TURNING THE PAGE
Transitions #1
Pastor Brandon Cross
Woodland Church
Sunday, May 24, 2026
(Joshua 1:1-9, NLT) “After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
MAIN IDEA
God has already planned this new season for Woodland Church; We need to trust His guidance, trust in His presence and confidently move forward together.
1. God has appointed each of us for this specific season
(Joshua 1:2, NLT) “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.”
- Each one of us is here with the responsibility to use our unique gifts, talents, resources and stories of His work in our lives to fulfill God’s mission for the Church: to make disciples of all nations, starting with our local community.
- This passage served as Joshua’s and Israel’s marching orders to enter the promised land and to SEIZE what God had promised to give them.
2. God has already mapped out our next season
(Joshua 1:3-4, NLT) “I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’”
- We move in obedience; He has already given us what He intends for us
- He promises to Israel required obedience to His Word/His Will
- We have a choice to live in submission/obedience to His Word/Will or not
(Deuteronomy 11:22-28, NLT) “Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him. Then the Lord will drive out all the nations ahead of you, though they are much greater and stronger than you, and you will take over their land. Wherever you set foot, that land will be yours. Your frontiers will stretch from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north, and from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you, for the Lord your God will cause the people to fear and dread you, as he promised, wherever you go in the whole land. “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.”
3. He is and will be with us as we navigate forward
(Joshua 1:5-6, NLT) “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.”
- God has already “paved” the way for us
- We are promised His presence as we chase His will
- We are to be courageous as we move forward
- We are “called” specifically to this season to lead our community
4. Trust His Word, Obey His Guidance
(Joshua 1:7-8, NLT) “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
- “Very” – We are to have uncommon, unshakeable resolve to adhere to God’s Word as our standard
- We need to be intentional daily in reading His Word for understanding and application as believers; not just relying on Sunday and Wednesday teaching to guide us.
5. Move Forward in Confidence
(Joshua 1:9, NLT) “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
- We are commanded to have resolve and move forward, not a suggestion
- No circumstances are too daunting for God
- We cannot be afraid to swing and miss; we often learn most from our failures.
CALL TO ACTION
- Pray about how each of us can contribute to moving the mission of the church forward through serving in a ministry or in the community, unique to our own gifts, interests and passions.
- Name some things that hold you back from moving forward or serving and pray that God would help you to overcome those things.
- Pray about something that you would like to try or like the church to try in order to reach the community and ask God for a “vision” of what taking action. individually or as a church would look like. I want us to be invested in dreaming for the community!