1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,480 Let's go ahead and go to Joshua chapter 23. 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,080 If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Joshua chapter 23. 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,880 We're coming to the end of our study in the book of Joshua. 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,000 And it has been a long journey. 5 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:14,720 I think that we've learned quite a bit. 6 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,800 I know that I've been challenged in the testimony of Joshua. 7 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:23,840 I, I know that many of you got to go to Sight and Sound and see 8 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,200 Joshua as, as the play there and the musical. 9 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,540 And certainly some of the stories overlapped. 10 00:00:29,540 --> 00:00:31,500 Even though I was a little disappointed they didn't go a little 11 00:00:31,500 --> 00:00:31,980 bit further. 12 00:00:31,980 --> 00:00:33,980 There was some more stuff that I wanted them to do. 13 00:00:34,300 --> 00:00:35,860 But again, there's so much there. 14 00:00:35,860 --> 00:00:38,740 I know they can't cover everything, but In Joshua chapter 15 00:00:38,740 --> 00:00:43,340 23, we essentially see his last address to the people. 16 00:00:43,660 --> 00:00:45,500 He's coming to the end of his life. 17 00:00:46,060 --> 00:00:50,460 There's a realization that the time is not going to be long that 18 00:00:50,460 --> 00:00:52,300 he spends here on this earth. 19 00:00:52,460 --> 00:00:54,940 And so he's going to give his last words to the people. 20 00:00:54,940 --> 00:00:55,820 It's his advice. 21 00:00:56,530 --> 00:00:59,370 It reminds me a lot of the book of second Timothy, if you know 22 00:00:59,370 --> 00:01:00,730 anything about the book of second Timothy. 23 00:01:00,730 --> 00:01:03,250 It's Paul's final address to Timothy. 24 00:01:03,570 --> 00:01:05,090 He's there at the end of his life. 25 00:01:05,090 --> 00:01:07,970 He knows that his martyrdom is coming soon. 26 00:01:07,970 --> 00:01:10,610 And so he gives some really important advice. 27 00:01:11,010 --> 00:01:13,970 And that's what Joshua does here for the next two chapters. 28 00:01:13,970 --> 00:01:17,970 He gives the people of Israel marching orders to follow to obey 29 00:01:17,970 --> 00:01:18,450 the Lord. 30 00:01:19,010 --> 00:01:23,500 And so we see that he gives a few different exhortations to the 31 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:24,660 people of Israel. 32 00:01:24,900 --> 00:01:28,460 And really what it all boils down to is to have total obedience 33 00:01:28,460 --> 00:01:29,460 to the word of God. 34 00:01:29,860 --> 00:01:33,140 And if you remember where we came from in Joshua chapter one, 35 00:01:33,380 --> 00:01:37,540 it was God speaking to Joshua, telling him that very same thing. 36 00:01:38,020 --> 00:01:42,340 How can you be prosperous, spiritually prosperous, to continue 37 00:01:42,420 --> 00:01:45,740 in the word of God, to meditate in it day and night, to 38 00:01:45,740 --> 00:01:48,500 stay faithful to it, to don't turn to the left or to the right, 39 00:01:48,910 --> 00:01:52,590 to focus on the Lord and his Word and to be strong and of good 40 00:01:52,590 --> 00:01:53,070 courage. 41 00:01:53,230 --> 00:01:54,990 And that's what Joshua is going to do here. 42 00:01:54,990 --> 00:01:58,830 And I think that this is a beautiful picture of how God spoke 43 00:01:58,830 --> 00:02:02,190 to Joshua and taught Joshua many lessons. 44 00:02:02,270 --> 00:02:05,510 And he's now turning around and giving it to the people so that 45 00:02:05,510 --> 00:02:07,470 they can give it to the next generation. 46 00:02:07,870 --> 00:02:12,950 One of the themes that I want to drill down on this year, and what 47 00:02:12,950 --> 00:02:15,580 we really should be drilling down all the time as Christians is, 48 00:02:15,810 --> 00:02:17,330 is the area of discipleship. 49 00:02:17,410 --> 00:02:18,610 What is discipleship? 50 00:02:19,250 --> 00:02:22,290 Well, discipleship sometimes is Reduced down to just teaching 51 00:02:22,290 --> 00:02:23,090 people facts. 52 00:02:23,090 --> 00:02:25,730 And that's not the complete scope of discipleship. 53 00:02:26,050 --> 00:02:30,210 Yes, there is a level of teaching people facts about the Bible, 54 00:02:30,210 --> 00:02:34,650 but really discipleship is about passing on a way of life to 55 00:02:34,650 --> 00:02:38,250 somebody else to basically teach people how to be a disciple 56 00:02:38,250 --> 00:02:41,870 of the Lord Jesus mentioned in John chapter eight, that if you're 57 00:02:41,870 --> 00:02:43,750 my disciple, you'll continue in my word. 58 00:02:43,750 --> 00:02:44,510 He says, that's. 59 00:02:44,510 --> 00:02:47,830 That's who a disciple is, someone who is committed to following 60 00:02:47,910 --> 00:02:48,190 me. 61 00:02:48,190 --> 00:02:51,910 And so what Joshua is doing here is he's teaching the people 62 00:02:51,910 --> 00:02:56,830 the lesson that he was taught so that they can follow God in a 63 00:02:56,830 --> 00:02:59,270 more deep and personal way. 64 00:02:59,830 --> 00:03:01,670 So let's look at verse number one says. 65 00:03:01,670 --> 00:03:05,190 And it came to pass a long time after that the Lord had given 66 00:03:05,190 --> 00:03:07,670 rest unto Israel from all their enemies. 67 00:03:07,670 --> 00:03:11,480 Round about that, Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. 68 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,480 And so the reality here is that God has given them a time of 69 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:15,760 rest. 70 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:19,280 He has given them a time of communion and fellowship where they 71 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:20,440 didn't have to be fighting. 72 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:22,800 And oftentimes in our life, we go through seasons. 73 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,760 And so there was a season for the Israelites that they were wandering 74 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:26,520 in the wilderness. 75 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,000 There was a time for the Israelites that they were fighting 76 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,800 on the battlefield for this land that God had promised them. 77 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,320 But now at this point in time, they're getting to rest in the promises 78 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,950 of God, the fulfillment of the promise of God. 79 00:03:38,430 --> 00:03:42,550 And so oftentimes when we're resting in the fulfillment of the 80 00:03:42,550 --> 00:03:45,390 promise of God, we're tempted to become apathetic. 81 00:03:45,550 --> 00:03:47,630 We're tempted to take things for granted. 82 00:03:47,950 --> 00:03:50,630 We're tempted to look at all the blessings that we have in our 83 00:03:50,630 --> 00:03:51,710 life and go, well, yeah, of course. 84 00:03:51,710 --> 00:03:54,110 That's why I have what I have, because I worked really hard. 85 00:03:54,430 --> 00:03:56,870 And it would have been easy for Israel to say, yeah, you know 86 00:03:56,870 --> 00:03:57,030 what? 87 00:03:57,030 --> 00:03:58,590 We've worked really hard to get this land. 88 00:03:58,670 --> 00:03:59,950 Now we can just relax. 89 00:04:00,350 --> 00:04:02,190 And so, yes, there is a time of rest. 90 00:04:02,710 --> 00:04:05,990 But in that rest comes a measure of patience, not passive 91 00:04:06,310 --> 00:04:06,790 nature. 92 00:04:07,030 --> 00:04:09,190 And so that's what Joshua was challenging them in. 93 00:04:09,190 --> 00:04:11,270 Don't get passive in what you believe. 94 00:04:11,670 --> 00:04:15,030 Be patient and be ready to work where God has you to work. 95 00:04:15,030 --> 00:04:19,390 And so it says about Joshua, what happens to all of us if we're 96 00:04:19,390 --> 00:04:24,870 able to be blessed with age, we're going to get old and stricken 97 00:04:24,870 --> 00:04:25,190 in years. 98 00:04:25,190 --> 00:04:26,390 And that's what happens with Joshua. 99 00:04:26,390 --> 00:04:29,110 So he's going to pass along the truth of God. 100 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:29,720 Verse 2. 101 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:33,640 And Joshua called for all Israel and for their elders and for 102 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:36,320 their heads and for their judges and for their officers and 103 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,400 said unto them, I am old and stricken in age. 104 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:41,320 So at least Joshua admits it, okay? 105 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,440 He understands that, hey, I don't have much time. 106 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:44,800 I've gone through a lot. 107 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:45,840 I've seen a lot. 108 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:47,440 This is what I have learned. 109 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:50,280 And I think that this is a great example of what we should be 110 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:51,200 doing within the church. 111 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,520 If you go to the New Testament, you see in places like 112 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:59,040 2 Timothy and Titus chapter 2, where the Bible says for the mature 113 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:03,040 Christians to pass along the lessons that they have learned to 114 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:07,080 the next generation, to teach people how to live, to teach people 115 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:11,560 how to study, to teach people how to submit and to serve. 116 00:05:11,639 --> 00:05:13,120 And that's what Joshua was doing here. 117 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:14,680 He says, I'm going to give you a lesson. 118 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,520 And in verse number three, we really see the lesson explained. 119 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:22,640 He says, and ye have seen all that the Lord your God have done 120 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:25,110 unto all, all these nations because of you. 121 00:05:25,670 --> 00:05:26,630 So what is he doing? 122 00:05:26,710 --> 00:05:29,310 He's reminding the people of what God has done. 123 00:05:29,310 --> 00:05:30,550 It's a testimony time. 124 00:05:31,350 --> 00:05:35,630 Joshua is giving the people a reminder of what God has done for 125 00:05:35,630 --> 00:05:36,910 them in their life. 126 00:05:36,910 --> 00:05:41,110 And so he says, for the Lord your God is he that hath fought for 127 00:05:41,110 --> 00:05:41,350 you. 128 00:05:41,350 --> 00:05:44,950 He reminds them that they did not earn this on their own. 129 00:05:45,910 --> 00:05:49,310 He reminds them that it was the Lord who did the fighting for 130 00:05:49,310 --> 00:05:49,590 them. 131 00:05:49,930 --> 00:05:51,690 It is the Lord who gave them this land. 132 00:05:51,690 --> 00:05:54,410 It is the Lord who gave them this rest and this blessing. 133 00:05:54,730 --> 00:05:57,610 And oftentimes we have to be reminded of that in our own life. 134 00:05:58,410 --> 00:06:03,810 It is easy for us to look at what we have as a Christian, specifically 135 00:06:03,810 --> 00:06:07,010 a Christian in America, and see all the blessings and often think 136 00:06:07,010 --> 00:06:08,410 that it's something that we have done. 137 00:06:08,810 --> 00:06:11,650 But what Joshua reminds the people here is exactly what we need 138 00:06:11,650 --> 00:06:12,650 to be reminded of. 139 00:06:12,810 --> 00:06:15,370 And that is the fact that everything that we have comes from 140 00:06:15,370 --> 00:06:15,770 God. 141 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:21,600 All the blessings, all the opportunities, all the successes, 142 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,400 all the things that we can chalk up to good things in our life 143 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:26,320 come from God. 144 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,400 And it is God who has done the fighting for us. 145 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:32,079 And so Joshua begins his teaching here by giving glory to 146 00:06:32,079 --> 00:06:32,280 God. 147 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:33,840 And that's really what we should all do. 148 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:36,880 Give God the glory for everything that we have. 149 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,880 It would have been easy for Joshua to focus on the things that 150 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:42,000 he had done as a leader. 151 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,040 He could have said, guys, look at what I have taught you. 152 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,520 Look at how many victories I have on my. 153 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:48,640 On my record. 154 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:51,360 But he says, no, look at what God has done. 155 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,160 And anytime someone who is a leader points to themselves, they're 156 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:56,160 pointing to the wrong person. 157 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:58,960 A good leader is a good Follower. 158 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,000 A good leader is someone who follows the Lord and points people 159 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:02,760 to the Lord. 160 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:04,880 And that's exactly what Joshua does here. 161 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,440 He's way more interested in giving the glory to God. 162 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,440 And that's exactly what he does here in this introduction. 163 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:13,880 He says, remember what God has done for you. 164 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:15,560 Don't get complacent. 165 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:19,080 Go back to the memorial stones by the Jordan river and tell your 166 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:20,600 children what happened. 167 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:23,480 Tell your children that God opened up the Jordan River. 168 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:26,920 Tell your children that God made the sun stand still at AI. 169 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,920 Tell your children all these things that are unexplainable because 170 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,720 this is beyond our comprehension, but tell them it was 171 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:34,000 God. 172 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:35,320 And that's what he's telling them here. 173 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,310 So then he goes on to verse four, and he's going to give really 174 00:07:38,310 --> 00:07:38,630 the. 175 00:07:38,630 --> 00:07:40,390 The challenge that remains. 176 00:07:40,390 --> 00:07:43,510 Because a lot of times we think that, well, God's done all 177 00:07:43,510 --> 00:07:43,750 this. 178 00:07:43,750 --> 00:07:45,070 We can sit back and relax. 179 00:07:45,070 --> 00:07:48,830 But verses 4 and 5 tell us that Joshua challenges them to say, 180 00:07:48,830 --> 00:07:49,230 you know what? 181 00:07:49,230 --> 00:07:50,550 There's still things that remain. 182 00:07:50,550 --> 00:07:51,510 You still need to work. 183 00:07:51,510 --> 00:07:52,870 You still need to be vigilant. 184 00:07:53,110 --> 00:07:53,630 Verse 4. 185 00:07:53,630 --> 00:07:57,590 He says, Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations 186 00:07:57,590 --> 00:08:01,350 that remain, and to be an inheritance for your tribes from 187 00:08:01,350 --> 00:08:04,710 Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the 188 00:08:04,710 --> 00:08:06,030 great sea westward. 189 00:08:06,350 --> 00:08:10,550 And the Lord your God, he shall expel them before you and drive 190 00:08:10,550 --> 00:08:12,270 them from out of your sight. 191 00:08:12,270 --> 00:08:16,910 And ye shall possess their land as the Lord your God hath promised 192 00:08:16,910 --> 00:08:17,190 you. 193 00:08:17,190 --> 00:08:19,710 So he says, this God's not done with you yet. 194 00:08:20,510 --> 00:08:23,950 One of the things that I think we should be passing on to the next 195 00:08:23,950 --> 00:08:27,390 generation is the simple fact that God's not done with them yet. 196 00:08:27,710 --> 00:08:30,190 Though God has worked in the generations that have come before 197 00:08:30,190 --> 00:08:34,430 us, though God has worked in our generation, we do need to remind 198 00:08:34,510 --> 00:08:38,910 the next generation that there is still work to be done until the 199 00:08:38,910 --> 00:08:39,590 Lord returns. 200 00:08:39,590 --> 00:08:40,750 There is still work to be done. 201 00:08:40,750 --> 00:08:43,790 And we need to tell them that there's hope and that God is still 202 00:08:43,790 --> 00:08:44,510 going to be working. 203 00:08:44,590 --> 00:08:48,670 So under Joshua's leadership, yeah, Israel had a lot of victories, 204 00:08:49,310 --> 00:08:50,950 but there's still work to be done. 205 00:08:50,950 --> 00:08:52,750 There's still land that is going to be given. 206 00:08:52,750 --> 00:08:55,790 And so God gives us all spiritual inheritance. 207 00:08:55,790 --> 00:08:59,970 We know that, uh, if you want to study a great book of the Bible 208 00:08:59,970 --> 00:09:03,210 about the riches that we have in the Lord, spiritual riches, look 209 00:09:03,210 --> 00:09:04,290 at the book of Ephesians. 210 00:09:04,690 --> 00:09:06,290 Dive deep into the book of Ephesians. 211 00:09:06,290 --> 00:09:09,130 Cause the Ephesians tells us all the spiritual riches that we 212 00:09:09,130 --> 00:09:09,730 have in him. 213 00:09:10,690 --> 00:09:13,010 But at the same time, that doesn't mean that we're done. 214 00:09:13,010 --> 00:09:15,610 It means that God is continuously pouring out upon us 215 00:09:15,610 --> 00:09:18,810 the riches and giving us opportunities to exercise in those 216 00:09:18,810 --> 00:09:20,370 spiritual riches through faith. 217 00:09:21,090 --> 00:09:22,890 And so that's what Joshua was telling them. 218 00:09:22,890 --> 00:09:25,250 He says, look at all these great things that God has done. 219 00:09:25,550 --> 00:09:27,990 But sometimes the temptation is to look back at all the things 220 00:09:27,990 --> 00:09:30,590 that God has done and forget about the things that he's going 221 00:09:30,590 --> 00:09:34,670 to do and get comfortable and, like we said before, apathetic, and 222 00:09:34,670 --> 00:09:35,950 get into a spiritual rut. 223 00:09:36,350 --> 00:09:39,750 You know, I look back at stories that my grandparents had 224 00:09:39,750 --> 00:09:42,990 and my parents had and other people in our church talking about 225 00:09:42,990 --> 00:09:47,110 these great works of the Lord in the past and revivals, and I am 226 00:09:47,110 --> 00:09:48,030 a studier of history. 227 00:09:48,110 --> 00:09:50,870 So I look back at the Great Awakening, some of the things that 228 00:09:50,870 --> 00:09:53,850 happened in the United States and in England, and see, you know, 229 00:09:53,850 --> 00:09:56,570 thousands of people coming to the Lord and you think, wow, that 230 00:09:56,570 --> 00:09:57,610 was amazing back then. 231 00:09:57,610 --> 00:10:00,010 And oftentimes we don't think that God can do those types of things 232 00:10:00,010 --> 00:10:00,330 today. 233 00:10:00,330 --> 00:10:03,730 But the same God that was working in the revivals of our past, 234 00:10:03,890 --> 00:10:06,570 the same God that's been faithful to people over the years 235 00:10:06,570 --> 00:10:09,850 through persecution and through brokenness and through trials 236 00:10:09,850 --> 00:10:13,250 and tribulations, is the same God that's working in our world today. 237 00:10:13,730 --> 00:10:15,490 And oftentimes we forget about that. 238 00:10:15,490 --> 00:10:17,090 We think that God's done with his work. 239 00:10:17,490 --> 00:10:22,090 I'm going to tell you, I went to Africa thinking, wow, I'm going 240 00:10:22,090 --> 00:10:25,210 to show all these people what it means to have faith. 241 00:10:25,370 --> 00:10:28,370 You know, I'm going to come in as the American professional and 242 00:10:28,370 --> 00:10:29,610 tell them how to disciple. 243 00:10:30,170 --> 00:10:32,370 And certainly there were things that we could shed light on 244 00:10:32,370 --> 00:10:33,290 for them in their life. 245 00:10:33,690 --> 00:10:37,170 Obviously, they're hungry to learn organization and certain matters 246 00:10:37,170 --> 00:10:37,770 of the church. 247 00:10:38,410 --> 00:10:41,410 But I also was challenged to see people that had true, genuine 248 00:10:41,410 --> 00:10:41,770 faith. 249 00:10:42,090 --> 00:10:44,820 And I was challenged to the point of saying, you know, what would 250 00:10:44,820 --> 00:10:47,460 I say the same things that they're saying if I was in their 251 00:10:47,460 --> 00:10:48,020 situation? 252 00:10:49,140 --> 00:10:51,580 And so I want us to think about that here this evening. 253 00:10:51,580 --> 00:10:54,780 I want us to think about, do we still believe that God is a God 254 00:10:54,780 --> 00:10:55,860 that works miracles? 255 00:10:56,420 --> 00:11:00,260 Do we still believe that God is a God who can change hearts? 256 00:11:00,740 --> 00:11:03,460 Or do we think that, you know what, everything now can be explained 257 00:11:03,460 --> 00:11:06,180 through just data and facts on a sheet of paper? 258 00:11:06,340 --> 00:11:07,140 Well, yes. 259 00:11:07,220 --> 00:11:07,780 Okay. 260 00:11:07,860 --> 00:11:09,260 This is the way you grow a church. 261 00:11:09,260 --> 00:11:11,980 You grow a church by putting this much marketing out there and 262 00:11:11,980 --> 00:11:14,180 having this many advertisements and doing this type 263 00:11:14,180 --> 00:11:14,420 of. 264 00:11:14,770 --> 00:11:15,730 Of ad campaign. 265 00:11:16,210 --> 00:11:18,690 A lot of times that's what people reduce church down to these 266 00:11:18,690 --> 00:11:19,010 days. 267 00:11:19,010 --> 00:11:21,250 They reduce church down to Basically a business. 268 00:11:21,570 --> 00:11:24,370 And they say, hey, if you just do xyz, everything's going to be 269 00:11:24,370 --> 00:11:24,650 okay. 270 00:11:24,650 --> 00:11:27,970 But if we remove the power and the working of the Holy Spirit within 271 00:11:27,970 --> 00:11:32,210 our church, we're missing the point, because we can grow numbers. 272 00:11:32,450 --> 00:11:34,970 But the Bible says that true growth comes from the inside and 273 00:11:34,970 --> 00:11:36,130 it works its way out. 274 00:11:36,370 --> 00:11:39,690 And so Joshua says, don't forget about the God who worked before. 275 00:11:39,690 --> 00:11:41,370 And he is going to continue to work. 276 00:11:41,370 --> 00:11:46,260 And so he is now going to give some very clear directions on how 277 00:11:46,260 --> 00:11:50,020 the people of Israel can follow God and how they can continue 278 00:11:50,100 --> 00:11:53,580 to see spiritual prosperity that was promised all the way back 279 00:11:53,580 --> 00:11:54,820 in Joshua chapter one. 280 00:11:55,220 --> 00:11:57,860 And he says, if you want to continue to see this prosperity, 281 00:11:58,180 --> 00:11:59,660 follow these things. 282 00:11:59,660 --> 00:12:02,740 And so we see in verse six, the first exhortation. 283 00:12:03,220 --> 00:12:09,350 He says, be ye therefore, very courageous to keep and to do all 284 00:12:09,350 --> 00:12:12,110 that is written in the book of the law of Moses. 285 00:12:12,590 --> 00:12:13,630 So we'll stop there. 286 00:12:14,030 --> 00:12:17,590 He says in verse six, something that God told him in Joshua 287 00:12:17,590 --> 00:12:20,030 chapter one, if you remember what Joshua chapter one says. 288 00:12:20,110 --> 00:12:21,630 Joshua, chapter one, verse nine. 289 00:12:22,030 --> 00:12:23,790 He says, be strong and courageous. 290 00:12:24,350 --> 00:12:26,390 He reminded Joshua to be courageous. 291 00:12:26,390 --> 00:12:30,190 Now he gives Joshua a reason to have that courage. 292 00:12:30,830 --> 00:12:33,230 You know, there's people out there that have a false sense of 293 00:12:33,230 --> 00:12:33,790 assurance. 294 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:36,360 There's people that have courage that shouldn't have courage, 295 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:36,880 okay? 296 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,080 Because they're trusting in their own strength. 297 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:41,120 And we know that our own strength fails. 298 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,680 But what God told Joshua back in Joshua chapter one was this. 299 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:45,760 Be courageous. 300 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:46,120 Why? 301 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:49,480 Because the Lord thy God is with you whithersoever thou goest. 302 00:12:49,879 --> 00:12:53,240 The reminder for Joshua is that the power that you can have 303 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,040 and the courage that you have doesn't come from yourself. 304 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,370 It comes from the simple fact that God is with us, that he is the 305 00:13:00,370 --> 00:13:04,050 one guiding us, that he is the one sustaining us, that he is the 306 00:13:04,050 --> 00:13:06,210 one providing everything that we need. 307 00:13:06,210 --> 00:13:08,370 And so Joshua tells them the very same thing. 308 00:13:08,530 --> 00:13:13,610 You can be strong, you can be courageous because of what God has 309 00:13:13,610 --> 00:13:14,570 given you in your life. 310 00:13:14,570 --> 00:13:16,690 And so he says to stay faithful. 311 00:13:17,090 --> 00:13:19,090 And so he says, you need to be courageous. 312 00:13:19,570 --> 00:13:21,290 Why do you need to be courageous? 313 00:13:21,290 --> 00:13:22,370 Well, he tells us why. 314 00:13:22,450 --> 00:13:25,570 Verse 6, he says, Be therefore courageous to what? 315 00:13:25,570 --> 00:13:30,120 To keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of 316 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:30,520 Moses. 317 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,680 So he says, have courage to be obedient. 318 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:38,160 A lot of times we think about courage as, I need to rebel against 319 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:38,880 the government. 320 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:39,560 I need to. 321 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:42,280 I need to be the one who is a revolutionary in my courage. 322 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:44,040 I need to stand up against persecution. 323 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:45,840 And certainly that does take courage. 324 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:48,600 I know, for people that are facing persecution. 325 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:50,400 They wouldn't be able to do it without courage. 326 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:54,000 But right here he says it takes courage to be obedient. 327 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:56,600 Oftentimes we don't tie courage to obedience. 328 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:58,440 We think, well, obedience is submission. 329 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:02,440 Well, it takes courage in the Lord to submit to him and to believe 330 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:04,520 in what he is going to do and trust in that. 331 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,360 And so he says to be courageous, to keep the law, to follow 332 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:09,160 God's word. 333 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:11,160 He says, you must obey. 334 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:12,560 I mentioned it this morning. 335 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:14,720 You know, there's the three laws of following God. 336 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:15,880 Obey, obey, obey. 337 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:18,120 We ask our kids to obey us. 338 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:22,060 And if your kids are like my kids, oftentimes when we tell them 339 00:14:22,060 --> 00:14:24,740 to obey, we get the classic question, why? 340 00:14:25,780 --> 00:14:27,140 Why do we have to do that? 341 00:14:27,300 --> 00:14:29,380 And oftentimes we tell them the why behind it. 342 00:14:29,380 --> 00:14:32,740 But sometimes God doesn't tell us the why behind our obedience. 343 00:14:33,700 --> 00:14:36,420 We have to just trust that God has what's best for us. 344 00:14:37,060 --> 00:14:39,940 Sometimes the next step of obedience is, is. 345 00:14:39,940 --> 00:14:41,060 Is a small step. 346 00:14:41,220 --> 00:14:45,100 I, I want God to give me 5, 10, 20, 30 years ahead of me and 347 00:14:45,100 --> 00:14:47,420 say, give me all the reasons why you're doing what you're doing. 348 00:14:47,420 --> 00:14:50,190 But sometimes God just gives us all one step of obedience. 349 00:14:50,190 --> 00:14:53,390 Today you might say, what is that going to mean for me tomorrow? 350 00:14:53,390 --> 00:14:53,950 I don't know. 351 00:14:53,950 --> 00:14:56,470 But I know we're called to do the right thing today. 352 00:14:56,870 --> 00:14:59,990 And so he says, obey, trust. 353 00:15:00,710 --> 00:15:05,350 And, and so we tend to focus on the aspects of obedience and, 354 00:15:05,350 --> 00:15:09,710 and the we we like to obey when it makes sense for us, when 355 00:15:09,710 --> 00:15:11,190 it doesn't stretch us. 356 00:15:11,830 --> 00:15:12,510 Like if I tell. 357 00:15:12,510 --> 00:15:15,680 If, like, like if I told my children, hey, guys, you need to 358 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:18,560 go eat your candy, your dessert tonight. 359 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,080 All of them, they're going to obey that because it makes a lot 360 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,320 of sense for them to eat their candy, to eat their dessert, because 361 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:23,920 they like that. 362 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,680 What's harder is when God calls us to do something beyond our 363 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:29,440 comprehension and our comfort zone. 364 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:31,360 But that's really the challenge, right? 365 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:32,600 And so he says, obey. 366 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:36,480 And then he says the reason why they need to obey, that ye turn 367 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:40,160 not aside there from to the left or the right hand or to the 368 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:40,400 left. 369 00:15:41,010 --> 00:15:44,650 This is so similar to what God told Joshua back in Joshua chapter 370 00:15:44,650 --> 00:15:47,810 one says, don't deviate from the truth. 371 00:15:48,050 --> 00:15:49,410 We talked about it this morning. 372 00:15:49,730 --> 00:15:56,050 We must celebrate, remember, and stand in fight for the truth 373 00:15:56,050 --> 00:15:56,610 of God. 374 00:15:57,010 --> 00:15:59,010 And so what Joshua tells them is this. 375 00:15:59,010 --> 00:16:01,610 The way that you're going to find success is not about organizing 376 00:16:01,610 --> 00:16:05,290 yourself to have a great army or to be the most powerful nation 377 00:16:05,290 --> 00:16:06,130 in all the world. 378 00:16:06,500 --> 00:16:08,780 He says, the way that you're going to find success is by obeying 379 00:16:08,780 --> 00:16:11,940 God and not turning to the left or to the right and being distracted 380 00:16:11,940 --> 00:16:13,220 with all the things around us. 381 00:16:13,620 --> 00:16:16,140 Sometimes it's easy to take the first step of obedience. 382 00:16:16,140 --> 00:16:19,620 But then all the storms of life come, and we want to turn our 383 00:16:19,620 --> 00:16:23,540 eyes away from what God has called us to do, to look at the distractions 384 00:16:23,540 --> 00:16:24,100 around us. 385 00:16:24,420 --> 00:16:28,260 Think about Peter when he was walking on water, right when he had 386 00:16:28,260 --> 00:16:30,500 his eyes on the Lord, everything was okay. 387 00:16:30,820 --> 00:16:34,750 But it's when the storms came, came, and he began to think that 388 00:16:34,750 --> 00:16:37,230 that wave is pretty big, that might knock me down. 389 00:16:37,230 --> 00:16:38,590 And he starts looking at that. 390 00:16:38,670 --> 00:16:39,990 That's when he began to sink. 391 00:16:39,990 --> 00:16:42,990 And that's the exact time in our life that we begin to drift, 392 00:16:42,990 --> 00:16:46,390 is when we take our eyes off of what God has told us in the truth 393 00:16:46,390 --> 00:16:47,070 of His Word. 394 00:16:47,070 --> 00:16:49,790 And we begin to look at the things of this world and make that 395 00:16:49,790 --> 00:16:51,270 look attractive to our lives. 396 00:16:51,270 --> 00:16:54,190 And so he says, don't turn from the left or to the right. 397 00:16:54,830 --> 00:16:57,990 So the first exhortation is simply this complete obedience to 398 00:16:57,990 --> 00:17:02,670 the Lord, complete submission to him to follow His Word, to stay 399 00:17:02,670 --> 00:17:03,790 true to His Word. 400 00:17:03,870 --> 00:17:08,230 And one of the blessings that I love about Scripture is that it 401 00:17:08,230 --> 00:17:12,310 doesn't just tell us what's right, but it tells us where we're 402 00:17:12,310 --> 00:17:12,630 wrong. 403 00:17:12,630 --> 00:17:14,390 It tells us how we can fix that. 404 00:17:14,390 --> 00:17:16,790 It tells us how to be instructed in righteousness and to 405 00:17:16,790 --> 00:17:17,550 walk in truth. 406 00:17:17,710 --> 00:17:19,710 That's second Timothy, chapter three, verse 16. 407 00:17:20,190 --> 00:17:22,430 All scripture is given by inspiration of God. 408 00:17:22,430 --> 00:17:26,200 And it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 409 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,000 and for instruction and righteousness that a man of God may 410 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,280 be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 411 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:37,360 So when we look at situations in our life, are we going to trust 412 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:39,000 what the world says? 413 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:40,960 Are we going to trust what our feelings say? 414 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:43,640 Are we going to trust what circumstances tell us? 415 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:45,840 Are we going to trust what the word of God tells us? 416 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:50,080 You know, like I said, it's easy to obey God when it makes sense, 417 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,000 when people don't question us. 418 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:55,440 But what happens when someone questions our decision for the Lord? 419 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:58,760 You ever had someone just completely question you and maybe 420 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,840 even call you out and criticize you for doing something 421 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:03,520 that the Lord has called you to do. 422 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:06,800 Sometimes a little bit more difficult when people are naysayers 423 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:09,400 to the truth of what God has called us to do. 424 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:11,680 But Joshua says, don't allow that to happen. 425 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:16,920 But he doesn't stop there, because he knows that, you know what 426 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:18,800 we are called for obedience. 427 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,160 But sometimes there's things that are going to fight against our 428 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:22,800 obedience. 429 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:24,280 There's going to be things that. 430 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:25,360 That pull us aside. 431 00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:26,960 Yes, there's distractions. 432 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,800 But then he starts in verse number seven, and he says that there 433 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,320 is another danger to obedience. 434 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:38,320 He says that ye come not among these nations, these that remain 435 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:43,380 among you neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause 436 00:18:43,380 --> 00:18:46,140 to mention the name of or, nor cause to swear by them. 437 00:18:46,220 --> 00:18:50,180 Neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them, but cleave 438 00:18:50,180 --> 00:18:53,260 unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day. 439 00:18:53,900 --> 00:18:54,900 So what is he saying here? 440 00:18:54,900 --> 00:18:55,500 He says this. 441 00:18:55,980 --> 00:18:58,140 Don't compromise with the enemy. 442 00:18:59,100 --> 00:18:59,500 Don't. 443 00:18:59,500 --> 00:19:01,380 Don't give in to their ways. 444 00:19:01,380 --> 00:19:04,180 He says, don't make any league with them. 445 00:19:04,180 --> 00:19:04,540 Don't. 446 00:19:04,540 --> 00:19:05,540 Don't join them. 447 00:19:05,540 --> 00:19:08,100 Don't make mention of the name of their gods. 448 00:19:08,100 --> 00:19:09,380 Don't swear by them. 449 00:19:09,380 --> 00:19:10,300 Don't serve them. 450 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:13,480 Don't submit yourselves to the ways of the world. 451 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:17,960 And so Joshua tells Israel not to even make mention. 452 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,400 Don't even get close to the false gods of the Canaanites. 453 00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:24,120 Don't even try to learn a little about them. 454 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:24,440 Don't. 455 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:27,000 Don't try to even get near the line. 456 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,080 Because, you know, that's sometimes how we are as Christians, 457 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:33,440 unfortunately, is we want to know how close to the line that we 458 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:34,920 can get without crossing it. 459 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:38,480 You know, I never have someone tell me, how far away should we get 460 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:39,000 from sin? 461 00:19:39,490 --> 00:19:42,530 I usually have people asking, well, how much can we do without 462 00:19:42,530 --> 00:19:43,170 sinning? 463 00:19:43,730 --> 00:19:47,570 And that's a problematic question in and of itself because 464 00:19:47,570 --> 00:19:49,970 oftentimes, if we're right near the line, if we. 465 00:19:49,970 --> 00:19:52,410 If we say, well, we're not going to join in with the enemy, 466 00:19:52,410 --> 00:19:54,530 but I want to be as close to the enemy as I can. 467 00:19:55,009 --> 00:19:58,130 I want to be just like the world, but just not there completely. 468 00:19:58,290 --> 00:20:01,010 The problem with that is that when we're walking so close to the 469 00:20:01,010 --> 00:20:05,210 line, one little stumble, one little trip can allow us to fall 470 00:20:05,210 --> 00:20:08,100 so far that we never would expect ourselves to do things. 471 00:20:08,100 --> 00:20:10,300 And so that's exactly what Joshua was warning against. 472 00:20:10,300 --> 00:20:12,620 He says, don't get close to compromising. 473 00:20:13,500 --> 00:20:15,180 Don't, don't, don't, don't. 474 00:20:15,260 --> 00:20:18,500 Don't satisfy the lust of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and 475 00:20:18,500 --> 00:20:20,940 the pride of life, and buy into the ways of the world. 476 00:20:21,100 --> 00:20:24,620 And most of us, most of us don't look at the false gods of this 477 00:20:24,620 --> 00:20:27,980 world and say, you know, I'm tempted to worship, you know, Allah, 478 00:20:27,980 --> 00:20:31,540 or I'm tempted to worship Buddha or whatever false gods are 479 00:20:31,540 --> 00:20:31,980 out there. 480 00:20:32,830 --> 00:20:35,070 That's often not the struggle for most of us. 481 00:20:35,870 --> 00:20:38,790 But sometimes the struggle for most of us is just worshiping the 482 00:20:38,790 --> 00:20:42,150 gods of this world, the materialism or humanism. 483 00:20:42,150 --> 00:20:43,790 Ourselves, worshiping ourselves. 484 00:20:44,350 --> 00:20:46,750 Our society tells us to exalt ourselves. 485 00:20:47,310 --> 00:20:48,549 It's the original life. 486 00:20:48,549 --> 00:20:49,470 From the very beginning. 487 00:20:50,030 --> 00:20:51,270 You can be like God. 488 00:20:51,270 --> 00:20:52,590 You can be your own God. 489 00:20:53,070 --> 00:20:56,630 Now, sometimes we don't say it like that in our culture today, but 490 00:20:56,630 --> 00:21:00,270 what the Bible says here is that we very clearly must only worship 491 00:21:00,270 --> 00:21:00,790 one God. 492 00:21:00,790 --> 00:21:02,430 And he says that's what happens in verse 8. 493 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:07,080 Cleave unto the Lord your God as you have done unto this day. 494 00:21:08,120 --> 00:21:08,680 So it's. 495 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:11,840 So it's very interesting here because he doesn't just say, stay 496 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:15,840 away from the false gods, but he says, stay away from the false 497 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:18,440 gods and cleave to the one true God. 498 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,120 So it's kind of like in anything in our life. 499 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,720 It's a principle of putting on and putting off the. 500 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:26,440 The book of Ephesians talks about this. 501 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,600 Oftentimes you'll hear people say, stop doing all the bad things, 502 00:21:31,170 --> 00:21:31,490 okay? 503 00:21:31,490 --> 00:21:33,650 Stop lying, stop stealing. 504 00:21:33,970 --> 00:21:36,610 Stop doing all the sins that God tells us to avoid. 505 00:21:36,610 --> 00:21:37,410 And that is true. 506 00:21:37,410 --> 00:21:39,570 We should stop the bad things. 507 00:21:39,810 --> 00:21:43,330 But in the book of Ephesians, it doesn't just say, stop stealing. 508 00:21:43,490 --> 00:21:47,209 It says, stop stealing and then earn money and give to those 509 00:21:47,209 --> 00:21:47,970 that are in need. 510 00:21:48,450 --> 00:21:51,690 And so biblically speaking, it's not just about removing ourselves 511 00:21:51,690 --> 00:21:54,850 from the bad, but it's about filling ourselves with the good. 512 00:21:55,410 --> 00:21:58,530 It's putting off the old man and putting on the new. 513 00:21:58,820 --> 00:22:00,420 And that's what Joshua is telling them here. 514 00:22:00,420 --> 00:22:01,700 Basically the same principle. 515 00:22:01,860 --> 00:22:06,940 Don't just avoid the gods of this world, but also cleave to the 516 00:22:06,940 --> 00:22:09,060 one God who has given you everything. 517 00:22:09,860 --> 00:22:11,940 And that's what I would encourage many Christians to do. 518 00:22:11,940 --> 00:22:14,780 Don't just avoid the bad things in this world, even though 519 00:22:14,780 --> 00:22:17,380 we should avoid the things that pull us away from the Lord, 520 00:22:17,780 --> 00:22:19,500 but ultimately cling to God. 521 00:22:19,500 --> 00:22:22,580 As James chapter 4, verse 8 says, draw nigh to God, and he will 522 00:22:22,580 --> 00:22:23,540 draw nigh to you. 523 00:22:23,780 --> 00:22:26,230 What Joshua was teaching is the importance of. 524 00:22:26,380 --> 00:22:30,100 Of a personal relationship with God, a personal love relationship 525 00:22:30,100 --> 00:22:30,700 with God. 526 00:22:31,180 --> 00:22:32,980 And so I love what verse eight says. 527 00:22:32,980 --> 00:22:37,100 He says, cleave unto the Lord your God as you have done unto this 528 00:22:37,100 --> 00:22:37,260 day. 529 00:22:37,260 --> 00:22:40,540 Meaning they've been doing a good job with this, so keep staying 530 00:22:40,540 --> 00:22:41,500 in that path. 531 00:22:42,780 --> 00:22:44,740 So for a Christian today, what does that look like? 532 00:22:44,740 --> 00:22:45,580 It means this. 533 00:22:45,900 --> 00:22:50,020 Don't allow the things of this world to pull us away from that relationship 534 00:22:50,020 --> 00:22:51,060 that we have with God. 535 00:22:51,060 --> 00:22:55,070 Because if we want to be successful, if we want to Walk in 536 00:22:55,070 --> 00:22:55,510 obedience. 537 00:22:55,510 --> 00:22:58,390 It's going to take that we love God and we love his way, and 538 00:22:58,390 --> 00:23:01,510 that we want to please him, that we want to honor Him. 539 00:23:02,150 --> 00:23:05,110 And so that's exactly what Joshua was reminding them of. 540 00:23:05,110 --> 00:23:07,750 And so Joshua tells them, number one, obey. 541 00:23:08,630 --> 00:23:10,590 Number two, don't compromise. 542 00:23:10,590 --> 00:23:12,470 And number three, pursue God. 543 00:23:12,950 --> 00:23:14,710 Pursue him with everything that you have. 544 00:23:15,270 --> 00:23:16,470 He's pursuing us. 545 00:23:16,950 --> 00:23:17,750 We know that. 546 00:23:18,190 --> 00:23:21,150 We know that when we're not faithful, still God is faithful. 547 00:23:21,390 --> 00:23:25,230 And we know that by way of context here in Joshua, chapter 23, 548 00:23:25,310 --> 00:23:28,470 that they're still working under the old covenant, the law of 549 00:23:28,470 --> 00:23:28,990 Moses. 550 00:23:29,390 --> 00:23:32,430 Now, I'm so thankful today that we're working under a new covenant. 551 00:23:32,510 --> 00:23:35,830 And we're going to see here that God warns them of the problems 552 00:23:35,830 --> 00:23:36,950 that come along with sin. 553 00:23:36,950 --> 00:23:39,830 And though there is problem with sin, for a Christian, there 554 00:23:39,830 --> 00:23:41,150 is no more condemnation. 555 00:23:42,110 --> 00:23:45,430 But we're going to see how that plays out here in Joshua, chapter 556 00:23:45,430 --> 00:23:45,830 23. 557 00:23:45,830 --> 00:23:46,990 So look at verse nine with me. 558 00:23:48,380 --> 00:23:52,460 We're going to see that there is a challenge for them to abide 559 00:23:52,460 --> 00:23:55,780 in the Lord, to live in the Lord, which is reminiscent of John, 560 00:23:55,780 --> 00:23:56,460 chapter 15. 561 00:23:56,780 --> 00:23:57,860 Remember what Jesus says. 562 00:23:57,860 --> 00:24:00,140 He says, I am the vine, you are the branches. 563 00:24:00,380 --> 00:24:02,540 Abide in me, Live in me. 564 00:24:02,700 --> 00:24:05,820 So verse nine, he says, for the Lord have driven out from before 565 00:24:05,820 --> 00:24:07,340 you great nations and strong. 566 00:24:07,660 --> 00:24:12,180 But as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto 567 00:24:12,180 --> 00:24:12,620 this day. 568 00:24:13,740 --> 00:24:16,700 There's a reminder here again that it is the Lord that has given 569 00:24:16,700 --> 00:24:19,180 them this opportunity to have this blessing. 570 00:24:19,740 --> 00:24:23,660 And so Israel, when they abide in the Lord, when they walk with 571 00:24:23,660 --> 00:24:28,460 the Lord, they're able to see God do great things through them. 572 00:24:29,580 --> 00:24:32,820 And as they continue to abide in the Lord, they're going to continue 573 00:24:32,820 --> 00:24:34,780 to see that God is fighting for them. 574 00:24:35,020 --> 00:24:37,220 I don't know about you, but I don't want to fight my battles on 575 00:24:37,220 --> 00:24:37,660 my own. 576 00:24:38,790 --> 00:24:42,670 I want to fight my battles with the one who is undefeated, the 577 00:24:42,670 --> 00:24:44,790 one who makes us more than conquerors. 578 00:24:46,230 --> 00:24:47,190 Here's the reality. 579 00:24:47,190 --> 00:24:48,790 A lot of people say, well, you know what? 580 00:24:48,790 --> 00:24:52,510 I don't believe in God because I'm going through difficulties in 581 00:24:52,510 --> 00:24:52,950 my life. 582 00:24:53,510 --> 00:24:56,070 I don't believe in God because there's evil in this world. 583 00:24:56,070 --> 00:24:59,710 But I'm going to tell you that no matter if you believe in God or 584 00:24:59,710 --> 00:25:01,590 not, we're all going to face problems. 585 00:25:02,310 --> 00:25:04,830 It's just a matter of are we going to face problems with one who 586 00:25:04,830 --> 00:25:06,830 is going to get us through it, or are we going to face these problems 587 00:25:06,830 --> 00:25:07,430 on our own? 588 00:25:08,010 --> 00:25:10,650 I wish I could tell you that if you Loved God enough that you're 589 00:25:10,650 --> 00:25:13,050 not going to have any struggles, any trials, any pain, 590 00:25:13,050 --> 00:25:13,610 any suffering. 591 00:25:13,610 --> 00:25:15,850 But that is not promised to us anywhere in Scripture. 592 00:25:16,170 --> 00:25:19,210 Actually, the other side of the coin is promised to us that we 593 00:25:19,210 --> 00:25:24,250 will face persecution, we will face infirmities, we will have tribulations 594 00:25:24,250 --> 00:25:25,370 and trials in our life. 595 00:25:25,370 --> 00:25:28,090 But the beauty is, is that the comfort comes from God. 596 00:25:28,730 --> 00:25:31,810 Think about someone who has to go through all the problems of this 597 00:25:31,810 --> 00:25:35,290 world and not have someone who is working for them behind the scenes 598 00:25:35,290 --> 00:25:39,090 and, and, and giving grace and giving peace and giving comfort. 599 00:25:39,090 --> 00:25:41,610 Folks, those are the people that have the greatest pain. 600 00:25:41,690 --> 00:25:44,490 As Christians, yes, we have pain, but at the end of the day, 601 00:25:44,490 --> 00:25:47,490 we have God on our side and he's giving us a greater promise 602 00:25:47,490 --> 00:25:49,610 that there's something more to this world. 603 00:25:50,330 --> 00:25:52,730 You know, the reason why there's so many hopeless people in 604 00:25:52,730 --> 00:25:56,250 this world is because most people are living for the here and 605 00:25:56,250 --> 00:25:56,530 now. 606 00:25:56,530 --> 00:25:57,370 This is it. 607 00:25:58,330 --> 00:26:01,210 And if you look at what we have right here and now, as good 608 00:26:01,210 --> 00:26:03,530 as it can be, there's people that are billionaires that are still 609 00:26:03,530 --> 00:26:03,930 hopeless. 610 00:26:03,930 --> 00:26:04,250 Why? 611 00:26:04,660 --> 00:26:06,740 Because the reality is, is that it's never enough. 612 00:26:07,220 --> 00:26:08,820 Money can never satisfy. 613 00:26:08,980 --> 00:26:10,900 Good food can never satisfy. 614 00:26:10,980 --> 00:26:13,060 A big house can never satisfy. 615 00:26:13,060 --> 00:26:14,900 A nice vehicle can never satisfy. 616 00:26:14,900 --> 00:26:17,700 And I'm not saying good food is bad, I'm not saying a big house 617 00:26:17,700 --> 00:26:18,180 is bad. 618 00:26:18,260 --> 00:26:21,460 But what I'm saying is, is that if that's all we're living for, 619 00:26:21,540 --> 00:26:24,500 if that's our satisfaction, we're going to eventually realize 620 00:26:24,500 --> 00:26:25,620 that that runs out. 621 00:26:25,780 --> 00:26:27,860 And that's what brings hopelessness in this world. 622 00:26:28,020 --> 00:26:31,030 But for Christians, it doesn't matter what we have, because we have 623 00:26:31,030 --> 00:26:32,750 a greater hope that's eternal. 624 00:26:33,070 --> 00:26:35,550 And so what Joshua is telling them is this. 625 00:26:35,710 --> 00:26:38,510 Stay to the Lord, because all of us are going to go through problems 626 00:26:38,510 --> 00:26:39,070 in our life. 627 00:26:39,710 --> 00:26:42,070 Regardless of whether or not you believe in God or not, there's 628 00:26:42,070 --> 00:26:43,030 going to be pain and suffering. 629 00:26:43,030 --> 00:26:44,830 An atheist goes through pain and suffering. 630 00:26:45,390 --> 00:26:49,070 The truth is, is that as a human being, we all are in the state 631 00:26:49,070 --> 00:26:51,950 of being marred by this sin world. 632 00:26:52,110 --> 00:26:53,870 It's because of sin that there's sickness. 633 00:26:53,950 --> 00:26:55,950 It's because of sin that there's death. 634 00:26:56,620 --> 00:26:59,060 It's not God causing these things to happen. 635 00:26:59,060 --> 00:27:01,220 It's God allowing these things to happen. 636 00:27:01,220 --> 00:27:04,060 Because the choice of evil, that happened long ago. 637 00:27:04,460 --> 00:27:08,420 But what we have to understand as Christians is that equating a 638 00:27:08,420 --> 00:27:10,820 perfect life to God's love is a misnomer. 639 00:27:10,820 --> 00:27:12,140 What we have to do is say this. 640 00:27:12,299 --> 00:27:14,500 Yes, there's pain and suffering in this world, but God 641 00:27:14,500 --> 00:27:16,620 is going to bring his guidance and his protection. 642 00:27:16,860 --> 00:27:20,100 And ultimately, whether we lose our life or not, we ultimately 643 00:27:20,100 --> 00:27:20,940 have a life with him. 644 00:27:20,940 --> 00:27:22,460 And that's what he's explaining here. 645 00:27:22,820 --> 00:27:23,300 Verse 10. 646 00:27:23,380 --> 00:27:27,460 One man of you shall chase a thousand for the Lord your God. 647 00:27:27,460 --> 00:27:32,020 He it is that fighteth for you and he hath promised you. 648 00:27:32,740 --> 00:27:38,060 He just tells them, go back and remember that it is the one that 649 00:27:38,060 --> 00:27:38,500 God. 650 00:27:38,579 --> 00:27:40,180 He is the one that's fighting for you. 651 00:27:40,260 --> 00:27:41,980 He's the one that's coming before you. 652 00:27:41,980 --> 00:27:43,380 He's the one that's promising you. 653 00:27:43,460 --> 00:27:45,260 You know, I can make a bunch of promises to you. 654 00:27:45,260 --> 00:27:49,470 I could say, you know, I'm going to give you this. 655 00:27:49,470 --> 00:27:50,550 I'm going to do this for you. 656 00:27:50,550 --> 00:27:52,670 I'm going to be here for this many years. 657 00:27:52,830 --> 00:27:55,110 But the truth is, I can make a ton of promises. 658 00:27:55,110 --> 00:27:59,550 But because of my limited ability and because of my human condition, 659 00:27:59,790 --> 00:28:02,150 I can't keep all of my promises, whether I want to keep 660 00:28:02,150 --> 00:28:02,750 them or not. 661 00:28:03,230 --> 00:28:05,910 There's been times where I've let my kids down and my wife down 662 00:28:05,910 --> 00:28:08,990 because I'm a human and I don't have a perfect nature. 663 00:28:09,230 --> 00:28:12,750 But at the same time, we know that God is the one who makes a promise. 664 00:28:12,750 --> 00:28:14,590 And when he makes a promise, he keeps his promise. 665 00:28:15,620 --> 00:28:18,780 And so I would encourage you, one of the greatest studies that 666 00:28:18,780 --> 00:28:21,900 you can do is to go through the Scriptures and see particularly 667 00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:25,860 the promises of God to believers and understand that those 668 00:28:25,860 --> 00:28:27,900 promises, if you're a believer, are given to you. 669 00:28:27,900 --> 00:28:31,180 And therefore you can rest in those and you can stay secure in 670 00:28:31,180 --> 00:28:31,420 those. 671 00:28:31,420 --> 00:28:35,500 And so he warns them now in verse 11 and 12 about the dangers 672 00:28:35,500 --> 00:28:37,340 of turning their back against the Lord. 673 00:28:37,340 --> 00:28:40,390 He says, take good heed therefore unto yourselves there that 674 00:28:40,390 --> 00:28:42,990 ye loved the Lord your God. 675 00:28:43,630 --> 00:28:43,990 Again. 676 00:28:43,990 --> 00:28:46,790 He reminds them that it's so important for them to have that love 677 00:28:46,790 --> 00:28:47,950 relationship with God. 678 00:28:48,030 --> 00:28:50,710 We saw from the book of Deuteronomy all the way through the 679 00:28:50,710 --> 00:28:52,830 Old Testament into the New Testament. 680 00:28:52,830 --> 00:28:54,030 What does God want from us? 681 00:28:54,030 --> 00:28:57,310 He says very clearly to love God with all of our heart, soul, 682 00:28:57,310 --> 00:28:59,750 mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourself. 683 00:28:59,750 --> 00:29:01,310 But it starts with loving God. 684 00:29:02,110 --> 00:29:04,590 We have a lot of Christians today that say they love God. 685 00:29:05,230 --> 00:29:05,710 I think. 686 00:29:05,710 --> 00:29:07,990 I think almost every Christian that I've ever talked to, I've said, 687 00:29:07,990 --> 00:29:09,070 hey, do you love Jesus? 688 00:29:09,410 --> 00:29:10,610 And of course they say, we love. 689 00:29:10,610 --> 00:29:11,290 We love Jesus. 690 00:29:11,290 --> 00:29:12,370 Of course we love Jesus. 691 00:29:12,610 --> 00:29:14,410 But what does it mean to love God? 692 00:29:14,410 --> 00:29:16,490 Really, truly, what does it mean to love God? 693 00:29:16,490 --> 00:29:19,010 Have you ever thought about that for just a few minutes? 694 00:29:19,730 --> 00:29:23,610 I say I love God, but if someone's to follow me around in 695 00:29:23,610 --> 00:29:25,890 my life, would it look like I love God? 696 00:29:26,450 --> 00:29:29,410 Let's say, for example, I've used this example before. 697 00:29:29,810 --> 00:29:34,770 If I say I love my wife, I love her so much, but you've never 698 00:29:34,770 --> 00:29:35,730 seen me talk to her. 699 00:29:36,540 --> 00:29:38,220 You've never seen me spend time with her. 700 00:29:38,700 --> 00:29:39,060 We. 701 00:29:39,060 --> 00:29:41,740 We don't even ever communicate. 702 00:29:43,580 --> 00:29:46,140 You would begin to start to think, well, I wonder if Pastor Josh 703 00:29:46,140 --> 00:29:47,100 really loves his wife. 704 00:29:47,660 --> 00:29:47,980 Right? 705 00:29:47,980 --> 00:29:49,420 That's a simple analogy. 706 00:29:49,820 --> 00:29:54,060 And so us as Christians, if we say we love God, but we don't talk 707 00:29:54,060 --> 00:29:56,860 to him, we don't listen to His Word. 708 00:29:57,340 --> 00:29:59,580 By the way, this is God's love letter to us. 709 00:30:00,140 --> 00:30:02,180 God wants us to be in his word. 710 00:30:02,180 --> 00:30:04,460 God wants us to know him in every way. 711 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:08,720 And if we say we love God, but yet we aren't interested in what 712 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:09,960 he has told us to do. 713 00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:13,600 Folks, I'm going to press a little bit and challenge us here 714 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:14,280 this evening. 715 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:17,640 Maybe we don't love God the way that we say we love God. 716 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,079 And so what Joshua challenges them on is this. 717 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:23,240 Take heed unto yourselves. 718 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,320 He says, look into your own life. 719 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:26,280 That what? 720 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:28,280 That you love the Lord your God. 721 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:32,120 So continuously loving God takes diligence. 722 00:30:32,530 --> 00:30:35,050 Just because I love God yesterday doesn't mean I love God 723 00:30:35,050 --> 00:30:35,330 today. 724 00:30:36,530 --> 00:30:37,730 You all know that principle. 725 00:30:37,730 --> 00:30:40,850 Just because I say I love someone today doesn't mean that that 726 00:30:40,850 --> 00:30:41,650 love's there tomorrow. 727 00:30:41,650 --> 00:30:43,010 Because love is a choice. 728 00:30:44,450 --> 00:30:45,330 We know that. 729 00:30:45,570 --> 00:30:47,610 We know that love isn't always a feeling. 730 00:30:47,610 --> 00:30:48,410 Love is a choice. 731 00:30:48,410 --> 00:30:50,210 And we have to decide to love God. 732 00:30:50,210 --> 00:30:54,290 And so there's many things within us and outside of us that 733 00:30:54,290 --> 00:30:57,810 draw ourselves either to the Lord or away from God. 734 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:00,600 And so we're called to love God. 735 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:05,320 It's not a feeling or an emotion as much as it is a decision 736 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:06,760 that we have to make in our life. 737 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:13,240 Now, does the decision to love God give us wonderful emotions? 738 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:13,720 Of course. 739 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:16,440 I remember the day I got married. 740 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:19,080 It was a very emotional day. 741 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:23,400 And I wish I could tell you that every day I wake up is the same 742 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:25,040 emotion as the day I was married. 743 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:26,200 But that's not the case. 744 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:27,120 Okay? 745 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:29,000 And I think all of us that have been married for more than about 746 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,280 a week would understand that not every day is that day. 747 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:33,560 That's the honeymoon. 748 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,200 But at the same time, it's a choice that we all have to make. 749 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:40,480 And whether or not we feel the emotion or not, there is that desire 750 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:41,160 to serve God. 751 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,920 And God will reward that love because he loves us. 752 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:45,120 He's proven his love for us. 753 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:46,600 And that could be a whole other Study. 754 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:49,440 But if you want to know how much God loves you, just read Romans, 755 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:50,440 chapter 5, verse 8. 756 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:54,480 God commended his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, 757 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:55,360 Christ died for us. 758 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:56,680 He proved his love for us. 759 00:31:57,780 --> 00:32:02,500 So what we do as Christians now is that we must make a conscious 760 00:32:02,500 --> 00:32:04,380 decision to say, lord, I love you. 761 00:32:04,380 --> 00:32:07,660 And Lord, give me the strength to love you more and more each and 762 00:32:07,660 --> 00:32:08,180 every day. 763 00:32:08,980 --> 00:32:11,460 So he says, love the Lord your God, verse 12. 764 00:32:12,420 --> 00:32:18,340 Else, if ye do in any wise, go back and cleave unto the remnant 765 00:32:18,340 --> 00:32:22,830 of these nations, even these that remain among you, and and shall 766 00:32:22,830 --> 00:32:26,670 make marriages with them and go in unto them. 767 00:32:26,990 --> 00:32:31,550 And they to you know for a certainty that the Lord your God 768 00:32:31,550 --> 00:32:36,150 will no more drive out any of these nations from before you, but 769 00:32:36,150 --> 00:32:41,790 that they shall be snares and traps unto you and scourges in your 770 00:32:41,790 --> 00:32:46,230 sides and thorns in your eyes until you perish from off this good 771 00:32:46,230 --> 00:32:48,590 land which the Lord your God hath given you. 772 00:32:49,250 --> 00:32:53,130 So he says, yes, God is faithful, but he's also faithful 773 00:32:53,130 --> 00:32:53,890 in judgment. 774 00:32:54,610 --> 00:32:57,810 Says, if you don't separate yourselves from these ungodly influences 775 00:32:57,810 --> 00:33:01,210 around you and you compromise and you give in to those things around 776 00:33:01,210 --> 00:33:05,810 you, those influences, those evil people around you will become 777 00:33:06,370 --> 00:33:08,450 basically torture to you. 778 00:33:09,010 --> 00:33:12,290 You're going to get what you deserve by going that way. 779 00:33:12,290 --> 00:33:15,010 And so it's essentially the principle of sowing and reaping. 780 00:33:15,620 --> 00:33:19,460 If you want God to give you blessing, obviously love him and 781 00:33:19,460 --> 00:33:20,220 stay faithful to him. 782 00:33:20,220 --> 00:33:23,980 If you want to find the pain and struggles of this world, go the 783 00:33:23,980 --> 00:33:24,660 way of the world. 784 00:33:24,660 --> 00:33:27,140 And he warns them against spiritual compromise here. 785 00:33:27,220 --> 00:33:28,500 He warns them about. 786 00:33:28,500 --> 00:33:30,740 About turning away from the truth. 787 00:33:31,780 --> 00:33:36,060 And so these ungodly influences around them, they weren't 788 00:33:36,060 --> 00:33:38,500 going to tell them that that was the outcome, right? 789 00:33:39,140 --> 00:33:43,090 The evil never comes to us, or I shouldn't say never, but oftentimes 790 00:33:43,250 --> 00:33:47,170 evil does not come to us by saying that it's going to be terrible 791 00:33:47,170 --> 00:33:47,770 ending, right? 792 00:33:47,770 --> 00:33:49,570 Because none of us would turn away from God. 793 00:33:50,130 --> 00:33:52,170 But what happens is a Satan is a deceiver. 794 00:33:52,170 --> 00:33:56,090 And it comes packaged in a way that seems attractive and ultimately, 795 00:33:56,090 --> 00:33:57,970 though, can bring pain and suffering. 796 00:33:58,610 --> 00:34:01,370 And so he's going to give a final warning here, starting in verse 797 00:34:01,370 --> 00:34:02,690 14 to the end of the chapter. 798 00:34:03,090 --> 00:34:08,300 He's going to say, yes, God is faithful to you as a nation, but 799 00:34:08,460 --> 00:34:10,260 he's also faithful in another way. 800 00:34:10,260 --> 00:34:12,380 He's faithful to always deal with sin. 801 00:34:12,620 --> 00:34:17,740 He says, and behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. 802 00:34:18,140 --> 00:34:19,340 Basically, he's saying this. 803 00:34:19,340 --> 00:34:22,940 He's saying, I don't have much more time here. 804 00:34:23,900 --> 00:34:27,980 And ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one 805 00:34:27,980 --> 00:34:31,740 thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God 806 00:34:31,740 --> 00:34:32,940 spake concerning you. 807 00:34:33,380 --> 00:34:37,700 All are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof. 808 00:34:37,700 --> 00:34:39,380 So he says, I'm going away. 809 00:34:39,780 --> 00:34:43,180 Don't wrap up your love for God by me. 810 00:34:43,180 --> 00:34:46,220 Because oftentimes it's tempting to put our eyes on a person 811 00:34:46,220 --> 00:34:48,100 and see that as God's faithfulness. 812 00:34:48,180 --> 00:34:50,940 But what basically Joshua is saying is, don't keep your eyes on 813 00:34:50,940 --> 00:34:51,140 me. 814 00:34:51,140 --> 00:34:52,180 Keep your eyes on the Lord. 815 00:34:52,340 --> 00:34:55,660 And every good leader, every good Christian leader will say that 816 00:34:55,660 --> 00:34:56,500 very same thing. 817 00:34:56,580 --> 00:34:57,660 Don't look at me. 818 00:34:57,660 --> 00:34:58,660 Don't worship me. 819 00:34:58,990 --> 00:35:01,950 Don't equate my spirituality to your spirituality. 820 00:35:02,270 --> 00:35:05,390 Now, Paul does say, imitate me as I imitate Christ. 821 00:35:05,630 --> 00:35:05,950 So. 822 00:35:05,950 --> 00:35:07,070 So that's a different thing. 823 00:35:07,150 --> 00:35:09,310 Meaning this is how you follow God. 824 00:35:09,310 --> 00:35:11,950 But Paul doesn't just say, imitate me and end it there. 825 00:35:12,030 --> 00:35:15,390 He says, imitate me as I follow the Lord. 826 00:35:16,110 --> 00:35:20,470 So any good Christian leader should say this, look, yes, I am 827 00:35:20,470 --> 00:35:24,190 leading, but your spirituality is not based in my faithfulness. 828 00:35:24,190 --> 00:35:28,780 Because if I fail or if I die or if I turn away, you can still 829 00:35:28,780 --> 00:35:29,700 be faithful to God. 830 00:35:29,700 --> 00:35:29,900 Why? 831 00:35:29,900 --> 00:35:32,460 Because God is the one who is the being faithful to you. 832 00:35:32,460 --> 00:35:33,820 And that's a challenge for all of you. 833 00:35:33,820 --> 00:35:37,900 I. I know that maybe there's not a temptation to keep your eyes 834 00:35:37,900 --> 00:35:38,220 on. 835 00:35:38,220 --> 00:35:42,860 On me or anyone else, but maybe for some of you, there, There 836 00:35:42,860 --> 00:35:47,900 is a temptation to kind of attach ourselves to one person, whether 837 00:35:47,900 --> 00:35:52,200 it's a YouTube personality or a former pastor or whatever it might 838 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:52,480 be. 839 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:53,440 I would encourage you. 840 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:55,120 Yes, look for godly examples. 841 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:57,360 Godly examples are a great thing. 842 00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:02,160 I. I know that the pastor there in, in Rwanda, I, I told him 843 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:02,400 this. 844 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:04,520 I said, I don't have a lot of heroes in the faith. 845 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:07,359 And now he is added to my list of heroes in the faith because of 846 00:36:07,359 --> 00:36:10,000 some of the things that he was able to do for the Lord. 847 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:14,600 But at the same time, my eyes are not on that person in areas of 848 00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:15,120 worship. 849 00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:17,680 My eyes are on the Lord for what he has done for that person's 850 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:17,880 life. 851 00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:21,300 So look for examples of people that are good leaders and, and good 852 00:36:21,300 --> 00:36:23,620 teachers and, and good servants. 853 00:36:23,620 --> 00:36:26,540 But what I would say here, the same thing as what Joshua is saying, 854 00:36:26,540 --> 00:36:28,820 is keep your eyes on the Lord because he's the only one that's 855 00:36:28,820 --> 00:36:29,620 never failed you. 856 00:36:30,020 --> 00:36:32,860 Man will fail you, okay? 857 00:36:32,860 --> 00:36:33,620 Because we're human. 858 00:36:34,100 --> 00:36:37,140 Humans will fail you, but God will never fail. 859 00:36:37,540 --> 00:36:38,900 So then he says in verse, 15. 860 00:36:39,460 --> 00:36:42,940 Therefore, it shall come to pass that as all good things are 861 00:36:42,940 --> 00:36:48,200 come upon you which the Lord your God promised you, so shall the 862 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:52,080 Lord bring upon you all evil things until he hath destroyed you 863 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:55,680 from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you. 864 00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:57,200 You would say those are some strong words. 865 00:36:57,840 --> 00:37:00,920 Basically, what Joshua is telling them is, if you're faithful 866 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:02,680 to the law, God will bless you. 867 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:06,400 If you're not faithful to the law, God will bring you judgment. 868 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:08,880 Now we would say, what does that mean? 869 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:11,480 That means when I stumble in my life, God's going to forget about 870 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:11,680 me. 871 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:15,240 No, because the beauty that we live under is that we're not under 872 00:37:15,240 --> 00:37:16,680 the Mosaic Law anymore. 873 00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:18,560 We're not under the Mosaic Covenant. 874 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:22,160 The Mosaic covenant was a conditional covenant with the people 875 00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:22,960 of Israel. 876 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:25,280 Follow the law, there will be blessings. 877 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:27,840 Don't follow the law, you will be judged. 878 00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:31,280 And though they're same principles that are there, when it 879 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:34,200 comes to principles of sewing and reaping, we're thankful that 880 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:36,840 God doesn't cut us off and judge us every time we break the 881 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:37,120 law. 882 00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:39,680 Because, by the way, none of us could keep the law. 883 00:37:40,090 --> 00:37:43,490 I don't think any of us could keep 613 commandments every single 884 00:37:43,490 --> 00:37:44,130 day of our lives. 885 00:37:44,130 --> 00:37:44,690 Okay? 886 00:37:44,690 --> 00:37:46,810 The reality is, is that none of us could keep the law. 887 00:37:47,370 --> 00:37:49,370 So the principle is the heart of the matter. 888 00:37:49,770 --> 00:37:52,770 The good thing is that even if we do fail, we have a faithful God. 889 00:37:52,770 --> 00:37:56,730 And the Bible says in the New Testament in Galatians, chapter three, 890 00:37:56,890 --> 00:37:59,610 that we have been redeemed from the curse of the law. 891 00:38:00,490 --> 00:38:05,210 So as we live our lives now, we're able to live in that love relationship 892 00:38:05,540 --> 00:38:09,100 and know that when we do stumble, yes, God is still going 893 00:38:09,100 --> 00:38:11,780 to bring sometimes consequences to us. 894 00:38:12,020 --> 00:38:14,620 But ultimately there's therefore now no condemnation to 895 00:38:14,620 --> 00:38:16,180 them that are in Christ Jesus. 896 00:38:16,660 --> 00:38:20,020 And so the idea for us now is that we can walk in freedom. 897 00:38:20,100 --> 00:38:23,700 We're no longer bound by the law, in fear that if we mess up, 898 00:38:23,780 --> 00:38:25,380 God's going to bring us judgment. 899 00:38:25,780 --> 00:38:29,140 Yes, God tells us to obey him, and there's blessings in obeying 900 00:38:29,140 --> 00:38:29,340 Him. 901 00:38:29,340 --> 00:38:35,080 Folks, I'm going to tell you that the best blessings that I found 902 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:37,720 in my life has been found in the obedience of the Lord. 903 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:41,360 I, I, I can never point to a time in my life where I say, man, 904 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:43,560 it just really paid off to rebel against God. 905 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:47,640 Every time I have rebelled, it has been a time of pain and suffering. 906 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:51,360 But at the same time, I'm so thankful that the Bible says though 907 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:55,000 he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, because the Lord 908 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:56,120 upholds him with his hand. 909 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,280 I'm so glad that God holds onto us when we're stumbling in our 910 00:38:59,280 --> 00:38:59,560 life. 911 00:39:00,340 --> 00:39:03,380 And so I would encourage you, don't walk in fear of. 912 00:39:03,460 --> 00:39:06,980 Well, you know, if I mess up today, God's going to wipe me out. 913 00:39:07,060 --> 00:39:08,140 Well, no, he's not. 914 00:39:08,140 --> 00:39:10,340 He's got grace, and his grace is sufficient. 915 00:39:10,500 --> 00:39:12,500 But at the same time, our heart should be that. 916 00:39:12,500 --> 00:39:14,020 Why would I want to turn? 917 00:39:14,580 --> 00:39:18,580 And so that's what's distinctly different about us and 918 00:39:18,580 --> 00:39:19,860 the people that are here. 919 00:39:19,860 --> 00:39:22,700 In the book of Joshua is now we're under a new covenant. 920 00:39:22,700 --> 00:39:24,420 We're under the law, not of. 921 00:39:24,500 --> 00:39:26,820 Of Moses, but we are now under grace. 922 00:39:27,580 --> 00:39:29,020 And that's not a license to sin. 923 00:39:29,020 --> 00:39:30,620 Paul addresses that in Romans 6. 924 00:39:30,700 --> 00:39:32,460 Because Paul knows our human condition. 925 00:39:32,460 --> 00:39:36,180 And he knows that if we know that we're not under the law, then 926 00:39:36,180 --> 00:39:38,860 we can say, well, I can just keep sinning and God can keep forgiving. 927 00:39:38,940 --> 00:39:40,700 Well, no, Paul says, God forbid. 928 00:39:40,860 --> 00:39:43,980 How can we walk in sin if we know what we've been saved from? 929 00:39:44,380 --> 00:39:48,100 And so it's a balance of understanding God's grace and understanding 930 00:39:48,100 --> 00:39:51,980 God's holiness and understand how we work in that dynamic. 931 00:39:51,980 --> 00:39:53,860 And so he concludes and closes. 932 00:39:53,860 --> 00:39:56,560 In verse 16, he says, when you have transgressed. 933 00:39:57,280 --> 00:39:59,760 Excuse me, when we have transgressed the covenant of the 934 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:02,280 Lord your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and 935 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:05,440 served other gods and bowed yourselves to them, then shall the 936 00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:07,520 anger of the Lord be kindled against you. 937 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:13,360 Now, I do know that God is angry at those who practice idolatry. 938 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:16,320 I don't believe that's changed from the Old Testament to the New. 939 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:22,420 But when we come to a place in our life where we begin to turn ourselves 940 00:40:22,420 --> 00:40:25,580 to idolatry, I do believe that God is not pleased with us. 941 00:40:25,980 --> 00:40:28,500 And so as Christians, what we have to do is we have to wake up 942 00:40:28,500 --> 00:40:30,460 to what is idolatry around us. 943 00:40:31,260 --> 00:40:36,940 You know, just because we don't have a statue of a God, a calf 944 00:40:36,940 --> 00:40:40,540 or whatever, up in our house and we're worshiping that, that doesn't 945 00:40:40,540 --> 00:40:42,540 mean that we're exempt from idolatry. 946 00:40:42,940 --> 00:40:46,460 There's things in our life that we can idolize and put before 947 00:40:46,460 --> 00:40:47,020 the Lord. 948 00:40:47,270 --> 00:40:49,070 Let me very basically tell you this. 949 00:40:49,070 --> 00:40:50,430 Anything you put before God is. 950 00:40:51,790 --> 00:40:52,750 Could be an activity. 951 00:40:52,750 --> 00:40:55,750 It could be a person, it could be a desire. 952 00:40:55,990 --> 00:40:57,870 Whatever it is, it's idolatry. 953 00:40:57,870 --> 00:41:00,950 And so we know that God's wrath is kindled against those that 954 00:41:00,950 --> 00:41:02,310 are privacy and idolatry. 955 00:41:03,269 --> 00:41:05,470 And he says, the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against you 956 00:41:05,470 --> 00:41:08,710 and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath 957 00:41:08,710 --> 00:41:09,270 given you. 958 00:41:10,230 --> 00:41:13,070 And so, ultimately, what we see here is that there's a reminder 959 00:41:13,070 --> 00:41:15,670 here that God will judge those that are in rebellion. 960 00:41:15,670 --> 00:41:17,350 And I still do believe that is the case. 961 00:41:18,090 --> 00:41:23,290 But the good news is that in Jesus, we no longer have to experience 962 00:41:24,970 --> 00:41:26,250 the condemnation. 963 00:41:27,050 --> 00:41:30,330 We can now walk in the confidence to know that we're covered 964 00:41:30,490 --> 00:41:32,970 by his blood and by his sacrifice. 965 00:41:33,529 --> 00:41:36,890 And so, yes, is there pain and suffering in rebellion? 966 00:41:36,890 --> 00:41:37,210 Sure. 967 00:41:37,370 --> 00:41:41,370 And any Christian should not embrace that type of lifestyle. 968 00:41:41,530 --> 00:41:45,980 But what I will say is this, within the context of the New Covenant, 969 00:41:45,980 --> 00:41:49,300 there is room for people to turn back to Christ. 970 00:41:49,700 --> 00:41:50,660 There's still hope. 971 00:41:51,060 --> 00:41:52,580 And we need to pray for those people. 972 00:41:53,460 --> 00:41:57,340 We need to plead with the Lord to get a hold of people's hearts 973 00:41:57,340 --> 00:42:00,580 that are drifting away and compromising in the lies of this 974 00:42:00,580 --> 00:42:00,900 world. 975 00:42:01,140 --> 00:42:04,420 And if we're honest with ourselves, all of us, to some degree, 976 00:42:04,500 --> 00:42:07,060 have drifted in areas of compromise in our life. 977 00:42:08,340 --> 00:42:11,860 I mean, I really don't like the fact to admit my failures, but 978 00:42:11,860 --> 00:42:13,540 I'm going to tell you, there's been times in my life where I've 979 00:42:13,540 --> 00:42:15,620 drifted because I've said, you know what? 980 00:42:15,860 --> 00:42:17,140 Everyone's doing it. 981 00:42:17,860 --> 00:42:19,220 Culture says it's okay. 982 00:42:19,220 --> 00:42:20,700 So what's, what's the problem, really? 983 00:42:20,700 --> 00:42:22,020 How is it going to hurt anybody? 984 00:42:22,020 --> 00:42:24,940 You've heard people say that maybe it's not hurting anybody that 985 00:42:24,940 --> 00:42:25,620 I'm doing this. 986 00:42:26,260 --> 00:42:29,180 The truth is, is that it's marring the God. 987 00:42:29,180 --> 00:42:29,500 It's. 988 00:42:29,500 --> 00:42:31,380 It's harming ourselves. 989 00:42:31,380 --> 00:42:36,460 And ultimately, it's that very sin that I am getting buddy buddy 990 00:42:36,460 --> 00:42:36,740 with. 991 00:42:36,740 --> 00:42:40,580 Getting close with that nailed my Savior to the cross. 992 00:42:41,500 --> 00:42:45,900 And when I see sin that way, there is more of an inclination to 993 00:42:45,900 --> 00:42:50,860 reject that sin and be turned away from that sin. 994 00:42:50,940 --> 00:42:52,780 That should be disgusting for us. 995 00:42:53,420 --> 00:42:57,780 And so what we see here at the end of Joshua, chapter 23 is just 996 00:42:57,780 --> 00:43:03,180 a reminder of the blessings and the confirmation and the comfort 997 00:43:03,420 --> 00:43:05,500 of walking in obedience to the Lord. 998 00:43:06,870 --> 00:43:12,550 Anytime we preach about the topic of grace, there is always two 999 00:43:12,550 --> 00:43:13,510 sides of the camp. 1000 00:43:13,910 --> 00:43:16,750 There's the side of the camp that says we can't preach grace because 1001 00:43:16,750 --> 00:43:18,310 that's just a license to sin. 1002 00:43:18,790 --> 00:43:21,910 Well, that person is not seeing it properly. 1003 00:43:22,309 --> 00:43:24,670 And there's other people that say, preach grace all the time so 1004 00:43:24,670 --> 00:43:27,190 we can go out and party on the weekends and enjoy ourselves. 1005 00:43:27,190 --> 00:43:28,750 And that's what grace is. 1006 00:43:28,750 --> 00:43:30,870 No, that's a misunderstanding of grace. 1007 00:43:31,110 --> 00:43:33,990 There's two sides of the path that we can fall off of. 1008 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:34,760 What the. 1009 00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:37,960 What the path should be the path that God has given us is that 1010 00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:42,880 we have grace from the Lord, that when we do mess up, that we 1011 00:43:42,880 --> 00:43:45,480 can be brokenhearted and have forgiveness and be welcomed back 1012 00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:46,560 as the prodigal son. 1013 00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:49,240 But at the same time, we should never desire to live that 1014 00:43:49,240 --> 00:43:49,520 life. 1015 00:43:50,080 --> 00:43:52,760 And so Joshua is teaching them the principle of obedience. 1016 00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:56,160 And I think all of us should live and work under the principle 1017 00:43:56,160 --> 00:43:57,600 of obedience in our own life. 1018 00:43:58,880 --> 00:44:02,070 One of the songs that my parents always used to sing me and 1019 00:44:02,790 --> 00:44:05,750 sing to me and make me sing with them was Obedience. 1020 00:44:06,070 --> 00:44:08,070 You know, the song where you spell it out, Obedience. 1021 00:44:08,150 --> 00:44:12,350 O, B, E, D, I, E, N, C, E. And I'm like, why are my parents always 1022 00:44:12,350 --> 00:44:13,190 talking about obedience? 1023 00:44:13,190 --> 00:44:13,670 I don't. 1024 00:44:13,670 --> 00:44:14,030 But. 1025 00:44:14,030 --> 00:44:17,909 But again, it was understanding obedience to my parents, 1026 00:44:17,909 --> 00:44:20,790 which equated obedience to my Father, my heavenly Father. 1027 00:44:21,590 --> 00:44:22,910 And so as. 1028 00:44:22,910 --> 00:44:23,470 As a. 1029 00:44:23,470 --> 00:44:23,910 As a. 1030 00:44:23,910 --> 00:44:27,600 An adult now, I don't have to obey my parents, okay? 1031 00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:29,120 I'm supposed to honor them. 1032 00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:34,040 But at this point in time, the way that my parents taught me to 1033 00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:37,480 obey them, and by the way, I was not the most obedient child in 1034 00:44:37,480 --> 00:44:37,680 my. 1035 00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:38,000 In. 1036 00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:39,280 In the world, okay? 1037 00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:43,800 But the lessons that I learned in obeying my parents transferred 1038 00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:45,520 over to obeying my heavenly father. 1039 00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:48,000 So there's going to be times in my life that God has called me 1040 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:49,600 to do things, and I don't understand why. 1041 00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:50,800 There. 1042 00:44:50,800 --> 00:44:53,080 There's people that God has brought into my life that I don't 1043 00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:56,630 understand why, and I don't see the end. 1044 00:44:57,110 --> 00:44:59,990 But the same reason why my dad says, just trust me because I'm your 1045 00:44:59,990 --> 00:45:01,990 father, and obey is the same reason why. 1046 00:45:01,990 --> 00:45:03,310 Sometimes we just have to trust the Lord. 1047 00:45:03,310 --> 00:45:04,470 Sometimes he gives us the why. 1048 00:45:04,950 --> 00:45:06,070 And those are good times. 1049 00:45:06,070 --> 00:45:09,829 And we relish those moments where God gives us every reason why 1050 00:45:09,829 --> 00:45:11,870 we have what we have in front of us. 1051 00:45:11,870 --> 00:45:15,190 But sometimes God just says, do it and don't ask questions. 1052 00:45:15,430 --> 00:45:17,670 And those are the times in our life that take faith. 1053 00:45:17,910 --> 00:45:20,590 And so we're going to come back, not next week, because next 1054 00:45:20,590 --> 00:45:24,190 week we're going to be talking about our missions trip, but we're 1055 00:45:24,190 --> 00:45:26,150 going to conclude in Joshua, chapter 24. 1056 00:45:26,150 --> 00:45:31,190 And he's going to get to that very, very famous passage where he 1057 00:45:31,190 --> 00:45:33,470 says, choose you this day who you're going to serve. 1058 00:45:34,030 --> 00:45:36,270 As for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord. 1059 00:45:36,830 --> 00:45:39,870 And I hope that we can conclude this study with all of us 1060 00:45:39,870 --> 00:45:42,710 having that as way of testimony in our life that, hey, 1061 00:45:42,710 --> 00:45:43,190 you know what? 1062 00:45:43,190 --> 00:45:45,390 We can't control what's going on in the world out there. 1063 00:45:46,270 --> 00:45:48,030 We can't control evil. 1064 00:45:48,620 --> 00:45:49,900 We can't control the government. 1065 00:45:51,500 --> 00:45:55,540 But what we can do is we can make a decision as a family, as a 1066 00:45:55,540 --> 00:45:59,300 house, as an individual to serve the Lord and not turn from 1067 00:45:59,300 --> 00:46:00,460 the left or to the right. 1068 00:46:00,700 --> 00:46:01,740 And we're going to talk about that. 1069 00:46:01,740 --> 00:46:03,500 And we're going to talk about ways in which we can do that. 1070 00:46:03,660 --> 00:46:06,900 And we can talk about ways that when we do stumble, how we can 1071 00:46:06,900 --> 00:46:07,660 get back on track. 1072 00:46:07,660 --> 00:46:10,540 Like we talked about this morning, God is faithful and just 1073 00:46:10,540 --> 00:46:12,780 to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1074 00:46:12,780 --> 00:46:13,840 if we confess our sins. 1075 00:46:14,790 --> 00:46:19,310 And so what God is asking us to do is to simply obey him and to 1076 00:46:19,310 --> 00:46:22,910 simply follow him and trust that he is the One who is all good 1077 00:46:22,910 --> 00:46:25,990 and all knowing and all loving and all powerful. 1078 00:46:26,470 --> 00:46:29,270 And so we'll come back and study that next time. 1079 00:46:29,270 --> 00:46:30,750 But I do appreciate your attention. 1080 00:46:30,750 --> 00:46:34,510 We're coming to the end of the book of Joshua, one of my favorite 1081 00:46:34,510 --> 00:46:35,350 books of the Bible. 1082 00:46:35,830 --> 00:46:37,790 I know I have a lot of favorite books of the Bible, but 1083 00:46:37,790 --> 00:46:38,790 one of my favorites. 1084 00:46:38,950 --> 00:46:41,990 And after we're done with Joshua, we're gonna break off into 1085 00:46:41,990 --> 00:46:44,670 another study, which we'll be announcing here in the next few weeks. 1086 00:46:44,670 --> 00:46:48,270 And I hope that you'll find it profitable for you, as all scripture 1087 00:46:48,270 --> 00:46:50,150 is profitable and does not return void.