We’ve been thinking about faith over these last few months. And we’ve been asking ourselves: how do I live by faith when I’m suffering (like Job), when people have wronged me (like Joseph), or when I have to take the lead (like Moses)? And today, as we start to consider Joshua, the question we’re going to ask is this: how do I prevail in faith when I’m advancing?
We can see from the three characters we’ve already looked at that faith is not just believing theoretically that God could... Faith is laying hold of God’s promises, stepping out into the unknown and trusting that God will. Faith, in the Bible, is never theoretical; it’s always practical.
Let me illustrate that with this chair here. I’m sure you all believe this is an actual chair. You are probably convinced it’s real. Look, here it is, right next to me. You can see it. But faith, in the Bible, is more than believing that a chair exists.
Do I believe that the chair will support my weight when I sit down on it? Yes, I think it will, but I’m not going to risk it, because what if it doesn’t? I think it probably would, but I’m not going to sit on it, just in case. That’s not faith either. Faith doesn’t hedge its bets.
It’s only by sitting down on the chair that I show my faith. Faith, in the Bible, is the action of sitting down on the chair, fully trusting that it will not crumple and break when I do so.
I remember hearing the evangelist J. John talking about a friend who was in hospital, unresponsive, in a coma. He and his wife Killy asked permission from the medical staff to pray for her. They looked at their friend with all sorts of tubes and monitors around her and felt utterly helpless. Where do you start? What do you pray?
Killy said, “Maybe the Lord’s Prayer?” So they stood either side of her, each held a hand, and they slowly began praying, line by line… Our Father… in heaven… hallowed be your name… The moment they said, “Your kingdom come” their friend suddenly sat up and looked around. She was discharged the next day.
That’s faith. They may not have been sure of what God would do or not do, but faith is not about discussing it, it’s about going for it.
The Book of Joshua is all about stepping out in faith, advancing in faith, especially the first half of the book.
Let’s set the scene for the Book of Joshua. On numerous occasions in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, God promises his people that he will give them a land flowing with milk and honey. The appalling wickedness of the current occupants has become so excessive and so deeply ingrained that God has decided to evict them.
But nothing will change if the people of God simply stand on the banks of the Jordan talking about it. It’s not going to fall into their laps while they remain idle.
It’s going to require action. They are going to have to advance in faith, outnumbered, in the face of complex logistical challenges and seemingly impossible missions, and they’re going to have to exert great effort to take possession of what God has promised them.
Do you remember as a child seeing a present with your name on under the tree on Christmas Eve? Oh, I remember that. You look at that wrapped up gift, and you know it’s yours. But until you tear off the paper on Christmas Day, you’re not even allowed to peep; you certainly cannot take ownership of it or enjoy it.
Such is the situation for the people of Israel in Joshua 1. After passing through the Red Sea, which Phil spoke about last Sunday, they fail to trust God to give them victory and lead them into the Promised Land. And so they spend 40 years wandering around in the desert until that whole disobedient and unbelieving generation has died.
Now, in Joshua chapter 1, everyone is under 40 years old except for two men of faith: Joshua and Caleb. And now it’s time. Let’s read the opening verses of Joshua, which set the scene for the whole book.
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the River Jordan into the land I am about to give to them – to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates – all the Hittite country – to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
‘Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’
So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: ‘Go through the camp and tell the people, “Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.”’
I’ve got three points this morning: a new season, a new challenge and a new command.
A new season
Firstly then, the Book of Joshua marks a new season. The opening five books of the Bible which precede it are dominated by Moses, a giant of faith. It’s hard to think of anyone else in the Bible, apart from Jesus, who did as many signs and wonders as he did. By faith, he brought about ten plagues in Egypt before Pharaoh. By faith, he led his nation through the Red Sea on dry land. By faith, he brought forth water from a dry rock. By faith, he prayed for food for two million people and God sent manna and quail.
But now, Moses is gone. It’s over. The Book of Joshua begins by stating the stark fact that Moses is dead and Joshua has been appointed as his successor. You can imagine how overwhelming that must be for Joshua and how out of his depth he must feel.
But you’ll notice in verses 1 and 2 that God doesn’t dwell on the past. There’s no nostalgia for the golden age of Moses. There’s no “Oh, it was so much better when he was around.” Not at all.
There is an appropriate time for grieving, and then comes the announcement of a new season. “The Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the River Jordan into the land I am about to give to them – to the Israelites.’”
They’ve been going round in circles for forty years. Decades of drifting in a dry, desert place. Now, it’s time to advance at last into the land flowing with milk and honey. It’s a new day.
So the first five books of the Bible are dominated by Moses. They are also chock-full of laws, statutes, rules and instructions. You mustn’t do this; you can’t eat that... But Moses, great man of faith though he was, never set foot in the Promised Land. He was identified with law, not grace. We even call it the Law of Moses.
Jesus said to the hard-hearted, legalistic, stiff-necked religious leaders of his day, “You look to Moses. You put your hope in him”meaning, it’s all about rules for you. But the law can never give life or bring anyone into their inheritance of freedom. We need Joshua - Joshua, or Yeshua, is actually the same Hebrew name as Jesus - to bring us into the place of grace and fruitfulness.
When we get to the Book of Joshua, having just read Deuteronomy, the atmosphere totally changes. There’s not a single law. Something new is happening. Winter is turning into spring. God’s commandments have long been established. The people have solemnly agreed to live God’s way. Now there’s an end to all that wandering around in the desert. That wretched season is over. Done. Now, it’s time for what God’s doing next.
Chapter 1 of Joshua starts with these words: “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua...” The book opens with God speaking. Every major breakthrough in biblical history, and every spiritual advance in church history, has its origins in God taking the initiative and speaking prophetically. God says, “I’m going to do something new.”
It’s not some dusty old committee somewhere, desperately trying to get something going: “Let’s dream up some new programme, a decade of this or a network of that.” And they say, “We’d like you to get on board.” But it’s man-made and it sucks the air out of you. But when God initiates, when God speaks, when God moves, there’s an energy about it, it’s totally different.
Years ago, a group of Christians began meeting in this town, sensing that God was doing a new thing. They were excited about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and they were seeing a recovery of certain aspects of New Testament living that wasn’t really welcomed by other churches in town at that time.
Just a few people, a handful, small enough to meet in peoples’ homes. Over time, it evolved into King’s, and here we are today; there are hundreds of us.
And now, we are hearing God speak to us about sending out a team to plant another Word and Spirit church in Marske and Saltburn. There have been visions and dreams, prophetic words. As in the early days of this church, God is speaking and bringing something new to birth. It’s a new season; it’s a new era for us as well.
Are we believing God for a healthy, thriving church plant? Am I praying for that yet? What is your part in it going to be? Are you asking, “Is it me, Lord? Are you calling me to up sticks and move with the team? Am I going to be part of this new adventure?” So,firstly, (and this seems timely for us) Joshua is about a new season.
A new challenge
Secondly, our scripture today speaks of a new challenge that calls for fresh faith. God speaks to Joshua in verse 2, and nine verses later Joshua goes to his leaders and relays what God has just said to him. “Three days from now, you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.”
Joshua cannot hide behind Moses anymore. Joshua saw Moses lead the people through the Red Sea. He was there; he was one of them. But that was 40 years ago. Now Joshua is going to have to personally step up to an entirely new level of faith.
He is going to have to start with a miracle. He’s going to have to embrace the quite frightening prospect that if God doesn’t move in power, he will stand before an entire unimpressed nation looking like a total muppet. No pressure there, then. You can imagine Joshua wondering if he has the calibre to meet that challenge.
Some of you are facing a new challenge right now. You can relate. As it was for Joshua, so it is for you: our God is a supernatural God, and he wants to involve us in displaying his awesome power in the world.
Every Wednesday, in this very building, we hear testimonies of changed lives in our foodbank outreach, Taste and See:
- I was homeless and cried out to God, then everything began to change.
- I was a heroin addict for years and my children were taken off me, but God met me at my lowest ebb and now I’m clean and I have my family back.
- I was chronically ill, and the doctors said I had a couple of years to live. Here I am, still alive a decade later - healed, thanks to Jesus.
- My wife had an affair and walked out on me, but with the help of God I’ve managed to forgive her, all my anger has gone, and I’m doing okay now.
- I was abused by my dad all my childhood, but now, thanks to Jesus, I know God as my loving heavenly Father.
- I was depressed and ready to end it all, but I randomly met a Christian who told me about Jesus. That was the start of my mental health recovery.
And on it goes…
This is what Jesus is like. This is what he does. This is living by faith. Are we believing God for more?
Crossing a river in flood is faith-stretching, but not impossible, because as we’ll see next Sunday, God can do it. Planting out into Marske and Saltburn next spring is similarly going to require faith that goes beyond what we are familiar with and comfortable with.
Relocating to a new town with a handful of people to plant a new church is faith-stretching. But we believe in the power of the gospel, and we have faith that God is going to do it. People are going to get saved and filled with the Holy Spirit and added to the number of believers. And by the grace of God, a new church is going to take root and grow.
A new command
So, a new season and a new challenge. Thirdly, a new command. There are several commands from God in this chapter. “Be strong and courageous” appears four times, and it comes with a promise: “As I was with Moses, I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
During the days of communist rule in Romania, many churches cowered before the atheist authorities, compromising their faith in the process. The government systematically undermined the church in an effort to weaken and destroy it.
During those days, a Lutheran pastor called Richard Wurmbrand and others were being pressured by the communists to go soft on their primary allegiance to Christ. Some caved in.
His wife, Sabine, said, “Richard, these compromised pastors are spitting in the Lord’s face. Stand up and wipe away this disgrace from the face of Christ!”
Wurmbrand looked into the eyes of the love of his life, and said, “You need to know that if I do that, you will lose your husband.” And without hesitation she replied, “I don’t want a coward for a husband.”
Be strong and courageous. What happened next resulted in 13 years of interrogation, beatings and imprisonment, much of it in solitary confinement for that man. He later wrote about it in his book Tortured for Christ.
Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” And, as we know, the footsteps of Jesus have nail marks in them. But this is not the first time we read ‘be strong and courageous’ in the Bible. It appears three times in Deuteronomy 31 alone.
In verses 7–8, God says, “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.”
This command is so relevant for us today. Ben Stuart, speaking at the Desiring God conference in 2014, said, “I have never met a strong Christian who doesn’t meditate on God’s word every day. And I have never met a weak Christian who does.”
Read your Bible daily. Let God speak to you. Don’t change what you read in the Bible to make it agree with what you think. Change what you think until it agrees with the Bible.
“Be careful to obey God’s word.” But this is not new either. All the way through Deuteronomy, countless times, God repeats this same command.
In verse 9, God says, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” But that’s not a new command either. God said those very words to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob on many occasions in Genesis. He said them to Moses no fewer than 15 times. And look, if you fear God, you’ll never fear anything or anyone else.
Only one command in our passage is found nowhere else in Scripture up to this point. It’s in verse 2, where God says, “Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the River Jordan.” Get ready. Get ready spiritually. Get ready for change. Get ready practically. Come on - this is our time. Let’s go.
In the New Testament, and in these last days, overwhelmingly, the call to be ready comes in the context of the Lord’s future return in glory to judge the living and the dead. Jesus repeatedly warns us to be prepared, watch for the signs, don’t be caught sleeping, stay alert… get ready.
Because there comes a point when it is too late. The return of Jesus Christ will be abrupt, sudden and unexpected. Jesus himself says he will come at a time when people least expect him. It will be in royal power and unparalleled glory. Before anyone realises what is happening, it will be done. The Lord of history will appear in all his splendour and put all evil under his feet.
And when he returns, it will be too late for the mockers, the sceptics and those who always say they’ll get around to spiritual things later.
Are you ready? If not, give your life to Christ before it’s too late! Oh, how I pray that, for each person here today, the moment you take your last breath will not be the moment you realise you are spiritually lost!
Ending
So, there we are: it’s a new season. Let’s not get stuck in nostalgia for a golden age—the Reformation, the Wesleyan revival, the Great Awakening, the early charismatic renewal or the Stoneleigh years. Or whenever. Thank God for all that, but God is doing a new thing among us. Do you perceive it?
There’s a new challenge: you’re going to cross the Jordan and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you. It’ll take a miracle, and there’ll be years of battle to follow. Are you up for it in faith?
And there’s a new command. We don’t neglect the old ones: “Be strong and courageous.” “Be careful to obey God’s word; do not turn from it; keep it always on your lips; meditate on it day and night; and be careful to do everything in it.” Those are standard. God’s fresh word in this new chapter is: “Get ready.” Are you prepared to step up the moment God says, “Come on, now is the time; let’s get going”?
Can we stand to pray...
Sermon preached at King's Church Darlington, 20 September 2026
