Chapter 07 “The Battle Begins”
Book of Joshua
Intro – welcome to chapter seven of The Story…a 31 week journey we are taking as a church family through the Bible…in which we are discovering the grand theme of the Bible, the one overall message that God is wanting to communicate to the world…that God created you and loves you…but then He lost you because of sin…so now He is on a rescue mission to bring you back to Himself through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ…
-if you’ve been reading your book acc to our schedule, then this past week, in chapter 7, you read selections from the entire book of Joshua…
…the incredible story of Joshua…the story of God’s people entering the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership after 40 years in the wilderness…an amazing story of faith, courage, battle and obedience in which the Israelites move into the land God had promised to give them many years earlier…
Israel as a Metaphor of the Christian Life
-the journey of the people of Israel is a metaphor for the Christian life…what the OT people of God experienced is meant to be a picture of what we go through as God’s people today…
a. Egypt – is a symbol of slavery, bondage, the place of death and captivity to sin…it represents being lost, separated from God…under the control of Satan…
-the only escape from Egypt is through the Red Sea, through a pathway that only God can open up and rescue us…and that pathway is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, through Who’s death on the cross we have been set free from slavery to sin and brought out of death and bondage and have been made new people through the gospel of Christ…
-symbolized by the blood painted on the doorposts of the Israelites homes…first Passover…picture of Jesus’ blood…
b. Wilderness – is a symbol of wandering, exile, waiting, of being formed by God…the place in which we’re in transition…we’re unsettled and restless… we’re easily discouraged and are tempted to grumble and complain about how hard things are and how let down by God and others we feel…
-yet there is great mercy from God in the wilderness…there are great times of victory and experiencing God’s faithfulness…there is His care and love and protection…we learn great lessons in the struggles…we discover God’s faithfulness and protection over us…we are being formed into the image of Jesus Christ in the waiting…
c. Promised Land – a symbol of the life of victory, obedience, conquest over sin’s power and control, the place of effectiveness and usefulness, joy, faith, adventure… AND of regular spiritual battles, warfare, challenges, difficulties… not a perfect life free from all sin, not a place of comfort and ease, not trouble-free…
…but a realm that still has to be conquered and settled, because Satan’s opposition still illegally occupies this place and tries to prevent the Christian from entering fully into the good, abundant life God has made available to us…so the Promised Land is where we are called to go on the offensive and be spiritual warriors…and to take the land God has promised us…
Where are you living these days?…
In our story today in the book of Joshua, this is where the Israelites find themselves…on the edge of the Promised Land…ready to go in as a result of God’s faithful promise and under the leadership of God’s chosen servant, Joshua…
Let’s read the introduction to the story and then learn how you and I as God’s people today, can also enter into the spiritual promised land He is giving us as our inheritance…
Open Bible to Joshua 1…Prayer…read 1:1-9…
I How To Enter the Promised Land (at least 3 ways)
1. Commitment to the Word vv.7-9
-one of the ways we enter Promised Land living is by committing ourselves to the word of God…
Why? because when we align our life with God’s word, we are able to receive God’s blessing, direction, His rewards, His support…
-conversely, when we disregard or disobey God’s word, we experience the opposite…susceptible to sin…weak, powerless…open the door to Satan and his attacks…
That’s why I am so glad we are diving deeply into the word as a whole church family these days through The Story series…”don’t make it your goal to master the Bible: let the Bible master you…”
How far does this commitment to God’s word go?… Well, for the Israelites, when God told them to do something really challenging, like march around Jericho seven times…they did it…even if it didn’t make logical sense…even if it seemed a little excessive or over the top…
And we know what happened when Joshua and the Israelites obeyed God’s word in this specific way: the walls of the city fell and they took possession of it…
2. Consecrated Life 3:1-5
-another way we enter Promised Land living is through a consecrated life…
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
-read 3:1-5…
What a promise from God!! We near to hear this as the word of God to us today…He wants to do amazing things even among us here at Northgate…but we have to be consecrated people…set apart…prepared, cleansed and singularly devoted to God and His purposes…
I love the conversation Joshua has with the people near the end of his life in ch. 24…listen to what he says in that chapter:
-read 24:2-13…(vv 14-15 on screen when I get there)
14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
You see, that’s the kind of consecration that God blesses…that’s why Joshua was such a great leader…because he was dedicated to serving God regardless of whether or not anyone else did…
How about you and your spouse say that together? you and your children? grandchildren? you and your siblings? And if they won’t, then how about just you say that? and find other people in the church family that are saying that… and join arms with them so your faith and courage can be strengthened by that of others…
Another way we enter the spiritual Promised Land is by
3. The First Step of Faith 3:8-15
8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
And that’s exactly what happened…all because the priests took one step of faith…they took the first step of faith…
…they put their foot into the Jordan river…they stepped out in faith at the clear direction of God…and God opened up the way into the Promised Land…
* interesting the ways in which God works: sometimes you have to wait until the way is opened up before you…eg. The Red Sea…other times you have to take the first step when the way is blocked before you…eg Jordan River…but you can because you know God is going with you…
I’m wondering what step of faith God is wanting you to take? what He is asking you to do that requires great courage and bold obedience…that doesn’t make logical sense to you or the people around you? that somebody is trying to talk you out of because it’s so risky…
God’s gives the Promised Land to people who will enter it by faith…so stop being passive or reluctant or outright rebellious…and do what God is asking of you…
Those are three ways we enter the Promised Land today, the place of joy, victory, obedience, conquest over sin’s power and control, the place of effectiveness and usefulness, of adventurous faith…
II Why Enter the Promised Land?
But the last question I want us to ask today is why? Why enter the Promised Land? Is there another reason other than it’s what God wants for us? Is there another compelling reason to take possession of the Promised Land?
And, from God’s upper story perspective, there is: one of the greatest reasons we must enter the spiritual Promised Land and live life there, has less to do with us and more to do with people that are highly important to God…
…and that reason is: for the sake of Rahab ch.2
-Rahab is the prize…lost, sinful Rahab…open-hearted, chosen by God Rahab…that is one of the greatest reasons for you and I to enter the Promised Land…
Listen to her story in chapter 2:1-21…
* the prize is Rahab; the rescue of one life at a time from the stronghold of sin; the rescue of that lost and needy person who has a spiritual hunger for God, who wants so badly to be free from their captivity and join up with the people of God.
-that is a Rahab… and they are in your life…you already know them…and they are waiting and ready for you and I to get to them and offer them rescue from death to life through the gospel of Jesus Christ…
How to Spot a Rahab
1) they are currently lost, separated from God, held captive to sin and slavery to Satan in “Jericho”
… people who have a lifestyle we may not approve of, or they look a little messy, or live somewhere we don’t care for, or associate with a crowd we would rather not. They’ll no doubt have a past that makes us squirm, and their present might look pretty bleak, but their future is what God is interested in!
Rahab was a prostitute. Think about that. How many of us would be willing to go and talk to a prostitute and be interested in their life and lovingly speak to her or him about the answer for their needs that can be found in Jesus Christ?
God chose a female Canaanite prostitute to become one of His own children and get mentioned in the famous Heb.11 Hall of Faith chapter…
But remember, God loves to turn things upside down. He chooses the most unexpected people to work with. He specializes in social outcasts. So you know any Rahabs?
There’s more to recognizing a Rahab:
2) they have a growing spiritual sensitivity to and hunger for our powerful God. They are hungry for God, for spiritual reality.
They have heard stories about the God of love, power, grace, unusual kindness. They have heard of His wrath against sin, judgment and punishment of those who disregard Him. And they want to know more. They are asking questions like: “Who is this God? Who are these people of God? Can this God possibly love someone like me?”
This obscure, lowly, despised prostitute believes in God! So many people out there do. And she is looking for something better in life. She is on a spiritual search. All she needs is an opportunity to meet Him first-hand.
And when God brings two men into her life who are not interested in her services as a prostitute, her question is, “What kind of God is it that these men serve? A God that causes men to act like this could certainly give me a new moral framework and freedom from my captive life.” And she listens to their stories about their God.
Rahab is a seeker of truth; and her questions are a starting point for her faith, a faith that is already quite far along.
Know any Rahabs? there’s more to learn about her:
3) she is willing to do something by faith to begin moving toward God
• she takes a great risk in hiding the two spies…
• she is willing to ask for help, for her and her family’s life to be spared…
• she is willing to speak to her whole family and convince them to take refuge in her house when the attack comes…
• she is willing to forsake her life for a new one, to leave Jericho, her people, culture, old way of life and join up with a new family, the family of God’s people…
I’m telling you that there are Rahab’s out there, people you know, waiting for you and I to come and invite them to a changed life, to meet Jesus.
So, is it worth the struggle of entering the Promised Land of spiritual victory just for one Rahab? Jesus would say yes!
Rahab’s Legacy
By the way, it took God exactly 5 verses at the beginning of the NT to mention Rahab. And you know why she’s mentioned? She’s listed in the genealogical record of Jesus Christ in Mt.1 (the list of His ancestry, family tree from Abraham on).
From a sinful prostitute lost in Jericho to belonging to the Messianic blood line of JC! Quite impressive! You never know what plans God has for the Rahab you know.
Conclusion
Let’s wrap this up by mentioning a highly significant image in the Rahab story: the scarlet cord (picture) she hung from her window.
The scarlet cord is a symbol of Jesus Christ and His blood…some Bible students have found what they call the “scarlet thread” that runs throughout the whole Bible…and it is there if you look for it…
And when we look for it we once again see that the over-all message of the Bible, the one story God is wanting to tell through His word, is that because God loves but lost you, Jesus is now on a rescue mission to bring you back to Himself through His death on the cross…
…and if you follow the scarlet cord through the pages of the Bible, you find that it leads directly to the cross of Jesus Christ…the only way you can be rescued, which is by faith in the blood of our Savior…
How about we spend a few moments praying for that Rahab? Perhaps you are that Rahab?…