Can I Get a Witness— Will I Be a Witness?

Sermon Outline:  Sunday, June 7th, 2026
Speaker: Gary Campbell, Jr.

Introduction

Witness for Christ should be evident in my life in conflicts, choices, and ceremonies.

I. The Witness of an Altar

Joshua 22

     A. The two and a half tribes left in good standing (Joshua 22:1-5)

     B. The actions taken by the 2 1/2 tribes caused confusion

          (Joshua 22:10-12, 14-16)

     C. The resolution of the misunderstanding (Joshua 22:24-28, 31)

Apply- Misunderstandings don’t have to be fatal.

II. The Witness of a Life

Joshua 23 & 24a

     A. Joshua leverages his platform (Joshua 23:2-8, 11)

     B. Joshua leverages the people’s history (Joshua 24:1-3)

     C. Joshua leverages his personal example—his choices (Joshua 24:14-15)

Apply- Who in your life has “positional witness?” What does your life

witness to?

III. The Witness of Covenant Ceremony

Joshua 24b

     A. Covenant commitment involves spoken declaration (Joshua 24:16-17)

     B. Covenant commitment involves decisive action (Joshua 24:14,23)

     C. Covenant commitment involves written record (Joshua 24:25-27)

Apply- The New Covenant: Written on hearts, enacted by the Rock.

The Ceremony of Communion

     A. We declare what Christ has done

     B. We take His Body and Blood

     C. We do so at the witness of His Word, ourselves bearing witness

Small Group Questions

Sunday, June 7th, 2026

Launch

If you could leave behind one physical object or marker that would tell future generations the most important thing about your life, what would it be and why?

READ- Joshua 22

Observe

1. What do the 9½ tribes think the 2½ tribes have done when they hear about the altar?

Process

2. The western tribes were ready for war, but resolution came through sending leaders to ask questions first. What made the difference between this conflict destroying the community and actually strengthening it? What barriers or distractions keep us from

prioritizing prayer before action?

Respond

3. Where in your life right now do you need to "ask questions to understand, rather than making accusations that condemn?” What would change if you approached that situation differently?

READ- Joshua 23–24:15

Observe

4. What is one event in Israel's history that Joshua recounts in his speech that stands out to you?

Process

5. Joshua's authority came from decades of faithfulness—it was "biographical, not positional." How does a life lived faithfully over time earn someone the right to call others to commitment?

Respond

6. Who in your life has that kind of credible witness? And what does it look like for you to be building that same kind of witness for the people who come after you?

READ- Joshua 24:16-28

Observe

7. What does Joshua do to make a permanent witness of the covenant at the end of the chapter?

Process

8. Joshua told them to "get rid of the foreign gods" and then set up a stone as a permanent witness. Why does commitment require both the removal of competing loyalties and the establishment of something concrete to remember?

Respond

9. What competing loyalty or "foreign god" do you need to get rid of? And what practice, ritual, or reminder could you establish to help you remember your commitment to God?

10. What relationships in your life, besides marriage, do you have “covenant-like,” meaning, deeply abiding, come-what-may, we’re in this together before God, commitments to, if any? What is the value of these kinds of commitments?

11. How does this reflection fuel gratitude for Jesus commitment to you?

(See John 10:7-29)