SM170305/Overcoming the Insurmountable

Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions were to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org. Let's grab our Bibles looking at target two passages today there Hebrews 11 which is our basic text of the theories that were doing and Joshua chapter 6 so Hebrews 11 Joshua chapter 6 and the title of my message is overcoming the insurmountable overcoming the insurmountable. Let me ask your question. Have you ever faced what seem like an insurmountable obstacle. Maybe you're facing it right now something that's so big, so overwhelming you just wish you could turn and run away an incurable illness.

What seems like an unsolvable problem.

A prodigal child. The marriage of this unraveling you think you will never get fixed ever. Well, if that's interfacing right now you have a general idea of how the nation Israel felt as they stood before the massive ancient city of Jericho, the city that God said they were supposed to conquer in his battle plan was one of the most unorthodox ever envisioned in human history. As you know already.

There were the marks around the city for seven days that that was the plan then on the seventh day march around it multiple times and then tell about trumpets events of the craziest plan I've ever heard, but it was a plan designed by God to show his power. We all have big challenges in life. Remember last year when we did a harvest America at the AT&T stadium. I really want to talk about Jericho. This place is so gigantic it's hard for you to envision the size of this place, but when I went there for the first time in walked around the circumference.

I don't know if I walk completely around. It was so big. Like everything else in Texas.

It was just like how are we going to see this thing filled. It seems 85,000 people. Biggest venue we've ever been to a summer home status on California its taxes, but we pray and we worked on. We got the word out and then of course you all know the rest of the story. AT&T stadium was filled to overflowing, and we saw though. That's our event there.

By the way, we saw thousands of people come to Christ." It was being around the United States and ultimately we thought 25,000 people make a profit that profession of faith to follow Christ and that they felt that was our Jericho.

So now we have another Jericho at the University of Phoenix Stadium never get to be going to this year on June 11 and that too is 1 Giant Pl. not quite as big as AT&T stadium, but trust me to get off and so were taking steps of faith, and this is what the interior of the University of Phoenix Stadium looks like and you can see it's empty in the way that's going to be full like AT&T stadium was is that the people there catch the vision in Arizona so we need to pray for the churches. We need to pray for the pastors we need to pray for the believers that they understand how important it is to get the gospel off of them were abiding people from all over, and I'm especially hoping that all y'all right here in California and in Hawaii will join Hawaii watches the service, so a little hard to everyone in Hawaii I'm over that.

All y'all will come and join us in Phoenix because this is going to be a great opportunity to reach out and of course it goes in the various venues around the country for people that take the signal about a way for the first time harvest. America is good be live on television this year so you'll be able to watch it all over the place all around the world.

But sometimes God will allow a Jericho in our life and I use that as a metaphor for something big and scary.

It might be a problem in my be a challenge. Might even be an opportunity, but all you know is it really big and there's no way you can do it in your own strength and you know for many of the greatest difficulty is to get to the place where they're willing to admit they need God with they're willing to admit that that thing they're facing is to big for them and that of God doesn't come through. They're not going to get through it. By the way, that's not a bad place to be is the great British preacher used to say Alan Redpath when you get to the end of yourself. You get to the beginning of God, so maybe you're facing your Jericho right now. Will our series is called world changers were looking at Hebrews 11 which is a collection of the great heroes of the faith men and women that distinguished himself because they put their faith in the action, and we learned there that world changers don't quit world changers keep marching forward and now in Hebrews 11 were introduced to very are two very distinct world changers and very different from one another.

Joshua and Rahab, Joshua and Rahab. One was a godly man, the other an immoral woman. One was a general in the Israeli army, the other a prostitute. One was a Hebrew, the other an enemy of the Hebrews, a Canaanite, but we use that expression often will we need to get on the same page on this literally. Joshua and Rahab are on the same page in the Bible. Here in Hebrews chapter 11 and Hebrews 11 verse 30 says, by faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days by faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not. Those that did not believe when she received the spies with peace so that they are put together in the heroes hall of faith. That's what sets a world changer apart from a non-world changer, a world changer uses their faith. They go from the realm of theory to reality ditto just talk. Blue sky. The garden to things for God. Take risks.

They're willing to put their faith on the line now let's sort of pick the story up. Remember that God is delivered the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt. Why did he bring them out of Egypt so he could bring them into the promised land. Deuteronomy 623 says he brought us out from there that he might bring us in to give us the land which he swore to our father just reminds us that God always has and then getting men here and appointing your life or things are making sense or seems to be a lot of loose ends. A lot of unanswered questions, but God is a game plan. God is the beginning, middle, and the eye. We don't always know what we are life. Some of the cigarette the beginning when we may be near the end. Some of us think were near the end when maybe were near well a new beginning. So were not quite sure, but you just need to know that God has a plan that God finishes what he begins is described as the author and finisher of our faith. I don't know about you but I don't always finish what I began. I have an office at home which is really a room that I have my computers in in my books and such and in in. It looks like a bomb went off in there okay. It had so much junk because I am a pack okay I don't throw anything away. My wall is covered with drawing for my grandchildren and I have all these things that I think all we need later, which I really don't need later and so I got to a point where I couldn't find anything like lost my wife for a week. I thought she might be in there somewhere. So I just sent this is the day so I attacked it and I got these bins and I fill them in, and I almost was completely done. I mean, it was absolutely transformed but I didn't quite finish it. I move this stuff to another place and it was looking pretty good.

There are still a few little piles but I've noticed those little piles are now starting to grow a candidacy said I did it the wrong way. I need to completely clean it.

I didn't complete what I began, but God always finishes what he starts.

So here's the plan for you the listener that he's not going to force the plan in your life. I know you've heard it before but it's true. God really does love you and he really does have a wonderful plan for your life.

Having said that, you can botch the plan you can import the plan you can sabotage the plan you can cooperate with the plan that is up to you.

God will not force his purpose in your life. He said this to the Israelites and it's in principle to for us as well. Deuteronomy 1126 he says behold I said before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing, if you will be the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today in the Kursk.

If you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God would turn aside from the way which I command you today to go up for other gods, which would not know, and of the same way. We had that choice before us each and every day. We can choose life or choose the blessing by choosing to follow God or we can choose death and in effect the Kursk by not following God. He brought them out to bring the men he brought us out to bring us in, he brought us out of sin, to bring this into lie. The apostle Paul describing what conversion looks like says we turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, and the point is we go from darkness to light.

He brings this out to bring us in. It doesn't say he brought us from black to gray, or from cold to lukewarm. Here's a problem. Some of the scope part of the way.

Sort of like me cleaning my office. I did it. Part of the way and I might even add most of the way that I didn't do it completely.

So we see Eyman to follow Jesus and Jesus can of this part of my life and to give that part of my life, but there's a few little piles over here. I'm keeping to myself I would sit with those are piles of, but probably papers or trash or things you don't need, or whatever it is these are my number to keep these and then those little piles turning the big piles and pretty soon you find out that you have a change is much as you should have first Peter two says they stumble because they do not obey God's word but you are not like that. Speaking to Christians, you're a chosen people, holy nation called from darkness to light, to show others the goodness of God so he brought them out to bring the mental cure.

The Israelites now that they're out of Egypt, the Red Sea is parted for them and they are now moving forward.

They were going to the promised land. God is giving to us the land of promises. Let me say that again they were going to the promised land, but for us, God is given us the land of promise. Someone shouted and said that there are 3573 promises to believers in the Bible noticed someone want to check up on that for me because I you know if you come up with a better number that's more reliable I'll use your staff for a while but that's a lot of promises so let's go back historically.

Now the Israelites have been delivered from Egypt and they came in short order, to the point of entry of the land of Canaan, the promised land which would ultimately become the nation Israel.

The point of entry was a spot called Danish Barney. So instead of marching in, they said bullets. Let's check this out and send some spies in the 12 spies when it two of them. We know by name Jason Bourne and James Bond the rummage. Actually Joshua and Caleb, Joshua and Caleb went in along with 10 other spies when they came back there was a majority report and there was a minority report, the majority of the 10 said there's no way we should go in there. The people are really big. In fact, we were like grasshoppers in their sight. Joshua and Caleb came back and said yeah things are big in the new lab.

Check out this cluster of grades we product these grapes are so big it took two of us to get them out of the place. Let's go for it, but the people of Israel said no, they were filled with unbelief is that we do not want to go in. The problem is they had a small God. Thus, they had big problems and that unbelief cost them 40 years of needless wilderness wandering unbelief says let's stay backwards, say, in contrast thing says let's go forward or God is working well.

Here's the problem. They didn't go forward.

They went around in circles because God was going to weed out all of the daughters and so now 40 years of house going around and around and around again and then they were whining, complaining about the food God gave them called manna and he granted every day. They have met so it's a breakfast today that almost off once manna meatloaf K Jenner manna pizza and every day with some version of manna they started complaining.

They said to Moses were worse, the cabana weave. We tried every version of manna we could eat.

We've had the manna splits we've had banana pancakes. We've had manicotti.

We just we we don't want anymore manna. They said we remember the good old days back in Egypt where we used to eat garlic and onions and leaks men their breath was a stock right okay. And best of all, we remember the meat we want fresh meat so the Lord said they want me them at a given tilt of the Bible says God bring quail on them and these people were so hungry for me. They ate the birds before they were even dead with the Bible says it turned bitter in their mouth. The Scripture says he gave them what they wanted, but he sent leanness to their soul careful what you ask for. You might get it. I think that's what it's always a good thing in prayer to say, not my will but yours be done. What I think this is what I need and I think this is what I want but you know better than I do. And for some reason this request that I am now praying is outside of your will.

Please, I ask you overrule it as a good way to pray what we want because is your shirt. Yes.

Go they got what they wanted. So now there numbers have begun to Strunk and their no longer the great multitude they were in fact the older generation is gone. Now we have all new generation their young people. They were going dating go through the Red Sea, they just heard the stories of a will, the whole life eating manna.

The only life they've known as a life in the wilderness.

These other people know that I get to go into the promised land. God was going to lead them in, but they needed their own encounter with the Lord, you know what every generation needs her own encounter with the Lord over 40 years ago we had the Jesus movement in a whole generation was impacted. But while grandparents now if we were there for that and were praying for another Jesus movement for our young people today that they can encounter God in their own way and see the Lord were present.

We should be praying for now, there's a big barrier keeping this new generation ready to enter into the promised land from getting in and it was called the Jordan River that granted it wasn't as big as the Red Sea, but hate was still big enough enough to keep them out. I've seen the Jordan River.

It's a powerful rushing river so they come to the bank of other they look out of. There's no way they can get over it. So the Lord does a special miracle just for them and the waters part sort of like a mini Red Sea and they went in and got their feet wet. What's interesting about the Jordan River is the Lord to walk in and it was still moving and it didn't open up until they got into the water. Sometimes the Lord will say take this little step of faith in you have to first get your feet wet and it doesn't happen right in front of you. You have to be willing to take that risk and that's what they did. So the Jordan River opens up the walk through it now.

And now they're facing what appears to be an insurmountable obstacle.

The first city that they are to conquer in the promised land, the city of Jericho. But before they go when a mysterious visitor comes to them. You can read about it later. In Joshua five, a massive strapping soldier with a very large store. Joshua looks at him and says excuse me, are you friend or foe.

Anything at least a friend please. A friend and that massive soldiers as I'm Cmdr. of the Lord's army. Some believe this was an angel. Others believe this was a Christ often in a Christ often is an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament. I sort of lean toward the latter.

I think this may have been an appearance of Christ himself ensures why think that because this messenger says to Joshua, take off your shoes you're standing on holy ground.

I don't think an angel would say that that would be more trying to worship Angels they would rebuff the but of course this reminds us of what happened to Moses at the burning bush is God spoke to him. So what the burning bush was to Moses, this soldier is Joshua.

It's his own encounter with the Lord God is preparing them now for Jericho, which by the way comes from an original Hebrew phrase it translates out to the big enchilada and I made that up. But it was bit and so now here comes the battle plan for conquering the big enchilada here is the plan for bringing down the mighty walls of Jericho and the inhabitants Joshua chapter 690 read verses 1 to 5. Bring along with me reading from the new living translation of the gates of Jericho were tightly shot because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go in or out because of the Lord said to Joshua, I have given you Jericho, its king and its mighty warriors, your entire army is the march around the city once a day for six days, 7°, to walk ahead of the ark, each carrying a ram's horn and on the seventh day march around the city seven times with the priest going your horns and when you hear the priest give one loud blast on the horns. All the people should shout within the walls of the city will collapse and the people in charge straight into the city wanted a notice of battle was already decided. God said in verse two.

I've given you Jericho.

The king and its mighty warriors. Did you know the battle you're in is already one you don't fight for victory. You fight from victory Satan is a defeated foe at the cross of Calvary. Jesus dealt a decisive blow against the devil and his followers, his minions, if you will, and he conquered them. So when we face the devil we stand in the Lord and of the power of his might not in our strength and history go about senior not to be tempted to say you're not being her right you will be harassed and I'm not saying the devil is not powerful. What I am saying is you will never be tempted above your capacity to resist and your God is greater then your adversary, so this battle is already decided just as it was for Israel. We just need to do. Would God tells us to do for them. March around the city in silence once a day for six days and on the seventh day march around seven times, then scream blow trumpets ever feel like God is just messing with your mind a little bit. I mean, what kind of a crazy battle plan is this it seems as though Lord goes out of his way to come up with plans to cause us to be dependent upon him, whether it's Israel with their trumpets or Gideon with this torch is a look at that next time God loves to use human weakness to show his strength. But understand this, there's always a method to the madness and this is not madness of all. But God had a plan God had a purpose and a reason for having them do this but it seems to me that the Lord will find in unusual ways to lead us all will realize it is from him. Look at the different ways that Jesus healed people ever notice to each case was different to one person he would speak the word and they would be healed to another, he would touch them and they would be healed to even another they would touch him and they would be healed and the one guy who was blind, he spit on the ground.

Rub it in dirt and put it in the guise here buddy hers mud your I mean can you imagine if you came to prayer for to me for praying.

Would you pray for me present should be habited.

We would need to survive. Why did Jesus do this so people would not get hung up on the technique it is God that heals. He can heal them anyway he can heal you to the prayers of believers he can heal you with the elders of the church praying for you and anoint you with oil begin the healing heal you through the guided hands of a gifted surgeon as many ways to contact you, but ultimately we say will that was from the Lord, but God intentionally changes his method so will continually look to him you know when you stop and think about it in so many ways would God want to do in our life seems upside down from the way you would think you would do it logically.

God tells us in Isaiah 55.

My thoughts are completely different than your thoughts.

In my ways are beyond anything that you could imagine. For instance, you want success by the way, there's something wrong with wanting success for Pete's failure. Every time you want success in ministry.

You want success in business.

You want success in marriage you want success in whatever you're doing wonders of God says you should do. Matthew 633 seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. I know people that have been chasing success for their whole life and they've never found it there always looking for that shortcut. The get-rich-quick scheme.

The angle that's gonna propel them to the top and they never achieve what they want and I know other people who never sought it would just follow the Lord and live the godly life in an honest life and work hard with integrity, and God is blessed in so many ways because they put God first, put God first in your career. Put God first in your marriage, put God first in your ministry seek him first, and these things will be given to you and you want to be happy. You want to be happy for the rest of your life. Never make a pretty woman your wife for my personal point of view get an ugly girl. The Marriott by the way that's not true. If you're writing that on this distancing biblical notes a stupid song how we remember that's on you. So that's untrue you want to be happy and effectors of the Bible says, learn to be sad what yes Jesus said happy are those that mourn for they shall be comforted.

Another way to translated happy are the unhappy time.

I means that if you want to find true and lasting happiness. There must first be sadness and that sadness comes from a recognition that you are a sinner separated from God. But if you will ask God to forgive you of that sin and mourn over that sin and churn from that sin, then you will find the real happiness you've always wanted. You want to be great you want to be mono you want to be the top dog or they had a hog up the trough. Learn to be a servant, Jesus said in Mark 92 35 if you want to be the first and take a last place and be the servant of everyone else.

So it God's economy.

Up is down, the way to be happy is to be sad in the way to find life is through death, sin, and I annoyed with patents. Jesus said if you want to find your life you need to lose your life and take up his cross daily and follow me. What is it mean means put God first and take your plans and your aspirations in your dreams and all the things you aspire to and commit them to the Lord, and you will find his plan for your life okay so another day of reckoning has come for Jericho word about the inhabitants of the city. They were very wicked people and they deserved judgment. These Canaanites use their children as prostitutes for false gods. History tells us they even sacrifice their children on pagan altars. There were into every kind of idolatry, perversion and sin, by the way they had plenty of time to repent, because they knew the Israelites were coming and they been hearing about this and this evil and gone on for years and years and years and God patiently endured the evil of the Canaanites from the time of Abraham to Moses a period of 400 years and then there's Israel is making their way toward the new land that was another 40 years, and they knew all about it because by the way when the spies beat Rahab in Joshua 210. She says we've heard how the Lord your God made a path for you to the Red Sea. When he left Egypt in our hearts of melted and fear. No one is encouraged to fight to after hearing such things. We know that your God is the supreme God of the heavens and the earth below. See all the people of Jericho had been following Israel and social media, and they tweeted every day working for the rodeo regular way for the Red Sea hashtag. God is awesome better for breakfast and jointed, but hoping for something new.

Soon, getting close to the new land ready to conquer Jericho. These people knew it was coming. These people knew about the miracles that God did for Israel and get the continued and the hardness of heart and so now here comes the Israelites and their marching around the city for six days. So this Canaanites to the said all men judgment is here.

We repaired coming to our city. We want to serve your got all know they probably left out of the probably dump garbage on them.

They thought this was all a joke as Israel marched around the city. Day after day after day and then finally the last day came and they gave their shout and they blew their trumpets and of course the walls: listen, you can overcome the insurmountable.

Just do what God tells you to do and trust him. Let's think about your Jericho home. If you would say today I'm facing a Jericho rigid kind of a big thing it's a big thing. Okay, think about your Jericho for a minute. I don't know what it is, of course, but it's an illness that you see no resolution for no way you can be healed of it or you have some problem whatever it is. Just know this. There's no illness.

He can feel there is no need. He can't meet. There's no problem he can't resolve. And there's no person, he can't say just know that it's true.

Make the coin point. Let's wrap up with our second world changer Rahab the harlot Rahab the harlot, the prostitute, the hooker call girl for LeBlanc here and it's interesting how many times in the Bible. She's referred to as such, so we got the memo.

This was an immoral woman.

She had everything going against the cards were stacked against Rahab. Even her name Rahab she's named after in the Egyptian deity and then to make it even worse.

She's an immoral woman, but what is she she's the perfect candidate for the grace of God, reminding us that the gospel is for everyone everywhere, and there are no exceptions to that no one is beyond the reach of God and it seems as though Jesus goes out of his way to reach people like course we see them there with his appointment with the woman at the well drawing water in the heat of the day because she was ostracized by the village and was living with a guy have been married and divorced five times in Jesus reaches out to her and she ends up believing that particular day or the woman caught in the act of adultery how Jesus would reach out to her and others like so here come the spies that the coming of the city to check it out.

Jason Bourne James Fontenot not know this is later. This is the second satisfies the check cannot Jericho and so she says I'm in a high due care on my roof from the other Canaanites and she said and the reason this is because she believed in the Lord their God. She said you serve the real God you serve the true God associate in effect already become a believer. Joshua 211 says, but saying something that is not enough has to be followed by actions. The Bible says faith without works is dead and Ray Showed her feet by her actions.

James 225 says Rahab the prostitute was shown to be right with God by her actions which he hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road so she showed evidence for her faith and then another indication she was a real believer.

She cared about her family.

She believed judgment was coming in Joshua chapter 2. She said that the two spies promised me by God. I showed you mercy now, so my family mercy and give me some tangible proof a guarantee of life for my father and mother, my brothers and my sisters. Everyone connected with my family save our souls from death toll in my family.our true mark of conversion is when you want to go and reach your family with the gospel and let me ask you this.

Have you reached your family does your family know that you believe in the story of Lee Strobel's conversion after his wife came to faith. She didn't want to tell me because she knew he would like it one bit. And sure enough when she revealed again that you become a Christian. He was outraged and tried to disprove her faith, but ultimately he came to faith himself without the mark of conversion you want to tell someone my daughter-in-law Britney is married to my son Jonathan are they going to the Fred Jordan mission once a month on Saturdays and they are guarding a bottle water out to people living on the streets or in skid Row.

The invite them to a meeting where they give him a meal at the Fred Jordan mission run by my aunt Willie, Jordan, and then they show the gospel with these people so as they were on the bus of folks from our church on the way up to skid Row. Britney said she was amazed to find it. Everyone on the bus there was going up to spend a Saturday afternoon helping people was a relatively new believer. She said most of the people on the bus had been believers for a year or less. I find it interesting. I read that eating 70 to 80% of those that have the gospel shared with them having shared by someone who is been a Christian for less than two years. This makes sense.

In other words, new believers, God bless them, are doing a great job of sharing their faith or my question is where the older believer. Why is that the people who've known the Lord for 10 years or more are not sharing their faith as aggressively as those who have known the Lord for two years or less. See if you really know the Lord you want to share this message with others, and that's what Rahab did as well.

Well here's the one final thing I like to say about her.

After the spies left Jericho. They said okay now we come back with the Army's sake to be pretty. So we want you to hang a red rope from your window so we'll know where you live in will get you out of there. So, sure enough, there comes the Israeli army marching enough of the walls of collapse and when they see the window with the red rope going to take Rahab out and she's protected from all of these things and know if this wasn't enough that she was hardened and she was, not judge, and she was forgiven.

God even took it a step further and this shows the grace of God. Just what she made it into the most exclusive genealogy in all of human history.

Rahab the harlot made it into the messianic line of Jesus Christ is amazing to me because later she marries a Jewish guy named Sam.

I think I was a fishy thing… To Mary Samet and then she enters into the messianic line so when you read the genealogy of Christ on the gospel about whose name is in their Rahab the harlot's God can take your life better know what you're known for now and so turn you around, people will not believe it.

That's the power of God to change a life. There are no exceptions. Let's pray father, thank you for your power to transform. Thank you for your love and your desire to change us, and I pray for any person here now who does not get to know you, who does not have that relationship with you and Heather looking at what seems like an insurmountable obstacle, and they don't see how they could ever change. Lord, we know you can change them. We know the gospel can change them. Lord, we pray for them now that if they don't know you yet, they will come to believe in you at this very moment when the heads of her eyes are closed or praying together. Maybe you would see the day Greg I want Jesus Christ to come in the my life. I want him to forgive me of my sin.

I need a new beginning. Pray for me today affect your desire. If you want Jesus to come in your life and transform you just pray this prayer with me wherever you are. Genocide pray pray this prayer after me right where you are.

Pray this, Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner but I know that you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin I shortened from that sin. Now I choose to follow you from this moment for the Lord, we pray now for any year that are facing those insurmountable obstacles. Fact of the matter is there is no such thing as an insurmountable obstacle because you're bigger than our problem so we pray that you will help us get perspective and not look at you in the light of our problem, but instead look at our problem in the light of you and know that through you were more than conquerors so Lord help us to trust you. Help us to keep perspective and help us to follow your battle for plan for our life is laid out in Scripture, we commit ourselves to you now in Jesus name we pray