SCRIPTURE READING:
Joshua 5: 13-15 (NIV)
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
INTRODUCTION:
Today, we will talk talk a little bit about prophecy.
You see, there are a lot of things that are happening in the world that can instill fear in our hearts if we do not put these in proper perspective.
One of the major headlines that happened last week was about the blood moons.
Many of you probably have seen all those beautiful pictures of the blood moon that was observed in several continent.
You might be asking, "Pastor, what are "blood moons"?
I will try to explain this as simple as possible.
We are familiar with a lunar eclipse.
A lunar eclipse occur when the earth gets completely in between the moon and the sun causing the moon to go dark for a few moments.
A blood moon occurs when the earth is lined up just perfectly so that some of the sunlight gets refracted through the earth's atmosphere and onto the moon.
This causes the moon to appear "red' much like our sky that looks red due to the refracted light.
That is why they called this as blood moon because it appears red.
There was actually four consecutive blood moons that happened within this year which is called a lunar tertrad.
A tetrad is four consecutive lunar eclipses separated by six full moons and no partial eclipses in between.
This phenomena is extremely rare.
It only happened 8 times in the last 20 centuries.
The reason religious folks are getting so excited about this is that each blood moon happens during a Jewish Holiday.
1. April 15, 2014 (Passover)
2. October 8, 2014 (Feast of Tabernacles)
3. April 4, 2015 (Passover).
4. September 28, 2015 (Feast of Tabernacles).
Is this a coincidence or part of a big plan regarding our future destiny?
Just hold on. It is getting more interesting.
How many of you have heard of the word "Shemitah?"
It basically means the Sabbath year in the seven-year cycle that started back in ancient Israel.
Exodus 23:10-11New Living Translation (NLT)
10 “Plant and harvest your crops for six years, 11 but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.
Every seventh year was to be a Sabbath year where farmers were to let the land lie fallow and allow slaves their freedom.
It was also a time when debts were canceled and released entirely.
Deuteronomy 15:1-2New Living Translation (NLT)
15 “At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money. 2 This is how it must be done. Everyone must cancel the loans they have made to their fellow Israelites. They must not demand payment from their neighbors or relatives, for the Lord’s time of release has arrived.
And so, if you add up these dates, many scholars believe that the sunset on September 24, 2014 to September 12, 2015 was the year of the Shemitah on the Jewish calendar.
And so, it was a special year marked by a special sign in heavens such as the blood moons.
What about Bible prophecy?
What does the Bible says about the blood moon?
Joel 2:28-32New Living Translation (NLT)
31 The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and terrible[b] day of the Lord arrives.
The Bible prophesied that all these things are going to be unveiled in this world.
There will be a blood moon as one of the signs of the last days.
The Lord will come again.
We must always be prepared and get ready because we are still in spiritual warfare.
Our task has not yet ended.
We are not supposed to lay our guard down.
We must continue in our conquest for the Promised Land.
Our redemption is drawing nearer each day.
And so, as we we study the fifth chapter of the Book of Joshua, we are going to look how God prepared Joshua to attack Jericho.
Joshua was fearful.
He did not know what lies ahead after crossing the Jordan River and looking at the walls of Jericho.
God has to guide him every step of the way.
This chapter has only about fifteen verses, one of the shortest in the book but it sets the tone for Israel's conquest of the land.
The chapter opens when fear melted the hearts of the Amorite Kings and the Canaanite kings along the east and west of the Jordan.
They heard about Israel crossing the Jordan River on dry ground and so, they no longer have the courage to face Israel.
Surely, this was a good sign for Joshua but before he could rush into battle, the Lord instructed him to circumcise Israel again.
Remember that when they left Egypt, all the adult men of military age were circumcised but after many years of wandering in the wilderness, these men died.
A new group of people that had been born in the wilderness that had not been circumcised.
God raised them up so that they could claim the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey.
And so, they had to be circumcised as a symbol of the people's consecration to God before the battle ahead.
When this had been done, God now told Joshua that the reproach of Egypt upon Israel has been rolled away.
They were ready for something bigger ahead.
Then, at the later part of the chapter, we find Joshua going near Jericho and assessing it's walls.
That is when he saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.
Joshua looked up and inquired, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
"Neither," the man replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come."
Then, Joshua fell face down on the ground in reverence.
He asked the man, "What is the message that you carry from the Lord to his servant?"
The commander of the Lord's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy."
And Joshua did so.
This is a wonderful chapter of how God prepared Joshua and transformed him into a man ready for conquest.
The Commander of the Lord's Army appeared to him in that crucial moment when he needed a strategy to attack Jericho.
Many Bible scholars refer to this incident as an example of a Theophany in the Bible.
Theophany is a combination of two Greek words: "theos" which means "God" and "ephiphaneia" which means "a shining forth" or "Appearance."
In Christian theology, the word "Theophany" refers to an Old Testament appearance of God in visible form.
Christophany is by definition appearances of Christ, the second person of the trinity in visible form.
And so, we find in here Christ Himself appearing before Joshua as he prepares himself for battle.
Joshua had to learn some military principles and strategies of war.
No only that, he had to learn allegiance on who gives the orders and what is his part in all these battles.
Today, we will look at three things that transformed the personality of Joshua.
How did he learn that it was God's battle he was fighting and not his?
In the same manner, there are things that we need to learn in order to prepare us for the future ahead.
What we need to see
What we need to ask
What we need to do.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE LAST DAYS
1. LOOKING INTENTLY AT THE COMMANDER OF THE ARMY OF THE LORD
Joshua 5:13 "13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
Joshua 5: 14 14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”
The first thing we could notice here is that Joshua was near Jericho.
What do you think Joshua was doing there in Jericho?
Probably, as he has preparing to launch his attack, he needed to gather information about the city regarding its fortification.
He was naturally concerned about several things such as the right plan of action, the point of strength and weakness.
He could not just go about attacking Jericho, probably the most heavily fortified city of Canaan at that time.
Israel had no previous experience on how to attack a well protected and defended city.
They had no battering rams, no catapults, no scaling ladders or moving towers.
All they had were swords, arrows, slings and spears which were inadequate for the difficult task before them.
Surely, this must be a mistake.
He must have felt the tremendous pressure weighing down on his shoulders.
It was a big responsibility to be a leader of Israel in conquering the Promised Land.
Suddenly, while surveying the situation, Joshua looked up and he saw a man standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand.
Standing with any weapon drawn is a military position of one who either stands on guard or who stands ready to go against an enemy.
Standing with a drawn sword also suggested he was either in the defensive or offensive form, either ready to fight WITH or AGAINST Israel.
If this man is against Israel, they are dead.
And as fear gripped Joshua's heart, he asked the man a question, "Are you for us or against us?"
There are only two sides of the battle, for them or for their enemies. No in between.
It is important to know that when Joshua looked up, he saw the commander or captain of the army of the Lord.
It means Joshua is faced to face with the one in charge, the boss, of God's invisible and powerful army.
It was a personal encounter that changed his perspective on warfare from then on.
There was somebody higher than him.
Upon hearing of this truth, Joshua's fear was being overtaken with faith and confidence.
In the same manner, in order to face the future, we must look up and there, we will see directly the Commander of the Lord's Army - Jesus Christ or Lord and Savior.
It is only by looking up and seeing the face of Jesus that we can be prepared for battle.
Remember that we are still on spiritual battle against the forces of the world, the flesh and the devil.
We are not yet in heaven.
We are still on our spiritual journey of the Promised Land.
This battle is as fierce as ever.
No time to give up and rest for a while.
The prophet Joel continued his prophecy by speaking of God's mighty army we are in as beyond number and dreadful.
Joel 2:11 (NIV) : "The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?"
He describes the day of the Lord as something great and dreadful.
That is why we need to focus more on what the Lord would like us to do as we face the future ahead.
We must continue to fix our eyes on Him more than ever.
Hebrews 12:2 "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Do you know that the sales from the Emergency preparedness retailers was up by 300 percent during the news of the blood moon phenomena?
Kevin Allbee, spokesman for Utah-based Emergency Essentials, said his company has been a steady rise since June.
He attributes it to a variety of events leading to more anxiety, including the earthquake in Nepal, Russian's intervention in the Ukraine and economic concerns in Greece and China.
Many believed that it was the end of the world; they panic and overcome with much fear and hopelessness.
That is why there is a need to focus on Christ, our Commander in Chief.
When we learn to trust God to fight our battles, we overcome panic, fear and hopelessness.
When Christians learn to trust God's Word, we discover that no battle is too difficult for God to handle.
No battle is too impregnable.
Surely, we need to see what Joshua saw.
Instead of the strong walls, he saw clearly the Commander of the Lord's army in charge of the battle for Jericho.
God is in control, but it does not mean that we have to avoid that battle.
That is why we "put no confidence in the flesh" Phil. 3:3.
Our confidence is in God, who will fight our battles and bring us safely home. (Jude 1:24-25).
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalms 20:7
2. INQUIRING ATTENTIVELY ABOUT GOD'S MESSAGE FOR HIS SERVANTS.
Joshua 5:13 "13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
Joshua 5: 14 14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”
After recognizing the man as the Commander of the Lord's Army, Joshua now asked a very inquisitive question: "Are you for us or against us?"
The answer comes in two parts. The first part of the answer is a flat "Neither."
It is a conjunction that means, "not the one or the other."
Why didn't he say, "I am here for you and for Israel?"
No, He did not say that.
But in essence, the man with the drawn sword said, "Neither; I am not here to take sides, yours or that of anyone else!"
Why did he say that? What was His intention?
The second part of the answer gives the reason.
"I am not to take sides, but to TAKE OVER and TAKE CHARGE as Commander of the Lord's Army."
Brothers and sisters, there is a big difference between, "Are you on our side?" and "Are you going to take over?"
The battle can only be won when we remember who is in-charge.
God does not want to take sides, He wants to take over.
Christ wants to take over your life, your emotion, your financial, your mind, your relationship.
You surrender it all to Him for His plans and purposes to prevail in your life so that your future will be secure.
This then is the principle of spiritual warfare against the forces of the world and Satan.
We could only win the battle and face the future with confidence when God takes over.
He should be in the leadership position.
Jesus is the Lord of our lives.
Phil. 2:9-11 (NIV) " Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
God is the Supreme Commander.
He is the pilot of the ship.
We should therefore learn to submit and follow Him.
Joshua was able to grasp and understand this principle of spiritual battle.
That is why his next question was: "What message does my Lord has for His servant?"
Here, he was asking the Lord for orders on what would be the best strategy to conquer Jericho.
And so, we need to seek God's message for mankind.
What does God really want to tell His people as we approach the last days?
What is in the blood moon that God wanted to communicate to us?
I assure you, God has not changed His message after many years.
He still offered forgiveness to the world in spite of the sin and abomination.
He still encourage Christians to go and reach the lost with the Gospel of Christ.
He still depend on holiness and Christian purity as the basis of our daily conduct on this earth.
He still hold on to the Christian family as the foundation for the strength of society.
God has not changed his message top all of us even if we have changed a lot.
Sometimes, His message is for us to go and conquer.
Sometimes, God's message was for us to be quiet and sit still.
Let Him do it His way.
Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."
Psalms 46:10 "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth."
God has promised His presence and His care during the battle.
We must always seek God's message as we approach the end times.
Luke 21:36 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”
That brings us to what Joshua did.
3. FALLING HUMBLY IN REVERENCE TO THE LORD.
Joshua 5: 14-15 14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
The text says that Joshua fell on his face to the earth, bowed down and said, "What is the message of the Lord for his servant?"
His response was of worship and submission.
He had been thinking that it was his own battle that he has to be fought.
He felt the heavy load of responsibility.
But after this confrontation by the Divine Commander, he learned afresh the truth when facing Goliath "the battle is the Lords"
1 Sam. 17:47.
Joshua was being transformed because of what he saw.
He was learning that submission to God is a great virtue for any leader.
Because everyone is accountable to God.
And human authorities are accountable for how they exercise and how they respond to authority.
Joshua then felt that heavy load diminish because he learned to humble himself before God.
By the way, this worshipful response of Joshua to the Commander of the Lord's Army was a proof that the man was not just an angel.
Angels don't want to be worshiped.
When the apostle John was so overwhelmed with the many visions he saw in heaven, his reaction was to kneel and worship the angel who was guiding him but the man declined saying:
Revelation 22:9 (NIV) " But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!"
Only God is to be worshiped and adored.
Angels are messengers who direct the worship to God.
But of course, there was only one angel that has ever sought to be worshiped as God, his name was Lucifer, and now is Satan.
Angels understand the blasphemy of allowing themselves to be worshiped by man.
Only God is demanding worship from men.
The reason why God tells Joshua to take off his sandals is because the ground that he is standing upon is holy.
Why is the ground holy? Because God is there.
Whenever God is present, it is a holy ground.
Remember that in the Filipino culture, one of the good traditions that we have acquired from our forefathers is to take of the shoes whenever we enter a house.
This is a sign of respect to the owner of the house.
In the same manner, whenever we stand in God's presence, we must give our reverence according to His own mercy.
We also recognize that we are naked and fall prostrate before Him in worship.
And so, as we prepare for the end times, we must learn to worship Him truthfully.
Therefore, there is nothing to fear about if you are a Christian and you have a strong relationship with Christ.
Heaven and earth will pass away but God's Word will never pass away.
In Summary, how was Joshua transformed and prepared for battle?
1. He looked up and saw the Commander of the Lord's Army.
This gave him courage and great determination that the Battle is the Lord's and not his.
And that is how we prepare for the future.
We need to remember that Christ is our Commander in Chief for as long as we are in this earth.
We must never lose our focus on Him.
He is our Big Boss.
He calls the shot.
We must listen intently.
2. He asked a question: "What is the message of the Lord to His servant?"
This allowed him to listen to God's perspective and God's strategy for battle, not implementing his own.
And that is how to prepare for the future.
We must be faithful to the Lord of our message until the very end.
We need to share the same message of salvation to the people.
3. He fell face-down to the ground in reverence.
This allowed him to learn the value of submission and humility before God if he is to lead Israel.
And that is what the goal of our life on earth is all about.
We need to experience more reverence and worship right now for in the future, there will be a never ending worship in heaven.
If you can't keep up with worship here, you will never be able to be fitted for heaven in the future.
We want to see all nations bowing down in worship of Christ.
That short encounter with God transformed his life forever.
He was never the same again.
Preparing for the future is not easy.
It takes character, it takes wisdom and it takes submission to God.
I hope you too.
How are you preparing your life?
Let us pray:.....
