Conquest of Jericho and God’s Kingdom (Joshua 6:1-7) 9/6/2020
The Answer of the 1st 2nd 3rd RUTC:
Conquest of Jericho and God’s Kingdom (Joshua 6:1-7) 9/6/2020
In order to conquer Canaan, there were three obstacles that the Israelites had to face. It was the Jordan River from last week, and the Wall of Jericho of this week. Next week, it will be Hebron. Canaan conquest is the blessing of conquering the world with the gospel (world evangelization). The core of it is that God himself will have to break down Jericho and the city of Hebron, as He split the Jordan River. There was no way that the Israelites, who were slaves for 400 years and have been in the wilderness for 40 years, could ever do any of that.
Do you feel as if it is impossible for you, your family, and your church to be used to conquer the world ? That is the truth. We must begin with that truth. Only then, will we be able to experience the work of God. This is true evangelism and true success. Your life must become a forum of God’s grace and power (life forum). How did God complete that work? He promised (absolute covenant), went ahead before us (absolute power), and told us to follow him. He will accurately lead us in what we must do and where we must go. Enjoying this blessing is called “God’s kingdom” and being under his governance.
Follow God to find out and experience how He fulfills perfectly all that he has promised to you. As you continue to experience this, you will be able to see that God will do and what answers and blessings he will give. You will have assurance as the one who possesses it in advance. You will come to believe and enjoy it. Later on, you will have already conquered it in your heart, and you will thus experience it in advance. This was what happened with the Wall of Jericho. God had promised this long ago, and in order to fulfill that promise, he had been orchestrating everything in advance (Deuteronomy 1:30). We must experience this in our work and business lives. We must experience this in our evangelism. We must experience this in our entire journey of life. Everything will become easier (Joshua 1:7-9). How accurately did God work on the Wall of Jericho? It says the “gates of Jericho were securely barred” and “no one came in or out” (verse 1). Their hearts were melted in fear (Joshua 2:11), and everyone had run away. The Israelites had victory before the battle.
- Why does God need to orchestrate things in advance?
There are three things we must hold onto in order to experience God’s work taking place ahead of us in our lives.
1) God’s absolute reason for the land of Canaan to crumble. We shared these three things last week.
God had to save the corrupt and idol-filled land of Canaan (evangelism and missions). Through our posterity, this absolute plan of God (desire) must continue, be inherited, and brought to completion (remnant ministry). And on that land, Christ must come. We are waiting for Christ to return. This reason that God has must become the reason for our lives.
2) God had been fulfilling this covenant all along the past.
We must understand the flow of history in order to have faith and be able to see our tasks (heavenly mandate, calling, mission). God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham (Genesis12:1-3). Even then, God was leading and working in places. Joseph, who knew and experienced this, buried his late father in Canaan land (Genesis 50:13). Moses, who realized this, led the Israelites. These work all works of God. It is beneficial to know history (Bible history, church history, world history).
3) God had told and promised this to his servant Joshua (Joshua1:3-5).
This is the spiritual significance of the pulpit message. God speaks to his servant first, allows the servant to experience it in his life, and then relay the word to the congregation. Joshua relayed the word of God to the Israelites. The covenant of the pulpit and the time schedule of the pulpit is very important. It is the covenant I must hold onto now, and a blessing I must enjoy in this time schedule.
- What must we do when God is working before us?
Can we sit around and do nothing because God will do it? There are things we must truly do and experience.
1) Prayer experience (Ezekiel 36:37, “I will yield to Israel’s plea”). We must remember two things when we pray.
① Receiving immediate answers and results is not what is important. That is up to God’s time schedule. The important thing is our spiritual state in which we can pray and the strength and system to be consistent. Answers will follow according to the time schedule. Prayer is trusting God and following. We must train it continually. Only then, can we experience the work of God taking place before us.
② When we pray, God works within us through the Holy Spirit. We can enjoy the filling of the Holy Spirit and the kingdom of God. In that moment, our scars, unbelief, and our own standards vanish. There are problems that only then finish. The authority of Satan, who continues to deceive us with our scars, unbelief and standards, will crumble. God desires to guide you through what he has prepared, but we continue to become deceived. For six days they marched the tower once. On the 7th day, they marched seven times. It is a time to restore our faith and lay ourselves down.
2) Oneness experience. In the Bible, all miracles and absolute power arose when the people of God held onto the covenant and became united (in front of the Red Sea, Mitzbah, and Mark’s upper room). When God’s people who hold onto the covenant become one, they become God’s army (Exodus 12:41). God is the leader of the army (Joshua 5:15). This was emphasized before the Israelites conquered the wall of Jericho.
① What is the most important thing for an army fighting in war? Oneness, or a team mentality.
They were not to speak while they marched around the tower (verse 10). That is what happens when you truly believe in God.
② “When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout” (verse 5). That is when the wall will collapse. The trumpet is made of lamb horns. This signifies the victory of Christ. When people of God worship together and pray together in one heart in Jesus’ name, amazing things will happen (WWII 9 o’clock prayer, Korean War and the prayer of pastors in Busan).
3) Future experience. It did not end with the destruction of the Jericho wall. It was an experience in preparation for the blessing God will give until the end.
① When this Canaan is completely conquered, the age of the remnants will come and the time schedule for saving all nations will come. David’s kingdom was built in that Canaan land, and through the descendants of David, Christ the eternal king was to come.
② We are preparing to be used for that day (platform, vessel, leverage). For that day, we must prepare our content. You are now just studying to earn a degree. You must study meaningful content in order to stand as the one to save the world. You are not working or running your business in order to make money and live comfortably. Your devotions must be meaningful for the sake of world evangelism and the remnants.
Conclusion – God has prepared everything and is leading you ahead. Try learning how to go by his side. That is God’s kingdom.