The Guarantee of All Promises.

Steve Gentry

[0:10] Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] This is your first time here. [0:13] My name is Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:15] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:19] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Joshua chapter 11. [0:22] We’ll be covering 11 and 12, but for your benefit, I’m not going to read all of 11 and

[0:27] 12. [0:27] I’ll read portions of chapter 11 this morning. [0:31] But before we get into that, something that a few of you are unaware of, we’ve brought [0:36] on a new staff member here at Village Church. [0:39] Someone’s going to help us with our theological training, the core classes that we offer here [0:43] at Village Church.

[0:44] I don’t know where he is, whether he’s in here or whether he’s out there. [0:48] So what I want to do is kind of like a where’s Waldo. [0:51] All right. If you can find Chris Bolt, you can introduce yourself to him. [0:56] And now here’s the great thing about Village Church. [0:58] Some of you are very overbearing in the way that you say hello. [1:02] All right. And so Chris has got to endure all that this morning.

[1:06] So, you know, you just just be as huggy as you want to be, as inappropriate as some of [1:12] you are. Some of you just make so many inappropriate content comments when you’re [1:17] introducing yourself to someone. [1:18] Just lay it on thick this morning. [1:20] All right. So if you can find our new guy, Chris Bolt, introduce yourself to him. [1:25] We’re glad to have him here.

[1:26] I’m glad to have him here. [1:28] But over the first 10 chapters of Joshua, we’ve looked at the promises of God and the [1:33] command of God for Israel to be strong, to be courageous, to not be afraid in the face [1:39] of their enemies that are going to stand before them. [1:42] What we’re going to see this morning isn’t much different than what we’ve already seen. [1:46] Enemies are going to come against the nation of Israel.

[1:48] God’s going to say, don’t be afraid of them. [1:51] Not a single one of them are going to be able to stand in front of you. [1:54] And Israel defeats yet another surge of enemies coming against them in their conquest [2:00] of the promised land. [2:01] So last Sunday, you saw the southern conquest in the promised land, chapters 11 and 12 [2:06] cover and then summarize in chapter 12, all of the nations that fell in the northern

[2:11] conquest of Israel. [2:13] But today, the real focus of what I want us to see is that the promises that God gives [2:20] for the favor of his people are always to the detriment of his enemies. [2:26] And so the judgment of God that is very much seen throughout all of Joshua on the enemies [2:31] of God is seen in a clear scope. [2:34] And so we struggle, though, sometimes as a people to not just discuss the judgments

[2:40] of God on those that are the wicked, but rather we struggle even to stomach some of the [2:46] realities of God’s judgment on sin, so much so that it’s to the detriment of our very [2:51] relationship with God. [2:53] If you’re not worshipping God for all that he is and you only want to focus on those [2:59] attributes that you find palatable, then you will always have a reduced and really [3:06] improper form of worship where God is concerned.

[3:10] But the fact of the matter is, is what the book of Joshua has told us so far, is that [3:13] the promises of God for Israel carry with them a judgment against the nations that [3:20] already happen to be in the promised land. [3:23] And whenever we ignore or neglect it, we’re not doing ourselves any favor, nor are we [3:28] doing the world around us a favor. [3:31] Rather, we’re doing it a grave disservice.

[3:34] And the disservice keeps us from learning important aspects of the attributes of God, [3:39] which will always reduce your worship of God for all that he is for us, as well as in [3:46] eradicating evil and judging the wicked in this world creates within us a partial view [3:52] of God that also prevents us from testifying to the world around us of the whole counsel [3:58] of God. And this is evident in the way that we obscure some aspects of scripture from [4:04] unbelievers, because we believe that if we talk about these texts of scripture that

[4:09] unbelievers might struggle with, then it will stifle or limit our evangelism in the world. [4:14] And that really is an immature and even foolish thing to do, as God has not called us to [4:21] market him as some sort of brand that makes him more attractive to the world than he [4:26] would be without us finessing his image for him. [4:30] God has not called his people in any way to go into the public relations category. [4:37] We’re explaining away some of his actions in scripture that we find less palatable or

[4:42] those around us might not find palatable in their lives and in their view of what they [4:48] think God is. Rather, we must view God for all that he is and through faith, treasure [4:54] all that he is, worship him for all that he is and proclaim the whole truth of God to [5:01] the world around us for their benefit. [5:04] Because the promises of God are to be delighted in for all who believe and the judgment of [5:09] God is to be feared by anyone who does not believe and would rebel against him.

[5:16] And so I want to start reading in Joshua 11, verse one text tells us when Jabin, the king [5:21] of Hatzor, heard this, he sent to Jobab, the king of Maidan and the king of Shemron [5:26] and to the king of Aksheth and to the kings who were in the northern hill country and [5:31] in the Arabah south of Chinaroth and in the low land and in Naphthoth Dor to the west, [5:36] to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, [5:41] the Jebusites in the hill country and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

[5:45] And they came out with all their troops, a great horde in number, like the sand that is [5:50] on the seashore with very many horses and chariots. [5:55] And all these kings joined their forces and came and camped together at the waters of [6:01] Meram to fight against Israel. [6:04] And the Lord said to Joshua, you got any idea what the Lord is going to say to Joshua? [6:09] Same thing he’s always saying to Joshua.

[6:12] Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them slain [6:18] to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire. [6:23] So Joshua and all his warriors came suddenly against them by the waters of Meram [6:28] and fell upon them. And the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them [6:33] and chased them as far as great Sidon and Misroth, Mayim and eastward, as far as [6:40] the valley of Mizpah. And they struck them until he left none remaining.

[6:45] And Joshua did to them, just as the Lord said to him, he hamstrung their horses and [6:51] burned their chariots with fire. [6:54] Number one, this morning, you need to understand that God’s promises are a judgment [6:58] against the wicked. God’s promises are a judgment against the wicked. [7:04] The promises of God are certain and they demand judgment. [7:09] And so when you’re reading through the book of Joshua, understand that God’s made

[7:13] promises to Israel, but through the promises that God has made to Israel, it’s [7:18] going to be to the detriment of the nations that already happen to be in the [7:22] promised land. And so any land that Israel takes, when the enemies of God stand [7:27] in the path of Israel, those promises are not a benefit to those people. [7:32] And it’s pretty clear from all the narratives that we’ve read so far, they’ve [7:36] all fallen, they’ve all died, they’ve all been killed.

[7:38] But here, the unique aspect of the narrative in Joshua, chapter 11, is the way [7:44] that the word picture is drawn and draws this word picture. [7:46] He says, when all of these other nations from the northern territory gathered [7:50] together, when they stood in front of Israel, it was a number that was a great [7:55] hoard as the seas cover the shores. [7:59] Excuse me, as the sand covers the shores of the seas, as we haven’t had that type

[8:03] of descriptive language about the enemies of Joshua thus far. [8:07] So this is leading us to believe that since he uses such terminology, this is [8:11] the highest number of enemies that they’ve come against, the highest number [8:14] of warriors that they have stood against. [8:16] And if you’re the nation of Israel standing against them, you’re going to be [8:19] tempted to be intimidated.

[8:21] Anytime you see a command in scripture like don’t be afraid of them. [8:26] You can know that the reason that command is there is because there is a temptation [8:30] to be very fearful in this instance. [8:33] And so this was the greatest battle that they’ve had thus far. [8:37] The greatest number of people that’s accounted for in the Book of Joshua thus [8:41] far are standing against them.

[8:43] Yet God says the exact same thing that he has always said in the Book of Joshua [8:48] before. Don’t be afraid. [8:50] I’m going to deliver them into your hand. [8:51] And guess what? [8:52] That’s exactly what happens. [8:54] But beyond that, something else interesting happens that if you were a

[8:59] practitioner, a strategist where battle and war is concerned in that day, if a [9:05] nation has chariots and the other nation does not, the nation with chariots are [9:10] going to win gives you a great advantage in battle. [9:13] The other side doesn’t stand a chance. [9:16] Same thing. If the other nation has horses that are going to gallop into battle, you [9:20] have no horses that are going to lead your leaders into battle.

[9:23] You’re probably going to lose because you are a lesser force against those people. [9:27] And God tells Joshua, as soon as they all fall before you, as soon as you defeat [9:33] them, hamstring their horses, which means you’re going to cut the back of their leg in [9:37] such a way that those horses are not going to have the ability to gallop into battle [9:42] any longer. And on top of that, I want you to take all of the chariots that they have [9:46] standing against you. I want you to burn every single one of them, because I want the

[9:52] glory out of every fight is God’s point. [9:55] He doesn’t want the nations of the world to look at Israel. [9:58] They won because they were able to get the horses. [10:00] Oh, they won because they were able to get the chariots. [10:02] No, he wants the world to know Israel won because they had the favor of God. [10:08] Israel won because they were the recipients of the promise of God.

[10:13] And the Canaanites were not the recipients of the promise of God. [10:19] But therein lies a problem with the way that many of us view scripture. [10:23] I’ve talked about this before, but maybe you weren’t here. [10:26] Many people treat scripture as though between the Book of Malachi and the Book of [10:29] Matthew, God had a lobotomy. [10:32] And all of a sudden he woke up one day and he said, you know, all this judgment

[10:35] that I’ve been bringing against my enemies, I got to stop that nonsense. [10:39] People are starting to think I’m a mean guy. [10:42] I know I’m going to totally change the way that I view the world. [10:45] I’m going to totally change the way that I interact with the world. [10:48] Now I’m going to be super nice guy, so nice that I’m going to send my own son to teach [10:52] them about me and then my son’s going to die for their sins.

[10:55] And it’s like we look at the Bible and we’re like, well, let’s not talk about that [10:58] guy in the Old Testament. [11:00] That’s a rough one. [11:02] But the fact of the matter is, is that when you understand the total congruity [11:06] of the new and the old covenants, that these covenants, even in the narratives [11:12] share more in common than they do not.

[11:16] God called Israel to take the land that God had reserved for his presence and for [11:21] them. But sometimes we don’t think through the commonalities between the way [11:26] that the gospel works in the New Testament and exactly what God did in the Old [11:29] Testament. God has still called his people into conquest [11:34] by seeking and proclaiming the glory of his work and the promises by [11:39] proclaiming his authority in the world and through the culmination of how all

[11:44] of everything that God did in the nation of Israel ultimately led up to the [11:48] person and work of Jesus Christ in the gospel accounts. [11:52] There is redemption in both the Old and the New Testament. [11:56] There is judgment in both the Old and the New Testament, just as there has always [12:00] been. The New Covenant, though, makes possible the remission of sins [12:05] through repentance and faith by all who believe.

[12:08] But here’s the deal. The Old Covenant did the same thing. [12:12] The difference in the New Covenant is the Old Covenant made absolutely [12:16] clear. Man is unable to live up to the call of God. [12:22] And so all of the wrath that you see God pouring out on the Canaanites in the [12:27] Book of Joshua. Do you know where it goes in the New Covenant?

[12:31] See, here’s the trick. It actually goes on two things.

[12:36] First one is the one that is Sunday school, because in Sunday school, nine [12:40] times out of 10, if you say Jesus is the right answer. [12:42] All right. You got to know that if you went to Sunday school at all. [12:44] All right. The wrath of God is poured out on Jesus for all who what? [12:49] Believe. But here’s the issue. [12:52] Where does the wrath go for all who don’t believe?

[12:56] The wrath of God for all who don’t believe will still go on all who don’t [13:02] believe, just as it did in the Old Testament. [13:06] It’s the exact same. [13:08] But the grace of God for all who believe has been revealed to all people that if [13:15] you will turn from your sin and trust in Jesus Christ, who endured the wrath of [13:21] God that you and I deserve, you repent of your sins, you trust in him, he will

[13:28] forgive you once for all. [13:30] That’s not just a promise to one nation. [13:33] Now it is a promise to both Jew and Gentile alike. [13:39] So the question then must be, why do we struggle so much? [13:46] When we’re talking about the absolute judgment of God, even in the Old Testament, [13:51] those who repent of their sin have always been able to find the forgiveness of God

[13:56] in Old and New Testament, but those who refuse will fall under the wrath of God’s [14:04] judgment in Old and New Testament. [14:08] This has always been the conquest of God. [14:12] And here’s the one key truth that helps you have a level head about all of it. [14:17] God’s judgment is always just. [14:22] Always.

[14:23] If you believe in Jesus Christ, you have to believe that because you experience the [14:26] benefit of it, don’t you? [14:28] God’s judgment poured out on his son. [14:30] Justice for my sin is found. [14:33] Jesus endured all of the wrath. [14:35] That’s the only just reason that there’s no wrath left for me.

[14:39] God doesn’t just excuse my sin. [14:42] He doesn’t just ignore my sin. [14:43] He doesn’t just sweep it under the rug to deal with on a rainy day when he’s ready. [14:47] No, he poured it full force onto his son, enduring it in my place. [14:55] But for those who do not believe, judgment still remains for their sin. [15:01] And over the past few years, we have seen that because of the image of God that is

[15:06] in every single person that is alive, there is a cry for justice when we see [15:14] something has happened that we say that is wrong. [15:18] I mean, think about the reality. [15:20] If you see a child who is abused and you see a sinner who is abusing that child deep [15:27] down in your soul, if you are not completely depraved, the reason that you look at that [15:33] and you say there must be justice, I want vengeance on that person.

[15:39] That is not a sinful desire in you. [15:42] That is a God given desire in you, because that is what justice calls for. [15:48] And that is what God has always given. [15:52] His judgment is an attribute that the gospel, because of its benefit for us as Christians, [16:00] we are comfortable and joyous about. [16:02] But like I asked earlier, what about those who reject Christ?

[16:06] Are you still comfortable and joyous about the wrath that they will necessarily endure, [16:14] just like the Canaanites have endured? [16:16] The simple reality is that you cannot have the grace of the gospel without the wrath [16:23] of God towards sin. [16:25] You can’t have one without the other. [16:27] Jesus did not pay a light or theoretical payment to atone for your sin.

[16:35] Jesus endured the very wrath that we deserve. [16:38] Therefore, to reject Christ is to reject the eternally given forgiveness of Jesus [16:46] and to choose to eternally endure the wrath of God that is owed for your sin yourself. [16:52] There’s no arbitrary judgment. [16:54] It is justice. [16:57] It is just.

[16:58] Or to put it practically, it’s a deserved wrath. [17:03] This is the lens through which we must understand God’s judgment on all the kingdoms [17:08] represented by the Canaanites. [17:10] Apologist Paul Copan points out that much of the law that we find in the Book of Leviticus [17:16] is to differentiate Israel from their Canaanite counterparts that they’re defeating in the Book [17:22] of Joshua.

[17:23] Our understanding of morality flows directly from the law of God, even if it is just a common [17:30] grace understanding. [17:32] Think about what Leviticus prohibits. [17:34] Just a few examples. [17:36] Incest, bestiality. [17:37] Child sacrifice.

[17:40] Homosexuality. [17:41] Rape. [17:41] Gender bending. [17:42] And on and on. [17:44] These were sins that God brought judgment down on and warned his people that they must never [17:51] practice or allow.

[17:53] But historians note that much of this was what was taking part in Canaan before Israel’s [18:00] conquest against them. [18:02] We see evidence of this in Deuteronomy, Chapter 9, Verse 4. [18:04] It states that the wickedness of Canaan is what God was bringing judgment against. [18:09] It tells Israel, don’t say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out [18:13] before you, it is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess

[18:17] this land. [18:18] Whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them [18:23] out before you. [18:24] God has and always will judge sin. [18:29] That is an unchangeable attribute of God’s dealings with human beings. [18:34] The Canaanites were responsible for the knowledge of God as you and I and everyone else is.

[18:41] And so you might retort, but what about people that don’t know about God? [18:46] Well, they don’t exist. [18:48] Romans, Chapter 1, starting in Verse 19 tells us that we all have the responsibility of [18:53] the knowledge of God that will condemn us if we don’t turn to God. [18:58] Paul notes, he says, for what can be known about God is plain to them because God has [19:02] shown it to them.

[19:02] His invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly [19:08] perceived ever since the creation of the world and the things that have been made. [19:12] So they are without excuse. [19:14] In other words, God has given a common grace to all people that when you go outside and [19:18] you look at the wonder of creation around you, there is a revelation in that creation [19:23] that there is a God.

[19:25] And if there is a God, I am responsible to that God. [19:29] And I better find out some information about that God. [19:32] According to the text, that if you go out there and you say there is no God, does nothing [19:39] to disqualify the fact that God has revealed himself to you. [19:42] Why would you do that? [19:43] Romans 1 also says that because of your own righteousness, you suppress the truth.

[19:48] In other words, your very denial of God is rooted in your own sinfulness. [19:55] The Canaanites understand this could not have the promises of God because the Canaanites [20:02] would not have the promises of God. [20:05] They refused. [20:07] We must trust God with that reality if we’re going to follow him and we must find joy [20:14] in God’s provident sovereignty over that reality.

[20:18] Because number two this morning, understand God’s sovereignty is the guarantee of every promise. [20:23] God’s sovereignty is the guarantee of every promise. [20:26] If you thought dealing with God’s judgment is tough, skip down to verse 20.

[20:31] For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel [20:39] in battle in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy, [20:46] but be destroyed just as the Lord commanded Moses. [20:51] See law meditate on that. [20:53] It’s not really a coffee cup verse.

[20:57] A couple of years ago, I found out that you could go on this website [21:00] and in beautiful font, you could put whatever message you wanted. [21:04] And so I found all the verses in the Bible like this one. [21:07] All right. [21:08] And I tried to convince my wife. [21:10] I was like, honey, this is what we need to put in our dining room.

[21:13] Not those coffee cup inspirational chicken soup for the soul verses. [21:18] I have wonderful plans for you, you know, all that stuff. [21:21] No, let’s put some good judgment text on our wall in beautiful font.

[21:27] You’ll never believe what she said. [21:30] No, pray for me. [21:34] She’s not glorying and all the attributes of God. [21:37] I just don’t understand it. [21:39] But when we come to verses like this, there’s a great temptation that happens in everyone. [21:43] And that is I’ve heard so many people take these texts and do mental gymnastics with verses like

[21:51] this to make themselves feel more comfortable with what God is or isn’t allowed to do with [21:58] the free will of man. [21:59] But the simplest thing to do with text like this is to accept exactly what it states [22:04] in light of all that we know about God from the rest of scripture [22:08] and interpret it exactly that way. [22:11] Was God responsible for the sins of Canaan?

[22:15] No. [22:15] Scripture is clear on that. [22:17] Scripture is so clear that it says God can’t even tempt people with sin.

[22:24] Was God responsible for their sin? [22:27] No. [22:27] Again, Scripture is clear. [22:29] But does God use sinners to bring about the purpose of his will to their detriment? [22:36] Absolutely. [22:37] Scripture is clear.

[22:39] There are many texts throughout the Bible as a whole that show us exactly what this [22:43] text states that God reigns over absolutely everything. [22:48] Why did the Canaanites stand against Israel instead of saying you can have this land? [22:55] For the same reason that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and sent plague after plague [23:00] to Egypt because God wanted to show his judgment against sin and he hardened their hearts to play [23:07] directly into his hand.

[23:09] I’m going to give you another example of the many that exist. [23:11] One is in Genesis 50 verse 20. [23:14] This presents to Joseph. [23:16] He’s explaining to one of his brothers at the very end of the book of Genesis why he [23:22] isn’t going to have all of his brothers killed because if you note in Genesis chapter 50, [23:26] if you don’t know in the story of the Old Testament, Joseph had risen to the second

[23:30] in command over all of Egypt. [23:32] The only person that had more power in Egypt than Joseph was Pharaoh. [23:37] But the road by which Joseph got there was a painful, difficult, and one filled with [23:45] suffering. [23:46] His brothers despised him so much that they were going to kill him. [23:50] But instead, they sold him into slavery, faked his death, convinced the dad that he was dead,

[23:57] removing him from his family forever.

[24:00] Joseph goes into slavery while he’s a slave. [24:04] He’s then unjustly accused of rape. [24:07] Then an innocent man is sent to prison for more than a decade suffering in the prisons [24:13] of Egypt for a crime he did not commit in any way, shape, or form. [24:18] Decades of Joseph’s life were sent in suffering. [24:22] Then through a supernatural series of events, God frees him from prison, raises him to second

[24:28] in command of all of Egypt, and Joseph, through the supernatural wisdom that God gave him, [24:34] saves the nation of Egypt from famine that God was going to curse the world with. [24:38] But then through him being able to save Egypt, he also then saves the family of Israel [24:45] so that we can even get to the book of Joshua where Israel is taking the promised land. [24:51] And it was because of God’s work in Joseph. [24:55] And so at the end of Genesis 50, the family comes back together.

[24:59] Joseph saves his family and his brothers think, okay, now that we’ve brought dad, [25:04] he’s going to probably kill us all because of what we did to him. [25:07] But in Genesis chapter 50, verse 20, Joseph looks to his brother and he says, [25:12] As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring it about [25:19] that many people should be kept alive as they are today. [25:23] This is a fascinating thing about the sovereignty of God for Christians.

[25:28] Joseph looks at it and he says, is what you did wrong? [25:30] Yeah, he goes as far in the Hebrew. [25:32] He says it was absolute evil what you did. [25:35] It’s terrible. [25:37] It was a curse that you brought on my life. [25:39] But here’s the amazing thing about scripture teaches us about God.

[25:44] There are millions of people in this world.

[25:49] Every single day, they seek evil, whether it be through fraud, whether it be through abuse [26:00] of all kinds of natures. [26:02] I won’t even be more specific than that. [26:04] There are people that seek murder. [26:07] There are people that are so evil, they are so depraved in this world that they value [26:12] money over human life and they will kill to get more money.

[26:17] They will victimize as many people as possible. [26:20] There are people that wake up every single day looking for new ways to blaspheme the [26:26] very God who redeemed us through Jesus Christ. [26:30] There are people that wake up every single day. [26:32] They’ve not sought good. [26:34] They’ve only sought evil.

[26:35] And the scripture says they suppress the truth so much that they wake up seeking to invent [26:42] new forms of evil that have never been thought of by a human being. [26:47] What scripture teaches us, though, is that God is so sovereign that even in the face [26:54] of wickedness, that would nauseate some of us to the point where we would vomit if it [27:01] was put right in front of us, that that God that redeems us is so sovereign that he will [27:08] somehow work every moment of evil to good.

[27:15] He’s that good. [27:16] He is that sovereign. [27:18] How will he do it? [27:19] I don’t know. [27:20] He didn’t invite me to the staff meeting when he explained that. [27:24] I don’t know how he’ll do it, but he promises that he will.

[27:28] And why do I trust such a promise? [27:30] I mean, because I’ve been in ministry for so long, I’ve seen some things that some [27:35] of you haven’t seen.

[27:39] To where I lose sleep over it. [27:42] And I look at some of the situations and I say, God, I don’t know how you’re going [27:45] to work this to your good, but the greatest evil that has ever taken place in the world [27:52] is the murder of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. [27:55] And three days later, God said, Look at the good. [28:01] Look at the good.

[28:02] How can I believe that God will work the good of Genesis 50 20? [28:08] I believe it because of everything that I’ve seen in Jesus Christ, even for the Christian, [28:13] that which comes into my life. [28:15] And I say, God, I don’t want this in my life. [28:19] I don’t want to suffer in this season or for the rest of my days. [28:23] I don’t want this pain.

[28:25] I don’t want this hurt. [28:27] God sometimes will take things out of your life and my life. [28:29] And I will look at that and I will say, God, I don’t want that out of my life. [28:32] I was enjoying that. [28:35] I want that to stay exactly where it was for me to continue to enjoy in perpetuity [28:39] for the rest of my days.

[28:40] And God says, No, I’m going to take that out of your life. [28:42] You can’t have it. [28:44] And as a follower of Jesus Christ, we look at that and we don’t say good times.

[28:51] And we look at that and we say that hurts. [28:52] We look at that and we say, I hate evil. [28:55] We look at that and we say, I hate the sin. [28:57] We look at that and say, I cannot wait until the day that this does not exist. [29:02] And God says through every moment of it, trust me, I will take the evil and I will make it good.

[29:12] For our purposes this morning.

[29:15] The opposite of that is true as well. [29:18] So if you are a follower of Jesus, here’s the promise that you have [29:22] through your faith in God the Son, Jesus Christ, everything will work together for good. [29:28] Amazing. [29:30] If you are not a follower of Jesus, for those that refuse to turn from sin, [29:36] for those that rebel against God, for those that reject Jesus Christ,

[29:40] I need you to understand that even that which is good in your life will turn out for the bad for you. [29:49] God’s promises condemn the sinner. [29:54] God does not harden the hearts of his people. [29:59] God hardens the hearts of the wicked in order that the good will be to the benefit of his children. [30:09] And this all happens to the judgment of the wicked. [30:15] And we should never downplay that for any reason.

[30:20] The sovereignty of God then is the guarantee of all of the promises in the gospel. [30:25] And this is difficult for some to accept. [30:27] There was a time in my life where this was a very difficult reality for me to accept. [30:31] It was very difficult for me to wrap my mind around. [30:33] I’m not going to be lying to you and say I’ve totally wrapped my mind around how this works. [30:37] I have not.

[30:38] But that’s a good thing because that means God is smarter than me. [30:43] That means that even though I am limited, God is unlimited. [30:46] That means even though my wisdom isn’t the best, God’s wisdom is the best. [30:52] Without the sovereignty of God over absolutely everything, [30:56] I want you to understand that we would be sunk according to scripture. [31:00] It is the very sovereignty of God that the trustworthiness of the gospel rests.

[31:06] If God is not sovereign with no caveats there, friends, [31:10] then how can you trust that his plan will be completed? [31:15] If God is not sovereign, then there are risks that evil will win over good. [31:25] Texts like Joshua 1120 serve as opportunities for us to be reminded again and again [31:31] about the trustworthiness of the promises of God. [31:34] This is a reminder of the guarantee that there is no risk of failure with God.

[31:41] His will is always going to come to fruition regardless of what happens in life, [31:48] both that which I enjoy and that which I hate.

[31:54] Romans chapter nine is a text that some people hate because you don’t like truth.

[32:02] But starting in verse 21, it responds to any argument against the notion that I’ve just shared. [32:08] In part, Romans nine, the message starting in verse 21 is, [32:11] has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use [32:16] and another for dishonorable use? [32:19] What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, [32:23] has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

[32:29] In order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, [32:34] which he has prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom he has called, [32:40] not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles. [32:45] Friends, you have to trust God with his sovereignty, [32:49] even when you can’t wrap your mind around it. [32:52] If you look at that text and you’re just like,

[32:54] it’s almost like you’ve seen the film A Beautiful Mind [32:56] with all these mathematical equations floating around you. [32:58] If you read that text and it’s like that, you’re like, I just can’t comprehend. [33:03] Glory in that. [33:05] Don’t look at it and say, well, since I don’t understand this, how can it be true? [33:08] No, you can’t understand it because you’re not the potter.

[33:12] Don’t do to Romans what you do to the book of Esther. [33:15] Stop putting yourself in the seat of Esther in the book of Romans. [33:18] You’re not the potter, you’re the clay. [33:21] The glory is found in the reality that if you believe in Jesus Christ, [33:25] if you’re following him, then you are the one that is made for honorable use. [33:31] And you glory and you say, what grace, because I don’t deserve that.

[33:36] Don’t look at it and say, how dare he make some for dishonorable use?

[33:42] You know the kind of person that says that? [33:45] The one that’s made for dishonorable use.

[33:49] When you read a text like this and you can’t wrap your mind around it, [33:53] you can’t praise God that he can. [33:56] God has the authority and power to bring about his purposes [33:59] in the ways that he sees fit. [34:02] And that’s the point of the text. [34:04] He is the authority and he can be trusted with that authority.

[34:09] That’s what the gospel of Jesus reveals to us. [34:11] We can trust that God worked to give the nation of Israel the promised land [34:17] because God’s works are always moral. [34:22] Morality exudes from God, and he always does that which is righteous every single time. [34:32] Why would he choose, though, to give any human the benefit of his reign? [34:38] That’s the question we must ask.

[34:40] I’ll tell you why. [34:42] Because God sees fit to be gracious. [34:46] And what great news, because he doesn’t have to. [34:49] I don’t deserve it. [34:50] But it gives me grace anyway. [34:53] Apart from his sovereignty, though, you will have the yin yang battle

[34:59] between good and evil with no assurance of who will win. [35:04] And here’s the deal. [35:04] That’s just silly. [35:06] That’s not what the Bible presents to us. [35:09] That’s foolishness. [35:10] You want to know how I know that?

[35:12] Because God always wins. [35:14] He will always win. [35:16] He has no risk of defeat. [35:18] He’s not a risk taking God. [35:20] He is a sovereign God who will always receive the glory, [35:25] which reveals to me the amazing truth.

[35:27] Number three, God’s enemies will never win.

[35:32] God’s enemies will never win. [35:34] You want to be on the right side of history?

[35:37] Be on God’s side. [35:39] Because outcomes are important. [35:41] Let’s be honest. [35:43] We don’t do the right thing as Christians because it’s the right thing. [35:47] When you say something like that, two things happen. [35:50] You kind of anoint yourself as a messianic symbol because you’re so good.

[35:55] But then number two, morality terminates on itself. [35:58] And morality is not meant to terminate on itself. [36:01] It’s to go to the worship and praise of God. [36:04] I do the right thing because God’s going to reward me in glory. [36:07] That’s why I do the right thing. [36:09] I do the right thing because God has rewarded me with faith in Jesus Christ.

[36:14] I do the right thing because God can’t be defeated. [36:18] I do the right thing because when all of humanity stood against God and killed his son, [36:24] he said, that’s fine. [36:25] He’s just going to get up in three days and beat you anyway. [36:28] I do the right thing because God defines the right thing and God always wins and God will always win. [36:35] And God is never at risk of being defeated.

[36:38] The same thing that the Canaanites fell under the wrath of an eternal God [36:44] is the thing that all who reject Christ and seek evil will fall under in this world. [36:51] This section means that the enemies that looked as though they could stand against Israel [36:56] never had a chance, just as God said. [37:00] God is always victorious. [37:02] History reveals this experience reveals this.

[37:05] Ultimately, as I said, the resurrection of Jesus Christ shows that death can’t even [37:10] defeat our eternal God. [37:13] When considering the enemies of God and those who are not God’s people, [37:18] we must understand, yes, they are God’s enemies.

[37:22] There is a tension that we feel in that. [37:25] And here’s the tension. [37:27] You want to rightly express the hope of the gospel. [37:30] You want to rightly express God’s amazing love that is revealed in the work of Jesus [37:36] on the cross and in the resurrection. [37:38] But what do we do with the truth that God stands against those who sin against them?

[37:43] Because it’s revealed over and over in scripture that he does. [37:46] Do we downplay one to the detriment of the other? [37:51] So do you downplay God’s wrath so that grace looks better? [37:55] Do you downplay grace so that God looks more wrathful? [38:00] Neither. [38:02] Should we try to explain away the harsh truths so that we can greater magnify the

[38:08] truths that are more comforting and make us seem more compassionate in the eyes of the world?

[38:14] Fact is, just as Jeremiah 18, eight states, [38:18] when people turn away from evil to the grace of God, do you know what they find? [38:23] They find forgiveness. [38:25] Here’s what Jeremiah 18, eight says. [38:27] That nation concerning which I have spoken turns from evil. [38:30] I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.

[38:35] And so the enemies of God can find the grace of God and become the people of God. [38:41] You know how I know that? [38:42] Because that’s my story. [38:44] And if you’re a follower of Jesus, that’s your story. [38:47] God didn’t look down from heaven and say, man, you know, you’re so valuable. [38:50] I need you on my team.

[38:50] You’re so good. [38:52] No, you were an enemy of God. [38:54] And you received the grace of God because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. [38:58] And through your repentance, through the grace of God, [39:01] you became a follower of Jesus Christ. [39:04] That’s the story of every single person that has ever turned from sin.

[39:07] It’s the gospel reality. [39:09] But here’s the question. [39:10] Why turn away from evil at all?

[39:15] Why is grace so amazing? [39:19] Grace is not amazing because when you become a Christian, [39:23] you find all the friends you’ve ever wanted.

[39:27] Grace isn’t amazing because you find a new family that you can be a part of. [39:32] Grace isn’t amazing because you’re going to get some leadership principles [39:36] that are really going to help you in life. [39:39] Grace is not amazing because life just becomes better with Jesus. [39:44] Friends, grace is amazing because we deserve the eternal wrath of God in hell [39:53] forever.

[39:54] That is why grace is amazing. [39:56] Those other things might be included, but they are not the reason grace is amazing. [40:01] Grace is amazing because I deserve the wrath. [40:05] And anything else is less than the gospel of Jesus Christ. [40:09] The reality of judgment is what turns us to the grace of God. [40:14] All who stood before Israel in Canaan were unrepentant, wicked sinners.

[40:22] And they fell under the wrath of God. [40:26] And here’s the deal. [40:28] Our modern era finds us in a place where we struggle to stomach that reality. [40:35] But nothing has changed. [40:39] Romans 11 starting in verse 22 states the clear truth. [40:42] Note then the kindness and severity of God.

[40:46] Pause there because here’s how most discipleship goes in 2023. [40:50] You cut that in half. [40:53] Why? [40:53] Because you like the kindness of God.

[40:57] And you read that in my memory verse for today. [40:59] Note the kindness of God. [41:00] All right, let’s go. [41:02] That’s it. [41:02] Close your Bibles. [41:03] I just love kindness.

[41:05] And so you spend your whole life and you’re like, oh, kindness is so great. [41:09] So let’s just have a God that’s kind and he never gets in a bad mood. [41:13] Because we look at the other half, the severity of God, [41:15] and like I guess he woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day. [41:18] Am I right?

[41:20] No, friends, because if you don’t have the severity, then you don’t have the kindness. [41:26] The gospel necessitates both.

[41:29] God is both kind and severe. [41:32] Kindness wouldn’t be so kind if there wasn’t severity in dealing with evil. [41:37] And that’s the truth. [41:39] To deny the severity of God is to deny the reality of evil. [41:44] And we all know you cannot do that and still maintain reason. [41:50] It is never kind to allow evil to hurt people.

[41:54] Yet that is what many think the grace of God must allow in our era. [42:00] And that is anti-gospel. [42:02] There is no grace or truth in such a notion. [42:07] God is severe against evil and sin, and that is part of his kindness. [42:15] He will pour his eternal wrath on evil and even uses it as a judgment against the sinners themselves.

[42:25] What do Joshua 11 and 12 ultimately show us? [42:29] Shows us God’s judgment against evil. [42:32] We must trust that through the lens of the gospel that these were unrepentant sinners [42:38] deserving of such a fate. [42:40] If that’s the fate God brought towards them, that is what they justly deserved. [42:45] But what does Romans 11 and 23 reveal?

[42:50] And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, [42:57] for God has the power to graft them in again. [43:01] He’s specifically speaking of the nation of Israel, but here’s the deal. [43:04] How do you think you got into the kingdom of God? [43:07] God grafted you in when you didn’t deserve. [43:09] There came a point in your life where you refused to continue in your unbelief,

[43:19] and at that moment you experienced the kindness of God because of the severity [43:26] that he poured out on his son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. [43:32] You cannot have either or. [43:36] It requires both. [43:39] When sinners repent of their unbelief, God will always add them to his people. [43:44] Christians proclaim a gospel as clear as Joshua 11 and 12.

[43:51] Note both the kindness and severity of God, gracious to those with faith, [43:59] harsh to those who refuse to repent. [44:03] A few application points this morning. [44:05] Worship the God revealed in all of scripture, [44:07] not just the God that you are comfortable with based on your preferences.

[44:12] Worship him for all that he is, or the reality is you’re not worshiping him at all.

[44:19] Secondly, rejoice in the sovereignty of God. [44:22] Rejoice in it. [44:24] You struggle to understand it. [44:26] Rejoice in that he does.

[44:29] Thirdly, trust the judgment of God. [44:34] He’s wiser than you and I. [44:36] And fourthly, tell the truth of both the kindness and severity of God [44:44] so that people will believe.