The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lasser Bradley Jr. Mm-hmm. Dozen tumblers seem My great Redeemer's raised the glories of my god and king, the triumphs of this race. This is Lisera Bradley Jr., inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. As we continue our messages from the book of Joshua, we refer to day to a time of crisis, This message was preached during the COVID crisis, and that is what we're referring to.
And then with Many of the disruptions that have come Having to change plans, cancel trips, Not sure about how things are going to work out in several areas, it would be easy to become a complainer. And say, I'm just so frustrated, I'm so upset, I just don't like this, as though that's going to help anything. Certainly not. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4.11, I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. That doesn't mean that you become content in an attitude of indifference and slothfulness.
If there are duties to perform, if they're things that you're to be doing, you're to be actively doing it. But when there are circumstances that have changed, your plans have been upset. You're in a situation that you never thought you'd be in. Paul said, I have learned to be content. Didn't say I was born that way.
But I've learned it. And we have to learn it. How do we learn it? We learn it by recognizing the sovereignty of God. They're recognizing that there are things that we cannot change, that we have to bow and submission, just as much as Jesus prayed, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes.
And the conclusion was, even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. And that needs to be our response. that whatever comes our way, we have to bow, even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. I want to be submissive to thee. And Paul goes on in the 13th verse of that same chapter to say, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
So you may say, I'm having a hard time with this matter of contentment. I haven't learned it. I haven't learned what the Apostle Paul did. But you don't have even the ability to learn it without divine help. And Paul says that help is available.
I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
Now the second thing. Obedience. is required. Obedience. was required.
In order for Joshua and his army to have success. Back in chapter 1 of verse 7. It says, only be thou strong and very courageous. that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law. First, he's telling him to be courageous, but secondly, he's telling him what's necessary.
You must observe to do all according to the law which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. Here's what's necessary. You are to observe the law. You are to be an obedient people.
You're not to turn to the right hand or the left. There might seem to be an easier course. Might be a situation where you say, well, maybe this one time we can just ignore what God said and do it our way. He said, you're not to turn aside in either direction. Obedience was required.
When they came to the River Jordan, It said that the priests had to go down and get their feet wet. They couldn't just stand back at a distance and say, well, when the river parts, I'll be ready to march. God says, start marching now. And when your feet get wet, I roll the waters back. Action was required.
Faith has to be demonstrated. And As they went on their journey, they had to reinstitute circumcision, which had been neglected during the wilderness wanderings. They observed the Passover. All of these things are acts of obedience which were expected and required of them if they were going to enjoy the victory. Observe the Passover, the Passover lamb pointing to the Lamb of God who would come ultimately to go to the cross and redeem his people with the shedding of his blood.
At Jericho, obedience was required. They had to march around the walled city. It might not have seemed like a reasonable request, It might have appeared to be rather illogical to some. What's that going to accomplish? And particularly after they had gone around the wall for seven days.
And six times, I say this is absolutely without any purpose. We've accomplished nothing. But when they went around the seventh time on the seventh day, the walls crumbled and fell flat to the ground. You see, obedience is required. God didn't say.
Go around it four days or six days. Or seven days or six times, but seven times on the seventh day. Obedience required. And After they were defeated at AI, They had to deal with a scent problem. We see that there was a violation.
of the law of God. Hakin. had taken of the forbidden spoil. And he had to be put to death. It was a violator of God's law.
The law demanded his death, and that action had to be taken. in order for them to be able to move forward. Then they built an altar in Mount Ebo. and wrote on the stones of the altar. the law of the Lord, and then read it all to the people.
Showing continued emphasis on the necessity of obedience. Here's what God has said: He expects you as a people. to adhere. to his commandments. And Just as obedience is required of them, Obedience is required of us.
You may be troubled. Trouble in many ways. How am I going to deal with my trouble? How am I going to deal with my anxiety, my my fear, Proverbs, Chapter 3, verse 5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
So How are we going to deal with troubled times. Trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. You don't lean on the arm of flesh, it will fail you. You don't depend on something else.
You don't depend on the government. You don't depend upon anybody else to rescue you. You trust in the Lord. You lean not to your own understanding. This kind of obedience is required.
It says then that we are to fear, not fear our circumstances, but fear the Lord with awesome respect and depart from evil. Then you may be having to deal with discouragement. You become weary. in serving God. You feel handicapped at the present time because some of the things that you might want to do you can't do.
Well, Galatians chapter 6. Verse 9. says, and let us not be weary in well-doing. If you're doing the right thing, well-doing, obeying the commandments of God, do not be weary in it. Do not be ready to give up, throw up your hands and say, I quit.
Here's a reason, for in due time we shall reap if we faint not. There's a harvest out there ahead. harvest to be enjoyed, but we must not faint. And what about prayer? Prayer is an essential part of an obedient life.
Luke chapter eighteen, verse one, Jesus spake a parable unto them, to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. We're going to be obedient. Even though you may feel at times that your prayers are not being answered as you had hoped. You must not give up. This parable of the woman that came to the unjust judge pleading for help.
Jesus said, He declared it that men might not faint. But always pray. In Psalm 81 verse 10, It says, open thy mouth wide and I will fill it. That says that when we pray, we're to pray with expectation. We come before the Lord not As though we're defeated before we even make the request.
But we're requesting that which will be to His glory and to His honor, and we're expecting it. We're coming by faith. And then what about our walk? our daily walk, the way we conduct ourselves. obedience.
is required. The book of Titus. Chapter 2, verse 11 says, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, We're to deny something. Or to crucify the flesh, you see. Denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
So we can talk about how important it is to pray. But we must pray it right. If we've sinned, we must confess our sins. And the promise given us in 1 John chapter 1 is that if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And then we must pray for grace that we overcome and not fall back into the sin, because chapter 2 goes on to say that.
Little children, keep yourselves. Keep yourselves from sin. Sin not is the admonition that's given. And so Just as Obedience was required. As Joshua was leading the people on, both Joshua as the leader and the people as following him were to obey God explicitly.
and we are to obey. And then the third thing. is victory enjoyed. Victory enjoyed King of Jerusalem. Feared when he heard that the Gionites had made.
A league. with Joshua. He thought Gibeon was a notable city, and if that is no longer to be numbered among us, we're in deep trouble.
So he secured the help of four other kings. And so these five kings come, chapter 10 verse 4. He says, come up unto me and help me that we may smite Gibeon.
Now he went forward with confidence. He believed that since he had the help and support of these other kings, that they should be able to conquer the city and that they would save themselves from ultimately being taken over by Joshua and the Israelites. And so After God had made the sun stand still and rained the hailstones down, which killed most of their army. The kings took refuge in a cave. Um were separated from their army.
thinking only about themselves. And they had seen God Um Defend Joshua and bless him. Who could ever have imagined that the sun was going to stand still and give Joshua handed daylight? Or whoever could have imagined that there were going to be hailstones coming out of the sky that would kill more of their army than had been killed by the Israelites. And so they're fearful now.
They had gone there with confidence, trusting in themselves. But you see, they were fighting against the armies of the Most High God, and you cannot win that battle.
So now they take refuge in a cave. This is another example of the fact that you can't hide from God. There are those that think they can, but they deceive themselves. Because this cave where they took refuge First of all, it became their prison because Joshua, finding out that they were in the cave, told the men, roll big stones in front of the cave so they can't get out. We're going to go on and take care of some other issues here that need to be addressed.
We'll come back and ten of them later. And so it was first a prison. And secondly, it was their grave. Oh, what folly when some assume I can hide from God.
Some think they'll hide from God by just saying, I don't believe in God. That doesn't make God go away. Others think, well, I believe there is a God, but Maybe he just won't take notice of where I am and what I'm doing. But the eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the earth, seeing and knowing all things.
So Joshua had said, roll the stone, the great stones, over the mouth of the cave and set the men by it. to keep it. To observe that these kings did not get out. Verse 21 says, and the people returned to the camp. Joshua?
Game They came back in peace. None knows this is so interesting that as they came back, None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel. This is just a way of saying that God was defending his people, blessing them to have victory. They did not lose a soldier. There was not one death in their army as they come back, not even a torture.
Tongue is Spoken against them. It reminds us of that passage over the book of Exodus, chapter 11. The night of the Passover, verse 7, it says, But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast, that they may know that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. God says There's going to be such a difference here. I'm going to protect my people, and there's not even going to be so much as a dog move his tongue against them.
Now you see. God's not just interested in big things, He's interested in detail. And if God inspired men to put it in his word, that back in the days when Moses was alive, that it could be said that no dog. would move his tongue against Israel. And in the days of Joshua, it would be said that none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
God was interested in specific details and in caring for his people. down to every imaginable Area. Then verse 22. Then said Joshua, open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave. Verse 24, And it came to pass when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near and put your feet upon the neck of these kings.
And they came near and put their feet upon the necks of them.
Now, that may sound a little strange to some of you. Say, wow, earth, it seems like they were just unreasonably cruel. See, a lot of people who say they believe the Bible will express they have particular difficulties with the book of Joshua because there's so much violence. But the point is missed. You see, these were not gracious, kind people that were being punished.
These were pagans. These were idolaters.
Now, in the minds of many people, idolatry wouldn't be that big a deal. Say, well, okay, so there are people who don't want to worship God, they worship some other God, or they worship something else. Don't they have the right to do it? God says thou shalt have no other gods before me. Idolatry is a major sin in the sight of our holy God, and here He's meting out judgment on those who were idolaters.
So, He says, put your feet upon the neck of these five kings. That was something that was repeated at various times in those days. When there was victory enjoyed by one side, just to show that they had totally squelched and conquered the enemy, they put their feet on the neck of the adversary. And Think of Deuteronomy 33, 29. Where God had promised through Moses, thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
Indeed, they were treading upon their high places. They were treading upon the very necks of the kings. And even as we view this, We're reminded Joshua in many ways was a type of Christ. His name means Savior, and Jesus Christ, our Savior, came as the conquering king. Psalm 110, verse 1, looking to that time, says the Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
There are many enemies. that spoke boldly against Jesus Christ, that ridiculed him when he was hanging on the cross. But he says, I'll make thy enemies thy footstool. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 25, For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. Jesus Christ, King of kings, Lord of lords.
Just as the captains in Joshua's army put their feet upon the neck of these pagan kings, Jesus Christ, King of kings and lord of lords, will put all enemies under his feet. Verse 25, and Joshua said, Unto them. Fear not nor be dismayed. Be strong and of good courage, for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
So he's saying to the people, be encouraged. This is a sign to you that just as we have completely defeated these five kings, God will bless you in the battles ahead and we will be successful. You see, the promises need to be repeated often. They were for Joshua and they need to be repeated for us. Verse 26, and afterward Joshua smote them and slew them and hanged them on five trees.
And they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun that Joshua commanded that they took them down off the trees and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid and laid great stones in the cave's mouth which remain until this very day. Another memorial. A memorial to this fact that God had fought for Israel, they had been successful, and these five kings who had united with the idea that we shall soon put down Joshua and his army. Here they have been buried in the cave where they took refuge temporarily.
They'd been put up on five trees, displaying the fact that these men of war had been totally defeated. God has subdued them. another monument. and it gave encouragement to the people as they thought of the battles that were to come.
Now, just as Joshua faced many enemies, and in this instance the five kings who were ultimately and utterly destroyed, they're enemies that we face. We have enemies. Satan is our number one enemy. 1 Peter 5, verse 8 says, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Don't ever get the idea that that's something that's outdated.
Satan is very much active today. He is one who would like to devour you, would like to consume you. He will accuse you. He's called the accuser of the brethren. That's one of his works, to accuse you.
He'll hurl his fiery darts at you so that you're intimidated and fearful. He will sometimes transform himself into an angel of light. And under those circumstances, He can deceive you. Come at you with some ideas that may sound reasonable. Come at you with some of the thinking that's popular in the culture of our day, and you say, Well, I don't want to be that different.
I want to fit in, and it deceives you. We've got an enemy. Satan is our enemy. The world is our enemy. 1 John 2, 15 says, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, these are not of the Father, but of the world. The world would like to drag you in to be a part of it. The world would like to. Put All kinds of accolades on you so that uh you Give in. You give up your Christian testimony.
You decide that it's out of date, it's out of style. I don't want to be that different. I want to fit in. The world. Is presented in an attractive form to entice and ensnare the children of God.
And then the flesh. Yes. 1 Peter 2 verse 11 says, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. It was fleshly must war against the soul. We're talking about A battle.
The fight goes on. This fight against the flesh is not going to be over. until you finally go home to meet with the Lord. And if you ever begin to ease up, Yeah. I don't have to be on guard any longer.
Take heed, the one that thinks he's standing is ready to fall. Colossians chapter 3 verse 5 says, Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth. To mortify means to kill, put to death. put to death fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Put it to death.
Somebody might say, well, I'm struggling. with some things that are very difficult for me to overcome. It may be an attraction to something in the world, it may be to some Lust of the flesh that is constantly appealing to you, but there can be victory. Victory now because Jesus Christ went to the cross, paid the sin debt, conquered sin, Satan, and death, and although we still have to contend with it. It's still in us.
It's described as being the old man. If you're a child of God, you have the new man, but the old man is still there. But by the grace of God, you can overcome. We read in the book of Romans chapter 16 verse 20, And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. You can enjoy a victory even now.
Not total, because the old man is not going to be eradicated. You have to continue this battle to the end. But ultimately, there will be total victory as the God of peace bruises Satan under your feet.
So What do we learn from this tenth chapter of the book of Joshua? We learned that we must believe. the promises of God. Joshua. was dependent totally.
Upon what God promised. That's the only way we can get through our difficulties, our challenges, our trials, our disappointments today. Believing. the promises of God. reviewing them.
thinking on them, meditating on them. And then We must walk. Obediently. Surrender to his will. seeking his glory.
Praying, Lord, this is my desire above all else. Hallowed be thy name. May thy glory be displayed. in my life. In the church, in the kingdom of God, throughout the world, may thy name be exalted.
Oh, let us pray that God will bless us. to walk obediently. And we can then have Victory. Remember our text, verse 42. And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time because the Lord God fought for Israel.
If we humble ourselves in this battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil, God will fight for us. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
So may we remember that the victory is not within our own power and strength to accomplish. but through that which is given us. by the power of God. Remember, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. You can have victory over fear.
Victory over anxiety. Victory over doubt. Over the world, over the flesh, over the devil. The fight goes on. It'll be a battle clear to the end.
But you can have Victory. over whatever discouragement. you may be struggling with at the moment.
so that we can move forward. in the service of God. Yes, the fight goes on. But we're not on the battlefield alone. We're to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
and know that the success of our effort is not in our own strength, but in that which comes from the Lord upon whom we must depend. How good to know that he has promised to be with us. Heavenly Father, we thank thee for the wonderful truths that we can find in these Old Testament stories. We stand amazed. At your blessing on Joshua.
Just marvel at how the man could have endured. had the physical strength to go forward and encounter all that he faced. And to have the faith that he displayed, that under the most trying of circumstances, he trusted you. Lord, help us to follow that example. Help us to learn.
that this man knew his strength was not in himself but in his God. We pray that thou would help us. to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. Bless us by the enabling power of thy Holy Spirit to live righteously and godly in this present evil world. Guide us over the days to come, that in all that is accomplished, it may be to the praise of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Forgive our sins and hear us for thy name's sake we pray. Amen. Whoa Thankfully you've been with us for the broadcast today and hope that it has been meaningful to you. We ask for your prayers and your support that we may continue on your station. Be sure to write us and mention the call letters of that station.
or any other way by which you are listening to the broadcast. Until next week at this same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder Lassaire Bradley Jr. Address all mail to the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45217. That's the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45217.
What a friend, what a friend we have indeed. Jesus, Jesus, he takes our sins, takes our griefs and sins, and makes them as his own. What a privilege to know. Do you know that I can carry? Everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what is we?
