As for me and my hoase we will seve the Lord

Serving the Lord with the whole members of the Family

1. THE CONQUEST IS NOT COMPLETE – ENEMIES REMAIN IN THE LAND THE SETTING

2. THE CONQUEST IS NOT COMPLETE – ENEMIES REMAIN IN THE LAND JOSHUA IS ABOUT TO DIE & FUTURE LEADERSHIP IS UNCLEAR THE SETTING

3. THE CONQUEST IS NOT COMPLETE – ENEMIES REMAIN IN THE LAND JOSHUA IS ABOUT TO DIE & FUTURE LEADERSHIP IS UNCLEAR But Joshua’s primary concern is not with these imposing problems . . . THE SETTING

4. THE CONQUEST IS NOT COMPLETE – ENEMIES REMAIN IN THE LAND JOSHUA IS ABOUT TO DIE & FUTURE LEADERSHIP IS UNCLEAR But Joshua’s primary concern is not with these imposing problems . . . . . . but rather with whether they will consecrate themselves to God THE SETTING

5. Joshua 24:15 Joshua 24:15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord , choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord .”

6. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” Joshua 24:15

7. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” Your decision to serve God must be grounded in accurate understanding of what kind of God He is! Joshua 24:15

8. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who is far greater than all His enemies Joshua 24:15 Joshua 24:5 “I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt by what I did in its midst . . . 6 I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 But when they cried out to (Me), I put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them . . .

9. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who is far greater than all His enemies Joshua 24:15 8 Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites . . . and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land . . . 9 Then Balak . . . arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you . 10 But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand.

10. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who is far greater than all His enemies Joshua 24:15 11 . . . the citizens of Jericho fought against you . . . Thus I gave them into your hand. 12 Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow.

11. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who is far greater than all His enemies Joshua 24:15 Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

12. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who gives us roles in His plan – by His grace, not by our merit or power Joshua 24:15 Joshua 24:2 “Thus says the Lord , the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River . . . and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River . . . and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob . . . 5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron . . .’”

13. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who gives us roles in His plan – by His grace, not by our merit or power Joshua 24:15 Joshua 24:13 “I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.”

14. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who gives us roles in His plan – by His grace, not by our merit or power Joshua 24:15 Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that (salvation is) not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for significant accomplishments, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

15. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who gives us roles in His plan – by His grace, not by our merit or power Joshua 24:15 Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that (salvation is) not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for significant accomplishments, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

16. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who always keeps His promises Joshua 24:15 Joshua 23:14 “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.”

17. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who always keeps His promises Joshua 24:15 Hebrews 6:18 . . . it is impossible for God to lie, (so) we who have taken refuge (in Him) have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast . . .

18. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who is jealous for our exclusive devotion Joshua 24:15 Joshua 24:19 “. . . He is a jealous God . . . 23 Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the Lord , the God of Israel.”

19. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who is jealous for our exclusive devotion Joshua 24:15 James 4:4 Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?”

20. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD ” The God who is far greater than all His enemies The God who gives us roles in His plan by His grace – not by our merit or power The God who always keeps His promises The God who is jealous for our exclusive devotion Joshua 24:15

21. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” Joshua 24:15

22. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” This is different from the decision to receive Christ & His free gift of salvation Joshua 24:15 John 1:12 But as many as receive Christ, to them He gives the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. Acts 16:30 “What must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved . . .”

23. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” This is the subsequent decision to make God your Ruler, & to give your whole life to Him Joshua 24:15 Joshua 24:14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord .

24. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” This is the subsequent decision to make God your Ruler, & to give your whole life to Him Joshua 24:15 Romans 12:1 I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice , acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind , so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

25. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” This is the decision to give your whole life to God, to serve Him only & follow His will Joshua 24:15 “Presenting myself to God implies a recognition that I am altogether His. This giving of myself is a definite thing, just as definite as (receiving Christ). There must be a day when I pass out of my own hands into His, and from that day forward I belong to Him and no longer to myself. That does not mean that I consecrate myself to be a preacher or a missionary . . . Then to what are we to be consecrated? Not to Christian work, but to the will of God, to be and to do whatever He requires  . . .”

26. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” This is the decision to give your whole life to God, to serve Him only & follow His will Joshua 24:15 “Presenting myself to God implies a recognition that I am altogether His. This giving of myself is a definite thing, just as definite as (receiving Christ). There must be a day when I pass out of my own hands into His, and from that day forward I belong to Him and no longer to myself. That does not mean that I consecrate myself to be a preacher or a missionary . . . Then to what are we to be consecrated? Not to Christian work, but to the will of God, to be and to do whatever He requires  . . .”

27. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” This is the decision to give your whole life to God, to serve Him only & follow His will Joshua 24:15 “It is our wills that are in question here. That strong self-assertive will of mine must go to the Cross, and I must give myself wholly to the Lord. We cannot expect a tailor to make us a coat if we do not give him any cloth . . . and in just the same way, we cannot expect the Lord to live out His life in us if we do not give Him our lives in which to live. Without reservations, without controversy, we must give ourselves to Him to do as He pleases with us. ‘Present yourselves to God.’”

28. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” If you make this decision, God will gradually reveal many things He wants to change Joshua 24:15 “If we give ourselves unreservedly to God, many adjustments may have to be made: in family, or business, or relationships, or in the matter of our personal views . . . His finger will touch, point by point, everything that is not of Him, and He will say ‘That must go.’ Are you willing?  It is foolish to resist God, and always wise to submit to Him.

29. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” If you make this decision, God will gradually reveal many things He wants to change Joshua 24:15 “. . . many of us still have controversies with the Lord. He wants one thing, while we want something else. Many things we dare not look into, dare not pray about, dare not even think about, lest we lose our peace. We can evade the issue that way, but to do so will bring us out of the will of God. It is always an easy matter to get out of His will, but it is a blessed thing just to hand ourselves over to Him and let Him have His way with me.”

30. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” If you make this decision, you won’t have any lasting regrets Joshua 24:15 “The path of every Christian has been clearly marked out by God, and it is of supreme importance that each one should know and walk in the God-appointed course . . . There is nothing more tragic than to come to the end of life and know we have been on the wrong course. We have only one life to live down here and we are free to do as we please with it, but if we seek our own pleasure our life will never glorify God . . .

31. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” If you make this decision, you won’t have any lasting regrets Joshua 24:15 “My giving of myself to Him must be an initial fundamental act. Then, day by day, I must go on giving (myself) to Him . . . This is the attitude God delights in . . . I consecrate myself to God to do His will where I am, be it in school, office, or kitchen or wherever He may, in his wisdom, send me. Whatever He ordains for me is sure to be the very best, for nothing but good can come to those who are wholly His!” Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life , “Presenting Ourselves to God”

32. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE , WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” Joshua 24:15

33. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE , WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” You can’t make your future spouse or children serve the Lord . . . Joshua 24:15

34. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE , WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” You can’t make your future spouse or children serve the Lord . . . . . . but you can determine to marry only someone who has chosen to serve the Lord Joshua 24:15 1 Corinthians 7:39 . . . S he is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord . . . 35 This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.

35. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE , WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” You can determine to serve the Lord with others who have chosen to serve Him Joshua 24:15 2 Timothy 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

36. “AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” Next to the decision to receive Christ, this is the most important decision you will ever make!! Joshua 24:15