Whose side are you on?

Joshua 5:13–15 KJV 1900

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

During the civil war, fought between the Northern States and the Southern States of America, there were a group of around 6,000 soldiers known as the Galvanized Yankees. These men were a group of soldiers that fought for both the Souther Confederate Army and for the Northern Union army. These men began the war fighting for the South, and in the course of battle had been taken as prisoners of war…The union leadership offered to them liberation from prison, and in exchange they would sware their oath of allegiance to the cause of the North. In essence, these men would exchange their convictions and their loyalties for freedom. 6,000 soldiers that fought for both sides in the civil war.

I want to preach for a few minutes on this Sunday morning “Whose side are you on”?

As we open the context of the passage of scripture from which we lifted our text this morning, from Joshua chapter 5, we find this man named Joshua is embarking upon a very pivotal moment in the history of Israel, as well as within his own life.

The context of the passage informs us that Joshua has distanced himself from the camp of Israel…He has distanced himself from the army, the waiting soldiers, and any other voice of influence in his life.

Undoubtedly, Joshua is sizing up Jericho. Considering the strategy and assessing the assignment that he must soon undertake.

Without a doubt, he is considering his responsibility for the lives of those that will follow him to take down the reinforced walls of Jericho.

It is an established fact that Joshua is doing some internal investigation. Can I be the leader that Moses was? Am I capable of leading Israel into the promises of God? Do I have what it takes? Am I leading these people into destruction? I’ve got no resume to point to and yet I am about to embark upon the possession of a promised land!?!

His focus is on the insurmountable walls of Jericho and the uncertainty roaring within him....

1. When Joshua lifted up his eyes

And it is here..in this context…A leader facing a pivotal moment that will forever change his world and transform Israel…his eyes fixed upon an insurmountable obstacle and upon internal fears…that the Bible says that Joshua lifted up his eyes…and when Joshua lifted up his eyes…behold he saw a man!

We know from the ensuing verses that this man that stood over against Joshua, wasn’t just a man. The bible identified him as captain of the host of the Lord…A theophany…and old Testament manifestation of the Almighty God…He wasn’t the Christ, but it was a glimpse and foreshadow of the one that Hebrews 2:10 calls the captain of our salvation!

When Joshua lifted up his eyes....

When he got his eyes off of Jericho…He saw a man!

When he lifted up his eyes off of his uncertainties and insecurities…He saw the captain of the Hosts of the Lord!

I know right now its easy to get your eyes on everything else...

We’ve got our eyes on the virus that has got the world of lockdown...

We’ve got our eyes on the president

We’ve got our eyes on the politicians

We’ve got our eyes on the scientists

On Dr. Fauci...

On the economists...

On nations…on global leaders...

We are wrestling with fears and uncertainties within ourselves that we didn’t even know existed...

Living Hope…can I remind you that the answer isn’t found in examining the walls…it isn’t in investigating the circumstances and your own uncertainties...

Lift up your eyes...

It wasn’t until he lifted up his eyes that he saw the man...

And you wont see Jesus with your eyes down!

you wont see Jesus when your focus is on the problem...

You wont see Jesus as long as your focus is on you...

Its really easy to talk about lifting up our eyes to see Jesus when the objects of our attention are things like: wishing we made more money, praying for a promotion, a fuss in our marriage, a little bout with lust...but it is another thing to talk about lifting up our eyes the the object of our distraction is a global pandemic...

its easy to sing what a mighty God we serve, when the biggest problem we are facing is an electric bill thats a little outside of our budget...

Psalm 121:1–2 KJV 1900

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, From whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, Which made heaven and earth.

Hebrews 12:2 KJV 1900

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hey…Jesus didn’t stop being Jesus when COVID-19 showed up!

He’s still mighty!

He’s still powerful!

He’s still the Almighty God!

He’s still the prince of Peace...

Come on Living Hope…Some of you have your eyes on everything but Jesus!

Lift up your eyes! And you will see the captain of the Host!

2. Whose side are you on?

After Joshua sees this man that is standing over against him…with his sword in his hand…Joshua has a question for him.

he has a question for the captain of the hosts…Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? Modern translation…whose side are you on?

Are you on our side or on their side...

And the captain of the host replies....NO.

?!?

You ever asked someone a question where yes or no were not pertinent answers…you asked them an either/or question and they respond with Yes/or no…Honey…would you like to go out for dinner tonight…or are you planning to make something for dinner…Yes!

but the captain of the hosts, when asked by Joshua…are you on our side or on their side…he says no...

Or “which side are you on”…neither...

I think we can build a theology that we think God is on our side all the time…no matter how out of the will of God we might be…

The captain of the Hosts says…Neither…I’m not on your side and I’m not on their side…I’m on the Lord’s side!

perhaps you have been there before…when things aren’t going according to the script that you had planned out…it seems like things are going the very opposite of the way they were supposed to go....

Hey Lord…whose side are you on anyhow!?!

And I’m watching right now as even good church going people are weighing in on which side God is on...

I’ve seen news stories and articles... it’s divided into team shutdown and team open it back up. And everyone is using scripture to decide which side God is on

Politicians who don’t blink an eye at the 9 million babies aborted since January want us to believe their motives are to save lives.

Who just a year ago celebrated at legislation that babies could be aborted up to the very moment of birth, but now they want us to think they are asking all to stay home to save lives…I think not!

Corporate conglomerates making billions of dollars want us to believe that they want the economy rolling for the common good.

But we are using passages of scripture to decide which side the Lord is on in all of this…Can I tell you which side the Lord is on....neither…He is on the side of faith!

No Joshua…whose side are you on…anyhow?!?

The word anyhow…means no matter what...

come on Joshua…you were all faith and what a mighty God when there was no Jericho....whose side are you on now?

We turn faith into a religious token.

A one time thing that we do to begin our salvation experience.

When Joshua fell on his face before the captain of the Host…when Joshua got back on the side of faith and trusting in the Lord…the Lord said…now, let me do for you what I did for MOses....I’m about to give you confidence...