Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on JOSHUA: Culture of Courage, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Sin and Salvation
Last week if you sum that up in one word it would be a study on vision and it is so exciting to get. Vision for a church it's exciting as a pastor to give vision and it's exciting for you to hear that your life was created.
- For a purpose and God wants you to have a vision and an insight into that one of my favorite quotes remember it's true.
- From season to season of your life Mark Twain says the two most important days of your life are the day that you were.
- Born and the day that you figure out why and what he's saying is there's a moment where you're gonna understand a little bit.
- Into what you were made for and that's really what's happening in the life of Joshua in this season of the people of God.
Verse 2 really sums up last week's message it says Moses my servant is dead now therefore to Joshua arise go over this Jordan. River the river that separates the wilderness from the promised Moses is dead but the mission continues go take the promised land cross the.
Family Discipleship
Divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to give to their fathers you're gonna give it to them only be strong and. Very courageous the promised land is the vision what is implemented now in the word of the Lord to Joshua is that he's not.
- Only going to lead in vision he's gonna lead in culture is what you do every day and he'll go on to say in.
- Verse 8 that you should meditate on the book of the law don't depart from your mouth meditate on it day and night be.
- Strong and courageous in a daily meditation morning and evening this is who you have to be to get where you're going here's why.
- This is so important in your life you will hear messages about the vision that you are supposed to grab hold of for what.
God has for you were created for good works that you should walk in them in Christ Jesus there is a plan and a. Purpose of your life it's a vision that God wants to give to you through his word that's true of your life it's true.
Hope in Suffering
Have a healthy body does anyone have felt that vision it's like man I'm gonna just go for it in December because when January. Gets here I have a vision of the beach body and that vision is it's so nice I can see what I'm gonna be. You get the vision when you scroll your feed and so many people are marketing to give you that vision that you can be. Healthy again and I love that vision except for the fact that vision actually gets swallowed alive by culture because if you're someone who. Has a vision for the healthy body which you should have it's good the Bible says Psalm 90 we get 70 or 80 years. Let's go for 80 let's hope for that let's live our lives so that we can extend make the most use of the time. And the window that we have to live for God we can be healthy but it's not enough to have vision what has to. Happen in January is you have to change your daily life and what happens so often is we all learn the lesson that vision. Is great but culture is greater because by February the vision didn't work we still sleep in we still go to bed whenever we. Want we still eat what we want we still go to the gym when we want which is never except for the first week. And then we realize that as much as that vision was nice that the culture behind it didn't do anything to change us now. That's actually also true of a church it's true of what we are doing now to get so excited for the open door of. Ministry that God is calling us to the generational work doesn't stop with new leadership praise the Lord there's a generational pass off and. The Mission Continues God has an open door for ministry in this day in this age in this city the vision for that is. Exciting but what's our culture like what does it mean for us to actually live out the vision that God has given us and. So what we'll have to do as much as we talk about vision we also have to slow down and say now what does. It look like to meditate on this day and night to live it out in each other's lives to be a church that has. A culture that points to vision because I.
Grace and Justification
Can give you a preview of our vision in fact it's written right on your bulletin when you walked in you should have got. Our new fall bulletin and with it came for now this is a scratch the surface preview of vision right here we have four. Words that we can use as objectives to the vision that we would like to accomplish as a church under the grand vision which. Is why we exist to glorify Christ and allow his glory to shine through us to the unreached parts of our city in the. World here's some objectives to get there here's some vision we can gather together to glorify Christ together that's what we're doing this morning. Part of a vision of a church is just to be together weekly to build on the foundation of His Word and then what. If we really objectively had a vision to grow together beyond Sunday to grow into deep and meaningful relationships with each other what if. We allowed the community that God wants to build on us to go beyond shaking each other's hands on Sunday what does it look. Like to grow in discipleship and community and really know what the gifts of the Spirit look like activated beyond a sanctuary that's a. Great vision give to the city we want to be a church that makes an impact remember the challenge last week what if our. Church wasn't here who would feel it we want to be a church that shines the glory of Christ so brightly that if our. Lights went out everybody would notice because we're taking a little bit of God's glory and we're giving it to some people who need. It in the form of kindness and love and patience or a warm meal or a bit of encouragement visiting somebody who's lonely at. A nursing home what are we doing to give to the city there's a vision for that and then finally maybe the most bold. One and that's why it's in bold the darkest color on the page what would it look like for us to have a church. That wasn't just thinking about our Sunday gathering in our own personal community or the corporate community that we're forming what would it look. Like to look at the unreached places of our world and believe that God could use some of us to go and to spread. His glory there those are fourth objectives that I would.
Repentance and Renewal
Love to we're at a 30,000 foot in the plane what does it look to land the plane of vision down there now vision. Is great but what's our culture it doesn't matter how excited we get about these four objectives or it doesn't matter how well we. Can craft the vision and organize it are we a culture that responds beyond the gather are we a culture that wants to go. To relationship with one another are we a culture that cares about our city are we a culture that cares about our world these. Are all questions that will be tested in and the culture of all of this when God gives vision there's something inside of you. That feels fearful every one of this can be scary it can be scary to commit to people in community it can be scary. To step out in faith to do outreach to preach the gospel you may feel inadequate it can be scary to uproot your life. And allow God to send you wherever he has fit wherever there is fear it is now time to replace it with a culture. Of courage that's a commitment that we must make as a church in step by step we have to build a culture that matches. The vision it will not happen through one Sunday I promise you that what we have to do is we have to realize when. We're reading something like the the command of God for Joshua to be courageous we realize that has to be part of the. Culture that we're building and as we study the word and we go week to week from vision to culture will find more will. Find culture commitments that we can make in the form of forgiveness in the form of prayer in the form of welcome miss and. How we bring people into this gathering how we send people out what is the culture of this church going to be and we. Have to study this because before Joshua goes with vision the Lord speaks to him about who he is every day and every night. As a leader that leads practically through the way that the culture will be shaped from fear to courage from hesitation to move forward. To willingness to go across the river so what we're going to do this morning is look at three reasons that every single one. Of us who call Christ our Lord and Savior.
Faith and Obedience
And some of you who don't but I'm gonna invite you to three reasons that we have to stand firm and know that God's. Gonna call us to scary stuff and we're gonna look fear right in the face and we've got three reasons to be courageous we've. Got three reasons to be strong and to be bold and to do great things for the God who wants to reveal his greatness. To our generation and to do that I want a contrast this not only as we study Joshua but I also want to contrast. This as we study the generation of Moses the generation that didn't go into the promises of God the generation that held back mainly. Because they were afraid we're gonna study two cultures we study the culture of the promise that's courageous but we also have to study. The culture of wilderness that is so afraid that it can't move forward and so to do that I'm gonna have you look at. That contrasting story from Moses into Joshua by turning to numbers chapter 13 in Joshua I want to share with you three reasons that. You have to step out in faith with courage for God in numbers we are going to look at three reasons that people found. To be afraid and I hope that you'll identify with some of these because just as I said this is a broad sermon some. Of you feel afraid right now some of you will feel afraid tomorrow it's only a matter of time before the call of God. Is matched with the fear of your life here's some examples of some key note fears that every one of us will feel we. See it in this generation that was unwilling to cross the Jordan to go to the promises and they died in the wilderness they. Died because of a culture of fear it starts in numbers chapter 13 the context being Moses gathering some leaders from the people and. Sending them into the Promised Land the mission of the promised land was first given to Moses to spy out and so he raises. Up some people to represent each tribe and they go into the Promised Land the land that God had given to Abraham and generation. A generation to generation he says this is the land you're gonna have these spies come back and they give a bad report now. We get a preview of what we're now studying in Joshua.
Faith and Obedience
And Caleb because they're willing to go and trust God but all the other spies that come back give a report of all the. Reasons that the people should be afraid it starts in verse 31 of Numbers chapter 13 but the men who had gone up with. Him with Caleb who's given a good report said we are not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than. We and they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out saying the land which we. Have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants this is a dangerous place you go into that land you're gonna get. Eaten alive and all the people who we saw are men of great stature in other words this is a dangerous land and the. Warriors over there that are protecting the land from people like us are giants they're Giants they're so big do you know how we. Feel we feel like grasshoppers in our own sight and we were in their side so all the congregation lifted up their voice and. Cried and the people wept that night there is a report given of all of the reasons to be afraid because when you spy. Out the land and sometimes when you look forward into the future in your life you don't see the promises of God as clearly. As you see the dangers of the place that you may be called - Giants devouring land in their sight were like grasshoppers they. Would just SWAT us away and we'll be killed now fear number one identified and it's something that every one of us have struggled. With and you're still struggling with it apart from Christ it is the fear of failure it is the fear that you're gonna step. Out to do something even it's from God he could be calling you to something he wants to use your life for such a. Time as this he's got a purpose that he would use you to give himself glory and yet there is a fear that it's. Not gonna work have any of you felt that the fear to step out in faith second fear that we identify in these people. It says all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation said to them if only now there's a. Phrase that you will find a lot when you face your fears.
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.