I want to begin our study this
morning, a new study, in the book of Joshua. The book of Joshua. It's been a little while since
our last study in the Old Testament, and I want to go over some things
before we get into our study. Joshua is the sixth book of the
Bible. It's the first book after the
books of Moses. The Bible begins with the book
of Genesis, which means the beginning. In the beginning, that's how
the book starts. And then Exodus, our deliverance
or going out when our Lord went up on the Mount of Transfiguration.
There was two prophets, Moses and Elijah, that met with him
there in front of the apostles and they discussed his decease,
which is interpreted Exodus. And then the book of Leviticus
is the book of the priests. You read through the book of
Leviticus and you'll see the priesthood and the high priest
and all things pertaining to him detailed out. And then Leviticus numbers, sometimes called the
book of origin. This is where Israel is numbered. And it kind of gives a authenticity. It deals with the numbering of
the Israelites. And then Deuteronomy. And this
book has its name as it is the summary of everything that Moses
has just taught. And then immediately after that
is the book of Joshua. And before we get in our study,
I want to remind you that when studying the Old Testament, I
want us to remember that it's to be studied and read as it
was inspired and written figuratively. There are plain prophecies in
the Old Testament which are not figures or plain prophecies concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ, but just about everything else in it is
a figure or a type. It's to be looked at and read
and thought of symbolically, typically of Christ and Him crucified,
and of Christ and His church, of Christ and the full provision
that the Father's made for us in Him. Does it say that in the Scriptures? In Acts 10.43, the apostles,
when the apostles went out to preach, they didn't have a New
Testament. All they had was Genesis to Malachi. And they're going
to establish that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Jesus is the
Christ. Salvation is in Him. The entire
Old Testament is talking about him. And at the church at Antioch
in Acts, or not Antioch, but when Paul was preaching in Acts
chapter 10, here's what he said about this. To him give all the
prophets witness. All the prophets, all of them,
Joel, Daniel, Jonah, Isaiah, Ezekiel,
to him give all the prophets witness, or what do they say
about him? That through his name, whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. And then at
the church at Antioch when Paul was preaching, and referring
to several Old Testament scriptures, he kind of did a In his introduction
there to church to his message, he went all the way back to Moses
and came down the line through David and quoted several Old
Testament passages. And then he tells them in verse
38, Acts chapter 13, he said, Be it known unto you therefore,
men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins. through this man, through Jesus
Christ. Well, does that mean that men
like Samson and Moses and Abraham were just fictitious characters
in a story? No. No, it don't. These were real men. All these
circumstances were real. When he talks about parting that
sea, he parted that sea. The parting of the sea is not
significant in itself because it typifies Christ in our salvation. Something absolutely impossible
to cross, he opened and led us through. And this is exactly
the same way that Joshua begins. But these men, these circumstances,
all these things we're reading about here actually happened. But their whole history and writings
are to be understood typically. You won't benefit from them until
you see that they're typical. And I'm going to tell you this,
to try and understand the Old Testament any other way. I don't care how you do it, any
other way. You want to read it to find out
who somebody's great-grandpa was, You want to read it for
some kind of just history of mankind and stuff like that?
If you try to understand the Old Testament any other way except
figuratively as it points to Christ, it's going to leave you
wandering around in a mental fog. You're going to wonder what
in the world was that for? Why did God go out there and
just kill a half million people? Why did he cause it not to rain
for three years? I'm telling you, you'll walk
around scratching your head. I just don't get it. I just don't. But when you begin to see these
things typical of Christ and his salvation and his church
and his people, that promised seed, With the mind of Christ, it'll
open up pictures that makes those New Testament doctrines so clear.
Listen to this over in Romans chapter 16 verse 25. Again, I'm saying that these
apostles didn't have a New Testament. They couldn't say turn to the
book of John. John was one of the apostles.
He was one preaching. He didn't have a book to turn
to. He was using the Old Testament
Scriptures. And here's what Paul said in
Romans 16, 25. Now to him that is of power to
establish you, and don't miss this, according to my gospel. And the preaching of Jesus Christ
according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret
since the world began, but now is made manifest. Now watch this. And by the scriptures of the
prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made
known to all nations for the obedience of faith. They preached
the gospel. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy, Joshua. Ruth, go all the way down to,
they preached the gospel from those books. And God commanded
men to believe. And they preached out of those
books according to their gospel. And there's just one gospel,
that's the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Alright, let's
read the first two verses of Joshua chapter 1. Joshua chapter
1, beginning with verse 1. Now, after the death of Moses,
the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto
Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses, my servant,
is dead. Now, therefore, arise and go
over this Jordan, thou and all this people. unto the land which
I do give to them, even to the children of Israel." Now here's
the first thing I want us to see. Who and what is typical
of what? You're going to have to identify
these characters in order to rightly make any kind of application
to our Lord and the salvation that he's manifesting. The leading
characters of the book are Joshua, Joshua, Moses, Caleb, the Jordan,
Canaan, and all Israel. All Israel. These are to be preached
or taught according to the gospel. We'll begin with Joshua. He's
a type of Christ. How do I know that? Because his
name twice in the Hebrew is translated into the Greek, Jesus. And it's right in their message
in the New Testament. In Acts 7.45 and Hebrews 4.8,
the Hebrew name Joshua is written Jesus. commanded to do after the death
of Moses makes no sense apart from him being a type of Christ. And then Moses is a type of the
law as a mediator of the law. In Galatians 3.19 he said the
law was added because of transgressions until the seed should come to
whom the promise was made and was ordained by angels in the
hand of a mediator. The law was taught of Moses as
it was revealed to him on the mount, typically. That whole
tabernacle. If you read the book of Hebrews,
especially chapters 9 and 10, you're going to see where Paul
uses these types and pictures. He tells you in Hebrews 9, for
these things, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the tabernacle,
these things were figures for the time in prison. That's how
the gospel was taught, through these figures. And the law was
taught of Moses as it was revealed to him on the mount. See, saith
the Lord, that ye do all things according to the fashion that
I showed thee in the mount. And he's talking about there,
he's talking about the tabernacle and the altar and the ark, the
labor, The priesthood, the showbread,
the candlestick, the altar of incense, the mercy seat, holy
days, the sacrifice, all these things aim to set forth the person
and work of Christ. And they make no sense apart
from it. And you can see that, and you
can see the coldness of it. If you ever visit, I'm not just
picking on Catholics this morning, but if you ever visit a Catholic
church, you'll see something about these things When they're
not used as figures, and the coldness of it, they just kind
of go through the motions of it. I mean, here's a priest,
and here's the bread, and they just go, there's no application,
there's no gospel, there's no teaching, there's no nothing.
It's just cold, dead, dry ceremony. But the law was taught of Moses
as it was revealed to him on the mount. And so it says over in Galatians
3.24, it says, wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. To
do what? To bring us to Christ that we
might be justified by faith. That's what the law is. The law
set forth the Lord Jesus Christ. It set him forth in the sacrificial
lamb, in the scapegoat, in the high priest, in the common priesthood. That's the church. We're a royal
priesthood. That's what it says over in 1
Peter. Churches are peculiar people. They're a royal priesthood,
a holy nation. Paul's our schoolmaster. And let me tell you something
else about Moses. In a moment of frustration with Israel. Boy, I used to get so angry reading
the Old Testament. Israel. Oh, what a bunch of bozo. Lord tell them to do something.
Instead of doing that, they do something else. Then I found
out I was worse than they was. I did the same thing. But in
a moment of frustration, Moses took his staff and smoked the
rock twice. He was to smite the rock. And
when he did, water came out. Sustained him all through that
wilderness. But he got upset at their rebellion one day and
he took that staff and he, boy, he cracked that rock twice. He
smoked the rock twice. You ain't gonna crucify Christ
but once. Just once. once in the end of the world
hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And by way of this one sacrifice
for sins, he sanctified us once for all, and one sacrifice accomplished
the eternal redemptive will of God, I come to do thy will, O
God. And he did. He did that. So that by one offering he hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified. And then he tells
us in Hebrews 6 that if it were possible, it's not possible. And he tells us that there. But
if it were possible, for those who were once enlightened and
who've tasted of the heavenly gift and made partakers of the
Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers
of the world to come, if they should fall away, to renew them
again to repentance. Why is it impossible? It's an
impossibility because, he says, they would crucify to themselves
the Son of God, a priest. One crucifixion is sufficient. And all those for whom Christ
died will be given ears to hear. They're going to be sent a preacher.
He's going to preach to them. They're going to understand what
he's saying. The Holy Ghost is going to work
in their heart. They're going to believe. They're
going to see themselves for what they are, and they're going to
repent, and they're going to believe and repent until they
die. Now, you disrupt any of that,
you crucify in the Son of God afresh. I know some of you, you're not
understanding what I'm saying yet. Nobody's going to believe
except those for whom Christ died. Is that right? Read it. Read it for yourself. I tell you what our Lord, they
said, if you be the Christ, why are you going through all this?
If you be the Christ, tell us plainly. He said, I told you
plainly. I just finished my discourse
talking about the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. Now here's why you don't believe
you're not my sheep. Is that what he said over there
in John chapter 10? My sheep hear my voice. What makes the sheep so special?
He gave his life for the sheep. And they're going to hear his
voice. And I know them, and they know me, and they follow me. And nobody's going to pluck them
out of my hand. Oh, but if you could draw back
the predation, somebody would be plucking you out of his hand.
It's an impossibility. And the reason? You deny what
Christ bought on the cross. That's why. Everything he did
is sufficient. It's sufficient. And what he did is effectual.
It's effectual. crucify the Son of God afresh,
and that's exactly what would have happened if Moses had led
the people into the promised land. He took Moses on the mountain,
and here's the law. Here's the best you can hope
for in the law. You can see the promised land.
Huh? It's a schoolmaster, the law
is. It allows you to see. Read about it in Romans chapter
3. That's what he said. What he said about the law. The death of Christ is sufficient,
Hebrews 10, 15, whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us,
putting his laws into our hearts and writing them in our minds. What's that mean? Does that mean
he teaches you the law and then after you're saved, you take
that law and that's how you... No, that's not what he's talking
about. Jesus Christ honored and exalted that law Fulfilled that
law to the highest letter. And that's how he writes it in
the hearts and minds of his elect, honored and satisfied. Exalted. Now if something's exalted as
high as it can be exalted, what am I going to do with it except
blemish it? Huh? And besides that, I don't
know anything about the law. And you don't either. I'll tell
you who did, the one who kept it. You want to know what that
law teaches? Study Christ. And that's exactly
what he tells us. As you have received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk in Him. You walk in Him. You walk in
Him in love, you fulfill the whole law. And I'm telling you, this country
is full of people trying to teach progressive sanctification. They're
calling it now a second law. There is no second law. And I'm
going to tell you something else about the law. If you decide
I'm going to be saved by obeying the law, you better build you
a tabernacle. You better set aside a priesthood.
You're going to have to get a high priest. You're going to have
to get animal sacrifices. You're going to have to obey
all the dietary rules, all 437 precepts. You're going to have
to keep them and keep them perfectly. Continually. Not one dull moment. Not one slip of the mind. Continually. And you're going to have to do
it in motive, thought, and deed. And you're going to have to do
it perfectly. Paul said, you that desire to be on the law,
do you hear the law? The law, God buried the law on
the mountain. on the mountain. Why? Because
it's fulfilled in Joshua. The law brought the people to
Joshua. Brought them to Joshua. Now he
said this about the law. Moses is a type of the law, and
he cannot, because of the weakness of the flesh, lead God's people
into their promised inheritance. If there had been a law, Paul
said, given, which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law, but the scripture hath concluded
all under sin." All the law? No. All the people to whom the
law was given. They're all under sin. Well,
yeah, the Gentiles and all the Jews too. Read Romans 1 and then
read Romans 10. The scripture concluded all under
sin, all to whom the law was given, that the promise by faith
of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. So Moses
is a type of the law. Joshua is a type of Christ. Caleb
is a type of the believer, a sinner saved by grace. That's Caleb. That's Caleb. His name means
faithful dog. Get time sometime, listen to
Henry Mahan has a message, Caleb the Faithful Dog. It's a great
message. And then we have the Jordan River. That's a type of spiritual death.
To be a partaker of the inheritance of enlightened saints, all Israel
must see themselves as one with Joshua, thou and all his people. That's what God says. I'm going
to pass through this river. They're going to have to come
to see themselves as one with Joshua, passing through death
unto eternal life. And that Jordan River, in the
month of their crossing, was swollen to flood states. It wasn't like the Red River
here. Sometimes you can't even get
a boat down it without hitting sand. This river was at flood
states. And Jordan River ain't no little
river. It was crocodile infested. It was filled with debris. It had a current in it that no
one could withstand. How you gonna pass through that? It's a picture of spiritual death. This is a place of abundant provision. Now I want you to look with me
for just a second. I'll just back up one book from
the book of Deuteronomy. And look with me at Deuteronomy
6 and verse 10. Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 10.
And it shall be, no ifs, ands, or buts, it shall be when the
Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware
unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give
thee great and goodly cities which thou built not, and houses
full of good things, which thou fill'st not, and wells dig, which
thou dig'st not, and vineyards and olive trees, which thou plant'st
not. Everything in Canaan is already
there. I used to hear our many preachers
talk to me when I was a young man. Talk about your prayers
and your works and all that. That's sending lumber up into
heaven to build your house. Now the house is already there.
Our Lord said, that's where I'm going. And in my father's house
was many mansions. Didn't say he was going up there
to build a mansion. He said there are mansions. They're already
there. The food's there. Everything you need is there.
It's already there. When they went into Canaan, here's
the houses, here's the olive tree. They didn't have to plant
anything, Walter. They didn't have to do anything. Oh, but this great people that
those spies saw in the walled city. God said, I'm going to
take care of this. I'm going to take care of this. This is the land that I've given
to you and promise, a place of provision, a place of rest. It's
their inheritance. So Canaan is a type of heaven. And then all Israel. Israel is
a type of God's church, His elect, the sons and daughters of God.
And those who occupied the land are typical of all fallen sons
of Adam. and especially of those making
false professions under false religion. Their ownership of the place
where they had residence is only theirs by confession and profession. It never changed ownership. It
always belonged to God and his people. You remember over in
the Corinthians, Paul told them, he said, they're trying to make
something special out that I saved under Paul. And the other one
said, yeah, but that great orator, I saved under him. I saved under
Apollos. Paul said, you're missing something.
He said, don't you know that the world is yours? Yeah, but somebody else is occupying
it. Yeah, they will for a little
bit, but it belongs to you. It belongs to you. Paul the Israel. That's a type of God's church. When God removed those people,
when he removed those Hittites, It's his. It's his to take. All right, here's the third thing
I want us to see. What exactly is it in this book
that God is typifying? What's going on here? What's
the lesson in this book? Well, he's picturing the saints'
entry by union with the Son. into their promised inheritance.
Isn't that what Paul said over in Ephesians 111? In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
It's his. It's his to give. And we've received
it. We've obtained it. He's picturing
our being brought into submission to Christ. If you're going to
enter into that risk, you're going to follow Joshua. Somebody
said, well, I'll cross that river on my own. One thing I'm positive of, because
I read the book, nobody crossed that river on their own. Nobody. He's picturing our being brought
into submission to Christ. willingly following Him by faith
through death. Huh? We were baptized into what? Why
do we submerge sinners instead of sprinkling? Huh? Because we're buried with Christ
in baptism. That's why. It's what we're trying
to confess in baptism is our burial with Christ. This all
Israel went through that river, went through that death in Christ
and was raised on the other side. They're one of them. Looking into that gospel mirror,
we see our story being told. It's the story of chosen sinners
being quickened together with Christ and brought to see themselves
being heirs of God. And this is the story of God's
saints being brought out of the wilderness of sin, even though
sometimes it's spelled ZIN, but in the New Testament it says
SIN, S-I-N. It's the wilderness of sin into
the land of milk and honey. It's God's testimony of His Son
and our union with Him and the death of all those that oppose
Him. He said, Moses my servant is
dead, now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, bow, and all
this people unto the land which I do give to them, even to the
children of Israel. So that salvation is the gift
of God, the gift of His grace, and then the person of His Son.
And not one soul crossed that river on his own. They all went
with Joshua, just as God commanded. And all these things were all
fulfilled in Christ, accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection,
set before us in the full canon of Scripture and in the plain
teaching of the Gospel. In the day of Joshua, they were
being set before men and women in type. In type. They looked at them. They understood
what the figure was. And after thousands of years
of figures and types, These things being taught us, just as Adam
taught his son, God slayed that lamb and covered their nakedness
with the skin of that lamb and shed its blood for their sins.
And then told them what it meant. And He told His two sons what
it meant. And one of them listened and
one of them didn't. That sacrificial lamb pointed to the Lamb of God,
that high priest pictured a priest who would enter into the holy
place with his own blood and obtain eternal redemption for
us. And then John 6.35, it says,
Jesus said unto them, I'm the bread of life. They were talking
about the prophet Moses. They were talking about that
bread that came down from heaven. He said, I'm the bread. I'm the
bread. I'm the bread of life. He that
cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall
never thirst. But I said unto you that you
also have seen me. You've seen the fulfillment of
the time. You've seen me. Now listen. And
believe not. Believe not. What was the problem? They didn't believe the Old Testament
was figurative. They didn't believe that it was
symbolic. They didn't believe the plain
teaching of the Son of God, the eternal Word. All that the Father giveth me,
now listen to this, shall come to me. And him that cometh to
me, I will in no wise cast out. It's my hope and prayer to God
that as we go through this book and we see him who's able to
save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him. And in
this day of idolatry and easy believism, in this day of self-love,
free will, and self-righteousness, I pray that both myself and for
those our great God has gathered here to hear me, that he'll Tend
my teaching, open our hearts and minds, and give us of his
presence and power, and allow us to be partakers of the inheritance
with enlightened saints. And read this book of Joshua
and see Christ and his church. All right, thank you.