Pastor Mike Impact Ministries Michael L Grooms

Joshua 1:1-2

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came
to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying:


2 "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go
over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to
them--the children of Israel.

 

Today we are going to begin looking at Joshua’s background
and history that brought him to the place where God would appoint him as the next
leader of Israel who would take the place of Moses and lead them into the
Promise Land. God always has a plan and purpose for our lives. That plan and
purpose begins even before we are conceived in the womb. I believe as we study
the early life of Joshua, we will get a picture of how the Lord works in our
lives on our spiritual journey.

 

When the LORD commissioned Jeremiah to prophesy to the
nation of Israel centuries later, He told him, “Then the word of the LORD
came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before
you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
(Jeremiah 1:4-5). Later Jeremiah was told to tell Israel, “For I know the
thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of
evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and
pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me
with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). Even if we get off track on God’s
purpose and plan, He will restore us if we pray and seek Him with sincerely
hearts.

 

God spent many years preparing Joshua for his calling. We
first meet Joshua as a slave in Egypt. This is a picture of every person born
into the human race. Interestingly, in the Book of Exodus, Egypt is a picture
of the world and Pharoah is a type of Satan. We are born into world that is
under the dominion of Satan and we are enslaved in sin. We desperately need a
deliverer! God sent Moses to deliver the people of Israel. God sent His Son,
Jesus Christ to deliver us from our sins.

 

Joshua belonged to the tribe of Ephraim and was the
firstborn son of Nun (1 Chron. 7:20-27). Joshua must have been in his early
twenties when Moses came to deliver Israel. This meant that his life was in
danger the night of Passover, when the firstborn of every family would perish
if the blood of the Lamb was sprinkled on the lintel and doorpost of their
house. Obviously, Joshua’s dad, Nun and his family, including Joshua, had faith
in the Lord and was protected and redeemed by the blood of the lamb (Ex.
11-12).

 

While in Egypt, Joshua saw all the signs and wonders that
God performed (Ex. 7-12); and he knew that Jehovah was a God of power who would
care for His people. The Lord had humiliated the gods of Egypt and demonstrated
that He alone was the true God (Ex. 12:12; Num. 33:4). Joshua saw the Lord open
the Red Sea and then close the waters and drown the pursuing Egyptian army (Ex.
14-15). Joshua was a man of faith who knew the Lord and trusted Him to do
wonders for His people.

 

This is how our spiritual journey begins! We realize we are
sinners under the dominion of Satan, bound by our sin, separated from God,
without understanding, and with no hope. But when we repent of our sin, and we
believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior a miracle takes place, and
we are released from our bondage and slavery to sin and Satan, and we are set free.
We experience the Truth, and “the Truth sets us free” and if “the Son
sets us free we are free indeed” (John 8:32-36).

 

We can never fulfill God’s desire, plan and purpose for our
lives without first experiencing His great salvation through Jesus Christ
alone! It is my prayer that you have begun this awesome spiritual journey, and
you are now on mission with God to lead others to hope and victory in their lives
too!

 

God bless!

Joshua is the book of victory. It's the Old Testament book
that describes the New Testament victory that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For Joshua is a picture, a type, and an illustration of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember that the name in the Old Testament, Joshua, is the Hebrew name
of our New Testament name, Jesus. Joshua represents and pictures the victory
that only Jesus can give us. The Lord Jesus is our heavenly Joshua who leads us
into the land of promise, the land of fulfillment, the land of victory.

Far too many believers live sub-normal Christian lives. The
normal Christian life should be one of victory in Jesus every day. Sure, we will
experience sadness, suffering, hardship, disappointment and discouragement in
our spiritual pilgrimage as we deal with the realities of life. But instead of being
a miserable person we should still experience the presence of the Holy Spirit
in every situation and circumstance and enjoy all the fruits of the Spirit. Which
are “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Paul shared this with the Philippian church in Philippians
4:11-13: “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever
state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere
and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to
abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me.”

“Everywhere and in all things”, Paul
learned to be content and full, despite the hardships that he experienced in
his ministry. He gave a list of these difficult things and times in 2
Corinthians 11:23-28: “In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in
prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received
forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned;
three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in
journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own
countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the
wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness
and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in
cold and nakedness-- besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my
deep concern for all the churches.” Wow! Paul enjoyed and experienced
victory in Jesus despite all these things.

That is what we desire to learn about as we study the book
of Joshua! We can learn our Bibles by studying the characters of the Bible. The
storyline of the Old Testament begins with Adam and find out how man becomes a
sinful creature. In Genesis 6, we meet Noah and learn about God’s judgment with
the flood. In Genesis 12, we learn of God’s calling to Abraham to produce the
people of Israel who will give us the Bible and a Messiah, the Christ who will
bring us hope and salvation. In Genesis 25-50, we meet Jacob and his twelve
sons who give us the nation of Israel.

From Exodus 3 to Deuteronomy 34, the Bible focuses
attention on the ministry of Moses, God's chosen servant to lead the nation of
Israel out of slavery and through the wilderness. He also gives us the “Law of
God”, and the first five books of the Bible. But Moses died; and though he
would not be forgotten (he's named over fifty times in the Book of Joshua), a
new "servant of the Lord" (Josh. 24:29) would take his place.
"God buries His workers, but His work goes on."

In Joshua 1, we will be studying how this change in
leadership carries with it a tremendous spiritual lesson for believers who want
to experience God's best in their lives. God’s best leaders were always God’s
best servants!

My friend, today by faith we can begin to enjoy victory in our
heavenly “Joshua”, Jesus, if we humble and submit ourselves to His authority
and Lordship in our daily lives despite our situation!

Yesterday we finished our study and chats through the Book
of Psalms which almost took two years, and today we will begin a new study
looking at the Book of Joshua. The Book of Joshua is a book of new beginnings.
The people of Israel have been following Moses in the wilderness for the past
forty years. Now finally they are going to get the opportunity to go into the
Promise Land, the land of Canaan. And God has chosen a new leader by the name
of Joshua.

Also, it is a new generation of Israelites that will also
enter the Promise Land. If you remember when the twelve spies came back with their
reports some forty years earlier, ten of them gave an “evil report” that lacked
faith. They only saw the giants and the obstacles that they would face if they
went in. But Joshua and Caleb gave a good report and by faith claimed that the
LORD would go before them and take care of the giants and any other obstacles,
and they could inherit the land the LORD had promised them.

Sadly, the people believed the ten spies and refused to follow
Moses, Joshua, and Caleb and go in. Because of their lack of faith and unbelief
the LORD told them that everyone that was twenty years old and older would never
enter the land, only Joshua and Caleb. So, for the next forty years, everyone
that was twenty years old or older literally died and was buried in the
wilderness. Moses also has just died, and the new generation is preparing to go
in with their new leader, Joshua.

But there were bigger issues involved in that conquest than
the invasion and possession of a land, issues that touch our lives and our
faith today. That's why we're embarking on this study. The Book of Joshua is
the book of new beginnings for the people of God, and many believers today need
a new beginning. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel finally
claimed their inheritance and enjoyed the blessings of the land that God had
prepared for them, "as the days of heaven upon the earth"
(Deut. 11:21). That's the kind of life God wants us to experience today.

God spent many years preparing Joshua for his calling. He
was born into slavery in Egypt and was given the name Hoshea (Num. 13:8), which
means "salvation." Moses later changed it to Joshua (v. 16),
"Jehovah is salvation," which is the Hebrew form of "Jesus"
(Matt. 1:21; see Acts 7:45 and Heb. 4:8). When his parents gave the baby the
name "salvation," they were bearing witness to their faith in God's
promise of redemption for His people (Gen. 15:12-16; 50:24-26). Jesus Christ,
our Joshua, wants to lead us in conquest now and share with us all the
treasures of His wonderful inheritance. He has "blessed us with all
spiritual blessings" (Eph. 1:3), but too often we live like defeated
paupers.

Remember today is the first day of the rest of your life
and you can by faith enjoy a new beginning today!

God bless!

Today is a special day as we conclude our chats in the Book
of Psalms. We started our chats on Psalms on September 14, 2022. Our chat today
will be the 538th one as we have gone through this wonderful book of
praise and worship these past couple of years.

Remember the psalms began in chapter one describing the “Blessed
man” or the person who “does not walk in the council of the ungodly, Nor
stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his
delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He
shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its
fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does
shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3).

For sure the “blessed person” is the one who seeks the LORD
with their whole heart and desires an intimate relationship with Him through
His Word and the Holy Spirit. The “blessed person” will always be found praising
and worshiping the LORD! It seems to be so fitting that the very last psalm is a
great reminder and summary of what genuine and true worship and praise is
really all about!

True praise always focuses on the LORD and our awesome God
(v. 1a). The place of worship is found any place that God’s people meet
together, in the sanctuary, the tabernacle, the temple, the synagogues, and the
church. But also, in the heavens where not only the angels and saints that are
already there, but the moon, sun, the stars, and everything in them praise the
LORD (v. 1b).

In verse 2, we find the eternal themes of praise and worship,
“His mighty acts” and “His excellent greatness”. The Old
Testament is a record of "the mighty acts of God" as performed
for the nation of Israel, the chosen people of God. Especially notable are the
exodus from Egypt, the conquest of the Promised Land, the expansion of the
Davidic kingdom, the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, and the restoring of
the nation. In the four Gospels we see the acts of God as done by Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, and in the Acts and Epistles, we have the record of the Holy
Spirit's mighty acts accomplished through the people of God.

The acts of God reveal the character of God, His holiness,
love, wisdom, power, grace, and so on—what the psalmist called "His
excellent greatness". The nation of Israel had a calendar of special
feasts to help them remember who God was and what God had done (Lev. 23), and
there is nothing wrong with the church having a similar calendar for the great
events in the ministry of Christ. However, we must beware lest the routine use
of the calendar becomes more important than the meaning of the days, or that
the observing of these days is a means of salvation (Rom. 14:1-15:13; Gal.
4:8-10; Col. 2:16-17). We cannot plumb the depths of all that God is or all
that He has done (Psalms 106:2; 145:4, 11, 12). This is why our eternal
worshiping of God will never become boring!

Finally, the psalm ends with describing the means of worship:
Musical Instruments and Human Voices (vv. 3-6)

When it is used correctly, by God's grace and for God's
glory, the human voice is the most perfect musical instrument in the world, but
we find no prohibitions in Scripture against using manmade instruments in the
worship of God. Instruments will be used in heaven (Rev. 5:8; 8:6-12), and
there will also be singing (Rev. 5:9-14; 6:12; 11:16-18; 15:1-4; 16:5-7;
19:1-9).

The psalmist seems to be describing an orchestra that has
string instruments, percussion instruments, and wind instruments. But the final
verse sums it up. Whether you can play an instrument or not, no matter where
you live or what your ethnic origin, male or female, young or old, "Let
everything that has breath praise the Lord!" After all, that breath
comes from the Lord (Acts 17:25), and if things that do not have breath can
praise the Lord, surely we can, too! Praise the Lord!

Lord, thank you so much for the Book of Psalms that brings
us into Your ho

Psalm 150:1-6

1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him
in His mighty firmament!

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to
His excellent greatness!

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with
the lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with
stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing
cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise
the LORD!

Psalm 150 is last of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that conclude
the Book of Psalms. The Book of Psalms teaches us to worship and seek the LORD
in spirit and in truth. It opens our mind, heart, and soul to have communion
with our great God. It is a book of prayers and pleas to the LORD for strength
and deliverance from our enemies. But most of all it is a book of praise as we
enjoy intimacy in our fellowship in the presence of Jehovah!

The Psalms give us the opportunity to vent our emotions of
hurt, pain, suffering, rejection, anger, worry and fear to the LORD instead of
taking them out on people and things around us! I trust you will make it a regular
habit of reading, memorizing, and meditating on the Psalms as part of your
daily walk with the LORD!

Psalm 150 gives us some final instructions on what our
praise to the LORD should be like. First, our focus of praise should always be
on the LORD and our great God! The word "praise" is used thirteen
times in this psalm, and each of these “praise” is connected to “Praise the LORD”,
“Praise God”, or “Praise Him”.

Next, we learn about the place of worship which is both
Heaven and Earth. “Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty
firmament!”  (v. 1b). The "firmament"
is the great expanse of heaven (Psalms 11:4; 148:1; Gen. 1:6) where the angels
and "spirits of just men made perfect" (Psalm 148:1-7; Heb. 12:23)
worship the Lord. Heaven is and always will be a place of continuous praise to
the LORD (Isaiah 6:1-3; Revelation 4).

The "sanctuary" was the Jewish tabernacle or
temple where the priests and Levites led the people in praising God. We know
that the Lord does not live in the structures that we design and build (Acts
7:48-50; 17:24-25), but there is nothing sinful about setting aside a place
totally dedicated to worshiping the Lord. The early church met in the temple,
in upper rooms, in private homes, and even in synagogues, and when persecution
began, they met in caves and underground burial chambers.

People who excuse themselves from public worship because
they "worship God in nature" need to be reminded that the God of
nature has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and commanded us to gather together
with other believers (Heb. 10:25).

We can lift our hearts to the Lord from any geographic
location, for our God fills heaven and earth. True worship begins in our hearts
initiated by the Holy Spirit and should take place in our personal and private
closet time with the LORD and His Word. Our public and corporate worship with
other believers should be an overflow of our private praise and worship. We shouldn’t
go to church to worship, we should to church bringing our worship with us!

We should seek the LORD each day with our whole heart, and we
are promised that we will find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29)! Remember the place of
worship and praise should be everywhere!

God bless!

1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him
in His mighty firmament!

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to
His excellent greatness!

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with
the lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with
stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing
cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise
the LORD!

We come finally to the last psalm, the climax of the great
doxology, the "Hallelujah Chorus" of the Hebrew hymn book. The sobs
and sighs of many a previous psalm are now changed into shouts and songs. The
wistful longings, triumphant hopes, and soaring faith of so many of the Hebrew
hymns are now caught up in rapture and made to reverberate around the throne of
God. Nowhere, not even in the vastness of the book of Psalms itself, is there
anything to compare with this last resounding doxology of praise.

The book of Psalms begins with God blessing man: "Blessed
is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way
of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful...." The book of
Psalms ends with man blessing God. In this last psalm praise to God springs up
like a fountain. I noticed as I went through the psalms in these chats a pattern
that was often repeated in most of them. The psalm would begin with a cry or a
plea to the LORD for help as the psalmist expressed his pain or suffering but
before it was finished he would changed his focus from his problem or
discouragement and look up to Jehovah and would praise Him for His mercy and
deliverance!

When you read and study the psalms, you meet with joys and
sorrows, tears and trials, pains and pleasures, but like many of the previous
psalms, the book of Psalms closes on the highest note of praise! Like the book
of Revelation that closes the New Testament, this final psalm says to God's
people, "Don't worry—this is the way the story will end. We shall all be
praising the Lord!"

The word "praise" is used thirteen times in this
psalm, and ten of those times, we are commanded to "Praise Him."
Each of the previous four Books of Psalms ends with a benediction (Psalms 41:13;
72:18-19; 89:52; 106:48), but the final Book ends with a whole psalm devoted to
praise. Like the previous psalm, it gives us a summary of some essentials of
true worship.

First in verse 1, we are reminded that the focus of worship
is the LORD Himself! “Praise the LORD! Praise God…”. "Hallelu
Yah"—hallelujah—"Praise Jehovah” (or Yah, for Yahweh), which is the
covenant name of the LORD. It reminds us that He loves us and has covenanted to
save us, keep us, care for us, and eventually glorify us, because of the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His Son, on the cross. The new covenant was not
sealed by the blood of animal sacrifices but by the precious blood of Christ.

"God" is the "power
name" of God (El, Elohim), and this reminds us that whatever He promises,
He is able to perform. Worship is not about the worshiper and his or her needs;
it is about God and His power and glory. Certainly, we bring our burdens and
needs with us into the sanctuary (1 Peter 5:7), but we focus our attention on
the Lord.

My friend, we are told in Philippians 2:9-11, that because
of the obedience and death of Jesus Christ on the cross, that “God also has
highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name”, and that
one day in the future, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those
in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We won’t have a choice on that day, but we do now! So,
please choose to worship and praise the LORD today!

God bless!