Joshua 23/24:  New Beginnings

“ After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old( 110) and well advanced in years, summoned all Israel, – their elders, leaders, judges and officials and said to them, “ I am old and well advanced in years.”

Thus begins the farewell speech of Joshua. Not unlike, a great general, giving a farewell address to armies, or a president making his last address to congress and the nation. Joshua will talk about the accomplishments, but in doing so a picture of what makes a leader great emerges, Joshua shows his humility. He gives God all the glory.  He had been but a humble servant.   Our Joshua, the Lord Jesus, although ‘he was in his very nature, God, made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.’ “And being found in appearance as a man, humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2) How can this be, a king who willingly dies for his servants? The mark of a godly leader- humility.

Joshua in these two addresses in chapters 23 & 24 will remind the nation it is the Lord your God who fought for you.  Let’s listen to his first address to the nation’s leaders and the advice and warning he gives them.  Joshua has a God-given insight, the rest from the wars with the external enemy is over for now and God is the One who fought for them and drove out the enemy. But in his parting words of wisdom, Joshua warns of the future where the battle continues as we fight the internal battle of the old nature influenced by the world and society around us. We must be even more diligent. Joshua knew the more dangerous battles lay ahead- the tests of prosperity, wealth, and a time of peace and plenty.

America fought a great war in the 1940’s against an external enemy. It was a hard fought war and after the victory from such a great war, America entered into a period of unprecedented growth, and optimism. It was a time of plenty, good jobs, opportunities and a generation who had been hardened during a 10 year long depression begin to feel their time had come.  But lurking beneath the surface, was a greater enemy, and the test was one of handling prosperity and the time of plenty.   God allows us to be tested in many ways and one of them is in prosperity.  With prosperity comes pride, materialism and idols of different types in our lives, with the time and the money to enjoy them.

Here is Joshua’s advice and admonition and it applies to us today.  “Be very strong and courageous to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses without turning aside to the right or the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord Your God, as you have until now.”  (It is easy to hold fast to the Lord when you are in a battle against an external enemy. Joshua is warning them to stay alert and guard their heart with all diligence, for now was the time to be on alert to the internal, subtle attacks of the enemy)

“The Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God.”

We are today in the 21^st century to be careful to obey all the commands from God to us. Our goal is to stay on the straight and narrow- not turn to the right or left.  Do you see how the enemy has divided us into the right and the left?  He does not care which way you go, just not the straight and narrow. This is where Christians must not be led astray.  We have denominations and we have individual Christians, or at least those who profess to be Christians, who are questioning the accuracy of the Word of God. They question its accuracy, its authorship and its application in today’s society.  This is the very method the enemy used in the Garden of Eden. “Has God really said?”

We live in a time in which the Word of God and those who believe it is absolute truth- have been told to stay out of the public arena and not to bring our Christian faith and beliefs into our multi-cultural society. We must not speak of Christianity as exclusive, the only way to God.  We must be tolerant of other belief systems.

But Joshua warns the people and since the Word of God and the God of the Word are everlasting- we believe this also applies to us as much as ever in the 21^st century.  WE must obey all the commands of the Lord our God. We must not turn to the right or left. God’s moral law has not changed. We are being told to be strong and courageous to obey the Word of God. And in the 21^st century it is becoming obvious one needs God-given courage to take his or her’s stand on the Word of God and say- The Word of God says________________. We must not just know the Word of God, we must obey the Word of God if we want to stay on the straight and narrow road.

Joshua warns them not to associate with these nations. Not to swear by them, to serve them, or bow down to them.  Question arises- are we not to be witnesses to the lost of the world? Yes. We are to be in the world, but not of the world. James said, “Friendship with the world is hatred toward God.” (James 4)  We do witness to the world, but remain apart from the world. To recognize any other religion as good and worthwhile is to serve it with your acceptance, and bow down in recognition to it.  We are a chosen people, a holy nation, and a peculiar people belonging to God. I am not talking about America- I am talking about the Church, the Body of Christ, and the Bride of Christ.

“But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.”  We hold fast, because the enemies of our soul, the world, the flesh and the devil are trying to pry loose our grip. Its goal in trying pry loose our grip is to conform us to the world around us of which the enemy is the prince of this world.

How do we do hold fast?  Here is the three step process described by Paul in Romans 12: 1, 2. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”   There is actually a formula here:  P + T = R.

Presentation of your body plus transformation of your mind equals the revelation of God’s will for your life.  We must commit to obeying God, knowing God knows what is best for you.  Paul and Joshua are a lot alike and as both entered the last days and knew the end was in sight, they fought the good fight, they kept the faith, and they finished the course.  They wanted to remind the nation of Israel and the church of what was important.

“Be very careful to love the Lord your God.”

We are to saturate our minds with the Word of God. We must be doers of the Word of God and not hearers only. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.” (Col. 3:16)  “I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  (Psalm 119)

Elijah said in I Kings 18” If the Lord is God follow Him.”   Jesus said follow me. I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes the Father except by me. “An exclusive route- an all inclusive offer!

The challenges which Israel would face are the same challenges we face. The challenge to be conformed to this world. We are worship our King Jesus. There are to be no others. WE cannot serve two masters. The enemy wants more than anything to disarm us. To take away our armor, to take away the Word of God.   WE must worship the Lord Jesus. We must serve Him, work for Him and live for Him.  He is our Lord and there is no other.

Joshua then warns them what will happen if they turn away from the Lord and ally themselves with the enemy.  “You may be sure the Lord your God will no longer drive out your enemy (the nations) before you. Instead they will become snares and traps and whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from the good land.”  Has the good life in the good land of America become our snare, trap and whips on our backs? We are a nation whose economy runs on consumerism- with over 70% of our GDP coming from consumers buying stuff. Credit was created to increase our buying power. Now debt has become our way of life- it has also become our snare, our trap and a whip to our backs and thorns to our eyes. Our nation is a debtor nation- owing what will soon be 19 Trillion dollars- an amount we can never pay. And if our lenders foreclosed on us – they would own us.

Joshua reminds them, he is about to go the way of the earth. He is about to die. Joshua tells them, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed.  But just as every good promise of the Lord your God has come true, the Lord will bring on you the evil which He has threatened you, until He has destroyed you.”

Our old man, our old nature will continue to come back and we must continue to put off the old nature and put on the new by being renewed in the spirit of your mind. If we do not do this we give place to the devil. We give him a foothold in our lives and we grieve the Spirit.

In chapter 24, Joshua begins his 2^nd part of his farewell address. The address we are told is given at Shechem.   Remember Shechem means ‘shoulder.’ And as it happens, Shechem had become the center of the government of Israel at this time.  (We are reminded the government shall be on His Shoulders)

Joshua knows the country will be facing a defining moment.  A faithful God-fearing, strong, courageous leader is leaving. A leader who obeyed the Word of God and did not turn from it. This is Joshua’s last speech.  Watch how it starts:

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: …..”

What follows is an account of the history of Israel going back to Abraham. Joshua knows the Word of God for he has meditated on it day and night.  He was chosen by God to succeed Moses and Moses had been his mentor for 40 years.  We all need a mentor and we all need to be mentors. Abraham, by the way, was 70 years old when he left the Ur of Chaldees and set out on an adventure and life of faith.

His son Isaac would father twins- Jacob and Esau. Through Jacob he would start the fledging nation of Israel. Then comes the story of Joseph and when Jacob is reunited with his son, Joseph in Egypt, we are told when he went down to Egypt his household, numbered 66 souls.

But the nation of Israel was forged on the anvil of slavery as Israel became a nation in the brickyards of Egypt.  God always takes us through the fire to burn off the dross, to shape us and conform us. He then sent Moses, an 80 year old, who had been prepared for this time in his life with 40 years as a sheep herder working for his father-in-law.

Then another 40 years of wandering in the wilderness to prepare Israel to take over the Promised Land. Always a time of hardship to prepare us for what lies ahead. Or forefathers, the Pilgrims who came to this country in 1600’s faced great hardships. It was through these hardships for the next 150 years, we grew into the nation of America.

Joshua saw what lie ahead. His life and experience had taught him the ways of God. He knew Israel would face a time of testing and the prosperity and peace and time of plenty would be their test.

He told them what all the Lord had done and they knew their history. He also told them:

“Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness.  Throw away the gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the river and in Egypt and serve the Lord.   Joshua told them to choose for yourself this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.”

The book of Joshua as we have said before has as its counterpart in the New Testament, the book of Ephesians.  Both are about claiming our inheritance and understanding the enemy will fight to keep us from taking possession of what God has given us. In fact, I believe we are seeing an enemy who knows his time is short and is filled with fury.

But here is what we do not want to miss in the bigger story of Joshua. Joshua is about a time of a new beginning, a new leader, a new land, a new life.  They had just wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, and had changed leadership.

When we got saved, Jesus became our New Leader. He told us He came to set us free from captivity, just as Moses had been used by God to set the people of Israel free from the Egypt. In fact, Moses is a type of redeemer.  We see the blood of the Lamb as that which led the enemy to let the captives go free. Egypt is a picture of the world, Pharaoh a picture of the devil, and the slave masters in the brick yards, a picture of the sins and sin which held us captive.

He came to set us free and take us to a new land- the Promised Land of Joshua’s time is the abundant life Jesus came to give us.  He is our new leader taking us into a new land and to a new life.

If Jesus is your leader- then you must follow Him.

He tells us to be strong and courageous. The way we do it is the same way Joshua did it- we meditate in the Word of God day and night and are careful to do whatever He commands us to do.  He tells us if we do this -–we will be successful in the battles. We will be victorious

We are entering new lands. Taking possession little by little as we confront the enemy in many different guises.  He may appear as a roaring lion, a military, political or economic power. Today, the President of United States has addressed the nation to tell us we have entered a new phase in the battle against the enemy. An enemy who is in our land.

We must remember, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness. We have received the general command from our new leader, Jesus. Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.  We are told very specifically the pieces of armor we are to put on and also the weapons we have which are mighty and have divine powers, not carnal, to the pulling down of strongholds and taking captive thoughts which sets itself up against the knowledge of God.

This new land and new life we are to live is summarized in the four locations of Israel’s history.

1. Egypt- a place of death and bondage. How was Israel delivered? They were saved from death by the blood of the Lamb, and they were saved from bondage by the power of God who opened the Red Sea. This is a picture of salvation we have through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ at Calvary. John said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Through his death, burial and resurrection, Jesus Christ delivers the sinner from bondage and the judgment of death. As Israel was transported from Egypt to the Promised Land. We have been delivered from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the Light of His Son.
2. The Wilderness- God led Israel into the wilderness. And the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness after his baptism and before he began his ministry. God has a wilderness experience for each of us, its purpose is to teach us how to live life depending on Him. It is contrary to the ways of the world. For we must learn to live by faith and not by sight. The length of time we spend there is dependent on how long it takes us to learn to trust the Lord with all our heart and not lean to our own understanding. From this story, we learn (I believe) it is possible to spend your parts of your life as a Christian wandering around in the wilderness, resisting Jesus’s full control of your life. Living with areas of rebellion and unbelief in your life is what creates areas of wilderness in your life.
3. Canaan the Promised Land- a land which flows with milk and honey; but also with battles which we will continually have to confront. Victorious living is a series of new beginnings. There will continue to be battles and times of rest. The Lord has promised never to put more on us than we can bear. The abundant life is the Spirit filled life which Jesus came to give us. This is our Promised Land
4. Babylon- is where Israel ends up living for 70 years because they disobeyed God and worshipped the idols of the pagan nations around them. Are we headed for Babylon or are we already there?
5.  Know this as surely as God told Israel, whom God loves- He chastens.

If you are a believer, you have experienced a new beginning which began when you asked a New Leader to come into your life. He promised you an abundant life. In this new land.  It will be a series of new beginnings as you take possession step-by-step of all that has been given to you.  This new life is the life of Christ Himself within you.

We are about to enter a new year. It will be an important year, as they all are, but more important because we will elect a new leader.  It will mark a new beginning.

Joshua said- choose you this day whom you will serve.  But as for me and my household will serve the Lord.    Worship Him. Love Him. Serve Him. Work for Him and with Him- a new year a new beginning.

Joshua 11-21: The Wars and Division of Lands

As Joshua’s campaign against the five kings is successful, we read the following entry into the story of Joshua and Israel:  “All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.” (Joshua 10:42)  *What battle are you currently fighting?  How is it going? Do you feel like you are all alone?  Joshua was a great, brave military general, but his victory came because the Lord fought for him.

Chapters 11 & 12 record the conquests of the Northern Kings and in Joshua 11:18, we are told Joshua waged war for a ‘long time.’  My footnote tells me this is estimated to be 7 years based on the age of Caleb.  *Some battles are over in a short time- some last longer.

We also read in Joshua 11:21, they destroyed the Anakites. These were the people known for their great size, they were referred to by the original spies as giants who made them look like grasshoppers. *Some battles, the problems we come up against seem greater than others. Sometimes the enemy appears like a giant looming over us.

Verse 23 summarizes the final outcome, which now we know took years. *Look at Joshua’s life we see he spent years as a slave in Egypt, spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, then fought battles for 7 years and then dealt with a stubborn nation for his last 10 years.

But in the end we see the use of a word we will see used multiple times in the next nine chapters- inheritance.  “So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had instructed Moses and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from the war.”

Chapter 12 lists the kings defeated by Joshua and the nation of Israel. There are 33 listed here in this chapter. This tells me God is into details. He has recorded our works. The saved will have their works judged for rewards, not punishment.  The lost will stand before the Great White Throne and have their works judged for the level of punishment.  Those who stand before the Great White Throne, do not have their names recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Chapters 13-21 will record the assignment of lands and territories to the tribes of Israel. We want to glean the spiritual truths and learn and apply them as we claim what we have inherited. The word inheritance will be used time and time again in these chapters.

The first half of the story of Joshua has dealt with the conquests of the land. Now the last half deals with possessing what are rightfully their possessions and enjoying them.

We entered the abundant life Jesus had promised us when we got saved and were born again. Then we set out for the rest of our lives taking hold of that which Christ took hold of us.  We are joint heirs with Jesus having been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  We have been raised up with Him and are seated in Him in heaven.

But what we have discovered is there are enemies who do not want us to take possession of what God has given us. We are having to fight for it, just like Joshua and the Israelites had to fight.

And like Paul, we do not consider ourselves to have attained it all, but we keep pressing on. Now Joshua 13: 1, 2 would not have impacted me in the way it impacts me now, if I had read and studied this book when I was 35 years old.  I was a young father with small children busy establishing myself in my chosen career.  Looking back now the 35 years have passed so quickly, Gina and I often speak of how fast it has passed.

Listen to these two verses:  “When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the Lord said to him, “You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.” God is plain spoken sometimes, isn’t he?

Joshua will die at the age of 110, we estimate he is 100 years old at this time. Today we are experiencing longevity in our culture.  A healthy 65 year old male can expect to live to age 85, and a healthy 65 year old female can expect to live to be 87.4 years.  And one in four will live to be over 90 years old.  We have come to divide old age in three segments: young old, middle old and very old. What is amazing is how fast the time goes once you enter this stage in your life. Speaking to a lady who was over 80 years old and in assisted living, she asked me how old I was. I was 65 at the time and told her.  She said to me, ‘You will be 80 before you know it.’ I now know this is the truth.  No wonder Paul said he pressed on.  He pressed on because there was more to do and he wanted to get done all he could do.  At the end, Paul was no longer traveling, he was confined to a prison. But he would write letters and mentor the church leaders and pour his life and knowledge into one young man named Timothy.  And God has been using those letters to impact the life of millions and millions of people for 2000 years.  Paul’s greatest works came when he was older.  God can do some things in and through us in these years He could not do when we were younger.

Even with his advanced age, God did not say to Joshua, go sit down and take it easy. God said there is still much to do.

Again, I could not identify with the verses Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4 when he wrote: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” I remember a lady who worked for us at Muller Optical. She was a pleasant woman, a Christian and a hard worker.  She was in her 60’s when I knew her. One day she brought a pictures of her and her classmates at their 50 year reunion. It also had a picture of their who’s who and she had been picked by her classmates as Most Beautiful.  I looked at the picture and was stunned at what a beautiful young girl she was. When visiting my in-laws in their last days in the Veterans’ nursing home in Humboldt, I would often stop to speak to some of the residents who always loved to have anyone speak to them.  Many of those men were veterans of WWII, as Gina’s father Houston was.  Often I would see photographs of them in their uniforms as young men going off to war, not much more than boys. And they were handsome, dashing, and athletic looking young men and looking at them now reminded me of how our outward man is perishing.

Now I understand what I could not then comprehend.  Yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  The weaker we grow, the more we depend upon the Lord. The more we pray about everything because we take nothing for granted.  This is the folly of youth, to think they will always be able to do this and that.  Now we rejoice in this great truth- when I am weak, I am strong. Therefore I will rejoice in my weakness!

When God was giving Moses instructions about the land, God reminded Moses of something we need to be reminded of, lest we become prideful.  God told Moses: “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is MINE. “ (Lev. 25:23)

The Lord owns it all.  We are His tenants; He is literally our LAND LORD.  He is so generous in providing all we need. He allows us to enjoy this and ask only for 10% and to obey His commands.  When your realize His ‘shall nots’ are to protect you and provide you with the best of the best- you have learned a great lesson. This land is the Lord’s land. It is not our land.

And just as God created the heavens and the earth and put man in the Garden, His command is still the same to us:  “Be fruitful and multiply.”   This is why the Lord Jesus tells us:  “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”   God is saying to Joshua and to us- now is the time to roll up your sleeves and get to work, there is much to do.  Now you have the time to do it, and you have gained some knowledge as we have experienced God, we now know more how to do what God has for us to do.* What we lack in physical strength we had when we were younger, God has made up for it in the wisdom experiencing God has provided us.   As the character in Shawshank Redemption said, here are your choices:  “Either Get busy living or get busy dying.”  Don’t sit down and start looking back and saying I wish I was young again. I wish the world was like it was 50 years ago.  I wish I had saved more money, bought that land, taken that job, not left that job  etc. etc. etc.  Here is what Paul said we are to do:

1. Don’t think you have obtained all you are supposed to obtain. God is saying there is still much to do.
2. Forget what is past.
3. Press on- keep pressing on to take hold of all that for which God took hold of you.

The Promised Land was a gift of God to Israel. The Promised Abundant Life was what Jesus came and died to give us. The Abundant Life is the very life of Jesus within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. What more can He do than He has already done. By His divine power He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.  He has given us His great and precious promises by which we are partakers in His Divine Nature.  The gift of God’s love that keeps on giving.

THE DIVISION OF THE PROMISED LAND

Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh took land on the east side of the Jordan. They lived on the border of the Promised Land, not really in the Promised Land per se.  They did this because they viewed the land there better suited to raising cattle. They lived on the edge and in between the nations of Moab and Ammon and the Jews in Canaan. They would begin to intermarry with the Moabites and be influenced by their culture. Here is a lesson we must learn: *Do not be a borderline believer.  Enter into the inheritance God has provided for you.

We read in chapter 14, Caleb, who is the second oldest man in the camp ask for and receives the hill country of Hebron at age 85.  Caleb says, “I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out.”  We find the secret to his energy in the statement he makes: “I followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.” We are never too old to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. We are to realize we are never too old to make new conquests and grow in the faith.  We never retire from the Lord’s work. He tells us we have much yet to do.

The older generation, that’s fast becoming us, must provide for the next generation. We all want to leave our children some material blessings, but more importantly we want to provide them with spiritual inheritances.  We must set examples for them and encourage them and teach them to trust the Lord with all their heart.

God wants to give all His people their inheritance. Do you know why you do not have more of it than you do?  You have not because you ask not. Or you ask amiss. What is hindering you from claiming all God has for you?

CITIES OF REFUGE

I had a negative view of this portion of Joshua when I began to study this section. After the division of the territories to the prospective tribes, we read of the establishment of the cities of refuge.  My first reading made me think of the sanctuary cities such as San Francisco which offer safe harbor for fugitives. We find this account in Joshua 20.

The law which God established was to offer cities of refuge to anyone who killed someone accidentally. They would be protected from the ‘avenger of blood’ until the elders of the city could determine through an investigation the circumstances surrounding this death. If they found the accused guilty they would be put to death. If they found this was truly and accident, which we would consider manslaughter, the fugitive would be allowed to live in that city and be protected from the avenger.

But there is a spiritual picture here.  We are all guilty. We are sinners. And the wages of sin is death. What was Abraham looking for when he left the Ur of Chaldees to go to a place God said He would show Abraham. We are told in Hebrews 11:  “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. For he was looking for a city whose architect and builder was God.”

Is not God our refuge?  When we come to Christ, we do not come for Him to decide if we are guilty, we know we are guilty and deserving of death. No need for a trial. We confess, we are guilty. We are like Abraham we are searching for the city whose builder is God. Once we have found it- we do not ever want to leave it.  In the cities of refuge, the person was to stay there until the high priest who was serving died, and then he could return to his home from which he fled.

But our High Priest will never die and continues always to make intercession for us. He will never leave us for forsake us. We will dwell with Him forever and ever.

Now names in Scripture have meanings and the names of these cities tell us a wonderful story about the one who has built a place for our refuge for us. So that where he is we will be also and we will make our home with Him and He along with God will make His home with us.

Here are the cities:  Kedesh, Scechem, Hebron, Bezer, and Golan.

Now the meaning of these names:

Kedesh- righteousness

Schechem- shoulder

Hebron- fellowship

Bezer- strong fortress

Golan- exile.

This is what we experience when we flee by faith to our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus.

He give us His righteousness and we can never be accused or tried again for our sins.

Like the Great Shepherd He is, He leaves the 99 to go after the one lost and brings us home on His shoulder.

When Our Shepherd brings us home we enter into fellowship with Him.

We will dwell in with Him in His strong fortress. He holds me in His right hand and nothing can ever separate me from His love.

We are exiles, strangers in this world, for this world is not our home.

We are all guilty. All of our sins are what Jesus died for.  My sins put Him on the cross. I may claim ignorance for my sins up to some point. But once I become aware of them, I have reached an age of accountability.  Jesus made a provision for our ignorance at Calvary. Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

The same people who said to Pilate crucify Him, were the same crowd gathered 50 days later to hear Peter preach one of the most convicting sermons ever preached. Brief, to the point and powerful.

Peter said, “ Men of Israel listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth, was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men put him to death by nailing Him to a cross. But God raised Him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.  When they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, what shall we do?

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

We know that day over 3,000 many of whom were in the crowd that day shouting ‘crucify him’; were saved and baptized that day.

Have you found the refuge and the rest which comes from receiving the gift of Jesus Christ’s righteousness?  Have you found that city for which Abraham was searching?

Joshua 10: JUST DO IT!

In today’s lesson, we will see two eternal truths emerge:

1. God is able to work all things together for good for those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose. ( Romans 8:28)
2. Nothing is impossible for the Lord.

The Israelites had taken Jericho by a miracle; Ai by a military strategy (after an embarrassing defeat); and Gibeon had been taken by surrender.  And as noted in Chapter 9, the Gibeonites had perpetrated a deceitful hoax.  Israel had blundered and without inquiring of the Lord took the Gibeonites at their word.  Yet God would work this together for good.  For Christians, remember no mistake we make is so final for God to still be able to turn it into a blessing.  The enemy thought on that fateful day, Jesus was crucified he had defeated God.  Yet it was the greatest victory of all times and a colossal defeat for the enemy from which it would never recover.

Joshua’s name means “Jehovah is Savior.” Gibeon and its people were headed for defeat and destruction, but they turned to Joshua for mercy and help. And we will see in today’s lesson, they trusted Joshua to keep his word.

THE STORY

The king of Jerusalem had heard the city of Gibeon had surrendered to Joshua and Israel without a fight. Since Gibeon was a major city, they could not allow it to be taken by the enemy. The king of Jerusalem has formed an alliance with four other major cities, referred to as the ‘royal cities.’  The king of Jerusalem encouraged them ‘to come up and help me attack Gibeon, because it has made a pact with Joshua and the Israelites.’

In response, the people of Gibeon sent word to Joshua and urged him to come quickly and save us because all the Amorite kings have joined forces against us!

Here is our application:  our enemies have arrayed themselves against us. They are using physical attacks as Christians are being persecuted in the world today like never before. Persecuted simply because they are Christians. In our own society they are attacking us in more subtle ways, taking away our Sword- the Word of God from the public arena. They want to disarm us. We should be as adamant about keeping our weapons as the NRA is about the right to bear arms. Our weapons are mighty and are necessary in this spiritual battle we wage. The enemy wants marginalize our presence in the communities and in the shaping of the laws of the land.  We are being treated like children- to be seen but not heard from.  We are treated as intellectually inferior because we believe the Word of God is the absolute truth. Science and logic are for a large and growing segment of our population – their gods. For others their appetites are their gods. The government exists to reinforce their will and their beliefs and belittle and neutralize those who believe otherwise. There is no fear of a Holy God and there is no fear of His people.  Pick on a Christian, bully them, they are weak.  Yet when I am weak, I am strong. Jesus said his strength is made perfect in weakness.

Like the people of Gibeon, we must look to our Joshua, the Lord Jesus for help, for a strategy as to how to battle this enemy. Last week we looked at the weapons and the armor we possess which enables us to stand against the enemy. We need to understand the enemy’s strategy and the forces we are dealing with.

Notice in each engagement there are three factors which give Joshua and the Israelites success:

1. Believing a promise from God.
2. Using a sound strategy.
3. Calling on the Lord in prayer.

Keep in mind, faith must be accompanied by works. Faith without works is dead. Joshua was careful to do exactly what the Lord tells him to do.

It starts with a promise from the Lord.

“Do not be afraid of them, I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.” (Joshua 10: 8)  In response to this promise, Joshua and the army marched all night from Gilgal.  It was a hard march of 20 miles in rugged hill country.

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17 But faith without works is dead. *(James 2)

Putting his faith into action, Joshua will embark on an all night march of over 20 miles through the hill country to attack the enemy.  These armies moved on their feet, not chariots and horses.

THE SPIRITUAL SIGNFICANCE OF FEET.

Remember one of the pieces of armor which we must put on in preparation for the battle is our appropriate footwear.  Our feet are to be shod, fitted with the Gospel of Peace.

Think about how we refer to our feet to portray certain truths:

1. Cold feet- back out of something because you changed your mind
2. Foot-in-the-mouth- saying the wrong thing at the wrong time
3. Put your foot down- portrayal of being strong and firm
4. Get back on your feet- getting established or re-established after a setback.
5. Stepping on toes- a picture of talk which makes people feel guilty or convicted.
6. Putting your foot on the neck of the enemy- a picture of total defeat; making a footstool of the enemy. Complete submission.

Feet are referred to in Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “your God reigns”

Nike – the most popular footwear in the world derives its name from the Greek goddess of victory.  Victory over an enemy was portrayed as by placing one’s foot on the enemy’s neck, as Joshua and his men do to these 5 kings.   And like Nike’s famous slogan- we must as Christians when it comes to God’s Word: JUST DO IT!

The Bible uses such ordinary things in life to teach us spiritual truths- we find this to be so with our feet. A part of the body which is used to signify our walk with God as well as our conduct.

*Worship- “Do not come any closer, God said to Moses, “take off your sandals, for the place you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3- The Burning Bush) God wants us to remove those things which makes us less holy and keep us from experiencing an intimate relationship with Him.

*Reverence- it was a sign of reverence to kiss one’s feet. As the woman did to Jesus at the home of Simon in Luke 7.

*Service and humility_- sitting at one’s feet was a signs of respect and receiving teaching/instruction; washing another’s feet represented humility in service.

*Defeat of the enemy- putting one’s foot on the neck of the enemy was a picture of victory.

And you can be sure- a 20 mile night march at probably double time over rugged terrain took not only stamina, but good feet fitted with good footwear.

THE BATTLE

“After an all night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.”  Now watch what the Lord does:  “The Lord threw them in confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory in Gibeon.” (Joshua 10: 9, 10)

One must wonder how did these men, weary to the point of exhaustion after a night’s march of 20 miles in hill country have the strength and energy to attack such a great alliance of armies?

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow weary and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40)

What kept them going?  Their hope was in the Lord. They believed His promise the victory was theirs. They had followed a sound strategy- marching all night using the element of surprise. Now notice who steps in to assure the victory and actually destroys more of the enemy than the armies of Israel did.  As the enemy fled, ‘the Lord hurled large hailstorms down on them from the sky, and more of the enemy died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.’ (Joshua 10: 11)

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills-from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber, Behold He who keeps Israel shall neither sleep nor slumber. The Lord is your keeper.” (Psalm121)  The Lord was with them the whole night- He did not sleep nor slumber. He kept watch over them.

This same mighty God, the Everlasting God who created all things- the sun, the moon, the stars, the universe. Who stored hail in the high places of heaven just for such a time as to unleash an attack from heaven on the enemy- is My Keeper! When I cannot sleep at night and the enemy comes to attack me- the Lord is my Keeper. He is my present help in times of trouble. He will preserve me from evil, He shall preserve my going out and coming in FROM THIS TIME AND EVEN FOREVERMORE!

THE PRAYER.

They had a promise, a strong strategy and this prayer which comes forth I believe was placed in Joshua’s heart by the Spirit of God.  What a mighty prayer, what mighty request, what great faith in the Only True and Living God for whom nothing is impossible!

This is the last miracle in the book and story of Joshua.  It is certainly the greatest.  There was never one like it before or since. Joshua prayed the Lord would have the sun stand still and the moon stop to give them a longer day to finish the battle.  Science will look at us and say how can you believe such nonsense?  This is impossible.

The Bible tells us nothing is impossible for the Lord.  Day and night belong to Him. This is His creation and it obeys its Creator. If God cannot perform this miracle, then what He has created is greater than He is.

Why even try to explain this miracle?  My life is a miracle as is all life. Being born again is even a greater miracle. God explained the creation of the heavens and the earth in ten words in Genesis 1:1. He explains His forming of the mighty stars and galaxies in a simple five word sentence:  “He made the stars also.” (Genesis 1)  Yet, God would take over 50 chapters and hundreds of verses to describe in details the tabernacle and its furnishings. A portable tent used in the wilderness.  Why such detail and so many verses? Because the tabernacle and everything about it speaks of salvation and the greatest sacrifice ever, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.  When God created the universe and everything in it; it was an easy day’s work for Him. But when He saved my soul and made me whole it took a miracle of love and grace. It was God giving His Only Son and since He and the Son are one and the same- God gave us, He gave me His all so that He could be my all in all.

Miracle of a longer day, a sun which does not set when it is supposed to set- that is an easy work for God. In fact one day, we will no longer even need the sun, the Lord will be our everlasting light, and our days of sorrow will end and we will possess the land forever.

TAKING THE PROMISED LAND AND WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE BEAUTIFUL FEET

It was interesting what the Lord told Moses in Exodus 23:  “I will not drive out the enemy in a single year, because it would leave the land desolate and the wild animals would take over. Little by little I will drive out before you until you have increased enough to take possession.”

No shortcuts- says the Lord. You take possession of the Promised Land a little by little. Step by step. This how the promised abundant life is lived- step by step; precept upon precept. We grow in strength as we are transformed by our obedience to the Word of God.

You take it step by step. Your feet are beautiful to the Lord when you take the steps ordered by Him.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He takes delight in his way. Though he stumble, he will not be cast down for the Lord holds him with his hand.” (Psalm 37)

You are to walk by faith and not by sight. You are to walk in the light as He is in the light; you are to walk in the truth.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TOMORROW AND NEXT WEEK AND NEXT YEAR?

“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I – send me. (Isaiah 6:8)

Will you be faithful to share the gospel with the unsaved? How will you do it? Do you have a promise from God? Do you have a strategy? Are you praying for God to do a mighty work?

What about the poor, those who are hungry, in need of help from physical needs to spiritual needs?  Are you willing to give to those who cannot give back?  Matthew 25, the Lord Jesus tells us when we do it to the least of these, we do it unto Him.

Want to see our communities and country restored and rebuilt?  Let us make 2016 the Year of the Lord. “Let us proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of a spirit of despair. They will renew their ruined cities which have been devastated for generations.” (Isaiah 61

Listen to the simple instructions from Lord Jesus’ mother as he was about to perform his first miracle at his mother’s request.  We find the story in John 2 which finds Jesus and his disciples attending a wedding in Cana in Galilee.  His mother comes to tell him they have run out of wine, implying he needs to do something about it.  There is much to observe from this first miracle. It was a wedding. He would turn the water used for ceremonial cleansing into wine.  Listen to what his mother said and allow me to paraphrase to make the point clear.

She summoned the servants then told them:  “Whatever He (Jesus) tells you to do- JUST DO IT!

Joshua 9: The World, The Flesh and The Devil

So far in the previous chapters, we have come to understand the following:

1. Joshua is a type of Jesus.
2. Jericho represents the world
3. Ai represents the flesh, our old sinful nature.

So in today’s lesson, you will not be surprised to learn we will see a representation of the devil. And he will be portrayed in one of the most effective ways in which he operates.

The enemy of the believer is the devil, Satan. He is referred to as the prince of power of the air. John writes the whole world lies under the influence of his evil. So our trifecta of enemies is complete- the world, the flesh and the devil.  Which is usually the way we refer to this trio- with our flesh, our old nature, in the middle.  This positioning of our old nature in the middle is really a picture of our position as it is the world and the devil which has put our old nature in-between in order to conform us, squeeze us and mold us into its thinking.

He is our adversary. He goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may destroy.  He originally showed up appearing as an upright serpent, described as more cunning than any beast of the field. He can appear as an angel of light.  He is a tempter, he is the father of all lies, he is an accuser, and he is a deceiver.  Ephesians 6 speaks of the ‘wiles of the devil.’  He is a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to keep us from the abundant life which Jesus provides to the believer.  He has been and continues to deceive millions to this very day.

Observe how the Gibeonites use deceit to fool Joshua and the Israelites. The first thing we see is the Gibeonites used a disguise to pull off a hoax.  They wore tattered, worn clothes and possessed old, mended wineskins and carried molded bread which they said all of these were all new when they started out their journey.   The deceived the Israelites into believing they had come from a distant country.  The Gibeonites wanted a peace treaty because otherwise, they knew Israel would destroy them.

*The enemy can disguise himself. He can appear as something good, or innocent, or even deserving of our compassion.  (All of us are moved by the plight of the Syrian refugees- and the enemy will use this as cover.)

They claimed they came because they had heard of the fame of their God, their Lord. They wanted to work with them and for them, become their servants and live in peace with them. Israel was under the commandments of God to destroy all the enemy residing in the Promised Land.  For those outside of the boundaries of the Promised Land they could offer a peace treaty.

Joshua was deceived. He believed what he saw as they all did.  The Gibeonites were deceivers. They were clever, cunning, and with knowledge of the God the Israelites worshipped.  They spoke in religious terminology.  Appeared to want to be part of God’s flock.  We are called the Lord’s sheep and He is our Great Shepherd.  This is why Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount told us to beware of false prophets ‘ who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.’  Wolves in sheep’s clothing want to pull the wool over your eyes. We are not to be ignorant of the enemy’s devices.    Joshua and Israel were deceived. They believed what they saw and made their decision by their natural sight.  They were walking by sight and not by faith.

HOW TO DETERMINE THE DECEPTION OF THE ENEMY

“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to take your stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world and against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:11, 12)

Very simply, the enemy, the tempter, the deceiver wants to trick you into following him or accepting his philosophy, or tolerating his behavior as acceptable. He does so first by appearing harmless. He appears to be interested in spiritual things.  He does not need to infiltrate the night clubs, or the places of sexual promiscuity, he wants to infiltrate our churches, our Bible studies, our colleges and schools where he may add a little leaven to the whole batch.  And leaven (yeast) taste so good.  He wants us to compromise.

James writes:  “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)  But I would also warn you- he will be back.

Let us look at the whole armor of God and make sure we understand how important it is to put on the WHOLE armor.   The New Testament spells out some of these attacks for us.  Colossians 2:8 informs us Satan takes people through false philosophies. He is the mastermind behind false religions. Remember he wants to be worshipped.  He sows tares (weeds) among the wheat. Do you know when the enemy did this deed?  According to Jesus, in the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13, he did it while everyone was asleep.   Today in the 21^st century, we, believers, need to wake up to the truth.

We see the evidence of this all around us as the philosophies have infiltrated their way into our – government, our society, our schools, our institutions which God established, such as marriage.  The enemy did not want just to have the same benefits of marriage with tax deductions for marriages other than between a man and a woman.  The enemy did not want just the benefits and privileges the government has established for the traditional families- they do not want just equality under the law – they want to be recognized as their lifestyle being good, honorable and equal including in the eyes of the church.  They want the church to accept them and allow them to continue in their sinful lifestyle and be a part of the church.

Now I do not want us to be fearful of this enemy, but I want us to understand how he operates so we can be on guard.  Our God has wonderfully supplied us with everything we need. “His divine power has given us EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR LIFE AND GODLINESS THROUGH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM.”    (2 Peter 1)

Satan and his legions have intimate knowledge of the way our minds work and the weakness we human beings have. From that knowledge he has developed a variety of schemes for particular people and circumstances. He attacks and can corrupt large institutions or individuals with an array of weapons to intrude into our lives. He keeps people from coming to Christ by blinding their minds. He persecutes believers. He causes divisions in church. He plants doubts in our minds. He shapes cults and false religions which mix the truth with lies.

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have become seared with a hot iron.”  (I Timothy 4)

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.  Ever learning but never coming to the truth.” (2 Timothy 3)   (Oprah- new series on OWN- Belief.)

The enemy has convinced us life should be fun, a virtual playground.  He wants us to view God as a vending machine who can be manipulated to supply us with happiness. We go through life as consumers, shopping is a recreation, a way to please one’s self as we walk down aisle after aisle stacked high with goods which appeal to the lust of our eyes, the lust or our flesh and the pride of life. We are above all nations in the world, a consumer nation. And America has turned the celebration of the Lord’s birth and entry into this world, into a shopping extravagance upon which businesses depend for great profit.

The book of Joshua shows us physically and externally what Paul’s instructions to us in Ephesians show us spiritually and internally.  To take hold of our inheritance, to possess what God has given us- we must as Joshua and the Israelites did- be strong and very courageous. We must meditate on the Word of God day and night and be careful to obey it and we will be successful. We overcome the world by faith.  The Israelite army could do nothing about the double set of walls surrounding Jericho. They placed their faith in God’s word and the walls came tumbling down. Ai and Achan revealed the flesh must be put to death.  Now we must deal with the enemy and to do this we must understand how he operates.

Here are five very important basic truths about spiritual warfare:

1. There is an invisible world. ( Both the Old Testament and New Testament refer to it often)
2. There is a war in this invisible world between good and evil. We are involved in this invisible war. In fact we wrestle not against flesh and blood.
3. Our foe is formidable. He is real. He is a created spirit, created by God. He had a heavenly estate and was once a highly placed angel in heaven known as Lucifer. His sin was his pride in his beauty and power which God had given him.
4. We must respect his power but not fear him. He attacked God once, but was thrown out of heaven. He attacks God’s program – the church. He attacks God’s people. But his power is limited. We are assured- greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world.
5. We do not fight for victory – we fight from victory in Jesus.

Now we cannot defeat the enemy with human weapons- they are no match for the enemy’s schemes. Our weapons must be of a divine nature, powerful and fully capable of tearing down strongholds and destroying and exposing the deceitfulness and the lies of the enemy.

Since he is a deceiver and father of all lies- let us look at how each piece of the armor is uniquely suited to guard us against the schemes of the devil.

Let’s look at the whole armor and each piece found in Ephesians 6:10-18.

When we follow these instructions faithfully, we will be able to stand against the schemes and attacks of the enemy and be successful.

1. The command of our commander-in-chief to put on the “whole armor of God.”
2. The first piece is the belt of truth.
3. Next listed is the breastplate of righteousness
4. Footwear was important for a soldier. Feet fitted (shod) with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.
5. The shield of faith- the largest piece of armor.
6. The helmet of salvation.
7. The sword of the Spirit- the Word of God.
8. Prayer of all kinds.

The first piece of the armor is a foundational piece to which other important pieces of the armor are attached. The KJV says to ‘gird up your loins with the belt of truth.’  The belt held the sword and the breastplate was attached to it.  Gird up you loins was what the first action of a Roman solider was- he would tuck his long robe into the belt in order to be able to move freely and not stumble.  Our first piece of armor is a direct defense against the enemy’s number one tactic- Deception. We use the belt of truth not only to recognize the lies of the enemy, but also to recognize in ourselves how we allow our old nature to deceive us. Knowing the truth will keep us from stumbling and falling by girding our loins with the belt of truth.

The next piece of armor deals with the accusations and condemnation of the enemy. Satan attacks with deceit and he fires the fiery dart of accusation and condemnation. The breastplate protected the vital organs, including the heart. (Remember, as a man thinketh in this heart, so is he. Guard your heart with all diligence.)  This righteousness is not works of righteousness done in the flesh- this is the righteousness of Christ which was imputed to us by God and received by faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary. Paul had spent the first three chapters of Ephesians telling us what all we possessed. We were told we had been forgiven of all our sins and fully accepted by God in Christ Jesus. His blood has paid for all our sins- past, present and future.   Remember every command from God is for your own good because your Heavenly Father loves you. He promises you if you know the truth, you will be set free. He does not want you standing the middle of a very real, but invisible war without the breastplate of righteousness to protect you. Put it on every day. Do not leave home without it!

Next piece of armor makes practical sense- it involves your footwear.  Cannot fight barefooted. We need to have firm footing, so we will not slip or stumble.  We have various types of footwear for various activities. Football players do not come on the field wearing leather soled, wingtips. They have cleats to maintain traction. Women do not play tennis in high heels.   In fact, Alexander the Great is credited with developing a type of spiked sandal for battle. As Christians our feet need to be shod with preparation (the readiness) that comes from the Gospel of Peace.  This means we must know the gospel inside and out and be ready to share it.  The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe.  The message is the power, not the messenger. It starts by not being ashamed of the gospel.  Then being prepared to share the Gospel.  The Gospel is based on facts. I can share the Gospel by telling my story.  And I love to tell my story because I know it’s true.

The shield was the largest part of the soldier’s armor.  The approximate size of a door, it was made of wood, metal and leather.  Sometimes soaked with water to extinguish fiery darts of the enemy.  The ultimate cause of defeat for all believers is unbelief. This is why the shield of faith is so important.   There are three truths that make this shield strong:

1. The truth of God’s character. Remember this about God: “He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things.”
2. God’s promises can be trusted. He can be taken at His word. He cannot lie. And He does not change.
3. God’s program and timing. He has plans for us and He is working all things together for our good.

Our next piece of armor is strategically placed to guard our minds- the helmet of salvation. It protects our mind and reminds us to set our mind on things above, not things on earth. Our mind is transformed by the word of God.

The next piece of armor Paul tells us we must have is both defensive and offensive.  Paul refers to it as the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  When Paul refers to the Word of God he is not using the word- logos, which refers to the whole word of God, the entire Bible. He is referring to rhema, a specific word, verse or truth which is to counter a specific lie or temptation from the enemy. This will be what the Spirit will bring to your mind when you are attacked in the battle.  This is why it is so important to have your mind transformed by the word of God. To saturate your mind through meditation of the Word day and night. To be a doer and not a hearer only of the Word of God.

The Word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than a two edged sword.  It divides asunder the thought and intentions of the heart.  It is a detector of lies and a deflector of lies.   Know how to use it- study to show yourself approved a workman rightfully dividing the truth of the Word of God.

Jesus showed us exactly how to use it in his encounter with the devil in Matthew 4.

But we put on all of this armor to enter the battle and the battle is fought in prayer. Prayer is the mightiest weapon we can wield. Prayer is not saying grace at a meal, although we should thank Him for providing our sustenance.

Prayer is not giving God a ‘to-do list’ of things you need or want. Although we can bring all our petitions to Him. This where the wrestling takes place. It is the weapon the unseen enemy fears the most. No wonder one of his greatest deceptions is to get us to take prayer so casually.

Have you noticed each time Joshua and the Israelites got into trouble- they made decisions based on their own wisdom, own assessments, what they saw- ( a small city in Ai with few men; a group who had traveled far as witnessed by their tattered clothing, mended sandals and molded bread).  They had neglected to pray and seek God’s face and God’s will.  They had failed to search God’s word for specific directions and guidance and obedience.

Paul has led us through all of this armor and the reason for each piece for the ultimate purpose- to be effective in our prayer. Pray always. Pray with consistency. Pray intensely. Pray with a plan. Pray for one another.

In spite of this God was able to use this blunder and turn it into a blessing. Five Amorite Kings- the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon- joined forces to attack Gibeon because they had made peace with Joshua. (In chapter 10)

When they attacked Gibeon, the Gibeonites sent word to Joshua they were under attack and needed Israel to rescue them.  It was one of the most interesting miracles God performed in all of the Old Testament.   We will look at one of the most controversial miracles in the Bible next week, a day which the Bible says: “There has never been a day like it before or since, a day the Lord listened to man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel.

Joshua 8: Milestones

A ‘milestone’ comes from the use in olden times of having stones which told the traveler how many miles it was to the next city. They were a reference point which reassured the traveler they were on the right path.  Milestones have also been used to describe significant events in one’s lives.  In the Bible, especially, the Old Testament, we see a heap of stones to commemorate a significant event in the life of an individual or of the nation or people.

Joshua and the nation of Israel were experiencing some milestone events. Milestone events can be wonderful or they can appear as trouble, a loss, a setback. Certainly the defeat at Ai was especially troubling for Joshua and the nation of Israel.

With the Lord, a setback is a set up for a comeback. Now in order for this to be true, we must learn from our mistakes. We must learn the lesson the Lord would have us to learn, don’t we? Or else we are doomed to repeat them.  And when we learn something, we can begin again, more intelligently.   After what had happened at Ai, Joshua and the Israelites were discouraged.  Let’s face it- discouragement over the past failure and fear of the future are two common reactions which accompany failure.

One can imagine the mood in the camp of the Israelites. They had suffered an embarrassing defeat. They had stoned Achan and his family to death, burned all their belongings and built a monument of stones in the Valley of Achor.    A spirit of defeat and discouragement had fallen over the camp.  They were fearful of the future and devastated by their defeat. What can lift you up when you have been knocked down? Especially when you realize it was your own fault you failed.

“ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. (Psalm 37)

• No matter what mistakes you make or have made – the worst mistake you can make is to not try again!

You must begin again. God is the God of New Beginnings.  This is where you start.  You start with the Word of God. What an advantage we have over Joshua and the Israelites.  We have the Word of God before us and the Spirit of God within us!  God will direct us to our ‘new beginning’; if we will wait patiently on Him and do good.  Doing good means we are actively obeying God’s Word.  (We are always coming to new places in the seasons of our lives.)

When you are discouraged and afraid you need to encouraged.  Joshua and the Israelites had just obeyed God’s commands in dealing with Achan. Now they hear from God who says:  “Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.”  God knows when we have failed – when we have fallen down we are going to be discouraged. We are also fearful of the future.  We begin to play the ‘what if’ and the ‘if only’ game of blame and shame. Fear can paralyze one.

Here is what we need to see in this story:

1. Hearing and believing God’s Word will encourage us and faith will replace fear. For faith comes from hearing and hearing- the Word of God ( Romans 10:17)
2. His Word will always meet your needs. Need to be encouraged? Go to God’s Word. Need direction? God’s Word will be a lamp unto your feet and a light upon your path.
3. When you obey His commands- you can claim His promises.
4. God always has a plan. Wait for His instructions and follow them absolutely.

Verse 1:  The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the WHOLE ARMY and go up and attack Ai. For I HAVE DELIVERED INTO YOUR HANDS THE KING OF AI, his people, his city and his land.”

Fear not is one of the most repeated commands of God in His Word. From the Old Testament to the New, we hear this command from the Lord to His people.  Do you know who (I believe) our most powerful enemy is? Ourselves. Our old nature- the flesh.  The devil is powerful and cunning. The world is influential and the devil and the culture, the world system in which we live in want to conform us. But when we get right down to it- where the decision is made is when our old nature gets his/her way.  Listen to what James says: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil , nor does He tempt any one; but each one is tempted when by HIS OWN EVIL DESIRE, he is dragged away and enticed.” (James 1)

The reason we take the whole army up against Ai, which is a picture of the flesh, is because the old nature, the flesh is our greatest enemy.  We cannot defeat the flesh in our own power. We are powerless to do so. We need the Spirit of God to do this for us.  This is why we must crucify the old nature. “ I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2: 20)   Half-hearted effort will not avail. Trying to defeat the flesh in your own power is what happened when the spies said we can do this ourselves with just a few soldiers.    Take the whole army.  Put on the full armor.  Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. (Ephesians 6)

Joshua had listened to the spies rather than God in the first attack on Ai. Joshua was in agony and dismay over his defeat.  Ever been there?  I have. Defeated by a lifestyle I had once embraced.  I tried and tried to overcome the power of alcohol in my life, but I could not gain victory. Defeated time after time- I was so discouraged and defeated; I lost all hope of ever being able to be sober.  But God had a plan for my life just as He had a plan for Israel. And remember, God does not change.  He has a plan for your life.  God wants you to make progress – His Way.  Each season in life is a new beginning.

Get in His Word and He will give you instructions. But hear what He has to say first as an encouragement to you. “I have already delivered into your hands, the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.”    Ai is the flesh.  He is going to deliver the king of Ai.

God’s plan must be obeyed if you are to claim His promise.  Do it His Way.  Let God choose the way of progress for you.  Do not get ahead of Him.  Do not second guess Him. Do not try to do this in your own power.

When you let God choose the way for you- He will always give the best to those who let Him choose for them.  Remember when Lot and Abraham decided to separate? Abraham let Lot choose first. He said, ‘if you go to the right, I will go to the left; and if you go to the left, I will go to the right.’  Abraham was allowing God to choose for him. Genesis 13: 17 tell us: “So Lot chose for himself…” Lot ended up settling in Sodom and Gomorrah and lost everything. Not unlike what Achan did. Both were drawn by the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh.

Observe what God now promises them when they follow His instructions; “…. You may carry off the plunder for yourselves.”  If Achan had waited to do it God’s way, God would have supplied him with wealth- God’s way.

You have probably always heard this saying:  “If something sounds too good to be true- it probably is not true.”  God never made a promise that was too good to be true. When we run ahead of the Lord, we usually rob ourselves of what God had for us and hurt others in doing so. Achan learned that lesson too late.

God’s strategy was very much a military strategy. An ambush, a divided force which also played into the overconfidence of Ai’s army. The flesh is often overconfident of what it can do. This is why the Lord reminds us- apart from Him we can do nothing.  But we can do all things through Him, who strengthens us.  This is why we sing – Victory IN JESUS.

Notice God’s strategy for the battle this time does not include a miracle as in the walls of Jericho tumbling down at the sound of the trumpets and the shout of the army. It requires each soldier doing what he is instructed to do. We read ‘the soldiers took up their position.’ Have you taken up your position? Have you taken hold of that for which the Lord took hold of you?

Are we waiting for God to perform a supernatural miracle?  Could it be what God is waiting on is for each of us to do what we know we are supposed to do?

Do put on the whole armor of God each day?  Do you spend time daily in the Word of God and in prayer to get your instructions for what lies ahead that day? Or do you go into battle, and we are in a battle each day, unprepared and unarmed?  Matthew Henry said, “They are most in danger, who are least aware of it.”

Here is a new beginning for Israel and there is a new strategy.  Sanctification is a process. The goal of this process is to change us from the inside – out. To transform to be more like Jesus. How does this occur?  “But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord ARE BEING TRANSFORMED into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3: 18)   The verbs used here are in a present tense, meaning this is an ongoing process. This tells us we are to keep changing. When a person quits changing- the Spirit of God may say- we can no longer use you.

For many of us at our age, we are guilty of resisting change.  We use the old cliché – you cannot teach an old dog – new tricks.  Maybe when we quit learning new tricks – the result is we become old dogs.

This verse in 2 Corinthians 3 contains what is known as the Law of Worship and Beholding.  God tells us to worship Him because God knowns we actually adapt ourselves to the things or persons we admire and devote ourselves to.  Psychiatry calls this ‘modeling.’ Our character actually becomes transformed.  The reason God wants us to worship Him, is because He is the only one worthy of worship that will not lead us to degenerate. The choice of whom or what one worships greatly influences the development of our thought process. This is why your parents sometimes did not want you hanging around certain people they considered to be a ‘bad influence’ on you.

Now James says when you look in the mirror of God’s word but do not do what it tells you to do – you are like the man who looks in the mirror and goes away forgetting what he looks like.  He is deceived. You must be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.   If you do what the Word tells you – you will be transformed and you will be blessed.

Did you get the picture of what happened to the king of Ai?  He was hung on a tree. Our old nature, the previous king of our old nature – sat on the throne of our heart.  Wanted to control our actions and do what pleased him.   Our old nature must be crucified on the tree with Christ. This why Paul writes this truth as plainly as he does:  “I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST.   He also tells us in Colossians 3 – put to death the old nature.

The two vital works Christ accomplished at Calvary are:  His blood covered our sins. An atonement for all my sins, past, present and future.  The cross dealt with my sin nature and crucified it.  The blood deals with my sins, the cross deals with my sin nature.

This chapter ends with victory. We see an altar, sacrifice, and the Word of God. There is also a fourth monument of stones erected. Let’s review these monuments and see what they tell us.

1. First monument of stones was at Gilgal in Joshua 4. This commemorated Israel’s passage across Jordan into the Promised Land. Q. Can you look back at a day, when you entered into the new life? A time when you made a decision to follow Christ.
2. The second was in the Valley of Achor, a monument to Achan’s sin and God judgement. Q. Can you look back at your old life and see the things you have been able to overcome in your new life in Christ? Things which no longer hold you captive. (Remember the Lord said he came to set the captive, the prisoners free and give sight to the blind.)
3. The third was a monument of stones erected at the entrance of Ai in today’s story in verse 29. This was to remind the people of God’s faithfulness in their victory over Ai.
4. The fourth monument was on Mount Ebal to remind Israel that their success at Ai lay in obedience to God’s Word. Are you a doer of the Word or a hearer only? Do not be deceived.

Here is where we are today as God’s people in the 21^st century.  We are in a valley between two great mountains.  Looking back we see the Mount Calvary – where Jesus died for our sins. Looking ahead we see in distance – Mount Olivet, the mount where Jesus will return in power and glory.  We are in the last days, which refers to the time since His crucifixion.

God’s promises never fail when we follow God’s commandments.

When we obey – we will be blessed. When we do not- we can expect to consequences.

We must:

• Keep on learning- in the Word of God day and night
• Keep on loving- giving is always associated with loving.
• Keep laughing- a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.
• Keep laboring- keeps you alive and away from boredom
• Keep leaving behind your failures – and emotional baggage. Quit playing the ‘if only’ game of shame and blame.

By now you should have also learned to expect delays.   Be patient. God is at work always.

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we might gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90)

Did you notice the word grow associated with age?  There is a growth in wisdom which comes with age – if you are in the Word day and night. As your mind becomes saturated with the Word of God, you are being transformed.

Do not ask for more years added to your life.  Ask for more life added to your years. Come grow old with me, the best is yet to be.

Don’t forget – Joshua and Caleb were the two oldest men in the camp of Israel.

The morning which is the brightest is the one after the darkest night.

“Though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4:16)

If we are doing this right – doing it God’s way- we never stop growing more like Him. And we know this best is yet to come!

Joshua 7:  The Thrill of Victory. The Agony of Defeat.

The book of Joshua is comparable to the New Testament book of Ephesians in that both books have to do with our inheritance in the Lord. In Joshua, we see the nation of Israel entering into Canaan to take possession of their inheritance. In Ephesians, Paul tells us what we have inherited in Christ Jesus and what is rightfully ours.  Canaan represents the fullness of our salvation, the abundant spirit-filled life.

It is also important we understand- Jericho is a picture of the world. Ai, the small town, which we will read about today represents the flesh. There is the thrill of victory in Canaan, the Promised Land. But there is also the agony of defeat in the land of Canaan. And we will see how Ai can defeat us, if we are not careful.

How do we overcome the world? “..For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (I John 5)

How do we deal with the flesh? “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature (the flesh): sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed which is idolatry. (Colossians 3)

We will do well to remember these verses as we observe what happens in today’s lesson.

In our last lesson, we left Joshua and the nation of Israel making their last march around the city of Jericho.  Joshua had given some last minute commands and instructions regarding the sparing of Rahab and her family, and the admonition to not take any of the valuables, (gold and silver) or otherwise they would bring about their own destruction and make the camp of Israel liable to destruction.

Verse 21 tells us: “They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it- men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.”  This is a most difficult passage for us as Christians.

We do not like to read this account do we? Our old nature, the flesh, wants to rise up and say this is too harsh.  We must understand as best we can- God’s Wrath, and God as Judge. We tend to separate the God of the Old Testament from the God of the New Testament as pictured in the life of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But we cannot escape the fact which tells us God is the same today as He was yesterday, including in the Old Testament, and will be the same tomorrow.  We will approach God’s role and position as Judge first then His wrath.

We view God as our Heavenly Father, loving, kind, wise and merciful.  We view Him as a King and we are His subjects.  He is our Shepherd and we are the sheep of His flock.  We even view Him as our Bridegroom and we are his bride.  Yet God is Judge. He is Judge of the earth, He is judge of all.

A judge is a person with authority. The Lord Jesus will be our final judge and He claims all authority has been given to Him on earth and in heaven.

A judge is a person identified with what is good and right. Only God, alone, is good.

A judge is a person of wisdom who can discern truth. God has all knowledge, all power, all wisdom and majesty. Nothing can escape Him; He knows the heart of men, He cannot be deceived.

A judge is a person who has the power to execute the sentence.  God is always just and fair.

Let us consider God’s past judgements:

In Genesis we see: God judged Adam and Eve for their disobedience.  God judged the corrupt world in the day of Noah and destroyed all except for Noah and his family. God judged Sodom and Gomorrah. In Exodus God judged Egypt with the ten plagues- and they received warning after warning. God judged His own people, the Israelites for the Golden Calf incident and had the Levites killed 3,000 with their swords. (Now if you will be honest with yourself, you will probably discover you are more offended by this passage in Joshua than you are the fact God destroyed all of mankind except for 8 souls in the Flood. Why is that?  Because we think of floods and destructive storms as something different. Impersonal. Yet insurance companies refer to these disasters as ‘Acts of God.’ And these actions in Joshua 6 are also ‘acts of God. )

And here in Joshua, we read: “They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed every living thing in it, – men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.”  The wages of sin is death. And death is 100% in every generation.  When someone dies we usually associate a condition with their death: accident, sickness, i.e., cancer- heart attacks, stroke, etc. Yet there is only one reason for death and only one cause of death- sin. God is the author of life and only God has the right to take a life.

Perhaps when you read these verses or similar verses- you cringe that God has done this.

Now you might be thinking- well those are all Old Testament stories.  Yet in the New Testament, the coming wrath of God is a common theme. And in Revelation we see the wrath of God poured out upon the earth.

In Matthew 21, Jesus speaking to the chief priests and the elders tells them they have rejected the capstone and here is their judgement: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God is taken away from you and given to the people who will produce fruit. He who falls on the stone will broken in pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” Matthew 21: 42-44) God judged Ananias and Sapphira for lying to God and struck them dead in Acts 5.  The Christians at Corinth were struck with sickness, some fatal, for their gross irreverence in connection with the Lord’s Supper.

Jesus as Judge over all is clearly portrayed in Matthew 25 (Jesus speaking): “The Son of Man will sit on a throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance. Then He will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire.’

The wrath of God is a subject we do not like to talk about.  However, a study of your concordance will reveal there are more references to God’s anger, fury and wrath than there are to references to His love and tenderness.

Wrath is defined as: “deep, intense anger and indignation.’ Anger is defined as ‘stirring of resentful displeasure and strong antagonism, by a sense of injury or insult’. Indignation is defined as ‘righteous anger aroused by injustice and baseness.”   Wrath, righteous anger, is an attribute of God.

God’s anger is not a lack of self-control. It is not, as we often refer to it, as ‘blowing your stack.’ God is angry where anger is called for. His wrath is not cruel. His wrath is measured and judicial.

We do not hear much preaching about the wrath of God. Nor do we want to draw attention to such verses as we find in Joshua 6.  The subject of God’s Wrath is not popular in our modern society.  I believe our reluctance to talk, preach, teach and discuss the wrath of God has created a lack of fear of God’s judgement not only among unbelievers, but Christians as well.

Why the reluctance to discuss this attribute of Holy God?  Do we believe His wrath makes God look bad? Cruel? Angry?  He is angry, but it is a righteous anger.  Consider the fact those children who had not reached the age of moral accountability would be received into heaven, whereas, if they had lived, God knew they would have been indoctrinated into the depraved culture of their parents.

Should not people be warned of the wrath to come?  Of course they should. And they are.  This is why each person will be held accountable.

“Those who experience the wrath of God chose it for themselves. Before hell is an experience inflicted by God, it is a state for which the person himself opts by retreating from the light which God shines in his heart to lead him to Himself. When John writes, “Whoever does not believe in Jesus stands condemned (judged) already because he has not believed in the name of Gods’ One and Only Son,” he goes on to explain in the following verse: “this is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light, because their deeds were evil.: (John 3: 18, 19) No one stands under the wrath of God except those who have chosen to do so. (Knowing God, J.I Packer, Chapter 15, The Wrath of God)  

The wrath of God had been revealed to the citizens of Jericho.  They knew what the God of Israel had done in Egypt.   Rahab told the spies they knew about the God of Israel  and had  heard how their God had dried up the Red Sea and what they had done to the kings of the Amorites.

Paul tells us in Romans 1: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what might be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”   Paul goes on to say for this reason they are without excuse.

Now my question is how is the wrath of God being revealed?  There are 3 ways: 1. Universal death. No one gets out of this life alive. 2. Frustration. Romans 8:20 tells us God subjected creation to futility. 3. God has given many over to depravity. We see the degradation of our society and mankind worldwide. The actions of the Nazis in WWII revealed the depth of man’s depravity. Pornography is rampant as the personal computer has created a sewer through which filth flows into our homes. Entertainment has to be rated in order for one to know whether they will be bombarded by nudity, sex, violence or strong language- usually all of the above.

In Deuteronomy 20: 10-15; the Lord gave the nation of Israel the ‘divine law of war.’  The Lord gives instructions on how to deal with the enemy who was far off and those who were in the land of Canaan where Israel would dwell.  Before attacking a city outside of Canaan, they were to offer peace to the people and make them subjects if they surrendered. However, for those cities within Canaan, where the Israelites were to dwell they were to destroy their cities and the people. Why? For one thing the people of Canaan were unspeakably wicked. God did not want His people to be contaminated by their neighbors. God knew His plans for the nation of Israel, they were to be a channel for His blessing the to nations of the world. The Messiah would come from the nation of Israel. This is a chess game between Satan and the Lord. Satan is constantly doing everything he can from the Garden of Eden to Calvary to pollute the nation of Israel and prevent the coming of the Messiah. And today the enemy blinds the minds of millions with deceitful lies. He also does everything he can to keep Christians from taking possession of what is rightfully theirs.  His ally is our old nature, the flesh.

In spite of this, Jericho has received enough light regarding the power of Israel’s God. Any could have repented and turned to the Lord as Rahab and her family had done.  They had knowledge of the True and Living God. They were not ignorant. They had a flood of light, but preferred darkness.

Think about this: we were given an insight into God’s judgment in Genesis when Abraham asked God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there were 10 righteous men in the city.  There was not even 10 righteous men, so God destroyed the city, although Lot and his family escaped.

Bottom line:  God is at war with sin. He will break down every idol.  He will cast out every foe. God is a consuming fire.  The more you know about the nature of sin and God’s wrath, the more you will cherish the Gospel.  The Gospel delivers us from the wrath of God, which God has revealed in the past, is revealing today and will reveal in the future when He destroys the earth with fire.

Take note of the transition from the end of Chapter 6 to the beginning of Chapter 7. Joshua 6 ends with this verse: “So the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout the land.”

Joshua 7:1- “ But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things, Achan, son of Carmi, …took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.”  But – the conjunction used to denote contrast and the words ‘acted unfaithfully’ tells us the story of the upcoming defeat.

What a contrast between the end of chapter 6 and the beginning of chapter 7.   As a result of Achan’s sin, 36 Israelite soldiers were killed when they attempted to take Ai, a small village.

Jericho is a picture and symbolical of the world, and Ai is a picture of the flesh.  The enemy within.

Why does God hold the nation of Israel accountable for the actions of one man? God viewed the nation of Israel as one unit.  One nation under God, in a covenant with Holy God. Is not the church the body of Christ? And the local body a part of the larger body of Christ.  The sin of one person impacts the whole body.  Just as Paul says a little leaven, leavens the whole lump of dough. One bad apple spoils the whole barrel.  Unjudged sin contaminates the whole body.

Nothing escapes the all-seeing eye of God. One can be sure, your sin will find you out. God deals with the sins of His children in the following methods:  rebukes, chastens and scourges. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens. He disciplines his children as a father disciplines his children.

THE THRILL OF VICTORY – THE AGONY OF DEFEAT

Joshua had experienced the thrill of victory and now so soon after a great victory, we see a humiliating defeat at the hands of an inferior, smaller enemy.  Joshua is so dismayed, so defeated and depressed over this defeat. He is in agony over their defeat.

He his clothes, a sign of his distress and grief. He falls facedown before the Ark of the Lord and begins to pray.  His prayer is a prayer seeking wisdom and understanding.  Did you notice where he went face down in prayer?  Before the Ark of the Lord. What does the Ark contain?  The Word of God. Aaron’s rod. Manna. And the Mercy Seat.   Prayer and the Word of God go together. The rod, the manna, and the mercy seat are reminders of what God had done.

The Lord Jesus is our Great Shepherd. His rod and his staff comfort us. He is the True Bread come down from heaven.  He is the Lamb of God who entered into the Holy of Holies in heaven and placed His precious blood on the mercy seat.   He, who knew no sin, became our sin and redeemed us with His Precious blood.

The Lord speaks to Joshua to tell him what the problem is and what he must do to correct it. When we seek His face, and turn to his word, the Lord will reveal the root cause of our problems. Whenever we suffer defeat in our life as Christians, the Lord has a reason for allowing this defeat. To teach us a lesson, to uncover a wrong pattern in our lives.

ACHAN’S SIN

The search begins as God instructs Joshua how to proceed  with the stern warning, He will not go with them until they destroy whatever is among them which is devoted to destruction.  Anyone devoted to sin is devoted to destruction. They are to go through the camp, family by family to discover the one who took those things devoted to God.

So the search begins and Achan knows it is a matter of time until they find him out.  Sure enough, the morning comes with Achan standing before Joshua and confesses to what he has done.

Achan describes the process which led him to take the plunder. “When I saw the beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them.”  Do you see the process? He saw- lust of the eyes.  He coveted- lust of the flesh, desire. He took- pride of life. He wanted those things for himself.

Achan was a man who sought to satisfy himself with the things of the world.  He would find his significance in the possession of riches and fine goods.

I wonder when the Lord told the parable of the rich fool, He thought of Achan.  In the parable found in Luke 12, Jesus tells us: “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  The rich man in the parable found his satisfaction and significance in the abundance of his possessions. God warns him, “You fool: This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”  What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?

The enemy of God and of your soul, wants you to enter the broad way and advertises this as the solution to all your problems. This is the way to go which will provide the most pleasure. The abundant life is found, says the father of all lies, in this direction. Many enter in by the wide gate and start down the broad way.

The world beckons you to take this direction. Your flesh sees all the pleasures and covets them and before you know it- you have taken the wrong direction

Ask all those who laughed at Noah what they would do if given a second chance in life. Or ask those who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah in the time of Lot.  Ask Achan- what would he do if he had it to do over again?  Ask the rich man in the story Jesus told in Luke 16, how would he live his life given a second chance, knowing what he now knew in a place of torment.

I believe we are all born with a desire to have a happy, successful life. And the Lord Jesus told us He came to give us the abundant life.  It is here the confusion arises.  What is the abundant, happy, successful life?  This is why we must know the enemy and his schemes. From the very beginning he has deceived us in what would give us this sense of self-worth.  A life of meaning and purpose and security. Satan wants us to believe he has what we desire and can give our lives what we are looking for.

The question is where do we find this life? What is really going on here? You look at the news, you see all the tragedies, the stories of horrible things and we wonder what in the world in going on?

We need our eyes opened to see what is happening.  Open the eyes of my heart Lord, that I might see.  There it is – the eyes of our heart need to be opened.

Let us go back to the day Jesus started his ministry and read from the scrolls in his hometown synagogue: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind.” (Luke 4- quotes from Isaiah 61) Then Jesus told them – “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Do you see what his mission was?  To proclaim freedom to the prisoner and to make the blind to see. Three and half years later, he would announce on Calvary- It is finished. Mission accomplished.

Jesus warned us. Before He promised us the abundant life, he told us there was a thief who would try to steal, kill and destroy our life.

What caused their defeat at Ai? A thief.

Paul prayed we would have the eyes of our heart enlightened that we might see.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us:  “Above all else guard your hearts for it is the wellspring of life.

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. “(John 1:4)

“Come to me and have life. (John 5:40, Jesus speaking)

We are at war, as surely as Joshua and the nation of Israel were long ago in Canaan. There was a war to keep us in Egypt. There was a war to get us out of captivity. There is a war raging today to keep us out of the Promised Land. There is a war to hold on to what we possess in the Promised Land.

The world is against us. Our flesh is against us. We overcome the world by faith and we put to death the flesh.

Paul said as he came to the end- I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.

Pray the Lord will open your eyes. Do not lose heart!

Joshua 6: CAPTURING JERICHO

Jericho, we read was tightly shut up, secure behind its double walls and then atop a mound on which they were built. No one went in or came out of Jericho. It was strongly defended.

We are familiar with this story and the task before us today in this lesson is to draw from it the application for ourselves in the time and place we live in the 21^st century. What walls do we face? What in our society is strongly defended?

Today we face a society and culture which has put up a wall:  to evangelism; to the absolute truth of God’s Word; and to the sharing of the gospel.  The Word of God and prayer has been removed from the public school, the work place, the government and for the most part- our society.

This is a story of what it takes to tear down those walls. It is a story of God’s people facing overwhelming odds and strong, defended walls, with closed, guarded gates to shut out those who would take full possession of what God has given to them.

Did you notice what was a pre-condition for preparing for battle?  Circumcision with sharp flint knives. What is the Word of God compared to in Hebrews 4:12?  “For the Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  Prepare for battle by girding your loins with the belt of truth- the first piece of the armor of God.

Here is what we observe as we look at this familiar story:

*God wants us to work.  He has work for each of us. We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has ordained we are to walk in.

*God wants us to wait.   He has commanded us to wait on the Lord, I say, wait on the Lord.

* God wants us to win.  You cannot overcome without fighting; there is no crown without conquest.

Today, we want to pick our battles. We want to work occasionally. And let’s face it, none of us like to wait.  We are when it comes to serving the Lord:  an army of part time soldiers, and temp workers.  Yet Peter said we are a ‘royal priesthood, a peculiar people.’

We know the story, but let us look at the simple elements and see these three fold actions God would have the army of Israel take along with the priests. The let’s see how this might apply to us today in the 21^st century.

Here are God’s instructions:  they are to march around the walls one time for six consecutive days. The daily procession is led by seven priests carrying trumpets in front of the ark. (Remember what the ark contains?  The Stone Tablets, which contains God’s Word; Aaron’s Rod which budded; and manna.) The ark represents the presence of the Lord among His people.

On the seventh day, the army with the priests and the ark were to march around it seven times then blow the trumpets and the army shouts. The walls will come down, the Lord told Joshua and they did.

THE WORK: we are saved by grace through faith, alone. But not by a faith that is alone. James says faith without works is dead. James uses Abraham’s offering of his son Isaac on the altar as an example. James writes: “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” (James 4)  Read Hebrews 11 and you will see a verb of action attached to each subject of faith.  By faith Noah built an ark; by faith Abraham went; by faith Abel offered; etc.  Paul writes it is God who works in us to will and to act according to is good purpose; but the believer must work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil. 2)

The army of Israel did not sit upon some grassy knoll having a picnic to watch God take down the walls of Jericho. Notice they worked every day. It was not just on Sunday or the Sabbath they worked for their Lord. It was every day of the week.  Their work for the Lord during the six days was brought to a climax on the seventh day.  We work for ourselves mostly during the six days of the week, then offer God a couple of hours on Sunday. Part time work will obtain nothing more than part time results.   The work we see here in this story of Jericho consisted of a daily procession around the city.

What kind of work were they doing?  They literally and physically carrying the Word of God all around the city. How will we win the city of Jackson? Is this even our ambition? If it is- it will be done by bearing the Word of God, being salt and light, giving our testimony, preaching the gospel and continuous prayer. Let’s paraphrase Acts 1:8 to see what work the Lord Jesus would have us to do:  You will be my witnesses in Jackson, in Madison County, in Tennessee and to the ends of the earth.  And what work are we to do?  We are to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And I will be with you always to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28) The Great Commission issued by Jesus to us His followers.

Most of us consider those duties to be done by the church staff.  Notice there were priests who were marching with the people and who would blow their trumpets. But there was also the entire army of Israel marching with them. Going before them and after them. The work of the Lord cannot be done just by the preachers. Perhaps this is why Peter said we are a royal priesthood.  We are all supposed to be serving the Lord.

Here is the bottom line:  God would have us work His way. God would have us work daily. God would have us work in faith. And when we do- ‘by faith the walls of Jericho came down!”

The heart which has hardened itself in unbelief can only be broken by the power of the gospel. Like Paul, we must not be ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes. And when the Word of God goes forth, it will not return void.

So let us begin the work with the walk of faith.    From the very beginning in the story of Joshua, God emphasized what it was necessary to enter and take possession of the Promised Land.  “ Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them- to the Israelites I will give you every place you set your feet.” (Joshua 1)  Let us take possession of what God has given us.  Let us take back what the enemy has stolen from us. Let us encompass the city with the Gospel. When we are doing God’s work, He will supply the strength so we can walk and not grow weary.

THE WAITING: Patience and endurance are needed in the Work of the Lord.  We like to see instant results or else we are quick to quit a project or program which does not immediately produce the gain we anticipated.  But sowing and reaping is a time consuming process. You can be sure among all those men marching around the city, there was complaining.  How is this going to work?  We need ladders to scale the walls. How long, Lord, must we wait? We all have known that feeling and emotion as we continually keep coming to the Lord asking for victory or for a particular difficult situation in our lives to be settled.  A thorn to be removed. Is not the Lord’s answer to Paul’s request the answer to ours?  His answer is twofold:  my grace is sufficient for whatever wall you are facing in your life which seems insurmountable. In addition, my strength is made perfect in weakness.  The Lord is saying who do you think allowed this wall or this thorn which so bothers you, which seems so impossible.  I did, says the Lord. For I have a purpose and a reason for this situation and circumstances. Martha and Mary thought their situation, the death of their brother Lazarus who had been buried for four days, was a situation in which nothing could be done to remedy it. Jesus said” I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, will live. And whoever lives and believes in me, shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11)   Martha answered: Yes Lord I believe.  We all know how that story ended. Yet waiting on the Lord to come and when He did not, Mary and Martha believed their situation was impossible for the Lord to do anything about.  Do you believe nothing is impossible for the Lord?

We do not need any man-made programs, creative as they may be.  God forbid that we should glory but in the Cross of Christ. Let us believe with whole hearts that Our Heavenly Father’s methods are best. Sometimes the soldier does not understand his role or why they are doing such and such; but he knows his duty is to obey his commander. And the commander of the army, the general in charge has information and intelligence about the enemy which the soldier does not have. His strategy for victory is based on the overall view of the battlefield.  And who is the commander? It was the pre-incarnate Lord Himself who appeared to Joshua and identified himself as the Commander of the Army of the Lord. So our orders are to march- ‘onward Christian soldier, marching as to war. ‘

God always has His reasons for making us wait. It is for His own glory, we wait. We also know we wait while God works all things together for good for those of us who love Him are called according to His purpose.  The waiting is for His glory and our good. Many wonder why God does not come already and we are told because He is not willing that any should perish but all come to repentance.  Have you ever been so enthralled in a story you were reading you could not put the book down?  Then when it was over- you wished it had been longer? God is the author and finisher of our faith.  He takes as long as it takes, not one minute longer, not one page longer but just as long as it takes.  Waiting patiently and staying busy doing good, doing what we have been told to do, until the Lord tells us what to do next. We do not wait idly, for an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. We wait and continue to do the work of the Lord, daily. Not just one day for a couple of hours.

WINNING.  God would have us be overcomers. He would have His people win. In the 21^st century we have become outnumbered.  This is no surprise to the Lord. He foretold us, few would enter the strait gate and the narrow way. Many have entered the broad way, a way which seems right to them. They have built a wall to keep the gospel out of a society where men determine what is right or wrong based on what is right in their own eyes.

When we view the world through the lens of God’s Word, we see a society and culture which has built a wall of defense against the Word of God. Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 3: “First of all, you must understand that in the last days, scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is the coming he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word these present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, bring destruction of ungodly men.”

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire; and the earth will be laid bare.”

To scoff is to mock or ridicule. Jesus was mocked and ridiculed by his captors, those who mocked him as a king, who plucked his beard, spat in his face and crowned his head with thorns.

Ridicule is the favorite weapon of the intellectual. This is why Psalms 1 says, we will be blessed if we do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful or mockers.  A godly man seeks godly counsel. Stands with believers who defend the truth.  We must be able to give a reason for our hope with gentleness and respect. Scornful is an attitude which arises from arrogant sense of self esteem.  The scornful scoff at those who believe what they do not believe. What we can see today is what can happen to Christians who begin to seek counsel from the ungodly. They will find themselves agreeing with the ungodly and then associating with them.  We must be strong and courageous.  And where does our strength come from? It comes for the Lord, from His word. And when we delight ourselves in his word and become doers of the word, we will yield fruit in due season.

Now a word about the number seven (7).  Seven as a number represents completeness. There were seven priest with seven trumpets. The seven trumpets were ram’s horns. These were not musical instruments, per se, they were used as signals in both religious activities and war. Seven priests, seven trumpets and seven times around the wall on the seventh day

Just a brief history of the significance of this number reveals its importance.  The first use of the number 7 is in Genesis 1.  God spent six days creating everything in the heavens and the earth. God then rests on the seventh day. This is in fact our template to this day for a week observed by the whole world.  Seven is associated with completeness or divine perfection from the very beginning.

Man was created on the sixth day. The number 6 is associated with mankind. If God’s number is 7, then man’s number 6 always falls short of seven.  For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The number 666 is the beast in Revelation. There are too many uses of the number 7 to list, for there are over 700.  Naaman was told to wash seven times in the Jordan River which represented complete cleansing. There is the 70 weeks of prophecy in Daniel.  There is 70 years of captivity for Israel in Babylonia.  In Revelation we see the number 7 used over 50 times. Seven letters to the seven churches; seven golden lampstands; seven angels with seven trumpets, seven bowls of wrath, which represent God’s complete and perfect judgment of sinful mankind and earth.

And of course Revelation is the capstone of God’s Word to us.  He tells us it is now complete and no one is to add to the Word of God nor take away from it.  Seven is God communicating to us the idea of divine completeness, perfection and wholeness.   (And this just happens to be brought to you today by a man who turned 70 this week!)

The first work we must perform is to believe. This what the crowd wanted to know of Jesus, ‘what must we do to work the works of God?” (John 6: 28)

And Jesus answered them and said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29)  This is the first work a sinful person must perform-is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.    And guess what, the Lord offers us the gift of faith so we may believe. But a gift must be received.  This is the verdict, light has come into the world, but men preferred darkness because their deeds were evil. Today in the 21^st century men call darkness- light and light- darkness. This why we must let our lights, the light which is us is the light of the world which is to shine into the darkness.  It is here light is needed, not in our churches.

We have to go where they fish are if we are to be fishers of men. They are out in the deep.  Jesus will instruct us to push out into the deep and cast our nets there.  It made no sense to Peter who had fished all night and had already put his nets up. It made no sense, that he, a professional fisherman should listen to  this man Jesus, who they had spent a little time with before,  think he knew more than Peter about fishing. Peter told him we have fished all night and caught nothing. He probably gestured toward their nets which they had carefully put up for the day. Yet something about this Jesus impelled him to say, ‘nevertheless at your word, I will let down the net.”  (Luke 5)  What happened next by obeying the word of the One they would discover was the Son of God was a record catch.  It required calling to John and his brother James to come help them.  Peter recognized this man was something special. He said depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.

These fishermen would give up everything and follow Him. They would turn the world upside down. How? By obeying the command of the Lord.  He told them WORK they would perform. He told them to WAIT for the Spirit.  And He told them they would be victorious, they would WIN.

“Faithful is he who calls you, who also will do it.” (I Thess. 5; 24)  God assumes full responsibility for our needs for the success of His plans when we obey Him.  Even if it does not make sense to us.

It requires work. It requires patience and the result will be victory.  Victory in Jesus!

We must work daily. We must work God’s Way. We must work in faith.

We must wait patiently and do good.

We must recognize the battle is the Lord’s.  He will provide the victory as we obediently follow the Commander of the Army of the Lord.

And the walls came tumbling down…..

Joshua 5: A Foretaste of Glory Divine

The nation of Israel has crossed over into the Promised Land via the parted Jordan River as a miraculous sign from God, who was with Joshua as He was with Moses.  Notice who else got the message:  all the kings of the Amorites and Canaanites heard what happened.  Their reaction:  their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. *Does it seem to you today- there is no fear of God in our country?  Do our enemies fear us as a country?  Do we as Christians fear God’s judgement for our sins?  Do you presume to sin as a believer, because you presume God will not judge your sins?

Remember how Rahab had told the spies how they heard of how the Lord dried up the Red Sea and told them their hearts had melted with fear and their courage had failed. Now was the time to strike the enemy while they were so fearful. Immediate surrender to the 40,000 armed for battle would be an easy victory for the Israelites.  Surely this was the thinking of the majority of the people.  But God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and God had an entirely different strategy.

But if Joshua had not learned anything else, he had learned to wait and get his orders from the Lord. What we are about to witness is how God prepares his people so they can be trusted with victory. This was to be clearly the Lord’s victory, not the victory of Israel or Joshua. This victory was to be based not on the expertise and courage of the Israelite army or the fear of the enemy. This victory was to be based on the presence and blessing from the Lord. Not by power or by might- but by His Spirit.

Do we sometimes rush ahead of God and attempt to finish what God has started in our own strength? Do we wait on Him? Or do we like fools rush in where angels dare to tread?  That is when we do what we think is right in our own eyes, a place no angel would ever dare tread.

We want to take note of these steps of preparation necessary before God would give His people victory in the land of Canaan.  Now let me remind us of what this means to us:  Canaan is the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. It is a picture of the abundant, spirit-filled life Jesus came to give us. The physical and external here represent the internal and spiritual steps we must take to prepare to experience the Spirit-filled, Spirit-led abundant Promised Land life.

• Renewal of your commitment. The Lord gives Joshua his orders. No one was expecting this; it did not make sense to do this at this time. The Lord told Joshua to prepare the flint knives and circumcise the Israelites at Gilgal. What?! This not only was painful, the men would be incapacitated for days as they healed. They would be too weak to fight. When is the Lord’s strength made perfect? In weakness. We read the explanation in the following verses that all those born in the desert during the 40 years of wandering had not been circumcised. This was a sign of the covenant of God with Abraham implemented in Genesis 17, when Abraham was 99 years old. This physical sign ‘marked’ them as God’s special people. It is interesting to note how this word ‘mark’ is used in the New Testament. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promise of the Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of His glory. ( Ephesians 1:13-14) The Promised Land of the abundant, Spirit-filled life is a part of our inheritance which Paul tells of in Ephesians, which we shall explore more fully later. There is also another mark we read of in Revelation 13. The number of the Beast’s name is forced on everyone, small or great, rich or poor on his right hand or forehead. No one can buy or sell without this mark. It is the number, the mark – 666. God is restoring his covenant with His people and this ‘mark’, a physical cutting away of the flesh is a reminder they belong to the true and living God. This physical operation on the body was a symbol of the spiritual operation on the heart. “Therefore circumcise the flesh of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.’ ( Deut. 10:16)   This was a test of their faith. To voluntarily put themselves in a condition where they could not defend themselves, much less go out and fight was a real test of faith. They had failed the test of faith before, refusing to go into the Promised Land and now having entered the Promised Land, their faith is tested again- and they passed the test!   When they obey God this time in doing what He commands when it does not seem the right thing to do in their own eyes, we are told God removes or rolls away the reproach of Egypt. Reproach is defined as ‘expressed disappointment’. Israel’s sin at Kadesh Barnea to not enter the land was a disappointment to them. It started with the murmuring when they came out of Egypt and reached a climax with the Golden Calf an idol from their days in Egypt. Circumcision was also necessary in order to participate in the Passover Feast. No uncircumcised male was qualified to take the Passover according to the Law of Moses.
• They were reminded of the Lord’s goodness when they took the Passover. This ceremonial feast recalled the history of Israel with God and His mighty hand which had delivered them from Egypt. They recalled these deeds and remembered the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness. Are you in hard place today? Facing tough times? Illness? Loved ones in trouble? These people had wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. Eating manna and quail- the same old, same old for forty years. Would they ever get into the Promised Land? Colossians 2 has some very clear instruction how to get into the Promised Land, how to claim the Promises, take your inheritance and live the abundant, Spirit-filled life. Here it is: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith, as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” ( Col. 2: 6.7) Do you know what this says? The way we got out of Egypt is the way we will get into the Promised Land. The way you got saved from the slavery of sin, will also be the way you take possession of your inheritance and live the life Christ has for you. By grace through faith! Remembering His goodness and calling to mind what He has done for you. This is what Jeremiah did in a time of darkness, affliction and bitterness. As we read what he did in Lamentations 3: “Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.” (Jeremiah is going to remember the goodness of the Lord.) “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.” (Did you get that- they NEVER FAIL!) “They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.” The people recalled God’s goodness to His people by God’s having them remember what He had done. God did this by having them recall the story of the Exodus as they do when they celebrate the Passover. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper it is a reminder of what He did for us at Calvary.
• The Presence of the Lord. Joshua had certainly read and meditated on the book of the law Moses had recorded. He remembered what Moses said after the golden calf incident. Moses said to the Lord: “If your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” ( Ex. 33:15) Now the Lord appears, in a pre-incarnate visit to Joshua. *He, the Lord, comes to us when we need Him in the way we need Him. His word finds us with just the message of encouragement we needed at that particular time. Joshua wanted to know if this man standing with drawn sword was with them or the enemy. The Lord answered, “Neither I am the commander of the army of the Lord.” Joshua falls face down on the ground in humble worship.

Do you see the steps of preparation for taking possession of your inheritance?

• Renew your commitment to the Lord. Remember, you are in the Lord’s service. You are His soldier- awaiting his orders. You are his servant, who lives to do the Master’s will. In return He has promised to provide you with everything you need.
• Remember His goodness. When faced with difficulties and trying times, remember what He has done for you in the past. He saved my life. He gave me Hope when I was hopeless. He got me sober when I could not overcome the desire to drink. He has given me so much. He has been so good- completely faithful. He has never forsaken me. Trust is a learned response, and through the years looking back I can say He has always been faithful, even when I have not been.
• By faith, realize you are in Him and He is in you. “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ, liveth in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. “(Galatians 2:20) As my mother taught me to pray- pray for a conscious awareness of God at all times.

Here is the secret of life which is lived in the Promised Land. Do you remember how large the cluster of grapes was the spies brought out of Canaan? It was so large, two men carried it on a staff between them. It was literally a foretaste of what lay ahead. A foretaste of glory divine. In Deuteronomy 11:21, Moses writes: “He (God) will bring you into the land and give you the days of heaven on earth.” This is what we experience when we take hold of our inheritance- a foretaste of glory divine.  It is also what we forfeit when we do not take God at His Word and walk by sight and not by faith.  We forfeit -all of that abundant fruit awaiting us-Jesus said He came to give us. This is the secret of the abundant life. And it does not consist in the abundance of ones’ possessions.

• The secret of living is fruit bearing. This the abundant life. Fruit bearing- not storing it up.
• The secret of fruit bearing is abiding. The branch must abide in the vine.
• The secret of abiding is obeying. Because disobedience separates us and apart from Him you can do nothing.
• The secret of obeying is loving.   If you love me, you will keep my commandments, said Jesus.
• The secret of loving is knowing. Paul said, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider it loss, for the sake of knowing Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not have a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ- the righteousness that comes from God through faith.” ( Philippians 3:7-9)

What do you know about heaven? Would you recognize the days of heaven on earth? Here are some the things we know about heaven:

• A place of absolute security. Are you experiencing this security in your life?
• A place of perfect rest. Are you experiencing this rest today- or are you tossed about by the worries of life? Jesus said He would give you rest. Walk by faith, ask for the ancient paths and you will find rest.
• A place of service. We will serve the Lord with gladness in heaven. You can start serving Him now and experience the days of heaven on earth.
• A place of complete trust. Do you trust the Lord with all your heart? Or do you lean to your own understanding?
• A place of complete acceptance by God. Paul tells us we are accepted in the Beloved. Do you feel accepted by God? Or do you doubt it?
• A place of communion with the Lord. Do you meet with Him each day now? If you do, you can experience the days of heaven on earth now.
• A place where faith becomes sight. Now we see through a glass darkly- but every once in a while God gives us a glimpse of Him and we see Him in a way we have not before- when we look with the eyes of our heart. Paul prayed the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened so we might see all He has for us.

Let’s look at the application of this historical event and how it applies to our lives in the 21^st century. What have we inherited?  What possession do we have that are ours for the taking?  Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:  by His divine power He has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him.

Paul gives us a great parallel and gets even more specific about what we have received in Ephesians.

• Blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ in heavenly realms.
• Holy and blameless in His sight.
• Adopted as His children.
• Redemption through the Lord Jesus’ blood.
• Forgiveness of all our sins.
• Lavished with all wisdom and understanding.
• Marked by the seal of the Holy Spirit. A deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.
• Peace of God and peace with God
• Hope from the God of all Hope
• Indwelt by His Incomparable power.
• And so much more- made alive; a new creation. His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has ordained we are to walk in. Saved, to new life sublime.

Let me show you three positions and the sequence in which they must occur if we are to experience the abundant life here on earth and take possession of what the Lord has lavished upon us.

• Sit.
• Walk.
• Stand.

In Ephesians Paul gives us the spiritual postures which parallel what Joshua and the Israelites put into practice in order to take possession of the Promised Land.

Our first position Paul, tells us our life is in Christ how is seated at the right hand of God in heaven Where are we?  Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:6: “And God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…”

We start from a position of rest in Jesus Christ in heaven. When Jesus cried out from the cross: “It is finished!”  He was stating the fact which everything which needed to be done to satisfy God regarding sin and the sins of the world, had been accomplished. We step by faith into this accomplishment. God has done all the work.  He has, as in the parable, prepared a great feast. He has invited us to come and sit and enjoy for He invites us:  “Come, for all things are now ready.” (Luke 14)  What work must we do to be saved- the people asked (John 6).  This the work you must do- believe in the one whom God has sent.

This was God’s principle from the beginning. In creation God worked from day one through day 6 before He rested on the seventh. Since Adam was not created until the sixth day, Adam had no part in the work of creation. Adam’s first day was a day of rest. God had done everything. It was finished. Mankind must first enter God’s rest before they can take up God’s work. This is the Gospel. God had completed the work of redemption. We enter into it by faith. It was not until He had completed the work that the Lord Jesus sat down at the right hand of God.

We start by sitting, a position of rest in his finished work.

Next we begin to walk.  Paul uses the term walk to talk about how we live our lives, how behave. We are walk worthy of his calling. We are admonished not to walk as the Gentiles (unbelievers) who walk in the flesh, not the Spirit.

Ephesians tells us how we are to conduct ourselves in a variety of relationships- wife to husband, husband to wife, parents to children, children to parents, employer to employees and visa- versa.

Paul also tells us how we accomplish this by His power which is at work in us.

And then after we have sat, and walked in the Light, we will stand in battle. Stand means this is our possession, our inheritance in which we stand. This means the victory has already been won by Jesus Christ. The enemy is trying to usurp the power and authority of God. .

The lion roars and goes about seeking whom he may destroy.  But he is a defeated enemy and will stay defeated, as long as I claim my position in Him. I do not fight for victory- I fight from victory. Victory in Jesus. We use the weapons God has provided which are mighty- the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit and prayer, while clothed in His righteousness, our Holy armor.

Jesus invites you to come to Him, all you who are weary and heavy laden and He will give you rest. The Christian life consists of accepting by faith His invitation to ‘come for all things are now ready.’ This is not a bring-a- dish- God has done everything, He has provided everything, it is finished.

We then walk by faith, not by sight. Where does faith come from? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

The we stand in victory. How?  Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms. The Paul described the complete armor and finally he says take your stand and PRAY.

Sit. Walk. And Stand.  This is cycle of life in the Promised Land. There will be battles. There will be tests of faith.  We will make mistakes. We will walk by sight- but if and when you do go back and seat yourself again where everything you need is found- In Jesus!

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God. Born of His Spirit, washed in His Blood.

This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior- all the day long; this is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, watching and waiting, looking above. Filled with His Goodness, lost in His love.

Are you at rest? Are you happy and blest? Are you watching and waiting to see where your Father is working so you may join Him?  Are you looking at your troubles or are you looking above?

When you are at rest in Him in perfect submission, you will experience the days of heaven on earth.

Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!

Joshua 4: Crossing the Jordan River

The crossing of the Jordan was a significant event for the nation of Israel.  They had just spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness preparing for this moment.  The adult generation who came out of Egypt, but refused to go into the Promised Land had now all died, except for Joshua and Caleb.

Of those who would cross that day, many were children when they crossed over the Red Sea with the Egyptian army behind them. Others had been born in the wilderness and knew only the stories.  Many recalled the pillar of cloud and fire which went before them. This would be a different moment. They are not led by a pillar of cloud and fire, they are led by the Ark of the Covenant, which represents the presence of God with them.  Who is described as Immanuel?  Jesus. What does it mean?  God with us.

When Israel crossed the Red Sea this was a picture of the believer being delivered from the bondage of sin; here crossing the Jordan is a picture of the believer claiming their spiritual inheritance in Jesus Christ. Joshua is a type of Jesus Christ who leads us day by day into the inheritance He has planned for us.   However, it is required we take a step of faith. Unless we step out by faith and get our feet wet, we will not make much progress in living the abundant life Jesus Christ died to provide us.

What did God say He would do for Joshua on this day?  “I will exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you.” (Joshua 3:7)  This is what the Lord did that day. “That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.” (Joshua 4:14)

The Lord uses this entire chapter to describe the memorial of 12 stones (one for each tribe) which is placed in the river bed before the Jordan rolls back over them and also in Gilgal, their first camp in the Promised Land where another 12 stones will be piled on land for all to see.  These were to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.

In fact notice the days mentioned once again:  “On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.” (Joshua 4: 19)  Know what day this was? Exodus 12 tells us the significance of this day:  “The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month of your year. Tell the whole community that on the tenth day of the first month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.”   This was the Passover Lamb.

Let me summarize the events of this chapter:

• In 4:1-3, God tells Joshua what to do, regarding the 12 stones. .
• In 4:4-7, Joshua tells the 12 men what to do with the stones.
• In 4:8-10, the people do what Joshua told them to do.
• In 4: 11-18; we hear how the people and the priests passed over the Jordan.
• In 4: 19-24, we hear the final reminder of what these 12 stones are for.

Here was the significance of the day.  They had arrived at Gilgal on the 10^th day of the first month. The day in which the families took in a lamb to be sacrificed four days later to celebrate Passover.

Israel had come into the Promised Land just in time to celebrate Passover.

*Notice the reverse order compared to the first Passover in Egypt.  In Egypt, Israel celebrated the first Passover, posting the blood of the lamb on their doorpost. The Angel of Death passed over their homes and all within were saved. The first born in Egypt who did not have the blood posted on their doorpost died.

The nation of Israel led by Moses then went out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. Now under Joshua, we see the parallel, but it is in reverse order. Rather than Passover then crossing, we have the reverse taking place: cross over then celebrate Passover. When we get saved, the blood of Christ is applied to our hearts and we are no longer under the sentence of death that is the judgement of God and eternal separation from Him. After our baptism by the Spirit we enter into the Promised Land, which is the abundant, spirit filled life. There we observe the Lord’s Supper which memorializes his death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

THE BAPTISM AT JORDAN RIVER

Approximately one thousand years later, another Joshua came to the Jordan River where a man named John the Baptist was baptizing people calling them to repentance. The name Joshua comes from Yeshua, and is the root word from which the name of Jesus is derived.  Yeshua, or Joshua means: Jehovah Saves.  When Mary is visited by the angel, Gabriel, she is told she will be with child by the Holy Spirit and she is to name this child: Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins.  Jesus is the Savior. He is God in flesh.  He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  He is Lord. We are to call on the name of the Lord and we will be saved.  It does not matter in which language you call upon Him in- whether it be Hebrew or Greek, English, Spanish, German, Korean or Chinese- it is the name of the Lord.  Christ simply means ‘anointed one, which also means Messiah. ( Do not let these names in Hebrew, Greek and English confuse you- it is the name of the Lord one calls upon and this refers to the Son of God who became flesh, born of a virgin and named Jesus, the One who would save his people and die for the sins of the world.)

So here is John the Baptist baptizing people in the Jordan River, probably in the same general area where Joshua and the nation of Israel crossed over the Jordan River. Large crowds are coming out to see him and respond to his preaching.  Of course the Pharisees are there to see what this is all about. John the Baptist is questioned as to who he is.  Anyone who was Jewish knew the story of Joshua and the significance of the crossing of the Jordan River and it was here God signaled that He, God, who had exalted Joshua before all Israel and now He was going to continue the deliverance of His people from the captivity of sin, He began 1000 years before when they first crossed over the Jordan River. He is going to exalt another Joshua, the very Son of God who became flesh and dwelt among us.

The people wanted to know who are you, John the Baptist? The priests and the Pharisees wanted to know who this man was.  John the Baptist told them: “I am not the Christ. They asked him, “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” Are you The Prophet? He answered, “No.”  Then who are you and why are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, Elijah or the Prophet?” (John 1)  *Andrew would tell Peter the day he met Jesus, ‘we have found the Messiah, the Christ and brought him to Jesus.’ Philip found Nathaniel and told him: ‘we have found the one Moses wrote about in his law.’

John the Baptist answers with Scripture from Isaiah:  “I am the voice of one calling in the desert. Make straight the way for the lord. I baptize with water, but among you stand one you do not know. He is other one who comes after me, the thongs of his sandals I am not worthy to untie. “

The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said; a man comes after me who has surpassed me because he was before me. I myself did not know him, but the reason I came with water was that he might be revealed to Israel. “(John 1)

Remember God parted the Jordan River so Joshua would be exalted in the eyes of Israel.

Why did Jesus, who knew no sin, have to be baptized?  He tells John the Baptist and us it was fitting for this baptism to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus identified with men, and he also identified with our sin. He was tempted in every way we were but without sin.  This act is the first act of His Ministry to be identified with us and also His obedience to do all which God had commanded Him to do.  He was not worried what it looked like to others that He was responding to an invitation of baptism for repentance. Just as he went about doing everything He was commanded to do including enduring the shame of the cross for the joy that was set before Him which was to become the author and finisher of our faith.

To understand this we must remember what Jesus said He came to do regarding the Word of God. In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5 Jesus tells us:  “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish the laws, but to fulfill them. For assuredly, I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or tittle will by no means pass from the law until all is fulfilled.” (Matthew 5)

Now focus on what John the Baptist said when he recognized this was the Lamb of God, the One who knew no sin.  John the Baptist tried to prevent Jesus from being baptized by him by saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matthew 3)  “But Jesus answered, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  This baptism of this one whose name is Jesus , the sinless Son of God who knew no sin is part of Jesus doing what He said he came to do, to fulfill all the law. This is the key- Jesus had to fulfill the Law of Moses to the most minute detail. In order to fulfill all righteousness.  * It is this righteousness we are clothed in when we get saved.

To better understand this we must look back to Genesis 14 where we are introduced to a mysterious figure. “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of the Most High God. “ Genesis 14.  And we read Abraham gave him a tithe of all.

We read in Hebrews 5:  “So Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: ‘You are my Son, today I have become your Father. And He says in another place, You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

We also read in Hebrews 7 about this mysterious priest:  “First, his name means, king of righteousness; the also, king of Salem, which means king of peace. Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.”   Jesus had to keep all the law, fulfilling all righteousness.

Jesus was able to set aside the first covenant, by fulfilling all the laws of the Old Testament. He was then able to establish the new covenant. (Hebrews 10: 9)

Thereby Christ became our High Priest. “He went through a greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say a part of this creation. He did not enter by the means of the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, and by His own blood obtained eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9: 11)

“The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of heifers sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself, unblemished to God cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we might serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:13, 14)

So quite simply, Jesus was baptized in accordance to the Law of Moses so He would qualify and could enter into the Melchizedek priesthood- so He could be the High Priest and offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

He made sure he met all the qualifications. Followed the law, every jot and tittle.

We are told Joseph and Mary did everything according to the law. The baby Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day. When the time of purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord. (Luke 2)

Every year his parents took him to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. We read in Luke 2, at age 12 he was left behind, unknowingly by his parents. They returned to find him sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them question and everyone was amazed at this understanding. When his parents saw him and his mother and father asked him why had he treated them so; Jesus at 12 years old replied:  “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be about my father’s business?” He was already going about fulfilling the law.

Then here he is at the Jordan River eighteen years later, Jesus at age 30, the age one had to be to qualify for the priesthood. Jesus begins his ministry as the one who would become our High Priest. Washed now with water and anointed by the Holy Spirit which descended upon him, Jesus tells John the Baptist, this is proper for me to fulfill all righteousness.

Jesus made sure He did everything He was required to do to fulfill the law.   “God made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5: 21)

God the Son knew what His mission was before He came to earth. “Therefore when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, “Here I am – it is written about me in your scroll, I have come to do your will, O God.”  (Hebrews 10:5-7)

“For when this priest (the Lord Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool; because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10: 13, 14)

Jesus’ baptism show He identified with sinners. His baptism symbolized the sinner’s baptism into the righteousness of Christ, dying with Him, buried with Him and rising free to walk in the newness of life.

The twelve stones left in the river remind us our old life is buried with Christ, and we must now live in the new life in the Promised Land where the other 12 stones were placed at Gilgal for all to see.

Remember God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt so they could enter into the Promised Land. The Lord Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly.  The life lived in the Promised Land.

Jesus brought us out of the captivity of sin and our sins, cleansed us with His blood, the blood of the Lamb so we might be passed over by the angel of death, God’s judgement.  Now we are clothed in his righteousness.

It was because He had to fulfill all the laws that Jesus insisted John the Baptist baptize him. When John the Baptist heard the voice of God confirming this was his son and saw the Holy Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him, He knew this was the Son of God who would baptize with the Spirit. The one John the Baptist came to prepare the way for through repentance.

We, who are born again believers, are identified with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection. We now have overcoming power over the world, the flesh and the devil. We are overcomers in Jesus Christ.

Bottom line:  if you want to overcome and claim our spiritual inheritance, believe the Word of God, step out by faith and get your feet wet!

Surrender yourself to the Lord and die to your old life. And guess what He will do?  “He will bring you into the land and give you the days of heaven upon earth.” (Deut. 11:21) This the abundant life, the spirit-filled life.

We will see the other steps which must be taken in order to prepare us for what lies ahead as we study the story of Joshua. For the enemy will fight tooth and nail to keep you from taking possession of what the Lord has given to you.

When you got saved, Paul tells us we were blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  I refer to this as our savings account opened for us at salvation by our Heavenly Father.

Paul uses the term- ‘reckon’ in the KJV in Romans 6, an accounting term which means to count something accurately and know it to be true.  The Holy Spirit reveals the things God has freely given us that we might know what is deposited in our account.

Now like any account in this day and time requires you have a password to enter into your account, I believe our password is you must use to draw upon this account is: FAITH.  Faith which leads to obedience.

God wants us to grasp the truth about Himself. God also wants us to know the truth about ourselves. God wants us to understand the truth about other people.

When we begin to understand the truth about God and believe He is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. We will begin to grasp the truth about who we are and what He says we can do. None of this will take place unless the Word of God is active and alive in your life through obedience.

He tells us apart from Him we can do nothing.  But He also tells us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

God wants us to know the Truth. Jesus said if you continue in his word, you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.  And in that same passage Jesus says if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. (John 8)  Notice Jesus substituted his name for truth. For He is the way, the truth and the life.

Life is found in God.  This life is sustained in a relationship with Him through His Word and prayer.  He wants each morning to meet with you.  He beckons you with these simple words— come- let’s walk together and talk together.  He wants to share His life with you and wants you to share your life with him.

When my mother was alive and our children were all small, she would often call me and want to know what they were doing and what they had done. She wanted details. Why? Because she loved them so much and wanted to share in their life.  Same is true of our Lord.

Behold He stands at the door and knocks. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him/her and dine with them and they with Me.   Revelation 3.

How He wants you to live the life He has for you.  He wants to share his life with you and you share your life with Him.    He likes details.

Oh How He loves you and me!  He gave His life, what more can He give? Oh how He loves you and me!

Joshua 3:

As we have stated before, the book of Joshua is a story about walking by faith and not by sight of both individuals and a nation.  Paul writes in Romans 15:  “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”  This account of the nation of Israel entering the Promised Land contains instructions for us as individuals and as a nation.  This is what happens when individuals and a nation obey God and walk by faith and not by sight.

Do you know how we will overcome the world?  “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the son of God.” (I John 5)   Moses said in Deuteronomy 6: 23: “But He brought us out from there (Egypt) to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers.”

The only way we can go forward is by faith. If we walk by sight in unbelief we will spend our time

Wandering in the wilderness as did the generation who said- we cannot take this land of giants. Remember this verse found in Hebrews 11: 6- “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

Here is the bottom line:  God is showing us in His Word, He uses a variety of people with different backgrounds, education, skills, and personalities. But they all have one thing in common: they all believed God’s promises and did what He told them to do.  God has not changed. But when we look at the church today we see the attitude of the people has changed. It appears we do not believe God and act by faith in His promises.  When asked to do something which is beyond our scope of understanding, and our abilities, we seem inclined to throw up our hands and say- you just can’t do that anymore. And as a result we fail to enter into the Promised Land, due to unbelief.

Here is what walking by faith calls for you to believe:

• God has a plan that involves you.
• God’s plan will be found in His Word.
• God’s plan is to bring spiritual success in your life. This plan and promise to give you success is conditional. You will be successful and experience the abundant life, when you obey His Word.
• This abundant life Jesus came to give us will not come without conflict and adversity. Therefore it will require us to be (individually and nationally) strong and courageous.  Our strength and encouragement come from God and His Word, His Promises.

This is why Peter said we should not consider it strange when we encounter fiery trials. This is the normal Christian life!

So with these truths in mind let us explore and be taught by this story of crossing the Jordan and learn all we can about walking by faith.

LESSONS IN WALKING BY FAITH:

Sometimes God will ask you to go where you have not been before*.

The people are gathered at the banks of the Jordan River. They have camped there for three days. And now the order comes to get ready to cross the Jordan. For the past 40 years, the nation of Israel has wandered in the wilderness. They have never entered the land which God promised to them. They have never been this way before. They are facing a crisis of faith. Will they be found faithful?  The Jordan River, we are told in verse 15 is at flood stage. The Jordan River was part of the natural protection, the inhabitants of Canaan trusted to protect them from invasion. Anyone crossing the Jordan would be an easy target for them- plus it was at flood stage and the Israelites had no boats.

Now remember, the walk of faith is by one step at a time.  Do not step out before you have been given the command to step out.

God will go before you.* The people are told specifically when to move out. “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests who are the Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go since you have never been this way before.”  How do we go somewhere we have not been before?  The answer is simple: By faith in God’s Word.  Abraham went out, not knowing where he was going. We want to have a detailed ‘road map.’  MapQuest- gives specific directions, which turns to make; how long it takes; and even takes into account if you have arrived at such and such location, you have gone too far. GPS tells you which way to turn before you get there. If you miss the turn, GPS will re-route you to get you back on course.  We want the Lord to provide us with this type of directions. Guess what? Jesus said, “I am the WAY.”  Jesus tells us to follow Him one day at a time. His mother told the servant at the wedding in Cana of Galilee:  “Whatever He tells you to do- do it.”  ( John 2)  When we get to the place in our walk of faith where we can trust Jesus to guide us one step at a time you will experience a peace and a freedom. Free from fear of making the wrong decision, making the wrong turn.

Jesus came not only to save us from our sins and make a way where there was no way; he also came to be our example of how to live a life of faith and by faith. In John 5, Jesus tells us: “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too, am working. I tell you the truth, the Son  can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son does also. For the Father loves the Son and show him all he does.”  Jesus watched to see where the Father was working and joined Him.

When we study the Scriptures, they teach us how God has worked throughout history. This tells us this is how God will work today, for He is the same today as He was yesterday.  Here is the key:  if we are to walk by faith one step at a time, one day at a time- we must stay close to the Lord for daily guidance. He basically is saying, stay close to me, just follow me and I will show you the way.

Here is some food for thought:  Do you ask God what is your will for my life?  Or do you ask God – what is your will? Our desire should be to know the will of God and adjust our life to His will. Let us look at this example Jesus gave us in John 5 and summarize it in this manner:

• The Father is always at work and is working right up until now.
• Now the Father wants me to work with Him.
• I do nothing on my own initiative.
• I watch to see what the Father is doing
• I do what I see the Father is already doing.
• The Father reveals to me what He is doing, because He loves me.
• He shows me what I need to do- when and where I need to do it.

Jesus said: “I am the Vine, you are the branches. If a man abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. But apart from me, you can do nothing.” (John 15)

Do you understand the significance of this statement?  You can do nothing of Kingdom value on your own. We have a natural instinct when a problem arises, when a crisis strikes to do something.  We see leaders of our nation when a crisis arises, come on television and tell us the steps they are taking to take care of the crisis. None would dare come on national television and say like King Jehoshaphat and say- ‘I am alarmed and I have resolved to inquire of the Lord. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 20)  The key to victory in battles is to recognize the battle is the Lord’s.  Now be sure you fighting the Lord’s battle. I find the biggest battle I sometimes face it with my old nature. It is true, sometimes we have met the enemy and it is us.   This was the message of 2 Chronicles 20- make sure it is the Lord’s battle and not yours. When we are doing God’s will, it will always be His battle. His weapons are mighty and will pull down strongholds as we will see the walls of Jericho come tumbling down. But His greatest weapon is a surrendered life. Surrendered life is a life which places one’s self in God’s hands. He is the Potter and we are the clay. Does this describe your life? Your relationship with the Lord? Are you the clay in His hands to be molded for His use?

Notice they are to stay 1000 yards back from the ark.  Give God room to work. Do not get ahead of Him or rush Him.  Patience is a virtue and an important part of maturing our faith. Wait on the Lord.

Let’s observe the commands given to the people on this fateful day:

The officers tell them when they see the ark carried by the priests you are to move out and follow them. The Ark of the Covenant contained the Word of God, the Ten Commandments and the Mercy Seat covered with the blood which sealed the covenant.  They are literally and physically following God’s Word, believing it and trusting in His covenant promises sealed by the blood. The Ark represents the Presence of God and the Promises of God sealed by His blood.

Joshua tells them to sanctify themselves.  This meant to bathe and put on clean clothing. This represents a new beginning.  But also, it tells us we must cleanse ourselves from all sins which so easily beset us so we will not be entangled and can run the race, walk the walk of faith. This is a necessary preparatory step to following God and getting in on what God is up to.

Joshua has a message for the priests. Joshua is a type of Christ. And as such he instructs his servants how to serve. And in serving the Lord completely, they must step out by faith in the Word of God leading by example. And the Lord Jesus is our example, our High Priest, who is a King who died for his servants. A servant leader who humbled Himself and became as servant, even washing the feet of his disciples.

Message from the Lord to Joshua. The Lord tells Joshua I will be with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests to go stand in the river. Faith sometimes requires we get our feet wet.

Joshua then tells the people what God has promised to do.

In his study, “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God”, Henry Blackaby gives us an outline of how God works through His people. Here is Blackaby’s outline which is as clear and simple picture of how God works as any I have studied. It is scripturally accurate.

God is always at work around you.

God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.

God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.

God speaks to His people by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His way.

God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.

You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.

You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.

This is where the abundant, spirit-filled life is found. You and I will have to walk by faith, cross the stormy Jordan River, face the giants and go places we have never been before. God is revealing to us the abundant life is a life of faith and blessings, of conflict, battle and victories. It is overcome by our faith in Him and His promises.

Let us look at the example Blackaby uses in his study.

MOSES’ EXAMPLE.

God was already at work around Moses.  The Israelites were groaning and crying out to God to save them out of their slavery. God remembers his promises and will approach Moses, a fugitive who has been living in obscurity for the last 40 years as a shepherd for his father-in –law. God uses the weak and the foolish to confound the wise and the strong. Moses will go against the most powerful country in the world and the most powerful individual, the Pharaoh of Egypt.

God pursues a continuing love relationship with Moses that is real and personal. Notice it is always God who takes the initiative.  God sought me, not the other way around.

God invited Moses to become involved with Him in  His work. His purpose was to free the Israelites from their slavery.  This is still the work God wants you to join Him in- setting captives free for the sin which enslaves them!

God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit through His word, prayer, circumstances and the church. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush.  The Word of the Lord came to Moses and called to Moses from a burning bush.

God’s invitation for Moses to join Him leads Moses to a crisis of belief which will require faith and action.

Moses had to make major adjustments in his life to join God in what He was doing.

Moses came to know God by experience as he obeyed God and God accomplished His work through Moses.

I know what you are thinking:  I am no Moses. I am just an ordinary person. I do not have a formal education or talents or skills.

Guess what?  God likes to use ordinary people. Do you know why?  When God uses ordinary people, the weak, the foolish, the despised, then God receives all the glory.  We like to elect accomplished, educated, successful people by the world’s standards to run our governments, to fix our problems and provide us with the security and peace we want.

What does the Bible say about Elijah?  He was a man, just like us/me.  He was ordinary. Yet he prayed to God it would not rain for 3.5 years and it did not.

What about Peter and John?  Do you remember what the powerful leaders of the Sanhedrin said about them:  “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4: 13)  It’s time, past time, for ordinary people to step out and step up and astonish the world around us because we have been with Jesus!

D L Moody was a poorly educated, un-ordained shoe salesman who felt the call of God to preach the Gospel. He heard Henry Varley say: “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him. “  Moody reasoned, he did not say a man who was educated, brilliant or anything else- just wholly committed to Him.  Moody determined he would be that man.

Brother Bob Ervin was my pastor and one of the most influential people in my life. Brother Bob was a salesman for Gerber baby food, when he got saved and felt the call of God on his life to preach the Gospel.   This created a crisis in his life where he would have to leave a good job, a man with a family of small children.  In seeking counsel as to what he should do- he was asks three questions by Steven Alford:

• Do you believe God has called you to preach the Gospel?  Brother Bob said yes.
• Does your wife support you in this?  Yes.
• Do you feel you are qualified?  No, said Brother Bob.

Stephen Alford said you answered every question correctly.  God uses the weak for it is in our weakness Christ’s strength is made perfect.

While sharing my testimony and my battle with alcohol, Brother Bob asks me to share my testimony with the church on a Sunday night.  It was Brother Bob who entitled my testimony- “From a Sot to a Saint.”

Later in a conversation with Brother Bob regarding a book I was studying, Brother Bob’s face lit up and he said:  “I have been praying for a teacher to teach a special class. You are the one.”

I accepted the invitation and began teaching and have continued to do so for 26 years. It called for adjustments in my life.

If you feel weak, limited, lacking in ability, and ordinary – guess what?  You are the type of material God is looking for through which He can work.

I know- for he used an ordinary, college drop-out, failure, alcoholic like me to tell His story.

And I love to tell the story, because I know it’s true!

This is how one will experience God.  This the abundant life.

May all of us who are the ordinary, unschooled step out and step up and astonish the world because we have been with Jesus!

Joshua 2: Rahab the Harlot

The book of Joshua follows the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is basically a series of speeches given by Moses in the last months of his life.  Moses is preparing the next generation for what lies ahead as he prepares to pass the baton of leadership to Joshua.  In Deuteronomy, Moses goes over their history from the Exodus to the failure to enter the Promised Land and the subsequent 40 years in the wilderness.

Moses was a great leader and a great man of faith. Moses emphasizes throughout Deuteronomy the following truths God had taught him.  These are:

1. Life is found in God.
2. This life is sustained in a relationship with God through His Word.
3. Follow these instructions and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed with the consequences. In fact did you notice the emphasis- ‘be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. *This promise of success was conditional. To experience the success God had promised, we must obey all of God’s law. And God is the same today as He was yesterday as He will be tomorrow and forever.

In other words, the Bible, the Word of God, is telling us life was made to work God’s way. When we follow His way and live life His way, we will be successful by God’s definition of the abundant, spirit-filled life which Jesus died to give us.

The more I consider our country and where we are is we are not so much the generation who refused to go in and thus lived and died in the wilderness. We are more like the generation who followed Joshua and those who took the Promised Land and fought the enemy and claimed their inheritance. We were given the Promised Land by our forefathers, and in my opinion we have become like the generation who lived in the time of Judges, where everyone did what was right in his own eyes. God’s story, the Bible, reveals God’s judgment is to give people over to the consequences of the life they have chosen.

What we are seeing in our country today is the de-Christianizing of America. We are now a minority living in a pluralistic, secularized society and culture. The enemy is all around us conforming us to accept ways which are contrary to the Word of God.  As the Proverbs tells us- ‘righteousness exalts a nation; sin is a disgrace to any people.’  I hate to say it, but we live in a time when everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes.  Truth is relative. Religion is old-fashioned, and out-of-date. And yet I am hopeful and see a glimmer of revival and my heart is encouraged when a movie, like “The War Room” is the number 1 movie.  Perhaps if we humble ourselves and confess our sins, the God will hear our cries and heal our land.  We need to raise up an army of prayer warriors. We need, like the nation of Israel during the time of Judges, to call out to God and urgently appeal to God to raise up godly leaders who will help us regain what God has given us.  Create in us a pure heart, O God. Renew a steadfast spirit within us. Restore in us the joy of our salvation. Do not cast away from your presence, O God. Remember your people! Remember your promises!

One thing I want to draw your attention to before we study this amazing story of the faith of Rahab the harlot.  The people who would take possession of the land God promised them, made a commitment of total obedience. “Then they (leaders of Israel) answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you have commanded us to go, we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so will we obey you? (Joshua 1: 16, 17)  Total obedience!  Wholeheartedness. Half-hearted efforts never work. Picking and choosing what you will obey will not work.  The Lord said, why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I tell you to do. (Luke 6)  *Also, we know they are about to cross the Jordan at flood stage. It is over a mile wide with swift running currents at this time of year. But notice Joshua does not tell the men to prepare and get ready some boats. Joshua remembers the Red Sea crossing. Joshua is not leaning to his own understanding and trying to solve the problem in his own wisdom. He is taking it one step at a time. One step at a time is the life of faith, the walk of faith. The Lord delights to order our steps.  But we must not second guess God or try to get ahead of Him.*

RAHAB AND THE SPIES

Joshua sends two spies into Jericho to check things out. This is not because he doubts what God has promised, but because he is a wise leader, he wants to make sure he knows all he can about his enemy before he goes to battle.

Rahab is a very interesting woman. And the placement of Rahab’s story within this story is to emphasize this is a story of walking by faith and not by sight. Let us bring our focus on a woman who is one of the only two women mentioned the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.  The other woman is Sarah.  Here is what is said of Rahab in Hebrews 11: 31: “By faith, the prostitute, Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”

God is showing us what true, saving faith is about in the story of Rahab. Hebrews 11: 1 described this type of faith:  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.” This tells us saving faith, the gift of God, always exists in the area of the unknown and the unseen. For if it was known and seen we would not need faith. This type of faith involves the whole heart. And by heart we are referring to the mind, the will and the emotions. We will see how this faith works as we study her story and also refer to the examples of this saving faith which is described in Hebrews 11 from the stories in the Bible.

Let us look at one of the many examples and we will see this saving, wholehearted faith.  We will see the mind is instructed, the emotions are stirred and the will then acts in obedience to God.  Watch how this works:  “By faith, Noah when warned about things to come, (his mind is instructed by God); in holy fear (his emotions were stirred) built an ark to save his family (his will was moved to action and obedience and built an ark).

Notice also where the faith of Noah came from: it came from hearing the Word of God. Genesis 6 tells us: “God said to Noah…”  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) This is exactly the sequence which Rahab experienced. She tells the two spies: ‘I know the Lord has given you this land (her mind has been instructed) and a great fear (her emotions have been stirred) has fallen on us, so that all the country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt.  This moves her will to action to save the life of the two spies at the risk of her very own life.

Rahab is not only a Canaanite, non-Jewish, she makes her living as a prostitute. Jericho is a walled city. It is reported by archeologists who have studied the remains of Jericho to have two walls adjacent to each other which they estimate were 15 feet in height.  If you recall the first spies who went into the land 40 years before, described the people not only as giants, they described the walls as reaching to the sky.  Fear can exaggerate our problems, can’t they?

By divine providence, God leads the two spies to the house of this prostitute, Rahab, whose living quarters are evidently in the wall of the city. Why did God choose this woman, a prostitute?  This is a picture of what God does. I Corinthians 1- Paul asks ‘where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its own wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, God chose the weak things to shame the strong. He chose the lowly, things of the world and the despised things, – and the things that are not- to nullify they things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. “

Do you realize who Rahab is?  She would become the wife of a Jewish man, named Salmon. They would have a son, named Boaz, who married a Moabite widow named Ruth who would have a son named Obed, the grandfather of David. Rahab is in the direct line of Jesus’ descendants. And Jesus is not ashamed to have her listed in his genealogy, a non-Jewish female prostitute.

Let us look at this faith, for it is a clear picture of saving faith and without faith we cannot please God and we are commanded to walk by faith, not by sight.

RAHAB’S FAITH

Now some might take issue with the fact that Rahab lied in order to save the lives of the two spies. In doing so she also risked death for her and her family.  But telling a lie is wrong, right?  Is God condoning lying in situation? No-God is just telling the story just as it happened. Lying is wrong. However, we must consider the circumstances a new believer faced. (And remember, Abraham lied, David lied, Peter lied and those are just three which come to mind. Also Corrie Ten Boom and her family lied and I believe this situation is much like Corrie Ten Boom’s )  So let’s just set this aside and say- God does not condone lying, but Rahab was new believer faced with a life and death situation and the first thing her faith shows me is this is a COURAGEOUS FAITH. Her knowledge of God was adequate for salvation- but limited in knowledge of how she should live.  It takes a lifetime to reach a level of maturity where one can trusts the Lord with all their heart and not lean to their own understanding. In other words, I am saying, give her a break and look at the big picture here. This is a woman of courage who risks her life based on the faith she had which was adequate for salvation, but lacking instruction which she had yet received.  Let’s consider not only what the writer of Hebrews said about Rahab, but what James said about her.

James is known for his teaching on faith and works. James says faith without works is dead and useless. He gives two examples in James 2, the chapter on faith and works. First example is Abraham and the example is Abraham and his willingness to offer his son, Isaac, on the altar. James says his faith and actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. He then is inspired by the Holy Spirit to use Rahab as an example of this courageous faith. “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent the off in a different direction?” (James 2: 25, 26)  And remember, Abraham had lied twice before we know of and it was in a situation to save his own skin.

Faith must by its nature have an object of its faith.  And ones’ faith is only as good as its object. I remember in AA, we were told we could only overcome our problem by realizing we were powerless over alcohol and our lives had become unmanageable. Remember what I said earlier? Life was made work God’s way. When we live it our way- it becomes unmanageable. AA instructed us to turn our lives over to God as we came to understand Him. What I witnessed in AA was those who were successful in finding the God of Heaven and Earth, as Rahab was coming to understand Him, they would be more successful in long term sobriety than those who resisted the God of the Bible and tried to make a god of their own.

Today people have faith in many different things. Faith in science, medicine, money, achievement, the government- their spouses and loved ones.  But faith is only as good as its object and none of these can do what only the God who created the universe can do- He will never fail you. All of these others, including those you love and who love you cannot take the place of God. Rahab had been a pagan all her life, who worshipped idols. She had heard about this God of Israel.  And looked what she believed: She believed He was the One True God.  Rahab tells the spies, “When we heard of it (everything God had done in the Exodus), our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for The Lord Your God is God of heaven above and on earth below.” (Joshua 2: 11)  Notice this confession: She believes He is the one true God of heaven and earth. She believed this one true God was a personal God – who worked on behalf of those who trusted Him. She believed He was the God of heaven and earth and therefore He could and would give the land to His people as He had promised.

Her faith was courageous. Her faith was confident.  Are you confident you are God’s child??  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (I John 3)  What Jesus did at the cross and in the resurrection is He made a way where there was no way.  A way we could become the children of God.  “We are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8, 9)  Saving faith is a gift offered by God.  You can accept the gift or reject it. The Bible is complete with stories of those who rejected it, and those who accepted it.  We have those who stated they were almost persuaded. We have others who went away sad because they would have to give up their gods. Others simply said, I am busy now maybe later.  But when we accept the gift of faith we can now hear the Gospel, the good news.  Paul said I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to all who believed.  Rahab heard and believed and was saved. She believed with all her heart. It was not just an intellectual decision of the mind only.  It was not just an emotional decision which would later be set aside when the tests and temptations of life came. It was a whole hearted decision in which her mind was instructed and her emotions stirred and she made a decision of the will to be obedient.

Now just to be clear. We are save by grace through faith alone. But not by a faith which is alone.  Saving faith, genuine faith results in work, which God has ordained beforehand we should walk in.

The courage of Rahab’s faith and the confidence of her faith did not come from her faith- but from the one she placed her faith in.  I did not understand how faith in God and His promises could save me from my compulsion to drink but He proved Himself to be faithful to His Word when I wholeheartedly depended on Him and His promise that He would make a way for me to escape the temptation and bear up under it. What a wonderful change had come into my life!  No wonder the early Christians were called The Way.  Because they had discovered life was in God and life was designed to work God’s way!

There is one other facet of Rahab’s faith we need to consider. It was not only courageous and confident, it also involved a covenant.   A covenant is an agreement between two parties with certain conditions laid down upon both parties to obey.  It can be described as a contract. The covenant often involved some type of payment to seal the deal.  In real estate, an offer would be sealed with a contract and ‘earnest money.’ A covenant with God can be accepted or rejected. It cannot be altered. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by Me.  He is the only way.

The new covenant Jesus enacted at Calvary was sealed by His blood as an atonement for our sins and the sins of the world. He became surety for sins. He paid for our sins with His own blood.  And as the song says, He paid much too high a price for me, but that is how much He values each and every one of us. This was picture of the last plague in Exodus, where the blood of the lamb was posted on the doorpost which said all those in this house have believed God’s promise to save them and in obedience placed the blood of the lamb on the door post and God passed over them.  This is why John the Baptist pointed out Jesus the day after his baptism and told his two young disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1)

The Jews would come to place their faith in the tokens of the covenants rather than the faith in the living God who gave them the tokens.  The trusted the circumcision and the blood of bulls and lambs rather than the Lamb of God to which they pointed.

Rahab wanted these two spies to swear to her by the Lord they would show kindness to her family. She understood covenants and she said give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my family and save us from death- the judgement of God.

They told her to tie a scarlet rope and hang it from her window, so when they entered the city it would be marked clearly they were to be spared. Also her whole family must be in the house with her.

The color is significant. It reminds of the blood of the lamb posted on the doors of the Israelites. And those where the blood of the lamb was posted the angel of death passed over them and they and their families were saved.

Now – were Rahab and her family saved by the scarlet rope? No they were saved by their faith in the Almighty God of Israel. The scarlet rope from the window was the proof of her faith and her family’s faith in God.

Joshua 2: Rahab the Harlot

The book of Joshua follows the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is basically a series of speeches given by Moses in the last months of his life.  Moses is preparing the next generation for what lies ahead as he prepares to pass the baton of leadership to Joshua.  In Deuteronomy, Moses goes over their history from the Exodus to the failure to enter the Promised Land and the subsequent 40 years in the wilderness.

Moses was a great leader and a great man of faith. Moses emphasizes throughout Deuteronomy the following truths God had taught him.  These are:

1. Life is found in God.
2. This life is sustained in a relationship with God through His Word.
3. Follow these instructions and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed with the consequences. In fact did you notice the emphasis- ‘be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. *This promise of success was conditional. To experience the success God had promised, we must obey all of God’s law. And God is the same today as He was yesterday as He will be tomorrow and forever.

In other words, the Bible, the Word of God, is telling us life was made to work God’s way. When we follow His way and live life His way, we will be successful by God’s definition of the abundant, spirit-filled life which Jesus died to give us.

The more I consider our country and where we are is we are not so much the generation who refused to go in and thus lived and died in the wilderness. We are more like the generation who followed Joshua and those who took the Promised Land and fought the enemy and claimed their inheritance. We were given the Promised Land by our forefathers, and in my opinion we have become like the generation who lived in the time of Judges, where everyone did what was right in his own eyes. God’s story, the Bible, reveals God’s judgment is to give people over to the consequences of the life they have chosen.

What we are seeing in our country today is the de-Christianizing of America. We are now a minority living in a pluralistic, secularized society and culture. The enemy is all around us conforming us to accept ways which are contrary to the Word of God.  As the Proverbs tells us- ‘righteousness exalts a nation; sin is a disgrace to any people.’  I hate to say it, but we live in a time when everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes.  Truth is relative. Religion is old-fashioned, and out-of-date. And yet I am hopeful and see a glimmer of revival and my heart is encouraged when a movie, like “The War Room” is the number 1 movie.  Perhaps if we humble ourselves and confess our sins, the God will hear our cries and heal our land.  We need to raise up an army of prayer warriors. We need, like the nation of Israel during the time of Judges, to call out to God and urgently appeal to God to raise up godly leaders who will help us regain what God has given us.  Create in us a pure heart, O God. Renew a steadfast spirit within us. Restore in us the joy of our salvation. Do not cast away from your presence, O God. Remember your people! Remember your promises!

One thing I want to draw your attention to before we study this amazing story of the faith of Rahab the harlot.  The people who would take possession of the land God promised them, made a commitment of total obedience. “Then they (leaders of Israel) answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you have commanded us to go, we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so will we obey you? (Joshua 1: 16, 17)  Total obedience!  Wholeheartedness. Half-hearted efforts never work. Picking and choosing what you will obey will not work.  The Lord said, why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I tell you to do. (Luke 6)  *Also, we know they are about to cross the Jordan at flood stage. It is over a mile wide with swift running currents at this time of year. But notice Joshua does not tell the men to prepare and get ready some boats. Joshua remembers the Red Sea crossing. Joshua is not leaning to his own understanding and trying to solve the problem in his own wisdom. He is taking it one step at a time. One step at a time is the life of faith, the walk of faith. The Lord delights to order our steps.  But we must not second guess God or try to get ahead of Him.*

RAHAB AND THE SPIES

Joshua sends two spies into Jericho to check things out. This is not because he doubts what God has promised, but because he is a wise leader, he wants to make sure he knows all he can about his enemy before he goes to battle.

Rahab is a very interesting woman. And the placement of Rahab’s story within this story is to emphasize this is a story of walking by faith and not by sight. Let us bring our focus on a woman who is one of the only two women mentioned the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.  The other woman is Sarah.  Here is what is said of Rahab in Hebrews 11: 31: “By faith, the prostitute, Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”

God is showing us what true, saving faith is about in the story of Rahab. Hebrews 11: 1 described this type of faith:  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.” This tells us saving faith, the gift of God, always exists in the area of the unknown and the unseen. For if it was known and seen we would not need faith. This type of faith involves the whole heart. And by heart we are referring to the mind, the will and the emotions. We will see how this faith works as we study her story and also refer to the examples of this saving faith which is described in Hebrews 11 from the stories in the Bible.

Let us look at one of the many examples and we will see this saving, wholehearted faith.  We will see the mind is instructed, the emotions are stirred and the will then acts in obedience to God.  Watch how this works:  “By faith, Noah when warned about things to come, (his mind is instructed by God); in holy fear (his emotions were stirred) built an ark to save his family (his will was moved to action and obedience and built an ark).

Notice also where the faith of Noah came from: it came from hearing the Word of God. Genesis 6 tells us: “God said to Noah…”  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) This is exactly the sequence which Rahab experienced. She tells the two spies: ‘I know the Lord has given you this land (her mind has been instructed) and a great fear (her emotions have been stirred) has fallen on us, so that all the country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt.  This moves her will to action to save the life of the two spies at the risk of her very own life.

Rahab is not only a Canaanite, non-Jewish, she makes her living as a prostitute. Jericho is a walled city. It is reported by archeologists who have studied the remains of Jericho to have two walls adjacent to each other which they estimate were 15 feet in height.  If you recall the first spies who went into the land 40 years before, described the people not only as giants, they described the walls as reaching to the sky.  Fear can exaggerate our problems, can’t they?

By divine providence, God leads the two spies to the house of this prostitute, Rahab, whose living quarters are evidently in the wall of the city. Why did God choose this woman, a prostitute?  This is a picture of what God does. I Corinthians 1- Paul asks ‘where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its own wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, God chose the weak things to shame the strong. He chose the lowly, things of the world and the despised things, – and the things that are not- to nullify they things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. “

Do you realize who Rahab is?  She would become the wife of a Jewish man, named Salmon. They would have a son, named Boaz, who married a Moabite widow named Ruth who would have a son named Obed, the grandfather of David. Rahab is in the direct line of Jesus’ descendants. And Jesus is not ashamed to have her listed in his genealogy, a non-Jewish female prostitute.

Let us look at this faith, for it is a clear picture of saving faith and without faith we cannot please God and we are commanded to walk by faith, not by sight.

RAHAB’S FAITH

Now some might take issue with the fact that Rahab lied in order to save the lives of the two spies. In doing so she also risked death for her and her family.  But telling a lie is wrong, right?  Is God condoning lying in situation? No-God is just telling the story just as it happened. Lying is wrong. However, we must consider the circumstances a new believer faced. (And remember, Abraham lied, David lied, Peter lied and those are just three which come to mind. Also Corrie Ten Boom and her family lied and I believe this situation is much like Corrie Ten Boom’s )  So let’s just set this aside and say- God does not condone lying, but Rahab was new believer faced with a life and death situation and the first thing her faith shows me is this is a COURAGEOUS FAITH. Her knowledge of God was adequate for salvation- but limited in knowledge of how she should live.  It takes a lifetime to reach a level of maturity where one can trusts the Lord with all their heart and not lean to their own understanding. In other words, I am saying, give her a break and look at the big picture here. This is a woman of courage who risks her life based on the faith she had which was adequate for salvation, but lacking instruction which she had yet received.  Let’s consider not only what the writer of Hebrews said about Rahab, but what James said about her.

James is known for his teaching on faith and works. James says faith without works is dead and useless. He gives two examples in James 2, the chapter on faith and works. First example is Abraham and the example is Abraham and his willingness to offer his son, Isaac, on the altar. James says his faith and actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. He then is inspired by the Holy Spirit to use Rahab as an example of this courageous faith. “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent the off in a different direction?” (James 2: 25, 26)  And remember, Abraham had lied twice before we know of and it was in a situation to save his own skin.

Faith must by its nature have an object of its faith.  And ones’ faith is only as good as its object. I remember in AA, we were told we could only overcome our problem by realizing we were powerless over alcohol and our lives had become unmanageable. Remember what I said earlier? Life was made work God’s way. When we live it our way- it becomes unmanageable. AA instructed us to turn our lives over to God as we came to understand Him. What I witnessed in AA was those who were successful in finding the God of Heaven and Earth, as Rahab was coming to understand Him, they would be more successful in long term sobriety than those who resisted the God of the Bible and tried to make a god of their own.

Today people have faith in many different things. Faith in science, medicine, money, achievement, the government- their spouses and loved ones.  But faith is only as good as its object and none of these can do what only the God who created the universe can do- He will never fail you. All of these others, including those you love and who love you cannot take the place of God. Rahab had been a pagan all her life, who worshipped idols. She had heard about this God of Israel.  And looked what she believed: She believed He was the One True God.  Rahab tells the spies, “When we heard of it (everything God had done in the Exodus), our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for The Lord Your God is God of heaven above and on earth below.” (Joshua 2: 11)  Notice this confession: She believes He is the one true God of heaven and earth. She believed this one true God was a personal God – who worked on behalf of those who trusted Him. She believed He was the God of heaven and earth and therefore He could and would give the land to His people as He had promised.

Her faith was courageous. Her faith was confident.  Are you confident you are God’s child??  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (I John 3)  What Jesus did at the cross and in the resurrection is He made a way where there was no way.  A way we could become the children of God.  “We are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8, 9)  Saving faith is a gift offered by God.  You can accept the gift or reject it. The Bible is complete with stories of those who rejected it, and those who accepted it.  We have those who stated they were almost persuaded. We have others who went away sad because they would have to give up their gods. Others simply said, I am busy now maybe later.  But when we accept the gift of faith we can now hear the Gospel, the good news.  Paul said I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to all who believed.  Rahab heard and believed and was saved. She believed with all her heart. It was not just an intellectual decision of the mind only.  It was not just an emotional decision which would later be set aside when the tests and temptations of life came. It was a whole hearted decision in which her mind was instructed and her emotions stirred and she made a decision of the will to be obedient.

Now just to be clear. We are save by grace through faith alone. But not by a faith which is alone.  Saving faith, genuine faith results in work, which God has ordained beforehand we should walk in.

The courage of Rahab’s faith and the confidence of her faith did not come from her faith- but from the one she placed her faith in.  I did not understand how faith in God and His promises could save me from my compulsion to drink but He proved Himself to be faithful to His Word when I wholeheartedly depended on Him and His promise that He would make a way for me to escape the temptation and bear up under it. What a wonderful change had come into my life!  No wonder the early Christians were called The Way.  Because they had discovered life was in God and life was designed to work God’s way!

There is one other facet of Rahab’s faith we need to consider. It was not only courageous and confident, it also involved a covenant.   A covenant is an agreement between two parties with certain conditions laid down upon both parties to obey.  It can be described as a contract. The covenant often involved some type of payment to seal the deal.  In real estate, an offer would be sealed with a contract and ‘earnest money.’ A covenant with God can be accepted or rejected. It cannot be altered. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by Me.  He is the only way.

The new covenant Jesus enacted at Calvary was sealed by His blood as an atonement for our sins and the sins of the world. He became surety for sins. He paid for our sins with His own blood.  And as the song says, He paid much too high a price for me, but that is how much He values each and every one of us. This was picture of the last plague in Exodus, where the blood of the lamb was posted on the doorpost which said all those in this house have believed God’s promise to save them and in obedience placed the blood of the lamb on the door post and God passed over them.  This is why John the Baptist pointed out Jesus the day after his baptism and told his two young disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1)

The Jews would come to place their faith in the tokens of the covenants rather than the faith in the living God who gave them the tokens.  The trusted the circumcision and the blood of bulls and lambs rather than the Lamb of God to which they pointed.

Rahab wanted these two spies to swear to her by the Lord they would show kindness to her family. She understood covenants and she said give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my family and save us from death- the judgement of God.

They told her to tie a scarlet rope and hang it from her window, so when they entered the city it would be marked clearly they were to be spared. Also her whole family must be in the house with her.

The color is significant. It reminds of the blood of the lamb posted on the doors of the Israelites. And those where the blood of the lamb was posted the angel of death passed over them and they and their families were saved.

Now – were Rahab and her family saved by the scarlet rope? No they were saved by their faith in the Almighty God of Israel. The scarlet rope from the window was the proof of her faith and her family’s faith in God.

Joshua 1: BE STRONG!

Last week as we finished our series on worry, I shared with you 10 Spiritual Disciplines which will better prepare us for the ‘ups and downs’ of life. Paul admonished us to ‘train ourselves for godliness….’ (I Timothy 4:7)  I believe there is nothing more important in training oneself for godliness that study of God’s word, day and night. Nothing can substitute for it.  To be healthy, strong Christians we must have a steady diet of the milk and meat of the Scripture. Then exercise through obedience to the Word of God and this will make us STRONG.  The word, strong, led me to the Book of Joshua for in the very first chapter, Joshua is commanded four times to be: strong and courageous. I believe you will see immediately why this book is so important for us. It is a guidebook for victory in the Christian life. Here is the background leading up to this story.

Wilderness wandering refers to the plight of Israel due to their disobedience and unbelief. God had delivered the His people from Egyptian bondage as described in Exodus 1-12.  They were to take possession of the land God had promised their forefathers, a land ‘flowing with milk and honey.” Prior to entry, they sent 12 spies into the land to explore the land and the people who inhabited it. Ten of the twelve came back and reported, the people were giants and they could not possibly defeat them. Two of the twelve, Joshua and Caleb believed they could take the land because God had promised it to them.

But the people believed the majority of the spies rather than God. Today are we as Christians letting the majority of the people keep us from living in the Promised Land?  Are many of us as Christians now walking by sight and not by faith? Have we believed the majority report? This generation would die in the wilderness, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, because they walked by sight and not by faith. Their unbelief displeased God, for with without faith we cannot please God. Know this: God will never lead us where His grace cannot provide for us and His power protects us.

We are told to ‘walk by faith and not by sight’. Liberty and freedom are two words which we often confuse. Liberty is the right to choose right or wrong. Freedom is always the result, the consequence of choosing right. It is for freedom which Christ set us free. (Galatians 5)   *Read Joshua 1:1-9

Looking at our society today and the state of the church, the Body of Christ, we see a church the Lord describes as lukewarm which needs to wake up and strengthen what remains. If we as believers in the 21^st century want to hold on to what we have- we must be strong and courageous.  A recent movie, “The Help” had within it a powerful line. It is in a dialogue between a mother and her daughter. The mother realizing her views of race were wrong says to her daughter who has stood up for what was right: “Sometimes courage skips a generation. Thank you for bringing it back to our family.” Courage had skipped a generation in the nation of Israel. It was the very generation which had witnessed the mighty power of God in freeing them from Israel. Yet when they came to the edge of the Promised Land and sent spies in to see what they faced, they grew fearful and decided to walk by sight, not by faith. As a result they spent 40 years, a generation, living in the wilderness. Only two of the spies were willing to walk by faith- Joshua and Caleb. They would be the only two from that generation who would be allowed to enter into the Promised Land.

Let us look at what Joshua faced. For in many ways I see similarities in our generation, we can observe in the generation after Moses. Our parents and grandparents have been deemed the ‘greatest generation’ of the 20^th century.  We saw their determination in a devastating depression of the 1930’s and we saw their bravery in battle in World War II. Now it is time for our generation and we each need to be strong and courageous- we need to see what God’s plan for us is at this time.  For surely we have wandered in the wilderness for too long.

Joshua was a man with a courageous heart. Moses was a great and revered leader. Moses was dead and Joshua was being called upon by the Lord to do what Moses had not been allowed to do- lead the people into the Promised Land. Joshua had known Moses and looked up to him since he was a young man, not much more than a boy.

Let’s see how Joshua stepped up to become one of Israel’s greatest leaders.  Where did his strength and courage come from? How did he gain such confidence?  I also realized as I began to think about what had occurred in the life of Joshua, it was he and Caleb who were the only ones left from the generation who refused to go in and take the Promised Land.  Which means- Joshua and Caleb were the two oldest men in the camp of Israel.    We cannot make excuses based on our age as being the reason God is not using us.

Our belief determines our behavior. Joshua believed God was all- powerful. Do you?

Joshua believed God kept His promises. Do you?

Joshua believed God was always with him.  Do you? If you said yes to these three questions- you can be strong and courageous also- just like Joshua, regardless of your age!  Paul told us in Philippians 4 we are think on things that are true, noble and praiseworthy and we are to keep thinking on those things. We are to replace those thoughts which want to defeat us or lead us in the wrong direction by keeping on thinking on those things which are true- because as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.

We need this message. We need to be strong and courageous. Christians today are living in defeat and fear.  We do not look and live like victors; we look and live like victims. We are soldiers, each and every one of us.  Paul said: “You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2: 3, 4)   General Douglas MacArthur said, “In war there is no substitute for victory.”

I don’t know about you, but I have had my fill of wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.  I want to enter the Promised Land.  Joshua was a witness to the miracles in Egypt described in Exodus. He saw the power and might of God Almighty.  Joshua is mentioned in Exodus 17:14 for his military prowess and courage, as we read: “So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with his sword.”  God was preparing Joshua to be a general decades before he took command.   God was training a leader.   Make the most of every opportunity, for you can never tell when God is taking your measure for an important role He wants you to play. Pay attention to those opportunities as well as those natural gifts God has given you.

Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies who came back with a favorable report on the Promised Land, saying we can trust God to provide the victory. Joshua was willing to stand up against the majority. Are we ready to stand up to the majority? Do we have the courage to speak up?

This historical account is also an illustration for how believers today can say good-bye to the carnal life of the wilderness and enter into the rich inheritance in Jesus Christ.  It explains how to meet our enemies, defeat them and how to claim for ourselves all that is ours, promised to us by the Lord. If this sounds too good to be true- I want to assure you God is the same today, as He was yesterday as He will be tomorrow.

GEOGRAPHY LESSON

The locations in the Bible are not only geographical, historical and actual locations; they are also illustrations of our spiritual experience. Let us consider: Egypt for here is where this story of Joshua started.

Egypt was a place of death and bondage- a picture of the world. When we were lost, we were enslaved to sin, as surely as the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptian slave masters. How were they finally delivered from their slavery? By the blood of the Lamb and the power of God. Jesus Christ was and is the Lamb of God who took away our sin and delivered us, set us free from bondage and judgment. It was from Kadesh Barnea the spies were sent out and the decision to not enter the land was made. They decided to walk by sight rather than faith. The result was disastrous.

The Wilderness in which Israel wandered for 40 years represents the believer living in carnal suburbs of unbelief and disobedience. Deceived and disobedient and therefore unable to enter into the rest and riches of the Promised Land, just as we cannot enter into the rest and riches of Jesus Christ because of our disbelief. The Jews were delivered from Egypt but failed to enter into the Promised Land. For this reason they spent the next 40 years living in the defeat of carnality. They never enjoyed the fullness of what God had planned for them.  They refused to walk by faith and chose to walk by sight. Have you come to a place where you do not believe God is able to deliver you into the Land of His Promises? Are you living your life like a commuter who visits the Promised Land on occasion, but for the most part live in the wilderness- believing you cannot trust the One who took you out of Egypt by the blood of the Lamb and His mighty power to take you into the Promised Land?

Canaan represents the Christian life as it ought to be: the abundant spirit-filled life, but also a life of:   conflict and victory, faith and obedience, spiritual riches and rest. Trusting our General, Our Leader of the Armies of Heaven, King Jesus. Crossing over Jordan is not death and Canaan is not heaven. God made a way to cross the Jordan, He parted the waters. Jesus made a way for us to live the abundant, spirit-filled life, it is by faith we live it.

Verse 1:  “After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses aide: Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all the people get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them- the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. “

God then explained the extent of the land He had promised the Israelites.  Then comes a promise of great encouragement to Joshua.  “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

If we are to have courage- we need someone or something to encourage us.  God will encourage us, as He encouraged Joshua- with His Word, His Promises, His Presence, His Peace and His Power. At this time all Joshua and the nation of Israel had was the Law, the first five books given to Moses by God.  Yet this was enough, for the promise of the land was given to the nation of Israel.    This geographical location was important. The prophet Ezekiel said Jerusalem was “in the center of nations.” God chose the land of Israel to be the center stage on which He would launch His plan of redemption for the world.   Is it not interesting that all the eyes of the world today are on the ancient land mass of Europe, Asia and Africa and the geographical center- Israel in the center.  All eyes are on that part of the world and for Christians we look at Israel, for we know this is also where history will end.  It was here 2000 years ago, we divided time from then on as before the Lord came and after He came.  It is here, time as we know it will end and merge into eternity.

It was in Israel on an obscure mount, the Lord Jesus was crucified by the most powerful world empire, Rome. The Roman Empire is a footnote in history.  Augustus Caesar is a name scarcely remembered, and then only because of the incident which brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem where Jesus would be born.  The name of Jesus is above all names.

Joshua is given a three-fold mission:

1. Enter into the land.
2. Defeat the enemy.
3. Claim the inheritance.

Do you see this is exactly what our orders are now?

We are to enter into the Promised Land, the Spirit filled life, the Abundant Life. Canaan is not heaven; Canaan is the life God has promised us. It is a life which is a new beginning and a series of new beginnings.  It is a series of conflicts as we find new enemies in each season of life as we claim our inheritance.

We must be able to defeat the enemy. We must be trained as soldiers of the cross.

We must claim the inheritance, in spite of the enemy which says it is not ours to claim.

WE must learn how to fight. We will possess our inheritance one step at a time, wherever we set our feet. How much longer must we wait to possess what is ours?

Everything the nation of Israel did either brought glory to God or disgrace to the name of God. Based on their obedience or disobedience they experience the blessings or curses of God.  We could say the same of America.

First of all we must realize what was true for Joshua and Israel is true for us.

God has given us His Promises. And to live in and by those is to live the abundant life in the Promised Land. It is to walk by faith in the promises of the One who cannot lie.  Now as we study this story, we will see even when we enter the Promised Land there will be battles, just as Joshua and the Israelites faced.  But God has promised us no one will be able to stand up against us. God says I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you.  Paul would later ask the question:  If God is for us- who can be against us?  Paul also told us we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heaven.  Peter told us by His divine power, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him.

The instructions are clear:  we must be strong and courageous. This was a prerequisite for God fulfilling his promises. Joshua had to exercise his faith. He had to take the steps of faith. This is where God’s Sovereignty and man’s responsibility meet. Where did Joshua get the strength and courage to step out by faith?  Joshua got it the same place we will get it- from God’s Word and His Promises. It came from meditating on His Word day and night.  Got a busy schedule?  So did Joshua. He was now responsible for 2,000,000 people who had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  We must be careful to meditate on the Word of God for this is how the Spirit uses the power of the living word to become part of our inner being and change the way we think.  When we obey the Word of God we become stronger in our faith.

How does one become strong physically?  By exercising our muscles through a series of repetitions which provide resistance to our muscles thus strengthening them. Adversity is to our faith what exercise is to our muscles.  Overcoming the resistance to obey God and walk by faith increases our faith. And Paul says faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)

Let’s look carefully at this story as our guidebook for victory. First the land which was described as flowing with milk and honey is ours for the taking.  How much of this abundant land was theirs for the taking?  God said He was giving Israel everywhere they set their feet.  In other words, you and I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1)

God will never give you more than you are ready to take. If you want more, you must take the step of faith to obtain it for you must set your feet upon it. Paul said he did not consider himself as one who had obtained everything God had provided, but he kept pressing on to higher ground.

We have discovered by now, as Joshua and the Israelites would discover- the Promised Land is a land of abundance but also a land filled with conflict. The enemy does not want you to advance any further. In fact, the enemy of your soul wants you to live in the wilderness. But every conflict can be a victory.

We must learn how to fight the good fight, keeping the faith and pressing on.  Have you discovered by now; coming into the land of God’s promise of an abundant life will always result in conflict.

After giving them the promise of the land, God tells them there will be conflict but assures them of His presence. Let’s read this verse from Joshua 1: 5-9 again:

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you.”  God has promised us beforehand, those who oppose us will not be able to stand before you all the days of your life. He then tells us why- because He, Almighty God will be with us, just as He was with Moses. Leading us- going before us, our shield, and our rock our very present help in time of trouble. He provides the armor, the weapons which are mighty and divine which will pull down the strongholds of the enemy as He will bring down the walls of Jericho. God says they cannot stand against you.

Next God tells us we must be strong and courageous. “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous.”  God is telling us it is going to take courage.  The pressure to conform is like nothing we have experienced in our lifetime. We cannot allow ourselves to drift aimlessly along with the crowd. We must set our anchors, His Word, His Promises, His Power and Presence to hold against the strong current coming against the believer in the 21^st century.  I believe the enemy senses his time is drawing nigh and has thus ramped up his attack.

We are then instructed to meditate on the Word of God day and night.  Meditation keeps the word from departing; it becomes a part of your inner being. It is hidden in your heart through meditation, daily intake of Scripture.   Your mind is being transformed.

And in verse 9 God reminds us: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

We have the presence of the Holy Spirit and an obedient heart will empower the Spirit to provide us with strength and courage to step out by faith and lay claim to all God has given us.

Joshua’s name means: God is salvation.  These things were written down for our instruction in the ages to come. (I Cor. 10:11)

This book is a very important book for the church in the 21^st century.

Here we will learn how to BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS!

Joshua 1: BE STRONG!

Last week as we finished our series on worry, I shared with you 10 Spiritual Disciplines which will better prepare us for the ‘ups and downs’ of life. Paul admonished us to ‘train ourselves for godliness….’ (I Timothy 4:7) I believe there is nothing more important in training oneself for godliness that study of God’s word, day and night. Nothing can substitute for it. To be healthy, strong Christians we must have a steady diet of the milk and meat of the Scripture. Then exercise through obedience to the Word of God and this will make us STRONG. The word, strong, led me to the Book of Joshua for in the very first chapter, Joshua is commanded four times to be: strong and courageous. I believe you will see immediately why this book is so important for us. It is a guidebook for victory in the Christian life. Here is the background leading up to this story.
Wilderness wandering refers to the plight of Israel due to their disobedience and unbelief. God had delivered the His people from Egyptian bondage as described in Exodus 1-12. They were to take possession of the land God had promised their forefathers, a land ‘flowing with milk and honey.” Prior to entry, they sent 12 spies into the land to explore the land and the people who inhabited it. Ten of the twelve came back and reported, the people were giants and they could not possibly defeat them. Two of the twelve, Joshua and Caleb believed they could take the land because God had promised it to them.
But the people believed the majority of the spies rather than God. Today are we as Christians letting the majority of the people keep us from living in the Promised Land? Are many of us as Christians now walking by sight and not by faith? Have we believed the majority report? This generation would die in the wilderness, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, because they walked by sight and not by faith. Their unbelief displeased God, for with without faith we cannot please God. Know this: God will never lead us where His grace cannot provide for us and His power protects us.
We are told to ‘walk by faith and not by sight’. Liberty and freedom are two words which we often confuse. Liberty is the right to choose right or wrong. Freedom is always the result, the consequence of choosing right. It is for freedom which Christ set us free. (Galatians 5) *Read Joshua 1:1-9
Looking at our society today and the state of the church, the Body of Christ, we see a church the Lord describes as lukewarm which needs to wake up and strengthen what remains. If we as believers in the 21st century want to hold on to what we have- we must be strong and courageous. A recent movie, “The Help” had within it a powerful line. It is in a dialogue between a mother and her daughter. The mother realizing her views of race were wrong says to her daughter who has stood up for what was right: “Sometimes courage skips a generation. Thank you for bringing it back to our family.” Courage had skipped a generation in the nation of Israel. It was the very generation which had witnessed the mighty power of God in freeing them from Israel. Yet when they came to the edge of the Promised Land and sent spies in to see what they faced, they grew fearful and decided to walk by sight, not by faith. As a result they spent 40 years, a generation, living in the wilderness. Only two of the spies were willing to walk by faith- Joshua and Caleb. They would be the only two from that generation who would be allowed to enter into the Promised Land.
Let us look at what Joshua faced. For in many ways I see similarities in our generation, we can observe in the generation after Moses. Our parents and grandparents have been deemed the ‘greatest generation’ of the 20th century. We saw their determination in a devastating depression of the 1930’s and we saw their bravery in battle in World War II. Now it is time for our generation and we each need to be strong and courageous- we need to see what God’s plan for us is at this time. For surely we have wandered in the wilderness for too long.
Joshua was a man with a courageous heart. Moses was a great and revered leader. Moses was dead and Joshua was being called upon by the Lord to do what Moses had not been allowed to do- lead the people into the Promised Land. Joshua had known Moses and looked up to him since he was a young man, not much more than a boy.
Let’s see how Joshua stepped up to become one of Israel’s greatest leaders. Where did his strength and courage come from? How did he gain such confidence? I also realized as I began to think about what had occurred in the life of Joshua, it was he and Caleb who were the only ones left from the generation who refused to go in and take the Promised Land. Which means- Joshua and Caleb were the two oldest men in the camp of Israel. We cannot make excuses based on our age as being the reason God is not using us.
Our belief determines our behavior. Joshua believed God was all- powerful. Do you?
Joshua believed God kept His promises. Do you?
Joshua believed God was always with him. Do you? If you said yes to these three questions- you can be strong and courageous also- just like Joshua, regardless of your age! Paul told us in Philippians 4 we are think on things that are true, noble and praiseworthy and we are to keep thinking on those things. We are to replace those thoughts which want to defeat us or lead us in the wrong direction by keeping on thinking on those things which are true- because as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.
We need this message. We need to be strong and courageous. Christians today are living in defeat and fear. We do not look and live like victors; we look and live like victims. We are soldiers, each and every one of us. Paul said: “You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2: 3, 4) General Douglas MacArthur said, “In war there is no substitute for victory.”
I don’t know about you, but I have had my fill of wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. I want to enter the Promised Land. Joshua was a witness to the miracles in Egypt described in Exodus. He saw the power and might of God Almighty. Joshua is mentioned in Exodus 17:14 for his military prowess and courage, as we read: “So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with his sword.” God was preparing Joshua to be a general decades before he took command. God was training a leader. Make the most of every opportunity, for you can never tell when God is taking your measure for an important role He wants you to play. Pay attention to those opportunities as well as those natural gifts God has given you.
Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies who came back with a favorable report on the Promised Land, saying we can trust God to provide the victory. Joshua was willing to stand up against the majority. Are we ready to stand up to the majority? Do we have the courage to speak up?
This historical account is also an illustration for how believers today can say good-bye to the carnal life of the wilderness and enter into the rich inheritance in Jesus Christ. It explains how to meet our enemies, defeat them and how to claim for ourselves all that is ours, promised to us by the Lord. If this sounds too good to be true- I want to assure you God is the same today, as He was yesterday as He will be tomorrow.
GEOGRAPHY LESSON
The locations in the Bible are not only geographical, historical and actual locations; they are also illustrations of our spiritual experience. Let us consider: Egypt for here is where this story of Joshua started.
Egypt was a place of death and bondage- a picture of the world. When we were lost, we were enslaved to sin, as surely as the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptian slave masters. How were they finally delivered from their slavery? By the blood of the Lamb and the power of God. Jesus Christ was and is the Lamb of God who took away our sin and delivered us, set us free from bondage and judgment. It was from Kadesh Barnea the spies were sent out and the decision to not enter the land was made. They decided to walk by sight rather than faith. The result was disastrous.
The Wilderness in which Israel wandered for 40 years represents the believer living in carnal suburbs of unbelief and disobedience. Deceived and disobedient and therefore unable to enter into the rest and riches of the Promised Land, just as we cannot enter into the rest and riches of Jesus Christ because of our disbelief. The Jews were delivered from Egypt but failed to enter into the Promised Land. For this reason they spent the next 40 years living in the defeat of carnality. They never enjoyed the fullness of what God had planned for them. They refused to walk by faith and chose to walk by sight. Have you come to a place where you do not believe God is able to deliver you into the Land of His Promises? Are you living your life like a commuter who visits the Promised Land on occasion, but for the most part live in the wilderness- believing you cannot trust the One who took you out of Egypt by the blood of the Lamb and His mighty power to take you into the Promised Land?
Canaan represents the Christian life as it ought to be: the abundant spirit-filled life, but also a life of: conflict and victory, faith and obedience, spiritual riches and rest. Trusting our General, Our Leader of the Armies of Heaven, King Jesus. Crossing over Jordan is not death and Canaan is not heaven. God made a way to cross the Jordan, He parted the waters. Jesus made a way for us to live the abundant, spirit-filled life, it is by faith we live it.
Verse 1: “After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses aide: Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all the people get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them- the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. “
God then explained the extent of the land He had promised the Israelites. Then comes a promise of great encouragement to Joshua. “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
If we are to have courage- we need someone or something to encourage us. God will encourage us, as He encouraged Joshua- with His Word, His Promises, His Presence, His Peace and His Power. At this time all Joshua and the nation of Israel had was the Law, the first five books given to Moses by God. Yet this was enough, for the promise of the land was given to the nation of Israel. This geographical location was important. The prophet Ezekiel said Jerusalem was “in the center of nations.” God chose the land of Israel to be the center stage on which He would launch His plan of redemption for the world. Is it not interesting that all the eyes of the world today are on the ancient land mass of Europe, Asia and Africa and the geographical center- Israel in the center. All eyes are on that part of the world and for Christians we look at Israel, for we know this is also where history will end. It was here 2000 years ago, we divided time from then on as before the Lord came and after He came. It is here, time as we know it will end and merge into eternity.
It was in Israel on an obscure mount, the Lord Jesus was crucified by the most powerful world empire, Rome. The Roman Empire is a footnote in history. Augustus Caesar is a name scarcely remembered, and then only because of the incident which brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem where Jesus would be born. The name of Jesus is above all names.
Joshua is given a three-fold mission:
1. Enter into the land.
2. Defeat the enemy.
3. Claim the inheritance.
Do you see this is exactly what our orders are now?
We are to enter into the Promised Land, the Spirit filled life, the Abundant Life. Canaan is not heaven; Canaan is the life God has promised us. It is a life which is a new beginning and a series of new beginnings. It is a series of conflicts as we find new enemies in each season of life as we claim our inheritance.
We must be able to defeat the enemy. We must be trained as soldiers of the cross.
We must claim the inheritance, in spite of the enemy which says it is not ours to claim.
WE must learn how to fight. We will possess our inheritance one step at a time, wherever we set our feet. How much longer must we wait to possess what is ours?
Everything the nation of Israel did either brought glory to God or disgrace to the name of God. Based on their obedience or disobedience they experience the blessings or curses of God. We could say the same of America.
First of all we must realize what was true for Joshua and Israel is true for us.
God has given us His Promises. And to live in and by those is to live the abundant life in the Promised Land. It is to walk by faith in the promises of the One who cannot lie. Now as we study this story, we will see even when we enter the Promised Land there will be battles, just as Joshua and the Israelites faced. But God has promised us no one will be able to stand up against us. God says I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. Paul would later ask the question: If God is for us- who can be against us? Paul also told us we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heaven. Peter told us by His divine power, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him.
The instructions are clear: we must be strong and courageous. This was a prerequisite for God fulfilling his promises. Joshua had to exercise his faith. He had to take the steps of faith. This is where God’s Sovereignty and man’s responsibility meet. Where did Joshua get the strength and courage to step out by faith? Joshua got it the same place we will get it- from God’s Word and His Promises. It came from meditating on His Word day and night. Got a busy schedule? So did Joshua. He was now responsible for 2,000,000 people who had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. We must be careful to meditate on the Word of God for this is how the Spirit uses the power of the living word to become part of our inner being and change the way we think. When we obey the Word of God we become stronger in our faith.
How does one become strong physically? By exercising our muscles through a series of repetitions which provide resistance to our muscles thus strengthening them. Adversity is to our faith what exercise is to our muscles. Overcoming the resistance to obey God and walk by faith increases our faith. And Paul says faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)
Let’s look carefully at this story as our guidebook for victory. First the land which was described as flowing with milk and honey is ours for the taking. How much of this abundant land was theirs for the taking? God said He was giving Israel everywhere they set their feet. In other words, you and I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1)
God will never give you more than you are ready to take. If you want more, you must take the step of faith to obtain it for you must set your feet upon it. Paul said he did not consider himself as one who had obtained everything God had provided, but he kept pressing on to higher ground.
We have discovered by now, as Joshua and the Israelites would discover- the Promised Land is a land of abundance but also a land filled with conflict. The enemy does not want you to advance any further. In fact, the enemy of your soul wants you to live in the wilderness. But every conflict can be a victory.
We must learn how to fight the good fight, keeping the faith and pressing on. Have you discovered by now; coming into the land of God’s promise of an abundant life will always result in conflict.
After giving them the promise of the land, God tells them there will be conflict but assures them of His presence. Let’s read this verse from Joshua 1: 5-9 again:
“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you.” God has promised us beforehand, those who oppose us will not be able to stand before you all the days of your life. He then tells us why- because He, Almighty God will be with us, just as He was with Moses. Leading us- going before us, our shield, and our rock our very present help in time of trouble. He provides the armor, the weapons which are mighty and divine which will pull down the strongholds of the enemy as He will bring down the walls of Jericho. God says they cannot stand against you.
Next God tells us we must be strong and courageous. “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous.” God is telling us it is going to take courage. The pressure to conform is like nothing we have experienced in our lifetime. We cannot allow ourselves to drift aimlessly along with the crowd. We must set our anchors, His Word, His Promises, His Power and Presence to hold against the strong current coming against the believer in the 21st century. I believe the enemy senses his time is drawing nigh and has thus ramped up his attack.
We are then instructed to meditate on the Word of God day and night. Meditation keeps the word from departing; it becomes a part of your inner being. It is hidden in your heart through meditation, daily intake of Scripture. Your mind is being transformed.
And in verse 9 God reminds us: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
We have the presence of the Holy Spirit and an obedient heart will empower the Spirit to provide us with strength and courage to step out by faith and lay claim to all God has given us.
Joshua’s name means: God is salvation. These things were written down for our instruction in the ages to come. (I Cor. 10:11)
This book is a very important book for the church in the 21st century.
Here we will learn how to BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS!