Okay, this evening, turn with
me to Joshua chapter 23, if you would. In this chapter, Joshua
gives exhortation, and that word simply means encouragement. He
gives encouragement and admonition and warning to the elders, the
judges, and the officers of Israel before his death. You know, I
suppose the last words of a man would be very important to him.
If he's given opportunity to say anything that he believes
that would be a help to others, this would be the time to say
it while he's still alive. And in essence, what we have
before us tonight in these verses is Joshua's last sermon. I've
often thought about if I knew tonight was the last time that
I would ever preach the gospel, What would I say? And I think
I can honestly say that I would say what I always say. I would
point you to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only hope that he has
had. I wouldn't point you inward to
yourself. Wouldn't tell you to have any
confidence or hope in anything that you yourself have done.
You must look to Christ who did the work for you. Big difference
between do and done, isn't there? Big difference. We read in verse
one, and it came to pass a long time after that the Lord had
given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that
Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. 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. I'm old, I don't have much time
left, I'm stricken in age. And you've seen all that the
Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of
you. We looked at that phrase in detail. He did all these things for Christ's
sake, but he did them for you, because of you. For the Lord
your God is he that hath fought for you, Behold, I have divided
unto you by law these nations that remain to be an inheritance
for your tribes from Jordan with all the nations that I've 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 hath promised unto you. Be ye therefore very
courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book
of the law of Moses, that you turn not aside that therefrom
to the right hand or to the left, that you come not among these
nations, these that remain among you, Neither make mention of
the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve
them, nor bow yourself unto them, but cleave unto the Lord your
God, as ye 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, And one man
of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God, He it
is that fighteth for you, as He hath promised you." When God
is on your side, you are a favorite to win. Paul said, if God be
for us, who can be against us? With Christ fighting for you,
the victory is certain. Joshua said, you've seen all
that the Lord has done for you. You know, I look back on the
years of my life and I see all that the Lord's done for me.
The Lord has fought for you, verse three. The Lord fought
all my battles for me. He said in verse four, you've
received the inheritance that the Lord had promised you. In
Christ we do. We're joint heirs with Christ.
Heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. Verse five, God has expelled
your enemies. He's done away with them. He's
driven them out. To bother you no more. Sin, Satan,
and even self. Put away. Be courageous. Keep and do all
that is written in the Law of Moses and don't turn to the right
or the left. Verse 6. Keep your eyes on Christ. Don't come among these nations. Don't mention the names of their
gods. Don't swear by their gods. Don't
serve their gods. Don't bow yourselves unto them,
verse 7. You know, there are many little
g gods in the world today. I call them that because that's
what they are. In the scriptures, they're identified by the letter,
the little g. They're not God, capital G-O-D. They're not the Lord, capital
L-O-R-D. They're a little g god. And there's many of them in the
world today. You know, anything that we put before Christ is
a little g god. It's an idol. Only one can get
all your love. Man can't serve two masters.
He'll love the one, hate the other. He'll cling to the one
and be indifferent with the other. You can only hold on to one master,
especially when they go in different directions. But there's only
one God and there's only one way. And there's only one truth
in the Scriptures. According to the Scriptures,
it says, no man cometh to the Father, but by Him, Christ, who
is the way, the truth, and the life. In verse eight, Joshua
said, cleave, abide, be joined, become one, follow close and
after unto the Lord your God. Isn't loving the Lord a reasonable
response from one who's been so blessed by His mercy and grace? Isn't our reasonable service?
No doubt the love of a believer is responsive. Well, what do
I mean by that? We love Him because He first
loved us. This love didn't initiate with
us. We didn't just decide that we
were gonna straighten up, follow right, and love the Lord Jesus,
no. His love for us is the cause
of our love for Him. Only love for God in Christ will
cause the child of God to abstain from what the Lord warns them
against. You cannot love God and also
love the things that oppose Him. Did you hear me? You just can't.
You can't do it. That's why I fly hot when I hear
folks fly on God. That's not true. That's not my
God. That's not the God of the Bible. Idolatry is nothing less than
an extreme admiration, love, and reverence for someone or
something other than God. That's what idolatry is. Any
such thing that does has become an idol to us. And we make idols
of just about everything. Men do. Sometimes it's people,
sometimes it's places, sometimes it's things. And I suppose if
there's one thing I would want to remind you of tonight, and
especially from this chapter, is the scriptures are full of
warnings. Hold your place here and turn
with me to Psalm chapter 19. I want you to see this, verse
7. Psalm chapter 19, verse 7. The law of the Lord is perfect. Converting the soul. The testimony
of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. You know, the gospel,
God reveals the gospel to babes. Making wise the simple. The statutes,
verse eight, of the Lord are right. They're righteous. We
never have to concern ourselves with the Lord doing wrong. He
always does that which is right. Everything the Lord demands from
us is right and righteous. Rejoicing the heart, the commandment
of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Verse 9, the fear of
the Lord is clean, pure, enduring forever. The judgments of the
Lord are true, they're truth and righteous altogether. More
to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter
than honey and the honeycomb. What's to be desired more than
gold? The fear and the judgments, the verdicts of the Lord. God
has given all power into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And everything he does is lawful and right. Is it not lawful?
He set himself for me to do what I will with my own. Of course
it is, he's God. Our reverence and our trust is
in Him, and we stand perfect in judgment when we stand in
Him. Jesus Christ is the one thing
needful. He truly is. No one comes to
the Father but by Him, as we've said. The ceremonial law is gone
forever. The moral law is vanished in
completion. The covenant works is done and
finished. Why? Because He finished them. Kept
the law of God perfectly for His people. Satisfied God's holy
justice in their place. What do we have to offer God
but Christ? That makes Christ our salvation,
the one thing needful. He's the believer's one desire.
Well, He's our great high priest. He's our spotless sacrifice. It's His blood alone that atones
and God passes over. Christ is to be more desired
than gold. Christ is sweeter than honey
in the honeycomb. Is Jesus Christ sweet to you?
Tell me the story of Jesus. Sweetest story I ever heard. Sweet, isn't it? How the God
Himself became flesh and blood and died for a wretch like me.
You tell me something any sweeter than that. Oh, that's sweet to
my soul. Do you desire Christ more than
anything? When you see what you are, you
will. Look at verse 11 here in Psalm
19. Moreover, by them, that being,
that speaking of the holiness and pureness of Christ and His
righteous judgment, is thy servant warned. And in keeping them,
there is great reward. Friends, Christ is our great
warning and Christ is our great reward. You know, when by God's
grace, He shows us something of the holiness and pureness
and righteousness of the Lord Jesus, we see something of our
own depravity and our own sinfulness and our need of Him. Moreover, the psalmist is saying,
by the pureness of Christ, God will judge according to perfect
righteousness. That's why everything with the
believer is going to be alright, because we are perfectly righteous
in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not hard doctrine. This
is doctrine that we must believe and trust in. In order to be
accepted, we have to have the perfect righteousness and standing
of Christ. Therefore, we must be found in
Him. Now these are the last words of Joshua. Back in Joshua 23,
verse 11, we have such a warning as this. These are the last words
of Joshua. He says in verse 11, Take good
heed, therefore, unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God. Take good heed. Be on guard. Pay close attention. Give hearing
and consideration too. Watch out for these things. It's
a warning. Joshua is giving a very stern
warning here. And this is just not picking
on religion. You prove something to be crooked when you set something
next to it that's straight. That's what we do in preaching.
We lay the plumb line of the Word of God up next to the error
of another gospel, which is not another. And the perfectly straight
gospel exposes the crookedness of the false one. Joshua said,
take good heed. We better. And every true gospel
preacher does the same. Take good heed. Look back at
Joshua 22 verse 5. It's not a new message from Joshua. He said here, But take diligent
heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant
of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God and to walk
in all His ways. And why wouldn't we want to? And to keep His commandments.
And to cleave unto Him. And to serve Him with all your
heart and with all your soul. That's the desire of every true
believer. And Joshua gave us five things
to heed in this single verse. Love the Lord your God. walk
in His ways, keep His commandments, cleave unto Him, Christ the Lord,
and serve Him with all your heart and soul. Moses said in Exodus 15 verse
26, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy
God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt
give ear to His commandments, and keep all his statutes, I
will put none of these diseases upon thee which I have brought
upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that healeth thee."
We've got to be perfect to be accepted. How are we going to
do that? You know how, and so do I. Only one way. Isaiah 55,
two and three, wherefore do you spend money for that which is
not bread, and you labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken
diligently, take heed unto me, and eat ye that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness, Incline your ear
and come unto Me. Here in your soul shall live,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David." That's the Lord speaking. That's the Lord
speaking to His people. And the exhortation that Joshua
gives here in verse 11 is not to only take heed to what not
to do, but also to take heed to what to do. take heed unto
yourselves, be on guard and watchful, diligently see to it, not only
that you be not ensnared by the Canaanites and draw aside from
them into idolatry, but that you love the Lord your God. Now the love for the Lord your
God is the only thing that in the end will ever cause you to
prevail. How else can we be on guard and
watchful for our hearts and for our souls without loving God? There's only one way that you
love the Lord your God. As we've already stated, we love
God because He first loved us. Which again reveals to us that
salvation is of the Lord, doesn't it? If it didn't initiate with
me, then it had to initiate with Him. Therefore, salvation is
of the Lord's initiation. The Lord did it. From start to
finish, from beginning to end, 100% of the Lord. Well, brother,
I thought salvation was certain because we were elected. No,
election is unto salvation. Salvation is of the One who elected
us. It's not our choice of God that
saves us, but it's His sovereign choice of us. The Lord said,
you've not chosen me. But, here's the exception, but
I have chosen you. That clears that up. The exception is the one that
God makes. The choice is the choice that
God makes. He has mercy on whom he'll have
mercy. Well, you said that last message.
I hope to say it every message because God has mercy on whom
He has mercy. And thank God that He has mercy
on some. All of them that He has mercy
on are made perfect in Christ. Christ died for all in the world
who would believe on His Son, and all for whom Christ died
would believe that Christ died for them. I really do believe
that Christ died for me. I don't look within me to find
any comfort and rest in that fact. I look to Him and find
all of it, every bit of it. He promised that He would. He
said, cast your care on Me because I care for you. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. And you say, but I'm the chief,
even the chief of sinners. And this is not being arrogant,
it's being confident. It's not being confident in me,
it's being confident in the Lord Jesus. How sad is our state and
our nature that we have to be encouraged to love, trust, and
obey our merciful and gracious God. But we do. Like the prodigal
son, may God's Spirit bring us to our senses. Do you remember
what he said? He said, it's better to be a
servant in my Father's house than to be in this world alone
without help and without any hope. I'm going to go and throw
myself upon the mercy of my Father. He says, just give me a job in
your kitchen. I'd fare better than I'm faring
on my own. I'll beg my Father to make me
a hard servant. This is the depth, dear friends,
that God brings His children Out of the depths they'll cry. Now I want you to pay close attention
to the next word in our text. It's the first word found in
verse 12. The word else. What's the interpretation of
that? Or else. Love the Lord your God or else. Now this is a word used in the
scriptures to warn or threaten what will happen if the commandment
of God is not carried out. And in this instance, if you
don't love the Lord your God, there will be consequences. Love the Lord your God or else.
Well, now is this a threatening or is this a warning? Yes, that's
exactly what it is. It's a warning to those who do
not believe His Word. And it's a threatening to those
who profess to believe His Word and don't. You know, a warning
from a sovereign Lord, a sovereign God, who does as He pleases and
how He pleases to whom He pleases, is no less than a threatening
in the end when the end is eternal death. If His warnings are not
heeded, then His warnings certainly become threatenings. Friends,
this is God Almighty that we're talking about. This is not a
God who needs our cooperation and assistance. When God sends
you something that strips you of any power to make any difference,
I mean, He sends you a trial And you're just shut up to the
fact that if the Lord don't do something for me in this trial,
in this struggle, I'm doomed. You see that you're helpless.
I'm telling you, it'll change the way that you seek God. You'll seek Him on your knees.
You'll seek Him at the feet of Christ. No higher place to seek Him than
at Christ's feet. You won't go to the world for
help, because you know they can't help. Don't go back among the world.
Don't go back to the Canaanites. Don't cleave to them. Don't cleave
to their God. Did you notice the words, to
these that remain among you? I thought the Lord left that
just for me. The Lord left them there. the enemies that were
left. If the Lord did the fighting,
if the Lord did the defeating, if the Lord did the driving out,
then those that are left, He left there for a reason. And
they're left according to His purpose. Will you love the Lord
your God, or will you love the world in which you live? That's a very pertinent question.
It's a very crucial question. Notice what else Joshua says
in verse 12. Don't you make marriages with
them. Don't go in unto them. Don't you lay with them. Don't
you allow them to lay with you. Now when the Scriptures talk
about marriage, it always has reference to the Lord Jesus and
His church. It always pictures in some way
Christ and His bride. Spiritually speaking, this refers
to being especially careful not to be unequally yoked together
with unbelievers of this world. Be not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness,
and what communion hath light with darkness? Now we live in
a world, in this world, but we're not of this world. For the glory
of God, we should be kind, folks. As ambassadors of Christ, we
should be humble. As adopted children, we should
be eternally dedicated and grateful. And it's in the good providence
of God that we work with unbelievers, some of our neighbors, some even
of our own family. But we can't worship with them.
It's sad, but true. It's a different God. It's a
different spirit. It's another Jesus, which is
not another. It's another gospel, which is
not another. And we don't get into debates and arguments with
folks about their gods. If God ever gives a dead sinner
interest, God Himself will provide the means of the preacher for
them to hear. I have found from experience In most cases, you're
not going to straighten out someone's error who doesn't believe that
they're wrong. And I'm not saying not to talk
about the Lord in front of folks, but don't make it a religious
thing. It's not a religious thing. It better not be. The gospel
of Christ is a way of living thing. When you're trusting in
Christ, it'll show. Like we always say, it's kind
of like being pregnant with a child. You won't have to tell anybody
pretty soon. It'll be obvious. I was talking
to Brother Paul last week, and he was telling me about when
he worked out the state highway department, everybody was religious. He said that when they'd start
talking religion to him, he'd just change the subject or get
busy real quick doing something else. You know, it takes two
to argue, doesn't it? Don't argue with them. And if
you're arguing with yourself, then you need a whole different
kind of help. But take heed, good heed, therefore, unto yourselves
that you love the Lord your God. Or else. Else what? Verse 13. Know for a certainty
that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations
from before you, but they shall be snares and traps unto you,
scourges in your sides and thorns in your eyes. until you perish
from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given
you. Know for a certainty according
to the scriptures, in accordance with the word of God. Know this,
it's definitely true. It's something that can be relied
upon to be so. A person or a thing that can
be relied upon. Is there anything sure in an
unsure world? Yes. No for certainty. Here's a fact that it's true.
The Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations,
these enemies from before you. Now let's just think for a minute
what that's saying. Is the gospel just another part
of the pieces of your life? What I mean is, is the gospel
just a Sunday and Wednesday thing to you? Or is the gospel your life? And
I'm not trying to be fanatical or hyper-religious. If the gospel is not, The most
important thing to you, if the Lord Jesus Christ is your substitute
and your sacrifice, does it mean everything to you? If He is not
an absolute necessity in your life, then you have reason to
doubt the certainty of your salvation. And if you cleave to the world,
its religion, and you make marriages and covenants and promises and
oaths with this world, Your enemies will forever remain. There'll
be snares and traps to you. There'll be scourges in your
side and there'll be thorns in your eyes until the day you perish
from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you."
That's a warning from God. And this is what makes God's
enmity, God's hostility toward the carnal fleshly mind, the
thinking of men, that they will not believe and they will not
bow and they will not trust and rely and depend upon the finished
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, that would be way too humiliating,
wouldn't it? Men and women feel as though
they themselves must do something that would make their cooperation
and their will in some way effectual. How can men and women say that
salvation is by the sovereign grace of God and the Lord Jesus
Christ and yet believe that it was their cooperation and the
lending of their free will that made the effectual difference? It's speaking out of both sides
of the mouth and the heart. Those who refuse to believe otherwise
will soon discover that God may just let them have their way. I'd be terrified, honestly terrified,
if God allowed my sin to run its course, causing me to be
ensnared and scourged and having severe damage done to my vision. while all the while giving me
the very things because I desired them. My, that would be hell,
wouldn't it? The very things that we desire
are the things that destroy us by nature. Certainly, we don't
know what's best for us. That's why we must trust in the
one that does. He knows what's best for us. He sends cancer. I don't understand
that. He sends it. He sends it for
our good. I believe that. I know this much, the lack of the
love of God certainly brings out the worst possible outcome
it seems. Take good heed that you love
the Lord your God. This is how we make our calling
and election true. That's why I read that passage
in 2 Peter. In verse 14 here, Joshua is a
true pastor of God's people. He's about to pass from this
earth. He's not interested in building a legacy. He's not interested
in having a statute erected in his name. I can assure you of
that. In his final sermon, He points
to Christ. The one thing Nephi warns against
turning to the left or to the right. And he says in verse 14,
I'm going the way of the earth. And I might add every man and
woman born will one day do just that. Joshua was saying, I'm
dying soon. There's no reason for me not
to tell you the truth. In your heart and in your soul,
you know that the Lord did not fail to do anything that He promised. You can look back on your life,
dear believer, and you can say that. He done everything He promised
to do. He did all the good things that
He spoke concerning you. All are come to pass unto you,
all of them. Not one thing hath failed thereof. That's the gospel. Completely
saved. Perfectly saved. Sin paid in
full. sin forever put away, the law
perfectly fulfilled, God's justice completely satisfied, the believer
ever perfect and conformed to Christ. In Christ, not one thing
hath failed thereof. In verse 15, Joshua, our Savior,
reminds Israel again of who it is that says, therefore it shall
come to pass that as all good things are come upon you, which
the Lord your God promised you. But if we insist on being disobedient,
if we insist on having it our way, look what else he says there
in verse 15. So shall the Lord bring upon
you all evil things until He hath destroyed you from off this
good land which the Lord your God hath given you. And I'm reminded
again that men and women by nature cannot not sin. That's why we've got to have
a Savior, friend. We've got to have a Savior. To
Him coming. To whom coming? We keep coming
to Him. I come to Him today. I come to Him tomorrow. I come
to Him every minute of every day. Because sin is not only
what I do, but sin is what I am. That word, then, God's warnings
are never empty. That word, then, in verse 16,
suggests that we will constantly be confronted with some kind
of sin. Well, it comes from within. Why is that? Because the sin
is within. In my flesh dwelleth no good
thing. Give diligence and take heed
to make your calling. You know that word there in 2
Peter means comfort? Take heed to make your comfort
and election sure. Isn't that... I love that. For
if you do these things, you shall never fall. So which is it, preacher? Do we do, or has Christ done?
Christ has done. And all we do is love Him for
what He has done. Give diligence. Take good heed that you love
the Lord your God. That's my encouragement to you
and to me tonight. Love the Lord your God. It's
the sure way of giving you comfort. In Christ, we don't fear anything,
not even death. Death is a promotion in Christ.
In Christ, death is a departure. For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him,
in Christ, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. We
don't perish, we depart. The Lord said, I've gone to prepare
a place for you that where I am you shall be also. Listen, the
heaven is to be face to face with Christ my Savior. That's our hope, that's our assurance,
that's our rest. We love Him because He first
loved us. Herein is love, not that we love
God. Oh, you tell somebody that today,
that's how I beg your pardon. No, herein is love, not that
we love God. That's not the love that saves
us, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be a propitiation
for our sins, payment for our sins. The only way your sins
are ever gonna be paid for is that if Christ came and paid
for them. Take heed, for the love of the
Lord your God. May God be pleased to make it
so for His glory and our good and for Christ's sake.