Introduction:
I heard about a husband who really enjoyed the meat his wife had served for dinner one night. He asked her, "What did you marinate this in?" Well, his wife immediately went into a long explanation about how much she loved him and how life wouldn’t be the same without him, and so on. Eventually, his puzzled expression made her interrupt her answer with a question of her own: "Why did you ask me that?" When he told her, she chuckled and said, "I thought you asked me if I would marry you again!"
As she left the room, he called out, "Well, would you marry me again?" Without hesitation, she replied, "Vinegar and barbecue sauce."
Would you marry me again? Sometimes you’ll hear about a couple who’ve been married for 30, 40, or 50 years. They’ll have another wedding ceremony and repeat their vows once again to renew the pledge they made years ago. They say to one another, "Years ago, I promised to love you, to honor you, to cherish you and to be faithful to you. And I want you to know that I meant what I said, and I am just as committed to you now as I was 50 years ago." I think that’s beautiful.
And a similar thing happens in the passage that was read this morning. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua says, "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of 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."
Joshua is trying here to get the people of Israel to renew their covenant with God, to renew their commitment to God. We live in a day and time when a lot of people want to shy away from the word "commitment". They don’t want to lock themselves in to a particular course of action; they want to keep all their options open. But the Lord says there comes a time when we need to renew our commitment with God. A time when we say, "You know, Lord, twenty years ago, I made a commitment to you. I made a decision to put you first in my life. I made a decision to forsake my sinful ways and dedicate my life to you. And I want you to know that I meant what I said, and I am just as committed to you now as I was twenty years ago." That’s exactly what’s happening here in Joshua 24.
It’s too easy for all of us to fall back, to slip back, to lose our enthusiasm, to not be as fired up for God as we once were. There’s a natural tendency for things to slow down. Therefore we need those times when we say, "This is who we are and this is what we’re about and this is what we’re going to do."
This morning, I want to take a look at this chapter in Joshua and notice six things that are involved in making any kind of spiritual commitment. There’s a sheet inside your bulletin for taking notes if you find that helpful.
I. A Reason For Confidence
It’s interesting to notice here how Joshua brings these people to the point of decision. Starting in verse 2, he reminds the people of Israel of all the wonderful things God has done for them. He talks about how God blessed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then he talks about Moses and Aaron. He talks about how God brought the plagues on the Egyptians. He talks about how the Lord led the Israelites through the Red Sea and how the Red Sea closed down on the Egyptians and what a great victory it was. And then he takes them to the edge of Canaan and he talks about how God gave them the promised land. Basically he gives them a quick historical account of God’s dealings with his people, and how faithful God had been through the years.
The reason Joshua did that is because whenever you’re about to make a commitment, it’s important that you have a reason for confidence. So Joshua tells them what God has done for them. He tells them about the faithfulness of God, and he says, "You guys know these stories as well as I do. Think about how God has treated you. God has been faithful. On every turn, when we have trusted God we have been victorious."
Folks, if this morning we’re willing to make a solemn covenant commitment with God, it must first of all start with this kind of confidence. Now, where do we find this kind of confidence? The key word, and Joshua uses it over and over in this book, is, "remember". Time and again, he says, "You guys need to remember." You see, God knows this -- if you’ll simply remember what he’s done, if in your mind you’ll remember his faithfulness, then you will be faithful to him.
Why? Because it’s in that memory that we see the work of God. And Joshua says to these folks, "If you’ll just remember this, then out of a heart of gratitude you’ll want to make the right choice." You see, if you boil it down to the simplest terms, why do we serve God? Really out of gratitude. If you want to maintain a spiritual commitment to God, somewhere in your heart there’s got to be a spirit of thankfulness. You see, rules and regulations will only take you so far. Doing it because it’s the right thing will only last a while. But there must come a moment if you’re life when you say, "Out of an appreciation that I have for God and all that’s he’s done for me, I want to serve him."
If you’ll remember, if you’ll simply look back and look at how wonderful God has been to you and how many times God has expressed his love for you, then the commitment will come easier.
So, the first key is confidence. In order to make this kind of commitment, these folks needed a confidence in God.
II. A Strong Challenge
The next key I see here is a strong challenge. In verse 14, Joshua said, "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and Egypt. Serve the Lord!" (Joshua 24:14).
Joshua comes to these people and he gives them a great challenge. He says, You need to throw away these gods that you’ve accumulated. You need to serve only the Lord. It seems to me that people respond to great challenges. I think one of the great problems in this country is that people are afraid to challenge us.
Why was Churchill such an effective leader in World War II? It wasn’t because he promised the British people a life of ease. It was because he said, "I promise you nothing but blood, sweat, toil and tears." And people responded to that message. People seem to respond to great challenges. People don’t respond well to mediocrity. People don’t get excited about maintaining the status quo.
Why was Jesus so effective with people? Because he challenged them to their core. You never see Jesus compromise, you never see Jesus begging. Rather, you see Jesus saying, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me."
There’s a book called Growing Up in America. And in that book, the author (Tony Campolo) explores why so many churches are losing their teenagers by the droves. And he makes this point: "Our teenagers aren’t leaving us because we’ve asked too much. They’re leaving our churches because we’ve asked too little." I think that’s true. They don’t have a desire to give themselves to something mediocre. They don’t have a desire to give themselves to an organization that’s unwilling to challenge and motivate and say, "Let’s go for it." And so they leave,. It’s not because we’re asking too much but because we’re asking too little.
And here’s Joshua saying, "You guys need to give up these gods. You need to serve the Lord and him alone.”
III. Ability to Choose
The next thing we see here is that he gave them a choice. We need to have the ability to choose. Look again at verse 15, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve."
You know, one thing we need to understand about serving God is that it’s always voluntary. You don’t have to do it. If you don’t want to, don’t do it. I think there’s a great freedom in that. The Lord never created any of us to be robots. He doesn’t want any of us to do it just because we’ve got to do it. But rather he wants us to freely choose.
I find that interesting in the gospels about Jesus. I said a moment ago Jesus never begged anybody. Do you ever in the gospels see Jesus chase anybody down? The rich young ruler, when the Lord saw something very good in him, but when he left the Lord, you don’t see Jesus going, "Oh, please come back, please, you need this, you’ve got to have this." You don’t see the Lord chase anybody.
Because the Lord understands that at the very core this is everybody’s choice. You know, I have sometimes have a hard time with that. When there’s someone I really love, someone whom I want to see go to heaven more than anything else, I have a problem with allowing it to be their choice. I wish I could force people to do what’s right, but I can’t. We can express our love and the love of God, but in the end it’s their choice. That can be a hard thing to accept.
We see it in Jesus. We see it here in Joshua. "Guys, you choose what you’re going to do. I know what I and my family are going to do. But you do whatever you want to do." You know, there’s a freedom to that. Every now and time, we need to say to ourselves, this is my choice. Do you ever get discouraged at your job? Sometimes I do. I know you find that hard to believe, working with you guys. But sometimes I get discouraged, and I get so tired of doing this. And you know what I have to do? I sit myself down and I say, "OK, Alan, you don’t have to do this. If you don’t want to, then go do something else."
If you feel like you’ve got to do something, you feel so hemmed in. So I say to myself, "If you really don’t like this, then don’t do it. Try something else." But then there’s always something within me that goes, "No! I want to do this. This is how I feel God wants me to use my talents." There’s a great exhilaration in being able to say, "This is my choice."
I want to tell you something this morning. If you’re struggling in your commitment to God, why don’t you give yourself a choice. You don’t have to be here. You don’t have to do this. If you don’t want to do it, don’t. You say, "I can’t believe Alan’s saying that!" That’s what Joshua said. He said, "I’m not forcing you into anything, it’s your choice."
But, once you do that I think you’ll realize something. I know there are times in my life when I question my commitment to the Lord. Do I really want to live this lifestyle? And when I finally say, "Well, Alan, go do something else", everything in me goes, "No, I can’t do that. I believe this. This is right. This is true. I couldn’t turn my back on Jesus for anything." There’s something healthy about giving yourself that choice.
I challenge some of you this morning if you’ve been living for a while in mediocrity, sort of half-heartedly doing this thing, give yourself a choice. Get out of it if you don’t like it. But if you do want serve the Lord, then do it. As Joshua would say, "Go for it. Throw away those foreign gods and accept only the Lord God." You’ve got to have that choice.
IV. Example of Conviction
Then Joshua says at the end of verse 15, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." That’s an example of conviction.
If you keep reading, you see where they say, "No, Joshua, we want to serve the Lord." But it took that one voice. Sometimes it only takes one person willing to step out and say, "God, I want to serve you." The problem with most of us is that we don’t want to be the first one, to take that step, to stick out. Most of us are waiting for that. This challenge from Joshua says, "You guys do whatever you want to do, but let me tell you this. I know what me and Mrs. Joshua and our little ones are going to do. We’re going to serve the Lord." We need that in the church today, don’t we?
We need some adults to stand up and say, "I’m going to serve God. I don’t care what the rest of the people you know me think about me. I don’t care if they think I’ve gone fanatical and berserk, I’m serving the Lord. And I’m not going to be ashamed of it."
We need some teenagers who’ll take a stand at school. I know it’s tough, you know it’s tough. But we need those who say, "I’m making this commitment if anybody else does or not. I’m going to serve the Lord." It’s that example of conviction that makes a difference in people’s lives.
V. A Picture of the Consequences
If you keep reading, you see here a picture of the consequences. It’s interesting. At the end of verse 18, the Israelites scream out, "We also will serve the Lord, for he is our God." (Joshua 24:18). And then look what Joshua says in verse 19, "But Joshua said to the people, ’You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God."
I find that interesting. Joshua challenges these guys. He says, "You need to go for it, you need to choose." And they say, "We’ve chosen, Joshua. Let’s do it." And then Joshua says, "Sorry, guys, you can’t."
There are different ways you can look at this. But I think what Joshua is doing here is he’s making these people fight through for their commitment. He’s saying, "Guys, do you really want this? Do you really want it? Or are you saying this because I just preached a fired up sermon today and I said you need to choose. Or are you doing this because this is what you really want to do?"
Then he says in verse 20, "If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after he has done you good." He’s saying, "Guys, if you’re really serious about this, you need to look at the consequences. In the long run, what’s it going to be like to serve God, and what’s it going to be like to serve these foreign gods?
Folks, we’d do well today if we’d look more at the consequences of our lifestyle. You know, when you give yourself a choice you need to also raise the question, where will this lead? If I determine to live a life of selfishness, for my satisfaction and pleasure, then in the long run what kind of person will I be? Even on this earth, how happy will I be? And in eternity, where will I be? We need to look at those consequences.
And as we look at the consequences of serving the Lord, it may be more difficult and certainly more challenging, but the consequences are tremendous. So Joshua forces the Israelites to look at the consequences.
VI. Write Down a Covenant
Then he makes them write down a covenant. Look at verse 25. After Joshua has told them to pledge their allegiance to the Lord, "So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. Then 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 oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, ’Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which he spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God." (Joshua 24:25-27). The last key factor in making this commitment is making a written covenant.
Joshua says, "Guys, you said you want to serve the Lord, let’s get practical about this matter. Let’s put it on paper. Here’s what God wants. Let’s write it down. Let’s not just write it down. Let’s mark it. Let’s make this a place for you to remember what you did. Let’s make this a significant moment in your life where you mark this occasion."
A stone, or a pile of stones for some reason in that day was looked upon as a holy object. So Joshua said, "Here’s this stone under this beautiful tree. Let’s mark this spot right here as the place where you changed your life. Let’s write it down. And every time you see that rock, it will remind you folks of the covenant you made with God."
If we want to make a firm commitment to God, there’s a great need for that. What Satan can do is keep you in a constant state of indecision. You hear the message of God, you’re drawn to it, but you never quite make that commitment, you never quite say yes, you never quite say, "Yes, Lord, this is it". And so you spend half your life vacillating between the Lord and Satan. Too afraid of hell, and too afraid of commitment to go one way or the other.
That’s why it’s significant what Joshua does here. He says, "OK guys, you say you’re gonna follow God. Let’s write this thing down." If you want to establish a goal, you better write it down. If you want to be firm about something, put it on paper. You have something to remind you, “This is what I said I was going to do.”
Conclusion:
There’s a story going around the Internet, that is reported as a true story of something that happened just a few years ago at the University of Southern Cal. I doubt if it actually happened, but it still makes a powerful point.
As the story goes, there was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn’t exist. His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years, he had taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever ’really gone against him’. Nobody would go against him because he had a reputation.
At the end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to his class of 300 students, "If there anyone here who still believes in Jesus, stand up!" In twenty years, no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "because anyone who does believe in God is a fool. If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that he is God, and yet he can’t do it."
And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred pieces. All of the students could do nothing but stop and stare. Most of the students were convinced that God couldn’t exist. A number of Christians had attended his classes, but for 20 years, they had been too afraid to stand up.
Well, a few years ago, there was a freshman who happened to get enrolled in the class. He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about this professor. He had to take the class because it was one of the required classes for his major. and he was afraid. But for 3 months that semester, he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up, no matter what the professor said or what the class thought. Nothing they said or did could ever shatter his faith, he hoped.
Finally the day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the classroom. The professor shouted, "You FOOL!! If God existed, he could keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!" He proceeded to drop the
chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleats of his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away, unbroken.
The professor’s jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man who had stood up proceeded to walk to the front of the room and share his faith in Jesus for the next half hour.
Because somebody was willing to stand up and take a stand. Perhaps this needs to be the place where you mark the spot, you set up the stone, you say, "Guys, I don’t know what anybody else in here is going to do, but I’m going to serve God." Maybe you don’t need to come forward, no public sin in your life, but you may have the need to write something down, you may have a need to make a commitment in ink and say, "God, I’m going to be yours."
