courage comes from an awareness of the abiding presence of God.
How do we make that a reality in our lives? Joshua 1:7-8 says, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” When we hear the word ‘Law’, we think of rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts. But in Hebrew, the word ‘law’ is Torah which means teaching and instruction. God says to mediate on it, soak in it and let it become a part of who you are. The single most important thing you can do is to carve out time for yourself to be in God’s Word and read it everyday: to remind yourself of who God is, what He has done, the promises he has made and fulfilled and is still fulfilling. Meditate until God dwells in you. It’s said that it takes about 24 hours to lose a healthy fear of God. If courage comes from living with the presence of God, then shouldn't we be actually meeting with God daily?
Third, courage means stepping into God’s identity for you. Through this 40 years in the wilderness, God asks the people to re-enact significant events in their journey. In chapter 2, they send spies to scout out the land just as they had done before. In chapter 3, Joshua parts the Jordan River just like Moses did the Red Sea. In chapter 5, God instructs the people to perform circumcision and to celebrate Passover, just like they did 40 years before. Why does God do this? In chapter 5:11-12, “The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.” Manna was the food of the wanderers, the ones who allowed fear to get the best of them. God stopped the manna because they were no longer wanderers, but produce of the land was for conquerors. This was a brand new day for a whole new generation and fear did not have to get the best of them. God had them re-enact all of these things because he wanted to make clear that Him they were conquerors and able to overcome. In other words, the failure of the past doesn't have to keep you from your identity in God.
As Christians, we believe this as well. Because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, things can change. Today doesn’t have to be like yesterday. The Scriptures say that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, “the old is gone and the new has come.” If we put our faith in him, then we’re putting our faith in a God who performs resurrection. That means when everybody else sees a dead end, we see that something incredible is about to happen. What have you given up on? What are you saying can’t or won’t happen in Christ? How are you allowing your past experience or present circumstance to dictate what is and isn’t possible? “No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced
Fourth, courage requires you and I to commit to a big vision with small steps. You The invitation to follow Jesus is to live with courage. It’s to live with the audacity that because of Jesus Christ “all things are possible.” Living a life with courage requires us to live with a big vision and that vision is God’s plan of salvation and the building of His kingdom in our midst through our words, our actions and the lives we lead. Most of us have never experienced that. But just because that may be true doesn't mean that it doesn’t exist. The invitation is to make it a reality with our lives and in our lives, to partner with God and to show the world what it means to really follow Jesus and let them know the love of Christ in us. It’s to show the world what the church can be and what it can do when God is in our midst, when we committed to and completely sold out to His mission and His presence inhabits our praises and our life together. The invitation of Jesus is to live with the courage of Jesus and live with a kingdom of God size vision and to believe that because of Jesus Christ, all things are possible.
You have to have a big vision but then you also have to realize that it is carried out in small steps. God says to Joshua, “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I have promised Moses.” The Israelites took hold of God’s promises and crossed over into the promised land and they realized who they were one step at a time. After Chapter 1, the remaining 23 chapters is living out the promises of God and making it a reality, one victory at a time. We can get discouraged by the vision because when we look at it, it can seem too big. How can we ever make that happen? We have to commit to taking it one step at a time. So what is the next step you need to take in your business, in your marriage, in your family, in this church? No one can ever solve a problem in one fell swoop but you can one day and one decision at a time. Keep your eyes on the vision but commit to taking one step at a time, that next step. Dallas Willard, a professor of theology, was being interviewed and asked this question, “What’s the key to following Jesus?” He answered: “Love God will all you got and then commit to do the right next thing.” Victories are won in the every day battles. So what’s the next right thing in your life. Amen
