Declaration of Dependence

Prayer

Solemn Declaration

I’m guessing that most of you have heard the request for your “John Hancock” - I’m not sure the saying is used much anymore or how many people know what the reference is. It’s a request for your signature - and it’s called that because of one of the most famous signatures in history, that of John Hancock, an American statesman from Massachusetts who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. Mr. Hancock signed it big and bold - it stands out among all the signatures.

Easy to forget what a frightening thing it must have been to add your signature to that document. You were putting your life in grave danger. You were risking your position, what wealth you might have. You were putting a lot of lives in danger, as a representative of one of the thirteen colonies. From England’s point of view, this was an overt act of treason. That stroke of the pen ignited the Revolutionary War.

I wanted to start this morning with this famous signature because he, along with the other 55 delegates, were making one - if not the - most famous declarations ever made. It changed the course of human history in ways they would have never been able to imagine. They boldly declared to the world, on behalf of the citizens of the thirteen colonies, that they were free and independent, no longer under the sovereignty of Great Britain.

As they themselves wrote: We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved...And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

That is one heck of a declaration. This was serious business. This was as solemn a declaration as you can make. They knew full well it could cost them their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. As far as they were concerned, the costs would be worth it. They weighed those costs and with firm conviction declared, we chose freedom and independence.

We make a lot of choices in life - every day, dozens of them. Most of them with not much thought, because many of them don’t seem to matter all that much, especially taken in isolation. What to wear on any given day. What TV program or movie am I going to watch. What do I want to snack on? A lot of things we’re not really choosing anymore - they are habits we do on a regular basis because we’ve long decided to make them part of our life - personal hygiene, my coffee in the morning, your job responsibilities.

But our choices do matter greatly - even small ones - because they become the choices that as we make them day in and day out, begin to define who we are and who we will become. On any given day it probably doesn’t matter what I choose to eat - but the diet choices I make daily over the long haul do make a big difference. Same thing with the media content I watch or read - the thoughts I fill my mind with will have an impact in the way I think (or if I just fill my head with mindless entertainment?!). How I engage with my family, my neighbors (or if I do).

Those smaller choices always come out of the bigger choices we make in life - what is my life going to be about? What is most important to me? John Hancock and those 55 men - and the colonies they represented - after great deliberation, made the choice to break off the chains of tyranny in order to live free. That choice radically transformed the course of their lives. It is exactly this kind of choice that Joshua presents to the Israelites at the end of the book of Joshua - and it points to the choice we must make as well.

Chose: Whom Will You Serve?

Last week we talked about covenant - what it means to be in covenant relationship with God and with one another. That was Joshua 8 & 9. Today we’re going to jump all the way to Joshua 23, past all the details of the Israelites conquering the land - list of the kings they defeated, allotment of the land to all of the tribes, what cities were set aside as cities of refuge, towns set aside for the Levites.

As we come to the end of book of Joshua, we find Joshua’s farewell address in chapter 23. It’s clear in reading this passage that although they now occupy the land, they are not the only ones in the land. They failed to drive out all of the various Canaanite nations - which, as we’ll see when we get to our next book, the book of Judges, will come back to haunt them. It’s exactly why Joshua warns them in his farewell address:

Joshua 23:6-13...“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. 12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.

There’s the language we saw at the very beginning of the book of Joshua - be very strong. It’s going to take courage, conviction, for you to live out what God has commanded you to do. For you to hold fast to the Lord your God.

Warning is clear - if you don’t, if you start interacting with them, intermarrying with them, associating with them - God will not drive them out of the land. No, that association is going to be your undoing - they will become snares and traps for you.

Then in Joshua 24, the last chapter in book of Joshua, it ends with another covenant renewal. All the people gather together at Shechem, where Joshua reminds them of all God has done for them, recapping the events of the the story of the Israelites, all the things we’ve been taking about since we started this journey through the story of the Old Testament, from God’s promise to Abraham, and down through his descendants, then Moses and Aaron and how God used them to free his people from Egypt, and how God led them through the wilderness, helped them to defeat the Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, and how he then led them into the land of the Canaanites that they now occupy. Now just that they occupy, but they have homes, and cities - one that they didn’t build. And fields and vineyards that they didn’t plant.

In other words, all the ways God has been for them. Their God. Faithful to his promises. Remembering all this, what does that mean for you? What will you do? Joshua tells them, Joshua 24:14-15...“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Fear him, serve him, with all faithfulness. All those other gods your ancestors worshiped - get rid of them! Toss them out! But if you’re not willing to do that, to serve God fully, wholeheartedly - if this is undesirable, because you desire what other gods have to offer, then serve them. Chose that god. Whatever you do, make a clear choice - don’t pretend to serve the Lord while what you really want to do is serve other gods.

Then that powerful declaration - “but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua makes the solemn declaration, no if’s, and’s or but’s. Me and my family, we are going to serve the Lord.

Now the people declared in response - we will serve the Lord, how could we not! We remember all he’s done for us. Joshua challenges them on that - you can’t do it. Listen to what he says, vv. 19-20...

Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

Now, Joshua is pushing them to make clear that they know what will happen if they forsake the Lord and serve other gods. But the people insist, No, we will serve the Lord. We know the potential consequences. We’ve weighed the costs - we’re in.

Power of Living Intentionally

When I think about some of the biggest regrets in my life, things that I think about as I look back, a common element among many of them is a result of not having lived with greater intention. About being clear - this is the way I’m going to life my life. This is what I’m going to be about.

That’s been true in a number of areas in my life - as a husband, stepfather, pastor, friend, my own personal development (learning new skills), as a follower of Jesus. In so many areas, as I look back, I wasn’t as thoughtful and intentional about how I wanted to live those roles out. I didn’t have a clear picture of who I wanted to be, what kind of stepfather, friend, follower of Jesus, etc.

Just had vague intentions, I just kind of went along, day after day, letting life happen. Ended up living more in the whims of the moment. I suspect that’s a problem many can relate to. It’s kind of the mindset of “it just happened” excuse - people find themselves in a situation, as if they have no agency, no choice.

It makes me think about one of the main principles that Dave Ramsey uses in his Financial Peace University teaching - he says, “if you don’t tell your money where to go, you’re going to wonder where it went.” Speaking to the reality that when it comes to a lot of us and spending our money, we don’t really know how we burn through it so quickly - how much we spent eating out, all those streaming subscriptions, how much we’re paying in credit card interest, and on it goes. Ramsey’s whole program is to teach people how to be deliberate about what they want to do with their money. You tell your money where to go. You make the budget - an every dollar budget, a plan for every dollar.

What I find so powerful, so inspirational about both our founding fathers and Joshua - clarity of commitment. A no doubt declaration. We know what we want to be about. The Declaration of Independence birthed a nation that was unlike any other nation that had ever existed - a nation that has been a beacon of hope for people around the world for centuries. Joshua’s declaration set the tone for the Israelites - they were faithful to God in his day.

People I most admire are all people who live with great intention. Thoughtful about how they spend their time, what their priorities are. Willing to engage in disciplines that it takes to pursue what they want to be. That’s true in so many areas of our lives - being good stewards of our money, taking good care of our bodies through diet and exercise, being lifelong learners - on it goes.

All those things take work, effort, sacrifice. Which is why, when I look back, I realize that there were too many times I didn’t want to pay the price, easier to just go along.

But part of what this passage makes clear, particularly in regards to our faith, our spiritual lives - is that it is absolutely necessary to be intentional about making the choice. To declare with Joshua - as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Because there are far too many temptations - the dangers, consequences, demand it.

If we are not absolutely clear in our convictions about serving God - and intentional about pursuing it - it will not happen. Discipleship, growing as a follower of Jesus, doesn’t just happen by hanging out in church long enough. No osmosis here. Too many other things pulling us in too many different directions.

We must stand with Joshua and be clear about our declarations. Why we, as a church, must be able to declare clearly that this is what we’re about - we exist to help lead others into the abundant life that comes through Jesus Christ.

Why we must be able to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to our core convictions - we will be Kingdom First. We will Live in Obedience to Jesus. We will Share our Lives Together. We will experience Heart Transformation. And we will put in the time, effort, sacrifice to make those things happen.

And here’s the way you know that you’re serious about your declaration, about choosing to serve God over everything else - by all the smaller choices you make in life.

Just like the person who decided to take control of their spending, get out of debt - that shows when they take the time to figure out how they are spending their money. And they make a monthly budget - and stick to it, making the necessary sacrifices. They make a plan to pay off their debt - and follow through. The big choice drives our smaller choices.

Beautiful thing - we have the gift of the Holy Spirit in us, empowering us. We have a gift from God that the Israelites did not have - as sincere as they were in declaring their commitment to serving the Lord, their track record was not good - we’re really going to see that in the book of Judges, it gets ugly.

But we are not doing this on our own - Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit, which is his power and presence in us. What a difference that makes. Just think of the disciple Peter - the one who denied three times out of fear of being associated with him. And yet after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on him and the other disciples on Pentecost, Peter was so emboldened that he stood up and boldly proclaimed the Gospel. 3,000 people came to faith - all because of the power of the Holy Spirit.

God does not leave us on our own accord - living out our choice to follow Jesus is not a matter of trying harder. It is a matter of surrender, of yielding ourselves over to him. Joshua 24:23 - “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” We give ourselves to him, to the Holy Spirit in us, leading us, teaching, working in us to build us up in faith, to strengthen and help us to live in righteousness, in being obedient, to serve him.

But it begins with us making a clear choice, a deliberate declaration. Those disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit gathered in that room because they had placed their faith in Jesus. He told them to wait and pray and they would receive power. And they did, they yielded their hearts to Jesus. It begins with solemn declaration - I choose Jesus. I belong to him. I will serve him above anything and everything. He - and he alone - is my Lord.

Spiritual Disciplines - here is where our declaration to follow and serve Jesus gets revealed. Here’s where our big decision impacts our smaller decisions. What am I intentionally doing in my life to grow as a follower of Jesus, so that my life truly is centered in him and in his love? Every week I offer different ways, different disciplines you can incorporate in order grow as a follower of Jesus, to become like him.

Today, I want to challenge you in two ways - first, to be clear about your commitment to following Jesus. Make a point of declaring solemnly each day this week that you have chosen him. Declare with Joshua, as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Be attentive to resistance you find in your heart - because it is a costly decision, giving our lives over to Jesus is not an easy thing. Following him is not an easy thing. Resolve in your heart that you belong to Jesus.

Rely on the Holy Spirit within you. Cultivate an openness to the work of the Spirit in you. Begins with trusting that you have gift of Spirit. Invite the Spirit, “Come, Holy Spirit.” Led me. Teach me. Guide me. Do this as you begin times of prayer, reading the Scriptures. When you come to worship. As you go into your day, thinking through your schedule. Trust that God has given us his Spirit, his power and presence, so that we truly can live as his faithful followers.