September 10, 2006 Joshua 24:1-2, 14-18

¹ Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

² Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:¹⁴ "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

¹⁶ Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸ And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God." (NIV)

Imagine if your father was on his death bed, and he called you into the hospital room for one last speech. That one, last speech would mean a little more to you, wouldn't it? With a sense of urgency, you would most certainly come to listen to his last words for you. In a sense, that is the background of this text. Joshua had been their spiritual father for many years. He had led the Israelites into the promised land, crushed the Amorites and opposing nations, and with the Lord's power led them on a victorious path from beginning to end. But now, it was time for him to depart and be with the Lord. So he gathered all of the leaders of the people - the elders, judges and officials of the people - to give them his last speech. But instead of him giving the speech, he wanted to hear them speak. He wanted to hear them make a confession. Joshua would no longer be there to hold their hand. They would, in a sense, be on their own. So he knew it was time for them to make a "pledge of allegiance", so to speak, to the Lord. He wanted them to confess their faith - to state their intentions of what they would do spiritually after their physical and spiritual leader would die. So Joshua said to them, "Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve."

As we look at this text, the only reading taken from the book of Joshua, it will be a good day for us to "rededicate" ourselves to the Lord as well. God has already dedicated Himself to us, by choosing to chase the devil out of us and make us His children. Now, through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can choose to remain His children. So imagine yourself to be one of Israel's leaders this morning. Imagine that Joshua has called you in from working in the hot summer sun of Shechem, to stand before Joshua. Imagine that Joshua has said to you, "Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve." As we think about this choice, we will first of all see that it's a decision that must be made. Then we will see that it is really an easy choice for us as Christians.

Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve

I. It's a decision that must be made

Throughout the history of the Israelites, you will quickly see that they wanted to ride the fence. When they were in Egypt, God had to tell them, "get rid of your idols." (Ezek. 20:7) When they were in the wilderness, they were still offering sacrifices to goat idols. (Lev. 17:7) And even when they got to the border of the promised land at Shittim, they worshiped Baal Peor with the temple prostitutes. Time and time again, the Israelites tried to walk the line. They tried to hold onto their idols while worshiping the Lord.

Things aren't any different today. It is still very tempting for Christians to try to walk the line today. We want to remain faithful to the Lord and give Him first place in our lives. But we also want to sleep in on Sunday mornings. We want to be able to joke around and be one of the guys with the heathens at work, even if that means telling a dirty joke or two. We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by telling them we can't worship with them because they don't believe the same things we do. There is a struggle between remaining faithful to the Lord and what HE tells us to do, and serving our other gods - whether those gods be our appetites, our egos, or our wanting to be loved.

But we can't always ride the fence. That's what Joshua was getting at during this final speech. The Israelites could not ride the fence. Why? Because God would not allow it. Joshua said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:¹⁴ "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.' As far as God was concerned, there was only one real choice to make. The God of Israel said, "fear the LORD and serve Him with all faithfulness." That word for all faithfulness is "tahmeem", which carries with it the idea of completeness; to serve him completely. I could compare it to when Dad would give me two choices - either you can mow the lawn or cut the grass. There was really no choice for me. God demands that we as Christians choose to give him wholehearted service and do whatever He asks of us in His Word. Any other choice is not acceptable. If you chose another path, this would be like choosing to go to hell, for we cannot disobey the Lord even once if we want to go to heaven.

But how often is it that we try to walk that line. At your confirmation you say to yourself, "I'm not going to get drunk. I'm not going to have pre-marital sex. My choice is to remain faithful to the Lord." But pretty soon you feel the pressure of your decision. As a teen, you want people to like you. So you try to walk the line, by going to the parties without planning on participating in the activities. You try to walk the line. At work, you don't want to seem like a "pietist," and you don't want to get ragged on for being a "goody two shoes." So instead of resisting the temptation, you go ahead and tie one on with the other guys or join in the slander with your other co-workers. You excuse your behavior by saying, "I'm just trying to be 'all things to all people,' as Paul did." You know that God tells you to avoid those who teach differently than what He says, (Romans 16:17), but you go ahead and go to the Baptist youth group gathering, because you like the kids who go there. You try to walk the line.

Friends, there are times in our lives when we cannot walk the line. There are times where you must make a confession of faith - where you must choose to follow the LORD. That's what Joshua was forcing the Israelites to do at this point in their lives. He demanded of them a confession. The confrontation doesn't always come from an old man about to die, but it will come. Sometimes Joshua will take the form of a friend at work, or even your own brother or mother. If it were up to us, we would be happy if this time never came where we had to show our true colors. But it will. You can't expect to go to a party and not have to make that decision. When the classmate puts the beer in your hand and says, "drink," your decision must be made. The Lord or your friends. When your body wants to stay in bed but it is time for worship, a decision must be made. The Lord or my bed. When you are attracted to a young lady who is a die hard Jehovah's Witness, you have to make a decision. Which is it going to be? Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve.

II. It's a decision that's easy to make

This seems like a difficult thing to do. When you think about it, it's a decision that's really easy to make. Look at the way Joshua put this decision before the Israelites. He said if it is undesirable for you to follow the Lord, you can choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. This wasn't really a difficult decision. After all, what were these gods? They were gods, as God said, that could be thrown away. They were idols made of wood, stone and metal. When you think about it, you would have to be an idiot to worship or serve a piece of wood. Isaiah made fun of the people who make this decision. He said in Isaiah 44:15-19-

(Wood) is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm; I see the fire." From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god." They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?"

You can hear the near astonishment Isaiah feels at the stupidity of someone who would make such a decision. Any moron would seemingly know not to choose to worship a block of stone.

But that's the way we are born. Spiritually ignorant. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Think about it - are unbelievers using any more wisdom today? The wood may not take the form of a Buddha, and the iron may not be shaped in the form of a man, but these false gods are still being served. Instead of going to worship the Lord, people are deciding to spend their hours as a slave to their lawns or their households. They worship their steel and iron which can carry them on water at 50 miles per hour. On Saturday nights you see kids drive their gods up and down main street - they have chosen to devote their time and energy into their automobiles. Meanwhile, others pay homage to their plastic and glass boxes and sit to listen to what their god has to tell them about their heros. Where is the wisdom in this? Chris Berman will not tell you the way to salvation. Your lawn mower will not tell you what Jesus has done for you. Your new speed boat will not show you that you are a sinner who needs a Savior. They will only earn you God's wrath, if they take first place over Him. Yet people are choosing to serve these gods every day, every minute, every hour. Is this wise?

Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve. Joshua didn't make the Israelites choose the Lord. He simply said, "you can choose whatever god you want, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." There was no pressure there at all. But look at how the Israelites responded. "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸ And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God." Put yourself in the Israelites' shoes. "Let's see, should I worship this piece of wood that I just cut down, or the Lord? Hmmm. What did the Lord do for me? He took me out of slavery. He had the power to turn a river to blood. He had the power to split a lake in two. He had the power to destroy a whole Egyptian army in one fell swoop. He was able to keep millions of people fed and nourished every day in a desert. He was able to give us victory over thousands of more powerful men. He has promised us a Savior to come and redeem us. Hmmm. The LORD, or a block of wood?" It was an easy decision. Since the Lord had already brought them to faith, they said with Joshua, "we too will serve the LORD."

Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve. Isn't it an easy choice for us as well? God has not made us into robots. We have the ability to choose, as Christians, and we don't have to choose Him. He gives us the ability to make bad decisions. We can choose to sleep in on Sunday mornings. We can choose to live our lives to gain more money, and be one of the boys. In high school, you can make the decision to party it up. In college, you can make the decision to have sex before marriage. In life, you and I can make all kind of dumb decisions which will end up alienating us from the LORD. We can choose to work overtime on the weekends. We can choose to watch television instead of read the Bible. We can choose to worry instead of pray. God won't twist your arm or my arm to follow Him.

But think about how wise it would be to follow the Israelites and choose to follow the LORD. This merciful LORD of the Israelites is the same merciful and saving LORD that we have today. He is constant. He doesn't change. The same LORD who used miraculous events to tear them from Pharoah's grip, has done the same for us. We were born under Satan's power, unable to make anything but bad decisions. We were on the pathway to hell, and we liked it that way. We were unaware of our own stupidity. But God in His mercy, used a miraculous act to tear us free. When the devil was in his chariots, chasing down our souls, God sent Jesus to the cross. All of God's wrath came pouring down on Him instead of us. A miraculous event took place. All of the sins and bad decisions of the world were punished in one fell swoop. And then, when you were baptized, it was as if God took the devil's firm grip off of your soul, and put His strong hand around it. The Holy Spirit was able to crack your stony heart and give you faith in Jesus. Another miracle. And now the same LORD keeps us safe, as we journey through life's wilderness. He sends His armies of angels to protect us from the devil. Like water pouring forth from a rock, He gives us His ever powerful Word to preserve our souls in this desert wilderness. He strengthens us to endure the attacks of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. Through that Word He promises that if we trust that Jesus has removed all of our sins from God's sight, we will go to heaven. The merciful LORD is still alive and saving today. If God is able to do all of this for us, why would we want to have any other god? Choosing the Lord is not a choice we have to make. It's a choice we want to make.

So Joshua says to us today, Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve. School is just starting for some of you once again this year. Make the choice. Who are your friends going to be? Are you going to serve the peer pressure god, or the LORD? Midweek School is coming up, who are you going to serve? The sports god or the teachers whom God has given to provide your children with God's Word? New Bible classes will be offered. The same time will be free to you every night of the week. You can choose to offer it to ESPN or CNN or GOD in the BIBLE. There are many choices that all of us will have to make throughout our lives. The Holy Spirit has given you the wisdom to know what the right choices are. Choose For Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve. It's a choice you have to make as a Christian, but it's an easy choice. Only in the BIBLE do we find eternal LIFE in CHRIST. So by God's grace we choose to serve HIM today, tomorrow, and always. Amen.