SERMON OUTLINE:
• the opponents of God’s people (ch 11 vs 1-5)
• the display of God’s sovereignty (ch 11 vs 6-7)
• the example of God’s servant (ch 11 vs 12&15)
• the faithfulness of God (ch 12 vs 1-24)
• the secret to victorious living (ch 12 vs 1-24)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• When I saw the title for today’s talk,
• My mind instantly thought of the C.S. Lewis book, ‘The Last Battle.’
• Which was the seventh and final novel in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ series.
• My favorite quote must be this one…
“All their life in this world and all their adventures had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
• TRANSITION:
• I can’t promise that, “every chapter is better than the one before” in the book of Joshua,
• But it is The Word of God and it will speak into our lives if we let it!
• Remember it is not going through the Bible that changes us,
• It is allowing the Bible to go through us that brings change!
The book of Joshua divides into three main sections.
• The entering of the land (chapters 1-5)
• The conquering of the land (chapters 6-12)
• The distribution of the land (chapters 13-24)
• So today we are completing section two,
• The conquering of the land (chapters 6-12)
• Hence the title given, ‘The Last Battle.’
Joshua was a gifted military campaigner.
• He has completed a rigorous military campaign to divide the land in two,
• He conquered the middle and southern half,
• And then he turned his attention northern half.
• According to verse 10,
• Jabin king of Hazor is the ringleader of a coalition bent on stopping Israel.
“At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.)”
Note:
• With 47 verses in these two chapters I am not going to go through them verse by verse.
• Otherwise, it will be a long sermon.
Joke:
• Some preachers just don’t know when to stop,
• There once was a preacher who was asked to give a short 10 min talk.
• After 20 min had expired the preacher just kept on talking.
• After 35 min. folks were shuffling their feet and coughing.
• Once again, the preacher just ignored it and kept right on talking.
• After 40 minutes someone stood up and waved their watch,
• When the preacher again ignored it,
• The man threw his watch at the preacher.
• Unfortunately, it missed the preacher and hit someone on the front row, bang on the head,
• The man stood up and shouted, “Hit me again I can still hear him!”
• TRANSITION:
• With 47 verses in these two chapters I am not going to go through them verse by verse.
• I intend to pull out a few key thoughts from each chapter.
• Three headings from chapter 11 and two from chapter 2.
(1). The opponents of God’s people (11:1-5).
“When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Akshaph, 2 and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; 3 to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah. 4 They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 5 All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom to fight against Israel.”
Quotes:
• We have a saying, “There is a motive in this madness.”
• Or as Sanford I. Weill put it, “Details create the big picture.”
• That is what we have in these verses,
• Lots and lots of detail to bring home to us two key thoughts.
• FIRST: The enemy’s numerical strength (vs 4a)
• “They came out with all their troops, a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.”
• Joshua and his army are vastly outnumbered.
• SECOND: The enemy’s weaponry (vs 4b).
• “They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots.”
• Joshua and his army cannot match the weaponry of their opponents.
• Humanly speaking, “It is not looking good!”
• If you were a betting man, you would put your money on the side of king Jabin.
• We would call it a ‘Banker’, A safe bet. The very strong favourite.
(2). The display of God’s sovereignty (11:6-15).
“The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”
7 So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, 8 and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left. 9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.
10 At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) 11 Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed[a] them, not sparing anyone that breathed, and he burned Hazor itself.
12 Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned. 14 The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed. 15 As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.,”
I believe in what theologian’s call, ‘The sovereignty of God.’
• That expression simply means that as creator and king of the Universe,
• God is free and has the right to do whatever he wants.
• He is not bound or limited by the dictates of his created beings.
• Further, he is in complete control over everything that happens here on Earth.
• God's will be the final cause of all things.
Question: How does the ‘The sovereignty of God’ Work out for Joshua & us today?
Answer:
• Preacher R.B. Kuiper,
• Once used the following illustration of God's sovereignty and human responsibility:
• “I liken them to two ropes going through two holes in the ceiling and over a pulley above.
• If I wish to support myself by them, I must cling to them both.
• If I cling only to one and not the other, I go down.”
• TRANSITION: God has the power and the might to destroy Joshua’s enemies,
• They might by size and weapons outnumber and out-power Joshua and his army,
• But God is always, always bigger than any human army!
• Note: the battle is the Lord’s, but Joshua and his men must do the fighting!
• (think of that illustration of two ropes and a pully!)
Note (in case you are wondering).
• To, “Hamstrung the horses” was to sever a tendon in the leg,
• This disables the horse so that it can still be used for farming, but not for fighting.
• I think the main reason God told them to do this was,
• Israel could have been tempted to trust in the military weapons (horses & chariots),
• Instead of in God.
• We have several warnings to the Israelites never to do this,
• e.g., Psalm 20 verse 7.
• e.g., Isaiah chapter 31 verses 1-3
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in their abundance of chariots?
and in their multitude of horsemen.
They do not look to the Holy One of Israel.
they do not seek the LORD.”
(3). The example of God’s servant (11:12&15).
“Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.”
“As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.”
Twice we are told that Joshua did what he was commanded to do.
• Simple obedience!
• Is always the sign of a man or woman of God.
Ill:
• At last week’s Camp I did a short daily episode on the life of Jim Elliott.
• He was an American Christian missionary,
• Who on January 8th, 1956,
• Along with Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Flemming, and Roger Youderian
• They were speared to death in the Curaray river during Operation Auca,
• In an attempt to evangelize the Auca/Waodani tribe of Ecuador.
• A fantastic story and a must read for any Christian!
• Jim’s wife tells a story of when she was a young girl growing up in the USA.
• She was standing next to a piano,
• Her father was playing hymns and she was singing along to them.
• Her mother came in and said, “Go tidy your room!”
• Elizabeth replied, “But I want to stay and sing Jesus loves me!”
• Elizabeth’s mother took the opportunity to remind her of 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 22b,
“To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
• TRANSITION:
• Sometimes we can allow good or other things to be an excuse for disobedience.
Ill:
• Image a hot sunny day
• (You will have to imagine it because it has been a while since we had one!)
• I am working on my car,
• One of my children pops up and says hello!
• I ask them for a glass of water,
• They go into the house and return with an apple.
• I respond, “thanks but what I really want is a glass of water,”
• They go back into the house and return with an ice cream.
• Once again, I respond, “thanks but what I really want is a glass of water,”
• TRANSITION: I hope you see the point I’m trying to make.
• Sometimes we can allow good or other things to be an excuse for our disobedience.
• Yet, Joshua did, “What Lord had commanded.”
You might not like what he did, but he was obedient to his God.
• Remember that in the Old Testament God used his people Israel,
• To bring his justice and punishment to the other nations.
• The Canaanites committed the worst forms of immorality,
• e.g., Bestiality and sacrificing their children (did these decade after decade).
• God had been enormously patient with the Canaanites.
• God waited 400 years before He brought Israel to judge them,
• (See Genesis chapter 15 verse :13-16).
• God let their sin build up so high that his judgment eclipsed his mercy,
• (See Genesis chapter 6 verse 3, “My spirit shall not always strive with man.”)
• The Canaanites heard about all God had done for Israel,
• But only Rahab believed and turned to God!
Joshua obeyed the commands of the Lord.
• The commands in question are found in,
• Exodus chapter 34 verses 11-16.
• Numbers chapter 33 verses 51-54.
• Deuteronomy chapter 20 verses 16-18.
• (cf. Numbers chapter 27 verses 18-23, Deuteronomy chapter 3 verses 16-18 & chapter 31 verses 7-8, 23)
Quote:
“Ye call Me Master and obey me not,
Ye call Me Light and see me not,
Ye call Me way and follow me not.
Ye call Me Life and desire me not,
Ye call Me wise and acknowledge me not,
Ye call Me fair and love me not,
Ye call Me rich and ask me not,
Ye call Me eternal and seek me not,
Ye call Me gracious and trust me not,
Ye call Me Noble and serve me not,
Ye call Me mighty and honor me not,
Ye call Me just and fear me not,
If I condemn you, blame me not.”
CHAPTER 12:
Read: verses 1-7a.
“These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah:
2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.
He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge—from the middle of the gorge—to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead. 3 He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Galilee[a] to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
4 And the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salekah, all of Bashan to the border of the people of Geshur and Maakah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
6 Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the Israelites conquered them. And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession.
7 Here is a list of the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered.”
NOW YOU CAN LOOK AT THIS CHAPTER UNDER TWO HEADINGS.
FIRST: the faithfulness of God (ch 12 vs 1-24)
• This chapter is a monument to the great faithfulness of God,
• The LORD will always keep his covenant promises.
• He promised Joshua victory and he delivered!
• Under Joshua’s leadership, thirty-one victories are counted.
• That is, thirty-one victories over Canaanite kings and their towns or cities.
• He promised Joshua victory and he delivered!
Quote: James MacDonald
“When God promises, He's not saying, I'll try. He means, I can, and I will.”
SECOND: the secret to victorious living (ch 12 vs 1-24)
• Although this chapter is a monument to the faithfulness of God,
• On the other hand, it is a "royal roster of doom."
• It is list of people's names,
• Thirty-one kings are mentioned, and their outcome was not good!
• Under Joshua’s leadership, thirty-one victories are counted.
The thirty-one kings (vs 1-24).
• We have recorded a detailed catalog of the geography and biographies,
• Of the kingdoms and rulers of the land.
• Sixteen northern kings,
• Fifteen southern kings.
Question:
• Now you might be wondering,
• How could you have all these kings in a country the size of Wales?
• About 150 miles long by 20 to 50 miles wide.
Answer:
• Because the kings in those days wasn't like our King Charles,
• Who rules of the whole of the United Kingdon.
• Kings in those days ruled cities,
• These cities were self-governed,
• Little walled enclaves of a few acres with a wall around it.
• e.g., City of Jericho.
From the list of kings mentioned, my favorite king mentioned is Og (vs 4).
• You gotta love his name and he was an unusual king. He was a big bloke!
• We are told in (Deuteronomy chapter 3 verse 11),
• About Og’s iron bed,
• Which was roughly 14 feet long and 6 feet wide.
• That doesn't mean he was that size, but many scholars seem to think so!
• So, you could say (forgive the pun), he had the first king size bed. He was a king!
Question: How were these cities conquered?
Answer: One by one.
Ill:
• How do you eat an elephant?
• Answer: One bite at a time.
• TRANSITION:
• How do you get victory in your Christian life?
• How do you conquer your enemies?
• The answer is the same, One by one. One day at a time.
• One struggle after another after another after another.
• We just keep pressing on.
• Despite the odd defeat, we never gave up. We never, never, never.
• But remember that Joshua did not win his battles through his own strength,
• He did not use the military weapons of his enemy.
• He trusted in and obeyed his God and that brought victory!
• Times like today when we take communion, we break bread,
• Is a time to reflect on the past week,
• If need be, to repent and refocus,
• To ask God for a fresh filling of his Holy Spirit,
• And to take next week one day at a time.
Question: what has God promised you?
Answer:
• Daily strength for daily living!
• “Give us the DAY, our DAILY bread.”
• I believe that means much more than physical food.
• It is a reminder that we find our strength in God each DAY!
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=2m0U3UkaD5HhLSPlI96pTCxE6g7fYV6F
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/kx628GSPM10
