Text; Joshua 24:1-27
Title: Who are you going to serve?
Introduction
Joshua 24 contains one of the most well known verses in the entire O.T. “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (v15)
This same verse is also the central verse in Joshua 24 because the chapter is all about "who are you going to serve?"
Joshua Chapter 24:1-27 can be divided into 2 sections.
1.Why you should serve the Lord. (1-13)
2.How you should serve the Lord. (14-27)
1.Why you should serve the Lord? (1-13)
A.This implies something obvious; it implies that we all have choices about who or what we are going to serve.
B.Having all these choices about who or what we are going to serve is not a new thing.
Abraham could have continued to serve the gods of his forefathers but he chose to serve God instead. (v2-4)
Moses and Aaron could have continued to serve the Egyptians but they chose to serve God instead.(5-7)
The people of Israel could have served the gods of the Canaanites but they chose to serve God instead.(v8-13)
Joshua and his household had choices but “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”(15)
We too have choices about whom or what we are going to serve! So why should you serve the Lord?
Abraham would say to you and me…“you should serve God because of… His great Love.
(V2-3) “I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the river and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants.”
Out of His great Love God did three things for Abraham.
•Out of his great love God took Abraham
•Out of his great love God led Abraham
•Out of his great love God gave to Abraham
Application: Has not God shown this same great love to all his children?
God took us… “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13-14)
God leads us…“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He leads me beside quiet waters.” (Psalm 23:1-2)
God gives to us…“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:3-4)
Moses and Aaron would say to you and me…”you should serve God secondly because of…His great Power.
(V5-7) “Then I sent Moses and Aaron and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians…”
Application: Has God not shown this same great power to all his children?
“Who redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion.” (Psalm 103:4)
Application: No power in heaven or earth can keep us from serving God if we choice to do so. If anyone or anything would chose to stop us from serving the Lord we too can cry to the Lord for help.
The people of Israel would say to you and me…”you should serve God also because of… His great blessings.
(v13) “So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from the vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.”
Application: Has not God shown similar blessings to all of his children?
“Praise is to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3)
“Every good and perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17)
Conclusion: Why then should we serve God? We should serve God because of his great love; his great power and his great blessings.
2.How should you serve the Lord?(14-27)
There are three categories of people mentioned in verses 14-27. You and I fit into one of those 3 categories
Let me first mention the 3 categories and then we will return and look at them more closely.
1.There are those who find serving God undesirable (v15)
2.There are those who find themselves unable to serve God (v19)
3.There are those who are unashamed in serving God (v15)
1.Those who find serving God undesirable. (v15)
There are those who would much rather serve other things than serve the one true God.
•They know nothing about the love God has for them
•They love their sin and don’t want to give it up
•They have a unhealthy/distorted view of God
2.Those who find themselves unable to serve God (v19)
•Not because they don’t know about the love God has for them.
•Not because they don’t know about the power of God
•Not because they don’t know God has blessed them
•But because they want to serve God and also serve other things
•“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
3.Those who are unashamed in serving God (v15)
“But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”
Those who are unashamed in serving God have the following in common with Joshua:
1.Fear the Lord (v14)
Not necessary a negative meaning. Another word for fear is reverence. A true understanding of whom God is and gratefulness for what he has done in their lives.
2.Serve him with all faithfulness (v14)
Don’t just serve God when it is convenient to do so. They are faithful to serve God all the time and in every place.Even If no one else is serving God they will continue to do so
3.Serve God fully. (v23)
They are not hiding other things instead they have gotten rid of other things that might prevent them from serving God fully.
In conclusion
The value of making a covenant with God and others.
It’s important to spend quality time in determining who I am really serving.
Write a covenant with God that you will serve him only.Perhaps you might include the following in that covenant
I covenant to not work on Sundays
I covenant to spend time each day in prayer and the study of God’s word.
I covenant to tithe 10% to God’s kingdom
Make yourself some kind of reminder to help you remember to do the things you covenanted to do.
Ist check you will write each week in your tithe
First thing you will do each morning is pray
Nothing happens till it is thought through, written down and followed up.
Who are you serving?
Conclusion
1. Perhaps I’m not serving God
God loves you . He sent his Son to die on the cross so that you could have forgiveness of sins and be free to serve him. To receive that forgiveness you need to acknowledge your sin and ask Jesus to be your savior also.
2. I want to serve God but I can’t.
Do what Moses did. Cry out to God for help! God help me to serve you. Help me to seek first your kingdom and you said all these things will be added to me as well.
