Joshua 1:8 Pt 3

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast, making Theology Central. Just in the nick of time. I mean it's close, ladies and gentlemen, it's close, But just in the nick of time, I can still say good morning. The afternoon is almost here, but good morning everyone. It is Wednesday, June the twenty sixth, twenty twenty four. It is currently eleven fifty three am Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. So there's a part of me that wants to say, hey, by the time this broadcast is over, I have provided to you.

0:48 I have provided for you to you about two hours of content, all before noon. But that would not really be accurate, right, I mean, the first episode I did today was obviously before I'm starting this one right before noon, but it'll be closer to one pm by the time we are done, so I really can't say that. But just in the neck of time, I at least started it before noon. Does that count for something? Does that? Like two two broadcasts before twelve pm? Just do I get any extra credit for that? No? Nobody really cares. One way or the other. You probably don't even care about the time when I give the time for the broadcast. But hey, at places a historical time stamp on the file so that whenever anyone listens to it, they know exactly the date the time in which it was recorded. So then they if I mention anything, they know the context. So I hopefully you find that to be beneficial.

1:45 Probably no one does. Probably no one does. All the things I may think are beneficial, no one else probably thinks is beneficial. But you know what, we're not here to talk about any of that, even though I've now spent one minute in fifty seven seconds talking about it. We are done with that. But that's probably more pleasant to probably discuss should you have a time stamp or not have a time stamp on your podcast? I mean, should you tell everyone the date and the time or shouldn't you? That would probably be a far more beneficial discussion than what we're going to be discussing, because what we're going to be discussing is Joshua one eight. What you would think would be very beneficial, What you would think would be, hey, that's a great thing. Let's talk about Joshua one eighth. That'll be wonderful, that will be awesome, But in the reality of it is just becoming more and more frustrating. And I know we've dedicated this entire week to Joshua one eight, and you're supposed to be listening to random sermons, and I've already provided you a new interpretation of Joshua one eight, but by it's I know it's only Wednesday. But if I'm just, if I can just be honest with you, I'm already just frustrated and irritated and kind of just already want to just give up and move on. If I'm being honest with you, I'm just I just don't understand sometimes how a passage in the Bible can just become so difficult for anyone to provide a coherent interpretation, when the

3:15 interpretations are so convoluted and just and just deny reality, I just get very frustrated with that. Like you think everyone should be able to look at Joshua one eight, if you had a if you had a room of twenty Christians, you think everyone should read Joshua one eight, and everyone should raise their hand and say something similar like this. Well, nobody does this. Nobody accomplishes this. Even the original recipients did not obey this, so no one does it. So then how what do we do with this? But no one? Everyone looks at Joshua one a like, that's it. I can do it. I can accomplish it. Maybe maybe the original recipients couldn't accomplish it, but I can. And then you convince I guess you convince yourself you're doing it, but no one is even coming close to accomplishing it.

4:01 You think everyone should be bothered by that, So I've told you to start listening to random sermons. So far, all the sermons that we have listened to on Joshua one eight have been maddening. I mean literally, I keep making the joke, but it's like, by the time the broadcast is over, well, the broadcast is still going on. Well you're listening to whatever we're reviewing. I'm already in the car driving to the liquor store. By the time the broadcast is over, I'm here pouring me at myself a glass, and I'm getting ready to get drunk. No, not literally, but that's how figuratively, allegorically, that's how frustrating it has all become. So let me just remind you of the basics of my new interpretation of Joshua one eight. First, let me read the verse. I probably don't need to, but let me read the verse. Joshua Chapter one, verse eight reads like this, 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. Then you will have good success. So this verse gives you a promise, almost a guarantee, that if you want to be prosperous, and if you want to have not just success but good success, then you only need to accomplish three very simple things. The first thing you need

5:36 to accomplish is you cannot let the Law of God depart from your mouth. Do not let the Law of God depart from your mouth. Number two, you meditate on it day and night. And number three, you observe to keep as basically it reads, I'm gonna I don't want to misquote it. That you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. So you must keep it in your mouth. Don't let it depart from your mouth, meditate on a day and night, and observe, keep obey every single thing in it. That's all you have to do. And if you will accomplish those very three simple things, that's the way it's typically presented, then you will have prosperity and good success. Now my issue my new interpretation.

6:23 First, the first part of my new interpretation is this is law, and the law we cannot obey. No one is going to be a person that's never going to let the word of God depart from their mouth, meaning they're constantly talking about it. As one commentary put it, and let me quote Joshua one Aide states, 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. So you may be, so you may do according to all that is written in it. For then you will have. Then you will make way prosperous, and you will have good success. Here is a summary and an outline of what this verse teaches. All Right, here we go. You're ready. Number one constant meditation and confession. The phrase shall not depart for your mouth emphasizes the importance of continually meditating and speaking the word of God. It teaches that God's words should be consistently on our lips, guiding our thoughts, words, and actions. In other words, you should be constantly talking about it. You should be constantly thinking about it. You should be constantly the word of God, the word of God, the Word of God, the Word of God. Well, just prior to this broadcast, just prior to this broadcast, I spent the last hour. You know what I did? Are you ready for this? First, I went downstairs and I got myself some white Castle sliders and a bag of sun chips and a big Red. Now, if you don't know what a big red is,

7:54 well then I'm sorry. Your life really is not complete. Okay. So I got myself of a glass of big Red, a bag of Sonships, and some white Castle sliders, the Breakfast of Champions. Okay, Right then I went and I turned on my television and I turned on an episode of Survival Race New Zealand. And I watched the episode of Survival Survival Race New Zealand. As a group of a number of teams competing in this survival race in New Zealand, and it's crazy and all the things they go, it's it's it's pretty fun to watch. I mean, it's it's kind of mindless television in one sense. But you know what, while you're sitting there eating white Castle sliders, eating a bag of Sonships, and drinking a big red it's perfect for just you know, just having something on while you're eating.

8:43 Okay, great, but guess what I was not doing during that hour. I was not meditating on God's word. I was not talking about God's word. I was not thinking about God's word. I wasn't doing anything at anywhere close to that. Don't let it depart from your mouth. Do you consistently talk about it? Do you consistently think about it? You are you constantly meditating on God's day and night? Just right there? Everyone should be like, we're in trouble. We're in trouble. So my argument is, this is law and law. What law always demonstrates is our lack of obedience. It demonstrates our inability to keep it. It breaks us, it humbles us, and it shows us that we can never do this. So in yourself, you will never obey Joshua one to eight. You'll have to water it down, you'll have to modify it. You have to grade it on a curve. But I just look, even if you think you can pull off, it never departs from your mouth. Even if you think you can pull off, meditate on a day and night, even if you convince yourself you're even coming close to that, you're not obeying everything that is in it.

9:50 I can give you three scriptures. Love the Lord that God with all your heart, mind, body and soul. If you think you do that, you're out of your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. Come on now. And then number three, this one, you're just in the discussion. Be ye holy as he is holy. You don't accomplish that. If you don't accomplish those three things, then you're not obeying everything that's in it. Therefore you cannot be prosperous or have good success. Meaning this is a law passage which condemns you. So then what's your hope? You put your faith in Jesus Christ, and guess what he did. The Law of God never departed from his mouth. He meditated on it day and night, and he observed everything that's in it. And by putting your faith in him, his obedience to Joshua one aid is imputed to your account. And because of your position in Christ. Now, spiritually you are prosperous, and spiritually you will have good success. Now you're more than a conqueror. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. In Christ. You're perfect, holy, and you have been blessed with all spiritual blessings, and you're seated in the heavens at the right hand of the Father in Christ, Jesus, you're perfect, you're holy, and everything is perfect. That is the only way to understand Joshua one to eight. If you say, oh no, we can do this, you are literally out of your ever living mind. So that's my first part of my new interpretation, and the second part of my new interpretation is Joshua one eight. The first part of my interpretation is if you so desperately want to apply this to you, well, then that's how it

11:22 would be applicable. But primarily my second part of my interpretation, Joshua one eight is specifically directed towards Israel, and it's connected to Deuteronomy twenty eight and the Land covenant that God made with Israel. When you go into the land, you must do this, do this, do this, do this. If you do this, it's gonna be blessing, you're gonna have success, You're gonna be prosperous. If you don't do this, you get curses. And guess what that is specifically for Israel? And guess what they did not do all of the things they were supposed to do, They get the curses and then everything falls apart. We know everything that happens to Israel. So any sermons that we're listening to should be one acknowledging our inability to obey Joshua one eight and number two, it should be acknowledging Joshua one A cannot be interpreted or understood apart from Deuteronomy twenty eight. Any attempt to offer an interpretation that ignores Deuteronomy twenty eight, that's not an exegetical teaching. That's not Bible study. I don't know what that is. It's not even I don't it's it's well, it should be sued for malpractice. So that's what we've been talking about. And I'm just frustrated because everything that we've looked at has just has not even bothered to deal with the reality here. Look, I know that I don't meditate on God's word day and night. I know the word of God departs from my mouth frequently, it's not constantly on my lips.

12:52 I know I do not obey everything in it. I don't even come close. I don't even get within one thousand miles of obeying even probably half that's in it. Oh, you may convince yourself you're better than me. Well, congratulations, that's great, But you don't compare yourself to me. You compare yourself to God, which demands an obedience that's not just external, but it's internal. I'm telling you you don't do so. So then what do you do with Joshua one eight. Well, I see it as law shows me. My inability drives me to the one who obeyed Joshua one eight, which is Jesus Christ. By putting my faith in him, his obedience to Joshua one eight is imputed to my account. Therefore, I become spiritually prosperous and have good success spiritually because of what I am in Christ, in my position, not in my practice. Secondly, I know Joshua one eight primarily to the nation of Israel based off the land covenant that's made in Deuteronomy twenty eight, and I cannot understand this apart from that I'm going to just stress that over and over and over. I'm going to be painfully repetitive on that.

13:58 Now you can go listen into my teaching on my new interpretation. But I just summarized it for you very well. Now. I say all of that because we I tipic a lot of times, we listen to all the other sermons and then kind of let them present their hypotheses and then at the end I come in and give you mine. In this case, I started with mine. So that just that just kind of lets you know that as soon as we start listening to these sermons and they depart wildly for my interpretation, you're going to start hearing my frustration. Now I'm willing to have my interpretations dramatically challenged. So far, all the all the messages that have completely gone the opposite direction to my interpretation have done very little. I mean, well, they didn't even that. There's nothing there to even convince me of their interpretation, because their interpretations basically is you can do it. Basically that.

14:56 I think that's a good way of summarizing it. So are you're ready? Are you ready to listen to a third one? So I was looking on the Sermon's two point oh app. Remember this is all part of the Sermon's two point oh app sermon challenge. You're supposed to be grabbing random sermons from the Sermon's two point oh app this week. All of those random sermons are on Joshua one pint eight. So I just grabbed the app, started looking and guess what I found? A sermon titled The Way of Prosperity. The Way of Prosperity. I again, as always, I don't listen to these in advance, So it's not like I'm picking a sermon just so that I can be critical. You can hear me being very critical, probably in my tone, just because my expectation at this point is this is going to be another sermon that completely ignores our inability to do this and not going to connect it to Deuteronomy twenty eight? Am I hoping to be pleasantly surprised?

15:48 Yes, If I'm being honest with you, I'm extremely jaded and very I'm gonna I just I don't think I'm going to be very cynical. I'm very jaded, and I don't think that's what's going to happen. This thing is over the sermon in front of me is over an hour long, so I doubt where I know We're not going to finish it in this episode. I don't know if we'll do two episodes to finish this. It really depends on the direction of the sermon. What I'm going to be looking for. I'm just going to be honest with you. I'm just going to go until I kind of get an idea of where they're going. If it's obvious they've abandoned my interpretation, unless I immediately start hearing arguments that's like, whoa that I need to change my interpretation. If it's just I don't know there's going to be I will make a determination, and if you feel that I need to continue to review it, you'll be able to email me. Of course, you can go look for it. Just open up the sermon's two point oh app right now and just look up the sermon The Way of Prosperity, and then you can listen to the rest. I have no direction. I have no idea which direction this is going to go. Yes, I'm cynical, Yes I'm jaded. Yes I'm a little frustrated because I just don't understand how Joshua went ache and become this verse that everyone knows, but that interpretation and handling of it is so convoluted that I just am perplexed and baffled. I shouldn't be, but I am. Are you ready? Here we go?

17:22 Turn with me this morning and your bibles. Please to the Book of Joshua, chapter one, Joshua chapter one. When you find chapter one, if you would please stand in reverence to God's word as we read this morning from Joshua chapter one. I'm gonna just read one verse, but the first part of my message encompasses verses one through verse number eight, and the one verse that I will read this morning is verse number eight. And I want to speak to you today on the way of prosperity. The way of prosperity, I realize and I recognize that there is a lot of tele evangelists that preach a lot on prosperity, and I'm not doing that. I believe God does bless us financially, but I'm not speaking about prosperity from financial standpoint, because I believe there are other ways that we can prosper But I also believe that in the other ways that we do prosper that God also does help us financially.

18:37 Okay, I'm going to step in here on a couple of things. We again whenever we do these, you know, week long studies, two weeks, a month long study. Remember how I always approach this as I'm trying to get you up off the couch to the table with a Bible and notebook and some reference tools and to do your own work. We've already heard one pastor make acclaim in our review sermons on Joshua one eight that the prosperity and success there. He said, the Hebrew doesn't allow this, and it's and we looked it up and it was just like that that that was just not a I don't even know how to say. It was just flat out wrong what he was saying about the Hebrew. It was just flat out a misrepresentation of the Hebrew. So I've stated it again, So let me let me try to just I'll put forth the question for you to continue to work on this week. I know, I know, before we know what this week is going to be over, we'll be moving on to something else.

19:32 But as you're continuing to work on Joshua one eight, I've already offered my my interpretation, my new interpretation of Joshua one eight shouldn't even be a new interpretation. It should just be the interpretation. But I'm willing to have my interpretation changed. Remember that we always have to be willing to do that. So when as I listen to this, I have to set my interpretation aside. So I'm going to set my interpretation aside now even though you've heard it, because we're going to have this perspective put put forward, and maybe this one better than mine, and we will go with it. Okay, we have to be willing to change our perspective at any time. Anytime we study, our past understanding is of no value for a present study. So I've given you my past understanding as of this week, but I can change it on a Wednesday. Because what we want is truth, not just to try to prove ourselves to be right. So we're going to be open to do that. But we do have to at least once again revisit this question and Joshua one to eight, the promise being made to Israel, Like, I don't know how this can be overlooked. This is too Israel. Of course, it is directly connected to Deuteronomy twenty eight and the Land Covenant. Everyone ignores that, but there's just no way to get around it. So in that context, that's not even an interpretation, that's just an observational fact.

20:48 Joshua comes right after Deuteronomy and Deuteronomy twenty eight and following gives them specific directions and instructions of what's going on. If you go into the land, you gotta do this. You'll get success and prosperity. If you don't do this, you're gonna get cursy. I mean, it's so clear. This is just restating what's in Deuteronomy twenty eight. I don't know how preachers constantly overlook this. I'm not saying he's going to because I don't know what's about to happen, But so far that's what we've of course, that's what has occurred. So here's what I want you to consider. The prosperity and good success mentioned in Joshua one eight. What is it referring to? Now you can look up the Hebrew the Hebrew words for prosperity, prosperous, and good success there in Joshua one eight has a wide range of meanings, Like there are so many different things, and so you would have to go through all the different ways that those Hebrew words are used to get an idea. Clearly, it can be our reference to lots of different types of prosperity, clearly and good success. But here's the thing. Go to Deuteronomy twenty eight twenty nine and look at the prosperity that's being mentioned there, the success that's being mentioned there. What is that a reference to? I think that's the meaning you have to carry over to Joshua one to eight. What stated in Deuteronomy twenty eight and twenty nine as being what would be considered prosperous and good success, I think is clearly identified and would be carried over to Joshua one eight That's what I think. I think you have to import the meaning from Deuteronomy twenty

22:22 eight. That's going to put forth at least my hypothesis. Now I'm willing to have it challenged. Now, he right here is he's like God does bless us with money. Now we can get a whole discussion about that. But okay, but that's not primarily where he's going to go. He's going to talk about a different kind of prosperity or a different kind of success. Now he may take it in a much more spiritual direction. Okay, But the issue is what is the prosperity and success that is being spoken of in Joshua one eight I think is a reference to what's being talked about in Deuteronomy twenty eight and following. I don't know how that has overlooked. He may connect it, he may not, But I just want to go ahead and throw that out there for you to continue to be thinking about. All Right, here we go. Everything that we have, God has given it to us. I'm speaking for me, and I trust you feel the same way.

23:11 I would not have anything if it wasn't for the Lord. God's been good to me. I may not have anything that someone else would count for much, wouldn't probably mean a lot to anybody else, But it's ours. Okay. Just have to throw out a question here, you know, That's what I love to do. I love to challenge and question. Okay, So, if everything we have comes from God, is that only true of believers or as true of all people? And if everything you have comes from God, then why are some Christians richer than so? Does God wants some to be rich and some not to? I mean, these are questions but is this for God controls the wealth every person has, or only what believers have. And so if a believer is struggling or almost in poverty, do I say, well, that's what God wants you to have, or do I help them? Like I mean it could? I mean, once you get it gets all into that question of so how do we understand this?

24:18 All right? But that's okay, all right, well our focus here is on Joshua one eight. But all right, just I think it does raise that question. I think it's perfectly okay to ask that question. If you don't ask that question, you're not thinking it's what we have. And I'm sure you're like I am. I'm thankful for what the Lord has given me and how that he has provided in how that He's blessed me. But I want you to look at verse number eight. This is always my live verse, has been this in Mark eleven twenty four. Oh no, can Joshua one eight be our life verse? Okay? I'm going to go back and read just a little bit of context here, all right, okay, just so that we have an idea of exactly what's going on here after the death of Moses. This is verse one the servant of the Lord. After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake to Joshua, the son of Nune, moses assistant, saying, Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over the Jordan, you and all this people. This people is not you, It is not me. It is obviously the nation of Israel, this people.

25:41 So you go over the Jordan, you and all this people to the land which I am giving to them. Them is Israel, the children of Israel. It even identifies them by name. The children of Israel are clearly identified. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon. I have given you, as I said to Moses, from the wilderness and this Lebanon, as far as the great River, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the great Sea towards going down to the Sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life, as I was with Moses. So I will be with you. I will not leave you, nor forsake you. Be strong and a good courage, for to this people, For to this people, who is that people, the children of Israel. They are clear, they are named, they are identified. There is no question who this is about. So for to this people shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers. There there there is Israel. All right to give them Israel. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may have serve to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded. You do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. If they want prosperity, they have to

27:11 obey perfectly. Well, here's the issue they have. They never obeyed God of God's law perfectly, because no one can. The law is there to show us our inability, which then drives us to the one who kept the law perfectly, which is Christ, and then faith in him. His obedience to the law is imputed to my account, So then I stand before him perfect But Israel never did. Under the old Covenant, they were going to have to obey the law perfectly or there would be curses. I'm Deuteronomy twenty eight lays all of this up. That's the context. So then immediately it goes into this Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, your mouth being Israel. But you speaking of Israel, shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to according to all that is written in it. In it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. This is just a restating of what was said in Deuteronomy twenty eight, which is a part of the Land Covenant for Israel. I mean, but this is our life verse. If this is your life verse, you know what, this life verse is going to demonstrate that your life has been in a perpetual failure to these three commandments. Because the Word of God does depart from your mouth, you don't meditate on it day and night, and I know you don't obey everything that's in it.

28:37 So then that drives you to Christ, who did obey all three of those things. So is this your life first because it shows you how much you need Christ? Or is this your life verse because you are convinsed that you can actually do it? That would be again we're destroying the proper distinction between long gospel. A proper distinction between long gospel understands one is law. It is a law passage. You know you're reading a law passage when it says do this, do this, do this, don't do this, do this. That's a law passage. A gospel passage is where it says God has done it for you, and oftentimes. In fact, this church was the first church I was ever at, if I'm remembering correctly, where when Brother Lawnie was the pastor and I was here in revival. One time there was some young people that come to him and ask me to sign their Bible.

29:33 And I never dreamed preaching. You just start signing autographs, but I thought that was a real honor. But as I signed, I do not understand that. I've talked about this so many times, someone asking you to sign the Bible, A sinful man signing a copy of the inerrant inspired Word of God, a fallible man, a sinful man putting their autograph on the inerrant inspired Word of God. I will never understand it, and all of my life, the only time I've ever come close to experiencing this is after I was returning from deployment from desert storm. I don't remember what country we were in. I think it would I don't ever remember we ended up in somewhere like Iceland. I don't even remember where we ended up. The plane landed right and they're like, hey, there's some people here who want to meet you. And I'm like, okay, now, not just me. It was all of us on the plane, obviously, and so we're like, okay, we'll get off the plane. So we get off the like I was just gonna stay on the plane, like whatever we're doing, can we just get home again. We're ready to go home. Okay. So I get off the plane and as we come off the plane, we kind of around this corner. All of a sudden, there's like it felt like a thousand people waving American flags and cheering us, like yay. It was crazy.

30:59 There was like a band playing, there was like these World War Two vets that were there were all clapping for us, and I'm like, this is crazy, Like I never experienced anything like this, so it was awesome. People were shaking her hands and asking us about everything that happened and okay, you know all the things that were going on. But then there was a I believe I'm almost positive it was a teenage girl. I don't think she was. I don't think she was above being a teenager, and she came up to me and she said, can you sign my Bible? And I was like, what in the world is happening? So what I did is I simply opened her Bible and wrote something down. You know. PSOne nineteen tells you that God's word is a treasure, so treasure it, read it, study it, love it, something along those side. And I didn't put my name right. So when she probably got it looked at that, she probably what, that's not what I wanted. Okay, but why would I write my name on a Bible? Like I don't even understand people who have the Like there's got to be something I don't I don't understand the mindset, Like, hey, we're the Bible publishing company comes to you, go, hey, we want to take God's word, but we want to make it your Bible, so we want to have it the MacArthur MacArthur will be in the big letters, the MacArthur Study Bible. Why would you want your name? Like that's insane. I would be like if I was a famous pastor, and I'd be like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no no no, We'll have the MacArthur Study notes a companion to the Bible. But we're not going to put it with the Bible. That's God's in errant, perfect word. I'm not going to put my words in it, round it, the text, or connected to it.

32:29 I'm not going to put my name upon it. It's God's word. Why would I do that? Now, I'm not I would not listen. I would refuse. Not because I'm humble. I would refuse because I'm an errotant. I'm an arrogant, narcissistic jerk who probably would find great pride in the fact that my name was on a Bible. Okay, I would not be refusing because I'm spiritual. I'd be refusing because I know how prideful and narcissistic and arrogant I can be. So I would not sign anyone's Bible. I don't get that. I've seen that too many I am baffled by that. I don't understand it. I've seen it too many times, and I'm like, what in the world is happening, peeple. There were at some you know, some quote unquote. Now you already know how I feel about the entire conference industrial complex that happens within Christianity, But you know people pay fifty sixty one hundred, two hundred dollars to get inside a church to hear someone preach God's word, but no, Christians aren't even bothered by that.

33:28 And then after the message, people grab God's word and run up there going hey, hey, hey, hey, co sign the front of my Bible. And I'm like, what is happening? Is that not the same kind of celebrity worship that we condemn in the world, Like what is It? Would be one thing that you take your notes and you're like, hey, can you sign my notes? You could put your you know, the doctor whomever preach this sermon, and you've got the notes, and at the bottom of the notes you could say, sign my notes. I mean, I don't know. I guess then you have the autograph of a preacher. I don't. I don't. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. I would not be honored if someone asked me to sign their Bible. I would be horrified. I remember being in a Christian bookstore, being in a Christian bookstore, and there was it was a Christian bookstore. There was going to be a concert that night, and the band was going to be in that Christian bookstore. The band was I think the name of the band was Mortal. They're kind of an industrial rock kind of band. And they were in there just looking at the books, and I remember talking to them about their favorite authors and kind of having a little philosophical theological discussion. And I, you know, I never asked autographs from anyone in the secular world, definitely not in the Christian world. And but some some some teenagers came in to ask, and well, I was, well, I was just a little older than a teenager at the time, but these teenagers came in to ask them for some autographs, and there, I'll never forget we don't sign autographs or a Christian band where our job is to elevate Christ, not ourselves. And I was always

35:00 like I was convicted by that because I was like, Wow, if I was in a band, I would probably want to be signing autographs. Wow, that was pretty powerful. And I never so a Christian rock band can say we're not going to sign autographs because we're here to elevate Christ, not ourselves. But pastors will be like, sure, let me sign your Bible, Like I don't know maybe maybe that's a personal that has nothing to do with Joshua one to eight. But I don't know what what's your thoughts? Are you pro autograph pastors autographing your Bible? Are you against? Are you team four? Are you team no? What? What team? Are you on? Which team? And look like I'm not here to look. I don't understand it. I think it's yeah, I think I have problems with it, but hey, you do your own thing if you in your world you want to. But I would just be curious if you think it's a if that's the thing. Can you imagine someone running up to the apostle Paul, hey, sign my copy of Romans like, I just don't get that.

36:02 I don't I don't know. I don't know about that. I don't know mind that. I thought, what is the life verse? That? Because I realized that moment I needed to have a live verse and Joshua one eight, the Holy Spirit spoke it into my heart, and I've oh, boy, here we go. We have God speaking directly to people outside of scripture. So now the Holy Spirit gave him as a life first Joshua a verse that is about the nation of Israel and promised directly connected to their land covenant. See now you do realize, though, what happens here the minute you make a claim that God gave you a verse or God. When pastors say this is the sermon God gave me, you can't question it. You can't challenge it. Their sermon came directly from God. If God gave them a verse, you can't question it's applicability to them because God gave it to them. See. Once you insert God into the equation, then you've now elevated your sermon. Your interpretation is now God ordained. What if God spokes into my heart that Joshua one to eight has nothing to do with you.

37:24 Am I hearing God? Or are you hearing God? Who heard God? See that's why I believe scripture alone and nobody's hearing from God other than if you read the word of God out loud, then you're hearing from God. And even if you're hearing from God out loud, reading the scripture doesn't mean that scripture is either one applicable to you or two that scripture could just be descriptive and not prescribing anything for you. I have encouraged people all over this country with this verse Mark eleven twenty four says, what thanks server you desire when you probably believe you received them, you'll have them. I believe in prayer. I know God answers prayer, and I don't ask God for vain or foolish things. I just want enough to get by. If I have enough to eat, and I can sleep, and I can be honest and pay my bills, and when I leave here, I don't owe nothing.

38:19 That's all I need. I don't want to leave a bunch of stuff piled up for kids to fight over. And that's not what life is now that that's a godly attitude, And I'll just be honest with you, I don't necessarily have the same godly attitude. I don't want a lot of stuff, but I got stuff I definitely want. I want my stereo equipment, and I want better stereo equipment, and then I want better stereo equipment because I love music. I like having a very nice television with the best picture quality possible. So yeah, I am those are probably vain things. Now. I don't go praying for those, but I definitely want them. I definitely desire them, and at times I may even slide over into treasuring them more than I should. There's probably times I could be honest, music would be more of an idol than I would even care to admit if I'm going to be honest. So he's got a very godly attitude. That's very convicting.

39:21 I definitely need more of that attitude. But if I if I had it piled up, I'd go get a lawyer in the morning and fix it where they couldn't fight over it. They'd have to take how I fixed it, okay, Joshua, Chapter one, verse number eight. This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayst observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Father, I thank you this morning for this passage of scripture. It has been a live verse for me, and it is when the verse that I have encouraged many people with through the course of years that I've lived, because I am convinced God that this is one of the essential truths that You've taught us about the way of prosperity again. Those opening prayers, you know how I struggle with some of them. To me, sometimes it feels like it's almost like you're starting the sermon, you're actually saying it to the people. You're addressing God, but you're really talking to the people.

40:45 And I always struggle with that. So you know, to me, I can pray for my sermon way before I ever step behind the pulpit, so I don't need to pray for it there, because what I have a tendency to do is start introducing my sermon in the prayer, which I'm supposed to be talking to God, and then at the closing prayer, which I still do the closing prayer out of habit, And then I get mad at myself at the closing prayer because so many times in my closing prayer, what am I doing? I'm summarizing what I just preached, which is not I'm supposed to be talking to God. Prayers you're talking to God, you're not talking to the people. It's such a struggle. It's such a struggle. So you know, I know he's addressing God, but it sounds like he's kind of he's kind of introducing the sermon right, and prosperity is more than just in finance. I truly am grateful God for how you have provided for us financially. But above all, I'm thankful for the other areas of prosperity where you have caused us to abound. And I'm rich because of the many friendships that You've let me have over the years. While I preach this morning, God, there's three things that I believe you've laid on my heart concerning the way of prosperity. Three very key things in scripture that are certain for prosperity if we will embrace them. That sounds so much like an introduction and then, but it does once again brings up the question how do we define

42:20 the prosperity and success In Joshua eight is it is prosperity and success mission and Joshua eight meaning friends, the friends you've gotten over the years. Joshua eight is talking about what's in Deuteronomy twenty eight, but he's almost He's giving God his outline to his message. Hey God, I have three things. Why are you telling God you have three things? Like? Oh? Does God? I like? I don't under so opening prayers, I'm telling you it's I know, it's like a trap. Like like, I don't blame pastors because I would I fall into the same trap with the closing prayer. I just I just eliminate the opening prayer. Now, I've been called out on that. Why don't you pray before you preach? I pray before I preach.

43:02 I don't have to do it in front of you, right right, Okay, but I still do the closing prayer. In many cases, I should just not do the clothing prayer. I should not do the closing prayer because what I typically do is summarize my sermon. I've already preached a sermon. I don't need to offer a summary. God doesn't need a summary of my sermon. Okay, God doesn't need it. God already knows. So what a lot of times what I try to do is I just confess my failure of everything. I just preach. That's what I typically try to do. I don't always do that very well. I pray that everyone in this auditorium this morning and those listening online will listen to these key verses that we will share today, and may they search them out and pursue them. And Father, I believe that there will come a time if you tear and let them live, if they look back across life and say that truly is the way of prosperity. Again, I will to thank you this morning for your people. I thank you Father for the sweet Holy spirit that's been here in the song service, the special song. I thank you touch our heart and I recognize that God, You've been so good to me. I don't deserve all that I have been privileged to have, but I am praising you God for what you've done. I am praising you the Lord that you allowed me to pass this way and to be the pastor here for a little while.

44:35 And I'm praying for the pastor that will succeed me, Brother Ryan, that the greatest ministry this church has ever seen or known will happen under his watch. God, please bless these people, and thank you for their testimonies and for their faith and for their love and their support. I give you all the praise and I give you all the glory in the name of Jesus. I asked these favors and these blessings, and God's people said, Amen, you may be Now. I do love that that's powerful. Praying for the person who will succeed him. That's about you're reaching the end of your ministry. You know who's going to succeed succeed you, and you're praying for their great success. That's awesome. That's really that's really awesome. So that's awesome.

45:22 I struggle with opening prayers, but that part was awesome. Powerful. But what we want is Joshua one eight. What we want is josh We're forty five minutes into this and we so haven't gotten to Joshua one eight. Okay, but a lot of this is very much related to what we've been discussing at Joshua one A. So let's just see now. You know, I don't know how long we're gonna go. We're not gonna get very far in this. But that's good because then you can go listen to this one and be one of the sermons for your sermon's two point zero app sermon challenge. Right, but here we go, all right, here we go. Be seated. Now, if you go back with me to verse number one, I'm going to refer start here this morning at verse number one, and I will come to verse number eight and talk about it as the way of prosperity. But what I want to share with you first this morning is that God had before spoke unto Moses, who was the actual leader of the children of Israel at the time that the transition was now taking place, from Moses unto Joshua. And God has spoke unto Moses about Joshua in Numbers chapter twenty seven and verse eighteen. Here's what God said, Take Joshua, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him. Part of the reason that God wanted Moses to do that was to separate him for the purpose of ministry, that God would place Joshua in the responsibility of But if you look at verse number one now, then God is speaking unto Joshua.

46:55 He had done this before in the temple. In Deuteronomy thirty one and verse fourteen. Moses and Joshua had come into the tabernacle as God had called him there, and God charged Joshua in Deuteronomy chapter thirty one, verse fourteen. And it was in that particular scripture that Joshua begin to understand that I'm going to be the successor of Moses, who has been a great leader for the children of Israel. Moses was one of the meekest men that has ever been recorded in the scriptures. And when you go back and study his life and study the difficulty of him leading the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan's land, it was not an easy task, but the grace of God sustained him.

47:43 But Moses would not be the one who actually led them into the land of Canaan. It would be Joshua. And so now in Joshua chapter one, Moses has died, he has left the scene, and God speaks now directly the first time, to Joshua. All right, I'm getting my hopes, My hope has returned. I'm getting exciting. I'm excited. This is exciting. He's providing historical context here. He even mentioned Deuteronomy twenty seven. That's so close to Deuteronomy twenty eight. I am excited. Here, hope has returned, the sun has come out, this clouds have parted, the bright sun is shining. Oh, we're gonna get a sermon that's going to connect Joshua one eight to Deuteronomy twenty eight. We're gonna have this in its proper historical I am excited. You think I'm being sarcastic, I'm not.

48:37 I am I'm hopeful. I'm excited. This is Hey, this is better than what we've heard so far. This is immediately providing the historical setting of context. This is good news. Let's see where it goes. In verse number one and he hears the voice of God. And what is it that God wants for Joshua. Well, if you look down in verse number eight, he wants him to prosper and he wants him to have good success. God is not in the business of not wanting you to prosper or to have good success. He's not a god that wants you to struggle or have hardships and have heartaches. Okay, wait, the clouds just came back. God does not want you to have hardships, our heartache. God doesn't want you to have then why do you have it? Hey, God's going oh man, I don't want you to have heartache. I don't want you to have hardships. I'm sorry that your mother died when you were just a teenager.

49:44 I'm sorry that you were raised in a home where you were molested and abused. I'm sorry that your father died of cancer. I'm sorry that your child was killed by a drunk driver. I didn't want any of those hardships. I didn't want any of that. I didn't want any of that heartache. I don't want any of that for you. God doesn't want that. I am perplexed. So God, God doesn't want you to have any hardships a heartache, but you just end up having having it. You know where this is gonna go? You're having it because you failed? Is this gonna go where you get blamed for it? I? Okay, right, right, Okay, Let's let's maybe maybe maybe it's just one dark cloud that can Maybe that dark cloud is gonna it's gonna dissipate really fast. Maybe maybe the sun's gonna come back almost immediately. Let's hope. Even though I know that sometimes we do have hardships and we do have heartaches, But can I say this this morning without you feeling offended by it? I'm speaking of me. Most of the hardships and the heart aches that I've had in life has been the result of my own choosing things that maybe I did or didn't do right that caused me to experience heartache and struggles. And Okay, so in a Rundomu

51:16 way, he is going that direction, But he said most a couple of things. So if God doesn't want me to have heartache, if he doesn't want me to have hardship, why then wouldn't God intervene to stop me from doing the very things that causes the hardship and the heartache? I mean, cannot God intervene? He's God, right, He intervenes over and over in the Bible, right, So why can't he intervene and stop it? If God doesn't want it, why would he allow it? And he said, well free will? Well he gain. Then we could get into a whole discussion about free will, and then that becomes all problematic, okay, and then we have to become a Pelagian or semi Pellagian. All right, we won't go into all of that. But already I'm having difficulty with it.

52:00 But I can give you plenty of examples where no one has that fault, who is suffering that they are the victim child molestation, rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault, murder, kidnapping, cancer, being victimized by other people in all kinds of different would come on. Now. Now, yes, a lot of our hardship and heartache is a result of our own failure, but God knew before the foundations of the world that we're going to fall in that way. So then I mean, well, we could get into all kinds of discussions about this. It's not that simple and black and white.

52:43 But I knew that once he said God does not want you to have hardship and heartache, I almost knew inevitably that God doesn't want it, but he has to let us get it, because even though he doesn't want it, he has to remain eternally, to remain frustrated as long as we're alive, because we're going to do what he doesn't want. I don't know a sovereign omni a sovereign, omniscient, an omnipresent, omnipotent God does not get what he wants. Is just a complicated concept to consider trials. It was because I didn't fully surrender to the Lord. I didn't fully let God have his way in my life, and perhaps the same is true in your life.

53:35 If you listen, he wants the same thing for us as he does Joshua. He wants us to prosper, and he wants us to have good success. Listen to what the Bible says in Psalm chapter eighty four and verse eleven, No good thing will the Lord withhold from them that walk uprightly. If you will choose to live right and walk right, God has problem that he will not withhold his blessings upon your life. Look at verse number three in Joshua Chapter one and listen to the promise that God gave to Joshua. He says, in verse number three, every place that your soul of your foot sets down, that will be your ground. Can you imagine if God said to you everywhere you walk and the soul of your foot touches the ground, that you will be blessed and that will be your territory. Look at verse five again, and he said, there will not be any man that shall be able to stand before Thee all of thy life. Joshua was a soldier and a warrior, and many times he was going to have to face battles and fly to nations. But Joshua knew that by God's promise here that he would be a victor, because God has promised that no man would be able to stand against him. Then look at verse five and notice he said that as I was with Moses, I will be with THEE. Aren't you glad?

54:58 Today, that as God has been with our forefathers in the past, that he is still with us today. He is the same today as he was yesterday, and he will be the same tomorrow. And did you notice in verse number five of Joshua chapter one, he said that he will not fail nor will he forsake Joshua. And I'm here to say this morning that God will not fail us and God will not forsake us. All Right, So God doesn't want you to have heartache or hardship, however you may get it because you fail. Hey, but God's never gonna leave or forseek you. Well, if God can't intervene to stop me from doing the very things that will cause me not to be prosperous, then if God is there but not doing anything to help me out and stop I that just becomes so convoluted.

55:52 Hey, hey, I got good news. God is right there with you, But I got bad news. I mean, He's not gonna help you. He's not gonna intervene to stop you from doing those things which will cause you not to be prosperous. Because the way to be prosperous is you just have to do right. Now, does that mean do right like if I do right fifty percent, then does God just go ahead and make me prosperous if I do or do I have to do right one hundred percent? Because typically when God says obey, he means obedience internally and externally, meaning that's law, meaning you're never going to achieve it, meaning you're going to fail. So then what's my only hope to try harder? Now, my hope is to run to Christ, who does obey it. So then this this is this is Oh all right, let's let's let's be positive. Stop being so negative. Let's be positive. Let's be positive. I'm not telling you something you don't know. I'm reminding you of what you already know and the promise that God wants you to embrace in life and as you go through life. If you want God prosperity in your life, you need to take the promises of God. For all of the promises of God in Jesus Christ are yes and they are amen. All the promises in Christ are yes and amen, meaning the promises that have a law requirement are fulfilled in Christ.

57:21 So in Christ, I receive all of those promises because of his imputed obedience to that law and those requirements in Christ. Yes, I get those promises positionally. So are you going back to an unders Is that what you meant by that? Yes? In Christ? I get all spiritual blessings in Christ because whatever the law demands Christ obeyed, and in his obedience is imputed to my account by faith alone. I mean that's literally, I mean the imputed righteousness of Christ is what the entire Protestant Reformation was about. Is that? What are you referencing here? Then God comes down a little bit further in verse number six, and he tells Joshua to be this, be strong and of good courage. Be strong and of good courage. What does he want him to be strong in. He wants him to be strong in his leadership role. He wants him to be strong in the example that he leads in life. And he wants him to be a man that doesn't act like he's afraid or don't know how to make good choices or right decisions. But he wants him to take courage knowing that God is with him and God will help him and he'll make the right, successful choices. But if you look at verse number seven doubles down on the word courage and uses the word very courageous.

58:49 Be very courageous. In other words, don't be afraid to take exports or try things. Step out in your faith and trust God that he will be there with you. If he said I am with you and I will not fail you, then step out courageously and believe that God will answer your prayers. How many of you today believe that God means exactly what he says. And this isn't just for Joshua's time, This is for my time and for your time as well. Okay, there's so much here, Okay, So if you say it's for our time, then we have to obey this absolutely the way it stated. Well, number one, the original recipients did not obey it, Okay, so there's already a problem. Number two, we don't obey it because what is demanded here we would never come close to obeying. So if you say it's for me in this way, now you got to change the entire meaning of the passage that the prosperity and the success here is spiritual prosperity and success, which I don't think the context will necessarily imply. I think it's very very materialistic and very tangible because you go look at Deuteronomy twenty eight. But for some reason that context has been overlooked so far. But not only that, Even if it's spiritual success, then the only hope here is I cannot do this. Christ did it by putting my faith in him. Then I get the spiritual blessings that are promised because of

1:00:20 His imputed righteousness, because of my positional standing before God, not my practical standing. My position. I'm a new creature. Old is gone, everything is new. Practically, I am still very much a sinner and still fall short, and still never obeyed God's word anywhere close to perfectly. That's why we needed someone who could obey it perfectly for us, because we cannot. Then, did you notice in verse seven he says to him, observe to do according to all of the law, And he's not necessarily referring specifically to the law that God dave ntomoses, but rather he is specifically referring to the word of God. Every word of God is his law, it is his promises, it's his commandments. And the more you and I obey these commandments, or seek to observe them and to learn them, the better our success will be in life. He says in here. All right, So his hypothesis is the level of prosperity or the level of success one experiences is directly related to the amount of obedience you engage in. So the level of your obedience determines the level of your prosperity and success. Now the prosperity and success here has not been clearly articulated what that is. But then this would be like, if someone's not being prosperous or successful, well, you're not being obedient, so work harder. But that means then God will bless it's somehow

1:01:53 graded on a curve. Hey, obey everything that's in it, but partial obedience will provide partial prosperity. But then wait a minute, that's a problem because partial obedience to the law of God is complete disobedience. Right, if you break one point of the law, you're guilty of all of it. See is this not in a sense where we're modifying it, we're grading it on a curve. Well, you can get forty percent success if you're forty percent obedient. No, God demands perfection. In anything less than perfection is full blown disobedience. Meaning that's why we have to go to Christ who kept it perfectly because our attempts, and even if we obey it externally, we may be disobeying it internally. This is this is such a reworking of the law of God and God's standard. God demands perfection internally and externally, and he demands it perpetually. To Joshua, don't you turn from it, not to the right hand nor to the lamb. In other words, make straight pass for your feet, and be steadfast, and be unmovable, and just keep abounding in the work of the Lord. You're gonna see things that are disappointing to you. You're gonna see things that are discouraging to you. You're gonna watch people and see people won't always like you, or won't always support you. They won't always stand by you or stand for you. But Moses or Joshua, you need to understand, I am your God. I am

1:03:25 the one who called you, I am the one who appointed you your life. I am the one that's gonna make you prosperous, and I am the one that's gonna make you successful. There's not one of you here this morning that anybody else can make you successful or make you prosperous. But God can make you prosperous, and God can make you successful. And therefore you want to be sure that you do observe His laws and don't turn from it, but make straight paths for your feet. And then he said, thou mayst prosper. And I want you to look at the very last part of verse number seven. You say, well, I think it depends on where you are geographically. It doesn't matter to God where you're at geographically. He owns every part of this universe. He owns this entire world, beloved friends, And wherever you go, he said, I'll be with you whithersoever thou goest.

1:04:18 You may not always get to be in the place that you'd like to be, and you may not always get to a compiler or have the choices that you want. But if you'll be obedient unto God and go where God wants you to go, and do what God would have you to do, and you'll do the things that I'm about to show you this morning. God has promised that you'll prosper and you'll have good success. But listen, just as surely as I give you these promises. Okay, he keeps seeing these promises, He's gonna give you commands he's giving you. This is a philologically, philological categorical error. God, there's a promise connected, but he's going to give you three commands, meaning he's gonna give you law. All right, Law, law condemns Law is not the way to blessing. Law is the way to be broken, demonstrating you need someone to obey the law so that you can be blessed. That it's a categorical error where you're taking law and referring to it as a promise. It's a law, it's a law, it's a command, it's what you must do. So all right, what I know, we're already over an hour, but we've got to get a little bit. I want to at least get to the first thing and see how he handles the first part of this. Right, So all right, it's just there's a Oh. That's why we spent over one hundred hours on law and gospel. That's why we spent over one hundred hours on that subject. There are some things that if we don't do them, we cannot

1:05:48 expect to be prosperous, and we cannot to be expect to be successful. That doesn't mean you can't be saved and it doesn't mean you won't go to heaven. But why not go to heaven have Why not go to heaven fulfilled in this life? Because Jesus said, I'm come that you might have life abundantly and then have eternal life after this life. God has been good to me through this life, and I've had an abundant life, and when this life is over, I have eternal life awaiting me, and I thank the Lord for that. Today, first of all, let me define what is prosperity. It's not you planning a seed with me and I'll give you a claw to take back and you be blessed with it. It's not if you come up here and throw money on this altar and I will pronounce a blessing over you. But prosperity is defined as a condition of being successful or thriving, flourishing, experiencing growth. And this isn't just in finances. What about health. You can be prosperous in your health. There's nothing more difficult than life. Oh now I'm getting really nervous. Okay, So it's not just finances. So this is financial prosperity and health prosperity. Okay, this is

1:07:19 going to hit close to home. So the reason I almost died in the United States military and now have neurological issues and countless number of seizures per year is because I'm not obeying Joshua one to eight. It's my fault. If you're having any financial difficulty, it's your fault. Now I know that that's not what he's probably trying to say. That's the clear implication of what's being said. Prosperity is not just financial, but it's also health. So the financial part, lack of prosperity financially, it's your fault because you're not obeying Joshua one eight. If you're having health issues, it's your fault because of Joshua one eight. Well, that is good to know. That is life then for somebody who has to go through life with poor health and sickness.

1:08:45 And I want to just say this in this sermon, I've heard these modern day preachers say that if you've got sickness in your body, you're not a child of God or you're not right with God. Don't you believe that for a second. Don't you listen to that kind of nonsense. That doesn't mean that God is not your God, just because there's sicknesses in your life. But sometimes we need to ask God, Lord, would you please touch me, and would you do the miraculous power of healing and give me the prosperity of good health? But if okay, I'm so confused. If the prosperity of good health, if prosperity here is good health, well then you're not going to get it unless you obey Joshua one eight. So is it good health or is it not good health? Can I get good health without obeying Joshua one eight by just asking for it? Hey, God, give me good health? What if God doesn't heal me, is it? Because then I'm disobeying Joshua one A like, I'm confused how you're connecting financial prosperity and health to Joshua one eight, But almost at the same time trying to argue that somehow, well, that doesn't mean you're not living right well? And if I'm not obeying Joshua one, does that not mean that I'm not living right? There are things that I have in my life or my health that could be very detrimental in dangers to me, and I recognize that. And

1:10:17 even though I recognize it, I don't do a lot about it. I have diabetes and I keep eating sweets. I have diabetes and I keep drinking sodipop and the doctor says, you know that that's not going to work. I said, what differences make I'm seventy. He said, well, you might live to be ninety and suffer more in the end than you have in the beginning. And that was eye opening because I've seen that in people's lives. Why did I tell you that? Because I need you to help me pray that I do what I need to do? Will you do that? Will you pray for me? But not only that? What about prosperity and happiness? Are you happy? I mean, when you get up of a morning, do you feel happiness? Are you happy with the mate God's given you in life? Are you happy with the family God has given you?

1:11:14 What about your career? Are you happy in the career? Okay? If you're defining prosperity as financial, health and happiness, and Joshua one eight tells you what you do to get it, well, then if I'm not prosperous or successful financially or in my health or in my happiness, then the direct implication here is I fail to obey Joshua one eight. But I'm arguing you can't even obey Joshua one eight if you're even remotely honest with yourself. Oh, I am so confused here. I am so confused. This is so problematic. Okay, I look, I know where are this is gonna go along. So I apologize, But I've got to get to this to a point where I at least understand, because I think I don't want to misrepresent, right, because I'm fearful I'm misrepresenting, and I don't want to misrepresent.

1:12:11 But I'm just saying the implication is if this is the prosperity he's going to assign to Joshua one eight, Now, maybe he's going to go through all of this and say that has nothing to do with Joshua one eight. That's what I'm hoping for here that you're in. Can you look at your marriage and say, I'm happy with my marriage and I'm happy to how God has provided for our home and our children. And then I want to ask you this this morning, what about prosperity in friendships? How many friends do you have and in how many different places throughout the course of life has God put friends in your life. I'm thankful that some never leave the realm where they live and the locale where they're at, and that's fine, but you can have a lot of friends there. But then there's others that span out and they reach out into the state, or they reach out in the United States, or some of them reach out internationally, and God gives them many friends in many places. And I'm thankful that I have many friends, and all the different localities where I've been, I'm thankful that I also have friends in different states and in the United States. But I'm thankful one of these days that my friends will begethered together. All the saints of God that I've met and known in foreign countries will meet together in heaven. And what a joy it's going to be for us to rejoice as many friends around the eternal throne of God. That's prosperity, and I'm thankful for prosperity. Proverbs,

1:13:44 chapter ten, verse twenty two. Listen to what the Bible says, the blessing of the Lord. It maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. When God blesses you, he don't cause it to be sorrowful. He doesn't make it sorrowful in your life. Kay. Now, the implication is that you'll have no sorrow like I don't understand God. So God doesn't want you to have heartache. He doesn't want you to have hardship. And if you and if you get God's blessing, you'll have no sorrow in life, and you're gonna be happy, and you're gonna be healthy, and you're gonna be financially prosperous. Now I'm just waiting for the But you won't get any of that unless you do Joshua one to eight, and you gotta do these three things. But then if you do these three things, then you get these things. Oh man, this is this is this is I'm struggling with this. All right. We gotta let this go a little bit further.

1:14:40 I know we're over time. Just just it's okay. Just think of this as you're getting free content. Okay, I mean not that you have to pay for any of it, but you're getting free content. All right. Here we go. In Second Corinthians, Paul wrote in chapter nine, verse eight, God is able to make all grace abound towards you, and in that particular topaccity, what Paul is referring to is the grace there is that if there is anything you're lacking in yours necessities, God is able by his grace to provide whatever you need, to sustain you and to supply you, and to provide for you. Paul went on to say that you might have all sufficiency and may abound unto every good work. God doesn't expect me to try to do his kingdom work and produce and provide the means for that.

1:15:29 God does want me to be strong. God does want me to be courageous. God does want me to take steps of faith and step out sometimes and just see what God will do. Because if he doesn't do it, I can't do it. And if He doesn't do it for us as a church, we can't do it. But how many of you believe that if we step out in faith, God can make faith happen at any time. So God wants us to abound in every good work. So it starts our prosperity stone here in verse eight, I want you to listen to it. The first thing, if you want to write down, there's three simple principles. The first principle is this this book of the Law, the first five verses or first five words of Joshua one to eight is a key element.

1:16:15 This book of the Law. What does he mean by this book of the Law? Well, now, what's this. Joshua is fixing to transition into from being the captain of the army to being the president or the leader, the head leader of this nation. God is going to put that responsibility upon him. And you can read through the Bible that oftentimes when kings traded or transitioned, when they crowned him, they gave him a book of the Testimony, and the king was to read therein every day and listen to what he says. They're in verse number eight, this book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth. In other words, here's what God wants Joshua to learn. There are a lot of conversations you can have, and there are a lot of things you can talk about, but don't forget to talk about the goodness of God and the good things God is doing and the power of God that's present in your life. Don't ever be ashamed of God.

1:17:20 Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. It is the power of God that brought me unto salvation. And if you're thankful that God saved you, don't ever be ashamed to tell your experience of salvation wherever you go. And when you see something that happens in life, why not give God the glory for it instead of some president or some performing artist or some individual. God deserves all the praise and the glory. Church, give God the praise. I believe that if a farmer has a good trophyo to say God, bless you and thank you for the good craud. I believe if a businessman has a successful business, he ought to say God, thank you and bless you for giving me a successful business. And I believe if you've got an eight hour a day job, forty hours of a week, and you've done your part, and you get your paycheck on Friday, when you get it or whatever day you get it, you ought to say God, bless you, and thank you God for giving me this job and this check for my prosperity, This helps my family. Don't let this book depart out of thy mouth. Look also what he went on to tell Joshua, not only should you speak about the things here, but meditate therein day and night.

1:18:40 Meditate that means to think on it and go deeper than you've ever gone in your thoughts, think about what God is saying, find you a place to get alan where it's quiet, and talk out loud. You don't have to be a preacher, but you know what you can do. Have you ever just got along with versus scripture out somewhere and just taught it to yourself and talked it out and talked it out with God. You'll try that sometime and find out what it's like for all of a sudden for the Holy Ghost to show up and reveal to you something you was not expecting. How that passage is scripture? Oh my goodness. If the Holy Spirit shows up and tells you what's in the scripture, then there should only be one interpretation of all scriptures, because the Holy Spirit should show up and tell everyone what the scriptures mean. But there's not one interpretation of any scripture. There are thousands ofbon thousands upon thousands, and nobody can agree on anything. So who is the Holy Spirit speaking to and telling them what the verses mean or show showing them what's in it? Since nobody can agree on anything. But you wouldn't have to go find a place to do this. You're supposed to be doing it day and night. So I guess the way this works. Like he's not explicitly stated, but if we put it together, the way this works is if you want to be prosperous and have good success, which means being prosperous financially, being prosperous health wise, being prosperous in your happiness, and

1:20:14 being prosperous and having friends. If you want those things, then you must obey Joshua one eight. And if you don't have those things, it's because you're not obeying Joshua one eight. Even though he doesn't refer to them as commands, clearly they are commands. Now he is obliterated. He's not evil, it's not so much obliterated. He has ignored the connection of Joshua one eight to Deuteronomy twenty eight. And he clearly is convinced that we can do this, that we can do this. Now. I'm going to stop there because we're at eighty minutes. Now. The name of that sermon is the Way of Prosperity. Go listen to the rest of it. Go listen to the rest of it. The Way of Prosperity, on the sermons too, oh app, please go listen to it. You can type in Joshua one eight the Way of Prosperity or the Way of Prosperity Joshua one eight. You should be able to find it. If you cannot locate it, email me news i F at yahoo dot com. That's news f at yahoo dot com.

1:21:13 I got no problem sending you a link for those on the Church one app. If you're using the Church one app, I will send out the link to the sermon so that you can go listen to the rest because I want them to get the downloads and streams. Look, he put forth his hypothesies. Great, if that's the one you want to believe, you can follow his perspective. I've offered my interpretation. So guess what You've been able to hear two different interpretations of Joshua one eight. That's what we try to do here, right, So I want you to consider. But I want you to go listen to everything he had to say, everything everything, and you may go that direction, and that's perfectly. I'm not here to argue with you or debate you. I'm here to say, look, I have a different perspective, a very different interpretation. I've tried to make a case for my interpretation, all trying to engage his. He just assumes it's for us. He doesn't prove it, he doesn't demonstrate it, and he just assumes that we can keep it, even without acknowledging that the original recipients did not even keep it. And I think it's fair to say he clearly ignored the context of Deuteronomy twenty eight. Now you may don't care about any of that, but those are my counter arguments. He put forth his perspective.

1:22:27 I am grateful for his perspective because my perspective has to be challenged now. So I got to think through. I haven't seen anything to completely convince me, but you know, I all need to go listen to the rest of the sermon. I don't know if I will review the rest. I may listen to some and if I hear something, I'm like, okay, we've got to talk about that, then maybe we will. Because I think I think what he's going to do. I mean, he's got like, I don't know, forty three something minutes left of the sermon. He's got like forty three minutes left of the sermon. I think he's just going to spend the time on you've got to obey, You've got to obey, You've got to obey, You've got to obey. And he's already taken this Book of the Law as applying to the entire Bible right in their context, I don't think it would have been the entire Bible, right, Okay, but all right, but even if you go with the entire bibb it means you've got to obey every single command in the Bible, or at least all the commands that you would say are applicable to us. I mean, I'm telling you, be holy as He is holy. You're done. You're never going to obey that only in Christ, like only in Christ, in his imputed righteousness.

1:23:30 So yeah, I don't know, I don't know. I mean, that's forty three minutes. Really, that's going to be all focused on that third part, I think. I mean, he's already made it to the second part relatively quick, So that's going to be like maybe forty minutes thirty five minutes of to that. Just obey, obey, obey, obey, obey. That's a I don't know, but you maybe he doesn't do it that way. Maybe he doesn't break it down that way. You can go listen, all right, you can email me news I F at yahoo dot com, News I F at Yahoo dot I know it's Wednesday. The week will be over before we know it. Hopefully your study of Joshua one eight is proving to be somewhat advantageous, beneficial, interesting. I hope it's something I've stated here that I'm getting a little. Oh, I'm getting just so frustrated with this. I just don't understand the complexities of why this passage seems so difficult for people. But man, we do some weird things with Joshua one eight, and the implication there is somewhat frightening. It really is because whatever negative thing you're experiencing, I mean, the roundabout way, it's because you're not obeying Joshua one eight. That would be oh m, all right, Thanks for listening again, News I F at yahoo dot com. News I F a yahoo at yahoo dot com. For those using the Church one app, you'll get a notification here soon with a link to the sermon that we are reviewing, so that you can go finish the rest. All right,

1:25:01 Thanks for listening, everyone, have a great day. God, bless,