Title: No Choice!
Text: Joshua 24: 14-15
Date: May 4, 2014
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Joshua 24: 14: Now therefore fear the LORD,
and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your
fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the
LORD. 15: And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day
whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the
other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:
but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Spiritually
dead sinners love to have choices, especially when it comes to God. Dead
sinners imagine that we have dignity before God. That we have rights which God will not
violate. We lost all dignity, all our rights, along with all our ability when
we sinned in our first head, Adam, in the garden.
But
notice in verse 15, the choice is not between serving the LORD or serving a
false god. The choice is between which
of the many false gods they would serve—Joshua
24: 15:…whether the gods which your father’s served that were on the other side
of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. All of which were vain idols, proven to
be vain because Christ conquered them all.
Title: No
Choice
Proposition: Christ, the Head of the house of his spiritual Israel,
has power to effectually make his house serve the LORD in spirit and in truth
so that the believer has no choice and wants no choice.
I. FIRST, WHILE DEAD IN SINS THE SINNER HAS A
MULTITUDE OF CHOICES—at least he thinks he does.
Idols
All
idol gods are created in the minds of depraved sinners. And there are more
idols to choose from than there are sinners who create them. On one occasion God said that very thing.
(turn to Ezekiel 20)
Ezekiel 20: 38: And I will purge out from among you the
rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the
country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel:
and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 39: As for you, O house of Israel,
thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also,
if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your
gifts, and with your idols. 40: For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of
the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all
of them in the land, serve me: [no choices, only God] there will I accept them,
and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations,
with all your holy things.
Notice God
did not say “Go ye, serve every one his
idol” but “go ye, serve every one his idols.”
It is
because in the vanity of the carnal mind, each individual unregenerate sinner
has created, not just one, but multiple idols.
But while dead in sins our choices are really no choices at all. They
are all vain idols of our own making!
II. SECONDLY, IT IS THE LORD GOD IN CHRIST
WHO ALONE SETS THE HEART OF HIS PEOPLE ON CHRIST ALONE IN TRUE SAVING FAITH
DELIVERING US FROM OUR IDOLS.
Christ is the Head of His House and Servant
of the LORD
When
Christ enters the heart made new by the Spirit of God, Christ effectually
removes all our choices by setting our heart upon God alone through faith in
Christ. Christ is the Head over the
whole house of Israel. The whole house of Israel is not that
political nation, it is God’s spiritual Israel, made up of those God chose in
Christ before the foundation of the world.
Christ
is the Head over the whole house of his spiritual Israel. And Christ is the faithful
servant of the LORD God. As the Mediator between God and his people Christ is
serving the LORD God. He has finished
the work of redeeming us from the curse of the law. And Christ is now serving
the LORD God by bringing all his redeemed to serve the one true and living God
through faith in Christ—“Christ filleth all in all.” And Christ has all power
in heaven and earth, so he shall serve the LORD God faithfully by bringing
every member of his house to serve the LORD God in faith.
Note: For
this reason, in our text, I am convinced that it is the pre-incarnate
Christ—the Head of his house, the faithful Servant of the LORD God—who declares
that very thing in verse 15—Joshua 24:
15: As for ME and MY house WE WILL serve THE LORD?”
The
common interpretation is that Joshua said those words. And it may be Joshua. He
is the head of his tribe. The heads of the houses of Israel is who was gathered
there that day. But the statement certainly fits Christ our Head much better. Only
Christ, the Head of the house of his spiritual Israel, has power to effectually
make his house serve the LORD in spirit and in truth. This
he does when he speaks in power into the heart through the preaching of the
gospel. That is what we see in this passage. I will show you why it fits Christ
better. But at any rate, Joshua, whose
name is a form of Jesus, is a type of Christ.
A Preaching Service
Joshua
is preaching the gospel. But he is speaking the words of Christ who represents
the LORD God as Mediator, as the Head of his house, as the servant of the LORD—Joshua 24: 1: And Joshua gathered all the
tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their
heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented
themselves before God.
This
was a worship service like as you are gathered here today—“they presented
themselves before God.” Joshua
gathered them—but it typifies Christ who alone gathers his people. Christ
gathers his preacher and his people.
Matthew 18:20: where two or three are gathered together
in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The Message of the Preacher
Then we
see the message of Christ’s preacher are the words of our LORD God through
Christ our Mediator—Joshua 24: 2: And
Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel,…
Joshua
was the earthen vessel used to speak, just as Christ uses his preachers in our
day. But the words Joshua spoke were, “Thus saith the LORD God of Israel.”
The Words of Christ Representing Jehovah
These
are the words of Christ representing the LORD God to his people through the
gospel.
I said
to you on Thursday night, Christ is the only one who has ever prayed to God and
was heard without a Mediator. A good question
was asked afterward, “Was it Christ speaking to all believers throughout the
old testament? Was it Christ who
presented them to the Father?” Yes! God
spoke in different ways but he has always spoken through Christ his Son, even
prior to Christ coming in flesh. It is because Christ, the Son of God, has
always been the only Mediator between the LORD God and men.
1 Timothy 2: 5: For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 1: 18: No man hath seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Note: In our
text, that is exactly what Christ is doing through Joshua through the gospel, he
is declaring the LORD God in all that Christ has accomplished for the LORD God.
III. OUR ONE MESSAGE IS THE MESSAGE CHRIST
SENDS US TO DECLARE: it is the word of Christ who declares that he has
accomplished the will of the LORD God by accomplishing the salvation of his
people, delivering us from all our enemies, from all our idol gods—We have examples
of our message here.
Concerning Abraham
As
Joshua preached Christ declares that it was he that delivered Abraham from his
idols—Joshua 24: 2: And Joshua said unto
all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the
other side of the flood in old time, [other side of the Euphrates or the
Jordan Rivers] even Terah, the father of
Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
Abraham
served those “other gods” which his father’s served. God called out Abraham but not his
father’s. God’s grace is particular
toward his people. And none but the true
and living God can deliver his child from his idols.
Who
saved Abraham from his idols? The only one who can! Christ!—Joshua 24: 3: And I took your father
Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land
of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
It was
the pre-incarnate Christ, the eternal Son of God, who appeared on behalf of the
LORD God to Abraham and Isaac. Just before Abraham sacrificed Isaac,
Genesis 22: 15: And the angel of the LORD called unto
Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast
done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the
sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of
his enemies; 18 And in thy seed [Christ
speaking of himself because he came through the house of Abraham] shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Concerning Jacob
Jehovah
delivered Jacob by Christ—Joshua 24: 4:
And I gave unto Isaac, Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to
possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
God
saved Jacob but not Esau. And Christ was
the Ladder through whom the LORD God spoke to Jacob in Genesis 28. Also, it was
Christ who wrestled Jacob, bringing Jacob to cry out for mercy to God in
Genesis 32. It was Christ, the Mediator between God and Jacob, who delivered
Jacob from his vain idols. So it is today.
Concerning Moses
Jehovah
delivered Moses by Christ—Joshua 24: 5:
I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that
which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
It was
Christ who appeared to Moses in the burning bush. The LORD God called Moses
through Christ in the burning bush.
Exodus 3: 2: And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him
in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush:…4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to
see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush,
Concerning their Father’s Deliverance out of
Egypt
Jehovah
deliverd their father’s out of Egypt by Christ--Joshua 24: 6: And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came
unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and
horsemen unto the Red sea. 7: And when they cried unto the LORD, he [Christ referring to the LORD God his Father]
put darkness between you and the
Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have
seen what I [Christ referring to himself], have done in Egypt: and ye
dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
That is
clearly Christ declaring the works that he and the Father accomplished in
delivering them from the idols of Egypt.
Also, during
that long season in the wilderness, it was Christ leading them in the Cloud, the
Fire, and the smitten Rock. The apostle Paul said,
1 Corinthians 10: 4: And did all drink the same spiritual
drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock
was Christ.
Concerning the Deliverance of Those to Whom
Joshua Preached
Jehovah
delivered them by Christ, first from Amalek—Isaiah 24: 8: And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which
dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into
your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before
you.
Christ
is Jehovah Nissi, the LORD our Banner, that destroyed Amalek (Ex 17: 8-14).
Concerning their Deliverance from the
Idolator Balaam
Jehvoah
delivered them from Balaam by Christ—Joshua
24: 9: Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against
Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you: 10: But I
would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered
you out of his hand.
Christ
is the Angel of the LORD who appeared to Balaam and made him bless Israel.
Numbers 22: 31: Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam,
and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in
his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. 32: And the angel of the LORD said unto him,…thy way is
perverse before me:…35: And the angel of the LORD said unto
Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that
thou shalt speak.
Concerning Joshua and their Deliverance from
Idolatrous Jericho and all Their Enemies
Jehovah
delivered them by Christ—Joshua 24:
11 And ye went over Jordan, and came
unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you…and I delivered them into
your hand. 12: And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from
before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy
sword, nor with thy bow. 13: And I have given you a land for which ye did not
labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards
and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
Christ
perfect his people forever by his own offering—not by our works, by his. We are members of the house Christ is
building, which we built not. We are of
Christ the Vine—which he planted and not us. And it was Christ who appeared to
Joshua with his sword drawn, who delivered them.
Joshua 5: 13: And it came to pass, when Joshua was by
Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man
over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him,
and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14: And he
said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What
saith my lord unto his servant? 15: And the captain of the LORD’S host said
unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou
standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
So from verses 2-13, in the gospel Joshua preaches, it is
Christ—the Mediator between the LORD God and his people—declaring how he
accomplished the will of the LORD God, delivering their fathers, as well as
them from a host of idol gods. It is not
until verse 19 that we are told that Joshua begins to speak. Therefore, in verses 14-15, it appears that
it is still Christ speaking in the gospel through his messenger Joshua.
IV. NEXT, IN VERSES
14 & 15, WE SEE WHAT CHRIST DOES IN OUR HEARTS TO DELIVER US FROM OUR IDOLATROUS
SO-CALLED CHOICES.
Christ Speaks This Into the Heart
As the
gospel of Christ’s accomplished works goes forth, Christ is the Prophet who
speaks to his lost child personally, effectually, commanding his child in the
heart, saying, Joshua 24: 14: Now
therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: [in
spirit and in truth] and put away the
gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt;
and serve ye the LORD.
A sinner has the fear of the LORD only when Christ
commands it in our heart. We serve him in spirit and in truth only when Christ
commands it in our heart. We repent—putting away the idols of our vain,
unbelieving father’s only when Christ commands it in our heart. Joshua may have spoken these words but only
Christ can make it effectual in the heart.
As the gospel goes forth, Christ makes us put away our
so-called choices by effectually teaching us the vanity of our so-called
choices, showing us that our idols were no gods at all. Christ says into the
heart—Joshua 24: 15: And if it seem evil
unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve.
He says now what choices do you really have?--“Whether the gods which your fathers served
that were on the other side of the flood?” Christ just declared how he
conquered those idols when he conquered the hearts of our fathers and delivered
them.
Or will you choose “the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell?” Christ conquers the idol gods
of those in whose land you and I dwell when he enters our hearts and begins
making us hear him in spirit and in truth.
So by his gospel, by his effectual word in our heart, one
by one, Christ our Head removes all our choices, setting our hearts upon God
alone through faith in Christ.
The Effectual
Outcome
This is always the outcome—Joshua 24: 16: And the people answered and said, God forbid that we
should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; [then they give God the glory
for delivering them, then said]… 18:…therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our
God.
Joshua speaks for the first time since verse He reminds
them that they cannot serve the LORD God Jehovah, except in Christ our Mediator. Then they said they will serve God by
believing on Christ—Joshua 24: 24: And the people said unto Joshua, The
LORD our God will we serve, AND his Voice will we obey.
God’s Voice is not just the word of God’s
command. God’s Voice, is the essential Word, Christ the Son of God.
John
10:27: My sheep hear MY Voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
We serve the LORD God by obeying the Voice of
his Son, Christ our Mediator
God Makes an
Everlasting Covenant with His People in Christ
For times sake, later you can read verses 25-28. As Joshua did in type, God makes with his
believing child an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure. It is written in God’s book and is fulfilled
in Christ. It is written in Christ’s
blood and written in the wounds of Christ our chief Cornerstone, like as Joshua
wrote this covenant upon a stone. So
having brought us to faith in Christ—with no choice—like Joshua let them go to
their inheritance—Christ sets each believer at liberty, unto his inheritance.
Brethren, Christ is the Head of his house “from whom the
whole body” is “fitly joined together” and by his “effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body”, by which Christ edifyies
the whole body by his great love. (Eph 4: 16) So Christ can say with absolute
certainty, “As for ME and MY house, we
will serve THE LORD.”
We who believe have no choices. And we want no choice
because Christ has brought us to believe him and we are sure he is who he
claims to be! Remember, when the multitude departed from Christ?
John 6:
67-69: Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter
answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God.
Amen!