Revering the Word
Joshua 13 What does God want you to complete before your time is up?
Good morning everyone this morning we are in Joshua chapter 13. At this point most of the Promised Land as far as the military victories that were needed in order to achieve taking the Promised Land have been done. However there's still a lot of land that they haven't taken yet. It doesn't appear the battles or the countries or peoples that are in those are as great of a challenge to Israel as what we've already seen so far and God is still wanting though the tribes to take the land that God had ordained for them to receive. You might recall back in the book of Numbers Moses allotted the territory for each of the tribes and they have yet to take the territory. Now Moses you know was God's ordained leader in that season of history and that baton got passed on to Joshua and as we'll see here he's old and advanced in years and it appears that God is desiring that Joshua would make sure that he reiterates to the people what land they're going to be apportioned so that God's people can have peace in the sense that you know everyone knows their border and everyone knows what they're receiving. So Joshua is going to help a lot the land here and tell the people where they can go now to take their territory. That's interesting isn't it? You know in today's day and age in America anyways we have some challenges regarding you know our border and yet here it was very clear in the book of Numbers and in Joshua that even these tribes of the same nation were going to have lands that were you know theirs and you know I kind of marvel at the the problems that we have in America. You know being a man of God and being a you know I'd like to believe and believe I am a caring man of God you know why can't we why can't we in America be a blessing to you know others around us and we are but if you don't have a border if you don't have security then people can just run rough shot I mean at what point is there a problem there already is but imagine if five million people showed up at your door and just wanted to come in and you don't have a way of managing that you're just letting people in illegally and then you have people you know illegally in the country I guess I just don't understand in our country why we can't control our border and yes allow immigrants to come in but allow it to happen in an orderly way in a legal way so that you can keep track of who's coming in instead of just allowing people to come in illegally it really doesn't make sense to me you can still be a generous nation you can be a helpful nation you can allow immigrants I mean our country was formed based on immigrants right like you know that that everyone came over here you know back in the you know 14 15 mostly 15 16 17 100 1800s you know when our country was developed and it's like why not why not just have a legal means of doing that I don't I don't get it but moving on to this in Joshua advanced in years and now helping to a lot the land and the one who they saw an authority so it was good for him to to be able to divide this from someone they trusted and there doesn't appear to be you know any problems in him giving the land the way that Moses described but God's wanting him to finish that duty in his old age finish what I gave you to do be faithful to me before you leave this earth make sure that you are a man of God and you do what I have asked you to do and you know I don't necessarily want to get into reading the chapter today and you know going through all the details of it but what I want to say as we look at this in our own lives what does God have for you to do what does God have for you to do in your in your family are there things that need to be dealt with or said that haven't been said it you know I'm gonna be speaking at a conference that our church is putting on for for men and one of the things that I'm gonna be teaching on really a main passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 is act like men be strong do everything that you do out of a heart of love but act like men be strong stand firm be watchful those are some of the things I'm going to talk about and what's my point how am I relating that to what we're talking about here in Joshua Joshua was given an assignment and God's wanted to make sure that he completes what he has for Joshua to do before his time is up and it's good to realize that you don't want one day we're gonna be old maybe you are older now you know I mean I we are getting older minute by minute day by day are we not and have you considered Lord what do you have me to do what is it that you want me to do in my family in my church what contribution God do you have for me to give to this earth to this world to the people that are around me what kind of leadership do I have in my family in my church in my community that you want to make sure that I do and complete before my time is up and be faithful to God in doing it you know it you know it's gonna be different and it may be you know maybe it's more or less significant you know I guess you know different people have different callings I mean I definitely felt like the book I wrote altered was a calling from God I believe that being a pastor has been a calling from God I believe that finishing this three-year Bible journey if the Lord allows me to which you know everything peers and healthy now we got two years to go I believe that this is something that God has me to do for his kingdom and it could be something like that for you but it could be something different but all I know is that you know what sometimes we don't feel like we're in the lead sometimes we don't feel like we have a position to lead and I think that is a mistake I think that as you are a father or a grandma or a grandpa as you've aged in the Lord God wants you to know that you know what you have a mouth to speak for the glory of God you people look to you in your your family your children grandchildren they look to you for leadership and you know what is there something that needs to be done or said before your time is up that God would have you to do ask them ask them you know God what would you have for me what is something that you know you've put on my heart that you want me to complete before my time on earth is done maybe maybe it's big maybe it's small I guess the important thing is years before Joshua's time was done God wanted him to allot the land and and Joshua's gonna do it let's be faithful to God let's serve him and don't don't undermine your own ability to be used by God don't think that you can't speak you know for the glory of God that you can't take leadership and do it a stand firm be watchful be strong but also do it from a heart of love but just know that you know what this love that the world talks about today you know where you just approve everything that everyone does and you don't say anything because it might offend that's not that's not of God's love because in the same passage that I was just talking about he said act like men be strong be watchful stand firm listen the Bible talks about speaking the truth with love and you know what that's why we need God because it's easy to it shouldn't say it's easy maybe easy for some to speak the truth and be harsh and it's easy for some to just be loving and say nothing you know but you know what's hard what's hard is is to be watchful stand firm to act like a man to be strong and to do it from a heart of love so man of God women of God in your families with your children with your grandchildren make sure they know about Jesus make sure that they know that you are a believer in Jesus and that you think that's one of the most important things in life when your children or grandchildren go wayward don't think someone else someone else's job to speak up and speak to the truth with love to your children and grandchildren it's your job God wants to speak through you you you stand with God and you do it with a heart of love so ask ask the Lord what he has for you as we all age in our years grow dim what is it that God has for us to do and then let's be faithful as God is asking Joshua to be faithful God bless you all