Let's open our Bibles this morning to Joshua chapter 1. Joshua chapter 1. Let's begin reading with verse 5. 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. Be strong and of good courage, for under this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I swear under their fathers to give them. only be thou strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe to do, and if you've been listening for the last several months, the emphasis is on doing, not just believing, 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, after you have observed to do, then shalt thou For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee. Whithersoever thou goest. Father, we come again. Lord, we thank you that each of us are able to be here. We're thankful to see one that has been sick and made it through surgery, and you brought him here, and we're thankful for that. Others have had other plights and other things going on. And yet, Lord, you have assembled us together to worship you. Now, Father, as we study Joshua and his confidence that he had, may we learn that we can have that same confidence if we're willing to put you first in everything. In Jesus' name, amen. Many times we often think that the characters in the Old Testament were somehow super spiritual, super strong, super close to God, that they were not at all like we are. Somehow they were much better than we are. And while I will ruddedly admit I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse, but they did not have TV. Like I said, I'm not sure that's a blessing or curse sometimes. They did not have internet. which can be a great tool if it's used for God, but it can also be a royal pain because it can easily become addictive. And so, you know, it's a great tool as long as we control it and it doesn't control us. They didn't have cars. I can remember my grandfather He had a car, but he almost never used it. They used a horse and wagon, and they used that most everywhere they went was this horse and wagon. And what would take a minute in a car would take an hour or more. But you know what they were doing while they were riding behind that horse and buggy? You know what they were doing? They were thinking. They were meditating. They were praying. Now we jump in the car. We're gone. We're there. We get out. We run in. And we don't have time to even think about prayer. We don't have time to meditate. And then my grandfather never had to worry about a traffic jam. You know, went down there on Yellow Creek, they never had a traffic jam. Now, you say, okay, I gotta go here, boom, I jump in the car, I floorboard it, I get there, and everything stops. And then we get frustrated. We get aggravated. Beep! Beep! Beep! Get out of the way, you idiots! I'm in a hurry! You don't have time to think and meditate. They didn't have many of the modern inventions. But other than modern inventions, people 6,000 years ago are really no different than people today. Other than inventions, they have the same dead, diseased personality. They have the same sinful nature. They still struggled with, you know, with sin, with meekness, with pride. They still suffered with all of those things, just like we do, only we've got all of these modern conveniences. Some of you have heard me say growing up, and if you've heard me, you know, I haven't breathed for a week, so my mind is not fully functioning yet. But when we lived, you could literally stick your fingers through the wall to the outside. When it snowed, it would blow snow in through the wall and pile up snow inside the house. You could look through the floor and count the chickens under the house. And in the wintertime, if you left a pot of water out, Beside your bed the next morning it was froze solid. We had the old outhouse. And you know, we thought that was normal. We thought that was, well that was the way everybody lived. Now, we have controlled thermostats that at night they automatically go down to this and the next morning they go up. When you go to work, they go down. When you get home, they work up. Our house is so insulated that they had to put a pipe in to get fresh air to run the furnace and the water heater because our houses are so tight. We've got it made. Oftentimes we don't realize it, but back to my point. We've got all of these modern things, and yet we have the same depraved nature that everybody since Adam and Eve have had. We really aren't that much different. Joshua is one example. In chapter 1, Joshua has been thrust into leadership over around between 2 and 3 million people that he is now over, he is now responsible for. His job is to lead them into the promised land, and then once they get in the promised land, His job is to lead them in battle, conquering all of the enemy that is in the promised land. There were so many things that could go wrong. I was talking to a friend of mine recently, and he's younger than me, but we were talking and preachers are leaving the ministry faster than any other time in American history. And the question is, why? Because there's a lot of things that most people never know about that can cause many Christians, not just preachers, but Christians, to become so discouraged, so tired, so worn out, that they throw in the tile and quit. God understood Joshua's situation, and in chapter 1, God gave Joshua several things to encourage him, even when things look terribly bleak, things look terribly wrong, and you're tempted to give up, you're tempted to throw up your arms, you're tempted to say, I quit. There are some things that God gave to encourage Joshua, and I believe that those same things can encourage us today if we follow Joshua's pattern. Number one, I want to look at the circumstances that Joshua faced. When you understand his circumstances, they may not be exactly the same as yours, but there'll be the same types of temptation, the same challenges, the same threats, the same problems. They're gonna be the same whether you're Joshua or whether you're John Doe. living in May 2024, there are many problems that Joshua faced that you and I will face as well. First of all, it says in verse 1, after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses, my servant, is dead. I know many of you have gone through the loss of a family member, a spouse, a child, a parent, or just a very, very, very good friend. And it hurts, doesn't it? It hurts to lose a loved one. but especially so when that loved one has been one of the greatest men that ever lived. He was the meekest man that ever lived. I was listening. He was the meekest man that ever lived. He was the only man that ever spoke with God face to face. He was the only man that ever saw the hinder part of God's glory so that his face shined when he got back down to the camp. And now he's dead. Y'all probably don't know this. I hope you don't find out soon. But there is a statistic that points out when a pastor has been at the same church for 10 years or more, the next guy that follows him usually only lasts a year or two. Does anybody know why? I know you're smiling. I've been here over 32 years. I'm already praying, although I hope I've got many years, but I'm already thinking of, I'm gonna die. Who's going to take my place? Who's going to come as pastor? Now, I hope I've got another 10, 20 years. I told Brother Guiley, who down at, Richmond just celebrated 50 years at the same church. And I said, golly, of course, most of you know, his son is my son-in-law, so there is a little bond there. I said, I told our people that I've got 18 more years to go to keep up with you. And I said, the sad thing is over half of them broke down and started crying. He laughed and we knew that's not true. But Moses is dead. You can't go to Moses for advice. You can't call up Moses and say, hey, I was just thinking about you. One of the greatest men that ever lived is dead, and now Joshua has got to try to fill his shoes. Israel was a rebellious people, even under Moses. After Moses was used to bring the ten plagues upon Egypt. After God used Moses to part the Red Sea. After God, under Moses, rained manna down from heaven. After God, by many, many miracles, had proven Moses is my man. And yet Israel constantly rebelled. They had not even gotten out of Egypt yet. They began to murmur and complain. They crossed the Red Sea and they murmured and they complained. At Mount Sinai, they built a golden calf and worshipped it and murmured and complained against Moses. At Kadesh Barnea, they rebelled against God and deliberately refused to go into the Promised Land. And Joshua knew going in, this is what I'm gonna have to contend with for the next years. When they crossed the Jordan River, they would be in constant battle for about five years. God had told him about the promised land. Joshua had seen the promised land. But we've never been there before. Anytime you start something new, whether it be a new church, whether it be a new pastor, whether it be your first marriage, hopefully your last marriage, I was talking to a friend of mine, and he likes to joke more than I do. He was telling me that he had met someone, and he introduced me, said, oh, by the way, this is my last wife. Think about that one a minute. He had to clarify, it's also my first wife, but it's my last wife. Anything new, a new job, Anything that you take on that's new, there's always a certain amount of fear and trembling. But when you know first thing in, you're going to be fighting. They're going to be outnumbered. The enemy is going to be taller. The walls are going to be walled up into heaven. They are more in number. They are trained soldiers. We are not. How on earth can I lead these people in the battle when there are so many things against us? There are so many possibilities of failure. What if we take on more than we can handle? What if we step out too far and we fall? We know it's going to be a long battle. Joshua needed something to strengthen him. He was no idiot. He knew it was not going to be easy. He knew there were going to be challenges. He knew he was stepping into some big shoes. He knew he could not do it by himself. And so he needed some assurance that God called him, God sent him, and that God would be with him and protect him. And so in verse 1, it says, it came, the Lord spake unto Joshua. The Lord spake unto Joshua. Had a young, young creature The other night he asked if he could talk to me. And I'm thinking, okay, he doesn't go to a church like us. What could he possibly want to talk to me about? Because we talked for hours. He said, I know God has called me to preach. I know that. Are there any words of wisdom that you can share? I was nice. I was. But I wanted to say, if you can run, run as fast as you can. The only problem is I've tried that several times. Several times I've said I quit, I give up, I'm not pastoring again, I'm not preaching again, I've had it. But when God speaks to you, you don't have a choice. It's not like, let me think about that, Lord. God spoke to Joshua. and made it abundantly clear, I have called you, I have appointed you, I am sending you. And when God calls you to do something, you might as well do it. And I go back to Jeremiah, who, after being thrown in prison, after being beaten, after being starved, Jeremiah said, I quit, I'm not preaching again. Jeremiah said, but there was a burning in my bones, and I could not be silent. Joshua, things are gonna get bad. But I'm speaking to you. I'm calling you. I am appointing you. Then in verse 5, 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. Joshua, Moses was a great man. Moses did a lot of mighty miracles. Moses is dead. And I want to promise you, just like I was with Moses and I performed miracles through Moses, I will do the same thing through you. I will not leave you. I will not forsake you. Just like I was with Moses, I will be with you. Lord, I want Moses. You've got me. You've got me. I will be with you. Moses died, but I will never die. Moses is gone, but I will never leave thee. You can be strong because just like I was with Moses, I will be exactly with you. So be strong. Be of good courage. Just because Moses died doesn't mean that I died. See, it wasn't Moses doing the miracles. It was me doing the miracles through Moses. And I'll do the same thing through you. Don't be despondent. Don't fall into despair. The same God that led Moses is the same God that will lead you. And just like I work through Moses, I will work through you. And so, be strong. It's not the man, it's the God in the man. Verse 5, he goes on and he said, I will not fail thee. We're here and talking about the good old days. Well, the only thing I know about the good old days is they weren't so good at that time. We look back all the good old days. Yeah, going out in 20 degree weather to the outhouse, having a water pot freeze beside your bed. You had, you know, 15 quilts covering you up just to keep from freezing. No, I don't want to go back to the old days. Had to go outside and Pull the bucket up the spring, up the cistern to get water. I like it when you just walk in, turn on the faucet, boom, you got water. The good old days weren't really as good as we sometimes think they were. A lot of things may fail. Your electricity may go out. Your car may break down. Your roof may cave in. Your refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher all die the same morning. Things will fail you. People will fail you. Some of your best friends may betray you. People that you love dearly may be the very ones that stab you in the back later. But Joshua, rest assured, man may fail, inventions may fail, but I will never fail thee. I will never fail thee. Everything else may fail you, but I will never fail you. My wife had a situation, I don't remember if it was, well, it wasn't last week, because I don't remember much, but week before. She went to the store, went out the car, got in, And then it quit erring. Cars will fail. God will never. never let you down or fail you in any shape, form, or fashion. Then he goes on in verse 7, only be thou strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law. Verse eight, the book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. You need encouragement. Here's God's encouragement book. Friends disappointed you? Here's God's encouraging book. We have the Word of God that gives us everything we need. Notice what God commanded. Be strong. Fear entangles. You ever been so scared that you just couldn't move? You freeze, your mind goes blank. You're so scared that you just can't function. Every time my wife picks up that frying pan, I get sudden fear all over me. Kidding, kidding. Fear enslaves you. What if the stock market crashes? What if I go to work tomorrow and the boss fires me? What if I get cancer? I thought of Brother Humphreys. He and his wife and my wife and I in college used to get together quite a bit, do things together. How would you like to go in and the doctors say you have brain cancer that has metastasized all through your brain? You have a few weeks, not months, not years. You have two to three weeks to live. How would that affect your mind? Be strong. Do not be afraid. Someone said strength is not the absence of fear, but it's moving on in spite of fear. Be vigorous in verse 6. Whatever you're going to do for the service of God, do it with all your zeal. Don't serve God half-heartedly. You'll never be happy half-heartedly serving God. Be alert. Give it everything you've got. Whenever, whatever, wherever God sends you, do it with all of your strength. Be courageous, in verse 7, not foolish. I believe God's in control. I believe that God is sovereign, and when my day comes, all the doctors in the world are not gonna keep me. But I also know that there's a stupid courage My wife and I used to live right in the landing, right in the landing strip over at CBG. Planes would come in literally right over 50 feet or so above our house. They would come right in and land. And when we moved a couple years ago, We were talking one night, laying in bed, and I said, listen, no airplanes. And I no sooner than got the words out of my mouth, and I went, choo choo, we are right between two train tracks. Now, courage is, If I have to cross the track, I'm going to be careful, but I know God's in control. Foolish courage is, I'm going to go out there, and I'm going to stand right between those two metal rails, and I'm going to defy that train to hit me. I'm going to dare that train to hit me. You know what's probably going to happen? I'm going to end up a splatter on the roof. There's a faith that says, I will do whatever God says, and there's a faith that says, I am going to be presumptuous, and I'm going to dare God to let something happen. Every time we get in the car, do you know there's a very good chance you'll be killed? I'm constantly telling my wife, honey, be careful. Then, I know you're one of the best drivers around. I'm not worried about you. It's all those other idiots on the road that I worry about. Now, I can get in the car and head to Florence, and I can be a nervous wreck. Oh, that car passed me! Oh, that car swerved! I can be a nervous wreck, or I can drive as carefully as I can, knowing that God's in control. Now, if I get on... Everybody know where Short Richardson is? I get on Short Richardson and I decide to drive a hundred miles an hour down Short Richardson. That's stupidity. God may allow me to suffer the consequences. But be courageous. As long as you are following God's will. Meditate. You know, one way to meditate, and this is, I don't recommend this way, I don't recommend it, it's a horrible way to meditate, but let God strike you down in a hospital for five and a half weeks. You're laying there, you can't move, you can't do anything, barely feeds yourself, You can't do anything except lay there. And you learn to meditate. You learn to think. You learn to pray. Well, what about us today? The world is full of things that can get us down. I am so sick of the 2024 election that I want to regurgitate. Somebody said, who are you going to vote for? The lesser of two evils. It's depressing when you look at the economy. It's depressing when you go to the grocery store. It's depressing when you buy anything. When you look at the world scene, it's depressing. And if you dwell on all of the bad things, you will end up depressed. If you look at your own failures, it can be depressing. And every time I think of this, I think of Peter walking on water. Peter was walking on top of the water. Until what? Until he took his eyes off of Christ and started looking at the problems. And he sunk just like that. But we can be encouraged We will have problems. There will be battles. There will be challenges. But if we know we are where God called us and where God put us, if God put me here, he will sustain me here, wherever here may be. We know that God hasn't changed. The same God that parted the Red Sea is the same God that I serve today, no different. The same God that rained manna down from heaven is the same God that said, I will provide all your needs. And I said, well, as soon as I feel God's power, I'll go. You'll never get it. You go, then God gives us power to do what we need to do. If you're here today and lost, you still have depressing situations. Inflation is still high. Groceries are still high. Everything is still high. The world is still turning against Israel. There's a gazillion things to depress us. But if you're lost, there is no comfort. I can find comfort reading God's word. I can find comfort praying and meditating with God. Oh, you can read the Bible, but it won't speak to you. You can say prayers, but you can't really fellowship with God. There's nothing in your life at all to offer you any kind of hope. or any kind of courage. When I die, I will be in heaven. People tell me all the time, y'all know, I can walk through Walmart and speak to everybody there. I don't have to know them, I just speak to them. So I speak to people and it's like, well, you know, every day above ground's a good day. And it's like, wait a minute, wait a minute, If I die, it's a better day. And they look at you like you've got three horns. It's like, what do you mean? If I die, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. If you die, you'll be like the rich man in Luke. He died and in hell he lifted up his eyes. That's all the courage you can have. That's all the courage that you can get is lifting your eyes in hell. The Bible assures us that if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us. If we repent of our sins and trust Jesus Christ, then you can have the same hope that I have. Father, we come.