The secrests of Joshua's leadership

2006.09.25 Charlotte South Korean Prebysterian Church
Bible Verses: Joshua 1:1-9

Title: The Secrets of Joshua's Leadership

There are two groups of people in the world. Do you know what groups they are? One is a group of leaders and the other is a group of followers. Which group do you want to belong to? I'm sure all of you want to be a leader. By the way, among leaders, there are two types of leadership, good and bad leadership. Good leadership encourages followers to grow higher and healthier. In contrast, bad leadership manipulates followers so that they suffer a lot under the control of their leader. Can you give some examples of good and bad leadership?(Jesus, Roosevelt, Admiral Lee Sunsin vs Hitler, Osama Vin Laden, Kim JungIl)

How can you be a good leader? Especially, how can you be a good christian leader? The Bible verses that we read a minute ago give some insight about that. According to the Bible, Joshua became a new leader of the Hebrew after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord. I think most of you are well aware of Moses and his leadership. He was born as an Hebrew but had been raised as a prince of Egypt. At 40 years old, he killed an Egyptian to save one of his own people and had to run off from Pharaoh and went to live in Median desert. After spending another 40 years in wilderness as a shepherd, he was finally met by the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. The Lord commanded Moses to bring his own people the Israelites out of Egypt. After that incident, Moses went to Egypt and took the Israelites out of Egypt. The Israelites may go directly into Canaan, the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. However, they couldn't enter into the land because of their disloyalty to the Lord and wandered along the wilderness for 40 years. Moses died right before he cross the Jordan river.

After the death of Moses, Joshua, Moses' aide, became a new leader of the Israelite. But he is not like Moses. He has probably been taught by Moses but has never leaded all Israel. Even though he became a leader, he might have some concern about his leadership and the future of his own people. At that time, the Lord appeared to Joshua and said "2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates-all the Hittite country-to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up 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."

Don't you think this is a great promise and blessing of the Lord? As some of you know, the Israelite under the leadership of Joshua invaded Canaan and conquered the land which the Lord promised.

But you have not to forget what the Lord said to Joshua. The Lord commanded Joshua to keep three things. These three things are applicable to us for being a good leader.

First, let' read v8. "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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." What does the Lord command? Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night. In other words, read the Bible and think about it everyday. How many of you read the Bible daily and meditate on it? If you want to be a good christian leader, you have to read the Bible and meditate it daily at first. I think you have heard the Jewish people are very brilliant and religious. Why are they brilliant and religious? Because they have been taught to read the Bible and meditates it. Deuteronomy 6:4-8 says that "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." These are the method of Jewish people's raising their children.


Second, read the latter half of v 7. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left. If you make yourself accustomed to reading the Bible, then you have to apply the reading to your real life. You must obey what the Bible instructs you to do. To know the bible is important but it's not enough. It is just 50% accomplished! To know the Bible completely and truly should be followed by doing what the Bible says. Therefore, James brother of Jesus our Lord said to us "faith without deeds is dead."(James 2:26) What are you going to do during next week after you listen to this preaching? Think about that.

Third, read the first half of v 7. Be strong and very courageous. You may face some difficulties when you live the way in which the Bible tells you. The christian life which the Bible shows to us is not like a road with blossomed flower and shadowing trees but a way with thorn and bushes. But the way is toward the truth, the eternal life and the final success. If you walk through the way, you need to be strong and very courageous. God repeatedly told Joshua, "be strong and courageous" in v 6, v 7 and v 9. In v 9, He even said, Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged."

Do you know what is fortunate to us? In v 9, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Yes! The Lord will be with us wherever we go. The Lord gives us the strength to overcome all difficulties in our life if we decided to follow the above three things. He will make us become a good leader who encourages our friends, families and colleagues to live a good life. I want all of you to be a good leader following the commandments which the Lord gave to Joshua.

Let's pray together!
Dear Father! You make us become a good leader in this world. We pray to you that as you make Joshua be a good leader, make us be a good christian leader. Today, we decide to follow what you commanded. We'll read the Bible and meditate it daily. We'll also obey what the Bible instructs us. We'll be strong and courageous. Father, we desperately need your help in doing these things. Without your help, we are nothing. Lord, we believe in your sincerity and compassion to us. In Jesus' name! Amen.