Placentia Conference: 1964
Table of Contents
Joshua Exhortations to Joshua
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Joshua chapter 1, beginning at the first verse.
Now 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. Now therefore arise go over this Jordan, thou and all his people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses, from the wilderness in this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and under the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
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 a good courage, for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance of the land which I swear unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, 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 Allah shall not be far out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day.
And life that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.
For them thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I command of thee? Be strong, have a good praise.
Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, but the Lord thy God is with thee. Whither thou God?
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying.
Pass through the hopes and command, the people saying.
Prepare you fibbles bar Within three days you shall pass over this Jordan to go in to the best land.
The Lord your God giveth you the possessive and to the rule the night to the gad I listen to half the tribe of.
Faith Joshua saying, Remember the word which Moses observed.
The Lord commanded you, saying, The Lord your God has given you rest, and has given you this land. Your wives, your little ones, your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan, but ye shall pass before your brethren arms all. Many men of power have helped them.
The Lord has given your brethren rest, and He has given you, and they also have less delight.
Which the larger God giveth them?
Then he shall return under the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses, the Lord Sterling, gave you on this side. Jordan, toward the sun rising.
And they answered Joshua, saying, All thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go according as the markers and the Moses and all things.
So will we harden them today. Only the Lord thy God be with thee, and be one with Moses.
Whosoever he be the best rebel against thy commandments, and will not hearken unto thy words, in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death. Only be strong and of a good courage.
While we were noticing the other night how the children of Israel found the sure resource in God through the whole wilderness journey.
We know how they came to that place called and there was no water for the people to drink. But we noticed how God was able to defy the water from a certain rock. And we know that God is sufficient for every circumstance in which we may find ourselves. We can be sure that wherever He may bring us in our pathway.
He is always able to meet us in our need when we turned to Him.
And there we find that Joshua was the one who led the people in the conflict against Amalek. He was the one who was chosen to go before them, while Moses went up onto the top of the mountain and held up his hand.
So we see that Joshua and we mentioned the other night is a bigger to us of Christ.
And the power of the Spirit of God. And here we find him about to lead the people out of the wilderness now.
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Into the promised land.
And in order in more certain experiences connected with the wilderness.
We learn our own hearts in the wilderness. We learn God's faithfulness.
By men in the land they were to be in the enjoyment of those good things that God had secured for them in that land flowed with milk and honey.
And it's not only to have strength for the difficulties of the way, it's not only to have comfort and consolation in the trials that meet us in our wilderness pathways, but the Spirit of God would lift our souls, beloved friends, above the the things here, and fill our hearts with our portion above.
And for years that when the children of Israel.
Entered the promised land, it says that the man of peace that is made and it is easy daily provision of manna because they were feeding upon the fruits of Canaan.
And isn't it lovely how the Spirit of God would lead our soul completely above?
Trials, life pathways and I'd be pious with those rights and blessed things where sins can never come.
But we know that there are great obstacles in the way.
There was far more conflict connected with the possession of Canaan than there was in the wilderness.
And there is great conflict when you and I would enjoy our heavenly fortunes.
It's in Ephesians that we get the armor, because in Ephesians we are seen as seated in heavenly places in Christ.
And always find that there's a conflict. And those we all know very well. How many of us are like that woman that we've reached out in the gospel? She had a spit of infirmity and she could have no lies with herself. That is her eyes rolled down.
But the Lord Jesus came along and he was able to cure that all that she could look up. And perhaps some of us have that spirit of infirmity. We're always looking down. We're thankful for the comfort the Lord supplies.
In our experiences we go through the world, but tonight I plead, He would lift our hearts, this weary world above, and would occupy us with neither. We have up there with Christ in glory, which is already ours. For in Ephesians the children, the thought brought before us is that they were already blessing all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ.
I'm going Joshua, what is brought before us is the possession of that good land.
Well, it's the only thing that will really lift us above the difficulties of the way.
It's precious to have the comfort that the Lord gives, but is still more blessed when He lives. It's about present things.
And occupies us with that which is ours up there, where Christ stood at the right hand of God.
It reminds me of a little incident I heard of a young man.
Who was visiting in a hospital and he thought to speak to an old lady, and he asked her if she knew that when she died he was going to heaven.
And she looked up and said that I was there today.
Well, he thought that she and couldn't have heard when he did.
And so he spoke a little louder, thinking she must be deaf. And he said, I guess she didn't understand what I said. He said, I asked you if you were going to heaven if you should die.
She said. I was there today.
Well, it's both. The third time Little Love is still assured that she could not have heard all she said. I heard what she said. But while I was lying here on this thick bed, I was just enjoying what I have up there with Christ and glory.
I dear, fall in peace converted, but she what does that define? Her soul was completely above for anything. And beloved brethren, that's what I would like to bring before your soul and mind tonight. How much should we endure to heaven?
Are you always looking for comfort and consolation? Most assuredly we have it in Christ.
Most assuredly, he is always ready to comfort and sustain in every difficulty, but he wants us to enter into a still more rich portion.
The body is to be lifted above it. A little handsome says, If here on earth the thoughts of Jesus love lift our poor hearts, this weary world above it even hears the taste of heavenly springs.
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Cheers of church, that the pilgrims things. And that's what I would like to bring before you in some measure in connection with what we have in the chapter.
Notice how it begins now. After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of nought. Moses ministers, saying, Moses, my servant is dead now therefore arise.
Go over this, Jordan and thou and all his people.
Well, there's wonderful point I'd like to mention here. Joshua has company with Moses. He had the.
Experience many of the things that the others experienced in their passage through the wilderness. But he had kept consequently with baldness, and there was no new thing for him to experience this wonderful privilege. And there are a number of young people here tonight.
You want to be useful. You want to be a health and encouragement to your brethren. Remember, these things don't come about suddenly. This didn't come about suddenly in the life of Joshua. He had, as I remarked, accompanied with Moses.
He had gone over some years before and explored that good land and it was so good, it was so wonderful to him that now.
He was so occupied with that good land that he always seemed to be above the problems and troubles of the way ever since he was in and thought I'd land that flowed with milk and honey.
Whenever the people murmured, neither was seeking to encourage somebody didn't say anything.
He was, he was above, but I say this one the new thing for him, and they are young people. If you would be enough, if you would grow to be useful among your brethren, remember you can begin very young enjoying the things of the Lord.
Is it the habit of your life to be always looking for things here? Are you bowed down with the spirit of infirmity just looking at things here? Or have you been in the enjoyment of those things like Joshua was? And when others murmur, whatever you have to say is a little word of encouragement. When the people murmured, he said, Oh, if the Lord delights in US, he'll give us that good land.
All the.
There, well, they compared.
Soul with the giants, and they said why we felt like grasshoppers beside us. But what did Joshua do? He compared the giants with the Lord.
And they die inside them. Very great.
But in comparison with the Lord, why? They were like grasshoppers.
And the Lord was above them. Well, Neil and Isaac compare ourselves with the difficulties, while I'm sure we often feel like grasshoppers when we look at the difficulties of where when we compare the difficulties with the Lord, why, it's an entirely different viewpoint, isn't it? Well, so we find that this was a habitual thing with Joshua and that he was one who was in his father, who had nice little words of encouraging for the people of.
God So now the Lord said, Moses, my servant is dead now, therefore arise, go over this Jordan. Yes, he was about to be used to lead the people into the land.
And some of the older ones whom we have enjoyed listening to, whose ministry has refreshed our hearts, they have passed on.
Maybe who are younger the exercise as to our responsibility, that we might seek to be a help among the people of God and we might seek to encourage them now the others have been taken home.
And then it tells us.
Go over this Jordan, down homeless people into the land which I do, give them even to the children of Israel.
Then in the fourth verse he gives the limits of that land.
From the wisdom and this Lebanon.
Even under the great river, the river Euphrates.
All the land of the Hittites, and under the great seas toward the going down of the sun, shall be your colt.
When he tells them that he's going to give them the land, he outlined the full limit of the land.
And full business letters and all that we have been blessed with. All spiritual.
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Not in the spiritual blessings that God bestowed upon believers are ours by attainment. They are ours because of the Word of Christ. They're ours because God has given them to us.
Just like as though when you were saved, God gave you a jewel box and it was full of all precious jewels.
And he said this is all yours. You might only look at two of them.
And you might so be occupied with the beauty of those two jewels that you might spend the rest of your time just enjoying two of them. But they're all yours.
And someone might say, well, why don't you look at the others there? They're just.
If you think those two that you're enjoying are so precious, why don't you look at the others? Because the whole basketball is yours, Plano Christians. They stop at the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins.
Others will stop at the knowledge of being justified and having a standing in place.
But I want to tell you tonight that every spiritual blessing is yours, just as God said the whole land and he outlines the whole limit of it. He said it's all yours. It's all yours. And every bit every spiritual blessing that has been won for us through the work of Christ is yours. All. Beloved brethren, how much are we?
Enjoy How much are we entering into?
Now the third verse gives us a little practical touch here. It says Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread. Upon that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
Yes, in actual reality they only had as much of the land as they walked upon and made their own.
And in reality, impractical experience. We only have as much of the truth of God as we walk in.
It's all ours. Everyone of those spiritual blessings is ours.
But all how often we just walk around and see a little bit and then we don't care on anymore, so we don't enjoy our full portion. And so it tells us here every place that the soul in your foot shall tread upon.
How much is the food that you and I are walking in?
How about surely walking in the good hour in our daily life? Are we walking the heavenly man? Are we walking as those?
Who are members of the body of Christ?
I have Christians and they said why? Certainly I believe that there's only one church.
I know that that is composed of all believers, but you know, we have nice little active church group over here and we're trying to do a good work.
Well, they go first to know the truth of the church, but they're not walking in the practical truth of.
But because as we walked in the practical truth of it, we wouldn't be gathered as members of a church, but as members of the right.
There's quite a difference between being gathered as members of a certain group which one has joined, and being gathered as members of the body of Christ. And you'll never enjoy in your own soul of consciousness of what it is to be a member of the body of Christ until you have thought to give expression to us in the breaking of bread.
You know what? It's been said that a Christian who had never broken bread as a member of the body of Christ is like a wife that has never recognized their proper relationship to her husband.
Because that's the most precious truth for the believer, the place of intimacy that we have been brought into.
And I might just fall here to say that while we are forgiven sinners.
We should break prayer as members of the body of Christ, and you'll never really enter into these things until you lay hold of that precious thing. Shall I put it something like this?
You know the story of Rahab the Harlem and how she was sheltered from the judgment in Jericho.
Because she received the spies and hung the scarlet line in her.
The window and that curled line of the token of what sheltered her from the judgment that fell upon Jericho.
But the story didn't end there, because this really had She married into the royal line of Israel.
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And the time would come when she would sit down at the table with her husband.
And there she sat down at the table with her husband.
What would you think of her if she looked across the table to him and she said, oh, it's wonderful to sit here at the forgiven Harlow.
What do you think that she never really enjoyed her relationship with her father?
Didn't go any farther than.
But supposing that he looked at her and said, oh, that's true, you are fully forgiven.
But I want you to know that as I look across the table at you, I look upon you as the bride of my choice.
I don't know what the time you're in that way, you're spotless in my sight. Oh, what a different feeling she would have.
When she sat across the table with this one who loves your soul. And to know that the precious thing that sit at the table of the Lord and the figure that he's looking at you as a member of his body, as part of his Father's bride, and saying to you in the words of Scripture, Thou art all fear, my love.
There is no spot in the age or isn't that isn't that infinitely more than knowing your sin, your forgiven?
Well, that's just another jewel box in the box. That's just a little more that the Lord was heavily in joy.
Not only as we walk in these things can we enjoy them, and the Spirit of God delights to make these things good to our souls. And then all that He has given to us lifts our hearts, as we remark before, above the passing things of this poor scene.
So the the whole land was there, but only that which they tread upon was there as an actual possession.
That is true of every believer that he's a member of the body of Christ.
But every believer doesn't enjoy it, and it's only as we walk in it we do.
Now, there are a few little things that I'd like to speak out here in connection with courage.
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 faith. I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. He's strong and of a good courage.
For unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance of the land.
Which I swear on their fathers to give them. If you perhaps notice what I was reading this, that there are three exhortations to be strong and of a good courage or very courageous.
This is the first one.
And this is founded upon the fact that God said unto this people, Shalt thou divide for an inheritance of the land, which I swear unto their fathers to give them.
We we will not have courage to go forward in a practical way in the conflict of faith, unless it is sure in our minds that all these things are ours, How many there are, and who are perhaps not even.
Not even certain about the security of the believer. The result is is no real courage in their life, because they haven't.
Hold of that fact. But when they lay hold of that fact, oh, it just gives them new courage altogether. Think of that woman in the 8th chapter of John. She was taken in sin in the very act.
And now they bring her to the Lord, expecting that the Lord would condemn her.
And the Lord said, neither do I condemn me, go and sin no more.
It wasn't that the Lord didn't condemn her sins.
But the Lord Jesus had come to put away her sin. That's the very Princess that he had. And so there she was, left alone with Jesus.
She was in the presence of the one who is the fountain of living waters, the one who had come to bless the people. The others turned their back and went away. Perhaps they were not as deeply sunken thin as she was, but they turned their back on the.
She remained there.
She was brought into contact with him and now listen to those lovely words. Neither do I condemn.
Don't sin no more, he didn't say. If you don't sin anymore, I will condemn you.
No, she went out for his presence with the joy in her soul that there was no condemnation for her, and this was what gave her courage now to live to please one who has done so much for her.
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And I say again about inheriting spiritual blessing is a gift. It's all ours through faith in the Lord Jesus and when we lay hold of this.
It gives us courage to go forward in the conflict of faith. If you think you could lose your salvation when you sin, I'm sure you often get faint hearted.
Money to know that the Lord has blessed himself, that He'll never let you go. Love like that will make you want to live to please Him.
And the more you think of what He's done for you, the more you think of His unchanging love to you, the more you'll want to please him.
And don't you think, going back to my illustration about Rahab.
That she would have a much deeper desire to please a man like that than if she didn't know any more than being just forgiven. Don't you think when he would look across the table and speak to her in that way, that she would have the feeling all the things that he would love me like that? Oh, I'll do anything for him.
And so you see, this was morally the basis by which he would have courage.
Have courage to enjoy what was in his heart for her. And may I say to you that if you're not established in the truth of God, I'm sure there's no moral courage to press on your life.
But if this lays whole of your soul tonight, that you're blessed to the very limb of God's resources.
He couldn't blast him more richly than he has. He couldn't love you more than he died. He couldn't make you more secure than he has already made you. Isaiah, this way all your soul. Why will give you courage to go on as you face the new year. But if you have any thoughts that the Lord is perhaps going to give you up or he's going to cease loving you, or he is going to take away some of your spiritual blessings. I know that right now.
I know that right now you're partially discouraged.
So you see, the basis of this first negotiation is the Lord saying the land is all yours.
And Joshua is going to be violent and you're all going to enjoy it. Oh, how grand this is. May the Spirit of God make this good in our soul. Oh, how many dear Christians there are.
And when they're first saved, they're full of happiness and joy.
But as they go on, they haven't realized how much is it, how much is theirs in Christ. And they begin to get doubts. They get filled with uncertainty. They live in the thought of attainment and they're always feeling I don't deserve this and I don't deserve that all. We didn't deserve anything. Every blessing is on the ground of pure sovereign grace and may the Spirit of God.
Bring this home to your soul and mind.
And freshness and power. For this was actually the only thing that would give Joshua the moral courage to go forward and lead that failing people into the possession of that which was most assuredly there because God had given it to them.
And now the next one, the seventh verse, it says.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do.
According to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee, turned not from it to the right hand, or.
To the left.
That thou mayest prosper whithersoever it all, God.
This book of the law shall not be part of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou may have observed to do according to all that is written therein.
For them thou shalt take thy way, prosperous.
And then thou shalt have good success.
Well, here we find the second exhortation to be strong and very courageous.
This exhortation is based upon obedience.
As we Mark remarked before, it gives courage to know that all that God has secured for us through the Word of Christ is most assuredly ours, and we can't lose it. But in a practical sense, we cannot enjoy these things. We lose courage if there is something in our lives.
That we are allowing, that we know, is this obedience to the revealed mind of God.
Just as in a family, the father's heart is full of love and kindness to the children. The children know what it is, the father's heart.
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Body of one of those children are disobedient. They don't enjoy what is in the father's heart, and the child doesn't have the courage that it should have as long as it remains willfully disobedient.
Even though all the father has is coral, and this is a very important practical thing.
It's it's noticeable that the first exhortation is based upon the fact that God was going to give them the land, because this is always God's starting point.
Justice. When he brought the children of Israel to the Red Sea and they saw the waters in front of them, he said, Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
And then they were to go forward. Now obedience came in afterwards, but they were the first stand still in the but God Himself did for them in opening up the red state. And this is the practical order in the Scripture. First God tells us what He has done, and then the exhortation to obedience our bounds upon that which we already possess.
So here we find the negativity and again I say in a practical sense we only have courage.
As there has been obedience in our life.
No, when the two disciples ran to the.
To the tomb to see that the Lord Jesus was written. It says that John did it run Peter. I wonder why it's gone outrun Peter. I don't think the Spirit of God tells us that to make us know that God.
Better runner than Peter, but all I believe the thing was that Peter had a guilty conscience.
Peter had denied his Lord, and when there's a building time to me.
And I tried people.
The lack of that moral courage that I enabled us to go on in the pathway of faith like we should. And so this was a practical thing. So it is here.
Notice it says turn thy stomach to the right hand or to the left.
We're always likely to go to.
But I'd like you to go to 1 extreme or the other.
How natural it is to us, we find that.
Some Christians will go off on one side of the road and another Christian will go off on the other side of the road. And we need to watch because in trying to miss one one side of the road, perhaps we'll go to the other. The Word of God keeps us in the middle of the road. The word of God keeps us so that we don't go to 1 extreme or go to the other. And so here we find.
Turn not to the right hand.
Or to the left, that thou may have prosper whithersoever thou go.
Prosperity and divine things is not immaterial things.
Because we think of the education and the epistle of John that says, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper, and be in help, even as thy soul prosperous. And how often when we meet their.
We can see prosperity and soul. We can see growth. We can see the Christ has become more precious.
We can see a relaxing other grasp upon material things and a a more definite grind upon those things that we have in Christ. Well, this is real progress. This is true prosperity. But you know, we can prosper in natural things.
And they breathe. It may be possible that we will prosper in natural things to the loss of our souls. And if we set these things as being before our heart, God may sometimes allow it, and it becomes a positive hindrance.
Why can't it tells us in the thongs about God in Israel?
It says He gave them their desire. He sent believing us into their souls.
And if we're very anxious to get along in a material way, God might even allow this to the loss of our souls.
And I believe we see this very often, though we should ask our hearts in the presence of God, what is the object that's before us? How are we really looking for?
A prosperity down here, or are we speaking to the long of obedience to the word of God? That's true prosperity. It says in the proverbs. Now fall asleep and a false belt.
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An abomination to the Lord that isn't only to show us that God is is displeased with dishonest faith, but you know we can have false waste and false balances as to our sense of value.
How hot are they? You and I place upon the Lord's approval.
How high a value do we place upon the approval of man? A material thing?
All you might say it says the shocking thing when a merchant is dishonest, but perhaps you're using a false valve.
All them all said what things were gaining to me, those I counted lost for Christ.
He had a true balance. He looked at those things that he once thought were very, very worthwhile and he said why? And I.
Dogs come out in the sanctuary. Why? I can see they're they're all short weights. There's nothing of real value here.
He had a true balance, but lot he had a false balance.
He thought far more a well watered plain and of a city to live in than to have God's approval and to have attention and altar. All. May we ask, our hearts, our heart, we a full balance.
Their young people are only measuring things in the true down. There's going to be a manifestation take place. Our lives are going to pass into review and God is going to bring everything else.
And he is going to show us that I which pleased him and I would displease him.
He's going to weigh everything in the balances of the sanctuary of work.
And when our lives pass into review with the judgment.
Of Christ, we're going to know what God found said about every act in your life and mind.
What a what a serious thing. And so here we find.
That thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou God, this book of the Law shall not be part out of thy mouth.
But thou shalt meditate therein day and night.
There we find that it was the subject of It was to be rather the subject of a conversation.
When some situation arises.
When you're confronted with something in business or in the assembly or perhaps as a young person and the decisions of life.
Do you bring the word of God? We're there upon it.
How do you just look at the at the salary that you're going to get? All this is going to mean an increase in my wages.
Or you bring the word of God to bear upon us.
And then it says, But thou shalt meditate therein day and night. Where does our mind naturally turn when praised?
Well, nice, when our minds naturally turn to the Word of God.
And if we make the habit of turning from the things that were that are about us to the word of God, why it will help to keep our minds pure.
It says in Romans chapter 12.
That we need the renewing of the mind.
And the renewing of the mind, Is that everything that we see in the world about it?
Tend to occupy us with either the evil of the world.
Or the prosperity and things down here.
And it's only as we allow our minds to be renewed by the Word of God that we retain a proper, a true sense of value.
And we need that continual renewing of the mind.
So it says, Thou shalt meditate there in day and night.
That thou mayest observe to do, according to all that is written there enemy.
And then the end. Thou shalt have good success. This is the only time in the Bible where the word success is mentioned.
And here it's in connection with obedience.
How do we measure success?
Do we measure it in terms of prosperity and material things, or do we measure it according to God's standard?
Well, I'm sure that many who seem to have a very successful life down here, their life will be lost in the presence of God.
Thou shalt have good success. So we see that practically, to be courageous, to be strong, to be able to go on the pathway, there needs to be obedience.
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And how often, because of the lack of this, there hasn't been that courage?
Reminds me of a a man he was traveling in a train.
And something happened that was very provoking from one of the other passengers, and he made a sharp remark about the way this passenger had acted. And then afterwards he wanted to give the passenger a little gospel track. And he said I just couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it.
Why? Well, because he felt he had lost something. He had lost something because he hadn't walked in obedience and he had lost them. The moral courage to be a testimony for the Lord.
Well, it reminds me of still another story.
Of a a man that was traveling in a train.
He had been at a viable conference and he was returning home and he had reserved a sleeper.
Well, when he got on the train, someone else had got there ahead of him and was in the menus sleeper that he was being supposed to occupy and the other man hadn't started to get ready for bed, but he.
He showed him his taketh and he said well I've got my reservation for this and I am going to keep it.
So they looked at the day it was all in. This Christian man had gone his first.
And I was on the tip of his tongue to say, well, it's mine because I'm about to take it first.
And then he thought, well, that wouldn't be acting like a Christian to say that. So he he sat down beside the man. The sleeper hadn't yet been made-up. And he said that when the let's go into the diner and though they went back to have a cup of coffee or something, and this Christian man paid for his cup of coffee.
Well, he said, what kind of a man are you? He said I would have been mad if that had been me.
He said, I know that you had to take it first. You had first right to it and you haven't said a word about it. He said, what makes you act like that? Well, he said, I'm a Christian.
And now you have disappointing opportunities to give this man the gospel. And he had the courage to do it too. Why?
Because he hadn't been disobedient, he hadn't lost his opportunity in a practical way. There was courage. Well, the result was Amanda saved.
The man accepted the Lord as his savior and before very long the conductor was able to find the sleeper for the bulls. So they both had a good rest that night. But he didn't lose his opportunity. Well, not only would be.
Illustrations because isn't it true with us, brethren, we lose the courage sometimes because of some rational.
Hurry. Some terrorist acts in our lives. All of us be careful that in a practical sense we walk in such a way that there's practical courage.
Now we find another one here in the ninth verse.
Have not I commanded thee strong of a good courage? Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou God.
By the way, this last one is based upon the consciousness of the Lord present with us.
You know, when Moses was leading the people into the land, there began to be a great many problems that confronted him. And he said to the Lord, Lord, show me who I found grace in my sight.
You know, how did you ever try to serve the people of God and they still provoked you that you almost felt like?
Saying, well, how can the Lord want me to be a help on the people don't seem to appreciate it and they murmur and they blame me and you perhaps have felt like that sometimes. Well, the Lord and he asked the Lord to give him a token and that he was with him. He said show me that you're really going to be with me with me.
And the Lord said, My presence shall go with me, and I will give thee rest.
And Moses said, If thy presence go not with us.
Later, it's not offended.
Oh dear fellow Christian, young or old.
Are you my in the enjoyment of the Lord present?
If we've lost that in this third sense, there'll be no real moral courage.
00:45:06
But oh, there's nothing sweeter in your whole life about to walk through the world in the sense that the Lord is with you.
What a brave loss that lies below 2 on the road to a male.
So destroyed, so cast down, and they didn't realize.
Right there.
And if there's someone here and you're discouraged, then you're cast down. You feel just like Moses. You say, well, how can I help the people of God?
The Lord said to Joshua here he said, Be strong with courage, because Moses or Joshua.
You're not going to have to leave them alone. You're not going to be left alone. And they never say to yourself, well, I was just left alone. I was left holding the bag, as the world puts it, No, never. The Lord says it's not going to be that way, Mold or Joshua. It's not going to be, he said.
For the Lord thy God is with thee.
When is $400.00 in this that comes?
God and all those people and I would only get hold of this. I remember a brother saying to me many years ago, he said, he said I don't ask the Lord to be with me, but he said I asked him for a sense of his presence.
He said. I know he's promised to be with me, but sometimes I don't have the sense of it.
Well, we need that. Yes, we need it. You and I have this.
Many of us are realizing that this is the last day of another year, and you look forward and you wonder what's ahead.
What the hell? Well, there's one who's going to never leave you. Nor.
Thank you. Now, if you have a sense of them in your soul, if you have the sense of its presence with you, you're going to have courage to meet the problems as they come. He doesn't give grace for tomorrow until tomorrow comes.
But he does say, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. What a faithful God we have, because we do need courage. We do need strength to go on.
And so we find that these three exhortations to create are most important.
And they were important for Joshua and they're important for us. God didn't say there are no giants in the land. God didn't say they don't have strong garrisons in their city.
But he said I will be Wednesday and it says in the 18 psalms he maketh my feet like hind feet and then it says.
If there is that, by my God, I have leaped over the wall.
Sometimes we want God to remove the wall so we can go on, but he said no, I'll leave the wall there, but I'll give you the details.
So don't expect that the law wall is going to be removed, but you can look to him to give you all time and speed so that you can leap over the wall, that you can run through a troop and fall through him. And in that same beautiful farm it says, As for God, his way is perfect if he's put a wall in front of you.
It means a lot of truth to stand in front of you. His way is still perfect because you'll never know the resources that he has. You'll never know the courage that he gives until you are placed in the situation where you find the knee of his strength, His strength and all how abundant is.
Well when it says the 10th verse, then Joshua commanded the officers of the people saying pass through the whole thing that I am the people saying prepare you better.
Well, I'd like to just speak of this to prepare you Biddle.
That is, they were to have food for the journey. Well, are you and I feeding upon the word of God? It's important that we should walk in obedience. It's important that we should realize the Lord is with us.
But we need constant watchfulness to prepare the middle.
Not only to be intelligent in connection with the mind of God.
But to feed upon the word of God, defeat upon Christ are you and I feeding upon Him?
Don't just read the Word of God to get knowledge, even to find out just what the Lord wants you to do, although that's important.
But remember when you read the word of God, it's food for your soul. The Lord said he eateth me, even he shall live by me. And I believe it's very important in reading the word of God to read it as food for your own soul. The Lord Jesus said he that believeth on me as the scripture hath sadness out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water out of.
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Means that you've taken it in, you've made it your own, and now you can give it out and you'll never have any difficulty preparing a sermon as people talk about it. If you're enjoying these things in your own soul, why, it'll be just something that you have enjoyed, something that you've made your own. I'd like to say this for the Young brothers because you might wonder, well, how can I?
How can I get along? I have to get things all the way.
Well, I think it's I think it's lovely just to read the word of God is good for your soul and many a time one would speak personally, I've read the word of God and I've come across some portion that I thought isn't that lovely? I just enjoyed it. And then I thought, oh, so that's a nice thought in connection with the gospel. That's a nice thought in connection with thee means of God's people. So I'd just like to make this little comment in passing read the word of God.
Your soul and you'll find that it'll, it'll be something given out that you've enjoyed when you read it. In that way, it's all there were to prepare petals for this crossing in the Jordan.
Now just a few little comments about the.
At the end of the chapter from the 12TH on, this is a very striking little incident that's brought in here about the Reubenites and Gaddafi and the half tribe of Manasseh.
Perhaps all are not acquainted with the reason why these are brought in. We all know, I'm sure, that there were 12 tribes in Israel.
When they came to the wilderness side of the Jordan and saw a good lamb for their flocks and herds, 2 1/2 tribes asked Moses that they might have their possession on the wilderness side of the Jordan.
And so Moses said, yes, he said, and you can have your possession there, providing that when the time comes to cross the Jordan and will bless the land that God has given you, will leave your wives and children behind, and will hold the Jordans and possess the land for your brethren.
Well, it seems to me that this want to have.
This ought to have served the hearts of these people, were they content to leave their wives and their children in a different place than the place of the rest of the people and from the scene of conflict. And many of us have children, and we would like to preserve our children for.
Some of the conflicts of the Bible faith always say if we could only shelter our children from some of these things. That's what the 2 1/2 tribes did. They tried to shelter them from the conflicts of the land of Canaan, from the giants, and from all that was connected with possessing that land, having to cross the Jordan. But you know, those 2 1/2 tribes were the first ones to go into idolatry.
And they were the first ones to do.
To show spiritual flow. How long? They seem to talk here in a very nice way.
But Moses spoke specialism. He said, Remember that you said that you would go over. And they said in the 16th verse they answered Joshua saying, all of thou commandest us we will do, and whither thou sendest us we will go.
And at the very remarkable thing, I haven't time to look up the references for you tonight.
But in actuality, only less than half the amount of war actually crossed over the Jordans with their brothers.
They said they would, but in all the ties of nature were too strong for them and over half of them didn't go over at all.
They could say that they would do it, but you know the mother, brethren, if we don't seek to bring up our children for the Lord, perhaps our children will drive us back into the world.
Perhaps our children will drive us back.
How many? A father and mother. Because there's been difficulties in the assembly and trials. They tried to shelter their children from the conflicts of the pathway of faith, and instead the children have dragged them back to the wilderness side of the torment.
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All this seems to me a very sad thing, and for most of the special words of them, because they had made this sad decision that they would. They themselves would be men of faith, but their children would have a different standard than Cloud. They would stay on one side of Jordan while the fathers went over and entered into the conflict.
Another thing that we noticed there is that these people were the harshest ones on their brows.
Knows what it says here in his 18th verse.
Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all thou command.
He shall be put to death.
Isn't this awesome SO.
The ones that are often harder than their brethren are the ones that need to be exercised most about their own mocking ways.
Hard to be very hard upon others when we when we have a bad conscience ourselves, but when we have experienced the grace of God, His faithfulness, and His patience with us for them. This makes us not that we lower the standards, not that sin isn't always sin, but it makes us so that we realize the weakness of our own heart.
We're not boasting and saying what we're going to do.
We're going to go over the Jordan are the same laws that are Joshua will do.
And whoever doesn't, he'll be put to death all. Let us watch against that spirit.
That's that what shows and betrays our own state of fall.
All how much 'cause we have to be humble and low before the Lord? We're no better than our brethren. We're just poor failing things, any of us. But oh, isn't it wonderful. His match was great, His one with goodness, His faithfulness.
And all the 2 are these 2 1/2 tribes say to Joshua only be strong and of a good courage.
And when we're when we're cold in our own soul, and when we're not fighting the conflicts of faith ourselves, we think other people should.
We think other people should, you know, when we come to the meeting and we're cold in our own souls, we think somebody else should be just buzzing over and fill our hearts.
And perhaps if we're a little more exercise, we'd say, well, why am I not enjoying these things more than I am? Why am I not able to be a help and encouragement of our brethren? So you see that they were harsh. We find that they were making promises they didn't fulfill. And then they were wanting Joshua to be strong and of a good courage when they themselves lacked the courage so much in their own pathways.
Well, surely there's a little lesson for us because.
God would have us to realize that we can't do anything of ourselves.
You have no strength of our own. We have no might of our own.
But all how good it is to know that He delights in blessing. How good it is to know that He wants to lead our souls into the full enjoyment of all that we have in Him. And all again I say in closing, forever, may we have that courage. This is the time. If ever it was needed, it's in his last days. The enemy isn't work on every hand.
There seems to be giants presenting themselves everywhere. There seems to be so many reasons why we should just.
Lose our courage and get under the state of things. And so here we find that when they're about to go into this land with all its obstacles, we find this threefold encouragement, threefold exhortation to go on. May the Lord keep us, and as we face another year, if he leaves us here.
May we have that courage all right in the prospect ahead of us is so bright. It couldn't be brighter if Canaan was a blessed lamb. The home that the head of us is so bright and so glorious that any effort that we can put forth in the pathway there, any effort that we can put forth to let the souls of the Saints into a fuller enjoyment of their fortune in Christ.
It's all worthwhile. May the Lord keep us.
Lord, we may be strong and of a good courage.