The book of Joshua is a very positive book in the Bible. It is a book about the faithfulness of God, written to strengthen our faith in his promises, particularly the promise that Jesus Christ is preparing a new home for us where we can enjoy rest in his presence (Hebrews 4:1–16). It is also a book about our responsibility toward God. The Lord has made promises to us. He has shown himself to be worthy of our trust, and in this book we will see how the Lord calls us to now be faithful to him.
In light of the purpose of Joshua, the goal of your sermon must be to show how God has been faithful to us, and what response the Lord is calling us to. Joshua 16:1 – 17:18 focuses on how the Spirit makes God’s people strong for service. He gives us three negative examples of the excuses that we make to avoid obedience before drawing our attention to two instruments that he uses to make us strong: the example of other believers and the preaching of God’s Word. Your sermon should encourage God’s people to be diligent in attending worship so that they can be strengthened by the Spirit for works of service in the places where God has placed them.
1 The allotment of the people of Joseph went from the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel.