Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

Well, good morning.

It's good to see all of you this morning.

We're beginning a new series,

a series through the book of Judges.

This will take us in June, July, August,

and then a couple of weeks in September.

I would encourage every one of you

to pick up one of these.

This is a study guide,

and there'll be one of these for each month

as we move our way through.

My guess is that most of us are unfamiliar

with the book of Judges,

and there's probably a number of reasons for that.

One is that Judges is kind of a depressing book.

And, you know, it starts well,

but it doesn't take long.

You get into chapter 2,

and then all of a sudden, darkness.

All of a sudden, moral collapse.

All of a sudden, you find a people

who have turned their back on the Lord,

and from that chapter on to the end of the book,

it doesn't get better.

It just gets worse.

So you're like,

Andrew, what are you doing?

What are you thinking?

Going through the book of Judges, of all things.

The reason we're going through the book of Judges

is because of this theme right here.

It's a study of faithfulness and failure.

We come to the book of Judges

not because we want to feel good, necessarily.

We come to the book of Judges

because it's in the process of learning

and discovering who God is

in spite of who we are.

We see his faithfulness.

We see his promise-keeping power.

We see the things that he has promised

hundreds of years before

and that in spite,

in spite of the rebellion

and wickedness and foolishness

and moral depravity

and moral collapse of his people,

God's character stands.

His faithfulness continues

in spite of the people.

And for anyone in this room

who really has an understanding

of who they are

and can appreciate

that in the backdrop of your life

and maybe even in the present day,

there are things that you will not even share

with your best friends.

There are skeletons in the closet.

There are things that you will never bring out

to the forefront

because of maybe you're embarrassed,

maybe you're ashamed.

And the testimony of the book of Judges

is God not only knows,

but God is faithful.

So we come to a book

that highlights the character of God.

We come to a book

where the darkness settles in

and it's almost suffocating

so that we get to the end of this book

and we wonder,

I'm going to have to be very selective

and I'm trying to figure out already,

how in the world

are we going to go through

chapters 17 through 21?

Because there are parts of this book

that are not PG, okay?

They're not the kinds of stories

that you're going to read necessarily

to a mixed audience.

But time and time again,

we're going to see the wonder

of God's faithfulness

in spite of a wicked people.

And because of the backdrop

of this book,

it's not really a book

that we're going to read much.

It's not going to be

like on the top 10 list

of the books

that you're going to memorize

or the kinds of books

that you're going to study.

And that's why it's so important

to engage.

We're going to engage this book.

There are places in this book

and there are people in this book

that you have probably never heard of.

And in order to really appreciate

the profile and the story

of what God's doing

and especially come to the place

of recognizing the wonder

of who God is,

you want to engage.

You want to do that extra work

for yourself

to kind of get in the flow

of this study

and to appreciate it to the max.

And so this is for devotional reading.

This is for your own

personal edification.

For those of you

who are part of a Connect group,

I understand that today's Connect group

was phenomenal.

And so thank you, Chad,

for leading that today.

There are going to be

several young men

who will be doing this

the next 12 weeks.

And I would encourage you

to do the work yourself

but also to be part

of a Connect group

to continue to fill out,

fill out in your own heart and mind

the wonder of God.

God.

We're spotlighting

the faithfulness,

the nature,

the character of God.

He,

he's on display.

And we're going to see him

against the backdrop

of a very dark world

and the darker things get,

the brighter God gets.

That's the testimony

of the book of Judges.

So I would encourage you

to turn with me

if you would.

In the book of Judges,

we're going to,

it's on page 200

if you're using the Pew Bible.

And we're going to kind of

be working between

a couple of different books.

The book of Judges

and the book of Joshua

kind of sets the stage,

the introduction

to what we see in Judges.

We kind of lean to

lay the groundwork

so we can really appreciate

what's taking place here.

We can understand

the depravity

that is taking place

and spotlighting again

the glory,

the wonder

of who God is.

And so in Joshua chapter 24,

Joshua 24 · chapter mention

we come to these closing words

of Joshua,

kind of the parting words

as it were,

as he's issuing a statement

to his people,

to the nation of Israel

and he wants to call them

to something.

He's learned something

for himself.

He wants the nation

to enjoy the benefits

of what he himself

has experienced.

The nature of God

has settled on his heart

and he wants to commend that

to the nation

so they don't forget it.

They don't miss it.

They don't lose it.

So in Joshua chapter 24

Joshua 24:14

verses 14 and 15,

he says this,

Now therefore fear the Lord

and serve him in sincerity

and in faithfulness.

Put away the gods

that your fathers served

beyond the river

and in Egypt

and serve the Lord.

Choose this day

whom you will serve.

But as for me

and my house,

we will serve the Lord.

Joshua understood

a couple things

about the nature of God.

As he ministered

to the nation,

as he helped to lead them

into the promised land,

this land of conquest,

there were two things

that were front and center

on Joshua's mind.

First, fear the Lord.

What does it mean

to fear the Lord?

Does it mean to cower?

Does it mean to tremble?

Yes, it does.

But it means something more.

It means that you have

such an understanding

of the nature of God

that there is this reverence

in your heart.

There is this understanding

about who God is.

and it begins to shape

your perspective.

It helps to put you

in your place.

It helps you to appreciate

the wonder of his presence

in spite of who you are.

And so Joshua wants this nation

at the very front end

of his departure

and turning it over

to this nation,

fear the Lord.

Know who God is.

And that fear

will turn to service.

Fear the Lord

and serve him.

This is the word

for obedience.

It's the word

for slavery.

It's the word

for bondage.

It's the word

for reverence

that turns into

devotion

and obedience

to him.

So,

to fear the Lord

and serve him.

Orient your heart

towards him.

Devote your life

in obedience

in every way.

And throughout

the book of Judges

this will be the issue.

This will be the ongoing issue

that the nation

will struggle with

all the time.

It's about service.

Service,

worship,

devotion to God.

We see that

right out of the gate

in chapter 2 of Judges

beginning in verse 11.

It says this.

This is kind of

the commentary.

Right out of the gate

of the people

of the nation

it says this.

And the people of Israel

did what was evil

in the sight of the Lord

and served

the Baals.

They abandoned the Lord

the God of their fathers

who had brought them

out of the land of Egypt.

They went after other gods

from among the gods

of the peoples

who were around them

and they bowed down

to them

and they provoked

the Lord to anger.

They abandoned the Lord

and they served

the Baals

and the Ashtra.

You see,

the book of Judges

is first

a book

of worship.

It's not a book

just of stories.

It's a book

of worship.

And because it's

a book of worship

it is a book

of service.

Your service

to God

that shows up

in obedience to Him

devotion to Him

and

coupling

your heart

in devotion

to Him

and you might even say

bondage to Him

so that you serve

His purposes.

He is the master

and you are

the slave

in that respect.

You have determined

in your heart

in your life

that you will do

what God says

because you fear Him.

And so this

book of Judges

is meant to call us

to that kind

of life.

And Joshua

commends this kind

of life

because he's experienced

the benefits

of this life

and he wants to

commend that life

to the nation.

He wants them

to enjoy the benefits

of what God

has to give

through fear

and through service

of Him.

There's a leadership

decision that needs

to happen.

And we're going to

talk a little bit

about the leaders

that God has

had placed over

this nation

and the benefit

of those leaders.

But those leaders

were just

representatives.

Moses as a leader

and Joshua

as a leader

they weren't to

call attention

to themselves

they were to

call their attention

to the leadership

of God.

That God was

preeminently

the leader

of the people.

He was the one

who was responsible

for carrying

the people

into the promised land.

He was the promise maker

and he was the promise keeper.

It was a choice

of leadership.

Every one of us

in this room

have a choice

to make.

Choose you this day

whom you will serve.

Joshua would say

as for me

in my house

we will serve

the Lord.

Will we follow

in his steps?

Will we enjoy

the benefits

of Joshua's example

his leadership?

Well the World Economic

Forum's future

of Jobs Report

in 2025

kind of identifies

some of the key features

of the leaders

that this culture

this world

would seek to have.

And they identified

that the top

leadership quality

was someone

who had

analytical thinking ability

who was a strategic planner

who was somebody

who could bring it

and carry others

along with him.

Then it lists things

like resilience

and flexibility

agility

leadership

and social influence.

You look around

and perhaps

you would even be familiar

with other kinds

of leadership qualities

that our world embraces.

The kinds of things

like strength

and confidence

assertiveness

does not back down.

The kind of person

with tenacity

who's a polished orator

and of course

those things

have their benefits

in terms of leadership

but the kinds of leadership

that God calls us to

are entirely different.

The kinds of leadership

that are marked

by humility.

God opposes

the proud.

He gives grace

to the humble.

What kind of

leader is humble?

Well,

God's kind of leader

is humble

and Joshua

needed humility

and he also needed

to understand

the significance

of dependence

on the Lord

and this mark

a mark of service

to others.

How does a leader

serve?

Well,

Jesus set the example

didn't he?

Because the Lord Jesus

came not to be served

but to serve

and to give his life

a ransom for many.

That's the quality

of godly leadership

that Jesus

illustrated

and commends.

So we're looking at

we're looking at

this nation

that enjoyed

the benefits

of godly leadership

but it wasn't

the kind of leadership

that the world

models or celebrates.

It's the kind of leadership

that God celebrates.

Are you choosing

to fear the Lord?

Are you choosing

to serve him?

And as we work

our way through

the book of Judges

we're going to see

the benefits

of what happens

when Israel

the nation

chooses God.

They choose

to serve him.

Choose you this day

whom you will serve

as for me

and my house

will serve the Lord.

So in the opening

this opening message

I want to just

draw out for us

several different

characteristics

the kinds of

characteristics

that will mark

those who choose

to serve the Lord.

And the benefits

are obvious

as we look back

on the life

of Moses

and the life

of Joshua.

In Judges chapter 1

Judges 1:1

verse 1

we get to learn

from the godly leaders

that God has set

over us.

When we choose

to serve the Lord

we're learning

from the examples

of those leaders

that God has placed

over us.

And in Judges chapter 1

Judges 1:1

verse 1

calls attention

to that.

It says,

These opening verses

call attention

to the incredible nature

of Joshua's ministry.

How prominent it was.

How useful it was.

And here we have

a death of a leader

Joshua

that many of you

are probably familiar with.

Joshua of course

was instrumental

in securing

this new land

this promised land

for the people.

And God had stated

going all the way

back to Abraham

that the people

the nation

would have a land.

And so this promise

keeping God

maintained those promise

through the generations

through 400 years

a promise was made.

and through Joshua

that promise

was secured.

God remembered

that promise

even though Jacob

and his 12 sons

and family

made their way

to Egypt

you remember.

And they stayed there

for 400 years

and while the Pharaoh

and the leaders

who were there

forgot Joseph

and forgot

what God had done

through his leadership

God had not forgotten.

God had not forgotten

his promise

he had not forgotten

his people.

So God raises up

Moses right

and Moses leads

the people

out of Egypt

and he leads them

into the wilderness

he leads them

to Mount Sinai

and he reestablishes

a promise

a covenant

with his people

this covenant

relationship.

See God had not

forgotten his people

even though 400 years

have gone by.

And they wander

in the wilderness

for 40 years.

And Moses dies

he has to depart

but he turns over

the reins

to Joshua

and all of that

is emblematic

of helping us

understand

that the work

of God

is not dependent

on leaders

themselves

but on God

working through leaders.

What a joy.

What an encouragement.

That God works

through leaders

independently

of their charisma

independently

of what they bring

to the table.

That's the testimony

of Moses

and Joshua

who both

expressed

their inadequacy

who both

brought that

to the table

and said

God you can't

use me

but God says

no I've got

something to prove

in using you.

I'm proving

myself

through you

and so God

uses Joshua.

And we see

this statement

in Joshua

Joshua 1:1

chapter 1

verses 1 and 2.

After the death

of Moses

the servant

of the Lord

the Lord said

to Joshua

the son of Nun

Moses' assistant

Moses my servant

is dead

now therefore

arise

go over this Jordan

you and all this people

into the land

that I'm giving to you

are giving to them

to the people

of Israel.

And there's something

striking to notice here.

As we begin

this study

that Moses

has passed

from the scene

and we're gonna

get to Judges

and we're gonna see

where we saw

in verse 1

Joshua

has departed

from the scene.

And the significance

of this is that

perhaps the

greatest

Old Testament

leaders

that we

can put our

finger on

and draw attention

to

were useful

because God

chose

to make them

useful.

And the strategy

that we're gonna see

as we work our way

through here

is

continuing to draw

attention

to what

Joshua

wants us

to understand

today.

Fear God

and serve him.

Choose you

this day

whom you will

serve.

People

are faced

with a dilemma.

Joshua

has departed

from the scene

and so

another leader

is gone

and there

is no clear

leader to take

their place

and so what

do they do?

We find in Judges

Judges 1:1

chapter 1

verse 1

after the death

of Joshua

the people

of Israel

inquire to the

Lord

who shall

go up for

us against

the Canaanites

to fight

against them.

They're beginning

the right way.

They recognize

that leadership

needs to be

sanctioned by

the Lord

but

this was

a transition

period

that God

had raised

up Joshua

but there

was no one

really

at this time

to take

his place

but God

again is

conditioning

his people

that continue

to look

to him

for leadership

but

we find

in Judges

Judges 3:9

chapter 3

verse 9

the people

of Israel

cried out

to the Lord

the Lord

raises up

a deliverer

for the people

of Israel

who saved

them

Otnael

the son

of Kenaz

Caleb's

younger brother

and this

will become

the pattern

they look

to the Lord

and then

they rebel

they pray

to the Lord

God raises

up another

deliverer

then they

life is going

well

they turn

away

and they

move away

from God

God brings

judgment

then they

cry to the

Lord again

the faithfulness

of God

to work

through

his people

to work

through

his leaders

see

leadership

is sought

because there

is a leadership

vacuum

here

the book

will continue

to repeat

this refrain

that we find

in Judges

Judges 17:6

chapter 17

verse 6

in those days

there was no

king in Israel

everyone did

what was right

in his own

eyes

where there

may not have

been a physical

king in Israel

but there was

a king

because the

Lord was

king

and that's

the point

of Judges

the point

of Judges

is God

wants to

continue

to draw

attention

to himself

as the

preeminent

leader of his

people

but they

couldn't get

it

so they go

through this

cycle

of sin

and then

looking to

God

and sinning

again

over and

over again

this becomes

this tragic

cycle

in a statement

that God

has given

he's given

this clear

testimony

of himself

to his

people

fear him

fear him

and serve

him

and then

you'll enjoy

the benefits

of his

leadership

in your

life

so God

God is

calling

and encouraging

his people

to choose

him

he does

that by

drawing

their

attention

to

learning

from

God's

leaders

and then

we find

in Joshua

1

1-9

that we're

also to

look to

God's

word

learn

from

God's

leaders

but also

look

to

God's

word

Joshua

is raised

up as a

leader

and we

find these

instructions

here in

Joshua

1

again

after the

death

of Moses

the servant

of the

Lord

the Lord

said to

Joshua

the son

of Nun

Moses

assistant

Moses

my servant

is dead

now therefore

arise

go over

this Jordan

you and all

the people

into the land

that I'm giving

to them

to the people

of Israel

these marching

orders

these marching

instructions

I just wonder

how was Joshua

feeling

in this moment

this leader

Moses

this massive

leader

who's led

the people

out of Egypt

through the wilderness

and now it's

Joshua's turn

but he's

died

and not only

does Joshua

have to lead

these people

through a

wilderness

but now he has

to lead them

directly into

combat

he has to

lead them

directly into

opposition

directly into

the heart

of the

strongholds

people who

are tall and

great

fortified

cities

if the

task wasn't

difficult

before

imagine

imagine how

intimidated

how afraid

Joshua

must have

felt

in this

case

so God

confirms

his promise

to Joshua

we see that

in Joshua

1.3

in Joshua

1.5

it says

God says

every place

the sole

of your foot

will tread

upon

I have given

to you

just as I

promised

to Moses

no man

shall be able

to stand

before you

all the days

of your life

just as I

was with

Moses

so I

will be

with you

I will

not leave

you or

forsake

you

so be

strong

and be

courageous

can you

imagine

God giving

that kind

of promise

to you

every place

that the

sole of

your foot

treads

I have

given

to you

just

obey

just do

what I've

said

the

the

the victory

is secure

because I'm

the one

who brings

the victory

so trust

me

do what

I say

and you

will enjoy

the success

that I

have

promised

to give

no man

shall be

able to

stand

before you

all the

days

of your

life

wow

what a

promise

but Joshua

was rightly

afraid

and so we

find this

repeated pattern

in chapter

one verses

seven to

nine

see if you

can follow

the the

pattern here

only be

strong and

very courageous

be careful

to do

according to

all the

law

that Moses

my servant

commanded you

do not

turn from

it

to the

right

hand

or to

the

left

that you

may have

good

success

wherever

you

go

this

book

of the

law

shall

not

depart

from

your

mouth

but you

shall

meditate

on it

day and

night

so that

you

may be

careful

to do

according

to all

that is

written

in it

for

then

you

will

make

your

way

prosperous

and

then

you

will

have

good

success

!

what a

comforting

word

what a

word

for us

how often

has God

given us

very

specific

very clear

instructions

and so

often

what stands

in the

way

is a

fear

so often

what stands

in the

way

is feelings

of inadequacy

so often

what stands

in the

way

is our

own

trembling

and worry

about what

people will

say

and whether

or not

it will be

meaningful

but the

word of

the Lord

to Joshua

was be

strong

and courageous

and do

what I've

said

because

it doesn't

depend

on success

doesn't depend

on us

success

depends

on the

Lord

and

God wants

to direct

Joshua's

attention

right to

the center

and that's

why he

says

this book

of the

law

shall not

depart

from your

mouth

let the

word of

God

prevail

in your

life

let it

carry

you

let it

direct

you

let it

organize

your

thoughts

and steady

the direction

of your

life

and when it

does

you will

enjoy

the benefits

of the

success

of God's

plans

unfolding

and by the

way

those plans

that God

performs

don't always

look successful

to us

do they

Jesus

hanging on a

cross

did not look

like a

successful plan

to the people

of Israel

in the first

century

but it

could have

been more

successful

God's

plan for

the apostle

Paul

in his

imprisonment

in his

repeated

persecution

being flogged

being whipped

being shipwrecked

that did not

look like success

in the eyes

of a watching

world

but it was

success

because God

used

Paul's

obedience

to open

the door

of the

gospel

in the midst

of great

suffering

and opposition

so you learn

from God's

leaders

and you learn

to look

to God's

word

that's how

we come

to fear

him

that's how

we come

to serve

him

third

we need

to recognize

that we

live under

God's

design

and this

may be

one of my

favorites

live under

God's

design

God had

not given

immediate

leadership

in the book

of Judges

they don't

exist

at least in

terms of

a preeminent

leader

that there

wasn't a

standout

person

there

wasn't

another

Moses

like

figure

or a

Joshua

like

figure

but God

had not

left them

without

instructions

he had

not left

them

without

a

design

first

the design

that God

gave

was

his own

appointed

leaders

we find

in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 16:18

chapter 16

verse 18

it says

this

this is

Moses

speaking

you shall

appoint

judges

and officers

in all

your towns

that the

Lord your

God

is giving

according

to your

tribes

and they

shall judge

the people

with righteous

judgment

God

had instituted

judges

judges

who were

local leaders

those

who would

be among

the people

those who

would know

the word

of God

and those

who would

who would

commend

that word

and resolve

issues

and resolve

disputes

and help

carry the

burdens

of the people

God

had raised

up

this kind

of instruction

for leaders

who would

be among

the people

themselves

not just

away

in

in

Jerusalem

or

or

those

leaders

who would

be over

the nation

but leaders

who would

be among

the people

themselves

that was

God's

design

and we

see how

that works

out in

Exodus

Exodus 18 · chapter mention

chapter

18

again

this is

Moses

who

moreover

look

for able

men

from all

the people

men who

fear God

who are

trustworthy

who hate

a bribe

those men

of character

and place

such men

over the

people

as chiefs

of thousands

of hundreds

of fifties

and tens

and let them

judge the

people at

all times

every great

matter they

shall bring

to you

but any

small matter

they shall

decide among

themselves

so it will

be easier

for you

and they

will bear

the burdens

with you

God has

graciously

given local

leaders

during this

time

he recognizes

the challenge

of leading

God's people

and carrying

burdens

and understanding

the things

that are going

on among them

and resolving

those disputes

and helping

to lead them

in a very

present way

God has

given

those leaders

they will bear

the burdens

of the people

they will be

men of character

I'm giving

them to you

as a gift

to express

my heart

second

they were

also

God raised

up spiritual

leaders

we see that

also in

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 17:8–12

chapter 17

verses 8

to 12

and I'm just

going to

paraphrase

this for us

this is

God's

instruction

if there is

a case

that is

too hard

for you

then go

up to the

place

that the

Lord

will choose

and come

to the

priest

and to

the judge

who is

there

and they

will declare

to you

the decision

if this

is too

hard for

you

to settle

between

the two

of you

and it's

too hard

to settle

with a

judge

then go

up to

the place

of worship

go to

the place

where the

judges

and the

priests

are there

and they

can help

again

to lead

the people

they can

help you

work through

these issues

these spiritual

leaders

again

were a

blessing

from the

Lord

a gift

from God

and third

God

entrusted

the people

with the

word

the word

of God

itself

we find

that in

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 4:1

chapter 4

verses 1

and 2

it says

and now

O Israel

listen

to the

statutes

and the

rules

that I

am teaching

you

and do

them

that you

may live

and go

in

and take

possession

of the

land

that the

Lord

the God

of your

fathers

is giving

you

you

shall

not

add

to my

word

that I

command

you

nor

take

from

it

that you

may

keep

the

commandments

of the

Lord

your God

that I

command

you

may

not

have

a

Joshua

figure

to lead

you

you

may

not

have

a

Moses

figure

to lead

you

but you

have

something

better

you

have

the

local

leadership

structure

that I

have

entrusted

to you

you

have

the

priests

who are

there

to help

arbitrate

through

these

difficult

decisions

and most

importantly

you have

the word

of God

the word

of God

who

help

provide

guidance

and

understanding

as you

are moving

through

the life

that you're

living

trust

the architecture

trust

the design

that God

has set

in place

they were

not left

without

leadership

God

cared

enough

for them

to give

them

this design

for leadership

next

not just

learn

from God's

leaders

and look

to God's

word

and not

just to

live

under

God's

design

but

to lament

when God

is forgotten

lament

when God

is forgotten

we're going to

see through

the book

of Judges

this moral

collapse

we're going to

see a people

who fail

to obey

the word

of God

fail to

serve the

Lord

as God

has called

them to

serve him

so that by

the time

we get

just to

the second

chapter

Judges

Judges 2:6

chapter 2

verse 6

says this

when Joshua

dismissed the

people

the people

of Israel

went

each to

his

inheritance

to take

possession

of the

land

and the