First Baptist Church Litchfield
chapel 5/20
  • Grace (La-De-Da) (Ephesians 2:8)
  • Carry It On Philippians 1:8
  • Sovereign One

  • The Roman Standard and the Moment of Crossing

    In 55 B.C., Julius Caesar stood at the banks of the English Channel, preparing to do what no Roman general had ever done — cross the sea and invade the island of Britain. His legions were veteran soldiers, hardened by years of campaign in Gaul. But the Channel was wide, the currents treacherous, and the Celtic warriors on the far shore were fierce and unknown. Doubt rippled through the ranks.
    What broke the hesitation was not a longer speech from Caesar. It was the aquilifer — the eagle-bearer — who seized the standard, waded into the surging water, and cried out to his fellow soldiers: 'Leap, fellow soldiers, unless you wish to betray your eagle to the enemy!' One man's courage became the tide that carried an army forward.
    Today, you stand at your own channel crossing. Behind you is everything familiar — the hallways of Litchfield Christian School, your teachers, your desks, your daily routines. Ahead of you is a future God only knows who calls you to have the courage to step into it. And the question that hangs over this morning is the same one that has hung over every threshold in history: Will you cross? And if you cross — on what will you plant your standard?
    This morning we turn to God's word to find our answer. The text is Joshua 1:9, and the answer is not complicated, but neither is it easy.

    God's truth provides the courage we need to face our fears and challenges, because it is rooted in the assurance of His presence.

    I. Behold God's Command (v. 9a)

    Joshua 1:9 “9 Have I not commanded you?
    The book of Joshua chronicles Israel’s conquest of Canaan under Joshua’s leadership, unfolding across three major movements. The opening chapters document the conquest itself, covering the first five or six years after Moses’ death, while subsequent sections describe the distribution of land among the tribes and Joshua’s final address to the nation. Over approximately twenty-five years, Joshua led military campaigns against the Canaanites and then oversaw the settlement of the twelve tribes in their inherited territories.
    The narrative emphasizes a crucial spiritual principle: both Joshua and the later book of Judges stress the importance of covenant faithfulness, with obedience to God serving as the foundation for Israel’s military success. Joshua recognized that Israel could not overcome their enemies without divine assistance and kept the people focused on following God’s leadership.

    Joshua’s Commission is anchored in God’s Command

    The phrase carries the sense of divine commissioning rather than mere command. When the Lord speaks to Joshua, he is not giving a general order to just anyone who might be available. He has appointed Joshua to accomplish a specific mission. Think of it like a king choosing one particular knight and sending him on an important quest. The rhetorical question that follows, "Have I not commanded you?" (Josh. 1:9), introduces and supports the repeated call to "be strong and courageous," an echo of what God had already said through Moses (Deut. 31:7–8, 23) and spoken directly to Joshua in the verses just before.
    The way God asks this question matters a great deal. By asking a question instead of just making a flat statement, God presses his authority directly into Joshua's heart and removes any excuse for hesitation or doubt. The question "Have I not commanded you?" is not looking for information. God seals Joshua’s commission. It tells Joshua that there is no room left for uncertainty. Joshua has been chosen for this mission and cannot walk away from the responsibility. God is lovingly drawing out the answer from Joshua's own heart, "Yes, Lord, you have chosen me."
    This statement works on two levels at the same time. First, it confirms that God has commanded the work itself to be finished, making sure it will be completed no matter what obstacles appear. Second, it makes clear that God has specifically chosen Joshua to do it, which means God’s power and strength will be there every step of the way. The Apostle Paul understood this same truth when he wrote, "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it" (1 Thess. 5:24). God never calls someone to a job without also giving them what they need to do it.
    Illustration: Imagine a soldier who has been handed written orders from his commanding officer. As long as those orders are in his hand, he does not need to stop and wonder whether he should advance. The question of authority has already been settled. What he needs now is simply the courage to obey. Joshua's situation is exactly like this. God's question, "Have I not commanded you?", is like those orders placed firmly in the soldier's hand. Doubt has nowhere to stand when the Commander himself has already spoken.
    The repetition of the call throughout Joshua 1 shows how important it is. "Be strong and courageous" appears three times within verses 2 through 9, making it impossible for Joshua or any reader to miss. God's question pushes this point home: "Since I have appointed you to this task, why would you ever doubt that you can accomplish it?" The confidence God is calling for does not come from Joshua's own ability or battle experience. It comes entirely from the word and call of God. That is faith's proper foundation.
    Application: Every young person who has been called to something hard faces the same temptation Joshua faced. Maybe you are nervous about standing up for what is right at school, or scared of failing at something God has placed in front of you, or unsure whether you are the right person for the job. God's answer is not a list of your talents and strengths. It is a question that works like a promise: "Have I not commanded you?" Where God commands, God enables. Where God sends, God goes ahead. The right response to God's calling is not self-reliance but confidence in him, trusting that his call is settled, feeling the weight of it in your heart, and following wherever he leads, even when the road ahead looks impossible. Just as God told Paul when Paul was afraid, he says the same to every servant he sends: "Do not be afraid, for I am with you" (Acts 18:9–10).

    II. The Foundation of Courage: God's Truth and Presence (v. 9b)

    “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 strength to follow the Lord does not begin with us. It begins with God himself. God assures Joshua that strength comes through his companionship, promising "the LORD your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh. 1:9). This is not just a nice word of encouragement. It is the promise that God himself becomes the believer's source of power for obeying him.
    The Apostle Paul tells us to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" (Eph. 6:10), which makes clear that human strength on its own is never enough. Paul also declares "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13), placing the source of all real ability completely outside of what any person can produce on their own. And God provides "a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Tim. 1:7), showing us that this strength flows through the work of the Holy Spirit living inside every believer.
    This strength works differently than most of us expect it to work. When David was in one of the lowest moments of his life, with his town burned and his people talking about stoning him, the Bible says he "found strength in the LORD his God" (1 Sam. 30:6) before God had even said a single word of promise to him. David was strengthened simply through his relationship with God, not through a guarantee that everything would turn out well. This teaches us something crucial about faith. Faith in God is what strengthens us, not a promise that life will go the way we want. God is not a tool we use to get what we want. He is the treasure we are after.
    The New Testament makes this even clearer. Only in Christ can people find the strength to resist temptation and keep going when life is hard. The living Christ actually takes up residence inside every believer to guide them and give them what they need. We reach this power through worship, through prayer, and through being part of a Christian community, drawing near to God as he draws near to us (James 4:8).
    The Bible is full of this truth. Isaiah promises that "they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles" (Isa. 40:31). God himself tells his people "I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isa. 41:10). Nehemiah reminds the people of God that "the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh. 8:10). And Paul says something that sounds almost backwards at first: "my power is made perfect in weakness," and then adds "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:9–10).
    Illustration: Think about a phone that is running out of battery. It can still light up, show apps, and look like it is working, but without being plugged into a power source it will eventually go dark and shut down. No matter how good the phone is, it cannot charge itself. It has to stay connected to the source of power. We are the same way. We can look like we are doing fine for a while on our own effort and willpower, but eventually we run out. God is the power source. Prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers are the ways we stay plugged in to God’s strength.
    Application: You may be facing something right now that feels too hard for you. Maybe it is a temptation you keep losing to, a relationship that is painful, a task that feels overwhelming, or a fear you cannot shake. The answer is not to try harder on your own. The answer is to draw closer to God. Wait on him in prayer. Worship him even when you do not feel like it. Stay connected to your church family. The strength you need is not inside you waiting to be unlocked. It is in him, and he has promised to give it to every person who comes to him and asks. As Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28).

    Veritas et Fortitudo: Truth and Courage

    You have carried a standard:
    For years, you have been the aquilifer — the standard-bearer — for your children. You made sacrifices so that they could receive an education that honors Christ. You prayed over homework and tears and doubts. You chose truth when it would have been easier to choose comfort. Well done. Your faithfulness has mattered.
    Your work is not finished:
    Continue to model what it looks like to be strong and courageous in the faith. They are watching — more than you know.
    Trust God with what you cannot control:
    You cannot follow your children into every room, every conversation, every moment of temptation or doubt. But God can. The same God who promised Joshua 'I will be with you wherever you go' is the God who goes with your children. Release them into His care as an act of faith.
    Be the example of courage they need:
    Your children will face a world that is increasingly hostile to the truth. The most powerful preparation you can give them are not just verbal warnings about that world. Your faithfulness to God living courageously within it, is a more powerful testimony. Show them what it looks like to trust God in the hard places. Show them veritas et fortitudo — truth and courage — embodied in a life.
    We began this morning at the edge of a channel — with a Roman standard-bearer who stepped into the water so that an army could follow. That image captures something true about the courage God calls us to. It is not the courage of a man standing safely on the shore, urging others forward. It is the courage of a man who steps in first — who goes first because he trusts the One who commanded him to go.
    Joshua stepped into the Jordan. The priests carried the ark into the flood-swollen river, and the waters stopped (Joshua 3:15-16). They did not part and then Joshua stepped in. Joshua stepped in — and then they parted. The miracle followed the obedience. Courage preceded the confirmation.
    This is the pattern of the Christian life. You will rarely see the waters part before you step in. God calls you to step in — in obedience, in trust, in the strength that comes not from your own resources but from the sure and certain presence of the God who made you, redeemed you, and goes with you wherever you go.
    The Roman eagle was a symbol of empire, of human power, of conquest won by the sword. But you carry a different standard today. You carry the truth of the living God. You carry the testimony that there is a King whose kingdom will not end, whose promises never fail, and whose presence never departs. Therefore, go forth in Veritas et Fortitudo, truth and courage.

      • Joshua 1:9ESV

  • Empowered by the Spirit, Guided by the Word
First Baptist Church Litchfield
pastorjason.fbcl@gmail.com
217-324-4232
http://www.firstbaptistlitchfield.org/
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