The Certainty of God’s Promises
An abstract of Connor Kraus’ sermon on March 23, 2025, in the Joshua series. Watch the sermon video here.
When great leaders prepare to leave, they often share their most important wisdom. As we near the end of our series on Joshua, we find this faithful leader delivering his final message to Israel. After decades of leading God's people, Joshua focuses on one crucial truth: God always keeps His promises—both the wonderful blessings and the serious warnings.
A Perfect Track Record
Joshua begins by reminding Israel of their history. "A long time after the Lord had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them," he gathers the people to reflect on God's faithfulness. The elderly leader points to everything God had done for them—defeating powerful nations, giving them land, and keeping every promise made.
"You know with all your heart and all your soul," Joshua declares, "that none of the good promises the Lord your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you. Not one promise has failed."
What a powerful statement! Israel had witnessed God's promises become reality time after time. They lived in homes they didn't build and harvested from vineyards they didn't plant—all because God had promised these blessings and delivered exactly as He said.
When we look at our own lives, we can see this same faithfulness. God promises peace, forgiveness, and His presence to those who trust Him—and He delivers. Many of us have experienced answered prayers, unexpected provision, and God's guidance in difficult times. Like Israel, we benefit from God's perfect track record of keeping His promises of blessing.
The Same Certainty Goes Both Ways
But Joshua doesn't stop with the good news. With the same certainty that God keeps His promises of blessing, He will also keep His warnings of discipline. This is where Joshua's message becomes sobering.
Three times, Joshua emphasizes God's perfect faithfulness to His promises. But then he turns this certainty in a different direction: "Since every good thing the Lord your God promised you has come about, so He will bring on you every bad thing until He has annihilated you from this good land the Lord your God has given you."
Joshua wants Israel to understand that the same God who faithfully blesses will also faithfully discipline. The certainty of God's character works both ways.
Think about flying a kite. When the wind catches it, the kite soars effortlessly and you can hold the kite string between two fingers. Joshua is asking Israel: "What happens when that wind changes direction? Have you considered what it means when God's certain promises include warnings and discipline?"
A Choice Between Two Certainties
Joshua lays out the choice before Israel with complete clarity. They could:
Hold fast to God – Being loyal to Him, obeying His commands, and rejecting false gods. This path leads to the certainty of God's continued blessing.
Turn away from God – Breaking His covenant, serving other gods, and becoming loyal to them. This path leads with equal certainty to God's discipline.
Joshua isn't threatening Israel. He's simply describing reality based on God's unchanging character. A God who always keeps His promises of blessing will, with the same faithfulness, keep His promises of discipline.
This message might seem harsh, but Joshua delivers it because he loves Israel and wants them to choose the path of blessing. He knows that if they understand the absolute certainty of both outcomes, they'll make the wiser choice.
The Patience of God
Even as Joshua warns about God's certain discipline, he reveals something important about God's character. God's discipline doesn't come suddenly or without warning. Throughout Israel's history, God showed remarkable patience, giving multiple opportunities for His people to return to Him.
Even when Israel later disobeyed repeatedly, their eventual exile from the Promised Land came after centuries of warnings through prophets and periods of discipline. God's patience is vast, but His warnings are certain.
The Apostle Paul echoes this truth centuries later in Athens. Speaking to people who worshipped many gods, Paul says that God "has overlooked the times of ignorance," but now "commands all people everywhere to repent" because judgment is coming through Jesus Christ.
Both Joshua and Paul emphasize that God's patience shouldn't be mistaken for uncertainty. The clock is ticking. Either when our time on earth ends or when Christ returns, we will encounter the certainty of God's promises—one way or another.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
The certainty of God's judgment against sin and the certainty of His mercy toward those who trust Him are two sides of the same coin. Both flow from His unchanging character and perfect faithfulness.
This is why the gospel message is such good news! The same God who certainly judges sin also certainly saves those who put their trust in Jesus. When Jesus took our punishment on the cross, He satisfied God's certain judgment against sin while opening the way for God's certain blessing in our lives.
We can take comfort in knowing that God's promise to forgive those who trust in Jesus is absolutely certain. At the same time, we should soberly consider what His faithfulness to judge sin will mean for those who reject Him.
Where Do You Stand?
Joshua's message challenges us to consider: Are we holding fast to God, experiencing the certainty of His blessing? Or are we testing His patience, risking the certainty of His discipline?
The beauty of Joshua's message is that it offers a clear choice. No matter your past, today you can choose to trust God and align yourself with His promises of blessing rather than His promises of judgment.
The certainty of God's character means that anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ as their Savior will certainly be forgiven and experience eternal life. That's a promise you can count on with absolute confidence.
Are you exploring questions about God's promises and what they mean for your life? We'd love to welcome you to our church this Sunday at 9 or 10:30 a.m. We’d love to walk alongside you on this journey of faith! Plan a visit today and learn more about our ministries and how you can get connected.