WHEN SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT IS EXTREMELY SHALLOW

Pastor Jerry Rockwell

WHEN SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT IS EXTREMELY SHALLOW

Joshua 24:1-5, 14-15,16-29; Judges 1:9-15; 

Introduction: How many times have you seen someone come to the church, become faithful in attendance, and get involved in the church's activities? They let everyone know how committed they are to the Lord, and nothing can keep them away from the church, its people, and serving the Lord. They have done this for about a year, and then, all of a sudden, they are no longer found in any of the services and are absent from the church's activities. You contact them, they give you lame excuses for not being in church, eventually avoid you, and when you call, they will not answer. What drives them away from serving the Lord and being a part of the body of believers called the church? We probably find it difficult to get an answer from them and never find out why they stopped serving the Lord.

This section of the Bible will give us some insight to what can happen to people who are committed to the Lord and say with Israel in Joshua 24:18 (KJV) “. . . therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.” In Joshua 24, the committed leader of the nation, Joshua, evidently knows he is not far from eternity and addresses the people about their commitment to the Lord and the decisions they need to make. In fact, the section under consideration has several statements of commitment and dedication. We will examine them as we progress through the chapter. God instructed the nation to “drive out” the inhabitants of the Canaanites, which remained in the land (Josh. 13:6). We learn in Joshua 17:12 (KJV), Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. This becomes a great problem for the people of Israel. The lesson for today concerns some illustrations that believers today can say, “We have the same problems as Israel.” Now, not the progression of the life of Israel in the land God had promised them as an inheritance.

  1. THE CHALLENGE TO COMMITMENT, Joshua 24:1-28. There are some valuable lessons here that tell us that commitment to the Lord is a serious thing with God. Joshua begins by gathering the people and addressing important commitments.
  1. The Account Of God’s Care and Provisions for Them, Joshua 24:1-5, 13. Joshua has gathered the nation to remind them of what is happening in their lives and of what God has done for them. He traces Israel's history from its time in Egypt to where it is today. He reminds them of what God has done for them and how He has fought for them to get the nation to the place of promise. 
  2. The Admonition to Serve God, Joshua 24:14-25. This section is a serious time for the nation. Joshua has reminded them of the past, but he wants them to focus on the future, their diligence in serving and obeying the Lord.
  1. The Challenge, Joshua 24:14-15.
  2. The Commitment of the People, Joshua 24:49-18.
  3. The Character of the God They Serve, Joshua 24:19-20.
  4. The Call to Serve the Lord, Joshua 24:21-25. 
  1. THE CARNALITY OF DEFEAT, Judges 1:18-21, 27-28; 2:6-14. This section of Judges is a clear demonstration of how the people's carnality led them to depart from God's plan for them. The tragedy of the story cannot be overemphasized. 
  1. The Tragedy of Failure in Commitment, Judges 2:6-10. This section of the narrative is one of the great tragedies of people who forget their commitment to the Lord. Note the phrase in Judges 2:7 (KJV) And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. This is the second record of the death of Joshua in Judges 2:8-9. Now, look at Judges 2:10 (KJV) And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. [Emphasis added.] The people failed in teaching their children about the things God had done for them, and their children were given the curse of not knowing the works of the Lord nor knowing the Lord. This is something that can cause our children to fail to follow the Lord when we fail to teach them the things of God and to remind them of what God has done for them. The communication of the things of God had departed from the matriculation of the people with their children.   
  2. The Temptation of Forgetting Their Commitment, Judges 2:11-14. The result of failure to teach and instruct those who follow us has some serious ramifications. Look at what is said as a result of the failure of the people to communicate with their offspring and people in Judges 2:11-13 (KJV) 11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: 12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. 13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. The Children of Israel had failed to remember the things God had told them when they had arrived at the Jordon River, before crossing it. There was a very important instruction God gave them in Numbers 33:50-56 (KJV) 50 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: 53 And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. 54 And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. 55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. 56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them. It is very easy to forget what God has done for the people of Israel and their failure to obey God. We have a similar responsibility. We are not to allow the things of the world distract us to the point of forgetting what God has done for us and what He will do for us. 
  3. The Turn to Apostasy by the Descendents, Judges 2:14-15. This verse is a sad commentary on the failure of the people of God in failing to obey Him, and then forsaking Him as their God and turning to false gods. THIS WAS GOD DEALING WITH ISRAEL IN SEEKING TO GET THEM TO SEE WHERE THEY HAD COME FROM AND WHERE THEY WERE GOING.  MAYBE WE SHOULD CONSIDER THESE THINGS FOR OURSELVES. THE CHURCHES ARE DRIFTING AWAY FROM THE THINGS OF GOD AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO HIM. WE HAVE ALLOWED THE WORLD TO INFLUENCE US TO THE POINT OF FORSAKING HIS WORD AND HIS WAYS. WHERE ARE YOU GOING TODAY?