“Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they drew near and put their feet on their necks. Then Joshua said to them, Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight” (vs24-25)
I have three points to hammer into one, for they are linked together clearly. (1) The Son of God has earned victory for us, and we will experience it. (2) It doesn't matter the enemy's strength, for God is our Savior, greater than all. (3) And, we're to be bold, encouraged, and on the attack, not the defense, honoring God.
First, the Lord earned a victory that we get (Josh 10:24-25). Joshua told Israel's leaders, “Come near,, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they drew near and put their feet on their necks. Then Joshua said to them, Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight”. The Lord accomplished the end of sin, dying for us on the tree. When we BELIEVE Him, putting our feet upon His already defeated foes, then we DIE to sin also, entering into His death and newness of life (Rom 6:1-4). Thus, new life and overcoming sin is the result of the victory that He gives. His death is our death, and His victory, even newness of life at God's right hand, is our victory, so we are sure that sin won't reign over us, failures won't cost our souls, and the grace of God WILL enable us to endure.
Secondly, God is the Savior, so it doesn't matter the size of the enemy. He can be numerous, great, and strong, but he isn't more powerful than God (Josh 11:4-6). We read, “So they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots. And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel. But the Lord said to Joshua, do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel”.
Temptations to quit will come. Disappointments and failures will say, “Why continue? Give it up. You're a fraud”. But, God's love has appointed that God's people who trust in Him shall never be disappointed. He will walk with you, even if He didn't cause the sin. He will comfort you, even if the misery is greater than humans can independently bear (John 14:27). He will fight the devil, even though he's tempted and deceived you before. God is why you and I shall endure, come what may, so lean on the Lord.
Thirdly, take the fight to the enemy, since God is with you (Josh 11:7-8). We read again, “So Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and they attacked them. And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them... they attacked them until they left none of them remaining”. Don't be cowardly and weak, but boldly confess your sins, get grace, and go love again. Luther said, “Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly”. He is saying, “Confess your sins openly, all the vileness and repetitiveness of them, but believe on the Son of God to have taken them away, confessing His blood even more”. Fearlessly venture on Christ and confess Him openly, in spite of past failures. Be strong in the Lord now. He is with you by the gospel, and you have His Spirit to patiently bear mockery and to sincerely do good FOR men (1 Pet 2:20).
Finally, bless God that we have such hope and assurance. The devil separates men from God, cuts them off from blessing, and uses their sins against them (Heb 2:14-15). Yet, we who believe see God GREATER than our sins in Christ, greater than our weakness in the Spirit, and greater than all things against us in His promise to be with us always.
No comments:
Post a Comment