The End
God's Kingdom Mission (Book of Joshua) • Sermon • Submitted
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Ill: Remembering why you are on a journey is an important piece of information. Several months ago, I was up in Miamisburg running. I ran by a driveway that had two small children playing. The little boy looked up at me and yelled, “Why you running?” The lad could not have been more than 5 or 6. Surely at his age, he was thinking that people who were running were typically running from something. Maybe he thought I was playing tag or something. His question though is really helpful in many ways, “Why are you running?”
If we were to zoom out from the activity of running and ask this question about all of us, what would we say and what would we mean by what we would answer? If the question were, “Why are you alive?” or “Why are you here?” Many of us would answer, “I am here to glorify the Lord”. But then I would ask you, “What do you mean that you are here to glorify the Lord?” “How do you glorify the Lord?”
Knowing the reason or the purpose for why we are where we are is tremendously important. If we know why we exist, then our hearts will not rest until we are living within the purpose for which we are created. Why are you here?
You know, after we have exerted a lot of energy, experienced hardships, and been around the barn a time or two, people tend to be confronted with this question of “Why are you here?”
Ill: Recently, there was a documentary on the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Bomber. Kathy Scruggs was the reporter who leaked the name of a suspect to the media, made a name for herself on false information and later found herself in a world of trouble. On the documentary, Kathy Scruggs is facing the reality that her reporting was wrong. The dramatization shows Kathy going to her mothers house to try and clear her head. In her mother’s house she sees that there is a wall with frames of headline stories written by Kathy Scruggs. Kathy asks her mom, “What would you put up if you had none of these headlines to frame?” It is a moment in the drama where you can see that Kathy is struggling with her identity, especially now that the story she’d built her career upon was actually false. Who was she and why does all of this matter?
What about you? When you come to the end of your life -- whether a career finished or career lost, you still have to face the question, “Why?” Why are you here? These last couple of chapters of Joshua help us to answer this kind of question. For the teen, the single, the married, the parent, the grandparent, you must answer the question, “What is the end of all of this?”
“Why are you here?”
Kid’s Pause: The book of Joshua makes us ask the question, “Why?” Children, why did God create you?
Finally, we have come to the end of God’s Kingdom Mission, at least the part within the chronicles of the book of Joshua. The book began with the death of Moses and the transition of leadership to Joshua. As God prepares Joshua to lead the nation of Israel, there are verses given to encourage strength and obedience to the word of God. Joshua 1:6-9
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
EXTENDED KID’S PAUSE
We have passed through quite a few riveting portions of scripture such as the following: (1) the fall of Jericho (2) the salvation of Rahab (3) the judgment of Achan (4) the battle when the sun stood still (5) the public execution of a coalition of 5 kings. In addition to these stories, the land has been distributed to all of the tribes of Israel with the exception of Levi because the Lord was the portion of Levi. The cities of refuge have been named. Just reading the various stops on this journey can be exhausting, but it leaves us with the question of why?
Why all of this?
The answer is found in Joshua 24:14-24
14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;
17 For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
18 And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
20 If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.
22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.
24 And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
When you summarize these verses, you find out that the why behind all of this is so that God’s people would worship God alone.
What is the end?
the exclusive worship of the LORD.
Kid’s Pause: Children you were put on this earth to worship the Lord.
If the END or point to this story is the exclusive worship of God, we must know what worship is, who is to be worshipped, why we don’t worship, and how we can worship.
What is worship? Joshua 24:14
What is worship? Joshua 24:14
14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
This verse in the final conversation between Joshua and the people describe the kind of worship expected in such a way that we can get a definition. Notice whatever worship is requires sincerity of heart and practice of life. True worship is the genuine adoration of our hearts and the genuine adoration of our practical living. One man gave this definition:
Worship is the activity of glorifying God in his presence with our voices and hearts.
Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 1003). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.
More importantly, the word “sincerity” here means complete or perfect and the word “truth” means firmness, faithfulness, and trustworthiness.
Worship is the activity of faithfully glorifying God alone in his presence with our hearts, voices, and practices.
Jesus said that these are the kind of people God is looking for in worship. John 4:23.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Kid’s Pause: Worshipping God means that you cherish Him in your hearts and live for him with your bodies.
Do you really understand what worship is?
Who do we worship? Joshua 24:14
Who do we worship? Joshua 24:14
14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
If we know more clearly who it is that is being worshipped, this will help us to understand the kind of worship that is required.
Illustration: When you know the nature of the person whom you are serving, this will have implications for how you serve. Growing up, my brother and I would wrestle and play rough, and we enjoyed that together. When I got married, I covenanted with someone who was all-together of a different nature and disposition. Serving her and enjoying her and visa versa was not accomplished by rough housing. Knowing the nature of the person whom you are serving impacts the way you serve.
Notice what Joshua 24:19 says.
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
Here Joshua says that God is “holy” and “jealous”. By “holy” it means that he is separate for sin and separate from all others.
Jealous means two very important things:
(1) the word means to get heated, zealous
(2) the word communicates that God does not allow for the worship of anyone else
Exodus 34:14-15
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
Now, because of how we think about jealousy we immediately think that it is a sin, but that is not always the case. Often jealousy is based in the sinfulness of coveting or pride. For example, if someone else has a better job and makes more money and has the perfect life, we might be jealous of that person because we think that they are not more worthy of that life than we are. We make these comparisons between ourselves out of pride. This is sinful. The Bible uses the word envy for this kind of sinfulness. It is a form a jealousy that is not based on absolute truth.
When jealous is used to describe God, we have to consider what the zeal of the Lord is based upon. God is God. God is perfect. God deserves to be glorified. For God to deny this about Himself is to lie or to live according to a lie. God cannot deny Who He is. God is right to be jealous according to His own Being.
Illustration: Do you remember when Jesus came to the Temple? He made a whip, overthrew tables, drove out people…it is one of those shocking moments in the story of Jesus. We might say that Jesus lost his temper, but that is not what John says. John sees this like this: John 2:17
17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
John and the disciples actually see this as a worship problem. The word zeal here is the thought of this heating up, this jealousy for God and his worship. The people in the Temple were worshipping wealth rather than God, and the very nature of God requires that He be worshipped exclusively. Who we worship determines the kind of worship.
Kid’s Pause: The book of Joshua teaches us that God is Jealous and this means we must not worship in our hearts and in our bodies anyone or anything else except Him.
Have you taken time to consider Who God is and what kind of worship he really deserves?
Did your heart and life reflect this kind of worship towards God this week?
Why don’t we worship? Joshua 24:14 - 15
Why don’t we worship? Joshua 24:14 - 15
14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Faith of Ancestors
Faith of Ancestors
Notice how the talk of other gods is constantly woven within this dialogue. It is hard to imagine, but there were people who had been preserved through the wilderness and yet had other gods. In some cases, they valued their ancestor’s practices.
App: In some cases, you becoming a worshipper of God will require that you recognize the wrongness of your ancestors — even though you may consider them to be good people.
Are you prepared to accept that to worship God like He deserves may require turning away from what your parents worshipped? (i.e. religious moralism, security, status…etc)
Unreasonable - Joshua 24:16-18
Unreasonable - Joshua 24:16-18
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;
17 For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
18 And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God.
The people see how unreasonable it is to worship anyone else — they remember two things: redemption and preservation.
App: There is no one and nothing that can redeem your soul and preserve your life eternally other than the one true God. Your family, your career, your money, your games, your clothes, your cars, your vacations…whether people, places, or things none of them are sufficient.
What would you give in exchange for your soul?
If it is true that eternal life is found only in Jesus Christ, then it is true that He alone deserves to be worshipped for Who He is.
Illustration:
Recently someone posted a video with a caption. The video showed a girls tract competition with girls attempting to run the hurdles. The caption was something to the affect of “Churches trying to finish 2020 after COVID-19”. The video shows girls trying to jump over hurdles and stumbling/falling then getting back up and trying to do the same in an attempt to just finish the race. This is what Joshua 24:19 feels like. Joshua seems to point out a problem.
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
The phrase “Ye cannot” is indeed a problem. For Israel, this entire conversation is like a renewal of wedding vows. Joshua is the minister and there are two parties: the LORD and the nation of Israel. But here, Joshua points out that Who God is and the sinfulness of the nation will prevent them from truly worshipping the Lord. In response, the people double down in their resolve within this first covenant.
It may be better to allow the scripture to explain what the problem is here. Romans 8:3 explains.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
The first covenant was week, not because the law was sinful but because the flesh of mankind was weak. Our sinfulness is the reason that we do not worship.
This is the problem with modern day Therapeutic Moralistic Deism as it has been called. It is a form of religion that makes us feel ok about ourselves by what we do.
When we resolve to worship the Lord in our own strength and by our own sheer commitment, we are actually unaware of our debilitating sinfulness.
Illustration: Last night, me and a couple of friends were walking out of a restaurant. In front of us was a man who had his arms under both arm pits of another man in front of him. I noticed that one appeared to be a father who was supporting a son who had some kind of a disease that prevented him from walking. Both the father and the son were apparently aware of the disability. They were taking steps to mitigate the issue so that they could get to their car. The danger of our sinfulness is that often we are unaware of how debilitating it is. Sin and its’ consequences not only prevent us from worshipping God, but they lead us in the rebellious worship of other false gods. This is in our hearts. Romans 1:25.
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
We cannot worship God because of our sinfulness.
Kid’s Pause: The book of Joshua shows us that sin inside of us, in our nature, makes us want to worship other things and people rather than God.
How can we worship? Joshua 24:23
How can we worship? Joshua 24:23
23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.
We need our hearts “inclined” (bent down). This is another way of saying that we need a heart work. This is the kind of work that the Lord promised to do. Notice Ezekiel 11:19-20.
19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
This is what Paul alludes to in II Corinthians 3:2-3
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
When you and I see God for who He is — that He is a Jealous God who should be worshipped; when we see how woefully sinful we are and incapable of offering to Him what He justly deserves; when we believe that Jesus is God’s sacrifice for our sinfulness, we can have forgiveness. There’s more, not only do we have forgiveness but we receive a heart made for worship of God alone. This is the work of God’s Spirit within us.
Illustration: One part of this cancels a debt, the other causes us to be contributors. Imagine that you owe an insurmountable debt to the IRS. Imagine that you could not get a job to even pay off the debt. Then, the Cintas Uniform corporation comes to you and says that they will pay off your entire debt, provide you with a lifetime supply of uniforms and keep your bank account always full at 1 million dollars. One act cancels the debt, while the other contributes.
We owe God glory and thankfulness that we could not offer on our own. Our sinfulness left us in debt, but Jesus came and through his life, sacrificial death, and resurrection paid the debt and then contributed to us new life and new heart.
This is how we now are able to worship. Now we have bold access to God because of Jesus. Now we can offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God and for the brethren. Now we can offer the sacrifices of praise to God.
Kid’s Pause: The book of Joshua teaches us that in order to worship God we need our hearts changed. Only Jesus can give to us a new heart.
Clearly, some of you have hearts that have been changed by the gospel. For you idolatry of the heart is a conflict. That is good. You know that you should worship God and you struggle for this worship. For you, the struggle did not end when you were saved, but the struggle only began.
The Apostle John ends his letter this way: I John 5:21.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Examine your heart for right worship. What rules your desires?
Give your bodies in worship. In what way has your body been presented for the body?
How are you devoted to seeing this kind of worship increase among the nations?
Has your heart been truly changed by Jesus?
Illustration:
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones grew up believing that he was a Christian. The chapel which he attended in Wales was good but as the biographer Murray points out, the gospel was assumed. Thus, Jones grew up never being confronted with his sinfulness and deep need of Christ. He had actually become a respected doctor in England when he became a believer and entered full time vocational ministry as a pastor. When you read the account of his conversion, you see how the Lord truly changed him over the course of 1-2 years. His heart was truly changed, and this changed the course of his life.
This is what happens in the life of a person. When their heart is truly changed, their life is changed. When they are made true worshippers, then they live a life struggling for, progressing towards, exemplifying a desire for the worship of the one true God.
What is the end? The end is the exclusive worship of the Lord.