Sermon -- 14th Sunday after Pentecost (August 29, 2021)

JOSHUA 24:1-2,14-18

AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.

In the name + of Jesus.

      The words of Joshua here are both a farewell address and a confirmation vow.  Joshua’s days of leading the Israelites were coming to a close.  Joshua knew that the blessings in the Promised Land were great, but they would also be a great temptation. 

     When times were difficult, Israel’s dependence upon God was glaringly apparent.  They lived in tents and traveled from station to station.  Every day, the Lord provided bread on the ground for them to eat.  Regularly, the Lord provided water for them, sometimes having it pour forth from rocks.  And it was not food or water for a few.  Israel was a nation of about two million people, not including the flocks and herds and other animals they tended.  God’s providence was both miraculous and abundant.  In addition to this, the people of Israel fell under the threat of other nations.  Since they were not seasoned warriors, they could have been an easy target for other armies.  But God had been with them to protect and to provide.

     In the Promised Land, the people of Israel went from living in tents to living in fortified cities in homes that they did not even build.  They went from manna on the ground to the ground producing abundant crops, orchards, and vineyards.  They went from wilderness to a land abundant in natural resources.  The Promised Land meant blessing and prosperity and peace.

     But would prosperity and peace result in forgetting the Lord?  Would the Israelites find other gods more exciting or promising greater happiness?  Whom would they follow?  Where would the put their confidence?  Whom would they praise for their good?  To whom would they cry out in the day of trouble?  Therefore, Joshua to spoke: “Fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.  Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.  And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond 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” (Joshua 24:14-15).

     Joshua recognized the other gods that might appeal to these people.  The gods of the Amorites (we call them Canaanites) were gods who appealed to sensual desires.  They were credited with supplying wine and beer.  They were served with temple prostitution.  They did not tell you to exercise self-control; they encouraged you to gratify your desires.  They promised a good time.

     Then there were the Egyptian gods.  They represented material gain and worldly glory.  The Nile and the sun provided rich delicacies.  The ox and the eagle meant power and glory.  Egypt could boast of centuries of dynastic rule to claim that their gods performed well.  Their gods promised worldly success.

     Then there were the gods from beyond the Euphrates River.  These were mystical gods.  People tried to gain special wisdom and insight through meditation, introspection, and mystical arts.  They sought God from within their own minds and hearts.  Truth could be altered according to convenience and preference.  These gods promised superior spirituality.

     You might think that these Old Testament gods mean nothing to us now.  But these false gods are still around; they just have different names.  And they are still appealing.  Just look at what money can get you.  Why deny sensual pleasures when they can be had so easily?  Why not try to feel good when so many bad things happen in the world?  And what a powerful feeling to find divine thoughts in yourself!  Who wouldn’t worship a god who always agrees with you?

     These gods still entice us.  Their disciples are found among our friends who boast about what they have and have done.  We often envy such people because they give way to their desires, and they seem to have happiness without regret or consequence.  But every false god is a lie.  Even if you have limitless money, it will not buy you one extra minute of life.  Even if you gratify every sensual lust you have, you will not feel loved, but useless or used.  If you claim to be spiritual but not religious, you end up turning to yourself for your faith and hope.  But what comfort will you have when you are beaten down by life or terrorized by death?  These are no gods at all which cannot help you when you really need it.  Do not envy those who serve them, and certainly do not join them.  Get rid of any idols; for they lie to you and bring only death.

     As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  Joshua recognized that there was only one real God, and he is the God who saves.  Just as Joshua brought the people into the Promised Land, so also it is your Joshua who delivers you to a promised heaven.  In Aramaic, his name is pronounced Yeshua.  You know him best as Jesus.  Jesus is the God who has come to save you from every false god, every false promise, and every false hope. 

     Jesus does not merely give us coping mechanisms for life.  With Jesus, we don’t buy time.  He gives us life everlasting.  With Jesus, love is not about using someone to gratify feelings or desires.  Jesus loves us by giving himself up for us and freely giving what is good for us.  With Jesus, we don’t deal with our sins by dulling our senses with alcohol.  With Jesus, we have a Savior who takes pangs of conscience away by forgiving our sins.  With Jesus, we don’t have to grapple around looking for truth.  He tells us what is true and is firmly established by God.

     Jesus is your Savior, and he is the only Savior there is.  Jesus carried your sins upon himself and suffered the consequences at the cross.  Jesus paid the price for all our idolatry and self-worship.  It is not money that saves, but Jesus’ holy, precious blood.  Love is not found in sensuality, but in Jesus’ sufferings and death.  You do not have a God who seeks to take advantage of you, but works for your advantage.  It is not your own pondering that gives you hope or comfort, but the words of the Savior who conquered death and lives and reigns for your good.  As for me and my house, this is the Lord we will serve; for he is the only one who saves and lives and reigns.  He delivers you from the curse of sin and the power of death.  He promises you a new heaven and earth.  Your Lord will deliver you safely through this world, and your Yeshua will deliver you to the Promised Land.  That is why Joshua vowed as he did: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

     The elders of Israel vowed their own faithfulness to the Lord.  They declared, “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” (Joshua 24:16,18).  As we had heard in the reading, they cited the reasons for faithfulness to God: Because God had faithfully saved them.  There is no other God who saves.  So as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

     The Israelites are to be commended for the vow they made: “We will serve the Lord, for he is our God” (Joshua 24:18).  I would like to say that the Israelites lived up to their vow and were faithful to the Lord, but I can’t.  Read the book of Judges for what happened next.  It is not a happy ending.  Once the older generation died, their children turned away.  They did not listen to God’s word.  They got absorbed in material gain, sensual desires, and mystical wisdom.  The lies of the false gods were more attractive than the salvation of the Lord.  It is a warning that deserves our attention.

     How does one avoid this?  Joshua answers: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).  It is a daily commitment that means hearing the word of the Lord and putting it into practice.  It means turning a deaf ear to the enticing lies.  It means showing your children that God’s word matters by making God’s word matter with church attendance, Bible classes, and reading the Bible at home.  Your children are the only thing God gives you in this world that you would see in the world to come.  The priorities you enforce in this world are what will produce that joyful reunion in eternity.  The commitment is set now: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

     As a general rule, children will follow the example of their parents.  If your faith is limited to this building, don’t expect your children to serve the Lord at school, at work, in their marriage, or with their friends.  When God’s word permeates throughout your life, your children will see that it matters.  When you pray together, they will see that you actually do cast your cares upon God.  When you discuss God’s word together, they will learn that God’s word applies to their lives in very real ways, not just as history lessons.  When gathering together at God’s house is a priority, they will see that church is essential, not optional.  When you work with your children on memorizing Bible passages or the Catechism, they will know that God’s word is worth remembering.  They will be more apt to endure hardship, and more grateful when they receive blessings.  They will be less likely to be enticed by material gain, sensual desires, or idolatry of themselves.

     Now it may happen that this commitment will be a new course for you, or maybe a greater emphasis than it has been.  Some of your family might even contest it.  “Why are we doing this?  Why have you become a zealot all of a sudden?”  Don’t let such questions bother you.  Be honest, and acknowledge: “Only Jesus has the words of eternal life.  Only Jesus has words which bring comfort in this life.  That’s why this matters.”  It would be like starting a new diet and exercise regimen.  You wouldn’t say, “Nah.  We’re out of shape.  It’s too much work.  What’s the point?”  You do it because you know you need it.  And it will be hard to establish the new, better habit.  Your sinful flesh always prefers to be lazy.  But the benefits are important, and the commitment is worth it.  What could be more important than the eternal welfare of your family?

     Let it be known to your own family and to others who ask: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  For there is no other God, and there is no other Savior.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.