Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We sure have covered a lot with our study in Joshua.

Now that we’re coming to the end of Joshua’s life, it seems as though we are saying goodbye to an old friend.

But we still have his wisdom and his advice.

We are picking up the story 25 years after the splitting up of the territory and the departure of the Transjordanian tribes.

We have learned a lot about the core themes of Faith and Fear throughout this lesson.

The biblical response in these situations is always to Trust and Obey.

Joshua’s gives his farewell address to the Elders of Israel -

I. Remember God’s Faithfulness & God’s Law - Joshua 23

Joshua’s Farewell Address to the Elders -

Joshua’s Farewell Address to the Elders -

Joshua 23:1

Joshua

Joshua reviews Israel’s history before the people -

At first sight history seems a great tangle, a snarl, a confusion; but on looking at it more closely, we perceive that it is only in appearance a maze—but in fact a marvelous piece of arrangement, exhibiting perfect precision and never failing accuracy.

- Charles Spurgeon

A. Joshua Sums Up His Work -

B. Joshua Reminds the Elders of the Rules of Conduct -

We will not dig into all the detail of & 24, but focus on a kind of summary of Joshua’s final instructions to Israel in Joshua 24:14-28.

II.

Joshua Reminds the Elders of God’s Blessings and Curses -

Joshua Reviews Israel’s History -

I. Joshua’s Final Reminders -

Joshua is near death and has called together Israel to remind them of what God wants and to secure their promise to enter into a covenant with the God of Israel.

After reviewing the history of Israel, he begins to sum up the expectations that he has of them in verse 14...

A. Fear the Lord and worship (serve) Him in sincerity and truth

The word fear ...

יָרֵא

yare

1. Fear the Lord

to be fearful, to revere or show reverence

… means to regard with reverent worship.

It refers to the act of keeping God in a position of respect.

The word serve here...

עָבַד

abad

B. Serve Him in sincerity and truth

to minister, serve, worship

...means literally to serve or worship.

It refers to the act of a congregant giving deferential respect to a deity through rituals and ceremonies.

Warren Wiersbe has this to say of word serve, in this context...

To serve God means to fear Him, obey Him, and worship only Him.

It means to love Him and fix your heart upon Him, obeying Him because you want to and not because you have to.

B. Put away the gods which your father served

Joshua is encouraging Israel to “put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.”

This indicates that more than 70 years after Israel fled from Egypt that some were still secretly worshiping the false gods of Egypt—gods that they about from their parents, since none of them were alive under the bondage of Egypt.

…also the gods of the Amorites

This command is continued in verse 15 to include the gods of the Amorites.

Joshua also draws the conclusion that to follow the false gods means that one cannot agreeably serve the God of Israel.

It is simply a matter of serving one or another, never both.

Joshua also draws the conclusion that to follow the false gods means that one cannot agreeably serve the God of Israel.

It is simply a matter of serving one or another, never both.

C. Choose Whom You Will Serve -

Back to verse 15...

C. Choose Whom You Will Serve -

Josh 24

Joshua was drawing a line in the sand.

He wanted for his people to make their choice.

He knew that they could not continue to both worship the God of Israel and the false gods, no matter where they were from.

Joshua was drawing a line in the sand.

He wanted for his people to make their choice.

He knew that they could not continue to both worship the God of Israel and the false gods, no matter where they were from.

You cannot have it both ways because God is a jealous God!

The false gods

Why is God so Jealous?

The gods of Israel

עָבַד

God is jealous because it is part of His character...

abad

קַנָּא qanna

to minister, serve, worship

...it means that He is “fiercely protective and unaccepting of disloyalty.”

...means literally to serve or worship.

It refers to the act of a congregant giving deferential respect to a deity.

Let me ask you this...

Are you “fiercely protective and unaccepting of disloyalty” in your marriage relationship?

Are you “fiercely protective and unaccepting of disloyalty” in your marriage relationship?

You should be or you may not remain married for very long.

Marriage is a living image of our relationship with God...

You don’t want to be caught playing the Hokey Pokey on your spouse.

And you don’t want to be caught playing the Hokey Pokey with God, like we talked about last week.

What happens when we do that?

We go the way of the Transjordanian tribes.

I have seen it happen time and time again.

We try to put one foot in and one foot out.

But I have seen one person turn back to God.

And the difference is night and day.

We try to keep our wife and put something before her that is more important to us than she is.

Business men do it when they put the business before their family.

Business men do it when they put the business before their family.

Single (and married) men do it when keep looking around at women other than the one they’ve chosen to be with.

Pastors do it when they put the church before their wife.

Christians do it when they try to live the Christian life without doing the things that they MUST do to connect with God...

When we put anything other than God first in our lives, we are flirting with the false gods of this world.

II.

Israel Responds… “Far Be It From Us” -

Do you know how Israel responds?

Exactly like the Transjordanian tribes did in last week’s message...

Do you remember what I said about those who say, “Far be it from me...”?

I said not to believe them… It’s just a matter of time before they let you down.

What follows in scripture is kind of a grown up version of what used to happen when I was a kid...

I say, “I’ll be able to do it!”

She says, “No you wont!