As I look over this world that we live I, I see whereas our home is in trouble. Not only are they in trouble, but they are troubled, and if I could give you some Godly advice, then maybe we can say as Joshua said, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
Because what I have learned is that in these days we are dealing with some very chaotic situations. We have families fighting against each other. Husbands against wives, children against each other. Sisters against brother, fathers against sons. Aunties don’t like nephews, nieces don’t like cousins, in fact our homes have become dysfunctional. It appears, as though everybody is just mad with everyone.
Can I ask a question? What happen to the good times? I mean what has happen to the good old days? What happen to the days when families used to sit down and eat together, laugh together, cry together, and share the Word of God together?
I’ll tell you what happen, our prayer time has been replaced showtime, H.B.O. and cable, X Box 1, Play Station 4, Nintendo, Game Cube, NBA 2k, call of duty, Facebook and all kinds of social media, they have all replaced the spirituality in our lives.
Texting has taken the place of conversation; people don’t even talk to each other anymore. They could be sitting in the same room with each, and they would rather send a text than open their mouths to speak to one another. This is what has happened to the days of old.
What has happened to the days of old? I’ll tell you what happen. When we allowed them to take pray out our schools, that’s what happen. I’ll tell you what happen, when we allow them to take our rights to chastise our children. I’ll tell you what happened, when we stop attending bible class and pray meetings, and if you thinking I’m playing just check your local prayer meeting and look at the attendance. Because we are not taking the time to learn the Word of God anymore. These days we have to beg people to praise God, beg them to worship God, plead with them to stand on their feet, clap their hands, even though God has given them life and that more abundantly.
Can I tell you something? Can I tell you that everybody that’s talking about God ain’t serious about God, because there’s no way that you can say that you truly love and appreciate God and you can’t spent two days a week with him.
It’s amazing that we are using God’s air daily, we are consistently using his strength and we don’t communicate, commune or even talk to him in prayer any more.
Some of us are even intimidated, to deal with our own household, some of us are to scare to run the devil out of our home.
Let me prove it to you, I remember in the olden days when you stayed at momma and daddy house, during those days it wasn’t if you wanted to go to church on Sundays, but instead you better be ready before they were ready. And it wasn’t going to be any back talk either. But these days we are too timid to even talk them about church or God. The problem is if we are living our lives any kind way, if they hear us cussing and fussing around the house, if they hear us talking about people all day long, it would be hard to convince them that you serious about the God you serve.
Yes we have some dysfunctional family, but don’t think that this anything new, because throughout the history of the ancient script that we call the bible there were dysfunctional family.
Adam and Eve had a dysfunctional family because they couldn’t keep their business within the family.
Noah had a dysfunctional family, because he got drunk and his boys looked upon his nakedness and desired him.
Job had a dysfunctional family, his wife told him to cuss God and die.
Abraham had a dysfunctional family, because he had to many wives, and when you have to many relationships it
will cause confusion. And can I tell you when you have to many Gods it will also bring about confusion. And this is where we need to make our decisions.
So, as we look at the text the call to Israel was to make a decision for the LORD. Note the word "now" in verse 14: this indicates that the LORD's personal message to Israel had now ended and that Joshua himself was giving the exhortation to the Israelites. Up to this point, Joshua had been preaching the prophetic message of the LORD, but now he shared from his own heart. This is his final message to the people, the last opportunity he will ever have to extend an invitation, to call the people to make a decision for God. This is one of the most straightforward invitations ever given, one of the most clear-cut decisions ever present to a people.
So, the strong exhortation was straightforward. Joshua challenged the people to take immediate action, to get right with God. And New Galilean can I strongly suggest to you this morning that it is time for us to make sure that we are right with God.
So, two actions were necessary:
First all for the people to get right with God the people must learn to "fear" the LORD. We must know that God is not only the head of our lives, but he is our life. He was sharing with them in other to serve the true and living
God.
And the second thing was that the people must put away all false, gods and all false worship and they were to serve the only true LORD There was no neutral ground.
Notice that Joshua actually charged the people to put away false gods and false worship.
So, here in the text we see that Joshua had gotten to be an old man now; and he had seen a lot of things in his lifetime.
In his earlier years he spent time serving the great liberator named Moses, and in his latter years he spent, leading God’s people into battle into the Promise-Land.
In his years he has seen somethings; he seen the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea and he took a trip through the desert.
Yes, has he seen somethings in his life-time.
40 years he wandered through the wilderness
He saw God part the Jordan River
He saw the walls of Jericho come crumbling down
He also saw the punishment of Achan, the one that was executed for being disobedience after his sins
Joshua had seen a lot of things and he knew for his children
sake that a declaration needed to be made. So, now he is an old
man and he has lived a full life; he has been strong and
courageous as God has commanded him.
He has been scared from a hundred battles.
He has known the power and the presence of God in and on his life and now he recognizes that his death is near.
So, he gathers his family members together, and he summons the leaders togethers so that he can give his final address.
He says to them that I have been with you all a long time now, we have had some good time and we have seen some bad ones too, but now it's decision time.
He said some of you have been serving idol gods, and some of you have been serving wooden gods.
Some of you have been serving lamb, sheep and goats, and all kinds of gods, but now it’s decision time.
He said if it seem evil to serve Lord; choose ye this day whom you.
And church I know that you have seen a lot.
I know that you have been through. Lot.
Some of you have been hurt more time then you want to remember. But I’m here to tell you that it is time for you to take your eyes off of man, it’s time for you to stop worshipping idol gods and lean on the everlasting arm of Jesus Christ
In other words, it’s time to make a declaration on this day by saying for God I’ll live and for God I’ll die. Tell your neighbor, neighbor it’s decision time. It’s time to make a declaration for your house and say, come what may, tear me town if you wish it doesn’t matter, worship who you will, because as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
You’ve got to say to yourself, no longer will I be bound in my worship. No longer will my praise be hinder or silences. Tell them that you don’t know my story and all the things that I’ve been through.
I’ve got to praise him, I’ve got to worship him, and I’ve got to lift my hands in adoration.
And can I tell you before I leave that we’ve got to praise him in harmony, because when we praise God together we can:
Unite what satan has divided
Recover what sin has destroyed
Beautify what the world has tarnish
Smooth what the demons has tormented
Clarify what the people has confused
And heal what others has hurt
Just like Joshua said as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
Because when worship him:
The Father is Glorified
The Son is Magnified
The Holy Spirit is Gratified
The Bible is Ratified
The Church is Edified
The Soul of man is Satisfied
And the devil is horrified
So, come on and help me PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!
