LESSON SUMMARY IN 300 WORDS

275^TH EDITION, AUGUST^10TH, 2025

1^ST LESSON: Joshua 23:1-16

2^ND LESSON: Matthew 16:13-20

Joshua at old age summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel and admonished them.

Joshua emphasizes God’s faithfulness through the fulfilment of the Promised Land, and that the land as allotted will be theirs forever

Being witnesses to God’s promises and the fulfilment, the victories and possession of the land, they must be careful to abide by the law and covenant terms

They must not associate with the survivors of the land, not mention the name of their gods or worship them, but cling tightly to God

As the nation of Israel remains undefeated, they must be very careful to love the LORD their God

Turning away from God, by the embracing of Intermarriage and the customs of the heathen nations would be a snare to Israel and consequently result to disaster and banishment from the land

In the second lesson, Jesus arrived at Caesarea Philippi with his disciples

Caesarea Philippi is a centre of idol worship, originally called Paneas, after the Greek god of the forest

It became an appropriate place for Jesus to ask about his identity, and the correct answer would present Jesus as superior to other gods

Others, according to the disciples, considered Jesus one of the prophetic forerunners to the Messiah, but Peter declared that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of the living God whom the Scriptures wrote about

Jesus responded that this insight was divinely disclosed and not from human beings

He added that upon this “identity of Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of the living God” shall the church be built and all the powers of hell will not conquer it

And to the apostles He shall give the keys of the kingdom of heaven as well as authority to bind and loose, but they must keep the “Messianic secret” for the time being