Tabor Baptist Church

Apologies a very short section of audio was clipped at the start

Introduction

• Last week - a breach of unity
• Recap
• Moving into chapter 23:
• Hold Fast to the Lord (v8)
• Joshua is challenging the people - before he dies he has words he must pass onto the children of Israel
• The first farewell sermon - to the elders, heads, officers and judges (v2)
• The second farewell sermon is in Chapter 24
• Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Paul, Christ - all gave final words
• Joshua - as he lived so he died
• Do we live like this?
• What will it be like as you and I face the grave?
• What would you say if given the opportunity to give a final word?
• Joshua does three things:
• Remember what God has done
• Understand the keys to spiritual success
• Warns against compromise with this world

Remember what God has done

• First of all a reminder
• v3-4
• A long time time had passed
• We must always look back to see what God has done for us in Christ
• Always remember the Gospel
• Examples
• Thinking of all that God has done, reminds us of what God will do
• v5
• Older people tend to reminisce
• The can look back but not forwards
• Men and women of faith are different - we have hope for the future
• Joshua is a man of hope and certainty (and is looking to Israel's future victories in God)
• v14

Understand the keys to spiritual success

• What Joshua is saying here is a repetition of what God had said to him in chapter 1 (v7-8)
• Be courageous (v6)
• We need courage to be obedient to God
• Do not speak of other Gods (v7)
• Do not go back to the world
• Hold fast to the Lord (v8)
• Today we have lots of helps - examples
• Do we do the basic things: read, prayer over and obey God's word
• Spiritual success:
• Helping lead others to salvation
• A life that blesses others
• The key is to lay hold of Him and His word

Warns against compromise with this world

• Joshua's warning is both positive and negative
• This is how it should be in the pulpit
• v11-13
• Addressing the elders, heads, officers and judges
• First we must take head to ourselves
• Joshua realises that if believers marry non-believers they will be negatively influenced to slip away from God
• It will bring suffering (v13)
• Joshua warns them out of a heart of love
• v15-16
• The message is all about the danger of idolatry
• It may not be another religion ...
• ... but there are other idols - examples
• There are many things that make us slip back - examples
• The New Testament applies 'idolatry' on a broader basis:
• 1 Cor 6:17-20
• 1 Thess 4:3-8
• Eph 5:7-11
• 1 Peter 2:11 [not 1 Tim 2:11]
• Let us pursue holiness
• Examples

Closing Remarks