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Prayer – Be – See Part 1: A Study For Our Church Prayer Growth

Posted on July 5, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

We live in a super-connected world. People connect to one another through electronic mobile devices. While home with our children on vacation we discovered that stores are now offering home delivery of goods. We are fast moving into a world where there is absolutely little to no human interaction. We were not created to be this way. God made us social creatures. We need to interact with one another.

We especially need to interact with our Creator. Interaction with the Creator cannot be done with mobile devices or social media. We interact with God personally, one on one, in prayer.

It is impossible to over emphasize the importance of daily, moment by moment, interactive prayer with God.
Prayer is how we enter the Christian way of life.

Though some may dispute this, I believe that without prayer there can be no Christian. I was amazed to visit a Baptist Church’s website the other day and see where its Pastor claimed prayer was unnecessary for salvation. This is a frequent error preached in this day of what John MacArthur calls “Easy Believism”. Salvation is indeed a free gift from God – but it is a gift that must be asked for. There is no merit in asking … but the Scripture makes this very clear. You must approach God in prayer to be saved. Let’s focus on a very familiar passage in Romans:

Romans 10:8-14 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

The Spoken Gospel Must Be Received By Prayer

Our text states “The word is nigh thee”. That which is translated “WORD” is the Greek ῥῆμα rhēma, (pronounced hray’-mah) which means “an utterance. That which is spoken by the mouth”. The Apostles preached with their mouths the “word of faith which we preach”. The Gospel message was spoken to all who would hear. It was not hidden, but uttered with the mouth so that it was plainly understood.

The GOSPEL MUST BE SPOKEN, it cannot be assumed.
The spoken Gospel MUST BE RECEIVED or there is no effect.

What ῥῆμα rhēma or uttered word did the Apostles speak? The Gospel spoken was “nigh thee” or near to every person. It was not given to a select few, but to all who would hear. The Apostles suffered great persecution for sharing the Gospel. Easy believism says to “just live a good life and encourage others to imitate the same, and we will all go to Heaven”. This is blasphemy. This is not the ῥῆμα rhēma or uttered word – “word of faith which we preach”.

The word “preach” is the Greek κηρύσσω kērýssō, (pronounced kay-roos’-so) which means “to publicly or loudly proclaim as a herald or public crier”. In the days before modern mobile technology news was spread was via public herald or the town crier. This is what κηρύσσω kērýssō references.

The message of the Gospel was not hidden,
but clearly and vocally presented.

People knew what the Gospel was. What is the Gospel? The Apostle is now clear. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus”. The word translated “confess” is the Greek ὁμολογέω homologéō, (pronounced hom-ol-og-eh’-o) which means “to say the same thing about”. God the Father and God the Spirit has declared that Jesus is Lord. When the Gospel is shared God enables the listener to say the same thing about Jesus that God Himself says. The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Philippians 2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is Lord!

In the ancient Roman world you were expected to say Caesar is Lord, out loud and for all to hear. It was required of the citizen just as Heil Hitler was expected of the Nazi. To fail to acknowledge Caesar as Lord would be to be marked as a traitor to the Roman state. The Christian was the person who – at risk to life and limb – would refuse to acknowledge Caesar as Lord and who instead would declare Jesus is Lord. Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. The Gospel requires the outward confession – an agreement with both Father and Spirit – that Jesus is Lord.

The Gospel also requires an inward belief that goes with the outward confession. “Believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead”. The Christian INTERNALLY believes that Christ died for him and rose again, making atonement for our sins. The Christian OUTWARDLY professes Christ as Lord of all. Not just Lord of others, but Lord of our lives. He is Lord. The INternal and the EXternal are in agreement with the Christ follower.

No Human Designed “Sinner’s Prayer” Is Necessary

There is no set “sinners prayer” that any Christian need say, but an inward belief and an outward profession. There is, though, a prayer made to the Lord Jesus. We know this because the Apostle summarized what he said with “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”. Salvation comes when the sinner calls upon the name of the Lord. When the sinner repents and comes to Christ as Lord and Savior salvation is secured.

Romans 10:13-14 For Whosoever shall CALL upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they CALL on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Salvation comes to the sinner when that sinner
“calls upon the name of the Lord”.

The word translated “call” is the Greek ἐπικαλέομαι epikaléomai, (pronounced ep-ee-kal-eh’-om-ahee), which means “to cry out to, to call to” and by extension to pray.

When Stephen was martyred for professing Christ the Scripture says that he epikaléomai – “cried out to God, saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’ ” (Acts 7:59).
When the Apostle Paul was giving his testimony in Jerusalem before the Pharisees he testified that the day he was saved that the disciple Ananias came to him and shared the Gospel, saying “arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, CALLING on the name of the Lord …(Acts 22:16). Again we see the use of epikaléomai.
The same Apostle Paul wrote the Church at Corinth: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place CALL upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:2). Again we see the use of epikaléomai.

A person does not become a Child of God by osmosis, but by crying out to Christ as Lord and Savior. God creates the Christian in response to that believer’s cry of faith. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. No one is saved apart from the spoken Gospel, or apart from the confession of Christ in prayer.

We Return To The Garden By Prayer

God designed us to walk and talk with Him. When you read the Genesis account of creation it was “In the cool of the evening Adam and Eve heard the Lord God walking around in the garden” (Genesis 3:8, my paraphrase). We are led to believe from the context that God normally walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve, talking to them – that is, until sin caused a breach in our fellowship. We were made to walk and talk with God, just as surely as we were made to breath oxygen.

We were made to be in a living, breathing, moment by moment relationship with our Creator!

Salvation is not just a ticket to Heaven, but an entrance into the Family of God. Salvation is more than “Friending” God on Facebook. Salvation is much more that “Tweeting” on Twitter. Salvation is a moment by moment relationship with the God Who is, and Who loves you. Our love relationship with God requires communication, and communication is PRAYER.

If there is no relationship with God as Father, there is no communication, no prayer. Jesus told the religious crowd:

John 8:42-47 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

There is no point of communication between Christ and those who do not recognize Him as Lord. Those who are of God hears God’s words – the words that Christ speaks. The unbeliever cannot do that. The believer however CAN. Jesus said:

John 10:26-29 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

Those who are Christ’s by faith both HEAR and FOLLOW Christ. Jesus Himself HEARS those who are His. And those who are His have and hold eternal life – because Christ will not let us go.

Pastor E.M. Bounds – a great man of prayer who wrote 9 books on prayer – said that:

“Prayer has to do with the entire man. Prayer takes in man in his whole being, mind, soul and body. It takes the whole man to pray, and prayer affects the entire man in its gracious results. As the whole nature of man enters into prayer, so also all that belongs to man is the beneficiary of prayer. All of man receives benefits in prayer. The whole man must be given to God in praying. The largest results in praying come to him who gives himself, all of himself, all that belongs to himself, to God. This is the secret of full consecration, and this is a condition of successful praying, and the sort of praying which brings the largest fruits.”

God saves us through prayer. Christ Himself wants us to grow in Him through prayer. The first question every convert to Christ has to ask of himself is,

Do I know that I am saved?
If yes, then HOW do I know this?

Assured Of Salvation, Assured God Hears

The Scripture says in John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name”. The Bible does not want you to have a hope so salvation, but a know so salvation. Is God in your life? Are you a child of the King? If you are not certain, then it has an impact on your prayers. The Bible says:

James 1:6-8 (KJV) … let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. {7} For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. {8} A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

James 4:8 (KJV) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

What hinders prayers? A double mind. Where is your mind focused? If you are a child of the King then act as a child of the King. Know that He is yours, and you are His. If there is sin in your life then reject it. Throw it from your home as you would an unwelcome visitor or a pest. When I pray it is particularly important that my focus be on my Lord and Savior. Prayer – effective prayer – effects the whole person. We as Christians must not have a divided allegiance. In prayer we see the direction of our God, not our own satisfaction. As E.M. Bounds said in his book “The Essentials of Prayer”:

“Holiness is wholeness, and so God wants holy men, men whole-hearted and true, for His service.”

What is Biblical holiness? Holiness is not being “holier than thou” – that’s self righteousness. Holiness, the Greek hagiasmos {pronounced hag-ee-as-mos’}, means to be “set apart for God’s use”. This word, often translated “sanctify” (hagiazo), refers to devoting or setting yourself apart to God.

To pray effectively prior to prayer each believer should examine themselves for unconfessed sin, and then confess that sin to God (1 John 1:8-10). God will not hear the prayers of a believer out of fellowship. What does the Scripture say?

Proverbs 15:29 (KJV) The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

Hebrews 12:14 (KJV) Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

The word “see” is the Greek optanomai {pronounced op-tan’-om-ahee}, which means “to behold, to look at”. Our souls are to be right with God our Savior prior to prayer.

How You Pray Reveals The Posture Of Your Soul

How did the Old and New Testament Saints pray? How did they position themselves for prayer? Let’s look at the Word of God.

Abraham fell upon his face before God.

Genesis 17:3-5 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham;

Moses prayed with his hands outstretched to God.

Exodus 9:29 … As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord’s.

The Prophet Daniel kneeled upon his knees three times a day in prayer. King Solomon also knelt in prayer, raising his hands toward Heaven.

Daniel 6:10 (KJV) … Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”

2 Chronicles 6:13 (KJV) … Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven“

Our Lord Jesus often looked up into Heaven as He prayed, though in Gethsemane He fell on His face as Abraham did.

Matthew 26:39 (KJV) {Jesus} went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Mark 6:41 … And when {Jesus} had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

John 11:41 … And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

Regardless as to posture in prayer the body will take the form most suited to the soul. Prayer should always be made in a humble posture. When we pray we are speaking to our Lord and God. We are not speaking to an equal, but to the Divine. We are speaking to a Friend – for we have a Friend in God – but He is Lord.

E.M. Bounds writes:

“As praying is asking for something definite of God, so, beforehand, the thought arises—“What shall I ask for at this hour?” All vain and evil and frivolous thoughts are eliminated, and the mind is given over entirely to God, thinking of Him, of what is needed, and what has been received in the past. By every token, prayer, in taking hold of the entire man, does not leave out the mind. The very first step in prayer is a mental one. The disciples took that first step when they said unto Jesus at one time, “Lord, teach us to pray.” We must be taught through the intellect, and just in so far as the intellect is given up to God in prayer, will we be able to learn well and readily the lesson of prayer.”

Prayer Is Best When Our Heart Is Committed To God

When Israel was to enter the Promised Land the Lord told His people:

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Jesus was asked the question one day “What is the first commandment of all the commandments” (Mark 12:28). Jesus quoted this same text. That which God wants of us more than all else is our hearts devoted to Him. This is true also of our prayers. Those who were most used of God while in this life knew that to love God was the most important thing we can do. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 119:2, 10 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart… 10 With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

The intent of all prayer is not to get more STUFF from God. The intent of prayer is to get MORE OF GOD. The Lord is our Portion and our Strength. If your love is divided then your prayers will be divided. E.M. Bounds wrote:

“… the entire man without reservation must love God. So it takes the same entire man to do the praying which God requires of men. All the powers of man must be engaged in it. God cannot tolerate a divided heart in the love He requires of men, neither can He bear with a divided man in praying.”

God knows our hearts. He knows what our intents are, regardless as to what we say. As someone once wrote:

“’Tis not enough to bend the knee,
And words of prayer to say;
The heart must with the lips agree,
Or else we do not pray.”

The Best Day Ever

Posted on June 30, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Thomas Dils on Unsplash

Joshua 10:9-14 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. 9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. 10 And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. 11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. 12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.

Humans often say the wrong thing. God never says the wrong thing, but we do. One of the most quoted statements I have heard related to the life of Evangelist Dwight L. Moody. Moody was THE Billy Graham before there was a Billy Graham. The story as I heard it was that Dwight L. Moody and some friends gathered together in a hay field to pray. His friend Henry Varley reportedly said:

“The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly
consecrated to Him”

The story is sometimes embellished with other details. In Paul Gericke’s book Crucial Experiences In The Life of D.L. Moody a conversation between Evangelist Varley and the yet unknown Moody is told:

“During the afternoon of the day of conference Mr. Moody asked me to join him in the vestry of the Baptist Church. We were alone, and he recalled the night’s meeting at Willow Park and our converse the following morning. “Do you remember your words?” {Moody} said. I replied, “I well remember our interview, but I do not recall any special utterance.” {Moody continued} “Don’t you remember saying, ‘Moody, the world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him?’ ” {Varley replied} “Not the actual sentence,” … “Ah,” said Mr. Moody, “those were the words sent to my soul, through you, from the Living God. As I crossed the wide Atlantic, the boards of the deck of the vessel were engraved with them, and when I reached Chicago, the very paving stones seemed marked with ‘Moody, the world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him.’ Under the power of those words I have come back to England, and I felt that I must not let more time pass until I let you know how God had used your words to my inmost soul.”

I believe God spoke to Moody that day. But it is NOT true that the “world has never seen what God will do with a man fully consecrated to Him”. How do I know? Because Joshua was a man fully consecrated to God. Enoch was a man fully consecrated to God, but we know little of his life. But Joshua – oh Joshua!

Joshua Loved The Lord. Do You Love The Lord?

Joshua lived for the Lord. Joshua did not walk the aisle at Church, get baptized, then forget about God save for the occasional Easter or Christmas service. Joshua did not slide God into a drawer until he needed the Lord.

No Beloved, Joshua loved the Lord. His life was fully dedicated and consecrated to God. It was because of this great love that Joshua never lost a battle other than that bad incident at Ai. Had Joshua listened to God before attacking Ai he would have never lost that battle. But Joshua had the same problem that we all have. He is a man subject to failure. Only one man ever walked the face of this earth and NEVER failed God, and that was the god-Man Jesus Christ. All others have failed at times. But Joshua – now Joshua, he came close to Christ in his faithfulness to God. He focused on God. He loved the LORD.

If You Love The Lord, Think And Pray Before You Act

We all make mistakes. One of the big mistakes that Joshua’s generals made was to make a truce with the city of Gibeon. Too often today that which is supposed to be the Church of Christ makes truces with Gibeon. We too often tolerate sin and worldliness. We too often depart from the Word of God and dress things up the way that we want them. What is our Commission from God? Is it not the same that Israel had? Did not Jesus say:

Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

In the entirety of this Great Commission there is no word “truce” or “surrender” or “compromise”.

The Commission Christ has given us – and that He gave Israel – was GO. Represent God. Teach what God said. Do what God said. Never did the Lord – either Old or New Testament – say “Go and compromise with the world”. Beloved, how can Light compromise with darkness? How can evil and good abide in the same house? We are not Taoists that believe in YIN and YANG, the blending of light and dark. Jesus said:

“You are the Light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. Let your light SHINE before men that they may see your good works, and GLORIFY your FATHER which is in Heaven! (Matthew 5:14-16, my paraphrase)”.

Oh, how shall we compromise? When we compromise the Commission we put ourselves and others at risk of damnation and hell fire. It is a FEARFUL thing to fall into the hands of the LIVING GOD (Hebrews 10:31).

The princes of Israel compromise with the city of Gibeon. They made a truce with the unconverted. This has often happened among the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, the Pentecostals, and various other so called “denominations” and “non-denominations” of organized religion. Joshua did not want to compromise with Gibeon. Yet the leaders of Israel did so, making a truce where no truce should be made.

Joshua is obligated because of the bad decision of others. Gibeonites are now the allies of Israel, for the princes and bishops of the Church have made an allegiance. When you make an allegiance with the darkness, be prepared to have to go to battle. We read:

Joshua 10:1-2 Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; 2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.

The world – that fallen world – saw the compromise that God’s Church made with the unconverted. When certain denominations went with the flow and let darkness be called “light” the evil grew. Rather than repenting and being saved the unconverted became MORE BOLD in their sin. Now they attack and call those who once were their friends.

Five kings – lead by Adonizedec king of Jerusalem – decided to attack Gibeon. Gibeon made a truce with Israel, and Gibeon was in a place that Israel could occupy can strategically destroy the other cities. So Adonizedec contacts Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon. His plan is simple. “Let’s destroy Gibeon before Joshua and Israel can occupy it!”

Five Is The Number Of Grace

There is a beautiful picture here if you would see it. In the Bible FIVE is the number of GRACE. I do not believe it is a coincidence that there are five kings attacking Gibeon.

God gave us FIVE senses we neither earn nor deserve.
FIVE is reported 318 times in Scripture.
There are FIVE mysteries:
The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, Creation and Redemption.
Jesus Christ has FIVE wounds that held Him to the Cross.
There are FIVE sections in Psalms,
FIVE Books of the Law.
Israel brought FIVE offerings to God:
The Burnt, Sin, Trespass, Grain and the Peace Offerings.
David killed Goliath with one of FIVE stones.
The Church is founded on FIVE Books,
The FOUR Gospels and the Book of Acts makes FIVE.
FIVE is the number of Grace!

These FIVE Kings band together to attack Gibeon. Beloved, trials often come to lead us to God and His Grace. The Scripture says in James 1:2-3 “Brothers and sisters in Christ, be JOYFUL when you fall into various TRIALS {my paraphrase}”. Our response to God is “Trials Lord? Why should I be joyful when trials come?” Because, Beloved, trials are an opportunity for God to show you who you really are.

Gibeon is tried. Gibeon is tried.
Where does Gibeon look for it’s salvation?

Does Gibeon hear the Words of God, “Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 45:22)? No. No. When the unbeliever is in a bad way do they go to the ATHEIST or the CULTIST or even to the BLATANT SINNER among them? No! When the unbeliever is in a bad way they look for someone who is EMPOWERED.

Gibeon knew that Israel under Joshua crossed the Jordan as if on dry land. Gibeon knew that Israel under Joshua destroyed Jericho. Gibeon knew that Israel under Joshua destroyed Ai. Israel under Joshua was being blessed. They were undefeated while they followed God. So Gibeon sends messengers to Joshua saying…

Joshua 10:6 …. Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

Joshua cannot save anyone – but God can! Beloved, salvation is of the Lord (Psalm 3:8; 62:1). God has His Church on the earth to be HIS hands and feet, HIS agents, HIS ambassadors. The lost of Gibeon are crying out to the Old Testament Church. Save us, Joshua! All the Kings of the Amorites – fierce mountain men – are gathered together in one accord to kill us. Save us, Joshua!

We cannot save the world – but Jesus can. When the unbeliever cries out for help will we show them JESUS?

What does Joshua do? Does he sit back and say, “Well, these people are NOT believers. They tricked their way into an alliance with us. We owe them nothing!” Oh Beloved,

You are God’s Light.
You are God’s creation.
You are God’s creature.
You are God’s Kingdom.
You are God’s Church.

The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to REPENTANCE (2 Peter 3:9). That unbelieving friend that is in the hospital, did YOU, dear Christ follower, share Jesus with them? Or did you BEMOAN the fact that they are ill, looking hopeless and helpless. Shame, shame, shame on the Christian who will not trust God. Joshua made no excuses. He did not linger. What does the Bible say? IMMEDIATELY …

Joshua 10:7 … Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.

Joshua ascended. Joshua looked up and went because God spoke to his heart. The Lord told Joshua:

Joshua 10:8 … Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

Joshua “waited on the Lord, and was of good courage – and God strengthened his heart” {my paraphrase} (Psalm 27:14). When you are doing God’s work God’s way then God never leaves you nor forsakes you (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). Joshua begins to move, and with him all of Israel. I am told that this trek was around 25 miles one way. Joshua and the children of Israel began to walk toward Gibeon.

Joshua “went up from Gilgal ALL NIGHT” (Joshua 10:9).

As day turned to night the city of Gibeon, surrounded by five kingdoms, began to despair. They didn’t know that Joshua IMMEDIATELY set out to save them. I can imagine those warriors standing guard on the outer walls. Far below them was a mass of people, like sand of the sea. The five kingdoms were not worried. Oh no, they were many. The five kingdom army bedded down for the night. The campfires dimmed. Thousands of men in full weaponized gear rested for the slaughter for the next day.

The guards on the walls of Gibeon look out in despair. Gibeon means “on a hill”. Gibeon is on a hill, but there are five kingdoms from the MOUNTAINS. They are far superior. One guard looks at the other. “I think I see movement, coming this way.” The other guard says “It is just our messengers returning from Israel. We have no hope!” And then the sound of thunder. Thousands of marching feet rock the earth. The Bible says:

Joshua 10:9-10 … Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. 10 And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

The armies of darkness awaken to confusion and the power of God’s people. Their armor forgotten, the minions of evil run into the night. Some nearly escape. But the Bible says:

Joshua 10:11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

God will be glorified! God will be glorified! No one can say it was Joshua’s prowess that won this battle. Absolutely not. God was in it. That is why it was won. “I can do ALL THINGS through Christ Jesus Who strengthens me”! (Philippians 4:13). God begins to hurl great hailstones down from Heaven, big enough to kill the enemy. God destroys the darkness. God destroys the darkness.

The Best Day Ever Because Light Shines On

But the sun begins to set. And here is where the wonder of our text is. We are told:

Joshua 10:12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

Unbelievers have a field day with this verse. I have heard them say:

“Doesn’t your God know that the Sun doesn’t move?
Is He that ignorant?”

Well Beloved, God does know that the sun stands still, and that the earth and the moon rotate around it. Yet even knowing this truth today our most educated meteorologists speak of “Sunrise” and “Sunset”. To our perspective the sun seems to rise and set. The Bible says

“… from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord’s Name is to be praised” Psalm 113:3.

Judges 14:18 “… before the sun went down”.

From our perspective the sun seems to rise and set. God gave us the ability to grow in knowledge and to know that the sun does stay still, but we rotate around it. God knows the truth.

But WE are feeble. To Joshua the sun appeared to rise and to set. So Joshua asked God to still the sun and the moon, to keep light upon the earth so that he could finish the job. Beloved, I see two great truths in this:

We do not always understand the mystery of creation. But God does. God knows all the stars by name (Psalm 147:4). We know little. Even with our NASA and the HUBBLE telescope, we still know very little. If an asteroid hit this earth the size of, say, Maryland, an itty bitty state, that asteroid would destroy all life on this planet. It would be as scientists call it “An Extinction Level Event” or ELE. Why don’t asteroids hit us? Why life on our planet, and no one else? We don’t know. We just can’t know all things – but God can.
We do not always in our ignorance ask the right prayer of God. Joshua had no idea that the sun didn’t move. But he asked God to take care of it.

Beloved, I do not know how God can be Triune. I do not know how it was possible for God to become man. I do not truly understand how God saved my soul, changing me from a lost and dark person into one of His Beloved Children. I do not understand how God can love a sinner like me. I do not understand why God does kill me – you – all of us where we are right now. I don’t understand. But God does. God does. Some of you smartalecks in the audience smirk and poke one another when I speak of Christ and his Cross. I do not understand why God does not blast you into hell this very moment. I do not understand why God doesn’t kill the blasphemer. Why does God tolerate the idiotic groups like Freedom From Religion and abortion sponsoring people? Joshua didn’t understand. I don’t understand. Joshua just prayed what he did know. Joshua prayed for a LONG DAY so he could finish God’s work. And God heard him.

Joshua 10:13-14 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.

The best day ever is the day you learn to live your life with God. The best day ever is when we hear Jesus, and race to His loving arms. If God can make a long day, God can fix that which ails you. Oh Beloved, look unto Jesus. Do not allow the whispers on the devil and of the world to keep you from God’s loving embrace.

A judgment day is coming. The Bible declares:

Hebrews 9:27-28 … it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

The five kings thought their judgment would never come. It did. Do not think your judgment day will never come. It will. Today is the day to look upward. Today is the day to ask Christ to touch your life, to save you, to cast down your enemies. Today. Not tomorrow, but today. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. May God speak to your hearts this very day.

Posted in Joshua, Sermons Preached | Tagged Light of God | Leave a comment

The Nature Of Evil

Posted on June 30, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Peter Forster on Unsplash

When we read our Bibles – particularly when we read the Old Testament – we often wonder if the text has anything to do with us who are believers in Christ in this Church Age. In Joshua God’s Old Testament Church was going into Canaan to conquer that land. God commissioned Israel to do his will. Canaan was a land nearly totally devoid of God. I say “nearly totally” because God did save Rahab and her family at Jericho. Other than Rahab and her loved ones we have seen none others who were even slightly interested in the Lord God Almighty.

God gave a specific commission to Joshua as Israel’s new leader:

Joshua 1:2-4 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

Take Possession Of Your Possession

This Book has to do with Israel. God’s commission to Joshua was “go in and seize the land”. Israel was to take possession of their possession. Those who were in the land were squatters. God in His infinite mercy allowed the Canaanites to occupy the land for many years. God reached out to them just as He reached out to father Abraham.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The Scripture declares “God so loved the world” (John 3:16). God tried reaching the Canaanites. They rejected Him, so God gave the land to Abraham and his descendants. That is what the Book of Joshua is about. It is about God’s people claiming the land for God.

“Joshua” is about God’s people changing the social landscape, taking and making God’s Kingdom come while casting out the forces of darkness!

So how does this Book apply to us? The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Every part of the Scripture is written to God’s people. No part suddenly became obsolete because of the Cross and the Empty Tomb. God is, and has always been. And God has always had a people that He loved and redeemed through Christ Jesus. The Old Church looked forward, believing in the Coming Redeemer. The New Church looks backward, believing in the Redeemer Who has come, Jesus Christ.

Darkness Hates Light

Joshua’s commission was to take the land, to spread the Light of God and cast out the darkness. Our commission in this Church Age is to do the same thing. We are to bring in God’s Kingdom. Jesus prayed before He headed toward Calvary:

John 17:14-15 I have given {Your Children} thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil {one}.

God never changes. Every good gift comes from our God, the God Who never varies nor changes (James 1:17). Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The enemy never changes, either. The devil leads the forces of evil into expanding the darkness of his kingdom.

John 1:5 .. the Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. The world – led by satanic forces – does not comprehend the Light of God. So the forces of evil and their General old Lucifer attacks the forces of God in one of two ways:

Evil attacks light by direct confrontation. We read:

Joshua 9:1-2 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; 2 That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

Six different types of people gathered together do do battle with Joshua and God’s Israel. The Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites were people that had warred with one another in times passed. Each group worshiped different idols, and had different customs. Yet they banded together to destroy God’s Forces. The Bible says:

they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel,
with one accord

Evil – though varied – comes to fight with the light of God “in one accord”. Evil is in one accord because it has one general, old satan, called “the devil” or Lucifer. We are told in Scripture:

1 John 5:19 .. we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

The whole world – every bit of it – is a follower of the Wicked One. There are varying degrees of evil. Certainly not everyone is a murderer, nor an adulterer, nor a person in the bondage of homosexuality or heterosexual illicit sin. Just as Joshua confronted Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites – all different with different heritages and cultures – the Church of Christ today confronts varying degrees of darkness. Those who are in the bondage of darkness shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. The Scripture declares in Revelation 22:15; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians 5:19–21 and Ephesians 5🕔:5 …

“{My Paraphrase} Outside of Heaven are unbelievers, spiritual mediums, sexually immoral people like adulterers and homosexuals, murderers, worshipers of false gods, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, those who swindle or fight with others, and all who love darkness and despise light.”

The Bible is adamant that (1 John 3:8) “he that committeth sin is of the devil”. Yes, we all sin. But the Christ follower is the person who realizes that:

… for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8, continued).

Evil realizes that it can make no compromise with the Light that is God. This is why evil binds together in one accord. The intention of evil is to resist God and resist God’s Light. “They gathered themselves TOGETHER to FIGHT with Joshua and with Israel, IN ONE ACCORD”.

Evil attacks light by Direct Infiltration

Though the devil is not adverse to direct confrontation with the King of Heaven, he has discovered that the best way to destroy the Light of God is to infiltrate the family of God. In the early Church the devil tried martyring the leaders of the Christian community. Stephen the deacon and evangelist was martyred by Saul of Tarsus and others (Acts 22:20). The site All About Following Jesus.org notes:

“James the son of Zebedee was beheaded in approximately 44 A.D. Philip was crucified in 54 A.D. Matthew was killed with a halberd, an ax-like weapon, in 60 A.D. James, who is thought to be the brother of Jesus, was beaten to death, Matthias was beheaded, Andrew was crucified, Mark was torn to pieces, and Peter was crucified upside down. Jude, Bartholomew, and Thomas were also martyred. Paul suffered martyrdom in Rome where he was beheaded. Other early apostles Luke, Barnabas, Timothy, and Simon were also killed for the sake of Christ.”

The devil has discovered over time that direct confrontation often backfires.

So the devil tries infiltration. This is what he did with the Gibeonites:

Joshua 9:3-5 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, 4 They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; 5 And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.

The Gibeonites were a group of people descended from the Hivites and Amorites. If you remember the Hivites and Amorites were a people who directly confronted Israel and the Lord. The Gibeonites were a group of Amorites who did NOT want to do direct battle with Israel. Why? Because they saw the power of God. “They heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai. Though Ai battled and won with Israel during their first attack, God led Israel back to Ai and victory. The Gibeonites knew that – as long as Israel listened to God – that they could be destroyed. So what did the Gibeonites do?

They used deception. They went to Joshua’s camp in the midst of Israel with no weapons whatsoever. They loaded their donkeys down with worn out sacks and old wineskins that had been mended. The Gibeonites put patched sandals on their feet, and wore old clothes. They paid attention to detail. Even their food was dry, old, and moldy. The Gibeonites looked like a delegation that had traveled for a long time. The Bible says:

Joshua 9:6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.

This is how evil infiltrates the Light of God. The Gibeonites presented themselves as a peace loving people who lived far away from the areas that Joshua and Israel would be attacking. They in essence said, “We are not Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, or Jebusites. We come from a far land. We will never be any trouble to you. We want to make a peace treaty with you.”

In short, the Gibeonites tricked Joshua and all Israel.

Joshua 9:7-13 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? 8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? 9 And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. 11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. 12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is moldy: 13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

Flattery And Misdirection Confuse Us

Notice how the Gibeonites ingratiated themselves to Joshua and Israel. “We are your servants”. A loving person always speaks the truth in love and rejoices in the truth – not in evil (1 Corinthians 13:6). The God indwelt Christian loves truth. Our Master Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Jesus was never mean spirited – but He never buttered up or flattered people. When Jesus was attacked by the Pharisees how did they start the attack?

Mark 12:14-15 … when {The Pharisees} were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But {Jesus}, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.

The Gibeonites came to Israel ingratiating themselves. “We are your servants”. We mean no harm. You will never be effected by our presence. How often has the Church of God been infiltrated? How many times have we compromised with darkness, only to find us weakened because of it. Evil does not compromise! The Bible says:

John 3:17-21 … God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on {Jesus} is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Those who wish to become members of God’s family will come to Jesus Christ and be saved. But those who do not wish to do so – who revel in their sins and in the darkness – will not come to the light. The Gibeonites tricked Israel:

Joshua 9:14 {Israel} asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.

Just as Joshua did when he attacked Ai the first time and was defeated, now Israel makes a treaty with these Gibeonites without discussing this with God. It was after the treaty was made that …

Joshua 9:16-18 … it came to pass at the end of three days after {Israel} had made a league with {the Gibeonites}, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them. 17 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. 18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

Israel was given a commission to take all of the land for the glory of God. But now Israel was in a bad way. The princes of the twelve tribes of Israel had all “sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.” (Joshua 9:19-20). Israel made an oath in the name of God that they would not attack these people. Jesus tells us:

Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Israel should have never forsworn a treaty in the Name of God without FIRST consulting God. Beloved, you cannot compromise with evil. Light and dark do not mix, and never will.

We Are God’s Representatives

After Israel was tricked into making peace with the darkness Joshua – bless his heart – asked the Gibeonites:

Joshua 9:22 … Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?

You might as well ask “why is green, green?” Darkness will always seek to make light into darkness. I heard an old story one time that I want to share. A scorpion came to the edge of a river and wanted to cross it. Seeing that he couldn’t he cried out to a duck floating nearby. “Mr Duck, will you give me a ride across this river?” Mr. Duck replied, “Do I look crazy? Why would I let a scorpion on my back? You’ll sting and kill me!” The scorpion said “Oh Mr. Duck, I promise not to sting you. In fact, if you’ll let me ride across this river on your back I’ll show you where some tasty nuts are hidden on the other side.” Mr Duck said, “It’s a deal!”. He allowed the scorpion to get on his back. Once they had reached the other side he asked the scorpion, “Where are those nuts you promised me”? The scorpion stung the duck in his head, and as Mr. Duck lay dying he asked “Why didn’t you keep your word to me?” The scorpion said, “You knew what I was when you let me get on your back. You’re the nut! And you deserve what you got!”.

Let’s not be nuts, but Ambassadors of Christ. Beloved, let us share Christ as God has said. Let us love others. But let us never compromise nor allow evil to infiltrate Christ’s Church. Jesus Christ died to be Lord and Savior of His Church. Hear Him! Love Him! Glory to God!

Posted in Joshua, Sermons Preached | Tagged compromise, devil, evil, Light vs Darkness | Leave a comment

Lord, Teach Us To Pray: Part 2

Posted on June 20, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Luke 11:1-4 And it came to pass, that, as {Jesus} was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

When you are actually HUNGRY for the Presence of God … then you will learn how to pray!

The disciples came to Jesus seeking instruction on how to pray. Our Lord gave His children a pattern of prayer. Last time we discussed prayer we said that effective prayer:

Occurs only when we are in fellowship with one another. “Our Father”.
Occurs only when we are saved by faith in Christ. “Father”.
Is addressed to the “Father” in the name of the Son, and in the power of the Spirit.
Always glorifies God. “Hallowed be Thy Name”.
Exalts God’s will. “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done”.
Comes from a forgiving, kind heart. “Forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us”.

Jesus often prayed so that others could see and hear Him. But there are five other truths that we discover in how our Lord prayed.

Jesus Prayed Alone

Luke 5:15-16 15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

Our Jesus is Eternal God made perfect Man. He is the Word Who was with God, and was God (John 1:1-3). But Jesus is also Man. Though many came to Him for help as He walked this earth, Jesus was ever mindful that as Human He had limitations. Our Jesus often withdrew to pray – to seek the Father’s Will and the Spirit’s empowerment. The Bible says:

Matthew 14:22-23 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Jesus did not rush His alone time with the Father. As you can see He prayed from afternoon until evening. There were other times that Jesus prayed all night long, forsaking sleep in order to dwell in the Father’s Presence. When He was attacked by the Pharisees for healing a cripple man on the Sabbath the Bible says:

Luke 6:11-12 And {the Pharisees} were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. 12 And it came to pass in those days, that {Jesus} went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Oh that we would ALL follow the example of Christ when attacked by our enemies.

Too often when attacked we perch like emotional vultures on the branch of the tree called “vengeance”, watching until we can pounce on them like they pounced on us.

Jesus exemplified “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:38-40). Rather than respond in human anger Jesus purposely sought the silence of the prayer closet. I am sure He prayed for His enemies, just as He asked us to do. “Pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, {Jesus} went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Jesus prayed at various time, but always started His day with prayer.

Jesus Prayed Publicly

Many of Jesus’ prayers are recorded in the Gospel, which tells us that our Lord prayed publicly as well as privately. Jesus always prayed before a meal. When Jesus rose from the grave He appeared to a couple of disciples walking on the Emmaus Road. As Jesus walked with them they did not know Who He was. The Bible says that He told these grieving disciples:

Luke 24:25-27 O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Once they reached Emmaus these disciples invited Jesus to dine with them. The Bible says:

Luke 24:30-31 And it came to pass, as {Jesus} sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

These disciples were well acquainted with Jesus’ “blessings” on the table before He ate. The Bible commands us to pray for our food. Why? Because when we thank God for our food we are acknowledging that God is our Provider. We are giving glory to our Savior and Lord (Romans 11:36) for His provision. We are told in:

1 Timothy 4:4-5 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

God told His Israel before they went into Canaan:

Deuteronomy 8:7-11 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. 10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God ..

Some bless their food before eating – others afterward. Just be sure you don’t forget to bless the food by recognizing the Gracious God Who gave it.

Jesus Prayed For Others

Before Jesus was arrested and tried by the Pharisees our Lord prayed for His Church. He said:

John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

The Bible tells us in Romans 8:34:

“It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

Jesus prayed for others on the earth while He was on earth. Now that He is in glory Jesus makes intercession for us. He prays for us. He prays for His children. We are never far from His thoughts and prayers. Would that we could do the same for our loving Lord!

Let us make a commitment to one another and to our God that we will make prayer a priority. Billy Graham said:

“God loves us, and He wants us to bring every concern we have to Him in prayer. You can’t offend Him by saying something wrong; He loves you, and He welcomes your simplest prayer! One reason Jesus Christ died for us is so we could be cleansed of our sins and approach God in prayer (Hebrews 4:16).”

Posted in Luke, prayer, Praying Like Jesus Series, Sermons Preached | Tagged prayer series | Leave a comment

Where Do You Build Your Altar?

Posted on June 16, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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Joshua 8:30 Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal ..

John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Where Do You Build Your “Altar”?

An “Altar” is a place where you worship your God. An “Altar” is a place of surrender – not where God surrenders, but where WE surrender. Where do you build your “Altar”?

In Joshua Chapter 7 we saw the defeat of Israel at a place called Ai (עַי ʻAy, pronounced ah’ee). We saw Joshua on his face, torn clothing, his ministry of leadership in tatters. He was begging the Lord for an answer as to why he and Israel was defeated at Ai. Joshua actually blamed the Lord for the defeat.

Joshua 7:7 … Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

Why did God’s people fail at Ai? They triumphed at Jericho, but were soundly beaten at Ai. As a matter of fact,

The defeat at Ai would be the ONLY battle
God’s people would lose!

Why did they lose? Because Israel had unconfessed sin among them.

Achan took a cursed thing from Jericho.
Joshua listened to people rather than God.
Everyone UNDERESTIMATED the enemy, and
OVERESTIMATED their own power.

They built their altars in the wrong place!

Where Is Your Altar Built?

When Israel was defeated at Ai – the only defeat recorded in the Book of Joshua – it was because of OVERESTIMATION of their power and UNDERESTIMATION of the enemy. Joshua sent spies to Ai, who came back and told him:

Joshua 7:3 … Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

Israel took the much larger and much more fortified Jericho without the loss of even one life. If WE can storm Jericho and take it with no loss IMAGINE what we can do at Ai. Beloved, when it becomes more about US than it is about the LORD then it is not long before we are chased about by the lost.

Never UNDERestimate the power of the enemy!
Never UNDERestimate the power of the devil!
Never OVERestimate your own abilities!
We have no power outside of Christ our Lord.

We are told over and over in Scripture that we MUST rely on the power of God our Savior. Jesus told us:

John 15:3-5 … Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

We have no power apart from God our Savior. The day that I was saved – the day that ANYONE is saved – is the day that we understood this basic principle. Before I was saved I worried about what others would say. I judged myself by myself and by others around me. But the day that I came to Christ I stopped worrying about what other people thought. I stopped worrying about peer pressure. I walked that aisle. I didn’t care who saw me, or what they thought of me. I just knew that I was a sinner, doomed to hellfire for all eternity. I knew that I was lost. But I wanted to be saved. I came surrendering my all to Jesus.

If you are saved by faith in Christ, you did exactly the same thing. But over time we forget. We forget that the Bible does not say:

I can do ALL THINGS, but
Philippians 4:13 I can do ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST
which strengtheneth me.

Apart from God our Savior we are nothing – we must not forget this. When Israel went against Ai the first time they took only 3000 warriors with them – and it was an epic FAIL. Sin was in the camp. God’s people overestimated themselves and underestimated the enemy – and people died because of it. What did God tell Israel?

Joshua 8:1-2 the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take ALL the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: 2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king …

God’s people consecrated themselves. They confessed their sins before God. They were honest with their Lord. They put away the cursed thing, and relied totally on the Lord. God said “take ALL the people”. It will take ALL. It will take ALL who are committed to the cause of Christ. We must ALL work together, trusting in the Lord.

Let GOD do the leading, and WE the following.

When Jesus was on the face of this earth how did He battle satan and the forces of evil?

Jesus said “it is written”.
People do not like “it is written”.
Today everyone prefers “I think” over “it is written”.

We have great technology. We have advanced in technology to where hospitals and doctors can extend life beyond whatever it used to be. We have computerized things like “Alexa” that turns on and off our lights, our radios, our things. We have search engines and a world wide internet. We are covered up with knowledge. Human knowledge. People walk around staring at their phones, tapping on screens. We know so much. Yet we know so little. We desperately need God.

There are two very misunderstood passages in the Scripture. They are:

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Many of the prosperity preachers we see on television quote the Proverbs text and talk about God making you visionary. These texts have nothing to do with that.

These texts tell us the importance of knowing
and applying the Word of God.

When Joshua went to Jericho following the Word of God exactly that mighty city fell. But when Joshua and the children of Israel followed their own word rather than God’s Word they suffered great defeat.

God’s people are destroyed when they lack the Word of God. Those who are visionless are those who do not hear
and do the Word of God.

Hearing God’s direction and doing what God said – hearing His promise – things would be different the next time Israel went to Ai. Listening to God and His direction Joshua did things differently this time. We read:

Joshua 8:3-7 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valor, and sent them away by night. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready: 5 And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them, 6 (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them. 7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

When the word of man was in control about 3000 were taken to Ai – and were chased away. But now – listening to God – Joshua does things differently. He sent 30,000 men out by night to hide behind the city – on the non-gated side. Joshua and his troops would storm Ai like they did before. This time, however, when the troops of Ai came out to attack, Joshua and his force would cut tail and run.

Joshua 8:15-19 … And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16 And 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. 17 And 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. 18 And 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. 19 And 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.

Oh Beloved, when God is in control His people are triumphant! When God’s people hear and do God’s Word, it is THEN the blessings of God come upon us.

Are Your Possessions Your Altar?

When Israel went to take Jericho God told them to take nothing from the city. If it was not taken into God’s treasury, then it was to be destroyed by fire. Achan took something from Jericho, and brought a curse upon the people. God told Israel:

Joshua 7:13 … There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

Israel was to take NOTHING from Jericho. However, when they attacked Ai God said:

Joshua 8:2 .. thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves …

Why could God’s people take the goods from Ai but not from Jericho? Because the Word of the Lord said so. There is a very plain lesson in this for us all to see. The things that we have are a blessing that God has given us. Everything we have belongs to God. We ourselves belong to God. God spoke through the Prophet Ezekiel saying:

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:20-24 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Everything I have and everything
I hold is but temporal.
My only Permanent Possession is God My Father.

Psalm 119:57-64 Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words. 58 I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.

Joshua and Israel did according to God’s Word – and were blessed to take Ai without the loss of even one life.

Oh Beloved, do not make an idol of your possessions.
Oh my Beloved, do not make an idol of your children, your wife, your husband, your kin.
Oh my Beloved, make your altar upon the Word of God.
Oh my Beloved, do not worship THINGS, for THINGS cannot save you.

A rich young ruler came to Jesus in Mark 10:17 asking “what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus told that young man “sell what you have, give the money to the poor, take up your Cross and follow Me” (Mark 10:21). That young man went away sorrowful because possessions were his god. He loved not Jesus, but STUFF. You cannot enter Heaven through that narrow door carrying stuff in your arms (Matthew 7:13-14). Think about it.

When Zacchaeus was saved Jesus did not tell him to “sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow Me”. Why? Because when Zacchaeus was saved he said in

Luke 19:8 … Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

Jesus was to Zacchaeus “Lord”. Zacchaeus was no longer worshiping at the altar of STUFF, but worshiped God and the Jesus Who saved him.

Jesus never told Joseph of Arimathaea to “sell all he had, give it to the poor, and follow Me”. Why? Because Joseph did not have an altar built of STUFF. Joseph loved the Lord Jesus. He proved it by going to get Jesus’ body from the Cross on the day our Master died (John 19:38-42).

If you put STUFF up as an altar you will not be blessed of God. If you make your FAMILY first place in front of God you will not be blessed. Joshua never failed again because he made God’s Word first. Not just at Ai, but everywhere he went.

Joshua Built An Altar

Joshua 8:30 … Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal,

The battle over, Joshua builds an altar “unto the Lord God”. The altar was built according to the Word of the Lord:

Joshua 8:31 … 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.

“As it is written”. The altar is built the way that God said build it. Joshua obeyed the Word of God. He did what God said do. God spoke through Moses before that great man died and passed on leadership to Joshua:

Deuteronomy 27:4-8 … it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaister them with plaister. 5 And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. 6 Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God: 7 And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God. 8 And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.

In Deuteronomy 27:10-13 God said that after the altar was built of unhewn stone that some of the people were to stand on mount Gerizim to bless the people, and the rest were to stand upon mount Ebal to curse. I do not have time to go into detail on this right now. But the “blessings and cursings” are found in Deuteronomy 27-28. What God was having the people do in a very graphic way was to show that they would be blessed when they followed God, but cursed when they disobeyed God. These two mountains would illustrate:

You get a MOUNTAIN OF BLESSING (Gerizim) when you obey God.
You get a MOUNTAIN OF CURSING (Ebal) when you disobey God.

Joshua built an altar. Where did he build the altar? Joshua built the altar on Mount Ebal – the mountain of cursing. Cursed be the one who disobeys the Word of God (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). Cursed be the person who disobeys the Law of God. Cursed be the person who is not perfect in his or her walk before God. When we break God’s Law we fall under the curse of God. How then are we to be blessed of God?

Look where the altar is built.
It is built on Mount Ebal.
The altar is built on the Mountain of our curse.
The Cross is built on Calvary!

Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal – the mountain of cursing – because that is where we needed that altar. Jesus Christ died on Calvary. Jesus Christ took the judgment for my sins and for yours. The Scripture declares:

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 … we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For {God} hath made {Christ} to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The curse was on Ebal – the curse was on Calvary. It is in the loving mercy of God that Christ’s Blood was shed for us. Jesus “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). When Joshua built that altar on Ebal it had none of the cunning work of man’s hand. The altar was of natural, uncut stone. Man found rock and carried it to that place. We do nothing to earn or deserve our salvation. The animal slain on that altar was an innocent, just as Jesus was innocent. The Blood spilled on that altar was like that of Christ’s. His Blood was shed for me, and shed for you. He is our “peace offering”. Because of that Altar on Calvary – Ebal –

Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Oh Blessed Father, thank You for Jesus. Thank You for sending Him to die for us. Our sins, like mountains, stood between us and You. But You have given Christ to us to redeem us. In Christ we have redemption through His Blood, even the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14). In Christ we have a Savior Who came that we might have life, life more abundantly (John 10:10). How often have we fallen short of bringing glory to You? How often have we taken the cursed thing to our breast, hiding it from You rather than repenting. Oh Lord, we deserve judgment. Oh Father, we deserve death and damnation. But thank You, dear Jesus, that You took what WE deserve upon Yourself. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift (2 Corinthians 9:15).

If you have made a commitment to follow Jesus this day, while we stand to sing our invitation will you come forward and grab my hand? I will pray with you. If you would like to join the fellowship of this Church you must give your heart to Christ, and commit to follow Him in baptism if you have not already done so. Come, stand by me. I will pray with you, and for you. Give your all to Jesus this very day. Do not waste His glorious sacrifice – He gave Himself for you all! May God touch your heart by His Word.

Posted in Joshua, Law Of God, Living God, Love One Another, Sermons Preached | Tagged altar, love God | Leave a comment

Blessing Requires A Covenant Relationship

Posted on June 10, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by gaspar manuel zaldo on Unsplash

Joshua 6:16-19 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. 17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.

Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.

This morning I told you …
Blessing requires a covenant relationship with God.
Here’s something we learn tonight …

The Wages Of Sin Always Brings Death.

Israel had marched around Jericho just as God commanded. Once a day for six days Israel followed the Ark of the Covenant SILENTLY, keeping their mouths shut. There was no murmuring – only obedience. In ancient warfare cities like Jericho were taken one of two ways: (1) Siege Engines and battering rams took down gates, then the invading forces lost many warriors as they breached the city’s defenses. (2) If no loss of life was wanted cities were under siege, surrounded until the citizens starved and surrendered. God’s plan to take Jericho seemed odd. No one had ever marched AROUND a city to destroy it. Yet this is what God commanded.

Day by day the people of God marched – once per day – around Jericho. Then on the seventh day:

Joshua 6:15-16 … they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. 16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.

The walls came tumbling down. Israel went into Jericho and killed all the residents except for Rahab and her family (Joshua 6:17). God told the people “do not take the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed … and make the camp of Israel a curse” (Joshua 6:18).

Our text starts with …

Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, … took of the accursed thing:

Who Was Achan?

Who was Achan? Was he an absolute unbeliever, a person who loved to sin? The Bible tells us much about Achan in this verse. His name is Achan – which means a “troublemaker”. How odd to name someone that!

Joshua 7:1 … Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah …

Achan is of the tribe of Judah. Judah is the ruling tribe. Both King David as well as King Jesus come from Judah. In the Book of Chronicles Achan is called by a different name …

1 Chronicles 2:7 And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.

The Strong’s Concordance states that Achar is an alternate spelling for Achan.

Achan’s name spells TROUBLE!

Achan’s father, grandfather, and great grandfather have lived under the lash of the Pharaoh. Achan’s great grandfather and grandfather saw the

rise of Moses
the parting of the Red Sea
the Pillars of Cloud and Fire
the Blood of the Lamb on the homes
the curse and death of the firstborn Egyptian

Achan survived Egypt when he should have died. Achan has enjoyed the grace and mercy of God. He ate that bread of God from Heaven, and was fed quail in the wilderness by God. Achan has drunk deeply of water from the Rock that was Christ. Oh, how blessed Achan was.

Jesus said in Luke 12:48 … he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

God gave Achan very much. Achan also had great sorrow.

Achan buried his parents and grandparents because of sin.
Achan was circumcised with the other believing men at Gilgal.
Achan saw the walls of Jericho fall. He had no excuse.
Achan helped put the city to the torch.

Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God.

The Lord shall judge His people (Hebrews 10:30). God gave Israel Grace not so that she could abuse Him, but so that she could be blessed. But Achan – blessed beyond measure by God – mocked His grace.

Achan took the cursed thing.

What Was The Cursed Thing?

The Cursed Thing Was A Forbidden Thing We’ve discussed Achan. Let’s now look at the cursed thing. What was it? The cursed thing was everything in Jericho. All of the people except for Rahab and her family were accursed. All of the items in the city were accursed. If you remember, Jericho was a “moon” of Canaan, which made it a “moon” that reflected all the evils of idolatry. God wanted Israel to have nothing to do with the things of Jericho. The Bible tells us that:

Joshua 6:24 {Israel} burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

The Cursed Thing Was A Hidden Thing Joshua thought that all of Jericho was destroyed except for the metal items that were to be given to the Tabernacle of God. What Joshua DIDN’T know was that Achan took of the accursed thing and hid it in the midst of his family home. The Bible tells us:

“Behold, ye have sinned against the LORD; and be sure
Your Sin shall find you out!” (Numbers 32:23)

Unaware of Achan’s sin “Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel” (Joshua 7:2). The name of the city עַי ʻAy, (pronounced ah’ee) means “a heap of ruins”. Israel went to a fortified city called “Jericho” which means “the moon”. As God worked through them Israel took that fortified city without the loss of even ONE life. Now Israel is headed to “a heap of ruins”. After defeating Jericho, everyone was confident that Ai would live up to its name before days end. In fact, Joshua was so confident of victory that he presumed on God. We read:

Joshua 7:3 {the spies of Israel} returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

The Cursed Thing Led To A Presumptive Thing What the spies told Joshua was “this is such an easy win … let’s just take two or three thousand with us, go up, and attack Ai.” What Joshua SHOULD HAVE said was “Let’s ask God”.

Leaders – LEAD
LEAD by LEADING God’s People To God!

When Israel defeated Jericho the LORD was in charge. The LORD told Joshua what to do. But now the SPIES and NOT the LORD are telling Joshua what to do.

Rather than Assume, or Presume,
Better to ASK GOD.

Joshua is listening to the spies rather than to God, a very foolish act. What has God told Joshua to do? Absolutely nothing. God has not spoken about Ai. Joshua has not consulted God. Joshua presumed upon God. He sent 3000 warriors to battle Ai. The results? “They fled before the men of Ai” (Joshua 7:4).

Joshua 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

Israel was shamed. The Church fell flat on it’s face. God’s people got off lightly – Israel only lost 36 men. But Israel was shamed because 3000 Israelites could not stand to lose to what appeared to be a numerically inferior force. “The hearts of the people became as water”.

Who’s Fault Is It Anyway?

Joshua did something that we often do when we presume on God and are hurt by our presumption. Joshua blamed God.

Joshua 7:7-9 7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

God was not at fault for Joshua’s presumption. Beloved, God is not at fault when WE do the wrong thing. Joshua should have sought the Lord in prayer before sending forces to Ai. The Lord told Joshua:

Joshua 7:10-11 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee UP; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

I want you to notice God did not say “Achan has sinned” but “Israel has sinned”. Sin brings a curse on those around you. Sin brought defeat into Israel. Israel is God’s representative on the earth, just as today the Church is Christ’s representative on the earth. Joshua sinned by presumption. Achan sinned by stealing. God told His people to repent – and recommit to a covenant relationship with Him.

Joshua, GET UP!
Israel, GET UP!
Everybody, let’s LOOK UP!

Joshua 7:13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

Israel was called to “sanctify or set apart themselves”, to get their hearts right with God. They were to confess their sins. Joshua should get his eyes back on God. The people should get their eyes back on God. The people were told to execute the transgressor of the Law:

Joshua 7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

It was the next day as the children of Israel – by families – rededicated themselves to God, that Achan’s sin was found out. Sin can be hid in the midst of sin. But once Israel got right with God Achan’s sin stood out like a sore thumb. Joshua went to Achan and told him …

Joshua 7:19-20 … Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. 20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done …

God Punishes Sin Even Among His People

Joshua 7:24-26 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

As we read these words we are shocked in our modern sensibilities. In America today we would have put Achan in jail for about 7 years, gave him a cable tv, and three meals a day. Then we would have paroled him. What did God have Joshua do? Achan and his family, with all that he had, was destroyed. We think this harsh. But let us remember that thirty six innocent people died because of Achan’s sin. Israel was made liable to destruction because Achan and his family hid sin in their hearts. We fool ourselves when we think that sin only hurts us. Sin hurts us all. The Spirit of God is hindered when sin is in the heart, buried in the tent. Sin’s effects spread. The Apostle said:

Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Many young girls started down a wrong road because their mothers allowed them to dress indiscreetly. Many young boys find hidden pornography and are scarred for life. Sin hidden and unconfessed to God becomes out of control. It has a ripple effect that touches others, changing them, perverting what it touches.

Today’s Church says “Well, that was then, and this is NOW. God doesn’t kill people who sin in the New Testament.” No? Do you remember the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 who lied to God, and lost their lives because of it. Confess sin to God. Repent. Turn from it.

Note how sin creeps in. Achan said:

Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

This is how sin brings destruction into the life.

Achan SAW the forbidden.
Achan COVETED the forbidden.
Achan TOOK the forbidden.
Achan HID the forbidden.

James 1:14-16 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

What is sin’s solution? Don’t look at it – make a covenant with your eyes (Job 31:1). Jesus said:

Matthew 5:28 … whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Had Achan controlled his EYES, he and his family would not have died. We have no power with God while sin is in our lives. Let us do as God ha said and:

1 John 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Let us walk “in the light” of God, refusing satan’s horrid gifts. If we sin against God let us not bury it, but confess our sins. We have a Mediator Who loves us, and gave Himself for us. Let us not normalize sin, but REPENT of sin. Remember also the lesson we learn from Achan. After Achan was punished, and sin repented of:

Joshua 8:1 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:

Keep your eyes on the Lord. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Posted in Joshua, Sermons Preached | Leave a comment

The Walls Come Tumbling Down

Posted on June 9, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Joshua 6:1-2 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalm 46:10-11 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Israel has crossed the flooded Jordan, God parting the waters and making it dry land. Israel has gone to Gilgal – a town called Rolling Wheel – and has honored God by setting up a monument to God’s glory there. Israel has honored God with their lives and with their bodies. They are now in a proper Covenant relationship with God.

You Are Saved By Faith, But Blessing
Requires A Covenant Relationship With God!

In a proper Covenant relationship Israel heads to Jericho. Jericho. The Encyclopedia Britannica notes that Jericho is “one of the earliest continuous settlements in the world, dating perhaps from about 9000 BC.” The name “Jericho” (יְרִיחוֹ Yᵉrîychôw, [pronounced yer-ee-kho’]; or יְרֵחוֹ Yᵉrêchôw; or variation (1 Kings 16:34) יְרִיחֹה Yᵉrîychôh) means “it’s moon” or as the Arabs call it “city of the moon”. That is very illustrative of what Jericho was. Think for a moment about the earth’s MOON.

The Moon reflects the light of the Sun.
The Moon has no light of it’s own.
The Moon is unfriendly to life.
The Moon is a dead place.
No life was discovered there when
Apollo 11 landed there July 20, 1969.

There is no life in Jericho. There is PHYSICAL life, but no SPIRITUAL life. Jericho , like the Moon of earth, was Canaan’s “Moon”. All the was evil and dead was reflect – like dark light – from Canaan to Jericho. The Canaanites practiced child sacrifice, and like the Moon Jericho more than likely reflected this practice. The Canaanites worshiped many gods and goddesses, including Asherah and Ba’al as well as Dagon – over 35 different idols. Jericho reflected this. Since Jericho was an ancient and well established city, with fortified double walls all around it’s perimeter. Someone – probably an unfaithful Israelite – had told Jericho that that they were coming. I have often heard that “it is not the amount of water OUTSIDE the ship that will drown those on it, but the water INSIDE the ship”.

What Did God’s People SEE?

Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

Matthew Henry in his commentary says: “.. it did shut up itself, being strongly fortified both by art and nature, and it was shut up by the obstinacy and resolution of the inhabitants, who agreed never to surrender nor so much as sound a parley; none went out as deserters or to treat of peace, nor were any admitted in to offer peace.” The city was a fortress. It was absolutely impossible at this point for anyone – no matter how strong – to get inside this city.

Earlier I said there was no spiritual life in Jericho.
That’s not entirely true.
There was RAHAB.

God the Holy Spirit reached out and brought life to a tiny part of Jericho in the home of Rahab the Harlot. God through His people had promised to save Rahab and her family (Joshua 2:18, 21; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:24-25). God couldn’t just destroy Jericho like He did Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord will not destroy the innocent with the guilty (Genesis 18:23-25).

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

God had angels take Lot and his family out of Sodom before He destroyed it. But Jericho is shut up. It is sealed off. None can enter, and none are allowed to leave. The gates are shut, and NO ONE can come in. But God tells Joshua:

Joshua 6:2 …The LORD said unto Joshua: See …

I love what God told Joshua. I LOVE this text! In the original language the word LORD is YHWH or YAHWEH. The word JOSHUA literally means YAHWEH SAVES. So we read:

YAHWEH said unto YAHWEH SAVES:
“SEE”

The Eternal God – Yahweh, our Creator and Savior – His first word is “SEE” – רָאָה râʼâh, (pronounced raw-aw’) – “Behold – look – consider this”. What God is telling His servant Joshua is “Don’t look at the fortified walls. Don’t look at the huge locked gates. Don’t look at the Archers and mighty men of valor who have guarded this city for years. Don’t look at the impossibility of this. LOOK AT ME. HEAR WHAT I AM SAYING. CONSIDER MY WORDS.

Oh Beloved, if we would seek God and hear His Word, how we would be blessed on the earth. Yet many of us – believer and unbeliever alike – put a wall around our hearts of unbelief. We look at the wrong thing. We consider the obstacle before us and are defeated in our hearts before we ever start. The Bible tells us that:

2 Corinthians 5:7 … we walk by faith, not by sight!

Jesus told the Apostle “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29).

While the Apostle Peter had His eyes on Jesus he could walk on water (Matthew 14:28):

“Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water.”

Jesus said “Come” and Peter come out of the boat, and walked on the water to go to Jesus (Matthew 14:29). But then Peter looked at the wind and the waves. Peter probably heard a “faithful friend” call out from the boat, “Peter have you lost your MIND? People don’t walk on water!”. Oh, how terrible the discouragers are who cry out from the safety of the boat! Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and started to sink. But at least Peter had the sense to cry out “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30). And Jesus saved him!

What do YOU see, dear Church? What do YOU see, dear Israel? What do YOU see, dear America? God said “See”. So not see the walls. Do not see the impossibilities. See this. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

SEE THE PROMISE Not The PROBLEM

Joshua 6:2 …The LORD said unto Joshua: See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

God tells Joshua “I have given”. Beloved, that is PAST TENSE. Not “I WILL give”, but “I HAVE given”. God has promised this land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God has promised Joshua the land. He has said “everywhere you step will be yours”.

Faith is not a full bank account.
Faith is not knowing every detail as to how I will do it.
Faith looks UP, not AROUND.

Hebrews 11:1 … faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is when you hear God’s Word and believe what HE SAYS – not what the circumstances are saying.

FEAR says “Jericho is shut up. It is fortified. It has it’s own water supply, and enough food on hand to last over a year. Jericho cannot be beaten by human power.”
But FAITH says “God can. God can open those gates. God can shut off the water supply. God can take away the food. God can tear down those walls. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down these walls! God can save Rahab. God can!” The Bible says:

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Faith Does God’s Work God’s Way

God told Joshua that the city was already his. But then God tells Joshua:

Joshua 6:3-5 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

God expects His people to do what He says. God expects His people to WORK! Every believer in Israel had a job to do for the Lord.

Thus shalt thou do six days

The work that God’s people are to do is to obey God DAILY. Too many who profess Christ as Savior are on what I call the welfare rolls of Heaven. God does not call a person to serve but once in a while. He calls His people to DAILY service. Israel was to walk around the city walls of Jericho DAILY and in one accord. God did not exempt ANYONE from service. “All ye men of war”. Every able bodied person was to walk. The priests were to walk, carrying the Ark of the Covenant – an Old Testament picture of Christ – on their shoulders. This was a UNIFIED group of believers. Some of you think that your entire calling of God is to SIT and SOAK in a pew, hearing the message preached. The Bible knows nothing of this type of faith. The Scripture says:

Colossians 1:10 … {you} walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Ephesians 4:1-2 … walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

We who are Christ’s walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
We who are God’s walk in love, as Christ loved us (Ephesians 5:2).

All must walk around Jericho. All must serve God – together. All. All. When Jesus fed the 5000, did He use only one of the fish – or ALL? Did He use a little of the bread – or ALL? God uses all of His people together to do His will His way. We are all called to be responsible citizens of His Kingdom. We are all called to service.

One of the most beautiful countries I was ever stationed in while in service to our nation was Germany. Germany is a beautiful place. It is made more beautiful by the fact that the Germans will not allow litter in their country. I have seen store keepers sweep out their stores, then sweep the sidewalk as well as the road in front of their stores. The German people love and are proud of their country. When driving on their highways I never saw garbage strewn about as I do on American roads. Why? Because the German people are TOGETHER in correcting litterbugs. If you are caught by even a citizen tossing out a cigarette butt, you would find yourselves chastised by the citizens who saw you.

If every Christian would fulfill his or her calling for Christ then what a difference this would make. In the days of Nehemiah God’s people each put their hand to the plow. Nehemiah 3:28 says “Each one repaired the section immediately across from his own house”. God does not expect one person to do it all, but each believer to pitch in and do their part. We are each called to work for the glory of God and do our part. You cannot expect to be blessed if you do not follow God’s Word.

We Must Be Driven By “It Is Written”?

Joshua 6:6-11 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord. 7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord. 8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. 11 So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

Joshua had the people do exactly as God directed. The Bible tells us:

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Psalm 62:1, 5 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. 5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

To “wait on the Lord” does not mean to do NOTHING. It means to heed God, to seek his face, then to let HIS WORD drive you.

Joshua told Israel exactly what God told him to say. He aligned the people as God said. Joshua LISTENED to God then did EXACTLY what God said. But Joshua added one requirement that was not in God’s instructions. Did you catch it? Joshua told the people:

Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout

Did you catch that? What Joshua told the people was “You are ALL to stay in a state of silence. You will not say ONE SINGLE WORD until the day I tell you to shout. THEN and only then YOU WILL SHOUT!” Why do you think Joshua did this? I’ll tell you why.

The man of God or woman of God knows that the only way you can serve God is to HUSH. To BE STILL. To WAIT on God. To WAIT for His Voice. In our world today we are terribly impatient. We think we know it all. In fact, we are certain of that. But Beloved, we do not know it all. We know very little, but God knows ALL THINGS. God says:

I know the end from the beginning … Isaiah 46:10

God knows. We do not. If Joshua had let the people talk two things would have happened. First, you cannot hear God while you are talking. He will not speak to you unless you get still and quiet and know that HE and HE alone is God.

We are as humans notoriously IMPATIENT. Israel would have done well to walk around Jericho the first day. Perhaps they would do well on the second day. But around the fifth day unbelief would have spoken. Someone would have said to someone else:

We’re walking around this stupid city everyday!
What are we doing? Nothing!
What is John doing? Nothing!
Where did James go? He’s helping John. We’re doing NOTHING!
Not one rock has moved. Not one stone has turned.
We look STUPID doing this!

The murmuring would have grown. Like leaven in dough the unbelief would have spread. Perhaps some would have broken ranks. As the muttering grew by the seventh day the few Israelites left probably would not have marched around the city seven times. They may have compassed it only 4 times on the 7^th day. I’m sure there would have been a few who – like children in music class – would have tooted their horns EVERY DAY and not just on the 7^th circuit of the 7^th day. What would have happened had Israel NOT done as God said?

The walls would NOT have fallen!

The Bible tells us to not be weary in well doing, for in DUE SEASON we shall reap, if we do not faint (Galatians 6:9). We must do God’s work God’s way. It is not the FASTEST runner who wins the race, but the runner who stays on the course and finishes well. C. H. Spurgeon put it this way:

“Faith is not a fool. Faith does not shut her eyes to difficulty and then run head foremost into a brick wall. Never! Faith sees the difficulty, surveys it all, and then she says ‘BY MY GOD I WILL LEAP OVER A WALL!’”

Faith waits on God. It listens to Him, and then does as He says. Faith is not embarrassed by doing what God asks. God never asks us to do a foolish or wrong thing. Faith does not try and help God out. I imagine someone would say “Why didn’t God give them a rope ladder, and an iron hook, and let them climb over the wall?” Do you know why? Because then YOU would be glorified and not God. God will do what He says He will do. Let us heed Him. Let us “be still, and know that He is God”. Let us be like Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus listening while Martha ran about with busy work. Jesus told Martha:

Mary has chosen that good part that cannot
be taken away from her. (Luke 10:42)

Joshua listened when God spoke, and relayed what God told him to the people. And praise God, the people listened. The Scripture says:

Joshua 6:15-17 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. 16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. 17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. … 20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. 22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.

God did what God said He would do. God always will. God destroyed the city. God saved Rahab and her family. Israel triumphed because our God is so faithful. Let us be faithful in following Him. May the Lord draw us all close to Him in obedient service. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Posted in Joshua, Sermons Preached | Tagged Covenant Relationship, Faith, faithfulness, Trusting God | Leave a comment

Lord, Teach Us To Pray – Part 1

Posted on June 7, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Jesus had already taught His disciples how to pray … but they weren’t listening. Are YOU listening tonight?

Jesus called His apostles – the first disciples – right after His temptation by the devil in the wilderness. “Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). In between preaching messages the Bible tells us that Jesus – walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea (Matthew 4:18). They were fishermen. Jesus called out to them:

Matthew 4:19 … Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Jesus then called James and John the sons of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21). These four men followed Jesus to a mountain near the Lake of Gennesaret and Capernaum, the fishing town on the northern shore of the Lake of Gennesaret. The Lake of Gennesaret is shaped like a bowl, and strong winds serve as a natural amplifier. Sherry and I were at the David Crockett State Park the other day at their swimming pool. Two lifeguards were talking – one on either side of the very large pool – without raising their voices at all. The water carried their voices, and these high school kids realized and were using this to their advantage. As Jesus preached on that mountain the winds blowing toward the lake and off of the mountain carried His voice. He would not have to shout. As Jesus preached He told His disciples how to pray:

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The disciples heard Jesus’ teaching on prayer, just as many of us have heard sermons on various subjects, but it just didn’t penetrate. Sometimes we don’t want to hear. It’s like the time several preachers held a revival, and agreed to preach no more than 20 minutes each. One of the preachers got into the sermon and forgot the time limit. He preached 20 … 30 … 40 minutes. Finally one of the preachers sitting behind him on the stage had enough. He threw a song book at the offending preacher, but it missed and hit a man in the front row. As the man in the front row was going down he shouted:

Hit me again. I can still hear him preaching!

They didn’t hear Jesus the first time He taught on prayer. But the Bible tells us that “as Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him:

Lord, teach us to pray,
As John also taught his disciples.

Have your children ever asked you “Momma, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa … will YOU teach us to pray?” Perhaps it is because our children or grand children have never heard us praying. We have not made prayer a habit in our lives. But if we are saved by faith in Christ, children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26), then prayer should be natural to us. Jesus prayed, and prayed frequently. So they asked Him “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples”. I don’t think the disciples knew Who Jesus was. They perhaps thought Him to be a great rabbi, a great teacher, a great mentor. They called Him “Lord”. But they knew that John the Baptist – a man well respected by the faithful – was a praying man who taught his students how to pray. So now they asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray”.

The Model of Prayer

When I was growing up in the Presbyterian Church I was not taught to have a personal relationship to God by faith in Christ. But I remember every Sunday reciting two Liturgys. For those who are not Presbyterian, a “Liturgy” is from the Greek “leitourgia” which means “an established formula for public worship, a proscribed ritual which many churches use in their services and in their ceremonial rites”. We recited the Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and buried;

He descended into hell;

on the third day He rose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen.

We also recited the Lord’s Prayer. We used the prayer from Matthew 6 and recited it in unison. We recited it like it was indeed a prayer. Jesus never meant Matthew 6 or Luke 11 to be a verbatim prayer. He said in Matthew 6🕖:7

“when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do”

“Vain repetition” is to utter something without thought. It is like the Catholic uttering “Hail Mary’s” or “Our Fathers” on a Rosary without thinking or addressing God. Prayer is always to be addressed TO God, TO the God Who saved you. What Jesus was doing in Luke 11 and Matthew 6 is establishing the necessary elements of effective prayer. Let’s look at these elements.

The Elements Of Effective Prayer

Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Matthew 6:9 .. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

UNITY Is Absolutely Necessary! The first word in prayer is OUR. That is very important. OUR. The Christian is a member of the Family of God. In order for God to hear prayer WE MUST BE UNITED. It cannot be US and THEM. It is OUR. When our Lord Jesus prayed for His Church before His death on Calvary He prayed:

John 17:20-23 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Unity in the Church is imperative if you will have unity with God. During our Lord’s Table services we always quote:

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Unity is imperative to answered prayer. If a husband is at war with his wife, or a wife is at war with her husband, God does not hear your prayers:

1 Peter 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

If you harbor unforgiveness or separateness within the Body of Christ God will not hear your prayer:

Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Jesus encourages us to “be KIND to one another, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). We have all failed God. Yet God tells us forgive anyway. Let it go. OUR Father.

SALVATION Is Absolutely Necessary! The second word is Father. OUR FATHER. There is but one Father over the family of God. He is the Head of the Triune Godhead, the Father. The Father of the family is the One Who punishes the wayward child. We are not “Fathers” in the sense that God is our Father. Jesus said:

Matthew 23:9-10 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

I had a “Daddy” when I was growing up. But I have only One “Father”, and that is “God the Father”. He is the One that we address in prayer. We call Him “Father” because Jesus Christ – our Master – tells us to do so, and equips us to be so. If you have been saved by faith in Christ then YOU have ONE FATHER, “Our Father which art in Heaven”. Praise God for the Father. If you are NOT saved by faith in Christ then God is NOT your Father. As Jesus told Nicodemus:

John 3:3 … Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Just as you were born into your human family, in a spiritual way you must be born into the Family of God. Billy Graham asked:

“Have you been born again? Call it conversion, call it commitment, call it repentance, call it being saved, but has it happened to you? Does Christ live in your heart? Do you know it? Many people have thought a long time about religion and Christianity and yet have never made a commitment. Are you committed to Jesus Christ? ….. How is the new birth accomplished? We cannot inherit new birth. The Bible says that those who are born again “were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). Our fathers and mothers may be the greatest born-again Christians in the world, but that doesn’t make us born-again Christians, too. Many people have the idea that because they were born into a Christian home, they are automatically Christians. They’re not. … We cannot work our way to God, either. The Bible says that salvation comes “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

When we come to Christ – heeding His call to salvation – He through the Spirit of God causes us to be spiritually born into His family. If you are born again of God’s Spirit – made alive by God (Colossians 2:13) – forgiven by Christ’s Blood – caused by God to be born again (1 Peter 1:2-4) THEN God is your Father. You address Him in prayer. As Father He is the Provider, the One Who oversees the Family of God.

GLORY TO GOD Is Absolutely Necessary! Jesus said for us to pray “Our Father which art in Heaven, HALLOWED BE THY NAME. Every prayer prayed must start and finish with GLORY to GOD the Father. To glorify God is to acknowledge His greatness, to give Him honor in praise and worship. Let me ask you this question:

If you have cancer – are you giving God the glory?
If you have lost a loved one – are you giving God the glory?

Many of the prayers we pray have NOTHING to do with bringing glory to God. That is a shame. When we do not make glory to God our primary goal then we treat God the Father as if WE are the gods, and He our Servant, the Genie in the Lamp. The Scripture says:

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by {Jesus}.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

We are to make glory to our Father
the GOAL of our PRAYERS.

It’s not about making ourselves feel better. Don’t get me wrong – I understand the need. When my 17 year old boy died I prayed that God would turn that around. When my leg was crushed in a motorcycles accident in 1983 I prayed that God would take away the pain. I understand. I know. But we are to seek God’s glory. We are to be like Job was who, upon losing all that he had, said:

Job 1:21 … Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Many of our prayer can descend into that horrible sin of idolatry if we are not careful. God has said:

Isaiah 42:8 I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

When we make OURSELVES the center of prayer and not God’s glory then we make OURSELVES our own GODS. The Lord will not tolerate this. Let us seek His glory in all things. Jesus as He prepared to go to the Cross prayed in Gethsemane:

Luke 22:42-46 … Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

If we were to pray as Jesus prayed – seeking God’s glory – then even in the NO answers to prayer the Father would send an angel from Heaven to strenghthen us in our time of need. The Father loves us, but sometimes, ofttimes, the answers to our prayers has to be NO. To answer a wrong prayer is to bring disrepute upon the character of God, and the Father will not do that. EVER.

Luke 11:2 … Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Matthew 6:10 … Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

When we pray our prayer is to be like the song we sing.

Have Thine own way Lord

Have Thine own way

Thou art the potter I am the clay

Mold me and make me after Thy will

While I am waiting yielded and still

Here is where we will stop for the night. We will come back the Wednesday following our Vacation Bible School and continue this message. Let’s pray!

Posted in Luke, prayer, Sermons Preached | Tagged Glory To God, prayer, prayer series, praying | Leave a comment

First Things First

Posted on June 3, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

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Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

Joshua 5 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. 2 At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. 3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. 4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. 5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. 6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. 7 And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. 8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. 9 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. 10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. 11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. 12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. 13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

God Is Faithful & Expects Us To Be Faithful Also!

God’s Israel is in the Promised Land. They have all crossed over the Jordan keeping their eyes on the Ark of the Covenant, a representation of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what God calls His Church and His Israel to do. As we serve God we trust Him to do the hard things, but we are to do our part.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do what God tells you to do. Keep moving. Keep trusting. The great preacher J.C. Ryle said:

“The Christianity which the world requires is a Christianity for everyday life. .. A mere Sunday religion is not enough. A thing put on and off with our Sabbath clothes is powerless. Thinking men feel and know that there are seven days in a week, and that life is not made up of Sundays. .. such a faith is a plant which our Heavenly Father has not planted, and it brings no fruit to perfection.”

Israel has taken the first step – but there are other things that must be done. We are told at the beginning of our text:

Joshua 5:1 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

Israel is in one accord. All eyes are on Jesus. All eyes are looking forward. “all the Kings” of the Amorites and the Canaanites – those who possess the territories of the Promised Land, are discouraged. The Bible says:

“Their heart was melted, neither was
there spirit in them any more”

These kings, all filled with belief in false gods and goddesses, are already defeated in their minds. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords has led His people to cross the uncrossable.

Revelation 19:15 … out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

The leaders of the lost are defeated in their hearts already. If the leaders are defeated, the people are defeated. I can imagine there were many in Israel who thought “let’s strike while the iron is hot! They’ll give up now. Let’s rush in and do this!” That sounds good on the outside, but it’s not good in reality. We are to look unto Jesus. We are to look upward to our God.

To Be Blessed We Must Obey In The Small Things First

Canaan has been promised to the Children of Israel. Our God is not a man that He should lie; nor the Son of Man that He should repent: hath He said and shall He not do it? Hath He spoken and shall He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19). God will do what God has said He will do.

But God is in no hurry.
God is NEVER in a hurry.

God created the world, the moon, the sun, our Solar System in six literal days and then rested on the seventh day. Why did God create everything so quickly? Because He wanted to. Because He was going to create humanity and put us on a 24 hour clock, 7 days a week. But God did not create quickly because He was anxious or in a hurry. Later in Israel’s history the Prophet Habakkuk became discouraged because it seemed as if God was taking too long to bring repentance to the nation. God told Habakkuk:

Habakkuk 2:2-4 …. Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Habakkuk, YOU do your part and I’LL do My part. That’s what God told him. God does not get in a hurry. God prepared Moses to lead Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. God put Joseph in prison for 13 years before He made him the right hand of the King of Egypt. King David did not start out a giant killer, but a child shepherd of no repute. Sometimes we want to hurry up God. We forget that “a thousand years is to God but a day” (2 Peter 3:8).

We don’t need to worry about God keeping His promise. God has promised Israel the Promised Land. That’s why it’s called “The Promised Land”. The Lord first made the promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21). The Lord repeated the promise to Abraham’s son Isaac (Genesis 26:3). The Lord then made the promise to Isaac’s son Jacob (Genesis 28:13), Abraham’s grandson. God told Joshua:

Joshua 1:2-3 … Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

God has made the promise, and His promise is sure. The land ALREADY belongs to Israel – they just have to go and get it. But not yet. Why?

Though God made and will keep His promise to Israel, Israel has not kept their promise to God.

Joshua 5:2-3 At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. 3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

If you read this text without reading the CONTEXT it sounds as if these people have been circumcised and are being circumcised again. That’s not the case. The Scripture tells us:

Joshua 5:4-5 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. 5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.

Circumcision was a rite that God established with Abraham when He first promised Israel the land of Canaan. The Bible says that God told him:

Genesis 17:5, 8, 10-14 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. … 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. … 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

God promised Abraham and his descendants the Land of Canaan – ALL the land of Canaan. But tied to this promise was the covenant of circumcision. The covenant of circumcision has nothing to do with salvation. How do we know this? Because:

God established the Covenant of Circumcision in Genesis 17
Abraham was saved by faith in Genesis 15:6

The Apostle said in Romans 4:7-11 Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised …

Abraham had already been saved by faith in Christ (see John 8:56) long before God commanded him and his male descendants to be circumcised. Circumcision has nothing to do with salvation, but with inheritance of the land, for the land of Canaan only belongs to those Jews who were faithful to be circumcised. God established this requirement in Abraham. Every male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth. This rule was absolute on the Jew. In fact, when our Lord Jesus Christ entered into this world, when the Eternal God the Son became the Son of Man, where did Mary and Joseph take the baby Jesus on the eighth day He entered humanity?

Luke 2:21 … when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

The child Jesus was circumcised. Had He not been circumcised then He would have also been cut off from Israel – and that would not do.

The first generation of Israel was an unbelieving generation. God allowed them all to reach their natural deaths before ever attempting to take a believing Israel into the Promised Land. But before THIS generation goes into the Promised Land they must obey God in the small thing.

An Opportunity For Obedience Is Given

We previously read:

Joshua 5:1 … all the kings of the Amorites, …and all the kings of the Canaanites, … their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

The depression and discouragement that the leaders of Canaan was not there so that Israel could attack. It was there so that Israel could do what they were supposed to do FIRST. Before they can hope to take the land of Canaan they need to observe the Covenant of Circumcision. Circumcision on a baby is not too bad …. but on an adult male is extremely difficult. Israel will need several days to rest and heal before they go forward to Jericho. But Israel must keep their promise to God if they expect to receive the Promised Land.

Salvation has always been by faith in Jesus Christ.
But Blessing …. this only comes by obedience!

God expected His Israel to comply with the Covenant of Circumcision. God never asks us to do the impossible. So God provided a time of peace where the Amorite and Canaanite Kings were too afraid of Israel to bother them. That’s what God does. God gives us opportunity to serve, and commands we do so.

God gives us the POSSIBLE to do while He does the IMPOSSIBLE.
God gives us the COMMON to do while He does the UNCOMMON.

Now I’ll not make light of circumcision. I can only imagine how painful such an act must be. But here’s the thing. If God’s people had done what God told them to do in the FIRST place, there would have been no pain of circumcision in the SECOND place. If the first generation of Israel had circumcised their male babies on the eighth day – which is what they were commanded to do – those same babies would not be suffering adults right now.

Obedience to God brings blessing.
Disobedience to God brings suffering.

Jesus said “blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” (Luke 11:28).

Jesus said “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people, and walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you” (Jeremiah 7:23).

Jesus said “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great”. (Luke 6:47-49).

Salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone … but BLESSING comes by obedience whereas CURSING and PAIN comes by disobedience. The parent that does not raise the child to respect the Lord can expect that child to live a life of misery, saved or not. God calls us to do the small things to be blessed in the big things.

Jesus said “baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. A person tells me “you don’t have to be baptized to be saved. The thief on the Cross next to Jesus was saved. After all, Jesus told him “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). My answer is simple. Yes, the thief was saved apart from baptism. But hear me. That thief died screaming. How do I know? The soldier broke his legs before he died (John 19:31-32). The Jews did not want these men hanging on their crosses during the Passover Sabbath. So they asked that the legs of those crucified be broken. Jesus’ legs were not broken, for He had gone to the Father (see John 19:33-34). But this man – saved by faith in Christ – died screaming.

Listen to me, dear Church. Salvation is by faith in Christ. He did the work. But blessing comes only by disobedience. What did Jesus say? “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28). Oh, thank You, Jesus, that salvation is by faith in You and You alone. You did the work. You paid the penalty. But Lord, help us all to remember that the blessedness of salvation comes only by obedience. You must obey your Lord and Savior. You must obey your Shepherd, or satan will rend you. You must heed the Light of the World, your Jesus, or you will be consumed by the darkness. You who are His are called to be salt and light in this present world. Jesus said “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (Matthew 5:13). You can be the world’s boot licker, or you can be God’s people. I choose to be God’s people.

God Speaks To And Blesses The Obedient

Joshua 5:8-9 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. 9 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

God was silent to Joshua until Israel did as they were commanded to do. When Israel did what the Lord told them to do then God “rolled away the reproach of Egypt”. The word translated “Gilgal” is a Hebrew word which means “a rolling wheel”. Israel did the first thing first. Now they were moving. Now they were on the way to the blessings that God had in store for them.

As this chapter ends we read that the manna ceased falling on Israel, but “Israel ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year” (verse 12). But here’s something even more interesting.

Joshua 5:13 … when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

Joshua asked “Whose side are YOU on?” The “Man” he saw was no Man, but The Commander of the Army of the Lord. Joshua immediately fell down on his face and said:

What saith my Lord unto his servant?

In our world today everyone wants to choose side. Democrat, Republican, Liberal, Conservative. We all think that God is on our side. Listen. We don’t need God to be on our side. We need to be on GOD’S side. Joshua didn’t ask any foolish questions. He didn’t ask “Are you here to help us win the battle?” or “Can you break down the walls of Jericho?”. Joshua simply asked:

What do YOU want ME to do?

Until we learn to do God’s work in God’s way we will never be blessed. We need to truly sing “Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way. THOU art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will. While I am waiting, yielded and still.” This is the key to the destruction of evil, and the triumph of God. We are to heed Him, not lead Him.

Have Thine own way, Lord! May God touch your hearts with His Spirit.

Posted in Joshua, Sermons Preached | Tagged bad behavior, christianity, discipleship, obey God | Leave a comment

Preaching Christ Together

Posted on June 2, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

I was reading an article at Psychology Today written by Dr. Glenn Croston entitled “The Thing We Fear More Than Death”. In that article he wrote:

“Surveys about our fears commonly show fear of public speaking at the top of the list. Our fear of standing up in front of a group and talking is so great that we fear it more than death..”.

When I was first called into ministry I refused to go because of my fear of public speaking. This is not abnormal, but common among people. When God called Moses to go and pastor Israel he initially refused, saying:

“O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

Most of us but the most extroverted are nervous about public speaking. I still feel a little nervousness every Sunday and Wednesday, and even at our Tuesday night group Bible Studies. But God made us for His pleasure, and made us for His glory. He made our mouths, and wants us to use them for His glory.

You may have come to hear me preach today, but today YOU are the preachers. That’s what our text says. You may have missed it because the King James often uses archaic words to describe things. That’s why I like to go back to the original text. Do you see the word shew that is highlighted in our reading for today? This is the Greek word καταγγέλλω katangéllō (pronounced kat-ang-gel’-lo), which means “to preach or proclaim”. What you read is literally:

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do preach the Lord’s death till he come.

As the Church comes together to celebrate the Lord’s Table each and every one of us preach a message to others. This same word is used frequently throughout the Book of Acts. It was first used and translated as “preach” in:

Acts 4:2 {Peter and John} …. preached {katangéllō} through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

Acts 13:5 And when {Barnabas and Paul} were at Salamis, they preached {katangéllō} the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews …

Dear friends, when you are partaking of the Lord’s Table you are – in God’s eyes – preaching Jesus. Unlike Baptist “Eating Meetings” that we periodically have the purpose of this Table is NOT to fill our bellies. Several years ago at a small Church I pastored I was shocked to discover that the leftover elements of the Table were being greedily slurped down by the children of the Church. The lady responsible for the cleanup called the kids in. They then fought one another to try and get as much of the grape juice and bread as they could above their fellow children. I put a stop to that nonsense!

The Lord’s Table Is Not A Time Of Selfishness & Greed

What you do at the Lord’s Table reflects on your walk with Christ. In the CONTEXT of our focal verse we see that the Apostle Paul admonished the Corinthian Church for their perversion of the Lord’s Table. He wrote:

1 Corinthians 11:20-22 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. 21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? what shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

The Apostle Paul was not against what we call “Baptist Eatin’ Meetin’s”. When we were building an Education Annex and Fellowship Hall at Rock Hill Baptist I had one member come to me with this text. The member said “the Bible says we’re not supposed to eat at Church!”. No, this is a misapplication of the text. What the Apostle is telling us has nothing to do with eating at Church but the Lord’s Supper. The Corinthians were coming together at the Lord’s Table like it was a buffet line at Farmer’s Restaurant. They were coming together, pushing and shoving, and serving themselves. In fact, they were perverting the table. The Apostle said:

one is hungry, and another is drunken

The Pastor and Deacons at Corinth had allowed the Lord’s Table to degrade into a Roman Bacchanal. For the uninitiated a Bacchanal is a time when Roman citizens would come together to gluttonously eat and drink alcohol until they were in a stupor. They would then crawl to a section that was called the vomitorium where they would empty their stomachs, so they could go back to the feast and gluttonously eat some more. The Bible says:

Proverbs 23:20-21 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: 21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

The Lord’s Table is not a time to fill your belly nor to get drunk. The Corinthians were literally getting drunk at that Table. (The Apostle uses the word μεθύω methýō, (pronounced meth-oo’-o) in 1 Corinthians 11:21, which means to be inebriated or drunken).

The Lord’s Table is not a time when we celebrate the flesh, but the love of Christ. We celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ our Lord became Man – Perfect Man – so that He could save us. Jesus came to save us from our sins. The Scripture declares that all are dead in trespasses and in sins.

Colossians 2:13-14 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath {God the Holy Spirit} quickened together with {Jesus Christ}, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to {Jesus’} cross;

The Lord’s Table is not a time to feed our flesh or celebrate the sinful flesh. It is a time to praise God for the fact that He has saved us from our sins. We do not need to be like the Roman society which celebrated sexual and fleshly satisfaction. The Christian is the person who has been saved from corruption, saved from damnation, and saved to a glorious now and future eternity with Christ. You WERE dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh. But now you are quickened – made alive together with Christ by God the Holy Spirit. You are a living Creature of God, dear Christian, new and reborn. Unlike the lost who reject the Cross of Christ God has forgiven you all trespasses. You are no longer separated from God because of sin. God is in you, and you are in God, and it is all because of Christ.

At The Lord’s Table We Preach The Reality Of Sin

In our world today sin is out of fashion. The primary reason that many think nothing of what the Bible calls “sin” is because of Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe said: “I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I’m not the devil. I’m just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love”.

Al Pacino said: “Vanity is my favorite sin”. He also said “I asked God for a bike. But I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.”

Jean Harlow said “I like to wake up each morning feeling a new man”.

Two of these stars were from the 1930’s and 1950’s. You probably have only heard of Al Pacino, who came to stardom in the 70s. What these stars said was mild compared the Hollywood’s portrayal of sin. Recently the State of Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp signed into law a “Fetal Heartbeat” Abortion Law. The law basically says that when doctors can detect a fetal heartbeat they are not allowed to abort the child. Praise God for that! Yet many are crying out against the Law, knowing that the child is a child. The giant film company Disney which made billions of dollars promoting and producing child and family friendly television and movie entertainment has said it will shut down all operations in Georgia. Companies like Netflix have also joined suit. Sin is “in”, apparently, with everyone but God.

When we partake of the Lord’s Table we show the reality of sin. Read again our focal text:

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do {preach} the Lord’s death till he come.

Why did God the Son become the Son of Man? Because of sin. Sin separates us from God. Sin puts a wall between we who are created and our Creator. God told Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17 … the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The devil told Adam “you shall not surely die”. The world tells us today “sin will not kill you – it’s just a little harmless fun”. The entertainment industry tells us “Sin? There’s no such thing as “sin”. There are only choices. Live and let live!” The feminist says “It’s my body, and that thing growing in me is but a parasite. I have the right to kill it.” The Supreme Court says “Ignore what the Bible says. Ignore the Constitution. No one has the right to life. After all, they are only 3/5^th human”. The world says “sin” is nothing. But God says different.

Romans 5:6-10 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Sin separates us from God. Sin brings death with it. It curses all it touches. The Scripture warns “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Sin is no trifle. Sin is a liar. Sin is a robber. Sin destroys that which it touch. By sin women are enslaved. By sin drugs reign over a life. By sin blindness comes on us all. Christ came to defeat sin. The Bible tells us that …

Philippians 2:6-8 {Jesus Christ}, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

When Jesus came into Jerusalem on the Day of the Passover He knew He would die. He said:

Matthew 26:2 … Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

The Bible tells us that Jesus celebrated the Passover Meal with His disciples (see Matthew 26:17-18; Mark 14:14, 16). It was at the end of the Feast of the Passover that Jesus created the Lord’s Table.

Luke 22:15 {Jesus} said unto {His disciples}, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

The Bread is symbolic of the Body of our Lord Jesus. He went to the Cross of Calvary. He was beaten and bruised to pay the penalty of sin. Hanging on Calvary at noon day, suddenly darkness eclipsed the sun. In the midst of this unnatural darkness the Bible tells us:

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The breaking of Christ’s body brought no cries of pain from the Master. But the pouring out of our sin on His soul caused His cry of anguish. He went as a sheep the the slaughter. Jesus Christ died for us. Pastor Joel Beeke writes:

“Unanswered, Jesus feels forgotten of God. He is also expressing the agony of unbearable stress. It is the kind of “roaring” mentioned in Psalm 22: the roar of desperate agony without rebellion. It is the hellish cry uttered when the undiluted wrath of God overwhelms the soul. It is heart-piercing, heaven-piercing, and hell-piercing. Further, Jesus is expressing the agony of unmitigated sin. All the sins of the elect, and the hell that they deserve for eternity, are laid upon Him. And Jesus is expressing the agony of unassisted solitariness. In His hour of greatest need comes a pain unlike anything the Son has ever experienced: His Father’s abandonment. When Jesus most needs encouragement, no voice cries from heaven, “This is my beloved Son.” No angel is sent to strengthen Him; no “well done, thou good and faithful servant” resounds in His ears. The women who supported Him are silent. The disciples, cowardly and terrified, have fled. Feeling disowned by all, Jesus endures the way of suffering alone, deserted, and forsaken in utter darkness. Every detail of this horrific abandonment declares the heinous character of our sins!”

The Lord’s Table is such a simple sermon that even a child can understand it. A child sitting next to his father whispers, “Why do we do this thing?” The father says, “My child, we take the broken bread to show how Jesus Christ suffered for our sins. We pour out and drink this cup to show how Jesus shed His Blood for me and for you. We eat this and drink this to show that we are not just saying we are Christians, but that Jesus is inside of us by faith. He lives in each and every one of His believers.”

People make the Lord’s Table out to be complex, but its not complex. It is elegant in its simplicity.

When I eat the Lord’s bread I am eating it for me.
When I drink the Lord’s cup I am drinking it for me.
I am not eating it for my neighbor, my wife, or my child.
I HAVE PERSONALLY RECEIVED CHRIST. HE DIED FOR ME!

My salvation and my hope is all of Christ. My satisfaction is all of Christ. As the Apostle said, so do I say:

Galatians 2:20-21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (21) I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The Lord’s Table celebrates Christ. It is done in remembrance of Him. What Law saved me? The law of Grace. What right do I enter Heaven. By the right of Grace. How am I held for all eternity? In the arms of Grace. Jesus Christ gave Himself for me, and I eat signifying my faith in Him and Him alone. When I eat of the Lord’s Table I am openly declaring there is no other way unto God but Jesus Christ alone.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; (4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

The Lord’s Table clearly sets forth one Mediator for all. Everybody who sits to this Table can eat – anybody can be saved. Who did Jesus Christ die for? He died for all. He gave Himself a ransom for all. Are you not saved? It is not God’s fault. Be ye saved!

At The Lord’s Table We Preach The Family Of God

The world says “All men are brothers”.
Evolution says “All people are evolved animals”.
But God says “My Children are those who love Jesus”.

One day Jesus was sitting and teaching in a crowded room. Someone interrupted Him and said “Your mother and Your brothers are outside. They want to talk to You.” (Matthew 12:46). Jesus replied simply:

Matthew 12:48-50 {Jesus}answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

It is the “will of the Father” that we believe in Jesus (John 6:29; 17:21; Matthew 7:21). When we come to the Lord’s Table and partake of it we are preaching that (1) we believe in Jesus Christ as the only Way unto God (John 14:6), and (2) that we are part of the family of God because of salvation available only through Jesus.

We are family. We take this Lord’s Table TOGETHER. We do this because salvation binds us together under His Blood.

Titus 2:14 {Jesus Christ} gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

The Bible warns us to take care and to examine OURSELVES.

1 Corinthians 11:27-32 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Every person partaking of the Lord’s Table is to examine HIMSELF or HERSELF. You are not to examine your neighbor. Examine yourself as to whether or not you are saved by faith in Christ. Examine yourself as to whether or not you are in fellowship with God. No one examines you here. You examine yourself. John MacArthur writes:

“The result of coming to the Lord’s Table unworthily is that you are guilty of treating Christ’s unique life and death as something common and insignificant. A man who tramples on his nation’s flag isn’t merely trampling on a piece of cloth; he is guilty of dishonoring his country. Likewise, someone who tramples on the body and blood of Christ, as represented in the elements of Communion, is guilty of dishonoring Christ Himself. Communion is a real encounter with Christ. It’s so real that failure to acknowledge the reality behind it brings about judgment.”

May God speak to your hearts as we now come to His Lord’s Table! Let us preach Christ TOGETHER! And if you are not saved by faith in Him, NOW is the time to call upon Jesus and be saved. May God the Holy Spirit lead you to do so this very moment! Amen!