He was even more unique in that we have a record of his life when he was A YOUNG MAN and also when he was OLD MAN. Then the Bible tells us, in chapter twenty-three, what took place when he was, “stricken with age.”
Joshua had lived a godly life. Before he DEPARTED, he wanted to IMPART things to help Israel as that nation of people traveled through life’s journey.
Remember, he began by reminding them of things that God had done for them in the past.
Look at Joshua 23:2-5, “And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age: And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you. Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.”
In these verses we see that Joshua revealed two things to the people of Israel. He revealed...
(1) WHAT GOD HAD DONE.
God had performed SUPERNATURAL acts over and over for them. That was WHAT GOD DID. Then notice Joshua tells us...
(2) WHY GOD DID THEM .
BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE FOR THEM!
Look at verse 3. We read, “...because of you; for the Lord your God is he that hath fought for you.”
The New Testament tells us that God cares so much for us that He even keeps track of the number of hairs on our head.
Illus: Years ago, a German scientist counted the hairs on different people. He came to the conclusion that we all would logically reach. That is, he found the numbers vary from individual to individual. However, he discovered something quite interesting. That is, people with black hair have more hair than those who have red, brown, or blonde. For example...
• The average black-haired woman has about 140,000 hairs on her head.
• The average blonde-haired woman has about 110,000 hairs on her head.
He also discovered that the average woman loses about 100 hairs a day, but that the woman who has long hair loses more hair than the woman with the short hair because long hair often can become entangled in the brush and comb.
Illus: Suppose you went to the state fair and there was a man there who for 50 cents would be willing to guess, not how much you weighed, but how many hairs were on your head. The chances of his ever guessing the correct number would be from SLIM to SLIMMER!
But, God calculates all the time, adding and subtracting. Why? Because, He loves us so much that He wants to know every thing about us. We are so special that God knows all about us. In fact, there is not anything that God does not know about us
Illus: Is it any wonder that the song writer was able to pen the words, “Oh how HE LOVES you and me”?
Joshua, the greatest general Israel ever had, not only SHOWED ISRAEL THE PAST to remind them of how God loved them; He also wanted to show them how they could be victorious IN THE FUTURE when he would no longer be around to show them. That is...
II. HE SHOWS THEM THE PLAN.
Joshua 23:6, “Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left.”
There are several things in this verse we need to consider.
A. He shows them the need for being courageous.
Look at the first half of this verse, “Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses...”
It is very difficult to be A COURAGEOUS PERSON when you have been raised in a society of FEARFUL PEOPLE. We want to examine what it means to be COURAGEOUS. However, before we define courage, we must first define “stupidity.”
Illus: In the mid 60’s to mid 70’s we heard much about a man named “Evil Knievil.” He was in the headlines often because he was doing some very dangerous stunt work on his motorcycle. He would jump over cars and even buses. Some who saw him do those things said, “Oh, what a courageous man.” Well, there were many who believed his stunts had nothing to do with courage. They thought his dangerous antics were the result of stupidity.
Often people do not realize that there is a vast difference between COURAGE and STUPIDITY. We have many STUPID PEOPLE around, but we do not see so many who are truly COURAGEOUS. We live in a day when it is hard to find a real example of courage. Many have a false definition of what it is. For example:
Illus: Many of our young people look at the many gangs around this country and they look up to the members as being courageous dudes when, in fact, they are not “courageous dudes.” They are cowards. How do we know that? We know because the only time those young people feel brave is when they have others to back them up. If they were courageous, they would not feel the need to run around with a gang.
The word “coward” has been redefined to mean “courageous.”
Illus: This reminds me of the story of the man who saw a hippie beside the road selling tapes. He asked the Hippie if he had any good musical tapes. The hippie said, “Yea man, let me lay a few on you.” The man said, “Okay, do that!” The hippie handed him one to listen to and said, “This one is bad.” The customer listened and he thought, “Sure enough, this hippie knows his music. This one is bad.” He asked him, “Do you have any more?” The hippie said, as he passed another tape to him, “Yea man, this one is real bad.” The man listened to it and again thought, “Sure enough, this one is real bad.” The man asked, “Do you not have any good tapes?” The hippie said, “Man, you are a square. Don’t you know BAD MEANS GOOD?” The man answered, “I might be an old square, BUT BAD DOES NOT EQUAL GOOD IN MY BOOK!”
That is true of COURAGE and STUPIDITY. We believe THERE IS A VAST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. The COURAGEOUS PERSON is able to face danger or opposition fearlessly. The person who deliberately courts danger for no other reason than the thrill, or show, of it is stupid!
Once more, we live in a land where courage is something about which we hear very little. However, a person can not be successful in anything if he is not courageous.
• ONE CAN NOT BE A GOOD PASTOR IF HE LACKS COURAGE.
C. H. Spurgeon was of the persuasion that all preachers ought to be big men. There is no scripture to support what he believed, but he felt they needed to be big because it takes a TOUGH, COURAGEOUS man to pastor a church.
I Peter 5:2 confirms that. We read, “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof...”
But the Lord is not talking about the size of a man, but the courage of a man!
This does not mean the pastor should be a dictator, but rather that God has personally placed certain responsibilities on him as the shepherd of the flock that he will give account of on judgment day. The things that God is going to hold him, solely, responsible for are not up for DISCUSSION or a VOTE!
Notice the words, “...taking the oversight thereof...”
The reason God’s pastor has to have the courage to take responsibility God has placed on him is because there are always those in the church who are trying to take it from him. It takes courage for a man to stand up against ones in the church who would try to take over when it is not their place to do so.
• PEOPLE CAN NOT BE GOOD PARENTS IF THEY LACK COURAGE.
Illus: Some parents are afraid of using “the rod,” to help in correcting their children because many authorities, including some preachers, claim that it will “warp” them emotionally and psychologically.
It comes down to this, are we going to believe what the pundits say, or are we going to believe what God’s Word tells parents to do?
• Proverb 10:13, “In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.”
• Proverb 13:24, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”
• Proverb 22:15, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
You cannot be a good parent if you do not have the love and courage to do what God says you are to do.
Illus: Many parents say they do not believe in using “the rod.” The fact is, most of them just do not have the courage.
• ONE CANNOT BE A GOOD BUSINESS PERSON IF HE LACKS COURAGE.
To be successful in any business venture one must have courage. It takes courage to:
-Make decisions.
-Take the right stand on issues.
-Stand up in opposition to someone.
Illus: When Joshua was commissioned by Moses to be one of the men to spy out the land of Canaan, it took courage for himself and Caleb to stand up in opposition to the majority and tell the Israelites that they were well able to go up and possess Canaan at once!
In our text we see Joshua shows the people the need for BEING COURAGEOUS. He said, “Be ye therefore very courageous...” Also...
B. He shows them the need for being consistent.
Look again at verse 6, “...do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, THAT YE TURN NOT ASIDE THEREFROM TO THE RIGHT HAND OR TO THE LEFT.”
The reason many people turn to the LEFT and RIGHT is because they do not have the courage to TAKE A STAND FOR WHAT IS RIGHT. Some have turned to the left or right so much that they just walk in circles.
When the Lord returns for His church, the only thing that will count is if we have CONSISTENTLY LIVED FOR JESUS. If we have, He will say, “...Well done, thou good and faithful servant...”
Let me ask you something. If the Lord returned, could He say that to you?
-Have you been consistent to stand for the things this Bible teaches?
-Have you been consistent in studying God’s Word?
-Have you been consistent in your prayer life?
-Have you been consistent in supporting God’s church by attending regularly?
-Have you been consistent in supporting God’s work with God’s tithes and with your offerings?
As the apostle Paul looked back over his life, he was able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (II Tim. 4:7)
Paul was saying that he had been COURAGEOUS and had been very CONSISTENT.
Joshua was getting up in age. He knew he would soon die. But, before he DEPARTED he wanted to IMPART to God’s people THAT IT TAKES COURAGE TO LIVE FOR THE LORD and that God expects us to LIVE CONSISTENTLY FOR HIM -- every day. We are not to turn to the LEFT or to the RIGHT. JUST STAY CONSISTENTLY STRAIGHT!
Conclusion/Summary:
A pastor was in the hospital visiting one of his parishioners who was dying of an incurable disease. The pastor, in his conversation, tried to assure the parishioner that Christ was with him. The words the pastor spoke touched the emotional heartstrings of the dying man. Tears began to swell in his eyes. The pastor very gently reached over, took a tissue and wiped the tears from the dying man’s cheeks. As he drew his hand back he could see a smile on the dying man’s face. The sick man said, “Pastor, I guess you are wondering why I am smiling.” The pastor said, “Well, I could guess, but it would be best if you told me.” The dying man said, “I was just thinking, the next tears that I shed will be brushed from my eyes by the hand of God because God said, ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.’” When we get to heaven we are all going to be glad that we have lived the Christian life CONSISTENTLY and with COURAGE.
Israel’s Greatest General #1 of 2)
I. HE SHOWS THEM THE PAST
(Israel’s Greatest General #2 of 2)
II. HE SHOWS THEM THE PLAN
