Joshua – A Portrait of Obedience
Pastor Paddick Van Zyl
21-10-2020
Sermon Outline
Scripture Reference:
Book of Joshua Chapters 1 through 24.
Key verse :
Joshua 1:5-9
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. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall [a]divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and 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, that you may [b]prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you[c] shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Theme:
The life of Joshua, his obedience to God’s commands and his leadership
Introduction:
If we had to give this sermon a title in the Forbes magazine it would probably go something like: ‘From Obscurity to Fame - How one man did it alone and became a success.’ But if we study the life of Joshua, we soon find that his secret to success was obedience to God’s instructions.
Sermon message:
Looking at the life of Joshua, a fascinating story unfolds before us. He was no Superman or Hulk. Just an ordinary servant of God. His resume might look something like this:
Resume
Name: Hoshea ben ( ?????????) the son of Nun
Tribe: Ephraim
Nickname : Joshua (the name my leader Noses gave me) (Numbers 13:16)
Born: 1355 at Goshen, Lower Egypt
Early career: I was born into slavery. I became the assistant of Moses, leader of the Israelites and held this position for 40 years.
Mid career: I was chosen by Moses my manager and leader together with 11 other candidates to be a spy in order to scout the promised land, Canaan. It was with the is new portfolio that my manager Moses added the letters yud to my name Hoshea and I became Joshua meaning God will save. This was done in preparation of my upcoming duties as a prayer of empowerment that God will save me from the plot of my fellow 10 team members. After our operation of scouting the new land, I, together with my fellow team member Caleb reported positively back to my leader about the many good things and our ability to take on the enemy and win. My other team members reported back negatively.
Later career and life: My leader passed away in 1273 and I was appointed by God as the new leader of Israel and received my commission as general of the army of the Lord. My portfolio was that of preparing the army and children of Israel to cross over the Jordan to posses and take ownership of Canaan as well as dividing the land between the tribes of Israel.
In order to fulfil my portfolio I received my battle plans from my Commander in Chief ,God. For conquering Jericho the battle plan involved getting my army together with the seven priests and their rams horns in front of the army with the ark of the covenant and walking around the fortified city walls for six days in silence except for the priests blowing their rams horns. On the seventh day we all shouted with one voice praising God and the wall crumbled in front of us making it easy for us to conquer the city.
I learned by obeying the commands and instructions of my Commander in Chief, that I was successful every time. I also learned that sin is a sure recipe for defeat ad failure. One of my soldiers, Achan, had to be killed by stoning due to his disobedience of a command which caused him to sin and this in turn caused the entire army to fail in our attempts of conquering the enemy. (Joshua 7).
Strategy/Style of my leadership: Follow instructions to the letter, Action needs faith and faith needs action, Praise God for the promise He made and gave, Victory always comes by the hand of God never in my own power or ability, All warnings from God demands utter and immediate attention and action, The anointing that God supplies ensures blessings and victory.
Education: The Torah, School of life under the leadership of Moses.
Skills: Leadership, warfare, commitment, problem solving
Highlights of my career: Praying for the sun to stand still during battle with the enemy (Joshua 10). Our army defeated 31 kings with their cities and territories. I was responsible for the passing on of the Torah from my leader Moses to the children of Israel and the Judges to follow after me.
Personal: I learned to be committed and obedient (devoted) to my manager and the calling on my life through faithful service (Exodus 33:11).
Closing:
When Joshua graduated to heaven he was a mere 110 years of age. What may we learn from the life of Joshua?
15 As the Lord had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. (Joshua 11:15)
Utter obedience to God (Joshua 6). Utter commitment to God (Joshua 7). Giving glory to God (Joshua 23:3). The fear of the Lord, serving God in sincerity and truth (Joshua 24:14). Dealing with sin immediately and harshly (Joshua 7:15,26).
Joshua totally trusted God. He did not doubt anything that God commanded him to do.
When we trust and obey what God tells us to do and walk and live in the fear (reverence)of the Lord and give to God all the glory, we will be successful in what God has called us to do and accomplish in life and His kingdom.
Amen.
End Notes:
Chabad.org: Joshua: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/129625/jewish/Joshua.htm
New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway: www.biblegateway.com
