Renewing the Covenant

Like the value of remembering our marriage covenant, there is tremendous value for God’s people in remembering and renewing our covenant with God. We are not likely to forget that we belong to God, but we may be inclined to drift in our understanding of all that our relationship with God entails.

Sermon Outline:

I. We all need to remember the gracious nature of God’s covenant.

II. We all need to remember the unchanging standard of God’s covenant

III. We all need to remember the communal character of God’s covenant

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think God commanded Israel to renew the covenant at this point in the conquest?

2. Joshua builds an altar of uncut stones to offer burnt and peace offerings. What might the use of uncut stones teach us about grace and human effort? What does the fact that the sacrifices came before the giving of the commands teach us?

3. The blessings and the curses of the covenant were proclaimed at Shechem—where God first promised the land to Abraham. How does this moment demonstrate the faithfulness of God to keep his promises?

4. Why do you think it was important that nothing was omitted when Joshua read the Word to the people? How does this challenge our tendency to focus on comfortable parts of Scripture while avoiding difficult passages?

5. How might viewing Sunday worship as covenant renewal change your engagement with church gatherings and the Lord's Supper?