JOSHUA 1
7 Outlines
Joshua 1:1-9
WAKE UP CALL!
When on a business trip, a person staying in a motel
will ask the person at the service desk to call the room at a certain time. This
is known as a "wake up call".
In
In Joshua 1:1-9, Joshua received a "wake up
call" concerning his leadership of the children of
REALITY - THIS JOB IS MINE, Vss. 1-2
Moses was dead.
Joshua was the new leader. He was responsible.
Sometimes God will startle us into the reality that a
job that once belonged to someone else now belongs to us.
REASSURANCE - GOD IS WITH ME, Vss. 3-5
Just as God was with Moses, God would be with Joshua.
Just as God is with other Christians, He will also be
with me.
RESPONSIBILITY - DO AS GOD SAYS, Vss. 6-9
The secret to success for doing God's work, is to do
things God's way.
The biggest responsibility I have is to obey God.
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Joshua 1:1-9
AFTER A LOSS
GOD SHARES THE PROBLEM -
Vss. 1-2a
Moses, the leader of
Israel, was dead.
GOD SHARES THE PLAN -
Vs. 2b
Joshua and the people
were to enter the Promised Land.
GOD SHARES THE PROMISE -
Vss. 3-5
There would be victory.
God would be with Joshua
as He was with Moses.
GOD SHARES THE
PRINCIPLES - Vss. 6-9
Strength
Courage
Obedience
Meditation
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Joshua 1:5
AS WITH MOSES
"...as I was with
Moses, so I will be with thee:"
Moses was dead! (Joshua
1:2) The responsibility for leading the
children of
WE HAVE THE SAME PRICE
PAID FOR OUR SINS.
Moses was given a system
of sacrifices, which was a picture of the supreme sacrifice paid for Moses and
ourselves. That supreme sacrifice is the blood of Christ. Hebrews 9:11-14
WE HAVE THE SAME
PRESENCE OF GOD IN OUR LIVES.
Moses was aware of the
presence of God in His life and God communicated to him through the burning
bush, the meetings on Mt. Sinai, the pillar of fire, and the cloud of smoke and
several other ways. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit of God in our
lives. John 14:15-18
WE HAVE THE SAME POWER
OF GOD ON WHICH TO DEPEND.
Moses saw God's power
many times including the plagues in Egypt, the appearance of manna, the parting
of the Red Sea, and many other ways.
Jesus promised power the
Holy Spirit to His followers. Acts 1:8
WE HAVE THE SAME
PROMISES OF GOD TO CLAIM
Moses had the promises
of the Pentateuch. We have the promises of the entire Bible. Romans 15:4
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Joshua 1:7-8
READY!
In two weeks there will
the Super Bowl played here in the
Getting ready is an
important part of life. We get ready to entertain company. We get ready to go
to church, work or school. We get ready for a career by going to school. We get
ready to retire by saving money and making right investments.
In our text Joshua is
shown that he had to be ready to do the job God wanted him to do. He was to
lead the Children of
SUBMISSION - Vs, 7
"Only be thou
strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the
law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand
or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest."
Joshua was to be strong
and very courageous to obey God's Word. He had to submit to God's authority in
life by doing as God had instructed.
SATURATION - Vs. 8a
"This book of the
law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein:"
Joshua was to meditate
on God's Word, constantly thinking and talking about it. See Psalm 1:2-3.
SUCCESS - Vs. 8b
"...for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
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Joshua 1:8
THIS BOOK
This is probably
the best known verse in the whole book.
Please read it with me.
Joshua 1:8 - This book of the law shall not depart out of
thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
THIS BOOK - This book of the law
Law can be the Ten
Commandments
Law can be the
Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.
Law can be the
whole Bible, which is how we would understand it today.
What do we know
about this book?
·
It is the inspired
Word of God. – 2Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21
·
It is profitable. -
2 Timothy 3:16
·
It is educational. -
Romans 15:4
·
It is powerful -
Hebrews 4:12
·
It is life-changing.
– 1 Peter 1:23
·
It is our guide. –
Psalm 119:105
·
It is purifying. –
Psalm 119:11
·
It is truth. - John
17:17
This Book is the
Way to Belief
This Book is the
way to life.
This Book is the
way to action.
This Book is the
way to reality.
THIS BOOK AND
THIS MOUTH - shall not depart out of thy mouth;
As Christians, we
should talk about the Word of God.
Why should we talk
about God’s Word?
Ø Because it is God’s Word. There is
no subject more valuable to talk about than the inspired Word of God.
Ø Because talking about God’s Word might help or encourage another
believer. Hebrews 3:12-13
Ø Because talking about God’s word might help, encourage, and/or educate
me!
Ø Because talking about God’s Word accomplishes God’s purposes.
THIS BOOK AND
THIS MIND - but thou shalt meditate therein day and night,
Let me tell you
one thing. You can’t have the Word of God on your lips unless it is in your
mind and heart. You can’t give out what isn’t inside.
Meditation is the
way we digest the Word of God.
We read, or we
think about a memorized portion of Scripture.
After a while we
think on It some more, striving to understand its meaning, and how it applies
to my life.
When I meditate on
God’s Word, I might talk about it to the Lord.
I strive to think
of what it means in my life.
I think of what I
must do to practice the Scripture. Psalm 1:1-3, Psalm 119:15-16, Jeremiah 15:16
If the Word of God
is going to be the joy and rejoicing of your heart you need to memorize it.
Don’t say, “I
can’t”
Get yourself some
“3” by “5” cards.
Write the
reference on one side, the verse on the other.
Go over and over
the verse until you know it.
Review the verses
you have learned continually.
Memorizing and
meditation on the Scriptures takes work.
But if you want to
know God in an intimate way, you need to memorize and meditate on the Word of
God.
You will find the effort
to be worthwhile.
THIS BOOK AND
THESE EYES - that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein:
God wants
obedience from His children, just as you expect or expected obedience from your
children.
I am sure that John
was echoing the Words of God when He said in 3 John 1:4,
I have no greater joy than to hear that
my children walk in truth.
You see, the more
the Word of God is in my mind and on my lips the more likely I am to observe my
behavior and make sure that it conforms to the Word of God. I am more likely to obey it!
Many times you may
not obey the Word of God because you are ignorant. It is not a sin to be ignorant. It is a sin
to remain ignorant. 2 Peter 3:18
And remember that
God is not satisfied that we just hear the Word, or even memorize the Word and
meditate on it. God is satisfied when we
obey the Word of God. James 1:22
If you hear the
Word of God and not obey it, you are fooling yourself into thinking that you
are right with God when you are not.
Ezra the Scribe
was a great leader among the Jews.
Ezra 7:10 tells us the secret to His success.
May we be those
that seek the Word, obey the Word and teach the Word every chance that we get.
Make sure that you
eyes observe the Word with the intent of obedience! 1 Samuel 15:22-23
THIS BOOK AND
THIS LIFE - for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have
good success.
What is the value
of talking, memorizing, meditating, and obeying the Word of God in this life?
There are two
promises here for those who do these things.
The first promise
is for prosperity.
No, this is not
necessarily financial prosperity. It is prosperity in the Christian life.
As I memorize, meditate,
speak of, and do God’s Word, I will be prosperous.
My prayer life
will improve.
There will be less
anxiety in my life.
There will be
victory over sin.
There will be
future reward. 2 Corinthians 5:10
There will be an
unleashing of the power of the Spirit of God in my life.
Colossians 3:16
and Ephesians 5:18-19 would indicate that being filled with God’s Spirit and
being filled with God’s Word are parallel.
The second promise
for those who speak of God’s Word, meditate on it, and obey it is for good
success.
This carries the
idea of wisdom.
We will still have
problems, but we will have God’s wisdom to help us handle these problems.
THIS BOOK - This book of the law
THIS BOOK AND THIS
MOUTH - shall not depart out of thy
mouth;
THIS BOOK AND THIS
MIND - but thou shalt meditate therein
day and night,
THIS BOOK AND
THESE EYES - that thou mayest observe to
do according to all that is written therein:
THIS BOOK AND THIS
LIFE - for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
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Joshua 1:8
BOOKWORM!
In
MY PORTION - "This book of the law..."
Joshua only had the first five books of the Bible. We
have the completed Word of God. The
portion on which I build my life is to be "this book". Jeremiah 15:16, 2 Timothy
MY PERMANENCE - "...shall not depart out of thy
mouth..."
I am to refer to, and talk about the Word of God as I
speak.
In order to do this, I must memorize God's Word. Psalm
119:11, John 15:7
MY PROCESS - "...but thou shalt meditate therein
day and night..."
Again, to meditate, we must memorize! Meditation involves reflection upon the
meaning of God's Word, and application to my own life.
Psalm 1:2, Psalm 119:97
MY PURPOSE - "...that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written therein..."
I hide God's Word in my heart and meditate on it, so I
will learn to obey the Book!
MY PROMISE - "...for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
See Psalm 1:3
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Joshua 1:12-18
LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS
When we think of great leaders
we think of men and women of character and strong leadership ability. We must remember, however, that good leaders
must have good followers or they will not be successful. Joshua was a good leader and he had many good
followers.
Israel was planning to
cross the Jordan River and conquer the Promised Land. Joshua as a good leader had to have everyone
working with him for this to be accomplished.
CHALLENGES FROM A GOOD
LEADER Vss. 12-15
The tribes mentioned in
verse 12 had settled on the other side of the Jordan River. They had, however
promised to help with the conquering of the new land. Joshua challenged them in
three ways:
1. REMEMBER - Vs. 13
Joshua reminded these
people of the commitment that they had made to Moses (Numbers 32:20-33). He wanted
them to remember what they had promised to do.
A good leader will
constantly remind people of their commitments (2 Peter 1:12-15).
2. RESPOND - Vs. 14
It was time for these
people to keep their promises. They were to lead the procession into the promise
land. He was telling them that it was time to respond to their previous promise
by doing what they said they would.
3. RETURN - Vs. 15
Joshua encouraged these
tribes that they would return and enjoy the land which they had possessed.
A good leader encourages
his followers that there is reward for faithful obedience.
COMFORT FROM GOOD
FOLLOWERS Vss. 16-18
Not only should good
leaders inspire their followers, but also good followers should inspire their
leaders. The response of these people
was an encouragement to Joshua.
1. THEY EXPRESSED
OBEDIENCE - Vss. 16-17
2. THEY ENFORCED THE
RULES - Vs. 18a
They promised to
discipline those who would not cooperate.
It is an encouraging to leaders when followers help to enforce the rules
among other followers.
3. THEY ENCOURAGED THE
LEADER - Vss. 17b, 18b
They wished him the
Lord's best. - Vs. 17b
They encouraged him to
be strong and of good courage. Vs. 18b