Joshua, chapter five tonight, I want to look at a title I've put on the message who is on the Lord's side is one of my favorite hymns, if not my favorite hymn. And I love that thought about making that decision as to whose side we really want to be on in life. And obviously the world is always pulling, wanting people to join its side and to go with the flow. And yet God wants us to join him on his side. But many times in life, I think you'll identify with me in this, many times in life, we want God to take our side on a situation or issue. Anybody been there with me? You know, we've got a position on something, or we want to take a stand, or we have something we want to do in life, or something that we want God to bless, and we want God to be on our side. We've got a plan, we've got a purpose. We're having a dispute with somebody, and we want God to take our side, or we're disagreeing with somebody, even in sports. You know, sometimes maybe you've done this, maybe you're doing it today, but you're praying that God will make your team win. And guess what? There's someone on the other side praying that God will make their team win. And you know what? Unless there's a spiritual purpose in which God would influence a sports team, I don't think that really is a major thing that God would involve himself with, again, unless he has a spiritual reason. But we want God to take our side in so many ways. And people want God to take up their cause and defeat anyone that opposes them in what they're trying to do, their plans. And I don't know if this is the best thinking. Well, I know it's not the best thinking that we should have when going into a confrontation with someone or having an argument. Rather, the question ought to be, Who is on the Lord's side? And we're gonna develop that thought here and get to Joshua 5 in just a moment. But let's just read, actually, let me back up. Let's go back to Joshua chapter one. Keep your finger or your Bible ribbon there in Joshua 5. In Joshua 1, there's a lot going on. Let's set the stage for Joshua chapter five. The Lord is teaching Joshua big principles in life. He's teaching Joshua to lead. So how does Joshua learn how to lead? By simply following Christ himself. And as a result, he's in a good position to have people follow him. And yet it's a hard thing. He's on the heels of Moses. Moses has proven himself to be a good, godly leader, and yet he has his flaws that the Bible brings out. But he's on the heels of Moses, and God's called him to lead the nation of Israel into the promised land. That's in chapter one. In chapter two, they send in two spies into the land, especially into Jericho. See what's going on in there. We read in verse nine of chapter two, and she said unto them, this is Rahab, I know the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is falling upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt. And ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side, Jordan, Sion, and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you. For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven and in earth, beneath. And so we see here that God is already preparing the way for Joshua to lead them into the promised land. There's going to be some battles, but God will give them victory. And Joshua has this head knowledge. They're going through this. God has already prepared the hearts of the people. They're going to be defeated. And obviously, like Rahab and maybe some others along the way, they some of them made a plan to be in good favor with them, but they're going to be defeated. and God is preparing the way for them. In chapter three, we see Israel going through the Jordan River, and God uses that in chapter three, verse seven, to establish Joshua. It says there, and the Lord said unto Joshua, this day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And there is Joshua rising up in the eyes of the people, God promising Joshua that he would be with him as he, leads the nation in. And of course, in chapter four, they set up the stones that in the generations to follow, they would know what God did with the nation of Israel. In chapter four, verse twenty four, it says that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you might fear the Lord your God forever. And of course, God's purposes exist to accomplish this, that God would be glorified, that everyone would know who God is. In fact, God wants to do things in our lives whereby people around us know who God is and His greatness. In chapter 5 verse 1, And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted. Neither was there spirit in them anymore because of the children of Israel." And so God is literally making this possible. The hearts of the people have melted. There's no more spirit left in them. Of course, as you read on in chapter five, they accomplish some things, and then the manna dries up, and it's time to go in and face Jericho. Now, we know what's gonna happen in chapter six. We've read chapter six already. We know how there's going to be great victory over Jericho, but we're at the end of chapter five. Joshua does not know that in reality. It's not happened yet. We get to look back in 2020 hindsight. We can be the Monday morning quarterback and we can look back and analyze and say, oh, come on, Joshua, go for it, man. God's got this, it's his battle, so on and so forth. But I think Joshua had real concerns. He's human, right? Joshua's a human being, and you and I have been in that situation where we know the promises of God, yet the circumstances of life are causing us to have concerns. Maybe even to question, how's this gonna unfold? What's going to happen here? I've never lived through this before. You ever said that to yourself? I've never lived through this before. I don't know what's going to happen. I just know what God is. And I know God's promises. And by faith, we anchor ourselves to God's character and to God's word. But I believe that here we go. Joshua is having his faith challenged. And we pick up reading here in verse 13. And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay. But as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come, and Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy, and Joshua did so. Let's pray, and we're gonna look at three things tonight here in just these three verses. about what took place here, and may God give us some applications. Father, bless the study of your word, and Father, as real as human life is, as real is it for us to have doubts and fears and concerns, and we can understand what Joshua is going through, and I pray that we would be people of faith, that we would trust in the Lord with all of our heart, that we would obey by faith, and be decided to be on the Lord's side. Bless, I pray in Jesus name. Amen. I believe Joshua had concerns. He was there by Jericho. I've often tried to picture verse 13 in my mind. Was it a case? Was it a nighttime walk? Probably not, because that wouldn't be safe, perhaps, to be out there on the plain prior to going before Jericho. Maybe it was at nighttime. Maybe he was out there just walking alone with the Lord. I don't know. I do believe he was out there and pondering and wondering, how is God going to do this? He knows what God has said, and we're gonna study that back in chapter one in just a moment. He knows what God has said, but I think as human as Joshua was, he's gotta be wondering, how is this gonna happen? How is God going to give us the victory in Jericho? It's the first big city. It's a fortified city. Yes, he's already heard reports back in chapter 2 how the people's hearts have melted, but it's still going to be a battle. It's still a real thing. And I believe he had concerns. Maybe he had the concern of, now what? Yeah, okay, we just led the people through the Jordan River, God bless that, there's no doubt that God is with us, but how is this gonna happen? How are we going to defeat Jericho? That's in chapter six when he gets the instructions. But he's still in chapter five, and he's wondering, I believe, what is going on? Yet I'm sure he could look back and know what God did through Moses, and he was there as Moses' minister for many, many years, and got to see Moses get on his face before God, and God make a way possible, and I'm sure he knew that God would do that again, but it's again, it's real. He had most likely had thoughts and concerns and fears, And perhaps that's why back in chapter one, go there with me, God gave him so much counsel. See Joshua, Joshua knew God's counsel. Anytime you and I face concerns in life, even if God, you know what God wants us to do, you don't know how, maybe you don't know when, how is this gonna unfold? I've never been down this road before. We need to go get God's counsel. And Joshua had God's counsel back in chapter 1 in verse number 2, And there's God's command. One of the easiest ways to get through something in life, when we're concerned, is find a command from God. What does God say? Oh, here's something that God says. Here's a command. This is what I'm supposed to do. Amen. Thank you, Lord, for some straightforward counsel. I love that. Makes life easy. This is what God says. God says, arise and go. You're gonna lead these people into the promised land, Joshua. And just because the circumstances get different, or just because you have concerns, here's my command to you, go. God gave him a promise as well, in verse three, every place the sole of your foot shall tread upon. That have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses, from this wilderness, from this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, and all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your coast. And there's God's promise how the land would be theirs, and God is provoking his faith. You know that word provoke, right? We usually use it negatively. But we can use it positively as well. In fact, over in Hebrews 10, we're supposed to provoke one another unto love and good works. And so provoke someone before you leave tonight. Amen? Amen. You got your coffee in one hand and provoke them with the other. See if you can stir someone up unto love and to good works. They had God's promise. They had God's presence in verse five. It says, there shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. What a tremendous promise he had here, how God would be with him. God's presence. Remember back in Moses' day, that's exactly what he wanted. In fact, look at Deuteronomy chapter 31. And there's many places, even back in Exodus, I believe it's in chapter 34, how Moses did not want to go forward unless God was present with him. And yet if God is present, we can go forward, we can dismiss our concerns and fears because of his presence. In Deuteronomy 31, in verse number six, it says here, Be strong and of a good courage. Fear not, nor be afraid of them. For the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Here is given back in Deuteronomy 31. It's reiterated in Joshua chapter 1, verse 7. And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage, for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord has sworn unto their fathers to give them, and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, fear not, neither be Dismayed, look even in verse 23, and he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge and said, Be strong and of good courage, for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land, into the land which I swear unto them, and I will be with thee. Here's this great principle that we've got to lock into our hearts. I mean, I think about days ahead, right? You know, we've read the Bible, we've read Matthew 24, and other places in Scripture, we know there are difficult days ahead. And yet, it's the same thing. God's promised to be with His children. He will not fail us nor forsake us. He will be with us as we go forward. And you know what? We will have concerns. Maybe you already do have concerns. I do. As a father, as a husband, I want to do my part. I do have concerns. I don't have a carefree attitude. Oh, whatever happens, happens. No, I do have concerns, yet not to the point of being afraid, but in reality, looking to God, God, what would you have me to do? How can I provide? What can I be prepared for? Joshua is about to go into the promised land. He's led them through and now about to go into Jericho. And I think God gave him all of these encouragements, all of these promises about his presence because it was going to be something Joshua wrestled with. I don't know about you, but if I was in his shoes, I'd have concerns. I'm about to lead a group of people, and I don't even know if they know how to use a sword. Maybe they do. Maybe they were training in the wilderness for 40 years. I don't know what they were doing besides eating manna and wandering around. I mean, do these men know how to use the sword? You're about to lead a nation in. It's a defense city. It's a walled city. It's a strong city. I'm sure there was real concerns and God has given him all of this encouragement. By the way, the word encourage means to help with courage, to encourage, to provoke courage. What is courage? Just standing upon God's promises and going forward instead of standing back because of my concerns. God is provoking his courage so that Joshua would obey all of what God would have to say. Looking back in chapter one in verse number six. Be strong and of a good courage, for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, But thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid, and be not dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. What a charge, what an encouragement. How prosperity comes when we obey God, when we know what God has said, and we meditate upon it, and we do what he says. What an encouraging thought. Therefore, let's meditate upon God's word, and let's do what God tells us to do. But Joshua was human. I believe he had concerns. Like Peter, when he walked on the water, when he was done after sinking, when he got his eyes off the Lord and onto the storm, Jesus says to him, O thou of little faith, Wherefore didst thou doubt? He had some concerns, right? It's easier, I should say, to have great faith and to be emboldened while you're still in the boat. And even the first couple of steps may not be the challenge, but what changed it? The circumstances. And we're just that way. We are just as human as Peter. We are just as human as Joshua. And we can certainly be challenged going forward, maybe even now over something in life where we've got concerns, maybe such concerns that we want God to get involved and to take our side on something. But we'll look at that more in just a moment. I think of Elias in James 5, verse 16 and 17, how he's a man subject to like passions as we are, and yet God blessed him as he followed God in how to pray, and he was real, just like you and me. Real concerns, a real life. See, Joshua would go forward, even though he had concerns, because he knew God's counsel. Look at this, he knew God's word. Look at Exodus 23. Now, I try to examine and figure out in my mind, and some of you may know more of history than me when it comes to this, but did Joshua have access to the book of Exodus? At what point was it written? At what point did we know? Or maybe, maybe at the very least, I believe Joshua could have heard directly from Moses what was being written here in Exodus 30, 23. And so that I believe Joshua knew this prophecy. In Exodus 23, verse number 20, it says, Beware of him and obey his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him. But if thou shall indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For mine angels shall go before thee, and bring thee unto the Amorites, and to the Hittites, and to the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will cut them off. And there's this prophecy of how an angel, I believe it's a Christophany, where it's Jesus Christ going there before them and with them, fulfilling his promise that he would be with them, just as we saw there in the end of Deuteronomy chapter 31 and Joshua chapter one, how Christ goes forward with them to keep them in the way, fulfilling the promise that God gave to Abraham way back in the day about bringing them into the promised land. And He's an angel that is to be feared because we ought to be aware of Him, it says in verse 21. What does that mean to be aware? It means to be aware. Should we not live our daily life, our hourly life, aware of who Jesus Christ is? Not just on Sunday, not just midweek, every day, all day, should we not be thinking and be aware of who He is? and going forward with Christ so that we are ready to obey His voice and to be obedient, as it says there in verse 21, and not to provoke Him. Don't serve the idols of this world. Don't even serve the idol of self, but serve God. And I wonder if Joshua, as he's there facing Jericho, even thought about this angel that would go before them and keep them and they could follow him. So that as we go back to Joshua chapter five, here's Joshua's questions. Joshua had concerns, but here are Joshua's questions. Came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries? So Joshua sees a man. A man over there, I mean, how far was he away when Joshua first noticed? You know, was it a case where Joshua was out there walking alone and just pondering and wondering and praying, maybe meditating upon the scriptures and wondering, how's God gonna do this? And then he sees a man, how far away? I don't know. but they get close enough to have this vocal interchange. And he asked him this question. But before he even asked the question, it's a man with his sword drawn in his hand. And I wonder what Joshua was thinking at that point. Who is this man? Why does he have a sword drawn? I don't know about you, but if I walked up to somebody and they had their sword drawn, I'd be a little more concerned. Especially if I don't have one. Is this man someone who's gonna be for us and fight with us as we go into Jericho? Is this someone from Jericho who's gonna defeat me right away? I mean, who knows what's going through his mind at this point? Who is this man? Why is this man alone? How come he's not with his army? How come there's not people with him? He's ready for battle. Why is he ready for battle? Why is his sword drawn? But then he asked this ultimate question. He says, aren't thou for us or for our adversaries? You know, if this man is for Israel, great. But if not, I think fight or flight's kicking in and Joshua's gonna get out of there. But I love this answer. Verse 14, and he said, nay. Joshua gives a, a two part response, right? You ever do this in conversation? You give someone two options and they're like, no, it's neither. Well, it has to be either you're for us or against us. Which one? Nay, nay. Remember back at the beginning I asked the question, have you ever wondered if God would be on your side in something? You want God to be on, you're having a dispute with somebody and you want God, God, are you on my side or their side? Nay. I have plans for my life. God, God, God, are you, are you with me in what I'm going to do or are you against me? Nay. God's not on our side. The question is, are we on His side? A fundamental, mind-altering, mind-changing outlook on life. Nay. We ought to be asking ourselves the question, am I on the Lord's side on this issue? Am I on the Lord's side in my thinking, in my planning, in this, whatever it might be, instead of being so wondering, okay, God, are you on my side? You on my side in this? Are you on their side? Whose side are you on, God? He says, nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord, am I now come. He's the captain. Joshua, you're not. He's the captain. All Joshua has to do now is follow Him. God will do this. It's God's battle. He'll take care of this. Remember when Moses came down from the mount back in Exodus 32 when he finds the people in gross immorality and idolatry and wickedness and he says, who is on the Lord's side? It wasn't, God, are you on my side against these people? No, no. Moses understood. We've got to get on the Lord's side. Who is on the Lord's side? He's the captain of the host of the Lord. And we better find ourselves on the Lord's side. Next time you face these challenges in life, disputes, whatever, just ask yourself that question. Am I on the Lord's side? And here is Joshua's conclusion to all of this. when putting all this together. Watch what he does in verse 14. And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship. And said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? The very first conclusion that Joshua comes to by how Christ answered. Again, I believe this is a Christophany. Joshua's conclusion was to worship. And I think, and I know from experience, I trust you have as well, that when you get close to the Lord, it's like an automatic, I've got to worship Him. I've got to worship Him. And when we get to worshiping God for who He is, all of a sudden, my side, their side doesn't matter. It's nothing. My side does not matter. My position, my argument, my plans, they're nothing. I want to be on your side, Lord. I want to be on God's side, the Lord's side. He fell on his face to the earth and did worship Christ for who he is. This is the God of creation, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And he was there with him. And God was ready to lead them right into Jericho and defeat the city of Jericho. God would fight the battle, and there was no need to fear. There was no questions for concerns necessary. He's the captain, and he was worthy of Joshua's worship because of God's great character, who he is. See, the battle is the Lord's, not ours. Look at 1 Samuel. In 1 Samuel, chapter 17, our friend David, King David, long before he was king. Look at 1 Samuel. Again, I wonder, I wonder if David looked back to the book of Joshua for this principle. Just wondering. I don't know. In 1 Samuel 17, when David was facing Goliath, In verse 45, then said David to the Philistine, thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield, but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand, and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee, and I will give the carcass of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in heaven. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands. Maybe. David, look back to Joshua's day for this example, the battles, the Lord's, it was the Lord that went into Jericho is the Lord that gave him the battle plan. It was the Lord who made these walls go down and have this easy victory for the nation of Israel. But they had to be on the Lord's side. David was on the Lord's side. Is God for David or for Goliath? No, David's on God's side. David is with the Lord, and that's where victory was assured. Joshua worshipped him for who he is. And then he surrendered. Look back in verse 14 in our text, Joshua 5 verse 14. He says, and Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship and said unto him, what sayeth my Lord unto his servant? Boy, you know what's interesting to me is when we are worshiping God for who he is, I find in my life, it's so easy to surrender when I'm worshiping him. When I'm not worshiping him, when I'm letting self or something in this world kind of rise up in my heart, then surrender is not as easily accomplished. Reminds me of Isaiah, look at Isaiah chapter six. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, Isaiah chapter six, you'll see how surrender becomes so easy. It begins with worship, Isaiah chapter six, Of course, when we are in God's presence, we'll want to be done with our sin, we'll want nothing to do with sin. In verse number five, then said I, woe is me, for I'm undone because I'm a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Jump down to verse number eight, also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I, send me. And so in the midst of worshiping God, if you go back previously in the chapter, we see how all of heaven is worshiping God for his holiness, holy, holy, holy. And then Isaiah responds with the fact that I'm a sinner and wants nothing to do with his sin. And then he says, after he's done worshiping, Lord, I'll go. I'm willing. I wanna be on your side. Surrender, surrender becomes so simple. It becomes actually a joy to be surrendered to the Lord when you worship Him because you see Him for who He is and you want to be on His side. He says, Joshua says, what sayeth my Lord unto His servant? How can I, you know, the root word of servant is what? Serve. God, how can I serve you? How can I be used by you? How can I serve you as I'm on your side? My life's not about positioning me for me and my side so I can be against them and their side. No, I wanna be on your side, Lord. I wanna be neutral in all this stuff out there. I just wanna be used of God. I want to be on the Lord's side. God, how can you use me on your side in what you want to accomplish? And when we are in God's presence, just as Joshua was, there's going to be joy, too. I love Psalm 16, to me, one of my life verses, if you will. In Psalm 16, I love what the psalmist writes here. Of course, you better turn there, right? Oh, you misquoted. Psalm 16, verse 11 says that will show me the path of life in my presence is fullness of joy at my right hand. There are pleasures forevermore right there in the presence of God is where you're going to find fullness of joy. Do you think in Joshua five that Joshua had joy? I do. I mean, he's worshiping Christ for who he is and he knows that the victory is certain. He's going in. He's going to do this. I'm just following Christ. I'm not the leader of this nation. Christ is. And all I have to do is follow. I think at whatever point Joshua got off the earth, up off the ground, he had joy. Because when you're in the presence of God, there's joy. And when we are on the Lord's side, there will be joy. We are joining the side of holiness. We are joining the side of righteousness. We're joining the side of truthfulness. We're joining the winning side, the side of Jesus Christ. And there will be great glory on the Lord's side for him, for who he is. Looking forward to camp this week. And to the youth, I say this, this is kind of the kickoff to our week. Here's a question for you. And everyone else, you can ask yourself this question, too, if you want to. But I want you to think about this as we drive down to camp in a little while. Are you on the Lord's side? And if you're not on the Lord's side, whose side are you on? Who's on the Lord's side? Whose side do you want to be on? I mean, one of the greatest allurements out there is the side of this world. The pleasures of sin for a season. Whose side are you on? Maybe it's, well, I know I don't want to go the way of the world because I see all the pitfalls and snares there. And so I'm going to take up this neutral position. You know, that's called the side of self. That's not where you want to be either. The Lord's side. Joshua had a decided heart. He made the decision to be on the Lord's side. And you can ask yourself this question too, is God worthy of my heart? Is He worthy of my worship so that I can leave the world side, I can leave the side of self and be on the Lord's side with a decided heart? I'm on the Lord's side. I want to live my life on the Lord's side. There's no other place I'd rather be. Who's on the Lord's side?