Jericho Heart

Jericho Heart Snapple Facts: (Great Wall of China Facts) 1. Length: 13,170 miles 2. Width: 13-16ft 3. Built: To keep out those pesky Mongolians. Well tonight we are going to be talking about a certain walled city in the book of Joshua. Can you guess its name? “Jericho” Recap: Crossed Jordan, Entered the Promised Land, First Obstacle. Snapple Facts: (Jericho) 1. Two part wall section • Retaining wall: 12-15ft tall with a 6ft mud brick wall on top of that. (21ft) • Steep embankment in between the walls • Upper wall: another 6ft mud brick wall (This is roughly 46ft above sea level) Imagine being an Israelite looking at this city looming above you. 2. Plenty of food and water • Jericho had a natural spring • Harvest had just passed. (Joshua 3:15) These people could have held out for years if necessary. Israelites: • Number of Israelite (Men) crossing the Jordan River 603,550 (Number 1:46) • 40,000 armed from the tribes of Manasseh, Reuben, and Gad. (Joshua 4:13) • The Israelites did not have siege weaponry. • Majority didn’t even own a sword. How on earth could the Israelites ever hope to overcome such an enemy? Have you ever been in a situation in life where you felt overwhelmed by the difficulties you are facing? Let’s take a look and see how the Israelites overcame this problem. Read: (Joshua 5:13-15) Point 1: When facing a trouble bigger than yourself you need to do 2 things: WORSHIP and INQUIRE (Story of learning to worship 15) A. The Plan Read: (Joshua 6:1- 6:7) • March around the city once a day for six days. • On the 7th day you will march around the city 7 times, and then the priests shall blow trumpets. When the trumpets blow everyone is to shout and the falls will fall flat or “fall beneath itself.” Read: (Joshua 6:8-14) • For six days the people got up and did as they were told. • No one spoke; they marched around this wall and then went and made camp. • Imagine: waking up early every morning for six days to walk around a wall. No one is allowed to talk, it’s probably hot, and I can imagine they feel silly walking around this city. I doubt even a single brick fell off the wall during their marching. Day 6: “JOSEPH” – exaggerate Why are you praying? Why are you serving God? That’s not how things work! Transition: After you have worshipped the Lord, after you have inquired of the Lord there is one more thing that you MUST do. Point 2: You MUST be obedient to the word of God • Ask: Are you willing to be obedient even if you don’t see results right away? • Ask: Are you willing to trust that God knows what he is doing? Read: 1 Samuel 15:22 “But Samuel replied, “Has the Lord great delight in burn offerings and sacrifices and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” • Gods plan to conquer Jericho seems foolish but ultimately it leads to God receiving all the glory. • God uses unlikely people and unlikely works to accomplish His will. It brings him glory and confounds the wise. Read: 1st Corinthians 1:26-29 God may be dealing with you tonight about a call to preach his word. You may be thinking “WHO AM I?” I’m not popular, strong, smart etc Ask: Are you willing to trust him? Are you willing to step out on faith and be obedient? Read: 6:15-21 • The people were obedient and God brought about the victory. • Your obedience to God and His word is directly connected to how much you are willing to trust him. Application: I don’t know what Jericho you are facing in your life. I don’t know what you are facing that just looks overwhelming and completely beyond your ability to handle. Could be school, family, future, relationships, etc I do know that if you are willing to trust God and take him at his word, He can do amazing things through that willingness to be obedient. Drop da Bomb: However, some of you tonight are more like that city Jericho. • Your walls are up. No one is getting in. No person and definitely not God. • Someone may have hurt you in ways that you don’t want anyone to ever know. • You got baggage, stuff you never want to be seen or heard. Sin you are holding on to and its caused you to try to hide behind those walls from God. • You’ve been hearing the spirit of God marching around your walls and it scares you. • I encourage you tonight Let your walls down. Let him in. He loves you too much to leave you behind walls. He’s willing to tear them down. He even tore the separation between himself and mankind. • If you are lost let me tell you God is going to bring those walls down one way or another and you will have to make that choice for yourself whether to accept Jesus as Lord or Reject him.