RESOLVED…
Joshua 24.1-33
S: Commitment
C: Joshua’s final words to the people
Pr: BE A DELIBERATE FOLLOWER OF GOD.
TS: We will find in our study of Joshua 24 how Joshua challenged the people to be ready for life after him.
Type: Inductive, narrative
I. SUMMONS (1)
II. RECOLLECTION (2-13)
III. CHALLENGE (14-15)
IV. COMMITMENT (16-18)
V. WARNING (19-23)
VI. COVENANT (24-28)
VII. LEGACY (29-33)
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Make the choice to be a follower and servant of God.
• Be deliberate about following Christ.
• Be an influencer that speaks freely about your commitment.
• Leave a legacy of faith.
Version: ESV
RMBC 22 July 07 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Personal
I was performing a wedding yesterday for two former classmates of JJ of CCA.
And during the rehearsal, as often occurs, the wedding ceremony that occurs in The Princess Bride comes up. The groom begged me to start of the ceremony with “Mawwaige is what bwings us together … today.” Though I run rather casual and personal wedding ceremonies, I told the couple that I draw the line there. I was not doing that.
But I must admit, I was caught totally surprised and embarrassed that when it came to the vows, I said . . .
“The unbroken circle, the emblem of eternity, and the gold, the emblem of that which is least tarnished and most enduring, are to show how lasting and imperishable is the faith now mutually pledged by the giving and receiving of these ‘wings’.”
I know that I am not the smoothest talker. I often stumble over words, especially when I hurry, but still . . .
I was horrified, and hung my head. It was then the groom whispered to me, giggling, “It’s all right.”
It is hard to always get it right, isn’t it?
ILL History (H)
A noted psychiatrist was a guest at a gathering, and his host naturally broached the subject in which the doctor was most at ease. "Would you mind telling me, Doctor," he asked, "how you detect a mental deficiency in somebody who appears completely normal?"
"Nothing is easier," he replied. "You ask him a simple question which everyone should answer with no trouble. If he hesitates, that puts you on the track."
"What sort of question?"
"Well, you might ask him, ’Captain Cook made three trips around the world and died during one of them. Which one?’"
The man thought a moment, then said with a nervous laugh, "You wouldn’t happen to have another example would you? I must confess I don’t know much about history."
You may not do well in history, but…
1. It is hard to go forward in life if you do not have some sense of where you have been.
Today, we come to our final study of Joshua.
And Joshua is preparing the nation for what is coming up.
He is preparing them for the future.
But to do it, their history will have to be remembered.
Joshua is now at the very end of his life.
We don’t know how much longer he lives after this, but we can be fairly sure that it was not a long time.
These are his final words to the entire nation.
He is, as one Puritan preacher said, speaking as a dying man to dying men.
He is speaking for decisions.
So…
2. We will find in our study of Joshua 24 how Joshua challenged the people to be ready for life after him.
He is going to challenge them about faithfulness.
He is going to challenge them about obedience.
These are the essentials as he makes the…
OUR STUDY:
I. SUMMONS (1)
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God.
3. The people were brought together to a historically significant place.
Last week, when we studied the 23rd chapter, Joshua had gathered all the leaders of Israel to the spiritual center, Shiloh.
In this chapter, he has asked a much larger group to gather.
Probably as many of the people of the nation that could be there were there, in Shechem, a few miles northwest of Shiloh.
It was a significant place because it was in Shechem that Abraham first received the promise that God would give his seed the land of Canaan.
It was also a significant place because Jacob buried the family idols there, to demonstrate that his family would be for God only.
So, at Shechem, the voice of history spoke both of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promise to Abraham and of Israel’s solemn calling to make a radical break with all idolatry. (Goslinga)
But it was also at Shechem that Joshua gathered the nation to review the law after conquering the center of the land.
So he is revisiting a significant place in their recent history as well.
This time, though, a…
II. RECOLLECTION (2-13)
…is being made.
I could not fit this text in the insert and have it a font you could read, but you can listen as the Lord speaks through Joshua:
(2) And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. (3) Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. (4) And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. (5) And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out. (6) Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. (7) And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. (8) Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. (9) Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, (10) but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. (11) And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. (12) And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. (13) I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’”
They needed to realize that…
4. They were where they were because of God.
A review of history is made as God speaks.
Over and over again, He recounts His marvelous deeds.
Repeatedly, He says, “I gave…, I sent…, I brought…”
You see, God has been very active on their behalf.
Though it was their nature to rebel, God acted in mercy toward His people.
He kept acting on their behalf.
Now they were in the land.
The goal had been reached.
Their dreams had been realized.
But it was not because of what they had done.
They were there because God had acted.
So now Joshua issues a…
III. CHALLENGE (14-15)
(14) “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. (15) And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
5. They were reminded of the choices before them.
Though God had chosen them, the nation had developed a penchant for choosing other gods.
It had been nothing less than a ridiculous practice.
It made no sense, yet over and over, it happened.
Joshua’s challenge is that the people were to choose God decisively and willingly.
Not only that, as they consider their past, they were to choose intelligently.
It made sense, not only to do it once, but over and over.
You see, choosing God is not a once and done and you are in.
It is a continual matter.
Joshua then gives himself as an example…
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
His mind was made up.
His course was clear.
The verb here denotes a continuous action.
He says, “I have chosen to serve the Lord; I am choosing the same path of service now; and I will go on choosing to serve God to the very end.”
He chose and chose and chose, and every time he deliberately chose the Lord.
It was the most intelligent choice.
Joshua has spoken, and they respond with…
IV. COMMITMENT (16-18)
(16) Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, (17) for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. (18) And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
It is a quick response that the people give…
“Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods…”
They don’t want to be known for ingratitude.
So they act, because…
6. There are times when reaffirmation is both appropriate and needed.
It is a good response that they make.
They have got their history right.
They have got their reasons right.
But…
Joshua seems to detect a note of insincerity or glibness.
It is as if their response was too ready and too predictable.
So, he issues a…
V. WARNING (19-23)
(19) But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. (20) If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” (21) And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” (22) Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” (23) He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
Joshua gives a very blunt response.
His response is one that reflects their bitter failure.
They have not served the Lord well.
They have forced God into punishment and judgment.
After all, they were the ones that made the golden calf.
Joshua is clear at this point.
God is not to be worshipped or served lightly.
It can only be done with the whole heart.
Anything else is shallow and ineffective.
You see…
7. Compromise is not an option.
Joshua reveals, it seems, his grave concern.
He believes that they are secretly practicing idolatry.
There are still foreign gods in the mix as they meet here at Shechem.
This was still a divided people when it came to worship.
So Joshua is firm.
A choice must be made.
There must be no mixing of allegiance when it comes to God.
So, they just can’t say it.
It had to be meant.
It had to be lived.
Therefore, then, there must be a…
VI. COVENANT (24-28)
(24) And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” (25) So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. (26) And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. (27) And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” (28) So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
Note this…
8. Commitment is meant to be a public affair.
Their public testimony is….
“The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”
They made this in the hearing of everyone.
Thus, they would hold each other accountable.
They were dedicating themselves to follow God, no matter what.
They then set up a stone as a witness to their covenant.
It was to be a constant reminder of the commitment they were making this day.
Now Joshua is done.
His public service to the nation of Israel is finished.
He has had his final words.
And now, the…
VII. LEGACY (29-33)
…begins.
(29) After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. (30) And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. (31) Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel. (32) As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph. (33) And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.
These final verses remind us that…
9. It is important to finish well.
Joshua is mentioned first.
And notice his title…
It is not “The Great General.”
It is not “The Rugged Warrior”
It is not even “Moses’ Right Hand Man.”
No, it is much more profound.
It is “Servant of the Lord.”
This was a great legacy, for Joshua had aspired to no greater rank than this.
Next, Joseph is granted his final wish.
He is buried with his fathers in Canaan.
Finally, Israel’s spiritual leader was honored.
Eleazar, the son of Aaron, and the father of Phinehas is buried.
Each one of these men left a legacy – a tremendous legacy of faith.
APPLICATION:
We must confess this…
Idolatry has not gone away.
We may not follow the primitive gods made of wood or stone.
But we do have the same primitive attractions to let other things take the proper place of God in our lives.
The idol can be a religion, or a relationship, or any thing that we believe will give us security, stability, protection and meaning in life.
The idol may be a spouse, family, our country, our career, athletic ability, education, or technology.
It may be the idol of pleasure.
It may be the idol of money.
Whatever it is that so mesmerizes us, we are called to put it away, to call it what it is and repent of it.
In other words, we are to…
10. Make the choice to be a follower and servant of God.
ILL Discipleship (S)
In February 2001, John Oros spoke to an audience at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary about his experience as a church leader in Romania during the Communist era:
During communism, many of us preached … and people came at the end of a service, and they said, "I have decided to become a Christian."
We told them, "It is good that you want to become a Christian, but we would like to tell you that there is a price to be paid. Why don’t you reconsider what you want to do, because many things can happen to you. You can lose, and you can lose big."
A high percentage of these people chose to take part in a three-month catechism class. At the end of this period, many participants declared their desire to be baptized. Typically, I would respond, "It is really nice that you want to become a Christian, but when you give your testimony … there will be informers here who will jot down your name. Tomorrow the problems will start. Count the cost. Christianity is not easy. It’s not cheap. You can be demoted. You can lose your job. You can lose your friends. You can lose your neighbors. You can lose your kids who are climbing the social ladder. You can lose even your life."
Let me tell you my joy — when we looked into their eyes, and their eyes were in tears, and they told us, "If I lose everything but my personal relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ, it is still worth it."
That folks, was resolve…a missing ingredient in our culture…in the freedom of religion we enjoy.
Let us confess that sin and compromise are everywhere, are they not?
Drug addiction, sexual and physical abuse, rape, incest, alcoholism, murder, divorce, abortion, pornography, homosexuality, messed up families, on and on it goes…
Those things are not only prevalent outside the walls, but to our shame, inside them as well
So let me ask this…
Who among you will be a Joshua?
Who will take a stand?
Who will stop looking around waiting for someone else to do it?
Some of you know, this morning, that your commitment to Christ has been nothing better than mediocre.
It has been half-hearted.
It has been a laissez-faire approach to faith.
But let me tell you, the “que sera sera” type of Christianity is not what the author had in mind.
Our Lord is not in favor of “whatever will be, will be.”
If it is on your heart to serve the Lord, then do it.
11. BE A DELIBERATE FOLLOWER OF GOD.
When you got up yesterday, what did you do that proved that you were a believer in Jesus?
What is the evidence that you gave yesterday?
What is the evidence that you are giving today?
What evidence will you provide tomorrow?
I am very much convinced that the church is losing its reason to exist.
We are very good at churchianity, but not so good at Christianity.
We play church really well, but when it comes to following Christ, well, that is another thing.
We let the Christian life happen to us, instead of deliberately moving out to live the Christian life.
Our worship is weak, because we can only do it right when it is the style that we prefer.
Our spiritual growth is weak, because we do a five or ten minute devotional every day and think that will make us a stronger Christian.
Our love for one another is weak, because we can only find it in ourselves to care for and like those that are like us.
The accomplishment of our mission is weak, because we pay professionals to talk to others about Jesus, here and around the world…we let them do it.
And as a result, instead of wanting to serve, we become a people that want to be served.
If we are going to do be deliberate about our faith, then we must…
12. Be an influencer that speaks freely about (our) your commitment.
You see…
We are not called to secret-service Christianity.
We are not just supposed to be in the background living a moral life.
Jesus calls us to be willing to speak out for Him, to tell others of His life changing intervention in our lives.
Going public with our faith is the wonderful overflow of His life changing power and presence in us.
It is a matter of sharing the difference He has made in our experience.
And when we do so, we…
13. Leave a legacy of faith.
So let me offer this final encouragement this morning.
Be absolutely determined that you will run the race to the end.
Do not run a half-hearted race.
Run to receive the prize!
Finish hard.
Finish well.
Finish deliberately as committed followers of Jesus.
After prayer, ask people to stand…
For Further Study: Genesis 12.6-7, 35.4; Joshua 8.30-35; Proverbs 22.1; Luke 9.23-27; John 15.16; Ephesians 2.1-10; II Timothy 2.2
BENEDICTION:
Be resolved this day to live differently…live to serve the Lord Jesus; live deliberately as a follower of Jesus; live publicly, speaking the truth about Jesus – all to the glory of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral:
Goins, Doug Commitment to the Covenant
Malone, Steve The Choice Is Yours!
Smith, Alan The Choice of a New Generation
Wilson, Wayde Making a Stand for God
Books:
Boice, James Montgomery. Joshua: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1989.
Campbell, Donald K. No Time for Neutrality. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1981.
Goslinga, C. J. Joshua, Judges, Ruth. Translated by Ray Togtman. Bible Student’s Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Regency Reference Library, 1986.
