1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,520 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,480 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,720 My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,480 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,680 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:16,080 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:17,560 Now, come along. 8 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,440 Let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today. 9 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:25,880 We're going to be in the Book of Joshua. 10 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,160 We're going to continue our study in the Book of Joshua. 11 00:00:28,860 --> 00:00:32,460 Our main text this evening is going to be in Joshua chapter 15. 12 00:00:33,100 --> 00:00:35,700 And if you guys are ready, we're going to do some traveling 13 00:00:35,700 --> 00:00:36,380 through scripture. 14 00:00:36,700 --> 00:00:37,180 All right. 15 00:00:37,180 --> 00:00:39,380 If it is God's will. 16 00:00:39,380 --> 00:00:42,060 And I got to be careful in promising you where we're going to 17 00:00:42,060 --> 00:00:45,980 go, but I think that we'll at least go from Joshua 15 all the way 18 00:00:45,980 --> 00:00:46,940 to Joshua 19. 19 00:00:47,420 --> 00:00:49,980 So some of you are going to question whether or not we can cover 20 00:00:49,980 --> 00:00:50,700 all that ground. 21 00:00:50,940 --> 00:00:53,860 Well, I can speak pretty fast, and if you listen fast, we'll get 22 00:00:53,860 --> 00:00:54,140 there. 23 00:00:54,460 --> 00:00:55,300 No, I'm just kidding. 24 00:00:55,300 --> 00:00:55,700 But we'll. 25 00:00:55,700 --> 00:00:56,060 We'll. 26 00:00:57,060 --> 00:01:01,700 What we're doing in Joshua is we're seeing in chapter 15 a culmination 27 00:01:02,500 --> 00:01:04,740 of God's promises to his people. 28 00:01:05,220 --> 00:01:08,820 You know, it's one thing when God makes his promises and he clearly 29 00:01:09,140 --> 00:01:14,580 states his promises to his people in the Old Testament, to Moses 30 00:01:14,580 --> 00:01:15,780 and to Joshua. 31 00:01:16,180 --> 00:01:19,140 And then we even know that in the New Testament, God makes his 32 00:01:19,140 --> 00:01:21,300 promises to his people, his children. 33 00:01:22,110 --> 00:01:25,070 And so it's one thing when God makes the promise, it's another thing 34 00:01:25,070 --> 00:01:28,590 when God fulfills his promise in our lives. 35 00:01:28,590 --> 00:01:31,790 And that's what we're seeing here in Joshua chapter 15. 36 00:01:32,350 --> 00:01:35,710 Really, from Joshua chapter 15 on, it's a. 37 00:01:35,710 --> 00:01:38,790 It's an account of all the lands that are. 38 00:01:38,790 --> 00:01:43,030 Are given as an inheritance to the people of these different tribes 39 00:01:43,030 --> 00:01:43,790 of Israel. 40 00:01:44,190 --> 00:01:47,270 But these promises were not just given to the people of Israel. 41 00:01:47,270 --> 00:01:49,090 They were given all the way back to. 42 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:50,040 To Moses. 43 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,280 They were given back at the time of Joshua when he began to lead 44 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:54,760 his people. 45 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:55,720 And so we're. 46 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:56,680 We're going to turn back. 47 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:58,520 Keep your finger in Joshua chapter 15. 48 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,320 And I want you to turn back to Joshua chapter one, because that's 49 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:03,320 where it's all started in this study. 50 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,760 And if you remember in context, what was happening in Joshua 51 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,560 Chapter one was that Moses dies. 52 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:14,520 He passes off the scene, and now Israel has a new leader in Joshua. 53 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,990 And there's a lot of fear, possibly in the life of Joshua. 54 00:02:18,070 --> 00:02:21,430 We know that through God reminding him not to have fear. 55 00:02:21,750 --> 00:02:26,710 But in the midst of God, Giving Joshua the encouragement. 56 00:02:26,870 --> 00:02:28,670 He gives Joshua some promises. 57 00:02:28,670 --> 00:02:30,710 He gives Joshua promises. 58 00:02:30,710 --> 00:02:33,270 He gives Joshua the promise of provision. 59 00:02:33,510 --> 00:02:35,830 He gives Joshua the promise of his power. 60 00:02:36,150 --> 00:02:39,670 And he gives ultimately Joshua the promise of his presence. 61 00:02:40,070 --> 00:02:42,510 And it says in verse 1 of Joshua 1. 62 00:02:42,510 --> 00:02:45,800 Now, after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came 63 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,200 to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses's 64 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,040 minister, saying, moses my servant is dead. 65 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,680 Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people 66 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,640 unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of 67 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:01,159 Israel. 68 00:03:01,159 --> 00:03:03,920 So God speaks to Joshua and says this. 69 00:03:03,920 --> 00:03:06,280 It's time for you to take leadership. 70 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:11,160 It's time for you to take the people across Jordan and get the 71 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:13,160 land that I have promised you. 72 00:03:13,990 --> 00:03:17,230 But then we see in verse 3 says, Every place that the soul of 73 00:03:17,230 --> 00:03:20,470 your foot shall tread upon, that I have given unto you, as I 74 00:03:20,470 --> 00:03:21,470 said unto Moses. 75 00:03:21,470 --> 00:03:23,510 And so, essentially what he's saying is this. 76 00:03:23,510 --> 00:03:27,510 The same promise that I gave to Moses is the same promise that 77 00:03:27,510 --> 00:03:28,390 I'm giving to you. 78 00:03:28,790 --> 00:03:31,910 And the promise is this, that you are going to inherit this land. 79 00:03:31,910 --> 00:03:32,990 This land is yours. 80 00:03:32,990 --> 00:03:35,190 And therefore I've already given you the victory. 81 00:03:35,190 --> 00:03:37,390 The promise of victory is here, verse 4. 82 00:03:37,390 --> 00:03:40,540 From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, 83 00:03:40,540 --> 00:03:43,580 the river Euphrates, and all the Hittites, all the land of the 84 00:03:43,580 --> 00:03:46,060 Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the 85 00:03:46,060 --> 00:03:47,260 sun shall be your coast. 86 00:03:47,900 --> 00:03:51,140 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the 87 00:03:51,140 --> 00:03:51,980 days of thy life. 88 00:03:52,540 --> 00:03:56,340 And so in Joshua, chapter 1, verse 5, God promises Joshua that, 89 00:03:56,340 --> 00:03:58,460 hey, no one could stand against you when I'm with you. 90 00:03:58,700 --> 00:04:02,700 He says, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. 91 00:04:02,780 --> 00:04:05,100 I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. 92 00:04:05,900 --> 00:04:06,820 What an amazing verse. 93 00:04:06,820 --> 00:04:10,900 Verse 5 is specifically for the promise that God gives Joshua. 94 00:04:10,900 --> 00:04:14,660 He says, joshua, just as I was with Moses, and it was evident to 95 00:04:14,660 --> 00:04:18,020 everyone that God was with Moses, I will also be with you. 96 00:04:18,020 --> 00:04:18,820 And what does he say? 97 00:04:18,820 --> 00:04:22,220 He says, not only will I be with you, but he says, I will not 98 00:04:22,220 --> 00:04:23,980 fail thee, nor forsake thee. 99 00:04:24,380 --> 00:04:27,180 We even talked this morning about times in our life where we're 100 00:04:27,180 --> 00:04:29,580 tempted to think that maybe God has forgotten about us. 101 00:04:29,820 --> 00:04:31,620 Maybe God has pulled his hand off of us. 102 00:04:31,620 --> 00:04:33,660 But the promise to Joshua is this. 103 00:04:33,950 --> 00:04:36,470 Just as I've always been with you and your people, I will continue 104 00:04:36,470 --> 00:04:37,310 to be with you. 105 00:04:37,470 --> 00:04:39,990 And then he says in verse six, be strong and of a good courage. 106 00:04:39,990 --> 00:04:43,310 For unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance. 107 00:04:43,310 --> 00:04:45,750 The land which I swear unto their fathers to give them. 108 00:04:45,750 --> 00:04:47,150 So verse six is really this. 109 00:04:47,230 --> 00:04:49,230 He says, joshua, you have a purpose. 110 00:04:49,870 --> 00:04:54,390 So they there's a promise of his power, his presence, his provision. 111 00:04:54,390 --> 00:04:56,950 But he says, joshua, there's a promise of your purpose, and your 112 00:04:56,950 --> 00:05:01,670 purpose is this two, he says, divide for an inheritance the land 113 00:05:01,670 --> 00:05:03,590 which I swear unto their fathers to give them. 114 00:05:03,910 --> 00:05:07,590 So he says, joshua, I'm going to work through you to be a part 115 00:05:07,590 --> 00:05:10,990 of this process in which these people will get the inheritance that 116 00:05:10,990 --> 00:05:11,830 I promised them. 117 00:05:12,150 --> 00:05:15,350 And then of course, we see those passages that we've mentioned 118 00:05:15,350 --> 00:05:19,990 so many times is verse 7, 8, and 9 only be thou strong and very 119 00:05:19,990 --> 00:05:22,670 courageous that thou mayest observe to do according to all the 120 00:05:22,670 --> 00:05:24,790 law which Moses my servant commanded thee. 121 00:05:24,790 --> 00:05:25,690 Turn not from. 122 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,280 From it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper 123 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:30,440 whether so ever thou goest. 124 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:31,120 He says, hey, we. 125 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:32,400 We want you to be. 126 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:34,720 I want you to be as. 127 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:36,440 As God in your life. 128 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:38,280 I want you to stay on the right path. 129 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:39,480 We want you to be obedient. 130 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:41,080 We want you to be a focus. 131 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:42,040 And he says, Verse 8. 132 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,920 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou 133 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,400 shalt meditate there in day and night, that thou mayest observe 134 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:49,360 to do according to all that is written therein. 135 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,180 For then thou shalt make that way prosperous, and and then thou 136 00:05:52,180 --> 00:05:52,980 shall have good success. 137 00:05:52,980 --> 00:05:55,340 So the success does not come from their own strength. 138 00:05:55,420 --> 00:05:57,980 The success comes from following the word and the will of 139 00:05:57,980 --> 00:05:58,300 God. 140 00:05:58,300 --> 00:06:00,380 And then he reminds them, have I not commanded thee? 141 00:06:00,380 --> 00:06:01,740 Be strong and of a good courage. 142 00:06:01,900 --> 00:06:04,460 Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is 143 00:06:04,460 --> 00:06:05,900 with thee withers whoever thou goes. 144 00:06:05,900 --> 00:06:09,100 And so at the end of verse nine, he's reminded of the presence 145 00:06:09,420 --> 00:06:10,140 of God. 146 00:06:10,300 --> 00:06:12,980 And that's a powerful thing to know, that God is with us in the 147 00:06:12,980 --> 00:06:14,300 midst of our battles. 148 00:06:14,300 --> 00:06:18,540 And we've seen now through 14 chapters, the ups and downs of battle, 149 00:06:18,910 --> 00:06:22,310 that God was there with them in the midst of their successes. 150 00:06:22,310 --> 00:06:25,670 And that when they turned away from God, he, even though he allowed 151 00:06:25,670 --> 00:06:26,750 them to fall into some. 152 00:06:26,990 --> 00:06:30,470 Some situations of pain and suffering, he ultimately restores 153 00:06:30,470 --> 00:06:30,750 them. 154 00:06:30,990 --> 00:06:33,910 And really what we're seeing throughout the rest of the book of 155 00:06:33,910 --> 00:06:37,910 Joshua is that God keeps his word by giving them these places 156 00:06:37,910 --> 00:06:39,070 of their inheritance. 157 00:06:39,070 --> 00:06:43,310 And so let's go to Joshua chapter 15 with those promises in 158 00:06:43,310 --> 00:06:43,630 mind. 159 00:06:44,030 --> 00:06:46,350 And last week we looked at Caleb's request. 160 00:06:46,350 --> 00:06:47,230 Remember Caleb? 161 00:06:47,420 --> 00:06:50,180 He was that one faithful one that we saw back in the book of Numbers. 162 00:06:50,180 --> 00:06:51,660 That was one of the faithful spies. 163 00:06:51,820 --> 00:06:55,140 He went and he had faith that God would keep his word and that 164 00:06:55,140 --> 00:06:56,300 God would give them the victory. 165 00:06:56,300 --> 00:07:00,380 But the other 10 spies outside of Caleb and Joshua did not have 166 00:07:00,380 --> 00:07:03,180 faith and they were fearful and they did not go in. 167 00:07:03,180 --> 00:07:06,860 And there was a, a, a curse against them that none of those people 168 00:07:06,860 --> 00:07:10,020 could go into the promised land other than Joshua and Caleb. 169 00:07:10,020 --> 00:07:12,500 And now Caleb is calling back to those promises. 170 00:07:12,500 --> 00:07:16,880 And he asked Joshua to remember the, the promise that God 171 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:17,520 had given him. 172 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:18,520 And ultimately he does. 173 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,520 And we're going to see in Joshua 15 that coming to pass. 174 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:25,920 And so in Joshua, chapter 15, really, verses 1 through 12 tell 175 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,920 us the inheritance of the land of the tribe of Judah. 176 00:07:28,999 --> 00:07:31,800 And the tribe of Judah is certainly significant because of 177 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:34,600 the fact that in many different reasons it's significant. 178 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,840 But the greatest reason I believe is that, you know, the Messiah, 179 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,330 Jesus Christ come comes from the line of Judah. 180 00:07:40,650 --> 00:07:44,570 And so verses 1 through 12 are, are going to talk about all 181 00:07:44,570 --> 00:07:47,050 the land that Judah will inherit. 182 00:07:48,090 --> 00:07:50,090 Now, we're not going to go through all of that. 183 00:07:50,090 --> 00:07:52,890 If you want to go back and read all the different delineating 184 00:07:52,890 --> 00:07:56,050 lines of all the lands there, you can certainly do that in your 185 00:07:56,050 --> 00:07:56,650 own time. 186 00:07:57,050 --> 00:07:59,930 But we do know that Caleb was of the tribe of Judah. 187 00:07:59,930 --> 00:08:03,650 And So in verse 13, we see that specific inheritance given to 188 00:08:03,650 --> 00:08:04,130 Caleb. 189 00:08:04,130 --> 00:08:07,040 And I think that it's important for us to note that, that 190 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:10,240 the, the promise that God had given Caleb all the way back in the 191 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,320 Book of Numbers, and the promise that was requested through 192 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:16,600 Caleb in Joshua 14 culminates in verse 13. 193 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:20,720 Here it says, and unto Caleb, the son of Jephuna, he gave a part 194 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,280 among the children of Judah according to the commandment of the 195 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:25,280 Lord to Joshua. 196 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:30,200 Even the city of Arba, the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. 197 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:35,020 And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak and, and Sheshai, 198 00:08:35,020 --> 00:08:38,140 and him on, and Talmai, and the children of Anak. 199 00:08:38,380 --> 00:08:39,860 Now, if you remember, what did Caleb do? 200 00:08:39,860 --> 00:08:42,540 Caleb says, lord, give me an opportunity. 201 00:08:42,620 --> 00:08:43,420 I'm an old man. 202 00:08:43,420 --> 00:08:47,260 I'm 85 years old, but I'm still as energized as I was 40 some 203 00:08:47,260 --> 00:08:47,820 years ago. 204 00:08:47,900 --> 00:08:50,900 Give me the opportunity to go and possess these lands that you 205 00:08:50,900 --> 00:08:51,740 have promised me. 206 00:08:51,740 --> 00:08:54,060 And so Caleb wasn't looking for a handout. 207 00:08:54,140 --> 00:08:55,740 He wanted to work for God. 208 00:08:55,740 --> 00:08:58,300 He wanted to obtain the land that God had promised him. 209 00:08:58,460 --> 00:09:02,170 So we see Here in Joshua 15 the culmination of that. 210 00:09:02,170 --> 00:09:05,610 Caleb actually goes into that land that was promised to him. 211 00:09:05,690 --> 00:09:08,130 And remember, that was the land that he spied on all the way 212 00:09:08,130 --> 00:09:11,090 back in the book of numbers the land that he set eyes upon and 213 00:09:11,090 --> 00:09:12,650 said, the Lord can give me this land. 214 00:09:12,730 --> 00:09:16,450 He believed in faith, and God gave him the victory here in this 215 00:09:16,450 --> 00:09:16,929 passage. 216 00:09:16,929 --> 00:09:19,970 And so we see that he goes and he fights against the children of 217 00:09:19,970 --> 00:09:20,490 Anak. 218 00:09:20,570 --> 00:09:23,730 And that shows that he had faith that God would provide for 219 00:09:23,730 --> 00:09:24,010 him. 220 00:09:24,170 --> 00:09:25,690 But that faith led to action. 221 00:09:26,170 --> 00:09:28,490 That faith led to him moving and taking that land. 222 00:09:28,490 --> 00:09:29,090 So verse 15. 223 00:09:29,090 --> 00:09:31,880 And he went up fence to the inhabitants of Debir. 224 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:35,320 And the name of Deer before was Kjath Sephra. 225 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:39,440 And Caleb said, he that smiteth Kjath Se and taketh it to 226 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:41,760 him, will I give Achash my daughter to wife. 227 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,480 And so he says, hey, he gives this incentive for someone to go 228 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:45,320 take out this land. 229 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:48,840 And he says, you know, I will give whoever wins this battle to 230 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:51,160 have the opportunity to marry my daughter. 231 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:52,360 And verse 17. 232 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:56,510 And oel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it, and he 233 00:09:56,510 --> 00:09:58,470 gave him a cash, his daughter to wife. 234 00:09:58,470 --> 00:10:01,790 And it came to pass as she came unto him, that she moved him, 235 00:10:01,790 --> 00:10:04,550 asked him her father a field, and she lighted off her ass. 236 00:10:04,630 --> 00:10:07,190 And Caleb sent unto her, what would us? 237 00:10:07,190 --> 00:10:10,550 Thou who answered, give me a blessing, for thou has given me a 238 00:10:10,550 --> 00:10:12,630 southland, give me also springs of water. 239 00:10:12,630 --> 00:10:15,470 And he gave her the upper springs and the nether springs. 240 00:10:15,470 --> 00:10:18,990 And so essentially what we see in this passage of scripture is that 241 00:10:18,990 --> 00:10:22,910 Caleb goes and then he fights for the kingdom of God. 242 00:10:22,910 --> 00:10:24,870 And he fights and he gets that land. 243 00:10:24,870 --> 00:10:29,030 And then we also see that even as Caleb daughter imitated her father's 244 00:10:29,030 --> 00:10:33,230 boldness, we see that she asked for a blessing, and obviously 245 00:10:33,230 --> 00:10:34,150 she's blessed in that. 246 00:10:34,150 --> 00:10:38,070 So we see that Caleb's family is a family that desires to seek 247 00:10:38,070 --> 00:10:41,350 the blessings of God, that desires to see the culmination of 248 00:10:41,350 --> 00:10:43,110 God's promises in their life. 249 00:10:43,110 --> 00:10:45,830 And so that's really the ending story for Caleb there. 250 00:10:45,830 --> 00:10:49,950 And then we see verse 20 all the way through verse 62 to the end 251 00:10:49,950 --> 00:10:54,870 of the chapter is essentially all of the lands that are all the 252 00:10:54,870 --> 00:10:56,990 cities that are given to the tribe of Judah. 253 00:10:57,220 --> 00:10:58,260 And that's an interesting read. 254 00:10:58,260 --> 00:11:02,300 At some point in time, if you like geography specifically, you 255 00:11:02,300 --> 00:11:05,900 know, ancient Middle Eastern geography, then you're able to look 256 00:11:05,900 --> 00:11:06,260 through that. 257 00:11:06,260 --> 00:11:06,860 And that's a. 258 00:11:06,860 --> 00:11:09,780 That's a good time to maybe another time to study. 259 00:11:10,020 --> 00:11:14,700 But verse 63, I think is important for us to note, and I find 260 00:11:14,700 --> 00:11:18,820 this super interesting for future implications, is that there 261 00:11:18,820 --> 00:11:23,020 is an incomplete occupation because there is one city that is 262 00:11:23,020 --> 00:11:27,000 still inhabited by the Jebusites, and that that would not 263 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:28,360 be the people of Israel. 264 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,880 It says in verse 63, as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of 265 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,640 Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out. 266 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,720 But the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem 267 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:40,840 unto this day. 268 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:42,640 Now, that doesn't mean until today. 269 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:44,680 That means until the time that this was written. 270 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,480 But what we see is that what we can understand through this is 271 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:52,480 that Jerusalem was a hard city to conquer because of the geography 272 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:52,760 there. 273 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:53,840 It's up on a hill. 274 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:57,070 And the fact that it's up on a hill made it easier for the people 275 00:11:57,070 --> 00:12:00,790 to defend and harder for the people to attack and to conquer. 276 00:12:01,030 --> 00:12:05,670 And so no matter how hard the struggle is for the people of Israel, 277 00:12:06,070 --> 00:12:08,110 God eventually gives them that victory. 278 00:12:08,110 --> 00:12:12,310 We know that later on that God allowed for the victory to come and 279 00:12:12,310 --> 00:12:16,390 that the people of Israel do obtain the land of Jerusalem. 280 00:12:16,390 --> 00:12:18,430 And ultimately that's where the temple is built. 281 00:12:18,430 --> 00:12:22,230 That's ultimately where all of the stories that you know about early 282 00:12:22,230 --> 00:12:26,310 on in the New Testament with Jesus there, we know that it revolves 283 00:12:26,310 --> 00:12:27,470 all around Jerusalem. 284 00:12:27,470 --> 00:12:30,330 And so ultimately, Jerusalem plays a huge part in the history 285 00:12:30,330 --> 00:12:31,490 of the people of Israel. 286 00:12:31,730 --> 00:12:33,730 And so that's impactful. 287 00:12:33,730 --> 00:12:37,290 Then we get to chapter 16, and we see the inheritance of the tribe 288 00:12:37,290 --> 00:12:41,370 of Joseph, and that's split into the inheritance of Ephraim and 289 00:12:41,370 --> 00:12:43,090 the inheritance of Manasseh. 290 00:12:43,730 --> 00:12:48,970 Joshua 16, 1, 4, tell us the borders of the sons of Joseph. 291 00:12:48,970 --> 00:12:51,410 And you have Ephraim, which is the half tribe. 292 00:12:51,410 --> 00:12:53,090 And I know a lot of this is historical. 293 00:12:53,090 --> 00:12:55,740 And so we're going to trudge through a little bit of this to eventually 294 00:12:55,740 --> 00:12:57,540 get to some more of the lessons. 295 00:12:57,540 --> 00:13:01,260 And then we see verses 5 through 10 talking about the borders 296 00:13:01,260 --> 00:13:02,060 of Ephraim. 297 00:13:02,220 --> 00:13:04,460 And then we get to chapter 17. 298 00:13:04,460 --> 00:13:06,540 That's the inheritance of Manasseh. 299 00:13:06,860 --> 00:13:07,220 And. 300 00:13:07,220 --> 00:13:09,260 And I know that many of you know the. 301 00:13:09,420 --> 00:13:12,860 The dynamic of that Joseph, the tribe of Joseph was split into 302 00:13:12,860 --> 00:13:13,140 two. 303 00:13:13,140 --> 00:13:16,660 And so there's the tribe of Manasseh, and he was the firstborn 304 00:13:16,660 --> 00:13:17,340 of Joseph. 305 00:13:17,340 --> 00:13:19,860 And so there's that distribution of the land among the 306 00:13:19,860 --> 00:13:22,140 remaining families of the tribe of Manasseh. 307 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:24,640 And then we see some more particular inheritances. 308 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:28,840 In verses 3 through 6, we see some individual inheritances for 309 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:29,760 specific people. 310 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:31,440 And then we get to 7 through 13. 311 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:32,160 That's the. 312 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,800 The western side, the western half of the tribe and their occupation. 313 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,720 And we get down to Joseph's lot being enlarged all the way through 314 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:41,120 the end of chapter 17. 315 00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:46,680 And then we get to chapter 18, which we're going to spend a little 316 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:47,440 bit more time on. 317 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:51,340 But what I do want us to see is that in verse 14 and verse 14 318 00:13:51,340 --> 00:13:56,140 of Joshua, chapter 17, we see some individuals that are not satisfied 319 00:13:56,140 --> 00:13:57,460 with what's given to them. 320 00:13:57,780 --> 00:14:00,780 So Caleb was satisfied with the land that was given to him, and 321 00:14:00,780 --> 00:14:03,140 he actually went and worked for the land that was given to him. 322 00:14:03,380 --> 00:14:06,860 But we see it in Joshua, chapter 17, verse 14. 323 00:14:06,860 --> 00:14:10,620 And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, why hast 324 00:14:10,620 --> 00:14:14,820 thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit? 325 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,480 See, and I am a great people for as much as the Lord hath blessed 326 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:19,720 me hitherto. 327 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:23,520 So there's a question here, and the question stems out of a heart 328 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:23,880 of. 329 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,400 Really, what we would say is it's not out of a heart of gratitude. 330 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,320 It's out of a heart of covetousness. 331 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:29,960 Meaning this. 332 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:30,920 We want more land. 333 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,240 Why have you given us only one lot of land? 334 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:36,600 We're a large group, and there's a lot of people here. 335 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,200 And so they complain about what had been given to them. 336 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:40,520 And they say it's not adequate enough. 337 00:14:41,350 --> 00:14:42,270 And they. 338 00:14:42,270 --> 00:14:44,550 They talk about how great they are. 339 00:14:44,550 --> 00:14:44,790 They. 340 00:14:44,790 --> 00:14:46,390 They say, we're great people. 341 00:14:46,390 --> 00:14:47,430 We have a lot of people. 342 00:14:47,430 --> 00:14:48,710 We have a lot of resources. 343 00:14:48,870 --> 00:14:51,910 Why have you not given us the land that we think we deserve? 344 00:14:52,310 --> 00:14:52,630 And. 345 00:14:52,630 --> 00:14:55,630 And this is how sometimes we are when it comes to the blessings 346 00:14:55,630 --> 00:14:56,190 of the Lord. 347 00:14:56,190 --> 00:14:57,910 God gives us plenty of blessings. 348 00:14:57,910 --> 00:15:00,590 But then we look at a situation and we say, lord, but why 349 00:15:00,590 --> 00:15:01,510 didn't you give us more? 350 00:15:01,990 --> 00:15:03,190 I think I deserve more. 351 00:15:03,190 --> 00:15:05,870 Or why did you give those people more than what you've given 352 00:15:05,870 --> 00:15:06,230 me? 353 00:15:06,610 --> 00:15:10,210 And oftentimes we can get to a place in our life where we're dissatisfied. 354 00:15:10,370 --> 00:15:13,570 And that dissatisfaction can lead us to a place of bitterness. 355 00:15:13,650 --> 00:15:16,570 And that place of bitterness can lead us to a place that really 356 00:15:16,570 --> 00:15:19,730 becomes a wedge between our relationship with God. 357 00:15:19,970 --> 00:15:22,290 And so we see these people here in verse 14. 358 00:15:22,530 --> 00:15:23,570 They complain. 359 00:15:23,570 --> 00:15:26,610 The tribe of Joseph, the children of Joseph, they complain 360 00:15:26,610 --> 00:15:27,490 to Joshua. 361 00:15:27,890 --> 00:15:30,290 And Joshua's reply here is. 362 00:15:30,290 --> 00:15:34,010 Is, I think, a wise reply as a leader, because he could have said 363 00:15:34,010 --> 00:15:34,610 a lot of things. 364 00:15:34,930 --> 00:15:37,650 But he says in verse 14, and Joshua answered them and said, if 365 00:15:37,650 --> 00:15:38,730 thou be a great people. 366 00:15:38,730 --> 00:15:41,170 So he basically calls them out for what they say. 367 00:15:41,170 --> 00:15:43,090 He says, if you're such a great people. 368 00:15:44,530 --> 00:15:49,450 And obviously he knows that they do have a lot of people, and 369 00:15:49,450 --> 00:15:51,250 he knows what their potential is. 370 00:15:51,410 --> 00:15:54,730 He says, if you are such a great people, then get the up to 371 00:15:54,730 --> 00:15:58,530 the wood country and cut down for thyself there in the land of 372 00:15:58,530 --> 00:15:59,600 the parasites which. 373 00:15:59,670 --> 00:16:00,590 And of the giants. 374 00:16:00,590 --> 00:16:02,830 If Mount Ephraim be too narrow for Thee. 375 00:16:02,830 --> 00:16:06,230 So, meaning this, if you're not satisfied with what God has blessed 376 00:16:06,230 --> 00:16:09,270 you, utilize all the land that's given to you. 377 00:16:10,070 --> 00:16:12,470 And so what essentially we see here is this. 378 00:16:12,950 --> 00:16:17,950 He says, there is land for you to fully occupy that the Lord has 379 00:16:17,950 --> 00:16:18,590 given to you. 380 00:16:18,590 --> 00:16:21,390 But you haven't taken the opportunity to go up to the mountain 381 00:16:21,390 --> 00:16:24,990 country, go up to the area that's not convenient for you, and 382 00:16:24,990 --> 00:16:25,950 take that territory. 383 00:16:25,950 --> 00:16:27,630 You want to take something as a handout. 384 00:16:27,630 --> 00:16:30,170 You want to have just something given to you without any 385 00:16:30,170 --> 00:16:30,650 effort. 386 00:16:30,650 --> 00:16:33,690 And he says Here in verse 15, you have an opportunity. 387 00:16:33,690 --> 00:16:37,610 You have the land up in the parasites in Land of the Giants. 388 00:16:37,690 --> 00:16:38,810 He says, if the. 389 00:16:39,050 --> 00:16:42,090 The Mount Ephraim is too narrow for the or too small for thee, 390 00:16:42,090 --> 00:16:44,410 go obtain what has already been promised to you. 391 00:16:44,890 --> 00:16:49,890 And I look at these people here in Joshua chapter 17, and I 392 00:16:49,890 --> 00:16:52,970 look at them in contrast to the people that we see In Joshua 393 00:16:52,970 --> 00:16:55,920 chapter 14, Joshua, chapter 14 was Caleb. 394 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:59,560 Joshua chapter 14 was Caleb saying, lord, give me an opportunity. 395 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:00,480 Give me a chance. 396 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:02,800 I'll take everything that I possibly can. 397 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,240 I will go, and I will use all the resources that you give me. 398 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,760 And so these people in Joshua 17 are not like that. 399 00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:12,560 These people in Joshua 17 want the easy way. 400 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:13,840 They want the. 401 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:15,840 The land that was just given to them. 402 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:19,240 And they did not want to take God's promises and move forward with 403 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:19,520 them. 404 00:17:19,889 --> 00:17:22,049 And so the principle is really this. 405 00:17:22,289 --> 00:17:26,009 The principle applies to us today in the fact that God has given 406 00:17:26,009 --> 00:17:30,009 us so much and many of us aren't utilizing the blessings that 407 00:17:30,009 --> 00:17:33,089 God has given us, an inheritance of the spiritual riches 408 00:17:33,169 --> 00:17:34,849 that we read about in the New Testament. 409 00:17:34,849 --> 00:17:37,489 And then we complain that God hasn't given us opportunities. 410 00:17:37,649 --> 00:17:40,569 We complain that God hasn't blessed us, but we're not willing 411 00:17:40,569 --> 00:17:44,449 to put to the test the work that God has called us to do. 412 00:17:44,689 --> 00:17:48,570 And so essentially what we see is that ultimately God had given 413 00:17:48,570 --> 00:17:50,930 them enough land, but they weren't willing to take that step. 414 00:17:50,930 --> 00:17:53,090 They weren't willing to go in verse 16. 415 00:17:53,090 --> 00:17:55,570 And the children of Joseph said, the hill is not enough for 416 00:17:55,570 --> 00:17:55,890 us. 417 00:17:55,970 --> 00:17:58,890 And all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have 418 00:17:58,890 --> 00:18:02,689 chariots of iron, both they who are of best sheen and her towns, 419 00:18:02,689 --> 00:18:04,930 and they who are the valley of Jezreel. 420 00:18:05,090 --> 00:18:07,010 So they basically give an excuse. 421 00:18:07,010 --> 00:18:09,610 They say, well, we can't go there, that. 422 00:18:09,610 --> 00:18:10,090 That even. 423 00:18:10,090 --> 00:18:12,210 That what you're promising us is not enough. 424 00:18:12,740 --> 00:18:14,980 And therefore there's other people. 425 00:18:15,300 --> 00:18:16,380 There's people there already. 426 00:18:16,380 --> 00:18:17,940 And they have chariots of iron. 427 00:18:18,180 --> 00:18:20,940 They have all these different weapons, and we can't fight against 428 00:18:20,940 --> 00:18:21,300 them. 429 00:18:21,460 --> 00:18:22,140 Verse 17. 430 00:18:22,140 --> 00:18:24,620 And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim 431 00:18:24,620 --> 00:18:27,620 and Manasseh, saying, thou art a great people and has great power. 432 00:18:27,780 --> 00:18:29,620 Thou shalt not have one lot only. 433 00:18:29,860 --> 00:18:32,740 But the mountain shall be thine, for it is a wood, and thou 434 00:18:32,740 --> 00:18:33,420 shalt cut it down. 435 00:18:33,420 --> 00:18:36,140 And the outgoings of it shall be thine, for thou shalt drive out 436 00:18:36,140 --> 00:18:39,100 the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and though they 437 00:18:39,100 --> 00:18:39,460 be strong. 438 00:18:39,460 --> 00:18:40,740 So Joshua tells them this. 439 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:41,560 Push forward. 440 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:44,680 He says, hey, you need to follow God. 441 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:46,480 You need to trust in the promises of God. 442 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,320 You need to go get that land that God has blessed you with. 443 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,680 And I think that for us, the spiritual lesson is that many of 444 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:56,120 us are sitting with a sense of discontentment in our life, but we're 445 00:18:56,120 --> 00:18:58,800 not tapping into all the resources that God has blessed us 446 00:18:58,800 --> 00:18:59,080 with. 447 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:01,240 We're not studying the word of God. 448 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:03,640 We're not going and appealing to God with prayer. 449 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:06,910 We're not getting ourselves involved with what God has allowed 450 00:19:06,910 --> 00:19:08,670 us to get involved with, with elements of church. 451 00:19:08,670 --> 00:19:11,350 And then we look and then we see what other people have, and we 452 00:19:11,350 --> 00:19:14,270 say, well, I want what they have, but I'm not willing to follow 453 00:19:14,270 --> 00:19:16,870 all the things that God has given me to do within my life. 454 00:19:16,870 --> 00:19:20,830 And so Joshua, chapter 17 is a great reminder of those folks who 455 00:19:20,830 --> 00:19:23,830 are looking at a situation and seeing it from the negative perspective 456 00:19:23,990 --> 00:19:27,710 instead of seeing what God has allowed them to take for the inheritance 457 00:19:27,710 --> 00:19:28,110 themselves. 458 00:19:28,110 --> 00:19:31,590 And so there's this appeal to Joshua, and they, they. 459 00:19:31,670 --> 00:19:35,710 And actually, believe it or not, Joshua is a descendant of Joseph. 460 00:19:35,710 --> 00:19:38,990 And so it's basically Joshua's own people saying, joshua, can't 461 00:19:38,990 --> 00:19:40,550 you give us a little bit more of a blessing? 462 00:19:40,550 --> 00:19:42,390 Can't you help us out just a little bit? 463 00:19:42,390 --> 00:19:45,190 And Joshua basically says, no, God has given you everything you 464 00:19:45,190 --> 00:19:46,510 need now you need to live in that. 465 00:19:46,830 --> 00:19:49,230 And God has given us everything that we need in our life. 466 00:19:49,230 --> 00:19:52,230 I think a lot of times people will say this, and I've even said 467 00:19:52,230 --> 00:19:53,110 this to some degree. 468 00:19:53,110 --> 00:19:56,110 Well, if God just gives me a little bit more blessing in this 469 00:19:56,110 --> 00:19:57,710 area, then I'll go and work for him. 470 00:19:58,270 --> 00:19:59,310 If God can just. 471 00:19:59,390 --> 00:20:00,070 I'm not ready. 472 00:20:00,070 --> 00:20:00,550 I'm not ready. 473 00:20:00,550 --> 00:20:04,190 And I always use those excuses sometimes in my own life about I'm 474 00:20:04,190 --> 00:20:06,630 not really equipped to do that, or I'm not skilled enough to 475 00:20:06,630 --> 00:20:06,900 do that. 476 00:20:07,290 --> 00:20:09,610 But what we see as Christians is that God has given us everything 477 00:20:09,610 --> 00:20:12,850 that we possibly need for the battle that's ahead of us. 478 00:20:12,850 --> 00:20:16,090 And so what we see as a believer is this, there's no excuse, 479 00:20:16,170 --> 00:20:17,690 there's no excuse to push forward. 480 00:20:17,690 --> 00:20:21,170 There's no excuse to step out that God gives us opportunities and 481 00:20:21,170 --> 00:20:22,330 faith to do these things. 482 00:20:22,410 --> 00:20:27,410 And so as the descendants of Joseph lacked the willingness to 483 00:20:27,410 --> 00:20:31,330 go serve the Lord and go act on that, so do many people do the 484 00:20:31,330 --> 00:20:31,610 same. 485 00:20:32,090 --> 00:20:35,850 And so Joshua gives them the encouragement and the challenge to 486 00:20:35,850 --> 00:20:38,520 basically take the step and to act in faith. 487 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:43,560 Now we get to chapter 18 and we see more inheritance to the remaining 488 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:44,160 tribes. 489 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:48,400 And so Joshua, chapter 18, verses 1 through 3, we see Joshua 490 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:51,520 exhorting the remaining tribes to possess their land. 491 00:20:52,479 --> 00:20:55,920 So there's actually some tribes that still have the promise 492 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:57,280 of God given to them. 493 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,000 So, so the, the, the land has been given to them, but they have 494 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:02,160 not obtained the land. 495 00:21:02,460 --> 00:21:05,500 They haven't taken steps of faith to go live in that land. 496 00:21:05,500 --> 00:21:08,740 And so verse one of chapter 18, it says, the whole congregation 497 00:21:08,740 --> 00:21:12,060 of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh and 498 00:21:12,060 --> 00:21:14,620 set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. 499 00:21:14,780 --> 00:21:17,100 And the land was subdued before them. 500 00:21:17,580 --> 00:21:20,860 And there remained among the children of Israel, seven tribes. 501 00:21:21,260 --> 00:21:24,500 So seven of the 12 tribes which had not yet received their 502 00:21:24,500 --> 00:21:25,180 inheritance. 503 00:21:25,820 --> 00:21:30,620 And so Joshua now is going to challenge them to go out and to obtain 504 00:21:30,620 --> 00:21:32,140 the land that God had promised them. 505 00:21:32,540 --> 00:21:36,460 So Joshua said unto the children of Israel, how long are 506 00:21:36,460 --> 00:21:41,620 you slack to go possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers 507 00:21:41,620 --> 00:21:42,380 have given you? 508 00:21:42,700 --> 00:21:44,020 And so we asked them a question. 509 00:21:44,020 --> 00:21:48,220 And sometimes a good question is enough to spur people on to action. 510 00:21:48,620 --> 00:21:51,700 It's thought provoking, it's challenging, and that's what Joshua 511 00:21:51,700 --> 00:21:51,860 does. 512 00:21:51,860 --> 00:21:55,660 And as a good leader, Joshua was exhorting the rest of these tribes 513 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:57,000 to start to move. 514 00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:57,720 He. 515 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:01,080 He basically is challenging them on their apathy. 516 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:05,640 We went to, as brother Jeff mentioned, we went to a men's meeting. 517 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:09,400 And the speaker at that meeting, at the conference, he challenged 518 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:13,520 us in the area of whether or not we are passive men, you know, 519 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,480 and, and the reality is, is that when we have patience and passiveness, 520 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:17,840 there's. 521 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:18,840 There's really two different things. 522 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:22,520 And sometimes patience and passiveness can align and we can 523 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:23,880 kind of look at them as the same thing. 524 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:27,170 Well, I'm just a very patient person, so I just never act on anything. 525 00:22:27,330 --> 00:22:29,530 Well, no, patience is resting in faith. 526 00:22:29,530 --> 00:22:33,010 Until God says, go, passiveness is waiting and waiting 527 00:22:33,010 --> 00:22:35,170 and never moving out of fear and anxiety. 528 00:22:35,570 --> 00:22:37,290 And that's what we see these people doing. 529 00:22:37,290 --> 00:22:38,050 They're waiting. 530 00:22:38,210 --> 00:22:42,530 He says here, how long are ye slack to go possess the land? 531 00:22:42,930 --> 00:22:45,610 He's basically asking them this question, when are you going 532 00:22:45,610 --> 00:22:45,970 to Move. 533 00:22:46,370 --> 00:22:47,890 God's given you the land. 534 00:22:48,130 --> 00:22:49,650 He's given you the promises. 535 00:22:49,810 --> 00:22:51,250 He's fulfilled his promise. 536 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:54,160 But you're sitting back for whatever reason, maybe out of fear, 537 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:55,280 maybe out of. 538 00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:58,480 Of hesitancy, to leave where you're at now and take that step 539 00:22:58,480 --> 00:22:59,040 of faith. 540 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,360 And so the question would be, why would they not want to possess 541 00:23:03,360 --> 00:23:03,920 the land? 542 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:08,440 Well, it's the same reason why many people today that are Christians 543 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,280 are not tapping into the spiritual riches that God has given 544 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:11,600 us. 545 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:14,640 Why did Joshua need to challenge them? 546 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:16,160 Why were they so comfortable? 547 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:18,600 Why didn't they want to go out and take the land? 548 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,920 Well, most scholars believe that is probably because these people 549 00:23:22,910 --> 00:23:26,110 who had not lived in permanent dwellings for more than a generation, 550 00:23:26,110 --> 00:23:27,630 they were afraid of something new. 551 00:23:28,110 --> 00:23:30,190 They were afraid of taking a step. 552 00:23:30,430 --> 00:23:33,630 They were afraid of moving out of what they already knew to something 553 00:23:33,630 --> 00:23:34,510 that was even better. 554 00:23:35,070 --> 00:23:38,750 And sometimes, as Christians, we compromise by saying, you know 555 00:23:38,750 --> 00:23:38,910 what? 556 00:23:38,910 --> 00:23:39,910 This is what I know. 557 00:23:39,910 --> 00:23:42,030 I don't want to take a step that's going to stretch me. 558 00:23:42,670 --> 00:23:45,470 I don't know about you guys, but I am a creature of habits. 559 00:23:46,270 --> 00:23:50,360 I used to tell myself when I was a kid, I would get so upset with 560 00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:54,200 people that had traditions and had to eat the same breakfast every 561 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:55,920 day and had the same routines. 562 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:57,960 I always promised, I'm not going to be that guy. 563 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:01,240 I'm going to just be so spontaneous when I'm an adult, I'm 564 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:02,600 going to just be that kind of guy. 565 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:03,920 And I wanted to be. 566 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,480 And for a long time, I was, like, trying to lie to myself and 567 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,520 tell myself that that's who I was. 568 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,600 And eventually one day, I think it was a conversation or someone 569 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,000 was preaching, and they're like, you know, are you a creature? 570 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:15,400 Habit? 571 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:16,520 I'm like, oh, no, definitely not. 572 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,840 And Alicia looked at me and she's like, yes, you are. 573 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:19,920 And, you know, I'm like, really? 574 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:20,160 I am. 575 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:21,560 I said, I'm very spontaneous. 576 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:22,600 I don't need to have a thing. 577 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:23,000 And. 578 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,960 And it took my wife to really clarify to me and. 579 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:29,280 And wake myself up to the fact that I am a creature of habit. 580 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:30,200 I don't like change. 581 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:33,080 I don't like to move out of my comfort zones. 582 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:33,720 Okay? 583 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:35,320 I like to do the same things. 584 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:37,800 I like to have things the way that I like them to be. 585 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:41,440 And I think that's many times as Christians, we get so comfortable 586 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:46,650 with what we know, we get so comfortable with what we think is 587 00:24:46,650 --> 00:24:52,410 secure, that when God tells us to move and to obtain the land, so 588 00:24:52,410 --> 00:24:57,250 to speak, to take the step of faith, to serve or to sacrifice or 589 00:24:57,250 --> 00:25:00,370 to get to a place in our life where we're stretching ourselves. 590 00:25:00,370 --> 00:25:02,050 And sometimes stretching hurts. 591 00:25:02,370 --> 00:25:05,850 But what we see here is that these individuals were not willing 592 00:25:05,850 --> 00:25:08,050 to take that step and leave what they already knew. 593 00:25:08,050 --> 00:25:09,570 They thought that that was secure. 594 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,520 They thought that that was something that gave them some type 595 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:15,160 of sufficiency where they were temporarily. 596 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,680 And these are people that had not had permanent dwellings. 597 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,720 They were used to this type of lifestyle, moving around and not 598 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,760 knowing specifically what was going to be their future home. 599 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:26,560 And they were in this place of comfort. 600 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:31,160 But then Joshua says, why are you neglecting this? 601 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:32,480 Why are you overlooking this? 602 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:37,080 And so whatever the reason was, the bottom line, the thing that 603 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:41,590 it all boils down to is that there was a negative element to their 604 00:25:41,590 --> 00:25:42,470 lack of movement. 605 00:25:42,470 --> 00:25:43,510 It wasn't patience. 606 00:25:44,070 --> 00:25:45,550 You know, sometimes that's what I say. 607 00:25:45,550 --> 00:25:49,870 Sometimes I. I will veil my passiveness and my apathy with, well, 608 00:25:49,870 --> 00:25:51,430 I'm just being really patient in my life. 609 00:25:51,430 --> 00:25:52,590 I'm just, you know, I need to. 610 00:25:52,590 --> 00:25:55,029 I just really need to see God clearly speaking to me. 611 00:25:55,030 --> 00:25:57,590 And the truth is, is that God's knocking down the door. 612 00:25:57,750 --> 00:26:00,550 He's ringing my phone, he's emailing me, he's texting. 613 00:26:00,550 --> 00:26:03,150 Not really literally, but you get every which way. 614 00:26:03,150 --> 00:26:05,790 God is telling me that I need to do something, but I'm putting 615 00:26:05,790 --> 00:26:06,190 it off. 616 00:26:06,830 --> 00:26:10,430 And that's sometimes what we see when it comes to our life of 617 00:26:10,430 --> 00:26:12,550 inactive thoughts. 618 00:26:12,550 --> 00:26:15,230 And in, you know, what we would say here in this case is people 619 00:26:15,230 --> 00:26:16,470 that are just living in apathy. 620 00:26:16,470 --> 00:26:19,830 How long are you slack to go possess the land which the Lord your 621 00:26:19,830 --> 00:26:22,710 God, Lord God, your fathers have given you? 622 00:26:22,710 --> 00:26:25,590 He says, give out from among you three men from each tribe. 623 00:26:25,590 --> 00:26:27,870 And so he says, pick these men out. 624 00:26:27,950 --> 00:26:29,710 And Joshua gives them instructions. 625 00:26:29,710 --> 00:26:30,190 So with. 626 00:26:30,350 --> 00:26:35,080 With Joshua's exhortation, with Joshua's challenge comes instruction. 627 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:37,080 I think that's always how God works. 628 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:41,240 When God gives us a challenge, he always gives us instructions. 629 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,160 And that's how leadership should be. 630 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:46,760 Leadership should never be, hey, go do this without any clarity 631 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:48,120 or without any instruction. 632 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,000 And so Joshua says, you guys need to move. 633 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:56,040 And one of the things that I think will cause a lot of destruction, 634 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:59,400 even within our homes, within our churches, within our country, 635 00:26:59,930 --> 00:27:00,130 is. 636 00:27:00,130 --> 00:27:01,770 Is, yes, act of sin. 637 00:27:02,090 --> 00:27:05,130 But we know that there's sins of commission, and we know that there's 638 00:27:05,130 --> 00:27:06,490 sins of omission, right? 639 00:27:07,850 --> 00:27:12,970 Sins of omission would be sins that we are committing by not doing 640 00:27:12,970 --> 00:27:13,370 something. 641 00:27:14,250 --> 00:27:17,570 And so we could argue that the people of Israel, at least these 642 00:27:17,570 --> 00:27:21,330 seven tribes that had not gone to possess the land that God had 643 00:27:21,330 --> 00:27:21,850 given them. 644 00:27:22,090 --> 00:27:26,130 It wasn't the action of them going and doing things that was causing 645 00:27:26,130 --> 00:27:27,290 sin to be in their life. 646 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:29,680 I mean, they weren't actively going and sinning and. 647 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:32,800 And acting like the Canaanite pagans. 648 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:35,920 No, but the sin that they were committing was that they were staying 649 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:36,200 still. 650 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,880 They weren't moving when God had called them to move. 651 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:43,559 And so Joshua's challenge is, how long are you slack to go possess 652 00:27:43,559 --> 00:27:44,080 the land? 653 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,000 Is the same question that we could ask today. 654 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:50,000 What's holding us back from doing what God has called us to do? 655 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,920 What's holding us back from tapping into the spiritual blessings 656 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:54,480 that are promised to us in scripture? 657 00:27:55,140 --> 00:27:57,260 How many of us walk with confidence? 658 00:27:57,260 --> 00:27:59,460 How many of us walk a newness of life? 659 00:27:59,460 --> 00:28:01,540 How many of us are sharing our faith with people? 660 00:28:01,780 --> 00:28:03,140 Well, it's because of this. 661 00:28:03,780 --> 00:28:04,340 The way. 662 00:28:04,500 --> 00:28:07,900 You know what I always use as an excuse that you guys. 663 00:28:07,900 --> 00:28:10,660 You guys maybe don't know me enough, but maybe you do know me 664 00:28:10,660 --> 00:28:10,899 enough. 665 00:28:10,980 --> 00:28:12,740 Every time you talk to me, I'm like, I'm busy. 666 00:28:12,740 --> 00:28:14,340 I got a lot going on, okay? 667 00:28:14,340 --> 00:28:15,220 Busyness is the. 668 00:28:15,220 --> 00:28:19,180 Is the destructive element in my life, because I can look at all 669 00:28:19,180 --> 00:28:21,980 my busyness, and I can be so busy that I'm not doing what I need 670 00:28:21,980 --> 00:28:23,140 to be doing for Jesus Christ. 671 00:28:23,650 --> 00:28:26,090 Well, I gotta go do this, and I gotta do this, and I gotta do this, 672 00:28:26,090 --> 00:28:26,970 and I gotta handle that. 673 00:28:26,970 --> 00:28:29,570 And then at the end of the day, I've got nothing accomplished 674 00:28:29,570 --> 00:28:30,610 for the kingdom of God. 675 00:28:30,610 --> 00:28:32,770 But I've got all my itinerary set up. 676 00:28:32,770 --> 00:28:35,690 I've got all of my day aligned, and I've got all my plans 677 00:28:35,690 --> 00:28:36,370 taken care of. 678 00:28:36,370 --> 00:28:38,890 But then God's called me to do something else, and I go, well, you 679 00:28:38,890 --> 00:28:39,130 know what? 680 00:28:39,130 --> 00:28:40,410 I've got a lot on my plate today. 681 00:28:40,410 --> 00:28:41,490 I don't know if I can do that. 682 00:28:42,770 --> 00:28:43,690 Pastor Spicer. 683 00:28:43,690 --> 00:28:46,170 Some of you guys remember Pastor Spicer here at the. 684 00:28:46,170 --> 00:28:46,850 At the church. 685 00:28:47,570 --> 00:28:50,210 I remember a few things, actually more than a few things about 686 00:28:50,210 --> 00:28:54,470 his ministry to me just in the time frame that I had here with him. 687 00:28:54,790 --> 00:28:57,070 But one of the things that I do remember and I will never forget, 688 00:28:57,070 --> 00:28:59,110 he preached a message on God's interruptions. 689 00:28:59,510 --> 00:29:01,830 And that one to this day sticks out to me because I'm the 690 00:29:01,830 --> 00:29:03,750 type of person that I've got an agenda. 691 00:29:03,750 --> 00:29:06,590 I was talking to the discipleship class tonight, and I 692 00:29:06,590 --> 00:29:08,790 was telling them I love curriculums. 693 00:29:08,790 --> 00:29:10,310 I love finishing books. 694 00:29:10,390 --> 00:29:12,430 I love making sure all the blanks are filled. 695 00:29:12,430 --> 00:29:13,910 I love making sure all my. 696 00:29:14,070 --> 00:29:17,390 My lesson plans are aligned and perfect and Everyone listens 697 00:29:17,390 --> 00:29:19,030 and everyone applies it. 698 00:29:19,030 --> 00:29:21,670 But at the end of the day, sometimes God interrupts us to what 699 00:29:21,670 --> 00:29:24,910 we have planned, to something bigger and better, something that 700 00:29:24,910 --> 00:29:27,190 needs to be an interruption in our life. 701 00:29:27,190 --> 00:29:31,070 And so God interrupts our plans and institutes his will for 702 00:29:31,070 --> 00:29:31,350 our life. 703 00:29:31,350 --> 00:29:33,590 And sometimes we've got to pause and we've got to listen and 704 00:29:33,590 --> 00:29:34,790 say, okay, Lord, you're stopping me. 705 00:29:34,790 --> 00:29:37,110 Okay, I need to understand that, or, Lord, you're pushing me 706 00:29:37,110 --> 00:29:37,790 forward on this. 707 00:29:38,589 --> 00:29:42,710 And so I say that to emphasize that challenge that Joshua gives 708 00:29:42,710 --> 00:29:43,230 to these people. 709 00:29:43,230 --> 00:29:45,790 He says, go, it's time to move. 710 00:29:46,670 --> 00:29:51,270 And if I could give one message to the church today, it's 711 00:29:51,270 --> 00:29:51,550 this. 712 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:53,080 It's time to move. 713 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:54,160 If there's. 714 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:56,960 There's no better time than now to get busy about the kingdom 715 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,960 of God, the gospel message needs to be preached. 716 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:04,120 The church is an institution, not, as we said this morning, from 717 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:08,640 the world, but from God that is told to be the pillar and ground 718 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:09,240 of truth. 719 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:12,200 Who's going to fight for the truth in this world? 720 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:14,200 Who's going to preach the gospel? 721 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:17,280 Well, it's that church over there, that big church across town. 722 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:19,940 No, the responsibility is our responsibility. 723 00:30:20,660 --> 00:30:23,820 And so Joshua says, take it upon yourself, just because of the 724 00:30:23,820 --> 00:30:26,340 other tribes, the other tribes have inherited their land. 725 00:30:26,420 --> 00:30:27,940 Don't be looking at those tribes. 726 00:30:28,020 --> 00:30:30,180 You seven tribes need to get busy. 727 00:30:30,340 --> 00:30:32,260 And so that's exactly the challenge here. 728 00:30:32,260 --> 00:30:34,620 So then we're going to look at verse four. 729 00:30:34,620 --> 00:30:38,420 He says, give out from among you three men of each tribe. 730 00:30:38,420 --> 00:30:41,940 So here's the instruction that comes with the exhortation. 731 00:30:42,420 --> 00:30:45,950 Give out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send 732 00:30:45,950 --> 00:30:46,230 them. 733 00:30:46,230 --> 00:30:49,710 And they shall rise and go through the land and describe it 734 00:30:49,710 --> 00:30:52,350 according to the inheritance of them, and they shall come again 735 00:30:52,350 --> 00:30:52,950 unto me. 736 00:30:53,270 --> 00:30:57,110 And so Joshua is basically instructing them to have a survey, 737 00:30:57,190 --> 00:31:01,990 to go out and to assess all the land and to bring back more information. 738 00:31:02,230 --> 00:31:05,030 Maybe it's just the fact that they need to see what they've been 739 00:31:05,030 --> 00:31:05,510 promised. 740 00:31:05,510 --> 00:31:07,910 They need to be reminded of the inheritance. 741 00:31:07,910 --> 00:31:11,850 And that's what he says here in verses four through eight. 742 00:31:11,850 --> 00:31:14,330 So he says, give out from among you these three men, verse 743 00:31:14,330 --> 00:31:14,610 five. 744 00:31:14,610 --> 00:31:16,690 And they shall divide it into seven parts. 745 00:31:16,690 --> 00:31:19,290 Judah shall abide in their coast on the south. 746 00:31:19,290 --> 00:31:21,650 The house of Joseph shall abide in their coast on the north. 747 00:31:21,650 --> 00:31:24,330 And ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, 748 00:31:24,330 --> 00:31:27,330 and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots 749 00:31:27,330 --> 00:31:29,530 for you here before the Lord our God. 750 00:31:29,530 --> 00:31:32,610 But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of 751 00:31:32,610 --> 00:31:33,930 the Lord is Their inheritance. 752 00:31:34,010 --> 00:31:34,890 We mentioned that before. 753 00:31:34,890 --> 00:31:37,710 We know that the Levites don't have any physical land, or their 754 00:31:37,710 --> 00:31:40,910 inheritance is the Lord, which is the best inheritance to have in 755 00:31:40,910 --> 00:31:41,190 general. 756 00:31:41,430 --> 00:31:44,350 And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received 757 00:31:44,350 --> 00:31:47,190 their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses, 758 00:31:47,190 --> 00:31:48,550 the servant of the Lord gave them. 759 00:31:49,030 --> 00:31:51,150 And then he concludes with this in verse eight. 760 00:31:51,150 --> 00:31:53,070 And the men arose and went away. 761 00:31:53,070 --> 00:31:54,390 So they, they obey, they listened. 762 00:31:54,390 --> 00:31:57,590 And Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, 763 00:31:57,590 --> 00:32:01,070 go and walk through the land and describe it and come again to 764 00:32:01,070 --> 00:32:05,590 me that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh. 765 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:08,800 And so essentially what we see here is that they're. 766 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:09,080 They're. 767 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:10,440 They go out into the survey party. 768 00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:13,080 Verses 9 and 10 tell us that they went, they passed through the 769 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:13,960 land, they obeyed. 770 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:15,480 They described the cities into the. 771 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:18,040 The seven parts as Joshua described. 772 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:20,520 And they came again to Joshua there, Shiloh. 773 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:23,640 And then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord. 774 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:24,840 And so essentially he's. 775 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:27,080 He's praying to the Lord, he's asking Lord for wisdom. 776 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:29,800 And there Joshua divided the land under the children of Israel 777 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:30,840 according to their divisions. 778 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:35,910 And so we see from verses 11 all the way down to verse 28, the 779 00:32:35,910 --> 00:32:39,190 inheritance, the tribe of Benjamin, which the tribe of Benjamin 780 00:32:39,190 --> 00:32:40,350 is very significant. 781 00:32:40,590 --> 00:32:42,670 Obviously, some of you might know. 782 00:32:43,070 --> 00:32:47,070 Saul is from the tribe of Benjamin, and then Saul, Paul from 783 00:32:47,070 --> 00:32:48,110 the tribe of Benjamin. 784 00:32:48,270 --> 00:32:52,110 Then we go to chapter 19, that's the inheritance of Simeon. 785 00:32:52,270 --> 00:32:56,630 And then inside of that chapter, chapter 19, verse 10 is 786 00:32:56,630 --> 00:32:58,030 the inheritance of Zebulun. 787 00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:02,120 And then we see in verse 17, the inheritance of Issachar, the 788 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:05,840 inheritance of Asher, the inheritance of Naphtali, in verse 789 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:07,360 40, the inheritance of Dan. 790 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:12,800 And then ultimately we see the end of the chapter 19 with Joshua's 791 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:13,320 inheritance. 792 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:16,360 And, and that's what I really want to end with tonight, is that 793 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:17,120 all of this. 794 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:21,120 So, so all of the inheritance to the people comes, and then Joshua 795 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:22,240 receives his inheritance. 796 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:23,960 And I think that shows like a true leader. 797 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:28,400 I think a true leader obviously puts his needs, his blessings 798 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,400 behind and lets the other people receive the blessings. 799 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:34,800 And that's the picture that we see here, verse 49. 800 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:38,000 And, and this will be kind of the conclusion for this evening. 801 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:41,239 Joshua is coming to the end of his life. 802 00:33:41,239 --> 00:33:43,360 We know that we're going to hear more about the end of his life 803 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:44,960 here in a few chapters. 804 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,520 But essentially this is Joshua's inheritance. 805 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:51,760 And verses 49 through 51, it says, and when they had made an end, 806 00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:53,910 dividing the land for inheritance by their coast. 807 00:33:53,910 --> 00:33:56,610 And the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua, the 808 00:33:56,610 --> 00:33:59,130 son of none among them, according to the word of the Lord, 809 00:33:59,130 --> 00:34:03,010 they gave him the city which he asked even Tim Nath Sarah in Mount 810 00:34:03,010 --> 00:34:03,570 Ephraim. 811 00:34:03,650 --> 00:34:05,650 And he built the city and dwelt therein. 812 00:34:05,970 --> 00:34:09,210 These are the inheritance of Eliezer the priest and Joshua the 813 00:34:09,210 --> 00:34:09,730 son of none. 814 00:34:09,730 --> 00:34:11,770 And the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of 815 00:34:11,770 --> 00:34:15,290 Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before 816 00:34:15,290 --> 00:34:17,970 the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 817 00:34:18,290 --> 00:34:20,450 So they made the end of the dividing of the country. 818 00:34:20,450 --> 00:34:23,329 So that is a lot of history. 819 00:34:23,649 --> 00:34:28,769 But essentially we see all of the land that God had promised divided 820 00:34:29,169 --> 00:34:32,049 and bestowed upon the people of Israel. 821 00:34:32,049 --> 00:34:33,649 And then they've inherited the land. 822 00:34:33,809 --> 00:34:35,049 They dwell in the lands. 823 00:34:35,049 --> 00:34:39,049 And ultimately now we see that even Joshua gets his city that God 824 00:34:39,049 --> 00:34:40,009 had promised him. 825 00:34:40,009 --> 00:34:42,529 And now he lives there for the rest of his days. 826 00:34:43,169 --> 00:34:46,129 Next week we will come back and we will look at Joshua chapter 827 00:34:46,129 --> 00:34:49,350 20, which is a really interesting chapter about how there 828 00:34:49,350 --> 00:34:52,510 were cities of refuge in this new land for them. 829 00:34:52,510 --> 00:34:55,550 And then there's going to be cities of the tribes of Levi, and 830 00:34:55,550 --> 00:34:58,110 then we're going to see some of the aspects of the Levites and 831 00:34:58,110 --> 00:35:00,230 then some more tribe divisions. 832 00:35:00,230 --> 00:35:04,030 And then ultimately we're going to get to the very end in Joshua 833 00:35:04,030 --> 00:35:08,350 chapter 23 and 24, where Joshua addresses the people of Israel. 834 00:35:08,750 --> 00:35:12,670 I know that some of these passages in the book of Joshua can 835 00:35:12,670 --> 00:35:13,790 become very tedious. 836 00:35:14,450 --> 00:35:16,650 It wasn't tedious for the people that were inheriting the land. 837 00:35:16,650 --> 00:35:18,050 Okay, that was exciting for them. 838 00:35:18,050 --> 00:35:20,250 They would read these things and it would be like, these are all 839 00:35:20,250 --> 00:35:21,410 the things that we get to have. 840 00:35:21,410 --> 00:35:22,930 This is the land that we get to have. 841 00:35:23,090 --> 00:35:24,730 And it would jump off the page for them. 842 00:35:24,730 --> 00:35:27,010 But for us, it's a little bit difficult because we're not there, 843 00:35:27,250 --> 00:35:28,370 we're not seeing the land. 844 00:35:28,770 --> 00:35:31,930 But what I do want you to see, really Joshua, chapter 15 through 845 00:35:31,930 --> 00:35:34,210 Joshua, chapter 19, is this. 846 00:35:34,370 --> 00:35:35,890 God keeps his promises. 847 00:35:36,370 --> 00:35:38,050 It's not always in our timing. 848 00:35:38,050 --> 00:35:39,650 It's not always in our way. 849 00:35:40,140 --> 00:35:43,180 It's not even, as we see in this case, easy. 850 00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:46,500 But what we know is that God will keep his word. 851 00:35:46,500 --> 00:35:48,700 If he makes a promise, he keeps his promise. 852 00:35:48,860 --> 00:35:51,820 And Joshua was challenged at the very beginning in Joshua, chapter 853 00:35:51,820 --> 00:35:54,980 one, to stay faithful to the things of God because the promise 854 00:35:54,980 --> 00:35:56,460 of God would be fulfilled. 855 00:35:56,540 --> 00:36:00,180 And just as we saw the promise of God and his promise of power and 856 00:36:00,180 --> 00:36:04,100 his promise of provision and his promise of protection and his 857 00:36:04,100 --> 00:36:07,780 promise of his presence, we see that kept all the way through 858 00:36:07,780 --> 00:36:10,460 the book of Joshua, and not just through the book of Joshua, 859 00:36:10,460 --> 00:36:13,280 but throughout all of scripture, that God, when he says 860 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:15,320 that he will do something, he will keep his word. 861 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:18,640 And so that's really the culmination of the division of the 862 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:18,920 land. 863 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:23,000 And so for us, we don't have a physical land that God promises us. 864 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,840 I mean, I wish that God would tell me, hey, Pastor Josh, you. 865 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:30,960 You've got 100 acres over here that if you just are faithful for 866 00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:32,880 10 more years, you'll get and it'll be all yours. 867 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:33,560 Okay, that's not. 868 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:36,760 That's not necessarily in the cards for us as. 869 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:37,800 As believers. 870 00:36:37,880 --> 00:36:39,280 It might be, but it might not be. 871 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:41,200 And that's not necessarily what we see in scripture. 872 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:44,930 But what we do know is that our inheritance, similar to the Levites, 873 00:36:44,930 --> 00:36:46,370 is not physical land. 874 00:36:46,370 --> 00:36:48,130 It's not even necessarily materialism. 875 00:36:48,770 --> 00:36:52,450 It's not something that we can tangibly grasp, but it is an inheritance 876 00:36:52,450 --> 00:36:53,610 that we find in Jesus Christ. 877 00:36:53,610 --> 00:36:56,690 And I would encourage you to think about the riches and the inheritance 878 00:36:56,690 --> 00:36:59,770 that we find in Jesus Christ and to know that, as the Bible says 879 00:36:59,770 --> 00:37:03,290 in Romans chapter 8, that we can cry abba, father, we have an 880 00:37:03,290 --> 00:37:03,890 inheritance. 881 00:37:03,890 --> 00:37:05,330 We're joint heirs with Christ. 882 00:37:05,730 --> 00:37:08,450 So our inheritance is the blessings and the richness of having 883 00:37:08,450 --> 00:37:10,750 a relationship with God and being a child of God. 884 00:37:11,700 --> 00:37:14,220 And I would encourage you at some point in time, if you have not, 885 00:37:14,220 --> 00:37:17,220 do a study in the book of Ephesians about the spiritual riches 886 00:37:17,460 --> 00:37:18,740 that we all have in Christ. 887 00:37:19,860 --> 00:37:22,700 That is a wonderful study because there's a lot of times in 888 00:37:22,700 --> 00:37:24,580 our life that we might be thinking, you know, what. 889 00:37:24,660 --> 00:37:27,060 What do I even have as a Christian other than the fact that 890 00:37:27,060 --> 00:37:29,700 I can't do all the things that the world does, and I got to go to 891 00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:31,300 church and I got to read my Bible. 892 00:37:31,300 --> 00:37:32,860 But you know, what are the blessings in that? 893 00:37:32,860 --> 00:37:35,220 Well, folks, in and of itself, we know that all those things are 894 00:37:35,220 --> 00:37:38,300 blessings, but there's deeper riches that we have in Christ Jesus. 895 00:37:38,300 --> 00:37:41,340 And I hope that we can all understand those and rest in those 896 00:37:41,340 --> 00:37:44,860 and be celebrating those inheritances as a child of God. 897 00:37:45,260 --> 00:37:48,860 And so read through Ephesians, read through Philippians, read through 898 00:37:48,860 --> 00:37:51,660 the New Testament and see all those things that are promised to 899 00:37:51,660 --> 00:37:54,660 the children of God and then rest in those promises, just like 900 00:37:54,660 --> 00:37:58,700 the people of Israel rested in those areas and saw that land as 901 00:37:58,700 --> 00:38:01,860 a promise of God and saw that as the fulfillment of the promise 902 00:38:01,860 --> 00:38:02,300 of God. 903 00:38:02,380 --> 00:38:06,630 But then the problem is, is that many of us know what happens 904 00:38:07,110 --> 00:38:10,590 in the next chapter, or, excuse me, the Next book you have 905 00:38:10,590 --> 00:38:11,430 Joshua, then what? 906 00:38:11,430 --> 00:38:12,070 Then Judges. 907 00:38:12,790 --> 00:38:16,070 And we would hope that all the people that got to inherit these 908 00:38:16,070 --> 00:38:18,790 lands would understand that it was God who gave us these lands. 909 00:38:18,870 --> 00:38:22,430 But we know very shortly after that there was this cycle that would 910 00:38:22,430 --> 00:38:23,190 continue to happen. 911 00:38:23,190 --> 00:38:24,870 People would get used to the blessings. 912 00:38:25,190 --> 00:38:29,870 They would turn to the world, they would turn to pagan idolatry, 913 00:38:29,870 --> 00:38:32,230 and then God would have to discipline them, and that discipline 914 00:38:32,230 --> 00:38:34,380 brought them back to repentance, and that cycle would 915 00:38:34,380 --> 00:38:35,300 go over and over again. 916 00:38:35,380 --> 00:38:39,380 So what we would see is that the blessings of God are, are not 917 00:38:39,380 --> 00:38:42,420 necessarily naturally passed down to the next generation. 918 00:38:43,300 --> 00:38:46,580 So, you know, and I'll take the, the rest of the hour to talk 919 00:38:46,580 --> 00:38:47,140 about this. 920 00:38:47,860 --> 00:38:48,580 There, there. 921 00:38:50,580 --> 00:38:53,140 There are many blessings that I have received in my life from the 922 00:38:53,140 --> 00:38:56,460 Lord, but if I don't pass that on to the next generation, they're 923 00:38:56,460 --> 00:38:59,660 not going to understand that and not be able to trust in those 924 00:38:59,660 --> 00:39:02,140 promises, because I haven't passed that along to them. 925 00:39:02,140 --> 00:39:04,740 And so just as, as you remember early on in the book of 926 00:39:04,740 --> 00:39:09,160 Josh, the, the memorial stones says, you set up this memorial as 927 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:12,200 we cross the Jordan river so that people can look back, so that 928 00:39:12,200 --> 00:39:15,000 the children can look back, so that the grandchildren can look back 929 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:16,640 and see the promises of God. 930 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:18,240 I believe that we should. 931 00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:21,360 Not literally, maybe literally, but we should set up some 932 00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:24,040 elements in our life that are memorials to what God has done for 933 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:26,840 us in our life so that the next generation can see that the 934 00:39:26,840 --> 00:39:31,930 power of God is real, that, that, that we don't move and just 935 00:39:31,930 --> 00:39:34,730 drift into a sense of apathy. 936 00:39:34,970 --> 00:39:41,330 And, and really, it's, it's upon us as the adults to pass that 937 00:39:41,330 --> 00:39:42,410 on to the next generation. 938 00:39:42,410 --> 00:39:45,370 We, we look at the generations that come up and we say, you know, 939 00:39:45,370 --> 00:39:49,130 for me, I remember thinking, I'll never be out of touch. 940 00:39:49,610 --> 00:39:52,250 I can't understand why my parents don't get what I'm about, 941 00:39:52,330 --> 00:39:54,410 You know, like, I'll never be out of touch. 942 00:39:54,570 --> 00:39:56,090 And then I don't know when it happened. 943 00:39:56,170 --> 00:40:00,880 It was like this weird time in which I realized that I'm out of 944 00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:01,200 touch. 945 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:01,640 Okay? 946 00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:03,920 I don't understand anything these kids are doing these days. 947 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:06,080 I don't understand what teenagers are saying. 948 00:40:06,080 --> 00:40:06,840 I, I don't know. 949 00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:09,320 I recently, I heard this person on this video, and they were 950 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:11,520 talking, and I thought they were talking a different language. 951 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:15,680 It was like English, but the words didn't make sense. 952 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:17,040 And I'm like, what are they saying? 953 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:22,000 And, and I realized that I could look at that and I could say, 954 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:23,400 the next generation is hopeless. 955 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:23,960 They're Lost. 956 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:24,200 They're. 957 00:40:24,350 --> 00:40:24,750 It's over. 958 00:40:24,990 --> 00:40:26,110 Like, just give up on them. 959 00:40:26,110 --> 00:40:29,350 Or we can say, hey, they're speaking possibly a different language 960 00:40:29,350 --> 00:40:32,510 than us, but the same truths can be passed down to the next generation. 961 00:40:32,990 --> 00:40:37,070 And so, so the point that I'm trying to make is that just as Joshua, 962 00:40:37,230 --> 00:40:39,950 and even we're going to talk about this in Joshua chapter 24, 963 00:40:40,030 --> 00:40:42,510 he says, as for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord, 964 00:40:42,670 --> 00:40:44,030 and that's something that we should do. 965 00:40:44,110 --> 00:40:47,750 But at the same time, it's so easy for us to drift ourselves in 966 00:40:47,750 --> 00:40:50,910 apathy and then blame the next generation for all their bad mistakes 967 00:40:51,340 --> 00:40:51,580 when. 968 00:40:51,580 --> 00:40:55,980 When we didn't contribute to passing along that truth to the next 969 00:40:55,980 --> 00:40:56,540 generation. 970 00:40:56,940 --> 00:40:59,700 And so though we're not responsible for the decisions that 971 00:40:59,700 --> 00:40:59,980 are made. 972 00:40:59,980 --> 00:41:02,900 Okay, so for example, like if I preach a message to you on Sunday 973 00:41:02,900 --> 00:41:05,700 morning, and then everyone just goes out and sins, it's not 974 00:41:05,700 --> 00:41:06,140 on me. 975 00:41:06,220 --> 00:41:08,700 What's on me is what I present to the. 976 00:41:08,700 --> 00:41:10,580 The congregation, okay? 977 00:41:10,580 --> 00:41:14,580 Now if I preach false doctrine and everyone goes out and obeys that 978 00:41:14,580 --> 00:41:17,550 false, false doctrine, and they're sinning, they're responsible. 979 00:41:17,550 --> 00:41:19,350 And then I'm responsible for what I teach. 980 00:41:19,830 --> 00:41:22,790 So, so we're not responsible for the sins of the next generation. 981 00:41:23,030 --> 00:41:26,550 All we're responsible for is what we present to the next generation. 982 00:41:27,030 --> 00:41:29,910 And if we're faithful to that, we've done our part. 983 00:41:30,230 --> 00:41:33,470 And so what we need to do is we need to pass on what the blessings 984 00:41:33,470 --> 00:41:33,750 are. 985 00:41:33,750 --> 00:41:39,150 So for Joshua, it was, hey, kids, grandkids, great grandkids. 986 00:41:39,150 --> 00:41:41,350 I don't know how many generations came behind him that 987 00:41:41,350 --> 00:41:44,160 he knew, but he could say, look, this is my inheritance. 988 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:47,720 This land was promised by God all the way back at the very beginning. 989 00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:50,840 And this, this land that you're walking on, this creek that 990 00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:54,080 you're getting water from, that was a promise of God that we 991 00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:55,000 get to partake in. 992 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:56,240 That you get to partake in. 993 00:41:57,200 --> 00:42:02,240 So, so for us, when we're talking to the next generation, what's 994 00:42:02,240 --> 00:42:02,960 our inheritance? 995 00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:03,640 What's our land? 996 00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:06,040 What are we showing to other people are the blessings of God in 997 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:06,560 our life? 998 00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:07,640 You know, we. 999 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:11,740 We try to let our kids know that what we have is all a blessing 1000 00:42:11,740 --> 00:42:12,140 from God. 1001 00:42:12,140 --> 00:42:13,460 We don't deserve what we have. 1002 00:42:13,860 --> 00:42:17,300 You know, we get to do things that are beyond what we ever could 1003 00:42:17,300 --> 00:42:17,620 expect. 1004 00:42:18,020 --> 00:42:20,980 And I think that we need to remind the next generation that nothing 1005 00:42:20,980 --> 00:42:21,420 is promised. 1006 00:42:21,420 --> 00:42:23,060 We see that with our nation, right? 1007 00:42:23,540 --> 00:42:27,060 We have a lot of freedoms in our country, but not all these freedoms 1008 00:42:27,060 --> 00:42:27,700 are guaranteed. 1009 00:42:27,700 --> 00:42:28,660 And if we're not careful. 1010 00:42:28,660 --> 00:42:31,620 We understand the principle that our freedoms can be taken away. 1011 00:42:32,180 --> 00:42:35,620 And there's a lot of things in our Christian walk that can be taken 1012 00:42:35,620 --> 00:42:38,840 away, whether it be our health, whether it be our, you know, 1013 00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:40,280 our four walls. 1014 00:42:40,680 --> 00:42:42,840 You know, those things can be taken away. 1015 00:42:43,560 --> 00:42:46,320 But one thing that cannot be taken away that we need to pass on 1016 00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:48,840 to the next generation is a relationship with Jesus Christ. 1017 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:50,600 Nothing can take that away from us. 1018 00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:53,320 And so that inheritance cannot be stolen away. 1019 00:42:53,720 --> 00:42:56,040 And so that's what we want to preach to the next generation. 1020 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:58,680 Not just, hey, look at this awesome building that we have. 1021 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:00,760 Or look at, you know, how many. 1022 00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:04,160 You know, how much money came in in 2024. 1023 00:43:04,160 --> 00:43:07,830 No one's going to ever care about that in 20, 30, 50 years. 1024 00:43:08,150 --> 00:43:11,750 But what is going to matter is that longevity, the eternality of 1025 00:43:11,750 --> 00:43:14,590 salvation, that salvation is something that we can pass on to 1026 00:43:14,590 --> 00:43:15,430 the next generation. 1027 00:43:15,750 --> 00:43:18,910 And, you know, if the Lord tarries long enough, believe it or 1028 00:43:18,910 --> 00:43:19,910 not, this building will. 1029 00:43:19,910 --> 00:43:21,230 Will be in ruins, okay? 1030 00:43:21,230 --> 00:43:23,030 Just like every other building throughout all of history. 1031 00:43:23,350 --> 00:43:24,990 It will happen, okay? 1032 00:43:24,990 --> 00:43:28,350 Every vehicle that we thought was the most beautiful vehicle will 1033 00:43:28,350 --> 00:43:29,670 eventually rust away and go. 1034 00:43:29,830 --> 00:43:32,110 The one thing that will not be taken away is our. 1035 00:43:32,110 --> 00:43:33,430 Our truth in Jesus Christ. 1036 00:43:33,790 --> 00:43:35,790 And so that's what we pass on as our inheritance. 1037 00:43:36,110 --> 00:43:38,430 And so I hope that that's something that we can be challenged 1038 00:43:38,430 --> 00:43:39,030 with here this evening. 1039 00:43:39,030 --> 00:43:41,550 Well, I'll go ahead and close with a word of prayer, and then after 1040 00:43:41,550 --> 00:43:43,190 that, I'll have a few announcements, and then we'll go 1041 00:43:43,190 --> 00:43:46,110 ahead and fellowship after the service. 1042 00:43:46,270 --> 00:43:47,430 Lord, I just thank you for this time. 1043 00:43:47,430 --> 00:43:49,470 Thank you for the opportunity tonight to study your word, Lord, 1044 00:43:49,470 --> 00:43:52,270 we're thankful for the promises that were fulfilled in your 1045 00:43:52,270 --> 00:43:55,630 word in accordance to the land that has been given to the people 1046 00:43:55,630 --> 00:43:59,990 of Israel, Lord, and also to us today, the spiritual riches that 1047 00:43:59,990 --> 00:44:00,910 you have blessed us with. 1048 00:44:01,470 --> 00:44:05,510 Lord, we know all the way back in Joshua chapter one that you gave 1049 00:44:05,510 --> 00:44:09,750 those blessings to Joshua and those people, and they had to trust 1050 00:44:09,750 --> 00:44:10,190 in that. 1051 00:44:10,270 --> 00:44:13,910 Lord, may we rest in the promises that you've given us and 1052 00:44:13,910 --> 00:44:15,670 trust in those blessings, Lord. 1053 00:44:15,670 --> 00:44:17,390 Help us to pass that on to the next generation. 1054 00:44:17,390 --> 00:44:20,430 Help us to never get used to the inheritance that you've blessed 1055 00:44:20,430 --> 00:44:21,670 us with, Lord. 1056 00:44:21,670 --> 00:44:22,590 Help us to rest in that. 1057 00:44:22,590 --> 00:44:23,870 Help us to share it. 1058 00:44:23,870 --> 00:44:27,630 Help us to dwell in that promised land of salvation. 1059 00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:30,240 Lord, thank you for taking us out of Egypt. 1060 00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:33,640 Thank you for taking us out of that bondage of sin and moving us 1061 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:35,280 to the promised land of newness, of life. 1062 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:37,280 And so we just thank you for your love and your grace. 1063 00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:39,560 Keep us safe as we go our separate ways this evening. 1064 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:42,760 Help us never to get like the people that we saw here tonight that 1065 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:45,680 were bitter about the inheritance that had been given to 1066 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:48,920 them or jealous about other inheritances that were given to other 1067 00:44:48,920 --> 00:44:49,160 people. 1068 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:53,840 Lord, help us to be so in love and so infatuated with what you've 1069 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:56,480 blessed us with, that we live and dwell in that and grow in that 1070 00:44:56,480 --> 00:44:57,040 every day. 1071 00:44:57,400 --> 00:44:59,560 And so we just pray that you keep us safe as we go our separate 1072 00:44:59,560 --> 00:45:00,280 ways this evening. 1073 00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:01,960 We ask all those things in Jesus name. 1074 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:02,520 Amen. 1075 00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:06,280 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 1076 00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:06,840 podcast. 1077 00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:09,480 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 1078 00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:12,400 If you would like to find out more information about our church 1079 00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:15,880 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 1080 00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:18,760 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 1081 00:45:19,480 --> 00:45:23,390 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro at Middletown Baptist. 1082 00:45:24,980 --> 00:45:28,380 If you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 1083 00:45:28,380 --> 00:45:31,220 along for future podcast and updates. 1084 00:45:31,860 --> 00:45:32,820 Thank you so much. 1085 00:45:32,980 --> 00:45:33,780 God Bless. 1086 00:45:34,020 --> 00:45:35,300 Have a wonderful day.