OT Journey 2.0: Joshua

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There are 5 studies for the book of Joshua, which you can find below. You can use them to continue leading a study through the Old Testament or to just lead a study on Joshua. Be sure to read the introduction to OT Journey 2.0 at the bottom of the page here for more information. You are encouraged to use the Bible Project overview video to introduce the study.

Study 1: Joshua 1-5

Study 2: Joshua 5-9

Study 3: Joshua 10-13

Study 4: Joshua 13-19

Study 5: Joshua 20-24

May God bless you as you study His Word!

Invest in Your Grandchildren’s Spiritual Welfare

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There is a great need to instruct the next generation about the Lord – to teach them about Jesus. 

You want your grandchildren to grow up and know the Lord.  You want them to repent and believe and be saved and follow Him.  And so you must invest in this.

As you have opportunity, teach the gospel in your home to your grandchildren.  Read them a Bible story.  Tell them about Jesus.  Share your testimony.  Tell them what Jesus means to you.

Point them to Jesus in the way you live, as you exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit in your life.  As you walk with hope in a world of despair.  As you walk with joy in a depressed world.  As you walk with peace in a world of anxiety.  As you walk with love in a world filled with hate.  They will notice the difference in you.  Follow the Spirit and point your grandchildren to Jesus.

And pray for them to come to Christ.  Plead with Father for their salvation.  Intercede for them before the Throne of God.

Invest in your grandchildren’s spiritual welfare.

Declaring the Glory

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Flowers in Illinois

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20

Spring!

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Spring is here!  Temperatures are rising.  The sun is shining. Trees are budding.  Flowers are blooming.  New life is popping out everywhere after a long, cold, lonely, weary winter.

And Jesus came to offer us our own personal Spring, to give us new life in Him.

After a weary winter of personal sin and guilt, Jesus offers us a new life with all of our sins and guilt washed away.

After a lonely winter separated from God, Jesus offers us a new life with a loving relationship with Himself.

After a cold winter of cold hearts towards Him and others, Jesus offers us a new life with warm and loving hearts towards Him and others.

After a long winter of suffering and trials, Jesus will one day offer us a new life with no more suffering, no more death, no more tears.  He will make all things new!  Spring will be eternal!

As Spring appears all around us, may we remember and rejoice in the Spring Jesus came to give us.

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 12:4-17

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Resist and lay aside ev’ry sin
Struggle and fight, grow in righteousness
Submit yourself to God’s discipline
That you might share in His holiness

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

God disciplines His daughters and sons
For our own good, with wisdom and love
Training is hard, but when it’s all done
We shall be changed, and see Him above
(Repeat Chorus)

So strive for peace and real holiness
Watch over each other lest we stray
Beware of the root of bitterness
Your birthright don’t lightly toss away
(Repeat Chorus)

© 2023 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)

Follow Jesus

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What would that look like for us to follow Jesus?

First, we must trust Him. You won’t get on a plane unless you trust the pilot, and you won’t follow Jesus unless you trust Him. Trust that He is your God and King, who died on a cross in your place to bear your sin to be your Savior. So that with your sin and guilt removed, you can go free, and you can draw near to God. Do you trust Him? That is the response that He calls you to make – trust Him as your Savior, King, and God that you might then follow Him.

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
(Matthew 16:24, ESV)

Second, we must deny ourselves. If He is our God and King, then we must give Him our allegiance and follow Him even when we don’t want to, even when we don’t feel like it. Because we are not in charge. He is. Because we are not the king. He is. And so we obey. If He is our Savior who died to pay for our sins, then we must deny ourselves when we want to sin. We must deny sinful desires. How could we continue to do those things that put Him on cross to die? We don’t follow our hearts; we follow Jesus no matter what He calls us to do, even suffer like Him. For we must deny ourselves and take up our cross, willing to suffer for Him as we follow Him.

Third, we must serve Him. We deny self that we might serve Him. Now, how do we do that today? Jesus tells us in Mathew 25. In the Parable of the Talents, the Master gives each servant some money. Two invest it and are praised. One buries it and is condemned. The point is clear: use what God has given you for Jesus. Use the money God has given you for Jesus. Use the time God has given you for Jesus. Use the talents God has given you for Jesus. In all things serve Him.

Follow Him by trusting in Him, denying yourself, and serving Him with all you have.

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 12:1-4

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We must run with endurance this race
With faith in God and His promises
Trusting God daily, we’ll keep the pace
Resting each hour in His faithfulness

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

We must run this race with endurance
Looking ahead to the finish line
Laying aside ev’ry hinderance
Entangling sin that would slow, confine
(Repeat Chorus)

We must this race with endurance run
Gaze on the cross and His suffering
He looked to the future joy and won
We follow Him, our Savior and King
(Repeat Chorus)

© 2023 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)

The Church’s Foundation

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So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
(Ephesians 2:19-21, ESV)

The apostles and New Testament prophets are the foundation of church. They were led by the Holy Spirit to communicate the New Testament truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now the church is being built on that foundation. We don’t need apostles or prophets anymore. The foundational work has already been done. The church is being built on the truth of the gospel recorded for us in the New Testament.

So when Paul writes to Timothy, he spends 10 chapters in two books hammering home again and again the priority of teaching and preaching God’s given Word. This is what we need. This is how the church grows.

So we must prioritize the Bible. It is through the public teaching and preaching of God’s Word, as well as personal exhortation and encouragement from the Word, as well as personal study and meditation in the Word that the church is built up.

The Bible is the measure by which we must evaluate every practice in our church and in our lives, and so we must prioritize the Bible in our church and in our lives.

The Bible’s message of the gospel is the foundation of the church. Take up and read!

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 11:29-40

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By faith, we are saved from all our sins
There is no longer judgment to fear
Through His death Jesus our pardon wins
Fully forgiven, we now draw near

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

By faith, we follow our Lord always
Trusting Him through the good and the bad
He is with us to help us each day
One day we’ll rise, be forever glad
(Repeat Chorus)

© 2023 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)