God Finishes What He Starts
Joshua 2025  â˘Â  Sermon  â˘Â  Submitted   â˘Â  Presented
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¡ 5 viewsđĽ God Finishes What He Starts â From Promise to Possession God doesnât leave promises half-done. In Joshua 11, we see God fulfill a decades-old promise to destroy the giants and deliver the land. Just like Joshua, weâre called to trust God through the final battlesâbecause He will complete what He started. This message will ignite your faith to stay obedient, pray boldly, and believe for the breakthrough in our churchâs journey and your personal life. đ Joshua 11:15â23 đŹ Join the conversation: What âgiantâ are you asking God to remove? #BoldFaith #GodCompletes #JoshuaSeries #CommunityVision #SpiritualWarfare #ChurchBuildingCampaign
Notes
Transcript
Series: Taking the land God Gave Us
Sermon Title:God Finishes What He Starts
Subtitle: From Promise to PossessionâTrusting God to Complete the Vision
Opening Paragraph:
Opening Paragraph:
We all know what it feels like to be stuck in the âin-between.â The excitement of beginning has worn off. The finish line feels far away. Fatigue sets in, doubts creep up, and we wonder: Will we ever see the promise fulfilled? Whether itâs a long season of personal struggle or the weight of a massive visionâlike building a new Community Centerâwe need assurance that God hasnât forgotten us. Joshua 11 reminds us of something powerful: God finishes what He starts. The battle for the Promised Land was long, brutal, and costly, but God was faithful to every word He spoke to Moses.
16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded,
It had been 45 years since Godâs command Moses to take the land. Joshua didnât just begin the conquestâhe completed it. And in doing so, he fulfilled a command that reached back decades. This chapter reveals something crucial for our church today: God doesnât stop until evil is defeated and His promise is fulfilled.
Sermon Outline Introduction: The Power of Completion
Sermon Outline Introduction: The Power of Completion
Some people are great startersâbut finishing is another story. When God gives a vision, He doesnât abandon it halfway through. Joshua 11 shows us that the God who promises is also the God who perseveres. Godâs command to Moses was fulfilled under Joshuaâs leadership, and not one word failed. As we continue our churchâs journey toward a new Community Center, Joshua 11 reminds us to trust, obey, and believeâbecause God finishes what He starts.
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Sermon Outline:
Sermon Outline:
God Is Faithful to His Promisesâeven when it takes time
God Is Faithful to His Promisesâeven when it takes time
42 And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
1 When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4 And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. 5 And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel. 6 And the Lord said to Joshua, âDo not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.â
The Lord was present throughout the battle.
The Lord was present throughout the battle.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
The Lord fought For Israel to victory.
The Lord fought For Israel to victory.
7 So Joshua and all his warriors came suddenly against them by the waters of Merom and fell upon them. 8 And the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. And they struck them until he left none remaining. 9 And Joshua did to them just as the Lord said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
Application: If God gave our church the vision to build and bless our community, He will be faithful to complete itâeven when it takes longer than expected.
God Completes What He Begins Through Obedient People
God Completes What He Begins Through Obedient People
10 And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. 12 And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor alone; that Joshua burned. 14 And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed. 15 Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.
The word of the Lord is consistent from person to person
The word of the Lord is consistent from person to person
We must view our lives in the bigger vision of God plan and purpose.
We must view our lives in the bigger vision of God plan and purpose.
We must be faithful do what he commands.
We must be faithful do what he commands.
Application: What has God asked you to be obedient inâpersonally or as part of this church vision? The breakthrough comes through bold obedience.
God Wages War Against Evil Until Itâs Gone
God Wages War Against Evil Until Itâs Gone
21 And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. 22 There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain.
The Anakim were giantsâdescendants of the Nephilim.
The Anakim were giantsâdescendants of the Nephilim.
These were the giants that caused the first generation not to take the land. Only Joshua and Caleb had the faith to overcome them.
33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.â
This war between God and the Nephilim began back in Genesis 6.
God didnât just push them back; He abolished them from the land.
God didnât just push them back; He abolished them from the land.
God is not passive about darkness. He wars against it until itâs destroyed.
God is not passive about darkness. He wars against it until itâs destroyed.
The Anakim were no match for the people of God.
The Anakim were no match for the people of God.
Caleb was faithful to finish the job.
Caleb was faithful to finish the job.
6 Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, âYou know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. 8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, âSurely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.â 10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 12 So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.â
The Lord kept Caleb strong for the battle.
The Lord kept Caleb strong for the battle.
Caleb was faithful to fight the evil in the land.
Caleb was faithful to fight the evil in the land.
13 According to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). 14 And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.
Application: As a church, we are fighting spiritual strongholdsâpoverty, addiction, hopelessnessâand we must believe that God is still fighting with us to drive them out.
God Gives Rest After the Battle
God Gives Rest After the Battle
23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.
For those who stay the course, there is rest, there is peace, there is fulfillment.
For those who stay the course, there is rest, there is peace, there is fulfillment.
Joshua and Caleb were faithful to the end and brought rest to the people of God.
Joshua and Caleb were faithful to the end and brought rest to the people of God.
14 Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.) And the land had rest from war.
Application: God will give rest to those who trust Him. Your faithfulness now brings peace laterâfor your life and for generations to come.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Joshua 11 is a chapter about completion. Itâs the moment where decades of promises, obedience, and warfare came together in victory. The giants were defeated. The land was taken. The promise was fulfilled. And God was glorified. Today, our church stands in a similar momentâwe are on the edge of seeing Godâs vision come to pass. The battles are real. The obstacles are daunting. But God has not brought us this far to leave us unfinished. He is faithful to complete what He started. Letâs stay obedient, bold, and unwaveringâbecause the final push is worth it.
Action Steps:
Action Steps:
Reflect on Godâs faithfulness â Remember how He has come through for you and our church before. Let that fuel your faith.
Persevere in the process â Whether youâre weary or discouraged, keep building, praying, and giving. God is working.
Pray bold, obedient prayers â Ask God to remove the giants in our way and complete His promise in power.
Altar Call: âStep Into Completionâ
Altar Call: âStep Into Completionâ
âGod didnât bring you this far to leave you unfinished.â
Maybe youâve been faithful. Maybe youâve prayed, served, given, and foughtâbut youâre tired. Youâre stuck in the middle of the battle, wondering if the vision will ever become reality for your own life and in the life of the church. Or maybe youâve held back, unsure if itâs worth giving your all.
But today, weâve seen the truth: God finishes what He starts. The same God who drove out giants, who gave the land, who brought rest to His peopleâis the same God who is leading us to complete the vision Heâs given for our church and this community.
So hereâs the invitation:
âĄď¸ If youâre weary in the processâcome.
âĄď¸ If youâve been holding backâcome.
âĄď¸ If you need to rekindle your faith for the visionâcome.
âĄď¸ If youâre ready to say, âGod, use me to finish the workââcome.
This altar is open for anyone who wants to commit, or recommit, to trusting God to complete His workâin your life, in your family, and in our church.
Step forward now and letâs call on the Lord together. Letâs pray bold, obedient, finishing prayers.
Prayer Response: âFinish the Work, Lordâ
Prayer Response: âFinish the Work, Lordâ
Father in Heaven,
Today we declare: You are a God who finishes what You start.
Youâre not intimidated by giants. Youâre not worn out by long battles. And You never forget a single promise.
God, we trust You to complete the vision You gave usânot only for this church but for our lives.
Right now, we lift up every heart at this altar.
Some are tired. Some are wounded. Some are ready to fight again.
Would You breathe fresh strength into Your people?
Would You renew our faith?
God, weâre asking You to drive out every spiritual giant in our way.
Remove the giants of fear, lack, opposition, and delay.
Give us the endurance to keep obeying.
Give us the vision to keep believing.
Give us the boldness to keep building.
And as You did for Joshua, we ask:
Finish the work. Fulfill the promise. Bring rest to this house and this city.
We commit ourselves to Youânot as passive people, but as partners in the promise.
We believe You finish what You start.
And we will keep fighting, keep praying, and keep buildingâ
until we see Your glory revealed and Your mission fulfilled.
In Jesusâ name, Amen.
Small Group Discussion Guide:
Small Group Discussion Guide:
Joshua âleft nothing undoneâ (v.15). What are some areas in your life where God may be calling you to complete something He started?
What are the âgiantsâ weâre facing as a church, and how can we pray specifically against them?
How does seeing God as a âGod of warâ who fights for His people change your perspective of His love and power?
