No More Cowardly Christians
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Tom Van Kempen
This week's message from Pastor Tom is all about courage and understanding God's presence in our lives. He draws inspiration from the story of Joshua and Jericho to remind us that God is always with us, even when we're anxious or facing what seems impossible. Pastor Tom emphasizes that true bravery isn't about facing fears alone; it's about leaning on God's promises and submitting to His guidance. He encourages us to trust in God's unconventional plans and recognize His unfailing presence, assuring us that we can overcome our personal Jerichos with faith and courage. The heart of his sermon is the call to rise as bold as lions, confidently knowing we're backed by God's strength and guidance. So let's step forward, trust His word, and let our roar be a testimony to God's power.
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
Introduction: Acknowledging Fathers
Today, we honor fathers for their hard work and dedication. As children look up to their dads, it's vital to understand how fatherhood shapes perceptions of God in the lives of kids. In a world where culture often challenges traditional notions of manhood, this message seeks to uplift and empower men, reminding them that they have a role to play in portraying godly characteristics.
The Challenge of Modern Fatherhood
Dads have faced cultural scrutiny for generations, affecting their confidence and authority. It's crucial to recognize that, while fears and doubts may surround us, God has a purpose for our lives. The climate we see today - the chaos and uncertainty - should not deter us. In fact, understanding our responsibilities and relying on God's strength is more important than ever.
Facing Personal Fears
Reflecting on personal fears can guide us. Whether it's the fear of public speaking or confronting our anxieties, the key to overcoming these fears often lies in our relationship with God. God promises that He does not give us a spirit of fear but empowers us with strength, love, and a sound mind. This principle can be applied in all areas of life, including fatherhood and leadership.
The Story of Joshua and Jericho
In the Old Testament, Joshua leads the Israelites to the Promised Land, facing the daunting walls of Jericho - a challenge that seemed insurmountable. However, God reassures Joshua that He is always present, echoing a universal promise that holds true for everyone who walks in faith. God’s commitment is to never leave us or forsake us, which is a powerful assurance to hold onto in times of doubt.
Courage Comes from God’s Presence
Courage arises from recognizing God's closeness in our lives. When Joshua faced Jericho, he realized that God's presence was with him. Just as God never leaves us, His involvement in our lives means we can move forward with confidence. Our challenges, whether large or small, are opportunities for God to work through us.
Focusing on God’s Word
When faced with obstacles, the emphasis should be on God’s word rather than the challenges themselves. Joshua was given clear instructions by God that encouraged him to keep his eyes on the promise rather than on the intimidating walls. God speaks to us through His Word, giving us guidance and wisdom in our moments of need. By listening and acting on God's instructions, we align ourselves with His purpose.
Following God’s Strategy
Victory in any form, whether personal, spiritual, or familial, requires following God's unconventional strategies. For Joshua, this meant marching around Jericho instead of attacking in the conventional sense. This illustrates that God’s methods may not always align with our expectations, yet they lead to profound outcomes. By trusting God's plan and being obedient, we gain strength to face our own walls, just as the Israelites did.
The Importance of Consistency and Obedience
Real courage often displays itself through consistency and patient obedience. In a world of instant gratification, maintaining steady faith as we march through life's challenges is essential. The Israelites walked around Jericho for seven days, and with each step, they grew in their understanding of God’s power. Their obedience paid off, demonstrating that perseverance is crucial in both our spiritual journeys and daily lives.
Concluding Message: Empowering Men and Families
Every individual, especially fathers, is encouraged to embrace their role as leaders and protectors within their families. Stand firm in faith and cultivate an environment that inspires others to seek God. As we encourage men to rise up and take their rightful place, may we remember that every decision, every prayer, and every moment spent with God contributes to strong families and a vibrant community.
Call to Action
Men are called to step forward, embrace their identity as godly leaders, and shape the next generation. As they release their voices, let their actions and words proclaim God’s promises. As they're reminded of their worth and role, may these men rise like lions, fearless and determined, ready to lead their families into the promises of God.
Closing Prayer
Let us unite in prayer, asking for divine strength and courage as we endeavor to fulfill our roles as fathers and leaders. Seek God’s guidance, and trust that He will enable us to conquer our fears and navigate life's challenges with faith and determination.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
Discussion Guide: Faith and Courage
Reflect on Fear: What are some fears you face in your personal life? How do you usually deal with them, and how can you involve God's presence in these situations?
God's Presence: Pastor Tom emphasized that God is closer than we think. How have you experienced God’s closeness during challenging times?
Unconventional Paths: God's path for Joshua seemed unusual at first. Can you share a time when following God's plan led you to a unique or unexpected outcome?
The Role of Courage: How can we practice being "as brave as lions" in our daily lives? Where does true courage originate from according to the sermon?
Community Support: In what ways can our small group offer support and encouragement to each other when faced with daunting situations?
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The Book of Joshua is set in a period when the Israelites entered the Promised Land—a land flowing with milk and honey, which they had waited for after escaping slavery in Egypt. This narrative occurs after Moses' death, and Joshua steps into leadership.
Cultural Context: During this era, walled cities like Jericho were common for defense. Jericho, one of the oldest cities, represented a significant military challenge due to its fortified walls.
Political Context: The Israelites faced regional powers within the Canaanite city-states, each defending their own territory fiercely. The Canaanites were seen as adversaries who prevented Israel from settling in their God-promised lands.
Religious Context: It was a time when God's covenant with Israel was pivotal. Compliance and trust in God's promises were emphasized, as Israel was called to worship Yahweh exclusively amidst surrounding pagan influences.
The geography of Jericho, situated near the Jordan River, made it a strategic entry point for Israel into Canaan. The story of Jericho is a tale of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to Israel, despite insurmountable odds, setting the stage for Israel's settlement in Canaan.
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Introduction
Today, we're talking about how God wants us to be brave lions, just like we learned from Pastor Tom's sermon! It's important to know that God is always with us, no matter what challenges we face. We can be courageous because we know that God gives us strength and help.
Scripture
Proverbs 28:1: "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion."
Joshua 1:5: "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you."
Craft: Courageous Lion Masks
Materials Needed:
Paper plates
Yellow and orange crayons/markers
Scissors
Glue
Craft sticks
Googly eyes (optional)
Instructions:
Give each child a paper plate.
Allow the kids to color the plate with yellow and orange to resemble a lion's mane.
Help them cut out eye holes for the mask.
Glue on googly eyes or allow them to draw eyes on the mask.
Attach a craft stick to the bottom of the mask for them to hold.
Once done, they can wear their lion masks and participate in a roaring contest!
Game: Courageous Lion Roar Relay
Objective:
To encourage teamwork and to practice courage by making loud lion roars!
Instructions:
Divide into two teams and line them up at a starting line.
Each child will take turns running to a designated spot a few feet away, stopping, and letting out their loudest lion roar.
After roaring, they can run back to tag the next teammate.
The first team to have all their members complete the relay and roar wins!
Discussion Questions:
What does it mean to have courage?
Can you think of a time when you felt afraid? What did you do?
How does knowing that God is always with us help us to be brave?
Why do you think God wants us to be bold like lions?
Can you think of ways to show courage in your everyday life?
Wrap Up with Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us how to be brave like lions. Thank you for your strength and courage that you give us every day. Help us remember that you are always with us, just like you were with Joshua. Help us to be bold in sharing your love with others. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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Good morning. Good morning. And special Happy Father's Day to all the fathers. If you're wondering what's wrong with Pastor Tom, yes.
I'm wearing glasses. And I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago and they tried to scare me by telling me I was going blind in one of my eyes. And I found out I've got a pterygium or something that is pulling my eye in funny directions. And so I need to wear glasses for a while until surgery and maybe that'll take care of it. But will you be praying for me?
Because I'm already done with them for today. I'm just letting you know, I barely made it up these stairs. I thought I was gonna trip because they're supposed to help me see and I can't see with them on. But they told me it'll be about, what, a 30 day adjustment period or something like that, and they'll start making sense to you. So again, happy Father's Day to the dads.
I was reading a story this week about some kids that were going to vacation Bible school. And we have a vacation Bible school coming up here for our kids next month. So I hope that you're a part of that or if you have children or grandchildren, that you make sure they come. It's going to be during the day. It's going to be from like 9 to 3.
And we're going to have all kinds of water things for them during the hot summer, summer days and some great Bible lessons and stuff. So I just want them to be a part of that. At the vacation Bible school that I was reading about this week, they divided the kids into grades first through fifth or sixth grade. And in the first grade class, they were just asking the kids to draw a picture of God. And you and I know that according to the scriptures that God is spirit.
He doesn't have a physical form that we know of, but he can appear physically. We're gonna find out about that later in the Bible lesson today. But these little first graders were coming up with these different ideas about what God looks like. And one of the kids pictured God as an old man in the clouds. One of the kids pictured God as Superman with a cape on and flying through the sky.
And one kid, a little girl, the teacher couldn't quite figure out who she was drawing. And. And the teacher said, is that God? And the little girl said, no, no, no, that's my daddy. But I think God looks a lot like my daddy.
And I was just thinking, you know, what if I'm a dad, which I am, my hope has always been that I might look a little bit like God to my children. The bottom line is, dads, you've been under attack for about two generations now.
The culture in which we live has been kind of poisonous towards dads. It's been a tough, tough 50 or 60 years. And my hope and my prayer is that we're coming out of that. I believe that this assault on manhood needs to end. In Jesus name, who can say amen?
And so I want today's message to be encouraging. I want it to be inspirational, not just to dads, but to everybody. Because I've noticed that there's a lot to be afraid of today. The world seems to be going crazy, to be quite honest. There's a lot of weird things taking place.
And you might be afraid of failing, afraid of being a bad parent, afraid of the future. Well, welcome to the spirit of the age. But you don't have to accept that, okay? Because God has a plan. Who can say amen?
I had a lot of fear growing up. I remember in high school, I was a sophomore in high school, and I had to give a speech in front of the class, and I was petrified. I thought standing in front of, what, 25 students and a teacher was the scariest thing in the world. Since then, I've stood in front of crowds over 5,000 large and no longer afraid because God took the fear away. Who can say amen?
I mean, I was afraid of the dark when I was a kid. I was afraid of heights when I was younger. One day I was preaching on faith, and somebody said, well, you can't be afraid of heights any longer. Let's go jump out of an airplane. And so that's exactly what we did.
We jumped out of an airplane and we had some fun. And. And it was. I'm not gonna lie here, okay? When I was standing at this open door and the guy, my partner behind me said, I'm not quite latched up yet.
That wasn't the bravest moment in my life. But he latched us up, and he's 1, 2, 3. And we jumped out. And it was, you know, what's so funny about it is it actually took the fear of heights away. Confronting that fear, addressing that fear, and all of a sudden it wasn't scary getting up high any longer.
Especially when you knew there was people there to help you and protect you. Anybody here afraid of snakes? Yeah. Yeah. Because here in Florida there's some scary looking snakes.
There's one that I had wrapped around me one time and, and it was a. I think it was a 12 foot albino python. And what was so interesting about that is the trainer said, do not allow the python to wrap its tail around your neck or it will start squeezing. So for the first three minutes of the introduction, I'm fighting that tail away. So it starts wrapping around my leg up there.
And I couldn't feel my leg there in a few minutes. But again, nothing to be scary about. They're not poisonous or anything like that. So you might say, Pastor Tom, how did you get over your fears? Was it just facing your fears?
And the answer is no. How I really got over fear was I started reading the Bible. That's right. I started reading the scriptures and I found out that the Bible says God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. So I started thinking, wow, if I've got power and I've got God's love and I've got a mind to think this through, God's got another plan for me.
I don't have to be afraid. In Proverbs, chapter 28, verse 1, the Scripture says this. The wicked are afraid of everything. But those who live right are as brave as lions. I want to hear you roar right now.
On the count of three. One, two, three. Roar. Wow, I was expecting some pussycats out here. I thought I'd get a couple of meows.
I wasn't quite ready for that. That was an awesome roar. Thank you for participating. But let me tell you now, some roars can be faked. You know what I'm saying?
Take a look at this video right here. What's he called? The Cowardly Lion. I don't know if you've ever seen this movie before, but I couldn't wait to get home on a Sunday night after church on a Sunday night. Because I always got to see it from that scene forward.
And I just loved this Cowardly Lion. Why? Because it's an oxymoron. Lions are the king of the jungle. Lions are brave and strong.
And here in this movie, you've got a cowardly lion. I'm here to Tell you that although that's funny, cowardly Christians are not funny. But cowardly Christian is no less an oxymoron. No matter what's happening in our lives, no matter what's happening in the world, what we are not supposed to be cowardly Christians. So today's message is entitled, no more cowardly Christians.
We are going to be the brave lions that God wants us to be. In the name of Jesus Christ, who can say Amen? And so I'm gonna tell you a story from the Bible. And it is specifically from the book of Joshua. And so you probably are familiar with this story.
It's the story of Joshua and Jericho. Anybody familiar with this story? You've heard about this one a couple of times before. And so I want you to really think about just the first couple of words here. But before you get there, listen to this.
There's three lessons for today from this story. And this is a story of a heavenly father with one of his children. And Joshua is not his favorite child. You are. I just want that to sink in.
You are God's favorite. Okay? You might say, well, there's no favoritism with God. That's my point exactly, is what he does for Joshua. He will do it for you.
Who can say amen? And so there are three simple lessons here that this heavenly father tried to give his son Joshua. Lesson number one is this. Courage comes when you realize God is closer than you think. God is closer than you think.
So, so. So Joshua has this responsibility. He's to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. And they just got over this. This river, and the river is that.
So there's no going back. And now in front of him is this city. It's a walled city. And the scripture says it was securely shut up. There was no going in, there was no coming out, but he could not get in.
So I want to paint you a picture here of what this city might have looked like. So archaeologists have dug up around the ancient city. I've actually been there. I've seen some of these digs. I recognize some of these pictures here.
In this is a depiction of what they believe Jericho probably looked like. And so at the very bottom, you've got. And you can't see them because we had to expand the picture a little bit. But there's one, two. There's three soldiers down there.
And if we believe them to be five or six feet tall, that means they're about a little less than half, maybe a third the size of this retaining wall right here. Read that the retaining wall was anywhere from 12 to 20ft. And it held back all of this embankment right here. And then on top of this wall was another outer wall that was built. And then between this wall and this wall was the embankment.
It was a piece of property. Many people believe that Rahab's house was built in this area right here, connected to this wall. And then behind the slide, the second wall was where most of the city was. That's where the king lived. That's where a majority of the people were.
That's where the businesses took place and everything. And so obviously, Joshua and the Israelites had never seen anything like this. They didn't even have the equipment. They didn't have the resources. They didn't have anything to help them to knock those walls down.
They had no battering rams, they had no hooks. They had no catapults to shoot weapons or flaming whatever in there. They had no way of solving the problem. It was literally an impossible situation. Maybe you think that you're facing an impossible situation.
Maybe you don't have enough resources or enough training. I understand that. But I need you to understand the same thing that God said to Joshua in Joshua 1:5. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life, as I was with Moses. So I will be with you.
I will not leave you or forsake you. Who can say amen? God will never leave you. He'll never forsake you. It is literally a universal promise to every Christian in the entire world.
Now you might say, pastor, that was to Moses. That was to Joshua. That wasn't to us. Yes, it was in the New Testament, in Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 5. This is what the author of Hebrews says.
And remember, he's addressing persecuted Christians. He's addressing all of these men and all these women who've had their property confiscated. They've been driven out of Jerusalem. They've been dispersed all over the known European and Asian and African world of that day. And this is what he says.
For he himself, God, has said, I will never say never. I will never leave you, and I will never forsake you. When I was five years old, I remember getting to go to school for the first time. And when my parents were sharing the school experience with me, I was getting excited. I was anticipating what was going on.
And. And my parents actually took me on a walk because my school was about five blocks away. And if you remember, this was in the day and age where kids walked to school. There was really no bus system, except for maybe the farm kids who lived outside the city. And so I discovered that it was about a five block walk to my school.
And as the day approached, I was getting more excited and more excited and more excited. And the big day arrived and my mom got me ready for school. And I don't remember, but I'm sure I had a good breakfast and everything. And then I took off. And to this day, I still remember some of the routes that I took.
And I remember that I had to cross a couple of busy roads. I had to avoid some of the bullies in the neighborhood. I had to make sure that I wasn't distracted by. By some of the fun things that I might see along the way. But that first day, I made it all by myself.
Or so I thought. Because 20 or 30 years later, my dad is telling me the story of my first day of school. And he goes, you know, I don't think I ever told you I followed you the whole way to school. I was like, what? He goes, yeah, your mother and I were talking and we wanted to make sure that you got there safe.
And so I literally walked behind you the whole way. And he goes, I remember you going up to the first stop sign or wherever you were gonna go, and you looked one way and then you looked the other way and then you look again one way and you look again another way and then you just darted across that road as fast as you could, just like a little five year old would. And I had never known. Listen, I had never known my dad was there all along, the whole time. Did you know God is with you all along the journey of your life.
He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. Who can say Amen? Amen. But I want you to have more than Pastor Tom's kindergarten experience.
Experience. I want you to have an unforgettable encounter similar to Joshua. Now, I don't know if you're ever going to see a theophany or a christophany, and we'll get to that in just a second. But I want to share with you what the scripture says happened to Joshua. And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho.
You know what he's probably doing here, right? He's the night before the battle or the week before the battle, he's out there and he's standing and looking at that wall going, how in the world am I gonna do that? He's all by himself, or he feels all alone, even though he's with millions of people that are his people. But he's all by himself, contemplating, strategizing, trying to figure out how he's going to accomplish what needs to get done. What?
When the scripture says that he lifts his eyes and looks and behold a man stood opposite him with his sword drawn. Now that's probably a little scary. Uh oh, is this somebody from Jericho? Uh oh, is this somebody from the enemy? And Joshua goes to him and says to him, are you for us or for our adversaries?
Scripture goes on and says, no. In other words, you know you're asking the wrong question. Why is it we ask God the wrong question all the time? God, why is this happening to me? That's what we ask all the time, isn't it?
Wrong question. No, no, no, no. But the reason I'm here is I'm here as the commander of the army of the Lord. And I have now come.
Who is this guy? I asked in the first service who it was. Some people thought it was an angel. Pastor Strickland was sitting in the front row. Pastor Strickland said that he believed it to be Jesus.
Here's what we know. We know this is either God or it's Jesus. Those are the only two options because. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said, what does my Lord say to his servant? Every time someone worships an angel, the angel immediately says, get up.
I'm not worthy. You shouldn't be doing that. This dude doesn't do that. This guy receives the worship, accepts the question, accepts the title of life. Lord, why?
Because he is the commander of all creation. Listen to me. God is not your genie in a bottle. God is not our puppet on a string. God is not some celestial Santa Claus who does our bidding.
He doesn't come to take sides. He comes to take over.
Right? He's here to take over. He's the commander. That word means ruler, prince, leader, chief, head. He is the head of the church.
He's the commander of the church. He's the God of the universe. In theological terms, we call this particular encounter either a theophany or a christophany. Theophany means a. A manifestation of what appears to be God in the form of a person.
Or it's a christophany. It is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in pre incarnate form here in the Old Testament. Either way, Joshua responds by falling on his face. The only say, only, the only way to respond is to get on your knees. When it comes to God manhood, if you're a real man, manhood begins on your knees.
It begins in prayer. It begins in submission to the God of Gods and the Lord of Lords. It begins by praying, what does my Lord say to his servant? I'm starting to imagine, you know what? If Joshua was really concerned about Jericho, all those concerns must have started disappearing almost immediately.
He's thinking, you know what? I don't have to worry about this anymore. God's right there. God's going to take care of this. He's got a flaming sword.
And the sword of the Spirit is what? The word of God. That's right. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. With the sound of his word, he can raise up kingdoms and bring them down in Jesus name.
Who can say Amen? The responsibility of leadership just suddenly disappears as the awesome realization hits Joshua that I don't have to worry about this. The master of the universe, the master of my life, my Lord, my master, my owner. He's large and he's in charge. Real power comes from submitting to God's leadership.
Dads, moms, your main job is to set the example and lead your kids to Jesus. Bobby Bowden said this when he was coaching here in Florida. He used to say there was only one perfect person, and it ain't your daddy. Well, dads, you don't have to be perfect. You just have to lead your kids to Jesus Christ.
That's how we can say in Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength. I can't do anything, but through Christ, I can do everything. Who can say amen? Number two? Courage comes when you focus on God's word instead of your walls.
So what walls are you bouncing up against? What Jericho's are standing in the middle of your journey of life? That seems so intimidating. Is it a financial stress? Is it a child in crisis?
Is it marital strife? Is it issues at work? Well, I can tell you, God has a word for every single situation. He always has something to say. And the Lord said to Joshua, he has a word.
God is speaking all the time. God speaks to everyday people just like you and me. He speaks through his word. He speaks through his pastors. He speaks through devotionals that you do on a regular basis.
He speaks through prayer. He speaks through whispers. He speaks in confirmations. He even speaks through our circumstances. That's.
That's why sometimes the circumstances don't go away, because we're not listening.
Has that ever happened to you? Remember in the New Testament, they went across the lake, a storm came, and Jesus said, oh, you of little faith, but listen, a Couple chapters later they go across a lake again and the exact same thing happens. Why? Because they didn't learn anything. So they're destined to keep repeating the same experiences over and over and over again.
Because they don't allow God to teach them any lessons. That's why he says to Joshua, see, Look, pay attention. Are you getting a vision from me? God's word must be become your reality. Not just a Sunday school lesson, not just something that makes me feel good.
You have to see what it is God sees. Isaiah 43:19. See, I will do a new thing now. Say now. Now it springs up.
What is God doing right now? Because he's active. He's doing something on your part behalf in this very moment. Have you allowed that revelation to explode in faith in your heart? Because that's what's needed, an explosion of holy spirit revelation.
That's why Hebrews 11:30 says, by faith the walls of Jericho fell down. Not through fighting, not through toil, not through, through anything other than they finally just saw it. They believed that what God was telling them. Look in verses 3, 4, 5, all the way through verse 10, God's giving Joshua instructions. He's teaching them.
This is what you're going to do. This is what I've already accomplished in the spirit realm. I need you to understand that this is happening right now. Who can say Amen? God's current instructions.
Listen. Are oftentimes wrapped in a familiar promise. And the Lord said so. He's speaking to Joshua. See, you have to see this.
If you don't see it as true, it's not going to be true. It's just going to be words on a piece of paper. But I have given Jericho into your hand. So there's the promise, its kings and the mighty men of valor. And then the detailed instruction.
You shall march around the city, all you men of war. You shall go around the city once. This shall be done six days. And then he keeps giving. More detailed, more detailed, more detailed.
But the promise is I'm giving Jericho into your hand. This is not a new promise. This is something that they've been hearing for generations after generations after generations, God's promises are repeated and passed down from moms and dads to sons and daughters to grandchildren. They keep going and going. This was a promise to Abraham, a promise to Isaac, a promise to Jacob, a promise to Joseph.
And here we are hundreds of years later and the promise is no less true. Who can say amen? All of these promises in God's scripture are still for us today. 16 times God promised us to take Moses and the children of Israel into the promised land. Eight times.
God says that you must be strong and courageous because that's the way to accomplish this task. Repeatedly he says, I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. Romans chapter 10, verse 17 says, faith comes by and hearing by the. That's right.
And in the Greek language, that verb hearing is in a tense that means hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing. It's not a one time thing. It's over and over and over and over again. And one day those promises begin to renovate our soul. They begin to renovate our humanity.
Our minds are renewed. Our thoughts begin to align with God's thoughts. We're no longer fighting and striving for victory, but we're fighting from a position of victory.
In verse two, it says, I have. Do you see that I have given Jericho? It's a done deal in God's mind. I love what I wrote right here. God is faithful to add confirmations along the way.
Have you ever heard from God but you weren't quite sure? Let's be honest, it happens to all of us. I think this is you, God. I'm just not quite sure. So embedded in the instructions, I mean, this is beautiful.
Right here in verse four. And seven priests.
Does it have to be seven? No, it could have been eight. God could have said 12, God could have said 15. He's choosing the number seven on purpose. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark.
But the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times and the priests shall blow the trumpets. Did you know 7 in Jewish culture was the number of completion? It was the number of rest. And they were entering the land of rest. God is confirming his word even in the instructions in which he speaks.
I'm here to tell you that whenever I something major in regards to my relationship with the Lord, he always tells me more than once, it's not a one time thing. And oh, did I. I think I missed it, but I didn't quite hear it. He tells me over again and again and again, he wants you to hear his voice more than you want to hear it. Who can say Amen?
He wants you to hear him third. And finally, courage overcomes when you follow God's strategy. You know the way we fight is different from the world, right? I was reading an article here just yesterday and it said that in our culture we have honor culture in America and we have victim culture in America and in Honor culture, you have to fight, fight if someone disrespects you, and you have to complain if someone disrespects you. And in victim culture, you have to fight or whine or cry if you get disrespected or taken advantage of as a victim.
There are no victims in the body of Christ. God has a plan for every single one of us. Nor do we have to make sure our honor is taken care of. God is dealing with that. Who can say, amen?
God has a completely different plan. Second Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 4. We fight with weapons that are different from what the world uses. We don't have to yell and scream. We don't have to fight for our way.
God's already provided for us. Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy's strong places. During that time, conventional warfare required battering rams, scaling ladders, catapults, and siege work. But God enlists us to accept his unconventional methods. So when you get to verse four, you start to hear, wow, we got to get these priests together, we got to get these trumpets together.
We got to get the ark together. So all of these details are starting to be communicated. And Joshua in verse 5, once he hears everything God wants him to do, he goes to the priest and he says, okay, guys, I've got a little unconventional strategy. The way we're going to defeat the people from Jericho is we're going to have a parade.
Think about it. We're not going to shoot big boulders at them with catapults. We're not going to knock down the walls with battering rams. We're not going to throw repelling hooks up onto the wall and climb up and invade the city. We're going to throw a parade.
Anybody watched the parade last night? I mean, 250 years that the army has been in existence, longer than the nation's been in existence supporting us. Who can say, thank you, army? Let's give the army a round of applause? Applause.
But it's a little unconventional to throw a parade before you've even won the battle. But that's exactly what they're getting ready to do. God's instructions don't always make sense to the flesh. His ways are higher. His thoughts are more profound, sometimes even counterintuitive to what we have in our mind.
But listen, I read this from another theologian. He said it wasn't just a Rose bowl parade. It was a homecoming parade. The children of Israel were coming home and nobody was going to stop them. Now, again, God could have done this in one day.
God could have done this in one moment, but he had them do this for. For seven consecutive days. So when I'm looking at these details, I understand another thing here, that if we really want to overcome with the courage that God wants to give us, we have to prepare for a slow process. It's seldom quick. And real strength is shown in our restraint.
It's shown in our patience. It's shown in our persistent obedience. And this is really hard for men because we want to fix everything, and we want to fix it right now. I know there were some Jewish people who wanted to storm the gates. They wanted to charge full steam ahead.
But God said, wait and walk. Why? Because he's more interested in the person you're becoming than in solving your temporary problem.
Listen.
And he wants to use your problem to form you into the person you're becoming. So he'll take his time. So if you want it to go a little quicker, learn your lesson a little quicker, who can say amen? Couple of final thoughts. Number one, every word of God matters.
Anybody go on a cruise ever? Anybody ever travel to Europe or Southeast Asia or another country? Okay, so you can actually buy travelers insurance if you do that. And usually online, they'll send you this document, maybe a Word document or a Pages document, and it'll be 20 or 30 pages long. And then at the end, you have to check this box.
I read all of this.
How many of you read it all? Yeah. So there's a insurance company here in Florida that decided to have a little bit of fun. And on page seven, they put in a special paragraph, and it was entitled pays to read. And as a person read that paragraph, it said, if you call us on the phone right now and tell us that you read this paragraph, we're going to write you a check for $10,000.
Yeah. And guess what? A little teacher who was retiring as a teacher in Georgia read every single word of that contract. And when she got to that paragraph, she called the insurance company, and they said, we. We just put this online a couple of days ago, and you are the first person to call us.
And we've sent out so far at least 73 contracts that we know of. You're the only person who's called it pays to read. And if that's true of an insurance contract, how much more of God's word? Number two, God's presence is the key to life. Moses said, I don't even want to go forward unless your presence goes with me.
Amen. It's the Key to everything that we do, we've got to do it in the presence of God. The ark is mentioned 11 times in just like, like a dozen scriptures, like one per verse. And the Ark was to be stationed strategically in the center of the primary procession. Why?
Because God wanted the children of Israel and all of the Canaanites and us today to know that God needs to be at the center of your life. And when he's at the center, things will go right in Jesus name. Number three, consistency pays dividends. They had to walk away around that city every day for seven consecutive days. Once, twice, three times.
It had to have taken hours. We read the story and we smile and think it's so cute. Not realizing that this is a 8, 10, 12, 15 hour day every day. And we. What's the tendency to do in that moment?
Give up? Talk, Complain? This makes no sense. This is the key to the whole last idea here is God wants each and every one of you to release your lion. Roar.
I asked you to roar at the beginning, okay, But God wants you to release that roar in your life on a regular and consistent basis. But it requires a couple of things of you. Number one, you've got to ignore the circumstances. How difficult is that? I mean, look at this.
Verse 10. Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, you shall not shout. Remember back then they were trained to yell as they're, as they're attacking the enemy. They can't shout or make any noise with their voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth. Nothing can even be spoken.
This isn't accidentally in the Bible, everybody. This is for us. We cannot allow to believe our eyes. After the first six days and six and four encirclements during that, that seventh day, the walls still looked impregnable. It still looked impossible.
Nothing had changed. But in a moment the scripture says that the walls fell down on themselves. This was God doing the work for them. So, so they had to ignore the circumstances. They had to sit silence their unbelief.
This is so difficult to do. They had to keep their mouths shut. Can you imagine the discipline required here? This is a nation notorious for its complaining spirit and its criticism of God's ways, God himself and God's leadership. But the same was true back then, as in World War II.
Loose lips sink ships. Careless talk calls costs lives. And then all of a sudden he says, when I say to you, shout, then you shall shout. Proverbs 28:1 says, the wicked are afraid of everything, but those who live right are as brave as lions. When A lion roars.
It is marking its territory. When Israel shouted their shout of praise, their shout of victory, their shout of joy, their shout of intimidation, they were letting all the inhabitants of the promised land know this is our territory. In the name of Jesus Christ, every step our foot shall take shall be ours in Jesus name. And every step you take in Jesus name shall be yours. That is a promise.
Who can say Amen. Amen. So I want to ask all of the men to please stand up right now at this time, whether you're a father or not a father, every boy, if you are male, I need you to stand. As I said earlier, there is an attack on manhood. God is done with it.
In Jesus name. This is not going to be the way of things any longer. The church is going to rise. The church is going to be the church that God wants us to be in Jesus name. And we are going to be the bold lines.
So I'm going to pray for the men. Ladies, if you would just stretch out a hand towards the men around you and let's bow our heads. Heavenly Father, we come to you in Jesus name. The name that is above every other name. And Father God, I am asking you to turn things around in the United States of America.
I am asking Father God for all of the disrespect in regards to manhood to be done away with. In Jesus name. I rise up as a voice called by God, a prophetic voice, Father God, that says no more messing with men in the name of of Jesus Christ. We are going to be bold as lions. We are going to be worshipers of God.
We're going to lead our children, our families, our churches, our cities in a parade, Father God, that literally brings the walls down in Jesus holy and precious name. And I pray, Father God that as we do this, that there will be a great end time harvest that will glorify the name of Jesus Christ and that literally hundreds and thousands in our very own community will give their life to Jesus Christ. I pray this today. I believe this today in Jesus holy and precious name, Father God, bless these men today. Fill them with courage, Father God.
Allow them to see you in the circumstances of their lives. Bless them abundantly with strength and faith and courage and boldness. I pray fill their minds with a desire for more and more of your word, Father God, and make a difference in their lives. I pray that we will be the church that you've called for this time. And I pray this in Jesus name.
And together everybody says amen. Amen. Would you give the Lord, a round of applause.
