Title: Whose side are you own?
Theme: To show that the devil tries to divide the church and His people. We must be on the LORDs side.
Opening Prayer then read the scriptures.
Joshua 5:13-15 And it came to pass,
In a manner of time, after all the events of the previous chapters had taken place, after the promises of Joshua 1, the spies of Joshua 2, the crossing of the Jordan in Joshua 3&4.
I believe he kind of sets the stage with Joshua 3
Jos 3:1-4 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. (2) So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; (3) and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. (4) Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before."
Joshua and Israel was going places they had never been before. They were going to fight battles against people they had never seen. God wanted to prepare them. They must stay focused.
We will see this again later on.
Joshua had one task, move forward. Conquer the land.
Jos 1:1-6 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying: (2) "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them--the children of Israel. (3) Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. (4) From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. (5) No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. (6) Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
This is God’s promise.
You know God can give you the promises and you can have faith but you still have to face your task. You still have to face your mountains. You still have to move forward and conquer what God has given you. It is a daunting task.
when Joshua was by Jericho
I could imagine that Joshua, the warrior leader, was surveying the next place to conquer. He was looking across the way and preparing for battle.
Maybe he was working on preparing a strategy to conquer Jericho. Maybe he was trying to get rid of the butterflies in his stomach. Maybe he was working on his faith.
In my mind I could just imagine Joshua looking forward and then looking back. Looking that the walled city then looking at the memorials we read about in chapters 3 & 4.
Don’t forget Jericho had walls. Great dauting walls. Actually many say that it was two sets of walls. One at the bottom a retaining wall between 12 & 15 feet high and a wall on top between 20 & 26ft high. Then there was a type of courtyard (some say this is where Rahab lived). Finally, there was the second wall another 20 – 26 feet high. Wow! (When the walls fell there was a pathway for Israel to attack the city.
The enemy loves walls. He loves the put obstacles in our way that keep us from victory. He loves to place barriers in our way that keep us from moving forward.
In the New Testament they are called “strongholds”
1 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
From Strong’s Concordance
- Original: ????´??µa - Transliteration: Ochuroma - Phonetic: okh-oo'-ro-mah - Definition:
1. a castle, stronghold, fortress, fastness
2. anything on which one relies
a. of the arguments and reasonings by which a disputant endeavours to fortify his opinion and defend it against his opponent
- Origin: from a remote derivative of G2192 (meaning to fortify, through the idea of holding safely)
- TDNT entry: 14:50,8
- Part(s) of speech: Noun Neuter
- Strong's: From a remote derivative of G2192 (meaning to fortify through the idea of holding safely); a castle (figuratively argument): - stronghold.
The enemy will use these walls to divide us. Divide us from God (the wall of between Adam and God called sin), to divide us from each other (families, race, religion, etc)
We must learn to recognize these walls and “pull them down”.
God will help us escape any stronghold of the enemy
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
God can also be a stronghold
Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
David reminds us in Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
Proverbs 18:10 declares, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.”
that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand.
So get the picture here. Joshua is looking at the task ahead. Maybe he is making the plan. Maybe he is trying to get a hold of the fear he has. Either way he looks around and there is this man standing there with a sword.
And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?"
In other words are you for us or for them? Are you for us or are you against us?
(14) So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord (Jehovah – the self existent one, who needs not to be on anyone’s side but is the leader) I have now come."
It is not about sides it about being on God’s side.
The enemy loves to divide us. Challenging us to take sides. Which party are you with? Who are you voting for? We are told we have to be one way or another.
Yet God says it is not about sides but who is on the Lord’s side.
Jesus challenges His disciples not to be divided
Luke 9:49-50 Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us." (50) But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."
How do people know we are His disciples?
John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
This was more than an angel
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped,
Many believe this was a theophany. This was God appearing in flesh. As we see in Daniel 3:25 “like the Son of God”. We see as in Genesis 12:7-9 God appears to Abraham, Gen 18:1-22 angels and Abraham, Jacob wrestles with “angel” Genesis 32:22 -30, Ex 3:2 – 4:17, Ex 24:9-11, Deut 31:14-15, God appears to Moses, Job 38 -42 God answers Job, etc.
and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" (15) Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
What a way to answer God when you encounter Him. Lord, what do you have to say? Powerful. We need to quit talking and start listening.
The instructions are to take your shoes off this is holy ground. As He told Moses in Exodus 3. This is holy ground. Something is about to change. Don’t let things come between you and God.
Remove your sandal. Remove the obstacles as you stand on Holy Ground. What God has made Holy becomes Holy. Sometimes we need a change a scenery or systems or routines or habits. We need a change of seat. This is so that we can focus.
Get alone with God and hear Him. He has a plan. He has a message. Listen to what God is saying. Don’t listen to the world.
Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; (2) But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
Conclusion
It is time we changed our strategy. It is time we quit letting this world try to divide us. It is time we get on the Lord’s side. It is time we see our brothers for who they are, brothers in the Lord. As ask you this morning, Whose side are you on? Are you on the Lord’s side.
Salvation message.
This starts with a surrender to the Lord. It starts with a reconginition of our sinful condition. It starts with asking God to forgive us of our sins. Accepting His forgiveness, repenting and turning away from sin. Moving forward.
