Let’s settle the issue
Joshua 24:15
Selected verses from Joshua
Prayer-
Introduction-
This morning if you would turn to the book of Joshua, we will take a look at the leader God raised up to lead the nation of Israel.
As you do that, think a moment about some of the decisions that you have had to make that were hard.
Being an adult is not all that it is cracked up to be at times.
We have to do things we don’t like
We have to make those hard decisions when it would be easier to just sit back and hope that it goes away by itself.
A lot of us have been in meetings where topics were discussed where differing opinions were shared, where decisions had to be made and as a group you had to move in unity even though all were not in agreement.
Someone has to be the leader and direct the group
Someone has to be the tie breaker
Someone has to be the voice of the group
Someone has to settle the issue.
Some of the problems today are because people who do not want to invest in leadership want to run the show.
Some people today want no responsibility but want to carry the voice of decision.
That is exactly where God placed Joshua. To be a good leader you have to make the tough calls and you have to make them based upon what you believe is right and that you will not be able to please everyone in the process.
This plays out in everyday life and it plays out in our relationship with God.
Joshua had tough decisions to make as a leader and he had issues in his life that he had to settle before he could direct the people God had placed under his authority.
Many cannot move forward in their lives because they have something or someone in our past that prevents it.
We spend more time looking back than looking forward.
We have not settled the important issues in our life including the most important, our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our text this morning is a short one, it is Joshua 24:15-but the context is found in all the scripture relating to Joshua.
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
The statement Joshua makes to the people of Israel is a matter of fact.
It is a statement of his faith.
There is not one word that would suggest that he has not settled the issue of who he and his family will serve as Lord.
His decision was made long before his declaration of faith, it was settled as a teen and lived out in his life.
Joshua 1:1-
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses aide; Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan river into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. “
He goes on to say (7) “Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”
That is why he had to be one of the two spies out of twelve sent that came back and had a good report of what he saw in the promised land.
He settled the issue with God that God was going to do what he said he would do and no matter what it looked like, he knew it would happen as he said.
That Is why Joshua the night before crossing the Jordan said to the people “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
That is why he was able to tell the people of Israel to build a memorial of stones so they would remember what the Lord had done.
It was why no matter what challenges were in front of Joshua, he was not going to let it affect his relationship with his God.
The text this morning is the testimony of an old man that has served God his whole life and was now ready to die and still has last words for the people of Israel.
Pastor Rodney Johnson puts it this way- “You see it is one thing to accept Christ as your personal savior and something else to walk in that decision. Accepting Him was the easy part, living the life is where we reflect back on the impact of the decision that was made. Some Christians accept Christ as their personal savior but live a “modified life” of acceptance depending on the situation.”
He called it a modified life-
To me…modified or lower than where God wants you looks like this
The modified life would be constantly (everyday) determining who you will serve.
The modified life would be you deciding everyday which direction you are headed.
The modified life would be to forget the goodness God has already done for you and let circumstance influence how you act in the future.
Joshua was now an old man, now reflecting on his journey and leading a nation that was about to lose their leader.
He had witnessed firsthand what God had done. He also witnessed the nation of Israel forget what God had done and was reminding them to return to the God of promise.
Joshua witnessed them wavering and stumbling in their faith.
He watched them change their minds regularly on who they were going to serve and what they believed.
He saw them doing it for years, and now close to death, he calls the elders of the nation and asks them the question he settled long ago-
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
Joshua drew his line in the sand so to speak, he will serve the Lord no matter what.
There are things he would do and there are things that he would not do. It did not depend on a bad day, or whether he felt like it or not.
It was based upon his believe and his faith that he had for his Lord.
There was no other God besides his God. (Settled)
James 1:6-8
“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
He settled the internal decisions
What I mean by that:
He did not get up every day and have to decide if he was going to serve God. That was settled in his mind before he got up out of the bed every day.
I believe if we would be praying before our feet hit the ground and seeking God before our day begins that we would not have to decide spiritually if we will serve God today.
His faith was not based on what he was going through
We do not know what a day holds ahead of us, but Joshua was not going to let the day or situation determine his love for God.
It was not based on what he had or did not have.
If your God is determined by what you have or don’t have, He becomes a situational God instead of an eternal God.
Job was right when he said that naked he came in this world and naked he would leave. He understood that everything he had came from God and that “God had the right” to give and God had the right to take as he saw fit.
It was not based upon how he felt at the moment.
Our emotions run wild at times, blinding us from truth, blinding us from reality, and blinding us with a lie that God has left us or forsaken us when the truth is that God is at work in our lives and He is bringing his blessing to completion if we would only get past emotions and see God for who He is, a loving and caring God who does not give up on us. It was settled.
He was going to serve God no matter what. If the God you serve is based upon your situations, you will be forced by your own emotions to decide if God is God or the situation in your life has taken him from his throne in your life.
He settled the internal and external fears
Deuteronomy 31:6-8 Joshua was commissioned to lead Israel
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” He settled it.
When you know that you are being faithful to God first, you can now go without fear because whatever you face, you are not facing alone.
There is truth to not messing with God’s anointed, they may not be perfect, but they are God’s chosen leaders.
You have nothing to fear if the Lord is in your corner.
If He is Lord of your life, if he does not take you out of it, He will see you through it.
Read Psalms 23:1-6
Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932 said that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I don’t know if he was a Christian or not but that is a Christian principal for those that put their faith and their life in the hands of Christ.
Even though Joshua was not perfect, He sought perfection. He feared the Lord.
Someone or a group of someone’s, a church, or an organization- someone has to stand on the values set forth from God and live it out in their lives.
The fear of failure keeps us from accomplishing anything of value.
The trying to please everyone causes us to do nothing.
The fear of standing up for ourselves and things that are right causes us to stay seated. Those that are satisfied with good enough miss God’s best and miss the opportunity to see God use them in the extra-ordinary way.
Good enough in our relationship with God means we take him along with us instead of him directing our lives.
Good enough means we don’t do what is right because we are scared instead of empowered by God.
Look at what that small handful of fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ did.
They evangelized the entire world in a single generation.
Studies have actually confirmed that just 2 percent of a population can change the culture of an entire nation.
This is why we don’t need a moral majority, but rather a committed minority who will live for Christ.
Today’s churches are filled with casual Christians, and while they say they’re following the Lord, in reality they’re following the world, or worshiping in ways not prescribed by God.
Closing,
(14) “Now fear the Lord and serve him with faithfulness.”
The fear he is talking here is not scared, beaten submission… it is reverence, it is respect, it is commitment. It is giving Him the honor of Him being on the throne of your life.
He continues… “throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River in Egypt, and serve the Lord.”
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
Time and time again Joshua is told “Be strong and courageous.”
Everyone needs encouragement.
Apostles, leaders, new and old Christians… need encouragement.
But settle today Lordship, Who is Lord of your life?
(Joshua 24:15 NKJV)
“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of 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.”
You cannot truly experience God’s full blessings until you settle that issue in your life.
Amen.
