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Home , Book of Exodus, Book of Joshua

: THE LORD IS SALVATION Joshua’s Call Joshua 1:1-18 Layne Lebo June 12, 2016

Today, we’re beginning our summer sermon series that will carry us through the end of August. Summer tends to be a very disjointed time at McBIC. People’s travel and vacation schedules, along with our church scaling back on some of our normal activities make it a challenge to stay connected during summer. Personally, I’m in the midst of a 5- stretch where between vacation and some business trips I I’ll be spending time in North Carolina, Nashville, Kansas and Orlando. Realizing how disjointed things can get in June, July and August, we typically preach a summer-long series on a book of the . That way, in the midst of people coming and going and a variety of people preaching, we have the constant of staying in one book of . To help you stay connected we’ve put together a simple bookmark that lists scriptures you can read whether you’re at home or on vacation that keep you in step with the passages we’re preaching on this summer. This summer we’ll be walking through the . Joshua is the 6th book in the Bible—coming immediately after the books known as the Pentateuch or the Law. Bible scholars aren’t sure who the author of Joshua is. It appears that parts of the book were written by Joshua himself, but other portions were likely passed along through generations of Jewish people as oral history. Joshua was written so that generations of and later all of ’s people—including us—might be reminded of the work of God in history. The Book of Joshua records the story of God’s people entering the , beginning the process of conquering and settling the land and establishing themselves as God’s nation. The events recorded in Joshua are believed to have occurred 3,000-3,500 years ago during a time known as, “The Late Age.” A question some of you may be asking is, “Why are we studying Joshua?” It’s a great question. Why are we taking 3 months to study events that took place over 3 millennia ago? The general answer is, “Because Joshua is in the Bible and we believe that God’s Word is inspired by Him.” In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for

1 teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man or woman of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” That statement applies to all of Scripture, but let me share with you why I’m excited about preaching through Joshua this summer. The seeds for preaching Joshua were planted in my mind last summer when we walked through the Book of . We titled that series, “God Provides,” because through everything that’s recorded in Exodus we see God providing for his people. Our staff and I loved preaching on Exodus and you all responded so well to its message. You seemed to resonate with the connections between what God did in the lives of his people as they travelled through the desert en route to the Promised Land and our lives today. As I studied and preached last summer, I felt compelled to continue exploring the story of God leading his people into the Promised Land. Another reason that we’re preaching on Joshua this summer is that the major themes in Joshua are essential to us as the people of God today. Faith, courage, holiness and the nature of God are just a few of the themes that quickly come to mind. Are any of those pertinent to us and to our lives? Joshua teaches us what God expects from his people and it gives us a clear picture of who God is. The connection between the Old Testament and the and our lives is seen in Joshua’s name. Joshua is derived from the Hebrew name Yehoshua, which means, “The Lord is salvation.” And it’s the same root as the name Jesus. Joshua and Jesus in their name and through their lives proclaimed the message, “The Lord is salvation.” Finally, I’m excited to preach on Joshua, because Joshua ( and much of the Old Testament) reinforces the truth that God is active in history. We tend to divide history and life into secular and sacred categories. We act as if God cares about certain aspects of our lives and that He’s not so concerned with others. For God’s people—the —there was no such thing as “sacred” and “secular” aspects of life. God was in and through all of it. Everything that happened, occurred in a world where God was active. In his introduction to Joshua, Eugene Peterson writes, “History is the medium in which God works salvation, just as paint and canvas is the medium in which Rembrandt created works of art.” There is no secular and sacred, God works salvation in and through all of history and in every aspect of our lives.

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I want us to look briefly at who this guy Joshua was, because we’ll be tracking with him over the next 3 months. Who was Joshua? Joshua was ’ right hand man during the Israelites 40-year trek across the desert. He was the general of the Israelite army. We’re first introduced to him in Exodus chapter 17 when Moses sends him into battle against the Amalekites. In chapter 24 Joshua accompanies Moses up to meet with God. After meeting with God, Joshua goes down from the mountain at Moses’ instruction to check on the people and finds them making the . In Exodus 33 Joshua is with Moses at the Tent of Meeting and we read that Joshua stayed in God’s presence at the tent even after Moses left to talk with the people. Joshua was also chosen as one of the 12 spies who went into the land of to scout it out prior to the Israelites’ entry. He and were the only two to come back with a faith-filled perspective, while the other 10 brought a report of doom and gloom. As a result, Joshua and Caleb alone among all of the adult Israelites made it through the 40-year wandering and were permitted by God to enter the Promised Land. And then when Moses was preparing to die, God called Joshua to be Moses’ successor. Part of the strength of Joshua’s leadership was that he served as a bridge between Moses and the generation of Israelites in and the new generation of people entering the Promised Land. Joshua had experienced ’s in Egypt and their wandering in the desert and now he would lead God’s people into the Promised Land. My prayer is that as we walk through this series this summer we’ll grow in holiness (as people set apart for God), in faith and in courage, as we see how God worked in Joshua’s life and in the lives of the people of Israel. I pray that we’ll be reminded of the truth: “THE LORD IS SALVATION!” I’d like you to pray with me as I ask God to open our hearts that we might receive his truth as we begin our study of Joshua. I invite you to follow along as I read Joshua chapter 1 verses 1-11 and 16-18. In verses 12-15 Joshua addresses some tribes who wanted to claim land outside of the Promised Land.

After the of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the —all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. No one will be able to

3 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.

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and 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.’”

Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 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. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!”

Two statements jump out at me from this passage, “Be strong and courageous.” And “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 3x God tells Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.” And then the Israelites repeat that same statement in their response to Moses. And twice the Lord tells Joshua He would be with him and again in the Israelites’ response they say, “Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses.” Clearly strength and courage were critical to Joshua’s success, along with the awareness that God was with him, just as He had been with Moses. The need for strength and courage and an awareness of God’s Presence shouldn’t surprise us, because Joshua was taking on a formidable task—leading the people of God, who now numbered between one and two million people—into their homeland which had been promised to them by God since they left Egypt 40 years earlier. And Joshua was to do this by succeeding Moses, the greatest of leaders, the one through whom God had delivered his people from Pharaoh and through whom He had performed amazing miracles like splitting open the , bringing water from the rock and providing daily rations of quail and for God’s people in the desert. God understood that Joshua and the people needed courage and the assurance that He was with them. So, He comforted them with this series of promises…

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 “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” v. 3

 “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.” v. 5

 “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you.” v. 5

 “You will be prosperous and successful” as you meditate on the law. v. 8

 “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” v. 9

Joshua responded to God’s declarations by ordering the people to consecrate themselves (make themselves holy) in preparation for crossing the Jordan River and entering the Promised Land. And the Israelites responded well. They told Joshua…  “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.” v. 16

 “Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you.” v. 17

 “Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death.” v. 18

 “Be strong and courageous!” v. 18

As we walk through Joshua this summer, we’ll see that God’s people—not unlike us— weren’t able to consistently follow through on the commitments they made that day to God and to Joshua. We’ll have opportunity to look at that in future . But today as we’re kicking off this series I want to focus on God’s promises to Joshua and the Israelites. I think God’s promises can be summarized in the two statements we looked at a bit ago. These statements not only applied to Joshua and the Israelites, they are also true for us. And it’s important for us to keep these statements in the context of our series title, “The Lord is Salvation.” God’s first promise to Joshua and the Israelites was, “I’m always with you. I’ll never leave you. Wherever you go, I’ll be there.” When Joshua and the Israelites encountered seemingly insurmountable odds, God was with them. When the Israelites were victorious and when they were defeated, God was with them. When they followed God and when they sinned against Him, God was with them. When they faithfully followed God and kept their promises

5 and when they strayed from God and went back on their word, God was with them. He said, “I’ll never leave you or forsake you.” God’s second promise to Joshua and the Israelites was, “I’ll keep the promises I’ve made to you.” “I’ll be with you. I’ll give you the land I promised you. When you follow my law you’ll be successful and prosperous.” God revealed Himself to Joshua and to the Israelites as a promise keeper, and throughout the Book of Joshua we see God keeping his promises. And our Heavenly Father’s message to us today is the same, it hasn’t changed. Hebrews 13:8, in the New Testament says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God’s message to us is, “I’m always with you. I’ll never leave you. Wherever you go, I’ll be there.” And, “I’m a promise keeper. I’ll keep the promises that I’ve made to you.” Our Heavenly Father is always with you and with me. He keeps the promises He has made to us. Those aren’t empty words. They are spoken in the context of, “The Lord is salvation.” What do those words speak to you today? For some of us here today, life is good and we’re doing well. For others, things aren’t so great. Maybe we’re struggling personally, or people we love are in a difficult place. Some here are excited about hopes and dreams we see being realized. Others are struggling with doubt, fear, depression and unfulfilled dreams. And many of us are somewhere in between—life could be better, but we’re doing pretty well; things aren’t great, but they could be a lot worse; we’re making it. Wherever you find yourself today, take hope in these promises: The Lord is Salvation. He is always with you and will never leave you. He will keep the promises He has made to you. As we sing in response to God today I encourage you to respond to Him and the implications of these truths for you and your life.

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