The Impossible becomes possible (Joshua 6:1-21)

Date : 1st August, 2021

Place : Delhi, India

Event : Sermon on Sunday Worship Service

Speaker : Jatin Bisht

Title : The Impossible becomes possible

Bible: Joshua 6:1-21

Key verse Joshua 6:20

 

Hello Brothers and sisters

I welcome you again in the house of the lord.

Last week was so rainy week, whenever I was riding my bike or travelled outside, I could reminder of the Sattal weather.

Although we have not been able to go Sattal for 2 years due to Covid I am grateful to God for this beautiful church, where I can come and spend time in praise and worship, reading the bible, and with his people.

 

Let’s pray…

 

In Bible, we can find many stories where people encountered many challenges, which was like impossible,

Moses led 2 million people out of Egypt and crossed the red sea, which was impossible.

Jesus gave great responsibilities to his 12 disciples to share the gospel not only in Jerusalem or Israel but to the end of the earth this is also impossible

How about you and me?

Are we in any situation where we say it is impossible?

Do you know what we need to do when our situation looks impossible?

 

If I see my life, I feel my marry task is the biggest challenge for me, Caste problem, religious problem, culture problem, family problem, and which looks like impossible.

So, what do I need to do when I encounter an the impossible situation?

What do you do if your doctor says your cancer is spreading in your body?

What would you do if you were stuck in some addition and you cannot overcome form it?

What do you do, if your husband or wife doesn't believe in Jesus?

What do you do, if you face financial difficulties and it seems that there is no way to out?

 

Maybe today many of us are facing a situation that looks impossible, no way to out, no clear vision?

If you are in an impossible situation, then I would encourage you with a story, which is in the book of Joshua.

In the Book of Joshua God brought Israel near to the promised land, after many years of slavery in Egypt and 40 years in the wilderness the Israelites were finally allowed to enter the land promised by their ancestors. But their Journey inside the promised land was full of battle and challenge.

But they won each and every impossible situation because they were hearing God and following him.

 

In this book, there was one man, whose name is Joshua.

Who was not just leading his family in a better future, but he was responsible to lead the entire nation into the promised land, a land reserved by God with milk and honey?

He was going to lead women, men, young, elder, children and everyone.

Their life was in his hands.

He knew there is no turning back, they left wildness and in front of them promise land.

But received that land was impossible for them.

Last Sunday we heard a sermon, How Joshua send spies into Jericho city to check that city and how Rahab hide spies from an army of Jericho.

After spy data, they crossed the Jordan River, which was one of the great works of God.

they did generation circumcised; they did first Passover celebration in Canaan.

And now Joshua and Israelites stand in front of Jericho city.

Jericho is known as the oldest city in the world.

In the time of Joshua Jericho area was 9 acres and City of Jericho was surrounded by two massive stone walls,

Outer wall height was 20ft and 6 ft thick and inner wall was 30ft high and 12ft thick, and the gap between that wall was 15ft wide.

Can it be possible for you to lump over 30 ft high wall?

If you were an Israelite, it would look impossible to overcome.

But they overcome.

Do you know?

What was the weapon they used?

How did they conquer Jericho city?

How did they conquer the impossible situation?

What did they use?

Hebrews 10:30 says By Faith

By faith, the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.”

 

When Joshua saw the wall of Jericho, it was not easy for him to believe that this city will come under them.

But I want to tell you about Joshua, he was one of the bible’s greatest military gurus like he was a warrior, he knew how to make plans for battle.

Although Jericho’s wall was so massive, I can say he had all maps and ideas to fight with Jericho. He will have all plans and step to fulfil them.

Maybe he must have made a complete plan, how we will go under these walls, how we will kill Jericho’s soldiers and how will we capture Jericho.

 

But God came to him, with his instruction.

Let’s read verses 1-5

1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.

2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.

3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days.

4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

5 And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”

 

Joshua’s expectation did not meet reality according to God’s plan, God said to Joshua I have given Jericho into your hands.

 

Can you  Joshua feeling that now he needs to go in front of these people and tell them this idea, you do not need to use your weapon, you do not need to use the bow, arrow, sword and rope.

In other words, you do not need to fight any physical fight, but what you need to do, just march around the city.

Maybe be this plan did not make any sense, but prophet Jeremiah says God plan’s not to harm you, but it’s given you hope and future.

 

On basis of verses 1-5.

I want to give the first sub-point of today sermon.

 

1. Hear God’s word – Although Joshua and millions of Israelites were in a situation that looks impossible, maybe they had many plans, but God wanted that they may hear about him.

How many times do we try to hear God?

Do we try to hear from God before any plan?

Do we share our plan and ask God what is our plan?

Or do you take our plan and say God I want you may do as per my plan?

It is so important for us to hear God’s voice in our impossible situations.

And if we are not opening our bible, that means we do not want to hear God because it’s hard to hear God until we open our bible.

 

As I told you, Joshua was a warrior. He knew how to win the battle, he had a lot of experience, so imagine if the Lord did not talk to Joshua, he would have fought the city of Jericho by his experience and own idea.

They might have used stairs, dug tunnels, broken walls, and used weapons, so Israel heard God’s word in their impossible situation.

 

There can be many walls surround us.

Walls of sorrow,

Walls of sickness

Walls of frustrations

Walls of discouragement

Walls of failure,

Walls of pornography

Walls of lust

Walls of discernment.

And when we surround by walls, we too try to overcome the idea of people, the experience of our past.

 

But I want to encourage instead of using my own idea, let's come to God and hear about him.

 

Let’s read together verses 6-11

6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.”

7 And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

8 And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them.

9 The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually.

10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.”

11 So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

 

Do you know what Joshua did after hearing from God?

Did he use his experience and use his own plan after listening to the words of God?

NO

Did he Deny God’s word and order to people let's ready for a fight?

No, but the bible says He obeys.

Why did he obey God’s word?

Why do we obey God’s word?

Because we believe in his word because we have faith in him.

And the bible James says faith without obedience is dead.

If we listened to the word of the lord and said yes I believe but did not bring it into action then that faith is dead

 

I want to give the second sub-point of today sermon.

 

2. Have faith and obey the words of the lord.

So after hearing from the Lord, Joshua’s commanded to Israel that they may walk around the Jericho city, as we read. Each day they have to take one round up to six days, without any noise and voice.

It would be easy first days, but as the days go by, it will not be easy to walk around at Jericho and then come to the tent.

Do you hear the words of the lord and bring them into obedience?

Is it not easy?

Obedience is more difficult than hearing because obedience takes our patient therefore millions of million people hear God’s word, but so few are there who obey as they hear.

Joshua was one of them who hear and was ready to do.

The bible says Joshua arose early in the morning because he believes in God. He was so excited, this is the plan of God, even he did not understand, but he believes that God will bring down Jericho wall.

When we are excited about something, we wake early, still, I can remember once brother Ashish was telling that he does not get up on Sunday as another day, but on Sunday he wakes up early because he is excited to meet the lord.

 

Even though they could not see anything happen in the last six days, and maybe many of them would be tired, many of them want a direct fight with Jericho, and many of them still cannot understand that what they are doing But Israelites each and every step of obedience was leading them to victory, there each step of obedience remove the fear of impossibility and moving them close to victory over the first city of Cannan.

 

 

Let’s read verses 15-21

15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city, in the same manner, seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times.

16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.

17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”

20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.

21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword

 

On seventh days, or on final days, they rose early because they were excited to see what will happen today when they will shout after their final march around Jericho. And verse 16 says, at the seventh time, when the priest had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people shout for the Lord has given you the city, and as soon as people shout, the wall 12 and 30 ft walls fall down, and people went up into the city and captured the city.

 

Final sub-point

3. Obedience brings victory - Many people today are struggling to understand why they seem to live still in an the impossible situation,

the answer is so simple.

Are they/we walking with God or away from God?

Disobedience can rob our blessing, but obedience to the word of God can help us to overcome each and every impossible situation. God gave Jericho into the Israelites hands, but for it God wanted them to march around Jericho.

My dear brothers, and sisters.

What kinds of walls are around us that is preventing us from coming to church?

What kinds of walls are in front of us that stops us to meet Jesus?

Is it our money, success, comfort zone, worldly beauty, people, facility, laziness or anything things?

Although it looks, impossible, Jesus says in the new testament, with God all things are possible and he can break all barriers.

Let’s come to God and tell to him, God we know many things, we have many plans, we have, any experience, but still God we want to hear you, we want to faith in you, and we want to obey you.