Following Our Commander, Joshua ,

Transcription

1 Following Our Commander, Joshua , Intro 1. The Signers of the Declaration of Independence. The Commander of the Lord s Army He is not an angel o The Only time this phrase is used in the Bible o Context: He receives worship. Angels reject worship from humans Rev Sim to Ex experience is a continuous thought. The chapter division makes it seem like a time delay. New Testament: Jesus relationship with angels 2 Th ; Jude 14; Rev In each instant, He is leading them to administer the judgment of God upon the earth. This is Jesus the Warrior King. CIM - Jesus is the Commander of the Lord's Army. He is the Warrior King and we must devote our allegiance to Him before anyone and anything else. The Importance to Us Jesus is a Warrior King He is a King with a Kingdom. He has charged us to establish His reign over the entire earth. During these times, as resistance against His Kingdom reaches a crescendo and evil flourishes, He will return to destroy and judge everything that resists His love and rule. o The sword in His hand (5.13) always represents judgment and warfare Gen.3, Num the angel of the Lord with the drawn sword; 1 Chron the angel with the drawn sword over Jerusalem; Rev.19 the sword from His mouth destroys His enemies. o Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Bread of Life, The Risen Lord, The Holy One of God, Glorious Savior, the Bride Groom and the Warrior King. He

2 came as a baby the first time and returns as a Conquering King & Commander of the Lord s Army the second time.. Isaiah = Rev o He comes marching in to Jerusalem to destroy the end-time armies that are surrounding the city. o He kills and replaces all the wicked governmental leaders in one event. The world s wicked leaders are all gathered in one place and they are trampled by Him in the winepress of His wrath. (Rev.14.19f, ) Jesus will establish the new world order that He will reign over. Everyone will submit to Him either willingly or forcefully. o Note: Is Jesus quotes this passage with the exception of the last phrase, which was not a part of his first coming, but it is essence of his second coming. He intentionally leaves off the phrase day of vengeance of our God b/c this was not the focus of the first coming of Christ, but it is of his second. Commanders at war either have devoted followers and hardened enemies. There is no middle ground. Everyone will have a strong opinion about Jesus when He returns. o Before He returns, the world will be polarized in its view of Jesus. He will either be embraced or rejected. o Mt explains the conflict Jesus brings to family. As times grow more challenging and people drift further away from truth and morality, there will grow an increased opposition to the Jesus of Scripture. o Anyone who stands with the Jesus of Scripture will be regaled, lampooned, harassed and even martyred (Rev.7 & 14). We are living an in environment when people s hostility towards the Jesus of Scripture and those who stand with him is intensifying. o Like Joshua, we must bow in allegiance and devotion to the Commander of the Lord s Army and follow Him into the battle. o We must devote ourselves to Him in a time of grace and in a time of division.

3 The End Time Anger Against Jesus Leadership as Commander and King The End Time Conflict over the truth of who Jesus Is o The conflict in the End-Times centers around defining who Jesus is and how we love Him. We must love God on His own terms. Love for God is loyalty to His truth as seen in Jesus. Our love must be expressed in alliance with the Jesus of Scripture, not the Jesus of our own making. We see it today as in the past. As people are redefining Jesus based on their experience and their bias against the Bible. They don t like completely how Jesus is presented in the Bible so they pick and choose. They spiritualize away the clear meaning of Scripture to justify their position. o There are three offensive truths about Jesus that are causing conflict: First, his deity thus his right to establish absolute standards for which everyone is held accountable. Jesus is NOT tolerant and accepting of everyone s view of righteousness and love. As God, He has complete authority to define how life is to be lived and beliefs we are to hold. We can reject His beliefs, and develop our own, but you will be held accountable to His standard. The whole debate about defining marriage. If marriage is only a contractual agreement between individuals then you can define it however, but if you say, Marriage is sacred then that means God has something to say about it. Second, the only way of salvation is through him. He allows for no alternatives. This is offensive to everyone who do not follow Christ. We must stand by His claims that there is no other alternative. It makes you look out of step, uncultured, intolerant, and ignorant to say that Jesus is the only way of salvation and unless your faith is in Him you will spend eternity in Hell. Jesus said John and John the Baptist adds John 3.35f. Jesus is exclusive in His claims because did what no person has ever done rise from the dead to never die. Third, that he possesses the wisdom and love to judge sin. His judgment of mankind draws great resentment Rev , 17-

4 21. No one wants to be judged by another, but Jesus claims exclusive right to be mankind s judge. We will be judged by Him. As believers, our actions, not our sins, will be judged; as a nonbeliever our sins will be judged. Tolerance is a big issue in our day. We respect people of other religious orientations. But, we are not willing to compromise our beliefs just to accommodate them or make them feel better. We must hold forth the Jesus of the Bible with a welcoming and respectful attitude towards those we differ with. Refusal to stand by the revelation of the Jesus of Scripture is proof that we are operating under a spirit of delusion as mentioned in 2 Thes This is true of famous people who serve in our government, who host talk shows, who fill stadiums with concerts for the poor or who lead mega churches. Being a Faithful Witness Like Joshua ( ). We are to be a faithful witness to the world. Live out our faith and announce the reality that a King is coming who is taking over the kingdoms of the earth. #1 Spreading the message of the gospel forgiveness, healing, deliverance. Rev.7 reveals those who die for their faith during the tribulation b/c of their stance for Jesus. Live your life totally for Him. #2 The saints are to expose ideas that deceive and seduce people into error. The end times will be filled with falsehood and false teachers Mt.24.4f, 11, 24; 2 Th.2.3; 1 Tim.4.1; 2 Tim False teaching will abound as the gospel accelerates in reaching all the nations. We are not called to be heresy hunters but we are to expose destructive doctrines and behaviors which are effecting the witness of the church. In Rev.2 & 3, Jesus commends the churches who expose deception and condemns churches who tolerate deception. #3 We are to share prophetic warnings as the Lord directs. Amos 3.7 & Ezek.33. As with Hurricane Katrina, the Japanese tsunami and earthquake and other disasters, God often reveals truth to His people to get them ready or out of harm s way. Whether they are large or small revelations from the Lord, we must be a faithful witness and share them with the audience the Lord directs.

5 #4 Understanding God s discipline. Providing understanding of God s discipline on mankind is critical. We will be given supernatural insight (Dan.11.33ff; 12.10) so as to encourage the Bride of Christ to trust Jesus leadership during hard times. This helps people overcome offense and anger towards Jesus and fear and confusion of what is happening. o As mankind s rebellion increases, people will become insensitive to the truth. Hatred for the God of Scripture and/or a rejection of His truth will become more obvious. Political correctness will give way to outright intolerance of those who stand with the Commander of the Lord s Army. Conclusion: Joshua listened to the instruction of the Lord (6.1-5) and followed it. This led to the people successfully conquering the enemies of God. He did not merely listen to the word, but he did it! The Signers of the Declaration of Independence They took a stand for truth Conclusion Follow your Commander into the fire Mt Like Joshua, we must bow in allegiance and devotion to the Commander of the Lord s Army and follow Him into the battle. God is calling forth faithful witnesses who will not retreat with all the pressures of the world and disciplines of God falling on humanity. Will you follow the Commander of the Lord s Army in peace time and war time?