Will You Accept The Dare? Like Joshua.

Introduction

Just before us, Jordan rolls just across the way. We can safely trust the Lord, He shall lead today. Dare to stand like Joshua, dare to say the word, as for me and for my house, we will serve the Lord. Thus reads the third verse of number four hundred eighty, dare to stand like Joshua, which will be our invitation song after the lesson this morning. That song presents to us a dare. A dare is a challenge. It’s urging us to do something, telling us that there’s something that we maybe ought to do. And so I’m asking the question this morning will you accept the dare? And not just any dare, but will you accept the dare to really be like Joshua, to stand like him. When I was a kid growing up on the east side of Indianapolis, that word dare was one that was heard a lot in our neighborhood.

My younger brother Russ and I, my next door neighbor Urban Francis, and the kid down the street, Paul Davis, we were always daring one another to do something. Uh we might say, I dare you to ride all the way around the block, going through the kids would try that, and we would all ride along with him to make sure his hands never touched the handlebar. I dare you to jump off the garage roof. Yeah, there were some broken arms in our neighborhood. I dare you to jump out of the tree.

And when someone wouldn’t do, we’d say, I double dare you to jump out of the tree. And then there was the most evil and sinister of all the dares, what was called the triple dog dare. I triple dog dare you. If you watched a Christmas story, the movie on TV in the last month or so, remember it was the dreaded triple dog dare that caused the little boy to get his tongue frozen to the flagpole. When we’re kids, we like to dare people to do things. But what we’re doing this morning is not kid stuff. Dare to stand like Joshua. We’ve got to know what it was that Joshua did if we’re going to stand like Joshua. So that’s what we’re going to look at this morning.

No double dogs, no triple dogs, but a challenge to each of us. And here we are early in the new year. It’s the third Sunday of the new year, only two weeks deep into 2017. And I’m going to present the challenge to you this morning to dare to stand like Joshua. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to study with you for a few minutes. If you were here for the nine o’clock service, you got the young guy presenting the lesson. And didn’t Greg do a good job? Wow. He worked with us for about uh for one summer, about five or six years ago, and we saw a lot of talent in Greg Klein back then. But it’s even more evident today. Young man has a terrific future, one of the great young men in the kingdom.

1. Dare to Stand for Faith and Victory

And now you get the old guy. And I thank you for this time. Appreciate Brother Harkrider. I’ve worked with him so many times and have known his dad for a number of years, and of course, his dad has moved back to Texas now. But God bless the Hark Rider family. And God bless each of you for being here today to study from the Word of God. So let’s get into the lesson right now. And the question that we’re going to ask in the very beginning is will you dare to stand like Joshua for faith and victory? As when Joshua spied out the land of Canaan. You know the story. It’s found in your Bible in Numbers chapter 13. There were twelve men chosen, one from each tribe of Israel.

When the children of Israel had come out of Egypt, cross the Red Sea, and now they’re about to enter in, or at least they think they’re about to enter into the promised land. Twelve men are sent into the land of Canaan to spy out the land. God had told them that it was a land that flowed with milk and honey. But these spies are going to over into the land and come back and give report. And in Numbers chapter 13, those twelve men, yes, they return from the promised land. But all is not well. Because ten of the men say, oh, yes, it’s a land that flows with milk and honey, but we are not able to take the land. The men in that land are like giants, and we’re like grasshoppers in their sight.

And what can we do? Ah, but our friend Joshua and Caleb, who who is with him, these two men out of the twelve, these are men who stand for faith and victory. Listen to Numbers chapter thirteen and verse number thirty. Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it. But the men who had gone up with them said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out. The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the men that we saw are men of great stature.

The men of Anak, the giants. We were like grasshoppers in their sight. Well, that was the message of the ten. But that’s not the message of Joshua, and not the message of Caleb. A little later in the next chapter in chapter 14, after the people have begun to accept this bad message and to rebel against God. In verse number six of chapter 14, Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Japune, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes, and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land that we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and will give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey.

Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection is departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. A little later in that same chapter, God says, This generation, you’re not going to get to go into the land. Oh, there are two men here who will go into the land, Joshua and Caleb. And why? Because they had a different spirit, a different attitude. And they have followed me fully. Now, folks, here’s the question for 2017. Will you and I dare to stand like Joshua? Stand for faith and for victory. Joshua believed they could take the land. And in fact, they said, God has given it to us. And ultimately they did take the land, but it was 40 years later because that generation rebelled against God.

Folks, we’ve got to stand in this generation for faith and for victory. God’s work is hindered by faithless people, by defeatist thinking. Sometimes when we look at the work of evangelism like Brother Greg talked about at the 9 o’clock hour, we say, Oh, we can’t do that. We can’t be successful. Folks, don’t we know that God is on our side just like he was with Joshua and Caleb and the people of Israel? But if we believe we can’t, we can’t do the work of God, then indeed we won’t. What we need is the attitude that Joshua and Caleb had. We are well able. What does that look like? Well, it looks like believing and doing what God said. Standing for faith and victory. Says, whatever God says I must do, I will do, and I can do, and I can be successful.

2. Dare to Stand for Strength and Courage

That attitude will cause us to overcome all obstacles that Satan places before us. Will you accept the dare to be like Joshua and stand for faith and stand for victory? You know, my lesson only has one point. And you can describe it with a five-letter word, and that’s faith, or if you want a different five-letter word, the word trust. Because it’s all about trusting God. That’s always been the solution. If Israel had trusted God at this point when they’ve come to spy out the land, if Israel had trusted God, there would have been no forty years of wandering in the wilderness. But they didn’t trust God. Let’s trust God. And so, will you dare to stand like Joshua? And this time for strength and courage, as when Israel took the land.

I’m going now to the book of Joshua. Since our study is about Joshua, we need to be over there. I’m looking at Joshua chapter 1. This is where God speaks to Joshua, and it’s 40 years later now. They’ve passed through the time of the wandering in the wilderness. And God speaks to Joshua, prepping him to go into the land and to be the leader of the people. And I’m going to begin the reading at verse number six. God had already told Joshua, just like I was with Moses, I am now going to be with you as you go into the land. But he says in verse 6, be strong and of good courage. For to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

Only be strong and very courageous that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. That’s interesting, those last two words. God told Joshua, then you will have good success. I suppose he could have just said, You will have success, but he says, You’re going to have good success. This is going to go well if you will follow my word.

And then in verse 9 he said, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. And that’s interesting what happens here in verse 9. You know, it’s not God saying, I urge you to be strong and of good courage. I would encourage you to be strong and of good courage. God says, I’m giving this to you as a commandment. I am commanding you to be strong. I am commanding you to be courageous. That’s interesting, isn’t it? God didn’t give him an option. And so, since there is no option, what can he do but to do what God has told him to do? This is a man then who is going to be strong.

He’s going to be courageous. And yet it’s predicated in verses 7 and 8 upon him obeying the law of God. God had told him, Don’t turn to the right hand or to the left. You do what the law says. And then the people, the people are going to be impacted by the disposition that Joshua has later in the chapter, still in chapter 1, in verses 16 through 18. They answer Joshua saying, All that you command us to do, we will do. Wherever you send us, we will go. And so the people are agreeing to follow Joshua. Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so will we heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, and all that you command him shall be put to death.

Only be strong and of good courage. And so now the people are saying to Joshua, Joshua, you be strong and of good courage. Why? Because they need a strong and courageous leader to lead them into the promised land, and they indeed will be successful. Can we dare to stand like Joshua? To stand for strength and courage in the Lord. Weakness, cowardice, those are the devil’s tools. Those are not ours. Weakness and cowardice are used by the devil to defeat us. Weakness and cowardice will cause souls to be lost. And I will tell you, folks, in 2017, weakness and cowardice will hinder us in the work of evangelism. And we don’t want to be like that. Brother Greg’s lesson this morning talked about some practical things and urged us to engage in evangelism.

And there is no, folks, there’s no greater thing going on in this world than evangelism. Someone says, Oh, you know, there’s these uh we’re worried about these nukes in Iran, and we’ve got a new president coming in later this week. You know, those are big deals. I’ll tell you what’s a really big deal. The work of God, spreading the gospel. We are involved in the most important work that planet earth has ever known. And weakness and cowardice in talking to other people really has no place. It has no place in our labor. We must be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse number 10. The question is, will you accept the dare to be sh to be strong and courageous in 2017?

And folks, what does that look like to be strong and courageous? It means we’ve got determination to win. We’re not in this thing to lose. We’ve already sung songs this morning about heaven and about going to heaven. Heaven is real, and we want to go there. But we want to take others with us. And in order to take others with us, we’ve got to be strong and courageous. Folks, we can do this. We can be successful in evangelism. Enough of this talk that says, oh, Brother Dawson, you know, nobody wants to hear the gospel today. You can’t convert people today. Oh, yes, you can. I remember when I moved to Texas in 1978, that was 39 years ago, on the day that I came to quote try out, unquote, was in April of 1978.

And I preached in the morning. I did the Bible class, then preached in the morning. I preached in the evening. And after the evening service, the elders said, okay, Brother Dawson is going to stand up here and he’s going to take whatever questions you’ve got. And so the people fired one question after another. And one brother named Archie, who became a good friend of mine. But Archie said, Brother Dawson, where you were up in Indiana was it like it is here in Texas that nobody wants to hear the gospel? I said, brother, everywhere we go, there are people who need the gospel, and if we will approach them properly, they will want to hear the gospel. I was told by someone when I was moving to Texas, why would you go to Texas?

You know, Texas has been worked out. There’s no one to convert in Texas. Astounding. Astounding. We did a radio broadcast starting in late 1978 and did more than 3,500 hour-long call-in programs over the next several years. And we baptized more than 400 people in a place that had all been worked out. Baptized, and I’m not talking just about our congregation. From that radio broadcast, we baptized more than 400 people. Every church in Southeast Texas, Southwest Louisiana got converts as a result of the contacts we made on that radio broadcast. No one wants to hear the gospel. Let’s not do any kind of thinking like that, folks. That is defeatist thinking. God wants us to stand like Joshua with strength and courage, just like when they took the land.

3. Dare to Stand for Remembrance of God

Here’s number three. Dare to stand like Joshua for remembrance of God, as they did when they crossed the Jordan. I’m going this time to Joshua chapter 4. It’s an interesting story here. When they crossed the Jordan River, the priest stepped in the river and the waters divided. Now everybody knows the story of the Red Sea dividing when the children of Israel left the land of Egypt. But a lot of folks are unaware that the Jordan River also parted. And there was something special that was done when the Jordan River parted. In fact, there were a couple of things that were special. I’m going to read a few verses from chapter four. It says it came to pass when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priest feet stood firm.

You shall carry them over with you. One man from each tribe. They’re to take one of these large stones, put it on their shoulder, and carry it with them as they enter the promised land. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight. Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe. Joshua said to them, Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come.

These stones then were to be kept by the Israelites, one for each tribe. Your children are going to ask you in time to come, saying, What do these stones mean? Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord when it crossed over the Jordan. The waters of the Jordan were cut off, and these stones shall be a memorial to the children of Israel forever. And so they did as they were instructed. These stones then were remembrance of what God had done at the Jordan River. And not only that, but after this was done, in the next several verses, it talks about what Joshua did. Joshua went into the place where the in the river where the priest had had put their foot, and he built a memorial there of large stones, which was still there evidently 20 years later when the book of Joshua was completed.

But a memorial in the river itself to remember what God had done at this place. And so I asked the question will you dare to stand like Joshua for remembrance of God as Joshua did in crossing the river. You see, men tend to forget what God has done. We’ve just had the Lord’s Supper just a few minutes ago. What’s that about? Jesus said, Do this. You know the rest of the verse. In remembrance of me. It’s really easy for us to forget all that Jesus Christ has done for us. His suffering, his shedding of blood at the cross. All that he went through on behalf of sinners like you and me in order to save us. But it’s not just a matter of standing for the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of what God has done.

It’s a matter of teaching our children. We need dads in the kingdom today. Dads who will take their little boys and the little girls from the earliest ages and will instruct them in the ways of God, who will teach them about the creation, who will teach them about the flood of Noah’s time, who will teach them about the establishment of Israel and the promises that God made to Abraham, and how that we should remember that we today, we’re heirs of those promises that we’re able to receive the blessings that, oh, there’s so much. There’s so much that dads need to teach their kids. And dads need to be spiritual leaders in their families. I know a handful of families here. I’ve met so many of you in times past when we’ve been here.

And I know there’s some good men. Good men teach their kids. Good men teach their grandkids. They cause their children and their children’s children to the third and fourth generation. They cause them to remember the works of God. And so I’m asking you, dads in particular, but all. Dads in particular, will you stand like Joshua for remembrance of God like he did at the crossing of the Jordan River? You know, if you’ll do that, if you do these three things that we’ve talked about in 2017, you make this a priority to be like Joshua, a man of faith and victory, a man of strength and courage, a man of remembrance of God. And not just teaching your children. Get it in your own heart first, remembering all that God has done for you and for you.

4. Dare to Stand for Trusting Obedience

2017 can be the greatest year of your life. And the more people in this congregation who do these things and do them together and remind one another of these great things from the life of Joshua. The more people who do this, the better the life of this church will be in 2017. But I’ve got a fourth one. Will you dare to stand like Joshua for trusting obedience, like when he marched at Jericho? You know, folks, if we know anything at all about the life of Joshua, we remember the battle of Jericho. Wasn’t much of a battle because God gave them the city. The little kids, they learned it back in Bible class, that on these first six days when they’ve come to Jericho, they march once a day around the city.

And on the seventh day they march seven times around the city. And then the priests blow the trumpets and the people give a great shout. And what happens? As the song says, the walls come a tumbling down. That’s not a little kid’s story. Yeah, it’s good to teach it to kids. And it’s great to have, you know, little stick figures or flannel graph or whatever we’re going to use to illustrate this for the kids. But that’s a big that’s a big kid’s story. That’s a story for you and for me. Because it’s about trusting obedience to God. You know, today, we might ask the very same question that someone might have asked Joshua back in that day. What good does all this marching do? We marched around the city, nothing happened.

We marched around the city a second day and nothing happened. A third day, nothing happened. Why are we wasting our time marching around this city? Because God said, march around the city once a day for six days, and on the seventh day seven times, and then the priests will blow the trumpets, the people will give a great shout, and the walls will come down. Why? Because God commanded it. Let me tell you something, folks, that God never tells us to do. God never tells us to look into this book and to judge whether or not we think what he has commanded is going to work. You know, people often do that as a case in point. Well, like Matthew 18. Remember Matthew 18, verses 15 and following, where Jesus said, if your brother sins against you, you go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

You remember that? Somebody shake their head, yes, you remember that, right? Okay. And he said, if he will not hear you, then you take one or two more with you that at the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word would be established. And if he will not hear them, then tell it to the church, and if he will not hear the church, then let him be unto you as a heathen man and as a publican. That’s Matthew 18, beginning at verse 15. How many times, and maybe no one in this audience has ever said this. But how many times has heaven heard God’s children say, Oh, I know Jesus said, do that, but I don’t think it will do any good. Jesus said, My brother sinned against me, go and tell him his fault between me and him alone.

If he hears me, I’ve gained my brother. I just don’t think that’s going to get anything done. It won’t work, it would just cause trouble. What have you just done? You have just judged the commandments of God. One preacher called Matthew 18, 15, the most disobeyed command in the New Testament. Have you ever been confronted with that situation where it was put upon you that you needed to go and talk to someone about a sin that they committed? Yes, but I didn’t do it, think it would do any good, so I didn’t. You judge the commandments of God. That’s like at the walls of Jericho saying, Jesus said, or Joshua was told by God, march seven times. I don’t think it’s going to do any good, so I’m not going to do it.

What good would it do? Well, first of all, God put a promise. He attached a promise to his command. God commands something and then often attaches a promise with it. And the promise at Jericho was that the walls would come down. And they did. Now you may look at something that Jesus has commanded, like, go and tell your brother his fault between you and him alone, and you say it won’t do any good. But I’ll tell you what good it will do. Even if even if your brother does not hear you, and Jesus anticipated that that might be the case, your brother might not hear you when you go. So he said, take with you one or two more. I’ll tell you what it does. It demonstrates your trusting obedience to Jesus.

5. Dare to Stand for Family Faithfulness

And if nothing else is accomplished, it shows that you trust the words of Jesus and that you are going to obey Jesus. God never tells us to judge his word. God tells us to obey his word, to keep his commandments. And so that’s what we do. What does that look like? Well, it’s pretty easy to explain what it looks like. God says go and I go. That’s what it looks like. God says speak and I speak. God says don’t and so I must not. God says, do and I must do. That’s just what it looks like. It’s not that difficult. And so the question is in 2017, will you be like Joshua and have trusting obedience? I’ve got one more. Here comes number five. Will you dare to stand like Joshua for family faithfulness?

And I mean all the way to the end. Be faithful to God. You know, the last time we see Joshua here in the late chapters of the book of Joshua, turn with me to chapter 23. We’ll look at a couple verses there and then we’ll wrap things up. But in Joshua chapter 23, Joshua is nearing the very end of his life. And in chapter 23 and verse 14, he talks to the people.

Because he’s concerned about the nation. Then he’s concerned, secondly, about his own family. But here’s what he says in 2314. He says, Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls. Folks, listen to this. If you don’t listen to anything else this morning, listen to these next words. He says, You know in all your hearts and all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you. Not one word of them has failed. Can you tell me a time when when God has ever failed? When God’s promises have ever failed? You know they haven’t.

That goes back to trusting obedience, trusting what God says. But he’s telling the people, he’s telling the people of Israel, you can trust God’s word. You see all these things that God has done for us up to this point, he’s not going to change. He’s going to continue to do when you obey him. Therefore, he says in verse 15, it shall come to pass that as all the good things have come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you all harmful things, all harmful things until he has destroyed you from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you. When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and you have gone and served other gods and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which he’s given you.

God here wants Joshua to warn the people, don’t disobey me now. You’ve come into the land. God has fulfilled all these wonderful promises. Don’t you go off and worship idols. Because God will take this land away from you just like he gave it to you. And so, even though it’s at the end of Joshua’s life, and they’ve had this good success that God promised Joshua. Joshua says, Be careful. Be careful. Now in the next chapter, chapter 24 and verse 14, he gives another warning to the nation. Then he speaks concerning his own family. Now therefore, fear the Lord. This is 24, 14. Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the river and in Egypt.

Serve the Lord. And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now dwell. But as for me and for my house, we will serve the Lord. There’s a good statement of family faithfulness. Every daddy in this audience this morning has got little kids. You need to tell your children right now, for the rest of our lives, we’re going to serve the Lord. You tell your little daughter, and I did this with my granddaughter Michaela. Michaela’s almost eighteen and going off to college in Florida this fall. But from the time she was old enough to talk, every time I’d see her, they live about an hour away from us, I’d say, Baby, you must always serve God.

In this family, we serve God. You must always serve God. And then I wouldn’t say that to her. As she got older, I’d say, What is it we must always do? And Michaely would say, We must always serve God. And if you ask her today, what is it you must always do? Must always serve God. That’s what Joshua is saying here. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And maybe you cannot say with absolute certainty that your children are going to serve God. But you need to have that expectation of them. Not only expectation, but example set before them that you serve the Lord. Regardless of what anyone else does, you serve the Lord. You set that example for your family. I’ll tell you, there’s an idea whose time has come.

In fact, it’s way overdue. What does this look like? How about all the family at all the services? How about we stop playing games with God and say, you know, do I have to really be there at all the services? You expect me Wednesday night for Bible class? You expect gospel meeting all week long? How about all the family at all the services? If Joshua was alive today and part of the South Bombay congregation, what do you think Joshua would do? He’s going to be here, folks. That’s the kind of man he was. That’s the kind of man you need to be in leading your family. So family faithfulness all the way to the end of life. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the lesson. You can have a great year in 2017 if you will dare to stand like Joshua.

Conclusion

You know what we need today? We need heroes. Is there anybody in here who perchance is a Dallas Cowboys fan besides me? Anybody? Oh, we got a row of them back here. God bless you. Dak Prescott, watch him. No. Maybe you shouldn’t watch him this afternoon. Maybe since this is the Lord’s Day, you should pay a little attention to the Lord and to the Bible. But he’s gonna throw and he’s gonna throw well today, likely. And then his running back, Ezekiel. Two heroes for Dallas Cowboys fans. What we need are heroes in this room. Dads who will set an example. Or little boys and girls can look up to them and say, there’s my hero. I met Brother Mims back here this morning, and he’s got three or four kids, at least three boys back here.

Brother Men’s, I hope those boys are looking up to you and say, Dad, that’s my hero. And you, brother. Little boy looks up to you and says, Dad, that’s my hero. Heroes of faith. That’s what Joshua was. As for me and for my house, we will serve the Lord. The Lord is looking for saints, not just men, but men and women who will have submissive hearts unto God, submissive disciples who will lay their lives down before God. Will you dare to stand like Joshua? Whether you’re young or old, male or female, will you dare to stand like Joshua? Maybe there’s someone here this morning that says, I need to obey Jesus Christ. And I’m ready to do that today. I believe in him as the Son of God.

I’m ready to repent, to turn from sin, to confess the worthy name of Jesus and be baptized. We’re here to help you, to assist you. Take your stand today. If you would do that, come now while we stand and sin. Come now, please.