God Gives the Victory
Joshua: Strong and Courageous • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Paintball
I was completely decked out in camo
I didn’t understand some of the tactics and hand signs thrown at me
Brother and and cousin are Marines
Took it extremely seriously - “Jason, go get the flag. We’ll cover you!”
I had to have faith they would help me win
This is the closest I’ve ever been to real battle
(I recognize there are those among us who have seen and been a part of real battles - so grateful for them!)
Paintball battles are a lot of fun (I think), but there are other battles that are less so.
Financial struggles that seem to be getting the upper hand
Marriage battles that wear you down
Fights with kids that keep growing
Wrestling with sin again, and again, and again
What are some recent battles or challenges you’ve faced?
TRUTH: As you look forward into the Christian journey, and as God has prepared you, there are battles ahead.
You may be in the heat of one today
There are enemies all around
You may have walked in feeling surrounded and attacked.
Scripture warns us that we are currently in a war with our enemies using every tactic to keep us from experiencing our inheritance in Christ.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
The enemies we face are three-fold: The world, the flesh, and the devil
All that we face falls into one of these categories.
Ultimately, however, every battle we face has a spiritual component:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God. . .
Paul is not simply saying that spiritual battles occur only in spiritual realms,
Paul most likely wrote this while in prison in Rome - a very real and practical problem that Paul attributes to spiritual warfare.
While not everything is due to a demon (enemy - devil), everything is spiritual.
ILLUST - It seems everyone has a conspiracy theory on something.
Was there more than one shooter? How many UFOs are in Area 51? The Earth is really flat. 9/11 is a cover-up.
Some people believe the world has actually already ended in 2012 when scientists accidentally created a black hole, we just haven’t realized it yet.
If the Earth isn’t flat, it is hollow — with another Earth inside. We all live in the Matrix. Bigfoot is real (scratch that, I know that one is true).
I don’t know how many of these conspiracy theories have any truth to them, but I do know the idea that something happening “behind the scenes” seems to be ubiquitous - Why?
Because something IS happening behind the scenes — it is the spiritual world.
(conspiracy theories seem to be more in times and cultures affected by modernity - the idea that there is a scientific understanding for everything — The physical world is separate from the spiritual world (if there even is a spiritual world))
Today’s passage is about the battle of Jericho.
There’s probably so much that we have heard about the battle of Jericho (“Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho”)
and the reality is there is so much to be said.
We will clearly see that the Battle of Jericho is as much spiritual as physical (if not more so)
Teaser: what “physical” thing did the Israelites do to cause the walls to fall?
So this is how we are going to handle today.
We will briefly discuss the FLOW of the passage and spend the majority of our time looking at the FACTS that are expressed in the story to see the FUNCTION of the story in our life today.
Ultimately to answer:
How should I approach the battles / challenges I am currently facing?
How can I confidently trust God and move forward at the same time?
What does victory look like?
Flow of the Story
Flow of the Story
Receiving the Promise and Instructions for Battle (1-5)
Receiving the Promise and Instructions for Battle (1-5)
Fighting the Battle with Faith (6-16, 20)
Fighting the Battle with Faith (6-16, 20)
Giving God the Glory through Obedience (17-19, 21-26)
Giving God the Glory through Obedience (17-19, 21-26)
Receiving the Promise and Instructions for Battle (1-5)
1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”
Jericho (like many of the cities in Canaan) was not particularly large. Ai was a larger city than Jericho and it had about 12,000 people.
— 8 acres?
— 2 walls 15ft apart
— formidable enough to make 10 of the 12 spies Moses sent into the land 40 years prior that they would be unable to conquer the land.
28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.
It is interesting, though that it was not the Israelites who were scared for the battle but the Jericho-ians.
Facts From the Story #1:
Facts From the Story #1:
What God declares is done.
What God declares is done.
2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
What God has promised is as good as DONE.
Important distinction: God will give victory based on what he has declared not based on what we desire.
God promises to answer your prayers.
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
God promises to be with you
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.
God promises to take care of all your needs.
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
God promises you a new identity and purpose in life.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
God promises to give you rest.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
God promises to work everything out for your good.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God promises freedom from sin.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
God promises that nothing can separate you from Him.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God promises you everlasting life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
With all of these settled promises from God, what could you possibly face that is NOT already a victory?!
This means we fight FROM victory and not FOR victory.
“If you eliminate the militant side of the Christian faith, then you must abandon the cross; for it was on the cross that Jesus won the victory over sin and Satan (Col. 2:13–15)”
— Be Strong, Warren Wiersbe
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Stop trying to fight FOR these things and start fighting FROM these victories!
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
*1) Press into God’s promises.
*1) Press into God’s promises.
Recognize the battles you’re facing have spiritual implications
Remember that though there is still what seems like a week of battles, the ultimate spiritual victory is YOURS in Jesus.
When you feel you’re beginning to fight FOR victory instead of FROM it, Press into the promises of God.
Fighting the Battle with Faith (6-16, 20)
Fighting the Battle with Faith (6-16, 20)
6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them,
Joshua the people the instructions from God.
“Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.” 8 And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. 9 The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. 12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.
15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.
20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
Facts From the Story #2:
Facts From the Story #2:
Spiritual victory comes by faith and not by force.
Spiritual victory comes by faith and not by force.
Think about how unconventional this type of warfare would be.
ILLUST - (Four star generals around the table) “Sir, we drew up some strategies for tomorrow’s battle with Jericho”
— 1 - We attack from every side at first light.
— 2 - We starve them out. They are already shut in there tightly.
— 3 - Let’s use some of the tactics we heard about from Egypt - I’ll bet they’ll never see it coming
— 4 - I got it! Picture this, we put the priests up front, get everyone in a line, and walk around the city. The priests play a tune on their trumpet and everyone else walks silently. We do this once each day for six days. On the seventh day we do it seven times, and on the seventh time everyone shouts. . . then the walls fall down!
The only way this makes sense is if we understand that 1) God promised victory and 2) this is how God said the victory would come.
When God promises something (and it is as good as done) then we move forward in faith and not by our force.
*How often, when facing a challenge, do we fight to find solutions instead of trusting our Savior?
We believe we simply need to “Try Harder” to break through.
We argue our point more with our spouse.
We continue to be more determined to overcome the sin
We win spiritual battles not by doing more, but by trusting more.
We fight with faith.
The Israelites accomplished more by walking silently around the enemy while trusting God than if they had attacked the enemy with all they had apart from God.
How do you know that you are fighting with faith?
Test: You worship as the battle rages.
They didn’t send the archers out front - they sent the priests with the Ark of the Covenant
They didn’t run with a strategy, they walked in obedience.
Victory came not when they lifted their swords but when they lifted their voices.
Everything they did showed their faith that God was in charge of the situation. By faith they worshipped
If you can worship around the battle, you know you have enough faith for the fight.
Reality often is I worry as the battle rages.
Reality often is I work. I worry.
Truth is fighting from victory with faith in God’s promises means:
*2) God works. You worship.
*2) God works. You worship.
Giving God the Glory through Obedience (17-19, 21-26)
Giving God the Glory through Obedience (17-19, 21-26)
17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”
21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
22 But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.” 27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.
Facts From the Story #3:
Facts From the Story #3:
God gives the victory, and we give God the glory.
God gives the victory, and we give God the glory.
God deserves the glory.
Everything God does is for his glory.
The only reason we sometimes struggle with this is because we think about it empathetically instead of logically
We often put ourselves in the shoes of others to judge something empathetically - problem
God fights for his glory either with our submission or standing against it
All will fall for God's glory you can either be the wall or be the worshiper
How do we give God the glory?
by acknowledging the victory is His
through obedience following the victory
(Not a “We got it from here, God”)
17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction.
How should we deal with this?
It is naive to say I is like this therefore I dislike God. It is simplistic to say I dislike this so I won’t question it.
Yahweh is God and Jesus is God. If it seems there is something out of sync, it is out of sync with our understanding and not out of sync with our God
God is God. Even if it was simply God said do it - he is the standard of morality
God never changes (meaning Jesus would agree with the command in Joshua)
The culture of the ANE is drastically different than the culture in which we currently live
Anybody’s neighbor sacrifice children to Molech?
“I knew there was but one way; for his nose was as sharp as a pen, and a table of green fields.”
— Henry V
חֵ֛רֶם
is sometimes translated as devoted and sometimes as destruction
At the very least, we can say that the idea in it’s original understanding is to devote to the Lord so seriously even up to the point of destruction to that God remains most glorious.
Things not devoted could become distractions.
*3) Give God glory
*3) Give God glory
Be Strong Chapter Six: The Conquest Begins! (Joshua 6)
J. Hudson Taylor’s words about three different ways to serve the Lord: (1) to make the best plans we can and hope they succeed; (2) to make our own plans and ask God to bless them; or (3) to ask God for His plans and then do what He tells us to do. Joshua received his orders from the Lord, and that’s why Israel succeeded.
Conclusion
Benediction
Mix the following passages:
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses . . . God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, . . . This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
