Joshua was one of the most famous leaders of the children of Israel.  He was both a great military general and spiritual leader for the children of Israel.  There is much we can learn from his story.  Here are some highlights from it that will help make us stronger children of God:

 

1. Before Joshua was the leader of the children of Israel, he marched with Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 13-14).

   1. While the children of Israel were still in the wilderness, they had come extremely close to entering the land of Canaan.

      1. They were bordering the promised land.

   2. As a result, Moses sent out 12 spies to see what the promised land was like.

      1. Joshua was one of those spies.

   3. Remember, God had promised to give these children of Israel the promised land before they had to go to war with the Canaanites (Exodus 3:8).

      1. So, it should have never been any doubt in their minds that they would conquer the Canaanites.

      2. Well, the 12 spies went out to see the land.

         1. 10 of the twelve spies came back with an unfavorable report.

            1. They also did not believe the children of Israel could defeat the Canaanite armies.

            2. This bad report from the unfaithful spies caused the children of Israel not to believe the promise of God that they would receive the land of Canaan as God said.

            3. Joshua and Caleb were the two exceptions.

            4. They believed that the children of Israel could defeat the Canaanites.

            5. They believed because they had real faith in what God said.

            6. Joshua and Caleb were the only 2 faithful spies out of the 12 sent.

      3. God was angered by the bad report from the 10 unfaithful spies.

      4. He was angered by the lack of faith in these 10 spies and all of the children of Israel who did not believe God would give them the promised land of Canaan as He promised them back in Egypt.

         1. As a result, God punished them.

         2. He made them wander in the wilderness without receiving the promised land for 40 years.

         3. God held them back from the promise for 40 years, because He wanted the unfaithful children of Israel to die out who were 20 years old and older.

         4. After these unfaithful people died out, God would give the promised land to their children.

         5. The exceptions were Joshua and Caleb.

            1. Since they believed in God’s promise to give them the land of Canaan, God allowed them to receive it later on in Bible history.

         6. By the way, the 10 unfaithful spies were struck with a disease from God for their lack of faith and died.

   4. What do we learn from the story of the twelve spies?

      1. Well, we understand that just because the majority of people think something is right, does not mean it is.

         1. In other words, a child of God often stands out as being different from other people.

         2. We do not yield to peer pressure to please others.

         3. As you can see, Joshua and Caleb were greatly outnumbered, but they still disagreed with the unfaithful crowd.

         4. They would not allow numbers to shake them from God.

      2. The same is true today.

         1. Even if many, many people around you do not believe in God or do not want to obey what He has said, you don’t pay any attention to them.

         2. You must be a leader and not follower.

         3. Remember, on the judgment day, you will stand there as an individual (Revelation 20:11-15).

         4. Thus, you must answer for yourself.

         5. The crowd cannot save you on the judgment day.

         6. As a result, be a leader by continuing to believe what God says and obey it no matter what.

2. Unfortunately, Moses had gotten in trouble with God for not believing what He said before the children of Israel entered the promised land of Canaan.

   1. Before the children of Israel entered into the promised land, Moses was their leader.

   2. God told Moses to speak to a rock in order to provide water for the people while in the desert.

      1. Unfortunately, Moses did not believe in what God said so he did his own thing.

         1. He struck the rock instead of speaking to it only as God instructed him to do.

         2. As a result, God told Moses that he would die before the children of Israel would enter the promised land as a punishment for his sin (Numbers 20:1-13).

   3. However, God’s punishment upon Moses also made it where the children of Israel would need a new leader.

      1. That new leader would become Joshua (Deuteronomy 1:38).

   4. What do we learn from the story of Moses striking the rock instead of speaking to it as God instructed him to do?

      1. We learn that even leaders can have a lack of faith sometimes.

      2. However, God expects leaders to lead by example (1 Timothy 4:12; 1 Peter 5:3).

      3. Leaders must be righteous, because they influence others to do the same thing (Matthew 15:14).

      4. So, when we are in positions of leadership in the church, in our homes, or wherever we go, we must lead by example to be pleasing to God.

3. As we get deeper into the story of Joshua, we must read Joshua 1:1-6 to start with.

   1. It reads, “1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them” (New International Version).

   2. Notice, any time God sends us to a mission of any type, He mentally prepares us for it.

      1. He told Joshua that He would be with him and give him victory over his enemies in order to take possession of the promised land of Canaan.

      2. He told him to be strong and brave, because this is not going to be an easy task.

   3. This is exactly what God teaches us regarding our Christian journey.

      1. He never said that being a Christian would be easy.

      2. In fact, there will be many hard moments (Acts 14:22).

      3. However, God tells us the same thing that He told Joshua.

         1. He said, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (New International Version).

         2. So in this life, there is no reason to fear, because we know God is with us.

         3. So in this life, there is no reason to be hopeless, because God is with us.

         4. So in this life, there is no reason for doubt, because our faith tells us that God will always be there for us even when hard times come.

            1. God will never leave or abandon you!

            2. Always put your trust in the Lord and it will pay off in the end just like it will for Joshua and the children of Israel later in this Bible story.

   4. God also said the following to Joshua before sending him on his mission, “7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7-9 New International Version).

      1. Notice, not only does God emotionally make us stronger before our mission in life, but just like Joshua, He spiritually prepares us for our journey.

      2. Notice, in order for Joshua to have success, God told him to obey His Word as given to the children of Israel from Moses.

      3. He told him in order to be successful, He had to meditate day and night on God’s Word.

         1. You and I must understand that we must daily study the Word of God to be successful in this lifetime as a Christian.

         2. Too many Christians become weak and unsuccessful, because of spiritual laziness.

         3. That is, they will spend hours in the movie theatres, playing sports, or any other activities they enjoy, but not 5 minutes studying the Bible each day.

         4. It is a selfish and lazy attitude we must all avoid to be successful Christians.

         5. If God meant it for Joshua, He meant it for us to.

         6. God directly said to the Christian community, “5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins” (2 Peter 1:5-9 New International Version).

         7. As you can see, God wants us to add many things to our Christian minds and one of the things mentioned is knowledge.

         8. You gain knowledge through studying.

         9. Remember, God shows us that when we do not actively try to make ourselves better Christians, we have forgotten that God has cleansed us for our past sins.

         10. Taking time out to study the Bible daily is just one way of saying thanks to God for the blood of Jesus Christ!

   5. Getting back to the story of Joshua, he ordered the children of Israel to get ready to enter the land of Canaan.

      1. They obeyed him and accepted him as their God-appointed leader.

4. In Joshua 3, we see a miracle happen as the children of Israel were traveling in Canaan land.

   1. The Bible says they came to the Jordan River.

      1. God’s presence was with them as He parted the Jordan River just like He did with the Red Sea in Moses’ day.

         1. The children of Israel were able to cross the Jordan River on dry ground.

   2. God was still leading them to their blessing of receiving the promised land of Canaan as He had promised.

   3. Remember, God never lies.

      1. So, they will receive the promised land just as God had foretold would happen later in Bible history.

   4. Remember, Moses was dead at this point in history and Joshua was the leader.

      1. This shows us that no matter who the human leader is, God still the ultimate leader.

      2. God provides many good human leaders in this life.

         1. For example, you may really loved and learn a lot from a good minister at your local congregation.

         2. However, one day God is going to take him away as He took Moses away from the children of Israel.

      3. When this happens, you still keep worshipping God because He will still be with you even if a new minister is put in charge.

      4. Remember, you never worship the man; you worship God!

      5. This thought will keep you faithful in those times when good leaders die or retire from their posts in the church throughout your lifetime.

5. In Joshua 4, the children of Israel had successfully crossed over the Jordan River on dry ground.

   1. God told the children of Israel to mark the area where they crossed with stones as a memorial of what He had done for them.

      1. The area where the 12 stones were placed was called “Gilgal.”

      2. God told them why He had performed this miracle.

      3. He said, “21…In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God” (Joshua 4:21- 24 New International Version).

         1. As you can see, God wants us to remember all that He does for us.

            1. In doing so, we keep a fear of the Lord in our hearts.

            2. A fear is a reverence, which can also be called the utmost respect for God.

            3. Remember, by always recalling how powerful God is and what He has already done for us, we make ourselves more faithful in the future.

            4. That is, if God can deliver once, He can deliver again.

            5. Don’t lose faith because of hard times.

            6. Instead, gain faith in hard times, because you have already seen and remember the power of God in your life and you realize nothing is impossible for him (Luke 1:37).

6. Moving on, the battle for the city of Jericho is one of the most inspiring, faith building stories in the Bible (Joshua 6).

   1. The Bible shows us that Jericho was an extremely secure city of its time.

      1. In other words, it seemed unbeatable (Joshua 6:1).

      2. However, God gave the children of Israel a plan to beat it.

         1. He said, “2…See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in” (Joshua 6:2-5).

         2. God was saying that He would provide a miracle for them to enter the highly secure walls surrounding the city of Jericho.

         3. God did not provide a battering ram.

         4. He did not advise they climb over the walls.

         5. He also did not advise them to use fire or anything else.

         6. He was asking them to have faith and obedience to the things He commanded and He would open up the city so their soldiers can take it.

         7. Notice, they had to follow orders to get the blessing just like we do today.

         8. They had to march around the city 1 time for 6 days.

         9. The priests would have to march with them with rams’ horns in their hands as well.

         10. On the seventh day, God changed the plan by having the children of Israel march around the walls of the city seven times while their priests blew the horns.

         11. On that seventh day, God would cause a miracle to collapse the walls so the children of Israel’s soldiers could go in and conquer Jericho!

   2. The people obeyed the plan of God for the conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6:6-27).

      1. God brought down the mighty walls of Jericho just like He promised.

         1. Remember, God never lies.

         2. If He makes a promise, He will always come through.

         3. This promise of conquering Jericho was no exception.

         4. The children of Israel marched into the city and conquered it.

         5. They took the spoils of war, which means they took the silver, gold, and all metal things for the Lord’s treasury as God commanded.

7. In Joshua 7, we find the army spying out the town of Ai.

   1. They were confident they could beat the residents of Ai, but they were sadly defeated the first time they attacked the city (Joshua 7:3-5).

      1. Through prayer, the Lord revealed why the children of Israel were defeated.

      2. One of them, Achan, had secretly taken some of the things God did not want the children of Israel to keep from the battle at Jericho and Joshua did not know it.

         1. Achan would not let so valuable of things go, took some of them, and hid them away from the other children of Israel.

         2. Thus, because of Achan, the children of Israel had sinned and God was not with them when they went to fight at Ai.

         3. He let them be defeated due to their sins (Joshua 7:6-12)!

         4. Their sin separated them from God and this is what happens when we sin as well (Isaiah 59:2; 1 Peter 3:12).

         5. We must obey God to have victory in the things we do.

         6. God’s strength is always greater than our strength and thus, we need Him to defeat any problems that we have and especially those that come from the devil!

         7. So, make sure you stay obedient to God so that the devil does not gain control in your life.

         8. Without us walking with God, the devil has full access to us and that is never good!

   2. Unfortunately, God wanted Achan executed for his sin before He would walk with the children of Israel again.

      1. They did so by stoning Achan to death (Joshua 7:13).

      2. After this execution, the Lord’s anger was turned away and He had mercy on the children of Israel after that.

8. In Joshua 8, we see the children of Israel actually conquering Ai.

   1. However, before going out to battle Ai this second time, God said to Joshua, “1…Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. 2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city” (Joshua 8:1-2 New International Version).

   2. God gave the children of Israel an ingenious plan to outsmart the Ai’s army.

      1. They would divide their army into two.

      2. Some of the army would hide behind the city to ambush it.

      3. The other part of the army would be decoys and get Ai’s army to chase them away.

      4. While Ai’s army was distracted, the children’s of Israel’s ambushing army snuck into the city, attacked it, and conquered it.

         1. This is exactly how it happened and the children of Israel were victorious as God said (Joshua 8:3-29).

         2. They not only killed all the people in the city, but they surrounded Ai’s army on all sides and defeated them.

         3. They did not let any of the people of Ai live.

   3. What does this story teach us?

      1. It teaches us about the wisdom of God.

      2. The military strategy actually came from the Lord.

      3. Thus, He can and often does outsmart anyone.

      4. Appreciate the wisdom of God, because it is always greater than your and my wisdom (Isaiah 55:8-9).

      5. This is another reason why we study the Bible.

      6. The wisdom of God is captured there and can help us be extremely intelligent and wise in this life if we fill ourselves up with the Scriptures.

      7. A good place to start for practical everyday wisdom would be to read the books of Proverbs and Psalms.

         1. You will find a lot to help you there!

9. In Joshua 10, we do not see life getting easier for Joshua and the children of Israel as they continue to try to conquer the land of Canaan.

   1. The children of Israel had made friends with a group of people called the “Gibeonites.”

   2. Unfortunately, the Gibeonites were being attacked by five kings from the Ammonite people (Joshua 10:1-5).

      1. The Gibeonites let Joshua know they were being attacked (Joshua 10:6).

      2. The Bible describes how the children of Israel defeat the Ammonites by the sword and the miraculous way God helped them by throwing down hail from the sky upon the children of Israel’s enemies that killed them as well.

      3. Joshua 10:7-11 reads, “7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” 9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites” (New International Version).

      4. So, as you can see.

      5. God promised victory to Joshua before the battle began.

      6. And as you know, when God promises something, nothing and no one can stop it!

   3. What do we learn from this situation?

      1. We do not let the devil attack our friends and do not help them.

      2. We help our Christian friends by praying for them that God would help them (James 5:16).

      3. We also help our Christian friends by saying encouraging words to them when they are having a hard day (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

      4. Even more, we help our friends by standing up for them when they need others to speak out for them instead of silently standing by and letting others abuse them (Acts 9:26-31).

10. In Joshua 12, God goes down the line by listing all of the kings He allowed Joshua and the children of Israel to defeat.

    1. 31 kings were defeated in all!

       1. Thus, God blessed Joshua and the children of Israel mightily!

    2. Don’t forget that God can grant success no matter what other people think.

       1. Remember, before the children of Israel went to war with the Canaanites in the land, thousands of the children of Israel did not believe they would be successful (Numbers 13-14).

          1. However, Joshua believed the Word of God that he would be successful and as always, God lived up to His promises!

    3. Joshua and the children of Israel’s success is one of many pieces of evidence to show us that all promises of God can be trusted; including the ones He makes to all Christians today in the New Testament.

       1. The greatest promise is John 3:16, which reads, “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (New International Version).

          1. God promises all Christians eternal life in heaven.

             1. He will deliver on this promise!

          2. Keep your faith and trust in Him in all things no matter what others say to discourage you!

             1. He will never let you down!

11. Moving forward, we see some encouraging Words from God in Joshua 13:1-7, which reads,”1 When Joshua had grown old, the Lord said to him, “You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over. 2 “This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites, 3 from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite though held by the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron; the territory of the Avvites 4 on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians as far as Aphek and the border of the Amorites; 5 the area of Byblos; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 6 “As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you, 7 and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh” (New International Version).

    1. As you can see, when Joshua became an old man, God was showing him that He would finish the conquest of the land of Canaan.

       1. This shows us that Joshua’s work was not in vain and neither is our work ever in vain.

       2. God will grant us to get as much done in this life as He wants us to get done.

       3. From there, He will take on the rest of the work for us!

       4. God also remembers and appreciates all the good deeds that we do in this world for Him and other human beings (Acts 10:1-4; Galatians 6:9; Revelation 14:13; 20:11-15).

          1. He appreciates our love for others and hard work to honor him even if no one ever tells us “Thank you!”

       5. Never get tired of living obediently to God and doing good things for others, because God never forgets it.

    2. When it comes to God helping us finish the course of living a holy, Christian life, the same thing applies.

       1. God tells us, “12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (New International Version).

       2. What God is teaching us is that we are to do our best to live the best Christian life we can.

          1. God is showing us that when we put in the effort to obey Him, He will do the rest.

          2. When we do our part, God will do His!

          3. So, put in your best effort to please God and He will bless you in the process!

12. In Joshua 23, Joshua begins his farewell words to Israel.

    1. He did this because he had become an old man and was about to die.

    2. He said, “2…I am very old. 3 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. 4 Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you” (Joshua 23:2-5 New International Version).

       1. As you can see, Joshua was encouraging the children of Israel to continue their fight and struggle to conquer the rest of the land of Canaan as God wanted.

       2. He makes them remember what God has already done so they can see what He is capable of doing for them in the present and the future.

          1. We should do the same thing.

          2. We should always keep it in our hearts that if God can deliver us once, He can do it again.

          3. Concentrating on fond memories of victory because of God’s blessings in the past gives us peace from worry and a hope that things will change for us in due time.

          4. When hard times come, focus on the positive things God has done and this will keep you from losing your mind in the process.

          5. Also, always encourage other Christians to think positive about God, what He has done in their lives, and what He can do in their lives to keep them fighting to live the Christian life.

          6. We are always to try to help strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ!

    3. Joshua also said, “6 Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now” (Joshua 23:6-8 New International Version).

       1. Joshua was encouraging the children of Israel to be strong, which means to obey God’s Word.

       2. We should do the same.

          1. We are not to look down on our brothers and sisters in Christ when they make a mistake.

          2. Instead, we are to gently go to them and persuade them to stop sinning when they do things that are not right (Galatians 6:1).

          3. If we care about someone, then we are to care if they are living right or not.

          4. This is because when we sin, we are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2; 1 Peter 3:12).

          5. This means we are not going to heaven until we repent (i.e. change), confess our fault to God, and ask Him for forgiveness in prayer (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:7-10).

          6. Thus, we should not want to see our beloved Christian brothers or sisters spiritually dead in their sins.

          7. Instead, we want to bring them back to God by getting them to repent when they are not living right because we love them and want the best for them!

       3. Also, Joshua was proactively encouraging the people to not sin and this would be by not worshipping false gods.

          1. We should all be proactive with each other.

          2. That means we should always try to be positive influences for the good in other people’s lives especially other Christians.

          3. Also, encourage others to live right, but make sure you are a good example as well.

          4. If not, then no one will listen to you and God will not be pleased either (Matthew 7:21-23).

    4. Joshua continued his words of encouragement in Joshua 23:9-11, which reads as follows from the New International Version, “9…The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.”

       1. Joshua is showing us that the children of Israel should be motivated to truly love God, because of the blessing He has given them.

       2. The same is also true for us.

       3. We love God, because He blesses us with all the material things we need.

          1. We would not have a home to live in, food to eat, or clothing on our backs if God did not give it to us first (James 1:17; Matthew 6:33).

          2. Most of all, we would not have any chance at salvation if He did not give His Son, Jesus, to die for the guilt of our sins as well (1 John 2:1-2; John 3:16; Romans 5:9-10).

       4. Thus, our gratitude for God’s blessings should always be the motivation for us to be faithful to God.

          1. Remember, we are faithful to God by continuing to believe in Him and obeying Him (Hebrews 10:39; Matthew 7:21-23; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 2:10).

          2. Furthermore, we show a true love for Him by obeying His Word (John 14:15, 21).

          3. So, be motivated to show true love for God by obedience to His Word!

             1. He has more than earned the right to be loved and obeyed by us!

    5. Joshua ends his speech to the children of Israel with the following Words from Joshua 23:12-16 according to the New International Version, “12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you. 14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. 15 But just as all the good things the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. 16 If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.”

       1. The main thing that should be pointed out from Joshua’s parting words is contained in verse 12 where he told the children of Israel to not intermarry with the Canaanite people of the land they were brought there to destroy.

          1. This is because the Canaanites would persuade them to start worshipping idols and take them away from the true worship of God.

       2. We won’t talk about this subject long, because we have discussed it a lot on the past.

          1. However, always remember that God wants Christians marrying other Christians (1 Corinthians 7:39).

          2. That way, the Christian does not get negatively influenced by the non-Christian spouse and he or she becomes unfaithful to God in the process.

          3. So, always seek a Christian mate when you are old enough to date.

          4. It is the way God wants us to do things for our own spiritual protection.

13. Moving on, Joshua 24 is the closing chapter of the book of Joshua.

    1. These are the end of Joshua’s recorded words to the children of Israel before His death.

    2. God spoke to them through Joshua.

       1. He reminds them of the history His blessings for them in bringing them into the land of Canaan.

       2. He reminds them of His blessings upon and work with Abraham their ancestor.

       3. He reminds them of His blessings upon Isaac and Jacob who were also their ancestors.

       4. He reminds them of how He plagued Egypt; leading to their freedom from Egyptian slavery.

       5. He reminds them of how He gave them victory over Jericho and the other people in the land of Canaan.

    3. After Joshua reminded the children of Israel of all of God’s blessings, he told them the following, “14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14-15 New International Version).

       1. As you can see, Joshua encouraged the children of Israel to always serve God in obedience and Him only.

          1. This included them getting rid of the false gods some of them had.

       2. This tells us a lot. 

       3. We may not carry around idols in our pockets, but we can carry around things that mislead us.

       4. We must clean up the things we have in our lives to serve God properly.

          1. Unfortunately, there are some things you may have to give up that can corrupt you in this life such as filthy music and television that motivate us to do wrong.

          2. We must give up certain friends who are hurting us and influencing us to do evil (1 Corinthians 15:33).

             1. Otherwise and before we know it, we are corrupted and take on the bad ways of the things and people around us.

          3. Remember, a true friend is one who will encourage you to do good things.

          4. If a so called “friend” cannot accept your goodness and is always trying to influence you to do bad things, then he or she is not a true friend.

          5. That is someone you cannot hang out with if you want to please God!

    4. Always remember what Joshua said in Joshua 24:15, which reads, “….But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (New International Version).

       1. Joshua is showing us that no matter what others do, he and his family were going to do the right thing.

          1. They were going to serve God if nobody else did.

       2. We must be the same way.

          1. Yes, we may lose some friends, because we will not do the evil things others consider to be “cool.”

          2. However, serving God is “cool,” because He blesses us all the time and has eternal life in heaven waiting for us.

          3. Remember, God is the best Friend you can ever have.

          4. Thus, be strong and not a follower.

          5. Follow God and not bad influences in your life!

    5. The good news in the closing chapter of Joshua is that the people agreed to live for God as Joshua instructed them to do.

    6. Joshua died at 110 years old.

       1. God shows us that Joshua had a lot of positive influence on the children of Israel, because they served God all the days they were under his leadership.

          1. He made a difference for others and so can we!

 

In conclusion, we have learned a lot from the story of Joshua.  Please remember to do what Joshua did throughout his life.  He had faith in God’s promises even when obstacles were presented to him.  Even more, he obeyed God in the face of those obstacles.  Lastly, He was strong in being a leader and not a follower.  In other words, He did not follow the crowd.  He would serve God even if he was the only one doing so.  Are you ready for the challenge of faith, obedience, and leadership in your life?  This is a question you will have to answer for yourself.  May God bless and keep you!