Thank you, Mark, for leading us and all those good hymns, good, rich meaning, scriptural meaning in those hymns. Good morning to everyone. Beautiful morning this morning when out on the farm, sun was just coming up, so nice, see all my friends out there. So I, everybody asked me what I did to my nose, so I'll tell you what I did to my nose. I was mowing hay the other day and I hit a rock and bent a guard on the tooth and I had a big wrench. I was trying to bend it back and it slipped and I smacked my face on the hay bind and got my knuckle. But I'm all right, I'm going to live, it's good.

So, all right, this morning we come to chapter 23 in the book of Joshua. It's the second to the last chapter in the book and we're coming to the end of the story and the life of Joshua. And here we look back a bit and remember what God has done in the life of Joshua for the nation of Israel. These are much like the words of Paul written to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4, his dying words, his final admonition to his son in the faith. And here we have Joshua's final words to the children of Israel and what we find like with Paul is a concise plea concerning that which really matters, that which is really important. It's the essence of what God would have us to do, what keeps us fruitful, productive and safe bringing glory to God in all that we do.

I don't know about you but I find it necessary in my life to really boil things down to what matters, to focus on that which I know is right and good and what I need in order to be fruitful and walk worthy of my calling. I can't do a lot of things. I can't handle a lot of extra stuff. I need to focus on that which is essential which I know is the will of God. And we have that philosophy here at Living Hope, simplicity, the simplicity of Christ. Sometimes over the years I've wondered if we should be doing more, if it would be beneficial, if we should have programs and offer a variety of activities or service opportunities and some of these things are good and fine but I'm cautious. I feel the need to really focus on the word, on preaching and teaching and fellowship in the word. I feel safe in the simplicity of doing what I know God wants us to do, what he has instructed, what is clear from the scriptures. 

And I've seen other churches get caught up in all the things and lose sight of the central focus on Jesus and his word preached and taught so that believers might grow and abide and be witnesses and bear fruit. So we as a church have stayed focused on this simplicity, worship, singing the great hymns that hold so much truth and encouragement, the word preached and taught, studied together during the week, letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly without distraction and confusion. When I study the New Testament, when I observe the letters and the lives of the apostles and the book of Acts and the epistles that they wrote, I see some very clear things. Preach the word, gather together for the apostles doctrine and teaching, sing psalms and hymns encouraging one another, speaking things which are necessary for edification. Go out into the world to do the work of ministry, preaching the gospel, loving the lost. 

I don't see a lot more than this. The Lord commanded us, go into all the world and preach the gospel, making disciples and teaching them to obey all that I've commanded you. And the local body is an equipping center to prepare the saints to go out and do this work. And our equipping is by the word, sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth. Exhort one another, rebuke, correct, all these things based in the word and Jesus. Focus on him, abide in him, look to him by his word, renew your mind, remember the words. This is a simplicity and extends to my life personally and yours as witnesses for Christ in this world. 

How can I be a godly husband, father, friend, brother in Christ, how can I be fruitful, how can I be a witness and see and seize opportunities to encourage and to witness? Only as I abide in Jesus, as I walk in the spirit. And this is volitional, this is a choice to know and believe the word of God, to fill my mind and heart with his truth and believe him and see him work by his grace and power by his life through me. That is all, that's the focus, that's holding fast to the Lord. And that's the instruction from Joshua to Israel in our text today. 

God is faithful, he has fulfilled his promises to give them the land, drive out the inhabitants. What are they now to do? Hold fast to the Lord, seek to obey his word. Don't turn away from the Lord to the right or to the left, don't get drawn away by the world, hold fast. Look to the Lord, trust him, believe him, obey him, simplicity. Don't lose sight of it, don't be distracted from it. A constant, desperate need for Jesus. Look to him, hold fast to him in faith. This is the essence of the Christian life. 

Now, brothers and sisters, I can't do a lot. I can't keep a list of laws, I can't do anything in my own power, I can't live without Jesus, but I can abide in him. I can believe him and I can trust him to work out his will in my life as I hold fast to him. That's the message from Joshua to Israel here in our text. 

Let's look at chapter 23 at verse one. Now, it came to pass a long time after the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their enemies roundabout that Joshua was old, advanced in age. And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, I am old, advanced in age. You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you. For the Lord your God is he who has fought for you. See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain to be an inheritance for your tribes from the Jordan with all the nations that I have cut off as far as the great sea westward. 

And the Lord your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land as the Lord God promised you. Therefore, be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left. And lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you, you shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them. You shall not serve them or bow down to them. But you shall hold fast to the Lord your God as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out from before you great and strong nations. But as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. One man of you shall chase 1,000. For the Lord your God is he who fights for you as he promised you. 

Therefore, take careful heed to yourselves that you love the Lord your God. Or else, if indeed you do go back and cling to the remnant of these nations, these that remain among you and make marriages with them and go into them and they to you, know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you, but they shall be snares and traps to you and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 

Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that no one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you. Not one word of them has failed. Therefore, it shall come to pass that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you all harmful things until he has destroyed you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God which he commanded you and have gone and served other gods and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you and you shall perish quickly from the good land which he has given you.

I've given you four points on your outline. First, God is faithful. Second, be very courageous. Third, hold fast to the Lord. And fourth, remember.

Well, first we see in our text this morning that God is faithful. Joshua reminds them, looks back to show them how good and mighty and faithful their God is in verses one to five. It's so easy to forget, to not remember, but Joshua says, look back. Everything he's promised, he's done. He's given you the land. He's brought you in. He's driven out the inhabitants from before you. He's done everything he said he will do over all of these years. And now he's given you rest. 

Think about what we've studied in this book. Think about what God has done in the nation of Israel, in the land, in the course of the life and leadership of Joshua. We take it for granted, I think. For those to whom Joshua is speaking, they were there. They experienced this. And yet we know that they forgot easily. The moment passed. It was a long time ago. Joshua says, remember what God has done. Think about Jericho. Go back in your minds to that day. Remember how you were camped there and marched around that city in obedience and trust of the Lord's command six days. Think about how you sat around the fire at night on the fourth day, waiting, anticipating, maybe even doubting a little bit. But when the seventh day came and the shout came forth, don't you remember? The walls came tumbling down and you took that great city. 

And that was just the beginning. The Lord was faithful. Not one of his words has failed. He has given you the land. He has driven out the inhabitants. He's won the battle, after battle, after battle, when you have trusted him, when you've looked to him. God is faithful. And my brothers and sisters, we see the same thing in our lives in this new covenant time. Look at all that God has done for you. All that he has brought to pass. Amazing, wonderful works that he has done in your salvation, in your regeneration, in dwelling you, working through you, leading men to Christ, producing fruit, giving you a new heart and a new spirit and eternal life now today. 

And consider the promises that he's given you. Assurance, hope, confidence in Christ. In the book of the Revelation, we see a warning to the church in Ephesus. They were doctrinally sound. They threw out the heretics, but they'd left their first love. They had forgotten the faithfulness of God, all that he had done. That first love they had for Jesus when they came to faith in him. Joshua tells the leaders of Israel, God is faithful. He's done all that he has promised. He's given you the land. He's provided much wealth and provision for you physically and spiritually. 

Now listen to me, Joshua says, be very courageous. Verse six of our text. Therefore, be very courageous to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left unless you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods nor cause anyone to swear by them. You shall not serve them nor bow down to them, but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God as you have done to this day. 

Think about the faithfulness of God. All that he has promised, all that he has done, how good he is and therefore, be very courageous to believe him, to trust him, to obey him. The world will seek to draw you away. It will not seem like a wise thing to trust the Lord, to believe him. The wiles of the devil in this system will tell you that you are a fool. The world will hate you and persecute you, but remember that God is faithful. 

Remember, renew your mind to his word, his truth, all that he's done for you and promised to you and be very courageous to follow him, to obey him. Turn back to Joshua 1, right at the beginning of the book. Joshua 1 verse 3 with me, please. Joshua 1, 3, God speaking to Joshua says, every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given you as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites and to the great sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 

Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left that you may prosper wherever you go. And down in verse 18, it says, whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words in all that you command him shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage. 

Well, this was at the beginning. They only had the promise. They had all this before them, the battles, the giants in the land, all the doubt and fear. Joshua had to deal with all these millions of people and all their issues and all these things going on. What's God tell him? You have my promise. I'm never going to leave you. I'm going to accomplish my will through you. I'm going to divide the land. I'm going to drive out the inhabitants. And then he says, be strong, be of good courage, be very courageous. And he was. And he trusted the Lord. And he led Israel in this way. And the Lord kept all of his promises and brought it all to pass. 

And now here at the end of the life of Joshua and his last words, what do we see? What does he tell the leaders of Israel? Remember the faithfulness of God. Look back and know that he keeps his word. Therefore, be very courageous to believe him. This is so important for us, my brothers, my sisters in Christ. This is where the rubber really meets the road. You must know the word. You must have good teaching. You must study to understand and continually renew your mind to God's truth. 

Amen. Knowing it, you must be very courageous to believe it, to take it for yourself, to hold fast to it. God says you are dead to sin. God says you're dead to the law, that Jesus Himself lives His life in and through you, that you have all things that pertain to life and godliness. That it's reasonable, that it's logical for you to live a new life of holiness because you are a new man. And that is God's intention for you, to bear fruit, to be witnesses, and that should be your daily expectation and plan for yourself as well. All these things are true. All these things are clearly laid out again and again in the Word of God. 

This is what God has said. Why will you be so very courageous, I mean very courageous, so courageous that you would believe Him? It doesn't feel like you're dead to sin. It doesn't seem like Jesus lives in me some days. Surely it does not seem as though I'm destined for holiness. It's not how I feel. It's not always my experience. Will you take the coward's way and submit to your feelings? Or will you be so outrageously courageous, faithful, to believe God and trust His Word, to reckon it to be so, and then maybe have a different expectation for your life each day as you trust and abide in Him and see a different life lived out through you? 

This is a great admonition here by Joshua, so practical for us because believing God in this cursed world, in this dying body with this sin that still indwells me is a very courageous thing. It's a rational thing, it's a logical thing, it's a right thing in light of who He is and all that He has done, His faithfulness and character, He cannot lie. But my friend, it is a courageous thing. And you need to be very courageous. 

Believe Him, obey Him, open your mouth and tell people about Him. Be very courageous knowing that the sovereign God of the universe who created all things and sustains all things and sits in judgment over all things is at work in your life and has given you precious promises that He will use you to be His witness in this world. 

How can I be very courageous? Only by holding fast to Him. Look at verse 6 again in our text, therefore be very courageous to keep and do all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. Listen to this, you shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them, you shall not serve them or bow down to them, but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God as you have done to this day. 

For the Lord has driven out from before you great and strong nations, but as for you no one has been able to stand against you to this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand. For the Lord your God is He who fights for you as He promised you. Therefore, take careful heed to yourselves that you love the Lord your God. Take careful heed. Paul tells us to walk circumspectly. I always think of Pastor Krenz's illustration when I study that, walk circumspectly, he talks about being up in the north woods and still hunting, you know, for a big buck and you're seeing a buck in the distance, you're trying to approach him to get a shot and you're minding every step. You're walking carefully, circumspectly, volitionally. 

It's like when you have an ice storm and you come out of a store and there's black ice on the pavement and you're looking over there at your car and you don't just all willy-nilly go walking, right? You walk circumspectly, you take careful steps so that you don't fall down. Take great heed to yourselves. Walk circumspectly. It's not a carefree stroll in the park, this Christian life. It takes focus, it takes choices, it takes faith to believe God and His Word. And the essence of this is what Joshua says here, hold fast to the Lord. 

This is how we can live courageously, this is how we can believe God and His Word, by holding fast to Him. I want you to turn to John 15, a familiar text as Jesus really describes the Christian life. John 15 at verse 1. This is how God intends for us to bear fruit. I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. 

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, and so you will be my disciples. 

This is the purpose, God's purpose for us to be His disciples is to bear much fruit, to show the transforming power of the gospel in our lives in order to bring Him much glory. And Jesus says the way that this is done is to abide in me. He describes His intention for us in this new covenant life. His power, His work, His faithfulness produces the fruit through us as we remain in Him, hold fast to Him, believe Him. That's what it means when it says abide, literally, to remain. 

I've used this illustration many times, but it describes this so well. When I was in India, staying with Augustine, Sharon took us shopping one day to get some nice things for our wives, you know, those nice silk scarves and jewelry and stuff over there. We went into the heart of that great city of Ten Million in Chennai, and we went to this department store with about ten stories, but to get there we had to cross the street. No big deal, you say, crossing the street. Well, there were nine lanes coming from three directions into an intersection where we had to cross. There were no signs, there were no lights, there were no direction at all for any of the traffic or for us. 

Everyone just going like crazy. Little cars, city buses, big trucks, mopeds, I saw a dirt bike with a man driving and his wife sitting side saddle, her sari flapping in the spokes, and she had a child on each knee. Through this mass of traffic, oxen driven carts in the middle of it all, pedestrians. I looked at all this and I thought, there's no way, there is no way we can get across these roads to that store. And Guy had his video camera and he's wandering like he did, you know, like this all around capturing the scene, and Sharon says, Guy, come here. And she grabbed me by the hand and she said, now you guys stay with me. Stay with me when I say go. She took my hand and my brother and my sister, I had one thing on my mind, her command to go. 

When she said go and to stay, to remain with her, connected to her, holding her hand, trusting her step by step with her. She said go and we went. And we remained with her as motorbikes whizzed inches past us and city buses blared their horns. And we had to pause a moment as a cart drawn by two oxen lazily made its way through the bedlam. And before I knew it, we were on the other side. And she released my hand and straightened her sari and we walked into the store. 

This is the picture that Jesus gives to us, to remain, to abide, to cling to Him, to hold fast to Him. That is a knowledge and experience of a desperate need for Him, moment by moment. But also, a calm assurance in the midst of chaos that He is in control, that He knows the way, and that we are with Him, holding fast. 

There's a danger in this world, and we see many warnings of this in the Scriptures, even here in Joshua 23, a danger that we might be drawn away. Verse 7 of our text, "'And lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you, you shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them, you shall not serve them or bow down to them, but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out from before you great and strong nations, but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand. For the Lord your God is He who fights for you as He promised you. 

Therefore, take careful heed to yourselves that you love the Lord your God, or else, if indeed you do go back and cling to the remnant of these nations, these that remain among you, and make marriages with them and go into them, and they to you, know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you, but they shall be snares and traps to you and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.'" 

We see similar warnings in the New Testament. For example, in Colossians 2.8, it says, "'Beware, lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.'" False doctrine. In Ephesians 4.14, Paul says that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. Satan roams about as a roaring lion, seeking to devour. He does his best work from the pulpits. We see that in 1 Corinthians 11, masquerading as an angel of light, preaching another Jesus. 

We can be taken up by the philosophies of the world, the wisdom of men. There's a danger not to abide, to remain steadfast and focused on Jesus, holding fast to Him, but rather to be drawn away, taken captive by false doctrine, worldly wisdom, the cares of this world, my own sinful desires. This is a real possibility. And Joshua warns them that it has grave consequences of fruitlessness and loss of blessing in the land. It's a danger for us as well, of fruitlessness, of despair, and doubt, and confusion. As our faith and trust shift from Jesus alone to something else, someone else, ourselves, the world, our fears, our doubts. 

But the answer is always the same, remember. Remember that God is faithful. Remember the words that God has spoken and promised. Remember the truth about who I am in Christ, what God has done for me in His very life and power in me. Remember my purpose, the great privilege of being a witness for Jesus in this world, bringing the good news to the lost. Remember that He is for me. He is my Father. He is my Savior. He is sovereign over all things, protecting me, keeping me, using me for His glory. 

Our brothers and my sisters in Christ, we must be in the Word. We must be renewing our minds. We must continually remember how good God is to us and what we have in Jesus Christ. I want you to listen to the final words from Paul to the young pastor Timothy and hear what really matters. Second Timothy 4.1, I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, this is his charge to Timothy, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead, it is appearing in His kingdom, preach the Word. 

Be ready in season, out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you, be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand. 

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 

The Word, preached and taught, witness, do the work of an evangelist. Paul's rest and assurance that he has run the race, that there is a reward stored up for him as he faces his imminent death. Hope, assurance, peace, joy, these are ours, my friends. Even in the midst of a world like we live in today, because God is faithful, we need to be very courageous and believe Him. We need to hold fast to Him and we need to remember all that He has promised. 

These are the vital words from Joshua to the children of Israel at the end of his life and these words, these principles are vital for us as well. Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we thank You. We thank You for Jesus. Thank You for our salvation in Him. We thank You for Your Word, Your truth, the gospel, and all the promises that are yes in Jesus. Help us to remember who we are. Help us to remember who Jesus is. You are, help us to trust You and believe You and to live in light of all these things for Your glory, in Jesus' name, Amen.