Like the previous preaching portion, this one is also extremely long to handle in one sermon (Joshua 13-17). Plus, there are so many historical details that do not function for the Church. However, I’ve made this decision in light of the reoccurring themes found throughout the chapters. Verse 13:6 records what God promised He would do (“I myself will drive them out…”). That would give His people an opportunity to move in, thoroughly defeat their enemies, and enjoy their new location (note the repetition of “inheritance”). Tension develops in 13:13; 15:63; 16:10; and 17:12-13 as God’s people fail to completely drive out the enemies. It’s not only what God promised to do, but also what God determines His people must do in this fight. This shows us that the only thing that keeps Christians from enjoying all the Life God has made possible is our disbelief/disobedience, not the strength of our enemy. Often Jesus called His disciples, “O you little-faiths.” Only our Lord Jesus’ death on the cross would make victory over our enemies possible, thereby providing a spiritual inheritance to all who believe. You may want to track some uses of the term, inheritance, in the NT epistles. In a practical sense, every Christian must expend great amounts of energy defeating temptation by faith, in the power of the Spirit. Without this fight, we can never enjoy all that God has for us. The story, of course, drives us forward in history to our Lord who would one day enter that same Land and completely conquer our enemy on the cross. Romans 6 contains the same dual emphasis of what God has done in Christ and what we are responsible to do in light of what God has done. We believe the Gospel and we do not let sin reign in our bodies. Believers never let up in their fight against temptation and sin.