THE CONQUEST BEGINS!

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THE CONQUEST BEGINS!

• Joshua 6
• By Warren W. Wiersbe

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• You are but a poor soldier of Christ if you
  think you can overcome without fighting, and
  suppose you can have the crown without the
  conflict. John Chrysostom (347-407)
• Christian life involves challenge and conflicts
  whether we like it or not
• The world, the flesh, and the Devil (Eph. 21-3)
  are united against Christ and His people
• Main theme of the Bible God's holy warfare
  against Satan and sin
• If you eliminate the militant side of the
  Christian faith, then you must abandon the cross,
  for it was on the cross that Jesus won the
  victory over sin and Satan (Col. 213-15)

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• The Christian warfare is not against flesh and
  blood, but against the enemies in the spiritual
  realm (Eph. 610-18) weapons are spiritual (2
  Cor. 103-6)
• No neutrality
• Before the Challenge Remember that you fight
  from victory, not just for victory (61-5)
• Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness (Matt.
  411) and also during His earthly ministry
  (Matt. 1222-29), on the cross (Col. 213-15),
  and in His Resurrection and ascension (Eph.
  119-23)
• If God be for us, who can be against us?
  (Romans 831)
• The fear of the Lord (v 1)

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• Jericho 8 acres, two high parallel walls (15
  feet apart)
• I will send my fear before you, I will cause
  confusion among all the people to whom you
  come, and will make all your enemies turn their
  backs to you (Ex. 2327 NKJV)
• Queen of Scots (Mary) feared John Knoxs
  prayer more than enemy army
• We imitate the worlds methods we cater to the
  worlds appetites we look for the worlds
  approval and we measure what we do according
  the worlds standards
• Joshua and Israel made no compromise
• The promise of the Lord (v 2)

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• I have given Jericho into your hand (62)
• Victorious Christians know the promises of
  God, because they meditate on Gods Word
  (18)
• Believe the promises of God, because Gods
  Word generates faith (Romans 1017)
• Reckon on promises and obey
• Reckon to count time in your life what
  God says about you in His Word
• Be of good cheer, I have over come the
  world (John 1633)
• Believing a promise is like accepting a check,
  but reckoning is like endorsing the check
  and cashing
• The instructions of the Lord (v3-5)

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• The strategy was the Lords Francis A.
  Schaeffer
• No situation is too great for the Lord to
  handle
• John 65-6 He knows what He would do
• Our responsibility to wait for Him to tell us
  all that we need to know and then obey it
• Gods plan for the conquest seeemed foolish,
  but it worked
• I Cor. 126-29 shows that God delights in using
  weakness
• Joshua with trumpets
• Gideon with torches (Judge 7)
• David with sling (I Sam. 17)
• 2 Chron. 169 For the eyes of the Lord run to
  and fro throughout the whole earth, to show
  Himself strong on behalf of those whose
  heart is loyal to Him

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• Gods instructions for Joshua
• 7 Priests, trumpets, days of marching,
  circuits of the city of 7th day
• Trumpets silver and rams horn
• Rams horn used for celebrations
• Silver for war
• Trumpet shofar jobel for rams horn
• Jobel, root word for word jubilee
• Rams horn to proclaim liberty throughout all
  the land (Lev. 2510)
• Priests used the rams horns, not silver in
  circuit no war
• We should live like victors, not victims
• From victory because God already won the battle

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• During The Challenge Remember that you overcome
  the Enemy by Faith (66-16, 20)
• By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after
  they were compassed about seven days (Heb.
  1130)
• Lords plan with the priests
• Ark 8 times in 66-15 presence of God with
  His people
• Solders few, not 600,000, front and rearward
• Leaders receive orders from God and those who
  follow the leaders, obey their instructions
• Test of Israels faith and patience through
  faith and patience that Gods people inhereited
  what He has promised (Heb. 612)
• God is never in a hurry
• Patient obedience
• Test of self-control

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• Be still, and know that I am God (Ps. 4610)
• People who couldnt control their tongues
  couldn't control their bodies (James 31-2)
• Enemies' reaction to daily procession
• Fright
• Encouragement to trust Gods promises and obey
  His instructions no matter how impossible the
  situation may appear.
• The only way to grow in faith is to accept new
  challenge and trust God to give you the victory.
• After the Victory Remember to Obey Gods
  Commands and Give Him the Glory (617-19, 21-27)

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• Lets be as watchful after the victory as
  before the battle
• Joshuas four instructions to obey after the
  conquest of Jericho.
• Devote the entire city to God (17-19)
• Jericho, as first fruits of victories to come
• Achans disobedience
• Rescue Rahab and her family (22-23, 25- 26)
• One section of wall didnt fall
• Faith saved Rahab (Heb. 113)
• outside the camp because Rahabs family were
  unclean Gentiles (Num. 51-4, 1214, Deut.
  239- 14)
• Our present world under the judgment of God
  (John 318-21)
• Destroy the people (21)

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• The civilization in Canaan was wicked
• Threat to Gods purpose in Jewish men married
  pagan women
• God is at war with sin, that is the whole
  explanation of the extermination of the
  Canaanites G. Campbell Morgan
• The people of the land had been given
  opportunity to repent and turn to the Lord
  like Rahab. (II Peter 39)
• He will tolerate no compromise with sin in the
  lives of His people
• Burn the City (v 24)
• God is a consuming fire (Deut. 424)
• Jericho was a wicked city
• Joshua put curse on Jericho
• King Ahab (I Kings 1634)
• God was with Joshua (Josh. 15,9)
• God magnified him
• 
  

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• When we are strong we become overconfident and
  forget to trust the Lord.)
• II Chron. 2615 (NKJV)  And he made devices in
  Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the
  towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large
  stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he
  was marvelously helped till he became strong.
  (Uzziah)