Dear Church | But For Me and My House by Pastor Steve Chang (Sept 6, 2026)

Devotional

Day 1: Groaning in Bondage, Crying Out to the God Who Hears

The Israelites’ slavery in Egypt wasn’t just physical oppression—it was a soul-crushing weight that left them voiceless except for raw, guttural cries. Their groans weren’t eloquent prayers but desperate gasps under Pharaoh’s cruelty. Yet God didn’t demand polished words. He heard their wordless anguish and moved to rescue them. This pattern repeats through history: the Korean concept of han, a collective grief born of injustice, mirrors their cries. When pain feels too heavy for sentences, God leans into the groans. Deliverance begins not in strength but in the honesty of brokenness. [08:41]

And the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel, and God knew.
(Exodus 2:23–25, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your life does helplessness silence your words? How might God be responding to your groans before they even form into prayers?

Day 2: Competency Without Prayer Leads to Crumbling Walls

After Jericho’s miraculous fall, the second generation trusted spreadsheets over surrender. They calculated 3,000 soldiers could easily crush Ai—no need to consult God. But their self-sufficient plans collapsed in humiliating defeat. Prayer became an afterthought, a crisis hotline rather than a lifeline. Their failure exposed a generational pattern: relying on human strategy while sidelining divine dependence. Like them, modern believers often treat prayer as a last resort when formulas fail. True strength begins when competence bows to humility. [19:37]

Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai.… They returned to Joshua and said, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up to attack Ai.… So about three thousand men went up.… The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.”
(Joshua 7:2–5, ESV)

Reflection: What practical decision are you making this week purely through human calculation? How could pausing to pray first reshape your approach?

Day 3: A Generation That Did Not Know the Lord

The third generation grew up in Canaan’s comfort, distant from the Red Sea’s miracles and the wilderness’s trials. They inherited faith as a rumor, not a relationship. Judges 2:10’s chilling description—“did not know the Lord”—wasn’t atheism but apathy. They kept religious rituals but worshiped Baal, blending truth with compromise. Their parents’ self-sufficiency had starved them of testimonies. Without intentional discipleship, faith dilutes across generations. Legacy isn’t automatic; it requires fighting to pass on who God is, not just what He’s done. [28:13]

And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
(Judges 2:10, ESV)

Reflection: What habits or stories are you intentionally sharing to help the next generation know God, not just know about Him?

Day 4: The Lamb Who Takes Away the World’s Sin

Judges’ cycle of failure reveals humanity’s deepest need: not better kings, but a Savior. John the Baptist’s declaration—“Behold, the Lamb of God!”—answers both Pharaoh’s oppression and Ai’s arrogance. Jesus isn’t just a moral example or a cosmic judge. He absorbs the sin that traps generations, breaking chains no law could undo. The Lamb’s sacrifice does what self-help and self-sufficiency cannot: it heals the why behind our brokenness, not just the what. [33:59]

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
(John 1:29, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you sought solutions in “trying harder” rather than relying on the Lamb’s finished work? How does Jesus’ sacrifice redefine your failures?

Day 5: Choosing Daily Whom Your House Will Serve

Joshua’s final plea—“Choose this day whom you will serve”—wasn’t a one-time altar call but a daily orientation. Every generation faces the same decision: serve the gods of past trauma (Egypt), present competence (Ai), or future apathy (Canaan). Declaring “as for me and my house” means leading through action, not just intention. It’s planting markers of faithfulness—prayers spoken, sins confessed, grace extended—that outlive your years. [35:18]

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.… And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve.… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
(Joshua 24:14–15, ESV)

Reflection: What specific choice today—mundane or momentous—can reflect your household’s commitment to serve the Lord?

Sermon Summary

The call on South Bay begins with its identity as a growing, friendly, intergenerational, and called church. The calling is bigger than serving one brand name or protecting one castle. The kingdom matters more than the castle, and a church family blessed with growth is called to serve the broader church as well.

Joshua 24 carries the weight of a final word from an old leader to a people standing between memory and future. Joshua commands Israel to fear the Lord, serve him in sincerity and faithfulness, put away other gods, and choose whom they will serve. The choice is not whether people will worship, but whom they will worship.

The suffering generation knew Egypt, oppression, helplessness, and groaning. God heard their cries, remembered his covenant, and delivered them through Moses. God also commissioned them at Sinai as his treasured possession, a holy nation, and a kingdom of priests for the nations. Fear, however, made Egypt look safer than obedience. The first generation saw God’s power, yet four hundred years of pain trained their hearts to expect failure, and they chose wilderness unbelief over the risk of trusting God’s promise.

The self-sufficient generation grew up between the trauma of Egypt and the promise of Canaan. Joshua’s generation saw God stop the Jordan and collapse Jericho’s walls, but competence soon became self-reliance. Ai exposed the problem: Israel counted troops before battle, then prayed only after defeat. The self-sufficient generation was good in math but poor in prayer. The wilderness also made them a mentorless generation, forced to figure things out without the elders who had died in the desert.

The separated generation inherited Canaan but did not know the Lord or the work he had done for Israel. Judges shows that religious activity without knowing God becomes Baal worship, compromise, and everybody doing what is right in his own eyes. An earthly king could not finally fix that chaos, because Saul, David, Solomon, and the kings after them could not remove sin.

Jesus enters as the King of kings and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The need is not merely for better activism, better morality, or stronger protection from injustice. The need is for a King to rule and a Lamb to forgive. Joshua’s plea therefore lands personally, in households, and in the church: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The choice must start with each person bowing before the King and admitting the need for the Lamb.

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Key Takeaways

1. Fear can make slavery look safer. The suffering generation remembered Egypt’s cruelty, yet fear persuaded them to long for its familiarity. Pain can teach hearts to expect the worst, even after God has shown his deliverance. God’s promises often require a kind of trust that refuses to let yesterday’s trauma define tomorrow’s obedience. [15:43]
2. Competence cannot replace dependence. The self-sufficient generation knew how to assess numbers, measure risk, and project results. Ai revealed that capable people can move ahead with strategy while neglecting prayer. Competency becomes spiritually dangerous when it quietly convinces people that God is no longer necessary. [22:50]
3. Compromise separates generations from God. The emerging generation did not simply lack information about Israel’s history. The generation grew up under the shaping power of peace, plenty, and parental compromise. A household can preserve religious language while passing on a life that does not truly know the Lord. [31:28]
4. Jesus is both King and Lamb. The kings of Israel proved that political order and moral reform cannot heal the human heart. Jesus rules as the King of kings, but he also comes as the Lamb who takes away sin. Children and grandchildren need more than protection from a broken world; they need forgiveness for their own hearts. [33:59]
5. Serving the Lord starts personally. Joshua’s household confession cannot become a substitute for personal surrender. Families and churches are shaped when individuals first bow before the King and receive the mercy of the Lamb. The deepest gift given to the next generation is a life that actually worships Christ.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:15] - A Growing, Friendly, Called Church
[04:57] - Joshua’s Final Charge
[07:12] - The Suffering Generation in Egypt
[09:29] - A Kingdom of Priests
[13:40] - Fear and the Desire to Return
[18:30] - The Self-Sufficient Generation
[19:37] - Jericho, Ai, and False Confidence
[22:50] - Good in Math, Poor in Prayer
[24:22] - A Mentorless Generation
[26:16] - The Separated Generation
[28:33] - Judges and the Cycle of Compromise
[32:36] - The King of Kings and Lamb of God
[35:18] - Choose Whom You Will Serve
[37:22] - It Has to Start With You

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Joshua 24:14–15
“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” [00:05:46]

Exodus 19:5–6
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” [00:09:29]

Judges 2:10
“And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.” [00:27:42]

John 1:29
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” [00:33:59]

Observation questions

In Joshua 24:14–15, what specific actions does Joshua connect with serving the Lord, and what other objects of worship does he name?
What three parts of Israel’s calling are named in Exodus 19:5–6: treasured possession, holy nation, and kingdom of priests? What do those words show about why God delivered them? [00:09:29]
What happened before Israel prayed after the battle of Ai, and what did they focus on before going into that battle? [00:22:50]
According to Judges 2:10, what two things did the generation after Joshua fail to know? [00:28:08]

Interpretation questions

Joshua says, “Choose this day whom you will serve.” Why is the deeper choice not whether a person will worship, but whom or what that person will worship? [00:35:23]
Israel had seen God’s deliverance from Egypt, yet they wanted to return there when they feared the future. How can past pain make a familiar but harmful place seem safer than trusting God’s promise? [00:15:43]
Israel’s confidence at Ai was built on a calculation of troops, but their prayer came after defeat. What does this reveal about the spiritual danger of being capable, prepared, and successful? [00:22:50]
Judges 2:10 describes a generation that did not know the Lord or his works. How can religious language, family traditions, or church involvement exist without helping someone truly know God? [00:31:52]

Application questions

Is there a place, pattern, relationship, or old way of living that can feel safer simply because it is familiar, even though God is calling you to trust him in a new step? What would trusting God look like this week? [00:18:06]
Where are you most tempted to rely on your own planning, experience, finances, ability, or connections? How could you move from being “good in math” to being faithful in prayer before making your next decision? [00:23:09]
Think about the people younger than you—children, grandchildren, younger believers, or friends. What are they likely learning from your actual life about following Jesus, not merely from your words? [00:31:59]
Jesus is both the King who rules and the Lamb who takes away sin. Which side do you most need to remember right now: his authority over your life or his forgiveness for your sin? Why? [00:34:31]
Joshua’s words begin personally: “As for me.” What would it mean for you to serve the Lord personally rather than relying on your family’s faith, your spouse’s faith, or your church’s faith? [00:37:18]
What is one simple practice your household—or the people you share life with—could begin or strengthen to help make serving the Lord a regular part of life? [00:36:04]
God calls his people to be a kingdom of priests, blessed in order to be a blessing to others. How might you serve the broader church or point someone outside your usual circle toward Jesus this month? [00:10:03]

Sermon Clips

33s

#KingAndLamb

“This is the answer. This is the answer. This is what differentiates the Christian faith from other religions and for moralism. Christianity is not we need activism that demands justice, or we need a religion that prescribes a better set of morality, but we need a king of kings, and we need a lamb of God.”

30s

#ForgivenessNotFight

“We need not someone who fights for us, but someone who can forgive us from our sins. What your grandkids need is not only a king who can protect them from injustice, but the lamb of God who can serve save them from their own sins.”

30s

#AcceptTheSavior

“Personally, may we bow our knees at the feet of the king of kings and the lord of lords. May we accept our need for the lamb of god who take away this takes away the sins of the world. And if there are people, men and women in this space who've never done that, that maybe even today, they would acknowledge their need for a king, but also a savior. God, we thank you. In the name of our lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.”

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