Introduction
A sports headline has shaken the preacher these past few weeks : the sudden death, in a road accident in Nigeria, of two close friends of Anthony Joshua. Men who had given everything to their careers, and who left without warning, at the same age as him. This news story reawakened an old concern : how do you measure the success of a life? Through Tolstoy, Sartre, and Mandela, we see that even the greatest sometimes end up confessing an emptiness. Joshua 1:1-9 comes to answer this question. God redefines true success : it is not winning by the world's standards, it is living within his mission, his promises, and his presence, with courage, and anchored in his Word.
Message Outline
1. The Courage to Move Forward
- God repeats three times to Joshua (v.6, 7, 9) : "Be strong and courageous." This is not mere psychological encouragement : this courage rests on concrete promises.
- The promise of the land already dated back 6 centuries (Genesis 12:7, the promise to Abram), passed down to Isaac, Jacob, and the 12 tribes. After slavery in Egypt and 40 years in the desert, about 2 million people finally stand before the Jordan.
- God also promises his presence : "I will be with you" (v.5, v.9). This is what changes everything : biblical courage is not moving forward despite fear, it is moving forward despite fear because God is there.
- Note well : God does not promise Joshua an easy path, nor the disappearance of enemies, nor the absence of battle. He promises his presence.
2. Our Mission Today
- Joshua's story is an anticipation of what we experience. God wants to gather a faithful people and have them live in his presence, on a small scale with Israel, then on a universal scale in Jesus.
- Our missionary mandate (Matthew 28) follows the same structure : a mission (making disciples of all nations), a promise of presence (" I am with you "), a promised land (the new earth at Jesus's return).
- This mission concerns all Christians, with different roles (proclaiming, showing solidarity, preparing, teaching, praying), but one shared common mission.
3. True Success According to God
- A verse often misused : "The LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" (v.9). This is not a promise of success for all our personal projects. It is the promise of his presence and victory when we do what he calls us to do.
- A Christian's success is not defined by financial, professional, or social achievement, it is doing God's will. This is what we were created for.
- If your God is only the one who will bring you health, wealth, and comfort here on earth, that is too small a God, there are far richer people than you. But if your God is the one who gave his Son to give you access to the promised land, then there is none other like him.
- Jesus warns : the man who stores up treasure for himself ends up dispossessed when night falls (Luke 12:16-21). The true issue at stake : being rich toward God.
4. The Power of the Word
- God's second key : "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night" (v.8).
- This is not a transaction. Victory is already promised, already given. Obedience to the Word is the means of fully living out this promise, like a child who receives a bicycle : the gift is already his, but he must learn to pedal to enjoy it.
- The Word is not a matter of desire, it is a matter of need. Our corrupt nature does not naturally live for God, the Word keeps us anchored in the meaning God gives to our lives.
- The book of Judges warns us : one generation after Joshua, a people arose who "knew neither the LORD nor what he had done" (Judges 2:10). Forgetting does not begin with outright rejection, it begins with gradual neglect.
- To meditate, in Hebrew, means "to ruminate", to chew slowly, like a cow that ruminates 8 to 12 hours a day. Staying steeped in the Word around the clock, not only in times of crisis.
Key Takeaways
- Biblical courage is not the absence of fear, it is moving forward despite fear because God is there.
- God does not promise the success of all your personal projects. He promises his presence when you walk in his mission.
- True Christian success is not winning by the world's standards, it is living in God's will.
- The Word is not a matter of desire but of need : it is the only guide for living the new life given to you.
- Spiritual forgetting begins with neglect, never with outright rejection. Stay steeped in it.
Personal Application
- How do you measure the success of your life today? What standards actually shape you, the world's, or God's?
- If your life were to end tomorrow, what would your greatest regret be about? What does this question reveal about the priorities you carry?
- What personal projects (marriage, career, real estate, family) do you need to align with the mission God has entrusted to you, rather than the other way around?
- What place does God's Word actually occupy in your 24 hours? What small next step can you take this year (5 min → 10 min, 1 verse → 1 chapter)?
- Is there an older Christian in your church you could humbly ask, "how do you read your Bible?", without shame, because it is a matter of life or death?
Verses Cited
- Joshua 1:1-9 · " After the death of Moses... be strong and courageous... the LORD your God will be with you "
- Genesis 12:7 · " The LORD appeared to Abram and said, To your offspring I will give this land "
- Matthew 28:19-20 · " Go and make disciples of all nations... and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age "
- Luke 12:16-21 · " This very night your life will be demanded from you... this is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves "
- Judges 2:10 · " After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD "
- Deuteronomy 6:4-5 · " Hear, O Israel ! The LORD our God, the LORD is one "
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Does God promise success in everything I undertake ?
No. Joshua 1:9 (" the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go ") is probably the most misused verse in the Bible. God does not promise success for all our personal projects, he promises his presence and victory when we do what he calls us to do. A Christian's success is doing God's will, not succeeding by the world's standards.
How does the book of Joshua relate to me today ?
No one today receives a mission to conquer a geographic territory. But Joshua's story functions as a prototype of what we experience : God gathers a people, gives them a mission (making disciples of all nations, Matthew 28), promises his presence, and prepares a promised land (the new earth at Jesus's return). The structure is the same, with a universal scope in Christ.
Why does God insist so much on obedience to the Word ?
This is not a transaction. The promise is already granted, like a bicycle already given to a child. But to truly enjoy it, he must learn to pedal. The Word is the only guide for living the new life Jesus gives us. Without it, we forget : one generation after Joshua, the people no longer knew the LORD (Judges 2:10). Forgetting always begins with gradual neglect, never with outright rejection.
Never miss a sermon from Église du Tabernacle
A clear summary of every new message, delivered to you.
to take notes and ask questions.