Courage to the End5/25/2024 ![]() Joshua 1:9 ~ "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Look back at the steps you have taken and then look forward toward the steps left to go, and hold fast to the LORD for the courage you need to keep going till your journey's end. Joshua was given charge over the nation of Israel, and was commissioned by God to bring them into the promised land. Moses, who had led the people of God for forty years in the wilderness, was now gone and it was Joshua's moment to lead. We know that Joshua was a man of faith, having stood his ground with Caleb when the spies brought their report of the land (see Numbers 14:6-9). Yet, there is a difference between leading warriors in battle and leading the people to follow the LORD. In our text today, God is going to bolster the man, Joshua, and present him two reasons for a courageous life. And we must be reminded of these as well, for it takes courage to walk with Christ to the end of our journey. First, God reminds Joshua that the Almighty is the one in command. The LORD asks a simple question: "Have I not commanded you?" The full rendering of this question reconnects Joshua to the past as well as the present. That is to say, God asked: "have I not always commanded you? Look back to your past, Joshua, and see if there was any step before you that was not at the command of God." And the newly appointed leader of the people of Israel is called upon to remember that God had always led the way. Joshua was there when they departed Egypt. He was witness to the plagues, the judgments, and the power of God. He crossed the Red Sea with the nation, saw the pillar of fire at night and cloud by day. Throughout his sojourn with Moses, during the entire ordeal of the wilderness wandering, Joshua was privileged to experience all the commands of God. And that must give him courage, for Joshua could see that obedience to God always brought about the fulfillment of what was promised. My friends, sometimes all you need to do is look back and see that God has led you through, and up to, this point. You may have had to suffer along the way. There may have been times of great testing, and even the disciplining hand of God Almighty upon you, but not once did God forsake you. And, look back at the fulfillment of His commands in the lives of others. As Joshua could see in Moses the commands of God obeyed and the promises of God fulfilled, then you can do the same. Look to those who have walked with you, mentored you and given you a front row seat to the view of a faithful life. Has God not always commanded you? Of course He has, and that will not come to an end. Which brings us to our second view, the promised presence of God. God, speaking to Joshua, reminded him, "for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Consider this promise from Joshua 1:5, "Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you." His courage must come from knowing, not that he has an army around him, but that he has the LORD with him. Going forward, God gave Joshua a promise that would bolster the heart of even the weakest saint. The promise of knowing that the Almighty, the LORD of Glory would be with him wherever he went. Beloved, we can have great courage going forward by faith in the LORD Jesus because He has promised to us that He will also be with us forever. Hebrews 13:5 declares, "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" For all those who belong to Christ, there is nothing to fear in the presence of the LORD. And though you may have to go through trials of many kinds, and suffer the outlandish villainy of the world, yet you have a surety from Christ that cannot be broken--He is with you always, even to the very end of the age (see Matthew 28:20). So we look back and see that God has commanded our way. From that we can gain great courage. And we look forward and know that Christ will accompany us along the way, and thus we can be free from fear and dismay. Your source of courage, dear Christian, is not your prowess, wisdom or strength. Your courage comes from knowing and walking with the LORD our God--and that until the very end. In His Grace, Pastor Michael
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