So
it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the
Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the
LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel
until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit in
them any longer because of the children of Israel.
A)It was evident that the
Lord was w/ these People – It was seen in all that He had done for them
1)And The manifestation
of the power of God in the midst of His people caused
PANIC in the midst of their enemies.
B)Joshua chapter five finds God's people at a
very important moment.
1) It would seem that
they were on a role and should launch an all out attack against their
opposition. But God said STOP
C)One important thing
that every believer MUST learn is that God is
NEVER in a hurry. His timing is usually different from ours
D) SO often We are in a
hurry to DO something for God.
1)While we're racing on
our way to DO something for God He will often times STOP us or SLOW us down.
E)REASON: God is far more
interested in what you ARE than what you do.
1)
What you DO and how you
do it will flow out of what you ARE.
Now
we saw in Chap. 4 that Gilgal was important – Place of Commemoration –Build a
Memorial – One Public / other Private
A)Gilgal was to be a Place to Stimulate their Remembrance to Strengthen their faith / School their kids / Sign to the nations
B)In this
chap. GILGAL becomes important to us because it is at this place that we get an
insight into what God wants His people to BE.
RD V.2-9
C)
What we see here is the thing that God wants them to be is CONSECRATED to Him.
1)GILGAL was not only a place of Commeration but a place of PREPARATION and CONSECRATION.
D) BEFORE they went into their first battle God commanded Joshua to circumcise
the men of Israel.{ 2ND Gen was not
Circumcised
1) Circumcision
represents TWO things:
1st CIRCUMCISION was meant to set apart God's
people from all other people. God’s Cov w/ Abe
A)The male Israelite bore
in his body a sign of SEPARATION from the world and CONSECRATION unto God.
B) The Judiazers taught to the Gentiles necessary for Salvation –
Bible Tract & Scalpel – Legalism –
the Performance of the flesh
Rom. 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he
is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision
is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not
of men, but of God.
C) Problem w/ the first Generation – they bore the mark of Circumcision but their hearts were not given over to the Lord
So
First of all Circumcision meant to be set apart – from the world and to the
Lord / 2nd This literal cutting away of the flesh signified an end to
the life lived after the flesh. /
A)Paul declared in Rom 8:6 To
be Carnally minded is death
B) That has two
applications I believe – Some believers are Carnally minded in that they are still constantly trying to please their flesh
1) How they live / Decisions they make are more for
Fleshly gratification than Spiritual Motivation
C)
Don’t get me wrong – they are not indulging in Blatant sin like they used to:
Drugs – Booze Etc
1) But they are still living life – w/ this #1 objective – How does it make me feel ?
D) SO their mind is
always on the things of the Flesh: Worldly Pursuits
Distracted by the Cares
of this life – hinders them from walking in Spirit
1) Paul Declared Rom 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds
on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the
things of the Spirit.
E) More Money / More
Possessions – More Pleasure – { Easy to fall into that trap because our Society
pushes that
The Lord says – Don’t let the World Squeeze you into it’s mold
A)But there is another Characteristic of Being Carnally minded or Fleshly minded
B) We are trying to serve
God & Please God thru the energy of the Flesh
1) Aspect seen in HUMAN INGENUITY : Confidence is in the Flesh
Phil. 3:3 For we are the
circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
have no confidence in the flesh.
C)
What God was showing His People here was that if they were going to have
victory in the land of Cannan / Victory over their enemies
1)
It was going to take Consecrated to Him / & having No Confidence in their
Flesh
D) The flesh life will
stand between you and God.... will keep you from
victory.
NOTE: The
Description in V.2 They were to take Sharp Knives
A)CIRCUMCISION was a
painful and humbling experience. That left them Vulnerable to the enemy
Heb
4:12
12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
A)God works thru his
Spirit and By His word to Convict and to challenge us concerning our Confidence
in the Flesh
B) App EVERYONE of us must subject ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ and SUBMIT to the SHARP KNIFE of His Word.
1)We can't do it as a
group... it must be done ALONE.
C) Some of you are experiencing a BARENESS in your walk and witness.
1) The Lord would say to you: "STOP
AT GILGAL" Consent to surgery...
to the knife that is in the hands of Jesus.
D)Perhaps there is a problem deep in your heart that
only God knows of.
1) He has the knife in hand and you are
saying NO.
Remember
The knife is in the hand of the LOVER OF YOUR SOUL.
Prov. 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
A)Jesus is that FRIEND
that sticks closer than a brother.
B) He is willing to lay
the knife to your heart so you can BE CONSECRATED to
Him and be PREPARED for the BATTLES and BLESSINGS
that lie ahead of you.
C) Whatever the cost,
STOP AT GILGAL and let it be a place of RENOUNCING anything and everything that
the Holy Spirit would show you as being outside of His will.
V.10 Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho.
A)Besides being a place of Commemoration & CONSECRATION we are told that 3rdly that Gilgal was a place of RESTORATION.
B) The
Passover was a FEAST of REMEMBRANCE and WORSHIP and FELLOWSHIP with God.
1) There can NEVER be any feasting on the Lord/WORSHIP from the heart if you are living after the flesh.
C) IF worship is boring,
the Word is dry and dull you need to ask yourself if you have STOPPED AT GILGAL.
1) God IS NOT going to
let you enjoy fellowship with Him if you are living after the flesh... living a
life NOT CONCECRATED to Him.
D)NOTICE: As soon as they
were CIRCUMCISED, they kept the Passover.
The place of CONCECRATION became the place of
RESTORATION to fellowship with
God.
A)WHAT IS KEEPING YOU
FROM INTIMACY
B)The Lord is right there
waiting for you to surrender to the knife and IMMEDIATELY you will come into a
place of FEASTING upon Him and
WORSHIPPING Him and FELLOWSHIPPING with Him.
C) So Before they went to
battle there was CONCECRATION and RESTORATION.
D)APP You CAN NOT be an effective witness for Jesus unless you enjoy
Him in your heart.
E) It is difficult to
lead someone into fellowship with Christ if YOU aren't enjoying that reality.
1) Can’t give away that which
you don’t have
11 And they ate of the produce of the land on the
day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same
day. 12 Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of
the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food
of the land of Canaan that year. Here we see the Fruit of GILGAL
Manna
was the food of the wilderness.-It supplied their wilderness needs until they
got into the land and were able to eat the fruit of the land.
A)NOTE There was NO BREAK
in God's provision for them.
B)There is NEVER any stop
in God's provision.-
1)There are moments when
we panic because it appears that
God has run out of answers and provision.
C) But we are told that His riches are UNSEARCHABLE.
1) We are told that He will supply ALL of our needs according to His riches and glory in
Christ.
God's
provisions are endless, but there are times when we expect them to come in the
same way and by the same means.
A)God wants to move us on
in Jesus, and this often times requires change.
But that is the Problem -
We HATE change.
B) God can do ANYTHING as
long as He doesn't upset the comfort and security of our daily routine.
1) When God's provision
for us is to be found in a different job or
different setting we kick and scream every step of the way
C) Because our flesh
hates change...... Mainly because we hate the unknown.
D) See The same old thing requires LITTLE or NO faith.
1) We figure out how to
get along without trusting God.
The unknown requires FAITH.
See
there can come a time when the old home, the old friends and the old habits WILL NOT serve the
purpose of further spiritual growth.
A)They have served God's
purposes but now God must move us on.
B)We panic and think that
God's provision has been shut off, when in reality they are to found in a new
place and new means.
1)REMEMBER - God is more
interested in you than it what you do for Him.
C) SO
DON'T shut yourself of from the provision of God by security.
1) DON'T run from God's
provision if it requires change.
D)There are NEW
experiences of His grace and power and love that are to be found in the
turbulence of change.
So Gilgal place of Commemoration or Remembrance / Consecration / Restoration / Finally REVELATION RD V.13-15
A)Gilgal is also a place
where Jesus REVEALS Himself to Joshua.
B)Joshua knows that it is
almost time for battle.- He goes out to check out the city of Jericho.
1) The city of Jericho
was thought to be an impregnable fortress
It's walls were 30 feet high and 15 feet thick
C) Being A man of war, he
probably asks himself how many ladders would
need to be made to scale the walls?
1) How many battering
rams would be needed to break down it's huge
gates?
Suddenly
He sees another man dressed in battle array -Joshua asks: "Are you for us
or against us?"
A)The man answers: No - ;
but as captain of the host of the LORD am
I now come."
B) Who was this Man –
JESUS Christopheny – How Know – Joshua Worships
1) And the man says to
Josh Josh 5:15 "Take your sandal off your
foot, for the place where you stand is holy."
C) These were the same
words spoken (Ex.3:5)to Moses, "the servant of the Lord", from the burning bush just over forty years
earlier.
1) Now they are spoken to
Joshua, the servant of the Lord.
NOTICE: Jesus
is carrying a sword.
A)When Jesus reveals
Himself to Joshua He reveals Himself as One who
does battle with a sword.
B)Jesus carries a sword - NOT to strike at His people but to fight FOR His people and against their enemies.
C) What was the Pt of
this encounter - The Lord wanted Joshua to know that He was on the side of His
people.
1)Joshua needed to know
that the Lord would fight for
them and with them. Battle
belongs to the Lord
He came
"AS THE COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMY
A)The "LORD'S ARMY
is not a reference to the army camped at Gilgal.
It refers to an unseen army. An army invisible to the natural eye.
B)An army that surrounds
the throne of God and that is ready to obey the commands of God.
1) Elisha Surrounded –
Lord open his eyes
C) Jesus is the commander of those mighty
warriors that are involved with us in our spiritual combat against the forces
of Satan
1) When Joshua fell at His feet he was making himself the
ally of this One who was the
commander of this awesome angelic army.
D)He accepted His
leadership in this attack on the enemy. – Which resulted in a Crazy Battle
Strategy - Ch. 6:1-11
E) Talk more about on Sunday -
NOTE: Gilgal was a place of REVELATION.....
unveiling the NATURE of our battle and the key to victory in it.
A)May we stop at Gilgal
and seek God to reveal to us this truth:
2Cor. 10:3-4 For though we
walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
holds;)
B)God forbid that we
would attempt to fight spiritual enemies by natural
means.
1)Planning, spending,
advertising, etc., avail NOTHING in this battle.
C)All through His
ministry Jesus faced these same enemies and He defeated
them.
1) On the cross He
triumphed over them.
Matt. 16:18 I will build my church; and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it.
D)Are you allied with
Jesus, the Captain of the Lord's host?
If you are, the walls of Jericho will
fall!!