As for Me and My House | 06.14.26 | Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene | #House #Faith #Family

Joshua sets Israel at a crossroads. The text recites seven centuries of God’s steady care from Abraham “beyond the Euphrates” to the present, then presses a blunt choice: “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” The call is not to keep collecting blessings but to decide whom to serve. The choice refuses neutrality. Half in, half out is just out. Borrowed faith under Moses and Joshua will not carry anyone further. Each household must answer for itself.

The first option reaches back across the river. Abraham’s relatives served other gods before the call. The challenge invites Israel to disregard the catalog of providence and start over where Abraham left his idols. That reset sounds absurd in the face of remembered mercies, yet the human heart can still sweep testimonies off the table and return to the old family gods. The wise heart gathers stories, asks elders for their testimonies, and keeps those stones of remembrance within reach.

The second option bows to the local gods. The Amorite idols litter the ground in ashes and ruins, yet hands still grab them from the pile hoping this time they will work. That picture fits modern altars. Money promises more and then moves the line so that more is never enough. Social media promises rest and drains the soul. Jesus has already said it clearly. No one can serve two masters. The drift always favors the idol that pays out quick dopamine and thin comfort.

The covenant path demands intentionality. The Spirit draws a daily, moment by moment yes. Repentance is not a one-off cleanup but a posture. Serving Jesus paddles upstream in a river that always runs the other way. The cross fixes the question of worth: if no more blessings arrived after today, how much more does Jesus owe? The crucified and risen Lord has given himself. That is enough to anchor the choice tomorrow, next month, and when the bottom falls out.

Households are built by leadership that chooses. Fathers carry a unique weight in setting the tone of worship. Outsourcing formation or shrugging with a let-them-decide posture leaves sons and daughters limping into the race. Wisdom doubles down on practices that feed faith, turns living rooms into sanctuaries, and puts believers in the same boat with others who can help paddle. Serving Jesus is hard, but the stories stack up until walking away from the table makes no sense.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Choose, do not ride coattails The call forces a personal decision that cannot lean forever on Moses or Joshua. Borrowed faith may introduce someone to God’s goodness, but it cannot secure obedience. Without a clear choice, the heart defaults to easier lords. Today counts, not yesterday’s momentum. [44:24]
• 2. Refuse the reset beyond the river The option to return “beyond the Euphrates” tosses out generations of testimony as if God had done nothing. Wisdom gathers and guards the stories, asking elders to rehearse God’s mercies until gratitude stiffens the spine. Remembered faithfulness becomes ballast when new desires pull. Forgetfulness is not neutral, it is a choice. [46:14]
• 3. Ash-heap idols never deliver life Amorite gods lie in ruins while hands still fish them from the ashes. Modern versions do the same, from lottery fantasies to the God of more to feeds that promise rest and leave the soul thin. Sometimes money looks generous, which is why it enslaves. Masters that take and never give are easiest to serve when the memory of God’s giving fades. [51:53]
• 4. Serving Jesus is upstream repentance Obedience is not one dramatic turn but a daily surrender that keeps turning. The river pushes hard in the other direction, so intention and confession must become a rhythm. Half-in language only hides whole-hearted idolatry. Repentance keeps the hands open and the boat pointed against the current. [62:32]
• 5. Fathers set the household’s direction A father’s decision marks the path children are most likely to walk. Let-them-decide and outsource-it-to-church are easy lies that abdicate calling. Presence, practice, and example do more than programs ever can. A dad who chooses the Lord gives his family a map, a pace, and courage for the road. [63:55]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [39:06] - Building households to serve
• [39:55] - Reading Joshua 24:15
• [41:07] - Seven hundred years of faithfulness
• [43:20] - If serving the Lord seems undesirable
• [44:24] - Choose for yourselves today
• [45:20] - Beyond the Euphrates option
• [50:43] - Gods of the Amorites exposed
• [52:37] - Lottery and the ash heap
• [56:45] - Short-form video and unrest
• [58:35] - Half in is just out
• [60:59] - How much more does Jesus owe
• [62:32] - Repentance and paddling upstream
• [63:55] - Fathers set the tone
• [68:23] - Find people to paddle with

1. What two specific options does Joshua present to Israel in Joshua 24:15, and how do they contrast with his own declaration?
2. In the sermon, what modern examples were given of “ash-heap idols” that people return to despite their emptiness? [52:37] [56:45]
3. How does the sermon describe the role of fathers in shaping a household’s spiritual direction? [01:03:55]
4. What does the phrase “borrowed faith” refer to in the context of Israel’s history with Moses and Joshua? [44:24]

1. Why does Joshua frame the choice to serve other gods as a “reset” to Abraham’s pre-call idolatry, even after centuries of God’s faithfulness? What does this reveal about human nature?
2. The sermon compares serving Jesus to “paddling upstream.” What does this metaphor suggest about the relationship between intentional daily choices and spiritual drift? [59:28]
3. How does Matthew 6:24 connect to the idea that modern idols like money or social media “promise rest but drain the soul”? [56:45]
4. Why might a “let-them-decide” approach to faith formation in families lead to spiritual limping, according to the sermon? [01:04:55]

1. What practical step could you take this week to “gather and guard” stories of God’s faithfulness in your life or family, as a defense against forgetfulness? [49:17]
2. Identify one “ash-heap idol” you’ve been tempted to revisit (e.g., financial security, approval, distraction). What specific habit could help you turn from it daily? [56:45]
3. If serving Jesus requires “paddling upstream,” what rhythm of repentance (e.g., prayer, accountability, Scripture) could you build to keep your hands open and your heart pointed toward Him? [01:02:32]
4. For parents/guardians: How could you intentionally turn a routine moment at home (meals, bedtime, etc.) into a “sanctuary” to model serving Jesus this week? [01:07:38]
5. Who are 1-2 people in your life that could help you “paddle upstream” in faith? How will you intentionally invite them into that role? [01:08:23]
6. The sermon asks, “If no more blessings arrived after today, would you still choose to serve Him?” How would your current priorities and habits change if you took this question seriously? [01:00:59]