1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 Let's pray. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:59,980 Let's pray. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,000 Let's pray. 4 00:01:52,000 --> 00:02:20,000 Oh, okay. Okay. Good morning. 5 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:46,000 All right. I've been off. I've been sick all of September. I'm feeling a lot better now, and Brandon said I needed to come back, so I'm here. Just a couple little things. We do have more cinnamon roll experiment cooking in the oven that kind of went awry, but it's getting better, so there will be cinnamon rolls after church if you didn't get one this morning. 6 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:53,000 cinnamon roll apple cake, something. Something fall and delightful, so. 7 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,000 No problem, something delightful. 8 00:02:55,000 --> 00:03:12,000 All right. So we are doing our Bible memory project, which is starting up a new month on tomorrow the 3rd. So we do have the wristbands, the memory cards, the packs that come with everything. 9 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:17,000 So if you need a new one for October after church, see Brandon and he'll get you one of those. 10 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:24,000 And so first we're going to be doing our verse for the week, if it's up there. 11 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:31,000 And basically this month we're going through Psalm 51 with the verse memory project. I'm sorry, what? And next month. 12 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:40,000 So this is going to be our memory verse for the week. And so we're just going to read this together as we start out October. 13 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,000 And then we're going to do our group Scripture reading before we start our service today. 14 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:49,000 So if we want to go ahead and stand, we can, since we are reading the Bible. 15 00:03:49,000 --> 00:04:08,000 And so this week the verse is Psalm 51:1, which is, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions." 16 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,000 This is the word of the Lord. 17 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,000 And again, if you want to participate in that, just let Brandon know. 18 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:19,000 We do have the packs to give away, and it's a super easy way to remember Bible verses. 19 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:26,000 The bracelets have the first letter of each word, which I've noticed has helped me memorize a lot better, 20 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:31,000 because most of my brain has been gone since I had kids, so it's been super helpful for me. 21 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:46,000 All right, so this morning we're going to be reading together to begin our service out of Deuteronomy 31:8. 22 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:59,000 And it begins, "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." 23 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:13,000 This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray. God, we thank you for the opportunity to gather here today, and we thank you for those that are here and the encouragement that we can be to one another, and we thank you for those that are watching online. 24 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:28,000 And we thank you so much for your word and the opportunity to memorize it and to remember it and to just keep it on our hearts so that we know that you are always with us and that you will not leave us. 25 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:37,000 giving us the opportunity to not feel fear or be dismayed in the midst of things. 26 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:45,000 We ask that you be with our service today and allow it to glorify you. In Jesus' name. Amen. 27 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:50,000 All right. Our first Song we're going to be starting with today is "Our God Saves." 28 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:20,000 In the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, in the name of the Spirit, Lord, we come. We are gathered together to lift up your name, to call on our Savior, to fall on your grace. 29 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:48,000 Hear the joyful sound of our offering, as your saints bow down, as your people sing. We will rise with you, lifted on your wings, and the world will see that our God saves, our God saves. 30 00:06:48,000 --> 00:07:16,000 There is hope in your name. Morning turns to songs of praise. Our God saves. Our God saves. 31 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:44,000 In the name of the Father. In the name of the Son. In the name of the Spirit. Lord, we come. We are gathered together to lift up your name. To call on our Savior. To fall on your grace. Hear the joyful sound of our offering. 32 00:07:44,000 --> 00:08:12,000 Saints bow down. As your people sing. We will rise with you. Lifted on your wings. And the world will see that. Our God saves. Our God saves. There is hope. 33 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:40,000 In your name morning turns to songs of praise. Our God saves. Our God saves. Hear the joyful sound of our offering. 34 00:08:40,000 --> 00:09:08,000 As your saints bow down. As your people sing. We will rise with you. Lifted on your wings. And the world will see that. Our God saves. Our God saves. There is hope. 35 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:36,000 In your name. Morning turns to psalms of praise. Our God saves. Our God saves. 36 00:09:36,000 --> 00:10:02,000 All right. You can remain standing if you'd like, or if you'd like to sit, you can. We're going to be moving into our prayer and share time. And so if you're watching online, there'll be a phone number for you to text. If you have anything you'd like to send us to pray with or pray about or share with here, please do that. And then we'll be muted here during that prayer time. And after that, we'll be back and continue on with the rest of our service. 37 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,000 So we're going to be singing, "The Battle Belongs." 38 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:59,000 He is the mountain. You see a mountain moved. And as I walk through this shadow, your love surrounds me. There's nothing to fear now, for I am safe with you. 39 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:26,000 So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees, hands lifted high. Oh God, the battle belongs to you. And every fear I lay at your feet, I'll sing through the night. Oh God, the battle belongs to you. 40 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:59,000 And if you are for me, who can be against me? For Jesus, there's nothing impossible for you. When all I see are the ashes, you see the beauty. 41 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:28,000 When all I see is a cross, God, you see the empty tomb. So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees, with my hands lifted high. Oh God, the battle belongs to you. And every fear I lay at your feet. 42 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:57,000 I'll sing through the night, oh God, the battle belongs to you. Almighty fortress, you go before us. Nothing can stand against the power of our God. You shine in the shadow. You win every battle. 43 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:26,000 Nothing can stand against the power of our God. Almighty fortress, you go before us. Nothing can stand against the power of our God. You shine in the shadow. You win every battle. Nothing can stand against the power of our God. 44 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:55,000 So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees with my hands lifted high. Oh God, the battle belongs to you. And every fear I lay at your feet, I'll sing through the night. Oh God, the battle belongs to you. 45 00:13:55,000 --> 00:14:02,000 Oh God, the battle belongs to you. 46 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,000 Amen. 47 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,000 Amen. 48 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,000 Amen. 49 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:54,980 And before we do that, we're going to sing a song that might be a little new to us. It's probably familiar to some of us. I don't know that we've sung it here very often before. 50 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:12,000 And one of the things that really kind of changes things for us sometimes is how we look at life, right? Our perspective. You know, sometimes when we look at things, we see troubles and somebody else can look at the same thing and see an opportunity either for growth or for advancement. 51 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:24,980 And one of the interesting things we see throughout Scripture is that God's people have to have two perspectives, right? We see the perspective of what's in front of us, but we also have a spiritual perspective. 52 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:54,000 And in 2 Kings 2, Elisha has been supernaturally telling the king of Israel where the enemy will be going and where they're laying in wait for him. And so the enemy commander decides, finding out that he doesn't have a spy leaking information, but rather this prophet of God, Elisha, in the middle of the night surrounds the city that Elisha is hiding in. 53 00:22:54,000 --> 00:23:09,000 And they come out the next morning, and his servant or assistant, Elisha's servant and assistant, sees the army assembled around the entire city and immediately, probably like many of us, just sees nothing but disaster ahead of them. 54 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:23,000 And so Elisha will pray, and he'll say, "Open the eyes of my servant," and the servant will look up, and he will see surrounding Elisha the horsemen and chariots of a heavenly army that is far greater than the army 55 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:35,000 that stands before them. And for me, I think that's an important picture, because one of the things we don't always realize is there is a spiritual reality that is far greater than what we often see here. 56 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:46,000 We're going to see it in a few minutes when we get into Joshua chapter 5, as Joshua meets the commander of the Lord's army, which is a remarkable and wonderful thing. 57 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:59,000 So, one of the things we want to think about as we sing this song, if it's new to you or if it's not, is the fact that there is a heavenly army surrounding God's people. 58 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:16,000 Let's pray. 59 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:17,000 Let's pray. 60 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:18,000 Let's pray. 61 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:47,000 You are my morning song. Though darkness fills the night, it cannot hide the light. Whom shall I fear? You crush the enemy underneath my fate. You are my sword and shield, though troubles linger still. 62 00:24:48,000 --> 00:25:06,000 Whom shall I fear? I know who grows before me. I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side. The One who reigns forever. He is a friend of mine. The God of angel armies is always by my side. 63 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:19,600 The One who reigns forever. He is a friend of mine. The God of angel armies is always by my side. 64 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:42,000 My strength is in your name. For you alone can save. You will deliver me. Yours is the victory. Whom shall I fear? 65 00:25:45,000 --> 00:26:06,000 Whom shall I fear? I know who goes before me. I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side. The one who reigns forever. He is a friend of mine. The God of angel armies is always by my side. 66 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:25,000 Nothing pulled against me shall stand. You hold the whole world in your hands. I'm holding on to your promise. 67 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:44,000 You hold the whole world in your hands. I'm holding on to your promises. You are faithful. You are faithful. 68 00:26:44,000 --> 00:27:03,000 Nothing formed against me shall stand. You hold the whole world in your hands. I'm holding on to your promises. 69 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:30,000 You are faithful. You are faithful. You are faithful. I know who goes before me. I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side. 70 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:57,000 The one who reigns forever. He is a friend of mine. The God of angel armies is always by my side. I know who goes before me. I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side. 71 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:24,000 The one who reigns forever. He is a friend of mine. The God of angel armies is always by my side. The God of angel armies is always by my side. 72 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:53,000 So we live in a world where we like to do things ourselves. I was thinking about this the other day when I was at Lowe's, and one of my favorite things about going to Lowe's is when you have a project where you need to get like a bunch of lumber, and so you get, you know, one of the little flatbed carts, and you show the other dads that you really have a serious project, you know, unlike the guy with like the one two-by-four. It feels pretty good, right? It feels good to do things ourselves. 73 00:28:53,000 --> 00:29:22,000 Where we struggle is when we come face-to-face to that reality that we cannot do things ourselves. In Exodus, the 14th chapter, God's people are standing in front of the Red Sea. They have seen God's power demonstrated through the plagues, and God has humbled the gods of Egypt, and as they stand there at the sea, they look behind, and they see that the Egyptian army is coming for them, and they look in front of them, and there is the sea, and they look behind them. 74 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:51,000 They look behind them, and there is an army, and they look to the right and the left, and they are in this valley surrounded by rocks where they cannot go either way, and they begin to grumble and become fearful, and there is these words in Exodus chapter 14, "And Moses said to the people, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." Now, that's a difficult thing for us, right? Because we like to be able to face the challenge, to deal 75 00:29:51,000 --> 00:30:20,000 with the challenge, to overcome the challenge, to fix the problem or avoid the problem, and for us, when we see a problem in front of us and we just hear those words, "stand still," right? It's a difficult thing. And so God tells these people, "Don't try to run. Don't try to hide. Don't try to fix it. Don't try to fight. Just simply stand still and see God's salvation." As we come to the table this morning, what we're called to do 76 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:49,000 is to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, right? We can't earn our salvation. We can't deserve it. We can't achieve it. One of the things that this table reminds us is that sin has broken our relationship with God, and we deserve nothing but judgment and wrath. But God, in His great mercy, and because He loved us, sent His Son, who went to the cross in our place, who rose again, defeating Satan, sin, death, 77 00:30:49,000 --> 00:31:18,000 and hell. And as a result, we can be children of God, right? This meal pictures for us, reminds us of, encourages us, and nourishes us by the salvation of the Lord. So in this moment, we have this reminder, one that I desperately need, that I can't do it by myself, but God did. So we're going to pray, and then we will partake together. Father in heaven, 78 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:47,000 I thank you for grace. I thank you for this reminder of our smallness. It's easy for us to become, it's easy for me to become proud and self-sufficient. And we need this reminder that we can't, but you did. So help us this morning to see the good news of the gospel, the hope that is found through your son, that as we break this bread and as we drink this cup, this will be a proclamation of your grace, 79 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:57,000 a proclamation of hope that we would see your salvation for us. I ask that you bless this bread and this cup. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 80 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:11,000 In Matthew, the 26th chapter, Jesus will take the bread and after blessing it, he will break it. He will give it to the disciples and he will say, "Take, eat. This is my body." Let's partake together. 81 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:30,000 Then he will take the cup, the cup of redemption, we'll see in a few minutes in Joshua, the cup that says, "I will redeem you," with an outstretched arm, and that's what Jesus is about to do. 82 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:41,000 He will take the cup. When he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." 83 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:55,000 And as Paul will say to the church, for as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we are proclaiming Jesus and his death until he comes again. 84 00:32:55,000 --> 00:33:07,000 So we're going to be in Joshua this morning. We are diving into Joshua, the fifth chapter. We're going to kind of read through this as we go this morning. 85 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:14,000 This is sort of a brief introduction to where we've been in Joshua. We're moving sort of very quickly through this book. 86 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:23,000 And one of the remarkable things about this is Joshua, you know, comes from Hebrew to English, is Joshua. 87 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:30,000 Now if you were to take Jesus' name, it gets translated from Hebrew into Greek and then into English, that's where we get Jesus from. 88 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:41,000 If you were to skip the Greek and go right from Hebrew into English, you would have the name Joshua, that God is the one who saves. 89 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:52,000 And so in this book of Joshua, about the Old Testament Joshua, we've been seeing how it points us toward the one who leads us into salvation, Jesus. 90 00:33:53,000 --> 00:34:06,000 In chapter 1, how Joshua, as he leads God's people, we see Jesus as he leads us. And in Joshua chapter 2, as salvation comes to the house of the undeserving Rahab, 91 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:17,000 how God ultimately comes and saves us. And as we saw last week in chapters 3 and 4, as God splits the Jordan River at flood stage, 92 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:26,000 about a mile across deep water, stops it in its tracks, not just for a few feet so people can kind of go over single file, 93 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:32,000 but kind of can go over all at once, and how God goes before his people. He's in the midst of his people. 94 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:43,000 He comes after his people that God calls us to build memorials to sort of remember the salvation and teach that from generation to generation. 95 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:53,000 You see how God brings us through. And so this morning we'll be in Joshua chapter 5, where the book of Joshua is going to take kind of a surprising, 96 00:34:53,000 --> 00:35:02,000 and definitely in the first few verses, kind of a real weird turn for this book. So we're going to pray, and then we'll dive right into it. 97 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:10,000 Father in heaven, thank you for Jesus and for grace, and thank you for your word. Thank you for how we see that, as Jesus said, 98 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:17,000 all of these things point to him. So help us to see the goodness of your grace this morning, 99 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:25,000 that as you renew these people at Gilgal through your covenant, through hope and through a commitment, 100 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:31,000 that you will renew us this morning, that you will strengthen us, that you will help us to see your goodness. 101 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:37,000 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So there has been a phrase that's been kind of going around. 102 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:42,000 People will refer to it as that's sort of a core memory, and it's one of those memories that we have 103 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:51,000 that is very strong and maybe shaped us in certain ways. And I remember we were traveling from Vermont, 104 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:57,000 and we were going to Colorado. We were pulling like a really, really heavy pop-up camper, 105 00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:03,000 and we were going along, and I think through Kansas, and the idea that most of us have is that Kansas is pretty flat, 106 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:08,000 and it is in a lot of places pretty flat, but there are sort of occasional little hills. We had been sort of 107 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:13,000 cruising through Kansas, right? It's kind of pretty straight, pretty flat, and we come over kind of just like, 108 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:17,000 not even really a hill, but the road kind of goes up a little bit and goes down, and there in front of us, 109 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:23,000 every car on the interstate is stopped, and there was no warning. And my core memory from that moment 110 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:30,000 was flying down the shoulder at like 65 miles an hour trying to stop the minivan and the really heavy camper. 111 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:36,000 And as a kid in the back seat, it's core memory. I guess another word we could use for that would be 112 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:43,000 traumatizing. And sometimes, right, life comes to a stop. We've been on the road, and we come around the 113 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:47,000 corner, and there's something in the road or traffic stops, and where we were making progress, 114 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:54,000 all of a sudden what happens? We're stopped. And sometimes we feel like that in our work or in our 115 00:36:54,000 --> 00:37:00,000 education or in our relationships, it feels like things just that we're moving along so well 116 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:06,000 come to a stop. And we feel that way sometimes in the church, right? Things seem to be going really 117 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:15,000 well, and then for a season, it seems like things just stop. And as we look through the book of Joshua, 118 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:22,000 we see that it looks like things have been going really, really well. In Joshua chapter 5, verse 1, 119 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:27,000 we read this. People have crossed the Jordan River, and it says, "As soon as the kings of the Amorites, 120 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:32,000 who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard that 121 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:38,000 the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their 122 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:45,000 hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel." And so, right, 123 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:51,000 God's been sort of accelerating the people. And it seems now is the time to strike, because all of the 124 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:59,000 nations that you are about to encounter are terrified, right? Their spirit, it says, has melted away, that 125 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:08,000 they don't want to fight, they're afraid to fight, their courage has dried up. And then, verse 2, is where 126 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:17,000 we hit that real sudden stop. And at that time, the Lord said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the 127 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:26,000 sons of Israel a second time," right? It doesn't really seem like the right time for this kind of thing, right? 128 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:32,000 So, in Joshua chapter 1, you find the people gathered with their new leader, Joshua, and they proclaim their 129 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:38,000 support with him. So, he has the support of the people. In Joshua chapter 2, the spies go out, they 130 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:44,000 come back in, and they say, "Everybody is terrified. Now is the time. God has given us the 131 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:49,000 victory." And I think part of the mission of the spies wasn't just to sort of scope 132 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:55,000 out the land, but rather to encourage the heart of Joshua by saying, "God really is at 133 00:38:55,000 --> 00:39:01,000 work, and he's given this land into our hands." And in Joshua chapter 3 and 4, God drives 134 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:07,000 up the Jordan River, and so this army comes across all of God's people. You have 135 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:11,000 the 40,000 fighting men from the tribes that lived on the other side of the 136 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:16,000 Jordan. You have all of the rest of the tribes, the ten-and-a-half tribes, their 137 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:20,000 fighting men, their families, all of their stuff. They come across, everybody's 138 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:26,000 terrified. When is a better time to fight, right? It seems like now is the time to 139 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:31,000 attack, not the time to sort of take a break for some elective surgery on every 140 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:38,000 fighting man in Israel, right? This seems like a really, really poor military 141 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:43,000 decision. And if you want to know how poor of a military decision, there's an 142 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:50,000 account in Genesis, the 34th chapter. One of the sons of Jacob, daughter of 143 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:56,000 Jacob, it's a pretty traumatic story. But in the sort of the end of the story, this 144 00:39:56,000 --> 00:40:02,000 girl, Dinah, her brothers decide to take revenge on a Canaanite village. They've 145 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:06,000 been seeking an alliance and through marriage and some very terrible things 146 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:10,000 that happen. And those brothers say, "Oh, yeah, if you guys want an alliance, we don't 147 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:14,000 have a problem with that. Just all the men of the town just need to be circumcised." 148 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:18,000 So they said, "Okay, yeah, we can do that. Every man is circumcised." And in 149 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:24,000 Genesis 34 you find this, "On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons 150 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:29,000 of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords, came against the 151 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:34,000 city while it felt secure, and killed all the males." Two men killed 152 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:41,000 every single man in an entire city, right? The people of God are pretty vulnerable in 153 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:46,000 this moment, right? You have all of this momentum, and then all of a sudden what happens? 154 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:54,000 Everything stops. So why does God do this? Why does God choose this moment? Why 155 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:59,000 not, when they were secure on the other side of the Jordan, why not take that time? One 156 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:03,000 of the things that you find is that God knows more about us than we know about 157 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:09,000 ourselves, right? We're really, really good at confusing our wants and our needs. I 158 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:14,000 mean, probably 50 times a week I'll say to Rachel, "I really need this, and what I 159 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:21,000 really mean is I really, really want this," right? We see it with our kids, right? Given 160 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,000 the option, our kids probably would eat ice cream for every meal, right? That's what 161 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:30,000 they want, but that's not what they need. And God, looking at these people, understands what 162 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:37,000 they deeply need rather than what they might want. And so in this moment, in this 163 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:43,000 pause, in this sort of sudden stop, God is going to meet a need the people didn't 164 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:49,000 know they had. And in this moment, He's going to renew them in a relationship. He's 165 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:54,000 going to renew them in their hope, and He's going to renew Joshua in his 166 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:57,000 commitment to the people. So let's take a look at this renewed 167 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:03,000 relationship. I'm going to read all the way down from verse 3 to verse 9. 168 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:07,000 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of 169 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:12,000 Israel at Gibeah Haraloth. And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them. 170 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:17,000 All the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in 171 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:21,000 the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt. Though all the people 172 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:25,000 who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people born on the way in the 173 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:29,000 wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised. For 174 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:33,000 the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness until all the 175 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:37,000 nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not 176 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:41,000 obey the voice of the Lord. The Lord swore to them that he would not let them see 177 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:45,000 the land the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with 178 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:50,000 milk and honey. So it was their children whom he raised up in their place that 179 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:54,000 Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised because they had not been 180 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:57,000 circumcised on the way. And when they were circumcising, the whole nation was 181 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:01,000 finished. They remained in their places at the camp until they were healed. And 182 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:06,000 the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from 183 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:11,000 you." And so the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day. And in 184 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:17,000 Hebrew, Gilgal sounds like the word for sort of rolled or rolled away. And one of 185 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:23,000 the things that these verses does very, very quickly is it sort of snaps into focus 186 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:28,000 those things we read in Joshua chapter 3 and 4 as God calls his people to build a 187 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:32,000 memorial. And the purpose of these memorials, he will say, is so that when your 188 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:37,000 sons and daughters and the generations that come after you see them, you can 189 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:41,000 teach them about God. And one of the reasons of why that was important was 190 00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:46,000 because their parents had not been doing that, right? One of the things we read in 191 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:51,000 these verses is that that command of God to bring this message from generation to 192 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:57,000 generation to generation had not happened and had not been followed. And 193 00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:01,000 if you're thinking about a renewed relationship, you may be a little bit 194 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:06,000 puzzled because how does circumcision establish a relationship with God? One 195 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:11,000 of the things that we see in sin is that it destroys relationships. We've all 196 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:15,000 probably experienced this. Somebody that we have conflict with, maybe they've sinned 197 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:20,000 against us, or we've sinned against them, and what happens, right? We 198 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:25,000 immediately begin to avoid them. We don't want to be near them, right? 199 00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:29,000 You can see it very clearly in our dogs every time they get in the trash can to 200 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:32,000 get something tasty, right? You come back and instead of being there ready to meet 201 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:36,000 you at the door, right, they're hiding in the bedroom because they know they did 202 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:41,000 something wrong, and it separates. And just like that, we've experienced it, 203 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:48,000 we've seen it, we've lived it, that sin breaks apart relationships. And between God 204 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:54,000 and man, the relationship is broken. And one of the ways that God restores 205 00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:58,000 relationships, in fact, the way that God restores relationships, is by making 206 00:44:58,000 --> 00:45:03,000 covenants with his people. Now covenants, at the heart, are different 207 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:07,000 than contracts. Today we sort of use those two things interchangeably, but a 208 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:12,000 covenant goes much deeper. It's not just a legal agreement with consequences 209 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:17,000 where if you break it, you pay the price, but rather it's a moral 210 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:21,000 agreement, and the idea is that you don't want to break that at all. You don't 211 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:27,000 even want that as an option, right? With a contract, you break it as long as you're 212 00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:30,000 willing to pay the penalty, and sometimes you're in the right for breaking a 213 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:39,000 contract, not so with a covenant. So examples of covenants in that picture, the 214 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:44,000 picture of God sort of bringing people together with promises designed not to be 215 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:49,000 broken. For example, marriage as a covenant, right? It's not just a contract. You do 216 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:53,000 this, and I'll do this, and we'll exist in this business relationship, but rather 217 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:58,000 it's a covenant of promises that are brought together, and I promise my 218 00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:02,000 faithfulness to you, and you promise your faithfulness to me, and we work together 219 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:11,000 for the good. Covenant ratified by God. Circumcision, biblically, is a sign of the 220 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:15,000 covenant, right? In Genesis chapter 17, and God will say to Abraham as he 221 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:21,000 institutes it, "This will be a sign of the covenant." And what we find is that the 222 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:25,000 signs of the covenant often point to something that goes a lot deeper. It's not 223 00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:29,000 just about the picture of what's happening, but it's what is happening 224 00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:35,000 underneath. For example, in Genesis 6, when God sends a flood and he gives a sign of 225 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:39,000 the covenant of a rainbow, right? It's not just a pretty thing in the sky, but 226 00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:44,000 rather it's a promise that judgment will not come that way again until the 227 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:50,000 very end. And so in the covenant of circumcision, you first of all have this 228 00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:57,000 picture, and it's a picture of separation. It's a picture of separation from sin. And 229 00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:03,000 right sin, when we separate from it, it's messy, it's difficult, it's painful, and in 230 00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:08,000 the same way you find circumcision happening to people. A picture of separating 231 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:13,000 from sin, but it's also a warning from God, a picture of a warning, right? 232 00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:19,000 Circumcision literally means it means to cut off. And the result of breaking God's 233 00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:25,000 covenant is that you are cut off from Him and from His people. It's also a picture 234 00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:29,000 of being cut off from the world around you and to bring brought into a new 235 00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:34,000 community. That's in fact what Joshua will say, that this is a rolling back of the 236 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:40,000 shame of Egypt and you have become a new picture. But it's not just a picture 237 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:45,000 of removal, right? Removing it from sin, removing if you break the covenant, 238 00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:49,000 removing from the people of this world, but in the Old Testament it's a picture 239 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:54,000 and a promise of transformation. Listen to Deuteronomy chapter 30. 240 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:58,000 "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your 241 00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:01,000 offspring, so you will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your 242 00:48:01,000 --> 00:48:07,000 soul that you may live." Right? The picture there is that this is not just an outward 243 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:13,000 physical thing that seems kind of weird to us, but rather it's a transformation 244 00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:19,000 of our hearts. And ultimately, for us, circumcision points us to the 245 00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:23,000 reality of the Gospel. In Colossians chapter 2, Paul writes 246 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:27,000 this, "In him you are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands." 247 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:31,000 So he's not talking physically here. By putting off the body of flesh 248 00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:35,000 by the circumcision of Christ, or through 249 00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:39,000 the circumcision of Christ. What Paul is saying 250 00:48:39,000 --> 00:48:43,000 is that you are brought into the kingdom of God because Jesus was cut off. 251 00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:47,000 Right? At the cross. As Jesus takes the weight 252 00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:51,000 of our sin upon the shoulders, as he cries out, "My God, my God, 253 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:55,000 why have you forsaken me?" As he was cut off, 254 00:48:55,000 --> 00:48:59,000 we are able to be brought in. 255 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:03,000 And Paul will say that because Jesus was cut off on your behalf, 256 00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:07,000 that you can be brought in to the people of God. 257 00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:11,000 And what you find is that these people, these youngsters, if you will, 258 00:49:11,000 --> 00:49:15,000 who have been in the wilderness, none of them are very old, 259 00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:19,000 have not seen that relationship with God. They have not experienced that relationship 260 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:23,000 with God. And when God does this, it's not just simply a checkbox, 261 00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:27,000 but it's a stop to say, "I'm your God. You're my people. 262 00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:31,000 You are different than the Egyptians. You're different than the Amorites. You're different 263 00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:35,000 than the Canaanites. You are my people." 264 00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:39,000 Next, we see a renewed hope. 265 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:43,000 While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the 14th 266 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:47,000 day of the month of the evening on the plains of Jericho. And on the day after 267 00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:51,000 the Passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes, 268 00:49:51,000 --> 00:49:55,000 parched grain, and the manna ceased the day after they ate the produce 269 00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:59,000 of the land. There was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate the fruit 270 00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:03,000 of the land of Canaan that year. Right? In this moment 271 00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:07,000 they're reminded of the promise of Passover. And by date, 272 00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:11,000 strictly speaking, Passover happened the day they crossed over 273 00:50:11,000 --> 00:50:15,000 the Jordan. The tenth day of the first month, they get across, they get camp set up, 274 00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:19,000 and Joshua will celebrate that feast of God with the 275 00:50:19,000 --> 00:50:23,000 people of God. And in that moment what they do is they celebrate 276 00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:27,000 four different promises of God's provision. That God will 277 00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:31,000 bring you out. That God will deliver you from slavery. That He will redeem 278 00:50:31,000 --> 00:50:35,000 you with an outstretched arm. That He will take you and be your people. And as the people 279 00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:39,000 eat the produce of the land, they're reminded that God keeps 280 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:43,000 His promises. Right? They have battles in front of them. There are walled cities 281 00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:47,000 that seem insurmountable. There's armies that outnumber them. There is 282 00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:51,000 great difficulty that stands before them. And before they fight, 283 00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:55,000 they say that God is the one who delivers us. God is the one who 284 00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:59,000 saves us. God is the one who redeems us. God is the one who makes 285 00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:03,000 us a people. And they see and are encouraged 286 00:51:03,000 --> 00:51:07,000 by the promises of God. But they also see the provision of 287 00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:11,000 God. For all the years in the wilderness, God has fed them 288 00:51:11,000 --> 00:51:15,000 every morning with bread on the ground. And now they are 289 00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:19,000 finally eating the fruit of the land. And so you have 290 00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:23,000 this picture that God keeps His promises, but that also God 291 00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:27,000 promises to deliver you. And these people who have great 292 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:31,000 struggle in front of them, God stops them not just to establish 293 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:35,000 a relationship, but to give them hope as they 294 00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:39,000 face the difficulties that are ahead. And then in verse 13 295 00:51:39,000 --> 00:51:43,000 there is this remarkable moment. When Joshua 296 00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:45,000 was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and 297 00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:47,000 looked. And behold, a man was standing 298 00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:49,000 before him with his drawn sword 299 00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:51,000 in his hand. And Joshua 300 00:51:51,000 --> 00:51:53,000 went to him and said to him, "Are you 301 00:51:53,000 --> 00:51:55,000 for us or for our adversaries?" 302 00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:57,000 And he said, "No. 303 00:51:57,000 --> 00:51:59,000 I am the commander of the army of the 304 00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:01,000 Lord. Now I have come." 305 00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:03,000 And Joshua fell on his face 306 00:52:03,000 --> 00:52:05,000 to the earth and worshiped and said to him, 307 00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:07,000 "What does my Lord say to his servant?" 308 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:09,000 And the commander of the Lord's army said to 309 00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:11,000 Joshua, "Take off your sandals 310 00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:13,000 from your feet, for the place which 311 00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:15,000 you are standing is holy." And Joshua 312 00:52:15,000 --> 00:52:17,000 did so. So first of all, this has to be a startling 313 00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:19,000 experience. Joshua, 314 00:52:19,000 --> 00:52:21,000 I imagine after the busyness 315 00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:23,000 and the struggle and the 316 00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:25,000 celebrating of Passover, after 317 00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:27,000 all of the things that have happened, 318 00:52:27,000 --> 00:52:29,000 he goes out likely alone 319 00:52:29,000 --> 00:52:31,000 and maybe he's overlooking the plains 320 00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:33,000 that stretch out toward Jericho 321 00:52:33,000 --> 00:52:35,000 thinking about what is to come. 322 00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:37,000 All of these things, maybe praying, 323 00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:39,000 maybe just having a moment of peace 324 00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:41,000 and quiet and he turns around 325 00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:43,000 and there is this guy with a drawn 326 00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:45,000 sword. And this sort of 327 00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:47,000 is lost on us in a day where we don't 328 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:49,000 use a lot of swords. 329 00:52:49,000 --> 00:52:51,000 This is the difference, a modern day analogy 330 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:53,000 would be the difference between 331 00:52:53,000 --> 00:52:55,000 a gun that is holstered on your hip 332 00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:57,000 and a gun that is in your hand. 333 00:52:57,000 --> 00:52:59,000 One is kind of a, 334 00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:01,000 there is this option available, 335 00:53:01,000 --> 00:53:03,000 the other one is that it's ready for action. 336 00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:05,000 This guy has a sword in 337 00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:07,000 his hand. It's not sheathed 338 00:53:07,000 --> 00:53:09,000 on his hip saying, "I am a warrior," 339 00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:11,000 but rather it's in his hand and he is 340 00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:13,000 ready to use it. And Joshua 341 00:53:13,000 --> 00:53:15,000 understandably is a little 342 00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:17,000 bit concerned about this. 343 00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:19,000 And he immediately does this 344 00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:21,000 thing that guards do, right? 345 00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:23,000 Who are you? Like, are you 346 00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:25,000 on the side of our enemies? Are you on the 347 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:27,000 side of us? Who are you? 348 00:53:27,000 --> 00:53:29,000 And the answer he receives is 349 00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:31,000 startling. 350 00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:33,000 He says, "Are you with them? Are you with us?" 351 00:53:33,000 --> 00:53:35,000 And this guy, this heavenly 352 00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:37,000 warrior with his sword drawn says, 353 00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:39,000 "I'm not on either side." 354 00:53:39,000 --> 00:53:41,000 That's a little startling, probably a little 355 00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:43,000 disconcerting. 356 00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:45,000 He goes on to say, "I am 357 00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:47,000 the commander of the Lord's 358 00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:49,000 army." Right? The implication 359 00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:51,000 is not I don't pick a side. 360 00:53:51,000 --> 00:53:53,000 You pick a side, right? 361 00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:55,000 I'm not on their side. I'm not on 362 00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:57,000 your side. The question is not what side 363 00:53:57,000 --> 00:53:59,000 am I on? The question is what side 364 00:53:59,000 --> 00:54:01,000 are you, Joshua, 365 00:54:01,000 --> 00:54:03,000 on? Are you on the 366 00:54:03,000 --> 00:54:05,000 side? The question 367 00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:07,000 here is a call to commitment 368 00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:09,000 for Joshua. 369 00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:11,000 This is not God sort of coming 370 00:54:11,000 --> 00:54:13,000 to Joshua. This is 371 00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:15,000 a picture of Joshua coming 372 00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:17,000 to God. And if you 373 00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:19,000 notice this 374 00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:21,000 commander of the Lord's 375 00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:23,000 army, 376 00:54:23,000 --> 00:54:25,000 right? It's a, 377 00:54:25,000 --> 00:54:27,000 it's kind of a big deal. 378 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:29,000 He says, "I am the commander of the army of the 379 00:54:29,000 --> 00:54:31,000 Lord, and now I have 380 00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:33,000 come." This is 381 00:54:33,000 --> 00:54:35,000 what's called a theophany. It's when 382 00:54:35,000 --> 00:54:37,000 God appears 383 00:54:37,000 --> 00:54:39,000 to his people before 384 00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:41,000 Jesus has arrived, and likely 385 00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:43,000 most commentators think that this theophany 386 00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:45,000 is Jesus himself 387 00:54:45,000 --> 00:54:47,000 standing before Joshua. 388 00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:49,000 And we know this because when angels 389 00:54:49,000 --> 00:54:51,000 are worshiped, they tell people 390 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:53,000 to stop. So in Revelation 391 00:54:53,000 --> 00:54:55,000 John falls down at the feet of this angel 392 00:54:55,000 --> 00:54:57,000 and worships, and the angel goes, "Whoa, 393 00:54:57,000 --> 00:54:59,000 whoa, whoa, you don't worship me. 394 00:54:59,000 --> 00:55:01,000 You worship God." And so 395 00:55:01,000 --> 00:55:03,000 when somebody like this is allowed 396 00:55:03,000 --> 00:55:05,000 to be worshiped, it's a picture that you're worshiping 397 00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:07,000 God. And additionally, the words 398 00:55:07,000 --> 00:55:09,000 that came to Moses 399 00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:11,000 as he stands by the burning bush, 400 00:55:11,000 --> 00:55:13,000 "Take off your shoes, for the ground upon 401 00:55:13,000 --> 00:55:15,000 which you are standing is holy," are the 402 00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:17,000 words that are repeated to Joshua. 403 00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:19,000 So here is the commander of the 404 00:55:19,000 --> 00:55:21,000 Lord's army, and he looks 405 00:55:21,000 --> 00:55:23,000 at Joshua, and it's not about 406 00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:25,000 what side I'm on, it's about what side 407 00:55:25,000 --> 00:55:27,000 you're on. The choice is 408 00:55:27,000 --> 00:55:29,000 yours, and Joshua responds 409 00:55:29,000 --> 00:55:31,000 with worship. 410 00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:33,000 But there's also a picture of hope here. 411 00:55:33,000 --> 00:55:35,000 Notice what this commander of the army says. 412 00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:37,000 He says, "I have come." 413 00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:39,000 And the picture here is that I'm 414 00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:41,000 going to be the one who fights your battles. 415 00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:43,000 I'm going to be the one who leads the 416 00:55:43,000 --> 00:55:45,000 people. I'm the one who will bring 417 00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:47,000 victory. And what you find 418 00:55:47,000 --> 00:55:49,000 in the rest of Joshua is that 419 00:55:49,000 --> 00:55:51,000 when God's people actually follow 420 00:55:51,000 --> 00:55:53,000 the Lord, things go very well, 421 00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:55,000 but very quickly, right? 422 00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:57,000 They get distracted and go 423 00:55:57,000 --> 00:55:59,000 their way or this way. 424 00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:01,000 And rather than staying on the Lord's side, 425 00:56:01,000 --> 00:56:03,000 and when they don't, it brings struggle 426 00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:05,000 and heartbreak. 427 00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:07,000 So the question for us is 428 00:56:07,000 --> 00:56:09,000 what are we going to do with all of this, right? 429 00:56:09,000 --> 00:56:11,000 It happened a long time ago, and in events 430 00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:13,000 that are sort of foreign to us, maybe a little weird, 431 00:56:13,000 --> 00:56:15,000 a little strange, a little 432 00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:17,000 maybe antiquated in our minds. 433 00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:19,000 What about us? 434 00:56:19,000 --> 00:56:21,000 And one of the first things we see about this text 435 00:56:21,000 --> 00:56:23,000 is that God has different priorities 436 00:56:23,000 --> 00:56:25,000 than we do, right? 437 00:56:25,000 --> 00:56:27,000 As we look at this, the priorities of the people, 438 00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:29,000 they're going to go in, they're going to take the land, 439 00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:31,000 they're going to eat the produce, they're going to raise their families, 440 00:56:31,000 --> 00:56:33,000 and God says, "No. 441 00:56:33,000 --> 00:56:35,000 The first priority I have for you 442 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:37,000 is a relationship with me, 443 00:56:37,000 --> 00:56:39,000 to see my hope, 444 00:56:39,000 --> 00:56:41,000 to make this commitment to follow 445 00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:43,000 me." 446 00:56:43,000 --> 00:56:45,000 This causes us to reevaluate 447 00:56:45,000 --> 00:56:47,000 our priorities. 448 00:56:47,000 --> 00:56:49,000 But it also causes us, and there's times 449 00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:51,000 that God stops us in life, 450 00:56:51,000 --> 00:56:53,000 where it seems like maybe we're stuck, 451 00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:55,000 or just things 452 00:56:55,000 --> 00:56:57,000 aren't working out. 453 00:56:57,000 --> 00:56:59,000 And maybe the call in those moments 454 00:56:59,000 --> 00:57:01,000 is to use 455 00:57:01,000 --> 00:57:03,000 that time, 456 00:57:03,000 --> 00:57:05,000 as God does with His people, 457 00:57:05,000 --> 00:57:07,000 to restore a relationship, 458 00:57:07,000 --> 00:57:09,000 renew a relationship, 459 00:57:09,000 --> 00:57:11,000 to renew their hope, 460 00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:13,000 to renew their commitment, 461 00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:15,000 so as they press on, 462 00:57:15,000 --> 00:57:17,000 they come from a place 463 00:57:17,000 --> 00:57:19,000 where their foundation is solid. 464 00:57:19,000 --> 00:57:21,000 But God is renewed. Their hope is renewed. 465 00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:23,000 Their commitment is renewed. 466 00:57:23,000 --> 00:57:25,000 The call for us 467 00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:27,000 is the same thing as the call 468 00:57:27,000 --> 00:57:29,000 for God's people. To renew 469 00:57:29,000 --> 00:57:31,000 a relationship, 470 00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:33,000 to seek to find hope 471 00:57:33,000 --> 00:57:35,000 in Him rather than strength in ourselves, 472 00:57:35,000 --> 00:57:37,000 and rather than 473 00:57:37,000 --> 00:57:39,000 just simply inviting God to be with us, seek 474 00:57:39,000 --> 00:57:41,000 to follow God. We get it backwards. 475 00:57:41,000 --> 00:57:43,000 So many times we say, "God, alright, this is what I'm 476 00:57:43,000 --> 00:57:45,000 doing. I hope you come along." 477 00:57:45,000 --> 00:57:47,000 Rather than, "God, where would you have me go? 478 00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:49,000 What would you have me do? How can I 479 00:57:49,000 --> 00:57:51,000 follow you?" 480 00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:53,000 And it's my prayer that texts like these, 481 00:57:53,000 --> 00:57:55,000 they realign our priorities. 482 00:57:55,000 --> 00:57:57,000 They realign what's important to us. 483 00:57:57,000 --> 00:57:59,000 They reestablish in our hearts 484 00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:01,000 the importance of a relationship 485 00:58:01,000 --> 00:58:03,000 with God, of finding our hope in 486 00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:05,000 Him, of committing our lives 487 00:58:05,000 --> 00:58:07,000 to Him. 488 00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:09,000 Let's pray. Father, 489 00:58:09,000 --> 00:58:11,000 thank You for 490 00:58:11,000 --> 00:58:13,000 this picture of Joshua. 491 00:58:13,000 --> 00:58:15,000 This picture of the Gospel 492 00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:17,000 through the circumcision of the people 493 00:58:17,000 --> 00:58:19,000 and through the 494 00:58:19,000 --> 00:58:21,000 celebration of Passover, 495 00:58:21,000 --> 00:58:23,000 and through 496 00:58:23,000 --> 00:58:25,000 the picture 497 00:58:25,000 --> 00:58:27,000 of Your armies going before 498 00:58:27,000 --> 00:58:29,000 Your people, that You would remind us that it is not 499 00:58:29,000 --> 00:58:31,000 through our strength or our abilities, but 500 00:58:31,000 --> 00:58:33,000 yours. Help us 501 00:58:33,000 --> 00:58:35,000 as we walk through this life 502 00:58:35,000 --> 00:58:37,000 to trust and put our hope in You. 503 00:58:37,000 --> 00:58:39,000 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 504 00:58:39,000 --> 00:58:41,000 We're going to stand 505 00:58:41,000 --> 00:58:43,000 and sing. We're going to sing 506 00:58:43,000 --> 00:58:45,000 about putting our eyes 507 00:58:45,000 --> 00:58:47,000 where they need to be. So we're going to sing 508 00:58:47,000 --> 00:58:49,000 about beholding God. 509 00:58:49,000 --> 00:59:03,000 Who has 510 00:59:03,000 --> 00:59:05,000 held the oceans 511 00:59:05,000 --> 00:59:07,000 in His hands? 512 00:59:07,000 --> 00:59:09,000 Who has 513 00:59:09,000 --> 00:59:11,000 numbered 514 00:59:11,000 --> 00:59:13,000 every grain of sand? 515 00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:15,000 Kings 516 00:59:15,000 --> 00:59:17,000 and nations 517 00:59:17,000 --> 00:59:19,000 tremble at His 518 00:59:19,000 --> 00:59:21,000 voice. 519 00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:23,000 All 520 00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:23,000 creation 521 00:59:23,000 --> 00:59:25,000 rises to 522 00:59:25,000 --> 00:59:27,000 rejoice. 523 00:59:27,000 --> 00:59:29,000 Behold 524 00:59:29,000 --> 00:59:31,000 our 525 00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:33,000 God 526 00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:35,000 seated on 527 00:59:35,000 --> 00:59:37,000 His throne. 528 00:59:37,000 --> 00:59:39,000 Come, let us adore 529 00:59:39,000 --> 00:59:41,000 Him 530 00:59:41,000 --> 00:59:43,000 Behold 531 00:59:43,000 --> 00:59:45,000 our 532 00:59:45,000 --> 00:59:47,000 King 533 00:59:47,000 --> 00:59:49,000 Nothing can compare 534 00:59:49,000 --> 00:59:51,000 Come, let us 535 00:59:51,000 --> 00:59:53,000 adore 536 00:59:53,000 --> 00:59:55,000 Him 537 00:59:55,000 --> 01:00:09,000 Who 538 01:00:09,000 --> 01:00:19,000 Has felt the nails upon His hands Bearing all the guilt of sinful man 539 01:00:19,000 --> 01:00:33,000 God eternal, humble to the grave Jesus, Savior, isn't now to reign 540 01:00:33,000 --> 01:00:47,000 Behold our God, seated on His throne Come, let us adore Him 541 01:00:47,000 --> 01:01:03,000 Behold our King Nothing can compare Come, let us adore Him 542 01:01:03,000 --> 01:01:15,000 Thank you for joining us this morning. We are glad you're here. Our weird fall apple dessert experiment is in the back. I don't know if it's delightful, but I will 543 01:01:15,000 --> 01:01:24,000 say this, it's not terrible, which is like one of the highest compliments I can give something. How is that? It's not terrible. So if you want to give that a try, we filled 544 01:01:24,000 --> 01:01:32,000 up the coffee pot a few minutes ago, and there's that. So go ahead and help yourself. We'll be back Wednesday night. We meet at 7 p.m. 545 01:01:32,000 --> 01:01:43,000 We're going through a series about the gospel being above all, and we've talked this last week sort of in two different directions about sharing the gospel. One in sort of 546 01:01:43,000 --> 01:01:52,000 a big overview way, but then one in sort of a close, practical, personal way. And so that's Wednesday night at 7 p.m. 547 01:01:52,000 --> 01:02:03,000 Next Sunday, we'll be in Joshua chapter 6, seeing the victory over Jericho. So we're going to go ahead and pray. We'll read a 548 01:02:03,000 --> 01:02:11,000 verse, and then we will sing the doxology. Father in heaven, thank you for allowing us to be here this morning. Thank you for your 549 01:02:11,000 --> 01:02:19,000 goodness and your grace. And as we take these moments to stop, that we would be a moment of consideration for 550 01:02:19,000 --> 01:02:25,000 us in regards to what we're chasing and where we're running and who we're following. Thank you for our 551 01:02:25,000 --> 01:02:30,000 brothers and sisters in Christ. Be with us through this week. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 552 01:02:30,000 --> 01:02:38,000 I'm going to end with the verse as a benediction to the verse we started with as God speaks to Joshua in 553 01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:44,000 Deuteronomy the 31st chapter. He says, "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you. 554 01:02:44,000 --> 01:02:50,000 He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." 555 01:02:50,000 --> 01:03:07,000 Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures. 556 01:03:07,000 --> 01:03:20,000 Here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 557 01:03:37,000 --> 01:04:06,980 Thank you. 558 01:04:07,000 --> 01:04:36,980 Thank you. 559 01:04:37,000 --> 01:05:06,980 Thank you.