Sermon Central
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Joshua
Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Nov 29, 2021 (message contributor)
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1. How Brave Are You, Really? (Joshua 1:1-9)
Contributed on Nov 29, 2021
Real courage: holding a sword, and obeying/trusting God.
This morning, we start a new series on Joshua. Rather than explain anything, immediately, let's just dive right in. Joshua 1:1: (1) And then, after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh spoke to Joshua son of Nun, servant of Moses, saying, (2) "Moses my servant has died, ...read more
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2. The Conquest: A House Of Cards?
Contributed on Dec 1, 2021
The three "onlys" in Joshua 1 provide the tension that drives the plot of the book. Will Joshua be brave? Will the people obey? And will Yahweh be with Joshua, as He was with Moses?
Let's start this morning, simply by rereading from the beginning of Joshua through verse 9: (1) And then, after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh said to Joshua son of Nun, the one serving Moses, saying, "Moses my servant has died, and so then, Rise!, Cross! over this ...read more
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3. God Upholds His End (Joshua 2:1-24)
Contributed on Dec 6, 2021
Here, we see God fulfilling his promise to be with Joshua. Things "work out" for the spies, when they should've died.
Last week, by the end of chapter 1, we had a pretty good feel for the questions we are supposed to bring to the book of Joshua as we read. Yahweh, Joshua, and Israel are going to work together to conquer the land of Canaan. All three-- Yahweh, Joshua, and Israel-- have pledged their commitment ...read more
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4. We Serve A God Of Wonders (Joshua 3:1-17)
Contributed on Dec 7, 2021
God is a living God, and He is still a God of Wonders.
If someone asked you, what are the most amazing wonders God has ever done, how would you answer? Was it when God freed Israel from their slavery to Egypt? When God parted the Red Sea? When God raised Jesus from the dead? If you were an Israelite answering this question, one of the first ...read more
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5. Teach Your Kids: Yahweh Is A God Of Wonders (Joshua 4:1-24)
Contributed on Dec 11, 2021
Joshua sets up two memorials, in hopes that this will help the people remember, for all generations, God's wonders, and revere him, through all generations.
The easiest way to jump into today's passage is by turning back to Joshua 3:7-13. It begins with Yahweh's words to Joshua, right before He does the wonder He has planned for Israel. Verse 7: (7) And Yahweh said to Joshua, "On this day I shall/will begin to make you great in the ...read more
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6. The Making Of A Faithful People (Joshua 5:1-12)
Contributed on Dec 22, 2021
Joshua isn't simply about the conquest of Canaan. God is shaping his people, into truly becoming "his" people. (They'd been neglecting circumcision, and the Passover.)
Let's start today by simply reading our passage, Joshua 5:1-12: (1) And then, as soon as all the kings of the Amorites heard, who [were] on the other side of the Jordan to the west, with all the kings of the Canaanites who [were] at the sea, that Yahweh had dried up the waters of the ...read more
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7. Take Off One Sandal-- The Place Your (Two) Feet Touch Is Holy (Joshua 5:13-6:27)
Contributed on Dec 23, 2021
Why one sandal? And what does "holy" mean here, and in general?
Last week, AJ (Author of Joshua) began chapter 5 by messing with us. He reminded us that all the kings of the land were terrified by the Israelites, and their hearts had melted. It was then, at that time, that Yahweh commanded Joshua to make swords. We were all excited, thinking, NOW. NOW ...read more
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8. When The People Sin, And God Does Nothing (Joshua 7:1-24)
Contributed on Dec 26, 2021
When God does nothing, the simplest things become impossible.
Last week, we read about the conquest of Jericho. I tried to raise all sorts of weird, unpleasant questions, because I think the story raises these questions. Why did Yahweh mark off Jericho as dedicated to himself? Why were the Israelites supposed to kherem the city-- devote every single ...read more
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9. Our Encouraging God (Joshua 8:1-29)
Contributed on Dec 31, 2021
After the setback at Ai, God encourages Joshua, and nudges him back toward Himself, and the job at hand. God is good, and loving, and encouraging.
Many of us can read the exact same words in the Bible, and draw completely different understandings from it. Some of you, when you hear me say this, think I'm talking about how Christians argue over meaning and interpretation. But I'm actually talking about tone. Let's open to ...read more
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10. Seek God's Mouth (Joshua 9:1-27)
Contributed on Jan 2, 2022
Should we root for the Gibeonites? Cunning: Knowing what you want, and knowing how to get it.
Let's start this morning by reading Joshua 9:1-4: (1) And then, as soon as the kings heard who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the Shephelah and in all the coast of the great sea in front of Lebanon--the Hittites and Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and ...read more
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11. Our God Is A Great Warrior (Joshua 10:1-11)
Contributed on Jan 5, 2022
It's maybe more helpful to describe God as the "More Powerful One," than to call him "All-Powerful." We have good theology, but we talk about God in ways that make talk of "omnipotence" pointless. God has your back. And God fights for you.
Joshua 10 is complicated, and I'm not sure how to teach it. Normally, the way stories work, is that there is a flow to them-- an order. One thing naturally leads to another, which leads to another. Stories look like life looks. Everything happens in sequence. In chapter 10, AJ bends the ...read more
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12. God Heeds Our Voice (Joshua 10:1-15)
Contributed on Jan 8, 2022
When God stops the sun, we find ourselves itching to talk about Joshua's faith. But AJ's focus is on God's willingness to do what Joshua asks-- God "heeds."
Let's start today by simply rereading Joshua 10:1-11 (read it). This brings us to verse 12. The easiest way to think about verses 12-15, is that AJ here hits the pause button on the story, because there's something else he wants to add. He could've talked about it earlier, in verses ...read more
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13. Don't Fear Nephilim (Joshua 10:16-28)
Contributed on Jan 9, 2022
Dedicating to destruction is designed to kill off nephilim-- the descendants from Genesis 6:1-4. Here, Joshua body bags 5 of them.
Our passage this morning shouldn't make sense to you. Not because the language is complicated, or because it's hard to visualize the events it describes. It shouldn't make sense to you, because the battle we've been reading about for the past two weeks between Israel and the ...read more
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14. God Gives The Earth To Us (Joshua 10:29-11:23)
Contributed on Jan 12, 2022
Joshua is systematically killing off the nephilim, so that God's people can inherit the land, and have true "rest."
If you walk up to a random Christian in church, and ask them what the book of Joshua is about, they will tell you it's about the conquest of the land God promised Israel. But consider this: we are almost through Joshua 10, and at this point in the book, Joshua has conquered three cities: ...read more
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15. God Will Finish What He's Started (Joshua 12:1-23, 13:1-22)
Contributed on Jan 13, 2022
Joshua is old, and he can't do all that he wants to for God (and there's a lot left to do). God reassures him, "I got this. I'll finish the job."
This is a great passage. Let me try, up front, to persuade you about this. It's super helpful for understanding Joshua as a whole. There's hints scattered throughout this section about the Nephilim, if you're into that sort of thing. And the passage points us to God, and his ...read more
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16. You're Not Too Old To Serve (Joshua 14:6-13)
Contributed on Jan 20, 2022
If you act with courage, perhaps God will fight with you, and for you.
We've reached the point, in the book of Joshua, where it's mostly focused on the allocation of the land to the twelve tribes of Israel. It's important. It needs to be here. You should read it once, at least, if for no other reason than to keep seeing little notes about how Israel ...read more
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17. Acsah: The Ideal Christian Woman, And Wife (Joshua 15:13-19)
Contributed on Jan 22, 2022
The perfect Christian woman is a strong, capable provider. Also, how to pick out husbands for your daughters.
Sometimes when you hear someone teach/preach through a passage, you'll discover that what he says reveals more about himself-- his biases, his presuppositions, his theology, what's important to him-- that it actually reveals about the Bible. When you hear today's passage, I'm a ...read more
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18. Live Carefully (Cities Of Refuge; Numbers 35:1-34; Joshua 20:1-9)
Contributed on Jan 22, 2022
In God's eyes, it's really hard to accidentally kill someone. He places a high value on human life-- do we?
Sometimes in life, one will person will kill another. Sometimes, this is deliberate-- it's murder. Other times, it's an accident. Two people are out cutting down trees, and one person accidentally drops a tree onto the other. You kill him. You're out driving, and someone steps out ...read more
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19. Cities Of Refuge: A Kindness, To Keep You From Bloodguilt (Deuteronomy 19:1-13)
Contributed on Jan 25, 2022
God set them up, to protect you from bloodguilt. He knew you'd want revenge for accidental deaths, so He protected the innocent, from you. We don't take revenge.
This sermon marks the second Sunday we've talked about the cities of refuge. What I'd like to do this morning, because I love you, is start by messing with your heads a little. Normally, people think of the OT as the "half" of the Bible that's full of wrath and justice, ...read more
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20. What Does God Want From Elders? (Job 29:1-25; Joshua 20:1-9; Acts 6:1-7)
Contributed on Jan 28, 2022
Job was the ideal role model, for a good "elder" in ancient Israel. Authority is used for the vulnerable, to create authentic unity. Part 3 of cities of refuge.
I'd like to begin this morning by simply reading Joshua 20:1-9, from start to finish: (1) And Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, (2) "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, "Make for yourselves cities of refuge, which I had spoken to you by the hand of Moses, (3) to flee there, a ...read more
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21. The Three "onlys" All Worked Out (Joshua 21:43-45, 22:1-9)
Contributed on Jan 28, 2022
Joshua's book tension results from the 3 "onlys" of ch. 1. But they all work out: God is faithful, Joshua is brave, and the people obey.
When we started this study on Joshua, it was kind of overwhelming. How can you tell what you're supposed to focus on as you read? How can you tell what's important to the author? Usually what biblical authors do near the start of their books is give you some help in this. They'll ...read more
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22. When God Saves His People From Themselves (Joshua 22:1-34)
Contributed on Jan 29, 2022
Everyone in this story does what's right, and it almost leads to tragedy. God steps in, faithfully, to make sure it ends well.
Most movies that you go to see in theatres share a similar framework. Something bad happens, or has happened, at the start of the movie, that leads to tension and conflict. Eventually, there's a big climactic scene near the end of the movie where everything gets resolved. At this point, the ...read more
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23. Hear A Dying Man's Last Words, Part 1 (Joshua 23:1-16)
Contributed on Jan 29, 2022
Joshua has been a great leader. What are a great leader's last words to his flock?
One of the things I have to do, for biblical stories to hit me the way they should, is try to put myself into the biblical world. I try to crawl into the author's head, and make it my home. In Joshua, I try to put myself in Joshua's shoes at times. Other times, I put myself in the ...read more
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24. Joshua's Final Words, Part 2 (Joshua 24:1-33)
Contributed on Jan 29, 2022
Joshua calls them to make a deliberate choice-- for Yahweh, or other elohim. And he warns them, they will fail, and God's wrath will come. That said, he and his family will serve Yahweh.
Last week, in Joshua 23, we read what we thought were Joshua's last words. They were, really. Just, it was only first half of his farewell. And the focus of those words was on the warning. As a reminder, I'm going to reread verses 14-16: 14 “And now I am about to go the way of all the ...read more