Podcasts about for joshua

For Joshua 24, go to: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+24&version=NIV

The songs of "Forgotten Folklore" are a window into the overlooked stories of Americana. Vocalist Joshua Banbury and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Sherwin create a musical journey through a curated selection of texts and tunes, in striking new arrangements. The songs offer hope, contemplate nature, reminisce on love, and much more. Banbury and Sherwin also contribute wholly original songs, evoking the story-like essence of American folklore. Web: http://kevinsherwin.com/forgotten-folklore/ The soundscape of "Forgotten Folklore" draws on the fragility and vitality of America's legacy of folk singers. Joshua and Kevin's passion for the early recordings of singers such as Jean Ritchie (1922-2015), Edna Ritchie (1918-1978), Vera Hall (1902-1964), and many others, served as a foundation. Their continued research also led to the prolific transcriptions and field recordings of folklorist Alan Lomax (1915-2002). Banbury and Sherwin's partnership with the Yale Collection of Historical Sound Recordings led to the detailed study of recordings and texts by these luminaries, among many other American musicians from the early and mid-1900s. The final selection of 5 traditional folk texts offered stories from Texas, Appalachia, and beyond. In re-interpreting these tunes, Banbury and Sherwin draw on their own musical imaginations, infusing traditional Carnatic music, American orchestral music, and elements of Jazz. This personal approach led them to realize new connections between folk traditions across the world. For Joshua, singing this music gave him a new appreciation for his own ancestors, who have inhabited Texas since the 1830s. About the show: ► Website: http://www.ashsaidit.com ► Need Goli Gummies? https://go.goli.com/1loveash5 ► For $5 in ride credit, download the Lyft app using my referral link: https://www.lyft.com/ici/ASH584216 ► Want the ‘coldest' water? https://thecoldestwater.com/?ref=ashleybrown12 ► Become A Podcast Legend: http://ashsaidit.podcastersmastery.zaxaa.com/s/6543767021305 ► Review Us: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ash-said-it/id1144197789 ► SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/c/AshSaidItSuwanee ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1loveash ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/1loveAsh ► Blog: http://www.ashsaidit.com/blog ► Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/1LoveAsh/ ► Newsletter: manage1.com/subscribe?u=2a2ca3b799467f125b53863http://ashsaidit.us11.list-c8&id=a6f43cd472 #atlanta #ashsaidit #ashsaidthat #ashblogsit #ashsaidit® Ash Brown is a gifted American producer, blogger, speaker, media personality and event emcee. The blog on AshSaidit.com showcases exclusive event invites, product reviews and so much more. Her motivational podcast "Ash Said It Daily" is available on major media platforms such as iTunes, iHeart Radio & Google Play. This program has over half a million streams worldwide. She uses these mediums to motivate & encourage her audience in the most powerful way. She keeps it real!

Grief Dreams. What are they? What do they mean? Is it normal to have a grief dream? Is it normal not to dream of the deceased? These are questions that Dr. Joshua Black has been studying for  years now. Ever since he had a dream about his father several months after he had suddenly died, Joshua was curious about how these dreams affect people.  For Joshua, that dream brought him a sense of peace. He had never had a chance to say goodbye to his father or tell him that he loved him. In the dream though, Joshua did just that. He said when he woke up the next morning, he felt that a little bit of color had returned to the world. He had a sense of peace and felt just a little bit better. As Joshua got further into his psychology training, he began to wonder if others had similar experiences with grief dreams. He decided to look into the research and found that very little existed. He dug in and started doing research himself. He found that although overall, 80% of dreams are negative, when looking at grief dreams, the overwhelming majority of these dreams are positive. They offer comfort to us, giving just a few more precious minutes with our loved ones. What about those of us who don't have grief dreams? Dr. Black says that most likely everyone does dream of their deceased loved ones. What happens though, is that many times, we don't remember those dreams. Approximately 10% of people never remember their dreams, and for those people, it will not really be possible to remember a grief dream either. For those of us who do at least occasionally remember dreams, however, we can do things to help ourselves have more dreams and have those dreams be positive. On his website, griefdreams.ca, we can download our own Dream Builder Worksheets to help us think about dreams we'd like to have about our loved ones. Dr. Black also has a podcast fittingly called, Grief Dreams Podcast where guests talk about their own grief dreams. Overall, these dreams can be a wonderful healing part of our own grief journeys.

Certain elements and factors need to align for you to experience a miracle. For Joshua the sun and the moon needed to change their mode of operation. I prophesy , whatever needs to stop , whatever needs to start for your lifting to be complete may it happen in a hurry in Jesus name. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/firefortoday/support

Hebrews 3:7–4:11 constitutes a sustained argument. We may briefly summarize what Hebrews 3:7–19 says and focus attention on Hebrews 4:1–11.The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 95:7–11 (Heb. 3:7–11), which finds the Holy Spirit (Heb. 3:7), the ultimate author of Scripture, saying, in effect, “Today do not harden your heart as your forefathers did at Kadesh Barnea, when they first approached the Promised Land. The majority of the spies gave a faithless report, with the consequence that the covenant people spent the next forty years wandering around the desert instead of entering into the rest that had been promised them. But today, do not make the same mistake. If you hear the voice of God, believe and obey—unlike the response of your forefathers.” The very people whom God had saved from slavery were the ones he condemned to wander and die in the desert. So today the people of God should persevere in their faith and obedience, and not tumble into the unbelief (Heb. 3:19) of their ancestors.So far the argument is one of analogy. Hebrews 4 takes it much farther. If God is still offering rest to people in the time of Psalm 95, it follows that the rest provided by the Promised Land was never meant to be the ultimate rest. For Joshua did lead the people into the land, yet “if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day” (Heb. 4:8). Moreover, when God swears in his anger that the generation at Kadesh Barnea will never enter into “my rest” (Ps. 95:11; Heb. 3:11; 4:3), the thoughtful reader must ask what this “rest” of God really is. God first “rests” at the end of creation week (Gen. 2:2). That becomes a model for the covenantal Sabbath-rest. Yet neither the Sabbath-rest nor the rest in the Promised Land constitute the ultimate rest, for here in Psalm 95, “a long time later” (Heb. 4:7), God still invites people to enter his rest, on the condition of persevering faith (Heb. 4:2, 11).The ultimate rest, the writer of Hebrews insists, can only be the Gospel, in which men and women cease from their works (as God rested from his at Creation). All of this argumentation depends on reading the Bible in its salvation-historical progression, that is, reading it sequentially along its story-line and observing how the bits not only hang together but point forward and anticipate greater things to come. The argument is not one of analogy but of typology. That is what is calling us to persevering faith and obedience; that is part of what makes the word of God living, active, and penetrating (Heb. 4:12–13). This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Our guest today is Joshua C. Andrus, ADCII, CCS, an Addiction Therapist and Supervisor in the field of co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders for over 14 years. For Joshua, his series of children's stories have been an amazing outlet for him to address difficult issues including mental health and addiction in an approachable way.  -- Register for the free Friends in Recovery Virtual Support Meetings: http://www.genesishouse.net/online-groups/ Join our community on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/groups/friendsinrecoverycommunityofsupport/ -- The Friends in Recovery Podcast is brought to you by Genesis House Recovery (800-737-0933) and FirstNet, built with AT&T!   The Friends in Recovery Podcast is powered by your Likes, Follows, Subscribes, and Shares! Podbean: https://addictionrecovery.podbean.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/friendsinrecoverypodcast/ Website: www.genesishouse.net/podcasts/friends-in-recovery/   There are many ways to help someone that is suffering from addiction. There are professionals here to help you from staging an intervention to getting counseling as a family member and anything in between. If you or a loved one needs help, reach out to our panel at help@friendsinrecoverypodcast.com. Inquiries and interested speakers can reach us at help@friendsinrecoverypodcast.com. Reach out to the Podfather - Mike Miles, MSW - at Therapy Services in Chelmsford, Massachusetts at 978-459-4884. National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

What we speak over our children matters. Today on Wholistic Hearts, Joshua and Kristin continue their series of Marriage and jump into the subject of parenting. For Joshua and Kristin, learning to speak identity over their children was a bit of an  awakening process. They discuss: What is identity? How do we discover the unique qualities/gifts God has given in our children? Why it’s important for our kids to know they belong As mentioned in the podcast, here is the little girl whose affirmations are right en pointe. Thanks for every listen and subscribe. For a free 30 minute coaching call, visit my website. Want to know when a new podcast hits the airways? Want to hear my favorite goodies of the week? Sign up for my newsletter here.

With the world stuck at home, so many of us are realizing just how much stuff we have. For Joshua and Kim Becker, this realization hit 12 years ago.In the midst of spring cleaning a while back, Joshua Becker learned the term “minimalism”.  Him and his family then entered a 9-month journey of working through all the growing pains that go along with becoming a minimalist. One of which hit a little too close to home for his wife Kim when she walked in on Joshua throwing away their honeymoon photos!  After the initial sting, this new way of life led Joshua to leave his job as a Pastor and to launch their new company “Becoming Minimalist” which brought on a whole new set of growing pains for the family. Join us as we listen to how Joshua and Kim are now active voices in leading other people in the process of decluttering and reprioritizing the things in their lives.To learn more:https://www.becomingminimalist.com/Welcome to the Love or Work Podcast, hosted by Andre Shinabarger (Physician Assistant, Grady Hospital) and Jeff Shinabarger (Social Entrepreneur and Founder of Plywood People). They are asking the question: Is it possible to change the world, stay in love and raise a healthy family? 100 interviews where Jeff and Andre learn from other working families in the journey of marriage, purpose and parenting.Website: www.loveorwork.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/loveorworkLove or Work is a project of Plywood People.Plywood is a non-profit in Atlanta leading a community of start-ups doing good.www.plywoodpeople.com 

What is in God's heart for your year? Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Proverbs 3:5,6 NIV influenced your goals too. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. God is trustworthy! Envision Your Dream! Has reality ever slapped you in the face? What belief's and thoughts do you have that will stop you from reaching your goal? Joshua's challenge For Joshua it wasn't a new year that challenged him; it was a new responsibility. Joshua1: 2 NLT “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. Do Something! God is with you! Jesus has given you that same promise tucked into the great commission in Matthew 28:19,20. Don't compartmentalize your life. 3 John 1:2 NKJ shows us that reality. "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." Nourishing your spirit, feeding your spirit, developing your faith and learning to receive God's power and strength flows into every part of your life. Look at Matthew 5:16 NIV  "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." You need a strategy. That's why verse 7 is so important...and I want you to hear these verse as if God were speaking them to you, cause I believe He is speaking to you through Scripture. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Seek wisdom. When you don't find a clear strategy  in God's Word, then you have to look for it. But does it work in other areas of life? His father in law began to pray and do something. Now the soldier had a strategy. His situation required prayer, wisdom and action. Most situations do. Most goals do. More than hoping! If you are going to possess the promises of God it will require more than hoping. Hoping is a great beginning; but if you want to go all the way to finishing you've got to get wisdom or a solid strategy and then take action on that strategy. (Even if it's a single step.) I believe that you can experience God's Heart...God's plan for 2020! I believe you can reach your goals, but you will never reach them if you don't get wisdom and then act on it! 

Joshua A. Shea is a recovering pornography addict who is here to shed a different light on the topic of porn addiction and what goes on inside the mind of a porn addict. Joshua’s 20-year addiction came to a head when he pulled himself off his bipolar medication and engaged an underage girl in an online chat room. Now sober, out of prison and still living with his wife and children, Joshua is here to explain the real motivating factors behind his own personal porn addiction.  For Joshua, it was never about the pornography or the alcohol but instead about the control he gained from using this material. If you have been hurt by someone’s porn usage or want to gain a better understanding of the decision-making process of a pornography addict, this is an episode you need to listen too. Despite the fact that many adults look at pornography, it is a topic that nobody wants to talk about. Joshua wants to open up that conversation and shine a light on the problem of pornography addiction to help others who may be struggling as well. If you are the spouse or the partner of a pornography addict, Joshua wants to make sure that you know that it has nothing to do with you and provide you with insights to help you understand that there is no stereotypical addict.  Do you or somebody that you love struggle with pornography addiction? Share this episode with them and let us know how transformation has proven possible for you in the comments on the episode page.   In This Episode Understanding the role of past trauma, alcohol and control played in Joshua’s addiction Why you should not confuse intercourse with a pornography addiction Learn how Joshua’s wife handled the situation and did the work to heal Explore what recovery looks like now and the importance of being willing to try Addressing the way that the Internet is changing society and pornography usage   Quotes “Pornography and the alcohol, they both allowed me to escape someplace else. They allowed me to go somewhere where I was in control. And that ultimately is what my pornography addiction specifically was about my entire life.” (5:07) “I think I even made the joke back then that all of these different people would only ever meet at my funeral, and they would all have very different stories to share with one another because they all knew different versions of me.” (10:46) “Despite the magazine falling apart, despite the fact that I was drinking more and my relationships with my family were falling apart, life was crumbling, and the one place that I could exert control was in the middle of the night in these chat rooms.” (17:10) “I don’t blame the addiction for what I did. The addiction did make me get out of control, it did make me not recognize cause and effect and not recognize what could happen and make poor decisions. However, I made the very poor decision to pull myself off my bipolar medication.” (21:41) “Despite the fact that the vast majority of people are looking at pornography, everybody wants to pretend that they don’t. And if everybody pretends that they don’t look at pornography, I am not even saying addicts, but if everybody pretends that they don’t look at pornography, how can we even begin to have conversations about pornography addiction?” (29:12)   Links Recovering Porn Addict Website The Addiction Nobody Will Talk About by Joshua Shea   Find the full episode post here: https://pbtinstitute.com/89 Do you have Post Betrayal Syndrome? Take the quiz: https://pbtinstitute.com/quiz/ Products and Programs specifically designed to help you heal from betrayal: https://pbtinstitute.com/shop/ Connect: Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/InspireEmpowerTransform Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenHackingBetrayal/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebiSilber LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debisilber/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debisilber/ Watch my TEDx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX30i6nC7ro

For Joshua and his generation the time had come to cross boundaries, overcome obstacles and possess the promises of God - and great strength and courage were the outstanding characteristics needed for their success. These things are true for us too, and this message is a call to recognise the urgent need of our day, the great harvest all around us, and the fact that the clock is ticking…. This is your time, God is with you, and so are we! So be bold, be strong and don’t miss the moment!

If God leads you OUT of something, He is faithful to lead you INTO something new. For Joshua, it was taking the nation of Israel INTO the Promised Land. Journey with us as we learn from Joshua about how to live a victorious Christian life now so you may walk well in your calling. The question is: Will you STEP UP?

If God leads you OUT of something, He is faithful to lead you INTO something new. For Joshua, it was taking the nation of Israel INTO the Promised Land. Journey with us as we learn from Joshua about how to live a victorious Christian life now so you may walk well in your calling. The question is: Will you STEP UP?

Phil continued our series looking at Joshua 10, reminding us that God does not break his promises and that he can use all situations for his glory. Introduction • Last week we looked at the Gibeonite deception • How Israel did not enquirer of the Lord but make a covenant / Treaty with the Gibeonites that the Lord had commanded can they must not do. • They were presumptuous in not enquiring of the Lord • How that applies to us in our daily life Chapter 10: 1-15 • The Gibeonites were afraid of the people of God causing them to deceive them • Now the king of Jerusalem had heard of the victories and that Gibeon had made the covenant and was afraid • Gibeon on its own was a great city like one of the royal cities and all it's men were warriors They had cause to fear • J10 V 5 the 5 kings of the Amorites joined with the other kings. • In J 2 v 10 2 Amorites kings had already been defeated east of the Jordan • J 5v1 - fear was already in their hearts Word sent to Gilgal where Joshua was camping Gilgal was an important place for Israel • Gilgal was the place of memorial (Joshua 4:20 - 12 stone from the river Jordan piled up here • Gilgal was the place of radical obedience (Joshua 5:2-3 - circumcision took place here • Gilgal was the place where reproach was removed (Joshua 5:9 - Reproach rolled away • Gilgal was the place of obedience and the remembrance of salvation (Joshua 5:10- celebrated the Passover • Gilgal was the place where the manna stopped, and they began to live of what the Promised Land provided (Joshua 5:11-12 The first time they tasted of the land flowing with milk and honey. They leave Gilgal It is estimated that the route to Gibeon from Gilgal was 20 mile (32km) with a 3,300 ft climb (1000m) and would have taken 8-10hrs through the night. Do not fear for I have given them into your hands not a man of shall stand before you • Fear takes away our ability to fight battles. Even in the face of strong enemies, Joshua was command to not fear and needed reminding. • For Joshua, fear was unbelief – being unwilling to believe what God promised. So it is with us today • God does His work, but He seeks to draws us into working with Him. Often God waits to see our initiative, our willingness to be a partner with Him, before He does what only He can do. • This is not the idea that “God helps those who help themselves.” • That's a lie the end,y would have us believe. Along with positive thinking rather than faith. • The idea is “God wants to draw His people into partnership with Him in seeing His work done.” • God honours Joshua for honouring the covenant with the Gibeonites ○ Even though it was against Gods instructions ○ Grace was given to Joshua even though mistakes had been made • God honours his promise to give them the land ○ Gods promise is true irrespective of us ○ He is faith to his promise even when we are not ○ The Promise to Moses and not to Joshua still stands ○ Not disqualified from the promise 3 miracles • God not only keeps his promise but he fights for them himself by a. God threw them into panic b. Sending a storm of hail stones that killed more than the sword Joshua prayed this one prayer, simple, short precise “On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬ https://www.bible.com/116/jos.10.12.nlt “So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day! Then Joshua and the Israelite army returned to

If God leads you OUT of something, He is faithful to lead you INTO something new. For Joshua, it was taking the nation of Israel INTO the Promised Land. Journey with us as we learn from Joshua about how to live a victorious Christian life now so you may walk well in your calling. The question is: Will you STEP UP?

If God leads you OUT of something, He is faithful to lead you INTO something new. For Joshua, it was taking the nation of Israel INTO the Promised Land. Journey with us as we learn from Joshua about how to live a victorious Christian life now so you may walk well in your calling. The question is: Will you STEP UP?

If God leads you OUT of something, He is faithful to lead you INTO something new. For Joshua, it was taking the nation of Israel INTO the Promised Land. Journey with us as we learn from Joshua about how to live a victorious Christian life now so you may walk well in your calling. The question is: Will you STEP UP?

Deuteronomy 27 The Altar on Mount Ebal 27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today. 2 When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. 3 Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. 5 Build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool on them. 6 Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7 Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.” Curses From Mount Ebal 9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.” 11 On the same day Moses commanded the people: 12 When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. 13 And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali. Joshua 8 Ai Destroyed 8 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. 2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.” 3 So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night 4 with these orders: “Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. 5 I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. 6 They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are running away from us as they did before.’ So when we flee from them, 7 you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand. 8 When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord has commanded. See to it; you have my orders.” 9 Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai—but Joshua spent that night with the people. 10 Early the next morning Joshua mustered his army, and he and the leaders of Israel marched before them to Ai. 11 The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. 12 Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. 13 So the soldiers took up their positions—with the main camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley. 14 When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. 15 Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. 16 All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city. 17 Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel. 18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand. 19 As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire. 20 The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising up into the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction; the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the wilderness had turned back against their pursuers. 21 For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from it, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. 22 Those in the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. 23 But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. 24 When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. 25 Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai. 26 For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed[a] all who lived in Ai. 27 But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai[b] and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. 29 He impaled the body of the king of Ai on a pole and left it there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take the body from the pole and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day. The Covenant Renewed at Mount Ebal 30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, 31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. 32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. 33 All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. 34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

Deuteronomy 27 The Altar on Mount Ebal 27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today. 2 When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. 3 Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. 5 Build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool on them. 6 Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7 Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.” Curses From Mount Ebal 9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.” 11 On the same day Moses commanded the people: 12 When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. 13 And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali. Joshua 8 Ai Destroyed 8 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. 2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.” 3 So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night 4 with these orders: “Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. 5 I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. 6 They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are running away from us as they did before.’ So when we flee from them, 7 you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand. 8 When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord has commanded. See to it; you have my orders.” 9 Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai—but Joshua spent that night with the people. 10 Early the next morning Joshua mustered his army, and he and the leaders of Israel marched before them to Ai. 11 The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. 12 Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. 13 So the soldiers took up their positions—with the main camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley. 14 When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. 15 Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. 16 All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city. 17 Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel. 18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand. 19 As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire. 20 The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising up into the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction; the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the wilderness had turned back against their pursuers. 21 For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from it, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. 22 Those in the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. 23 But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. 24 When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. 25 Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai. 26 For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed[a] all who lived in Ai. 27 But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai[b] and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. 29 He impaled the body of the king of Ai on a pole and left it there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take the body from the pole and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day. The Covenant Renewed at Mount Ebal 30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, 31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. 32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. 33 All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. 34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

Joshua 1:1-9 Watch Video Download Manuscript Download Handout Listen to MP3 → Click to view the Sermon Outline Genesis 6:14-18 - Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood…I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. Genesis 6:22 - Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. Hebrews 11:8-10 - By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 1 Samuel 17:45-47 - Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” Matthew 14:28-29 - Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Deuteronomy 31:1-8 - So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, “I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come and go, and the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’ It is the Lord your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as the Lord has spoken. The Lord will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. The Lord will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” 3 elements of courage necessary to make a difference for God I. Courageous Enough to Acknowledge Sin A. For Joshua Deuteronomy 9:4-5 - Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,” but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Joshua 7:6 - Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. Joshua 7:10-11 - So the Lord said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things.” Joshua 7:19-20 - Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” So Achan answered Joshua and said, “Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did…” B. For Martin Luther (1483-1546) “St. Anne help me.  I will become a monk.” “The head of the monastery, the ‘prior,’ stood upon the steps of the altar while Luther prostrated himself before him. The prior asked, ‘What seekest thou?’ to which the young novice replied, ‘God’s grace and thy mercy.’ The prior then raised him up and asked if he was married, a bondsman or afflicted with secret disease, to which Luther replied, ‘NO.’ The prior then described to him the rigors of the life he now entered; the renunciation of self-will, the scant diet, rough clothing, vigils by night and labors by day, the mortification of the flesh, the reproach of poverty, the shame of begging and the distasteful existence of life lived in the cloister.  Was he ready to take upon himself these burdens? ‘Yes, with God’s help and in so far as human frailty allows,’ and he was admitted to a year of probation. As the choir sang, his head was ‘tonsured’ his clothes were exchanged for the habit of a monk and he bowed. Over him the prior prayed, ‘Hear, O Lord, our heartfelt pleas and deign to confer thy blessing on this thy servant, whom in thy holy name we have clad in the habit of a monk, that he may continue with thy help faithful in thy church and merit eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1978), pp. 26-27 “At one point his exasperated superior, Father Staupitz exclaimed, ‘Brother Martin.  If you’re going to confess so much, why don’t you go do something worth confessing?  Kill your mother or father!  Commit adultery!  Quit coming in here with such flummery and fake sins!’ (Pasma, p. 9) C. For you and me 1. Beginning at salvation Matthew 5:3-4 - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Romans 3:10 - …as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one…” Romans 3:20 -        …because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. 2. In the way we solve problems Matthew 7:3 - Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Romans 7:19 - For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 3. In the way we embrace suffering Romans 12:17-19 - Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 4. In the way we explain Christian growth Romans 15:14 - And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. II. Courageous Enough to Clarify Your Beliefs A. For Joshua Joshua 1:7-8 - Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. B. For Martin Luther Hebrews 10:11 - Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins… 1513-15 – Psalms 1515–16 – Romans 1516-17 – Galatians 1517-18 – Hebrews Psalm 22:1 - My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. Psalm 85:10 - Lovingkindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. “Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that ‘the just shall live by his faith.’  Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith.  Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise.  The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the ‘justice of God’ had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love.  This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven…If you have a true faith that Christ is your Saviour, then at once you have a gracious God, for faith leads you in and opens up God’s heart and will, that you should see pure grace and overflowing love.” (Bainton, pp. 49-50) “I cry to thee in direst need.      O God, I beg thee hear me.  To my distress I pray give heed. O Father, draw thou near me. If thou shouldst wish to look upon the wrong and wickedness I’ve done, how could I stand before thee?  With thee is naught but untold grace ever more forgiving. We cannot stand before thy face, not by the best of living. No man boasting may draw near. All the living stand in fear Thy grace alone can save them. Therefore, in God I place my trust, my own claim denying. Believe in him alone I must, on his sole grace relying. He pledged to me his plighted word. My comfort is in what I heard.     There will I hold forever.” (Bainton, p. 271) C. For you and me 2 Timothy 4:1-4 - I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. III. Courageous Enough to Stand for Truth A. For Joshua Joshua 24:15 - If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. B. For Martin Luther “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason-for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves-I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one's conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen.” C. For you and me   Outlined Manuscript - Would you agree with me this am that often when God wishes to use a person in the accomplishment of His program large or small – one of the characteristics He supplies, and one of the characteristics He expects – is that of spiritual courage… - God is pleased when people step out in faith and take Him at His Word…attempting things that will only come to pass if the Lord is who He says He is… - for example, the Lord tells Noah in Genesis 6 – because the earth was filled with violence…and all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth…Genesis 6:14-18 - Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood…I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. - that would take faith…that would take courage…and the repeated phrase you see throughout that passage is this…Genesis 6:22 - Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. - you could say the same thing about Abraham -- Hebrews 11:8–10 - By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. - taking that step of obedience required spiritual courage… - we could say the same thing about David when he looked at that big giant Goliath…1 Samuel 17:45–47 - Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. “This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” - would it be fair to say that young David possessed a fair amount of spiritual courage?... - And when you start to think about it – it’s amazing how often this issue comes up in Scripture…not just in the OT by the way – but the NT as well… - Remember when the disciples saw Jesus walking on water…What did Peter say?...Hey – I wanna do that…Matthew 14:28–29 - Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. - yes its true that he took his eyes off Jesus and he started to sink…but at least he had the courage to get out of the boat, huh?... - So the principle is clear -- often when God wishes to use a person in the accomplishment of His program large or small – one of the characteristics He supplies, and one of the characteristics He expects – is that of spiritual courage…God is pleased when people step out in faith and take Him at His Word… - now, there’s probably another place in the Bible that has already come to your mind…because this particular characteristic is specifically and repeated mentioned… - it’s when Moses is about to die…and Joshua has been chosen to lead the children into the promised land…and what is it that’s continually emphasized?... - Deuteronomy 31:1–8 - So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, “I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come and go, and the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’ “It is the Lord your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as the Lord has spoken. “The Lord will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. “The Lord will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” - see, what is Joshua going to need to be used of God to accomplish this next phase of the Lord’s sovereign plan?...no doubt about that one huh?...he’s going to need to be strong and courageous… - now, why am I raising this issue this am…it’s because that’s the way you could summarize one of the great leaders of the Protestant Reformation – Martin Luther – A Man of Courageous Faith. - with that in mind, please open your Bible chapter 1…page 161 of the front section of the Bible under the chair in front of you… - our church’s theme this year is – In Christ Alone…because…this is the 500 anniversary of the Protestant Reformation…a crucial time in church history whose emphases could be summarized around the five great solas of the reformation…that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone… - We started the year with a verse by verse exposition of the book of Colossians…now we’ve switched over to a study on The Messianic Psalms… - but we explained at the beginning of the year that we were going to have some pit stops along the way… - so if you’re brand new to all of this – these presentations are available on-line… - but we had one Sunday that was just a general introduction to this important time in church history… - then we did a historical presentation of two men you might call pre-reformers…John Wycliffe and John Hus… - honestly it’s difficult to narrow the character sketches down to just three Sundays this year because there are so many men and women from which to choose… - but there’s no question about this one – you couldn’t study the reformation without discussing the man we have before us today – the German monk Martin Luther…he truly was Martin Luther – A Man of Courageous Faith. - now our plan this morning is to compare his life to Joshua in the OT…because they were similar in several very important ways…and ultimately great examples for you and me today… - read Joshua 1:1-9 - so we’re talking about Martin Luther – A Man of Courageous Faith – and with the time we have remaining this am…let’s think about 3 elements of courage necessary to make a difference for God I. Courageous Enough to Acknowledge Sin A. For Joshua - the reason the Canaanites were being driven out of the promised land was because of their sinful idolatrous ways… - in other words, God was using His people as an instrument of judgment at this time in history… - we read about that in places like…Deuteronomy 9:4–5 - Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. - but in order for them to be used that way -- that required them to courageously address sin in their midst… - you may recall that not far into the book of Joshua, the children of Israel achieve a great military victory against the city of Jericho…and then they go up against a much smaller force at Ai and they’re defeated… - and you may remember what happens next… Joshua 7:6 - Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. - a few verses later -- Joshua 7:10–11 - So the Lord said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. - so the same Joshua who previously had courageously led the people into battle has to now courageously lead them in dealing with sin in their midst…and when it is determined that a man named Achan and his family have violated God’s Word regarding the plunder of Jericho…he says -- Joshua 7:19–20 - Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” So Achan answered Joshua and said, “Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did… - that’s one of the elements necessary to make a difference for God…being courageous enough to acknowledge sin… - this is a key aspect of understanding the life of… B. For Martin Luther (1483-1546) - Luther’s father owned a small mining business and wanted his son become a lawyer because in his way of thinking that would be financially beneficial to the family and ultimately to he and his wife as Luther supported them in their old age… - that’s why it was so scandalous when Luther had a life-changing experience in 1505 when he was traveling by horseback during a thunderstorm and a bolt of lightning struck the ground next to him – throwing him off his horse… - so he reportedly screamed out – “St. Anne (the patron saint of miners) help me.  I will become a monk.” - and sure enough, to the shock and dismay of his friends and family and especially his father…he entered the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt.  - Historian Roland Bainton, in his book Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1978), pp. 26-27 describes what happened… - The head of the monastery, the “prior,” stood upon the steps of the altar while Luther prostrated himself before him. The prior asked, “What seekest thou?” to which the young novice replied, “God’s grace and thy mercy.” The prior then raised him up and asked if he was married, a bondsman or afflicted with secret disease, to which Luther replied, “NO.” The prior then described to him the rigors of the life he now entered; the renunciation of self-will, the scant diet, rough clothing, vigils by night and labors by day, the mortification of the flesh, the reproach of poverty, the shame of begging and the distasteful existence of life lived in the cloister.  Was he ready to take upon himself these burdens? and the answer was, “Yes, with God’s help and in so far as human frailty allows,” and he was admitted to a year of probation. As the choir sang, his head was “tonsured” (shaved so that his identity as a monk was easily recognized), his clothes were exchanged for the habit of a monk and he bowed. Over him the prior prayed, “Hear, O Lord, our heartfelt pleas and deign to confer thy blessing on this thy servant, whom in thy holy name we have clad in the habit of a monk, that he may continue with thy help faithful in thy church and merit eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” - what you see in that, as my friend Pastor Tim Pasma points out is – there’s no grace…no declaration of God’s full and complete forgiveness through Christ – or corresponding declaration of Christ’s righteousness being placed on his account and his salvation being fully secured by the merits of Christ and therefore a place in heaven and peace with God… - and so it began a road of agony and even hatred of God because of His holiness (His righteous stand…) - He began to go to his superior to confess his sins, sometimes taking as much as six hours a day in the confessional. - Only confessed sins could be forgiven so he would ransack his memory, probe his motives, think of every little sin he had committed. - After hours in the confessional he would leave and then return a few minutes later because he remembered some foible he had forgotten. - At one point his exasperated superior, Father Staupitz exclaimed, “Brother Martin.  If you’re going to confess so much, why don’t you go do something worth confessing?  Kill your mother or father!  Commit adultery!  Quit coming in here with such flummery and fake sins!” (Pasma, p. 9) - now, there are a lot of ways we could respond to that – but can we at least say this – at least he was willing to be honest about his sinful condition…it takes courage to admit that you fall short of God’s glory and standard of perfect righteousness even if you don’t know what to do to remedy the situation… - and I would suggest this is the first lesson that flows out of the life of both Joshua and Martin Luther…they were courageous enough to address sin… - how does that impact people like you and me?... C. For you and me 1. Beginning at salvation - in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the first two beatitudes are: - Matthew 5:3–4 - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. - it’s impossible to come to Christ in repentance and faith apart from a profound sorrow over ones sin…especially in this culture, that takes courage… - that’s why Paul explained in Romans 3… - Romans 3:10 - as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; - Romans 3:20 -                because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. - friends – that is a double indictment – we are all guilty, and we cannot rid ourselves  that guilt by an effort to observe God’s law… - it takes courage to face the enormity of our sin… 2. In the way we solve problems - Matthew 7:3 - Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? - Romans 7:19 - For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. - acknowleding truths like that – especially in a time of conflict – takes courage 3. In the way we embrace suffering - we don’t believe that every problem is the direct result of an individual’s sin… - but nor do we believe that when we being sinned against or suffering as a result of living in a sin-cursed world – that we’re absolved from responsibility… - in other words – we’re not passive victims… - Romans 12:17–19 - Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 4. In the way we explain Christian growth - we’re not afraid to discuss our ongoing struggle with sin as we seek to become all that God desires…even in the way we help one another grow… - Romans 15:14 - And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. - we want to be the kind of people who talk openly and authentically about our failures… II. Courageous Enough to Clarify Your Beliefs - the Lord never intended for us to wallow in our sins…be honest, yes – but then dive into His Word for biblical answers… A. For Joshua - Joshua 1:7–8 - Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. - baseless courage is just bluster and bravado…the more you hope and pray to accomplish for the Lord, the more important it is that your foundation be sound and sure and deep and comprehensive and robust… - and thankfully, that’s what happened for Martin Luther… B. For Martin Luther - it would have been such a shame if he had just languished in the monastery…like the priests of Hebrews 10:11 - Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; - but this is where the story becomes delightful… - because Luther’s supervisor Father Staupitz sent him to Wittenberg to become Professor of Bible at the University of Wittenberg - you can start to get a feel for what happened if you look at Luther’s teaching schedule… - 1513-15 – Psalms - 1515–16 – Romans - 1516-17 – Galatians - 1517-18 – Hebrews - one Psalm that especially stood out to him was Psalm 22:1 - My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. - Luther said – that’s how I felt…alienated from God…but because of my sin and endless shortcomings… - but why would the Messiah…prophesied in this Messianic Psalm…experience that kind of alienation…because He would never sin?... - so the concept of the substitutionary atonement began to dawn in Luther’s heart… - perhaps God was not simply a God of righteousness, but also a God of…grace… - Think about a passage like Psalm 85:10 - Lovingkindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. - Luther had been really strong on the truth and righteousness part – it’s how that is wedded with lovingkindness and peace in the Person and work of Christ that he was just beginning to understand… - and we could hit the timeout button for a minute and say – a number of people at our church have a similar story…several have communicated to me this year – that you understand exactly why this emphasis on the reformation is so important… - because you came out of a religious system where it seemed to be all about working harder and harder to try to satisfy God, and then constantly living in shame and guilt because you never measured up, and then having to go confess your sins through some human mediator…and it was absolutely exhausting… - back to Luther – the real breakthrough came when he began studying and lecturing on the book of Romans… - Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that “the just shall live by his faith.”  Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith.  Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise.  The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the “justice of God” had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love.  This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven . . . . If you have a true faith that Christ is your Saviour, then at once you have a gracious God, for faith leads you in and opens up God’s heart and will, that you should see pure grace and overflowing love (Bainton, pp. 49-50). - see, he finally understood that the righteousness of God is not simply a standard to be attained…but a positionally gift provided for Him fully and completely when He trusted Christ as Savior and Lord… - you may know that Martin Luther wrote many hymns…like A Mighty Fortress is Our God for example…but he also wrote ones that probably many of us have never heard…but often emphasizing grace… - I cry to thee in direst need.                 O God, I beg thee hear me. To my distress I pray give heed.                 O Father, draw thou near me. If thou shouldst wish to look upon The wrong and wickedness I’ve done,                 How could I stand before thee? With thee is naught but untold grace                 Evermore forgiving. We cannot stand before thy face,                 Not by the best of living. No man boasting may draw near. All the living stand in fear                 Thy grace alone can save them. Therefore, in God I place my trust,                 My own claim denying. Believe in him alone I must,                 On his sole grace relying. He pledged to me his plighted word. My comfort is in what I heard.                 There will I hold forever. (Bainton, p. 271). C. For you and me - this is why the study of God’s Word and sound theology is so crucial for followers of Jesus Christ… - and I recognize that the church growth experts are saying that you have to have entertainment in church…and you have to keep it moving…and we need to ditch the sermons, or if you have to have one – keep it 12 minutes or less or whatever… - we don’t believe that… 2 Timothy 4:1–4 - I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. - [could develop the importance of small group Bible studies, etc – and also thank the church family for their desire and willingness to listen to Scripture) III. Courageous Enough to Stand for Truth - the more convinced you are of the strength of your foundation…the more likely you are to courageously take a stand… A. For Joshua - Joshua 24:15 - If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. B. For Martin Luther - Luther was also a pastor…and the more he came to understand that salvation was by grace alone – the more outraged he became about the church’s approach to selling indulgences in order to free a person from purgatory… - the church taught that it custody of the Treasury of Merits…secured by the great saints who did more than enough to earn their way to heaven… - so that excess merit could be purchased by anyone deficient is righteousness…not just for yourself but for a loved one… - [develop – woman in our church whose mother purchased a chair for her husband for $500 so he had a place to sit in purgatory….] - and so Luther began lecturing about this – and then eventually nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Chapel challenging church leaders to debate these matters…in many ways, that act around October 31st, 1517 lit the fire that became the Protestant Reformation…because of the courageous, biblical stance of a transformed follower of Christ… - eventually Luther was tried for heresy and urged to recant his teaching…and after a day to consider he said… Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason-for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves-I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one's conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen. C. For you and me - I believe the Lord is greatly honored by men and women who look for opportunities big and small to take a gracious but clear stand for the good news of Jesus Christ… - like one of our high schoolers at a local public school who has an opportunity to give a persuasive speech in his High School speech class… - and has chosen to tell his classmates about why it’s logical and sound to believe the world was created by God… - sure he could keep his head down – and talk about something that would be safer and more politically correct… - that’s courageous faith… - or students and staff and faculty at Purdue and Ivy Tech…who look for opportunities o be a witness for Christ on the college campus [cf. recent conversation – not sure how much longer you’ll be able to be a Christian and work at a university…] - cf. upcoming youth ministries this summer…(update from Pastor Johnny)… - “June 1-10 we will be having our local serving trip. Things we will be doing these 10 days include a Habit for humanity house build, building picnic tables for the community park, and several other neighborhood landscaping and hard work projects in the north end. We will also be holding 6 VBS in strategic neighborhoods (Point West, Vinton, Upper Lincoln, Lower Lincoln, Hanna, and at the Lara Center.  - June 26 - July 11 we will be in Albania doing community ministry with Matt and Genci as well as running a week long camp for unbelievers (last year over 90% of the campers were unbelievers). - We will also be holding 8 different block parties in the key north end neighborhoods we are trying to reach with the church plant.

Today’s Cash Flow Diary podcast guest Joshua March is the founder and CEO of Conversocial, a leading provider of cloud-based social customer service solutions. He founded this cool company in 2009 based on his vision that online communication and customer service are undergoing a fundamental shift, requiring businesses to invest in new processes and technologies to manage the rapidly shifting social landscape. A leading proponent of social media, Joshua previously founded leading social application company iPlatform, one of the world’s first Facebook-Preferred Developers, which was acquired in 2012. But as you might guess, this wasn’t always the path Joshua was on. Growing up in England, Joshua actually wanted to be a Barrister, which is a lawyer in America. He attended classes, but as he moved forward he started looking at different opportunities and decided to become an entrepreneur instead. Eventually he stopped attending lectures and did the bare minimum in university to attain his degree, which he wouldn’t end up using. For Joshua this happened to be a very good choice. He didn’t wait for anyone’s permission and moved forward at the speed of sound. Joshua says one of the reasons he took this path is because he isn’t afraid of taking risks. He is not afraid of failure events either. Joshua says entrepreneurs can’t be afraid of risks and failure. You’ll have to listen to this episode to learn the very romantic reasons behind his mindset of moving forward as an entrepreneur no matter what challenges he would encounter. Starting boldly, Joshua started out with homemade flyers and then business cards. He had an idea and didn’t want to wait to take action. My kind of guy! Joshua does say that now he the value of planning and being prepared a bit better so he can achieve his objectives in a less chaotic way. If you want to learn more about Joshua’s path and everything he’s done as an entrepreneur, including how he funded his first venture at the tender age of 20, you’re going to have to put your ears on right now! Learn more. LISTEN NOW. ew York where he leads the US operations of Conversocial, as well as global strategy.

Joshua 3:1-6,11-13,17; 4:1-7, 21-24; 5:10-15 And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. We all know the stories of just how long Israel wandered in the desert. It took them forty years to get to where they were going. For many of us, finally landing into God's promised land can seem like wandering. We wander from job to job, from romance to romance, from dream to dream, from victory to failure - we are not much different. Our comforts might bare the illusion of having landed but we are a wandering culture. For Joshua and Israel though, on one night, it all ended. The wandering was over, the manna eating ceased, and God was present with them, in the land that he'd promised. Join us as we look to find God in the wanderings and mark our trail as God shows his power to "do it again."

Joshua 3:1-6,11-13,17; 4:1-7, 21-24; 5:10-15 And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. We all know the stories of just how long Israel wandered in the desert. It took them forty years to get to where they were going. For many of us, finally landing into God's promised land can seem like wandering. We wander from job to job, from romance to romance, from dream to dream, from victory to failure - we are not much different. Our comforts might bare the illusion of having landed but we are a wandering culture. For Joshua and Israel though, on one night, it all ended. The wandering was over, the manna eating ceased, and God was present with them, in the land that he'd promised. Join us as we look to find God in the wanderings and mark our trail as God shows his power to "do it again."