Press Through Your Challenge

Joshua 5:13-6:20

This morning we come to our seventh and final sermon from our series called: “Forward.” From this study God has been speaking to us about the abundant life, and how he calls us to move forward in our Christian experience to possess the abundance and fullness that can only be experienced by abiding in Christ.

Chapter six presents us with another challenge, a challenge called Jericho. If you have been in church for any length of time, grew up in church, or have adventured to read through the Bible then you have heard about Joshua and the walls of Jericho.

The city of Jericho is another challenge that Joshua and the Israelites will face as they move forward with God. This presents us with a timeless truth: When you follow Christ you will always have to press through challenges.

The city of Jericho is a type of the challenges we face in life. Every one of us have some sort of challenge we may be facing in life. A Jericho challenge is any opposition that keeps us from moving forward in our Christian experience. Take a few moments to identify your challenges.

Identify your challenges:

Family challenge? Marriage challenge? Work challenge? Sin challenge? Relationship challenge? Financial challenge? Health challenge? Unsaved person challenge? Grief challenge?

These are just some of the areas you may be facing a personal challenge.

Let’s pick up the story in verse 1 of chapter 6, “Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.” The good news is that the people of Jericho are terrified of the Israelites. The bad news is that the city is now secure and no one can go out, and no one can come in. This presents a tremendous challenge to the Israelites from a human perspective; an extreme challenge for a people really not trained to do battle. Verse one reveals how difficult the challenge will be from a human perspective. However, it is the previous verses that reveal how Joshua dealt with the Jericho challenge.

Verses thirteen through fifteen of chapter five serve as transition verses for the second half of the book of Joshua. In the second half of Joshua the people of Israel occupy the promise land though warfare, but before they move forward into occupation they had to pause, and deal with sin. As a result, they were able to eat the fruit from the land flowing with milk and honey.

In verses thirteen through fifteen Joshua goes near the city of Jericho by himself. It is possible that he is strategizing for the attack. As he stands before the city of Jericho, Joshua has a divine encounter, “When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.”

There is much written about the “commander of the army of the Lord. I won’t bog us down with all the discussion. It is my belief that the commander of the army of The Lord is the angel of The Lord. Therefore, Joshua is having an encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ. Theologians call this a theophany.

Joshua didn’t recognize the divine encounter at first so he naturally ask, “Are you for us, or four our adversaries?” The commander responds, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” At that very moment Joshua realizes that he is in the presence of The Lord, and it says, “Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped…”

The experience that Joshua has in this passage almost mirrors the same experiences that Moses and Jacob had with The Lord. Moses met The Lord in a burning bush. Jacob wrestled all night with The Lord at Peniel until he received the blessing. Now, Jacob is in the presence of The Lord, and The Lord says, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.”

Remember that Joshua is near Jericho when The Lord says, “The place where you are standing is holy.” I believe the reference includes all of the city of Jericho. This teaches us a very important principle for pressing through challenges. Joshua was able to turn the Jericho challenge into an altar for worship instead of a reason for worry. Likewise, turn your challenge into an altar for worship, not a reason for worry if you want to press through your challenge.

1. Turn your challenge into an altar for worship, not a reason for worry.

Joshua had a greater awareness of God’s presence because he was able to pause before he moved forward. He then allowed the presence of God and the Jericho challenge become an place of worship, not worry.

When you encounter The Lord and worship The Lord at the altar of your challenges, The Lord will always remind you that he is with you; he’s going before you, and the battle belongs to him, not you.

When you have turned your challenge into an altar for worship, not a reason for worry, listen for God’s voice while you worship.

2. Listen for God’s voice while you worship.

Hearing from God and worshiping God go hand and hand. Most people want to hear from God without pausing before God and worshiping God. It’s not going to happen. We need to realize that preparation is needed to hear from God.

1) Preparation is needed to hear from God.

Look back to verse fourteen of chapter five. It says that after Joshua fell to the ground and worshiped he said, “What does my Lord say to his servant?” Joshua is ready to hear from God. He is prepared.

Worship prepares us to hear from God. When we worship in Spirit and truth we put ourselves under God’s authority. We surrender to his authority, his word, and his will. That is what Joshua is doing. He is surrendering before God wanting to know his word and will.

In the thirteenth chapter of the book of Acts the Holy Spirit speaks to the church leaders as they are worshiping and praying, and tells them to set Paul and Barnabas apart for mission. Preparation is needed to hear from God. As you worship listen for a promise from God concerning your challenge.

2) Listen for a promise from God concerning your challenge.

God’s first response was verse fifteen, “Take of your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” The Lord’s second response to Joshua question is in verse two of chapter six, “And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. (Joshua 6:2 ESV)

The tense of this promise is very important. It is a past tense promise. God didn’t say “I will give Jericho int your hand.” No, he said, I have given Jericho into your hand.” The victory is already won. Joshua and the Israelites are not going to fight for victory, but from victory.

God still speaks today, and he has a promise for your challenge. Instead of worrying about your problem, worship The Lord and listen for him to speak a promise for your situation. Now, as you listen for God to speak a promise, you also need to understand that God’s answer to his promise may not resemble your answer. God may choose an absurd and unusual plan for your challenge. He did for Joshua and the Israelites.

3) God may choose an absurd plan for your challenge.

Verse three, “You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” (Joshua 6:3-5 ESV)

The plan is a foolish plan from a military standpoint. It didn’t involve any military activity on the part of the Israelites. Even the trumpets they would use were not silver trumpets declaring war, but shofar trumpets declaring celebration and worship. As foolish as this plan may seem from a human perspective, it was the perfect plan.

Notice the number seven used several times. They were to march for seven days, and on the seventh day march seven times around the city of Jericho. Seven priest with seven trumpets marching around the city, and at the center of all this ark of the covenant, which represents the presence and power of God.

The number seven represents completeness and perfection. This is the perfect plan because it gives God all the glory. It is also the perfect plan because it would strengthen the faith of Joshua and the Israelites as they moved forward with God.

God will always answer our challenges for our good, and his glory. Our good is that we become more and more like Christ, and God’s glory is where God gets all of the credit. Once God gives us a promise and a plan, then we need to celebrate God’s victory over our challenge with faith and obedience.

3. Celebrate God’s victory over your challenge with faith and obedience.

Joshua and the people responded with faith and obedience. Verse six, “So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.” And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. (Joshua 6:6-11, 14 ESV)

God would have his people wait for the victory to be realized.

1) Wait

Verse ten reveals God’s holding pattern, “But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout our make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout.” GoGod has his people wait to test and strengthen their faith and patience. Can you imagine the struggle they Israelites had walking around in circles for six day? God puts us in holding patterns to strengthen our faith and patience. It is during this wait time that we have to battle doubt with belief.

In Pilgrim’s Progress Christian ended up in the Castle of Doubt where he was beaten by Giant despair. The only way out of the castle of doubt was the key of promise, God’s promises. Likewise, when we are waiting we must battle doubt with God’s promise. Otherwise we will stop marching around our challenge with the expectation of God’s answer, and give up too soon. While we wait, we worship.

2) Worship

The trumpets they used were trumpets used for celebration and worship. As they marched and the trumpets blew, they were celebrating God’s victory, which flowed from their faith and obedience. Worship don’t worry. Wait, don’t give up. And while you worship and wait, watch.

3) Watch

Watch what happens after the people marched around the city seven times on the seventh day in verse twenty, “So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.”

We are told that the wall fell down flat. The Hebrew suggest that it was pressed down from the top. God pressed the walls down to Jericho and the people were able to move forward and capture the city. The same God who brought down the walls of Jericho can bring down the wall of your challenge or challenges.

Here is the application I want you to take from this sermon. Identify your challenges. Turn them into an altar for worship, not a reason for worry. As you worship listen for God’s voice to speak a promise concerning your challenge. Once you have the promise wait. Worship. Watch. March around your challenge for six days this week and then come back on Sunday Morning and those who take the Jericho challenge will stand up front and shout for victory. Will you do it? Will you believe God to break down the walls in your life?

Some need the wall of sin to come tumbling down in your life. Jesus has destroyed the wall of sin through his death, burial, and resurrection. All you need to do is turn from your sin and self and surrender your life to Jesus. Let Jesus bring the wall of sin down in your life today.