Text: Joshua 24:14-28
Theme: Serve the Lord with the family
Introduction:
This is very wonderful passage which contains the farewell speech of great leader Joshua. Very few people prepare themselves as well as the house hold with the farewell speech. Something it is inauspicious to talk about death and end of the life on the earth. Many wouldn’t think of the reality of death and the
Serve the Lord with your family
Family is very basic unit in the humanity. God created Adam and Eve and put them together and called them “family”. Families are existing for companionship, safety and posterity. Family is the very basic everyone wants to be- lovely to see the families live together, love one another and worship God together. Serving the Lord is desirable or undesirable (v.15) Choose today.
(1) Serving with Fear of God:
Serving the Lord begins with Fear of God: O Israel fear God (Dt.10:12), Conclusion of the matter is fear God and keep his commandments (Eccl.12:13). Almighty God is the one whom you have to fear, you have to regard and you have to dread (Is.8:13).
The fear of God must be associated with your family prayer and reading of the WORD of God together. Satan subtle ways bring to give excuse: Children be excused because they have exams, elders be excused because they are sick. Husband be excused because he was very busy in the office, wife be excused because she is preparing dinner. All must sit together and read word together, sing together and pray together.
(2) Serving with Faithfulness and Holiness:
Serving the Lord is associated with sincerity, faithfulness. (v.14), and Serve the Lord with Holiness (v.19). The ease that come with blessings can be a subtle enemy of serving God in sincerity and truth.
(3) Serving with obedience
We find it very difficult to obey. In fact, the first and foremost sin was disobedience to the voice of the LORD -Adam and Eve (Gen.3:11). 19:26- Lot’s wife, Lev.10:1-Nadab and Abihu sons of Aaron for desiring the recognition by the crowd. Nu.20:11-Moses at Moriba. Josh.7:1- Ahan at Jericho. 1Sam.13:13-Saul disobeyed; Israelites of the wilderness known for disobedience. Kings and judges disobeyed. Spies sent by Moses disobeyed. Then prophet Jonah. 1:3. Zep. 3:2-City of Jerusalem means the People live in Jerusalem.
(4) Serving with Witnesses (v.25-28).
Many times, we are not giving importance to the witnesses. Witnessing strengthens your spiritual life. What you confess need to be remembered.
Commitments must not be lightly made and easily broken.
(5) Put away all Foreign Gods.
Put away, throw off, hate the evil.
Choose the way of truth and set your heart towards THE Good and not the BAD (I Ki. 3:9). Choose the better things (Lk.10:42). Moses chose to be mistreated than to enjoy with the pleasures of sin for a short time (Heb.11:25).
