Overcoming Obstacles by Faith

Known for his unique ability to simplify profound truth so that it can be applied to everyday life, Adrian Rogers was one of the most effective preachers, respected Bible teachers, and Christian leaders of our time. Thanks for joining us for this message. Here's Adrian Rogers. And we read here in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 30, By faith, The walls of Jericho fell down. after they were compassed about Seven days by faith.

The walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about, that is, after they were circled for seven days.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, may I say That Jericho Laid before the children of Israel. God had promised the children of Israel a land that flowed with milk and honey. But between them and the fulfillment of God's promise and God's plan and God's provision for their life. was mighty Jericho. Jericho was a great city.

It was great in antiquity, one of the oldest civilizations known to men. It was great in iniquity. They were unspeakably immoral. great in enormity, a city strong and powerful, with walls all around it, and it seemed as though it was impregnable. It seemed as though it were unconquerable.

It seemed as though it said to Joshua and to the children of Israel: stay out! And stay away from the fulfillment of God's promises for you.

Now, what does that mean to me today? And what does that mean to you? Because we've told you in studying any passage of Scripture, you have to ask three questions. Number one, what did it mean then? Number two, what does it mean now?

And number three, what does it mean to me personally?

Well, we know what it meant then. Here was an obstacle between the people of God and the promises of God that had to be removed.

Now, what does it mean today? It means today that there are still people of God. And there's still obstacles, and they still need to be removed. What does it mean to me personally? It means to me personally that through the Lord Jesus Christ and by faith, I too can be victorious, because in your life, And in my life, the devil will see to it that there is some great obstacle that looms large and impossible between us.

And the plan of God and the will of God for our lives.

Something that stands between us and the dreams of our youth.

Something that stands between us and our loftiest and most holy ambitions.

Something that says, stop! You can go no further. I don't know what your Jericho is. I don't know whether it's some family problem, some financial problem. I don't know whether it is an unhappy marriage, an unholy life, an unhealthy body.

I don't know whether it's unfulfilled dreams. Unrecognized potentiality, but I know that you, like I, Face problems, and perhaps there is some key problem.

Some key. Strategic. Fortress of Evil that stands between you and all that God would have you to be.

Now we want to show you today. How to overcome obstacles by faith. And that's the title of our message: Overcoming Obstacles by Faith. And that's the way to do it. Notice what we read here in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 30.

By faith. The walls of Jericho fell down. No other way, just simply by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about. seven days. You see, ladies and gentlemen, When God has a gigantic task, to perform.

It is the man that has faith. that gets the contract. Faith is the link. that binds our nothingness. To His Almightiness.

It is faith that gets the job done.

So I want us to leave Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 30 and go backward into the Old Testament, to Joshua chapter 5. And I want us to find the Old Testament story that the writer of Hebrews is speaking of. And there we're going to find out just how their faith was fulfilled and how that fortress was removed.

Now, I want you to notice four or five steps in removing obstacles by faith. First of all, I want you to notice. The worship of faith.

Now remember, let's get the setting. The Israeli, the Jews rather, have already come out of the land of Egypt. They've been traveling through the barren, burning, blistering desert waste.

Now they've crossed over Jordan. And they're ready to capture the land, the land of Canaan that flows with milk and honey. But Jericho, mighty Jericho, the pagan city, is there. And I begin reading now in verse 13. Joshua 5 verse 13, and it came to pass That when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked.

And behold, there stood a man over against him. With his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went unto him and said unto him. Art thou for us? are for our adversaries.

And he said, Nay. But as the captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my LORD unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot. For the place whereupon thou standest is holy.

And Joshua did so.

Now, Joshua has been out to reconnoiter. That is, he's looking at the problems. He is a general, a commander-in-chief. And so he's out there to see what the next strategy is going to be, what the next problem is going to be. And there is mighty Jericho with its huge walls, that mighty fortress that is between him and the promise of God for him and for his fellows.

And while he's looking at his problem, I doubt not that he has become very problem-conscious. And that's a bad way to be, to be problem-conscious. And then suddenly something happens. He is aware of a presence. There's somebody there near him.

He knows not who it is. He pulls his sword instinctively and wheels around, and he comes face to face. With a man with a drawn sword. Joshua looks at him. He's never seen him before.

And Joshua asked him a question. Friend or foe? Are you for us? Or are you for them? And do you know the answer?

The man said no.

Now can you imagine how frustrating that would be? Are you for us or are you for them? No.

Now, what did he say? He said, in effect, I'm not for you, and I'm not for them. I am the captain of the Lord's hosts. I haven't come to take sides, I've come to take over.

Now you need to understand what this is all about. Who was this? That Joshua met. It was the pre-incarnate Christ. He met the Lord Jesus Christ.

Frequently in Bible times. Before his incarnation, the Lord Jesus visited this earth. And he appeared as the angel of Jehovah. As the captain of the Lord's host. And Joshua is coming face to face with the Lord Jesus.

And when Joshua sees this, he puts down his sword, he falls in the dust. And he worships his Lord. That's the way I know it was no angel. No angel would have allowed himself to have been worshipped this way. Here, Joshua is worshiping the Lord, the captain of the Lord's host, because Jehovah his Father has given unto the Son all of the host and the armies of heaven, and Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords, the King of kings, and the commander of the Lord's hosts.

And so Joshua just surrenders himself. He just prostrates himself in the dust. and worships him. And this is where his faith starts to grow. And this is where his faith starts to build.

It always grows, it always builds as we worship. The Lord. In a moment, the writer of Hebrews is going to say the way to have faith is to be looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. That's what Joshua was doing right here. He was looking unto Jesus, and that faith begins to build in his heart and in his life.

Ladies and gentlemen, We need to become God. Conscious. rather than problem conscious.

Now we have a lot of people who are problem conscious. They see the problem. They see the Jericho.

Well, you need to take your eyes from Jericho and put them on Jesus. Learn that. You see, here is the way of faith. Don't dwell on your problems. Dwell on your Lord.

Be looking unto Jesus. The author and the finisher of your faith. Catch a vision of him. Worship him. Bow before him.

And you'll find your faith growing. Learn to glance at your problems. and to gaze at your Lord. Keep your eyes on him. Don't go around negative.

Don't go around with a problem complex. Go around with your eyes and your hopes and your affections fastened upon the Lord Jesus Christ with your affections in the heavens. Set your affections on things above. Put your eyes upon the Lord and your faith will begin to grow. But let me say this.

Faith never grows in the heart of rebels. Rebellion and faith are not in the same heart, in the same life. And you will never, never, never have faith. until you bow before him. And say what Joshua said to the captain of the Lord's host.

Notice what he said. What saith my Lord? unto his servant. Have you said that? Have you said, Lord, what do you want me to do?

I'll do what you want me to do. I'll be what you want me to be. I'll say what you want me to say. I'll give what you want me to give. You say you want faith in your life?

Well, it begins with the worship of faith. Worshiping the Lord, bowing before the Lord, taking the shoes off your feet, so to speak, recognizing His holiness. recognizing his awesomeness. Recognizing, ladies and gentlemen, that it is far more important to be on God's side than it is to have God on your side. God's not going to get on your side.

You say, well, I want the Lord on my side.

Well, forget it. Joshua said, Are you for us or for them? He said, No. I've come to take over. Have you realized that?

God wants to take over. I hear some businessmen saying, Well, God is my partner in business. That sounds pretty good, but that ain't so. He's your boss. He is Lord.

Until you recognize that, forget it. He comes to take over.

Now, after there's the worship of faith, you're not finished yet. Because there's also the work of faith. There is also the work of faith. Continue to read here in the book of Joshua, chapter 6, beginning in verse 1, and I want to read the next five verses.

Now, Jericho was straightly shut up. Because of the children of Israel. None went out. And none came in. And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor.

And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. That is, for six days you march around the city completely, one time. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of ram's horns. And the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times.

That is, there will be thirteen times altogether you going around the city. And the priest shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all of the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up, every man straight before him.

Now, here was God's plan for victory, and it was a strange plan.

Now, remember, Joshua is a general. And remember, he's a military man. And what kind of a strategy was this? God doesn't tell him to dig any trenches. God doesn't tell him to throw up any battlements and earthworks.

God doesn't tell him to build some ladders to scale the walls. God doesn't tell him to dig some tunnels. God doesn't tell him to hurl some rocks over the walls. God tells him to do something that's very strange. Just begin to walk around the walls, around and around and around.

And I can understand that some of the Sabbaths and the sophisticates of that day may have said, why are we going around in circles? Why don't we Do something. They were doing something. And may I tell you what they were doing? They were obeying God.

Now they didn't have to understand it. As a matter of fact, to the human eye, it didn't make sense. That's no way to take a city. Just marching around the city, marching, marching, marching, going around in circles. You see, why did they do it?

Why did God tell them to do this? I think one thing just to test and to prove their obedience. You see, why do it? God said to, and that was enough. It's not our job to understand, it is our job to undertake.

Just do what He says to do. Those of you who have children, Have you ever told your children to do something and they say, why? And what did you say? I know you said it on some occasion. You said, because I said to.

Hmm? I don't have to give you an explanation. I may give you an explanation, but I don't have to. I'm the daddy, I'm the mama, you're the child, I said do it, now you do it. That's what God is saying to us today, ladies and gentlemen.

Just simply obey.

Now, let me tell you something about this book that I hold in my hand. It is not first and foremost a book to be explained. It is first and foremost a book to be believed and therefore obeyed. Whether you understand it or not really doesn't make much difference. And the people of this world are not going to understand it.

I imagine that those people who lived in Jericho. must have been up on those lofty walls looking down, laughing and saying, Ha ha Would you look at that? They don't even know how to fight They don't even know how to run a battle Look at them marching, marching, marching Of course, on the inside they were getting more and more unnerved. But I'm certain that on the outside they jeered and they laughed. Don't let the jeers of Jericho keep you away from your faith in Jesus.

And it doesn't matter whether we feel like it or not. Don't think that you're a hypocrite if you obey when you don't feel like it. As a matter of fact, sometimes you prove your love even more by overmastering your feelings and just simply obeying the Lord. For feelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the Word of God, and nought else is worth believing.

Don't be shackled by feelings. Feelings are fickle. Don't try to understand everything God says. Live by faith, whether it makes sense to you or whether it doesn't.

Now, dear friend, the worship of faith is to bow before the Lord. What is the work of faith? The work of faith is full, prompt, Glad, unreserved, and unquestioned obedience. Faith without works is dead. Trust and obey.

For there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

Now the third thing I want you to notice. Is the weight of faith? WAIT, The Way to Faith. Waiting on the Lord. I want to read here in Joshua chapter 6 and verse 14.

And the second day, They compassed the city once, and returned unto the camp.

So they did six days. And it came to pass on the seventh day. That they rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times, one time, two times, three times, four times, five times, six times, seven times in one day, round and round and round and round they go. And they've already been doing this for six days. God was teaching them a great lesson.

The lesson of patience. The lesson of waiting On the Lord.

Now, when you wait upon the Lord, you're not wasting time. How hard it must have been for them. Just simply to obey in silence and wait upon the Lord. But you know, the Bible says in Isaiah chapter 28, let's turn to that in verse 16, what a great chapter that is, and what a great verse it is. Isaiah chapter 28 and verse 16.

Therefore, thus saith the LORD God. Behold, I lay in Zion for foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall be. Shall not. Make haste.

When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the sure foundation, when you put your faith in Him, dear friend, you can afford to wait. Wait, I say on the Lord. And then let me give you another verse while we're in Isaiah. Turn, if you will, please, to Isaiah chapter. thirty and verse eighteen.

Look at it. And therefore Will the Lord wait? that he may be gracious unto you. Why does God fail to answer your prayers right away?

Well, the Bible says because God loves you. And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you. Anything that God does is rooted in His grace and His love to you, and therefore will He be exalted. Another reason, He's in the business not only of being gracious to you. but in getting glory to himself.

that he may have mercy upon you. Dear friend, if God has not yet answered your prayer, it is not because He is unmerciful, but because He is merciful unto you. For the Lord is a God of judgment. What does that mean? He knows things you don't know.

Never make the mistake of saying, well, if I were God, I would do thus and such. How ridiculous. And then notice how he concludes this verse: Blessed are all they that wait for him. Do you want to be blessed? Wait for the Lord.

Wait, I say, wait on the Lord. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Wait, I say, wait upon the Lord. Therefore will the Lord wait. that he may be gracious unto you.

Have faith in God. Don't give up. Don't let up. Keep your faith in God. Faith is marked by endurance.

And by not quitting.

Alright, now the next thing I want you to notice. Not only the weight of faith, But I want you to notice the word of faith. The word of faith. Notice here in Joshua chapter 6, now I begin reading again in verse 15. And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and they compassed the city.

After the same manner seven times. Only on that day they compassed the city seven times. And now notice in verse 16, And it came to pass on the seventh time. When the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout! For the Lord hath Giving you the city.

Now, the city hadn't fallen yet, and yet Joshua said, The Lord has given it to you. Not the Lord will give it to you, the Lord has given it to you.

Well, how could Joshua say it's been done when it hadn't been done?

Well, it had been done in the heart and mind of God. Even though it had not been done in actuality, it had been done by faith and potentiality. And Joshua knew it was as good as done. And therefore, Joshua said, The Lord hath not willed, but hath given you the city. Because Joshua knew the word of God.

Go back, if you will, to chapter 6, verse 2. And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho. Not I will, I have.

Now, what is Joshua doing? Joshua is speaking a word of faith. But where did he get that word of faith? He got his word of faith from the word of God. I've said it over and over again, but I want to drive it home.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Joshua did not just decide there was something he wanted and therefore he would believe God for it. That's not faith. Faith is not just cooking up something you wish and saying, I'm going to believe God for it. You cannot just believe God for something and make it so.

You can only believe God for something that already is so. In the heart and mind of God. You see, God had already said, I have given you the city. It is done in my heart and mind. And therefore, Joshua says behind God what God has already said.

Faith is just simply agreeing with the Word of God. God must speak before you have faith. Either He shall speak in His Word or by His Spirit or by a combination of the Word and the Spirit. But God speaks to you and faith is your reaction to what God has said. Therefore, you have to be walking with God and worshiping God and knowing God and waiting upon God so you can hear God, so you can believe God.

Now, most of us don't walk with the Lord, know the Lord, listen to the Lord enough to even know. We come running into God with our petitions and our prayers, and we say, Listen, Lord, your servant speaketh. when we ought to be saying, Speak, Lord, your servant heareth. Speak, Lord. What is your will?

Joshua knew the will of God, and therefore he could say to his people: Speak the word of faith, shout! For the Lord has. given unto you. The city. The Lord hath.

Now, let me show you this principle in the New Testament. Turn to Hebrews chapter 13 for a moment. Verses five and six. Let your conversation, that means your behavior, be without covetousness. And be content with such things as ye have.

For he hath said, now underscore that, for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Verse 5, he hath said, verse 6, we may boldly say. Do you know what faith is? Faith is saying with boldness what God has already said.

He hath said, That we may boldly say, How can Joshua be so bold? How can Joshua say, shut! For the Lord hath given unto you the city. God had already said it. Hmm?

He hath said, That we may boldly Say Now here's a person haunted by the ghost of guilt. Here's a person perhaps has committed some horrible, heinous sin. And this sin has etched itself upon the consciousness. This sin reverberates through the mind. It thunders in the soul.

And this person night and day has this sin waiting upon him. And then he reads in the Word of God. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son. cleanses us from all sin, 1 John 1, 7. He reads in 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And this person hears what God says. And then he says, By faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And through faith in God's promise, I now confess and I declare that I am clean. I am free. I am forgiven.

Hallelujah. and the burden is lifted. Why is the burden lifted? And why does that Jericho of guilt and condemnation fall and crumble? Because here is a man, a woman, a boy, or a girl who's learned to say what God has already said.

Amen. Faith is just saying what God says behind it.

Now let me just say Finally, There is The wonder of faith. the wonder of faith Notice again in Joshua chapter 6 and verse 20.

So the people shouted When the priest blew with the trumpets. And it came to pass. That when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, And the people shouted with a great shout that the wall fell down flat.

So that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took. The city. And that city that loomed large between them and the promises of God, Fell, and God's people went by faith to claim their possession. God works wonders when his people believe in him. And that's what Hebrews chapter 11 is written to tell us.

And ladies and gentlemen, that's what this sermon is calculated to tell you: that the great God is still in the miracle business, and that God wants to work wonders for you, and that there can be victory for you, and that your walls of opposition can crumble, and that your spiritual enemies can be vanquished. And that you, yes, you, can know victory. not by trying, but by trusting. Trusting the Lord. Obeying.

The Lord. But there's a dark note here. As we talk about the wonders of faith, There's a somber note here. Because not only was God giving victory to his people, But God was also at the same time judging another people. Not only was God giving victory to Israel, but God was also judging the people.

of Jericho the Canaanites. And how wicked were the Canaanites They were unspeakably immoral. They worship demon gods. They practice the crudest forms of sexual immorality. They sacrificed their little babies.

They were almost as wicked as modern-day Americans. Almost, I suppose. And at the same time, God was giving victory to His people who believed. God was also giving judgment. To the people of Jericho.

Now, pay attention. God had been very patient with the people of Jericho. God had been very patient with the people of Canaan. And God said concerning these people in Genesis chapter 15 and verse 16. that the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

That is, they were sinful. But the cup of sin had not come to the brim. And God was waiting, and God was patient, but they got more wicked and more wicked and more wicked. Until finally God said in Leviticus chapter 18 and verse 25, The land is defiled, and therefore do I visit the iniquity thereof upon it.

Now notice it first. The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And finally, God came to the place where He said, the land is defiled.

Some people think that perhaps God acted carelessly, capriciously, when God judged Jericho, and when the inhabitants of Jericho were destroyed, and when those walls fell. But God was not acting capriciously. God had waited in judgment. God had warned, but they went on in their iniquity. And finally, the dam of God's mercy gave way.

to the raging waters of God's wrath. And God judged Jericho and their man-made fortress collapsed. under the hands of God's judgment.

Now notice what I'm saying, and pay attention now. Through faith is the victory. Through unbelief is nothing but judgment. and condemnation.

Now ladies and gentlemen. I want you to have faith. There's no way that you can live in these last days except by faith. Everything that's not nailed down is coming loose. And you'd better learn how to trust God.

And you'd better learn to teach your children to trust God. And you'd better have the impregnable rock of Holy Scripture to stand upon because you listen to me. America is ripe. for judgment. This world is ripe.

for judgment. I believe that the cup of sin is filled to the brim in America. And in the world, Soon. Another trumpet will sound. And soon there's going to be another shout.

And when there is. The kingdoms of this world are going to collapse. And the kingdoms of this world. Will become the kingdoms. of our Lord And his Christ.

And it's those who know the Lord. Who are going to be the victors? And it's those who don't know him who are going to be the vanquished. If you would like to learn more about how you can know Jesus or deepen your relationship with him, simply click the Discover Jesus link on our website, lwf.org. For a copy of this message or additional resources, visit our online store at lwf.org or call 1-800-274-5683.

Thank you.