Sermon. Charting the Course On the Road to Success
Scripture Text: Joshua 1:5-9 “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Introduction: Charting the Course On the Road to Success. What is success and how do we get there. By gaining clarity on your definition of success, you can begin to chart a course that aligns with your aspirations. Once you have a clear vision in mind, the next step is to set achievable goals. Break down your overarching vision into smaller, actionable steps that you can work towards each day. This is a lesson on how God selected Moses’ replacement and then charted Joshua’s course on the road to success.
God said to Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.” Joshua must embrace his leadership challenge as an opportunity to help the people of Israel to possess the land. One of the most critical lessons in Joshua achieving success will be maintaining his focus and obeying God’s instructions. God gives Joshua a direct command, emphasizing that the time for mourning Moses' death is over, and it's time to take action. God instructs Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan River into the land He promised to their ancestors.
There will be adversity. Did I tell you, that the Jordan River was above flood stage, the people were disgruntle and that Joshua was no Moses? Adversity is an inevitable part of any journey, but how one responds to it makes all the difference. God offers Joshua and us a sure way to meet the challenges that are ahead. God’s will for Joshua and us is that we have good success. Nehemiah successful build the walls because God gave him good success. Joseph was called a successful man as a slave on his way into Egypt because God was with him. Moses led the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage to the borders of the Promised Land because God was with him. In our text today, Joshua is told if he would keep the word of God in his heart, meditate on it day and night, putting in practice what he reads and do it, He would have good success. Standing on the banks of the Jordan river, in Moses’ stead, leading an unruly people, God uses this moment to encourage Joshua. God places the emphases on this book of the Law. Joshua’s challenge is to read it, keep it, meditate on it, to speak it and put it in to constant practice. Joshua was to make the word of God a pattern for his life.
It is interesting to note that no one have ever been given instructions this way before. Remember, God spoke to Abraham in an audible voice; Joseph received his revelation from God in a series of dream; God spoke to Moses audibly through a burning bush, yet Joshua standing on the threshold of a new beginning, had to receive his direction from the word of God, the book of the Law. Yet that’s exactly how we receive God’s directions today. Moses left Joshua the first five books of the Bible and it would be enough if he would make studying the Scriptures his constant practice. If we are to be successful navigating this new season, with all its uncertainty, wars and rumors of wars, political unrest, deception and lies, the Word of God must be our constant practice.
Joshua is to make the law of God his rule. He is charged to meditate therein day and night, that he might understand it. Whatever affairs of this world we are responsible for, we must not neglect the one thing most needful. The word of truth is the most needed thing. All his orders to the people, and his judgments, must be according to the law of God. Joshua must himself be under command; no man's authority, position or title sets him above the law of God. Joshua is to encourage himself with the promises and presence of God. We must not allow our sense of weakness to dishearten us. Remember, God is all-sufficient. God has commanded, called, and commissioned Joshua to do it, and will be sure to bear thee out in it. When we are in the way of duty, we have reason to be strong and very bold. Our Lord Jesus, as Joshua here, was borne up under his sufferings by a regard to the will of God, and the commandment from his Father. Joshua had witnessed plagues, endure judgments, a snake invasion, and a rebellious people, God prepares him to meet the challenges ahead.
1. Keep your Eyes on God’s Word. Make the Word your constant practice! Studying the word of God must be our constant practice. Bible study is hard work! Why study God’s word when answers are at our fingertips? Why Study when can read some else’s commentary? Why study when we can google it or ask siri? Only studying the word can get God’s truth deep in our minds and heart. We are called to meditate on God’s Word until plays like a tune in our heads. This constant practice leads to a Completed purpose. Acquiring knowledge is only one part of it, transformation is the goal. How do you know you are making progress? We know we are making progress as we become less like the world and more like the kingdom of God. Having the Word, knowing the word and speaking the word is not enough. Solomon was the wisest and richest of men, yet he failed to do the word he knew. Faith without corresponding action is dead. We must make the Word of God our constant practice. It is the source of our direction, the meditation of our heart and the hope for our future.
2. Keep Your Heart Obedient to God’s Word. Joshua was to allow God’s Word to transform his mind, heart and actions. This would be one of the keys to completing his purpose. What is the purpose of keeping the word in our mind and in our mouth? So that we may observe to do according to all that is written therein. By keeping the word in our mind and speaking it out of our mouths, enables us to do what it says and apply it in our lives. Reading the bible allows us to accumulate knowledge but applying what we study and meditate on allows God’s word to transform our hearts, making us living epistles. God’s purpose is not complete until transformation takes place. To practice the word is living it out in our own experience. Just as Moses had allow God’s word to transform his life, his mindset and his judgment to properly lead and rule God’s people, Joshua must do the same. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 says we should guard our heart with all diligence because from out of it flows the issues of life. This scripture implies that whatever we allow to enter our hearts, if not examined and evaluated properly, will undoubtedly be expressed in our lives and our actions – in positive or negative ways. God’s word is the only true standard. God told Joshua, “Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.”
3. Keep The Conditions to Receive God’s Promises. God said to Joshua, “Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Note the important four-letter word that is used twice, “then”. When we obey the word, then we will have good success. This condition has nothing to do with the economy, with the election, with your health conditions, or popular opinion. The only condition is obedience. The condition has nothing to do with Joshua’s education, his skill or intelligence, his ability. Joshua is not Moses and can never be. He does not have to be, He only needs to obey. How can Joshua be successful? How can we do it? We do it through the constant practice of meditating on God’s word. Keeping it in our heart, our mind and our mouth, allowing God’ word to direct our paths. That agrees with what David said in Psalms one. “In his law meditate day and night”. True success in life means to stay in the word of God, until we find the will of God so that we can walk in the way of God. The word, the will, and the way of God leads to good success! Good success comes through finding the will of God for our lives and acting on it. God has a great plan for your life, it is individual, personal and tailor made for you in this very season. Yet your success is connected to others. Do you know that there are many people whose success is tied to your succeeding? That is, if you don’t succeed, they don’t succeed?
There are a million people under the age of 21 years old depending on Joshua. I feel like I should stop here because that sentence has gotten the entire point across. Joshua understood that it’s not just about Him. The fate of the nation was depending on him. Think about the people whose lives you’ll be able to impact when you’re succeeding. No matter where you are currently, there are people whose lives you can impact positively when you start making some progress. You might not even know it, but the point is many are following you and watching you. What you do and how you do it will determine how they can get to their destination. God calls us to a Great Commandment, A Great commission and into a Great collaboration.
Joshua would probably have fail on his face trying to use Moses’ rod, Moses style or trying to imitate Moses. God’s word will lead us to God’s will for our life, into God’s way of our steps and down the road to good success! The challenges of life can be difficult and hard, for many even scary. The task before us may be great, yet we are called to walk a different way. We are called to the path of truth. Let’s walk in God’s word, God’s will and God’s way to good success.
Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Joshua must have a copy for himself, and he was to consult it continuously, that his way might be made prosperous, and that he might have good success. If he keep God's word, meditate on it and do what it said, God would guide him, keep him, renew his mind and keep him strong; if he should observe to do according to that word, then God would cause all his way to be prosperous. And then he would have good success. Amen.
