Anthony Rhone - In the Presence of God - Joshua 5:13-15

I want to ask you this morning how do you prepare to meet your competition how do you prepare to face the challenges the battles the struggles that we as believers will it evitable II face in life that's all in mind I'd like for you to open your copy of God's Word and turn with me to the Old Testament book of Joshua specifically Joshua chapter 5 Joshua chapter 5 is a preparatory chapter in the book of Joshua it has been some 500 years since God made a promise to Abram that he would give his people a land of promise Joshua now that Moses is dead is charged with the tasks and responsibilities of leading God's people into this land of promise 500 years has passed and now under Joshua's leadership God's people will begin to inherit this promise God miraculously leads the people across the overflowing Jordan as they come over the Jordan they are now faced with the first battle they will have to fight to conquer and take the land that God is giving to them chapter 5 is a transitional chapter in the sense that it is now a chapter where we see this new generation of believers these Millennials if you would air in these jinns ears if you would preparing themselves to engage in their first battle God leads Joshua would have called this new generation to be circumcised to signify their commitment to God the God of Israel after the circumcision they now participate in the first Passover meal in coming into this new land they will be prepared to face the enemy by presenting themselves to God through circumcision and partaking in this pass over meal but in verses 13 through 15 of Joshua chapter 5 Joshua is now preparing to attack Jericho seems to indicate that while Joshua is out walking towards Jericho redoing some reconnaissance work he sees the city of Jericho in the far distance this will be a somewhat difficult battle from perhaps Joshua's perspective this great city this double walled city this the city who has a king the city who has been a valor who can fight Joshua wants to have a plan of attack to attack Jericho after all God is giving them this land of Canaan this promised land but they still have to fight the enemies to overtake it how will Joshua prepare to meet the enemy how will Joshua prepare himself to engage in this battle of over coming Jericho Joshua chapter 5 verses 13 through 15 tells us more importantly how God prepares Joshua to meet the battle at Jericho he's out walking the plains of Jericho text says when he's by Jericho that he lifts his eyes and looks and behold he sees a man this is not an ordinary man this man has two legs but this man has a swore drawn in his hand this is a threatening sign to Joshua and yet in the midst of this God is doing something in the midst of Joshua meeting this Anat man God is getting ready to do something to prepare Joshua to meet the enemy let me pause here and say why would I why would the Lord lead me to address an issue like this here in Chapel why is it important that you and I spend time in the presence of God as God prepares us to meet the challenges and the difficulties and the situations we will encounter in living the Christian life I believe this text is vitally important specifically for us today as Christians but more specifically for you as seminary students because I understand that you're here to study about God I understand you're here to know more about God but let's be honest with one another just because you're here to study about God just because you're here to learn more about God you'll be honest with me in saying that just because we learn these things about God does not necessitate the fact that we spend time in the presence of God our pastor in a college town and a privilege to have some of those college students attend our church and every semester I try to make it a point to connect with as many of those students as I can on a regular basis can I tell you what the number one overruling thing is that pops up at every one of the lives of those students it is simply this a challenge to carve out time to be in the presence of God busy writing papers busy in class but no real time to spend in the presence of God Joshua walks the land of Jericho he's looking at Jericho he sees the impenetrable City but the writer here seems to indicate that all of a sudden he beholds something he didn't see it before he sees a man standing there with his sward drawn Joshua doesn't know who this man is he simply asks this man a question are you for us or against us are you friend or foe the text says that Joshua seized this man again this is no ordinary man this man yes he stands on two legs but he's no ordinary man this is the same man we read about in Genesis chapter 16 after Sarah has kicked Hagar out and this man shows up to give words of comfort to Hagar as she sits there crying and weeping by that stream this man is the same man we read about in Genesis chapter 18 who was outside of the door of Abraham's tent who tells Sarah even in her old age she's gonna have a son this man is the same man we read about in Genesis chapter 32 when Jacob is there on the night before he would meet his brother Esau at the book at the river of Juba this man who wakes Jacob up in the middle of the night to wrestle with him this is the same man this man is the same man we read about in numbers chapter 22 who confronts Balaam this is the same man we read about in first chronicles 1 first chronicles 22 verse number 16 first chronicles 21 verse number 16 this anonymous man is Todd Joshua is walking and behold he sees this man listen to that for a minute Joshua was walking and he lifts up his eyes and behold he sees this man this narrative this piece here is not so much about Joshua as it is about God better way to read this or understand this is that though Joshua is walking and in between him and Jericho between him and his battle he sees this man a better way to understand that is that while Joshua was walking toward Jericho God decided to show up why does God confront Joshua before he gets to Jericho I believe he wants Joshua to know I'm here with you Joshua I'm one of the many reasons he shows up is to let Joshua know that he is with Joshua Joshua this battle is gonna be tough Joshua the battle will be difficult Joshua you will have to prepare yourself to fight the inhabitants of Jericho but Joshua I am with you and it is when you and I spend time in the presence of God and we have this sense of assurance that God is with us in the midst of life's battles as believers we can have this assurance that when we spend time in the presence of God cell phone off TV off you and God alone we face these battles God shows up to remind us you're not there you're not there alone you you you you may not be facing any battles right now life may be going smooth and easy for you but I tell our church all the time either in a battle coming out of a battle or you're headed toward a battle and some regards you need to have the assurance that when those battles come that God is with you and it is with spending time in the presence of God that we gain that assurance that God is with us there's an old African tribe in Africa that has a unique way of allowing their teenage boys to pass into manhood they will take that teenage boy and they will blindfold him and he has to spend a night out in the bush in the dark by himself without removing the blindfold the blindfold is placed in such a way that the elders can tell if the blindfold has been tampered with or not and they will take this young boy out in the midst of the darkness and he must stay there until the Sun rises the next day all by himself with all of those dangerous animals lurking around in the bush during the night he is frightened his heart rate accelerates he is fearful he is frightened as he hears the howling of the animals and the passing of the animals in the bush he stands there frightened but in order to become a man he must spend the night there by himself with the mask on and as he sits there fearful and frightened he trembles his heart rate accelerates he could hear the dangerous animals approaching getting closer and closer and closer an hour passes to our past three hours four hours five hours finally he can feel the Sun bleeding over the horizon as it begins to warm up the skin and he has hope that he has made it through the night and only when he can sense that the Sun has risen is he allowed to pull the blindfold off only to turn around and to discover that his father was no more than five feet behind him he never left him and it is in the presence of God we are reminded when we face life's battles God is with us but there's something else here as Joshua walks the flame of Jericho he's by Jericho he lifts up his eyes and behold he sees this man this angel of the Lord's arm and he asked this man are you for us or against us and notice the angel the angel of the Lord's army doesn't give him a direct answer he simply says no I am the commander of the Lord's army in the presence of God God humbles us to face life's battles Joshua is the commander of the Israelite army but now Joshua will really meet the one behind the scenes controlling the victories that he will accomplish he meets this man with a drawn sward who is the commander of the Lord's army and this has to humble Joshua we know from reading the text it does because he bowels down and worships there recognizing this is no ordinary man this is God I know sometimes we feel well equipped we feel as if we can face and handle life's challenges on our own but spending time in the presence of God brings a sense of humility we cannot do it on on our own strength and effort no matter how much we know about God no matter how intellectually deep we are about the things of God there are things that will happen in our lives that we cannot handle on our own and like Joshua we must acknowledge that it is God that is really in control and we're not you've read the story perhaps in 2nd Kings chapter 6 about the king of Syria who wanted to attack the king of Israel every time the king of Syria start putting his battle plans into motion or talking about them Elijah the Prophet would always give the king of Israel what the king of Syria was planning to do King go syria says well how was it that the king of Israel keeps finding out about my plans to attack him and some of the men of Sirius say well King Elijah's there and he keeps telling the King what you're about to do king of syria says we're going down to find Elijah and we're gonna get him want to be like sure servants wakes up the next morning puts on his robe he walks through the palace picks up the Jerusalem times and as he's reading the paper he looks up and he sees that the city is surrounded by Syrians drops the paper rushes into Elijah and says he likes you we're in trouble the Syrians have surrounded the city Elijah doesn't get ruffled he drops to his knees and he simply whispers a prayer Lord would you open the eyes of the young man after you I should praise he tells the young man okay go back out there and look again and come and tell me what you see the young man goes back out and he looks again and this time he doesn't just see the army of the Syrians around in the city up in the mountains he sees chariots of fire and the Lord's army surrounding the Syrians and it is in the presence of God that we are reminded that when we face life's battles humbly that we are reminded that it is God who gives us the strength is God who gives us the victory is God who gives us the fortitude to face whatever it is we face and can I say this I believe this is the Cara Matic moment here in the text one of the many Cara mattock moaning moments here in the text this is an emphasis upon spiritual life and living for God you cannot face or please God under your own strength stress for living comes through a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ this Joshua spent time in the presence of God he was humbled he realized that this commander this man was really the one behind the scenes would be the one behind the scenes literally calling the shots in the presence of God God reminds us that he is with us in the presence of God God umbels us so that we can rely in trust upon his strength and his power to make it through whatever we face but Joshua will learn something else as he walks the plane he sees this man who's more than a man and he asked him are you for us or are you against us no the commander of the Lord's army says no but I am the commander of the Lord's army and now I have come Joshua says to him as he boughs down he says and kisses the ground before him he says now what would my master have his servant to do this angel of the Lord's army tells Joshua to take off your sandals for where you are standing is holy ground the text says and Joshua did so you see in facing life's battles God can even use those battles that we faced the challenges that we face to sanctify us and make us more holy this is a call to commitment this is a call to surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ this is a call to commit ourselves wholly unto God he tells Joshua take your sandals off for the place you are standing is holy ground does that sound familiar to you sure if you've read the Bible yeah you're right Exodus chapter 3 verse 5 as Moses was there on the backside of that Sinai desert he recognized that burning bush the most valuable piece of real estate and all of the Sinai desert was that burning bush because God was there and he saw the bush burning but not being consumed he went to investigate and a voice spoke from that burning bush the first words God told Moses was to take off your shoes for the place you are standing is holy ground Joshua was there well the plains of Jericho and this commander of the Lord's army tells him to take off his shoes for the place he is standing his holy ground let me ask you a question where is holy ground according to this text even a simple place like Jericho can be holy ground holy ground is anywhere God is and we commit ourselves to God what battle are you facing what challenge are you facing what uncertainty may you be facing make that place holy ground by staying in the presence of God the most sinful place in this world can be holy ground if you as a holy believer if you as a committed believer will commit yourself to God there even South Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary is a place of holy ground as you make a commitment to surrender yourself to God's service holy ground is any place we make that commitment to God good news of the gospel shows up here calls the most difficult battle any human being will ever have to face is a battle with sin seeing the files us sin separates us from God and if we're going to spend time in the presence of God something has to be done about our sinfulness this is the language of Paul we find in the book of Ephesians in the book of Colossians this idea of taking off and putting on the believer once in Christ must put off the old man and put on the newness he now has in Christ our biggest battle will be what will we do with our sins but the victory is ours as believers through what Christ has done to deal with our sins there's no more holier ground than the cross of Calvary there's no more holier ground and where Jesus died for the sins of the world so let the challenges come my strength is not in myself my strength is in Christ I don't know how I'll face it I don't know how I'll get past it but I have the blessed assurance that in the presence of God God is with me there's the good news you don't have to walk the plains of Jericho today to see this man no no no no God through Christ Immanuel he's with us now as we face these challenges in the presence of God challenge you to spend time commit to time outside of your studies outside of your other engagement engagements make that a priority to spend time in the presence of God between Jericho and Joshua God showed up this was not an accident the writer the narrator uses the word behold as if all of a sudden Joshua sees them but kind of change something God decided at that moment to show up this was God's doing not Joshua's revelation God decided to show up but before the battle to remind Joshua I'm with you I'm your source of strength and help in Joshua I desire your holiness before you engage in this battle I desire you to commit and to live and give yourself to me before you fight this battle in Jericho 26 year-old Martin King jr. at the beginning of the Montgomery Boy bus caught in Alabama would be arrested for trying to lead and organize that group the boycott the buses there in Montgomery because of the social injustice that was taking place there it would be arrested and he would be released the next day and as soon as he would get home you would have a cup of coffee sitting around his dinner table and the phone would ring on the other end of the phone would be an anonymous voice that would tell him in word we're tired of you get your family get out of our city get out of our town if you don't we're gonna blow up your house and we're gonna kill your family this young twenty six year old Martin Luther King jr. hung up that phone he confessed that he was scared he was frightened was worried that his life would be taken and his family's life would be taken and he says that while he was there at that at that dinner table drinking his coffee as he watched the Coffee flow out of the cup onto the saucer as he peered into the dining room he could see his wife Coretta asleep on the sofa and as he saw his two young kids playing on the floor he said he was frightened that their lives would be taken because of what he was trying to do for all people he says right there at that coffee table he told God frankly Lord I'm scared I don't know how I'm gonna deal with this I don't even know if I have the fortitude and the strength to face it and to move it forward and he says at that dinner table drinking that coffee as he watched the coffee flow out of the coffee cup onto the saucer he could audibly he said hear the voice of God telling him Martin I'm with you and I promise never to leave you never to leave you alone and he says that right there at that dinner at that dinner table drinking that cup of coffee right there in that moment he made that dinner table his holy ground and the very next day they bombed his house but you know the end of that story he didn't stop he he was spend time in the presence of God and in the presence of God in the midst of all that Martin King jr. would face he had the assurance that God was with him he had the assurance that God was a strength he had the assurance that God was his help he had the assurance that what he was doing was holy work it may that be the assurance you find as you prepare to meet your competition may you spend time consistently in the presence in the presence of God Emmanuel God with us Lord in your wisdom you knew that we would need you in your own wisdom you provided a way for our salvation through your son Jesus Christ you are very present help in a time of trouble but more importantly Lord you are the savior you are our Savior through faith in Christ Father we pray this morning that you would help all of us to recommend to make a further commitment to spending time in your presence as human beings we ask those interrogatives like Joshua are you for us or are you against us but Lord we know that the divine indicative always Trump's the human interrogative we may question but you are who you are and may that blessed assurance helpless father as we face the challenges that we will face even in this life as believers father may we be reminded that there is nothing we can do in and of our own without you Lord made this place today may this place as you providentially purpose it to be and as you bring it to pass may this place this seminary be a place of holy ground where commitments are made to surrender lives unto you where commitments to made or made are made to serve in your name where commitments are made be more devoted unto you thank you for the lives of those present today thank you for what you're doing in their lives and thank you Father for how you are equipping how you are preparing hearts and minds and lives for your own glory and for our good father may we like Joshua between our Jericho's may we constantly spend time meeting you in your presence whatever fruit shall come from that we give you and you alone all the praise all the credit all the glory and all the honor in Christ's name Amen

Channel: Southeastern Seminary

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Keywords: Southeastern, Baptist, Theological, Seminary, Chapel, Message, Jesus, Preaching, God, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Gospel, Danny, Great Commission, Training, Education, Southern, Boyce, SBTS, Al, Mohler, Urban, Ministry, Ronjour, Locke, MWBTS, NOBTS, Jamie, Dew, Gateway, Universtiy, ERLC, Matt, Chandler, B21, IMB, NAMB, SBC, SBC19, SBC20, NCSU, ECU, UNC, Duke, Divinity, School, Platt, Greear, JD, David, Whos, Your, One, Midwestern, Akin, RDU, Conversations, That, Matter, New Orleans

Id: qChq8ROGyKs

Length: 31min 9sec (1869 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 31 2019