Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
On this coming Lord’s Day we will take our second look at the opening words of the Book of Joshua found in Joshua 1:1-9. As we discovered last week, Joshua is the continuation of the Book of Deuteronomy, and the inspired storyline picks up with the events that immediately follow the death of Moses, most importantly, the call and commissioning of Joshua to take his place. In addition to the divine call issued to Joshua and the Covenant nation in vv. 1-2, we will also discover the divine promise (vv. 3-4), the divine assurance (vv. 5-6), and the divine command (vv. 7-9).
As we prayerfully unpack these verses of Holy Scripture, our focus will be upon the way that this ancient story sets the stage for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, we will look at these verses through ‘New Covenant glasses.’ And when we do we will begin to see how the same call, promise, assurance, and command are also given to the ‘New Israel’ of God, the Church that has been redeemed by the blood of the Savior. As we have been doing all along in this series of messages, we will try to make the ‘Covenantal connection’ and see how all of Scripture testifies to God’s eternal plan of redemption, perfectly fulfilled in our beloved Lord.
Let me also encourage you to begin reading through and digesting this remarkable story of the conquest of the Promised Land. In the weeks ahead, our studies in Joshua will take us through some of the deepest and most profound theological waters we have yet faced as a congregation. And in the midst of such deep and challenging truths, we will be richly fed from the eternal springs of God’s Word that never returns empty!
Resource for the February Parenting Seminar
As we get ready for our upcoming Wednesday Night Series on ‘Practical Parenting for the Glory of God’ (each Wednesday night in February from 6:00-7:00 PM), I wanted to mention one of the resources we will use in our studies. Much of our discussion will be prompted by ‘Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting,’ by William P. Farley (P&R Publishing, 2009). It’s well worth purchasing and reading!
I love you all so much, and I want to tell you again how wonderful it is to serve our Lord with you. Your passion for His Word, for His worship, and for faithfulness to Christ and His Kingdom are so very encouraging! I can’t wait to see you on Sunday!
In His ever-sufficient grace,
Mike