Joshua : Strong & Courageous // Guidance in His Goodbye

Joshua 24:15b NIV 

as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. 

Joshua 23:1-3 NIV 

1 After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, 2 summoned all Israel — their elders, leaders, judges and officials — and said to them: “I am very old. 3 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. 

1. Continually Look Back with Gratitude 

Joshua 23:9-11 NIV 

9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God. 

Joshua 23:14 NIV 

14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. 

1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 

Philippians 4:12-13 NIV 

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 

1. Continually Look Back with Gratitude 

2. Continually Look Out for the Gimmicks 

Joshua 23:6;9-13 NIV 

6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God. 12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you. 

Joshua 24:14-15 NIV 

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 

1. Continually Look Back with Gratitude 

2. Continually Look Out for the Gimmicks 

3. Continually Look Forward with His Grace 

Joshua 24:19-22 NIV 

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” 

Hebrews 9:15 NIV 

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 

Questions: 

1. In what ways does gratitude impact your daily life? Who is someone that you know who practices thanksgiving? Describe an experience that you had with them where gratitude was on display. 

2. Have you ever been the victim of being tricked by the enemy? Describe the experience you had? How were you able to overcome the situation that you found yourself in? 

3. How do you view the future of your life? What are things that you are pursuing and hoping for that you feel are part of your story? What are you doing now to see those goals come to fruition?