Turn with me to the book of Joshua. Joshua. We're coming down to the end of the book now. We're in chapter 23. In my study, I was reading comments by different men, theologians of past days. During that time, I listened to a message on this chapter by my former pastor and dear friend, Henry Mahan. And of all that I've read and studied, his message was probably the best source I had on this chapter. And he used the entire chapter, went verse by verse all the way through to the end of the chapter.

But I'm not Henry Mahan. I don't have the mind or the ability to do something like that. And I'm going to divide this chapter into two parts. Now, the message is solemn words from an old saint. This is Joshua now. And I'm going to use the same title. I'll just mark it on Sermon Audio Part 1 and Part 2 I want to go back and listen to it a second time.

So let's read these verses together. Joshua 23, verses 1 through 11. And it came to pass. It always does, and it always will. Whatever God has willed is going to come to pass. He worketh all things after the counsel, his own will. And it came to pass a long time after the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, a long time, I don't know how long, I don't know, I'm not told, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.

What's that mean to be stricken? That's what it means. It also means to be affected by some undesirable condition, whatever that might be. Earlier this year I had a stroke, or last year I guess it is now. I was stricken. How come? Why now? We're dying. We're dying. No telling what we're going to have before we die. But that's what he's telling us about Joshua. Joshua's not the same man that crossed that river and come into Canaan. He's not the same man that ministered to Moses when he was in his prime. Walked those 40 years in the desert. He's stricken.

And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers. And he said unto them, I'm old, and stricken in age. And you've seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all the nations before you. For the Lord your God is he that fought for you. Behold, I have divided unto you by a lot. those nations that remain to be an inheritance of your tribes from Jordan with the nations that I have cut off even to the great sea westward. And the Lord your God, he shall expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight, and you shall possess their land as the Lord your God has promised unto you.

Now based on that, he says, be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that's written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left, that ye come not among the nations that remain among you, neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them nor bow yourselves unto them, but cleave unto the Lord your God, as you have done unto this day. For the Lord hath driven out from before you great nations and strong, but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand, For the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you as he promised you. Take good heed, therefore, unto yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.

Now let's go back to verse one, and I'll go through these things and make some comments, and if the Lord will, some applications. Verse 1, he tells us that they'd come into Canaan, fought their battles, and a long period of time had gone by. This business of God conquering the hearts of chosen sinners requires some patience and some time. I didn't expect when I come here to stand in the pulpit the first time and see everybody in that house fall down on their knees. I didn't expect that. I've never seen that. Not saying God couldn't do it, but I wasn't expecting it. And neither was this man as he went in there.

I can't even imagine the things that this man went through. I don't know if you stop and think about those things that you're reading when you go through there. You know what kind of battle they fought? A massive army. gathered up here on this side, and a massive army gathered up here on this side, and they were wielding swords and axes and spears and bows, and they ran at each other and just clashed right in the middle. And they went to whacking and chopping and swinging that sword until the last man standing. That's the winner. And he did this not with one nation, but several nations. Not with one army, but several armies. You think this man believed in the providence of God guiding that sword? Walking through the middle of this with a thousand men whacking and chopping, and they walked out the other side unscathed, and the other ones were lying on the ground in the blood.

On one occasion, he He put the king down on the ground, and he called for him to come up and put their foot on his neck. And he said, this is the way it's going to be from here on. No enemy is going to stand before you. That's what Joshua was reminding them of. One man will chase 1,000. How can that be? I was confronted by two one time. Gee, I was shaking in my boots. One man should chase a thousand. Just unbelievable, isn't he? Why? Because God's fighting for you. Actually, he's fighting the battle. You're just there. You're just kind of going through the motions. And that's what old Caleb told them back when they come back with the evil report. He said, let's go. He said, what's the big deal? It's like a story already told. I've read the end of the book. I know who's going to win this thing. Let's go.

Take good heed, therefore, unto yourselves that you love the Lord your God. And I can't imagine what all they went through to do these things. But this has been the life of Joshua. I think about the disappointments that he had to bear when Israel God brought them through that wilderness, brought them all the way up to the edge of Canaan, and then because of an evil report and these contentious men, God made them go back and travel in that same desert that he just delivered them from back in that wilderness for an additional forty years. Forty years wandering around that desert. And then this long-fought victory in Canyon. And it doesn't tell us how long it was. It just says a long time. And this time was after they had entered into their rest. He not only had fought with them, but he watched them as they settled in their inheritance and began to farm the land and partake of its bounty.

I listened to a wonderful message by Pastor Mayhem, my dear friend, on this very chapter, and I could hear and recognize the wisdom of years in a pastorate coming out of his mouth as he went through these verses. That's Joshua. I just want you to get a sense of who it is that's talking here. This is Joshua. I've been your pastor here for nearly 20 years. I don't know how the sense is to you, but to me, it's been a pretty long time. Long time has gone by. And I've done my best to minister to you the gospel of God's sovereign grace in Christ. And we've fought some battles. We've seen some folks go, and we've seen some folks come. And when I stop to think about it, it's been a pretty long time.

Some of you young ladies and young men were just tiny when I come here. You're just little kids. Now you graduate in college. A long time has passed, hasn't it? I wonder when folks come in here for the first time if they even consider how long I've been pastor in this church, or any pastor for that matter. Studying the Word of God, dealing with this present evil world.

The Lord was pleased to take my wife, Kathy, after a seven-year struggle with brain cancer. Oh, so many are now no longer here. I used to look out here and see old Nate sitting there and Sue and John. May Lois, Georgia Fay, Amos, Glenn, on and on it goes. Long time after the Lord had given us rest. But oh, ain't you thankful that we've entered into his rest? Huh? You think Joshua was happy about that? Oh, my soul.

He looked over there and saw them farming that ground, picking them grapes, doing what folks do for a living, trying to settle into that battle-torn land. I can't imagine what kind of shape that land was in after they did all that. We got comfort in those things.

Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. begin to enter into that a little bit. I'm 76, and I'm stricken. I had a stroke. I have arthritis pain. That's a daily reality. My mind's not as sharp as it was. I struggle to get through the day. And every day seems like there's something new comes along. You've got to deal with that.

You know, we like to think that old age kind of equals out to wisdom, but that's not always true, is it? It ought to be. It ought to be. We ought to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we age, we ought to become more and more wise as far as the will of God and the way of God and those things. And Joshua did. He'd been through great trials and troubles and being delivered by God and God's power and God's presence. He was mindful of those things. And I have no doubt concerning his wisdom, his calling, or his respect that he had among among God's saints at that time.

And Joshua called for all Israel. All Israel, verse 2. All Israel. God always speaks to his elect through a man. You go back and check me out, see if that ain't right. He spoke to our fathers through the prophets. What were they? They were men. They were men. And he speaks now. There's always going to be folks who contest this, but the word of God will bear me out.

Paul said, we're ministers by whom you believed, even as God has given to every man. Every man. And I'm not an apostle. I'm not a prophet, nor can I. I'm not divinely inspired. I'm not going to let you read my notes like you read the Bible. But I do claim to be an ambassador of Christ, a minister of his gospel, and a preacher of the gospel. And you might contest my office as a pastor, but I was sent here 20 years ago. It's hard to contest something that's already come to pass.

And when Joshua called for an assembly, they who knew who he was, God's servant, gathered to hear him. He had something to say. They were in a new land, trying to get this battle-torn land back into shape. They were busy. But when he said, assemble, they assembled. God's servants always accompanied by the authority and respect of God's saints. And that's of God. That's of God.

You know, over in, let's see, what is it? 2 Corinthians 4. At the very beginning of the chapter, Paul's talking about being delivered from all that junk in religion. He was covered with it. And he said, we put those things aside And he said, now, he said, what I preach to you, I commit to your conscience. Who controls the conscience? God does. He tells you what's right and what's wrong. You had no law before you, had nothing before you, and you go to do something, and you know it ain't right. How? By your conscience. Your conscience. And he said, I commit. Before God, in the sight of God, I commit what I'm saying to your conscience. And God will tell you if what I'm saying is right or what I'm saying is wrong. And that's the way he preached. He'd bring a message, and then he'd commit it. Basically, he's committing it to God. But God will work in the consciences of men, and they'll know if it's right or wrong. He said, so God heareth us. That's what John said.

Let me tell you something else. Listen to this. What this man had to say was for the ears of all Israel. All Israel. What preachers have to say to their local assemblies is for the ears of all Israel. Because we're all one body in Christ, aren't we? Judah was over here. Benjamin was over there. All these tribes scattered all over that country. Huge country. But he called for all of them. The gospel has to do with the whole church. And if Paul preaches something in Rocky Mount, I shouldn't have any reservations about our folks listening to it. If Bruce Crabtree preaches something up in Indiana, I don't need to worry about who might hear it. No reservations. God's servants, wherever they are, if they speak for God, they speak to all Israel. All Israel.

Verse three. He said, you've seen all that the Lord hath done. Have you? Have you seen in your life what the Lord's done? You've been on this earth whatever amount of time. Have you not seen what the Lord has done? How did you get here? How did you hear? Who told you this was the word of God? Have you not seen all God's providence, how he's worked in your life, where he's put you, the opportunities that he's given you? That's what Joshua was telling them. Oh, my soul. Have you seen all that the Lord has done? Well, I know that most of you have. Most of you have. I know that you heard what others will never hear. I know that God has established peace in your hearts and you lay down at night and rest under his care. I see a willingness to come here and worship. I see souls who at one time despised the gospel weep with joy at the preaching of it. I can see those things. That's what Joshua said. Have you seen what the Lord's done? Think about it. You've seen God give his saints victory and peace and rest in a world that hates God. In a world that will not receive the things of the Spirit of God. And our enemies are not flesh and blood, they're principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places.

All them things that I would have sworn by Years ago, like Paul, I've taken it out and throwed it on the dung heap. Haven't you? Can't you see what the Lord's done? What used to seem very practical to me now is utter foolishness. I looked at that aisle walking at one time. That was a godly thing. You dare not make fun of that. You'd be mocking God. And now I see it, it's utter foolishness. We've seen some walled cities crumble, haven't we? Those old refuges, that old refuge we used to hide in, we've seen that thing brought low. I've seen God pull down the strongholds and cast down imaginations and bring men and women into subjection to Christ. You've seen it. I don't need to sell you on something that you already know. That's what Joshua was saying. You were there. You fought the battle. You swung the sword. You can't see God's hand in your hand when you went through that army. The Lord your God has fought for you. He's intervened. He's entered the battle. And if he hadn't, your enemies would have already crushed you like a bug.

Now watch this. We're all to consider all that God has done for us. Our promised inheritance has been divided to us. And then in verse five, he tells us what the Lord will yet do. The Lord will expel them from before you. He's gonna drive them out of your sight. Out of your sight.

Paul asked this question in 1 Corinthians 1, where's the wise? Where's he at? Where is this man that dares to stand up and defy the Lord? Where's he at? Where's the wise? Where's the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of men? I'm not talking about to the world, I'm talking about to you. Where's he at? Where's he at now in your imagination? You used to honor him. You used to call him reverend or doctor. Where's he at now? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of men?

My friend, the most important thing we'll ever learn sitting under the gospel is that without him, you can do nothing. You can't do anything. Don't ever feel, don't ever get any higher than that. Without him, I can do nothing. Prepare all you will, it'll flop without him. It's God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And his gospel will not fail, his word will not return unto him void. He will accomplish exactly what God will have it to,

How on earth can any man rest in such an ungodly, perverse, God-hating world? Same way God does in Christ. We have, I don't know if you ever thought about this, but we have actively governing all things a seated and blessed potentate, blessed of God. Oh, we get a president in that we like, and then we feel blessed. What about the blessed and only potentate king of kings and lord of lords? Can we rest in him? These little peanut presidents, they ain't nothing before him. They're just grasshoppers. The whole nation, isn't that what he said? Just a drop in the bucket. It's nothing, nothing before him. But he controls them. He puts them in office, and he uses that government under them. He uses that government for our good and his good. He's arranging all things and working all things after the counsel of His own will.

You know, pagans and heathens believe in chance and random opportunity. Believers know that His providence is ordered. He's the God of order. Everything has an order before God. That's why when we look at creation, is a picture of God because we see its order. Nothing in nature has an order like that. That's God arranged, God preserved. There's an order about it, a divine order. He said, consider the lilies.

My soul, a lily. Consider the lilies. They don't toil, they don't spend, they don't cut timber, they don't mine coal, they don't raise tobacco. They just sit there, sit there. And Solomon, in all of his glory, wasn't arrayed like one of them. Talking about the glory of God. Sparrow. We were cleaning out the front of our property and cutting down some of them little trees. And some of them had squirrel nests in them, and birds, and different things. See that old sparrow go off? And I was thinking to myself when I seen that, not a sparrow can fall to the ground without your father. Not a sparrow. And the very hairs of your head, he said, is numbered.

And then he says this, verse 7. Come not among these nations. What's that mean? It means don't look for wives among them. That's what it means. Don't look for business partners among them. Don't make any partnerships with them. Why? Because of the religion that reigns in their minds and hearts. That's why. Don't make mention of their gods, he says, or come to swear by their names. And don't bow or give any reverence in any way to their idols.

You might bring a young lady here or a young man and let them hear. But I'm going to tell you something. If they don't and they're not interested, let them go. Let them go. I'm telling you, if you enter into partnership with them, you're going to have a lifelong struggle. A lifelong struggle. I love what this one old saint said. He said, if a child of Satan marries a child of God, you're going to have trouble with your father-in-law from either side. Either side. That child of the devil is going to have trouble with his father-in-law, and vice versa. And if you're not a saint, you're in the same boat they are.

But I'm addressing all Israel. That's what Joshua said. I'm addressing all Israel. So what do you say, preacher? Verse 8, cleave unto the Lord. That's what I'm saying. Cleave unto the Lord. You know what that word is in its Imperfect tense. I'm no English professor, but I've learned a little bit about words, studied the Bible, and this word is in its imperfect sense. Well, what's that mean? That means it's a continual work. It's not saying cleave unto him one time and then go sit down. It's saying hang on for dear life. That's what it's saying. Cleave unto the Lord your God. Hold on.

The Bible said the just should live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we're not of them that draw back from perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. We keep holding on, don't we? You've been successful so far. That's what he's going to tell them. Because God fought for you. And he'll continue in the battle until the last enemy be destroyed.

Verses 9 and 10. Now verse 11. Take good heed, therefore, unto yourselves that you love the Lord your God. Everything we've done and expect to do is a work which God himself has enabled us to do, and we love him because he first loved us. He brought Israel out of the house of idols and their father Abraham, out of bondage down in Egypt, out of an empty wilderness, a barren, empty wilderness, and he brought them into the land of plenty. And being reminded of this by God's servant, he tells them, take good heed to yourselves if you love the Lord your God. Remember who you are and why you're in this place and how you got here. That's what he's telling them. Take good heed. Good heed.

And we will when we see all that he's done for us in Joshua, that is, in Jesus. Amen. Thank you.