2. Let’s set the stage briefly…

3. Israel has just completed its punishment for failing to believe God…

4. …when Moses sent out the
12 spies into Canaan.

5. The punishment involved a
40 year wandering through the wilderness area…

6. …of modern day southern Israel as well as the desert wasteland of modern day Jordan, through Moab.

7. The punishment included the death of the entire adult generation

8. who witnessed the Exodus and failed to take the Promised Land…

9. …except Joshua & Caleb.

10. It is safe to assume that entire generation has now died and Moses is the final one from that group of Israelites to die…
a top Mount Nebo in Moab.

11. The Lord took Moses on top of Mount Nebo, across from Jericho, and showed him the entire Promised Land and then buried him in the valley.

12. Moses’ aid, Joshua, has been appointed as the leader of the Jewish nation and after 30 days of mourning for Moses, he is ready to take the Promised Land.

14. Life Lessons from Joshua.
Chapter 1

15. We are going to look at
8 Life Lessons
from Joshua Chapter 1.

16. 4 lessons will come from Joshua’s installment as the leader of the nation of Israel.

17. 4 lessons will come from God’s instruction to Joshua as the leader of the nation of Israel.

18. Joshua inherits
the nation of Israel.
1:1-6

19. After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. 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 am giving them.

20. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—from the Negev wilderness in the south to the 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.’

21. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live
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. “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.

22. Let’s see if we can gather
a few life lessons…

23. What qualified Joshua?

24. What prepared Joshua for this opportunity?

25. When the leader ahead of you goes down…
what will make you the most logical choice?

26. Joshua was
a believing spy.

27. Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us.
Numbers 14:6-9

28. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey
It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”
Numbers 14:6-9

29. The first thing that qualified Joshua to be the next leader of Israel was his belief in the promises of God.

30. Joshua really believed that God’s word was true and that
God would give Israel
the Promised Land.

31. When God scans the crowds for His next leader…
for the next person that He will use in incredible ways…

32. He looks for someone who is willing to believe what
He says…no matter the cost!

33. Action Step: In order to believe what God has said… we must know

34. Action Step:
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The more we apply ourselves to the Word of God the more we will see our faith grow.

35. 2. Joshua was
a warrior for God.

36. Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us… So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek.
Exodus 17:9-10

37. to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud
to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
Exodus 17:13-14

38. The second thing that qualified Joshua to be the next leader of Israel was his willingness to go to battle against the enemies of God.

39. When God scans the crowds for His next leader…
for the next person that He will use in incredible ways…

40. He looks for someone who
is willing to go to battle against sin & Satan and against the powers of the flesh and the world.

41. Action Step:
There are enemies waging war against our walk with God on every side. The warrior aggressively attacks those temptations, those lies, those sins.

42. 3. Joshua was
an aid to the leader.

43. Exodus 24:13 So Moses and his assistant Joshua
set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God.
Exodus 24:13

44. Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' assistant since his youth… Numbers 11:28

45. The third thing that qualified Joshua to be the next leader of Israel was his proximity to the previous leader, Moses.

46. All throughout the Pentateuch Joshua appeared to be right
at Moses side.

47. When God scans the crowds for His next leader…
for the next person that He will use in incredible ways…

48. He looks for someone who
is already doing the job. Someone who is already serving and leading.

49. Action Step:
Befriend a ministry leader and follow them around. Discover any and all ways that you could help them in their ministry.

50. Action Step: Many people aspire to lead, guide
or teach…but few are helping set
up chairs, take our trash and clean
up spills.

51. 4. Joshua was
a friend of God.

52. Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 33:11

53. The fourth thing that qualified Joshua to be the next leader of Israel was his personal
friendship with God.

54. It appeared that whenever
Moses was speaking with God, Joshua was there.

55. When God scans the crowds for His next leader…
for the next person that He will use in incredible ways…

56. He looks for someone who Someone who is walking closely to Him.
is a personal friend.
Someone who is walking closely to Him.

57. Action Step:
Talk with God daily, and moment by moment. Pray without ceasing.
Joshua seemed to always be dialoging with God.

58. God instructs
Joshua as the leader.
1:7-9

59. Let’s see if we can gather
a few life lessons…

60. What are the top things that God told Joshua
to be sure to do?

61. What might the top things be that God would
tell me to do?

62. Be strong and very courageous
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

63. Study this Book of Instruction continually
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

64. This is my command—be strong and courageous
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

65. God essentially tells Joshua four ‘simple’
things and says
them several times.

66. 1. Be brave.

67. The first thing that God tells Joshua to do is to be strong,
brave and courageous.

68. and being a leader of God’s people is risky & difficult
Being a servant of God
and being a leader of God’s people is risky & difficult
and there are a lot of scary times in store…

69. And God knows that we need to be strong and courageous, and trust in His power to lead us and get us through.

70. Action Step:
The best way to be brave is to lean on God’s power. Tell God that you cannot do it on your own and that you need Him to step in and help!

71. Action Step:
Being brave in a new situation often requires remembering how God helped get you through a similar situation in the past!

72. 2. Be obedient.

73. The second thing that God tells Joshua to do is to be obedient to His instruction.

74. Being a servant of God
and being a leader of God’s people requires being willing to obey God’s Word & instruction at all times.

75. The successful leader is one who keep his/her focus on the Lord and His instructions and attempts to live in line with God’s Word.

76. Action Step:
Being obedient requires knowing what God’s Word says about a particular thing and then having the willingness to follow the prescription.

77. Action Step:
Obedience often requires putting human logic and/or desire/plans to the side and being willing to pursue God’s plans.

78. 3. Be studious.

79. The third thing that God tells Joshua to do is to love and meditate on the Word of God.

80. Being a servant of God
and being a leader of God’s people requires loving & knowing the Word of God.

81. The successful leader is one who loves the truth and
can’t seem to get enough of God’s Word into their life.

82. Action Step:
Again, many people may aspire to be a leader or teacher etc but few aspire to study God’s Word daily, thoroughly & regularly etc.

83. Action Step:
The Word of God is the wind in the leader’s sails… if they are not studying the Word… the ship is standing still.

84. Action Step:
The Word of God is the fuel in the leader’s furnace… if they are not studying the Word… the fire is growing cold & dim.

85. Pray that the Lord would give you
Action Step:
We must schedule time
in the Word of God, daily.
Pray that the Lord would give you
a love for His Word.

86. documenting your study.
Action Step:
Keep a Bible journal,
documenting your study.

87. 4. Be encouraged.

88. The fourth thing that God tells Joshua to do is to fight fear
and discouragement.

89. Being a servant of God
and being a leader of God’s people can be very intimidating at times…and it can easily be discouraging.

90. The successful leader is one
who is able to draw on the encouragement that comes from knowing the Lord and is able to shake off discouragements.

91. We have the ability to choose what
Action Step:
We have the ability to choose what
we think upon/dwell on. We can choose to focus on the setbacks, the discouragements…

92. Action Step:
Or we can choose to focus on what God has promised to do and be for us. We can choose to focus on what is going right vs. what is going wrong.