Standing on Solid Ground – September 20, 2026
Joshua 1:1-9, II Timothy 3:10-17
September 20, 2026
So, today we’re dealing with two people – two men – in a similar situation. First, we have Joshua, who was taking over for Moses who had just died. After 40 years in the wilderness, he was to be the one to lead the people into the promised land! Can we imagine the responsibility he must have felt?
Then we have Timothy, who was a young “apprentice,” to Paul. And Paul wrote two letters to him in the New Testament, nurturing him in the faith, and preparing him for ministry, in what was a very uncertain time! And can we imagine the responsibility he felt?
Paul starts out saying, “You have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, and my persecutions, and my sufferings!” And yes, Timothy was aware of Paul’s suffering! “And yet,” Paul says, “from them all the Lord rescued me.”
Paul is reminding Timothy that living the faith would not be easy! The church was young, and it was being persecuted, first by the Jewish council (And Paul was part of that!) and then later by the Romans. And Paul is pulling no punches here! And he concludes by saying, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Jesus Christ will be persecuted.” If you remember, Jesus said the same thing to his disciples! He told them, “Because you are my followers, you will be persecuted.” “And you will be handed over to councils, beaten, and hated, because of my name.
“Don’t be surprised!” he said. “Following me will sometimes put you at odds with the world!” And Paul was well aware of that, because it happened to him, and because he had been part of it prior to meeting Jesus on that road to Damascus!
So, Jesus didn’t promise his followers that standing firm would mean they would avoid trouble. His promise was that they would have something solid to stand on when trouble came! And that’s what Paul was telling Timothy – and us.
So, that’s what we’re thinking about today. Standing firm in the faith. “Standing on Solid Ground!” Because we need that when troubles come our way! Don’t we? Because they will! It’s still true, in some ways, that “those who desire to live a godly life in Jesus Christ will be persecuted.” It is still true, that following Jesus will sometimes put us at odds with the world!
A couple of weeks ago I talked about the world we live in. If you remember, I said, “We live in a world where, for many people, God is a “convenience” at best, and where there is no sin (Because we’ve eaten the forbidden fruit of being the ones to ‘decide’ what is sin!) And we live in a world where all truth is relative, where the Bible is “ok” – but it’s not for everyone, and where Jesus is just not that important.”
Well, I would add today that we live in a world where there is a certain level of animosity towards Jesus. Christians are seen in a negative light in our world. They are seen as exclusionary in their faith. And they’re even seen as oppressive toward others. And there are many people who have a “distain for organized religion.” And that’s a phrase I’ve heard many times through the years!
Friends, we have to be realistic about this. We can’t “stick our spiritual heads in the sand,” and pretend that’s not happening! We can’t say, “Oh, you’re just being paranoid, pastor Skip!” Well, remember, as someone once said, “Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean that people aren’t out to get you!” In other words, we can’t let the label of “paranoia” make us ignore the reality. Because sometimes there are reasons to be paranoid. Ok, maybe not paranoid, but at least realistic about what’s happening! And we need to be ready to stand firm!
Paul was being realistic! But he wasn’t just telling Timothy the bad side. And neither was Jesus to his disciples. And neither was God to Joshua. Jesus said, “I will be with you.” God told Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” And in our scripture, Paul told Timothy, “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed.” “And remember, from all you’ve learned, that you are standing on solid ground.”
As you know, I often wonder if Paul was there that day, and actually heard the Sermon on the Mount. The Pharisees were always there, keeping an eye on this Jesus! And I don’t think it makes any sense that Paul – or Saul, as he was known – just “popped on the scene” at the end of Acts chapter 7. No, I think he was there all along, watching what was happening, listening to Jesus. As I’ve said before, he may even have been one of the unnamed Pharisees who questioned Jesus.
And I wonder if he heard, and now remembered the end of Jesus’ sermon that day. There he told the parable about the two men who built houses, one on the sand and one on the rock. Maybe Paul remembered Jesus saying, “Those who hear my words and do them are like the man who built his house upon the rock. And when the storms came, and the wind blew, the house stood!” And now Paul was telling Timothy about that same “solid ground!”
We have to know in our faith that we’re standing on solid ground. And we can know that from the promises we have in our faith. But we also have to work at standing on solid ground. We have to heed the call Paul gave Timothy, to “continue in what we have learned and firmly believed.”
And we have to know from where we learned it. And here Paul points to the “sacred writings.” He reminded Timothy that, “From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through Christ Jesus.””
And what were they? What were those sacred writings? They didn’t have the New Testament at that time. They didn’t have the Gospels. They didn’t even have the Letters – except the one Timothy was reading right now! They had the Old Testament. And Paul is saying how those sacred writings pointed to Jesus. Which was quite the bold statement coming from this old Pharisee!
And then he concludes with this verse that many have quoted over the years. “All scripture is inspired by God. And is profitable…” for all those things. Scripture is inspired in its writing, and in its reading! You know I always say that we should pray before reading the Bible. We need the inspiration of the Spirit guiding us! Otherwise, we can make the Bible say anything we want it to! And people have!
So, I’m grateful for the thoughts about these two men. Joshua, standing at the edge of the promised land. Timothy, standing at the edge of a difficult future. Neither one knew everything that lay ahead. And neither one was promised an easy road! But both were given something better than a promise that nothing would go wrong. They were given the promise that God would be with them.
“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” “Continue in what you have learned and firmly believed.” And notice the past tense there. It’s not “stand on what you believe – what you believe now.” Because in the moment, you might have a hard time believing. Right? No, it’s stand on what you have already believed and have already known all along! Stand on that!
And so with us. Paul says, “Be strong. Be courageous. Stand firm.” Because the question isn’t whether the winds will blow. They will. The question isn’t whether there will be difficult days. There will be. The question is, “What will we stand on when they come?”
We stand on the promises of God. We stand on the faith that we have received, and what we have believed all along. We stand on the scriptures – the sacred writings – that teach us, correct us, and train us. And above all, we stand on the one who promised, “I will be with you.”
That’s the solid ground. And when the storms come, when the future is uncertain, that’s where we stand!
Prayer
Eternal God, we are so grateful that we can stand on the solid ground of faith in Jesus. Help us to know of the guidance of your Spirit, so that we can indeed continue in what we have learned. May our lives reflect your Grace to a world in need of your Grace. And we give you glory, honor, and praise! Amen.