God Fights Our Battles

INTRO

The 1 timeless truth we discover in this passage is that God Fights Our Battles. Timeless, because, well, life is filled with battles.

Health

marriage

Family

Financial

Emotional

Career

Parenting

Ministry

And from personal hands on experience, you know, life isn’t like a playground, it’s more like a battle ground.

One of the problems I have, is that I like fighting my own BATTLES. How about you? We seem to be addicted to the idea of taking matters into our own hands.

But scripture teaches and specifically this battle of Jericho teaches us, that we’re not asked to fight our own battles. We’re simply asked to TRUST THE GOD WHO FIGHTS THE BATTLE FOR US.

Moses HAS MOVED ON! But the children of Israel are still trucking. They haven’t allowed setbacks to dismantle their progress. Their leader is dead, but their drive is still alive. Joshua the son of Nun, is the captain of the Israelite ship.

The ultimate goal is still the same, possess the land of promise; flowing with milk and honey. In Joshua chapter 1, God promises to do all the work. All Joshua has to do is be strong & courageous. (Josh 1:6)

Jordan has been crossed, stones of remembrance have been filed and Jericho is in sight. The stage for battle is set and both sides anticipate bloodshed.

Unbeknownst to both armies, this battle would be 1 for the ages! One nation would fall in ruin, while the other would flourish in royalty!

This text lends to us a few good reason why you & I should trust God with our battles.

God’s Resume Puts Fear In Our Enemies (v1)

Great Jericho hides behind this massive 12ft high wall in fear! The king has given the command that no one comes in & no one goes out.

Fear & trembling grips the inhabitants of Jericho! Vacation has ceased, tourist have stop coming and trade has been put on pause. Fear envelops the land!

Why were they afraid of the Israelites? A people with no home, a dead patriarch and a novice leader? What caused this fear?

Jericho was afraid of the Israelites because of the God they served! Rehab the charismatic owner of the best brothel in town had a roof top conversation with 2 spies from the Israelite camp.

She said in Josh 2:9-11, that the people faint and are terrified because we heard how mighty your God is. How he dried up water from the Red Sea, how he utterly destroyed the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan.

As soon as we heard these things our hearts did melt in fear! So we shut up the city & now hide behind our walls!

The walls of Jericho represents those things that the enemy constructs to prevent you from possessing what God said you can have!

The enemy of our soul is afraid of us, not because of who we are. But because of the God we serve! Because if God be for us, who can be against us and win!?

God’s Favor Puts Victory In Our Hands (v2)

God says, I’m giving you the city! I’m putting it in your hands. I’ve already made the decision, the battle is already over & the victory is yours!

God preserved Jericho just for them. God had already made provisions for them to win the battle. No one else could get what God assigned them to have! No other nation or army.

What is favor? Favor is when God chooses you, when he could of chose someone else!

· Do you know how many people died that day you went to the hospital, but he chose to bring you out

· Do you know how many people applied for the position, but he chose to give you the job

· Do you know how many will perish in their sins, but he chose to save a wretch like you & I

When you’ve got God’s favor; no tower can stop it, no army can stop it, no wall can stop it. If God said He’s giving it to you, it’s a done deal!

The walls of Jericho in your life represent those things that the enemy constructs to keep you from possessing what God’s favor said you can have.

That’s why I’m so glad that what the enemy constructs doesn’t cancel what God says!

God’s word makes the difference, even when it doesn’t make sense

The Israelites receive some outlandish instructions on how to successfully take the city. They are to walk around the city with the Ark of the Covenant once, everyday for 6 days; in silence.

For 6 days they surround the wall with the word. Shut up & march. You need to start walking the word around your wall.

· If you got a wall of weakness walk 2Cor 12:9 Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient & my strength is made perfect in weakness”

· If you got a wall of fear walk 2Tim 1:7, “God has not given us the spirit of fear….

Sometimes you’ve got to shut up, quit saying what you want to say & how you feel about the situation and march God’s word around your trouble!

On the 7th day, they walk around 7 times and on the 7th time around the priest are to blow the trumpets & the children are to shout. And the walls will fall.

The children of Israel have faith enough to follow God’s odd instructions. This battle story is 1 of radical trust in God!

What is trust? Trust is total dependence based on previous experience. I believe that they were able to trust God going forward, because they remembered what He did when they went down memory lane.

· How God gave them manna to eat in the hot wilderness

· How God healed their snake bites

· How God gave them water out of rocks

· How God delivered then from over 400+ yrs of slavery

When they remembered what God did, they were able to believe what God can do!

If you want the walls to come down in your life, trust God!

If We Trust God in the Battle, we’ll leave with more than what we showed up with

They shout & the walls come tumbling down. V 20 says the wall fell flat & they all went up to conquer the city.

I can see them stepping on what use to be a wall, which are now shattered rocks to get into the city & possess the land.

The same thing that kept them out, is the same thing that props them up!

· God’s got away of using those things that tried to keep us out, to prop us up!

When they left the battle field that day, God gave them evidence to support their victory! Gold & Silver

God’s going to give you evidence of victory!

I got evidence that I’ve been changed. Evidence that he delivered me. Evidence that he brought the walls down.

· Maturity

· Patience

· Anointing

· Peace

· Faith