Obeying God’s Word Brings Prosperity and Success Joshua 1:6-9
I hope that in the past week you have been “strong and courageous.” I hope that you have remembered the presence of God and the promises of God and have been steadfast in your faith. Last week we started a journey through the book of Joshua. We met a leader who had been commissioned by God, affirmed by the people, and seasoned by servanthood. We also learned, by God’s command, that Joshua and the people of Israel were to be careful to obey everything written in the Book of the Law. God had instructed Joshua to read the Word, talk about the Word, and meditate on the Word so he would be careful to obey the Word. And this obedience would lead to prosperity and success. Though we often fail to see it, God still offers us this promise. Yes it is true, God Wants You to be Prosperous and Successful. Today, if you are careful to listen, you won’t get my plan for prosperity and success. You won’t get Dave Ramses plan. You will get a plan that has been given to us by an almighty God. Obedience to God’s Word will bring prosperity and success. For the Israelites, the land was their eternal inheritance, but it was not their goal. Their goal was holiness as a nation even after they entered the land. As the church we too are called to holiness. Our goal is to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. Prosperity and success will only be found as we read, talk about, meditate on and apply God’s Word. Before continuing I want to share with you the definitions of the words prosperity and success. The word that we translate prosperity comes from a Hebrew word meaning healthy and vigorous growth. And the word success means to gain wisdom, prudence, understanding, or skill due to proper teaching. This will be our main focus as we look again at Joshua chapter 1 verses 6-9. Please read with me. 6
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong 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. 8 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 and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” 1 The first command that God gave Joshua was to read the Word. This command, although not mentioned in the text, is inferred since Joshua would first have to read the Book of the Law before he could talk about it. Moses had written the first five books of the Bible through God’s divine inspiration. I don’t know how that worked exactly but it is cool to remember that Moses’ sources came from an awesome resource library. One such example is found in Exodus 32:15-16 15
Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 2 Joshua was reading the Book of the Law that came directly from either the written or spoken Word of God. These are the same God breathed scriptures that we have today in Genesis through Deuterononmy. As a man commissioned to lead a nation, Joshua knew that his wisdom was not enough. He was going to have to read God’s Word and know exactly what it meant if he was going to be successful. Before Moses had died He gave this charge to Joshua and the people of Israel. It is recorded in Deuteronomy 32:46-47: “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” 3 These are not just idle words for you—they are your life!!!
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The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Jos 1:6-9 2
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ex 32:15-16 3
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Dt 32:46-47
This is a good reminder to us to listen to those who came before us. Wise leaders build on the wisdom of those who came before. How many adults in here wish they had taken their parents advice earlier on in life? Isn’t that one of our goals as parents, to help our children avoid the pitfalls that we stepped into? New leadership or the next generation usually means new methods and plans. My primary study Bible is on a computer, I listen to praise music on a 3rd generation ipod, I can cut and paste scripture from my Bible software to a PowerPoint slide. But some things will never change. God and His Word will never change. The foundation we are to build our lives on is God and His living Word Jesus Christ. I went away for a couple of days. I took my computer, I took my ipod, and I took some cds. All of these things are awesome tools we can use for getting to know God and communicating who God is to us. But even with all these tools the best part of my time alone was when I sat with my Bible and read out loud through the Psalms. No one was around, no one would think I was losing it. I just belted out the Words of the Psalms to my Heavenly Father. I listened to them roll off my tongue and allowed God to penetrate my heart. Everything that is built on the foundation of God’s Word will be eternally valuable for God’s people. As we read and study the Bible be sure to build on the wisdom of those who came before us. Let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Reading commentaries, listening to sermons, and studying the lives of other believers, past and present, can help us to better know our Creator the one who has bought us and owns us. I have a question for you. If my wife wrote a book that revealed everything she expected of me--all the desires of her heart--everything that would hurt her--and every way that she loved me and cared for me do you think I would read it? How about a little different question, if I chose to leave her book on the shelf, and chose not to read it would she believe me when I said I loved her? Would she believe me when I said “Melissa, I know you and love you like no other.” Would you believe me? Jesus tells us in John 14:21
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Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” 4
Do you love Him? Once we have started reading the Word we are automatically qualified to talk about the Word. And talk about the Word we must. God told Joshua not to let “the Book of the Law depart from his mouth.” And Moses tells the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:4-9: 4
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.a 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 5 Are you putting God’s commands upon your heart? Are you talking about them when you sit at home? When you drive along the road? When you lie down and when you get up? Are they so impressed on your hearts that people can see them outwardly through your words and actions? Are you making every effort to be reminded of God’s commands? A friend of mine has the following verses framed in his hallway. They come from Jude 24-25: 24
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our
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The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Jn 14:20-21 a
Or The LORD our God is one LORD; or The LORD is our God, the LORD is one; or The LORD is our God, the LORD alone 5
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Dt 6:4-9
Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. 6 Do you think that if you saw these verses every day it could change the way you think and act? Do you think these verses could help you “to be strong and very courageous”? Do you think a daily reminder of these words would give you something to talk about? Small groups, Sunday school, accountability with a brother or sister in Christ, and men’s breakfasts are all examples of safe places that we can talk about the Word of God. Not so we can be tight little group, not so we can be the most knowledgeable person in church, or so we can be the one who keeps another on the straight and narrow. It is so we learn to talk about the Word in a safe place before we have to depend on the Word on the battlefield. God is preparing Joshua and the Israelites for battle. They are getting ready to enter the battle of their lives. We too are being prepared for battle. In the life of a believer we are either being prepared for battle, in the midst of a battle, or recovering from a battle. Or all three are happening at once. God has given us opportunities to get together and talk about his Word so we can be refined, refreshed, and resupplied. Don’t discount these times of fellowship, they are absolutely essential for the battle. These times are essential because as we talk about the Word in a safe place we are challenged to interpret it correctly. Rightly dividing the Word is absolutely necessary if we are to live in fellowship with God. To live as believers we have to work through questions like: Who is my neighbor? What is love? Does God expect me to obey? Is sex before marriage okay? When does human life begin? Who do I have to forgive? Is it okay to get drunk on Friday nights? Does God care if I smoke? Does God care if I gamble? Does His grace cover over my porn addiction? Does He mind if I read trashy romance novels or watch a bunch of junk on TV? What is my responsibility to the poor? What does it mean to be holy? What am I entitled to? What does it mean to be prosperous and successful? The questions are endless. Are you seeking out the answers in God’s Word? Or are you afraid to look? Are you afraid to ask a more mature believer 6
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Jud 24-25
because they might tell you the truth? Do you want to have prosperity and success? The choices we make each day come from our real-life answers to these kinds of questions. And using the wrong answer as our guide always has consequences. God’s desire is that we are conformed into the likeness of His Son and it is not an easy process. Joshua was to be “strong and very courageous…meditating on the Word day and night.” When we find our actions not lining up with God’s commands how do we react? Do we agree with what David says in Psalm 19:7-14: 7
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The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer Or is the meditation of our heart something more like this--Thank you Jesus for your forgiveness so I can do whatever I feel like doing?—God does not want us to walk in the way of sinners. I know that these truths are hard. I know that none of us will live a perfect life of obedience this side of glory. I know that I fall so short of this standard. And this is what makes me want to cling to Christ like when Jacob wrestled with God and said “I won’t let go until you bless me.” Curtis, my brother, who is the man that God calls blessed? Curtis recites Psalm 1. 1
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Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. 7
Don’t get me wrong, I am not preaching works here. We are saved by grace through faith! But once we are truly saved we are to be prosperous. Our lives
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The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 1:1-6
should display His glory more and more and His glory is shown through our obedience. Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:13 puts it like this. 13
Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.8
God blesses the obedient. Whatever he does prospers. God promised Joshua that if he was careful to do everything written in the Book of the Law then he would be prosperous and successful. This is where things get hard to explain in human terms. The world’s definition of prosperity and success are not the same as God’s definition. God’s plan for the people of Israel is that they would be a holy nation. Even once they entered the land of promise they were still to obey God’s commands. Remember Moses had told the people that by the words of the law they would “live long in the land they were crossing the Jordan to possess.” Being holy and following God’s commands brings about suffering. But this suffering brings about our glorious perfection, our ultimate reward. Jesus is our example and our reward shows what a life of blessing looks like. Read with me in Hebrews 5 starting at verse 7. 7
During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 And the apostle Peter tells us. 6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the
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The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. 2 Co 9:13
faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 9
What does Jesus call blessing? What is prosperity by His definition? Brother Curtis, what does he tell us in Matthew 5:3-12? 3
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“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 10
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The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. 1 Pe 5:6-11 10
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 5:3-12
To the Israelites God promised a land flowing with milk and honey. The Israelites were promised material blessings for obedience. Even though we are not promised material prosperity as we live here on earth, we can know that if we seek God we will never go without. In Matthew 6:31-33 Jesus tells us: do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.11 All of these things are needed and they are good, but these are not prosperity. Prosperity for us as believers is found in the second definition in the Webster’s dictionary. It reads--enjoying vigorous and healthy growth. Our true prosperity comes growing in the knowledge of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, it comes from the process of taking hold of the spiritual blessings that God has given us, and from knowing that: Ours is the kingdom of heaven. We will be comforted. We will inherit the earth. Our hunger and thirst, for righteousness, will be filled. We will be shown mercy. We will see God. We will be called the sons of God. Because of these promises we will rejoice and be glad! Because of these promises we will be strong and courageous! Because of these promises we will, as Paul says in Philippians 2:14-16, 11
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 6:31-33
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Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that (we) may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as (we) hold outa the word of life12 Do you want to be prosperous? Do you want to be successful? Ask God for strength and courage to make every effort to read his Word, talk about His Word, and meditate on His Word so that you can obey His Word. And you will enjoy, true success. You will enjoy vigorous and healthy growth into the likeness of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ! And you will be blessed to be a blessing!
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The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Php 2:14-16
