I pray this finds you well and the word edifies your spirit
Title: God’s fearless victors.
Text: Joshua 1:1-8
Introduction: All of you here today in some way or another, like it or not are in a battle. Small ones big ones lengthy or short they just exist. I believe their purpose is pruning! John 15. Ya know a tree grows the most at the breaking points- where it has been cut so that it bears more fruit. So today I want to talk about realizing who you are in Christ and what that looks like. You see God desires for us to be successful and victorious in our walk. The mistake most people make is that they don’t participate in God’s plans for their life. God made you in His likeness and image. God has never lost a battle. God wants to bring you from survival to revival! He wants you to know that you aren’t your past or who your parents say you are or who your friends say you are or even who you say you are sometimes.
I know a guy that when he was younger had some pretty big hopes and dreams, but he came from very common settings. Everyone around him always told him he would never achieve anything because he wasn’t good enough, or fast or smart enough there was always some excuse or “logic” why it wouldn’t work out for him. As this guy grew older his circumstances didn’t get much better. For a while he held to his hopes but day after day went by and hopes got dashed to doubts and doubts fell to fears. Until a few years ago he really had no hopes or dreams, and the few he did have he had no real expectation of ever seeing the manifestation of his dreams into reality. In fact he became so bad off that he actually started to fear the possibility of succeeding at all. Is this what God would desire for us?
Proposition: If you and I are to experience growth and victory as believers, it is necessary to be fearless.
Transitional Sentence: I took the word fearless and made an acrostic out of it
I. Forsake the past- Vs. 1 – After the death of Moses
A. Mentor/ Predecessor/ Ultimate Goal- background history.
1. Joshua had to get passed taunting of others/
2. Get passed his own self image of “2nd best”
3. Forsake his old identity and embrace his new one (God-Given)
B. Passing the torch – will you be ready?
1. This was not a flippant choice on God’s part
2. This was not a flippant decision on Joshua’s part
C. Even though he wanted it, it was probably difficult to accept
1. Others
2. Friends & Family
3. Self
Transitional Sentence: God is calling us to move from the past onto the new things that have come.
Tell story of Cindy and me and dream @ tooth.
II. Elevate to the task- Vs. 2 – Moses is dead, Arise go over this
A. Time will come when God calls you for a work
1. Don’t argue with God – Obey
B. God will generally call you to a work bigger than you are.
1. This shows Gods Glory.
2. It creates obedience and true service to the Lord.
3. It will involve more people and their lives than just you.
Transitional Sentence: The violent take it by force, the weak are trampled.
III. Aggressively pursue the promise – Vs. 3 – Every place of the sole of your feet I give you
A. Action step
1. God can’t give you the all the land under your feet if you are stuck on the couch.
B. This will be a continual process
C. Tread is the key word.
1. Go OVER/ not circumvent but go over the bar
Transitional Sentence: How far can you go with no backing?
IV. Rely on His Word – Vs. 4 – From wilderness to the going down of the sun shall be yours.
A. Know the Promise First – Joshua knew this was a 400 and something year process
1. You can lay past aside
2. You can know you are called and get training to elevate to the task
3. You can even pursue wasting energy and not know what the Word says about the promise you are pursuing
B. Without a Word from God you will fall/fail/flounder
1. Fall - nothing to stand on – Peter and the boat
2. Fail – your will takes precedent not His will
3. Flounder – you will have no root/ ground wire
C. Without a Word no faith- no other reason to believe that ^
1. Rom
2. Heb. w/o faith impossible to please God
Transitional Sentence: even with the backing of the word under-girded with faith what good is the victory unless it carries throughout one’s life?
V. Long haul/ longevity – Vs. 5- No man stand b4 u, never leave nor forsake you
A. How are you to know how God was with Moses if you don’t stick around
B. Common Mistake w/ gauging God’s will
1. Answer now or never
Transitional Sentence: Good so now you aren’t worried @ the past, you’re trained, you’re pursuing, you got the Word and you’re in it for the long haul but unless you…
VI. Exist as an example –Vs. 6 – Be strong Courageous, people divide as inheritance.
A. You will never affect the “others” God is talking about.
1. World or Xians.
B. To be an example you will have to be strong and courageous
1. Must have been scared and weak to have said it
Transitional Sentence: A fearless victor is a leader. Best way = service
VII. Serve – Vs. 7 – only strong and courageous and serve as Moses
A. God laid a foundation and a right path
1. Moses is a blueprint for Joshua
B. Law/Commandments are the borders for that path
C. Don’t turn/deviate.. Routine … 31 days.
Transitional Sentence: Final point is the successful passage from fear to fearless!
VIII. Succeed –Vs. 8- book of the law not to leave your lips, meditate day and night and DO IT.
A. Book of Law is Bible don’t let it depart from mouth
1. Meditating- not ohmMm- intense constant thought/forefront of your mind
2. Day and night- this has to be ongoing thing to feed to grow
B. Monkey see Monkey do
1. Once you got it from your head to your heart DO IT
2. All of it
C, After all is said and done THEN you will be prosperous and successful
Conclusion: You see Joshua and I were in similar situations he was taking people from the desert into the oasis of the Promised Land. He couldn’t have seen it, but only believed it would be there when he went far enough. I never thought I would or even could find peace and joy and victory in my life. But God in His loving kindness and great power took us both through certain trials and circumstances to refine us through the Refiner’s Fire of life to shed all our inhibitions resulting in the stripping off of our fears. God clearly desires a fearless walk for the born again believer so that we will grow and gain victory for His name Glorifying Him.
Isn’t it about time you and I started:
F. = Forsake the past
E. = Elevate to the task
A. = Aggressively pursue the promise
R. = Rely on His Word
L. = Long haul/ longevity
E. = Exist as an example
S. = Serve
S. = Succeed
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