As For Me And My House Series

As for Me and My House

Theme:

Text: Joshua

Introduction

Chapter 24 of Joshua could easily be called Joshua’s final farewell speech. The Bible says in verse 29 “And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old”. Joshua one last time challenges the people to serve the Lord.

As we begin chapter 24 it almost seems like a testimony service. Joshua reminds the people what God has done. Not only in their life but in their history. How God had divinely brought them to this point.

As I began to read this I began to get excited in my spirit. You see I realized that my testimony of God’s goodness in my life goes way back before my salvation. I look back on my own life and see God’s ordered plans. How he had people praying for me. How he sent people of influence in my life. But oh my testimony goes back father than that. You see there were people who labored in prayer and physical to build these churches that I attended. They built them for souls to be one.

As in our own church. God has given us a rich heritage here at Elizabeth St. A heritage here that extends to 1934 but we can also include 1886 the founding of the church of God on Godly principles. But we can even go back before that as God would raise up men and work in his divine way.

Let me tell you Christian your steps have been and are ordered by God. God has his hand upon your life. Oh praise God even before you knew him he was making plans for you. Even before you cried out his name he was making plans for you. Just look back and see the guiding hand of the Lord.

Testimony and shouting

Well I could just imagine what it must have been like in these first 13 verses. Joshua would get to talking about what God has done over the last 400 plus years. I believe he would get a little happy as he testified of the hand of God working and preparing them for this day.

From God calling a man named Abraham to raise up a special nation. How God kept his hand upon this family even delivering a nation of slaves from Egypt. Oh how God destroyed the Egyptians in the Red Sea. When they got to the land God protected these untrained soldiers. Sometimes they would fight for themselves and it seems that the spirit of the Lord would come upon them and they would have amazing victory. Or other times God would command the hornets to attack the enemies and bring defeat. Couldn’t you imagine this great time. I believe they would testify a little bit and worship a little bit.

It is hard not to get happy when you think where God has brought you from. When you think that God knew you before you were in the womb and has made plans for your life. It is hard not to get happy when you think about how God raised up people who would one day make a difference in your life. Praise the Lord!

The Challenge.

Yet with every testimony comes a challenge. Joshua was not going to leave them with out challenging them to stay righteous before the Lord. It seems that when we experience the greatest victory is when we are tempted the most. Maybe it is we get relaxed and try to lean on yesterday’s blessing. Maybe we just feel so tired after the victory we let our guard down a little. That is when the devil “who goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” steps in.

We must be careful. Especially as we stand here on the heels of revival. We must be careful that we don’t forget what God has done but better yet what God has promised this week.

Listen to what Joshua says:

Jos 24:14-15 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

Joshua doesn’t play around. He knows that the first & second commandant given unto the people was:

Exo 20:3-5 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;