HoHum:
At the 2002 Winter Olympics, there were five finalist for the Men’s 1000 Meter Speed Skating Race. During the final lap, the American and Chinese were out front with the Canadian and Korean skaters hot on their heels. The Australia trailed behind for last place. They came around the last curve for the final straightaway stretch. The winner would receive the Olympic Gold medal. Suddenly, the Chinese skater slightly bumped the American and sent both of them careening into the wall as they spun out of control. With no time or space to get out of the way, the tangled mess caused the Canadian and Korean skaters to also spin out of control and join them in a tangled heap of arms and legs. The Australian skater pushed by the heap and shouted to the top of his lungs as he crossed the finish line, “Gold! I won the Gold!” He won the Gold for no other reason than he crossed the finish line! He finished the race! He was not the fastest. He did not set any records. He just simply didn’t quit or get tangled up in the mess around him. “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10.
WBTU:
God made the world and everything in it. God placed the man and the woman in the best place, the Garden of Eden. The serpent, Satan, came and tempted Eve to break the only command of the Lord God. Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and she gave some to Adam and he ate. From that point on, there has been war over the souls of mankind. God let’s us know that one day he is going to do something about this when he spoke this to the serpent: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”” Genesis 3:15, NIV.
Before that day, God began by making a people, a nation, exclusively for himself. God called Abraham to leave the land that he knew and go to a new place, the land of Canaan. In faith Abraham obeyed, and we find God giving him this promise: “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring for ever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”” Genesis 13:14-17, NIV.
Abraham’s descendants went to live in Egypt for a time. While there they increased in number as promised but the Egyptians enslaved them. God sent Moses and through God’s power the Israelites were freed and left Egypt. While on the way to the Promised Land, the Israelites disobeyed God’s will and commands time and time again. They lacked the faith to go into the Promised Land under Moses and so the Lord caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that generation died out. At the end of those 40 years, Moses died. Joshua, Moses’ aide, was chosen by God to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Joshua was about 40 years old when he was freed and went with his people out into the wilderness. Joshua is about 80 years old when he leads the Israelites into the Promised Land. He and Caleb are the only ones from that generation that lived to claim their inheritance in the Promised Land. No one could replace Moses, so Joshua needs some encouragement. We find at the beginning of this book: “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them--to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses... No-one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”” Joshua 1:1-9.
We find in Joshua 11 that Joshua obeyed and was successful in God’s mission for the Israelites to claim the Promised Land. Joshua left nothing undone that he was commanded to do. The tribes needed to go and claim their inheritance and there would be more battles over this but the Canaanites were so defeated that they no longer posed a serious threat to them.
Some have trouble with the battles we see in Joshua because they are so bloody and bent on mass extinction of the Canaanites. Talk more about this tonight.
We need to understand that there is a war going on between good and evil all the time. The war involving mankind began in the Garden of Eden and continues today. Plato said, “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” In this life, war is unending even if we see no casualties. The casualties are there because souls are being lost to sin and Satan everyday. We have a choice to make, which side are we going to be on, heaven or hell hangs in the balance.
Like Joshua we can have the victory. How?
Thesis: We are destined to win through Christ’s cross, through Christ’s power, through our death
For instances:
We are destined to win through Christ’s cross
The conquest and victory of Canaan is but an OT analogy of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ to the throne of heaven. “After he (Jesus Christ) had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:3, NIV.
Joshua 11:23- the land had rest from war: Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven- the victory was won. Jesus has taken the whole territory, and there is no place where the victory of the cross can be overthrown. Throughout the whole created universe Jesus Christ is Lord because of Calvary.
From this some get the idea that we are to do nothing for our salvation. “What must I do to be saved?” Well, nothing. This is an incorrect understanding. The book of Hebrews often tells us to enter into God’s rest. What kind of a rest is this talking about? Just sit back and do nothing but sit on our laurels.
What kind of rest does Jesus Christ have? This is the rest of satisfaction. On the cross Jesus said, ““It is finished.” John 19:30. Nothing can be added to the finished work of salvation. Our Lord sits on his heavenly throne today because the sacrifice of the Cross is sufficient and complete for the salvation of the world. “But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” Hebrews 10:12, NIV. The demands of God’s justice have been satisfied, and today there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus- Romans 8:1.
Our Joshua, the Lord Jesus, has taken the whole land. The results of Calvary are available for everyone. All that is asked of us to enter into Christ’s salvation and victory is that we take our share of the victory of the Cross. There is something for us to do to claim the victory of the cross? What is that? Belief, repentance, confession, baptism
We are destined to win through Christ’s power
“And his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,” Ephesians 1:19, 20, NIV.
Jeremy Camp- The same power that rose Jesus from the grave; The same power that commands the dead to wake; Lives in us, lives in us; The same power that moves mountains when He speaks; The same power that can calm a raging sea; Lives in us, lives in us; He lives in us, lives in us; Greater is He that is living in me; He's conquered our enemy; No power of darkness; No weapon prevails; We stand here in victory
Victory is secured by God's help. In the passage of the Jordan, the fall of the walls of Jericho, and the success of the battlefield, this tells us that God was aiding His people. In our spiritual warfare we are victorious because God is fighting for us and gives us strength to fight and because Christ has conquered our enemies.
Victory is attained through our fighting. "Joshua took the land" after hard fighting. The Christian must fight to win. “Fight the good fight of the faith.” 1 Timothy 6:12, NIV. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:10, 11, NIV.
We are destined to win even through our death
A. After death we receive a great inheritance in the Lord. We have our Canaan to possess after the baffle of life is over. Heaven will be a great inheritance to us, as
(a) the home of our souls and the abode of our Father,
(b) the "land flowing with milk and honey," We will receive nourishment and inspiration;
(c) the place for peaceful, honorable service. After fighting the Israelites had time and energy to till the soil and tend their flocks; after our fighting will come the happy service of heaven.
Victory will secure to us rest from further warfare. "The land rested from war." War is always an evil, though many times a necessary evil. Happy the land that has "rest from war"! The Christian is not to live forever in the dangers of spiritual warfare. In heaven he will be free from the assaults of evil. One day Christ will defeat death and we will all be going home. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:26, NIV.
Bill and Gloria Gaither- There's a line that is drawn through the ages; On that line stands an old rugged cross; On that cross, a battle is raging; For the gain of man's soul or it's loss; On one side, march the forces of evil; All the demons, all the devils of hell; On the other, the angels of glory; And they meet on Golgotha's hill; The earth shakes with the force of the conflict; And the sun refuses to shine; For there hangs God's son, in the balance; And then through the darkness he cries; It is finished, the battle is over; It is finished, there'll be no more war; It is finished, the end of the conflict; It is finished and Jesus is Lord
Great for Christ but what about us? One day for us we can say through Jesus Christ, It is finished, the battle is over; it is finished there'll be no more war; It is finished, the end of the conflict; It is finished and Jesus is Lord
