Finding Encouragement in HIM

The Expository Book Study of Joshua

Joshua 8: Verses   9 - 35        XII) Finding Encouragement in HIM

Week # 13;  29 Sept 2010         Week #39 of   P.M. Teaching  Ministry

9Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people. 10And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai. 12And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. 13And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. 14And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city. 15And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. 17And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel. 18And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city. 19And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire.   20And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. 21And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai. 22And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape. 23And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. 24And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. 25And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. 26For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua. 28And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap forever, even a desolation unto this day. 29And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcass down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day. 30Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal, 31As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings. 32And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.  33And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. 34And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

Let us Pray: Dear Father in Heaven; please calm our hearts and minds. Bless the message of Your Word that we have just read. Help us now Father dig into this scripture and both understand it and apply it to our lives this very night, for your Son’s sake we pray, in Jesus Name – Amen.

The Old Testament has many stories of God’s Power displayed over man’s disobedience, and non compliance of His Word and Will. The last 3 or 4 Wednesday nights, that fact has been reinforced through our study of Joshua. How God blessed Israel when they walked closely to Him, and obeyed His commandments and instructions.

Tonight’s passage is yet another depiction of the result of Godly Obedience. As Harry Ironside noted in his commentary on Joshua 8 verses 20 thru 29. “It was a signal victory for Israel, though achieved in a manner designed to impress upon them the folly of acting in accordance with their own thoughts and failing to discern the mind of the Lord. They were strong only as they acted in obedience to His Commands.” Harry went on to say; “Observe that in this instance God permitted Israel to take the cattle and the wealth of the city as a prey for themselves.

HE did not put a ban on the spoil of Ai as on that of Jericho. There are certain things of an earthly character which God’s children are permitted to use for sustenance and enjoyment, even though they are called upon to judge the world as an ordered system opposed to the Cross of Christ.” Thank You Harry Ironside!!!!

Here is what I believe Joshua has shown us over the last few weeks. Please take note of these points:

A) Fulfilling the Law is not achievable in man’s flesh on his own!

1. Man & Woman on their own cannot reach or achieve the fulfillment of the LAW.

2. In our flesh alone, we cannot meet the Glory of God.

3. In our flesh as we stand today, there must be a covering or our sin. In Moses & Joshua’s day it was through the Sacrificial portion of the Law. Today – our covering is by the blood of Jesus Christ, and His work on the Cross.

B) That God’s Character demands our obedience.

1. The Holy Spirit ministers to our hearts, through reading the Scripture, He shows us the Heart and Character of God. As Harry Ironside stated, we must discern the Will and Mind of the Lord. When we reach for obedience on our own, aside of the 3 points of growing as a Christian (Prayer, Scripture and Meditation) our acts of righteousness are as folly to God.

2. For in the end – even our obedience comes from the Father.

C) That our obedience opens the Heart of God, and blessings follow.

1. He seeks obedience in the midst of Love and Reverence for Him. (attitude – heart core)

2. His Will is that out of our Love for Him, we will desire and choose to Obey out of a desire to PLEASE Him, our ABBA Father.

3. He provisions our lives with Blessings Spiritually and Physically in the midst of a yielded – obedient heart of His children.

D) Our Spiritual Success is directly tied to our obedience to God.

1. As Israel learned the hard way, when we yield to His Lordship over us, obey His commands and instruction, we will succeed and conquer the milestones before us.

2. Seeking His will in advance to plodding forward, ensures Spiritual Success and Growth. THIS IS THE END GAME FOLKS. Sometimes we get so wrapped up into our personal success and achievements in the world, we seemingly lose site of the fact that “we are not of this world”.

 

3. We – the followers of Jesus Christ must remember our spiritual condition on our own, in order to have genuine Comfort and Encouragement in the Truth that He brings in His hand alone.

a. Mercy – We are no longer bound to the death sentence that original sin brings with it. “We enjoy deliverance from the plight that we so rightfully deserve for the transgressions”

b. Grace – We have been made joint Aires with Christ, that through His sacrifice “We enjoy the Blessings of God, and the enigma of standing in His Righteousness before Almighty GOD, which we in no way deserve or can achieve on our own”

c. Adoption – That in our knowledge, understanding, belief, trust and faith in Christ – the Father takes us, once foreign to Him, unto Himself and calls us His own. As the bride to His Son, He has embraced us as His own family. That through Christ’s work on the cross, and His obedience to the Father, God marks our debt PAID IN FULL!

 

E) Encouragement from the OLD TESTAMENT (specifically Joshua)

1. Folks – the take away tonight is this!!!

a. HE LOVES US!

b. Christ could have said, “No-way” am I going down there for that un-grateful lot.

c. He could have called a legion of angels as they beat Him, spit on Him, cursed Him, tore His body and Hung Him on that Tree. He could have said “no – I’m done”

d. Instead – He took the ridicule, the rejection, the hostility, the pain and the death. Then He opened the gates of Hell and took all the Sin of creation upon Himself and experienced total and complete separation from His Father!

e. Then upon His resurrection, He took YOUR name to the Throne Room of Almighty God, declared you His Own, and had YOUR name written in the Lamb’s Book of LIFE!!!!!

f. HOW CAN YOU NOT BE ENCOURAGED!?!?

g. How can we not celebrate the JOY of His Spirit???

h. How can we not desire His face every moment of our lives – practicing obedience out of our LOVE, ADMIRATION, APPRECIATION, DEVOTION and COMMITMENT to HIM???

I am not a Pastor, I am a layman, working out my Faith in Christ like each and every one of you. I for one, am tired of the excuses!!! I for one no longer wish to offer an easy way out for other folks in my family, or in my Church to escape commitment to Christ and this congregation – HIS CHURCH!

As I said last week – folks; we are it! Look around! We must motivate ourselves to start a Spiritual Discipline in our assembly, and teach it to the younger generation (discipleship). We must exercise the wisdom that HE gave us through walking with him for all these years.

This country’s Churches are becoming Godless Feel Good Clubs. If those of us that were here at the start; that understand why we took the stand for God that we did – don’t pass that on in a Loving – Tenderhearted fashion – this Church will follow many before it – FAIL. Oh, these young ones behind may still come, without an understanding of God’s word, HE will be pushed out for a watered down gospel that Satan is selling wholesale throughout this country and world.

The time is NOW. IF GOD IS REAL to us – We must show them. IF WE BELIEVE – what we say we believe – we must discern the Spirit, and open our eyes to what is happening around us. We cannot just stand on the side lines and say “yep – we are in the end days”. We must draw the line in the sand and say – we won’t cross it. We must sanctify ourselves through and for Christ. We must grow the souls God has brought to us, and then we must reach outwards.

Remember my friend Yancy Sagastume – his quote I shared with you many weeks ago. Yancy a member of the Church of the Brethern, said “the weakest or lowest level of service and commitment to Christ of our generation, will become the strongest or highest level of service and commitment of the generation to follow”.

Moses and Joshua stood as STRONG GODLY Models for the people of God to follow. They showed us that through their human frailty, they still stood in Trust and Belief of God’s AUTHORITY and POWER. The congregants of the Bible Baptist Church must find our way back to our roots. We are but a breath away from Spiritual extinction. We must help this assembly to practice Holy lives, to seek Righteousness, to Pray unceasingly, to sanctify or reserve ourselves for Christ only. WE MUST SEEK GOD’s FACE, ask His forgiveness for our weak sense of Commitment. Then – we must devote all that we are as individuals and an assembly to SERVICE, in whatever capacity the Holy Spirit directs us to serve.

Let us be busy about His work when He comes to call us home.

Dear Precious Father – forgive us as a people for our appearance of disbelief. Prick our hearts and motivate our consciences into a hyper sensitivity to YOUR Spirit and call to obedience. Father, we see YOUR hand in the lives of the Israel of old. We read and believe the power of YOUR might, and the decisive determination of YOUR Righteousness. Father, I pray that YOU send this Church an over portion of YOUR spirit, to overflowing. Then direct us according to YOUR will, how YOU want us to serve this neighborhood and surrounding communities. Father we have prayed many times before to make this Church a Beacon, we now know Lord that Beacon shines through one life at a time. Remind us of that Father, daily that we represent YOU in everything we do, and when we fail, it pains YOUR heart. Be with us as we travel home tonight, and help us apply YOUR word to our heart this week Lord. We give YOU the Praise, Honor and Glory in all things, in Christ we pray – Amen.


REF:      Addresses on the Book of Joshua

               By: Harry A. Ironside
               1876 – 1951