The sermon, titled 'Possessing the Land Together, Enjoying the Rest Together,' focuses on the narrative from Numbers 32, where the tribes of Reuben and Gad, due to their large livestock holdings, request to settle in the land of Gilead instead of crossing the Jordan. Moses initially rebukes them, fearing a repeat of the Kadesh Barnea incident. However, they assure Moses they will support their brethren in the conquest of Canaan, demonstrating unity and mutual support among the tribes. The sermon draws parallels with Joshua's leadership, emphasizing the importance of community, obedience, and the call to be strong and courageous as commanded by God. The broader theme highlights God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises and the necessity for the people of God to act with strength and courage in alignment with His will.

We'll be reading Numbers chapter 32, we'll be starting in verse 1 and reading down through verse 33. Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock. And when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eliezer the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, saying, Adiroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimra, Heshbon, Elila, Shebam, Nebo, and Bion, The country which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock. Therefore, they said, If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.

And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. For when they went up to the valley of Eskal and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. So the Lord's anger was aroused on that day and he swore an oath saying surely none of the men who came up from Egypt from 20 years old and above shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham Isaac and Jacob because they have not wholly followed me, except Caleb the son of Jephanah the Kenazite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.

So the Lord's anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. And look, you have risen in your Father's place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. For if you turn away from following him, he will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people." Then they came near to him and said, "'We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones. But we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place, and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance.

For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan. Then Moses said to them, If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven out his enemies from before him, and the land is subdued before the Lord. Then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against your Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.

And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, Your servants will do as my Lord commands. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead. But your servants will cross over every man armed for war before the Lord to battle, just as my Lord says." So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel. And Moses said to them, if the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the Lord and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession. But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possession among you in the land of Canaan." Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, as the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do.

We will cross over arms before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on the side of the Jordan. So Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sion, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Awe, king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country. Let's pray. Oh great Heavenly Father, we just thank you so much and praise you for your Word. For even the Old Testament, Lord God, with these extensive narratives, Lord God, just the amazing ways in how you have worked in history, how your glory has been displayed through dealing with sin of your people, through mightily conquering nations, to keeping your promises.

Oh Lord God, you're just such a faithful God. Pray Lord God that as we read Joshua today and consider this passage in numbers, oh Lord God, give us a greater vision of you. Help us to know more about you when we leave this place than when we came in. And those that don't know you, Lord God, just pray that even in this passage in Joshua, they would come to know you, the one true living God. Lord God, that you would save them, that you would give them new hearts, hearts that turn from sin and put their faith in the one true living God, the God who is mighty to conquer nations, the God who is mighty and keeps His promises, the God that is mighty to save.

Well, Lord God bless Jason today as he preaches. Give him words to speak. Give us your children, Lord God, ears to listen to your word, to hear the preaching, to apply it to our lives. And again, Lord God, give us a greater vision of you today. In your sons and we pray these things.

Amen. Title of the sermon today is Possessing the Land Together, Enjoying the Rest Together. A big part of the portion of our text is about how the tribes weren't simply left to fend for themselves, but they're to fend for each other. And I don't normally make an application during the sermon title, but I'll do it today. We're not left as the people of God to fend for ourselves.

We actually are given to each other. We fend for each other. That's one of the key applications of our text. Last week in the first half of the chapter God spoke directly to Joshua. He said many things that Joshua had heard through Moses, but this time he doesn't hear them through Moses.

He hears them directly from God. God is doing him this great kindness as he becomes the leader of this numerous people. God fortifies him by speaking to him directly and he affirms his promises. I don't say he makes promises. He's not making any new promises at all.

He's affirming the promises that he had given to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the children of Israel and Moses. Promises that have been seen many times throughout the first five chapters of the Bible and God spoke directly to Joshua commanding him to be strong and courageous that shows up three times I think within the space of four verses in our text last week. Be strong and courageous, or be strong and very courageous. And the key to that is strength and courage in the Lord. So put this far away from New Year's resolutions and turning over a new leaf, it's not that kind of thing at all.

It is about drawing on the inexhaustible resources of God's strength and courage from God. To be able to act with force, to have strength, and to have this courage that's rooted in the conviction that what you're doing is what pleases God. That's really what gives the people of God courage. Let me hit one point from last week one more time. It takes strength and courage to obey the Bible.

That was one of the key points of last week's text that I don't think I made with sufficient clarity. But wow, the text itself has breathtaking clarity. It takes both strength, the ability to act with force, and This courage that is rooted in the belief that you're honoring God doing what pleases the Lord In order to obey the Bible if you don't have strength and courage you will not obey the Bible It makes me think of of salmon that that swim hundreds of miles up against fast rushing waters. That reminds me of the Christian. You have to have strength and courage because there is a current that is rushing past us.

If you just drift, You'll go with the world and it is in the opposite direction of the things that please the Lord. This command to be strong and courageous isn't just for leaders, it's for anyone who wants to obey the Lord and walk with the Lord. This week Joshua takes command and gives some commands and the people respond well. I think that's the summary of our text. Joshua takes command, he's been put in command, He takes command and he gives some commands.

He's getting the people moving and the people respond really well. So this is a really encouraging text. Easy to preach I think. Let's ask the Lord for his help. God, every week text by text we need eyes to see, things that we're not naturally inclined to see, and we need to be given ears to hear, things that we don't have a natural inclination to hear.

I pray that you would come, your spirit would be moving, giving us spiritual insight and the spiritual ability to hear these things and have them penetrate our minds and our hearts. We know we need help for this, so we ask you for it. Thank you for your disposition to answer prayers like that so favorably for your children. Please do it in Jesus' name, Amen. Let's subdivide beginning with verses 10 and 11.

Normally I'd be rereading this, but today I'll just read it. I thought it was important to get that full chapter, number 32 of the context. So, Joshua chapter 1, verses 10 and 11. Follow along. Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, pass through the camp and command the people, saying prepare provisions for yourselves for within three days you will cross over this Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

So in these two verses we have the command to prepare and obey. If you're taking notes on the handout, filling in blanks, prepare and obey, fills in the blanks. The command to prepare and obey. In the first half of the chapter, God promised to be with Joshua as he was with Moses. Joshua knew exactly what that meant because he was standing beside Moses for those years.

God promised never to leave or forsake Joshua. But he also commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous repeatedly. In verse 2 we read this, this is the voice of God, now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving them. So Joshua has this command to arise and to take the people over the Jordan. In this week's text, he's acting accordingly.

He takes command and he gives commands. Who are these officers of the people? Well, this text doesn't say, but Exodus 38 gives us a good idea. You'll remember as I begin to describe it to you, you'll remember Exodus chapter 38, where Moses' father-in-law observes Moses judging matters that are brought to him by the people from morning till night. His father in law says, this isn't good.

You're bearing this weight all by yourself. You need to appoint men who will help you bear the weight of leadership. Moses agrees and Moses does that. Here's what we read in Exodus 18 verses 24 and 25. So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.

And Moses chose capable men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people. Rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of 50s, and rulers of 10s. So back in Exodus 18, This is before the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, back in Exodus 18. Moses takes the advice of his father-in-law and creates this multi-tiered structure. Rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, tens.

And so there's some structure like that in place where there are officers of the people so that Joshua doesn't have to go through the camp with a loud speaker. There are other men who are sharing leadership under his authority. Now Joshua sends these officers of the people to go throughout the camp and to command the people to make ready. The people are to quote prepare provisions. The word translated provisions here includes food, but it's not limited to food.

It would be prepare everything that We need to move and to cross over the Jordan with the expectation that they will move to cross the Jordan within three days. So that's the command. Two things I'd like to add here. One, these are not suggestions. Joshua commands the officers to command the people.

Joshua was giving a command to this structure of leadership under his authority to command the people. He is acting with force, with the courage that is rooted in the conviction that he is leading the people in God's will. This sounds strong and courageous to me. Last week God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous, and now I think we are witnessing him beginning to be strong and courageous. Two, The promises have been affirmed to Joshua.

In other words, in what I just read from verse 2, God had spoken directly to Joshua and commanded him to arise and to take the people over the Jordan. And God rooted that in the fulfillment of the promises that He had made to their forefathers. And now as Joshua gives the command to the officers to command the people, he roots it in the same thing, the promises that God had given to their forefathers. All that they are doing is actually God fulfilling His promises. Amen.

The actions that are being taken are simply the fulfillment of promises that God has made. Joshua is not going to let that go unsaid. Amen. He could just give the order, but he doesn't just give the order. He does with the people what God had done with him.

He roots it in the promises that have been made. So he knows that the actions that they're taking are God making good on his promises. Joshua is not putting himself at the center. God is at the center and Joshua is not interested in any other model than that. God at the center, the fulfillment of his promises being what their actions are actually putting into motion.

A last comment before we move on. De-camping, picking up and moving, would have been a massive undertaking. You can read this, because it happens fast without a lot of detail, you can miss what a massive undertaking is being commanded here. They have been at Acasio Grove, that's the location where they are, we'll find that specifically named at the beginning of chapter 2. They've been at Acasio Grove since Numbers 22 verse 1.

Numbers 22 starts the section where a Moabite king tries to hire Balaam to curse the people, but Balaam ends up just repeatedly blessing them and frustrating the king that wants to hire him to curse the people. So they haven't moved since then. It's specifically named in Numbers 25 verse 1. It said that where they were in 22 verse 1 was Acasio Grove. And Deuteronomy has a lot of content but no movement.

During the course of Deuteronomy, Moses is giving them the second law and so it fills up lots and lots of chapters, but there's no physical movement of the people of God. In Numbers 26 verse 51, it's the conclusion of a census that God had told Moses to take of the people to number all the men 20 years old and older who are able to go to war. And the conclusion of that census is that there are 601, 730 men who are 20 years and older able to go to war. So if you add in wives and you make some assumptions about children, you get over 2 million people really fast. You have to make assumptions to come to that number.

Well, at least we have a firm number for adult men. The men's 20 years and older, there are 602, 000 of them, approximately. And so there's probably 2 million people that need to decamp and ready themselves to go across the Jordan. This time They still have manna to eat, but unlike the wilderness, they don't only have manna to eat. God has given them victory over Sihon and over Og, and they're actually in the promised land now.

And so it is a land of plenty and they have the spoil from those victories in addition to the manna. The manna, by the way, as soon as they cross over the Jordan, the manna stops because they don't need it. God has given them a more, quote unquote, normal kind of provision in the land that he's bringing them into. Okay, to the next section, Joshua chapter 1, verses 12 through 15. Follow along as I read that.

And to the Rubinites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua spoke, saying, Remember the word which Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you, saying, The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them until the Lord has given your brethren rest as he gave you. They also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise." In this section, we have Joshua holding two and a half tribes to their word.

So if you're taking notes on the handout, filling in blanks, word fills in the blank. Holding two and a half tribes to their word. So if you're taking notes on the handout, filling in blanks, word fills in the blank. Holding two and a half tribes to their word. That's what we read in Numbers 32.

In Numbers 32, verse 28, Moses called Eliezer the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, that's our Joshua, and the elders of the other tribes to hold these two and a half tribes to their word because Moses already knew at that point that he wasn't leading them into the promised land that Joshua was. So this is why the sermon text, so to speak, was Numbers chapter 32. It is the historical context for the section that we're now considering. Now, was this always part of the promised land? If you'd asked me this months ago, I probably, if I hadn't thought about it or looked at it, would have said, no, it's sort of a bolt on, because there were people who wanted pasture land on this side.

But no, actually, this was always part of the promised land. Last week, we got a sort of a summary map, a rough map of the promised land that gave us northern, southern, western, eastern borders. So it's a shorthand map of the promised land. And the eastern border is the Euphrates River, which would be east of where they are now. And that summary map is not the first time we've seen it in Joshua.

You can find it several times in the Pentateuch and the Euphrates River is always the eastern boundary. And so this was Where they are right now was always part of the promised land. God provoked, when you go back and read the account of their victory over Sion and his people, and Og and his people, God actually provoked those kings to come out and oppose them in order to destroy them. So the text is really clear. God gave them the disposition to come out and fight these people so that Israel would destroy them and they would inherit their land.

God did that. Now, why was it given, this land east of the Jordan River, why was it given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh. By the way, the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, there's two different family groups in this tribe. One will settle east of the Jordan, the other half will settle west of the Jordan. So if you look at a map of the promised land and it shows where the tribes are, you'll find the eastern Manasseh and western Manasseh is usually how it's labeled on the map.

So why was this land east of the Jordan given to these two and a half tribes. It's because they were more particularly specialized in raising and keeping livestock. Did the other tribes have livestock? I'm sure they did. Undoubtedly they did.

But these two and a half tribes were more particularly specialized in livestock. In Numbers chapter 32, which Connor just read, it said that they had a multitude, we have a multitude of livestock. And so it makes perfect sense that they wouldn't go over the Jordan with all this livestock only only to come back taking the livestock back and forth so it's very logical But what is the risk? The risk is setting a precedent that what they are is actually a collection of separate tribes that at the end of the day fend for themselves. That's the risk.

That it end up being like another Kadesh Barnea. That was referenced in Numbers 32 as well. What is Kadesh Barnea? It was the first time they were on the verge of the promised land, and God's telling them, go into possess, and the spies came back, 10 of the 12 gave a discouraging report, and they were discouraged by their brethren so they wouldn't obey God. And Moses, when the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh suggest this, he actually calls them a brood of evil men because he can see in his mind's eye, Kadesh Barnea playing out all over again, the other tribes, the remaining tribes being discouraged by their brethren settling without going with them to conquer and then them not obeying the Lord just like it happened 40 years ago.

The true identity of the people of God is a unified people of God. The true identity is not wrapped up in the 12 tribes. The true identity is the unified people of God. Yes, they are organized by these family tribes. That is useful for a number of different things, but what they are fundamentally is the unified people of God.

They stand together or they fall together. So all for one and one for all is not just the motto of the three musketeers. All for one and one for all actually applies to the people of God. It applies to the twelve tribes and it's why Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh can't settle here while the others go to do the work of conquering. I don't possess my land until we all possess our land.

I don't enjoy my rest until we all enjoy our rest. But for the rest of the tribes, that's built in. As the book of Joshua progresses, they'll cross over the Jordan, and then they'll conquer everything west of the Jordan between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea starting with the south and then moving north and then the land will be allotted so during the course of Joshua some of the tribes will be in the places where they're going to settle, but they don't know it yet, because the land hasn't been allotted yet. They never have the sense, I'm home. I'm at the place of my rest.

But that's different for the Rubenites and the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh. You can imagine the pull. You can imagine the power of the draw to stay. I want to rest. We've been wandering for 40 years while a generation died off, we've never been at rest.

In many, many, many of these people's lifetimes, they've never been at rest. If you're 40 years old or younger, you don't know rest, you don't know a home. That's most of the people here. Home is nearby, and rest is nearby for Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh because they know this is allotted to us. The other tribes have no idea what their allotment will be.

The key is verses 14, about Part way through verse 14 to the first part of 15, but you shall pass over before your brethren armed all your mighty men of valor and help them until the Lord has given your brethren rest as he gave you. And they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them." That's the key. You go and help them. When they have their possession, you can come back to yours. When they have their rest, you can come back and enjoy your rest.

We possess our new homes together. We enjoy rest together. And now is not the time for rest. It's not yet the time for rest. It's the time to conquer It's the time to conquer the Lord going before us.

The last section, verses 16 through 18. Joshua 1, 16 through 18. So they answered Joshua saying, all that you command us we will do and Wherever you send us we will go Just as we heeded Moses in all things so we will heed you Only the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words in all that you command him shall be put to death only be strong and of good Courage they They encourage him with the words that God had commanded him, be strong and of good courage. In this section we have a great response from the people. I don't know how you can describe it otherwise.

If you're filling in blanks, great. Fills in the blank. A great response from the people. Now who is they? So they answered Joshua.

Well there's a lot of smart people who answer that differently. It could be Everyone going back up to verse 10 and the commands to all the tribes or it could be To the tribes of Ruben Gad and Manasseh, which is closer in context The text isn't perfectly clear, so I don't care very much and I know that it doesn't matter very much because if it mattered very much it would be clear in the text. So you're welcome to your own guess. My guess is he's saying this to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh. It fits perfectly with what he had just said to them.

But I do think this represents the general disposition of the people. Why do I say that? Because they all end up obeying him. I think what they say to Joshua here fits with what is said to the two and a half tribes, but I think it describes, it represents the general disposition of all the people. They are eager to obey Joshua as Joshua obeys the Lord.

Praise God for that. They promise to do what He commands, all of it, and to go where He sins, wherever He sins. Now the first part of verse 17, let's look at that again. They say to Joshua, just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. When I read that, I can envision Moses sitting up in his grave and saying, news to me!

Where are the people who heeded me in all things? I don't believe I've met them. Deuteronomy 9.24, Moses says to the people, You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you. However, However, they did hold together under Moses' leadership for 40 years. At the beginning of that, they wanted to go back to Egypt, but They never did go back to Egypt.

They did hold together as a people under Moses' leadership for more than 30 years. Furthermore, overall the book of Joshua is going to be a very joyful study of victory and obedience. So it won't be perfect victory or perfect obedience, but the overall summary of Joshua is a joyful study. This study is going to make us happy because we get to watch the people have victory and obey the Lord. Not perfectly, but mostly.

It's not universal, that's true, but it's very general. It's overwhelmingly so. So now, spoiler alert, listen to Joshua 22, 1 through 4. Joshua 22, 1 through 4, fast forwarding to the end, or very near the end. Then Joshua called the Rubinites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, and said to them, You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and Have obeyed my voice in All that I commanded you you have not left your brethren these many days up to this day but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God and now the Lord your God has given rest to your brethren as he promised them.

Now therefore return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan." In Joshua chapter 22 we get the dismissal of the two and a half tribes. You kept your word, you fought with your brother, your brethren until they had their possession, until they had their rest. Now you can go take your possession and take your rest. Amen. So many books or accounts, especially in the Old Testament, begin very optimistically with a promise to obey, to follow, and that's the best of it.

It's all downhill from there, but the book of Joshua is not that way. We should praise God for a joyful study of victory and obedience. So I'm just going to prime you for it. We're gonna be celebrating obedience a lot. I praise God for that.

Hopefully we'll be learning to obey a lot. Now, let's consider the two onlys. There's an only in verse 17, And then there's an only in verse 18. Let me read them again Just as we hated Moses in all things so we will heed heed you Only the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words and all that you command him shall be put to death only be strong and of good courage these can read like limitations will will follow you only if the Lord's with you. We were building in and out.

If in our opinion, God isn't with you like it was with Moses, all bets are off. I don't think that's the right way to understand this. I believe it's better to understand the onlys as encouragements and exhortations and even as a sort of blessing from the people. We want to follow you as the Lord your God is with you. Like Moses.

God was with Moses and he led us and we followed him. We want to follow a man that God is with. I think that's what they're saying. We want to follow a man that God is with. God has appointed you.

God is with you. We want to obey God by following you. So may the Lord be with you and we'll follow you. It's not a threat. It's not to set up a way out in the future.

Our sense is God isn't with you now. We're no longer following you. And the other only. Your commands are our law punishable by death. Only be strong and courageous.

We want to follow you as you act with force and act with the courage that's rooted in that we're pleasing the Lord in what we're doing. That's what we want. We want you to act with force and courageously with this courage that is rooted in knowing that you're leading us in honoring the Lord. That's what we want. So may you be all that God has called you to be.

May you be all that God has commanded you to be. May you be strong and courageous. I think it's an encouragement and an exhortation and a sort of blessing on Joshua. Finally, Why the death penalty for anything less than full and complete obedience to this man's commands after all Joshua is only a fallible man Well, why would you put? Death as the sanction for disobedience to him?

It is unusual. I think the answer is simple and the answer is not unusual at all. This is military justice in a time of war. What is being described, or the opposite of what is being described, not doing all that he heeded would be insubordination. What's insubordination?

It's refusal to obey orders. Insubordination, when you refuse to obey orders in a time of war. I mean It's bad in a time of peace in the military, but it's a death offense in a time of war. A desertion is bad during a time of peace in the military. You can get in a lot of trouble, but you can actually still be put to death.

I looked it up this morning. The U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice still allows for the execution of deserters in a time of war. That's in our military law now. Not so during a time of peace, but during a time of war, if you're insubordinate or if you desert, you can receive the death penalty.

And I think that's what we have before us here. They are in a time of war where following the leader is of the essence. Applications, I give you four. Four applications? We never do four applications.

You thought we were almost done. I knew better. Number one, Joshua is a foreshadowing of Jesus. Joshua means the Lord delivers, The Lord saves. Jesus means that too.

It's just the Greek form of that. Thinking of Joshua as a picture of Jesus and then applying that. Whatever Jesus commands we must do. If the people following this fallible picture of Jesus were bound to follow Him in all that He does, in all that He commanded, how much more we the Lord Jesus Christ. Wherever Jesus sends us, we must go.

We're not at liberty about what we can do or can't do. When Jesus commands, we must. We're not at liberty where we go. If he sends us we go. This is the essence of taking up our cross to follow the Lord Jesus.

We have a picture of that in our text. We sing many many songs don't we that are aspirational meaning I'm a little nervous singing that I think we sang one this morning I can't quote it. I don't think I live up to what I'm singing here. They're very like, we will honor you, we will obey you in all things, but they weren't afraid to say it. We shouldn't be afraid to say it either.

We owe it. We owe it, whether we're nervous about saying it or not, we owe it to King Jesus to do whatever He commands and to go wherever He sends. Number two, Hebrews 13. Number three. I know you have memorized Hebrews 13.

Hebrews 13 verse 7. Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow considering the outcome of their conduct. We should all tremble at that verse. You should tremble at that verse and James and I should tremble at that verse. Let me read it again.

Remember those who rule over you who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow considering the outcome of their conduct. Ten verses later, same chapter, Hebrews 13 verse 17. Obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief for that would be unprofitable for you." God makes us interdependent. The tribes were separate, but they weren't independent.

They were made by God to be interdependent. They were made to need each other and to support each other and not defend for themselves but defend for each other all for one and one for all and And God put a leader and leaders over them to lead in obeying him. And as the Lord was with them and as they were strong and courageous, they were to follow him. That's true of all of us in different spheres. God raises up people to lead us in obedience in different spheres of our life.

We're in one of them. Church is one of them. Number three. Think about what it would mean for us to possess our blessings together and enjoy our rest together. And to refuse to enter fully into possession and the rest until our brethren get it too.

Think of what that would mean. It would mean that people who are in affluent and comfortable countries couldn't just enjoy the influence and the comforts until people in other places got their possessions and rest too It would mean that you wouldn't be fully at Liberty to enter into that abundance and that those comforts until your brethren had it too. Listen to what Matthew Henry says, thinking Matthew Henry just hits the nail on the head. He says, when God by his providence has given us rest, We ought to consider how we may honor Him with the advantages of it. Oh yeah.

Oh yeah. And what service we may do to our brethren who are unsettled. So God has brought you into a place where you're settled. So you should think, according to our text, the application of today's text to our lives, you should think, how can I use the advantages of the affluence and the settledness that God has brought me into for my brethren? Not to leave them to fend for themselves.

No, all for one and one for all. God hasn't given me the affluence just for me. It's to Help my brethren who aren't yet settled, who don't have the affluence that I have. Theologians call us the church militant from the resurrection until the second coming. The church militant, the conquering church, the church at war.

And then, after Jesus comes back, we're the church triumphant. We're the church who can enjoy a rest forever. Does that mean we can't ever rest? We can't ever enjoy abundance here? No, but it means we better be very careful with it.

Because we can say, well I'm settled. We could feel the same tug and pull and inclination that the Rubenites and the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh had to have felt, I'm ready to rest. Not yet. Not yet. We're not the church victorious yet.

We're the church militant. We're not the church triumphant. We're the church militant. We're in a war time. We fend for each other.

That has a thousand applications, but it probably starts with the Carrington's in Turkey. That has a thousand applications but it probably extends into Malawi and to many other places where our brethren aren't yet settled. They haven't been brought into a place of abundance yet and so, yeah Let me read the rest of the Matthew Henry quote. This made me think of the rest of the quote. I broke off at the midpoint.

Matthew Henry continues and says, when God has given us rest, we must take heed of slothfulness and of settling upon our lees. Settling upon our lees is just to exhale and act as if there's nothing more to be done. So think about how that might apply. Number four, leaders. Like, oh, this doesn't apply to me.

Are you sure? You're not leading in any part of your life? I mean mothers are leading most of the family most of the day. So God forbid mothers tune out during this, or fathers, and you're probably leading at some point in some part of your life, but this is for leaders. Leaders, lead, is for leaders.

Leaders, lead only the Lord your God be with you. Have the presence of God in your life and lead out of walking with him. Let those under your authority follow a leader who is being led by the Lord. I think that's what's in our text. They want to follow Joshua as he follows the Lord.

Leaders, lead, only be strong and courageous. Let those under your authority follow a leader who acts with force and who acts with the courage that is rooted in the conviction that you're honoring the Lord. People want to follow Christians, believers want to follow leaders who are walking with the Lord. They want to follow leaders who lead decisively, courageously, even forcefully in the right way, like acting with force, leading with conviction. The people of God long to follow Leaders who are walking with the Lord and lead with conviction and be that God I think for our text.

Thank you for the book of Joshua pray now that you would give some of my brothers insights that we're lacking and Continue to help us in Jesus name