Pastor Stan Mons
Sermon Trancription:
Church, I sense very strongly in the Spirit that this word for you—both online and here in person—is very important. It is about a second chance that the Lord wants to give you as a church, as a person, and as a people. You may not be aware of how much you need a second chance. You may not think or realize that today may be for you. I want to encourage you, as we pray one more time, to pray over your own heart. Pray over your mind and ask the Lord to show you: In what way, Lord God, are you giving me a second chance? In what way are you giving us a second chance as a church? In what way are you giving me a second chance online? The title is Victory Without Fighting the Enemy. If I were to add a subtitle it would be: Your Second Chance.
Lord, we pray over our own hearts. We pray over our own minds. We pray over the hearts and minds of our children. Lord, we pray over the hearts and minds that are represented online. Lord God, we pray over the hearts and minds in this service. Lord Jesus, we pray over the hearts and minds of those who will watch this back at a later time. Lord, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that people may enter into the second chance you are placing before your people. Lord, you have been faithful to present a second chance to every generation, and I pray that we won’t miss it. I pray that we would receive from your Holy Spirit the urgent victory that he so desires to give us. Lord, I pray that we may see it. I pray that we may not shy away from it. I pray that all pride, all presentation of who we think we are, may be laid to rest today. Lord God, let us come running to you with the breath in our lungs, shouting glory to your name and trusting that you will give us what you have promised.
Lord, I pray that we would abandon all fear of men. I pray that we would abandon our hearts from every reservation and every careful way of trusting you. Lord God, bring us to a place where we live in victory without fighting the enemy. Lord, I pray that the eyes of our hearts may see this second chance as your Spirit seeks to open them. Father, pour your mercy and your grace upon us. Allow us to see, Lord Jesus. Allow us to receive, Lord Jesus. Allow us to see you do inside of us what is in your heart for our lives today, Lord God. In your name, we pray. Amen. Thank you, Lord, for an incredible time of worship. Amen, amen. Let’s give the Lord glory. We know we don’t deserve it, but it is sure a blessing to us when the Holy Spirit helps us glorify Jesus. Amen, amen.
I woke up this morning excited and grateful. One of the first things I told the Lord was, Lord, I’m so grateful I get to worship you with these people. I know most of your stories. I know where you’ve come from, what you’ve been through, and what you’re going through. And yet, you keep showing up to bless the name of Jesus. It’s such a privilege for me to be among a group of people who just keep showing up, who just keep blessing Jesus. Honestly, sometimes I know you’d rather shed a tear than shout glory. You’d rather grow quiet than become loud for the glory of Jesus. You’d rather let your hands hang down than raise them. And yet, you’re showing up to bless Jesus.
It is such an honor and such an anticipation in my heart to be allowed to worship alongside you. I just wanted you to know that—you cause a lot of gratitude in my heart. So thank you for that. Today, the title of what the Lord has been putting on my heart for you for a while is Victory Without Fighting the Enemy.It is the sixth part in the Seeing the Word series that the Lord has seen fit to give to us as a church. In the previous parts, we've learned from the Scriptures that there is a type of people who believe in God, yet they cannot see Jesus revealed in the Old Testament. When they read the Old Testament, it seems closed to them—locked up. It’s hard for them to see Jesus on every page or to see what Christ has accomplished. They are blinded to it.
The Bible describes all these things in the New Testament word for word: there is a type of believer in God that is blinded to the Old Testament. The Word literally says, “The veil, the covering on the eyes, remains in the reading of the Old Testament.” Some of you, if not all of you, remember what that feels like. But then the Bible tells us, “The veil is removed in Christ Jesus.” And so, we’ve been on this journey—step by step—seeing God show us how this works, how revealed Jesus really is in the Old Testament.
The Lord is on a mission to get you excited about reading your Word, drawing you into it daily, so that you, as a New Covenant people who have received the removal of the veil in Christ Jesus, may see clearly. This is a great miracle, in which God opens your eyes to what has been there all along—from the very first story of creation and the fall. All along, Jesus has been trying to get something across to you. Amen? He wants to help you see it. We also learned that when God removes the veil and you can see Jesus in the Old Testament, you begin to love reading it—not in a way that prefers the New Testament over the Old, as many used to do when the veil remained.
If you’ve ever been under the law and had the veil remain, you likely loved the New Testament and couldn’t really deal with the Old Testament. Anybody remember what that feels like? I do. I’d read a verse or two and feel so overwhelmed, lost, confused—as if I hadn’t read anything at all. I couldn’t retain it, couldn’t be captivated by it, and couldn’t understand it. But we’ve learned that when the Lord removes the veil, it doesn’t make us all-seeing or all-knowing. We don’t gain full revelation or lose the need for others in our lives. No, but we definitely begin to see something new. And the more we look, the more we continually see.
From there, we’ve been on this journey of beginning to see Jesus in the Old Testament. Today, we will look at the Old Testament account of Jericho and its walls that came down. If you know the story, you know it’s quite unusual. If someone shared it with you during a football game or at a birthday party, you’d probably think they were exaggerating or making it up. It’s an unusual story of something God did for His people. But right before this story, there’s a part most church people don’t remember. It’s kind of the introduction to the story. It’s a brief, very unusual account. Let me read it to you Joshua 5:13–15"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, 'Are You for us or for our adversaries?' So He said, 'No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, 'What does my Lord say to His servant?' Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, 'Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.' And Joshua did so."
At this point, Joshua doesn’t know who this is. To him, it’s a man, but he sees something distinct—something of authority, something that points to leadership. It’s enough for Joshua to approach Him as a leader and ask, in our language, “Are you with me, or are you against me?” I love the answer: “No.” Joshua asks, “Are you with my enemy, or are you with me?” The answer is no. The Commander of the army of the Lord says, “I am not here to help you or your enemy. I am the Commander of the army of the Lord. I have now come.” Joshua falls on his face and worships, asking, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” The Commander makes it clear: You are with Me. I am not with you. The Commander then says to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” Now, if you know the story of Jericho and its walls that follows, this introduction makes it more interesting. It may raise questions in our understanding and hearts. Here, Joshua has what I like to call a Moses-like encounter. If you remember, Moses, while in the desert with the sheep for 40 years, met Jesus in the burning bush. The Lord told him the same thing: “The ground on which you stand is holy. Take off your shoes.”
Joshua, mentored by Moses, would have known this story. So, when the Commander of the army of the Lord tells him to remove his sandals because the ground is holy, Joshua would have understood the significance. This was a commissioning. The Commander of the army of the Living God had arrived on the scene. He was making it clear: “The battle won’t start without Me. The victory won’t happen without Me. You are with Me now.” Yet, despite this profound encounter, Joshua doesn’t go to the people of Israel and announce, “I’ve had an encounter with God. The Commander of the army of the Lord is here with us!”
As a matter of fact, we are with the Commander. The Commander goes before us. So, let’s set up our tents right there. Let’s move all of the animals to that site. We’ll set up right here so we can see what’s going to happen. We’re going to let the Commander do His thing. But that’s not what Joshua says. Why didn’t the Commander, who showed up and made Himself known, just step out and conquer the city for the people of God? Why did they have to circle the city for six days—with all their children, all their goods, and all their animals? And then, on the seventh day, why did they have to circle it seven times, worship, and shout glory and praise before anything happened? Why did the Commander of the army of the Living God wait until then to act and perform the incredible miracle of tearing down Jericho’s walls?
The Commander showed up, yet the people of God didn’t step back and say, “You go ahead. You take care of this.” Why? We are meant to learn something from this—ultimately, something about Jesus—because, clearly, God had a purpose. I want to remind you again: there’s not a story in this Word that God allowed in there by chance or because people wanted it to be. Every story is in the Bible for a reason. The Bible wasn’t written in verses. Amen? Every story, every account, is included because God has a purpose for it in your life. That’s why it’s so important to know your Bible. God has a purpose in your life with each story. So, what does the story of Jericho represent?
There are many things we can learn from this story, but today we’re going to focus on one: What spiritual truth does this historical account represent, and what does that mean for us today? Why is this story written in the Living Word? Is it just to give us a historical account of God’s journey with His people? Or is there more? 1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” Here’s the summary: Right before this verse, Paul recounts God taking His people out of Egypt and mentions several key stories. Then he concludes with this incredible truth: All these things happened to them as examples.
All these Old Testament stories were recorded so that you and I would have examples. Examples of what? Examples to understand. Examples to learn from. Examples to apply.
They were written for our admonition. In other words, God has a purpose for why these stories are in the Word for us. Let’s dive deeper into the word admonition. What does it mean that these stories were written for our admonition? The Greek word used in the original text for admonition means a calling to attention. It’s a stern, authoritative call to focus. It’s like a wake-up call saying, “Pay attention! Don’t miss this!”
This calling to attention is meant to give you understanding. Now you’ve been taught something. Now you’re being shown that this story is for you—that you should understand it, grasp its example, and realize it was written for you. This isn’t just history for the Jewish people to record their journey with God. God had it written down so that we could read it in 2024 and understand the example. By understanding it, we can live it out, walk it out, and grasp something deeper about Jesus. Through these stories and examples, God is calling us to attention. He’s seeking to give us understanding so that we are not ignorant. Admonition is designed to keep you from walking down a destructive path.
That’s what admonition does—it stops someone from continuing down a harmful road. It’s like someone seeing you on a path that will end badly and saying, “Hey, turn around! Let me give you an example of why you need to change course.” Admonition is meant to help you. It’s meant to keep you safe and guide you in the right direction. In a way, admonition is a parenting word. It reflects what parents do for their children. Ephesians 6:4 says, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” It's a parenting word. It is how you and I should parent children. It is how you and I should raise people that are born again and need to be raised in the kingdom of God. It is a parenting word—God the Father seeking to bring admonition into your life so that you don't end up on a road that leads to destruction. Titus 3:10. This word admonition is only used three times in the entire Scriptures. The last one also has the heart of parenting. Titus 3:10. Paul speaking to his spiritual son: “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition.”
Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition. He's telling Titus: "Titus, you've believed on the Lord. I've helped you start your ministry journey. Now he's writing him a letter, and he gives him instruction as a spiritual father. But he also gives him instruction as to how Titus is supposed to be a spiritual father where he is called. He says, 'When people have not been raised properly in Jesus and they cause trouble, or when people have not been raised properly in God and they contradict Biblical teaching or they contradict Biblical standing because of the Cross—they have an argumentative attitude, they have a divisive spirit—when they cause trouble, you correct them once and twice. And if they're not teachable, if they don't want to listen, if they are not raisable, you can't raise them. They don't want to be spiritually parented, then reject that divisive man after the first and second admonition. If they're not willing to be taught, reject them. If they're willing to be taught, there's not going to be a problem.'"
Titus, once more, what does the word admonition mean? Calling to attention and having understanding. You have now been taught something. Admonition is to keep you from walking down a destructive path. The story of Jericho was written because God wants you to enter into victory and not end up on a destructive path. That's what the Word explains to us. These things, these stories, were written for our New Testament Church—for our admonition. They happened to them as examples, and they were written down with a purpose for our admonition. That's what the Lord is trying to do to us through those stories so that we would end up in victory and not on a destructive path. So, what spiritual truth does the story of Jericho—the story of receiving victory without fighting the enemy—convey? That's what happened at Jericho. They did some stuff, but they never fought, and they got the victory. They got the spoils of the battle.
What spiritual truth does this story of Jericho—the story of receiving victory without fighting the enemy—convey? What does it have? What spiritual truth is this story an example of? Right. These things happened to them as examples. What example, Lord? In other words, in what way was this story written for our admonition? What kind of calling to attention, what kind of quick, stern teaching moment is the Lord trying to have with me through this story? Victory without fighting the enemy. The story of Jericho represents the second chance. When we talk about the story of Jericho—and there's multiple stories of Jericho—when we talk about the story of Jericho where the walls came down, this story of Jericho represents the second chance.
I want you to see that in the Bible. I'm going to help you see it. The people had just come through the Jordan River before they arrived at Jericho at the border of the Promised Land, just as the people who had come out of Egypt had gone through the Red Sea before they would end up at the border of the Promised Land when they could not enter. The Bible tells us this was a picture of baptism. The New Testament tells us that going through the Red Sea is a picture of baptism. Here, they do it again. They go through the Jordan. The waters part. They go through it dry-footed, and they arrive on the other side. And now they are face to face with the Promised Land once again.
The Ark of the Lord went before them through the Jordan River. What went before them when the waters split, and they went through the Red Sea? Moses first placed his staff in the water before the Lord led them through the Red Sea dry-footed. That staff represented the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord. What does the Ark represent? What is on top of the Ark? It is called the Mercy Seat. Who holds the Mercy Seat? It is, again, a reference to Christ going before them and taking them through this journey. And then they arrive at Jericho, this stronghold that they could never conquer, that stood between them, if you will, and living out and enjoying the promises of God.
Just like back in the day after coming through the Red Sea, the people stood at the border of the Promised Land. They saw giants and strongholds and were so terrified. They doubted and second-guessed their faith. The people of God had been here before—through the water, standing at the stronghold. A second chance is what the story of Jericho represents. A second chance to victory. The kind of victory that is needed to enter into the promises of God.
There is a type of victory, even after you have been delivered from bondage—which was the deliverance in Egypt. There is a type of victory that needs to take place in order for you to no longer just talk about the promises, not just know about the promises, not just memorize them and rehearse them.
This is the kind of victory that brings the child of God into the promises. You're living it. You're in it. You don't have to memorize it because every day it's in your face. You don't have to rehearse it and try to brainwash yourself in prayer with the promises of God because everywhere you turn, God is just keeping His promises. He's treating you as His child, and everything He said would come to pass—you're not doing anything; it's just coming to pass. You're in the promises. This victory is what God wants to give people a second chance at—that's what Jericho represents.
This is a person who has had an encounter with God. They have been set free from the bondage of Satan in many ways. In other words, they are no longer stuck in a place where they cannot believe they are forgiven because of the blood of Jesus Christ. They have repented of their unbelief and have believed in Jesus. But they haven't really come to the place yet where they can say, "Behold, old things have passed away; all things have become new. God just did it to me." Why? Because of the Cross. How? I have no clue, but I’m living it. He's treating me as His child. I don’t deserve it. His presence does not depart. Jesus promised that would happen to those who believe in Him. God has filled me with His Spirit. His presence is upon my life. He has called me. I don’t deserve it. I have no skills, but He has called me.
He provides for me, protects me, defends me. He has given me a soft heart to love people, to serve them, to give and to forgive people at any time. I was never like that. God is doing something inside of me—something He promised He would do through the Messiah. And all I’ve ever had was my simple, small belief that Jesus is the Son of God. Many people need that second chance because many Christians, many church people, many believers—true believers in God—acknowledge and identify strongholds like Jericho. These are strongholds of Satan or strongholds of the flesh in their lives.
A stronghold is something you cannot overcome. The first time the people lined up at the border of the Promised Land, they saw the giants, they saw what was ahead of them, and they said, “We can't do this. I don't think this is the road God called us to walk.” They had a seed of unbelief in their hearts and were unable to enter the Promised Land. Now, their shoes never grew too small in the wilderness, and their clothing never wore out. God was still present. God still performed miracles. But He was bringing them to a place where He would give the people a second chance to actually enter into what He wanted for them—what He purchased for them.
Many Christians acknowledge these kinds of strongholds: “I can't make a difference here. I've learned to live at the border of the Promised Land, looking at Jericho and thinking, Those are some thick walls. It must have taken a long time to build them. Who am I to tear them down?
God is still with me. My shoes didn’t wear out. My clothing didn’t wear out. God is still clearly present in my life. He provides some manna. When I get tired of the manna, He provides quail as well, but that also gets pretty tiring.
The promises of God in my life seem a little thin, a little shallow. I have a lot to complain about. I’m not living in the land of milk and honey that God promised. I’m here, out in the desert with God, living the desert life. I know about the stronghold, but there is nothing I can do.
I acknowledge them. I’m circling them. I walk around them. I acknowledge them. I ask for help from God. I ask for help from people. I acknowledge strongholds—things that I cannot change—that, in a perfect world, in a perfect Christian experience, would probably be gone. Yet the walls never come down, and the lasting victory seems to never be won. Perhaps that is because people never make their way into the seventh day. Let’s read the story together.
Joshua 6:1-7: "Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua: 'See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.’”
Now as we read this story, what stands out is that seventh day. The seventh day—they had to circle the city seven times. If you need clarity on the simplicity of the Word of God, this puts an exclamation mark on the seventh day. It highlights the seventh day. Every day, they went around the city once. They circled the city for six days. This signifies a journey—a journey of trust, obedience, and repentance. The last time they came face-to-face with their impossible victory—the impossibility of taking the Promised Land of God, meaning a life where they are living in every promise—God is just doing it for me, in me, through me. I’m not doing anything; I arrived in the Promised Land. The last time they got there, they walked away. This time, the second chance, they are called to repentance of their unbelief. Instead of unbelief, in repentance and faith, they are now circling. They are now walking that journey of repentance.
They are walking every day around this city. Nothing is really happening, but they're not walking in unbelief anymore. They're circling the city. The seventh day is where all the attention is drawn to in this example. Remember, the Lord is giving you an example of something. The seventh day is where all the attention is drawn to. All of a sudden, worship is appropriate on the seventh day. Shouts of glory to the Living God are appropriate on that seventh day. The commander of the armies of the Living God, who was there from the beginning, fights on behalf of the people, making a way for them into the Promised Land and into the promises. He does it on that seventh day.
So, let's look at what God, through this historical account, is really seeking to teach us. What's the example? What's the admonition? He says, "I'm providing a second chance." There’s going to be a journey of repentance. Last time, when you faced the promises, there was unbelief. But now, there’s going to be a journey of repentance for that unbelief. He's providing a second chance. I want you to see this because the last time, as I mentioned, at the border of the Promised Land, they had a little bit of doubt about whether or not God would make these promises true in their lives.
Watch this: Moses—after he flees from Egypt, he is in the desert for 40 years by himself with the sheep. Remember that? Forty years he’s in the desert before God sends him back to deliver the people out of Egypt and take them through the Red Sea on dry ground. But then the people don’t enter into the promises because of their doubting, their uncommitted following, and their half-hearted faith. You can have half-hearted faith. You can believe in God with half your heart. What does the Bible say? “You believe in God? So do the demons—and they tremble.” You can have half-hearted faith.
That’s what the people had. They followed the Lord to a degree, but at this point, they backed out. Then the people were in the desert with Moses for 40 years. Moses was in the desert alone for 40 years. Then God sent him to deliver the people and take them to the Promised Land, but they didn’t want to enter because of their doubt and fear. Now, Moses was in the desert with the people—first with sheep, now again with sheep. A different type of sheep, but still sheep. Forty years again. Now, the people go through the Jordan River on dry ground and come face-to-face with the Promised Land for a second chance at the city of Jericho.
God is really highlighting that seventh day. Seven trumpets. Let’s throw the number seven in there again—seven trumpets before the ark with seven priests on the seventh day, seven times around the city. I really hope they get the example. He’s really highlighting that seventh day in the story of how they got into the Promised Land. This is how they got in. It’s as if God is applauding His own people, saying, “They got it this time. They got in this time. On the seventh day, they got in.” Somebody, send the word to those tasked with writing down the Scriptures. Make sure it’s written down so they get the example, so they get the admonition. Because this is how they got into the Promised Land—on the seventh day.
Joshua 6:2: "So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city." The people of God took the impossible ground—the thing in your life that is unpresentable in your Christian journey. You’ve loved Jesus. You’ve believed in Jesus. You’ve trusted Him a bit. You believe in Him a bit. But there are things in your life that are strongholds.
These are things you cannot change. If you were standing right here next to me on this stage, and I asked you to honestly tell every single aspect of your life, these would be the stories you’d like to leave out. That’s called a stronghold. You would like to make a difference. You don’t like this thing. You don’t want this to be a part of your life, but you don’t seem to have the power or the strength to deal with it and get it out of your life. It is a stronghold. But on the seventh day, they got it. So let’s use this marker that God is setting—the seventh day, this example of victory without fighting the enemy on the seventh day.
What does the Bible, what does the Word, tell us about the seventh day? Let me take you to the very beginning of its mention: Genesis 2:1-3: "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."
Now, the question I want to raise for us to understand this is: Who did this? Who did this? Who is the Bible speaking of? John 1:1-3: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made." God the Son, Jesus Christ—all things were made by Him in creation. And then, from all the things He made in creation, He rested on the seventh day. That’s why the Bible tells us about Jesus: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”
Very often, the Father is portrayed as the one who did creation, but the Bible doesn’t teach that. The Roman Catholic Church used to teach that, but the Bible doesn’t teach that.
The Bible teaches that Christ—in Him is all in all. He upholds all things in His hand. He made all things. All things were made through Him. In case you didn’t get the point—nothing was made without Him. And He rested from everything He made in creation on the seventh day. This seventh day—you need to understand this, Church—if you need to understand anything in your life, this seventh day. The Saturday means nothing to Jesus. This seventh day, when God the Son rested from creation and sanctified that day, made it a holy day—He does not care about it.
How can you say that, Pastor? How can you claim that, Church? Jesus never was content. Jesus never was content until He came into this world—until He came to His own and was rejected by His own, until He suffered and was blessed, beaten, dishonored, and nailed on the cross of your shame. It wasn’t until then that the very Creator of all things, who rested from His work of creation, felt like He was done. It wasn’t until that moment when He cried out, “It is finished.” Now, He was done. Now, He was satisfied.
You see, when the Word gives us this command—“Honor the Sabbath day”—the Word tells us that this command never had much to do with things that God’s people should or should not do on the Saturday. It was an example pointing forward, an admonition pointing forward to something—a spiritual truth that God was seeking for us, for His people, to understand.
At the very heart of it, God is crying out, “Honor the work that Jesus is resting from. Honor the work that He is resting from.” You need to acknowledge what God the Son has done. You need to acknowledge what God the Son has finished. You don’t live life as if He didn’t do anything. You don’t live life as if He didn’t accomplish much. You don’t live life as if God has not finished working out every problem you’ve ever caused.
Let me read to you Hebrews 4:8-10: "For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His."
There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for God’s people. You see, God’s people, up until the time this was written in the New Testament, had always been trying to honor the Saturday. They refrained from doing too much work on that day, trying to do all these things to be good for God. But the Word tells us—and while we don’t know the author of the book of Hebrews, it’s thought to be the apostle Paul or Luke, though we’re not certain—it’s very likely that it was written by a Jew by ethnicity.
The text says, “There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for God’s people.” In other words, we are still at the border of that Promised Land. Many people still have not entered in. Many people have not understood the example. They’ve not received the admonition. They haven’t gained the understanding. God is still waiting with this great second chance for them to enter into the promises and live them. “There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for God’s people.” Victory without fighting the battle. Victory without fighting the enemy. “He who has entered His rest has also ceased from his works.”
There’s no fight left for you. There’s no battle left to fight. Isaiah 30:15 says it this way:
"For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning [some translations say “repentance”] and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’ But you would not." Here comes the second chance, calling to remembrance: “In repentance and rest you shall be saved.” There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for God’s people—repentance from unbelief and choosing now to walk by faith, acknowledging those strongholds in your life.
You say, “Yes, these things are definitely not like God. These things definitely need to go, and I believe that Jesus can do it.” Now you’re circling. But if you’ve been circling a long time and your experience hasn’t brought you into that seventh day—where the walls come down and a victory is given to you that is impossible and you did nothing to earn it—could it be because you’ve never truly arrived into that seventh day? There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for God’s people. Repentance and rest. “In repentance and rest you shall be saved.” Repentance from unbelief. A daily walk. A lifestyle that says, “I have a Word from God, so I’m going to keep going. I have a Word from God, so I’m going to keep walking.” And I rest in God’s ability. I rest in God’s willingness to tear down walls just for me. And I praise and shout glory because of God’s finished work.
I honor it. I honor His rest. I honor that God has said, “I’m done now. Every problem has been fixed.” In repentance from your unbelief, in repentance and rest, you shall be saved.
The seventh day is what Jesus has done. That’s what it represents. That’s the Sabbath. That’s the seventh day. It’s not a day of the week—it’s a spiritual place. It’s an example. The day of the week is an example pointing forward to something. It’s the Lord saying, “Hey, I gave for generations a day to My people where they were not even allowed to work. They weren’t allowed to walk much. They weren’t allowed to do much.”
I'm giving you an example. This is what your spiritual journey, your spiritual victories, should look like. You don’t do much. You’re not allowed to raise a finger. You’re not allowed to put in much work—and yet you’re going to get everything from Me anyways. I’m calling you unto the Sabbath. There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. It is what Jesus has done—that’s what the seventh day is. What Jesus has accomplished. It’s not just a day; it’s the example of a whole new life, living in that place. There’s a Sabbath rest for the people of God where they enter into victory without fighting the enemy.
Have you entered into that kind of rest? Have you entered into God’s Sabbath? Do you live God’s finished work? Do you live it? Is it every part of your life? It’s just God giving you everything. Jesus has accomplished every victory. Jesus bought every promise fulfilled in you. You’re the demonstration in this generation of a God who keeps His promises. You’re a demonstration of a God who picks people who have all kinds of Jerichos, all kinds of strongholds in their life they can’t do anything about by themselves. Yet God has made you a demonstration of how He tears down walls. Do you arrive? Have you arrived in that seventh day?
The people walked behind the ark; they were the rear guard. They walked behind the Ark.
Church, you’ve got to get behind the mercy seat. You’ve got to get behind the Lord and let Him take you into that Promised Land. The commander of the army of the Lord will tear down walls in your life and commit them to destruction. There are many things we can learn from this historical account of Jericho. But what the story of Jericho is teaching us about Jesus is this:
You’re going to have to walk in repentance of your unbelief every day. Every day. But the walls come down when you enter Jesus’s rest. You’re going to have to walk in repentance and obedience every day. You can do that. You’ve been set free out of Egypt. But the walls come down when you enter Jesus’s rest.
How do I do that, Pastor? How do I enter into that rest? When you are already walking in obedience, when you are already walking in repentance from your unbelief—believe.
You worship before you conquer. This is a spiritual law that we see throughout the entirety of the Word of God. You don’t become grateful, you don’t become happy, you don’t raise your voice, you don’t raise your hands after the victory. You worship before you conquer. You celebrate the victory with all you are—even though you don’t see the victory yet—with all your might. How can I do that? I’m still looking at a wall in my life.
How can I fully celebrate a victory over something that is still present in my life? How can I become fully convinced, without a strain of doubt? It’s like a little boy who’s at a family gathering. The whole family is there—extended family is there. In about a week’s time or so, it’s this little boy’s birthday. At this family gathering, Grandpa gets up, calls over his grandson, puts him on his lap, and says, “Your birthday’s coming up, right?” “Yes, Grandpa.” Grandpa says, “You’re old enough now. I’ve decided—I’m going to get you a bicycle for your birthday.” And the little kid jumps off Grandpa’s lap and just runs around, telling everybody, “I’m getting a bicycle! In a week from now, I’m going to learn to ride my bicycle! I’m curious what color it’s going to be! I’m getting a bicycle! My grandfather just told me—I’m getting a bicycle!” He’s so excited he can’t contain himself. He runs around telling everyone—telling Mom, telling Dad, telling everybody, “I’m getting a bicycle!”
They are rejoicing because they trust the person who made the promise. They rejoice because they know that this promise will be kept. “I’m going to see it come to provision, so I can already rejoice. I can already celebrate.” Now, if there’s doubt and distrust towards the character of the person making the promise, we develop a Christianity that says: “Well, let’s not declare victory before we’ve got it. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. I want to be somewhat conservative in my rejoicing. I want to be careful not to rejoice about things that God is not going to do in my life. I want to be truthful. I want to do this right. I don’t want to put God in a corner or, God forbid, ever come off like I’m telling Him what to do. I want to be careful.”
When a child knows the character of his grandfather, they fully celebrate the promise. They are fully celebrating what they know is already theirs. There’s just a little bit of time between now and then, but it’s already mine. Why? Because Grandpa told me so. Entering into the seventh day—entering into the victory day for your life—is a decision of faith. It’s not the worship, it’s not the praise, it’s not the shout of glory that brought the walls down. It is the heart that says, “Victory is mine. God has told me He’s giving it to me.” And you run around, and you praise Him, and you bless His name because God said, “It’s going to be mine, so it’s going to be mine. I’m going to have it. He’s giving me the victory. He purchased it for me. I’m going to learn to walk in it and enjoy it. Hallelujah!”
Would you stand with me, Church? Would you stand with me, and would you worship God because He has promised that there is not a victory that you will not be a part of? The Bible tells you that every promise is “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus has come into this world, suffered, and died for your sins. He rose again in glory so that you would know that every promise is yours. The Holy Spirit is inviting you to a second chance—to believe with all of your heart that you can rest, praise, and rejoice because God said all these things will be added unto you. I trust Him.
Are you getting the example the Lord is giving you? He’s doing this. “Hey, snap out of it! You may have already repented of your unbelief and believed on Jesus for a long time, but you need to rest in the fact that I’m going to do it—because I said so! You don’t have to live a perfect Christian life. You don’t have to keep a tally score to be a ‘good enough’ Christian for Me to keep My promises in your life. I told you that I rested from My work. I cried out, ‘Now it’s finished!’ I need you to honor that. I need you to behave like it’s finished. I need you to praise and rejoice and shout glory like it’s finished. I’m going to give you victory. I’m going to take you into the Promised Land—because I said so!”
Here’s what God’s Spirit is inviting you to pray today: “Lord, I’m choosing to believe You fully today. You paid for it with Your blood. Everything You’ve promised is going to be mine. Every promise in the Word is going to be fulfilled unto me. I trust You. Let the walls come down, Lord.”
That’s the simplicity of it. If you are online or here in person and you want the second chance God is offering—of coming into the promises and living them—I invite you to pray out loud with me today. I’m going to ask everyone to pray out loud with me so we can pray alongside those who truly desire that second chance.
If you would, repeat after me: “Lord, I’m choosing to believe You fully today.You paid for it with Your blood.Everything You’ve promised is going to be mine.Every promise in the Word is going to be fulfilled unto me.I trust You.Let the walls come down. Hallelujah!” Let’s give the Lord glory! Let’s give Him glory! This is the time to give Him a shout, Church! Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus!
Lord, You’ve always sought to bring us into the promises. You’ve always sought to bring us from under the enemy’s hand—but not into Your heavy hand. You didn’t take us from one heavy hand into another. Lord God, You sought to take us from under the heavy hand of the enemy and bring us into Your Sabbath—the place where we’re not allowed to do very much, the place where our work does not need to contribute to the victory, the place where we get to enjoy everything Jesus worked for.
Lord, would You help us to faithfully keep walking in repentance from our unbelief? But would You help us to also rest fully, honor what Jesus has accomplished, with our attitude, with the way we pray, with the way we expect from You, with the way we anticipate Your promises, with the way we anticipate Your presence? God, would You teach us to rest in what Jesus has accomplished? Because in repentance and rest, we will see our salvation time and time again.
Lord, I thank You for a second chance—a victory in which we do not fight the enemy. Lord God, would You make us a demonstration in this generation that You are not a God of a heavy hand, but that You are a God of a heavy freedom? Lord Jesus, You are better than I know, and we bless You for this invitation. We thank You for this series. We thank You that the Spirit is seeking to work in each and every one of our hearts.
We pray that You bless those who are with us online. We pray that You revive their hearts and fill them with hope—and that an attitude of praise before seeing would become a part of this congregation. As You’ve given us the example, You’ve given us the admonition. Lord, I pray that we may hear You and respond to You with childlike faith, as that little boy in the example responded to the promise of his grandfather. Father, would You teach us to have the faith of a child and to respond to You now with all of our heart? In Jesus’ name, Amen. Amen! Let’s give the Lord glory. Amen! Amen! I’m grateful for second chances, Church. I’m sure grateful for second chances!