WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.399 I have a bit of a confession to make. 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:05.599 I have a book problem. 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:09.439 I love reading books. 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:11.919 I love recommending books. 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:15.199 I love walking into a bookstore. 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:22.160 I love imagining that one day I will have finally enough time to read every single book that I own. 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:30.000 The problem is that I have shelves full of books that have started, but I haven't finished. 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:31.519 Anybody else relate? 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:39.600 Some of them still have bookmarks that have been there in the same place for months, in some cases, even years. 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:44.399 And yet, somehow, despite all of this, I know that I have a book problem. 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:52.560 My wife knows that I have a book problem, despite all of this, that doesn't stop me and it hasn't stopped me from ordering more books. 00:00:53.039 --> 00:01:02.079 Just this past week, I received three more books in the mail that arrived freshly wrapped inside their wonderful Amazon box. 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:10.159 As if that weren't enough, I have another 20 books probably sitting on my Amazon wish list, waiting for me to hit buy now. 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:17.359 At this point, I'm positive that the Amazon driver assumes that I run a bookstore out of my house. 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:42.560 But here's the thing: books are the easy version of that. 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:47.280 All of us live with unfinished things, don't we? 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:50.799 We have unfinished projects around the house. 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:56.239 We have unfinished goals, unfinished conversations, unfinished plans. 00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:00.319 But then there are the heavier things in our lives. 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:04.079 Maybe a career that hasn't developed quite the way that we hoped. 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:06.239 A relationship that needs healing. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:13.680 Children that we're trying to raise or a struggle with sin that we had hoped and thought would be gone by now. 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:16.719 And that makes things difficult. 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:28.800 The problem is not simply that they remain unfinished, it's what we begin to believe about their unfinishedness, about what that unfinished says about us. 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:31.439 We want to feel like we've accomplished something. 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:38.000 We want to feel like our lives are moving forward, that our work has mattered, that we're not falling behind. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:43.360 Because when we finish things, even for a moment, we feel this sense of security. 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:47.039 We can point to it and said, We did it. 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:48.639 We accomplished it. 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:51.199 My life is going somewhere. 00:02:51.520 --> 00:03:00.000 But when so much in our lives remain unfinished, we begin to wonder, Am I behind? 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:02.159 Did I miss something? 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:03.120 Have I failed? 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:10.400 Can my life still be faithful if I never get to see everything finished? 00:03:11.919 --> 00:03:16.960 That's the question that Joshua 13 speaks into. 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:24.560 What does faithfulness look like when there is still so much left unfinished? 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:29.919 And our passage this morning is actually quite a bit longer. 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:34.960 Russell tasked me with looking at Joshua 13 to 19. 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:39.919 For obvious reasons, we're not going to read all six chapters, all six chapters together. 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:42.080 Russell probably wouldn't invite me back. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:50.240 But these chapters describe how God distributed the land, the promised land, among the tribes of Israel. 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:56.240 They are filled with names, with boundaries, towns, rivers, and property lines. 00:03:56.479 --> 00:04:07.919 Now we're going to focus primarily on Joshua 13 to 17, because these opening verses become the doorway into everything else that's going to follow in the next couple of chapters. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:21.040 So what we will discover is this Israel's future did not finally depend on Joshua finishing the work, it depended on God keeping his promise. 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:31.199 Israel's future didn't depend on Joshua finishing the work, it depending on God keeping his promise to his people. 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:35.439 God secures what we could never finish. 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:42.000 And so we're going to look at this text in three points, which will become the three points of today's sermon. 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:44.319 First, receive the promise. 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:47.360 Second, rest in the promise. 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:50.319 And third, remember the promise. 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:55.439 So receive, rest, and remember the promise. 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:58.959 So first, receive the promise. 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.759 Look again at Joshua 13, verse 1. 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:08.079 It begins by saying, Now, Joshua was old and advanced in years. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:12.079 That's not just a biographical detail. 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:17.680 It actually establishes the tension that runs all throughout the passage. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:22.560 Joshua is nearing the end of his life, but Israel is not nearing the end of their mission. 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:24.720 In fact, God tells Joshua as much. 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:30.399 He tells them there is still very much land left to possess. 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:35.040 Now, think about everything that Joshua has already seen up to this point. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:38.879 He had watched God bring Israel all through the wilderness. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:40.560 In fact, he was there at the Exodus. 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:46.399 So he remembers God delivering Israel out of Egypt and walking with them through the wilderness. 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:49.920 He had crossed the Jordan with them into the promised land. 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:52.959 He had watched the walls of Jericho fall. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:57.920 He had led campaigns in the promised land in the south and in the north. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:01.279 Earlier chapters summarize enormous victories. 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:09.279 By almost any human standard, Joshua had accomplished a great deal. 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:16.160 And yet, God doesn't say, Joshua, you've finished everything. 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:20.160 He doesn't look back and say, Joshua, look at everything you've accomplished. 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:24.319 He says, Joshua, there's still a lot of land. 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:31.600 Now that could sound like an accusation, but it's not. 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:34.160 God isn't shaming Joshua. 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:35.279 He's not calling him out. 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:37.279 He's not telling him that he's been a failure. 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:39.040 He's simply pointing out a truth. 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:45.920 Joshua's assignment was always larger than Joshua's lifetime. 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:53.920 You know, some promises are bigger than one person. 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:57.120 Some callings are bigger than one season. 00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:01.519 Some work has to be handed off to the next generation. 00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:11.199 And what that means is that we have to learn to distinguish between something being unfinished and something being unfaithful. 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:13.759 Those are not the same thing. 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:20.079 You know, I myself have felt this tension while planting this church, La Trinidad. 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:26.800 When I first imagined planting a church, I had a timeline in my head, like most church planters do. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:43.759 I assumed that by a certain point we'd be doing weekly worship, that we would have reached certain milestones, that more of the building that we're renovating would be finished, that more leaders would already be in place, that we would have more teams ready and available to serve. 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:55.519 But instead, there have been moments when I've looked around and I've thought we should be further along by now. 00:07:56.560 --> 00:08:00.000 I thought we would be further along down this road. 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:06.560 But God has had to teach me that my imagined timeline is not the same thing as his promise. 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:11.439 The fact that there is still much left to do doesn't mean that he hasn't been faithful. 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:17.759 It may simply mean that his work is larger, slower, and deeper than I expected. 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:28.240 See, my calling is not to complete everything immediately, it's to receive the assignment that God has given me today and to trust him with what remains. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:34.559 You know, I've learned this lesson in another area of my life too, which is parenting. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:38.080 My wife Nancy and I have three kids. 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:45.200 And one of the things that I've learned is that there's never a moment when you can just stand back and say, finished. 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:49.840 Just when you think you figured one stage out, another one begins. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:58.240 Just when you think you finally understand one of your children, they grow, they change, they evolve, and suddenly you're learning all over again. 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:12.639 Yes, we pray for them, we we teach them, we correct them, and yet every day reminds me that I'm not the author of their story because faithfulness and finishing are not the same thing. 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:19.120 See, Joshua had to receive that truth. 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:36.399 Yes, his life mattered, yes, his obedience mattered, yes, his leadership mattered, but the promise, God's promise to give his people Israel, the land, didn't depend on Joshua personally completing every battle. 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:43.919 Joshua had to believe something that must have been incredibly difficult for him to believe in that moment at that time. 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:51.759 God was asking Joshua to trust that he himself would finish what Joshua himself never could. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:59.919 The promise didn't depend on Joshua's ability to complete every battle, it depended on God's commitment to keep his word. 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:04.639 And so that's the first invitation of this passage. 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:19.279 Joshua is called to receive the promise, to trust and believe that God will accomplish what he promised, even if Joshua doesn't live to see every single part of it fulfilled. 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:26.799 But that's much easier said than done, isn't it? 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:33.519 If we're honest, that's easier to admire than to do. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:38.799 It's one thing to say trust God's promises, it's another to actually trust them. 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:43.840 Because our hearts don't naturally rest in promises. 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:50.559 We want proof, we want progress, we want visible results. 00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:55.600 And so, can Joshua really trust a promise like this? 00:10:57.039 --> 00:11:00.559 And perhaps more importantly, can we? 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:05.519 Number two, rest in the promise. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:19.039 Now notice that the book of Joshua doesn't answer that struggle, that tension, by pointing Joshua back to Joshua. 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:23.440 He points Joshua back to God. 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:26.559 Listen again, verses six and seven. 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:28.320 This is God speaking. 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:40.879 I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel, only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you. 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:46.240 Did you notice who the subject of the sentence was? 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:49.600 It's not Joshua, it's God. 00:11:50.879 --> 00:11:56.720 I myself, and that little phrase changes everything. 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:00.480 Because here's the surprising part of this passage. 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:12.000 God tells Joshua to divide the land, to assign the land to the tribes before Israel has fully conquered it. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:13.440 Think about that. 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:32.000 The enemies are still there, the battles aren't over, there is still very much land to possess, and yet God says, go ahead, divide it, set it apart, assign it to the different families and clans and the different tribes. 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:32.480 Why? 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:38.080 Because the inheritance ultimately rests on God's promise, not Israel's progress. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:48.320 God doesn't say to Israel, hey, when you've finally defeated everything, when you've proven yourselves, when you've earned it, then this land will become yours. 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:52.480 He says, in effect, God says, give it to them now. 00:12:53.679 --> 00:13:03.039 Because I myself will finish what's left undone, what's unfinished, what remains to do. 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:07.919 Think about buying a house. 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:14.559 You know, there's a moment at closing when you sign the papers and you receive the keys. 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:18.720 At that moment, that house belongs to you. 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:24.960 There might be walls left to paint, there might be plumbing that may need repair. 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:28.799 There may be boxes sitting in every room for the next six months. 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:31.440 Some of you still have boxes from your last move. 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:44.000 In other words, there may still be projects that you will not finish in that house for years, but you don't renovate a house in order for it to become yours. 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:48.000 You renovate it because it already is yours. 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:58.399 Joshua is handing Israel the keys before every room has been cleared, and that is grace. 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:05.200 But this is exactly where we struggle, isn't it? 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:12.799 Everything around us, everything in this world, tells us a different story. 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:16.320 School says, earn the grade. 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:20.000 Work says earn the promotion. 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:23.519 Social media says earn the attention. 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:27.039 The fitness world says earn the body. 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:33.440 Even religion can whisper, earn God's approval. 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:36.960 Everything tells us the same story. 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:44.320 Prove yourself, become enough, finish enough, and then maybe you'll belong. 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:51.440 And if we're honest, many of us quietly bring that same mindset into our relationship with God, don't we? 00:14:52.080 --> 00:15:05.919 We begin to think if we pray enough, if we serve enough, if we grow enough, if we defeat enough sin, then maybe God will finally be pleased with me. 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:09.279 God will finally answer that prayer. 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:12.000 God will finally bless me. 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:23.279 In other words, each of us falls into the same trap every single day of believing that our inheritance, our blessing, our acceptance before God ultimately depends on us. 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:29.360 And yet we fail, don't we? 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:41.600 Every single day, even this morning, we fail to trust, we fail to believe, we fail to obey, we fail to follow God's standards and to live up to his commandments. 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:43.200 We fail. 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:48.639 And so what hope is there for us? 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:59.120 Broken, weak, frail, fallen sinners who failed to receive and rest on that promise. 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:01.759 What hope was there for Israel? 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:06.720 Well, here's a bit of a spoiler alert. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:13.519 Joshua would eventually die with enemies still standing. 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:18.080 In the last chapter of Joshua, you get sort of a sad picture. 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:32.159 All of these battles, all of these victories, all of these campaigns, all of these decades of fight after fight after fight, and there are still enemies left standing. 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:37.360 But here's the good news that Joshua couldn't yet see in that moment. 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.759 One day, another Joshua would come. 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:45.759 And we know him by the name of Jesus. 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:48.480 They're actually the same name. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:55.919 Joshua in the Hebrew is Jesus in the Greek, and both names mean the Lord saves. 00:16:56.399 --> 00:17:00.559 And that's exactly what Jesus came to do. 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:09.039 See, the first Joshua led God's people into an earthly inheritance that he could never secure forever. 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:15.200 But the greater Joshua came to secure an eternal inheritance that can never be lost. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:20.240 Joshua distributes this land that he didn't purchase. 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:24.720 Jesus purchased our inheritance with his own blood. 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:32.160 Joshua begins his final assignment hearing there remains yet very much land to possess. 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:41.279 Jesus finished his final assignment on the cross and said, It is finished. 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:50.160 See, the gospel says that your inheritance, your blessing, your acceptance before God never depended on your ability to finish the work. 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:51.599 You can't. 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:53.200 You won't. 00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:58.960 But that's good news because it depends on Jesus. 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:00.799 And Jesus never fails. 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:04.400 We just saying he is a firm foundation. 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:11.920 Galatians 3, Paul says that Christ is a promised offspring through whom God's promises to Abraham are fulfilled. 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:21.680 A few verses later, he tells us that Christ became a curse for us so that the blessing promised to Abraham might come to the nations. 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:30.480 And then in Galatians 4, he says that because of Christ, we have received adoption as sons and daughters of God. 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:33.440 Do you hear what Paul is saying? 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:37.359 Jesus didn't just show us how to trust the promise. 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:42.799 He wasn't just a good example or a good teacher, he secured the promise. 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:47.920 He is our redeemer, the sacrificial Lamb who gave up his life for us. 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:51.200 See, Joshua couldn't finish. 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:53.599 Israel couldn't finish. 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:55.519 And neither can we. 00:18:56.079 --> 00:18:57.680 So what does that mean? 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:00.799 It means you can stop striving. 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:08.319 Stop trying to earn the Father's love, his inheritance, and instead rest. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:11.839 Rest in his promise. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:25.119 Not because your faith is flawless, not because your obedience is complete, not because your life is finally finished, rest because Christ has finished the work that was required to receive God's promise. 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:27.599 Rest. 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:33.279 But that raises another question. 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:42.880 If Christ has secured our inheritance, why does the Christian life still feel so unfinished? 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:45.519 Why do we still struggle with sin? 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:47.519 Why do we still wait? 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:49.039 Why do we still grieve? 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:56.319 Why does there still seem like there's so much land in our lives left to finish, to possess, to conquer? 00:19:56.480 --> 00:20:04.319 Well, the answer is that although Jesus has secured our inheritance, we don't experience that inheritance in its fullness. 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:15.519 We live in between the promise accomplished and the promise completed, which means that we need constant reminders of what is already true. 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:20.880 And that's exactly what Joshua 14 to 19 give us. 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:26.799 And so, number three and last point, remember the promise. 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:34.640 Beginning in chapter 14 of Joshua, the pace of the book changes dramatically. 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:36.880 Read it later at home, and you'll see. 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:38.720 It's actually really, really interesting. 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:42.880 Battle after battle gives way to boundary lines. 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:45.759 Excitement gives way to geography. 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:48.799 Tribe after tribe receives its inheritance. 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:51.279 Listen to a sample of these passages. 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:58.480 Joshua 14 says, These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received in the land of Canaan. 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:04.799 Joshua 15, this is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans. 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:11.200 Joshua 16, the territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows. 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:17.279 Joshua 18, the lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up. 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:35.759 And then chapter 19, the second lot came out for Simeon, the third lot came out for the people of Zebulun, the fourth lot came out for Issachar, the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the people of Asher, the sixth lot came out for the people of Naphtali, the seventh lot came out for the people of the tribe of Dan. 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:42.240 It almost feels repetitive, doesn't it? 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:46.079 But that's exactly the point. 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:58.880 Every tribe, every clan, every city, every boundary, every inheritance, no one is forgotten. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:16.480 You know, most of us skim these chapters because they feel like ancient real estate documents, but every boundary is another reminder that God keeps his promises down to the smallest detail. 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:21.119 Because the geography is preaching theology. 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:31.839 My parents have a home in El Salvador that, you know, Lord willing, will one day be handed down to us, my siblings and I. 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:39.440 And you'd better believe that when that day comes, every single detail will matter. 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:48.720 I will want to know exactly where the property begins, exactly where it ends, exactly what belongs to the family. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:49.519 Why? 00:22:49.759 --> 00:23:01.359 Because when it's somebody else's property, the paperwork might sound boring, but when it's your inheritance, the details all of a sudden become precious and come alive. 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:05.119 See, that's Joshua 13 through 19. 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:14.640 God isn't just handing out property, he's reminding his people, I'm doing exactly what I told you I would do. 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:15.440 Why? 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:17.920 Because God knows something about us. 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:19.599 We forget. 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:22.160 We forget his faithfulness. 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:23.519 We forget his promises. 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:24.960 We forget his provision. 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:31.599 We forget how many times he's carried us before, how many answers, how many prayers he's answered. 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:32.799 We forget. 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:39.680 Which is why the Christian life is actually full of remembrances. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:44.559 Every Sunday we gather around God's word. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:50.559 We baptize, we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we sing, we pray. 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:51.039 Why? 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:56.000 It's not because God forgets, but because we do. 00:23:56.960 --> 00:24:10.400 You know, one of the best pieces of pastoral wisdom that Russell shared with us this past year to those of us that were in the HCPN cohort, was a simple practice that he says he sometimes follows. 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:17.359 He says that every now and then he'll pick someone random from the church an evening of the night, and he'll call them. 00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:26.559 Not because there's a crisis or because he needs or wants anything from them, but simply to ask, How can I pray for you tonight? 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:31.359 You know, I've started doing that occasionally, and it's been incredible. 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:34.480 Almost every single time the response is the same. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:37.279 Pastor, I can't believe you called. 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:39.039 Did somebody tell you something? 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:41.440 I really needed this. 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:44.720 Why does that matter so much? 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:49.279 Because being remembered communicates love. 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:56.559 It's why anniversaries and birthdays take on such a special significance. 00:24:56.799 --> 00:25:00.240 Being remembered communicates love. 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:09.359 Joshua 13 through 19 is God calling his people and saying, Judah, I remember you. 00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:14.319 Benjamin, I haven't forgotten you. 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:20.480 Simeon, Naphtali, Zebulun, Dan, you're in my mind and in my heart. 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:25.599 I haven't forgotten a single promise that I made to you. 00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:35.200 A few weeks ago, uh, I was telling uh David we hosted a community loteria night, which is like Mexican bingo. 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:39.759 And your church has helped make this season of ministry possible through your support. 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:44.160 So let me tell you a little bit about what your generosity has helped to create. 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:55.119 Yes, there was food, there were games, there were children laughing, there were neighbors talking, there were police officers and community members sitting around the same tables. 00:25:55.759 --> 00:25:59.519 But underneath all of that, there was something much deeper. 00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:04.799 See, we wanted every single person who walked through our doors to experience this. 00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:07.039 You are seen. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:09.359 You are welcome. 00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:12.799 You matter, there is room for you here. 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:17.759 See, that's what people who know their inheritance do. 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:22.799 They stop competing for a place and they start making space for others. 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:29.519 And so let me leave you with two very practical invitations this morning. 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:41.039 First, you know, this week, when you're tempted to measure your life by what still remains unfinished, stop. 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:52.000 Take a pause, take a breather, and instead write down three specific ways that God has already been faithful to you. 00:26:52.720 --> 00:27:03.599 Three times in your past when he's answered very specific prayers, not three things you've accomplished, but three ways that he's kept his promises. 00:27:04.079 --> 00:27:09.680 Train your heart to rehearse his faithfulness instead of your failures. 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:17.519 But second of all, become a reminder of God's faithfulness for someone else. 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:29.039 You know, send a text, make the phone call, invite someone to dinner, pray with a friend, notice the people that are maybe standing alone before or after church, reach out. 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:31.759 Take that first step. 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:35.680 Like Jesus took a first step toward us. 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:39.440 He didn't wait for us to turn toward him. 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:47.920 Jesus didn't wait for us to take a first step toward him, he crossed heaven and earth to approach you. 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:50.640 So will you do the same? 00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:53.920 Remind someone that they haven't been forgotten. 00:27:54.079 --> 00:27:55.759 Because that's what the church does. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:28:00.000 We become living reminders of the God who never forgets his promises. 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:03.519 And maybe that's the greatest irony in this passage. 00:28:04.640 --> 00:28:19.359 That the chapters that we are most tempted to skip are the very chapters reminding us that God never ski over his people because God secures what we could never finish. 00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:20.880 Let's pray. 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:44.480 Father, this morning, as we listen to these words, how easy and simple it is to believe the lie, that our lives, even our growth as Christians, depends on us. 00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:50.880 No doubt Joshua looked at these battles, these giants, the enemies yet to fight. 00:28:51.279 --> 00:29:05.039 And perhaps there was fear and trepidation in his heart, just like there is fear and trepidation in our hearts when we see all the areas in our lives where we haven't been faithful, where there have been things remained unfinished. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:18.240 And yet, Father, just as you reminded Joshua and Israel, you remind us that you yourself will accomplish what you set out to do, because that is who you are. 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:21.039 You are the faithful God. 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:34.079 Father, as Paul reminds us, if you didn't withhold your son from us but gave him up on the cross to die for us, how will you not give him and us all things? 00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:50.400 Father, remind our forgetful hearts, even as we approach the table this morning, the bread and the wine, reminding us that you gave up everything, even your son, for us. 00:29:50.880 --> 00:30:09.759 Help us to remember that we don't approach it because we've earned it or because we deserve it, but because our faithful Redeemer has opened a way and a path for us into the Holy of Holies, into heaven itself, where he is seated at your right hand and is interceding for us even now. 00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:14.799 And so we approach humbly and gratefully through Christ our Lord. 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:16.640 We lift up our prayers. 00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:17.599 Amen.