06(Joshua 24) Children of a Lesser God

I.    Seeing our lives from God’s perspective.

A.    If we could read about our life with someone else’s name written instead of ours, would we not say, “How could that person not worship and serve the Lord?”

B.    Idols: Imagined objects that take precedence in directing the course of our life and way of thinking.

C.    Idols from the Other Side of the River (Euphrates).

1.     Abraham’s family had practices, idols that did not honor God.

2.     Even when we respond to God’s calling, we may bring old ways with us.

3.     Family idols of tradition, recreation that come before serving the Lord.

4.     Family religious idols – church building, preacher on pedestal, unresolved anger.

D.    Idols from the Days of Bondage (Egypt).

1.     Times when we no longer feel God’s presence in our life: extended trials, disappointment in life’s course.

2.     We turn to the idols of the day; we look to those faring better and suppose their ideals and dreams and goals will aid us in our struggle.

3.     Personal idols: pleasurable things that come before God, material possessions (TV, land) that claim to give us relief from that bondage.

4.     Develop addictions (priorities) to things that should lead us to happiness, joy.

5.     We escape to the altar of weekend idols that help us forget our troubles.

E.    Idols from Our Successes (Land of the Amorites).

1.     Things that you pick up: home, cars, career.

2.     We learn from our neighbors, co-workers.

II.  Joshua’s implication: we pass our idols along to our children.

A.    They still had the idols from Mesopotamia. It had been over 500 years!

B.    It should scare us to realize that we pass along as much by our lifestyle as our testimony.

C.    Our children are the authors of our biography. Our friends see our life from the unfiltered excuses of our mind.

III. The challenge: choose God and serve Him.

A.    The audience: the leaders of the community, leaders of the home.

B.    We do have a choice, don’t we? We can choose blessing for our family, or a curse.

IV. The response of the people: of course we will serve Him.

A.    When we are confronted with the choice, we desire to choose the Lord.

B.    We certainly don’t think of ourselves as evil people.

V.  The reality: you cannot serve God.

A.    We look no further than our own hearts to know the truth of this statement.

B.    How would like to be served in a restaurant by someone with unwashed hands? Or offensive odor?

VI. Joshua’s sober warning of accountability.

A.    When you choose to serve Christ as your Lord, you do more than you realize. We all do.

B.    We are bought with a price. We are not our own. I apologize if I or any preacher told you otherwise.

C.    When we become His child, it is the greatest joy to serve Him. It is the greatest dread to try and not serve Him.

It is with a sober spirit that I stand before you and say that for myself and my family, we will serve the Lord. I say this knowing that the coals on the altar of the God of plan B have grown cold, that the lesser God of financial security is not tended.

But having made that commitment myself first, I offer it to you.