WHEN NOTHING GOES IN AND NOTHING COMES OUT...
1. Joshua 5:13 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 facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ¡§What message does my Lord 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.
2. Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua: ¡§See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.
INTRODUCTION: WHEN NOTHING GOES IN AND NOTHING COMES OUT...
Regarding Vision: 3 Different Types Of Churches And People:
1. The Under-Taking Church ¡V Looking Back: The undertaking church is one that is always looking backwards. While you can learn from the past, you can¡¦t live there. Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? Poor eyes limit your sight; poor vision limits your deeds.
2. The Care-Taking Church ¡V Looking Present: The care-taking church is always concerned with pressing issues. The number one question is always ¡§Do we have the money now to do this¡¨? Matthew 15:32: The people needed food. Jesus told his disciples to provide. They began discussing the problem, not a solution. "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" These people walk by sight, not by faith.
3. The Risk-Taking Church ¡V Looking Future: The risk taking church is always looking forward. They invest today to be all God wants them to be tomorrow. Examples: Walt Disney Was Fired By A Newspaper Editor For Lack Of Ideas. He Went Bankrupt Before He Built Disneyland. Michael Jordan Did Not Make His High School Basketball Team His Sophomore Year. Henry Ford Failed And Went Broke 5 Times Before He Finally Succeeded! Thomas Edison Failed 3000 Times Before He Succeeded In Discovering The Light Bulb. Jonas Salk attempted 200 unsuccessful vaccines for polio before he succeeded. By faith Noah went and built an ark - invested everything he had in something that seemed completely impossible for 120 years. By faith Abraham left his home and went to the promised land. Though he was living in a tent he saw the future city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Sarah Laughed: Genesis 18:9-15 / Romans 4:17-24: In life, if they do not laugh at you, you have not started trusting God. Hebrew 11:1: Now Faith is substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.¡¨
JERICHO WAS DESIGNED TO BE A PROBLEM TO THE ISRAELITES.
Jericho Was The First City After Israel Crossed Jordan. It was the oldest and most protected city. A strategic stronghold that needed to be defeated in order to possess the land. The Jews had prepared themselves spiritually and followed God¡¦s orders to the letter. Now they are ready to begin the conquest of the Promised Land. However, as it is with most things, it wouldn¡¦t come cheap. Archaeologists tell us that Jericho was not a big city - covering some 10 plus acres with up to 20,000 inhabitants. It was located about 5 miles west of the Jordan River and was the spiritual center of moon-worship. Standing at the foot of the western hills of Canaan, the Israelites couldn¡¦t go into the area with Jericho standing because they would have been attacked. The city was built to withstand any invasion. It had 2 walls surrounding it - anywhere from 30 to 60 feet high (about 6 stories high) and from 12 to 45 feet thick. The wall was so wide that one could drive a chariot on the top and Rahab even had her house there. Huge gates were reinforced with iron and were impregnable. This city was also important from a morale point of view - Israel¡¦s first challenge and losing it would be disastrous. Jericho was a benchmark. At Jericho they would flex their muscles and experience military victory. Now, for just a moment, try to put yourself in the shoes of the average Israelite soldier. For most of these men, Jericho was the first city they had ever seen with fortified walls all the way around it. It must have looked like an impossible city to conquer. Jericho was a fortress city, It was the symbol of the enemy¡¦s strength and power. Jericho stood directly opposed to Israel¡¦s inheritance. It had a reputation for being indestructible. Yet God said: ¡§Go Take it.¡¨
TWO TYPES OF BATTLE
1. The Visible Battle (Joshua 5:13a) By Observation ¡V You Can See The Actors.
The First Things Joshua Observed Was A Visible Battle That Lay Before Him. The city of Jericho was a walled city. The walls towered from six to eight stories high and were several yards thick. Inside were well-armed and fiercely warlike people. What Joshua saw with his eyes was indeed a giant of immense proportions. Everyone has some kind of visible giant: May be sickness, attitudes of the heart, people who will not change, family issues, or many other things. Whatever that giant is for you it is real and stands right there in front of you.
2. The Invisible War: That You Cannot See. But They Control What You See. As Great As The Visible Giant Was It Was Not Joshua¡¦s Real Problem.
Joshua Needed To Get A Handle On Several Things To Win That Invisible War. First, he had to overcome the challenge of past failures. He must have remembered the miserable failure when Israel had refused to follow he and Caleb¡¦s report about the Promised Land. He waited 40 years to defeat his giant because of the failure of others including Moses. Our failures in the past have to be given to God or they will cripple us in the present! Joshua was not going to be able to fight this enemy with his own weapons of war. He would have to do things God¡¦s way (Joshua 6:1-5). Too many of us approach the issues of life with our own notions. But how do we win that war before the battle begins? The answer lies in the person Joshua met that day. Some Times In Scriptures When God¡¦s People Were In Trouble, He Either Sent A Prophet With A Word, Or Sent An Angel To Deliver Or He Himself Came In Person.
STEPS TO YOUR BREAKTHROUGH AS SEEN FROM JOSHUA
Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. Some are satisfied right there, You don¡¦t bother me I won¡¦t bother you. Some churches are satisfied right there, We haven¡¦t gained any but we haven¡¦t lost any. But God is never satisfied with containment ¡V To suppress the enemy is never victory. To suppress lust, anger, resentment, criticism is not victory. To suppress means to hold it inside, certainly if you are holding it inside this is not victory. Victory is when the cross has destroyed that thing at the root.
1. He Circumcised Again The Children Of Israel (Joshua 5:2-3). Sanctify yourself, take God¡¦s Word and cut yourself loose from the flesh. Make a choice to disconnect yourself from that which is holding you back. Cut it off. That must be done before the battle begins, not after.
2. He Lifted Up His Eyes And Looked (He Looked Beyond The Walls). He is surveying the trouble at night. He saw a man over against him with his sword drawn.
3. Align Yourself With God (As Captain Of The Lord¡¦s Host I Am Now Come). Joshua Fell On His Face & Worshipped. Worship is the key note of Destiny. Worship creates the atmosphere for hearing God¡¦s voice. Worship at church, home, car, etc. Let no one beg you to worship. People who worship know how to get from God ¡V Saul v/s David. Who could worship?
4. Loose The Shoe From Off Thy Foot: To possess our spiritual inheritance, we must become barefooted - No personal agenda, selfish ambitions, give up to the plans of God. I don¡¦t know what walls of difficulties you may be facing today, but I can tell you this, God is looking for Barefooted worshippers, Instead of griping and grumbling and complaining about the problems in your life, just take your shoes off and start worshipping him.
5. Look With The Eyes Of Faith. Hear the Prophetic Voice of God. Joshua 6:2 And the Lord said to Joshua: ¡§See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. Faith always sees victory. Doubt always sees obstacles. Faith brings good report. Doubt brings bad report. Faith produces positive attitude. Doubt leads to fear which produces rebellion. Faith sees with the eyes of God. Doubt sees with the eyes of man. Look with faith.
6. Obedience Is The Key: God gave directions to Joshua, They were not suggestions, They were His commandments, their victory was totally reliant upon their obedience. Seven is God¡¦s number and it stands for completion, maturity, totality, fruition total obedience.
7. Position Yourself According To The Word Of God Knowing That He Is In The Midst Of Us. "The ark" was given the place of honor in the procession. First the "men of war," then came the ark with 7 priests in front of it, and behind it came all the people. The ark was the recognized symbol of Jehovah¡¦s presence, and its being carried before the congregation was to intimate the victory was from Him. Does God abide in your life, home, church, job, etc.?
8. People Forbidden To Speak: Training ourselves to speak only that which edifies, and glorifies God and ministers grace. Colossians 4:6 Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Proverbs 6:2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
9. Shout ¡V Testify: There comes a time, when you know you have lifted your eyes above your problem, and you have taken off your shoes and stood barefooted and worshipped God and you have aligned yourself with God and obeyed his voice, and you have learned how to speak only that which builds up and edifies, all that¡¦s left is to shout. Not because everything looks right or sounds right or feels right, but because God has said the victory is yours.
10. Anticipate The Victory & Receive The Promise. Joshua 6:15-16 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner 7 times: only on that day they compassed the city 7 times. And it came to pass at the 7th time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.
FAITH OPENS ANY SITUATION: UNFRUITFULNESS.
ľ Hannah & Rachel: They were barren. The Bible says God opened. This means they could have children but internal or external conditions prevented that.
ľ Mary: She was a virgin. No artificial insemination which people do today. No relationship with a man, yet God artificially inseminated her.
ľ Sarah & Elizabeth: Not just barrenness but past the age. God can unlock a womb dead in age.
CONCLUSION: 5 PRINCIPLES FOR SPIRITUAL VICTORY
1. The Battle Is Won By Remembering Who Is In Charge
2. God¡¦s Methods Are Not Man¡¦s Methods But God¡¦s Methods Are Always Right (V.3-9)
3. The Best Way To Hear From God Is To Be Quiet (V. 10)
4. Victory Is Ours If We Do Not Quit (V. 16, 20)
5. Don¡¦t Be Fooled A Day Of Judgment Is Coming (Vv. 17, 20)
Illustration: The Tight Rope Walker
AUTHORITY SCRIPTURES:
1. Isaiah 61:7: For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
2. Joshua 1:9: be strong, of good courage, be not afraid, neither dismayed. I am with you.
INTERCESSION FOR THE PEOPLE
Prayer: Financial Healing, Spiritual Healing, Physical Healing, Domestic Healing, Professional Healing, Supernatural Healing (Barrenness), Generational Healing, Emotional Healing, Relationship Healing (Marriage), Etc.
