The Beginning of a Journey

I.	The story of Joshua leading Israel into the promised land is instructive for us as we begin our journey together.
1.	The things that are recorded in the Old Testament were written for our learning and admonition.
A.	They were written for our learning and comfort (Strengthening; encouragement, incitement; aid, succour, support, countenance.),  and to give us hope (Rom 15:4).
B.	They were also written as examples to us for our admonition (The action of admonishing; authoritative counsel; warning, implied reproof.) (1Co 10:11).
2.	We would do well to follow their faith and learn from their mistakes.
II.	Moses' charge to Joshua and Israel -- things we need to heed as be begin our journey.
1.	Near the end of his life Moses gave Israel and Joshua a charge before he led them into the promised land (Deu 31:1,6-8; Deu 31:14,23).
2.	Notice the charge to Joshua (the leader) was very similar to the charge to Israel (the church).
3.	They were told to be strong (Deu 31:6,7,23).
A.	Strong - 1. a. Of living beings, their body or limbs: Physically powerful; able to exert great muscular force. 
3. a. Having great moral power for endurance or effort; firm in will or purpose; able to resist temptation; possessed of courage or fortitude; brave, resolute, steadfast.
B.	Pastors are told to be strong (2Ti 2:1).
C.	New Testament Christians are likewise told to be strong (Eph 6:10; 1Co 16:13).
4.	They were told to be of good courage (Deu 31:6,7,23).
A.	Courage - 1. The heart as the seat of feeling, thought, etc.; spirit, mind, disposition, nature.
4. That quality of mind which shows itself in facing danger without fear or shrinking; bravery, boldness, valour.
B.	Courageous - 1. Having courage, full of courage; brave, fearless, valiant.  1611 Bible Josh. i. 7 Bee thou strong, and very courageous.
C.	Bold - 1. a. Of persons: Stout-hearted, courageous, daring, fearless; the opposite of ‘timid’ or ‘fearful’.
D.	Pastors ought to be bold and courageous (Joh 7:26; Act 4:13; Eph 6:20).
E.	Christians ought to likewise be bold (Phi 1:14).
5.	They were told to fear not (Deu 31:6,8).
A.	Fear v.- II. To feel fear; to regard with fear. To be afraid.
B.	Fear n. - The emotion of pain or uneasiness caused by the sense of impending danger, or by the prospect of some possible evil.
C.	Afraid - 1. As pple. Alarmed, frightened; hence as adj., In a state of fear or apprehension, moved or actuated by fear.
D.	Pastors (and Christians in general) are not to be given to fear (2Ti 1:6-7; Act 27:24).
i.	Jesus told His apostles to not fear men even when facing persecution, beatings, and death (Mat 10:16-28).
ii.	Paul was not moved by the afflictions he was facing (Act 20:22-24).
E.	Christians ought not to fear (Joh 14:1,27; Luk 12:32; Psa 27:3).
F.	We should fear God only (Mat 10:28; 1Pe 2:17; Heb 12:28-29).
G.	We must never fear men (Phi 1:28; Isa 51:7; Pro 29:25; Heb 13:6)
6.	They were told that God would not forsake them (Deu 31:6,8).
A.	Forsake v. - 1. trans. To deny (an accusation, an alleged fact, etc.).
B.	Deny v. - II. To say ‘no’ to the claims of.
4. To refuse to recognize or acknowledge (a person or thing) as having a certain character or certain claims; to disown, disavow, repudiate, renounce.
C.	God will not forsake his ministers (2Ti 4:16-18; Act 23:11).
D.	God will not forsake his children in general (Heb 13:5; Isa 49:15-16).
E.	When times tough times come, God will see us through (Gen 28:15; Isa 41:8-10; Isa 43:1-2).
7.	After giving Joshua the charge, Moses ordained him to the office that he held by laying his hands on him (Num 27:18-23).
A.	The ordination, by the laying on of Moses' hands, gave Joshua a gift of being full of the spirit and of wisdom (Deu 34:9).
B.	The people then hearkened unto him and did as the Lord commanded.
C.	The same pattern is repeated in the N.T. every time a man is ordained and given the oversight of a church.
i.	Ordination is a gift that is given by the laying on of hands by a man of God (1Ti 4:14; 2Ti 1:6).
ii.	The newly ordained pastor is given a charge (1Ti 1:18; 1Ti 5:21; 1Ti 6:13-14; 2Ti 4:1-5).
iii.	He is to take the oversight of the church (1Pe 5:1-3).
iv.	The church is therefore to receive him as such (Act 18:27; Phi 2:29; Col 4:10).
v.	The church is to submit to his rule (Heb 13:7, 17 c/w Num 27:20). 
III.	The Lord's charge unto Joshua.
1.	After the death of Moses, the LORD gave Joshua a charge to lead Israel into the promised land (Jos 1:1-2).
A.	We are also heading to the promised land that God has waiting for us (1Pe 1:4; Joh 14:1-3).
B.	We are looking for that same city and country that Abraham was (Heb 11:10,16; Heb 13:14).
2.	God promised Joshua that he would be with him and not let his enemies stand before him as he did for Moses (Jos 1:5 c/w Deu 7:24).
A.	God stands by his ministers in the N.T. 
i.	God stands by them when they have evangelistic opportunities in front of them (Act 18:10).
ii.	God stands by them when they are in prison and have to answer for their faith (Act 23:11; 2Ti 4:17).
iii.	God stands by them when their lives are in peril (Act 27:23-24).
B.	God will deliver his ministers from their enemies (2Co 1:8-10; 2Ti 3:10-11).
C.	God will deliver the church from their enemies (2Th 1:4-6).
3.	The LORD then goes on to repeat the things that he had told him earlier through Moses (Jos 1:6-7).
A.	Pastors need reminded of their duties (2Ti 1:6), and of the fundamentals of the gospel (2Ti 2:8).
B.	Brethren likewise need reminded of things they have already been taught and know.
i.	They need reminded about God's election and unconditional grace and love for them, and that they strive not about words to no profit (2Ti 2:10-14).
ii.	They need reminded to live holy and godly lives to make their election sure (2Pe 1:12-13).
iii.	They will even need reminded twice to remember the words of scripture (2Pe 3:1-2).
iv.	There is nothing wrong with putting the saints in remembrance of things that they once knew, especially when doing so helps save them from making the same mistakes their forebears did (Jud 1:5).
v.	A good pastor will teach both the new and the old to his flock (Mat 13:52).
4.	God tells him again to be strong and of a good courage so that he can divide the inheritance to Israel (Jos 1:6).
A.	Pastors have to be strong if they are going to lead their flock on the paths of righteousness (1Co 9:9 c/w Pro 14:4).
B.	The strength a pastor needs is not physical, but spiritual (1Ti 4:8).
i.	God is not concerned with big muscles, but with humble fear of God (Psa 147:10-11; 1Sa 16:7).
ii.	A wise man is a strong man (Pro 24:5; Ecc 7:19).
iii.	Wisdom is better than strength (Ecc 9:16).
C.	They have to be ready to fight off wolves that come to kill the sheep (Joh 10:11-13; Zec 11:17).
D.	Pastors must be strong to:
i.	feed their church with knowledge and understanding (Jer 3:15). 
ii.	give them sound teaching so they are unified and not carried off by false doctrines (Eph 4:11-14).
iii.	feed them to strengthen them so they are not destroyed by the wolves (Act 20:28-29).
E.	It is wisdom and knowledge that will be our stability (Isa 33:6).
F.	Stability - 1.a. Power of remaining erect; freedom from liability to fall or be overthrown. c. Ability to remain in the same relative place or position in spite of disturbing influences; capacity for resistance to displacement; the condition of being in stable equilibrium, tendency to recover the original position after displacement.
5.	The LORD again reiterates the need for strength and courage to keep God's law (Jos 1:7).
A.	It takes strength and courage to do God's commandments (Psa 103:20-21; Psa 119:120).
B.	Joshua was not to turn to the right hand or to the left (Jos 1:7).
i.	This was a command that God gave to Israel over and over again (Deu 5:32; Deu 17:11; Deu 17:20; Deu 28:14).
ii.	Solomon issued the same warning (Pro 4:23-27).
C.	The path of the just is a strait and narrow one (Mat 7:13-14).
i.	Strait - A. adj.  I. In physical senses: Tight, narrow.
3. a. Of a way, passage, or channel: So narrow as to make transit difficult.
ii.	The way to the promised land (kingdom of God) is full of tribulation (Act 14:22; 1Th 3:3-4; 2Th 1:4-5; 2Ti 3:12).
iii.	A pastor must endure hardness, not turn from it (2Ti 2:3-4). 
6.	The LORD then gives Joshua the prescription for a prosperous and successful journey (Jos 1:8).
A.	Joshua was to meditate in the book of the law.
i.	Meditate - v. 1. trans. To muse over or reflect upon; to consider, study, ponder.
b. To fix one's attention upon; to observe with interest or intentness.
ii.	Muse v. - 1. a. To be absorbed in thought; to meditate continuously in silence; to ponder.
iii.	Consider v. - 1. To view or contemplate attentively, to survey, examine, inspect, scrutinize.
iv.	Study v. - 1. a. To apply the mind to the acquisition of learning, whether by means of books, observation, or experiment.
v.	In order for a pastor to have a prosperous and successful ministry, he likewise must meditate in the scriptures continually (1Ti 4:15).
a.	Give - 1. To hand over (a thing) as a present; to confer gratuitously the ownership of (some possession) on another person (with or without actual delivery of the object).
b.	Wholly - 1. As a whole, in its entirety, in full, throughout, all of it; †formerly also (in ref. to a pl. or collect. n.), all of them, all together, in a body.
vi.	A pastor must take heed and continue in the doctrine to save himself and his flock (1Ti 4:16; 2Ti 3:14).
a.	Heed - 1. Careful attention, care, observation, regard.
b.	Continue - 1. To carry on, keep up, maintain, go on with, persist in (an action, usage, etc.).
vii.	A pastor must hold fast the form of sound words and keep them (2Ti 1:13; Tit 1:9; Pro 4:13).
a.	Hold v. - 2. a. To keep from getting away; to keep fast, grasp.  Often with advb. extension, as hold fast;
b.	Fast adv. - 1. a. In a fast manner, so as not to be moved or shaken; lit. and fig.; firmly, fixedly.
2. a. With firm grasp, attachment, or adhesion; so as not to permit of escape or detachment; tightly, securely. Often with bind, hold, etc. lit. and fig.
c.	Keep v. - 1. To seize, lay hold of; to snatch, take.
viii.	A pastor must study and give attendance to reading and doctrine (2Ti 2:15; 1Ti 4:13).
a.	Study v. - 1. a. To apply the mind to the acquisition of learning, whether by means of books, observation, or experiment.
b.	Attendance - 1. The action or condition of applying one's mind or observant faculties to something; = attention
c.	Christians should attend to know understanding and doctrine. (Pro 4:1-2)
d.	Attend - v. To direct the ears, mind, energies to anything.
ix.	The scriptures alone are sufficient to throughly furnish the man of God (2Ti 3:16-17).
a.	Throughly - 1. Fully, completely, perfectly
b.	Furnished ppl - 1. Possessed of one's faculties physical and mental.
x.	Christians in general should read and study their Bibles diligently. (Act 17:11; Joh 5:39; Pro 15:28; Pro 22:17-21)
B.	Joshua was to meditate in the book of the law day and night.
i.	We ought to have God and His word in our thoughts at all times throughout the day (Psa 1:1-3; Pro 6:21-23; Psa 119:97).
ii.	The scriptures should be an integral part of every aspect of our lives. (Deu 6:6-9)
C.	Joshua was not supposed to meditate in the law for mere head knowledge, but rather so that he might observe to do according to all that is written therein.
i.	It's not those who only hear God's commandments, but those who do God's commandments that are blessed. (Rev 22:14; Jam 1:22-25)
ii.	Doing God's commandments gives us good understanding.  (Psa 111:10; Psa 119:100)
iii.	Doing God's will enables us to understand doctrine.  (Joh 7:17)
iv.	Committing our works unto the Lord will establish our thoughts. (Pro 16:3)
v.	Pastor's are enjoined to keep God's commandments (1Ti 6:14), as well as church members (1Co 11:2).
D.	Herein is the recipe for success: meditating in God's law and doing it.  
i.	Joshua 1:8 is the only verse in the Bible where the word 'success' is used.
ii.	I think God is trying to get a point across to us.
iii.	If we are going to have a successful journey together, it will be by sticking to the Book.

IV.	The church must follow and submit to their appointed leader for a successful journey. (Jos 1:16-18)
1.	The people willingly agreed to submit to Joshua's rule and leadership. (Jos 1:16)
A.	Church members are required to submit to the pastor who has the rule over them. (Heb 13:7,17)
B.	Brethren should to this willingly.
C.	Paul instructed the church in Philippi to receive and hold in reputation the preacher Epaphroditus (Phi 2:25-29).
2.	They affirmed that they would submit to Joshua just as they had submitted to Moses. (Jos 1:17)
A.	The fact that Moses was far more experienced did not factor into their obedience.
B.	Paul instructed the Corinthians to treat the young minister Timothy just as they would him (1Co 16:10-11).
3.	They encouraged Joshua in his new position and were supportive of him. (Jos 1:18) 
A.	Brethren ought to edify (build up) one another, including their pastor (1Th 5:11-13).
B.	Brethren ought to pray for their pastor (1Th 5:25; 2Th 3:1; Heb 13:18).
C.	The prayers of church members can be the pastor's salvation (Phi 1:19). 

V.	Some final observations - see if you can see any parallels.
1.	The church would face battles soon after their new leader was in place (Jos 1:10-11).
2.	During those battles, God would begin to magnify the new leader in the sight of the church so they would know that He was with him as He was with the old leader (Jos 3:7 c/w Jos 4:14).
3.	The church found help in strange places (Jos 2:1-7).
4.	The church was to follow the ark of the covenant (which held the word of God - Heb 9:4) when they went to the battle (Jos 3:3).
5.	The Lord gave the church a great victory soon after they began their new journey (Jos 6).
6.	After the great victory, trouble came within the church and judgment had to take place (Jos 7:1,11,21,25).
7.	After more battles, the church eventually possessed all the inheritance that they were promised (Jos 11:15-16, 23; 21:43-45).
8.	The church then finally entered into rest from its warfare (Jos 11:23; 21:44).