#2 Movinig Forward

Joshua chapter one, please Joshua chapter one. When we began a series of messages selecting passages out of Joshua in January, I made the statement that with any challenge the first steps are the hardest. Writing a research paper, getting those first thoughts on paper, they're the hardest. A first hit and a football game is the hardest hit of all. If you're going to confront someone about a need in their life, if you're going to witness to a neighbor those first words out of your mouth are the hardest. When you got up out of bed this morning, I would dare to say your first steps were the hardest. It's just that way in life, isn't it? The first steps in any venture moving forward are always the hardest. In Joshua chapter one, the nation of Israel is at a point where they must move forward. They must now take the first steps toward entering the land. We looked at verses one through nine. Last time we were in Joshua and we saw that God has both challenged and encouraged Joshua to assume the mantle of leadership. Moses is now off the scene. Joshua is the new leader and God has encouraged him in verses one through nine. But now it's time to move forward. Now it's time to take those first steps in going into the land and in their first steps toward taking the land, we have a model for moving forward. We really do. We have a model for moving forward as a church because the church must move forward. The church always must be moving forward. In reaching people with the gospel, we saw compelling video a little while ago about the needs of people groups across the world who have no one in their language group to share with them the gospel of Christ. The church must be moving forward to reach the world with the gospel and to reach out to our own community with the gospel. The church must be moving forward to disciple people and help believers grow up into maturity in Christ and the church must be moving forward to minister to people to serve our Lord and to serve others. We cannot sit still. We dare not be satisfied with where we are now. If we are satisfied with where we are, if we're satisfied with where we are and what we're doing now, if we're not continuing to press forward, then we become complacent. It can happen so easily to a church. I see it in my own life. 19 months ago, I announced to you my intention to retire in the summer of 2018. I gave you five reasons why I believe the Lord was leading in that way. And one of those reasons with this, I remind you that as we age, we lose the energy, the drive, the focus to be able to charge the next hill and to lead a church to move forward. And so it's dangerous when an aging leader begins to lose that drive and physical, mental, emotional energy because the church tends to go into autopilot and we stop moving forward and we start saying, you know what we got right now is good. Let's just stay right here. If we ever do that, we are signing a death warrant on this church so we can't do that. We've got to move forward. We've got to keep moving forward. And that's what we find a model for in this passage this morning in Joshua chapter one. In this model that that both Joshua and the people of Israel set for us, we have examples of what moving forward means for a leader and also what moving forward means for the people as a whole. So let's take a close look at what that tells us and what lessons we can learn. First of all, in verses 10 and 11, we find a leader moving forward. A leader, Joshua, moving forward. There are four leadership qualities that emerge in Joshua's life in these two verses. Now God's been building these into his life for 40 years in the wilderness as he's been given different leadership responsibilities and in verses one through nine, God's challenged him now to take hold and assume that position of leadership. God's been working these into his life and now it's time for him to express them. It's time for them to come out and these leadership qualities emerge in Joshua's life. I want to apply these four leadership qualities to leaders in the church today because what is true of Joshua must also be true of leaders in the church, pastors, deacons, Bible fellowship, leaders and teachers, leaders of other ministries in our church. But these principles are also true of other areas of leadership. Leadership in your home, leadership in your workplace, leadership in your school, leadership on your team, regardless of where you are called upon to lead these same principles apply. Now obviously given our situation in my desire to preach this book as an expression of our people as a church moving forward, obviously I'm going to make primary application to pastors today and what is called upon for pastors to be the appropriate leaders to lead God's people forward. Four leadership qualities, number one is this, a leader must be in tune with God, must be in tune with God. And we actually find that in verses one through nine so let me just refresh your memory for a moment what we saw there. Joshua has been in God's presence. God has been speaking to him and Joshua's been listening to what God had to say. God has strengthened him and encouraged him. Remember he encouraged him and challenged him to face the challenge that lay before him and to prepare his heart and life for that challenge. He challenged Joshua to trust in his promises in the Word and then he challenged him to strengthen himself in the Word. Joshua has been alone with God and has heard from God. God has spoken into his life and into his heart and into his mind and Joshua has been listening now he's ready to lead God's people but not not until he listens to God. And so in spiritual leadership a leader must be in tune with God. And by the way folks you have every right to expect that of your pastors. You have every right it is a biblical expectation that your leadership be godly leadership. That we should be people who spend time with God, who hear his Word and are internally in our own spirit and heart and mind challenged and strengthened in the Word and rooted in the promises of God to go forth and serve him with that strength. You have every right to expect that the lives of leaders here in this church will be humbly dependent upon God and that we will then lead and relate to others out of that spiritual maturity. You have every right to expect that. That is a biblical expectation. You see leadership especially spiritual leadership in the church pastoral leadership is not just about the latest theory and techniques on leadership from books written by leaders and organizational managers. There are some good things you can learn from that arena of leadership. There are some good principles that can be learned but they cannot take the place. They are no substitute for a consistent growing relationship with God. And so the first leadership quality that comes out of Joshua's life here in the first nine verses as we saw is that he's in tune with God. He has been with God. He's listened to God. He's ready to move because he has now strengthened in the Word of God and in the promises of God. That's the only way a leader can lead. Spiritually the second leadership quality that emerges from Joshua here is that a leader must act decisively. There comes a time to act decisively. Look more carefully at verse 10. Okay remember verses 1 through 9. He's been in the presence of God. He's been challenged and encouraged by God through the Word and the promises and so forth and notice the first word in verse 10. So they get tells us that this is Joshua's response to what verses 1 through 9 indicated what God told him. So Joshua ordered the officers of the people. Go through the camp and tell the people get your supplies 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. So it's time to act now and Joshua acts decisively. Once God has made clear to him it's time you have the mantle of leadership. Now lead Joshua commands orders the officers of the people. This is what we're going to do. It's time to act. There's this not time to delay. There's no time for indecision. This is the time to take the land and so he issues the command. Here's what we're going to do. Now please understand this is not some kind of hasty knee jerk reaction for Joshua to establish his authority. It's not the deal here. It's an interesting verse in Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 2 which says desire without knowledge is not good. How much more will hasty feet miss the way. This is not some kind of knee jerk reaction on the part of Joshua to say okay I got to take control of this situation and I'm going to show people who's in charge. It's not that. It's not what's happening here. This is not some kind of aggressive action on his part to cover up his own insecurities. That's not what's happening here. This is not some kind of manipulative technique manipulating people to get the leaders way. That's not what's happening here. I would remind you that if we had read through the book of Deuteronomy before coming to Joshua 1 today which that would have been kind of fun wouldn't it just read through the whole book of Deuteronomy and then start the message. If we had done that we would have seen that the people of Israel have been camped in this location for months and in those months Moses has taken the law and and instructed this new generation that grew up in the wilderness and and he has challenged them about their responsibilities take the land. It's the whole book of Deuteronomy has been communicated to the nation on the plains of the Jordan River and so there's been plenty of time to read the word. There's been plenty of time to hear from God to pray to plan and now it's time to act. This is not some knee-jerk reaction. This is a decisive following of the Lord's commands and instructions to them throughout the whole book of Deuteronomy. There's been plenty of time to plan but now it's time to act and a leader must sense when it's time to act decisively and say here's what we've got to do. Here's the direction we need to go. In 2009 Amanda Ripley a reporter wrote a book called Unthinkable and in that book she investigated why some people survive natural disasters or man-made disasters and why others don't survive those disasters. She examined in her research fires floods hurricanes and airplane crashes. Interviewed dozens of survivors and found three phases in her research she discovered three clear phases on the journey from removing yourself from danger to safety. She said the first reaction most people have in a crisis is denial. The second phase is deliberation and the third phase is decisive action and what she noted in her research is that most people in a catastrophe never make it to that final phase. The decision making phase of doing something they are paralyzed by fear so they don't make a decision to act. As a good example she talked about the worst aviation disaster in the history of aviation still today. It was a crash that maybe any of you have heard about on March 27th 1977 on the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. There was a pan M747 lined up on the tarmac ready to get into position to take off and fog had covered the airport and a plane that was landing missed his instructions and crashed into that plane on the tarmac. 583 people were killed still the worst aviation disaster in history. But there was a man on that plane on the ground. He and his wife survived. There were only a few survivors his name was Paul Heck and she interviewed Paul Heck to find out what happened. When this aircraft came hurtling toward the one on the ground at 160 miles an hour broke through this bank of fog and they collided. There was horrendous, horrendous carnage but there was a section of the plane that was not immediately affected on the ground. Smoke started filling it was later the explosions that took the rest of that plane but immediately immediately of the 396 passengers on that plane Paul Heck unbuckled his seatbelt grabbed his wife by the hand and said follow me and they immediately got up and got out a hole in the side of the plane one of the few survivors of that horrible disaster. In an interview after the disaster he said I noticed as I was walking most people were still in their seats acting like everything was okay even though the cabin was filling with smoke and and wood in just a few moments explode. He also noted that after takeoff he had done something that many of you who fly a lot have long since given up doing he studied the escape plan and made sure he knew exactly where to go and so as soon as the disaster happened he grabbed his wife's hand and got her out the only exit that was available to them. You see there's a time there's a time where you must act decisively where you must say this is the way we need to go Ted Inx from who was the leader at World Vision and a great writer got a couple of his books. He wrote about leadership and he said when leaders are most vulnerable to the pain of leadership is when they have to make a tough decision. They receive criticism there's a lot of stress and fatigue involved loneliness unpleasant decisions especially are hard to make even a measure of rejection will come but a leader knows a decisive moment and must make a decision that's a quality of leadership that quite frankly I've struggled with all my adult life. It doesn't fit my personality and I've struggled with it all my adult life as a leader and so I've had to force myself at times I'm a consensus builder I'm in my simple nature of people pleaser I want to bring people together and bring reconciliation and things to gather in peace and and so it's difficult for me sometimes to say okay this is what we've got to do like it or not this is a time for decision we've got to move it's hard for me to do but there must be times when that happens a leader must act decisively Joshua did a third quality of leadership is that a leader must be able to delegate a leader leader must be able to delegate look at look we will again at verse 10 Joshua ordered notice this Joshua ordered the officers of the people go throughout the camp and tell the people and then he gives them what they're supposed to tell the people notice Joshua did not try to address the whole nation he addressed the officers the Hebrew word literally means scribes and when we think of scribes we think of someone who's sitting in a room somewhere copying the scriptures and but there's not all scribes did here in the Old Testament scribes were responsible for organizing the people into groups you know there were tribes and then there were clans in those tribes you read about it numbers and then there were family groups among those clans and they were organized by these scribes and the whole purpose of it as made clear in the book of numbers was to be able to muster an army but there were other ways that that administrative structure was used and here's one of those occasions where instructions that are to be to given to the whole nation are first of all by the leader Joshua given to these scribes these officers and then it filters down from there through the chain of command if you will or the administrative structure to other people so Joshua works through an administrative structure that was already in place a network of other leaders prepared to serve alongside him every leader has to learn at some level to do that to delegate to others this is not passing the book this is not getting out of work because you don't want to do it this is not dumping your unfinished tasks on other people because you're too lazy to do it that's not what we're talking about here we're talking about realizing that no one person can do everything that needs to be done Joshua couldn't get the word to everybody so he uses an administrative structure he leads the officers the scribes the scribes do their job with the next layer next layer the next layer down to the individual family groups it is possible to delegate too much it is possible to be negligent in your duties because you're too lazy to do them years ago when when we had a different little different kind of office structure before we renovated that wing and my office was just outside the auditorium area first office on the right in the hallway and I had a door that opened out into the hallway and some of you will remember I used to put cartoons on that door cartoons about ministry and pastors in fact for some of you that will be my most lasting legacy in this church is the cartoons well one of those cartoons had a secretary a church secretary talking to her pastor and she's saying no it is not done pastor I thought when you asked me to type up your sermon you would at least give me a rough draft it is possible to delegate too much and just try to get out of the work and that's not what we're talking about here this is legitimate delegation so that the task gets done better and that's what Joshua learns you know Moses had to learn that didn't he if you know anything about the life of Moses you know that in the book of Exodus Moses was trying to listen to all the concerns of all the people of Israel and from son up to son down people were coming to him sharing their problems he was trying to apply the law of God to their situation and this was going on all day long and finally Jeff Rowley's father-in-law shows up in Exodus 18 and says you know Moses I've been watching you you're gonna kill yourself and you're gonna wear the people out waiting on you all day by trying to do all this yourself you have got to delegate to some others and Moses saw that as God honoring advice and so he pulls out elders other leaders who will help him administer this counsel to the nation of Israel no one person can do it all I remember preacher Jimmy used to say something to me and those of you who remember preacher Jimmy our founding pastor Jimmy Jones knew that he had a way of turning a phrase a way of saying things in a down-home way which just you thought about it and you thought man that makes sense he used to say this he used to say John he said if everything in the church has to be under your thumb the church will grow no more than the size of your thumb and you know I've thought about that a lot through the years there's a lot of truth in that and I've tried to practice that not always successfully but have tried to practice that good advice I got from him and that's why so many of our other pastors do other things do things that I'm not gonna get involved in why because they must be delegated to others so that all of us can focus on the areas where God's given us responsibilities and gifted this or whatever Moses had to learn that Joshua had to learn that every leader has to learn that you've got to be able to delegate to others fourth quality of leadership that's exhibited here it emerges in Joshua's leadership is that a leader must have a plan of action you see it there in verse 11 Joshua had a clear plan of action go through the camp and tell the people here it is get your supplies ready three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God's giving you for your own get your supplies together what does that mean get your supplies ready well some translations translate that provisions and it probably has to do with food get some food ready because you're gonna go into the land you see what's happening here is that they are gonna be entering the land and the manna that God's been dropping on them miraculously from heaven is gonna stop he tells them that very plainly in the book of Deuteronomy the manna will stop once they get into the land and they will start living off the land but until they're able to get into the land and establish the ability to start gathering crops they've got to prepare ahead of time put aside some food so that you'll be ready when you go into the land in other words plan ahead get your provisions ready for that time so that you won't be missing anything now there's an important lesson here and that is to the nation first of all don't sit around idly and expect God's supernatural provision when you can gather your own you see there's a difference in being in the wilderness and being in Canaan in the wilderness they can't get their own crops in Canaan they can in the land they can now there's a lesson for us here as well God expects us to make wise use of the resources he's given us yes trusting him at all times depending on him all the long all along and knowing that God can provide beyond our resources a PC spit God could even provide miraculously if he chooses to do so but God expects us to work hard plan gather our own resources and use them wisely not just to sit around idly and waiting on him to dump things in our lap I was fascinated this week thinking through some of the miracles of Jesus particularly in the book of John I was thinking about how this works you know Jesus performed a lot of miracles and I think seven of them are recorded in John's gospel in John chapter two Jesus turns water into wine you know one of the most amazing features of that story though is that he commanded the servants at that wedding feast to fill the water pots with water now wait a second couldn't the Lord of all creation who will turn that water into wine couldn't he have miraculously spoken and all of a sudden boom there's water in those water pots sure he could have but he didn't choose to do that he instructed people to fill the water pots with water and then he does what they cannot do in John chapter six the feeding of the five thousand Jesus takes five small barley loaves of bread and two small fish and feeds a multitude of thousands as the food just multiplies miraculously but isn't it interesting that Jesus had his disciples distribute the food pass it out and then at the end they took up the fragments in in baskets and have twelve baskets full now think with me couldn't the Lord who is able to miraculously multiply these things also miraculously speak or wave his hand over the place and they find their way into people's laps and when it's all said and done those fragments just gather on their own couldn't he have done that of course he could have but he didn't choose to do that fast forward to John 11 and the most amazing miracle in the book of John is the raising of Lazarus from the dead one of the interesting features of that however is when Jesus stands in front of the tomb he says to some men there remove the stone from the tomb read it in John 11 there were guys standing around there that moved the to now wait a second couldn't the Lord of all creation who stood in a boat and said peace be still and the waves on a troubled sea or calm who has control over all of creation couldn't that same powerful omnipotent Christ say to this stone be moved and it would tumble off to the side of course he could but he didn't choose to do that you see the lesson is this God doesn't want us to be lazy and sit idly by and do nothing expecting God to supply everything now I apply that to ministry to pastors because that's what we're talking about here you know there is a view in many churches I guess that if you're gonna really be spiritual you shouldn't study and prepare messages just get up and God the Holy Spirit will give you what to say and they terribly misuse a verse from Matthew 10 where Jesus is talking about the disciples he sent out the preach and if they are arrested God will help them to know what to say to the arresting authorities okay if they're persecuted they're not anything to do with preaching but there are many who think that that's the most spiritual way to do it is it really you know one of the things I was confirmed in when we went through first and second Timothy is that God tells Timothy through Paul you be diligent first Timothy four verse 13 and 15 you be diligent in the word in preaching and teaching give yourself holy to that he says I doesn't sound like just kind of waiting around for God to drop something in your lap to me he says study to show yourself a workman that doesn't need to be ashamed that knows how to rightly divide rightly interpret and give the word of God that doesn't sound like just sitting around waiting for it to happen it's not more spiritual to say oh I'm just depending on the spirit I'm not gonna prepare no no God expects us to fill the water pot with water God expects us to move the stone from in front of the tomb God expects us to gather up the fragments there's some things he wants us to do waiting on him and depending on him humbly yes all the time but a leader knows you've got to have a plan of action you've got to work pray think plan work at it that's a part of leadership so Joshua learns those through the wilderness and now they emerge as he's ready to lead the people into the land but Joshua's not the only one in this story Joshua was moving forward in leadership but the people are also moving forward so what do we see of the people's response as they move forward in verses 12 through 18 there are a couple of things that really stand out in order for the people of God together to move forward behind the God appointed leader we must serve unselfishly we must serve unselfishly now look if you will at verse 12 here's how it plays out verse 12 but to the Rubenites the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh Joshua said remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you the Lord your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land your wives your children your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan but all your fighting men fully armed must cross over ahead of your brothers you are to help your brothers until the Lord gives them rest as he is done for you and until they too have taken possession of the land that the Lord your God's giving them after that you may go back and occupy your own land which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise you read that and you say what is going on here the background for what's happening here is is found in Numbers chapter 32 let me just remind you of what's going on there in Numbers 32 you see the people of Israel have been as I mentioned at this location for months now they have defeated the kings already on the east side of the Jordan River that's technically outside the land of Canaan but God is going to give that land to them also so they've already defeated the Og king of Beishan and other smaller kings you know little city states in that area and they've already taken that land before they've ever gone across the river Jordan and there were two and a half tribes they're mentioned for us here the tribe of Ruben Gad and half of the tribe of Benassa who said and this is back in Numbers 32 they come to Moses and they say okay we've defeated the kings on this side of the land let's just let us stay over here this is great grazing land we we want to keep our flocks and herds over here let us stay on this side of the Jordan and you know what Moses started thinking he even says it in Numbers 32 he's thinking oh no this is Kadeesh Barney all over again oh that's kind of the King John translation it's not really the way he said it but kind of that way he said he said this is Kadeesh Barney all over again you've come to the edge of the land and unwilling to go in and take it and they said no no no that's not what we mean no no if if if God will allow you to give us this land we will promise that we will we'll build our pins and our cities and make our wives and families secure here but our fighting then we'll go across and take the land with you and only then will we come back and notice what Moses says to them I'm going to read it from from Numbers 32 then Moses said to them if you will do this if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle and if all of you will go armed over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him then when the land is subdued before the Lord you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord into Israel and this land will be your possession before the Lord but if you fail to do this you will be sinning against the Lord and you may be sure that your sin will find you out strong words so he says build cities for your women and children and pins for your flocks but do what you have promised now here's the point the people of Israel must act together Joshua is simply reminding them of Moses command to them yes you can have the land that we've already conquered it is great raising land you can have that so build your pins and cities keep your family secure but then you go with us into the land of Israel the land of Canaan and fight for that land with your brothers Joshua is reminding of them of this and here's the principle don't miss this you must see beyond your personal interests and where you are now to the bigger picture of what is best for the nation as a whole that's what he's telling them yes you're satisfied over here because this has already been conquered it's peaceful it's nice over here you have got to see the bigger picture of what's best for the whole nation you've got to go with your brothers and fight for the whole land and then you can come back and rest where you are and how do we apply that to the church and to us one of the greatest dangers to a church moving forward is what I call territorialism and that is that I'm concerned only about my territory I'm concerned only about my ministry I'm concerned only about what I see as important let the rest of the church do whatever it wants to but this is my class this is my ministry this is my oh really is any of this mine is any of this yours isn't it all gods and are we not to pull together but you see that kind of spirit can so easily arise and work its way into our self-assinful nature so that we refuse to see the bigger picture of what God is doing in the whole church and we want to pull people and resources only to my ministry to what I'm passionate about and forget the rest that is absolutely death damaging to a church we've got to be able to see the big picture of what God is doing through the church as a whole not just what I enjoy not just what I'm involved in not just what I'm passionate about passion is great but never forget what Paul told the Philippians and Philippians chapter two verses three and four he told them he said do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit rather in humility value others above yourselves not now here's the key not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others none of us at Johnston Chapel can afford to say this is my ministry it's the only thing I'm going to focus on it's the most important thing in the church none of us can afford to do that remember we are pulling together and we've got to be balanced in our perspective of what God's doing in the whole church the church needs balance between the local outreach and world missions and some people get all passionate about what we're doing in the community and don't care anything about those two and a half billion unreached people groups and then some people get so concerned and passionate about that that they don't care if they reach their neighbor listen we got to put aside our own interests and understand what God's doing in the bigger picture of the church as a whole it's the place of the leader of the senior pastor the lead pastor to keep that in focus and to make sure from this pulpit we are challenged to have a balanced ministry and to not get so wrapped up in our own little world that were just a collection of separate ministries fighting against each other for people and resources we can never allow that to happen the church has to have a balance between evangelism and growing disciples discipling believers it's not one or the other the big picture is both and we have to do both the church has to be concerned about doctrine and nailing down what we believe and making sure we stay true to biblical doctrine but we've also got to be equally concerned about how that applies to the way we live and the way we live in our neighborhoods and our workplaces and our families the church has got to be concerned about building relationships but also taking care of the facilities that God's given us both are true it's not one or the other the church has got to be concerned about fellowship among believers there's nothing wrong with that there's nothing wrong with having a fellowship time together just enjoying each other and sitting around the table with each other but we've also got to be involved in ministry and reaching out to serve Christ and to serve the needs of others it's not one or the other it's both the church has got to be concerned about the needs of the young and the needs of the old it's not one or the other and here's where we can get so passionate about my age group we cannot get to the place as a church where us older folks are saying this is my church we're not going to do anything that threatens me and my safety you know what we're saying if we do that if we're not willing to move out of our comfort zone we're saying exactly what Moses was afraid these people were saying we want to stay where it's comfortable over here for us on this side of the Jordan and it was only when they were willing to say no no we will give ourselves to the interests of our brothers and go fight with them that the blessing of God came upon the nation and younger folks cannot say this is about us we're the future of the church if you don't do it our way then the whole church will die no no no no please stop it's not about one age group of the other it's about the whole church and we must we must meet each other's needs I'll tell you a little fable please understand this is a fable it's a legend it's not true a man dies and goes to see Saint Peter at the gate of heaven we all know that's not true and that's not how it happens but he asks he asks to see a room he asks to be shown both heaven and hell so you can kind of see like you know which one do I want okay so so Peter shows him two rooms and he takes him to the first room and in the first room people are are eating a sumptuous banquet so then he takes him to the second room and in the second room people are eating a sumptuous banquet and he shakes his head and says to Peter I don't understand they're the same there's no difference and Peter says let's go back and look again a little more closely this time and when you looked a little more closely he found that the only eating utensil that was provided in both rooms was a long narrow extremely sharp sword and so in the one room people were stabbing at their food and trying to get it around get it in their mouths and slashing their faces and cutting each other's arms and everything it was horrible in the other room people were carefully taking their long slender sharp sword and getting the food on their neighbors played a cross from them and very gingerly placing it in their neighbor's mouth and feeding them would the God that the old would say we want to take care of the young and we want this church to be a church that will always reach young people and young families and we will extend our sword across the table not feed ourselves but feed our younger members and would the God that the younger members would in turn say it's not about me it's not about us we want to make sure that we honor our older folks and that we serve them that is the way to move forward and the only way we can move forward otherwise we splinter into different interest groups just like our nation has Washington has become as you know a hotbed of special interest groups all crying for their own way and not listening to the other and that can happen in a church too what this passage is teaching us is that we must serve unselfishly and look out for the interests of others not just my side of the Jordan but my brother's side of the Jordan too to move forward we got to serve unselfish unselfishly but there's something else the people show us in verses 16 to 18 and that is that we must unite around common goals look at these verses verse 16 then they answered Joshua whatever you have commanded us we will do and wherever you send us we will go just as we fully obeyed Moses so we will obey you only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses look at verse 18 whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words talking to Joshua now whatever you may command them will be put to death only be strong and courageous now be careful how you apply that to the church especially that last verse you know no one here is saying you better do what I say or you face the death penalty no we're not we're not in a theocracy we're God's dealing with the nation but we're not saying that but I want you to notice two things here that are very important about uniting around common goals it is clear that the people give their loyalty to their new leader Joshua but it's also clear that they expect of him that he better be following the Lord notice twice they say verse 17 only now we're ready to follow you but only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses the end of verse 18 only be strong and courageous in other words you do what God told you in verses one through nine you listen to him you follow him we're ready to go with you anywhere we'll follow you so there's that two strains of of leadership and following here and you know both are taught in the New Testament about the church it is taught in the New Testament that we need to follow our spiritual leaders look at this verse Hebrews 13 verse 17 the writer of Hebrews says to the church the Hebrew believers he says have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account and any leader by the way worth his salt realizes he's going to have to answer to God for everything he does in leading God's people and that'll stop you short of a lot of foolishness okay but but the leader the people are are challenged commanded to have confidence and submit to their authority and then he goes on to say do this so that their work will be a joy not a burden for that would be of no benefit to you so there's a strong command here to follow your spiritual leaders but then there's also this caution for the spiritual leaders not to misuse that authority look look at these words in first Peter 5 where Peter says to to fellow pastors he says be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care watching over them not because you must but because you're willing as God wants you to be not pursuing dishonest gain but eager to serve and then notice these next words not lording it over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock so on the one hand there's this responsibility of people to follow God appointed leadership but there's also this heavy responsibility on the leaders to make sure that they're serving with the right spirit as humble servants of Christ and his flock and not lording it over people but seeking to live as an example that is a beautiful balance and when that balance is kept the church moves forward and it's clear what binds people and leader together is uniting around common purposes and goals because you see we're all different in so many ways aren't we I look around this audience and you guys are really different really different and I am too we're different ages we have different personalities we may dress differently we may have different tastes and music and food even different political views different economic standings we're different in a lot of ways but the thing that binds us together in the family of God is we are committed we are committed to producing followers of Christ who love him who come to know him as savior that's outreach that's evangelism we come to know him as savior and falling love with Jesus and then who grow in him who understand and know the word of God and what it means to live for Christ and be have Christ living through us to be shaped into his image but then also to serve those who serve him so love grows serve those are the common goals that bind us together that vision that purpose those goals will enable us to accomplish all that God wants us to and to be all he wants us to be and if both leaders and church as a whole give ourselves to that we'll move forward that's what creates unity Joshua and the people have taken the first step to move forward Joshua has taken the mantle of leadership God has prepared him internally to lead the people to enter the land the people are ready to go ready to follow him but they've committed to serve one another to lay down their own preferences and serve one another and follow God's direction through their leaders and they're ready to move forward when I ask you this morning are you willing to move forward not be stuck where we are are you willing to move forward are you willing to move forward and the last couple minutes I want to make this very practical I have limited time to tell you what's on my heart so I'm going to do it I'm not going to hold back I love you too much like Joshua God has assigned Dan thing to lead this church to lead our church into the future I've watched this man carefully ever since I went to PNG in 2012 to see them at work on the mission field I've observed his life for over five years six years now he and Amy both I have come to know Dan and he's going to be terribly embarrassed by this sorry get read based I've come to know him as a man who knows what it's like to walk in close fellowship with God he has a vision and a passion for a balanced ministry here at the chapel and from his heart comes that balance if we can't only be about loving Christ and growing we've got to be about serving and reaching out to the lost and that balance what drives his heart he is willing to lead us and not lord it over us I see that in him last fall we presented a bold vision for outreach that involved a good bit of change in how we would do ministry here and when there were significant deep concerns expressed about all that we were presenting pastor Dan did not dig in his heels for a fight he did not do that he said okay I recognize and this was at his initiative I recognize this is too much change for the church to deal with it once we're changing leadership that's enough for now so I'm going to move into the role of lead pastor establish my ministry and then we'll see how the Lord leads in the future it may not look exactly like what we're thinking now maybe different but we'll see what God does you know what that showed me that showed me humility patience grace and godly leadership that's what that showed me and I am more committed to what God is doing in putting him in this place and I ever have been so I encourage you that's Joshua I encourage you as the people rally around him as your god appointed leader as our god appointed leader pray for him and his family please look beyond your personal interests to the bigger picture of what's best for our church moving forward and unite around the goals that bind us together to love Christ to grow in him and to serve him and if Dan follows Christ like Joshua was commanded to follow his Lord and if we follow that god appointed leadership as he is strong and courageous in the Lord then I look forward to how God's going to move this church forward we will move forward if we do it God's way would you bow with me in prayer father thank you for the example of Joshua thank you for the example of the people of Israel I pray that you will help us to learn from these godly biblical examples you've given us not just for history lessons but to learn how we're to function today I pray that you'll help us as leaders to be the kind of godly sensitive leaders that you would have us to be sensitive to you and to the needs of the flock and then I pray father that you will help us as a flock to rally around to give our loyalty to god appointed leadership as they follow you and I pray that as we followed Dan's leadership that we will see the church move forward in great ways we trust you for that we look forward to that so father help us to move forward not to stay where we are but to move forward we pray in Jesus name amen