Win Loss Record

Journey with Joshua • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Joshua 12 KJV 1900

1 Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east: 2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; 3 And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Beth-jeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdoth-pisgah: 4 And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, 5 And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon. 6 Them did Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the Lord gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. 7 And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions; 8 In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: 9 The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Beth-el, one; 10 The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; 11 The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; 12 The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; 13 The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; 14 The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; 15 The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; 16 The king of Makkedah, one; the king of Beth-el, one; 17 The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18 The king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; 19 The king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; 20 The king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; 21 The king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; 22 The king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one; 23 The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one; 24 The king of Tirzah, one: all the kings thirty and one.

Let’s Pray

Introduction:

Why God? I get to chapters like this and I say why God? Why was it important to list all of these kings with names that are not the easiest to pronounce. Though you & I may have this thought the fact of the matter is that it does not change the fact that it was included in God’s Word. Meaning it is there for a reason.

I went back & forth with God on this Chapter. I was simply going to skip to 13 and say something to the effect of Chapter 12 is a list of kings conquered by Moses & Joshua. But I kept being led right back to this chapter.

If you are a football fan, today is a big day. Because the Kansas City Chiefs & the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will compete in the 55 th Super Bowl. I was thinking what does it take for a team to get to a Super Bowl?

Well according to one source: After the regular football season, the NFL schedule moves into the playoffs, which ultimately lead up to the Super Bowl. In regular-season games, teams compete for the best win loss records, and those teams with the best records advance to the playoffs. The playoffs, meanwhile, decide who goes on to the Super Bowl. Now there have been a couple of exceptions to this rule historically but did you catch the part about the best win loss record? Joshua Chapter 12 is giving us the win record of Israel.

Here are a couple of things that God shows us in this text.

1.) Where Did You Come From?

When you reflect back on your life what was life like before Christ?

Did not grow up in a Christian Home.

Can remember laying down at night wondering what would happen when I die.

I can remember wondering if what a person did made a difference.

I can remember thinking that if there was a God & Heaven that I would just be able to take my way in. What a terrible place to be in. There are so many people who are living in complete ignorance when it comes to Jesus.

I read about this lady in Colorado told her pastor of a recent experience that she felt was a sign of the times. She’d walked into a jewelry store looking for a necklace. “I’d like a gold cross,” she said. The man behind the counter looked over the stock in the display case and said, “Do you want a plain one, or one with a little man on it?”

Maybe you were at a place at one point in your life where you were completely ignorant when it came to Jesus.

But if you are a Follower of Jesus today then that means there are some things that God has brought you through. There are some battles that you have fought & God has seen you through.

Now when you are reading through Joshua and you arrive to Chapter 12 you will see that the 1st 6 verses are dedicated to the the Battles where Kings fell under the leadership of Moses. Which at 1st glance seems to be a bit out of place because the Book of Joshua has been about Joshua leading Israel across the Jordan in to the promised land.

But we must never forget that the shade we sit in on a hot summer day is only there because it was planted by someone before us. There are times in this life when we become comfortable. There are times in life where we struggle. But no matter if you are in a place right now where you are comfortable or fighting if you are honest with yourself you can see battles in which God provided a way for you to overcome. Because of God you have added another tic mark in the win column of your Win Loss record.

Now, we are told of 31 kings alone defeated by Joshua. You might be thinking, as you look back over your life, Brother Danny I can not think of 31 battles I have won. As a matter of fact that are some of us in here who have been fighting battles for years & years & it seems like there is no end in sight. But God is faithful.

Owen Borgaise said, “Winston Churchill paid tribute to the Battle of Britain pilots - that "so many owe so much to so few". Those famous words need to be slightly adapted when we think of what God in Christ has done. It is that "so many owe so much to only one person". How can that be? The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus is the Saviour of the world.”

If you are a Follower of Jesus Christ this morning the God won the most important battle of your life, the battle for your soul.

Psalm 55:18 KJV 1900

18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: For there were many with me.

You see, in essence, the Super Bowl for a human being - not to try to be comical but just for illustrative purpose - the greatest battle is the one where our soul hangs in the balance. We have the choice to choose either Heaven or Hell, which we have looked at over the past 2 weeks. We have the choice to choose Jesus or this world. If you are a Follower of Jesus then you have been cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb.

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 45: Blood of Christ

Dennis Fulton, former pilot with the Wings of Caring ministry in Zaire, tells of landing a newly purchased Cessna 402 at one of his regular stops in the back country.

As always, the villagers excitedly gathered around the plane, but this time Dennis was approached by two men carrying a live chicken. One had the bird by the feet, and the other had it by the head, and before either the chicken or Dennis knew what was happening, the fowl’s head and body parted company. The man with the flopping chicken corpse began swinging it over his head, round and round, with predictable results. Dressed in a freshly pressed white shirt, Dennis was splattered with chicken blood, as were the plane and the villagers.

When Dennis asked what that meant, a native explained that for generations, the splattered blood had signified an end to suffering. To the people of Zaire, the Cessna promised hope and help of all kinds.

In a graphic way, the splattered blood of that chicken, signifying the end of suffering, was a fitting reminder of the blood Christ shed to end the suffering of a world caught in the grip of sin.

2.) The Battles Don’t Stop

The 2nd half of Joshua Chapter 12 looks at the Kings defeated by Joshua.

For too many when they surrender their life to Christ they just stop.

The Follower of Jesus Christ’s life does not end at the point of conversion but rather that is where life truly begins.

For the Children of Israel, they did not just stop at the parting waters of the Jordan River, lay some stones down and say ok, we have reached the Promised Land. There was still work to be done. There were still battles to be fought.

Unfortunately, when so many give their life to Christ they stop there and feel as if there will not be more battles to be fought. That is why we see people fall away so easily because they failed to realize that spiritual warfare only intensifies the closer you are to God.

When spiritual warfare intensifies then a lot of people naturally want to give up. Why? They feel like Following Jesus really is not helping them. But understand that the enemy knows how to attack. He knows exactly how to distract you. He knows what to do to make you want to give up and to stop relying on God.

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 44: Blindness

In 1995 Jane’s International Defense Review reported that Norinco of China was offering to export a weapon that used laser beams to damage the eyes of enemies. The weapon is called the ZM–87 portable laser “disturber.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, “Jane’s said the company states ‘one of its major applications’ is ‘to injure or dizzy’ the eyes of an enemy combatant with high-power laser pulses, and ‘especially anybody who is sighting and firing … [by means of] an optical instrument, so as to cause him to lose combat ability or result in suppression of his observation and sighting operation.’ ”

The ZM–87 is effective to a range of two miles.

Blinding a soldier renders him worthless for battle. Satan knows that, and so he too has weapons to blind the eyes.

But we know how Joshua defeated these Kings. We know how Israel was delivered out of the hands of their enemies. We had talked previously about the fact that they had a sub par military and they went up against armies with more people, resources, and military capabilities. But how did they have such a great win loss record?

3.) Faith Wins Battles

How did they have so many wins, it is quite simple - faith!

James 4:8 KJV 1900

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

The closer you are to God the more the enemy will try to attack. But the more you rely upon Christ the more assurance you have that He will see you through.

Psalm 118:12–13 KJV 1900

12 They compassed me about like bees; They are quenched as the fire of thorns: For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: But the Lord helped me.

You see when we come to Chapters like this here in Joshua 12 it is easy to gloss over them. It is easy to skim through without any real depth. Now there is a ton of information we can garner from going through these verses. But here is what the Lord put on my heart to share with you this morning. He is Faithful. When we read of every King that fell at the hands of Israel, that is just another one of God’s Promises fulfilled.

God has made you promises as well. If you look back at your life you should see a lot more wins then losses. Even though it may not seem like it. Why? Because God is not slack concerning His promises. He is faithful!

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 537: Promises of God

In 1979 Verna Bowman of Telford, Pennsylvania, gave birth to her fourth child, Geoff, and quickly learned from doctors the frightening news: the baby had defective kidneys. Writing in Guideposts, she tells that doctors ordered the child rushed to a children’s hospital in Philadelphia, where he would receive kidney dialysis.

Still hospitalized herself, Verna prayed and prayed for her son, and as she did she soon felt God’s nearness. Unbidden, the words of a Scripture text began to repeat in her heart: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God” (John 11:4). She wrote the words down.

Later her husband called to report on the baby’s condition: “It’s too soon to tell if he’s going to make it,” he said.

“He’s going to make it,” Verna replied, and she read him the verse that God had breathed into her heart. “I believe those words,” she said.

“So do I, Verna,” replied her husband. “So do I.”

After three months of dialysis, Geoff’s kidneys, though still defective, began to function on their own. Throughout his childhood Geoff took medication and tired easily. During that time Verna collected in her journal other Scriptures which encouraged her faith that her son would be all right.

When Geoff was thirteen, the doctors reported he would need a kidney transplant. Though unsettling at first, this news turned out to be the answer to her prayers. Verna herself provided the kidney, and the operation was a complete success. Geoff would be able to live a normal life.

Later Verna’s daughter suggested they do something special with the Scriptures that had meant much to them during Geoff’s long sickness. Verna often made quilts and her daughter was skilled at cross-stitch, so they decided to make a quilt that displayed twelve of the cherished promises from the Bible. Each Scripture was stitched onto white linen and bordered in a pattern of hunter green and burgundy. Three months later the quilt was completed and hung on the wall of their guest room. When others admired the quilt, it eventually was hung in their church as well as other churches in the area.

God’s promises had made a great difference for Verna Bowman. When she chose to have these promises stitched onto a quilt, she made a fitting choice. As comforting as a quilt on a cold wintry night, so God’s promises ward off soul-chilling fear. They warm the soul.

Will you praise God for the promises He has fulfilled?

Will you claim the Promises that God has made?

Let’s Pray.

Larson, C. B. (2002). 750 engaging illustrations for preachers, teachers & writers (p. 539). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

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