I. A Generation of Complainers.
A. Joshua was now in charge, Moses has passed on and the mantle has falling on Joshua to take the children of Israel to the Promise. Joshua was in charge of a new generation this was not the same group that Moses started out with in the Exodus.
1. Moses had a generation of complainers. They spent 400 years in slavery; God would raise up Moses to lead them out of Egyptian captivity. Here was a group of men and women that saw the hand of God move. They witnessed a show down between God and Pharaoh, God would send 10 plagues, some scholars believe that each plague represented an Egyptian god; that proved that God was the only God and that there was none other. He was proving Isa 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: before Isaiah ever penned those words.
2. This was a generation that would take the spoils of Egypt, they would cash out a 400 year old savings bond not only did they cash out they collected 400 years of interest on top of that. God had them waiting, they did not see that they were fulfilling the Abrahamic Promise of becoming a people that could not be numbered with the stars and sand. They could not see that God had a trust fund that was about to mature that would finance and secure them as a nation.
3. Here is a generation that watched the red sea part to reveal a hand paved land bridge that started them on their journey to the Promise Land. Along the way they would see water from rocks quail flying into the frying pan and angel food cake that would just appear from nowhere. That is not to mention the cloud of pillar by day and pillar of fire by night that was leading them.
B. They witnessed all these acts, saw firsthand just how awesome God was, but that was not good enough they still ran their mouths. Php 2:14 ¶ Do all things without murmurings and disputings: another version says, In all that you do, avoid grumbling and disputing,
1. The first sign of trouble they were saying “that they had it better in Egypt”, the first time their stomachs growled they were saying, “for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger”. The first time their tongues felt a little dry they were saying, “Wherefore [is] this [that] thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” The first time they had to fight for their Promise they were saying, “And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey?”
2. While Moses was having church on top of Mount Sinai, the people got tired of waiting for service to end and the Bible says, And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us.
3. That same attitude can be found in the Church today. Never satisfied; always complaining always comparing to the former. Don’t get me started; always talking about how it used to be, always looking back. You need to know that your looking back causes you to miss what is ahead, your standing still robs you of your next step, but if you move forward you will be taking into the unknown and into the deep things of God.
C. It was that attitude of doubt and complaining that said that they would not take the Promised Land because of giants. You know the story 12 spies went in and brought back a Promised Land Sampler, but as soon as the 10 spies said “giants in the land”, they turned on God and Moses.
1. Only 2, Joshua & Caleb said they were able. The People broke down, not because of what they saw, but what they heard.
2. They doubted God and to doubt Him is a slap in His face. It’s to suggest that God is impotent and cannot do what He promises. It’s to accuse God of being a liar and a hypocrite. The Bible says, God cannot lie … God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? …Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:…The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever…Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
3. Ps. 78:41-42, said of the children of Israel,”Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.” They must have hit their heads on a rock and developed amnesia; what else can explain how they forgot about how God parted the Red Sea, kept their shoes and clothes from wearing out, that God set up a drive thru in front of their tents, and bottled water in a rock.
a. I believe some of you here must have hit your head on a rock. You’ve forgotten how God came through last time, how He healed you last time, how He answered you last time, and made a way last time.
b. You need to remember that God is God and is the “same yesterday, today, & forever”.…is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
D. Deu. 1:34-35, “And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers”, I am reminded of the words of my momma, “you better watch your mouth”, and church you “better watch your mouth”.
1. 1 Pet. 3:10, “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile”
2. Prov. 6:2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth. Your mouth gets you in trouble. Prov. 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”
3. Prov. 18:20, A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
II. Your Mouth is a door.
A. Everything that God created in Genesis, with the exception of man, He created with the spoken Word. He spoke to nothing and it became something. He spoke and the lights came on, He spoke and mountains rose from valleys, He spoke and oceans filled, He spoke and rivers ran. He created through His Word. It is by His word that keeps every atom and molecule that makes up everything from coming undone, Heb. 1:3, He upholding all things by the word of his power, Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
B. Then … The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
1. Jesus healed in many forms from touch, his garments, even his spit was anointed, but He showed just how powerful words are by performing miracles just by speaking.
2. In John 4 a Nobleman wanted Jesus to come to his house to heal his son, Jesus did not even have to go to his house he just said “Go thy way; thy son liveth.” in Matt. 9 “rise, take up thy bed…” in Matt.12 he told the man with withered hand to “stretch forth thine hand”, again in Luke 7 he did not even need to go to the centurions house to heal his servant all he had to do was say the word, All He had to do was speak and devils were cast out. It was by his word that storms ceased. He showed the power of the spoken Word.
3. Words are powerful. They can be used to bless or curse. Pr 6:2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth,…Pr 18:21 Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue:… Ps 77:3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.
a. 2 Sam. 6 Michal, David’s wife, closed her womb by running her mouth. She yelled at David for getting his praise on, and David showed her that he was not going to be told he can’t have a praise party, so he said he was through with her and put her out to pasture. I wonder how many today have lost their harvest/seed because of their mouth.
4. Your mouth is a weapon of mass destruction.
a. Instead of using it to bound, use it to free. Prov. 12:6, “The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.”
b. Your mouth can cut, instead of using it to harm, use it to help & heal. Prov. 12:18, “the tongue of the wise is health.” 16:24, “Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”
c. It can stop the enemy, Ps. 8:2, “Out of the mouth of babes of sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the avenger.” “Still” means to immobilize. Re 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony;
C. Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. You cannot tame the tongue but you can change its direction. Pr 16:23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.
1. There are some things that have come out of our mouth that ought to be under our feet. Gossip, fault finding, criticism, grumbling, complaining, murmuring, negative talking needs to stop coming out of out of our mouth & be placed under our feet.
2. There is no taming of the tongue, but you can train the tongue. You tame horses by putting bits & bridles in mouth. You can bridle your tongue too. Jam. 1:26, “If you can’t bridle your tongue your religion is in vain.” The bridle is used to stop the horse, but also used to change his direction. If you want to go left you tug left… right… Some are headed in the wrong direction because of their mouth.
a. Complaining is the opposite of praising. In Numbers 11:1-3, the people complained and it displeased God, so He burnt them up with fire. Complaining is like suicide, because in complaining, you turn your weapon on yourself and pull the trigger. Anyone that tries to kill themselves is labeled “suicidal”. When you complain, “Lord, I am tired of my job, these people are getting on my nerves”, “Lord where’s my help meet, I am tired of going to bed alone”, “I am lonely, I am scared, I am broke, I am the tail and not the head, and blah, blah, blah…” You are suicidal and killing yourself and your blessing.
b. You need to put your mouth on suicide watch, that means to watch what comes out of your mouth and stop it before it jumps off the tip of your tongue. You need to learn to swallow those destructive words; don’t worry they will not upset your stomach.
3. The moment you hold back that poison you replace them with a … “The Lord is my shepherd…” “I’m the head & not tail…” “My God shall supply…” “W/His stripes I am healed.” “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken…
4. In scripture the word mouth appears over 340 times its Hebrew counterpart is “peh” (pa’ah) but there is one deviation when it is used as the word tera’ (ter-ah’) which means “gate or door”, what that means church is with your mouth you have the power to open or close your blessing. Some of you have been slamming the door on your blessing, instead of opening it!
III. Watch what you say.
A. Jos 6:10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall [any] word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.
1. The Moses Generation grew accustomed to the miracles of God so much that they became a part of everyday living. Manna here, quail there, a pillar of fire here, and a cloud there. Even the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of their foes was not enough to strengthen their faith in God for the Promised Land.
a. But Joshua’s generation now standing before the walls of Jericho grew up knowing only death, funerals, and wandering in the wilderness. These wilderness babies had only heard about the miracles; this was a generation that was silent but deadly.
b. This was a generation that learned from the mistakes of the previous, if they were to possess the land they had to keep their mouths shut. We have been doing this all wrong; we preach that in order to win you got to march (put your faith in action) and then shout (praise). Before we march and shout we got to learn to hold our tongue.
2. You see the silent treatment is a powerful tool of intimidation. When no one is speaking you don’t what’s going inside of them. You want to mess with your enemies say nothing. Can you imagine what went through the minds of those in Jericho? It reminds me of those scenes in movies when those that are being chased all of a sudden find themselves in a silent situation the radar ain’t picking up anything all you hear is silence. It’s a tense moment cause you don’t know what’s going to happen next, the smallest sound can send them into a panic.
3. That’s why church you got to learn to keep your mouth shut, and not let the enemy know what you are thinking or feeling. He can’t tell he’s getting under skin or wearing down your faith when you don’t let him know he has.
B. In 2 Kings chp. 4 there was a Shunammite woman whose son passed away. Now this son was a son of promise because she took care of the man of God and he prophesied that she would have a child, she has this child and it grows and one day it is in the field with his father and the Bible says the boy cried out “my head, my head” we don’t know what happened to him but he was carried to his mother where he dies in her lap, she then lays him in the bed where the man of God stayed and shut the door.
1. Now she could of stepped to God and got angry, did not cuss God, did not go out and get drunk or high. It does not say that she showed any emotion all we hear her say is “get me a donkey, I am going to the man of God”, her husband’s response was “Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath.” or in other words “today ain’t Sunday; it ain’t time for church”, her response was “It shall be well”.
2. She makes her way to the man of God and he inquires about her and her family, now if there was a time to vent it was now, if there was a time to get emotional it was now, if there was ever a time to let the enemy know he got to her it was now. Up to this point she kept her plan silent but instead of letting it all out, her response to how she and family was doing was “It is well”.
3. Elisha knew something was up the Bible says he sensed that her soul is vexed within her, he learns of her sons untimely death and goes back home with her and the boy is raised from the death. That’s how you respond to bad news, Dr. says you got cancer, but “it is well”, the bank says…, your unemployment runs out…, you lose your job…, your children are stressing you out…, whatever your dealing with “it is well”.
a. Just smile and say “it is well”, the devil want know what to think, your family, dr., banker want know what to say when you just standing there grinning over bad news.
IV. Praise pays for the promise
A. Jericho was on lock, but God commanded Joshua to keep them in the perimeter of their blessing. I am sure they felt some frustration, here they are walking around something they can have; yet they have to be quiet about it. They could not move from where they were. When you stay where God tells you and do not get any results that action represents covenant. God is a God of covenant. That shows the situation that I trust God.
1. On the seventh day, God and Joshua created a pact, and the secret to getting what was housed behind closed doors was located in their mouths. You have to love God to stay by something that you want now and cannot have, and wait until He says “You can have it”.
B. It had been almost a week and they were now about to get what belonged to them, I am sure they were tired from all that marching. I can imagine some were thinking it has been 6 days now and nothing will the 7th day be the same.
1. Most people give up, not knowing they are a day away, because God does not give us the time. A day does not have to be a 24 hour cycle, but can be a season of receiving. Some of us stop when we are just a praise away. You say “I don’t feel like shouting today”. You missed it. The best time to praise is when you do not feel like it. The day you take a break is when you breakdown.
2. They are directed to do on the last day all that they have done over the previous 6 days. In one day they have to walk around the entire city 7 times. I am sure that they wondered why they were being instructed to go around on the last day 7 times. When you have to go through more now than ever; when it seems like everything is coming at you all at once, it is because you are closer to the promise than you have ever been.
3. This year, God took you through more because you are about to receive more. Some of the stuff you went through does not even make sense. It is getting under your skin, and the devil knows your in a sensitive place, and there is some frustration cause you know something is coming, but you just do not know from where it is coming. That’s why it is not the time to start cussing and fussing and give in to temptation and quit but, “stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.”
C. On the 7th day for the 13th time 3 million received one order. Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
1. A lot of you are reserving the praise for after you get what you want. You are never going to get it. But if you put your praise on the front end, in the middle, and on the back you might get paid in full.
2. Let me tell you something; praise does not give you money, cars, spouses, blessings, what it does give you is a right mind that keeps you from a nervous breaking down, it strengthens you to hang in there until what you are praising Him for comes to pass. One thing I know is your praise gives you a break through before there is a break down.
D. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. It is nowhere else. You can feel Him in your hands and feet all you want. There is no death and life decision in your hands and feet. You only have one mouth and one heart, and from the heart the mouth speaks. The connection to the mouth is the heart and when you love God and in covenant with Him your mouth ought to express it, along with your hands and feet. Praise visits hands and feet, but resides in the mouth. When they shouted the walls came down.
1. Some of you all are where God wants you to be; you just cannot get in the door. You are standing right where the miracle is and waiting, waiting on God, and God is saying, “I am in your mouth”! All you got to do is open the door. Your praise will prevail and pay for the promise!
2. The power is in your ability to use your mouth. Every time you use your breath to praise God, you are forcing change. I challenge you to praise yourself into your miracle, to change the atmosphere.
3. They shouted so loud that the city walls fell down. Boundaries, bad credit, unemployment, rumors, mistakes and failures… came crashing down.
