Free files for youth pastors:

3 – Joshua 12-22 – Land of the Living (ppt)

3 – Joshua 12-22 – Land of the Living (mp3)

3 – Joshua 12-22 – Land of the Living (fillout sheet)

3 – Joshua 12-22 – Land of the Living (order of service)

3 – Joshua 12-22 – Land of the Living (outline)

3 – Joshua 12-22 – Land of the Living (powerpoint game)

If you want to be wowed and blown away, watch the video called “Did You Know” on you tube. That freaking awesome video is all about how life, culture, and technology is changing our lives…and our world. It has even changed a ton in my life. I can remember having to walk to the TV to change the channel and getting our first VCR. I can remember when computers weren’t showing images in color, just the font and background could be in color. I can remember watching my first video on the computer and being amazed by this spinning can of jolt! I can remember playing pong on our first video game system – Texas Instruments, and not being able to sleep several nights before getting the Sega Genesis because it had 16 bits! I can remember having a “bag cell phone”, getting my first text message, and how my friends thought I was weird because I carried my cell phone to class. The times have changed, are changing, and will more!

In Joshua 12 – 22, the times are definitely changing for the Israelites. Their quality of life, technology, and culture is about to skyrocket as they are entering their land of living and rest. Can you imagine what a relief this must be after all of the wandering in the wilderness, packing and unpacking almost daily, and fighting off the enemies? God promised Israel a land of their own centuries before, and now He is making good on His promise, and they are dividing it up and filling it (Joshua 14:1-5). But they aren’t supposed to just blow through the gates and storm the land willy-nilly like a youth group running into an amusement park. Rather, they are given certain territories for their tribes to dwell in. Their leader, Joshua, then reminds them of the purpose God has given them their own land: to obey and live for God (22:1-6). Life had just begun!

I’ll be honest. I don’t have a whole lot to say about these specific chapters other than that, but I can’t help but think what they foreshadow: God is giving us an eternal land that we will fill when Jesus returns to rule and reign. This land is not just a plot, a strip, or a even a country…rather it is a planet, a world, the new earth. Yeah, when Jesus returns, the meek really will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5)! In Revelation 21-22, we see that we’re going to live on the new earth which is in the new heavens forever and ever (21:1). The new earth is a physical land that will be ours to roam and rule. We’re going to have a new capital city where we will gather with every other human being on the earth to fellowship together and worship Christ (21:2-11). We will be official citizens of this new earth as we are given our renewed and resurrected human bodies so that we can fully be who God originally created us to be (21:2-11). The new earth will have a culture which seems to include construction, creativity, art, technology, different ethnicities, and entertainment (21:22-27). But most important, the new earth will have a King. Jesus Christ will be ruling and reigning over it all under His Father. Talk about LIFE in a land!

I really believe the whole world right now is screaming for this resurrection life. I see it in their movies like “Night At The Museum.” This is a movie where the world sees it as being so flippin sweet if could get to know past people groups like cavemen, Egyptians, early colonials, and ancient Indians. The movie even includes specific people like Sacagawea, Genghis Kahn, and Teddy Roosevelt. There are also animals like monkeys, lions, elephants, wooly mammoths, and dinosaurs. What if this were true?

It is true! It’s coming. It’s really going to happen. We will get to meet all of the historical characters, ancient people groups, and even have good dominion over animals on the eternal new earth. But if we believe it, we must live for it now by enjoying God’s creation, living in city fellowship with other believers, obey now as a citizen of there, use the culture to spread Christ, and worship Him as King. What a land! What a life!