Sabbath School lessons are part of a global study initiative undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we enter the fourth quarter of 2025, we will explore the theme “Joshua” This week’s lesson, titled “Surprised by Grace” covers the period from October 04 -_October 10. Join Pastor Mark Finley for a brief preview of what to expect in this week’s study.

<p>Sabbath School lessons are part of a global study initiative undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we enter the fourth quarter of 2025, we will explore the theme “Joshua” This week’s lesson, titled “Surprised by Grace” covers the period from October 04 -_October 10. Join Pastor Mark Finley for a brief preview of what to expect in this week’s study.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

HopeLives365

Mark Finley

Sabbath School 4th Quarter 2025: Lessons of Faith from Joshua

01 Recipe for Success

02 Surprised by Grace


The book of Joshua has practical lessons for us today. Although this book was written centuries ago, its lessons speak to our heart and encourage us on life's journey. So let's pray. Father in heaven, as we study lesson number 2 in our series on Joshua, I pray once again that the principles of scripture would leap off the page, transform us as we study. Oh Lord, bless us in a powerful way, we pray thee, during our time together, in Christ's name, amen.

Have you ever said, oh no, not again? You lost your temper and you said I'm never gonna do that again and then a short time later here you go doing it again or have you ever felt I can control my appetite I'm not gonna eat that which is unhealthful for me again. I'm not going to take 3 pieces of pie and 2 chocolate chip cookies." And then you end up doing the very thing that you said you wouldn't do. You say, Mark, well, 3 pieces of pie, 2 chocolate chip cookies is a little exaggeration. It is, but it still makes the point, doesn't it?

That sometimes we just can't control those appetites of ours. Some people have a difficult time controlling their lust or their pornography addiction. Other people have a difficult time controlling the fact of their watching violence on television or video games or et cetera. Here is the good news. God will give you strength to overcome.

God's power can enable you to overcome. Just like Joshua felt extremely weak, and just like the Israelites were too weak to go into the promised land and to confront the Canaanites. So God gave them that strength and power, and God will give you that strength or power. But 1 thing that's brought out in our lesson today, and that's God is a God of second chances. That does not justify sin at all.

It doesn't justify our failures. It doesn't enable us to make excuses. But what it does do is it lifts up people who are discouraged. And you may have been discouraged over the fact that you have failed your Lord, that you've not lived in harmony with the principles of life that you have wanted to live with. But yet, God is a God of second chances.

We find that here in our lesson under the Sabbath afternoon reading, second paragraph. Israel has a second chance of entering the promised land and Joshua takes this mission seriously. The first step is to have a clear understanding of what Joshua and the Israelites face. Joshua sends out 2 spies to bring him valuable information about the land, its defense system, military preparedness, water supplies, and the attitude of the population in the face of an invading force. 1 would think that God's promise of giving the land to the Israelites did not require any effort from them.

Yet the assurance of divine support does not override human responsibility. That sentence, that 1 sentence is incredibly powerful. If you grasp that 1 sentence, it can be life transformation. Now let me read it again. The assurance of divine support does not override human responsibility.

In other words, because God promised Israel that he'd lead them into the promised land, did not override their responsibility to cooperate with God. In the Christian life, God invites us to cooperate with him. In fact, in the book of James chapter 4, verse 7 and 8, it says, submit yourself to God and resist the devil and he'll flee from you. We submit our lives to God. If we don't do that, we can never resist the devil.

Then we resist by making a positive choice to obey God and to renounce or forsake that sin. Now, God is our God of second chances. If we fail, he's right there to pick us up. Why do you think Joshua sent out the 2 spies? You remember, he remembered what happened 40 years before, I'm sure.

And he sends out the 2 spies. They are to evaluate, they're cooperating with God. What's the defenses like in the land? What's the water supply, et cetera, et cetera. Now just at the beginning of that conquest of the promised land, Joshua has to evaluate the challenge to cooperate with God.

And so we read in Joshua 2 verse 1, now Joshua the son of Nun sent out 2 men from the Acacia grove to spy secretly saying, go view the land, especially Jericho. So they went out and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab and lodged there. You know, it's sometimes easy to miss divine truths that are really significant. It says, Joshua, the son of Nun, sent out 2 men from the Acacia Grove. Now in my Bible, I have a little number 1 after Acacia Grove.

It kind of explains what that means. And you go down there and it says, Shittim, S-H-I-T-T-U-I-M, Shittim. And I wondered, what was that all about? But yet, our author explains what it's about. In this spy story, that was the place that the Israeli spies were sent out from.

It was the place where they ultimately come back to and it is the place that is a similar name. See, it's not the exact location, but it's the similar name. And then they come back to that place with a negative report. Let me read the paragraph. The first is another spy story, see Numbers 13, featuring the same essential elements, the commissioning of the spies, the secret incursion of the spies into enemy territory, the return of the spies, the report of the spies on their findings, and the decision to act based on the report.

See, the place from which they're sent out is Shittim in the text. It reminds us of that first negative experience, that negative episode where the spies come back and they give this negative report. But there's another instance at Shittim, and it represents 1 of the most defiant, idolatrous violations of the covenant by the Israelites when at the instigation of Balaam they committed debauchery with the Moabite women and worshipped the false gods." Shittim really creates this tension of idolatry and rebellion and negativeness. God's the God of the second chance. He sends the spies out from the Acacia Grove, the shittin' place, and he sends them out.

Why? To come back with a positive report. We can take the land. We find constantly that God is the God of the second chances. You remember the story of Peter?

The Lord says, 1 of you are gonna deny me. Peter says, I'll never deny you. I'll never deny you. Jesus says, before the cock crows 3 times you're gonna deny me. And Peter says, no, that's not me, Lord.

Was Peter sincere? He sure was. Was Peter genuine? What he said, he sure was. Did Peter mean what he said?

He sure did. What was the problem? Peter didn't know 2 things. First, his weakness, and secondly, the strength of the temptation. He didn't know his weakness, and he didn't know the fury of the storm.

And Peter denies his Lord. But after the resurrection of Christ, He appears to Peter and a few of those disciples by the shore of Galilee. And he says, Peter, do you love me? You know I love you, Lord. Peter, do you love me?

You know I love you, Lord. Peter, do you love me? You know I love you, Lord. 3 times Peter had denied him. 3 times Jesus calls out this expression of faith and Jesus says, go feed my lambs, go feed my lambs.

Jesus gives Peter a second chance. God is the God of second chances. Israel wanders in the wilderness. The spies go out 40 years before, they come back with a negative report. They go out 40 years later, and they come back and listen to what they say in Joshua chapter 2, verse 24.

They said to Joshua, "'Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands. For indeed all the inhabitants of the country are faint hearted because of us. God gave Israel the second chance. They grasped it. The spies came back with a positive report.

You may have failed, you may have gotten angry, you may have lashed out unkindly at a husband, wife, children. You may have failed and treated your body like a funhouse rather than a temple. You've lost self-control in what you've eaten, what you've drunk. You've placed things in your body that simply destroy it. God's the God of second chances.

You may know that what you're watching on the internet is wrong, not in harmony with God's will, but God's the God of second chances. It may be a critical spirit. It may be a negative attitude. You may have failed again and again, but God is the God of second chances. His grace reaches out to you.

He wants to pick you up and dust you off and set you on your feet again and send you on your way rejoicing. Monday's lesson, value in unexpected places. We come to the book of Joshua and we look there at verses 2 to 11. I'll summarize for you 4 of them. The spies go out.

They meet a harlot called Rahab. She invites them into her house. The inhabitants of the land come and say, did you see those spies? She said, oh yeah, I saw them, but I sent them on their way and she hides them in the house. Now you might wonder, because we read a lot of positive things about Rahab.

We read, for example, in Hebrews 11, verse 31, that Rahab was a woman of faith. We read in James chapter 2 verse 25 that Rahab not only had faith but she had good works. How can God condone a harlot who lies? He doesn't. He doesn't condone her harlotry and he doesn't condone her lying.

But in that idolatrous society, in that immoral sex-centered, thrill-jaded society, in that society of dishonesty, here you have a woman who has the spark of faith. God does not condone her immorality. That was wrong. God does not condone her lying. That was wrong.

But what you find in Joshua 2 is a woman in whom the spark of faith is growing and God approves of that. Let's look at that. Joshua chapter 2, verse 9. Now she's hidden them among those flaxseed sheafs up on her roof. And she comes up on the roof and verse 8, so before they lay down, she comes up to them on the roof, Joshua 2 verse 9, and says to the men, I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are faint hearted because of you.

So she gives them insight. She gives them intelligent information. She becomes a spy for the spies. And she says, look, everybody's shaking in their boots. They're afraid of you.

Why? Verse 10, for we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea. She acknowledges that God did this. And you came out of Egypt. What we learned, what you did to the 2 kings of the Amorites, they're on the other side of Jordan, Sheon and Og.

As soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted. Neither did there remain any more courage in anyone." Now notice, because of you, "'For the Lord your God, he is the God in heaven above and on the earth beneath.'" Can you imagine this? Here is a woman brought up in an adultery, in adulterous society. Here is a harlot woman. Here's a woman that's willing to lie to protect them.

But what does she say? She says there in verse 11, the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. What do we see in the story of Rahab? We see faith dawning. We see the spark of faith developing.

In the book, Patriarchs and Prophets, page 279, I read, and it's on Tuesday's lesson, second to last paragraph. By obedience the people were to give evidence of their faith, so all who hope to be saved by the blood and the merits of Christ should realize that they themselves have something to do in securing their salvation. While it is Christ only that can redeem us from the penalty of transgression, we are to turn from sin to obedience. Man is to be saved by faith, not by works, yet his faith must be shown by his works. When you come to Tuesday's lesson, you see that here the spies must go into that land of risk and danger.

You see in Tuesday's lesson the fact that here in Joshua chapter 2 Rahab hides them, Rahab lies, The spark of faith is developing in Rahab's heart. But here the spies have to fulfill their mission. They have to evaluate what the situation is and they're learning this inside information from Rahab. Then we find here Rahab. Then we find here in Wednesday's lesson, carrying over from Tuesday, we find conflicting values.

Here in Joshua chapter 9 verse 1 to 20, we see the similarities between and the differences between the story of Rahab and the story of the Gibeonites. Rahab acknowledges God's power. The Gibeonites acknowledge God's power. Rahab deceives. The Gibeonites deceive.

How do the Gibeonites deceive? They come to Joshua and they say, Joshua, look, this moldy bread. Look, our worn out sandals. Look, we have come from afar. Look, we've come to be your servants." They do not want Israel to destroy them.

They were Canaanites. Their hearts, too, were shaking and quaking with fear. They too were filled with anxiety. They too knew what the Israelites had done. So you see here the Gibeonites acknowledge God's power in defeating all the enemies before them.

Rahab acknowledges God's power But both lie. Rahab says, I don't know where they are. I think they went. Yeah, they went. Go follow them.

Then she hides them. The Gibeonites deceive to save their necks. They say, we've come from a far land. They don't acknowledge that they've lived right around. Word goes out and it's discovered that they live very, very close to their land, that they too are Canaanites.

Look, Joshua 2, verse 14 and onward. So the men answered her, our lives are for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours, and it shall be when the Lord has given us the land that we shall deal kindly and truly with you." These spies have an oath with Rahab that they'll deal kindly and true with her. In addition to that, Joshua makes an oath with the Gibeonites that he will be true and faithful to them. Look over here in Joshua 9, is the story of the Gibeonites. And what happens?

There is another oath. They come into Joshua. They tell Joshua that they've come from a far land. They lie to save their necks. And here Joshua makes an oath with them.

Verse 20, this we will do to them. We'll let them live because less wrath be upon us because of an oath which we swore to them. So they swear to them this oath. We're not going to destroy you. They learned that there are Canaanites around.

So there's a problem Joshua's got to solve here. What's he gonna do? Joshua does hadn't sought God to discover what he should have done before. He accepted their word and they were lying to him to save their own necks. So what does Joshua do now?

Joshua has mercy upon them. What's Joshua's solution? We find it in Joshua 9, 21 to 27. The ruler said to them, let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation as rulers had promised them. Then Joshua called for them and he spoke to them saying, why have you deceived us saying we're from a very far land when you dwell near us?

Now, therefore you're cursed and none of you shall be freed from being slaves, woodcutters and water carriers for the house of God." So they answered, Joshua and said, because it was certainly told your servants that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all this land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you. Therefore, we were very much afraid for our lives because of you and have done this thing. And now here we are in your hands, do with us as it seems good and right to us." So they became servants, they live in the land. And it's quite amazing when you look at the story of the Gibeonites. Let me read you a little bit from Thursday's lesson.

And then we're gonna compare Rahab, the Gibeonites, and bring some lessons out for today. It says, the subsequent, this is fourth paragraph down, on Thursday's lesson, page 19. The subsequent history of the Gibeonite testifies to the high religious privileges the city enjoyed as well as to their loyalty to God's people. The vow taken by Israel remained in place down through the generations so that when the Israelites returned from Babylonian captivity, get this, the Gibeonites were among those who helped rebuild Jerusalem. Their actions will have eternally positive consequences, but only because of God's grace.

So the Gibeonites, they helped Israel rebuild the walls during the days of Nehemiah. So let's look at some summaries here. What do we learn from our lesson today? Here's what we learned. Number 1, spies were sent out at the beginning.

They failed. Of the 40 years, they failed. Spies were sent out, they came back with a negative report. There are giants in the land, we can never overtake it. We're like grasshoppers in their sight.

Spies are sent out at the end, God gives Israel a second chance, and those spies come back at the end, and those spies at the end say, we can do this, God is on our side. We learn that God's the God of second chances. Then you see Rahab's story. What do we learn from this? Not that God condones lying, not that God condones halachry, but God honors the spark of faith in Rahab's heart.

And the spies say to her, we're gonna make an oath with you, a covenant. Your family will not be destroyed. Stay in this house when the attack comes. Hang a scarlet robe over the wall. You know, she delivers the spies by sending them over that wall and sending them 3 days up into the mountains where they hide and then they take off and come back and speak of the fact that the whole land is nervous tense they're faint-hearted and the Israelites can attack it but the spies make an oath with her, let down the scarlet robe.

You have a second chance. The spark of faith is developing in your heart. The red skull and cord indicates the blood of Christ that is shed to give men and women a second chance. And then what about the Gibeonites? They come.

They lie too. Joshua makes a mistake and doesn't consult with God. But in that mistake, I mean, had he consulted with God, they could arrange something for a peace treaty with Gibeonites. He doesn't consult with God. The Gibeonites then are exposed.

They become eventually slaves and woodcutters, but they unite with God's people in building the temple. God gave them a second chance. So whether it's Rahab or the Gibeonites, or whether it's Peter that we studied about, God is the God of second chances. He is the God that reaches out and says, come unto me, all you that are burdened and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. He is the God who, when the spark of faith develops in his heart, God nurtures that spark of faith so that his people can grow into strong faith.

We end our lesson today with a comment that Ellen White makes in Patriarchs and Prophets. This is Page 369, 370. Rahab's conversion was not an isolated case of God's mercy toward idolaters who acknowledged his divine authority. In the midst of the land, a numerous people, the Gibeonites, renounced their heathenism and united with Israel, sharing the blessings of the covenant. Rahab, the Gibeonites, open their hearts to the blessings of God.

They accept the second chance that God gives them. Their sins are forgiven. Their guilt is gone. They are transformed by God's grace to live a new life. Do you need a second chance?

God reaches out to give it to you right now. Receive it by faith as we pray. Father in heaven, we're so thankful for our Sabbath school lessons. We're so thankful you're the God of the second chances. Right now, if there's somebody listening that needs a second chance, oh Lord, reach out and give them that second chance.

May your grace pardon them and forgive them and draw them close to you. In Christ's name, Amen. More sermons please visit www.audioverse.org

Back to Menu

Series

Sabbath School 4th Quarter 2025: Lessons of Faith from Joshua

02 Surprised by Grace

Description

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

01 Recipe for Success

02 Surprised by Grace

Sound Doctrine