INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• How many of us woke up this morning or any thinking, do I worship God or am I going to worship Satan today?
• Hopefully we do not think that way, if you are, please come see me later.
• I really do not think too many followers of Jesus or those who do not follow Jesus wake up with that mindset.
• Yet there is a problem that we all struggle with, a problem that was prevalent in the Bible as well.
• I counted over 150 verses that use the word and there were laws and commands in the Old Testament forbidding the practice.
• Today we skip over the passages dealing with this subject rather nonchalantly thinking the verses are antiquated or irrelevant for today.
• That kind of thinking cannot be further from the truth, it is the war that is being waged for our hearts, a war that is being waged for our worship.
• The Bible calls it idolatry.
• These are the gods at war within each of us; they fight the battle for our worship, adoration and are very heart.
• The god that wins gains control and power over us.
• Ultimately the god you chose will determine your eternal destiny.
• On the surface idolatry does not seem to be something we struggle with, but when we dare to dig deeper, we will see we ALL struggle with it.
• As a matter of fact as we peer deeper into the rabbit hole we will see that idolatry is not just a struggle, but it IS the struggle.
• God is competing with the gods of this world for our heart, attention and affection.
• Idolatry in essence is choosing what god you will serve and worship.
• We all have gods competing for first place in our lives. Maybe you struggle with worry and anxiety all the time, maybe you made security and comfort your god?
• Maybe you continually lose the battle with lust; maybe sex is your god? Legalism is your struggle? Maybe religious rules have become your god.
• Discontent with your blessings, always wanting more, maybe materialism has you in its grips?
• You see underneath every sin there is a false god sitting on the throne of your heart and until there is a coup to over throw the false god or idol, you will never experience the freedom and joy God wants you to experience!
• So what gods are at war in your life? Over the four weeks Jerry and I will be looking at some of the BIG gods we fall prey to.
• Today we are going to look at the overall subject of the God’s at War. We will be in Joshua 24.
• Well Joshua is about 110 years old; he is giving one of the final speeches to the people.
• He has gathered the people around him to try to inspire them to one more challenge before he dies.
• God had been good to them. He delivered them from slavery and wandering.
• Joshua makes it clear that every person is a worshipper and if one is not worshipping the Lord God, they are by default worshipping some kind of substitute god.
• Failing to make the right choice could enslave God’s people in an even worse way than what Pharaoh did to them in Egypt. They could end up being enslaved to the gods or idols of this world.
• SLIDE #2
• Let us read our text this morning beginning with verse 14.
• Joshua 24:14 (HCSB) 14 “Therefore, fear the LORD and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. You are confronted with a command to consider.
• This verse starts with the connecting word THEREFORE.
• “Therefore, fear the LORD and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh.
• Joshua reminds the people of how He lead them out of Egypt, how He lead them through the wilderness culminating into where they are now has been defeating the armies of those who were inhabiting the Promised Land.
• In verse 13 look at what Joshua reminds the people of.
• SLIDE #4
• Joshua 24:13 (HCSB) I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
• The final part of Joshua's speech moves from a summary of past events to a call for a present response.
• THEREFORE.
• For those of you who are followers of Jesus, what would the THEREFORE be tied to in your life?
• What has God done for you in the past that Joshua would be able to say, THEREFORE here is what you need to consider?
• Because God had in sense EARNED the right to be the God they served, we see a command from Joshua.
• FEAR the Lord and worship Him in sincerity and truth!
• I do not like to talk about FEARING God, the word here has a flavor of holding Him in reverence, but the overarching meaning is to FEAR Him.
• I thought God was a God of love? HE IS, BUT that does not mean we should not fear the consequences of rejecting Him as our God.
• The subtle message here is all the power God used to get the people where they were could be also used to enslave them again.
• Already even with all God had done for the people; He was still competing with them for their worship.
• This worship that God commands is one that is sincere, that is one that is COMPLETE, or WHOLE.
• God will not take being put in second place. Why should He?
• Now how can you do this?
• You need to do a house cleaning. You need to identify the gods of the past you have been beholden to and you need to know the gods of the present you are putting ahead of God.
• You need to get rid of them, clean them out, and keep no part of them.
• I think we know what we are putting ahead of God, but some ways you can tell is by answering questions like “What are you most disappointed with?”
• Where and what do you turn to when you are hurt?
• What do you dream of?
• The answers to these questions can help you to identify the gods or idols that might be winning the war for your heart.
• Idol worship had always been a problem for the Israelites, Joshua tells the crowd they need to get rid of the gods their fathers worshipped.
• Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt
• False worship had been a hallmark not only of Israel's distant ancestors or of their more immediate ancestors in Egypt, but even of themselves, here in the land of Canaan. Joshua's implication was that the nation had never truly rid itself of false worship, and he was urging the people in the strongest terms possible to do so now. (New American Commentary - New American Commentary – Volume 5: Joshua)
• We can be so easily and subtly drawn in by the culture. What is interesting about our current culture is they throw all the idols at you and when you get trapped by one, they mock you for it.
• So the command is simple, toss out the idols and worship God! Now you would think a command is something we HAVE TO DO. Let’s look at verse 15.
• SLIDE #5
• Joshua 24:15 (HCSB) But if it doesn’t please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.”
• SLIDE #6
II. You are confronted with a choice to make.
• How many times in life have you been told to do something but then you are told, well if you do not want to obey, then you can do this instead.
• When I have dealt with that, the choice of disobedience of the command was not a good thing.
• Something like, CLEAN YOUR ROOM, but if you do not want to do that, you can be grounded for a week.
• Well, Joshua says in verse 14 that they need to worship God, BUT if you do not want to then you need to choose the old gods from the old life and culture or you need to worship the new gods in the new land you live in.
• Do you really think God delivered them to this point only to see them worship the false gods?
• DO you think God has saved you so that you could toss Him away until you need Him?
• The choice laid out here for Israel was a breathtaking one. The language about choice is not found elsewhere in the Old Testament. Normally, God was the one who did the choosing, having chosen Israel from among the nations to be his people. But now, Israel was being asked to choose its loyalties! (New American Commentary - New American Commentary – Volume 5: Joshua)
• When you choose to serve the gods of the culture of the past you are not better for it. All those gods or idols are worshipped at a price.
• I have seen people lose their families over the gods of sex or the gods of substance abuse.
• Well-meaning people have sacrificed their families for the idol of success.
• We think that if we ignore God and worship the things our culture offers that life will be easier.
• The reality is those idols steal your freedom, they steal your joy and they can steal your eternity if you let them get a tight grip on you.
• Joshua is pointing out as I stated earlier that we all worship gods.
• This is something to remember, God does not FORCE you to put Him first, but He longs for you to do so.
• God loves you He wants to bless you, but you have to decide you want His blessings.
• Joshua knew all too well the pain of disobedience, when the Israelites were led out of Egypt, they could have gone right into the Promised Land, but instead of just trusting God, they sent spies into the land of whom 10 scared the people while the 2 said God is bigger than any potential obstacle before them.
• The people did not have as first in their hearts, they worshipped security more than God and they paid the price for it.
• God will let you worship whomever or whatever you want, but there is a price that goes along with kicking God to the curb.
• Jesus shared an insight with us in Matthew 6:24
• SLIDE #7
• Matthew 6:24 (HCSB) “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.
• So Joshua shared the command, then he confronted the people with a choice, not we see him trying to challenge them.
• SLIDE #8
III. You are given a challenge to accept.
• At the end of verse 15, Joshua says…
• SLIDE #9
• …As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.”
• Joshua stands as a good example of a leader willing to move ahead of his people and commit himself, regardless of the people's inclinations. His bold example undoubtedly encouraged many to follow what he pledged to do, in their affirmations of vv. 16–18.
• Sometimes it takes a leader to inspire people to action.
• Joshua was willing to put his family up as an example, and he challenged to others to follow.
• A real leader does not bully, push, or cajole others to action, they lead, and they set the example.
• If you want your children or grandchildren to be a follower of Jesus, lead them do not push them; do not tell them to be what you are not willing to be.
• A great number committed to following the Lord.
• Joshua was a leader who the people respected and held in very high regard.
• Who will you lead? Who will you influence?
• I do not ask this question in a mean way, but rather as a challenge for you!
CONCLUSION
• If we are going to allow God to have His proper place in our lives, we must not succumb to the allure of the gods of this world.
• You most likely will not wake up wondering If you should worship Satan, but we will be confronted by all the others gods of this world, which by the way are sponsored by Satan.
• Chose whom this day you will serve, as for me and my house, we will worship the Lord.
• Who will join me today!
• If you are ready, the invitation is open to you! For those who are Christians will you stand with me as I strive to rid my life of the gods of this world?
• Can we do this together!
