Well, can we turn back to our reading in Joshua chapter 23.
Looking at this chapter this evening, we're going to think of the theme of how God keeps
his promises and how we see that with Joshua here in this chapter.
When you read through the scriptures, you constantly encounter the promises of God.
And if you were to have a wee challenge this evening, how many of the promises of God can
you think of in scripture?
If you were to start writing them down, you would probably come across a number of ones
that just spring to mind instantly.
But the more you go on and the more you go through scripture, the more you begin to see
just how many promises there are.
You think of the promises that maybe stand out in the early parts of the scriptures, the
covenant with Abraham, how God promised that he would have descendants as numerous as the
stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore.
You have God's promise to Noah after the flood when he gave the sign of the rainbow, how never
again he would destroy the world in that way.
You have promises that a word of God to many of his people down through the generations promises
that he says, I will never leave you or forsake you.
Promise he gave to Joshua, as we'll see.
He promises to lead his people.
He promises us a savior.
He promises us the day of the resurrection.
He promises us that the Lord Jesus Christ will come again.
And it goes on.
So you start listing the promises of God and you see just how many they are.
And people have estimated by looking at scripture just how many thousands of promises they have.
If you start writing them on a little bit of paper, you would soon run out.
Even if you had an A4 jotter, you would run out of paper when you start noting down just
how many promises there are.
So we're constantly hearing the promises of God as we are reading through the scriptures.
And in 2 Corinthians 1, verse 20, we are told this, all the promises of God find their yes in him.
That is, in Christ Jesus.
All the promises of God find their yes in him.
They're all fulfilled in him.
So when you think of the promises of God and how many they are, it's good to remind ourselves
of how faithful God is to us through all of his promises.
And it's good to remind ourselves, whether it's in our own experiences of how we have known God's
promises to us, or in the experiences of others, how we hear or see of God's promises,
helping and keeping people through so many different situations.
We think of even congregational fellowships like we have, and times when we meet together,
we speak together of the things of God and what he has done for us, and how encouraged we are to hear
of God's promises shown to others and then remind ourselves he's been faithful to us too.
But in some ways, here we are meeting with Joshua in this chapter.
And here he is, and he's speaking to the people of Israel, especially speaking to the leaders of Israel
at this point, but a message that would go out to all the people.
And it's a message of God's faithfulness to him.
And how, as he is looking back, he is able to see every promise of God has been kept.
Never has the Lord failed him.
We see it here in verse 14, where it says there,
God keeps his promises.
And some of the promises he has given have been already fulfilled.
Some of his promises are still ongoing, and some of his promises are still to come.
But whether it takes a short time or a long time, God keeps every one of the promises he makes.
And we see here Joshua is speaking as an old man.
His time on earth is coming to a conclusion.
But having led the children of Israel through so much, having brought them in to the promised land,
having seen the rewards of coming into the promised land,
his longing now, as he looks at the people around him, is that they will go on in the faith,
go on leaning and looking to the promises of God.
And that's his concern, as we see in this chapter.
He is speaking to the people here, warning them against complacency.
He's saying, don't forget the promises of God.
Don't forget how faithful God has been.
Don't forget what he has said in his word.
Neither forget the blessings that he has spoken about,
and neither forget the judgments which he has spoken about as well.
Because all of these things, they put demands on you.
And so it is with ourselves today as well.
That as we hear the promises of God, we have the promises of his blessings,
but the warning too of the promise of his judgment when we disobey his word.
Fear the Lord, he's saying.
Keep looking to him.
But if you turn away, you will suffer the consequences.
We often speak today in terms of a generation lost to the church.
And there is truth in that statement.
We look around and what we see around ourselves is there are people,
and especially maybe we see it in a certain generation,
are people who do not fear the Lord,
who have been turned away or who have turned away from God
through the appeal of this world.
And we think to ourselves how quickly things change.
And when you look at the experience of Joshua,
there's a reminder to us of this very thing.
Because as we're reading here,
we're reading of a generation who were trusting the Lord
and who were committed and looking to him and leaning on him.
And here as Joshua speaks, he is speaking into that situation.
But all you have to do is turn forward into the book of Judges,
in chapter 2.
We're going to read some verses from there.
Just the next book, the book of Judges, chapter 2.
And you read there of the death of Joshua at verse 6.
And listen to what it says.
When Joshua dismissed the people,
the people of Israel went each to his inheritance
to take possession of the land.
And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua
and all the days of the elders who outlived.
Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel.
And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord,
died at the age of 110 years.
And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-Heres,
in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gash.
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers.
And there arose another generation after them,
who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
You see just how quickly it changed.
Joshua there in chapter 23,
speaking to a people who were trusting in the Lord.
And then another generation,
and they arise,
and they've got no word for what the Lord has done for them.
And in such a short space of time,
you see how quickly it changed.
When we look in our own history,
and we see our own nation,
even our own islands,
and we think of it like that,
how quickly things have changed.
And in many ways,
that can leave us feeling dismayed.
But it should also leave us feeling a bit of hope.
That just as things can change so quickly downwards,
so the Lord can so quickly change things
in the opposite direction as well.
And that is what Joshua is getting at here in this chapter.
Even as he's warning them of what is to come,
he is warning them to keep their focus on the Lord.
And so I want us to take these two things from this passage
this evening.
That the way that we see how God keeps his promises,
it's to think of keeping looking to God
and keeping leaning on God.
So looking to God first.
What was the situation at the time
that Joshua speaks to the people here?
Well, verse one makes it clear for us
the kind of situation it was.
A long time afterwards,
when the Lord had given rest,
to Israel from all their surrounding enemies,
they had been given rest.
God had given them rest.
It was a time of peace.
Joshua and the children of Israel
here were enjoying a time of peace.
God had given them rest
from all the enemies around them.
And they had come in to the promised land.
They were enjoying all that this land had to offer them.
They had been blessed in seeing God's promise of this land fulfilled.
But is this a good thing when it comes to going on in faith?
Is the best environment to grow in your faith?
Is the best environment to grow in your faith days of peace?
In some ways, we would say yes.
Because here we see they're enjoying this peace.
They're enjoying the promises of God,
reward of this land to them.
But there's also a danger.
And that is what Joshua is seeing here in his old age.
You read that just as he was rest in the land,
Joshua was old and well advanced in years.
Joshua had seen so much to this point.
He had seen so much through his life.
And now he's looking around and he's seeing the people around him.
And there's a sense here that he's sensing the danger
of what is beginning to happen in their lives.
He sees some things beginning to happen in their lives
and he doesn't like it.
So like a good leader, he sees and he feels his duty
as a leader of the people to point this out to them.
He's warning the leaders of Israel here to be on their guard for this
so they can warn the people who they are in charge of.
And this is him before he departs.
He wants to make sure that he leaves them on a good footing.
And what is the danger that he sees?
Well, as they have come in to the promised land,
there is still the remnant of nations around them.
Nations who have their people there
and nations who have their gods there.
And the danger that Joshua is seeing
is that the people are starting to look.
They are starting to look at what is around them.
It's so similar to the Garden of Eden once again almost.
They're in the promised land.
They've been given everything they need for provided by God.
Everything they need is there.
But they look beyond that.
And they look to what God has told them not to do.
Not to go and mix with the other nations.
Not to marry into the other nations
because this is going to bring a judgment on you.
But they begin to look.
It's in our nature, through our fallen nature,
through our sin,
to start looking at what we can't have
or what we shouldn't have.
A danger that still exists to this day.
So Joshua is afraid the people
are maybe taking God's word for granted.
Taking his blessings for granted.
And they're beginning to let their eyes wander
in different directions.
And they're becoming this kind of complacent people.
A little like what we looked at last week
with the church in Laodicea.
They were lukewarm.
They weren't hot.
They weren't cold.
They were lukewarm.
They're just stale.
And it's in that kind of situation
that things begin to go wrong.
So here are the people of Joshua's day.
They're becoming lukewarm.
They're starting to look elsewhere.
And this time of peace is not being good to them.
They're losing their edge.
You think of it in this way.
What happens to an army in a time of peace?
They can become fat and lazy, ill-equipped.
They lose their edge.
They're not ready for when a conflict,
for when a war arises,
unless they've kept themselves in shape,
unless they've kept themselves constantly in training.
And think of it in a Christian perspective.
How do we use our times of peace
that we have enjoyed
or maybe even are enjoying just now in some ways?
Do we become lacy?
Do we become lukewarm?
Do we lose our edge?
Do we lose our focus
and start looking in the wrong places
instead of looking to and trusting in God?
Well, Joshua here is warning the people
to keep themselves in training,
to keep themselves in shape,
looking to God and his promises
and trusting in him.
He says in verse six,
be very strong to keep and to do
all that is written in the book of Moses,
or the law of Moses,
turning aside from it,
neither to the right hand nor to the left.
Don't start looking in different directions.
He's saying, keep your focus on God.
How often in the Bible
do you read a verse that says,
blessed are you in peace
for your faith will grow.
Can you find that verse
in the Bible that says that?
It's the opposite, isn't it?
It's the very opposite
that's true in the scriptures.
It's not blessed are you
in times of peace
for your faith grows,
but blessed are you
in times of persecution.
Blessed are you in adversity,
then your faith grows.
Matthew 5, verse 11,
blessed are you
when others revile you
and persecute you.
And other all kinds of evil
against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad
for your reward is great in heaven.
Blessed are you
when you're persecuted.
James 1, verse 2,
counted all joy, my brothers,
when you meet trials
of various kinds.
For you know that the testing
of your faith
produces steadfastness.
Again, it's not in peace,
it's in trials.
1 Peter 1,
which we've been looking at recently,
says there,
in this you rejoice,
though now for a little while,
if necessary,
you have been grieved
by various trials.
So the tested genuineness
of your faith.
So it goes on,
more precious than gold.
It's in the testing
of your faith.
That's what keeps us
looking to Jesus.
So a time of peace
is a time
to keep ourselves
well trained,
on our guard,
not complacent,
and making sure
we're not looking beyond
what we should be,
but looking always
to the Lord.
We do this by looking
to the promises
of God,
to his word,
and how he faithfully
keeps,
and will keep each one,
the blessings
and the curses.
We should be standing
convinced
and challenged
by them.
So we look
to God.
The next thing we see,
the second thing we see here
is this leaning
on God.
So you think
of the situation
here of Joshua
when the people there
have been devoted
to God.
Well, think
of our own islands
here.
If everyone
in our islands
became a Christian,
the work
of the church
is done,
would there still
be a need
for the church?
I don't mean
in the sense
of the church
as the people
or the bride
of Christ,
but the church
in the sense
as it functions.
Would we still
need the church?
Can we not just
close the doors
of our churches?
If everyone's
a Christian,
why do we need it?
Well, if we think
the sole purpose
of the church
is evangelism
or reaching out
to the lost,
then we would say,
yes, that could be true.
But we would be wrong
because that is not
the case.
Part of our work
is reaching out
to the lost.
In many ways,
it's not the main part
because the main
part of the church
is to worship
God
and to praise
his name.
When you look
at verse 1
to verse 5
here,
Joshua speaks
of the peace
they have
and the blessings
that God
has given them
and the protection
he will show them.
But he doesn't say
job done.
He doesn't say
that's it.
We're complete.
We're finished.
What he says
in verse 6,
therefore,
be very strong
to keep
and do
all that is written
in the book
of the law
of Moses.
The people
are still
leaning
upon God.
The main purpose
of the church,
the people of God,
is to be together
worshipping him,
acknowledging
our dependence
upon him.
Just like
the shorter
catechism says,
man's chief end,
our first
great end,
is to glorify
God
and to enjoy
him
forever.
Joshua could have
looked around
and seen a people
who had peace
and were enjoying
the blessings
of God
and may be happy
to leave it at that.
But he sees
coming to faith
is not the end point.
It's just
the beginning.
We need to go on
in the strength
of the Lord.
And as Joshua
looks around,
he's concerned
that people
are starting
to lose sight
of this.
No faith
can be strong
if it's not
growing.
Just as Jesus
makes clear
for us
in John 15,
he says,
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
We only bear
fruit
through him.
So we are
starting to
come away
from him
we will
fade.
We will
lose
our fruit
bearing
capacity.
We are
always
leaning
on him.
So Joshua
here
is speaking
through
experience.
And once
again you see
in the history
of the nation
of Israel
that Joshua
was right
to be concerned.
And you see
that they didn't
heed the warnings.
They drifted
away
from God.
And is that
a concern
for the church
today?
Of course
it is.
And it
always has
to be a
concern.
We always
have to ask
is our
commitment
what it
should be?
And what
does our
commitment
look like
in the light
of God's
promises?
The promises
of blessing
and the promises
of judgment.
commitment.
Well what
does the
idea of
commitment
look like
to the
Lord Jesus
Christ?
How does
he describe
how our
commitment
should be?
Again there's
maybe many
places we
could look
but in
Matthew 10
verse 37
he says
whoever
loves father
or mother
more than
me is not
worthy of
me.
And whoever
loves son
or daughter
more than
me is not
worthy of
me.
And whoever
does not
take his
cross and
follow me
is not
worthy.
of me.
What kind
of commitment
is the
Lord looking
for there?
He's telling
us so
clearly that
if he's
not our
main purpose
in life is
to worship
him then we
are losing
focus.
We are not
leaning on
him.
We are not
worthy of
him.
He speaks
of the
ultimate
expression of
love and
his willingness
to bear
his cross
and he
asks of
us to
take up
our cross
and follow
him.
Again it
speaks of
this burden
this weight
this persecution
this suffering
whatever it
is but that
we are to
take it up
and follow
him.
So how do
we describe
our commitment
to him?
Are we all
in?
Is our
heart fully
committed to
him?
What does
Joshua leave
them with as
he is about
to depart?
While he
leaves with
them the
very thing
that has
kept them
going.
He has
known every
promise of
God fulfilled.
Verse 14
that's what he
is saying.
And now I
am about to
go the way
of all the
earth and
you know in
your hearts
and souls
all of you
that not one
word has
failed of all
the good
things that
the Lord your
God promised
concerning
you.
Not one
thing of
God has
failed.
Isn't it
encouraging to
hear Joshua
speak in this
way?
It's like we're
entering into
him sharing a
word of
testimony, a
word of
encouragement to
us as God's
people.
And he's
encouraging just
as he was the
people then
ourselves today
to remind
ourselves again
and again that
every promise
of God is
yes in
Christ Jesus.
And to keep
our focus on
leaning on
these promises.
Verse 6
sums up the
way he has
lived his
life.
Therefore be
very strong
to keep and
do all that
is written in
the book of
the law of
Moses.
Where have
you heard
this before?
At the very
outset of
Joshua in
chapter 1 when
Joshua was
called to
lead the
children of
Israel.
What was he
told?
In chapter 1
verse 7 it
says only be
strong and
very courageous
being careful
to do according
to all that
all the law
that Moses my
servant commanded
you.
Do not turn
from it to the
right hand or
to the left
that you may
have good
success wherever
you go.
His experience
means at the
start that he
has enjoyed
through all
his years.
It's a very
testimony that
he is giving
to his people
as his time
on earth
comes to
an end.
The words
are almost
identical.
And we can
take these
words for
ourselves today
as well.
Joshua is
saying I
am about to
go but what
he says is
not one word
has failed
of all the
good things
that the
Lord your
God has
promised
concerning
you.
Therefore
he says
in verse 6
be very
strong to
keep and
do all
that is
written in
the book
of the
law of
Moses
turning aside
from it
neither to
the right
hand nor
to the
left.
Don't stop
looking to
God and
don't stop
leaning on
God.
So that is
what he is
saying to
us too.
To look at
the promises
of God.
To see how
faithful he
is in
having kept
them, keeping
them and he
will keep
them.
They bring
us protection.
They bring
us closer
to him
because they
are all
secure in
Christ.
Joshua
speaks as
one who
has known
it throughout
all his
days and
may we be
enabled to
hold fast
to the same
promises with
that same
attitude, being
strong, keeping
all that the
word of God
has commanded,
not turning
to the left
nor to
the right,
looking to
and leaning
upon our
Lord Jesus
Christ.
May God
bless these
thoughts to
us.
We're going
to conclude
by singing
theppone.