God in the City Series
Walls Do Fall Down
June 8, 2008 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction
A We’ve seen Rahab’s faith, & today we’ll see the faith of a nation.
1 Not just ancient history-it’s about your life/church.
a What God wants to do here & now, with you & me, those who trust Him.
b In the Christian life, you are either an “overcomer”, or you “overcome”.
2 With move forward in belief, or backward in unbelief
B Some of God’s blessings are unconditional (believe); while others require that we meet certain conditions.
1 Not “meeting” the conditions to earn God’s blessing; we’re “making” our hearts ready to receive the blessing God is going to give .
2 Today, we’re going to see how the sons of Israel prepared for the blessing of God knocking down wall after wall after wall.
3 Let’s look at how they prepared their hearts to receive the blessing of broken walls.
C Pray
I The walls of a broken past
A Israel had come to a point where they either had to move forward in belief or backward in unbelief.
1 The Jordan River (10 miles from where Moses died) was a physical barrier that separated the sons of Israel from entering the land of their inheritance (Promised Land).
a Similarly, the Red Sea had separated their fathers from breaking free of Pharaoh’s grip.
b As they stood on the banks of the Jordan, the land behind them gave 40 years of testimony concerning their broken past (rebellion, idolatry, disobedience, wandering, broken fellowship).
2 As they entered the Jordan in faith (...and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16 the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho.Josh 3:15-16 (NASB)), God was about to break down a wall of the broken past of the sons of Israel.
a While God was breaking the wall, Joshua built two walls.
aa First, in the middle of the Jordan River (12 stones-our past is being buried, funeral). It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before. Josh 4:18 (NASB)
bb Secondly, at Gilgal to remember the wonders (Then Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you." Josh 3:5 (NASB)), & also to remind them that they weren’t going back to where they left (meant nothing to the Amorite, Canaanite, Jebuzite).
B What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4 (NASB)
1 I’m not going back
a Separated from the old life, bondage of sin, deeds of the flesh, & broken past.
b Today, I lay claim to my inheritance as a child of God.
2 My broken past is buried & washed away in the blood of Jesus.
a East to the West, forgiven & forgotten my sin
b Restored me!
II Walls of broken promises
A The Promised Land was an inherited piece of land God gave Abraham, that was to be passed down to his children forever.
1 To be counted among the “chosen”, you were to do two things that were agreed upon by God, Abraham, & Moses:
a Circumcision (a religious ritual that Israeli males did to show loyalty to YHWH). (Gen. 17:10-11, 21:4; Lev. 12:3)
aa For the forty years the sons of Israel wandered, nobody was circumcised.
bb At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time." 5 For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 7 Their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshua circumcised ; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way. 8 Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed . Josh 5:2, 5, 7-8 (NASB) Broken promise
cc Obedience was what God was looking for...not ritual. So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. Deut 10:16 (NASB)
dd People get baptized, confirmed, take communion, but they are not substitutes for saving faith in Jesus Christ.
b Passover (ritual to remember deliverance from Egypt). Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day. 10 While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. 11 On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year. Josh 5:9-12 (NASB)
aa ’You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance. Ex 12:17 (NASB) Throughout generations!
bb No circumcision, no passover...but even those who were, didn’t
cc The manna stopped (40-year miracle ended). The Passover celebrated deliverance from Egypt, & manna was a testimony of how they had wanted to go back.
dd God was feeding them from their inheritance, living on Promised Land
ee Don’t look back at Egypt, broken promises...live on your inheritance. Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Col 3:1-2 (NASB)
2 There are two lessons we learn when we start keeping our promise to God:
a There are some things we must “cut off”
aa It hurts, sometimes there is blood
bb To embrace God in His fullness, the things in our life that get in the way must go.
b There are things God will “cut off”
aa By stopping manna, God took the training wheel off of Israel.
bb Self-feeders (I’ll send rain, give seed...if you want to thrive, you’ll have to want it. He doesn’t need us to, He wants us to...OBEDIENCE).
III Walls of the enemy
A The enemy had erected thick, ugly walls on the sons of Israel’s inherited land (Jericho did what EVERY city did to defend itself).
1 The walls blocked them from claiming their promise, inheritance, what God had given to them.
a God gave Joshua a battle plan (march)
aa Take warriors, 7 priests with shofars, ark, rear guard, circle the city one lap for six days (blow those trumpets).
bb Day 7, make 6 laps & entering lap 7 shout when I tell you, “shout”.
b Joshua’s big plan unveiling (soldiers? Priests? Dan, last)
aa Marching & being quiet...six days
bb Day Seven...six times...shofar long blast, shout. Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city. Josh 6:16b (NASB)
cc Crossed the Jordan, renewed their promises...the walls are coming down!
2 So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat , so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead , and they took the city. Josh 6:20 (NASB) God gave it to them, so they took it!
B The enemy has had the audacity to put some walls up on your inherited land. ...for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 2 Cor 10:4 (NASB)
1 When we allow him to put up enough walls, he builds one of two things: a prison or a grave.
a Walls of religion, tradition, addiction, guilt, depression, etc.
b Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil!
2 You are now in His kingdom (realm of darkness/Kingdom of light)
a Press in! From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. Matt 11:12 (NASB)
b If walls come down...
aa Pressing into His Kingdom
bb Binding the strongman Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. Matt 12:29 (NASB)
cc Pay the cost to get our hearts ready for the blessing.
Conclusion
A Are you glad our God is a wall-breaking God?
1 Wall of broken past
2 Wall of broken promise
3 Wall of the enemy
B I believe God will break any of those walls today.
1 We’re going to press in to Him, the Kingdom
2 Salvation (what a tragedy when people fail to claim their inheritance & wander aimlessly through life as Israel did in the wilderness).
3 Broken past, promise
4 Enemy walls (no wall is too high, strong, thick for the Lord!)
C Come forward
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Mike Fogerson
