Heb 11:30 The Faith of Joshua
Intro. In
Cooperstown N.Y., baseball/ Canton Ohio N.F.L./ a place reserved for those who
have done great exploits on the athletic field.
A)Heb 11 is God's Hall
of fame/ or faith. The chapter
recognizes those who have done great things thru faith. Only chapt. still
being written
B)This morning we are considering the faith of
Joshua / Faith that overcomes huge obstacles / Faith that tears down walls/ Conquers
C)
Now Joshua was a man of faith : He had already trusted God for victory over the
Amalekites victory in the plains
1) where he learned about prayer – Moses on
the Hill w/ Aaron & Hur
D)
He trusted God when it was time to take over for Moses – Big shoes to fill /
fears of not being accepted & all that came w/ that
1)
He Trusted God when it came time to Cross the Jordan river during flood
season
E)
But this was a new Challenge – They had never attacked a Walled city before
& Jericho was quite a city
1) Jericho was the strongest fortress in the whole land
of Canaan) Massive
city w/ huge walls / Powerful
But we are told here in Heb. chapter 11:30 "By faith the walls of Jericho fell .
A)As big & as mighty as Jericho was/ it was no match for God ! No match against the people who put their trust in the Lord!
B) Those who trust in
the Lord shall do great exploits – This
story is an example of that !!!!
C) God had given Israel
a promise: "lead
you to a land ..... honey/
1) They were also given a commandment to
Possess the Land!
But They had this obstacle in the way
these Walls to overcome
Now we also
have been given precious promises by our Lord & we
also have been comissioned to ministry.
A) But we have Jericho’s in our Path – obstacles
to hinder us / discourage us
B)What walls are you facing
today? What Jerichos are you up
against?
1) Wall of unemployment ? Bad relationship ? No relationship?
Ministry ? You want to serve but feel like you Can't.
C) Maybe you have been sharing w/ some one but
feel like you are
not getting through!
D) Sometimes huge walls stand between us and the promises &
the Blessings.
1) Those walls need to come down!
Consider
some steps that led to this Venture of Faith / this moment of Victory where the
power of God was radically Unleashed Rd. v.13-15
A)1st thing to notice that Joshua got away from the Hustle & Bustle of the camp – He got out alone .
B) It was there out
alone that Joshua had this encounter w/ the Lord
1) This Encounter where He received
instruction & a Boost of Confidence from the Lord – Concerning the Battle
up ahead
C) In my life w/ the
Lord I have found it to be so important to have those times where I can get
away from the norm / get away from the routine
1)
Find that Quiet place
where the Lord can speak to my heart
D) We live in such a distracting society / Our Lives are busy / our lives are action packed
/ lots of demands / lots of responsibilities
1) Some weeks just bleed into another – ( Where did the time go)
Times
when all seemed like Chaos – no direction / fear & doubt setting in (
wondered concerning certain things – what have I got myself into)
A)Head down to the beach early in morning - spend an hour or two - with the Lord – Place for me he seems to Speak loud & clear.
B) Other times drive up
into the hills – anywhere get alone – no pagers / cell phones – nothing staring
me in the face that says - this needs taken care of
1)
Times when God is
speaking loud & clear in my daily devotions – no need to get away / other
times dry & fuzzy – ( Time to get away)
C)Learn a Lesson from
Peter In Joppa Acts
10:9
Lunch time prayer on
a roof top –
1) Lunch time & Everyone is down in the
Kitchen / hustle & bustle / Peter goes up on the roof ! Quiet place / have a Quiet time / Quiet
Heart ?
D) Lunches at Brengle: Lunch at the park ?
Turn off the radio in the car or house / maybe you need to listen to the
Lord instead of Greg Laurie or…..
So
Joshua gets out alone & it is there that the Lord appears to Joshua as the
commander of the army of the Lord (
CHRISTOPHONY)
A)The Lord appearing to
Joshua in this way was important for him/
it helped him gain the proper perspective
concerning what he was up against
B) 2 Things gained here
: 1st He was reminded that the Battle was a
spiritual one / even though they would literally fight the men of
Jericho
1)
The real battle was
against The forces of God & the forces of Satan
C) Our Battle is not against flesh & blood / it is not with the people that you work w/ it is
not w/ that annoying neighbor
1)
Our Battle is against
the forces of Darkness ( Not city officials /Govt/ it is w/ the Forces of
darkness behind those institutions )
D) So the battle isn’t
going to be won – by human
ingenuity or wisdom
When
Bubba Smith 6’6 all pro football player
was Playing football in College MSU he had an unusual encounter one day !
A)Particular task this
day was to keep a little 5’7 170 defense end Leon Morris out of the backfield
& away from the QB.
( No Problem for a big
guy like BUBBA )
B)1st Play
under : / 2nd Play under again / 3rd play over / next time line up
Eat you little man !
When you do more brains in stomach then there are in your
head!
C) Leon Morris was able
to do well and succeed on the gridiron despite insurmountable odds / size &
weight /
1) yet he succeeded w/ hard work And shear
determination !
D) Sometimes that is the
mode that we get into I can do it / I will do it /
I just need to take control of this situation
1)
What we really need to
do is to see the spiritual aspect of the situation & get out of the way
- so the Lord can work
So
first of all the Lord’s presence here reminded Joshua that the battle was a
spiritual one
A)2ndly Jesus appearing as the Commander of the Army of the Lord – reminded Joshua that the Battle belonged to the Lord
B) Jesus appears on the
scene : Joshua SAYS –Are you for us …… adversaries ? Jesus answers NO!!!!!
No What – What does that mean?
1)
Wrong
question Joshua – Not Am I w/
you are you w/ me ?
B) He had already proved he was w/ them – deliverance
from Egypt / Preserved them through the 40 yrs in wilderness / Manna / Quail /
Water
1)
Miracle Crossing of
the Jordan – Of course I am w/ You –
C) So too us / Jesus proved He was w/ us for us- when He died on the cross
1)
What rivers has He
parted in your life / what miracles Has He done
D)
Jesus might say to us Of course I am w/ you – I have always been w/ you the
question is –are You w/ me ?
1) What Jesus wants from us now is absolute
surrender to follow Him / He asks – Are You w/ me ?
Am I your commander in Chief
Now I
want you to notice Joshua’s response – here is how Joshua answers that question
: And
Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped,
A)Joshua’s response was
worship – Joshua prostrated himself & gave Glory to the commander
B) The word worship here
is Shachah in the Hebrew – it is
used 170 times in the OT – means to fall on one’s face / prostate oneself
C) It is describing an
act of worship that is first of all Humble : It is acknowledging the
superiority of the one being worshipped
1) It is declaring
You are the king & I am your servant?
Saying You
are the commander I am at your service
But
it also describes an act of worship that is Intense – the whole body is
involved
A)In that culture You
could give honor to a king by lifting your hands / Give honor by bowing down /
lifting voices – Hail the King / giving gifts
B) But this act of
Prostration was the most intense of all –
because it involved all of these other forms
1)
Arms were stretched
out / Humility was depicted by stooping to the lowest possible position – face
to the ground
C) Your whole body
language declaring & proclaiming that you were offering yourself as a gift
/ a Living Sacrifice
1)
This was a very
intense betrayal of worship that was being depicted here
Question: How
do you worship? Is there any intensity
to it ?
A)Not suggesting prostrate here – no room – home is good –But what about the attitude of our hearts
B) Are
you ½ asleep / Are you merely singing songs – looking around – I love you Lord
w/ all of my heart – Yawn
C)Some of you never make
it to worship / I don’t know how you are at home – worship happening – but
grieving to God
1) Some stand out in hall – or outside – talking to
friends – until study starts – Tragic / Give up
the most important thing to listen to me
Acts 13 – As
they ministered to the Lord – the Spirit spoke
A)Full on time of worship & prayer is being
implied there – that is when the spirit spoke
B) Some of you complain – I didn’t get anything out of
Church or the study today – suggest to you the reason is because you didn’t first worship
1)
You were in the
bathroom / out talking to friends / or were thinking about going to the beach –
b) Bummed out there was
no BAND !!! – Like to listen to the music
C) What ever – You
didn’t participate in the most important reason that we gathered here today
-
1)
For that reason your
heart wasn’t ready for the Spirit of God to speak
to you
D) Some of you are great
students – You have trained yourself well to be a student of the word – You
enjoy studying - / commend you for that
1)
But you are
lousy worshippers – Missing out on
essential aspect of your relationship
w/ the Lord – Worship
Listen I don’t know exactly why the Lord desires our worship – but I do know that everything that God desires from me is best for me A)Worship is essential first of all because it acknowledges the Greatness of God : He is King / Almighty / Creator / Sustainer / Savior
B)Worship
is essential because it proclaims our DEPENDENCY – on the Lord – We are
acknowledge Him as King
B) Worship is essential because it releases our FEARS : How so
1)
When I enter in –
start proclaiming how great God is / How mighty He is / How wonderful He is / Reminders of all He has done
C) It affects my perspective so that I see the things against me in
light of who He is / In light of what He has done
1)
My whole perspective
is changed -
D) Worship puts me in the right attitude to serve!
1) Service motivated by worship in response to who the
Lord is & His abounding love toward us / is the most effective service !
E) If that is not our
motivation our service can become a burden -instead of a blessing
/ a drudgery - instead of a Joy / Have to - instead of a want to !
Worship
Prepares my Heart for submission / to surrender the reigns of my life to my
Commander in Chief – Joshua v.14
A)What do you want me to do – Joshua submits = to
yield yourself to Him
B) This can be scary at
times / The Lord says to the wife Submit to your husband!
1) And the wife thinks But Lord I’m smarter than him - college degree
!
C)But the Lord says Who’s in Charge ? I am doing something in both of You
Key : Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust
in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all
your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
D) Rob I know that verse !!! – Ok fine but are you
living that verse :
1)
Sometimes we excuse the good verses – I know that already /But God
doesn’t care if you know it – he is interested in are you living it
Submission
leads to the next thing: Instruction
A)Sometimes we never receive the instruction that we desire because God is waiting for that heart of submission –
B) That heart that will be willing to do what he is calling you to do
Because often times what
He tells you to do is the last thing
imagine
1) God tells Joshua exactly
how the walls are going to come down
Rd.Ch 6:1-5
C) Imagine being on Joshua's military
counsel
1.) Ramps / pole vault
/ starve
D) March 6 days - silence
7th day - 7 times shout!
1.) What think? sunstroke - manna / flipped out!
Remember -
Lord's ways are not ours! So different!
ISA 55:8 ,9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your
ways My ways," says the LORD.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways
higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
ROM 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments & His ways
past finding out!
A)God's ways are not
like ours they can seem backwards, weird! Sometimes Totally contrary to
logic and reasoning! / Walk around city
B) I remember going to
Oregon – Little town 5,000 pp. / From OC Vista was little – then the Lord moved
us to brooks – Pop. 200
1)
Allowed us to reach
people from 7 different communities / perfect spot for us
C) God rarely moves in
ways that seem logical – If you can explain it /
probably wasn’t the Lord
The
Next thing that we want to note is another common Characteristic in God’s
building of our faith is there is a waiting period
A)Walls didn't come down
instantly - 7 days - 13 trips
Not only does God have His ways / also has His timing (not like ours)
B) Projects & things
– nothing going right – Lord is teaching you Patience honey – College I prayed
for Patience & the Lord gave me you
1) waiting can be hard for us ! Age of fast food & Microwaves
C) We don’t like to wait
& when it comes to the Lord we often
interpret God’s delays in the wrong way ! DENIALS
Now
if I were to ask you what has been or what is the greatest challenge to your
faith ?
A)Or what is the one
thing in life that presents the biggest obstacle in your ability to completely
trust God ? What would you say?
B) I wonder how many of
us would answer / greatest challenge /biggest obstacle is when God does not act or respond the way we
expect Him to
1)
And how many times do
those feelings come when we think that God is
taking too long ! We can become disappointed w/ God !
C) Lord been waiting 2 days / 5 months / 5 yrs
/ We start to think that God has let us
down ! we interpret God’s delays as
denials
1) Vending machine / stuck / shaking / We do that w/ Him !
But
the more we grow & the more we go thru the more we come to realize that
God’s timing & perspective is often diff. From ours
A)Regarding time : Our
God is never late ! However He often delays His response / but He is never late
B) His watch is merely
set on a diff. Timetable / He is always thinking eternal rather than temporal !
Why
did the Lord have them wait ? My own personal opinion was so they could see the
impossibility of the situation !
A)Each day those walls
seemed bigger ! Each day the task seemed more impossible!
B) Each day they began
to realize the only way this is going to come together is by the Lords power
& not their own!
Isa40
:28-31 28 Have
you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator
of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is
unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He
increases strength. Even the youths
shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,But those who
wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings
like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
C)As we wait on His
timing / His Plan we don’t get weary or faint hearted / but He gives strength
& Power!
D) Next time you are
feeling worn out or stressed out stop & ask yourself when
is the last time I took the time to Wait on the Lord ?!
But it came
to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day,
and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only
they marched around the city seven times.
And the seventh time it happened, when the
priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: "Shout, for the
LORD has given you the city!
20 So the people
shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people
heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that
the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man
straight before him, and they took the city.
A)Now they were going to
put feet to their faith - 7th day came - they were to shout! / They had waited
now it was time to act!
B)
Guys there comes a
time to act! Time to step out - time to
put the money on table or open
mouth share!
1) Often comes with fear: What if we shout
and nothing happens!
crazy; nuts; - I'll whisper!
C) Comes a time when we
need to step out in faith - if you are going to realize the blessing of God
D) When these guys
stepped out in faith believing in the Lord they discovered there were
tremendous, enormous resources at their disposal!
1) That God was able to work way beyond
their ability!
When step out make mistakes, but also see blessing
- if never step out never see
blessing! Fall on face - Peter walking
on water - only one!
A.) Courson: "Everyone
should at least once attempt something so big
that if the Lord is not in it doomed to fail"
B.) Like that!
2 farmers - clean barn - no harvest These guys had to believe and at
that moment - shout!
C) Sometimes – Nothing
noticeable happens – but you were obedient & God was working
What walls are you facing today?
1st - are you submitted
to the Lord concerning that
2nd - Seeking
instruction: Lord what say to servant?
A.) Time in Word? Bible study?
3rd - Waiting on the
Lord! - or striving?
B) Well, if the Lord doesn't come through I can do
this or that!
C) When first 3 are in
place it makes it so much easier to believe the 4th one - step out / shout!
1) Not saved – Trapped inside the walls no Commander