Stay The Course Joshua 24:1-33 12/02/2007 Dr. Dane Boyles

Stay The Course Introduction One thing that we’ve learned from our study is that God uses people who aren’t perfect. Unfortunately, many of the characters in the Scriptures begin well, but finish badly.

Stay The Course That was not the case with Joshua; he is an example to all of us of how to stay the course and finish strong. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4:7, NIV)

Stay The Course Joshua gives to Israel God’s formula for remaining in the land under God’s blessing. From a biblical perspective, success is doing God’s will and staying with it.

Stay The Course Remember that God Cares for You. 1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. (Josh 24:1, NIV)

Stay The Course 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. (Josh 24:2, NIV)

Stay The Course 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. (Josh 24:3-4, NIV)

Stay The Course Joshua’s first act was to recount God’s blessings in their lives. “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says Joshua told Israel to remember that God cared for them! One very important element for staying the course is a good memory related to God’s past blessings in our life.

Stay The Course Receive God’s Commands. The call to service. 14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. (Josh 24:14, NIV)

Stay The Course 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Josh 24:15, NIV)

Stay The Course 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! (Josh 24:16, NIV)

Stay The Course 17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. (Josh 24:17, NIV)

Stay The Course 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God. (Josh 24:18, NIV)

Stay The Course The Warning on Service. 19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. (Josh 24:19, NIV)

Stay The Course 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” (Josh 24:20, NIV)

Stay The Course The covenant of service. 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.” 22 Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. (Josh 24:21-22, NIV)

Stay The Course 23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.” (Josh 24:23-24, NIV)

Stay The Course 25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. (Josh 24:25, NIV)

Stay The Course 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. (Eccl 5:4-5, NIV)

Stay The Course Three funerals recorded. 29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. (Josh 24:29-30, NIV)

Stay The Course 31 Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel. (Josh 24:31, NIV)

Stay The Course 32 And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants. (Josh 24:32, NIV)

Stay The Course 33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim. (Josh 24:33, NIV)

Stay The Course Application for Us. If we are to stay the course and not drift from what God would have us do we must never forget what God has done for us… We must realize that empty promises are of no importance to God…

Stay The Course God desires total, whole-hearted commitment to Him… We need to leave good examples for the future generations…

Stay The Course Joshua 24:1-33 12/02/2007 Dr. Dane Boyles