AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE
We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or be used for a sermon group discussion.
Sermon Title: AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE
Main Scripture: Joshua 24:1-28
If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week consider taking the time to read the provided scripture to catch everyone up!
Summary:
What would be your final words to your family and friends? What would you urge them to do? What legacy do you want to leave? Why wait until you’re on your deathbed? Why not start building a legacy now that leads your family and the next generation towards eternal life with God?
Notes:
Scripture Context
Joshua’s life is one day closer to the end. Joshua loves God and loves the people who have been entrusted to Him. So before he dies he wants to make sure the nation is going to be faithful to the Lord. Joshua is aware of their human nature and justifiably makes sure they will be careful.
In chapter 23 Joshua calls the leadership of the nation and urges them to be faithful to the Lord and everything God commands them to do. The leader cares for the souls of other leaders, to not assume anything, and encourages them to remain faithful to the Lord. As the leadership goes, so do the people.
Joshua says, “So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left…Be very careful to love the Lord your God (v.6, 11).
Joshua also reassures the leaders that the Lord has promised to drive out the remaining pagan nations so they can inherit the land God has promised them but they must remain faithful to serve and love the Lord.
In chapter 24, Joshua calls all the people to gather with the leaders this time.
Joshua 24:1-15
V. 1 Shechem holds historical significance in Israelite history. Shechem is where Abraham first received the promise that God would give his seed the land of Canaan. Jacob stopped at Shechem on his return from Paddan Aram and buried there the idols his family had brought with them (Gen. 35:4). After the Israelites completed the first phase of the conquest of Canaan they journeyed to Shechem where Joshua built an altar to Yahweh, inscribed the Law of God on stone pillars, and reviewed these laws for all the people (Josh. 8:30–35). Joshua had good reason, therefore, to convene the Israelites at this location. Certainly the stones on which the Law had been written were still standing, vivid reminders of that significant event. Campbell, D. K. (1985). Joshua. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 368–369). Victor Books.
Joshua delivers a message for God to the people. So Joshua is actually prophesying here a message that God has pressed on Joshua’s heart.
V. 2-13 God reviews all that He has done for them. 18 times “I” is used. Any greatness achieved was because of God’s grace and enablement.
God birthed a nation from their ancestors.
God did not forget their suffering in Egypt as slaves and delivered them.
God performed miracles to give them victory in battles they could not possibly win.
When an enemy was trying to use a wicked prophet to curse God’s people, God intervened, compelling the wicked prophet to only speak blessings on the people of Israel.
God didn’t just give them barren land to build upon, but gave them towns already built and food they did not have to grow.
V. 14-15 It appears Joshua switches from speaking for God to now adding his own commentary
14 “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Serve the Lord alone. Complete allegiance to God alone and no other gods that people worshiped for provision or protection.
Make a choice, if it’s not the Lord, choose who it will be.
Then the famous words, “But as for me and my family (house or household) we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:16-28 NLT
Joshua leads them in a covenant ceremony where they agree to serve God alone. A large stone was set aside as a witness or reminder of this decision so every time they passed by it they would be reminded of that moment in that place.
V. 19 could make us scratch our heads a little. There was no such response so Joshua bluntly declared, You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. Of course Joshua did not mean that God was not a God of forgiveness. He meant that God was not to be worshiped or served lightly, and that to forsake Him deliberately to serve idols would be a presumptuous, willful, high-handed sin for which there was no forgiveness under the Law (Num. 15:30). Such sin would result in disaster. Campbell, D. K. (1985). Joshua. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 370). Victor Books.
V. 23 Now then … throw away the foreign gods that are among you (cf. v. 14). He had heard the pledge on their lips; now he challenged them to prove their sincerity by their works. Knowing that many of them were secretly practicing idolatry Joshua forthrightly demanded that they remove their foreign gods. Campbell, D. K. (1985). Joshua. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 370). Victor Books.
What it meant for them:
I can see myself being in Joshua’s sandals, seeing that any day could be my last, wanting to make sure if there is any doubt, any question of loyalty or service, to get it figured out now. They needed to choose. There hasn’t been complete faithfulness to God alone and the gods of other nations have enticed and invaded their worship before.
This decision wasn’t a one-time choice. They needed to persevere in their covenant agreement to serve God alone. This is what Moses did, this is what Joshua did.
What happened next?
Judges 2:6-19
The conviction to serve and trust the Lord alone did not get passed on and translated to the next generation.
This was meant to be passed down to the next generation.
Application: What it means for us/Share what we can apply
The obvious choice. There’s no god like our God!
We have the revelation of Christ. At one time when many disciples were deserting Jesus, He turned to the twelve disciples and asked, Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life (John 6:67-68). We have the clear way to eternal life. We have around 300 fulfilled prophecies just with the life of Christ and continue to find archeological evidence that corroborates events in the Bible. If we deny Jesus and choose not to serve him I would argue that we are fools who are choosing to ignore evidence people would die to have in other historical figures.
We have the counselor, the helper, and the guide, the Holy Spirit living in our hearts to help us in all situations.
If you’re on the fence about who you and your family serve, make a choice today.
Serve the Lord with your whole life
To say you serve God is one thing, to reorient your life to match that is another. So what are some ways we can reorient our lives to serve Him?
Serve the Lord, inward, upward, and outward. It’s in the heart, in our words, and in our hands. We need to keep God in our hearts, on our lips, and in our conduct.
Remove what isn’t Godly and add what is Godly to your life.
Seek and serve God’s will for your life. The obvious written will and the inbetween.
Our commitment to worship. Do we serve and love God in some way, shape or form in our homes?
Our commitment to the church. Do we make being together with the church and serving one another a priority?
Does God get our resources and our giftings? Remember, Pastor Isaac’s question, “What’s in your hands?” Practice tithing and offerings to the Lord’s work. Teach your kids and grandkids to be givers to God. Don’t sit on your hands, use the giftings and energy God has given you to do His work in and outside the church.
Strive towards dedicating everything you have and do to the Lord. Our house is for the Lord, our dinner tables, our cars are for the Lord, our time, our money, our social media accounts, our phones, weekdays, weekends, and Sundays are for the Lord.
Teach and disciple the next generation of believers. If we aren’t now, let’s pull up our sleeves and get to work to serve the Lord in our personal lives, our home lives, in our church, and for the mission of God in this world. Let’s leave a legacy for the next generation!
Persevere. Serving God requires perseverance to remain faithful, to not deviate to the left or right from God’s word, but to continue straight on the path. “Continue to pursue God’s plans and do what is right. Continue to hold a firm commitment to His truth, a sincere desire to fulfill His goals for your life, and a strong determination to resist the appeal of sin.” If we fail in these areas we will go astray and potentially lead our families in the wrong direction. No one wants that.
Discussion:
What did God use in this sermon to speak to your heart or situation?
In what ways can you refocus your family’s lives to serve God?
How do you serve and love God in your home?
What areas do you excel in your commitment to God?
What areas do you need to build in your commitment to God?
What other notes did you highlight or write down that you would like to share?
The most important decision you will ever make!
Are you ready to experience salvation and be transformed? We encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, amen!
We would love to know if you made the decision to accept this wonderful gift from God. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hoped you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!