Our sermon text for this Sunday, September 6th will be Joshua 23.  This is the second of three chapters in the “farewell” section of the book of Joshua.  It is also the second to the last chapter in the Book of Joshua.  Joshua has said farewell to the two and a half tribes and in chapter 23 we advance many years to the end of Joshua’s life.  Much like 2 Timothy was the last will and testament of the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son in the faith, Joshua 23 is a plea from a dying man to his people.  Read the chapter in preparation and consider the following questions:

• What are the predominant themes in this chapter?
• What are the encouragements?
• What are the exhortations and warnings?
• What is Israel called “to” do and “not to” do? 
• What do we learn about God in this passage?
• Compare chapter 23 with chapter 1.  Do you see any similarities?
• How strong is the warning regarding the “nations”?  Why is it so strong?  How does this relate to our day?
• What does Joshua mean in verse 11, “Be very careful…to love the Lord your God”?

Enjoy preparing with your family!  Remember, by preparing before the sermon, and reviewing after the sermon, you will help to ensure that the truths of God’s Scripture are implanted in your hearts.

This Sunday Billy Rosano will be preaching from Isaiah 61:1-3.  It would be helpful to read the whole chapter and follow some of the cross-references to this text.  Where else do we find allusions to this passage?  Look back to Isaiah 58:6-12 and forward to Luke 4:14-44.  Who is the central focus of these passages?  Who is the subject and who are the objects?  What implications do these passages have for us today?  Have fun as you prepare for the message this week!  It would be helpful to at least read through these passages before Sunday.

We will be looking at Joshua 22 this week.  We have moved from the Conquering phase (1-12) to the Inheritance phase (13-21) and we now enter the Farewell phase (22-24).  Read chapter 22 ahead of time and keep your attention focused on three main points: 1) Notice the commendation Joshua gives to the two and a half tribes, 2) Notice the zealous concern for purity in the worship of the Lord, 3) Notice the emphasis on the corporate whole, and the consequences expected upon all (How might this principle apply to the Body of Christ–1 Cor 12?).  Other helpful studies in preparation or after Sunday: Follow the story of Phinehas, look at the story of the two and a half tribes, do a study on altars and their typical use, and perhaps look at the establishment of the Tabernacle by God.  Have fun as you study!

Just a quick reminder for all GTCC attenders to come to the Congregational Meeting this Wednesday Evening, August 19, at 6:30 P.M. at our current meeting site.  We will have a time of refreshment and fellowship immediately following the meeting.

One of the values of Grace and Truth Community Church is prayer.  A healthy and vibrant church is a praying church.  Historically, times of revival were most often preceded by times of consistent corporate prayer.  We will be addressing the priority of corporate prayer at our upcoming Congregational Meeting, on August 19th, at 6:30 P.M.

Our personal prayer time is also vital for the corporate health of the church.  The body is made up of many members and if the members are sick and ailing spiritually, the body will suffer as well (Read 1 Cor 12:12-27).  At a recent conference, Donald Whitney gave a seminar on Thirsting For God, in which he exhorted us to use Scripture to guide us in our prayer life.  The process is very simple.  When we pray, use a Scripture passage to guide what we pray for.  The Psalms are especially helpful to use as a guide for our prayer time, since they deeply address so many of the life experiences that we face.  So, if we were to pray through Psalm 1, as an example, we could use verse one to guide us like this:

“Lord, by Your grace, help me to be like this blessed man.  Work in the hearts of my children that they might be like this blessed man.  Give us eyes to discern the ‘counsel of the wicked’.  Give us a holy distaste for the ‘way of sinners’.  Search our hearts and reveal any wicked way in us.  Expose the errors in our thinking and plans.  Protect us, Lord, from the enticements of the world.  Help us to see the ways of the wicked as You see them.  Grant to us repentant spirits.  Help us to be quick to confess and turn from our sin and experience the joy of Your forgiveness.  Oh Lord, I want to be like the blessed man.  I want your image to be more and more restored in me.  Continue to use whatever means your wisdom sees fit to purge wickedness from our hearts and replace it with holiness, purity, grace, truth, and love.”

This is just one example of how the Word of God can guide and enrich our prayer time.  By using Scripture we also avoid the error and unproductive tendency we all have to pray with vain repetition (Matthew 6:7-8).

Matthew Henry wrote an extremely helpful guide to praying through Scripture called Method for Prayer.  Pastor Ligon Duncan has served us well by recently editing and making this book available online with Scriptural tags, so that one can read through the various chapters of this book and see the Scriptures immediately.  Recently, I have found spending time praying through a portion of this book and the Scriptures that correspond a very convicting and edifying experience for me personally.  I highly recommend making the time to enrich your prayer life with such a tool.  Read the book online.

“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”   Col 1:9-12

This is a short post to encourage the congregation to prepare for this Sunday’s message by reading ahead.  Billy Rosano will be preaching a message from 2 Corinthians 2:14-17.  In preparation, it would good to prayerfully read 2 Corinthians 1 and 2 and then focus special attention making observations on chapter 2:14-17.  Fathers and leaders of households, this is a great opportunity for you to solidify truths of these texts in your families’ hearts and minds (Eph 6:4). 

Next Week: Next week we will return to Joshua 21, so plan to read Joshua 20 and 21 and consider the significance of the cities given to the Levites.  What is different about Levitical cities from the rest of the tribes?  Try following the cross-references in your Study Bibles to see what more you can learn about the inheritance of the Levites.  The Lord bless you as you diligently study the Scripture and prepare yourselves to participate more richly in the messages each week. 

“Be diligent to present yourselves approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  2 Tim 2:15