Evening Sermon

December 23, 2007

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

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Joshua 17:12 - 18:10; 19:49-51; 21:43-45

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. If a sales offer or a prize package just seems too good to be true, it probably is. If a sweepstakes or a lottery just seems too good to be true, it probably is. If a proposal or an idea just seems to good to be true, it probably is. That is simply the reality of living in this world.

And yet some things are not too good to be true. Especially with God's promises. God's promises may sometimes seem too good to be true, but they certainly are not.

The Scripture says that "we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." That seems too good to be true, doesn't it? Well, it isn't.

God made a promise to the OT people of Israel that also seemed too good to be true. Josh. 1:2 "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them--the children of Israel. 3 "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 "From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you."

For the past 19 weeks, we have been studying the conquest of that land, studying how successful Israel was in fighting the armies of the Canaanites. But when it came right down to actually taking possession of that promised land, it seems that many of God's people thought his promise was just too good to be true. And so they hesitated to actually possess their inheritance and actually settle in the land. But despite their hesitation, God remained faithful in keeping that great promise. It wasn't too good to be true.

Tonight, we will study about Israel actually taking possession of the land. We'll summarize that whole process, and in doing that, we will skip some of the verses, and even skip large parts of whole chapters. Our subject is the actual division of the land among the 12 tribes. As always, we will also see how that applies to us today. That division of the land is summarized: 19:49-51 We see first of all that,

I. THE DIVISION OF THE PROMISED LAND SHOWS HOW GOD'S PEOPLE OFTEN HESITATE TO ACCEPT HIS BLESSINGS. Joshua actually had to challenge the people with a probing question: 18:3 "How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you?"

What are you waiting for? Why won't you go in and possess your possessions? What's taking so long? Well what was taking so long? The answer is revealed in, 17:12-13

A. The weakness and limitations of the people were exposed. v.12 "We can't do it. The Canaanites are too strong."

But hadn't God promised them the needed strength? Of course he had. The problem wasn't God's. The problem was theirs. God has no weaknesses or limitations. But God's people have plenty of them. Thus Jesus declared,

John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

The problem of God's people, revealed so clearly in their struggles to divide and possess the promised land, was their unwillingness to abide in God. And apart from him, we can do nothing. But with him? What can we accomplish with him? Phil. 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Let me quote again from Isaiah 40, as I did last week. Emphasizes this very essential truth. We are weak and have many limitations. But God doesn't. Isa. 40:28 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

God's people, then and now, hesitate to accept his blessings because we trust in our own strength. And we fail. But there is another problem here.

B. The greed of the people was exposed. 17:13

Now the people were strong enough to put away the Canaanites. But they didn't. Instead, they put them to forced labor, made them work as slaves and made them contribute taxes, or tribute. The people wanted wealth and luxury, and they fell to the sin of materialism, and they used the Canaanites to increase their own treasury. For the sake of ease and money, they did not go forward and do what God told them to do.

They disobeyed God because of materialism. They were caught up in the pursuit of affluence and influence. They would rather enjoy the things of this world than receive the blessings that God had promised them if they would only obey him. That temptation sure hits close to home, especially at this time of year.

That temptation goes all the way back to the garden of Eden. Satan tempted Eve with something that looked good. Think about what was going on back there. Satan made an appeal to her desire for the enjoyment of the things of this world. The Scripture says that she looked and saw that "the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

Satan still tempts us the same way, and we must be ever watchful. For when our greed is exposed, we, too, hesitate to receive God's blessings in our lives.

There is a second lesson here from the dividing of the land.

II. THE DIVISION OF THE PROMISED LAND SHOWS HOW GOD REVEALS HIS WILL TO HIS PEOPLE. In many ways, this whole process is a lesson of how God reveals his will. That is important for us, because we struggle sometimes to know what God's will is. We struggle sometimes to know what God wants us to do. We struggle sometimes to understand certain circumstances or situations.

So how does God reveal his will to his people?

A. God's will had been revealed through the law and the prophets. 17:14-18

How do I get from that, that God revealed his will through the law and the prophets? Think about it. Joseph is complaining, that he only has one inheritance, wanting more. Actually, wanted an inheritance for each of his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. No real ground for the complaint, since both his sons' tribes combined were still smaller than some of the other tribes. But he still asked.

And Joshua said, "Go clear out some more land, if that's what you want." v.15

But in v.16, the real issue comes out. Each of the sons wants their own inheritance. And they are whining quite a bit, like spoiled little kids who are used to getting their way in everything. They are also pretty fearful and lazy, complaining about the strength of the inhabitants of the land.

You would think that Joshua wouldn't allow such a seemingly selfish request. But he does. He grants the request, and gives Ephraim and Manasseh, each, their own inheritance. v.17-18

And I think the reason is simple. Joshua knew the law and the prophets. He knew what Jacob had said, Gen. 8:11 And Israel said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!" 12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." 17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." 19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!'" And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh."

Obviously, this prophecy predicted that the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, would each have their own inheritance in the promised land. And Joshua was bound to follow that prophecy.

There are other examples of God's will being revealed through the law and prophets. 19:49 "When they had made an end of dividing the land as an inheritance according to their borders, the children of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. 50 According to the word of the LORD they gave him the city which he asked for, Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim; and he built the city and dwelt in it."

Sometimes it was a direct law that governed Joshua: 17: 3-4

Joshua knew that God's will had been revealed through the law and the prophets, and he submitted himself to obedience. Also,

B. God's will was revealed by direct revelation. During this time, they had a very good way of obtaining God's will. They cast lots.

We don't the exact details, but it was way of throwing a stone or another object, and the way that the object fell determined God's answer. Lots were used to determine the mind and will of God. 18:1-10

The divisions of the land were made by casting lots. The lot was used as a means of direct revelation. The answer came directly from the Lord. Prov. 16:33 "The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD."

Wouldn't it be easier for us today, if we had such a way to determine God's will? Wouldn't it be great if we still had the Urim and the Thummim, those objects attached to the breastplate of the priests that were used to get direct answers about God's will. Wouldn't it be great if we had continuing revelation? That is the appeal of charismatic and pentecostal churches, who do believe in continuing revelation.

We might think that continuing revelation would be better, but it wouldn't. Because we have something even better. God's direct revelation has ceased. God no longer speaks directly to us through additional prophecy. And there is good biblical reason to believe that:

Hebr. 1:1 "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds."

There is no continuing revelation today, because that revelation was fulfilled and perfectly represented by Jesus Christ. Additional revelation today would be a discredit to the fullness and perfection of God's revelation given to us in Jesus Christ. We have something better than continuing revelation. We have Jesus Christ, the fullness and perfection of God's revelation. In Jesus Christ, we have everything that we need.

2Pet. 1:2-3 "Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

And Jesus Christ did not cancel or eliminate the revelation that had already been given. Matt. 5:17-18 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

God's will, God's revelation, is still very much available to use today. It is available in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as they focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

There are many things which allows to be hidden from us today. There are many times when we must make decisions without the help of additional revelation. And we must be content to allow the Scriptures to be our final guide.

We don't know the secret things of God's mind. He has not directly revealed an answer to every specific question. But he has revealed his will for our lives, and he has written it down. He calls us to follow it closely. We have the law and the prophets, written down for us in the Holy Scriptures. And if we want to know God's will, then we must know the Bible.

Deut. 29:29 Great wisdom: "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."

In other words, don't search out the secret things which God has not revealed. Study the things which he has already revealed!

There is one final lesson that is obvious in this division of the land.

III. THE DIVISION OF THE PROMISED LAND SHOWS HOW GOD EXALTS HIS FAITHFULNESS WHEN HE BLESSES HIS PEOPLE. Make no mistake about it, God's purpose is to demonstrate his faithfulness. God's purpose is to glorify his name. Whatever God does for his people, he does with the desire to exalt and magnify his faithfulness. 21:45

Specifically, A. God is faithful to provide his people with strength to defeat their enemies. Remember their problem? Their enemies were too strong. For a time, they couldn't drive them out.

God's strength is shown by their weakness, and that principle is still as true today as it was then. 21:43-44

God gave them the strength, after their own weaknesses and limitations were exposed. Illus: We often sing these words: "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! Great is thy faithfulness. All I have needed thy hand has provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me."

And there is one promise that I want to mention specifically, identified in v.44. Perhaps the most important.

B. God is faithful to provide his people with rest. 21:44 23:1, 1:13

I preached a whole sermon on God's promised rest early on in this series. I defined that "rest" as a settled security and as victorious satisfaction. Rest is the idea of a secure victory, the idea of satisfaction in an accomplishment. Rest means to be at peace, to live without tension and struggle, without hostility and without conflict and unresolved problems.

God promises his people rest. And God is faithful to provide his people with rest.

The message of the gospel is a message of rest. The message of the gospel is the message that we can have settled security in a very unsettled and insecure world. The message of the gospel is the message that we can have victorious satisfaction in a seeming unvictorious and unsatisfied world.

But our hearts will not find rest until they find their rest in God. Nothing else in this world will bring this idea of rest. Nothing else will satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. Nothing else will satisfy the deepest needs of your heart. I defy anyone to prove me wrong! I defy anyone to find something or someone that satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart, other than God.

Matt. 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

In a physical sense, the promise was fulfilled under Joshua's leadership. Israel has come to possess the land. God has been faithful.

But one of the saddest lessons of the OT is that the nation of Israel didn't obtain the spiritual rest that the Lord had promised. Not that God's promise wasn't true, but the people rejected it. And with the example of OT Israel, the Scripture warns us not to reject that promise: Hebr. 4:1 "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest."

So the question is, have you obtained rest for your soul? Is there a settled security in your soul, the security of knowing that you are God's child, a joint heir with Jesus Christ? Is there the victorious satisfaction of knowing that your enemy, the devil, has been defeated at the cross, and though he seeks to bring you great harm, there is a victory in Jesus?

You cannot obtain that rest through our own effort and work. Rather, that rest is yours by faith, trusting, really trusting, your entire life into the hands of Jesus Christ. The greatest fulfillment of this promise, however, is still yet to come. The greatest fulfillment of God's faithfulness to provide his people with rest will take place at the last day, when Jesus returns in glory and power. We gain a glimpse of that great day of rest through the Apostle John's vision of heaven: Rev. 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth."

Rev. 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."

Ultimately, we will experience the fullness of God's rest when the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God has fully come. We will experience the fullness of God's rest when the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.

And we ought to respond with one accord, "Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly." The Bible ends with those words.

The secret to inner peace and living to the full, the secret to this settled rest for your souls is to realize that only God can bring it. And he is faithful to provide it. Yet we often hesitate to receive it, because, like the Israelites, we are much too attached to the things of this world. Often, we are much too involved with the things of this world and with the ways of this world, to experience true rest.

Therefore I would say to you, Hebr. 12:2 "Fix your eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."

It is he who says to you, Matt. 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

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