Joshua 1:8 Pt 2

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast, making Theology Central. Okay, who is the person who was it? Who is the person? Who was the person who suggested we study Joshua one eight this week? Who was that person? Who is that person? Where are they? Okay? Where is that person? Because wherever they are, I need to find them and I need to slap them around, like why did you pick Joshua one A Okay, wait, actually it's yeah. I'm the one who decided we would study Joshua one eight this week. And it's starting to get a little frustrating. I don't know if you've experienced it yet.

0:48 If you listen to part one and our study of Joshua one eight and now, I did kind of an introductory message where I offered my own This is one of those situations why I offered my own interpretation before we started studying. So in a sense, my interpretation serves as kind of the hypotheses. And then we're listening to all these sermons offer up their counter arguments to what I put forth. A lot of times I let all the other sermons put forth their hypotheses, and then at the end I offer my interpretation or my perspective. In this case, mine went first, and well it's just been nothing but frustration since then. But I will explain everything. I will explain everything in just a moment. In the meantime, let me go ahead and welcome you. Good afternoon everyone. It is Monday, June the twenty fourth, twenty twenty four. It is currently three point fifty pm Central time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central Studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. I thought it was a good idea, I really did. When I ask who is it? Who was it? It was obviously me. I came up with this great idea to focus on Joshua one eight, thinking it would be very interesting, but it's really turning into something far more frustrating. For let me just go ahead and read the text.

2:12 I mean, you know, Joshua one a, but let me read it. One of the things we can benefit when we spend an entire week looking at a passage of scripture or a section of scripture or a chapter of scripture is that if we read it and read it over and over and over, that even if by the end of the week or the end of the month or ever how long we spend time studying a passage of scripture, Hopefully by the end you've heard it read so many times that it almost starts becoming, you know, almost a part of your memory. I don't know if we have ever accomplished that, but we definitely have tried. Joshua one eighth. This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Oh, we know that verse that Versus cited over and over and over and over and over and over again.

3:10 It is mentioned in sermon after sermon after sermon. But we're discovering kind of a problem. I have discovered now on multiple occasions that the sermons that are listed about being about Joshua one eight, they're in reality not about Joshua one eight. I don't know, it's weird, Like, hey, they cite as the scripture Joshua one eight. You start listening and you're like, well, this is not really about Joshua one eight. So it's been very frustrating. If you heard part one of this, that was a total disaster, right. It was labeled Joshua one to eight, and it was a part of what they called a survey of the New Testament. They read it.

3:50 They did make at least one major claim that Joshua one eight is a universal promise. They didn't offer any explanation to that. That should raise lots of questions and all in our minds. So that one was really a disaster. So I was looking around for a couple of you know, trying to find another sermon on Joshua one eight. I know I'm supposed to be choosing them randomly, but I was checking a couple and shockingly, guess what they weren't about. Really, they weren't really about Joshua one eight either. They It may have been cited, but it really wasn't a an in depth teaching of Joshua one eight. So I've chosen another one. I chose this one somewhat randomly as well. I did have to listen to a little bit of it, and then I had to artificially increase the volume because it was recorded at such a low volume. It's called be successful. So I think I already know which direction they're going to go, but we're gonna be reviewing it for our week long study of Joshua one eight. Now, as I've stated here at the beginning, let me just stated again. Let me make it very clear. I've already put forth my interpretation and my hypotheses. What I really want everyone to consider when you look at Joshua one A. If we say that promise is for you, and that promise is for me, then what we have to do if we truly want to be successful, if we truly want to be prosperous, then the word of God cannot depart out of our mouth. I've told everyone to try to figure out exactly what that phrase means. We've only put forth a you know, kind of a theory so far that that basically means the word of God is so in you that it's

5:21 constantly what you speak of. You constantly are talking about it. So we would have to constantly be talking about God's word. We'd have to be meditating on God's word day and night. Oh and then on top of that, we have to obey everything that is in it. So if we say this promise is for us, whether we're all in trouble, ladies and gentlemen, because we're never going to accomplish that. We are not going to do that. You're never going to do that, and if you claim you're doing that, then you're just lying to yourself. So immediately we already realize there's a problem. So that's that's the first thing that there's just no way can be about us because we can't accomplish this yet. I believe most sermons preach it as if we can. They never even entertain the idea. Will wait a minute, this was given originally to Israel. They didn't accomplish it. No one has ever accomplished it. None of us have ever accomplished it. So I put forth a counter an alternative interpretation, and I said, well, maybe what we should see is that this is a law passage saying do this, do this, do this to demonstrate that we cannot to bring us to the end of ourselves that we can scream out to God God, I am never going to be prosperous from a spiritual perspective. I'm never going to have good success from a spiritual perspective because I can't accomplish this. But by putting my faith in Jesus Christ, who the word of God was continually in his mouth. It never departed from his mouth, It was always there. He meditated on God's word day night, and he observed everything that was written therein

6:55 in him. Then I accomplished this, and in Christ I am blessed with all spirit ritual blessings. And I am prosperous because He became poor so that I could become rich and so and then I am more than a conquer in Christ. I am spiritually successful in Christ Jesus. That was my one of my alternative interpretations. I also stress that when we're looking for these sermons, do they connect Joshua one eight with Deuteronomy twenty eight, And if they do not connect it to Deuteronomy twenty eight and twenty nine, then they're not preaching Joshua one eight correctly. Joshua one to eight is given a promise given directly to Israel in connection to what is what is stated in Deuteronomy twenty eight.

7:40 This is hey, this is in a sense the land covenant I made with you, and here's what you have to do under this covenant. And they fall short of it. That's why God has to make a new Covenant. All right, So we talked about all of that. That's kind of just all of the introductory Please go listen to my message Joshua one ate a new interpretation or I go through a lot of that in a much deeper and much more in depth way. Not Maybe we still probably need to do a little bit more work on that, but I think we did a pretty good job. So then we reviewed a sermon that it was supposed to be about Joshua one eight. It wasn't. And so then there's been some looking for other sermons those were not really about Joshua one eight, And here we are today we found another one again. This is called be successful. Be successful.

8:35 Now, if someone asked me spiritually, how can I be successful spiritually? Put your faith in Jesus Christ. And then if you are in Him, and because of his imputed righteousness, you will be blessed with all spiritual blessings, and you will be more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, and no one can accuse you of anything because in Christ you are forgiven, perfect and holy, and in Christ you have eternal life, and nothing can separate you from the love of God. I would look at it from that your success is found only in Christ. Your success is found in his success. Your prosperity is found in his prosperity, your hope is found in Him. And it has literally very little to do with us practically. That's what I would point you to. Let's see what they're going to do. So are you ready? I don't know. Have you Have you found who's responsible for this Joshua one a study? Did you find who who did it? Who was responsible? Who is currently responsible? Who is it? Well, it happens to be me. I'm nervous. I know it's only Monday, but I'm nervous that by the time we get to Friday or Saturday, this entire, this entire study is going to be an absolute disaster. By the time we get to the end of the week, It's just I'm going to be sitting on the side of the road and just the train has you know, derailed

10:07 and exploded all around me, and everything's on fire and there's smoke everywhere, and I'm just sitting in the midst of it, going, well, that didn't go well. OK, That's that's that's how I feel this is going to go. But are you ready? Hopefully that was that was kind of a quick introduction, not really ten minutes. Are you ready, ladies and gentlemen, Joshua one eight? Open your bibles, have your notebooks open, grab a pencil, let's find out what. I don't know what's getting ready to happen, but we're getting ready to find out. Well, I want to open up the scriptures to the Book of Joshua Joshua chapter one in the very beginning, and I want to read just a few verses, but focus primarily on verse eight. Okay, I'm a little hopeful he's actually going to read some verses before Joshua one. Ain't That means he may be able to establish context and who this is for. But then at the same time, I get a little nervous when he says, but we're primarily going to focus on one eight. And only reason I get nervous is because that usually means then the rest of the context is going to be ignored. Let's hope that I'm wrong. Joshua chapter one. I want to pick up from verse six.

11:33 Read along with me. If you have your Bibles with you, and if you memorize this passage, well, good for you. That's exactly what you should be doing all right, Joshua, Chapter one, verse six, Could we all stand for the reading and the honoring of God's work. This is the reading of God's word. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, to be careful to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant commanded. You do not turn aside from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be prosperous wherever you go. This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

12:28 For then you will make your way successful, and then you will be prosperous. Now I would ask the question, why didn't he go back and read the whole thing right? Why didn't he go back and start in verse one right, Because then you really kind of get an exact idea who's being spoken of. But I will point out even what he read. Be strong and of good courage for to this people, For to this people this Joshua one six, Be strong enough good courage for to this people? Who is it? To this people? Remember how I started this whole thing. Who was it? Who is it that came up with this idea for Joshua one to eight? Well, who was it? Who is it? Who was it to? Who is it to? For to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Who is it? Who was it? This is to Israel. This is about Israel. This is about their requirements and what they are to do and not do when they go into the land, which is established in Deuteronomy twenty eight.

13:45 This is what we referred to as the Land Covenant, and the Land Covenant it very much had do this and you get blessing. Don't do this, you get cursed. This is simply restating what was already said. This is directly to Israel. Now that you're going to go in, don't forget. You got to do everything God has told you to do. And if you don't do it, well it's going to be bad. If you do it, it's going to be wonderful. And they don't accomplish it. You know why, because they could not accomplish it. Because no one can keep keep God's law perfectly. No one can. Meaning this is a law passage which demonstrates why we need Christ. All right, let's see if he's going to even acknowledge that that verse. Right here we go. Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous. Do not be in dread or be dismayed for yahweh, Your God is with you wherever you go. Amen, please be seated. Boys and girls, God wants you to be successful, just like God wanted Joshua to be successful. All right, let's stop right here.

15:00 Oh boy, he's telling the kids that God wants them to be successful. Now I've oh boy, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man. Okay, okay, deep breath, Okay. So we've got a lot of we got a lot of things to consider. So if you're taking notes, you may want to write these notes down. Now I'm going to start giving you assignments. First of all, I want you let's let's make this a priority. All right, Let's make this a priority for this week. When that when the Bible says be prosperous and have good success. I want you to come up with a definition of the prosperity and success that is being promised here. Now, I think the prosperity and success being promised in Joshua one eight goes back to Deuteronomy twenty eight. I think when you look at Deuteronomy twenty eight, that's the prosperity and success, meaning, then this has nothing to do with us, because then you would have to then you then you would have to go to Deuteronomy in twenty eight and say, well, if I constantly talk about God's word, I meditate on a day night, and I obey everything in it, then God's going to do exactly what he promised in Deuteronomy twenty eight. Look that that is some bad hermeneutics, right. Deuteronomy twenty eight is a land promised to Israel based off a covenant. But so what I would say if we say the success and prosperity is found in Deuteronomy twenty eight, then list all of the prosperity and success in Deuteronomy twenty eight. Now some people will come along and try to spiritualize that and say, well it translates here.

16:30 I don't think that's I don't even think that's possible. There are those and the more prosperity gospel. Who would say that this is actual material prosperity. This would be being rich and having homes and money and not being in dead and being healthy and being wealthy and being prosperous. I completely reject that outright, But I want you to try to define what is the prosperity and success being spoken of in Joshua chapter one, verse eight. What is it? I was going to try to expand that question, but what is that? What is that? Now? When this pastor tells these boys and girls God wants you to be successful. Here's the second thing I want you to consider. So first, I want you to try to figure out what is the prosperity and success promised in Joshua. Won me again, I've already told you my answer. I think it's found in Deuteronomy twenty eight. I think it's just obvious, it's clear. I don't even think that I don't ever think it's complicated, all right, But here's the thing. If a pastor stands and tells the boys and girls in the church, God wants you to be successful, so you're telling me God wants something, and what God wants he can't achieve. God wants you to be prosperous and successful, but it really is all up to you. So God wants it, but I have to accomplish it. Now, if you say God helps us accomplish what is required to be successful, then why aren't all Christians successful? Can God want something

18:00 and it doesn't occur? God wants you to be successful, but he just can't find a way to get you there. It's the same thing if God wants. On one hand, if we say God wants us to be holy, if he truly, why can't we get there now? Ultimately we will get there in glorification, we will get there. We can get there positionally and christ but a lot of people have this. On one hand, we say God is all powerful, he is sovereign, he is Lord over all. And then we say, well, God wants this, and God wants this, and God wills this, but something constantly stops him from getting what he wants. God has to be the most discouraged and despondent and disillusioned and frustrated and disappointed deity and the history of deities the way Christianity sometimes teaches it, God wants this, and he wants this, but he just cannot get what he wants. That's a weak God. But this, this man just told boys and girls, God wants you to be successful, Okay, And is that based off Joshua one to eight, Because unless they're unless they are, you know, I don't know, coming out coming out from their wilderness wanderings and just getting ready to cross into the promised land. I don't really know how this, this promise of success and prosperity has anything to do with the boys and girls that you're currently looking at. I'm just perplexed by this.

19:30 He gave the secret to success here in this passage that we just read. That's why you're a want of leaders, and your teachers want you to be successful, and that's why they're teaching you the scriptures because the scriptures, the word of God is the path to eternal success, not just temporary, short term success, but eternal success. Knowing the Word of God is the path of knowing God himself. Oh, this is very very concerning. This is very concerning. I know he doesn't mean it this way, but if you tell everyone, hey, God wants you to be successful, not only temporal, but he wants you to be successful in eternity, well then Joshua one A would say, the way you are to be successful in eternity, it's by obeying. So now your success in eternity is depended upon your obedience to the Word of God. You've got to know it, you've got to talk about it, you got to meditate, and you got to do it.

20:27 If you want to be successful eternally. I thought my success eternally is based on what Christ did, not what I did. This sounds very Catholic and my estimation. Oh and this is too and this church has a wanna Oh man, oh boy, what are these kids being taught? I just don't know. It's just it's it's it's just like a complete undermining of a gospel of grace and just basically telling the kids, if you want to be successful, I mean, clear what He's doing, you've got to do Joshua one to eight. If you want to be successful eternally, not just in life eternally. No, if you want to be successful eternally, you put your faith in Jesus Christ. His obedience is imputed to you, and you stand before God, Holy, perfect and righteous. That is success. You're now in Christ. You're a conqueror, You're in Christ, you're blessed with all spiritual blessings. Maybe that's where he's gonna go. I'm all right, I'm just gonna be hopeful. I'm gonna be hopeful. I'm gonna be hopeful, I'm gonna be hopeful, I'm gonna be hopeful, I'm gonna be hopeful.

21:37 Here we go. Apart from God's word, you will not know God himself, and knowing God will lead you to a life that is a successful life, a blessed life, a joyful life. Wait, you just told kids that if they know God, they're gonna have a blessed life and a joyful life. Okay, blessed as far as you're blessed with all spiritual blessings.

22:19 Joyful. Now you've got to make sure you explain what that means, because many of these kids will grow up and some may be murdered, and some may be raped, and some may be molested, and some may be abused, and some may suffer horribly through in high school being bullied and tortured, and who knows what horrible things that they may go through. Some may join the military and find themselves a prisoner of war, or come back without an arm or a leg some of them may find themselves diagnosed with cancer and slowly suffer and die. So if you know God it, you don't have to worry about any of that. Are you saying that, well, you're gonna be blessed and you're gonna be even though you may suffer, and that is that the concept? Are the kids gonna understand this? Because if I'm a kid, I'm thinking, Man, if I know God, boom, life's gonna be perfect. But maybe maybe he's gonna maybe he's just setting it all up and then he's gonna clarify it. That's what we're gonna hope for.

23:23 And he will lead you into his perfect ways because God is perfect. Now your parents want you to be successful. Here's God will lead you into his perfect way. Now here's what I would hope Instead of leading people into their perfect way, could God just lead the church into one correct doctrinal understanding so that we can all be unified. I don't know. Could he lead us into a proper understanding of baptism or the Lord's Supper, of ecclesiology, eschatology, any other other ologies? If God's leading, could he just lead us so that we can all believe the same thing, and we can be unified. And if God okay, well there's all okay. Be patient.

24:15 Be patient because I know this is going to work out. I know this is going to work. I've got to maintain my hope. I can't be so jaded, can't be so jaded. But sometimes we even though we mean well, we love our children. I have three children of my own. We don't know how to lead them into success. We don't. We think we do, but we don't if we are not following the blueprint of God's success. This is the way of true success. So your parents want you to be successful. But before we continue, let's define what does it mean to be successful? What is success? Well, let me give you what the world sees success and see if you can relate to this. I give you the dictionary definition the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors. Wow, there's a fancy words. Have two big words. How about here is a shorter one. The accomplishment of one's goals? Do you have goals?

25:26 Boys and girls? One day when I grow up, I want to be like this. I want to do this. I want to be successful in that While those are goals. Here's another definition, the attainment, that is the gathering of wealth, position, honors, or the like. This is what the people of the world consider success. And you have lots of money, Well, look how rich I am that how many things I can buy? Position? Look how hi I am. Look at the kind of degrees or position I have. People recognize me and they respect me because I'm in high position or honors. They said, Wow, that person graduated with high honors. That person graduated with higher honors. That person graduated with the highest honors. One of my children graduated with the highest honors. Boys and girls, what do you think, wow, successful? Well, the word of God defines success because only God can give the honor. Only God. Okay, from a preaching standpoint, In some ways, I'm glad that he's not.

26:45 He obviously is going to offer a different interpretation or a different definition of success than the ones he just read. So in one way, in one way, I want to say, that's really good. But I think he's walking himself into a corner from a hermai neutical exegetical perspective, because the definition of success cannot just be taken from anywhere. We have to understand how is success and prosperity being defined in Joshua one eight. That's the real question. Now it sounds like he's going to go import some spiritual understanding of success and prosperity to Joshua one eight. But is that the definition of success and prosperity?

27:26 And Joshua one eight, I'm going to put forth the hypotheses and I'm still and I'm stressing hypotheses right now. Just my theory, just my theory right now. I'm not being dogmatic that the success in Joshua one eight has to be defined by Deuteronomy twenty eight and following I'm gonna I'm just gonna stand firm on that as of right now. I may change my mind dramatically. I just don't think these people heard. Oh wait a minute, wait a minute, Okay, Joshua's telling us that if we constantly talk about God's word, if we meditate on it day in that and we obey everything, we're going to be spiritually successful and spiritually prospers. This has nothing to do with the land we're about to obtain, nothing about being victorious over our enemy.

28:06 No, this is just all spiritual success. This hasn't it. They, I don't think you would if we could go back in time and walk through the camp and start at, hey, did you hear the message Joshua? Yeah, he said, if we constantly talk about God's word and meditate on God's world and we obey it, we're going to be prosperous and successful. That and I ask them, what does that mean. I don't think you're going to find one of them? Well, that just means I'm going to be spiritually prosperous and spiritually successful. I think that that is utterly reject I think that is completely ignoring the historical context. That is my position as of right now. I am free to change that. As we continue to listen to sermons on Joshua one eight, I'm more than willing to hear every perspective. That's why. Look, that's why we review these sermons, because I want to hear a different perspective, because I want to be challenged, just I in this particular study, I've already put forth a lot of my interpretation first, So these these things are challenging, but I'm more than willing to change my mind. So what I'm going to do here is I've told you what I think, but I'm going to set aside what I think. I'm just going to forget about it, and now I'm going to be open for him to define success and see if that works here in Joshua one. Ain't remember, the issue isn't how he defines success. The issue is what is the success and the prosperity that is being talked about in Joshua one to eight.

29:25 He has to be able to convince me that whatever definition he's about to provide is the definition that I am to put into Joshua one eight. That's going to be the test here. God can give the true well. Only God can exalt and elevate one's position from a lowly position like a little shepherd boy, youngest of eight children, little boy who wasn't even invited David who became a mighty king in the hand of the Lord who exalted, and the Lord Jesus Christ came from the family of David. It's the only God can give true success. So there's two words here, prosperous and success. There are synonyms, which means there are similar meaning words, but neither of these words in the original language of the Biblical language of Hebrew means financial success.

30:25 It doesn't mean prosperous, material success. Okay. So he's saying in the Hebrew, neither word has anything to do with materialistic prosperity or wealth. That's okay. Now, maybe he's going to convince me here that it's not Deuteronomy twenty eight. So maybe I was. Maybe my theory is falling apart right here. So I've got to look this up. I'm going to go to I'm opening up the blue Letter Bible, app. I'm going to Joshua, chapter one, verse eight. All right, we're going to look up the Hebrew words. All right, thou shall make thou prosperous. It's this Hebrew word. It's this Hebrew word. All right, here we go. Strong's age sixty seven forty three salaya, salaya silak. I guess is how you would say that? It says to advance, prosper make progress, succeed, be profitable. Well right, there says be profitable, to make, to make prosperous, to bring to successful issue, cause to prosper to show or experience prosperity or prosper Strong's definition break out, go over, be good, be meet, be profitable. Okay, it's used it's used how many times?

31:52 Here? It's used sixty five times in sixty four verses. I I I'm having a heart that it has nothing to do with money or material wealth than the Hebrew. I I'm I don't know about it's you sixty four times. I could start walking through those sixty four times right now, Okay, I would challenge you. Look up the Hebrew word there, the Hebrew word, So look up Joshua one eight. Look up the Hebrew word which is this strong's age sixty seven forty three, salleyah, salleah, silaak, okay, silaak. That's a If I look at the Hebrew word, I would not get silaak. I would be saying everything else. Okay, So I have to listen to it because if I look at it, I'm like, I'm not gonna say silak, even though I should know how to say it.

32:46 I'm just being honest with you. If I look at it, I'm not gonna say say it that way by silak. So yeah, so we would have to look. I'm just sixty sixty four times. I kind of want to go through pase and he said into him, hinder me not seeing the Lord hath prospered my way, and the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man and was in the house of I don't know how you're gonna say this has nothing to do with money. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. All right, Well, you can look them up. You can look them up. I'm already I'm already questioning this. I'm already questioning that claim. He was very dogmatic about it.

33:30 Go back to Joshua one eight. I'm gonna go back to Joshua one eight. So there is prosperous and I have good success. As this Hebrew word Strong's age nineteen hel hel that one is use sixty three times now. A success here means circumspect, intelligent, consider, expert, instruct prosper to prosper again, have good success, teach to understand. I mean this, There's there's a million different things this can this can refer to so many. The outline of biblical usage to be prudent, to be circumspect, wise, understand, prosper to be prudent, to look at upon, to give attention, to have insight, to cause, to consider, to act circumspectully, to prosper to cost to prosper. I mean the idea of prosperity is right there with it. Now, I may this may also have being smart or being given insight so that you could be successful. It is used sixty three times, and then yeah, it's used to make one wise. Okay, but then keep there for the words of the covenant, and do them that ye may prosper and all that ye do. That's Deuteronomy twenty nine, using the exact same Hebrew word Joshua one. It's used for prosper Joshua it's define success, so and Joshua translated prosper Joshua one to eight. It's translated success.

35:04 It's translated wisely a number of times. Prosper in first Kings right is written in the Law of Moses that thou may us prosper and all that thou doest. So there's a second King's eighteen seven, and the Lord was with him and he prospered. So I don't know where you could say that this has literally nothing to do with money or material like he made that dogmatic. And not only do the words seem to at least allow it, the context would scream it right again Joshua one eight is very much connected to Tudoronomy twenty eight.

35:45 And look, and we can just start reading about it right here Deuteronomy twenty eight. I was trying to avoid going here because I'm trying to get everyone else to look at it on their own. But I'll just I mean, we've got to just pick it up now. Now is shall come to pass if you diligently obey the Lord your God to a deserve it carefully all his commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth, and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you. Because you have obeyed the voice of the Lord. Blessed. Shall you be in the city blessed, shall you be in the country blessed. It shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground, and the increase of your herds, and the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. I mean, come on, that's material wealth. I don't know how you can. Oh, I don't understand one of the things that is so like one thing that almost drives me.

36:36 And I know people think I'm being over dramatic, but the thing that will drive me sometimes to wanting to take everything my microphone, my computer, my Bible, my notebooks, my pencils. The thing that will drive me to want to take all of those things and just throw them literally out the window, throw them across the room, and just walk away and say I quit. The thing that will drive me to that faster than anything is when I listen to a sermon where they say the Hebrew word means this, or the Hebrew word doesn't mean this, or the Greek word means this, or the Greek word doesn't mean this, and five minutes of study, you're like, that is a valid possible interm That is, what you're saying is not accurate because the Hebrew or Greek word has a variety of possible meanings, and what you're saying it can't mean, it actually can mean, or in some cases it explicitly is what you said that it's not if we can't even within Christianity agree on the meaning of a Hebrew at Greek word. Just think about this. Two thousand years of preaching and we still in Christianity cannot agree on what a Greek or Hebrew word means. We can't even agree with what the word baptizo means we don't even agree on with the well, I think there's a number of Greek words for repentance that we don't even agree on what the meaning of the word repentances. How is that even humanly possible? And the people sitting in the pew are supposed to find some way of figuring out what

38:07 to believe When preachers can't even agree on the actual meaning of a Greek or Hebrew word, I mean, at that point, there's just no way of ever understanding anything like It's it's like, forget it. The game is up. We can't understand God's word he just dogmatically asserted has nothing to do with those things. Well, the only way to prove that he would have to we would have to go to the Hebrew word that's translated, go back to Joshua one eight. And even if we ignored the context, we would have to go to Joshua one eight. This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do it according to all that is written in it.

38:50 For then your way, then will you will make your way prosperous we'd have to find that Hebrew word for prosperous, then look up every place in the Bible where that Greek word is used sixty four times, and see does it ever have anything to do with wealth, prosperity, material possessions. And if it does, then what he just said is proven false. And if it doesn't, then what he just said is proven to be true. And we'd have to do the same thing with success. Well, I just started looking through some of those and immediately found some that would almost immediately call it into question. And that is completely ignoring the fact that the context of Joshua one to eight is Deuteronomy twenty eight. You cannot ignore that context. And the thing is the Hebrew words that are the Hebrew words from which that prosperous and success is translated in Joshua one to eight. Both of those words have a wide range of meaning, a wide range of meaning, meaning that there's plenty of room for them to include the very things he said that are excluded by the Hebrew word. It doesn't mean that you have all the collection of Pokemon cards and so you're successful. It doesn't mean you have the largest collection of pink Puffy Teddy bear dolls. So you're successful. You have the nicest wardrobe of pretty dresses, you're successful. No, those aren't the definitions of success.

40:17 So what is the definition. Well, for let's look at what Joshua had. Joshua had to lead this huge group of people, the Israelites, into an unknown land where the people were hostile. They were ready to fight them to the death. And Moses, the great leader, whom God used to defeat the Egyptians with the Ten Plagues, split the Red Sea open and sustained them, fed them, took care of them for forty years in the wilderness, had died. He couldn't lead them into the promised land. Now Moses's mentory, protege or student, if you will, Joshua is now being called by God and saying, I've chosen you to lead the people. That's why God says again and again and again, be courageous, be very courageous, don't be afraid. And then instead of God giving okay, here is the military strategy. Here's the way that you need to set aside the Israelite armies to attack. This is the way that you will win wars. God didn't do that, but he said this is the way you will have true success if you read, meditate, keep obey the scriptures. Did you notice

41:55 something He dogmatically asserted what they Hebrew words don't mean. Didn't bother to look up or even handle the antilinear or in a Hebrew dictionary or anything. He didn't even bother even to give the Hebrew words. I know it sounds like he's speaking to children, but still, if you're going to tell the kids the word doesn't mean that in Hebrew, you have to do something to back it up, right, And then what he is saying is okay, what you have to do then to get success. But he hasn't even given us a definition of success. He's not even dealt with the Hebrew words. Even though he mentioned the Hebrew words and now he said they don't mean this.

42:37 But he's not given us a positive definition of success. But he's made it very clear that the way you get whatever success he's about to define, however he's about to define it. Kids, you get it if you do this. You meditate on God's word day night. Yeah, those kids, I'm sure those kids are going to be meditating on God's word day night. You constantly talk about it, and you obey it. Moses didn't do it, Israel didn't do it. Nobody has ever accomplished what Joshua one eight says we're supposed to do because it's law, and those kids can't do it. You're setting them up for a lifetime of absolute failure. All right, But maybe maybe he's going to define success. Maybe he's going to define success. So the Bible and the spiritual success is true success. The word of God leads us to ultimate success. At the end of your life, you will never say I regretted reading the Bible. Okay, So the success is spiritual success.

43:42 So you're telling me Joshua one eight was promising those people spiritual success. I do Deuteronomy twenty eight hasn't. It's all about material prosperity and success. It's about oh man, I understand, don't understand, don't understand. I don't understand. I don't understand, and I and A no. It's sometimes sometimes when I'm engaged in these studies and I'm looking at a text, I'm just i feel like I'm a complete stranger, like I'm a foreigner in a strange land. Because I listen to sermon after sermon and I'll be like am I the only one like I can't be the only one who calls into question how everyone handles the text. Now I understand what he's doing. Ninety nine percent of you will agree with and think that it's perfectly correct, and that's fine, that's okay. I'm always the one on the outside, and that's okay. I got no problem with that. But I would just challenge you.

44:49 I don't Joshua one eight is attached to dude around me twenty eight. There's no way to get around it. I remember how I started this entire message. Who who? Who was? The person? Who is the person who suggested Joshua one eighth. Well, let me see who was and who is? When you read Joshua chapter one, verse six, be strong and of good courage, for to this people, who was and who is? This people that is Israel? You shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers. Who is and who was there in Joshua one six? And give them who was and who is? The them and Joshua one six There is all Israel. This is all about Israel, and this is in direct connection to the Land Covenant made in Deuteronomy tand Oh, I regretted keeping the law of God, the command of the Lord. I regretted building a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I regret it following his commands.

46:00 I regretted it. No one, no Christian, has ever said that. They've always said, Lord, thank you for allowing me to finish the race. If I had another life, I would live it even stronger for you. But thank you for giving me a life and opportunity to live for you. I am successful because you made me successful, and that's what I wish. Wait, God makes us successful. No, wait, ladies and gentlemen. If God is the one who makes me successful, then it cannot be dependent upon what I do. If you say my success it's depended on what I do, then I'm making myself successful. You can't say, on one hand, do this to be successful, and then on the other hand said, God is the one who made you successful. No, it's not.

46:53 God didn't do anything. If it's me who has to keep the word of God in my mouth, meditate on it day and night, and obey it, then it's me. They say, Well, God is the one who allows you, who gives you the ability to meditate on a day and night and to keep the law perfectly. Well, if God gives us the ability to do that, then all Christians should meditate on God's word day and night and obey every part of it. Well, Christians don't obey all of it. So then whose fault is it? Is it God or us? Oh? Wa, Christians do this double speak constantly. God is the one who makes you successful. But you have to do this, this, and this. Well that sounds like I'm making myself successful. Well, you can't do those things unless God gives you the ability to do those things. So you're telling me all Christians have the ability ability to obey all of God's word.

47:37 That means all Christians should be perfect. Well, no, you can't be perfect. Well, if I can't be perfect, then I don't have the ability to obey all of God's word. Therefore I can't be successful. Oh, it's like going in circles, it's like circular reasoning. It's just insanity. It's like logical fallacy. A logical fallacy. I don't under it. And it's not even this sermon, this is just the standard teaching of Joshua one to eight and on one end I'm glad that he presented it this way because this look. I was worried when he said that the Hebrew word absolutely is not about any kind of material wealth or prosperity, that none of the Well, then I got nervous. I'm like, well, man, maybe I'm wrong. But then I look and I'm like, wait a minute, that's not actually correct. And then when I connected to Deuteronomy twenty eight, then I'm even more convinced that my original interpretation currently stands. We're not gonna I don't think we're not gonna make it through all of this. I don't think of there's gonna be much value in making it through all of this.

48:44 I will tell you the name of the sermon said that you can go make it through all of it, because you may find maybe I miss something, But let's see how far we can get and pray that you would say at the end of your life. But God always gives us a dis decision to make. So let's take a look at what Joshua did and what God said to Joshua to do. Let's find out what God's word says about true success and how you can be successful in your life too. Boys and girls. Now, God makes you successful. But you see now how this this is almost a bait and switch. God will make you successful, but bye, but wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait switch.

49:25 Now you gotta do something, you gotta do something. Well, I thought God's the one who I don't understand. Understand. Okay, man, okay, all right, here we go. I'm waiting to see something good is going to happen. Something good is going to happen. I know it, I know it. I'm counting on it. I'm I'm I'm counting on something good getting ready to happen. Now, the key to Joshua and Israel's success is the same. Is the same. The key to Jusha success is the same for Israel's success. And that is here the law of God, the word of God, which Moses, God's servant commanded. That's it.

50:10 We have the same word from the same God given to us. Because the word of God tells us about him, his character, what God is like, what he did for us, what he did for Israel. So that's the key to our success. So Scripture says this in Micah chapter six, verse eight. He has told you, well, man, what is good? You want to know what's good here it is and what does Yahweh require of you? But to do justice, you need to act justly. You must act fairly. You can't just be nice to your friends and be mean to everybody else. You can't. That's not just. You must treat all people with love and respect and equally. That's justice. You know what I'm hearing. Christianity, moralism, Be good boys and girls. That's what you must do. Now. Remember at the beginning he talked about that this is what you must do to be successful even into eternity. So this becomes very workspace. But someone needs to tell someone in this story, Moses didn't accomplish this. Israel didn't accomplish this. No one has ever accomplished this other than Jesus Christ. This well, when you can read Micah, you can read anywhere where there's law that says, do this, do this, do this, do this, do this, do this. It will only condemn you

51:42 because you cannot keep it. Oh. Oh, the proper distinction between long gospel. It is so lost in modern day evangelicalism. It is so the proper distinction between long gospel. I'm telling you Luther fought for the proper distinction between long and gospel. Protestantism as it developed and expanded and evolved, just threw out that concept and almost reverted back to a moralistic, a moralistic understanding that's more akin to the Catholicism that Luther was fighting against. To love, loving kindness, that means you need to be loyal, loyal to your parents, to children, to your brothers and sisters, to your teachers. What's amazing. What's amazing here is the commands, and Joshua one eight weren't enough.

52:34 He had to go find even more commands. He had to even go fight. By the time these kids, if these kids were taking notes, they're gonna leave here going man. Okay, I went to church and got a list of things that I I I must do and if I do them, I I will be successful because of what I do. Okay, all right, It's just funny that Joshua whe it wasn't enough commands, so we had to go find more things to give them more things for them to do. You need to know what it means to be loyal to them consistently and not be fickle and go by your feelings. But you need to learn to do what is loving and what is kind? And how to do that in a consistent way. This is what God wants from us. And to walk humbly. You need to be lowly in your thinking, and not even to think about yourself, but to think about God and think about others. You need to be so busy thinking about God and thinking about others. You don't think about yourself. You don't think about your feelings. You don't think about what you want or what you feel. You really think about what does God want, what does he feel? What do other people need? How can I help? This is the way God wants us to live. This is the path of true success and true joy. People who live like this are very joyful people. People who don't live like this, they're very upset people.

54:10 There must be a lot of upset people, because no one lives the way he's describing even remotely consistent. And even if you pull it off faking it externally, you're guilty of violating internally because they're never going to get their desires met, so they're going to be very grumpy. So here it is, God says, don't turn to the right or to the left. If you want success, you have to be focused. That's what God says. So here we come to the climax of God's instruction to Joshua verse eight.

54:50 And I'm going to give you four things that you should be remembering from Joshua one to eight. Just these four things. The first, second, and third are all commands by God. If we can keep these three commands, we're going to be on the path of success. And the fourth is the result. I want you to hear that He's even acknowledging these are commands, meaning their law. If their law the law, you cannot do. The law is there to show you your inability to do so. It condemns you, it breaks you so that you will run to Christ who did it for you. That is the proper distinction of law and gospel. But please note, hey, if you want success, you have to obey these three So then success, the spiritual success, is based off your doing. Don't tell me God is the one making you successful. You're making yourself successful according to this perspective and according to this hypothesis. But again this remember I started off, who was who is the person who told you to study Joshua. This week I'm going to read it to you again. Be strong, enough good courage for to this people, who was and who is? For this people, you shall divide an inheritance. Inheritance, you shall divide as an inheritance to the land which I swore to their fathers. Who is and who was the there? And Joshua won six to give them who was and who is

56:22 the them? And Joshua one went six. This is Israel, Israel, Israel. Joshua one eight is a promise to Israel based off the Land Covenant in Deuteronomy chapter twenty eight. I do not know how many times I have to say that, but I'm going to say it a million times this week. This is what happens when you keep these commands and make it easy for you. Well, first, it says this book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, and that is we'll make it short. Keep the word. If it's not going to depart from my mouth, I'm going to constantly be talking about it, talking about it, memorizing it over and over again. This book of the Law shall not depart from him. Okay, so you have to constantly be talking about it and be memorizing it. So how much do I have to talk about it? And how much of it do I have to memorize before I actually obey this command? He said it's a command himself. So look, if you tell everyone it's a command and you have to obey this in order to be prosperous or successful, then you have to identify. You've got to clearly articulate the amount of talking and the amount of memorizing must be done in order to fulfill this. Is it going to be defined? I guarantee it's not going to be defined. It's not even going to be it's not even going to be clue. We're not even going to have a clue. He just he says, constantly talking about it.

57:49 Well, I don't what is the definition of the word constantly? What is the definition of the word constantly? I almost want to ask Siri, but I won't do that here because of it go wrong. I'm gonna just type in constantly definition constantly, continuously over a period of time always, So you have to continuously, over a period of time, always be talking about God's word always every day, oh twenty four to seven. Nobody does that. Nobody even comes close. And I know somebody's gonna say, well, that's just crazy. It doesn't mean that, okay, then what does it mean. That's where we always take these standards God gives and we say, well, there's no way we can do that, and we lower the standard till we feel like we can do so. Then it'll be like, well, you know, it's predominantly what you talk about. Have you ever been to a church pollock? Have you ever been to a church picnic? Have you been to any church fellowship. Everyone's talking about everything other than God's word.

58:47 Nobody's talking doctrine. No one's talking theology other than maybe men who feel called and to the ministry. No one is even talking about the sermon that they just heard before they arrived at the pollock. Everyone's talking about their grandkids, their job, their truck, they went hunting and killed, Bambi wears good fishing, the weather, sports, everything, So stop that nonsense. And nobody follows this. Oh man, I don't fall and look I'm not saying. I'm saying no one does, including me. See when I get done with this program, well, first I'm gonna, you know, turn on the AC because I'm about to pass outcause it's nine hundred and seventy five degrees here in text. Oh wait, a minute. I'm not talking about God's word, am I? Okay? But then I'm gonna go downstairs, probably get something cool to drink, all right, may may may have to take a shower because you know it's one hundred and ten degrees up here, because you know a little sweat. I've got to take a shower, Okay, And then I'm gonna sit back and relax, and I'm gonna probably watch something on television tonight, probably spend two three hours watching television tonight. I'm not gonna be talking about God's word. I'm not gonna be meditating God's word.

1:00:01 And then when I may listen to some music, Well, it doesn't mean all the time. Doesn't mean all the time. Okay, Well then okay, Well then if it doesn't mean all the time, how little can I get away with and still be in obedience to it? You have to define it. If you tell me this is an absolute requirement for spiritual success, not only here on earth, but even in eternity, then I need to know clear guidelines of what is required. This book is a larg shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on a day and night. But you shall meditate on a day and night. But you shall meditate on a day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything in it. That you may be careful to do everything in it. You may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous. And you will make your way prosperous, and you will have success. You will have good success, prosperous success. This must be constant, sir, So life is all about habits. Look, he stressed it twice. It must be constant, It must be constant, I think, he said, continuously and constant. Continuously and constant, and then he kept repeating it over and over to demonstrate continuously and constant. Well, then everyone in the church should be like, well, we're finished, we're done.

1:01:25 Hey, kids, come on, just come home with me. We're all failures. We're not gonna have any success. We're all losers. There's no point in even trying anymore. Just give up, okay, because we all know as soon as we get in the car, no one's gonna be talking about God's Word. We're gonna be talking of what's for supper. We're gonna be talking about this, We're gonna be talking about that you're gonna be fighting with your sister. You're gonna be wanting to play with your toys and they're gonna be doing this. You're gonna want to play outside, and then I'm gonna be fighting with your mother, and then she's gonna be fighting with me. And we're gonna be doing this. We're gonna be talking about this, and we may watch TV, and then we may making a plans to go somewhere for the summer vacation, and then we may be doing that. We may go We're not gonna be doing any of this. We're all losers. Just forget it. Let's go home. Unless you live in a monastery, it's all about habits. You have good habits. You brush your teeth every night before you go to bed, You make your bed before you go out to play. You wash your hands after you come back from playing, before you eat. Good habits. You put your shoes away nice orderly, and after you wash your hands, do you take a little towel and kind of clean up on the sink so that the other person can have a nice thing to use. See, you have good habits, then you would do that.

1:02:43 If you develop bad habits, he's like throw everything. He's like wash everything. You do whatever, And guess what if you keep doing that, If you keep doing it over and over and over and again, that will be your lifestyle. You're going to be a very messy person and not going to be very thoughtful of other people. You're not going to be very responsible in big things if you can't do these little things. Well, now all of us need work in this area. I need work in this area. H But how much more of good habits in the world of God? Keep the word? This is what? What what it means? Do you take cleanex and you blow your nose and oh, how precious. I'm going to keep that for later. Pick up another napkin? Oh dirty? Oh this is this is too precious. I'm gonna put it in this pocket. Do you collect all the trash? No? I don't think so. You throw it away? Why because it's not valuable? What do you keep your favorite toys? Right? Your favorite pictures? Your You need tell those parents to go home and burn their kids toys because they're not gonna be successful because they got to be continuously memorizing, talking about God's word and meditating on a day and night. Burn their toys, burn any books that they have, tell

1:04:17 them to drop out of school and build a commune in the backyard and say we're gonna wake up and we're gonna we're gonna pray and memorize scripture all day, every day and all night. That's this is your life. You're not gonna have any friends or not. And people say, well, that's just ridiculous. Well, then don't say continuously You've got to be speaking and memorizing God's word because continuously means there. You can't continuously be doing this and then mean doing other things. The minute you're doing other things. You're not continuously doing that unless continuously has some other meaning that I'm not quite understanding. Painting your photos, what's in important to you? Look at the adults. What do they care about the cars? Right? They take a nice care of their cars, their house. They have big toys too. They think that those are valuable. But you see most adults having a Pokemon collection or stuff doll collection. No adults have grown out of that. But watch them.

1:05:27 They have new toys and bigger toys. That's what they consider valuable. That's what they keep. Watch what they throw away, what they don't care about and watch what they keep, and then you could see what they value. And the Word of God says, this book of the Law, the scriptures, shall not depart from your mouth. You need to keep it. You need to keep it. Keeping means guarding it. Keeping means valuing it. That's what this means. And the key to the says is trusting and believing in God and his word. Faith comes from the word of God Romans ten seventeen. Faith comes from hearing, and the hearing by the word of Christ.

1:06:12 David wrote in Psalm nineteen, verse eleven. Moreover, by them your word, your servant is warned. The word of God warns us and keeps us from harm. In keeping them, there is great reward. If you keep God's word. There's great reward, eternal reward. So keeping means safeguard, and you guard what is precious while you throw away what is useless. Most people in the world throw away the precious word of God, while they keep the trash of the world, which will rought with them, it will rust with them, it'll be thrown into the dump of the world with them. But God's people are commanded to keep or guard the Word, so that they may receive a great reward. That's the path of true success. What do you value? And that's why your teachers are teaching you to value the word of God. The Psalmist wrote, I have treasured your word in my heart that I might not sin against you Psalm one nineteen, verse eleven.

1:07:15 You need to treasure, you need to value the word of God. You need to keep it all right. Secondly, think the word, keep the word, but also think the word, but you shall meditate on it day and night. Meditate. The Hebrew people, the people who originally receive the word in the Old Testament, they meditated on it by murmuring it, do not let this booklet the law depart from your mouth, but meditate on the day and night. And they even had a little motion to where the accents were, and so that they can keep the rhythm of it and chant the word right bit of sheet. But I touched, and they would just do this over and over again, Alice, Hebrews, pretty good there, Okay, I'm impressed there. I couldn't do that, right, okay, but let's continue. And they would murmur and so what are they doing? So the Buddhists and the Hindus and other religions when they go you know, when they meditate, they're trying to empty their minds from thinking. They think that that will give them inner peace. But no, it just makes you dumb.

1:08:30 It doesn't make you inner peace. You have nothing in your head. One thought goes in this way, one thought goes out. No. True meditation is when you bring the truth of the Word of God and bring it into your mind and you muld it over over and over again. That is going to give you inner peace when you know his truth. His truth will set you free from all worries and concerns and fears and doubts. This is why God said do not fear. Well. If God says it, then chah, if God is for me, who's against me? I will fear no evil, I will fear no man because the Lord is my champion.

1:09:10 So that's the meditation, filling your mind with the thought of God. Yeah, he's not going to offer us any real, meaningful understanding. And how much do we have to do this? What do we have to do just giving us a basic idea like I this is offering this is and again it's completely disconnecting this from Deuteronomy twenty eight that even if you applied this to us, we would need to know exactly then how much do I have to speak of it? And how much do I have to meditate on it? How much do I have to memorize? And nothing has been even closely defined, are in any way articulated, And that is extremely, extremely frustrating. I want to say more. You can go listen to the rest. We're at seventy minutes, so you know, i'd just be belaboring the point at this point. So you can look up the sermon be successful John shim And I'm probably seeing his name incorrectly, but there you go, and you can.

1:10:15 You can look it up and you can you can you can check it for yourself. For those who've been listening to us on the Church one app and on the sermon's two point oh app, I have no idea what happened, but we lost connection for a very long time. So I will upload this. The recording should be okay. The recording seems to be okay, but yeah, we lost we lost connection just I don't know for a very long time. So if you were listening to us on the Church one app or Sermon's two point oh, you missed you missed everything, okay, So I will upload this in about five minutes and then you can go back and listen to the rest. I don't know why it lost connection. I'm so glad that we we record on a different place because if we if we recorded on using the software that we use for the sermon's two point oh app in the church one app, there would be multiple times we would lose everything. So I don't know why it disconnected. It disconnected for a very long time.

1:11:14 Everything else seems to be working properly. So I will upload this and you can listen to the rest. I apologize again. The sermon that we reviewed is called be Successful. You can go listen to it and finish the rest of it. We didn't even We probably got about twenty minutes left of it. But at this point again we're I'm just saying the same thing over and over and over and over and over. He's not connecting it any way, shape or form. To Deuteronomy twenty eight, which is frustrating, doesn't really give us a tangible definition of success and prosperity. He made a claim about the Hebrew that does not seem to be supported by looking at the Hebrew he's making a claim that you know that this premise of success is for us, and he's seemingly making the claim that we can obviously do this. So we're the ones who make ourselves successful. But it's not really defining how much of these things we have to do in order to reach the level of success.

1:12:09 Do I just do it a little bit? But then he used words. He used words like constantly, you have to be talking about God's word continuously, you have to be memorizing God's word, you have to be meditating on it day and night. Well, then, ladies and gentlemen, I don't like at that point, I don't know who's going to have success. And so again, if this is law, the law will show your inability to do it and you need Christ. But again, I think the as I started this, I'll end with this. I turned on the microphone and said, who is? Who was the person who said let's study Joshua one eight, And obviously I'm the person. Well, when I read Joshua one eight, there's some who was and who is questions. I'm going to do it one more time. Joshua won six be strong enough, good courage for to this people. Who is the four to this people. Well, who was the four to this people? It was Israel. You shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers. Who was and who is the there? Well it is Israel that to give them? Who is the them? This is Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel. Joshua one to eight is specific instructions to them and in the context of the land covenant made in Deuteronomy twenty eight, and they felled miserably. There we go. Thanks for listening everyone, Have a great day. God bless