Sermon Tone Analysis

Welcome

Third Sermon in our Series called “Shout”

Come ready next week as we wrap up this sermon series with worship!

Bring your Shout with you!

INTRO:

How many of you have brought your shout with you this morning?

How many of you have a promise from the Lord you are waiting on?

Healing

Deliverance

Returned son or daughter to the Lord

Dream

Promotion or raise?

etc...

This morning we are going to look at the shout of promise.

When God gives you a promise in His word… or in your prayer time… There comes a time to shout in faith for that promise.

This morning we are going to see how that happens by looking at a very well known event found in Joshua 6:1

Turn with me there this morning.

As you are turning… Let me help you picture what is happening here.

Israel has just crossed the Jordan and entered into the land that God had promised to them hundreds of years earlier.

And in front of them is a city called Jericho.

Jericho was not a large city… but it was a well structured and fortified city with walls that were impenetrable.

Historians say that it had 2 walls.

Both were 30 feet tall.

Built on a hill.

So the second wall was even taller than the first wall.

The outer wall was was 6 feet wide!

The inner wall was was approx.

12 feet wide!

Large enough for horses and small chariots to run on!

That’s 18 feet of rock wall!

The people of Jericho were confident that as long as they stayed inside the walls… they would be safe and would just wait out the seige.

Historians also tell us that Harvest season had just taken place, so they had plenty of food to survive a long time.

And they had a spring that ran through the middle of the city… so they would be good with water as well.

I am sure they were confident that the Israelites could never conquer them.

And that is where we pick up here in Joshua 6:1

SERMON

God gives Joshua 2 things.

1.

A Promise: I have delivered Jericho into your hands...

God already has given Jericho to them.

It hasn’t happened in the physical but it is already finalized.

Jericho will be in the hands of Israel.

When God gives you a promise… It may not be manifested in the natural just yet… But you can be assured that God has already finalized and spoke it into existence.

2. A Plan: March around the city for 7 days...

How can you tell if God has given you a promise?

God doesn’t give you a promise without a plan!

Before you start throwing rocks of heresy at me… Just listen...

Sometimes the plan comes incomplete… (We want every detail, he doesn’t work that way a lot of times.)

Sometimes the plan seems stupid… or not really a plan (Just ask Joshua about marching around a city and shouting… Doesn’t sound very military)

Sometimes the plan may be what you don’t want to hear… (So we just reject that it is even an option)

And sometimes… The plan has not come yet… If that is the case… your job is to wait and pray until He tells you what to do.

God doesn’t give you an assignment and then just abandons you!

What I want us to really look at this morning is...

The 4 seasons you go through for every promise:

a. Season of Patience

Let’s continue in Joshua 6:6

Can you imagine 6 days of marching and seeing nothing happening?

I would be the one guy who would be watching the walls… Looking for any signs of cracking or weakness.

But after 3 days… then 4… I would be losing my patience.

Any one else here agree with me?

6 Days go by… And nothing has happened.

No signs of anything happening...

When God gives us a promise… As the days and weeks go by… and we see nothing changing… It can be hard to be patient.

But it is a season that we must all endure.

And those who are patient… See the hand of God move in mighty ways!

Don’t give up on your promise today… Keep going… Keep believing… Keep waiting...

And that takes us to the next season of our promise.

b.

Season of Obedience

How many would agree that obedience can be difficult sometimes?

Obedience becomes even more difficult when it doesn’t make sense to you.

I can only imagine the thoughts running through the minds of the soldiers of Israel...

You want me to march silently for 6 days straight....

Then you want me to march around this city 7 times on the last day and then finally shout… And the walls are just going to fall down… Seriously???

Have you seen the size of these walls?

Have you seen how sturdy and strong they are?

And our shout will be enough to bring them all down?

RIGHT...

But Joshua was very clear with them… These are the commands… Following them precisely was vital in fulfilling the promise God gave them...

It’s good thing the Israelites obeyed!

In their obedience they were able to see God do an amazing miracle right before their eyes.

What instructions has the Lord given you?

Are you obeying them?

For your promise to be fulfilled… Make sure you are not cutting corners…

Even if things don’t look like anything is happening… Trust the Lord and keep obeying.

In time… at the right time… The walls will come down.

And that is when you will enter into the next season of the promise.

c.

Season of Shouting

Joshua 6:20

What an incredible sight this must have been!

In just moments… A Strong fortified city loses its impenetrable walls… Because the Israelites shouted!

They Israelites were patient… obedient… and now they entered a season of shouting… It was their shout in confidence and faith of the Living God and His promise that tore those walls down!

The last time the Israelites were facing the Promise land… They were patient to get there… they were obedient leading up to the promise land… But when it was time to shout for their promise… They began to cry in fear instead...

That caused them to miss out on the promise!

At this season, You have two choices, Faith or Fear!

It’s Your Choice!

When you choose faith… You shout… A shout of victory… a shout of declaration… a shout of faith!

Because you know… even if you can’t see it yet… You are about to receive the promise God gave you!

I think we try to skip this season to often...

But there is power in your shout!