Latest revision as of 20:41, 24 September 2022

Theological Proposition/Focus: God is a God who desires His people to serve Him but He does not force such service on His people. Rather, God gives people the choice to choose to serve Him.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: As Christ-followers we are asked to commit ourselves to serving the Lord. Such commitment should not be taken lightly but is completely worth it.

Introduction:

Setting the Stage:

One last farewell.

Joshua held one last meeting for the people at Shechem. We don't know how close the events of Joshua 23 and Joshua 24 are to each other on the time line. Perhaps this occured right after Joshua 23, or on the anniversary of Joshua 23, or at some other point.

The geographical setting of Shechem is significant.

The place where Abraham first received the promise of the inheritance of Canaan.

The place where Jacob buried the idols his family stole from Laban.

The place where Joshua had built an alter and inscribed the Law of God (Joshua 8)

The Structure of Joshua 24 is significant.

The Hittite kings (and likely the ancient world) had a standard treaty format between them and their vassal states.

The suzerainty (overlordship) treaties required regular renewal and followed a prescribed pattern.

Preamble (1-2a)

Historical prologue (2b-13)

Stipulations and consequences for disobedience (14-24)

Formal agreement (25-28)

The Preamble - The parties to the treaty are God and the people of Israel.

Subject: Commitment to serve

Preview: Making a commitment to serve God is up to you but you should realize that it comes from a rich history of God's provision, is not to be taken lightly, deserves memorialization, and is worth passing down.

Text: Joshua 24

Body

Commitment to serve God comes from a rich history (2-13).

We need to recognize the history of God's redemption.

Here God provides three important reminders of what he had done in the past. The first reminder we see is that

God called Abraham, the poeple's ancestor out of the dark.

We recall that Abraham had no descendants and was called out of his land and everything he knew. However,

God revealed himself to Abraham and blessed Abraham greatly.

God provided Abraham with numerous descendants and the promise that God's greatest blessing to mankind would come through Abraham.

Never forget that God brought you out of the dark (2-5).

I have heard Christians use the phrase

"I've been a Christian my whole life." Be careful about saying such things, it is not true.

Even if you were raised attending church, hearing the Gospel and have served Christ for as long as you can remember, it is not true that you have been a Christian your whole life.

Fundamental to our faith is the doctrine of total depravity.

We are fallen sinners from the moment of conception. At some point in our life we realize our sin and our complete inability to solve our own sin problem. We turn to Christ and call upon the name of the Lord placing our complete confidence in Christ and his atoning death. At this moment we move out of the dark into the light. When we say we have been a Christian our entire life we undermine a fundamental doctrine and the significance of Christ calling us from darkness into light. Just as Abraham was stuck away from the land on the other side of the Euphrates, stuck worshipping false gods, stuck without blessing, so

we are stuck in the dark until that moment when he calls our name.

The second reminder that God provides for the people is a reminder about how he provided for the people all throughout their journey out of Egypt.

Joshua transitions the people from his reminder of Abraham to a reminder of the Exodus.

The personal pronoun "I" is used 18 times in this telling of Israel's history.

In this section, the king (God) reviews his marvelous benevolent acts He performed for His people.

God was with Israel throughout the Exodus and He was the one who had provided for the people as they left Egypt, wandered, and entered Canaan.

Never forget God's provision on the journey (6-10).

Image: We live in a world that is always looking forward. e.g. Macrumors

I was thinking through this part of the sermon 2 hours before Apple released iOS16. With the significant launch event looming I visited the Macrumors website and one of the headlines was "What to expect in the October Apple Event."

The latest and greatest is literally being released in two hours and already the internet is a buzz not with the latest and greatest but with what is next. We live in a world that is always looking for the next big thing.

We need to be careful that as we look for what is next we don't miss God's provision in the past and the present.

Take a minute and think about all the ways God has been with us over the past 7 month journey.

God provided a pastor from within our church, God provided Emily and I with a church we knew and loved.

Our Easter eggsperience was amazing, in fact that whole week was amazing.

We started Together We Grow. I don't know what God has in store for us next but as we look forward let's not miss the past.

Even as I talk about the past 7 months I am reminded it is not just seven months it is decades.

God provided the church with a stable pastor for 16 years who led this church to deeper relationships and greater spiritual maturity.

So far I have talked about God's provision for the church, but what about you personally. How has God provided for you on the journey of life?

Third, we see that God had given Israel great victories in the land of Canaan.

We have carefully marched through the book of Joshua and as we have done so we have seen many amazing victories. The text recalls a few of these and then recalls that God was even working in invisible ways.

The hornet reminds us that the big victories we saw in the book were only the tip of the ice-burg. God had been working carefully behind the scenes to prepare the land for Israel to poses.

God had provided Israel with numerous victories.

Never forget the victories God provided (11-13).

Take a second and think about times you have prayed deeply and watched God give a victory. It might have been health, a job, a habitual sin. Take time to consider how God has provided victory in your life. We truly serve a mighty God who provides for us. He has called us out of darkness into the light. He has walked alongside us through this journey we call life, and he has given us great victory.

Recall that this passage is a sort of suzerainty treaty and here we have an important step in this treaty. In order to prepare our hearts to commit to God we start by recalling all that God has done for us.

MTR: Ask yourself, what do I need to remember from my history with God?

Commitment to serve God is not to be taken lightly (14-24).

Having provided the historical background for the treaty it is time to move onto the stipulations and consequences of disobedience.

The first items of business is a call for total commitment to God.

In a suzerainty treaty you were not allowed to hedge your bet. Rather you were expected to commit completely to the king.

Similarly God calls on the people not to hedge their bet. They are to remove any idols or other loyalties.

In fact, Joshua models exactly what he expects of the people by saying "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord (v. 15)".

Commitment demands the removal of distractions (14-15).

On the surface you might argue that as a people, we have finally licked idolatry.

After-all, how many of you have a bronze statue that you bow down before each day? But in reality, we have hardly licked idolatry. We bow before money, cars, jobs, things. We bow before pop culture, our government, our rights. We have many idols they just are not made of bronze. The command here was to throw out the idols.

We need to ruthlessly remove distractions.

The people responded positively.

Citing what God had done in the past and probably based on a boosted confidence coming from seeing Joshua commit, the people commit to following God personally.

I love how verse 18 ends. We will serve the Lord because he is our God.

Commitment is a personal decision and can only be made when God is seen as a personal God.

Commitment demands personal ownership (16-18).

We need to take personal ownership of our commitment.

This part is especially for the younger. I want to ask you, please make God your God and not your parents God.

Everything will go better if you make God your personal God! Committing to God requires that we see God as our own personal God.

Not satisfied by just a burst of enthusiasm Joshua digs deeper and reminds the people that commitment to God is not to be taken lightly.

Joshua reminded the people that they could not take such a commitment lightly. Under the Law, willfull high handed sin brought about removal from the people of God. The people needed to understand that if they made this commitment they would be expected to keep this commitment.

Commitment demands absolute certainty (19-22).

The title of this sermon is It's up to you. Ultimately, I am asking you to commit to serving God,

but I also want to let you know that committing to God is not something you take lightly.

We need to be absolutely certain. Yes we need to commit but we need to do so with absolute certainty.

Finally, with the people's commitment confirmed Joshua calls for action.

Joshua calls on the people to take action by throwing away any idols they have kept. Joshua asks the people to act upon their commitment.

Commitment demands action (23-24).

At the end of the service I will invite you up to commit to God.

I want you to understand, you can come forward to commit. It may be that you need the public commitment to show the seriousness of your commitment. It may be that you need to confess but maybe not. I invite you to come forward that you might be able to commit.

MTR: What is your commitment to God? (Circle one: uncommitted, interested, marginally committed, mostly committed, fully committed)

Scripture Memory Verse: Joshua 24:15.

Commitment to serve God deserves memorialization (25-28).

Sometimes, as I preach through Joshua, I feel like a broken record. That being said, there are some things that God saw fit for the people to do multiple times so maybe we need reminded multiple times.

In verses 25-28 Joshua renewed the covenant and established a memorial of that renewal, that commitment.

It is interesting that Joshua records the renewal of the covenant in the Book of the Law of God because it was common in Hittite Suzerainty treaties

to write the treaty in a book which was then stored in the sanctuary of the vassal state.

While other nations were accountable to their overlords, Israel was accountable to God.

The writing of the covenant provided a perpetual reminder of the commitment that had been made. Joshua further erected a large stone as a memorial. In fact,

Archeologists have uncovered a limestone pillar at the site of Shechem. ^[1]

Memorializing commitment to God should include a reminder of the commitment (25-27).

Image: the date of sobriety.

I think we can learn something here from those who have turned from alcoholism to sobriety. If you meet someone who has turned from alcoholism they were often be able to tell you how long they have been sober. Why because they regularly remind themselves of their commitment. I wonder if we should not do this more often. Do you celebrate your salvation like a birthday? What about your baptism? If you have broken from habitual sin maybe you should celebrate that in some way regularly. We should set-up reminders of our commitments to God.

Finally, with everyhting in place Joshua completes his final public act. He dismisses the people to their life. It seems significant that this dismissal comes only after the commitment. Now that commitments have been made they are ready for the next step, living out those commitments.

Memorializing commitment to God is just the beginning (28).

Remember, when you make a commitment, you make a commitment. You will return home but that doesn't change your commitment.

MTR: Take a minute and evaluate your commitments to God, do you need to write down a date, place, or some other reminder?

Commitment to serve God is worth passing down (29-33).

The book of Joshua ends by bringing a number of pieces together.

Back in Genesis 12 God had told Abraham to leave. Now finally we have some resolution.

The land has been possessed and as we see, at least for a time, the people are faithful to God. During the lifetime of Joshua the people of Israel served God!

Joshua's commitment to God was contagious!

In fact, look at his rank "Servant of the Lord." No greater title could be ascribed to a man.

Your commitment to serve God will impact those around you (29-31).

If you truly commit to serving God it will impact those around you. People will notice your commitment and be willing to follow you. Often all it takes to change a group of people is one person willing to step-out and commit themselves.

I particularly love the way Joshua ends because the book ends by reminding us of one of Israel's most committed followers,

Joseph. Back in Genesis 50:24-26

Joseph told his brothers that God would one day bring the people into the land. Now 400 years later this has taken place. Generations of individuals had been impacted by Joseph's commitment. Finally we read of

Eleazar, why Eleazar? By highlihgting Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar the writer affirms that God keeps his promises for generations.

Your commitment to serve God may impact generations to come (32-33).

I don't want you to underestimate the importance of your commitment to God today. The next generation is watching and future generations will remember your commitments.

Image: The impact of just a few servants in this church.

Last week I started browsing through old church documents and a number of names of people in our congregation consistently appeared. We have a rich history of individuals who have made significant commitments to Christ and lived out those commitments right here.

MTR: Take a few minutes and consider how you might pass your commitment to serve to future generations.

1. ↑ Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 370.