Claiming You Canaan Series #12
Joshua 23:1-8
AN OLD SOLDIER PREPARES TO BREAK CAMP
Intro: Verse one of our text tells the story. Israel has
acquired the land that God had promised them and their
faithful leader, Joshua, is old and is preparing to die, v.
14. Before he leaves them, however, he has something
to tells them about serving the Lord. To do this, he calls
two meetings. The first, in chapter 23, is held with the
elders and leaders of the people. The second,
recorded in chapter 24, involves all the people of Israel.
As Joshua, the faithful old soldier, prepares to break
camp, he wants to encourage Israel to stay the course
for God. He knows that the old guard, that is, those
who knew Moses and Joshua are swiftly dying off. He
knows that a new generation is coming along that did
not see all the miracles and all the wonders of the Lord
in their midst. Before he dies, he just wants to remind
them of the God they serve.
In these 2 chapters, there are some valuable
lessons for us as well. We live in a day when many
have forgotten about the glory and power of God, and
those who have known about such things are becoming
fewer by the day. We need to be reminded of the
power and glory of our God. Our children need to be
exposed to His power!
These verses tells us what we need to know this
morning about keeping God's work alive. As we look
through them today, allow the Lord to speak to your
heart and allow Him to make whatever changes are
necessary in your life so that this dying world might see
the glory and power of God at work in His church and in
the lives of His people. Let's look in on the scene as An
Old Soldier Prepares To Break Camp.
I. 23:1-8 JOSHUA'S CONCERN
(Ill. As Joshua nears the time of his departure, he sees
some things beginning to happen in the lives of the
people of Israel. He sees things that he does not like.
So, like any good leader, he feels duty bound to point
out these things to the people before he departs.)
(Ill. Joshua had the same duty that preachers of the
Word have in our day. When we see error in the lives
of people, we have a duty before God to tell people
about those errors. Why? Because we love them and
only want God's best for their lives.)
There are three things that Joshua fears:
A. V. 6 He Fears Complacency - Joshua is afraid
that the people of Israel might begin to take the
Law of God for granted. He fears that they might
become complacent in their walk with the Lord
and begin to let things slide in their lives. Sadly,
he was right, this is exactly what they did!
(Ill. It is my conviction that the sin of
complacency is one of the most common sins
there is among the people of God! We have
allowed ourselves to adopt a Laodicean attitude -
Rev. 3:14-22. We have allowed ourselves to be
satisfied with our spiritual condition and as a
result, we are allowing thing to go unchallenged
in our lives that are leading us away from God
and deeper into sin! Like the Laodicean
Christians, we are neither hot or cold. (Ill. The
water situation in Laodicea. Cold water was
piped down the mountains Colossae, and hot
water was piped in from Hieropolis. By the time
each of these waters reached Laodicea, they
were lukewarm. Just like this water, the modern
church is neither refreshing like a drink of cool
water, nor is she stimulating like a hot bath. We
are lukewarm and good for nothing, but to trigger
a gag reflex in those acquainted with us!)
(Ill. This is a genuine situation in the lives of
many people today! Many here at Gilead have been bitten by the complacency bug. No longer
do people strive to serve the Lord, win the lost
and live holy, consecrated lives to the glory of
God. Instead, we are self-satisfied and sure that
we have arrived spiritually! That, my friends, is
a dangerous condition to be in!)
B. V. 7 He Fears Compromise - Another fear
Joshua possesses is that the people of Israel will
decide to follow the dead God's of Canaan. He
fears that they will compromise their standards
and bow down to idols. Again, it is as if the man
could see into the future! What he was afraid
would happen, did happen!
(Ill. What about us? Aren't we just as guilty as
the Israelites? Have not the people of God given
their affection to other gods? Certainly, many
worship the gods of self, success, materialism,
career, etc. The truth is, many are guilty of
compromise in their lives. We allow ourselves to
indulge in activities that we know God disproves
of. We do things that we know are wrong and try
to justify it by saying, "Well, so and so does it!"
All the while we smile and sing, "Oh how I love
Jesus!" It has a hollow ring to it my friend! Oh,
how we need to avoid the trap of compromise!
Isn't it true that some of you are doing things
today that you used to thing were wrong? God
hasn't changed! You have! You have
compromised you standards to the will of the
flesh! Remember 1 Thes. 5:22? "Abstain from
all appearance of evil.")
C. V. 8 He Fears Commitment - It is not that
Joshua fears that they will be committed to the
Lord. Rather, he fears that their commitment will
become slack and that they will not cleave to the
Lord as they should. Once again, we see, from
the history of the nation of Israel, that Joshua
was right to be concerned.
(Ill. As with these two other problem areas, there
is a word here for the church as well. It has
become painfully obvious in recent days that the
commitment of many is not where it should be!
Note the Lord Jesus' idea of commitment: "He
that loveth father or mother more than me is
not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And he that taketh not his cross, and
followeth after me, is not worthy of me." Matt
10:38. Do you see what the Lord is saying? He
is telling us very clearly that if He is not number
one in our hearts and in our lives, then we are
not worthy of Him! Also, according to Jesus, the
ultimate expression of love for Him is in the
willingness to bear one's cross. This simply
means that you are willing to make a total
commitment to the Lord Jesus. That you are
holding nothing back. You are His completely!
How would you describe you commitment to Him
this morning?)
I.
Joshua's Concern
II. 23:9-24:24 JOSHUA'S CHALLENGE
(Ill. In this section, Joshua challenges the elders and
the people to observe certain truths concerning God.
His challenge is for them to look at what the Lord has
done and is doing in their lives. If they will just consider
the Lord, they are more likely to live the right kind of
lives!)
A. 23:9-16 To Consider God's Wrath - While there
are many challenges given here, the primary
idea that Joshua is trying to convey is this: If you
will serve the Lord, He will bless you. If you
disobey Him, He will chastise you! (Note: The
challenge in verse 11 in the crux of the
matter! How Israel responded to the Lord,
was a perfect indicator of her love for Him.)
(Ill. This challenge still applies to the people of
God today. That admonition is very simple: You
play; you pay! As a child of God, you have two
possible ways of living your life. You can either
live it within the confines of God's will and be
blessed, or you can live it outside the will of God
and be chastised, Heb. 12:5-11! The choice is
entirely your's to make! And, the choice you
make will be determined by your love for Jesus
Christ and for the Heavenly Father, John 14:15.)
(Ill. Rev. 2:1-7 - The church at Ephesus had
many commendable traits, but they lacked deep,
abiding love for Jesus. We can say what we
want to say, but out live proves the level of our
love for Him!)
B. 24:1-13 To Consider God's Works - In this
section, Joshua reminds the nation of all the
many great things the Lord has done for them.
His challenge is for the to remember all the
works of the Lord on their behalf. If they will
remember His goodness, they will be more likely
to serve Him faithfully.
(Ill. The works of the Lord on our behalf are a
great motivator for service! When we stop to
think of all He has done, it should challenge us
to go deeper in our relationship with Him. Think
of: how He died; how He loved us when we were
lost; how He came to us in our sins; how He
called us unto Himself; how He saved us when
we asked Him to; how He forgave all our sins
and failures; how He adopted us into His family;
how He has promised us a home in Heaven;
how He has met our needs; how He has blessed
our lives; how He has never left us nor forsaken
us, even though, at times, we have forsaken
Him. Think on His greatness and goodness
toward you. Let those things be the motivator for
you to renew you relationship with Him this
morning!)
C. 24:14-18 To Consider God's Will - Joshua tells
the people that it is the Lord's will for them to
clean up their lives and to serve the Lord
faithfully. He makes the statement that he and
his family will do just that, v. 15! The people
respond by expressing their desire to serve God
because of His greatness and His blessings!
(Ill. I just want to challenge you this morning by
reminding you that talk about serving the Lord is
not just good preaching material, it is the will of
God for your life! He wants you to search your
life and destroy anything in it that hinders you
walk with Him. He wants you to be clean and to
make that commitment to serve Him only!)
(Ill. Notice Joshua's attitude toward the situation,
v. 15. He tells them what they should be doing,
then he tells that regardless of what they do, he
is going to serve God! What a lesson for us as
individuals! The sad fact of the mater is that not
everyone is going to serve the Lord with total
commitment. There will always be those who will
remain on the fringe of things. These people will
have no desire to sell out completely to the will of
God for their lives. However, the whole church
does not have to get right with God for you to!
We need to lose the mind set that looks at
others and measures ourselves against how they
are doing. My friend, your relatives, your fellow
church members, your friends you neighbors,
etc, are not the standard you are to reach for!
Out standard is none other that the Lord Jesus
Christ! God saved us to be like Him and that is
what we should strive for, Phil. 3:4-14.)
D. 24:19-24 To Consider God's Witness - Joshua
makes a strange statement to the people. He
tells them that they cannot serve the Lord! His
meaning is clear. He is reminding them that the
Lord witnesses their lives and they cannot have
things both ways. That is ,they cannot serve the
Lord on the one have hand, and serve false
God's on the other! His reminder is that
judgment will accompany such an action. Again,
the people proclaim their desire to follow the
Lord.
(Ill. May I remind you that the Lord is also
watching your life today, Pro. 15:3. My friends,
you cannot have things both ways! Either you
are serving the Lord with absolute commitment,
or you are living a life of hypocrisy! Many in our
day are like the Israelites were during Elijah's
day. Many are trying to walk the fence between
devotion to God and living for themselves, 1
Kings 18:21! When we warn the people today,
we get the same response that Elijah got from
the people on Mt. Carmel.)
I. Joshua's Concern
II. Joshua's Challenge
III. 24:25-33
JOSHUA'S COVENANT
A. 24:25-28 It Involved A Great Stone - Before
Joshua dies, he erects a great stone as a
monument to the fact that the people have sworn
to follow the Lord. Thereafter, whenever they
passed by that place they would remember their
oath and be certain that their lives were pleasing
to the Lord their God.
(Ill. Friends, we do not erect stone markers to
memorialize our oaths to the Lord, but still, we
remember them don't we? Do you remember
when you were saved? Did you promise the
Lord that you would faithfully serve Him all the
days of your life? Well, along the way, have you
forgotten that promise? If you have, you can
rest assured that God hasn't! Some of you have
promised to be more faithful to the Lord, to pray
more, to read your Bibles, to witness for Him.
You made the promise, but have you carried it
out? You may have forgotten about it, but He
hasn't! It is far better to never make a promise
to God, than it is to make it and then break it,
"Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house
of God, and be more ready to hear, than to
give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider
not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy
mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to
utter any thing before God: for God is in
heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let
thy words be few. For a dream cometh
through the multitude of business; and a
fool's voice is known by multitude of words.
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not
to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay
that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that
thou shouldest not vow, than that thou
shouldest vow and not pay." Eccl 5:1-5. Are
you doing all the things you told the Lord you
would do? If not, today would be a good day to
make that thing right with the Lord! You see,
even not doing good is a sin, James 4:17.
Thankfully, God still forgives sin when it is
confessed before Him - 1 John 1:9.
B. 24:29-33 It Involved Some Grave Stones - This
book closes with three funerals. These funerals
speak to us today.
1. V. 29-31 The Gravestone Of Faithfulness -
The first grave stone that is mentioned is that
of Joshua himself. His tombstone spoke about
the faithfulness of God to His people! God
had used this man Joshua to bring the people
in the Promised Land and God had used
Joshua to lead the people in the right way.
Through the life of Joshua, God had proven
Himself to be a faithful God.
(Ill. Those who serve the Lord will learn the
truth that God is faithful! He will keep His
Word and He will fulfill His promises to you,
Rom. 4:21. If you will walk in His will and
serve Him, then He will in turn bless you life
beyond measure. Our God is a faithful God!)
2. V. 32 The Gravestone Of Fulfillment - The
second gravestone mentioned belonged to a
man who had died many centuries before in
the land of Egypt. While Joseph was on his
deathbed, he made the following prediction,
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die:
and God will surely visit you, and bring
you out of this land unto the land which he
sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
And Joseph took an oath of the children of
Israel, saying, God will surely visit you,
and ye shall carry up my bones from
hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred
and ten years old: and they embalmed him,
and he was put in a coffin in Egypt." Gen
50:24-26
Now, several hundred years later, a grave
is dug, a coffin is lowered and body is placed
in the ground that was promised hundreds of
years before. I can almost imagine that if you
listened very carefully to the grave of Joseph
after he was buried there, you might have
heard that old pile of bones sigh and say, "I
told you do, I told you so!"
(Ill. The lesson here is that we serve a God
Who is able to make that which seems
impossible a reality for His children, Eph. 3:20.
When He makes a promise to use and bless
you if you will serve Him, then you can count
on Him being able to do just what He has
promised!)
3. V. 33 The Gravestone Of Finality - The last gravestone marks the gave of Eleazar. He
was the son of Aaron the first High Priest. His
grave is the grave of finality. The death of
Eleazar marks the changing of the guard in
Israel. All the old timers are gone! All those
who came out of Egypt and out of the
wilderness have passed from the scene. All
those God used in such a mighty fashion are
dead. Now, it is time for a new generation to
pick up the mantle of service and do
something for the Lord.
(Ill. It is a shame when old soldiers of Jesus
pass from the scene. But, it is an even
greater shame when those who are left behind
do not lift the mantle and carry on for the Lord.
Israel turned to idols after the deaths of their
great leaders. So too, the modern church has
forsaken the path laid down by those who
have gone before. God help us to be like
Elisha, who lifted the mantle of Elijah and
cried out to God, "You did it for Elijah, now
do it for me!", 2 Kings 2:12-14!
Conc: Where are our Elishas this morning? Where are
those who will stand up and be counted for Jesus?
Where are those who are tires of business as usual and
want to see God moving in power in th midst of His
people? Where are those who are willing to pay the
price of personal sacrifice and holiness that they might
be bright torches in the hand of God?
When those who had known the glory of God died
out in Israel, those who were left behind turned to other
gods and to wickedness. My friends, there is a
generation in our midst who know nothing of the power
of God. They know a church filled with people who
claim to love Jesus, but who deny Him by the lives they
live. They no longer see Him moving in power in the
services. We need some this morning who are willing
to pay the price for the power of God who will step
forward and get themselves in these altars and call on
God until He moves in their lives, forever changing them
and their world. The God of Elijah is not dead! The
God of Moses and of Joshua is not dead! He is alive
and well! The problem with our generation is that there
are no Elijahs, no Moses' and no Joshuas. God is still
willing to use anyone who will make himself or herself
available to Him. Is that person you? (Ill. D.L. Moody,
as a young man heard Henry Varley say, "The world
has yet to see what God can do with a life that is
totally surrendered to Him." Moody said, "I will be
that man!" And he was! God used him to touch two
continents for Jesus. God is still looking for someone
who will come to Him and say, "I will be that man!" I ask
again, is that person you?
