‘As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord’.                             

                       (Joshua 24 v.15)

Joshua was nearing the end of his life, so one day he called the leaders of the people together at Shechem to deliver a final message.  This was a most important place in Jewish history. Abraham had first settled there, Jacob bought land, and Joseph was buried there.

Joshua, was a great military leader who had served under Moses for forty years, and when Moses died he became leader for a further twenty five years. At this time Israel had come to a crucial point in its history. They had faced tyranny in Egypt, but God had saved and rescued them, God had given them the land of Canaan, a good land flowing with milk and honey, and continually blessed them,  and led them where  they had been able to settle down, but problems had arisen.

As peoples throughout time have behaved, once the hard times were over, they began to fall away from and forget God.  History is full of instances where people have turned to God for His help in times of difficulty, but when He has answered, His usefulness has been laid aside.

 We all have to make a choice in this life.  Joshua was quite clear he had made one, and for Him it was quite definite, he and his family would serve the Lord.  The choice we make will decide our eternal future, so we should think deeply.

Joshua’s words have a resonance for us today. We too have to reflect on our lives and face the choice God gives to us, He gives us free will. Everyone has to decide whether to serve God, or the gods of our time. Life is constantly calling on us to make choices, and God allows us to say either yes or no, but we must face the consequences if we make the wrong decision,.  Many people do not wish to consider, but will one day regret not doing so.  Fundamentally, it is a case of serving the Lord or His adversary the devil, and so many people are quite happy to serve the latter.  

We may not have the same idols as gods, which did the Jews, but we have our own modern day gods. Whilst many people today may not even have heard of the Ten Commandments, one reminds God said we should have no other gods but Him.

 People believe they can do without God.  They live as if there was no tomorrow. We see gluttony, alcohol and drug abuse, and unrestricted sex everywhere.    

 Following God is a personal decision you must make for yourself, no one else can make it for you.  It has to be accepted however that it may mean personal sacrifices have to be made, we must remain faithful to Him, and give up doing things which are wrong in His sight. So we must consider our priorities.   

We are facing a time of ungodliness.  On every front there is an anti-Christian bias. Discord and discouragement is being sown in the lives of Christian people.  We have to resist on every front, so as to maintain a Christian faith and presence.

In our schools and universities, and in intellectual circles the Bible is seen as some form of hate literature, and religious studies have to include other faiths in as much, if not more so, than Christianity.

The BBC has appointed people of other faiths to be directors of Christian programmes, and the Church accepts it.  You can be assured, they would never appoint a Christian to direct Islamic or Hindu programmes. But that is just the BBC anti Christian bias.

 The Courts, favour those who challenge Christian expression in cases taken before them, and reflect no credit on the judiciary who seem determined to eradicate Christian faith from public life.

 We constantly read and hear reports of young people between the ages of 7 and teenage years, terrifying whole neighbourhoods.  They abuse, assault, vandalise and rob at will, and if anyone should remonstrate with them that person runs the risk of stabbing or serious injury. On several occasions, men with families have been killed whilst defending their property.  Whole gangs roam the streets seeking confrontation with other gangs and their members, which have cost the lives of substantial number of young men, sometimes innocent victims. 

On so many occasions, broken homes have been a cause of such behaviour, with a mother unable to control or showing an utterly irresponsible line.  One 12 years old boy terrified an estate, and his mother said he was ‘her little Satan, but wasn’t really evil’. An unwitting contradiction in terms, but added he just needs understanding.  He certainly needs something, but more severe than understanding. Yet again an absent father.

‘A nation is only as strong as its homes’, said Abraham Lincoln, and today our homes are reflecting the state of the our nation, which is in the deteriorating state of moral and social decay, which should make us fear for the future of our children and grandchildren.

The home now doesn’t mean as much today as it used to do, and to so many people the idea of two people being married as the ideal, is old fashioned and rather stupid.   

Marriage was built on the foundations of the Bible, but now legislation has been made which re-defined marriage to include people of the same sex.  This has become the norm within the Church, because some clergy do not like to see anyone upset.

 It has been said that in 100 years from now, marriage will have ceased to exist, and if some members of the government have their way,  it will be less. 

We have so much unhappiness and trouble in the home today, because we've got away from God's laws, rules, and regulations governing marriage, When God performed the first marriage, He laid down the rules, and He said if you want to have a happy home, obey these rules. If you want to have trouble, disobey them.

There cannot be division within a family. If a house is divided against itself it will fall. It is of course easier and better if both persons are worshipping Christians.

The Bible says, listen to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.   We can learn so much from Jewish parenthood.  Father’s teaching to his children of the Ten Commandments, one for each of the ten fingers, and the history of the Jewish people from the Old Testament, and the mother controlling behaviour.  I have never known nor heard, of a Jewish child being involved in violent disorder or crime.  When I have sought an answer, I have been told it is because of the Jewish Mama in the home.

I am sure he is correct, but I am also sure that there are many mothers in addition who are devoted to their children. Mothers can indeed have a great effect on children. 

I was often required to be away from the home for long hours, and it is a great tribute to my wife that two of my sons became ordained, and have proved to be very successful Ministers.

Far too many children are left to their own devices.  How can teenagers roam the streets drunk and threatening people, stabbing other teenagers, and forming life threatening other gangs, without the parents knowing of it.  The streets of our  cities have been the scene of so many stabbings, and knives  have been the weapons used.

Everywhere, people search for happiness from the wrong things and wrong places.  Many criminals have come from homes where there has been no peace, no discipline nor Christian values or teaching. The biggest cause of young criminals is due to marital breakdown and separation

If any country is to defend its values successfully, it must rediscover the Christian faith in which those values are ultimately rooted.  When the founding principles are eroded, and the morality and biblical fundamentals are taken away, there is no foundation for society, which is a dangerous thing and we are seeing some of the consequences developing.

  

  So we must consider our priorities. Do we put the Church before all other calls for our presence?   There can be no compromise, no trying to accommodate society’s ways. In every Church there are Christians whose relationship is only formal and outward, a case of being associated with Jesus without being united.

Sometimes the faith goes cold.  There is only one way to remain on course and that is to be close to your Church, not to have a periodic attachment. We are facing a time of ungodliness. If we are to faithfully serve Him, we must seek Him, which means we call on Him, remain faithful to Him, and give up doing things which are wrong in His sight..

We need to let God know we serve Him, which I believe, is what God wants to hear. Choosing whom to serve affects not only ourselves, but our children.  Our families and homes are in constant danger. Parents must realise that having children means bearing responsibility for how they behave. 

The Church will have to look and consider its position.  We are constantly being reminded by the press as to how people are turning away from the Church, with the blame being placed firmly on the Church.  Whilst to some degree this is true, the true responsibility rests upon those who fail to attend and encourage children not to attend..  Society was more stable and balanced when people did attend.

. Does the same fire which burned in the lives of the outstanding men of God in the past still burn in today’s preachers?    

 Many ministers are afraid of speaking out lest they be accused of some kind of phobia by minority factions.  Ministers are however faced with a dilemma in faithfully teaching Biblical morality in these times as many of their congregations would find a strain on their consciences in view of their lifestyles.   How heartening to hear the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster saying ‘I am not here to be popular. I’m here to be successful.’ 

Joshua was not convinced the people were sincere when they promised to serve the Lord, and challenged them several times before accepting their word.  He knew that commitment and obedience were required.  He told them they were dealing with a God who would not be trifled with.  Eventually,  he believed them and erected a stone under an oak tree to commemorate the binding of people to serve the Lord their God.

They did not however follow their commitment and a whole new generation grew up who had no knowledge of the Lord.  We see how history can repeat itself.  As Christians, we have a commitment to serve God. Just as Joshua reminded the Jews of all God had done for them, so must we reflect on all that which God has done for us, and respond accordingly.

  

 Joshua made his choice, let us make ours, and say, ‘we will serve the Lord.’