Worship is Our Weapon - Dan Watson

3:54 And when the trumpet sounded, the army shouted. And at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the walls collapsed. so everyone charged straight in and they took the city man what an account we can clap for the word of god we can clap for the word of god we'll go back So we are seeing in the chapters leading up to this, in chapter one of Joshua, Joshua gets appointed to leader. He takes over Moses. And then we have the other chapters that come. And in chapters three and four, we see God make a way. And Joshua and the Israelites cross the Jordan River on dry ground. And then we get to chapters five. And there is a covenant renewed. Remember that?

4:45 Remember Pastor Louis talking about that? The circumcision. Everyone. Circumcised on that hill. And the wilderness season ended and they're no longer wandering. They were entering. They were entering. Thank you, Nick. Thank you, brother. Appreciate you, my man. You see, God has given them this word. They've stepped into the land. And the first thing they find as they step into this land is what? They find a wall. Look at Joshua chapter 6 verse 1. It says, Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Jericho was not like a nice cute village. It was a fortified stronghold city.

5:40 It was on elevated terrain that the walls were so thick, there were outer retaining walls and there were inner fortification walls. so thick and deep that people would build their houses inside the wall. These walls were built to intimidate the Israelites and to intimidate people coming inside of it. I wonder today what walls you face. Because the truth is this, that every single one of us faces a Jericho at some point in our life. That every single one of us is doing life and maybe we've heard God speak and we're walking in and we know the promise is near, but yet somehow there seems to be a fortified wall in front of us that no one can come in and no one can come out. And we're trying to figure out how do I move forward? That wall is trying to intimidate you.

6:33 And I wanna let you know this morning that wall was never meant to remain. That wall was never meant to keep you in intimidation. The wall was meant for you to press on in Jesus' name. that the wall for you may not be bricks and stones. It may be fear. It may be anxiety. It may be addiction. It may be depression. It may be your marriage not doing quite well right now. It may be even the status of where you find yourself. It may be a wayward child or a sickness that you find or even a calling that you feel unqualified to carry. Every single one of us, the truth is that we face a wall in our life. But I love that the Bible says that he has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind, a spirit of peace to face the things that we think are bigger than us. But when God speaks, wars can collapse in Jesus' name.

7:33 Joshua 6, though, is not primarily just about wars collapsing, even though this is a big and huge part of it. This is about, as I've studied this scripture, it is about a people being formed by worship. A people being formed by worship and overcoming what they face by the power of worship. Hebrews 12, 28 says this, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. You know this and I know this. The worship is not just what we do when we come in for the first 15 minutes of our gathering. And we sing our songs and then we check that box and then we go about our business. No, worship we know is a lifestyle. It's a lifestyle of reverence of who you understand the Lord to be.

8:30 Worship, my friends, is how you respond to who he is. Romans 12, 1 says this. This is Paul writing. He says, It's what is holy and pleasing to God. And so before the walls came down, friends, there was a worshiping body. Are you with me? And so many of us, what I've realized, so many of us wants the walls to come down in our lives without giving God our worship first. Before the walls came down, there was a worshiping body.

9:28 And there's two things I want to let us know about worship today, if I may. Number one is this. worship is walking in obedience. In obedience. Some of us think obedience is a dirty word. Obedience. You all know I have four children and all of my children, all four of them, 100% of the time, are always obedient. You know, that's not true. My five-year-old, River is a character. He's a great character. He had his first haircut in five years. Just these long curly locks. And now gone. I know. Like I wanted him to grow up like Nick. And have hair like Nick. But they're just gone. And it's crazy. But River just has this amazing ability to forget what dad says.

10:22 It's just like it's a gift. You know, it's a gift. And I may say one thing. hey, River, go upstairs and get changed out of your school uniform and into your clothes. And then his brother or sister may say something else. And then 10 minutes later, I will look at River and I will see that his school uniform is still on. I said, River, what happened? He said, what do you mean? I said, what happened? I said, I told you to go and get your uniform off and your clothes on. He said, yeah, but Jude and Bella said this. I said, I don't care. I'm your father, listen to me. He said, oh, I forgot.

11:06 So often, our father can speak, and we can hear the noise of everything else, and we go off track and go following what everyone else is doing, and God said, no, no, no, I'm speaking. I need you to listen to me. Before the Israelites and Joshua marched, before the priest move, before the trumpets sound, what happens? God speaks. God speaks. And I believe today in our gathering this morning that God is speaking to you. That God has a desire to speak to you, to commune with you, to be with you. But God speaks. Let's check it out. Verse 2, it says this. Then the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands along with its king and its fine men. So God speaks, but has Joshua seen the miracle yet?

12:01 No. Has Joshua had the provision yet? No. Have the walls come down yet? No. But as God said, it's done. Yes. Notice the tense of which the Lord speaks. I have delivered. Not I'm going to, not I may, not even I want to, but I have. The victory is declared before the first step is taken. The word of God is declared before the first step is taken, yet grab this. Steps must be taken before the walls fall down. This is a communion. This is a partnership. God speaks, we move. and throughout scripture and throughout life, you see God forming reality by the power of his words. In Genesis, what does it say?

12:54 And God said, let there be, and there was. Ezekiel prophesied to the dry bones the word of the Lord and these dry bones come to life, not because Ezekiel said it, but because the word of the Lord was spoken. Romans 4, 17 says that God calls into being things that were not. And at Jericho, the battle that they face is framed by a promise already declared. I want to let you know that God has got promises for you. And in the battle and the wall that you face, he said, I've got victory over it already. His word has already said it. And so our life and our response is not to start with the wall, but to start with the word. What has God said? What does His Word say? That's why we've got to be students of the Word. We've got to be able to get into this.

13:48 So when we face our walls, we know that we're saying, no, this is what God has said. This is what God is doing. This is what He has declared. And some of us, man, we're staring at the walls and not staring at the Word. When I was four or five years old, I remember my mom, amazing mom, but I got in trouble. She was a little bit strict sometimes. and I got in trouble. And I remember my mom's friend was coming to take me and my brother on a boat trip in the sea of Bournemouth to take us out there. And I was so excited. We've been talking about this for days and days and days. But then the day of the boat trip, I did something naughty,

14:34 something bad, something disobedient. I took a pen. And in my bedroom, I drew on the wall. It was a piece of art. I'm just letting you know, it was a piece of art. But I drew on the wall. And my mom came into the room and she saw me draw on the wall. And so I got disciplined that day. And my discipline was my brother got to go on the trip with my mom's friend on the boat. And she made me stare at the wall. She said, you love that so much. Stare at it. And man, I stared at that wall so long, I fell asleep. It was a long time. I stayed at the wall so long, I fell asleep, and I woke up to my brother coming back from his great boat trip, having a great time. I've been to therapy since.

15:25 It's fine. but friends, maybe some of you, some of us, have been staring at a wall longer than you've needed to. Maybe you've been staring at a problem, a situation, or a circumstance longer than you've needed to. You've given it too much attention, and to stare at a wall too long will make you inactive.

15:49 It will make you feel like that wall is bigger than the word. You believe that, and maybe you believe that today. maybe you believe that what you're facing, that doctor's diagnosis, maybe you believe in that, that wall is bigger than the Word of God. Maybe you're believing that that marital situation, that tension that you're finding right now, that that wall is bigger than the Word of God. And maybe today you've been staring at the wall longer than you've been staring at the Word. So Joshua in verse 2 hears the Word of the Lord. And in verse 6 and 7, doesn't just hear the word of the Lord. He obeys the word of the Lord. There's one thing to hear the word of the Lord, friends. There's another thing to obey and walk in the word of the Lord. He doesn't try and revise the strategy. He does not try and improve the plan of what God has said. He obeys exactly what the Lord has said to him. Friends, that is true worship. That is worship. Because sometimes we want to add our intellect to God's Word. I'll tell you, God's way smarter than you are.

17:01 He's way more intelligent than you are. He sees way more than you and I see. And so probably the best thing, not probably, definitely the best thing that we could do is obey and walk in what God has said. And so in verses six and seven, Joshua tells the man, hey, go and do this. Go and get the trumpets, go and get the ark of the Lord and obey. And today you could be staring at a wall while ignoring what God has already spoken to you about. And so he walks in obedience, but then grab this. This is one piece I love as I read this scripture. He walks in the word and he walks in God's presence. He walks in the word and he walks in the presence. Verse six and seven tells Joshua, summoned the priest and said, take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

17:57 Grab this, the ark goes first. The ark goes first. Give you context of the ark. I think we talked about it before, but the ark represented the throne of God among his people. And inside of it were the tablets of the law. They were there. That was the word of God. And Hebrews 9, cross-reference, Hebrews 9 tells us they also contained manna and Aaron's staff. And the manna and Aaron's staff represented provision and authority. and on top of that was an atonement cover, an atonement cover and this is where the place where the blood was sprinkled for the sacrifices that were made and access to that presence was restricted. It was in the holies of holies in the inside of the temple where there was a curtain veil. It was separated and the high priest only could go in there once a year to take that blood sacrifice and sprinkle it on the mercy seat.

18:53 But we know that there was a greatest sacrifice, a sacrifice made once and for all. We just remembered that in taking communion today, that in the Gospels we know that Jesus died once and for all, for all mankind. No other sacrifice need be made, no lamb, no goat, no nothing. And that blood was shed so that there was a way made.

19:18 Hebrews 10, 19 tells us, Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by what? By the blood of Jesus. So the blood of Jesus was shed. And so now we know that what once was an external holy place now is an internal holy place. That once went before them, the ark, now the spirit of the living God dwells inside of us. The presence of the Lord is in us. 1 Corinthians 6.19 says, do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you? So why is this important? Why the ark go first? Simply because they wanted to be led and dwell in the presence of the Lord. They didn't want to do this without being in the presence of the Lord. Before Israel confronted the wall, they centered their life around the throne. See worship as obedience means that you dwell in the presence of the Lord. Grab this picture.

20:28 The trumpets go first, the ark in the middle, the people behind. The trumpets and priests, ark, people. The wall was not the center. The presence of the Lord was the center. Their problem was not what they were centering themselves and their conversation and their thoughts and their feelings around. They were centering themselves around the presence of the Lord. They were being led by the presence of the Lord. The question I have for you today is who's leading you? What's leading you? When you see the wall in front of you, when you see that diagnosis in front of you, when you see all those things in front of you, what is leading you? Your problem or the presence? Joshua and the people of Israel wanted to be led by the presence of God. I want to be a person that's led by the presence of God. I want to be a person that when I walk, it's in step with the presence of God. It's in what God has said, that God is with me.

21:35 I want us to be a people like that. The other thing about this in Joshua 6 verse 10 says this, And so for six days, man, these guys walk around the walls of Jericho in silence.

22:08 In silence. Now I bet there was some stuff they wanted to say. I bet they could have given Jericho a piece of their mind. But they bit their tongue, obeyed the word of the Lord, and walked in silence. You know it takes strength to stay silent. And in this account, silence is not apathy. Silence is obedience. some of us want to excuse our silence for for obedience and reverence to the lord when actually it's just apathy for this place was silence is not apathy it's it's obedience to the lord i got a friend he's a british professional boxer and he's a phenomenal boxer his dad was a boxing champion he is a boxing champion the fight's in well away he's just incredible and i've seen him come up from when he was like 18 years old to where he is right now, just fighting places like Vegas and Dubai and all the biggest places in London at the O2 and at the home of English boxing in East London.

23:16 This guy is a machine. And I've seen him and been with him at these big crowds, man, thousands and thousands and thousands of people. And I see him backstage and I see him in the ring, but there's this journey between backstage and the ring. and he has to walk from being outside to walk into the ring and man, the music, the music is so loud. It's not holy music, but it's loud music. It's so loud and the crowds are cheering and they're sneering. You know, like there's heroes and there's villains in boxing and this guy has just had his moments being a hero and being a villain and I just heard some of the things that people are cheering about him for and some of the things that people are sneering. And I'm like, man, that's crazy. But I watched him time and time and time and time and time again.

24:12 As he walks from backstage to the battlefield of the ring, he has his hood up and he just walks. And people are saying all sorts of things to him. There's things trying to grab his attention and trying to intimidate him. But yeah, he just walks in silence. And I asked him, brother, look, why do you do that? How do you do that? I would want to talk back to all of these people saying stuff about my name. I would want to do all of that. That's the fight in me. He says, no, dad. He says, I've done the work back there. And I've got about to fight over there. There's a moment to be loud. And there's a moment to be quiet. I still myself in that moment to fix my eyes on what I need to do in that ring. I'm like, gosh, it takes more strength to stay silent than it does to make noise. In fact, the silence is noise.

25:12 The walls, as the Israelites and Joshua walked around in silence, the walls did not weaken those six days. There was no cracks forming in the walls. The walls still stayed fortified. They still stayed strong. Jericho inside was having a beautiful time. The walls did not get weaker, but guess what? The people got stronger. Every silent lap built trust in the word of God. Every restrained word built endurance in the people. That the formation of the wall preceded the manifestation of the walls coming down. And some of you find yourself in a repetitive season where things just seem quiet. God, I've been praying and I don't see the wall come down yet. I've been obeying and I don't see the wall come down yet. I've been walking and I don't see any cracks in this yet.

26:08 Nothing has shifted. There is no movement. In fact, the wall looks bigger than it's ever looked before. But what about if the repetition is reshaping something inside of you? What about if the silent obedience of worship is strengthening you right now? to trust the Lord another lap, to keep on going, that the wall may still stand, but guess what, your faith is getting stronger, that you're being formed from the inside out in the silent season of your life. And some of you have been praying for your kids, man, and you feel like you're on lap two, three, four, year 10, year 12, whatever it is, but guess what? If God has said it, then he'll do it. Our job is to keep walking in obedience. Our job is to keep praying, to keep turning up, to keep lifting them up in worship, to keep believing that they're gonna come home.

27:05 Man, you may still see that diagnosis and it still may say cancer, but guess what? Keep walking in obedience. Keep praying, keep worshiping, keep lifting up the name of Jesus. Keep walking, there will be a breakthrough. When God said it, he's gonna do it. And these Israelites and Joshua, they kept walking. And they didn't finish on lap 3, 4, 5, or 6. They kept going until what the Lord had said. And there was a breakthrough coming. I want to let you know there is a breakthrough coming. There is a time coming. And if we don't see it on this side of eternity, we'll see it on the next. There is a time for silence, but there is a time for a shout. There is a time for silence, and there is time for a shout. The second thing I want us to know is worship is a weapon. Worship is a weapon.

27:55 Joshua 6, 20 says this. When the trumpet sounded, the army whispered. It doesn't say that, does it? When the trumpet sounded, the army just gave a small cheer. No. When the trumpet sounded, the army just went, praise Jesus. When the trumpet sounded, the army just stood there. I said when the, when the trumpet sounded, the army shouted. They gave a shout from their inner being. And when the men gave a loud shout, then the walls collapsed.

28:57 When the trumpet sounded, the army shouted. And when they shouted, the walls came down. Well, God could have just done it by himself. Yeah, he could. but he wanted something from you and he wants something from me. He wants us to walk in obedience and he wants us to live a life of worship and he's requiring something of you. He's requiring a shout, a shout. Psalm 47, 1 to 8 says this, clap your hands, all you nations. Shout to God with cries of joy. For the Lord most high is awesome.

29:59 He's the great king over all the earth. He subdued nations under us and peoples under our feet. he chose our inheritance for us the pride of Jacob whom he loved grab this verse 5 I love verse 5 God has ascended God has lifted up God is exalted amid shouts of joy but a shout of joy the Lord admits the sounding of trumpets sing praises to God sing praises, sing praises to our King sing praises for God is the King of all the earth sing to Him a psalm of praise God reigns over the nations.

30:58 God is seated on His holy throne. The people clapped their hands and gave a shout, a shout of joy for who God is and what He has done. There's a time to stay silent. There's a time to give a shout. the shout came and then the walls came down they didn't shout after the walls came down so many of us want to praise Jesus once we see Jesus do something no he said shout for joy already give a clap lift up your voice let the praises of your voice rise and watch him do something you step and watch him do something you shout and watch him bring down the walls Man, the trumpet announces the divine kingship.

31:55 It declares that the Lord reigns. When they were blowing a trumpet, it meant that there was a victory sound. These guys are blowing the trumpets before the walls have even come down. Before what man would say there was a victory, they are declaring that there is a victory. Why? Because God has already said it. And so the trumpets sound as a victory. The trumpets belong to the Lord. But guess what? but the shout of the sound of the shout belongs to the people. The trumpet is heaven's declaration. The shout is earth's agreement with God's Word. The shout is not just about volume, friends. It is about the posture of your life. It's agreement with heaven before evidence even takes place. I wonder who has your shout today.

32:48 Does the Word of the Lord have your shout? I may not see the walls fall down yet, but I may give a shout to the Lord regardless. This breakthrough has not taken place yet, but God still requires my shout. He still requires my worship. I'm still going to lift him up with shouts of joy. I'm still going to clap my hands. Even though my kids have not come back yet, I'm still going to shout because the God is good. He's good. Oh, I'm still single and I don't want to be single, but I'm still going to shout for joy. man I don't feel like I'm in the place where I should be but guess what I'm not gonna shout when I get there I'm gonna shout now I'm gonna praise him now Shout for joy.

33:41 They gave a shout. the walls fell because the people shouted in faith the people didn't shout because the walls fell maybe it's time for you to get your shower maybe you've been staring at that wall too long giving it too much permission too much authority in your life maybe the wall has got your shout that the world doesn't deserve your shout or need your shout or require your shout. Only Jesus needs our shout. Shout for joy. All you people, clap your hands. This is what God loves. It's holy and pleasing to him. so what does it look like to shout because I bet if your boss is being a bit funny I don't think you're going to go into work and just go your boss if I get fired what does it mean to actually have a shout because maybe you're not going to just shout everywhere you go physically but it's about an attitude of a shout living with the attitude of a shout the shout may look like obedience when it's inconvenient to you it may look like humanity humility when pride is rising up inside you it looks like forgiving when bitterness feels justified It looks like worshipping in your kitchen when anxiety and the weight of the world feels so loud and so heavy.

35:16 It looks like declaring scripture when doubt is whispering in your ear. The shout looks like saying, hey, my marriage will not end in ruin. My children, they will return home. This sickness does not get the final word. This addiction does not own me. This divorce does not define me. This business, it belongs to the Lord. The shame that I've been carried has been covered by the blood of the lamb. Why? Because God has given me this city. I may see the wall, but Jericho is going to hear my shout.

35:49 I may see the problem, but let's believe it's going to hear my shout. The last thing the people at Jericho heard was the shout of God's people. The last thing that they heard inside that place before they got taken out. What's the shout of God's people that the Lord reigns? Oh, come on, let your enemy know. Let your enemy hear the shout of the Lord inside of you. Let fear hear, not hear you being timid, but hear the shout of God inside of you. Let depression hear the shout of the Lord. My goodness, I remember. I remember just my times with depression. heavy, weighed, strong. And there are times where, man, I wanted to give into it. And I was an absolute mess.

36:42 And I was a functioning depressant. But I just remember, man, I couldn't give a shout sometimes. But I tell you what, this woman did. nothing can stand when his word his presence in your worship align no wall has power no wall can stand depression has to fall anxiety has to fall insecurity has to fall lack has to fall the walls have to come down why? because the people are going I have heard the word of the Lord I am dwelling in the presence of the Lord and the Lord is going to get my shout He's going to get my shout come on worship team come and join me Let Jericho hear your shout today, church.

37:53 Let it hear your shout. Let it hear your shout Let it hear your shout Yes the wall may be big But your God is bigger Let it hear your shout today I don't know what you're facing But it's time That what you're facing Hears your shout Come on, let them tremble inside of Jericho. They don't know what's happening. They're hearing the trumpets. They're hearing the victory is won. And they're hearing the shout of God's people. And the Bible tells us that when they gave a shout, the walls collapsed. Woo. Woo. The world was collapsed. Some of you have been shouting and you've seen the walls collapse.

38:57 You've seen that there was a way where there was no way. Some of us, man, we've been praying for that. We've been believing for that. We've been shouting for that. And then we see the walls collapse. We see a way and the rubble is there and we're still on the outside of the wall. I was still on the outside of the wall God didn't bring down the walls for you to stare at them in my head He brought down the walls for you to advance and move in and take the land. Oh, God can bring down the walls, but you got to step. You got to walk. You got to take the land and you got to give glory to God. Some of us, man, are standing on the outside of the walls and the opportunity is open. The calling is clear.

39:51 The door is unlocked. But the word of the Lord for you today is to advance. is to take the land in which he has given you. Take the land in which he has said, this is yours. I've given it to you. And you know what Jericho and the Israelites did as soon as they got it? What did they do? They took everything and they gave it back to God. It was never theirs. This opportunity was never mine. This child that I prayed about for years and years and years and years, it was never mine. Belongs to you, Lord. This job that I was praying about, that I showered about, and I saw the opportunity come, God, it doesn't belong to me. It belongs to you. God, this miracle in which I stand in now, this marriage, this provision, this healing, it's not mine, God. It's yours. I'm giving you the glory. I'm giving you the praise. I'm giving you the honor.

40:43 I'm giving it back to you. This is what Joshua and the Israelites did. And listen, any success that you have is not yours. It belongs to the Lord. first of all man I feel like there's just some people who need to hear the word of the Lord dwell in his presence and let the Lord have your shout you've been shouting at too many other