Joshua 1.10-18—UNITY

SUMMARY:
Joshua tells how God fulfilled his promises and gave the GIFT of the Promised Land to his people. Although the land was theirs by grace, Israel was not simply to be passive in the conquest and settlement. Rather, he called them to be active participants by hearing, meditating upon, and obeying his divine WORD. In Joshua 1.10-18, we see another element of the process—God called them to conquer the land together, in UNITY of spirit and effort.

This passage shows how Joshua sought to encourage unity among all the people (1.10-11), and then, how he dealt with a situation that held the potential to create disunity (1.12-18).

OUTLINE:
UNITY…

Requires strong leadership (10-11)

• Leadership that is engaged with the life of the congregation (11a)
• Leadership that can speak with authority to the congregation (11b)
• Leadership that can oversee the organization of the congregation (11c)
• Leadership that always keeps God’s calling before the congregation (11d)

Requires a shared partnership (12-15)

• It’s not about mine, it’s about ours
• It’s not about going it alone, it’s about doing it together

Requires supportive relationships (16-18)

• It’s not just about leading and being led, it’s about leaders and people encouraging one another