Don't Forget to Pass the Baton

Over the last several weeks, we have talked about the do’s, don’ts, and lessons learned from the Israelites conquest of their promised land; culminating with a look at the attitude and convictions of Caleb who had a bold and uncompromising passion to see God’s promises followed and fulfilled.

How to prepare for what is to come

Yet, last week, Brandon made a point that was so striking and easy to overlook. This generation of Israelite was seeing the fulfillment of something they had been talking about for generations, at times had given up on, and was possible a thing of legend instead of reality. They were seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham for a land to call their own. God has kept His promise to Abraham.

That we can move forward without drama

We’ve talked about our individual actions

God is a Promise Keeper

God is a Promise Keeper. He didn’t forget or change His mind. He kept His promise. At the end of this book, we see that stated several times.

Joshua 21:43–45 ESV

Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

God is a Promise Keeper. He didn’t forget or change His mind. He kept His promise. At the end of this book, we see that stated several times.

Genesis 12:1–2 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Genesis 12:1 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

Joshua 23:3-

Joshua 23:3–5 ESV

And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.

If you don’t remember the ext promise, it was given way back in .

Genesis 12:1–2 ESV

Genesis 12:

That promise was the beginning of the nation of Israel and their driving hope.

I really like how in Chapter 24, Joshua lays out their history in order to help them see how God has been at work to fulfill His promises.

[Read the Whole Passage]

Notice 24:3, where he shows them the first half.

Joshua 24:

Joshua 24:3 ESV

Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac.

Then in the second half of the history, he shares how God has fulfilled the second half of the promise

Joshua 24:13 ESV

I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’

Joshua

What we find is that history is not random; things that seemed counterproductive are actually all a part of God’s plan (at least as we look back. Going to Egypt may have seemed like a step in the wrong direction, but we see here that it was a part of the plan. How often do we need to hear that?

God is a People Maker

Yet, what has struck me as we have been going through this book is the realization that God’s promises and His people go hand in hand. I have seen that God’s plans for us aren’t just about getting us from point A to point B, but they are also about shaping us into the people He wants us to be. He cares just as much about who we are becoming as he does about what we are doing and where we are.

As we have been going through Joshua, I have seen that God’s plans for us aren’t just about getting us from point A to point B, but they are also about shaping us into the people He wants us to be.

Just think about it, God’s plans for us as a church aren’t just about what our ministries and services will look like in a few years, but how we are growing as a people.

Don’t Forget

That truth is pivotal

For you would think that this point, Joshua would be setting up a holiday celebration to commemorate the conquest of the land, but what we find is that he is bringing everyone together to renew their commitment to an uncompromising bold pursuit of God’s promises for them. He is reminding them of what got them to where they are.

Don’t Forget how we got here!

They aren’t gathered to celebrate, but rather to remind them.

Don’t Forget how we got here

Analogy

Understanding how God’s promises work in light of a house being built

Yes, He is a promise keeper, but He is a people builder/maker/shaper

The reality is that when God tells His people that He is going to build a house, He plans on using His people to do it. We are actually the materials.

Reminds them that to pursue the world is like hanging on to a sinking anchor.

You faith in God is what God uses to fulfill His promises to you.

1 Peter 2:5 ESV

you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Joshua 24:14 ESV

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:

And understanding that brings up a legitimate question. If God’s people are the materials for His house, what happens when one of them isn’t around anymore?

That is the crux of this passage; that you don’t last as long as God’s promises

Joshua 23:14 ESV

“And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.

Joshua 23:14

God’s promises span generations, not just the individuals life. Thus it becomes vital to replace ourselves when our time has come

Pass It On

The house doesn’t stand if the pieces aren’t replaced

The nature of Christianity is that it is always one generation away from being extinct. We aren’t a race. We aren’t a culture. We are a people who believe the Truth, a belief that no one is born with.

One of the most sobering realities of the life of Joshua is what happens after he dies

Comparison

Joshua 24:28 ESV

So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Joshua 24:

Judges 2:6 ESV

When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land.

Joshua 24:29–30 ESV

After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

Joshua 24:29-30

Judges 2:6–9 ESV

When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

Judges 2:8–9 ESV

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

Judges 2:8-9

Judges 2:

Joshua 24:31 ESV

Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.

Joshua 24:

Judges 2:7 ESV

And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel.

So it would appear that Joshua did his job, but those who followed Joshua apparently did not; for the Judges passage ends with a note that isn’t in the book of Joshua.

Judges

Judges 2:10 ESV

And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

No one wants to see their life’s work come to nothing. We don’t want to spend our lives working hard for nothing.

Yet, that same fear can be turned into a great joy when we see that not be the case. That has been a reality for generations. However, God’s Word and mission are still here, being pursued like they always have been.

I promise you the generation ahead of us worried whether we were going to ruin everything they worked for. Yet, here we are wondering the same thing about the next.

A greater motivation is to see their life’s work picked up and carried on. I would much rather see a new generation rising up than feel like my generation is doing a great job.

[Sandcastle Illustration]

So Joshua Reminds Them

So Joshua reminds them. He reminds them of many of the things that we’ve discussed over the past several week.

Trust God alone to fulfill His promises, you don’t need to make deals with the locals.

Joshua 23:5–6 ESV

The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left,

Don’t hold on to things that put you outside of God’s will

Joshua 23:16 ESV

if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

He Puts the Choice Before Them

He puts the choice before them

He has made his choice, but they must make their own.

This call to choose is amazing (not just because it makes a good sign). We have memorialized his statement with artwork and plaques. Yet, at the heart of his statement is the commitment to share the truth and put the choice to follow God in front of the next generation.

The Gospel

Now, what struck about this choice that Joshua puts before the people is that it is very much a pre-knowledge of Jesus presentation of the gospel.

It is a pre-Christ gospel presentation

Repentance

it starts with repentance

Joshua 24:14 ESV

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:14

To truly follow God, it starts by acknowledging that you’ve been on the wrong path. To turn to God requires that you turn from something else.

Acknowledge Your Need

After Joshua asks them to do so and they respond in the affirmative, he tells them they will fail.

Joshua 24:18–20 ESV

And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”

Joshua 24:18

I remember not understanding this the first time I looked at it. Was it a joke or a trick question? Why ask them to do something if they couldn’t do it?

The God Paradox - by choosing God you realize you can’t choose God.

[White church illustration]

The thing is that Joshua doesn’t explain the mystery or the paradox here. He acknowledges it, proclaims it, but doesn’t explain it.

It would only be later that God’s people would understand how God would provide a way for us to be with a holy God. This paradox would be a mystery until Jesus was revealed as the answer to that mystery.

Romans 16:25 ESV

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages

The Old Testament saints trusted God to provide a way, even when they didn’t know how He would provide.

Hebrews 11:13 ESV

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Hebrews

Hebrews 11:39–40 ESV

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

So, although Joshua didn’t ask them to trust in Jesus, he revealed their need to trust God for a savior who would make them right with Him.

Profession of Faith

After they agree again to serve God, Joshua made their commitment public.

Joshua 24:22–27 ESV

Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.”

Joshua 24:22-

He isn’t going to hold them accountable to their pledge. Their own words will, and those words would be put on display. I love how he describes the stone as if it is alive to hold them accountable. I think the point is that no promise we make is empty or can be forgotten by God.

For me, this is why we do baptism.

I believe this is what baptism is for us today… a public proclamation of our commitment

Conclusion - Not Enough

Joshua was a great leader, but that was not enough. Just as vital as it is for us to walk in faithfulness and obedience to the Lord, it is important to put that choice before others. What God is doing in our world and through our church will extend beyond us.

We must always put the choice before others , especially the next generation. That means proclaiming the gospel and baptizing believers. I know we haven’t done that here since I have been here. So, I want to ask (adult or youth) if you have decided to follow Jesus and haven’t been baptized, let’s do it. Let’s make that public proclamation of faith. And let’s not stop there. Let’s keep sharing the gospel with others and inviting them to do the same.

Joshua knows he is about to be gone

To walk by faith your whole life is not enough.

The frightening reality of this truth

Seeing something you help build fall apart after you are gone

The amazing joy of seeing your work carry on

The Choice

If you want to see God work in your life, you must make a choice.

Joshua 24:14 ESV

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:14-

Joshua 24:15 ESV

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

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