Email Pastor Kenneth Humphries
Return to Pastor Humphries' Sermon Index Page
Ministry In The Book Of Joshua!
Reading Joshua Ch.1v1-18.
4b. Preparing Your People! V10-18.
Introduction:
God is instructing Joshua that the people needed a right conception of leadership! And they did! As do we all!
"Nothing grows under a Banyan tree." This south Indian proverb speaks of leadership styles. The Banyan is a great tree. It spreads its branches, drops air-roots, develops secondary trunks and covers the land. A full-grown Banyan may cover more than an acre of land. Birds, animals, and humans find shelter under its shade. But nothing grows under its dense foliage, and when it dies, the ground beneath lies barren and scorched.
The banana tree is the opposite. Six months after it sprouts, small shoots appear around it. At twelve months a second circle of shoots appear beside the first ones, now six months old. At eighteen months the main trunk bears bananas which nourish birds, animals, and humans, and then it dies. But the first offspring are now full grown, and in six months they too bear fruit and die. The cycles continue unbroken as new sprouts emerge every six months, grow, give birth to more sprouts, bear fruit, and die. Some leaders are like the Banyan trees. They have great influence and their ministries are widely productive and beneficial. However, they do not prepare for the transitions, which will allow for the emergence of other leaders. They only equip followers, not leaders. Layne A. Lebo.
Friends, whatever a leader is there is need of a right concept of leadership.
There's a wonderful story about a Chicago bank that once asked for a letter of recommendation on a young Bostonian being considered for employment. The Boston investment house could not say enough about the young man. His father they wrote, was a Cabot; his mother was a Lowell. Further back was a happy blend of Saltonstalls, Peabodys, and others of Boston's finest families. His recommendation was given without hesitation. Several days later, the Chicago bank sent a note saying the information supplied was altogether inadequate. It read: "We are not contemplating using the young man for breeding purposes. Just for work." Neither is God a respecter of persons but accepts those from every family, nation, and race who fear him, who have a right conception of leadership and will work for his kingdom. (Acts 10:34-35). Kathleen Peterson.
But then, not only do we need a right concept of leadership!
2. The People Need A Ready Commitment To Leadership!
In Exod. 24v13 we read!
"and Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went into the mount of God"
Here is Moses the Holy Man of God, going as was his custom to meet with God, and who is with him? Why Joshua! A Holy Man of God in the making!
And please hear me today dear folks, a Holy Man of God is an awesome weapon in the hands of a Holy God!
How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it is irresistible. If even 10 percent of the world's population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before a year's end? C. S. Lewis.
Although we become Christians instantaneously by faith in Christ, knowing God and developing faith is a gradual process. There are no shortcuts to maturity. It takes time to be holy. Erwin W. Lutzer.
Joshua is Moses minister and its evident he has a ready commitment to leadership. Although he is not the front man, he was committed to his role, he is committed to his leader, and he is committed to his God!
That I believe was his secret and the reason God chose him to take Moses place when the time came.
He was not committed to God for the sake of power, place, position, or popularity. God was his heavenly Lord and Master, therefore it was the only thing he could do, be committed!
He was not committed to Moses because of who he was or the position he occupied, no! Moses was his earthly Lord and Master, therefore there was nothing else he could do but be committed!
He was not committed to his role to gain favour with the people; in fact just the opposite is true. As a leader he came in for nothing but criticism and complaint.
That awful thing that keeps the people of God away from the blessing he so desperately wants to give even in this day!
Moses is committed to his role, to Joshua, to the work because he is committed to his God and he can do no other!
Folks, the reason many today will not get committed to the work of God is because, whether they like it or not, they are not committed to their Lord and Master. And there is nothing so frustrating, so futile, so fruitless in the work of God as going only half way.
That’s what this is all about in v12-14a. The Reubenites and the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh would not go into the land of blessing.
Oh! They would go in and fight along side their fellows but as soon as the battle was over and the land was in their possession the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh would return to the other side of Jordan.
They were determined to stay near the wilderness; they wanted in reality to be nearer to Egypt.
What a remarkable attitude! And remember they would not be passing over the Jordan dry-shod this time or the times following.
They were willing to risk their lives for the pleasures of Egypt.
We look on and say, tisk, tisk, what a foolish attitude!!
And yet beloved that’s the great danger we live in. Instead of entering into the full blessing of the Lord, we find ourselves wanting to stay nearer to the world and the things of the world, even though it may mean risking our own testimony. Risking the very eternal wellbeing of our children, risking the loss of reward at the Judgement Seat of Christ, risking like Ananias and Sapphira a hasty removal from this earth through death!
Like the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh we determine not to go all the way with God.
In the final years of our imprisonment, the North Vietnamese moved us from small cells with one or two prisoners to large rooms with as many as 30-40 men to a room. We preferred this situation for the companionship and strength we could draw from our fellow prisoners. In addition to moving us to new quarters, out captors also let us receive packages and letters from home. Many men received word from their families for the first time in several years. The improved conditions were a result of public pressure put on the North Vietnamese by the American public.
In our cell was one navy officer, Lt. Commander Mike Christian. Over a period of time mike had gathered bits and pieces of red and white cloth from various packages. Using a piece of bamboo he had fashioned into a needle, mike sewed a United States flag on the inside of his shirt, one of the blue pajama tops we all wore.
Every night in our cell, mike would put his shirt on the wall, and we would say the pledge of allegiance. I know that the pledge of allegiance may not be the most important aspect of our day now, but I can tell you that at that time it was the most important aspect of our lives.
This had been going on for some time until one of the guards came in as we were reciting our pledge. They ripped the flag off the wall and dragged
Mike out. He was beaten for several hours and then thrown back into the cell.
Later that night, as we were settling down to sleep on the concrete slabs that were our beds, I looked over to the spot where the guards had thrown Mike. There, under the solitary light bulb hanging from the ceiling, I saw Mike. Still bloody and his face swollen beyond recognition, Mike was gathering bits and pieces of cloth together. He was sewing a new American flag. Now that’s commitment! John McCain.
You say pastor you're asking a lot in this day and age!
Oh, no dear friend’s, not me! You see this is God saying, I want to give you the very best I can give you, but to receive it you in turn must give the very best you can give me!
Ah! Say, that’s a fair exchange, is it not? And listen folks, fair exchange is not robbery!
The essence of that commitment, love for my Lord and Master!
Jesus said, "I am come not to be served but to serve and to give my life a ransom for many."
Wherever you see Joshua, he's just like Jesus, always serving and always serving God through serving Moses.
Wherever we see Joshua he is in the company of Moses, Moses can't make a move but Joshua is there at his heel.
The extent of Joshua’s commitment to Moses is like that of the dying thief to Jesus. It is full, fixed, and final.
If this is God’s leader for his people I will look to him, I will listen to what he has to say and I will learn the ways of the Lord through his servant.
I care not what others say about him, I care not what others think of him, I care not what others do to him, I will remain loyal to him for in so doing I remain loyal to my Lord! You see, Joshua’s commitment to leadership comes through holy eyes. He sees Moses as a Holy Man of God, he sees this work as a Holy Work of God, and sees his calling as a Holy Calling from God!
And his commitment is full, fixed and final, there can be no going back, its forward gear all the way!
On the 25th July 1909 Luie Balariro flew the English Channel. Written up in all the papers, on the radio news program’s hailed as a great man because of his achievement. Why? Because he had made the attempt on nine previous occasions, and failed. In fact he had crashed each time and could easily have lost his life. But he refused to give in! Why? Because he was committed to carrying out the passion of his heart. When asked as to why he kept on trying such a dangerous feat, he replied, oh! Just for the wonder of conquering the air!
Maybe, dear Christian, we have lost the wonder of being Christians!
Gypsy smith, who was saved early in life and at the age of seventeen became an evangelist, died on a journey in true gypsy fashion, in his eighty seventh year.When he was eighty four someone asked him what was the secret of his freshness and joy in serving the Lord, oh, he said, I guess its because I have never lost the wonder of being a Christian!
Dear brother and sister, there ought to be in every Christian a sense of surprise and glad expectancy, this is our fathers world and anything can happen.
We should at all times be living on a miracle level, faith is not believing that God can, but that God will do wonderful things.
Do you know why the devil is getting so many Christian children today and dragging them away from the Lord?
Because people who have come out of Egypt, yes! But have refused to enter the land of Canaan, the life of blessing.
And those children are seeing nothing but a desert experience, in the home and in the heart! They see only dead as Old King Tut religion, dry as sand living, prickly as cactus relationships, and friends they keep wandering back to Egypt, to the world, for something a little bit taster, when they have need of seeing some reality. Have we lost the wonder of being Christians?
We get used to being Christians, we take it forgranted, and what we take forgranted we never take seriously and we lose the wonder.
We are working at it harder than ever, in some quarters today, but we are like shorn Samson's in thread-mills, going round and round in ever increasing circles and getting nowhere. Christian activity has become a battle of wits and a bussal of words these days. There was a time we stood amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, now we only want to sit and be amused.
Once we came to the house of God to be edified, now we will only come if we are going to be entertained. It’s all work and no wonder!
A passenger on a long train journey was so enthralled by everything he saw; every few minutes he was heard to say, wonderful, wonderful! Finally, overcome with curiosity one passenger asked, "how is, while the rest of us are worn out with monotonous trip you seem to be having the time of your life?"
Oh, said he that’s simple. Until a few months ago I was blind. I was blinded as a boy by a knock on the head. Then some time ago I was introduced to an eye specialist, after examination he believed he could do something for me and restore at least some of my sight.
Four months ago I had the operation and now I can see very clearly. What is ordinary to you is just out of this world to me!
Dear Christian, if the great physician has opened our eyes, if we have been to Siloam's pool and have come back seeing. If we have had the touch by which we no longer seen men as trees walking but as souls for whom Christ died, if all this has happened to us, why should we not make our way through this world singing.
Wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me, Counselor, Prince of peace Mighty God is he! What’s the extent of our commitment?
3. The People Need Rewarding Conquest Through Leadership! v14b-15a.
"But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them, until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God giveth them"
Only by desertion can we be defeated. With Christ and for Christ victory is certain. We can lose the victory by flight but not by death. Happy are you if you die in battle, for after death you will be crowned. But woe to you if by forsaking the battle you forfeit at once both the victory and the crown. Bernard of Clairvaux
It was June 18, 1815, The Battle of Waterloo. The French under the command of Napoleon were fighting the allies (British, Dutch, and Germans) under the command of Wellington. The people of England depended on a system of semaphore signals to find out how the battle was going. One of these signal stations was on the tower of Winchester Cathedral.
Late in the day it flashed the signal: "W-e-l-l-i-n-g-t-o-n---d-e-f-e-a-t-e-d- -." Just at that moment one of those sudden English fog clouds made it impossible to read the message. The news of defeat quickly spread throughout the city. The whole countryside was sad and gloomy when they heard the news that their country had lost the war. Suddenly the fog lifted, and the remainder of the message could be read. The message had four words, not two. The complete message was: "W-e-l-l-i-n-g-t-o-n- - -de-f-e-a- t-e-d- - -t-h-e- - -e-n- e-m-y!" It took only a few minutes for the good news to spread. Sorrow was turned into joy; defeat was turned into victory!
So it was when Jesus was laid in the tomb on the first Good Friday afternoon. Hope had died even in the hearts of Jesus' most loyal friends. After the frightful crucifixion, the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding had crept in on the friends of Jesus. They had "read" only part of the divine message. "Christ defeated" was all that they knew. But then on the third day--Easter Sunday--the fog of disappointment and
misunderstanding lifted, and the world received the complete message: "Christ Defeated Death!" Defeat was turned into victory; death was turned to life! James S. Hewett.
They needed to see conquest through leadership but there were some conditions laid down to be fulfilled. As indeed do all of us!
That is, there are physical boundaries, physical limitations and as with all of God’s people we must work within physical boundaries, physical limitations.
Now, understanding that, should drive us to do the only thing we know to do! Pray! Pray! And then pray some more!
In Exod.33v11 we read!
"And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend, and he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man departed not out of the tabernacle"
You see, the task Moses had to do amongst the people was a mighty one. He was going to lay before them, all that God had said and commanded the people to do, and Moses is only human!
And of course there will be those among the number who will not like one little bit what he has to say. There will be objections, and Moses is only human!
So Joshua decides he will stay alone in the presence of God and will intercede for Moses in this mammoth task.
For beloved that’s what it is when you're bringing the word of the Lord to God’s people, it’s a mammoth task. And of course there will be those there who will not like one little bit what you are saying and will in there own way let it be known that they don’t like your ministry. My word how the preacher needs intercessors to pray for him as he rehearses God's Word before the people. You see Moses had to face people like Dathan who despised Moses and disliked intently everything he said and let it be known in the camp. Do you know what God did? He just opened the ground one-day and Dathan and his whole family just disappeared into a hole in the ground. Read numbers 16v1-35. Psalm 105. Psalm 106 v17.
Now that’s not easy to take! Either the opposition displayed or the judgement that followed and the servant of God needs prayer!
And Joshua remained in the tabernacle to pray for Moses for he knew his limitations, he was only human!
And folks you and I are only human and if we are going to do anything for God that will count we will need to pray.
Somebody said to me the other day when I met them, pastor I did not get out the prayer meeting last night, I was deadbeat. Listen! Listen! And I don’t want to be cruel. But one of these days you’ll be just dead and some of your loved ones will be in a lost eternity because you were deadbeat. They will be dead and yet in a living torment because you were deadbeat. God help us! Waken up!
"From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast" Josh.1v4.
Listen beloved, God is specific in his boundaries! And you and I have been given certain boundaries, limits within which we must work.
And if we are going to be used by God then we need to know the boundaries God has set for us.
Far too many are involved in uncommanded work. Its not that the work is unbiblical, or unspiritual, or unscriptural, it is just that it is not God’s work for you. People will be involved in anything and everything but the work to which God has sent them.
I find a good many people are bothered by ... our Lord's words, "Be ye perfect." Some people seem to think this means "Unless you are perfect, I will not help you"; and as we cannot be perfect, then ... our position is hopeless. But I do not think he did mean that. I think he meant "The only help I will give is help to become perfect. You may want something less: but I will give you nothing less."
Too much is being done by too few and in order to do that the few are being stretched out of their boundaries, out of their God given limits. And they are becoming tired, exhausted, frustrated and even cynical.
Know your limitations and work within your limits and then God will be able to use us because we are doing things in God’s way not in the way others want us to, or that we fancy doing just because we like being involved in that particular work.
Just because its God’s work does not always mean its God’s work for you!
We desperately need to begin afresh to see things from God’s point of view.
As the philosopher’s say, ex/spec/ia/eteritus.
From the point of view of eternity!
Lee Iacocca once asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a winning team. The book Iacocca wrote records Lombardi's answer: "there are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs. Secondly, who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline, but still don't win the game. Then you come to the third ingredient: if you're going to play together as a team, you've got to care for one another. You've got to love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and saying to himself: 'if I don't block that man, Paul is going to get his legs broken. I have to do my job well in order that he can do his.'
"the difference between mediocrity and greatness," Lombardi said that night, "is the feeling these guys have for each other."
In the healthy church, each Christian learns to care for others. As we take seriously Jesus' command to "love one another," we contribute to a winning team. Christopher Stinnett.
Some years ago a journalist who was writing a feature article on large churches asked Dr. John MacArthur of Grace Community Church California, have you always been driven by a desire to build a large church. Hs replied!
"It was an unexpected question, but I answered immediately, "I have no desire to build a large church. None!"
The journalist, look at me quizzically and said, "I don’t understand that." I said, "Jesus Christ said he would build his church. I don’t want to be in competition with him."
Dr. MacArthur continues, I was not being funny. That is precisely my prospective on the church. I have to confess that if one desires to be faithful to Christ and his Word, there is no technique or system that will guarantee a large church.
Growth in the spiritual realm is like growth in the physical realm. It can be nourished and encouraged. We can do things to ensure healthy growth. But we cannot engineer true growth.
Nothing can make a miniature shrub grow as large as a giant redwood.
If some genetic technology could be found to make it happen, the result would be a monstrosity. The same is true in the spiritual realm. "Unless the lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it" Psalm 127v1.
Someone some months ago asked me the very same question, you preach as though you want to build a large church! I used Dr. MacArthur’s reply. I added, the church is a building of living spiritual stones and God wants to build them into a structure that will glorify him, and only he will build his church large or small as we respond to him. But be sure of this, he will only use living spiritual stones, he can use no other and he will use no other! I want to be a part of that building, don’t you?
One Sunday morning the Pastor encouraged his congregation to consider the potential of the church. He told them; "with God's help we can see the day when this church will go from crawling to walking."
The people responded, "let the church walk, Pastor, let the church walk."
He continued, "and when the church begins to walk, next the church can begin to run."
And the people shouted, "let the church run, Pastor, let the church run!"
The Pastor continued, "and finally the church can move from running to flying. Oh, the church can fly! But of course, that's going to take lots of commitment and money for that to happen!"
The congregation grew quiet, and from the back, someone mumbled, "let the church crawl, Pastor, let the church crawl." James S. Hewett.
It should be clear that the church is a supernatural work. Christ himself will build the church, not marketing know-how, not human cleverness, not church growth techniques, adds to the church, or causes its genuine growth, and blesses the church with health and vitality, only Jesus Christ can do that.
Numerical growth alone does not insure a healthy church. To be sure, growth is one of the signs of life, but size is no proof of God’s blessing or of a church’s spiritual health.
The signs of a godly, growing church are a people who are willing to work within the limitations laid out for us and who are willing to work within the limits God has given us!
In simple terms, a growing healthy church is a church whose people are available to God and who depend upon his ability to work through us!
If we can convince people that we are onto something that's full of joy, they'll stampede one another to follow us.
Email Pastor Kenneth Humphries
Return to Pastor Humphries' Sermon Index Page