A New Phase Of Life-1(:14-16)(2024)

A NEW PHASE Of LIFE-I—Joshua 24:14-28

Attention:

Graduates of High School, & College.

Need:

If your work continues without serving God, then you’ve chosen your god, & your god is YOU!

Every grade-school graduate has reached a benchmark in their societal expectations.

They have exited the graded public system of required learning.

Today, we are acknowledging those life-preparatory educational accomplishments.

Our graduate is beginning a new phase of life.

She is now ‘thrust out’ into, or ‘released into’, the personal challenges of entering & enabling the ‘Promised Land’ of her adulthood.

Joshua recognized a major benchmark in Israel’s progress toward inheriting the Promised Land.

Graduates have reached a benchmark in their societal expectations toward opening up their future.

But, How do we enter/begin a new phase of life?

4 requirements/determinations for a new phase of life.

If you are going to possess the ‘land’ God wants you to have, you must recognize that...

1—A New Phase of life requires your...

SELF-EXPOSING DECISIONS(:14-16)

Explanation:(:14-16)Choices

:14—“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity & in truth, & put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River & in Egypt. Serve the LORD!”

“Now therefore,...”

Joshua had just reviewed for the people of Israel, God’s history of provision, protection, guidance, etc.(24:2-13).

God’s intention, invitation, & logical conclusion follows in 24:14-28. The ‘elephant-in-the-room’ conclusion is drawn from their personal experience with YaHWeH, thru Joshua.

..."serve Him in sincerity & in truth, & put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River & in Egypt. Serve the LORD!”

As a result of God’s grace & care, those who have been the direct recipients of it, are obligated/indebted to both “fear”(loving respectfulness) Him & “serve” Him.

Ex. 19:4—YHWH God—“‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, & how I bore you on eagles’ wings & brought you to Myself.”

Ps. 63:7—to YHWH God,—“Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.”

•This “fear” & “service” directed toward God, by His people, must be expressed within the confines of “sincerity” & “truth.”

•“Sincerity” has everything to do with totality, completeness, & the involvement of your ‘whole being’ in your “serving” YHWH God.

•“Serving” God “in truth” has everything to do with being honest with yourself, honest with God, & being honest with others.

•That “sincerity” & “truth” of “service” is lived out very practically by the people’s actively & intentionally “putting away” any false “gods” that some/others might acknowledge & “serve.”

•The false “gods” “served” by their “fathers”, consisted of the “gods” of Abraham’s father, Terah, as well as the gods of Terah’s three sons: Abraham, Nahor, & Haran.

They served those false “gods” while living outside(Ur was located in current-day Iraq) of Israel’s new national bounds—between “the River” Euphrates & the Mediterranean Sea. Some of Israel would no doubt later “serve” the Egyptian false “gods.”

The predecessors of Israel, before Israel’s time as slaves in Egypt, largely “served” false “gods”, because their respective & surrounding cultures were built upon “serving” those false “gods.” They were literally raised to know nothing else, thru the pressures of that particular society with it’s secular cultures.

•Some “served” false “gods” in ignorance, readily becoming assimilated to the spiritual dynamics of their societal & cultural dictates, mandates & pressures. No doubt, some of Israel openly & willingly bowed to & aided the societal & cultural climate.

•Some “served” false “gods” only giving pretended obedience, because they had it forced upon them by the surrounding pagan & secular society & it’s culture, where they lived.

*Things haven’t changed for God’s people today.

•They too are surrounded by secular, pagan societies & cultures.

•As in Joshua’s day, we too must choose to “fear the LORD” by “serving” Him “in sincerity & in truth.” And we must also, “put away” our false “gods”!

“Sincerity”—Mymt taw-meem’—Adj. Masc. Sing. Absolute—1) Complete, whole, entire, sound—1a) Complete, whole, entire, 1b) Whole, sound, healthful, 1c) Complete, entire(of time), 1d) Sound, wholesome, unimpaired, innocent, having integrity, 1e) What is complete or entirely in accord with truth & fact(neuter adj/subst). Strong—Entire(literally, figuratively or morally); also as noun--Integrity, truth.?From—Mmt taw-mam'—To complete, in a good or a bad sense, literal, or figurative, transitive or intransitive; a primitive root.

“Truth”—tma eh’-meth—•Noun Fem. - Common Fem. Sing. Absolute—1) Firmness, faithfulness, truth—1a) Sureness, reliability, 1b) Stability, continuance, 1c) Faithfulness, reliableness, 1d) Truth—1d1) As spoken, 1d2) Of testimony & judgment, 1d3) Of divine instruction, 1d4) Truth as a body of ethical or religious knowledge, 1d5) True doctrine. Adverb—2) In truth, truly. Strong—figuratively--Certainty, truth, trustworthiness; contracted from Nma[To build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; Render(or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally--To be true or certain]; Stability.