Joshua Sermons – Covenant United Reformed Church

Our study in the book of Joshua comes to a close. Our fearless leader is going to die, and be placed in the grave. Joshua recalls the terms of the covenant and the working of the living God. How will Israel perform? Will Israel understand the terms of this covenant? Will they bind themselves to […] The post Covenant Renewal Part 2 (Joshua 24) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

After Christ’s ascension there is the promise of the outpouring of the Spirit. When Luke recounts this in Luke 24 there is the promise of the Spirit that will be poured out. In Acts, Luke moves to the outpouring of the Spirit. This Spirit does not merely fall upon the apostles, but upon men from […] The post Joshua's Covenant Renewal (Joshua 23:1-16) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The book of Joshua is coming to a conclusion. The tension at the beginning of the book is finally coming to rest. The eastern tribes have fulfilled their mandate to help their brothers secures the land, and they are told to go home and enjoy their rest. While this resolves one tension in the book […] The post Holy War Again? (Joshua 22:1-34) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The priests approach Joshua with a request to receive their cities. Israel gives them these cities. Why is it significant that Israel gives them their cities? What could this tell us about the land of Canaan? What could this communicate regarding our land secured in Christ? What could this even anticipate about our existence as […] The post Cities of Levi (Joshua 21:1-45) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The people of Israel have received their inheritance. The land has been divided as the Lord commanded. Now, we find that Israel is to establish something else in their land: cities of refuge. These are places where the people of Israel can seek legal protection after killing someone. Has the Lord softened his justice? Are […] The post The Cities of Refuge (Joshua 20:1-9) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The people of Israel receive their land, but as history unfolds they do not possess the land as Jacob declared. Does this mean that they failed? Does this mean that the Lord’s promises have fallen flat? Or is there an underlying theme of scripture that helps us understand these promises in the full proper context? […] The post The Fullness of the Land (Joshua 19; Revelation 7:1-12) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

Moses states that the secret things belong to the Lord. The seven tribes have been rebuked by Joshua. The seven tribes have returned to receive their allotments. The first tribe to stand before Joshua is Benjamin. Is there anything significant about this tribe being between Joseph and Judah? What is the history of this child’s […] The post Benjamin's Inheritance (Joshua 18:11-28) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The first time that Israel sent scouts into the land they came back with a false report. They started a mutiny among the people of God regarding their mandate to dispossess this land. There is another mandate and command for the people to go into the land, survey the land, and to come back to […] The post Can One Success Take Away Seven Failings (Joshua 18:1-10) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The thought of having one’s name blotted out of the book of life is a terrifying thought. This means that one will not have an existence or an identity that is beyond this age. We see such a potential problem in the book of Joshua. A name will cease to exist if the family does […] The post Manasseh's Inheritance (Joshua 17:1-18) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

When Rebecca hears from the Lord that she has two children in her womb the Lord states something that is interesting: the older will serve the younger. In our contemporary time this does not mean much, but in biblical times this is strange to hear. It is the oldest son who is the strongest and […] The post Ephraim's Inheritance (Joshua 16:1-10) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

So, the people of Israel have entered their land. Now, the land is being distributed to the tribes of Israel as promised. However, there is one city that has not be subdued. This city is the city fo Jerusalem. This is held out as a strike against Israel. It testifies to them not having the […] The post Is Jerusalem Supposed to Be International? (Joshua 15) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

When Jesus debuted in the temple there is no doubt that people ask who is this Jesus? It was clear in how he defended his beliefs that he was no ordinary boy nor any ordinary teacher. He was a man of a strange genealogy. Is this strangeness ever presented in Scripture prior to this? How […] The post An Unlikely Recipient (Joshua 14:1-15) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

Moses has died, but yet he did great things in Canaan. How do we account for this accomplishment? Why is this called to mind? What is significant about these tribes receiving their inheritance prior to the other tribes? Why is the work of Moses called to account here after the work of Joshua? If you […] The post A Suffering Servant's Provision (Joshua 13:8-33) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The book of Joshua starts off at a real high point in Israel’s history. Yes, it is sad that Moses is dead, but at least there is a successor who will finish the job. However, we find that this is not the case. Joshua is old, and he has not dispossessed all the nations as […] The post Joshua, My Servant, is Old (Joshua 13:1-7) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The author of Hebrews states, "For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on." The list we read in Joshua 12:7-24 is a rather large list. It seems that the whole land is secured. If Joshua secures the land then what is lacking? Or does this list […] The post Israel's Conquest under Joshua (Joshua 13:7-24) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

King Shihon and Og were two kings who met the fury of the Lord at the hand of Moses. Why is their story remembered? Why do we have the details of this history? What does this have to do with us today? If you are curious to hear the answer to these questions please stay […] The post Israel's Championship Under Moses (Joshua 12:1-6) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

Joshua has defeated the Southern empire in a matter of days. Now, there is the matter with Joshua waging war with the north. The king of Wisdom rallies the nations together so that he can make war against Joshua. They come in great numbers with the weapons of the day challenging the Lord’s warrior. Will […] The post One King, One Wisdom (Joshua 11) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The nations of the southern empire have come together and conspired against Joshua. However, these southern cities fail to see that they are really conspiring against Yahweh. So, how will they stand? Will the Lord fight for Israel as they wage this southern campaign? Will the cities that provided rest for the fleeing soldiers continue […] The post The South Will Not Rise Again (Joshua 10:29-43) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

A man takes on the name "Lord of Righteousness" and then challenges the people of Israel. This man has experienced a devastating blow from Joshua and the sons of Israel. However, we never hear about the fate of this king, and his co-conspirators. Now Joshua meets with this king who is now merely the king […] The post The True Lord of Righteousness (Joshua 10:15-28) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The Gibeonites have deceived the Israelites. The nations conspired with Gibeon to fight against Israel. Israel entered into covenant with Gibeon, and now we wait to see how the nations react. The Lord of Righteousness who rules in Jerusalem rallies the troops to fight against Gibeon. Will Joshua fight on behalf of this nation as […] The post The King of Righteousness (Joshua 10:1-14) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

So, Israel is in the promised land, and they have had their covenant renewal ceremony. So, it seems that all is well considering that they reviewed the law of Moses. One would think that since this review is so fresh that they would exercise discretion. However, we find that even Joshua, a seasoned warrior and […] The post Covenant Deception (Joshua 9:1-27) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

So, we come together every week in worship for a covenant renewal ceremony whereby we consider who we are in Christ. Joshua is doing the same thing with Israel. However, are we called to Mount Ebal every week? What is different about our ceremony verses what we see with Joshua? If you are curious about […] The post The Covenant Renewal (Joshua 8:31-35) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

After Joshua is defeated at the first battle at Ai he asked the Lord, "What will you do for your name?" Since then an Israelite has been executed, and now Israel is called to fight Ai one more time. Will this war be any different? Will Israel gain victory once again? If you are curious […] The post So, This is What You Will Do For Your Name (Joshua 8:1-29) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

So, we know that Achan has sinned, but what will be the consequence? How will Israel deal with this sin and this offense? Now we find the answer to these questions as the Lord brings about justice for the nation of Israel. How will the offender of Herem war fare after this trial? If you […] The post Achan Learns that Holy War is Wholly War (Joshua 7:10-26) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

So, the people of Israel have claimed a great victory. The city that acted as a gateway in Canaan literally fell before them. Does this mean that every victory will be as easy? Does this mean that Israel will claim all the cities in the same way? Well, we have testimony of their second battle, […] The post What About Your Name? (Joshua 7:1-9) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

There is no mistaking that Canaan is the land that Israel is to have, and the Lord is going give it to them. Now, we are at that deciding battle that takes place. We are at the time when the Lord is to give them this city that is the entrance to Canaan. However, the […] The post When Two Worlds Collide (Joshua 6) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

So, Joshua is before the Angel of the Lord. He is here helpless before this warrior. However, if the Angel of the Lord is commissioning Joshua to prove his worthiness what is the message for us? How do we know that Christ is not turning His sword against us? How does this angel prefigure our […] The post The Mysterious Warrior-The Angel of the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

Joshua has been the warrior for the nation of Israel. He is the commander that will lead the Lord’s army to subdue the land. They will have peace. Well, it seems that this is the certain plan, but Joshua meets an unlikely challenger. Who is this mysterious figure? What does this tell us about the […] The post The Mysterious Warrior (Joshua 5:13-14) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

Gilgal is the place where the Lord cut off the river or rolled back the river. It was the Lord who cut off the water so that Israel could enter the land. Now, the Lord states that this place means, "rolled back Israel’s shame." What does this have to do with circumcision? Why did this […] The post Circumcised Again? (Joshua 5:1-12) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

When we travel and see monuments we look at them and remember the significant event or person that is commemorated. Rarely, do we see an irony in these monuments. However, the monument at Gilgal commemorates a significant event, but will soon in Israel’s history become an icon of irony. What is the irony of this […] The post A Monumental Moment (Joshua 4:1-24) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

We are sons of the living God. How can we, the ones who sinned in the first Adam, be sons of the living God? Does this mean that we are absorbed into the divine nature so that we take the place of the second person of the trinity? Does this mean that we become gods? […] The post How Do We Become sons of God? (Ephesians 1:11, LD 13) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The author of Hebrews tells us that Joshua did not give Israel rest. How can it be that Israel did not have rest? The land of Canaan was the promised land. It was the land that Moses declared would be their land of rest. So, as Israel enters the land, how can it be that […] The post A Realized Rest (Joshua 3:1-14) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

Rarely, do we think of Rahab as facilitating religion. However, in this passage there is a great irony in how she facilitates and shows her profession for the different gods. How does this happen? Why is this figure so significant? Why is she a model of the faithful? If are you interested in hearing the […] The post The Prostitutes Profession (Joshua 2:1-24) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

When we think of a gift we think of something that is freely given. However, when we look at Joshua commanding the tribes of Israel he commands the commanders, and they are commanded to fight. This is not a gift where they will merely receive the land, but we find here at the opening of […] The post Seize Your Land (Joshua 1:10-18) appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

The author of Hebrews tells us that Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. If Abraham is looking for this city then what is the purpose of Canaan? If Canaan was not the full realization of the promise land then what is its purpose? What is […] The post Moses, My Servant, is Dead appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.