I remember, as a child, sitting in church on light maple colored pews between my mother and father. They would never let my brother and me sit next to each other because we would end up hitting each other, or worse.
But those memories are now very precious to me. And some of the memories that give me the greatest warmth and satisfaction are of the hymns we sang, both in church and at home. Let me share the words with one of them with you. They go like this -
“Jesus has a table spread, Where all the saints of God are fed, He invites His chosen people, to Come and dine;
“With His manna He doth feed, And supplies our every need: Come and dine, the Master calleth, Come and dine."
Those lyrics paint a picture of a loving Lord; a Lord that yearns to take care of us and give us all our needs. It tells us all we have to do is go to Him and receive.
PSALM 23:5-6 paints the same picture.
“5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6 Surely your goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”
When David talks about eating a feast in the presence of his enemies, he is speaking not only about the devil, but every single thing in this life that pulls our focus and attention off Jesus Christ. As Christians, our duty is to keep our focus on Him at all times. That is the only way we can keep far away from the snares of Satan. It is when we take our eyes off Jesus and start looking at the world around us, that we end up falling prey to Satan’s wiles.
Now, some may argue the point and say that it is perfectly fine as a Christian to have one foot planted firmly in the kingdom of God and let the other foot occasionally wander out into the world. Hear me when I say that you cannot be in this church right now while also being in the parking lot outside.
There are times in our lives that we must make a definitive decision on what we should do or where we should be at different times. They may not be what we want to do, find comfortable in doing, or even what others want us to do, but we must make those hard choices nevertheless because God wants us to.
And when we stand firm and choose the things of God over the things of this world, God will bless us for our faithfulness, even in front of our enemies. He wants to completely overload us with His Godly blessings.
PSALM 68:19, attests to this fact.
“Blessed is the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits. He is the God of our salvation!”
The only thing that stands in God’s way of blessing us is … us! When we glance away from the Lord, even for a moment, we instantly become prey to the snares of Satan and that is when the damage begins, not only to ourselves but to our relationship with God.
But even so, how much more can a Father love a child? How many times have we, due to our own spiritual neglect, found ourselves in a terrible storm with what appears to be no way out of it, when suddenly and without warning, the storm ends and we are walking once again in bright sunshine? In reality, we had nothing to do with our escape from the storm as it was all due to a very loving Heavenly Father, who continued to love us despite our sinful nature.
And that is when we find refreshment in singing the lyrics to another old song: “Every day with You, Lord, is sweeter than the day before.”
To see just how much our Father loves us, we need to look no further than Adam and Eve. God created the most luscious of gardens for His children to live in and be safe in. The only thing they had to do was love God enough to obey Him, and then simply enjoy what He had given them.
That is what God wants to do for us today. He wants to create a most beautiful place for us to maintain our spiritual souls. He wants to provide our every need.
The lyrics to the song say … “He invites His chosen people to “Come and dine”; With His manna He doth feed - And supplies our every need.”
But they were focused on their physical senses rather than their spiritual senses, and when Satan tempted them, they took their eyes off God for just one moment and fell right in Satan’s snare. Of course, when God found out they had turned their spiritual backs on Him, he had to discipline them. He ordered them out of the Garden because they had become sinful and God cannot exist where sin abounds.
But even though He disciplined them, He never stopped loving them and providing for their needs. He fashioned clothing for them to hide their nakedness and then made sure they were protected as they went out to eke out a living on the harsh land.
They had it all but they only focused on what was in front of them, and ended up taking God for granted. How many times have we done the same thing in our lives? Our job is to try and make sure we never do that again
I have heard people remark that if God were such a good God, He would not have done that to them. First of all, if we do not hold people accountable for their wrong doings, we are performing a huge injustice to them. I used to say that when my children were toddlers, if I did not teach them what wrong was, I could not get upset if they kept repeating the offense. When we do not teach people about right and wrong, they have no understanding where the line is drawn.
We refuse to let schools teach about, or even talk about, God. So they grow up not having a very clear picture of right and wrong, unless their parents are very good Christians and teach them. But when a child grows up and does something bad enough to be put in jail, the first thing they do is give them a Bible! Maybe if we gave them a Bible at a younger age, there would be fewer people in jail, being disciplined and even punished.
If we could only see how wonderful and loving God really is, we would have a totally different opinion of Him and of ourselves. We would then know how valuable we really are and we would learn how to esteem our own Creator rather than ignoring Him at best and taking Him for granted at worst.
He is a God of top rate, not a God of mediocrity. He wants us to have the very best, not second best. But in exchange for those blessings, we must enter into a kind of legal agreement with God. He will supply us with all we will ever need in return for our submitting the authority over our lives to Him – willingly. And if we keep our part of the bargain, He will keep His.
PROVERBS 4:25-27 reminds us to;
“25 Keep your eyes fixed directly ahead and your gaze fixed straight in front of you. 26 Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left, but keep your feet pointed away from evil.”
When we keep our eyes “fixed” directly ahead, we are purposely making sure that we are not pulled away from our focus on God. The devil cannot tempt us by catching us unaware. That is something we cannot do automatically. We must make a decision to do that and then follow it up with purposeful action.
By watching the path of our feet, we are paying attention where we are stepping. We are constantly watching out for the potholes Satan puts around us to trip us up. And when we turn not to the right or left, but steadfastly keep in the direction of God, we shall not be confused and lured away into the evil darkness of the world.
But to do these things, we must have the power of God, as we have no power strong enough to be able to resist Satan. Peter tells us to be self-controlled and always on the alert for the prowling of the devil who wants to kill us.
In EPHESIANS, Paul tells us to put on the armor of God so we can be protected against the attack of our enemy, the devil. He says that is the only way we can stand up against the schemes of Satan.
These verses, and many others, inform us that we do not have the power to do anything but sin. But by submitting ourselves to Christ, we have His power and that is strong enough to do whatever we have to do to keep in Him.
Again, Paul tells us in PHILIPPIANS 4:13 that we can do “all things” through Christ Jesus who gives us His great and powerful strength to resist the devil.
In MATTHEW 19, Jesus told us that with man, many things are impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
JEREMIAH 32:17 tells us; “Lord, You made the earth and heavens – nothing is too difficult for You!”
We do not serve a god of many possibilities – we serve a God of ALL possibilities!
The Bible gives us many examples of how we are blessed by nothing more than being faithful to our God. Abraham, David, Elijah, Jeremiah and Peter were all blessed because of their faith in God. And that list continues today, all the way down to us.
But God is a God of all, and when the multitudes give Him the chance through their corporate walk of faith, He blessed them, too.
JOSHUA 6:1-2, tells us about the Israelites takeover of the city of Jericho.
“ 1 Now the gates of Jericho were closed and locked because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. 2 But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors for you to have.”
Men love to think they keep themselves safe through the strength of their mighty military or because they are so wealthy, but God proves over and over that their safety rests in His hands alone.
Continuing in JOSHUA 6:3-6, we hear God giving precise instructions to His chosen.
3 You and your small army are to march around the town once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will immediately collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”
And in verse 6, we see Joshua dong something that we are called to do today; being instantly obedient to God’s will.
“So Joshua called the together and said, “Take up the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.”
Joshua did not wait to think about what God had said. He did not weigh it back and forth to see if it made perfect sense to him. He did not play the game of ‘20 Questions’ like we play. Joshua heard God’s instructions and he obeyed them.
Many Christians truly think that they cannot go out and do the job called us to do because they do not think they can do it properly. I know a young lady who completely falls apart when she tried to talk to a stranger about God.
Let me inform you that this is one of Satan’s biggest tools. You just remember that if God calls you to do something, He has already given you every tool you will need to use – BEFORE He called you to do the job! So, all you need to do is believe that God is in control and be like Joshua – obedient and willing.
In JOSHUA 6:10-11, the passage continues ….
“ 10 Joshua told them, ‘We will walk around this city one time each day for six days. Do not shout; do not talk or even whisper,” “Not a single word from any of you. But on the seventh day, I will tell you to shout, and then everyone shout at one time – as loud as you can!” 11 So the Ark of the Lord was carried around the town once that day, and then everyone returned to spend the night in the camp.”
I am sure that some of them had their doubts as to what they were doing, and having doubts is a human condition. Remember the story of the man who told Jesus, “I believe, but forgive my unbelief.” We might have doubts, but we cannot let them come in the way or stop us from obeying the Lord’s commands.
JOSHUA 6:15-19, Joshua passes those detailed instructions from God on to his people.
“15 On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time they went around the town seven times. 16 The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town! 17 Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies. 18 Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel.
He tells the people that everything must be destroyed and they are not able to keep any plunder or they will also be destroyed, but he gives the exception and that exception is not for their personal glory but for God’s glory.
In verse 19 Joshua tells them,
“Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”
The day God had ordained before time began for His people to be victorious was now at hand. But even though He had ordained their victory, they would not receive it until they did something first; they had to keep their contract with God and walk in faith, doing what God said to do even if it made little sense to them. After all, faith is an action verb. It requires effort on our parts. They had to go forth before they could see the results of their faith. And that is exactly what you and I are called to do today.
I am sure that in the natural, what they were doing looked rather odd, but we must remember that we do not serve a natural God, but a super-natural God who has super-natural power!
Those within the city probably looked out and saw those crazy Israelites marching and then start yelling and started laughing at them. And then, the walls started to shake and tear apart, falling down in the dust and rubble.
I read recently where some scientists say God had nothing to do with that, it was nothing but a “regular type of earthquake.”
WHAT?! Let me repeat that ... WHAT?!
If it were an earthquake that caused the walls to collapse, don’t you think it strange that it happened exactly when they yelled, and it only happened under the walls of the city, and it stopped as soon as the walls were down?
“If” it were an earthquake … who do you think made it happen? No matter how you slice it, what happened was a miracle from God that was given for a particular purpose!
The definition of the word “miracle” is as follows: “a mysterious force or super-natural phenomenon that benefits man – or a welcomed event that has no earthly explanation.”
And because of Godly miracles given on our behalf, we sing - “Every day with You, Lord, is sweeter than the day before.”
As Paul Harvey would have said, “Let’s look at the rest of the story.”
JOSHUA 6:20-21 tells us –
“20 When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. 21 They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.”
Sin, left on its own will always spread to others, just as one rotten apple in a bushel full of ripe apples will always hurry the rotting of the good apples. That is how things in the natural work. We must remember that our God is of the super natural.
Everyone inside the city was destroyed because everyone inside the city was given over to pure evil. Had there been hope for some salvation, there would have been that salvation, but there wasn’t. And so the evil would not begin to rot the souls of the Israelites, God had it stamped out.
Going through this passage in JOSHUA, I purposely left out verses 22, 23. I wanted to show yu what the miracle within the miracle looked like.
JOSHUA 6:22-23
“22 Meanwhile, Joshua told the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out of Jericho, along with all her family.” 23 The men who had been spies went in and got Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the other relatives who were with her. They moved her entire family to a safe place near the camp of Israel.”
The first miracle was how God allowed a small, virtually unprofessional army with few weapons overtake a large fortified city with a large army – by doing nothing but faithfully yelling.
The second miracle, or the miracle within the miracle, is that through a prostitute named Rahab, God shows all mankind that He allows everyone to come to Him and have their own place in His history.
She lived the life of an ungodly harlot in an evil city, yet when given the chance, she immediately turned her back on the evil and acted to protect God’s people. And through her actions, we see how God rewards people no matter who they are or what they may have done.
Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go, it will keep you there longer than you ever wanted to stay, and it will cost you much more than you can afford to pay, but with a heart for God, He can reach anyone, anytime, no matter where they are.
In the story of Rahab, we learn that God does not care where you used to live. All He cares about is where you live now in your heart, because where you live now will determine where you are going to live throughout eternity.
Because she acted in faith, God had her and her entire family taken out of the city and taken to live near the camp of Israel where they would be safe. But that is just the beginning of our friend Rahab’s story.
Because of her heart for God, He ended up giving her a Godly husband. They had a son and named him Boaz. Boaz grew up and became the “kinsman redeemer” we read about in the book of RUTH. And when Boaz married Ruth, they had a son named Obed, which was King David’s grandfather. Do you know what that means?
God chose a harlot to be one of the ancestors of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! If He loved Rahab that much, how much does He also love us? If He did that for her, what also will He do for us? Can you think of one thing God cannot do for us? Can you think of one thing God will not do for His obedient children?
God’s wonderful, super-natural, forgiving grace is always bigger and more powerful than man’s sin.
God blesses the ever-vigilant. When we purposely work at keeping our focus on Him, we are blessed. When we do not do this, we fall into Satan’s snares just as Adam and Eve did.
A perfect example of tis is found in a passage starting with MATTHEW 14:29.
In that passage, Jesus had sent the disciples to sail across the lake and said He would join them later. It was during their voyage, at about 3 am, when a very violent storm appeared with no advanced warning. The winds became dangerously strong and the waves were high and just as dangerous. They had no light except for the occasional flashes of lightning. These disciples were experiences fishermen and yet they feared for their lives. That is how violent this storm around them had become.
And then, Peter sees something during the lightning flashes. He can barely make it out. It seems to be someone walking on the water towards them! How could that be? Was it a ghost to be afraid of? What was it?
And the first words out of the mouth of a loving Savior was, “Do not be afraid, it is I.” At this point, I fall in love with Peter’s faith. He told Jesus that if it was really Him, to call Peter and Peter would go to Him. And Jesus said, “Come, Peter.”
And Peter stepped out in faith … and started walking towards Jesus – on top of the water! He got all the way to Jesus because not for a single second did He allow himself to take his eyes off Jesus. And that is what we are to live our lives like today.
But just as Peter got to Jesus, he took his focus off Jesus and looked at what was happening around him. And then, he immediately began to sink. And that is what we all too often do in our lives, too. We start looking at things around us from a worldly perspective and we began to sink in the troubles of this world.
As he began to sink, Peter cried out to Jesus for help and Jesus reached forth and saved Peter. What a loving Lord! He has never rejected an honest and sincere plea to be saved.
The Bible tells us that God is not a respecter of persons. In other words, what He does for one person, He will also do for another. I am so encouraged by the words of a song that keep reminding me of that most wonderful fact about my God. The lyrics go like this –
“It is no secret what God can do. What He has done for others, He will do for you.
"With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you, because it is no secret what God can do.”
In closing, let me share a quick story with you about how the difference between knowing ABOUT something and actually knowing it is never the same thing.
A very respected actor, with a deep resonating voice, was asked to read a poem after a Hollywood gala one evening. He let the audience suggest the poem. They chose the 23rd Psalm. He knew there was a pastor attending the function, too, so he agreed as long as the pastor would read the same poem after he did, which the pastor agreed to.
And so, after dinner, the actor stood and read the 23rd Psalm with all the command he had over his voice, making sure he read it in such a way as to make it impossible for the pastor to be as good. When the actor had finished, the audience gave him a 10-minute standing ovation.
And then the pastor stood to read the poem. When he finished, there was not any clapping or whistles. All that could be seen were people wiping tears from their eyes.
What was the difference? The actor knew the poem; but the pastor knew the Shepherd.
Knowing ABOUT God will never help you into Heaven. The only thing that will enable you to go to Heaven, is if you KNOW God. And the only way to know Him is to surrender the authority over your heart to Him.
How about you, this morning? Do you KNOW God, or do you just know ABOUT God?
Let us pray.
