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Part 13 of 16
Joshua: A Leader Built in the Background
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One of the great sports highlights of the year was when Fernando Mendoza led IU football to a perfect season. But this rising star came from obscurity. Mendoza was raised in Miami and dreamed of playing for the University of Miami, but they didn't want him. His father drove him to 18 football camps across the country. He mailed his highlights to over 130 college programs—no one was interested.
His only offer came from Yale University—an Ivy League school offering no scholarship and no path to the NFL. Then, just two weeks before signing day, California offered him a spot as their third-string quarterback. He spent his entire freshman year on the bench. When injuries put him in, he lost his first four games and was sacked 41 times in two seasons. But he kept getting back up.
Then Mendoza made a shocking decision: he left California to go to Indiana. Everyone questioned him—nobody goes to Indiana to win in football. IU football has historically struggled, holding the record for the most losses in college football history. But coach Cignetti told him something powerful: "I'm going to turn you into the best Fernando Mendoza you can possibly be." Mendoza trusted his coach and worked hard to do whatever he was told. It's an inspiring story that reminds us of another young leader who came from obscurity to lead a nation: Joshua.
Joshua would become one of the greatest leaders of Israel, but before that happened, he faithfully served Moses as his assistant. Joshua worked in the background, quietly watching and learning. Like Mendoza, Joshua trusted his coach and did whatever Moses told him to do.
We're in a series about the giants of the faith—men and women of the Old Testament and New Testament who did great things for God. The remarkable thing about these men and women is that there's nothing extraordinarily special about them. They're not unusually talented beyond what we can experience. They're not necessarily gifted more than we're gifted. The difference maker is that they trusted God. They put their faith in God and stepped out. That's why these heroes of the faith can have such an impact on our lives and our faith.
Joshua was a courageous leader with unwavering trust in God. His life was so full of accomplishments that it's hard to cover everything in 30 minutes. But let me mention just a few examples:
In Exodus 33, when everyone else leaves the tent of meeting, Joshua stays behind in the presence of God.
In Joshua 3, he leads the Israelites across the flooded Jordan River. As the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant place their feet in the water, the river stops flowing upstream, allowing the people to pass over safely on dry ground.
In Joshua 6, God tells Joshua to lead the people in a march around the city, which leads to the miraculous collapse of the walls of Jericho.
In Joshua 10, during battle, Joshua prays and the sun and moon stand still, allowing the Israelites time to defeat the Amorites. Scripture tells us there was no day like it where God listened to a man in this manner—he made the sun stand still in the sky for 24 hours.
In Joshua 24, when Joshua gives his final address, he makes that incredible declaration:
If you don't want to serve the Lord, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshipped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. Or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we'll serve the Lord.
That's a declaration we need to make, especially as we stand before our families and the people we rub shoulders with day in and day out. As for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord.
When God puts an opportunity in front of you, listen carefully: you don't rise to the occasion, you actually fall back to your preparation. You fall back to the truths you learned about God, to the spiritual habits that you created, to the faith that you developed in your life—all the things you've done to follow Christ.
So what are you doing to grow your faith? Do you spend time in prayer? Do you spend time in God's word? Are you intentional when it comes to trusting God? What spiritual habits have you created in your life that prepare you for the opportunities that God brings your way?
Another thing we learn from Joshua is that God often does his deepest work in us before he ever does his greatest work through you. More than anything else, God just wants your heart. Friends, God loves you. He has a wonderful purpose and plan for your life. But until he has your heart, he will not be able to do anything of spiritual significance through you.
Moses led 2 million plus Jewish people out of Egyptian bondage to the threshold of the promised land. But instead of going in and taking what God said was theirs, they allowed fear and unbelief to hold them back. For the next 40 years, they literally wandered around the wilderness griping and complaining and wanting to go back to Egypt, wanting to go back to slavery.
You read that story and think, "What is wrong with these people?" After all the miracles they witnessed God work—from the parting of the Red Sea to feeding them with manna from heaven to giving them water from a rock—how could they not trust God?
But before we get too judgmental, how many times has God proven his faithfulness to you and to me over and over again? And then the first time we find ourselves in a difficult situation, we quickly forget how faithful God is. We quickly forget God's faithfulness in our life. Instead of trusting him, we start griping and complaining and getting angry with him. Sometimes we get so angry we stop praying. Sometimes we get so angry we stop going to church, and we often end up wandering around aimlessly in a wilderness experience with no purpose and no plan.
I know you've been there. I know I've been there many times. A few weeks ago when I talked about Joseph, I mentioned my health experiences this last year with my lungs, heart, and kidneys. There were many times I was ashamed to admit—I was griping and complaining and murmuring, saying, "God, I don't get it. I don't understand why I have to go through this." I had to cancel speaking engagements. I had two cohorts where I trained pastors—both were full. I had to cancel both of them. I got frustrated. "God, I don't get it. Don't you care? I'm trying to do this for you, God. What's wrong? What's going on?"
Then I get past it and refocus on God and think everything is okay again and move forward with him. Then something else happens and I quickly forget God's faithfulness. Just this week I had to do a CAT scan to update them on my lungs. As I went in, the technician asked why we were doing this. I said I had a lobectomy and lung cancer. She said, "Oh my, so you're a smoker?" I said, "You know, I've never smoked a cigarette in my life." She said, "Well, that sucks to be you."
I got ticked—not at her, but as I laid there and went back to my car, I got angry at God again. I said, "Yeah, that's right God. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. This is not right." Guys, we're all guilty. We do the same thing the Israelites did. We gripe and complain and murmur because how quickly we forget the faithfulness of God.
The Israelites arrive at the border of Kadesh Barnea—the promised land. Moses sends in 12 spies to scout the land. When they return, it takes two men on a pole to carry one cluster of grapes—they were so large. They tell Moses: "It truly is a bountiful land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. But we can't go up against these people. They're stronger than we are. They're so big they're like giants. In fact, we felt like little grasshoppers."
Joshua and Caleb were like, "What are you talking about? It doesn't matter how big they are. We need to go in at once and conquer the land." But unfortunately, Joshua and Caleb were the only two willing to trust God. The rest of the spies were full of fear. Once again the people complained, blamed Moses, and wanted a new leader. They wanted to go back to Egypt.
Listen to this: It's often the very things that weaken our faith—the difficulties in our life, the struggles in our life—that God wants to use to build our faith. It's often the very things that we struggle with that God is actually wanting to use to help us grow.
Guys, God is not going to let you face this alone. He is not surprised by your troubles. God doesn't say, "Oh, gosh. I'm sorry. I didn't see that one coming" or "I was just taking a 10-minute nap. I'm sorry. I missed that." No, that's not God. He intends for these troubles to be tools to transform you, not destroy you. God doesn't cause the troubles in your life, but he uses them.
Listen carefully: Fear always sees the obstacles while faith sees God. Fear always sees the lower story—what's going right here in front of us. Faith sees the upper story—what's going on in the spirit realm.
Moses dies, and God raises Joshua up to lead the Israelites. He's an amazing leader, but the primary reason for his success was actually his love for God. He trusted the Lord and followed his instructions. He was quick to turn the attention of the people back to the God who loved them, back to the God who wanted to take care of them. Joshua oftentimes declared, "Our battle belongs to the Lord."
Fortunately, this new young generation of Israelites seemed to have recovered from their parents' lack of trust and disobedience. Instead of griping and refusing to follow God's instructions, this new generation was willing to trust the Lord and obey his instructions. That trust and obedience is exactly what God is looking for from you and from me.
Faith is trusting God even when you don't understand what's happening. "God, I don't get what you're doing right now. I really don't, but I trust you. And I recognize this battle is yours, God. It's not mine."
Charles Spurgeon once said, "To trust God in the light is nothing, but to trust him in the dark, now that's faith."
Because this young generation took a posture of faith, they saw God perform one miracle after another. Friends, please hear me: The same thing is true for you and me. A miracle is when God steps into your situation. You feel like you're at the end of your rope, you've hit a wall, you don't know what to do, and you pray—and God steps into your situation. That's a miracle.
If you want to see miracles in your life, then we have to be willing to trust him. The Bible tells us without faith it's impossible to please God.
Today I want us to look at the first few verses of Joshua 1. Joshua is asking a very important question that you and I both need to talk about: What does God want from me? Isn't that a question you would like answered in your life? If you're not asking that same question, you're obviously not serious about following the Lord. If you're a believer wanting God's best in your life, then you're asking that question: "God, what do you want from me?"
Now, some of these principles were specific to Joshua, but many of them are timeless and true for you and me.
After the death of Moses, the Lord's servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses' assistant, and he said, "Moses, my servant, is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I'm giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses. Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you. From the Negev in the wilderness in the south to Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live, for I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you."
God says to Joshua, "Moses is dead. Now, Joshua, it's time for you to step up and lead." More than likely, Joshua is hearing about Moses' death for the first time. It was probably devastating. Moses was a close friend, a mentor, a father figure. But now Joshua is being thrust into a leadership role that God has been shaping him for many years.
And I'm sure Joshua felt unworthy. I'm sure he felt overwhelmed. I'm sure he felt unprepared. Because, guys, I know that's what I feel every time God tells me he wants me to do something. Every time God whispers in my ear, I find myself thinking, "Oh, I can't do that. God, you need to get somebody else."
That's exactly what Moses felt. Moses is this mighty leader who trained Joshua, but if you go back to Moses' beginning when God says, "I want you to go to Pharaoh," Moses says, "No, you've got the wrong guy. I don't talk very good. You need to get somebody else."
You see, guys, I think everyone of us in this room struggles at times with insecurities. And often when God whispers in our ear and says, "I want you to go talk to that person. I want you to do this or that," we quickly say, "Oh God, not me. Find somebody else. I don't think I'm qualified." And many times we walk away from God's purpose or plan for our life because of fear. We walk away because of our insecurities.
Yet at the same time, God will never ask us to do anything that he won't first give us the ability to carry it out. God is not trying to embarrass you. God is not trying to make a fool out of you. When he calls you, he goes with you.
Please listen to this: There is simply no risk in answering God's call in your life. If he wants you to do something, he's going to prepare the way. He's going to provide an open door.
But Steve, what if it's hard? I'm sure it will be. What if I'm scared or intimidated? I'm sure you will be. If it wasn't hard and wasn't intimidating or scary, is it really faith? If you're going to do something and it's no big deal, does that take any faith? No. What takes faith is when it's something you say, "I don't think I can do that, but God, if you want me to do it, I'll be obedient."
Well, Steve, what if I fail? Then you know what? God promises to work all things together for our good. Even if things don't work out the way we thought they were supposed to, God's going to take this bad circumstance and he's going to begin to work those things together if we just trust him for our good. He didn't say everything will be good, but he said he's going to work it together for our good if we just trust him.
That's exactly why God wants to reassure Joshua that no one will be able to stand against him. God tells Joshua, "Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you." God wants to remind Joshua of his faithfulness. Guys, God is faithful. You've experienced it in your life. God is faithful.
I would encourage you—every morning when you get out of bed, just say that: "God, you are faithful."
When things don't work out the way we expect, it's easy to feel lost or alone. Sometimes we even want to quit or give up entirely. But God makes us a promise in His Word: He will never abandon you. In Hebrews 13, Scripture says, "Don't love money, be satisfied with what you have, for God has said, I will never fail you, I will never abandon you."
Because of this promise, we can say with confidence: "The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?"
God tells Joshua three times: "Be strong and courageous." Why does He repeat this? He's trying to reassure Joshua, but more importantly, He wants Joshua to understand there's a part he has to play. God says, "I'll be with you, Joshua. I have my word. But I need you to step up, and I need you to be strong, and I need you to be courageous."
There are over 7,000 promises in God's Word that are true for you and for me. But here's the critical truth: Every one of those promises has a prerequisite, except for one. The only promise of God that has no prerequisites is His love for you and me. God loves us, period. Nothing we can do or have to do. He just loves us.
But all the other 7,000 promises have a prerequisite. God's going to be faithful to do his part if you're faithful to do your part. God is always faithful to do His part. But are you faithful to do yours? A lot of times our failure is not because God didn't step up, but because we didn't.
Why does God want us to be strong and courageous? Because it signifies faith. When you are strong and courageous, you are confident and bold because you trust God.
Maybe God is asking something of you:
Yes, these things are difficult. They scare us. But faith says, "I know it's difficult. I know it's scary, but I trust God."
The most frequent command in Scripture is "fear not." In 2 Timothy 1, Paul writes: "For God has not given us the spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." We're able to demonstrate courage when we're fully aware of God's presence in our life. If you know that God's got your back, you can walk in confidence and boldness.
One of the reasons we give in to fear is because we focus on the problem instead of focusing on God. Imagine your four fingers represent all the struggles in your life, all the troubles. We have a tendency to put them right in front of our face. And what that does is blur everything else. Now we can't fully clearly see God because these are in the way.
We have to be intentional and say, "Nope, I'm focusing in on God. He is my strength. He is my refuge." When you put your attention there, all of a sudden these don't go away. They're still issues in your life, but you're more courageous, you're more bold because you know that God has your back. When we focus on the problem, everything always seems bigger than it really is. Everything always seems more catastrophic.
God tells Joshua to stick with the plan. He says, "I don't want you to turn to the right or to the left. I want you just to stay focused on my plan." God has given us an instruction manual. He didn't leave us to wander around aimlessly trying to figure this thing out. He gave us an instruction manual—the Word of God.
God says, "If you want to be successful in life, you need to follow that plan. You need to study that book continuously. You need to meditate on it day and night, so you will be sure to obey everything that is written in it."
So the question for us is: Are you taking the Bible seriously? Do you read it? Do you study it? Do you believe it? Do you memorize it?
The Bible is described in Scripture as light, offering us wisdom and direction. In Psalms 119, it says, "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path."
Listen, when Christians are not in the Word of God, we are like a fireman trying to put out a house fire with a squirt gun. We're just not very effective, and we're easily discouraged and defeated. If you're feeling defeated and discouraged as a Christian, then most likely it's because you're not in the Word on a regular basis. We need to constantly be reminded of the truth of God's Word. We need to constantly be reminded of His promises and that He has our back.
A recent study by Barna and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that in eight different areas, the majority of Americans and emerging Christians lack beliefs consistent with a biblical worldview. Most of these categories showed little to no biblical alignment.
You've got Christians and believers that do not understand what Scripture teaches, and so they end up with a mixed-up worldview—a little bit of Scripture, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. We're basing our value system on what the world teaches us instead of what Scripture teaches us.
Satan knows that if he can keep you out of the Word, he can confuse your values. He can overwhelm you with fear and worry. He can ultimately destroy your faith. If you're serious about your faith, then you need to understand what the Word of God teaches. It'll challenge you. It'll help guide you into God's will for your life. It'll convict you of sin in your life. It will define your worldview.
People often say, "Steve, I'm trying to discover God's will for my life." The answer is simple: Get in the Word of God. God speaks to us through His Word. If you know the truth of God's Word, it'll keep the enemy from lying to you.
Jesus told us in John 10: "The thief, Satan, is out to steal, kill, and destroy." You're no different than anyone else. The devil has one goal for you, and that's to destroy your life. How's he going to do it? The number one way he does it is by lying to us. If he can convince us of a lie, we'll move in the wrong direction. We'll respond in the wrong way.
Once you're grounded in Scripture, you'll have no problem understanding that your identity is found in Christ. Your identity is not found in what you do for a living. We get so confused on that. "I'm a doctor. I'm a teacher. I work for a landscaping company." Your identity is not defined by what you do.
If you are a believer, a follower of Christ, your identity is: you are a child of God. That's who you are. When you really begin to understand that, it'll begin to change your reference point. It'll begin to change the way you think. It'll begin to change your value system.
As a child of Christ, you're fully forgiven, a new creation. You're no longer defined by your past failures. When you understand your identity as in Christ, you will be secure in your faith and strong and courageous as a believer.
Let me ask you a question: What opportunity are you not pursuing because it seems difficult, because it seems scary? What God-given dream are you abandoning because someone said to you that you weren't qualified? What version of your future are you settling for because you're not willing to be strong and courageous?
Of course, the real hero of our story is not Joshua. It's the God who called him. It's the God who guided him and forgave him. It's the same God who calls you and me, who guides us and forgives us. It's the same God who loves us and has a purpose and plan for our life.
If you know Him, if you profess to be a follower of Christ, then it's time to love Him. It's time to trust Him. It's time to be obedient to Him, to follow Him. It's time to take your relationship with Him seriously.
If you've been wrestling with what we've discussed today—about stepping forward in faith, about trusting God, about becoming strong and courageous—there's a foundational step you may need to take first.
You need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This isn't about religion or going through the motions. It's about genuinely committing your life to Him as your Savior and Lord.
If you're ready to do that, here's what that looks like. Pray this prayer sincerely, from your heart:
Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I failed you. I know I've disappointed you. I ask you God to forgive me of all my sins, to come into my life as my savior and as my lord. Thank you God for loving me. Thank you God for forgiving me. And now, Lord, I commit the rest of my life to loving you and serving you. In Jesus' name.
If you mean business with God, He promises in His Word that He will not only forgive you of your sins, but He will literally come into your life and take up residence in your heart. This is the most important prayer you will ever pray in your life.
For those who have prayed this prayer today: your sins have been forgiven. God loves you. And He has made Himself real in your life in a way that will sustain you through every challenge, every fear, every uncertain moment ahead.
