At some time, each of us has probably faced a task that seemed almost more than we could handle. Imagine, then, the thoughts that must have been going through Joshua’s mind on that fateful day.
The Day Moses Died
The greatest prophet who had ever lived was dead. “For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel” (Deut. 34:12).
On that fateful day of which I speak, Joshua heard the voice of God say: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them, to the Israelites.
I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:2-5).
With those words, God was commissioning Joshua to take over the leadership of the Israelites and finish the mission of Moses. Think how Joshua must have felt. How does one step into shoes far too big? How does one even hope or dare to step forth and say, “Follow me, and I will lead you now”?
What God Said to Joshua
The answer to all of Joshua’s fears came in the words God spoke to him. “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6-9).
What You May Reasonably Expect of Me
Editor’s note: Rev. Leach preached this sermon on beginning a new pastorate.
Sooner or later a minister has to say plainly what a congregation may reasonably expect of him, and the sooner it is said the better. I do not want anybody disappointed in me, and I do not want anybody expecting more of me than I have got to give.
I Am Not a Moses
What then can you reasonably expect of me in the time that I am with you? Well, first of all, I am not a Moses. Indeed, you may have had pastors among you who were Moseses. However, I am not a Moses. I cannot be what those pastors were.
I Am Not a Joshua
I am not a Joshua, either. You may well have had pastors who filled the role of a Joshua. Under them you may have gone in and possessed the land.
But I am not a Joshua, either. I do not possess a dynamic personality that attracts people to me. I cannot go out and visit all kinds of people and have them come flocking to the church, filling it to overflowing, on the basis of my magnetism. If you expect that, you will be disappointed. For, in reality, there will be those who like me, and those who don’t.
I do not have a golden touch that will cause all the money you will ever need to come overflowing into the church’s treasury. I do not have a magic touch that will cure every problem this church has nor every problem that will come along. Pastoral visitation is not one of my strong points.
I have to work hard at it. Sometimes I say the wrong thing. Not intentionally. And it may upset you. Sometimes I don’t get things done as soon as they should be done. At times you may lose patience with me.
Perhaps you are wondering just what you can expect of me? I hope you will be excited by the answer.
What I Do Lay Claim To
First of all, I lay full claim to the promise God made to Joshua: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
With that as the foundation of all I do, I will teach you how to take all the promises of God and have them work. We will begin to see people healed of all manner of diseases.
You will learn the laws of prosperity so that your lives will prosper in every detail. You will learn how to claim every member of your families for Christ and see them converted and filled with the Spirit of God.
You will learn to pray and use the power of God that is available to you, and to draw into the church all who are inheritors of salvation. You will learn how to utilize the power of God in every area of your lives to bring you the greatest happiness you have ever known.
You will learn how to come against every attempt of Satan to wreck your lives, your marriages, and rob you of the abundant life Jesus came to give you. You will learn about God’s ministering spirits, the angels “sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14).
The Blessing of Abraham
In Genesis, chapter 12, God gave Abraham a promise to bless him and make him a blessing. That blessing was to pass on to all of Abraham’s descendants.
To bless means to cause to prosper. It is a total prosperity that includes the physical body, the mental health, the spiritual person, the work of one’s hands, all of one’s relationships with other people, all of one’s material possessions, and so on.
As you study the life of Abraham, from the time God gave that promise, you see how God fulfilled his promise to Abraham.
Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Galatia, writes: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:13-14, 29).
Entering Your Inheritance
Learning how to enter into your inheritance is what you can expect of me. It is what you should expect of any minister, because it is the only thing any of us has to give.
Joshua did not inherit Moses’ greatness. He inherited Moses’ God, and the promise that came with Him: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you.” Whoever stands in front of you on a Sunday morning is not a Moses either, and you would do him a kindness not to want one.
Ask him instead for what Joshua was given — the Book, and the God who keeps what is written in it. That much he can promise you, and he can promise it safely, because it was never his to give in the first place.
This article is part of Faith and Trust — a guide to everything in this library on taking God at his word before the evidence arrives.
