God’s Promises For The Promised Land – Part 4
God’s promises for the Promised Land are central to the covenant relationship that God wanted for His chosen people. God’s promises for the Promised Land are not only for people in the Old Testament. They are relevant for people in the New Testament, as well as for us today.
God’s promises to Abraham and his descendants are not just about land. They are about God blessing God’s chosen people to become a great nation. And to be God’s special chosen people and have a covenant relationship with Him. And ultimately the greatest part of God’s promises is how God would send the Messiah, the Savior of the world, through the nation of Israel.
God first made the promise to Abraham, assuring him that his descendants would inherit a land “flowing with milk and honey”. This land, later known as Canaan, symbolized God’s faithfulness, provision, and covenant with His people. Despite periods of wandering, exile, and conquest, the promise of the land remained a sign of hope and divine blessing. Reflecting God’s enduring commitment to His people and their future.
God’s Promises For The Promised Land
Being On Mission With God
There are many similarities between God’s words to Joshua in Joshua 1 about going in and taking the Promised Land, and our going out and sharing the Gospel to a lost world.
Being on Mission with God is similar to the battles Israel had with the nations in the Promised Land. Except “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12)
Whether you realize it or not, we are in a Battle for Souls versus our enemy Satan.
God loves all people in the world (John 3:16), and He wants all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).
Satan hates all and wants to destroy lives. Satan hates all and wants to take all to where he knows he is going. To the lake of fire and eternal punishment.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert, be reflective, because your enemy Satan roars like a lion and is walking and seeking whom he may devour.”
Just like the Israelites had enemies that they needed to defeat in order to take the Promised Land, we have an enemy too. In order to bring as many with us as possible to our Promised Land, heaven, we need to participate in the spiritual warfare and battles for souls. We are on the winning team. The only way we can lose this war for souls is to do what most of the Israelites did before entering the Promised Land. They allowed fear and lack of faith to cost them the chance to win the Promised Land and receive all of God’s blessing.
God’s Promises For The Promised Land
What God Told Joshua Is Similar To What God Tells Us About Our Mission & Purpose
Let’s go back to Joshua 1.
Joshua 1:3 “I will give you every place where you set your foot (Go)
v.4 Your territory will extend from…
Now let’s look at what Jesus tells us in the New Testament.
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation.”
First, Jesus tells us where to go and where to take the Gospel to. Everywhere. To our community (Jerusalem), our region and nation (Judea and Samaria), and to the ends of the earth.
Second, as we go Jesus will honor our obedience and He will make sure we are successful and victorious. The only way we can lose the battle for souls is to not participate in the battle. And not share Jesus with others. And sadly the vast majority of Christians in the US and other places are doing just that. Losing the battle by not ever sharing the wonderful saving message of the Gospel with others.
God’s Promises For The Promised Land
Our Enemy Will Not Be Able To Stand Against Us – If We Obey God
Back to Joshua 1. God tells Joshua this incredible truth, and Joshua believes Him.
Joshua 1:5a “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life
Now let’s fast forward to what Jesus tells us in Matthew 16 and Luke 9.
Matthew 16:18 “…and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Before Jesus sent out his 12 disciples to go out and preach the Gospel, He gave them power and authority the enemy.
Luke 9:1-2 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God…”
Jesus did not just command His followers to go and share the Gospel. Jesus also gave them the power and the authority to go against the enemy and to victoriously accomplish God’s mission of reaching the lost and making disciples.
That is what Jesus meant when He said “follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” in Matthew 4:19. Jesus commands us to go and take the Gospel to the lost. But He also promises at the same time to empower us to complete the mission. He also says this in different words in Acts 1:8.
Obviously the 98-99% of Christians in the US that do not share the Gospel with others do not realize the great power and authority we have through the Holy Spirit to defeat the enemy. And to go and take much “territory” from him. There is a great spiritual harvest of souls to be taken and won, but sadly there are far too few of us that are participating in this great mission God has given us.
Matthew 9:37 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”
God’s Promises For The Promised Land
More of God’s Words to Joshua in Joshua 1
Joshua 1:5b “ As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you”
Jesus ends His message of the Great Commission in Mathew 28 with this great promise:
Matthew 28:20 (Great Commission) “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus is assuring us that He will never leave us, and that He will always be with us. This is connected to the rest of the Great Commission in verses 18 and 19. As we faithfully and obediently go and share the Gospel and make disciples, Jesus will always be with us. Not just to comfort us in the middle of the battles.
Jesus will always be with us to strengthen and empower us to accomplish our God given mission. To share the Gospel message with as many as we can. And to win as many souls for Jesus as we can. And to then make disciples, who will then go and win souls and make disciples.
God’s Promises For The Promised Land
When We Obey and Go God Will Make Us Successful & Victorious
Another thing that God told Joshua before he lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.
Joshua 1:8-9 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; 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.
Jesus tells us the same thing. When we Obey and GO share the Gospel and make disciples – God will make us successful & victorious.
2 Corinthians 2:14 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, & manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place
When you look at the context of what Paul is talking about in the verses before and after verse 14, you see that Paul is talking about the mission of taking the Gospel to lost people everywhere. He is telling us a very important truth.
When we faithfully and obediently go and share the Gospel with as many as possible, God will always lead us victoriously in this mission. And He will do it for His glory.
Isaiah 55:10-11 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater. So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
This ought to give us much boldness and courage to go and spread the Gospel to as many places and to as many people as possible. We have God’s assurance that He will always be with us to empower us as we do. And we have God’s and Paul’s assurance that God will always lead us victoriously in this mission. Just as God led Joshua and Caleb and the Israelites to be victorious and take the promised land from their enemies.
God’s Promises For The Promised Land
God Will Always Be With Us And Empower Us – For His Glory
God also tells Joshua the following:
Joshua 1:10 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you GO.”
Jesus tells us that He will always be with us too (Matthew 28:20). And that He will make us fruitful by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). And He will do this so that God will be glorified.
John 15:8 “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Ultimately God will always leads us victoriously in His mission like Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 2:14 so that He will be glorified. And that His name will be lifted up.
Even with all of these great promises from God, sadly the vast majority of us are sitting on the bench and not in the battle. Many of us are going to church, singing praise and worship songs. And even giving some money and doing some ministry things.
But sadly research shows that far too few (1-2%) are truly worhsipping Jesus by obeying what He has commanded all of us to do. God has prepared a great harvest of souls to be won for Jesus. But sadly there are far too few faithful and obedient “workers” to go and enjoy the harvest.
May God convict us of our sin and disobedience. And touch and change more and more of our hearts. And break more of our hearts for the more than 7 billion lost people in the world today, like it breaks His heart.
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Kevin Bart has been a Jesus follower for over 40 years. Kevin has taught Bible study classes, small groups, and discipleship classes for many years. He developed Pursuing Intimacy With God after many years of seeking God and studying His word.
Kevin is a former business owner, and current international missions ministry leader with more than four decades of combined business and ministry experience. After building and running a successful business for 23 years, with God’s guidance and blessings, he sold his company to dedicate himself full-time global missions.
For over 20 years, Kevin and his wife Nancy have led an international missions ministry. Utilizing learned business and financial management skills, as well as knowledge and experience in travel points and miles, to date they have had 48 mission trips to 33 countries in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
