Hebrews 11:30
5/24/15
Sunday Morning
1) We are in a study of Hebrews 11 we are in the faith chapter
2) Today we will see another aspect of the walk of faith that we haven’t looked
at up to this point
3) The great old saints of the past who walked w/ God did it by faith
Heb.11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
V.2 For by it the men of old gained approval.
4) The men & women of the past who did great things, accomplished those
things by trusting God!
Heb.11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that
He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
This has been written in chronological order:
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Background:
Josh.1:1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that
the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant, saying,
V.2 "Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this
people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.
1) “to the land which I am giving to them”
a. Keep in mind that Canaan is not a picture of heaven but a picture of
the Spirit filled life
b. IN Scripture Egypt represents the world when a man is lost
c. Pharaoh represents Satan
d. Moving out of Egypt represents being saved
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Heb.11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter,
V.27 By faith he(Moses) left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as
seeing Him who is unseen.
V.28 By faith he(Moses) kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he
who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.
V.29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through
dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.(leaned on Moses faith)
V.30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven
days.
1) “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down”
a. To understand what is here we must go back to Josh.1
b. As we approach God’s Word today I have a fear that this story is so
familiar that your brain will check out & you will miss one of the
least understood truths found in Scripture – so keep attuned
e. Crossing the Jordan & going into Canaan represents the Spirit filled life
(a close walk w/ God) (which is a life that has meaning & purpose)
Josh.1:1 x Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that
the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant, saying,
V.2 x "Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this
people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.
V.5 "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have
been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
1) “I will not fail you or forsake you”
a) How would you like to have a promise like that from God?
i) You do!!
Mt.28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and
lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Heb.13:5 (NIV) Keep your lives free from the love of
money and be content with what you have, because God
has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will
not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
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V.8 "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on
it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it;
for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
V.9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be
dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
V.10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
V.11 (NP)
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V.6 "Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land
which I swore to their fathers to give them.
V.7 "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law
which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,
so that you may have success wherever you go.
1) “so that you may have success wherever you go”
a. That is as true today as it was when God gave it to Joshua
b. Only we can’t allow the world to tell us what success is!
c. Some of you will never find what you are looking for in life b/c you
keep turning to the right & to the left
V.11 "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare
provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to
possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, to possess it.'"
Josh.3:1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set
out from Shittim(last camp on east side) and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there
before they crossed.
V.5 Then Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD
will do wonders among you."
V.7 Now the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all
Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.
V.8 "You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the
covenant, saying, 'When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall
stand still in the Jordan.'"
V.9 Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the
LORD your God."
V.10 Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that
He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the
Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite.
V.11 "Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over
ahead of you into the Jordan.
V.14 So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests
carrying the ark of the covenant before the people,
V.15 and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the
priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows
all its banks all the days of harvest),
V.16 the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap,
a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were
flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So
the people crossed opposite Jericho.
1) “the people crossed opposite Jericho”
a) The Jordan was at flood stage & Israel crosses on dry ground! V.17
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Josh.5:10 While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on
the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho.
V.11 On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of
the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.
V.12 (NP)
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V.17 And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on
dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all
the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
V.12 The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the
land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of
the land of Canaan during that year.
V.13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and
looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his
hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?"
1) “a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn”
a. Joshua is surprised to see this man w/ sword drawn
2) “Are you for us or for our adversaries”
a. They are barely in the promise land (Spirit filled life) & it looks like
Joshua is about to get into a sword fight
b. But it is not what it looks like
V.14 He said, "No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD." And
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my
lord to say to his servant?"
1) “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth”
a. This isn’t an angel – it is the preincarnate Christ
b. We bow to no one else!
Acts 10:25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and
fell at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am
just a man."
Rev.19:9 Then he(an angel) *said to me,(Apostle John) "Write,
'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of
the Lamb.'" And he *said to me, "These are true words of
God."
10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to
me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and
your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship
God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
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Josh. 6:1 Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out
and no one came in.
1) “no one went out and no one came in”
a. Jericho is a formidable place
b. It is a picture of the world & its activities in a saved person’s life
i. It seems that we no more than start living for Christ than we
run headlong into a Jericho
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V.15 The captain of the LORD'S host said to Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your
feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.
1) “And Joshua did so”
a. Herein lies the secret to Joshua’s success…
V.2 The LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king
and the valiant warriors.
1) “See, I have given Jericho into your hand”
a. God has given us spiritual victory in this life
Rom.8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God
is for us, who is against us?
V.37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer
through Him who loved us.
b) It doesn’t seem so victorious sometimes, does it?
c) There is going to be a war & Joshua gets instructions V.3
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V.14 Thus the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the
camp; they did so for six days.
V.15 Then on the seventh day they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched
around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched
around the city seven times.
V.16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the
people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.
V.20 (NP)
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V.3 "You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You
shall do so for six days.
V.4 "Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; then
on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall
blow the trumpets.
V.5 "It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you
hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the
wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.")
V.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 carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark
of the LORD."
V.7 Then he said to the people, "Go forward, and march around the city, and let the
armed men go on before the ark of the LORD."
V.8 And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests
carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the LORD went forward and blew the
trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
V.9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear
guard came after the ark, while they continued to blow the trumpets.
V.10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout nor let your
voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you,
'Shout!' Then you shall shout!"
V.11 So he had the ark of the LORD taken around the city, circling it once; then they
came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
V.20 So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people
heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell
down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they
took the city.
V.21 They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and
old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
V.24 They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and
articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
1) “They utterly destroyed everything…both man and woman, young and old,”
a) This was under God’s orders
b) If you think He was wrong in doing that remember that land is His
i) He gave those people hundreds of years to repent & they didn’t
V.26 Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, "Cursed before the
LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn
he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its
gates."
1) “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho”
a) Believers are not to build anything for God by the world’s standards
i) We are never to try & make Jericho livable
ii) “…with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation…”
iii) “…with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates…”
iv) It came true
1 Kings 16:34(450yrs. later) In his days Hiel the Bethelite built
Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his
firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest
son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which He
spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
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e) In the exact same way – we are not the ones who really are supposed
to fight the battles in this life
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Heb.11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for
seven days.
1) “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after…”
a) Notice that Joshua & Israel didn’t really fight the battle of Jericho
b) Despite Joshua’s experience this was too much for him – I know that is
why God had to say over & over to not be afraid – he was afraid!
c) God did all of it Himself
d) Israel’s army had no siege engines, no battering rams, no catapults,
and no moving towers.
2 Cor.10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the
flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
f) Now – we are to fight as soldiers – but the weapons & power aren’t
ours
g) We follow instructions just as Israel did
h) We suit up just like Israel did
i) We are involved just like Israel was
j) But God must be the One doing the fighting – or we will be defeated
every time
k) Some of you have tried & tried to live the Christian life & you keep
failing & it gets old!
l) God didn’t intend on us battling in our power
m) Sadly those who sinned & didn’t get into Canaan lost the opportunity
to see the walls of Jericho fall – didn't get to see God do the work
n) The world is full of believers who will never see victory in their life b/c
of sin
o) The victory over Jericho came by trusting God & taking Him at His
word!
1 Jn.5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world;
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p) Only in God’s power can we have victory
Phil.4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens
me.
2 Cor.1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware,
brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we
were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we
despaired even of life;
9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so
that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises
the dead;
10 who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will
deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will
yet deliver us,
11 you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so
that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for
the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.
2 Cor.3:5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to
consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our
adequacy is from God,
Isa.40:28(NIV) Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of
the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his
understanding no one can fathom.
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and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our
faith.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power
of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men
stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their
strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run
and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isa.41:10(NIV) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not
be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and
help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
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A few extra verses on that topic:
2 Cor.4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing
greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;
8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also
may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
12 So death works in us, but life in you.
2 Cor.12:9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my
weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with
persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Eph.3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
Eph.6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Col.1:11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the
attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously
1 Cor.3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
1 Cor.15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did
not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of
God with me.