Be Strong and Courageous
Deuteronomy 31:1-6 When Moses had finished saying these things to all the people, he said, “I am now 120 years old and am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has told me that I will not cross the Jordan River. But the Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy the nations living there, and you will take possession of the land. Joshua is your new leader and he will go with you, just as the Lord promised. The Lord will destroy the nations living in the land, just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites. The Lord will hand over to you the people who live there and you will deal with them as I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The Lord your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you. (NLT)
As Christians, we do not look for the living among the dead. We choose life, not death. Last week we were reminded that we choose life by loving God, by walking in His ways, and by keeping His commandments. God promises rewards, life, abundant life, and blessings to those who seek life by seeking Christ. Immediately after last week’s passage, we find the passage that we read today.
Moses finished saying all these things, and now he is handing over leadership to Joshua. Now, most of us have experienced leadership changes. As a Methodist pastor, I have followed several different pastors, even in long lines of pastors. Some of those pastors have been really great leaders, but sometimes that particular church can hold on to the former pastor or to their past history instead of moving forward. Some of these churches revere their former pastors or former leaders almost more than When we hold on to the past, we are looking for the living among the dead. One of the most deadly phrases a church member ever can say is “We’ve never done it that way before.” Nothing blocks the ministry of the Holy Spirit more effectively than a Christian saying, “I will not do anything new because we’ve never done it before.”
Moses is handing ministry leadership over to Joshua. He will no longer lead the people of Israel and will not enter into the Promised Land. But he is clear that while Joshua is their new leader, it is truly the Lord who will continue leading them. What does this mean? It means they would not enter into the battle alone — that God would lead them.
Some of you know you are entering a battle. You know that the days ahead will be difficult, and it makes your faith waver. Have you already experienced God’s victory? You know you can count on Him going forward. This is why Moses can say to Joshua and to the people of Israel, “Be strong and courageous.” Strength and courage do not come from confidence in our own abilities, but from confidence in God, the one marching with us.
Though we are fighting spiritual battles, our minds are not focused on the enemy. Satan is a threat who can undermine our confidence, but rather our minds are fixed on God, who will not fail or forsake them. With full confidence in the presence of God in our midst, we cannot fail to be victorious.
If we want to look at the same topic in a different context, we can look at Ephesians 6:10-14, the armor of the Lord.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Therefore stand…
Paul tells the church in Ephesus to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. He doesn’t tell them to just put on the armor of God. No, the armor of God is ineffective unless it is preceded by strength in the Lord. It is the Lord who enables us to stand against the schemes of the devil. “Be strong in the Lord” literally means “Strengthen yourselves in the Lord,” and it has the same intent and the same weight as God telling Joshua to be strong and very courageous.
God tells his children to be strengthened in “the power of his might”— the same power he mentioned earlier: “the surpassing greatness of his power in us who believe”; it is the “operation of his mighty strength” by which he raised Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:19–20); it is the power with which Paul has prayed that his readers may be strengthened by the Spirit of God in their inner being (Eph. 3:16). Now we are told one way in which this power can be effective in our lives—in enabling us to resist those forces in the world that are hostile to our well-being and opposed to the gospel.
Friends, we are facing forces in this world that are hostile to our well-being. We face daily forces that are opposed to the gospel. 1 Peter 5:8 pictures Satan as a mighty lion, seeking whom he may devour. When facing Satan, it is not enough to fight him in our own strength. Can you imagine, facing a lion, saying, “Look how strong I am!” But instead, we are to face Satan in God’s strength. Putting on the full armor of God. You see, God’s armor is trustworthy, because God is trustworthy. He gives us everything we need to stand strong and courageous. God does not call those who are equipped. God equips those he calls. And he equips us with strength and courage.
In times of great hostility, when Satan’s attacks are the strongest, when evil’s power seems overwhelming, when the temptation to yield is strong, this is when God’s armor and divine grace and strength is most necessary. God gives us the strength and courage to resist the devil and to stand firm.
The picture is of a Roman centurion, who had to be the kind of man who could be relied upon, when hard-pressed, to stand fast and not give way; and the same quality is necessary in the spiritual warfare. “Having done everything” is explained by J. A. Robinson as “having accomplished all that your duty requires.” When all that has been accomplished, the one thing needful is to stand one’s ground.
Remember that God never requires us to go somewhere he hasn’t already been. Sometimes Christians think of missionaries as “taking Jesus to the people” of a certain land. But we can’t take Jesus there; he was there in Creation! We might be introducing people to Jesus, but we’re not the ones taking him around his world!
Last week we talked about walking in God’s will, how God usually instructs us one step at a time. Today’s scripture also reminds us that when God instructs us, God strengthens us and gives us courage. How? Because he will lead us every step of the way. He will go ahead of you. He will neither fail nor forsake you. This gives us hope and drives out fear, while God commands obedience, he also provides the strength to give us courage to do his will, even in the most difficult situations.
So the final question is this: What would you do if you were strong and courageous?
As Christians, we do not look for the living among the dead. We choose life, not death. Last week we were reminded that we choose life by loving God, by walking in His ways, and by keeping His commandments. God promises rewards, life, abundant life, and blessings to those who seek life by seeking Christ. Immediately after last week’s passage, we find the passage that we read today.
Moses finished saying all these things, and now he is handing over leadership to Joshua. Now, most of us have experienced leadership changes. As a Methodist pastor, I have followed several different pastors, even in long lines of pastors. Some of those pastors have been really great leaders, but sometimes that particular church can hold on to the former pastor or to their past history instead of moving forward. Some of these churches revere their former pastors or former leaders almost more than When we hold on to the past, we are looking for the living among the dead. One of the most deadly phrases a church member ever can say is “We’ve never done it that way before.” Nothing blocks the ministry of the Holy Spirit more effectively than a Christian saying, “I will not do anything new because we’ve never done it before.”
Moses is handing ministry leadership over to Joshua. He will no longer lead the people of Israel and will not enter into the Promised Land. But he is clear that while Joshua is their new leader, it is truly the Lord who will continue leading them. What does this mean? It means they would not enter into the battle alone — that God would lead them.
Some of you know you are entering a battle. You know that the days ahead will be difficult, and it makes your faith waver. Have you already experienced God’s victory? You know you can count on Him going forward. This is why Moses can say to Joshua and to the people of Israel, “Be strong and courageous.” Strength and courage do not come from confidence in our own abilities, but from confidence in God, the one marching with us.
Though we are fighting spiritual battles, our minds are not focused on the enemy. Satan is a threat who can undermine our confidence, but rather our minds are fixed on God, who will not fail or forsake them. With full confidence in the presence of God in our midst, we cannot fail to be victorious.
If we want to look at the same topic in a different context, we can look at Ephesians 6:10-14, the armor of the Lord.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Therefore stand…
Paul tells the church in Ephesus to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. He doesn’t tell them to just put on the armor of God. No, the armor of God is ineffective unless it is preceded by strength in the Lord. It is the Lord who enables us to stand against the schemes of the devil. “Be strong in the Lord” literally means “Strengthen yourselves in the Lord,” and it has the same intent and the same weight as God telling Joshua to be strong and very courageous.
God tells his children to be strengthened in “the power of his might”— the same power he mentioned earlier: “the surpassing greatness of his power in us who believe”; it is the “operation of his mighty strength” by which he raised Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:19–20); it is the power with which Paul has prayed that his readers may be strengthened by the Spirit of God in their inner being (Eph. 3:16). Now we are told one way in which this power can be effective in our lives—in enabling us to resist those forces in the world that are hostile to our well-being and opposed to the gospel.
Friends, we are facing forces in this world that are hostile to our well-being. We face daily forces that are opposed to the gospel. 1 Peter 5:8 pictures Satan as a mighty lion, seeking whom he may devour. When facing Satan, it is not enough to fight him in our own strength. Can you imagine, facing a lion, saying, “Look how strong I am!” But instead, we are to face Satan in God’s strength. Putting on the full armor of God. You see, God’s armor is trustworthy, because God is trustworthy. He gives us everything we need to stand strong and courageous. God does not call those who are equipped. God equips those he calls. And he equips us with strength and courage.
In times of great hostility, when Satan’s attacks are the strongest, when evil’s power seems overwhelming, when the temptation to yield is strong, this is when God’s armor and divine grace and strength is most necessary. God gives us the strength and courage to resist the devil and to stand firm.
The picture is of a Roman centurion, who had to be the kind of man who could be relied upon, when hard-pressed, to stand fast and not give way; and the same quality is necessary in the spiritual warfare. “Having done everything” is explained by J. A. Robinson as “having accomplished all that your duty requires.” When all that has been accomplished, the one thing needful is to stand one’s ground.
Remember that God never requires us to go somewhere he hasn’t already been. Sometimes Christians think of missionaries as “taking Jesus to the people” of a certain land. But we can’t take Jesus there; he was there in Creation! We might be introducing people to Jesus, but we’re not the ones taking him around his world!
Last week we talked about walking in God’s will, how God usually instructs us one step at a time. Today’s scripture also reminds us that when God instructs us, God strengthens us and gives us courage. How? Because he will lead us every step of the way. He will go ahead of you. He will neither fail nor forsake you. This gives us hope and drives out fear, while God commands obedience, he also provides the strength to give us courage to do his will, even in the most difficult situations.
So the final question is this: What would you do if you were strong and courageous?
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