Choose You This Day

Introduction - Would you open your Bibles this morning to Joshua chapter 24 this morning.

As you turn there, we want to wish you a happy fathers day! Of course today is a holiday in which we celebrate Fathers and all they mean to us. Did you know that the term Holiday actually comes from the old english word that mean Holy Day or religious day. Every Sunday is a holy day—- it is a holiday. And this particular day was first nationally celebrated on June 19, 1910.

But before that, “On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, but it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday.”

“The next year, a Spokane, Washington, woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.”

And our prayer is that you would take time and be thankful to the Lord for the Father or even Father figures that He has given you.

There is certainly nothing more needed within the ranks of the family that God has designed—-than a godly father; One who loves the Lord, one who commands His home well, and one who points those in his family to look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.

With that understanding I would like to look a very specific verse in Joshua 24. Would you stand with me for the reading of God’s Word in beginning in verse 1.

Text: Joshua 24:1-14

Let’s Pray

Amen. You may be seated.

I have chosen this text for two reasons this morning. For one, I asked the Lord, where He would have me to preach from and He brought this passage of Scripture to my mind.

It is interesting, as the Lord so often does, in directing our hearts and minds to His Word. I began to meditate on this very passage. And it came into my mind— How is this a Father’s Day message?…

And I am reminded of two things, for one, Father’s Day is an invitation of man… it is not a bad day… or something we should not celebrate… but the Lord is not bound to the thoughts of men.

But secondly, I realize that this that God oftentimes condescends to us and I discovered this is indeed a fatherly passage.

The Lord in His infinite wisdom has thoughts that are much higher than mine. Which leads me to the second reason for preaching out of this text.

The more I meditated on this passage, the more I could see the family message contained in that most quoted verse which you often find a part of inscribed on artwork and pieces we would sit around the home…

Would you consider with me a few items that we see in this one verse—- verse 15?

Once again the Bible says in Joshua 24:15 “15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

I want you to realize from the beginning that this man is Joshua the Son of Nun. He is the great leader that came in after the giant of the Old Testament; Moses.

We do not know much about Joshua the son of Nun other than this. He was Moses’ minister—- that means He was His servant.. He waited on the mighty man of God and secondly, that He was a man of great faith.

Why this man Joshua was one of two that came back from seeing giants in the land of Canaan and encouraged the people to at once go in and take the land.

This man Joshua, the Bible tells us dwelt in the tabernacle. He wanted to be around the Lord and the things of God.

He was a man that did not jockey for position, but rather God chose Him which speaks a great deal for His humility and willingness to serve.

Can you imagine how many men fancied themselves that they would be the next great leader of Israel after Moses?

You say well how do you know that Pastor James?

I have no direct scripture to back that up —- save the uprising of Core and the rebellion that ensued and save the uprising of Miriam and Aaron—- questioning the authority of Moses.

But I can say this, that the Lord Jesus Christ who knows the counsel of all mens hearts had to teach his disciples, that when you enter into a place, choose the lowest seat so that you do not presume by pride to think you are someone and rather let someone else lift you up to the highest position.

And so if the Lord had to teach men to choose humility— then it must be—- at least I surmise even knowing my own self—- that most chase after an power and authority.

But this does not seem to be the case with this man Joshua—- for the Lord chose Him as Moses’ replacement.