God's command to Joshua to possess the promised land, as recorded in Joshua 1:9, is a powerful reminder that divine promises require active faith and obedience. The sermon draws parallels between Israel's journey into Canaan and the spiritual blessings believers receive in Christ, as highlighted in Ephesians 1:3. Just as Israel had to physically step into the land to claim it, Christians must actively lay hold of their spiritual inheritance through faith. The core lesson emphasizes that God's promises are only beneficial when we actively engage with them, urging listeners to be strong, courageous, and meditate on God's Word to experience true success and possess their spiritual blessings.
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I would thank John for that hymn because it is directly in line with what I want to bring to your attention this morning, that those promises are no good to us unless we stand on them. And that's what the Word of God has to say to us in the first chapter of the book of Joshua. But I would like you to turn to the preceding chapter, the last chapter of the book of Deuteronomy first. Deuteronomy chapter thirty-four. And just look at verse nine to the end, please. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hand upon him.
And the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. And there arose not a prophet, since in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face in all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt of Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his lands. And in all that mighty hand and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel. Now look at the first chapter of the book of Joshua.
Now after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of none, Moses' minister, saying, Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore arise. Go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place. that the soul of your foot shall tread upon. That have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea, toward the going down of the sun shall be your coat.
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage. For unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee, be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. I'd just like to read a parallel verse in the New Testament, Ephesians chapter one.
Ephesians chapter one, verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Shall we pray just a moment? Our Father, as we read these wonderful portions of thy precious word, we pray that thy blessed Holy Spirit might open them to us and that we might see in them that for which they were written.
Because the things that were written aforetime were written for our learn. We pray our Father, thy blessing upon the word now in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. Now I guess it's fair to say that The last chapter but one in the book of Deuteronomy is a real classic. And those of us that have read it and pondered it, we thank God for it. What wonderful words, what tremendous truth, what wonderful foresight into the future the man Moses was able to give to us as he recorded that wonderful chapter thirty three of the book of Deuteronomy.
He was able to say that the eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. It would only be a matter of very short time before Moses would lay down and know the support of those same everlasting arms that he wrote about as God took him home to be with him in glory. The compelling verse that we have in Joshua chapter one that gives us the very start off for the Lord's message to Joshua.
is the fact that he said, Moses, my servant is dead. Now, this is a tremendous or was a tremendous shock to the nation of Israel. They were on the borders of the promised land. This man had brought them all the way from Egypt. And now they were within sight. of the promises of God. And God was going to take away from them their tremendous leader, the one whom they had depended on, the one who had given them the law, the one who had led them through that desert wilderness to the promised land.
And as we look back over the history of Moses just for a few moments, we are amazed at the wonders that God wrought by the mouth and the hands of this tremendous prophet. His name just simply means the drawn-out ones. And Pharaoh's daughter gave him that name because she said, I call him Moses because I drew him out of the water. It's a wonderful story. If you think how the Spirit of God preserved this young child in such a miraculous fashion, in order that he might promote him, not only toward the throne of Egypt, but that he might promote him to be the leader.
of God's people as they came out of Egypt and on the way to the promised land. What a wonderful beginning he had to be drawn out from the waters of the Nile, from the place where it would have been certain death for him. And God's providence looked over him and established him toward the throne of Egypt. Now it's fair to say that from that arc of bull rushes, right onto the arc of God in the tabernacle, Moses was God's man all the way.
There's not a shadow of doubt about that. Here's a man that God could depend on. Here's a man that was able to do mighty works. He is a man that God could talk with face to face as a man talked with his own friend. Now we might pause here and think about that a minute. How many men in the book of God could it be said about that the mighty omnipotent God could talk with them face to face?
And Moses was one of those men. What a tremendous man he must have been to be able to do this. And what tremendous confidence God must have put in him to enable him to speak face to face with him and communicate his message. He made known his ways unto Moses, save the psalmist. his acts unto the children of Israel. Now it's one thing to see the acts of God, but it's quite another thing to know the ways of God.
He did not communicate his ways to Israel. He communicated his acts to them, but he made known his ways unto Moses. Wonderful man. We cannot overestimate or over tell the wonders of a man that God could take up and he could use like that. But the writer of the epistles of the Hebrews says that when he was come to years, he refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Now there was a man who was headed for the throne of the greatest dynasty in the world at that particular time.
He knew something of the treasures in Egypt. He was brought up in the schools of Egypt. He was a man outstanding in the world at that particular time. There was nothing but prosperity ahead of him. But it was worldly prosperity. And the wonders of it is that the Spirit of God had communicated to Moses that the things of the world were temporal. They did not last, but the things of God were eternal. Now, we don't know how much effect or for how long the ministry of Jacob had effect on his life.
We don't know how long she was able to tutor him. But between what she had told him, and what the Spirit of God had communicated to him. Moses had determined when he was come to years that he would refuse to be known or become the son of Pharaoh's daughter, that he would rather suffer affliction with the people of God than he would enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Now this was a remarkable decision. I want you to think about it.
I want you to weigh it a minute. How many men that had one foot on the throne of a world power would turn his back upon it in order that he might endure and partake of the afflictions of his people? He did it. because he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. Who had made known this to him, the Spirit of God? He was at a point in his life when he made a choice between Egypt and Canaan, between the world and the Lord.
It was said of Moses that he was king in Jeshurun, in after years. It was said of him that he was the prince of intercession, how he was able to make intercession for his people. But it was all subject to the choice that he made there in Egypt. Now, I might be speaking to someone in the room this morning that has been at the point or is at the point of making a choice for their life. There comes a time in every one of our lives when we face up to the fact that we need to make a choice what we are going to do with our life.
what we intend to do in the future. And I tell you this on the authority of the Word of God. It is vitally important in our younger years particularly that we make a choice for God, that we make a choice for the things of God and keep a dim eye on the pleasures of sin. Now Moses was in the place where he could enjoy those pleasures. The world was very bright to him.
Those of us that know the history of the nation of Egypt and all its pomp and glory, we have some idea of what that was that Moses had to weigh on the one hand against being alone with God in the wilderness and on an awful journey toward the promised land. But he made a choice that he would say no to the things of the world and he would say yes to the things of God. Now, if I'm speaking to someone in the room this morning, you haven't done that.
Or you may be halting between two opinions. I want you to remember this. That two thousand years ago, well nigh, our blessed Lord bore your sins and mine in his body on the tree. And he was crucified at the place called Calvary in order that your sins might be atoned for. in order that you might be able to read your title clear to mansions in the sky, in order that that sin with which you were born that was running in your veins from Adam on might be forgiven and that you might be saved by his grace.
But you might say, well, there's so much I want to do. The world is opening up before me. I have tremendous opportunities ahead. While all the time the word of God and the spirit of God would tell you that the things of God and the things of Christ are of far, far greater value than anything that you could set your eyes upon. And all please remember this, that Moses had to make a choice and he made a wise one.
You have to make a choice and you need to make a wise one as well. Moses' choice took him through the wilderness to suffer affliction with the people of God but took him right on to glory. and your destination can hinge upon the choice that you make, whether for Christ or for the world, just as he made the choice against Egypt, which is a type of the world, and for the things of God.
Please remember that choosing in your life is so vitally important that we have to break off from our story just a moment to tell you, in all fairness to you, and from the truth of the Word of God that we need to know today whether we're saved or lost, whether we're going on toward heaven or we're going on toward hell. And our life is at stake. The countless ages of eternity are at stake for you, as you would make that choice if you haven't already made it.
Now, it has been said, of course, that Moses didn't write the last chapter of Deuteronomy. I don't suppose he did either. Because that records his wonderful death God told him to climb the mountain, and he showed him the promised land. And Moses, I was not dim. He was a mountain climber on the last day of his life. Moses was not ready to die, physically speaking, nowhere near it. But the man that had given the law to the people...
could not lead them into the promised land where it was all of grace, you say. And so Moses laid himself down in the arms of the mighty God of eternity. And God took him home to glory and buried his body there in the plains of Moab. There's a wonderful man. And so God turns around to Joshua now, who had been selected to carry on and lead the people into the promised land. And he said, Moses, my servant, is dead.
He said, arise and go over this Jordan. Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon I have given to you. Now that's why we sang that hymn, standing on the promises of God. God said particularly to the nation of Israel and particularly through Joshua's leadership that if they were to come into the good of that promised land that flowed with milk and honey they'd have to put their foot down on it.
and if they didn't put their foot down on it they would not have the promise and they would not have the inheritance now brother bill on thursday night spoke about that wonderful inheritance and it made me think how wonderful that was that There was a commendous inheritance for the people of God. God was taking them into the promised land, but they had to put their foot down on it or they wouldn't get it. And as we look into the truth of Ephesians chapter one and three, the same thing applies to God's people.
Just as Canaan is a type of the heavenly places into which God has brought us through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we don't put our foot down upon them, they won't be any good to us. All our blessings accrue from the death of our Lord Jesus Christ at the place called Calvary. So he says to Joshua, Moses is dead now. You go over this Jordan. Arise and go over it. Now you and I know full well that the Jordan River there is a type of the death of Christ.
Always was, always ever will be. It is not a type in any way of the believer's death. Don't think that for a minute. It's not. It's a type of the death of Christ. And God was telling Joshua, go over it, because all your blessings are on the other side of Jordan. And Paul, as he writes the epistles to the Ephesians, would underscore this, that for God's people, all our blessings are on the other side of Jordan. They are all subsequent to the death of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Now someone has said that no two men in the history of time ever carried such important documents as Teticus and Onesimus carried from Rome to Colossus. The epistle to the Ephesians is one of the, if not the greatest work of the Apostle Paul, as he wrote these blessed things to the church. And oh, he says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has blessed us with all spiritual blessings, in heavenly places in Christ.
Now, as we watch the progress of the nation of Israel over the Jordan and into the promised land, we see something of the progress of God's people, how they can progress and stand on the promises of God and possess the possessions that God has made available to them through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as we approach the Word of God, someone has also said that there are many geographers, but there are not many foot possessors.
And what do they mean by that? They mean that you can have a good working knowledge of the Word of God and still not put your foot down on the promises of God and possess them. still not coming to the joy and the blessedness of all that God has for us there because of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And the Apostle Paul says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that, he has blessed us in such a way.
What have we done with those blessings? Just how far the other side of Jordan had we traveled? Just how far along the Christian life are we? Just how much of this book do we know? Just how much of the promises of God have we put our foot down and possessed and come into the joy and the blessedness of them. Now in this first chapter, God tells Joshua to go over the Jordan and go in and possess the land. And he outlines the boundaries of the land.
Now it's wonderful to look at this for just a moment. He starts in the south. And he says, from this wilderness, that's in the south, there was a great wilderness. And as he looked toward the north, there was a great mountain. He says, from this wilderness to this Lebanon. So in the south, the awful wilderness. In the north, the wonderful picture. of the mountain range of Lebanon. Then on the east, he says, from the great river, the river Euphrates, and on the west, the great sea, which of course was the Mediterranean.
Now it's wonderful to look at them just for a moment and think about that great wilderness that was passed now for Israel. They had come through that wilderness in those forty years of trial and testing. God had brought them to the very borders of the promised land. The wilderness experience was behind them now. And they were going forward to reap a harvest that they hadn't sown. They were going forward to take of the fruits of the land that they had never planted. and they were going forward to dig of the rich mineral wealth that they had never occupied before.
The wilderness was behind them with all its crying and its tears and its departure from God and with all its death and its sorrow that disobedience had brought along. Now a new generation, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, were going across the Jordan into the promised land, behind them to the south, the great wilderness. And to the north, the Lebanon Mountain Range. Now that mountain has been called the White One, the White Mountain, because it many times snowcapped. And what a refreshing view they must have had, and that any traveler will have, to come through the desert and to see that beautiful mountain ahead with all its whiteness.
and with all its cool breezes that come down to refresh the soul. Then on the east, the River Euphrates. Now I sat down and thought about that because somewhere on the banks of the River Euphrates was the original Garden of Eden. If you read Genesis, the Genesis account of the Garden of Eden, that God planted that garden eastward in Eden. And it was right there at the river Euphrates. That was a border on the east toward the rising of the sun that Israel could think about all the wonders and the glories that God had made in his first creation and how that sin had come in to take those wonders and those glories away.
And then on the other side, the Great Sea, as you look out over its expanses, we did when we visited Israel. And we saw the blue Mediterranean. We think that God had given them those borders. Joshua, he said, go in and possess the land. These are your borders. This is the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Go in and take it. Put your foot down on it. It's yours for the taking. and so in the Christian life. God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. God has taken us since we trusted Christ as our Savior and he seated us in the heavens, in heavenly places.
The wonders and the glories of the Christian life are at our disposal right now. And God has made it all possible. through the vicarious death of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. Let's reach out to it on the other side, Jordan, and let's take in all that God has for us in this wonderful new life that the Christian has ahead of them. Now let me say this, that if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, these blessings are not yours. They are only available. to us because we have put our faith, our trust in the precious work of the Lord Jesus Christ there at the place called Calvary.
Now as we think of those borders, as you think of that great wilderness behind them and that great mountain ahead of them, and as we think of the great river on the east and the great sea on the west, apart from the time of Solomon, Israel never had possession of those borders. Now isn't that sad? What does that tell us? It tells us that they were unable to put their foot on it. They were unable to overcome it. They were unable to possess their possessions and saw their land today is really shrunk from those borders.
If you take a map and you look at it, and you see what a little place now Israel is, and what a great place it could have been, it was in Solomon's time. But there's a day coming when Solomon's kingdom is going to be ruled over by our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's going to take again those borders as Israel is going to possess them one day. But he, our Lord Jesus Christ, David's greater son, is going to reign from the river to the ends of the earth and his kingdom will have no end.
God said to Joshua, There are conditions to this promise. You need to meditate in the word of God day and night. You need not to turn to the right hand nor to the left. You must go straight on for God. Every word in the book of the law must be cherished in your heart. And then you will have good success. And the word is the same to God's people today. The same to us today.
To the extent in which my heart is saturated with the word of God and the promises of God to that same extent, will I know the blessedness of what God has prepared for me in the heavenly, you see. in Christ Jesus. Now the first psalm tells us something of the blessedness of a man like that. Something of the blessedness of a lady like that. Something of the blessedness of a child of God like that.
Whose delight it says. is in the law of the Lord and in that Lord does he meditate day and night. It's the same word that was given to Joshua. The same principle that applied in his day is the same principle that applies in our day today. And the promises are the same. God is the same. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in due season. It is supposed that the thought of the orange tree is to be found in the first Psalm.
And as we look at our lives in the light of this, and in the light of those instructions that Joshua had, we all know of tree, we live in area. There are three things about the orange tree. that can be compared with a successful Christian life. There's blossom there at the same time as there's fruit there and the tree all the time is evergreen. If we in our lives will take to heart God's blessed injunction to Joshua as he went in the land We can be in the same circumstances like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water.
We can have blossoms. We can have fruit. We can be evergreen in our Christian life. And Paul says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. And just as they were able to go over the Jordan, just as they were able to possess those wonderful possessions, so you and I can lay hold on the promises that God has given to us. He seated us in the heavens, in Christ Jesus. These things are ours now as we go on to the place of the many mansions that God has provided for those that love him.
Shall we pray? Our Father, we have just briefly touched these things this morning. And O our God, we just pray that we might be able to think about them, that we might be able to pattern our lives after them, and that our God, who has been so bountiful to us, in providing these spiritual blessings to each one of us we pray our Father we might lay hold on them we pray that we might put our foot down upon them and we might claim them as from thyself should there be any in the room this morning that haven't made that vital choice to choose Christ to know their sins forgiven by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ at the place called Calvary.
We pray for them earnestly this morning. Those dear children, as they have listened to the message in their Sunday school classes, we pray that they will bless them that they might give their hearts unreservedly to our Lord Jesus Christ. Now bless us as we go from this place. We give thee thanks in the Saviour's precious