1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:04,280 Turning your Bibles to Joshua chapter 10. 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:09,240 We're marching through the letter, the letter, the story of 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:14,280 Joshua this spring season here at Saint City, we've been going 4 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,000 chapter by chapter, marching through it, getting to know the 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,520 God who saves, who fights, who keeps his promises. 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:24,680 In fact, that's why we get our sermon series titled Not even 1 7 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:28,120 is because at the end of Joshua, it recaps for us the whole point 8 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:32,040 of the book that not even one of God's promises has failed. 9 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,320 It didn't fail then, it won't fail you now. 10 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,280 And so we're getting to know the promise keeping God. 11 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:39,880 If you don't have a Bible, there's one in a seat in front 12 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,200 of you nearby on the floor. It's on page 185. 13 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,640 You can find it either there and you could keep that Bible if you 14 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,640 need, but also you could turn to it on a device if you like. 15 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,440 I I prefer a hard copy, but to each his own, I guess. 16 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:57,160 Let's start here today. We all I've had the experience 17 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:00,520 of fighting a battle too big for just us to take on. 18 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,879 Let me put this in a in a way that you might relate to anybody 19 00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:07,400 ever been to the Uno table before with the family or 20 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:09,640 friends? You are fighting a battle that's 21 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,440 too big for you and here's how it goes down at the Uno table, 22 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,240 you're playing Uno. You get to a number of cards 23 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:19,840 that people feel threatened by, and what happens next? 24 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,840 They gang up on you, don't they? You get hit with a draw 2, you 25 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,840 get hit with a skip, you get hit with a reverse. 26 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:26,960 The whole table is suddenly against you. 27 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:29,280 And it does. It feels personal, doesn't it? 28 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:33,520 Like Uno gets personal, it gets vicious at the Uno table, and 29 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:36,840 depending on your house rules, you can get down to that one 30 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,840 card. You can be so close to victory 31 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:45,320 and a draw 2 comes up at you. Just gone Draw 2 and some house 32 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:47,040 rules. You can stack those draw twos, 33 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,840 can you not? And it can get real aggressive 34 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,720 against you, man. I don't like the feeling of 35 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,320 people being against me. I don't like the experience of 36 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:00,000 feeling outgunned and out manned at the Uno table. 37 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,960 But the Uno table of life, there's other battles that we 38 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:06,160 fight that you can feel that same experience. 39 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:10,120 It's just magnified and it's far less, far more, excuse me, 40 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,080 serious, than a card game with friends and family. 41 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,000 You can feel the sense of fighting a battle too big for 42 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,520 you, related to a health diagnosis, related to a 43 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:25,880 relational conflict, related to your financial outlook, your 44 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:30,400 professional aspirations. You can feel a sense of, wow, 45 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,800 this battle is way too big for me to take on. 46 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,320 I'm overwhelmed by the reality of what I have to carry as a 47 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,000 husband or father or as a parent. 48 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,760 I'm overwhelmed by what I have at work or a diagnosis. 49 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:49,680 You can have an acute sense of this thought that this battle is 50 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:54,800 too big for me. And so the natural response, the 51 00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:57,120 fleshly response can be like, I've got this. 52 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,440 I just got to, you know, push through this. 53 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:03,040 I, what doesn't kill me is just going to make me stronger, and 54 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,120 you're just going to get there in your head real fast. 55 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,480 And I can relate. In fact, I get there too, in my 56 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:13,200 mind and in my head and in my thoughts where I feel 57 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,600 overwhelmed by the battles that I'm fighting in life by show of 58 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:19,360 hands. Who here has experienced what 59 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,120 I'm talking about this morning, the experience of taking on a 60 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:24,720 battle that feels too big for just you? 61 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,280 Anybody relate to that? Keep your hands up high. 62 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,680 Look around you. Look around you right now, St. 63 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:34,360 City. This is an experience we all 64 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,680 grapple with. You've either had it or you're 65 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:41,280 having it. It is a moment where you feel 66 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,600 like the battle is too big and the whole world stands against 67 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,000 you. The temptation is this thought 68 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,600 to think like, now I am the victim. 69 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:56,800 And we'll say things to ourselves like this, and I'll 70 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,120 say things like, to myself, just like this. 71 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,440 Maybe you can relate. Like, why do I keep doing the 72 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:07,440 thing I don't want to do? Why does everything in my life 73 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:14,360 feel like it's falling apart? Why does my mind keep telling me 74 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:22,560 things that are not true? We will only ever see ourselves 75 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:27,440 like a victim if we only ever see just ourselves in the fight. 76 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,480 But what if? What if Joshua tennis true? 77 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,920 And what if you're not alone in the fight? 78 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,560 What if you're not alone in the struggle? 79 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:49,840 What if God was trying to declare to you and remind you of 80 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:55,360 today that you might feel overwhelmed, overrun, outgunned, 81 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:04,880 but you are not a victim. In fact, the enemy would want 82 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:07,960 you to believe the lie that you are a victim. 83 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:12,840 Because God wants you to realize today that you in him you are 84 00:05:12,840 --> 00:05:16,520 not a victim, but a victor. You are not the conquered. 85 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,400 You are a conqueror. That when God fights for you, 86 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:24,440 he's a warrior who does not lose. 87 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:28,600 In fact, jot down this big idea. God is a warrior who fights on 88 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:36,480 behalf of his people that the meaning of Joshua chapter 10 why 89 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,160 it's preserved for us for thousands of years so that the 90 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:44,080 Saints of 2026 can look back on a text that's thousands of years 91 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,040 old. What can what principle can we 92 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:47,920 grab? What truth of God can we 93 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,200 understand and could be meaningful for our life. 94 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:52,760 Here's what God wants to tell you about himself today is that 95 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:57,080 he is a mighty warrior who fights on behalf of his people. 96 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,560 People. Let's go to the text so you can 97 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:00,920 understand it and see it for yourself. 98 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,120 Joshua chapter 10 verse one, if you're there, say I'm there. 99 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:08,200 That's right, you are. As soon as Adonis Zedek, king of 100 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:12,320 Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured AI and had devoted it 101 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:16,560 to destruction, doing to AI and its king as he'd done to Jericho 102 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:18,920 and its king, and how the inhabitants of giving and 103 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:22,400 giving, excuse me, had made peace with Israel and were among 104 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,320 them. This king, AZ, let's call him, 105 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:30,480 he feared greatly because Gibeon was a great city, like one of 106 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,520 the royal cities, and because it was greater than I and all its 107 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:36,520 men were warriors. Let's stop right there and catch 108 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:37,640 you up. If you haven't been with us 109 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:40,680 marching through Joshua. Here's what's happened in the 110 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:42,160 book of Joshua. Josh has been appointed the 111 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,880 successor to Moses. They have crossed over the 112 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:48,680 Jordan River and taken Jericho, not by force but by walking 113 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:52,280 around the walls. And God miraculously saves the 114 00:06:52,280 --> 00:06:56,440 Israelites and gives them the city of Jericho so the walls 115 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:58,600 couldn't stop them. Then they get to another nation 116 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:03,520 called AI later in the book and God tells us that the way they 117 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,600 beat them though AI has a bunch of weapons and military 118 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:08,760 experience that God is bigger than their weapons. 119 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:12,720 And now we have 5 different neighboring nations who are 120 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:16,480 hearing about this God who does not lose, who fights on behalf 121 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,880 of Israel. And they are shaking in their 122 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,760 boots. They are real worried because 123 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,360 guess what, they took down AI, they took down Jericho and now 124 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,800 Gibeon, the strongest of the nations has joined forces with 125 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:35,960 Israel and they're like, oh shoot, we don't stand a chance 126 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,160 by ourselves. What do we need to do? 127 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:43,080 Verse 3, AZ, king of Jerusalem sent to Ho Ham, king of Hebron 128 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,040 to Pyram, king of Jarmouth to Jaffe, a king of Lakish, and 129 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:49,760 Debbier, king of Eglon, saying hey, come up to me and help me 130 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:52,640 and let us go. After that nation who joined 131 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,320 Israel, Gibeon, for that nation has made peace with Joshua and 132 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:58,760 with the people of Israel. Then the five kings of the 133 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:03,160 Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmouth, Lakish, Eglon 134 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:06,160 gathered their forces and went up with all their armies in a 135 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:09,600 camp against Gibeon and made war against it. 136 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:14,480 So Gibeon is now running solo squads versus all these other 137 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,920 nations. It's 1V5 and Gibeon's like, hey, 138 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,720 Israel, we're threatened. We're not Jack Reacher. 139 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:22,600 We don't get to take out five people. 140 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:24,480 We don't feel like that sense of strength. 141 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,880 We need your help, Israel. So the men of Gideon, verse 6, 142 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,400 what do they do? They sent to Joshua at the camp 143 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,480 in Gilgal saying, hey, do not relax your hand from us. 144 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:39,280 Your servants come up to us quickly and save us and help us 145 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,799 for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the Hill 146 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:44,039 Country. They're gathering against us. 147 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:47,840 They're making war against us. So Joshua went up from Gilgal, 148 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,200 he and all the people of war with him, all the soldiers, all 149 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,040 the mighty men of valor, and Joshua and the Lord said to 150 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:59,800 Joshua, do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. 151 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:03,480 Underline that expression right there, for I have given them 152 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:07,840 into your hands, says the Lord. He's saying, hey, this battle, 153 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:10,080 it's over with before it even starts. 154 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:12,320 I have given them into your hands. 155 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:17,480 Don't be afraid not of man of them shall stand before you. 156 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:21,240 So Joshua verse 9 came upon them suddenly, having marched up all 157 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,440 night from Gilgal. He's marching through the night 158 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:25,720 to this city. He doesn't give up. 159 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:28,880 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck 160 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:32,520 them with a great blow at Gibeon, and chased them by the 161 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:35,560 way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them as far as Akka 162 00:09:35,560 --> 00:09:37,440 and Makada. In verse 11. 163 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:39,920 They fled before Israel. While they were going down the 164 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:46,920 ascent of Beth Horon, the Lord threw down large stones from 165 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,800 heaven on them as far as Azaca, and they died. 166 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:55,560 There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons 167 00:09:55,560 --> 00:09:58,800 of Israel killed with the sword. I wonder who wants the credit 168 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,600 for this battle with that sentence, verse 12. 169 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:07,080 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord 170 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,080 gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel. 171 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,880 And he said in the sight of Israel, before everyone hears 172 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:19,400 his prayer, sun stand still at Gibeon, and moon in the valley 173 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:25,640 of Ihalan. And the sun stood still, and the 174 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:31,560 moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. 175 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,160 Is this not written in the book of Joshar, which is a Hebrew 176 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:37,760 book that isn't Canon? Like it's not scripture, but 177 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,960 they knew about it. The sun stopped in the midst of 178 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:45,280 heaven and did not hurry to set up for about an entire whole 179 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:48,720 day. There has been no day like it 180 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:54,520 before or since when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for 181 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:59,400 the Lord fought for Israel. So Joshua returned, and all 182 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:01,000 Israel with him to the camp at Gilgal. 183 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:06,920 Let's stop there for a moment. How do we sense God's victory? 184 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:10,680 How do we sense His triumphant character when we feel our 185 00:11:10,680 --> 00:11:13,640 defeat ability? Well, listen to this. 186 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:16,840 When God fights for you first, the impossible becomes 187 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:22,760 inevitable. How do we sense God's victorious 188 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,720 character more and more in our life and our defeatability, our 189 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,280 overwhelmness less and less? Well, first we have to believe. 190 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:33,240 We have to know that when God fights for us, when He fights 191 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,880 for you, the impossible becomes inevitable. 192 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:40,360 It's a guarantee. It's as good as done. 193 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:43,600 There's three impossible things in those first 15 verses that 194 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:45,400 happened that just are kind of mind boggling. 195 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:51,920 Look back at verse 11. The Lord threw down large stones 196 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,480 from heaven on them as far as Azaca, and they died. 197 00:11:56,240 --> 00:12:00,360 Now, I don't know exactly all the sins of these five nations. 198 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:03,600 I know that they've had 400 years where they've heard of God 199 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:06,160 at work, where they've been asked by God to repent of their 200 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:09,120 sin, where they could have by His grace and mercy turned from 201 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:12,280 their sin and toward God. But God in his judgment to them, 202 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:16,200 guess what he's saying, Hey, your wickedness is so great. 203 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:20,200 Here's how we're going to win this battle with hailstones from 204 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,200 heaven that are big enough to kill. 205 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:27,640 That feels pretty impossible. I haven't been on this earth for 206 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:30,720 too long, but I haven't seen rocks fall from heaven in such a 207 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:34,480 way that they, like a Pokémon attack, take out people. 208 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:36,840 That's not something I've seen very often. 209 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:42,320 It's pretty impossible. And God in his fighting for 210 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,640 Israel, guess what, the impossible has become 211 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:46,000 inevitable. He said, hey, guess what, You 212 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,000 don't need to be afraid. They're in your hand. 213 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,160 Do not worry, Joshua, do not worry people of Israel, I've got 214 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:55,000 this, I've got you. I will fight for you as a mighty 215 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,520 warrior. And my plan of attack is 216 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:00,560 hailstones. And God we know, wants the 217 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:03,480 credit for it because the second part of the verse, the there 218 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:05,920 were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of 219 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:09,400 Israel killed with the sword. God wants the people of Israel 220 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,760 to be real clear on who the victory belongs to. 221 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:19,400 It's Him. Not only do we have hailstones, 222 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:24,840 though, we have a cosmic weather event that's never happened ever 223 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:27,680 again. The sun stood still. 224 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:31,280 What's the Bible saying with that? 225 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:35,680 It means there was something proportionate to the creation 226 00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:37,160 account. In Genesis chapter 1. 227 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:43,840 God made the sun stop in the sky, stop orbiting earth around 228 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,120 the sun. How he can do that? 229 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,440 How can he create the universe with just his breath? 230 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:55,440 He's God. Does this make scientific sense? 231 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:57,960 Absolutely not. It's impossible. 232 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,360 But remember, when you're going to follow Jesus, when you're 233 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,200 going to believe in this God, the impossible has to be 234 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,840 possible. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 235 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,720 That's an impossibility. It defies logic and science. 236 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,240 There has to be a position and a place in your heart and room for 237 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:17,240 you to go. Hey, God, you're big enough, 238 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,200 strong enough, powerful enough that you can do things that 239 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:25,240 boggle the brain, that you can speak and galaxies are formed, 240 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:33,480 that you can whisper and hurricane can stop, that God can 241 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:38,960 hear a prayer of a man named Joshua, and the sun can stop or 242 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:47,440 stop moving in the sky. This is just par for the Bible 243 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:51,760 course of how big God is. This is certainly miraculous, 244 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:56,240 certainly an impossibility, but if he can create the world with 245 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:59,480 his words and he can create the sun with just his very breath, 246 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:01,640 he certainly can tell it to hold off a second. 247 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:07,960 And time stood still because of the prayer of Joshua, the leader 248 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:14,960 of Israel. The impossible becomes 249 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:16,440 inevitable when God is fighting for you. 250 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,000 Now, I don't want you to hear that the impossible thing that 251 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,440 you're thinking for God to do in your life, that it's inevitable 252 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,200 that He will do that exact thing. 253 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,160 The temptation is that God would actually serve us and whatever 254 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:32,520 impossible thing we want, He has to do because we've asked Him 255 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:34,120 for it. That's not actually true. 256 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:37,320 What's inevitable about God is that He is going to do 257 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,400 impossible things around you and in you and through you, but it 258 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:42,360 might not be the impossible thing you asked for. 259 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:45,360 It's going to give. He's going to give the thing 260 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:49,960 that gives him the most glory. He's concerned about making His 261 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,680 name famous, not yours. He's concerned with making more 262 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:55,400 lives. Change the world, change not 263 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:58,440 just your world. And so he's going to answer 264 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,640 impossible prayers in your life, and he might do the very thing 265 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:03,600 you've asked. But what's inevitable is that 266 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,960 God is going to do things that bring His name glory. 267 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:12,080 When God fights for you, the impossible becomes inevitable. 268 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,240 Is saying that, hey, just because you asked for it doesn't 269 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:16,480 mean that's what you'll get. But guess what? 270 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,240 God will do something that blows your mind. 271 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,080 He is still in the business of doing the impossible. 272 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:29,760 He still can. He still does, and I believe he 273 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:31,440 will. Hudson Taylor, the great 274 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,160 missionary to the nation of China, said it this way that 275 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:36,680 every great work of God has three stages. 276 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:43,480 First it's impossible, then it's difficult, and then it's done. 277 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:49,120 If you want to see God at work greatly in your life, it's going 278 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:52,600 to start with an impossibility, then it will be difficult. 279 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,360 You will have to persevere, you will have to endure, and before 280 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:57,880 you know it, guess what? It will be done. 281 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:06,599 It'll be finished. God has already done the most 282 00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:10,560 difficult thing, the most impossible thing in human 283 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,680 history. He has paid for the sins of the 284 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:19,000 world, and he has risen again three days later so that we and 285 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:21,520 all who call upon his name could be saved from sin. 286 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,599 That is the greatest impossibility on planet earth, 287 00:17:25,839 --> 00:17:27,200 and he's already taken care of that. 288 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,160 The thing you're asking God for, the impossible thing you're 289 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:33,120 asking it is a small thing in the hands of a God that big. 290 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:40,000 If the God who Joshua prayed to can make the sun stand still, He 291 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,640 certainly can save the friend that you are praying for. 292 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:47,240 He certainly is over the health condition that has chronically 293 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,960 plagued you for years. That relational beef that keeps 294 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:55,120 lingering in your life? God is big enough to overcome 295 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:57,440 it. When God fights for you, the 296 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:00,360 impossible becomes inevitable. I believe He still does 297 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:02,960 impossible things. Friendships that felt dead? 298 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:08,840 Guess what He can bring to life conditions that were diagnosed 299 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:13,400 and stated by doctors as as good as being done and over with. 300 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:15,480 Pack your bags to the next side of life. 301 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,360 Guess what? It's not done until God says 302 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:22,960 it's done. And a few weeks ago we prayed as 303 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:25,040 a church family for impossible prayers to happen. 304 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:27,440 I just want to read a few of them for you. 305 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:34,320 That God, God would provide somebody in their life to be 306 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:35,800 married. They feel it's impossible for 307 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,240 them to find a spouse for salvation for their family. 308 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,680 For this person felt it's impossible to have the fruit of 309 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,240 joy in the thick of motherhood and the busyness of life. 310 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:51,000 Someone asked for God to save their brother. 311 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:54,720 Someone asked for their grandpa to be healed from leukemia. 312 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:58,640 Someone asked for deliverance from anxiety. 313 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:02,960 Someone asked for their roommate to know Jesus, for their 314 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:05,800 coworkers to know Jesus for the salvation of their four 315 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:10,200 siblings, for their brother to know Jesus, that God would take 316 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:13,200 away their pride and that they would humble themselves and all 317 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:15,320 they do. Somebody asked for freedom from 318 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:18,320 lust. This is what we mean when we say 319 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:19,920 impossible. At Saint City, there are things 320 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:22,840 that were like, man, God, I don't know what how we're going 321 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:25,000 to get past this, how I'm going to get through this. 322 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:29,120 Listen to me, if God can call the Son to stand still, he can 323 00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:32,520 answer those impossible prayers. Do not give up and praying them 324 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:33,840 just cuz he hasn't answered them yet. 325 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:35,880 Do not lose hope, do not lose heart. 326 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:37,240 Keep praying them. St. 327 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:40,440 City, do not give up. Our prayer team is still praying 328 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:42,960 for these very things. So please, if God is answering, 329 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:44,440 please let us know. We'd love to know by the way, 330 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:46,400 that God's answering them. Let us know at the tent. 331 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:50,960 Let us know the services, but in the meantime, keep persevering 332 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,160 in prayer. We are persistent in prayer at 333 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:56,680 Saint City. We continue steadfastly in 334 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:58,920 prayer. We do not lose heart because we 335 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:01,760 still believe in the God who can make the sun stand still. 336 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,400 And if he can do that, he can hear your impossible prayers and 337 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:09,600 he can't answer them. He is able, He is capable. 338 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,000 He is the God who fights for us on behalf of His people. 339 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:14,680 Amen. Amen. 340 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:19,800 But not only that, how else do we sense God's victory more and 341 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:23,240 our defeat ability less? When God fights for you #2 the 342 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:28,520 enemy is placed under your feet. Not only is the impossible 343 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:32,720 inevitable, but when God fights for you, the enemy is placed 344 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:36,760 under your feet. Psalm 110 verse one says the 345 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:42,600 Lord says sit at my at my right hand until I make your enemies 346 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:50,840 your footstool like an Ottoman, like kicking your feet up in 347 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:55,520 triumph. And these people, the 348 00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:01,480 Israelites, they've experienced God's victory and where their 349 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:05,080 feet go already. First it was the Jordan River. 350 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:08,760 In chapters 3 and 4, they walked where no foot had gone before, 351 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,360 at the bottom of the Jordan River because he parted it so 352 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,440 they could cross it. But not only that, they walk 353 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,320 around Jericho and guess what? The walls fall down. 354 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,800 And yet still they lack some confidence. 355 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,400 Look at verse 16. These 5 kings, they're fleeing. 356 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:25,640 The sun has stood still, things are going crazy. 357 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,520 Joshua and the people of Israel are dominating these five 358 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:31,040 nations. And the five kings were found 359 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:35,320 hidden in The Cave at Makata. And Joshua said, hey, roll large 360 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,080 stones against the mouth of The Cave and set men by it to guard 361 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:39,960 them. But don't stay there yourselves. 362 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:42,440 Pursue your enemies and attack their rearguard. 363 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,640 Do not let them enter their cities, for the Lord your God 364 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:51,120 has given them into your hand. When Joshua and the sons of 365 00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:53,680 Israel had finished striking them with a great blow until 366 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:55,760 they were wiped out, and when the remnant that remained of 367 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:58,360 them had entered into the fortified cities, then all the 368 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:02,720 people returned safe to Joshua in the camp, and not a man moved 369 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:04,960 his tongue against any of the people of Israel. 370 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:08,240 Then Joshua being the leader that he is, here's what he says 371 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:09,640 next. He says, Hey, open the mouth of 372 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,600 The Cave and bring those 5 kings out to me from The Cave. 373 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:15,840 And they did so. They brought out those 5 kings 374 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,200 out to him from The Cave, and the king of Jerusalem, of 375 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:20,040 Hebron, Jarmouth, Lakish and Eggnon. 376 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,120 And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, he summoned 377 00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:25,600 all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of 378 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:30,360 Ward, gone with him, Come near and put your feet on the necks 379 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:35,000 of these kings. This is such a baller move by 380 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,480 Joshua. I mean, this is for sure like 381 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:39,680 going to make the movie if Joshua ever becomes a movie. 382 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:42,160 Like, there's this moment where all the commanders are coming by 383 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:45,440 and they're putting their feet on the literal throats of their 384 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:48,960 enemy. It's dramatic, it's epic. 385 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:55,800 It is battle imagery on purpose. The enemy that they feared, the 386 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,360 enemy that they fought, guess what? 387 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:03,440 It is now under their foot, the enemy they thought they couldn't 388 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:07,200 beat, the enemy that they were afraid of had been beaten. 389 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:09,480 And we know they were afraid because look what Joshua said in 390 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:14,000 verse 25. He says next, do not be afraid 391 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:18,960 or dismayed. Be strong and courageous. 392 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,760 It's one of my favorite things about Joshua as a leader, by the 393 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:24,640 way, one of the every time he opens up his mouth, he's just 394 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:27,680 repeating what God has said. Hey, God has given them into 395 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:29,720 your hand. Hey, be strong and courageous. 396 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,400 That's something God had told him and now he's telling others 397 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:35,040 to do the same. Be strong and courageous. 398 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,840 He's repeating God's words to them to put courage into them, 399 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,720 to keep fighting the fight, to keep taking ground for the 400 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:43,800 Kingdom. Joshua's doing this as a leader. 401 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:48,880 And he says, hey, though, for thus the Lord God will do to all 402 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:50,440 your enemies against whom you fight. 403 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:53,040 I mean, this is a visceral moment. 404 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:58,480 He's making sure they not only conceptually agree that God can 405 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:03,040 fight the battles, He wants them to have a deep, impersonal sense 406 00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:11,640 that they're over their enemies, that their enemies are beneath 407 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:17,680 their feet. This is as humiliating and as 408 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,000 defeating of a posture as there is in the ancient Near East. 409 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:29,600 This was a sign for everyone. We beat you, we're over you. 410 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:38,000 You have no power here. And they needed a confidence 411 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:41,080 boost, apparently, despite all that God had done. 412 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:43,920 They walked through the Jordan River, they walked around 413 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:47,080 Jericho, they saw AI beaten, and even still, they needed 414 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:49,520 encouragement. They needed a confidence 415 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:54,560 booster. I just find that encouraging, 416 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:58,840 that I need that too, that I've seen God move in mighty ways, in 417 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:02,760 big ways here in my life, and yet I still need a confidence 418 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:04,840 booster. I still need God to remind me of 419 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:06,520 the things he can do and will do. 420 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:09,800 I need him to point me to, hey, guess what, you're still over 421 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,760 that. Hey, guess what, you have beaten 422 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:13,840 that. Hey, you are victorious because 423 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,360 I am a warrior who has fought that battle for you. 424 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:18,960 I need a confidence booster sometimes. 425 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:24,400 Now my daughter Blair, she's almost 8 now and she has fallen 426 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:25,760 in love with the sport of gymnastics. 427 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:28,920 And one thing I love about their training process in gymnastics, 428 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:33,640 as a non gymnast myself, I don't know why you guys think that's 429 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:38,760 funny looking at me. But in gymnastics, they don't 430 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,840 just start them up on the beam or on 2 bars and launch 431 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,880 themselves to the other bar or doing all kinds of, I don't even 432 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:47,280 know the names of this by the way, all kinds of cartwheels and 433 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,760 flips on the beam. That's not where you start to 434 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,520 get confidence because you won't have confidence if you don't 435 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:55,760 know where your feet are supposed to go on the beam. 436 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:58,120 If you don't know where your feet are supposed to go on the 437 00:25:58,120 --> 00:25:59,960 spring to do the vault. If you don't know where your 438 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:02,840 feet are supposed to go on the floor to do that flip, to do 439 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:07,960 that move, that. Sometimes the best thing to do 440 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,640 is bring you back to the basics of where you need to put your 441 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:14,920 feet, the fundamental and they're building my daughter's 442 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,800 confidence in what she can do by reminding her of the very simple 443 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,200 thing of here's where you put your feet, here's where you put 444 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:23,160 your hands, here's how you do it. 445 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:26,040 That they're boosting your confidence little by little by 446 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:27,360 saying you don't need to be afraid. 447 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,240 You don't need to be scared of this because you know what 448 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:32,720 you're doing based off the thing you've already done. 449 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:39,000 In our fight against our enemies, we need confidence 450 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:41,880 boosters too. We need to track our winds. 451 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:45,480 We need to see the small victories that will produce 452 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,000 larger victories in our faith against our enemies. 453 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:51,840 Romans chapter 16, verse 20. If you like studying the Bible, 454 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:53,880 just read this verse later, but here's what it says. 455 00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:59,360 It says the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your 456 00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:03,440 feet. The God of peace, the one who is 457 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:05,960 going to make all the wars and all the fighting stop. 458 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:12,440 Here's what he's going to do. He will soon crush Satan under 459 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:16,680 your feet. I find that interesting that 460 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:21,960 it's not under his foot. But we get the opportunity to 461 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:26,080 stomp on our enemy. We get the opportunity to stand 462 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:33,240 over our enemy. And I just wonder today, what 463 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:37,400 enemy do you need not fear because you stand over it? 464 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:46,040 What enemy do you need not be afraid of because you stand over 465 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,640 it? Maybe it's a sin struggle. 466 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,280 Maybe you feel like it has more power over you. 467 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:56,480 Maybe it's your gossip being heart. 468 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,080 Maybe it's a chronic discontentment. 469 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,800 Maybe it's a critical spirit or unforgiveness. 470 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:10,920 Maybe it's a battle with lust. Maybe, just maybe, you're still 471 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:13,000 getting beaten by it because you're not remembering the 472 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:19,480 victory you already have. It is crushed under the foot of 473 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:21,600 our Savior. And because that's true of Him, 474 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:28,720 it is true of us that we can step on the throat of our sin. 475 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:34,480 It's not stepping on ours. We stand on it. 476 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:44,400 Maybe it's the enemy of Satan that you feel the sense of 477 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,480 spiritual attack and persecution rising up in your life. 478 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:49,640 You feel the division in your heart, and you just feel 479 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:52,640 overwhelmed and overrun by all that he's doing against you. 480 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:55,360 Listen to me. That's a defeated enemy. 481 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:58,960 That's a beaten enemy. You can Captain Morgan, that 482 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:01,160 guy. OK, Put your foot up on his 483 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,360 throat and let him know. Guess what? 484 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:09,960 You're over Him. You have the authority over sin 485 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:12,080 and Satan because Jesus purchased it for you. 486 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:16,800 You need not fear Him. We are storming the gates of 487 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:18,560 hell. We are not keeping back the 488 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:21,880 gates of heaven. We are unleashing the light in 489 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:23,560 The Dark World. That's what we're called to be 490 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:25,640 as Christian. Winning the campus, winning the 491 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:29,720 world and the gates of hell will not prevail against God's 492 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:32,240 church. We don't need to be afraid. 493 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:37,760 Do not cower, do not be fearful, but know that that enemy you 494 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:43,160 stand over as well. And finally, death itself, you 495 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:48,040 need not be afraid of it. That's one of the most crazy 496 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:49,600 things about Christians. We don't have to be afraid of 497 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:51,400 death. There's every reason to be 498 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:54,200 afraid of death in this world if you don't have Jesus. 499 00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:58,960 But if you do, you don't need to be afraid of it, because to live 500 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:06,040 is Christ and to die is gain. That Jesus Christ conquered 501 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:11,480 death itself, so we don't need to be afraid of it. 502 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:15,960 We stand over to the throat of death. 503 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:20,680 Our enemy of death has been placed under our feet because of 504 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:26,080 what Jesus Christ did. When I fight, when God fights 505 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:29,160 for me, the enemy is placed under our feet. 506 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:34,800 Finally, when God fights for you, the judgement falls, but 507 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:38,400 not on you. When God fights for you, the 508 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:42,440 judgement is going to come and it's the conviction sentence is 509 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:44,960 going to land, but not on God's side. 510 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:50,160 Those who fight with God, those who God fights for, guess what? 511 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:56,920 The judgement isn't against you. He doesn't oppose you, He is 512 00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:00,040 with you. The rest of the text I'm just 513 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:01,960 going to kind of fly over it because it's kind of saying the 514 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,960 same thing again and again is that then Joshua and all of 515 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,680 Israel with him passed on verse 29 from Akada to Libna, and 516 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:12,120 fought against Libna. And the Lord gave it also, and 517 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:14,560 its king into the hand of Israel, and he struck it with 518 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,440 the edge of the sword and every person, and he left none 519 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:20,800 remaining, And he did to its king as he had done to the king 520 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:23,680 of Jericho. Then Joshua's going to go 521 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:26,280 through all five nations, and he's going to do what God told 522 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:29,000 him to do. He is going to devote them and 523 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,160 their inhabitants and their things to destruction. 524 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:34,160 Verse 40. So Joshua struck the whole land, 525 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:36,800 the Hill Country, and then again in the lowland, in the slopes, 526 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:40,680 and all their kings. He left none remaining but 527 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,200 devoted to destruction. All that breathe just as the 528 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:45,200 Lord God of Israel had commanded him. 529 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:51,160 Joshua struck them from as far as the Ganesh Maria, as far as 530 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:55,720 Gaza and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon and 531 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:59,000 Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time. 532 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:04,720 There it is again because the Lord God of Israel fought for 533 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:09,120 Israel God's people. Then Joshua returned in all 534 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:11,360 Israel with him to the camp at Gilgal. 535 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:16,880 Listen to me. God is executing A righteous and 536 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:21,280 perfect and good judgement here. He's like a judge when he's 537 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:23,400 reading the letter of the law. And it's like, hey, you speed, 538 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:25,200 you get a ticket. You were going 30 miles over 539 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:27,120 this payment. Here is a ticket that is just, 540 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:29,280 that is good. That is the letter of the law. 541 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:35,000 That is justice. What is hard to grapple with as 542 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,560 human beings is that the wages of sin is death, that that is 543 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,000 the right sentence. That is justice for sinning 544 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,680 against God, rebelling against him, having pride against him, 545 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,640 standing against him. These people have turned from 546 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:50,640 him and they have acknowledged that they don't want to live 547 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:52,000 with God. They don't want to be on his 548 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:53,880 side. They want to fight against him 549 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:57,880 and his people. And so they try and they fail. 550 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:04,920 And so God executes his judgment through Joshua and the people of 551 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:10,440 Israel, a just judgement, a swift judgement, A righteous 552 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:13,800 judgement. And Joshua does what he's 553 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:15,560 supposed to do. He devotes things to 554 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:19,680 destruction. Now that phrase devoted to 555 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:22,360 destruction happens five times here in this little section, 556 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:25,720 verse 28, we see at first that Joshua captured on that day, 557 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:27,760 struck it, and it's king with the edge of the sword, and he 558 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:29,760 devoted to destruction every person in it. 559 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:32,840 That's in verse 28. Verse 29 and 30 is the same 560 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:35,720 idea. He left none remaining in it. 561 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:40,080 Do you see it in verse 32? He left none remaining in it. 562 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,560 Again, every person in it was captured and struck. 563 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:48,600 Verse 35, it explicitly says it was devoted to destruction. 564 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,440 Verse 37, for the people of Hebron, that they were devoted 565 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:54,200 to destruction and every person in it. 566 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:58,000 Verse 39, it said again, he was devoted to destruction. 567 00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:03,560 This is like that moment in Toy Story 2 that's happened here in 568 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:06,400 the Bible, Toy Story 2. Here's what happens. 569 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:09,040 The whole plot centers around a yard sale where the toys don't 570 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:10,880 want to be devoted to destruction. 571 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:12,280 They don't want to have to be given away. 572 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:16,320 And there's this famous toy in Toy Story 2 named Weezy, this 573 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:19,639 raspy Penguin who's lost his voice and quite frankly is a 574 00:34:19,639 --> 00:34:23,239 garbage toy at that moment. And the mom acknowledges it, but 575 00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:25,679 that's their friend. That's their buddy that's 576 00:34:25,679 --> 00:34:27,360 Wheezy. We got to save him. 577 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:28,760 So he gets put out of the yard sale. 578 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:32,000 He gets devoted to destruction. And what happens is is a bunch 579 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,600 of toys go and try to save him. Woody goes out there, he tries 580 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:37,080 to save and he gets devoted to destruction. 581 00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:39,440 And Al from AL's Toy Barn takes him and the story goes away. 582 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:42,760 But the point of a toys perspective in that is, hey, a 583 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:48,120 yard sale is code for trash, garbage, devoted to destruction. 584 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:59,840 It is a grave reality of the world that to reject God in this 585 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:07,080 life is to reject his salvation and therefore say yes to the 586 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:11,760 yard sale for your soul to be devoted to destruction. 587 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,560 This passage, this remaining little chunk talking about the 588 00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:19,840 conquest of Southern Canaan, it's a warning and a wonder. 589 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:23,160 It's meant to tell you, hey, a yard sale is coming. 590 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:26,600 It is going to happen sooner than you think. 591 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:29,760 And you need to realize that there is going to come a day 592 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:33,880 where destruction is going to be upon all who have rejected God. 593 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:36,880 In fact, you know who God opposes in this world? 594 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:43,720 The proud says the Bible. Do you want to have God fight 595 00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:46,160 against you? Do you want to have the God of 596 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:49,400 the universe stand against you? Then be proud. 597 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:53,680 Say to yourself, I don't need God. 598 00:35:54,960 --> 00:36:00,160 I've got this. I am right because there's a way 599 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:02,680 that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death. 600 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:09,880 Every religion in the world is why God stands against it right 601 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:12,920 there, because it's rooted in the pride of thinking we can 602 00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:16,920 save ourselves from our sin. We can save ourselves from Satan 603 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:20,640 and death, that we can be a better person. 604 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:25,960 We can follow these truths. We can acknowledge like, hey, if 605 00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:29,520 we just do more good things and our good outweighs our bad, if 606 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:32,560 we go to church just enough, if we pray just enough, guess what? 607 00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:34,480 At the end of the day, God's going to look at our Ledger and 608 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:37,040 he's going to say, hey, you did more good than bad, guys. 609 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:39,680 That is a faulty understanding of what's happening in 610 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:44,360 Scripture. You can't do enough good. 611 00:36:46,720 --> 00:36:49,200 You can't obey enough commands to be saved. 612 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,520 You need a savior. And I have great news for you 613 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:56,200 today. I have good news. 614 00:36:56,440 --> 00:37:00,040 Is that Jesus Christ? Here's the wonder of it. 615 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:03,040 Jesus Christ was devoted to destruction, so you wouldn't 616 00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:06,680 have to be. How can God be good in Joshua 617 00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:08,240 10? Here's how. 618 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:12,280 Listen, look closely at the Bible here Jesus Christ was 619 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:14,240 saying, hey, guess what? I will be devoted to 620 00:37:14,240 --> 00:37:16,320 destruction. I will take on sin. 621 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:17,960 I will take on the penalty of it. 622 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:20,960 I will take on death so every person doesn't have to. 623 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:24,240 I will go to the cross and I will be holy. 624 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:26,720 I will be perfect. I will live the life they should 625 00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:29,040 have lived so they can be forgiven of their sins. 626 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:31,880 Don't you see? The wonder that happens is that 627 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:35,640 we have a better Joshua once again we have Jesus Christ who 628 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:39,120 has saved us from sin, who can deliver us from the judgement of 629 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:41,280 God. That is coming and it will come 630 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:44,360 one day or someday for you. But listen closely. 631 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:46,680 You need not have it fall on you. 632 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:51,200 It can fall upon Jesus that he can be crushed for your 633 00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:53,720 iniquities. He can be punished so you would 634 00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:56,440 have peace. He can bear your sin. 635 00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:59,680 If you would turn to him and turn away from your pride, you 636 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:03,640 would humble yourself and say, God, I need you to deliver me 637 00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:10,040 Hosanna, save me, save me, rescue me. 638 00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:14,960 Rahab did it in Joshua too. She realized she needed 639 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:17,880 salvation and these people could have done the same. 640 00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:22,120 But in their pride they turned away from God and they said I 641 00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:24,280 don't need you to save me, I can try to save myself. 642 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:27,480 And they found out that is a fool's errand. 643 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:32,120 And my plea with you this morning is that you would look 644 00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:37,200 to Jesus to be the one to save you from God's judgement such 645 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:39,760 you would be spared of the destruction that comes in the 646 00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:43,280 life to follow the the judgement that is just that is good. 647 00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:45,840 God is saying for you today. Jesus is announcing for you, 648 00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:47,920 Hey, let me fight this battle for you. 649 00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:50,760 Let me fight it for you. Let me beat sin. 650 00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:52,960 Let me beat Satan. Let me beat death forever. 651 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:58,680 Such you can be saved. You know, there's a way to read 652 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:02,720 your Bible that I think goes back to our, our intro today 653 00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:07,320 that often we'll read the Bible. We put ourselves in the we have 654 00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:09,480 a tendency to like see ourselves as the hero in the story. 655 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:11,880 You know, you can relate to, you know, Luke Skywalker. 656 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:14,200 Nobody ever goes, you know, I'm Darth Vader in the story, right? 657 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:16,280 And when we read the Bible, we can do the same. 658 00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:19,880 We can go, hey, I'm I'm Israel, I'm David. 659 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:23,840 I'm blank fill in the hero of the story, in this case, Joshua 660 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:28,440 and the people of Israel. And what happens is if you see 661 00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:31,160 yourself as the hero, whenever something bad happens to you, 662 00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:35,800 you can begin to once again see yourself like the victim because 663 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:38,120 every hardship that comes your way, every difficulty that comes 664 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:40,840 your way, it's in the hero's journey now so that you can be 665 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:42,760 the person that that you want to be. 666 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:49,320 The Bible is very clear. You are not the victim in the 667 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,840 story. You sinned against God. 668 00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:57,240 You are more like the villain in the story. 669 00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:01,800 You're the one who needed saving. 670 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,120 And the good news of the gospel is this, that you don't have to 671 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:09,080 be the victim and you don't need to stay the villain. 672 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:12,800 You can be the victor because the hero of the book is Jesus, 673 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:16,560 and he died so that you would be spared the judgment of God. 674 00:40:18,680 --> 00:40:24,040 That's the wonder of the Bible, that we who have all the sin in 675 00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:27,920 the world and Jesus who had none of it, that God could treat us 676 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:31,440 as Jesus deserves to be treated because he was treated as we 677 00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:35,720 deserve to be treated. And that is the entry point. 678 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:39,960 It's faith in Jesus so that God would begin to fight for you so 679 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:42,000 that you can enlist yourself in the army of heaven. 680 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:45,680 That's the way it's saying, God, I need you to fight for me. 681 00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:47,600 I can't overcome this circumstance. 682 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:52,320 I can't beat this anymore. I can't be saved and rescued 683 00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:55,880 from the things that are in my life that enslave the sin, the 684 00:40:55,880 --> 00:41:00,440 world, all of it, every enemy. I can't beat them, but you can. 685 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:08,240 I have good news. God is a warrior who fights for 686 00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:12,160 his people. And you're going to see it time 687 00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:16,880 after time, after time again, and you'll realize that in 688 00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:19,720 Christ you are not a victim, you're not a villain, You're a 689 00:41:19,720 --> 00:41:21,320 victor because of what God did for you. 690 00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:23,040 Would you pray with me? Lord? 691 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:28,480 Thank you so much. Thank you so much for the 692 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:32,360 reality that you have beaten sin, Satan, and death through 693 00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:34,320 your Son. That judgement doesn't need to 694 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:36,280 fall on us, but you can fight for us. 695 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:40,280 That Jesus Christ was the warrior who took on the battle 696 00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:50,560 that was way too big for us, who fought enemies that we couldn't 697 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:56,040 beat. And that life, Lord, can feel a 698 00:41:56,040 --> 00:42:00,520 lot of times like it is stacking against us, that people are 699 00:42:01,240 --> 00:42:04,920 rallying around US, against us, that the circumstances are being 700 00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:08,720 too difficult. But God, there is good news. 701 00:42:08,720 --> 00:42:12,600 We are not alone in the fight. We are not alone in the battle. 702 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:17,320 But we have a God who fights for us, who is with us in the 703 00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:20,200 presence of evil. And so God, I pray for every 704 00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:24,520 heart here today who is painfully aware of the reality. 705 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:26,120 They need you. They're actually discouraged 706 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:29,240 right now because God, they're like, God, it was another 707 00:42:29,240 --> 00:42:30,360 weekend. It was really hard. 708 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:34,040 It was really difficult. The trial was really felt. 709 00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:40,320 The attack was really great. And I pray God that right now, 710 00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:43,720 in this moment, your spirit would rush into the room and 711 00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:46,440 they would have a sense that you would even whisper to them, God, 712 00:42:46,440 --> 00:42:49,120 I'm with you. My presence is with you. 713 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:53,680 I'm fighting for you. I have not abandoned you. 714 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:58,240 I have not forsaken you. That we would humble ourselves 715 00:42:58,240 --> 00:43:03,680 and turn to you for the fight and we would say God fight for 716 00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:07,640 me. In fact, if you need to, if you 717 00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:09,960 need that today, would you just say it out loud? 718 00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:14,520 God fight for me, God fight for me. 719 00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:21,920 God fight for me, fight for me, because when the Lord fights for 720 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:24,440 you, the impossible is inevitable.