Shout of Promise

Welcome

Third Sermon in our Series called “Shout”

Come ready next week as we wrap up this sermon series with worship! Bring your Shout with you!

INTRO:

How many of you have brought your shout with you this morning?

How many of you have a promise from the Lord you are waiting on?

Healing

Deliverance

Returned son or daughter to the Lord

Dream

Promotion or raise?

etc...

This morning we are going to look at the shout of promise.

When God gives you a promise in His word… or in your prayer time… There comes a time to shout in faith for that promise.

This morning we are going to see how that happens by looking at a very well known event found in Joshua 6:1

Turn with me there this morning.

As you are turning… Let me help you picture what is happening here.

Israel has just crossed the Jordan and entered into the land that God had promised to them hundreds of years earlier.

And in front of them is a city called Jericho.

Jericho was not a large city… but it was a well structured and fortified city with walls that were impenetrable.

Historians say that it had 2 walls. Both were 30 feet tall. Built on a hill. So the second wall was even taller than the first wall.

The outer wall was was 6 feet wide!

The inner wall was was approx. 12 feet wide! Large enough for horses and small chariots to run on!

That’s 18 feet of rock wall!

The people of Jericho were confident that as long as they stayed inside the walls… they would be safe and would just wait out the seige.

Historians also tell us that Harvest season had just taken place, so they had plenty of food to survive a long time. And they had a spring that ran through the middle of the city… so they would be good with water as well.

I am sure they were confident that the Israelites could never conquer them.

And that is where we pick up here in Joshua 6:1

SERMON

Joshua 6:1–5 NIV

1 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. 2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

God gives Joshua 2 things.

1. A Promise: I have delivered Jericho into your hands...

God already has given Jericho to them. It hasn’t happened in the physical but it is already finalized. Jericho will be in the hands of Israel.

When God gives you a promise… It may not be manifested in the natural just yet… But you can be assured that God has already finalized and spoke it into existence.

2. A Plan: March around the city for 7 days...

How can you tell if God has given you a promise?

God doesn’t give you a promise without a plan!

Before you start throwing rocks of heresy at me… Just listen...

Sometimes the plan comes incomplete… (We want every detail, he doesn’t work that way a lot of times.)

Sometimes the plan seems stupid… or not really a plan (Just ask Joshua about marching around a city and shouting… Doesn’t sound very military)

Sometimes the plan may be what you don’t want to hear… (So we just reject that it is even an option)

And sometimes… The plan has not come yet… If that is the case… your job is to wait and pray until He tells you what to do.

God doesn’t give you an assignment and then just abandons you!

What I want us to really look at this morning is...

The 4 seasons you go through for every promise:

a. Season of Patience

Let’s continue in Joshua 6:6

Joshua 6:6–14 NIV

6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.” 8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there. 12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

Can you imagine 6 days of marching and seeing nothing happening?

I would be the one guy who would be watching the walls… Looking for any signs of cracking or weakness.

But after 3 days… then 4… I would be losing my patience. Any one else here agree with me?

6 Days go by… And nothing has happened. No signs of anything happening...

When God gives us a promise… As the days and weeks go by… and we see nothing changing… It can be hard to be patient.

But it is a season that we must all endure.

And those who are patient… See the hand of God move in mighty ways!

Don’t give up on your promise today… Keep going… Keep believing… Keep waiting...

And that takes us to the next season of our promise.

b. Season of Obedience

Joshua 6:14–19 NIV

14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. 15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

How many would agree that obedience can be difficult sometimes?

Obedience becomes even more difficult when it doesn’t make sense to you.

I can only imagine the thoughts running through the minds of the soldiers of Israel...

You want me to march silently for 6 days straight....

Then you want me to march around this city 7 times on the last day and then finally shout… And the walls are just going to fall down… Seriously???

Have you seen the size of these walls? Have you seen how sturdy and strong they are?

And our shout will be enough to bring them all down? RIGHT...

But Joshua was very clear with them… These are the commands… Following them precisely was vital in fulfilling the promise God gave them...

It’s good thing the Israelites obeyed!

In their obedience they were able to see God do an amazing miracle right before their eyes.

What instructions has the Lord given you? Are you obeying them?

For your promise to be fulfilled… Make sure you are not cutting corners…

Even if things don’t look like anything is happening… Trust the Lord and keep obeying.

In time… at the right time… The walls will come down.

And that is when you will enter into the next season of the promise.

c. Season of Shouting

Joshua 6:20

Joshua 6:20 NIV

20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.

What an incredible sight this must have been!

In just moments… A Strong fortified city loses its impenetrable walls… Because the Israelites shouted!

They Israelites were patient… obedient… and now they entered a season of shouting… It was their shout in confidence and faith of the Living God and His promise that tore those walls down!

The last time the Israelites were facing the Promise land… They were patient to get there… they were obedient leading up to the promise land… But when it was time to shout for their promise… They began to cry in fear instead...

That caused them to miss out on the promise!

At this season, You have two choices, Faith or Fear!

It’s Your Choice!

When you choose faith… You shout… A shout of victory… a shout of declaration… a shout of faith!

Because you know… even if you can’t see it yet… You are about to receive the promise God gave you!

I think we try to skip this season to often...

But there is power in your shout!

Have you been patient for your promise?

Have you been obedient and fulfilled all that God has instructed you to do?

Then enter the next season and Shout! Declare your promise!

That leaves us with one final season...

d. Season of Receiving

Joshua 6:20-21

Joshua 6:20–21 NIV

20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

In verse 2 God tells Joshua He has given them the city...

In verse 20… They took the city...

God, through the shout of the Israelites, brought the walls down… But the Israelites still had to take the city to receive their promise.

The walls were down… but they had to enter the city and take it.

After you have been patient… obedient… and shouted for your victory… The next season is important… You have to receive the promise!

If the Israelites would have just stood there and never entered Jericho… It wouldn’t matter that the walls had fallen.

They had to take what God was giving them.

Church… When God gives you the green light… take your promise!

And believe me… You will notice when He is saying, “It’s Yours.”

But if you refuse to receive it and take hold it… You miss out on your promise…

Don’t miss out on what God has promised you!

CLOSING:

Bottom line…

You only get through these 4 seasons with faith!

Faith to be patient

Faith to be obedient

Faith to shout

Faith to receive

Hebrews 11:30 NIV

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

Shouting increases your faith!

Shout this morning for your promises!

What Promises has God given you?

Be Patient

Obey His Instructions

SHOUT!

Receive your promise!

Salvation Call

Every person in this room and hearing this sermon online has been given a promise from the Lord.

That anyone who calls on the name of Jesus Christ… And believes in their heart that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life… Will be saved.

The Promise is your salvation! No longer condemned to eternity in Hell, but eternal life with the Lord in Heaven!

The Plan is through Jesus Christ! Confess Him as Lord, believe in your heart, and follow His teachings!

If you would like to enter into that promise! Will you raise our hand right now?

PRAYER OF SALVATION

ALTAR CALL

What season are you in with the Promise of God?

Season of Patience? Find a spot and just wait on the Lord. Get as close to Him as you can.

Season of Obedience? Take some time before you leave… And ask yourself… how are you doing on obeying His plan? Are you fulfilling everything He said?

Season of Shouting? This is where Fear and Faith meet… Time to shout and declare your promise!

Season of Entering? Then step in this morning… Take whatever steps are necessary to move into that promise!