Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• No film has been made about Joshua
• Example scenes from the film
• Specific instructions from God
• Three things stand out
1. God's ways are not our ways
2. Obedient faith leads to victory
3. Judgment is often mixed with mercy

God's ways are not our ways

• A foolish military strategy
• Our battle is against the devil, the world and our own flesh
• The victory is in Jesus Christ who came to die on a cross
• We believe in an invisible God, prayer, the Word, preaching, witnessing, holy lives
• Every day the priests had to carry the ark around the city
• All Israel's eyes were on the ark
• God was saying 'I am leading you into victory'
• We are not to work according to our timetable, agenda or ways - but to follow God's word
• Without Christ we are reminded we can do nothing
• If we do things in human reason we are doomed to failure
• If we trust God and follow His word, He has promised victory
• This was a slow process that required great patience
• Why a different strategy [for Jericho]?
• So God could get all the glory - even all the spoils were to go to God (v24)
• Would God trust us to say 'this is of the Lord'?
• To encourage the people
• God's work must be done in God's way
• Exodus 17
• How do we as a church act - what is our strategy?
• We act according to biblical principles
• We must first look to God
• What are our Jericho's today?
• Secular humanism
• The liberal agenda
• The desire for pleasure and materialism
• What is our strategy?
• We need to make our voice heard
• Fighting issues in court
• Making Christianity less austere
• Has our emphasis/strategy gone in the wrong place
• Surely the emphasis must be on prayer and preaching
• Do we really believe this?

Obedient faith leads to victory

• Heb 11:30 - "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days."
• By faith the walls came down
• We must pray in faith - with God all things are possible
• We should be like Joshua (5:14)
• "What does my Lord say to His servant?"
• We should ask 'Lord, what do yo want me to do?'
• Prompt obedience (v12)
• They obeyed every instruction God had given them
• What commands does God give for us to obey?
• Whatever God says, we are called to obey
• The Bible says: "according to your faith, be it unto you"
• Faith is not sight - the eyes of the people were on God
• We need to feel weak about ourselves that we will trust on God
• Unity in God's task
• We must not be distracted by voices around us
• We must not focus on our problems but focus on God

Judgment is often mixed with mercy

• A devastating act of Judgment
• Lev 18, Deut 18:9-14
• Perversions in the surrounding nations - examples
• Gen 15:16
• God is a just God who punishes iniquity that righteousness may prevail
• This act of judgment points to the Final Judgment
• Mercy is shown to Rahab's household
• She was willing to obey the instructions of God
• This reminds us of the great mercy of God
• Have you come to know God's forgiveness?

Closing Remarks