Real Power

Real Power for Us or our Adversaries?

Joshua 5:13-6:27

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" 14 And he said, "No [Neither, None]; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" 15 And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

Joshua 6:1 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." 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. 12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. 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. 22 But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her." 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father's household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, "Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. "At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates." 27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

First, God's Army Shows Up

Joshua 5:13-15

The commander of the army of the Lord comes to Joshua as neither for or against Israel or Jericho.

As in the supernatural revelation to Moses, God desires to be known and when he or his emissaries appear, the ground they stand on is Holy.

This is a revelation of God's authority, and reinforces that Joshua must walk with the Lord and not try to take Jericho on their own strength. We also must recognize God's authority and power over every situation we find ourselves in.

"Are you for us or for our adversaries?" NO. Joshua is asking the wrong question. There is another option, God is for himself, He is for our redemption and the redemption of those who are against Him. This includes Muslims, Hindu, Pagans, and any other people group that sets themselves up against the Lord. We should be asking, "How do we fit into God's plan, or What is God's plan?"

A Plan

Joshua 6:1-5

This is a strange plan and not normal. When we are fully surrendered to the Lord, we will do crazy things for His glory. For example, people are dedicating themselves to serve the desperate and destitute. IE - Elmira - Love Your City

Joshua 6:6-27

Obey - Israel obeyed God's plan because they trusted Him. The Wall fell, except for Rahab's house and everyone in it. This place stood until Joshua and the spies went to her.

Pentecost - Power Revealed

Sometimes, we have to wait for God's power to be revealed:

Luke 24:45-49 - 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

Acts 2:1-4, 14-21 - 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. ... 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

We truly can't grasp the fullness of God's identity. Fortunately, He always provides himself either in the word, flesh, or spirit.

We are clothed with God's power through His revelation to us. His power is revealed for the salvation of the whole world. This revelation is solely for the purpose of transforming us into his ambassadors.

In Acts 2, those that are gathered are praying and seeking after God. They are praying on the day of Pentecost, the day that God's law was revealed to Moses and Israel.

The Law is God revealed, Christ is God's law personified, and the Holy Spirit is God's law perfected in those who trust in Him.

In Acts, those that were gathered began to speak so that those around them might understand who God is in a language that they understand.

God grabs hold of each of us differently. He is not caged or predictable to us. His ways are far beyond what we can understand.

In the cases Pentecost and Jericho, God instructed His people to wait. After they had waited, God gave each group what was needed according to His perfect plan. They obeyed the command they were given.

Obedience is a demonstration of our love and trust in God.

"Abide in me and you will bear much fruit"

"If you love me, you will obey my commands"

It is important because when we obey and trust, it reveals our heart. Outwardly, people see one thing, but God is concerned with our inner being. He wants to fill in the missing parts of our inner being. That which we are lacking, He will provide.

He will provide

* Anointing
* Love
* Passion
* Obedience
* Clarity

Act 2:14 - Peter addresses the crowd that they would know that the group is not drunk, but fulfilling the prophecy of Joel.

Joel 3

1 "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. 4 "What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the LORD has spoken." 9 Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate for war; stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, "I am a warrior." 11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD. 12 Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. 17 "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. 18 "And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD and water the Valley of Shittim. 19 "Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. 21 I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged, for the LORD dwells in Zion."

Those that heard Peter were enabled to understand what he was saying and they were compelled to respond and consider what they had done in the mob's cries for Jesus' crucifixion.

Things do not always go according to our plan -

The stoning of Stephen resulted in his death, but Saul was marked and encountered Jesus a time later. Paul went on to make the most significant impact on the world for the Kingdom.

When we make God our priority -

We are promised that God will fulfill our plan through us whether we are martyred just like the millions throughout the last 2000 years, or successful like Billy Graham who led thousands to Christ through his crusades.

No matter the result, God's fruitfulness comes when we are faithful.

God Gives Us Power for:
* Taking the Land
* Us to be blessed by being witnesses of the Power of God
* The revelation of God's power

Don't give God lip service -

Joshua warned Israel that once they crossed into the promised land, they should not enjoy the fruits of the land without first acknowledging God's blessing over Israel.

God's blessings are given so that we are a blessing to the nations, to the broken and the lost around us.

If we want God's miraculous power, we have to get outside of ourselves and understand that we are called to reveal truth and life to those around us.

Marriage -

Marriage is simply a way for God to reveal himself to those around us. When we don't recognize this, we start to loose out on God's blessing. It is not our calling to have a great marriage for our own satisfaction, it is our calling to have a great marriage to bless those around us.

What are you being called to?
* Can you do this in your own strength?
* Where do you need God's supernatural power?
* Prayer?