← ArchiveUNDEFEATEDBe Strong and CourageousDateJanuary 17, 2021SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamText—Passages in this sermonJoshua 13:27Joshua 1:15:21Hebrews 1116:05Matthew 2819:49Joshua 1:520:23TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00*music*0:30Okay, good morning. I should say good Lord's Day. I'm reminded that on a morning something like this thousands of years ago two ladies go to a graveyard and they're looking for what you look at when you go to a graveyard, a dead body. And they're there to anoint this man who was born in Bethlehem but lived in Nazareth named Jesus. And when they get to the grave, something mysterious is there. The world has never seen anything like this.0:53There are two people, then they shone. Their clothes were glowing and they said this: Why do you look for the living among the dead? Jesus is not here. As He has risen, as He has told you. And because Jesus Christ rose from the dead over 2,000 years ago, we get to worship today on the Lord's Day.1:17You say, "Do you really believe that?" I believe every last word of it. And that was the day that the history of the world would change forever. That was the day that my life changed forever. And so our hope is this, and we say it simply: Listen, we believe that the whole Gospel is for the whole person and for the whole world. I believe every single thing in this book.1:46Because it's living and it's active. And this is what I believe too. If you would trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He'll change your life. As He's changed mine. And as He's changed the entire world. That's our hope for you. We say it like this: If you are a Christ follower today, we want you to be encouraged and challenged and equipped. And if you are not a Christ follower, we want you to see what we see.2:12That you have redemption for your sins. That you can be reconciled to God. That if you've been squished up and stomped on, as Pastor Benny said earlier, that you will still see your worth. That you are valuable to God. Valuable enough that He sent His only Son to die for you. And reconcile you back to your Heavenly Father. That is why we do what we do. And that is why I'm excited to preach.2:41This time in the book of Joshua. So if you have your Bibles, we're not going to be in 1 Timothy. We're going to be in Joshua for the next 10 weeks. So go ahead and mark your Bible. It's the sixth book of the Old Testament. For those of you who are watching online and for those of you who are new. We have some new faces here. Would we just welcome them with a hand clap? Thank you guys for joining us. I'm reminded we have covenant members who have watched faithfully for 9 or 10 months.3:09And they're longing to get back. Some of them have the first round of the vaccine and they're hoping to get the second to come back. So we miss you guys. We can't wait for you to be back with us in person one day. So as you turn to Joshua chapter 1, let me begin with a heavy question. Have you ever been to the point in your life where you had a major decision? Maybe it was a crisis of faith.3:37And in that moment you realize for the very first time that the mentor that you would ask for advice. Maybe a father or a mother or a matriarch or a patriarch. Maybe a pastor or a dear friend. You know, it's that person that you would always go to for advice. And they've never let you down. It's the person that you would go because your life was in shambles. And you knew they would love you unconditionally. And for the first time you realize, I can't go.4:04They're gone. What a difficult place to be in. And some of you have experienced that. I have made four phone calls this week of people who have lost son-in-laws. Of mom's grandparents. And for the first time, if they have a big decision, they can't call up their grandfather and say, "Granddad, what would you do?" Because he's not there. And in those moments, that's the time where our faith has to become our own.4:32That's the moment that when you are living in the shadow of your hero, that God is asking you to step out of the shadows and say, "Josh, you're on your own. But you're never on your own. Because your heavenly Father is with you." You say, "Well, man, that's pretty heavy, Pastor. Why would you start a sermon on undefeated like that?" Well, because that's exactly how the book of Joshua begins.5:01For the first time, the people of God are venturing out away from the shadow of this tremendous man of faith named Moses. And God says, "You can do it. Because I will be with you." If you don't know who I am, my name is Josh Burnham, lead pastor. I'm one of our pastors here, and I get the privilege today of bringing the word in the book of Joshua 1:1. So read with me. I'm reading from the CSB, the Christian Standard Bible.5:29And then we will jump into a new series called "Undefeated." Joshua 1:1 After the death of Moses, the Lord's servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant. "Moses, my servant, is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land that I am giving the Israelites.5:57I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised Moses. Your territory will be from the wilderness in Lebanon to the land of the Hittites in the west to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live.6:22I will be with you just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you. Hey, be strong, be courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to your fathers. To give them as an inheritance. Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my service Moses commanded you.6:44Do not turn to the right or to the left so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth. You are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.7:06For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Have I not commanded you? Have I commanded you? So the third time. Be strong, courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.7:32What do you do when you no longer have your safety nets and all you have is faith? Be strong and courageous. Let's pray. Father, we believe that even though Moses is dead, you are undefeated. We believe that although we have fears and failures and worries and sins that easily entangle us, you are undefeated.7:59We believe that even though we think our worlds might be falling apart, that you are undefeated. We believe that even though you sent your son Jesus to redeem the world and the world killed him, he rose again because you are undefeated. Lord, would you remind us in this moment to be strong and courageous because you are with us.8:27Lord, may that be the theme of our song and the words of our mouth. Lord, encourage us, challenge us that we might look more like your son Jesus. I pray this in Christ's name. Amen. So you might have guessed today's message is simple. Be strong and courageous.8:56So let's look back at verse one. Moses has led the people of the Lord to the cusp of the promised land. And then he died. Pretty sad, right? I mean, what do you do when the first five books of the Bible, everything that God has been working up to in his people ends in a funeral?9:15And Joshua reminds us that Moses has died, and for our astute Bible scholars, you're saying, well, I know why he died. Because he was not faithful to the end. That should be a reminder to us. God determines success by faithfulness.9:43So Moses has died. So Moses has died. And God is reminding. He says something very powerful right here to Joshua. Verse one. After the death of Moses, the Lord's servant, the Lord spoke. Now, why is Moses important? Every single leader in the Bible lives under the shadow of Moses. So much so that Joshua, a man whose name is on this book, is mentioned less in chapter one than Moses.10:11Now, if that's not humbling, I don't know what is. And in this moment, God does something to Joshua that he has always done to Moses. This prophetic formula that we see over and over and over again in the book of Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy. Often Moses would go to the Lord and it would say this.10:39The Lord spoke to Moses, saying. The Bible says there's never been a man like Moses that spoke to God face to face. And did you catch what happens right here in verse one? Moses has died, the Lord's servant, and guess what happens? God is not silent. But the Lord spoke to Joshua, son of Nun.11:02Look, here's hope. Although Moses is dead, God is still working. God is telling his people, listen, my spirit, my activity in the world has not died with Moses. God is still active in the life of Joshua. And the same God who spoke to Moses is speaking to Joshua in the same way. But can you imagine Joshua hearing this?11:28Saying, wow, God, you're still speaking? You haven't stopped with Moses. And here's a reminder. Listen, God is still speaking in your life. God did not stop speaking when Moses died. God did not stop speaking when the Old Testament was canonized. God did not stop speaking when Jesus died on the cross. God did not stop speaking to his people when Jesus rose again and ascended into heaven. And they're looking up in the cloud.11:57God is still speaking to his people. Are you listening? Are you listening? Are we listening? So the first way that we live strong and courageous lives is very simply. God works through those who love him. Who love him. And I can imagine Joshua hearing this and saying, God, you didn't stop. God, you didn't stop speaking through Moses.12:23I will be strong. I will be courageous because God is speaking to me. How does he speak? He has given you his word. God's word is not dead and passive. It is living and active. God speaks to you through his word. Listen intently. Because God works through those who love him. And you might say, well, I'm not Moses. I know that. And you might say, well, I'm not even the $20 bill, the crisp $20 bill.12:53I'm the one that was torn up and ripped. I'm the one that's about to go to the shredder. You still have worth. And God is still speaking to you if you will seek him by faith. There's a verse I love that says, the Bible rewards those who seek him. How can we live strong lives? How can you live courageous lives? Be strong. Be courageous. Because God is still working today.13:20He was working in 2020. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. And God is still working today. And whether I'm here or not, God will still be working tomorrow because he is sovereign and he is in control. God speak to us. Moses is dead, but the Lord is still speaking because God is undefeated. Part two of how we can live strong and courageous lives.13:46Look at verse two. It says, Moses, my servant is dead. That's the second time. By this point, I'm thinking, okay, Lord, I get it. Like Joshua sees him dead. And this is a second time now that the Lord has reminded Joshua, Moses is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan, the land that I am giving the Israelites. So Moses has been preparing the people of God for several years, actually 40 years, to cross over into the promised land.14:14And when they get to the point, so they are about to run out of the tunnel in the national championship game. So let's just picture this, right? The coach is leading the people. And as soon as the fog machines start rolling, the coach drops dead. What do you do?14:45God says, go. Cross over the Jordan. The Jordan. Cross into. Listen, the way that we live strong and courageous lives, that life only comes by faith. Strong and courageous lives come by faith. Immediately for the last 40 years, God asked his people to cross a boundary. A physical boundary. Listen, spiritual breakthroughs in our lives will only happen when we cross boundaries by faith.15:13Some of you have been to Israel. We're going to go again at the very end of this year. If you want to go, let me know. Change your life. Change your life. The Jordan River is not like the Mississippi River. It's not even the Cahaba River. It's not difficult to cross. But for the people of God, they knew that to cross this boundary meant that we were in the land promised, the land of covenant.15:36They knew that this boundary could only be crossed by faith. See, God is asking us in our lives to live by faith. This boundary was not difficult to cross physically, but it meant that they had to take a step of faith that they could only take by faith. This is why Hebrews chapter 11 tells us, we're going to see in several weeks, that the walls of Jericho came tumbling down.16:05Why? Because by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they marched. You will never receive God's promises in your life. You will never experience spiritual breakthrough, boundary crossing, unless you exercise your faith. Do you see the sequence of the word?16:33Moses is dead. Get up. Go. Go. Live by faith. Faith is given to us to exercise and to be lived out, not to be hoarded and guarded. That's why the same chapter in Hebrews says, without faith, it is impossible to please God. How do we live strong and courageous lives? We live by faith.17:02And I'm reminded that a courageous life always comes by faith. And a faith-filled life is a courageous life. Oh, that we would have this faith. And I don't know what your Jordan River is today. Maybe physically it looks small, but you know, spiritually, it's tremendous. And for you, you've never given your life to Jesus Christ. Because you're thinking, I've grown up in church and if people know that I'm not a Christ follower,17:30what are they going to think of me? Can I just give you some pastoral advice really quick? Who cares? Who cares? There should be nothing that keeps us to running to God and saying, God, thank you for reconciling me back to yourself through Jesus Christ. And if someone is seeing you come to faith for the first time and they're going to cast their eyes down upon you, I would say they need to come to the altar themselves.18:00And so maybe you taking your step of faith would encourage someone else to take theirs. Maybe for you that step is baptism, that you've never taken the step of faith to let the world know that God is your Redeemer, that He is your friend. But a courageous life must be lives of faith. Let's continue, verse 5. Joshua is thinking, okay, we're crossing, Lord, you've been preparing us for 40 years.18:27And now the Lord says this, no one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. How many people? No one. In Mississippi they would say, ain't Nan going to stand against them. Some of you had that grandparent, right? There's no one. Can you imagine the boldness? Can you imagine God speaking to you and saying, this is what I want you to do today.18:55And there is no one and nothing that will stand in your way. And He says this, I will be with you just as I was with Moses. What a word. And then He says, I will not leave you and I will not abandon you. If you really want to live a life of faith and live a life of courageous zealousness for the Lord,19:23we have to understand that the presence of God makes us courageous. Just hearing this, my heart swells thinking, wow, can you imagine God saying this to me? My name is Joshua. This is an easy step for me to take. And then I'm reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 28.19:49He says, go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to be everything I have taught you to observe. And then He says this, and remember, remember, this is Jesus. He says, remember, I am with you always, even to the ends of the earth.20:12Where did, where did Jesus get those words? It's the same thing that He said to Joshua right here in Joshua 1:5. I will be with you. Sometimes in the English language, this sounds like a suggestion, right? We think, well, God is suggesting to Joshua that He might be with them. No, in the Hebrew, it's objective. It's a fact.20:41God is saying, you can write this down, Joshua, I am with you. Whether you feel like I am or not, I am with you. Joshua, whether you see me or not, I am with you. Joshua, whether your world falls apart or not, I am with you. And in case you miss that, I will not leave you and I will not abandon you. Listen, we need to, we need to deeply massage that into our lives. Because the presence of the Lord makes you courageous.21:07Jerry Bridges, sorry, Manly Beasley, said it this way. He says, "The presence of God is hard to define, but His absence is easy to detect." If someone came up to me and says, "Well, how do you know the presence of God is with you?" I would say, "Man, this is hard to describe." But I can tell you when God is not with me.21:37I can tell you the life that is with void and emptiness. I want to be a life where the presence of God is with me. That is a courageous life. Listen to how Charles Spurgeon says it. He says, "God is with us." This word is hell's terror. Satan, are you listening? Satan trembles at the sound of this verse. Let him, let Satan come to you suddenly and do but whisper that word.22:06God is with us. And back he falls, confounded and confused. God is with us. It's eternity's sonnet. Heaven's hallelujah. It's the shout of the glorified. It's the song of the redeemed. It's the chorus of the angels. It's the everlasting or ratio of the great orchestra of the sky. Church, I just want you to know that the presence of God with you should make you courageous and bold.22:34What a joy to know that he is with you. And remember, he is with you always, even to the ends of the earth. God's presence makes you bold. But there's more. Verse six. God now specifically says to us, "Be strong, courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to your fathers and give them as an inheritance."23:00Listen, the I am of God, the I am with you always comes with a you will. God doesn't want you to be swollen headed with his presence and puffed up. God gives you his presence that we can live on mission for him. So if you think, "Well, God is with me. I want the world to know and I just want them to see me."23:27It's not about you. It's about Jesus Christ. And so the you will is you will now live on mission. And for Joshua, it was you will inherit the land, you will divide the land after you possess the land. Did you catch that? Verse six. "Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land that I swore to your fathers." Listen, a courageous life is a battle-ready life.23:56Whether we know it or not, you and I are in a spiritual battle at all times. That's why Ephesians says, "Put on the armor of God." And it's a reminder, and some of us need to hear this. You say, "Well, I will go fight for God. Let's go. Let's suit up." The battle is not with flesh and blood, but with angels and principalities and spirits in the air in this age.24:20Listen, there is a battle and we must be ready. Many want the courage of the Savior without the conviction to live it out. And it's a reminder that God has given us his presence to fight the holy war. And listen to what happens in Joshua's life.24:47The courage of God always precedes the battle for God. Do you hear what happened there? God says, "You're going into battle, and before you go into battle, I will give you my presence." Why is that important? Because the same word, to be strong, is the same word that was used for Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. Twelve times the Bible refers to Pharaoh's heart as strong.25:13You might call it hard-hearted. And this is what I found in life. If you determine to live your life without God, you will be battle-worn and battle-scarred. And if you determine to live your life without the presence of Christ, it will only harden your heart to God. It will only harden your heart to God. And I want to have a big heart, I want to have a battle-hardened life with the Spirit, not without the Spirit.25:41Be careful. And maybe that's you, maybe today you're like Pharaoh, and the more difficulty that happens to you, the more your heart becomes hard and calloused. And I've just found this truth. Sometimes the most cold people to Jesus are the people who sit in pews, not in battlefields.26:08So don't think because we sit in an air-conditioned room and you're in church that your heart can't be hardened to God. I want a life that is courageously battle-ready because His Spirit is with me. God is not calling you to fight His battles.26:36God says He will be with you and for you. Do not harden your heart to God. But with Christ, He will strengthen your heart that you might live through the battles of life. May that be our desire. Verse 8 Continues The Lord says to Joshua, Be strong and courageous.27:06Observe carefully the whole instruction. Then you will find success. In verse 8, Pay attention to the book of instruction, which must not depart from your mouth. Listen, a courageous life of faith is a successful life. Now some of you who have completely tuned out at this point, I'm going to be perking up when I said success. I'm like, Whoa! Now the pastor is speaking to me. Because we all want success. Anyone want to raise your hand and say,27:36I'm going to give you two doors. You can walk through the door of failure and you're guaranteed to fail, or you can walk through the door of success and you're guaranteed to be successful. None of us would willingly walk through the door of failure. I think all of us have a deep desire to do something and to be something in our lives. And here God reminds us, Listen, a courageous life of faith is the successful life. If you live a life faithful to the end, you will be called successful in heaven.28:04And you know what? I would rather be called successful by God's standards than be called anything else by man's standards. And right here the Lord is preaching to Joshua. What's interesting, they're going to take the bad, they're going into battle and they're going to the promised land. But what military directives do we have right here in this passage? Let me read it again really quick.28:32Verse 7. Joshua, Moses has died. The greatest commander in the history of Israel. You're going to have the greatest battles in the history of Israel. You're going to cross over this boundary by faith. And so here's your marching orders. Are you ready? Be strong, verse 7, and courageous. And carefully observe the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. So what military directives were given? Nothing.29:01Nothing. It's the reminder that the greatest success we will ever have in our lives are spiritual. Not physical. To be strong and courageous is to be successful in the spiritual realm. Jerry Bridges says it this way. He said, God is worthy of my loving obedience because of who he is. Not because of what he does. You see, Joshua is asked to obey before he sees the results of his obedience.29:31And if we're honest, many times we play this game with God. We'll say, God, I'll obey, but I need to see the outcome first. And God says in our life, that's not the way it works. God is asking us, Josh, am I worth it or not? Will you obey me or not?30:01Not because of what I have done, but because of who I am. But the promise is when we obey the Lord, when we live a faith-filled life, that you will be successful. And let me tell you this, listen, I believe that some of that success comes here in the physical realm. I believe God wants you to be successful so that others might see his hand upon you. But that pales in comparison to what God is doing spiritually and eternally in your life.30:26There is no house that I can build that will even compare to the house that the eternal carpenter is building for me in heaven. God laughs at our houses. God laughs at the treasures that we are hoarding. God, I think, looks at the small successes that we have, that we have made and says, really? You call that success?30:55Josh, if you would trust me, if you would obey me, if you would seek me, I will give you eternal treasure. That's the courageous life. That's the faith-filled life. That's the successful life. It's a reminder of what Jesus said. Seek first. Don't forget that word first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added. Lord, give us this courageous life.31:23Now, some of you are in. I can see it on your face. You think, okay, let's go to battle. You show me when. You show me where. I will fight for God. I will fight for you, pastor. Let's go. Let me remind you of verse 9 as we conclude today. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.31:48Why would God need to tell his people not to be afraid? Because he knew that there will be moments in your life that you will be discouraged. God knows that there are moments in your life where you will be dismayed. Listen, the faith-filled life, the courageous life is a risky life.32:12It's a risky life. But the reminder, the reminder is that God is with us. So I don't want you to think if you just obey God, your life is going to be rainbows and unicorns. And it's always going to be 75 degrees with low humidity. That's not what God is saying.32:40God is telling his people, listen, it's going to get battle tough. There are going to be people who want to kill you. There are going to be people who do not believe in the God that you believe in. But it is worth it. It is worth it. Listen, the courageous life is a risky life. But I would risk all for God because he gave all for us. I'm reminded in this.33:10The cowardly always choose the easy road. The cowardly always would rather comfort over conviction. Choose Christ, church. Choose conviction. Choose the courageous life. And if you're here today and maybe you're discouraged, you're not alone. And God's reminder to you right now is do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged because he is with you. You see, the world would tell us this.33:43Every war that's been fought, the army lives to protect the king. We even have a game called chess. And the goal is to protect the king at all costs. And if the king is in danger in check, or they capture the king, checkmate, you lose. But that's not the way it is with Christ.34:11So we don't live our lives to protect the king. He gave his life. The king gave his life willingly. Jesus left his throne in heaven. That you and I might be reconciled back to the father. He willingly gave up his crown to receive the crown of thorns. I don't want you to think today, well, you have to go and fight God's battle. You have to be tough to protect the king.34:40So, Jesus willingly gave his life. The king laid down his kingly dignity in death. That you might be called a son and a daughter of the Lord. And if you've never given your life to Christ, the greatest step you will ever take is the step of faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. And maybe you're listening at home and you say, well, God can never love me because I've done these things.35:10God knows. Well, I could never come to Christ because of this background. God knows. Well, pastor, I am willingly defying God in addiction and sin right now. God already knows. And he sent the true king to die on the cross. That the enemies might lay down their arms and their swords.35:40And say, Jesus, I need you. The courageous life is the faith-filled life. Jesus did all of this for us that you might hear these lasting words in verse 9. Church, have I not commanded you? Be strong. Be courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be discouraged.36:08Because of Jesus, the Lord is with you wherever you go. If you've never given your life to Christ, would you simply pray a prayer of faith? It would be the greatest prayer that you would ever pray in your life. Something like this. I know that I'm a sinner. Lord, today I want to cross that boundary. By faith, I want to say yes to Jesus. I believe he lived for me. I believe he died for me. I believe he rose again.36:37That he would take my filth and my shame and my fear and give me a faith-filled life. Today, Jesus, I will turn to you. If you've done that, if you're online, would you go and fill out a Connect card? That way we can pray for you and encourage you. I'll be down front. You can talk with me, a pastor. Pastor Beanie will be out in the lobby after the service. Pastor Jared will too. We would love to hear how God is changing your life. Church, remember, because of Jesus.37:08The words on the cross. When Jesus says, "It is finished," he could have said this. Be strong. Be courageous. Because I am with you wherever you go. Father.Next in UNDEFEATED →From Shame to Fame
