COMMITTED to train men and women
to have minds for the Lord Jesus,
hearts for the truth, and
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"Hope" Tagged Sermons (Page 2)

PREPARED FOR HIS PROMISES

The book of Joshua follows the first 5 books of Moses. In those 5 books we find a great amount of God’s promises that are the foundation of Joshua’s faith in God Almighty. Without those promises, there would have never been a Joshua. Yet, God prepared, protected and also provided for this man everything necessary to become a mighty witness of God’s faithfulness to not just the Hebrews, but also the entire world.
Joshua must first know what the law which Moses wrote down is all about. You cannot observe what you do not know. And if you don’t know what God commanded, you cannot be a witness of God’s faithfulness.
God also commanded Joshua to MEDITATE IN IT DAY AND NIGHT. This was not a weekend course. It was not “when I have time left I will look into it”. Joshua exemplified what Paul wrote later in the book of Romans.
This preparation starts at birth. It is God’s doing. Joshua’s lineage had everything to do with God’s choice. His parents were slaves, experiencing the bitterness of bondage. However, Joshua’s parents never lost faith in God’s promises. They somehow believed that God is faithful even if the circumstances for 400 years pointed into the opposite direction.
At birth, his parents named this newborn boy HOSHEA, meaning SALVATION. In other words, this young boy was nurtured in an atmosphere of HOPE. Still in bondage to the Egyptians, his parents from the tribe of Ephraim, a tribe that comes from Joseph, the very son of Jacob that was sold into slavery by his own brothers.
God prepared Joshua for future battles. How did God prepare him? By example of others who are not fighting with him in the physical, but in the spiritual realm. THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS.
Joshua was alongside Moses for 40 years. He witnessed most of what God did during Moses wilderness wandering. He was taught to KNOW GOD and by observing Israel he was taught to KNOW MAN. Also, Moses’ tent was Joshua’s college.
What can we learn from that? This truth contains the very essence of the Gospel. God’s plan of redemption is very clear throughout the Bible, Old and New Testament.
The law brings no one into God’s heritage. Was Moses could not do Joshua was prepared to accomplish. If you and I want to enter into God’s inheritance, we must turn from Moses (from the law) and look to Joshua.
Just as Joshua was prepared by God to live under the law, under the authority of Moses, so have we been prepared by God to live under the law for a season. It is this preparation that brought us eventually into the promises of God. And people who have not gone through that process cannot be witnesses of God’s faithfulness. God has prepared a way for us to experience His promises. And once we experience them, we become true witnesses of God’s faithfulness.

A Glimpse of Hope

There are times when troubles just seem to pile up. It is during those times that we need some relief. We need to know that everything will turn out all right. In other words, no matter how spiritual, how mature, how long we have been saved, we need ASSURANCE that a brighter day is coming.
When we hear what is going on in our world right now, we can easily be overwhelmed by all the bad news that which are relentlessly coming our way every day. It is during those days that IT IS VERY EASY TO LOSE THE SIGHT OF THE PROMISES OF VICTORY GOD HAS GIVEN US AND ASSURED US IN HIS BOOK, THE BIBLE.
Throughout the book of Revelation, John heard many voices, voices from individual angels, voices from the four living creatures, the voices from the 24 elders before the throne of God, the voices of the innumerable angelic beings, the voices of the 7 angels who hold the seven trumpets. Now finally, here in chapter 14, John hears the voice of Jesus once again. A glimpse of hope.