Holy Ground Series

As we heard from the children this morning, “Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho and the walls came a tumbling down!” Did Joshua actually just do it all alone by himself?

God was with Joshua and won the Battle of Jericho! It was actually the Lord Jesus Christ who was with Joshua!

How does this relate to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and us? This is the question I would like us to think about today. You see, God Jesus Christ won the battle of Gethsamane, Golgotha, Death, and Hades!

Before we note more about Jesus Christ our Only Savior and applications for our lives, let us read an interesting passage in our study of Joshua. Please open your bibles to Joshua 5….

Under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites, about 3 million of them, crossed the Jordan River, which God stopped from flowing, and they were about to battle the Canaanites for the land promised to them by God. I find it interesting that before the Battle of Jericho, God noted for us Joshua 5:13-15…. Read along with me….

We read that Joshua looked up and saw a man with a sword drawn! What does this tell us about the man??

v13a: Joshua had to look up! The man was likely bigger than Joshua!

The man was ready for battle! He had his sword drawn!

Then we read, Joshua went up to the big soldier with a sword and asked him a question. What does this tell us about Joshua and why??

v13b: Joshua had no fears because he knew God was with him.

And according to v14: the man was a commander of Jesus’ army (i.e. he was a superangel!)

Now in v14-15: the superangel said he was neither for the Israelites or for the Canaanites but told Joshua to take off his sandals for the place was holy! Now if we look ahead to Joshua 6, we don’t see the superangel anymore. God does not really tell us specifically, but why do you think the superangel showed up and told Joshua that the ground he was standing on was holy??

It was possible that Joshua was becoming too self-confident and he needed a reminder. Joshua after all was not immune to sinning like all human beings! Joshua was a soldier ready to go to war!

v14-15: Joshua was reminded that God was deeply involved in his life and he needed to humble himself.

Now, how does this relate to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and us?

Turn with me now to the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 16:1-15….

When Jesus was placed in the tomb, the Jewish leaders were so afraid of someone taking the body that they asked the Roman Empire to seal and guard the tomb!!! (show picture) Anyone who tries to go near the tomb would have to deal with the Roman Guards and if anyone was strong enough to fight the Soldiers and break the seal on the tomb, they would be hunted down by the Mighty Roman empire and killed!!

Now we read these ladies going to the tomb. The ladies assumed that Jesus Christ was dead and they were ready to do what was necessary; to embalm the body. The ladies were so confident of what they were going to do that they did not even think of the soldiers on guard or how they were going to move that large stone covering the tomb! The ladies had no fears of taking action of what they knew they had to do!

Why did the ladies have no fears??

The ladies going to the tomb had no fears because they truly believed in God and Jesus Christ!

And what happened? God intervened and the ladies had an encounter with angels!

v12-13: 2 Christians just traveling, encounters Jesus Christ!!

Verse 14 is interesting isn’t it?? The called disciples walked with and experienced Jesus Christ for 3 years. How courageous were they at this point in time??

v14-15: Even though the disciples had a lack of faith and they were afraid, God intervened any way and instructed them to take action for God because they were called by God!

We are Believers of Jesus Christ today because the disciples trusted Jesus Christ and obeyed God!

What about us today?

1. Has God called you and helped you understand who Jesus Christ is? What is He telling you? Are you ready to trust and obey?

2. Are we courageous in doing what God has called us to do, at home, at work, at school, in the neighborhood, here at church? Awesome! But let us always remember who our God is! Moses had to be reminded! Joshua had to be reminded! The women disciples including Mary who birthed Jesus Christ had to be reminded. The First 11 Disciples had to be reminded. Wherever God is, it is Holy ground! All Believers of Jesus Christ have God with them! Wherever we Christians go, it is Holy ground!!