Possessing The Land - Part 1
The Other Side of the River - Read: Joshua 3:15 - 5:1
1. Introduction
This series of teaching is prophetic, that is, it is speaking into the church, to encourage us to take the next step along the path that Christ has chosen for us.
Because of this, you need to be committed to hear the whole series. If you’re going to be away, then please ask for a copy of the tape.
a. Joshua’s Commission
Josh 1:3:
* Every place that the sole of your foot WILL tread upon ... conditional on if we go!
* I have given you, as I said to Moses ... the blessing if the condition is fulfilled
- means that the place is already won ... as we are treading on it!
* How?
Isa 61:1 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor;”
Josh 1:7-9:
* 7 “Only be strong [i.e. to seize hold of - looking for opportunity] and
* very courageous [standing up for your faith], that
* you may observe to do [set out to complete] according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you;
* do not turn from it [do not rebel - as witchcraft! 1 Sam 15:23] to the right hand or to the left, ... the condition
* that you may prosper [wisdom, understanding, success] wherever you go ... the blessing!
How are we to do this?
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate [= study] In It day and night, that you may observe to do [set out to complete] according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous [wisdom, understanding], and then you will have good success. 9 for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
1. Notice two important principles (from Joshua 3:15 & Joshua 3:4):
a. Nothing happened until they put their feet into the river (3:15) (Believe & obey).
Leadership is not a title, it’s a characteristic, a lifestyle, and leadership always goes first, not by constraint, i.e. because they are forced, but because that’s God call and will. This is the foundation principle for this or any other church.
b. They’d never been that way before (3:4) (Faith takes you into the unknown)
Josh 3:3,4:
* “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.”
4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before -- We’ve never been the Eph 4:12 way before.
2. The children of Israel crossed the Jordan in full view of the enemy stronghold of Jericho (3:16). After they had crossed and were camped at Gilgal, Israel did six things before taking possession of the Promised Land:
* Their faith put fear in the hearts of the Enemy (2:2-11; 5:1)
* They stopped but they didn’t stay (4:20-24)
* They renewed their commitment to the covenant with God (5:2-9)
* They remembered their roots (5:10)
* They destroyed the manna mentality (5:12)
* They worshipped the Lord
* They did all these six things, before they fought one battle, before they attacked one city stronghold.
All these things were done in full view of the enemy (3:16). These are principles that we need to follow prophetically.
2. Their faith put fear in the hearts of the Enemy
a. Their faith accomplished this as they crossed the river Jordan. How was this?
* by the miracle of God’s mighty power that dried up 40 km of the Jordan, and,
* by their unquestioning faith as they walked into a raging river ... e.g. our new building - much work, and we almost had to double our income – but it happened!
b. Fear was there from local news:
Josh 2:8-11 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. - testimony from the camp of the enemy!
The enemy was already afraid from 40 year-old information, and from Israel’s exploits against kings Sihon and Og (a giant with a mighty iron bed) Num 21:23,24. All this was even before their crossing of the Jordan!
c. Israel’s response to the enemy’s fear
Josh 2:24 They [the spies] said to Joshua, “The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”
Now, this was a different response from the report that came back in Num 13 ... where, incidentally, Joshua was one of the faith-filled spies, with Caleb (remember, God said that Joshua and Caleb would be the only ones, from their generation, who would live to enter the Promised Land).
d. The Enemy had logged their progress
The Enemy had logged their progress from captivity in Egypt; he has logged our progress as well:
* The Church of God Luxembourg started on October 14th 1991 with 15 people, including children
* We became a member of the CoG on 13th January 1993, with 22 adult members
* We have wandered around Luxembourg Ville, from rue Demi-Schlechter, to rue de Tréviers, to Ave Pasteur ...
* Now, we have come into our own building - dedicated on 11th October 1997
* This church initiated the ‘Pastors’ meeting’ in June 1995
* We were founding members of the Evangelical Alliance in January 1999
* The Lord envisioned us, in 1999, to grow – double – we’ve just reached that target
* We celebrated – openly – our 10th anniversary in 2001
* We have been called to become an Ephesians 412 church; i.e. one which releases the gifts of the people, to allow each one to serve God.
Satan is not worried about wishy-washy, uncommitted Christians. He is afraid, though, of God at work through a group of people who are willing to believe in their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who will obey the Word of God and apply the power of the Holy Spirit.
The devil has observed every soul saved, every repentant backslider, every answered prayer, every act of deliverance, and he’s heard every Spirit-filled teaching, and he’s not happy at all.
e. On the other side
Israel were now on the other side of the river, camped 2 km from Jericho.
Here, right under the nose of the enemy, God had performed a mighty miracle, and all the enemy could do was to walk around on the ramparts of the city (c.f. Satan as a roaring lion in Job).
In the face of:
* negativism
* criticism
* church numbers
* despair
* lack of finances
By the help of God, by the power of God, we have crossed over into the next phase of our history as a local church, i.e. Eph 4:12.
God has done it, God has helped us, and this has brought fear into the heart of the enemy, as he’s observed these acts of faith.
f. The enemy is afraid
Why is the enemy so concerned, even afraid? The answer is that he knows there’s worse to come!
* The people of Jericho looked on and saw 2 million people only 2 km away. The Israelites arrived by an act of incredible power. The people of Canaan already knew about the Red Sea, and they knew there was worse to come.
... Satan knows this is to happen - from our local church.
We came into our new location under Satan’s nose, and he could do nothing to prevent it. Satan is afraid, and so principalities and powers have already been assigned to destroy this dream.
* Any church that is prepared to step out and move with God is going to be attacked viciously! He won’t take it lying down.
Indeed, many families are having a tough time now, but it’s going to get much tougher for the enemy.
g. God’s ‘Contract’
Satan fears because he knows he’s already lost through the Cross. Jericho wasn’t afraid because of what they had just seen - they were afraid because they knew that years ago God had issued a ‘contract’ on them that had not yet been carried out (Deut 7:1,2).
God gave this ‘contract’ to the generation on the other side of the river, the generation that had blown it. They had to cross over the river, and destroy everything the enemy had, but until now it hadn’t been carried out, because of their rebellion (which cost the people 40 years and the exclusion of that generation from the Land).
The devil knows his time here has come, because God has now found a generation that will finally carry out this ‘contract’ on the works of the devil in this nation of Luxembourg.
In the name of Jesus, by the blood of Jesus, by the unity of the Spirit, it is our responsibility - not the next generation’s. They will see greater miracles of God’s mighty power than we will see, but only if we do our God-given task. By God’s grace we are going to do it!
h. Let’s take up our Commission
The enemy knows our commission - it’s about time we knew it. Many get caught in materialistic things, instead of winning men and women for Jesus. The devil knows your commission and he tries to side-track you, and lull you to sleep on his lap.
* We have to stay focused:
Mark 16:15,17 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: ...”
We have the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Ghost to take out the Gospel!
* Mark 16:17 “In my name they will ...”
We have His authority. In Isa 61:1, the phrase ‘Sovereign Lord’ [Adonai-Jehovah] refers to the authority of God in our lives! We are His ‘007’s - licensed to kill the works of the enemy.
* This next one is critical. Avoid fear, for fear is the darkroom where your negatives are developed. Yet with Jesus, who is light, nothing can harm you as you walk in the plan of God for your life, in the plan of His Commission.
* How do we know the devil is afraid? Because he’s tightened his grip.
Josh 6:1 “Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.”
It’s the church that’s attacking the enemy. Satan is shut up, and is stuck inside; he’s hanging on to what he’s got.
* Jericho knew it was only a matter of time.
The reason why the devil’s stronghold on your life seems to be getting tighter is because it’s only a matter of time before it falls.
i. The strongholds in your life
* finances
* personal life
* emotions
* mind
* family
* unsaved friends
Note: Read 2 Cor 10:4; note God has given this power to us:
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
* That stronghold that’s been getting tighter and tighter as you move in more and more faith is good news, because the day is coming very, very soon when the walls of your Jericho are going to fall, and your stronghold is going to be pulled down, in the mighty name of Jesus.
