Obedience of Joshua

In this part of the sermon: Martin explores Joshua's character, arguing that his obedience did not stem from insensitivity or natural courage. Instead, he was a sensitive man, repeatedly exhorted to be…

Used to contrast Joshua's character, suggesting he was not an insensitive man indifferent to difficult tasks like a mercenary soldier who kills without pain.

And as I was meditating upon this portion, recording for us the obedience of Joshua, the question that burned in my own conscience and mind was this, Why could Joshua move as it were so easily to obey so difficult a mandate from God? Was it because that by nature Joshua was an insensitive man? A man who because he had seen blood and would yet see much more blood as the leader of the conquering armies of Israel was rather indifferent to nasty tasks? Like the mercenary soldier who kills for money and feels no twinge of pain when he sees people twitching in the throes of death and then dying? And...

6:33 - 7:49 Read in full sermon

Driving home: We either obey in humble obedience or we disobey in brazen rebellion and delayed obedience is of the essence of disobedience. There is no middle ground between humble obedience and brazen disobedience.

Compares the clarity of God's word to a familiar path. In daylight, one can run quickly; in darkness, one must grope cautiously. This illustrates how clear revelation enables resolute obedience, while uncertainty leads to halting steps.

When God has spoken, the creature must bow in humble obedience or rear back in brazen disobedience and rebellion. Now there are many times when we move haltingly because the path of obedience is not clear. It's like a man going down a very familiar path which in the daytime he can run at breakneck speed when the light of the sun illumines his way because it's wide enough and though there are ditches in the left hand and the right in many windings, under the light of the sun he can make his way quickly. But at night time, he may grope his way very carefully and cautiously down that same path. T...

16:06 - 17:21 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see, a crisis never creates anything. It simply pulls back the veil and shows what's been there all the while. A crisis never creates anything new. It simply reveals what's been there all along.

Explains how faith feeds on the unseen world of spiritual reality, just as a transistor radio ingests unseen radio waves to produce sound. This illustrates that unseen realities are nonetheless real and accessible through faith.

And that's what faith does. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith feeds upon the unseen world of spiritual reality. If I were to bring a little transistor radio into this room, what would the transistors and all of the elements of that radio, if I may use the analogy, feed upon?

24:13 - 24:37 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see, a crisis never creates anything. It simply pulls back the veil and shows what's been there all the while. A crisis never creates anything new. It simply reveals what's been there all along.

A crisis is described as something that never creates anything new but simply pulls back the veil to reveal what has been there all along, illustrating that Joshua's crisis revealed his deep-seated faith and principles.

And Joshua was a man who obeyed in the manner in which he obeyed because such things as the light of God's countenance, the glory of God's smile, the terror of God's frown, the awesomeness of the throne of judgment, these were present and burning realities. They were the daily food of Joshua's soul. And when a crisis came, he acted in accordance with the basic bent of his heart and his inward disposition. You see, a crisis never creates anything.

25:39 - 26:15 Read in full sermon

The point: Learn to obey resolutely and thoroughly, like Joshua and Christ, by cultivating the four spiritual principles in your inner life.

Contrasts Joshua rising early to cross the Jordan (a delightful deed with 'bells ringing') with rising early to purge sin (a difficult task with 'no singing in the shower'), highlighting that true obedience is not dependent on pleasant feelings.

And blessed is that Christian who like Joshua in his or her dealings with God has learned to obey resolutely and thoroughly because these four things, these four great spiritual principles are the part and parcel of the inner life. There was another occasion when Joshua rose early to do a delightful deed. God said it's time to pass over Jordan. And Joshua 3.1 says he rose up early in the morning to call them to this joyous national experience. We're going to pass over Jordan. There's a morning when he got up with the bells ringing and the hallelujahs throwing out of his mouth. And if he had a ...

30:04 - 30:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate living faith in the living God by meditating on the unseen world of spiritual reality (death, Christ's coming, judgment, hell) and seeing this world as a mirage.

Describes the present world as a mirage and the unseen spiritual world as the substance, emphasizing the need for meditation to correctly perceive reality and prioritize eternal things.

And I bring near as the old writers would say I bring near my death bed. What shall my mind say and the disposition of my spirit be as I'm facing that wrenching of soul and body. I bring near the coming of Christ. The day of resurrection. I bring near the day of judgment. I bring near the reality of hell. The certainty of the destruction of all things and I begin to look upon this world for what it really is. This is the mirage. That's the substance. Not the other way around. This is the mirage. The scripture says the earth and all that it has is but the passion of this world and its passing.

38:02 - 38:50 Read in full sermon