Keep Moving

COMMUNION

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NIV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

SERMON

Day after day… morning after morning… he wakes up at the same time, to the same song, to live the same day. It is monotony at its worst!

And the day that he keeps reliving? Is groundhog day… a day that he felt was useless and tiresome. He would cover the story for the local news station and he felt it was a waste of time.

But this year would be different. For some unknown reason… Phil Connors kept reliving the same day… until he got it right.

Now I’ve never been caught in a time loop nor have I ever wished to ever be caught in a time loop… but I have been in situations or seasons… where it seemed like moment after moment, day after day… I was stuck.

I couldn’t move forward… I couldn’t move backward. No matter how badly I wanted change to come… it simply would not come. Ever been there? You might call it a point where life hits the wall… and you find yourself stuck, doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result. I believe that is often referred to as… the definition of insanity!

And this might sound like a really odd introduction to a sermon in the middle of a series called New Normal. How can a person find themselves stuck against a wall as they venture into the new normal God has laid out for them?

It can certainly happen… and it can happen for good reason. And this is where we find Joshua in our study of the story of the Israelites entering into the promised land.

Joshua and the people of Israel are up against a wall… not just any wall and not a metaphorical wall. They were facing the wall of walls… Joshua was about to fight the battle of Jericho.

As mentioned in a previous sermon, Jericho was surrounded by a fortified wall and for good reason. This city was built to be a defensive stronghold that could withstand the attack of an enemy.

The wall or walls of Jericho were absolutely amazing. (DISPLAY WALL IMAGE)

It was a two-tier wall system that was extremely effective in keeping would-be attackers out.

The lower wall was a stone retaining wall twelve to fifteen feet high. On top of that retaining wall was a mudbrick wall six feet thick and twenty feet high.

The total height of the lower wall was about 35 feet high.

Then, a sloped embankment went up to a second wall, an upper wall of mud-brick that was 20-26 feet high. So… with the walls and embankment, from the base of the lower wall to the the top of the upper wall was an astonishing 80 feet!

That city… stood between the people of God and the promise ahead. There was NO WAY this city would fall by conventional means. The walls were simply too large. The obstacle was immovable. But Joshua knew… God was about to do something incredible. How did Joshua know this? Because God told Joshua something big was coming!

Joshua 6:1–2 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.

The gates of Jericho was closed and locked. The city was aware of the presence of the people of Israel. It was ready to defend itself. But God clearly spoke to Joshua telling him the city would fall. GOD would deliver the city into his hands.

Who would deliver the city into the hands of Joshua? GOD WOULD. God had realigned Joshua’s spiritual vision regarding this obstacle and now it was time to see those walls come down.

God had not brought His people this far into the promised land to be stopped by the walls of Jericho. These walls would have to be dealt with before the people could keep moving… but they would be dealt with by the One who had brought them this far.

And we know the story… the walls did indeed come crashing down. How they landed is very interesting.

The bricks from the collapsed wall created a ramp against the retaining wall so the Israelites could literally go straight into the city! Only God could take something meant to keep them out and turn it into a runway that let them march right in!

This morning, we’re not going to focus on how the walls landed on the ground… we are going to focus on how the walls came down in the first place. Why? Because what we are looking at today will prove to be important for us to remember when we find ourselves up against a wall.

God will not lead you to a place to get stuck… God has a plan and a promise for you. And yes… there are moments when we might feel like our backs are against a wall. There are moments when our path appears to be block by an immovable object or circumstance. But God will keep us moving… if we are willing to move with Him.

Here’s the deal… If God has brought you this far… He will bring you through. If God is the director of your path… then He has the ability to make your path straight. It was GOD who delivered the city into the hands of Joshua and it is GOD who will help you overcome the obstacle you are facing today. But the key in overcoming… is trusting God. Trusting in God is how we keep moving forward in His promises.

Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Joshua knew what it meant to trust in God. Even when God’s plan was a bit out of the ordinary! This morning, we are going to look at the instructions God gave Joshua and how those instructions resulted in the victory over Jericho!

Stay the Course.

If we desire to keep moving as God would lead us to, then we must stay the course. We must continue to move AS GOD instructs us to move.

God gives Joshua the plan.. and it is FAR from being a convention military strategy!

Joshua 6:3–5 NIV

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.”

I know exactly where my mind would be going with these kind of instructions.

Okay, God… I think I can see where you are going with this. We are going to march around the city for six days as a diversion. I’ll have guys look for weaknesses in the walls on the first day, we’ll find ways to exploit those weaknesses and start staging gear and equipment on the days to come.

And then God would give me one of those looks… you know… that look that says, “did you not hear what I just said?”

If you’re like me… I have a tendency to inject or insert my thoughts and ideas. “I see where you’re going with this, God, but what if we _____________________.”

God simply told Joshua to march for six days. March. you know… have a sort of parade around the city.

Now… my kids LOVE parades! But I can assure you that no one was throwing candy and the people watching were not very… cheerful!

So step back and consider the instruction. March… for six days.

So day one happens. There’s a scared but excited feeling in the air. They assemble the armed men. They get lined up. They start marching. They make their lap around the city. They head back to camp. The sun goes down.

Day two begins. Still a bit excited. Still hoping to see something awesome. They assemble the armed men. They get lined up. They start marching. they make their lap around the city. They head back to camp. The sun goes down.

Day three begins. There is a little less excitement and perhaps some grumblings beginning to rise up. “Are you really going to do this again?” We’ve not seen a crack form in the wall let alone a pebble fall from the retaining wall. If anything has happened, we have given the enemy more time to fortify themselves against our attack!” They go through the march routine again.

Day four begins… and I think you get the point. the monotony begins to set in. “Did God really bring us this far only to march around the thing we cannot move?”

Here’s my point… to the people the marching may have felt meaningless and monotonous.... just going through the motions. But God saw this… as faithfulness and trust. THE VICTORY WAS COMING. But it would only come by trusting in the Lord.

I can only imagine how ready the people were to see the walls before them come down! I can only imagine how ready you are to see the walls you might be facing come down! Are you ready to see the enemy flee? Are you ready to experience more of what God has promised?

If that is you… then you need to also know this: you need to know that what immediately precedes the fall of Jericho is what might feel very much like a whole lot of nothing! You show up at the same place, at the same time, and do the same ting over and over again - AND NOTHING SEEMS TO CHANGE.

BUT IF GOD HAS BROUGHT YOU TO THIS PLACE… GOD WILL BRING YOU THROUGH THIS PLACE!

When we keep showing up out of obedience to what God has called us to do… it may feel mundane and sometimes pointless… but it is not so much about what you are doing as it is about your faithfulness to what God has called you to do.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE WHAT GOD IS DOING. Stay faithful to the call… stay on the course God has given you. And if you feel like you’ve hit a wall… it could be God is setting you up for the biggest victory you have ever experienced!

Don’t miss this: showing up out of obedience to God in the same way at the same time and the same place always matters. YOUR OBEDIENCE TO GOD MATTERS.

You don’t have to feel anything for it to work. You don’t have to insert or inject ideas or side projects for it to work. You don’t have to force it or manufacture it. GOD IS THE ONE WHO DELIVERS. We must simply obey, trust in Him, and keep moving. STAY THE COURSE. And never forget… If God is in it… the work has already been done! The victory is ahead! But we risk missing that victory if we venture off course.

Praise LEADS the way.

The second thing I want you to see is that praise led the way of the march. As the people marched, seven priests walked in front of the Ark of the Covenant and carried what? Trumpets of rams horns. Now what is significant regarding those trumpets? They were used to praise! Praise was to lead the way!

Silver trumpets were used for a very different reason… they were used to declare war. They were used to advance an army.

But the people were NOT there to declare war… they were there to declare victory! The ram’s horns used were used for celebration and praise!

What kind of difference can praise make in our day?

Think about the fictional movie clip we showed a moment ago. Phil woke up to the same old routine every day. And he did so… with a bad attitude. He didn’t appreciate the opportunity given him to keep trying until he got it right.

I get it. Sometimes we do not understand. In fact… if I was completely honest with you… that’s where I am today… facing more questions than answers.

I haven’t lost sight of the mission or the vision… I simply don’t have all the answers. And maybe… just maybe that is the lesson God is wanting me to learn. I DON’T HAVE TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS. I simply need to stay the course… and to lead with praise.

We are facing a season of change here at HWC… a season that might feel like we are against a wall. But I believe God is telling us to stay the course… remain obedient and faithful… and lead with praise! The battle has already been won!

Praise has a way of changing things. Praise has a way of turning our perspectives around. When we praise… It places God in the spotlight instead of ourselves. When we praise… we forget about how big the walls are… and remember how big our God is!

Praise led the way as the people marched around those walls. The people honored God as the showed up and did the same thing day after day.

Joshua 6:8–9 NIV

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.

And when the time came on the seventh day for the people to shout… well… I want you to see what took place.

Joshua 6:15–16 NIV

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!

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.

The shout was NOT an optional piece to the plan. The shout of praise was a critical component.

Now there may have been some that wondered what good a shout would do against the fortified walls before them… but the results were truly amazing.

Here’s what I want you to see. The shattering of the walls is up to God. The shout is up to us!

The shout is not an optional part of life with God; the shout is essential. If you are to enter the new normal God ha for you, your shouts of praise will have to get louder than the battles you are facing.

The Bible tells us to shout out our praise. Volume matters to God!

Psalm 47:1 NKJV

1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

Psalm 81:1 NIV

1 Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!

It took faith for those people to shout in praise. In took faith for them to honor God in that way. The walls were still standing. The enemy was still protected. The immovable object remained… until they shouted!

That shout of praise… was not ceremonial… it was an act of faith. It was a declaration that the battle has already been won.

Closing

So I want to close by asking this question this morning: What walls in your life need to come down? What situations or circumstances do you need God to change today?

God’s plan for you is to keep moving… to keep growing in your faith… to keep on the path He has set for you. The key in moving forward… is fully trusting in Him.

Do you trust Him enough today to stay the course?

Do you trust Him enough today to let your praise lead the way?

Perhaps what needs to happen this morning is a renewal of trust. Perhaps you’ve lost sight of God’s plan for what you perceive as a lack of movement on God’s behalf.

Six days the people marched without the slightest visible change in their circumstances. For six days they marched, and for six days, they returned to the camp with the walls still standing.

But then when it came time to shout… they shouted in victory. They shouted in faith knowing God had delivered that city into their hands.

And with the shout of faith and praise.. God did in fact deliver.

I believe it’s time to forget about how big the walls are… and to remember how big our God is!

God has taken on our biggest battles and won! God took on our greatest battle - our battle with sin - and conquered it once and for all with the blood of His Son.

But if sin is still waging war in your life… that is a wall God desires to take down for you right here… right now.

PRAYER - Salvation

Aren’t you glad for the victory God has given us? Even if you are up against a wall right now… you need to praise Him for the victory He has given you!

We’re going to do something a bit out of the ordinary. A moment ago I asked two questions: Do you trust God enough to stay the course and to let praise lead the way? If your answer is yes to those questions… we are going to shout.

“But pastor, I feel a little silly shouting in church… what is shouting going to do for my situation?” First, it’s not a random shout… it will be a shout of praise. Two, how “silly” do you think the people felt shouting God’s praise at the walls?

But did they feel silly? Their shout of praise had become louder than the battle they were facing! When your praise becomes louder than your pity… then you have taken a few more steps into the new normal God has waiting for you!!!

So… Are you ready to shout today? Are you ready to shout His praises as a celebration of the victory to come? DO NOT SHOUT if you do not believe… then all you are doing is making noise. But if you believe God is getting ready to take down some walls… I want you to shout Hallelujah at the count of 3.

Do it again! On the count of 3! one more time… Now with our voice raised and our hands held high let’s thank God for the victory to come as we fully place our trust in Him!!!