C: In this lesson, we'll be talking about a great meeting of God's people that Joshua led.

1. Remember What God Has Done

Joshua 24:1-7
1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
2 Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods.
3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac,
4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
5 "'Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.
6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea.
7 But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.

C: Just like we do at church, all the people got together. Here Joshua began by reminding them of all the great things that God had done for them in the past. He reminded them how God had called Abraham to Canaan (v.3).

Joshua in verse 4 reminded them that Abraham had great descendants, like Isaac, Jacob and Esau.

In verse 5, Joshua said that God sent Moses and Aaron were sent by God to save the Israelites from the Egyptians.

Joshua reminded them in v.7 that they'd seen with their own eyes what God had done.

C: We have also seen God change each one of us and save us personally. Q: Do you remember what it was like when you were saved? Do you remember how you got baptised, and how clean you felt? C: If you remember the past, you'll be more ready to love God today.

2. Choose for Yourself

Joshua 24:8-13
8 "'I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.
9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you.
10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
11 "'Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.
12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you--also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.
13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.'

C: In verses 8-13, Joshua continued to remind them of all that God had done for them. He had conquered many enemies, and given them land and cities that they did not build (v.13). After this, he challenged them.

Joshua 24:14-15
14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

C: Here he told them to fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.

Q: What do you think this means for us? To fear God means that we take his words seriously. If we fear our bosses, we won't be late to work, or miss work. If we fear God, we won't miss meetings or come late! If we are faithfully serving God, it means we will be reliable. We'll have regular, daily quiet times. We'll regularly bring visitors. We'll make our decisions in life based on what is best for the kingdom of God, not our own needs, or our families' needs.

C: In verse 14, he also told them to "throw away" their false Gods. If we follow Jesus, we can't have other religions in our lives. We must choose. We must leave behind our traditions. This is a hard teaching. But it is the word of God. And in v.15, he says, "if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." Joshua did not want to force them to do what was right. In the same way, we are not forced to be members of the church. If you do not like it, you can leave! But if you want to follow Jesus, you must give all your heart to him. We can't be half-way in the church.

C: Finally, if v.15, Joshua says, "as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." He had made a decision that he and his family would be faithful to God. Q: Have you made that decision for your family if you are married? Are you having family devotionals, with a little singing, prayer, and Bible reading (or acting out Bible stories with the small children)?

C: God wants us to have spiritual families, following Jesus. We must make a decision. We cannot drift into heaven. We must decide.

3. Count the Cost

Joshua 24:16-24
16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!
17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.
18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God."
19 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 sins.
20 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 been good to you."
21 But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the LORD."
22 Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.
23 "Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."
24 And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him."

C: The people agreed in verses 16-18 to serve God. They said "yes, yes." Many times when people study the Bible, the say, "yes, yes, I want to be a Christian." But "yes" is not enough. Joshua warned them in v.19, "you are not able to serve the Lord." That was an amazing thing to say to a new follower! Imagine being at a baptism, and telling the new brother or sister, "you are not able to serve the Lord." But Joshua wanted to make sure that they would never ever forsake God. He warned them that God would bring disaster on their lives if they did not obey (v.20).

C: When Joshua warned them, the people insisted that they would always stay faithful (v.22). That is the same promise we have made to God. Let us never forget it! Even now, let's pray to God together, and promise him that we'll always stay committed, that we'll never leave him, and that we'll love each other to the end.

4. Read the Bible

Joshua 24:25-27
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws.
26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD.
27 "See!" he said to all the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God."

C: After their decision, Joshua wrote everything down in the Book of the Law of God, which is the Bible. He set up a large stone to remind the people of their commitment (v.27). The Bible is a reminder of God's love for us. It is a reminder of what Jesus has done for us, and of what we've promised to do for him. Let us be sure to read it every day. Make a decision that your life will not depend on human wisdom, but on the word of God!

Conclusion

We've got to decide how we'll live our lives. We must make the right choice to serve God with all our hearts.