Joshua's Conquering Faith (Part 1) Series

Topic: Sunday Sermon Series – Living by Faith

Title: Joshua’s Conquering Faith (Part 1)

Text: Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. – NIV

Intro: We have been studying the concept of faith, and what it means to live by faith as it is set forth in scripture, particularly in the book of Hebrews.

Living by Faith is the principal God has called His people to live by. You’ll find it in both Old and New Testament:

Habakkuk 2 (NKV)

4 “Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by his faith.

When Paul begins his treatise on the Gospel at the very outset of it points his readership to the fact that, the Gospel of God, and the salvation of God thorough Jesus Christ can only come by faith. It is the life principal by which we are to live,

Romans 1:17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.

A concept that our scripture passage puts before us that living by faith can be a battle! Paul instructed Timothy to:

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Paul said to even keep the faith can be a fight!

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Transition: There are many things that we war against!

A) Sinful desires:

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul

B) Evil spirits:

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

C) People who oppose the Gospel:

1 Corinthians 15:32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

D) We even wrestle with, and war against the thoughts within our own minds!

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

Wow! The Christian life is a war, and losing this war is not an option!

Listen to the last words of Jesus to the churches in the book of Revelation: What is the last thing he said?

Revelation 2:7 He who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (is victorious),[ESV - To the one who conquers] I will grant to eat [of the fruit] of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. - AMPC

Revelation 3: 5 Thus shall he who conquers (is victorious) ),[ESV - who conquers] he shall be clad in white garments, and I will not erase or blot out his name from the Book of Life; I will acknowledge him [as Mine] and I will confess his name openly before My Father and before His angels.. – AMPC

I guess Vince Lombardi was right when he said…

Vince Lombardi-Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing!

When it come to our spiritual lives – you have to win, conquer, overcome!

And the only way to win this battle is by/thru faith!

1 John 5:4 - NLT- For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.

Today we will consider a very practical picture of this type of faith through the event recorded in Hebrews 11:30.

Title: Joshua’s Conquering, Faith!

Proposition: A study of the faith exercised by Joshua and the Israelites in Hebrews 11:30, will Provide for us a picture of, and the principles by which a conquering faith functions.

So let’s look at it from several perspective the first being:

I. The FOUNDATION of an overcoming, conquering, victorious faith:

Is comprised of several components…

Joshua 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. 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.