Intro: Tonight
we are beginning our Expositional study of the book of Joshua
A)Why study this book:
Battles / conflicts / Conquering the Land
B) Picture of the Christian
life: Exodus = Salvation/ Egypt = World
1)
In Bondage to the world to sin Set free
C) The Book of Joshua is a book that Pictures the blessing of the Christian life once we have been saved
1) NT Counter part Ephesians First 3 Chapters Who we are
[in Christ] Phrase used over and over again
D) Chapters 4 6:10 Walking in light of those Blessings / Chapter 6:10- Standing and fighting in the Strength of the Lord in us / With us
The
Book of Joshua is an illustration of those Truths: The Children of Israel have
spent 40 yrs learning of Gods Presence w/ them
A)Now they are to walk in that reality go into this
land of Promise to Possess it / to overcome the enemy in the power of the Lord
B) The Book of Joshua is a Picture of the Spirit filled life {Cannan is Not heaven } No battles / no enemies / No Conflicts
1)
But
in the life of walking in the Spirit face all those things That is what the
book of Joshua Pictures
D) How wonderful life can be when we are being led
& empowered by Gods Spirit
V.1,2 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came
to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,
saying: "Moses My servant is dead.
Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land
which I am giving to them; the children of Israel.
Moses
is dead and God is now Passing the Mantle of Leadership to Joshua: Who was
Joshua ?
A)Joshua was born in the Captivity of Egypt been a
slave / his parents were slaves
B) First Introduced to him in
Ex. 17 Moses called Joshua to gather some men to fight against the
Amalekites proved to be a brave Solider
1)
Moses
on the Hill Learned importance of Prayer
C) After the Victory:
Ex 17:14-15 Then the
LORD said to Moses,"Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it
in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of
Amalek from under heaven." 15 And Moses built an altar and called its
name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner;
D) God had further plans for Joshua{that would involve more fighting He wanted Joshua to remember this day how this victory was accomplished
7
Chapters later in Exodus 24 Joshua is introduced as the assistant to Moses
That is what he would be for the next 40 yrs
A) Before
every good leader becomes a leader he must first become a Follower { Learn
to be led
B) He would learn about Serving God by watching
& assisting Moses { the servant of the Lord { Passion for God / Climb /
Tent Stayed
C) Joshua was a faithful servant to Moses never
once to we get the hint of him seeking to undermine the authority of Moses or
assume his role
D)He learned from Moses about seeking the Lord: He learned
what Moses valued- God's will above his
OWN will
1) He learned what
God valued in Moses- Consecration
Joshua was also a type of Christ : Note 2 things
A)1st His name: Joshua
is a contraction of Jehoshua = "God's
salvation" or "The LORD is salvation"
B) The name Jesus is the Grk translation of the Hebrew name Joshua
1)His name is significant because of the role he would play in Israel's history
C) Moses could not lead people into the Promised Land - (Joshua was needed)
1) So too Moses & Law
could not lead a person into a right relationship w/ God - into Heaven
D) Jesus came to do for man
what Moses & the Law could never do!
1) And Joshua triumphantly
leading the people into their possessions foreshadowed Christ who will bring
many sons to glory! Heb 2:10
So that is the man - (slave; soldier; spy faithful servant;
Picture of Christ -) Now lets consider
the Mission! V.2-9 How Feel v.9
A)Now we noted in our First
Study that Joshuas Success as a leader in fulfilling his mission hinged on 2
things / Something to Know/
. To do!
B) First God wanted him to
Know As I was w/ Moses I will be w/ You
C) Gods Promise never leave
nor forsake: Great encouragement
1)
We
might fail God but God will never fail us
2nd
Something to Do!! V. 7-8
A)We noted that Joshua was
to have a 4 fold relationship to Gods word
1)
Know it Study it
2)
Talk about it
3)
Meditate upon it
4)
Apply it -
B) That was Gods simple formula for success for
Josh / Same for us
1)
Lets consider how Joshua does v. 10-11
The First thing we
note here in Joshuas example is Quick obedience
A)After hearing from the Lord he immediately calls
for the leaders to get the people ready
B) There would be no
Procrastinating on his part no delay
Ps 119:60 I made
haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.
1)
Neh
4:6 Noting the great pace at which the wall was being built we are told that
the people had a mind to work
D) So often the work of the Lord the plan that He
has for us / the blessing He wants to pour out upon us: Doesnt materialize
1)Because of our Delay
in obeying the instruction that He has given us
So
Joshua tells the leaders to get the people ready : 3 fold aspect to his
instruction to them Prepare / Passover / Possess
A)1st Prepare:
Get ready provide provisions for yourselves : God had supplied them w/
Provisions but they still needed to Prepare them
B) APP: God has given us all things that pertain to
life
. Of Him
1)
All
the Provision that we need still need to be Prepared
C) Preparation of the Heart/
.
of Prayer / The Word / Rid of the Flesh
1)
Theme
we will keep coming back to in this book
2nd Passover:
this would involve faith: -Note didnt say Prepare boats or Rafts You are
going to Passover Involve a Step of Faith
A)Always the way: First there is the preparation
but it always leads to a step of Faith { First sermon
at CCV
B) After the step of faith comes the moving forward
in Confidence to Possess to lay a hold of that Promise to grab onto that
Blessing
A)3 days is a significant # in Scripture it reminds
us of the Rez and in this Particular case is Symbolic of the Rez life we are
called to live
B) It speaks of seeing ourselves as Risen w/ Christ / - they werent to Cross until
after 3 days
1) The Church was not commissioned to go into the
world or equipped and empowered to experience all that God has for it until
after the Rez
C) We are called to live a life of Rez Living thru
the Power of Christ in us
1)
Eph
1 Know by experience the Power that is available to you Power that brought
Christ from the dead
D) Died w/ Christ = Baptism / He was raised and now lives in us We are to walk in
that Newness of Life
PINK: Rez
life is seeing myself as God sees me
viewing myself as one w/ Christ in His Death & Rez. Faith is appropriating
His Victory over sin/ Death and Satan.
So Joshua tells the leaders to Prepare
the people & then something interesting happens V. 12-18
A)Now here we see that 3 of the tribes Reubenites /
Gadites & the1/2 tribe of Mannesh remind Joshua of the deal they made w/
Moses N 16
B) It Boggles my mind that after all this time here they are at the door way they would decide We want
to stay here / live on the other side
1) Question: Wasnt
this part of the land that God promised to Abe Gen 15
Answer is yes
C) but it is also clear that God at this time wanted them to Cross over the Jordan: But these tribes opted to stay on the other side of the Jordan
D)
IN other words they wanted to live on the fringe of the Promise land because
they saw the land there was a great place for raising Cattle
They were more
concerned about their cattle than they were about their calling { More
concerned w/ their Possessions than their Position
CH Mackontosh They
were half & half men, men of mixed principles men who are content to live
on the borderline men who sought their own things rather than the things of
God
A)Now these people are like so many Christians today , who are satisfied with their current spiritual development.
B)
God is challenging them to go on into a full commitment. He would have them to
know and to experience. That rich, full life in the Spirit.
1) But there are many who are content w/ just being
saved & they want to live on the Fringe:
C) They are all too content to settle for a Mediocre
Christian existence
God
allowed them to live on the fringes He wasnt going to force them to move
into the land { They just had to Fight for the Land first { Taste
A)The same thing is true for the believer God is not going to force his blessings upon you he is not going to force you to live on the promises
B) But He will seek to give you a taste of those blessings a glimpse of it because He so desires that you enter into all that He has for you!!!
1) He will let you see it in the life of someone else who is really going for it w/ Him See the Joy the Peace / the Satisfied life they are experiencing
C) But if you are intent at living on the Fringes he will let you do so reluctantly but he will let you do that
D) Note: These tribes were the First ones taken Captive when the Assyrians invaded
E) So too the Christian who chooses to live on the Fringes who hangs onto the things of the Flesh Who still wants to be in Control of his life
have the greatest risk of getting sucked back into the
world Ch. 2
CH.2:1 Now Joshua the
son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying,
"Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went, and came to the
house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.
A)Now the question often gets asked is: Was it right
for Joshua to send spies into the city of Jericho? Remember what happened last
time
B) Some suggest that this was a lack of Faith on Joshuas part and that he should have just trusted the Lord & stepped out
1) I Disagree w/ that assumption for a couple reasons:
C) 1st Joshua had good reason to send the spies into the land
1)See Joshua as we noted in Chapter 1 was instructed by the Lord to regulate his conduct according to Gods word { Gen Duet
D) That is exactly what Joshua is doing here: He is following the example of Num 13 when the Lord told Moses to send men in to Spy out the land
1) He is taking heed to Gods word What is COMICAL is the Fact that he only sends in 2 spies { Remembered last time
The
2nd reason that I believe that Joshua was right in sending in the
spies is because the Scriptures are Completely silent about it
A)No condemning of this act as a lack of faith
B) Functioning in faith may mean that God calls us
to do some things that are irrational but never means we quit thinking
Now
some have questioned why the spies would go to the house of a Harlot { Carnal
- 2 reasons
A)1st in the
natural it was very smart they knew that of all places they could go
that would be the one to arouse the least amount of suspicion
B) Since Rahab was a Harlot her house would be
frequented often by foreign visitors often occurrence in those days
A)Her faith in God had affected her and caused her to Change
B) Flax was a plant that was used for making linen and wicks for lamps in that day
1)
Prov
31 Speaks of the Virtuous woman working w/ Flax
C) To make that kind of Connection w/ Rahab is a
Stretch because the text clearly identifies her as a Harlot not former harlot
but Harlot
1)
She
changes her occupation only after Joining the Israelites
D) Makes more sense that she was a Prostitute that
God was working on that is why the spies went there -
2nd
reason is a Spiritual reason: They were Divinely led I believe that God
directed them there He knew of her faith
A)Reminds me of Jn 4 Jesus went to the city of Samaria I need
to go there
1) Jesus was to have a Divine appointment w/ a woman who was very immoral lived a hard life
E) Both Stories are Examples of Gods heart to reach out to the least of Sinners /
See God had a plan in the pages of History His/ Story for this woman
A)A plan that would be a source of encouragement for
people thru out the ages of what God can do w/ a person who expresses simple
faith
B) Rahab would be saved Heb 11 Hall of Faith { Not
only that She is part of the Lineage of our Lord { Great / Great Grandmother to
David 1) Great Story of Gods Grace
v.2-7
Now there are 2
questions that arise here: Was it right for Rahab to defy the King by
hiding the spies & Was it right for Rahab to Lie
A)The Scriptures tell us in Rom
13 that we are to obey the Govt we are to obey those in authority over
us put there by God
B) We are to live in submission to them except
when they want us to do something that is outside of the Boundaries of Gods
will / His Word
A)Acts 5:29 We Choose
to obey God & not men !!!!
B) Daniel didnt stop Praying even though King
Darius issued a degree
1)
Shad
. Wouldnt bow
C) They were all first & foremost under a Higher
authority God
1) It is the duty of every Christian to seek the good of his country But our First and foremost concern has to be for the Lord HIS Will
D) So it was
right for Rahab to defy the king and to act in Faith by hiding the spies
1)
Heb 11Commends her for this act of Faith Heb 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who
did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
E) James also commends Rahab for her faith that it
was a Working Faith James 2:25-26 Likewise, was
not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers
and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without works is dead also.
The
other Question that Comes up concerning Rahab is was it right for her to lie
about the spies being in her house
A)Is it ever right to lie In Prov 6 list lying as
one of 6 things that the Lord hates that are an abomination to Him
B) Thou shalt not Bear False Witness is Commandment #
9 of the 10
.
1)So how could it be ok for Rahab to lie here:
Those who say that suggest that she should have given them permission to search
house & trusted God
C)
They state that Rahab is commended for her faith in Hiding the spies but not
for Lying
1)They argue that
Romans 3:8 warns us not to say, Let us do evil
that good may result.
D) That the end never justifies the means { So that is one side of the Debate
But
there are also those who suggest that a Higher Moral Obligation cancels out a
lower Moral Obligation
A)Higher moral obligation was in Protecting the Spies
God had sent
B) Those who hold that point of view state that there
is no where in Scripture where Rahabs lying is condemned
1)
So that is the Debate Pick a side find out who is
right in Heaven
C) On Sunday we noted 4 things about Rahabs Faith
Courageous in that She hid the spies
v.9-11
Confession of Faith:
A)Note God was giving his people Confidence
B) Fear into the hearts of the people of Cannan
Defeated already
C) Maintain Dignity against
Nebraska
V. 12-14 Concerned Faith
V. 15-21
Covenant Faith
A)She had to stay in the house Abide in order to be
Secure
V. 22-24 Spies come back This is what God has done
for us