Title: Let The Walls Come Down
Date: March 4, 2007
Text: Joshua 6:1-21
Introduction
The new pastor of a rural church dropped into a Sunday-school class and began quizzing the students to test the effectiveness of the teacher.
"Who knocked down the walls of Jericho?" he demanded of one boy.
"It sure weren't me, Reverend," the boy said.
Turning to the embarrassed teacher, the pastor exclaimed, "I suppose that's a sample of the kind of class you maintain!"
"Now, Reverend, Timmy's a good boy and doesn't tell lies. If he said he didn't to it, I believe him."
Thoroughly upset, the pastor took the matter to the chuch's board of deacons. After due consideration, the board sent the following message to the minister: "We see no point in making an issue of this incident. The board will pay for the damages to the wall and charge it off to vandalism."
- we have an example in the book of Joshua, of how God fought Israel's battles and actually demolished the walls of a city called Jericho
- many of us are facing challenges in our lives
- they seem like walls we cannot overcome
- this morning we will examine how the walls of Jericho came down, and learn how we can be successful in our own battles too
1. Israel had a problem - v.1
- Israel had been marching in circles in the desert for 40 years
- this was the first city they had seen
- the city of Jericho was immensely fortified
- it was surrounded by an inner and an outer wall
- the inner wall was 12 ft thick, and the outer wall was 6 foot thick - the walls were between 20 and 30 feet high
- there was a 15 foot wide walkway that ran along the top of the walls, and some apartments had been built there
- Israel had a problem - how to break down those walls
- we too have problems
- for one of us, it may be how to get our marriage back together, or have a relationship with our kids
- for another it may be a financial burden that we do not see a solution to
- most of us struggle with sins that keep on popping up and tempt us to give up
- Israel faced its problems in the form of the walls of Jericho
- we face our problems in the shape of things that steal our joy, that stop us from living life the way God intended for us
- so how can we tackle these things, so that our walls fall down?
2. Israel had a promise - v.2
- God tells the Israelites that he has already won the battle for them
- it was already as good as done
- Romans 4:17b - "God who calls those things which be not as though they were"
- God gives us many promises:
- a. our weapons are adequate to pull down strongholds - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
- b. God has already determined the outcome of our battles - Rom 8:28, 2 Cor 4:17
- c. our ability to win is limited only by our faith - Phil 4:13, Eph 3:20
- d. we are promised power to win our battle - Eph 6:10,13
- e. we are promised victory - 1 Cor 15:57
- f. we are promised we will never fight alone - Heb 13:5, Matt 28:20
- g. when the war is finished and the battles won, we will celebrate the victory with Jesus - John 14:1-3
- as we face the walled cities in our lives, we can trust God to come through on these promises - Rom 4:21, 2 Cor 1:20
- we have been saved for the purpose of winning, not to go down in defeat!
- there will be trials in our life, but there will also be victory
3. Israel had a partner who told how to fight the battle - Josh 5:13-15, 6:2-5
- as we fight our battles, the same one who pulled down the walls of Jericho, is fighting on our side - Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
- God gives us weapons
- a. The Word of God - God has given us the Word (the logos) which is a vast armory of weapons for our use
- for example, Jesus quoted scripture at the enemy "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (rhema)
- this is a specific verse for a specific situation - the exactly right weapon for a particular battle we are facing
- each time the enemy threw a temptation at him, Jesus picked exactly the right sword for the purpose, we can do the same
- this requires that we know the appropriate verses, that is why the spiritual growth plans include verses we can use for our major issues
- b. Prayer
- God promised to hear our prayers - Isa 65:24
- God promised to answer our prayers - John 14:13-14, 1 John 5:14-15
- God promised to help us pray according to his will - Rom 8:26-27
4. Israel won the battle - v.6-21
- there are reasons why Israel experienced victory at Jericho
- a. they had a Word from God - (v.2-6) 2 Tim. 2:15; John 16:13
- b. they believed God - (v.8-20) Mark 11:22; Matt. 21:21-22
- c. they acted in faith - (Heb 11:30) I John 5:14-15
- d. they did it God's way - Isa. 55:8-9
- e. God gave them the victory - (v.20-21)
- whatever situation you are in, you can win the battle - 1 John 5:4
Summary
1. There was a problem - v.1
2. There was a promise - v.2
3. They had a partner who told how to fight the battle - Josh 5:13-15, 6:2-5
4. They were able to win the battle - v.6-21
Conclusion
- what things are you facing today? - God says he is able to fight your battle for you - Ex 14:14
- do the walls look too high for you to make a dent? - God says he has given us weapons for the pulling down of strongholds - 2 Cor 10:4
- if you are marching around your walls today, have faith that God will give you victory - Mark 9:23 "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
- persist in marching till the answer comes - Heb 12:1 "let us run with patience the race that is set before us"
- your walls can fall down just as surely as Jesus pulled them down in Jericho
- are you going to come to him with your need, will you bring it to Jesus right now?
- Jesus is still a miracle working God today!
- he is greater than any obstacle, he is able to move any mountain, he is stronger than any wall you may be facing
- bring it to Him and watch Him work it out!
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