Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
For the last few weeks we have been getting more familiar with the Book of Joshua. And what an amazing Book it is! But it is far more than simply a collection of thrilling stories of Joshua’s leadership and military brilliance; it is our story as well! That’s right! This Old Covenant Book, as divinely inspired and authoritative as are the other 65 books of the Bible, tells us in ‘shadowy terms’ about our own salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ! We might even say that the Book of Joshua is the Old Covenant manual on the Christian life! It has much to teach us about life as God’s New Covenant people. Not only do we see our Savior so beautifully foreshadowed by Joshua himself–the one who led the Old Covenant people of God into the land of promise, Israel’s earthly inheritance–but in this exciting account of the entrance and conquest of Canaan we also discover how those who follow Christ are called to live as they too are delivered into their eternal, heavenly inheritance.
This coming Lord’s Day our text will be taken from Joshua 1:10-18. Here we will encounter five critical themes that flow through this beloved Book and directly relate to our lives as members of Christ’s new nation and people, the Church:
The Possession of the Land
Holy Warfare
Waging War In Order to Rest
United as One People
Serving God With Obedient Hearts
On Sunday, we will explore the first of these five important themes, that of the possession of Israel’s inheritance, the land of Canaan that was long ago promised to Abraham. What did this land signify? What does the Old Testament mean when it tells us that this land will be in Israel’s possession forever? And how is the promise of such an eternal inheritance of land fulfilled by the work of Christ Jesus our Lord? These are the questions confronting us as we come together to prayerfully examine this portion of God’s Holy Word.
May our Lord bless you with rest and peace until we share the great joy and privilege of worshiping Him together on Sunday!
I love you all with all my heart,
Mike