Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Mar 19th, 2021 Leadership Lessons from Joshua … by Corey Woolner

Today’s Passage – Joshua 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Hebrews 5 – 8; Proverbs 19; Psalms 91 – 95)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 25

Read the “0319 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)

Joshua is nearing the end of his life during these last 3 chapters on this book. What a great man Joshua was! He was the minister of Moses which led him to become the leader of the Israelites.

Joshua 24:15 is a very well known verse. There are two thoughts on leadership I want to bring out of this verse today.

Leadership is setting the example. A real leader leads. A real leader doesn’t sit around and boss everyone around and tell everyone else what to do while he himself just sits idle.

By Joshua saying “..as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” he was setting another example for the people.
A real Christian leader will encourage others to serve the Lord.

The greatest form of leadership is to lead by example. This is how Jesus lead in John 13 with the washing of feet. Jesus said in John 13:15, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”

Leaders lead by example. In Joshua chapter 24, Joshua was continuing to set the example.

Joshua was not just setting the example for the Israelites, he was setting the example for his house. He was not just the leader of the nation, he was the leader of his home. God has ordained three things which are the home, government, and the church. Gods design & plan is for the man to be the head of the home. Joshua had for a long time served the Lord, and here in chapter 24 he declares again the stand his house will take. WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!

Men, set the example for the people God has given you to lead. If that’s a congregation, a bus route, or a Sunday school class, set the example when it comes to serving the Lord.
When it comes to your house, your family, set the example that your house will serve the Lord and be a Christian house.

Joshua was an old man the Bible tells us in chapter 23:1. Even in his old age, Joshua wanted to continue serving the Lord. Think about how long he had been serving the Lord, yet he had no quit in him. A real leader doesn’t quit. A real leader runs their race and finishes their course.