Standing Tall Against Terrorism
1/4/04
Given by Russell Q. Adams
January 4, 2004
Standing Tall Against Terrorism
Joshua 1:1-9
Introduction
Native Americans would train their young in survival skills such as hunting and fishing. At age thirteen they would receive their final exam. They were blindfolded and lead to a remote area of the forest. They were left there alone without food or protection. It was a long night because those young men had never known such isolation. Their imaginations would often take over and they would imagine all kinds of dangers. Simple sounds of the forest turned into wild animals or dangerous snakes ready to attach at any moment.
After a seeming endless night, the sun arose and the young men could see their tiny section of the vast forest. They saw two things for the very first time. First, they saw a path that lead them back to their village. Second, they saw their fathers, who had been protecting them throughout the night with a bow and arrow. They only thought they were in danger. He had been protecting them the whole time. I think there is a message their for us!
Body
This morning our scripture lesson comes from the Old Testament book of Joshua. We are in the first nine verse of the first chapter. Do you remember Joshua’s story? Moses led the people in the wilderness for forty years but now it is time to enter the Promised Land. It was a great piece of land. It would run to the Mediterranean to the West, the Euphrates to the East, the Nile to the South and Lebanon to the North. It was a great piece of land! The problem is the land is already occupied. Not only is the land occupied but also a superior people occupied the land. In Number 13 we are told that spies went to this Promised Land and found the inhabitants to be like giants, whose towns are fortified. The majority report was pain and simple. Only a fool would try to defeat these people. God, Himself, tells these nomadic people to take this land. God, Himself, tells these people to enter a war. The people are afraid. They are facing an uncertain future. Loved ones may die and their way of life maybe changed. Verse nine is the key verse for them and for us in our world today. They are not words that are meant to be forgotten. They are words for the ages. God says, "
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where you go."
These are not just words to Joshua’s generation. These are words to our generation. We are standing in the middle of a war zone. It is the war on terrorism and there are many people who are afraid. Is there anyone here today who is afraid? Are you afraid for your own life? Are you afraid for the life of a loved one? Is anyone here today afraid that our way of life may have to change? Is anyone here today afraid of the future? Is anyone here today afraid? The enemy struck first on September 11, 2001. Many innocent people died that day. The rest of us stand afraid that the enemy will strike again.
Terrorism grabs our national headlines. We no longer think terrorism is isolated to places like Northern Ireland, Israel or Africa. We are forced to rethink terrorism. It is no longer something that happens there. It is something that has happened here. The fear of terrorism has changed us as an American people. The fear of terrorism has made us a suspicious people. We think twice when we see white power. We think twice when we see an unclaimed bag in a public building. We think twice about flying on commercial airlines. Some of us think twice about drinking from public drinking fountains because the water maybe poisoned. Do you see what has happened? Terrorism has striped away our freedom because so many are afraid of taking a risk. Homer Hickman in his book We Are Not Afraid says, "life is filled with risks, but the biggest risk is to live your life tied down by fear and dread. Life is too precious to loss one second of it being afraid."
I am not talking to you today as a fellow American. I am talking to you today as a fellow disciple. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, what is your response to terrorism? Do you think that Jesus wants you to run and hide? Do you think that Jesus wants you to live in your basement where it is safe? Or do you think that Jesus wants you stand tall against the fears of this world? The choice is yours.
Conclusion
The people of God were facing a brand new world. God had big plans for them, but they were afraid. God may have been speaking to Joshua 1200 before the birth of Christ but He is really speaking to you today.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where you go."
And all of God’s people said, "Amen!"
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