Good morning.
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You are the early
birds who'll catch the warm
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and I hope I'm like I
was just a few moments ago,
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you are
switched on this morning.
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So let's start from
with the word of prayer.
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Dear heavenly Father,
we come here this morning
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because we want to
learn more about you.
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We come because we
are sincere in our desire
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to surrender
everything that we have to You
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and our desire
to obey you in all
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that you asked us to do,
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because we trust
You and we love You.
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And we thank you for
being with us this morning
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for blessing our time
together in Jesus' name, amen.
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I want to invite you to
turn with me in your Bibles
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because this is a devotional
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and what would it
be without the Bible.
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Turn with me to
Joshua Chapter 5,
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we are about to
find the Israelites
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and they are encamped
in the plains of Jericho.
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The plains of Jericho
which is not in the wilderness,
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this is in and part of
the Promised Land, isn't it?
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However they are camped
in the plains of Jericho
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looking and beside
the city of Jericho.
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Would you read with me
verse 13, Joshua 5:13 it says,
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"And it came to pass,
when Joshua was by Jericho,
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that he lifted
his eyes and looked."
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Now to begin with why is Joshua
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outside of the
camp of the Israelites?
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He's not anywhere near
a tent or a cooking fire
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for the morning
breakfast or anything like that,
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he's away from the camp.
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This man was a man, he was not
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some kind of amazing
person in and off himself.
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He was like you
and I, a simple person,
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if I could say
that about us all.
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He was a simple man
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and God had
given him a great task.
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God was calling him
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and had anointed
him through Moses.
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Before they came
into the Promised Land
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to lead his people,
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he wanted to
lead-- he wanted Joshua
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to lead his people to
take hold of the what?
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The Promised Land.
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He said this is what
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I have promised for you to take.
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If I have promised it to you
and it's yours for the taking,
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then all that is
left for you and I
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if we are spiritual Israel
is to go ahead and claim it,
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simple isn't it?
You happy with that?
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I'm, well, let's read on,
the rest of the verse continues
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"So he lifted up
his eyes and looked,
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and behold, a man
stood opposite him
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with his sword
drawn in his hand."
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This is some kind of warrior.
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The Spirit of
Prophecy calls this man
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a lofty, a tall
man, a warrior like
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in all his appearance
and he has his sword drawn.
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Does this seem like he's
coming on friendly terms?
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No, he kind of
seems a little bit scary.
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And if I was Joshua,
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I might not have
done what he does next
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and what does he
do next? Bible says,
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"And Joshua went to
him, and said to him,
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"Are you for us, or
for our adversaries?""
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Would you do such a thing?
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I think you'd be like me,
well, to stand back and watch
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and say from a
distance, who are you?
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Have you ever met
anyone who knows who you are
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and you don't know who they are?
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Okay, may be it
happened at this conference,
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someone says hi,
how are you doing?
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You can't remember who they are,
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but they remember
you which is really nice.
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Well, in this case,
Joshua has the courage to go
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and ask this tall
lofty character, who are you?
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Are you for us
or are you for them?
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Now there's two points I
want to make in this verse,
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first of all, what God says next
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and if I have jumped the
gun, I'll come with you on it.
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Let's just go to
verse 14, the man says,
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"No, I'm not for you
and I'm not against you."
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I'm not for you alone
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and I'm not for
your adversaries alone.
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Read it with me.
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So he said, "Neither;
but as commander of the army
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of the Lord am I now come."
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Who is this man?
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I said it a moment
ago, this is God himself.
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What is Joshua been praying for?
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If he's leading all his people
and he's seeing this Jericho
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where he needs to take the city.
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Who is he praying to God for?
What is he praying to God for?
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He's asking for guidance
on how to take the city?
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How to claim the promise?
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You think that if God
said, it's yours, have it.
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That he would know
what we're supposed to do.
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But he goes and he prays,
he prays and he's meditated
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no doubt on the verse
that God had said to him
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in chapter 1 of
Joshua where God says,
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"No man will be able
to stand before you."
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That's why he walks right over
to the strange amazing figure
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and says who are you?
And then that he asks him,
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"Are you for us or
for our adversaries."
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And God's answer
to him is neither.
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Does that suggest to
you and I that God is not
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just the God of us
or the God of them,
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but the God of all living, amen.
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He 's not He had just to say,
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I want to save those
who live in Queensland
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or those who live
in New South Wales,
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or those who live in America
and those who in Australia.
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God says, I want
to save everyone,
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everyone who will
come to me by faith
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and accept my gift of salvation.
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We read on.
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What is Joshua's
response to this?
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He falls on his face to
the earth and worshipped
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and said to him,
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"What does my Lord
say to his servant?
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An act of worship,
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acknowledging the
leadership of God,
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He surrenders the
leadership imparted to him
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back to God where
it always ought to go.
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The commander in
verse 15 of the Lord's army
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said to Joshua and this
is the first instruction
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he gives to the
prayer of guide us our Lord.
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Take your sandal off your foot,
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for the place where
you are standing is what?
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Holy and Joshua did so.
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Now I want you to focus here
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because I actually
like this thought a lot
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'cause it's so practical.
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Take your shoes off.
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The commander says
take your shoes off,
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it's the first thing.
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Moses had the burning bush,
the thought of that whole story
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and how God spoke to him
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must have flashed
through Joshua's mind.
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This is the same God
who has led the Israelites
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through the
wildness, through many trials
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and made them
wander around and around
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until they came back with faith
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to the Promised
Land to claim it.
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Now there's three
points I want to make here.
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So if you're taking
notes, write it down.
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The first point is, we
want to recognize who God is?
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When you come before
Him, asking for guidance
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and you come before
Him to claim His promises.
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We need to recognize who He is.
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Joshua took his shoes off
because it was holy ground,
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where God stands it is Holy.
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Take your shoes off,
recognize who you are before.
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The second point is that
we want to surrender all.
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In our house, we
don't wear shoes inside
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and I don't know
what you do cause
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everybody seems to be
different on that one.
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But we try to keep
inside separate from outside.
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So we take our shoes
off and at all the entrances
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to our house you'll find shoes.
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It's kind of symbolic.
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Take your shoes
off all the visitors,
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take note don't
wear them inside.
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We have little
slippers you can wear insides
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that you don't dirty
inside because it's special.
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It's got to be clean.
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And at our church we
used to have this lady,
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she's still alive, dear Ivy,
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she wears the most
amazing high heels.
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She is in her 80's now
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and she wears
really big high heels.
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She has amazing high heels.
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They are all
different colors and they match
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every different
outfit she has for church.
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We love to see
what Ivy's wearing.
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They denote her personality,
that's how she likes to do it.
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What do your shoe say about you?
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Have a look at 'em.
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My sister likes to
say, you can tell a lot
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about a person by the
way they wear their socks.
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But I'd like to
say, you can tell a lot
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about a person by the
shoes that they wear, okay?
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Don't get too self
conscious, but God says
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take your shoes off,
leave self at the door
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when you come to
ask me for guidance.
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Put your plans
aside and listen to mine,
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adopt my will for your life.
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We tend to think we know a
lot about what's best for us.
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We tell those who know
a lot better than we do,
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who have lived a lot longer
and had many more experiences
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of trial and error
that we know better.
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We don't want to
listen to anybody else,
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what anybody else has to say.
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But God says
when you come to Me,
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leave your shoes at the door.
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Take them off, it's holy ground.
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And I said I had
three points on this one,
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so the third point is this,
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we want to obey,
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I was visiting the
late Mrs. Doune with my mom
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a long time ago in
hospital, she wasn't well.
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This is Pastor
Doune's first wife
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and she asked me
to get something.
00:11:18.41\00:11:21.64
There is a
suggestion in the conversation
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and my mom said,
Marle, you can go get it.
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So I jumped to my feet
from where I was sitting
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and I started for
the door and she said
00:11:28.26\00:11:30.38
hang on wait, I
haven't even told you
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what you are
supposed to get yet,
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and I felt a little bit
silly because I hadn't waited,
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and I just let her
say you know I need help.
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When God wants to talk
to us, take your shoes off,
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let Him talk to you.
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Don't rush out of His presence.
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How many of you need
guidance in your life?
00:11:49.76\00:11:54.16
These people need guidance.
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Don't know
about the rest of you.
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These people need
guidance of the back,
00:11:56.89\00:11:58.73
people want guidance
with their relationships,
00:11:58.76\00:12:01.14
with their work
what to do with work?
00:12:01.17\00:12:03.19
When to go to Bible college?
When to go just stay working?
00:12:03.22\00:12:06.93
Which job should I take?
How should I work my life?
00:12:06.96\00:12:09.78
My parents say me
to look after them,
00:12:09.81\00:12:11.23
they are not doing so well.
00:12:11.26\00:12:12.53
How can I juggle everything?
00:12:12.56\00:12:14.84
Well, don't just
come into the prayer room
00:12:14.87\00:12:17.14
and say, Lord I have a problem,
00:12:17.17\00:12:19.95
do something about
it and then walk out.
00:12:19.98\00:12:22.99
Is He your friend
or is He your Google,
00:12:23.02\00:12:25.73
where you just type your problem
00:12:25.76\00:12:27.12
and wait for
something to happen.
00:12:27.15\00:12:29.28
God says, "Recognize who
I am, take your shoes off,
00:12:29.31\00:12:34.29
it's holy ground,
surrender all to me.
00:12:34.32\00:12:39.25
Take your shoes off,
leave self at the door.
00:12:39.28\00:12:42.84
Obey Me, take your shoes off,
00:12:42.87\00:12:45.66
don't rush off,
let me talk with you.
00:12:45.69\00:12:48.66
He has a better
plan than anything
00:12:48.69\00:12:51.43
you could ever dream up, amen.
00:12:51.46\00:12:55.09
Okay, Joshua 6:1,
00:12:55.12\00:12:59.61
"Now Jericho
was securely shut up
00:12:59.64\00:13:04.53
because of the
children of Israel."
00:13:04.56\00:13:08.12
In other words it keeps going
none went in and none came out.
00:13:08.15\00:13:13.39
What is this Jericho like?
00:13:13.42\00:13:15.43
Well, the Bible doesn't
say too much in this chapter,
00:13:15.46\00:13:18.95
but from my
little bit of research,
00:13:18.98\00:13:21.20
I discovered that it is
the size of 8 acres of land.
00:13:21.23\00:13:26.74
I don't know how
big this block of land,
00:13:26.77\00:13:29.18
this church and a school
connected with it are on,
00:13:29.21\00:13:33.68
but I'm guessing
that it's somewhere
00:13:33.71\00:13:35.62
in the vicinity of
getting close to 8 acres.
00:13:35.65\00:13:39.05
Nobody He
knows, nobody He knows,
00:13:39.08\00:13:42.64
we can just pretend
that it is the size of...
00:13:42.67\00:13:46.56
yeah, this is
actually quite small,
00:13:46.59\00:13:49.89
8 acres is quite small.
00:13:49.92\00:13:51.93
Is it smaller than
what this block is on?
00:13:51.96\00:13:55.68
Let's say that this
city is about the size
00:13:55.71\00:13:58.95
of this block, so that so those
00:13:58.98\00:14:01.91
who can imagine it
and it isn't quite big.
00:14:01.94\00:14:03.95
Thank you very much.
00:14:03.98\00:14:06.58
8 acres built up
city, there's people inside
00:14:06.61\00:14:10.84
and they are stuck inside.
00:14:10.87\00:14:12.50
The Bible doesn't say
that the Israelites were camped
00:14:12.53\00:14:14.80
all the way around this city,
00:14:14.83\00:14:17.39
but they were in
the plains of Jericho.
00:14:17.42\00:14:20.06
So it kind of appears
to me that the Jerichoites
00:14:20.09\00:14:23.46
put themselves
under their own siege.
00:14:23.49\00:14:27.74
It's not like we
went there seeing them,
00:14:27.77\00:14:30.07
I'm visioning on the Israelites.
00:14:30.10\00:14:31.83
But it's not like
they went there and said,
00:14:31.86\00:14:33.38
let's camp all the way
around, block their doors
00:14:33.41\00:14:35.25
and say don't go in or out.
00:14:35.28\00:14:36.97
They did that themselves.
00:14:37.00\00:14:39.10
Now inside the city
there was many things,
00:14:39.13\00:14:41.57
they had trade with Babylon
00:14:41.60\00:14:43.12
and we know that from chapter7,
with Achan's sin of taking
00:14:43.15\00:14:46.22
a Babylonish garment
after the walls fell.
00:14:46.25\00:14:50.33
They also had gold, silver,
bronze, many different metals
00:14:50.36\00:14:53.74
and we know that because
God said don't take any of that,
00:14:53.77\00:14:56.96
that's coming to the treasury
of the house of the Lord.
00:14:56.99\00:15:00.90
We know that they had
grain in there, stores of grain
00:15:00.93\00:15:04.93
because this was
during spring time.
00:15:04.96\00:15:07.09
As the harvest had been
taken and they had enough food
00:15:07.12\00:15:10.19
in there to last
themselves a self started siege.
00:15:10.22\00:15:15.04
And so there was
many things in there.
00:15:15.07\00:15:17.48
But there was a part from what
00:15:17.51\00:15:18.85
material things
were inside the city,
00:15:18.88\00:15:21.93
inside the city were people
00:15:21.96\00:15:23.26
who worshipped
God such as Astra.
00:15:23.29\00:15:26.82
She was the moon goddess,
00:15:26.85\00:15:28.89
kind of the female
counterpart to Baal.
00:15:28.92\00:15:32.14
And what they did in worships
00:15:32.17\00:15:34.14
to their gods
was quite disgusting.
00:15:34.17\00:15:37.43
They would call their children
to pass through the fire,
00:15:37.46\00:15:40.59
they would perform
sexual acts to honor their gods
00:15:40.62\00:15:45.00
and I just wonder
how much of that happened
00:15:45.03\00:15:47.48
inside the walls,
while the Israelites
00:15:47.51\00:15:50.07
were outside of the walls
but it was all very futile.
00:15:50.10\00:15:56.06
Verse 2, this is exciting
because this is the next part
00:15:56.09\00:16:01.39
of what God says
to the Israelites.
00:16:01.42\00:16:03.59
First He says
take your shoes off,
00:16:03.62\00:16:05.45
recognize who I
am, surrender all
00:16:05.48\00:16:07.96
and obey Me if you will.
00:16:07.99\00:16:11.89
So verse 2, the Bible says,
"And the Lord said to Joshua,
00:16:11.92\00:16:16.85
see I have given
Jericho into your hand.
00:16:16.88\00:16:20.59
It's king and the
mighty men of valor.
00:16:20.62\00:16:23.24
You shall march around
the city all you men of war,
00:16:23.27\00:16:26.21
you shall go all
around the city once.
00:16:26.24\00:16:29.62
Then this you shall
bear seven trumpets,
00:16:29.65\00:16:33.33
sorry this you
shall do six days, verse 4
00:16:33.36\00:16:37.06
and seven priests
shall bear seven trumpets
00:16:37.09\00:16:39.43
of ram's horn before the ark.
00:16:39.46\00:16:41.60
But the seventh day you
shall march around the city
00:16:41.63\00:16:44.77
seven times and the
priests shall blow the trumpets.
00:16:44.80\00:16:49.32
It shall come to
pass when they make
00:16:49.35\00:16:51.58
a long blast
with the ram's horn,
00:16:51.61\00:16:54.13
and when you hear
the sound of the trumpet,
00:16:54.16\00:16:56.30
that all the people
shall shout with a great shout
00:16:56.33\00:17:00.58
that then the wall of
the city will fall down."
00:17:00.61\00:17:04.17
What will it fall down as? Flat.
00:17:04.20\00:17:07.07
Same thing my Bible says,
00:17:07.10\00:17:09.04
quite explicitly it will be flat
00:17:09.07\00:17:11.36
and the people shall go up,
every man straight before him
00:17:11.39\00:17:16.77
and that is straight up
into the city to take it
00:17:16.80\00:17:19.24
and utterly destroy it.
00:17:19.27\00:17:21.50
oh, folks, so you have
it, that's the running sheet,
00:17:21.53\00:17:23.95
that's what's gonna happen?
In the next couple of verses
00:17:23.98\00:17:26.86
this is exactly how God
intends to take Jericho.
00:17:26.89\00:17:31.24
He didn't say build
the battering grounds
00:17:31.27\00:17:32.99
so that you can
take the walls down
00:17:33.02\00:17:34.61
and He didn't say dig a hole.
00:17:34.64\00:17:37.05
Start digging a
tunnel underneath the walls
00:17:37.08\00:17:39.51
and He didn't say get
some flaming arrows ready.
00:17:39.54\00:17:42.61
He said just march around it.
00:17:42.64\00:17:46.03
He says get your
warriors, get them in front,
00:17:46.06\00:17:49.25
get your seven priests
with the seven trumpets
00:17:49.28\00:17:52.06
and I've played the trumpets
so I kind of like the story.
00:17:52.09\00:17:55.14
And then He says get your priest
00:17:55.17\00:17:56.67
with the ark of the
covenant to carry it around
00:17:56.70\00:17:59.71
and then real God
as we find later on
00:17:59.74\00:18:03.10
representatives of
all the tribes followed.
00:18:03.13\00:18:06.86
It was quite a procession.
00:18:06.89\00:18:08.56
Well, you know what? Joshua
didn't waste anytime with this.
00:18:08.59\00:18:12.49
The Bible says that he
went straight to the people
00:18:12.52\00:18:15.16
and he gave them
the running sheet.
00:18:15.19\00:18:17.20
He said this is
what God wants us to do
00:18:17.23\00:18:20.08
and he told him
exactly how to start
00:18:20.11\00:18:22.24
to get in order and they did.
00:18:22.27\00:18:24.23
And they started what
seems to be that same day
00:18:24.26\00:18:27.71
in walking, marching
around the city of Jericho.
00:18:27.74\00:18:32.91
I just wonder what the
kids in the camp were thinking,
00:18:32.94\00:18:35.74
they heard this
plan, they know that God
00:18:35.77\00:18:37.58
has brought them
through the Jordon River.
00:18:37.61\00:18:39.63
It was an amazing miracle
with the water building up
00:18:39.66\00:18:42.52
from one side
and falling away down
00:18:42.55\00:18:44.35
to the Dead Sea
on the other side.
00:18:44.38\00:18:46.59
God had worked
miracles that they had seen
00:18:46.62\00:18:48.48
in their lifetime.
00:18:48.51\00:18:49.73
It wasn't just
miracles that they could
00:18:49.76\00:18:51.55
recount from the past.
00:18:51.58\00:18:53.12
They had seen it themselves.
00:18:53.15\00:18:55.27
And here they saw
perhaps their dads marching out
00:18:55.30\00:18:58.62
of the camp just doing
what God has asked him to do.
00:18:58.65\00:19:02.47
Great expectation of the plans
that God had put before them
00:19:02.50\00:19:06.64
was in each of their hearts.
00:19:06.67\00:19:09.24
And as they marched
out, I wonder what the people
00:19:09.27\00:19:11.85
on the war were thinking.
00:19:11.88\00:19:13.66
Oh, here comes the
Israelites, they're gonna march,
00:19:13.69\00:19:16.76
look at them,
they look pretty scary
00:19:16.79\00:19:19.13
but they have
nothing really of anything
00:19:19.16\00:19:21.20
of any strength that
could take our walls down.
00:19:21.23\00:19:23.61
There's nothing
powerful about it but hang on,
00:19:23.64\00:19:26.79
they've got that ark and
they're blowing trumpets,
00:19:26.82\00:19:30.49
probably to keep them in time.
00:19:30.52\00:19:32.75
But this is a bit
scary 'cause we don't know
00:19:32.78\00:19:35.97
what is going to happen?
I wonder if their archers,
00:19:36.00\00:19:39.65
if they had
binoculars would have zoomed in
00:19:39.68\00:19:41.81
to see the
mauls of the soldiers.
00:19:41.84\00:19:44.92
And to see what they
were saying, if any orders
00:19:44.95\00:19:46.91
or any secret battle
ideas could be gained for them.
00:19:46.94\00:19:49.71
How are they going
to do something to us?
00:19:49.74\00:19:51.77
Because we are wall
city, we are shut up,
00:19:51.80\00:19:53.70
they can't actually
touch us at the moment
00:19:53.73\00:19:57.26
but you know what?
00:19:57.29\00:19:59.60
They didn't see any
lips move, no lips move
00:19:59.63\00:20:03.31
because in verse 10 of chapter 6
00:20:03.34\00:20:06.70
Joshua had told
them or tells them,
00:20:06.73\00:20:09.73
He commanded the people, saying,
00:20:09.76\00:20:11.96
"Ye shall not shout,
00:20:11.99\00:20:14.02
or make any
noise with your voice,
00:20:14.05\00:20:16.85
nor shall a word
proceed out of your mouth,
00:20:16.88\00:20:19.33
until the day I
say to you shout,
00:20:19.36\00:20:22.59
then you shall shout."
00:20:22.62\00:20:26.85
Do you like being quiet?
00:20:26.88\00:20:29.73
You don't, it's kind
of hard to tell right now.
00:20:29.76\00:20:33.97
I don't like being quiet
unless I have nothing to say.
00:20:34.00\00:20:38.73
This time of being quiet
as it is for you right now
00:20:38.76\00:20:43.70
was a time of great importance.
00:20:43.73\00:20:47.56
God was giving the Israelites
an opportunity to meditate.
00:20:47.59\00:20:54.03
Now, how often do
you go to your Bible
00:20:54.06\00:20:58.00
and you open it up and you say,
00:20:58.03\00:20:59.25
I'm gonna find
something to read,
00:20:59.28\00:21:01.09
you know, 'cause this is
what we're suppose to do,
00:21:01.12\00:21:03.10
read God's word, right.
00:21:03.13\00:21:04.81
So you open up and
say you find Jericho
00:21:04.84\00:21:06.79
and you think wow,
that's exciting, look at that,
00:21:06.82\00:21:09.70
the walls are
standing, they are marching
00:21:09.73\00:21:12.29
and they are not saying a word
00:21:12.32\00:21:13.56
and you just think
that's all right, okay,
00:21:13.59\00:21:15.40
so it's silent
battles, silent killer
00:21:15.43\00:21:17.84
and nothing else
happens in your brain.
00:21:17.87\00:21:21.32
You just scheme over the story.
00:21:21.35\00:21:24.42
Who's read the Bible through?
00:21:24.45\00:21:27.11
Oh, you are amazing.
00:21:27.14\00:21:28.68
Okay, well, I've tried
00:21:28.71\00:21:29.96
and I haven't actually finished.
00:21:29.99\00:21:31.07
I'm kind of like half way.
00:21:31.10\00:21:33.21
And I started doing
that when I was on the bus
00:21:33.24\00:21:34.91
going to school in high school.
00:21:34.94\00:21:36.28
So it's a couple
of years ago now.
00:21:36.31\00:21:38.50
And I kept reading
00:21:38.53\00:21:39.77
because I wanted to
finish the whole Bible,
00:21:39.80\00:21:41.77
you know, cover to cover kind
of a nice proud thing to say,
00:21:41.80\00:21:44.30
I've read the
whole thing through.
00:21:44.33\00:21:46.04
I'm not saying you guys said
it in pride, I asked you to say
00:21:46.07\00:21:49.07
but the thing is I
didn't get much from it.
00:21:49.10\00:21:51.78
I read it, got some of
the stories in my mind,
00:21:51.81\00:21:54.37
but I didn't actually
glean much of the truths
00:21:54.40\00:21:56.88
that were in the Bible in
those first half of the Bible
00:21:56.91\00:22:01.66
to understand anymore about God
00:22:01.69\00:22:03.78
than I did before
I started reading.
00:22:03.81\00:22:07.49
And actually I
was in the year 12
00:22:07.52\00:22:08.60
when I thought this
is a little bit silly,
00:22:08.63\00:22:10.56
I think I'll just
stop because I'm wasting--
00:22:10.59\00:22:13.46
I'm wasting time that I could
be using better in the Bible,
00:22:13.49\00:22:16.32
so I stopped just
trying to read through it,
00:22:16.35\00:22:18.30
stop focusing on it.
00:22:18.33\00:22:20.32
I want to read to you this--
00:22:20.35\00:22:22.37
this portion from what I
found in the Bible commentary
00:22:22.40\00:22:26.76
because if you
notice in Chapter 1:3
00:22:26.79\00:22:30.24
God told
Joshua, that everywhere.
00:22:30.27\00:22:34.84
We gonna turn there by the way,
00:22:34.87\00:22:35.91
let's turn to Joshua 1:3.
00:22:35.94\00:22:41.58
Now the Bible says,
00:22:44.19\00:22:45.66
"Every place that the soul
of your foot will tread upon
00:22:45.69\00:22:49.81
I have given to
you, as I said to Moses."
00:22:49.84\00:22:53.94
Can you say that with me?
00:22:53.97\00:22:55.52
Read it
together, one, two, three,
00:22:55.55\00:22:57.84
"Every place that the soul
of your foot will tread upon
00:22:57.87\00:23:02.98
I have given to
you, as I said to Moses."
00:23:03.01\00:23:07.05
As I said to Moses
00:23:07.08\00:23:08.18
because the
promise still stands,
00:23:08.21\00:23:10.19
you are the children of Israel.
00:23:10.22\00:23:11.81
This is for you to claim.
00:23:11.84\00:23:14.11
Every where that the
soul of your foot treads
00:23:14.14\00:23:16.56
I have given you, is
that a promise or what?
00:23:16.59\00:23:21.05
Everywhere, it
doesn't matter where,
00:23:21.08\00:23:22.79
you just got to
walk there and it's yours
00:23:22.82\00:23:25.27
because I have given to you.
00:23:25.30\00:23:31.02
The foot was the primitive
00:23:31.05\00:23:32.68
was used in primitive
custom to measure out land
00:23:32.71\00:23:36.23
and land that would be
cultivated or built upon.
00:23:36.26\00:23:39.82
Now the footprint was regarded
00:23:39.85\00:23:41.13
as a mains or sign of ownership.
00:23:41.16\00:23:44.49
So where I walk
out my plot of land
00:23:44.52\00:23:46.63
is gonna be my plot of land.
00:23:46.66\00:23:49.85
And denoting
that the land had been
00:23:49.88\00:23:51.64
marked out by the
foot of the supposed owner,
00:23:51.67\00:23:54.67
who thereby acquired it as
his or her earned property.
00:23:54.70\00:23:58.58
Now the implication of this then
00:23:58.61\00:24:00.55
is that they must do something
00:24:00.58\00:24:03.58
to gain possession
of the land, correct?
00:24:03.61\00:24:07.67
The Israelites were to
have only as much of the land
00:24:07.70\00:24:11.22
as they could walk upon.
00:24:11.25\00:24:15.12
There was a bountiful promise,
if you were told you could have
00:24:15.15\00:24:18.48
as much of
Queensland as you can walk upon.
00:24:18.51\00:24:21.05
Would you start walking?
00:24:21.08\00:24:24.01
Tax free you can
have as much of it
00:24:24.04\00:24:26.04
as you can walk upon.
00:24:26.07\00:24:28.34
Let start voting.
00:24:28.37\00:24:31.92
But it was to be
realized by their own exertion.
00:24:31.95\00:24:34.91
Do you think that
by opening your Bible,
00:24:34.94\00:24:36.95
you're going to
gain all the blessings?
00:24:36.98\00:24:39.68
You think I'm
gonna open my Bible
00:24:39.71\00:24:41.37
and get hit by
all the blessings.
00:24:41.40\00:24:43.59
It doesn't happen like that.
00:24:43.62\00:24:45.48
God says you need
to walk in My word,
00:24:45.51\00:24:48.90
not walk on the Bible.
00:24:48.93\00:24:50.48
Don't put your
Bible on the floor
00:24:50.51\00:24:51.68
and say this is God's word
00:24:51.71\00:24:52.97
and I believe it
and I'm praising Him.
00:24:53.00\00:24:55.22
No, if you want to
believe in what God says,
00:24:55.25\00:24:58.00
don't leave your
Bible on the floor,
00:24:58.03\00:24:59.83
put it in your heart.
00:24:59.86\00:25:01.31
Friends, it's
the holy word of God.
00:25:01.34\00:25:05.18
It is a divine law as true
of our spiritual inheritance
00:25:05.21\00:25:08.97
as of the ancient
inheritance of literal Israel
00:25:09.00\00:25:12.46
that only as we
marched forward in faith
00:25:12.49\00:25:15.84
claiming the
promises do they become ours?
00:25:15.87\00:25:19.71
Did you hear that?
00:25:19.74\00:25:21.70
Only as we march forward in
faith claiming the promises,
00:25:21.73\00:25:26.58
do they become ours?
00:25:26.61\00:25:29.43
We have the Bible and we
may think that we know it well.
00:25:29.46\00:25:33.54
We may have read it
from cover to cover.
00:25:33.57\00:25:35.40
We may be able to remember
everything that we've read
00:25:35.43\00:25:38.51
and recite books,
amazing talent you have
00:25:38.54\00:25:41.74
if you could do that and I--
00:25:41.77\00:25:43.37
we should all start to put
it in our minds, in our hearts
00:25:43.40\00:25:46.22
yet of this vast
field of unlimited treasure,
00:25:46.25\00:25:50.55
we may in reality possess
no more than a mere fragment
00:25:50.58\00:25:57.28
and I'm preaching to myself too.
00:25:57.31\00:26:00.28
Only that which we appropriate
to ourselves is our own.
00:26:00.31\00:26:06.63
Large neglected
areas await our possession.
00:26:06.66\00:26:10.77
There is still more
Promised Land to possess.
00:26:10.80\00:26:13.64
Joshua and the Israelites,
00:26:13.67\00:26:14.99
they had come over the
Jordan, yes, what a miracle.
00:26:15.02\00:26:18.17
Yes, God was with
them, but He had let them
00:26:18.20\00:26:20.54
come into the plains of Jericho.
00:26:20.57\00:26:24.35
Okay, they didn't
want to go into the city
00:26:24.38\00:26:25.93
because later on
it's demolished and cursed
00:26:25.96\00:26:29.09
and no one's gonna
built that city again.
00:26:29.12\00:26:31.25
But God said, if you
want to own the Promised Land
00:26:31.28\00:26:34.32
then don't leave
anything untouched.
00:26:34.35\00:26:36.89
Don't let
anything stand in your way
00:26:36.92\00:26:39.56
to claiming all of it.
00:26:39.59\00:26:43.34
And by this very story,
he is encouraging each of us
00:26:43.37\00:26:46.74
to step into the
Bible and to claim it.
00:26:46.77\00:26:51.33
It is our privilege
00:26:51.36\00:26:54.08
to claim God's promises.
00:26:54.11\00:27:00.22
There was a man
crossing the Mississippi.
00:27:00.25\00:27:03.59
And he started down
on his knees and hands,
00:27:03.62\00:27:06.90
he didn't know the depth
or the thickness of that ice,
00:27:06.93\00:27:11.28
that's why he's on
his knees and hands.
00:27:11.31\00:27:14.10
If we were talking
about prayer at this point
00:27:14.13\00:27:16.19
that will be okay to
be on your knees and hands
00:27:16.22\00:27:17.64
but we're talking about faith.
00:27:17.67\00:27:19.34
And faith stands
on God's promises
00:27:19.37\00:27:22.60
but very shortly he saw someone
00:27:22.63\00:27:24.12
on a sleigh coming
straight towards him on the ice,
00:27:24.15\00:27:27.36
and he thought
hang on that's a horse
00:27:27.39\00:27:29.01
and that's a sleigh,
00:27:29.04\00:27:30.07
what am I doing on
my knees and hands.
00:27:30.10\00:27:32.17
God's word is a
lot more powerful
00:27:32.20\00:27:33.78
than you or I can ever think.
00:27:33.81\00:27:36.03
It is so much more powerful.
00:27:36.06\00:27:38.88
Okay, I'm being
blessed by this message
00:27:38.91\00:27:40.94
I hope you are too.
00:27:40.97\00:27:43.27
And actually I think I get
more of the blessing than you do
00:27:43.30\00:27:45.46
because I've been
sitting in the story
00:27:45.49\00:27:47.25
just a little bit longer.
00:27:47.28\00:27:49.31
Okay, let us keep moving,
00:27:49.34\00:27:53.99
moving forward in faith,
00:27:54.02\00:27:58.31
they are
marching around Jericho.
00:27:58.34\00:28:01.58
The watchmen on the towers,
yes, they try to lip read
00:28:01.61\00:28:04.07
but there's nothing to lip read.
00:28:04.10\00:28:05.63
They are silent as mice.
00:28:05.66\00:28:07.73
Why would they be silent?
00:28:07.76\00:28:11.91
Don't look at me?
00:28:11.94\00:28:14.35
Why would they be silent?
00:28:14.38\00:28:15.43
Anybody got an idea?
00:28:15.46\00:28:16.51
Call it out.
00:28:16.54\00:28:21.51
Yes, it was God's instruction.
00:28:21.54\00:28:23.61
Okay, after it's
God's instruction,
00:28:23.64\00:28:25.23
why would God
want them to be quiet?
00:28:25.26\00:28:29.85
Say again, it's God's victory,
00:28:29.88\00:28:33.23
anybody else?
00:28:33.26\00:28:39.46
Meditation, did somebody
say mediation over here?
00:28:39.49\00:28:43.42
You said it, you
can have all the points.
00:28:43.45\00:28:47.39
God wants them to meditate.
00:28:47.42\00:28:51.47
The very fact that they
can't speak to each other means,
00:28:51.50\00:28:53.94
they can't speak any doubt.
00:28:53.97\00:28:56.88
Nobody was texting anybody.
00:28:56.91\00:28:59.86
Nobody was going on
Facebook for little statuses.
00:28:59.89\00:29:02.41
Not even of their
spiritual thoughts.
00:29:02.44\00:29:05.16
Nobody was saying,
so and so said this
00:29:05.19\00:29:08.86
or so and so said that,
did you see what so and so did?
00:29:08.89\00:29:12.13
There was none of that.
00:29:12.16\00:29:13.94
The focus of this marching
00:29:13.97\00:29:16.84
was not to be on
how big the walls were,
00:29:16.87\00:29:19.32
or and how tired they
could get walking around 8 acres
00:29:19.35\00:29:22.63
which isn't very big.
00:29:22.66\00:29:25.10
The focus was to
be on God's word.
00:29:25.13\00:29:28.62
And in fact if you were doing
00:29:28.65\00:29:29.71
something quite
marching around a city
00:29:29.74\00:29:31.19
which kind of seems
a little bit pointless
00:29:31.22\00:29:33.55
because knowing
that the end of it is--
00:29:33.58\00:29:36.23
is you just gonna have to shout.
00:29:36.26\00:29:39.74
You would kind of
feel a little bit silly,
00:29:39.77\00:29:41.43
wouldn't you?
00:29:41.46\00:29:43.57
And in fact you
kind of picture that,
00:29:43.60\00:29:45.21
imagine on day three
00:29:45.24\00:29:46.66
they gave up with this marching.
00:29:46.69\00:29:48.38
We've done a lot of
walking, I mean, 40 years.
00:29:48.41\00:29:51.02
We did that in the wilderness.
00:29:51.05\00:29:52.28
We know how to walk in circles.
00:29:52.31\00:29:54.82
So they get here and
they're walking again
00:29:54.85\00:29:56.72
in circles everyday, why?
00:29:56.75\00:29:59.56
Why do we have to
walk anymore circles?
00:29:59.59\00:30:01.66
We do this, we are
good at it but God says no.
00:30:01.69\00:30:06.98
You are not good enough at it.
00:30:07.01\00:30:09.43
Because you don't
know how to walk with me,
00:30:09.46\00:30:13.51
God says walk with me
and meditate on my words.
00:30:13.54\00:30:18.46
Now I really
like Joshua Chapter 1
00:30:18.49\00:30:21.01
and if I wasn't doing
Joshua Chapter 5 and 6,
00:30:21.04\00:30:23.30
we would have been
doing Joshua Chapter 1.
00:30:23.33\00:30:25.38
Because Joshua receives
God's word in Joshua Chapter 1,
00:30:25.41\00:30:29.56
and I'm just
gonna read it to you
00:30:29.59\00:30:30.62
'cause I like it
and it fits right here.
00:30:30.65\00:30:33.89
This is what God said
to Joshua to encourage him
00:30:33.92\00:30:37.48
when he started out
as a leader of Israel.
00:30:37.51\00:30:40.93
"He said, Moses
my servant is dead,
00:30:40.96\00:30:43.89
you are the next one.
00:30:43.92\00:30:45.51
Now therefore
arise, pointing to the sign
00:30:45.54\00:30:48.45
we got to
utilize these beautiful
00:30:48.48\00:30:51.10
things on the wall here,
arise get up don't wait here
00:30:51.13\00:30:55.57
go over this Jordan, conquer it,
00:30:55.60\00:30:57.56
I'm giving you the Promised Land
00:30:57.59\00:30:58.88
it's yours to possess.
00:30:58.91\00:31:02.34
And all it's people the
land which I'm giving to them
00:31:02.37\00:31:05.90
the children of Israel,
00:31:05.93\00:31:07.45
every place that the
sole of you foot food
00:31:07.48\00:31:09.22
will tread upon,
I have given you,
00:31:09.25\00:31:11.33
the promise is
yours as I said to Moses,
00:31:11.36\00:31:13.99
it still stands, it's
part of the covenant promise,
00:31:14.02\00:31:16.86
don't let it go.
00:31:16.89\00:31:19.22
From the
wilderness of this Lebanon
00:31:19.25\00:31:21.02
as far as the great
river and the River Euphrates,
00:31:21.05\00:31:23.52
all the land of the Hittites,
00:31:23.55\00:31:25.16
unto the great sea toward
the going down of the sun,
00:31:25.19\00:31:28.22
shall be yours.
00:31:28.25\00:31:32.56
No man shall be
able to stand before you,
00:31:32.59\00:31:35.16
all the days of your
life and as I was with Moses,
00:31:35.19\00:31:38.42
so I will be with you.
00:31:38.45\00:31:39.96
I will not leave
you nor forsake you,
00:31:39.99\00:31:42.50
be strong and of a
good courage for the people,
00:31:42.53\00:31:45.11
for to this
people you shall divide
00:31:45.14\00:31:46.83
as an inheritance the land
00:31:46.86\00:31:48.67
which I swore to
their fathers to give them."
00:31:48.70\00:31:52.20
And again he says, "Only
be strong and very courageous,
00:31:52.23\00:31:55.63
that you may observe to
do according to all the law
00:31:55.66\00:31:59.16
of Moses my servant commanded--
00:31:59.19\00:32:01.10
which He commanded
you, do not turn from it
00:32:01.13\00:32:03.40
to the right
hand or to the left,
00:32:03.43\00:32:05.21
that you may
prosper wherever you go.
00:32:05.24\00:32:08.92
This Book of the
Law shall not depart
00:32:08.95\00:32:10.73
from your mouth,
but you shall" what?
00:32:10.76\00:32:13.75
"Meditate in it day and night,
00:32:13.78\00:32:16.92
that you may observe
to do all that it says.
00:32:16.95\00:32:20.81
For then you will
make your way prosperous,
00:32:20.84\00:32:23.59
and then you have good success.
00:32:23.62\00:32:26.64
Have not I commanded you?
00:32:26.67\00:32:28.96
Be strong and of good courage;
00:32:28.99\00:32:31.24
do not be
afraid, nor be dismayed,
00:32:31.27\00:32:33.56
for the Lord your God is
with you wherever you go."
00:32:33.59\00:32:38.49
Amen.
00:32:38.52\00:32:40.30
And if you want to meditate
in that after today, go ahead.
00:32:40.33\00:32:44.31
God says be strong
but he didn't tell them
00:32:44.34\00:32:47.06
to push the walls down.
00:32:47.09\00:32:48.39
He says, be
courageous but He didn't say
00:32:48.42\00:32:50.86
do anything else
but march around.
00:32:50.89\00:32:53.08
All we have to do, what
this is pointing towards
00:32:53.11\00:32:56.19
is to claim the promises of God.
00:32:56.22\00:32:59.45
They want to do anything
else but what God said exactly
00:32:59.48\00:33:03.32
to take the Promised
Land, claiming the promise.
00:33:03.35\00:33:07.67
So I think if that
is what God had said
00:33:07.70\00:33:10.51
and this is
ringing in their ears
00:33:10.54\00:33:12.39
that the Israelites
would have been meditating
00:33:12.42\00:33:14.22
on this as they marched around.
00:33:14.25\00:33:16.71
Now the guys
marching around were guys.
00:33:16.74\00:33:20.73
They didn't have ladies
as warriors that I know off.
00:33:20.76\00:33:23.77
So, gentlemen,
God is calling you
00:33:23.80\00:33:28.16
to especial work
in your families,
00:33:28.19\00:33:30.82
to be the ones, who
meditate on God's word
00:33:30.85\00:33:34.25
and take that back to
your family to guide them
00:33:34.28\00:33:36.46
to meditate on his word as well.
00:33:36.49\00:33:39.79
I don't really see
why you would want to be
00:33:39.82\00:33:42.37
the father of children,
the priest of your household
00:33:42.40\00:33:45.97
if you cannot
lead them to Jesus.
00:33:46.00\00:33:48.27
If you are not there yourself
00:33:48.30\00:33:49.90
and this goes for
ladies and mothers as well.
00:33:49.93\00:33:52.56
If you are not there
yourself, it goes for everybody,
00:33:52.59\00:33:54.93
then how can you
possibly lead your family.
00:33:54.96\00:33:57.69
Where are you in
relation to the promise?
00:33:57.72\00:34:02.24
So they're thinking
about this as they go.
00:34:02.27\00:34:03.97
I was talking
with some of the guys
00:34:04.00\00:34:05.16
last night at dinner
and we were talking about
00:34:05.19\00:34:07.39
how they marched around
00:34:07.42\00:34:08.64
and what they might
have been thinking about.
00:34:08.67\00:34:10.70
What they did
when they came back
00:34:10.73\00:34:13.00
from the marching around
'cause they said nothing.
00:34:13.03\00:34:16.03
Would they have been excited?
00:34:16.06\00:34:17.58
Would there have been a
lot of noise in the camp
00:34:17.61\00:34:20.86
or would they have
been very quiet and solemn
00:34:20.89\00:34:23.06
and just pensive about
what God was doing with them.
00:34:23.09\00:34:27.14
Well, day one, they
marched around the city.
00:34:27.17\00:34:30.30
Day two, they
marched around the city.
00:34:30.33\00:34:32.78
The people inside,
they started to think
00:34:32.81\00:34:34.24
this is getting
a bit of a habit.
00:34:34.27\00:34:35.63
But day three, Oh,
king, they're doing it again,
00:34:35.66\00:34:38.40
they're
marching around the city,
00:34:38.43\00:34:39.52
did they say anything?
00:34:39.55\00:34:40.58
Nothing just like yesterday.
00:34:40.61\00:34:42.89
Day four,
marched around the city.
00:34:42.92\00:34:45.30
Day five, they
marched around the city.
00:34:45.33\00:34:49.26
They marched, and they
marched, and they marched.
00:34:49.29\00:34:52.22
They meditated on God's word.
00:34:52.25\00:34:54.92
This was an important
time for them to have faith
00:34:54.95\00:34:57.79
growing inside of
them for to be built up.
00:34:57.82\00:35:03.49
It was a daily thing
00:35:03.52\00:35:07.07
and then on the seventh
day that they marched around
00:35:07.10\00:35:10.08
and the Bible doesn't tell
us which day was the Sabbath
00:35:10.11\00:35:12.93
in this whole marching business
00:35:12.96\00:35:14.43
but if it so
happened to be the Sabbath.
00:35:14.46\00:35:16.98
If God tells you to do
something on a certain day,
00:35:17.01\00:35:20.79
should we do it?
00:35:20.82\00:35:22.88
Yes, we should
whatever He tells us to do,
00:35:22.91\00:35:26.02
we should do
00:35:26.05\00:35:27.32
and how are you gonna know
00:35:27.35\00:35:28.38
if you don't
meditate in His word.
00:35:28.41\00:35:30.85
So the seventh day
comes, they wake up early,
00:35:30.88\00:35:35.51
in fact everyday
they've been waking up early.
00:35:35.54\00:35:39.12
They get up this morning
knowing that something special
00:35:39.15\00:35:42.40
is going to happen.
00:35:42.43\00:35:43.79
Their marching
hasn't been in vain,
00:35:43.82\00:35:46.36
it's been important.
00:35:46.39\00:35:47.88
You think back to
00:35:47.91\00:35:49.28
when the Syrian captain
was covered with leprosy
00:35:49.31\00:35:53.04
and the little servant
girl from the Israelite,
00:35:53.07\00:35:55.33
she told him my
God can heal you.
00:35:55.36\00:35:58.18
There's a prophet and
he can heal you, go to him.
00:35:58.21\00:36:01.00
He goes to
Elijah and he asks him,
00:36:01.03\00:36:03.18
how can I be made whole?
00:36:03.21\00:36:05.13
And Elijah says, oh,
go wash in that river
00:36:05.16\00:36:08.51
seven times and
then you'll be whole.
00:36:08.54\00:36:10.86
He says come on, look at
me, I'm better than that.
00:36:10.89\00:36:14.55
That river is dirty I
don't know if you noticed
00:36:14.58\00:36:16.71
but I'm not going in it.
00:36:16.74\00:36:18.30
And on his way pass that river,
he thinks, well, you know what?
00:36:18.33\00:36:22.80
What's the harm? Seven dips
in maybe we'll come out clean.
00:36:22.83\00:36:27.20
He goes in one, two,
three, four, five and six,
00:36:27.23\00:36:30.30
on the seventh
time he comes up clean,
00:36:30.33\00:36:33.56
free of his leprosy.
00:36:33.59\00:36:35.10
You think of Elijah
when he is on Mount Carmel,
00:36:35.13\00:36:37.00
he prayed to
bring the rain back,
00:36:37.03\00:36:39.68
after three years of drought.
00:36:39.71\00:36:41.07
After they've had
that big show down
00:36:41.10\00:36:43.21
with the prophets of Baal,
00:36:43.24\00:36:45.53
and he sends his servant out,
go check if there is any rain.
00:36:45.56\00:36:48.45
Once there's
nothing, two still nothing,
00:36:48.48\00:36:51.47
three, four, five times
nothing, six times nothing,
00:36:51.50\00:36:54.87
it's on the seventh
time that the rain came,
00:36:54.90\00:36:57.05
that the little cloud
came and then the downpour.
00:36:57.08\00:37:00.10
There is something important
00:37:00.13\00:37:01.41
when God says do it seven times.
00:37:01.44\00:37:04.71
How long have you
been reading your Bible?
00:37:04.74\00:37:08.64
Are you getting
anything from it?
00:37:08.67\00:37:11.45
Yes, no, really don't know?
00:37:11.48\00:37:15.08
Friends go back to your Bibles.
00:37:15.11\00:37:18.13
I was looking
after one of my patients,
00:37:18.16\00:37:20.80
'cause I'm a nurse and I
get a lot of geriatric patients
00:37:20.83\00:37:26.08
which means older
people in their 80s or so
00:37:26.11\00:37:30.01
and this little
lady, she is fairly cute,
00:37:30.04\00:37:31.82
she's been with us
for sometime and she--
00:37:31.85\00:37:34.84
she was sitting
there and she's saying,
00:37:34.87\00:37:36.24
"Oh, I just want
to read my books,
00:37:36.27\00:37:38.06
can you bring over my books?"
00:37:38.09\00:37:40.01
So went over to
where the books were
00:37:40.04\00:37:42.10
and of course the hospital
has a Bible in every room.
00:37:42.13\00:37:45.16
And I said, do
you want this book?
00:37:45.19\00:37:47.42
And she said which
book? I said the Bible,
00:37:47.45\00:37:49.20
she said, "Oh, not that book."
00:37:49.23\00:37:51.10
I said, "Why not?"
00:37:51.13\00:37:52.16
She said, "Don't read it."
00:37:52.19\00:37:55.38
I said, "Well, I do."
00:37:55.41\00:37:56.72
She said, "Okay,
anything good in it?"
00:37:56.75\00:37:59.11
I said, "Everything
good, everything good."
00:37:59.14\00:38:02.88
And she has no idea 'cause she
still didn't want to read it.
00:38:02.91\00:38:05.39
She wanted to read
some softy story about love
00:38:05.42\00:38:08.84
but, friends, this is
the greatest love book
00:38:08.87\00:38:12.94
that's ever been written.
00:38:12.97\00:38:14.19
If you haven't
noticed, get into the Bible
00:38:14.22\00:38:17.14
and notice it for yourself.
00:38:17.17\00:38:18.52
Don't take my word for.
00:38:18.55\00:38:21.23
That is always best
to experience firsthand.
00:38:21.26\00:38:24.60
So they are marching,
00:38:24.63\00:38:27.39
they've meditated on God's work,
00:38:27.42\00:38:29.46
they know that something
special is gonna happen.
00:38:29.49\00:38:32.32
They know who they
are marching around
00:38:32.35\00:38:35.00
thinking about claiming
his work and his promises.
00:38:35.03\00:38:41.21
And they go around
once, they go twice,
00:38:41.24\00:38:43.82
they go three times,
00:38:43.85\00:38:46.00
excitement in that
marching throng is getting high,
00:38:46.03\00:38:49.76
we are getting
close to number seven.
00:38:49.79\00:38:52.04
We can maybe stop marching
and they get to the six time.
00:38:52.07\00:38:56.98
Yes, okay, I've
passed this landmark
00:38:57.01\00:38:59.71
and perhaps they
pass Rahab's window
00:38:59.74\00:39:01.38
with the scarlet cord in it.
00:39:01.41\00:39:03.37
And they reminded
of them of the Passover
00:39:03.40\00:39:05.61
and how God is
going to save those
00:39:05.64\00:39:08.08
who are covered
with His blood, amen.
00:39:08.11\00:39:10.59
Just throwing that in
'cause you can't miss the cross.
00:39:10.62\00:39:13.10
But as they go around,
00:39:13.13\00:39:14.16
they're coming
around to their last turn
00:39:14.19\00:39:16.68
and they get there.
00:39:16.71\00:39:18.03
And the
trumpets, those ram's horns
00:39:18.06\00:39:20.21
they blow loud and long
00:39:20.24\00:39:22.88
and the Israelites what
are they supposed to do?
00:39:22.91\00:39:26.13
Sorry, what are
they supposed to do?
00:39:26.16\00:39:27.19
Shout.
00:39:27.22\00:39:28.25
A little louder. Shout!
00:39:28.28\00:39:29.84
They are supposed to what?
00:39:29.87\00:39:31.07
Shout!
00:39:31.10\00:39:32.13
They're supposed to
shout for all they've got.
00:39:32.16\00:39:34.00
I don't know if you
have ever been into a stadium
00:39:34.03\00:39:36.42
and I hope you
haven't been in too many.
00:39:36.45\00:39:38.08
I haven't
00:39:38.11\00:39:39.14
but they shout really
loud when people get a score.
00:39:39.17\00:39:42.55
And the crowd, they go wild
but this time the Israelites,
00:39:42.58\00:39:47.24
I wonder if they had
fully surrounded the city.
00:39:47.27\00:39:49.78
They shouted for all they had.
00:39:49.81\00:39:52.15
Was it a shout of I'm so sorry,
00:39:52.18\00:39:54.28
I've been marching
around here for all this time.
00:39:54.31\00:39:56.20
I'm really sad about it.
00:39:56.23\00:39:58.02
And now we're shouting like ah.
00:39:58.05\00:40:00.88
It wasn't a sigh,
friends, that was a shout,
00:40:00.91\00:40:03.59
a shout of victory.
00:40:03.62\00:40:05.40
God was gonna
give them the victory
00:40:05.43\00:40:07.44
and as they shouted,
00:40:07.47\00:40:08.71
as they fulfill the program
00:40:08.74\00:40:10.25
as they went
through that running sheet
00:40:10.28\00:40:12.68
God gave them the victory.
00:40:12.71\00:40:14.06
The Spirit of Prophecy
says that the angels hands,
00:40:14.09\00:40:16.86
the host of heaven,
00:40:16.89\00:40:18.30
the army of God shook
the walls of that city
00:40:18.33\00:40:22.02
and it was flat.
00:40:22.05\00:40:23.49
They went up into the city
00:40:23.52\00:40:24.96
and they did exactly
what God told them to do.
00:40:24.99\00:40:27.23
They utterly
destroyed everything living
00:40:27.26\00:40:30.17
and they burnt the place
00:40:30.20\00:40:32.40
because everything
was a cursed in it.
00:40:32.43\00:40:34.87
But the only things that
they took out was the metal,
00:40:34.90\00:40:37.97
the precious metals,
the gold, the silver,
00:40:38.00\00:40:40.11
the brass, the bronze,
00:40:40.14\00:40:42.26
and that was taken
into the treasury of God.
00:40:42.29\00:40:45.40
Why was that spared?
00:40:45.43\00:40:47.98
It can be refined by fire, amen.
00:40:48.01\00:40:51.62
And you know what
archeologists have found?
00:40:51.65\00:40:53.25
They've found
that layer of charcoal,
00:40:53.28\00:40:55.39
they found the
layer of sort of dust
00:40:55.42\00:40:57.90
that had been from the fires.
00:40:57.93\00:41:00.92
This is the story
friends that excites me.
00:41:00.95\00:41:04.28
It excites me for
a number of reasons.
00:41:04.31\00:41:06.85
One because we
find in the beginning
00:41:06.88\00:41:08.93
in the end of chapter 5,
00:41:08.96\00:41:10.48
we find that God
actually meets with His people.
00:41:10.51\00:41:14.06
He meets with
those who seek Him.
00:41:14.09\00:41:16.52
He meets with those
who ask for His guidance.
00:41:16.55\00:41:19.45
And He doesn't just
meet with them and say hi,
00:41:19.48\00:41:21.46
let's-- let's watch a movie.
00:41:21.49\00:41:23.99
He says, let's sit, let's
talk, take your shoes off.
00:41:24.02\00:41:27.54
I have something to tell you.
00:41:27.57\00:41:29.21
I want to share
something with you.
00:41:29.24\00:41:30.71
I want to give you the victory
00:41:30.74\00:41:33.38
and the second reason is
00:41:33.41\00:41:34.73
because he takes
them around the city,
00:41:34.76\00:41:38.83
marching around the
city I thought oh, yeah,
00:41:38.86\00:41:41.16
I love the way
they shout at the end,
00:41:41.19\00:41:42.71
you know, and
then there's a victory.
00:41:42.74\00:41:44.55
But, friends, God was
giving them the victory
00:41:44.58\00:41:46.60
every time they
put their foot down.
00:41:46.63\00:41:50.21
Every time they
put their foot down,
00:41:50.24\00:41:51.60
they were marching
in time with heaven.
00:41:51.63\00:41:54.55
Friends, we want to
march in time with heaven.
00:41:54.58\00:41:57.04
God is on calling
you and I'd suggest,
00:41:57.07\00:41:59.09
read out Bibles for the sake
of going from cover to cover.
00:41:59.12\00:42:02.83
It's not about the cover.
00:42:02.86\00:42:05.35
Friends, God wants you
and I to meditate in His word
00:42:05.38\00:42:09.04
to meet Him where He
is and He is in His word.
00:42:09.07\00:42:13.11
He wrote it, He said it.
00:42:13.14\00:42:15.91
What is it to you?
00:42:15.94\00:42:18.99
I was looking after
this lady in hospital,
00:42:19.02\00:42:22.22
like I said I'm a nurse.
00:42:22.25\00:42:24.01
So I look after
people and this lady,
00:42:24.04\00:42:28.44
she looked out the
window and you can see
00:42:28.47\00:42:31.40
one of our Adventist churches
right outside the window,
00:42:31.43\00:42:34.25
nice big building,
00:42:34.28\00:42:35.88
and she said, "Oh, I
used to go to that church."
00:42:35.91\00:42:37.57
I said, "Oh, really."
00:42:37.60\00:42:38.90
Well, logical question,
00:42:38.93\00:42:40.05
"So are you a
Seventh-day Adventist?
00:42:40.08\00:42:41.63
She said, "No, no we're not
Seventh-day Adventist anymore."
00:42:41.66\00:42:45.31
Well, okay, you
actually want to tell me about
00:42:45.34\00:42:47.70
why you are not an Adventist?
00:42:47.73\00:42:49.34
I mean how did that happened?
00:42:49.37\00:42:51.30
And it can happen
very easily by the way
00:42:51.33\00:42:54.17
and then we were looking after--
00:42:54.20\00:42:55.61
I was doing something
else for her little bit later.
00:42:55.64\00:42:58.19
And I asked her so...
00:42:58.22\00:43:00.30
which church do you go to now?
00:43:00.33\00:43:02.42
Assuming she still believed,
00:43:02.45\00:43:04.16
she said, oh, no, I
don't go to church anymore.
00:43:04.19\00:43:06.72
We saw the light years ago.
00:43:06.75\00:43:09.99
And I was just
laughing to myself
00:43:10.02\00:43:11.87
not because it's entirely funny
00:43:11.90\00:43:13.33
but the fact that she thought
she saw some light years ago
00:43:13.36\00:43:17.05
and she wasn't even
trying to tell me about it.
00:43:17.08\00:43:19.11
So I thought okay, so I
was prodding a little bit more
00:43:19.14\00:43:21.93
and she told me about,
00:43:21.96\00:43:22.99
how she and her family have
a lot to do with the hospital,
00:43:23.02\00:43:27.02
which is the
Sydney Adventist hospital,
00:43:27.05\00:43:29.06
lot to do with the
church she was pointing to,
00:43:29.09\00:43:32.01
and a lot to do with Avondale,
00:43:32.04\00:43:34.33
a lot to do with everything
00:43:34.36\00:43:36.10
that seems to be Adventist
00:43:36.13\00:43:37.66
in this part of
Sydney where I am.
00:43:37.69\00:43:41.78
And as she was telling me,
00:43:41.81\00:43:43.35
she was telling me
with a lot of pride,
00:43:43.38\00:43:44.73
you know we did
this, we did that,
00:43:44.76\00:43:46.49
it's all
materialistic kind of stuff.
00:43:46.52\00:43:48.60
Okay, yes, they kind
of set up the hospital,
00:43:48.63\00:43:51.62
they kind of
like toured Avondale,
00:43:51.65\00:43:53.87
or they built
the church whatever.
00:43:53.90\00:43:57.05
But as she is telling
me, I'm thinking in my mind
00:43:57.08\00:44:00.67
'cause I had this
message to prepare.
00:44:00.70\00:44:02.98
Thinking in my mind,
how did that happened?
00:44:03.01\00:44:05.62
How does someone who is
so involved in God's work
00:44:05.65\00:44:10.96
get lost and see
some light somewhere else?
00:44:10.99\00:44:15.43
How does that
happen? And I said to myself,
00:44:15.46\00:44:20.21
while I was
talking with the Lord,
00:44:20.24\00:44:23.20
she mustn't have
been reading her Bible.
00:44:23.23\00:44:27.43
She must have peruse through it
00:44:27.46\00:44:30.41
and seen
nothing more than words.
00:44:30.44\00:44:33.75
She must have
just seen a good story,
00:44:33.78\00:44:35.77
an amazing story like Jericho,
00:44:35.80\00:44:38.75
where the walls fall
down after they shout.
00:44:38.78\00:44:41.54
All it took was walking around,
00:44:41.57\00:44:44.36
but friends, as simple
as Christianity may seem,
00:44:44.39\00:44:48.65
as simple as it may
seem, we don't, I mean,
00:44:48.68\00:44:50.47
we don't have to
offer these silly offerings
00:44:50.50\00:44:54.24
like passing your
children through the fire
00:44:54.27\00:44:56.06
or performing silly
sexual acts to please our God.
00:44:56.09\00:44:59.66
Our God is a noble God.
00:44:59.69\00:45:01.41
Our God is a God who
respects our dignity.
00:45:01.44\00:45:04.50
He has given us dignity.
00:45:04.53\00:45:06.55
We have a wonderful God.
00:45:06.58\00:45:08.88
We don't have to do
those things to please Him.
00:45:08.91\00:45:12.04
All He asks us to
do is to have faith.
00:45:12.07\00:45:16.54
And without it, it's
impossible to please Him.
00:45:16.57\00:45:22.24
Do you want faith?
00:45:22.27\00:45:28.80
You are all meditating.
00:45:28.83\00:45:31.73
I want to have faith
00:45:31.76\00:45:34.20
and I want to have a
faith that will last the test.
00:45:34.23\00:45:37.56
I want to keep marching around
00:45:37.59\00:45:39.39
whatever city in my
life needs to be defeated.
00:45:39.42\00:45:43.60
I want to keep marching around
00:45:43.63\00:45:45.18
carrying the
promise of God in my heart
00:45:45.21\00:45:47.34
and putting it to the test.
00:45:47.37\00:45:49.01
Putting my feet to
the ground and saying yes,
00:45:49.04\00:45:51.63
I believe in you Lord.
00:45:51.66\00:45:53.79
I don't know how
you're gonna do it
00:45:53.82\00:45:56.57
but I know that
you do these things.
00:45:56.60\00:45:58.90
You do the impossible, you
do what we don't understand
00:45:58.93\00:46:02.04
and that's why he's God.
00:46:02.07\00:46:03.61
If we knew everything about God,
00:46:03.64\00:46:05.31
if we understood
everything about God,
00:46:05.34\00:46:07.40
we might be just God ourselves.
00:46:07.43\00:46:09.44
But we aren't, praise the Lord.
00:46:09.47\00:46:13.97
Let's close with
a word of prayer.
00:46:14.00\00:46:17.73
Dear heavenly Father,
we bow here this morning
00:46:17.76\00:46:22.12
because we want to
surrender everything to you.
00:46:22.15\00:46:25.59
We want to
recognize You for who You are,
00:46:25.62\00:46:28.44
You are our God and we
know that way You are is holy.
00:46:28.47\00:46:35.27
Help us Lord to
continually take our shoes off
00:46:35.30\00:46:37.85
and listen to you.
00:46:37.88\00:46:39.79
As we take our shoes off Lord,
00:46:39.82\00:46:41.24
I ask that You'll continue
to help us to put self aside,
00:46:41.27\00:46:44.47
leave it at the door and to
let Your plan govern our lives.
00:46:44.50\00:46:49.82
Lord, we ask that
You'd help us to obey
00:46:49.85\00:46:52.30
what you have
said to go the course,
00:46:52.33\00:46:55.79
to claim the promise,
00:46:55.82\00:46:56.97
to march around as many
times as you tell us to,
00:46:57.00\00:47:00.06
and then to shout
and claim the victory.
00:47:00.09\00:47:02.79
Praising You for
all that You have
00:47:02.82\00:47:04.56
and will do in our lives.
00:47:04.59\00:47:07.41
Lord, as we come to
the end of earth's history,
00:47:07.44\00:47:10.83
we see the
signs that are showing
00:47:10.86\00:47:12.21
that You are coming very soon.
00:47:12.24\00:47:14.98
Oh, Lord, there is so much
unclaimed ground in Your word
00:47:15.01\00:47:18.22
that we want to be blessed by,
00:47:18.25\00:47:20.73
but Lord as we daily
sit at your feet shoes off,
00:47:20.76\00:47:25.59
I pray that You would teach us.
00:47:25.62\00:47:27.62
Seal us for heaven.
00:47:27.65\00:47:29.03
Give us a faith
that will stand the test
00:47:29.06\00:47:31.45
and may we be there ready
and waiting to go home with You,
00:47:31.48\00:47:34.76
when You come in
the clouds of glory.
00:47:34.79\00:47:36.91
This is our prayer
00:47:36.94\00:47:37.97
and we thank You for
this in Jesus' name, amen.
00:47:38.00\00:47:40.91