Jesus our commander and cheif
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 10 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Intro - What is God’s greatest priority for your Christian life? If you were to be living what you would describe as perfect Christian life?
Experience - buzzing feeling, Spiritual moment or experience
get out of jail free card - ticket to heaven
stuff - relationship, to be happy?
Those might be your priorities but what does God want from Christian life. Purpose.
Joyfully submit to Jesus.
4 reasons, why we are to submit, spent most time on the last, as covers largest section of our text.
Jesus is LORD
Jesus is LORD
God wants Joshua to see whose agenda it is to take Jericho, and whose army it is that will fight the battle.
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
Not Joshua’s
Joshua needs a very quick reset. Who is in charge.
Who is it we meet here in these verses. appearance of a man, he commands the army of the LORD - not just Joshua’s army but heavenly army. Joshua bow downs and worships him. And then is told
“Take of sandals for place you are standing is Holy ground” sound famiiar - Moses and burning bush. Lord appeared to him. Not just an angel - this is LORD. I ppersonally believe there is no reason to believe this is anyone other than 2nd person of trinity, the pre incarnate Jesus.
Joshua won’t fight battle for Jericho - the LORD will - he is in charge through entire journey.
Love writers note in 6:1.
Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
“Jericho was shut up and it was shut up”
Like when someone says “Theyve shut up shop” Business closed.
Jericho was this inpenetrable fortress. Esepcially for a people with little military skill or experience.
But the LORD is in charge. Very next line.
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.
Simple truth. Whether with are for him or against him. LORD JESUS is in charge. Where do we see that more clearly than at the cross, where even his death was in his own timing - it is finished, he breathed his last. Total control. And ressurection is like the corronation - declaration. He is King.
Fighting with a friend for other friend to take his side. Whose side are you on
How often we do that with God. Look at circumstance of our lives, or challenged in our sin. Whose side are you on.
Talked about reseting to truth of God’s faithfulness, but part of that is reseting to truth Jesus is LORD.
God is for us only true if we are recognising he is in charge, and that battle is his and victory is his, and our experience of it will depend on whether or not we are recognising his Kingship.
First reason we should submit to Jesus - he is in charge.
Jesus is judge
Jesus is judge
They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:
“At the cost of his firstborn son
he will lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
he will set up its gates.”
Might find this verses hard to read. Pretty extreme, accusasion that God of OT is monster. But we should not down play what it happening here, nor excuse it. Nor assume people living in Jericho are innocent. “
One author helpfully summarises:
“Leviticus 18 recounts the wicked behaviour of the Canaanites: the practice child sacrifice, incest, adultery, temple prostitution and various other abominations.” John Currid
Not new, since time of Abraham this has been going on in Gen 15 Abraham told that sin of Amorites has not yet reached it’s limit.
What is happening at Jericho is God’s just judgement on those who have rejected his law, and God’s people are the intruments of judgement.
I suspect actually though its not the canaanites judgement people are really upset about. Its actually the idea that God is judge at all.
Lad with tattoo, “Only God can judge me” - wanted to say to him - but yes - God will judge you.
What he meant is that no one could judge him.
Reality is we all love justice until we are on the recieving end of it.
Truth is this. LORD is our maker, and he is in charge, then he will also judge. There will not be single human who does not face him as judge, and by nature not single human who does not deserve destruction.
Yet there is the best news - third reason passage gives:
Jesus is gracious
Jesus is gracious
Thought about this a few weeks ago, but worth seeing it here. The writer comes back to Rahab. Saves this detail until now. Wants us to see that admist this truth that LORD is in charge, and no one can stand in opposition. And admists this truth that LORD is judge of whole world, who will destroy his enemies. There is also another glorious truth. That he is gracious to those who reach out to him.
Rahab this canaanite, this prostitute. Here recieves just as was promised. Back in chapter 2 we saw her respond in faith - and here she recieves rescue.
And here is reality. God is not quick tempered. Over reacting. For generations the people around have been witness to God’s power, and could have responded like Rahab. God is gracious and compasionate and abounding in love, and as we saw with Rahab holds out a life line to all who will take it. That is what we see at the Cross - God’s grace and compassion. Forgiveness and life and acceptance offered to anyone who will repent, turn from their sin, and trust in King Jesus to save them.
But that means recognising he is in charge.
3 reasons we are to submit to him - but come back to question - what is God’s greatest desire for us in our Christian lives? Forth reason.
Jesus wants obedience
Jesus wants obedience
Did notice marjority of the section entitled “Fall of Jericho” is not on the fall of Jericho but happens before. And what people do is not so much war cry as a victory lap!
Writer meticulously details, the command from the LORD, then Joshua passaing on instructions to the people, then the people following them.
illustration - following detailed instructions (maybe interative)
To go up. ark of the covenant, with preists ahead carrying trumpets, and at front and rear an armed Guard, and people are to follow. for 6 days they are to march once around city and return. And trumpets were to be blown continuously, but the people were to remain silent. 3 times Joshua says you must not speak, shout or make a sound. Only trumpets.
Then on 7th day they are to march 7 times around on when trumpets blow a long blast, only then are people to shout.
Writer carefully shows how people obeyed every specific instruction. And then after all this verse 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!
Just when we think finally got to climax - the exciting part of film where see the action. Writer pauses, to recound something else Joshua said.
detail about what they are to do when the walls come down -
The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”
Only then, do we hear of outcome. And not detailed account but a mere 2 verses.
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. They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
Why write this way. With all details about specific orders.
2 reasons
Make clear that this is not the peoples fight but the LORD’s that he might get all the glory
Preciousness of this time for God’s people is that they are enjoying the blessing of having a right relationship with the LORD and joyfully submitting to him. That is the highlight. Their joy is in the LORD and in obedience. This is what God wants for them most of all. Victory just cherry on the top, because them recieving promises just sign that they are enjoying relationship with God.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
The greatest purpose for your Christian life is that you become more like Jesus.
(we seperate experience, happiness, power, from relationship with God - as if they are things he gives apart from him, when actually they are only truly experienced as we enjoy right relationship with him - living in obedience to him)
It’s this that you will find your greatest experience of Christian life, because in him you will know joy, peace, love, accpetance, hope.
But that means the best deicision on any given day in any given circumstance is to choose Jesus.
I think we like the idea of halfway house.
illustration about having half stuff at home and half at a friends.
“Yes im a Christian but don’t like what bible says about this or that. I’m a Christian, and happy to obey, but also want this relationship - that’s what will make me happy - God wants me to be happy. “
“Yeah im a Christian, but God wouldnt ask me to do anything that doesnt make sense to me.”
Look at Isrelites, in front of mighty fortress, enemies in front of them. Told to to March and say nothing, and then simply shout. Not told to train, or sharpen weapons. No matter how strange the request they are called to obey.
Sometimes as we read bible, or pray, find God asking us to do something that we aren’t comfortable with. Might not make sense to us. Goes against what world might say or do. But question is who is in charge.
Jesus is in charge, Jesus is judge, but also immensly loving and gracious. And best life we could ever live is one living completely for our relationship with him. No compromise. Submitting ourselves completely to his word and his word. Because His greatest desire for our good, that we migth know life to the full - is obedience, that we might be increasingly like Jesus by the transforming power of the Spirit. Amem?
Will you make your greatest priority (at all times and in all seasons) living in faith fueled, spirit depedent obedience to your glorious Lord and Saviour Jesus? REPEAT