Sermon Outlines for
the book of Joshua
Rev.
David P. Horrocks, Th.M.,
Outline (4/11/99)
Introduction (4/18/99)
Joshua 1:1-18 (4/25/99)
Joshua 2:1-24 (5/2/99)
Joshua 3:1-17 (5/9/99)
Joshua 4:1-24 (5/16/99)
Joshua 5:1-12 (5/23/99)
Joshua 5:13-6:5 (5/30/99)
Joshua 6:6-27 (6/13/99)
Joshua 7:1-26 (6/20/99)
Joshua 8:1-35 (6/27/99)
Joshua 9:1-27 (7/4/99)
Joshua 10:1-43 (7/11/99)
Joshua 11:1-23 (7/25/99)
Joshua 13:1-33 (8/1/99)
Joshua 14:6-15; 15:13-19 (8/15/99)
Joshua 20:1-9 (9/5/99)
Joshua 21:1-45 (9/12/99)
Joshua 22:1-34 (9/19/99)
Joshua 23:1-16 (9/26/99)
Joshua (10/24/99)
Introduction: "War of ethical cleansing"
The outline of Joshua
1:1 A new beginning
1:2 Cross the Jordan (1:6-5:12)
1:3 Conquer the land (5:13-12:24)
1:4 Divide the land (13-22)
1:5 The Lord is with Joshua (23-24)
The messages of the book
God is faithful
God's Word is true
Without God we can do nothing
God is certainly a holy judge
God's workers die, but God's work goes on
The message of the book in
The wilderness is the redeemed without daily faith
Canaan is the way of faith, victory, righteous, and rest
MESSAGE:
"GOD IS WILLING AND GOD IS
ABLE
TO START ANEW TO ETHICALLY CLEANSE YOUR LIFE."
Joshua
– Introduction
Introduction: "It is not yesterday's news"
Calling of a leader
Credentials of a leader
Joshua experienced the presence and the power of God
God was with
God was with
God was with Joshua in the Passover
God was with Joshua in the spying of the land
Joshua learned the holiness of God from his mentor
Forty days of seeking God (Exodus 24)
Near to the one who was near to God (Exodus 33)
Learning to be humble (Numbers 11)
Becoming filled by the Holy Spirit (Numbers 27)
Learning that no one is indispensable (Deuteronomy 34)
Joshua responded in faith to the faithfulness of God
He was single-focused in life for God
He lead others to be single-focused too
He ran his race to the end
MESSAGE:
"KNOWING THAT GOD IS REAL,
POWERFUL, HOLY,
AND FAITHFUL IS THE QUALITY OF A GODLY LEADER."
Joshua
1:1-18
Introduction: "Investigating the tragedy of
Practice the presence of the all-mighty God (1-5)
I will be with you
I will not fail you
I will not forsake you
Choose faith above unbelief in the presence of God (6-9)
The Word of God teaches that faith is necessary
The Word of God grows faith
The Word of God instructs faith
Live sacrificially for the plan of God for others (10-15)
God has given us rest
There are many more who have no rest
Work in unity for the plan of God with others (16-18)
Partners united for finishing the task
Obedience is the measure of a person's life
Supporting the efforts of godly leaders
MESSAGE:
"GOD HIMSELF IS BUILDING HIS
KINGDOM THROUGH THE FAITH,
THE SACRIFICE, AND THE UNITY OF HIS PEOPLE."
Joshua 2:1-24
Introduction: "What does the Lord accept in exchange for our sin?"
Context: The spies went looking for weaknesses (2:1a; 22-24)
Content: The spies spied faith (2:1b-21)
Rahab feared the presence and the power of the almighty God
She was convicted by the witness of the Lord
She looked for a way to have peace with God
Rahab sought to be on the side of the living God
She repented of past allegiances
She became strong and courageous in her faith
Rahab trusted in the Lord above all else
She trusted God to deliver her extended family
She offered her complete obedience in exchange
MESSAGE:
"THE ONE WHO FEARS THE LORD,
AND SEEKS THE LORD,
AND TRUSTS IN HIM ABOVE ALL ELSE,
IS APPROVED BY THE LORD."
Joshua 3:1-17
Introduction: "What is our resource for righteousness?"
Our God is a great help to those who fear Him
He knows our weakness and He strengthens us
We are ignorant of the way of righteousness
We are comfortable in our sins
He raises up shepherds for His people
He knows our need and He meets it
We lose confidence after each victory
We must gain confidence for each new battle
He assures us of His presence
Our God is a great enemy to those who hate Him
Someday there is a pay day for the ungodly
God will make it happen
What He said He would do, He did
What He says He will do, He will do
MESSAGE:
"OUR GOD IS A GREAT HELP TO
THOSE WHO FEAR HIM
BUT A GREAT ENEMY TO THOSE WHO HATE HIM."
Joshua 4:1-24
Introduction: "Not all forgetfulness is about age"
What the Lord has done - The miracle
He sustained Israel in the wilderness for 40 years
He stopped the river Jordan completely
He brought Israel to the land He promised them
He unified Israel in faith
He demonstrated His power to the nations
What the Lord is doing - The memorial
He is teaching history from heaven's point of view
He is teaching that to forget Him is fatal
To forget is to neglect
To neglect is sin
He is teaching that to remember Him is life
To remember is to give attention
To give attention to is to obey
He is teaching that the highest education begins in the home
What the Lord will do - The meaning
He will personally dwell with His people
He will powerfully lead His people
He will be forever unchanging towards the righteous
He will offer Himself to the world through His people
MESSAGE:
"NEGLECT WHAT THE LORD HAS
DONE,
AND YOU MISS WHAT THE LORD IS DOING.
GIVE ATTENTION TO WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE,
AND YOU BECOME WHAT THE LORD IS DOING."
Joshua 5:1-12
Introduction: "Clothed in fine linen, bright and clean"
Preparing for victory in the strength of the Lord
Confident that...
God's power is unmatched on earth or in heaven (5:1)
He is greater than my greatest enemy
God is powerful
God's promises are essential to life (5:2-7)
Renewal of the covenant
Test of faith
Prerequisite to eat the Passover
God's judgments give away to God's mercy (5:8-9)
His unusual work is judgment, His preferred work
is forgiveness
God is merciful
God's way is grace upon grace upon grace (5:10-12)
Grace of redemption
Grace of promises fulfilled
Grace of provisions
MESSAGE:
"LET THE POWER, THE PROMISES,
THE MERCY,
AND THE GRACE OF GOD BE SHAPING YOU|
TO BECOME MORE OF WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BE."
Joshua 5:13-6:5
Introduction: "Is Li Hongzhi a Falu Gong alien?"
Who is on the Lord's side? (5:13-6:1)
Joshua is! (13-15)
Fear expressed in worship
Submission evidenced in service
Obedience leading to holiness
Counting on herself
Her strength is in the works of man
How do you serve the King? (6:2-5)
Give attention to His instructions
Goals
Directions
Follow His instructions with your whole heart
Follow by faith
Follow by holiness
Follow for power
Follow unto victory
MESSAGE:
"VICTORY IS IN CHOOSING TO SIDE
WITH THE LORD,
AND IN ALWAYS OBEYING HIM AS YOUR KING."
Joshua 6:6-27
Introduction: "Is this victory?"
The destruction of the city of
Purpose
Form
The holy war against
A witness to the presence and power of the Lord
A witness to the power of faith
A witness to promises being fulfilled
A judgment upon Jericho for disobedience
A test of the quality of Israel's faith
A warning of judgment near and far
A notice that sin has a high price tag
MESSAGE:
"IN THE HOLY WARS OF OUR
LIVES,
FAITH IS EXTREMELY POWERFUL,
BUT SIN IS EXTREMELY TERRIBLE."
Joshua 7:1-26
Introduction: "What do you do when the Lord is angry"
What can we do to anger the Lord? (7:1, 11)
Unfaithfulness to our agreement (relationship)
Falling short of our promises
Overstepping His stated limits
Stealing from the Lord
Deceiving the Lord
What is the evidence that the Lord is angry? (7:2-9, 12)
Defeated by a lesser enemy
Dismay among the covenant people
Discouragement of those who lead
What can we do to satisfy the anger of the Lord? (7:10, 13-26)
Godly sorrow
True repentance
Turn towards righteousness
Spell out the ways
Route out the evil
Satisfaction at the place of judgment
A place of sacrifice
A place of remembrance
MESSAGE:
"WHEN WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH
SIN,
WE MEET THE ANGER OF THE LORD;
BUT WHEN WE HUMBLY SEEK RIGHTEOUSNESS,
WE FIND THE FORGIVENESS OF THE LORD."
Joshua 8:1-35
Introduction: "The art of deception"
The cause of holy wars is judgment
The goal of holy wars is godliness (8:30-35)
A path of vision and plans from God (Dedication)
(8:1b-17)
A path of progressive renewals (Development) (8:1a)
A path of increasing levels of obedience (Dependence) (8:18-23)
A path of continually defeating our enemies (Discipline) (8:24-29)
MESSAGE:
"GODLINESS IN THE WORLD IS
THE RESULT OF
DEDICATION, DEVELOPMENT,
DEPENDENCE, AND DISCIPLINE IN OUR LIVES."
Joshua 9:1-27
Introduction: "It is so easy to be deceived"
Context: What happens when we forget to pray? (9:14b)
Content
We experience a lack of wisdom (9:1-15)
We fall short of doing God's perfect will (9:16:18a)
Make no covenants of peace in the land
Keep all the covenants you make
We fail to reflect the glory of God (9:18b-21)
The people were to be a holy people
The land was to be a holy land
We become a confused witness of law without grace (9:22-27)
Joshua showed them the law
The Lord showed them His grace
MESSAGE:
"PRAY! IT HAS AN IMPACT ON
WHAT WE KNOW,
WHAT WE DO, WHAT WE ARE, AND WHAT WE ARE BECOMING."
Joshua 10:1-43
Introduction: "The Lord fights for His people"
Context: The conquest of the promised land
Content: The southern campaign
How does the Lord fight for His people?
Psychological warfare
Physical warfare
Support services
When does the Lord fight for His people?
When they obey their responsibilities of
righteousness to others
When they trust in the Lord and not in themselves
When they are united in their service to the will of God
MESSAGE:
"THE POWER OF THE LORD WILL
WORK FOR US
WHEN FAITH, OBEDIENCE, AND UNITY ARE AT WORK IN US."
Joshua 11:1-23
Introduction: "The greatest conflict - the greatest victory"
Context: Conquering
Central campaign (6-9)
Southern campaign (10)
Northern campaign (11:1-15)
Survey of the land (11:16-23)
Content: Turning the greatest challenge into the greatest victory
Focus on the Lord
Trust in the Lord fully
Obey the Lord completely without compromise
Focus on the Lord's will in the world
Learn from those experienced in faith
Remember that it is all about righteousness
MESSAGE:
"THE GREATEST CHALLENGE
BECOMES
THE GREATEST VICTORY WHEN YOU FOCUS ON THE LORD
AND HIS WILL FOR YOUR LIFE IN THE WORLD."
Joshua 13:1-33
Introduction: "Inheritance lost"
Context: Conquering the land (1:7-12:24)
Content: Possessing the land (13:1-22:34)
The land is an inheritance for
There is still land to be possessed in the west
(1-7)
There is land already, almost, possessed in the east (8-13, 15-32)
Reuben's land (15-23)
Gad's land (24-28)
Manasseh's land (29-32)
The Lord is an inheritance for the priests (Levites) (13:14, 33)
Levites were to know the Lord
Levites were to make the Lord known
The church is the New Testament priesthood
We are all priests together
We are priests who know the Lord
We are priests who proclaim the Lord near and far
We are priests who sacrificially worship and serve
MESSAGE:
"OUR GREATEST INHERITANCE IS
TO KNOW THE LORD;
OUR GREATEST INVESTMENT IS TO MAKE HIM KNOWN."
Joshua 14:6-15; 15:13-19
Introduction: "What will you be saying at age 85?"
Context of the passage
Introduction (1:1-16)
Conquering the land (1:7-12:24)
Possessing the land 13:1-21:45
Land east of the
Land west of the
Tribe of
8 1/2 other tribes (16:1-21:45)
Content: What does it take to possess the promises?
Caleb chose a faith approach to life
Caleb continued a faith approach to life
Caleb applied faith to life
Caleb inspired faith in life
MESSAGE:
"I WAS FAITHFUL, I AM
FAITHFUL, I WILL BE FAITHFUL,
AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW ME WILL BE FAITHFUL, TOO."
Joshua 20:1-9
Introduction: "Justice in the land depends on YOU"
The purpose of the cities of refuge
To harbor those guilty of killing a person
To make possible a judgment on murder or manslaughter
To protect those charged with manslaughter
To hand over for judgment those guilty of murder
To hold those charged with manslaughter until forgiveness was complete
The position of the cities of refuge
3 cities east of the Jordan River
3 cities west of the
The picture given by the cities of refuge
Christ is our city of refuge
Christ's death is our forgiveness
God graciously counts our sin as ignorance
Angels accompany us to Jesus
The way to Christ must be well marked
All who are guilty must flee to Christ
Outside of the will of Christ there is real danger
MESSAGE:
"BECAUSE JESUS IS MY REFUGE
FROM PUNISHMENT
AND MY REDEEMER FROM GUILT,
I WILL FOLLOW JESUS AND BE A WITNESS FOR HIM IN THE WORLD."
Joshua 21:1-45
Introduction: "What is wrong with this picture?"
The purpose of the Levitical cities in
To teach
To sanctify
To bless
The placing of 48 Levitical cities throughout
The cities were an offering to the Lord
The cities were given to the four divisions of the Levites
The cities were bright lights in the land
The message of the 48 Levitical cities to
God is faithful to His eternal promises
God is powerful for His holy people
God is worthy of our worship
MESSAGE:
"TRUST IN THE LORD, FOR HE IS
FAITHFUL;
REST IN THE LORD, FOR HE IS POWERFUL;
WORSHIP THE LORD, FOR HE HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR YOU."
Joshua 22:1-34
Introduction: "The Civil War"
The unity of
There was unity in war and unity in worship 1-9
Obedience in war
Obedience in worship
There was disunity in relationship 10-20
A "large" altar is built
A "second" altar is seen
A war counsel is sent
A second altar is sin
The unchecked sin of some brings judgment upon the many
Repent at all cost for all our sins
There was unity in faith 21-34
Confession of faith
Commitment to faith
Clarification of faith
Confession of unity
The unity of the church is based on the unity of faith
Jesus Christ is the Lord our Savior
Jesus Christ is the Lord our God
MESSAGE:
"AS WE LIVE BY FAITH, WE WALK
WITH THE LORD
AND WE ARE UNITED WITH ONE ANOTHER."
Joshua 23:1-16
Introduction: "Grace by automation"
Generation to generation 1-4, 14
The way of God's grace (Keep the covenant)
Description 5, 9-10
The Lord is for you to bless you
The land is for you to possess it
Condition 6-8, 11
Cling to the Lord
Resolve to obey the law
Resolve to obey the law completely
Love the Lord alone
Make no room for other gods
Never forget the blessings of the Lord
The way of God's anger (Break the covenant)
Description 13, 15
The Lord will be against you to dispossess you
from the land
The nations will rule over you
Condition 12, 16
Learning the unholy ways of the ungodly
Loving the idols of the world
MESSAGE:
"THE WAY OF GRACE OR THE WAY
OF ANGER
WILL COME FROM THE LORD ACCORDING TO THE WAY
YOU RESPOND TO HIS COVENANT."
Joshua
Introduction: "Changing governments"
Let the Lord be the redeemer of your life
He has redeemed a nation from the bondage of
another nation
He has redeemed the world from the bondage of sin
He offers the gift of redemption to people of faith
He alone offers us redemption
Let the Lord be the governor of your life
The world is His to manage and direct as He wills
All that opposes Him are lesser powers
Obedience to Him in the context of this life leads to holiness
Obedience to Him in the context of this life leads to victory
His word is His law
He knows us, each one of us
He has the best plan for your life, now and forever
MESSAGE:
"LET THE LORD, WHO IS THE
ONLY ALL-SUFFICIENT GOD,
BE THE REDEEMER AND THE GOVERNOR OF YOUR LIFE."
Home Doctrinal Statement Our History Outreach Ministries Calendar of Events Missions Sermons
