Final Joshua Sermon Available

The final sermon in the series on Joshua 1-8 is available here in PDF format.

Sermon 9: Restoration

Sermon on "Restoration" from Joshua 7-8 is ready. You can access it in PDF format here.

Sermon 8: JUDGMENT

The sermon from Sunday, Nov. 4, on God's judgment from Joshua 7, is available in PDF format. You may access it here.

Joshua 6: Victory

The latest sermon from Joshua is available. It is on the battle of Jericho, Joshua 6, and is called, "Victory." You may access it in PDF format here.

Joshua 5: WORSHIP

Today's sermon from Joshua, chapter 5, is now available in PDF format. The three stories in Joshua 5 are about WORSHIP. You can access the transcript here.

Joshua 3-4: POWER

The latest sermon--from Joshua 3-4, entitled "Power"--may now be accessed in PDF format. Here is the link.

Full of Surprises (Joshua 2)

SURPRISING ELEMENTS in the story of Rahab…

1. A SURPRISING MISSION—that Joshua would send spies into the land after what happened under Moses (2:1)
2. A SURPRISING WELCOME—that the spies would find hospitality and welcome in the home of Rahab, a “woman of the evening” (2:2)
3. A SURPRISING DISCOVERY—that the king of Jericho would know what was happening in a house of ill repute on the fringes of the city (2:2-3)
4. A SURPRISING PROTECTION—that Rahab would hide the spies to protect them and deceive their pursuers (2:4-7)
5. A SURPRISING CONFESSION—that Rahab would, by faith, acknowledge the person and plan of the true and living God (2:8-11)
6. A SURPRISING REQUEST—that Rahab would ask to be saved from the judgment to come on Jericho (2:12-13)
7. A SURPRISING PROMISE—that the spies would guarantee Rahab and her family safety, even though God had told Israel to completely destroy Jericho (2:14)
8. A SURPRISING REQUIREMENT—that the spies would tell Rahab to keep her family within their home and tie a crimson cord in the window, in similar fashion to what Israel did in Egypt on Passover (2:17-21)
9. A SURPRISING ESCAPE—that Rahab’s plan of protecting the spies worked, and the spies returned to the camp of Israel safely (2:15-16, 22-23)
10. A SURPRISING REALIZATION—that God had already gone before Israel into the land and had prepared the way for victory and salvation (2:24)

THE SURPRISING LEGACY OF RAHAB

1. That she becomes an example par excellence of faith. In fact, she is the only woman named in Hebrews 11, the chapter that highlights the heroes of faith!
2. That, despite the methods of deception she used, she becomes an example par excellence of genuine faith that issues forth in good works (James 2:14-26).

THE ULTIMATE SURPRISE (Matthew 1:1-17)

• That Rahab would become the mother of Boaz, ancestor of David, and ultimately a forebear of our Lord Jesus Christ!

A Surprising Story of Salvation (Joshua 2)

“The LORD your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below.” (Joshua 2.11)

God gave his people Israel the gift of the land of Canaan as he had foretold to Abraham (Gen 15:16). One aspect of the process involved God executing his righteous judgment on the wickedness of the land’s inhabitants (Deuteronomy 9:4-5, 20:16-18).

However, God’s surprising way always involves providing salvation in the midst of judgment. Rahab (Josh 2) is the first example of this in the Book of Joshua. Almost everything in this story is a surprise, but the biggest one is that this “woman of the evening” shows herself to be a person of faith and good works, who hides the Israelite spies and confesses her faith in the true and living God. By faith, she becomes hero of the story (Hebrews 11:31).

Rahab receives salvation and saves the day!

Sermon 3: UNITY (Joshua 1.10-18)

The third sermon in the Joshua series, entitled "Unity," is now available in PDF format. You may access it using this link.

Joshua 1.10-18—UNITY

SUMMARY:
Joshua tells how God fulfilled his promises and gave the GIFT of the Promised Land to his people. Although the land was theirs by grace, Israel was not simply to be passive in the conquest and settlement. Rather, he called them to be active participants by hearing, meditating upon, and obeying his divine WORD. In Joshua 1.10-18, we see another element of the process—God called them to conquer the land together, in UNITY of spirit and effort.

This passage shows how Joshua sought to encourage unity among all the people (1.10-11), and then, how he dealt with a situation that held the potential to create disunity (1.12-18).

OUTLINE:
UNITY…

Requires strong leadership (10-11)

• Leadership that is engaged with the life of the congregation (11a)
• Leadership that can speak with authority to the congregation (11b)
• Leadership that can oversee the organization of the congregation (11c)
• Leadership that always keeps God’s calling before the congregation (11d)

Requires a shared partnership (12-15)

• It’s not about mine, it’s about ours
• It’s not about going it alone, it’s about doing it together

Requires supportive relationships (16-18)

• It’s not just about leading and being led, it’s about leaders and people encouraging one another

Sermon 2: Word (Joshua 1.7-9)

The second sermon in the Joshua series is available for you in PDF format. Access it here.

Joshua 1: Meditate on the Word

Joshua tells how God gave the gift of the land of Canaan to Israel. However, God also commanded them to be active participants in the process. To help them, he pointed them to another gift they had received—his word known as Torah (the Law, Deut 31.24-26).

God’s Word is key in any new beginning, because God always builds upon the foundation of his Word. As we see in today’s passage, the Bible is a word of:

• Revelation, inviting us to enter into God’s life and mission
• Possibility, opening up a new future before us
• Tradition, linking us with the past as well as the future
• Nourishment, calling us to chew on and digest it
• Command, requiring us to order our lives by it
• Sustenance, enabling us to face our challenges with courage

Joshua 1.1-9. The First Principle

“What do you have that you did not receive?” (1Cor 4.7). Those words could be written right over Joshua 1.1-9.

Look at verse 2— God speaks about “the land that I am giving to them”; and in verse 3 he says—“I have given it to you”; and then look at verse 6, where he says—I “swore to your ancestors” to give this land to them. The land is a gift. God is keeping his promises by giving the land to Israel. It’s not something they will earn or merit or accomplish. It is God’s gift.

Furthermore, look at the promises related to this gift of the land—verse 5: “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” Note how the passage ends—verse 9: “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Success in conquering the land will occur not because Israel is great, but because they have a great God present with them in the conquest. It is God who will go before them. It is God who will accompany them. It is God who will fight for them. It is God who will win the victory for them and through them. The whole thing is God’s gift.

This is the first principle of our life with God. Whatever we are, whatever we have, whatever we accomplish, it is a gift. It is all a gift. There is nothing that is not a gift. The answer to the question, “What do you have that you did not receive?” is, “Nothing.” We have received it all. In the final analysis, no matter how active we may have been in the process, it’s God’s gift.

Sermons on Joshua available online. Here's #1.

I will be publishing my sermons on Joshua 1-8 online for the next three months. They are in PDF format.

Here's the first one, entitled, "Gift," from Joshua 1.1-9.

Joshua 1: It's a Gift

The Book of Joshua tells the story of Israel’s conquest of Canaan.

Actually, that is misleading. When historians write about conquests, they emphasize the valor of warriors, the numbers of enemies killed and captured, and the spoils that go to the victors. Joshua has little of this. This book is about how God GIVES the land to Israel.

This is the first principle of our life with God. It is a gift. It is all a gift. There is nothing that is not a gift. Certainly, we are called to be active and cooperate with our Lord in the walk of faith. Nevertheless, in the end we will all say, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen” (Romans 11.36).

Joshua 1.1. Our Dwelling Place in All Generations

"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun..." (Joshua 1.1)

None of us is indispensable. This verse reminds us that generations of wonderful believers and followers of Christ come and go, but God's Word stands, and his plan continues. He speaks to the new generation, raises up new leaders, fulfills his promises in their appointed seasons, and continues to make every day of "history" His-story.

Read PSALM 90, where Moses himself reminds us of this. We are grass, short-lived and quickly forgotten. His Word abides forever. That's why we must acknowledge him as our dwelling place in every generation. That's why we must pray for him to make firm the works of our hands.

Have I not commanded you? (Joshua 1.1-9)

Joshua 1.1-9 is dominated by imperatives and promises. Some examples:

• Cross the Jordan
• Be strong and courageous
• Be careful to act in accordance with the Torah, do not turn to the left or right
• Meditate on the Torah day and night

• Every place your foot will tread upon I have given to you
• No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life
• As I was with Moses, so I will be with you
• I will not fail you or forsake you
  

It is interesting to note that this passage, so dominated by God's commands and generous provisions, ends with a QUESTION. The NRSV misses this, but in the final verse God asks Joshua, "Have I not commanded you, 'Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go'?"

God's commands always lead to questions—Have we heard them? Are we listening? Do we understand what our Lord requires? Have we grasped the resources that are available to us in him? What will we do with what he has said to us?

What has he said to you?

Word (Joshua 1.1-9)

Joshua begins where our spiritual lives begin...with a word from God. In Joshua 1.1-9 we see that God's Word is:

• A word of revelation, inviting us to enter into life and mission with God
• A word of possibility, opening up new worlds and futures before us
• A word of tradition, linking us with the past as well as the future
• A word that nourishes, calling us to chew on and digest it
  
• A word that commands, requiring us to order our lives by it
• A word that sustains, strengthening us to face our challenges with courage

Joshua..a prophetic book

In our English Bibles, Joshua is the first book in the section known as the HISTORICAL BOOKS, which traces Israel's history from the entrance into Canaan until the return from Exile.

1. Joshua
2. Judges
3. Ruth
4. 1-2 Samuel
5. 1-2 Kings
6. 1-2 Chronicles
7. Ezra
8. Nehemiah
9. Esther
   

However, Joshua is in the second main division of the Hebrew Bible, the Prophets. It introduces the first part of that section, known as THE EARLY PROPHETS.

1. Joshua
2. Judges
3. Samuel
4. Kings
   

The understanding that this work is prophetic highlights that we are not simply dealing with a record of historical events. The purpose of the Early Prophets is to show how God fulfilled his prophetic Word as given in the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy) in Israel's subsequent history, from entering Canaan to the exile.

Series Outline

Here is the proposed outline for our studies in Joshua...

1. Word (Josh 1.1-9)
   
2. Fellowship (Josh 1.10-18)
   
3. Faith (Josh 2)
4. Power (Josh 3)
5. Testimony (Josh 4)
6. Discipline (Josh 5:1-12)
7. Worship (Josh 5:13-15)
8. Victory (Josh 6)
9. Covenant (Josh 24)