WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.199 And I'd like to invite you to turn back in the Bibles to Joshua chapter 23, which we read earlier, which you'll find on page 239. 00:00:08.199 --> 00:00:10.199 239. 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:17.740 Famous last words have become something of an institution. 00:00:18.759 --> 00:00:27.019 Sometimes they're tragic, sometimes they're humorous, sometimes a mixture of both, as in the case of General John Sedgwick, 00:00:27.019 --> 00:00:37.359 who was apparently a Union commander in the American Civil War, and who was killed in battle in 1864, 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:42.159 and those who were with him recalled his famous last words as being, 00:00:42.820 --> 00:00:45.719 they couldn't hit an elephant at that distance. 00:00:48.659 --> 00:00:50.060 Apparently that is true. 00:00:50.259 --> 00:00:57.179 Sometimes they're disparaging last words, like Karl Marx, who told his housekeeper, who was hovering at his bedside, 00:00:57.579 --> 00:01:04.159 ready to write down his last words for posterity, that last words are for fools who haven't said enough. 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:13.759 But the last words, or the closing speeches of the Bible, have much more serious content and far deeper significance. 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:17.920 And if you think about it, there are lots of last words in the Bible. 00:01:18.900 --> 00:01:23.960 The final speeches of Jacob, for example, blessing his twelve sons. 00:01:24.460 --> 00:01:28.680 Moses, as he prepares the people to enter the Promised Land. 00:01:29.160 --> 00:01:33.520 David, at the end of his long reign and life. 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:36.819 And especially, of course, the Lord Jesus himself. 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:43.679 His famous last words in John 13 to 17, what we often call the Upper Room Discourse. 00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:46.420 They are all major features of Scripture. 00:01:47.379 --> 00:01:51.959 And here we have Joshua's parting discourses. 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:56.859 In fact, at the end of the book of Joshua, there are three speeches that he makes. 00:01:57.539 --> 00:02:02.959 Chapter 22, before our chapter, he says farewell to the two and a half tribes 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:08.419 who are going back across the Jordan to resettle in their allotted territories. 00:02:08.740 --> 00:02:10.919 They've been helping with the conquest of Canaan. 00:02:11.379 --> 00:02:14.419 They're now dispatched back home east of the Jordan. 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:17.459 And Joshua gives them parting words. 00:02:17.460 --> 00:02:21.840 Chapter 24, after our chapter, the last chapter of the book, 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:27.600 is his address to the whole nation as he calls them to choose whom they're going to serve. 00:02:28.180 --> 00:02:30.920 Whether it will be the Lord or other gods. 00:02:31.140 --> 00:02:36.560 And that famous assertion of Joshua, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:43.840 And here in between, chapter 23, is a chapter that gives his last words to the leaders, 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:48.319 the people who are responsible for the government of the nation, 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:51.780 the elders, the leaders, the judges, and officials. 00:02:52.680 --> 00:02:56.199 As Joshua passes on the baton, he says, 00:02:56.300 --> 00:02:57.980 I'm old and well advanced in years. 00:02:58.060 --> 00:03:01.640 We know later in the book that he died at the age of 110. 00:03:02.379 --> 00:03:08.259 And so we're probably about 20, 25 years from the time when they first crossed the Jordan 00:03:08.259 --> 00:03:09.580 to enter the land. 00:03:09.580 --> 00:03:14.540 And you know the book of Joshua is all about the conquest of the land from the fall of Jericho 00:03:14.540 --> 00:03:17.580 and they marched around it seven times and the walls fell flat, 00:03:17.900 --> 00:03:23.820 right the way through to the allocation of all the territory that God gave them in the land of Canaan. 00:03:24.820 --> 00:03:30.280 And this chapter, at the end, is both a looking back and a looking forward. 00:03:30.380 --> 00:03:31.800 I think it's appropriate for January. 00:03:32.220 --> 00:03:35.820 We're here on the second Sunday, but we're still at the beginning of a new year. 00:03:35.819 --> 00:03:42.519 January named after Janus, the god of paganism, who looked back and looked forward, the two-faced god. 00:03:42.979 --> 00:03:47.159 Well, it's a good thing at the beginning of a year, isn't it, to look back in thanksgiving 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:53.079 and to renew our faith and commitment as we look forward in hope to what God has for us. 00:03:53.519 --> 00:03:57.079 So I hope this will be an appropriate message, both for this time of the year 00:03:57.080 --> 00:04:02.020 and also for our own minds and hearts as we think about the faithfulness of God. 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:05.040 So in verse 1, we get the scene set. 00:04:05.160 --> 00:04:07.720 That long time refers to the period of the conquest. 00:04:08.020 --> 00:04:15.060 And if you read the book, you'll find some very exciting stories of how God gave the land to his people. 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:20.480 The key to it all is there in those opening verses. 00:04:20.660 --> 00:04:22.040 Have a look with me at verse 3. 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:27.600 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake. 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:30.800 It was the Lord your God who fought for you. 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:34.199 So this is the story of the book. 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:37.560 That God has been in control of a whole situation. 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:42.939 That he has led the people under Joshua to accomplish his plans and purposes. 00:04:42.939 --> 00:04:50.079 But supremely, God has been fulfilling his promises all the way through the story. 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:55.600 And now Joshua, near the end of his life, is concerned that the people who will follow him 00:04:55.600 --> 00:05:01.600 will be as committed to this God and to his word, as trusting in him as he has been, 00:05:02.019 --> 00:05:10.420 and as prepared to launch out in faith to see God work in their generation as Joshua has seen it in his own. 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:16.259 Now, there's a progression in the chapter which I think divides into three sections. 00:05:16.660 --> 00:05:21.080 Verses 3 to 8, 9 to 13, and 14 to 16. 00:05:21.660 --> 00:05:26.200 And the reason I say that is because you'll see if you look with me at the opening verse of each section 00:05:26.200 --> 00:05:29.680 that there's a similarity in the way in which Joshua approaches it. 00:05:29.939 --> 00:05:35.600 So verse 3 talks about everything the Lord has done for you, how the Lord has fought for you. 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:42.160 Verse 8 talks about the Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations to this day. 00:05:43.060 --> 00:05:48.260 And then verse 14, where Joshua talks about his own imminent departure. 00:05:49.180 --> 00:05:54.080 But he says, you know that not one of all the good promises of the Lord your God has failed. 00:05:54.280 --> 00:05:56.240 Every promise has been fulfilled. 00:05:56.540 --> 00:05:58.300 Not one has failed. 00:05:58.300 --> 00:06:04.400 Now, like many a good preacher after him, Joshua repeats his big idea three times. 00:06:05.280 --> 00:06:10.699 In each of the paragraphs, this fantastic truth, this central assertion, 00:06:11.100 --> 00:06:16.620 that everything that they are now experiencing, the lands that they have not themselves won, 00:06:16.780 --> 00:06:22.019 but that God has given them as they've trusted him and experienced his power at work through them. 00:06:22.019 --> 00:06:28.659 Everything that is theirs today is theirs because God has chosen them, God has promised, 00:06:29.099 --> 00:06:30.759 and God has fulfilled his promises. 00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:33.299 But he doesn't just repeat himself. 00:06:34.599 --> 00:06:37.319 It begins by looking back, but as the speech goes on, 00:06:37.419 --> 00:06:41.639 he becomes increasingly concerned about the present and about the future, 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:46.879 and particularly about warnings that he feels he needs to give 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:53.479 because it is as easy to lose the blessings as it has been to receive them by God's grace. 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:59.199 So I want to look at this Old Testament preacher's message to his generation. 00:06:59.939 --> 00:07:03.240 And as we do that, I'm sure we'll find many parallels to us. 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:06.199 And as we see it coming to its fruition in the Lord Jesus, 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:11.579 we can find encouragement, yes, and challenge for the year that lies ahead of us. 00:07:12.599 --> 00:07:16.899 Look with me firstly then at what I want to describe as what you have seen. 00:07:17.180 --> 00:07:18.219 What you have seen. 00:07:19.139 --> 00:07:20.800 That is verses 3 to 8. 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:24.779 And not surprisingly, at the end of this long and eventful life, 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:27.339 Joshua starts by looking back. 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:29.339 But he's not a nostalgia buff. 00:07:29.919 --> 00:07:31.939 He's not looking back in self-indulgence. 00:07:32.039 --> 00:07:34.120 He's not saying, oh, those were the days, weren't they? 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:42.199 What he's doing is reminding his audience of how dependent they are on God for everything that they have. 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:47.240 He calls upon the leaders to review their common experience of God's goodness, 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:49.420 to remember what God has done, 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:53.300 and the immense changes that they've witnessed in their lifetime, 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:58.300 and the daily benefits that they receive from the hands of the Lord. 00:07:58.300 --> 00:08:01.800 Now that is always a sound spiritual instinct. 00:08:02.500 --> 00:08:05.759 Not to forget all his benefits and blessings. 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:10.139 And as we start a new year, we should look back with thanksgiving. 00:08:10.259 --> 00:08:12.060 We've been doing that in our worship this morning. 00:08:12.400 --> 00:08:14.920 As we praise God for his faithfulness to us, 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:16.460 for the way in which he's led us, 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:20.780 some of us through particularly difficult circumstances in recent days, 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:22.840 some of us in particularly joyful ways. 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:24.839 We've all got a variety of experience, 00:08:25.779 --> 00:08:27.019 but at the heart of it all, 00:08:27.359 --> 00:08:31.119 there is the faithfulness of God to his word and to his promises. 00:08:32.220 --> 00:08:35.360 And as we review that, and do not forget his benefits, 00:08:35.459 --> 00:08:36.679 as we give thanks, 00:08:36.980 --> 00:08:40.159 and discipline ourselves in our own personal times of devotion, 00:08:40.620 --> 00:08:42.699 to recall the blessings of God, 00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:46.120 that will generate our faith for the future. 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:50.620 We look back and see that all the blessings we now enjoy 00:08:50.620 --> 00:08:52.799 have been God's gracious gift to us. 00:08:53.420 --> 00:08:56.879 And that makes us realise how dependent we are on him 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:00.220 for every day of this new year, 00:09:00.420 --> 00:09:01.540 every day of our lives, 00:09:01.620 --> 00:09:03.740 for every breath that we breathe. 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:07.200 That's why the New Testament is always concerned 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:09.259 that godly people are thankful people. 00:09:10.280 --> 00:09:12.700 You can tell how, in a sense, 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:14.580 what your spiritual health is like 00:09:14.580 --> 00:09:17.240 in terms of how thankful you are to God. 00:09:18.120 --> 00:09:20.100 How thankful you are that God is God. 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:22.000 That this is his character. 00:09:22.840 --> 00:09:25.259 That he is faithful to all his promises, 00:09:25.460 --> 00:09:26.879 that he is always carrying out 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:29.100 what he commits himself to do. 00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:33.200 Thankful too for the circumstances of our lives, 00:09:33.280 --> 00:09:34.899 for the overruling providence 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:36.759 by which he guides us and directs us 00:09:36.759 --> 00:09:39.080 and opens doors for us and shuts other doors, 00:09:39.420 --> 00:09:40.600 keeps us from dangers, 00:09:40.940 --> 00:09:42.019 directs us in the way, 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:44.120 as every day we commit our way to him. 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:45.200 And we pray, 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:45.519 Lord, 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:48.060 today I want to submit myself 00:09:48.060 --> 00:09:49.019 to your authority, 00:09:49.179 --> 00:09:50.139 to your lordship. 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:52.600 There will be many, many things 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:54.480 that we can thank God for, 00:09:54.820 --> 00:09:55.700 supremely, 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:57.139 that he sent his son, 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:57.779 the Lord Jesus, 00:09:57.960 --> 00:09:59.740 to die on that cross in our place. 00:10:00.299 --> 00:10:01.320 And that we have access 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:02.720 into his presence this morning. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:03.860 We've been able to pray. 00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:05.580 We know our sins have been forgiven. 00:10:05.940 --> 00:10:06.860 We know that we go out 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:08.539 with the Holy Spirit within us 00:10:08.539 --> 00:10:10.419 to change us from the inside out. 00:10:10.419 --> 00:10:11.939 These are the great blessings 00:10:11.939 --> 00:10:12.879 of being a Christian. 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:14.459 Be a thankful Christian. 00:10:16.259 --> 00:10:17.959 And it's never too early to start. 00:10:18.179 --> 00:10:20.019 I worked with a man called Lee Samuel, 00:10:20.179 --> 00:10:21.079 who some of you may know 00:10:21.079 --> 00:10:22.259 in my early years in ministry. 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:23.799 And Lee Samuel used to say 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:24.659 to his congregation, 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:26.539 if you want to be a gracious old lady, 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:28.419 be a gracious young lady. 00:10:29.099 --> 00:10:31.000 And if you want to be a faithful old man, 00:10:31.079 --> 00:10:32.219 be a faithful young man. 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:33.899 In other words, 00:10:33.959 --> 00:10:36.019 you build every day of your life 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:36.740 a character, 00:10:37.319 --> 00:10:38.519 an attitude. 00:10:38.519 --> 00:10:41.139 You become who you are 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:42.199 because of practice. 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:45.019 And we can practice being faithful, 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:45.879 thankful, 00:10:46.500 --> 00:10:47.500 rejoicing people 00:10:47.500 --> 00:10:49.799 in all that the Lord has given us. 00:10:50.819 --> 00:10:52.139 Now, in this context, 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:53.699 Joshua draws special attention 00:10:53.699 --> 00:10:55.179 to what he calls the nations. 00:10:55.399 --> 00:10:56.299 Back in verse 3, 00:10:56.659 --> 00:10:57.740 you yourselves have seen 00:10:57.740 --> 00:10:59.000 everything the Lord your God 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:00.720 has done to all these nations. 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:03.360 It's really a technical term 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:04.199 for anyone, 00:11:04.659 --> 00:11:05.319 any nation, 00:11:05.319 --> 00:11:06.600 that is outside the covenant 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:08.519 of God's grace. 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:09.720 And that means every nation 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:11.080 except Israel at this point 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:12.360 in Old Testament history. 00:11:13.159 --> 00:11:14.820 Seven times in this chapter, 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:16.680 he refers to the nations. 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:18.759 Now, they have been, 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:19.500 of course, 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:21.519 opposing what God has been doing 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:22.360 in giving the land 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:23.139 to his people. 00:11:24.180 --> 00:11:26.220 And many of those nations 00:11:26.220 --> 00:11:27.879 have fought tooth and nail 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:29.180 against the conquest. 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:31.940 But as verse 4 tells us, 00:11:31.940 --> 00:11:34.080 remember how I have allotted 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:34.960 as an inheritance 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:35.940 for your tribes 00:11:35.940 --> 00:11:37.560 all the land of the nations 00:11:37.560 --> 00:11:38.240 that remain, 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:39.800 and these are the nations 00:11:39.800 --> 00:11:40.960 that I conquered. 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:43.500 The I is Joshua speaking, 00:11:43.680 --> 00:11:45.760 but speaking as the agent of God, 00:11:46.100 --> 00:11:47.160 that I have conquered 00:11:47.160 --> 00:11:48.120 between the Jordan 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:50.040 and the Mediterranean. 00:11:50.640 --> 00:11:52.260 And the Lord your God himself 00:11:52.260 --> 00:11:53.600 will drive them out 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:55.000 of your way. 00:11:55.760 --> 00:11:57.560 So here is the great blessings 00:11:57.560 --> 00:11:59.020 that God has given. 00:11:59.020 --> 00:11:59.800 Again and again, 00:11:59.799 --> 00:12:01.479 the book has shown us 00:12:01.479 --> 00:12:02.639 that it's God 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:04.979 who has granted Israel victory 00:12:04.979 --> 00:12:06.439 as he promised. 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:08.000 And already the land 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:09.339 has been divided up 00:12:09.339 --> 00:12:10.740 and allotted to the tribes 00:12:10.740 --> 00:12:12.000 and to the family units, 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:14.059 including those parts of the land 00:12:14.059 --> 00:12:15.379 which are still 00:12:15.379 --> 00:12:17.879 unconquered at this point. 00:12:18.599 --> 00:12:19.459 But looking back 00:12:19.459 --> 00:12:20.819 to what has been accomplished 00:12:20.819 --> 00:12:23.120 is a tremendous stimulus 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:24.659 to go on believing 00:12:24.659 --> 00:12:25.839 for the future. 00:12:25.959 --> 00:12:26.740 There's no shortage 00:12:26.740 --> 00:12:27.879 of ability with God. 00:12:27.879 --> 00:12:28.820 He's the one 00:12:28.820 --> 00:12:30.279 who has driven them out 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:31.480 and will drive them out. 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:32.740 He will push them on 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:33.320 before you 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:34.759 and you will take possession 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:35.539 of their land 00:12:35.539 --> 00:12:37.659 as the Lord your God 00:12:37.659 --> 00:12:38.620 promised you. 00:12:39.700 --> 00:12:40.659 Now we're in a very 00:12:40.659 --> 00:12:41.980 different position of course. 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:43.519 We're not driving out tribes 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.360 from another land 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:46.220 or anything like that. 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:47.659 But as the people of God, 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:49.820 in a world where there is 00:12:49.820 --> 00:12:51.879 hostility against the word of God 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:53.139 and the purposes of God, 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:55.059 in a world where people 00:12:55.059 --> 00:12:56.639 very often turn their backs 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:57.519 upon God 00:12:57.519 --> 00:12:58.679 when things get hard 00:12:58.679 --> 00:12:59.219 and difficult, 00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:01.539 we need to remind ourselves 00:13:01.539 --> 00:13:02.579 as we look back 00:13:02.579 --> 00:13:04.399 on what we have seen 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:06.679 that there is no shortage 00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:08.479 of ability with God. 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:10.899 His name is the Lord 00:13:10.899 --> 00:13:12.099 and whenever you see the Lord 00:13:12.099 --> 00:13:12.939 in capital letters 00:13:12.939 --> 00:13:13.739 in the Old Testament, 00:13:14.179 --> 00:13:15.879 it's the covenant name of God, 00:13:15.979 --> 00:13:17.019 Yahweh, Jehovah, 00:13:17.419 --> 00:13:19.379 the I am who I am, 00:13:19.699 --> 00:13:20.639 the unchanging, 00:13:20.939 --> 00:13:22.779 100% dependable, 00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:24.819 ever faithful God. 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:26.659 And what he has done, 00:13:27.459 --> 00:13:28.839 he will continue to do. 00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:32.079 Now when we get to the second part 00:13:32.079 --> 00:13:33.000 of the chapter, 00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:34.179 that's what he's saying 00:13:34.179 --> 00:13:35.179 in verse 9. 00:13:35.539 --> 00:13:36.839 If you look down at verse 9, 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:39.139 the Lord has driven out before you 00:13:39.139 --> 00:13:41.079 great and powerful nations. 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:42.199 To this day, 00:13:42.379 --> 00:13:43.779 no one has been able to 00:13:43.779 --> 00:13:44.980 withstand you. 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:47.319 One of you raps a thousand 00:13:47.319 --> 00:13:49.480 because the Lord your God 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:50.699 fights for you 00:13:50.700 --> 00:13:52.740 just as he promised. 00:13:53.860 --> 00:13:54.840 See how he takes them 00:13:54.840 --> 00:13:55.879 back to the power 00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:57.320 that is God's power. 00:13:58.580 --> 00:13:59.640 It's so easy for us, 00:13:59.680 --> 00:13:59.960 isn't it, 00:13:59.980 --> 00:14:01.060 to bring God down 00:14:01.060 --> 00:14:02.340 to our level. 00:14:03.020 --> 00:14:04.120 For us to have effectively 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:05.480 a pocket-sized God 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:08.300 whom we do sincerely believe in 00:14:08.300 --> 00:14:09.620 but whom we feel 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:10.360 that the pressures 00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:11.660 and the problems 00:14:11.660 --> 00:14:14.220 and the anti-Christian forces 00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:15.020 that are at work 00:14:15.020 --> 00:14:16.700 all the way through our culture, 00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:18.020 they're really too big. 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:19.980 Too big for us to deal with. 00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:22.159 And we sometimes tend to think 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:23.899 too big for God to deal with. 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:26.039 And we need to remember 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:28.519 that the promises of God 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:29.800 are what dictate 00:14:29.800 --> 00:14:31.080 the purposes of God. 00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:33.180 That God is committed 00:14:33.180 --> 00:14:34.899 to building his church. 00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:36.800 That he is committed 00:14:36.800 --> 00:14:37.360 to bringing 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:39.259 an innumerable company 00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:39.920 of men and women 00:14:39.920 --> 00:14:40.920 from every tribe 00:14:40.920 --> 00:14:41.980 and kindred and nation 00:14:41.980 --> 00:14:43.300 out of the darkness 00:14:43.300 --> 00:14:45.159 into the marvellous light 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:45.700 of Christ. 00:14:45.700 --> 00:14:48.340 I went to preach 00:14:48.340 --> 00:14:48.920 in a church 00:14:48.920 --> 00:14:50.740 not too far from here 00:14:50.740 --> 00:14:51.340 in West London 00:14:51.340 --> 00:14:52.180 a few years ago, 00:14:52.280 --> 00:14:53.379 probably three or four years ago. 00:14:54.020 --> 00:14:55.140 And I was interviewed 00:14:55.140 --> 00:14:56.660 about the Cornhill training course 00:14:56.660 --> 00:14:57.879 and I shared a little bit 00:14:57.879 --> 00:14:58.580 about the numbers 00:14:58.580 --> 00:15:00.020 of students that we had 00:15:00.020 --> 00:15:00.860 and the variety 00:15:00.860 --> 00:15:02.160 of backgrounds they came from, 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:03.240 different nationalities 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:03.720 and so on. 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:05.820 And at the end 00:15:05.820 --> 00:15:07.080 a gentleman came up to me 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:07.560 and he said, 00:15:07.559 --> 00:15:09.819 I'm really surprised 00:15:09.819 --> 00:15:10.539 by what you said 00:15:10.539 --> 00:15:11.599 in the interview this morning. 00:15:12.579 --> 00:15:13.159 So I said, 00:15:13.219 --> 00:15:13.479 why? 00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:14.219 And he said, 00:15:14.299 --> 00:15:14.500 well, 00:15:15.099 --> 00:15:16.519 to think that young people 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:17.159 who are apparently 00:15:17.159 --> 00:15:18.039 quite able 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:19.219 and who could be 00:15:19.219 --> 00:15:20.039 earning a good living 00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:20.859 in various ways 00:15:20.859 --> 00:15:21.919 will be giving themselves 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:23.899 to train for Christian ministry 00:15:23.899 --> 00:15:25.619 which is such a defeated 00:15:25.619 --> 00:15:26.839 and out of date thing. 00:15:27.419 --> 00:15:28.219 I'm just amazed 00:15:28.219 --> 00:15:28.879 that you would have 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:30.379 anybody who wanted to do it. 00:15:31.379 --> 00:15:32.079 So I said to him, 00:15:32.079 --> 00:15:32.719 how long have you been 00:15:32.719 --> 00:15:33.699 coming to this church? 00:15:33.979 --> 00:15:35.059 Oh, about 20 years. 00:15:35.059 --> 00:15:37.579 You see, 00:15:37.619 --> 00:15:38.259 it's so easy, 00:15:38.339 --> 00:15:38.599 isn't it, 00:15:38.619 --> 00:15:39.500 to get down 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:40.199 into the way 00:15:40.199 --> 00:15:41.119 that the world thinks 00:15:41.119 --> 00:15:41.659 that Christianity 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:42.419 is finished, 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:43.219 that it's had it, 00:15:43.319 --> 00:15:44.799 that there's no real way 00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:45.479 in which it could ever 00:15:45.479 --> 00:15:46.639 impact our culture 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:48.899 and to take our judgment 00:15:48.899 --> 00:15:51.099 from BDC2 00:15:51.099 --> 00:15:52.099 or Channel 4 00:15:52.099 --> 00:15:53.259 or the Sunday papers 00:15:53.259 --> 00:15:54.359 or whatever it is 00:15:54.359 --> 00:15:56.000 and to think 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:56.599 that Christianity 00:15:56.599 --> 00:15:57.739 really has gone, 00:15:58.059 --> 00:15:59.099 its day is over. 00:16:00.179 --> 00:16:01.759 But what the world 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:02.739 is governed by 00:16:02.739 --> 00:16:04.379 is the promises of God. 00:16:05.059 --> 00:16:06.859 the faithfulness of God 00:16:06.859 --> 00:16:07.759 who is the creator. 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:09.500 And if you put 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:10.719 the promises of God 00:16:10.719 --> 00:16:11.759 against the 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:13.799 admittedly huge challenges 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:15.159 of the present situation, 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:17.199 then you begin to see 00:16:17.199 --> 00:16:18.139 when you look back 00:16:18.139 --> 00:16:19.419 and as you see 00:16:19.419 --> 00:16:20.099 what God has done 00:16:20.099 --> 00:16:20.679 in the past 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:21.719 and indeed what God 00:16:21.719 --> 00:16:23.299 has done in our lives, 00:16:24.099 --> 00:16:25.659 that of all these promises, 00:16:26.939 --> 00:16:28.399 not one has failed. 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:30.779 Can you think of a promise 00:16:30.779 --> 00:16:31.699 of God that he's not 00:16:31.699 --> 00:16:32.519 been faithful to? 00:16:32.659 --> 00:16:33.239 Of course not. 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:35.240 He's delivered us 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:36.720 in the blessing 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:37.600 of our conversion 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:38.580 from the world 00:16:38.580 --> 00:16:39.180 and the flesh 00:16:39.180 --> 00:16:39.700 and the devil. 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:40.740 He's given us 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:41.299 the knowledge 00:16:41.299 --> 00:16:42.299 of sins forgiven. 00:16:43.180 --> 00:16:44.019 He enables us 00:16:44.019 --> 00:16:45.220 to grow in grace 00:16:45.220 --> 00:16:46.180 and in godliness 00:16:46.180 --> 00:16:47.039 of character. 00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:49.200 We're all testimonies 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:50.759 of God's rich resources 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:52.360 and covenant commitment 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:52.840 to us, 00:16:52.940 --> 00:16:53.419 his people. 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:55.320 But you know, 00:16:55.399 --> 00:16:56.919 no faith is strong 00:16:56.919 --> 00:16:58.699 if it isn't a growing faith. 00:16:58.919 --> 00:17:01.579 No virtue is safe 00:17:01.579 --> 00:17:02.539 if it is not 00:17:02.539 --> 00:17:04.279 an enthusiastic virtue. 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:06.940 None of us is secure 00:17:06.940 --> 00:17:08.539 if we are not 00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:09.639 totally dependent 00:17:09.639 --> 00:17:11.680 on God's grace 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:12.599 and mercy. 00:17:12.599 --> 00:17:15.539 what you have seen 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:16.939 teaches us 00:17:16.939 --> 00:17:17.559 that the world 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:18.139 is governed 00:17:18.139 --> 00:17:20.019 by the word of God. 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:21.539 And the word 00:17:21.539 --> 00:17:22.879 is the active expression 00:17:22.879 --> 00:17:23.599 of the will 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:24.659 and purpose of God 00:17:24.659 --> 00:17:25.699 that he carries out 00:17:25.699 --> 00:17:27.439 through his son 00:17:27.439 --> 00:17:28.819 and in the power 00:17:28.819 --> 00:17:29.559 of his spirit. 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:31.579 Second thing 00:17:31.579 --> 00:17:32.159 that he says, 00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:33.500 not what you have seen 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:35.079 but what you must understand. 00:17:35.699 --> 00:17:36.439 Come back with me 00:17:36.439 --> 00:17:37.240 to verse 7. 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:39.960 Here, 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:41.240 he is commanding 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:41.660 the people 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:42.880 to be strong 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:43.579 and careful 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:44.120 to obey 00:17:44.120 --> 00:17:45.059 the Lord's word. 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:46.880 And then in verse 7, 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:47.900 do not associate 00:17:47.900 --> 00:17:48.920 with these nations 00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:50.039 that remain among you. 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:51.220 Don't invoke 00:17:51.220 --> 00:17:51.900 the names 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:52.680 of their gods 00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:53.720 or swear by them. 00:17:54.099 --> 00:17:55.319 You must not serve them 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:56.359 or bow down to them. 00:17:56.859 --> 00:17:58.120 But you're to hold fast 00:17:58.120 --> 00:17:59.700 to the Lord your God. 00:17:59.779 --> 00:18:00.920 Now here is the danger. 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:02.839 We could call it 00:18:02.839 --> 00:18:03.740 complacency. 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:06.500 A good proportion 00:18:06.500 --> 00:18:07.059 of the land 00:18:07.059 --> 00:18:07.819 has been taken. 00:18:08.399 --> 00:18:09.399 But there is still 00:18:09.399 --> 00:18:10.279 very much more 00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:11.279 to be possessed. 00:18:12.339 --> 00:18:13.399 If that's going to happen, 00:18:13.539 --> 00:18:14.279 Joshua knows 00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:15.319 that it will require 00:18:15.319 --> 00:18:17.200 razor sharp clarity, 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:18.539 trusting the promises, 00:18:19.679 --> 00:18:21.319 and wonderfully 00:18:21.319 --> 00:18:23.000 renewed energy 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:23.799 from God 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:25.240 if they are going 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:26.339 to pursue 00:18:26.339 --> 00:18:27.179 his purposes 00:18:27.179 --> 00:18:29.299 and take over 00:18:29.299 --> 00:18:30.059 the whole land. 00:18:30.879 --> 00:18:31.700 And what they've seen 00:18:31.700 --> 00:18:32.279 is that God 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:33.700 fights for his people 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:35.279 when his people 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:36.279 are active 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:37.160 and obedient 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:38.960 in doing his will. 00:18:39.740 --> 00:18:40.500 He didn't do it 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:41.139 all for them. 00:18:41.220 --> 00:18:41.940 They had to have 00:18:41.940 --> 00:18:43.500 an army. 00:18:43.500 --> 00:18:44.519 They had to have 00:18:44.519 --> 00:18:45.000 battles. 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:45.899 Sometimes there was 00:18:45.899 --> 00:18:47.200 no battle like Jericho. 00:18:47.579 --> 00:18:48.559 Other times there were 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:49.299 battles in which 00:18:49.299 --> 00:18:50.119 they had to fight. 00:18:50.500 --> 00:18:51.700 But all the energy 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:52.660 and dynamic 00:18:52.660 --> 00:18:53.420 for the victories 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:54.680 that they experienced 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:56.139 belonged to the Lord. 00:18:56.140 --> 00:18:58.740 and those qualities 00:18:58.740 --> 00:18:59.600 are available 00:18:59.600 --> 00:19:01.100 as his people 00:19:01.100 --> 00:19:02.600 continue to fight 00:19:02.600 --> 00:19:03.360 the good fight. 00:19:04.540 --> 00:19:05.759 But the danger is 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:06.740 that they will settle 00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:07.540 for a comfortable 00:19:07.540 --> 00:19:08.700 level of compromise 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:10.480 that doesn't inquire, 00:19:10.700 --> 00:19:11.660 doesn't really require 00:19:11.660 --> 00:19:12.600 such discipline 00:19:12.600 --> 00:19:13.940 or sacrifice 00:19:13.940 --> 00:19:15.420 or commitment. 00:19:16.540 --> 00:19:17.520 And then the process 00:19:17.520 --> 00:19:18.140 of verse 7 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:18.940 will take over. 00:19:18.940 --> 00:19:20.440 And they will 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:21.740 gradually merge 00:19:21.740 --> 00:19:22.660 with the pagan 00:19:22.660 --> 00:19:23.480 nations that 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:24.440 remain in the land 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:26.140 mixing with 00:19:26.140 --> 00:19:27.519 those people 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:29.720 beginning to 00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:30.759 listen to the 00:19:30.759 --> 00:19:32.799 to what they're 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:33.600 told about their 00:19:33.600 --> 00:19:34.140 gods. 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:35.860 Worshipping those 00:19:35.860 --> 00:19:37.259 gods more and 00:19:37.259 --> 00:19:38.100 more because 00:19:38.100 --> 00:19:39.340 they're much less 00:19:39.340 --> 00:19:40.160 demanding than the 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:40.860 God of Israel. 00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:42.700 They're much more 00:19:42.700 --> 00:19:43.820 easily influenced 00:19:43.820 --> 00:19:45.420 than the God of 00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:45.880 truth and 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:46.380 righteousness. 00:19:46.380 --> 00:19:46.700 righteousness. 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:47.680 And so they're 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:48.540 much more attractive 00:19:48.540 --> 00:19:49.180 as a religious 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:49.940 option because 00:19:49.940 --> 00:19:50.980 you can control 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:51.320 them. 00:19:52.080 --> 00:19:52.680 Of course we know 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:53.000 that they're 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:54.280 actually lifeless 00:19:54.280 --> 00:19:54.980 lumps of wood 00:19:54.980 --> 00:19:55.560 and stone, 00:19:55.900 --> 00:19:56.740 artifacts made 00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:57.340 by the hands 00:19:57.340 --> 00:19:57.720 of men. 00:19:57.980 --> 00:19:58.620 But they're very 00:19:58.620 --> 00:19:59.660 attractive because 00:19:59.660 --> 00:20:00.240 this sort of 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:00.820 God is in your 00:20:00.820 --> 00:20:01.180 pocket. 00:20:02.520 --> 00:20:03.040 And the real 00:20:03.040 --> 00:20:03.700 God isn't. 00:20:05.020 --> 00:20:05.580 And so the 00:20:05.580 --> 00:20:06.720 danger is acute. 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:08.700 And verses 12 00:20:08.700 --> 00:20:09.620 and 13 over the 00:20:09.620 --> 00:20:10.600 page warn them 00:20:10.600 --> 00:20:11.920 in some detail, 00:20:12.120 --> 00:20:12.720 sorry it's at the 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:13.300 bottom of the page, 00:20:13.380 --> 00:20:14.160 warn them in some 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:16.200 detail about the 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:17.120 outcome of these 00:20:17.120 --> 00:20:17.580 things. 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:19.460 If you turn away, 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:20.279 verse 12, 00:20:20.580 --> 00:20:21.759 and ally yourselves 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:23.259 with the survivors 00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:24.180 of these nations 00:20:24.180 --> 00:20:25.100 that remain among 00:20:25.100 --> 00:20:26.220 you, and if you 00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:27.100 intermarry with 00:20:27.100 --> 00:20:27.799 them and associate 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:29.240 with them, then 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:29.940 you may be sure 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:30.580 that the Lord your 00:20:30.580 --> 00:20:31.500 God will no longer 00:20:31.500 --> 00:20:32.259 drive out these 00:20:32.259 --> 00:20:33.360 nations before you. 00:20:34.120 --> 00:20:34.860 Instead they will 00:20:34.860 --> 00:20:36.140 become snares and 00:20:36.140 --> 00:20:36.940 traps for you, 00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:37.960 whips on your back 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:38.840 and thorns in your 00:20:38.840 --> 00:20:40.500 eyes, until you 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:41.440 perish from this 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:43.039 good land which 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:43.819 the Lord your God 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:44.440 has given you. 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:47.180 See here is the 00:20:47.180 --> 00:20:48.840 danger, that this 00:20:48.840 --> 00:20:50.799 sort of complacency 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:52.799 will lead them to 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:54.960 compromise, that 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:55.960 they will in the 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:57.900 end be indistinguishable 00:20:57.900 --> 00:20:58.580 from the people 00:20:58.580 --> 00:20:59.299 whom they're supposed 00:20:59.299 --> 00:21:00.539 to be replacing. 00:21:01.620 --> 00:21:02.160 And if that 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:03.279 happens, then God 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:04.420 who owns the land 00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:05.559 will take it away 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:07.340 from them and they 00:21:07.340 --> 00:21:08.779 will be dispossessed 00:21:08.779 --> 00:21:10.019 by the God who 00:21:10.019 --> 00:21:11.380 first gave it to 00:21:11.380 --> 00:21:11.660 them. 00:21:11.660 --> 00:21:13.800 Now that is a 00:21:13.800 --> 00:21:14.500 very powerful 00:21:14.500 --> 00:21:15.500 warning, isn't it? 00:21:16.019 --> 00:21:16.700 This is what we've 00:21:16.700 --> 00:21:17.640 got to understand, 00:21:18.300 --> 00:21:19.420 that there is no 00:21:19.420 --> 00:21:20.420 blessing that God 00:21:20.420 --> 00:21:22.519 gives us which, 00:21:22.900 --> 00:21:25.360 if we are unwilling 00:21:25.360 --> 00:21:27.120 to respond in faith 00:21:27.120 --> 00:21:28.580 and obedience, if we 00:21:28.580 --> 00:21:30.600 treat it lightly and 00:21:30.600 --> 00:21:31.900 compromise with the 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:33.820 forces of godless 00:21:33.820 --> 00:21:35.480 evil around us, 00:21:35.600 --> 00:21:36.560 there is no blessing 00:21:36.560 --> 00:21:37.740 which is secure in 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:39.779 itself unless we are 00:21:39.779 --> 00:21:41.619 positively related to 00:21:41.619 --> 00:21:43.019 God day by day. 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:44.700 Now of course the 00:21:44.700 --> 00:21:45.680 work of God is an 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:46.660 eternal work, he 00:21:46.660 --> 00:21:47.700 saves us by his 00:21:47.700 --> 00:21:49.099 grace, he calls us 00:21:49.099 --> 00:21:50.019 as his people, he 00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:51.180 makes us his own. 00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:53.099 But our experience 00:21:53.099 --> 00:21:54.279 of the blessings of 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:56.200 God are dependent 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:57.279 upon that faith 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:58.460 connection with him 00:21:58.460 --> 00:22:00.019 that trusts him 00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:01.720 and obeys him in 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:02.460 all the varied 00:22:02.460 --> 00:22:03.599 circumstances of 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:03.940 life. 00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:06.720 And the big danger 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:07.440 is that they will 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:08.339 lose out on what 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:10.000 they could enjoy 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:11.679 because somehow 00:22:11.679 --> 00:22:12.959 they become more 00:22:12.959 --> 00:22:14.519 like the nations 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:16.000 around them than 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:16.779 like the separate 00:22:16.779 --> 00:22:17.720 people of God 00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:18.980 that he has called 00:22:18.980 --> 00:22:20.279 them to become. 00:22:21.419 --> 00:22:22.720 You really don't 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:23.519 need me to apply 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:23.859 that. 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:25.959 We see around us 00:22:25.959 --> 00:22:26.859 all sorts of 00:22:26.859 --> 00:22:27.480 idolatry. 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:29.559 The messages that 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:30.659 impact our lives 00:22:30.659 --> 00:22:32.199 every day are that 00:22:32.199 --> 00:22:33.199 life is found in 00:22:33.199 --> 00:22:34.339 this or that, 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:35.599 anything other 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:36.259 than God of 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:36.500 miracles. 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:38.619 And yes, here we 00:22:38.619 --> 00:22:39.200 are on Sunday 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:40.960 morning, rightly 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:42.000 rehearsing our 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:42.819 faith in God, 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:43.819 rightly giving 00:22:43.819 --> 00:22:44.660 ourselves at the 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:45.299 beginning of another 00:22:45.299 --> 00:22:46.420 week to an hour 00:22:46.420 --> 00:22:47.720 or so by which our 00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:48.819 lives are set in 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:50.240 shape with God 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:51.799 and by which we 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:52.640 are able to 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:53.519 govern and direct 00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:54.440 our lives for the 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:55.319 coming days. 00:22:56.059 --> 00:22:56.900 But you know that 00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:57.819 as soon as we leave 00:22:57.819 --> 00:22:58.900 here, and particularly 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:00.019 tomorrow at work 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:00.900 and at school and 00:23:00.900 --> 00:23:01.779 at college and in 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:02.500 the hospital or 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:03.299 wherever it is we 00:23:03.299 --> 00:23:04.779 are, those messages 00:23:04.779 --> 00:23:05.680 of the nations 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:06.440 around us will 00:23:06.440 --> 00:23:07.519 bombard us again 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:08.119 and again and 00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:08.440 again. 00:23:09.339 --> 00:23:09.940 They will tell us 00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:10.339 that what you 00:23:10.339 --> 00:23:11.359 really need is to 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:12.159 look like this or 00:23:12.159 --> 00:23:13.639 to own that or to 00:23:13.639 --> 00:23:14.839 have this experience 00:23:14.839 --> 00:23:16.259 or to be that sort 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:16.859 of person. 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:18.559 And again and 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:19.220 again as the 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:20.000 world and the 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:20.700 flesh and the 00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:21.639 devil impinge 00:23:21.639 --> 00:23:23.500 upon us, our 00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:24.839 danger is that we 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:26.639 become complacent in 00:23:26.639 --> 00:23:27.319 the blessings we 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:28.440 have and then we 00:23:28.440 --> 00:23:29.319 begin to compromise 00:23:29.319 --> 00:23:30.980 and we begin to 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:31.839 just drift a little 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:32.619 here and a little 00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:34.119 there and before 00:23:34.119 --> 00:23:35.019 we know where we 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:36.119 are, we are really 00:23:36.119 --> 00:23:37.399 not very distinguishable 00:23:37.399 --> 00:23:38.759 from the world 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:39.480 around us. 00:23:40.819 --> 00:23:41.779 Idolatry is 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:43.119 powerful because it 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:43.899 is something we 00:23:43.899 --> 00:23:44.480 think we can 00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:45.099 control. 00:23:46.199 --> 00:23:46.980 It's much easier 00:23:46.980 --> 00:23:47.819 to follow the 00:23:47.819 --> 00:23:49.079 idols of my heart 00:23:49.079 --> 00:23:50.279 than to submit 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:51.879 that heart to the 00:23:51.879 --> 00:23:52.480 true and living 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:52.899 God. 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:53.500 He will make 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:54.399 demands of me. 00:23:55.139 --> 00:23:55.859 He will acquire 00:23:55.859 --> 00:23:57.220 holiness in my 00:23:57.220 --> 00:23:57.559 life. 00:23:57.859 --> 00:23:59.119 He will not want 00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:00.039 me to be making 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:01.139 those compromises. 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:02.599 And in his 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:03.319 mercy and his 00:24:03.319 --> 00:24:04.639 love he cares 00:24:04.639 --> 00:24:05.379 for us enough 00:24:05.379 --> 00:24:06.179 not to let us 00:24:06.179 --> 00:24:06.819 get away with 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:07.039 it. 00:24:08.220 --> 00:24:09.559 So what Joshua 00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:10.259 is saying to 00:24:10.259 --> 00:24:11.179 these people is 00:24:11.179 --> 00:24:12.039 true for all 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:13.699 covenant people in 00:24:13.699 --> 00:24:14.619 the new as well 00:24:14.619 --> 00:24:15.159 as in the old 00:24:15.159 --> 00:24:15.480 covenant. 00:24:16.179 --> 00:24:16.959 That while all 00:24:16.959 --> 00:24:17.639 the blessings that 00:24:17.639 --> 00:24:18.599 we enjoy are out 00:24:18.599 --> 00:24:19.439 of God's pure 00:24:19.439 --> 00:24:20.439 grace and because 00:24:20.439 --> 00:24:21.339 of his mercy and 00:24:21.339 --> 00:24:22.279 love to us and 00:24:22.279 --> 00:24:22.639 he is an 00:24:22.639 --> 00:24:24.019 everlasting father 00:24:24.019 --> 00:24:24.980 and a God of 00:24:24.980 --> 00:24:25.879 covenant mercy who 00:24:25.879 --> 00:24:26.659 will never let us 00:24:26.659 --> 00:24:28.059 go and never let 00:24:28.059 --> 00:24:28.619 us down. 00:24:29.059 --> 00:24:29.980 Nevertheless we 00:24:29.980 --> 00:24:30.659 are not to be 00:24:30.659 --> 00:24:31.559 complacent about 00:24:31.559 --> 00:24:31.859 that. 00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:32.859 If we want to 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:34.039 experience that in 00:24:34.039 --> 00:24:35.480 our lives then we 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:36.579 must look out for 00:24:36.579 --> 00:24:37.440 the tendency to 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:37.899 compromise. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:39.179 We must look out 00:24:39.179 --> 00:24:40.559 at those areas where 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:41.519 we are becoming much 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:42.480 more like the world 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:43.480 than like the Lord 00:24:43.480 --> 00:24:43.819 Jesus. 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:45.579 And we must in our 00:24:45.579 --> 00:24:47.679 need cling to him 00:24:47.679 --> 00:24:49.519 and ask him for his 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:50.919 grace and help to 00:24:50.919 --> 00:24:51.859 enable us to think 00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:52.940 straight and then to 00:24:52.940 --> 00:24:55.019 live straight in our 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:57.019 generation as the 00:24:57.019 --> 00:24:58.559 people of the 00:24:58.559 --> 00:24:59.159 living God. 00:25:01.579 --> 00:25:02.559 The last thing that 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:04.579 he says is really 00:25:04.579 --> 00:25:06.000 that, the future, 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:06.940 how you must live. 00:25:07.139 --> 00:25:07.940 What you've seen, 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:09.379 everything you have 00:25:09.379 --> 00:25:10.139 is God's good 00:25:10.139 --> 00:25:10.859 gift to you and 00:25:10.859 --> 00:25:11.740 that is true for us 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:12.700 in Christ and in the 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:13.039 gospel. 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:13.919 What you must 00:25:13.919 --> 00:25:15.819 understand is that 00:25:15.819 --> 00:25:16.740 God will never turn 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:18.179 his back upon his 00:25:18.179 --> 00:25:18.619 promises. 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:20.819 But we can live as 00:25:20.819 --> 00:25:21.940 it were out of sync 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:22.539 with God. 00:25:22.859 --> 00:25:23.779 We can be Christians 00:25:23.779 --> 00:25:24.599 who are Christian in 00:25:24.599 --> 00:25:25.899 name but in 00:25:25.899 --> 00:25:26.379 practice. 00:25:26.380 --> 00:25:27.960 we're not actually 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:28.980 allowing God to 00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:29.760 change us. 00:25:30.360 --> 00:25:31.240 We're too easily 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:32.100 slipping into the 00:25:32.100 --> 00:25:33.340 way that the world 00:25:33.340 --> 00:25:33.940 reacts. 00:25:34.580 --> 00:25:35.540 So what is the 00:25:35.540 --> 00:25:36.900 counteractive to that? 00:25:37.760 --> 00:25:38.640 The third thing he 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:40.200 tells us is how you 00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:40.780 must live. 00:25:41.100 --> 00:25:42.040 What you've seen, 00:25:42.520 --> 00:25:43.000 what you must 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:44.840 understand, how you 00:25:44.840 --> 00:25:45.360 must live. 00:25:46.540 --> 00:25:47.280 And I'm thankful 00:25:47.280 --> 00:25:48.260 that this practical 00:25:48.260 --> 00:25:49.320 instruction is so 00:25:49.320 --> 00:25:50.940 clear and applicable 00:25:50.940 --> 00:25:51.860 to us. 00:25:52.500 --> 00:25:53.060 Just have a look 00:25:53.060 --> 00:25:53.680 with me at verse 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:54.200 six. 00:25:56.380 --> 00:25:57.580 Be very strong, 00:25:58.140 --> 00:25:59.020 be careful to 00:25:59.020 --> 00:26:00.720 obey all that is 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:01.440 written in the book 00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:02.340 of the Lord Moses 00:26:02.340 --> 00:26:04.320 without turning aside 00:26:04.320 --> 00:26:06.040 to the right or to 00:26:06.040 --> 00:26:06.500 the left. 00:26:07.460 --> 00:26:07.980 Now if you know 00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:08.900 your Joshua, you'll 00:26:08.900 --> 00:26:09.500 know that that's what 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:10.380 he was told in 00:26:10.380 --> 00:26:11.560 chapter one, right at 00:26:11.560 --> 00:26:12.180 the beginning of the 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:12.460 book. 00:26:13.320 --> 00:26:15.660 To follow wholeheartedly 00:26:15.660 --> 00:26:17.080 all that God had 00:26:17.080 --> 00:26:17.940 revealed through 00:26:17.940 --> 00:26:18.940 Moses in the first 00:26:18.940 --> 00:26:19.780 five books of the 00:26:19.780 --> 00:26:20.080 Bible. 00:26:20.360 --> 00:26:21.460 The seedbed of the 00:26:21.460 --> 00:26:22.060 whole Bible. 00:26:23.120 --> 00:26:24.260 The context there 00:26:24.260 --> 00:26:25.420 was the question as 00:26:25.420 --> 00:26:26.220 to whether Joshua 00:26:26.220 --> 00:26:27.680 would prove to be 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:29.279 a worthy leader 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:31.860 of Israel, a worthy 00:26:31.860 --> 00:26:33.060 successor to Moses. 00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:35.500 And now as his 00:26:35.500 --> 00:26:36.800 wonderfully fruitful 00:26:36.800 --> 00:26:38.240 and successful life 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:39.320 is reviewed at the 00:26:39.320 --> 00:26:41.060 end, this could 00:26:41.060 --> 00:26:41.980 really be a summary 00:26:41.980 --> 00:26:42.519 of it all. 00:26:42.860 --> 00:26:43.759 Indeed, when we 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:44.380 come to the very 00:26:44.380 --> 00:26:45.800 last chapter, 24 00:26:45.800 --> 00:26:48.039 and verse 29, we 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:48.920 find that the last 00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:49.500 thing that we're 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:51.080 told about Joshua 00:26:51.080 --> 00:26:53.039 is that he died 00:26:53.039 --> 00:26:55.279 110 years old 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:57.099 as the servant 00:26:57.099 --> 00:26:58.859 of the Lord. 00:26:59.579 --> 00:27:00.659 That's his official 00:27:00.659 --> 00:27:01.559 obituary, if you 00:27:01.559 --> 00:27:01.799 like. 00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:03.279 It's exactly the same 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:04.240 language as was used 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:04.759 of Moses. 00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:07.119 Moses died, never 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:08.139 saw the promised land, 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:09.519 but he was taken by 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:10.480 God into his presence 00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:11.960 as the servant of 00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:12.259 the Lord. 00:27:12.359 --> 00:27:13.659 And now Joshua, the 00:27:13.659 --> 00:27:15.279 next generation, is 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:16.379 similarly given that 00:27:16.379 --> 00:27:16.920 accolade. 00:27:17.379 --> 00:27:18.519 He is the servant 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:20.339 of the Lord. 00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:22.879 Because verse 6 has 00:27:22.879 --> 00:27:23.759 been the motto of 00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:24.339 his life. 00:27:25.940 --> 00:27:27.259 Strength lies in 00:27:27.259 --> 00:27:28.619 obedience to the 00:27:28.619 --> 00:27:29.500 word of God, 00:27:30.660 --> 00:27:32.079 without deviation. 00:27:34.099 --> 00:27:35.119 The word of Jesus 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:36.160 given to us in the 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:36.859 New Testament, all 00:27:36.859 --> 00:27:37.660 the instructions he 00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:38.099 gave to his 00:27:38.099 --> 00:27:39.319 disciples, all that 00:27:39.319 --> 00:27:40.460 his spirit inspired 00:27:40.460 --> 00:27:41.240 the apostles to 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:42.619 write as instructions 00:27:42.619 --> 00:27:43.639 for our lives in 00:27:43.639 --> 00:27:44.139 the epistles. 00:27:44.619 --> 00:27:45.839 This is what leads 00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:48.159 to the separation 00:27:48.159 --> 00:27:50.819 from idolatry, which 00:27:50.819 --> 00:27:52.679 will give to us a 00:27:52.679 --> 00:27:54.319 Christian life that 00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:55.599 is pleasing to God 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:57.359 and satisfying to 00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:57.779 us. 00:27:58.099 --> 00:27:59.199 Because only the 00:27:59.199 --> 00:28:00.980 word of God can 00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:02.980 break the hold of 00:28:02.980 --> 00:28:03.839 the idols of our 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.319 hearts. 00:28:04.679 --> 00:28:06.379 By revealing the 00:28:06.379 --> 00:28:07.659 false and stimulating 00:28:07.659 --> 00:28:09.759 the true, by 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:10.419 leading us to 00:28:10.419 --> 00:28:12.119 trust God and then 00:28:12.119 --> 00:28:13.240 to obey him because 00:28:13.240 --> 00:28:15.119 we trust him, the 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:16.319 way to conquer our 00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:17.519 idols, the way to 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:18.319 live lives that 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:19.199 count for God in 00:28:19.199 --> 00:28:21.219 our generation, is 00:28:21.219 --> 00:28:22.959 daily disciplined 00:28:22.959 --> 00:28:24.500 obedience to the 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:25.699 word of God in 00:28:25.699 --> 00:28:26.119 scripture. 00:28:27.919 --> 00:28:29.899 If we trust him, we 00:28:29.899 --> 00:28:30.719 will obey him. 00:28:31.479 --> 00:28:32.799 If we don't obey 00:28:32.799 --> 00:28:34.039 him, it's because we 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:34.819 don't really trust 00:28:34.819 --> 00:28:35.079 him. 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:37.919 So we need to keep 00:28:37.919 --> 00:28:39.079 those channels open, 00:28:39.219 --> 00:28:39.879 the channels that 00:28:39.879 --> 00:28:40.759 say, yes, I do 00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:41.619 believe your word, 00:28:41.719 --> 00:28:42.539 Lord, I know that 00:28:42.539 --> 00:28:43.059 it's good and 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:43.439 perfect. 00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:44.860 I know that my 00:28:44.860 --> 00:28:45.940 sinful heart takes 00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:46.860 me away from it so 00:28:46.860 --> 00:28:47.860 often and I fail you 00:28:47.860 --> 00:28:49.180 so frequently, but 00:28:49.180 --> 00:28:50.039 today I'm coming 00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:50.759 back to you and 00:28:50.759 --> 00:28:51.820 asking you that that 00:28:51.820 --> 00:28:53.200 living, enduring 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:54.120 word of God will 00:28:54.120 --> 00:28:55.180 shape my thinking, 00:28:55.559 --> 00:28:56.460 shape my living, 00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:57.960 direct my actions. 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:00.380 And it's as the 00:29:00.380 --> 00:29:02.039 word of God, in 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:02.820 all the scriptures 00:29:02.820 --> 00:29:03.840 and supremely in 00:29:03.840 --> 00:29:05.039 the living word, the 00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:06.140 word made fresh, the 00:29:06.140 --> 00:29:07.880 Lord Jesus rules in 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:08.640 our minds and 00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:10.759 hearts, that we are 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:12.379 people who are 00:29:12.379 --> 00:29:13.339 useful in God's 00:29:13.339 --> 00:29:13.819 hands. 00:29:14.140 --> 00:29:14.940 So that's the first 00:29:14.940 --> 00:29:15.900 thing, how you must 00:29:15.900 --> 00:29:18.240 live, you must allow 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:19.720 every word of God, he 00:29:19.720 --> 00:29:21.259 says to his hearers, to 00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:22.859 shape your responses. 00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:23.759 But then it's more 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:24.640 than that, verse 8. 00:29:26.119 --> 00:29:28.259 But you are to cling to 00:29:28.259 --> 00:29:31.019 or hold fast to the 00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:32.879 Lord your God as you 00:29:32.879 --> 00:29:34.099 have until now. 00:29:35.140 --> 00:29:36.460 That word cling is a 00:29:36.460 --> 00:29:38.059 very strong adhesive 00:29:38.059 --> 00:29:38.579 verb. 00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:40.539 It's the Hebrew word 00:29:40.539 --> 00:29:41.399 for glue really. 00:29:41.940 --> 00:29:43.019 You are to be glued to 00:29:43.019 --> 00:29:43.740 God, he says. 00:29:43.879 --> 00:29:44.819 It was used of the 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:45.879 husband cleaving to 00:29:45.879 --> 00:29:46.759 his wife and the two 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:47.720 become one flesh. 00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:49.279 Now it speaks then of 00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:50.279 a total commitment, 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:51.899 loyal devotion, 00:29:52.220 --> 00:29:52.980 deep affection. 00:29:54.299 --> 00:29:55.259 It's a verb that was 00:29:55.259 --> 00:29:56.960 used in metal work of 00:29:56.960 --> 00:29:58.059 two metals being 00:29:58.059 --> 00:30:00.700 soldered together so 00:30:00.700 --> 00:30:01.519 that they cannot be 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:02.099 separated. 00:30:02.259 --> 00:30:02.940 Now he says that's 00:30:02.940 --> 00:30:03.980 what your reaction to 00:30:03.980 --> 00:30:04.940 God is to be like. 00:30:05.619 --> 00:30:06.279 That is what the 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:07.299 Lord looks for from 00:30:07.299 --> 00:30:07.940 his people. 00:30:08.779 --> 00:30:10.059 To give ourselves to 00:30:10.059 --> 00:30:10.240 him. 00:30:10.399 --> 00:30:11.720 To cling to him. 00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:14.139 And the very poignant 00:30:14.139 --> 00:30:15.220 thing is that the 00:30:15.220 --> 00:30:17.179 verb is used again in 00:30:17.179 --> 00:30:18.299 verse 12. 00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:20.960 Where it says if you 00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:22.559 turn away and ally 00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:23.299 yourselves. 00:30:24.339 --> 00:30:25.460 Now that is exactly the 00:30:25.460 --> 00:30:26.139 same verb as 00:30:26.139 --> 00:30:27.579 translated in verse 8 00:30:27.579 --> 00:30:28.579 as hold fast. 00:30:28.919 --> 00:30:29.859 Exactly the same 00:30:29.859 --> 00:30:30.259 verse. 00:30:30.639 --> 00:30:31.940 If you turn away and 00:30:31.940 --> 00:30:34.359 cling to the 00:30:34.359 --> 00:30:35.099 survivors of the 00:30:35.099 --> 00:30:35.500 nations. 00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:36.779 Stick to them. 00:30:36.879 --> 00:30:37.619 It's a really shocking 00:30:37.619 --> 00:30:38.599 thought that isn't it? 00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:40.319 That God's redeemed 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:41.459 people could go back 00:30:41.459 --> 00:30:43.199 to paganism and be no 00:30:43.199 --> 00:30:43.899 different from the 00:30:43.899 --> 00:30:44.779 culture all around 00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:44.979 them. 00:30:45.179 --> 00:30:45.839 It's an almost 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:47.879 unthinkable idea and 00:30:47.879 --> 00:30:50.119 yet which of us 00:30:50.119 --> 00:30:50.839 doesn't know how 00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:52.759 easily that drift can 00:30:52.759 --> 00:30:53.859 happen in our lives. 00:30:54.199 --> 00:30:54.799 So you've got to 00:30:54.799 --> 00:30:56.419 remain stuck to God. 00:30:57.779 --> 00:30:58.619 It's true in our 00:30:58.619 --> 00:30:59.019 marriages. 00:30:59.139 --> 00:31:00.000 Good marriages don't 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:00.719 just develop. 00:31:01.159 --> 00:31:02.319 They need investment, 00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:04.119 time, love, thought, 00:31:04.119 --> 00:31:05.539 speech, actions. 00:31:05.879 --> 00:31:07.299 They require commitment. 00:31:08.759 --> 00:31:09.979 And true knowledge of 00:31:09.979 --> 00:31:10.599 God doesn't just 00:31:10.599 --> 00:31:11.099 happen. 00:31:11.519 --> 00:31:12.359 You've got to invest 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:13.479 your time in it. 00:31:13.879 --> 00:31:14.439 You've got to give 00:31:14.439 --> 00:31:16.039 yourself to his word. 00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:17.539 You've got to spend 00:31:17.539 --> 00:31:19.019 time in his presence, 00:31:19.459 --> 00:31:20.119 in prayer. 00:31:20.599 --> 00:31:22.559 And as we cling to 00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:25.079 the Lord, then those 00:31:25.079 --> 00:31:25.919 things that would be 00:31:25.919 --> 00:31:27.419 snares and traps and 00:31:27.419 --> 00:31:28.759 whips and thorns in our 00:31:28.759 --> 00:31:29.919 experience because we're 00:31:29.919 --> 00:31:30.979 tempted to compromise, 00:31:30.980 --> 00:31:33.620 will be removed as we 00:31:33.620 --> 00:31:35.460 grow in our knowledge 00:31:35.460 --> 00:31:36.519 and love of him. 00:31:36.880 --> 00:31:38.079 No, don't cling to the 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:38.519 nations. 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:40.120 Don't get stuck to the 00:31:40.120 --> 00:31:40.539 culture. 00:31:41.799 --> 00:31:42.839 Cling to the Lord your 00:31:42.839 --> 00:31:43.099 God. 00:31:43.180 --> 00:31:44.700 Be very careful to obey. 00:31:45.660 --> 00:31:47.079 You are to hold fast to 00:31:47.079 --> 00:31:47.440 the Lord. 00:31:47.579 --> 00:31:49.400 And lastly, perhaps the 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:50.279 greatest verse in the 00:31:50.279 --> 00:31:51.460 whole chapter, verse 11. 00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:54.539 So be very careful to 00:31:54.539 --> 00:31:56.920 love the Lord your God. 00:31:58.440 --> 00:31:59.480 See, that is the secret 00:31:59.480 --> 00:32:01.539 of the baton being 00:32:01.539 --> 00:32:02.480 passed in the next 00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:03.059 generation. 00:32:03.400 --> 00:32:04.400 Notice how intentional 00:32:04.400 --> 00:32:04.880 it is. 00:32:05.120 --> 00:32:08.579 Be very careful to love 00:32:08.579 --> 00:32:10.059 the Lord your God. 00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:11.480 Give your attention to 00:32:11.480 --> 00:32:12.000 it, he says. 00:32:12.299 --> 00:32:13.500 Make this the heart of 00:32:13.500 --> 00:32:14.480 your living and your 00:32:14.480 --> 00:32:15.299 discipleship. 00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:17.960 Love the Lord your God. 00:32:19.240 --> 00:32:20.160 We know elsewhere in 00:32:20.160 --> 00:32:21.120 the Old Testament and 00:32:21.120 --> 00:32:22.059 endorsed by the Lord 00:32:22.059 --> 00:32:23.680 Jesus in the New, that 00:32:23.680 --> 00:32:24.880 that takes everything we 00:32:24.880 --> 00:32:26.160 have with all your 00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:29.160 heart and soul and mind 00:32:29.160 --> 00:32:30.320 and strength. 00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:32.000 It is the first and 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:33.480 greatest commandment and 00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:34.519 the second is like it. 00:32:34.700 --> 00:32:36.540 Love your neighbour as 00:32:36.540 --> 00:32:37.019 yourself. 00:32:37.200 --> 00:32:38.860 On these hang all the 00:32:38.860 --> 00:32:40.460 law and the prophets. 00:32:41.600 --> 00:32:42.560 And this is the heart of 00:32:42.560 --> 00:32:43.080 our faith. 00:32:44.120 --> 00:32:45.019 It's the heart of our 00:32:45.019 --> 00:32:46.180 relationship with God. 00:32:47.380 --> 00:32:48.420 So as I close, I want to 00:32:48.420 --> 00:32:49.360 encourage you to look on 00:32:49.360 --> 00:32:51.580 this year 2012 as a year 00:32:51.580 --> 00:32:53.400 of growing in your love 00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:54.040 for God. 00:32:54.940 --> 00:32:56.060 Now that doesn't mean just 00:32:56.060 --> 00:32:57.259 warm feelings, though there 00:32:57.259 --> 00:32:58.019 will be an emotional 00:32:58.019 --> 00:32:59.079 aspect to it. 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:01.240 But it means the sort of 00:33:01.240 --> 00:33:02.900 love that puts his 00:33:02.900 --> 00:33:04.079 concerns first. 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:05.720 That says, what can I do 00:33:05.720 --> 00:33:06.379 for him? 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:08.200 How can I serve him more? 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:09.920 How can I give to him 00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:11.640 who gave so much for me? 00:33:12.920 --> 00:33:14.839 For me that love finds its 00:33:14.839 --> 00:33:16.759 focus in the Lord Jesus 00:33:16.759 --> 00:33:17.319 himself. 00:33:17.420 --> 00:33:19.279 We love him because he 00:33:19.279 --> 00:33:20.140 first loved us. 00:33:21.039 --> 00:33:22.119 And every time I look back 00:33:22.119 --> 00:33:24.059 at the cross, every time I 00:33:24.059 --> 00:33:25.599 see my own sinfulness and 00:33:25.599 --> 00:33:26.899 my own need of his grace, 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:28.799 every time I remember how 00:33:28.799 --> 00:33:30.480 he gave himself up there 00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:31.759 for you and for me as he 00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:33.659 conquered all our enemies, 00:33:33.859 --> 00:33:35.519 sin and death and the 00:33:35.519 --> 00:33:37.259 devil, when he fought for 00:33:37.259 --> 00:33:38.519 us and achieved our 00:33:38.519 --> 00:33:39.759 salvation on the cross of 00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:40.199 Calvary. 00:33:40.519 --> 00:33:41.759 And how through that we 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:42.679 have entered into the 00:33:42.679 --> 00:33:45.319 rest of peace with God 00:33:45.319 --> 00:33:46.599 and knowing that our sins 00:33:46.599 --> 00:33:48.059 are forgiven and that our 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:49.579 lives are in his 00:33:49.579 --> 00:33:50.619 safekeeping. 00:33:51.679 --> 00:33:52.919 Every time I do that, 00:33:52.920 --> 00:33:55.900 my heart is moved to love 00:33:55.900 --> 00:33:56.420 him more. 00:33:57.080 --> 00:33:59.000 It's so weak and faint. 00:33:59.080 --> 00:34:00.000 Remember that hymn that 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:01.320 says, Lord, it is my chief 00:34:01.320 --> 00:34:03.060 complaint that my love is 00:34:03.060 --> 00:34:03.840 weak and faint. 00:34:04.740 --> 00:34:07.000 Yet I do love you and adore. 00:34:07.800 --> 00:34:09.500 Oh, for grace to love you 00:34:09.500 --> 00:34:09.860 more. 00:34:11.139 --> 00:34:12.139 And I want to ask you this 00:34:12.139 --> 00:34:13.280 morning, do you really love 00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:13.680 the Lord? 00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:15.559 Do you love him? 00:34:15.639 --> 00:34:16.680 Are you prepared to give your 00:34:16.680 --> 00:34:17.380 life for him? 00:34:18.260 --> 00:34:19.400 Are you prepared to follow 00:34:19.400 --> 00:34:20.599 wherever he leads you? 00:34:20.599 --> 00:34:22.099 Is your confidence not in 00:34:22.099 --> 00:34:23.980 your record of what you've 00:34:23.980 --> 00:34:26.279 done for him, but in his 00:34:26.279 --> 00:34:27.299 record of what he's done 00:34:27.299 --> 00:34:27.799 for you? 00:34:28.920 --> 00:34:30.500 All that it means for him 00:34:30.500 --> 00:34:31.619 to be the Lord. 00:34:32.299 --> 00:34:33.659 That's what prompts from us 00:34:33.659 --> 00:34:35.759 this response of love that 00:34:35.759 --> 00:34:38.360 clings to him, that obeys 00:34:38.360 --> 00:34:40.159 him, and that says, oh Lord 00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:41.639 Jesus, I do want to be more 00:34:41.639 --> 00:34:42.219 like you. 00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:44.659 And I do want my life to be a 00:34:44.659 --> 00:34:47.920 channel of love for you and 00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:48.719 love for others. 00:34:48.719 --> 00:34:50.459 If you love him, you'll 00:34:50.459 --> 00:34:52.039 express it in praise and 00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:52.379 worship. 00:34:53.059 --> 00:34:54.119 You'll feel it in the 00:34:54.119 --> 00:34:55.779 assurance of faith and deep 00:34:55.779 --> 00:34:56.219 gratitude. 00:34:56.799 --> 00:34:58.159 You'll want to speak well of 00:34:58.159 --> 00:34:59.719 him wherever you go, whenever 00:34:59.719 --> 00:35:00.399 you can. 00:35:00.779 --> 00:35:02.339 You'll want to serve him, to 00:35:02.339 --> 00:35:04.639 please him, to live for him. 00:35:05.619 --> 00:35:07.059 Yes, even to suffer and to 00:35:07.059 --> 00:35:07.699 die for him. 00:35:09.059 --> 00:35:10.379 That's the challenge that 00:35:10.379 --> 00:35:12.699 Joshua presents to the up 00:35:12.699 --> 00:35:13.759 and coming generation. 00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:16.199 And it's the challenge that 00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:17.719 God continually presents to 00:35:17.719 --> 00:35:18.960 all our hearts, whether we're 00:35:18.960 --> 00:35:20.619 young or old, whether we're 00:35:20.619 --> 00:35:21.739 new Christians or have been 00:35:21.739 --> 00:35:22.919 on the road for many years. 00:35:22.980 --> 00:35:23.960 It's the challenge we all 00:35:23.960 --> 00:35:24.359 face. 00:35:26.159 --> 00:35:27.480 As we look to the future, 00:35:28.359 --> 00:35:29.519 are we going to be people who 00:35:29.519 --> 00:35:30.939 because of what we've seen 00:35:30.939 --> 00:35:32.539 and because of what we 00:35:32.539 --> 00:35:35.259 understand, live lives that 00:35:35.259 --> 00:35:37.879 obey the truth, cling to the 00:35:37.879 --> 00:35:41.059 Lord and love him with 00:35:41.059 --> 00:35:41.919 everything we have? 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:44.300 He'll give us the grace to do 00:35:44.300 --> 00:35:46.980 it if we're prepared to plug 00:35:46.980 --> 00:35:48.639 in to the supply. 00:35:50.019 --> 00:35:50.720 Let's pray.