God’s Not On Your Side
Josh 5:13-15
(sing “who’s side are you standing on?”)
God is for the …
Republicans – Democrats
Americans – Mexicans
Whites – Blacks
Church of Christ – Baptists
Everyone wants to claim that God is on their side. When they fail, they can hardly believe it because God was supposed to be on their side. As Christians, we need to learn the same lesson Joshua learned about God and then we can find ourselves doing the impossible because we are on God’s side.
PRAYER
I. God’s Not On Your Side
A. Presumption leads to failure
1. 40 years earlier, the Israelites tried to force God to be on their side.
2. He had told them they would wander for until that generation died off, but they still went ahead with an invasion of the Promised Land thinking that God would fight for them.
3. He didn’t and they were beaten badly.
4. Joshua was in danger of presuming the same thing.
5. The difference is that he realized he needed to be on God’s side, not trying to get God on his side.
6. Whenever we try to make God be on our side, things won’t go as we plan.
7. Many Christians believe God is a Republican.
a) Truth is, God doesn’t care about political parities.
b) Republicans and Democrats need to look to see if they are on God’s side.
8. God isn’t even on the side of the Churches of Christ.
a) We need to make sure we as Christians are on God’s side.
b) Our allegiance needs to be first and foremost to Christ, not a name on a building.
c) If, as a church, we are right with God, great! If we are not, then we need to figure out what we need to do to change to fit’s God’s will, not try to fit God into our will.
9. Don’t ever presume that God is on your side. Look to see if you are on God’s side.
B. We need to recognize God’s side
1. Where we get ourselves into trouble is that we get so caught up in our feelings, dreams, and expectations, that we assume God feels the same way as we do about things.
2. We need to be constantly praying and looking to see what God’s side is and do everything we can to make sure we are standing with Him.
3. I love Joshua’s heart. His response to the commander of God’s armies shows why God chose him to lead the Israelites.
a) He challenges the man by asking whose side he was on. The man replies, “neither!” That had to get Joshua’s attention.
b) The next few words shook Joshua to the core. READ vs 14b
c) He saw who this person was and quickly made sure he was on the right side of God.
4. As we live our lives as individuals, as we move forward as a church, let’s always ask if we are on God’s side, not if God is on our side.
5. You can’t go wrong when you approach your life that way.
II. When You Are On God’s Side, Nothing Is Impossible
A. Jericho
1. Joshua was marching towards one of the most fortified cities in the world.
2. He was a good general, but how in the world could he take this city?
3. He couldn’t do it by surprise, chapter 6 tells us the city was already shut tight.
4. He would grow old and die trying to besiege it.
5. He didn’t have enough men or siege equipment to take the city by force.
B. Our Jericho
1. Ever felt that way about something in your life?
2. At this workshop I was at last week, one of the speakers made a point that was so true it hurt. The workshop was on the theme, Imagine. The speaker said, imagination and dreams end in the reality of board and committee meetings.
3. Dreams of doing something great are stopped cold with the comment, “we don’t have the money for something like that.”
4. Imagination is killed in the practical realism of “we have never done something like that before.”
5. Modern Christians really don’t have faith anymore. Our faith only goes as far as our practicality.
C. God’s solution
1. Let’s look at our story again
2. God gives Joshua a plan, march around the city a lot and then blow your horns and then the walls will fall down.
3. I mean, let’s face it, if someone gave us that advise today and said it was from God, we would laugh him or her right out of the church.
4. Joshua followed God’s solution, and the impossible was accomplished.
D. Imagine what could happen if we followed God’s solution
1. Southeast Christian church in Louisville was a church of 150 about 40 years ago. A church very much like ours except in a larger city. The church wanted to be a church that was known for dreaming God’s dream. They developed a motto for the next 40 years. “Our dreams need to be so big that they will fail UNLESS God is behind them.” With that motto and a real desire to stay true to God’s will, they moved forward in faith and they grew, and they grew, and they grew. Today they average about 18,000 in 3 services and continue to grow.
2. Just lucky? A result of really good planning? Sold out truth for numbers? No, they allowed God to lead the dream and they followed.
3. Kyle Idelman tells a story about his 4 year old daughter coming into his office, just as he decides to rearrange the place. He had this large heavy desk and was pushing it from one side of the office to the other. His daughter wanted to help so she got between his arms and just started pushing with all her might. She huffed and puffed, stained and struggled with her dad behind her. At one point she stops, looks at her dad and says, “Daddy, you are in my way, just stand over there.” Kyle hid his smile and did as she said. Again, she huffed and puffed, struggled and strained but this time the desk didn’t budge an inch. Daddy wasn’t behind her pushing any longer.
4. How many times have we decided to “help” God move things along and then take over and send him off to the side? Have you ever noticed that things don’t go forward any more when we do that?
5. When will we learn that we just can’t do thing on our own?
E. When we are on God’s side. Look what can happen
1. READ Eph 3:20-21
2. When will we learn that if we dream God’s dreams and allow him to do the pushing, NOTHING is impossible?
3. Imagine what Rochester church of Christ could do if we quit being practical and killed our dreams in committee.
4. Imagine what we could do if we dreamed God’s dreams and worked HIS dreams for our congregation.
5. Imagine what life would be like if we quit trying to put God on our side and made sure we were on God’s side.
6. God can do IMMESURABLY MORE than all ask or IMAGINE
7. Do you understand the power of that statement? You cannot out-dream God’s ability.
8. If our dreams are centered on the glory of his church and Him, look out world!
F. Conclusion
1. Let’s make sure we are on God’s side and then let’s get dreaming.
2. There’s a world out there ready to be set on fire for God. Will you dream with me?
3. Will you work that dream with God and me?
