Text: Joshua-Ruth

• Continue our series of perusing swiftly through the Old Testament books to get the "Big Picture" of what God was doing with the nation of Israel.
• 1 Co. 10:11 "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."
• 2 Ti. 4:7 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
• Being off a degree or two at the start will cause a rocket to be way off target the farther it goes.
• Joshua is a manual for starting right and for correcting deviant flight paths. The big lesson in Joshua is to stay on course and finish the job.

1. Start Right

• Doing it right the first time saves time and heartache in the long run

• It is easier to build from scratch than to remodel a home in bad disrepair

1. Unfaithful past
1. God pruned out the unbelieving, the disobedient, the complainers
2. They began to have success in spite of their past failures
2. Unfailing guide: The Law (Josh. 1:8)
3. Unlimited Faith (3:14f)
1. Even the small can do great things
1. A flea leaps 200 times its length. A man would have to jump 1,200 feet to equal this
2. A Housefly takes 440 steps to travel three inches, and does it in half a second¾ corresponding to a man running 20 miles in a minute (1200 mph)
3. An ant lifts a load many times its weight¾ a man would have to lift a diesel locomotive
4. Turnip seeds can increase their weight 15 times a minute, and in rich soil turnip may increase their weight 15,000 times a day!
5. A growing squash 18 days old has grown in such a way that it lifted pounds on lever¾ 19 days later it lifted 5,000 lbs.
4. Unconditional Obedience (6)

2. Beware of Pitfalls
1. Lack of contentment (Josh. 7)
1. Achan let the world attract him
2. Achan's sin affected others
2. Lack of renewal (8)
1. We need periods of renewal
2. Businesses have "refresher" courses
3. Doctors take periodic re-certification exams
3. Lack of discernment (9)
3. Staying on the Path of Spiritual Success
1. Courage (23:6)
1. Doing right in spite of your fears
2. Battlefield, not playground
2. Obedience
3. Separation
4. Love (23:11)
4. Finish the Job
1. Israel never fully conquered the land
2. This resulted in problems and heartaches in the years to come
3. Don't quit
1. When you are weary, fight one more round
2. When you are discouraged, make one more play
3. When you are hurting, take one more step
4. When the eye of faith is weak and dim, Still hold on to Jesus, sink or swim
4. Postage Stamp Poem
5. God Chastens
1. The nations were God's instruments to chasten His people
2. God uses even the ungodly to accomplish His will
6. God Restores
1. When we cry out to Him
2. When we return to Him
7. God has a Remnant
1. You are not the only one
1. Elijah was discouraged when he thought he was the only one
2. God had 7000 others that Elijah did not know about
2. God's side is always in the minority humanly speaking