East End

5-11-08

Text: Joshua 1:1-9

This week is the one year anniversary of the passing of Dr. Jerry Falwell. I still remember getting a call from Joyce Harper to tell me of his death. As the next several days went on there was a lot of coverage in the news media concerning this polarizing man of God. There was a central theme to most of the questions being asked. That theme was, who was going to rise of and take Dr. Jerry Falwell’s place? Dr. Falwell’s mantle was a lot larger at the time of his death than it was at the beginning of his ministry. After all Thomas Road Baptist had grown by the thousands since its inception at the Donald Duck Bottling Co. Plant. Not to mention the television and radio programs and finally the place responsible for my education, Liberty University. In our text today, the nation of Israel found itself in a similar position. Their leader, Moses, had just died and now they needed to know who was going to step up and take his place. We must remember something about God’s servants they are just that servants of God. Just because one of them passes doesn’t mean that God’s work stops with them. There are three phrases that appear in our text three different times. The first is that Moses was called a “servant of the Lord.” Moses worked for God, not the other way around. The second phrase was actually a reminder of the promise that God made to Moses about giving them the land. God established the covenant to give them a land with the nation of Israel, not just one person. Therefore when the covenant was made it was going to be fulfilled no matter who the leader was. The final phrase is an encouragement to Joshua when it says, “be strong and of good courage.” When leadership questions arise the person who is picked to succeed the former leader often wonders are they going to be good enough. I imagine that Jonathan Falwell asked himself this very question many times in the days after his father’s death. And just like God told Joshua to be strong and of good courage I imagine the Lord told Jonathan the same thing. The reason I feel that way is found in verse five when it says, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” The Lord promised to be with Joshua all the days of his life. This is the same promise that the Lord gives to all of us when we turn our life over to Him and the Holy Spirit comes and indwells us. The truth of the matter is this, I nor any other pastor in the world are good enough to be the mouthpiece of God to the people of God. There is no way we are able to lead the church correctly without the promise God gave Joshua in Joshua 1:5. God will continue to do His work no matter who is in charge as long as they follow God’s advice to Joshua in verses 7, 8, “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do it according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” The key for God’s men doing God’s work is to stay in the Word. I want to close with this quote, “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the ones He calls.” If God calls you to do something, He will do it through you so that the world will know that He is God and He lives in you! God bless you as you seek His face and His will daily.