Cleave unto the Lord

Amen. Why don't you stand one more time and open your Bibles to the book of Joshua, chapter 23? We are nearing the end of our study through the book of Joshua, but in these last couple of chapters, the Lord, I'm absolutely sure, wants to speak to us.

Before we get into the text tonight, I just want to ask that you all would be praying. One of the couples in our body here, Craig and Becky Saylor, is in need of our prayers. Craig called me this afternoon, and Becky is pregnant, nearing the end of her pregnancy. They are at the hospital tonight, but she has had a really difficult pregnancy and is having a rough time. So if we could lift them up in prayer right now as a body, just agreeing together. The Scriptures say that if any two of you agree concerning anything on earth, then it will be done for us.

Let’s pray. Lord, we do lift Craig and Becky into Your hands. I pray for Becky right now that You would be with her, that You would give her Your strength. Lord, touch her and bring forth this little baby into the world. Bless them, Lord. You have poured out Your blessings upon Craig and Becky with the three young boys that they already have. We pray for this little baby that will be born very soon. We ask that You would keep Becky healthy and the baby healthy, and keep Craig on his feet, we pray. Lord, be with them tonight, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. You can be seated.

In Joshua 23, we read, "And it came to pass, a long time after that the Lord had given rest unto the children of Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age." Joshua called for all Israel, their elders, their heads, their judges, and their officers, and he said unto them, "I am old and stricken in age. You have seen all that the Lord your God hath done for you, and you have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He that hath fought for you. Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. And the Lord your God, He shall expel them from before you and drive them out from before your sight. You shall possess their land as the Lord your God hath promised unto you."

As we have seen throughout the book of Joshua, the Lord brought His people out of bondage, out of Egypt, and there they were in the wilderness for some time.

For forty years, the Lord led the children of Israel through the wilderness. Then He brought them across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. For the next seven years, the children of Israel battled against their foes, their enemies, and the enemies of God. The Lord dispossessed all the inhabitants of the land before them.

Over the last several weeks, we have seen how the children of Israel have now come to a place of rest. However, between chapter 22 and chapter 23, there is almost 25 years of time during this portion of Scripture. Twenty-five years have passed. For 25 years, the children of Israel have been in the Promised Land, in the land of rest, experiencing all that God had prepared for them—the land that flowed with milk and honey.

Now, Joshua, being old and stricken in age, gathers the people together and begins to speak to them. You see, after 25 years in the land, there are children who have grown up without experiencing battles. They have never faced war or witnessed the struggles against the enemies in the land, those who worshiped false gods. They have lived under peace, in the land of life and rest.

When people grow up in such a situation, it is sometimes easy to become complacent. It can be easy to think, "This is the way it has always been; this is the way it always will be." Joshua, now very old and knowing that his time is nearing, gathers the people and says, "I am old; I am stricken in age." He reminds them to remember all that God has already done for them.

He emphasizes that God has brought them into this land for them to inherit. It is their dwelling place. In verse 3, we read, "And you have seen all that the Lord has done unto all these nations because of you." He speaks to those who were part of that warrior clan that entered the land. He tells them, "You saw it with your own eyes. You witnessed the work that God had done."

However, he points out that their children have not seen those things. Joshua reminds them that the Lord their God is the one who fought for them. Yet, there is now a group of people growing up in Israel who do not know that powerful God who had fought for them; they have not seen Him act on their behalf.

Those marvelous works, the works that God had done there in the wilderness, are remarkable. As the children of Israel were hungry, God poured out manna from heaven. When they were thirsty, God brought forth water from rocks. As they faced enemies against them, God fought for them in the wilderness. He continued to fight for them as they entered the land, taking Jericho, Ai, and Gibeon. God fought for His people and provided for them; they saw it with their own eyes.

Yet now, there is a group of people who did not witness these events. Joshua speaks to the people, reminding them that they have seen these things. He tells them it will not be long before he is gone. As I reflect on this, I realize that Joshua and Caleb were the only two individuals in this nation who had lived through bondage in Egypt, traversed the wilderness, and now resided in the Promised Land. They were the only ones who had witnessed the entire journey. They saw Moses, when he was younger, come into Egypt and lead them out by the mighty hand of God. They experienced the entire time in the wilderness.

Now, Joshua says he is about to die and urges the people to remember all that God has done for them. They witnessed these miracles, and he emphasizes the importance of not forgetting. He points out that their children have not seen these things. It is crucial for every generation to see the work of God, not just hear about it. They should not only listen to stories about what happened thirty years ago at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa or the great events that took place with Mike McIntosh at the North Park Theater. It is essential for them to actually see what God has done in every generation.

Otherwise, we risk repeating the cycle seen in the Book of Judges, where a generation arose that did not know the Lord nor the works He had done for Israel. In the very next chapter, we see that the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. When we lack a constant awareness of the presence of God and His ongoing work, we begin to step back. We become easily tempted and may fall into behaviors we would normally reject. God's chosen people, who had witnessed His mighty acts, must remain vigilant to avoid such pitfalls.

Amazing things they had watched God work. All the gods of the nations around them were little gods, dumb idols. They had eyes, but they could not see; mouths, but they could not speak; ears, but they could not hear. The people there bowed down to these things, saying to a rock, "You are my father," and to a tree, "You gave birth to me." That's what the people around them bowed down to.

Yet the God of Israel, the great one and only, the all-powerful God, the only true God, was the God who fought for His people. He was the God who provided for His people, prepared a place for them, and took care of them every single day. They had seen that, but now they were in the land and had rest for twenty-five years. After that, it was time for a change.

Joshua came to the people and gathered the entire nation together for a great moment. He said everyone was to meet, likely there in Shiloh with the tabernacle. This was a significant gathering. Chapter 24, verse 1 tells us that this is where they met a second time, and Joshua gathered all the people. He reminded them, "You have seen all these things that God has done and all the nations how God got rid of them because of you. For the Lord your God, He is the one who fights for you."

He continued, "Behold, look, take note of this." In verse 4, he said, "I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain to be an inheritance for your tribes." He urged them to look at what had gone on here. The land they had was not always theirs; just twenty-five years earlier, they were not in this place. Now they had been given a portion and inheritance. They had lived there, tasted the fruit of this great land, and seen it every single day.

"Remember," he said, "look at what God has provided for you." He emphasized that they should never forget that God gave this land to them, Israel. I may say to you as well, and I speak to myself also: don't ever forget what God has given to you, the life that He has poured out upon you abundantly. We need to remember.

As we read through the Psalms, we see the psalmist over and over again expressing feelings of being downcast or bummed out. Yet, he reminds himself, saying, "Soul, hope in God."

He speaks to his soul and says, "Remember what God has done and what God will do." Sometimes, it's easy in the mundane life to begin to slack back and think, "Well, everything is as it always was," and forget the great things that God has brought you through in the past. The trials that you face are where God showed Himself powerful on your behalf, and the provision He gave in the eleventh hour. It’s easy to sit back and forget.

Joshua says, "Behold, this land was divided unto you by lot to be an inheritance for your tribes from the Jordan with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward." He emphasizes that this whole place was given to them, between the Jordan River and the great sea, the Mediterranean Sea. It has all been provided for them. As Moses told them in the book of Deuteronomy just before his death, he said, "You’re going to receive cities that you did not build and vineyards that you did not plant. You’re going to eat of the land and live in these cities that you didn’t have to labor for."

Now, they are in the land, and Joshua says, "Behold it! Look at it! Take note of what God has done and don’t forget." The Lord your God shall expel from before you all these nations that remain. If there is anyone still standing against you, he says, "God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight, and you shall possess their land as the Lord your God has promised you."

God has already promised that they would take this whole land. Even after twenty-five years, there are still little pockets where Canaanites, Perizzites, Hittites, and all the different "ites" dwell. The children of Israel still haven't taken the entirety of the land, but Joshua assures them that they will because God promised it to them. He will expel their enemies from before them as they march into the land, and they shall possess this land as the Lord their God has promised.

As God promised in Joshua chapter 1, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that is yours. I have given it unto you." Joshua encourages them that as they press into the land and move toward what God has called them to, they will take it. He will expel their enemies from before them, and they shall possess this land because God promised it to them—not because they are mighty or so good and great, but because God said, "I chose you for this land." It was God's promised land, and He looked around and found a little nation.

He said, "I want to use that group of people not because they're great, but actually because they're small. I want to raise them up and show the world what a nation that is governed by God looks like." That is what Israel means: a nation that is governed by God. He chose this nation and set them apart. He had given them this land and said, "You shall take it because I've promised it to you."

In verse 6, He says, "Be you therefore courageous." Note this: "Be you therefore courageous to fight really hard." Is that what it says? No, it says, "Be you therefore courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left." This is very much the same word that God spoke to Joshua back in Joshua chapter 1, when He told him that if he follows the word and sticks to the word, then he shall make his way successful and prosperous.

If you stick close to My way, My word, God said, then you shall be prosperous in this land. You see, Joshua wasn't the chosen leader of Israel; His word was the chosen leader of Israel. After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, Joshua was raised up to show the children of Israel how to walk in the word and how to live by the word.

Now Joshua stands up and says, "Be courageous! Be very courageous!" Underline that "very" in your Bibles. Be very courageous that you keep the word, that you keep all that was written in the book of the law of Moses. Don't turn to the right hand or to the left hand; keep it, hold on to it.

It takes courage to follow the word of God. It takes courage to do what God has called you to and to follow in His footsteps as outlined in the Scriptures. But if you and I will take that stand and walk in His word, guided by His word, we will see God do great and beautiful things. He will prosper us and do a great work in our lives and through us. But it takes courage; it takes boldness to stand up and say, "I'm not going to go down that wrong path."

I’m going to follow the Word of the Lord. I’m going to do what He has called me to do. But sadly, even in our nation, even this last week, we see that there are those who don't have that courage, that boldness, that conviction. Those who are even called believers, those who are even called Christians, don't have that same courage to stick to the Word of God. Instead, they have been shrinking back from courageously following what the Lord had called them to.

The Episcopal Church confirmed Gene Robinson, an openly homosexual man, this last week and affirmed that same-sex blessing ceremonies take place in their church. They have shrunk back; they have turned to the left away from God's Word. They have turned away from what God had called them to, not boldly sticking to what God had said. It is a sad, sad week. I grew up in the Episcopal Church, and it broke my heart when I heard what they were doing.

But it is exactly what happens when we allow the world to influence us. That’s what Joshua is giving this message about here in Joshua chapter 23: not allowing the world to get into the church. The leaders in the Episcopal Church have lost a bit of the courage of their convictions, the boldness that God has called them to. I pray that it would never happen within this church.

But you know what? It’s possible. Don’t ever think that it’s not possible in our lives or in our church here at Calvary Chapel Escondido on 1675 Seven Oaks Road. If we allow the world to influence us, we go down the same path. Why? Because it takes courage to walk strong in the Word of God and to say, “No, that is sin, and that is wrong.”

I tell you this day that what the Episcopal Church did this week is wrong. As I prayed about it and thought about it, the Lord impressed upon my heart that this church needs to know that what they did is wrong, and they will reap what they have sown. God is not mocked; that’s what the Scriptures say. This week, some of the leaders of the Episcopal Church said that this was God’s leading.

The Holy Spirit is doing a new work in the church, but that is a lie from the enemy. Know that for sure. Rather, what has happened is that the church has been led by men without chests. If you wonder what that means, I encourage you to read the book "The Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis. You'll see exactly what it means to be a man without a chest: a person who has no conviction, a person who has no courage to stand up and say, "No, that's not right." These are men who shrink back from walking in what God has called them to because they want to be politically correct instead of biblically correct.

Joshua, seeing that this can happen even among God's own people—those who are supposed to be governed by God—says, "Watch out! Be therefore courageous to keep the Word." When other people say, "No, that's not right; you need to be more reasonable," we must remember the truth. I was listening to the news this week, and a man by the name of Reverend Shah, actually Bishop Shaw, from somewhere back in Massachusetts, said that the Episcopal Church is not only ruled and governed by the Scriptures but also by reason and by Jesus's ethic of love and inclusiveness found in the New Testament.

When man thinks that he is ruled by reason, his reasoning is wrong because the heart of man is deceitful and wicked above all else. Who can know it? It is a sad thing when the priests of the world begin to be ruled by their own power. Jeremiah talks about this in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 5. There, the Lord asks him, "When you see this and when you see all this stuff going on in the nation, what will you do in the end?"

It is easy to stand up and point the finger at those in this world who are doing wrong things, especially those in the church. However, we must question ourselves: What will we do in the end? We are in the last days. Jesus, our Joshua, comes quickly. The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." Even so, Lord Jesus, come. We must ask ourselves what we will do when those around us who call themselves believers are doing things that are contrary to the Word of God.

Will we be courageous to walk in the Word? That's what Joshua was saying to these people at this point in time: Be ye courageous. Keep all that was written in the book. Don't turn to the right hand or to the left. Don't become a right-wing fundamentalist or a leftist. Just kind of going about, well, the world says it's okay. God has said that it is not okay, and we need to walk in the Word, governed by the Word. That's what God has called us to.

In verse 7, he goes on to say, "Don't go around these nations. Don't spend time walking around them. If you're going to go there, get rid of them. But don't go hang out in these groups of people or serve their gods or bow down to them." That word "bow down" literally means to worship them. Later, in the Greek translation, it comes from the word "proskuneo," which means to prostrate yourself before them. Don't bow yourself before these gods. Don't worship them, but cleave unto the Lord your God as you have done unto this day.

He says, "Don't bow down to them. Don't worship them, but hold on to the Lord. Cleave unto Him. Abide with Him. Overtake Him. Don't let Him go. Be joined to Him. Follow close behind." This is the very same word found in Genesis 2, verse 24, where we read that the husband is to cleave unto his wife. In the same way that you husbands cleave to your wives, we are to hold on to the Lord and never let Him go.

Also in the Scripture, as we see in Deuteronomy 4, verse 4, we find that those who cleave unto the Lord live. He says, "But you that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive." The people in this world who hold on to the Lord and abide with the Lord are the ones who are truly alive. They are the ones living the full and abundant life. People in the world look at us in the church and say, "You guys are a bunch of fuddy-duddies. You can't have any fun."

You don't have any fun. What's up with you people in the church? But you know what? They're dead. They don't know what life is until they lay hold of God and hold on to Him and never let Him go.

Barnabas in the Book of Acts— you guys can turn to this one, Acts chapter 11. You probably remember the story when Peter was on the top of the house in Joppa, and the Lord revealed to him this sheet that came down out of heaven. It had all kinds of different four-footed animals and unclean things on it. The Lord said, "Peter, rise, kill and eat." Peter replied, "Lord, I've never touched any of that stuff. It's unclean." The Lord responded, "Don't call that which is common unclean." Three times the Lord did this.

Right after that, the Spirit told Peter to go downstairs. He went downstairs from the house, and there were three guys standing out there—three Gentiles, three unclean things. The sheet had just been lowered before him three times. The Lord said to Peter, "Go with them." So he went to Cornelius' house, and there the Spirit fell upon the Gentiles. This is the first time we see that Gentiles were saved in Scripture—us.

Peter took word back to them in Jerusalem, and the people of Jerusalem were worried about what he was doing, taking the word of God and eating with Gentiles. Peter explained, "This is what happened. God came upon them. They've been saved." The church in Jerusalem decided they needed to send someone out to meet these people. They chose Barnabas and said, "Barnabas, you go out." His name means "son of encouragement." They instructed him to go and speak to these new churches, these new converts.

Barnabas went and spoke to them, and in verse 22—actually, verse 23—notice what he said. The very first words that God brought to the Gentile church were "cleave to the Lord." Hang on to Him. Never let Him go. Abide with Him. Stick with Him.

Notice down in verse 26 that the disciples were called Christians at Antioch. The Christian church began, and the exhortation to them was to hold on to the Lord. The exhortation of Joshua back in our text was to cleave unto the Lord. Don't let Him go. Hang on to Him.

The Apostle Paul, in Romans chapter 12, would go on to say very much the same thing. He would say to hold on to this evil and cling to that which is good. Hold on to the Lord. Cling to that which is good. Who is good but God? Abhor those things that are evil. Do not turn from the right hand or to the left, but follow the Lord. Pursue hard after Him. As Psalm 63, verse 8 would say, "My soul follows hard after the Lord, and His right hand upholds me."

Do you want the Lord to uphold you in the things that you do? Follow hard after the Lord. Grab hold of Him and cleave unto Him. As Paul the Apostle states in Philippians chapter 3, "I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me." I want to cleave unto Him. Leaving all the other things of this world, I cleave unto the Lord. I lay hold of Him, and His right hand will uphold me.

Sadly, in the book of Jeremiah, we see Jeremiah exhorting the people of Judah and all Israel to cleave unto Him, to cleave to the Lord. In Jeremiah chapter 13, verse 11, the very last few words say, "But they would not hear." They wouldn't hear what the Lord had to say. In Jeremiah chapter 42, verse 15, we read, "And now therefore hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt to go sojourn there, then it shall come to pass that the sword which you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt. And the famine whereof you are afraid shall cleave close after you."

Jeremiah tells the children of Israel that after they said, "No, we're not going to cleave unto the Lord. We're not going to hang on to Him," he warned them that if they go after Egypt, if they go after the world, any man who seeks after the things of this world will find that the sword he fears and the famines he is afraid of shall cleave unto him.

We have a choice in Scripture. Are we going to follow the Lord in His Word, in His good and right way, or are we going to cleave unto the things of the world? If we do, then the famines of this world shall cleave to us. I think of those today who have decided that...

They are going to cling unto the things of this world, whether happy, heterosexual, or homosexual. We see the famines of this world cleaving to them, along with all sorts of venereal diseases and sicknesses that have come about because people have decided to go after the things of this world. God's Word is true. Over and over again, it has been proven to us. It is good and right, and He has given us a choice.

Scripture says God is light, and in Him is no darkness. If you don't want to be in the light, then you only have one other place to be: darkness. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." If you don't want the life that Jesus gives, then the only alternative is death, because He is life, He is light, and He is good, as the Scriptures say. If you don't want the goodness that God gives, what else is there but evil? The choice is ours.

Moses would tell the children of Israel just before his day that he has set heaven and earth as witnesses against them. He exposed them this day to the choice between life and death, blessing and cursing. He urged them to choose life that they might live. However, the world gives us the option to say, "I don't want that, Lord," and to turn and walk away. But God's exhortation to us through Barnabas would be to cleave to the Lord. Through Joshua, it would be to cleave to the Lord. Through Paul, it would be to cleave unto that which is good and to get rid of that which is evil.

Follow the Lord. Joshua speaks to the children of Israel here and says to hang on to God. Don't go anywhere else because He is good and He loves you. Hang on to Him; He will take care of you. He will drive out from before you all of the people that have come against you. He says to cleave unto the Lord even as you have done.

For the Lord has driven out, as stated in verse 9, great nations and strong ones. They may ask, "Why should we hang on to the Lord?" Joshua responds that God has gotten rid of all these wicked nations that were before them, even the big strong ones. But as for them, no man has been able to stand before them unto this day. One man of them shall chase a thousand, for the Lord their God.

He it is that fights for you and has, as He has promised you. So Joshua says, hang on to God. Don't let go of Him. Follow hard after Him. Because He's the one who's taken out all these nations, all these strong nations that came against you. He got rid of them, and one of you would chase a thousand. Remember, don't forget what God has done and what He will do.

Take good heed, therefore, unto yourselves that you love the Lord your God. Back there in Deuteronomy chapter 6, I believe verse 5, Moses would tell the children of Israel to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Throughout the Gospels, we read that over and over again. This is the first and the greatest of all commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

So Joshua says, hang on to the Lord and love Him. Take good heed, therefore, unto yourselves that you love Him. How do we love the Lord? Well, Jesus would tell us in the book of John, if you love me, what is it? Keep my commandments. And so Joshua would say, take good heed to love the Lord. Don't turn away from His word to the left hand or to the right. Keep His commandments. Follow hard after Him.

Else, if you do in any wise go back and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and you shall make marriages with them and go in unto them and they unto you, know for certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you.

So Joshua says, follow hard after the Lord. Keep His word. Cleave unto Him. Take heed to love Him. But if you don't, if you turn and go towards the gods of these people and start to hang out with the nations, then you cleave unto the remnant of these nations and make marriages with them and go in unto them, know for certainty that the Lord will no more drive out any of these nations from before you. God's not going to go before you any longer if you turn from the right hand or to the left. Take careful note of that, Joshua would say. Don't ever forget that.

They shall become snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord God hath given you. He says, if you do go after these nations, then they're going to become snares to you and traps to you. They're going to be like scourges in your side and thorns in your eyes. This is what will happen if you turn away from the Lord, because every good and perfect gift comes from Him. If He removes His presence from you, what are you going to get? Bad and bummer gifts. He says, don't turn away, because if you do, know for certain that this is what's going to happen.

He goes on in verse 14, saying, "And behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth." He indicates that he is going to die soon. He reminds them that in all their hearts and in all their souls, not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you. All have come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof. He asks, have any of the good things that God has spoken to you failed? No, they haven't. In my life, and I'm sure in your lives as well, all the good things that God has said to us have not failed. He has done it. He fails not.

But notice what He says next. Therefore, it shall come to pass that as all these good things have come upon you, which the Lord God has promised you, so shall the Lord bring upon you all the evil things until He has destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you when you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods and bowed yourselves to them. Then the anger of the Lord shall kindle against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which He hath given unto you.

So Joshua says, Israel, listen up. In the same way that God has done all these good things for you, in the same way that He provided for you while you were in the wilderness, and in the same way that He brought you out of Egypt when you were in bondage, and poured out these blessings upon you, know for certain that if you turn away from Him and stop following His covenant and His commandments, then all these evil things shall come upon you as well.

You may say, "Well, wait a minute. Hold on a second. I thought God was a good God. I thought He was loving."

There in Exodus chapter 34, the glory of the Lord passed by, and the Lord said, "The Lord, the Lord God merciful." He's a good God, right? But what's up with this? He is going to pour out these evil things that He has set upon you as well to destroy us from the good land if we turn away from following Him. You might say, "Wait a minute. Where is that in the whole thing of God?" Merciful, gentle, kind, loving, forgiving, iniquity, transgression, and sin—abounding in faithfulness.

You have all heard Gail Irwin probably before. He goes on to say there in Exodus chapter 34, "By no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to their third and fourth generations." He says, "Listen, if you turn away and you're guilty, don't think I'm just going to go, 'Oh, it's okay.'" Don't think that God will turn from the fierceness of His wrath upon those who reject Him.

There is a way that God has called us to walk, and that way brings blessing. It brings life. It brings rest. It brings peace, joy, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. All of these things that the Scripture says, "Against such there is no law." That's the way that God has prepared. But there is a way that seems right to a man, and the end thereof is death.

For the believer, for the Israelite, Joshua says, "If you turn away this day and you begin to follow your own paths, know for certain that God will bring these evil things upon you and get rid of you out of this land." You might say, "But wait a minute, aren't they the children of God?" Yes, but there's an important Scripture that we should never forget in the book of Hebrews.

After the Lord speaks through the writer of Hebrews about these men and women of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, we come to Hebrews chapter 12. We read, "Wherefore, seeing also we are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. And let us run with endurance."

The race that is set before us requires looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and faint in your souls. You have not yet resisted unto bloodshed, striving against sin.

You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as children. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked by Him. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives. The chastening of the Lord upon the children of Israel, which we will see as we go through the Old Testament, was proof that God loved His people. It was proof that they really were His children.

When you see a child doing something wicked and it's not your child, oftentimes there's a thought in your mind: "Well, whatever, just let them go. It's not my kid. Thank God it's not my kid." But when you see your own child doing something wrong, if you didn't chasten them, then there may be a problem. Do you really love them? The Lord loves us so much that, yes, He will pour out blessings abundantly upon us, but He will also allow us to go through the cursings and punish those who turn from Him.

Joshua tells his people, whom he had led for quite some time, not to forget that if they turn away from following the Lord, if they do not cleave unto Him any longer but instead cleave unto the things of this world, they should know for certain that evil things will come upon them. He calls the nation to himself and says, "Be courageous. Follow the Lord at His word." Then he advises them to be cautious: "Don't go towards the things of this world. Stay away from these other nations." Finally, he urges them to be consistent: "Cleave unto the Lord as you have until this day." He warns them to be careful because if they do turn away, they will be chastened.

And I think we in the United States, in the year 2003, in August—what are we, August 9th?—need to remember these words. The Lord comes to us and says, "Church, be courageous and follow my word." He also warns us to be cautious of those around us who don't know Him but serve false gods. We must be consistent in our walk with Him. Hang on to Him as you have so far. Be careful not to pursue those things, because you will be chastened.

Joshua stands in the presence of his friends, of his brothers, and he says, "Be careful. Be careful." I wonder if some of you in this room have found that over the last several months, or maybe the last several years of your Christian life, you haven't really had victory. You've always wondered, "Why am I not having victory here? How come the Lord is not getting rid of these enemies that are before me? How come it's not verse 5, where He shall expel them from before me? Why isn't God driving them out of my sight? Why isn't God being strong on my behalf? Why does it seem like there's a thousand coming against me, and I'm turning and running away?"

I submit to you tonight that maybe there's no victory in your life because you've turned to the right hand or to the left. The Lord would say to Joshua, "Take heed to do all that is written in the book of the law. Then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success." I'm not saying tonight that we are called to a legalistic life where we have to live by the book and do all the laws, because Scripture declares that we can't do it.

But we are called to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. I believe that out of that, we will love our neighbors as ourselves. We are called to cleave unto the Lord. Hang on to Him. Never let Him go. If tonight you're not doing that and you've strayed to the right hand or to the left, and maybe you're not a Christian, you're not experiencing victory anymore. The Lord would call you to caution tonight and say, "Be careful, because I will chasten you because I love you." Maybe tonight you're in the midst of that chastening.

And you're saying, "Lord, why? Why are you doing this to me? I don't understand." The Lord would say, "Please just turn to me. Despise not my chastening. I love you."

Maybe tonight you say, "I'm dwelling in the promised land. I'm living in rest. This is just wonderful. I love church. I love worship." Be courageous to stick with the Lord, but be on caution. Be on guard. Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. The Apostle Paul would tell the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 to remember all these things that happened to the children of Israel. They were written for our examples upon whom the end of the ages have come. We're living in the last days. Does anybody in this room not believe that? If not, Pastor Richard will talk with you afterwards in his office.

The Lord desires that we would be on guard, watching. Blessed is that servant whom his master finds watching when he comes. The Lord wants us to be on the watch, on the lookout, looking for Him coming. Be as the wise virgins who were ready when the Lord came. Are we ready? How can we be ready? Well, be courageous. Be cautious. Be consistent. Be careful, lest you be chastened.

Some of you tonight, maybe you're cleaving to some of the worldly gods. You say, "Well, we don't have any false images today." We may not have little gold statues, but it looks like we're going in that direction. There are a lot of false images today. Many people in the world are serving and bowing down to power, prosperity, pleasure—whatever it may be—trying to get those things. If you're in that place tonight, you'll never be satisfied. Those things will only bring you into bondage. They'll bind you, and then they'll blind you, and then they'll grind you, as with Samson in the book of Judges.

Remember there, as he walked close to the world and got too close to the things of this world, he finally gave up his secret that his strength was found in his hair. But you know what? He was wrong. His strength was found in God, and the hair was just a symbol.

Of that strength in God, they came and cut it off. He woke up and did not know that the Lord had left him. He didn't realize that God was gone. The Philistines came upon him, bound him with bronze fetters, and plucked out his eyes. They blinded him and sent him down to the grinding mill, where he ground there. Sin will bind you, blind you, and grind you.

We need to turn to the Lord, hold on to Him, and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength by seeking to follow Him in His Word. If you have that heart and begin to follow Him, He will do the work. He will transform you in ways you wouldn't believe. You'll look back, and people will notice that you're not the same person. Something has changed about you. Praise the Lord that God is able to do that.

As I was coming over to the church this afternoon, I thought, why do You choose us to declare Your praises to the world, Lord? The Lord began to speak to my heart, saying, "I chose you because you're a fool. I chose you because you're weak." What? I chose you because you're weak? Huh? And you're debased. I set you aside so that I could transform you. I could do something that no one else in the world—no self-help book, no medication, nothing—could do for you.

I'm transforming you, and as I do, the world is looking and asking, what in the world has happened to that foolish, weak, and base person? God has transformed him. That's why He chose Israel, and that's why He chose you. Because we are foolish, weak, and base, He wants to change us, transform us, conform us, and make us new. But we need to follow hard after Him, and He will hold us up.

Let's pray. God, I do thank You for Your Word. Lord, this is Your spoken Word to us. You're speaking to us right now. I pray that we would never think that this is just a neat fictional book that didn't really happen, but rather that someone just came up with a neat idea. Lord, this is truth. This is history. This is Your story—His story. You're speaking to us about the story that You want to create in our lives.

So God, I pray that you'd transform us. Tonight, if any of us have been walking close to the line, Lord, that you'd shake us up and chasten us. You love us, and we thank you for that.

But Lord, help us to be courageous and to stand upon Your Word. When people we work with, people we go to school with, and people in our families say, "Oh, come on, it's not that big of a deal. Be a little bit more reasonable," help us to stand up and say, "No. You've called me to be light. You've called me to be salt."

Lord, let me not lose that savor. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.