Equipped By His Word
Sermon Notes
Joshua 1:6–9 records God’s charge to Joshua as he prepares to lead Israel into the Promised Land. Moses is gone. The mantle of leadership now rests on Joshua. And God repeats the same command three times: Be strong and courageous. This charge unfolds in three movements:
Grounded in Promise (v. 6)
Joshua’s leadership is anchored in a covenant promise God made long before him. The land is not earned. It is given. Courage begins by remembering that God keeps His promises.
Grounded in Obedience (vv. 7–8)
Joshua is commanded to obey the Law carefully, without turning to the right or left. Success is defined not by comfort or wealth, but by faithful obedience. Meditation on God’s Word fuels courage and shapes mission.
Grounded in Presence (v. 9)
The foundation of courage is not Joshua’s personality but God’s presence. “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The promise of presence precedes the command to be courageous.
Joshua’s charge echoes forward into the Great Commission in Matthew 28. The same structure appears: authority, mission, obedience, and presence. God calls His people to courage—not because they are strong—but because He is with them.
Key Takeaways
Courage is grounded in God’s promises, not our strength.
Biblical success is tied to obedience, not comfort.
Meditating on God’s Word fuels mission.
Leaders set the tone through obedience.
God’s presence is the source of our courage.
Discussion Questions
Where do you feel the weight of responsibility right now?
How would your definition of “success” change if it were tied to obedience?
What does meditating on God’s Word look like practically?
Where are you tempted to rely on your own strength instead of God’s presence?
How does Joshua 1 connect to Matthew 28 in your life today?
Transcript
Joshua 1:6–9 might be one of the most quoted passages in Scripture. It’s on mugs. It’s on wall art. It shows up in graduation cards and locker rooms.
“Be strong and courageous.”
At first glance, it can sound like a motivational slogan. Like a coach trying to fire up a team before a big game. And we all know the difference between real strength and someone just trying to convince you that you’re strong. But this isn’t hype. This isn’t God trying to trick Joshua into confidence. This is covenant.
Joshua is stepping into leadership after Moses. That alone is overwhelming. Moses wasn’t just a leader. He was the leader. The one who spoke with God face to face. The one who led Israel out of Egypt. Now Joshua stands on the edge of the Promised Land with the weight of a nation on his shoulders.
And God says, three times: Be strong and courageous.
When God repeats Himself, we should listen.
Grounded in Promise
Verse 6 says, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.” The courage Joshua needs is rooted in something older than him. Older than Moses. Older than the wilderness.
It’s rooted in promise.
God had sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would inherit the land. Joshua isn’t inventing a future. He’s walking into a promise already made. That changes everything. Courage begins when we remember that God keeps His promises.
Joshua’s leadership doesn’t create the inheritance. It participates in it. And leaders matter. The speed of the leader often becomes the speed of the team. If Joshua walks in fear, the people will shrink. If he walks in trust, they will follow.
The promise is secure. But their experience of it will be shaped by obedience.
Grounded in Obedience
Then comes the second movement.
“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law… Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left.” Courage here is connected directly to obedience.
God tells Joshua that success will come through careful obedience to the Word. Meditation day and night. Speaking it. Living it. Guarding it. Success, in biblical terms, isn’t comfort. It isn’t wealth. It isn’t ease. It’s faithfulness to God’s mission.
In the Mosaic covenant, obedience brought tangible blessing. Crops flourished. Families prospered. Barns filled. In the New Testament, obedience doesn’t remove suffering. It often invites it. But it produces something deeper—peace, endurance, fruit that lasts.
Joshua’s courage would be tested not just in battle, but in obedience. It takes courage to fight giants. It sometimes takes more courage to obey God when no one is watching. Meditating on the Word isn’t academic. It’s formative. It shapes instinct. It anchors identity. It fuels mission.
If success in your life were measured by obedience to Scripture, how would you be doing?
That’s the question Joshua had to live with.
Grounded in Presence
Then verse 9 brings the final foundation: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The promise of presence comes before the command to courage. That order matters.
God doesn’t say, “Be courageous so that I will be with you.” He says, “I am with you. Therefore, be courageous.” Courage is not self-generated confidence. It is awareness of divine proximity. The God of the universe promises permanent presence. All throughout Scripture, when God calls someone, He assures them of His presence—Abraham, Moses, Jacob, David, Jeremiah.
The one exception is Jesus on the cross.
The only time the presence of God withdraws from the One He has called is when Christ bears the full weight of sin. And because He was forsaken briefly, we are never forsaken permanently.
So when Jesus gives the Great Commission in Matthew 28, the structure feels familiar:
All authority.
Go make disciples.
Teach them to obey.
I am with you always.
Joshua 1 echoes forward into Matthew 28.
Authority.
Mission.
Obedience.
Presence.
Different covenant. Same faithful God.
For Us
We are not crossing the Jordan. We are not overthrowing nations. But we are called to courage.
Courage to obey.
Courage to disciple.
Courage to engage the city.
Courage to live faithfully when fear feels easier.
And the foundation remains the same.
God keeps His promises.
God defines success through obedience.
God is with us wherever we go.
That’s not a pep talk. That’s covenant.
