Be Strong and of Good Courage

You gentlemen may take your coats off if you like. Because we’re going to go to work in the Word. I like for you to take your Bible tonight and turn to the book of Joshua. Joshua chapter 1.

Now after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, -- Joshua 1: 1

Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people unto the land which I do give to them even to the children of Israel. -- Joshua 1: 2

Those words are some of the heavy words in the Old Testament. Here was a man who was assigned to take over the position of someone who had led the children of Israel for some 40 years. A man unto whom God made known His ways and only His acts unto the children of Israel. A man with whom God walked, God talked. A man who talked to God in behalf of the children of Israel. Time and time again. How would you like to have been in Joshua’s shoes? No thanks. Not me. No sir. Not after all of those 40 years of leading the children of Israel and all the opportunities Moses had with them. To keep them in line, to keep them from all getting killed and everything else. If God said to me if I’d a been Joshua, I think I’d would run the other way as fast as I can go. Because where are you going to find a man to fill the shoes of the great man called Moses? That’s a real difficult thing to do. Let me bring you up a little bit by taking you back to Exodus and showing you this man Moses.

In Exodus chapter 3, it says in verse 2. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and behold the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto [Moses] him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. – Exodus 3: 2

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great site, why the bush is not burnt. -- Exodus 3: 3

And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called him out of the midst of the bush. Had Moses not turned aside to see what was going on, God never called him. It says and when the Lord saw, when the Lord saw, that Moses was ready to listen. That Moses turned aside to see what this was all about. Then God spoke to him. Isn’t that something? When the Lord saw, when the Lord saw that he turned aside, then he spoke. When the Lord saw that you would listen to His Word, then He taught you to greatness of God’s Word. He didn’t do it before. That’s what I want you to see. You read it 100 times and then you don’t see these things. When the Lord saw, that he turned aside to see, God called him. When the Lord saw that you would turn aside to hear God’s Word, then He called you. Then He brought you into classes that delivered you, gave you a knowledge of God’s Word. Set you on your high places. Gave you answers where formally you just messed around. He did the same to Moses. Called him out in the midst of the bush and he said Moses, Moses, and he said here am I. Boy, that’s tremendous. God called him and Moses said okay, here am I.

Most of the people argue with God. We’ve got people in the Way Ministry who sat through the foundational class four times and still want to argue with it. That’s right. We got people still not convinced there’s one God. How long does it take to waiver between two opinions? If God be God and His Word be His Word, we have to take a stand for it. And unless we take a stand for the integrity and accuracy of God’s Word, there’s no hope. Because anybody could killy paddle, dilly daddle, poodle doodle and anything else around it. But the Word. The Word has to be taught and it cannot be taught until people like you, come aside, see what God has and then put on the mind of God and you just say what the Word says. That’s right. Bless your old heart. Like ya’. But He said Moses, Moses and he said here am I. Moses sold out. He really came to it. Watch this thing. And he said. Draw not nigh hither, but put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on thou standest is holy ground.

And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. -- Exodus 3: 5

The reason it was holy ground is because God was there and His Words were there. Wherever God’s Word is, is always holy ground. That’s the Word which is magnified above all His name. God says get the shoes off of your feet, Moses. For the place whereon you stand is holy ground. Moreover He said I want to tell you I’m the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, I’m the God of Isaac, I am the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God. He hid his face simply because he couldn’t stand the effulgence, the brightness of the flame which indicated the presence of the power of God. Sometimes the Word gets that glorious for us.

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, in the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God. -- Exodus 3: 6

You get to the greatness of that Word and that Word just blossoms, it just glows. It’s like some of the Corps kids said this morning. It just turned them on, it set them free, it made them so effervescing they could hardly stand it. That’s what happened that day to Moses.

And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters: for I know their sorrows: -- Exodus 3: 7

Certainly the Lord is hearing the cry of hungry people across the world again this day. We got people all over the world religiously trying to make bricks without straw. They’ve got taskmasters over them saying look, you got to do it this way, you got to do it that way. You gotta burn this candle at a certain time, you got to kneel at a certain time, you got to bring your offering. Same bunch of taskmakers, only different names on them. And Jesus Christ came to set men and women free. According to Galatians, the Word of God says, Christ is the end of the law to everyone that believeth.

In that day the Lord God called Moses so that they can be set free out of Egypt from their taskmasters because He knew the sorrow of his people.

And I am come down to deliver them, out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, the Hitt0ites, the Amorites, the Perizzits, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. -- Exodus 3: 8

He is going to pull them all out and give the land back to God’s people because these birds stole it from them in the first place. God gave it to Israel, the children of Abraham in the first place, the rest of these usurpers came in and took it. Now God said to Moses, you go on back there with the children of Israel, we’re going to get back what I gave to my people to begin with.

Now therefore, behold the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? -- Exodus 3: 9 – 11

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. -- Exodus 3: 14

And Moses said unto the Lord, my Lord, I haven’t graduated from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Kansas University or New Knoxville high school. I’m not eloquent. One of the old texts reads I’m thick of tongue. Neither here to for nor sense thou has spoken unto thy servant, but I’m slow of speech and slow of tongue. Lord said unto him, who makes man’s mouth? Who makes the dumb to speak, the deaf to hear, the blind to see? Have not I the Lord done this? Therefore, what’s the matter with your tongue, Moses? Now therefore go and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say. Isn’t that beautiful? He said to Moses, go, go, go. That’s always the word. Somebody’s got to go and when you start going then God fills in the little particles in between. When we begin to act on God’s Word, then God goes into action to fulfill it. Go, and I’ll be with thy mouth, so forth.

Talking then in verse 15 about Aaron, his brother, Mose’s brother. Thou shall speak unto him Moses and he’ll put words in Aaron’s mouth. And I will be thy mouth Moses and with Aaron’s mouth, we’ll teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth and thou shalt be to him in the place instead of what? God. Moses was like God to Aaron, Aaron was like a prophet to the children of Israel. And he spoke God’s Word. Now that Moses led those children of Israel for some 40 years. And then one day, Moses died. And someone had to replace him. It says in the chapter just proceeding the book of Joshua, the 34^th chapter of Deuteronomy, it says in verse 9, and Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom. He was full of the spirit of wisdom indicating that that was his long suit. That is what he was real adept at. For Moses had laid his hands upon Joshua and the children of Israel hearkened unto him and did as the Lord commanded.

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. -- Deuteronomy 34: 9

Look at verse 10:

And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. -- Deuteronomy 34: 10

Oh, what a statement. You see the Lord walked with him and He talked with him. The Lord gave him instructions, told him what to do, told him how to do it. Then he declared it to the children of Israel and the children of Israel got the results of it when they believed. There arose not a prophet in all Israel like Moses whom the Lord knew face to face.

But one day that man died and what a day that must have been. How the hearts of the people must have been torn asunder to think that this, the greatest prophet, up until the coming of John the Baptist and then of course the greatest of them all, our Lord and Savior. Just no one ever equaled this man. And these verses in Joshua are simply astounding. After the death of Moses, the servant of who? It came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Mose’s, minister, one of his assistants, one who worked with Moses through the years. Wasn’t some neophyte, not some fledgling, not someone who just finished the class yesterday. It was someone who had proven his ability to stand through the years. It was one who was not afraid. He was a man who along with other men could infiltrate through the enemy lines. Spend a night or two at Rahab’s house. Bring back the tokens from the land of Israel showing that it was a land flowing with milk and honey.

Joshua was not some little old nimcummpoop. He wasn’t someone who did not have any intestinal fortitude. Nor did he lack intelligence. He was a wise man, one who had disciplined himself, one who had worked. He perhaps had gone through the Waycorp for 40 years instead of two. And when he sat under Moses, Moses was not some little old wash rag kind of a man. I want to tell you that everybody run out every time they felt like it. Moses was a man of God. He took a stand and he said thus saith the Lord. Time and time again, the Old Testament, they looked at it and they said we don’t like it. Moses said I don’t care if you like it, thus saith the Lord. Well you don’t like it and he said, shut up, thus saith the Lord.

All through that Old Testament. Right. Joshua was also filled with the spirit. How can a man operate in God’s Word without being full of the spirit today? My goodness. Until you operate all nine manifestations of the spirit, you are just hung up. You haven’t got anything to say to our day and time. You’re too incapacitated to even hang around the place and look at it. It’s when men and women are born again filled with the spirit and operating the nine manifestations of the spirit that you have the power of God in manifestation in our day and in our time. Then comes that second verse. Moses my servant is what? Imagine that. All of that which I have read plus many other things. Finally, God says to Joshua Moses my servant is what? Dead. Moses my servant is dead. With all the greatness of Moses, everything else that he had done for over 40 years, this time had come when he was what? Dead. He could no longer lead, he could no longer help. And what He was saying to Joshua is… Joshua, Moses is dead. You can’t run along on his laurels, on his steam or on his power. That’s over with. He is dead. Moses, my servant, is dead. Now, now, it’s always that eternal now when God says now. Now, now, therefore, now therefore you arise, arise. But before you can go, you’ve got to get up. You’ve got to get some get up and go. Right. If you’re going out to the courtyard after a bit, someone’s got to get up to go out the courtyard. Moses my servant is what? Arise, arise, arise, get up He said. Secondly, go.

And He said go over this Jordan. That Jordan was an opportunity. Flood stage, your other little item and a whole bunch of enemies on the other side. Right. They had all of their bayonets in position. All their machine guns. They had all of their F 38’s or P 27’s whatever it is, all set and ready to pounce on them. God says, arise, go. Ladies and gentlemen you and I got to take that Word and we got to put it right in the teeth of the enemy. Drive it in to him. We’ve got the first of all get up. Then we got to move. And ladies and gentlemen, the enemy is out there waiting to pick you off. But you pick him off with God’s Word. Nothing equals the power in that God’s Word because it’s the Word of God, it’s the love of God, it’s the power of God, it’s the energy of God. It’s everything God is. It’s His Word. And so we arise, take that Word and we go. That’s what he told Joshua. Arise. Go. Thou and all this people unto the land which I do give to them.

Verse three:

Every place that the sole of your foot shalt tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said [I do when I talked to] unto Moses. – Joshua 1: 3

Every place that the soul of your foot shalt tread upon, I have given, have I given. What was still future, God already put in the past when he talked to Joshua. How would you like to have been a real estate dealer that morning? Or any other morning. And God says to you every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon in Florida, I have already given. We’d have some valuable property by tomorrow night. That goes for every other state. Imagine that. Every place God said to Joshua, every place that the sole of your foot, the children of Israel shall tread upon, I have, past tense, already given. God, many times, puts in the past what’s in the future because he knows when you and I walk, it’s all settled. We’re already seated in the heavenlies. What you stewing about? Why don’t you get to cracking for God, get to walking with God’s power? We’re already up there. Take a look at it from a higher altitude. Look down at the situation below and you don’t get discouraged and frustrated, full of fear, afraid of the enemy. Who is that enemy? I never heard of him. That’s right. Starts with an A but as far as I’m concerned, his name is D. the adversary is D - nothing. Nothing. Why? Because of the Word. This Word is that power of God but they haven’t seen it in our day and time. They’re just beginning and the reason they’re beginning is because some of you have enough of God’s Word in you accurately that you can arise and you can go and you can carry God’s Word. And you can again say like the prophets of old “Thus saith the Lord”. You can say it because when you say what the Word of God says, is to do as good tonight as it was the first time it was spoken. It still is thus saith the Lord because the Word is always an internal now. He said he was going to do this for Moses.

All the way from the wilderness, Lebanon unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all of the land of the Hittites, and the great sea towards the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. -- Joshua 1: 4

From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and on to the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. -- Joshua 1: 4

Look at verse five. There shall not any man, with all of their ability, class, there shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of their life. Can you imagine the electrical thrill, the excitement, the joy that went through Joshua’s heart when Moses was dead and God said to him, I want to tell you Joshua, nobody is going to be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, I am with you, your full of the spirit, get out there Moses, just arise and go. You just say it, I’ll fulfill it. No man is going to be able to stand against you all the days of your what? As I was with Moses, so I’ll be what? I will not fail thee nor for what? Amen.

There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. call I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. -- Joshua 1: 5

Have you ever seen any of God’s promises fail? I‘ve failed Him but I’ve never seen God’s Word to fail. And wherever I’ve walked on God’s Word believed God’s Word, I’ve gotten the results of God’s Word.” Because God’s not only able but He’s willing to fulfill what He’s promised in His Word. He he’s not a piker. Right. He is God Almighty who created the heavens and the earth. And the same God is the God that’s in our presence tonight. The same one that was with Moses and with Joshua. Then what are you afraid of? Man oh man. I will not fail thee nor what?

Be strong, be strong, verse 6. Be what? And of good courage. For unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I sware unto their fathers to give to them.

Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. -- Joshua 1: 6

Then he reiterates in verse 7.

Only be thou strong and what? Very courageous. He didn’t say in this verse be courageous, he said you be courageously courageous. Very courageous. That thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left. In other words, shoot straight. Tell it like it is. Lay it on the line Joshua. Don’t turn to the right or to the left. Whenever you compromise one iota of God’s Word, you no longer have the Word left. It’s either God’s Word or it isn’t. When we compromise one iota of that Word, we no longer have the Word left because we’ve turned either to the left or to the right. We’re off of it. Turn neither to the left or the right that thou mayest prosper - be sharp, wise, whithersoever thou goest.

Only be strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. -- Joshua 1: 7

Furthermore, verse 8.

This book of the law, the commandments and all those things that he talked to Israel about, he said to Joshua the Law shall not depart out of their mouth. But thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. -- Joshua 1: 8

How that speaks to our time. Translated over into Ephesians. Let that Word of God address to the church. Be in your mouth. Never anything but the Word. Meditate on that Word of God day and night. Observe to do what the Word says. Corinthians said I would ye all speak in tongues. This is a commandment of God, it says. And yet Christian people, so-called Christians all over the world will argue with God. Class, you can’t argue with God, he’s God Almighty. He created the heavens and earth. I quit arguing with God. I believe God’s Word – try it out. See for yourself that He’s still a deliverer. See for yourself that He is still a God of power, a God of forgiveness, a God of love, a God of tenderness. A God who tells us in the Word what it’s all about. And if we walk that way, our way will be prosperous. And we’re going to have real wise successful response.

Verse 9. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of what? Good courage. The third time God lays this on Joshua. First, he says Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise and go. Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon I’ve already given you. Be strong and have good courage. Be strong and be very courageous. Now he tells him after he told him to let the Word of God dwell in his mind and meditate on it day and night. Walk on it all the time. He reiterates by saying I have commanded thee, I, the I am, God I command thee. Be strong and of good what? Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. -- Joshua 1: 9

Isn’t that something? Christ in you the hope of glory. God in Christ, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Whithersoever thou goest, I will go. Wherever you go, God says He’s with you. What a wonderful time to live. What a wonderful time to be knowledgeable of this? That wherever you go, He is there. Because He is in you. That’s why he called us to be ambassadors. He gave us the Word. He gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Because we have to arrive and we have to go. Move out across the Jordan into the enemy territory where the unbelievers are, the God rejectors. Those people who do not even believe there’s a God much less know anything about Him. The best they know is spiritualism, at the best and that’s no answer, that’s copout - that’s devil stuff. Arise, go over the Jordan. I don’t care if it’s flood stage, walk on top of it. They won’t walk on top of it, put your tootsies in it, let Him move it to the side. Did it once, he can do it again, right? Spiritually people, this is the greatest hour the world has ever seen. An hour when men and women dare to believe God’s Word in all of its integrity, in all of this greatness. Specifically in the light of that which is addressed to the body of the church and walk with that love and with that power. Blessing God’s people every place and blessing the unbelievers because God’s in us. Every place where you walk, you’re going to bless people even to those who hate God. Because you’re there and the love of God is there and the glory and the peace and the majesty of God and ladies and gentlemen, that cannot help but bless even the unbelievers. Therefore, be strong and very courageous, be not dismayed, for lo whithersoever thou goest, I will go. For the Lord thy God is with me.

Class, Moses was a servant this way and a servant this way. He was servant to God in a perpendicular relationship and a servant to Israel on an horizontal level. God said to him all of these things that I have read to you. Certainly God has not done less for us. For the Word says we are His Son. We are Sons of God born again of His seed. When we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, believe God raised him from the dead, we were saved. Filled with Christ in us, the hope of glory. Making us sons of God this way, Abraham was only a servant. You and I are sons of God this way and servants to our fellow man on a horizontal plane. Ladies and gentlemen this is an hour, this is a time when certainly we can again say, let us go forth. For it is God who is in us working to will and to do his good pleasure that we are more than conquerors. We have a life that’s more than abundant. Be not afraid. Be not discouraged. For I the Lord thy God am what? With thee.

Ended with a prayer

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