Sermon Central
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Joshua: The Lord's Army
Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jan 10, 2016 (message contributor)
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1. You Can't Get There From Here
Contributed on Jan 10, 2016
Joshua provides a bridge between Israel's unsettled wanderings and the establishment of a new nation. The children of Israel were shaken by the death of Moses, and were filled with uncertainty about their future...yet God hadn't left.
Mainers like to say when giving directions, “You can't get there from here”...or more accurately, “You can't get they-ahh from hee-yahh.” The children of Israel must have thought that, journeying through the wilderness to the promised land. It had been a long, grueling ...read more
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2. Rahab And The Spies
Contributed on Jan 17, 2016
There was a time when we were like Rahab. We were outside of the family of God, living in the blindness and corruption of sin, till God instilled faith in us. Like Rahab, we are invited just as we are. God will take us and transform us.
This is a story of grace... The last time spies were sent to do a covert reconnaissance of the Promised Land, there were twelve, sent by Moses, and only two of them, Caleb and Joshua, had faith to believe God would grant Israel victory. Perhaps symbolically, Joshua sent two men to glean ...read more
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3. Crossing On Dry Ground
Contributed on Jan 31, 2016
Whether crossing a river or conquering the land, it would all be done by God's might and direction. And by remembering these glory days, they would revere God all their days.
>6 major events: Consecration, Crossing, Memorial, Circumcision, Passover, Warrior There are significant days we will always remember--days when we took a bold new step, eager to see what God would do. Israel was about to take a giant step across the Jordan River to the Land of Promise. ...read more
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4. "Joshua Fought The Battle Of Jericho"
Contributed on Feb 7, 2016
This was the Lord of Host's battle, and His victory. The strategy was unconventional, but effective, and a reminder of the holy wrath of God upon wickedness.
God is depicted in the Book of Joshua as a Warrior--One who leads His people into battle and gives them victory. Throughout Scripture, God is referred to as the “Lord of Hosts,” literally “armies.” Joshua engaged the enemy in the Name and power of God, a holy conflict. ...read more
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5. Sin In The Camp
Contributed on Feb 21, 2016
God's punishment upon Achan (and his family and possessions) seems severe...and it was, because sin is a serious matter. Sin is rebellion. Sin is covenant-breaking. Sin is choosing to go our way and reject God's way. And sin has consequences.
Hamlet famously complained that “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Joshua found that something was rotten in Canaan, within his own people. After devoting himself to God, and after a miraculous victory at Jericho, Joshua's army suffered a defeat in Ai. Israel was enjoying ...read more
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6. Stopping The Sun
Contributed on Feb 28, 2016
God is the Warrior who fights for His people. When we're operating on our own, we accomplish what talent and education and money can do. When we're walking with God, we accomplish what God can do.
“Stopping the Sun” -Joshua 10:1, 5-14; Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts (28 Feb 2016) It turns out that D-Day wasn't “The Longest Day.” It was the Battle of the 5 kings! Here's how it began: Israel was deceived into making ...read more
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7. "I Want That Mountain!"
Contributed on Mar 6, 2016
Caleb was resolute in his faith and objectives. He shows us that life is a matter of perspective. Where others saw obstacles, he saw opportunities.
When I was in high school in New Jersey, I attended a church whose youth leader loved to sing an old-timey chorus: “I want that mountain, I want that mountain; where the milk and honey flow, where the grapes of Eschol grow. I want that mountain, I want that mountain, the mountain that the ...read more
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8. Choose This Day
Contributed on Mar 13, 2016
We cannot be neutral. When God calls us, He demands strict and exclusive loyalty. We're to renounce all God-substitutes. We have a choice to make.
Knowing he is near the end of his life, Joshua assembles the elders to give one last charge to Israel. It is a solemn moment, and the climax of the book. Joshua's last words are rooted in history, and in the wondrous works of God the children of Israel witnessed themselves. Joshua reminds his ...read more