The Way of Greatest Blessing

The Way of Greatest Blessing
Joshua 23:6-14
January 16-17, 2021

If you are old and advanced in years and you had one speech left to give to speak to the next generation, what would you say? Now, this is important because this is actually where Joshua is. Joshua is old and advanced in years. It makes it very clear to us, he's almost 110 years old. He's got one speech left and he wants to speak to this next generation, and he wants to speak the way of greatest blessing. That's anyone's heart. If you want to speak to the next generation, you want them to be blessed. You know the way of blessing. If you've lived very long on this earth, you know that there is a way to live your life. The way of greatest blessing. You want the next generation to avoid the mistakes that have shipwrecked so many lives and have messed up many lives.

I'll tell you what, I have never seen many messed up lives, as I've seen today. There are many ways for people to ship-wrecked their lives. We need a foundation, we need to understand the way of greatest blessing. That's the point of Joshua 23 and 24. He's old and advanced in years and he calls all Israel together to give them this final message. Because Joshua knows that which is speaking, Joshua knows the way of greatest blessing. He's seen it. He has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. He was born in Egypt. He was a slave. He saw the oppression, he cried out to God, he saw God send a deliverer in Moses. He was there when the plagues against Egypt were seen. He walked through the Red Sea, on dry ground. He saw with his own eyes, the army of Egypt being destroyed. He was there when the pillar of fire led Israel in the cloud by day.

He ate manna for 40 years. He saw all the hand of God, the amazing favor of God poured out, but he also saw the grumblers, the complainers, those who had hard hearts, their lack of faith, they're being taken by fear. In other words, he saw it all good, bad, and ugly. He knew the way of the greatest blessing and he wants to speak this to this generation. Now he calls them all the leaders and the people. When he calls them, it's important to recognize, he's not speaking now to that unfaithful generation, they've passed in the desert. He's speaking now to a faithful generation. They've walked with it. They've walked with him, they've walked with God, they trusted God. He's speaking to them and he wants them to do well to continue to do well.

It's like if I was to give a message to my kids, now, they're all adults. They don't like me calling them kids, but they're in their 30s now, but my kids have done well. I'm very happy. It blesses me tremendously to see my kids walking in the Lord and walking steadfastly, but I want them to be blessed. I want him to be steadfast, I want them to continue in this. That's why he's speaking to them because there's more to do. God's not finished yet. I tell you it's an important message because God's not finished yet now, either. They had inherited this land, but there were still pockets of resistance of the enemy. He calls them to completely possess the land of promise, to walk in the way of greatest blessing and tells us that these things were written for our instruction. That they were written for our example, that we should learn from them because God is not finished with us either, and are there pockets of resistance?

I. Stay the Course

These pockets that stand against God, we live in a time that's very much against God. This is the point of Joshua's message. Faith is the key, it's the condition of being. If you've found the way of greatest blessing, keep walking, keep standing. Let's read it Joshua 23 and we begin. Actually, we're going to start in verse 6, but we're going to start in verse 1, because it leads up to it a real world. "Now, it came about, verse 1, "after many days, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from their enemies on every side, that Joshua was old and advanced in years. It was that Joshua called for all Israel, their elders' heads and judges and officers, and he said to them, "I am old and advanced in years." I'm getting the sense that he's old and advanced in years. Verse 3, "You have seen all that the Lord your God has done." You have seen, you have with your own eyes have seen, all that God has done to these nations because of you. For the larger God is He who is fighting for you. Now verse 4, "I apportion to you these nations, which remain these pockets of resistance, they are also an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations, which I have cut off. The Lord your God will thrust them out right now." Verse 6, "Therefore," and here's where he gets into the real thrust of the message, you might say, in verse 6, "Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right or to the left. In order that you may not associate with these nations, these which remain among you and or mentioned the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them or bow down to them."

A. Be strong in your faith

These pockets of resistance are very dangerous because they're very much of the world, and they're very much against Jehovah God of Israel, but he says in verse 8, "But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day." How is that possible? Because God's been with you.

Notice verse 10, "One of your men, one of your men puts the flight 1000. How is that possible? God is with you. For the larger God is He who fights for you just as he promised you."
Verse 11, "So take diligence, heed then to yourselves to love the Lord your God." That's the message to the next generation, for if you ever go back, here is that admonition that warning, "If you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you and intermarry with them," that's getting involved for sure. "So that you associate with them, and they with you, know for for certain that the Lord your God will not continue to drive out these nations." In other words, the favor of God, the help of God will not be there, but they will be a snare to you. They will be a trap. They will be like a whip on your sides, they will be thorns in your eyes, that has got to hurt and that's the point.

This will be a hurt to you, it will be a destruction to your life, it will be a shipwreck in every sense, until you perish off this good land, which the Lord your God has given you. "Now behold today, I'm going the way of all the earth and you know, I love this right here, "and you know in all your hearts, and in all your souls, that not one word of all the good words, which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed." You know in your heart, and in your soul, not one word has failed of all the good words that God spoke, all have been fulfilled, not one of them has failed.
This is part of the speech we're looking at these also on Wednesday, the Wednesday service, but I want us to look at these and apply them because there's much to apply. Starting with this understanding, speaking to this next generation. This generation who has been walking with God, but he says to them, stay the course. This is the way of greatest blessing. Stay the course don't turn to the right, don't turn to the left keep walking steadfast.

I was thinking about that and thinking about my own life. When I get old and advanced in years, I'm not there yet, I'm getting there, but when I get old and advanced in years, I want it to be said, "He never turned to the right or to the left. He was steadfast all the way, he continued pressing into what God called him to do all the way to the end. He never turned to the right or to the left." Anybody else want to join me? He was steadfast, he walked steadily all the way, staying the course because it's the way of greatest blessing.
Then he shows them what that looks like. Notice in verse 6, where he says, "Be very firm." It means to be strong in your faith. Some versions say, "Be strong." The idea is the same. Decide in advance, this is the key to obtaining the promises that God intends for you to have. In other words, there's a resolve, like this matter is settled with me. I know the course, I know the path, I know the life that God has called me to live and I will not turn to the right or to the left.

See, in Hebrew, it gives us a sense of not letting go, being given something precious and powerful that you don't want to let go of it. Be resolved in your heart, be strong, be firm. We sing a worship song. One of many great worship songs that we sing, but this one, I want to quote some of the lyrics from it. It's that song called It Is So. I love the words because it goes this way. I want to just quote some of them. "In the storm, you are peace and your love won't let me go. You have spoken and I know that it is so. In every season, your purpose is unchanging. In every moment, you're working for my good. Jesus, the rock that never fails." I love this right here. "Jesus, the rock that never fails. Your kingdom will not be shaken, your kingdom will not be shaken, for you have spoken and I know that it is so.

Your word is settled in heaven. It will be done. Father, let it be done. Your word is settled in heaven. Let it be done. For in the storm, you are peace and your love won't let me go. You have spoken and I know that it is so." There's that resolve. If your word is settled in heaven, then let your word be settled here. Let your word be settled in my heart. Your word is settled with me, lord. See, decide now. Settle this question. Stand firm in the resolution in your decision. If it's settled in heaven, let his word be settled in your heart. I love this declaration.

Paul writes to his young son in Timothy and this is how he says it. 1 Timothy 1:12. "I am not ashamed. Why would I be ashamed? The gospel is the power of God through salvation. I am not ashamed," but notice this, "For I know in whom I have believed." There's that declaration, this is resolved in me. This is solid with me. I know in whom I have believed and I am persuaded. I'm convinced. This is settled that he is able to keep that which I've entrusted to him until that day. I've entrusted my life. I've entrusted my future. I've entrusted my family. I've entrusted everything to you. For I know in whom I have believed.

I was thinking about an example of that resolve and the strength of life that it brings. One of David's mighty men will soon be reading about David's life a few weeks from now. One of David's mighty men made himself famous, when he and David stood their ground against the Philistines when the men of Israel had withdrawn or fell back. You get the scene. They had drawn back but David and his mighty man Eleazar, they stood their ground. It says that he arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to his sword. I love this picture. His hand was so locked onto his sword, that they had to pry his hand off of it. It was locked onto that sword. I love the picture of that.

By the way, the word of God is called the sword of the spirit. When you take such a grip of it, when you wield it with such strength of resolve, you're going to have to pry your fingers off of it, picture of resolve. To me, there's that settledness, that resolve. I don't turn to the right or turn the left, I will walk steadfastly in whom God has called me to be. I was thinking another illustration. When my kids were young, I would read to them the Chronicles of Narnia. This is a great series of books by C.S. Lewis and a lot of Christian imagery in it. Narnia is a place where animals talk. The son of God is pictured as a lion. It's a great story. They made some movies out of it, but the books are way better. There's one character that we've always loved in the stories and that was this mouse by the name of Reepicheep who had character and courage and honor and bravery. He's woven through the story as well.

In this one particular story, it's called the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it's a ship. There's a particular scene that stands out, that demonstrates the resolve of heart and that is they're on this ship in the long journey as they're trying to find these long lost nobles and going from island to island, that adventure and tragedies and storms and all plights of all manner. They finally get to the last island and they're beaten and tired and wearied, but every evening on this island, some birds of light come and prepare this vast table of all kinds of wonderful foods and meats and fruits and ices and all kinds of things, refreshing, but they are concerned because there's yet one more push. They want to get to the land of the emperor beyond the sea, the picture of the kingdom of God. They must get one last push, but they're concerned because now all the soldiers are at this place of comfort and food is being laid out and they're concerned that no one's going to want to go on this journey with them.

They decided only people who want to go can go because the danger now is the greatest. One of them, the captain stands up and he says, "Let me be clear. We are not coming to you with our hat in our hand begging you to go." Instead, he says, "We are putting down a list, so that only the brave, only those with courage should go. If that is you, then put your name on the list. The rest of you can stay back." Then someone said, "Reeepicheep, you haven't said anything. What do you have to say?" He says, "I have nothing to say, for I have decided that I will sail on that ship east, as far as that ship will take me. When that ship breaks up, then I will take my coracle," his little boat, "and I will take my coracle and I will sail that little boat east as far as it will take me. When that boat breaks up, I will jump in the water and I will swim. I will swim with all of my strength and when my strength has finally come to the end and I die, know this, I will die there with my nose pointed east. That's all I have to say." [laughs]. Someone said, "Put my name on the list. I'm not going to be outdone by a mouse."

I love the strength of the story, of resolve. Let this matter be settled. I know in whom I have believed. The he gives this admonition to them. Notice in verse 7, he's saying to them, "Therefore love not the world." Notice verse 7, "Be very firm. Keep and do all that's written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside to the right or to the left in order that you may not associate with these nations. These nations which remain among you, these pockets of resistance that remain in the land that are very much against God and stand for everything that is offensive to God. They will be your undoing." I'll tell you there is a tremendous application right now, because we are living in a time that's very much like that.

B. Love not the world

The pockets of resistance are no longer pockets of resistance. We're living in a culture of resistance. We're living in a time where God is mocked openly, and so therefore, "Be careful," he says, "These will be your undoing. There's a danger in it." Notice verse 13, "Know with certainty that these nations can be a snare and a trap to you, a whip on your sides and the thorn in your eyes." Be very careful. They'll bring trouble on your life. It's a great danger. "Do not befriend them. Do not associate with them. Do not intermarry with them. Do not get involved," he says, "with them. They're a great danger to you."

I was thinking of a way to see it and I was thinking of this. Imagine this scenario, a way to picture this. Imagine this scenario. Imagine that someone has betrayed me. This is a made-up scenario. Imagine that someone has betrayed me and then you decide to befriend that person. Someone's betrayed me and then you befriend that person. That's going to cause a little bit of turbulence in our relationship because that's a picture of this.

God says, "Look, the world and the these who are so offensive, I find nothing in them. These are not my friends. Don't befriend that which I find offensive." God and the worldly things are not friends. It's like I said before a number of occasions, for myself, alcohol and I are not friends. The reason that alcohol and I are not friends is because it has hurt people I love. The reason that God and the worldly things are not friends is because worldly things like this have hurt people that he loves. They have hurt people that he loves. Don't befriend that which God finds detestable. Let me give you a great verse for this, Luke 16:15. Jesus is speaking and he said to them, "You justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your heart. For that, which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. There is great danger," he says, "in loving the world and the things of the world." That's why the scriptures says, "Be in the world, but do not be of the world because there's great danger. It will be your undoing."

It's like this in 1 John 2:15-17, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world, for all that's in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life, this is not from the father. This is not from God. This is from the world. The world is passing away and it's lust, but the one who does the will of God lives forever." It's critical for the believer who wants to live the victorious life to understand that great danger. "Be very careful who you befriend, who you associate with," he says, "because it will be your undoing." Choose wisely in other words. Choose wisely the company you keep, for you will become like those you befriend. You will become like those companies that you keep.

1 Corinthians 15:33. "Do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals." In the scriptures, we know we see examples. This was Solomon's, King Solomon, this was his undoing. Here's a quote of it, 1 Kings 11:1-4." Now, King Solomon loved many foreign women." Right there, we have a problem. "King Solomon loved many foreign women from the nations." Look at this because he's referring in here to the very chapter 23 Joshua. He says, "He loved many foreign women from those nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, you shall not associate with them nor shall they associate with you. For they shall turn your hearts away after their gods." It says, "Solomon held fast to these in love and when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after these other gods and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord, His God, as the heart of God David, his father had been."

II. Cling to the Lord

He gives this word and the notice what he says in verse 8, "But you are to cling, cling to the Lord your God, as you have done." Cling, that word cling. Actually, it's interesting because the modern Hebrew word for glue actually is exactly the same word. It symbolizes a oneness. It's like the same word used interestingly, of a husband clinging to his wife. A man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cling to his wife. Same exact word in the Hebrew. Another idea would be that have being welded together and the results become clear. God is the strength. God is the answer. God is the favor. He is the way of greatest blessing, walk with him.

A. God is the strength of your life

I mentioned this Wednesday and it bears repeating. God gives principles and you would do well to walk in those principles, but there's something yet higher. God gives wisdom and it would be well to take hold of that wisdom and live with that wisdom, but there is something still yet higher, and that is God himself. Cling to him. A personal relationship to him is what he's speaking of. That is the stuff of revival. That is the key to God's favor poured out. It's that relationship for God is the strength of your life. That's the point Joshua is making in verses 9-10, "Cling to the Lord because you've already seen what God has done. No nation has been able to stand before them and one can put 1,000 to flight. How is that possible? Because the favor of God is poured out on your life when you cling to him, when you love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength."

It's that picture. I love the picture of welding because you can weld something weak to something strong and that which was weak, will become strong. It's a tremendous picture. You can well take something that's weak and weld it to that which is strong and that which is weak will become strong. That's the point that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. This is in Corinthians 12:9-10. "He said to me," God said to Paul, "my grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." When you recognize the necessity of God in your life. That's why he says, "Most gladly, therefore, I would rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me, for when I am weak, then I am strong." It's that favor of God. How is it possible that one man can put 1,000 in the flight? Only because of the favor of God, as he promised.

I love Psalm 127: 1-2 because it speaks to the very point of it. "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." You're building it, but unless the favor of God is on it, you're laboring in vain. Then it says, "Unless the Lord guards, the city, the Watchman watches in vain." The watchman's watching, but unless the Lord is guarding, he's watching in vain. You need the favor of God on your life. He says, "For it is vain. It's empty." It's vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors, oh, there are so many who have this sense of, "Oh, I will do this myself. I'll pull myself up by my bootstraps," Sort of American mindset.

B. Know these things in your heart and soul

David writes a powerful word, "No, unless the Lord is the strength, there is no value to it. It's vain to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors, for it is he who gives to His beloved even while they sleeps." You're sleeping and the favor of God is working powerfully in your life. He's speaking of the favor of God. It comes from that relationship, when you cling to him with all of your heart. God abides with you in the course of your life, then you will see the favor of God revealed. Then he says, notice verse 14. I love verse 14, "Know these things in your heart and in your soul." He says, "You know. You know in all your hearts and all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord has spoke has failed."

We have an expression in English that captures the same thing. We say, "You know in your heart of hearts that this thing is true." That's an interesting expression because most people know things with their mind. What does it mean to know in your heart and to know in your soul? What does that mean? It means that your heart and your soul bear witness to the truth that you know with your mind. You know in your heart because your heart and your soul bear witness to the truth. It's like Romans 8:16, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God."

It's like I know. I know that he is my father. I know that I can call him my Abba Father. I know in my heart. Don't just know things intellectually, he says. Let your heart and your soul bear witness.
When there's something of your heart and soul that is convinced like Paul says, "I am persuaded," then there's something genuine and authentic that's happening. In Isaiah 29:13, God is speaking to Israel who did not understand this and it says that God is correcting them when he says in verse 13, the Lord said, "These people, they draw near with their words and they honor me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from me and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote." If you had just have it intellectually, something is memorized, but the heart is not in it, we call it religion. The heart's not there. It's empty, but knowing these things in your heart is the description of faith.


It is clinging to the Lord himself by which faith is established as a rock to stand on.

Hebrews 11:1-2 and verse 6, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for that I know in my heart. It is the conviction of things not seen for by it, the men of old gained approval and without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who seek him." The relationship of those who cling to him, because if a man lacks faith, the scripture describes him as double-minded and unstable in his ways.

C. God's Word does not fail

He says, "You know in your heart and your soul," and he says, "You know this that God's word does not fail. You know with all your hearts that every good word," he says, "Every good word." Joshua is old and advanced in years, but he's a man like Caleb, steadfast over the long years of his life and God has blessed him. He has stood firm all his life and he knows in his heart because he's seen it, God's word never fails. Wise is the one who knows this when he's young because the faithfulness of God's word is a two-edged sword. What does that mean? It's a two-edged sword because the blessings of God do not fail, the word of God does not fail, but it's also true that calamity and trouble come upon the one who turns their back on God. That's also God's word and it also does not fail.

Why He says the one who knows this when they're young? Some people have the thought that they will play as long as they can in their lives and then just before they die they'll get things in order with God. That person will have no delight in that decision. Ecclesiastes 12:1, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you say, "I have no delight in them."" Then know in your heart that not one word of God will fail.

When I get to the end many years from now, I'm sure there will be things I regret, but one thing is for sure, I will never regret trusting Christ. I will never regret setting the course of my life and never turning to the left or to the right. Choose the life of blessing, stay in course, finish the fire, run the race well, for there are promises that God wants you to have right now. Promises that you obtain by trusting in Him by faith, by clinging to him, by standing on the rock, by believing with all of your heart, that God's word does not fail. The promises of God are sure. The promises of God that He wants you to have life to the full. "I promise," He says, "to give you peace that passes understanding. To give you the desires of your heart. That you would gain new strength and rise up with wings like eagles." I promise that you can do all things through Christ who strengthened you. That He will surround you with songs of deliverance. That He will make your feet like hinds feet. That you can be more than conquerors in Jesus Christ. That you can ask and you will receive. That you will seek and you will find. That you will knock and the door will be opened to you. That you can seek first the kingdom of God and all of these things will be added unto you. That the prayers of a righteous man are very effective, He says. This I promise.

It's the favor of God poured out on your life. Be steadfast, be resolute, keep walking, and don't turn to the right or to the left, and the favor of God is poured out in your life.
Father, thank you so much for your word that just strengthens our heart and soul. God, it's a delight to see the promises of God that give us that assurance that we see the favor of God in so many ways. Church, as we are standing before as we are before the Lord how many would say this day this morning, "I will walk in the path that God has and I don't want to turn to the right or to the left. When I get to the end and look back, I know I will see the favor of God poured out. God, I thank you for every promise that you give. I have made my mind, I will live to honor you with the rest of my life."

Church, how many would say that to the Lord? Will you just say that by just raising your hand and just making that declaration, God, I just want to say I want to walk steadfastly and not turn to the left or to the right. Father, thank you for everyone who trusts you, who turns their heart to you, who believes in all faith that when we cling to you the favor of God is seen most powerfully in our lives. God we honor you, we thank you for all that you're doing and we ask that you would move in power through us now. In Jesus name and everyone said, "Amen." Let's give the Lord praise and glory and [sound cut]