This morning’s sermon continued our ‘Battles and Blessings’ series, looking at how Joshua dealt with the challenge of leading God’s people into the Promised Land. Moses was dead and he was given the job of leading the people of Israel (see Josh 1:2=6); now, having spied out Jericho, Joshua encourages the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.’ (Josh 3:5)
The battle for holiness will always precede the blessings of victory. God calls us to consecrate ourselves, to set ourselves apart for Him, for He is a holy God (see Lev 11:44-45, 1 Pet 1:13-16). We need to understand the holiness of God (see Is 6:3, Hab 1:3), for He wants us to be pure and clean, set apart for His service (see also Ex 19:9-13, Heb 12:18-21). God has made a way for sinners to approach His throne through the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb 12:22-24, Heb 10:20) and there is a dual aspect to consecration, for He is both the One who has made us holy and who continues that process of sanctification (Heb 10:14).
Our part in this process of sanctification is given in Eph 4:22-24, where we are told to ‘put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.’ This leads us into great blessings, for the pure in heart will see God (Matt 5:11). We are washed by God’s word (Eph 5:26), cleansed from all unrighteousness and led into a greater relationship with our God when we desire to consecrate ourselves.
We know some of the amazing things that God did through Joshua and the people of Israel, how they crossed that river, how they placed stones there as a memorial to all God had done, how they ultimately captured Jericho and moved in to the Promised Land. God has amazing things in store for us too. But we cannot see the amazing things of God unless we choose to consecrate ourselves, unless we choose to be holy, unless we take seriously the holiness of God and His commands to us to be holy as He is holy. We are made holy through Christ’s perfect sacrifice; we are being made holy by His Spirit living within us.