Navigating through this world is no easy task. One wonders at times if his family is going to make it without being crushed by the cultural pressure surrounding them! How does a family stand in a world that is aiming to see it fall? We must readily admit that without the aid of our gracious God, we will soon find ourselves swallowed up. We must trust our glorious God, with a daring determination to stand our ground. Joshua is a prime example of how one trusts in the Lord while he holds his ground, when he said those famous words, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Good evening. I have a big clock in front of me. So let's just get down to business Joshua chapter 24 Joshua chapter 24, it's good to see all of you. I will actually be reading the first 15 verses and I'm going to be talking pretty fast because that clock is looking at me. So if you need me to slow down a little bit, do something like that, I may not pay you any attention.

But Joshua chapter 24, if you are able out of respect for the Word of God would you please stand. Joshua chapter 24. The Word of God let us hear it together. And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to sheikim, called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and for their judges and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said unto all the people, thus saith the Lord God of Israel your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time even Tyra the father of Abraham and the father of nay core and they served other gods and I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood and led him throughout all the land of Canaan and multiply his seed and gave him Isaac and I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau and I gave unto Esau mount Seir to possess it but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt I sent Moses also an Aaron and I plagued Egypt according to that which I did among them.

And afterward, I brought you out. And I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and ye came unto the sea. And the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red Sea. And when they cried unto the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and brought the sea upon them and covered them. And your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt, and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan. And they fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab arose and warred against Israel and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. But I would not hearken unto Balaam therefore he blessed you still so I delivered you out of his hand. And ye went over Jordan and came unto Jericho, and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Gergashites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand.

And I sent the hornet before you, which graved them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites, but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. And I have given you a land for which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them, of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not, do ye eat. Now Therefore, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt, and serve ye the Lord. And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, Choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Amen, thank you for standing, please be seated. Let us pray together. Our Father, we thank you again for the preciousness of Jesus Christ. We come in his name based upon what he's accomplished on our behalf. And Father, now we need a taste of heaven.

Be gracious to us this evening. Father, unless you meet with us by your Spirit, we will be meeting in vain. Come now, we pray, and give me grace to speak in a way that's God glorifying, at the same time edifying to your people. Hear our cry in Jesus' name, amen. Joshua is a man whom the Lord encouraged three times in chapter one.

Be strong and take courage. You find that in verses six and verses seven, as well as verse nine. Not only does he receive those encouragement from the Lord, but in verse 18 you have Reuben, Gad, and a half tribe of Manasseh saying to Joshua, be strong and of a good courage. The reason for that is because Joshua has to enter into the land of Canaan. A Canaan is not an easy place to navigate in.

Canaan is not an easy place to function in. Matter of fact, Canaan is a secularized culture, a demoralized culture, a mesmerized culture, a demonized culture. It is self-pleasing, flesh-pleasing, Bible-rejecting, and God-hating. Joshua will need courage for Canaan, and so will you. Joshua has summoned the children of Israel for what will be his last gathering, his final message, his last exhortation.

He's drilling into the children of Israel's mind, faithfulness to the faithful God. If Joshua could use one of the one-liners, one of Jesus's one-liners, it would be this, he who has ears to hear, Let him hear. Joshua knows he's at the end of his journey. Joshua knows he will be standing before the great throne. Joshua is waiting to hear the words, well done, because Joshua has done well.

Joshua has fought not just a fight, but a good fight. He's finished his course. He's kept the faith. And Joshua understands, he knows that God has been too good to serve him too little. Joshua has some final words for the children of Israel before he departs this life.

Just let me ask you a question. If it was you and it was your last week on earth, what would your last words be to your children? What would it be to your generation? Maybe it will be, carry on the family legacy. That's the wrong reason.

Joshua instills in them faithfulness to a faithful God. And Joshua is going to use this last opportunity one more time, just one more time, to tell him about the greatness of a great God. Joshua has some last words for his family. And so with that being said, I'm okay. With that being said, I'm just at, I'm right at home.

With that being said, let us look at the setting of this chapter. It begins in verse 1, and Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and for their judges, etc. And something's interesting. Joshua gathered the people at a place called Shechem. Now it's easy just to read our Bibles and just skip past Shechem, but we will parquet just for a moment.

Shechem is an interesting place. Shechem is the place where Joseph's bones are buried. That's verse 32 of the same chapter. Shechem is the place where Jacob purchased a parcel of ground. But those are not the reasons why they are gathered in Shechem.

We have to go down memory lane just a little bit. I want a land ready in Genesis chapter 12 because it's an interesting chapter. We find in Genesis chapter 12, God is saying something to a man named Abram, may I just call him Abraham. And God says this right here, I want you to leave your country, I want you to leave your kindred, and I want you to leave your father's house, that's verse one. And I want you to go to the land where I will show you of, but when we get to verse 2, it gets interesting.

He said, and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. And then when we get down to verse three, he says, and I will bless those that bless you, and I will curse those that curse you, and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed. That's enough just to stop right there and go home. But when we get down to verses four and five, something interesting happens. Israel, and not Israel, Josh, Abraham responds in an interesting way.

Abraham backs up the U-Haul. I'm telling the story, so I'm telling it my way. Abraham backs up the U-Haul and says, Lot, OK, it's time for us to go. He's 75 years old. They didn't have U-Haul children, they probably had donkeys, but I'm telling the story.

They Back up to U-Haul. He's 75 years old. He takes his nephew Lot and he gathered up all his things. And then in verse 5 he takes Sarah as well. You can't leave your wife.

Sarah is the name in your translation. And he gathered up all the things. He gathers all the things he has accumulated in a place called Haran even the souls that's just call him servants he takes along with him and then he ends up in a place called Canaan that's verses four and five but in the words of the old folks when you get to verse 6 and 7 it gets gooder. Verse 6 as he travels through this land called Canaan as he travels through the plain of Maury He lands on a particular parcel of ground, a particular land. And according to verse 7, God says eight words, according to our English translation, unto your seed will I give this land.

And Abraham does something that any person that has good sense would do when God makes you a promise. He builds an altar and worships. Well, something interesting about that promise, until you'll see what I give this land, that particular land Abraham was standing on is Shechem. Oh you missed what I just said let me see if I can say it another way. What God has promised Israel now possessed.

What Abraham was standing on Israel is now living on. They are in Shechem. Just some 600 plus years later God has been faithful to what he said. His timing to us may seem slow but he's always on time. I like how the old folks used to say it.

They say he may not come when you want him, but you will want him when he comes. And I'm gonna rip this up. Wires and all that stuff. So Abraham was promised this land of Shechem and Israel is now living in Shechem. So Shechem is an important, important place.

But notice Joshua calls for all of Israel and then Joshua does something interesting. He singles out all of the leadership. I think it's a reason for that. The purpose is they may present themselves before the Lord. We find that in chapter 24, verse one, at the end of the verse, they are presented before the Lord, but he calls out the leadership.

And I think there's a reason for that. It's so that not only the witness of God, but the witness of the rest of Israel as well, as he speaks to the leadership about what God has done and their responsibility. It's interesting. He talks to the leadership. It's because if the leadership has a low view of the faithfulness of God, they will have a low view of the God who's faithful.

And if the leadership has a low view of the faithfulness of God and the God who's faithful the people will have a love you of the God who's faithful he talks to the leadership because the declension generally starts in the leadership so Joshua speaks to the leadership. But that's out setting. As they stand before the Lord, they are reminded of how it all started. Joshua will now give them a bite-sized theology. I just want to call that first line God's gracious intervention.

God's gracious intervention. And Joshua said unto all the people right there in verse 2, Thus saith the Lord God, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old times. Even Terah, the father of Nachor, the father of Abraham. Joshua noun tells them of a gracious intervention. He begins by tracing out the condition of their ancestors when God met them.

Terah's household. You will notice that God knew exactly what condition Terrace household was in. And he knows the same thing about yours. See, we can come to a conference and get all happy. We can come to a conference and get high.

We can come to a conference and have our whole families walk in single file lines, your left, right, left. We can come to a conference and act like heaven when back home is really like hell. We can do that at a conference. Yeah, we call it pretension. I never forget what an old man said to me 20 years old, 20 years ago, he said, you can only pretend for so long.

Sooner or later, the real you will show up, Sooner or later. He's very familiar with the household of Terah. They were in a state of idolatry. They were bowing down and serving false gods of their own making. The true God was not in the picture.

God knew the atmosphere of Terrace House as well as the attitude of Terrace House. He knew exactly what they were doing and when they were doing it. Oh young people, may I just talk to you for a moment? I don't even know why I asked you because I'm gonna talk to you anyways. Please don't think for a moment that God is this type of old man who's going half blind.

He can't see what you're doing. Please don't think for a moment that God is somehow losing his mind, his memory is fading so he doesn't know anything about you. Oh no, God knows you. What, You mean to tell me he knows my Facebook page? Oh yes, he knows about your Facebook page, your Twitter, your Instagram, your MeChat, WeChat, Snapchat, and every other chat.

He knows all about you. He's omniscient. He knows everything. He's omnispective. He sees everything.

And he's omniaudient. He hears everything. Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes. He knows everything about you. He knows everything that you do.

And he knows every word that comes from you. Oh yes, God knows you very well. God knows you through and through and since I'm just on the subject of Facebook I'm just going to ask a question, just a simple question. Can Jesus say, amen, to the things you post on Facebook? Can he say, amen, to the things you put on Instagram?

Can Jesus say, amen, to the things you listen to on your phone. Can Jesus say amen? Thank you, Father, for that post. Can Jesus say it? If Jesus can't say amen, you better not be listening to it.

If Jesus can't say amen, you better not be watching it. If Jesus can't say amen, You better not be doing it. God knows you very, very well. Are you living a sneaky life in the name of Jesus? Fooling everyone around you.

Is that you? Remember that word of the old man? You can only pretend for so long. He knows right now if Jesus is everything to you or if Jesus is nothing to you right now. Well, the text before us tells us that, that clock, the text before us tells us that Terah or they were guiding their families not according to the word from heaven but according to the word from hell.

They were serving idols. Notice something, it did not say he served but they served. They were serving idols. They, their families, were not being guided by principles from above but by principles from below. The children were not being brought up with the training of their whole persons to the glory of God.

Do you see what's going on? Terah has trained his house in idolatry. In short, they were living pagan lives in a pagan culture serving pagan gods. The passage has strong implications, fathers. I hope you don't miss it.

You can lead your whole family into idolatry. It's right there in the text. Your whole family, you can train them to be idol worshippers and God rejecters. Your whole family. You are, not might be, you are the residential theologian in your home.

And you have the responsibility, just like me, to guide your family in the truths of Almighty God. You ought to read the scriptures, pray the scriptures, sing the scriptures, and love the scriptures right in your home. That's your responsibility. You are the residential theologian in your home. This, serving idols, I hope you are listening, In the midst of family idolatry, God does something incredible.

We find God has a gracious intervention. It's right there in verse three. And I took your father Abraham. Abraham is in all of this mess. Somebody get me some less wires.

Abraham is in all of this mess and God does something remarkable. God intervenes and calls Abraham out of an idolatrous and idolatrous lifestyle. Now children what do I mean by intervention? Well I mean this. God showed up unannounced, unexpected and uninvited.

Let me see if I could just say it a different way. God did not announce he was coming. You didn't expect him to come and you didn't invite him to come. He just showed up. When I was a little boy growing up, I lived in an interesting neighborhood.

And in my neighborhood, folks didn't call to let you know they were coming by. They didn't even ask you if they could come by. They just showed up. And they had an interesting time of showing up. The timing seemed to be picture perfect.

It always seemed to be around dinner time. And I have the type of mom that if you showed up unannounced, unexpected, and uninvited, she would say, we don't have much, but what we have, you can have some. I'll pull you up a chair. And she would give what we had. In other words, when you came to the Simmons household, you received something, even though you were unannounced, unexpected, and uninvited.

That's how God shows up to Abraham's house, uninvited. He's unannounced, unexpected, and uninvited. He does not show up in order to get something from Abraham he shows up in order to give something to Abraham in other words God didn't show up to receive God showed up to rescue that's why he showed up and when he showed up he showed out he showed up to rescue Abraham to call him out of darkness into his marvelous light. You have to understand when God takes up a mission of search and rescue, your calendar will not stop it. What I love about God, he doesn't have to send a heavenly drone to track you down.

What I love about God, he doesn't have to send a text message to find out if you are available. What I love about God, he doesn't have to send an email to find out if it's okay for him to stop by. What I love about God, he doesn't have to check your Instagram post to find out what you're doing. God just shows up because he's God. Unannounced, unexpected, and uninvited.

And I may say this while I'm here, he intervenes. If God has come to you, if God has come to you, it was not because you had long hair and a pretty smile. If God has come to you, it was not because someone told you you were the best thing since sliced bread and toilet paper. If God has come to you, it was not because you were built like Arnold Schwarzenegger and you thought you was the catch me out. If God has come to you, it was not because your dad was a preacher, your cousin was a deacon and your mom sat on the front pew.

If God came to you it's because you were in a condition just like Abraham, just to put it in modern French, you were a hot mess. And God came to you not because of you, but in spite of you. God came in his mercy. I will never forget an account that happened. Oh, I know I'm not gonna finish the message, that's all right.

I will never forget an account that happened back in 2014 in Pennsylvania, April. We had 30 inches of rain in 12 hours, some 6, 000 lightning flashes. And one of the roads called Old Corey Field Road, it has a little bridge on it. And that bridge washed out. And there was a lady traveling down that road in the SUV.

She did not know it was washed out. The water's running under it like a little tsunami and as she made her way the vehicle turned on its side the water was rushing up to the top and it just so happened that two workers from the utility company was heading over to their work yard and they spotted that vehicle and one of the guys went over there to see what was going on and as the water was seeping into the vehicle the lady was beating on the window saying please don't let me die please don't let me die please don't let me die And that man ran to the work yard and got the biggest tractor that he could find With that bucket on the front we call them front end loaders and he lifted that Vehicle out of the water and that lady came up and she wrapped him up and she said, you saved my life. Oh my friend, if God has intervened in your life, if you have been rescued, it's because you were just like that lady. Your life was turned on one side. The waters of God's judgment was rising up and then you were at the window you didn't know what to do you can get out and a man showed up named Jesus and he looked at you and you said please don't let me die please don't let me die please don't let me die and he took his grace and lifted you up and all you could do is wrap them up and say you saved my life.

God intervenes that's what he does And he does not need your permission to do that. He shipwrecks sinners by his grace and strands them on an island called Jesus. That's what he does. He came to you in spite of you. God's revelation led to redirection from idolatrous lifestyle to the living God.

This change was so great that God could say of Abraham, For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord." In other words, he will order his house and the things of the Lord, Not only telling them what to do, but showing them how to do it. In other words, he was to hold up the standard, live up to the standard, and bring his whole family in line with the standard. You are called to do the same thing, and so am I. God led Abraham into unfamiliar territory and gave him that promised son called Isaac. So you can sit in church buildings all day long, you can sit in conference building all day long and shout all day long and have an idol right there in your heart called a golden calf.

God knows what he's doing. He knows where you live and he knows what you are doing. Well let's look at God's glorious manifestation. I have to make quick work. He said, I gave unto them Isaac and Jacob and Esau and I gave unto Esau Mount Seir to possess it and I sent Moses, I sent Moses and Aaron and now in the midst of their enslavement, for time's sake I won't read it all, in the midst of their enslavement, God showed up and sent the leadership of Moses and Aaron, and then began to do what only God could do, shake up a whole nation.

And it's God's. God would do such a thing by bearing forth his glorious right hand of power. He overthrew Egypt at the Red Sea and gave Israel victory over various groups of people, including Balaam, the Moabites, and all the otherites. He brought these victories, but notice something. He tells them that this victory or these victories was not because of your own doings.

No, no. Find these, this manifestation, verses 5 and 13. It was not according to your own doings. He goes on to talk about his glorious provision. That's right there in the text.

Not only did I bring you out in verse 12, and I sent the hornets, and at the end of the verse, but not with your sword, nor with your bow did you do that, and I have given you a land for which you did not labor and cities which you did not build. Now I love that right there. I love it because God said I've given you a land you didn't work for it and I've given you cities you did not build it. Oh I love it so much he didn't just say houses he said whole cities. It's rent free, lease free, mortgage free and tax free.

What else could you ask for? Not only did I give you these things I also gave you the farmers market. It's right there in your Bible I didn't make it up he said vineyards and olive yard and you have eaten the fruit of it I've given you farmers market as well and you didn't pay for it I've given you sweet provision before that he's telling them about the prevention so I prevented some things from you and I provided some things for you. I did it. They had everything they needed because of God's glorious manifestation.

I destroyed groups after group after group after group before you you saw my arm of power over and over and over again. What I love about the beauty of this passage is that Joshua does not focus on how bad they were toward God, but he focuses on how good God was toward them. He didn't call them stiff neck, even though they were. He didn't call them uncircumcised in heart, even though they were. He said, let me focus on God's goodness to you.

The bottom line, the bottom line then of this section is this, You are where you are because of me. How? Listen, if you're converted, I'm just talking to people who are converted. If you are converted, you are where you are because of God. Not only this manifestation, but then you find, fourthly, Israel's required obligation.

Verse 14, I tell you I had to talk fast, I'm sorry, I have to cut and keep going. Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt and serve you the Lord. Joshua calls Israel to exclusive service to God. In light of all that God has done, they should have an attitude of gratitude that leads to servitude. Oh, I like the way that sound.

Let me replay it. Let me just play it one more time. Because of all God has done, they should have an attitude of gratitude that leads to servitude. Listen, if you don't think of God in that way, if you don't think God has done anything for you, you will not have an attitude of gratitude and it will not lead to servitude. They are called to return to the dead religions of their...

They are called not to return to the dead religions of their ancestors or to the idolatry of Egypt but to serve the one God that has reached down in their mess and rescued them. Oh, that's what we do. If God has rescued us, we want to serve him, do we not? Joshua sets up this account, I think, in a fascinating way. Joshua says, God took Abraham, he led Abraham, and he gave Abraham.

Well, he told Israel essentially the same thing. God took you, he led you, and he gave you. In other words, God took you out of some stuff, God led you through some stuff, and God gave you some stuff. I can just trim it down a little more. God took you out of what you actually deserve and he gave you what you didn't deserve.

God has done some things and God's action ought to produce in us a reaction called worship. They are not given to the pressure of Canaan. Canaan is a dangerous place. Joshua is calling them to faithfulness, to the living God, right in Canaan. Can I just tell you that you live in Canaan right now?

It's called Canaan America. The same things that were going on in Canaan are going on right now. Pornography, homosexuality, child trafficking, and the likes right in Canaan. They are not to give in to the pressure of Canaan. They are to reject the practice of Canaan.

He goes on to tell them that if they are not serving the Lord, their actions are saying it is evil to do so. What a statement. Joshua is just this unorthodox preacher. Joshua's not reformed preacher. Joshua doesn't even tell them if you got an attitude of not serving the Lord, you need to repent.

It's in your Bible. I didn't make it out. Joshua says, if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve. I see people have these plaques in their house and they say, choose you this day. Oh, you're missing Joshua's whole point.

Joshua said, if you won't choose the Lord, if you won't serve the Lord, choose one of these false gods. That's his point. Because the whole drive is this, you will serve something or someone, you cannot help it. Either the true God or idols, but you will worship someone or something. Joshua, in a nutshell, if you will not serve the true God, then you are showing the true condition of your heart, which is paganism.

Question is, how about us? We hear sermons after sermons. We kind of get used to them, don't we? Kind of get immune, Get to a point where the things of God just don't amaze us anymore. I got to move on that clock, so moving.

Joshua's unmovable determination. Joshua says in verse 15, As for me and my house, if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, which Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 13 calls it double evil. If you forsake the Lord and then serve other gods, the evil is you forsaking the Lord. The other evil is you serve other gods. He said, if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve.

But as for me and my house, I don't know what Aunt Lucy is going to do. I don't know what cousin Billy Bobbo Jangle III is going to do. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Regardless of what everyone else does, Joshua is determined that his household will serve the Lord. Where will that take place?

Right in Canaan. See, Joshua has a mindset. I'm gonna live in Canaan, but I'm not gonna live like a Canaanite. We are to come to the same conclusion. Young people, are you listening?

Canaan is a dangerous place. Canaan is a destructive place. Canaan is a deceitful place. As I said before, Canaan is a demon infested place. If your life is not anchored in the deep waters called Jesus, I would just say plainly, you will not make it in Canaan.

It's not going to happen. You have to know God's son if you're going to make it in this culture right here and you have to train your children to stand in truth or they won't stand at all. Not in Canaan. The pressure is too strong. If they don't worship the true God in Canaan, they will worship idols in Canaan.

And Canaan has a lot of them. They are called to witness in Canaan. They are called to be strong in Canaan. Joshua understands this. This is the whole purpose of mission, isn't it?

It's a mission about glorifying God. We want God glorified. We want the lost evangelized. We want the saints edified. We want children catechized.

We want heaven satisfied, and we want Satan horrified. That's the purpose of mission, isn't it? If not, why do we do missions? This should be the purpose also in our home. Joshua is determined that he will live non-pagan in a pagan society and we must have the same resolution.

Joshua's determination is rooted in what? Well, Joshua remembers how God brought his family out of Egypt out of the house of bondage and sets them free Joshua remember how God fed his family you find it right there in Exodus chapter 16 God did something interesting God brought bread out of heaven children. Do you believe that God brought bread? Down from heaven What I find interesting is God never took a class in culinary arts on how to bake. God never checked on the food channel to get a recipe.

God didn't check with Paula Deen or Sara Lee. God did something remarkable. The heavenly chef brought bread out of the heavenly bakery. Oh man that just make me say wow I even say it backwards for you wow. He brought bread down from heaven.

You don't get bread from heaven, but God does it. And children, he did something also remarkable. He put a little sweetener in it called honey, and he didn't even use bees. He brought bread from heaven. Not only did God bring bread from heaven, so Joshua remembers that God also brought water out of a rock.

You find that in chapter 17 of Exodus. Wait, God brought water out of a rock in the desert. Let me see if I can... God brought water out of a rock. No tapping to, no drilling to, no plumbing supply.

God brought water out of a rock in the desert where there's no water. My friend, listen, God can bring things out of unusual places. What I like about God is that God will bankrupt heaven and put angels on half rations to take care of his people. God brings things out of unusual places. Joshua, remember that he fed me and he gave my family something to drink.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. God has been good to my family. We didn't complain about what he provided. Oh parents don't let your children complain about the meal that you figure, I don't want that. I don't like that.

I don't want this and I don't want that. I'm not trying to embarrass my children but they know the rules and regulations. I say in my household, The day I hear you complaining about my wife cooking is the day you fast. Yes sir. Yes sir.

And our house you eat what's set before you or you won't eat at all. I thought I would have had a few more of the mothers to say amen right there. Amen walls. Joshua also is determined to look past, he is determined to look past the land promised to the seed promised. That's why he's willing to stand.

He's looking past the land promised to the seed promised, I'm gonna run on. He's looking toward the promise of Messiah. He's looking toward the coming of Jesus the Christ. The Old Testament tells us that Jesus is coming and the New Testament says He's here. I'm just talking about the greatest person who ever lived, the greatest love ever shown, and the greatest sacrifice ever given.

In Joshua's mind, the salvation that God would give cost him everything. Do you think about salvation that way? Salvation cost God everything. Sometimes we say it cost us nothing. It's free but it cost God everything.

His son. His son. Joshua's looking forward to the glorious substitute that will stand in the place of sinners. Joshua has in his mind the blood that will cover the lowest and the filthiest sinner. He has in mind a resurrected king.

He has in mind one that would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. Yes. He has in mind Jesus How about you I'm not talking about a once in a while Jesus. I'm not talking about that every now and then Jesus I'm not talking about that hidden Jesus. I'm not talking about that secret Jesus You know the secret one the one we don't talk to family members about.

The CEO Jesus. Yeah, the Christmas and Easter only Jesus. I'm not talking about him. Not talking about him. I'm talking about the one who lived so that those who believe on him would be sanctified.

I'm talking about the one who's coming back again so that those who believe on him would be glorified. I'm talking about the real Jesus. Do you think of him in those ways? The real Jesus. Well, let me say this, to you who are outside of Christ, you are in a state of condemnation, you have no peace with God, you do not have the righteousness of God, you are not in the kingdom, You do not love Jesus and you know it.

You know it. Let me ask a few questions. What is the idol that's keeping you back from Jesus? Simple question. What is the idol that's keeping you back from Jesus?

Is his love for the world? John said that thing is passing away. Maybe I should just go a little bit further. What is it about Jesus that you do not like? I would like to know.

He's a sin bearer. He's the friend of sinners. What is it about Jesus that you do not like? I would like to know. Would you tell me?

Please tell me. What is it about Jesus? He's strength to the weak. He's help to the hopeless. He's help to the helpless.

He's hope to the hopeless. He's all together lovely. Angels adore him. The saints on earth love him. What is it about Jesus that you don't like?

Please tell me. Tell me. I want to know. What is it about him? Did you know he's the serpent smasher?

Genesis chapter 3. He's the promised seed, Genesis 17. He's the Shiloh to come, Genesis 49. He's the star out of Jacob, Numbers 24. He's the prophet like Moses, Deuteronomy 18.

He's the Emmanuel, Isaiah chapter 7. He's the son born and the child given he's the wonderful counselor the mighty God the everlasting father the Prince of Peace Isaiah chapter 9 he's the suffering servant Isaiah 53 he's the son out of Egypt Hosea chapter 11 he's the gift out of Bethlehem Michael chapter 5 he's the cleansing fountain Zechariah 13 he's the Word made flesh, John chapter one. And just let me skip the revelation just to tell you, He's alpha and omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last, the stem of Jesse, the root of David, the lion of Judah, the love of heaven, the tree of life, the worthy lamb. What is it about Jesus that you do not like? I like to know.

I want to know what you tell me. Please tell me. I ask these questions because if you don't believe these things, you won't make it in Canaan. You won't make it in Canaan. I want to know, I want to know, I want to know, my friends, because you cannot, you cannot, you cannot function in Canaan without Jesus.

Oh, my friends, You can go to heaven without beauty or benefit. You can go to heaven without health or wealth, but you cannot, you cannot, you cannot go to heaven without Jesus, you have to have him. You gotta have him. So would you Tell me what is it about Jesus that you don't like. Please tell me.

There's good news though. There's room at the cross for you. God sent His gracious son, His holy son, His righteous son to live a life that we can never live and to die a death that we deserve to die. Oh can you see him? They nailed his precious feet.

It was those feet that traveled off through Palestine going about doing good. They also nailed his precious hands. They were the same hands. They are indeed the same hands that held Mary and Joseph's hand. They are the same precious hands that touch blind eyes so that sinners could see them.

They are the same precious hands that touch dead bodies and raise them to life again. They are the same precious hands that unstopped deaf ears so that sinners can hear the voice of the Savior. They are the same precious hands that touched leopard's bodies and made them clean. They are the same precious hands that broke the bread and divided the fish that fed over 5, 000 as well as over 4, 000. They are the same precious hands that took up children and blessed them.

They are the same precious hands that took the towel poured the water and washed the disciples feet. I'm saying to you they are the same precious hands that passed around the cup of blessing that represented his soon-to-be poured out blood. They are the same precious hands that were nailed on Calvary for sinners like you and me, not because we were so good, but because we were so bad. What is it about Jesus that you don't like? I wanna know.

Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. See, fresh as hay, my time's gone. He died on a cross, my friends.

The pressure from earth and the pressure from heaven calls him to cry out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The obituary reads, Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews, died on such and such day, cause of death, criminal charges of delivering people from their sins, the grave side service takes place. They lay his body in Joseph's new tomb. The repast is going on and everyone is reminiscing about what he's done in his lifetime. The powers of darkness are celebrating and Satan is throwing a block party.

But my friend on the third day there's good news from the cemetery That the same Jesus that died didn't stay dead. He rose again the third day, not with some power, not with borrowed power, but with unlimited power. And Jesus rose from the dead not to take sides. Jesus rose from the dead to take over. Oh, my friends, I'm just talking to you about Jesus and I want to know why you don't want him if you don't want him.

I can say this to you, Jesus died so that People like us can live. Why die when you can live? Why go to hell when you can have heaven? Why feed on crumbs when you can have the bread of life? Why settle for the least when you can have the greatest, Jesus Christ himself?

Why? Me. Well, I ask these things. The reason why I ask these things, because Especially you young people, I want you to say before the conference is over, I want you to be able to say, blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. That's why.

It's a dangerous world we're living in. Parents, if you're not bringing your children up In these things, you leave them hopeless. To those of you who believe, quick, quick, quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly, everything is yours. His birth is yours, his life is yours, his death is yours, his blood is yours, his resurrection is yours, his ascension is yours, his position at the Father's right hand is yours, his prayers are yours, his peace is yours, his love is yours, his obedience is yours, his righteousness is yours, his people are yours, his spirit is yours, his return is yours, his Father is yours, His kingdom is all yours. You have it all.

You have it all. We need to understand that we travel in enemy territory. And then I'll be done. We travel in enemy territory. God gives us great victories in enemy territory.

There's many dangerous places in enemy territory. There's many things that take us out in enemy territory. The enemy is real in enemy territory. But we should stand at last even in enemy territory. You know, I remember real quick, children, I used to watch something crazy.

When I was a little boy, I used to watch this cartoon. It was pretty boring because it had no speaking going on. It was a roadrunner and a coyote. Anybody ever watch that crazy cartoon? It was a roadrunner and a coyote.

I don't even know why I watched it but I did. And one of the interesting thing about it is that that coyote would chase that roadrunner all over the place. He would set up all kinds of traps. My favorite one is when he built a brick wall and he painted that thing transparent. And so it looked just like the road when you saw it.

You didn't know it was a wall. And the roadrunner would turn those legs, roadrunner's a bird, the roadrunner would turn those legs, it looked like two wheels were coming and when the roadrunner turned those legs he would come by and go beep beep and he ran right through the brick wall without the wall coming apart and anything and the coyote looked and he said well I'm gonna do the same thing and BAM into the brick wall he went and and I and didn't matter what he set up the Roadrunner would seem to get around it. See, the Roadrunner just would carry out his own duties. He did nothing spectacular. He just did what he was called to do.

But he didn't run from the enemy, he faced the enemy. And what would be interesting about this roadrunner he would run toward him and then pass him and I used to scratch my head brother Carlton because I try to figure out why is it that this coyote cannot catch this roadrunner what is it what's the secret And then it hit me one day. The reason why the coyote can never catch the roadrunner It's because the producer put it in the script All my friends you and I are traveling in coyote country. The coyote behind that is that wild man called the devil. He has all kind of traps set up.

He has all kind of things set up, even transparent things that we cannot see. But if we just carry out our duties like the Roadrunner did just doing what we were called to do when it's all said and done when the day finally ends we should come out victorious because the producer of heaven and earth put it in the script. Poem and I'm done. Two little lines I heard one day traveling a long life busy way bringing conviction to my heart and from my mind would not depart. Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes, only one soon will its fleeting hours be done. Then end that day, my Lord, to meet and stand before His judgment. See, only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life, distilled small voice, gently pleased for a better choice, bidding me selfish aims to leave and to God's holy will to cleave only one life will soon be passed only what's done for Christ will last only one life a few brief years each with its burden hopes and fears each with its clays I must fulfill living for self or in his will only one life will soon be passed only what's done for Christ will last when this bright world would tempt me sore when Satan would a victory score when self would seek to have its way then help me Lord with joy to say Only one life will soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. Take my life and let it be.

Consecrated Lord for thee, take my love. My Lord I pour at thy feet, its treasures store, take myself and I will be ever only all for thee. God help us to be so. Let's pray. Father we thank you again you great and greatly to be praised.

We bless your name. Help us now to navigate in this world in this dangerous culture called Canaan. Hear our prayer in Jesus' name, amen.