Sermon notes from Sunday 30 October 2016
JOSHUA 5 VERSES 1 – 12
Gilgal - a special place.
It was a place of presentation. The people came
up out of the Jordan. It was the tenth
day of the month and they came before the God of heaven. There were some 40,000 men prepared for
war. Here were the people coming to
present themselves before the God of heaven.
They came in an orderly fashion - they “encamped”. In Joshua 4 verses 12 and 13 they were prepared
for the battle that lay before them. Why
does it separate these 2½ tribes – Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh? They had decided to remain on the other side
of Jordan but God told them to go over with the other tribes to gain the
victory for them. They were ready to do
battle, to fight. Are we claiming
everything God has for us? Are we getting
into the word of God and experiencing everything he has for us? The devil will deceive us today. That is the same devil Eve met in the Garden
of Eden. He blinded her, fooled her into
thinking God wouldn’t see what she had done.
The devil has deceived us into saying ‘everything is ok’. There is another battle going on today. What about the Asher’s Bakery going on this
week? The battle of freedom of
conscience and speech. That is our
battle today. Do you realise that battle
that is going on? There is the battle
for same sex marriage coming before the government again. That is our battle today. There is more to church than Sunday morning
and evening or as you tuck your bible under your arm when you come into God’s
house. Here were 40,000 people prepared for
the battle before them, to root out the enemy and claim the land before
them. We need to claim the battle
today. The abortion battle is going on
today too, to save the life of the unborn child in the womb. That is the battle we have to face. Think of the Lord’s day. They are changing laws to bring Belfast into
the category of opening the trading hours longer. The church is more than a social gathering
today. The devil will not fear us giving
out cups of tea but whenever we get on our knees to seek the God of heaven he
trembles. When we got saved that was
only the beginning, just like for these people when they crossed over the
Jordan river. They now had to prove
themselves in the Promised Land. They
had to claim it for themselves. There is
a great battle before us today. Do we
know anything of the powers of darkness?
Is there someone in your heart and thoughts who you would love to see
them saved? Somehow you see Satan
hindering you. In Romans 12 Paul leaves
off a doctrinal section to say “I beseech you.”
In other words he is saying ‘will you listen to me?’ “That ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.” Paul was speaking of the altar and sacrifice
and burnt offering. Every bit of the
burnt offering was put on the altar, nothing was taken off it, all for
God. Was there ever a moment in your
life when you presented yourself before God as a living sacrifice? These people were prepared for war. They didn’t know if life would be taken from
them but they were doing it for God.
Have we given everything to God?
Paul said “be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable will
of God.” Out on the hillside when that
boy sat with the loaves and the fishes and Andrew came and asked him to give it
to the Lord, he brought it to the Lord. It
was such a small offering. What could
happen to it? Was there ever a moment in
your life when you said “I don’t have much but whatever I have is yours?” Paul said “I beseech you present yourselves
as a living sacrifice.” Is there
something we can give to him today? Look
at the widow woman giving 2 mites into the treasury. The Lord said she had cast in everything she
had. It might not have been much. God looks for everything we have today. Remember the woman with the alabaster
box. She took it and broke it. The Lord said she had done all she
could. Have we presented ourselves
before the Lord today?
A place of identification
– chapter 5 verse 2. The next 2 verses
are taken up with that ceremonial act of circumcision which identified them
with their God. The cutting away of the
flesh which identified them with God.
Remember when God called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldees – Genesis 17
verse 10. Every man child had to be
circumcised. Do we listen to the God of
heaven as we read his word? Genesis 17
verse 11. That idea, the act of
circumcision was a token of the covenant between Abraham and God. At 8 days old they were to be
circumcised. A token that was
neglected. In verse 5 we see the
seriousness and significance of this problem.
The wilderness years speak of a time of disobedience when they left
aside this act of ceremony of circumcision.
Kadesh Barnea was only a stones throw from Canaan. They turned back because they believed God
could not give them the land. The spies
were sent out but their hearts melted at the report. They even planned to raise a captain to take
them back to Egypt. Such was their
disobedience. During those years this
act of circumcision was forgotten about.
I’m sure their minds went back to what God said to Abraham that the
child should be circumcised. As they
went out and didn’t do that act it was easier to set things aside. You find if you begin to neglect certain
things it is forgotten about as years go by, easy to do nothing, easy to get
away from it when times are hard and difficult.
Times of prayer can be set aside.
It is easy done. After a while it
gets easier. Here were a people
presenting themselves before God. God is
reminding them of something that needed to be done. Even now they were identifying themselves
with God. What is my identity with
Christ today? Can you look back to the day
when you accepted Christ as you Saviour, identified yourself with Christ. They will know you are my disciples when you
do the things I ask you to do. Is there
something left undone in my life? The flesh
speaks of will and determination to go your own way. Circumcision was painful on this particular
day. When God puts his finger on
something that has been left undone in our lives it can be painful. You need to be careful today. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for David when he had
to acknowledge the sin with Bathsheba.
We can set aside things because it is not convenient. Set aside things that are hurtful. God put his finger on it and says ‘will you
go through with me in this respect before you claim the gifts I have for you?’ There is a responsibility on us today to do
it today. Will we present
ourselves? Identify ourselves with God of
heaven?
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