Revision as of 15:27, 23 June 2022

Theological Proposition/Focus: God is the one who wins the victory.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: Sometimes God asks his people to step out and act in faith before they even see any cracks in the walls.

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Preview: Roller Coasters

This week we are going to take the teens to Worlds of Fun. I love roller Coasters but what I love even more is riding Roller Coasters with others. For those of you who have never ridden a roller coaster, I hope that you will join me! So I am going to take a slightly different approach to my outline today. Whenever I am trying to convince someone to ride a Roller Coaster the process usually follows something like this

As we approach the coaster "are you kidding me!"

As we ascend the first hill "I cannot believe you talked me into this."

As we go through the twists and turns "aaah this is amazing."

As we walk away "wow, I can't believe I did that, it was so cool."

So remember that as we walk into Joshua 6.

Text: Joshua 6:1-27

Setting the Stage:

After God affirmed Joshua as the next leader of Israel, it was time for the work to begin.

The first city that Israel would encounter upon crossing the Jordan river into the land was the city of Jericho.

The city of Jericho sat

14 miles West of the Jordan river

We talk about the city of Jericho but we need to understand this was actually a military outpost.

This was much more of a fort rather than a city.

The tell (mound) of Jericho was wrapped with an earthen rampart, with a stone retaining wall to hold it in place.

The retaining wall was 12–15 feet high.

On top of the rampart at the retaining wall was a mudbrick wall six feet thick and about 20–26 feet high.

At the top of the rampart, there was a similar mudbrick wall because of the slope of the rampart,

the base of this inner wall would have been 46 feet above ground level.

There is some evidence that people lived on the rampart which seems to support the narrative of our story.

The total area enclosed by the walls was about 6 acres and then another 3 acres in the fortification area

Body

Unbelievable: Are you kidding me...you want me to do what? (1-7)

Have you ever been tasked with doing something unbelievable? The sort of thing where you say, you want me to do what? Almost a year ago Emily and I visited Disney World. Emily had never ridden a roller coaster and we hoped we would be able to get her on one. As we walked up to the Roller Coaster I could sense that Emily was a little nervous. Then, the carts when whizzing by, the passengers screamed, Emily looked up at the top of the first hill and proclaimed, "are you kidding me!"

The promise: a city delivered. (2)

In verse 1 we see the city of Jericho secure

The gates are shut and nobody is going in or out.

Now we must understand that God only had to speak the word and the city could be leveled.

But the real battle was not with the Canaanites but with the hearts of God's people.

The use of the perfect "I have delivered" (נתתּי) conveys the idea that victory is assured as if it already happened.

Verses 1 and 2 stand in stark contrast to each other. From all appearances Jericho has hardly been delivered, this fortress of a city is buttoned up but from God's perspective the physical battle has already been won what he wants to see is spiritual victory in the hearts of His people.

The orders: march, then march, then march some more.

Have you ever been mocked for something spiritual?

God commanded his people to conduct what had to be the most ridiculous battle plan they had ever used. Get together all the armed men. First, understand this is no minor task. Some of you know how hard it is to get an army organized because you have four kids and bringing your army to descend on Super Saver is a lot of work! First, you have to get everyone out the door into the car seat, you get everybody buckled in, then Sally has to use the restroom... Okay maybe they didn't have car seats but they did have armor and they probably felt pretty silly getting all armored up just to go for a walk.

Have you ever been asked to repeat what seems like a meaningless task 6 times?

The responsibility: just march!

I love the question "why?" But sometimes the answer is not very satisfying.

I have to admit that had I been part of Israel I would have asked why?

I would have thought this is silly.

I would have wanted to whisper to Emily about how ridiculous Joshua was making us look.

I would have wanted to pretend I had twisted my ankle to avoid looking silly.

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MTR: Ask yourself, what is God asking me to do that might seem a little crazy right now?

No Turning Back: I cannot believe you talked me into this crazy battle plan? (8-19)

The structure: God is in the middle.

The attitude: solemn confidence and respect.

The rules: it all belongs to God.

MTR: Ask yourself, what do I need to keep doing even though it seems like it is not working?

Realization: God's victory is amazing. (20-25)

The first thrill: God is fighting the battle.

The second thrill: God keeps his promises.

The third thrill: Total victory.

MTR: Make a short list of victories you are currently experiencing.

Reflection: Wow! I cannot believe God just gave us that victory. (1-7)

Expectation: Jericho should never again need to be conquered.

Confidence: it was all God.

MTR: Ask yourself, how can I better reflect so that my reflection breeds expectation and confidence?

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