Chosen to Choose – Sunday 25th August – Pastor Adrian Kitson

I think we all think about what will come after us. The older you get the more this seems to be the case. We wonder what we can do now to ensure it goes well later on; for the kids, the farm, the business, the grandchildren, close friends and on a really big scale – our country Australia, and this troubled world.

This natural kind of reflection on life raises a question for the gospel hearted person: What is the most crucial thing for life now and later on for those we love when we are gone to glory? What do we believe is the best thing that can happen for those that will be after us?

Joshua is in this question…. And answers it strongly.

Joshua stands on the promised land side of the Jordan River as a man who has fulfilled his responsibilities before God, but concerned.

Joshua received his calling from the great man, Moses, when they were on the other side of the land promised. Back in Deuteronomy 23, we hear Moses calling the people together on the plains of Moab about to cross into the land.  He hands the leadership of the nation over to Joshua because he knows he is about to depart.

I marvel at Joshua. In some way I think I can relate to him more than Moses. Moses is a mountaintop man. Joshua is more a man for the trenches. Moses spoke with God directly and personally and even saw God’s near side. Moses was the ‘Red Sea parter’, the plague deliverer, the burning bush receiver of God’s holy name – I AM.

Joshua had a less spectacular task that must have been extremely difficult, not because he messed it up or because God was not up to the task but because the people weren’t.

His challenge began as the Lord calls him to;

But the land is occupied. People live there. The locals reap and sow and grow. Occupying an occupied land is a huge challenge.

Joshua is charged with leading through this huge shift from relying daily on the Lord for food, water and direction by manna, quail, water from the rock and pillar of cloud by day and fire by night now to settling, building a hut, take over a homestead, building a farm, make a town, sowing and reaping and trading goods and services?

Joshua seems to believe that the most dangerous thing for the people is not political or military or economic threat, but to forget –

to forget the Lord and his promises and his directions to live well with him. This will get them into the disastrous territory of serving themselves or some other person or power or system that will only break God promises, God’s heart, and their wonderful life with him.

So now, after Joshua has indeed led this people in this new life in this promised new land, he calls the people to renew this covenant relationship between them and Yahweh as he himself is about to depart.

Joshua shows his heart. Like any parent, grandparent or leader of a business or family or organisation or nation, Joshua is concerned for the future of the people he serves.

He wants to tell them where to put all their eggs, all their heart; what is the crucial thing that will most shape their life into God’s future.

What is most crucial for them all; most crucial for a society, a country and world and family is who they serve.

You can be unwilling to serve the LORD, and instead, serve other ‘gods’; other people, ideas, things around you. But the thing or person you serve shapes you more than you know.

As you read through Joshua, you get this reality. The people get it wrong often. Instead of serving the Lord and worshipping him only with their lives and their hearts, they don’t.

This shows itself in a couple of main ways.

1. Instead of trusting the Lord and his “Commander of the Lord’s armies” who appears to Joshua (Ch 5:13ff), they take on that role of ‘commander of their own army’ as they go for politics and power trying to deal their way through occupying a city or two. It does not work. They are simply not political and powerful enough for the mammoth task.
2. Like those many Olympians we have just enjoyed watching, God’s people ‘go for gold’ over God. They betray the Lord by snatching the loot after a victory he has won for them and trying to hide it. This does not work either. The Lord knows the heart and where your treasure is, your hearts is also.

Friend, are we any different?

In your current challenges, whatever they be, in our current worry and sadness about our church in these changing times, in our ill-health, conflicted relationships, fragile finances, confusion about who I am what I am here for and what it all means and etc…

It would be so easy to leave the long-term promises of God that tell us of his place in our future always, as we find ourselves giving our heart to, or ‘serving’ more seeable, more immediate ideas, systems, people and things to somehow make us feel like we can and will ‘fix these problems’.

But Joshua helps us find our heart again:

In other words, give your heart to God because he is still interested in a covenant of love and grace with you.

He has a future for you.

He has a future for this church.

We can trust this more than Joshua. If only Joshua knew just how much this grace was God’s heart! If only he knew what we now know.

Another Joshua eventually came. We know him. He has the same name in a different language. ‘Yeshua’; “God saves”. Jesus, “God saves”.

The crucified and resurrected new Joshua is the ‘commander of the Lord’s armies’ now, who does not fight with spears, guns, politics, power games, cash or card. He fights in grace.

He overcomes the wayward human heart not with human power or spectacular shiny things – but by the giving up of flesh and blood for the life of the world and rising in glory to rule the world by one glorious gift.

His glory resides not in a burning bush or a tabernacle or a temple or a sword any other thing but in one gift that changes my wandering heart.

The glory of the Lord is now in Jesus and his special and unique gift – the forgiveness of sins. The forgiveness of sins is the glory of the church, and we live in it by faith.

Living this glorious Christian life is still all about the heart and therefore about whom you are choosing to serve for your place in God’s grace.

I wonder if the Holy Spirit is calling you renew this covenant of love signed in Jesus’ blood and sealed by his Spirit in your baptism until the great day of God’s final redemption of all his people.

The people on this particular day were listening and they responded in faith:

The LORD our God brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed;

18 and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, …

Can you hear him? Can you respond with the heart?

Jesus, you called us out of darkness into your wonderful light while we were your enemy, while we were dead inside to you; while we were “lost and condemned people”…

You did this not with money or gold, but with your own broken body.

You have kept us everyday all our lives and shown us your heart; your character of grace in many and various ways so far.

I am no longer a slave to the whims of the culture, the endless pursuit of making myself, finding the magic, getting the secret sauce the assures me I will be OK. I am free to rest in you.

You make a way for me every day – in any conflict, illness, shame, blame, or trouble.

Can you say it again today. Can we say it whatever happens in our church, our country or world,

As for me and my house, I will serve the Lord?

You can because he and his house serve you still.

16 …, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;

… we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”

Amen

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