So great, some people consider him great, Dr. Sloos wrote a book, and that book was later turned into a movie entitled, Horton Hears A Hoop, familiar with the book or the movie perhaps Horton and Elephant, comes across a speck of dust, and he learns that the speck of dust has a community living on that speck of dust, the community, the city of Huville. So throughout the book, throughout the movie, Horton is trying to get all the people in his community, in his neighborhood, to hear and know and come to understand what is happening in Huville, because only Horton can hear what is going on in Huville, and the folks in Huville can understand what's going on in the Horton's world. In many respects, the people in Huville come to the realization that there is a bigger world out there, that they're not the only thing. They had a mayor, they had all things going on in Huville, but they were not the least story, but they were part of a larger story. You ever participate in something that is bigger than you? You ever come to the realization that you are simply just a piece of the puzzle and not just the entire puzzle? Brothers and sisters, if your answer is no to that question, then you may not understand how God works. All of human history is God's story. He's the author, working out his plan, and in fact you and I are simply those who have been created and are just parts of pieces of that story. We are not the story. Don't get me wrong. God's created beings. We play a significant role in this story, but all of human history is about him. It's about his plan. The only reason you and I are in this story is because God determined that we would be in it. The book of Joshua, as we learned last week is going to teach us quite a bit. It's going to teach us about what it is like to live in this world and how we ought to be faithful and how we ought to fight and how we are going to be more than conquerors in this world. At every point, as we work our way through this book, it is going to be impressed upon us that we, that Israel, that Joshua are simply pieces in the story of God. As we dive into this first chapter of Joshua this morning, having this big picture, this big story of God in mind is going to be super helpful for us. When the Bible in this portion of scripture begins to zoom into the life and the leadership of Joshua, we must remember that this is not chapter one of the story. We are not being introduced to Joshua for the first time and trying to figure out where this man came from. We are not left waiting on the details to see if the author is going to fill in for us how we got to this point. No, Joshua is part of a story that began when the world began. God determined that he was going to create a world with a people who would rebel against him. Back when he determined that in spite of the rebellion of the people he created, he would show them love and kindness and mercy and promise to restore the relationship that was broken, providing an atonement and a satisfaction for their sins. The plan of God and to accomplish this plan, God would choose a people through whom he would carry out this plan and he would start by calling Abram who was later called Abraham and God made a promise to him that a promise Abraham said that he would be the father of many. Father Abraham had many sons and many sons had father Abraham. This is the promise that God had made to Abraham and that through him and through this people that God was making him into, the nations would be blessed. But not only would God bless him with a large family with many people from every tribe and tongue and nation, we read this promise that Abraham is given in Genesis 12, verses 6 and 7. Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the yoke of Moray. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said to your offspring, will I give this land? God began then to fulfill that promise and provided Abraham with a son, Isaac, whom God would make the same promise to him. And then after Isaac would come Jacob and his 12 sons. And through Jacob's line, God would preserve and flourish his people into this nation that he had promised them. Just when things seemed like they were finally working out for God's people, they were strong in number. They had the favor of the Pharaoh and he just when they thought things were going to work out, there would be oppression and suffering. Through for 400 years, the people of God would suffer under the hand of the Egyptians. They would be in bondage and slavery through a wicked of Pharaoh. They were indeed a nation as God had promised. They were a nation strong, so much that that that Pharaoh feared that they would take over them one day. They had no land. They were in a foreign land and they certainly would not have categorized their situation as blessed. They were not blessed so that they could be a blessed nation. They were in bondage, suffering in slavery. But despite the circumstances and the situations that people of God find themselves in, they remember they they were shown that God always keeps his promises. He promised them they would be a nation. He promised that they would be a blessing to the nations. He promised that they would have a land. So God, what does he do? He raises up Moses and he promises Moses a land for the people of God to dwell. The land that God had promised back to Abraham. Moses was supposed to lead the people into this land and God through Moses was going to do it. He was going to lead them out of Egypt and into this promise land. Brothers and sisters, we had an opportunity to go if you remember through the life of Moses. We heard all of the wonderful things that God did through Moses. And so because we're familiar with him, we know this life of Moses. It should not be foreign to you for me to say that Moses was a huge figure in the life of Israel. I mean, you can understand why it would be so. He was the one who led them out of Egypt. It was through Moses that God would provide manner to the people. It was through Moses that he would provide water to the people. It was through Moses that he would judge the people. It was through Moses that he would speak to the people. Oh, Moses could do was there could do no wrong leader. This was not just in the estimation of the people. This was according to the words of Yahweh. God saw Moses like this. We read these words inspired by Holy Spirit and Deuteronomy 34, 10 and 12. Listen to this. As there has not arisen. A prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. None like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all the servants and to all his land. And for all the mighty power, all the great deeds that Moses did in the sight of Israel. In the eyes of the people, Moses was significant. In the eyes of God, Moses was significant. Moses was in many respects could be considered the man in all of Israel. He was the man. That was the problem, wasn't he? He was just a man. He was just a man. A human, a human man and human sin. Humans sin. Moses's sin would prevent him from leading the people into the promised land. Moses could get them to it, but he would not be able to lead them into it. And that's where we pick up these words confront us in verse 1 of Joshua after the death of Moses. While those words seem insignificant to us as we read them this morning, the reality of those words no doubt produced shock waves and fear in the people of God in Israel. Moses, there could do no wrong leader. The one who spoke on behalf of God to them was now dead. I'm sure this left the people wondering, what would happen to us? Who's going to speak for them? Who would lead them? Let's be honest, these are legitimate fears. The last time, the last time Moses left the people of God for an extended period of time. Do you remember how that went? They ended up forming and fashioning a calf and rising up to play and making that calf seem as though it was Yahweh. Things did not go well when Moses was gone for an extended period of time in the past. So their leader is gone. And so I'm sure they were quite unsettled. But what about Joshua? I mean, look, he knew that this moment was coming. We're going to learn that later on as we come in the sermon. He knew that this time was coming, that he was going to one day be the leader of Israel. But it is one thing to plan and think about leading the nation and something entirely different to actually experiencing it and doing it. I think it was President Obama and I'm sure it was probably all presidents have this same feeling who said it really did not hit him that he was president until he first received that first presidential briefing, right? You know that briefing that tells him that what all is going on and what's all wrong with going on in the country? He could not prepare for it. The classroom, the classroom, the classroom. Not how much you prepare is no substitute for the real thing. I am sure the weight of it all did not hit Joshua until Moses was dead and God came calling. God came, but all brothers and sisters, that is actually the good news. That is the good news. God came calling. In the first nine verses of Joshua, we learned that this is all part of God's story. This is all going according to plan. This is the story that he had written. It wasn't going to be left up to Joshua. This was God's story and he was writing it. We know this to be the case because in these nine verses and these first nine verses of Joshua, it is God speaking. There's no back and forth with Joshua. There are no questions that Joshua needs to answer. God is the one communicating. He is the one speaking. He comes. Our brothers and sisters, that should remind us that in the midst of what appears to be a distressing and unsettling situation or circumstance, there is no greater comfort than the word of God. When Mary and Martha find that their brother died, that was a unsettling situation. But when Jesus shows up in the scene and begins to speak, he brings comfort to the people. Here, God speaks and he comforts us. God's word assures us and it reminds us and it encourages us and it reminds us that God is in control of this story. He is writing it with an end toward his glory and the good of his people. That's what we're going to learn in these first nine verses. God comes calling and when he comes, when God comes calling, we learn that God commissions those who will fulfill his will. God commissions those who will fulfill his will. Look at Joshua one and one. After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua, the son of none, Moses is asleep. Just as God had chosen Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, God had chosen Joshua. He was a man to lead them into the promise land. We learn of this choosing back in numbers, 27, 18 and 19. So the Lord said to Moses, take Joshua, the son of none, a man who was in the spirit and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before LAAs are the priests and all the congregation and you shall commission him in their sight. Is that this point when Moses is still alive that hands are laid on Joshua, he is going to be the one that's going to lead the people into the promise land. God chooses those who will fulfill his will. He chose Abraham. Isaac, he chose Jacob and not he saw. He chose Moses and would eventually choose David. God chooses according to his prerogative those who will fulfill his will. God comes calling and he calls Joshua. But can you imagine Joshua and how he might have felt he has to come behind Moses. It's great leader. No one likes to follow a great leader or a great communicator or a great teacher or a great coach. Nobody wants to come behind the one who has set all the records behind the one whom God said he spoke with face to face. Here's the amazing point. When Joshua, whether Joshua realized it or not, God had been preparing him for this call. For this commission, God had been preparing him regardless of how he felt the fact that God chose him meant that he was right where he needed to be. God had provided him, prepared him for this moment. We go back to numbers 11 and 28 and Joshua, the son of none, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, my Lord Moses, stop them. Joshua had been with Moses since his youth. He had stood by his side and served Moses. He had served the people as he watched not just in a distance but from the front lines of the battles which picked to go and spy on the land. Every moment, every experience that Joshua had was preparing him for this call. Now brothers and sisters, this is a principle for leadership. But it's not just the principle for leadership. It's a principle that we can all, it's a truth that we can all grasp a hold of. Listen, God does not waste one second of your life. Not one. I remember having an opportunity recently to talk to some high school students who are about to go out to college and try to figure out what they're going to do with their lives and how what they want to major in and what jobs they want to pursue. And it was such a joy to tell them the twist and the turn that the Lord had took me through. And I left them by saying, listen, I can guarantee you this, God will not and does not waste any experience in your life. He does it. He is preparing you for what is next. This was Joshua. The task was daunting that God had prepared him for it. And God does not make mistakes. When he calls those to fulfill his will, he doesn't make mistakes despite how inadequate you feel to accomplish this task. No matter how great the person was before you, remember, God has prepared you. God prepared Joshua and Joshua, you are ready because God prepared him. God just doesn't commission those who will fulfill his will. God communicates as well. He communicates it. Verse 2, Moses, my servant is dead. Now, therefore, arise. Go over this Jordan. You and all this people into the land that I am giving them to the people of Israel. Joshua is told to go over, take the people and go over the Jordan and take the land. God's will is clear. Joshua did not have to guess as to what he was supposed to do. It was clear. Now, here's the deal, brothers and sisters, sometimes God's will is difficult to discern. His people cannot times be loved wondering which way to go. And so, they're paralyzed, but you know why that is? Often the reason that is the case is because people are seeking the secret will of God. They want to know what job to take, what class, what college should I choose, who should I marry, what house should I buy? But God's revealed will? It is clear. It's clear. Christian God's will for you is to fight sin. That's clear. He desires that you would read your word. That's clear. Fellowship with the saints. Don't neglect the saints. That's clear. Pursue him. Love one another. God's revealed will is clear. So, God communicates to Joshua, just like he communicates to us, his clear revealed will. Joshua, take this people and go over and take the land. Reason is clear. In fact, the reason why it is so clear is because, guess what? The plan had not changed. It's the plan that he gave Moses, the same plan that Moses received. They disobeyed. That's why they were in the wilderness before he is. The same plan. It's not something new plan. God tells Joshua the plan again. So, he understands that just because Moses is dead doesn't mean God has changed his plans. This wasn't a, you know, what do we do now situation? Something happens and people are always trying to figure out, okay, well, what do we do now? Well, this is not one of those, what do we do now situation? And just a quick piece of application here. As a church, as a church, we must remember that the mission is not tied to individuals. God ties individuals to the mission. The mission is not tied to individuals. God ties individuals to the mission. Listen, leaders in the church come and go. Sadly, sadly, some leave the ministry or because of sin and then they disqualify themselves. And that's a sad situation. Others retire. Some God takes home. When that happens, whether it be here or wherever the Lord takes you, may we never be up? Well, what do we do now? People. God's plan for the church doesn't change because the people change. His desire to redeem a people for his own possession and to leave them into an eternal dwelling place does not ever change. Joshua is given the plan again from the mouth of the Lord. It was the same plan given to Moses. And this was done. This was done to encourage Joshua, but to also remind the people that they don't need to say now what? This is God's story. It's not Moses's story. It's God's story. God communicates his will. But he doesn't just communicate his will. Just like we learned last week, Pastor Tony shared the words of Augustine. Augustine, God commands what he wills and he grants what he commands. God commands what he wills and he grants what he commands. Joshua here, he is not given an option. There's no option. He is to obey the word of the Lord. He is the man that God chose and this is what he is supposed to do. He is to take the people and lead them into the promised land just as the Lord had said. No debating. No new coming up with a different strategy. This is what he's supposed to do. It's not only this command that Joshua sees. Joshua is commanded to be strong and courageous. He's commanded that. Look at what he says. God says in Joshua 1-9, have I not commanded you be strong and courageous? Yahweh doesn't just mention it here in verse 9, but he mentions it to other times. In these nine verses, repetition in the scriptures signifies the importance of Joshua in order to fulfill the task that God has called him to was going to need to be strong and courageous. Difficult battles awaited him. Fears, fierce fights, long nights awaited him. The taking of the land without Moses could have easily caused Joshua to doubt and to have some trepidation. Sometimes the commands of God seem awfully difficult. Put to death in. Lord, do you know the thing I'm dealing with? I've tried. I've been fighting and it's hard. Someone strikes you on the cheek, turn the other. Lord, they hit me hard, Lord. You mean I got to forgive 70 times? Seven? Like, I've already done it twice. I mean, they keep on getting over on me, Lord. We choice always. These kids, they are driving me mad, Lord. The anxious for nothing. There's not much in the back account, Lord. These commands need to go against the North. Joshua is told to be strong and courageous. When the natural and seemingly obvious thing was to be weak and scared. Israel, who was not skilled in war, who had been living off of mana and quail, who had lost most of their people in the wilderness had no business going in and taken on the Canaanites and all the other ites in the land. And yet Joshua was told to be strong and courageous. What is he supposed to do? Is he supposed to kind of dig down deep and kind of muster up his strength, ignore the fear and the feelings of inadequacy? That how he's supposed to fill the command of God to be strong and courageous? No, no. If Joshua was to fulfill the command to be strong and courageous, he was going to need to trust that God commands what he will, but he also grants what he commands. Listen to what God says to Joshua right before he tells him to be strong and courageous. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Joshua was going to be strong and courageous because God was going to be strong on his behalf. God was with Joshua. Verse 9, do not be afraid Joshua and do not be dismayed for the Lord, your God is with you wherever, wherever you go. What confidence and what assurance that would have given Joshua. Joshua, you need not trust in your own abilities. You need not trust in the abilities of the people. You need not trust your weapons. All you need to do is trust in the word and the strength of the Lord. Believe that God would be with him and catch this. This is God is so good. Just as he was with Moses, O brothers and sisters, God had given Joshua an example and a testimony of his faithfulness. You know what? Joshua just did not hear about how God was with Moses. He didn't just hear about it. He was there. He started with his own eyes. He was there when God was faithful to Moses as they fought the Amalakites. He was there. He was there with Moses. If we had a distance, if God spoke with Moses, face to face. Oh what confidence and assurance, I will be with you Joshua just as I was with Moses. You saw how I was there with him. He'll be there. I'll be there with you just like I was with him. Brothers and sisters, yes the commands of the Lord are they do seem docile. The spiritual battles you and I will fight in this life are fearful and difficult. The battle against sin is not easy. It's not going to be easy. But here's the deal, you can fight. You can fight. You can you can be strong and courageous because the God who was with Moses, who was with Joshua, who was with David is the God who will be with you. He'll be strong and courageous. You fight the sin that so easily attracts us. The battle is strong. God is with you. God commanded Joshua and he commands you and me be strong and courageous. But he also commanded Joshua to obey the word of the Lord. The band. Verse 7 and 8. Only be strong and very courageous. Being careful to do according to all the law that Moses, my servant, commanded you, do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left that you may have good success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will make your way positive and then you will have good success. Brothers and sisters, do you realize right here this is covenant language that God is using with Joshua? Covenant language. God's relationship with His people has always been through covenant. God got buying Himself to His people, promising to be with them but there are stipulations associated with that covenant. Learn of these stipulations in Deuteronomy 28. Through Moses, the people of God learned these covenant stipulations that they are to follow as it relates to the law of God in Deuteronomy 28, 1 and 2. If they obey, listen. And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord, your God being careful to do all the commandments that I command you today, sound familiar, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth and all the blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you obey the voice of the Lord, your God. If you obey, then there will be success. But on the contrary, do Deuteronomy 28 and 15. But if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, your God, or be careful to do all His commandments and its statues that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. God is reminding Joshua of the covenant, the stipulations still stand Joshua if things are going to go well with you and the people you must obey the word of the Lord. God was not giving Joshua some like magic formula for success, some secret code he was giving Joshua. The ordinary means of grace, God uses to strengthen and to lead His people. Joshua, do you really want success? Do you really want your way to prosper? Listen to my word. Joshua, do you want things to go well with you? Meditate on my way. Joshua, do you want to know what it is like to act wisely in this world and the land that you're about to take? Don't depart for my words. Knee it to the right or to the left. Oh, brothers and sisters, God is a covenant keeping God. There are blessings for those who obey His words. So I'm one and one and two. Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the wicked nor stands in the way of scoffers or sit in the seat of scoffers, but is the light is in the law of the law and on his law, he meditates day and night. The psalmist recognizes that success comes when he obeys the word of the Lord, when he meditates on it, when he values it, when he sees it as his very life line. What is your relationship to the word of God? The promise of success for following the commands of the other lower files, they apply to us as well. You can claim these this morning. Do you want success? Ask yourself. Do you want success? Well, then listen to the word. Do you want things to go well with you? Well, then meditate on the word. Do you want to know what it is like to act wisely? Don't depart from my word, neither to the right or to the left. So brothers and sisters, we ought to treasure the word. You'll see it as the very bread of life. I don't know what Joshua's supposed to do. So listen to it. Obey it. Meditate on it. Love it. Brothers and sisters, you can't know and love what you don't read in our age of screens and access to information. You and I have to fight to read our Bible. It's a fight for the word, to value it and to treasure it above all the things that are coming across our screens. We won't know the commandments of God without it. We won't be able to live rightly without it. Joshua actually just encouraged that the that the wow ministry has who has gone through a series on the disciplines of grace on the means of grace has sent out some links for the women to be able to get into the word of God, some steps and application for for treasuring and valuing the word of God this summer as they take their break. Take advantage of that. Take advantage of that, getting in the word of God so that we hear it. Joshua was commanded to obey the word of the Lord. So remember again, God commands what he will and he grants what he commands. Notice that God's commands come after the promise of God. Joshua 1, 2, 3, 4 Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan and you and all the people into the land, what that I am giving to them to the people of Israel. Every place that the soul of your foot will tread upon, I have given to you just as I promise to Moses. From the wilderness to the Lebanon, as far as the great river the river you freighted, all the land of the Hittites through the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. God had already given the land to the people. It was theirs. It was theirs. What he commanded, he granted. Joshua and the people were just called to follow. That was guaranteed because it was according to the plan of God. This was the story that he was writing and Joshua was called to play his role. Here's the reality brothers and sisters. God is still writing his story. It is a story that you and I are wrapped up in. Matthew 28, 19, 20. Jesus says to his disciples, go there for it and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son. Now the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold I am with you always. I am with you always, even to the end of the age. This was a daunting task. This is still a daunting task. Go into the world,
baptizing those who would believe and baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the goal of that. The goal is that they would be welcomed, gain entrance into the promised land of heaven. Here's the glorious, we have a leader who has gone before us, who leads us, Christ, Christ, Christ leads us into the promised land. And his promise is that he will be with us even, even to the end of the age. Yes, the daunting task on the left. We can be strong and courageous. We come, this is his story. God commands what he wills, what he grants, what he commands. Those who are his, those who are his will indeed enter that eternal wrath, Lord is gracious and he is good. He commands what he wills, what he grants, what he commands.