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Aug 31 '08
(A Series of Sermons on Following Jesus)
Rev. Erik O. Garthe, Pastor - Edgemere Baptist Church
Message #2 ... August 31, 2008
“Choose Your Identity”
Joshua 23-24
During the second century, Roman citizens would fill the stadium to watch the murder of Christians as public entertainment. On one occasion, a martyr by the name of Polycarp shocked the crowd. Historians record that when he stepped into the stadium a thundering voice from heaven said, “Be strong Polycarp. Play the man!” Though no one saw the speaker, all heard the voice. Centuries later, in 1515, those same words encouraged two more martyrs as the Reformation swept across England. Hugh Latimer and Nicolas Ridley were sentenced to be burned at the stake for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. As they approached the stake, Latimer said to Ridley, “Be of good cheer, Ridley. Play the man! We shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace that I trust shall never be put out.” [Stu Webber, Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart, p.31-32.]
The commitment of those martyrs to Christ should inspire all believers to rise to the challenges of life. The call to “Play the man!” is as relevant today as it was centuries ago. We may never face the fires of martyrdom, but we fight against a real enemy daily who seeks to destroy our families.
In Joshua 23-24, the warrior-leader assembled the nation of Israel to hear his final instructions before his death. Joshua attempted to prepare the men of Israel for their most important battle. His instructions are a challenge for all parents, especially fathers, to lead by choosing a godly path and to “play the man!”
Fatherlessness is one of the most destructive trends in our country. According to a study published by TIME Magazine, 70% of all juveniles in state correction institutions come from fatherless homes. Seven out of ten children in a correctional facility do not have fathers in their homes! [Nancy R. Gibbs, “Father”, TIME 28 June 1993, p.55]
Unfortunately, even in homes where the father is present, many have still failed to effectively lead their families. Stu Webber in his book, Tender Warriors, attributes much of the failure of men to the devaluing of the significance of being a father. “I am referring to the highest office in the land, and I don’t mean the presidency of the United States … The highest office in the land is not in the White House. It is in your house!” [Stu Webber, Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart (Sisters: Multnomah Books, 1997), p.26.]
If we are to recapture the significance of parental influence and successfully lead our families, we must follow the advice of Joshua. We must choose whom we will serve. We must play the man! To do that, several things must happen in our lives.
I. We Must Remember History, Vv. 24:1-13
1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. 3 ‘Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. 4 ‘To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 ‘Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out. 6 ‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 ‘So they cried out to the LORD; and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a long time. 8 ‘And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you. 9 ‘Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10 ‘But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 ‘Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. 12 ‘I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. 13 ‘I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’
Romans 15:4 reads, “Whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
• Joshua used a powerful paradox to inspire the nation. He instructed them to look back in order to go forward. During that national assembly, Joshua reminded Israel of the Egyptian exodus, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the victorious battles against the nations. Joshua wanted to impress on each one’s heart that they were keepers of a great heritage. Their lives extended beyond the daily grind of making a living. They were part of something far greater than any single person or family. They are God's people!
When Israel crossed the Jordan River, God instructed Joshua to build an altar with twelve stones from the riverbed. That memorial became a teaching tool to remind the children of the miracle. Joshua God wanted fathers to bring their children to that memorial and answer the simple question, “What do these stones mean?” See Joshua 4:6-7
6 "That this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 "Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever."
Our children need to remember the history of great servants, but they also need to know our history. Your children need to know when and how you trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. If your family doesn’t have a legacy of faithful servants, then let the legacy begin with you. Start building your family’s memorial one stone at a time.
II. We Must Remove Depravity, Vv. 24:23-24
23"Now therefore," he said, "put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel." 24 And the people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!"
o This reinforces the instructions of verses 6-7 of chapter 23:
6 "Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 "and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you.
Staying on God’s path provides the necessary protection from evil attacks, but those who depart become easy targets for the enemy. Joshua exhorted fathers not to depart, not to associate with the pagan nations, not to call on their gods, or worship their idols. They were instructed to remove those influences from their lives.
(Joshua wasn’t suggesting that parents take their families into a monastery. He was emphasizing the dangerous progression of compromise in our families. When families depart from a godly path, they end up partnering with those who are opposed to godly values. Those ungodly relationships lead to experimentation with destructive ideas and philosophies. Faith in the Lord then deteriorates to the point that it is no longer a defining characteristic of your family. And when the distinctiveness of following the Lord is removed, you and your family gradually begin worshipping the false gods of this world.)
Some believe that they can play with fire and not get burned. They falsely believe that they are strong enough to allow a few sinful activities and stop the train before it runs over their family. Parents will allow their children to watch and listen to stuff that undermines everything they desire for their child. Then, those same parents act confused when their children refuse to respond to their leadership. We throw our children into a swimming pool of sin and then we complain when they get wet. We often overestimate our ability to resist temptation.
Learn the lesson in the story of Mr. Toad’s Cookies:
The story goes like this: Mr. Toad made some cookies, and the cookies were good. He ate some, and they tasted better. Mr. Toad ran to the frog’s house. “Frog, Frog!” cried toad. “Taste these cookies that I have made.” Mr. Frog ate one of the cookies. He said, “These are the best cookies I’ve ever eaten.” Frog and Toad ate many cookies, one after another. “You know Toad,” said Frog with his mouth full, “I think we should stop eating these cookies, or we’ll be sick.” “You’re right,” said Toad. “Let us eat one last cookie and then we’ll stop.” Frog and Toad ate one last cookie. There were many cookies left in the bowl. “Frog!” said Toad. “Let us eat one very last cookie and then we will stop.” Then Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie. “We must stop eating!” cried Toad, as he ate another. “Yes” said Frog, “what we need is willpower.” “What’s willpower?” asked Toad. “Willpower is trying hard not to do something that you really want to do,” said Frog. “You mean like trying hard not to eat the cookies?” asked Toad. “Right” said Frog. Frog put the cookies in a box. “There”, he said, “now we will not eat anymore cookies.” “But we can open the box,” said Toad. “That is true,” said Frog. So Frog tied some string around the box. “There,” he said, “we will not eat anymore cookies.” “But we can cut the string and open the box,” said Toad. “This is true,” said Frog. So Frog got a ladder and put the box up on a high shelf. “There”, he said, “now we won’t eat anymore cookies.” “But we can climb the ladder, cut the string, and open the box,” said Toad. “That is true,” said Frog. So Frog climbed upon the ladder, took the box outside and shouted with a loud voice, “Hey birds, here are some cookies!” The birds came from everywhere and ate up all the cookies. Mr. Toad said sadly, “now we have no more cookies to eat, no not one.” “Yes”, said Frog, “but now we have lots of willpower.”
Proverbs 27:20 says, “Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.”
Never embrace the lie that you can take one more look or one more taste. God clearly says, the only way to deal with sinful influence is to remove it from your life. When you remove the depravity, your willpower will grow.
III. We Must Remain Fighters, Vv. 23:6, 8, 10
6 "Be very courageous … 8 hold fast to the LORD your God … 10 one man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.”
Joshua stressed to the men who gathered to hear his final words, “Be strong. Hold fast. Fight Hard.” A great battle rages in which the enemy attempts to destroy our families. He reminded them that God Himself fights for us.
There is tension in Christian faith between forgiveness and fighting. Why?
It is because men have a warrior spirit that is built into our very nature. It often surfaces at the slightest issue. Jesus Christ commanded us to love, so we have falsely concluded that the warrior in us must be part of our sin nature. That is a wrong conclusion! God created man in His image. And part of God’s image, part of His divine character, is a warrior who fights for His children.
Stu Webber identifies four qualities that exist in every man. Webber calls these divine imprints upon a man’s soul the “four pillars of a man’s heart.” God created man to be a a king, a warrior, a mentor, and a friend. Often the emphasis upon the love of God has caused the warrior attributes to be overlooked, or worse, forgotten. Many men are bored with Christianity because the highest aspiration the church presents to these warriors is to “attend church and be a nice guy.” Jesus did not call His disciples to be nice guys that make everyone feel better. He said, “Pick up your cross, deny yourself, and follow me.” Jesus promised that if we followed His call, the world would hate us because the world hated Him. Following Christ is a battle. We are instructed to wear armor, use divine weapons, and fight in platoons to advance the kingdom of God.
American males are obsessed with sports and outdoors activities because they provide a vicarious outlet for the warrior spirit and the desire to conquer.
i.e. (a story I read) “One fall afternoon, my son and two daughters were playing in the yard. No specific rules, no competition, they were just catching leaves that were falling from trees. When one of my son’s friends arrived, the stakes changed. The boys created a leaf catching contest in which the first to catch ten leaves wins. As each boy approached eight or nine leaves, the game escalated into a playful, but intense, hockey game of leaf-catching. The boys began knocking each other down like two hockey players slamming the boards to get the puck. I do not recall a winner. The boys lost count after the injury time-out.”
But the real battle is against a roaring lion that seeks to devour your family. See 1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
There’s the difference between males and females. Girls don’t usually invent games that require bloodshed and destruction. Boys are different. If the game does not have dirt, danger, and destruction, what is the point? God is a warrior, and we are made in His image. God created us to worship, but He also created us to be warriors. And one day those boys may be called upon to defend a nation.
Listen! Warriors marched in bare feet across the snow in a fight for Independence. Warriors stood with courage at the Alamo. Warriors fought to their death at Gettysburg. Warriors stormed the beaches at Normandy. A billboard in New York City accurately describes the warrior spirit. It displays a New York City fireman covered in ash with ground zero in the background. The caption says, “When others ran out, he ran in!”
In the days that followed September 11, 2001, the New York Mets took the field wearing FDNY hats in honor of the New York firemen who had died in the Trade Center attack. The baseball commissioner’s office issued a memo stating that the Mets had violated the uniform rules by not wearing their team’s designated hat. Mets superstar, Mike Piazza, was asked by a reporter what the team would do about “the hat issue.” He said that he and his teammates would continue wearing the FDNY hats for the rest of the season unless the commissioner wanted to come on the field and attempt to physically remove it from his head!
God expects you to choose your identity? God has called you and your family to serve the one true living God. See Joshua 24:14-15
14 "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! 15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
What hat are you wearing today? Are you committed to following Jesus Christ each day?
Choose today … Receive Christ as personal Savior; surrender to Him as Lord.
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