Holdfast: Clinging to God When Faced with Decisions

Intro:

1.        Who I am

2.       What we’ve been doing

3.       Similarities between what’s happened to Israel and Christian life

I.                    Recap

1. God leading Israel into the Promised land

-God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises

-out of captivity into new life

b.      Israel crossing the Jordan River

-judgment of God

-ark of covenant

c.       Jericho

-destroying the things marked for destruction

-annihilate the things that threaten to enslave Israel or lead them away from the Lord

-God is the one that brings down the Jericho

d.      Ai

-Israel defeated because holding onto sin

-turn defeat to victory by turning to God

e.      Gibeonites

-need to turn to submit all our decisions to God

-even when we think we have things under control

f.        Levites

-claiming the full inheritance of the Lord

-not settling for a partial claim

Transition

1. Tonight we are nearing the end of Joshua and we’ll be looking at Joshua 23.  So if you have your bible please turn to Joshua 23. 
2. Joshua is passing on the torch and he wants to make sure that the next generation of leaders understands what allowed Israel to experience victory

-Pattern of Success

 Joshua wants to make sure the leaders of Israel Hold fast to the things that allowed them to experience victory. 

3.  "Learn to fight from victory and out of victory." –Rob Gaschler

-God has already promised the Israelites victory and all they have to do to claim God’s promise is to Hold fast.

4. This idea of fighting out of victory is relevant to us too.  To experience victory in the Christian life, just like the Israelites we need to

+Hold fast to the promises of the Lord.

II.                   Me

1. We’re not going to be going through the whole passage tonight, but as I was studying through chapter 23 to get a sense of what was being said the chapter has three parts:  A reminder, an exhortation, and a warning. 
2. This passage sounds a whole lot like talks I’ve had with people when I ask for advice
3. We ask for advice or receive advice when we face decisions. 
4. Example: Deciding where to go for lunch. 
5. Decision I face is where to get my chorizo burrito.
6. Before making a decisions I base my future course of action off of prior experience or knowledge. (Reminder)
7. Los Betos previous experience getting sick

-others experience informs my decisions( they get sick too)

-something we do unconsciously and sometimes forgetfully

8. Affirmation/Validation of our decisions
9.   We want someone to tell us that the decision we plan on making is a good one. (Exhortation)  
10. I tell my friends Matt and Keith I want a Chorizo burrito from Viva Burrito. 

-Already knew what Matt thought, stacked the deck so I could hear what I wanted and get his endorsement of my decisions. 

11. This brings us to the final aspect in decision making.  Warning.  Although Matt and I want to go to Viva Burrito for a Chorizo burrito, my friend Keith warns us that Viva, has been cited for several health code violations and if we end up going there we’re probably going to get food poisoning and die.  Instead of going there he recommends that we go to Nico’s instead.   

Transition:

1.  At this point, I’m now faced with actually making a decision.  I have this memory of past experience. (Los Betos)  An exhortation toward action. (Matt)  And a warning against possible action.  (Keith)
2. Now if you were in my position which decision would you make?  I’m going to guess with all the information I’ve give you that you’d probably go to Nico’s, right?  It would be foolish and silly to go to Los Betos or Viva, right?

III.                 We

1. The crazy thing is when we are faced with decisions; a lot of us choose Los Betos and Viva. 
2. Blinded or overwhelmed by present circumstances.    We get caught up in all the details of our present circumstance and we don’t take the time to remember how God has gotten us through past situations.  We forget to remember. 
3. Face difficult situation and might know what God wants us to do, but we really don’t want to do it because we think it’s hard.

-Make Disciples, Serve in the Church

-selective hearing , we try to stack the deck by proof texting our decisions

-we twist God’s word to fit our decisions. 

-We pick and choose from scripture what we think is relevant to our lives. 

4. Other times we might have clear warnings from God about what not to do. 

-ignore the warning because we think it doesn’t apply to us

-we’re strong enough to flirt with danger

Transition:

1. Each of these factors affecting our judgment aren’t just unique to us.  God knew that there’d be things that affect our decisions.  So we see pictures of people faced with decisions all throughout the bible. 
2. Throughout Israel's History, beginning in Exodus we see God as the initiator saving his people from captivity.  His people forget who they were, who God is, and what He has done.  They turn away from Him ignoring His exhortations and warning.   They do things their own way and end up living with harmful consequences.
3. More often than not, I think that most of us find ourselves in Israel’s shoes making the same mistakes they did.  So what does this all mean for us, right?  How do we make decisions that lead to victory and establish patterns of success?
4. This is where we go to Joshua 23

IV.                 God

1. Joshua 23:3-11(NLT)

You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. ⁴ Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Great Sea^a in the west. ⁵ The Lord your God himself will drive them out of your way. He will push them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you. ⁶ “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. ⁷ Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. ⁸ But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now. ⁹ “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. ¹⁰ One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. ¹¹ So be very careful to love the Lord your God.^[1]

2.  There’s lots of good stuff so let’s try to break this down a bit.  There are two key points in this passage that I think are indicative of the chapter and have huge implications for how we should live. 
3. Joshua talks about all the things God has done for the people of Israel.  He spends a good deal of the chapter reminding them about the promises and faithfulness of God. 
4. Joshua reminds the leaders of Israel what they’ve seen God do (prior experience/reminder), how God has fulfilled His promises. 
5. The second thing Joshua emphasizes is God himself.  The one doing all the hard work is God.  Without God none of the things Joshua talks about would ever have happened.
6. Now, remember Joshua is about to die, under his leadership a pattern of success has been established based on Israel’s reliance on God.  Joshua wants Israel to continue experiencing victory in the Promised Land.  So what does he tell them to do?  In vs.  8?  Hold fast to the Lord your God. 

Transition:

1.  So how does all this stuff Joshua said to Israel apply to us? 

V.                    You

1.  Holdfast to the promises of God.  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you’ve been led out of captivity and into the Promised Land.
2. Colossians 1:13-14(The Message)

God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.^[2]

3.  As a believer God wants you claim your inheritance, he wants to annihilate the sin in your life that keeps you from enjoying the freedom and fullness of life found in Jesus Christ.
4. Johnn 10:10(Message)

I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.^[3]

5.  If you’re a follower of Jesus then you need to remind yourself daily that this(point around/pull clothes), this isn’t our real life. 
6. Don’t try to hold on to or grab up what you think is going to save your life here.  Jesus says
7. Luke 9:24(NLT)

^“ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.^[4]”

8. Don’t lose focus of Who God is and What He has done for you.  When you’re faced with difficult circumstances remember God is the one that holds the power of life and death.  The Lord your God is the same God who provided food for his people in the Wilderness.  The Lord your God is the same God who brought down the walls of Jericho.  The Lord your God is the one who made the Sun stand still to give His people victory.  The God we’ve been reading about in Joshua is the same God today!  Through his Son Jesus Christ you are His Children.  You are His people.  Holdfast to the Lord your God

VI.                 We

1. Tonight, there maybe some of you here that can’t say that this God we’ve been singing about and talking about is your God. 
2. You may have been in and around God’s people.  You may have heard and seen the things God has done in the lives of His people.  But up till now you’ve never experienced Him working in your life. 
3. I want to remind you of a story in Joshua, about Rahab.  She wasn’t a part of God’s people.  She actually lived in Jericho, a city marked for destruction.  She wasn’t an exceptional gifted or rich person, in fact she was prostitute.  But she had heard about all the things God had done for His people.  She recognized that she was doomed to die.  Then she came across these people of God, enemies of her city.  Instead of turning them in she took a risk trusting that the God of these people would be able save her from being destroyed. 
4. You have to understand that Jericho, Rahab’s city was a powerful city, both wealthy and protected by magnificently strong walls.  But Rahab doesn’t put her trust in any of those things.  She decides to place her trust in God and Hold Fast to the promise of being spared from destruction. 
5. If you guys remember how the story ends.  Rahab and her family are the only ones spared from destruction when Jericho falls.  Not only was she spared from death, but the bible says that she lived among God’s people.  In fact Rahab is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus.  Rahab made a decision to forsake everything she ever knew and chose to Hold Fast to the God of Israel and His promise. 

Response time:

As the band comes up we’re going to have a time of response.  I don’t know what your story is or what decisions you face.

1.  If you’re faced with some tough situations and stressing out about how you’re going to get things done, maybe you need to spend some time remembering how God has provided for you.  Spend this time thanking Him for what He’s done and what is going to do in your life.  Hold Fast to your previous experience with God.
2. Some of you might not be anxious at all.  You think you have everything together.  You can manage life on your own.  Let me tell you this, everything on this earth that you put your trust in is going to wear out and fail.  Don’t put your trust in things that fail.  Hold Fast to the living God Jesus Christ. 
3. Some of you still might not be sure about what you think about this whole God thing.  But maybe you’ve seen how God has been calling you to Himself.  How God has shaped your life journey so that you’d end up here tonight.  We’ve been telling you all night to put your faith in Jesus Christ and Hold Fast to God and His promises.  And now you’re faced with a decision.  If that’s you tonight, let me encourage you to place your trust in Jesus now.  Don’t wait. 

Whatever it is that you need to give to God, do it now during this time of response.  You can come up here to the steps to pray.  If you need help with this idea of Holding Fast to God Rob will be here at the front, and he’ll be more than happy to walk you through some steps.  Maybe you need to get with one of the people in your life group, go to them and ask them to pray with you.  Whatever it is that you need to do, do it now.  Don’t wait. 

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^a That is, the Mediterranean

^[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Jos 23:3–11.

^[2] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message : The Bible in Contemporary Language (Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 2002), Col 1:13–14.

^[3] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message : The Bible in Contemporary Language (Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 2002), Jn 10:10.

^[4] Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible : New Living Translation., 2nd ed. (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004), Lk 9:24.