If you will turn with me for our study to the book of Joshua. Joshua chapter 15. I want to focus on three verses. Well, I want to focus on verse 13 through 17. And my subject is a gospel picture.

I've labored in every message in the book of Joshua to show us that Israel's conquering of Canaan is a picture of Christ setting up his kingdom in our heart. setting up his rule. Whenever you see that word kingdom, he's talking about his rule. We call this the United States. We're under that rule. And the Lord, he doesn't save a man by simply conveying some knowledge to him. He saves a man when he comes up and sets up his kingdom in your heart, when he conquers.

What peace and rest could they have had in the promised land with these enemies who believed it was theirs? And that's us. We think everything in this old man is there's something good in here, there's something useful in here, there's something we can appeal to, something we can use, something that the Lord will use. No, it's all got to go. And that's what he's showing us when he comes into this land and sets up this kingdom.

The success of the invasion is owing to one man, Joshua. In Joshua 1, verse 5, Jehovah said, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee, all the days of thy life. As I was with Moses, so I'll be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and be of good courage, for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I swear unto their fathers to give thee.

And even as it is when God This is the same as when God invades the hearts of chosen sinners. The old man is put to death. His religion is utterly destroyed and all who teach it appear to him now accursed of God. That's how the Israelites viewed the inhabitants of that land, accursed of God. And that's how he makes us to view ourselves. We get on his side. He'd be just to send me to hell. I don't want to go to hell. I fear for anybody who thinks lightly about hell. But that's how we appear.

There's no other way to study these Old Testament books except typically. And so this morning I want us to consider a few passages in this chapter. Most of this chapter is about the boundaries of the land given to Judah and given to his offspring. Most of the land of Canaan had been conquered. They fought their last big battle. Most of it had been conquered. But there was still a stronghold up in Hebron, up in the mountains. And this was Judah's portion.

There was a city there named Debar. The scripture immediately after it tells us about Debar, tells us its former name, Kirgath Sefer. And even before that, history will tell us it had another name. It was Kerjath Shanna. And these two names mean city of books, city of records. No doubt a great library of books collected over their lifetime, put in those cities, could have been just like our courthouse where we have deeds and so forth recorded officials up there over that courthouse.

The city was a collective history of their concepts of law, government, and their manner of life. That courthouse not only holds records, but it also holds men who are willing to enforce the laws that's contained in it. And so it was in this city. To me, this city of Geber is a reflection of the mind of the flesh. In your mind, you don't realize it, especially you young ones, you're growing up and you're being influenced by friends and by their parents and by people that you work for, and your whole lifetime, You're collecting all this stuff and it's being stored up here. And after a while, you pick through that stuff and you kind of mix up a potion there of things that you believe, and that's what the Lord calls the mind of the flesh. It affects your thinking. This is how you think. If you think man has a free will, that's how you're going to think, isn't it? Somebody tries to tell you about a sovereign God and sovereign grace, you say, wait a minute, wait a minute, man has a free will. You don't say that. Where'd that come from? The mind of the flesh. That's where it comes from.

And it's so different with individuals, you don't know where they're coming from half the time. There's a lot of things in common, but there's a lot of variations of it. Stuff is going in your head and you're constantly sorting through it, and it affects the way you think. It affects the way you perceive things. It's a collective history of their concepts of law and government and manner of life, the history of famous men, and to me it's a reflection of the mind of the flesh, the way of the world, the overall view of fallen man.

And oh, how men love to build monuments to their religion. This city represents the mind of the flesh, and the mind of the flesh always follows the idea or concept of works acceptance with God. Does it not? You can go up and down this road, go to any house, go to anybody you see walking down the street, go up and talk to them. It won't take long before you realize their way of thinking is works acceptance with God. Works for redemption, works for righteousness, works for reward.

And K. J. Seifer is guarded, it's defended by giants. Anakins. Where do giants gather today? Is it not where the concept of free will works religion is? Is that not where the giants are? The Billy Grahams and the on and on it goes with names. Collectively, this is the city of their hope and the place where their manner of life is drawn and they guard it. Precious to them, they guard it.

I told you the story many times about the man who told me that we needed a little log. And yet God gives this log on a mountain, and this log was so big, so its concept of it, the scope of it, was so large that that mountain couldn't hold it. That mountain shook and quaked and melted. And not even a beast was allowed to touch that mountain. Moses and Joshua were the only ones who could come onto that mountain. If so much of a beast touched it, he'd be a spear through him, die. Just a mention of it. And they said, Moses, you go talk to the Lord. We don't want to talk to a God like this. You go talk to Him.

There is no little law. It's all or nothing. If you so much as be circumcised, Paul said you're responsible to keep the whole law. You're indebted to the whole thing. In fact, Paul said cursed. Listen to this. Cursed is everyone who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do. Not the hearers of the law that are justified, it's the doers. And we can't do what the law commands us to do.

And then I want you to hear this. Galatians chapter 3 verse 12, he said, The law is not of faith. It has no place in faith. Faith has one object, Christ. His obedience, His example, His redemption, His righteousness, His justification. You see what I'm saying? Our faith zeroes in on Christ, not a law. Law has no place in faith. The law is not of faith. The man that doeth them shall live in them. But here's the good news. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. For it's written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. He was made subject to the law for us as our representative. And he did for us what we could never do. He kept that law in perfect love continually from the cradle to the grave. Never a breach. He exalted the law and made it honorable. And you can't honor the law. We must honor the law, but we honor the law by faith in Christ. You can't exalt the law any higher than it's exalted in Christ. If we look to Him, He's the end of the law. He's the expectation of the law. Here's what the law demands right here. Here He is. He's the end of the law. for righteousness to everyone that believeth.

This city is a city of man's concepts and his manner of life. And these things must be confronted and dealt with or we can never enter into rest. Nowhere does the giants of works religion gather to fight more than when the law is under siege. Boy, you want to see a battle, here it comes.

And old Caleb, he's 85 years old now. You know, we had David Fledger come up and preach for us. He's 85. He was moving kind of slow. He's in great health. I was surprised at the tone of his voice, as clear as it was, and his mind, so clear. But he was moving kind of slow coming up the steps and getting up here. But here's Caleb, and he said, my strength ain't, it's not withdrawn at all. I'm as strong now as I was back there when I was 40 years old. And he said, the Lord promised me that I was going to run these giants out of that city, and I'm going to do it. And Joshua said, there it is. There it is.

But here's what's being pictured. That law has to be conquered. What's the hardest thing for an unbeliever? What's the greatest battle in his heart? Isn't it the law? To set that law aside and trust in Christ alone. That's the battle. And you're going to fight every giant on that mountain. They're going to defend this thing to the death. But our rest is in a person. It's in the person of Christ. Grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life, and that righteousness is imputed. It's charged to us. This righteousness is given in such a way as it leaves us desiring to be like Him. We want this. Oh, wouldn't you like to live like He lives? see things as he saw them, do things as he did them, perfect faith.

He was a man, subject to the law, just as we are, our representatives. And so I see myself in him, but with this perfect faith, he could say to that dead man, arise, and he got us. He did that by faith. By faith. God did these things through him. show us that this was His Son. This is our Savior, the promised Redeemer.

And law is a powerful force. It's the foundation of every form of works religion. And there can be no rest till the law be submissive to grace. The city of law, that's what its name means. The city of law must become the city of grace.

Now get the picture. Here's that great city of Deborah. The goal is to take it from the enemy, not destroy it. Not destroy it. God's going to conquer us, not destroy us. He's going to conquer us. He's going to reign. He's going to spoil the strongman's house. And the house is going to be his. This Hebron will be where David reigns. And we're Solomon runners, human.

And so, the father of this beautiful young bride-to-be makes a declaration. This is Caleb talking. He said, he that smiteth courgeth cipher, and taketh it, to him will I give axon, my daughter to wife. You're going to promise them a bride. If they can take that city, he said, I'm going to give you my daughter. And answering the challenge is Othaniel or Ethaniel, Othaniel. And El means God, doesn't it? Well, here's what his name means, the Lion of God. Where have you heard that before? The Lion of the tribe of Judah. He was from Judah. The Lion of the tribe of Judah shall prevail. This is the type of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. By this man the giants will all be put on the run and lay dead where they stand. And Debar is his by the promise of God and no man giant is going to be able to stand before Him. None of us.

Jesus Christ honored and exalted the law by fulfilling the law. He's the end of the law. He's the expectation of the law. And He's that to everyone that believes. He fulfilled the law in all of its symbolic ceremonies. He's the sacrifice. He's the altar. He's the mercy seat. He's the showbread, the incense, The Sabbath, the Holy Days, the City of Refuge. After another thing, Deborah become the City of Refuge. He's the high priest. He's involved in pulling down the tabernacle and setting it back up. He said, tear down this temple and in three days I'll build it again. He's the Ark of the Testament. And this our Lord did to secure the inheritance and future blessings of his bride-to-be.

Othaniel gave himself for his bride-to-be and spoiled that city for her. Axa, she's the bride given by Caleb, her father. The father gives him the bride. This is going to be his son-in-law. And she took her name from him. Her name means adorned. Adorned. AXA. Ezekiel gives us a full explanation about her. Now I'm not talking about AXA herself, I'm talking about the one she typifies. He said her father was an Amorite and her mother was a Hittite. And the day she was born, her navel was not cut, she was not washed or salted or swaddled at all. None eye pitied her to have compassion upon her, but she was cast out in an open field to the loathing of her person in the day she was born. Soon as she was born, took that little baby and threw it out in the sand. left it set out there.

But something happened. God passed by. God passed by. And he said it was a time of love. Huh? He saw her polluted in her blood, a daughter of a cursed man, and it was a time of love, not for her, She was without understanding. She was a tiny baby. She had no mind yet at all. She was just a tiny baby. She cast out in the sand. She was just laying there. But it was a time of love for Him, for Jehovah. And His decree was for her to live. Isn't that what He said? And in time, it says, she came to excellent ornaments. Isn't that something?

I spread my skirt over thee, I covered thy nakedness, yea, I swear unto thee, entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becomest mine. Then washed I thee throughly, and caused all the polluted blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, shot thee with badger skins, girded her about with fine linen, and covered her with silk, decked thee with ornaments, bracelets, bracelets on her hands, a chain around her neck, a jewel upon her forehead, earrings in her ears, and a beautiful crown upon her head. Thou was decked with gold and silver, And thy raiment was of fine linen and silk and broodred work, and you did eat fine flour and honey and oil. And thou was exceeding beautiful, and thou did prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty, for it was perfect through my comeliness." That's Acts. Adorned. And often now the line of the tribe of Judah said, I'll go. Send me. I'll go. You know, we don't often talk about it. The Lord appointed Christ as our surety. The one mediator between God and me and the man Christ Jesus. But we don't often talk about him voluntarily taking that office. God didn't twist his arm and say, now you're going to do this. No, he said, I'll go. Just like often. I'll go. Send me. Send me. I'll drive the giants out of the city.

Lo, he said in the volume of the book that's written of me, I come to do thy will, O God. He took away that first covenant. Here's the second. It was not the lustful passion or greed of Joshua and Caleb to obtain Hebron. It was the will and promise of God. Isn't that it? And Zothar now voluntarily to go and enter into this marriage union with Aksa and drive the giants out of the land. He did this willingly. He did this lovingly.

And now Othanel is heir with his bride, and heir of his father's promise. And understanding the inheritance, moves her husband, Aixa does, moves her husband to ask Caleb for one more blessing. He's got all this land. He's got this city. He got everything his heart could desire. And she said, sweetheart, I need one more thing from my daddy. And so she gets off that old ass that she was riding on, and she come up to her daddy and said, I need springs of water. I got a place. But a place is not going to be any good without water. Huh? I got to have water. What would rest be without water?

You know, everywhere Israel traveled in the wilderness, the rock Christ Jesus followed them, watered over a million people and all their livestock. Now this smitten rock flowed a spring of living water that even all these people couldn't exhaust. And oh, my heart cries. Thank you, Father, for giving me springs of water. Oh, she said that she is a picture of the church. You realize that, don't you? She's a picture of the church. Church has a place. I go to prepare a place for you, but what's a place without water? He told that woman at the well, he said, if you'd asked me, I'd have given you living water. I'd be like a well of water and you springing up into everlasting life.

And so Caleb says, yeah, you can have it. I'm going to give you the upper and the neither springs. There's one spring and it's way far away. Way up high. And the neither springs are right here where you're at. Down here, close by. You can have that eternal spring that's smitten rock, that sits forever at the right hand of God. upper springs, isn't it? Everything comes down from the Father of Lights. That's the upper springs. Where's the nether springs? You're in it. You're in it. This is where water comes from, right here. Comes from God the Holy Spirit as his gospel being preached and taught. You have to have it. What good's a place? What good would this building be and this land without the water of life? Huh? We'd just be wasting our time, wouldn't we? Might as well sit home on the porch.

Believers drink from these springs, both springs. We preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's the upper and the lower springs. And I have no doubt that the lower springs were fed by the upper springs. We've got one close and one far away, but the water's the same, close or far off, the water's accessible. And oh, what a gift, the heavenly springs. This is a gospel picture.

Now, you can read this book any way you want to read it, but I'm telling you, you won't get anything out of it until you see it typically And typically, this is what he's talking about. He's talking about the person and work of Christ going in, conquering religion, conquering Satan, conquering this world, setting up his kingdom, dividing the inheritance among his people, and giving them the springs of water that they need.

Oh, may the Lord teach us this in our hearts. We don't have any trouble getting it in our heads, just getting it in our hearts, that's where the trouble is.