Sermon Tone Analysis

!  

! INTRODUCTION

* *

*1.    **Last Wednesday we looked at one of the **requirements **for God to use us*

a.    Obedience

 

*2.

**Now we come to the most famous chapter in Joshua*

a.

The fall of Jericho

b.    Trivia – Read Jericho is the longest continually inhabited city on earth

c.

Some of the walls around the city where wide enough to drive two chariots side by side

                                          i.

About the width of our two lane highway

d.

By ancient standards these walls were almost impossible for the enemy to cross over

 

*3.

**Jericho **= ‘moon city’*

a.    Probably the worship center for the Canaanite moon god

 

*4.

**The people of Jericho knew the Israelites were about to attack*

 

 

*Joshua 6:1** Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

*

 

a.

They hoped that shutting up of the city would stop any spies from coming in

b.

We know that didn’t work

c.

Let us take a look at this great chapter

 

 

*THE PLAN*

* *

*Joshua 6:2-4** And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, /and/ the mighty men of valour.

And ye shall compass the city, all /ye/ men of war, /and/ go round about the city once.

Thus shalt thou do six days.

And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

*

 

*1.

**God’s plan for conquering Jericho was to demonstrate what **faith **and **obedience **to His commands can **do*

a.

At first look at this plan – it sounds a little silly

b.    Image yourself as a Jewish General

c.

You did not learn this plan in War College

d.

They really needed ladders, ropes, battering rams

 

e.

Not a bunch of preachers playing trumpets

 

*2.

**God may call us to do things that seem foolish to the world*

a.

We look kind of like moral dinosaurs

                                          i.

Because of our stand on morality

                                        ii.

Because of our stand on abortion

                                       iii.

Our belief in the Word of God

                                       iv.

We look foolish in the amount we give to support our church

b.

It takes real courage to look foolish in the eyes of your peers

 

*3.

**The people of Jericho probably **stood **on city walls **looking **down at the Israelites*

a.    Maybe cracking jokes about these ex-slaves that worshipped just one God

b.

For six days these Israelites looked like fools

c.    Yes, there will be times we, when used by God, will look like fools to the world

 

*4.

**When Joshua gave God’s instructions to the priests and the people, they **obeyed **immediately*

* *

* *

*Joshua 6:5-7** And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long /blast/ with the ram's horn, /and/ when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.

And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord.

*

 

a.

There was no dilly dallying

b.

They did not take a vote

c.

They did not form a committee to study the possible of taking the city

d.

God told them to walk around the city for six days

e.    God told them not to make a noise

 

 

*Joshua 6:10** And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall /any/ word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

*

 

f.

God did not want them talking

 

g.

You know that all it takes is a few complaining people

                                          i.

A few negative people

h.

To discourage all of us

 

*1 Cor.

15:33* Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

i.

If you want a growing faith, stay away from negative, complaining people

                                          i.

They always see problems rather than possibilities

                                        ii.

Criticism is contagious

                                       iii.

It spreads like cancer and counteracts faith

j.      God did not want the Israelites to talk because He knew that if just one person said ‘this is silly’

                                          i.

Or ‘ this won’t work’ or ‘this is foolish’

                                        ii.

Then those two would talk to two more, then 4 more, etc

                                       iii.

Soon throughout the whole group

k.

So God said, ‘Be quiet’

 

 

*Joshua 6:11** So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about /it/ once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

*

 

                                          i.

For 6 days they walked around the city