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JOSHUA: GOD IS SALVATION (PART TWO)

HEARING FROM GOD "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Whom we preached among you...was not Yes and No; but in Him it is always Yes.  For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him.  That is why we utter the Amen through Him, to the glory of God."   (2 Corinthians 1:19,20 RSV).   The judgment that God pronounced on the rebellious Jews was severe.  They were forced to return to the wilderness and wander there for another 40 years.  It wasn’t until the last person from that unbelieving generation had died in the wilderness that God spoke to their children who were grown now and said it was time to enter Canaan.     Joshua had proven his faith in God's promises.  He and Caleb were the only two who had actually seen the Promised Land and were ready 40 years earlier to go in and take it.  That was when Moses was the one hearing from God and leading the Israelites forward, however.  Now, Moses was dead, and Joshua was anoin...
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JOSHUA: GOD IS SALVATION (PART 1)

Aside from being an historical account of the Israelites' conquest of Canaan, the book of Joshua is also a beautiful allegory of the victory that is possible to Christians who learn to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in His promises.   Many believe this account to be merely a type and shadow of heaven itself and the final kingdom that will be ours when we leave this life.   This is an incomplete interpretation, however.   For one thing, we will certainly not have to battle giants, walled cities, and hostile armies in the Kingdom of Heaven.   In this life, however, there are a host of things that we must overcome in God’s strength: things like pride, lust, greed, anger, and so much more that defines our fleshly, carnal nature.   So, just as Joshua led his people to victory over a host of nations who inhabited the Promised Land, Jesus now leads His people to victory over sin, the flesh, and the devil.   As we read through this wonderful book, God rev...
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THE TWO PRODIGALS

The term “prodigal” has been applied to the story that Jesus told about the son who asked his father for his share of the inheritance and then left and spent it all recklessly on “riotous living” .   Although the word “prodigal” doesn’t appear in the Bible text, but was added in the heading of the story by the translators of the KJV, it aptly describes the actions of the son.   This word means “wastefully extravagant” or “to spend money, time or resources recklessly” .   Interestingly, this word is also used to describe something that is “given or yielded in a lavish, abundant, or bountiful way” .   So, the word prodigal can correctly be applied, not just to the son who recklessly spent his inheritance on fleshly pleasures, but also on his father who lavished his grace, mercy and resources to welcome his son back home!   “A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.  A...
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