Breakthroughs and Break-Outs

Introduction: (Defining the Pain)

Joshua 6:1 ESV

1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.

A wall of Defense

Walls are a defense mechanism. They keep out what you want to keep out and they keep in what you want to keep in.

We use walls in our lives every day.

We put walls around our country to protect the citizens of our country.

There are controlled access points on these walls that so that the country can regulate and determine what comes in and what goes out.

When David and I arrived in Armenia last week I went through the passport security to both enter and exit that country. They controlled what came in and what goes out.

We put walls around our homes.

These walls protect the most precious things I have which is my family. The stuff I’m not worried about.

I’ll make you a deal. If you want my TV just come over and get it. If I don’t shot you you can have it.

We put walls around our hearts and lives.

Some are walls of protection because you’ve been hurt before.

Every time someone hurts you, you add another layer to the wall.

Just like Jericho was fortified with an outer and an inner wall your heart is locked up tight.

There are access points but they are heavily guarded.

Some are walls of sin put up by bad decisions and lack of faith.

You have become a prisoner of your own making.

Frustrated with yourself because you built the walls that now enslave you.

If your not careful you begin to lose faith inside your walls of protection and sin. It becomes a downhill spiral. When you lose faith you lose hope. When you lose hope you lose love.

Some of us need a breakthrough and some of us need a break out.

You need to breakthrough the walls that are holding you back.

So you can move to the next level and own your potential.

You’re trusting God to make a way in where there is no way.

Or you need to break-out of the walls that are holding you hostage.

You’re trapped on the inside and the wall are shut up tight.

You’re trusting God to make a way out where there is no way.

In our passage this morning we have both kinds of people illustrated.

Israel needs to breakthrough the walls of Jericho.

Rahab is trapped inside the walls of your old life and needs to break-out.

So, how do we have our breakthrough or our break-out.

Either way the formula is the same. You must live by faith.

Faith is walking in the promises of God whether outside or inside the walls.

Faith is walking in the power of the Holy Spirit to enter into your promise land.

Faith will lead you to your breakthrough or your break-out.

Joshua 6:2–7 ESV

2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” 6 So 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, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

I have identified 3 things that will lead to your breakthrough of faith or your break-out of faith.

Faith seems foolish to a fallen world.

Joshua 6:12–14 ESV

12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.

You got people on the outside walking by faith you got people on the inside walking by faith. And the world looks at both of them as crazy.

Just because you don’t understand the walk of faith doesn’t mean it’s foolishness.

God had his reasons for what seemed foolish.

God was establishing completion of his promise to Israel through the 7’s.

Seven Priests

Seven trumpets

Seven days of marching

Seven circuits around the city on the seventh day.

Israel understood the faithfulness of God through the 7’s.

There are things we do as children of God that the world doesn’t understand and thinks is foolishness.

Worship to a God we can’t see.

Praying to a God for our beakthroughs and break-outs.

Gathering together on the first day of the week (the day Christ resurrected from the dead).

Giving the firstfruits of our increase to God and to help others.

God was establishing a new beginning in Rahab’s life as she waited on the Lord to move on her behalf.

The world didn’t understand her faith in their fear.

The world didn’t understand her hope in their despair.

The world didn’t understand her love in their hatred.

God uses the foolish to shame the wise of this world.

Neither Israel nor Rahab had the power to breakthrough or beak-out. They both had to trust that God was going to move in a mighty way.

Some say this is a point of weakness, God says it’s a point of strength.

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 ESV

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

Your strength for the victory is found in the strength of the Lord.

“remember that you fight from victory, not just for victory” Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Strong (p. 70). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

“Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.”

Hebrews 11:30 ESV

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

Joshua 6:20 ESV

20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.

Transition:

But what if your on the wrong side of the walls? What if your the one trapped in the condemnation of this walled up world? You need deliverance from certain destruction that you know is coming. I have good news for you God recognizes faith inside the walls just as much as he does outside the walls.

Faith saves you from this fallen world.

Hebrews 11:31 ESV

31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Rahab remained faithful to God in the midst of her sinful world.

She trusted in the promised of God has she waited for her deliverance.

She saved as many as she could while she waited on the Lord.

Joshua 6:17 ESV

17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

“When the walls are crashing around you, God is opening new doors for you to walk through.”

Joshua 6:25 ESV

25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

God always saves people in the midst of destruction.

God not only saves from destruction but redeems your life for his glory.

Rahab the prostitute was King David’s Great-Great-Grandmother.

Rahab the prostitute was used by God to produce the Savior through the line of Mary.

Don’t ever think God can’t do amazing things through your life.

All you need is to trust God for a breakthrough.

And live in expectation that God is doing something big.

Have faith in the victory not just the battle.

Joshua 6:18 ESV

18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

We don’t overcome the world for the things of the world.

We overcome the world to leave worldly things behind.

Israel in their breakthrough was to destroy the things of the land.

Rahab in your break-out was to leave it all behind.

Either way we give it to God as a sacrifice of deliverance.

God was establishing the principle of “firstfruits.”

This being the first victory in the land was all given to the Lord.

We practice the principle of firstfruits through the tithe today.

The world thinks we’re giving money.

We know we are giving honor and respect to God who has blessed us.

The firstfruit is not your any more than it was Israel’s. Be careful not to rob God of his firstfruits.

“Sin often comes in the victory not in the battle.”

It’s just as important to know how to handle yourself in victory as it is to know how to fight the battle.

We tend to let our guard down after the battle.

We tend to claim the spoils of the Lord for ourselves.

We tend to take the glory that belongs to the Lord.

Next Steps: (Defining the Process)

Wether inside or outside the walls put your faith in God and live in the victory.

As the walls come crashing down be looking for the God’s way of escape.

When the victory comes don’t let your guard down.