SDA Church Gwagwalada. Abuja.

22/12/2025

𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲

𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟏𝟑: 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲!

𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭:“𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑, 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒. . . . 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒, 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑’ ” (𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗵𝘂𝗮 𝟮𝟰:𝟭𝟱, 𝗡𝗞𝗝𝗩).

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: In the last chapter of Joshua, the people agreed again to serve God. Joshua, their leader, helps Israel to make this promise. In this final chapter, we see that Israel’s agreement has the same parts as other agreements from that time. These agreements or promises have seven parts.
1.𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒.
2. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡.
3. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡.
4. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡.
5. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠.
6. 𝐴 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒.
7. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑙.
Joshua is at the end of his life. But Joshua doesn’t name anyone to replace him as leader. The Israelites don’t need a human king. God is their leader. If the Israelites stay loyal to God, He will lead and protect them. The agreement helps the people remember that their king is the Lord.

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞!
➠ Joshua gathered all Israel at 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒎.
— 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐴𝑏𝑟𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑚 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑑 (𝐺𝑒𝑛. 12:6)
— 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑜𝑏 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑑 (𝐺𝑒𝑛. 33:18)
— 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑜𝑏 (𝐺𝑒𝑛. 33:19)
— 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑜𝑏 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑛 𝑔𝑜𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 (𝐺𝑒𝑛. 35:4)

➠ Joshua reminded Israel of their whole story-from Abraham to Egypt to Canaan. In that story, God was the main hero. He said, "I took... I gave... I delivered." Israel did not free themselves or win the land. Everything was a gift of God's grace.

➠ Joshua told the people listening, "You were there." God's covenant with their ancestors was also a promise for them. Because God had done so much, Joshua called them to throw away all false gods and serve the Lord alone.

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡, ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦.
2. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐼𝑠𝑟𝑎𝑒𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡, 𝐻𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑡𝑜𝑜.

𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐈𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡
➠ Joshua gave Israel a clear choice: serve the Lord with all your heart or serve other gods.

➠ To "𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝" means to respect and honor Him. It is knowing how great and holy God is, and how much He asks of us. This respect leads us to obey Him.

➠ Serving God "𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲" means with a pure and complete heart, like a perfect sacrifice offered to God.

➠ Serving God "i𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡" means with faithful and steady loyalty, just as God has always been faithful to Israel True service comes from a thankful heart that remembers all God has done.

➠ Joshua said, "𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆." For him and his family, the choice was clear: "𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅."

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒. 𝑊𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐽𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑠.
2. 𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒-𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝐻𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢.

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞
➠ Joshua respects the free will of his people. He wants the Israelites to serve God because of their free choice. Joshua doesn’t want Israel to feel forced to serve God. That’s why Joshua reminds the Israelites that they freely chose to serve
the Lord.

➠ In their answer, the Israelites show that they understand that the God of their fathers is now their God. The Israelites are willing to serve God with their whole hearts.

➠ The decision to serve God is very important. Their decision will change their lives. They must live for God and follow His rules. If they do, God will bless them. But if they disobey, they will suffer. Joshua wants them to understand fully what they are promising.

➠ The Israelites must make their own decision to serve God. Joshua can’t make that decision for them.

➠ Israel must know that humans can’t serve God in their own strength. We must have a personal relationship with God first. He must save us. Then we may serve Him.

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡; 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠.
3. 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦—𝐻𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒.

𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐲
➠ To conclude his speech, Joshua asked them to remove the gods that are “among you,” and to turn their hearts back to God (Josh. 24:23).

➠ For the third time, the people pledged to serve God (Josh. 24:24). The covenant was ratified, and, like Moses, Joshua “gave them statutes and laws” (Josh. 24:25).

➠ Although the covenant with God is based on a living relationship with Him and cannot be fully expressed through mere regulations, Joshua understood that it was necessary to leave clear reminders that would help them stay in the covenant.

➠ He put the covenant in writing, and erected a memorial monument: a stone to serve as a witness to the commitment they had made (Josh. 24:26-27).

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝐼𝑑𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑒𝑠—𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠.
2. 𝑊𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑. 𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑑𝑜𝑙𝑠.

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥
➠ The book of Joshua ends with three burials. One of them, prophesied hundreds of years earlier, was the burial of Joseph in Jacob's inheritance ( Gen. 50:24-26; Josh. 24:32).

➠ The rebellious generation that had come out of Egypt was buried in the desert. But the new generation was to be buried “in their inheritance,” along with those who had remained faithful in an unfaithful generation: Joshua and Eleazar (Josh. 24:29-30, 33).

➠ This new generation remained faithful (Josh. 24:31). But what about the next generation (Judg. 2:10-11)?

➠ Each generation must make its own covenant with God. The faith of their parents can help them make the right decision. But the decision is theirs. Let us make our decision today: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15 NIV).

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝐴 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠—𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒.
2. 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑, 𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑟 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:
“Joshua wrote down Israel’s promise in the book of the law. Then Joshua put a big stone under an oak tree near the Lord’s holy tent. ‘Then Joshua said to all the people, “This stone will help you remember what we said today. This stone was here when the Lord ord was speaking to us today. So this stone will be something that helps you remember what happened today. The stone will be a witness against you. It will stop you from turning against your God.” ’ [Joshua 24:27, ERV]. Joshua announces that his warning to the people is not his own words. The warning is from God. This big stone will be a memorial. This memorial will help the Israelites in the future to remember this time. The stone also would be a witness against the people if they start to worship false gods.”
— 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐆. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠, May 26, 1881.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤!!

22/12/2025

You may never really know the true impact You have on those around You. You never know how much someone needed that smile You gave them. You never know how much Your kindness turned someone's life around. You never really know how much someone needed that long hug or deep talk. So don't wait to be kind. Don't wait for someone else to be kind first. Don't wait for better circumstances. Just be kind, because You never know how much someone needs it...

19/12/2025

God is Faithful....

19/12/2025

WHAT WAS JONAH REALLY RUNNING AWAY FROM? 🤔

Was he running from a city? A difficult task? Or something deeper?

God’s command was clear: “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it”. Yet Jonah fled in the opposite direction, to Tarshish. Why?

· Running from a Hard Mission: Nineveh was the capital of the powerful, wicked Assyrian empire. Jonah likely feared mockery, rejection, or even death.
· Running from God's Mercy: As a Hebrew, Jonah hated the Assyrians, who were Israel's enemies. He didn’t want them to repent and escape God's judgment. He was running from a grace he felt his enemies didn’t deserve.

But you can’t outrun God. His pursuit is an act of mercy, not just judgment. The storm, the fish—everything was used to redirect Jonah back to his purpose. His story shows us that God’s call is inescapable and His plans are unstoppable.

Today, God’s call might not be to a distant city, but it is just as clear. He calls us to serve Him right where we are—in obedience at home, with integrity at work, with a willing heart at school and with faithfulness at church.

Don't run. Don't ignore the stirring in your spirit. You are uniquely crafted by God for a purpose. Say "yes" to your next assignment from Him, whether it’s teaching, leading, offering hospitality, or serving through prayer. A surrendered life finds its greatest purpose at the pleasure of Christ's call!

17/12/2025

16/12/2025

𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲

𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟏𝟐: 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝑰𝒔 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥!

𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭: “𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐼𝑠𝑟𝑎𝑒𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑; 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠” (𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗵𝘂𝗮 𝟮𝟭:𝟰𝟱, 𝗘𝗦𝗩).

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: When Joshua was old, he knew he was going to die soon. So, he decided to talk to the leaders of Israel and the people (Joshua 23 and 24). Joshua 23 talks more about the future and how to worship God. Joshua 24 talks about God’s promises to His people in the past. This chapter also talks about the only Person who is worthy of our worship. 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑮𝒐𝒅? 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔. 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑? The Lord.
This week, we study the first talk of Joshua. In this talk, he
looks back at the wars God won for Israel. At the same time,
Joshua looks at how Israel can enjoy success in the future.

𝐒𝐮𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬
➠ The book of Joshua ends with a powerful truth: 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒. God gave Israel all the land He promised (Josh. 13-21). God gave them victory over all their enemies (Josh. 1-12).

➠ The word "𝐚𝐥𝐥" is repeated many times to show that everything happened just as God said. Israel did not earn the land. It was a free gift from a faithful God.

➠ This is just like our salvation. We are saved by God's grace, not by our works (Eph. 2:8-9). Even when we are not faithful, God is always faithful because He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13).

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝐶𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑑'𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑘𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑠.
2. 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑔𝑖𝑓𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑓𝑢𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑.
3. 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒.

𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐀 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧
➠ Joshua, now very old, called all Israel to meet with him-their
elders, leaders, judges, and officials. He reminded them that every victory in Canaan was God's gift.

➠ They did not win by their own power. The Promised Land was a sign that God always keeps His promises (Neh. 9:8). God had given them rest from war, but some enemy nations were still in the land.

➠ Their future safety and success were not guaranteed. It depended on their continued obedience and loyalty to God.

➠ Just as Israel fought physical enemies, Christians fight spiritual enemies, sin and temptation. Jesus has already won the final victory over these enemies on the cross (Col. 2:15).

➠ But we must daily put on God's spiritual armor (Eph. 6:11- 18) and rely on His strength to live in that victory.

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝐿𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝐺𝑜𝑑, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠.
2. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑'𝑠; 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤.
3. 𝑆𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ.

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
➠ Joshua warned Israel that their biggest danger was not war, but friendship with the nations around them. The real battle was spiritual, not military. Their enemies' false gods and evil customs could destroy their faith.

➠ Joshua gave clear commands:
• 𝐷𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠.
• 𝐷𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑔𝑜𝑑𝑠.
• 𝐷𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠.

➠ Intermarriage was forbidden not for racial reasons, but for spiritual protection. Solomon's marriages to foreign wives
led him into idolatry (1 Kings 11).

➠ In the New Testament, Christians are told not to marry unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14). This is for the same reason to protect faith.

➠ The challenge for Christians is to live in the world without letting the world's values become our values.

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝐺𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑏𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠.
2. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑑.
3. 𝑊𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.

𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝
➠ We can say without a doubt that the main point of Joshua's speech is found in verse 11: to love God.

➠ Israel was to demonstrate its love by not loving other gods, which would result in serious harm to them (Josh. 23:12-13). Furthermore, Joshua proposes an incentive to nurture that love: God's faithfulness (Josh. 23:14).

➠ Today we have an even greater incentive: the example of Jesus ( John 13:34). God desires to enter into an intimate and personal relationship with every person who responds to his love.

➠ Consequently, His love for all constitutes the framework for the manifestation of our voluntary and mutual love.

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝑈𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐺𝑜𝑑'𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒.
2. 𝐺𝑜𝑑'𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛.
3. 𝐼𝑛 𝐽𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑠, 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑢𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑤𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑑.

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝
➠ Joshua ends his speech with harsh words of warning about the consequences of disobedience: suffering the wrath of God (Josh. 23:15-16).

➠ Just as the Lord's promises had been faithfully fulfilled regarding the blessing of Israel, the curses of the covenant would also come true if the Israelites broke it.

➠ The same love that led God to give his Son for us is the one that manifests itself in anger against those who stubbornly cling to sin ( John 3:16; Romans 2:5).

➠ Israel failed and suffered its punishment. We today have the opportunity to write a different story: to remain faithful and abide in His love ( John 15:9).

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
1. 𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝.
2. 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑓𝑢𝑙.
3. 𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝐻𝑖𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:
“God is the Life-Giver. From the beginning, God’s laws gave life. But sin broke God’s law and His peace. Sin caused evil to fill the earth. As long as sin continues, suffering and death will happen. But the Savior became sin for us. He accepted its penalty for us. So, now we have hope. Because of Jesus, we can escape the terrible penalty of sin.”
— 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐆. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑡𝑠, p. 522.

13/12/2025

10 Talking Points on the SS Lesson 11 Q4 2025: Living in the Land


1. Last week we learnt that Jesus is the true Joshua. Joshua, being a type, led the children of Israel into the promised land while the antitype, Jesus, is leading those who believe in Him to inherit the new earth. This week’s lesson focuses on principles of and for living together, including conflict resolution, unity, and inner commitment to God.

2. The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh were apportioned their share of land on the eastern side of Jordan. Yet, despite having already received their inheritance, their fighting men stood united with the rest of Israel and crossed the Jordan to assist them secure the remainder of the promised land (Jos. 1 v 12-18). After about 7 years of selfless service, they returned to the East of the Jordan (Jos. 22 v 1-8).

3. After returning, they built a memorial alter for the Lord (Jos. 22 v 10). The rest of the Israelites on the western part of Jordan were furious when they heard about the alter and prepared to go to war with them. They decided to send delegates for fact finding before taking any action (vs 11-14). Six principles of and for living together are derived from this act.

4. Principle 1: Effective communication. The children of Israel on the western side heard someone say their brethren on the eastern side have built an altar. They communicated their disappointment towards their brothers, which was also partly shaped by past trauma (Num. 25 v 1-9).

5. Principle 2: Verify the allegation. Where an allegation is made, fact finding is very important. It provides details that might have been missed upon hearing the rumour. The news came to the children of Israelites on the western side as a rumour from someone who didn’t have all the details. To verify the allegation, the congregation chose reputable men on the fact-finding mission (v 13, 14).

6. Principle 3: Avoid prejudice. The reaction of the children of Israel on the western side of Jordan was predicated on their previous bitter experiences of the rebellion at Baal Poer (Num. 25) and the trespass of Achan (Jos. 7 v 1), which led to their defeat at Ai. Past trauma and pain transformed legitimate vigilance into impulsive judgement, contrary to God’s counsel (Jam 1 v 19).

7. Principle 4: Manage fear. The western tribes of Israel equated the altar with rebellion (Josh. 22 v 16), letting fear dominate their actions rather than seeking understanding. This illustrates how untested assumptions can easily disguise themselves as spiritual discernment. When one works with assumptions, Paul counsels, “Love… thinks no evil” (1 Cor. 13 v 5).

8. Principle 5: Be resolution oriented. After the patient inquiry and verification of facts, the delegates from the western side rejoiced that the worst did not happen. They admitted their error in hasty decision. On the other hand, the brethren on the eastern side of Jordan were not defensive but had wisdom of words that disarmed a potentially damaging conflict.

9. Principle 6. Fixed ideals require flexible applications. The ideal of a central altar (Deut. 12 v.13-14) had to be interpreted in light of new territorial realities east of the Jordan, including the practical need of flexibility such as the precedent of establishing altars in Shechem (Deut 16 v.21; 27 v.1- 8; Josh 24) and Gilgal (Josh 4 v.18-5 v.12). Without this flexibility, righteousness becomes rigidness that destroys relationships.

10. The children of Israel on the western side of Jordan perceived that their brethren from the eastern side had committed blasphemy and treachery. In anger, they went to verify the allegation before acting. They were pleased when their fears were allayed. The principles highlighted can still be used to resolve conflicts in modern times. Next week we will consider the lesson “God is Faithful.”

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY