Be Strong and Courageous

The call to be strong and courageous recurs frequently in the Old Testament. The reason is because obeying God is frequently difficult and scary! That’s not just true in Joshua’s day, but ours as well. So, where do the strength and courage to obey God come from?

Sermon Outline:

I. Be strong and courageous because you have a God-given mission to accomplish

II. Be strong and courageous because you have a life-giving path to walk

III. Be strong and courageous because you have a promise-keeping God to trust

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Why does following God's commands often require courage? Share a time when obeying God in your own life required you to be strong and courageous.

2. The sermon describes both Joshua and modern Christians as having God-given missions. What specific mission did God give Joshua, and how does that compare to the mission Jesus has given Christians today through the Great Commission?

3. God promised Joshua prosperity not by seeking it directly, but as a gift from walking in God’s ways. What would this prosperity and success have looked like for Joshua, and what might it look like for those who live according to God’s word today?

4. Think about God’s promise to Joshua (“I will be with you”) with Jesus’s promise to his disciples in Matthew 28:20. What practical difference should God's presence make in our daily lives?

5. God’s command to Joshua emphasizes the importance of meditating on the law (“torah” meaning “instruction”) day and night. What specific practices could you implement to similarly dwell richly in the Word this year?