Vision Series: Make All Things New
TEXT: Joshua 5:10-6:2
MESSAGE: When God Shows Up (Part 2 — Joshua)
Our vision is to be “a church for our city that seeks new life in Jesus.”
“Faithful presence names the reality that God is present in the world and the he uses a people faithful to His presence to make Himself concrete and real amid the world’s struggles and pain. When the church is a faithful presence, God’s kingdom becomes visible, and the world is invited to join with God. Faithful presence is not only essential for our lives as Christians, it’s how God has chosen to change the world.” – David Fitch
Five chapter gospel — Creation, Fall, Redemption, Renewal, Restoration
“A true revival will remove obstacles and distractions and restore the church’s focus on Christ.” – Charles Spurgeon
TEXT: Joshua 5:10-6:2
Q: What does it look like when God shows up in Joshua’s life? There is a…(1) Reminder (2) Reawakening (3) Revelation
- Reminder (v. 5:10-12)
“While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho. 11 And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.”
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” — Psalm 8:3-4
“…(Israel) can simultaneously look back with thanksgiving to the things God has done while also looking forward to the additional things he will do. By way of analogy, our celebration of the Lord’s Supper is simultaneously a memorial of what God has done for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and an anticipation of the day of Jesus’ return. It is because we know what God has already done for us that we go forward with hope and confidence, sure because we have already experienced God’s faithfulness. This is Israel’s position as they celebrate this Passover.”
— David Firth
- Reawakening (v. 5:13-15)
“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; 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.”
“The word “behold” here indicates a change in perspective, from the narrator’s all-knowing perspective to Joshua’s more limited perspective, and it captures some of his surprise at seeing this threatening sight. We might paraphrase here by saying, “He looked, and what do you know! A man was standing opposite him.” Joshua’s question of this man reflects a natural human concern with the immediate: he was concerned with the battles ahead and whether or not he could count on this man.” — David Howard Jr.
G. B. Funderburk said, “only the Logos, or some other manifest personification of God, would be able to [speak with authority as if he were God himself].”
“Joshua’s final preparation…involved encountering the Lord, for his worship was as yet too imperfect for the task ahead…Instead of an awaited battle bulletin, he was ordered to worship better.” — Bruce Waltke
“Revival is not just an emotional experience, but it’s a resetting of our hearts and minds to align with God’s will.” – Tim Keller
- Revelation (v. 6:1-2)
“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.”
“God’s instructions to Joshua about the taking of Jericho contain no reference to military strategy but rather indicate that it is essentially to be a ritual ceremony…The ritual nature of the episode is suggested by the absence of any military strategy, by the blowing of the trumpets, by the prominence of the priests and the ark of the covenant, by the solemn processionals, and by the prevalence of the number “seven,” which occurs four times in v. 4 alone and fourteen times in the chapter. “Seven” is the number of totality, completion, and perfection in the Scriptures; and its predominance in this chapter emphasizes the completeness of Yahweh’s victory on Israel’s behalf…” —David Howard Jr.
TAKEAWAYS:
- How have you/we seen God’s Hand?
- How can you/we seek His Face?
- How can you/we surrender to His Will?
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” — Colossians 1:13-14