THREE OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME:
In Possessing God’s promises
1-13-02
Joshua 6:19 - 9:15, John 15:19, 17:15 +
Once we have accepted Jesus as our Christ … we find that there are 3 obstacles between us and all the promises of God.
It is a march to Spiritual maturity.
It is the process of growing up in the new life of our salvation.
It is the only way to claim all the blessings of the heavenlies.
God loves us beyond belief.
And He wants to bless us beyond belief.
The story of Joshua gives us a picture of the obstacles between us and the promises of God.
Joshua was a man of faith.
He was selected by God to replace Moses to lead God’s chosen people into their promised land.
In doing this … Joshua and Israel … encountered three levels of opposition.
These are the same obstacles that we face today in claiming the promises of God--in finding rest in our faith.
The first one is the WORLD – the world system.
It’s the politics of business and government.
Jericho represented the world system to Joshua.
This world system is our environment too.
It’s where we live.
It’s where we work.
The Jericho of Joshua was an imposing obstacle:
A city with walls 5-stories high.
A sloped approach made it impossible to attack the walls.
An army of the world would lay siege to such a city.
Starve them into submission.
But this is the Lord’s army.
This is a spiritual battle.
The city is not the enemy.
It’s the system that it represents.
Spiritual battles require spiritual approaches.
The first step is Spiritual preparation.
God commanded Joshua to circumcise all who were born during the wilderness wandering.
Remember this was Israel’s Logo with God.
After that … Jesus Christ … acting as the Captain of the Lord’s Host, gave him the battle plan.
We won’t belabor the point.
Surely we remember how all of Israel marched around Jericho once a day for six days.
On the seventh, they circled the city 7 times.
Then as instructed by the Captain of the Lord’s Host … they turned … faced the walls … blew their ram’s horns … and everyone shouted.
This was an absurd battle plan by worldly standards.
But this was God’s battle.
It was fought his way … without firing a shot … the walls collapsed.
In John 15:19 Jesus told us …If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
Later, he says: 17:15, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."
The world system is Satan’s system.
Jesus extracted his Church out of the system.
Paul explained it by pointing out that we are ambassadors of Christ.
Our citizenship transferred the moment we accepted Jesus as our Christ.
We belong to him.
We belong to his Kingdom.
We represent him here on earth … among those who are of this world – the spiritually dead.
We, who are spiritually alive … are IN this world … but not OF this world!
Back to Joshua: The battle was the Lord’s.
So were the spoils of the battle.
Joshua 6:19, "All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."
Israel was to take nothing from the city, but was to give all the riches to God – a tribute to him…to his greatness.
One man – Achan – kept a single Babylonian dress,
20 shekels of silver, and 50 shekels of gold.
He knew it was wrong … and he hid it under his tent.
It was a small thing … in comparison to the wealth of the city.
But it was a great thing in the sight of God.
This small thing cost them defeat at the small town of Ai.
Then fear replaced faith in the camp of Israel.
Sin is like that.
A small one turns off all the power of God.
Joshua … and all of Israel … went into the: "Why me," mode … for fear the Canaanites would unite and defeat them.
Our next obstacle is The Flesh
Ai represents our second obstacle – the flesh … our old sin nature!
It was a small town of mud huts and simple people.
Joshua and his army was all fired up over the defeat of mighty Jericho.
Without so much as one word with God, he dispatched a small detachment to mop up Ai.
Jericho was God’s victory.
Ai was Joshua’s defeat.
He left God out of the planning… and the fighting.
And he was soundly defeated.
The flesh … our old sin nature … will do that to us.
The flush of victory in the Spirit dissolves into defeat in the flesh … because we leave God out of both the planning … and the battle.
It was a little sin: A dress and a hand full of silver … and gold.
But it made the whole nation wish it had stayed across the river from God’s promises.
Joshua prayed.
God answered.
His battle plan began with spiritually cleansing.
Achan and his family were put to death … and his tiny bag of loot was returned to God’s treasury.
In battling the flesh... we find that the enemy is different ... God’s strategy is different.
But, we still have to do it God’s way...
And it can’t be done ... if their is unconfessed sin within!
God says confess it.
CONFESS means to agree with Him ... be of the same mind as.
In return, it is forgiven ... and we are cleansed from all UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.
When the disciples entered that upper room ... Jesus kneeled to wash their feet.
Peter refused ... saying ... I should be washing your feet, but if I need cleaning I need to be bathed all over.
Jesus answered: "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet."
Just as in the natural life, one who has bathed needs only to wash the dust off his feet when he returns home.
In the spiritual life, the same is true.
The death of Jesus Christ ... removed all sin ... not only ours ... but the sin of the WHOLE WORLD.
Sin was paid for COMPLETELY on the cross ... by Jesus when he died spiritually ... he screamed in agony ... as our sins were charged to his account ... and … he was separated from God the Father and Holy Spirit.
As Paul put it: 2Cor 6:21, "For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin;(WHY?) that we … that WE … might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Now, we simply agree with him about our daily sins to be entirely clean again (1 John 1:9).
Israel was saved out of EGYPT ... never to return again.
The righteousness of God was imputed upon them ... if they kept the Law ... and remembered the ATONEMENT that God had promised through the coming MESSIAH.
They obeyed God.
They overcame the world at Jericho.
But ACHAN did not obey God afterwards.
His sin brought defeat at AI.
It had to be confessed ... and dealt with.
It was ... and Israel was victorious at Ai.
We must remember, we are equally dependent upon God for the little victories … as well as the big ones.
Now, we come to the greatest of all obstacles: The devil, himself.
Israel faces the Devil, himself.
And he has not changed one bit since the Garden.
Nor has he changed since Joshua’s day.
Israel was poised to claim all of God’s promises.
All of the kings of Canaan were trembling with fear.
Joshua 9:2, "That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai..."
God had allowed Israel to make peace with cities outside the Promised Land, but she was obliged to destroy all of the cities of the Canaanites.
They were to execute the judgment of God on them (Deut. 7:1-2; 20:11-15).
Next on their path was Gibeon … just 6.5 miles SW of Ai.
Using Satan’s strategy …instead of suffering defeat … they slithered into Joshua’s good graces:
4, "They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
5, "And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.
6, "And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us."
Satan deceived Eve in the Garden with half-truths, lies, and slight of hand.
God spoke of Spiritual Death ... Satan spoke of physical death ... then lied about the reason Adam and Eve were not to eat of the tree of good and evil.
Jesus told the Pharisees ...John 8:44, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.
"He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
"When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
Joshua 9:9, "And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt..."
The Gibeonites were clever not to mention Israel’s recent victories.
News would not have traveled a long distance.
Will they never learn?
Israel’s sin here ... as we are tempted to do after we accept Jesus as our Christ...was in not asking the Lord’s counsel in the matter.
This was no threat … only what appeared to be emissaries from afar.
The truth was not known … until after the treaty was signed.
A quick silent prayer: Lord let me know the truth ... and lead me in this matter ... would have prevented this.
Even though made under false pretenses, the treaty of peace (v. 15) was inviolate.
Numbers 30:2, "If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth."
They grumbled, probably because the people could not take possession of the Gibeonite cities and their booty.
The Gibeonites were allowed to live because of the oath ... but were made to be woodchoppers and water carriers for the Tabernacle.
Nevertheless, their presence polluted the promises God made to his own people.
Word to the wise: Be careful what you promise God. If you find things are not as you thought ... you’re still bound by your pledge.
James, however, put it this way ... 5:12, "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation."
The whole point is: Talking to the Lord is essential to our success in life … and in claiming God’s promises.
It doesn’t matter which obstacle we are up against:
. The world system … the bright lights and broadways …the riches and racy living;
. The flesh – our old sin nature – with all of its appetites for the things of the world; or
. Satan, himself, who makes everything seem acceptable and profitable. But, then again, he can’t be trusted.
As Jesus said: "He’s been a liar from the beginning."
But, we are not helpless.
We … who trust in Jesus as our Christ … have all the resources of the entire Godhead at our disposal.
God will not promise us anything …that he can’t deliver.
He will not send us anywhere he can’t provide for us.
He won’t put us in any situation where he is not there with us.
Paul tells us in:
2Cor.5:7, "We live by faith, not by sight."
Gal.2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Paul claims to be dead to the Mosaic Law.
He is dead to the world system.
In the Spirit … the flesh nature has no power.
Garbed with the full armor of God …even the devil is no match.
Why? Because Paul is empowered … protected … and provisioned by God.
It was not an easy road.
Paul suffered abuse …shipwreck … snakebites … imprisonment … beatings … and was stoned to death.
But God sent him back to finish his task.
God wants us in his promises.
He wants us blessed to the max.
He will fight our battles …
. If we stay on his side,
. If we ask his directions,
. If we seek his favor,
. If we trust completely his Son – our savior and let him become the Lord of our lives.
He offers us a life worth living …
And a death worth dying …
If we’ll just let him plan …and
Let him fight our battles for us.
We are his.
He is ours.
He wants us to trust him completely.
He wants us to REST in him … no worries … no anxieties …no fears …no hesitation.
This is the abundant life – life as it was originally for Adam and Eve in the Garden.
It is life as it can be for us … if we let God has his way.
Let us pray!
