No one could have predicted last year at this time all the craziness, the confusion, the frustration, the contradictions of 2020. I don’t want to bemoan all the negative stuff, but who would have guessed we’d be wearing masks to shop at Menards. We never heard of social distancing. We couldn’t imagine not being able to visit our loved ones in nursing homes or a newborn grandchild in the hospital. We had no idea the government would shut down businesses and run owners into bankruptcy over health concerns about a microscopic virus.
We were blown away by the violent protests of Black Lives Matter and Antifa, and without the police enforcing law and order. Watching thugs cursing and spitting on policemen was unthinkable, yet it happened, often. Defunding the police was the most ridiculous and bizarre notion we’d ever heard, and yet even some politicians today favor it. Along with this we began to hear about cultural Marxism and Critical Race Theory, white privilege and whiteness, systemic racism, all things that many of us never heard before.
All this craziness swept through 2020 at warp speed, and it’s still moving swift as ever. Even denominations and churches have fallen prey to progressivism and the tolerance doctrine that says regardless of your gender choice or sexual preferences, you are affirmed without any repentance. God, some are saying, smiles on all this. Of course, the abortion industry, known as health care, continues unabated. If all this wasn’t enough, we had a presidential election with a high probability of fraud and corruption. It’s good to know God’s in control!
What does 2021 hold for America, and especially for the church? Pray that Evansville Bible Church, by the grace of God, will never bow to the demands of a godless culture and the latest trends pushing on the doors of churches. We know we are in a fight for the faith. We must stand strong and courageous for God’s truth in 2021.
JOSHUA – BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS
Which brings us to Joshua 1. Moses has died and Joshua, now about 90 years old, faces the daunting task of leading Israel across the Jordan River to conquer the Canaanites and apportion the land to Israel as God had promised. Joshua needs to be strong and courageous.
Here’s a summary of Joshua’s life up to this point. He saw God work miracles in Egypt and lead Israel through the Red Sea. He became Moses assistant at Mt. Sinai, fought the Amalekites while Moses prayed, and was one of the 12 spies who spied out the Promised Land from Kadesh Barnea. Though there were giants in the land, he and Caleb came back and reported, “We can conquer them in the power of God.” The majority voted no and so Joshua had to spend 40 years wandering in the wilderness with the rest of the 12 tribes. Before Moses died he charged the people and Joshua to be strong and courageous.
Deuteronomy 31:6-7 “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” 7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
In Joshua 1 God prepares Joshua for this daunting task ahead of him. If you look back at verses 1-4, God says, and I paraphrase, “Joshua, it’s your turn to lead. You’re going to take these people across that Jordan River into the land I have given to you. You have a big job ahead of you but don’t forget, I’m giving it to you. This battle isn’t yours, it’s mine. I’m the hero of this story. I want to fill your heart with strength and courage as you go forward in this great undertaking.” In verses 5-9 God repeats “be strong and courageous” three times.
This was a new beginning for Joshua, and we are about to set out on a new chapter in a new year. Let’s apply to us God’s counsel to Joshua, as we too need strength and courage to live faithfully for Christ in 2021. God gives Joshua, and us, five assurances for being strong and courageous.
#1 God’s presence – “I will be with you.”
Joshua 1:5 “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
Regardless of what this new year holds, you know that if God is for us, who can be against us? Jesus said before He left, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The author of Hebrews quoted part of this verse in Hebrews 13:5 with two double negatives: “I will never, no never ever fail you and I will not ever, no never forsake you.” When discouragement seeps into your heart, when tragedy, disease or death come into your circle of family or friends, when circumstances turn sour for whatever reason, remember, “I’ll be with you; I will not fail you, ever. And I won’t forsake you, no, not ever.”
#2 God’s promise – “You shall give this people…the land.”
Joshua 1:6 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Here you have the first “be strong and courageous.” That’s the opposite of being weak and fearful. Joshua needed to hear this over and over and so do we. “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10). Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait on the Lord.” Our enemies are powerful, whether those enemies are the godless culture, the world we live in, our own flesh, or the devil. It’s easy to get discouraged. Where does our strength come from? It comes from the Lord. You may fear either the unknown or something you know is coming. You may be tempted to turn back from something God is giving you to do. Be strong and courageous. Paul counseled Timothy, “God hasn’t given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). He added in 2 Timothy 2:1, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
For Joshua, taking the land wasn’t ultimately up to him. God Himself had sworn to give Israel this land. In one sense, He had already given it to them. They just needed to be strong and courageous and go over that Jordan River and start conquering in God’s power.
The books of Joshua and Ephesians are often compared. Just as God had already given Israel the land, God has already given us His rich blessings in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.” If you’re in Christ, God has already given you all your blessings. He’s chosen and redeemed and sealed you; He’s reconciled you to Himself and you have access to Him in prayer. He’s already given you the Holy Spirit, so your responsibility is to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might! He is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that you can ask or think.
#3 God’s caution – “Don’t turn to the right or to the left.”
Joshua 1:7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.
God again emphasizes Joshua’s need, our need, to be strong, not weak; to be courageous, not fearful. God even adds very courageous. Have you ever faced a giant like Goliath with just five little stones? Or a fiery furnace? Or a den of lions? Be strong and very courageous. We need to hear this repeatedly. We have yet to face the teeth of a totalitarian government that arrests Christians for hate crimes. But when persecution comes, God will give us all the strength and courage we need, but it’s not automatic. Strength and courage come as we are committed to doing what God wants us to do.
John MacArthur said this about courage: “Spiritual strength for believers is essentially an attitude of courage, and it includes such virtues as courage of conviction, courage to be uncompromising, courage to confront error and false doctrine, and courage to face intimidation and persecution and still remain true to what is right.” (The Pillars of Christian Character, p. 121)
God cautions Joshua to stay on mission. You’ve got a task to do for God and don’t let anything distract you. Stay in God’s lane and He will bless your efforts to please Him and be used by Him. Don’t expect God to fill your heart with His strength and courage if you’re messing around with the world, stuff you know isn’t pleasing to God. Paul told Timothy if he’s going to be a vessel for honor and useful to the Master he has to flee youthful lusts and pursue godliness.
In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian and his friend Faithful are going through Vanity Fair, Bunyan’s version of a flea market with all kinds of useless worldly trinkets. The hawkers of these trinkets call out to the two believers, “What will you buy? What will you buy?” They gravely say, “We buy the truth.” In other words, we will not be sidetracked to the right or to the left. Whatever the cost, and these days the cost of being cancelled or the cost of losing a position in a company can be life-affecting. But stay on God’s course. Turning aside to this worldly pursuit or one that may feel good and even seem good, but it’s not if you’ve sold the truth. Proverbs 23:23 urges, “Buy the truth and sell it not.”
#4 God’s word – “You shall meditate on it day and night.
Joshua 1:8 “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; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
God gives Joshua a very clear command that will result in true spiritual prosperity and success. Keep feeding on His Word and meditating on it day and night. This is the means to being strong and courageous – with God’s Word in the driver’s seat of your life. Whether it’s Joshua or you and me, if we are not spending some time ruminating, feeding on God’s Word, we cannot expect God’s rich blessings. I want to lay this verse on you to memorize and to practice for 2021. Don’t let it depart from your mouth. It should govern your words and thoughts. And meditating, which literally means to mutter, means to ponder what you read. Chew on it. Don’t just bite a piece off and then spit it out. Digest it by thinking about it. MacArthur said, “It’s not enough to gargle the Word on Sunday mornings and then spit it out as you get in your car.” (The Fullness of God, Pt. 4)
Develop the habit of meeting with God’s Word every day. Follow a reading plan. Write something down that you’ve learned. What does this tell me about God or what God wants of me? What doctrine is this teaching me? How does this apply to my personal life? Does it expose a sin or two? Anger? Bitterness? Lust? Some false teaching you’ve believed that now you know is not biblical? Let’s face it, you cannot grow spiritually without heart time in the Word of God.
There’s only one way to spiritual prosperity and have godly success – by being a doer of the Word. There is no substitute for prayerfully feeding your heart on God’s Word. This is Evansville Bible Church. What does that mean? We read and study and meditate and then apply God’s Word to our lives as best we can. We encourage you to develop this godly discipline of daily time in God’s Word. This is why we have ladies’ Bible studies, men’s Bible studies, small groups, biblical teaching for the whole family at 9 AM beginning next week.
#5 God’s authority – “Have I not commanded you?”
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
The authority in God’s command puts strength and courage in your soul. God has commanded you and He will give you the grace and power to do it. If He commanded you, you can go and do it with full confidence. Humbling our hearts before God’s authority brings strength and courage to do what He calls us to do. If God told me to do it, then I can do it, I should do it, and I will do it.
So here comes 2021. It may well be worse than 2020. But never forget this: God is in charge. God is sovereign. Nothing surprises Him. God is calling you to be strong and courageous. So stand with and for the truth of His Word. Reject and expose all false teaching. Put off the deeds of your flesh and put on the fruit of the Spirit. He wants you to be faithful to the gospel. Be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you. And even if they don’t ask you, try to get it in there. Don’t be afraid of the Canaanites in your life. Don’t tremble. Don’t be dismayed.
And I want you to see this last assurance – “For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua is going over the Jordan into Canaan. He’s going to face Jericho and other formidable walls in the central, southern, and northern campaigns. How can he do it? How can we do it? How can we see God do great and mighty things in lives right here through Evansville Bible Church in 2021? Answer: “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Be strong and courageous. Let these words fill your heart as we go forward. Our men’s monthly breakfasts are going to focus on men of courage in the Bible. The church needs men and women of spiritual strength and moral courage. Let’s pray God will fill us with strength and courage.
SO WHAT?
Determine right now that God’s Word will be a daily part of your life.
Don’t enter another year without a confident heart faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior who died on that cross for sinners and rose again to give eternal life to all who will believe in Him.