A person’s last words are typically their most significant and the most important to remember. Maybe the last words of a loved one are a treasure you hold dear in your heart.
Last words matter. In the final two chapters of Joshua, he shares his own, first to his fellow leaders (chapter 23) and then to the nation as a whole (chapter 24).
Joshua’s last words are a treasure we can hold dear in our hearts. They reveal the secret to overcoming spiritual strongholds in and around us, which will lead us into a time of Communion, where we remember Jesus and all he has done for us.
Please read Joshua 23 to prepare.
Last Words
Joshua
September 5, 2021 • Pastor Ben Cross • Joshua 23
More from
Joshua
Last Words: The Sequel
September 12, 2021 • Pastor Ben Cross • Joshua 24
Richard Baxter, a renowned Reformed pastor from the 1600’s, captured, in his own experience, Joshua’s urgency at the end of his life. He said, “I preached as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” In chapter 24, Joshua challenges Israel, after all Yahweh their Elohim had done for them, to repent of their half-hearted loyalty and choose to be fully devoted to him. What Joshua confronted in Israel that day is a common delinquency found in God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments, including our own times, maybe even in our own lives. Read Joshua 24 to prepare.
The Danger of Assumptions
August 29, 2021 • Pastor Ben Cross • Joshua 22
The topic of this Sunday’s message is the danger of assumptions—how civil war nearly broke out in Israel because of wrong assumptions. Mexican author, Miguel Ruiz, wrote: We make all sorts of assumptions, because we don’t have the courage to ask questions. Without asking a question, I’m going to go out on a limb. I think it’s safe to assume that everyone reading this has experienced conflict with someone—a spouse, friend, relative, classmate, neighbor, or work colleague—over an issue you later discovered was completely unnecessary, because it was based on a wrong assumption. Israel’s story in Joshua 22 reveals important insights for the division and strife in our own times and how to deal with the danger of assumptions.
Receiving The Inheritance
August 22, 2021 • Pastor Ben Cross • Romans 15:4, Joshua 13—14, Joshua 20—21
Romans 15:4 reminds us how important the Old Testament is to New Testament believers: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Israel’s story in Joshua helps us better understand our own story in Christ. This Sunday, we will explore four important insights from Israel’s inheritance of the Promised Land that encourage us to endure with hope in taking possession of our own inheritance in Christ. Read Joshua chapters 13, 14, 20 and 21 to prepare. You get extra credit, if you read chapters 15-19 about tribal allotments.