Tag: Discipleship

Reflections on Joshua 5-7

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

In our passage today, the conquest begins!

  • Trust and Obey – Before they take Jericho, God commands the men to be circumcised. They are in enemy territory, and God commands them to incapacitate the entire army.  They trust God and obey.  God commands them to march around Jericho for seven days and the walls will come down.  An unusual strategy at best, and we can only imagine the ridicule from the walls.  They trust God and obey.  What is God calling you to do?  What step of faith is he asking you to take?  What ridicule might you have to face for standing firm upon God’s Word?  In your life’s situations, will you trust God and obey?
  • On God’s Side – Before the battle of Jericho, Joshua meets the “commander of the army of the Lord.” Joshua asks whose side he is on.  The commander says, “No.”  In other words the issue is not if God is on Joshua’s side, but is Joshua on God’s side.  Will he obey?  Are you trying to get God to perform for you, to be on your side?  Or are you humbly following him, on his side?

Cultivating Your Prayer Life

On By BrianIn Habit of Prayer1 Comment

CultivatePrayerFollowing the introduction, Joel Beeke’s booklet, How Can I Cultivate Private Prayer, has two main calls: “Take Hold of Yourself” and “Take Hold of God.”  Each call has seven principles.  But before we get to them, this week I want to focus on his introduction to the first call to take hold of yourself.  He writes:

I thus plead with you to seek a more fervent and faithful prayer life, with effort, urgency, and dependence on Christ and the Holy Spirit.

I must exert effort if I am going to cultivate my prayer life.  Prayer can be hard work, and pressing forward in this holy habit will require discipline and self-control.  I will not simply drift into a greater prayer life.

I must have a sense of urgency.  There are always other things to do that seem more urgent, that will crowd out this important habit of prayer.  There is always the temptation to put this off to another time when I have more time (whenever that will be).  The only way I will grow in this habit is if I sense an urgency today to make it happen today.

I must depend on God to help me grow in prayer.  I need his grace and his Spirit if I am going to have the self-control to exert the necessary effort (Titus 2:11-12, Galatians 5:22-23).  I must pray even to grow in prayer.  But here surely is a prayer that God delights to answer!

Effort.  Urgency.  Dependence.  May these be true of me – and of you too, as we seek to grow in prayer.

Reflections on Joshua 1-4

On By BrianIn OT Reflections1 Comment

After 40 years of wandering, the time has finally come to enter the land.

  • God’s Presence – God promises to be with Joshua. God will never leave him nor forsake him.  And God goes with Joshua, miraculously leading the people through the Jordan River.  Because of God’s presence, Joshua need not be afraid.  Instead he is to be strong and courageous to lead the people in taking the land.  What difficult situations are you facing?  Remember that God is with you.  You need not fear.  Because of God’s presence, you can be strong and courageous too!
  • God’s Word – Joshua is told to meditate on God’s Word day and night that he might be careful to obey God’s Word. To meditate on God’s Word is to ponder or think about his Word.  Do you meditate on God’s Word each day?  How might you meditate on it day and night?  Are you acting on what you ponder?
  • Remember – God commands Joshua to set up a pile of stones from the Jordan River to be a reminder of God’s miraculous act of bringing the people into the land. We are such a forgetful people!  What are some ways you are reminded of God’s work in your life?  Perhaps you need to set up your own stones of remembrance.

Joshua 1-7: Follow God’s Plan

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(1) God is going to use Joshua to bring the people of Israel into the Promised Land, but Joshua must follow God’s plan.  What specific instructions is Joshua given in v8?

How might we apply this to our own lives?

(1) Joshua will face much conflict as he follows God’s plan. What assurances and instructions does God give to him in v5-9?

How might those assurances help you as you face conflict?

In what situations do you need to be strong and courageous?

(2, 6) What has Rahab heard about God and His plan?  Does she believe it?  How does she act on her belief (see Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25)?  What blessing befalls her (see Matthew 1:5)?

What significance does her story have for us today?

(5) Who appears to Joshua in v13-15?  Whose side is he on?  What lessons can we learn from this?

(3-6) What instructions does God give for crossing the Jordan River?  Is this a typical plan for crossing a river?  What happens?

What instructions does God give AFTER they cross the river (5:1-9)?  Does this seem like good military strategy?

What instructions does God give for taking Jericho?  Do you think this is a typical battle plan?  What happens?

When might obedience to God’s instructions seem a bit unusual or even crazy today?  What is required of us to obey God in those situations?  (What was required of Israel?)

(7) Achan failed to follow God’s instructions.  Why?  What were the results?  Who was affected by his sin?

Sermon Songs: Ephesians 5:8-14

On By BrianIn Ephesians Hymns

MusicNotes

Awake, arise now from the dead, And Christ will shine on you
No longer dark – but light instead, You have been made brand new
Do what is good and right and true, And bear the fruit of light
Discern what pleases God not you, Shun the unfruitful night

And as you radiate the light, A sharp contrast will show
Between the deeds of darkest night, And your good works that flow
Now some will seek to hide from sight, Their hatred for us grow
While some become children of light, Our Savior come to know

 (To the tune of “We Sing the Greatness of Our God”)

Cultivating Your Prayer Life

On By BrianIn Habit of Prayer

Today we continue our way through Joel Beeke’s little booklet, How Can I Cultivate Private Prayer?  On p5, Beeke writes:

Consider the tremendous potential of prayer.  It is nothing less than communion with the living God.

CultivatePrayerI am trying to keep this mind as I pray this week.  I don’t want to just work through a list of needs (though I do want to do that).  I want to commune with God.  I want to recognize who I am talking to, and enjoy being able to talk to my Creator and Sustainer and Savior and King.  I want to rest in the love of my Father as His beloved child as I come before Him.

Through Jesus, we can draw near to God Himself and commune with Him.  What a great blessing to remember and exercise.  May God help us to commune with God this week!

 

Exodus-Deuteronomy: Four Themes

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(Exodus 11-13, 14-15, 20) Describe the final plague.  How do the people of Israel escape?  How does this point to Jesus (I Corinthians 5:7)?

Every year, the people of Israel were to re-enact the Passover event.  How does Jesus adapt the Passover festival for the New Covenant (Luke 22:14-20)?

Through the plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea, God frees his people from slavery in Egypt.  How does this point to Jesus (John 8:34-36)?

How did the people respond to their salvation (14:31, 15:1-21)?  How should we respond to our salvation (see I Peter 1:3-9, 17-19)?

What further response did God expect the people to have in 20:1-21?  What does God expect of us (see I Peter 1:14-16)?

(Leviticus 1-9, 17) What arrangement did God make for when the people failed to obey God’s commands?

How does this point to Jesus (Hebrews 9:24-26)?

(Exodus 19-24, Deuteronomy 5-32) These passages present to the people of Israel what we call the Mosaic Covenant.  It was first given at Mt. Sinai (Exodus) and renewed as the people prepared to enter the Promised Land (Deuteronomy).  How does this covenant begin (Exodus 20:2, Deuteronomy 5:6)?

What then follows (Exodus 20-23, Deuteronomy 5-26)?

Notice then the condition.  What will happen if they obey (Exodus 19:5-6, 23:22; Deuteronomy 28:1-14)?

What will happen if they disobey (Deuteronomy 27:15-26, 28:15-68)?

How does this play out in the history of Israel?

How does Jesus address the Mosiac Covenant for us?

  • Matthew 5:17, I Peter 2:22 –
  • Galatians 3:10-14 –
  • Hebrews 7:22 & 8:6, 13 –

(Exodus 25-29) What was the main purpose of the tabernacle (25:8, 29:45-46)?

How does the tabernacle point forward to Jesus (John 1:14)?

To the church (Ephesians 2:19-22)?

To the Christian (I Corinthians 6:19-20)?

To the future kingdom (Revelation 21:3, 22)?

How should we respond to these truths?

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

What to do When You Are in a Spiritual Dry Spell – Scott Slayton

On “Stranger Things” and Being a Big Prude – Tim Challies

The Evangelical Drug of Choice – Phillip Holmes (DG)

How Skipping Church Affects Our Children – Micah Anglo

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church!