The Weapon of Worship - Brad Jones

0:18 If you're just jumping into the mix, we're in a collection called, And the Walls Come Down. Anybody got their book with them today? Come on, front row, coming strong. If you need a copy, I think we still have more. We're walking through the book of Joshua. And we're coming today, no pressure to myself, but we're coming today to Joshua 6. And if you know Joshua, if you've been reading ahead, this is where the walls come down. We're talking about Jericho today. Anybody familiar with the story of Jericho? Let's do a show of hands. This isn't showing off. This isn't some, you know, Bible flex, but just keep them up if you're, okay, just to know who I'm looking at. How many times did they circle the city? It's not seven, okay? Come on, I thought you said y'all were familiar. Who was it that said that they were familiar with the story and then the first question, you get it wrong?

1:14 It's not, how many times? Okay, okay. Hey, somebody might've been at the 930, but how many was it? It was not six either. I mean, it was six. We're gonna get to this. Open up to Joshua chapter six. Apparently y'all thought you knew the story, but it turns out that we need to read. As we study, check this out, big picture for you. As we look at this, what is a very familiar story to most, It's about, it's in continuing this idea that God has promised us, he had promised his people the land, but there was time and effort and work and things to do to possess that land. And we're in this same situation for our lives. God's, we've received promises from God, but we also have to put in effort and time to possess these promises of God.

2:11 specifically on this story as we're talking about enemies it's it's seeing how God wants to bring victory to his people through the battles that we face and God wants to bring you victory through the battles that you're facing you're in battles aren't you you're up against it you're going through things. Jesus said, in this world, we will have trouble. It's not going to be easy. Paul said in Ephesians chapter six, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but it's against the rulers and authorities and the spiritual forces of evil and darkness in the heavenly realms. Life on earth is a battle, but God wants to bring his people victory. Can I get an amen? So as we look at Joshua 6 today, I believe, one, it's giving us a theological framework with dealing with the challenges, the adversity, the adversary, the enemy, the devil, with the challenges of brokenness and darkness.

3:18 It's given us a theological framework for how to handle things. Because it's not putting your faith in Jesus and everything is great. it's not putting your faith in Jesus coming to church and he'll never experience problems no we need a framework but then what I want to do today is give you some handles some takeaways some some things that you can hold on to that can help you as you face the trials and the struggles of life knowing that God wants to bring you victory God wants his people experiencing victory. Can I get an amen? Not living defeated, but experiencing the victory that he has for us. All right, Joshua chapter six. Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one went in. Isn't it kind of wild that if you were here last week or if you've been reading along, they've just crossed the Jordan.

4:28 They've just seen the miracle of God. They've just made it through the promise to the promised land. And on, we don't, I need to look back, but on the first few days, they've consecrated themselves. They've set up stones of remembrance and here they are facing a battle. And that's what I was just saying that we're going to go through struggles. We're going to go through circumstances. We're going to go through trials. And here the people of God are in the promised land, but up against it. But I want to read verse one again. The gates were securely barred. No one went out and no one came in. I'm wondering today who feels like they're in a situation like this right now. Where the gates are tightly shut.

5:23 where what you need to make it through feels like there is no way you're making it through. You might as well paint the word impossible on those walls. And you're staring down a situation. You're staring down a circumstance. You're struggling with something that you can't get past. You're going through something that you can't seem to shake.

5:56 You're carrying something that you just can't let go of from the past. There's an addiction, a temptation, a sin, a situation. Something's going on with your family. Some hurt that's happened to you. Some hurt that you've done to other people. and you're like, man, I know God has better things for me. I know he wants me to go into the promised land, but I can't get past this giant obstacle. It's tightly shut. The gates are securely barred. Have you been in that situation? Are you in that situation? This is what the Israelites were up against. No one was getting out and no one was getting through. And then God starts speaking in verse two, and these start coming with the handles. Then the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua, see, I have delivered Jericho into your hands along with its king and its fighting men.

7:06 What I want you to see first is the first word that the Lord said to Joshua. What is it? One more time. I love this so much. It's a good handle for us. That they can see the wall. They can see the armies behind the wall. They can see the gates. Just like you can see your challenges. You can see your circumstances. You can see your situation. But what God wanted them to see was not the height of the wall, but the size of the Savior. The size of the God. not the size of the situation or the struggle, but the size of the God who was on their side. He said, see, I wanna change your perspective. I wanna change your focus. I wanna change what you're looking at. And that's what he wants to do when it comes to when we're walking through trials.

8:01 Here's your first handle. He doesn't want us to stare at the struggle. He wants us to stare at our savior. We spend so much time thinking about all the things that are going wrong. All the things, all the reasons we can't get to the other side. All the challenges that keep us from getting to where God wants us to be. He said, don't think about how big the walls are, how big the army is. Think about how big I am. Don't you remember the Jordan? Think about that. Because so often you and me, we fill our thoughts with all kinds of negative talk. All the reasons we're never going to make it. God's like, no, fill your mind with God talk. Fill your mind with thoughts about me and what I can do and what I have done and where I'm sitting. Don't stare at your struggle. Stare at your Savior.

9:04 I love it. Can I give you a quick grammar lesson? I know I'm going to have to correct some of your thinking around how many times they marched around the wall. But he says, see, I have delivered. I don't know about you, but anytime I start talking about grammar, I think about my seventh grade English teacher who's probably going to find out about this talk and she's going to listen to it. And she's not be afraid to send my mom some notes to correct me on what I did or did anybody got a teacher like that? I'm like, come on, I've been out of seventh grade for 35 years, you know, like, let me be. But she would be real happy for me to talk about the present perfect tense. you know that anybody teaching your kids or you just letting chat gpt do that okay i'm in that zone where i'm like man i actually britney you help them with that homework i know caleb's in fifth grade but you got the math from here on out no that he jesus or no god speaks to Joshua in the present perfect tense. Not the future tense, like I will give them to you.

10:17 Or not a hopeful future tense, like I think I can deliver them into your hands. I might be able to. He says, no, I have delivered them. It hasn't happened yet, but you might as well count it as good as done. I have delivered them into your hands. When God makes a promise. God comes through on his promise so we can count on it. I have delivered.

10:45 What's that encouragement to me and you? For me, it's what's keeping me up at night isn't keeping God up at night. What's stressing me out or what's stressing you out is not stressing God out. He's got a plan and nothing is going to stop him from accomplishing that plan. Let's stare at our Savior and not spend all of our time staring at our struggles. He keeps talking, verse three. This is when we start remembering the story. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Helen, that's where you're right. They were marching once for six days, but we need to do some math right here. We'll come back to it. Have seven priests carry trumpets of ram's horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times. So on the seventh day, how many times? And then on the other days, how many?

11:43 One each day for six days, which is not six, it's 13, six plus seven. Did y'all, where did y'all go to school? Trying to figure out what school I want to make fun of right now. I've been on a kick for Georgia Institute of Technology. So maybe this is going over their head. I don't know. Maybe. Okay. So 13 times. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up. I love this next part. Everyone straight in. This is the part we know about the story. He says, all right, I got a job.

12:37 I got a strategy. Here's the plan. And Joshua's like, please give me the plan. I want you to walk. I want you to march around the city and do it silently. Imagine what Joshua's thinking like, Really? Actually, I would imagine he's thinking, okay, God, because this is what he said, we'll do whatever you tell us to do because we saw the way you came through for us in the Jordan River. We saw the Red Sea, we remember that. So if you tell us to march, we're gonna march. And so God tells him to march, but he gives him, this is what I want you to say, he gives him specific instructions and he wants seven priests carrying seven ram's horns. Anyone know what another name for the ram's horns are? The shofar. So the plan was for the army to go, then seven priests to grab the horns. They go in front of the Ark of the Covenant and then the rest of the army goes behind and the horns are blowing, the people are blowing the trumpets.

13:39 And then the Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God, and they're just circling that city. They're just making laps around that city. You're like, Brad, what's the handle for that? they were taking up the weapon of worship. They were leading with worship. They weren't, here's the specific example, they weren't waiting to worship. They were taking up the weapon of worship. Okay, because what's the shofar do? The shofar is announcing and declaring the arrival in the presence of God. In Exodus chapter 19, I won't read the whole thing right now, but go read it, it's awesome. It's the first mention of the ram's horn. Makes me think of Genesis chapter 22. Genesis 22 is when Abraham takes Isaac up the mountain, was told by God to sacrifice him. So Abraham was going to do what God called him to do. He gets to the top and at the very last minute when Isaac's on the altar, God provides a substitute, a picture of Jesus, right? That he's going to pay the price for us.

14:45 What was the substitute? A ram that just happened to be in the thicket. And now here we have God again with saying, I've given you these rams horns. I want you to blow them. But then you get to Exodus chapter 19, Mount Sinai. God's about to give the 10 commandments. And when he gives the 10 commandments, he tells Moses, hey, don't let the people come near the mountain until they hear the ram's horns. And then they can come and then thunder and lightning. And then I'll calm down. What's crazy is in Exodus 19, there's no human blowing the trumpet. Heaven is blowing the trumpet, but it's announcing God's arrival. God is announcing his arrival, that he's there and that the people could come near to receive the law. And Moses could climb the mountain. And so in this next instance, you get the people of God who know about and heard about the ram's horn of Exodus 19.

15:57 Follow me? The instruction for battle is announce God's presence. And then take God's presence. The Ark of the Covenant at the time was God's presence on earth. It's not the case anymore. God's presence on earth that dwells with me and you as the people of God. So God is in heaven on the throne, but his spirit, his presence resides in us. By the time, the Ark of the Covenant. So they were, what was their strategy? All this to say, their strategy that God had given them to defeat the enemy called Jericho was worship. was worship. You're like, is this a good strategy or not? I think it's a pretty good strategy for the battles and the situations that you and I face. Why? Because worship is aligning our hearts and our minds with the authority and presence of God. When you worship, you're not just singing songs. You're not just joining karaoke. You're getting your heart and your mind around the fact that there is a God on the throne who's in control.

17:10 That's why worship is so vital for your heart and for your mind. When you worship, you're confessing to God and you're reminding yourself that he is God and you're not. So many times with struggles, we try to take matters into our own hands. I got this. I can do this. I don't need any help. No, when we take up the weapon of worship, we're like, no, God, I need you. You've got all power, all rule, all authority. I can't do this, God. I can't do this. I need you. This is taking up the weapon of worship. It's declaring to God, our trust is in you and our trust is not in ourselves. if you're up against it, don't wait to worship. Don't wait till you get to the other side.

18:12 Like I know many people are like, maybe you've like taken a test and you're like, God, if I pass this test, I will do whatever you want me to do. Has anybody ever said that prayer? Most people over here, nobody over there, most people over there. You're like, or if God, if you get me this job, I will, you know, give you all of my money, you know, for the first paycheck. And then you're like, well, maybe, do you really need the money? Do you need, but thank you for the job. Like, like we wait, we wait till after we get the miracle or we say we're going to, we'll worship when we, when we get the breakthrough, when we get the miracle, but that's not the way we should fight our battles is because the same God who deserves our worship then deserves our worship now.

19:04 And even if we're in a situation where we don't feel like worshiping. So I've talked to people recently, you're like, I just, like believers in Jesus, like I just don't feel like worshiping. And I don't look over that and I'm not just saying it always has to be loud and always has to be celebratory. But worship is more than an emotional feeling. It's not just a spiritual high at camp when we've had the time of our lives and we've also had so many Red Bulls and not eating very healthy for a few days. No, worship is a response to who God is and what he's done. And we might not be in a situation right now where we know why God has us here, what he's doing, but we can look back at our past, right? The stones that we stack and we can give God praise now for what he's done back then, believing that he's gonna do for us again what he's done for us in the past.

19:59 So worship before and worship in the middle and worship after. Give God thanks and praise and honor. Call out to him, cry out to him, ask him for help. I'm gonna keep reading, but there's one verse I don't want you to miss. Let's start in verse eight. Joshua starts telling everybody to do exactly what God told them to do. No, we'll go in verse 9. The armed guard marched ahead of the priest who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. This is the verse. All this time, the trumpets were sounding.

20:45 All this time, as they marched around the city, that the trumpets were sounding. The people were making a noise. It makes me think about my very first car, the 1989 Jeep Cherokee. And it had a sound to it. Like it had like two sounds. Like one, occasionally the horn would get stuck and it would just go off. Like, you know, I don't know if you were watching that NBA game the other night and the horn went off and it like delayed the game for, oh, we don't have any sports fans here. Anyway, nevermind. for 20 minutes, but that would be my horn. It would just, it would just go off. The best would be when I would be like jamming to some music and I didn't really know that it was going off. And I would just hear this like weird beat. Like that, that's, that's, I'm not the most musical, but that doesn't sound right. And I turned down the volume like, oh no, my horn's been going off as I've been driving down this road. The trickier sound was, um, I had a hole in my muffler.

21:47 and so this is just a constant. Just driving up and down those roads in Canyon, Texas. Everybody looking at me going, you don't need to drive that car anymore. That car needs to go away. But it makes me wonder that what sound is coming out of you and I when we're walking through the trials of life? is the sound of worship confidence, faith, trust in Jesus coming out of us when we're going through it or is the sound coming out of you like how bad life is I'm not saying don't be honest and open with people is the sound coming out of you I'm never going to make it I can't get through this this is too tough look at all the people that wronged me Is the sound coming out of you all the negativity?

22:45 Or is the sound that's coming out of you a faith and belief and trust in God that even if it doesn't look like it, you don't forget that he is on your side and he works all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Is the sound coming out of you that his ways are higher than your ways? His thoughts are higher than your thoughts. And while you might not understand everything right now, you trust that he has a bigger plan and he is working you in that plan for your good and for your glory.

23:15 Is the sound coming out of you? God's with me. Yes, this is tough. Yes, this is hard. No, I don't wanna be here, but you know what? God is here. God is with me. And that's the sound that was coming out of the people as they were marching around that city. The whole time there was a sound. Passion City, could the sound come out of us in a trying and difficult circumstance that God is alive. He is on a throne. And he is working out a plan that is far bigger than our plan. Gotta speed up a little bit. Joshua 6, 14. You know what they did on the second day? they marched.

24:09 It says the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. Day one, day two, day three, day four, day five, day six.

24:30 They did what God told them to do. don't don't take this as some just story in the past let it come alive again to you today you know what's crazy that god could have taken down the wall at any moment he wanted to god did not need seven days he didn't need seven laps he didn't need the people blowing the trumpets he can do when he wants where he wants how he wants. But for some reason, he invited the people or tasked the people to march. And what were they doing when they were marching? They were following God's instruction, but they were also waiting to see God bring a breakthrough. And I don't know what you're up against. I don't know what you're going through. I don't know your family's walking through.

25:29 I don't know what you've been praying for, believing for. I know I have friends right now that are in some serious struggle. Some struggle that's been done to them, some that they've done to themselves. They're not sure if they're going to make it through this. But the beauty of a story like this and in the handles, right, is that they're doing what they can do while also waiting for God to do what only he can do. Control what you control and ask God to control what he control. So put people around you. Pray, be in God's word. Confess, seek accountability. Be in a group that is helping you, a connect group and a family group and YA and jumping into different ways at the church. Do what you can do, but then also be marching around, asking God to do what only he can do.

26:27 God, I need you to restore my marriage. God, I need you to restore my family. God, I need you to save my child. I'm gonna pray and I'm gonna speak and I'm gonna listen. I'm gonna do everything I can. I'm gonna confess. I'm gonna get clean. I'm gonna show up at rehab. I'm gonna do everything in my power, but I also trust God. And no, there's things that only you can do. I'm gonna wait for you to do that. don't quit marching are you believing some for something are you needing a breakthrough don't quit marching take another lap but when you're marching keep trusting in god in the waiting I believe. Yeah.

27:25 There's probably many in here go, why am I having to continue to go through this? God, if you're God, and if you really have the power, why aren't things changing? Anybody ever thought that? my answer on a specific situation is I don't know. But what I do know is that God uses hard times to shape us into the image of himself. So we should consider it pure joy, brothers and sisters, when we face trials of many kinds, because those trials are used by God to produce in us perseverance. perseverance, character, and character, hope. God wants to teach you something in the waiting. I hope your breakthrough comes tonight. I hope your breakthrough comes in a moment, because God can do it when he wants, how he wants. But until then, keep trusting God as you take another lap. Can I get amen? Amen, amen, amen.

28:37 there were, it's getting back to our math lesson real quick. So I don't want to miss this part, but there were seven priests. That means there were seven trumpets. There were seven days and seven laps. it was God saying, this is going to happen in my time, not your time. Because seven is the perfect number. Seven is God's number. Six in the Bible typically points to human effort, but seven always points to divine effort. On the seventh day, God rested. remember the Sabbath the seventh day keep it holy this is this is the perfect number God's number and so as we're marching as we're waiting we're trusting that God's going to do it in his time I don't know the exact quote because I'm speaking from the hip on this one but in my devotional in the last few weeks there's a verse in Isaiah towards the end and it says in in its time God will do it swiftly and I love that because it's up to God when his time is But when it's time, he's gonna do it swiftly.

29:56 And that's what taking up worship as a weapon is all about. Two more handles quickly. Verse 20, the rest of the chapter is them doing everything God told them to do and it going exactly like God told them it was gonna happen. And then in verse 20, it says, when the trumpets sounded, the army, what does it say? It could be cool if we actually shouted the word. When the trumpets sounded, the army. now we're talking um and the sound of the trumpet when the men gave a loud shout the wall collapsed come on somebody that's amazing i love that so much better than the 9 30 i just want to say dave's never liked the 11 45 i've always liked the 11 45 um the loud shout the wall collapsed so everyone charged straight in and they took this city. God doing what he said he was going to do. But there's a handle I want to give you in this and it's don't be afraid to shout. Call on God with all you've got.

31:03 don't be afraid to shout. And I'm talking actually literally, don't be afraid to shout. Yes, corporately in a moment like this, but don't be afraid to shout when you're driving your car down the road and you need God to come through. Don't be afraid to shout when you're on a walk or a run and sure it could be weird, but if you're in a desperate situation, or if you're longing for God to move, like lift your voice, amen? My guy right here on the third row has an A&M shirt on and he obviously has seen the light and God has revealed to him what is good. Because as a member of the 12th, man, we show up knowing our voice is needed. Maybe actually in the recent years, desperately needed, you know, for our team to pull the victory.

32:03 but we're the 12th man as a fellow Aggie. And we show up and we add our voice. I don't know why God wanted them to do the shout other than for them to know somehow by his grace, they got to participate in the breakthrough miracles that he was bringing. And they're like, how cool was that? God, God, God used, did he use our shout? Like, was it the sound way? I mean, were they confused? Like, was our shout that loud? No, God invites us to participate. And with your prayers, with your faith, with your worship, he's saying, come on, come be a part of these miracles I want to perform. Add your prayers, add your faith into the equation. It's not about getting credit for the shout, but it's about saying, I'm a part of what God's doing and I'm believing for it.

33:00 Thank you. sometimes worship is open-handed I love when someone leads us Shelly really put that in the equation for our church God put in our hands what you want to put in our hands and take from our hands what you don't want it's a sign of surrender openness before God I love moments at home or even in here. You're like, man, I just need to kneel and bow in humility.

33:39 Like humbled before God. You're God. There's no one like you. These are postures. Worship and posture is important. We're not all here saying like, man, it's all about corporate worship and the way you act when you come to Passion City. but you know, it really is hard to worship God like this because what you're communicating, I think to yourself more than anything is God, I'm closed off.

34:14 It's safe. It's me. I'm in control. Even that outward starts impacting the inward, but there's a posture that some of you need in this season that you're in. and it might not be a loud shout, but it's a defiant shout.

34:36 And the enemy is coming up against you. Life is trying to take you out. you're feeling crushed by the weight take up the defiant shout, God, I don't like it. This isn't easy, but I'm remembering, God, that you are fighting for me and I'm going to fight with you. I'm confident, God. I'm going to call on you with all I've got. and from my spirit at the darkness and the disappointment and the sin that is at work, God, I'm gonna shout. Say, not today, Satan.

35:27 This defiant, take up your shout. And God wants to use that shout to help you experience the victory. Call on God. Verse 27, read the rest. You'll get the story of Rahab and God saving people to act, the most unlikely people that act in faith. But verse 27,

36:00 so the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout the land. This is what it's all about. Pastor Lewis mentioned that Joshua, we need to remember that Joshua, we are not Joshua in the story, but Joshua points to Jesus. So in this story, Joshua got a lot of credit and people started talking about how amazing Joshua was and he had this closeness to God and he was God's man for the time, but Joshua doesn't point to us. Joshua points to Jesus. And so in this story, Joshua's fame grew, but in our story, Jesus's fame needs to grow. As we get through trials, as we go through situations, as God comes through for us, when we get to the other side, our handle should not be taking the credit. Don't take the credit.

36:55 Don't take the credit. But give God glory when the walls come down. God wants to bring you victory. And when he does, he wants the credit. Why? Because he deserves the credit. Why? Because he wants other people to know that he can bring walls down. And so now all of a sudden we're living testimonies. We're witnesses of his faithfulness so that people would look at our lives, our good works and our breakthroughs that we've experienced and be like, man, I want what you have. How did that happen to you? How'd you make it through? How'd you get through that? Well, let me tell you about Jesus who worked the breakthrough.

37:39 He deserves all the credit. And that's what God, I believe, wants to work in this church. There's some friends here that were part of a gathering in Lakeland, Florida. And God was moving in a really powerful way in these last few weeks. It's making me think today, or this week as I was preparing, I was reading Joshua 1.27. and it was talking about Joshua's fame spreading throughout the land. And then thinking about Jesus's fame spreading throughout the land.

38:23 As we gather here at Passion City Church and as we gather college students from all over the world, we find out our email addresses from way back when, I'm going on 18 years, but it's still active today. I do have a passioncitychurch.com email address, but I have a 268generation.com email address. Now, I don't want to let it go. And you're like, what's 268? Well, you've been coming around a while, you know it's Isaiah 268. Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your truth. We wait eagerly for you, for your name and your renown are the desire of our souls. It's longing for a generation of college students to be awakened to the fame and the glory of Jesus.

39:18 What does God want to do in our lives, in the struggle and through the struggle? He wants to awaken you and me. And he wants to awaken this city. And he wants to awaken this country. And he wants to awaken this world to the fame and the renown of Jesus. And so as we march, God will work. And through that work.