No Battle, No Victory
O God, we have heard it with our own ears— our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in days long ago: You drove out the pagan nations by your power and gave all the land to our ancestors.
You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free. They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.
You are my King and my God. You command victories for Israel. Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
only in your name can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me.
You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies; you disgrace those who hate us. O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.
- Psalm 44:1-8
NOW THIS MORNING – we are continuing our message series, ‘Such Things Were Written’ the theme verse for this series is…
‘Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises. – Romans 15:4
AND – so far in this series we have been both taught and given hope and encourage, from…
• The story of Ruth and Naomi
• David’s defeat of the giant Goliath
• The life of the prophet Jeremiah
• A surprising warrior named Gideon
• AND – for the last 2 weeks we have looked at the period of history in the life of God’s people known as the wilderness or wandering period… in a conversation called, “Are We There yet?”
NOW THIS MORNING (September 6, 2020)…
WE ARE - going to unpack a conversation called,
‘No Battles, No Victory.’
AND LISTEN – as with our recent conversation…
‘Are We There Yet?”
This conversation centers around another period of Old Testament History, one known as ‘The Conquest’ period.
It’s a 27 year period of history recorded in the book of Joshua that chronicles the events surrounding God’s people leaving their desert wandering, and settling in the land of promise.
OKAY SO – let’s do this… “No Battles, No Victory”
We will begin in Joshua chapter 1.
BTW - Joshua is 83 years old at this time.
UNDERSTAND – the book of Joshua is primarily a book about war…
ABOUT – battles and enemies, victory and conquest.
There are 13 major battles recorded in the book of Joshua, and 31 different kings fall to Joshua as the Israelite army conquers the land.
Joshua chapter 1:1…
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead.
QUESTION – what emotions do you think that Joshua is feeling at this time? (doubt, fear, sorrow…)
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. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand 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. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
7 “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.
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; 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.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.’”
- Joshua 1:1-11
Prayer
OKAY SO…
• The people get ready to cross the Jordan in three days
• Joshua ‘secretly’ sends out 2 guys to cross the Jordan and go over and spy out the land.
QUESTION – why secretly? LIKE – was Joshua concerned
• that the people might see it as a lack of faith, or
• that there could be some kind of ‘intelligence leak’ and that the Canaanite patrols on the west side of the Jordan might find out.
The text offers us no clue
Nor does it tell us how these guys made it across the Jordan River which at the time was at flood stage.
OKAY SO – these 2 unnamed spies cross the Jordan River and go and check out the land and especially the city of Jericho. NOW – in Jericho they meet a woman (a prostitute) named Rahab (who btw was the mother of Boaz, you know, the husband of Ruth. And Rahab was also the great-great-great grandmother of King David… she is mentioned in Jesus’ family tree in Matthew chapter one), now this is for another conversation, but just let me say that it is a lie to believe that your past history determines your future destiny.
Well Rahab
• takes them into her home and hides them
• and she also gives them some really encouraging intel,
Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. – Joshua 2:8-11
SO - the spies bring this bring this news back to Joshua,
They said to Joshua, “The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.” - Joshua 2:24
OKAY – let’s read about God’s people crossing the Jordan River, Joshua chapter 3…
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people:
“When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.
4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.
But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”
6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
7 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.
11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.
13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing.
It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. – Joshua 3:1-17
When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” - Joshua 4:1-3
AGAIN - – the book of Joshua is primarily a book about war… ABOUT – battles and enemies, victory and conquest.
AND LISTEN – the way I want to spend our time remaining is answer two questions…
1) Why must there be battles?
2) How to see a victory?
I. Why Must There Be Battles?
NOW - I am sure that God’s people in Joshua’s day asked or thought about that question many times during those years of war and conflict.
Why are we always having to fight some kind of battle?
QUESTION – have you ever felt the same way?
NOW - let me suggest 2 reasons, why God’s people in Joshua faced many battles…
A) They had an enemy
AND UNDERSTAND – the people (the enemies) that Joshua and Israel would square off against, once they crossed the Jordan River were a formidable enemy to say the least.
• Well trained soldiers
• Large army
• Superior weapons
• Fortified cities
Why must there be battles…?
BECAUSE - God’s people had an enemy, and because…
B) Someone else occupied the land
YES – God promised Abraham that his decedents would possess that land…
BUT – there was a problem, somebody else was already there (like 31 different kingdoms)… and so to posses the land you would have to fight for it.
NOW – I know that I’ve been saying for the last 2 weeks that…
Being God’s people was never about geography, instead it was always about becoming a people who would reveal, reflect and display God’s person, power and purposes throughout the world.
AND – that is true!
HOWEVER – there was a very strategic reason why God wanted to launch the message of…
• Who He was, and
• What He was going to do, redeem the World through Christ the coming Messiah
AGAIN - there was a very strategic reason why God wanted to launch His message from this small 50 x 150 mile chunk of real estate land just east of the Mediterranean Sea…
• It was the major trade route between Africa and Europe and Asia (and understand because of piracy no one shipped goods across the Med until Rome build a Navy).
• This stretch of land - had water, town, roads and it was the shortest route by land
• Understand this was on of the most strategic piece of real estate in the world at this time.
• I MEAN – countless people passed through this stretch of land… and when they did they would encounter God’s people and they would hear stories about the One, True, All Knowing and All Powerful God.
Why must there be battles?
• God’s people had an enemy
• Someone else occupied the land
AND LISTEN - whether we want to admit it or not, wars, battles and enemies did not come to an end at the close of the OT era.
IN FACT - Jesus said in Matthew 10:34
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
AND – He said in… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10
BUT LISTEN – before Jesus said those 14 awesome and inspiring words, in the very same sentence He said these 10 not so fun words…
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy
- John 10:10
YES MGCC - God intends life for us.
BUT - right now that life is opposed.
YOU SEE – it doesn’t just roll in on a tray.
BECAUSE – an enemy (a thief) also occupies our land and he comes to steal, kill and destroy…
YES – the offer is life, but we are going to have to fight for it, because there’s an enemy with a different agenda.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
– 1 Peter 5:8
YES – there is an enemy who is constantly opposing (this life to the full) that Jesus died to give us…
MGCC…B/S – we, you have an enemy.
AND LISTEN – see a very graphic picture of this enemy in Revelation 12….
NOW – this chapter is about the great spiritual war that was fought (in the spiritual realms) when Jesus pit on flesh, was born into this world and did his thing.
UNDERSTAND – the birth of Christ was an act of war, it was an invasion of the enemies territory.
NOW – satan tried to defeat Jesus, but he could not and so in Revelation 12:17 we read of how he has turned the focus of his war effort and attacks on God’s people.
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
– Revelation 12:17
AND Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 6…
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - Eph 6:10-13
Why must there be battles?
1. God’s people have an enemy
2. Someone else occupies the land
OKAY – now for the second question…
II. How Can You See A Victory?
OKAY… I THINK BEFORE – we talk about how to see a victory… WE NEED – to define victory.
NOW FOR JOSHUA AND THE ISRAELITES…
VICTORY – was… conquering the land, winning the war…
AND – establishing themselves in the land as God’s people.
AND LISTEN – for us, for Christians, for the church
VICTORY – is living the life we were created to live…
A LIFE – where…
• Hope is living
• Joy is unquenchable and inexpressible
• Peace transcends understanding
• Love is unconditional, unending and never failing
• Bondages are broken, Captives are set free,
• sin is defeated,
• We are more than conquerors
• We find our greatest joy and satisfaction in God
QUESTION – does anyone want to see that kind victory in their life?
WELL – just remember… “No Battles, No Victory”
NOW – what I want to do in our time remaining is to talk about 5 battles, you must fight in order to see a victory in your life.
A) To See A Victory You Must…Do Battle With Your Obedience
UNDERSTAND – obedience was the very foundation of God’s people seeing a victory in the promise land.
AND – we saw that in God’s own words in Joshua chapter one.
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.
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; 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. – Joshua 1:7,8
AND LISTEN – there are at least 2 reasons why obedience is a battle…
Obedience does not always make sense
2 examples from Joshua…
Crossing the Jordan River
UNDERSTAND - the time of the year that they were crossing would find the river at flood stage, ragging and swollen from the melting snow up in the mountains.
No bridge no boat and millions of people
AND HEY - did you notice how this crossing was different than the Red Sea crossing.
The water did not part, until their feet got wet…
Sometimes the waters will not part until our feet get wet
Crazy battle plan…
NOW – yeah, I get it. Like, we know the story…
Maybe we even sang the song, “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho…
BUT IMAGINE – that you didn’t
AND IMAGINE – that you were Joshua called to initiate a battle plan against heavy fortified city.
AND – God calls you into to His command tent and says, “Okay here is what I want you guys to do to win the battle.”
“March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 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. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and all the people will go up, every man straight in.” Joshua 6:2-5
OKAY – so here is Joshua, this great commander—lots of experience as a general on the battlefield—and he hears God’s plan, and he’s like,
“Well, I…it’s not really what I was thinking.”
You see, I’m sure Joshua had his own ideas.
I’m sure in his mind he had drawn up some plans.
He had some strategies laid out of how they could…it wouldn’t be easy, but maybe…maybe they could take the city if they do it this way.
AND LISTEN - I can tell you that in none of Joshua’s plans did he include the phrase “marching band.”
That was just not part of what he had in mind. And yet God says, “Here’s what we’re gonna do.”
BUT – let me ask you when the victory came who would get the credit and glory, God or the Marching Band?
MGCC - obedience does not always make sense…
• Loving and praying for your enemies
• Being great by being a servant to all
• Putting the needs of others before your own
• Tithing and bringing your offering when…
NO - obedience does not always make sense…, and
Obedience is an all of nothing deal
AND – what I mean by that is that partial obedience is disobedience.
AFTER – their great victory in the battle of Jericho, God’s people suffer a huge and surprising defeat in the their very next battle at a place called Ai.
(Joshua 6 and 7)
Joshua is devastated by the defeat.
He cries out to God about it… “If only we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan.”
And God responds…
“Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. – Joshua 7:10,11
B) To See A Victory You Must… Do Battle With Your Allegiance
QUESTION – does anyone remember what commandment number one is?
You must have no other gods before me… - Exodus 20:3
UNDERSTAND – you must not allow anything to become more important to you than God is…
NOT – your job, your family, your money, your hobbies,
Nothing!
IN – Deuteronomy 30…
MOSES is giving His farewell speech to the people just east of the Jordan River.
HE TELLS – the people about how if they obey God in this new land things are going to be totally awesome.
They will increase in number and live great lives…
WHY? because God would pour out His blessing on them.
AND THEN – Moses says…
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. – Dt 30:17,18
Idolatry is huge in the Bible, dominant in our personal lives
and irrelevant in our own mistaken estimations.
– Os Guinness
(No God, But God, breaking with the idols in our lives)
AND LISTEN – once they cross the Jordan River they than set up camp at a place called Gilgal
And at Gilgal God has His people do 3 things that marked renewal of their allegiance to Him…
1) Covenant Faithfulness Recalled
On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.
21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
23 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.
24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.” - Joshua 4:19-24
2) Covenant Sign Renewed
Apparently during the wilderness and wandering period for those 40 years… for reasons we do not none of their sons born in the desert were circumcised…
After all the males had been circumcised, they rested in the camp until they were healed. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.- Joshua 5:8,9
3) Covenant Meal Revived
NOW – the first Passover meal was celebrated in Egypt the night of the death plague against the firstborn in the land.
The second Passover was observed while Israel was camped at Mt Sinai.
And then is seems to have been suspended.
On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.
The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.- Joshua 5:10-12
C) To See A Victory You Must… Do Battle With Your Focus
By Shifting Focus From Our Smallness To God’s Bigness
REMEMBER - the first time God’s people see the cities (just a little over a year out of Egypt) they say, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own. We can’t do it.”
AND NOW – 40 years later they have courage and they have strength to go into the land.
AND LISTEN – here’s what I think happened.
I THINK – their focus went from focusing on their smallness to focusing on God’s bigness.
AND MGCC - I don’t know of anything that has the potential to be more life-changing than taking your eyes off of your smallness, and putting them on God’s bigness of your God.
YOU SEE – the issue is not, “How big you are compared to whatever it is that you are facing?”
INSTEAD – the question is, “How big is you God?”
AND SO – this new generation in Joshua is filled with courage and strength.
NOT BECAUSE - their circumstances have changed.
NOT BECAUSE - things are easier now than they were then. BUT BECAUSE - they’ve changed their focus.
YOU KNOW – I am convinced that God wants our story to be about His bigness…
TO BE ABOUT - how HE is bigger than our problems, bigger than our doubts, bigger than our fears, bigger than our regrets, bigger than our guilt, bigger than our shame, bigger than anything…
NOW – the prophet Isaiah really wants us see that.
SO - in Isaiah 40 he uses some poetic language to help us understand the bigness of God, and Isaiah says in chapter 40, verse 12…he says,
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?”
I measured some water in my hand. I can fit about a tablespoon in the palm of my hand. We know that more two-thirds of the world’s surface is covered in water—in some places six miles deep. So God pours some water in the palm of his hand; there’s the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic, The Indian…
Isaiah says, “Who has with the breadth of his hand measured off the heavens?” - Isaiah 40:12
I measured the breadth of my hand and from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my pinky it’s like nine inches.
OKAY - the closest star other than the sun to us would be about four and a half light years away.
It just…twenty-six trillion miles.
And God says, “Eh, let Me measure that for you,” and we get this understanding of how big He is.
MAPLE GROVE – imagine, what would happen if (whenever we are in a battle) we took our eyes off of our smallness and put them on God’s bigness… if we took them off the thing, the wall, the giant - that is in front of us and we remember just how BIG our God really is?
D) To See A Victory You Must… Do Battle With The Lies Of Your Enemy
On Friday I put the following on my face book wall…
Hey a little SERMON HELP... what is a '5 word phrase' that represents a lie that you have believed that has robbed your story (your life) of strength and courage...
One of mine (yes, I have more than one) would be...
"You will just fail again"… thanks for the help
• It’s easier to give up
• Life is not worth living
• You can do this alone
• You won’t succeed at that
• They are better than you
• Your past mistakes define you
• No point in trying anymore
• Nobody cares about you anyway
• You are not good enough
• It is what it is
• You are not brave enough
• You are not faithful enough
• Being different is not good
• You are not good enough
• You will never be enough
• You won’t make the team
• It’s too late for you
• You’ll never conquer that sin
• You’ll never overcome this loss
• God ahead, you deserve it
• No one will ever know
• Your failing as a dad
• God is done with you
• You can’t make a difference
• It’ll always be that way
• Might as well just quit
• You could never do that
• I am not worth it
• You are totally by yourself
YEAH - Just five words came quickly to a bunch of people…words that have robbed strength and courage from their lives.
Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught because of my enemies voice… - Psalm 55:1-3
I want to give you five new words—five new words to replace all the other five words. In Joshua 1:5 God says,
I will be with you! – Joshua 1:5
Courage and strength is fear and doubt that has been brought into the presence of The LORD!
QUESTION…
How do you ensure that you will see a victory,
BY - doing battle with…
• Your obedience
• Your allegiance
• Your Focus
• The Lies of Your enemy, and…
E) To See A Victory You Must… Do Battle With Your Divided-Heartedness
Now as the book of Joshua closes, the great leader is 110 ten years old.
• He has fought many, many battles and He has the scares to prove it.
• He has seen God do amazing and tremendous things.
• He has been a leader of God’s people for 67 years
AND – he knows that his time is short. SO – he stands before the people, he clears his throat and speaks to on behalf of the Lord for what will be the last time.
He reminds them of all the great victories they had experienced, through the hand and power of God…
And then he brings his message to a close.
Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:14,15
