Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20231028 - Victory Is Sweet - Joshua 1:1-9; 6:1-27

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#20231028 - Victory Is Sweet - Joshua 1:1-9; 6:1-27 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the Study of God's Word, recorded live at Calvary
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Church in Aurora, Co To learn more about the many resources
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available through Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our
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live stream services, visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church
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or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now let's open our Bibles and study God's Word.
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Amen. I grew up in a family that had a
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common saying when it came to sports in any type of game.
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I feel it's important to share with you before in tonight's
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message. We're going to be in Joshua
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Chapter one. We're also going to be in Joshua
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Chapter 6. But this statement is something
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that was common and I was even reminded of another statement by
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my sister as I was prepping this message.
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But it went something like this, if we were going out to play
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sports, if we were going to play a board game.
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It was often told to us we do not play to have fun.
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We play to win because winning is fun.
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And I grow up knowing this as this is exactly what I would
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feel. So every time I would lose
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because we would lose. Life is filled with losses.
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It would feel so heartbreaking and so heart wrenching.
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I wouldn't understand what it felt like to have fun if I
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didn't win. And of course, I was on a
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baseball tournament team that would always come in second
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place in every tournament. I would feel this in board
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games, I'd feel this in in life in general, and I would just
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learn the sweetness of what it meant to be humbled and what it
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meant to lose. And my sister would say we'd
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also be told don't come back if you're not going to be a winner,
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And obviously that was in joking and then fun.
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But it's important because I think as you learn to grow in
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life, you come and you experience a lot of losses.
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I know For me, I'm a big Los Angeles sports team fan.
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My Dodgers were swept out of the playoffs this year, One of the
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best teams in the nation, gone in three games because the
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Rockies had over 100 losses this year.
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Just want to and you Broncos fans, there's a lot less of you
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this season, I've noticed. Because of losses, they, you
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know, they touch our lives. The USC Trojans, best college
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football team in the nation, has now 2 losses in a row.
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Super heartbreaking. There's just loss after loss
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after loss. And obviously those are fun
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losses, things that we can joke about.
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But there are some more serious losses, I think of losses of
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relationship. You know, I think of losses like
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a loss of a job. I think of a loss of a loved
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one. I think of losing your keys.
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That can be frustrating. I know that we had that happen
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to one of our own staff this week and it was very
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frustrating. Losing your anger or losing your
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temper, losing the opportunity that you thought was yours.
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But losing is something that happens quite often.
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And before we jump into Joshua Chapter 6 tonight, I want to
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jump into Joshua Chapter one because I think context is
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really important. Joshua Chapter 6 is what our
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title is. It's going to be sweet victory.
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It's a victory that is shown of Israel experience.
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It's a victory that Joshua gets to experience.
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But before they experience that victory, they're in a moment of
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great loss, great weeping, great sorrow, great change and a great
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season that is really different. It's a season of transition.
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It's a season of change. So if you would pick up with me
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in Joshua chapter one, we're going to be reading verses one
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through 9. And very simply, I I want to
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paint a picture for you and give you a little bit more context to
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what's going on, what we're about to jump into.
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The shown of Israel for generation after generation were
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slaves. In Egypt the Lord raised up a
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man by the name of Moses to lead them out of their slavery
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because of some rebelliousness that they had in their heart on
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that journey to the Promised Land that the Lord had given
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them. They were then detoured for 40
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years in the wilderness. What was supposed to be a short
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journey to the Promised Land became a Long.
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Strenuous, filled with opposition, journey.
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So much so that the generation that was brought out of Egypt
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would pass away before entering into the promised Land.
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And the next generation, their kids and grandkids, would be the
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ones that would inherit the promise of the Promised Land.
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Not only that, it would happen right as we jump into Joshua
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chapter one, that there would be a loss of the great leader,
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their leader Moses. It says in verse one as we're
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about to look at Moses has died. And what's interesting about
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this, if you read the chapter before Joshua chapter one, Moses
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dies at the age of 120, but it wasn't a natural type of death.
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It says that Moses's eyes weren't dimmed because of his
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old age, and his natural vigor wasn't diminished.
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He died very vibrant, he died very healthy, and he died ready
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to take on whatever the Lord had for him, however, because he
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misrepresented God during that time of wandering.
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His consequence was not entering into the promised land with his
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people, and that consequence would lead him to going home to
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be with the Lord. So Joshua chapter one opens up
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in a time where I think sometimes we can miss it but
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pick up with me, We'll read the 1st 9 verses and we'll jump into
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a little bit more. It says this after the death of
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Moses, the servant of the Lord. It came to pass that the Lord
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spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses's assistant, saying,
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Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over
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this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am
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giving to them, the children of Israel, every place that the
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sole of your foot will tread upon.
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I have given you, as I said to Moses in verse four, from the
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wilderness, And this Lebanon, as far as the great river, the
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river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the great sea
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toward the going down the sun, shall be your territory.
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No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your
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life. As I was with Moses, so I will
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be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake
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you. Be strong and of good courage,
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for this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which
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I swore to their fathers to give them.
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Only Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe
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to do according to all the law which Moses my servant,
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commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right
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hand, or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
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This book of the law in verse 8 shall not depart from your
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mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may
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observe to do according to all that is written in it, for when
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you will. For then you will make your ways
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prosperous, and then you will have good success.
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Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage?
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Do not be afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with
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you wherever you go. Now the reason why I want to
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jump into this passage first, before we jump into this great
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victory that we'll see in Chapter 6, is because it's
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important to understand what they're walking into and what
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they're bringing with them. They're bringing with them in
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the previous chapter, great weeping and great sorrow.
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They're bringing with them a change in direction, a change in
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leadership, a transition. They had stability.
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They had someone they could look to.
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They had someone that had experience, that had brought
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them through this and this and this And now Joshua the
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assistant of Moses, is inheriting this nation,
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inheriting the promise of the Lord, and inheriting these
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instructions. And for you and I, when we
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experience new things, or when we experience change or such
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dramatic loss like this, sometimes it can be confusing,
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Sometimes it can be lonely, sometimes it can be misleading.
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Our emotions have a lot to do with our actions, and at times
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it's hard for us to determine where do we need to go next?
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What's the next step look like? Why are we here?
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Why did God abandoned us? Why did He take our leadership
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from us? For Joshua, he's inheriting a
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people that their history is not necessarily a smooth one.
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They're not necessarily the non grunt disgruntled, the non
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mumbler, the non complainers. They quite often were raised by
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a group of complainers. They were raised by a group of
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people that did not obey the Lord word for word and because
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of that they suffered great consequence.
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He not only is leading this new group, but he's also doing it
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alone. He was the assistant to Moses.
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It doesn't speak about him having an assistant.
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And he's inheriting this while also dealing with grief, while
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also dealing with hurt, while also dealing with the unsurety
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of what's next. And what I love about the Lord
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and what I love about this passage is that the Lord is not
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far from Him and not far from us.
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In times of transition and change, in times of great loss,
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the Lord could have easily just said, Joshua, you need to
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continue and move on. Let's go.
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But he doesn't do that. What he does is he reaffirms
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Joshua where he's at, he reaffirms his relationship with
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him, he reaffirms his commands to him, and he also reaffirms
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the promises to him. And what I love about the Lord
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is he doesn't feel far from us. When we go through these seasons
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of great loss or great change or great transition, however, he he
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not only doesn't feel far, but he desires to be even closer.
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He desires to develop in us this intimacy that we can take with
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us as we take hold of the promises he has before us.
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Now look at a couple things here in verses one through 9.
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Some things I want to point out as they jump in, what Israel was
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realizing as they were going to take over the promised land was
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that they were going to face battle after battle.
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It wasn't necessarily going to be easy.
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And what the Lord does is He reestablishes not only the the
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plan, but also the promises that come with obedience to that
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plan. He says this in verse 3.
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Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I
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have given you. He says in number and verse
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five, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of
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your life. As I was with Moses, so I will
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be with you. I will not leave you, nor will I
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forsake you. Be strong and of good courage,
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for this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which
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I swore to their fathers to give them.
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Only Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe
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to do according to all the law which Moses my servant,
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commanded you. And if you go down to verse 9,
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For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
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Often times when we are faced with great transition, when
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we're faced with great change and we're faced with the
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overwhelming feelings of our emotions, it's important to take
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a step back and allow the Lord to come alongside us and comfort
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us with His truth. And for you and I, we have His
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truth in His word. What I love about these promises
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to Joshua, they're direct, They're to the point, and they
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promise him victory after victory after victory.
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They promise that He will be the one who fulfils the promise that
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the Lord had given to the generations past.
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And for you and I, it's important that we step back in
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our times of change, in our times of loss, in our times of
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feeling overwhelmed. And we allow the Lord to
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redirect and re establish and reaffirm our foundation in Him.
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Because with every change and with every direction, every new
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season that we face, the Lord is near us to walk alongside us.
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He hasn't left us and He's not far.
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He desires that intimacy to grow.
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He desires to remind us that He is with us.
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And for Joshua, I can't imagine how encouraging these words
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were, however, But you see there there's there's two things Lord
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tells him, and he says it multiple times.
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He says be strong and of good courage.
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I think it's important that we realize that, because you
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wouldn't be telling Joshua these things unless one Joshua was in
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need of strength and he was afraid, which means he was weak
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and afraid getting ready to walk into the promised land.
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Be strong and good courage. I love that, and I love that the
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Lord is able to tell us that because I think often times when
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we go through things, and I know for me many variety of losses in
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my life, I do feel weak. I do feel out my limit.
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I do feel out my edge. I do need His strength.
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And sometimes I am afraid because it's not how it was
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supposed to end. It was supposed to end in
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victory. It was supposed to end in a time
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of being triumphant. I've been following along the
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Lord for so long, and yet where is God's victories that He
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promises me? When I'm looking at a loss or
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when I'm looking at a change or a transition, and for you and I,
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it's important that we remember to take a step back and allow
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the Lord, just like He did with Joshua and the children of
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Israel, remind us how much He loves us, remind us how much
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he's near to us, and remind us that there's victory after
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victory awaiting us as long as there's also obedience.
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If you would one more verse to look at before we move on in
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Chapter 6, it says in verse seven only be strong and very
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courageous that you may observe. To do according to the law,
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which Moses my servant, commanded you, do not turn from
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it to the right hand, or to the left, that you may prosper
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wherever you go. This book of the law shall not
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depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in day and night,
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that you may observe to do according to all that is written
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in it. For then you will make your way
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prosperous, and then you will have good success.
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It's important that you understand, and that we
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understand, especially in our walk with the Lord, that the
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promises of God come with commands.
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The plans of God come with a desire for us to follow in, and
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when we obey the Lord, we will see those plans come to
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fruition. Obedience leads to victory.
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Obedience to the Lord leads to those times of victory that we
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desire to see in our lives. And often times when you go
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through a loss, it's hard to think of the next thing being
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anything better. Often times when you go through
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a loss after loss after loss, you expect a loss, but that's
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not how it works with the relationship with the Lord.
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The Lord desires to walk with you through your loss and to
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show you and give you victory. And for the people of Israel and
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for Joshua, they're about to experience, although they've
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lost this leader, this friend, this experience, this
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instability that Moses brought, they hadn't lost the Lord.
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Different leader, different time, but same God and same
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promises. And that still goes for us
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today. So if you would pick up with me
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in Chapter 6 of Joshua as we read, we're going to go through
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verse. 14 We're going to try to cover the whole chapter if we
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can with time, but we're going to read verses one through 14,
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Joshua chapter 6 says now Jericho was securely shut up
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because of the children of Israel.
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None went out and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua,
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See, I have given Jericho into your hand.
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It's king and the mighty men of valor.
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You shall March around the city. All you men of war, you shall go
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around the city once. This you shall do six days, and
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seven priests shall bear 7 trumpets of ram's horns before
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the ark. But the 7th day you shall March
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around the city 7 times, and the priests shall blow.
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The trumpets shall come to pass when they make a long blast with
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the ram's horns. And when you hear the sound of
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the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout,
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and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people
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shall go up, every man straight before him.
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Then Joshua the son of Nun, called the priest and said to
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them, take up the ark of the covenant, and let 7 priests bear
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7 trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord.
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And he said to the people in verse 7, proceed and March
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around the city, and let him who his arm advanced before the ark
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of the Lord. So was when Joshua had spoken to
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the people that the seven priests bearing the seven
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trumpets of Ram's horn horns before the Lord advanced and
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blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord
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followed them in verse 9. The armed men went before the
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priests, who blew the trumpets in the rear guard came after the
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ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets.
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Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, You should not
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shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word
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proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, shout,
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then you shall shout. So he had the ark of the Lord
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circle the city going around at once.
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Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp, and Joshua
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rose early in the morning and the priest took up the ark of
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the Lord. Then the seven priests bearing
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the seven trumpets of Rams horns before the ark of the Lord went
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on continually and blew with the trumpets, and the armed men went
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before them. But the rearguard came after the
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ark of the Lord while the priests continue blowing the
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trumpets. And the second day they marched
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around the city once and returned to the camp.
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So they did six days. Now, this is a common Bible
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story. If you grew up in the church,
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you're very familiar with this. Even you would say the world's
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very familiar with the story of Joshua and the Battle of
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Jericho. But we come to this sealed city.
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This was the first city that they would be commanded to take.
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And Joshua was told, see, I've given Jericho into your hands
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and this is how you're going to do it.
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He gave him very specific commands.
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You need to make sure that you're walking around the city
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once. He has a number of priests that
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they need to be blowing the trumpets.
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The people need to be silent. And you're gonna do this six
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days in a row, just walking around at once.
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And on the 7th day you're gonna walk around it seven times and
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the priests are gonna blow their trumpets.
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And then you're gonna have the people shout, and then the walls
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will fall down flat. Not forward, not backwards flat.
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Now, I don't know about you, but I've never been in a position to
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be able to take a city like this, and every movie that I've
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watched that goes back would never be.
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This would not be the strategy. It would involve battering Rams.
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It would involve catapults. It would involve these
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mechanisms of war. However, God tells Joshua this
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is how it's going to be done. Now again, remember Joshua is
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having to process this after experiencing great loss.
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This is his first step of faith, his first Test of leadership,
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that he is now to take this word from the Lord and bring it to
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the people and tell them, hey, we're going to get victory by
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doing this. Logically, this doesn't make
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sense. This doesn't fit the plan.
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This doesn't seem like it's going to work out.
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And for you and I, we read this because we know the ending.
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We know that the walls will come down.
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Spoiler alert, But in the moment it doesn't make sense.
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It doesn't process correctly. And I want you to put yourself
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in Joshua's shoes, because often times we're called by the Lord
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to do certain things through Scripture, through words from
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others, from leaders, from friends, through our times of
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prayer that don't necessarily make sense.
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It doesn't seem like it's going to work.
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Why would the Lord ask this of me if it's not going to work?
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Why is he putting me in this position again as Joshua?
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To go back to the people and sound like a fool, To sound like
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an idiot, To sound like someone who doesn't know what he's
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talking about? To lead us vulnerably walking
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around a secure and sealed wall. We're under the wall.
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They could attack us, they could throw things at us, they could
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kill us. And all he wants us to do is
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blow trumpets and walk around it six days in a row.
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And then do it seven times at the end and all shout together.
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This doesn't make sense. It doesn't seem like it's going
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to work. And often times again with us,
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in our walks with the Lord, there are things that we hear
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from God that God commands us to do.
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But in the moment, it doesn't make sense.
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It's not logical. I don't get it.
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God. What do you mean?
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I need to forgive them. They've wronged me.
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They've hurt me. They've taken from me.
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What do you mean? I need to place my trust in you
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for the next position. For the next job.
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What do you mean? It's good that I lost this
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relationship. What do you mean?
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That it's fill in the blank. The Lord says this is how I need
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you to handle it. What Lord?
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I have a family and kids. What do you mean?
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I have people that depend on me. Not only do I need you to do
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this, but I need you to go and tell them they need to do it
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too. And they need to do it this way.
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Lord, don't you understand what we're about to do?
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Don't you understand what you've told us?
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And again, as we look at Scripture and as we know how it
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ends and we understand the promises of God, don't return
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void. They don't know this yet.
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They haven't experienced this victory yet.
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They don't have a book that they open up and they say, no, don't
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worry, this is how it's going to end for you and I.
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We have that. And yet we still have a hard
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time doing the things the Lord asks us to do.
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Because it doesn't align with our logic.
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It doesn't align with what we would say is common sense.
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It doesn't make sense because the things that the Lord is
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calling us to do in God's economy just work differently
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than the things that we would expect.
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They were now, not being put in a position to see if they'd be
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obedient to the Lord, but to see if Joshua would trust the Lord
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with this new command. What I love about Joshua is he
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doesn't hesitate. He doesn't skip a beat.
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You don't see him going back to the Lord saying, hold on, Lord,
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I know you told us you're going to have a great victory, but
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this is not how we're going to do it.
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This is not how we've done it in the past.
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We've had two victories before the promised land.
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When we took out the Kings of Ogg, there was different
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victories, and we did it this way.
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Why wouldn't we do it this way with Jericho?
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You don't see that. You see Joshua going back to the
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people immediately, calling them to obedience, saying this is how
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we're going to do it. And so often in our lives, it's
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important for us to go back to the people the Lord has placed
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in our lives to be a good example in obedience and say
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this is what I'm doing and This is why we're doing it, This is
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why I'm doing it. Your faith inspires others.
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Your trust inspires others. It influences those around you.
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And I don't want you to take it lightly that your influence
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doesn't mean anything. The people in your circle, the
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people that God has brought into your life, your quick obedience,
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your ability to submit to the Lord in times of change, in
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times of transition, in times of heaviness is key for people to
21:09
see. It's actually going to inspire
21:11
obedience in others. I know you may not see yourself
21:14
as a leader. Well, I don't lead a great
21:15
nation. I just leave my life.
21:17
Well, your life has great impact.
21:19
The Lord has created you for a purpose and for a plan for a
21:21
future. People look at you and wonder
21:25
why you live your life the way you do, especially when it seems
21:29
so illogical, when it doesn't make sense, when it doesn't
21:32
settle in their minds correctly. And your quick obedience, like
21:36
Joshua, is the difference between someone accepting God
21:39
for who he is, or trusting in their own logic and finding
21:43
failure. He brings the people up.
21:46
The priests get their trumpets. They get ready to blow them.
21:50
They they decide this is what we're going to do.
21:53
He does it in verse 11. He had the ark of the Lord
21:55
circle the city going around it once.
21:57
Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.
21:59
Day one was done and nothing happened.
22:04
But then you see they do it Day 2, Day three, Day four, Day
22:09
five, Day six. And we end in verse 14.
22:12
So they did this six days. What I love about this, it
22:16
wasn't just a one time obedience for Joshua.
22:18
It was consistent obedience. And for some of us, we may be
22:21
willing to take the first step and say, OK, Lord, I'll do it,
22:24
You do it day one. But then you don't see immediate
22:27
victory. And you remember the Lord is
22:30
actually asking me to be consistent in my obedience.
22:34
It's not just a one time and done, it's one day, two days,
22:37
three days, four days. Consistently choosing the Lord
22:41
over even Joshua's own logic. Consistently choosing the Lord
22:44
over the things that you may believe are the right way.
22:49
But you're battling. You're like, man, I don't know
22:51
the Lord. I just got to do it.
22:53
And I can promise you here, God's plans come with His
22:56
promises, and our obedience to His plans and our obedience to
23:01
His word over our own desires will always lead to enjoying His
23:07
promises. And for the people of Israel,
23:09
for Joshua, for you and I today, the promises of God are filled
23:13
with victories. They're filled with sweet
23:15
victories. People would pick up with me in
23:18
verse 15. We're going to finish the
23:19
chapter. It says.
23:25
It came to pass on the 7th day that they rose early about the
23:28
dawning of the day and they marched around the city seven
23:31
times in the same manner on that day only they marched around the
23:35
city 7 times. And the 7th time it happened
23:37
when the priest blew the trumpets that Joshua said to the
23:39
people, Shout, For the Lord has given you the city.
23:43
Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction.
23:45
It and all who are in it. Only Rahab the heart that shall
23:48
live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she
23:50
hid the messengers that we sent. Verse 18.
23:53
And you by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest
23:56
you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and
24:00
make the camp of Israel curse and trouble it.
24:02
But all the silver and gold and vessels of bronze and iron are
24:05
consecrated to the Lord. They shall come into the
24:08
treasury of the Lord. So the people shouted when the
24:10
priest blew the trumpets, and it happened when the people heard
24:13
the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great
24:15
shout that the wall fell down flat.
24:18
Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before
24:22
him, and they took the city, and they utterly destroyed all that
24:25
was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, oxen,
24:28
sheep and donkey with the edge of the sword.
24:30
But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the
24:33
country, go into the harlot's house, and from there bring out
24:36
the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.
24:39
And the young men who had the bin spies went in and brought
24:42
out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all
24:44
that she had. So they brought out all her
24:46
relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.
24:49
But they had burned the city and all that was in it with fire,
24:51
only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron
24:54
they put into the treasury of the House of the Lord.
24:56
Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and all
25:00
that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this
25:03
day because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to
25:05
spy out Jericho. Then and verse 26, Joshua
25:08
charged them at that time saying Cursed be the man before the
25:12
Lord who rises up and builds the city.
25:14
Jericho he shall lay its foundations.
25:15
With his first born and his youngest, he shall set up its
25:18
gates. So the Lord was with Joshua and
25:21
his fame spread throughout all the country.
25:24
If you would real quick before we jump into the section, please
25:26
turn with me to Isaiah chapter 55.
25:28
Isaiah chapter 55. I love this passage for many
25:35
reasons, but I also love really. The main reason is because the
25:38
Bible is just straightforward. I appreciate a strong word.
25:41
I appreciate a direct word. I appreciate a word that I don't
25:44
have to try to figure out. It's just to the point.
25:46
And the Lord loves me because he puts these types of verses in
25:49
the Bible. I know it.
25:51
Isaiah 55 starting in verse 6. Some of you need to hear this
25:54
today. As you're wrestling, as you're
25:56
fighting says, seek the Lord while he may be found, call
25:59
about upon him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way,
26:03
and the unrighteous man his thoughts.
26:04
Let him return to the Lord and you have mercy on him and to our
26:07
God, for He will abundantly pardon.
26:09
And here's the key, verse 8. For my thoughts are not your
26:12
thoughts, nor are my ways. Your ways, says the Lord.
26:16
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
26:19
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
26:23
The Lord is so good to us to remind us that He doesn't think
26:27
the way we do. He doesn't love the way we do.
26:30
He doesn't act the way we do. He owes beyond and goes before
26:35
so that we might be able to put our trust and faith in him.
26:38
But every so often I have to remind myself, although I feel
26:41
this is the right direction, it may not line up with what the
26:44
Lord has for my life. I may need a pause.
26:47
It doesn't matter if I've been in the word.
26:49
It doesn't matter if I've been praying.
26:50
It doesn't matter if I've been serving the Lord.
26:52
It's always important for me to take a step back and say, Lord,
26:55
is this truly the way that you desire me to go?
26:58
Am I going my own way or am I submitting myself to your way?
27:02
Am I allowing my thoughts to be intertwined with your thoughts?
27:06
Am I submitting myself or surrendering myself, taking my
27:09
logic and saying, Lord, please redefine what I think so that I
27:13
might follow in your way. Because God's way and we would
27:17
all agree in this is the best way.
27:19
But often times we mix those things because it might be good
27:23
intentions, it might make sense, it might seem to fit what the
27:26
Bible says, but if you happen to ask the Lord, then it may not be
27:30
from Him. I would encourage you church
27:33
that you sit down before you make these decisions, especially
27:36
in times of change, especially in times of transition, and
27:39
especially in times where your emotions are all over the place.
27:42
Pause and allow the Lord to redirect and decide which
27:47
direction you need to go. Because if you don't, it could
27:52
end into another loss. The Lord desires to lead you
27:56
into victory, and I know it's scary.
27:59
Like I know it's unsettling. I know it may not make
28:02
necessarily the right sense. It may not be logical.
28:06
But as we see here in Scripture, Joshua's obedience to do what
28:09
God called him to do brought great victory.
28:11
It didn't just bring great victory, it brought exact
28:13
victory. I don't know if you picked it
28:15
up, but the walls fell flat after they shouted and obeyed
28:18
the Lord. On the 7th day, seven times they
28:21
went around. Seven more opportunities for the
28:22
people of Jericho to attack them, seven more opportunities
28:25
for them to doubt the Lord. They finish, they shout, and the
28:30
walls fall down. What that shows is Joshua's
28:34
great faith. The people's great trust in
28:36
their new leader during this time of transition and change
28:40
ended in great victory, because when there's complete obedience,
28:43
there could be complete victory. Now I also don't want to go too
28:46
far without mentioning what we've read, where it says there
28:50
was a great slaughtering of men and women, old and young
28:53
animals. And I don't want to ignore this.
28:56
It's a very important point. As we read through this, the
28:58
people of Israel were being used by the Lord to bring judgement
29:02
on a very wicked people, people that had a lack in moral
29:06
society. They had no morals.
29:08
They were known. The Canaanites in the different
29:11
ites that you'll be hearing if you were to continue reading the
29:13
book of Joshua were very wicked in the sense that they would
29:17
even kill and sacrifice their kids to honour their gods.
29:20
They would burn them alive. Often times the Lord, as great
29:24
as He is and loving as he is, he's also holy.
29:28
And a holy God needs to be a just God and a just God needs to
29:32
bring consequences for wickedness and for the people of
29:35
Israel. They were coming into the land
29:37
as promised by God as also a tool by God to bring judgement
29:41
to these wicked nations that chose not to follow after God.
29:45
The Lord had great love for them and I don't want you to think
29:47
that the Lord no, He assigned them for judgement.
29:49
Not always. And Rahab the harlot, this small
29:53
section of scripture that we see of her is a perfect example of
29:56
God's grace and love. He told her that because he she
30:00
obeyed, and she surrendered her life to the Lord because of what
30:03
she had heard and what she had seen and what she had learned
30:05
from the spies. She was told that you will be
30:08
saved if you do a certain thing, and that thing was to throw out
30:12
a scarlet rope or a scarlet yard out of her window.
30:15
Said she would be identified by the people of Israel and not be
30:18
destroyed. She did this out of faith.
30:22
She did this out of trust. And she wasn't the best of
30:25
Jericho. She wasn't the greatest of
30:27
Jericho. She was a part of the immoral
30:30
Jericho. She was a part of the lost
30:32
Jericho. Yet because of her obedience and
30:34
her love for the Lord, she found salvation.
30:38
God's grace towards her and her family's life brought salvation
30:42
to not just her, but also her family.
30:46
The Lord loved the people that He's created.
30:49
The Lord loves you and I. But sin does have a consequence.
30:54
And today we're blessed by living in a in a day and age
30:56
where Jesus took on the consequence, took on the
30:59
judgment of sin, which is death, and we're covered by His blood,
31:03
so that anyone here deny it. And anyone listening online or
31:05
watching at home, you can accept Christ as well.
31:08
And the Lord will cover you with the blood of His Son, since you
31:10
might also be saved. But the people of Israel were
31:14
walking into this in obedience commanded by a holy God, a just
31:18
God, to be a tool of judgment for the wickedness that was
31:22
being perverted in the Promised Land.
31:25
Joshua walks in with the people, They destroy the city.
31:29
And he gives one final warning. He says, please do not take of
31:32
the accursed things. Do not take of them, because you
31:35
will be cursed. The things that you will take
31:38
will be given back to the treasury of the Lord.
31:41
It's important to realize this because even in great victories,
31:44
there's a temptation to take the victory for ourselves, to take
31:48
the spoils and the blessings of whatever it is that you
31:51
experience and say, You know what?
31:53
This is because of me. Thank you.
31:56
I'm so good at this. I obeyed the Lord so well.
31:59
Victory's here, and it's a trap. There's pride even in great
32:03
victories that we had nothing to do with.
32:05
We can even take pride in saying I did it so well.
32:08
That's why I'm being blessed. This was a opportunity for the
32:11
people of Israel to stop, to be reminded that they cannot take
32:15
of the accursive things. Why?
32:16
Because it would curse the people of Israel.
32:18
It would not just curse them, it would curse the entire camp.
32:22
I point that out as well because it's important for us to realize
32:25
that our influence to help people lead or our influence to
32:28
help lead people to the Lord and obeying the Lord is also the
32:31
same influence that can lead them away from the Lord and
32:33
affect everyone in our circle. Our sin doesn't just affect us,
32:37
it affects everybody else that's involved in our life.
32:41
Our disbelief or our unbelief, our disobedience, our pride.
32:45
Taking the the glory for ourselves doesn't just affect
32:48
you, it affects everyone around you.
32:52
And Joshua's quick to remind them, hey, I know we have great
32:55
victory. I know we're about to enjoy this
32:57
great blessing, but do not take of these things for yourself
33:02
because it will curse the people around you.
33:05
Give the things that are valuable to the Lord.
33:08
If you were to continue reading Joshua Chapter 7, the very next
33:11
chapter, you'll find out that there was a man by the name of
33:13
Akin who did not obey this command.
33:17
And the people of Israel, after this great victory, go to take
33:20
on the people of AI, a smaller group of people.
33:23
They actually send even less of their warriors out and they go
33:26
confidently because they were leaving a great victory.
33:28
They're excited. The Lord is with us.
33:30
He answers all His promises. They get to Chapter 7, they get
33:32
to the people of AI and they get destroyed.
33:35
They lose life. They did not get the great
33:38
victory they were expecting. Why?
33:39
Because there was sin in the camp, and that sin was started
33:43
here in Jericho when God was trying to bless him with a sweet
33:46
victory. There was one man who took some
33:49
for himself and cursed the camp around him and caused a loss of
33:53
life for the people of Israel. It's so important for you and I
33:57
that we remember even in our great victories in the
34:00
excitement of enjoying the blessings of God, that we stop
34:03
and we realize that this is all by God and for God.
34:08
I just get to partake and enjoy the victory.
34:11
That's with the Lord. And it's a sobering thought
34:15
because sometimes I get lost. All's well in the victories.
34:18
Like, I I think that it's all because of me.
34:20
I did such a great job obeying God.
34:23
Amen. Hallelujah.
34:24
I'm a holy St. today, and the Lord just stops me.
34:27
He's like, hey, wait. Just because I used you and just
34:30
because you did what I said doesn't mean you're God.
34:32
It doesn't mean that this is all because of you.
34:35
It's my grace on my on your life to allow you to be a part of my
34:39
plan so that you can enjoy the victories that I have for you.
34:42
But it's not your victory, and it's a subtle reminder to us,
34:45
even in this great victory in Jericho, that Joshua had to stop
34:48
the people and tell him, hey, do not take of the accursive
34:51
things. Do not ruin this for everybody
34:54
else. Enjoy what God has done.
34:56
He fulfilled his promise, he fulfilled the victory, but do
34:59
not ruin it by allowing pride into your life and stealing some
35:02
of the glory for the Lord. I love walking with the Lord.
35:07
I enjoy his victory after victory, but I also have
35:10
experienced ruining, enjoying that blessing because I did it
35:15
incorrectly, or I did it with the wrong motives.
35:17
I wanted the victory, and that was it.
35:19
And I forgot the Lord for you and I.
35:21
We have to be careful as the Lord uses us to do great things.
35:24
It's not about us. It's about the Lord even giving
35:26
us the desire to obey Him. And again, the height of
35:30
emotions, the height of enjoying what God is doing in your life,
35:33
the height of just giving great praise to the Lord.
35:36
We can't forget and we can't, we can't allow ourselves to take
35:41
that glory for ourselves. I even think of, have you even
35:45
seen that video for Operation Christmas Child?
35:48
Like, we're going to fill those boxes, we're going to send them
35:50
out. But how foolish of it would it
35:53
be for us to say because I filled that box, some kids going
35:56
to get saved and that's going to my account in heaven.
35:58
Like, hold on. I mean, it's a silly analogy,
36:01
but we do it often in different areas of our life.
36:04
The Lord is just asking you to fill a box and bless someone so
36:07
they might be able to use your obedience to go and do great
36:10
things around the world with your obedience.
36:14
We have to be careful not to take the great things that God
36:17
is doing in and through our lives as something that it's
36:20
from us and only for us. It's from the Lord and for the
36:23
Lord and we have to give Him the glory and honour and praise.
36:27
If you would one more passage before we close.
36:31
If you would turn with me to Proverbs chapter 3.
36:35
Proverbs chapter 3, Isaiah 55, verse eight and nine is a great
36:40
one to memorize. But I also would say if you're
36:42
going to memorize that one, I would memorize.
36:44
Also Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and six, super important and
36:49
super just necessary to have Bible memorization in your life.
36:54
And these would be two that are just great.
36:56
They help us through so many different avenues of life, so
36:58
many different situations, says this chapter 3, verse five and
37:05
six. We actually might even read a
37:06
little bit more. It says, trust in the Lord with
37:08
all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
37:11
In all your ways. Acknowledge him and He shall
37:13
direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes.
37:16
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
37:18
It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.
37:22
Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first
37:24
fruits of all your increase, so your barns will be filled with
37:27
plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.
37:33
We'll continue on in verse 11. My son.
37:35
Do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest his
37:37
correction. For whom the Lord loves, he
37:39
corrects. Just as a father.
37:41
The Son in whom he delights is so important for us to realize
37:46
in the heights of our emotion, whether it's a great loss that
37:49
you're feeling. I want to encourage you tonight
37:51
that the Lord is not far from you.
37:52
In fact, He desires to lead you into your next victory.
37:55
He desires to grow in intimacy with you.
37:57
He desires to cover you and protect you and remind you of
38:00
who you have in Christ in your relationship with the Lord.
38:03
But also for those of you who are experiencing great victory,
38:07
it's also a different type of height of emotion.
38:10
I want to exhort you, and I want to warn you that don't forget
38:13
the glory that you're experiencing.
38:14
The blessing that you're experiencing is from the Lord.
38:17
The Lord loves you and He's allowing you these victories.
38:20
But don't forget that the spoils go back to God.
38:23
They had nothing to do with us. The people of Israel and their
38:27
shouts are not what made the walls fall down flat.
38:32
Their obedience was just to show that the Lord was going to be
38:35
truthful to His promises. He made the walls fall down
38:39
flat, not their shouts. He gave them the great victory,
38:43
not their marching around the city.
38:46
If you really think about it, it was silly.
38:48
There is no reason for that to happen.
38:51
Why would the walls fall down? You could be like well, science
38:54
would say that the vibrations from all their yelling stop.
38:57
That's not what happened. The walls fell flat because the
39:01
Lord put them down flat. The walls fell flat not because
39:05
of their obedience, but because the Lord said because you've
39:08
done what I said. This is what I'm going to do.
39:11
I'm going to give you great victory.
39:13
And for you and I, it's hard sometimes to choose to follow
39:18
after the Lord in times of great distress, in times of great
39:21
change, in times of great loss, especially when it doesn't make
39:26
sense. But I'm here to tell you, Joshua
39:28
chapter one is to encourage you that the Lord is not far.
39:31
And Joshua chapter 6 is to encourage you that no matter how
39:34
crazy it may sound, the Lord's way is always the best way.
39:39
Because great victory, sweet victory, is an obedience to God
39:45
and the plans that He's given it before us.
39:47
Great obedience brings great promise, and great promises
39:50
bring great victory, because the Lord our God is with us and He
39:53
will not forsake us. Amen.
39:55
Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your
39:56
word. We thank you that you are not
39:58
far from us. Lord, I thank you for the
39:59
stories that you've given us in Scripture.
40:01
I thank you for the story of Joshua.
40:04
I thank you, Lord, for the children of Israel.
40:07
I thank you, Lord, that you give us their best and you also give
40:09
us their worst. I thank you, Lord, that you
40:11
accept us and you love us through our best and also
40:14
through our worst. I pray, Lord, for our church
40:16
today. I pray that as you have brought
40:18
this message, Lord, I pray for those who are in deep lost right
40:21
now, Lord, that are really struggling and wrestling with
40:24
their life. Lord, I pray for those who maybe
40:27
have gone through loss, but now they're here in a place of
40:30
obedience, and it just doesn't make sense what you're asking
40:32
them to do. I pray that you would confirm it
40:34
in their heart, Lord, that you'd settle their mind, that you
40:38
bring them that peace that surpasses all understanding as
40:41
they take that step of faith and trusting you.
40:43
I pray, Lord, you remind us that our ways are not your ways and
40:46
our thoughts are not your thoughts.
40:48
I thank you for your promises and your word, Lord, that bring
40:52
great blessing, that bring great victory.
40:54
But also pray, Lord, that we wouldn't take it for granted and
40:57
we wouldn't take the the victory for ourselves.
41:00
We'd remember to give the glory back to you because you love us.
41:03
So before we close, I want to just give an opportunity.
41:08
And you may be here tonight and you may not have a relationship
41:11
with God. You may be in a place where you
41:14
don't even have what Joshua has, where the Lord is able to come
41:18
alongside him after a great loss of a great friend.
41:21
It's great instability and and the Lord comes and comforts him,
41:23
reaffirms him, establishes him and gives him direction for his
41:26
life. And right now you're hearing
41:28
nothing because you have no relationship with the Lord and I
41:32
want to give you an opportunity tonight.
41:34
It's really simple. God says that if you would like
41:37
to have a relationship with Him, all you have to do is repent,
41:40
which means turn away from your mistakes or as the Bible calls
41:43
them, sins. Because one mistake is all it
41:46
takes to separate you from a loving and perfect God.
41:49
But God loves you so much that He said that I want to be with
41:52
you in your ups and in your downs, in your victories and
41:54
your losses. I want to give you direction for
41:56
your life. I want to give you a future and
41:58
a hope, as it says in Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 11.
42:02
And for you right now, if you're here tonight and you're like, I
42:04
don't have that opportunity, I don't have that encouragement.
42:08
I need that relationship with the Lord.
42:10
I'm going to give you a time to just surrender to God, to
42:14
repent, to turn away, Repent. All that means is turning away
42:18
from your sins, turning away from your mistakes, believing
42:21
that there was a God and is a God who loved you so much that
42:25
he sent his son down named Jesus, to die for you on the
42:28
cross. And by his death, he took the
42:31
punishment of your mistakes, your sins, and he washed you
42:34
clean with His blood so that when God sees you now, He
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doesn't see you as a Sinner or as a mistake maker, as someone
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who needs to stay far from Him. He sees you as a person who's
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covered by his perfect son's blood, and he sees that he
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desires to have relationship with you.
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And with relationship with God comes the promises and comes the
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victory and comes the things that we so need and desire in
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our lives as we walk through this world.
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So that's you today, and you feel like I want to do that.
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I want to repent, I want to receive Jesus.
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I want to proclaim that I believe in this God that wants
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that relationship with me. Would you just stand so I could
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see you? This also goes for those of you
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who are listening on the radio. You don't have to stand in your
43:17
car and you can pull off to the side or those watching online.
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The Lord wants to have a relationship with you just as
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much as He does with those in this room.
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He loves you just the same, and it's no coincidence that you're
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watching online or you're listening on the radio, or that
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you're sitting here tonight. The Lord has this moment for you
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because you want to make sure that you know how much He loves
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you, going to lead you in this prayer
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as simple as this. Dearly Father, I repent of my
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sins. I ask for your salvation.
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I ask for you to be my Savior. I ask to be washed clean of my
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sins. I believe in my heart, and I
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confess with my mouth that you are my Lord and you are God.
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She came down as a man. He died on the cross for me.
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And you rose again three days later to show how much love you
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had for me. I asked Lord that you would fill
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me up with your Holy Spirit. Said I might live the rest of my
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days for you, not in my own strength, but by the strength
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that you desire to give me. I thank you for this love and
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this opportunity and I accept your gift of salvation in Jesus
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name. Amen.
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Yeah, we can clap for sure. That was you today and you're
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here in this room. We have books on the side of the
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stage that we'd love to connect you with the pastor, someone on
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our prayer team. We don't want you to start this
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journey alone. We don't want you to start this
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relationship alone. We want to equip you and help
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you if you got saved online or you're listening on Grace FM.
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We have the same book available in PDF that we would love to
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give to you on On our website there's a little page called
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Know God or How to Know God. You can always give us a call
45:46
too, and we'll walk you through that book.
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We desire to walk with you. We don't desire you to be alone
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as you make this decision. So that's with you today.
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Please join us here up at the stage.
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If you're watching online, find it on the Internet, give us a
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call. You can find out.
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Calvary CEO dot church slash Know God, we'd love to connect
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with you and help you in this new walk.
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So thank you guys. It's always a pleasure.
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Be safe as you head out. And God bless.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study
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delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church.
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For prayer, call us at 87730 Grace.
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That's 877-304-7223. To listen to this message in its
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entirety or to join us for our live stream services, visit us
46:31
online at Calvary, Co dot Church or download our free Calvary
46:37
Church app. Be blessed as you Worship Jesus
46:39
this week.