"Being Courageous" - a sermon on Joshua 1:1-9

1. Introduction – finding courage

· To live life we need courage;
· To live life to the full and meet its challenges, we need courage;
· The Christian life is all about having courage – the courage to constantly face up to our mistakes, and humbly give control of our lives over to Jesus;
· And, to really address God’s purpose for our lives, we need courage. To be an effective leader in any community, we would especially need courage.

Just like Joshua, we need to be “strong and courageous” ... actually “strong and very courageous” (as we have it in 1:7). Joshua had the job of leading the people of Israel into the “promised land” in Canaan – quite a responsibility, so he indeed would have to be very courageous. This hefty task of Joshua’s would involve some danger, but most challengingly, this would mean leading a large number of people towards a common goal. This would be enough to scare anyone!

But when God said to Joshua, “be strong and very courageous”, we know that God would also be with Joshua every step of the way, and thus provide a measure of protection ... that is of course, once Joshua exercised enough faith and courage to get moving! We can pray for courage, but in so praying, we need to be prepared to step out as if God has already answered that prayer. Verses 5 & 9 are full of expressions of God’s (effective) availability to us! Thus Joshua, and by extension ourselves, are truly in the position to go for it!

From the mention in verse 9 of the possibility of Joshua becoming “dismayed” along the way, which is quite natural when dealing with any group of people, Joshua would also have to have the courage to rise above any disappointment and keep going forward no matter what; with God continuing to journey with Joshua.

The call to mission and leadership, involving great courage, flows right through the Bible. Jesus calls his disciples (in Mark 4:35ff) to go to the other side of the lake and share the good news. Here they would encounter the “gentiles” and all sorts of perceived threats to their comfort and safety. This brings the sort of discomfort that certainly requires courage. Going to the “other side” out of our comfort zones is an inescapable part of following Jesus. So we need to embrace the concept of developing courage!

We come together as a church community to worship God and learn together from the Bible. Why?
· Because we love God, or at least we think that we should be loving God
· Because we want to make the most of our life, and be part of what God wants done in the world
· Because we want to gain encouragement in our struggle, as we bring encouragement to others in their journey.

So, in a sense, we gather together to build up our courage!

What then is courage? And there are two further questions that are raised in the text of Joshua 1: What are some of the other things that (necessarily) go along with courage?? And, what can be the outcomes of showing courage???

2. What is Courage???

· to be brave in the face of challenging circumstances
· to push oneself into a particular venture
· to be able to take risks, and move through unchartered waters (with a knowledge of God’s abiding presence)
· to be able to move forward ... without being [overly] deterred by the cost, or by emotional or spiritual pressure, or by the discouragement of any other person
· to prefer what could be over what is.

Want to know what courage looks like? In the recent uprising in Egypt, when Islamic extremists threatened to attack Christians worshipping in the Coptic Orthodox church, local Muslims attended the Christian services in solidarity with their neighbours – to seek to provide some level of protection for them. Then when pro-government forces threatened to attack Muslims participating in public prayer at their appointed time, Christians joined hands and formed a protective circle around these Muslims, putting themselves in the line of fire in defence of their neighbours. Now that’s courage!

You can check these moving scenes out on You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDUsmY1JGJI.

3. What are some of the other attributes that (necessarily) go along with courage??

(a) Strength (v.6,7,9) – this would be both ‘strength of character’ and ‘strength of conviction’.

‘Strength of character’ means that a person has great integrity, that their words and actions are consistent; and it also means that such strength and integrity will be impressive to those who observe it, and will thus exert worthy influence. This will lead to one being able to endure difficulties and set-backs. ‘Strength of character’ will require a good foundation – and we know the firmest of foundations for life is having Jesus Christ as Saviour.

A ‘strength of conviction’ moves beyond natural doubts and fears to persist in the just course of action that has been decided upon, no matter what is thrown across the path. To have ‘strength of conviction’ is to be solidly committed to a (good) cause. Having said this, the ‘strong’ person will also be content enough in their own skin, to hear and apply the good advice and guidance that becomes available along the way (without feeling any undue threat).

(b) Obedience (v.7) – God has provided plenty of easily accessible insight for us, and expects us to take notice of it ... refer verse 7 again. Once we understand God’s attitudes and priorities as revealed in the Bible (especially in the life of Jesus), we are expected to live these out without deviation. In Joshua’s case, to deviate from God’s straight path and take another road, would have taken Joshua and his people into places they shouldn’t be and from where they might get lost entirely. If we do this, we might find ourselves wandering aimlessly in a wilderness for forty years. This is way too dangerous and so unnecessary!

We might think that our decisions only affect us, however nothing is further from the truth, especially for those with various responsibilities. Joshua’s leadership potential was undeniable; the biggest danger Joshua faced though, was to try to act independently of God according to his own desires and plans – thereby wasting his abilities and never realising his full potential.

(c) Devotion (v.8) – this is to be disciplined in prayerfully reading, understanding, reflecting upon and applying God’s Word in all of life’s situations. And we have got far more to go on than Joshua did in his time. This is about getting to know God better by absorbing the revelation about God we have been given. The truth thus becomes part of who we are, and we become reliable and living interpreters of this truth to all those around us. And we become good decision-makers.

It’s interesting in verse 8 that we read about the “book of the law” not departing from our “mouth” – meaning that we should always speak as if we know very well God’s Word; and also that because we do know the Scriptures well, we will actually be more prepared to speak ‘righteousness’ or the ‘right things’. The things of God are on the tip of our tongue, easily shared as required.

Yet this knowledge does not become a weapon to hit other people over the head with, but rather positions a guard that protects us from error and guides our own actions. Knowing God’s Word means that we can be creatively proactive in life, rather than unhelpfully reactive to the negative incidents that cross our path.

(d) Focus (v.1) – God set Joshua firmly on the task of crossing the Jordan and settling God’s people into their promised land (v.1). Where we read that “the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun”, we should best interpret this in terms of Joshua having a deep and strong inner conviction concerning God’s direction – for this is usually how God speaks ... quiet and physically voiceless, yet clear and definite. Having come to this surety, now Joshua would need to often remind himself of his ultimate focus ... especially as various distractions, temptations and desires came to him.

4. What can be the outcomes of showing courage???

(a) Success (v.7,8) – what we have been given to do, and what we have faithfully pursued, comes to be. Where verse 8 mentions “prosperity”, we know that this usually does not mean in a financial sense. This has more to do with the good investment of a life that then experiences a sense of peace and feelings of accomplishment.

How can we determine success? We might think of a list of achievements. But I think this illustration is better:

Some people, like me, like to stay in the movie theatre while all the credits role through; this in my thinking pays respect to all those that contributed to the making of the movie. It might also give me time to clear away the tears from particularly moving conclusions like there was in “The King’s Speech” that we saw recently. But just visualise all those credits rolling, and think about these in terms of a human life, and as the range of investments made in various people’s lives. On how many of these films ... on how many of these lives ... will we appear on the credit role?

It’s not what we do, but how many lives we contribute to that really determines success!

(b) A “Promised land” experience (v.2) – if I can use this term metaphorically, this is where we experience a sense of fulfilment, a feeling of heaven on earth, our (full) potential is realised; here is an early appreciation of eternal life, a knowledge of God’s will being done on earth in at least one particular way, seeing God act in a very obvious way (and being a part of that).

We should never be content just possessing a little bit of God’s peace, or a small amount of hope, or some sense of God’s purpose, but rather be desirous for more of God and the Holy Spirit’s activity in and through our lives. God sees an even more beautiful picture of what we can become – this is the “promised land” of our personal futures! Courage chases this!!

(c) Respect & Response (v.3,5) – the person who shows courage, integrity and faithful strength of conviction will gain respect in the places and responsibilities they travel through. Whereas this respect may actually unearth persecution because there has been a clash of agendas, at least ‘the power of one’ has made a difference for good and for God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.5:10). Others, because of our faith and courage, will come to ask questions, and find their hearts touched, and come to know Jesus.

5. Exercising courage and faith

Remember that when we follow God’s call and find the courage to apply faith, God will go with us and support us (v.5,9). We can be humbly confident in our call, for God can make the seemingly impossible come to be. Obstacles can be removed and possible outcomes radically changed. God has made a costly investment in each of us, and wants to see that investment bring rich returns. So we need to cross our particular “Jordan River”, whatever obstacle that may be.

So let’s turn the light of this passage on us. Let’s ask ourselves some questions. I’ve got two:

· How is God speaking to us – in what areas of our life might God be addressing us?

Often what holds us back from exercising courage is the baggage we still carry from the past. This allows fear, the enemy of faith, to persist. It is not inevitable that we have to continue to carry that baggage, those hurts, disappointments and that dull pain for the rest of our lives – for Jesus came into our life to deal with these issues ... he just needs to be given access to them.

However, I have noticed that people often go on carrying their baggage when help is actually close at hand. Why is this? It is because sometimes the reality, even a dark reality, has become such a regular life companion that it is hard to imagine life a different way.

· What tough decisions ... that I’ve put off, do I need to make?

Let’s pray for courage!!