The Bride Church

Key Points God grants mercy for manslayers; He sets up cities of refuge. Manslayers were given refuge from the avenger of blood. The one who flees into the city of refuge must stay until the chief priest dies. When the priest died, this was considered the full atonement for their sin of unintentional murder. The manslayer was free to go home. Our Chief Priest died on our behalf and lives to interc...

Key Points Five scenarios occur with people responding to their land allotments. Those who stood on God’s promise realized their requests. Caleb’s daughter and nephew had the same courage as Caleb. We often see the fruit of our faithfulness fall on our decedents.  Othniel was later called on to be Israel’s deliverer and their first judge.  Joseph’s sons were not satisfied with their allotments but...

Key Points Caleb was told on the west side of the Jordon that he would inherent Hebron because he was fully faithful.  Caleb asked for the upper hills of Hebron 45 years later and proclaimed his whole heartedness.  Moses said Caleb had a different spirit. That same spirit is available to us today.  Caleb’s patient endurance was forged in the wilderness as he and Joshua endured the grumbling and co...

Key Points The Lord is my Light. - Light brings order. - Light reveals what's hidden. - Light frees us from darkness. The Lord is my Salvation. - Jesus set us free. - Jesus rescued us. - Jesus saved us. David's desire. - A heart surrendered to the Lord. - To contemplate the beauty of the Lord. - To inquire in Your temple. Discussion What can I do to improve my intimacy with God? Has my life made a...

Key Points General revelation is the glory of God revealed through nature as described in the first part of Psalm 19, and it is available to all humankind. God’s instructions are good and meant to guide us in the way we should go. It is not easy for us to perceive unintentional sins, but we ought to repent of them when they are brought to our attention rather than get defensive about them. Being a...

Key Points Abraham was used by God to bless, to be a blessing, and to be blessed. Jacob asked for blessings. The Portuguese phrase, “benca pai/mai” means “father/mother bless me.” The response is “Deus abencoe,” meaning “God bless you.” God declares a blessing over those who walk in obedience to His voice. Jesus took the curse upon Himself so we who believe can walk in the blessings. The beatitude...

Key Points Israel’s Promised Land was about to be allotted, tribe by tribe. The land was considered an inheritance for the descendants of Abraham. An inheritance is typically realized after the death of the promissory. God gives us an unfading and undefiled inheritance, guarded and kept in heaven for us. This inheritance was given to his children (believers) after the death, burial, and resurrecti...

Key Points A huge alliance is assembled in the north to come against Israel. As we gain ground in our transformational journey there will be increased resistance. Joshua was a successful leader, not because of his military might but because he was obedient to what God had asked him to do. Complacency and distraction are two enemies that can keep us from success in God’s Kingdom. Fathers’ roles are...

Key Points The camp at Gilgal is a significant location for Israel in the Promised Land. Gilgal is a shadow of Calvary. Gilgal is where the 12-stone monument was set up as a reminder of God’s faithfulness when he brought Israels across the Jordan River and Red Sea on dry land. The cross is a reminder of God’s faithfulness to forgive our sin. Gilgal is where the men of Israel were circumcised and G...

Key Points The king/queen of unforgiveness is the only unwanted ruler that can cause hatred in your heart.  The Greek word, aphesis (ἄφεσις), is used when referring to forgiveness more than 40 times in the New Testament. It means to send the obligation of debt away. To not work towards forgiveness is a sin. The first step to forgive someone is to count the cost: acknowledge the hurt, the injustice...

Key Points The need to control is always rooted in fear. The thing you fear the most is often what you try to control the most. The thing you try to control the most will reveal where you trust God the least. The need to control can be connected to past trauma, an event where you felt out of control.  Lack of trust can stem from someone breaking trust when you should have been able to trust them....

Key Points Busyness can be a sign of brokenness.  Martha was troubled and distracted. Busyness can sometimes be rooted in pride. The remedy for busyness is resting at the feet of Jesus and His teaching. (Word) It is good to be hospitable and serve but not in an excessive way. Flee from sexual immorality. God calls us to make our bodies surrender to His holiness through sanctification. Sexual sin c...

Key Points This week, we are taking another unwanted king/queen out from the cave. Simply put, man-pleasing is desiring to please man more than God. Man-pleasing can be rooted in rejection, father wounds, competition, or a chronic need to be affirmed. A gift of mercy or helps can sometimes be overextended leading to a desire to be needed by others. This can cause relational problems at home as wel...

Key Points An alliance was formed to attack Gibeon; Joshua was summoned, and Israel came to their defense. God stopped the sun and dropped hailstones on the alliance. The five kings abandoned their people and hid in a cave. Joshua, with all his men in sight, removed the kings from the cave and executed them. God will go to great lengths without cooperation to slay false kings that try to rule our...

Key Points An alliance is formed with five kings to come against Israel, but the people of Gibeon decide to use some trickery to save themselves. The Gibeonites deceived Joshua into thinking they were from a foreign land and Joshua, unaware, made peace with his enemy. One small verse in the middle of this chapter made a big difference: they failed to ask counsel from the Lord. Our adversary, the d...

Key Points God’s grace is apparent in His response to Israel’s defeat at Ai. God instructs Joshua with a precise strategy for their victory at Ai; Joshua obeys. The King is captured alive and brought to Joshua to be hung on a tree. After the success at Ai, Joshua remembers what Moses had instructed regarding the reading of the blessings and curses between the two mountains, Gerizim and Ebal. He ca...

Key Points Humankind needs hope. The world is lost and have fallen into deep despair.  Eternal hope is found in Jesus. The Church is God’s method of proclaiming hope to the world. Prayer is stronger than any weapon. Never underestimate your prayers. Jesus sent the disciples into the storm and met them in the storm. God didn’t keep Daniel from the lion den. He saved him in the lion den. The three m...

Key Points Good Friday is the best example of suffering and death yielding good results. Hope is the positive expectation of good things to come, namely God’s promises. Materialism has caused us to be too beaten, blinded, and busied to embrace eternity. Taking up your cross daily prepares you to meet your end with dignity and hope. Object permanence… passing away does not equal ceasing to exist. -...

Key Points 500 years before the battle of Jericho, the Lord spoke to Abraham about the judgment coming to the land of the Amorites. The Lord’s character includes both justice and mercy. There was justice for the city and salvation for Rehab and her family. Faith and obedience are followed by victory. God’s direction also includes warnings. Discussion God could have destroyed Jericho without the ma...

Key Points Circumcised men heal on the banks of the Jordan prior to Passover. Only one Passover is recorded after the exodus until they get to the other side of the Jordan, then Passover continued all the way to the Last Supper with Jesus. Circumcision was a covenant given by God to remember Him and He to remember us. On this side of the resurrection, circumcision occurs in our heart. God poured o...

Key Points God’s presence, power, and promise held back the Jordon River.  The people had to camp next to the flooded Jordon for three days to take in the magnitude of the obstacle. Passing over the Jordan required more faith than the Israelites needed 40 years prior when they walked across the Red Sea. This time they weren’t running from trouble; they were walking into trouble. This required Fait...

Key Points Joshua sent two spies to Jericho. What was a military mission turned into a missionary journey. Rahab was justified by her faith, and her works proved her faith. Faith produces works. God’s grace moved into the heart of Rahab and redefined her destiny. We have faith in Christ that saves, and we can exercise that faith for exploits in His Kingdom. Discussion How does Rehab’s salvation in...

Key Points After 40 years of murmuring and wandering, it was time to move forward into the promises of God. Wandering in self-pity, the past, bitterness, self, or grief can be traced to unbelief. A generation was lost in the wilderness due to unbelief. Joshua was affirmed with the God’s mission and provision to arise after the death of Moses. Moses’s death before entering the promise land is a typ...

Key Points Elohim might refer to false gods or the one true God. Yahweh is the name of the one true God. Side note: the Jewish people would not say “Yahweh” out of reverence for Him. Special markings in the text guided them to say Elohim or Adonai when reading. Many modern translations of the Bible render Yahweh as Lord, with small cap letters to signify that it is the name of God. Idolatry is a m...

Key Points God’s grace in Greek simply means a gift.  Grace isn’t fully realized without considering the cost of His gift. We deserve death but instead, He gives us the gift of life.  Grace empowers us as well as trains us to renounce ungodliness. Grace enables us to give. Grace can never be earned or deserved. Discussion How have you experienced God’s grace? Has God’s grace propelled you into tra...