Matthew Blewett - Class 4: Taking Over

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   I've got to say, I always find it interesting when you're sitting down there and just gathering your thoughts and suddenly you realize that the President is not going to have a hymn or a reading. It's just coming. So that's why I always look like I'm taken off guard. But it's good to be back with you again, considering on the road with the ark, and we are certainly on the road now. In the first two parts, the first part we really looked at what was a perspective to take on the ark of the covenant, viewing it as God as our Savior, the work of the plan of salvation that God has for us being exhibited through this wonderful symbol, the central symbol that was given to Israel. In our second session, we saw that when we looked closely at this symbol with this perspective, that all the elements of the symbol were teaching us about the principles of the new covenant that are so dear to us, the way in which God would bring us to glory. In our session yesterday, we then saw God say, or use the ark of the covenant to teach the way of salvation. And we saw that that way of salvation, we saw it through the whole of yesterday, is in fact the way of the resurrection, the way of the stopping of the river Jordan, the rising up of Jordan. And this is the way that we've been called to.

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   It is our hope, the hope of resurrection. And so now in this fourth part, we come to the next episode of this parable of salvation and glorification. And we've entitled that, Taking Over, the fourth in our six parts. As we all know, being well-schooled, God's plan with the earth, or God's plan is first with the earth, and it's to fill the earth with his glory. His work or his plan of salvation is not complete, is it? Until the kingdoms of men become the kingdoms of our Lord and our God. The stone will not only crush the image, will it? It will also symbolically grow and fill the whole earth. And so as we follow this parable of salvation, it isn't finished, is it? The resurrection is not an end in itself, but in many ways it's a marvelous new beginning. A beginning to start building a kingdom that, as we all hope, will stretch and know, will stretch from shore to shore and rule over all dominions.

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   And so it's no wonder that the very next episode that we have in Joshua's account of the Ark of the Covenant, because these are all events where the Ark of the Covenant is in leadership, is in fact the conquest of the city of Jericho. So let's pick up the story from where we left off yesterday, and I want you to come with me, if you will, to Joshua chapter 4. Joshua chapter 4.

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   Having passed over the River Jordan, before we come to the conquest of Jericho, which will be the focus of our discussion this morning, there are some interesting additions that we meet. Chapter 4, verse 1, And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that Yahweh spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priest's feet stood firm, twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place where you shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the Ark of Yahweh your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a son among you.

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   So we have here in Joshua 4, that this event that had taken place, this resurrection, which we spoke of yesterday, which was the great sign, the sign of the prophet Jonah, that here Joshua was saying, This event has been so important, that we will establish a memorial. And I like to call it the passing over memorial.

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   In fact, in Joshua 4, the phrase pass over or passing over appears many times. It's in verse 1, verse 5, verse 7, verse 10. It appears twice in verse 11. It's in verse 12, verse 13, verse 23. Nine times in one chapter. Pass over, passing over, passed over. Why? And what was this memorial about?

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   God was teaching them about passing over, that it was through the ark that they had passed over. Now, it's very interesting that they were to have this pass over memorial. And of course, you may be thinking of Exodus chapter 12, where of course, there was the pass over. And the word there in Exodus 12, that is used for passing over or passing through, that is used in Exodus 12, is of course a very similar word to the words or phrases that are being used here in Joshua 4.

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   But think of Exodus 12. We read this in Exodus 12. And thus you shall eat the pass over with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand, you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's pass over. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast.

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   And against all gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment. I am Yahweh. What is interesting here is, in Joshua 4, we have the passing over memorial, and we have in Exodus 12, the Passover feast. I'd like to suggest to you, that there is an interesting similarity, yet difference, between these two memorials, if you would call them.

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    And it can help us to understand the difference, when we come to the Last Supper. The difference between, the passing over here, in Joshua 4, that they were to remember, and the passing over of Exodus 12, is quite marked. In Exodus 12, think about it. We have the Lord, passing over the firstborn, of the children of Israel, once they had marked the doorposts.

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    Perhaps, to use simple terminology, the pass over of Exodus 12, was illustrating God's mercy, in that he didn't kill the firstborns, of the Israelites, who deserved to be killed, just like all the other firstborns. The blood of Christ, in top, provided forgiveness.

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    But here in Joshua 4, the phrase is being used, passing over, in a slightly different context. It's not about God, passing over sin, it's about the Israelites, passing over from mortality, to eternal life. Can you see the difference? There certainly, to me, would seem to be a difference. There is this idea, that in this particular Passover, there is the idea, that they are being given something.

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    Perhaps, analogous to the way we use grace. The gift that someone gets, that is undeserved. And here, they are being given, eternal life. They are passing, from death, to life. And I only make this point, because I think sometimes, we, approach, the last supper feast, the memorial feast, and we place, a great emphasis, on it being, a Passover, whereas it's much more, than the Passover, of Exodus 12.

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    In fact, it has many, of the signs, of this Passover, in Joshua 4. In fact, the reality is, if you read Leviticus 23, if you ever have a moment, to do that, take Leviticus 23, and if you, take the last supper, and look at all the feasts, of Israel, and look at what the Lord, Jesus Christ, was doing with the last supper.

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    And that is why, I think it is very relevant, that of course, as we know, it is unlikely, that the last supper, took place, at the time, of the Passover. Certainly, there were overtones, of the Passover, in the last supper. But you see, the sacrifice of Jesus, was not just, about forgiveness of sins.

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    You might say, well what do you mean? Well there are many, many verses, that show us, that there are two aspects, to what the Lord, Jesus Christ was doing. There was forgiveness of sins, and the bringing, and newness of life. There are a number of verses, that show this idea, and we see it, in a number of places.

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    First of all, in John 5, just to support this idea, of passing over. In John 5, we read, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Lord Jesus Christ speaking, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him, that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come, into condemnation, but is passed, from death, unto life.

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    So Jesus is saying, when you believe on me, I offer you, a passing over, but it's a passing, from death to life. Just like what's happening here, in Joshua 4. In 1 Peter, it says this, chapter 1 verse 3, Blessed be God, and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, which according to his, abundant mercy, hath begotten us, unto a lively hope, by the resurrection, of Jesus, from the dead.

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    very interesting. When we come, to the memorial supper, we remember the death, and resurrection, of Jesus. That it is death, our iniquities are forgiven, and it is resurrection, we receive life. We need them both. Romans 4, you might want to turn this up, a really good passage, to illustrate this point. Romans 4, and at verse 25.

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    speaking, of course, of the Lord Jesus Christ, it says, and perhaps we should take a little bit of context here. Verse 21, and being fully persuaded, of what he had promised, he was also able to perform, and therefore it was imputed to him, for righteousness. Now it was not, written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him, that raised up Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, who was delivered, for our offenses, and was raised, for our justification.

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    There are two elements here, in the sacrifice, of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is the deliverance, of our offenses, and there is the raise, for our justification. And certainly here, in Joshua chapter 4, not only, had they left behind, sin, they were given life, as they entered the promised land. They had passed, from death, to life.

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    And so in this sense, this was a very, appropriate memorial. And of course, another similarity, of this memorial, in Joshua chapter 4, was that they had been asked, to place 12 stones, as a memorial, of what had happened. And of course, the allusion to us, is of the 12 witnesses, who would be witnesses, to the Lord Jesus Christ.

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    The ark. Where had they got, the 12 stones from? From the ark. Here were 12 witnesses, with the Lord Jesus Christ, at the last supper. A part of the memorial, to what was being achieved, on that day. And just, like these 12 stones, that would be taken, and laid as a foundation, the 12 disciples, who would become, the 12 apostles, bar one, who was replaced, would be the ones, who would go, and begin the building process, of the kingdom, of those who would become, a part, of Christ's kingdom.

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    And so, it was, that they would build, stone upon stone, upon the foundation, that the Lord Jesus Christ, had established. The start, of a building process. And isn't it interesting, in the context of Joshua 4, that this is the beginning, of the new process, in the promised land. That they should, be commanded, to go and get stones.

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    And I had to picture this image, to really understand, what an impact, it would have made. Because you can just read, these things. But when you visualize them, that you start to see, the impact it would have had, for those people. Because, 12 people were chosen. And they had to go down, and they had to go, and take a stone, from the midst of the river, from where the Ark, of the Covenant was.

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    Now, I suggest to you, that it would have to be, more than a stone, maybe a rock, because it was going to be used, as a memorial. Now, I can't see them using, 12 little stones, as a memorial. So, it was probably, a sizable stone. Now, the interesting thing is, they go and they grab the stone.

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    Now, what Joshua says, what he told them before at least. So they might have chosen, their stone carefully. He says, you're going to carry this stone, until we reach our first camping site, which I can have you tell you, was a couple of miles away, from the Jordan River. So you would have had 12 men, and if you've ever carried a rock, it's not something, we often do, but, if your wife, fancies having rocks, in her garden, just to move a rock, is a difficult thing.

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    Now, it would have been 12 men, carrying these rocks. And, it would have made, a really strong visual image. What, what kind of image, might you have thought of? They were coming into the promised land, and, and, and 12 princes, were carrying, stones. What do you use stones for? For building. You see, the message was, we are going to begin, a process of building.

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    This is the beginning, of laying a foundation. This is the beginning, of the process of building, the kingdom of God. The ark has, has brought us through, and now we shall build. We shall build, the kingdom. And of course, I think there's a great lesson, for us in that. Because, we're going to see, and perhaps we can, we can talk about that now.

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    When they came through, one of the first things, that happens, is that they are encouraged, to be soldiers. And there are two aspects, that we see happening here, at the same time. They are soldiers, and they are builders. And when we look at, our own discipleship, in many respects, we have those two aspects, of being soldiers, and builders.

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    Paul says in, 1 Corinthians 3, and at verse 9, for we are laborers, together with God. We are God's husbandry. We are God's building. According to the grace of God, which is given unto us, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another man buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed, how he builds thereon.

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    For other foundation, can no man lay, than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man, build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, then every man's work, shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed, by fire. And the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is.

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    Isn't that a marvelous passage? And think of it in an allusion to Joshua 4. Where did they have to get their stones from? Each of them went, before the ark, and they picked up their stone. Each one of the twelve. So that when they built, their stone came from the foundation. And so as builders, in the new covenant now, in our ecclesias, we're involved with building, aren't we?

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    We're involved with activities, and things to build our ecclesias, to build the brotherhood. And sometimes, not always because we have malicious intent, or in fact, probably never, we can find ourselves building, and not getting our stones from the ark. We can find ourselves getting so involved, in the ecclesia, that perhaps we sometimes, begin to treat it like a business, or a club, or a hobby.

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    And we are building, but as Paul says, perhaps we're not always ensuring, that the building process, is in the spirit of Christ. That we are returning, each time we come to place another stone, onto our ecclesia, or whatever it is that we are doing, in building up, the way, from the Lord Jesus Christ.

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    And if you're like me, sometimes, you do step back from something, and think, how involved was Christ, in that building process? Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain, that build it. And so, it was that, they were taking, each of them a stone, from the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we come to the book of Revelation, this idea of the twelve foundations, and twelve stones, is brought to its fullness.

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    Here it is in Joshua 4. We've seen the concept, with the memorial, the last supper, of the twelve witnesses, or apostles. We saw it in the building, that Paul was speaking about, in 1 Corinthians. And Revelation 21 says this, and he carried me away, verse 10, to a great and high mountain, and showed me, that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven, from God.

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    Having the glory of God, and her light was like, under stone, most precious. And had great, and high, and had twelve gates. That the twelve gates, were the names written thereof, of the apostles. Verse 14, And the wall of the city, had twelve foundations. And in them, the names of the twelve apostles, of the Lamb.

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    So, these twelve stones, have continued throughout time, till ultimately, when we come to the book of the Revelation, in that great new city, we see the twelve stones, the building. The result of the beginning, of the building process. The consummation, of all that God, had ever intended. in establishing, his dwelling on earth.

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    And so, this pattern, is continued. As I said, there is this, great lesson for us, of, battle, and build. And maybe we can just think about that, for a moment as well. Come to chapter 4 of Joshua, in verse 13.

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    Chapter 4 of Joshua, in verse 13. verse 13. They had, crossed the promised land. The time, for war, was also come. Verse 13. About 40,000, prepared for war, passed over, before Yahweh, unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. They were to build, and they were to, battle, to fight. Psalm 24, says, verse 6.

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    This is the generation, of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye, lift up your everlasting doors, and the King of glory, shall come in. The Ark of the Covenant, is coming up, out of the river Jordan. Now it was the last, to come out, of the river.

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    He is the Alpha, and Omega, the author and finisher, the first and last. He was the first in, he's the last out. The patterns are marvelous. And here in the Psalms, he's thinking about this day, when the King of glory comes. Who is the King of glory? Yahweh, strong and mighty. Yahweh, mighty in battle.

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    Lift up your heads, O ye gates, perhaps speaking of, even Jericho, and also later of Jerusalem. Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory, shall come in. Who is the King of glory? Yahweh of hosts, He is the King of glory. So here we see, the entrance coming through, as the kingdom is going to, the conquest, of the kingdoms of men, is going to take place.

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    And there is this, this host that is coming forward, with the King of glory. And there is this pattern, of those who, are going to, to fight. So there is, a lesson for us, is there not? That we in, our life today, as disciples, are, fighters, soldiers, and builders. And how do we reconcile, these two?

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    Because, there is not too many, soldiers, that are involved, with building. In fact, we would normally, associate soldiers, with destruction. And builders, are the people, that come in after the soldiers, to build. So in a sense, these are, two opposite roles, that they were certainly, called to have, and I think, we are called to have.

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    I want to give you, one idea, that I believe, is very helpful, and perhaps, you have thought about it, a lot before. And that is this. Come with me to Ephesians 6, where we are encouraged, to be soldiers. Ephesians 6. The soldiers of Christ. So here is Paul, telling us, how we are to be, soldiers.

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    In what sense, we are soldiers. Ephesians 6. Finally, verse 10, he says, My brethren, be strong in the Lord, and the power of his might. It's this, message of power. Put on the whole, armor of God, that ye may be able, to stand against, the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not, against flesh, and blood.

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    For we wrestle not, against flesh, and blood. A verse, that is sometimes, misinterpreted, because it is thought, that what has been spoken of, as we know, is not human flesh. We wrestle against, against human flesh. He says, we wrestle not, against flesh and blood. He says, we don't take this armor on, to fight flesh and blood.

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    This armor is on, to fight, spiritual wickedness. This armor is on, to fight sin. The true enemy of God. The wiles of the devil. Now the word of God, I believe, goes out of its way, to show that our war, is against sin, not the sinner.

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    Young people, often come to me and say, this devil and Satan, we know it's a metaphor, but why did God, put it there? It would have been, a lot easier if he hadn't, but of course he had to. Because God, didn't want to make the issue, individuals, in which the devil, was manifest.

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    The issue was, sin, and is. The issue is, human nature. That's our enemy. And so, in the sense that we're soldiers, we're fighting against, sin. And all that it stands for. But sometimes, you see, in the process, we mix it up. Our, activity as a soldier, moves from fighting against, sin, to fighting against, the sinner.

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    I hope you'll see, when we look at Jericho, as a conquest of sin, that God treats it, almost in the record, as this, abstract, abstract, metaphoric, representation of sin. Not as, specific, personally named people.

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    God, asks us, to be builders, when it comes to people. So, the way for us, to understand this, we are soldiers, in warfare against sin, our own sin, first of all, and then the sin, that perhaps, can impact others, around us. We are builders, when it comes, to relationship, and people. And just to show you this, if you'll come with me, to Romans chapter 14.

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    So there is Paul, speaking about our activity, as soldiers. But when we come to our activity, as builders, look at how it changes. Romans 14. And I think, in many ways, this is what, Brother Mark, has been really, drawing our attention to. This activity, as builders, of fellowship. Romans 14, verse 19.

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    Let us, therefore, follow after the things, which make for peace. Now, this is not, the work of a soldier now. And the things, wherewith, one may edify, another. And the word there, of course, in the Greek, for edify, is the word, build. It's a wonderful study, to look at the word, edify, throughout the New Testament, used on many occasions.

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    It's, it's one of the great callings, of the, the disciple, to be the one, who edifies, the one, who builds. And what are we building? Well, it says there, build, one, another. What it's saying to me is, when it comes to people, sinners, you're a builder. When it comes to sin, you're a soldier.

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    And the difference is marked, and we're going to see it, even more, in this story, of Jericho. One more passage on that, just a few pages on, 2nd Corinthians chapter 13.

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    Look at how Paul puts it. And he was quite, quite angry, at this time. Paul says, 2nd Corinthians 13. Therefore, he says, verse 10. I write these things. Being absent, lest being present, I should use sharpness. He was, he was, becoming angry, for some of the things, that were happening, in that ecclesia.

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    Righteous anger. According to the power, which the Lord, hath given me, to edification, and not to destruction. In working with you, as an ecclesia, my calling, is to edify, and to build, not to destroy. And so, we are dealing with big issues, in your ecclesia, in Corinth. There is a lot of sin, there was a lot of sin, in Corinth.

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    But understand this, that I'm a soldier, against your sin, and I will build you. I will edify you, as people, as the stones, of the temple. We will build together. And so, this, this marvelous idea, is brought out, as they come out, with their stones, and their spears. They go out, to war, and to build.

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    And so, the stone, as we said before, had hit the image. It had broken the river. But the grinding power, of the stone, will not stop, until the image, is completely destroyed. And the kingdoms of men, that were now, in the land of Canaan, the promised land, needed to be destroyed. And so, we come to the story, of Jericho.

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    And, we're not going to go, into the detail, of the story, because you will, all well know it, from your Sunday school days, or if you didn't go, to Sunday school, I'm sure you've been exposed, to the story, of Jericho. Just to pick up, a few themes, in relationship, to the ark, and to this idea, of the ark, representing the salvation, of God.

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    Well the first is this, and you might want, to go back, to Joshua 6. In Joshua 6. The first thing, that becomes extremely, apparent, not only, is the focal point, of the destruction, of Jericho, the ark, because it's the ark, that goes in front of the, it goes around, the wars, on seven occasions, of each of the days, and then the last day, it goes around, for seven times.

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    It is the ark, that is the focus, of this destruction, that leads the armies, of Israel. But, the other interesting, theme, that comes out, of Joshua 6, is of course, if you've looked at it, the number seven. The number seven, appears in Joshua 6, 16 times. One chapter, 16 times. And I don't have, all the verses here for you.

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    We'll leave that one, for you today. Verse four, but is one good example. Joshua 6, verse four. And seven priests, shall bear before the ark, seven trumpets, of ram's horns, and the seventh day, ye shall compass the city, seven times, and the priests, shall blow with the trumpets. Four times, in one verse.

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    The record, is crying out to us, that this is about, the number seven, about the ark, and all we've come to learn, about the ark, is that it is this, this symbol, of God's salvation, of God's redemption, for the people. So is it appropriate, that it should be related, with the number seven?

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    That this, final destruction, and final working, of God's plan, should be related, to the number seven? And of course, you know your scriptures well. And going back, to the first occurrence, of seven. On the seventh day, God rested.

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    Why did God bless, and sanctify the seventh day? What was the purpose, of the day of rest? Remember, we've always said, God was revealed to us, as a saving God. That he is passionate, about saving us. And the day of rest, the Sabbath day, is a day of rest, not for God, in the sense that, God needs rest, as we well know.

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    But ultimately, it is a day of rest, for man. You might say, rest from what? Rest from sin, and death. Rest from the enemy. The seventh day, is blessed, because in this day, man is reconciled, to God. It is essentially, the Lord's day, because it is the day, in which he is exalted, and in which man, is finally saved, in completion.

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    And we see this pattern, in the number seven, in a number of occasions. In Exodus 21, it was in the seventh year, that the slaves were released. It was the day of freedom. It was the Sabbath year, every seventh year, when the land had to be left, so that it could recover, so that it could be healed.

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    It was the day, of healing, and recovery. We'll look just now, at the seventh trumpet, and what it represents, in Revelation. But before we do that, Jesus also recognized, the relationship, between seven, and the salvation of God, and the healing of God. And I mentioned this before, but I didn't give you the evidence, and maybe someone's going to show me, that there's an eighth, and then we'll have to change the slide.

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    But according to me, and certainly the point will remain, Jesus went out of his way, to heal on the Sabbath day. It wasn't just that Jesus, chose any day to heal, he went out of his way, to heal on the Sabbath day. And of course, this was an anathema, to the Jewish leaders, and you might think, well he was just doing it, to get on their nerves, to get them upset.

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    He wouldn't do that. Jesus wouldn't behave, in that way. He was doing it, because they had missed, the whole purpose of the Sabbath. The Sabbath, Jesus was teaching them, was put in place for man, because it was a day, of healing and salvation, for man. That was the whole purpose, they had missed it.

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    And so Jesus went out, of his way to heal. And there are seven healings, on the Sabbath day. Coincidence? I don't think so. Seven people healed, on the Sabbath day. It is the day of healing, the day of salvation. And no wonder here, in Joshua 6, we have the number seven, we have the symbol, of God's salvation, and outworking, and the final destruction, of Jericho, all brought together in one.

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    And where else, do we have that? Where else, do we have the number seven, the destruction, of Jericho, and the ark, of the covenant, all brought together in one? But of course, you are already there, in the book, of Revelation. If you'll come with me. Revelation chapter 11.

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    Revelation 11. Revelation 11. And the seventh, angel, sounded. It was when, the seventh trumpet, was blown. The illusion is clear. And the wars of Jericho, fell down. And there were, great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world, are become the kingdoms, of our Lord, and of his Christ. And he shall reign, forever, and ever.

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    So there we have it. The seventh trumpet. The destruction, of the kingdoms of men, as represented here, in this story, by Jericho. And the four, and twenty elders, verse 16, which sat before God, on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art and was, and art to come, because you have taken to thee, thy great power, and hast reigned.

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    And the nations were angry, and thy wrath has come, in the time of the dead, that they should be judged, that thou shouldest give reward, unto thy servants, the prophets, and to the servants, and to the saints. And then they fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them, which destroy the earth.

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    And, verse 19, the temple of God, was opened in heaven, and they were seen in his temple, the ark, of his testament. And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and grey hail. That's marvelous. Why, at that point, the point of the seventh trumpet, when the walls of Jericho are down, and all that is standing then, is the ark of the covenant, God's salvation is complete.

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    And that's what we have here, in Revelation 11. A picture of the completion, of God's salvation. And when they look up, the heavens are opened, and what do they see? The ark of the covenant? Why, why? Because at this point, all of God's plan, God's great plan, his master plan, to fill the earth with his glory, to redeem men and women, for his name, is being revealed, in that symbol.

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    in that symbol, that represented, all that God had planned. It's a marvelous idea, that has been brought, and it's based, on what was happening here, in Jericho, in Joshua chapter 4. And, it's quite remarkable, isn't it? I've jumped a few notes here, but, they were told, specifically, and, and, you might just keep, keep your place, where we are here, in the seventh trumpet.

83. 34:06

    But, they were told, specifically, were they not, to, be quiet, for the first, six days. Let's just see, if we can find, that reference.

84. 34:30

    It's interesting, how one page, can go missing, amongst so few. But, we shall be persistent, and work our way, and it will be found.

85. 34:41

    Sorry, it's Joshua 6, verse 10. Thank you. And, Joshua, commanded the people, saying, you shall not shout, nor make any noise, with your voice, neither shall any word, come out of your mouth, until the day, I tell you to shout. Then, you will shout. And, it's remarkable, because, there are these six days, where it would have been, this eerie silence, as this host, marched around Jericho.

86. 35:06

    Not a word, being spoken by them. And then, on the seventh day, there's this great shout, where you can imagine, how, it's like when children sing, I don't know if you have that song, Daniel on the lion's den, and eventually, the lion has to roar, and they prepare themselves, for the roar of the lion.

87. 35:22

    All right? And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and for six days, they haven't shouted, the seventh day, they're going to let forward a great shout, would have woken up anybody, still asleep in Jericho. And so, there is, this analogy here, in Revelation, that as soon as this happens, there's thunderous, and lightning.

88. 35:41

    It's the shout of God. Because, there is the time, of the still, small voice, that was revealed, to Elijah, as he was in the cave. The time when, the spirit of God is working, in the lives of individuals, through the still, small voice. But there was, the earthquake, wind, and fire, which now, in Revelation 11, is the earthquake, wind, and fire, and the shouting, as the victory of God, is brought to bear.

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    Come with me, if you will, to Psalm 98, to see how we can, we can share in this day of celebration. This is our hope. We live in a time where, as Jesus says, we have to wait, for our kingdom to come, for our ark, to physically manifest itself, upon this earth. But that day will come.

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    And Psalm 98, will be, one of the psalms, that will be a reality for us. Oh, sing unto Yahweh, a new song, for he has done, marvelous things. His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. Yahweh hath made known, his salvation. His righteousness, hath he openly showed, in the sight of the nations.

91. 36:49

    He has remembered his mercy, and his truth, toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth, have seen the salvation, of our God. Make a joyful noise, unto Yahweh, all the earth. Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto Yahweh, with a harp, and with a harp, with a harp, and the voice of the psalm.

92. 37:08

    With trumpets, and sounds of corn, it make a joyful noise, before Yahweh the king. This is almost like, you can imagine, how they would have been, on that seventh day, in Jericho. But at the same time, it's our vision, isn't it? That having kept silent, as Jesus did, before Pilate. Not a word.

93. 37:27

    For my kingdom, is not of this world, else would my servants fight. And then, we are given permission, to shout. On the day, of shouting. The seventh day. The day, when God will redeem the world, to himself. So in this great day, of God's victory, in this day of war, in this day of power, the seventh day, of Jericho, we are left with, one final message, on salvation.

94. 38:03

    Because, when the war was fell down, although it does not, physically describe it, like this in the book of Joshua, we can imagine, that a small portion, remains standing. For Rahab lived, in the war.

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    And, many, who may have not heard the story, would have asked, why is that part of the war, not falling down? And it was because, there lived a woman there. Joshua 6, verse 21 says, and they utterly destroyed, all that was in the city, both man, and woman, young and old, ox, and sheep, and ass with the, I always used to ask, why the ox, and the sheep, and the ass?

96. 38:51

    I mean, they have no morality. And of course, the reason is, is that here is another example, of God destroying sin. Everything in Jericho, it wasn't the people, everything in Jericho, was sin, and it needed to be destroyed. How many people, do you know, who came from Jericho? By name.

97. 39:13

    I only know one. Of course, in the Old Testament, her name was Rahab, and she was saved. The others are, almost grouped together, with their cattle, and their ox, and their asses. This is sin, and it shall be utterly destroyed, as we read here. Utterly destroyed. But Joshua said, verse 20, unto the two men, that had spied out the country, go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as he swore unto her.

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    Go into the harlot's house? God doesn't just, save people. He saves people, with sin. I, I'm not told, in the record of Joshua, but I would presume, that having, met the two spies, and having demonstrated faith, that Rahab, in whatever her practice, had been, if it really was, that of a prostitute, had changed, her ways.

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    I think it would be reasonable, for us to assume, that she was no longer, a harlot. Why does he then say, go into the harlot's house?

100. 40:23

     We, we know, that the word of God, does this in our applications. In fact, where Rahab appears again, in Hebrews 11, when she is recorded, amongst those, wonderful men, and women of faith, it says in verse 20, 30 of Hebrews 11, by faith, the wars of Jericho, fell down after they were, compassed about seven days.

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     By faith, the harlot Rahab, perished not with them, that believed not, when she had received, the spies with peace. I mean, if I was Rahab, having come from, from a background, that perhaps wasn't that, that, well, certainly wasn't, that acceptable. I wouldn't want it to be, repeated every time, my name appeared, in the word of God, would you?

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     Why would the word of God, do this? Is it not, to show us, that these are the people, God saves? that this is the extent, and the mercy of God, that in the midst, of this destruction of sin, there was a sinner, repentant, who had found faith, a Gentile woman, and a harlot.

103. 41:25

     From a Jewish perspective, how far could you go? How far could the salvation, and the mercy of God, stretch? that on this occasion, a woman, a Gentile, a woman, a harlot, could be saved. God's power to save, has no limits, or constraints. There is no place, too far, no sin too dark, no history too severe, my brothers and my sisters, that cannot be reached, by God's saving power.

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     The ark is able to save, no matter what position, we find ourselves in, so long as we have the faith, the conviction to believe, that this is possible. Wherefore, Hebrews 7 says, he is able also, to save them, to the uttermost, they come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth, to make intercession for them.

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     Is there ever, a more apt manifestation, of that saving to the uttermost, than when the wars of Jericho, fell down, but remained in place, to save a Gentile harlot, because she came to God.

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     The ark, as we have said, was built and focused, on the salvation, of the children of Israel, originally. Here was a foreigner, a woman, a harlot, and yet she is saved. Such is the power, and efficacy, of God's mercy. And of course, understanding this principle, as we sit here this morning, impacts all of us personally, and in our relationships, with others.

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     Personally, we need to believe, that if we respond in faith, there is no sin too dire. There is no place too far, that we cannot return back, to God's salvation. There are no limits, to the power, of his saving hand. And many years later, the children of Israel, would still not understand, that God's salvation, is not inherited, but belongs to anyone, who can respond in faith.

108. 43:30

     Many years later, a similar scene, would play itself out, where the true ark, manifest in Jesus Christ, would be in the house, of a Jewish man. And a harlot, would enter the room, and start washing the feet of Jesus, with her tears, and with her perfume, that she had probably used, for her previous occupation.

109. 43:52

     And the Jews, would look upon this, and they would question Jesus. As much as they should have, questioned that ark, that could save a harlot, in the city of Jericho. And one of the Pharisees, desired him, that he would eat with him. And he went to the Pharisees house, and behold a woman in the city, which was a sinner, which was a sinner, when she knew, that Jesus had it meet, and the Pharisees house, brought an alabaster box, of ointment, and stood at his feet, behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet, with tears, and wiped them, with the hairs of her head, kissed his feet.

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     When the Pharisees saw this, he said, what manner of man is this, if he were a prophet? He would have known, what manner of woman this is, that touches them, for she is a sinner.

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     And of course, Jesus tells him, that wonderful parable, unto whom, much is forgiven, she loves much. The pattern, had become a reality, here, in the living room, of Simon. This pattern, that was established, back in Joshua. And this woman, this Rahab, the harlot, was not only saved, and brought into Israel, she was so grafted in, God's redemption, is so complete, that it takes a Gentile, harlot woman, and brings her, not just into the nation, of Israel, but right into the royal line.

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     And we can glibly read, when we come to Matthew chapter 1, and Selman begat Boaz, of Rahab. And we ought to stop, right there and say, is there ever, a greater statement, of the complete healing, that God makes available, for all of us, in our condition of sin, as Gentiles, as aliens originally, from the commonwealth of Israel.

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     Is there any place, that he cannot save us from? And of course, when we deal with others, in our fellowship issues, to understand, the extent of God's mercy, that God's temple, is made for sinners, such as you and I. That the ark of the covenant, in all its majesty, and in all its power, we've seen today, as it took down, the kingdoms of men, in the midst of all of that, is this overriding message, of mercy.

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     We have not a high priest, that cannot be touched, with the feeling of our infirmities, but one that has been, in all points, tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore, draw near, with boldness, unto the throne of grace. Is this what she saw, in the ark of the covenant? Whilst all of Jericho, would have been afraid, by the king of glory coming, she saw the throne of grace.

115. 46:35

     she saw, the mercy seat, and she was saved, because she did. Her master, was not austere, one who reaps, where he does not sow, as the man who hid his talent. Her master, was loving, and full of mercy. Is this your God? Is this the one, that you believe in? The one who can save, from even the uttermost.

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     And so, in this, powerful parable, this pattern of God's salvation, this morning, brothers and sisters, we have seen, both the goodness, and severity of God, in action. We have witnessed, the awesome power, that will drive God's plan, for salvation. It will not stop, will it? Until the sound, of the seventh trumpet, all the kingdoms of men, will fall flat, and ultimately, be taken over, by the great king.

117. 47:29

     The kingdoms of men, will become the kingdoms, of our Lord and God, and the ark will reign, as the uncompromising, king of the earth. And we have witnessed, the compassion and grace, of God's salvation. We have seen, the ark of the covenant, reach out to a woman of faith. Not a natural child, of Abraham, a public sinner, whose occupation, was that of a harlot.

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     But one who believed, in the throne of grace. A woman who had the boldness, to believe that, he can save, even unto the uttermost. She reached out, and she was saved. Such, my brethren and sisters, is the personal power, of God's salvation. As revealed, this morning to us, in the ark of the covenant.

119. 48:12

     Amen.