Drawing the line in the Sand, Joshua 24:14-15

This is the sentiment that Joshua brings to the Israelites. The timing of this is near the end of his life. He has grown old and they have lived in the Promised Land for some time now. Joshua reminds the people of what God has done, he calls them to repent of their sin, and then to renew their covenant and commitment with God.

Joshua knew that God had made them to worship and that their past was filled with the worship of false idols and pagan gods. Look with me at what he says in Joshua 24:14–15 (CSB).

14 “Therefore, fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord. 15 But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship—the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.” - Joshua 24:14–15 (CSB)

Joshua draws a line in the sand in verse 15 when he says, “if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today which you will worship…”

I can’t help but think that we need this line drawn in the sand for us today as well.

Joshua reminds them of what God has done.

Joshua 23-24

Joshua calls them to repentance

Joshua 24:14

Joshua sets the example

Joshua 24:15b

Israel responds with a renewed commitment to God

Joshua 24:16-24

They set a stone of remembrance to bear witness to their commitment to the Lord.

Joshua 24:25-28

Remember what God has done

As we work through Scripture we have mentioned that God’s covenants serve as the backbone of the Bible. From the beginning of creation to Jesus God has related to humanity through covenants. And, like Israel in the book of Joshua, we too have been delivered and redeemed by the mighty hand of God.

Remember when you lost and in sin? Condemned and without any hope in the world? But praise God that He didn’t leave us in our sin and condemnation. No, He sent Jesus Christ to save us. Remember that?

He sent Jesus to be born of the Virgin Mary, to live a holy and sinless life, to teach, heal the sick and diseased, give sight to the blind, and make the lame walk again. He sent Jesus to die an unjust death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins (atonement).

Remember when Jesus was buried in the tomb, the entrance was covered by a large stone and Roman soldiers were placed there to guard his body? Remember when after 3 days there was an earthquake, the stone was rolled away and Jesus’ body was gone? Do you remember what the Bible says after that? It says that Jesus was resurrected. He was not dead, His body was not stolen… no Jesus is alive. He appeared to Mary, the disciples, and then to more and more of His followers for the next 40 days. Remember that it says that Jesus ascended to the right hand of God the Father and waits for the world and his enemies to be made like a footstool. Remember that it says He is coming again, and when He comes the second time He comes to judge the living and the dead. HE came the first time to save, the next time He comes its to bring all things to their end and establish His throne on earth forever.

Do you remember that? You see we have much to remember. Not only do we have all that God did through His covenants with Israel… we have the new covenant that God established with all who believe in Jesus. The work that established the new covenant is the same work that fulfilled the old covenant.

God delivered Israel from the pagan religions and culture around them. They were told to repent and remove the foreign idols from their midst.

The same is true… we too must remove the idols that belong to the culture around us and follow the Lord. We must repent of worshipping the idols of our culture.

Repent of worshiping the idols of our culture

I believe that we have forgotten or were never taught that we all worship someone or something. We have forgotten or never heard the commands of the Lord to worship Him and Him alone. We seem incapable of recognizing worship when we see it in our own lives, and I think we are losing the ability to see it in the lives of others.

The Israelites were warned against taking on the foreign gods that were among them. The reason they were warned against foreign gods is because they worship the one true God.

I believe one of the greatest strategies of the enemy is to convince the American church that it’s ok to worship American idols.

You see we don’t often see ourselves as separate from the culture around us. And one of the consequences is that we don’t see our idols for what they are… little gods that we are worshipping.

And in case you’re afraid this sermon is about to attack all of those who miss worship on Sundays for one reason or another, hear me on this: This is way bigger than missing a few Sundays. I believe this is so big that you could be here every Sunday for an hour while you worship at the feet of the idols of our country and our culture with the rest of your life.

I do believe that God would have you change your habits. I know for certain that with each generation we are losing our commitment to gathering as a church. Online streaming and tv worship services are not helping as they make people feel like that they have honored the Word of God when they haven’t.

That’s a great example for us to consider… can I take worshipping with the church with me? When you think about it that way it begins to be clear that taking your phone, tablet, or laptop with you where you go is not the same thing as gathering with the body of Christ. You have to come to the gathering. You have to be present to be a part of the gathering.

The church is called to live scattered throughout the week and gather weekly to receive the courage they need to continue living for the Lord. This is what it means for us to be encouraged… to be infused and receive courage from one another.

Online worship services have moved from a way to connect with people online or through social media in hopes of reaching them in person, to a replacement to the real thing while we go about our business of other priorities and endeavors.

I truly believe that if you are missing more than 20% of the services in your church than you should reconsider the commitments that you have made. 20% really feels high to me, it would be 10 Sundays a year. That’s the equivalent of not attending worship from September through the middle of November; or not attending from Christmas until the early March.

Like I said, there is much more to this than how often you watch online or miss a Sunday service. This is a heart issue, and it’s a heart issue because it is a worship issue.

American idols are not usually little images of gods that you find in shrines in our living rooms. American idols, like all idols are in our minds and our hearts. They are the ways that we express our selfish and fleshly desires through daily living.

When we recognize that idols are found in our hearts, we can see their true size. People are prone to look at selfish ways and fleshly desires as smaller than the good things we do and the right things we want.

But, they both occupy space in our mind, heart, and life… and God says that our hearts, minds, bodies, and lives belong to Him.

Idolatry is “image-worship or divine honor paid to any created object.”

“An idol is something in creation that claims the place in my heart that only God should have.” - Paul Tripp

According to Scripture (Romans 1), mankind gave up God and devolved into moral corruption and suppressed the truth of God and replaced it with a lie.

“An idol is anything in your life that it’s so central to your life that you can’t have a meaningful life if you lose it. Idolatry is anything you look at, and in your heart of hearts you say to it, ‘If I have that, then my life has value, then my life has meaning. And if I would lose that, I don’t know how I would live.’” - Tim Keller

As John Calvin said, “Man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.” - John Calvin

As God’s covenant people, Israel, was commanded to worship Him and Him alone. They were instructed not to make idols of any form for worship.

As Joshua instructed them God’s people were to get rid of the foreign idols and renew their covenant with Him.

Renew your commitment and covenant with the Lord.

Many times in the church we want to renew our commitment without repentance. In fact, there was an entire culture of rededication in the church for a long time that went away from the biblical model of repentance and renewal and replaced with an emphasis on the re-upping your commitment.

But, according to the Word our pattern must come with the honest acknowledgement of the sin we have committed and a conscious decision to walk in the Lord’s direction.

I mentioned at the beginning of our sermon that you are going to worship, but the question is what or who are you going to worship? And as we close, let’s examine this personally.

You are worshipping, the question is who or what are you worshipping?

Every one of us is worshipping. We are created to worship, it’s God’s design for us. So, who are you worshipping with your life?

This question is one that applies to who you are the eternal direction of your life… and who you are and the eternal direction of your life is evidenced and practiced through your daily and momentary choices.

So, in the spirit of Joshua 24 let’s draw a line in the sand today… Let’s draw a line in the sand this way

You can worship the gods of your past, and you can worship the gods of our country and culture today. But for those who belong to the Lord, we will worship and follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joshua is calling the people of God to renew their covenant with God. This is not a decision that they will assemble and make on a daily basis. But, the daily decision of how they live will be based on the covenant they renew today.

In many ways we do a version of this when we gather together each week in worship. We have committed ourselves to the Lord. We are partaking of the new covenant we have in Christ. And yet, we are also choosing daily to worship God with our lives, throughout our day, or in our relationships.

They were choosing between the gods of Ur, the gods of the Egyptians, the gods of the Amorites, or the one true God. Each of these represented a different way of life, but only one of the honored God and the covenant that He made with them.

Each generation has a different set of idols that they can choose between. Abraham was brought from the land of Ur. Joseph through Moses lived among the Egyptians. The generation of Joshua and Caleb died in the wilderness because they looked back to Egypt instead of forward into Canaan. The generation Joshua is passing the baton is choosing between the old days, the present day of the Amorites, or the God who have brought them this far.

The paganism of Noah’s day was culturally acceptable

The religion of Ur was culturally acceptable

The religion of the Egyptians was culturally acceptable.

The religion the Amorites was culturally acceptable.

But, following God isn’t a matter of culture or an acceptable way of life.

Idols will always feel culturally acceptable while at the same time choosing Christ over culture will be unacceptable to the world we live in.

What are we choosing between?

The idols of our past…

The past both of our culture and our personal lives is filled with culturally acceptable sins that invite us to worship them.

The idols of our day…

The world we live in presents us with new idols and culturally acceptable sins to give ourselves too.

The one true God.

Matthew 16:26 (CSB)

26 For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?

I asked on social media for people to share what they saw as the idols of each generation. You guys listed out sports, diet, financial security, politics, individuality, self-sufficiency, fame, followers, likes, our children, our children’s activities and success, iPhones/technology (having to have the next great thing), innovation, entertainment, comfort, ease, instant gratification, feelings, respect, being the best, sex, acceptance, youth/staying young, fear of missing out, pride, and selfishness.

John 3:36 (CSB)

36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

What are your idols… What is it that’s so central to your life that you can’t have a meaningful life if you lose it?

What or who is that you have decided gives value and worth to your life other than Christ?

1 Thessalonians 1:8–9 (CSB) says,

“8 For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith, in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God”

What will they say about you? What will they say about us? Will the Word of the Lord ring out from us with the testimony that we have turned from our idols to serve the living and true God?

The Lord draws a line in the sand and says you can worship the gods from the past or the gods of the day… or you can worship Him by trusting in Christ and living for Christ.

What will it be for you today?

Remember Repent Renew

Let us each say today, “As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord”

Related Media

Related Sermons