ARE YOU READY TO CONQUER YOUR CANAAN?
JOSHUA 5:1-13
Verse 1 tells us that the heathen nations in Canaan saw the powerful manner in which the Lord brought His children through the Jordan and that they were totally demoralized by these events
------It would seem that they were absolutely resigned to their fate----------it would appear that this would be the perfect time for Joshua to lead the people forward into the attack
--------------------but folks—God’s timing is not ours
Instead of commanding His people to go forward into the battle, God commands them to remain at Gilgal and to do several things that, on the surface, appear very strange
-------it even appears that the things they are required to do puts them at risk before their enemies
While the ways of the Lord may appear strange to you and me, let me remind you that the ways of the Lord are not ours
Isaiah 55:8-9--“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, Declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
You see, God never gets in a hurry-----(we will see that a little later)
-------He has the liberty to take His time and do things on His schedule------While the things that happen in this chapter appear strange against the backdrop of impending battle, the truth of the matter is God is simply preparing His army to fight
God’s battles are spiritual battles------If we expect to fight in these battles and do well, then we must make the right king of spiritual preparations
II Corinthians 10:3-5
That is what the Lord is doing right here in the life of His people----it is also what He wants to do in your life and mine this morning
God knew that they would never be ready to fight and win the battle until the proper spiritual preparations had been made
Let me ask you a question-----Are you ready to conquer your Canaan?-----Expound
-------Only if you are willing to make the right spiritual preparations can you conquer your Canaan
Let’s take a few minutes this morning to consider the steps that Israel was commanded to take before they could conquer their Canaan
I)—Renewing Their Covenant with the Lord—v. 2-7
The first command the Lord gives to Israel is that all the men are to be circumcised
Genesis 17:9-11
Those men who were born during the 40 yrs. Of wilderness wandering had not been circumcised-----notice v. 5
--------expound on their wandering------they were not walking with God in the sense of being obedient
Now, before these men can claim their Canaan, they must be circumcised-------they must renew the covenant with the Lord if they wanted His blessings on them and if they wanted to be guaranteed the victory
The lesson for us is simply this-----just as Israel was required to remove from their bodies a piece of flesh as a sign that they were a part of the covenant, so too, we must remove from our lives anything that stands between us and total surrender to the Lord
Spiritual Circumcision should come after crossing the Jordan
Colossians 2:11 & 12--expound on v. 12----Colossians 3:1-3 & 5
Notice v. 2----------We use the word of God for our Spiritual circumcision-----Hebrew 4:12
Circumcision was to be the outward reminder of an inward work of faith
----anything that is displeasing to the Lord needs to be removed from your life------it needs to be cut off and put away from you forever
II)—Reaffirming their confidence in the Lord—v. 8
At this point Israel is camped in the heart of enemy territory
-----This took a great demonstration of faith and obedience because until they were healed they were setting ducks before the enemy
-----but God protected them
They had to be willing to trust the Lord to protect them until they healed ---------their faith was the secret to their success
These men had learned a valuable lesson-----that their battles would not be won by military might and by superior battlefield tactics
--------they knew that if they ever saw victory it would be because God gave it to them
-------------their’s would be a victory based wholly in faith in their God
We face times just like these men ------they had just come from a great victory and often that is the time when pride will rise up in us and we will think that we are unstoppable
-----the Lord will allow us to go through a time of testing----when we do, we must have faith in the Lord-------we need to remember that our God can and will take care of His children
Spiritual circumcision must come before conquering Jericho------
----Jericho represents our strongholds-------they must go before we can move forward in our walk with God and receive all that He has for us
Galatians 2:20—“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Circumcision is not easy------it is painful----both physically and spiritually
---------as those strongholds are place in our lives----don’t allow the enemy to scare you when you can scare them—notice v. 1
James 4:7----“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
When God’s people are not able to take care of themselves, their God is more than able
-------Note just a few instances where faith in a great God paid amazing dividends
1)—Noah was protected in the Ark while the rest of humanity perished----Genesis 6-9
2)—The firstborn of Israel were spared while the Egyptian children died----Exodus 12
3)—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were spared from the fire—Daniel 3
4)—Daniel was spared from the hungry lion—Daniel 6
5)—Elijah was fed by the ravens and by the poor widow----I Kings 17
6)—Paul was given grace for his race—II Corinthians 12
What I am trying to tell you this morning is that the Lord will take care of you during the difficult times of life-------He is still God and He is still able to supply all that you need
-------but He requires that we are obedient and trust Him completely
III)—Removing their condemnation by the Lord—v. 9
“reproach of Egypt”----explain and expound on
Let me remind you this morning that if you have placed your faith I Jesus Christ for salvation----your past is not an issue any longer as far as God is concerned
Isaiah 38:17----43:25---------I John 1:7
The reproach of the old life has been removed forever------you must get past the guilt of those days before you can walk in victory in your Canaan
Too many Christians are defeated and feel like they are second class citizens in the kingdom of God
-----If you have confessed your sin and repented of it, then it has been taken care of as far as God is concerned
God is telling Israel that they are to walk looking to the victory of today rather than to the defeat of yesterday
You will never be able to walk in victory until you come to realize that the Lord has forgiven your past
--------and understand that there will always be those like the Egyptians who will remind you of your past failures and try to discourage you and keep you down
IV)—Remembering the commitment of the Lord—v. 10-12
In these verses we find Israel once again keeping the feast of the Passover--------they first observed it when they were still in Egypt
------they also celebrated it at Mount Sinai before they left for Kadesh Barnea
However----there is no evidence that they had celebrated the Passover in 40 yrs.------the fact is they couldn’t because the new generation had not been circumcised and this was a requirement for participating in the Passover------expound on what Passover is
Folks we must constantly judge ourselves and practice Spiritual circumcision ---------same for Lord’s Supper
Now that they are in the promised Land they are to celebrate the feast of the Passover ------they are to remember the things God did for them in bringing them out of Egypt and in providing for them along the way
What a lesson for the redeemed people of the Lord------When we face the battles of life, we must remember some of the great things the lord has done for us in our pasts
We need to remember when:
1)—He called us in Love
2)—He saved us by grace
3)—HE forgave our trespasses
4)—He kept us when we fell
5)—He conquered our enemies
6)—He gave us victory when there seemed to be not hope
Take time to remember the way God has proven that He was strong in your life all along the way---------it will give you courage to face the next battle
-------If He was God then----He is still God now
Just as Israel needed to remember the Lord’s commitment to them, they also needed to remember their commitment to Him
Understand ----they had eaten manna every day -----However when they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan, the manna ceased—notice v. 12
Manna is a picture of Christ in His earthly ministry-----but the produce of the Land is a picture of Christ in His Heavenly ministry now
Have you gone farther in your walk with Christ and now experience Him daily in a resurrected way
Notice God’s timing Here------His calculations are never wrong
--------he is always right on time
Matthew 6:33----“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
He may change His source of supply but God always supplies
Far too many Christians are just like the Israelites ----That is they have an appetite for the things of the world just like Israel did for the things of Egypt-----(remember they kept wanting to go back)
God help us to develop a hunger for the harvest of our inheritance---------God didn’t save us to satisfy our hunger with the things of the world-----He saved us so that we might learn to enjoy Him and feed off the things He would give us
Let us not look to the world to try to find something to satisfy our hungers------rather–let us learn to feed on the tings of the Lord
We do not need to scrounge around for scraps----we are children of the King----we can feed on the best if we are willing to allow the Lord to lead us and feed us
V)—Recognizing the control of the Lord—v. 13-15
The final step in getting ready to conquer your Canaan is learning Who is in control
This is believed to be a Christophony ------the pre-incarnated Christ appearing to Joshua as a man-----------The Lord is commander of the Lord’s army------Joshua bowed down and worshiped Him and was ready to do whatever He asked
Basically God is letting Joshua know that he should not be afraid------
----You see what I have already done----you can’t do it in your own strength--------just like what I have already done, I am here and will never leave you
This gets Joshua ready to do all that needs to be done----because he has been in the presence of the Lord
Folks understand something-----Obedience to God in the present demonstrates our desire to follow Him in the future
Notice basically He told Joshua that HE did not come to take sides, but to take over-------------He told Joshua that He was in Charge
Joshua’s response was to fall down and worship Him --------this is an indication that Joshua is submitting to the will of the Lord and that he knows Who is in Control
------You see—before you can have the victory—you must be vanquished----before you can conquer, you must first be conquered
We must do what Joshua did------that is —we must lay down our swords at the feet of the Captain of the Lord’s host
Joshua is experiencing the reality of those promises in Chapter 1
-------God is telling Joshua that he does not have to fight the battles alone--------He is even telling Joshua that the battles are not his responsibility
The Lord is the Captain of the Army of God and He is present to direct the battle and to give the victory
-----The victory is ours if only we will trust and be obedient
The key to seeing these promises fulfilled in your life is to do what Joshua did------Get on your face before the Lord, seek the Lord’s will for the battle and let Him lead you to victory
Folks we need to realize that we are on holy Ground and we better not be playing Games with God
