Introduction: Joshua took over where Moses left off. Because Moses struck the rock and disobeyed God, he was not able to take the children of Israel into the promised land. Joshua took over and accomplished that great task.
Joshua the leader was:
1. Available for God’s Use- 1:1-2 “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people”. Prior to Joshua taking this command, Joshua had been with Moses for a long time. Joshua was “Moses’ minister”. Joshua followed Moses from his youth Exodus 33:11 With few exceptions, God will always use the man that is already attending every church service and is available to do anything that needs done. When you are at the right place at the right time, God will use you. (A leader must first be able to follow).
2. A Man led by the Spirt– Numbers 27:15-18 Joshua was led by the Spirit of God to major actions and major defeats. Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh”. Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
3. Strong and Courageous- 1:5-7, 9, 18 – “Be strong and of good courage”. Joshua needed to be strong and courageous to be able to conquer the land which God had given the nation of Israel. Joshua and Caleb were two men who had gone to spy out the land for 40 days and brought a good report despite being giants in the land and fortified cities- Numbers 13:1-2, 17, 30-33.
4. Obedient to God’s Word– 1:7-9 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth…observe to do”. Joshua crossed the Jordan riven successfully, marches around Jericho all by following and obeying the Work of God. James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”.
5. Trusting and Patient in God’s Plan- 23:5 “and the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you”. The fight is not ours, it is God’s fight. If we could fight our own battles we would loose every time. I’m so glad that will give us exactly what He has promised to give us. Joshua already knew the land was theirs, they just needed to take it patiently.
6. Faithful in God’s Path- 23:6 “that ye turn not aside there from to the right hand or to the left”. Proverbs 4:26 “ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.”
- The good path is the way of the righteous. That’s a person that wants to please God by walking not in the counsel of the ungodly, by meditating in the Bible day and night and when he does so, he will prosper.
- The bad path is going and following the way of the ungodly, the sinners, and the unrighteous. This path only leads to death. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death”. If sinners entice you, don’t follow their path.
7. Committed to Serving God– Joshua 24:14-15 “Chose you this day whom ye will serve” “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. Everyone has to make this choice in their own lives- will you serve God or be out- It’s your choice. God doesn’t want you lukewarm. Its black or white. Good or evil. You cannot be neutral.
To be committed to God you Must:
- Chose- Make up your mind
- This Day- Right now, not later.
Whom You Will Serve- Serve yourself, the world, the devil, or God.
Make a commitment- “as for me and my house”. “We will”.
Conclusion: God used a dedicated servant and leader to accomplish God’s plan. We can learn from attributes and apply them in our lives.
Anchor Baptist Church 