GOD'S ENCOURAGEMENT TO JOSHUA

Joshua 1:1-9

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. We need to be strong and courageous:
      1. When our best efforts do not seem to be good enough.
      2. When our past experiences give little encouragement.
      3. When our present and future responsibilities seem too big.
      4. When so much seems to be demanded, and we have so little
         to give.
   B. Joshua needed encouragement and God gave it to him.
      1. Joshua's past experiences were not very encouraging.
         a. He had been eager to go into the promised land, but was
            stopped by a fearful, murmuring people.
         b. He has seen how the people aggravated Moses, causing
            him to miss Canaan.
         c. He had seen all of his generation die in the wilderness.
      2. His present situation was not very encouraging.
         a. He was not as young as he was when he had returned as
            a spy saying, "We are able to take the land."
         b. He no longer had Moses to lean on for strength and
            counsel.
         c. Nearly all of his present generation did not share his
            memory of the Egyptian bondage.
   C. God's encouragement had a simple two-fold message for Joshua.

I. FIRST, GOD ENCOURAGES HIM TO GO FORWARD IN THE TASK BEFORE HIM.
   A. God said, "Moses My servant is dead." Joshua 1:2
      1. Joshua and Israel knew that Moses was dead. They had
         mourned his death for 30 days.
      2. God was compelling them to accept that Moses was dead.
      3. They could not live in the past.
         a. There is little profit in second-guessing the past. For
            example: What if Moses had not sinned? What if Israel
            had not sinned?
         b. There is little profit in dwelling on what could have    
            been - We can usually think of a thousand "What ifs?"
         c. We need to be like Paul who said, "...Forgetting those
            things which are behind..." Phil. 3:13
   B. Joshua and Israel must now attend to the task at hand: "Now
      therefore, arise..." Joshua 1:2
      1. We, too, need to understand our duty toward God, and get
         on with it. John 9:4
      2. Stephen Grellet was a French-born Quaker who died in New
         Jersey in 1855. Grellet would be unknown to the world
         today except for a few cherished lines which he wrote. The
         words which have served as an inspiration to many are: "I
         shall pass through this world but once. Any good that I can
         do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let
         me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again." 
         a. Indeed, let us do what good we can now while we have
            time and opportunity, for the time is coming when we
            will not be able.

II. GOD ENCOURAGES JOSHUA TO BE STRONG AND VERY COURAGEOUS.
   A. Joshua needed to be strong enough to trust God's promise. Verse
      6
      1. They were to receive a great land which covered much
         territory. Verses 3-4
         a. It was a land which was worth the wait, the work, and
            the fight.
         b. At the time recorded in Joshua 1, they only possessed
            the land in promise.
      2. We, too, possess a land in promis. 1 Pet. 1:4; Heb. 11:9-10,
         13-16
         a. It is a large city that lies foursquare. Rev. 21:10-
            11,16,18
         b. God's promises to us are both sure and steadfast. Heb.
            6:17-19
   B. Joshua needed to be courageous enough to trust God's power
      and providence. Verse 5a
      1. "No man shall be able to stand before you..." God was       
         telling him the outcome before he began.
      2. Likewise, God has told us in advance the details of the
         conquest. 
         a. We will not run into more than we can handle. 1 Cor.
            10:13
            (1) The word "temptation" in 1 Cor. 10:13 means "a
                testing or trial of any sort." It includes a testing 
                or trial toward an evil thing (temptation or lust),  
                and a testing or trial which can lead to good (as in 
                James 1:2-4).
         b. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved
            us. Rom. 8:37
   C. Joshua needed strength enough to trust God's presence. Verses
      5b and 9
      1. "Have I not commanded you?" The same as saying, "Do it
         and leave the results to me!"
         a. Would the Lord command them to go into battle and
            leave them stranded?
            (1) Would He lead them into war and leave them
                without support?
         b. Would God command us to put the kingdom first and
            then us starve to death? Matt. 6:33
            (1) We, too, have the support of God. Heb. 13:5-6
   D. Joshua needed to be strong enough to faithfully do God's
      precepts. Verses 7-8
      1. "Only be strong...that you may observe..." If Joshua would
         only do this, God would take care of the rest.
      2. We need to be strong and courageous enough:
         a. To do according to all the law of Christ. Verse 7b;
            James 1:25
         b. To not turn to the right or the left. Verse 7c; 2 John 9
         c. To always speak as the oracles of God. Verse 8a; 1 Pet.
            4:11
         d. To meditate on God's word day and night. Verse 8b; 2
            Tim. 2:15
         e. To faithfully observe all that is written. Verse 8c; 1   
            Cor. 15:58
      3. When we do so, God will also make our way prosperous.

Concl.
   A. It takes much courage and strength to serve God as Joshua did.
      1. We must forego immediate gratification so that we can
         obtain the distant promise.
      2. We must act on God's power, presence, and providence
         when the apparent reason may not be clear to us.
      3. We must daily study God's word, and continue to teach it in
         spite of all the other things which demand our attention.
      4. We must keep doing things in God's way, even when other
         ways seem faster and more effective.
   B. Let us arise to the task at hand, letting God take care of the 
      rest.
      1. Trust God's promises. Look beyond!
      2. Trust God's power. Let it have its working in us!
      3. Trust God's presence. He said, "I will never leave you or
         forsake you."
      4. Trust God's precepts. Keep doing God's will, because we
         know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.