SERMON OUTLINE 001--22 OCT 2006

CHARACTERISTICS of a CHRISTIAN WARRIOR
Courage

FOB Paliwoda
22OCT06

“The quality of our worship is not based on our activities but on our character.”
-Henry Blackaby

Introduction

How is everyone doing?

Who is here in theater for the first time?

As a fellow soldier, I want to thank you for the sacrifices you and your family are making to serve our nation. It also means a great deal to me that we have all come together to agree to look out for one another, protect one another, and perhaps save one another.

I guess what I really what to say is that I thank you for your courage. Some of us might be thinking that on the outside we seem courageous but inside we are filled with fear. Are you filled with fear? There is a taboo as old as the Army itself against talking about fear. It can spread like a cancer amongst a unit. It is the same reason why you will never see NASCAR drivers attending a fellow driver’s funeral. We do not want to face these fears because we do not know if we have the strength to see past them, to overcome them. Perhaps we are thinking our loved ones at home. Maybe we are a little anxious about what we might have to face. In fact, even the most experienced veteran among us probably has a little fear, the fear that comes with wondering if we are going to make it through the gauntlet yet again. Soldiers do not like to talk about this stuff, but it is there.

Transition

What if I told you that we as Christians have a role model of what it means to be courageous as a warrior? Before I get to this, let me share with you the job description of this warrior. Wanted: man to lead over two million moody, opinionated, and fractious people into a foreign land they know nothing about. In this land they will face not one but a succession of peoples who not only as a group but as individual nations should have no problem defeating these folks you are to lead. Pay is low, risk is high, we can provide you no life insurance, and you must follow the most popular leader these people have ever known.

Would you accept this job? I know that I would not, but thank God that there was someone who did. And that someone was Joshua.

Characteristics of Joshua

What type of person was Joshua and why should we look to him today? He did not wait for danger to call upon God. He was able to function in a crisis because he had spiritually prepared himself for the tests he would face in the future.

FAITHFUL: here he is replacing the greatest leader, the only leader that the Israelites have ever known.

COURAGEOUS (אָמֵץ): Joshua was the first Special Forces soldier in history. He and Caleb risked their lives by spying out the land of Canaan over 40 years before. They pleaded with the Israelites to enter (Numbers 14:1-10). Joshua was not reckless. He had courage because he knew that the Lord had given the Canaanites over to Israel.

FORGIVING: Joshua saw firsthand how fickle the Israelites had been. Would you want to lead such a group? He watched an entire generation, his generation; die in the desert because of their lack of faith. Yet, despite all this, he was still willing to lead them and keep himself accountable for their actions.

PATIENT: Let me suggest a Biblical definition of patience, the type of patience that Joshua had. Patience is waiting for God to direct you according to His timetable. Joshua never did anything without either a direct leading from God or prayerful consideration.

HOLY: God blessed Joshua, because he was all these things.

Transition

Joshua was faithful, courageous, forgiving, patient, and holy. I do not know about you, but I know I would like to be like that, especially out here. The truth is we all must face fear, whether we are here or back home. But despite the fact that fear, like sin, is crouching at our door, God has given us the tools to overcome it.

I read somewhere that courage is just fear that has said its prayers. In other words, we can turn our fear over to God, and through faith He will take our fears and replace them with courage. We know this because this is exactly what Joshua did. For many, success is controlling others; for Joshua it just meant being controlled by God.

Practices of Joshua (PMCS)

Why could Joshua be faithful, courageous, forgiving, patient, and holy? Some believe that we are born with such traits. But if we look at Scripture, we can see that God gave Joshua a simple to understand but hard to execute plan that allowed him to be the leader he was. By extension, we too can develop these traits if we follow this plan.

PRAYER: 2“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.”

God directly spoke to Joshua through prayer. When do we pray? Are we times of trial prayers? Meaning, we only pray when we find ourselves attacked or in crisis? Are we a prepatory prayer? Do we pray every day, every moment for God to lead us? Here is a hint: we will not have to pray so much in times of trial if we pray before them.

MEDITATION: 8“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.”

People often ask how they can possibly know when God is speaking to them. Does God speak to us with a megaphone? God speaks to us in, through, and out of the Word. Illustration: The author who wrote conversations with God. He just sat down and started writing. If it comes from God, it will raise, not lower, expectations.

CONSIDERATION: 7“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.”

Joshua did not just understand the law, he lived it. He was observant of God’s commands. This is the Christian’s greatest challenge. It is one thing to know, it is another thing to do.

STRIKE: Once we have done all these things, then and only then can we proceed. But when we have done these things, we can go forward with confidence and courage. We can be decisive. Another word I will use is we can strike. We have made all the preparations, now we can execute.

Transition

Let me share with you why I think it is important for us as Christians to live courageously like Joshua. See, we are here, in Iraq, for a reason. God has brought us together for a common purpose. Illustration: people are watching you. I met an 18 year old who just came here from AIT. In the history of combat, church services have always been sparsely attended. However, spirituality has grown. Almost everyone is asking questions. There are many answers out there, but there is only one right one.

Conclusion

As we are going through RIP/TOA with 1-8, I would like to ask all of us, what are our spiritual RIP/TOA tasks?

PRAYER-heart centered on Christ

MEDITATION-daily study of the Word

CONSIDERATION-living out God’s plan for you

STRIKE-forward knowing you are following God

“We do not need the grace of God to stand crises, human nature and pride are sufficient, we can face the strain magnificently; but it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours in every day as a saint, to go through drudgery as a disciple, to live an ordinary, unobserved, ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, and this is not learned in five minutes.” Oswald Chambers

Looking ahead, a man will again prepare us to cross into the Promised Land. His Hebrew name was Yeshua, meaning God saves. He will do great things to bring his people home, and he will share the love and truth of God with peoples who had yet to hear them, but they will know Him by his Greek name, the name spoken by billions of lips this morning, and that name is Jesus.