All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn with me to the book of Joshua chapter one. Joshua
chapter one. The scripture declares in verse
one now, after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, he came
to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses'
minister, saying, 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. Moses has died, as all men must. But the Lord, by His Holy Spirit,
set forth the blessing that the Lord had bestowed upon this man
in his lifetime. The Scripture says Moses, verse
1, the servant of the Lord after the death of Moses, the servant
of the Lord. You know, truly, all men and
all women serve the Lord's purpose in the bringing about of the
salvation of God's elect. There's no doubt that God has
an elect. The scripture bears that out.
Ephesians chapter 1, the elect have got chosen in Christ from
before the foundation of the world. But to possess a heart
that truly desires to serve him, Moses, the servant of the Lord,
what a high and blessed calling. The unworthy sinners, and that's
what we are. We're just unprofitable servants,
sinners. Moses, according to Hebrews 3,
verse 5, was faithful. The scripture says, in all his
house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to
be spoken after. That means he was a servant which
in his ministry And Moses was a sinner. Men are born sinners. Now you
got some unregenerated sinners, then you got some regenerated
sinners. But they're all sinners. As long as we're in this world. This is our title, sinners. The apostle Paul said, of whom
I'm chief. But Moses was a servant. in his
ministry and the scripture declares found to be faithful as a testimony
to those things which would later be revealed. That is concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a faithful, faithful minister. But he died. He died. And the Lord has removed his
servant. But he's raised up another one.
whenever the Lord is pleased to maintain his word in a place,
and he doesn't have to. He can move the candlestick.
His word is gonna be proclaimed, there's no doubt about that.
But if the Lord's pleased to permit the candlestick of the
gospel to stay somewhere, he'll send another preacher. Well,
the scripture says after the death of Moses, The Lord spake
unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying... The thing I noticed, Joshua didn't
volunteer. Men don't volunteer for service. Not in God's service. God calls
them. God calls them. After the death
of Moses, The Lord spoke, and he had spoken to Moses about
Joshua prior to this. Hold your place, turn back to
Numbers 27. Numbers 27, just before Joshua,
Numbers 27. Numbers 27, look at verses 18
to 20. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Take thee Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit,
and lay thine hand upon him, and set him before Eleazar the
priest, and before all the congregation, and give him a charge in their
sight, and thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him, that
all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. Not
that Moses had the ability to confer any gift to Joshua. But what he said was, I want
you to present him as a fellow minister. I want you to say it
in front of the congregation that they'll, they'll recognize.
So here the Lord has spoken to Moses about Joshua and he told
him, why don't you put your hand on him? And now the Lord speaks
to Joshua to make his will and purpose known. Now Joshua is
a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who will lead his people into
the land of Canaan, the land of promise. Canaan, the land
that pictures covenant mercy. That God has been pleased to
show mercy and compassion to a people. Canaan is a type, it's
a type of heaven, it's a type of the rest of God's people. What a beautiful picture we have
here of Joshua. Scripture says, after the death
of Moses, the servant of the Lord came to pass that the Lord
spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister. Moses' minister, Joshua, he was
You said, well, I thought you said he was Joshua was a picture
of Christ. He is. Was it Moses a picture of the
law? Yeah. Did it say that Joshua was was
a minister to Moses? Yeah. What does that say concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ and his humiliation and his humbling
of himself as as a servant, as the servant of the Lord. Here's
Joshua, a type of Christ, a servant, a minister unto Moses, a picture
of the law. But listen to what Scripture
says, Galatians 4, 4 and 5. When the fullness of the time
was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under
the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. We have a law, God has a law,
that we can't keep. We can't keep the law of God.
The law of God's holy. The law of God's right. The law of God sets forth the
character of God, and we cannot keep it. But what happened? The
Lord submitted himself, made of a woman. He came into this
world just like all of us did. nine months in the womb of a
virgin. That's what scripture says. And
in nine months later, he was born just like we were, made
of a woman. He was born just like we were,
made under the law, humbled himself as a servant of God, made himself
answerable to the law of God. Why? to establish righteousness
and obedience before God, obeying the law of God for a people that
God's gonna call, that he's gonna save. And here's Joshua. He's a picture of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the minister of Moses, a picture of Christ who has submitted
himself unto the law of God. Moses, my servant's dead, verse
two. Now therefore arise and go over this Jordan thou and
all this people unto the land which I do give to them. They didn't earn it. I did get
it. God gave it to them. Gave it
to them. Even to the children of Israel. Did he give the land
of Canaan to everybody in the world? No. Who'd he give it to? Children of Israel, who's Israel? Jacob. God called, wrestled with, made
him admit, what's your name? Jacob is my name. Trickster,
huckster, supplanter, liar, cheat. You know who that is? That's
me, that's you, that's us. By the grace of God, God told
him, he said, no, your name is Israel, a prince with God. I
want you to arise, Joshua. This is what God told him. You
go over this Jordan with all these people, the land that I've
given unto them. Now, Moses has served the Lord's
purpose according to the good pleasure of the Lord. Now Joshua
will proceed as the Lord commands. Moses has died and he's now resting
from his labors, enter into the joy of the Lord. Again, as a type of Christ, he's
gonna rise in all his people. Oh, how we remember that it is
by the Lord alone that we're gonna cross over. Jordan River,
it's got so much significance. It's a picture of our traveling
from this world into the next, walking over through death. entering
into glory. It's just a glorious picture,
but that, that, that going to be the Jordan River. Now, Joshua,
you're going to take them over, not Moses. Moses, again, was
a picture of the law. If Moses would have gone into
Canaan, that would set forth that you
can enter into the land of promise by the law. Romans chapter 8,
In verse 3 and 4, Romans 8, 3 and 4 says this, For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.
So Moses is dead. Joshua, I want you to rise. You're gonna take them over.
That's a picture of us being taken over by the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, Joshua's faith is truly gonna be tried. From Joshua 3.15, we learn that
all the banks of the Jordan River had overflowed. It was wide,
it was wide. Not only was it wide, where it
was in the normal state, it was deeper. So here, the Lord told
him, he said, I want you to go over with all the people with
no recorded way that was made apparent. I just want you to
go over. There's a river there. There's a river there. Now when
I think of a river, you know, being from Louisiana, Let me
tell you the river I think of, the Mississippi. At the mouth of the Mississippi
at New Orleans, it's a mile wide. That's a lot of water, a lot
of water. I want you to go over Jordan.
Didn't tell him how, but Joshua knew that God who had ordered
him to go over is gonna make a way. And the Lord told Joshua in verses
3 and 4, back in Joshua 1, every place that the sole of your foot
shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses,
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 coat. Now, this is an amazing sight. Everything that was promised
to Abraham, everything that was promised to Isaac, Abraham's
son, everything that was promised to Jacob, Isaac's son, concerning
the land of promise. And Joshua is actually going
to be the one that leads a man. There's a picture. God has told
us that we're heirs of God. And we believe that. God's people
are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. All that is the
Lord Jesus, all that is His by right, by merit, all that He
earned as a submissive servant to Jehovah, we, His people, chosen
of God, in Him is ours too. because of our union with him.
What's his is ours. And it's a promise. And we haven't
entered in to heaven yet. Somebody said, what do you think
about heaven? Well, here's what I think. Eye hath not seen, ear
hath not heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man
that which God has prepared for them that love him. I don't know. I can only think, and I know
my thoughts are disrespectful, but I don't know, but here's
the land of promise. Now, they're gonna actually go
in, and they're going in, and they're gonna cross over the
Jordan River, and it's not been physically conquered yet, just
like we're still in the world struggling right now in this
world that we're not of. We have God's word, but here
in picture, What we behold is what we possess right now. We
have the hope. We believe God. We've had some
dear friends recently that just passed away, and I'm convinced. I think about the precious brethren
that were here when I first got here. I mean, how many? I said
this, I'd have to count them, but I bet you 15, probably around
15 funerals that I've preached. Your dad, Scott, Martha, just
on and on and on. How many of these? And you know
what I believe? I believe they're actually seeing right now. They're in actual possession
of what God Almighty has given us. And we believe by faith.
I believe they actually are standing before the throne of God and
they see him. I want you to get up, Joshua,
and you lead this people across. He told him in verse five, 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. I will not fail thee nor forsake
thee. What a promise made to Joshua,
a promise that was founded upon the strength and the surety of
the Lord Jesus Christ in the days of his humiliation. And
therefore, our strength also. No enemies of yours are gonna
be able to stand before you. Boy, we got some enemies too.
Sin, Satan, this world, it's all the enemies of God's people. and they're not gonna stand before
you. Listen to what he told Joshua.
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the
days of thy life, as I was with Moses when he stood before Pharaoh. I was with Moses when he stood
before the Red Sea. I was with Moses when Korah came
up to him and told him, said, who do you think you are? Who
made you to be over us? As I was with Moses, here's the
reason that we've got some hope. So will I be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee. I believe he's here right now,
Brian. I believe he's right here. I believe he's here. The three
are gathered together in his name. Lord said, I'm in the presence,
I'm with you. I believe he's here. I'm so glad.
I'm glad I'm here, but I'm glad he's here more. I'm glad you're
here, but I'm glad he's here more. No man's gonna stand before you.
I was with Moses, I'll be with you. Verses six to nine, I'm
gonna read these last few verses and make a few comments on them.
Be strong. and of a good courage. For unto
this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which
I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou 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. 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. 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, whethersoever thou
goest." Now, you consider this admonition that the Lord gave
Joshua about being strong. How many times did he say that?
Verse 6, be strong. Verse 7, be strong. Be strong. Be thou very courageous. When
are we strong? When are we strong? Well, I tell
you what the Apostle Paul was moved to say by the Spirit of
God, 2 Corinthians 12, 10. When I'm weak, then I'm strong. When I think I'm strong, I'm
not. I'm not. Oh, when I'm weak, When
I know I have nothing in myself, I can't stand. I'm just a frail,
frail creature of dust. When I'm weak, when I'm made
to know my need of Him, Joshua was encouraged, be strong, good
courage. Look at this, verse eight. This
book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. Now, he was
instructed to make the Lord according to his word, according to his
word, the foundation of his courage. He was to observe, to keep, to
guard, to give heed, to do according to all the law which Moses, my
servant, commanded thee. Now, this was very, very encouraging
to me. The book of the law written by
Moses for Joshua's instruction was all that he had, all Joshua
had. Now you hold your place there.
Turn back to Exodus 17 verse four. Let me show you something.
This is a, you talk about a miracle of God's grace. Exodus 17 verse
14. If I said four, I meant 14. Exodus 17, 14. And the Lord said
unto Moses, write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in
the ears of Joshua, for I will utterly put out the remembrance
of Amalek from under heaven. The Lord told Moses, everything
that I've taught you, everything I've told you concerning these
people right here, Once you write it down, you write it down in
a book. Look at Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy
31, just a couple pages back from where we are in Joshua.
Deuteronomy 31, verses nine to 13. Deuteronomy 31, nine, and
Moses wrote this law and delivered it Unto the priests, the sons
of Levi, which bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and
unto all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying,
At the end of every seven years, in the year of release, in the
Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel is come to appear before
the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt
read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the
people together, men and women, children, thy strangers, which
is within thy gates, that they may hear, that they may learn,
and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of
this law, and that their children, which have not known anything,
may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you
live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. So this book, God told Moses,
he said, I want you to write down what I said. You write it
down, and you rehearse it before Joshua. You tell the people,
every seven years, I want this book to be read. Five books,
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Five books written
by Moses. Every seven years, you read that
before the people. The Word of the Lord. This is
our guide. This is the foundation of our
hope. Here's the bottom line. What does God have to say? What does God have to say? I've
said before, it does not matter what somebody says if it's not
according to this book. You can say what you want to
say. Everybody's got an opinion. It don't matter. What saith the
Lord? The word of the Lord was David's,
King David's. His guidance, his desire. Psalm
119, 133, order my steps by thy word, in thy word. Let me tell you something, the
reading of the word of God with understanding, with new eyes,
spiritual eyes. The hearing with new ears and
the keeping with a new heart is a blessing of the Lord to
unworthy sinners. Revelation 1 3 says, blessed
is he that readeth, they that hear the words of this prophecy
and keep those things which are written therein for the time
is at hand. Brethren, listen to me. Read the Word of God. Read it. You say, well, I don't understand
it. Read it anyway. Read it anyway. The Lord, according to His timing,
is going to give His people an understanding. The Lord has called
His preachers to give the sense of the meaning. I've had, how
many times I've heard many of you say, I'd have never gotten
that out of that scripture. Well, I can tell you this, if
the Lord didn't teach me, neither would I. But the admonition,
read the word of God. When do I read it? Read it, I'd
read it morning and evening. Get a chance during the day,
I'd read it during the day. If you go to work, I'd work. Give
a man eight hours work for eight hours of pay, When you have time
at home, read the word of God. And Joshua was to be obedient. He was to be on watch, one guard
concerning the things of the Lord. He said, don't, don't turn
to the left or the right, that you might prosper with us wherever
thou goest. And the Lord admonished him back
in verse eight, and I'll, Quit right here on this first message. Look at verse eight. He says,
this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but
thou shalt meditate therein. Meditate, muse upon. Ponder,
ponder. Again, I know, I know that there's
times we read and we don't understand. That does not change the necessity. Read it. Read the word of God. Ask the Lord. Lord, would you
give me some understanding? He shall, according to his will
and timing and purpose, he will, he will. Meditate. What is scripture? Meditate therein
day and night. Give time. to meditate upon the
word of God, that thou mayest observe, keep guard, give heed
to do according to all that is written therein. Brethren, Christ,
the one set forth in Joshua himself, one that was going to lead them
across, Christ is our life. Make much of hearing him. I'm
gonna tell you this right here, and by the grace of God, I'll
go to my grave telling you this, but I'm telling you right now,
there's nothing that we'll do in this life that's more important
than hearing the word of God preached. Nothing, nothing, nothing,
nothing, nothing. Nothing. Make much of hearing
the word of God. You know when we're gonna know
this for sure? In the day of judgment. We're gonna stand before God.
Pray that God give us some understanding. I pray God have mercy upon us.
I pray God save his people. I know he's going to, I know
he's going to. Don't let anything take a priority over hearing
the gospel. The Lord said, John 14, 21, He
that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me. And he that loveth me shall be
loved to my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself
to him. Oh, the importance of hearing,
guarding, reguarding the word of God. I pray that God bless
these words to our hearts and to the glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ. All right, we'll take a few minutes break and then
Lord willing I'm gonna I'm gonna go to the