GOD’s HAND In The LAND-I—Joshua 5:1
When ‘God’s hand’ is obviously ‘in the land’, great & life-changing things happen!
The surrounding nations recognized their weak condition before the Israelite God upon hearing of Israel’s miraculous crossing of the Jordan.
When God’s hand is clearly seen, those apart from Him perceive their weakness.
What happens when God’s hand is in the land?
1—When God’s hand is in the land...
KINGS COWER(:1)
Explanation:(:1)Authority Anguishes
:1—“Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, & all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their heart melted”
Kings—Wield human sovereignty—with their governors & other officials.
Keep in mind that none but the very first Americans have ever lived under a sovereign king. It was because of the tyranny of such British sovereignty, that they saw fit to come to America in the first place.
And even British rule was & is no absolute sovereignty. It also had(& still has) a Parliament consisting of a House of Commons(Legislative) & House of Lords(revise legislation) which intentionally limits the powers of the crown.
We Americans do not live under a sovereign King. The concept of anything other than representative government is foreign to our understanding. It is something we read about in books & see on TV & in movies, & imagine, but we have never experienced it.
These kings “heard” & “their hearts melted”—No single or joint effort could hope to overcome such fear. Yet these still chose to protect their interests rather than turn to God.
No temporal worldly associations can offer hope against the Almighty God.
Argumentation:
Mat. 2:1-4, 7-8, 12-13, 16—“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East & have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, & all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests & scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.”.....“Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem & said, “Go & search carefully for the young Child, & when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come & worship Him also.”.....“Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child & His mother, flee to Egypt, & stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”.....“Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; & he sent forth & put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem & in all its districts, from two years old & under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.”
Jer. 1:10, 18-19—“See, I have this day set you over the nations & over the kingdoms, To root out & to pull down, To destroy & to throw down, To build & to plant.”.....“For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city & an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land-- Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the LORD, “to deliver you.””
Gen. 14:1-3, 8-16—4 very powerful kings from the north defeated 5 kings from the south, kidnapped Abraham’s nephew Lot. Abram pursued & defeated those same 4 kings.—“And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, & Tidal king of nations, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, & the king of Bela(that is, Zoar). All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim(that is, the Salt Sea).”.....“And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, & the king of Bela(that is, Zoar) went out & joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, & Arioch king of Ellasar--four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; & the kings of Sodom & Gomorrah fled; some fell there, & the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom & Gomorrah, & all their provisions, & went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, & his goods, & departed. Then one who had escaped came & told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol & brother of Aner; & they were allies with Abram. Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred & eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, & went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, & he & his servants attacked them & pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods, & also brought back his brother Lot & his goods, as well as the women & the people.”
1Jn. 4:4—“You are of God, little children, & have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
Jer. 33:9—“‘Then it-(Jerusalem)- shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, & an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear & tremble for all the goodness & all the prosperity that I provide for it.’”
Rev. 6:12-17—“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, & behold, there was a great earthquake; & the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, & the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, & every mountain & island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave & every free man, hid themselves in the caves & in the rocks of the mountains, & said to the mountains & rocks, “Fall on us & hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne & from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, & who is able to stand?”
Illustration:
Bert always caught more fish than anyone/Only equipment was rusty tackle box & a net/Game warden becomes suspicious/He arranged for an undercover officer to go fishing with Bert/Bert took them into the middle of a huge pond where he began using dynamite/The FWC Officer immediately flashes his credentials to arrest Bert/Bert calmly picks up stick of dynamite, lights it & hands it to the warden saying, ‘You gonna fish or stand there?’
People with Power Cower
Application:
?Thru your witness do Kings Cower in the presence of God?
?Are those in authority swayed by your Christian witness?
?Kings/Governors/Officials Cower at Christian testimony?
?What are the political ramifications of this?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
When God’s hand is in the land...
1. KINGS COWER(all the kings of the Amorites & all the kings of the Canaanites)
?Do Kings Cower because of your obedience to Christ?
?Is God’s Hand In The Land...in your...
Worship?
Church Family?
Giving?
Occupation?
Marriage?
Lifestyle?
Language?
Rev. 3:20— “Behold, I stand at the door & knock; if anyone hears My voice & opens the door, I will come in to him, & will dine with him, & he with Me.”
God will never force Himself upon you. But...Upon your recognition & acceptance of His holiness/call/reverence you will be convicted of the need to mold your life around Him/His desires.
Pt. 1 Presented 08/03/2017am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Presented 03/05/00pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, GA 31797
