Obedience and observance to the word of God

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2012

Joshua 6 verses 1 – 21

Sometimes we ask ourselves the question why spend time on an account like this?  We live in the New Testament days, surely there is much there to learn from?  When Paul was writing to Timothy, a young preacher going out into the world, Paul had a little advice for him.  He knew people would reject God’s word.  Paul told Timothy “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.”  In other words as you read the word of God remember it is inspired, breathed by God.  God transmitted his thoughts to men of old and they put them down in writing.  To the Corinthian believers Paul also talked of when the children of Israel came out of Egypt “these things are for our example”.  Surely as we saw last week, saw this man Joshua, the focus of Joshua was on the great city Jericho and beyond it was the blessing of God.  He didn’t know how to handle things from here on in.  We can think ourselves of the problems and difficulties we face in our everyday lives, meet so many difficulties, don’t know how to focus on it.  Then we saw his feelings.  He was discouraged.  He lifted his eyes and saw the angel before him.  His head was down before that but he lifted them upwards.  Then we saw the fellowship – he got down before the Lord and worshipped him again.  His faith was renewed again.  The heading over Joshua 6 could be “the battle is on.”  Do we know anything about the battle?  This battle we are in from the moment you get saved until you go into the presence of the Lord?  There is a battle on for your soul.  Let’s look at how Joshua got around this city.

There is an obedience to the word of God.

Chapter 5 verse 14 says “what saith my Lord unto his servant?”  As we see the children of Israel marching around the city they were doing so in obedience to the word of God.  That is where we fall or stand.  We need to get our eyes on the Lord and ask him “is there a word for me in this situation?”  Remember when the Lord Jesus was out in the wilderness and became hungry, Satan said to the Lord “since you are the Son of God reach out to these stones and make them into bread so you can eat.”  Jesus replied to Satan “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  It is important that we remember every word is from God’s word.  Today we do not live by physical bread alone but by spiritual bread too.  Martha and Mary in their own homes one day saw a crowd coming down the road.  They realised it was Jesus and his disciples coming to pay them a visit.  It was a home Jesus loved to visit.  Martha goes into the kitchen and begins to prepare a meal but Mary sat down at Jesus’ feet listening to every word that came out of Jesus’ mouth.  She had a hunger for the word of God.  She didn’t want to be in the kitchen, just wanted to be in the presence of God.  It is a tremendous thing to be in the place where God has promised he will be.  Every meeting we conduct is in the name of the Lord.  He has promised us to be there in the midst of that.  Joshua says “is there a word from the Lord.”  Zedekiah was on the throne of Jerusalem.  The Chaldeans were coming at the gates of the city.  Jeremiah was arrested and put into prison.  He was there simply because speaking out for the Lord.  Zedekiah would look out each day and see the enemy advancing towards the city.  He was in the depths of despair, at his wits end.  He sent men down to the prison house for Jeremiah.  They brought him up into the house and did it secretly.  Didn’t want his adversaries to know he was sending for this man of God.  He knew this situation called for action brought Jeremiah up.  Zedekiah asked Jeremiah “is there a word from the Lord?”  When we get down before God is that in the depths of our soul “is there any word from the Lord?”  Jehosophat was brought to fight for King Ahab.  False prophets were arrayed around Ahab.  Jehosophat listened to what they had to say and then turned to Ahab and said “is there not a prophet here from the Lord that we might hear from him?”  We need to be careful because many are being dulled, deceived, taken away because they are not getting it from the Lord.  Seek a word from the Lord today.

The observance to the word of God.

Joshua heard the word clearly spoken to him.  Now he has to be careful to listen to it and put it into practice.  He realised the constrictions God has given to him but he knew to follow them very exactly.  Joshua knew what he had to do so went out and put it into practice.  He must address it.  He makes it clear to the rest of the army to observe what the Lord has said to him.  We have the word of God, the Spirit of God within us and need to be careful to listen and put it into practice.  I’m sure the people probably thought when they heard the word it was such madness.  Joshua told them the priests had to take the ark and go around the walls, then the people were to follow them once every day.  On the seventh day they were to march around the walls seven times and not to be quiet when doing it.  They must use their trumpets and shout, then the walls would fall flat.  I am sure the people thought this man has lost his mind.  God will do a work but he will depend on his people to do that.  We do well to sit in the prayer meeting and take some names on our hearts and pray for them.  The Lord expects us to be doing out bit that he might do his bit for us.  Sometimes God does things unexpectantly.  We think we do things different.  Gideon was a young man in the book of Judges.  The enemy was besieging the city of Jerusalem.  An angel came to Gideon – you are a mighty man of valour and we will deliver this city because of you.  After an argument with the angel Gideon gathers up an army and then God comes to him again and says “there are too many with you.”  From 32000 men God cuts them down to 300.  Sometimes God does things that we could take them through better.  They look foolish in our eyes.  Jeremiah proclaimed that the only way to escape was to surrender to the Babylonian army.  The old false prophets denounced that and said the Lord would not let this happen.  They called Jeremiah all the names of the day.  This however was going to be God’s way.  As we take up the word of God, when the preacher says you have to repent and come to faith in Christ Jesus the false prophets stand up and says “no you are OK, you are all ready for home.”  The false prophet has his answer.  In Jeremiah’s day he was cast into prison.  Do you ever feel like Jeremiah?  You get up and pray and everything in the day goes wrong.  Then you come home and pray and read God’s word but realise the next day there are more problems than the day before.  Jeremiah was faithful but ended up in the prison house.  No matter how difficult the day is God is working out his plan and purpose for your life.  “All things work together for good to them that love God.”

This people were ordered in their walk.

Verse 6 – they were going with the presence of God in that army.  Do others see the presence of God in our lives?  Can you imagine the lookouts shouting out to the generals “here they come.”  This great army marched around that city, see the people watching them as they walk around the city then go back down to their camp.  The next day they do the same thing.  Not a word said, not a sword drawn.  Their walk was disciplined and dependable and ordered.  Your walk must be ordered of the Lord.  Are we walking with the testimony of the Lord in our hearts?  Do people see the presence of God in our lives?  Paul told us to walk worthy of him who called us.  The prison house keeper knew there was something different about the 2 men he had locked up in a prison cell.  He asked them as a result of noticing this.  Do people know they can depend on us?  Stephen as he was stoned – his face shone like an angel.  John Wesley ended up in a ship heading for America.  This ship was being tossed about in the storm.  John Wesley could see people on the ship who were different.  They were Moravians and they got down on their knees and prayed.  When they got to land John Wesley asked them “where was the difference?”  They showed him Jesus.  They didn’t have to testify to him.  They just lived it.

There was the outcome that was witnessed.

With a shout the walls fell as God had promised.  God wants to bring glory out of the situation we are in today.  A humbling experience that God would seek to bring glory to his name through us in the situation we find ourselves in.