"we...will Serve The Lord...he Is Our God"

“WE…WILL SERVE THE LORD…HE IS OUR GOD!” (Outline)

August 21, 2022 – Pentecost 11 – JOSHUA 24:2a, 14-18

INTRO: Our text presents the choice to serve the Lord or not. The most important choice for our eternal welfare the Lord God has made for us. By grace our loving, heavenly Father has chosen believers to be his children. The Lord wants all people to be saved. Some make the choice to reject the Lord. Thankfully the faith to believe is God’s choice. "He (God) did this (blessed us) when he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy and blameless in his sight" (EPHESIANS 1:4). Even before creation the Lord chose us. Knew us by name. Amazing grace! We are not holy and blameless. God chose his Son, Jesus, to make us holy and blameless by his blood. “WE…WILL SERVE THE LORD…HE IS OUR GOD!” I. Not serve past or present false gods. II. Serve the past, present, future Lord God.

I. WE WILL NOT SERVE PAST OR PRESENT FALSE GODS.

A. Verse 2a. Joshua spoke to all the people. All Israel gathered to hear the word of the LORD.

1. All people included: young, old, mothers, fathers, children, leaders, followers. All.

2. “This is what the LORD, the God Israel, has said.” The LORD was speaking through Joshua.

B. Verse 14. Love the LORD wholeheartedly, faithfully. Love with all heart, soul, and mind.

1. Get rid of the false gods your father worshiped in Egypt. Instead, serve the LORD.

2. God’s people, Israel, spent 400 years in Egypt. Picked up bad worship habits. Traditions.

C. Verse 15. Offered the choice between the LORD and past false gods from fathers in Egypt.

1. Another choice: There were false gods in the Promised Land where they were now living.

2. Worship these present false gods? Or worship previous, past false gods? Or the LORD?

D. It was difficult for the Israelites to give up the false gods of Egypt. They had become part of their culture. Bad worship traditions for many generations. Crossed Sea on dry ground. Egyptian army drowned. Moses with LORD 40 days. People make a golden calf to worship. The Apostle Paul confessed following bad traditions. “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my own people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (GALATIANS 1:4). Pursued Christians to arrest them. They were worshiping Jesus. Not following the traditions of the Pharisees. The Lutheran church started in Germany. In the United States the early Lutheran churches preached in German. Taught in German. That tradition was given up when the U.S. went to war with Hitler, Germany. The German language tradition was given up for English. A good thing.

E. Our society today is establishing false god traditions. Evil is called good: Good…evil. This wickedness seeps into our lives. Even creeps into church bodies. "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, which are in accord with human tradition, namely, the basic principles of the world, but not in accord with Christ” (COLOSSIANS 2:8). Worldly traditions do not agree with Christ. Following 911 a religious movement was promoted: CHRISLAM. This tries to combine Christianity and Islam. Mohammed is dead, in the grave. Christ is risen from dead, an empty tomb. These two religions do not agree at all. The alphabet soup of sexual confusion does not agree with what the truth of the Bible teaches. God created man and woman. Two genders. Sexes compatible with each other.

F. Present false gods also live in church bodies. Some demand that we can only worship on the Sabbath Day. They have determined the Sabbath Day to be Saturday. Creation does not name the days as we know them. Baptism is God’s word used with water to create a child of God out of sinners. Some demand immersion. Scripture simply, clearly states baptism is water with God’s word. It is meant for ALL nations. Yes, even infants. "These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching human rules as if they are doctrines" (MATTHEW 15:8, 9).

“WE…WILL SERVE THE LORD…HE IS OUR GOD!” Not serve past or present false gods.

II. SERVE THE PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE LORD GOD.

A. Verse 15b. “But as for me and my household—we will serve the LORD!” Joshua said this to all Israel.

1. Joshua gave the people of God a leadership example. Was serving the LORD already.

2. Joshua promised before God’s people his dedication to continue serving the LORD.

B. Verse 16. Who could disagree with that confession? “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD…”

1. Verse 17. The children of Israel recognized all that the LORD had done for them.