Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture

Introduction

Have you ever been asked to do what you thought was the impossible?

You looked at the situation and said, “No way.

This can’t be done.”

Maybe it was a friend or family member, maybe it was your boss, or maybe it was God asking you to accomplish a huge task.

You thought, “I can’t do this.

This is too big.

It can’t be done.”

What do you do when asked to do the impossible?

How do you accomplish what you’ve been asked to do?

Most especially if it’s God that’s asking.

Well, this morning I’m going to tell you how to do the impossible.

I’m going to tell you how to accomplish that you you know you can’t do.

The Impossible Task

Take a look at the ancient city of Jericho.

It had 2 walls.

The outer wall was 6 feet thick and the inner wall was 12 feet thick.

They knew the Israelites were coming, and they were prepared.

The city had gone into seige mode.

They were like a turtle ducked inside its shell.

God has sent Joshua and the Israelites into the promised land.

He has told them that they are supposed to conquer the land and possess it.

This is the first test.

God didn’t start them out slowly.

He didn’t ease them into the water and the then start teaching them to doggie paddle or how to float on their back.

He threw them into the deep end of the pool right out of the gate.

If this goes badly, the people will be demoralized.

Joshua is going to look like an idiot, and nobody is going to follow his leadership after that.

This is not just a test for the people, it’s also a test for Joshua.

The task God has asked of them here is impossible.

Sun Ts was an ancient Chinese general.

He wrote The Art f War, a book on warfare tactics and strategy that modern military leaders still study.

Sun Tzu said that you always want to fight from the high ground.

Jericho was located on top of a hill.

Militarily speaking, this was a disaster in the making.

The Israelites had lost the element of surprise, they were fighting up hill, and they had no seige weapons.

They couldn’t have captured Jericho if they had stayed there for months.

The Impossible Strategy

Seven Priests with 7 horns will lead the ark of the covenant around the city followed by the men of war.

Qeren - was a type of musical horn.

On the 7th day you will march around the city 7 times.

So, on the 7th day, on the 7th circuit around the city, the 7 priests will give a long blast on the musical horns.

Immediately the shophar will be sounded and all the people will shout with a great shout and the walls will crumble.

Really?

Joshua, this is your plan?

This is the most ridiculous thing we’ve ever heard.

Joshua, I’ve been an Israelite all my life, and we’ve never done it like this before.

It defies common sense.

We need to either by pass the city and come back later or go back across the river because we can’t take this city.

An Impossible Victory

It’s militarily unsound.

You’re going to get us all killed, Joshua.

For all of the impossibility associated with the circumstances and the complete lack of necessary tools to do the job, this is the city of Jericho today.

You want to know how to do the impossible?

You partner with God.

Get His mission.

His plan.

Do it His way.

In practical terms....

Once you have God’s direction for what you’re supposed to do, you work like it all depends on you and you pray like it all depends on Him; and you leave the results in His hands because somehow He causes the working and the praying to meet to accomplish the task He sent you to do.

It just never meets in the same place twice.

We didn’t have enough people to have a block party for the apartment complex yesterday, so we prayed.

Valley Grove Baptist, God sent you to help us blow the shophar and announce to the enemy that we’re here and with God’s help, we intend to impact our community for Christ.

We don’t have enough people to have Vacation Bible School.

Brothers and Sisters from Missouri, God sent you to help us blow the shophar starting this afternoon.

To Azalea Baptist Church we’ve seen God do what we could not already.

We had a block party yesterday, and God brought help all the way from Tuscumbia, Alabama to make it happen.

We’re having vacation Bible school for the first time in 6 years, and one day after having our very first block party, God has brought help all the way from Missouri for us to have another one.

Azalea Baptist Church, as a declaration of war upon the enemy of men’s souls, as a statement of faith in the true and living, God, as a battle cry of determination to accomplish what God put this church in the community to accomplish; you can shout with a great shout, for God has given you this city.

Maybe you’re here this morning and there’s some sin that you haven’t been able to overcome.

Perhaps you’re unsaved, and you thought God wouldn’t accept you because of how bad you’ve been.

Or maybe God has given you an assignment that you’ve been unwilling to take on because of your own limitations and flaws.

If you will do business with God this morning, the walls of Jericho will fall for you today.

Trust God, step out in faith, and He will meet you at your point of need.

If you’re already a Christian and on your way to heaven, you are His child.

There is no good thing that He will withhold from you.

If you need salvation, if you need Christ to do a saving work in your life you need to know that He loves you, He died to pay the penalty for your sins.

If you will simply receive Him as Savior this morning, He will not turn you away.

Christ is before you, with heart full of love and adoration, and He wants you to be saved today.

You don’t have to understand all of the theology or know the right words to say.

The prayer is simply, “Lord Jesus, I have sinned against you.

I believe that you are the Son of God, that you died for my sins and arose on the third day.

I surrender my all to you, Lord and I ask you to come into my heart and save me.

Lord Jesus, I give you everything.”

If any of those things is true for you this morning, whether you have sin in your life that you need to confess and repent of, you have an assignment that you haven’t accepted, or you need Christ to save you, the altar is open or I will be at the front to pray with you.