(soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) - All right, good morning, church family.

Happy Lord's Day. As always, it's a joy to gather together to worship our God. So let us begin our service with a song of worship. (soft piano music) ♪ Light of the world ♪ ♪ You step down into darkness ♪ ♪ Open my eyes, let me see ♪ ♪ Beauty that made this heart adore you ♪ ♪ Hope of a life spent with you ♪ ♪ Here I am to worship ♪ ♪ Here I am to bow down ♪ ♪ Here I am to say that you're my God ♪ ♪ You're altogether lovely ♪ ♪ Altogether worthy ♪ ♪ Altogether wonderful to me ♪ - King of all days.

♪ King of all days ♪ ♪ You're so highly exalted ♪ ♪ Glorious in heaven above ♪ ♪ From the earth you came ♪ ♪ To the earth you created ♪ ♪ All for the sake it gave you ♪ ♪ Here I am to worship ♪ ♪ Here I am to bow down ♪ ♪ Here I am to say that you're my God ♪ ♪ You're altogether lovely ♪ ♪ Altogether worthy ♪ ♪ Altogether wonderful to me ♪ ♪ And I'll never know how much it cost ♪ ♪ To see my sin upon that cross ♪ ♪ I'll never know how much it cost ♪ ♪ To see my sin upon that cross ♪ ♪ I'll never know how much it cost ♪ ♪ To see my sin upon that cross ♪ ♪ Here I am to worship ♪ ♪ Here I am to bow down ♪ ♪ Here I am to say that you're my God ♪ ♪ You're altogether lovely ♪ ♪ Altogether worthy ♪ ♪ Altogether wonderful to me ♪ - Good morning, everybody.

If you are joining us for the very first time this Sunday, we wanna extend a warm welcome to you. After the service is done, please be sure to swing by our welcome booth. You probably saw the booth right at the front of the entrance of our parking lot. We'd love to meet you.

And if you have any questions about various programs at the church or just general information, our team members would love to meet you and answer those questions there. I do have a good number of announcements. At the beginning of the year, we still have various things to sign up for.

The first announcement is related to our Bible study is starting this week. So all of you guys who are registered for our Wednesday meeting, please be sure to just show up. Come a little bit early maybe just to get situated. If you haven't received an email, but you have signed up, please make sure at this point to just to email me directly at marklim@briancc.com and we will coordinate and help you find your way.

Aligned with that is our Bible lab seminars that will be running on Sundays from two to 3 p.m. And that's going to start on January 29th, which is next Sunday. For those of you who either want just a refresher, this is open to both members and non-members. If you are curious about how we do the inductive process, this will be a great lesson for you.

Additionally, for anybody who is a member and would like to volunteer serving with the children, at any time we have volunteers who are consistently with children in the room, et cetera, we do have a requirement that they have to be safety trained. So sign up for a special training that will be taking place Sunday at 1 p.m.

here in the sanctuary. That's the 29th, so next week as well. Additionally, next week is the last day to sign up for the Intentional Sisters Fellowship. This is for our BAM, single adults, and Family Ministry sisters to come together, form small groups, and go through a book called Don't Waste Your Life.

And there will be different times for meeting on that, so make sure you look for the details and sign up by next Sunday, the 29th. Another announcement for you is that we like to announce our special communion Sundays ahead of time so that you can prepare, put that on your calendar, and take extra time to pray.

So our next communion Sunday is gonna be February 5th, or during both service we'll observe the communion table. Final announcement is that our men's ministry is taking signups for a special Saturday meeting which will take place from 9 a.m. to about 12.30. That's gonna be Saturday, February 18th. We'll be having both fellowship time, special seminar and teaching time, discussion and lunch fellowship together, so make sure you sign up for that early.

And finally today, after our worship set, we'll get the privilege of hearing the testimony of our sister Tiffany, and she'll be baptized this morning. So at this time I'll pray for our offering. Again, if you have a physical check you'd like to submit, we have our offering box right by the entrance, or otherwise you can submit it via the digital form.

Let's pray together. (pastor and congregation murmuring) Our God, we wanna thank you so much for your grace and mercies that abounds to us every day. We are truly grateful for the blessings that are given to us only in the name of Christ. And so we wanna thank you this morning, when we gather this way in a corporate worship, we wanna lift up to you our heart of appreciation for your mercies that are new, for your saving grace, and the power that sustains us day to day.

We also thank you for the opportunity to be challenged by your word, to be washed, Lord God, and to be renewed in our commitments and our faith. And so we pray for such a fruitfulness of faith this morning when we engage both in the singing and the hearing of your word.

We also pray, Father God, that as we offer to you our finances, our attention, our time, our worship and song and more, we do pray, Lord, for these things to be lifted up to you in the name of Christ, and God, that as you receive, Lord, truly you'd be honored.

We thank you this morning, Lord, it's in Christ's name, amen. (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) Would you please stand with us as we continue our worship?

(upbeat music) ♪ Raises rising ♪ ♪ Eyes are turning to me ♪ ♪ Turn to you ♪ ♪ Hope is stirring ♪ ♪ Hearts are yearning ♪ ♪ We walk with you ♪ ♪ 'Cause when we see you ♪ ♪ We find strength to face the day ♪ ♪ In your presence ♪ ♪ In your presence ♪ ♪ All our fears are washed away ♪ ♪ Washed away ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ You are the God who saves us ♪ ♪ Worthy of all our praises ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ Come have your way among us ♪ ♪ And welcome you here, Lord Jesus ♪ - Hear the sound.

♪ Hear the sound of hearts returning to you ♪ ♪ Hearts returning to you ♪ ♪ Return to you ♪ ♪ In your kingdom ♪ ♪ Broken lies are made new ♪ ♪ You make us new ♪ ♪ 'Cause when we see you ♪ ♪ We find strength to face the day ♪ ♪ In your presence ♪ ♪ All our fears are washed away ♪ ♪ Washed away ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ You are the God who saves us ♪ ♪ Worthy of all our praises ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ Come have your way among us ♪ ♪ And welcome you here, Lord Jesus ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ 'Cause when we see you ♪ ♪ We find strength to face the day ♪ ♪ In your presence ♪ ♪ All our fears are washed away ♪ ♪ When we see you ♪ ♪ When we see you ♪ ♪ We find strength to face the day ♪ ♪ In your presence ♪ ♪ All our fears are washed away ♪ ♪ Washed away ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ You are the God who saves us ♪ ♪ Worthy of all our praises ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna ♪ ♪ Come have your way among us ♪ ♪ And welcome you here, Lord Jesus ♪ (upbeat music) (gentle music) ♪ Should nothing of our efforts stand ♪ ♪ No legacy survive ♪ ♪ Unless the Lord does praise the house ♪ ♪ In vain its builders strive ♪ ♪ To you who boast tomorrow's gain ♪ ♪ Tell me what is your life ♪ ♪ A mist that vanishes at dawn ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ our King ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ His rule and reign will ever sing ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ His will be done ♪ ♪ His kingdom come ♪ ♪ On earth as it's in heaven ♪ ♪ Who is himself our daily bread ♪ ♪ Praised in the Lord of love ♪ ♪ Living water satisfy the thirsty ♪ ♪ With the price ♪ ♪ We'll take a cup of kindness yet ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ our King ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ His rule and reign will ever sing ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ Oh, you're all the day ♪ ♪ The great I am ♪ ♪ The faithful and the true ♪ ♪ Not a lamb who was for sinners slain ♪ ♪ Is making all things new ♪ ♪ Behold our God shall live with us ♪ ♪ And be our steadfast light ♪ ♪ And we shall let our heads be full of glee ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ our King ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ His rule and reign will ever sing ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ our King ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ ♪ His rule and reign will ever sing ♪ ♪ All glory be to Christ ♪ - Amen, you may be seated.

- Good morning, everyone. My name is Tiffany Michelle Yu. I am so grateful to have been raised in the church by my parents, hearing the good news that Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. As an enthusiastic child, I remember experiencing the love of Jesus through my mom's teaching and through my dad's worship.

However, my faith was more of a general acceptance of the Bible stories I was taught than a joyful revelation and deeper understanding for how Jesus saves me from my sins. My understanding of Jesus was limited to his work in the past for other believers, rather than the constant and current mercy and grace he extends to me every day.

Throughout my middle school years, I struggled with misplaced worth and idolizing approval of man. My thoughts were filled with a desire to be chosen and loved by friends at school as I searched for a best friend who I thought could fill the loneliness that I felt in my heart due to not being in a close relationship with Christ.

I began to set expectations for my friends, and when they did not fulfill those expectations, I felt simultaneously disappointed and unwanted, many nights despairing and wishing that I didn't exist. This struggle led to even more idols as I began to search for comfort and security in worldly possessions throughout my years in high school, feeling very anxious through change and instability.

Throughout high school, I prioritized my hobbies and activities over learning, serving, and worshiping as part of a church community. While I still acknowledged God's love, I recognize now that I was not growing in my knowledge of scripture and truth, nor was I repenting for my sins and surrendering all of my life to Christ.

In 2017, I started college at Azusa Pacific University, where the Lord transformed my understanding of what it looks like to worship and glorify God with my whole life. The three and a half years I spent at APU were some of the most sanctifying years of my life as God tested me through even more friendship trials and struggles with comparison, convicting me time and time again to repent for my past and current sins and to obediently follow his commands and plans for my life.

God spoke to me through the chapel messages and worship, which led me to desire being in his presence and to grow in my knowledge of his word. I can say with confidence that God saved me in my sophomore year of college as I processed my sinfulness, cried out to God for forgiveness, and recognized my identity and worth in Christ alone.

God fulfilled many promises to me in my college years, renewing my faith and showing me that pursuing Christ is the only love that can satisfy the longing for acceptance that I felt in my heart. A verse that encouraged me during this time is Isaiah 46 through eight. A voice says, "Cry." And I said, "What shall I cry?

"All flesh is grass and all its beauty "is like the flower of the field. "The grass withers, the flower fades "when the breath of the Lord blows on it. "Surely the people are grass. "The grass withers, the flower fades, "but the word of our God will stand forever." Due to the pandemic, I had to leave APU and I found myself struggling with the same sin I had recognized from my childhood.

While God had renewed my faith, I was still placing my security in things that wither and fade, finding comfort and security in my friendships, expectations, and circumstances. I felt confused, disappointed, and upset with God for making me leave the home and friends where I expected to live for one more year.

I struggled to trust in God's plan, strained a season, and began to listen to lies from the enemy that my emotions make me unwanted by God. I was once again a slave to anxiety and depression, believing the lie that it would be easier to disappear than to continue to face suffering in the world and to keep sinning against God.

My selfish thoughts led me to feel unworthy of God's love and grace, and I did not dwell in his truth, wanting instead to give up. Even still, God did not let me go. He relentlessly fought for my heart and made certain that I kept hearing his truths through my brothers and sisters in Christ, even when my sin made me want to ignore them.

He led me here to Berean last year to be encouraged and strengthened by the holiness and goodness of God in his truth. The Lord is continually working in my heart and showing me more and more of who he is and how much I need him. While I know that I will face suffering, I am choosing to joyfully persevere and to do my best to glorify God with my life, placing my hope in him alone.

First Peter 5, six through 11 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, "under the mighty hand of God, "so that at the proper time he may exalt you, "casting all your anxieties on him "because he cares for you. "Be sober-minded, be watchful. "Your adversary, the devil, "prowls around like a roaring lion, "seeking someone to devour.

"Resist him, firm in your faith, "knowing that the same kinds of suffering "are being experienced by your brotherhood "throughout the world. "And after you have suffered a little while, "the God of all grace, "who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, "will himself restore, confirm, "strengthen, and establish you.

"To him be the dominion forever and ever, amen." - Amen. (audience applauding) (water trickling) - Thank you for your testimony, Tiffany. Tiffany, do you understand now that as you enter into this water, you symbolize your union with Christ in his death, and when you come out, you symbolize your union with Christ in his resurrected life?

- I do. - I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. (water trickling) (audience applauding) (audience cheering) - Thank you so much for your testimony. We're always encouraged. Each one of us have different stories, but in terms of the core of it, it's the same.

We humble ourselves before God, asking and requesting his grace, and he lavishly gives us his love. Let's pray as we enter into a time now of hearing his word. Father, we thank you so much for your grace. God, we are so thankful that you remind us of it daily, and also from our community, we see your hand working in the lives of people, bringing them to points where they no longer trust their own flesh, their circumstance, with the people around, but that they would turn to trust you.

And thank you, God, that you exhibit your great, great grace in forgiveness and redemption. Father, this blessing, we pray, would go out, and we take time now to even pray for our India team, desiring to share this great blessing of Christ for the message of repentance, that if anyone would humble themselves and come before you, and God, that they would trust you.

Lord, you do not disappoint. Father, we pray for this time now as we enter into your word. Would you grant to us growth of faith, deepening understanding of what it means to be washed from the stains of this world and our sins, and God, to in greater ways commit to you.

We thank you in Christ's name, amen. Please take your Bible now and turn to Joshua chapter 24. We'll actually start in Joshua 23. This sermon is the end of my devotions. Several months ago, back in the first Sunday of November, I preached a sermon in Joshua from chapter one called Be Strong and Courageous, because I was doing my devotions in Joshua, and now I've come to the end of it.

The book of Joshua, just as a quick run-through, is interesting. It feels like a man's book, because so much of it is about conquest. Chapters one through 12 is all about being strong, courageous, and overcoming these incredible odds, where many nations gather together and outnumber, vastly outnumber the people of God, and yet there's victory.

There's destruction of the pagan nations. There's the spoils, and then they move on to the next battle, and so it's very, very exciting. And then you hit chapter 13 through chapter 21, and it's very different. Some may say it's quite boring, but the reason why is because it just starts to list, and these were the nations and tribes, and these were the possessions of the land that they enter into.

However, it's significant, because the promise of land within the grand scheme of God's desire to bless his people was pivotal. God promised the nation of Israel, when he called Abraham, he says, "I will bless you. "I'll bless you beyond any other, because I've chosen you, "and I will give you an offspring.

"I will give you a land, and you'll become a nation." And so by those promises, God is fulfilling various elements of his blessing to his people. And if you think about it, Joshua is an incredible one, because it's the realization of the promise of the land for his people.

And as we think about that promise then, we're thinking about both the various tribes of God, or the nation of Israel, having their inheritance, but being also then instructed. What are you supposed to do here now? After you have gone through conquest, after you've gone through battles, now that you've won the land, what are you supposed to do?

And then in chapter 23 and 24, where I'm going to be now covering to you these, I guess, lengthy chapters, is Joshua's final exhortation. Joshua is aged, he is old, in years he's now advanced, and as he sees his departure, he's looking at the people saying, "Everybody, all eyes on me.

"You need to hear the commandments of the Lord." And he's gonna be giving his then final sermon, so to speak, and we'll walk down together. So, let me begin by reading a small section in chapter 23, verse one through three. And it says, "Now it came about after many days, "when the Lord had given rest to Israel "from all their enemies on every side." So they've gone through all their battles.

"And Joshua was old and advanced in years, "that Joshua called for all Israel, "for their elders and their heads, "and their judges and their officers, "and said to them, 'I am old, advanced in years. "'And when you have seen all that the Lord your God "'has done to all these nations because of you, "'for the Lord your God is he "'who has been fighting for you.'" Now, I want you to get a picture of the scene, an image of this individual speaking to you, okay?

Interestingly enough, Joshua goes down in scriptures as one of the greatest leaders, one of the greatest servants of God. "Very little is said about him ever failing, "ever disobeying or sinning, "but rather he's been a faithful servant of God. "He has been trained, he has been at the right hand "of Moses long ago, even from the time of Egypt.

"When the nation was underneath bondage and suffering, "Joshua was there. "When a nation was being brought out "in the miracles of God, the deliverance, "the mighty works of plagues, Joshua was there." And if you recall, Joshua, he was one of the members of the reconnaissance crew that went to scope out the land.

He was a scout. He and Caleb alone said, "Yes, "land flowing with milk and honey, "but also, yes, there are giants over there, "but we can serve the Lord. "He has always been with us. "We can go and take this." But unfortunately, the rest of the nation rebelled, and they said, "Oh, God brought us out here to kill us.

"We go in there, we die." This is a death sentence, no way. And God judged them. They walked 40 years in the wilderness, and all of Joshua's friends died. That entire generation of people that came out of Egypt, they passed. Joshua then walked the desert, and now he is the one regathering everybody, rallying them up, and he's the one who's then going to be used by God to have victory.

In the scripture, because it moves so fast, chapters one through 12, it almost sounds like the battle was just boom, boom, boom, and then you just win this nation, win that nation, but actually, it was a span of seven to eight years in battle, trying to go through the land of Canaan from Jericho to different nations, seven years.

So when you hear the voice of Joshua in your head, you're seeing a weathered man who has seen it all. He's seen then heights of conquest. He's seen the pitiful states of rebellion. He's seen wilderness wandering, where what in the world are we doing wandering for 40 years when the journey actually should have taken 12 days.

I don't know if you recall, but from Egypt to the land of Kadesh Barnea, when they're walking to that pinnacle point, going over into the land, the promised land of Canaan, it should have taken 12 days. He's seen it all, and now as you can imagine then, a victorious general who is aged, and it's interesting to me that the scriptures repeat so many times, he is old, okay?

In Joshua 13, when the victory is won, strangely enough, God says to Joshua, he calls on him and he says, Joshua was old in advance his years, and then the Lord said to him, you are old. He says, very much of the land remains to be possessed and you have a lot of work to do, but you are old, is what he says to Joshua.

But the reason why I emphasize this is because he's dying. He is actually 110 years old. So that's the picture. Have you guys met people who have so much clout? You know the things they've accomplished in their life. So when they walk into the room, everyone's just, shh, he's about to say something, right?

That's that scene. He's gathered everybody, including the leaders, including the priests, including anybody who has to hear young and old, come. Joshua has a word for us, and it's that important. And so we have to see now what he says. I'm gonna start reading from verse six. So we're at Joshua 23, verse six.

Joshua says to the nation, be very firm then to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or swear by them, or bow down to them.

But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you, and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is he who fights for you, just as he promised you.

So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God. Joshua, in his then final sermon, gives just a resounding, emphatic review of the commandments that he's been giving at every pinnacle point in the journey. If you look at Joshua chapter one, if you look at Joshua chapter five, Joshua chapter eight, basically, these commands have been given over and over and over again.

You have to be strong. You have to be committed to do every single thing according to what God has written, and not stray from it to the left and to the right. You have to cling, literally cling to the Lord, be attached to him. And you have to make sure you're sober and alert to know yourself.

Look at yourself and see, do you really love the Lord? Take heed, it says, to yourself that you love God. And the interesting thing for us is, right now, they are not in a time entering into battle. They've already won. There's peace all around them. It's now time for them to take their land and make it their own, occupy and enjoy.

It's almost like maybe it's time to now settle in and grow roots. But for this leader, he knows, whether you're about to go into battle, whether you fought and you won, or even if we failed, at every moment, it's time to be strong, because his worry is he's gonna be gone.

And he's looking at his people and saying, I need you to hear the one thing that you have to hear at every turning moment. Tell me now, you have to cling to God. You cannot sway just because I leave. You can't sway because there's a change of leadership. You can't sway because there's a lot of people, little people, we have resources, we don't have resources, we have covenants, we don't have covenants.

I need to know that you're clinging to God. And so that's why three months ago, I gave that sermon. The command for us is to be strong, and that idea of being strong, not just for today, but for even ages to come, doesn't come from having this or that.

It doesn't come from having influence, resources, material wealth, for sure. It comes from being dedicated. I'm gonna do it God's way, according to his word. An unwavering man is a man set on the word of God, amen? So that being the case, this is just the beginning of Joshua's sermon, and he's gonna go now into different segments of challenging and encouraging us.

Think about how to be prepared for when Joshua leaves. So let's continue to read on, and what he says is this. Just skipping a little bit, we're gonna come back to it. Turn your eyes to verse 14. Verse 14. In Joshua 23, verse 14, he says, now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, meaning just like everybody else, I am dying.

And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which your Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed. All have been fulfilled for you. Not one of them has failed. What is he saying? It is the propensity of human individuals, because we operate by the flesh and with our eyes, that if we see a leader who is strong and powerful, we will attach ourselves and say, you know what the key is?

We have to have a man like that. And what Joshua is saying is all the attention is completely removed from him, and he's saying, you know it has been the spoken word of God. He's gone before you to win your battles, and not a single word of God has failed you.

And what he is saying is you know in your heart that God is good. He is good for his word. He is good because his promises to you have been good, and everything he spoke that he will do, he has done. Now to us then, number one, there's a challenge.

I feel it. I don't know how many of you in here have that kind of unwavering conviction. The word of God can be trusted entirely. In the theological debate, they'll say the word of God is inspired. We believe in a verbal, plenary inspiration of God's word that all of it is inerrant.

When I say that, it means down to every exacting word, down to every precise thing he says, but all of it, not just some pieces that happen to pertain to spirituality, but some of it just doesn't, all of it, plenary, is inspired by God. If you ask Joshua that question, what do you think he would say?

Do you believe the word of God is inerrant? He'd probably look at us, you know, within his general-like way and look at us, are you stupid, right? The word of God is proven. I've seen it with my very eyes that down to the T, it's true. All of it.

And he's saying to the crowd, he's saying to the congregation, you know how good it is. Now, I wanna go through some of the things that the people experienced because he highlights this idea. You have seen it for yourself how good God is. Just doing a couple of just walkthrough of Joshua, what's wild is that even when, before they actually started doing battle, they sent more scouts, right?

And they sent scouts to see, and they already felt that there was fear in the eyes of their enemies. Actually, the scripture says, people's heart was melting away. Why was that? Because God had already gone before them. God had already gone before them. News of them had gone. What's more, the very first city that they overcome is Jericho, and Jericho was a fortified city.

And you recall the ridiculous strategy, military strategy that they had. God told us to carry this ark and walk around it. Not the warrior men, but the priests and the people of God walked around shouting and screaming, blowing the trumpet, and they said, let's do it again, and they did it again, and the walls came crumbling down.

That is not a military strategy you're able to repeat. That's you have seen the power of God moment. There's so many more. When the battle of Ai in chapter eight, God told Joshua, you raise your javelin. So he raises his javelin. People again demolished. Chapter nine, you know what's crazy is there's so many sequences of against all odds moment.

I mean, if you talk about a dramatic plot, seven kingdoms of this place and that place that I can't pronounce come together against one nation, and then boom, they slaughter them. Chapter 10, same thing. Five kingdoms come against one king. I wanna read this to you because it's both hilarious, but also amazing, and it's just a miraculous work of the hand of God.

In Joshua chapter 10, verse 10 through 11, it says, the Lord confounded them before Israel. He slew them with the great slaughter at Gibeon and pursued them by way of the ascent of Beth-Haran and struck them as far as Azekah and Makada as they fled from Israel while they were at the descent of Beth-Haran.

God threw large stones from the heavens on them as far as Azekah. Did you know that? And they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword just in case you missed the hand of God. God did majority of the work.

They were like heat-seeking missiles. It completely missed Israel's warriors and killed the masses of the pagan nation. They saw that, and for us, we get to see it by the testimony of Scripture. What I'm saying is Joshua is highlighting this idea. You know in your heart that God is good for his word.

You know in your heart that God has been good to you. And down to the very T, I wanna give another example of a devastating situation where it should've been a loss. After all of these battles in chapter 11, 13 kings gathered together. These kingdoms now know, oh my goodness, the people, Israelites, are plowing through these nations.

So they gather 13 versus one. Oh no, what should we do, right? Well, God says to Joshua in Joshua 11.6, the Lord said, "Do not be afraid because of them. "For tomorrow at this time, I will deliver all of them "slain before Israel. "You shall hamstring their horses "and burn their chariots with fire." Now I didn't know what hamstring their horses meant.

Hamstring is just behind your thigh. And so I looked it up. I didn't know that it was a thing where in an act of complete ownership, or I guess you could say complete victory, in order that they can't even try to have some kind of retaliation or counterattack, what they would do is cut the tendons of the horse's back leg right at the hamstring so that they could never recover.

It doesn't grow back. What's crazy about that is literally in just a couple verses later, in verse eight and nine, the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel so that they defeated them and pursued them as far as great Sidon and Mithripothim and Valley of Mithspeth to the east.

And they struck them until no survivor was left to them. Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him. He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire. To the T, it's gonna happen. And it happened. So the reason why I bring this up is because we have to have in our day this level of confidence.

What the Lord says is not going to kinda happen. What the Lord says is not going to, yeah, generically, the big things, but not the little things. Because in your life, what are the big things and the little things that you trust God with? They all matter. Question, you have this kind of confidence?

Not a single word of the Lord will fail me. And then also, do you have that kind of testimony? What's gonna keep us from saying no to all these temptations, distractions, allurements, the things that look good and valuable and fine on earth? Is our own story. You know what?

The Lord has been so good. He has sustained me. And even in moments when I was younger and completely a delinquent juvenile, and in the moments when I was sinful, he redeemed me. And every time I was afraid, some of you have these testimonies. You know, I was so afraid to confess.

I was so afraid to turn to God. But I was so afraid of nothing because once I did it, the word of God was real and true. I felt peace. I felt acceptance. I felt freedom. I felt liberty. What was I afraid of? You know God is good. And that's gonna keep you from being swayed by all the allurements around us.

But if there is temptation, Joshua continues the sermon by giving an intense warning. Let's continue to read. Reading the full section now in Joshua, the middle section, verse 12 down to verse 16. This is what he says. For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you and intermarry with them, and you associate with them, and they with you, know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you, but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts, in all your souls, that not one of the word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed. All have been fulfilled for you. Not one of them has failed.

It shall come about that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to you have come upon you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the threats until he has destroyed you from all his good land which the Lord your God has given you.

When you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which he has given you. Wow.

That is one intense warning. If you ever, after how good, and you know how good he's been to you, look back with this fancy daydreaming, like, oh, I wonder, I wonder if I go back to when I wasn't Christian, when I was ambitious for the world, when I had more freedoms, kind of like the prodigal son, I'm gonna take my inheritance and go.

I wonder what I could do if I just let my own wings fly. He says, you're tempted with that? Know this day that every single promise just as how it's come true for the good, the promise that will come true for the bad will be certain, and God's anger will burn against you.

Like, I don't have the words to describe, and we feel it, but we don't have the words to adequately describe how scary it is to be underneath the wrath of God, to know with certainty, with precision, God will look upon you with anger versus grace. That's incredible. Now, I asked this question when I was doing the devotions.

Whoa, this is such a turn in tone. Like, shouldn't, right? Like, if you do the meditation on this thought, like, they just had battle, and then they got together because overall, overall, they were faithful. And he says it, you obeyed. When I told you to destroy them utterly, you destroyed them.

There were a couple moments, no, but they destroyed them. You did this, you did that, and then so shouldn't they come together and just do, thank you, Lord, we accept with gratitude. Thank you, thank you. Good job, everyone. What is this, like, grumpy old man just, oh, God's gonna judge you if you even think about going back.

Is he just being a grumpy old man? Is he just being a hard-nosed general? There are those guys out there who are just hard-loved guys who every moment, it's like, how dare you even think about it, right? And it's all warning and brimstone and heavy, heavy wrath. It's not.

The reason why it's not is because through Joshua, God is shepherding their souls. And through Joshua today, God is shepherding our souls. The reality of the warning, the wisdom behind the warning, is that this is true. We are duped to think that sometimes we sin and there are no consequences, but God is very, very clear.

In your own experience of joy, occupying his promises, in your personal experience with God, there are consequences to every act and every decision. So what's best for you is to remember to be with this good God and to walk with him is literally your best. And the scariest, scariest thing is to be tempted by the world.

And so what do I mean by God is shepherding our soul? When God is talking through Joshua to the people, he said, "I want you to gather "and I want you to gather in this place. "You will see how God is shepherding them in wisdom. "I want you, my children, to make wise decisions "and to be decided in your heart." Let me show you.

By walking through the next portion of his sermon, Joshua says in chapter 24, verse one through 13, "The kind of shepherding that God has already done." God has a loving history with these people. Let's take a look and read. Chapter 24, starting from verse one. "Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem "and called the elders of Israel for their heads "and their judges and their officers, "and they presented themselves before God." Notice how it's they presented themselves before God.

Verse two, "Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you." Okay. Real fast. What Joshua is doing here is gathering these people in a very particular place for a very particular reason. And that reason is because this place, Shechem, Shechem is a significant place both of blessing and of decision.

So if you are in the habit of highlighting your Bible, et cetera, Shechem is a place you wanna know, or just take note on it, that Shechem is the place in Joshua, sorry, in Genesis chapter 12, when God gave promise to Abraham and said, "I am going to give you offspring.

"I will give you land." This was the place. And so because that was a place of blessing in Genesis 15, if you remember, Abraham sets up a monument. It sets up an altar and says, "I need to remember this place," right? Because it will live as a testimony to me.

But what's more, in Deuteronomy, when Moses, the great leader, is setting before the nation, "I want you to understand. "Be wise, everyone. "Choose wisely. "God wants to bless you, but there are also curses." Guess where they were hearing the law? In the valley of Shechem. Shechem is a valley between two mountains.

On one side, it's called Mount Ebal. It just sounds bad, doesn't it? E-bal. Just sounds horrible. Guess what God did? He said, "I wanna do a demonstration." And so he had six of the tribes go on one mountain, and they proclaimed curses. "Cursed be the man who sets up idolatry.

"Cursed be the man who gives incense. "Cursed be the man who offends his brother," et cetera, et cetera. And the people were shouting, "Curse that man! "Curse that man!" And the priests down the middle of Shechem, the individuals, right, the one tribe, they were screaming, "Amen, amen, curses, curses!" And then God would set up the other side, Mount Gerizim.

And he would say, "But blessing, if you abide in my way." Is God being an angry God who's just threatening you? No, he's shepherding them by not just telling them but showing them, "My people, "you can't stand on two mountains. "You think in your own wisdom, in your own way, "but maybe I could have both.

"That guy had both. "He had wealth and riches and the spirit "and all this stuff. "Why can't I? "You can't sit there on two decisions. "Why can't I at least have a run with the world, "at least have some fun? "Why can't I take this journey and trip first?" And he says, "No, let me show you the wisdom "of the reality of the decision.

"There's wrath and judgment here. "There's blessings here. "Where will you stand? "But what's more, to encourage and motivate your heart, "he's shepherding you. "But you know that when I guide you "and you know these commands and instructions and threats, "it's not coming from some random guy out on the street.

"It's not coming from some guy "who should just mind his own business, "but he's just throwing, yelling, "hey, you should do that. "Hey, you should do this. "No, it's your good shepherd." Why do I say this? As I read the next section, I'm gonna accentuate how God is speaking to them, saying, "Look what I've done for you." So let me read on.

God says to all of Israel, gathered together in the Valley of Shechem, "From ancient time, your fathers lived beyond the river, "namely Terah, the father of Abraham, "and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. "Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the river "and led him through all the land of Canaan.

"And I multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. "To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, "and to Esau I gave the Mount Seir to possess it. "But Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. "Then I sent Moses and Aaron, "and I plagued Egypt by what I did in their midst.

"And afterward, I brought you out. "I brought you, your fathers, out of Egypt, "and you came to the sea. "And Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen "to the Red Sea. "But when they cried out to the Lord, "He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, "and brought the sea upon them and covered them.

"And your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. "You lived in the wilderness for a long time." Now that's an understatement, that was a long time. "Then I brought you into the land of the Aramites "who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you. "I gave them into your hand.

"You took possession of their land, "and I destroyed them before you. "Then Balak and the son of Zipporah, king of Moab, "rose and fought against Israel. "He sent and summoned Balaam, the son of Beir, to curse you. "But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. "So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand.

"You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, "and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, "and the Amorite and the Perizzite, "and the Canaanite, the Hittite, and the Gerrishite, "the Hivite and the Jebusite. "Thus I gave them into your hand. "I sent the hornet before you, "and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites "from before you.

"But not by your sword or your bow. "I gave you a land on which you had not labored, "and cities on which you did not build, "and you have lived in them. "You are eating of vineyards and olive grove "which you did not plant." I read that section because clearly what God was saying was, "I need you to understand what's really happening." Sometimes we get so defensive, like, "Oh, why is he getting so intense?

"And why are there threats? "Is he just manipulating me?" But no, you are being given real, genuine wisdom and warning from a God who is our perfect shepherd. Isn't that what it sounds like? Just like a shepherd, I lead you and brought you, and I brought you to pastures, a pastures that you did not plant, and then I brought you to safety, and when you're in danger, I protected you.

God is our shepherd. So if anything, as we hear the sermon of Joshua this morning, I wanted your heart to be thankful. Anytime you hear a good instruction from God, know that it comes from your great and perfect shepherd. Amen? But also, anytime you hear harsh rebuke, warning and correction, and it looks like he's just shaking you up, thank God.

Thank God and say, "God, we confess together. "We are hard of hearing. "Sometimes I hear stuff and I'm like, "Oh yeah, good, good, but I don't really get it. "Sometimes I think I got it and I really don't "because in application, I don't follow through. "Sometimes I think I get it and I try to follow through, "and then I make a bundle of it.

"So many ways your instructions can go wrong, "and sometimes I'm just slow. "Sometimes I'm defensive. "But thank you, God, that you reason with us. "You tell us and you show us." Amen? But that's what he's doing in saying people. It wasn't even just this time, but every time he sent the prophet, remember Elijah on Mount Carmel, 1 Kings?

How long will you waver between two things? If Baal seems like God to you, then do it. But if God is mighty, then follow him. You can't sit there straddling two fences. And God says, "Because of this pivotal moment," and it's pivotal because they had victory, and now then perhaps they were more susceptible to danger and threat.

"I need to know that you will choose and cling to God." And so that's what Joshua says. Verse 14 through 15, chapter 24. "Now therefore, upon hearing how God has been shepherding you "and shepherding the flock and all your souls, "fear the Lord, serve him in sincerity and truth, "and put away the gods which your father served "beyond the river in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

"If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, "choose for yourself today whom you will serve, "whether the gods which your father served, "which were beyond the river, "or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." This is a famous and epic portion of scripture, and we wanna heed it in the right way.

We want to understand that God desires us to yes, make a decisive conclusion. God has been good to me, and to anything that takes me away from my Lord, anything that makes me feel a little far from my Savior, it's utter trash, and I need to put it away.

And we may have excuses, we may have reasons, but I'm scared, I don't know how it's gonna work out, I don't know exactly how to plan, I don't know if I'm in the end actually gonna be safe, et cetera, et cetera. He wants us to deal with those worries, reservations, excuses, and be willing to say, "I will put away anything else "that does not contribute to me serving my God." You know, as a comment on what he's saying, he's saying when you choose to serve God in sincerity and truth, truth by nature is exclusive.

If truth is truth and it's right, then this is false. And likewise, he's saying, there is a principle of separation. God challenges you and me. When we think about things like washing, renewal, revival, what that means is any element of our lives that is of our previous flesh, that is in contradiction to God, I volitionally, I have to put that away.

And as a case example of this, continuing to reason with us, did you notice here there's actually three main individuals that's talked about? There's the idea of Abraham coming out of the Ur of Chaldeans, there's Moses in Egypt, and here and now there's Joshua and the people. I want you to think about this.

God called Abraham because he was a righteous man? No, he came from the land, basically, which is now Southeast Saudi Arabia, okay? He comes from the civilization of the Sumers. They were pagan individuals believing in the pantheon of God's worshiping animals. What did he say? Come out, I call you.

And he had to cross the Euphrates River to come all the way from his people to now enter into this land. Same thing for Moses. He's in Egypt. He gets accustomed to the traditions, the religions of the people. What do they have to do? They have to pass through the Red Sea.

God miraculously splits open the sea, people walk through. The people now in Joshua's time, they go from the wilderness and they have to cross the what? The Jordan, the second splitting of the sea, so to speak. Jordan splits wide open, the ground is dry, they walk through. Anybody in here now, I don't know every single struggle you have.

It could be something you know is compromise, it could be something you know is very, very tempting. God is saying cross the river. You cannot sit in the middle of the water and hope it works out. I will crush you. Separation is a theme in the scripture that we know is true, but it's hard.

It's difficult. I wanna challenge you, just like this passage is challenging us. You have to make a very personal decision. If there are things in your life keeping you from God, making you feel far from him, you have to decide, as for me, not based on what everybody else is, as for me, I choose to serve the Lord.

That's power. You could be a 15-year-old youth group student in here. You can pre-decide in your heart, you know the stuff to come. Everything that tempts us is common to man. You know your classmates is gonna tempt you to roll with them. Once you get into college, you know the temptations to come.

Once you get into working life, you know the temptations to come. When you have expendable cash, when you have various privileges, when you're later on in life, the temptations don't necessarily become new and profound, et cetera, but it's powerful if you have a pre-determined decision in your heart, I am going to serve the Lord.

For me, as I was meditating on that, I think, I had this thought that in my own personality, I do find safety in being around others who make decisions. I am content to have others make strong decisions for me so that it looks safe and then I will do it.

But Joshua gives us an example. He says, you know what? As for me and my household, it's not as though my decision is contingent upon you or the people following me or anybody else. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. You choose. Don't be passive.

Don't look for safety surrounded by like, let me see at least first what that guy does. Did it work out for that guy? No, he wants you to make a strong decision. What's incredibly interesting about this sermon is there is a response from the people. As a narrative, you see how the people respond to his call.

Let's take a look, verse 16. The people answered and said, far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for the Lord our God is he who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt from the house's bondage and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.

The Lord drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the Lord for he is our God. Now when you look at their words, when they say, far be it from us to do stuff like that, we will serve the Lord.

Does that automatically make you feel a little weird? Kind of the feeling of like, I don't know, you guys, I've read the next book, you know? I don't know, you guys, it feels a little overconfident. Let me just say at first, it is an encouragement to see the people respond this way and say we will serve the Lord.

That's something good. I think you and I actually live in fear these days. So many people are afraid of making any commitment, and I know why. You don't wanna look silly because you couldn't do it. You don't wanna say stuff that you might not have the power to fulfill.

It's a good thing. The bad thing is when they completely lose sight of their track record, when they have too much self-confidence, when they say things like, oh, far be it from us that we would ever do this, we also know not the next book but the previous book.

What in the world are we talking about here? If you recall in Joshua chapter one, when Joshua gave a similar sermon, the people said we will obey all that you command us just as we obeyed Moses in all the things, so we will obey you. Just as you obeyed Moses, what are you talking about?

And so what's really interesting is we have this paradox in our Christian life. No confidence in the flesh means I know actually I can sin at every turn. I can sin on the way down from an amazing retreat. I can sin in the moment of weakness when I'm even like having done my devotions, et cetera, et cetera.

I am susceptible, yes? But that does not preclude me from saying by what God has commanded me, I will obey. We're gonna talk about that, but Joshua's response to the people is actually pretty shocking, and this is what he says. Joshua, knowing his people, he says this. Then Joshua said, you will not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God.

He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you after he has done good to you. Whoa. What's really interesting about that, the way I take it is the people say, you know what, Joshua, we hear you.

We're here in the valley and we get it. Curses and blessings, we choose blessings. We'll serve the Lord, and Joshua goes, no, you won't. But what Joshua's really saying is not like that. Not like that. Joshua clearly is seeing the people and saying, I know you, I see you.

You can't worship God on your terms. You can't worship God just showing up, giving whatever you want. You can't, 'cause there is a moment right before this happens when the two nations, it's two and a half nations, that were on the other side of the Jordan, they actually set up an altar, and the people are like, what are you doing?

God told us to come together, and we have the altar of Shiloh. What are you doing? You're gonna bring judgment on us. What are you gonna do, like burn something on there? Now, thank God that actually, there's a moment of potential civil war. They say, no, no, no, no, no.

We were just setting this up so that we never forget what's happened here. Okay, okay. But what I'm saying is, there is this weird thought that like, I can just set up stuff, and God will accept my offering. What I mean, and I think what Joshua's getting at, is there is this thought that yes, we will serve God, but then there's always been this strange assumption that I can serve God in whichever way, or to the best of my ability, I can just offer this, and he'll just accept it.

And when Joshua says, no, no, no, he is holy, that's exactly what he's saying, right? God is a holy God that we do not just approach him in any which way we presume, and this idea that come just as you are, no matter what you did yesterday, no matter what's in your heart now, just come, that's a falsehood.

He's holy, and his holiness will consume you. You don't treat God like one of your hobbies, one of your pets, and that is the sad state of affairs in our day where we presume that God is okay just as long as at least I carve out this moment for him.

But to me, that's kind of like saying, well, my dog needs a walk every so often, so I'll do it. That's not God. And so what Joshua's saying is, you can't do it like that. You can't have him as one of your loves. You can't have him as one of the many things that you hold dear and near to your heart and you value.

He's gotta be holy in you. Now, let me paint the scenario for you. So imagine this scene with me. To liken it to this scenario would be to liken it to, let's say, an intense football game, let's say the Super Bowl. The coach, he is a veteran coach. He's been through game after game, and he's looking at his team.

It's fourth quarter, there's two minutes left. It's down to the wire. They're only down by six, so he has this moment with his team, and he says, hey, everybody, all eyes on me. And so everybody has to come, right? That's exactly what happened. Joshua says, everybody, come to the valley, and so everybody had to come.

From young and old, leader or follower, everybody came. And just like a good coach would look at his team and says, I know you guys have been running out there. I know you guys have been doing a good job, but do you want this? Do you wanna win? And the team goes, yeah, we wanna win.

Do you wanna win? Yeah, we wanna win. Kind of similar, right? And then the players are like, that's right. They're getting all hyped up, saying, we're gonna win. We're gonna win. And the coach says, no, you won't. And everyone's sitting there like, what's going on? Why is he screaming at us?

Man, and you could get defensive at that moment. Man, I'm bruised all over. I've been running so hard. I've been taking hits. I've been making blocks that I'm not even supposed to. Why is this guy yelling at us, telling us we won't win? And the coach says, you're not gonna win like that, you won't, 'cause I see you.

I see some of you guys. You guys aren't dedicated to win. You guys are sitting there complaining about how the play stinks and how you're not getting enough passes. You're sitting there competing with each other. Who's better, who's better? Some of you guys are over there celebrating when you're not even winning yet.

Why are you over there celebrating? Some of you guys are over here all distracted on your phones and all you do is stay on your phone on the bench. Even if you're on the bench, stay in the game. Some of you are staring at cheerleaders. What's wrong with you?

You can't win like that. But that's kind of what he's saying. Some of you guys are so distracted and he says, you guys are saying you wanna win, but you can't serve God like that. That's not the decision I was asking for, where you say, okay, I'll show up.

No, I want you to win. Look at this next portion of the scriptures in verse 21. The people say to Joshua, no, no, no, no, we'll do it, we'll serve the Lord. And then Joshua says, you are witnesses against yourself that you have chosen for yourself the Lord to serve him.

And they said, yeah, we are witnesses. Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your, where? In your midst. It has been the plight of the nation that every time they came out, somebody had to steal a little icon, idol, or false thing and hide it in their tent.

And they save it like hoarders who can't clear their garage. It's just, maybe one day, someday it'll help me. No, it's going to kill you. And that's exactly what happens. And the people, it's such a predictable sin, but so many times the prophets of God are like, stop staring at the pagan woman.

I know they're beautiful, stop. And the next story, it's like, and they took wives from the pagan nation. It's so predictable. And so God says to us too, I know some of you are making decisions and you've done well. And he says it, he says, you fought well up to this day, you've obeyed, but you understand that little bit of compromise, that little bit of saving, saving of the stuff of your past, wishing you could have it both ways, it will kill you.

And the thing about it is right now, we don't have little idols in your house. You don't have like a little totem pole. You don't have like a Asherah pole and a statue set up for Molech. If you do, please throw it away. But we don't have that stuff in your garage.

But I think it's because we just thought we got wiser and we just bypassed it. And then humans realized, you know what? I'm not going to give fruit to the Asherah pole. I'm going to give a lamb to the Asherah pole. Because in the end, what was the game?

The game was, you know, you go to the Asherah pole and it's like, give me blessing, make me fruitful. You go to Molech and you go, give me blessing, make me fruitful. And now it's just, you bypass all that and you just look to anybody. Are you going to help me be fruitful?

You're going to help me be successful? Who's going to bless me in my business? Who's going to bless me now? Bless me, bless me, bless me. It's the same thing. And so the idol became just simply us. And some of us do have idols. We have idols of like pro athletes.

We have idols of musicians and you have idols of business success, entrepreneurs. But part of the reason why there are idols is only because I fantasize about me being them. The little idol that will hold is the selfish desire that wishes I'll have more than what God gave me currently.

That I was better and I was different than what God has blessed me now. And God says, wash yourself of that regularly. Put away the little thing you hide in your home. Put away the fantasies because I want you to be decided for me. Cling to me. And when he says, furthermore in verse 24, so the people said to Joshua, we will serve the Lord our God and we'll obey his voice.

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. Verse 26, and Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.

Joshua said to all the people, behold, this stone shall be a witness against us for it has heard all the words of the Lord which he spoke to us. Thus it shall be for a witness against you so that you do not deny your God. Then Joshua dismissed the people each to his inheritance and thus ends his sermon.

I wanna leave you with this encouragement. It's a blessing. I am so glad that nobody looked at Joshua and said, hey, take it easy. Quit yelling at us. You're a dying old man. We already fought, we're victorious. What's wrong with you? But instead they said, we will serve the Lord.

But did you notice something very strange about this passage? They said, we will serve the Lord. And in order to commemorate that, what did they do? They took a stone, a large stone, and typically they have this pattern where it says we take an uncut stone, not set up by the tools of men because just to signify that this is a God thing.

But Joshua says something really ridiculous. I wanna make sure that you do not deny your God. So let this stone be a witness against you. This stone heard everything. Isn't that weird? It's kinda like me saying, hey guys, you guys are gonna represent Ebal, you're gonna represent Charism, we're gonna make a decision today, let's do it.

And all of you said, yes, amen. And I said, see, this table heard you. How does that empower us to not deny God? Because that, typically, that stone represents the witness of law. Covenant is setting a binding contract. It's kinda like a will. It's a binding, it's a instructional contract, yes?

The Old Testament saints, I sometimes criticize them, but I shouldn't. They were responding to the sermon and it was good. But the power that they had to do it was outside of them by the law, the witness of a stone. You and me, we have the sealing, the empowering, and the very presence of the life of Christ.

You and me, we have the indwelling of the Spirit that does not leave, it does not abide outside of us, it's in us. And by that Spirit, we don't have the law outside of my heart, we have the law in our hearts. We have so much more power, and that's an understatement.

We have so much more power that God has gifted to us than the saints that we read of here. It is a sad state of affairs, though, that it sometimes just feels like I, myself, and the people of our day, we're more afraid of making outwardly expressions of commitment and dedication to God than Old Testament saints.

You know what I mean? We are afraid of saying, Lord, I wanna serve you, I dedicate myself, I'm decided today in my heart and soul, no matter what all my friends say, no matter what all the people around me do, I will serve you, God. We're afraid to say stuff like that.

But why? We have so much more than them. And so I challenge you, you can say, in the name of Christ, not me, but the life of Christ in me, I will serve God. I am decided, not me, but the Spirit in me. Anything that is an offense to my God, I'll put away, I'll kill it, actually.

And this day and the days to come, I am decided in my heart to serve you. Let's pray. Lord, thank you. We know, God, that from past events of history, we learned valuable lessons, that you as good father, good shepherd, you always instructed in the right way. But the law was powerless to make sinners, to make the leopard lose its spots.

And in the end, they kept choosing sin, and they kept choosing sin. But Lord, we're encouraged today that the call to remove ourselves from the stain of sin, to be renewed in our minds, and by the transforming of our hearts, that we should offer up ourselves no longer to sin, but God, completely to you, we hear that today, and we know that for this incredible calling, you have empowered us by the life of Christ.

So God, thank you so much for all the provisions you give to us by your love and grace. And by saying that then, God, it's sometimes embarrassing and humbling to think that even with all this, Lord, temptation exists, and we can feel our heart waver, sometimes wanting the best of all things.

But Lord, help us to make a decisive choice. God, we want your blessings and nothing more. We thank you in Christ's name, amen. - Let us stand together for the final song. (gentle music) ♪ Christ the sure steady anchor ♪ ♪ In the fury of the storm ♪ ♪ When the winds of doubt blow through me ♪ ♪ And my sails have all been torn ♪ ♪ In the suffering, in the sorrow ♪ ♪ When my sinking hopes are few ♪ ♪ I will hold fast to the anchor ♪ ♪ Which shall never be removed ♪ (gentle music) ♪ Christ the sure steady anchor ♪ ♪ While the tempest rages on ♪ ♪ When temptation claims the battle ♪ ♪ And it seems the night has won ♪ ♪ We will still then cross the anchor ♪ ♪ Though I justly stand accused ♪ ♪ I will hold fast to the anchor ♪ ♪ Which shall never be removed ♪ (gentle music) ♪ Christ the sure steady anchor ♪ ♪ Through the floods of unbelief ♪ ♪ Hopeless somehow, oh my soul now ♪ ♪ Lift your eyes to Calvary ♪ ♪ This my ballast of assurance ♪ ♪ See His love forever prove ♪ ♪ I will hold fast to the anchor ♪ ♪ Which shall never be removed ♪ ♪ Shall never be removed ♪ ♪ Never be removed ♪ (gentle music) ♪ Christ the sure steady anchor ♪ ♪ As we face the wave of death ♪ ♪ When He strides with way to glory ♪ ♪ As we draw our final breath ♪ ♪ We will cross that great horizon ♪ ♪ Just behind Him I'm secure ♪ ♪ The calm in the bed ♪ ♪ Before the storms now we do ♪ ♪ Christ the sure of our salvation ♪ ♪ Ever faithful, ever true ♪ ♪ We will hold fast to the anchor ♪ ♪ It shall never be removed ♪ - Amen.

Let's bow our heads and pray together. Our God, we again want to thank you that you are truly good and we know this. Thank you that your word stands firm and you by your character, you never waver. And so God, it only makes sense and it's truly to our great benefit that we would cling to you.

Help us, Father God, whether in this scenario or that circumstance, whether we have a lot or little, help us, God, to desire to be close to you and to pursue you with all of our hearts. And I now also with our heads bow, pray for anybody in the room who is struggling, perhaps at a fork in the road, perhaps tempted to make choices that they know will take them away from you.

Help them, Father God, to be strengthened by the words that we found today this morning, that God, even though we may have fears, we may have our own reservations, that when we do things your way and in the end when we're close to you, you will be our prize.

And God, as we decide, as we choose to serve you, you will be our reward. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, blame us in great joy, for the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever.

Amen. ♪ God sent his Son ♪ ♪ They called him Jesus ♪ ♪ He came to love ♪ ♪ He went for gifts ♪ ♪ He lived and died ♪ ♪ To buy my heart ♪ ♪ An empty grave is there to prove ♪ ♪ My Savior lived ♪ ♪ Because he lived ♪ ♪ I can face tomorrow ♪ ♪ Because he lived ♪ ♪ All fear is gone ♪ ♪ Because I know ♪ ♪ He holds the future ♪ ♪ And life is worth the living ♪ ♪ Just because he lived ♪ Amen.

(audience chattering) ♪ There is no more ♪ ♪ A whole heaven now to give ♪ ♪ He is my joy ♪ ♪ My righteousness and freedom ♪ ♪ My steadfast love ♪ ♪ My true love ♪ - Fasting Mark's birthday today. - Hi. Oh yeah, today.