RUBBLE

Good Morning Church

Sunday School Series…(Bible Stories)

-Noahs Ark

-Jacob vs Jesus

And I told you…these are the stories from your youth…BUT they are going to hit you in a different way than when you were 7 in Sunday school class…

I hope that you see the seriousness of God’s justice and wrath against sin as well as His deepness and richness of grace and love…

These stories show us the character of God…and His plan for the people dwelling on earth…THEY SHOW US JESUS!!!

Speaking of CHARACTER…

Something you notice in all stories…

They all have essential characters…

These characters are used by the author to show us the overall plot…and to be the instruments that show us the will of the author…

What He wants us to experience and know…

Thats the role of a character….

The actions of each character is essential to getting out of the story what the author desires for you to get out of it…

If we want to know the author and his desire for us as readers …we first have to get to know the characters…

So thats what we are going to do today as we dive into our third Bible story…

THE WALLS OF JERICHO

Open Bibles to Joshua 5!

In order to get what the author (the Lord) wants us to receive from this text…we are going to look deeply at 3 characters in this story…

3 Main Characters In This Story:

Joshua (1-6)

Who is Joshua?

Joshua 1:1–2 “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.”

Joshua was:

A minister of Moses…

Served him and was close to him…

Born in the wilderness…

Joshua is now:

Getting directions directly from God…

Leading Israel…(Moses replacement)

And God says my covenant through Moses (to dwell with the people in the promise land) is still strong and I will uphold it through you…

Joshua 1:3 “(go unto the land which I give to all the children of Israel) Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.”

So God puts Joshua in leadership and says the first thing I want you to do is to lead my people back into the Promise Land…

Finish the race!!! (This has been a 40 year journey!!!…From Exodus (red sea parting) to now) (40 years wandering through the wilderness…now finally getting to go into the promised land)

THIS IS A HUGE MISSION!!!

But God tells him…

Joshua 1:5 “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

IN FACT… the Lord tells Joshua the same thing 4 times before the end of the chapter…

As he tells him what he is to do…the work he is to accomplish…

“BE STRONG…AND BE OF GOOD COURAGE”

BUT NOTICE: Both before and after he commands Joshua 4 times to “be strong and courageous”…

He tells him…”I AM with you!”

BUT Its important to note here a few things…

God is commanding Joshua to do some pretty intense (dangerous) things…

-Lead a massive group of people (literally millions) across the Jordan River…

-A river thats flooded (3:15)

ON TOP OF THAT!!!

-To go into a land that is occupied by pagan enemies

-The Canaanites…who dwell in a city right on the other side of that river called “Jericho”

-(MAP OF JOSHUA’S CROSSING)

-And God tells Joshua…you are going to destroy that city…

-It will be delivered into your hands…

-Jericho was a fortress…9 acre city surrounded by massive thick walls

If I’m Joshua…Im looking at the flooded river…Im looking at the massive walls

AND…Im shaking in my boots (or sandals if you will)…HOW AM I GOING TO DO THIS?!?!?!

If I’m Joshua the number one question in my mind at this moment is…”HOW?”

But the Lord has already given His answer…

BE STRONG…BE COURAGEOUS…FOR I AM WITH YOU…

And sure enough…The Lord is faithful…

How do I get all these people across this flooded muddy river???

(PICTURE OF THE JORDAN RIVER IN SPRING TIME(during spring time harvest))

The Lord’s response: “I AM with you”

Joshua 3:7–8 “And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.”

And when Joshua obeys this command…the priests carry the Ark…The throne which God dwells on here on earth…into the Jordan River…Look what happens…

Joshua 3:15–17 “And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.”

This is a Moses…Red Sea parting…feel right!!!

HOW???….”I AM WITH YOU”…IM DOING THE WORK HERE…

NOW…standing on the other side of the river…Joshuas faith has to be a little more strengthened right (and I think it is)…Notice Joshuas obedience…he is doing exactly as he is told

BUT he is encamped near this fortress city of Jericho…He aint done yet..God tells Joshua…

Your going to have these people delivered into your hands..

HOW??? (They have no battering rams…nothing to tear down a fortress)

I AM WITH YOU…

AND NOT JUST IN SPIRIT YALL…

BUT WE ARE ABOUT TO SEE THAT GOD IS PHYSICALLY PRESENT…

Look with me in Chapter 5 verse 13

READ v 13-15

Let me introduce you to our next character…

The Captain of the Lord of Host’s

Who is this???

-The bible says its A Man (sword drawn) A man ready for battle…

(But we still don’t know His identity) Joshua asks the same question…

Are you for us??? Or are you for our enemies???

And the “Man’s” answer lets Joshua know exactly who he is standing before…

The “Man” answers Joshuas question…NAY or NO..neither

Im NOT with you…And Im NOT with your enemy…

YOUR WITH ME…

I AM the Captain of the Lord of hosts…

IM THE DEVINE COMMANDER…

You may be in charge here…but IM ABOVE YOU!!!

I OUT RANK YOU!!

AND LOOK HOW JOSHUA RESPONDS!!!

HE FELL ON HIS FACE AND WORSHIPPED!!!

This “mans” response…NO...says this…

I’m not with you…I’m the one leading you…

At this moment Joshua realized…I’m standing before the LORD…

God in flesh…

How do you know this is the Lord???

When man is before God…they are on their faces

COULD THIS BE AN ANGEL???- Anytime in the bible you see men bow before angels…they tell them to get up…(John in Rev 22 ) John bows before an angel…he says get up I am thy fellow servant…worship only God)

When Joshua responds from the dirt…he says “what say MY LORD to His servant?”

And the Lord says “Take off your shoes…your on Holy ground” (JUST LIKE GOD TOLD MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH)

You are standing before the Lord…

And Just as He said He would be…

GOD IS WITH JOSHUA…

And God tells Him exactly how He will deliver Jericho to Him…

How he will destroy this fortress and judge the evil people who live inside of it…

READ 6:1-7

These are the orders from the Captain of the Lord of Host’s…THE LORD…

Joshua did as commanded…

And on the 7th day…those walls fell…

READ V 20-21

They have excavated this sight…found the fallen walls of Jericho…

This isn’t just a story…its history!!!!

There is no river to wide…No fortress to strong…for the Lord to defeat…

HE HAS DONE ALL THAT HE SAID HE WOULD…

NOW…a lot of people struggle a bit when they read v21

“The Israelites destroyed ALL that was in the city…Men and women…young and old…livestock…ALL

WHY???

You have to understand…this is what God’s just wrath looks like…

The people who lived in this city (Canaanites) were enemies of the Lord…

They were a cursed, wicked, Idolatrous people…

They were known to worship their false God’s with child sacrifice and prostitution…

They war with God’s children…war against God…

So they are getting the just wrath of God for their sin…

And Israel is the instrument of it…

God tells them to destroy everyone in the city…

Everyone except our next and final character …

Look with me in V22-23

Spare the woman Rahab and her family…

Rahab

Who is Rahab??

Before The Lord led Joshua and the Israelites across the Jordan…

Joshua sent in 2 spies to scout ahead…(doing a little recon)

As they are in the city…they meet the woman Rahab…

A HARLOT…A PROSTITUTE…

And they stay in her house…The king of Jericho hears about this and sends men to look for the spies…and Rahab hides them…successfully…

Rahab…a Canaanite woman…a gentile…a pagan worshipping, adulterous prostitute…enemy of Israel…enemy of God...

Hides the men who will eventually destroy the city she dwells in…

WHY?!?!?!

she tells the 2 spies in…

Joshua 2:9–11 “And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.”

Why did she help them???

Because she FEARS THE ONE WHO SHE KNOWS IS WITH THEM!!!

-The LORD has given you this land we are on…I FEAR HIM!!!

WHY????

Because:

-She HEARD…(Red sea, unlikely battles won, the destruction of all their enemies) (SHE HEARD TRUTH OF THE VICTORY OF GOD)

-Her HEART reacted…(she is melted…knows she is on the wrong side on the wrong team)

-She had a change of mind…(no more courage) (sin realized) (they are not greater…their false gods are not greater)

-She CONFESSES and BELIEVES! (Your God…is GOD)

SHE PLACES HER FAITH IN THE LORD…SHE HEARD TRUTH AND BELIEVES IT!!!

SOUND FAMILIAR?!?!?!

Rahab is a picture of the CHURCH!!

You have God’s chosen people…the jews...who He is with and working through…

Then you have a woman…

-No claim to God’s promised land (Gentile)

-Not apart of God’s children (pagan/enemy of the Lord)

-Sinful…(Harlot)(NOT LIVING ACCORDING TO OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW)

BUT THROUGH FAITH SHE IS SAVED!!!!

Through faith adopted…grafted in!!!

Through faith in the shed blood we too had no chance…not under the law as gentiles and condemned by that…

NOT GOD’S PEOPLE (Not Jews)…BUT BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH WE ARE SAVED!!!

ADOPTED…CHILDREN OF THE LORD…

AND LOOK!!!! READ V 25

Rahab gets to dwell with God’s people in the promise land!!!

And her story doesn't end there…her faith places her into God’s greater story…

HER FAITH PLACES HER IN THE FAMILY TREE OF THE LORD!!!!

Matthew chapter 1 tells us…

Rahab ended up marrying a Jew named Salmon…

They had a baby named BOAZ…

BOAZ married Ruth and had a baby named Obed

Obed had a son named Jesse

And Jesse’s wife gave birth to a son named KING DAVID!!!

And 28 generations later from David…Jesus Christ is born!!!

AND ALL THROUGH FAITH!!!!

GRAFTED INTO THE GREATEST BLOOD LINE IN ALL THE COSMOS!!!!

Through faith….

FAITH is what connects these 3 Characters…

FAITH IS WHAT THE AUTHOR WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND!!!!

Its His desire for us…

BIG IDEA: THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST WE EXPERIENCE HIS VICTORY IN ALL THINGS!!!

Application:

Through hurdles that seem too big…

Not enough money, your not enough…the gap seems to wide…Im not strong enough…Im not good enough...

Through battles that don’t seem like victory is attainable…

Addiction, sickness, struggle, anxiety, depression…like there is no way i will ever see victory...

HAVE FAITH!!! VICTORY IS NOT IN YOUR HANDS…ITS BELONGS TO THE LORD…AND HE IS WITH YOU!!!!

This is what we see through Joshua…

Look at what God does through Joshua’s faith…

Hebrews 11:30 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.”

It was through their faith!!!! That the Lord handed them Jericho!!! Those walls fell by God’s power through faith of His people!!!

Look at what God does through Rahab’s faith…

If you are in this room and don’t know Jesus…

Your thinking “Im to sinful”…Im not good enough to be “Christian”

NO WAY the Lord would ever save me...Ive done terrible things…

Or maybe you are saved…

But you are in the midst of a sin struggle…

And your shame is weighing on you…

HEAR THIS…

Rahab the …Pagan, Gentile, false god worshipping, prostitute…

SAVED BY HER FAITH IN GOD…

Grafted into the children of God…

Hebrews 11:31 “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”

ONCE YOU PLACE YOUR FAITH IN THE LORD…YOU BELONG TO HIM…

BOUGHT WITH A PRICE…HIS BLOOD…

AND HE TELLS YOU…

YOUR NOT TO LOST…

I AM HERE TO SAVE YOU…

I WILL NEVER LET YOU GO…

I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU!!!!

AND

The LORD is Faithful…(to His words)

REMEMBER HE TOLD JOSHUA IN CHAPTER 1…

I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS…

NOW…As Joshua stands on the other side of a flooded river…

On the burning heap of a great city that had these great walls…

Look what God says…

Joshua 6:27 “So the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.”

He is faithful to His word…

AT ALL TIMES…NO MATTER WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOU OR AROUND YOU…

NO MATTER HOW GREAT THE BATTLE IS…HOW WIDE THE RIVER…HOW CLOSE YOU CAME TO DEATH…

HAVE FAITH IN THE VICTORY OF CHRIST!!!!

LETS PRAY!!!