The Battle Belongs to the Lord - part 1

This past Sunday I preached a stand alone message entitled "The Battle Belongs to the Lord" from Joshua 6-7. Here's a synopsis of the sermon:

Joshua chapter 6 is the story of the Battle of Jericho. The Israelites were instructed to march around the fortified city (with walls thick enough to race chariots on top) once each day and then seven times on the seventh day. They obeyed and marched in silence (which is a miracle by itself) until the end of the final lap. At that point the trumpets sounded according to plan and the Israelites shouted in victory.

You probably remember what happened next. The walls of Jericho collapsed as God promised and God's people walked right in to conquer the unconquerable city. So far so good. Then it happens. Obedience turns to disobedience. Achan, one of the Israelites, decided to take a few things from the plunder. After all, to the victor goes the spoils. Right?

Yes, that's right, but Israel was not really the victor. God commanded the Israelites to refrain from taking any of Jericho's material possessions (gold, silver, bronze, etc.) because God was going to be the victor in this battle. To the victor goes the spoils and God was victorious. All Israel had to do was obey. The commands were simple: walking without talking, then stopping and shouting. This victory obviously belonged to the Lord because that battle plan made no human sense.

Of course, we all have battles in our lives and that brings me to my first question regarding our battles. Who's the boss? That question extends far beyond an 80's TV show and demands an answer from each Christ follower. Who's really in charge? I think you can sum it up like this. To win life's battles you must acknowledge your Commander in Chief. To lose life's battles you simply acknowledge that you are the Commander in Chief. Victory starts with acknowledging who's in charge!

to be continued...