Let me add my welcome to Winston's. It's good to see everybody out
this morning on this beautiful Lord's Day. I trust that he'll
bless us all through the study of his word here. As you can
see, my text today is going to be Joshua chapter 1 again, verses
10 through 11, just two verses. We've got some verses coming
up here that teach a little negative kind of a negative message. It'll
be positive when I bring it, but it's kind of a negative context.
I want to take this Sunday to talk about valuing the inheritance
of the promise. You know, we're talking in this
book of Joshua, it's all about this promised land, this land
of promise, this land that God had given to this nation Israel
by promise to their father Abraham. And it's about them entering
in and taking possession of it. So today we're going to talk
about valuing the inheritance of the promise. And you know,
if I were to just ask you right up front today, do you value
the inheritance of promise? Do you value that? I know most
of you would know something about what I'm talking about, and most
of you could say yeah. But you know, you really have
to understand the subject if you're going to really value
it. are disvalued. You have to understand what you're
talking about. So that's what we want to do today is try to
understand this inheritance in a little more detail. What is
the inheritance of promise? Well, it's a twofold inheritance. It's both physical and spiritual. The physical is what typifies
the spiritual. In other words, the physical
gives a picture of the spiritual, and that's the way God does things.
In the Old Testament, he gave a picture, he gave a type, but
it was talking about something that Christ would do, or who
Christ was, or some aspect of his person and his work. So the
physical typifies the spiritual. Physically, this inheritance
of promise is about the certainty of national Israel, all the national
descendants of Abraham. It's about them possessing that
land that God had given them through a promise made to Abraham
years before this time when we come to here in Joshua. It was
a land of promise. God described this land as a
land flowing with milk and honey. It was a land filled with walled
cities already built, wells already dug, vineyards already producing
luscious fruit that these people didn't have to work for in any
way, shape, or form. It was a land Israel could call
its own, and up to this time they hadn't had such a land as
this. It was a land with perpetual ownership. In other words, if
God gave you a possession in this land, The ownership of that
land would carry right on down through the generations. They
probably still own this land, those who were given this land.
They probably still own some of it because of those who went
in and possessed it, passing it down to their generation.
So the first aspect of the inheritance of promise, it concerned the
land that was given to Abraham by promise and which was certain
to be possessed by the physical descendants of Abraham in a generation
of God's choosing. God was bringing them along to
that generation. And in Joshua, we've come to
that generation. The land of promise should have
been valued by every physical descendant of Abraham. They should
have desired to be the ones to enter into that land, to possess
it, to inherit it, to be joint heirs with Abraham in it, who
inherited that land by promise. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they
never really actually possessed that land as far as driving out
the inhabitants and owning it for themselves, but they owned
it. They lived in it. They sojourned
in it. That's the language of Hebrews.
They sojourned together in that land of promise. They raised
their families there. They got wealthy there. All of
them were wealthy men. And it was in that land of Canaan
that they did that, but they never actually possessed it as
a possession, except by promise. Finally, the land of promise
was a land that typified eternal salvation. It was that picture
I told you about. It pictured the eternal salvation
that God had already given his elect people in Christ before
the world began. That's what this land pictured.
It's a salvation that was certain to be possessed in time in each
successive generation by each sinner it was given to in eternity. Physically, the inheritance of
promise is about a land of promise, but spiritually, The inheritance
of promise is about eternal salvation. It's about the eternal rest that
sinners find in that work that Christ finished on the cross,
that obedience unto death which brought forth that righteousness
by which God justifies ungodly sinners. And whether we're talking
about national Israel, Abraham's physical descendants, or spiritual
Israel, Abraham's spiritual descendants, all in every generation should
value the inheritance of promise. We should all value, everybody
should value in each generation. They should value this inheritance
for two reasons, and that's what our lesson is going to be today.
Two reasons why men should value the inheritance of promise. First,
is because this is an inheritance that has already been given. Look with me to Joshua chapter
1 and verse 3. Joshua writes here, God's talking
to him here, giving Joshua these instructions, and God says, Every
place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I
given unto you, as I said unto Moses. I've given it unto you,
he said. This was already Israel's land. God had already given this land
to Israel. When? some over 400 years ago,
by promise to their father, Abraham. Listen to the words of Abraham
in Genesis 13, verse 15. For all the land which thou seest,
he's talking to Abraham here, God's talking to Abraham. All
the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy
seed forever. God promised Abraham this land. And since God's promises cannot
fail, a promise from God can't fail to be fulfilled. It can't
fail to be carried out. So Abraham possessed, he owned,
this land was his by promise. Abraham considered this land
as having already been given to him and his descendants. This
is Isaac's language to Jacob in Genesis 28, four. He said
that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger,
which God gave unto Abraham. It was given, and that's the
way they saw it. It was already their land. And that's how this
land was referred to by Moses, a land that had been given to
Israel. Look with me here at Numbers 32 and verse 7. It says, and wherefore discourage
you, this is Moses talking to those who who don't value that
land of promise. They don't want to go in and
possess it. They want an inheritance outside the land of promise.
And he says, why do you discourage the heart of the children of
Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given
them? It's already given. And in verse
9, For when they went up into the valley of Eschol, he's talking
here about those fathers that had perished in the wilderness.
When they went up to the valley of Eschol and saw the land, they
discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they
should not go in into the land which the Lord had given them.
See, they didn't view this land as one that they needed to go
in to possess in order for it to be theirs. No. No, it was
already theirs. They just needed to go in and
possess it. That's what those who knew God understood. That's
what Caleb understood. He said, if God delight in us,
all we have to do is just go in and possess the land. He's
already given it to us. God had given national Israel,
the natural descendants of Abraham, this land. It was the physical
inheritance that had already been given to national Israel
through Abraham, their father, by promise. Now, I want you to
understand this clearly now. This physical land was not promised
to Israel if they would possess it, if they'd do this, if they'd
raise up their army, if they'd strengthen their army and go
in and with their might take it over. No. It was rather a
land given to Israel through promise to Abraham and certain
to be possessed by Abraham's natural descendants in a generation
of God's choosing. But this land was a type It was
a picture of a far greater inheritance. This land typified eternal salvation,
which was given to spiritual Israel before the world began. Look at 2 Timothy 1, verses 8
through 10. Paul writes to Tim of the year,
be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,
nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us
and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. but is now made manifest
by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished
death and has brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel. God saved his elect people according
to his own purpose and grace. Grace is all the benefits and
blessings of salvation. And that grace, with all its
benefits and blessings, were given to the people of God in
Christ before the world began. Now let's clearly understand
this as well. This is not a salvation God has promised to sinners if
they'll do something. This is not a promise of if. If you'll just get right with
God. If you'll just do your part.
If you'll just reach up to God, He's reaching down to you. No.
The gospel is not God's promise to save. Salvation is rather
that which is already given to a multitude of sinners and certain
to be possessed by each of those sinners in time in each generation. The gospel is the declaration
of him who did everything necessary for God to be just and justifier
of the ungodly sinner, to declare righteous every sinner he lived
and died for. Christ was victoriously raised
again. Why? Because of our justification. So the first reason the inheritance
of promise should be valued by sinners in every generation is
because the land of promise, as well as the eternal salvation
it typified, have already been given to those of God's choosing. It's already been given. They
already have it. The second reason the inheritance
of promise should be valued by sinners in every generation is
because the inheritance of promise must be and it shall be possessed
by every sinner to whom God has given it. It has already been
given. When? In Christ. By that grace
in Christ before the world began. And those to whom it's been given,
those who have been given this inheritance, will, without fail,
in time, possess it. They'll own it as their own.
They'll know the Savior who bought them. They'll know the God who
loved them for all eternity. Let's look here in Joshua chapter
1, verses 10 through 11. Then Joshua commanded the officers
of the people saying, pass through the host and command the people
saying, prepare you vituals or within three days you shall pass
over this Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord
your God giveth thee to possess it. Joshua starts out here commanding
all the tribes of Israel here, prepare food because you're about
to go in and actually take possession of that land that you've already
been given. If God was to be glorified as
one faithful to fulfill his promises, Israel must take possession of
this land. It can't fail to happen. They
must possess it. This land, they, the natural
descendants of Abraham, must occupy the land that they had
been given over 400 years ago. God's glory depended on them
possessing this land, occupying this land, driving out the inhabitants
that were there. That's what Moses appealed to
when God threatened to destroy this nation back in Exodus when
they refused to enter in and possess the land that they'd
been given. God's commandment to them at that time was this,
go up and possess the land which I have given you. When Israel
refused, God told Moses in Exodus 32, Now therefore, let me alone,
that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume
them, and I will make of thee a great nation. What God's threatening
there says, let me just wipe them out, and I'll raise up another
nation through you. And what did Moses appeal to
to stop that? He appealed to the glory of God.
Look here at Deuteronomy chapter nine and verse 26. Moses said,
I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, destroy
not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through
thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with
a mighty hand. Remember thy servants, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Look not unto the stubbornness
of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin.
Lest the land, Egypt, which thou broughtest us out, say, because
the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised
them, and because he hated them, He has brought them out to slay
them in the wilderness. You see what Moses is doing?
He's appealing to the glory of God. God's made a promise. Israel
has to possess this land. You can't just wipe them out,
Lord, Moses said. You got to bring them into that
land just like he promised. So he's appealing to the glory
of God. God had already given Israel this land. They must possess
it. It's not a maybe, it's a must.
They must occupy this land or else God's promise to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob would not be fulfilled and God's glory would
be set aside. They must possess the land they
had already been given. So the two reasons why Israel
must possess the land of promise, it's already been given them
and God's glory was wrapped up in them possessing that land.
But not every descendant of Abraham would possess the land of promise.
Not everyone born of Abraham. Think about Esau. He was a descendant
of Abraham. Jacob have I loved. Esau have
I hated. God gave Esau another land. Not an inheritance in the land
of promise. Think about those who died in
Egypt. They didn't take possession of this land. They were descendants
of Abraham. Think about the rebellious fathers
who wandered 40 years in the desert and perished. They didn't
possess this land. Not every national descendant
of Abraham possessed this land. And that's another reason why
every Israelite should have valued this land above all else. The
actual possession of that land would be only to those chosen
by God. He would choose the generation
that entered into that land. It would be a chosen generation,
typical of his election. The patriarchs and fathers of
Israel valued that land. They each one possessed it by
faith. They were looking to that promised
seed. Abraham and Isaac lived in that land, and they were buried
there. Jacob lived in that land for
a while, but then God sent him and his family, 70 souls, down
to Egypt. And he died in Egypt, but before
he died, he made his son swear, don't you bury me in Egypt. You
take me back to Canaan to bury me. And that's what they did.
Joseph died in Egypt. He went down to Egypt, you know,
his brother sold him into slavery, and he died there. But he told
his descendants, before he died, he said, you put my bones in
a coffin, and when you go in to possess that land God has
given you, you take my bones with you and you bury me in that
promised land. Don't you leave me in Egypt.
These are all evidences that these men, these patriarchs,
saw Israel's possession of that land as a certainty. For any
Israelite to have no concern for Israel possessing the land
of promise is the equivalent of them showing no value for
the God who gave them that land and promised that they would
in time possess that land. It was to disregard the glory
of God as one faithful to fulfill his promises. Worst of all, to
fail to value the land of promise was to disregard God's redemptive
glory, a just God and a Savior, because that land typified eternal
salvation. It was through that land that
a promised seed would come. He would grow up in that land
and be brought forth from that land. And the possessing that
land typified every spiritual descendant of Abraham. possessing,
entering into and valuing that salvation they've already been
given in Christ before the world began. The natural descendants
of Abraham who actually possessed the land of promise were types
of Abraham spiritually. That's what I'm saying. Those
who entered into that land and possessed it, they're types of
those of spiritual Israel who enter into that promise and rest
in Christ for all of salvation. And I believe that's what Paul
wrote here to the church, his letter to the Galatians concerning
Abraham. Look with me at Galatians chapter
three, verses 16 through 18. We're talking about possessing
that salvation. that we were given in Christ
before the world began. Look at Galatians 3 and verse
16 now. Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of
many, but as of one, and thy seed, which is Christ. And this
I say that the covenant which was confirmed before of God in
Christ, the law which was 430 years after, cannot disannul
that it should make the promise of none effect. Stop right there
for a second. The law came 430 years after God made that promise
to Abraham that he and his descendants would possess that land. It came
430 years after he told him that Through him all nations of the
earth would be blessed. So what he's saying here is that
law came 430 years after God made the promise to Abraham and
that law can't disannul what God promised Abraham. It can't
have that effect. Look at verse 18 now. It says,
for if the inheritance be of law, it's no more a promise,
but God gave it. He gave the inheritance to Abraham
by promise. Now, God didn't promise Abraham
an inheritance here. You see what it says? He gave
an inheritance to Abraham by promise. There's a lot of difference
in that. What did God give Abraham? What is that inheritance? Well,
it's whatever God promised him in that covenant that he mentioned
back up there. That was confirmed by God before
in Christ. Now, Gill says that covenant,
and I'm quoting John Gill here on this, he said it was a covenant
of grace and redemption because the articles of redemption and
reconciliation of eternal life and salvation by the free grace
of God are the principal things in it. In other words, what that
covenant pertained to It was an everlasting covenant that
was made in the persons of the Godhead before time, and it concerned
the eternal salvation of God's elect people with all the benefits
and blessings. Abraham was given the inheritance. What was he given? He was given
eternal salvation. Now, here's a question I thought
might come to mind if you're paying attention. If Abraham
and all his spiritual descendants had already been given eternal
salvation before the world began, 2 Timothy 1.9 that I read you,
given in Christ before the world began, how could God give Abraham
the same thing in time by promise if he'd already given it to him?
How is that possible? Well, it's not possible. The
given here is as a possession. In time, God enabled Abraham
to take possession of, by promise and by faith, what he had already
given him in Christ before the world began. You see, he gave
Abraham He preached to him the gospel. He told him about that
promised seed. He told him how he would put
away sin and bring in everlasting righteousness. And he's enabling,
in time, Abraham to actually take possession of that salvation
he'd been given before time. According to Romans, Abraham
was fully persuaded that what God had promised, he was able
also to perform. Now, what had God promised Abraham? Your immediate answer might be,
well, he promised him salvation. But think about it a minute.
God didn't promise Abraham salvation. He'd already given Abraham salvation
in Christ before the world began. He promised Abraham a seed, a
promised seed, remember? a seed through whom all the nations
of the earth would be blessed. He promised him a Savior who
would finish the transgression, make an end of sin, and bring
in everlasting righteousness. He promised him a Savior who
would, by his obedient life and sacrificial death, work out all
the details, meet all the conditions and requirements of that eternal
salvation. Christ came in time to meet all
those conditions and requirements of the salvation of his elect
people. A salvation that had already been given to them in
Him before the world began. That's what Abraham saw in God's
promised seed. And Abraham believed God. In
other words, he was given faith in that promised seed. And that
faith gave evidence that God had imputed to Abraham for righteousness
what Christ would accomplish in time. All the merit of his
work. How confident was Abraham in that promised seed? He believed
God. He believed He'd send a seed.
He believed that seed would be the one who would bring in that
righteousness by which God justifies ungodly sinners. Now, how confident
was he in that promised seed? Now, I'm not asking you here
to consider Abraham's confidence, the level of his confidence.
How much confidence did he have? Who was he confident in? That's
what's important. When God commanded Abraham to
take Isaac, his only son, up on the mount, what did he do?
He took him, didn't he? He bound him to that sacrifice,
bound him to that altar, put the wood under him, and was all
but about to take his life. That's how confident he was in
that promised seed. Now, how does that demonstrate
confidence in that promised seed? Look at Hebrews 11, verse 17. This is talking about what I'm
talking about here. By faith, he said, Abraham, when he was
tried, tested, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the
promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was
said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that
God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence
also he received him in a figure." You see, it was through Isaac
that Christ must come. That promised seed was to come
through Isaac, the one he's about to slay on that altar. God had
engaged his redemptive glory in the person of Christ. He had
already given a multitude of sinners all the benefits and
blessings of salvation, of grace in Christ before the world began.
Christ, the promised seed, must come in time. He must establish
the one righteousness by which God had already declared those
sinners eternally and unchangeably righteous in His sight. Abraham
knew that. He understood that. He understood
that if he took Isaac's life, God would have to raise him up,
and he received him back as one who was already raised from the
dead, just like Christ would be when he earned the victory
over sin and over Satan, when he earned salvation for his people
by his death on the cross. That's the confidence Abraham
was given in the promisee. That's the confidence he had
in what God promised him. And that's the same confidence
that the spiritual seed of Abraham will be given in each successive
generation. They'll look to the same seed
Abraham did. God gave the inheritance to Abraham by promise. And in
time, he gave Abraham possession of that salvation. That salvation
that he'd given all the elect in Christ before the world began.
The us in 2 Timothy 1.9 included Abraham, giving us grace in him
before the world began. Abraham looked forward to the
same Christ. He looked forward by faith and
by promise to the same Christ that you and I look back on.
He rested in the same righteousness that you and I rest in. Just
like Isaac and Jacob were heirs with Abraham of the land of promise,
each of the patriarchs were given that land of promise by promise. And each of them possessed that
land by faith. In like manner, all of Abraham's
spiritual descendants, all the spiritual seed of Abraham and
each successive generation, are heirs with him of eternal salvation. And each of these spiritual descendants,
each of them will possess that eternal inheritance by faith
in time in each successive generation. In other words, God's going to
sit them down under the gospel. He's going to teach them of Christ.
He's going to show them that promised seed. He's going to
tell them what Christ has done. in putting away sin and establishing
righteousness for those he lived and died for. And they're going
to be drawn to that Christ. They must possess that salvation. They must have that Savior that
God, by which God saved them before the world began. And they
will, in time, in each successive generation. And why must each
of them possess it? They must possess it because
the inheritance was given to them in Christ before the world
began, and because God must be glorified in them as a just God
and Savior. You see, God's not just in the
business of saving people. He wants you to know who He is.
He wants you to know who Christ is. He wants you to know what
Christ has done to deliver His people from the wrath of God
we deserve and to give us an unchangeable standing of righteousness
before God. Those in each generation who
are the spiritual seed of Abraham must know the God who loved them
from all eternity. They must know the Christ who
bought them with his own blood. They must worship the God who
showed them such mercy and grace to bless them and keep them by
the doing and dying of Christ alone. And they must come. Christ
said, other sheep I have which are not of this foal, this Jewish
foal, them I must bring." They have to come. They have to know
me, he said. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. The Father has entrusted the
salvation of a multitude of sinners to Christ, to his doing and dying.
And he said all that he's done that, all whom he's entrusted
to me, they'll come to me in time. They'll know me as their
Savior. So for any sinner to place no
value on the inheritance of promise is to have no regard for the
God who gave eternal salvation to a multitude of sinners in
Christ before the world began. And who will, in time, cause
each of those sinners to whom he's given that salvation, he'll
cause them to possess it by faith in Christ and Christ alone. Look
at Deuteronomy 6 and 23 now. Moses writes here, it says, and
God brought us out from this. He's talking about bringing us
out of Egypt. that he might bring us in, might
bring us into that land of promise, to give us a land which he swear
unto our fathers. God brought his elect nation
out of bondage in Egypt by the blood of the Passover lamb. What
did that picture? It pictured God delivering his
elect from the legal bondage and condemnation that they had
by the blood of Christ. That's a picture of Christ coming
in time to put away sin and establish the righteousness his people
need to stand just in God's sight. And it says he did it to bring
us in. He did it that he might bring
his chosen nation into the land that he gave them through Abraham
by promise and swore that they would in time possess. He did
it to cause each of his elect in each generation to possess
by faith that salvation given to them before the world began,
but worked out by Christ in time. The inheritance of promise, what
is it? It was a land given to Israel
by promise and certain to be possessed by Abraham's natural
descendants. And the inheritance of promise
is eternal salvation, which that land typified. It's that salvation
given to each of Abraham's spiritual descendants in Christ before
the world began and certain to be possessed in time by each
one to whom it's been given. Valuing the inheritance of promise
is finding an interest in the promised seed that Abraham rejoiced
in. It's laboring to enter into that
rest which God himself rests in, the work Christ worked out,
the righteousness he established, and that God imputes to the account
of every sinner in Christ. It's finding your hope of salvation
in the finished work of Christ alone. In closing, let's look
at three verses here from Galatians. Look at Galatians 3 and verse
27. Paul writes here, for as many of you as have been baptized
into Christ, have put on Christ, there's neither Jew nor Greek,
there's neither bond nor free, there's neither male nor female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ,
if you have possessed the Christ, that promised seed, if you know
him by faith, if you won't have any salvation but that salvation
that he worked out by his obedience unto death, to enable his father
to be just and justifier. If you be Christ, then are you
Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. My command, my
encouragement to every sinner listening to this message, value
the inheritance of promise because it's already been given and it's
certain to be possessed by every spiritual descendant of Abraham
in every generation.