Wk 2 // May 3 & 4
Wk 2 // LET’S TALK ABOUT IT
May 3 & 4, 2025
Small Group Study
SERMON RECAP
Spend a few minutes recapping this week's sermon together.
TAP HERE TO VIEW THE SERMON NOTES.
What was one takeaway from this week's sermon for you?
INTRODUCTION
For many people, each year there is a time to go through closets, rooms, and garages, throwing out the junk that has accumulated over a year or possibly years. It can be hard to throw stuff away. It may be for sentimental reasons or out of a fear of losing something that could be usable. This junk does not always have to be physical, of course. We can accumulate junk in our minds and hearts and be just as hesitant to let it go. Sometimes, instead of yearning for God, we let distractions weigh us down. But we cannot have a divided focus when we are going after Jesus.
UNDERSTANDING
Following the death of Moses, Joshua took up the leadership of the Israelites. He was called to lead them into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ JOSHUA 3:1-6.
Joshua called the Israelites to purify, or to consecrate, themselves. He was calling them to get rid of anything in their lives that kept them from faithfully following God. Joshua knew they had to walk in faith because of the road that was ahead of them as they went into the land.
The reason both the Israelites and we get rid of any distractions in our lives is so that we can anticipate the work of God in our lives. The Israelites purified themselves because “tomorrow the Lord will do wonders.” The same is true for us. We purify ourselves because we anticipate God working wonders in and through our lives.
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ JOSHUA 3:7-17.
The Israelites were faithful to God’s call as they stepped out in faith. They stood in the Jordan River in faith, and they activated their faith as they went forward into the Promised Land. The miracle was not about their faith but about God’s power. Our faith does not have the power to do miracles. Instead, our faith taps into God’s power, which can move mountains. When we get rid of anything that might take our focus away from God and place faith in Him, we live out an active faith as His children. Hebrews 12 gives clarity to the pursuit of undivided focus and seeking God.
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ HEBREWS 12:1-4.
We seek the kingdom that satisfies when we, forsaking our lesser concerns, look to and run to Jesus. Not only this, but God says we get our needs thrown in as well. So, when we feel like we are distracted and out of position, we need to simplify our pursuits, repent of our sins, and remind ourselves of the incredible work of the cross.
What does it look like to be disciplined in the battle against sin? What is the difference between looking to God to bring discipline and working harder to discipline yourself? Why does the difference matter?
Jesus battled sin to the point of death, and because of that, our battle with sin is very different. We do not shed blood as we war. Instead, we can seek God daily, the one who has already conquered sin, to strengthen and discipline us in the battle against sin. We have the opportunity to surrender to God, letting Him do the work for us. When God disciplines His children, it is meant to bring growth and to bring good.
APPLICATION
PRAYER
Thank God for His work on the cross. Ask Him to help the group members identify the junk that keeps them from seeing and seeking Him. Ask that as the work of Christ overwhelms all lesser concerns, joy and satisfaction would be obvious in our lives.
—----------------------------------
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY
[for further reading on this passage]
JOSHUA 3:1-17
3:1. Acacia Grove is the place where Israel had been since Balaam’s failed attempt to curse them (Num 22:1; 25:1). This was some miles from the actual place where they crossed the Jordan River. In the south opposite Jericho, this meandering river was at that time surrounded by thickets, so it was not a place suitable for a stay of any length (Jer 12:5). The key word crossing again occurs here (see note at 1:2).
3:2-5. On the officers, see note at 1:10. The ark of the covenant was the symbol of the presence of God among His people. The considerable distance of 1,000 yards may suggest the need to remain away from the presence of God, especially as a miracle was happening. This separation of a holy God from His people occurred at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:10-25). The command to consecrate yourselves recalls Ex 19:10-15 where consecration was defined as the washing of clothes and as abstinence from sexual relations. This would allow God to work through the people to accomplish His wonders—a term that describes the plagues of Egypt in Ex 3:20 and more general acts in Ex 34:10.
3:6. Joshua’s first instructions to the priests appear here. Note that the verse describes their precise obedience to his words.
3:7. God’s promise of His presence with Joshua accompanied a promise to exalt Joshua (as also Abram in Gen 12:2) as a seal on his leadership over Israel.
3:8. Here is the first example of the Jordan River being used as a place where God chose to cleanse and redeem believers. Others included Naaman in 2Ki 5:10-15 and those baptized by John the Baptist (Mt 3:1-6).
3:9. This is Joshua’s first speech to the Israelites. His concern that they come closer and listen suggests the importance of attention to God and His word.
3:10. The phrase living God appears elsewhere only three times in the OT. In Hos 1:10 it is used in the context of the fulfillment of God’s promises of an innumerable people who belong to Him. In Ps 42:2 and 84:2 it describes the deepest yearnings of the psalmist, who longed for the presence of God and intimacy with Him. The concern for the presence of God and His fulfillment of His promises for His people are both present here. The Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites describe the pre-Israelite inhabitants of the land. “Canaanites” is a general term referring to those living in the land of Canaan, although it may also describe the indigenous peoples of the land.
3:11. The ark’s passage, using the key word “cross over” (1:2), demonstrates God’s leadership of His people, His presence with them, and His fulfillment of His promises. The Lord of all the earth uses a phrase identical to that charged against the spies in 2:3 (“the entire land”). While God is indeed Lord of all the earth, the expression in chapters 2 and 3 focuses on “the whole land” of Canaan.
3:12. The 12 men introduces a third group in addition to the people who will follow the ark and the priests who will carry it. The purpose of these men is explained in 4:2-3.
3:13. The mass of the water is the same term as that used of the waters of the Red Sea in Ex 15:8 and Ps 78:13. God would act for His people when they crossed the Jordan River just as He did with the previous generation at the exodus.
3:15. At spring flood, after the winter rains and during the barley harvest, the Jordan River could reach a width in excess of 100 feet and a depth of 10 feet. The priests as the leaders of the people were the first to step down into the water. Doing so was a risky activity with the river at flood stage. Carrying the ark could easily have caused them to be swept away by the current unless the promised miracle took place.
3:16-17. The town of Adam is modern Tell ed-Damiye, about 17 miles north of Jericho. Zarethan may be either three or 11 miles north of Adam, depending on which site it is identified with (Tell Umm Hamid or Tell es-Sa’idiyeh). Taking into account the distance from Adam to the Dead Sea, this means that approximately 29 percent of the Jordan Valley was affected (R. Hess, Joshua, p. 105). Wordplay ties together the actions of the priests and people with God’s miracle of the waters. Thus the same verb (Hb ‘amad) describes how the waters stood still and how the priests stood firmly. The priests stood on dry ground while the people crossed on dry ground. The water was completely cut off (Hb tammu) until all Israel had finished (Hb tammu) crossing the river.
HEBREWS 12:1-4
12:1. The word therefore connects the list of Hebrew heroes of the faith in chapter 11 with the exhortation in 12:1-3. The large cloud of witnesses refers to these Old Testament people of faith. The historical personalities testify believers can and must persevere in their faith in God even when they do not experience the fulfillment of all His promises. Witnesses are those who “give testimony” about what they have experienced. Out of their experiences with God, the Hebrew stalwarts gave witness of faith that endures.
The writer urged his readers to lay aside every weight. The image is of marathon runners who remove extra clothing that might hinder winning. Believers are to remove anything that hinders their Christian living.
The Hebrew Christians were to put aside the sin that so easily ensnared them. Ensnares likely has the idea of something that entangles a runner’s legs, such as a long robe. The sin can refer to a particular, troubling sin or to sin as a reality that will cause believers to trip and fall. Christians must get rid of such sins.
The readers were to run with endurance. Endurance means “perseverance,” “holding out.” Race means “contest” or “conflict.” Lies before us literally is “being set before us”; God has set believers’ racecourse—their work and their prize. The Christian life is a demanding long-distance race that requires perseverance—staying power.
12:2. Believers are to focus their attention on Jesus—the supreme example of enduring faith and the goal toward which we move. The phrase keeping . . . eyes on means “viewing with undivided attention” by looking away from everything else. The tense conveys continuous action: We are to keep on placing our fixed attention on Jesus, who is the source and perfecter of our faith. Source means “author,” “pioneer,” and “leader” (see 2:10). Perfecter can have the sense of Jesus’ bringing faith to its intended goal or of His being the goal of faith. Our faith literally is “the faith”—Christian faith. Old Testament saints were good examples of faith; Jesus is the perfect example. He provides salvation, and He moves believers toward spiritual maturity—being like Him.
Jesus ran His race with endurance and won. His joy was completing His mission of making salvation available. Also, beyond His redemptive death were resurrection and exaltation. He endured a cross, a painful and humiliating method of execution. In light of the joy . . . before Him, He considered crucifixion’s shame to be of no consequence; He disregarded or disdained it. Jesus had faith in and was obedient to God, and now He sits at God’s right hand.
12:3. The word for introduces the reason the Hebrew Christians were to fix their attention on Jesus (v. 2). The term consider has the idea of weighing something for comparison. The readers were to compare Jesus’ enduring hostility with the opposition they were experiencing. Jesus’ enduring opposition should have inspired the Hebrew Christians to renew their efforts and helped keep them from growing weary and losing heart. Otherwise, inner exhaustion and faintheartedness would arrest their spiritual development and weaken their service for Christ.
Faithful Christians’ perseverance and Jesus’ enduring suffering and death encourage believers to endure through any difficulty. Their examples encourage other Christians to maintain their faithfulness.
12:4. The writer contrasted Jesus’ death to the readers’ suffering. Evidently they had experienced opposition without loss of life. The phrase struggling against sin probably refers to contending with opponents, perhaps personified as sin. The phrase not yet implies none of these believers had been martyred but that was a possibility.
May 3 & 4, 2025
Small Group Study
SERMON RECAP
Spend a few minutes recapping this week's sermon together.
TAP HERE TO VIEW THE SERMON NOTES.
What was one takeaway from this week's sermon for you?
- Were there any stories, ideas, or points that stuck out?
- Was there anything that challenged you?
INTRODUCTION
- As your group time begins, use this section to introduce the topic of discussion.
- Do you and your family do a spring cleaning every year? Why or why not? What did you or could you get rid of during spring cleaning?
- Why do we collect so much junk? What makes it hard to get rid of things?
For many people, each year there is a time to go through closets, rooms, and garages, throwing out the junk that has accumulated over a year or possibly years. It can be hard to throw stuff away. It may be for sentimental reasons or out of a fear of losing something that could be usable. This junk does not always have to be physical, of course. We can accumulate junk in our minds and hearts and be just as hesitant to let it go. Sometimes, instead of yearning for God, we let distractions weigh us down. But we cannot have a divided focus when we are going after Jesus.
UNDERSTANDING
Following the death of Moses, Joshua took up the leadership of the Israelites. He was called to lead them into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ JOSHUA 3:1-6.
- What was Joshua’s command in verse 5? Why did Joshua tell the Israelites to “purify yourselves”?
- What would it look like for the Israelites to purify themselves?
Joshua called the Israelites to purify, or to consecrate, themselves. He was calling them to get rid of anything in their lives that kept them from faithfully following God. Joshua knew they had to walk in faith because of the road that was ahead of them as they went into the land.
- What junk do you have in your life? What would it look like for you to purify yourself of those things you have been accumulating?
- What is the point of eliminating those distractions and becoming pure?
The reason both the Israelites and we get rid of any distractions in our lives is so that we can anticipate the work of God in our lives. The Israelites purified themselves because “tomorrow the Lord will do wonders.” The same is true for us. We purify ourselves because we anticipate God working wonders in and through our lives.
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ JOSHUA 3:7-17.
- How did the Israelites faithfully follow God’s call?
- Did the miracle happen from the power of the Israelites’ faith or by God’s power? Why does it matter?
- How does walking in faith tap into God’s power?
The Israelites were faithful to God’s call as they stepped out in faith. They stood in the Jordan River in faith, and they activated their faith as they went forward into the Promised Land. The miracle was not about their faith but about God’s power. Our faith does not have the power to do miracles. Instead, our faith taps into God’s power, which can move mountains. When we get rid of anything that might take our focus away from God and place faith in Him, we live out an active faith as His children. Hebrews 12 gives clarity to the pursuit of undivided focus and seeking God.
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ HEBREWS 12:1-4.
- Why do you think the writer separates those things that divide our focus into “sin” and “everything that hinders” in this passage?
- What are some things that aren’t necessarily sin, but might keep us from fully seeking God?
- What does looking at the work of Christ do for us?
We seek the kingdom that satisfies when we, forsaking our lesser concerns, look to and run to Jesus. Not only this, but God says we get our needs thrown in as well. So, when we feel like we are distracted and out of position, we need to simplify our pursuits, repent of our sins, and remind ourselves of the incredible work of the cross.
What does it look like to be disciplined in the battle against sin? What is the difference between looking to God to bring discipline and working harder to discipline yourself? Why does the difference matter?
Jesus battled sin to the point of death, and because of that, our battle with sin is very different. We do not shed blood as we war. Instead, we can seek God daily, the one who has already conquered sin, to strengthen and discipline us in the battle against sin. We have the opportunity to surrender to God, letting Him do the work for us. When God disciplines His children, it is meant to bring growth and to bring good.
APPLICATION
- What is something you can lay aside this week in order to more freely seek after Christ?
- How can you support someone else in the group as he or she tries to keep from getting spiritually stuck this week?
- How do we tend to try to escape the discipline of God? How can we fight that tendency?
PRAYER
Thank God for His work on the cross. Ask Him to help the group members identify the junk that keeps them from seeing and seeking Him. Ask that as the work of Christ overwhelms all lesser concerns, joy and satisfaction would be obvious in our lives.
—----------------------------------
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY
[for further reading on this passage]
JOSHUA 3:1-17
3:1. Acacia Grove is the place where Israel had been since Balaam’s failed attempt to curse them (Num 22:1; 25:1). This was some miles from the actual place where they crossed the Jordan River. In the south opposite Jericho, this meandering river was at that time surrounded by thickets, so it was not a place suitable for a stay of any length (Jer 12:5). The key word crossing again occurs here (see note at 1:2).
3:2-5. On the officers, see note at 1:10. The ark of the covenant was the symbol of the presence of God among His people. The considerable distance of 1,000 yards may suggest the need to remain away from the presence of God, especially as a miracle was happening. This separation of a holy God from His people occurred at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:10-25). The command to consecrate yourselves recalls Ex 19:10-15 where consecration was defined as the washing of clothes and as abstinence from sexual relations. This would allow God to work through the people to accomplish His wonders—a term that describes the plagues of Egypt in Ex 3:20 and more general acts in Ex 34:10.
3:6. Joshua’s first instructions to the priests appear here. Note that the verse describes their precise obedience to his words.
3:7. God’s promise of His presence with Joshua accompanied a promise to exalt Joshua (as also Abram in Gen 12:2) as a seal on his leadership over Israel.
3:8. Here is the first example of the Jordan River being used as a place where God chose to cleanse and redeem believers. Others included Naaman in 2Ki 5:10-15 and those baptized by John the Baptist (Mt 3:1-6).
3:9. This is Joshua’s first speech to the Israelites. His concern that they come closer and listen suggests the importance of attention to God and His word.
3:10. The phrase living God appears elsewhere only three times in the OT. In Hos 1:10 it is used in the context of the fulfillment of God’s promises of an innumerable people who belong to Him. In Ps 42:2 and 84:2 it describes the deepest yearnings of the psalmist, who longed for the presence of God and intimacy with Him. The concern for the presence of God and His fulfillment of His promises for His people are both present here. The Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites describe the pre-Israelite inhabitants of the land. “Canaanites” is a general term referring to those living in the land of Canaan, although it may also describe the indigenous peoples of the land.
3:11. The ark’s passage, using the key word “cross over” (1:2), demonstrates God’s leadership of His people, His presence with them, and His fulfillment of His promises. The Lord of all the earth uses a phrase identical to that charged against the spies in 2:3 (“the entire land”). While God is indeed Lord of all the earth, the expression in chapters 2 and 3 focuses on “the whole land” of Canaan.
3:12. The 12 men introduces a third group in addition to the people who will follow the ark and the priests who will carry it. The purpose of these men is explained in 4:2-3.
3:13. The mass of the water is the same term as that used of the waters of the Red Sea in Ex 15:8 and Ps 78:13. God would act for His people when they crossed the Jordan River just as He did with the previous generation at the exodus.
3:15. At spring flood, after the winter rains and during the barley harvest, the Jordan River could reach a width in excess of 100 feet and a depth of 10 feet. The priests as the leaders of the people were the first to step down into the water. Doing so was a risky activity with the river at flood stage. Carrying the ark could easily have caused them to be swept away by the current unless the promised miracle took place.
3:16-17. The town of Adam is modern Tell ed-Damiye, about 17 miles north of Jericho. Zarethan may be either three or 11 miles north of Adam, depending on which site it is identified with (Tell Umm Hamid or Tell es-Sa’idiyeh). Taking into account the distance from Adam to the Dead Sea, this means that approximately 29 percent of the Jordan Valley was affected (R. Hess, Joshua, p. 105). Wordplay ties together the actions of the priests and people with God’s miracle of the waters. Thus the same verb (Hb ‘amad) describes how the waters stood still and how the priests stood firmly. The priests stood on dry ground while the people crossed on dry ground. The water was completely cut off (Hb tammu) until all Israel had finished (Hb tammu) crossing the river.
HEBREWS 12:1-4
12:1. The word therefore connects the list of Hebrew heroes of the faith in chapter 11 with the exhortation in 12:1-3. The large cloud of witnesses refers to these Old Testament people of faith. The historical personalities testify believers can and must persevere in their faith in God even when they do not experience the fulfillment of all His promises. Witnesses are those who “give testimony” about what they have experienced. Out of their experiences with God, the Hebrew stalwarts gave witness of faith that endures.
The writer urged his readers to lay aside every weight. The image is of marathon runners who remove extra clothing that might hinder winning. Believers are to remove anything that hinders their Christian living.
The Hebrew Christians were to put aside the sin that so easily ensnared them. Ensnares likely has the idea of something that entangles a runner’s legs, such as a long robe. The sin can refer to a particular, troubling sin or to sin as a reality that will cause believers to trip and fall. Christians must get rid of such sins.
The readers were to run with endurance. Endurance means “perseverance,” “holding out.” Race means “contest” or “conflict.” Lies before us literally is “being set before us”; God has set believers’ racecourse—their work and their prize. The Christian life is a demanding long-distance race that requires perseverance—staying power.
12:2. Believers are to focus their attention on Jesus—the supreme example of enduring faith and the goal toward which we move. The phrase keeping . . . eyes on means “viewing with undivided attention” by looking away from everything else. The tense conveys continuous action: We are to keep on placing our fixed attention on Jesus, who is the source and perfecter of our faith. Source means “author,” “pioneer,” and “leader” (see 2:10). Perfecter can have the sense of Jesus’ bringing faith to its intended goal or of His being the goal of faith. Our faith literally is “the faith”—Christian faith. Old Testament saints were good examples of faith; Jesus is the perfect example. He provides salvation, and He moves believers toward spiritual maturity—being like Him.
Jesus ran His race with endurance and won. His joy was completing His mission of making salvation available. Also, beyond His redemptive death were resurrection and exaltation. He endured a cross, a painful and humiliating method of execution. In light of the joy . . . before Him, He considered crucifixion’s shame to be of no consequence; He disregarded or disdained it. Jesus had faith in and was obedient to God, and now He sits at God’s right hand.
12:3. The word for introduces the reason the Hebrew Christians were to fix their attention on Jesus (v. 2). The term consider has the idea of weighing something for comparison. The readers were to compare Jesus’ enduring hostility with the opposition they were experiencing. Jesus’ enduring opposition should have inspired the Hebrew Christians to renew their efforts and helped keep them from growing weary and losing heart. Otherwise, inner exhaustion and faintheartedness would arrest their spiritual development and weaken their service for Christ.
Faithful Christians’ perseverance and Jesus’ enduring suffering and death encourage believers to endure through any difficulty. Their examples encourage other Christians to maintain their faithfulness.
12:4. The writer contrasted Jesus’ death to the readers’ suffering. Evidently they had experienced opposition without loss of life. The phrase struggling against sin probably refers to contending with opponents, perhaps personified as sin. The phrase not yet implies none of these believers had been martyred but that was a possibility.