The sermon focuses on Joshua 8:30-35, where Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal and inscribes the law, as instructed by Moses in Deuteronomy 27 and 28. This event underscores the centrality of God's Word and presence in the lives of the Israelites. The narrative highlights the importance of immediate and thorough obedience to God's commands, as the Israelites prioritize spiritual obedience over military strategy. The sermon emphasizes that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins, pointing to the significance of burnt and peace offerings and their symbolic fulfillment in Christ's sacrifice. It stresses the inseparability of God's Word and presence, urging believers to center their lives on these. The message also underscores the inclusivity of God's Word, applying to all people without distinction, and encourages believers to respond affirmatively to God's truth.

Our sermon text for today is Joshua chapter 8 verses 30 through 35 and I'll begin reading in verse 24. And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. So it was that all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12, 000, all the people of Ai. For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took his booty for themselves according to the word of the Lord which he had commanded Joshua.

So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day. And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening, and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over to great heap of stones that remains to this day. Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord of God of Israel and Mount Ebal as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool. And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. And there in the presence of the children of Israel he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses which he had written.

Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priest, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim, and half of them in front of Mount Ebal. As Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward, he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded, which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who are living among them." The title of the sermon this morning is the Centrality of the Word and Presence of God.

We have this picture painted for us in the text of the whole nation of Israel gathered around these stones on which Joshua writes the law. I'm presuming that's the Ten Commandments. The Ark of the Covenant, the Ark of God, is right in the middle of things. And I want to convince you that this is symbolic of how it ought to be with the Lord's people. That His Word and His presence ought to be at the center of things, not just physically with writing the law of God on rocks, and having an arc which represents the presence of God, but in an actual spiritual way to have these things be central to us.

I think it's a physical representation that we should model our lives after. In last week's text we had the second battle of AI. The first battle was a disaster for the Lord's people simply because there was secret sin in the camp. God revealed it, they dealt with it, and so in the second battle of Ai, they were given victory by God, where God had caused them to be defeated before their enemies before because of this secret sand in the camp. This week we have a totally different geographical setting.

They're changing locations and we have a totally different set of circumstances that don't have an immediate connection to the circumstances of last week. So it really is a departure. We're not building too much on last week's text. There's a change of setting and a change of circumstances. In our text today we actually witness the fulfillment of something that Moses commands in Deuteronomy 27 and 28.

We'll go look at those chapters because really this is just a summary of what is in Deuteronomy 27 and 28 in longer fashion. This is the fulfillment of what Moses is commanding in those chapters. I'll be using the same structure this week as I used last week, talk about what happened. This is an account of a historical facts. What is the text actually saying about what happened, then what it means.

These things that happened, they're truths that God meant to communicate by telling us these events. What are those truths? And then what should we do with it? These truths aren't meant to just be studied as if we were in a history class or if we were in a math class, but we're supposed to learn these things and then go apply them. It ought to affect how we live, so we'll consider that at the end.

Let's ask God to help us. God, we thank you for your word, but in many ways in ourselves we're helpless. When we come to Your Word, these things have to be spiritually discerned. We need a tutor. We thank You for the work of the Holy Spirit and we pray for a mighty work of the Spirit to come and to help us have a thorough understanding of all that you wanted to communicate to your people through this section of Scripture.

And then we might have heavenly wisdom, the ability to take the things that you communicate through this text and apply it in life so that we wouldn't be like those who hear the word but don't do it. That we would be doers of the word. Please help us in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright, what happened?

I do want to read the text again. There's not much of it to read. There are only six verses this week. Hopefully your finger is still in Joshua chapter 8. Please follow along as I reread Joshua chapter 8 verses 30-35.

Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal. As Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool. They offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. And there in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them.

Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded, which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them." Geographically, the scene here moves to Mount Ebal. This would be about 20 miles from last week's text. Going from Ai and Bethel, where the battle in last week's text took place to Mount Ebal would be to travel roughly 20 miles north.

They'd be traveling through hostile territory. The minute they crossed the Jordan, they were in enemy territory. And They would be going with probably something like 2.5 million people, whole families, a lot of vulnerable people. I'll say again this week what I've been saying in past weeks, this is not what you would do if military considerations were your only considerations, you wouldn't be going 20 miles through hostile territory simply to do this thing that had been called for in the law if you were just thinking about military strategy but they're not just thinking about military strategy. God has given them commands to obey and they're prioritizing obeying those commands knowing, trusting that if they're obeying God they can do things that might make them more vulnerable, but they'll enjoy the favor of God and the protection of God in the doing of those things.

Matthew Henry says this, the way to prosper begins with God. And then he quotes Matthew 6.33. Matthew 6.33 is, Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." That's really what the people of God are doing. They're seeking first the kingdom of God in His righteousness, prioritizing obeying Him, trusting that everything that they need will be added to them and that's actually what happens. The key phrases are in verse 31 of our text, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded, and as it is written in the book of the law of Moses.

Everything in the text revolves around that. You can find everything in the text is a summary statement that the things that were commanded by Moses in Deuteronomy 27 and Deuteronomy 28 are very precisely obeyed and fulfilled by the people here in Joshua chapter 8. Let me prove it. Turn in your Bibles if you would to Deuteronomy chapter 27. I'm actually going to read the whole chapter and then a bit of 28.

28 is a long chapter, I'll spare you that today. Lest we turn this into an exposition of those chapters and not Joshua chapter 8. So I'm going to try not to turn this on its head, because we're actually studying the summary statement, not the longer versions. So in Deuteronomy chapter 27, I'm starting in verse 1. Follow along.

Now Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people saying, keep all the commandments which I command you today. And it shall be on the day when you cross over the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God is giving you that you shall set up for yourselves large stones and whitewash them with lime. You shall write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you. Therefore it shall be when you have crossed over the Jordan that on Mount Ebal you shall set up these stones which I command you today, and you shall whitewash them with lime. And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God an altar of stones you shall not use an iron tool on them you shall build with whole stones the altar of the Lord your God and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God You shall offer peace offerings and shall eat there and rejoice before the Lord your God.

And you shall write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law." When Moses, Then Moses and the priest, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, Take heed and listen, O Israel. This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. Therefore you shall obey the voice of the Lord your God and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today. Moses commanded the people on the same day saying, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you have crossed over the Jordan. Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.

So let me just add a comment here. There are six tribes who are going to stand on Mount Ebal. So the tribes have been listed. Verse 13, and these shall stand on Mount Ebal. Did I just say Ebal?

I meant Gerizim. So the six tribes that I just listed will stand on Mount Gerizim. Now there's a listing of the six tribes that will stand on Mount Ebal in verse 13. And these shall stand on Mount Ebal to curse. Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel, Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor's landmark and all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed is the one who makes the blind to wander off the road and all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is the one who perverts the justice, due the stranger, the fatherless, and widower. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is the one who perverts the justest, do the stranger, the fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed is the one who lies with his father's wife because he has uncovered his father's bed. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is the one who lies with his mother-in-law.

And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them. And all the people shall say, Amen." Now look, the first two verses of chapter 28, Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all his commandments which I command you today, that the Lord God will set you high above all the nations of the earth, and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God." And then there's a list of the blessings. And then the summary is this.

You won't be able to outrun the blessings. If you obey God, His blessings will track you down. Wherever you are. If you're in the city, you'll be blessed. If you're in the country, you'll be blessed.

You'll be blessed in what you produce. You'll be blessed in the offspring that God gives you. You won't be able to outrun His blessings. If you obey the Lord, His blessings will track you down wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Then verse 15, But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all his commandments and his statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.

And then the rest of the chapter is really a listing of the curses that will come upon them if they rebel against God in disobedience. And it's a similar summary. You won't be able to outrun the judgments of God. You won't be able to outrun the judgments of God. You won't be able to outrun the punishment, the curse of God for disobedience.

And so our text indicates that all this was read before the people as they gathered on Mount Gerizim and on Mount Ebal. This is exactly what is summarized in Joshua chapter 8. Even the sacrifices, Joshua chapter 8 says they offer burnt offerings and peace offerings. That's exactly what it's called for in Deuteronomy chapter 27. So there is an altar on which burnt offerings and peace offerings are offered.

We don't spend a lot of time making distinctions between burnt offerings and sin offerings and trespass offerings and peace offerings and freewill offerings. So let me bring to you the comments of David Howard. He's one of the commentators I'm reading. I'm finding lots to be helpful in his commentary. Let David Howard educate us on some of the distinctions between these offerings.

David Howard writes, burnt offerings were sacrifices that entirely consumed the animals and they were offered as quote an aroma pleasing to the Lord with a number of references that prove that from Scripture. To atone for the sacrifices sins. So burnt offerings, you burn it up completely. Not all offerings were like that, but the burnt offering was like that. The whole animal was burnt up until there was nothing left.

In multiple places, the burnt offering is called an aroma pleasing to the Lord. The scent, figuratively, the scent of the offering comes up before the Lord and it's pleasing to him. Of course this is the the dealing with sin, the making right of sins in the eyes of God. Then David Howard continues this way, another function was indicated by the fellowship offerings, sometimes called peace offerings. These were joyful offerings in which portions of the sacrificial animals were to be eaten by the ones presenting them." And then there are some verses from scripture that prove that.

And fellowship with God and others was at their core. That is exactly what we see here in Deuteronomy chapter twenty-seven. They offered the peace offerings and they ate and rejoiced before the Lord. That comes hand-in-hand with peace offerings. So you have the burnt offering dealing with sin and then the peace offering having to do with fellowship with God being restored through sacrifice and in rejoicing in that, I would add this to what David Howard says, when you read about peace offerings, there's always the laying of hands on the animal that would be sacrificed.

So the sins of the one offering the sacrifice are being transferred to this innocent animal. This is making way for peace with God. There is no peace with God without something being done with the sins. The peace offering gave this picture of the transferring of sins from the guilty one to one who is innocent. This is all a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was a picture. It never in itself took away sins, took care of sins. But it pointed to the work that Jesus would do on the cross. One who was completely innocent, offering himself in the place of sinners. Back to our text.

There are stones which are set up and then they're whitewashed with lime. They're made white so that they could be written on. And then Joshua himself, from a copy of the law, writes the law on these whitewashed stones that will then just stay in place here at the base of Mount Ebal. So we have another monument. We keep coming to monuments in the book of Joshua.

I don't know what number this is. It might be number five, but don't quote me. We have another monument that would be left behind as a memory to the people of what God has done among them. We're going to be back to this exact spot in Joshua chapter 24. It's the last chapter in the book.

Towards the end of Joshua's life, he gathers all the people back to this spot in chapter 24 and then he charges them, serve God as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. So it's that chapter. So they'll be back here where the monument is at the end of the book. Remember what God said to Joshua in chapter 1. Remember the book of Joshua starts with God addressing Joshua and telling him to be strong and courageous among other things.

Let me point you back to Joshua chapter 1 verses 7 and 8. It reminds you of what God said to Joshua in chapter 1 verses 7 and 8. God says, 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. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.

For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success." In some ways, our text in Joshua chapter 8 is a memorialization of what God told him. Don't let the word of God depart from your mouth so that you'll be careful to observe it, so that you'll prosper. And in many ways, what God said in chapter 1 is being memorialized here in Joshua chapter 8. The people with their representatives, the elders, and the officers, and the judges are gathered around the ark of God. So again, the ark is the physical representation of the presence of God in the midst of His people.

It's the sign that God is with them. It's something that they can see and know that the presence of God is going with them. Everyone is there. The text says, all Israel. And then it demonstrates that they're all there.

The men are there, the women are there, the little ones are there, and the resident aliens are there. Our text calls them strangers, but it would be fine to translate it resident Aliens. You can actually translate that word newcomer. That would be an appropriate translation to a newcomer. Now who are these newcomers?

I think it is well explained by Exodus chapter 12. So turn back to Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12 actually relates to us the very first Passover. The people are in Egypt, they're getting ready to be liberated by God, and they're going to celebrate the first Passover. And God gives instructions for who can and who cannot participate in the celebration of the Passover.

And he addresses foreigners. And so we have this in Exodus chapter 12. I'll be reading verses 43 through 45. Exodus 12 verses 43 through 45. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, this is the ordinance of the Passover.

No foreigner shall eat of it. But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat of it. So in verse 43 we see the word foreigner. God says no foreigner shall eat of it.

That Hebrew word behind foreigner is different than the word translated strangers in Joshua 8. That's not what's being talked about. It's a very literal translation meaning foreigner here. Then in verse 45 we have the word sojourner. That's a different Hebrew word than the one that appears and is translated foreigner in verse 43.

And it's also different than what's translated as stranger in Joshua chapter 8. What 44 speaks of actually results in the word that is used in Joshua chapter 8. Look again, but every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it." So it is a foreign person who is actually brought into the people of God and is given the sign of being covenant, being in covenant with God, taking God for his God. Circumcision was the sign of that. We would call that a naturalized citizen.

Not born a citizen, but brought into the people, brought into covenant with God. Here's what David Howard says, In this sense these aliens were true converts to faith in Israel's God. This shows as does the story of Rahab that Israel's faith was not a closed system. It was open to outsiders. We already saw this in Joshua chapter 2 with Rahab.

It is not a closed system. Rahab was brought into the people of God even though she wasn't born as a genealogical heir of Abraham. She was brought into the people of God. How? By faith!

By believing in God, by taking God as her God and abandoning all other gods, all false gods. And so the strangers that appear in our text in Joshua chapter 8 are these naturalized citizens, these newcomers, and they are to be present when the Word of God is inscribed on those white washed rocks and the Word of God is read to the people. Joshua leads the people in obeying all that God commanded through Moses. The people are actively engaged in this. There are these 11 curses that are read, and after each one of the curses, the Levites say, cursed is the one who, and then says what would draw the curse of God, and then all the people together, now imagine this, two million people say amen.

You say how is that possible to address too many people? Most of the commentators here remark that this geographical area with Mount Gerizim for the six tribes of blessing and Mount Ebal for the six tribes who will be saying the curses, forms an acoustical amphitheater. It echoes. It's a place where you can be heard for miles because of these two mountains that are side by side. It is an acoustical amphitheater.

It's made for hearing over a long distance. So the message is simply this, God is giving them this land and they will keep it if and only if they walk with God. So the land isn't guaranteed to them eternally and unconditionally. He's bringing them into it. He's giving it to them.

And they'll keep it if they'll walk with God. And He'll give their enemies victory over them if they won't walk with Him. If they won't obey him. So, that's what happened. What it means, let me give you five things that it means.

One, thorough obedience includes fast obedience. Thorough obedience includes fast obedience. The people across the Jordan, where God brought them across and when God brought them across. God gives them victory at Jericho. God gives them victory at Ai eventually.

And then they go straight to Ebal and Gerizim to fulfill what God had commanded them to do through Moses in Deuteronomy 27 and 28. They make a beeline and prioritize obeying what God told them to do as soon as they got into the promised land. At my house, one of our taglines was slow obedience is dis-obedience. Thank you, first row. Slow obedience is disobedience.

When you drag your feet, that is not a heart of obedience. And thankfully, this is one of those times in Joshua where we can rejoice because we see the people have a heart to get after obeying God, to get after honoring God by doing what he's commanded them to do. Thorough obedience is fast obedience. Slow obedience is disobedience. Number two.

Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. That's what Hebrews 9.22 says. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. That's what Hebrews 9.22 says. Without the shedding of blood, there's no forgiveness of sins.

Without the forgiveness of sins, there's no peace with God. You cannot have this scene without the sacrifices in this scene. Without the sacrifices in this scene, if God didn't make a way for sinners to be made right, the Levites would pronounce a curse and the people would say Amen and God would exact justice and that would be the end of it. Cursed is the one who and then the people say Amen and then God exacts justice because they've not obeyed. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins, and without the forgiveness of sins there is no peace with God.

Even with the Word of God in hand, there is no way forward with God until sin has been atoned for. So we can rejoice in the particulars of Joshua chapter 8, that they whitewashed these stones and wrote the law of God. We can praise God that His law was published and proclaimed here. This has no value without atonement for sin. Even with the Word of God in hand, or maybe especially with the Word of God in hand, there is no way forward until God has dealt with sins.

This is not moralism in the text. Christianity does have morals. It has an ethic. But if all you have is the ethic, You don't have Christianity. If all you have is the morals, you don't have Christianity.

Everyone else has the morals. Live up to them to a greater or lesser extent. Pat themselves on the back to a greater or lesser extent. Salvation by law keeping requires perfection. Keeping all the laws all the time from first breath to last.

That is salvation through law keeping. No one does that. Whatever your ethic, whatever code of morality you've accepted, you've violated your own code. Set aside the perfect law of God, which is right about it all, and invite in all the defects in your own moral code, you've still violated your own moral code. You haven't kept your own code, let alone God's perfect one.

And so, It is good that they published and proclaimed the Word of God. You know what? That's of no value unless God makes a way to deal with your sin. This text ends with the justice of God being equally and perfectly applied, and all the sinners dying, unless there's a way to make these sins right. That's number two.

Without the shedding of blood, there's no forgiveness of sins. Without the forgiveness of sins there's no peace with God. This text rises or falls on the blood sacrifice that we see in the text. That all points to Jesus. Number three, The Word of God and the presence of God are and ought to be together at the center of everything.

The Word of God, think about these rocks whitewashed and then the law of God written on them. And the presence of God, the ark, right in the middle of all that's happening, right in the middle of all the people, six tribes on one side of it, six tribes on the other side of it. The Word of God and the presence of God are and ought to be together at the center of everything. It's a picture of how you ought to build your life. Well, what's there in the middle of everything?

In the life that you've built, It ought to be the Word of God and the presence of God. These two things are distinct, but they are meant to be inseparable. The Word of God is meant to be an instrument for cultivating relationship with God. Strip out relationship with God from the Word of God and you end up with a seance and a pagan God. You end up with a relationship with quote unquote God that is not defined by the Word of God, and then people just make stuff up.

There's a lot of them out there, and don't you be one of them? It separates, like, oh, I want to know God, but I have no time for the Bible. Then the God you're in relationship with probably looks nothing like the God of the Bible. The Word of God is meant to be an instrument for cultivating relationship with God. We should not have a dry, mechanical, sterile relationship with the Bible.

It should be fueling relationship with God. That's what we have it for. And relationship with God is meant to be defined and enriched by the word of God. Number four. The proper response to revelation of truth by God is a hearty, Amen!

We should be like the people when the Levites said, cursed is the one who, we should stand up and say, Amen, even though we know we're guilty at some level. God is right about it all. We should line up with what he says about what's good. We should say Amen to that. God, what you love, teach me to love.

What you hate, teach me to hate. I know I love some things that you hate, change me. Number five. The Word of God is for and applies to all of God's people without distinction. The Word of God is for and applies to all of God's people without distinction.

We're going to whitewash some rocks, we're going to write the law of God on it. Who should we invite? The men. Better not stop there. The women.

Better not stop there. The children. Better not stop there. The naturalized citizens, the resident Aliens, the newcomers, Rahab better be there. Are you an old timer?

The Word of God applies to you without exception. Are you a newcomer? The Word of God applies to you without exception. Are you a leader? The Word of God applies to you without exception.

In fact, in a day when our leaders Seem to think that the law doesn't apply to them. The kingdom of God is the exact opposite of that. Leaders among the people of God get a stricter judgment not a lesser judgment. Are you a man? The Word of God applies to you without exception.

Are you a woman? The Word of God applies to you without exception. Are you a little one? The Word of God applies to you without exception. Are you a tenth generation Christian?

The Word of God applies to you without exception. No believer is above or below the Word of God. I'm above the Word of God. No! You never graduate to there.

I'm below the Word of God. I'm a nobody. There's no such thing as a nobody among God's people. And there's no such thing as a prince among God's people. God's people have one prince.

Jesus is it. Our Lord Jesus Christ submitted Himself to the law of God. That's all you need to know. If it applies to Jesus Christ, it applies to you. Whoever you are.

What we should do with it. Like last week I'll just make these five correspond with what it meant. So what should we do with it? Number one, cultivate immediate obedience. The second you're sure of what God requires, act to obey Him.

Thorough obedience includes fast obedience. Slow obedience is disobedience. Cultivate immediate obedience. In the Gospels, one of the things I notice over and over again is Joseph, the head of Jesus' household. God commands him to do some difficult things, and he is immediately doing it.

Now it helps to have angels tell you to do it, I understand that. It is a special case, but his obedience in these early chapters of the Gospel is so immediate that it's refreshing. I want to be like that. I want to spring into action the second I am convinced of what God requires of me. That's number one.

Cultivate immediate obedience. Hey, stop lingering with your obedience. When you linger, You end up talking yourself out of obedience. You're just creating space for self justification and rationalization about why you don't really need to obey, why God's not really requiring that. Spring into action.

There's no time like the present. As J.C. Ryle would say, tomorrow is the Devil's Day. Tomorrow is the Devil's Day. The Devil will be content for you to do everything tomorrow.

Nothing today. Number two, Never lose sight of the cross. There's a little book out there called The Cross-Centered Life. Let me just summarize it for you. Christians never graduate from the cross.

Christians should never move on from the cross. That was undergrad, now I'm in grad school. Christian grad school. Moving on from the cross, no a thousand times no. The cross and the dealing with our sins is as important on the last day of my life as it is on the day that I'm saved.

The blood of Jesus never becomes irrelevant for me. I keep having sins in my thoughts, in my words, in my deeds. I need the blood of Christ to cover my sins every day until I die and go to be with the Lord. Never lose sight of the cross. These sacrifices are barely mentioned in our text, so it's easy to read right over the top of them, but they're so central.

Without the burnt offering, without the peace offering, the laying of hands and transferring the guilt to this innocent one, that's Jesus. But without that, we have nothing in the text. Nothing in the text means anything at all without transferring guilt to an innocent one who's willing to take our sins upon himself. Number three. Keep the Word of God and your relationship with God together and at the center of everything.

Keep the Word of God and your relationship with God together. I just talked about how harmful it is when they separate. Keep them together and keep them at the center of everything. The Word of God should be at the center of everything. Your relationship with God should be at the center of everything.

Nothing should have priority over these two things. Number four. Make it your practice to agree with God about everything. But I don't understand everything. That's okay.

You can pursue a greater understanding, but don't let that stop you from acknowledging that God is right about everything. Make it your practice to agree with God about everything. When God speaks through His Word, have it be your impulse. Amen! So be it.

That's true. May it be. Number five. Never exempt yourself from the Word of God. As if you're above it or below it, as if you're a class that it doesn't apply to, there's no such thing.

Never exempt anyone else from the Word of God. Put to death all rationalizations and justifications that equal exempting yourself and others from the word of God. Well that doesn't apply to them because let me close with Deuteronomy 30 verse 19. Here's what Moses says to the people towards the end of Deuteronomy. It's not the very end, but it's towards the end.

Deuteronomy 30 verse 19, Moses says, I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live." Did you know that God sets preachers in front of you to do this? And preachers every once in a while should call heaven and earth as witness that today I have set life and death before you, blessing and cursing. I beg you to choose life that you and your children may live. There is only life in Jesus Christ.

There is only life because of the work that He did on the cross. If you have not forsaken every other hope in this world, to embrace that. Don't wait another day. Another Sunday has come and a preacher has set life and death before you. Blessings and cursings.

Heaven and earth will stand as witness that you heard the truth today begging you to come to Jesus Christ and be parted from your sins. Choose life that both you and your descendants may live. God, thank you that Jesus has made a way that we might have life and blessings instead of getting what we deserve. Thank you for the prominent place that that has in our text today, the innocent victim taking upon itself the sins of the guilty one and your justice, your good anger against sin being satisfied. Thank you for making a way through our Savior Jesus.

We pray in His name, Amen.