Sermon on 23 June 2019 by Pastor Justin Chia
Joshua 6:2 - “And the LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.”
As we walk through the journey of the Bible, we will be going into the Old and New Testament. In this season, it is appropriate to look at the book of Joshua after the retreat. I am tremendously blessed by the renewal of the Spirit and being refreshed in the presence of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is always our strength. When we move in, we want to move out. Before we do the outreach, we need to do the in reach first by searching ourselves and how we stand before God. Many times, we walk according to our flesh and don’t look inside us. Jesus taught the disciples that they are nothing without Him. If we grasp this truth, we will be like a tree planted by the riverside and will be fruitful. This is the one lesson that we need to grasp.
In the first chapter of Joshua, you are to be strong and courageous. God exalted Joshua and the people of Israel to be strong and cross over the Jordan river to occupy. God is the one who fought all the battles and bring victory to Israel. Each time the Israelites disobey God, they will suffer defeat.
Joshua 1:6 - “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”
There are many Christians in a spirit of deception. Many times, when we are successful, we don’t pray to God. Each time when we do something successfully, we let our guard down and the devil will attack our spirit. When we are successful, we need to pray.
Joshua 6:1 - “Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.”
In John 9,
People who don’t see will see. People who see will be made blind. We have to go back to the Garden of Eden. Unless we are like children, we can’t enter the kingdom of God. If you want to have a revelation, you need to be a child. You need to know that you are so dirty so when you come into God’s presence, He cleanses you and makes you a child. Through that attitude, we will be able to see and gain new revelations. To let God reveal to you is a transformation.
He looks at your heart not your head. If everything is in your head, it will stay on as knowledge and not revelations. The Spirit stays in your heart. You have to receive the promises of God. The victory was gained on the Cross. Those who are obedient will eat the lamb but those who aren’t will be devoured by the sword. Who is really willing to humble down? See the things that are unseen. The things that can be seen are temporal but those unseen are eternal. His Spirit will be revealed to us when we read the Bible. You need to see and know that victory has been given to you. You don’t have to search for victory because it was given to you already.
If you don’t struggle in any situation, your faith cannot grow. Rejoice in any trials and tribulations because God is strengthening you for a greater purpose that He planned for you. He has a hope for you. He loves us as much as he loved Christ. He is a good Father and gives us light. You have the victory in Christ Jesus and no one can do harm to you. You must see that through the Spirit and not by knowledge.
Romans 16:20 - “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
We already have the victory. God crushed the devil under our feet and defeated Satan. Many Christians do not know about victory over sin and have a spirit of fear. The devil is crushed by peace. Peace is the one of the fruits of the Spirit. When you have peace, you have joy. When you have joy, you are filled with love. You will be full of thanksgiving. When you give thanks, you are full of peace. God is so faithful. God allows trials to test our obedience and strengthen us. Through these surroundings, they reveal the dirty and evil roots in us. If you are going through a challenge, be thankful and joyful. Let the peace fill us.
Philippians 4:4-8 - “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Let God know your requests and He will guard your heart and mind. God is merciful and in every situation, He puts you back on the path of righteousness. God called us to be a blessing so we can be a blessing to others and inherit the blessings. Guard your heart and minds by thinking of things that are of love and purity. Repent whenever we have such thoughts and be converted like a child. Be continually refreshed in the presence of God. You need to encounter God every single day. Stand victorious and no one can affect you. Do not pull God’s standards down to your own level.
Acts 3:19 - “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”
Our calling is to walk in the victory of Calvary wherever we go. With man, nothing is possible but with God, everything is possible. God will do something to humble a person down.
Revelation 12:11 - “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
Colossians 2:15 - “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
Go out and proclaim that you have victory. The devil has power over you but you have authority over the devil. You must have faith and know that the bad things happening to you are from the devil. Don’t think that it’s God that has given you it. God allows situations to happen to you. You need to be bold. Some people are scared to anger to devil. The devil cannot love you so much until what you do is pleasing to him. The devil has to be so angry that he will not come to you. We need to submit to God and repent. On the Cross, all sins have been forgiven. We need to have victory over sin and understand that we have to walk in victory.
You have authority over all the power of the enemy. You are not fighting the battle in flesh but in the Spirit realm. God taught us to preach the truth.
Luke 10:19 - “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
In Joshua 7, there was defeat at Ai.
Joshua 6:27 - “So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.”
Joshua 7:1 - “But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.”
Joshua 6:18-19 - “And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.””
God is testing their faith. Joshua used his own knowledge and sent 3000 people to Ai and destruct them without the instructions of God. Instead, the Israelites were defeated.
Joshua 7:7-9 - “And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
When we are defeated, we go to the Lord. But when we have victory, we don’t. When you have success, remember to pray. The danger comes in when your life is glamorous.
Joshua 7:21 - “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
There is a sin in the camp. He was the one who caused Israel to be a curse. When we are successful, pray even harder because temptations come in.
The 4 steps of temptation are I saw, I coveted, I took, I hid.
1 John 2:15-17 - “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
The danger of becoming complacent is deception. There are many missionaries who become tourists. The moment we begin to relax in the Christian life, we are in danger of being deceived. If God is going to bless you, but you continue to sin, the blessings stop.
Luke 5:15-16 - “However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”
When is it that we are in danger of not seeking counsel from the Lord? When we are victorious! Not when are are defeated. Victory was a foregone conclusion. Victory is already in you. Be faithful in doing the good work. It is peace who crushed Satan. If you want to win the battle, you need to be peaceful. The truth will not set you free but abiding in His truth will.
1 Corinthians 15:57 - “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jesus has already defeated Satan in Calvary. Satan will be crushed under our feet now.
Amen.
Comments