A Display of Power

Background to passage: Coming off the Gibeonite deception, Israel is forced to defend the Gibeonites against a coalition of nations.

Joshua 10:1–15 ESV

1 As soon as Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had devoted it to destruction, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 2 he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3 So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon. For it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel.” 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it. 6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. 12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. 15 So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Opening illustration: Crossing the Red Sea clip from The Prince of Egypt

Main thought: Today will be reminded of the power of God and evaluate our dependence on it.

1) The Necessity of God’s Power (v. 7-14)

Joshua 10:7–14 ESV

7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. 12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

1) The Necessity of God’s Power (v. 7-14)

Explanation: The miracles of the Exodus are years behind the children of Israel. The crossing of the Jordan river and the battle at Jericho are still in recent memory for them, but it seems in this account, God goes above and beyond to continue to spread his fame. This is also a catapult for the remainder of their victories in taking the southern half of the promised land.

After taking Ai with a more conventional battle strategy, God was reminding Joshua and the Israelites of his “giving” the cities and the land. He wanted them to remember that their strength was in him; that their victory was because of him, so that they would not become self-sufficient or independent in their own minds. His power was required.

First, God threw the coalition of kings/nations into a panic. Next, he empowered Israel to strike them down. Then, as they were fleeing, He sent large hailstones from heaven that killed more than the battle had killed. Then, Joshua needed a little more time to finish killing them all, so he asked God to make the sun stand still for an extra day, which God did. There was no way they came out of that battle taking all the credit. This was a faith-building, momentum-swinging, confidence in leadership-restoring victory.

Zechariah 4:6 ESV

6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 40:21–26 ESV

21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.

Illustration: First Jax and their history of growth all due to the power of God. Andrew Murray believed that God had done everything necessary for people to live rich, productive, meaningful lives that participated in the life of God. The obstacles to such lives included half-hearted surrender to God, a lack of confidence in the anointing of the Spirit, and a deep-rooted skepticism about the power of prayer...According to Murray, the church does not realize that "God rules the world by the prayers of his saints, that prayer is the power by which Satan is conquered, that by prayer the church on earth has disposal of the powers of the heavenly world."

Application: For far too long have we operated without the power of God. As the evangelical church in America, we have been known for being against things, being for certain moral or political issues. We have been known as bible believers at best, and hypocrites at worst. However, I think the thing that we haven’t been known for is a display of the power of God.

We haven’t been known for doing things that can only be explained by the power of God upon the lives of his people and the body of Christ. There is an epidemic of anemic, powerless churches that operate on how we have always done it, or on this charismatic personality, or on the latest technology, or on writing checks, or programs, or great youth trips. On occasion, you hear of a church or organization that has done/seen something amazing. Maybe they fostered/adopted every child in their county. Maybe a stirring of the spirit led to hundreds of professions of faith on a campus. Maybe an extended, unplanned movement leaves countless people’s lives different. Maybe a church planting movement overtakes a city. Maybe an aging, dry, dead, church on life support is resurrected to life and vibrancy again.

Ephesians 3:10–12 (ESV)

10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Ephesians 3:20–21 (ESV)

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

So what about us? Are we a church that sees or depends on God’s power? When was the last time we saw a movement of God among us? Could it be that we are relying on ourselves for the ministry we do or the transformation we see? Could it be that we are not seeking the power of God in the ministries that we are taking on? How about when we worship? Do we ask God to throw things into a panic or hail stones (symbolically)? We come and evaluate the services, thank the singers and the preacher, but no change takes place. We don’t ask for God to do mighty things through us.

Dr. Wilbur Chapman was holding a series of meetings in England, the man of prayer, Praying Hyde came to pray with him: “He came to my room, turned the key in the door, dropped on his knees, waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from his lips. I could hear my own heart thumping and beating. I felt the hot tears running down my face. I knew I as with God. Then with upturned face, down which the tears were streaming, he said: “Oh, God!” Then for five minutes at least, he was still again, and then when he knew he was talking with God his arm went around my shoulder and there came up from the depth of his heart such petitions for men as I had never heard before. I rose from my knees to know what real prayer was.”

We had five people at Tuesday night prayer. Our individual prayer lives are weak. Our desires are minimal. We don’t believe that God could change us, let alone change LaGrange through us. We are satisfied, self-sufficient; there is not sense of holy desperation, no sense of utter dependence on God to do his work, now expectation for him to so up and explode upon his people and upon a people in need.

Revelation 3:17–20 ESV

17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

The saddest part is that people who seek that, want that, but can’t find a congregation that is operating under the power of God get frustrated and discouraged and wonder if the church has truly be transformed, if they truly have been touched by Jesus, if they have truly seen God move before. They get disillusioned, divorce themselves or fall away from fellowship with God’s people, without which they will never grow in their passion, and without which they will never be used as an agent of change in a body to experience the power of God.

Closing illustration: Our Refocus team has its first meeting with our facilitator Mark today. It has components for the health of our church. It will require transformation. It will require surrender. It will require change. These sacrifices are necessary for the kingdom work to be accomplished in us. But the main thing that Refocus will require is the power of God. It will amount to nothing without the power of God. The power of God will change hearts. The power of God can revive souls. The power of God will draw people. The only reason that any ministry is truly transformative is the power of God. It is hard to say that we are dependent on that power, dependent on Christ when we don’t prioritize our pleading for it, prioritize out lives for holiness to receive it, and position our church to be the conduit through which it flows into our community and the globe.

Recap