Participants: Marleta Fong
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR001043
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01:01 Good morning.
01:04 You are the early birds who'll catch the warm 01:08 and I hope I'm like I was just a few moments ago, 01:11 you are switched on this morning. 01:13 So let's start from with the word of prayer. 01:17 Dear heavenly Father, we come here this morning 01:20 because we want to learn more about you. 01:22 We come because we are sincere in our desire 01:25 to surrender everything that we have to You 01:28 and our desire to obey you in all 01:30 that you asked us to do, 01:32 because we trust You and we love You. 01:35 And we thank you for being with us this morning 01:37 for blessing our time together in Jesus' name, amen. 01:42 I want to invite you to turn with me in your Bibles 01:45 because this is a devotional 01:48 and what would it be without the Bible. 01:50 Turn with me to Joshua Chapter 5, 01:54 we are about to find the Israelites 01:58 and they are encamped in the plains of Jericho. 02:02 The plains of Jericho which is not in the wilderness, 02:05 this is in and part of the Promised Land, isn't it? 02:10 However they are camped in the plains of Jericho 02:13 looking and beside the city of Jericho. 02:17 Would you read with me verse 13, Joshua 5:13 it says, 02:23 "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, 02:27 that he lifted his eyes and looked." 02:31 Now to begin with why is Joshua 02:33 outside of the camp of the Israelites? 02:35 He's not anywhere near a tent or a cooking fire 02:38 for the morning breakfast or anything like that, 02:41 he's away from the camp. 02:43 This man was a man, he was not 02:46 some kind of amazing person in and off himself. 02:49 He was like you and I, a simple person, 02:53 if I could say that about us all. 02:55 He was a simple man 02:56 and God had given him a great task. 02:59 God was calling him 03:01 and had anointed him through Moses. 03:03 Before they came into the Promised Land 03:05 to lead his people, 03:08 he wanted to lead-- he wanted Joshua 03:11 to lead his people to take hold of the what? 03:16 The Promised Land. 03:18 He said this is what 03:19 I have promised for you to take. 03:21 If I have promised it to you and it's yours for the taking, 03:24 then all that is left for you and I 03:27 if we are spiritual Israel is to go ahead and claim it, 03:31 simple isn't it? You happy with that? 03:35 I'm, well, let's read on, the rest of the verse continues 03:41 "So he lifted up his eyes and looked, 03:43 and behold, a man stood opposite him 03:46 with his sword drawn in his hand." 03:49 This is some kind of warrior. 03:52 The Spirit of Prophecy calls this man 03:54 a lofty, a tall man, a warrior like 03:57 in all his appearance and he has his sword drawn. 04:00 Does this seem like he's coming on friendly terms? 04:03 No, he kind of seems a little bit scary. 04:05 And if I was Joshua, 04:07 I might not have done what he does next 04:09 and what does he do next? Bible says, 04:12 "And Joshua went to him, and said to him, 04:15 "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?"" 04:19 Would you do such a thing? 04:22 I think you'd be like me, well, to stand back and watch 04:24 and say from a distance, who are you? 04:28 Have you ever met anyone who knows who you are 04:30 and you don't know who they are? 04:32 Okay, may be it happened at this conference, 04:33 someone says hi, how are you doing? 04:35 You can't remember who they are, 04:37 but they remember you which is really nice. 04:40 Well, in this case, Joshua has the courage to go 04:43 and ask this tall lofty character, who are you? 04:47 Are you for us or are you for them? 04:51 Now there's two points I want to make in this verse, 04:55 first of all, what God says next 05:00 and if I have jumped the gun, I'll come with you on it. 05:04 Let's just go to verse 14, the man says, 05:08 "No, I'm not for you and I'm not against you." 05:12 I'm not for you alone 05:14 and I'm not for your adversaries alone. 05:17 Read it with me. 05:19 So he said, "Neither; but as commander of the army 05:23 of the Lord am I now come." 05:26 Who is this man? 05:27 I said it a moment ago, this is God himself. 05:32 What is Joshua been praying for? 05:35 If he's leading all his people and he's seeing this Jericho 05:38 where he needs to take the city. 05:40 Who is he praying to God for? What is he praying to God for? 05:43 He's asking for guidance on how to take the city? 05:47 How to claim the promise? 05:49 You think that if God said, it's yours, have it. 05:52 That he would know what we're supposed to do. 05:54 But he goes and he prays, he prays and he's meditated 05:59 no doubt on the verse that God had said to him 06:01 in chapter 1 of Joshua where God says, 06:06 "No man will be able to stand before you." 06:09 That's why he walks right over to the strange amazing figure 06:13 and says who are you? And then that he asks him, 06:17 "Are you for us or for our adversaries." 06:20 And God's answer to him is neither. 06:23 Does that suggest to you and I that God is not 06:26 just the God of us or the God of them, 06:30 but the God of all living, amen. 06:33 He 's not He had just to say, 06:34 I want to save those who live in Queensland 06:38 or those who live in New South Wales, 06:40 or those who live in America and those who in Australia. 06:43 God says, I want to save everyone, 06:46 everyone who will come to me by faith 06:48 and accept my gift of salvation. 06:55 We read on. 06:56 What is Joshua's response to this? 06:59 He falls on his face to the earth and worshipped 07:03 and said to him, 07:04 "What does my Lord say to his servant? 07:10 An act of worship, 07:11 acknowledging the leadership of God, 07:14 He surrenders the leadership imparted to him 07:17 back to God where it always ought to go. 07:22 The commander in verse 15 of the Lord's army 07:25 said to Joshua and this is the first instruction 07:28 he gives to the prayer of guide us our Lord. 07:33 Take your sandal off your foot, 07:36 for the place where you are standing is what? 07:40 Holy and Joshua did so. 07:45 Now I want you to focus here 07:46 because I actually like this thought a lot 07:49 'cause it's so practical. 07:51 Take your shoes off. 07:54 The commander says take your shoes off, 07:56 it's the first thing. 07:59 Moses had the burning bush, the thought of that whole story 08:02 and how God spoke to him 08:03 must have flashed through Joshua's mind. 08:06 This is the same God who has led the Israelites 08:09 through the wildness, through many trials 08:11 and made them wander around and around 08:14 until they came back with faith 08:17 to the Promised Land to claim it. 08:20 Now there's three points I want to make here. 08:23 So if you're taking notes, write it down. 08:26 The first point is, we want to recognize who God is? 08:33 When you come before Him, asking for guidance 08:36 and you come before Him to claim His promises. 08:41 We need to recognize who He is. 08:44 Joshua took his shoes off because it was holy ground, 08:49 where God stands it is Holy. 08:53 Take your shoes off, recognize who you are before. 08:59 The second point is that we want to surrender all. 09:05 In our house, we don't wear shoes inside 09:09 and I don't know what you do cause 09:10 everybody seems to be different on that one. 09:12 But we try to keep inside separate from outside. 09:16 So we take our shoes off and at all the entrances 09:18 to our house you'll find shoes. 09:20 It's kind of symbolic. 09:22 Take your shoes off all the visitors, 09:23 take note don't wear them inside. 09:25 We have little slippers you can wear insides 09:27 that you don't dirty inside because it's special. 09:31 It's got to be clean. 09:34 And at our church we used to have this lady, 09:38 she's still alive, dear Ivy, 09:41 she wears the most amazing high heels. 09:44 She is in her 80's now 09:46 and she wears really big high heels. 09:49 She has amazing high heels. 09:50 They are all different colors and they match 09:51 every different outfit she has for church. 09:54 We love to see what Ivy's wearing. 09:57 They denote her personality, that's how she likes to do it. 10:01 What do your shoe say about you? 10:04 Have a look at 'em. 10:05 My sister likes to say, you can tell a lot 10:07 about a person by the way they wear their socks. 10:10 But I'd like to say, you can tell a lot 10:11 about a person by the shoes that they wear, okay? 10:16 Don't get too self conscious, but God says 10:20 take your shoes off, leave self at the door 10:25 when you come to ask me for guidance. 10:28 Put your plans aside and listen to mine, 10:31 adopt my will for your life. 10:35 We tend to think we know a lot about what's best for us. 10:38 We tell those who know a lot better than we do, 10:40 who have lived a lot longer and had many more experiences 10:43 of trial and error that we know better. 10:46 We don't want to listen to anybody else, 10:49 what anybody else has to say. 10:51 But God says when you come to Me, 10:54 leave your shoes at the door. 10:57 Take them off, it's holy ground. 11:00 And I said I had three points on this one, 11:02 so the third point is this, 11:03 we want to obey, 11:07 I was visiting the late Mrs. Doune with my mom 11:10 a long time ago in hospital, she wasn't well. 11:15 This is Pastor Doune's first wife 11:18 and she asked me to get something. 11:21 There is a suggestion in the conversation 11:23 and my mom said, Marle, you can go get it. 11:26 So I jumped to my feet from where I was sitting 11:28 and I started for the door and she said 11:30 hang on wait, I haven't even told you 11:32 what you are supposed to get yet, 11:34 and I felt a little bit silly because I hadn't waited, 11:37 and I just let her say you know I need help. 11:41 When God wants to talk to us, take your shoes off, 11:45 let Him talk to you. 11:47 Don't rush out of His presence. 11:49 How many of you need guidance in your life? 11:54 These people need guidance. 11:55 Don't know about the rest of you. 11:56 These people need guidance of the back, 11:58 people want guidance with their relationships, 12:01 with their work what to do with work? 12:03 When to go to Bible college? When to go just stay working? 12:06 Which job should I take? How should I work my life? 12:09 My parents say me to look after them, 12:11 they are not doing so well. 12:12 How can I juggle everything? 12:14 Well, don't just come into the prayer room 12:17 and say, Lord I have a problem, 12:19 do something about it and then walk out. 12:23 Is He your friend or is He your Google, 12:25 where you just type your problem 12:27 and wait for something to happen. 12:29 God says, "Recognize who I am, take your shoes off, 12:34 it's holy ground, surrender all to me. 12:39 Take your shoes off, leave self at the door. 12:42 Obey Me, take your shoes off, 12:45 don't rush off, let me talk with you. 12:48 He has a better plan than anything 12:51 you could ever dream up, amen. 12:55 Okay, Joshua 6:1, 12:59 "Now Jericho was securely shut up 13:04 because of the children of Israel." 13:08 In other words it keeps going none went in and none came out. 13:13 What is this Jericho like? 13:15 Well, the Bible doesn't say too much in this chapter, 13:18 but from my little bit of research, 13:21 I discovered that it is the size of 8 acres of land. 13:26 I don't know how big this block of land, 13:29 this church and a school connected with it are on, 13:33 but I'm guessing that it's somewhere 13:35 in the vicinity of getting close to 8 acres. 13:39 Nobody He knows, nobody He knows, 13:42 we can just pretend that it is the size of... 13:46 yeah, this is actually quite small, 13:49 8 acres is quite small. 13:51 Is it smaller than what this block is on? 13:55 Let's say that this city is about the size 13:58 of this block, so that so those 14:01 who can imagine it and it isn't quite big. 14:03 Thank you very much. 14:06 8 acres built up city, there's people inside 14:10 and they are stuck inside. 14:12 The Bible doesn't say that the Israelites were camped 14:14 all the way around this city, 14:17 but they were in the plains of Jericho. 14:20 So it kind of appears to me that the Jerichoites 14:23 put themselves under their own siege. 14:27 It's not like we went there seeing them, 14:30 I'm visioning on the Israelites. 14:31 But it's not like they went there and said, 14:33 let's camp all the way around, block their doors 14:35 and say don't go in or out. 14:37 They did that themselves. 14:39 Now inside the city there was many things, 14:41 they had trade with Babylon 14:43 and we know that from chapter7, with Achan's sin of taking 14:46 a Babylonish garment after the walls fell. 14:50 They also had gold, silver, bronze, many different metals 14:53 and we know that because God said don't take any of that, 14:56 that's coming to the treasury of the house of the Lord. 15:00 We know that they had grain in there, stores of grain 15:04 because this was during spring time. 15:07 As the harvest had been taken and they had enough food 15:10 in there to last themselves a self started siege. 15:15 And so there was many things in there. 15:17 But there was a part from what 15:18 material things were inside the city, 15:21 inside the city were people 15:23 who worshipped God such as Astra. 15:26 She was the moon goddess, 15:28 kind of the female counterpart to Baal. 15:32 And what they did in worships 15:34 to their gods was quite disgusting. 15:37 They would call their children to pass through the fire, 15:40 they would perform sexual acts to honor their gods 15:45 and I just wonder how much of that happened 15:47 inside the walls, while the Israelites 15:50 were outside of the walls but it was all very futile. 15:56 Verse 2, this is exciting because this is the next part 16:01 of what God says to the Israelites. 16:03 First He says take your shoes off, 16:05 recognize who I am, surrender all 16:07 and obey Me if you will. 16:11 So verse 2, the Bible says, "And the Lord said to Joshua, 16:16 see I have given Jericho into your hand. 16:20 It's king and the mighty men of valor. 16:23 You shall march around the city all you men of war, 16:26 you shall go all around the city once. 16:29 Then this you shall bear seven trumpets, 16:33 sorry this you shall do six days, verse 4 16:37 and seven priests shall bear seven trumpets 16:39 of ram's horn before the ark. 16:41 But the seventh day you shall march around the city 16:44 seven times and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 16:49 It shall come to pass when they make 16:51 a long blast with the ram's horn, 16:54 and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, 16:56 that all the people shall shout with a great shout 17:00 that then the wall of the city will fall down." 17:04 What will it fall down as? Flat. 17:07 Same thing my Bible says, 17:09 quite explicitly it will be flat 17:11 and the people shall go up, every man straight before him 17:16 and that is straight up into the city to take it 17:19 and utterly destroy it. 17:21 oh, folks, so you have it, that's the running sheet, 17:23 that's what's gonna happen? In the next couple of verses 17:26 this is exactly how God intends to take Jericho. 17:31 He didn't say build the battering grounds 17:33 so that you can take the walls down 17:34 and He didn't say dig a hole. 17:37 Start digging a tunnel underneath the walls 17:39 and He didn't say get some flaming arrows ready. 17:42 He said just march around it. 17:46 He says get your warriors, get them in front, 17:49 get your seven priests with the seven trumpets 17:52 and I've played the trumpets so I kind of like the story. 17:55 And then He says get your priest 17:56 with the ark of the covenant to carry it around 17:59 and then real God as we find later on 18:03 representatives of all the tribes followed. 18:06 It was quite a procession. 18:08 Well, you know what? Joshua didn't waste anytime with this. 18:12 The Bible says that he went straight to the people 18:15 and he gave them the running sheet. 18:17 He said this is what God wants us to do 18:20 and he told him exactly how to start 18:22 to get in order and they did. 18:24 And they started what seems to be that same day 18:27 in walking, marching around the city of Jericho. 18:32 I just wonder what the kids in the camp were thinking, 18:35 they heard this plan, they know that God 18:37 has brought them through the Jordon River. 18:39 It was an amazing miracle with the water building up 18:42 from one side and falling away down 18:44 to the Dead Sea on the other side. 18:46 God had worked miracles that they had seen 18:48 in their lifetime. 18:49 It wasn't just miracles that they could 18:51 recount from the past. 18:53 They had seen it themselves. 18:55 And here they saw perhaps their dads marching out 18:58 of the camp just doing what God has asked him to do. 19:02 Great expectation of the plans that God had put before them 19:06 was in each of their hearts. 19:09 And as they marched out, I wonder what the people 19:11 on the war were thinking. 19:13 Oh, here comes the Israelites, they're gonna march, 19:16 look at them, they look pretty scary 19:19 but they have nothing really of anything 19:21 of any strength that could take our walls down. 19:23 There's nothing powerful about it but hang on, 19:26 they've got that ark and they're blowing trumpets, 19:30 probably to keep them in time. 19:32 But this is a bit scary 'cause we don't know 19:36 what is going to happen? I wonder if their archers, 19:39 if they had binoculars would have zoomed in 19:41 to see the mauls of the soldiers. 19:44 And to see what they were saying, if any orders 19:46 or any secret battle ideas could be gained for them. 19:49 How are they going to do something to us? 19:51 Because we are wall city, we are shut up, 19:53 they can't actually touch us at the moment 19:57 but you know what? 19:59 They didn't see any lips move, no lips move 20:03 because in verse 10 of chapter 6 20:06 Joshua had told them or tells them, 20:09 He commanded the people, saying, 20:11 "Ye shall not shout, 20:14 or make any noise with your voice, 20:16 nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, 20:19 until the day I say to you shout, 20:22 then you shall shout." 20:26 Do you like being quiet? 20:29 You don't, it's kind of hard to tell right now. 20:34 I don't like being quiet unless I have nothing to say. 20:38 This time of being quiet as it is for you right now 20:43 was a time of great importance. 20:47 God was giving the Israelites an opportunity to meditate. 20:54 Now, how often do you go to your Bible 20:58 and you open it up and you say, 20:59 I'm gonna find something to read, 21:01 you know, 'cause this is what we're suppose to do, 21:03 read God's word, right. 21:04 So you open up and say you find Jericho 21:06 and you think wow, that's exciting, look at that, 21:09 the walls are standing, they are marching 21:12 and they are not saying a word 21:13 and you just think that's all right, okay, 21:15 so it's silent battles, silent killer 21:17 and nothing else happens in your brain. 21:21 You just scheme over the story. 21:24 Who's read the Bible through? 21:27 Oh, you are amazing. 21:28 Okay, well, I've tried 21:29 and I haven't actually finished. 21:31 I'm kind of like half way. 21:33 And I started doing that when I was on the bus 21:34 going to school in high school. 21:36 So it's a couple of years ago now. 21:38 And I kept reading 21:39 because I wanted to finish the whole Bible, 21:41 you know, cover to cover kind of a nice proud thing to say, 21:44 I've read the whole thing through. 21:46 I'm not saying you guys said it in pride, I asked you to say 21:49 but the thing is I didn't get much from it. 21:51 I read it, got some of the stories in my mind, 21:54 but I didn't actually glean much of the truths 21:56 that were in the Bible in those first half of the Bible 22:01 to understand anymore about God 22:03 than I did before I started reading. 22:07 And actually I was in the year 12 22:08 when I thought this is a little bit silly, 22:10 I think I'll just stop because I'm wasting-- 22:13 I'm wasting time that I could be using better in the Bible, 22:16 so I stopped just trying to read through it, 22:18 stop focusing on it. 22:20 I want to read to you this-- 22:22 this portion from what I found in the Bible commentary 22:26 because if you notice in Chapter 1:3 22:30 God told Joshua, that everywhere. 22:34 We gonna turn there by the way, 22:35 let's turn to Joshua 1:3. 22:44 Now the Bible says, 22:45 "Every place that the soul of your foot will tread upon 22:49 I have given to you, as I said to Moses." 22:53 Can you say that with me? 22:55 Read it together, one, two, three, 22:57 "Every place that the soul of your foot will tread upon 23:03 I have given to you, as I said to Moses." 23:07 As I said to Moses 23:08 because the promise still stands, 23:10 you are the children of Israel. 23:11 This is for you to claim. 23:14 Every where that the soul of your foot treads 23:16 I have given you, is that a promise or what? 23:21 Everywhere, it doesn't matter where, 23:22 you just got to walk there and it's yours 23:25 because I have given to you. 23:31 The foot was the primitive 23:32 was used in primitive custom to measure out land 23:36 and land that would be cultivated or built upon. 23:39 Now the footprint was regarded 23:41 as a mains or sign of ownership. 23:44 So where I walk out my plot of land 23:46 is gonna be my plot of land. 23:49 And denoting that the land had been 23:51 marked out by the foot of the supposed owner, 23:54 who thereby acquired it as his or her earned property. 23:58 Now the implication of this then 24:00 is that they must do something 24:03 to gain possession of the land, correct? 24:07 The Israelites were to have only as much of the land 24:11 as they could walk upon. 24:15 There was a bountiful promise, if you were told you could have 24:18 as much of Queensland as you can walk upon. 24:21 Would you start walking? 24:24 Tax free you can have as much of it 24:26 as you can walk upon. 24:28 Let start voting. 24:31 But it was to be realized by their own exertion. 24:34 Do you think that by opening your Bible, 24:36 you're going to gain all the blessings? 24:39 You think I'm gonna open my Bible 24:41 and get hit by all the blessings. 24:43 It doesn't happen like that. 24:45 God says you need to walk in My word, 24:48 not walk on the Bible. 24:50 Don't put your Bible on the floor 24:51 and say this is God's word 24:53 and I believe it and I'm praising Him. 24:55 No, if you want to believe in what God says, 24:58 don't leave your Bible on the floor, 24:59 put it in your heart. 25:01 Friends, it's the holy word of God. 25:05 It is a divine law as true of our spiritual inheritance 25:09 as of the ancient inheritance of literal Israel 25:12 that only as we marched forward in faith 25:15 claiming the promises do they become ours? 25:19 Did you hear that? 25:21 Only as we march forward in faith claiming the promises, 25:26 do they become ours? 25:29 We have the Bible and we may think that we know it well. 25:33 We may have read it from cover to cover. 25:35 We may be able to remember everything that we've read 25:38 and recite books, amazing talent you have 25:41 if you could do that and I-- 25:43 we should all start to put it in our minds, in our hearts 25:46 yet of this vast field of unlimited treasure, 25:50 we may in reality possess no more than a mere fragment 25:57 and I'm preaching to myself too. 26:00 Only that which we appropriate to ourselves is our own. 26:06 Large neglected areas await our possession. 26:10 There is still more Promised Land to possess. 26:13 Joshua and the Israelites, 26:15 they had come over the Jordan, yes, what a miracle. 26:18 Yes, God was with them, but He had let them 26:20 come into the plains of Jericho. 26:24 Okay, they didn't want to go into the city 26:25 because later on it's demolished and cursed 26:29 and no one's gonna built that city again. 26:31 But God said, if you want to own the Promised Land 26:34 then don't leave anything untouched. 26:36 Don't let anything stand in your way 26:39 to claiming all of it. 26:43 And by this very story, he is encouraging each of us 26:46 to step into the Bible and to claim it. 26:51 It is our privilege 26:54 to claim God's promises. 27:00 There was a man crossing the Mississippi. 27:03 And he started down on his knees and hands, 27:06 he didn't know the depth or the thickness of that ice, 27:11 that's why he's on his knees and hands. 27:14 If we were talking about prayer at this point 27:16 that will be okay to be on your knees and hands 27:17 but we're talking about faith. 27:19 And faith stands on God's promises 27:22 but very shortly he saw someone 27:24 on a sleigh coming straight towards him on the ice, 27:27 and he thought hang on that's a horse 27:29 and that's a sleigh, 27:30 what am I doing on my knees and hands. 27:32 God's word is a lot more powerful 27:33 than you or I can ever think. 27:36 It is so much more powerful. 27:38 Okay, I'm being blessed by this message 27:40 I hope you are too. 27:43 And actually I think I get more of the blessing than you do 27:45 because I've been sitting in the story 27:47 just a little bit longer. 27:49 Okay, let us keep moving, 27:54 moving forward in faith, 27:58 they are marching around Jericho. 28:01 The watchmen on the towers, yes, they try to lip read 28:04 but there's nothing to lip read. 28:05 They are silent as mice. 28:07 Why would they be silent? 28:11 Don't look at me? 28:14 Why would they be silent? 28:15 Anybody got an idea? 28:16 Call it out. 28:21 Yes, it was God's instruction. 28:23 Okay, after it's God's instruction, 28:25 why would God want them to be quiet? 28:29 Say again, it's God's victory, 28:33 anybody else? 28:39 Meditation, did somebody say mediation over here? 28:43 You said it, you can have all the points. 28:47 God wants them to meditate. 28:51 The very fact that they can't speak to each other means, 28:53 they can't speak any doubt. 28:56 Nobody was texting anybody. 28:59 Nobody was going on Facebook for little statuses. 29:02 Not even of their spiritual thoughts. 29:05 Nobody was saying, so and so said this 29:08 or so and so said that, did you see what so and so did? 29:12 There was none of that. 29:13 The focus of this marching 29:16 was not to be on how big the walls were, 29:19 or and how tired they could get walking around 8 acres 29:22 which isn't very big. 29:25 The focus was to be on God's word. 29:28 And in fact if you were doing 29:29 something quite marching around a city 29:31 which kind of seems a little bit pointless 29:33 because knowing that the end of it is-- 29:36 is you just gonna have to shout. 29:39 You would kind of feel a little bit silly, 29:41 wouldn't you? 29:43 And in fact you kind of picture that, 29:45 imagine on day three 29:46 they gave up with this marching. 29:48 We've done a lot of walking, I mean, 40 years. 29:51 We did that in the wilderness. 29:52 We know how to walk in circles. 29:54 So they get here and they're walking again 29:56 in circles everyday, why? 29:59 Why do we have to walk anymore circles? 30:01 We do this, we are good at it but God says no. 30:07 You are not good enough at it. 30:09 Because you don't know how to walk with me, 30:13 God says walk with me and meditate on my words. 30:18 Now I really like Joshua Chapter 1 30:21 and if I wasn't doing Joshua Chapter 5 and 6, 30:23 we would have been doing Joshua Chapter 1. 30:25 Because Joshua receives God's word in Joshua Chapter 1, 30:29 and I'm just gonna read it to you 30:30 'cause I like it and it fits right here. 30:33 This is what God said to Joshua to encourage him 30:37 when he started out as a leader of Israel. 30:40 "He said, Moses my servant is dead, 30:43 you are the next one. 30:45 Now therefore arise, pointing to the sign 30:48 we got to utilize these beautiful 30:51 things on the wall here, arise get up don't wait here 30:55 go over this Jordan, conquer it, 30:57 I'm giving you the Promised Land 30:58 it's yours to possess. 31:02 And all it's people the land which I'm giving to them 31:05 the children of Israel, 31:07 every place that the sole of you foot food 31:09 will tread upon, I have given you, 31:11 the promise is yours as I said to Moses, 31:14 it still stands, it's part of the covenant promise, 31:16 don't let it go. 31:19 From the wilderness of this Lebanon 31:21 as far as the great river and the River Euphrates, 31:23 all the land of the Hittites, 31:25 unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, 31:28 shall be yours. 31:32 No man shall be able to stand before you, 31:35 all the days of your life and as I was with Moses, 31:38 so I will be with you. 31:39 I will not leave you nor forsake you, 31:42 be strong and of a good courage for the people, 31:45 for to this people you shall divide 31:46 as an inheritance the land 31:48 which I swore to their fathers to give them." 31:52 And again he says, "Only be strong and very courageous, 31:55 that you may observe to do according to all the law 31:59 of Moses my servant commanded-- 32:01 which He commanded you, do not turn from it 32:03 to the right hand or to the left, 32:05 that you may prosper wherever you go. 32:08 This Book of the Law shall not depart 32:10 from your mouth, but you shall" what? 32:13 "Meditate in it day and night, 32:16 that you may observe to do all that it says. 32:20 For then you will make your way prosperous, 32:23 and then you have good success. 32:26 Have not I commanded you? 32:28 Be strong and of good courage; 32:31 do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, 32:33 for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." 32:38 Amen. 32:40 And if you want to meditate in that after today, go ahead. 32:44 God says be strong but he didn't tell them 32:47 to push the walls down. 32:48 He says, be courageous but He didn't say 32:50 do anything else but march around. 32:53 All we have to do, what this is pointing towards 32:56 is to claim the promises of God. 32:59 They want to do anything else but what God said exactly 33:03 to take the Promised Land, claiming the promise. 33:07 So I think if that is what God had said 33:10 and this is ringing in their ears 33:12 that the Israelites would have been meditating 33:14 on this as they marched around. 33:16 Now the guys marching around were guys. 33:20 They didn't have ladies as warriors that I know off. 33:23 So, gentlemen, God is calling you 33:28 to especial work in your families, 33:30 to be the ones, who meditate on God's word 33:34 and take that back to your family to guide them 33:36 to meditate on his word as well. 33:39 I don't really see why you would want to be 33:42 the father of children, the priest of your household 33:46 if you cannot lead them to Jesus. 33:48 If you are not there yourself 33:49 and this goes for ladies and mothers as well. 33:52 If you are not there yourself, it goes for everybody, 33:54 then how can you possibly lead your family. 33:57 Where are you in relation to the promise? 34:02 So they're thinking about this as they go. 34:04 I was talking with some of the guys 34:05 last night at dinner and we were talking about 34:07 how they marched around 34:08 and what they might have been thinking about. 34:10 What they did when they came back 34:13 from the marching around 'cause they said nothing. 34:16 Would they have been excited? 34:17 Would there have been a lot of noise in the camp 34:20 or would they have been very quiet and solemn 34:23 and just pensive about what God was doing with them. 34:27 Well, day one, they marched around the city. 34:30 Day two, they marched around the city. 34:32 The people inside, they started to think 34:34 this is getting a bit of a habit. 34:35 But day three, Oh, king, they're doing it again, 34:38 they're marching around the city, 34:39 did they say anything? 34:40 Nothing just like yesterday. 34:42 Day four, marched around the city. 34:45 Day five, they marched around the city. 34:49 They marched, and they marched, and they marched. 34:52 They meditated on God's word. 34:54 This was an important time for them to have faith 34:57 growing inside of them for to be built up. 35:03 It was a daily thing 35:07 and then on the seventh day that they marched around 35:10 and the Bible doesn't tell us which day was the Sabbath 35:12 in this whole marching business 35:14 but if it so happened to be the Sabbath. 35:17 If God tells you to do something on a certain day, 35:20 should we do it? 35:22 Yes, we should whatever He tells us to do, 35:26 we should do 35:27 and how are you gonna know 35:28 if you don't meditate in His word. 35:30 So the seventh day comes, they wake up early, 35:35 in fact everyday they've been waking up early. 35:39 They get up this morning knowing that something special 35:42 is going to happen. 35:43 Their marching hasn't been in vain, 35:46 it's been important. 35:47 You think back to 35:49 when the Syrian captain was covered with leprosy 35:53 and the little servant girl from the Israelite, 35:55 she told him my God can heal you. 35:58 There's a prophet and he can heal you, go to him. 36:01 He goes to Elijah and he asks him, 36:03 how can I be made whole? 36:05 And Elijah says, oh, go wash in that river 36:08 seven times and then you'll be whole. 36:10 He says come on, look at me, I'm better than that. 36:14 That river is dirty I don't know if you noticed 36:16 but I'm not going in it. 36:18 And on his way pass that river, he thinks, well, you know what? 36:22 What's the harm? Seven dips in maybe we'll come out clean. 36:27 He goes in one, two, three, four, five and six, 36:30 on the seventh time he comes up clean, 36:33 free of his leprosy. 36:35 You think of Elijah when he is on Mount Carmel, 36:37 he prayed to bring the rain back, 36:39 after three years of drought. 36:41 After they've had that big show down 36:43 with the prophets of Baal, 36:45 and he sends his servant out, go check if there is any rain. 36:48 Once there's nothing, two still nothing, 36:51 three, four, five times nothing, six times nothing, 36:54 it's on the seventh time that the rain came, 36:57 that the little cloud came and then the downpour. 37:00 There is something important 37:01 when God says do it seven times. 37:04 How long have you been reading your Bible? 37:08 Are you getting anything from it? 37:11 Yes, no, really don't know? 37:15 Friends go back to your Bibles. 37:18 I was looking after one of my patients, 37:20 'cause I'm a nurse and I get a lot of geriatric patients 37:26 which means older people in their 80s or so 37:30 and this little lady, she is fairly cute, 37:31 she's been with us for sometime and she-- 37:34 she was sitting there and she's saying, 37:36 "Oh, I just want to read my books, 37:38 can you bring over my books?" 37:40 So went over to where the books were 37:42 and of course the hospital has a Bible in every room. 37:45 And I said, do you want this book? 37:47 And she said which book? I said the Bible, 37:49 she said, "Oh, not that book." 37:51 I said, "Why not?" 37:52 She said, "Don't read it." 37:55 I said, "Well, I do." 37:56 She said, "Okay, anything good in it?" 37:59 I said, "Everything good, everything good." 38:02 And she has no idea 'cause she still didn't want to read it. 38:05 She wanted to read some softy story about love 38:08 but, friends, this is the greatest love book 38:12 that's ever been written. 38:14 If you haven't noticed, get into the Bible 38:17 and notice it for yourself. 38:18 Don't take my word for. 38:21 That is always best to experience firsthand. 38:24 So they are marching, 38:27 they've meditated on God's work, 38:29 they know that something special is gonna happen. 38:32 They know who they are marching around 38:35 thinking about claiming his work and his promises. 38:41 And they go around once, they go twice, 38:43 they go three times, 38:46 excitement in that marching throng is getting high, 38:49 we are getting close to number seven. 38:52 We can maybe stop marching and they get to the six time. 38:57 Yes, okay, I've passed this landmark 38:59 and perhaps they pass Rahab's window 39:01 with the scarlet cord in it. 39:03 And they reminded of them of the Passover 39:05 and how God is going to save those 39:08 who are covered with His blood, amen. 39:10 Just throwing that in 'cause you can't miss the cross. 39:13 But as they go around, 39:14 they're coming around to their last turn 39:16 and they get there. 39:18 And the trumpets, those ram's horns 39:20 they blow loud and long 39:22 and the Israelites what are they supposed to do? 39:26 Sorry, what are they supposed to do? 39:27 Shout. 39:28 A little louder. Shout! 39:29 They are supposed to what? 39:31 Shout! 39:32 They're supposed to shout for all they've got. 39:34 I don't know if you have ever been into a stadium 39:36 and I hope you haven't been in too many. 39:38 I haven't 39:39 but they shout really loud when people get a score. 39:42 And the crowd, they go wild but this time the Israelites, 39:47 I wonder if they had fully surrounded the city. 39:49 They shouted for all they had. 39:52 Was it a shout of I'm so sorry, 39:54 I've been marching around here for all this time. 39:56 I'm really sad about it. 39:58 And now we're shouting like ah. 40:00 It wasn't a sigh, friends, that was a shout, 40:03 a shout of victory. 40:05 God was gonna give them the victory 40:07 and as they shouted, 40:08 as they fulfill the program 40:10 as they went through that running sheet 40:12 God gave them the victory. 40:14 The Spirit of Prophecy says that the angels hands, 40:16 the host of heaven, 40:18 the army of God shook the walls of that city 40:22 and it was flat. 40:23 They went up into the city 40:24 and they did exactly what God told them to do. 40:27 They utterly destroyed everything living 40:30 and they burnt the place 40:32 because everything was a cursed in it. 40:34 But the only things that they took out was the metal, 40:38 the precious metals, the gold, the silver, 40:40 the brass, the bronze, 40:42 and that was taken into the treasury of God. 40:45 Why was that spared? 40:48 It can be refined by fire, amen. 40:51 And you know what archeologists have found? 40:53 They've found that layer of charcoal, 40:55 they found the layer of sort of dust 40:57 that had been from the fires. 41:00 This is the story friends that excites me. 41:04 It excites me for a number of reasons. 41:06 One because we find in the beginning 41:08 in the end of chapter 5, 41:10 we find that God actually meets with His people. 41:14 He meets with those who seek Him. 41:16 He meets with those who ask for His guidance. 41:19 And He doesn't just meet with them and say hi, 41:21 let's-- let's watch a movie. 41:24 He says, let's sit, let's talk, take your shoes off. 41:27 I have something to tell you. 41:29 I want to share something with you. 41:30 I want to give you the victory 41:33 and the second reason is 41:34 because he takes them around the city, 41:38 marching around the city I thought oh, yeah, 41:41 I love the way they shout at the end, 41:42 you know, and then there's a victory. 41:44 But, friends, God was giving them the victory 41:46 every time they put their foot down. 41:50 Every time they put their foot down, 41:51 they were marching in time with heaven. 41:54 Friends, we want to march in time with heaven. 41:57 God is on calling you and I'd suggest, 41:59 read out Bibles for the sake of going from cover to cover. 42:02 It's not about the cover. 42:05 Friends, God wants you and I to meditate in His word 42:09 to meet Him where He is and He is in His word. 42:13 He wrote it, He said it. 42:15 What is it to you? 42:19 I was looking after this lady in hospital, 42:22 like I said I'm a nurse. 42:24 So I look after people and this lady, 42:28 she looked out the window and you can see 42:31 one of our Adventist churches right outside the window, 42:34 nice big building, 42:35 and she said, "Oh, I used to go to that church." 42:37 I said, "Oh, really." 42:38 Well, logical question, 42:40 "So are you a Seventh-day Adventist? 42:41 She said, "No, no we're not Seventh-day Adventist anymore." 42:45 Well, okay, you actually want to tell me about 42:47 why you are not an Adventist? 42:49 I mean how did that happened? 42:51 And it can happen very easily by the way 42:54 and then we were looking after-- 42:55 I was doing something else for her little bit later. 42:58 And I asked her so... 43:00 which church do you go to now? 43:02 Assuming she still believed, 43:04 she said, oh, no, I don't go to church anymore. 43:06 We saw the light years ago. 43:10 And I was just laughing to myself 43:11 not because it's entirely funny 43:13 but the fact that she thought she saw some light years ago 43:17 and she wasn't even trying to tell me about it. 43:19 So I thought okay, so I was prodding a little bit more 43:21 and she told me about, 43:23 how she and her family have a lot to do with the hospital, 43:27 which is the Sydney Adventist hospital, 43:29 lot to do with the church she was pointing to, 43:32 and a lot to do with Avondale, 43:34 a lot to do with everything 43:36 that seems to be Adventist 43:37 in this part of Sydney where I am. 43:41 And as she was telling me, 43:43 she was telling me with a lot of pride, 43:44 you know we did this, we did that, 43:46 it's all materialistic kind of stuff. 43:48 Okay, yes, they kind of set up the hospital, 43:51 they kind of like toured Avondale, 43:53 or they built the church whatever. 43:57 But as she is telling me, I'm thinking in my mind 44:00 'cause I had this message to prepare. 44:03 Thinking in my mind, how did that happened? 44:05 How does someone who is so involved in God's work 44:10 get lost and see some light somewhere else? 44:15 How does that happen? And I said to myself, 44:20 while I was talking with the Lord, 44:23 she mustn't have been reading her Bible. 44:27 She must have peruse through it 44:30 and seen nothing more than words. 44:33 She must have just seen a good story, 44:35 an amazing story like Jericho, 44:38 where the walls fall down after they shout. 44:41 All it took was walking around, 44:44 but friends, as simple as Christianity may seem, 44:48 as simple as it may seem, we don't, I mean, 44:50 we don't have to offer these silly offerings 44:54 like passing your children through the fire 44:56 or performing silly sexual acts to please our God. 44:59 Our God is a noble God. 45:01 Our God is a God who respects our dignity. 45:04 He has given us dignity. 45:06 We have a wonderful God. 45:08 We don't have to do those things to please Him. 45:12 All He asks us to do is to have faith. 45:16 And without it, it's impossible to please Him. 45:22 Do you want faith? 45:28 You are all meditating. 45:31 I want to have faith 45:34 and I want to have a faith that will last the test. 45:37 I want to keep marching around 45:39 whatever city in my life needs to be defeated. 45:43 I want to keep marching around 45:45 carrying the promise of God in my heart 45:47 and putting it to the test. 45:49 Putting my feet to the ground and saying yes, 45:51 I believe in you Lord. 45:53 I don't know how you're gonna do it 45:56 but I know that you do these things. 45:58 You do the impossible, you do what we don't understand 46:02 and that's why he's God. 46:03 If we knew everything about God, 46:05 if we understood everything about God, 46:07 we might be just God ourselves. 46:09 But we aren't, praise the Lord. 46:14 Let's close with a word of prayer. 46:17 Dear heavenly Father, we bow here this morning 46:22 because we want to surrender everything to you. 46:25 We want to recognize You for who You are, 46:28 You are our God and we know that way You are is holy. 46:35 Help us Lord to continually take our shoes off 46:37 and listen to you. 46:39 As we take our shoes off Lord, 46:41 I ask that You'll continue to help us to put self aside, 46:44 leave it at the door and to let Your plan govern our lives. 46:49 Lord, we ask that You'd help us to obey 46:52 what you have said to go the course, 46:55 to claim the promise, 46:57 to march around as many times as you tell us to, 47:00 and then to shout and claim the victory. 47:02 Praising You for all that You have 47:04 and will do in our lives. 47:07 Lord, as we come to the end of earth's history, 47:10 we see the signs that are showing 47:12 that You are coming very soon. 47:15 Oh, Lord, there is so much unclaimed ground in Your word 47:18 that we want to be blessed by, 47:20 but Lord as we daily sit at your feet shoes off, 47:25 I pray that You would teach us. 47:27 Seal us for heaven. 47:29 Give us a faith that will stand the test 47:31 and may we be there ready and waiting to go home with You, 47:34 when You come in the clouds of glory. 47:36 This is our prayer 47:38 and we thank You for this in Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2015-03-26