Sermon Tone Analysis

How Do You Receive Your Inheritance?

Joshua 14:1-15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell  © 1999

 

 

How Do You Receive Your Inheritance?

You Are Destined To Receive A Special Inheritance

 

Perhaps you’ve had the disappointing and annoying experience of receiving in the mail an envelope that identifies you as the winner of a large sum of money or some other fantastic prize, only to open it and discover you hadn’t won anything at all.

It was simply a ploy to get you to enter a contest or purchase a product.

However the inheritance that God is keeping for His people is not like that.

His word is certain.

He will certainly keep His promises.

/But how do we receive it?/

The same way we receive anything in the Christian life through faith.

It is as we serve the Lord by faith that we store up for ourselves treasure in heaven.

Introduction

 

Joshua chapter 11 concluded with the land at peace.

Last week I mentioned that this did not mean that all of the enemy had been defeated.

But rather that they had subdued the entire country and defeated all the cities they fought against.

Chapter 12 of Joshua lists out the kings defeated by Moses and Joshua.

Israel had completed the conquest of Canaan.

However there was still pockets of Canaanites that had to be conquered.

*Joshua 13:1 says:* /Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed./

Then God listed the land to be taken in the next 5 verses.

*Joshua 13:7* says this:/ “Now therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

/

 

Joshua was to divide the land amongst the 9 1~/2 tribes.

Then the individual tribes were to conquer their territory on their own.

The inheritance of the 9 1~/2 tribes west of the Jordan is described in Joshua chapters 13 to 19.

Each tribe in turn came to Joshua at Gilgal to receive their inheritance from the Lord.

/How would Israel receive their inheritance?/

By faith!

The first generation failed to receive it because of unbelief.

Hebrews 3:19 tells us that they didn't claim God's promise because of unbelief.

Their faith was to rest on 3 things.

1.

God’s Providence

2. God’s Promises

3. God’s Provision

 

1 Through God’s Providence / //By Casting Lots/

 

*/a.

Divided By The Leaders/* 

 

God’s leaders determined this.

The high priest, Joshua and the heads of the fathers were appointed by God to divide the land.

*Joshua 14:1 */These are the areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed as an inheritance to them.

/In chapter 13 verse 7 we saw how God told Joshua to divide up the land.

Eleazar the priest, Joshua and the heads of the fathers determined which tribe inherited each portion of land.

God had chosen these men to divide the /inheritance/ among Israel.

The word /inheritance/ is used 8 times in chapter 14 and is the key word.

God had brought Israel to Canaan for this very purpose.

*/b.

Determined By Lot    /*    

* *

*Joshua 14:2* /Their inheritance was by lot, as the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe./

The method of determining this was by the lot.

This was not left to mere chance since God caused the lot to fall as He desired.

*Proverbs 16:33 */The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

/This was probably the method God used to reveal Achan’s sin.

God revealed His will in this process.

*/c.

Directed By The Lord  /*     

 

*Joshua 14:5* /As the LORD had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did; and they divided the land.

/Joshua, Eleazar and all the leadership obeyed the Lord exactly in all of this.

Although the leadership was involved in all of this, it was really the Lord who divided Israel’s inheritance.

He knew the needs of each tribe.

His inheritance for each tribe was tailor made.

The first tribe to receive their inheritance was Judah, because they were the largest tribe.

They came to see Joshua at Gilgal.

*/God’s providence/* determined the allotments given to each tribe.

/The individual tribes would then take possession of it: /

 

Application

 

*/But what about the church, do we receive an inheritance?/ 1 Peter 1:3-5 */Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God *through faith* for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

/God has reserved an inheritance for every one of His children.

This should encourage us to continue by faith when times are tough.

2 Through God’s Promises - /Caleb’s Example Of Faith/

/ /

*Joshua 14:6-8 */Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the *Kenezite* said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.

Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.

Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: *but I wholly followed the LORD my God.

*/

 

*/a.

Words Of Faith /*

 

*1.

He Believed God*

 

In verse 14 Caleb is called a */Kenizzite/*.

In Genesis 15:19 the */Kenizzites/* are described as inhabitants of Canaan.

It seems that some of Caleb’s family joined themselves to Israel like Rahab had.

In Caleb’s case this probably happened many years earlier.

Since he came out from Egypt with Israel.

This makes the account of his faith all the more richer.

He turned from idolatry to serve the true God.

Caleb came to trust the living God and became a part of God’s people.

After spying out the land Caleb returned and /brought Moses word again as it was in his heart./

Caleb believed God’s promise and spoke accordingly.

After the 12 spies returned from Canaan they reported to the people.

They all said that the land was good, a land that flowed with milk and honey.

But 10 of the spies said that the giants that lived there were too large for Israel to conquer.

They highlighted the walled cities.

They focussed on the obstacles instead of the Lord.

They caused the people to lose heart and become afraid.

But although Caleb saw the same giants and walled cities, he focussed on God’s greatness and therefore believed that they could conquer the land.

He and Joshua spoke against the word of the 10 spies.

They spoke faithfully for the Lord.

* *

*2.

He Wouldn’t Compromise*

 

Because of the report of the 10 spies the Children of Israel wept that night and murmured against Moses and Aaron.

But Caleb didn’t compromise the truth to be popular, he stood firm upon God’s word.

The next day Joshua and Caleb again spoke to the people, encouraging them to go up and take the land.

*Numbers 14:6-9* /And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.