Through the Bible - Joshua

I would have to say that if I were to choose my favorite book in the Old Testament, it would probably be the Book of Joshua. I don't think I would ever tire of teaching this book over and over again. There are so many things in the pages of this book. I've got to be honest; it's hard for me to just spend one week going through it, but we're going to do it tonight and consider what it is that the Lord wants to speak to us from it.

So let's pray, and then we'll get right into the book. Lord, we do thank You for Your faithfulness. As we sang tonight, Your mercies are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. We see Your faithfulness in this book that we're going to be considering tonight. You are faithful to bring Your people into the land, just as You promised, just as You said You would. We thank You so much for that, and we do pray that tonight, Lord, You would speak to us from it. For we ask it in Jesus' name, amen.

Now, my microphone here is not working 100%. There we go. When we look at this passage in the Book of Joshua, it's important that we consider a verse that is key to our study in the Old Testament. This is a verse we've looked at several times over the last few weeks, found in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 10:11, where Paul says that it is so important to consider the Old Testament in light of that verse.

If you just look at the Old Testament as a historical book, then it loses so much of its application and so much of its spiritual meat, really, to our lives. It is the truth that God wants to speak to us from it. There are a lot of Christians in the church today who have completely neglected the Old Testament because they say, "We're just New Testament Christians. We're New Testament believers." Yet, Paul tells us of the importance of the Old Testament in 1 Corinthians, that the entire thing was written down for examples for us.

That you and I would learn and receive instruction from it. But the very next verse, Paul says, "Wherefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." There are a lot of people who think, "I've got this whole Christianity thing licked." Just at that time when they believe they are doing just fine is when the enemy comes in with that wily dart, the fiery dart of the wicked one. It just takes us out because when we don't consider the failures of those of old, as well as the victories of those of old, we are not sufficiently equipped to stand.

When we consider the Old Testament in the context of its truth speaking to us, we see great insights on how we are to live and walk as Christians. In this book, we find something very important about the victorious Christian life and the life of victory as a believer walking in the Lord. It has been said before, and maybe you've heard this quote, that the New Testament is the Old Testament concealed, and the Old Testament is the New Testament revealed. Simply put, we find numerous principles about how we are to live in the New Testament. God gives us principle after principle after principle.

I don't know about you, but I like picture books. The Bible in the Old Testament provides the pictures that illustrate the principles. It has also been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. You could have so much of the New Testament, the principles of the New Testament, which are very important to our lives, but without the illustrations, the pictures, it sometimes loses its strength. I think you find many Christians who are weak in their walks with the Lord because they haven't considered the Old Testament in the way that we have been over the last several weeks.

As we come to this book, it is a real blessing because I would say that every single one of us who are believers want to live the victorious Christian life. We want to live in the land of rest that God has for us. In the book of Hebrews, the author states, "There remains a rest for the people of God." God desires that we would enter into that rest. Jesus, in Matthew chapter 11, said, "Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." God desires that we would come into rest.

We have considered the last five books, the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. We have examined them in light of the New Testament. Remember a few weeks ago, we looked at Romans and how the book of Romans correlates to these passages in the Old Testament.

In the book of Genesis, we see man's complete inability; he has no strength in and of himself. At the end of Genesis chapter 50, man is left dead in a coffin in Egypt. There is really not much that a dead man can do. In this state, man is completely unable to come to God or fulfill what God has called him to do. This is made very clear in the book of Romans, chapter 3. In Romans 3:23, we read, "We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Every single one of us has fallen short of God's perfect standard. This is the essence of the book of Genesis, clearly summed up for us in Romans: we are all sinners, and we are all dead. Paul states in Romans 6 that the wages of sin is death. Thus, we find man dead in Egypt.

However, the book of Exodus presents God's redemption plan. It is God's plan to come and save man, who couldn't do it on his own. There was nothing that man could do. This correlates with Romans 5:6, where Paul says, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." The book of Exodus is the book of redemption. At the right time, God came as a man and died for the ungodly. In Exodus, we see that at the right moment, when the children of Israel were ready and God was hearing their petitions—their constant calls for help—He sent someone. He sent Moses to redeem the people out of the land of Egypt.

This brings us to our next book, the book of Leviticus. Leviticus is all about holiness to God. In Romans 6:1, Paul asks, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?" Romans 6 presents the need for holiness. As Peter would say, "As God has said, Be holy as the Lord your God is holy." Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:48, "You are to be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." Leviticus lays out the holiness to God that each of us needs.

However, there is a problem. The next book after Leviticus is the book of Numbers, which shows us very clearly the struggle of the flesh—the back-and-forth struggle of the flesh. We see this struggle clearly in Romans chapter 7.

There, in Romans chapter 7, verses 14 through 24, we get the whole picture of Paul speaking about the good that he wants to do but does not do, and the bad things he does not want to do, which he practices. He finishes that whole discourse in verse 24 by saying, "Oh, wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" This illustrates the message found in the book of Numbers, which clearly shows us the struggle of constantly falling into the flesh and the things of the flesh.

Last week, we came to the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is the second telling of the law, where, just before the children of Israel enter the promised land, Moses stands and speaks to them the entire law a second time. After they had wandered in the wilderness for 38 years and after the entire unfaithful generation had died away, God speaks to His people a second time and tells them His requirements and His plan.

In the book of Deuteronomy, we find the truth expressed in Romans chapter 7, verse 12, where Paul says there is nothing wrong with the law. There is no problem with the law; the law only shows us very clearly that there is a problem with us. The law is good, the law is perfect, and that is what Deuteronomy reveals to us: the perfection of the law, the need for the law, and the blessings of obedience. The law is holy, just, and good.

This brings us to where we are tonight: the book of Joshua. This book represents entering into the land and life of rest, victory, and fruitfulness—the land that flows with milk and honey, the promised land. We see this very clearly in Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, verse 1 states, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." If you're open to Romans chapter 8, verse 1, circle that phrase: "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. This is the essence of the book of Joshua, as seen in Romans chapter 8, verses 1 through 4.

At this point, what is Moses doing?

He's died. At the end of Deuteronomy chapter 34, Moses dies. Moses is a picture in the Scriptures of the law. Notice what Paul says here in Romans: "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak." Moses could not bring the children of Israel into the promised land, the land of Canaan, the land that flowed with milk and honey. Why? Because he was weak.

We saw that when he was contending with the people, the children of Israel, God told him to speak to the rock in the book of Numbers, and the water would come forth. Did Moses speak to the rock? No, out of frustration, he took his staff and struck the rock. God said, "You've misrepresented me to the people. I didn't tell you to strike the rock." Moses was weak.

Not that there's something wrong with the law, but the law can't save you. In Galatians, Paul tells us that the law has a purpose. It brings us to the place of recognizing that we are sinners who need a Savior. But the law can do no more than that. The only thing it can do is show us our need for a Savior. At that point in time, we need the Savior.

In Romans 8, Paul says in verse 3, "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God in sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." Now, who is God's own Son? Jesus. The name in Hebrew is not Jesus; it is the word Yehoshua, or the name Hosea, or the name Joshua.

When we come to the book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Old Testament, we find a perfect picture of this Romans 8 experience. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Even though the children of Israel who are getting ready to come into the promised land are just another group of sinful people, they are not perfect. We will see that very clearly in the land of Canaan, in the promised land. Yet there was no condemnation because God was going to bring them into the promised land under the leadership of Joshua.

God brings us into that promised land under the leadership of Joshua as well. He brings them into this victorious Christian life. The life that God desires for you and for me is a life of victory. We see that also in Romans chapter 8. Romans 8 verse 37 states, "Through Him who loved us, through Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors." We are made victorious in Christ—completely victorious in Christ.

As we come to the book of Joshua, it is important to remember that God desires us to live in a place of victory, in this land, in this inheritance. In the very first chapter of Joshua, it states that it is a land given unto them. It wasn't something they received because they were a good group of people, nor was it something they earned through their work. No, God had given it to them.

There is an inheritance for you and me that God has merely given to us. It is not something we earn by our good works, but it is something God desires for us to have. He desires for us to enter into this victory. He desires for us to take it, to inherit, and to possess the possession. This idea of possessing the inheritance is something you see over and over again in the book of Joshua.

Equally important is to remember that the children of Israel could have possessed the inheritance at any time. They could have taken the promised land at any time. What kept them out of the promised land 38 years prior to this? It was their unbelief—nothing but their own unbelief. They thought, "No, we can't go into the land. We can't take it. It's too much for us."

To illustrate this point, let’s look at the book of Numbers, specifically Numbers chapter 13. Remember that Moses had sent 12 spies into the promised land 38 years before Joshua chapter 1. These spies were in the land for 40 days. When they returned in Numbers chapter 13, 10 of them had a wicked report, while only two had a good report of the land.

Notice the report in Numbers chapter 13, starting at verse 31. The men who went up with Joshua and Caleb said, "We are not able to go up against this people into the promised land, for they are stronger than we are." They brought up an evil report of the land they had searched out for the children of Israel, saying, "The land through which we have gone to search is a land that eats up the inhabitants thereof, and all the people we saw in it are men of great stature."

And notice this in verse 33: "There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers."

We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight also. Those ten spies saw the obstacles; they saw the giants in the land, but they viewed it through their own perspective. They didn't look at it with the eyes of God. However, there were two spies, Joshua and Caleb, who did. They looked at this obstacle and said, "This is nothing. They're bread for us. God has given the land into our hands."

It's important to remember that this promised land was something they could have taken at any time. They did not have to wander in the wilderness for thirty-eight years. But because of their unbelief and their inability to see as God saw, they failed to recognize the land as their own possession—something that God had given to them. All they had to do was step into it and take it. It was theirs for the taking. Their inability to see that caused them to die in the wilderness, wandering and meandering for the rest of their lives, merely living a beggarly existence, constantly crying out to God for what they needed: water, food, and other necessities. Yet, there was a land that flowed with milk and honey right there. All they had to do was enter in by faith. Because of their unbelief, they wandered in the wilderness, crying constantly, until a new generation arose that was ready to go in and possess the land.

Now, after considering this passage in Numbers chapter 13, I want you to turn over to Joshua chapter 2 real quick. I want you to consider the way that the people of the land viewed the children of Israel. The children of Israel viewed the people of the land as giants that they could not overtake, but the people of the land viewed the children of Israel differently.

In Joshua chapter 2, verse 9, this is right before the children of Israel come into the promised land. Joshua sends not twelve spies, but only two spies, thinking maybe they will come back with a good report. These two spies go to the city of Jericho, where they meet a woman named Rahab. She says to them in verse 9, "I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that your terror has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the kings of the Amorites that were on the other side of the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, how you utterly destroyed them."

Notice verse 11: "As soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, and neither did there remain any courage in any man because of you."

Why? For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and in the earth beneath. Notice what the people of the land thought of the children of Israel. They looked at them and were so fearful from the time that the children of Israel came out of Egypt, when God brought them over the Red Sea and caused the Red Sea to open up, allowing the children of Israel to walk over on dry ground. All the people in the land of Canaan had their hearts melted within them. They fainted; they had no more courage. They were a completely defeated foe.

Thirty-eight years ago, when the children of Israel stood at Kadesh Barnea and had an opportunity to go into the land, they were fearful because of the people in the land. The people in the land were shaken in their boots, or sandals, I guess we should say. They were fearful and didn't know what to do. Their hearts melted within them. They were afraid of this great people that had come over, and not just of this great people, but of their God. All the children of Israel had to do was step into the land that God had for them, to step into the victory that God had created for them, and yet they wouldn't do it.

Why? They didn't have enough faith. Faith in who? Faith in the God who had brought them over the Red Sea, faith in the God who had given them water out of rocks, faith in the God who had provided manna from heaven. Yet, God said, "I want you to enter in," and they responded, "Oh, we can't do it. These giants are too big for us." You know what? They were probably right. The giants were too big for them, but were the giants too big for God? Absolutely not.

One of the beautiful things you see in the book of Joshua is when they do take the promised land. This man Caleb, who was one of the people that said, "They're just bread for us," was 85 years old at this point. He went up and killed these giants. This 85-year-old man went up and took the land, declaring, "I want that hill right there. I'm going to take it." It was a hill held by the giants in the land, the sons of Anak. God said to His people, "Come on into the land." Yet, because of their fear, they wouldn't come in. They wandered for 38 years.

One other quick illustration about this: Turn in your Bibles to John chapter 5, a story you may remember when you've read through the Gospels. There in John chapter 5, Jesus comes to the pool of Bethesda. Remember that story? As He came to the pool of Bethesda, we read in John chapter 5, verse 1, "After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." Now there is at Jerusalem, by the sheep market, a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue...

Bethesda had five porches, or five covered areas for the people to sit. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk: blind, halted, and withered, all waiting for the moving of the water. This scene is reminiscent of an emergency room in Jerusalem. At this pool of Bethesda, the five covered areas were filled not with the healthy and happy people of Jerusalem, but with the sick, the blind, the lame, and those afflicted with leprosy. They were all waiting for the movement of the water, which is an interesting phenomenon to be anticipating.

In verse 4, it is noted that there was a legend among the people: an angel would come down at a certain season into the pool and trouble the water. Whosoever stepped in first after the troubling of the water would be made whole of whatever disease they had. Picture this, if you can: a pitiful scene with all these sick people surrounding the pool, intently watching the water, waiting for any sign of movement. As soon as they would see it, there would be a mad dash for the pool. Whoever could get in first believed they would be healed of their infirmity.

Consider the desperate nature of this situation. There were likely people there with friends who were quadriplegic, and they would throw their friends into the water, hoping for a miracle. It is a truly sad scenario.

Among those gathered was a certain man, as noted in verse 5. He had an infirmity for 38 years. This detail is significant; he had been suffering for a long time and desired healing, some sort of victory in his life. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been in that condition for a long time, He asked him, "Would you like to be made whole?"

The man could have perceived this as a rude question. After all, why would he be sitting there if he didn't want to be healed? Did Jesus think he enjoyed the view or the smell of the place? There were people around him suffering from leprosy, and he certainly did not appreciate his surroundings. He could have responded with anger, questioning why Jesus would ask such a thing.

However, he did not react that way. Instead, he focused on his inability. The impotent man, or the lame man, answered, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled. While I am coming, another person steps down before me."

He says, "I can't do it in my own strength. I can't get there. I need someone to help." And so Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed, and walk." Immediately, the man was made whole; he took up his bed and walked. The same day was the Sabbath day. Here was a guy who was lame for longer than Jesus had been a man on the earth—38 years. This was the same amount of time that the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. All it took for him to be healed was a step of faith at the word of God.

Here, God tells His people to go into the promised land in Joshua. All it would take would be a step of faith to enter the promised land. The promised land is there for the taking—a land of victory, a land that flows with milk and honey. It was there for the children of Israel to come in and possess it. But what does it typify in our lives? What does it signify in our lives?

As I mentioned last week, there have been hymn writers who have used the idea of crossing the Jordan and coming into the promised land as a picture of entering into eternal life through death. However, I don't think that's a very good illustration because, in the promised land, the first seven years that they were there, what did they have? They had war; they had battles. We are not going to have war in heaven. Therefore, this is not a picture of heaven.

Most definitely, though, it is a picture of the abundant and Spirit-filled life that we saw in Romans chapter 8—this walking in the Spirit. The weakness of the law, in the sense that Moses could not bring them into the promised land, shows that now the children of Israel need to come in to experience victory and fruitfulness in the land that flows with milk and honey.

We also considered several verses last week that I think are important to this idea. The land that flowed with milk—1 Peter chapter 2, verse 2, says, "As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word of God." We want to be in that place where we are completely relying upon the pure milk of the word of God.

Not only that, it says the land that flowed with milk and honey. We see that verse in Psalm 19, verse 10, where it states that the word of God is sweeter than honey in the honeycomb. So, the land of milk and honey is a place of reliance upon the word of God. We know in John chapter 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Jesus is the Word of God. Living in the land that flows with milk and honey means being in fellowship with and being in communion with the Word of God. To have the Word of God abiding in you is essential. Remember what Jesus said in John: His word needs to abide in you. This place of victory and rest is found in abiding with or abiding in the Word of God, having His word as that which sustains you and is necessary for your life. You should desire it more than your necessary food.

Consider the children of Israel when they were in the wilderness. What did they have to eat? Manna, right? God did not desire that His people would eat manna continually throughout their entire lives. No, it was just a temporary provision while they were in the wilderness. God wanted them to come into the promised land and experience the fruitfulness of the land. In fact, when you read Joshua chapter 3, you find that the same day they entered the promised land, the manna ceased. Why? God wanted them to enjoy the corn of the land, the good food of the land.

Manna can be likened to something we might eat today, perhaps cornflakes. Can you imagine eating cornflakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 40 years? You might get tired of that! That’s the point. God did not want them to enjoy manna and remain in the wilderness; He wanted them to come into the promised land and enjoy the land that flowed with milk and honey. Not only was there milk and honey in this land, but it was also a fruitful land. In Numbers chapter 13, the ten spies brought back a bunch of grapes that had to be carried between two men because it was so large. God wanted them to experience and enjoy the fruit of the land.

There is fruit in our lives as Christians as well that God wants us to enjoy and experience. In Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 and 23, we read about the fruit of the Spirit. There are Christians today who are in the wilderness and do not experience the fruit of the Spirit. They are just barely getting by on manna because they are not feeding upon the milk and honey of God's Word. They are barely getting by on manna. When you talk about love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control, all these things are part of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians chapter 5.

Verse 22 and 23 describe a moment when people look at you with a blank expression, thinking, "I don't know that life." They are in the wilderness, and God wants them to take that step of faith to enter the promised land. We will consider what that means shortly.

Another important verse to consider about this land is that God wanted to bring them into a place where they would experience rest. In Matthew chapter 11, verse 28, Jesus says, "Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Jesus is the only one who can provide that rest. This promised land is not a physical location here on earth; rather, it is a state in our lives where we find satisfaction in Christ.

We come to realize, as Paul discusses in Colossians, that in Him, in Jesus, dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We are complete in Him. We are only complete as we abide in Him. He is the place we seek, that promised land, and we need to step in by faith.

Next, we consider the aspect of victory. We have already looked at this in Romans chapter 8, verse 37, which tells us that in Him, we are more than conquerors. The land was a place filled with milk and honey, a place of fruitfulness, rest, and victory. Rest only comes as we experience victory; it is a product of victory.

Remember, in Hebrews, it states that after Jesus, I believe in Hebrews chapter 2, after this one man gave an offering for sin, He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He sat down in a position of rest because He had achieved victory. The victory was accomplished on the cross when He declared, "It is finished." Now, He sits in a position of rest, and God desires that we too would enter into this place of rest.

What kind of rest? It is the rest described in Romans chapter 8, where we come to the understanding that we no longer have to strive to keep the law to be righteous. Romans chapter 7 illustrates this struggle: "The good things that I want to do, I do not do; the bad things that I do not want to do, I practice." This reflects the struggle of the flesh with the law, trying to keep the law in our own strength.

The life of rest is realizing that the law has been fulfilled in Christ. He accomplished it and took care of it on the cross. The debt that was against us because of our sin and our inability to keep the law has been resolved.

He accomplished it on the cross. Does that mean that the law should be thrown out the window? No, we already saw that in Romans. The law is holy, just, and good. However, we don't keep it to be righteous; we keep it to glorify God, who has made us righteous. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We receive Christ's righteousness as we are in Christ. He is the land of rest that we need to be in. We need to be feeding upon His word, which is like milk and honey. When we do so, there will be fruitfulness in our lives—the fruit of the Spirit. We will experience the life of rest that God desires us to come into.

Now, the book of Joshua is divided into four sections, four main divisions. The first division, chapters 1 through 4, covers the entrance into this land. I would think, at least I hope you have come to the conclusion, as we've done an introduction to Joshua, that the land of life and rest, the land of victory, is the place to be. The promised land is the place to be. I don't want to be wandering in the wilderness as a Christian. I'm pretty sure, by looking out here and seeing some people nodding their heads, that you probably agree. You don't want to be in the wilderness meandering. The wilderness is no place for a Christian. We are to be in this promised land experience, feeding upon the faithfulness of God, satisfied by Him, and producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

But how do we get into that land? The entrance into the promised land did not require them to build a dam for the Jordan River. That was what kept them out of the promised land at this point. Did they have to build a dam? No. Did they have to build a tunnel? No. Did they have to build a bridge? No. How did they come into the promised land? Their entrance into the land was purely by faith—completely by faith. It was the same way that they came out of Egypt. They came out of Egypt by faith, faith in the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, the blood on the doorposts. That ultimately is what brought them out of the land of Egypt.

You and I come out of Egypt; we come out of the world through that redemption experience, through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. It is purely by faith that we come out of Egypt. Well, how do we come into this victorious Christian life out of the wilderness? Purely by faith. However,

It is a step of faith where we've got to get our feet wet. We have to trust that the Lord has accomplished the work. In Joshua chapter 3, God told the children of Israel that the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was going to be carried by the priests. When the priests who bore the Ark of the Lord stuck their feet in the water, what would happen? God would part the Jordan River. The Jordan River would stand upon a heap, as the scripture says in the King James Version. These priests had to step into the Jordan River, which, at that time of year, overflows its banks. This was a flooded river, and it was daunting for the children of Israel. They had to step in and follow the Lord by faith. As they did, the waters parted, and they crossed.

We considered, when we were in Exodus, that the crossing of the Red Sea is a picture of baptism. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 makes that very clear. The crossing of the Red Sea symbolizes baptism, which speaks of death for us—the death of Jesus Christ, ultimately, that won salvation for us. Through baptism, we identify with Him. The whole idea of crossing the Jordan River represents another kind of death, a different kind of death—a death where we die. Remember, Jesus said, "If any man desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." This relates to Galatians chapter 2, verse 20: "I have been crucified with Christ; I no longer live."

There are many Christians wandering in the wilderness, acting as the captains of their own ships, just kind of wandering around and eating manna. Their lives can be depressing. Maybe you've experienced that; perhaps you're in that place tonight. But God wants you to take that step of faith and die to yourself, putting yourself upon the altar. Romans chapter 12 tells us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. That is how we step into the promised land. The Jordan River crossing is that place of death.

Right after the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River into the promised land, they didn't immediately go to war. The first thing they did was establish a memorial.

Joshua told twelve men, heads from each of the tribes, that when they went down through the dry riverbed of the Jordan River, he wanted them to take a stone from where the priests were standing in the middle of the river. They were to take this rock into the Promised Land, and they would set up a memorial with these twelve stones. They were going to take these stones into the Promised Land as a picture, as a witness to them of what? Well, of God's power to bring them in.

You see, those rocks were covered over with the Jordan River. There was no way that they could get those stones out of the midst of the Jordan River had it not been for God's power to bring them in. So, they took up these stones and brought them into the Promised Land so that years later, when their children would come and ask, "What's this pile of stones over here?" they could confess that it was by God's power that He brought them into this land.

This is something we need to recognize and understand: we have come into this victory only because of Jesus Christ. He is the victor. He is the one who won for us this salvation and this life of rest and victory. Thus, we have those stones of memorial.

But Joshua did something else that was very interesting when he came into the Promised Land. He took twelve stones from the Promised Land and placed them down in that riverbed. Why? That is a picture, a symbol of our lives dead because they are covered over with the Jordan River. When the children of Israel came into the Promised Land and the priests who bore the Ark also came into the land, the river overflowed its banks once more. Those rocks that Joshua put down there represent our lives; they have been crucified with Christ. They are dead. We no longer live in that life. We are not to go back. In fact, we can't go back because it is covered over with the Jordan River. We cannot return to those things.

Right after the memorial stones, before they went to battle, the next thing the children of Israel did in the Promised Land was circumcision. Circumcision was the identifying mark that they were God's people, that they were God's covenanted people. However, the interesting thing is that circumcision was not merely about a physical cutting. This concept appears in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy chapters 10 and 30, God told His people that it is to be a circumcision of the heart. A circumcision of the heart. They would perform an external circumcision as a sign.

Their hearts were also surrendered and circumcised unto the Lord. We have a similar practice in baptism. We perform an external washing through baptism, which is merely an outward showing of an inward heart change. We're demonstrating something on the outside that has taken place on the inside. The Jews had something similar, and it was circumcision.

In Deuteronomy 10:16 and Deuteronomy 30:6, God told us that the key to it is the circumcised heart, which is a heart that is surrendered to God. So, how do we come into this life? The first thing we do is take the step of faith. The second thing we must do is die to ourselves, yielding ourselves to God. The third necessary step is the surrender of our hearts to God, the circumcision of our hearts.

The first thing that the children of Israel did when they entered the land was circumcise their hearts and surrender them to the Lord. Immediately after that, they partook of the Passover. This is significant because, in Exodus 24:25, God instructed His people to partake of the Passover how often? Every year. Did that generation of people in the wilderness follow this command? No, they only partook of it once when they came out of Egypt and then one more time right before they left Mount Sinai. After that, they never partook of the Passover again until this point in Joshua 3.

It had been 38 years since they had partaken of the Passover, which they were supposed to do regularly, yearly, as a way of remembering the death of the Lamb. We, too, have a similar situation. We are to partake of communion regularly. It's not just something we do maybe once a year or once every ten years. No, it's something we do regularly. Why? Jesus says we are to remember His death, burial, and resurrection, and in doing so, we proclaim His death until He comes.

After the children of Israel set up the memorial stones and went through the circumcision, surrendering their hearts, they experienced the Passover, remembering redemption. At the end of chapter 5, we find something very important: their experience of meeting the commander of the army of the Lord. Turn to Joshua chapter 5; this is such an important aspect.

Of our lives as believers, an important aspect is their lives as well when they came into the Promised Land. It says in Joshua chapter 5, verse 13, "And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand." Joshua went to him and said, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?"

This is a very interesting story because here, right after the children of Israel have remembered and set up the memorial of their crossing, they have surrendered their hearts to the Lord and partaken of the Passover. Joshua is now considering the battle. They are a people on enemy territory, and they must go forth to battle. Right next to their camp, the children of Israel, some two million plus people, are camping at a little place called Gilgal. Just about five miles from their camp is this great stronghold, this great city called Jericho. The children of Israel were supposed to go into battle against the people in Jericho pretty quickly.

Here is Joshua, this warrior, this commander, this general, and he is eyeballing this city. I imagine that he is walking around trying to come up with a plan, trying to figure out what they are going to do. This group of people he has are not hardened warriors; they are not soldiers, just a group of people. As he is walking, he sees this man off in the distance with his sword drawn. The first thing that comes to his mind is, "Are you on our side or are you an enemy?" So he asks the man, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?"

If the man had said, "Well, I'm not for your enemies," Joshua might have said, "Hey, do you want to fight for us? We need some soldiers." But notice what happens next. The man looked at Joshua and said, "No, but as the captain of the army of the Lord, I have now come." At that point, Joshua could have said, "Hold on a second, I'm the commander; I'm the captain of the army of the Lord. These are the people that God has put under my charge."

However, he recognized something about this one who was standing there, who I believe was no doubt Jesus Christ before the incarnation. The commander of the army of the Lord says, "I have now come." Why do I think it's Jesus? Well, we see here what Joshua did: he fell on his face to the earth and worshiped. Did the man that Joshua saw say, "No, don't worship me"? No, he received it. In fact,

He said unto him, actually, Joshua says, "What do you say unto my Lord? Or what do you say unto me, my Lord?" Then this man says to him, in verse 15, "The captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, 'Take the sandal from your foot, for the place where you stand is holy ground.'" And Joshua did so.

Listen, the place where this man stood was holy ground. Hebrews tells us in chapter one that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. You cannot see God unless you see Jesus Christ. He is the image of the invisible God. He is eternal and can come at any time in history that He wants to. He didn't have to come just merely 2,000 years ago. Yes, He came as a man in the flesh, incarnate 2,000 years ago through the virgin birth. But He shows up in the Old Testament, and here He is. He comes and says, "As the commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come." Joshua bows before Him and asks, "What do you want me to do?" He recognized this man's authority over him.

That is what we need to do when we come into this promised land too. If you want to have victory in your life, you need to recognize the authority of Christ. He is the Lord of your life, and what He says, we do. Otherwise, you'll never experience victory.

In chapter 6, Joshua goes and relays what the children of Israel are supposed to do in taking down the city of Jericho. He received his marching orders from the commander of the army of the Lord. Now he goes and relays that information to his generals and commanders, saying, "This is what we're to do."

You know what? The way to take down Jericho was kind of weird. The children of Israel were to go around the entire camp with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord at the front of them, with the priests bearing it and blowing the shofar, the trumpets, the ram's horn. All the children of Israel were to go around the city once a day for six days. Then, on the seventh day, they were going to go around seven times. On the seventh time, they were all going to shout with a great shout, and God said the walls of the city would fall flat.

Now, this brings us into the second division of the book of Joshua. From the end of chapter five all the way until chapter 12 is the conquest of the land. Chapters one through four and part of five cover the entrance into the land. The second division is the conquest of the land, and in this conquest, we see several different battles that the children of Israel have. The first one is this battle.

Against Jericho, we find an illustration of a great stronghold in our lives. Most Christians battle with this early in their walk with the Lord, overcoming the strongholds of their lives. These may include serious sinful habits and bad habits from the past. This passage in Joshua chapter 6 gives us a clue on how we can defeat these foes and strongholds.

Jericho was a great city with thick walls. The inhabitants could have simply shut themselves in and waited out the siege by the children of Israel. They had wells of water within their city, and archaeologists have found that there was enough food to sustain the city for a long period of time. Therefore, they could have waited out the children of Israel. It was indeed a formidable stronghold.

The children of Israel defeated Jericho primarily through obedience to the commander of the army of the Lord. After that, they went around the city a total of 13 times with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. The Ark of the Covenant is a visible representation of the presence of God; it embodies God's presence. They took the presence of God into the midst of that stronghold.

What do you think happened during their seven-day walk around the city? I believe that every single one of those people came to the same conclusion: they could not take this city. There was no way they could conquer it. God desires us to come to that realization as well. The strongholds in your life cannot be defeated on your own. If you try to overcome them by yourself, you will find yourself in the wilderness of Romans chapter 7.

As they walked around Jericho with the Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God was before the entire nation. Ultimately, it is the presence of God that brings the walls down. We must come to the realization that we cannot do it on our own; we are insufficient. We lack the strength to accomplish what God has called us to do by ourselves. It must be a work of God.

After they went around the city of Jericho those 13 times and cried out with a loud voice, the walls of the city fell flat. The children of Israel then went straight in and took the city.

The city that was to be consecrated to the Lord was Ai. The next battle we encounter in this second division of the Book of Joshua is the battle with the city of Ai. Ai represents the little spurs in our lives, those little burrs and thorns that trip us up. These are the sins that so easily ensnare us, especially when we think we have them under control. This is exactly what happened with the children of Israel. They thought, "Oh, we have this one licked. We can take care of this little city."

Joshua sent some spies to Ai, and they returned with the report that only about 3,000 soldiers were needed. They believed it was not a big deal and that they could easily conquer the city. However, that little city of Ai turned the armies of Israel around, resulting in the death of 32 men that day. Why did this happen? It turned out that there was sin in the camp. The sin of Achan, as described in Joshua chapter 7, was the cause. Achan had taken some items from the city of Jericho into his tent, which he was not supposed to do. Because of this, the children of Israel were defeated before Ai.

Ai symbolizes those little sins and things that trip us up, those sins that ensnare us. Ultimately, how did the children of Israel battle Ai? They sent the entire army against it. After dealing with the sin of Achan, they had to trust that the Lord was able to take that city. Ultimately, God did take that city. This situation illustrates the attitude we must avoid, as described in Galatians chapter 6, where it states that he who thinks he is something when he is nothing is a fool; he deceives himself. We must recognize that we cannot do anything in our own strength; we must fully rely upon the Lord.

Following this, we encounter the situation with the Gibeonites in Joshua chapter 9. The Gibeonites represent the sin that comes in secretly—cunning and crafty, akin to the wiles of the devil. We all experience these sorts of temptations. This group of people lived right in the middle of the promised land, and the children of Israel were commanded to utterly destroy everyone who lived there and to make no treaties with anyone. However, the Gibeonites came to them wearing old, worn-out shoes and clothes. They carried molded bread and broken wineskins, claiming to be from a far country, seeking to make a treaty.

A treaty was made with you. The scripture says in Joshua chapter 9, verse 14, that the men of the children of Israel took them at their victuals and did not ask counsel of the Lord. What that means is the commanders and leaders of Israel looked at their shoes and said, "Yeah, those are pretty old shoes." They noted that the clothing was old as well. They said, "When we left our country, these were brand new clothes and brand new shoes, and we had all brand new piping hot bread." Now, the bread was molded, and their wineskins were broken. The people who listened to this said, "Yep, sounds like a pretty good thing," and they did not seek counsel from the Lord. Because of that, they made an unholy alliance.

The same thing happens in Christian lives day after day. How many times do we make decisions without seeking the counsel of the Lord? How many of those decisions have resulted in a marriage to someone who does not know the Lord, a business partnership with someone who is unethical in their practices, or friendships and relationships with people that do not glorify the Lord? This happens because we do not ask for the counsel of the Lord, and it can ruin our victory in the land.

However, God has a way of turning these things around. It is amazing how He can do this. Ultimately, God used the Gibeonites for His service. He used them to be the hewers of wood and drawers of water. This means they were the ones who cut the wood to put on the altar in the tabernacle and carried the water up to the tabernacle for the washing of the priests. God can use these unholy alliances sometimes; He has a way of turning them around for His good. But we need to make sure that we ask for counsel from the Lord.

Right after that, the next battle that the children of Israel faced was in Joshua chapter 10 against a man named Adonai Zedek. The word "Adonai" means Lord or Master, and "Zedek" means righteousness. So, Adonai Zedek means "Lord of Righteousness." He was the king of Jerusalem. Who do you think this guy pictures? This enemy of Israel, who is supposedly the Lord of Righteousness and the king of Jerusalem, is most definitely a picture of the Antichrist. He gathers a group of people to come against the children of Israel. However, I want you to notice something: he does not fight directly with the children of Israel. He goes to battle.

Against the Gibeonites, those people who just made a league with the children of Israel, their faith was tested. The Gibeonites had said, "We're going to trust Joshua. We've made a league with Joshua, with Jesus, because we were afraid that you were going to kill us." So, they made a treaty with Joshua, and now their own countrymen came against them.

Every single one of us experiences this as well. Most people come to Jesus because they're afraid. What are they afraid of? Ultimately, they are afraid of death and hell. A lot of people turn to Jesus at the beginning because they are afraid; they don't want to go to hell. I know when I was a little kid and I prayed the sinner's prayer with my mom, I didn't want to go to hell. Most of you can probably identify with that. We didn't want to receive the wrath of God in hell. The Gibeonites, too, didn't want to be destroyed by Joshua. They made a treaty with him because they were afraid.

But what happened immediately after that? Their treaty was tested. Their trust in Joshua was tested. Adonai Zadok and these enemies came against the city of Gibeon. All Gibeon had to do was say, "Listen, guys, we just did that so we wouldn't get killed by Joshua. We're on your side." But they didn't. They called for Joshua and said, "Joshua, come help us." And Joshua did come to help them. God destroyed the kings that came against the Gibeonites. In fact, the scripture says in Joshua chapter 10 that God brought hail, these big stones from the sky, and it states that God's hail killed more of the enemy than the children of Israel did.

As they were pursuing their enemies, Joshua cried out to the Lord and called for the sun to stand still so that they could defeat their enemies. Sure enough, God caused the long day for Joshua, and the children of Israel took care of their enemies that day. The five kings led by Adonai Zadok went and hid in the cave of Makeda. The children of Israel, as it says in Joshua 10 or Joshua 11, brought the kings out of the cave. Joshua told his commanders to put their feet on the necks of these kings and said, "God will do this to all of your enemies who stand against you."

Then Joshua took the sword, cut off the heads of these men, and hung them on trees. God killed these kings. This is an interesting picture for us because caves are significant places in scripture. In fact, the first mention of a cave in the Bible is back in...

Genesis chapter 19 describes the events that took place after Lot escaped from Sodom and Gomorrah. In that cave, something wicked occurred. His two daughters got him drunk and had children by that incestuous union with their father. From its very first mention, the cave serves as a picture of darkness and the flesh. Sometimes, we have hidden things in our lives, and we need to allow Joshua, Jesus, to bring those things out and expose them. He calls us to put our foot upon the neck of our enemies, and God says, "I will do this to every one of your enemies," but it has to come out. It must be confessed.

1 John 1:9 says, "Confess your sin to the Lord, and He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you," removing it from our lives like the kings that were in those caves. After that, Joshua chapters 10 through the end of chapter 12 list all the different battles that Joshua led. It states that he utterly destroyed all of these nations and kings, which serves as a picture for us of complete purging. Every single one of us is in the process of sanctification, which truly happens in the promised land—in that place of relying upon the Word of God and feeding on His faithfulness.

Joshua, Jesus, completely purges our lives of sin in the same way that Jesus twice in His ministry went into the temple and cleansed it. The scripture in 1 Corinthians 6 tells us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and when Jesus comes into our lives, He cleanses the temple. Joshua chapters 10 through the end of chapter 12 illustrate Joshua completely purging and removing sin.

The next section of the book of Joshua, chapters 13 through 21, brings us to the division and possession of the land. In these chapters, Joshua divides the land for the children of Israel so that they can possess it. However, we also see the beginnings of the failure of Israel. As they begin to possess the land, it is noted several times, with Joshua 13:13 being a key verse. It states that as God is dividing the land for the children of Israel, "nevertheless, the children of Israel expelled not."

The Geshurites and the Maccathites dwell among the Israelites until this day. During the time of taking possession of the land, as God divides the inheritance for the children of Israel, they allowed some of their enemies to remain. As God told them in Deuteronomy chapter 28, those enemies would become thorns for them and would trip them up. They would be those little hidden sins, those sins that so easily ensnare them.

You see this several times in the passage regarding the dividing of the land, marking the beginnings of failure. In Joshua chapter 13, verse 13, and Joshua chapter 15, verse 63, as well as Joshua chapter 16, verse 10, it states that they allowed certain groups to stay and put others under tribute, making them their slaves. God commanded them to utterly destroy these enemies, but they did not comply.

In the midst of this passage, however, you find great stories, such as the one in Joshua chapter 14 about Caleb taking the city of Hebron and defeating the giants that lived in that region. Another character related to Caleb is Othniel, who became Caleb's son-in-law. In chapter 15, Caleb declared that whoever took a certain city could have his daughter as his wife. Othniel, whose name means "like a lion," was from the tribe of Judah. He went and took the city to win a bride.

Does that sound interesting? Does that sound like something you've heard before? We have a lion from the tribe of Judah who came and took this city, this earth, to receive a bride. When that bride was taken, she went to her father, Caleb, and said to him, "I would that you would bless me." He asked her what she wanted, and she replied, "Well, you've given me this land; I would like the springs of water in the land." He agreed, saying he would give her the springs, the lower springs of what? Living water, which are like the Holy Spirit.

So there, the bride is taken because Othniel, the lion of the tribe of Judah, wins the city and wins the bride. She receives the living water, the Spirit, just like you and I. In that same passage, another failure in the division of the land is with the people of Ephraim, the children of Ephraim, the tribe.

In Joshua chapter 17, the tribe of Ephraim makes excuses about not taking the land. They claim, "We're a really big tribe; we're a great tribe." I have a feeling that the tribe of Ephraim was trying to get something good from Joshua because Joshua was of their tribe. They were thinking, "Well, we're related to you; you should give us something more than everybody else."

So, they come to Joshua and say, "We're a great tribe; we think we should have more than just this small lot of inheritance." Joshua responds, "That's great that you're a great tribe; you are a great tribe. Go and take the mountain region as well." They reply, "Oh no, we can't do that; it's too tough for us." He then says, "Well, go take the valleys." They respond, "Oh no, the Philistines are there, and they have chariots."

You see, they wanted a free ride. They were not willing to do what was necessary. We find this in the Christian life as well; sometimes we just want a free ride because, well, "I'm a child of the King; I should get this, I should get that." No, that's not the case, and I discourage you from ever being in that place. Some of you who are business owners understand exactly what I'm talking about. As a Christian business owner, sometimes other Christians think, "Well, you're a Christian; I'm a Christian; you should help me out here." However, we should guard ourselves from ever getting into that place of making excuses like Ephraim.

In contrast, we also see the victory of the tribe of Dan in Joshua chapter 19. They too were a tribe that said, "Our inheritance is not large enough." So, they went up into the mountain region and took more. The Scripture tells us, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, it is yours; I've given it unto you." Any of the tribes under Joshua who went and took the land received their inheritance. The same is true in my life and yours. If we step out by faith and take the land, God says, "It's yours; I've given it to you."

This brings us to Joshua chapter 20, which presents a beautiful picture of the cities of refuge. We don't have time to get into this, but I encourage you to check out the Bible study I did on this topic on the church's website. The study of the cities of refuge has great implications for you and me; it's an important passage in the Bible, but we don't have time to delve into it tonight.

Then, in Joshua chapter 21, we see the provision for the priesthood. There, God instructs that the Levites, who had no inheritance in the land, are to be provided for by the people. God was their inheritance, but the people were to take care of them. We have a biblical example of how the church, the body of Christ, takes care of the priesthood. This is a biblical principle; it's not something that the church made up just to make money.

Joshua, the last division, chapters 22 through 24, gives us a few perils and pitfalls in the Promised Land. There are several of them scattered throughout the book of Joshua, but a few are specifically mentioned in this passage. One is in Joshua chapter 7 about Achan and his sin. Another is related to the division of the land, where the children of Israel did not completely clear out the land.

In this passage, there is a caution to the children of Israel to take diligent heed when they are in the Promised Land. Just because we are in the land of life, rest, and victory does not mean that the enemy will not come against us. It does not mean that everything will be perfect. We must take diligent heed to the Word of God. We should not turn to the right hand or to the left hand, so that we may observe to do all that is written therein. Then we shall have good success, and we shall have a prosperous way. This is what God spoke to Joshua in Joshua chapter 1, verses 6 through 9.

We still need to take diligent heed to the Word of God because there are pitfalls in the Promised Land. If we depart from the Word of God, this passage tells us that God will remove us from that land. He will not allow us to be squatters in the land, loitering there and feeding on the faithfulness of the land if we are not following Him and observing His Word.

Another interesting passage in Joshua chapter 22 is the situation with the misunderstood motives. There is a group, the two and a half tribes of Israel, that were going to stay on the east side of the Jordan River. When they returned to their possession, they built an altar, and the children of Israel prepared to go to war because they misunderstood the motives behind it. How many times do we, as Christians, misunderstand people's motives? We gossip about them or try to cut them down with the sword of the Spirit because we misinterpret their intentions.

It is important, as Christians in the Promised Land, that if we want to dwell peaceably with one another, as Paul tells us to in Romans, we need to ensure that we communicate, just as the children of Israel did in that passage. Another aspect of these pitfalls is the importance of not departing from the Word of God, as we see mentioned in chapter 23.

We saw it back there in Joshua chapter 1: "Don't turn to the right hand or to the left." But also in chapter 23, there is the call to serve the Lord. Joshua makes that great statement, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." The people said to Joshua, "That's what we're going to do; we're going to serve the Lord."

He asked them to choose whom they were going to serve, and they replied, "We're going to serve the Lord as well." He gives them another caution in that passage, which is kind of an interesting caution. He says, "You can't serve the Lord." We need the help of the Lord to accomplish the things that the Lord has set before us. Amen.