Leadership Transition
Joshua 1:1-18[1]
1-15-06
Into
I want to begin this morning by asking Denise to modulate from the key of C to G.
(Play a couple of times)
In music the modulation from one key to another is called transition.[2]
(Play a few more times)
You are hearing in the notes something that is now happening in the life of our church—transition.
The step between initial labor and delivery in child birth is also called transition.[3] When something is being born there is a transition involved.
The basic definition of transition is a “passage from one state or stage to another.”[4] We are now experiencing transition this Sunday and next Sunday. It is a historic time in the life of our church. Today I preach my last sermon as Senior Pastor of this church. Next Sunday I will become Pastor Emeritus—not Senior Pastor. Next Sunday Pastor Jay will be installed as Senior Pastor and a new stage in the life of Grace Chapel will begin.
In that context we want to draw instruction from an outstanding transition in the Bible: the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua.
I. We begin with God’s Instruction to Moses on the matter. That’s in Num 27:18-23 “18 So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. 20 Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. 21 He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in." 22 Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses.”
1. Notice this process began with a word from the Lord to Moses—“So the LORD said to Moses...” God ordered this transition. It was not something Moses thought up. It was not initiated by the congregation. It was initiated by the LORD speaking to the current leader, Moses. Pastor Cho (of Seoul, Korea) used to say that the key to his ministry success was very simple: “hear and obey.” That’s what we see Moses doing in this passage. He hears from the Lord and he does what he is told to do—verse 22 “Moses did as the Lord commanded him...” That’s a good way for a transition to begin.
God began the process with the current leader instructing him to pass the baton.
2. Notice how God directed the whole press for this transition.
a. God chose the replacement. “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit...” God told Moses who the next leader was to be. I am not opposed to pulpit committees if they can hear and obey God. But no man and no committee of people have the right to choose spiritual leadership. That is God’s right alone and we are simply to respond to His choice. It is not a political process. It’s not a popularity vote. It’s not even something a person can earn. While talking about the call of God on Jesus as our High Priest the writer of Hebrews lays down an important ministry principle: Heb 5:4 “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.” Joshua was called by God to step into the lead after Moses. Stepping into the pulpit and into spiritual leadership is not a career move but a step of obedience to God. God alone can call and equip us for such an awesome task.
Notice the description God gives of Joshua—“a man in whom is the spirit...” Joshua didn’t earn a leadership position but he did allow God to prepare him for a leadership position. In our study of the first chapter of Acts we found that the most important equipping for leadership is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Joshua was a man filled with the Spirit as that was available in his day. If you want God to use you then get full of the Holy Spirit—amen?
b. God also chose how the transition was to be communicated to the congregation.
Verses 19 & 20 “ Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. 20 Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.” Why make such a big deal out of all this? Why not just meet privately with Joshua and tell him to take the lead? Moses was to publicly hand the authority to Joshua “so the whole Israelite community will obey him.” There was to be no confusion about who was in charge. The position was not up for grabs. It was publicly and officially handed to Joshua. Other authorities were to confirm the appointment. “Have him stand before Eleazer the priest...” Joshua would be working with Eleazar and that relationship would be important. But the essential thing was that the entire assemble witness the transfer and respect the new leadership. Next Sunday evening we will be doing this at Pastor Jay’s installation service. Our District Supervisor and Divisional Superintendent will be part of the process. But you are also part of the event and I encourage you to be there.
c. In verse 21 God directs how Joshua’s leadership is to function. “He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in." Joshua is given much authority but not unlimited authority. He is to function in relationship to other spiritual leaders as well. “He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD.” All human authority has limitations. God alone has unlimited authority. And even here Joshua isn’t alone in the process of hearing the Lord. Hearing God is something we do in humble cooperation with one another—amen?
Now let’s go to Joshua 1 and get the rest of the story. We’ve seen what the Lord said to Moses about this and how Moses responded.
II. Look at God’s Instruction to Joshua.
1st God told him to get ready for what God is about to do.
Josh 1:1 “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide.”
a. There we have more information about Joshua’s qualification for leadership. The Lord spoke to Joshua and Joshua heard the Lord. That is essential to spiritual leadership. We have had so much emphasis on techniques and skills for leadership that we sometimes overlook the greatest qualification. A spiritual leader must be in communion with God. He must be able to hear God because his primary function is to simply hear and obey.
“The Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide.” Joshua had been loyal and faithful in his previous assignment. He had been Moses’ Associate Pastor (if you will) and had submitted himself to authority. We don’t know how to be in authority until we have learned how to submit to authority. Were there times that he wondered about the way Moses was handling things? I would think so. But he knew the boundaries of his authority and functioned in those boundaries. That is a powerful thing for people to know and understand. If we’re faithful over a little then God will entrust more authority to us.[5] But there are always tests of submission and faithfulness to be passed. It’s not just about talent and gifting. It is also about character and integrity.
Josh 1:2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then...” Timing is everything.
b. God chose the time. The time had come for the transfer of leadership to occur. Moses had completed his assignment. Moses had led Israel out of bondage and led them into the Sinai covenant with God. But God was not finished with what He had planned for His people. Moses led them up to the promise land and that was an awesome accomplishment—one that would be celebrated for the rest of Israel’s history at the Passover Feast, Feast of Tabernacles, and other occasions. But God led His people to the Promise Land so they could enter into it not just look at it.[6] Now it was time for Joshua to lead them forward.
Still in verse 2 “Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites.”
c. Get ready for the next stage in God’s plan. God works. But there are preparations on our part as well. It wasn’t just Joshua who was to prepare. Look at verse 2 closely and see yourself in those words “you and all these people, get ready”. Get ready—get ready—get ready. When we were kids (about to run a foot race) someone would say “Ready, Set, Go”. Those words helped us be alert to what was about to happen. God is saying through me this morning, “Ready, Set...” but the next word will come through your new pastor, “go”. In 1995 I preached a whole sermon from Joshua 3 about some of the preparations involved in entering into the Promise Land. The preparations have to do with sanctification, submission, and expectancy. Joshua 3 gives details about the crossing of Jordan that we won’t get into this morning.
d. What is God about to do? He is about to fulfill promises that He has given them in the past. Josh 1:3-4 “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates - all the Hittite country - to the Great Sea on the west.”
God is about to bring them into a large place of blessing. He is expanding their territory.
Two words I love to hear from God are “I will.” We talked some about that on New Years day. There are things God calls upon us to do. But the real difference happens when God says, “I will...” I will give what I have promised to give.
“I will give you every place where you set your foot...” There we also see the human side of this. Without faith it is impossible to please God.[7] God gives it; but we have to believe Him enough to set our foot toward it—amen? Grace Chapel, if God is about to give you new territory are you willing to step out in faith and enter into it? That’s the way it happens. God does what only He can do and we must do what He tells us to do. Faith is always required for moving forward. As I look back over the last 15 years I can not think of one time when we moved forward without a step of faith. The money was never there until we obeyed God. When we built this part of the facility back in 1992 we didn’t have the money to build it. There wasn’t even money to insure the pastor’s salary. What we did have was a word from God and when we stepped out in obedience God provided. The story was essentially the same when the children’s wing was built a few years ago. I don’t think God is going to stop requiring faith of us. But if we will hear God and obey Him He will make a way where there seems to be no way. “I will give you every place where you set your foot...”
e. Look at the assurance God gives Joshua in verses 5 & 6, “No one will be able to stand up 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. 6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.”
Two important promises in those verses:
(1) The promise of God’s presence, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” What was the secret of Moses’ success? It was the presence of God with him. At the burning bush Moses told God about all his limitations and inabilities. Ex 3:11 “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ 12 And God said, "I will be with you....” That’s essentially what God is saying to Joshua as well. None of us are sufficient for these things. Our sufficiency is in God—amen?[8]
(2) The promise of success. Listen to God’s confidence in what is about to happen. Verse 6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.” I think I hear Joshua saying to himself, “I don’t know if I can do this. I know how to be an effective assistant. But I’m not so sure I can be the leader.” And then we hear God say—“I know—I know the end from the beginning—and “you will lead these people to inherit the land”.
2. Three times in verses 6-9 God tells Joshua to “be strong and courageous.”[9] The basis of that courage is to be God’s abiding presence. But why would God tell Joshua to be strong and courageous? Because what he is assigned to do will take courage! Victory will not come without some battles. There will even be set backs. The battles are real.
I read a story about a man who bragged that he had cut off the tail of a man-eating lion with his pocket knife. When asked why he hadn’t cut off the lion’s head, the man replied, “Someone else had already done that.”[10] The lions we have to face still have their heads and it takes more than a pocket knife to defeat them. Joshua knew there were giants in the land. He had been one of the spies who had seen them years ago.
He knew there would be obstacles and enemies to face. There would be the obstacle of the Jordan River—which God will drive back when they exercise the faith to step into it. There would be the obstacle of the walls of Jericho which God will bring down if they will trust and obey. God’s promise of victory does not always mean ease. God’s assurance of victory does not necessarily exempt us from the battle. There will be times at Grace Chapel when you will need to encourage one another. There will be times when you will need to stand with your pastor and encourage him and Heather. Jeanie and I have been blessed by the support and encouragement you have given us over the years and I know you will do the same for Jay and Heather. We are all in this together—amen?
In verses 6-9 there is much emphasis on the importance of the word of God. Your future success depends upon your attitude toward the Bible. Verse 8 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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.” Why is that emphasized at this time? Israel is about to go into Canaan land where there are all kinds of false ideas and idolatry. They will be surrounded by temptations that appeal to their flesh and ideas that sound pretty reasonable. How will they stay on track?
(1) Meditate on the word of God day and night. Read your Bible and think about what God is saying to you in it. Keep Scripture foremost in your services. Learn practical skills and enjoy one another’s fellowship but do not neglect the teaching of God’s word.
(2) “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth...” There has been a trend for several years now to make the sermon shorter and shorter. I hope you will stay so hungry for God’s word that there will be no pressure for that to happen here. We don’t need our ears tickled. We need our toes stepped on and we need to remind one another of the paths that God has set forth in His word. If Scripture is seldom the subject of our conversation we have allowed “this Book of the Law to depart” from our mouth. If the sermon is not from the Bible we will be eating straw rather than the finest of wheat. “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You.”[11]
(3) But thinking about the Bible, preaching the Bible, and even talking about the Bible is still not enough. The word has not fulfilled its purpose in us until we are living it in our daily lives.[12] The last part of verse 8 “... be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” We draw courage from the Word. We draw wisdom from the Word. We find direction and guidance from the principles taught in the word.[13]
Like Moses, Joshua does what God tells him to do. Verses 10 & 11 “So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 "Go through the camp and tell the people, ’Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.’"
I want to point out something to the leaders who are here this morning. Joshua could not do this alone. The other leaders were involved in the process with him. “So Joshua ordered the officers of the people “Go through the camp and tell the people...” Grace Chapel, this morning I am encouraging you to honor your new pastor and submit to his leadership. But I also encourage to honor the other leaders in this place and receive their ministries as well. Heb 13:17 tells us “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
We see that kind of attitude in the answer given by the people to Joshua in verses 16-17
“Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses.”
They are saying to him, “We will give you the same kind of respect we gave Moses. We will follow your leadership. The one thing we do expect from you is that you stay close to God and submitted to Him so that we are ultimately following the Lord—not just you.
It has been a privilege and honor for Jeanie and me to serve as your pastors these many years. I thank you for the support you have given us. It has also been a blessing to train and mentor our replacements. I hope those of you who have ministries in this church will follow that example. One reason the transition between Moses and Joshua was so smooth was the relationship they had with each other. I cherish the relationship I have with Pastor Jay. We cherish the relationship we have with this church. That’s why we want our membership to remain here. Your success is our success and your struggles are our struggles. May we one day together lay all our crowns at the feet of Him Who loved us and gave Himself for us? When it’s all said and done may Jesus be glorified in the church and in all our lives?
The clip you are about to see is the inauguration of John F. Kennedy—the transfer of leadership from the Republican president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the Democrat president, John F. Kennedy. As you watch this clip think about why the formal service is necessary. As you listen to Kennedy’s speech think about the importance of the torch being properly passed to this new generation.
Show Clip from “The Life and Times of John F. Kennedy”[14] (0:18:00 to 0:19:48)
Invitation of commitment to the work of the ministry at this local church.
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Full Text was read at the beginning of the service. All Scripture quotes are from the New International Version unless otherwise indicated.
[2] Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 1993) p. 1254.
[3] World Internet http:/www.americadistributing.com/child.html accessed 1-14-06.
[4] Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, p. 1254.
[5] Matthew 25:20-23; Luke 16:10; 1Timothy 1:12; 2Timothy 2:2; Hebrews 3:2,5
[6] Deut. 6:23
[7] Hebrews 11:6
[8] 2Corinthians 2:16; 3:5
[9] Moses expressed this to Joshua in Deut. 31:1-8
[10] Mike Turner’s sermon entitled “Be Strong and Courageous” quotes Adrian Rogers telling this story. Mike’s sermon is accessible at www.sermoncentral.com
[11] Psalm 119:11
[12] James 1:22-25
[13] Psalm 119:105
[14] Produced by White Star, A division of Kultur, West Long Branch, NJ (908-229-2343). Many local libraries have this video.
