(WE APOLOGIZE FOR AUDIO QUALITY.) When asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention has produced, Ben Franklin replied, "A republic -- if you can keep it." In a similar vein, the conqueror Joshua delivered rest to the people of Israel, but on one condition: that they remain faithful to God. This was a condition they would not -- and could not -- fulfill. “Faithfulness" is the nineteenth sermon of Entering the Promise, a study of the book of Joshua focusing on the redemptive lessons of Israel's journey for the church today. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

A little distance is all it took to split the tribes of Israel apart. They were united in battle, but their unity could not survive the peace. It was fear divided the tribes of Israel, the same fear that divides us today. The answer to these fears, then and now, is clear witness. “Witness" is the eighteenth sermon of Entering the Promise, a study of the book of Joshua focusing on the redemptive lessons of Israel's journey for the church today. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

The Old Testament cities of refuge gave sanctuary to those who would otherwise by slain for their offenses. These cities reveal something important about the character of God. They also remind us of truths too easily forgotten about ourselves. But the most surprising thing, looking back from the standpoint of Christ, is how much of the gospel they foreshadow. “Refuge" is the sixteenth sermon of Entering the Promise, a study of the book of Joshua focusing on the redemptive lessons of Israel's journey for the church today. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

An inheritance is more than a payout. It comes by right, through family, accompanied with love. Knowing you will inherit changes everything you do today. It puts the present into perspective. And the promises of God's covenant hold out the greatest inheritance, not only to a generation, but to their children forever. “Inheritance!" is the sixteenth sermon of Entering the Promise, a study of the book of Joshua focusing on the redemptive lessons of Israel's journey for the church today. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

The war is over and the people are at rest. Joshua is an old man, his fighting days done. But there is still land left to conquer! What are we to make of a conquest that ends before the final victory, or a kingdom that ultimately topples, or a rest that doesn't last? Perhaps these failures have lessons to teach about the ultimate victory of Christ. “Already ... But Not Yet!" is the fifteenth sermon of Entering the Promise, a study of the book of Joshua focusing on the redemptive lessons of Israel's journey for the church today. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

When God draws back the curtain, we glimpse a reality that is usually hidden. The divine hand is at work not only in the warp and woof of history, but also in the recesses of the human heart. Sometimes he brings hearts of stone to life, and sometimes he hardens hearts for judgment. What should we do with such knowledge? “The Hardened Heart" is the fourteenth sermon of Entering the Promise, a study of the book of Joshua focusing on the redemptive lessons of Israel's journey for the church today. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

Five kings rose up against Joshua -- the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon -- and five kings fell: "For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight." When you are powerless, when the powers arrayed against you seem unstoppable, it is good to remember that the Lord raises up kings, and the Lord topples them, too. “The Five Kings" is the thirteenth sermon of Entering the Promise, a study of the book of Joshua focusing on the redemptive lessons of Israel's journey for the church today. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

A mighty slaughter, a rain of hailstones, and a sun that refused to go down until the victory was complete. When God fights your battles, that's how it goes. Yet to say "God is on our side" sounds haughty and a bit naive. What comfort is there for us in the knowledge that the Lord fought for Israel? “The Lord Fought for Israel" is the twelfth sermon of Entering the Promise, a study of the book of Joshua focusing on the redemptive lessons of Israel's journey for the church today. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

In Joshua 9, some leaders unite against God, some use deception to get ahead, and some are simply asleep at the wheel. There are plenty of failures to go around -- which means, there are plenty of lessons for us to learn. How can leaders lead well? How can we remain faithful when our leaders fail us? How do we approach God when no strength or wisdom of ours is sufficient? “A Test of Leadership" is the eleventh sermon of Entering the Promise, a study of the book of Joshua focusing on the redemptive lessons of Israel's journey for the church today. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

Science cannot disprove God's existence, but it has rendered him irrelevant. This sentiment is Stephen Hawking's, but these days even Christians have given up on the idea of proof. We have to take everything on faith. Yet Scripture sees the Resurrection as something more than a source of hope and comfort. It presents the Resurrection as proof. What does this proof reveal about Jesus -- and what does it say about our own doubts? “If Someone Should Rise from the Dead" is a look at Christ's Resurrection as a sign given so that we might believe. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.