Overview:
In this powerful message based on Joshua’s final address to Israel, Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores the vital importance of memory in the life of a believer. As Joshua prepared to pass the torch of leadership, he gathered the tribes at Shechem to recount God’s faithfulness—from the calling of Abraham to the conquest of Canaan. This message serves as a clarion call to look backward at God’s grace in order to move forward in truth, choosing daily whom we will serve.
Message Summary:
In this message centering on Joshua 24, Chuck Swindoll explores the final words of Joshua, an “old battle-weary soldier” of 110 years who delivers his soul to the nation of Israel before he dies. Swindoll draws a parallel between Joshua and General Douglas MacArthur, noting that while MacArthur claimed old soldiers “just fade away,” Joshua refused to simply fade. Instead, he used his final moments to confront the people with the “grace and truth” of God, warning them against the spiritual complacency that often accompanies abundance [15–18].
Swindoll structures the sermon around three timeframes: the past, the present, and the future. Looking back, Joshua recounts Israel’s history to highlight God’s grace—emphasizing that God gave them cities they did not build and vineyards they did not plant. Looking at the present, Joshua challenges them with truth, exposing their secret idolatry and demanding they choose “this day” whom they will serve. Finally, looking to the future, Joshua establishes a covenant, setting up a stone witness to hold their “feet to the fire” regarding their commitment.
The message concludes with a sober warning about the cycle of history. Swindoll argues that Israel stood at a dangerous precipice between “great courage” and “complacency.” He urges modern listeners to break free from neutrality, identify their own secret idols, and make a decisive, written-on-the-heart commitment to serve the Lord, just as Joshua declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” [21–22, 61].
Message Key Facts:
- The Cycle of Civilization: Swindoll cites Alexander Tytler, who described the 200-year cycle of great civilizations: from bondage to spiritual faith, to courage, to liberty, to abundance, to complacency, to apathy, to dependency, and finally back to bondage. Swindoll places Israel (and modern society) at the vulnerable stage between abundance and complacency [20–21].
- The Definition of Grace: Swindoll defines grace as “what God does for us which we cannot do for ourselves, which we do not deserve and can never repay.” He points out that in Joshua’s review of history, God is the active subject (“I sent,” “I plagued,” “I gave”) repeatedly, proving Israel’s success was entirely due to God’s grace [37–38].
- Nebuchadnezzar’s Lesson: To illustrate the danger of taking credit for God’s blessings, Swindoll retells the story of King Nebuchadnezzar from Daniel 4. The king boasted, “Is this not Babylon… which I myself have built?” and was immediately struck with madness, living like a beast for seven years until he acknowledged God’s sovereignty [47–51].
- Secret Idolatry: Swindoll highlights the shocking revelation in Joshua 24:14 that many Israelites were still secretly worshiping idols from Egypt and Mesopotamia. He applies this to modern believers, noting that while we may not have golden calves, we hide idols of reputation, materialism, and children in the “tents” of our hearts [56–58].
- Definitions of Fear and Service:
- Fear: A wholesome, worshipful respect for God accompanied by a hatred for sin.
- Serve: A willing, available obedience based on love and devotion [53–54].
- The “Car Salesman” Analogy: Swindoll compares Joshua’s demand for a covenant to a car salesman moving a customer from “kicking tires” to signing the contract. It is easy to verbally agree to serve God (as the Israelites did quickly), but Joshua demanded they go “on record” to make the commitment binding [72–74].
- Fighting the Wolves: Swindoll shares a story of a pastor attending a court hearing to protest a porn shop. When a lawyer asked why the shepherd wasn’t with his sheep, the pastor replied, “Today I’m fighting the wolves.” Swindoll uses this to argue that Christianity includes a militant side that must fight for righteousness [83–84].
Message References:
- Joshua 24:1–28: The primary text containing Joshua’s farewell address, the review of Israel’s history, and the renewal of the covenant.
- Joshua 24:15: The famous declaration: “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
- Daniel 4:28–37: The account of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and subsequent humbling by God.
- Exodus 32:1–24: The narrative of the Golden Calf, used to illustrate how quickly people who say “we will obey” can fall into idolatry [67–70].
- Psalm 103:2: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits”.
