The Steps of Victory

Joshua Stepping Up  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  29:26
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Intro; Pastor Rod Mattoon makes a statement of their being three stages of a Christian’s life.
1. The Christian living in the bondage of worldliness as Israel was in bondage in Egypt.
2. The selfish, carnal, Christian wandering in the wilderness.
3. The productive Christian living in victory and conquering the enemy of his or her soul. This is where we find God’s people in Joshua 6.… conquering, obedient, possessing God’s blessings, and victorious.
Text; Joshua 6:1-27
Joshua 6:1–27 NKJV
1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.” 6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.” 8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp. 12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days. 15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! 17 Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.” 20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.” 23 And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel. 24 But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26 Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.” 27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.

1. Fear The Lord; 1-2

Fear- anxiety, a dread of something bad happening, being afraid
Fear- honor, reverence, in awe
“Fear the Lord” is mainly used in the context of how we honor or give reverence to God which carries blessings or cursings based upon how we give it.
Jericho feared the Lord in that they did not honor nor revere Him as their God and were shut up in the city with anxiety, being afraid and with a dread of bad things on the horizon.
On the other hand, Israel feared the Lord in honor and now God is blessing them by giving them victory over a impregnable city that they had no means in themselves to take.
Jericho is known as the oldest city in the world. It is called the city of palm trees and was a beautiful place. The area of the city was about nine acres. It was surrounded by double walls 25–30 feet high with an outer wall six feet thick. The inner walls were twelve feet thick with fifteen feet between each wall. It was the fortress to the east entrance to the land of Canaan. If Jericho was not taken then Israel would be looking over their shoulders the rest off their life fearing the inhabitants of Jericho instead of fearing God!
Are there things in your life that continue to cause hurt, pain or become a burden because you have not completely given them to God?
[2] “ I have given thee Jericho”. As christians God has already given us the victory, we just need to conquer/overcome those seemingly impregnable walls in His name!
Mark 9:23 (NKJV)
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.
Philippians 1:6 NKJV
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Philippians 4:13 NKJV
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
John 15:5 NKJV
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Romans 8:37 NKJV
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
If we will consistently Fear the Lord then we will consistently walk in victory with Him!

2. Foolish Things and Our Faith; 3-6

The plan that God gave Joshua for the conquest of this great walled city seems a little bit foolish, especially to a military leader like Joshua, but it worked.
God delights in doing things that seem foolish to the world
1 Corinthians 1:26–29 NKJV
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
Faith is the key to trusting the Lord when His plans seem a little far-fetched
Hebrews 11:1 NKJV
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Close;
J. Hudson Taylor [missionary to China] stated there are three different ways to serve the Lord!
1. Make the best plans we can and hope they succeed.
2. Make our own plans and ask God to bless them.
3. Ask God for His plan and do what He tells us to do.
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV)
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
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