The death of Moses and the command to Joshua

[0:00] on the mainland before returning here. We continue to remember them before God. There is tea and coffee after the service this morning. I would encourage as many as possible to stay back for tea and coffee.

[0:14] I'm sure we'll be able to provide a cup for everybody. We'll begin our worship of God this morning by singing in Psalm 106.

[0:25] Psalm 106. And we'll sing from verse 1. Psalm 106. To God's praise from verse 1.

[0:56] Have praise from verse 1. Amen. Amen.

[1:59] Amen. Amen.

[2:59] Amen. Let us bow in prayer.

[3:25] Let us pray. Amen. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your goodness to us. We thank you that we can come and we can come and worship you this morning.

[3:39] And as we rejoice, Heavenly Father, in coming and giving thanks before you, we do indeed thank you for the beauty that we see around about us this morning. And how, Heavenly Father, we see the sun shining in the sky.

[3:55] And Heavenly Father, we thank you for the beauty that that gives us, for the warmth that we are able to enjoy. And we pray, Heavenly Father, as we draw near to you this morning, that we will indeed see all that you have for us.

[4:09] That we will feel the warmth of your love as we gather together. And that, Heavenly Father, that we will indeed know your blessing upon us. We thank you that we can come and worship you.

[4:21] We thank you that we can come and worship you. We can come and read your word. And we can sing your praise. For you are indeed worthy of all glory, honour and praise. And Heavenly Father, as we come into this place this morning, may we lay aside any burdens that we carry.

[4:38] May we indeed come to worship you. And acknowledge that you are our God. And besides you we have no other. That, Heavenly Father, that we would fix our eyes firmly upon you.

[4:54] And that we would seek, Heavenly Father, to learn from your work this morning each and every one of us. And that, Heavenly Father, that we would seek to go from this place. Knowing that we have met with you.

[5:07] And that, Heavenly Father, that we have been touched by your work. Your work that you have given to us is the only will. To direct us in how we may glorify and enjoy you forever.

[5:20] And, Heavenly Father, may that be our desire this morning. That as each one of us come, we come humbly. That we come with a spirit of praise.

[5:31] And, Heavenly Father, that we do indeed lift our hearts to you. Guide us in our reading, in our prayer, in our singing.

[5:42] And, Heavenly Father, in our very worship of you. That all that we do, all that we say, may indeed be to your glory. That anything that we say or do, there is amiss.

[5:54] That, Heavenly Father, that you would take it from us. For we seek to worship only you. And, as we come and worship, Heavenly Father, as we speak to the young ones, as we learn through them, Heavenly Father, bless us in it.

[6:10] As we break down your word together, Heavenly Father, may we see your word of correction, your word of direction, your word of education for each one of us. And that we would be able to apply it to our own heart.

[6:22] Not thinking how apt it may be for the person on our left or on our right. But, Heavenly Father, that we would be fully tuned in. And listening to what you have to say to us.

[6:36] Through your word, and through all, Heavenly Father, that we will partake of here. Guide us, we pray. And bless us together.

[6:46] As we call your blessing upon us, in Jesus' name. Amen. Boys and girls, do you want to come down to the front? Please.

[6:57] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[7:08] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Okay. How are you all this morning?

[7:19] How are you all? Pardon? How are you all this morning? You must be tired. Anish, do you want a microphone? You don't encourage to smoke in the mouth.

[7:31] How are you all this morning? Can you hear them any better? No. What's wrong, Anish? It's not K Notice.

[7:41] Is it not connected? Why is it not connected? What is it need? It needs a lead. I'll take the lead from here, will it work?

[8:06] There's a specific lead that has to go in there. Does it work now? How are you this morning? You hear him now? What was the problem? The lead wasn't connected.

[8:18] It wasn't that the microphone didn't work. Because we then plugged it in and it worked, didn't we, Dad? Yeah? Yeah. Changed it back, just in case it's ready to do on the service.

[8:30] I need to do the congregation. The microphone looked as if it might work.

[8:40] It's the same as the one that's here, wasn't it? Same shape, same bit on the top here. But we very quickly realised when we tried to use it, that it wouldn't work. And why wouldn't it work?

[8:52] As Anish pointed out to us, it wasn't connected to the cable that plugged in to the speaker. And that can be the problem with each and every one of us.

[9:06] We all look the same. We've got two arms, we've got a head, we've got legs. But if we're not tuned in to God, we're not being effectively used by God. We're going to learn later on, once you've gone to Sunday school, about a man called Joshua.

[9:24] Now Joshua came after Moses. Now we all know that Moses took the children of Israel across the Red Sea. Have you seen the pictures of Moses taking the children of Israel across the Red Sea when he took them out of Egypt?

[9:38] Well, after Moses died, a man called Joshua led the children of Israel. And Joshua had to follow in Moses' footsteps.

[9:52] Now he looked like Moses, he was a man. But God came and spoke to Joshua. And God gave Joshua a very special message.

[10:03] And that message is exactly the same for each one of you today. That we have to be strong and that we have to be very courageous. And to be able to do that, we have to listen to God's word that we have in the Bible.

[10:21] Now God told Joshua that he had to meditate on it. Who knows what meditate means? That's a big word, isn't it? For those of us that don't know all these big words, it just means to think on it all the time.

[10:35] That we have to think on God's word day and night. So when we get up in the morning and we go to bed at night, we have to read God's word. And think about it all the time.

[10:47] So that we know that we're close to God. And that we're connected to God the same way as the cable had to be connected to the microphone to work. And then we can be strong and we can be courageous and we can be used by God.

[11:05] Because we didn't know how effective or how loud Anish's voice was going to be until we were able to plug in that microphone. And then we could hear him clearly and everybody could hear him here in the church.

[11:17] If you're not properly connected to God, and you're not feeding upon God's word day and night. And reading it and learning all the stories and thinking about how they can apply to your life.

[11:32] You're not going to be, you're not going to find out how God can really use you. And you can be effective in God's work for you. So you don't have to be afraid about anything.

[11:45] You have to be strong. And you have to be courageous. What does it mean to be courageous? Anyone get any idea of what it means to be courageous? You think it means that you have to be bold?

[11:59] Yeah? All these soldiers that go out to war have to be courageous. They have to be bold. So they don't fear anything when they go forward.

[12:11] And that's the way that each one of us has to be. Jesus said about himself that he is the vine. And that we are the branches. And that we must remain in Jesus.

[12:22] We have to be connected to Jesus. For us to be really truly effective. And go forward. And bear fruit the same way as a vine tea bears fruit. So how many of you are going to be courageous for God?

[12:38] How many of you want to be courageous? Put your hands up. That you're going to read God's word. And you're going to learn more and more about God. That's really encouraging. For us as a congregation to see that the young people here.

[12:51] And those that are here on holiday. Want to learn more about God. And be true disciples for God. We're going to sing a song. About being bold for God. And not being afraid.

[13:03] And remembering that wherever we go. And whatever we do in life. God is with us. And that we should be afraid of nothing. We're going to sing mission praise 49.

[13:14] Be bold. Be strong. For the Lord your God is with you. And really sing this out. We're going to sing it twice. And you can stand up and sing.

[13:25] And if you know the actions. You can do the actions and teach the congregation. Okay? Don't look at me as if you're shy. I know you're not shy. I should have said there's Sunday school.

[13:43] For any primary school children. Up to the primary 7. Or just going into first year. And if you want to go out. You're more than welcome to go out. Enjoying the Sunday school children.

[13:54] I'm going to leave with my head on. I'm going to stop for it. I'm going to stop for it. Do you want to turn in your Bibles.

[14:33] To Deuteronomy. And chapter 34. I'm going to read in Deuteronomy 34. And on into Joshua chapter 1. Reading about the death of Moses.

[14:48] And the command to Joshua. After Moses' death. Joshua chapter 34.

[15:02] And at verse 1. Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo. From the plains of Moab. To the top of Pisgah. Across from Jericho.

[15:13] There the Lord showed him the whole land. From Gilead to Dan. All of Naphtali. The territory of Ephraim. And Manasseh. All the land of Judah.

[15:25] As far as the western sea. The Negev. And the whole region from the valley of Jericho. The city of Pans. As far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him.

[15:37] This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham. Isaac and Jacob. When I said. I will give it. To your descendants. I have let you see it with your eyes.

[15:48] But you will not cross over into it. And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab. As the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab. In the valley opposite Besspior.

[16:01] But to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died. Yet his eyes were not weak. Nor his strength gone.

[16:14] The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab. Thirty days. Until the time of weeping and mourning was over. Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom.

[16:26] Because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him. And did what the Lord had commanded Moses. Since then. No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses.

[16:39] From the Lord knew face to face. Who did all those miraculous signs and wonders. The Lord sent him to do in Egypt. To Pharaoh and to all his officials. And to the whole land.

[16:51] For no one has ever shown the mighty power. Or performed the awesome deeds. That Moses did in the sight of all Israel. And in Joshua chapter one.

[17:02] After the death of Moses. The servant of the Lord. The Lord said to Joshua son of Nun. Moses is a. Moses my servant is dead.

[17:14] Now then. You and all these people. Get ready to cross the river Jordan. Into the land. I am about to give them. To the Israelites. I will give you every place.

[17:26] Where you set your foot. As I promised Moses. Your territory will extend. From the desert. To Lebanon. And from the great river. The Euthretus.

[17:36] All the Hittite country. To the great sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you. All the days of your life. As I was with Moses.

[17:47] So I will be with you. I will never leave you. Nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous. Because you. You will lead these people.

[17:58] 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.

[18:09] 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.

[18:21] Day and night. So that you may be careful. To do everything written in it. Then. You will be prosperous. And be successful. Have I not commanded you.

[18:32] Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord. Your God. Will be with you. Wherever you go. So Joshua.

[18:44] Ordered the officers. Of the people. Amen. And may God. Add his blessing. To the reading. Of his holy work. I am now going to ask. Dr Angus McKellar. To come and lead us.

[18:56] In a prayer of the session. So let's pray. Holy God.

[19:07] How wonderful it is. To meet in fellowship. To meet us. Your people. Brothers and sisters. In Christ. How we thank you.

[19:19] For. The safety. Of this place. And we praise you. That we have access. To your written. Holy. Infallible. Word.

[19:34] And as you command us. To read it. And exhort us. To meditate upon it. So you have given us. The very words. In our hands. On the screen. On our iPads. On paper Lord.

[19:45] That we can. Read your word. Meditate on it. And have. Communication. With our living God. And so as we gather here.

[19:59] In this parish. In this island. To give you thanks. For this. And so we pray. For. Those people. In Harris. Just now.

[20:10] Who are going through. A particular time. Of need. We think of those. Who are grieving. Of those coping.

[20:21] With illness. Of those coping Lord. With private things. That. They find it difficult. To express. To others. Perhaps.

[20:32] To those. Who feel. A great burden. On them. As we pray for them. Lord Jesus. So we. Pray that.

[20:43] You would. Make yourself. Known. To these people. In special ways. That at times. Of crisis. And suffering. They may know you.

[20:54] In a special way. And know. An empowering. And a strengthening. And a fellowship. That sustains them. And that gives them joy.

[21:07] In the midst of trouble. As we think of the needs. Of this island Lord. We pray for those. Who struggle with. Addiction. Be it of.

[21:20] Alcohol. Drugs. Of promiscuity. Of what they eat. Of what they say.

[21:32] Of what they watch. Of what they spend their energy doing. We pray Lord Jesus. That you would draw people away. From addiction.

[21:43] Towards the one. True living God. That there great. Be a great turning of individuals. Lord Jesus. From all that would distract them from you.

[21:54] From you. To the holy presence of God. That they might. Might find freedom. That they might. Spring for joy. Leap for joy.

[22:07] Go from darkness to light. As if from. Blindness to. Full sight. Lord Jesus. Turn people. To watch you.

[22:18] In this island. That they might. Be a great awakening. Lord Jesus. A great turning towards you. A great. Freeing. A liberty. Lord Jesus. May change.

[22:32] May chains be broken. May individuals turn to you Lord Jesus. To join together in praise and worship. And as we pray like this and petition this before you Lord Jesus.

[22:44] We pray for the believers meeting just now. In this island. In the various churches. And we thank you for all the fellowships that there are in this place. We pray particularly for the neighbours of the hill.

[23:00] We pray for them Lord Jesus. That they may know your blessing. That you may strengthen them and use them for your glory. We pray for the churches here in Tarbert and Scalpy and the rest of us Lord Jesus.

[23:12] That your people be a sacrificial people. Who praise you and worship you. Truly united in the gospel. Truly united in the deepest sense of the word for your glory.

[23:25] And Lord Jesus just as we thank you for the freedom to meet in fellowship. So we pray for your church. To the ends of the earth.

[23:36] Meeting in various places over the weekend. Some in secret. Some in ones and twos. Some in much larger numbers. Some in networks of house churches.

[23:48] Some who have to hide from the authorities. Some who have members who have been martyred for you. Some who have members who are in prison.

[24:02] Fellowships where there is no fellowship except. In that various believers are in various prison cells. Solitary confinement. Being tortured because of them proclaiming you as their saviour.

[24:19] And so we pray for them Lord Jesus. We pray that you strengthen them. You bless them. You give them the privilege of seeing fruit being born even in their lifetime. We pray for the Middle East Lord.

[24:32] We pray for the thousands upon thousands of secret believers. We pray for them Lord Jesus for their safety. That you keep them wise. That as they obey the words given to Joshua.

[24:44] That they meditate upon your word. They be strengthened in your word. And Lord Jesus they go boldly and courageously. We understand the link to the personal walk with you.

[24:56] Before and during the process of going out with your gospel. And we pray for those suffering and being persecuted. That their personal walk with you is strong.

[25:07] It's immense. It's so rich. So personal. So deep. That they are truly empowered to go and proclaim your gospel. In whatever way they can do.

[25:19] We thank you for the thousands upon thousands of Iranians. Who are turning to you. And we. As we try to understand this.

[25:29] And pray through this. We give you thanks Lord Jesus. And ask that you use this people for your glory. In whatever way you would use them. And we pray for that country of Iran Lord Jesus. With all its troubles.

[25:41] And with all its idiosyncrasies. With the messages that we hear. That are difficult to understand Lord Jesus. What you're doing with that country. We simply pray for those Iranians.

[25:52] The Iranian church. That you use them for. For your glory. Lord Jesus. As we think of ISIS. And the horror that we hear about.

[26:03] The believers who are being martyred. For the political complexity. For the violence. For. As we pray into. The. The horrors that we hear about.

[26:14] For that black spread. Of terror. That seems to be. As a dark cloud. Going across various countries. So we pray for the shining light of the gospel.

[26:27] To appear blazing bright. For groups of believers. To be used by you. Lord Jesus. For peace. The only peace that can be true peace. The peace of the people who know you.

[26:38] And to turn to you. We pray Lord Jesus. Among the Muslim communities. That many. Many. Many. Many. Would find you. Would turn to you. Would find themselves forgiven. By the living God.

[26:50] Would find themselves. Not having to work. Towards salvation. But turning to you. In confession. And repentance. And inheriting. Eternal life.

[27:02] We pray for returning. Towards you Lord Jesus. To the ends of the earth. And then. As we come back to. This place. And this fellowship. And the rest of our service. This morning.

[27:13] We ask that you fill this place. With your presence. We give you thanks. For one another. Here today. And for the children. We ask that what we hear. And what we meditate upon.

[27:24] We pray that as the children. Hear. And meditate upon your word. That you would strengthen. us. That you would speak to us. Profoundly. Prophetically. Lord Jesus.

[27:35] That you would. Give us what we need. The message that we need. To hear this morning. Bless Gordon. As he breaks open your word. Use him for your glory. Speak through the Lord Jesus.

[27:47] And encourage us. Bring us on Lord Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[27:58] Again sing to God's praise. This time we sing in Galilee. And we sing the verses. First few verses. Psalm 1. Psalm 1.

[28:09] That man of perfect blessedness. Who walketh not astray. In counsel of ungodly men. Nor stands in sinner's way. Nor sitteth in the scorner's chair. But places his delight.

[28:20] Upon God's law. And meditates on his law. Day and night. Psalm 1. Psalm 1. Psalm 1. Psalm 1. In Galilee. Peace. Peace.

[28:33] Peace. . Satsang with Mooji

[29:34] Satsang with Mooji Thank you.

[30:34] Thank you.

[31:04] Thank you.

[31:34] Thank you.

[32:04] Thank you.

[32:34] And we pray, Heavenly Father, that we would be found sitting in your presence, not judging on our left and on our right, but Heavenly Father's focusing on your word and what your word has to say to us.

[32:47] May you teach us through Jesus' precious name. Amen. As time allows, if we can maybe turn back to the passages that we read in Deuteronomy, first of all, in chapter 34.

[33:07] And then we'll go on into Joshua chapter 1.

[33:18] And I was going to have headings for the different sections. The first would be the reassurance God gives to Joshua, the call of God to Joshua, and the promise of God to Joshua.

[33:30] And hopefully, given God's guidance and grace that as we go through that, we'll be able to take Joshua's name out of that and apply our own name to it and see that God's promises of yesterday year are the same for us today.

[33:47] And we pray that God will guide us as we go through the passage here. Here we find Joshua after a time of mourning for Moses.

[34:02] Who was Moses? Well, as we have written there, nobody. Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders.

[34:24] The Lord sent him to do in Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to the whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

[34:44] How can you fall on and step into the shoes of somebody like Moses? But that was the task that was before Joshua.

[34:54] He had grown up as a young man in Israel, amongst the Israel people.

[35:05] And he had witnessed some of the miraculous signs and wonders that had been performed through Moses. Others he would have heard of.

[35:18] Some, I'm sure, might have been embellished a wee bit as they sat round telling the story. But there was always a degree of truth in what had happened in all that Moses had done.

[35:29] The story of the burning bush. The numerous meetings with Pharaoh. The rod that was turned into a serpent. The crossing of the Red Sea.

[35:41] The many battles and the many victories that Moses had with the children of Israel. And when the children of Israel turned against Moses and cried out to him.

[35:53] Asking why they had been taken out of Egypt. Where they had everything they needed. Moses didn't give up. But he cried out to God.

[36:05] And God answered his prayer. And there was a provision of food. Every morning in the form of the manna. And then again when the people turned against God.

[36:18] We hear the story of the serpent that was held up. Out in the wilderness. And when people looked upon it. How they were healed. When they were thirsty.

[36:30] And they cried out. And Moses smocked the rock. And the water came forth. And as we spoke of with the children as well. How Moses went up and met with God.

[36:44] And came back with the Ten Commandments. Moses was a giant. But he had died. And now Joshua. Was going to be called upon.

[36:59] Moses had been faithful in his walk. Yes we read of his doubts. His lack of confidence. When he was at the burning bush. And when God called him. And he said that he couldn't speak.

[37:12] But God provided his brother Aaron. To speak. On his behalf. There are other times when we see Moses displays his anger. Anger that's common to each and every one of us.

[37:26] But in that. God still used Moses. And he took him. And he showed him all the land. And we have written here. That there was nobody. Like Moses.

[37:37] In all of Israel. And here was Joshua. Having spent 30 days with the rest of the people of Israel. Mourning. The death of Moses.

[37:52] And God comes. To Joshua. At the beginning. Of chapter 1. And the Lord says to Moses. Moses. My servant is dead.

[38:03] Joshua. Joshua didn't have to be reminded. That Moses was dead. He had spent 30 days. Mourning. But this message. Was a final message.

[38:15] Moses is dead. I still have work to do. We still have to move on. Now then. All of these people get ready.

[38:26] You. And all these people get ready. To cross the Jordan River. God had a plan. For Joshua. He had a call. On Joshua's life. Yes.

[38:38] Moses had been there. But Moses was now dead. And Joshua had to stand up. We see. That as.

[38:50] God. Reminds. Joshua. Of what his plan is. Of how. He's going to take the people. Across the River Jordan. And he's going to give them.

[39:02] That is the Israelites. Everywhere. That he set their foot. That was a promise. That God had given to Abram. Back in Genesis. Chapter 12. When this whole story began.

[39:15] That God had a plan. He had a plan for Abram. He had a plan for Abram's sea. And Joshua was now. To lead the people. And that verse of reassurance.

[39:29] To Joshua. Comes. In verse 5. He's told Abraham. He's told Joshua. What his plan is. What he wants him to do.

[39:39] That he's going to take him. Across the River Jordan. That everything. And everywhere they go. Every place that their foot. Touches. Is going to be inherited.

[39:50] By the people. And that nobody. Is going to be able. To stand up against him. All the days of his life. And then.

[40:00] At the end of. Verse 5. As I was with Moses. So I will be with you. I will never leave you. Nor forsake you. What encouragement.

[40:12] And reassurance. That was for Joshua. He had been there. And witnessed. What God had done. With Moses. How he had used Moses. How he had led Moses.

[40:23] And how the people had been led. Through many different challenges. Moses. And even when the people. Turned against Moses. How God was with him. And was able to turn the heart. Of the people back.

[40:35] But Moses was dead. And God came. And he spoke to Joshua. He reminded him. Of what the plan was. What his vision was.

[40:45] To the people. But he didn't leave it there. He made sure. That he reassured. Joshua. That just as he had been. With Moses. He was going to be.

[40:57] With Joshua. So I will never leave you. Nor forsake you. And that promise is true. For each and every one of us today. Whatever situation.

[41:08] We find ourselves in. Whatever plan. God has for us. If we trust. God. And fully put our trust in him. His promise.

[41:20] For Moses. And for Joshua. Is true for us today. That he was going to be. He will never leave us. And he will never forsake us. How many of you.

[41:30] Are willing to claim. That promise today. Or are you too caught up. In your own situation. Mourning over your work. And not seeing the work.

[41:42] That has to be done. Are you looking. At your own strength. And what you would be able. To do on your own. Or are you truly. Trusting in God. And what God's promise.

[41:53] Is for you. The same as it was. For Abraham. Isaac. And Jacob. The same as it was. For Moses. And as the same as it was. For Joshua. Here before us. God reassured.

[42:06] Joshua. And he reassures. Each and every one of us. Today. That if we put our trust. In God. That he will never leave us. And he will never. Forsake us.

[42:16] Jesus. But God didn't leave it there. He didn't just reassure Joshua. He actually called Joshua out. If we go back.

[42:30] To Deuteronomy. Chapter 34. There's a verse there. That could have been omitted. From this chapter. And in many respects.

[42:40] Wouldn't have changed anything. About the death of Moses. As we read it there. But in Deuteronomy 34. And verse. Nine.

[42:52] We read. Now Joshua. Son of Nun. Was filled with the spirit of wisdom. Because Moses. Had laid his hand upon him. So the Israelites.

[43:02] Listened to him. And did. What the Lord. Had commanded Moses. Moses had done. Many wonderful. And mighty acts. While he guided. The children of Israel.

[43:14] And many of them. Are recorded. In the books. That go before. In Exodus. And Leviticus. And Numbers. And in Deuteronomy. But in Deuteronomy 34.

[43:29] There's one. Act. Recounted for us. An act. That was going to be. The legacy. That was going to continue. After his death. Wasn't through.

[43:41] One of his own sons. That this was going to come. But it was through Joshua. Joshua. Had been set apart. Story of that.

[43:51] Is in Numbers 27. And 18 to 23. Where it says. So the Lord said to Moses. Take Joshua. Son of Nun. A man in whom. Is the spirit.

[44:03] And lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eliezer. The priest. And the entire assembly. And commission him. In their presence. Give him some of your authority.

[44:15] So the whole. Israelite community. Will obey him. He is to stand before. Eliezer the priest. Who will obtain. Decisions from. For him. By inquiring. Of Urim.

[44:25] Before the Lord. At his command. He and the entire community. Of the Israelites. Will go out. And at his command. They will come in. Moses did.

[44:37] As the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua. And had him stand. Before Eliezer the priest. And the whole community. Then he laid his hand on him. And commissioned him.

[44:49] As the Lord instructed him. Through Moses. Moses. Joshua had been there. When the setting apart. Took place. He had heard. What Moses had said.

[44:59] When he stood before the priest. And now the time had come. For all this to be fulfilled. God had set Joshua apart. For a task.

[45:11] And now he was calling him. He had given him. The reassurance. In verses 1 to 5. At the beginning. Of the chapter there. And now that Moses had died.

[45:27] The time had come. For him to move. And that call to him. Was to be strong. And courageous. God says to him. Be strong.

[45:38] And courageous. Because you will lead. These people to inherit the land. I swore to the forefathers. To give them. God. It's not maybe the call.

[45:49] That he would have. Been expecting. But having just given him. A promise of reassurance. And that I will never leave you. Nor forsake you. And almost. Immediately.

[46:00] In order to claim that promise. And to recognize. The importance. Of what had been said. God calls on Joshua. To be strong. And courageous. It doesn't allow time.

[46:11] For doubt. To set in. The way that it had. Previously with Moses. He calls on Joshua. To be strong. And courageous. Not to think about.

[46:21] What the task was for him. But to be strong. And courageous. Not in his own strength. But in the strength. That came to him. Through God. And as we stand.

[46:33] With the children. As we said. With the children. Sorry. And we sang with them. To be bold. And be strong. For the Lord. Our God. Is with us. That promise.

[46:44] Is the same. To each and every one. Of us today. And that call. Upon our lives. Many of us. Have doubts. Many of us. Have fears. But I have to ask you.

[46:58] This morning. How many of you. Can think back. To being in Sunday school. Being at home. When the prayers. Have been read. And you've had a mother. A father.

[47:09] A grandfather. A grandmother. A brother. Or a sister. A Sunday school teacher. Or a minister. Pray over you. And pray for God's blessing.

[47:19] In your life. And pray that God. Would show you. What your plan is. That he has for you. How many of you. Have ignored that. How many of you.

[47:30] Have doubted. That it was even for you. And as you sit there. You think. Yes. That did happen. As God said to Joshua.

[47:41] I say the same to you. This morning. Be strong and courageous. Don't sit there. In your own strength. Thinking. No. I'm going to leave it. Be strong and courageous.

[47:52] And claim the promise. That God has given. That he will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He used Moses. He used Joshua. And he blessed the people.

[48:03] Through them. And he can bless. Each and every one of you. To be a blessing. For other people. If you are prepared. To be strong. And be courageous. Joshua was taking on.

[48:16] A greater leadership role. And God's call to him. To be strong and courageous. Was certainly something. That he had to do. What role is God asking you.

[48:28] To take on. What role. Has God got. For each and every one of us. Here today. As an army of God's people. Are we sitting here.

[48:41] Or even standing here. In our own strength. And are we missing out. On the blessing. That God has for us. And in doing that.

[48:52] Are we depriving others. From receiving that blessing. In Joshua. Standing up. And being courageous. God blessed him. And through the blessing.

[49:05] Not only was he blessed. But the children of Israel. Were blessed. And the promise. That God had given. To Abraham. To Isaac. And to Jacob. And he had fulfilled.

[49:16] Part of through Moses. He was able then. To fulfill. Further. Through Joshua. Are you prepared. To be strong. And courageous. And answer God's call.

[49:28] On your life today. Can't go away. From this passage here. Without just reflecting. On similarity.

[49:39] With John chapter 21. When Jesus. Speaks to Peter. On the beach. Peter had gone through. A real time of trial. And testing.

[49:50] We all know the story. How he had denied Christ. And he had gone back. To fishing. And how. They had been. To fishing all night. They had caught nothing. And then.

[50:02] When Jesus appeared. On the beach. And spoke with them. He asked them. To cast their nets again. And how they took in. The big haul of fish. And John shares with us.

[50:13] In chapter 21. The conversation. Between Peter. And Jesus. Jesus. And we have before us here. Three times. In Joshua chapter 1.

[50:26] Where God says. To Joshua. Be strong. And courageous. Be strong. And very courageous. And again.

[50:37] Be strong. And courageous. And Peter was asked. Three times. Peter. Do you love me? And three times. He replied. Yes.

[50:48] And he was told. To go and feed the sheep. To tend to the sheep. And to feed the sheep. Now in God's call. To Joshua. He said to him.

[50:59] To be strong. And to be courageous. And how was he. To be strong. And to be courageous. Be strong.

[51:10] 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.

[51:21] 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.

[51:34] And successful. And Jesus was tempted. By the devil. And he was offered. To turn the stone. Into bread. His answer to the devil. Was man cannot live.

[51:45] By bread alone. But by every word. We have God's word here. We have to meditate on it. Day and night. And where we can draw our strength from.

[51:58] Is from God's word. Because when we are tempted. We are then able to answer. The same way as Jesus answered. When he was tempted. From God's very word. God. Joshua was not to lead the people.

[52:14] On his own. God was going to be with him. And he had given him that promise. And that promise. Is true. For each and every one of us. Here today.

[52:27] And the final thing is. The promise of God. To Joshua. In chapter 9. In verse 9. Have I not commanded you. Be strong and courageous.

[52:39] Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God. Will be with you. Wherever you go. As I said.

[52:51] That promise for Joshua. Is also the same for us. We should be prepared. To lay claim on it. In the family service. A number of weeks ago. David spoke of the plan.

[53:02] That God had. For each one of the young people. And each one of us. Through the book of Jeremiah. And the same God.

[53:13] That was with Moses. And with Joshua. Can be with each and every one of us. God achieved much. Through their lives. We read about here.

[53:24] In the Bible. And that was because. Of their faithfulness. Because they were prepared. To be courageous. And not to be afraid.

[53:36] They answered the call. And they obeyed the command. What about each and every one of us?

[53:47] I asked that question already. I don't know how many people. Are here this morning. But if God was to use. Each and every one of us. To 10% before he used.

[54:00] Moses and Joshua. How much would we be able to achieve? Here in Talbot. In Harris. Across the Western Isles.

[54:11] For Scotland. For the rest of the world. If we were bold. And we were not afraid. If we trusted that God was with us.

[54:24] In each and every step that we took. How much. Would we be able to achieve? There's plenty of work still to be done. And God's got a call.

[54:37] On each and every one of us. I'm not sure the reason. Why you'd come here this morning. It might be that it's your practice. To come to church every Sunday. That God has a message.

[54:49] For each and every one of us. That he'll never leave us. That he'll never forsake us. That if we are courageous for him.

[55:00] That if we stand up. And we lay hold. His promise. He will use us. If we claim of his word.

[55:12] If we meditate upon it. If we don't depart from it. That he will use us. For his purpose. It's a song.

[55:23] I quite often listen to. I'm just going to share it with you. Sometimes we think. The biggest thing we have to do in life. Is survive.

[55:35] From the beginning. To the end. That God has a greater purpose. For each and every one of us. Some of us might not have seen that purpose yet. We might not have realised.

[55:46] What that purpose is for our lives. That you hear this morning. And God is calling to you. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.

[55:57] Be strong. And be courageous. Here in this worn and weary land. Where many a dream has died. Like a tree planted by the water.

[56:11] We never will run dry. So living water flowing through. God we thirst for more of you. Fill our hearts. And flood our souls with one desire.

[56:24] Just to know you. And to make you known. We lift your name on high. Shine like the sun. Make darkness run and hide. We know we were made for so much more.

[56:37] Than ordinary lives. It's time for us to more than just survive. We were made to thrive. Into your word we are digging deep.

[56:48] To know our father's heart. Into the world we are reaching out. To show them who you are. Joy unspeakable. Faith unsinkable.

[57:00] Love unstoppable. Anything. Anything. Is possible. Anything is possible. If we put our trust in God. If we answer the call that God has upon our lives.

[57:14] If we listen. To what God is saying to each and every one of us. To be strong. To be courageous. To go out for him.

[57:26] Not just survive through life. But actually thrive. In each and every thing that he calls us to do. That in receiving his blessing. That we may be a blessing.

[57:39] For others. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father. We thank you. That we can indeed come before you.

[57:49] Amen.