(Slide 1) We are going to play a couple of rounds of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors,’ okay? Here are the rules, paper takes rock, scissors takes paper, and rock takes scissors. Find a partner or couple of partners, Ready?
(Three to five rounds are played.) Now, I have to ask, why does paper take rock, scissors takes paper, and rock takes scissors? Does it make any sense to you?
I recently watched an episode of a show on the History channel called ‘Dogfight’ that featured the story of two propeller driven aircraft called ‘Skyraiders’ shooting down a jet powered aircraft, a MiG -17, over North Vietnam.
Everything about the story would leave you to believe that the Skyraider pilots had absolutely no chance to shoot down the fast and sleek jet let alone get away. But they did!
Our text today has the Israelites playing a larger game of rock, paper, scissors while in the role, I believe, of a Skyraider pilot. Faith and discipline enter into this story and it is a story that we find fascinating and perhaps implausible because the Israelites use what appears to be an unconventional approach as they attempt to defeat a well-entrenched enemy.
Do you believe that when God puts something in your hand and life and then gives you an impossible task He will also help you accomplish it in His way? That’s what happened to the Israelites!
After 40 years of wondering around because of their lack of faith in and obedience to God to enter the Promised Land that their father Abraham had been given, they finally crossed the Jordan River and began to take possession of it. It was a great moment for the ancient Israelites! Finally they were beginning to possess what God had given to them as well as becoming the great nation He had planned for them to become.
But, there was a challenge, a problem: What to do about the people that already lived there?
Now this is where some people have a problem with God and with the Bible because the solution to the problem was to get rid of them by killing them and destroying their property. How could people do that in the name of God?
It would take awhile to give you a good reason (and there is one) so to make a long story short, God could not stand the way that they were living and what they were doing to themselves and especially their children. They were unholy and God demands that we become holy.
So, the Israelites prepare for battle and their first attack would take place against the city of Jericho. According to Bible scholars, the walls of Jericho stood 25 feet tall and were probably 20 feet thick. So it was a formidable target.
How would the attack take place? A frontal assault using Israel’s best troops? A veiled movement that would have the enemy guessing as to which direction they would come from?
No, it would be a 7 day march with a total of 13 trips completely around the town… with only the sound of horns being blown. Huh?
For six days they marched. Then on the 7th day, they marched seven times around the city with horns blowing and then after completing the seven laps on the final day, Joshua commanded them to shout!
They did and the walls came down and the town was captured and occupied. But they did so without weapons but with faith.
In Joshua 5:13-15 we read, ‘As Joshua approached the city of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man facing him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am commander of the Lord’s army.”
At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for this is holy ground.” And Joshua did as he was told.’
Then in chapter 6 beginning at verse 1 we read; ‘Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go in or out. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its mighty warriors. Your entire army is to march around the city once a day for six days.
Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the horns, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the walls of the city will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the city.’
Now, I don’t know about you, but I could not keep quiet for seven straight days unless I had a severe case of laryngitis! “Do not shout; do not even talk,” Joshua commanded. “Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout. Then shout!”
The weapon used to conquer this mighty place and it inhabitants was faith!
(Slide 2) This story teaches us two important things about faith and belief. First, it teaches us the discipline of faith.
(Slide 2a) Faith requires discipline. It requires adhering to a strong belief in our Lord and an obedient conduct toward Him and His purposes.
God was building his people and a key aspect of that building, that developing was their faith development. I think that we could argue He was growing their faith in this situation as He took away the ‘normal’ rules of warfare.
In thinking about the discipline of faith let’s re-read Hebrews 11:1 again, ‘What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.’
What is ‘confident assurance’ if not another name for discipline? The text says having faith is to have a confident assurance, a discipline trust or belief that ‘what we hope for is going happen.’
The challenge is to believe in spite of the evidence! I can imagine conversations which took place after the daily march calling into question the tactics and the leadership.
‘Did God really say to do it this way?’ ‘What in the world is Josh thinking?’ ‘This is no way to fight!’ ‘Give me a weapon! I’ll give those pagans what for?’
But remember what God had said to Joshua? ‘I have given you, Jericho, its king and all its mighty warriors.’ The battle had already been won. But Joshua and the Israelites had yet to fully understand and experience it.
An interesting comment on this story says that the Israelites were feared because the Canaanites saw Israel’s god ‘as a nature god because he parted the Jordan and as a war god because he defeated Sihon and Og.’ (Two other kings.) ‘But the Canaanites did not consider him a fortress god—one who could prevail against a walled city. The defeat of Jericho showed not only that Israel’s God was superior to the Canaanite gods but also that he was invincible.’
Do you believe in this invincible God? Do we as a church believe in this invincible God?
Faith takes discipline because it requires patience. In fact it requires all of the Fruits of the Spirit! The Israelites, in spite of any misgivings they have had, demonstrated the discipline of patience over that seven day period.
Faith requires discipline.
This story also teaches us (Slide 2b) that faith requires action.
As we read the rest of Hebrews 11 we need to seek the link between faith and action because faith is not a passive waiting or acceptance. It is not a passive fatalism.
Faith is a dynamic partnership with God. Notice in Hebrews 11:7 and following that, ‘it was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about something that had never happened before. By his faith he condemned the rest of the world and was made right in God’s sight.’
What would have happened if Noah would have said, ‘God will provide an ark and sat back and done nothing?’ Don’t we often do the same thing?
Take getting a job for instance. We pray, ‘I need a job, Lord. Help me find one.’ But if we don’t fill out applications or send a resume or look at the help wanted section of the paper, how can we get a job?
We pray for guidance as we go to place to fill out applications and send resumes. We go to job interviews and do call backs.
Faith requires action.
What would have happened if Joshua said to the Israelites, ‘God has given us Jericho, its king, its warriors, and everything in it. Let’s wait on God to do His thing?’
There are moments in our life journey when waiting is what needs to take place. The Israelites waited on God as they from time to time ‘pitched tent’ but when it was time to move, they moved, most of the time they moved without grumbling too much.
What holds true for us individually also holds true for us as a congregation as well. Faith requires both discipline and action. God is directing us to reach out to people and help them come to Christ and be established in the faith. That is not just my job it is our job and it requires faith in action.
Did you hear or read the story this week about Mike Flynt age 59, returning to Sul Ross State University in Western Texas, to play football after being kicked off the team 37 years ago? He is, according to the story on Yahoo!, 8 years older than the head coach, and has two kids older than any of his teammates.
Though his wife of 35 years at first had trouble with the idea, she eventually agreed to it and so they sold their house in suburban Nashville, Tennessee and moved back to Western Texas. Why did he do it?
He felt guilty for getting in the fight that caused to be kicked out of school and off the team. "I actually grieved for more years than I can remember the loss of that senior year," said Flynt, who’d been a team captain and the leading tackler as a junior. "What really got me was I felt that was MY football team and I had let them down. ... I don’t know if I ever got over it, but I finally learned to live with it."
It will be interesting to hear and see what happens.
But the story inspired me and as I wrote this sermon I again thought about Abraham at age 75 going on a new journey in his life. It also reminded me of Joseph, who had dreams, dreams from God, which came true because God was working in Joseph’s life to accomplish a greater purpose. I am not sure if there a Joshua element to Flynt’s story, I’ll leave that to you to determine.
But as we conclude this series and we are standing on the verge of a new church year, I would ask us as the First Church of God, DO WE BELIEVE?
Do we believe in a God who is calling us on a continuing journey to new places that we have yet to experience?
Do we believe in a God who puts His yet-to-be realized dreams in our minds and hearts and sets us on a path that leads and direct us in ways that we do not yet see?
Do we believe in a God who puts in our hands and lives, tools that may seem insignificant to do accomplish a mission that seems overwhelming?
Do you believe God will accomplish in your life what He started when He died on the cross and arose from the grave?
Do we believe that God will accomplish the ministry He has given to us no matter what it requires of us?
I would have us again look at our feet and remember that God said to Abraham, go this way, and because He believed God, he went not know where he was going and God blessed him with children and used him to accomplish God’s good purpose in humankind.
I would again tap the side of our head with our finger and remember that Joseph dreamt God’s dream of salvation and reconciliation which saved his family whose heirs would become the great nation through which salvation would come. Joseph believed God because in spite of his circumstances he believed that God was at work doing what was right as he later said to his brothers.
This morning I would look at our hands and remember that God said to Joshua, ‘I have already given Jericho, its kings, and its warriors into your hands’ and through the voices of many and the horns of a few, Joshua believed that God had done so and by faith the Israelites listened, obeyed, and were victorious!
(Slide 3) Do we believe? No matter where as Abraham did? No matter what as Joseph did? No matter how as Joshua did? But only in whom?
It is my prayer and hope that individual and congregationally we continue to believe in God and His character and purposes today and in the days ahead. Will you do so? I do! Amen
Quoted commentary on Joshua 6 is from the Quick Verse Life Application electronic Bible. © 1995-1997 by Parsons Technology, Inc. All rights reserved.
Article on Mike Flynt appeared on Yahoo.com and was written by Jamie Aron, AP Sports writer and posted on August 22, 2007. The title of the article is ‘Fountain of youth: LB suits up for Sul Ross State after 37-year wait, 6 years before Medicare.’
Power Points for this sermon are available by e-mailing me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com and asking for ‘082607slides’ Please note that all slides for a particular presentation may not be available.
