Apr. 24, 2022

“STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD”

“TURNING DEFEAT INTO VICTORY”

JOSHUA 8:1-13

Joshua 8:13 “…Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.”

Last time we learned four lessons:

1. When You Encounter Defeat You Have To Get Alone With God. You have to develop a consistent relationship with Him in prayer and Bible reading on a daily basis.
2. Never Dwell On Defeat- don’t try to ignore it or deny it, but don’t dwell on it. Find out what is wrong and fix it, and let it go, move on.
3. Never Give Less Than Your Best-commit your all to God, give a whole hearted effort, job, school, recreation and your relationship with God.
4. Always Give The Firstfruits to God- we do this to show where it comes from. It doesn’t come from us it comes from God.

Now today we will look at the other three:

5.   There Is No Lasting Victory Without Humility

Principle: Learn humility now, whether you are winning or losing. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ ultimate victory is promised:

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Romans 8:37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

1 Peter 5:6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

James 4:6-7 “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 7Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Grace- is the power of God given to us to deal with the requirements and challenges of life.

Many people are more concerned about being right than about being righteous! Pride cause this.

Servants do not have any rights, they have privileges.

Humility is not weakness, humility is total dependency on God.

6.   There Are Valleys Between Victories

There is no detours around most of life’s valleys.

Joshua 8:9-11

You will never have to go through a valley alone, if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Vs. 11,13 “…Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.”

Matthew 28:20 “… I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

Song of Solomon 2:1 “I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys.”

No matter what valley you have to go through, He is there with you. When we are called to go through the valleys, Jesus is always there to go with us.

1 Kings 20:28 “Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

God is God of the valleys as well as the God of the hills.

Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

The key is how you deal with the valleys. Paul knew how to deal with the valleys. When Paul was sailing to Rome:

Acts 27:22-25

Paul chose to believe in God to get him through the valley.

2 Timothy 4:16-18

Psalm 23

7.   Finish Every Job Completely

Joshua 8:14-29

James 4:1-2 “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”

War comes from within, when you give yourself over to the flesh and sin.

Lack of follow through is very common today, no commitment and no discipline or character.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

To gain victory in life requires consistency of following through in the power of God’s grace:

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

2 Thessalonians 3:13 “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.”

1 Corinthians 15:57-58

Be a person that is going to finish the job completely. Follow through and get the victory. Don’t be a whiner be a winner

We Have Two Tools To Help Us Follow Through In Life’s Victories:

*The Sword- The Word of God

Joshua 8:24 “…and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.”

2 Samuel 23:9-10

When you have a battle in this life you need to get to this book and stay with it till the job is done.

*Picture the Cross

Joshua 8:29 “And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day.”

Galatians 3:13 “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).”

Here is the picture- when faced with life’s battles, when faced with life’s enemies- you take it to the Cross.

Galatians 6:14 “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Are you going to learn from your failures? Are you willing to stick with the sword until the job is done?

Are you going to take life’s battles and enemies to the cross?