Overcoming by Obedience

Joshua chapter 6 verse 1. We're just going to look at the first five verses here.

Joshua 6:1

This is a story that some of you may be familiar with. Joshua and the battle of Jericho and

the walls came tumbling down. These stories are good. Oftentimes we kind of think of

these stories as being children's stories and oftentimes these are, we see them taught

in children's Sunday school. But there's a reason why they work good for children because

the message is really, I guess it's simple you could say, and I don't mean that in a

negative way, I mean that in a good way. It's a simple message that's easy to connect with.

It's good for us and easy for us to find application and make connection with stories like these.

And that's why we revisit them from time to time. And that's why they're good foundational

stories for young kids and even good for us to revisit if we've heard the story before

as adults. And so we're going to talk about it today. Maybe you've never heard this story

before. We're going to kind of read the introduction to the story as opposed to just kind of seeing

how it all folds out. I encourage you to read the rest of this chapter and even read before

and after it if you'd like to this week. But what we're going to look at in the first five

verses are going to be the commands that God gives to Joshua and the people as they're

going to Jericho. And all of these commands that God gives the people are carried out

just as God tells them to. So we won't necessarily look at the whole chapter of them being carried

out but but they are carried out exactly in the way that God had commanded. So let's pray

and then we'll dig into the text. Father God we come to you today and I thank you that

we can be here in your house. Dear Lord I pray that you would hide me behind the cross

God I cannot preach any word today that's worth anything God if it's not from you. So

dear Lord I pray that your Holy Spirit would just take control of me dear Lord I am unworthy

to be here to preach your word but dear Lord you have called me to do so and I pray God

by your strength and your power by your grace God that you would let your spirit feel this

place today that that your people today God would hear your word. God you know where we

are you know what we're going through in our life and God we all come here because we're

searching for you. And so God I pray today we find you in your word we find the strength

or encouragement or correction whatever it may be that we need God that we find that

in your word today that your Holy Spirit would open our ears that you free us from distractions

God the worries of the world the things that probably have already been popping into our

minds along the service God I pray that you just would block those things out for a few

minutes that we would hear your word and that it would really have an impact in our life

dear Lord and I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. Now a little bit of a background

before we get into the text Moses had led the people out of slavery in Egypt and and

ultimately led them almost to the promised land but but they ended up wandering in the

wilderness for 40 years because of their disobedience and so many of that generation most did not

get to enter the promised land and Moses himself didn't even enter into the promised land that

fell to Joshua and and and Joshua had been there with Moses along the way and he'd kind

of been prepped for this and he was kind of Moses his right hand man and it was Joshua

who was going to lead that generation into the promised land so Moses led them they crossed

the Red Sea they wandered around the wilderness but now the time had come the 40 years was

up and Joshua is going to lead them the rest of the way into the promised land and so that

kind of gives us a little background that gets us to where we are in Joshua chapter

six verse one now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites no one leaving are

entering now this is an important note now if you go back and you read the chapters before

this you begin to see this story unfolding what you see in the chapters before this is

you see God's people and as they're getting ready to enter into the promised land they

arrive at the Jordan River and they needed to be able to cross the Jordan River now it

was likely a bunch of them probably hundreds of thousands maybe over a million there the

estimates get pretty high it was it was likely a large group of people that Joshua was leading

to go into the promised land and they arrived at the Jordan River they need to be able to

cross the Jordan River so what God does is he tells the people he says look he tells

Joshua you need to get the priest that are carrying the Ark of the Covenant now the Ark

of the Covenant was this big big huge beautiful ornate box that that that that said in the

Holy of Holy places and God's presence would come down there in the Holy of Holy places

and there was some some cool stuff inside the Ark of the Covenant and God's people would

carry this around with them now at that time they were still putting up this tabernacle

it was like a tent they were building it and taking it up as they went on their way and

they constructed it just the way that God said and and in that in that Holy of Holy

places of the tabernacle was this Ark of the Covenant and so they had to take it along

their journey and the priests were carrying it and God said the priests need to go and

they need to they need to step into the edge of the Jordan River and of course the priest

and Joshua did just as God had commanded and and as the priest stood in the Jordan River

as their feet touched the river the river began to stand still the scripture says it

said that the that the waters begin to to kind of stack up to build up to to become

a mass now I don't know what that looked like that's a that's a crazy thing to imagine

how God pulled that off a really similar event to what we see in the parting of the Red

Sea but it says that as the priest stood there and in the water in the edge of the water

with the Ark of the Covenant that the water stopped almost it sounds like like there was

a wall there and the waters just begin to back up and they begin to pile up because

there was nowhere that they could go because God was holding the waters back and it says

that as the priest stood there that they stood on dry ground and the people walked across

the Jordan River on dry ground now this was a big deal you can understand as this water

backs up and don't have anywhere to go the people in the land would know that there's

something going on the people in the land begin to hear about what was taking place

we see this in the chapters before they hear about this event that the God of the Israelites

was able to stop the Jordan River and they became afraid what in the world who are these

people and who is their God that he can stop the Jordan River and so word began to spread

among the people in that area as God's people had made their way across the Jordan River

the people in the land were afraid of Joshua and the Israelites and the God of the Israelites

and so that's why when we see here in Joshua chapter 6 verse 1 that Jericho was a strong

Joshua 6:1

strongly fortified because of the Israelites well that's what it's talking about it's

talking about hey these people in Jericho had heard that God's people were on the way

and there was something special about these people and there were some some powerful things

that were happening around these people of Israel so they had it locked down no one was

entering or leaving now Jericho had a big wall around it it had some gates some doors

they kept those doors closed they didn't want anybody coming in and anybody going out they

wanted to they didn't want any way for the Israelites to be able to come in because they

knew that God's people were headed that way and so they were trying to be prepared they

were fortified they were ready to stand against the people of Israel or at least they thought

they were verse 2 the Lord said to Joshua look I have handed Jericho its king and its

fighting man over to you now this would have been a good news for Joshua to hear that God

says hey you're fixing to go to Jericho it's going to have some big walls it's strongly

fortified but I'm going to hand them over to you so God gives Joshua this good news

that that everything is going to be okay there's a there's a there's something big before you

something that that may even appear to be insurmountable but know that I'm with you

and everything's going to be okay I'm going to get you through it I'm going to hand them

over to you now there's a good lesson in there for us too because sometimes there are things

that we approach in life that are that are bigger than we can handle we may approach

some Jordan rivers in our life and we say well here's where I am and here's where I

want to be but man there's this there's this river in front of me I'll never get to where

I want to be I'll never get over this thing I'm struggling with I'll never I'll never

be able to accomplish this thing I want to accomplish or this thing I want to do life

is too hard and and it's just no way I can get past it but yet in the story of the Israelites

and the and and Joshua we see what God does he takes things that are in our path that

look insurmountable and yet he leads us through those things he brings us to moments where

we come up against things perhaps like Jericho things that seem too big for us to overcome

and we say well this is too much how will I ever overcome this how will I ever get through

this well we'll get through it the same way that the people of Israel and Joshua did we'll

get through it with the power of God now God tells Joshua here everything's going to be

okay but let's continue on as we read the story in verse 3 God gives him specific instructions

in verse 3 he says march around the city with all the men of war circling the city one time

do this for six days now this is kind of a strange instruction now I don't know I don't

know what the people thought maybe when they heard it they didn't question it at all they

said hey God told us to do it maybe there were some that were scratching their head

because this is kind of odd God says okay you're going to this big fortified city and

what I want you to do is every day I want you to march around the city one time all

the all the men of war now we see a couple of chapters back that there were about 40,000

men of war here that was in this group so this is the group that was supposed to march

around the city every day once a day for six days and as we see the story continue as we

continue to read through the rest of the chapter you'll see that that the that the priests

were supposed to blow the horns every day they were going to walk around and the priests

would blow the horns and they were to do this once a day for six days now God says I'm going

to hand the city over to you and here is what you need to do so the instruction is pretty

simple if not a little strange and maybe not make complete sense it's simple instructions

to follow nonetheless let's see what the next part of the command was in verse four have

seven priests carry seven ram's horns trumpets in front of the ark but on the seventh day

march around the city seven times while the priest blow the trumpets okay so the first

six days are all the same they're going to march around once a day on the first six days

but on the seventh day it's a little different they're going to march around seven times

on the on the seventh day now again kind of crazy instruction but nonetheless these are

God's commands for his people he says look I'm going to hand these people over to you

and here's how I'm going to do it here's your instruction here's what you need to do march

around that wall once a day for six days on the seventh day you get everybody together

and you march around seven times on the seventh day with the priest blowing the horns and

toting the ark of the covenant these are my instructions to you and we continue on in

verse five when there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound have all

the people give a mighty shout so this is the last part of the command the marching

around the wall the blowing the trumpets all of that that was part of the command but the

last part of the command was on the seventh day after you've walked around the wall seven

times as the trumpets are blasting in the ark of the covenant is going around when you

hear a long trumpet blast then all of the people are to shout and these were the commands

of God this is what God says this is what you need to do now it's important that we

recognize the significance of the commands of God God gives us commands today we see

plenty of commands in the scripture perhaps through the Holy Spirit God calls us to do

things and leads us to do things that may not seem to make much sense we may have experiences

where we feel like God's saying okay I'm with you I'm going to deliver you I'm going to

be with you I'm going to help you with whatever it is you're up against but here's what I'm

calling you to do and sometimes the things that God calls us to do are scary sometimes

it may not make much sense but if we feel that God is calling us to do it if we feel

that God has commanded us to do it then we need to be obedient to the commands of God

even if we don't always understand how God is working even if what is before us seems

like it's impossible even if it seemed impossible for the Israelites to be able to overtake

Jericho to be able to overcome the walls that surrounded Jericho even if it seemed impossible

to them you know what the people of Israel did they did what God commanded we don't see

that they give God any question here we don't see that there's any doubt here if there was

it's not recorded God commanded Joshua this is how it needs to be done Joshua told the

people and God's people did exactly as God commanded and God told him I'm going to hand

Jericho over to you and that's exactly what God did on that seventh day they marched around

seven times and after that trumpet blasted for that long blast and Joshua gave the command

all of the people shouted and the walls came tumbling down the second part of verse five

here says then the city wall will collapse and the people will advance each man straight

ahead this was the command of God God spelled it out for his people here here's what I'm

going to do for you I'm going to deliver you I'm going to deliver your enemy over to you

I'm going to let you overcome your enemy I'm going to be with you and here are my commands

to follow and praise the Lord God's people here followed his commands that's how we overcome

that's how we overcome the struggles in our life that's how we overcome those walls in

our life and those burdens in our life and those things that are too big in our life

that sin that is so big in our life what's the wall that's been built up in your life

today maybe it's a wall of addiction or a wall of depression or a wall of any number

of sins and and perhaps we've been building these walls for years perhaps we just keep

putting another brick in the wall each time we sin and we give into this sin and we've

built these walls up and we see these things before us and these life situations before

us and these sins that are so heavy and so tough for us things that we want to overcome

but we look at them and we say there's no way I can overcome that it's too big it's

too difficult I'll never make it through I'll never find any peace I'll never be able to

overcome this sin but I want to tell you today that when we are obedient to the word of God

that's how we get the walls to come tumbling down that's how we read the word of God and

we see what God's Word says and we begin to be obedient to God when we begin to do the

things that God calls us to do when we begin to live the way that God calls us to live

and love the way that God calls us to love it is then that those walls come tumbling

down when we shout out to the Lord and say God I need you God there's this wall in front

of me God I can't overcome it God you're gonna have to help break this thing down and praise

the Lord that through the power of Jesus Christ that there is not a wall in your life that

cannot be broken down there is not a burden in your life that God cannot lift from you

there is not a sin in your life that God does not give you the power to overcome through

Jesus Christ crucifixion and resurrection there is not a wall in your life of addiction

that you cannot overcome there's not a wall in your life of pain or depression or anger

or whatever it may be these are walls that are constantly around us some of which we

do a little bit of building on ourself with our sin and some of which are just walls of

life just life circumstances that hit us in the face things we aren't prepared for we

lose a job we lose a loved one there's something that just goes on and we say man I don't know

that I can overcome this this wall is too big for me to overcome but praise the Lord

we serve a God who can help us overcome the walls in our life but we got to be obedient

to him that's the key we got to be obedient to what God says now now I don't suspect that

God's gonna come to you tonight in a dream and tell you whatever your your wall is to

go walk around it six days once a day and seven times on the seventh day he might but

there are other other ways that maybe God speaks to us and there are other ways that

God leads us and and and what we need to do and how he speaks to us and God's us and we

need to be obedient in those days in those ways in whatever ways that God is leading

us and speaking to us those are the ways in which we need to be obedient to God now what

I think is that wall probably wouldn't have come down if God's people wouldn't have been

obedient if Joshua would have told the people here's what God says and the people wouldn't

have done it I don't think the wall would have come down that that day and perhaps there

are some walls in your life today and maybe you just need to listen to the word of God

maybe you need to listen to the Holy Spirit in your life maybe you say well I don't know

about all that well have you have you tried to live in obedience to God now if you've

walls are there and and and they're and they're tough then the way you're doing it if you're

not able to bring those walls down maybe the things you're doing aren't the right way to

do these things maybe you need to try to do things a different way maybe we need to try

to do things God's way and listen to what God commands us to do and when we're obedient

to God we may find ourselves amazed at the power of God we may find ourselves amazed

that when God says go and we go that he provides a way for us that he parts the seas for us

that he stacks the waters up for us that he that he takes ground that otherwise look unpassable

and he makes it dry ground and we walk across with no trouble we may find that the biggest

walls that we've been trying to scale our whole life and continue to fall off of we

may find that when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and live in obedience to the

word of God we may find that God shatters those walls in an instant now even when God

shatters the wall sometimes sometimes we still have to walk through the rubble if a wall

comes tumbling down yeah they still could they still had to get into the city the wall

was was down but certainly there was some rubble there and sometimes in our life even

when God tears the walls down our journey is not always easy there still may be some

rubble that we have to go through but God will help us tear that wall down and God will

help us to overcome those temptations and God will help us to get to the other side

of that wall and to the other side of that rubble and to the other side of that mess

and he'll bring us into a place of freedom that's what God wanted to do for his people

he wanted to bring them into a place of freedom he wanted to bring them into a place of rest

he wanted to bring them into a place where they would be provided for and as they went

into the land when they were obedient to God he was with them and when they were disobedient

to the God to God they paid the price so let us not be those who are disobedient and lose

our battles and lose our struggles and lose against our sin let us be those who seek the

word of God who seek to be obedient to the word of God and the commands of God we know

and the things that God places on our hearts let us be obedient in those ways let us lift

our voice to the Lord let us lift our prayers to the Lord let us lift our requests to the

Lord let us lift our struggles to the Lord whatever they may be and know that the power

of our God is able to overcome the biggest and tallest and toughest walls that are before

us today through Jesus Christ let's pray Father God we come to you we thank you for this simple

but powerful message dear Lord God there are there are always struggles before us just

as there were before your people back then but God whatever our struggles are whatever

enemies that we are up against dear Lord you are bigger than our struggles you are bigger

than our enemies and God you want to lead us you want to protect us you want to help

us but dear Lord we got to trust you and God sometimes the things you call us to do may

not make sense we may not understand the things that are going on in our life but dear Lord

we got to learn that whatever you call us to we just got to trust you dear Lord because

it's the right thing we've got to learn to be obedient dear Lord and so I pray God that

we would do that that whatever walls may be before us today that God that we would seek

you that we can overcome those walls that those walls can be torn down dear Lord that

we no longer give in to the sin that we no longer give in to the depression that we no

longer give in to the anger that we no longer give in to the pain and the stress and the

struggle dear Lord but that we would just be obedient to you in whatever way that we

know dear Lord maybe maybe all we know is that we need to love other people dear Lord

let us let us start there whatever little bit of knowledge that you have revealed to

us whatever truth you've revealed to us dear Lord let us be obedient in that and let us

continue to seek your truth that we could be obedient to you in every way dear Lord

so I pray that we trust you this morning I pray that if there are some that are that

are up against something today that today they'd give it to you and maybe they've been

trying to figure it out on their own but God I pray that today they would know that it's

only through Jesus Christ that the walls can be torn down and deliverance can be had for

them so God I pray that if there are some that do not know Jesus that today they put

their faith in Jesus Christ to know what freedom and peace looks like God you desired it for

your people back then and and God we thank you that through Jesus you give us a better

freedom and a better peace and a better rest today and so God I pray that you would help

us to bring our walls down today and to find peace into that into that better place in

Jesus Christ and I ask these things in Jesus name Amen.