The Fall of Jericho.

Steve Gentry

[0:09] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. [0:10] Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, one of the pastors here at Village [0:14] Church. [0:14] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:18] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Joshua chapter six.

[0:22] We’ll be covering the whole chapter this morning, but the first five chapters of Joshua [0:27] basically serve as an introduction to prepare you for the conquest that begins in Joshua [0:34] six. [0:35] This is where Israel begins to actually take the land. [0:39] Last Sunday, we looked at the end of Joshua chapter five, where we saw the ultimate truth [0:44] of life, that God is for God before he is for anyone else.

[0:48] Israel was called by that God to be set apart for his purpose. [0:53] of God then being that they would submit to him, that they would have faith in him, [0:58] that they would obey him. [0:59] And that is what it means to be set apart for the purposes of God. [1:03] But the faith that it took for them to cross over the Jordan River was only the beginning [1:08] of the obedience and submission and faith that God was going to call the nation of Israel

[1:13] towards. [1:14] And Joshua six really is where the rubber meets the road of the beginning of the conquest [1:18] over Canaan that God had called them to enter into. [1:21] And this is really one of the better known narratives of the Old Testament for a really [1:26] good reason. [1:27] This is a spectacular narrative in which we see an amazing move of God, where he reveals

[1:32] not even the utmost of his power, but he reveals a way by which he can move in this world that [1:38] is extraordinary, that is supernatural through the eyes of a human being. [1:43] And for that reason, many look at this as almost a mythic legend, that this is some [1:48] [1:48] And it’s a sort of fairy tale because the actions that take place over Jericho are [1:53] things that aren’t possible in the realm of humanity.

[1:57] But actually, contemporary archaeology has shown us that the destruction of Jericho and [2:04] the remnants of it have been discovered buried under cities that were built on top of the [2:10] rubble of Jericho that are dating to the actual period that this narrative takes place, that [2:15] gives credence, historically speaking, to legitimize the biblical narrative that we’re [2:20] going to cover today. [2:22] The fact of the matter is that this narrative lays out and is written in such a way as

[2:27] a record of the miraculous event and the miraculous moves of God in this world. [2:33] And it challenges any worldview that would say that, number one, miracles are impossible, [2:39] but also a worldview that would say that there is no God above creation, that this is somehow [2:45] some type of closed system without an active God, without an eminent God who moves inside [2:52] of his creation. [2:54] And God, though, shows through this narrative that not only does he deliver on his promises,

[2:59] but he delivers on his promises in such a way that can only be explained by the hand [3:04] of a powerful, by the hand of a sovereign God who brings salvation in unexpected ways [3:11] over every enemy, not just of God, but every enemy of God’s people. [3:17] Jericho serves as almost a beginning point for the people of God to experience and even [3:22] take part in the victory of God from above for all eternity. [3:27] And so I want to begin reading in verse one.

[3:29] It says, now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. [3:35] None went out and none came in. [3:37] And the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho into your hand with its king [3:42] and mighty men of valor. [3:44] You shall march around the city, all the men of war, going around the city once. [3:49] Thus you shall do for six days.

[3:51] Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram’s horns, horns before the ark. [3:57] On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times. [4:01] The priest shall blow the trumpets. [4:03] When they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, [4:08] then all of the people shall shout with a great shout and the wall of the city will [4:13] fall down flat and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.

[4:19] So Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests and said to them, take up the ark of the covenant [4:24] and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the ark of the Lord. [4:28] And he said to the people, go forward, march around the city and let the armed men pass [4:34] on before the ark of the Lord. [4:37] Number one, this morning, I want you to see in this narrative that God wants his people [4:42] prepared for victory.

[4:44] God wants his people prepared for victory. [4:47] I would say that is the opposite of what most people are prepared for. [4:50] That is the opposite of what you see from most Christians being prepared for. [4:55] It’s recently been said that by a good, well-intentioned man that we lose down here. [5:01] And that’s foolishness. [5:03] That’s utter foolishness on biblical.

[5:06] You won’t find any scripture to defend such a position. [5:10] God does not want you cynical. [5:12] God does not want you pessimistic about his moves in this world, nor does he want you [5:17] cynical and pessimistic about the power that he will work through the faith that you [5:22] have in his son, Jesus Christ. [5:23] God wants his people to continuously in this world to take a posture of victory because

[5:28] we win. [5:30] We always win. [5:31] We win every single time. [5:33] It’s amazing. [5:34] Even when I lose, I win so much winning. [5:37] I can barely contain it.

[5:38] I’m tired of winning. [5:40] Not really. [5:40] I’ll never get tired of winning. [5:43] Winning is fantastic. [5:45] And God will always have the victory, even in the face of suffering, even in the face [5:50] of pain, even in the face of of misery in the light of this world and the curse of

[5:56] sin in this age and the pain that we will endure in this age. [6:00] Christians, of all people, should be the most optimistic. [6:03] Christians should be the people that say that even when I’m down and out, I know it’s [6:07] going to work out. [6:09] So the apostle Paul said I’m crushed, but not abandoned. [6:12] There’s always hope in every situation and every circumstance.

[6:15] That’s why a Christian funeral is so different than the funeral of an unbeliever. [6:20] Unbelievers cannot mourn with hope. [6:22] Unbelievers cannot mourn with any victory in mind. [6:25] Unbelievers can only mourn. [6:28] But believers, while we may mourn loss, we know that on the other side of pain is always [6:35] going to be victory.

[6:36] That is why Jesus endured the shame of the cross with the joy that was set before him, [6:41] because he always knew that on the other side of every loss was going to be his resurrection. [6:46] And that Christian victory is something that every single one of us should walk with the [6:53] light of Christ in our lives. [6:55] I love verses verse one because verse one shows why it was a fool’s errand to attack [7:01] Jericho.

[7:03] That’s the way the narrative begins. [7:04] The narrative begins with dealing with the fortified walls of Jericho with the reality [7:09] that Jericho was built in such a way. [7:12] And Jericho had survived to the point that it had because of the walls that they had [7:17] built around the city and that when they shut up the gates of Jericho, they were built [7:21] in such a way that it was impossible to go in and it was impossible to go out.

[7:27] They built their city to be a defensive structure, impenetrable to attack. [7:34] Add to that reality that Israel was not a people trained and skilled at warfare. [7:40] This makes the situation dire. [7:43] And verse one points the dire situation out that when Jericho saw Israel knew they were [7:49] coming at them, they shut up the city completely. [7:53] And so when God looks in verse two and says the most important thing of the entire chapter,

[8:01] I have given the city into your hand. [8:03] I will give Jericho into your hand is what the original language says. [8:11] Along with that, God tells Israel and you’re not going to do it by fighting anyone. [8:18] It’s a fascinating take. [8:19] Verse one starts with the absolute hopelessness that they find themselves in. [8:24] And then verses two and forward give God’s perspective of this is not a problem for me.

[8:31] The impossible is always possible with God. [8:34] It may look like the morning will never come because of a host of reasons. [8:39] But God says that’s not a problem for me. [8:42] God has never looked at a situation in this world and saw hopelessness. [8:50] God did not look at the fall of man and see no way out. [8:55] God does not look at the dire situation that his people are in with Jericho, who was known

[9:01] for having mighty men of valor. [9:03] God immediately points that out known for having strategic posts put around their city [9:11] to stop anyone from coming in. [9:13] And God says, not a problem. [9:17] But then God tells Israel to do something that doesn’t make any sense. [9:21] Just start marching.

[9:23] March once every day for six days and on the seventh day, I want you to march seven times. [9:27] You know what that does? [9:29] You know what walled cities, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the films where they would [9:33] tar people who were trying to break down the gates of a city where they would light them [9:37] on fire as they tried to do that. [9:39] Well, I don’t know if you know this, but when there’s a high wall, it’s not too smart for

[9:42] your army to just take a walk.

[9:46] God says, I want you humanly speaking to do something that makes absolutely no sense. [9:51] I want you to expose yourselves. [9:54] I want you to do something. [9:55] Now, here’s the deal. [9:56] I’m no commando, but I will tell you, this is not a tactical maneuver that God is calling [10:01] Israel to take.

[10:03] He just says, march around the city, fully expose your offensive, fully expose your [10:10] defenses, march around the walls of Jericho. [10:14] Why would God call his people to put themselves in the way of danger? [10:18] Because I’ll be honest, most of you live your lives avoiding any risk whatsoever. [10:24] Most of you live your lives terrified that someone or something is going to cost you [10:28] something.

[10:29] Most of you live your lives as safe as safe can possibly safely keep you safe.

[10:38] I mean, isn’t that the way that we’ve been programmed the past few years? [10:41] Never risk anything, never do anything that could bring harm into your life, never do [10:46] anything that could cost you anything. [10:47] Do you know what they’re saying? [10:50] Never sacrifice anything. [10:52] Yet here’s the call of God telling you to take up your cross and follow him.

[10:56] Yet here is the call of God saying, expose yourself to the enemy. [10:59] Give them a shot at taking you out. [11:03] Why would God do such a thing? [11:05] Well, because God had already made the promise. [11:08] God had said, you’re not the one in danger. [11:10] They’re the ones in danger.

[11:12] I wake up every morning knowing that there’s no danger in my life. [11:16] That’s not because I think I’m the toughest. [11:18] That’s not because I think that I’m some type of, you know, tactical strategist who [11:25] could take on any enemy. [11:26] No, no, no. [11:28] I’m tougher than most.

[11:30] So don’t get any ideas because I’ll take you out. [11:33] All right. [11:35] I fight dirty. [11:36] Teeth, nails, everything. [11:38] All right. [11:39] Will Ferrell once said, I’ll come at you like a tornado of teeth.

[11:43] That’s exactly what will happen. [11:46] But the fact of the matter is I wake up every day because I live by the logic [11:52] that I was taught many years ago. [11:53] The man or woman of God is invincible until the day that the Lord takes him home.

[11:58] There’s no real risk for my life. [12:00] Now I’m no fool. [12:01] I’m not going to jump off a building or out of an airplane. [12:03] People that skydive make no sense to me. [12:06] It’s like, what’s so bad about your life that that’s what you need to do to get a high? [12:10] All right.

[12:11] Some of you are like, well, it was the greatest moment of my life. [12:13] Well, your life’s pretty pathetic, friend. [12:16] All right. [12:16] That’s all I know to tell you. [12:18] All right. [12:18] Live for something better than what you’re living for.

[12:20] I don’t know what to tell you. [12:22] But I’m not going bungee jumping. [12:24] I don’t need that. [12:25] I got bills to pay. [12:26] All right. [12:27] And so I’ve got a life worth living.

[12:29] So it’s not that I’m living a risky life. [12:32] It’s that I’m living a fearless life. [12:35] I’m living a life where I know that if the Lord makes a promise, he’s going to keep it. [12:39] Therefore, whatever the Lord calls me into is a safe place for me to be, because there’s no place that’s safer than an obedience to God’s call in my life. [12:48] Whatever he may call me to risk, as long as he has told me that his kingdom is mine, I can walk through this world completely fearless. [12:58] The key to this is that God makes a promise and God means to keep his promises.

[13:04] And there is nothing that anyone or anything can do that will ever overcome the promises of God. [13:12] And you need to take a posture of that in your life. [13:17] There is nothing more important to you than the promises that God has made about his kingdom in your life, about his gospel in your life. [13:24] And when you live your life fearfully, you are living your life unfaithfully. [13:32] You are living your life as though what you have to lose is more important than what God has called you to gain. [13:43] And God calls Israel, trust me, I’ve given them into your hand because God’s promises must change your mindset.

[13:53] The problem that I see with most people is not necessarily the actions that you do, even though many of you do foolish and disobedient, sinful actions. [14:01] Problem isn’t the action for me. [14:03] The problem I always see is where did that action come from? [14:06] That’s the question I always have. [14:07] What’s motivating you to act in the way that you’re acting? [14:11] What is it in your life that you are reacting to to make you live such a foolish and faithless life?

[14:20] The promises of God begin by changing your mindset. [14:24] That’s why repentance is a word that begins in the mind. [14:28] It’s a change of perspective, a change of your mind, a change of the way that you think. [14:34] Well, rather than thinking sinfully, you begin to think faithfully. [14:39] And we live fearful lives, even though God has built a resume of working on behalf of his people. [14:46] Friends, you can trust God in the mundane of every day because he’s shown himself faithful and trustworthy in the most spectacular of circumstances.

[14:58] So I hope in this series, I’ve called it building dynamic faith in honor of one of my heroes, but also in the reality that I want to challenge your faith. [15:09] I’m hoping to build your faith. [15:11] I’m hoping to take what for so many is just as academic understanding of the gospel, where you will begin to live it out in your hands, where you will cease to just sit there and theologize. [15:23] You’ll cease to just sit there and theorize. [15:26] There’s nothing sadder than theoretical faith. [15:30] Theoretical faith is worthless.

[15:33] Theoretical faith changes nothing. [15:35] Theoretical faith has never helped anyone. [15:39] It’s faith that meets your hands and faith that meets your feet, because we can trust God. [15:45] In Exodus, chapter 14, God had built a resume for this nation. [15:50] Israel’s on the banks of the Red Sea. [15:53] Egypt is coming.

[15:54] The army is in hot pursuit. [15:57] God speaks through Moses and says, fear not. [16:00] Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. [16:07] For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. [16:11] The Lord will fight for you. [16:13] And you have only to be silent.

[16:15] There’s two fascinating things there. [16:17] The first is stand firm and some translations that may say be still. [16:22] But we so often misunderstand what it says, be still, even in the Psalms, when it says be [16:27] still and know that he is God. [16:29] Be still doesn’t mean stagnate the way that some of you are interpreting it. [16:33] Some of you have lived it.

[16:34] Some of you see this be still idea. [16:36] The stand firm idea is that I just stay completely still and I don’t do anything with my life. [16:42] No, in this context, actually, Israel was like, maybe we should go back. [16:48] Maybe we should surrender. [16:49] And so in the Hebrew, what Moses is actually saying to the people is don’t go backwards [16:57] because in just a few verses, he’s immediately going to say move forward.

[17:01] So it doesn’t mean just stay right there. [17:03] He means the only option for the people of God is always forward. [17:08] Forward is the only option that faith moves in. [17:12] There’s nothing left back there. [17:15] There’s nothing for you in the past. [17:18] It’s over.

[17:20] Are you living with regret when the gospel stop it because there’s nothing you can do [17:24] about it? [17:26] There’s nothing you can do to fix the past, friends. [17:28] So stop dwelling on it. [17:31] There’s nothing you can do with yesterday. [17:33] Yesterday’s over.

[17:34] Tomorrow is the only thing ahead of you. [17:37] So if you’ve got regrets of the past, friends, just live differently tomorrow. [17:41] That’s the only answer for your guilt. [17:43] That’s the only answer for your shame. [17:46] Israel has a history of faithlessness, sinfulness, disobedience to God. [17:55] And yet what does God say?

[17:56] Move forward. [17:58] Move forward. [17:59] There was nothing Israel could do to fix the last 40 years of wilderness wandering.

[18:05] Yet if they dwelt on it, you know what it would ruin? [18:07] It would ruin any chance of tomorrow to be better than today or yesterday. [18:11] Some of you are so sad about yesterday. [18:15] I know you’re going to be sad tomorrow, but you don’t have to be that way. [18:20] You don’t have to live for the past. [18:22] It’s over.

[18:23] Live for tomorrow. [18:25] Did something bad happen yesterday to almost every single one of us at varying degrees? [18:31] All right. [18:33] But the fact of the matter is nothing you can do. [18:36] And yet you let that command your life every single day. [18:42] There’s no way to live faithfully for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[18:46] When you’re overwhelmed by shame, you’re overwhelmed by regret. [18:50] You’re overwhelmed by the chip on your shoulder because of yesterday. [18:55] Friend, get over it. [18:57] Move forward. [18:58] Get through it. [19:00] It’s over.

[19:01] And God says, I will fight for you. [19:06] Isn’t that what Jesus did in the gospel?

[19:10] On the cross of Jesus Christ, did he not fight for you? [19:15] God speaks through Moses to tell them not to retreat. [19:18] And he says, fear not. [19:21] Salvation is of the Lord. [19:25] Salvation is of the Lord. [19:27] You need him in your life.

[19:29] Understand, God is always faithful to his promises. [19:34] While, friend, I know you are not marching against Jericho. [19:38] There are things that you are timid about where the gospel is concerned because of the fear of other people or because of simply the fear of the world in general. [19:50] Some of you sit afraid, and if somebody asks you what you’re afraid of, it’s like asking a liberal, what is a woman? [19:57] You’re not going to have any answers. [20:00] You know, I had to get that in there.

[20:01] It’s proud of me. [20:03] All right. [20:04] Welcome to Village.

[20:09] I am a biologist.

[20:12] God has given commands, but he has given promises that direct those commands. [20:19] We don’t mobilize our lives in fear. [20:22] We mobilize our lives with a mindset that victory is certain because God has promised it. [20:29] Therefore, I must not fear. [20:32] I must not retreat. [20:34] Even if the situation looks bleak, I can trust the promises of God are certain.

[20:41] And so that changes my mindset. [20:43] That changes the way that I live because one of the most applicable victories that God has given you, you want to see one, is over sin. [20:53] He’s given you the victory over sin. [20:55] Yet many of you continue to put temptation in your path because you perpetually think you have to disobey God. [21:06] There’s two ways to say I am a sinner saved by grace. [21:09] The first way is as a shout of victory.

[21:12] I have victory over sin. [21:14] I am a sinner saved by grace. [21:16] Therefore, I am no longer condemned by my sin. [21:19] But there’s a second way to say that that’s defeatist. [21:24] Well, I’m just a sinner saved by grace. [21:27] Now, what you mean by that is I have no choice but to continue in sin.

[21:32] That’s not the gospel. [21:34] You have victory over sin. [21:36] Do you trust the promises of God? [21:39] Then you will face life with victory so that you can obey. [21:42] The Roman 614 says it’s a promise for sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law, but under grace. [21:52] Some of you feel hopeless in your battle against sin, and it’s because you do not have the mindset of victory.

[21:59] You really believe that sin is more powerful than the gospel in your life. [22:05] Now, you may not say it that way, but some of you act that way. [22:10] Some of you perpetually enter into the same environments of temptation because you do not have a mindset of victory. [22:19] Imagine, though, those great walls of Jericho in that moment, the nation lining up for the first victory march, that required a mindset, humanly speaking, of risk.

[22:31] I mean, they’re not lining up thinking there’s no one in that city. [22:35] There’s no one up on those walls. [22:36] They’re lining up. And from a human perspective, they are risking. [22:40] But why are they risking? [22:41] Because they trusted the promises of God to be certain. [22:44] That’s why.

[22:45] What would happen in your life, friends, honestly, if you applied the certainty of victory to your mindset? [22:51] What would change?

[22:54] If instead of walking around the world defeated, you walked around the world knowing that you were victorious, what would change about your life if you changed your mindset and said, I have victory over sin? [23:04] What would change in your mindset if you said, I have victory over the enemy? [23:08] What would change in your mindset if you said pain is not going to hold me down? [23:12] Suffering will not stop me. [23:14] Threats from the world around me will not slow me down. [23:17] I have victory in Jesus.

[23:19] No matter what happens to me, what would change about your mindset? [23:24] I’ll tell you what would change. [23:25] Number two, God works through obedience.

[23:28] God works through obedience.

[23:31] There is a victory march in just obedience. [23:37] I will tell you, God never wastes your obedience, even if your obedience feels unnatural. [23:42] Because I’ll tell you, like watching a toddler walk, it doesn’t look natural. [23:49] They’re just not good at it. [23:51] They’re top heavy. [23:53] They stumble.

[23:54] They fall. [23:56] They seem lopsided sometimes. [23:59] I’m worried about some of your kids. [24:01] All right. [24:01] No, I’m just kidding. [24:02] I’m just kidding.

[24:04] I remember when I had little children. [24:08] I still have them. [24:09] They’re just not little children anymore. [24:10] So don’t worry. [24:11] I haven’t gotten rid of them yet. [24:12] You guys are still at home.

[24:15] But I remember we wanted them to walk. [24:18] You kind of want them to walk. [24:19] But then there’s something in the mother’s mindset. [24:22] Like I want them to walk, but I don’t want them to walk. [24:25] I think mothers, they want their children to perpetually stay in certain scenarios until the middle of the night. [24:30] And then you’re like, please grow up.

[24:32] All right. [24:33] But me, I just I’m very just logical about things. [24:36] So I’m like, well, if they don’t develop, that means we got to go to the hospital. [24:39] All right. [24:40] So I really would rather them develop. [24:41] All right.

[24:42] But then they would start taking those first few steps. [24:46] And it really is like watching just a drunk monkey. [24:50] All right. [24:51] There’s falling all over themselves and, and, you know, people that are very sentimental and, and they just children can do no wrong. [24:58] It’s like, oh, this is the greatest moment of my life. [25:00] In my mind, I’m like, there’s a hitch in that step.

[25:04] I might need to get checked out. [25:05] All right. [25:07] But when you go from sinner condemned to saint redeemed, you can expect righteousness to feel unnatural. [25:20] You can expect obedience not to feel normal because it’s going to be like a baby learning to walk. [25:28] It’s going to be like the first mouthful of solid food. [25:31] You’re not going to know what to do with it, but the spirit will teach you.

[25:36] That’s a fascinating thing about the way that God has worked sanctification or the process of being set apart for his purposes. [25:43] It’s the fascinating thing is you don’t go from center condemned to completely perfect in a day. [25:54] You got to die to face perfection, friends. [25:56] That’s happening in glory, but there is a growth process. [26:00] And that’s why I’m so fascinated by the natural revelation of just life where the process of growing like a Christian is the process of growing in general. [26:11] It goes from being really strange to a little more natural to you’re striding with a walk to where you’re running free.

[26:22] That’s what the intended process of growing and obedience to God is supposed to be like. [26:29] But yet I’ve heard so many people question why it’s necessary for Christians to obey God, why it’s necessary to even proclaim the gospel or to do anything. [26:41] If God’s promises are certain, he has determined the outcome. [26:46] You believe that the sovereignty of God is a fatalistic reason why you don’t need to do anything for God. [26:53] And the key to this is understanding that God not only commands the ends of the situation, God commands the means that get us to those ends. [27:02] There is no such thing as wasted obedience to God.

[27:05] God determined that he would bring Israel and he determined that he would use their marching to bring the victory, that he would use the formation to bring the victory, that he would use the trumpets, that he would use the shouting to bring about the victory. [27:22] That he promised God never makes a promise that he doesn’t have a means by which he’s going to deliver on those promises to think about obedience in any other way simply means that you don’t understand faith in God. [27:36] God desires for people to obey him. [27:38] The scriptures are clear about that, but obedience is a means to the end of his glory and our reward. [27:45] Whenever you repent of sin and realign your life with the revealed will of God in his word, that is always going to be used by God as the fruit of your faith that will bring about his will in your life and his promises for your life. [28:02] So I will tell you, I am necessarily saying that if Israel refused to obey God in what was an odd form of obedience, then they would not have had victory over Jericho on that day.

[28:13] The victory demanded and was determined by obedience, and that was the sovereign will of God. [28:18] God required their faith and the actions that followed their faith in order to give them victory. [28:25] Some of you are not experiencing victory because you refuse to give God obedience.

[28:33] Some of you even use the sovereignty of God as an excuse. [28:36] Well, his will is going to happen regardless of what I do. [28:38] Yeah, of course it is. [28:40] But the problem is you won’t see the benefit of his will if you don’t give him obedience. [28:45] You will receive the detriment of his will. [28:48] You will receive condemnation under his will just because something feels natural, though, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s righteous.

[28:58] You need to understand that when you’re corrupt in sin, obedience is going to initially feel unnatural. [29:03] So many people believe the lie that an action must feel natural in order for it to work in life. [29:11] Many people baptize their natural inclinations as holy. [29:16] And that’s to your shame. [29:17] That’s to your condemnation. [29:18] It’s to your judgment.

[29:19] It’s always a mistake. [29:21] This narrative is a great example of that. [29:24] I mean, when the people of Israel are called to engage in battle, I’m sure guys are grabbing, grabbing shields, grabbing swords. [29:31] They’re grabbing everything that they can. [29:34] All right. Kids are probably grabbing rocks.

[29:38] And he says, no, grab a trumpet. [29:40] Excuse me.

[29:43] He’s like, no, no, just prepare your vocal cords, drink some some hot tea. [29:47] What’s that? This is the most feminine war I’ve ever been in. [29:52] Trumpets and tea. All right.

[29:57] God not only determined the ends, God determined the means. [30:00] And he looks at Israel and says, do you trust me enough to obey me? [30:05] Is you going to face battle in a way that no one else faces battle? [30:09] You’re going to face battle in just a posture of submission, a posture of of really just true. [30:17] They’re vulnerable.

[30:19] When you’re engaging in battle, it does not feel natural to line up and march around the city. [30:24] Once a day for seven days.

[30:29] Friends, you need to understand that God will call you to repent of things that feel very natural to you. [30:34] To a sinner, righteousness will feel unnatural. [30:39] I will tell you, I know people anger is very natural to you.

[30:44] That’s just the way you’ve responded to everything your whole life is anger. [30:48] Does that make it right? [30:50] Violence to some people feels very natural because for whatever reason, from an early age, you just learned to strike back at everyone, to strike out first even. [31:02] Does that make it right?

[31:05] Greed. [31:06] Perversion. Any number of things that God deemed immoral. [31:13] God will tell you, don’t act in ways that always feel natural. [31:21] Righteousness demands that often you act in ways that feel very unnatural because you are trying to recover the natural design of God. [31:32] And it’s only through the power of the spirit that that’s ever going to feel natural to you, because redemption leads to active obedience. [31:40] God redeemed Israel from Egypt, set them on a path of total submission to him.

[31:47] This was the posture that he desired in Isaiah one verses 18 through 19. [31:52] It notes that God had forgiven them of their sin in order to make them his people. [31:57] But what’s the fruit? [31:59] The fruit of that would be willful obedience. [32:01] He says, come now, let us reason together, says the Lord, through though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. [32:08] Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

[32:12] If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. [32:17] That is how God works. [32:19] That’s why in verse eight, Joshua commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets with the ark of the covenant and the Lord following them. [32:30] The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets and the rear guard was walking after the ark while the trumpets blew continually. [32:40] But Joshua commanded the people, you shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout, then you shall shout. [32:52] Joshua basically looks at him and says, shut up.

[32:56] Just let the trumpets go. [32:59] This is the victory shout of the Lord, not your victory shout. [33:02] How strange of a command is this? [33:05] This doesn’t feel normal. [33:08] So he calls the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. [33:11] And they came into camp and spent the night in the camp.

[33:16] And this continued day after day, because this is how God always works. [33:25] Grace and obedience are not opposites. [33:30] You need to understand that grace and obedience are not enemies. [33:36] The grace of God always results in obedience to God, or you have not experienced the grace of God. [33:43] Without obedience, God is not worshiped by your life. [33:47] God is not blessed by your life.

[33:49] God is not glorified by your life. [33:52] Imagine, though, we see the scene, they. [33:57] March around, then the text continues and says they got up the next morning, they did it all over again.

[34:04] But imagine on day four or five. [34:08] I mean, honestly, you can imagine this because some of you struggled to maintain [34:12] focus on God’s will for 15 minutes. [34:15] All right. When was the last time you prayed for 15 solid minutes? [34:20] Mind starts wandering. [34:23] You get into first chronicles, you’re like, oh, I don’t even know if I can make a chapter today.

[34:26] All right. And this is seven straight days. [34:31] On day four or day five, I can only imagine that those that were gung ho on day one, [34:36] because there’s always that one cheerleader. [34:39] I’m always worried about people that are just immediately so excited [34:43] because I’m like, oh, boy, you don’t know how long life is. [34:46] That level of excitement is really difficult to maintain over the long haul.

[34:52] I can only imagine on day four or day five, somebody was asking Dad, Dad, come on. [34:58] How long is this going to take? [35:01] I mean, why can’t God work this way today? [35:05] Why do I have to keep marching? [35:07] Why does God demand seven times? [35:11] That question must have been asked by someone, many, many people, probably.

[35:17] The fact of the matter is, when you commit your life to God [35:20] and you commit to obeying God, don’t expect instant gratification.

[35:26] Following Jesus isn’t like microwave popcorn.

[35:31] Certainly not like a hot pocket.

[35:35] Following Jesus.

[35:38] It’s a marathon. [35:40] It’s an endurance game. [35:42] It’s a lifestyle that must go on for the rest of your life. [35:47] And so you should expect periods of difficulty. [35:50] You should expect periods of discouragement. [35:54] You should expect periods where it’s like, I God’s way is not the best way.

[35:58] I think I’ve come up with a better way. [36:00] You should expect periods where you’re wondering what is taking you so long, Lord. [36:05] Why hasn’t the healing come? [36:07] Why haven’t you restored this relationship? [36:09] Why do I have to keep obeying? [36:11] Why do I have to keep walking in this way?

[36:14] I think I’ve got a better way.

[36:18] But never give into those temptations. [36:22] Never quit. [36:24] Always keep moving forward because God will deliver the victory.

[36:30] In Galatians six, nine, the Apostle Paul actually warns us. [36:35] Sometimes we don’t see this as a warning, but it is. [36:38] The Apostle Paul writes and he says, let us not grow weary in doing good. [36:42] Why would he write that? [36:43] He would write that because the temptation to grow weary [36:46] was going to present itself and it always will.

[36:50] If you haven’t grown weary.

[36:54] You haven’t been following Jesus for very long. [36:56] You haven’t been faithful for very long. [36:58] Maybe I haven’t been faithful at all. I don’t know. [37:01] If also, Paul says the reason [37:04] that you shouldn’t grow weary in doing good is because in due season, [37:07] you will reap. But here is the command.

[37:11] If we do not give up.

[37:17] There’s no place for quitters in the kingdom of heaven.

[37:22] There’s no place for quitters.

[37:25] He puts a qualification on reaping. [37:27] He says, if you don’t give up, some of you are almost giving up. [37:32] Why would you do that? [37:34] Why would you give up? Don’t do it. [37:37] You will see the promises of God because they are certain. [37:43] But you must never give up.

[37:46] You must keep going because number three, this morning, [37:50] God makes clear that salvation belongs to him. [37:53] God makes it clear. [37:55] I want to skip down to verse 20. [37:58] Because this is a long chapter.

[38:02] So the people shouted, the trumpets were blown. [38:05] They’ve gone around once a day for six days on the seventh day. [38:08] They went around seven days, seven times rather. [38:12] And as soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, [38:15] the people shouted a great shout. [38:17] And what happened?

[38:18] The wall fell down flat [38:21] so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him. [38:25] And they captured the city. [38:27] Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, [38:31] young and old oxen, sheep, donkeys with the edge of the sword. [38:34] But to the two men who had spied out the land,

[38:37] Joshua said, go into that prostitute’s house and bring them there. [38:41] Excuse me. Bring out from there the woman and all who belonged to her [38:45] as you swore to her. [38:46] So the young men who had spied, who had been spies, went in [38:50] and brought out Rahab and her father and mother, brothers, all that belonged to her. [38:54] And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel.

[38:58] And they burned the city with fire and everything in it. [39:02] Only the silver and gold and vessels of bronze and all of iron [39:06] they put into the treasury of the House of the Lord. [39:08] But Rahab, the prostitute in her father’s household and all who belonged to her. [39:13] Joshua saved alive. [39:16] And she has lived in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers

[39:21] whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

[39:28] Fascinating. Hebrews 1130 says, [39:31] by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. [39:36] This is another example of God using obedience. [39:39] So was faith the power? [39:42] No, it’s not what it’s saying. [39:44] Because faith isn’t a power.

[39:45] Faith depends on the object in whom the faith is placed. [39:50] When you put your faith in God, you do not become a God. [39:54] You don’t have the power of God. [39:55] It’s a willing and vulnerable trusting in God that he has the power to deliver. [40:01] God has not promised to move in the way that he did in Jericho every time. [40:07] And he doesn’t throughout scripture.

[40:09] But look at how he did work. [40:12] It was not the seismic decibels of their shout that brought the walls down. [40:17] It was God. He did exactly as he promised. [40:22] And verses five and verse 20 makes this amazing statement. [40:29] The ESV says that the walls fell down on itself. [40:32] They fell down flat.

[40:34] The literal Hebrew is that it fell under itself. [40:38] In other words, in the Hebrew, it means that it collapsed like an intended demolition. [40:44] It fell straight down. [40:47] Because the victory came from above. [40:50] God destroyed Jericho. [40:51] If people are pushing the walls, then what are they going to do?

[40:54] They’re going to fall this way. [40:56] The Hebrews clear, they fell this way. [40:58] They fell straight down. Why? [41:01] Because God wanted it clear that he brought the walls of Jericho. [41:04] That is unusual. [41:07] So the way it’s supposed to happen, but that is because the victory came from above.

[41:11] God destroyed Jericho and God then had them go in and destroy all of the people of Jericho. [41:17] Why? Because Deuteronomy 9.5 says that all the people in Canaan were evil and wicked. [41:23] God did it in such a way that no one would make the mistake to think that a human had brought this victory. [41:30] The walls fell from a pressure from above, straight down. [41:34] This is how God always will do it, too. [41:38] I want you to see two passages of scripture.

[41:41] In Revelation 11, 15, the text notes that there was a seventh angel [41:47] that blew the trumpets, proclaiming the victorious and eternal reign of God. [41:54] I can’t help but make the connection there with the use of the term seven, [41:59] which is something of completion, something of victory every time that it’s used in scripture. [42:05] It says there were loud voices in heaven saying, [42:07] the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,

[42:11] and he shall reign forever and ever. [42:14] Whatever your view of the end times 11, 15 is always future. [42:21] In other words, God will have victory over the kingdom of this world. [42:25] The way that the victory comes about is no accident because that is a victory trumpet [42:29] because it’s the seventh one. [42:32] Revelation 21, starting in verse one, it says,

[42:41] And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem. [42:44] What is it doing? [42:45] Coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [42:54] Why would I point that out? [42:56] Because it’s always tempting to look at these passages and say, that’s wonderful.

[43:02] That’s amazing how God has worked. [43:05] And so many will do that to the detriment of their souls [43:07] without connecting what God has done to what God will do. [43:12] Just like the victory came from above on Jericho, friend, [43:15] I want you to understand that no matter what the world may look like right now around you, [43:20] Revelation 21 says God is going to bring victory from above again.

[43:25] He will put Jerusalem right down on top of the kingdom of this world [43:32] because his victory is secure. [43:37] Victory will come from above and it will topple every pagan kingdom of this world. [43:44] And so I ask you, are you discouraged? [43:48] Does it seem like the enemy will win because he has fortified walls? [43:53] Do not ever lose faith.

[43:55] Our victory will always come from above and God will always use our obedience to bring it about [44:02] as he always has. [44:05] A few application points this morning. [44:07] Number one, change your mindset with the promises of God.

[44:12] Change your mindset. [44:14] That’s the start.

[44:17] You gotta let your mind be saturated in God’s promises. [44:21] Number two, focus your attention on the victory of God. [44:25] Too many of you are focused on everything that’s going wrong. [44:28] Not just with the world around you.

[44:31] Some of you just look at what’s happening in your life. [44:37] It doesn’t have to go outside of your life. [44:39] Look, you’re so pessimistic, you’re so overwhelmed, you’re so cynical. [44:43] Friend, faithfulness focuses on the victory. [44:46] Number three, submit your lifestyle to obedience to God.

[44:51] Never leave room for disobedience. [44:53] Only obedience. [44:55] That’ll change a lot about your life. [44:58] Number four, keep trusting that God will deliver on every promise. [45:03] Endure. [45:04] Keep the faith.

[45:06] Keep moving forward. [45:08] Discouragement will come.

[45:10] But never give in. [45:12] Never give up. [45:14] Always trust the gospel.