We’ve come to the end of the book of Joshua. Last two chapters and last words of Joshua. He spoke what is most important for the people – the safeguards for their relationship with God.
We are very concern with self-preservation. We uses all kinds of gadgets today to protect ourselves and our stuff.
• We have home alarms, fire alarms, car alarms. We use double locks on our doors and install hidden cameras.
• We guard our online sites with security tokens, passwords and PINs. We protect our possessions with locks and chains.
• We buy home insurance, fire insurance and travel insurance.
• We take extra efforts and pay extra money to make sure our physical lives and possessions are protected. This is fine and good.
But what about our souls? What about our spiritual well-being? Do we guard it with the same diligence and fervency?
• Do we pay attention to the safeguards of our soul? What am I talking about? Our relationship with God. Our spiritual well-being.
• If we care so much about the physical and the material, we ought to be equally concern about the spiritual.
Jesus shared a parable about a rich man (Luke 12:18-20) who builds bigger barns to store his extra grain and goods.
• It was a good plan. With plenty of stuff stored up for his retirement he says he can take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. (12:19).
• But he missed out on the spiritual, the most important part of life. God said, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.” (12:20).
• He died that night, without the chance to enjoy what he has prepared. He lost everything. Sad and pitiful.
• Jesus: “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (12:21)
Jesus says, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37).
• Have you been paying attention to your life with God, your walk with Jesus?
In the final chapters of the book of Joshua – 23 and 24 - we read of Joshua’s TWO farewell speeches. He was now old and well-advanced in years (23:1).
• Chapter 23 records his last words to the leaders – elders, leaders, judges and officials. Chapter 24 his last words to the people of Israel.
• As can be expected, these are very important words, coming from a dying man.
Joshua was concerned about their relationship with God. Can they remain faithful to God? Will they heed His commands? Will they continue to love and obey Him?
• What would you say to the next generation as you pass on? What did Joshua say?
1. REMEMBER HOW YOU GET HERE
In short, Israel has gotten to where they are BY THE GRACE OF GOD. Joshua started both farewell speeches the same way – recalling God’s faithfulness.
• He reminded them of God’s past deeds, how God had fought and driven out the nations for them. They did not achieve this on their own.
• Take a look at his speech to the nation (Josh 24:1-13) - Joshua listed out the acts of God towards them, beginning with Abraham’s call (beyond the river Euphrates) in verse 2 to the conquest of the land in verse 13.
• Making references to Isaac, Jacob and Esau; the deliverance from Egypt; the wilderness experience; Balaam’s forced blessing, and the victories over the nations. Verse 1-13 spans over 600 years.
Look at the emphasis on GOD (in first person) – this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says (24:2): I took, I led, I gave, I assigned, I sent, I brought, I destroyed, I delivered.
• The point is obvious – Israel got to where they are today BECAUSE of God.
• They were blessed by the gracious acts of God, and not by means of their own strength. 24:12 “You did not do it with your own sword and bow.”
• 24:13 – they did not toil, did not build, did not plant, but they are now enjoying everything.
Remember this. We did not get here by ourselves. We are where we are today BECAUSE of the grace of God. We are blessed by the kindness of God.
• Don’t boast about what we’ve achieved. Don’t boast about how good we are.
• “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord!” Paul says. (1 Cor 1:31, 2 Cor 10:17)
• We are saved by His grace, we are kept by His grace.
God has done everything He can to bless Israel. He initiated every step to bring Israel to where they are.
• Joshua wants his people to never forget that they owed it to God (they owed everything to God). Israel’s history was God’s story.
• It is easy for us to forget this. Over time, especially after some success, some achievements, we are prone to think of ourselves as having achieve it.
Such a thought is deadly. It pushes God out of our mind and our lives.
• When we take credit for ourselves, we rob God of His credit. That’s when we stray from Him.
• “A good memory of God’s blessings is a bulwark against backsliding.” Always remember how you get here! By God’s grace. You owe it all to Him.
Frankly there is nothing new in these words. The content and the phrases used are similar to what we have been reading in the earlier books (Deuteronomy).
• These are not new words and new ideas. They are old words and old truths that need repetition. The truths of God needs to be emphasized again and again.
• We need constant repetition, to protect and safeguard our soul.
• Remember what God has done in your life. Remember WHO brought you here.
2. GUARD WHAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED
Listen to what Joshua says:
• 23:6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.”
• 23:8 “But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.”
• 23:11-13 “So be very careful to love the Lord your God.” Even to love needs to be careful. 12 "But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the LORD your God has given you.
• 24:14-15 “Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness… Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”
Do you know that nothing is automatic? If you don’t guard your heart, it can stray? If you do not hold fast to your faith, it can waver?
Michael is taking good care of his health now. He is watching his diet and his medication very closely.
• He takes good care of himself because he treasures the gift he has received - the good kidney given by his sister.
• The best way to honour the giver is to treasure what you have received, and that means, for him, to be careful with what he eats.
TAKE CARE of your relationship with Jesus, our life with God. Treasure what God is given you.
• Staying in love with Jesus does not come naturally. Keeping faith with God will not happen automatically.
• For those who have backslidden, you know what I mean. For those who have lost your love for God and the joy in serving Him, you know what I am talking about.
I’ve heard many of such struggles. Christians come to church on Sundays and live like the rest of the world during the week. They lost the joy of serving the Lord. They say, “My Christian life is dull and dry.”
My response is this - we do not get to this point overnight. We don’t turn cold overnight. It is an accumulation of neglects over time. A little compromise here, a small disobedience there. Small dosages of neglect over time brings you down.
The remedy? Do the right thing, a small step at a time. Take small little steps in the right direction, and God will bring you to where He wants you to be.
We don’t turn cold suddenly, and we won’t get out of the mess overnight too. Begin each day by choosing to honour Him, spend time with Him, and read His Word, a little at a time, a step at a time.
Joshua says, CHOOSE for yourselves THIS DAY whom you will serve. Make that decision, and then follow it up with hundreds of small, little choices in the right direction. Every day you do it afresh. It’s the nitty-gritty choices you make every day that turns you into WHO you are today.
Joshua challenges the people to make a decision NOW – this day! When tomorrow comes, it will be still THIS DAY. Every day we choose to do the right thing.
• Frankly, I’m not too concerned about what decision you made 5 years ago (when you on fire for the Lord), if today you have lost your love for God.
• Decide now. Do the right thing. Heed God’s Word. Obey Him. Worship Him.
It’s a choice you have to make. No one can do it for you. It won’t happen by proxy. It won’t happen by chance.
• You are as blessed as you want it to be, but you have to make that choice yourself. It’s a personal decision. That choice is in your hand.
Joshua set them a good example. He modelled a life of faith in God, but he cannot decide for them.
• Why was he able to say on behalf of his family? He says, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (24:15)
• I believe he says it because he knows them well enough. As the head of the household, he taught them and knew their commitment to the same God he worshipped.
Faith cannot be inherited. We can only model it to the next generation.
• We set them a good example, we model the faith we have in God, we provide them the best environment for faith to grow, and then PRAY for God’s mercy and grace to come upon them.
THE SAFEGUARDS FOR YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE WITH GOD
1. Remember How You Get Here
2. Guard What You Have Received
