The One Decision To Make And Keep

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. Remember The Faithfulness Of God
• II. Remember The Decision You Have Made

TRANSCRIPT

Our text for tonight's message is taken from Joshua 24:1–15, but let us just read one verse: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

In life, we make many decisions. We make constant decisions in regards to our education—what course we want to take; our jobs— which company we want to be employed in; our marriages—who we want to marry and when we want to get married. Once a decision is made, we are expected to make a commitment to keep it. The greatest decision a man or a woman can ever make is the decision to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, and that decision, just like all the other decisions, is a gift of God. It is God who enables us to make such a decision and the next most important decision a believer who is saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ can ever make is to serve the Lord. This is what we want to consider in this passage, and the title of our message is “The One Decision To Make And Keep.”

The author of this book is Joshua, and the meaning of his name—Joshua—is “The LORD is salvation.” When the twelve spies were sent to explore the land of Canaan, it was Joshua, together with Caleb, who returned with a positive report of the land. In that generation, they were the ones allowed to enter the promised land. It was this man, Joshua, who was commissioned to succeed Moses and lead the Israelites through the many struggles and obstacles along the way. He was a faithful servant of God.

In Joshua chapter 24, it was not only the concluding chapter but it was also a summary of what Joshua had learned throughout his entire life. If there is one important lesson for us to learn from the life of Joshua, it is his commitment to the Lord. Let us begin with verse one of Joshua chapter 24: “And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.”

The place for their meeting was Shechem. It was a very unique place, not because it was more convenient, but it was the place where Abraham first came to Canaan. Abraham was the first trustee of God's covenant with his people. He was the one whom God said, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) It was also the place where the people had renewed their covenant with God when they first came into the promised land; you can read about that in Joshua 8:30. So when the people came to Shechem, they were reminded of the promises God had made to their forefathers, and they were reminded of the promises they themselves had made to God. It was the place that would remind them to worship and serve the one living and true God.

Shechem would not be Shechem, it would not be a unique place, if not for the presence of God. When Joshua gathered the children of Israel—all the tribes of Israel, the elders, the leaders, the judges, the officers—they presented themselves not only before Joshua, but ultimately before God. So it was a very solemn way in which they gathered together and presented themselves before God. Later, in verse 26, this place was called the sanctuary of the Lord. The sanctuary of the Lord was a place to worship God. So when the people came, they came into the presence of the Almighty God to worship Him.

Dear friend, in a similar fashion, each time we come together for worship, we are presenting ourselves not before the pastor. We do not come to church because of our parents or friends. If our coming to worship is because of our husbands, wives, or children, if it is because of convenience or any reasons other than the worship of God, it will mean absolutely nothing. So we must always examine the condition of our hearts whenever we come for worship. We must come with this desire to seek the presence of the Almighty God.

Verse two: “And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.” (Joshua 24:2) Here, Joshua spoke to the people in God's name in the language of a prophet—“Thus saith the Lord”. He reminded them who their forefathers were. They were pagans serving other gods, and it was God who had called them out of darkness into His marvellous light and saved them from eternal damnation. In other words, he was reminding them of God's faithfulness.

I. Remember The Faithfulness Of God

So from verse three all the way to verse 13, the people were called to remember the faithfulness of God. Remember what God had done. The best part of history is not to remember what you and I have done, but to remember the great things God has done for His people. As we often say, history will not be history if we do not see His story—the story of Jesus Christ. The God whom we believe in is the God of the Bible; He is the God of history. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Whenever we remember the events in our lives, whenever we remember the past, we must learn to see the hands of God working in the midst of those situations and circumstances. The events in our lives did not occur by chance or coincidence, but through the mighty hands of God, and every time we remember the grace of God and His faithfulness, our hearts rejoice. Each time we remember, we are comforted knowing that we are not alone. Each time we remember, we are encouraged that God has led us, empowered us, sustained us, and so we may rise up and live our lives for His glory.

The children of Israel were told to remember how their forefathers were worshipping idols, and God was the one who brought Abraham into Canaan and built up his family, leading him all the way until he reached Shechem. Even in his old age, God gave him a son, Ishmael, and finally blessed him with Isaac, the promised son, and in him multiplied his seed. God was the one who protected the sons of Jacob when they went down to Egypt because of the famine. We remember the story of Joseph. God was the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt. He was the one who delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. He opened the Red Sea. He led them throughout their days in the wilderness. He was their pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. He gave them manna from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty.

God was the one who gave them the land of the Amorites, who were on the other side of Jordan. He was the one who defeated Balak and Balaam. God was the one who brought them triumphantly into the promised land. Now they were in a good land; they live and receive the fruit which others had planted. The children of Israel had done nothing in their lives to deserve all these blessings. It was all purely because of God's faithfulness.

Dear friend, take a moment and consider our lives. Remember who we were and how we have been sustained all these years. Is it not because of God's faithfulness? Whether it is our church, our ministries, our families, our children, or our individual lives, we have done nothing to deserve these blessings, and yet God has blessed us so abundantly. I believe all of us have a story to tell about God's faithfulness in our lives.

Perhaps I have shared with you this testimony before. This is the problem with being a pastor of a particular church—you tend to forget those things you have shared and how many times you have shared them. But I believe you will bear with me if I'm repeating myself.

Many years ago, when I was ministering to a group of ex-prisoners and ex-drug addicts in Singapore, we used to rent a house to accommodate the people. We called them ‘residents’, and we would conduct Bible studies to help build up their spiritual lives. One day, all of a sudden, the landlord wanted to take back the house, so we were given notice to vacate the premises.

I had to find another house, but here comes the difficulty because this house would be used to house the ex-offenders. So I searched through the advertisements for house rentals, and whenever I called up, either they would put the phone down, or they would say that it was not suitable. The moment they heard the house would be used for ex-prisoners and ex-drug addicts, they were not interested. But the most disappointing thing was that I had to face the people—almost 20 of them—and say to them, "We have been rejected. We have no place to go." I could not expect them to go back to the streets. But what could I do? I simply said to them, "Pray and look to God. He is our provider."

God is so faithful. He not only provided us a place, but He gave us the most conducive place and at the cheapest price. Today, I still keep in touch with some of the brethren, and whenever we remember this particular incident, our hearts are so encouraged. Our God is so faithful. He has led us all the way; He has provided for all our needs. He is faithful.

From verses 3 to 13, you can notice how many times the word "I" was being used. God said: "I took your father Abraham… I gave unto Isaac… I sent Moses… I brought your fathers out of Egypt… I destroyed the Amorites… I hearkened not unto Balaam… I drove the two kings." No doubt there were obstacles and struggles they had to face, but the one who was always faithful was God.

Sadly, oftentimes we forget about God, and the moment we forget about God, pride will creep into our hearts. Remember how Lucifer fell from Heaven. It was all because of pride when he said: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." (Isaiah 14:13-14) In other words, "I will be like God."

Dear friend, the moment we think that we are the ones responsible for all our achievements and accomplishments, we are in deep trouble. Whether it be our studies, our wealth, our jobs, our status, our ministries, or our services, we must give all glory that is due to our God. God is the one. So, the children of Israel were told to remember how the Lord had faithfully led them. When we look at our past, do we see the sovereign hand of God working in our lives? If not for the mercies of God, we would be like Abraham on the other side, worshipping idols. If not for the mercies of God, we would be in the bondage of sin, just like the children of Israel were in the bondage of Egypt. If not for the mercies of God, we would be like Balaam—instead of praising God, we would be cursing Him. If not for the mercies of God, we would not be what we are today.

Instead of being proud, we should be humble and say, "It is all because God is faithful." Well, most of us may not deny the faithfulness of God in our lives, but the question is: after we have experienced His goodness, are we willing to take a stand for Him, to fear Him, and to serve Him with all faithfulness? If we have made such a decision, have we forgotten it?

II. Remember The Decision You Have Made

This is the second thing we want to learn: remember the decision you have made. Look at verses 14 and 15: "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15).

The main purpose of remembering history, recounting the past, is to cause us to fear the Lord and to serve Him. The phrase "the fear of the LORD" is repeated again and again in the entire Bible, with more than 300 references in the Old Testament alone. This is not the devastating fear of being judged for our sins and being sent into the eternal lake of fire, because Romans 8:1 tells us: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus”. If you believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, your sins—past, present, and future—are washed away by His precious blood. You do not need to be fearful of the judgment.

This fear of the Lord is the reverential fear for God. It is an awareness that God is watching at every moment and weighing every one of our thoughts, words, actions, and attitudes. This fear of the Lord comes when we have experienced His hand working in our lives, and we know that the God whom we believe in is of such infinite power and majesty that we fear to sin against Him; we fear to forfeit His goodness.

This fear of the Lord is not only an outward expression—what is more important is the heart. Many people today have no problem with outward obedience. They come to church week after week, they attend every Bible study, and they serve in certain ministries. They may appear to be totally obedient to God and His Word, but within their hearts, they may be living in sin, rejection, and rebellion. Their heart's attitude may not be right with God. But our God is all-knowing, and He knows everything, because He sees into the deepest recesses of our hearts. That is why we ought to serve the Lord not only by outward expression, but in sincerity and in truth. It must be based upon what the Bible tells us, and our hearts must be right with Him.

Joshua commanded the children of Israel to put away the strange gods. This commandment was mentioned twice, in verses 14 and 23. There might have been some people who privately kept idols in images and pictures of those idols which were passed down from their ancestors. So, Joshua earnestly urged them: "Put away the strange gods. Deface them, destroy them, lest ye be tempted to serve them." In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said the same thing: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

God must be the only master of our lives. Is God the only master of your life? In verse 15, Joshua puts the entire matter to their choice: Jehovah God on one side, and on the other side, the idols and gods of their ancestors. Now, you choose whom you will serve. Hundreds of years later, Elijah on Mount Carmel gave a similar challenge to the people: "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21)

Peter, on the day of Pentecost, declared that the one who was promised by the Old Testament prophets had come—Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. He was crucified, but He rose again from the dead on the third day. After preaching the gospel, he issued an invitation for the people to decide to turn to Jesus Christ in repentance and in faith. Thousands chose Jesus; their lives were changed, and the church was founded. We thank God for all these testimonies, but there will always be some people who will be sitting on the fence. It is interesting that the Bible says either you choose to serve God, or you don't—there's no neutrality or complacency in the Kingdom of God. In other words, there's no halfway house.

To some people, it would seem evil to serve the Lord. These are the people who are inclined to the world and the flesh, and it is impossible for them to deny themselves, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. They will never do that. Joshua said to them: "choose you this day whom ye will serve”. There was a sense of urgency—”Today, make this decision. Are you going to follow the Lord, or are you not?” He had already reminded them of the faithfulness of God, and now they had to make a decision. But as a leader, he had to be the first to give his testimony. He had to be the first to set an example for them to follow, so he resolved before them: "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." That is a very powerful statement. You can observe how emphatic he was when he said: "we will serve the LORD."

Dear friend, when we make a decision for our Lord Jesus to follow Him and serve Him, there are several things for us to take note of. When you make a decision for Christ, it must be a personal commitment. If you are just following the crowd or the majority, then your decision is meaningless. Our attitude must be like Joshua's: "I don't know about you; some of you may be unsure, some of you may not want to take a stand, some of you may want to serve other gods, but I am confident of what I am going to do, for I know who my God is and what He has done for me. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." It is a personal commitment.

When you make a decision for Christ, you must be willing to stand alone. When we take a stand for Christ, oftentimes we can be alone. Even if the whole world is against us, if God be for us, what can they do to us? Trials, afflictions, even persecutions may come, but we must not waver in our decision and commitment. And God will help us.

When you make a decision for Christ, you must be willing to profess your faith publicly. Jesus has something to say about those who were not willing to acknowledge Him publicly in Matthew 10:32-33. Jesus said, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” That is a very strong statement. A disciple of Christ is a disciple of Christ not only in the church; he is a disciple of Christ in his family, in his workplace, in his business, in his environment, in society—wherever he goes, he is a disciple. And we are not ashamed to be known as a disciple of Christ.

When you make a decision for Christ, it must not be taken lightly. The children of Israel were very quick to say after what Joshua had said to them, "We want to serve the Lord." But Joshua warned them, "You cannot serve the Lord unless you put away the strange gods, for God is holy and jealous, and by no means will He allow anything to come in between” (Joshua 24:19). Again, the people said, "Nay; but we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:21). And Joshua said to them, ‘Well, you are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen the Lord, to serve Him.’ (Joshua 24:22) You have said it for yourself that you will serve the Lord. One day, all of us will be judged for what we have professed. We will be judged by our own words, if we are true or false to our God.

Dear friend, perhaps there was a time when you have made such a decision to follow the Lord, to serve Him, to be faithful to Him. You have taken a stand for Christ, but somewhere along the way, you were distracted and went astray. The things of this world drew your attention. You started to lose interest in spiritual things, and your heart turned cold. Then God brought you to a place, to a point in your life where He reminded you of His faithfulness. Just like the way the children of Israel were brought to Shechem.

I remember the testimony of a Christian friend of mine, a dear brother who was a successful real estate manager living in a big mansion. One day, he was driving in his fanciful car along the road, and then he came to a park and as he was driving at the end of the park, there was this little bench. When he came to the spot where the little bench was, all of a sudden, he stepped on the brakes. He remembered, some 20 years ago, it was on that little bench he was reading the Bible. His heart was convicted, and there he knelt down and prayed. He decided to serve the Lord full-time and gave his life to the Lord. But subsequently, the things of this world drew his attention away, and he went after those things, and he forgot about the decision. When he came to that spot, memories of that day became so clear, as if it was like yesterday. Tears filled his eyes; he realised he was so unfaithful. But God remained faithful to him and brought him to the place to remind him of the promise he had made to God. You can safely say that little bench was his Shechem.

Where is your Shechem? It could be in the church or in a particular camp or during one of the Lord's day worship services or in one of your quiet times or even on your sickbed when you cried out to God, "Lord, I want to serve You. If You give me the strength, I want to serve You." And then you forgot about it. God takes our decision very seriously, and He wants us to keep our words, and He will bring us to a point in our lives so that we will remember. It is as if God would say to us, "My beloved child, have you forgotten the decision you made to serve Me? Maybe you have forgotten, but I remember, and I brought you to this point to remind you that you must keep your promise. You made a decision to serve Me. You must serve Me faithfully.” “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I pray that all of us will be able to make this decision and be committed to keep it by the grace of God.

Let us pray. Father in Heaven, indeed as we consider our lives, our salvation, we remember who we were—we were lingering outside the kingdom of God, and the Spirit of God convicted our hearts through the Word of God, and Thou has drawn us to Thyself, out of darkness and into Thy marvellous light, saved us from eternal damnation, and today we have become Your children. Have we forgotten Thy faithfulness? God forbids. And as we consider how we have been sustained all these years, whether as a church, as a family, as an individual, once again we remember Thy faithfulness in all the situations and circumstances. Thou has been so faithful to lead us at every step of the way. How can we forget Thy faithfulness?

We want to serve Thee, and some of us have made this commitment before Thee, and Thou has reminded us once again, even through this passage, how when the people came to Shechem, they remembered the promises that Thou had made to their forefathers, as well as the promises they have made to Thee, O Lord. We have our own Shechems—those were places whereby Thou has ministered to us, convicted our hearts, and we have said certain things. Today, bring us to such places and remind us because, as humans, we always forget. Forgive us. Turn our hearts back unto Thee so that all of us may say, like Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," and we will keep it by Thy grace and mercy. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

The One Decision To Make And Keep

The One Decision To Make And Keep

Joshua 24:1-15