The book of Judges is a tragic story of Israel's continued rebellion against God despite His faithful restoration of them time and time again. The story goes something like this. The people would fall away from the Lord and worship the gods of the surrounding nations. Judges 2:11 says that "the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals" (ESV). This happens over and over (see 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, 13:1). God punished them by giving them over to the pagan nations. But then the people would ask the Lord for help, and God would give them a judge to deliver them from their oppressors.

The last verse of the book summarizes the entire book well. Judges 21:25 says that "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." This highlighted the people's desperate need for a king, which would first be in the person of king David and ultimately in Jesus Christ.

I can't think of a better verse to describe the culture of our unbelieving world today. As was the case in the time of the judges, the world today rejects their King and the Word of God while relying on its own depraved and self-serving form of morality. Many say "love is love" and "my body my choice" while claiming to hold the moral high ground. You may hear the claim that all religions are a path to heaven so long as one pursues them with sincerity and fervency. Others might say that even if there was a God, He would only send the really bad people to Hell, conveniently leaving themselves outside of that group. The list could go on.

The world needs a king. But not just any king. It needs King Jesus who is the embodiment of truth (John 14:6) and only means of salvation. This Christmas season, let's make it our goal to share the message of our King who entered this world as a baby in Bethlehem, went to the cross for our salvation, and promises to come again at the end of world history.

A generation has passed since Israel had first prepared to enter the Promised Land. Because of their fear of the people of the land and lack of trust that God would grant them victory, they had been consigned to forty years of wandering in the wilderness. But once again, they were preparing to cross into the land to drive out its inhabitants. Since Moses was nearing his death, God chose Joshua to take his place in bringing the people of Israel as a warrior-leader into the Promised Land.

In Deuteronomy 31:23 we read, "And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you”" (ESV).

Let's take a moment to consider the faith and steadfastness of Joshua. As one of the twelve spies who went into the land forty years prior, he and Caleb were the only ones who believed that victory was not only possible, but certain. Upon hearing the negative report of the other ten, the people rebelled and were sentenced to four decades of wilderness wandering. Despite this ordeal, Joshua still trusted God. Not even forty years of wandering around the desert could put a damper on his zeal to take hold of what was promised. As his actions will soon demonstrate, he trusted God when He said "I will be with you."

In last Sunday's sermon, we read about Jesus calming the storm. He asked his fearful disciples, some of whom were experienced fishermen, "Why are you so afraid?" (Mark 4:40). God the Son was right there with them in the boat. In the same way, God was with Joshua and the people of Israel. This is equally true today. As the church of Jesus Christ, God is in our midst. God tells us that He "will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). Because of this, let's follow the example of Joshua and face this world with fearless courage. The Creator of the universe is on our side.

After receiving the Law at Mt. Sinai, the people of Israel set out for the Promised Land. In preparation for entering the land and driving out its inhabitants, 12 spies are sent by Moses to spy out the land. These 12 men spied out the land for 40 days (Numbers 13:25) before returning to report what they found. Although the land was fruitful, 10 of the spies were fearful of the great might of the people and the strength of their cities. They had looked upon the Nephilim and felt "like grasshoppers" (Numbers 13:33). Because of their negative report, the people rose up in rebellion against Moses and God. Rather than trusting in the promise of God to give them the land, they desired to return back to Egypt. As a result, God would judge them with 40 years of wilderness wandering.

But two of the spies stood alone. They trusted that God would grant them victory, even over the mighty inhabitants of the land. These men were none other than Joshua and Caleb. We read about their courage in  Numbers 14:6–8.

Because of their trust in their victory-granting God, Joshua and Caleb were spared the plague that befell the other 10 spies (Numbers 14:37) and would be allowed to enter the Promised Land along with those under the age of 20 after the 40 years in the wilderness came to an end. Although they would have to wait 40 years, their faith in the powerful promise-keeping God allowed them to one day enjoy the blessings of the land.

Do we have this kind of faith today, a faith that perseveres in the face of trials and adversity? If not, we should. The God that Joshua and Caleb trusted is the same God today, for He never changes. In light of this truth, let's be ready for whatever God has in store for us. Strive to trust God so much that we don't even hesitate to echo Isaiah's words and proclaim, "Here I am! Send me" (Isaiah 6:8).

Maybe God is calling you to the mission field, leaving behind the comfort and routine of your current life. Maybe you're being prompted to be a herald of the Gospel in your workplace, potentially facing rejection and mockery for the cause of Christ. Maybe you're being called to simply stay the course, to remain faithful right where God has placed you. Whatever God is telling you to do, do so fearlessly. Because the unbelieving world hates Christ, we shouldn't be surprised if it hates us as well. Stay the course, trust in God, and one day we'll enter the promised land of the New Heavens and Earth.

Let's take a moment to consider the book of Leviticus, the third book of the Pentateuch. This is a challenging book to understand, especially considering the ancient context and the fact that we no longer live under the Old Testament Law with its various rules and requirements. Leviticus unpacks many of the ceremonial rules that Israel was commanded to follow as part of their calling as God's chosen people.

Repeated throughout the book is the command to "be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:2 ESV). This makes sense. God's people were specially chosen and set apart by Him to be a light to the surrounding nations and show the world what it looked like to live in communion with a holy God.

When we move to the New Testament, we're told of the abiding need for holiness in the lives of God's people. The Apostle Peter reminds us of this when he quotes Leviticus in his epistle. He writes that "as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy”" (1 Peter 1:15-16). The call to holiness is not limited to God's Old Testament people but extends to the life of the Christian as well. Since the Christian is no longer under the Law with its rituals and ceremonies, how do we live lives of holiness today?

Part of the answer lies back in Peter's epistle. Throughout the entire letter, we're given exhortations on what a life of holiness looks like. Here are just a few of many.

• Keep your focus on the things of God and not on the things of this world (1 Peter 1:13–17).
• Never forget the great cost of your redemption from sin (1 Peter 1:17-19).
• Continually "love one another" (1 Peter 1:22).
• Set aside your former self and "long for the pure spiritual milk" (1 Peter 2:2) of the Word of God.
• "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

I would encourage you to read the book of 1 Peter while considering what a life of holiness looks like. Pray that God the Spirit will increasingly empower you to live a life of holiness and in conformity to Jesus Christ.

Today we find ourselves in the book of Exodus, which continues Moses' historical account of the people of Israel. If you remember back in Genesis, Joseph's family had come to Egypt during the famine, having received Pharoah's blessing to enter the land. The first chapter of Exodus reminds us of this humble beginning. Although they began as 70 people (Exodus 1:5), they eventually became "fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them" (Exodus 1:7 ESV).

But the people of Israel soon encountered a problem. We read that "there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph" (Exodus 1:8). This king, fearful of their great numbers, enslaved the people of Israel and even put their newborn sons to death. Despite this horrific situation, God was still at work to deliver His people and fulfill His promise.

In Exodus 2:23-25 we read that "the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help." We see that "God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel - and God knew" (Exodus 2:24-25). Although the situation looked dire, God hadn't forgotten His people. God was faithful to deliver Joseph and his family from the famine, and He would continue to be faithful to His promise that Abraham's descendants would be "as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore" (Genesis 22:17).

As we read the rest of Exodus (and Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and...) we see that God did exactly what He promised. He raised up His servant Moses to lead God's people out of Egypt. He later raised up Joshua to lead the charge into the Promised Land. Today, we see God's promises to Abraham fulfilled in Jesus and the Church (Galatians 3:29). As we witness a great multitude of Saints from all tongues, tribes, and nations, we can know that God was faithful to His word that Abraham's descendants would be as innumerable as the stars of the sky or as grains of sand on a beach.
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Because God has and always will fulfill His promises, let's consider what this means for the Christian.
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1. The Word of God with all its promises serves as an immovable anchor and true north for the Christian whereas the wisdom and promises of the world are at best untrustworthy and at worst perilous to the soul.
2. The Christian can live without fear. Even in the worst of circumstances, the child of God can take hold of the promise that nothing can separate him from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39) and of the eternal salvation he's received through Jesus' atoning death.
3. One promise yet to be fulfilled is the return of Christ. Because God always does what He says, the Christian can live with the absolute certainty that Jesus will return and that we'll spend an eternity with Him in glory.

Never forget that God keeps every single one of His promises. Take a moment to thank Him for this remarkable truth.