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 --> 00:00:20,160 Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:21,440 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:25,760 All right, we're going to continue our study in the book of 10 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:26,120 Joshua. 11 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,280 If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Joshua chapter eight. 12 00:00:30,090 --> 00:00:32,130 We're going to conclude Joshua chapter eight. 13 00:00:32,130 --> 00:00:35,370 And we have a small passage of scripture here this evening, but 14 00:00:35,370 --> 00:00:36,090 very interesting. 15 00:00:36,570 --> 00:00:37,010 We're. 16 00:00:37,010 --> 00:00:40,890 We're following up on the victory in AI. 17 00:00:40,970 --> 00:00:45,170 If you remember, Joshua and the Israelites went to AI the first 18 00:00:45,170 --> 00:00:48,250 time with pride, with self confidence. 19 00:00:48,250 --> 00:00:50,250 And remember, they said, there's not that many people there. 20 00:00:50,410 --> 00:00:51,850 This isn't like Jericho. 21 00:00:52,010 --> 00:00:54,370 We can go right into AI and do this easily. 22 00:00:54,370 --> 00:00:56,370 And they didn't seek the Lord's wisdom. 23 00:00:56,370 --> 00:00:57,930 They didn't seek the Lord's guidance. 24 00:00:58,380 --> 00:00:59,660 And in so doing, they lost. 25 00:00:59,900 --> 00:01:01,100 They lost a lot of people. 26 00:01:01,340 --> 00:01:05,460 And they faced not only a physical defeat, but also a spiritual 27 00:01:05,460 --> 00:01:05,820 defeat. 28 00:01:05,820 --> 00:01:08,660 And we realized that the reason being is that there was sin 29 00:01:08,660 --> 00:01:09,180 in the camp. 30 00:01:09,740 --> 00:01:13,500 There was a fellow named Achan, and he had taken things against 31 00:01:13,500 --> 00:01:17,220 what God's plan was for Jericho, and he had taken them for 32 00:01:17,220 --> 00:01:17,700 himself. 33 00:01:17,700 --> 00:01:20,700 He had hidden that and concealed that sin. 34 00:01:20,700 --> 00:01:23,860 But we know that no matter what we do, no matter how hard we 35 00:01:23,860 --> 00:01:25,940 try, we can't conceal our sin from the Lord. 36 00:01:25,940 --> 00:01:26,410 And we. 37 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,800 Ultimately, what happened is that Achan and his family were judged 38 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:31,000 for that sin. 39 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,840 And when Israel got that sin right in the camp, they then sought 40 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:35,480 after the Lord. 41 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:37,320 Joshua sought after the plans of the Lord. 42 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:40,840 They went to AI again and had a wonderful victory. 43 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,920 And that shows that there's victory in obedience. 44 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:44,480 There's. 45 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:48,320 There's salvation in believing in the truth of who the Lord is. 46 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,720 And then ultimately, what we see here at the end of Joshua chapter 47 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,450 eight is the end of the victory. 48 00:01:54,450 --> 00:01:56,330 And the end of the victory is worship. 49 00:01:56,570 --> 00:01:58,410 The end of the victory is obedience. 50 00:01:58,810 --> 00:02:02,810 And so in starting in verse number 30, Joshua is going to build 51 00:02:02,810 --> 00:02:04,810 an altar unto the Lord. 52 00:02:05,130 --> 00:02:05,970 And it's. 53 00:02:05,970 --> 00:02:08,250 It's not just a spontaneous altar building. 54 00:02:08,729 --> 00:02:12,930 We know that this is actually him following what God had told them 55 00:02:12,930 --> 00:02:15,690 to do all the way back in Deuteronomy chapter 27. 56 00:02:16,010 --> 00:02:19,170 And so we're going to look at Deuteronomy chapter 27 and 28 as 57 00:02:19,170 --> 00:02:21,700 well, because it's going to tell us why they're doing what they're 58 00:02:21,700 --> 00:02:21,940 doing. 59 00:02:22,180 --> 00:02:25,660 And so it says in verse number 30 of Joshua 8, then Joshua built 60 00:02:25,660 --> 00:02:28,740 an altar unto the Lord God of Israel into Mount Ebal. 61 00:02:28,900 --> 00:02:31,660 Now, you need to know Mount Ebal, because that is going to play 62 00:02:31,660 --> 00:02:33,740 a huge portion of this story. 63 00:02:33,740 --> 00:02:35,220 It's going to play a big part in the story. 64 00:02:35,300 --> 00:02:38,660 So you have Mount Ebal, and then Mount Ebal is located very close 65 00:02:38,660 --> 00:02:40,900 to another mountain called a Mount Gerizim. 66 00:02:41,220 --> 00:02:44,820 Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim are very close, and basically they 67 00:02:44,820 --> 00:02:47,300 create a natural amphitheater. 68 00:02:47,830 --> 00:02:50,870 So if you were to talk on Mount Gerizim, you could hear it 69 00:02:50,870 --> 00:02:52,870 at the foot of Mount Ebal and vice versa. 70 00:02:52,950 --> 00:02:54,910 And that's going to play a part in what they're going to do 71 00:02:54,910 --> 00:02:55,430 here as well. 72 00:02:55,510 --> 00:03:01,150 So Joshua builds a altar on the Mount Ebal, and as it says in 73 00:03:01,150 --> 00:03:03,990 verse 31, as Moses, the servant of the Lord commanded the 74 00:03:03,990 --> 00:03:06,750 children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of 75 00:03:06,750 --> 00:03:11,710 Moses, an altar of whole stones, which no man hath lift up 76 00:03:11,710 --> 00:03:12,310 any iron. 77 00:03:12,310 --> 00:03:15,590 And they offer thereupon burnt offerings unto the Lord and sacrifice 78 00:03:15,590 --> 00:03:16,390 peace offerings. 79 00:03:16,790 --> 00:03:18,950 So God called them to do this. 80 00:03:18,950 --> 00:03:23,110 He said, when you get to the promised land, build an altar on 81 00:03:23,110 --> 00:03:25,550 Mount Ebal and do something specific. 82 00:03:25,550 --> 00:03:28,270 And we're going to go back to Deuteronomy, chapter 27, because 83 00:03:28,270 --> 00:03:30,550 I think we need to understand the context of what they're doing 84 00:03:30,550 --> 00:03:30,870 here. 85 00:03:31,190 --> 00:03:36,150 And really what it is is it's a worshipful obedience to the Lord 86 00:03:36,390 --> 00:03:41,150 for his promises, but it's also a warning of the cursing that 87 00:03:41,150 --> 00:03:42,470 is found in disobedience. 88 00:03:42,470 --> 00:03:46,430 If you remember the Mosaic covenant, God goes through with Israel 89 00:03:46,430 --> 00:03:47,270 different covenants. 90 00:03:47,270 --> 00:03:50,550 Some of you know the Abrahamic covenant, some of you know of the 91 00:03:50,550 --> 00:03:51,550 no Attic covenant. 92 00:03:51,550 --> 00:03:53,110 Some of you know the Mosaic covenant. 93 00:03:53,110 --> 00:03:54,230 There's the Davidic covenant. 94 00:03:54,230 --> 00:03:56,110 There's all these different covenants, these different promises. 95 00:03:56,670 --> 00:03:59,110 And the Mosaic covenant was a conditional covenant. 96 00:03:59,110 --> 00:04:01,230 If you remember the Mosaic covenant, it was this. 97 00:04:01,310 --> 00:04:03,390 If you follow the law, there's going to be blessings. 98 00:04:03,630 --> 00:04:05,470 If you obey God, there's going to be blessings. 99 00:04:05,470 --> 00:04:08,430 If you live in disobedience to God, there's going to be cursings, 100 00:04:08,430 --> 00:04:10,990 there's going to be separation, there's going to be punishment. 101 00:04:11,420 --> 00:04:16,100 And so Deuteronomy, chapter 27, God tells Moses, and he, by extension, 102 00:04:16,100 --> 00:04:19,540 Israel, to, when they get to the promised land, to be reminded 103 00:04:19,540 --> 00:04:22,620 of the blessings of obedience and the cursings of disobedience. 104 00:04:23,020 --> 00:04:26,540 So Deuteronomy, chapter 27, it says, and Moses, with the elders 105 00:04:26,540 --> 00:04:29,420 of Israel, commanded the people Saying, keep all the commandments 106 00:04:29,660 --> 00:04:31,180 which I command you this day. 107 00:04:31,420 --> 00:04:34,420 And it shall be on that day when you shall pass over Jordan unto 108 00:04:34,420 --> 00:04:36,140 the land which the Lord thy God giveth. 109 00:04:36,300 --> 00:04:40,770 That thou shalt see set thee for great stones and plaster with 110 00:04:40,770 --> 00:04:40,970 them. 111 00:04:40,970 --> 00:04:41,370 Plaster. 112 00:04:41,850 --> 00:04:45,050 And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law when thou 113 00:04:45,050 --> 00:04:45,850 art passed over. 114 00:04:45,850 --> 00:04:49,370 And thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth, 115 00:04:49,370 --> 00:04:52,210 a land that floweth with milk and honey, as the Lord God of thy 116 00:04:52,210 --> 00:04:53,330 fathers hath promised thee. 117 00:04:53,330 --> 00:04:56,130 So the idea would be that when they get to the promised land, this 118 00:04:56,130 --> 00:04:57,290 is what they're supposed to do. 119 00:04:57,290 --> 00:04:59,130 They have not done that yet, okay? 120 00:04:59,130 --> 00:05:02,130 In the book of Joshua, all the way up from Joshua 1 to 7, they have 121 00:05:02,130 --> 00:05:02,970 not done that yet. 122 00:05:03,050 --> 00:05:05,210 In chapter 8 is when they do this, verse 4. 123 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:07,720 Therefore it shall be when you're gone over Jordan that you 124 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:11,040 shall set up on these stones which I command you this day in Mount 125 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:11,560 Ebal. 126 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,560 So they had a directive, and they knew what they were supposed 127 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,360 to do, and they knew where they were to do it at. 128 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:18,440 That would be at Mount Ebal, verse five. 129 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:19,320 And there shall. 130 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,760 And there shalt thou bind an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar 131 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,720 of stones that thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. 132 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,360 So this is an exact fulfillment of the plan of God that's 133 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:31,960 happening here in Joshua chapter 8. 134 00:05:32,370 --> 00:05:34,890 Thou shalt bind the altar of the Lord thy God with whole stones, 135 00:05:34,890 --> 00:05:38,370 and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy 136 00:05:38,370 --> 00:05:38,570 God. 137 00:05:38,570 --> 00:05:40,050 And thou shalt offer peace offerings. 138 00:05:40,050 --> 00:05:43,250 And shalt thou shalt eat there and rejoice before the Lord thy God. 139 00:05:43,250 --> 00:05:45,770 And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law 140 00:05:45,770 --> 00:05:46,610 very plainly. 141 00:05:47,010 --> 00:05:49,450 And then he's going to give them some specific things that they're 142 00:05:49,450 --> 00:05:50,010 supposed to do. 143 00:05:50,010 --> 00:05:50,930 And Moses said. 144 00:05:51,330 --> 00:05:54,250 And Moses and the priest of the Levites spake unto all Israel, 145 00:05:54,250 --> 00:05:56,210 saying, take heed and hearken, O Israel. 146 00:05:56,370 --> 00:05:59,010 This day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God. 147 00:05:59,180 --> 00:06:02,180 Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God and do 148 00:06:02,180 --> 00:06:04,780 his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this 149 00:06:04,780 --> 00:06:05,100 day. 150 00:06:05,500 --> 00:06:08,020 So then he says, this is what you're going to do. 151 00:06:08,020 --> 00:06:09,220 There's going to be the blessings. 152 00:06:09,220 --> 00:06:11,180 The blessings are going to be on Mount Gerizim. 153 00:06:11,420 --> 00:06:14,660 And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, these shall 154 00:06:14,660 --> 00:06:18,020 stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people when ye are come 155 00:06:18,020 --> 00:06:18,820 over Jordan. 156 00:06:18,820 --> 00:06:20,260 And so we see the different tribes. 157 00:06:20,260 --> 00:06:24,140 We see Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Joseph and 158 00:06:24,140 --> 00:06:24,580 Benjamin. 159 00:06:24,580 --> 00:06:28,070 So These tribes were to be on the side of the blessings there at 160 00:06:28,070 --> 00:06:28,910 Mount Gerizim. 161 00:06:28,990 --> 00:06:31,390 And then he said, on the other side, on Mount Ebal, there's going 162 00:06:31,390 --> 00:06:32,590 to be the curses, verse 13. 163 00:06:32,590 --> 00:06:35,910 And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal to curse Reuben, Gad, 164 00:06:35,910 --> 00:06:38,030 Asher, Zebulon, Dan, and Naftali. 165 00:06:38,590 --> 00:06:41,150 And then you have those two different people, those two. 166 00:06:41,150 --> 00:06:42,350 Two different groups on each side. 167 00:06:42,350 --> 00:06:42,910 Verse 14. 168 00:06:42,910 --> 00:06:45,790 The Levite shall speak and say unto all the men of Israel with a 169 00:06:45,790 --> 00:06:49,470 loud voice, cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten 170 00:06:49,470 --> 00:06:53,200 image an abomination unto the Lord and work of hands of the craftsman, 171 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:54,720 and put it in a secret place. 172 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:56,880 And all the people shall answer and say Amen. 173 00:06:57,280 --> 00:06:59,960 And so what we're actually going to see In Deuteronomy chapter 174 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:01,240 27 is all the curses. 175 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:04,160 It's essentially warnings, warnings of things not to do. 176 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,960 If you do this, you will face curses, you will face separation, 177 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:08,440 you will. 178 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:09,680 You will face judgment. 179 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:11,320 And so it goes on and on. 180 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:13,320 We don't have time to go through all the curses, but if you 181 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,200 have time, it would be interesting to read through that. 182 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,720 And then I find it interesting that at the end of each one of the 183 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,280 curses, they have to say Amen, which basically means they're in 184 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:21,920 agreement to that. 185 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:22,920 They understand that. 186 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:24,560 But then we see in. 187 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,920 In chapter 28 that the blessings come, verse 2, and it says, 188 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,280 and all the blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee. 189 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:32,760 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. 190 00:07:32,999 --> 00:07:35,720 Bless shalt thou be in the city, and bless shalt thou be in 191 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:36,040 the field. 192 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:38,440 Bless shalt thou be the fruit of thy body and fruit of the ground, 193 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:41,240 and the fruit of the cattle, and the increase of the of the kind 194 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:42,330 and the flocks of the sheep. 195 00:07:42,330 --> 00:07:44,810 The bless shall thee be thy basket in the store. 196 00:07:44,810 --> 00:07:47,330 And he goes on and talks about all the blessings that they can find 197 00:07:47,330 --> 00:07:47,970 in obedience. 198 00:07:47,970 --> 00:07:51,810 And so essentially, what God is telling the Israelites to do is 199 00:07:51,810 --> 00:07:56,170 to be reminded of the law and be reminded of God's presence and 200 00:07:56,170 --> 00:08:00,130 his power and his purpose, and then ultimately understand the blessings 201 00:08:00,290 --> 00:08:04,530 of obedience and the difficulties and the pain of disobedience. 202 00:08:04,850 --> 00:08:07,810 And so that was the reminder there in Deuteronomy, chapter 27 203 00:08:07,810 --> 00:08:08,370 and 28. 204 00:08:08,370 --> 00:08:11,750 So if you go to Joshua chapter 8 again, that's exactly what they're 205 00:08:11,750 --> 00:08:12,350 doing here. 206 00:08:12,590 --> 00:08:15,070 They're reminding themselves of God's presence. 207 00:08:15,070 --> 00:08:18,230 The way that God had revealed himself to the people of Israel at 208 00:08:18,230 --> 00:08:20,190 this point was obviously through the law. 209 00:08:20,590 --> 00:08:22,270 That was God's heart for his people. 210 00:08:22,430 --> 00:08:24,950 But he also had revealed himself through their provisions 211 00:08:24,950 --> 00:08:27,830 and their power and the guidance and all the things that 212 00:08:27,830 --> 00:08:29,470 God had shown through their wanderings. 213 00:08:29,470 --> 00:08:31,710 And ultimately, as they come into the promised land. 214 00:08:32,110 --> 00:08:35,190 So what they're doing here is after this victory in AI, they're 215 00:08:35,190 --> 00:08:38,000 being reminded of God's promise to them. 216 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,840 Now, going back to Joshua chapter one, Remember, Joshua chapter 217 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,200 one gave us a reminder that the law of God should not depart 218 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:46,160 out of their mouths. 219 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:48,400 That was back in verse number eight of chapter one. 220 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,240 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou 221 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:52,880 shalt meditate there and day and night. 222 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,000 So the reminder was that the law needed to be before the people. 223 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:57,680 God needed to be before the people. 224 00:08:58,320 --> 00:08:59,200 Verse 32. 225 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:03,530 All the way back in Joshua chapter 8, this is what happened. 226 00:09:03,530 --> 00:09:05,370 He's obeying God's command. 227 00:09:05,930 --> 00:09:08,610 And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, 228 00:09:08,610 --> 00:09:10,730 which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. 229 00:09:10,730 --> 00:09:14,490 So the challenge was to write down a copy of the law of Moses. 230 00:09:15,610 --> 00:09:17,370 Now, they already knew the law of Moses. 231 00:09:17,370 --> 00:09:18,570 That's what they lived by. 232 00:09:18,970 --> 00:09:21,610 But again, sometimes we have to be reminded of the things that 233 00:09:21,610 --> 00:09:22,450 God has done for us. 234 00:09:22,450 --> 00:09:25,530 We have to be reminded of what God has taught us over and over again. 235 00:09:25,930 --> 00:09:28,490 Obviously, the Israelites needed to be reminded about God, 236 00:09:28,860 --> 00:09:30,380 because many times they go astray. 237 00:09:30,380 --> 00:09:31,380 And same thing with us. 238 00:09:31,380 --> 00:09:33,260 We have to be reminded of the things of God. 239 00:09:33,340 --> 00:09:34,300 So that's what this is. 240 00:09:34,300 --> 00:09:37,380 They knew the law of Moses intellectually, but again, they needed 241 00:09:37,380 --> 00:09:40,420 to be reminded, as it says here, which he wrote in the presence 242 00:09:40,420 --> 00:09:43,460 of the children of Israel and all Israel and their elders and the 243 00:09:43,460 --> 00:09:46,740 officers and their judges, stood on this side of the ark, and 244 00:09:46,740 --> 00:09:49,540 on that side before the priests of the Levites, which bear 245 00:09:49,540 --> 00:09:53,980 the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well the stranger as he 246 00:09:53,980 --> 00:09:57,780 that was born among them, half of them over against Mount Gerizim, 247 00:09:57,780 --> 00:09:59,660 and half of them over against Mount Ebal. 248 00:09:59,660 --> 00:10:03,080 So remember, Deuteronomy told us that half of the tribes are over 249 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:05,440 on one side, half of the tribes are in the other. 250 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:08,000 And then you had the Levites in the middle, middle proclaiming 251 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:08,840 the law of God. 252 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,400 So it says, as Moses, the servant of God, servant of the Lord, 253 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:15,800 had commanded before that they should bless the people of Israel. 254 00:10:16,199 --> 00:10:18,960 So there's the blessings and the cursings, verse 34. 255 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,640 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and 256 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:23,920 the cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the 257 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:24,200 Law. 258 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:28,160 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua 259 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,250 read not before all the congregation, which the women and 260 00:10:31,250 --> 00:10:34,730 the little ones and the strangers that were conversant within 261 00:10:34,730 --> 00:10:36,090 them, so among, among them. 262 00:10:36,090 --> 00:10:37,850 So what we basically see is this. 263 00:10:38,010 --> 00:10:39,610 They come after the victory. 264 00:10:39,690 --> 00:10:41,330 They say, okay, we're going to obey God. 265 00:10:41,330 --> 00:10:44,170 We're going to go back to what God told us to do, and we're going 266 00:10:44,170 --> 00:10:48,170 to remind all of the people of Israel God's promise to us that he 267 00:10:48,170 --> 00:10:50,610 will be faithful to us and that we are called to be faithful 268 00:10:50,610 --> 00:10:51,050 to Him. 269 00:10:51,530 --> 00:10:54,570 And so one side of the group is there hearing the blessings, and 270 00:10:54,570 --> 00:10:55,450 the blessings are good things. 271 00:10:55,450 --> 00:10:56,650 We should hear the blessings, right? 272 00:10:56,980 --> 00:10:58,580 Do this, and this is what's going to happen. 273 00:10:58,660 --> 00:11:00,580 And then on the other side was the cursing. 274 00:11:01,060 --> 00:11:01,940 Don't do this. 275 00:11:02,100 --> 00:11:03,020 Be aware of this. 276 00:11:03,020 --> 00:11:06,300 Stay away from the things of the pagan people there in the land 277 00:11:06,300 --> 00:11:06,820 of Canaan. 278 00:11:06,820 --> 00:11:08,500 Don't build for yourself idols. 279 00:11:08,580 --> 00:11:11,620 And so this altar is built there and they offer sacrifices. 280 00:11:11,620 --> 00:11:15,100 And anytime we see an altar with a sacrifice, it's linked to 281 00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:15,700 worship. 282 00:11:16,180 --> 00:11:21,100 And so we see appropriate acts of worship and consecration to God 283 00:11:21,100 --> 00:11:22,220 following a great victory. 284 00:11:22,220 --> 00:11:24,380 And that should be the same thing for us when we see victories 285 00:11:24,380 --> 00:11:28,800 in our life, when we see God answering prayer, when we see God 286 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,200 working in our midst, we should all, in appropriate manner, 287 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,920 worship God in the way that he has called us to worship Him. 288 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:40,240 Now, he doesn't call us to offer animals on a sacrifice altar. 289 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:41,960 We, we're not called to do that anymore. 290 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:43,760 But he does call us to give a sacrifice. 291 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:47,160 Romans chapter 12 says, to give our bodies a living sacrifice, 292 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:49,800 wholly acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. 293 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,720 And so the answer to the victory in our life should not be, 294 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:54,880 look at how great. 295 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:55,280 Mr. 296 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:57,340 So and so is, or look how this is. 297 00:11:57,340 --> 00:11:57,980 So and so is. 298 00:11:57,980 --> 00:12:01,340 And, or, or look at how wonderful this situation was in my 299 00:12:01,340 --> 00:12:01,620 life. 300 00:12:01,860 --> 00:12:05,380 It's ultimately praising God for the blessings and the gifts that 301 00:12:05,380 --> 00:12:06,100 he's given us. 302 00:12:06,420 --> 00:12:08,780 Because the Bible says in James chapter one that every good 303 00:12:08,780 --> 00:12:09,700 gift comes from God. 304 00:12:09,940 --> 00:12:12,740 And so every blessing that we have in our life, every victory that 305 00:12:12,740 --> 00:12:14,340 we have in our life comes from the Lord. 306 00:12:14,340 --> 00:12:16,260 So he calls us to worship him. 307 00:12:16,260 --> 00:12:18,420 And so they follow God in obedience. 308 00:12:18,420 --> 00:12:21,900 And the greatest act of obedience that we can do is we can 309 00:12:21,900 --> 00:12:24,260 show God that we love him by following his word. 310 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:28,040 We can say that we're obeying, but the Bible says it's following 311 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,760 God not only by word, but also by deed. 312 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:33,280 And the way that we can worship God is by following what 313 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:34,920 he has called us to do in our lives. 314 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:38,240 And so it's obviously not drawing attention to man's work, 315 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:39,280 because that's what he said. 316 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:43,000 He said, I want whole stones not touched by any tools. 317 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:45,480 He didn't want elaborate carvings. 318 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:48,240 He didn't want any handiwork on the stones because he didn't want 319 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:50,560 anyone to look at that and say, well, hey, you know, my uncle. 320 00:12:50,560 --> 00:12:50,720 So. 321 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:52,840 And so he carved that part out there on that altar. 322 00:12:53,410 --> 00:12:54,850 It wasn't about pointing to man. 323 00:12:54,850 --> 00:12:57,210 It was about pointing to the power of God. 324 00:12:57,210 --> 00:13:00,930 And so therefore, that's why he wanted just whole stones, no carvings, 325 00:13:00,930 --> 00:13:02,010 nothing ornate on it. 326 00:13:02,010 --> 00:13:05,650 He wanted whole stones, which no man had any tool against it. 327 00:13:06,130 --> 00:13:08,130 And so they read the blessings and the cursings. 328 00:13:08,290 --> 00:13:10,410 And so it's an act of obedience. 329 00:13:10,410 --> 00:13:11,650 It's an act of worship. 330 00:13:12,130 --> 00:13:15,570 And we know that Joshua was called to be a man of the law, man 331 00:13:15,570 --> 00:13:19,730 of the word, and so he obeys the Command of Joshua 1:8, and he 332 00:13:19,730 --> 00:13:21,250 reads the law to the people. 333 00:13:22,850 --> 00:13:23,890 And so this is. 334 00:13:23,970 --> 00:13:26,810 This is difficult for many to hear because it's. 335 00:13:26,810 --> 00:13:28,090 It's a long list of things. 336 00:13:28,090 --> 00:13:30,970 And for some people, maybe they were tempted to think, why do 337 00:13:30,970 --> 00:13:32,210 we need to be reminded of this? 338 00:13:32,210 --> 00:13:34,810 But they just came out of this battle, and they're going into many 339 00:13:34,810 --> 00:13:37,650 more battles, and they need to be reminded of God's presence in 340 00:13:37,650 --> 00:13:37,930 their life. 341 00:13:37,930 --> 00:13:39,090 And that's the same thing for us. 342 00:13:39,810 --> 00:13:43,850 Sometimes we think about the things of scripture, and we get so 343 00:13:43,850 --> 00:13:46,610 used to it, we hear the same stories over and over again. 344 00:13:46,970 --> 00:13:49,730 I mean, for some of us, we grew up in church, and we heard all 345 00:13:49,730 --> 00:13:52,410 the Old Testament stories, all the New Testament stories. 346 00:13:52,970 --> 00:13:56,970 And sometimes if we're not careful, it can be tempting for us 347 00:13:57,050 --> 00:13:59,890 just to kind of get so used to hearing it over and over again. 348 00:13:59,890 --> 00:14:01,130 Yeah, I know the gospel. 349 00:14:01,290 --> 00:14:04,370 Yeah, I know that Daniel was a great man of faith. 350 00:14:04,370 --> 00:14:07,290 I know that all these different characters of scripture 351 00:14:07,290 --> 00:14:08,770 that we mentioned are great men of faith. 352 00:14:08,770 --> 00:14:11,890 But we need to be reminded of how God has been faithful to so many 353 00:14:11,890 --> 00:14:14,100 people throughout all of history. 354 00:14:14,100 --> 00:14:16,500 And he's going to be faithful to us, and he's going to be faithful 355 00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:18,740 to the next generation, and he's going to continue on. 356 00:14:18,740 --> 00:14:20,540 And that was the reminder there for them. 357 00:14:20,860 --> 00:14:23,060 And so they go to this very specific place. 358 00:14:23,060 --> 00:14:26,340 It's about 25 miles away from AI. 359 00:14:26,340 --> 00:14:30,060 So they leave and they intentionally go to Ebal and Gerizim, 360 00:14:30,380 --> 00:14:31,180 and it's a. 361 00:14:31,180 --> 00:14:35,020 It's a great place to do this because there is that natural amphitheater 362 00:14:35,500 --> 00:14:38,660 and because of the hills, and they go there and they're able to 363 00:14:38,660 --> 00:14:40,620 do this wonderful action of worship. 364 00:14:41,310 --> 00:14:46,510 And so this event at this place shows that Israel had victories 365 00:14:46,510 --> 00:14:48,910 in the Lord, but ultimately they're going to continue. 366 00:14:49,150 --> 00:14:51,510 They should continue to trust the Lord in everything that they 367 00:14:51,510 --> 00:14:51,670 do. 368 00:14:51,670 --> 00:14:53,230 And that's what we should do in our own life. 369 00:14:53,950 --> 00:14:56,630 But the difference that I think that we need to take in in 370 00:14:56,630 --> 00:14:58,790 our own minds is this in. 371 00:14:58,790 --> 00:15:01,390 In Joshua, chapter eight, they're reminded of the blessings 372 00:15:01,390 --> 00:15:03,950 of following God and the cursings of not following God. 373 00:15:04,110 --> 00:15:07,390 Basically, the Mosaic covenant was a conditional covenant. 374 00:15:08,060 --> 00:15:09,820 It wasn't an unconditional covenant. 375 00:15:09,820 --> 00:15:12,580 Some covenants that God gives to us are unconditional, meaning 376 00:15:12,580 --> 00:15:14,620 we don't have to do anything, God's going to do it. 377 00:15:14,700 --> 00:15:16,700 But for them, the Mosaic covenant was this. 378 00:15:16,700 --> 00:15:19,140 If you're obedient to the law, you will be blessed. 379 00:15:19,140 --> 00:15:21,340 If you're not obedient to the law, you won't be blessed. 380 00:15:22,460 --> 00:15:25,820 And I want to tell you here tonight that we don't follow. 381 00:15:25,980 --> 00:15:27,820 We don't live in the Mosaic Law anymore. 382 00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:30,860 I mean, I don't know about you guys, but there's times in my life 383 00:15:30,860 --> 00:15:33,180 that, yes, I need to be reminded that there's blessings in 384 00:15:33,180 --> 00:15:33,980 following the Lord. 385 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:37,560 But the truth is, is that even when I stumble, God is still faithful. 386 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:39,960 God is not going to cast us aside. 387 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:42,480 And so we live in something called the new covenant. 388 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:43,280 Jesus mentions that. 389 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:44,560 He says this blood is the. 390 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:47,080 Is the picture of the New Testament, the new covenant. 391 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:49,920 And, and the beauty is, is that no longer do we have to live 392 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:54,280 in fear of keeping 613 laws and following all of those things. 393 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,920 The beauty that we can find in Jesus Christ is that, yes, as God 394 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:00,400 was faithful to those in Israel, he can still be faithful 395 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:00,840 to us today. 396 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:03,800 And he will be faithful in us today because of his promise. 397 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:07,340 So it really boils down to God's promise and the type of promise 398 00:16:07,340 --> 00:16:07,940 that he gives us. 399 00:16:07,940 --> 00:16:11,420 And the type of promise that God gives us is the type of promise 400 00:16:11,420 --> 00:16:13,820 that's an unconditional promise that if we trust in him, 401 00:16:13,820 --> 00:16:14,580 he will bless us. 402 00:16:14,580 --> 00:16:17,420 Now, I don't want to get off track and say that, hey, you can 403 00:16:17,420 --> 00:16:18,620 live the way that you want to live. 404 00:16:18,620 --> 00:16:22,300 Romans chapter six tells us that we should not live in abusing 405 00:16:22,300 --> 00:16:22,740 grace. 406 00:16:22,820 --> 00:16:24,300 But what I will tell you is this. 407 00:16:24,300 --> 00:16:27,540 We no longer have to live in fear of memorizing all of the law 408 00:16:27,540 --> 00:16:29,820 and making sure that we have to keep all the law and making sure 409 00:16:29,820 --> 00:16:30,980 that we don't do certain things. 410 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,920 God gives us the freedom and the grace to be able to walk in newness 411 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:38,120 of life and to just trust in him and know that he's going to change 412 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:38,440 our heart. 413 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:40,680 And the Bible says that the law of God is written on our heart 414 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:41,000 now. 415 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:44,640 And the law is there to show us where we're bad and show us where 416 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:46,600 God's heart is when it comes to morality. 417 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:50,120 But ultimately, what we can understand is that we as Christians 418 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,960 no longer have to face any more curses because of the fact that 419 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,400 we live in the goodness of God and we live in the new covenant and 420 00:16:56,400 --> 00:17:00,000 we live in that path that God has extended for us here in the New 421 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:00,760 Testament Church. 422 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:04,000 But again, I think that there are blessings and understanding that 423 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:06,880 there is a reward for obeying God. 424 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:10,680 Like, obviously, if someone came up to me and said, well, can 425 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:13,440 I live my life the way that I want to live it and just live free 426 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:14,200 of consequences? 427 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:14,760 No, there's. 428 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,800 There's earthly consequences for decisions that we make on this 429 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:18,360 side of heaven. 430 00:17:18,360 --> 00:17:21,080 And what we're going to see is that the Israelites faced a lot of 431 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:24,640 those difficulties and curses because of their lack of faithfulness 432 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:26,000 in the Mosaic covenant. 433 00:17:26,650 --> 00:17:29,730 But ultimately, I think that this is a passage of scripture that 434 00:17:29,730 --> 00:17:33,010 reminds us just to think about the things that God has done in the 435 00:17:33,010 --> 00:17:36,450 past, obey what he has called us to do when it comes to worship, 436 00:17:36,450 --> 00:17:39,810 and actually apply the promises of God to our life and to 437 00:17:39,810 --> 00:17:43,170 realize that God will be faithful to us as we follow Him. 438 00:17:43,170 --> 00:17:46,970 And so what I will say that's very interesting, though, some people 439 00:17:47,210 --> 00:17:51,450 have read the Old Testament and actually said, these are great 440 00:17:51,450 --> 00:17:54,710 stories, but there's no proof that these actually happen. 441 00:17:55,190 --> 00:17:57,510 There's actually some historians that will say, you know, 442 00:17:57,510 --> 00:18:00,230 we can't really validate anything that happened in the promised 443 00:18:00,230 --> 00:18:00,510 land. 444 00:18:00,510 --> 00:18:04,670 We can't validate anything about the Israelites being in, in 445 00:18:04,670 --> 00:18:06,230 Egypt and all that kind of stuff. 446 00:18:06,230 --> 00:18:08,630 But I wanted to tell you something very interesting about 447 00:18:08,630 --> 00:18:09,150 this passage. 448 00:18:09,150 --> 00:18:12,270 I was doing some research and I had a few folks that had pointed 449 00:18:12,270 --> 00:18:13,270 this out to me as well. 450 00:18:13,510 --> 00:18:18,470 But back in 2000, I believe it was 2019, there was an archeological 451 00:18:18,470 --> 00:18:23,240 dig at Mount Ebal and Mount Ebal, this place that's mentioned 452 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:23,880 in scripture. 453 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:27,080 Actually, the, the dig started in, back in 1980. 454 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:31,600 Back in 1980, they found an altar on Mount Ebal which matched 455 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:34,760 the same description that was found here in Joshua chapter eight. 456 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:36,840 Very interesting find. 457 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:40,160 They didn't necessarily link it back to this specific altar, but 458 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,160 many scholars believe that it would have been very similar, same 459 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:43,480 place. 460 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:44,920 So probably the right time. 461 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,240 So that was probably the altar, which is pretty cool. 462 00:18:47,860 --> 00:18:49,860 But then they, when they excavate. 463 00:18:49,860 --> 00:18:52,060 This has nothing to do with Bible, but I Just think this is really 464 00:18:52,060 --> 00:18:52,420 interesting. 465 00:18:52,420 --> 00:18:54,340 So if you guys don't find this interesting to me out. 466 00:18:54,340 --> 00:18:56,580 But this is really cool because I think it really links together 467 00:18:56,980 --> 00:19:00,260 history and the scriptures and to understand they're the same. 468 00:19:00,740 --> 00:19:05,100 So they, they, when they excavated Mount Ebal in 1980, they 469 00:19:05,100 --> 00:19:07,580 made a bunch of trash heaps because, you know, they pull out 470 00:19:07,580 --> 00:19:11,900 a bunch of ground and dirt and foundation and all that kind of stuff, 471 00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:13,580 and basically they don't find anything. 472 00:19:13,580 --> 00:19:15,140 They just throw it into a big pile. 473 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:20,800 So I believe there was three big piles around Mount Ebal. 474 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:23,200 Well, there was another group that went back, and I think it was 475 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:24,800 in 2018 or 2019. 476 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:28,480 They had some new technology of what they call wet sifting, which 477 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:33,080 basically means they take this big chunk of dirt and rock and they 478 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:35,600 sift it through water and they pull out new artifacts. 479 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:38,000 Well, actually, they found an artifact. 480 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:42,880 It's very small, but it's a lead tablet that they found there 481 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:44,360 in the junk pile, basically. 482 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:47,280 And it was a lead tablet that would have been found right next 483 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:48,520 to this altar. 484 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:53,480 And would you believe that on the lead tablet it had the cursings, 485 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:58,240 like, basically, if you don't obey God, you will be judged, you 486 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:00,360 will be, you will be cursed. 487 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,680 And it was exactly, almost word for word, what we see here. 488 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,960 Now, they looked into it, and of course, all the skeptics are like, 489 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:08,040 let's put it under the test. 490 00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:08,480 Let's. 491 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:09,320 Let's test this out. 492 00:20:09,810 --> 00:20:13,410 So they tested it out and they could trace back the lead tablet 493 00:20:13,410 --> 00:20:17,450 to the time period exactly when we believe that Joshua would 494 00:20:17,450 --> 00:20:19,410 have been in Mount Ebal with the Israelites. 495 00:20:19,490 --> 00:20:20,450 It's really interesting. 496 00:20:20,450 --> 00:20:23,610 They found basically an ancient type of Hebrew that would 497 00:20:23,610 --> 00:20:26,410 have matched up at the exact same time of Joshua being there with 498 00:20:26,410 --> 00:20:27,050 the Israelites. 499 00:20:27,050 --> 00:20:30,010 So some people would question, what was that tablet? 500 00:20:30,010 --> 00:20:33,650 Well, the tablet was basically could have been what was used for 501 00:20:33,650 --> 00:20:34,610 the whole nation of Israel. 502 00:20:34,610 --> 00:20:37,390 Maybe there was a small tablet that they, you know, did this to 503 00:20:37,390 --> 00:20:39,150 remember that the whole issue by. 504 00:20:39,150 --> 00:20:42,550 But then also some people think that maybe there was an individual 505 00:20:42,550 --> 00:20:46,190 that was there that basically wrote in a tablet, the reminder for 506 00:20:46,190 --> 00:20:49,030 himself to take that with him and obviously left it there. 507 00:20:49,430 --> 00:20:52,829 And so I just find that very interesting because I know that we 508 00:20:52,829 --> 00:20:56,070 don't need archaeological digs to validate what we believe. 509 00:20:56,470 --> 00:20:59,710 But it's always nice when the archeological digs line up with exactly 510 00:20:59,710 --> 00:21:00,550 what the Bible says. 511 00:21:00,550 --> 00:21:04,790 And so even scholars that are not Christians do count back to that 512 00:21:04,790 --> 00:21:07,460 time frame when this lead tablet would have been around. 513 00:21:07,460 --> 00:21:10,540 It was like the late Bronze Age, which would Line up exactly 514 00:21:10,540 --> 00:21:13,100 when they were there in the land of Canaan. 515 00:21:13,100 --> 00:21:16,140 So I was doing that research and I was like, wow, that's just 516 00:21:16,140 --> 00:21:18,940 another reason why we know that the word of God is true. 517 00:21:18,940 --> 00:21:19,700 Because there have. 518 00:21:19,700 --> 00:21:22,860 There's never really been an archaeological dig or find that has 519 00:21:22,860 --> 00:21:24,300 ever contradicted scripture. 520 00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:26,980 Actually, it's only validated what we see in scripture. 521 00:21:26,980 --> 00:21:28,540 There's other cases of this. 522 00:21:28,540 --> 00:21:31,460 Years ago there was, you know, there's people in the Bible called 523 00:21:31,460 --> 00:21:32,220 the Hittites. 524 00:21:32,900 --> 00:21:36,940 And for many years people questioned the Bible because they 525 00:21:36,940 --> 00:21:39,860 said that there was no way that the Hittites ever existed, because 526 00:21:39,860 --> 00:21:41,780 there's no proof that the Hittites existed. 527 00:21:42,020 --> 00:21:45,340 Well, later on they had some archaeological digs and they found 528 00:21:45,340 --> 00:21:46,540 that the Hittites existed. 529 00:21:46,540 --> 00:21:50,460 So again, we don't need the archeological digs and finds to validate 530 00:21:50,460 --> 00:21:52,660 it because we believe by faith we don't have to see. 531 00:21:52,820 --> 00:21:54,500 We believe that this is the word of God. 532 00:21:54,580 --> 00:21:57,540 But again, it just strengthens the argument of all the things that 533 00:21:57,540 --> 00:22:00,480 we see here in scripture that these were real people dealing with 534 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,280 real issues at a real time, long time ago. 535 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:07,080 But ultimately we can see that all pointing to the truth of the 536 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:07,680 word of God. 537 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:09,720 And so I just thought that that was super interesting to look 538 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:14,400 at when it came to the story there of Mount Ebal and, and the 539 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:14,760 curses. 540 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:18,240 And so I. I think that one of the lessons that we can take with 541 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,840 us, along with some of the ones that we've already talked about, 542 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:22,360 would be essentially this. 543 00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:22,720 We. 544 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:27,450 We need to take time, as we do on Sunday nights, for testimonies. 545 00:22:27,450 --> 00:22:29,210 But, but the testimony should be. 546 00:22:29,610 --> 00:22:33,130 Should be focused on what God has done for us in the past. 547 00:22:33,530 --> 00:22:36,570 And, and then we look at what God has done for us in the past or 548 00:22:36,570 --> 00:22:37,930 what he's doing for us in the present. 549 00:22:38,010 --> 00:22:40,650 And we extrapolate that out to say this. 550 00:22:40,730 --> 00:22:44,490 If God has been faithful to us before and he's being faithful us 551 00:22:44,650 --> 00:22:48,570 now, he's going to be faithful for, for us tomorrow and the next 552 00:22:48,570 --> 00:22:51,050 day and for our children and for our grandchildren. 553 00:22:51,290 --> 00:22:54,050 And, and I think that so many times we're tempted to doubt whether 554 00:22:54,050 --> 00:22:56,850 or not God is going to be there with us through the struggles 555 00:22:56,850 --> 00:23:00,970 because of our human nature, because of our shortsighted mindset. 556 00:23:00,970 --> 00:23:03,450 And so in Joshua, chapter eight, we see that it's really a 557 00:23:03,450 --> 00:23:04,290 story of victory. 558 00:23:04,610 --> 00:23:07,290 We, we really see it as a story of worship. 559 00:23:07,290 --> 00:23:11,170 We see it as a story of being a. Reminding them of the law of God. 560 00:23:11,170 --> 00:23:13,850 And we need to be reminded of the law of God, even though we don't 561 00:23:13,850 --> 00:23:16,890 live by the law of God, we need to be reminded of the word of 562 00:23:16,890 --> 00:23:19,970 God so that we can understand what God wants for us and so that 563 00:23:19,970 --> 00:23:22,130 we can live in obedience to him. 564 00:23:22,130 --> 00:23:24,810 So the end of Joshua 8 just ties that all together. 565 00:23:24,810 --> 00:23:26,690 And I find that so, so interesting. 566 00:23:26,690 --> 00:23:28,470 Well, we're going to Joshua chapter nine. 567 00:23:28,470 --> 00:23:29,630 We have a few more minutes here. 568 00:23:29,630 --> 00:23:32,590 We're going to kind of get launched off here and we're going 569 00:23:32,590 --> 00:23:34,510 to look at a little bit of Joshua chapter 9. 570 00:23:35,070 --> 00:23:38,590 Joshua is one of the longer books of, of the Bible. 571 00:23:38,830 --> 00:23:42,310 And we're going to try to go through this book as quickly as we 572 00:23:42,310 --> 00:23:42,870 possibly can. 573 00:23:42,870 --> 00:23:45,870 But at the same time, we do want to give it its due diligence 574 00:23:45,870 --> 00:23:47,230 as we're studying it out. 575 00:23:47,390 --> 00:23:50,310 And so anytime we get to one of these strange times, I don't want 576 00:23:50,310 --> 00:23:51,830 to stop and just leave off. 577 00:23:51,830 --> 00:23:54,750 I want us to kind of jump into chapter A9 there. 578 00:23:54,750 --> 00:24:00,470 So in Joshua chapter 9, we see the story go on a little bit further. 579 00:24:01,030 --> 00:24:04,350 Joshua and the nation of Israel just come off of this huge 580 00:24:04,350 --> 00:24:04,870 victory. 581 00:24:05,350 --> 00:24:07,910 They come off of this time of worship. 582 00:24:07,910 --> 00:24:11,830 They come off of being reminded of the power of God and 583 00:24:11,830 --> 00:24:12,950 the presence of God. 584 00:24:13,590 --> 00:24:17,230 And so now what we're going to see is that there's going to be a 585 00:24:17,230 --> 00:24:19,030 more conflict that comes. 586 00:24:19,350 --> 00:24:20,670 And that's how it always goes. 587 00:24:20,670 --> 00:24:23,150 By the way, sometimes when we have victories in our life, I do 588 00:24:23,150 --> 00:24:25,900 think this is a point to, to note, and we see this in scripture, 589 00:24:25,900 --> 00:24:27,940 and I think we've all kind of experienced this probably in our 590 00:24:27,940 --> 00:24:31,460 own lives as well, is that sometimes at the, behind the back 591 00:24:31,460 --> 00:24:33,860 of a spiritual victory comes the next spiritual challenge. 592 00:24:33,940 --> 00:24:36,540 Sometimes we wish we could just coast and, and rest in that 593 00:24:36,540 --> 00:24:37,180 spiritual victory. 594 00:24:37,180 --> 00:24:40,020 I know there's been times in my life that we've had these really 595 00:24:40,980 --> 00:24:44,140 wonderful spiritual high events and we're all excited, but 596 00:24:44,140 --> 00:24:47,260 that's, that's the time when sometimes Satan comes in and attacks. 597 00:24:47,260 --> 00:24:48,700 And that's what we can see happening here. 598 00:24:48,700 --> 00:24:51,740 So Joshua chapter nine says, and it came to pass when all the 599 00:24:51,740 --> 00:24:55,630 kings which were on this side of Jordan, in the hills and in the 600 00:24:55,630 --> 00:24:58,630 valleys and all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, 601 00:24:58,630 --> 00:25:03,190 the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the parasites 602 00:25:03,190 --> 00:25:06,950 and the Hivites and the Jebusite heard thereof, that they 603 00:25:06,950 --> 00:25:10,470 gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with the 604 00:25:10,470 --> 00:25:11,910 nation of Israel with one accord. 605 00:25:12,790 --> 00:25:13,750 So what happens? 606 00:25:14,310 --> 00:25:18,960 Well, there's victory, there's success, there's the power of God, 607 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,920 there's the blessings of God, and ultimately they're worshiping 608 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:25,280 and there's this great unity within the midst of the Israelites. 609 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:26,040 But guess what? 610 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:30,000 Just as much as there's unity on the side of the Israelites, now 611 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:34,560 there's coming a seeming unity with evil against the Israelites. 612 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:38,680 And we know that throughout history that there have been individuals 613 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:41,600 who hate the people of God, not because they hate the people 614 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:43,160 of God, but because they hate God. 615 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:45,270 And that's essentially what Jesus tells us. 616 00:25:45,270 --> 00:25:47,550 He says, they're going to hate you because they hate me. 617 00:25:48,030 --> 00:25:49,510 And that's the reality of things. 618 00:25:49,510 --> 00:25:53,030 Anytime we're living in a spiritual victory, anytime we see 619 00:25:53,030 --> 00:25:56,150 something happening for the good of the Lord, there's going to 620 00:25:56,150 --> 00:25:59,030 be those that are not on the side of the Lord that come against 621 00:25:59,030 --> 00:25:59,270 that. 622 00:25:59,270 --> 00:26:01,470 And that's exactly what happens here in chapter nine. 623 00:26:01,550 --> 00:26:03,950 They hear of it, the testimony rings out. 624 00:26:04,110 --> 00:26:08,270 And I think that's another lesson for us to also take as a lesson 625 00:26:08,510 --> 00:26:11,630 in our own lives is because know, sometimes I think that we live 626 00:26:11,790 --> 00:26:16,070 so insulated lives that nobody around us even knows about the power 627 00:26:16,070 --> 00:26:16,590 of God. 628 00:26:16,750 --> 00:26:18,110 I mean, I, I. 629 00:26:18,110 --> 00:26:19,910 It hurts my heart every single time. 630 00:26:19,910 --> 00:26:21,150 And it's not any of our faults. 631 00:26:21,150 --> 00:26:24,190 I think it's just in general the way that our world is today. 632 00:26:24,270 --> 00:26:26,510 But it hurts my heart all the time when people are like, well, 633 00:26:26,510 --> 00:26:27,270 where's your church at? 634 00:26:27,270 --> 00:26:28,190 I've never heard of it. 635 00:26:28,750 --> 00:26:32,070 And, you know, I, I mean, I, I know that Middletown is growing. 636 00:26:32,070 --> 00:26:32,990 I understand that. 637 00:26:33,630 --> 00:26:34,270 But it's. 638 00:26:34,430 --> 00:26:36,230 We're not living in, in a metropolis here. 639 00:26:36,230 --> 00:26:36,670 Okay. 640 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:37,360 All right. 641 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,760 We're still relatively small in comparison to some other cities 642 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:41,360 in this world. 643 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,040 It's my heart, and I think it's probably all of our hearts. 644 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:48,400 And I know it's God's plan that we would, we would be a testimony, 645 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,240 we would be a lighthouse to our community that people, whether 646 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:55,720 they agreed with us or not, would know what Middletown Baptist 647 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:57,680 is for, what Middletown Baptist is doing. 648 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:01,600 And, and we see here that all these people, the Hittites, the Himrites, 649 00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:04,920 the Canaanites, the parasites, all these ones that were in pagan 650 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:08,150 worship that were against God, they hear what's going on and they 651 00:27:08,150 --> 00:27:10,030 gather together to fight against them. 652 00:27:10,110 --> 00:27:11,430 Why are they fighting against them? 653 00:27:11,430 --> 00:27:12,310 Because they're against good. 654 00:27:12,310 --> 00:27:16,310 They're against what God has for them and, and the victory of 655 00:27:16,310 --> 00:27:18,190 Israel and, and the spreading of good. 656 00:27:18,190 --> 00:27:21,550 And obviously we see this in the Old Testament and the New Testament. 657 00:27:21,550 --> 00:27:25,230 Anytime God is doing something that counteracts what culture thinks 658 00:27:25,230 --> 00:27:27,270 to be good, there's a pushback against it. 659 00:27:27,270 --> 00:27:28,670 And that's going to happen today. 660 00:27:28,910 --> 00:27:32,600 Anytime we as the church are living for good in this world, there's 661 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,080 going to be a pushback against us from evil. 662 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:39,120 And, and so just as much as we want people of our community to know 663 00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:43,040 what we're about, there's blessings and difficulties with that. 664 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:45,480 The blessing would be that more people come to Jesus Christ. 665 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,080 The difficulty with that is that people that aren't for Jesus 666 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:49,160 are going to come against us. 667 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:51,760 You know, there's been a lot of people that have been very nice 668 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,520 to me in my life until I start telling them what I believe. 669 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:56,960 And maybe they're not as nice anymore. 670 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:00,560 Now, again, we're not, we're not hateful by what we believe, but 671 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:03,920 many times what we believe can be considered to be hateful for, 672 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:05,320 for many people in our culture. 673 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:09,520 So what I would say is this, be ready if we live boldly for Jesus, 674 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:14,680 and if we live boldly for the word of God, be expecting people 675 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:15,720 that come against us. 676 00:28:16,360 --> 00:28:17,800 That's just the reality of it. 677 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:22,000 Every Christian, every person of God, from the Old Testament to 678 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:24,920 the New, when they stood up for good, faced opposition. 679 00:28:25,810 --> 00:28:29,730 Okay, what we usually do in American Christianity is we say this. 680 00:28:29,890 --> 00:28:33,250 Well, I don't want opposition, so I'm going to push it as far as 681 00:28:33,330 --> 00:28:34,170 that line is. 682 00:28:34,170 --> 00:28:36,450 And then from that line, I'm not going to cross over it because 683 00:28:36,450 --> 00:28:37,810 I don't want persecution. 684 00:28:38,210 --> 00:28:40,210 I don't want anyone to think badly of me. 685 00:28:40,210 --> 00:28:41,730 I don't want to step on any toes. 686 00:28:42,210 --> 00:28:45,450 But I would want to challenge all of us here this evening, challenge 687 00:28:45,450 --> 00:28:47,690 myself, is that I think we should be crossing that line a lot 688 00:28:47,690 --> 00:28:47,970 more. 689 00:28:48,130 --> 00:28:51,650 I think we should be allowing ourselves to be bold in our witness 690 00:28:51,650 --> 00:28:54,900 so that people who are against the things that we're for know that. 691 00:28:54,900 --> 00:28:57,980 And essentially, not that we try, but essentially people would 692 00:28:57,980 --> 00:29:00,100 be against us because of what we're for. 693 00:29:00,420 --> 00:29:03,220 And so what we're going to see here is that's exactly what happens. 694 00:29:03,300 --> 00:29:05,340 They come against the nation of Israel. 695 00:29:05,340 --> 00:29:09,220 And so when the Canaanite kings hear how the Lord delivered 696 00:29:09,300 --> 00:29:13,380 Jericho, which Jericho would have been a huge city at that time, 697 00:29:13,620 --> 00:29:13,980 he. 698 00:29:13,980 --> 00:29:17,380 He gave them Jericho and he gave them AI. 699 00:29:17,860 --> 00:29:20,340 Now they have a reason to be afraid. 700 00:29:21,230 --> 00:29:23,830 And they, they hear that this God of Israel. 701 00:29:23,830 --> 00:29:26,750 Oh, and by the way, I didn't mention this to you guys about that, 702 00:29:26,750 --> 00:29:28,990 that lead tablet that they found. 703 00:29:29,310 --> 00:29:32,230 One of the really interesting things about that lead tablet is 704 00:29:32,230 --> 00:29:34,670 the name Yahweh is on that tablet. 705 00:29:34,670 --> 00:29:39,030 It's the first mentioned historical mention of the God of 706 00:29:39,030 --> 00:29:39,550 Israel. 707 00:29:40,430 --> 00:29:43,670 And a lot of times the, the skeptics would Say that they weren't 708 00:29:43,670 --> 00:29:46,910 using that term until three, 400 years later after this. 709 00:29:47,250 --> 00:29:51,650 And so that's the oldest known archaeological find when the name 710 00:29:51,650 --> 00:29:54,890 Yahweh and actually Yahweh's on that tablet three times the God 711 00:29:54,890 --> 00:29:57,370 of Israel and they say the word Yahweh on there. 712 00:29:57,370 --> 00:29:59,370 So I just wanted to be clear about that as well. 713 00:29:59,370 --> 00:30:02,690 I think that was kind of one point that I, I left out that I thought 714 00:30:02,690 --> 00:30:04,850 was kind of neat about that, that tablet that they found. 715 00:30:04,850 --> 00:30:07,290 But anyway, they come and what do they do? 716 00:30:07,290 --> 00:30:10,490 It says they gather to fight against Joshua and Israel with one 717 00:30:10,490 --> 00:30:10,730 accord. 718 00:30:10,730 --> 00:30:14,610 And so this is a, a unified front against good. 719 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,880 They try to defeat Israel and they come head to head. 720 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:20,200 And so we're going to see how that works for them. 721 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:22,800 And so look at verse number three with me. 722 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:24,760 We're going to see this. 723 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:28,760 The Gibeonites approach Joshua and Israel in another way. 724 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:33,080 And this is essentially something that we're going to see 725 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,440 is because sometimes people are going to come us with a head 726 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,760 on attack, but other people are going to come at us from a different 727 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:39,320 angle. 728 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:44,050 And so the Gibeonites approach Joshua and they come in a way that's 729 00:30:44,050 --> 00:30:44,730 deceitful. 730 00:30:44,730 --> 00:30:47,210 And sometimes the way that the enemy hits us is he. 731 00:30:47,210 --> 00:30:49,490 It's a straight on with straight up evil and we know that 732 00:30:49,490 --> 00:30:50,090 it's coming. 733 00:30:50,090 --> 00:30:53,370 But sometimes evil comes from another place that essentially looks 734 00:30:53,370 --> 00:30:56,130 like it's not going to harm us, but it comes to us in a place 735 00:30:56,130 --> 00:30:57,969 of deceit and ultimately evil. 736 00:30:57,969 --> 00:30:58,450 Verse 3. 737 00:30:58,450 --> 00:31:01,730 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done 738 00:31:01,730 --> 00:31:05,210 unto Jericho and to AI, they did work willily. 739 00:31:05,850 --> 00:31:10,130 And that's essentially a way that we're seeing deceptful, deceitful 740 00:31:10,130 --> 00:31:11,890 and, and, and they're going to come against him. 741 00:31:11,970 --> 00:31:14,930 And, and then it goes farther here and it says this and went and 742 00:31:14,930 --> 00:31:19,730 made as it if they had been ambassadors and took old sacks upon 743 00:31:19,730 --> 00:31:23,730 their asses and wine bottles old and rent and bound up and old 744 00:31:23,730 --> 00:31:26,890 shoes and clouded upon their feet, old garments upon them and 745 00:31:26,890 --> 00:31:29,970 all the bread of their provisions and was dry and moldy. 746 00:31:29,970 --> 00:31:33,450 And so we see that they come in a way that is deceitful. 747 00:31:33,450 --> 00:31:35,450 We see that they're coming in a way. 748 00:31:35,450 --> 00:31:39,320 Essentially the Gibeonites are trying to deceive Israel into making 749 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:40,880 a peace treaty with them. 750 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:44,840 And, and we know that Israel is forbidden to make peace treaties 751 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:46,320 with any of the tribes of Canaan. 752 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:48,800 That's told to us in Exodus chapter 23. 753 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:53,640 So remember God said don't make any treaties with, with anybody 754 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:54,639 in the land of Canaan. 755 00:31:54,639 --> 00:31:59,480 Don't do that because that's going to allow you to leak in the 756 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:01,560 pagan ways into your culture. 757 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:02,760 And that's not what we want. 758 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:03,920 That's not what God wants. 759 00:32:04,410 --> 00:32:07,410 And so they, they have these different methods of deception that 760 00:32:07,410 --> 00:32:07,810 they use. 761 00:32:07,810 --> 00:32:11,930 They, they were as it says there that will be is crafty basically, 762 00:32:11,930 --> 00:32:12,730 or clever. 763 00:32:13,130 --> 00:32:14,810 They misrepresent themselves. 764 00:32:15,290 --> 00:32:19,850 They, they pretend as it says, they made as if they had been ambassadors. 765 00:32:20,250 --> 00:32:26,050 So they come with deceit, they come with being, pretending to be 766 00:32:26,050 --> 00:32:26,850 these ambassadors. 767 00:32:26,850 --> 00:32:29,930 And they even gave a false evidence which essentially they, 768 00:32:29,930 --> 00:32:32,720 you see that they, they put on a costume. 769 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:35,440 They, they, they, they put these clothes on that they pretended 770 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:39,600 to be old garments and they acted like they were in need and 771 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:43,040 they pretended like they were from a far away land beyond their 772 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:44,000 appearance. 773 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:45,760 They, they lied straight up. 774 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:48,200 They, they said that we're coming from far away land, verse 775 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:48,400 six. 776 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:51,520 And they went to Joshua into the camp of Gilgal and said unto 777 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:56,160 him, and to the men of Israel we become from a far country now, 778 00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:58,160 therefore make ye a league with us. 779 00:32:59,330 --> 00:33:02,810 So they take a few different steps and, and I don't want to dig 780 00:33:02,810 --> 00:33:05,770 too deep into this here this evening for the sake of time, but 781 00:33:05,770 --> 00:33:07,090 what I will say is this. 782 00:33:07,890 --> 00:33:12,130 Sometimes evil comes through the front door and it wears evil 783 00:33:12,130 --> 00:33:15,290 and it says, we're evil, we're bad, we're coming after you, we're 784 00:33:15,290 --> 00:33:16,050 attacking you. 785 00:33:16,370 --> 00:33:18,610 Sometimes evil comes from a different direction. 786 00:33:18,930 --> 00:33:24,050 They, they package themselves in a way that seems to be less threatening. 787 00:33:25,340 --> 00:33:26,420 That's what these people are trying to do. 788 00:33:26,420 --> 00:33:28,780 The Gibeonites are trying to come in and not be threatening. 789 00:33:29,020 --> 00:33:32,140 They said, hey look, we're going to try to deceive them into 790 00:33:32,140 --> 00:33:33,340 coming and joining us. 791 00:33:33,340 --> 00:33:36,060 And essentially instead of fighting against them, they wanted 792 00:33:36,060 --> 00:33:36,780 to deceive them. 793 00:33:36,780 --> 00:33:40,620 And what, what I want to warn you about here in according to Scripture, 794 00:33:40,780 --> 00:33:45,260 that what we see is that sometimes Satan in his evil ways 795 00:33:45,260 --> 00:33:48,900 he can masquerade in a way that seems attractive to the people 796 00:33:48,900 --> 00:33:49,500 of God. 797 00:33:50,630 --> 00:33:53,590 And so it's easy for us to delineate a false teacher. 798 00:33:53,590 --> 00:33:56,390 The false teacher comes in immediately and starts talking about 799 00:33:56,390 --> 00:33:58,630 things that are openly against the word of God. 800 00:33:58,630 --> 00:34:01,710 But what happens is that sometimes Satan twists the word of 801 00:34:01,710 --> 00:34:05,110 God and sometimes there's deception in ways that we don't understand. 802 00:34:05,589 --> 00:34:06,950 And that's what we're going to see. 803 00:34:06,950 --> 00:34:10,350 Israel coming into Israel is going to come into a place where 804 00:34:10,350 --> 00:34:12,470 they have to fight against deception. 805 00:34:13,270 --> 00:34:17,530 And so Joshua and the leaders of Israel are, are going to be deceived 806 00:34:17,530 --> 00:34:17,770 here. 807 00:34:17,770 --> 00:34:20,490 And we don't have time to get into how they fall into that. 808 00:34:20,490 --> 00:34:23,090 But what I want to essentially tell you and warn you about here 809 00:34:23,410 --> 00:34:27,450 before we go here this evening is be so careful about people coming 810 00:34:27,450 --> 00:34:32,529 in in a way that seems to be good, that, that, that seems to be 811 00:34:32,610 --> 00:34:33,650 non invasive. 812 00:34:33,650 --> 00:34:36,770 That seems to be in a place where, hey, maybe they're good people, 813 00:34:36,770 --> 00:34:38,050 maybe they want what's best. 814 00:34:38,290 --> 00:34:40,530 What I would say really clearly is this. 815 00:34:40,610 --> 00:34:43,680 Make sure we go back to the word of God and match what, what 816 00:34:43,680 --> 00:34:47,320 people are saying to the word of God, match what people are saying 817 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:49,760 to what God's plan is for a Christian. 818 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:53,160 So if someone says, hey, I'm a Christian, just because someone says 819 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,160 they're a Christian does not mean that they're a Christian. 820 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:59,000 I, I know that that sometimes is hard for us to scramble up in 821 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:00,520 our brains and think like, well, if they're saying they're a 822 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:01,720 Christian, they have to be a Christian. 823 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:03,400 Sometimes, number one, people are confused. 824 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:04,920 They think that they're Christians and they're not. 825 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,320 You know, if I'm asking someone if they're a Christian, that 826 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:09,800 means different things to different people. 827 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:15,240 Sometimes people just think, well, I'm not a Muslim, I'm not Hindu, 828 00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:16,560 so I must be Christian, right? 829 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:19,040 By default, I'm Christian, I live in America, I'm Christian. 830 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:21,760 That doesn't mean that someone is a believer. 831 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:25,520 So there's some people that are just, they're confused themselves 832 00:35:25,999 --> 00:35:27,680 and they might lead us astray. 833 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:30,160 There might be some people that know that they're not Christians, 834 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:34,360 but they understand that being perceived as a Christian might help 835 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:35,930 their cause, right? 836 00:35:36,250 --> 00:35:38,490 It actually might benefit them materially. 837 00:35:38,570 --> 00:35:41,130 It might give them power, it might give them control. 838 00:35:41,290 --> 00:35:44,210 And we see that happen all the time, different cult leaders and 839 00:35:44,210 --> 00:35:46,370 different folks to, to that degree. 840 00:35:46,370 --> 00:35:48,530 So we have to be so careful for deception. 841 00:35:48,530 --> 00:35:51,250 And so what we see in verse seven, and the men of Israel said 842 00:35:51,250 --> 00:35:55,650 unto the Hivites per venture, ye dwell among us, and how shall 843 00:35:55,650 --> 00:35:56,730 we make a league with you? 844 00:35:56,730 --> 00:35:59,770 And so they start, essentially, this is what happens 845 00:35:59,850 --> 00:36:02,730 instead of just saying no, God says, we're not making a league with 846 00:36:02,730 --> 00:36:03,210 anybody. 847 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:04,240 We need to be. 848 00:36:04,240 --> 00:36:09,840 We, we have no compromise, no discussion, no, no entertaining the 849 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:10,360 enemy. 850 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:13,880 Instead they, they ask questions and, and they're interested 851 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:15,160 and they want to know more. 852 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,000 And, and they will go on verse eight. 853 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:20,000 And they said unto Joshua, we are thy servants. 854 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:23,920 And Joshua said unto them, who are ye and from what whence come 855 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:24,360 ye? 856 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:28,960 And they said unto him, from a very far country, thy servants are 857 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:31,640 come because of the Name of the Lord thy God, for we have heard 858 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:34,240 the fame of him and all that he did in Egypt. 859 00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:36,280 So do we see what they did here? 860 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:36,840 They. 861 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,880 They essentially, they claim to be believers in the one true God, 862 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:40,680 even though they're not. 863 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,760 So we know that in other passages of scripture, we talked 864 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:45,920 about this this past week. 865 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:49,920 On Wednesday night, even in Second Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 866 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:53,080 3 and 4, Paul says, Beware that someone comes and preaches a 867 00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:53,800 different Jesus. 868 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:57,560 Beware of accepting a different spirit, and beware of a 869 00:36:57,560 --> 00:36:58,920 different gospel preached to you. 870 00:36:59,740 --> 00:37:04,820 And so, as a church family, my goal is to equip you with the truths 871 00:37:04,820 --> 00:37:08,940 of God's word so that we're not deceived by the world. 872 00:37:09,740 --> 00:37:12,740 These, these folks here, the Gibeonites, are coming, and they 873 00:37:12,740 --> 00:37:16,340 deceive the nation of Israel because of their lies and because 874 00:37:16,340 --> 00:37:17,820 of a lack of discernment. 875 00:37:17,820 --> 00:37:20,620 And so next week, we're going to talk more about how we can be 876 00:37:20,780 --> 00:37:24,500 discerning when it comes to those folks who might be trying to 877 00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:27,880 deceive us and to do things that God does not want us to do. 878 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:33,360 God did not want them to have a league or a treaty or any type 879 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:36,360 of friendship with those people there in the land of Canaan. 880 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:39,560 But because of deception, the Israelites compromised themselves. 881 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:41,399 And that's what God does not want us to do. 882 00:37:41,399 --> 00:37:43,880 God does not want us to join in with the enemy here in this world. 883 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:46,320 The Bible says that we're in the world, but we're not of the world. 884 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:47,320 We cannot love the world. 885 00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:49,040 We cannot want to be part of the world. 886 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:50,120 We don't want to be part of the world. 887 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:50,520 We want. 888 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:51,680 We don't want to join into that. 889 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:53,150 That's all in first John. 890 00:37:53,150 --> 00:37:53,910 And so what. 891 00:37:53,910 --> 00:37:58,070 What I would challenge us to think about here is that what areas 892 00:37:58,070 --> 00:38:02,830 of our life are we allowing ourselves to be open to deception? 893 00:38:02,830 --> 00:38:04,950 Now, some of us might not know that we're being deceived. 894 00:38:04,950 --> 00:38:06,070 That's the trick of it, right? 895 00:38:06,150 --> 00:38:08,790 Some of us might be saying, I think I'm completely fine. 896 00:38:08,790 --> 00:38:10,510 I. I'm not being deceived, right? 897 00:38:10,510 --> 00:38:12,550 The average person that's being deceived doesn't know that 898 00:38:12,550 --> 00:38:13,990 they're deceived until it's too late. 899 00:38:14,390 --> 00:38:15,950 And so that's what we have to be careful of. 900 00:38:15,950 --> 00:38:17,110 We have to be on guard. 901 00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:21,040 And the Bible actually gives us some tools to how to be on guard. 902 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:24,960 Remember what he says in, in Ephesians, Ephesians, chapter six, 903 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:27,000 he says, arm yourself, put. 904 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,040 Put on the armor of God. 905 00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:29,280 Why? 906 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:33,040 That you may be Able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 907 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:34,640 The wiles just means the. 908 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:38,000 The deceit, the lies, the trickery. 909 00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:39,760 And so the Bible. 910 00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:42,240 Actually, we're going to talk about this next week, but you ready? 911 00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:45,200 If you want to prep yourself, read through Ephesians chapter six 912 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:48,520 and Joshua, chapter nine, because we're going to partner the 913 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:49,000 two together. 914 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:51,960 Because a lot of times we think of the armor of God to be set 915 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:55,680 up for, like an atheist coming after our church and, you know, saying 916 00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:56,480 all these bad things. 917 00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:59,240 And that could be the case, but sometimes the armor of God needs 918 00:38:59,240 --> 00:39:02,520 to be on for deception when it comes to the things of this world. 919 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:04,960 Maybe people claiming to say that they love God. 920 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:08,760 Oh, we love the same God that you love, but if you look at their 921 00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:09,800 life, it doesn't match up. 922 00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:11,440 And we have to be very careful about that. 923 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:15,800 And so we have to be on guard for the Gibeon Heights of this world. 924 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:19,480 And so what I would tell you is be on guard. 925 00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:20,440 Be aware. 926 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:23,440 When I. 927 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:28,120 When I played football, I'll leave with the story. 928 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:30,120 Some of you that don't know anything about football, this won't 929 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:30,880 mean anything for you. 930 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:32,880 This probably would have been more appropriate to say last week 931 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:34,280 was super bowl week. 932 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:37,200 But when I played football, our coach, we had what. 933 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:38,000 We had a lot of coaches. 934 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:41,710 We had this small Christian school, but for some reason, like, 935 00:39:41,870 --> 00:39:43,670 people came out of the woodwork to coach football. 936 00:39:43,670 --> 00:39:45,150 We had, like, 20 coaches on our team. 937 00:39:45,150 --> 00:39:46,230 I guess everyone liked football. 938 00:39:46,230 --> 00:39:48,110 These guys wanted to relive their glory days. 939 00:39:48,430 --> 00:39:49,510 And we had one coach. 940 00:39:49,510 --> 00:39:51,790 I was always like, he always said this one thing, and I never 941 00:39:51,790 --> 00:39:52,590 knew what he meant at first. 942 00:39:52,590 --> 00:39:54,190 He was like, keep your head on a swivel. 943 00:39:54,190 --> 00:39:55,310 Keep your head on a swivel. 944 00:39:55,310 --> 00:39:56,270 I'm like, what does that mean? 945 00:39:56,510 --> 00:39:59,630 And what he was trying to say is, like, always be looking around 946 00:39:59,630 --> 00:39:59,910 you. 947 00:39:59,910 --> 00:40:01,110 Like, don't keep your. 948 00:40:01,110 --> 00:40:02,750 Like, don't be just focused on one thing. 949 00:40:03,390 --> 00:40:05,790 And so I. I was like, oh, yeah, I know what. 950 00:40:05,790 --> 00:40:06,630 I know what he's talking about. 951 00:40:06,630 --> 00:40:08,790 Like, I. I know where I'm at on the field, and I know what's going 952 00:40:08,790 --> 00:40:09,070 on. 953 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:12,600 And I was probably like, in my 9th or 10th grade year, I was on 954 00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:14,760 defense, and defense is the one that's trying to, like, tackle 955 00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:17,920 somebody so you're not with the ball. 956 00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:19,480 And I was running. 957 00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:21,640 This guy had the ball and he was running, and I'm like, I got 958 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:21,800 him. 959 00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:22,520 I'm gonna tackle him. 960 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:25,600 As I was going after him, well, I was so focused on the guy 961 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:28,760 who had the ball that I was not focused on the guy that was running 962 00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:30,920 at me full speed to block me from. 963 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:31,920 That guy had the ball. 964 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:33,480 My head wasn't on a swivel. 965 00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:36,950 My head was locked in on that one area, and I didn't even know 966 00:40:36,950 --> 00:40:37,470 it was coming. 967 00:40:37,470 --> 00:40:38,190 It just hit me. 968 00:40:38,190 --> 00:40:42,110 And I thought I had gotten hit by a truck, knocked me down. 969 00:40:42,110 --> 00:40:43,030 I didn't know where I was. 970 00:40:43,030 --> 00:40:44,150 I was all dizzy. 971 00:40:44,390 --> 00:40:48,030 And the moral of the story was, is I was so focused on one element 972 00:40:48,030 --> 00:40:48,670 in front of me. 973 00:40:48,670 --> 00:40:52,190 I was so narrowly focused that I was not aware for the enemy that 974 00:40:52,190 --> 00:40:52,950 was around me. 975 00:40:53,110 --> 00:40:55,110 And that's sometimes what happens with us as Christians. 976 00:40:55,110 --> 00:40:58,470 We're so locked into one area, we're like, okay, they better not 977 00:40:58,470 --> 00:40:59,350 come in and do this. 978 00:40:59,430 --> 00:41:02,390 And we're not careful enough to see that there's someone that's 979 00:41:02,390 --> 00:41:03,310 coming on from this side. 980 00:41:03,310 --> 00:41:05,010 And that's what happens with the Israelites. 981 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:08,160 They're so focused on the people that are coming on right away 982 00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:09,480 with their swords drawn. 983 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:11,800 And the people can come into the camp that are not. 984 00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:13,720 They're not as. 985 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:16,840 They're maybe not as violent as those other people, but they're 986 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:18,200 just as dangerous when they come in. 987 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:18,920 And so let's. 988 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:22,280 Let's be warned about that and be aware not to compromise with our 989 00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:22,760 families. 990 00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:27,240 You know, I'll say it. 991 00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:30,840 There are some things that we would never allow our families to, 992 00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:37,070 like, watch or be around, but we're not careful enough to say, 993 00:41:37,070 --> 00:41:41,910 okay, look, that's not something that we're going to be 994 00:41:41,910 --> 00:41:42,630 entertained by. 995 00:41:43,270 --> 00:41:45,830 And sometimes we're entertained by things that we would 996 00:41:45,830 --> 00:41:49,110 never allow our family to go do in person, but we're entertained 997 00:41:49,110 --> 00:41:51,270 by it because the world tells us that that's entertainment. 998 00:41:51,670 --> 00:41:54,590 And, and so what I would caution you with as, As a church 999 00:41:54,590 --> 00:41:58,620 family and as an individual and as a Christian is, is what are 1000 00:41:58,620 --> 00:42:02,260 we allowing ourselves to take into our eye gates and our ear gates? 1001 00:42:02,660 --> 00:42:04,100 And what do we enjoy? 1002 00:42:04,100 --> 00:42:05,220 What entertains us? 1003 00:42:05,300 --> 00:42:08,300 What are we allowing the people that we love to be entertained 1004 00:42:08,300 --> 00:42:08,580 by? 1005 00:42:08,580 --> 00:42:11,580 Because if we're not careful, the ways of the world will seep in. 1006 00:42:11,580 --> 00:42:12,300 And we think that. 1007 00:42:12,300 --> 00:42:13,899 We think that that's not going to change me. 1008 00:42:13,899 --> 00:42:14,820 That's not going to harm me. 1009 00:42:14,820 --> 00:42:15,140 I can. 1010 00:42:15,140 --> 00:42:15,620 I can. 1011 00:42:15,620 --> 00:42:18,660 I can differentiate the two, but what I would say is that we have 1012 00:42:18,660 --> 00:42:21,140 to just be so cautious about the things that we're taking into 1013 00:42:21,140 --> 00:42:23,540 our life and that we're accepting and that we're celebrating 1014 00:42:23,910 --> 00:42:27,110 and that essentially, by the way, biblically defining it, we worship. 1015 00:42:27,510 --> 00:42:28,430 We sometimes. 1016 00:42:28,430 --> 00:42:30,750 We don't think that it's worship, but what we spend time on 1017 00:42:30,750 --> 00:42:34,110 and what we love and what we elevate and what we promote is essentially 1018 00:42:34,110 --> 00:42:35,030 what we're worshiping. 1019 00:42:35,270 --> 00:42:37,550 And so let's be careful that we're not like, because sometimes 1020 00:42:37,550 --> 00:42:39,630 we get, I, I get upset with the Israelites. 1021 00:42:39,630 --> 00:42:44,630 I'm like, how on earth can you be taken out of Egypt and cross over 1022 00:42:44,790 --> 00:42:48,830 the Red Sea and see God's hand working and Moses goes up on Mount 1023 00:42:48,830 --> 00:42:52,870 Sinai and then they get lost and they build a cow and golden calf 1024 00:42:52,870 --> 00:42:53,390 and like, what? 1025 00:42:53,390 --> 00:42:53,990 What are they doing? 1026 00:42:53,990 --> 00:42:54,990 Like, I don't understand that. 1027 00:42:54,990 --> 00:42:57,950 I get so frustrated with the Israelites because I'm like, how 1028 00:42:57,950 --> 00:42:58,870 can you not see that? 1029 00:42:59,590 --> 00:43:00,750 But then, you know what? 1030 00:43:00,750 --> 00:43:03,230 If there was someone writing a story about us, they would be saying 1031 00:43:03,230 --> 00:43:03,750 the same thing. 1032 00:43:03,750 --> 00:43:05,429 How can you not see the power of God? 1033 00:43:05,429 --> 00:43:07,910 How are you so attached to this idol? 1034 00:43:07,990 --> 00:43:10,950 And so we, as the church, have fallen into the traps. 1035 00:43:10,950 --> 00:43:14,990 Maybe we don't build a golden calf, maybe, maybe we don't have 1036 00:43:14,990 --> 00:43:18,130 some type of idol that we build with our hands, but we allow 1037 00:43:18,130 --> 00:43:20,210 the things of this world to become idols for us. 1038 00:43:20,210 --> 00:43:22,130 And so that's something else that we're going to have to wrestle 1039 00:43:22,130 --> 00:43:24,850 with as well when we go through the rest of the story of 1040 00:43:24,850 --> 00:43:25,730 the Book of Joshua. 1041 00:43:26,210 --> 00:43:27,890 Well, we're at the end of the hour. 1042 00:43:27,890 --> 00:43:28,650 I'm going to end that. 1043 00:43:28,650 --> 00:43:31,370 If you're interested to know more about that, that lead tablet, 1044 00:43:31,370 --> 00:43:33,689 some of you may be archeological buffs and you want 1045 00:43:33,689 --> 00:43:36,210 to know more about that tablet, I can share with you the 1046 00:43:36,210 --> 00:43:37,850 link and you can read more about that tablet. 1047 00:43:37,850 --> 00:43:39,090 It's kind of an interesting study. 1048 00:43:39,330 --> 00:43:42,930 Again, archeological things don't give us faith, but they're 1049 00:43:42,930 --> 00:43:45,210 certainly interesting things if you're interested in that kind 1050 00:43:45,210 --> 00:43:45,650 of stuff. 1051 00:43:46,450 --> 00:43:49,010 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 1052 00:43:49,010 --> 00:43:49,480 podc. 1053 00:43:50,030 --> 00:43:52,270 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 1054 00:43:52,910 --> 00:43:55,190 If you would like to find out more information about our church 1055 00:43:55,190 --> 00:43:58,670 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 1056 00:43:58,990 --> 00:44:01,550 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 1057 00:44:02,270 --> 00:44:07,230 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro, middletownbaptistChurch.com 1058 00:44:07,630 --> 00:44:09,390 if you've enjoyed this podcast. 1059 00:44:09,550 --> 00:44:13,950 Please subscribe and follow along for future podcasts and updates. 1060 00:44:14,670 --> 00:44:15,550 Thank you so much. 1061 00:44:15,790 --> 00:44:16,510 God bless. 1062 00:44:16,830 --> 00:44:18,110 Have a wonderful day.