Thanks. Oh, dear me. Turn me down quickly, Joe. Far too echoey. There we go. Well, thanks
very much, Ralph, for leading this morning, and thank you, Ian, for reading. As you can
see there, we've finished our studies in John, looking at the I Ams. We're going right the
way back into the Old Testament, and we're going to be going through Joshua over the next
few weeks. I don't know how you feel about going into the Old Testament. As I looked at
my Bible on Monday morning, I thought to myself, why on earth didn't you just stay in John?
It's a little bit easier than going back to the Old Testament. Sure, it's boring, and
it's just full of history. Well, I'm hoping not to make it boring, but exciting, and it's
not just history. It's a story about Jesus. Even in the Old Testament, it's a story about
Jesus. That's what we're going to discover this morning. Let's pray together as we ask
for God's help. Our Father God, we thank you so much for these wonderful true stories
in the Bible. Although written hundreds and thousands of years ago, although they happened
so long ago, we thank you that they are there for us, written to tell us something about
how great God is, to tell us about his promises, and to tell us ultimately about his Son, the
Lord Jesus. Please help us to understand your Word to us. May it encourage us, build us up,
and above all, may it cause us to be people who trust you, the God who makes promises, and
the God who keeps his promise. So please help us all this morning. In Jesus' name. Amen.
There was pens and notes going around. They've all gone, have they? Okay. So you can use the
back of your news sheet if you want to, and please do come back to me if there's any questions
later on.
Well, it's been hailed as Barack Obama's finest moment since he took office. Last Sunday evening,
as I'm sure you saw in the news, he gave the order for US Special Service Unit to attack
the residents of Osama bin Laden. After months of surveillance and intelligence gathering,
bin Laden was finally shot, killed, and then buried at sea. The man behind the 9-11 attacks
in New York and the 7-7 bombings in London has finally been found and removed. Now, when
Obama took office, he promised the world that he would make it a safer place. Top of his priority
was finding Osama bin Laden. He promised that no stone would be left unturned until those behind
the attacks were defeated. But now that bin Laden has been killed, I wonder, is the world
any safer?
Of course, Barack Obama's not the only one to make such promises. Political leaders in
our own country have made similar statements. They vowed to end all sectarian violence and
acts of terrorism. But I think it's very clear that the promises that our world leaders make,
despite their best efforts, are never truly realised. The world is still very broken. There is an unrest
that hangs over us all like a dark cloud. The safer world that we all want is still being sought for.
Of course, presidents are not alone in making their promises. God has promised to restore and to renew
this broken world and to bring about an everlasting rest. But again, as we look around the world in which
we live, it seems that God's promises are no better. It's still a very broken world.
So the big question we want to ask as we get stuck into Joshua is this. Can we trust the God of the Bible
who makes such big and grand promises? Can we trust him?
Well, the book of Joshua is here to give us confidence and assurance that God will do what he said he will do.
Let's see how all of this is worked out. Let's meet the promise maker.
Look at verse 2.
Now this promise, which is restated here, given to Joshua, was given to Moses,
but it was first given to Abraham way back at the beginning of the Bible story in Genesis 12.
In Genesis 12, God promised Abraham that he would build a great nation, a big community,
that they would have their own land and they would be blessed.
And as the years have passed, God kept repeating that same promise
to each new generation and to each new people.
He kept giving a new promise. He gave it to Isaac and then on to his grandson.
Listen to what Jacob says to his son.
It comes from Genesis 48.
Jacob said to Joseph,
God Almighty has appeared to me
And they said to me,
I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers.
I will make you a community of peoples and I will give you this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.
So God has said he's going to gather together a people that belong to him
and they would have their own place in which they can live with God and be blessed.
Now when God made that first promise in Genesis 12,
now we're in Joshua,
600 years have passed.
They've become a great people.
Someone's worked out there was about 3 million of them at this stage.
But they're still wandering around the desert,
still without any place to live,
no land of their own and without any sign of blessing.
Has God forgotten his promise?
Added to that, we're told in verse 1 that Moses, their great leader, is dead.
He was the one who had rescued them from slavery,
brought them out of Egypt,
he'd performed miraculous signs,
he'd showed great power,
he'd done it for over 40 years,
and if anybody was going to bring about God's promises,
surely it would be Moses.
But we're told right at the beginning,
Moses dead.
It seems like God's promises are all set to fail.
But in this first chapter,
God is reminding us who he is.
He is the promise maker.
He is the one who is in control.
He is telling us,
the years may pass,
leaders may come and go,
but God's promise will remain firmly on track.
No one and nothing can hinder or stop what God has promised to do.
Look at verse 3 again.
He says,
I will give you every place where you set your foot,
as I promised Moses.
But what is that promise?
Yes, it was a promise of land,
but what exactly was it?
Well, look at verse 4.
He says,
Your territory will extend from the desert,
which was way down in the south,
right up to Lebanon in the north,
and from the great river, the Euphrates,
which was right over on the east,
all the Hittite country in between,
right across to the great sea,
the Mediterranean,
which was on the west.
It was a huge land.
I pulled out my Bible atlas
and got my ruler out and tried to measure it.
It's about 500 by 800 miles.
It was huge.
It was a prosperous land.
You could imagine the sunny shores of the Mediterranean.
Think of all those luscious grapes growing.
The fine wines they would enjoy.
The fertile plains of the Euphrates,
where land would grow and cattle would graze.
People call this land the land flowing with milk and honey.
So rich was its produce.
But this land was ultimately going to be a place of rest.
Look at verse 13.
Remember the command that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you.
The Lord, your God,
is giving you rest
and has granted you this land.
It's repeated again for us at the end of verse 14.
You are to help your brothers
until the Lord gives them rest
as He has done for you.
Of course, this promised rest
had been experienced once before.
We've come across it in the Bible story
right at the very beginning
in the Garden of Eden.
God had been busy creating the world
over the first six days
and then on the seventh day, what did He do?
He rested.
This was a place where God's people
would live and enjoy intimacy with God.
All of creation was in perfect harmony,
a place of beauty.
It was paradise.
The Garden of Eden was the perfect rest.
And now in keeping with His promise,
since the world had been cursed,
God was saying,
I am going to bring that rest again.
I am going to provide a place
for my people
where they can enjoy rest,
peace and prosperity.
Just like it was
way back in the Garden of Eden.
So God again
would bring His people together
so that they could enjoy rest
in the new garden,
the promised lands.
Did God do what He said
He would do?
Well, look at chapter 21 of Joshua.
This is a key passage.
It's like the big theme,
the theme tune
of the whole book.
Joshua chapter 21,
verse 43.
Verse 43.
Joshua 21,
verse 43.
So the Lord gave Israel
all the land
He had promised
to give their forefathers,
and they took possession of it,
and they settled there.
The Lord gave them
rest
on every side,
just as He had promised
to their forefathers.
Verse 45.
Not one
of all the Lord's
good promises
to the house of Israel
failed.
Every one
was fulfilled.
You see,
God
is the promise maker.
Not even time,
not even the death
of His leaders,
not even,
as we'll discover,
the disobedience
of His people
will stop
His promise
of rest
being realized.
So He's made a promise,
a promise of rest.
But what about
the rest for us?
Does that mean
that we today
have to go looking
for the same land?
Do we all have to
pack our bags
and head up to Cork airport
and head off to Palestine
in search of this great land?
Unfortunately,
that's how many people
see it.
If you look at
what's going on
in Israel today
and all the battles
and the fighting
that's going on,
they're still fighting
over land.
But I think
they're not reading
their Bibles properly.
You see,
we must understand
the promise
as God understands it,
not as we understand it.
You see,
the land
that God
had promised
His people,
for God,
yes,
it was the promise
of land,
but that wasn't it.
It was never
just the physical land,
it was always
so much more.
the land
that we read
about in Joshua
was only a picture
of a much
greater land
that God
had promised.
Keep your finger,
please,
in Joshua chapter 1
and jump all the way
to Hebrews
chapter 4.
I think we've got
the page number there.
It's
1203.
Hebrews chapter 4.
Hebrews chapter 4,
verse 8.
Remember,
in Joshua,
it's all about
a land of rest.
Look what it says
in verse 8.
For if Joshua
had given them rest,
God would not
have spoken about
another day.
there remains
then a Sabbath rest
for the people
of God.
So,
the rest
wasn't actually
about the land.
God was saying,
there's another day.
There's going to be
another rest
to come.
Well,
what's that rest?
Well,
keep going on
in Hebrews
and we find the answer.
Look at chapter 11.
Chapter 11,
verse 9.
Remember we said
the promise
was first made
to Abraham?
Well,
here it's talking
about Abraham.
Chapter 11,
verse 9.
By faith,
Abraham made
his home
in the promised land.
Like a stranger
in a foreign country,
he lived in tents,
as did Isaac
and Jacob,
who were heirs
with him
of the same promise.
for he was
looking forward
to the city
with foundations
whose architect
and builder
is God.
Well,
what's that about?
Look at verse 13.
All these people
were still living
by faith
when they died.
They did not receive
the things promised.
They only saw them
and welcomed them
from a distance.
Verse 16.
Instead,
they were longing
for a better country,
a heavenly one.
Therefore,
God is not ashamed
to be called
their God,
for he has prepared
a city for them.
Verse 39.
He goes on
listing all the people,
Joshua included.
It says,
these were all
commended
for their faith,
yet none of them
received
what had been
promised.
God had planned
something better
for us
so that only
together with us
would they be
made perfect.
You see,
people like
Abraham,
Moses,
Joshua,
the promises
were all made
to them,
but they were
looking forward,
the Bible says,
to something
not that was
temporary like
the promised land,
but something
eternal.
They were looking
forward to the
true city,
the ultimate city,
heaven itself,
because that is
the final rest,
a place of true
peace and prosperity,
the new creation,
the new,
ultimate
garden of Eden,
where all evil
is gone.
and the good
news is that
God has promised
it to his
people
and nothing
and no one
is going to
stop him
bringing it
about.
God has made
a promise of
rest,
heaven itself,
the new
creation.
So,
back to
Joshua.
Joshua,
how are
all these
people,
and there's
about three
million of
them,
we can imagine
them all
sitting alongside
the river
Jordan,
how are they
all going to
get into
this promised
land?
Well,
they need a
leader,
don't they?
And we're
told who that
leader is.
Verse 6,
God says
to Joshua,
be strong
and courageous
because you
will lead
these people
to inherit
the land
I swore
to their
forefathers
to give
them.
Joshua
is God's
chosen leader.
Moses,
who had led
them for
40 years,
well,
he was dead
and buried
at this
stage.
They needed
a new
leader,
and Joshua
was going
to be that
man.
Verse 7,
So Joshua,
be strong
and very
courageous.
Be careful
to obey
all the law
of my servant
Moses gave
you.
Do not
turn from
it to the
right or
to the
left,
that you
may be
successful
wherever you
go.
He says
the same
thing in
verse 9,
Have I not
commanded you,
Joshua,
be strong
and courageous.
Now we
have to be
very careful
to read
this properly.
Last night
I was doing
a Bible
reading with
Ethan,
and it
just so
happened
that the
notes that
he's going
through is
on the
story of
Joshua.
And I
had a look
in his
Bible,
it's a
children's
Bible,
and I
had a
little note
to one
side about
this passage
here,
verse 6.
And it
was encouraging
people like
Ethan and
me to be
strong and
courageous.
And the
way they
described it
was,
it was like
a football
manager talking
to his team,
a little
pep talk to
give them
great encouragement.
Go on out
there,
be strong and
courageous.
And I think
in some ways
that's how we
read this
passage,
isn't it?
It's like a
little kind of
bit of energy
boost,
a bit of
LucasAid.
Go on out
there,
be strong and
courageous.
But it's not
really written
to us,
is it?
And it
shouldn't be
read that
way.
It was
written and
it was
spoken to
their leader.
The people
are not to
be strong and
courageous.
The leader
is to be
strong and
courageous.
Joshua is
to be strong
for the
people.
And he
can be
strong because,
look at the
end of verse
9,
God says,
don't be
terrified,
do not be
discouraged,
for the
Lord your
God will
be with
you wherever
you go.
God is
going to
be with
this leader,
that's why
he can be
strong and
courageous.
Now I
don't think
it's a
mistake that
Joshua's
name actually
means the
Lord is
salvation.
So God
is saying
to these
people,
see Joshua
over here?
He's my
chosen leader.
He's going
to be the
one who's
going to
save you.
And he
is the
one who's
going to
bring you
into the
promised
land.
My
chosen
leader.
Now I'm
sure we're
beginning to
make connections
here,
aren't we?
But we
don't want to
rush ahead
too quickly.
The question
is, will
these people
trust God's
chosen leader?
Will they
fall in
behind him?
Will they
follow him?
Well, Joshua
fresh from
his instructions
from God
goes back
to the
people,
verse 10.
So Joshua
ordered the
officers and
the people,
go through
the camp
and tell
the people,
get your
supplies
ready.
Three days
from now
you will
cross the
Jordan
here to
go in
and take
possession
of the
land the
Lord your
God is
going to
give you
for your
own.
Are they
going to
do as
he says?
Are they
going to
trust him?
Will they
obey their
leader?
History
tells us,
if we know
anything of
the Israelites
up to this
point,
that they're
actually quite
a rebellious
and stubborn
lot.
So there's
no telling
what they
might do.
One
possible
obstacle
might be
the tribes
who were
going to
settle where
they were.
There were
twelve tribes
in all.
Well,
thirteen.
There were
two halves.
The sons
of Jacob
and all
their
families.
And two
and a half
of those
tribes had
said they
wanted to
settle on
the east
side of
the Jordan.
So were
they going
to follow
Jacob?
Were they
just going
to say,
well,
we've got
our land
here,
we're going
to stay
put?
What were
they going
to do?
Well,
look at
verse 12.
But to
the Reubenites,
the Gadites,
and the half
tribe of
Manasseh,
Joshua said,
remember the
command that
Moses,
the servant
of the Lord
gave you.
The Lord,
your God,
is giving you
rest and has
granted you this
land.
Your wives,
your children,
and all the
animals may
stay in the
land that
Moses gave
you east
of the
Jordan.
But all
your fighting
men,
fully armed,
must cross over
ahead of your
brothers,
because all the
rest of the
tribes,
they had to
go across.
You are to
go with them.
You are to
help your
brothers until
the Lord gives
them rest as
he has done
for you,
and until
they too have
taken possession
of the land
that the Lord,
your God,
is giving them.
After that,
you may go
back to
occupy your own
land,
which Moses,
the servant of
the Lord,
gave you east
of the Jordan
towards the
sunrise.
So again,
we're asking
the question,
are they going
to obey him?
Are they going
to trust Joshua?
Well, look at
verse 16.
Then they
answered Joshua,
whatever you
have commanded
us, we
will do.
And whatever
you send us,
and wherever
you send us,
we will go.
Just as we
fully obeyed
Moses, so we
will obey
you.
You see, if the
people are going
to experience
rest, if they
are going to
enjoy the
promise that
God has given
them, they
have to follow,
they have to
trust God's
leader.
They have to
fall in behind
them and do
what he says.
Well, in the
coming weeks,
we're going to
find out how
they got on.
how did they
follow their
leader?
But again, at
this point, we're
forced to ask the
question for
ourselves.
What leader are
we going to
follow?
Well, the book
of Joshua starts,
surprisingly, with a
death, verse 1.
It tells us that
Moses has died.
And the very end
of the book
finishes with a
death.
Go to Joshua
chapter 24.
It starts with the
death of Moses, and
it finishes with the
death of Joshua.
Chapter 24, verse
28.
Joshua sent the
people away, each
to his own
inheritance.
After these
things, Joshua, son
of Nun, the
servant of the
Lord, died at
an age of 110, and
they buried him in
the land of his
inheritance at
Timna, Sarah, in
the hill country of
Ephraim, north of
Mount Gash.
So, Moses is
dead.
Joshua is
dead.
Who's going to
lead the people
now?
Well, look at
verse 33.
Next in line was
Eleazar.
He was the next
one to take the
position after
Joshua.
But look what
happened to him.
Eleazar, son of
Aaron, died and
was buried at
Gibba, which
had been allotted
to his son
Phinehas in the
hill country of
Ephraim.
Do you see
what's happening?
All the leaders
are dying.
They kind of
get, Moses
didn't even get
into the
promised land.
Joshua kind of
just about gets
there, and as
soon as he's
about to enjoy
it, he dies.
You see, all of
these funeral
notices are not
a mistake.
It's forcing us
to keep on
reading through,
saying, okay,
well, who's the
next leader?
leader.
Because as we
keep on going,
they all seem
to die.
So it's forcing
us to look for
a leader who
won't die.
Somebody who
will lead us
into the
eternal promised
rest.
And of course,
as we know,
as the story
unfolds of the
Bible, God
sends his
final leader,
the greatest
leader, the
king, his
own son,
Jesus Christ,
who would
come as
God's leader
for the
people.
But what
would happen
to his
leader?
He would
die.
But his
death was a
death for
us.
As our
representative,
as our
leader on
behalf of the
people, he
would go to
the cross for
us.
He would die
in our place.
He would go
for our
disobedience.
But there's
something quite
different about
this leader,
isn't there?
This leader
wouldn't stay
dead.
This leader
would rise
again from
the grave.
This king
would rise
triumphant.
Death would
be defeated.
He would
conquer the
grave so
that we
could live
forever.
The one
thing that
stops us
enjoying the
rest that
God has
promised to
us is sin
and death.
And it
has all been
conquered by
his leader,
Jesus Christ.
Jesus,
the risen
leader,
the true
Joshua.
Joshua means
the Lord
saves.
What does
Jesus mean?
It's the
New Testament
name.
He's the
Saviour.
And he
comes into
the world
inviting us
to trust
him.
He commands
us to
follow him.
so that
we may
enjoy
heaven.
The
ultimate
rest with
him.
Rest from
all evil.
Rest from
violence and
terrorism.
Rest from
every kind of
tragedy imaginable.
Rest from
all sin.
A new world
which would be
marked by
peace and
prosperity.
as Jesus
came on to
the world
scene.
Come
unto me
all you
who are
heavy
burdened
and I
will give
you
rest.
The true
leader,
Jesus Christ
has come
for us
his people.
He says,
I will go
before you.
I want you
to follow
me and
that's why
you can be
strong and
courageous because
not even
death can
defeat you if
you are
following me.
And as we
his people
follow our
true leader,
Jesus,
so we are
showing others
the way that
they can find
ultimate rest.
we are
on a
journey.
Israel,
we are
on a
journey.
We are
on a
journey.
We are
just strangers
in this
land.
We are
just
visiting.
We are
only here
for a
short time.
We have
eternity to
look forward
to.
But as we
go on our
journey,
so people
will look
and see,
where are
they going?
We are
going to be
with him
in that
final rest.
You see,
the story
of Joshua
is not
just a
book of
history
about a
people
thousands
of years
ago
unrelated
to us.
It's the
story of
Jesus.
The world
has promised
and produced
some great
leaders.
And the
world's
leaders have
made some
great promises,
haven't they?
Now, I
don't doubt
the sincerity
or the efforts
of Barack
Obama to
bring about
world peace.
I think he's
doing a good
job.
I don't
knock the
plans or
the promises
of Ender
Kenny to
change Ireland's
future.
I think he's
doing a good
job too.
But as
history has
proved,
promises will
always be
broken and
leaders will
always die.
the good
news of
God's
story,
which is
not only a
true story,
it's our
story.
This is about
us.
It's that
God's chosen
leader,
Jesus Christ,
not only
makes promises,
but he will
keep his
promise.
What God
says he will
do,
he will do.
we can
trust him
and he will
bring us
to his
eternal rest.
Let's pray
together.
Our
Father God,
we thank you
so much
for these
stories.
Thank you
for Joshua.
Thank you
for his
leadership,
his leading
of your
people.
But most
of all,
we thank you
for him
because he
pictures,
he shows
us who
our true
leader is.
We thank
you for
Jesus.
We thank
you that he
has conquered
the grave,
he has
defeated
sin.
He has
called us
to follow
him so
that we
may have
rest,
rest today
and rest
for all
eternity.
Father,
thank you
that you
have invited
us on
that journey.
We pray
that we
would be
people who
go into
this week
living that
journey,
telling others
about the
journey,
encouraging
others to
get on
board.
Father,
go before
us.
Help us
to trust
you,
the God
who has
made his
promise,
the God
who will
keep his
promise.
Amen.
Thank you,
Johnny.
We're going
to take an
opportunity to
respond by
singing together,
respond to
what we've
heard.
Amen.