[SERMON] Joshua 23-24: Crucial Reminder! - Pr Gilbert Wee // 20 Feb 2022

Summary

Dans ce message inspirant, l'orateur introduit le nouveau pasteur adjoint, Pastor Adele Chia, et annonce un appel à l'aide pour des ordinateurs portables pour un hostel à Pulau Banging. Il plonge ensuite dans l'exégèse des derniers chapitres du livre de Josué, mettant l'accent sur l'importance de rester fidèles à Dieu et de poursuivre la foi malgré les tentations. Il souligne le rôle du leadership et l'engagement des fidèles pour assurer la continuité de la mission de l'Église, encourageant à une vie spirituelle forte et à un engagement total envers Dieu pour finir bien la course de la foi.

Takeaways

• 🎉 La présentation de Pastor Adele Chia comme nouvelle pasteure adjointe pour le ministère des jeunes adultes.
• 📢 L'importance de soutenir la mission de l'église envers les étudiants nécessitant des ordinateurs pour leurs cours.
• 📖 L'exhortation à rester fidèles à Dieu et à éviter les tentations qui détournent le cœur des fidèles.
• 📜 L'examen des derniers chapitres du livre de Josué, où Josué donne un discours final pour rappeler l'importance de la foi.
• 🗣️ La question de Josué sur la fidélité d'Israël à Dieu et la conquête de la terre promise.
• 🙏 L'appel à la prière et la réflexion sur la fidélité de Dieu à son peuple tout au long de leur histoire.
• 💪 L'exhortation à poursuivre la spiritualité et à faire de la spiritualité une priorité dans la vie chrétienne.
• 🏆 L'importance de finir bien dans la foi, en servant et en obéissant à Dieu de manière sincère et dévouée.
• 🗯️ Le choix personnel de servir Dieu ou d'autres dieux, souligné par Josué comme un engagement personnel.
• 📝 La création d'un pilier comme symbole de l'engagement des gens d'Israël envers Dieu.
• 🎤 L'appel à l'action pour ceux qui sont prêts à s'engager pleinement à servir Dieu et à finir bien leur spiritual journey.

Q & A

Qui est la nouvelle pasteure introduite dans l'église?

La nouvelle pasteure introduite est Pastor Adele Chia.

Quel est le rôle de Pastor Adele Chia dans l'église?

Pastor Adele Chia sera la responsable du ministère des jeunes adultes.

Quelle est la situation personnelle de Pastor Adele Chia?

Pastor Adele Chia est veuve et a deux enfants adorables.

Quelle est la mission ministérielle mentionnée dans le discours?

La mission ministérielle mentionnée est celle d'offrir des cours en ligne de soutien scolaire aux pauvres, permettant aux enfants de faire de bonnes notes et de progresser académiquement.

Combien d'unités de portables pré-chargées sont nécessaires à l'urgence par le jubilée hostel de Pulau Banging?

Il est nécessaire de 119 unités de portables pré-chargées pour que les cours puissent être dispensés efficacement.

Où peuvent être déposées les portables pour la捐助?

Les portables peuvent être déposés à la maison de l'église au niveau un de SMCC à Carpang.

Quels sont les deux chapitres clés du livre de Josué qui sont lus à la fin du discours?

Les deux chapitres clés du livre de Josué qui sont lus sont les chapitres 23 et 24.

Quelle est la principale préoccupation de Josué concernant les Israélites après leur repos?

La principale préoccupation de Josué est que les Israélites deviennent complaisants et soient affectés par les ennemis environnants, notamment par les pratiques idolâtriques et les mariages interreligieux.

Quelle est la question centrale que Josué se pose concernant l'avenir des Israélites?

La question centrale que Josué se pose est de savoir si Israël restera fidèle et s'il pourra conquérir la terre promise par le Seigneur.

Quelle est la première recommandation de Josué aux leaders et aux gens d'Israël?

La première recommandation de Josué est de se souvenir de la fidélité de Dieu, de continuer à rester fidèles à Dieu et d'obéir à Ses paroles.

Quelle est la deuxième recommandation de Josué?

La deuxième recommandation de Josué est de poursuivre la spiritualité, de rester forts dans leur foi en Dieu et d'éviter les péchés et tentations qui pourraient détourner leur cœur loin de Dieu.

Quelle est la troisième recommandation de Josué?

La troisième recommandation de Josué est un appel à l'action pour finir bien, en encourageant les leaders et le peuple à continuer à avancer avec Dieu et à maintenir la réussite de leur mission spirituelle.

Outlines

00:00

📢 Introduction et annonces importantes

Le passage introduit un message puissant extrait des derniers chapitres du livre de Josué. Deux annonces majeures sont faites : la première concerne l'introduction d'une nouvelle pasteure laïque, Pasteure Adele Chia, qui dirigera le ministère des jeunes adultes et est décrite comme ayant un esprit merveilleux et aimant le Seigneur. La deuxième annonce porte sur un appel à la mission pour fournir 119 ordinateurs portables préchargés aux étudiants nécessiteux de Jubilee Hostel à Pulau Banging pour leur scolarité en ligne. L'appel à soutenir cette mission souligne l'impact positif déjà observé sur les progrès académiques des enfants aidés précédemment.

05:01

👥 La convocation de Josué et son importance

Ce segment explique que Josué a convoqué deux groupes de personnes à des occasions distinctes pour leur communiquer des messages importants concernant l'avenir d'Israël et l'importance de rester fidèles à Dieu. L'objectif était de s'assurer que les Israélites, désormais en paix et reposant de leurs conflits, restent vigilants contre la complaisance et les tentations. Josué met en garde contre le relâchement qui pourrait conduire à l'idolâtrie et à l'affaiblissement de leur engagement envers Dieu, rappelant les conséquences des péchés passés et soulignant la nécessité d'une résilience continue face aux attaques ennemies.

10:03

🧓 Josué et le leadership dans la foi

Contrairement à Josué, qui est décrit comme très âgé, le pasteur senior de l'église n'est pas mentionné comme tel et est loué pour sa force, son énergie, et son engagement pour le Seigneur. Ce passage établit un parallèle entre la transition de leadership dans l'Israël biblique et les transitions au sein de l'église contemporaine, mettant en évidence l'importance du leadership passionné pour réaliser de grandes œuvres pour Dieu. Il incite à la réflexion sur la manière dont le leadership et l'engagement continu de la communauté peuvent contribuer à l'avancement et au succès de l'église à travers les générations.

15:05

🙏 Rappel des victoires passées et de la fidélité de Dieu

Ce paragraphe souligne l'importance de se souvenir des victoires passées et de la fidélité de Dieu à travers les défis et les succès rencontrés. Josué rappelle aux Israélites comment, malgré leur statut ordinaire et leurs capacités limitées, Dieu les a conduits à surmonter de grands obstacles et à remporter des victoires significatives. Le récit encourage à la réflexion personnelle sur les moments où Dieu a été fidèle dans nos vies, renforçant ainsi la foi et la reconnaissance envers Dieu pour son soutien constant.

20:06

🌟 L'importance de la spiritualité et l'engagement envers Dieu

Le passage met en avant la nécessité de poursuivre la spiritualité et de se concentrer sur une relation profonde et engagée avec Dieu. Josué fournit un modèle de maturité spirituelle à travers l'obéissance, la fidélité, et l'amour pour Dieu. Il souligne que la vie sur Terre est intrinsèquement spirituelle et que la fidélité à Dieu est cruciale pour surmonter les défis et atteindre le succès spirituel. Des exemples contemporains illustrent comment l'engagement spirituel peut conduire à des expériences puissantes et transformatrices avec le Saint-Esprit.

25:06

🔥 Exhortation à vivre pleinement pour Dieu

Ce segment exhorte les croyants à s'engager pleinement et sincèrement envers Dieu, en évitant l'idolâtrie et en vivant une vie qui honore Dieu. Josué met en garde contre la tentation de servir Dieu tout en adhérant à des idoles ou à des modes de vie contraires aux enseignements divins. Le passage appelle à une introspection sur les priorités de la vie et sur l'importance de choisir consciemment de servir Dieu avec intégrité et dévouement, sans compromis.

30:08

✊ Appel à un engagement renouvelé et à finir fort

Dans les derniers moments de son leadership, Josué lance un appel fervent aux Israélites pour qu'ils renouvellent leur engagement envers Dieu et aspirent à finir leur parcours de foi de manière forte et honorable. Il défie les gens de choisir délibérément de servir Dieu et de rejeter toutes formes d'idolâtrie, soulignant la gravité de cette décision. Le passage met en lumière l'importance de l'engagement personnel envers Dieu et le pouvoir d'un choix conscient de suivre Dieu dans toutes les sphères de la vie.

35:08

🎉 Conclusion et engagement communautaire

Le script se termine par un appel à la communauté à s'engager collectivement à servir et à obéir à Dieu, illustrant l'importance de l'engagement communautaire dans la foi et le service à Dieu. Une prière collective scelle cet engagement, affirmant la détermination de l'église à poursuivre les voies de Dieu et à finir leur course spirituelle avec force et dévouement. Le passage souligne l'importance de la fidélité et de l'obéissance à Dieu, non seulement à titre individuel mais aussi en tant que communauté unie dans la foi.

Keywords

💡Pastor Adele Chia

Pastor Adele Chia est présentée comme la nouvelle pasteure adjointe chargée du ministère des jeunes adultes. Elle est décrite comme ayant un esprit merveilleux, aimant le Seigneur et les gens. Elle est veuve et a deux enfants. Sa nomination est un point important de l'annonce faite au début de la vidéo.

💡Mission Ministry

Le ministère missionnaire est mentionné comme ayant réalisé un travail exceptionnel, notamment dans le domaine de l'éducation en ligne, en offrant des cours de soutien aux pauvres. Les enfants bénéficiaires ont obtenu de bons résultats et ont progressé académiquement. Cela illustre l'impact de la foi et du service communautaire.

💡Joshua's Final Speech

Le discours final de Josué, qui est le sujet principal de la vidéo, est un message crucial adressé aux Israélites pour les encourager à rester fidèles à Dieu. Il est présenté comme un rappel de la foi et de l'obéissance à Dieu, en évitant les tentations qui pourraient détourner leur cœur de Dieu.

💡Promised Land

La terre promise fait référence à la terre que Dieu a promise aux Israélites, symbole de la destination divine et de l'accomplissement de la foi. Dans le contexte de la vidéo, elle est utilisée pour souligner l'importance de la fidélité à Dieu pour atteindre et conserver cette terre.

💡Spirituality

La spiritualité est un aspect clé de la vie chrétienne mis en évidence dans la vidéo. Elle implique la croissance dans la foi, l'obéissance aux enseignements de Dieu, et la quête d'une vie conforme à la volonté divine. La spiritualité est présentée comme un moyen de rester fort face aux tentations et aux défis.

💡Leadership

Le leadership est un thème important dans la vidéo, où Josué est présenté comme un leader inspirant qui encourage les autres à rester forts dans leur foi. Le leadership est également lié à la transmission de la vision et des valeurs à la nouvelle génération.

💡Faithfulness

La fidélité est un concept central de la vidéo, soulignant la constancia de Dieu dans son amour et sa protection pour ses fidèles. La fidélité est également associée à la capacité des gens à rester dévoués à Dieu malgré les défis.

💡Commitment

L'engagement est un appel à l'action pour les fidèles de rester dévoués à Dieu et de poursuivre leur spiritualité. Il implique une décision consciente de servir Dieu et de vivre selon ses enseignements.

💡Covenant

Le pacte est un engagement sacré et solennel entre Dieu et ses fidèles, symbolisé dans la vidéo par la pierre érigée par Josué. Il représente la promesse de servir et d'obéir à Dieu, ainsi que la volonté de rester fidèle malgré les tentations.

💡Discipleship

La discipleship fait référence à l'apprentissage et à la pratique des enseignements de Dieu, comme illustré par l'engagement des fidèles à servir et à obéir à Dieu. C'est un processus de croissance spirituelle qui implique de vivre une vie conforme aux valeurs et aux commandements divins.

Highlights

Introduction of new lay pastor Pastor Adele Chia

Pastor Adele Chia's background and her role in the young adult ministry

Mission Ministry's work in online tuition for the poor

Urgent need for 119 pre-load laptops for Jubilee Hostel in Pulau Banging

Final chapters of the Book of Joshua and Joshua's final speech

Joshua's reminder to the people of Israel to remain faithful to God

Joshua's concern about Israel's potential complacency after settling in the Promised Land

The importance of staying resilient against the enemy's constant attacks

Joshua's reminder to remember God's faithfulness and the victories He has given

The church's 27th anniversary and the comparison with Joshua's leadership

The need for the new leadership to continue the successes of the church

The importance of running after spirituality and obeying God's word

Joshua's call to finish well and serve the Lord with all faithfulness

The challenge to choose whom to serve and the commitment to serve the Lord

Joshua's covenant with the people and the setting up of a stone pillar as a reminder

The church's commitment to serve the Lord and obey His word

The prayer of commitment to serve the Lord and finish well

The closing song and the blessing for the congregation

Transcripts

now just before i bring to you this

powerful message because this is the

last two chapters that we're going to

look into in the book of joshua i have

two very important announcements to make

number one is i want to introduce to you

our new lay pastor pastor adele chia

yeah pastor adele chia

i don't know whether you know her but i

i know that she has a wonderful spirit

you know she is a people person she

loves the lord very much she loves

people and

you know therefore what happened is

she's going to be the pastor of this

young adult ministry

there's no is that a picture of a pastor

adele

yeah so pastor adele is widowed she has

two lovely children and you know do give

her your full support secondly

we want to you know to talk about the

mission ministry that they had done such

a marvelous work uh you know especially

in this area of illusion that is online

tuition giving to the poor and they you

know the the re

the children that came back with

wonderful testimony of good results and

they are now

better in their academic progress so

these students that we today that we're

going to make a call is from jubilee

hostel in pulau banging yeah they are in

need of 119 units of pre-load laptops

urgently so that they can run their

classes this effect efficiently

so if you can if you want to give you

can drop off your laptops at our gut

house at smcc level one uh carpang and

you know just before you drop out give a

call to uh sister billy and sister

eunice you know you can look into the

website for more details

the numbers are there so that you can

you know bring your items down and be

able to give you more info so thank you

for your kind support

now let us get into the message today

you know as i say said we are going to

look into the final chapters of the book

of joshua and i trust all of us here you

know and also me i have been blessed and

benefited from the joshua series so far

and i hope that you too have been

benefited from that

you know chapter 23 and chapter 24 is a

final speech by joshua and when you

heard about a final speech it's the last

verse of man

and therefore it must be very very

important isn't it so if you were joshua

and you have to give this one last

message what would you say

yeah what would you say to the people of

israel

now it was for me

i would probably remind the people of

israel hey continue to remain faithful

in god continue to hang on to god clean

unto god obey his words and avoid sins

and temptation that will turn your

hearts away from god

probably yeah this is what i would tell

the people of israel come on let's break

up let us move on you know for joshua he

wanted to exalt his leaders and his uh

you know people of israel to stay strong

in their faith for god

now every good leader

you know before we end you know we want

these successes not to end with us we

want we are hoping that the the you know

the new leadership the new leadership

will take it from there and take it to

you know all the successes into a great

heist that we always say you know my

ceiling joshua ceiling is my platform to

move on to another ceiling yeah that's

so important right so joshua has this

question

that is probing in his heart that says

will israel remain faithful will israel

secure the land that the lord has given

them called the promised land

so joshua as we you know it's very old

i'm going to read that and so it's

incumbent of him to prepare god's people

and challenge them with this crucial

reminder

so the sermon title i have today is

joshua's crucial reminder now let's look

into

joshua chapter 23 verse 1 and 2. we can

look up at the screen the verses are

there and let us read together joshua

chapter 23 verse 1 to 2. and it says

after a long time let's read together

they can hear yourself reading after the

long time had passed and the lord had

given israel rest from all the enemies

around them joshua by then a very old

man summoned all israel their elders

leaders judges and officials and said to

them i am very old one more verse in

chapter 24 verse 1

then joshua assembled all the tribes of

israel as shechem he summoned the elders

leaders judges and officials of israel

and they presented themselves before god

so here we see that joshua was

addressing two groups of people in

chapter 23 to the elders leaders and all

the officers and in chapter 24 to the

rest of the people and including the

leaders and the elders now why does

joshua have to summon all of them you

know it's a victim to call the big

gathering there and why does he do that

to call all the people and the leaders

together you know because joshua wants

them to hear his heart out joshua wants

them to know that you know what is a

future entail for israel and joshua

wants them that whether in his absence

or or what you must carry on in better

i'm here or not but you have to continue

on to be sure that joshua to be sure

that they are committed to move forward

for the lord

so the people of israel was really

setting down we we heard from last

week's message from chapter 13 you know

to chapter 19 it talks about the

allotment of the lands to the israelites

and so now they are setting down and

respect they receive the allotment of

land and they are taking a rest from all

their enemies

now joshua is very concerned about that

why because when people are well rested

they will take a step back

they will be laid back or take things

easy and let their guts down

you know there is nothing wrong to take

a rest or to take a break from all your

hard work

but when we need

to but we need to be very cautious

because it is during this the p the time

of peace it is very dangerous compared

to the time of struggle we are more

alert so as in the time of peace we will

succumb to sins and temptations more so

the question here is

will they be complacent and be affected

by the surrounding enemies with all the

idolatry practices were they compromised

by intermarrying their sons and their

daughters with other faith were they

lack of commitment and to god and turn

cold in the faith to god so these are

all very valid questions because israel

had experienced consequences of their

sins before you remember the battle of

a.i yeah because of aiken sins they were

defeated and and then next is come the

deception of demonize

so joshua is cautioning them do not let

your guts down you know but to be

resilient against the constant attack of

the enemy who wants to lead us astray

you know the enemy doesn't rest you and

i may take risks and it'll have a time

of holiday but the enemy is relentlessly

stealing killing and destroying lives

and he would just want to keep us

in our spiritual growth

therefore we cannot play catch-up

we must stay the hate

and we must depend on the holy spirit to

overcome all the spiritual downers that

we may feel and stay resilient in the

spiritual journey

until our finishing line

so it's not good enough just being

conscious

we need to take on or the offensive step

to face every challenge to move forward

with god

so joshua who fought you know who

brought you know israel right now into

the promised land and after 25 years his

situation

maybe has some similarity with sibkil

because of the transition time that is

happening yeah and after 27 years of

establishing this church as ibkl if you

do not know we are straight we are 27

years and a half

old and

we we had a very humble beginning

with about 15 among us

in the rented world cup uh bookshop blog

we have many success stories and many

miracles that god led us from where we

were to where we are here today you know

today we are comfortable in this uh the

collapsible kind of seeds

aircon and so forth but in those days we

will walk up three floors up in the

beginning we had to stack our own chair

we had to we had to buy our own chair at

one time you know so that was a long way

of showing where we

were and where we are today now we can

echo the words of joshua that the lord

our god is with us the lord our god is

for us and he has led us throughout this

whole spiritual journey it is a

spiritual journey and the but the

difference here

we read that joshua is very old but our

senior pastor is not very old right yeah

yeah he shook he's saying yeah you look

at him he's still strong he's still

looking good yeah it is energetic full

of fire and seal and passion for the

lord to take on another mountain amen

wow it is good he says he's good for

another four world cup season wow that

is another 16 years to come amen so

praise the lord that we have such a

passionate leader for the lord just as

joshua he was passionate to tell the

israelites and the leaders hey come on

let us move on let us move forward

because the yeah you know the days are

coming yeah with even greater exploit

that we can do for the lord because god

will let us thus far will continue to

lead us forward amen now however

we need to be wise

and to plan and prepare our leaders our

leaders and our members

ahead for the continuation of building

this church and the suspension of the

kingdom of god either with positive

presence of absence

so let's pray together you know as

members of the church or you know as uh

online you are coming in regularly pray

together with us as we look up to jesus

for the next discourse now joshua gave

crucial reminders to the leaders and all

the people and the first reminder

crucial reminder they gave is remember

god's faithfulness

we are going to look into the passage of

scripture from chapter 23 verse 3 to 5.

it's on the screen and let us read

together one more time

he says you yourself has seen everything

the lord your god has done to all this

nation for your sake it was the lord

your god who fought for you

next verse

no more okay

now

first of all remember how i have

allotted as an inheritance for your

tribes all the land of the nations that

remain the nations i conquered between

the jordan and the mediterranean sea in

the west verse five

so the lord your god himself will push

them out for your sake he will drive

them out before you and you will take

possession of the land as the lord your

god promised you now here we see that

joshua is reminding the leaders that god

is the one that who fought for them god

is the one that who gave them this lands

that they are now certainly in and god

is faithful in keeping his promises to

the ancestors and in joshua

24 verse 2-11 you know joshua reminded

now the people at large and you know

including the leaders and telling them

that it is good it is good to remember

what god has done

you know let me paraphrase these verses

here because if you don't read from i

love this paraphrase because it is so

you know uh what they call uh easy to

underst much easier to understand and

and it's more uh uh you know that

youngish you know in that sense the

gusto he said long ago

to the times beyond the euphrates you

were wondering

in the in the wilderness for 40 years

you was yeah before that you were slave

in egypt and your quiet lands in east

jordan

then you came to jericho then now you

are settled in the promised land it is

god who says this i took your father

abraham i let him and gave him isaac

esau and jacob i brought your fathers

out from canaan i brought you out from

egypt i brought you out into the lands

of the amorites i got into the western

jordan into the promised land and i

would not listen to the curses of balaam

and i delivered you out of his hand over

and over again i sent the honda before

you yeah and drove out there memorized i

gave you the land you're living in you

did not plan but you're eating from it

you did not build houses but you're

living in it

it is so important to know how god has

brought you up from where you were to

where you are today

so joshua is recalling all the good

things that the lord has done to his

leaders and people

he wants them to remember

god's faithfulness

you know in all the achievement is

nothing to do with joshua it's nothing

to do with them

you know it's god that says just not as

we paraphrase this is god it says i it

is i who did this it is i who did that

it is i who fought and won the battle

for your sake

now who are these israelites they are

just normal people like ordinary people

like you and i they were farmers they

were hurts men yeah they were slaves at

one time you know carrying shovels spade

and chancel you know and with unmatched

capabilities to find battles yet they

achieved the most unbelievable tasks

you know of overcoming seven territories

defeating 31 kings

can you believe that can you believe

that with that kind of skill set and

background they can achieve all these

victories now if it is god remember it

is god who gave them these victories and

successes so it's very true in our life

when we are in the means of challenges

we cannot see

what god has done for us

but when we reflect on how we have

arrived today from where we were to

where we are today we just realized that

it was god's faithfulness all along

i don't know whether you can just recall

just think back of something

yeah or the many events that god has

been faithful as you recall now wow in

those times you were going through some

challenging time but it is to those

challenging time that you make you

strong and makes you closer to god and

you came to know that

god is so good god is so faithful to

bring me out and and you instead of

dragging those times now you're saying

thank god thank you jesus thank you

father for being there with me that are

able to see that one true god that's

with me that you are reliable you are

faithful you know in 2019 sib care

celebrated our 25th anniversary of god's

faithfulness how many of you were there

at the mine tank you know exhibition wow

i see so many hands yeah exhibition

center

i know i i and also those who are online

i believe there's many of you who were

there at the mine tech yeah my tech

exhibition center to celebrate the the

story the 25th anniversary that we call

it our story the team then his story our

story his story you know very soon that

we you know we are going to celebrate

our 30th

anniversary yeah in 2024 just two and a

half years from now and i hope that

those of you who did not raise your hand

just now and i hope that you will be

faithful with us and then on that day on

the

30th anniversary in 2024

you will celebrate together with us

god's faithfulness amen will you do that

yeah we'll see you then right so now

this book that i'm holding here that i

brought here today now this is the 25th

anniversary hardcopy magazine

and i want to read out a paragraph of

the preface of the book

yeah and

oh it's also written up there you can

see he says that this book has taken

25 years to rhyme

it's been written

rewritten articulated over many years

handed down from fathers to sons pastors

to leaders to members and shared among

friends following jesus

this is srb care story and it is also

god's story we hope that when you read

this book you will see the fingerprints

of ordinary faithful man and woman in

close-up but when you step back you will

see that it was god's hand all along my

story his story and his story my story

amen

amen you know when we look back

hallelujah

hallelujah but we look back we are

really you know i i you know at least

that's one thing if you have nothing to

look back this is one thing that you can

look back and says god you have been

faithful i don't know how many years you

have been in this church it could be 27

years it could be 20 years or 10 or 5 or

1 year but as you look back you can

agree with us it is god's faithfulness

that's present here that we are

where we are today now as we look back

into our past journey we see that the

faithfulness of god is indeed in this

church and you can see it's beautiful

beautifully documented in this book the

faithful god who has been with us for 27

years do you believe that god is going

to continue to be faithful with sib care

for many more years to come

amen yes we believe that 30 years 50

years six years beyond even beyond our

time it is going to carry on because not

not because of us but because of god's

faithfulness that we can be faithful to

partner with him in what he's doing in

this in this wonderful church now i

remembered at that time we sang this

song

during the briefing at the mind tag

and the song go this way you know the

song sing together with me

and all my life you have been faithful

all my life you have been so

so

good

and every brand that i am a hebron

i will sing

of the goodness

of god

amen

isn't it beautiful that god is faithful

yes truly it is the goodness of god that

we are where we are today

now some of us have went through

challenges in our health relationship

finances or you know spiritual issues

many of us also experience you know

breakthrough having healing of terminal

illness spiritual breakthroughs god has

turned us around and our lives around

for good and some of some lives even you

know was delivered from demonic power

and many encountered the goodness of god

since coming to this church

and many of you you know like my

children and your children they were

grown up from kids zone to university

and today your children they are very

successful and they are doing well very

well and not only god has blessed you

and i god has blessed our children and

they are loving god too and this is the

faithfulness of god and that is why so

many of us are still in this church

faithfully serving in this church amen

we're going to give praise to god

hallelujah we can testify that god is

faithful you know

just as joshua chapter 21 verse 45 says

not one

of the lost good promises to israel

failed everyone was fulfilled

amen i want you to read this so that it

you know if this was going into your

heart and to believe this is a faithful

god and his promises are true yes and

amen come let's

say this words together ready one to go

not one of all the law's good promises

to israel failed everyone was fulfilled

hallelujah you know amen hallelujah

let's give god the other praise amen so

when you reflect on the faithfulness of

god you know

you know something just august well

something just want to you know build a

strong foundation of faith because you

know god and you experience his

faithfulness in keeping his word and you

know that his word is true his promises

is always he will fulfill it just as we

saw how he fulfilled the land the

promised land to the israelites and

today he will certainly fulfill the

promises he has given to this church and

to your life and the second reminder

that joshua given this crucial reminder

is run after spirituality

in chapter 23 verse 6-11 we want to read

this

so let's read these verses again yeah in

verse

6-11 be very strong be careful to obey

all that is written in the book of the

lord of moses without turning aside to

the right or to the life do not

associate with these nations that remain

among you do not invoke the names of the

gods are swept by them you must not

serve them or bow down to them next

but you are to hold fast to the lord

your god as you have until now the lord

has driven out before you great and

powerful nation to this nation no one

has been able to withstand you next

one of you rows a thousand because the

lord your god fights for you just as he

promised so be very careful to love the

lord your god hallelujah now when i say

run after spirituality what do i mean by

that no it's about growing your

spiritual

maturity that you will carry a godly

perspective and a godly character in

your daily life now joshua gave us the

processes this time as we read the

verses to switch spirituality you need

this you need to obey god in verse 6 you

need to hold on to god you need to cling

on to god in verse 8 and in verse 11 he

says love the lord your god now these

are processes to have attained the

spirituality that joshua is talking

about but the key note of this reminder

is we have to make sp spiritual thing

the main thing

we may be living on this earth yet the

whole journey of our christian life is

very spiritual you know do you know that

life on earth is very spiritual one

now just look at joshua's life

you know he knew the importance of

spirituality right from the start when

god gave him this mission you know his

total reliance is to stay

obedient to god and and the word of god

that god told him in joshua chapter 1

verse 6 do not look to your life not to

the right but obey the lord of moses

that is what god gave it to him and what

happened now but in in this chapter 23

and 24 when joshua is coming to the end

of his ministry joshua did not give his

people this is a 10 instruction 10

strategies or 10 formulas how to win

battles and be successful in your life

but he gave them just one verse that he

received from god and it is a powerful

word that he has experienced that his

effectiveness when he obeyed the lord

and that was is in john i mean joshua

chapter 1 verse 6 it says yeah do not

leave as we have said do not look your

life or right but obey the word of god

and then in joshua chapter 23 verse 6 he

reminded them this is the powerful verse

this is the words that we need

you know

what else

what else it says i i've you know maybe

the people will gather they're thinking

wow i'm good i'm coming here to learn

from a guru

who has been successful but you know

when they came to to joshua joshua just

gave them the one that is only one way

that is to obey the lord that is to be

spiritual and to you know come to the

lord and be spiritual and go after the

lord run after the lord and therefore he

says it to remain strong spiritually is

to obey the word of god we want to run

after spiritual spirituality and how can

we be be strong spiritually it is to

obey the word of god

amen so the enemy

will test you

the only way to defeat your enemy is to

build your spirituality in god's word

and do not look for options on your left

no wisdom on your rhyme

you know i just today i just came across

this verse in this in psalm 129 he says

that we

can we may be persecute persecuted but

we can never be defeated why because we

have the word of god because we know who

is our god and the lord the god who says

that he is with us and for us he will

certainly when we obey his word and rely

on him he will certainly bring us

through and it is not about the

persecution it is about the victory that

god is going to take us through amen

everybody says i must run after

spirituality

amen online those online i must run or

after spirituality

amen you know in one corinthian

chapter 2 verse 14 and paul said this

but people who aren't spiritual can't

receive this truth from god's spirit it

all sounds foolish to them and they

cannot understand it for those who are

spiritual can understand

what the spirit means

so we can understand

spiritual realm when we know god

through our connection in prayer through

our you know receiving of revelation

through the holy spirit it is not about

the rituals that we go through it's not

about how you know how much that that we

have done this or done that or men's

wisdom but it is it says through the

spirit of god that it reveals to us and

we can write on into the spiritual realm

you know yes there are obstacles you

face in life instead of reacting with

fear we should react with calm obedience

following god's you know word reveal

word and when we are you know when we

stay with him god delights to reveal his

words to us it is you know just as your

son that that comes to you and each time

that uh that your children come to you

you know you have something well you

have something to maybe to teach them to

guide them or they ask you a question

you are so willing to you know to give

them some guidance it's the same way god

wants us to come to him that he can

instruct us and you know to be near him

that because god is spirit here and

therefore when we are moving in the

spiritual realm together with him we

will be able to see the blessing and

also the

the goodness of god therefore we must

run after spirituality which must be

your priority and not just an

afterthought you know last week

in a cell from my district you know

experience an amazing encounter with the

holy spirit zoom

you know all these uh

this cell many of them are new believers

you know after what time they say the

simple prayer and they sought the lord

you know the power the holy spirit came

upon them fueled them you know and the

next thing they were at different

location they were you know overzoom and

when the horrors pre-filled them they

outburst with the tongues and nobody

guide them and say oh you must speak in

tongue let me lay hands on you nobody

but it was a holy spirit that came upon

them and they burst out in tongues they

were in tears and one of them was healed

instantly

wow hallelujah

you know this showed us that when we

run after spirituality god showed up and

they you know this group of people they

rose up to hallow god's presence and

they witnessed god's miraculous power in

the midst you know they are so young in

the in the faith maybe one year one year

old

in the lord jesus in the lord and now

they are so excited they are so on fire

with the lord and you see the whole face

hallelujah you know

one one year ago when i see them you

know they are questioning a lot about

god but today they they want to run

after god the one word of god is not

enough and that is the good sign church

that you know we are in the right place

and in the in the right cell setting and

it says hallelujah we want to run after

the heart of god because when we run

after spirituality god is going to come

and god is going to show us the way amen

so god wants you and i

to know him and experience him

so whatever happens in your life is a

reflection of your spirituality

hallelujah praise god and let's recap

joshua's crucial reminder here

number one remember

god's faithfulness number two run after

spirituality and the third crucial

reminder is rallying call to finish well

we want to read joshua chapter 24 14-16

that he says

now fear the lord and serve him with all

faithfulness throw away the gods your

ancestors worship beyond the euphrates

river and egypt in egypt and serve the

lord

but if serving the lord seems

undesirable to you then choose for

yourself this day whom you will serve

whether the gods of your ancestors serve

beyond the euphrates all the gods of the

mris in whose land you are living but as

for me and my household we will serve

the lord

next then the people answer far belief

from us to forsake the lord to serve

other gods

amen you see joshua finished are we

known because he has led the israelites

into the promised land but his concern

is will his leaders were the people of

god remain you know

constant in their faith and continue his

legacy to finish realm you may be a

leader in the church

or you may be leader in your own right

have you asked yourself this question

will i finish well

would i finish well now to finish well

joshua challenged them with these two

last call the first quarter says a call

to serve the lord as we are read in

verse 14 joshua say throw away the gods

of your ancestors and serve the lord

only ask yourself

are there areas

in your life where

you know where you are trusting in god

and also something else at the same time

if there is it is a matter of

identifying

the something else and you need to throw

it away

you cannot take serving god lightly or

casually you cannot serve god and also

at the same time living in dishonoring

lifestyle and having idolatry

you may say i do not have big statues

and so what is idolatry here you know

john kevin gives a very good definition

on this what is idolatry he says god is

defrauded of his honor whenever any

particle however small of all the things

which he claims for himself is right now

transferred to the idols

you may not have you know big idols that

you talk about but a christian idol can

be craving or honoring something that

put more importance

than god

or it can be you're doing something in

the church where your heart is not in it

and that can be adultery

you know i met people that say

i will turn to god and serve him at

certain age

or give me two more years

living in pleasures of life then i will

follow god wholeheartedly now this is an

acceptable thinking why because the

bible tells us life is brief we do not

know what installed for us to tomorrow

what is going to happen the next minute

or hour we do not know

just this week i heard of this young man

38 years old had a heart attack

collapsed and died on the spot

so you must not think that you are the

master of time or you are in control of

your life

give god the priority now my friends it

is now and not tomorrow

so you may make decisions every day you

know what to eat

what to wear or more importantly a

decision like you want to buy the car

you buy the house or going to work in

another town or who should you marry not

all these choices can be heavy

in verse 15

joshua says this

who are you going to choose

that is a very important question it's

not about just the maturity of fiscal

thing joshua is talking about something

that is fiscal that will affect your

fiscal and he says

that is very important and you need to

make a choice you need to choose

correctly so joshua took the lead he

took the lead and says this is my

decision for me and my household we will

serve the lord now i know that this is a

famous verse and most of us can code it

very well you know it can also be found

maybe in your living room right now to

show you know that this household is

devoted to god

but more than this statement joshua

challenged the people to make a clear

choice whom will you serve

my friends who will you serve today

will you make a choice today who will

you serve

you can choose yeah

today and not yesterday or not tomorrow

but this is the day joshua saying

your pastor cannot choose for you

your leaders cannot choose for you

your spouse is sitting beside you cannot

choose for you your parents cannot

choose for you

no one can choose for you

you you know this is a personal choice

only you can make this decision whom you

will choose

so i know that even with this challenge

that either you're here hearing me from

the online or sitting here

not every one of us will respond

positively you know to the lord there

will always be someone

you know

remain on the fringe of decision for you

are not ready to submit yourself to

trust god completely

so what decision would you take today

would it be god or another imperfect

substitute the choice is yours

and the second challenge that joshua

gave was a call to commit to the lord

and in joshua chapter 24 verse 19 to 25

we're going to read this together he

says joshua said to the people you are

not able to serve the lord he is a holy

god he is a jealous god he will not

forgive your rebellion and your sin if

you forsake the lord and serve foreign

gods he will turn and bring disaster on

you and make an end of you after he has

sinned he has been he has been good to

you

next but the people said to joshua no we

will serve the lord then joshua said you

are witnesses against yourself that you

have chosen to serve the lord yes we are

witnesses they reply

now then said joshua throw away the

foreign gods that are among you and

yield yourself your hearts to the lord

the god of israel and the people say to

joshua we will serve the lord our god

and obey him

on that day joshua made a covenant for

the people and there as shechem he

reaffirmed for them the decrees and the

laws

so here we saw that joshua is rallying

his leaders and his his people to finish

well you know come on he was he was

urging his leaders and people come on

you can do it come on leaders you can

lead the people to the finishing line

you can do it come on more victories are

installed for you

can you feel that urgency of the heart

of joshua that he wants us he wants

everyone to finish well

but to finish well requires a very high

level of commitment that's why he

provoked them in verse 19 you are not

able to serve the lord he is a holy god

he is a jealous god yeah this really

gains the attention and i hope he gets

your attention too because the people

say what what do you mean i cannot serve

the lord my god why can't i serve him

you know joshua is challenging you today

too that the lord the the lord your god

cannot accept your adulterous living or

lifestyle serving god and idols at the

same time god will not put out with the

nonsense and live warmness and also in

insincerity in our heart

so joshua provoked the crown

you don't really mean what you're saying

you don't really want to serve god you

are not sincere and you are not

determined to serve god alone

so joshua wants the israelite to think

carefully this is a serious matter you

know and you have to make it you know

think seriously before a decision of

commitment that you're going to make not

just a live service and then after that

you know just forget about it but a

well-taught true decision to commit to

god

to finish well for the lord

as i became are you willing to commit to

god and serve him and finish well for

the lord are you willing are you willing

to finish well yeah for the lord if you

you know have this commitment to serve

god now this church i tell you will

never be the same again this church you

know has a good future you will see

every generation you know coming

alongside the young and the old you know

serving the lord wholeheartedly together

and this church will continue to be

strong and grow stronger from generation

to generation as we always say we will

fly high and stay long amen we will fly

high and stay long amen you want to see

that happening in your generation and

and also your future generation that

they will serve the lord and commit to

god all the days of the life amen

amen hallelujah you know praise the lord

come on let's praise god amen

you know

elders pastors and leaders of the church

you you see we have such a wonderful

church here who love god who are willing

to serve god's bandaid that's given to

srbkl amen we are in together and now to

do that we need to echo the same

commitment that joshua chapter 24 and

verse 24 says

we will serve the lord our god and obey

him can we say this together yeah say

this after me we will serve the lord our

god

and obey him

amen now let's try it again we will

serve the lord our god and obey

him amen

in closing church remember joshua

crucial reminder

to the leaders and to the people at

large and to us here today

it is

a very crucial reminder for you and i

too

to take heed to

these three areas of reminders number

one remember god's faithfulness

run after spirituality

and rallying call to finish well

in verse 25 i'm going to end here

joshua covenanted with the people by

setting up a stone pillar as a reminder

of their commitment to god and a witness

for this generation and future

generations

now god is calling out for you and i to

make a serious commitment to respond to

his call for commit for your commitment

and to those who had run out man

especially to those who have run out you

know uh of your faith you are very cold

right now in your faith i want to

encourage you today to come

come back to god and to love him again

and the rest of us god wants to

challenge us to commit to serve him and

to finish well your spiritual journey

will you say yes to the lord

and will you commit to serve the lord

now if you are willing

to say yes lord i am willing to commit

my life to serve you even to those who

are in online and to speak to you are

you willing to say yes god i'm willing

to serve you and commit my life to you i

want you to stand with me wherever you

are you can be in the living room

wherever you are that you are located if

you want to say yes lord i'm willing to

commit to you let's arise

and let us say this prayer together to

seal this decision with this prayer

hallelujah

praise the lord and i see so many of us

standing

and it is

[Music]

this august very well

you know for this church

for these generations that you and i are

in and for future generations to come

god

god is wonderful

and i see his faithfulness that you have

also enjoyed the faithfulness of god

that's why

you are bold

you are committed to stand up right now

to say

god i'm in

i'm willing alone to finish well for you

so for those who are standing

to make this statement of commitment to

the lord let me ask you this question

before we say this prayer

you are witnesses against yourself that

you are chosen

to commit to the lord

the congregation when you reply yes we

are witnesses to our commitment

can you reply yes

we are

witnesses to our commitment amen now let

us pray this prayer together

lord jesus

you are my god

in you alone i place by trust

thank you lord for choosing me to know

you believe in you and understand that

you alone are god holy spirit keep my

life free from idolatry forgive me lord

as i repent of having idols in my life

as of today i've decided to turn my

hearts to you alone i commit my life to

the guidance of the holy spirit that i

will live to honor the lord my god

next

this is my commitment

i will serve the lord my god i will obey

god's word i will hold on to you as my

only god i will leave my household to

love the lord

i will equip my children to walk in the

ways of god i will entertain thoughts

worthy of the lord my god i will worship

the lord my god in spirit and in truth i

will finish well for the lord my god

lord jesus help me to live a life that

makes a difference for you in all that i

do and help me to complete this

commitment that i will finish well for

your will to be done in jesus name amen

hallelujah

hallelujah lord this is our prayer and

we are to seal our commitment with this

prayer and lord we are witnesses all of

us here are witnesses the lord to our

prayer and we thank you god oh lord for

the blood of jesus to seal this in our

hearts in our lives and your generations

to come that lord that they will

remember lord that we have made this

commitment to you that we will continue

to serve you amen

and in closing we wanted to assault the

lord with this song we want to praise

god with this song sing it together

the cross before me

the world behind me there is no turning

back of god we will not look back at god

to eating but lord we want to look

forward oh love we are right now in the

provinces of god we are in the promises

promised land and we want to look

forward to god for more victory god it

is not the end but your love will

continue lord to be faithful allah to

expand the kingdom of god slowly by

slowly little by little that we will

move forward to god fallen for your

kingdom of god that in the name of jesus

god the lord that we want to finish

round by obeying the commandments of god

that we will go with therefore to preach

the gospel to make disciples and signs

and wonders shall follow us so therefore

god even as we receive your word today

may we learn oh god digest the word and

put it into application of life and the

spiritual we will see a lot of victories

more victories is coming to each life

here anyone has to leave here lord i

want to pray the blessings to all to all

whether they are fiscal or in the online

in the name of jesus may the lord bless

you and keep you

may the lord's

gracious smile over shine on you and be

gracious on you and may the lord turn

his face towards you

and grant you his shalom amen praise the

lord the service is over

thank you for coming and we will see you

again bless