Introduction: Sometimes it seems as if there's nothing but bad news on the TV and radio, and in the magazines and newspapers. There are a lot of people out there doing a lot of bad things to one another. BUT! There is good news, too, and I have begun to get into the habit of scanning the magazines and newspapers for the good news. There's a lot of good news! For example, last week I read in USA Today that we are living longer, and staying healthier than ever before (read the article dated 6/17/99).
I also found a terrific article in Time magazine (July 26, 1999) about Vacation Bible School. It's entitled "Camp for the Soul." Let me read you a few sentences from the article... We just had our largest VBS ever at Wayside, with about 140 children.
Paul the Apostle told us to think about the good news: (Philippians 4:8).

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Today in our text in Joshua, we are taking up the theme of REVERENCE. What is reverence? We rarely use or hear the word in our daily conversations. Webster's dictionary says that "reverence is a profound adoring, awed respect." God is certainly worthy of great reverence from each of us. Those who meditate on God are moved to adoration. We stand in awe of Him. We ought to live in the fear of God, and respect Him.

The first four of the 10 commandments require mankind to treat God with reverence.

Exo 20:1 And God spoke all these words:
Exo 20:2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Exo 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
Exo 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
Exo 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Exo 20:6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exo 20:7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Exo 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
Exo 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.

Concerning the third commandment, about misusing God's name, the Westminster Larger Catechism explains it in this way: "The third commandment requires, That the name of God, his titles, attributes, ordinances, the Word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, vows, lots, his works, and whatsoever else there is whereby he makes himself known, be holily and reverently used in thought, meditation, word, and writing; by an holy profession, and answerable conversation, to the glory of God, and the good of ourselves, and others."

In other words, a reverent person won't take God's name in vain. He will not show disrespect toward God's Word, or toward the church. He will honor prayer and good deeds, and all good things. He won't make jokes about Hell, and he won't make fun of Christians or pastors. Needless to say, our society is chock full of people who AREN'T reverent at all.

Joshua 8:30-35 gives us some practical concrete ways of showing reverence toward our Creator. The reverent person will do three things...

I. The reverent person will receive the atonement God provides for him.

Joshua and the Israelites built an altar, and offered two kinds of sacrifices. They offered "burnt offerings," and they offered "fellowship offerings." The rules for the burnt offerings are given in Leviticus 1:1-5:

Lev 1:1 The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He said,
Lev 1:2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.
Lev 1:3 "'If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD.
Lev 1:4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
Lev 1:5 He is to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

The purpose of the burnt offering was to make an atonement for sin. The killing of the animal and the sprinkling of the blood are Old Testament types that point toward their fulfillment in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our atonement, and his blood has washed away our sins.

The reverent person will not refuse the atonement God has provided for him. What a terrible thing it is for an individual to hear the Gospel, to learn that God loves him, and has sent His Son to be our Savior, and then to reject God's gracious offer of salvation. Nothing could be more disrespectful. Such selfish, callous ingratitude can do nothing but stir up the anger of God. Hebrews 10:26-29 addresses this very issue, and says:

Heb 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
Heb 10:27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Heb 10:28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Heb 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

II. The Reverent person walks with God, and fellowships with God's people.

The Israelites built an altar, and offered burnt offerings, but they also offered "fellowship offerings." The Hebrew word is SHALOM. The King James Bible translates this as "peace offerings," which is a more literal translation; but here the NIV is also good, because this offering really does have to do with an individual's fellowshipping with God and with God's people. "This offering symbolizes peace between God and man, as well as the inward peace that resulted. The fellowship offering was the only sacrifice of which the offerer might eat a part. Fellowship was involved because the offerer, on the basis of the sacrifice, had fellowship with God, and with the priest, who also ate part of the offering. This sacrifice ... was offered by the thousands during the three annual festivals in Israel, because multitudes of people came to the temple to worship and share in a communal meal." (NIV Study Bible, pp 147-148)

The fellowship offering reminds us of passover, and it is also a type of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our Christian fellowship meal, the Lord's Supper. Jesus said, "This is my body which is broken for you...eat this bread in remembrance of me."

Therefore, the reverent person seeks to walk with God in fellowship, and in fellowship with God's people in the Church. There are many Christians who do other things on Sunday mornings besides going to church, and they rationalize and justify themselves. They say they can worship God in nature, while they fish or while they play golf. But the truth of the matter is that they are not on the lake, or on the golf course to worship. And if a big fish gets away, or if they miss an easy putt, worship will be very far away from their minds indeed!

Furthermore, we all need to understand that we don't go to church just for what we can get out of it. President John F. Kennedy said years ago, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." That's an appropriate line for the Church and for Christians. Let's change it to this: "Ask not what your Church can do for you, but ask what you can do for your Church." It's important to go to church for what you get, but it is even more important to go to church to give--to give worship to God, to give a blessing to your brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lord has commanded us to worship Him together: Hebrews 10:25:

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

The reverent person fellowships with God, and with God's people. Our gathering around the Lord's table this morning is similar to what God's people in the Old Testament did at Passover, and also as they brought their "fellowship offerings."

III. The reverent person hears and obeys God's Law.

Joshua and the nation of Israel had a special ceremony to hear and emphasize the importance of the Law of God (Joshua 8:32-35). They created a memorial on Mount Ebal, where Joshua copied the Law of God onto large stone tablets, and then Joshua read the entire Law, the five books of Moses, to all the Israelites. Everyone listened: men, women, children and visitors from other nations. In Joshua's time, there were few books, and most people could not read. Certainly none of the Israelites had their own personal copies of the Bible, as we do today. So this ceremony was an extremely important and valuable milestone in their lives. They treasured it. They listened intently to God's Law.

The Law of God is just as important to believers today as it was in Joshua's time. The Law is part of the Word of God. Here (hold it up) is the Word of God. It is inspired, inerrant and infallible. It is our ultimate authority for doctrine, and for knowledge about how to live a life pleasing to God our Creator and Lord. It has two major sections, one we call the Old Testament, and the other we call the New Testament. Some Christians today have gotten mixed up, and they think that they no longer need the Old Testament. But they are wrong. The whole Bible is the Word of God, not just a small section of it.

What did Jesus say about the Old Testament? Matthew 5:17-19:

Mat 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Mat 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Mat 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus did not say that the Old Testament was no longer necessary. In fact He taught that we should not even break one of the least significant commandments. What about the Apostles? Did they say we no longer need the Old Testament? Look at Paul's advice to Timothy, his son in the faith, remembering that Paul's Bible, and Timothy's Bible was the Old Testament, the New Testament not yet being available:

2 Tim 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
2 Tim 3:15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
2 Tim 3:17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We often speak of the three sorts of Law contained in the Old Testament: The religious ceremonial laws, the civil laws for society, and the moral law. The religious laws have been superseded by the death of Christ on the cross. There may no longer be animal sacrifices. Jesus offered Himself once for all, a perfect atonement. The civil laws are specifically applied to the times in which they were written. The principles behind the civil laws are applicable to any society in any age, and are the foundation of our legal system. They ought to be studied carefully. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments, and is binding on Christians in every walk of life.

Question 95 of the Larger Catechism asks: "Of what use is the moral law to all men?" The answer: "The moral law is of use to all men, to inform them of the holy nature and will of God, and of their duty, binding them to walk accordingly; to convince them of their disability to keep it, and of the sinful pollution of their nature, hearts, and lives; to humble them in the sense of their sin and misery, and thereby help them to a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ, and of the perfection of his obedience."

The reverent person: man, woman or child, reads studies and tries to be obedient to the Law of God.

Paul writes many times about the goodness of the Law of God. In Romans 3:31 and 7:12 he says: "Rom 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. Rom 7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good."
He also wrote to Timothy about the Law, in I Timothy 1:8, where he said, "1 Tim 1:8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly."

The Bible tells us that King David of Israel was a man after God's own heart. David loved the Law of God, and wrote about it often in the book of Psalms. For example, in Psalm 119 he wrote:

Psa 119:4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
Psa 119:5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

Psa 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psa 119:13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
Psa 119:14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
Psa 119:15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
Psa 119:16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
Psa 119:17 Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word.
Psa 119:18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Psa 119:20 My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.

Psa 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

Psa 119:44 I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.

However, let us be very clear that salvation from sin does not come from trying to keep the Law of God. No one can perfectly keep the ten commandments. Those who think they are keeping the ten commandments with hardly ever a slip simply have not examined their own lives, and have not thought long and hard about the meaning of sin. We have all worshipped God with less than our full committment. We have all taken His name in vain. We have all dishonored the Sabbath day. We have all stolen, and coveted and lusted. We have all committed murder in our hearts if not in actual deed. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. When we read of a great sinner in the newspaper, we should all be thinking "there but for the grace of God go I," instead of "I sure am glad I'm not as bad as he is." Jesus told the parable of the publican and the pharisee praying at the temple. The publican humbled himself before God and prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner." The pharisee prayed and said, "O God, I thank you that I'm not a sinner like that wretched publican." Jesus said that it was the publican who was accepted by God, and who went home justified.

CONCLUSION: The reverent person is one who tries to obey the Law. The reverent person is one who walks with God, and fellowships with God's people. Most of all, the reverent person is one who receives the atonement God has provided for him. Jesus died for us. He paid the penalty of our law breaking on the cross. He is our Savior. He is the way, the truth and the life. May we all reverence Christ with a profound, adoring and awed respect. Amen.