Our Response to God's Deliverance

​Joshua 24:14 ~ “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.”
 
Let us take a moment to consider the great deliverance wrought by the LORD and how, with a mighty hand, He has rescued us from our captivity in sin and provided for us a lush and fruitful home in glory. We may not yet be there, for we are still in the wanderings of this life, journeying ever closer to the promised land. But we will arrive someday, and the LORD will have vanquished all those who oppose Him and war against the people of God. With our eyes fixed upon the victory that is found in Christ, let us consider our text today.
 
In the book of Joshua, the LORD brings the nation of Israel into the promised land. Their wanderings are over and the wars have been fought and won. They now will settle into a land flowing with milk and honey, and have only God to thank and praise for His great deliverance. Read Joshua 24:13 as we consider our text, “I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.” These are the LORD’s words and His promised action for the nation of Israel. The first two words of our text: “Now therefore,” calls Israel to remember God’s great liberation from their captivity in Egypt and the subsequent provision of the promised land as the motivation for their faithfulness. Because of this, our text continues: “fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.” This was the required response. And, my dear friends, it still is.
 
Two ways to serve the LORD are illuminated for us: with sincerity and with faithfulness. There must not be a service we render to the LORD that is more show than substance. Jesus said in Matthew 15:8, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” This quote, taken from Isaiah 29:13, is a direct rebuke to the disingenuous approach that some might have. We must not merely give lip-service to the LORD, but with a true heart and genuine desire, let us serve the LORD. And then, let us serve the LORD with all fidelity. Let us not turn back if the way grows hard. We must not give up. The last part of Revelation 2:10 states, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Faithfulness to the LORD gives clear evidence that you belong to Him and love Him. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
 
With all that God has done, why then would any of His children continue to hold onto worthless idols? They are of no value, provide no comfort, can fulfill no promises and they give no guidance. As the second part of our text declares, Joshua, told the Israelites, “Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.” Perhaps Joshua was reckoning back to the disastrous event with the golden calf (see Exodus 32:1-6). Maybe he remembered the idols of Egypt, destroyed by the LORD through the plagues that they suffered (see Exodus, chapters 7-12). Whether in Egypt or just beyond the Jordan River, there must not be room in the heart of God’s people to serve Him and also hold onto their idols.
 
Which begs the question for today: what idols do we hold that, since we have been delivered from sin and unto the eternal kingdom, we must put away? What worldly ideologies do you still hold that are in conflict with the LORD Jesus Christ? What systems of belief do you embrace that contradict the Word of God? It is time to put them all away in the fear of God. Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Or, perhaps we should hear the words of 1 Corinthians 10:14, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” You may be asking: what is an idol today? Simple, anything that is held up as greater than the LORD, anyone that is considered of greater worth than Christ, any desire that goes against the pure and sincere devotion to Jesus is an idol. God spoke to king Saul in 1 Samuel 15:23, “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”
 
As God delivered the nation of Israel into their earthly promised land, so He has delivered us in Christ to a heavenly kingdom. Let us not become ensnared with worldliness again. Be patient, beloved. It will only be a little longer and we will enter in the eternal promised land, where our faith will be fulfilled and our joy complete.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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