BreadCom Worship Band Devotion Oct 22, 2011 A Worshipper is Fearless and Faithful Joshua 1:1-9 This is an attempt

to expand our understanding of who a God-worshipper is. Here are two characters that we can meditate on and ask God to develop in us. Questions for everyone: 1. In one word, how would personally you describe the worship team today? 2. In one word, how would you describe your journey with God? I. What is our basis for being fearless and faithful (vv.1-5) A. We have a God God speaking) B. We have a God C. We have a God D. We have a God who makes the first move (The book of Joshua starts with who invites us to proceed with Him who sets the course of the journey and gives the vision who renews His promise to the next generation of leaders

II.

A Worshipper is Fearless Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (v.9) Be strong and courageous mentioned four times in the passage [vv. 6, 7, 9, 18]. 3 out of 4 times it was God speaking. Being fearless is not simple the absence of fear, but having the courage and the strength to carry on despite enormous challenges [Numbers 14:6-9]

A. Why do we fear? We are afraid mostly because we live our lives as if God is not with us. The Bible gives us plenty of comfort, here are some: Joshua 1:9 for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go Isa 35:4 say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come. Matt 28:20 I will be with You [Jesus] until the very end of the age.

Rom 8:31

If God is for us, who can be against us

B. What are we fearful of? 1. Opposition 2. Opinion 3. Outcome Im afraid of people who dont like the way I do things Im afraid they would react negatively What if I fail? What will happen if I make a mistake?

Practical Considerations: 1. There will always be people who wont like us, but our goal is to follow God and please Him. 2. Be more concerned about Gods opinion than mans opinion. 3. Results are beyond our control, taking care of that is the role of the Holy Spirit, not ours. III. A Worshipper is Faithful Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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. Being faithful vs. Being successful Many Christians and even some worship teams around the world are sometimes more focused on becoming successful than being faithful. Whats the difference? We are called to be faithful follower, not successful followers Success is simply the result of faithfulness

What areas should we be faithful to? A. Lets be faithful to Gods Word Why did God specifically tell Joshua to be faithful to the Book of the Law? The nations Joshua is about to conquer worship different gods and have different standards. Being faithful to Gods Word will help Joshua stick to Gods standards.

How does this apply to us as a team?

We can easily be influenced by the newest fad (hottest song, famous worship teams, big churches, etc) and we copy them hoping that we will get the same results. Sometimes it doesnt work and it becomes a source of frustration. Gods Word is always the source of joy and fulfillment. Do we depend on Gods word as a source of joy and fulfillment? Do we use the Scripture as we lead corporate worship? Are our songs based on Scripture, or merely on our emotions?

B. Lets be faithful to Gods Call Each one of us is in this ministry because God has called us, not because we choose to be part of it. We need to be sure that God has called us to be in this ministry We can seek Gods to affirm His calling Gods calling to be in the ministry is not always permanent (God can call you elsewhere after a season)

C. Lets be faithful to Gods Gift Whatever skills and talents we have it is ultimately a Gods gift from God. Even the skills that we developed through hard work or professional study, it is God who caused everything to work in order for us to develop those skills. God can grow the gifts we use or take away the gift we dont use (Matt 25:29) God is more pleased to those with few gifts that use them fully than those with a lot and not use them at all. God does not look at how much talented we are, but how well we use them. Psalm 33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

If worship is all about pleasing God, and if using fully our gifts pleases the Master, then using our gifts to the fullest is an act of worship.

IV.

What is the Gospel in all these? It is true that being fearless and faithful is easier said than done. Thats because when God sees our hearts, we are really fearful and faithless. Thats why Jesus came, to represent each one of us. So that when God looks at humanity through His Son, He sees the Fearless and Faithful One.

During the time of Joshua, people followed God. But when he died, everyone did what was right in their eyes (Judges 21:25). When Jesus died, he made it possible for us to do what is right in the eyes of God. Only because of Jesus and through Jesus can we become fearless and faithful.