Looking Back, Looking Forward

Key Elements

In Joshua 24, Joshua outlines for the people of Israel what they must do to ensure their commitment to God beyond transition in the Promised Land.

Main Idea:

I want my audience to enter the new year committing every area of their lives to God and being open to new things that He is wanting to do.

Intro

There's something powerful about standing at the threshold between years. As we close out 2025 and prepare to step into 2026, we find ourselves in a unique moment—a moment to pause, reflect, and redirect. We naturally look backward at what has been and forward to what might be. But how we navigate this threshold matters deeply. For some of us, looking back stirs gratitude—moments of God’s faithfulness, prayers answered, doors opened. For others, it awakens regret—missed opportunities, unkept commitments, seasons we wish we could redo. And when we look forward, there’s often a mixture of hope and hesitation. We hope for change, growth, and blessing, but we’re also aware of uncertainty, challenges, and the unknowns that lie ahead. What makes this moment so significant is that it’s more than a change on the calendar—it’s a spiritual crossroads. The question before us is not just What kind of year do we want to have? but What kind of people will we choose to be? Will we drift into the future on spiritual autopilot, or will we step forward with intentional faith and renewed commitment to the Lord?

And that’s the very moment God’s people find themselves in in Joshua 24. Israel is standing at a threshold of its own. The battles of conquest are largely behind them. The land has been settled. An entire generation that witnessed God’s mighty acts is aging. And before they move forward, Joshua gathers the people—not to plan strategies or assign territories, but to call them to remember, to reflect, and to choose. Joshua understood something we often forget: the future of God’s people is shaped by how they remember God’s faithfulness in the past and how they respond to Him in the present. Looking back was not meant to trap them in nostalgia, and looking forward was not meant to be fueled by fear. Both were meant to lead them to a decisive moment of commitment.

Message

This morning, I want us to consider the final chapter of Joshua's life and leadership. Joshua 24 gives us one of the most significant farewell addresses in all of Scripture. After leading Israel through the conquest and settlement of the Promised Land, Joshua knows his time is short. He gathers the people at Shechem for one last assembly, one final challenge, one crucial commitment.

What makes this passage so relevant for us today is that Joshua and Israel were also standing at a threshold. They had completed a major transition—from wandering to dwelling, from promise to possession. But the question remained: What now? How do we move forward faithfully?

And this morning as we stand between 2025 and 2026, God speaks to us through this ancient text. The principles Joshua laid out for Israel are the same principles we need to carry us into the new year with faith, focus, and commitment. So, this morning I want us to notice three principles that guide us as we move into a new year.

1. The Principle of Looking Back: Remembering God's Faithfulness. (vs. 1-13)

So, to understand the urgency of Joshua 24, we need to connect it with the end of chapter 23. In verses 14-16, Joshua reminds the people that God has honored everything He promised. Every word has proven true. Every covenant has been kept. The God who promised blessing for obedience also promised consequences for disobedience—and He means both. Now in chapter 24, Joshua calls a solemn assembly. In verses 1-13, he does something remarkable: he gives them a history lesson. He walks them through their entire story, from Abraham to this very moment.

Look at what he says to the people in verses 2-13...

Verse 2-3: God called Abraham out of idolatry and gave him Isaac.

Verse 4: God gave Isaac two sons—Jacob and Esau—and led Jacob to Egypt.

Verses 5-7: God delivered them from Egyptian slavery through Moses and Aaron, parting the Red Sea.

Verse 8: God gave them victory over the Amorites east of the Jordan

Verses 9-10: God protected them from Balak and Balaam's curse

Verses 11-12: God brought them across the Jordan and gave them Jericho and every enemy in the land

And Joshua concludes in verse 13 with these stunning words proclaiming that everything that has been done for the nation of Israel has been done by God and they have what they have because He has given it to them.

Do you see the common thread running through every verse? Every victory, every deliverance, every blessing came not from Israel's strength but from God's faithfulness. Joshua knew the danger they faced. After such success, the temptation would be overwhelming to think, "We did this. We conquered this land. We earned this inheritance." They would be tempted in their pride to think “we are self-made, self-sufficient, self-sustaining.” But Joshua wanted them to remember the truth: The same God who called Abraham out of Ur was the same God who delivered them from Egypt. The same God who parted the Red Sea was the same God who brought down Jericho's walls. The same God who started this story was the same God who brought it to fulfillment.

And this is the first thing we must remember as we transition from 2025 to 2026: We must identify God's faithfulness in our past so we will remember His faithfulness in our future. As we look back on 2025, what do we see? For some, it was a year of answered prayers and unexpected blessings. For others, it was a year of challenges, losses, and questions. But regardless of the circumstances, we can trace God's faithfulness through it all.

Think about your life this past year. Think about our church. Where did God show up? Where did He provide? Where did He protect? Where did He guide? We must identify those moments not as coincidences, not as our own achievement, but as the faithful hand of God at work. Maybe God opened a door you never expected. Maybe He closed a door that would have led you astray. Maybe He sustained you through a storm you thought would destroy you. Maybe He brought healing, restoration, or breakthrough. Maybe He simply gave you breath for another day and grace for another step. We are where we are today—as individuals and as a church—not because of our own strength, wisdom, or effort. We are here because of the faithfulness of God.

And when we rightly identify God's faithfulness in 2025, it changes how we approach 2026. Instead of entering the new year with anxiety about what we must accomplish, we enter it with confidence in the One who has never failed us. The God who was faithful yesterday will be faithful tomorrow.

So before we rush into resolutions and plans for 2026, let's pause and remember. Let's recount God's goodness. Let's tell the stories of His provision. Let's acknowledge that every good thing we've experienced came from His hand.

First, we look back: Remembering God’s Faithfulness.

Then there’s...

2. The Principle of Looking Forward: Choosing Undivided Devotion. (vs. 14-24)

After reminding Israel of God's faithfulness, Joshua issues a challenge. In verse 14, he says...

Joshua makes it crystal clear: You have a choice to make. You can follow the path of your ancestors, or you can live fully devoted to God with undivided loyalty. There is no neutral ground. This seems strange, doesn't it? After everything God has done for them, you'd think the choice would be obvious. After the Red Sea, after Jericho, after victory upon victory—how could serving God be anything but a "no-brainer"? Yet Joshua knows the human heart. He knows that even after experiencing God's faithfulness, we can still be tempted to divide our loyalty. We can still be drawn to the false gods of comfort, control, success, approval, and security.

So, in verse 15, Joshua draws the line in the sand...

Think about all the things we consider ourselves loyal to: our families, our careers, our dreams, our comforts, our security. We spread our loyalty across so many things. But Joshua calls for something different—undivided loyalty to God alone.

And this is the second thing we must remember as we move into 2026: We must choose to live a life fully devoted to God and undivided in loyalty.

So, what does this kind of life look like? Well, Joshua describes it with two essential elements. It’s...

a. A Life of Service to No One But Jesus

Notice how many times the word "worship" appears in verses 14-24—fourteen times! Joshua uses it repeatedly to emphasize the choice before them. The Hebrew word for "worship" means "to be driven to action by love for someone or something." It's not about duty or obligation. It's about devotion that moves us to action.

Joshua had seen this before. At Mount Sinai, an earlier generation had promised, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." Then weeks later, they were bowing to a golden calf. Joshua wasn't interested in lip service. He wanted heart service that transforms how we live. Serving God is not an option for followers of Jesus—it's the very purpose for which we were created and redeemed. If we're not actively serving Jesus through His church, then something else has claimed the throne of our lives.

And as we enter 2026, we must ask ourselves: Who am I really serving? Is Jesus truly Lord of my time, my talents, my treasures, my dreams, my decisions? Or am I serving comfort, success, approval, or security?

A life fully devoted to God is a life of service to no one but Jesus. And it’s...

b. A Heart of Worship for No One But Jesus

In verse 23, Joshua gives one final command...

The word "turn" means “to bend or extend toward something”—like a pivoting motion that changes your direction completely. Joshua is saying, "Bend your hearts in worship toward God alone. Turn completely away from the worship patterns of the world around you."

You see, our hearts are constantly tempted to bow to false gods—the god of achievement, the god of appearance, the god of accumulation, the god of approval. These idols promise life but deliver emptiness. And God is not calling for a heart of worship that's undivided for an hour on Sunday morning. He's calling for a heart of worship that daily fuels an undivided life completely devoted to Him.

As we prepare for 2026, we must ask: What is robbing my affection for Jesus? What is stealing my worship? If anything in my life has captured my heart more than Jesus, my loyalty is divided.

A life fully devoted to God requires a heart of worship for no one but Jesus.

There’s the principle of looking back: remembering God’s faithfulness, there’s the principle of looking forward: choosing undivided devotion, and there’s...

3. The Principle of Moving Forward: Making Covenant Commitments (vs. 25-28)

The final thing we must remember as we move from 2025 into 2026 is found in verses 25-28...

Why did Joshua write it down? Why did he set up a stone memorial? Because commitments made in emotional moments fade unless they become covenant transformations.

We live in an emotional age. According to Harvard Business School research, 95% of our decisions are driven by emotion rather than logic. We get excited, we feel compassion, we experience conviction—and we make commitments in the heat of the moment.

We've all done it. We've committed to things we had no real intention of following through on because we were moved emotionally. We join gyms in January. We make promises in worship services. We commit to change when we're inspired. But emotions fade. Inspiration wanes. The question is: Will our commitments outlast our emotions?

Joshua understood this. He knew the people were emotionally moved in this moment. But he wanted their commitment to be more than a feeling—he wanted it to be a covenant that would transform their lives and the lives of future generations. And by writing it in the Book of the Law, Joshua gave their commitment permanence and authority. By setting up a stone memorial, he created a lasting witness to this transformational moment.

And this is the third thing we must remember: We must see our commitments to God not as temporary emotional responses but as permanent life transformations.

As we stand on the threshold of 2026, some of us are feeling convicted. Some of us are sensing God calling us to a deeper devotion, a greater level of service, more faithful worship. That conviction in our hearts is good. But the question is: What will we do with it?

Will we make emotional commitments that fade by February? Or will we make covenant decisions that transform our lives?

You see, God is not interested in New Year's resolutions that last three weeks and then are gone. He's calling us to life transformation that lasts a lifetime and impacts generations.

Conclusion

As we close out 2025 and we prepare to enter 2026, Joshua 24 gives us a roadmap.

First, we must look back. Identifying God's faithfulness in our past. Recounting His provision, His protection, His guidance. Remembering that we are where we are not because of our own strength but because of His faithfulness. Let the memory of His past faithfulness fuel your confidence in His future faithfulness.

Second, we must look forward. Choosing undivided devotion. Examining our hearts and asking: Who are we really serving? What are we really worshiping? Is our loyalty divided? God is calling us to a life of service to no one but Jesus and a heart of worship for no one but Jesus. But the choice is ours, and we must choose.

And third, we must move forward. Making covenant commitments, not emotional promises. Not letting this moment pass as just another sermon. But letting this be a transformational turning point in our lives. Write it down. Mark this moment. Make this the day you fully surrender to God's lordship over every area of your life.

Notice, Joshua ends his address with these sobering words in verse 27...

The commitment we make today is not between us and ourselves. It's between us and God. And He takes our commitments seriously.

So, as we prepare to enter 2026, let me ask you: What is God calling you to commit to? What area of your life needs to come under His lordship? Where is He asking you for undivided loyalty?

Maybe it's your finances. Maybe it's your relationships. Maybe it's your time. Maybe it's your service. Maybe it's your worship. Maybe it's your whole life surrendering to Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Let's not enter 2026 the same way we entered 2025. Let's enter as people fully devoted to God, undivided in our loyalty, committed not just emotionally but in a covenant to serve Him and worship Him alone.

The choice is yours.

Invitation and a time of prayer and commitment.