Shout! The walls of Jericho are Coming down (Pastor Goodheart O. Ekwueme) 31-08-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE
★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ HOUSE ON THE ROCK, (City of Refuge)
Airport Road, Abuja - Nigeria
31st August, 2014

 

* Psalm 22:28-29

 

* God uses the vehicle of His Word to bring about transformation in the lives of Men

 

SERMON
* Speaker: Pastor Goodheart O. Ekwueme
* Topic: Shout! The walls of Jericho are Coming down
* Text: Joshua 6:1-16, 20

 

* NOTE: The book of Joshua is a transitory book - it anchors the Pentateuch (five books of Moses) and the Prophets

 

* Joshua Himself was a transitory leader, charged with the responsibility to take the nation of Israel to the promised land

 

* Regardless of what happens, God always leaves a remnant for himself

 

* The remnant are always in the 'minority' but they are the ones who walk in, and live prophesy

 

* Today, the Church is experiencing a major transition into what God expects of it

 

* Note the 4 Stages Of Metamorphosis of the Caterpillar
 → The beauty of the butterfly speaks of glory, but it had to undergo a gradual process of transformation

 

★ Psalm 85:11 →"Truth sprouts up from the ground, while righteousness looks down from the sky."

 

* This is a season of Spiritual Sensitivity

- You cannot afford to be careless with your walk with God

 

* It is better for a person to be prepared waiting for an opportunity, than to be faced with an opportunity you are not prepared for

 

* The only difference between the 5 wise virgins and the 5 foolish virgins is preparation
→ Matthew 25:1-13

 

* When preparation meets opportunity, success is inevitable

 

* Preparation is critical to success

 

* The victory of lsreal was possible because they saw the land of Jericho through the eyes of the Lord and they were prepared to inherit it by faith

 

* Never look at your challenges through the eyes of your giants. This will only get you intimidated & discouraged
→ Numbers 13:25-33
→ Deuteronomy 1:28

 

★ Joshua 5:12 →"The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land. Since the Israelis no longer received manna, they ate crops from the land of Canaan that year."

 

* "The manna ceased": Manna Represents what God does all by Himself. They began to eat of the fruit of their labour

 

* You don't eat corn by praying or fasting only

 

* There are things in which God expects your input through:
(a) Participation
(b) Obedience
(c) Wisdom
(d) Hardwork
(e) Involvement
(f) Brutal faith

 

* Note: When God multiplied bread, He gave the disciples to share: He wanted them to be "involved" in the process
 →Matthew 14:15-21

 

* There are results that are gotten only through your own involvement and effort in obedience to God's words

 

* Joshua 1:1-1 ("Moses my Servant is dead")

- The methods of Moses could not bring Joshua into the promised land
- He needed a new strategy

 

* Note: Money is the lowest rank of wealth.
- there are things that Money cannot buy

 

* You must be willing to change.
- Those who are not willing to change or metamophosize, die is the "wilderness"

 

* The enemy knows that if you ever succeed to pull down your 1st major enemy (Jericho), the rest is history
- Satan will do all he can in order to discourage you from reaching your goal

 

* The enemy has done what he did because he is afraid of God's hand over your life

 

* What you are going through is a tip-off (an indication) of what God has deposited in you

 

*Warfare is good because victory is guaranteed at the end

 

* Christ & I are a winning Couple!

 

★ Joshua 6:2 →"The LORD told Joshua, “Look! I have given Jericho over to your control, along with its kings and valiant soldiers."

 

* God challenged/required Joshua to "see" What He had done

 

* God is not 'about' to give you; He has 'already' given you Victory.

 

* What you "see" is what you enter into

 

* "Jericho" is something that requires you to stick closely to divine instructions if you are to achieve victory

 

* NOTE: The people of Israel did not hear God directly, but they believed Joshua His servant

 

* God's instructions would always come to pass

 

* You must be willing to obey seemingly foolish instructions by faith

 

* The presence of God must take a centrality in all that you do

 

* You must have a hunger for God's presence

 

* What keeps you alive and victorious is hearing & heeding God's voice

 

* When you hear God, the world will hear you

 

* Joshua 6:10 →"Joshua issued orders to the army: “You are not to shout or even let your voice be heard. Don’t utter a word until I tell you to shout. Then shout!”

 

* There is a place for silence and stillness in the battle of faith

 

* Shouting is an expression of faith

 

* Shouting is usually connected to praise

 

* Praise will silence your enemy

 

* NOTE: (Joshua 6:15-16)
- The shout was not because the walls have come down. It was an expression of faith in what God was about to do for them

 

* Learn to praise God in advance for the fulfilment of His promises in your life

 

* The shout was to cause the wall of Jericho to come down

 

* With each level of obedience on the part of Joshua and the army of Israel, there was a deployment of angels to assist them

 

* It was their obedience to divine instructions that caused the walls to come down

 

* Through praise, you place the battles (of your life) into the hands of God