Character XII- Courage

I. Command- “Be strong and courageous”- Vs. 6, 7, 9

Spiritual strength for believers is essentially an attitude of courage, and it includes such virtues as courage of conviction, courage to be uncompromising, courage to confront error and false doctrine, and courage to face intimidation and persecution and still remain true to what is right. A strong Christian is one who lives by principle rather than whim or opinion. He doesn’t always seek the easy path or safe place but faces various challenges, takes serious risks when necessary, and stands firm against opposition to the truth. He is decisive and has fixed purposes and goals, and he moves forward even if it’s a painful struggle at times.
-John MacArthur, The Pillars of Christian Character

II. Three Qualities of the Courageous:

A. The Courageous are People of ....

- 1:1-6

B. The Courageous Act ....
- 1:7-8

Joshua knew Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch, personally. Joshua knew his strengths and weaknesses as a man; he knew that Moses was a sinner, that Moses made mistakes, that Moses was just a man. Nonetheless, immediately after Moses’s death Joshua accepted the Pentateuch as more than the writing of Moses. He accepted it as the writing of God. Two or three hundred years were not required for the book to become sacred. As far as Joshua was concerned the Pentateuch was the canon, and the canon was the Word of God. The biblical view of the growth and acceptance of the canon is as simple as this: When it was given, God’s people understood what it was. Right away it had authority.
-Francis Schaeffer, Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History

C. The Courageous are Confident in .....

- 1:5, 9