Joshua's Vision
A Sermon
(No. 795)
Delivered on Lord's Day Morning, February 16, 1868, by
C. H. SPURGEON
at the [8]Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.
Portion of Scripture read before Sermon–Joshua 6:10-27.
"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, thathe lifted up
his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a Man over against him
with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went unto Him, and said
unto Him, Are You for us, or for our adversaries? And He said, No,
but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua
fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto Him,
What says my Lord unto His servant? And the Captain of the Lord's
host said unto Joshua, Loose your shoe from off your foot; for the
place whereon you stand is holy. And Joshua did so." Joshua 5:13-15.
The Lord divided the Jordan that His people might pass through
dry-shod. This miracle greatly dispirited the Canaanites, and so
prepared the way for an easy triumph for the invading Israelites. You
would have naturally expected that the Lord would have bid His people
avail themselves immediately of this terror to strike a heavy blow at
once, and press on with might and main before the enemy could take a
breath and so sweep the land clear of the adversaries in a single
campaign.
But it was not so. Instead of immediate activity, the children of
Israel pitched their tents at Gilgal and there tarried for a
considerable season. For God is in no hurry. His purposes can be
accomplished without haste, and though He would have us redeem the time
because our days are evil, yet in His eternity He can afford to wait
and by His wisdom He so orders His delays that they prove to be far
better than our hurries. Why were the people to delay? That they might
be obedient to commands which had been forgotten. In the desert, for
many reasons, circumcision and the Passover had been neglected. They
were not visited with any chastisement on account of this neglect, for
the Lord considered their position and condition, and winked at their
error. But before He would use them He would have them fully obedient
to His will. It cannot be expected that God should tolerate disobedient
servants, and therefore they must stay awhile, till they had been
attentive to the two great precepts of the Mosaic Covenant.
Dear Friends, let us pause and ask ourselves, as Believers, whether we
have been in all respects conscientiously attentive to our Master's
commands. If not, we may not expect Him to send a blessing to the
Church or to the world through us, until first of all we have yielded
our willing obedience to that which He has prescribed for us. Are any
of you living in the neglect of a known part of the Divine will? Are
you undesirous of knowing some portions of God's will, and therefore
willfully blind to them? My dear Brother, you are cutting the Achilles'
tendon of your strength? You can never overthrow your enemies like
Samson while your locks are thus shorn. You cannot expect that God
should send you forth to conquer and to bring to Him renown when you
have not as yet conquered your own personal indolence and disobedience!
He that is unfaithful in that which is least will be unfaithful in that
which is greater. If you have not kept the Master's saying in the
little vineyard of your personal history, how much less shall you be
able to do it if He should entrust you with a greater field of service!
Here, then, is the reason for Israel's delay, and it is a reason why at
the commencement of our special services [month-long services and
Prayer Meetings for conversion of souls] we should make diligent search
for neglected duties, and promptly fulfill them. The two precepts which
had been overlooked were very suggestive. The one was circumcision.
Every man throughout the whole camp of Israel must be circumcised
before God would begin to speak about Jericho.
Not a word about the walls falling flat to the ground. Not a syllable
concerning compassing the accursed city seven days, until, first of
all, the reproach of Egypt had been put away and His people had
received the token of the Covenant. We are told in the New Testament
that Christians must partake in a circumcision without hands, not of
the flesh, but of the spirit. "He is not a Jew which is one
outwardly…but he is a Jew which is one inwardly." In the Colossians
the Apostle tells us that the true circumcision is the putting away of
the body of death by the circumcision of Christ, by which I understand
that the Christian must purge himself, in the power of the Spirit and
in the name of Christ, of every fleshly defilement, of every sinful
thought, of every wrong ambition, of every carnal desire.
If he is to be used by his Master it is imperative that this be done,
and be done at once, in the name of the Most High. "Be you clean that
bear the vessels of the Lord." God will not fight His battles by the
uncircumcised! He will have His people clean from the sin that does so
easily beset them, or else He will not use them. Stop, then, my
Brethren, and let me beseech you to search your own hearts and see what
there may be within that might render you unfit to be blessed. If I, as
God's minister, have no conversions, I dare not attribute the fact to
Divine Sovereignty. It may be so, but I am always afraid to make Divine
Sovereignty the scapegoat for my iniquities. I rather think that if God
withholds the blessing, there is a cause–and may not the cause be in
myself, that I do not live as near to God as I should–or am indulging
in something which His holy eyes cannot look upon?
I speak to you who are Church members. If in the Sunday school. If in
your tract distribution. Or if in any other work you are doing you do
not win souls to God, cry unto Him, "Search me, O God, and know my
heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there is any wicked way
in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Sin blocks up the channel
of mercy–the stream is strong enough, but you restrain its flow–your
sins separate between you and your God. And, therefore, I beseech each
one of you, if you are the Lord's, shake yourselves from the dust,
sanctify a fast unto the Most High and come before Him with
supplication.
Sit before Him in sackcloth and ashes, in the silent dejection of your
abashed spirits, and confess before Him all your sins. Arise, pour out
your hearts like water before the Lord! Acknowledge your sins and
offenses, and then, being purged from these by the water and the blood
which flowed from the riven side of Jesus, you may arise to service and
expect to be made a blessing.
But circumcision was not enough, they must also keep the Passover.
This, it appears they had only celebrated twice, once in Egypt, and
once at the foot of Sinai. But they were now to begin a Passover which
was to be kept every year without cessation. Brothers and Sisters, you
know the meaning the Passover has to us–it represents feeding upon
Christ. He is the Paschal Lamb. We must put away the old leaven of sin
and we must come with pure hearts to feed upon our Lord. You will never
be able to fight the Canaanites till you have fed on Christ. A
spiritual man who tries to live without feeding upon Jesus soon becomes
weak. He who has but slight communion with Christ, he who day after day
has no sight of the King in His beauty, who is never taken to the
banqueting house, and sees not the love banner waving over his head is
not likely to be a hero. If you do not eat the bread of Heaven, how can
you do the work of Heaven? The farmer that labors must be first
partaker of the fruits. And if we would labor for God with success, we
must first of all feed upon the Christ of God, and gather strength from
Him.
"Son of man," said the voice from Heaven to the Prophet, "eat this
roll." He must first eat it, and then speak concerning what he has
handled and tasted. We must enjoy true religion in our own souls before
we can be fit exponents of it to others. How shall you be heralds of a
message which has never been spoken into your inner ear by the voice of
the Lord? How can you expect to bring others to life when your own soul
is all but dead? How shall you scatter the live coals of eternal Grace
when the flame upon the hearth of your heart has almost expired?
Brethren, let us keep the feast! Let us draw near unto our Lord Jesus
with pure hearts! Let us renew our first faith and early love, taking
the great Son of God to be once more the ground of our hope, the source
of our joy, the object of our desires! Let us come near, yes, nearer
and nearer still to Him, pressing to His embrace–so shall we be
prepared to brave the conflict and earn the victory.
After the ordinances had been kept, you will suppose that at once the
trumpet sounded for an assault, and the valiant men of Israel, with
their scaling ladders, and their battering rams, gathered round the
devoted city to attack and carry it by storm. Patience! Patience! You
are always in a hurry, but God is not. Joshua himself, that bold, brave
spirit is in some haste, and therefore he goes forth by night,
meditating and patrolling. And as he is meditating upon God, and gazing
every now and then at that huge city, and wondering where would be the
best point of attack, and how it would be captured, he is astonished by
the appearance of a stately personage who bears a sword in His hand.
Brave Joshua, unconscious of anything like fear, advances at once to
the apparent interloper and demands of Him, "Are you for us, or for our
adversaries?" He little guessed in what august Presence he was standing
until a majestic voice said, "No, but as Captain of the host of the
Lord am I now come." Then Joshua, discerning the Divinity of the
celestial Warrior bowed and worshiped and humbly inquired what he
should do. And then after he had been instructed, he rose and went
according to the Lord's directions to the capture of the city of palm
trees. The children of Israel may be likened to yonder gallant vessel,
prepared for a long voyage. All the cargo is on board that is needed.
All the stores are there, and every man in his place. In all respects,
the good ship is fully equipped, but why does she linger?
Why do not the sailors weigh the anchor? If you ask the man at the
helm, he will tell you, "We are waiting for the captain." A good and
sufficient reason, indeed, for till the captain has come on board it is
idle for the vessel to put out to sea. So here Israel had been
circumcised, and the blessed feast of the Paschal Lamb had been
celebrated, but still they must not go to the conflict until the
Captain Himself had arrived. And here, to Joshua's joy, the Angel of
the Presence of the Most High appeared to claim the presidency of the
war and lead forth the hosts of God to certain victory!
Brethren, this is precisely the condition of this Church at the present
moment! We have endeavored, I think, to draw near unto God and to abide
in His love. We have sought to purge ourselves from sin, and to be holy
even as He is holy. But still this will not suffice–we need the Divine
Presence, and we are now bid to pause awhile and to seek it,
prayerfully–that in its matchless power we may go forward
successfully.
I. I shall ask your earnest attention, this morning, to two or three
brief rules for our present solemn engagements. First, realize the fact
of the Divine Presence. Jesus Himself comes to this holy war. Joshua
saw a man clad in armor, equipped for war. Cannot the eyes of your
faith see the same? There He stands, Jesus, God over all, blessed
forever, yet a Man. Most surely God, but with equal certainty bone of
our bone, and flesh of our flesh. He is in the midst of His Church. He
walks among the golden candlesticks. His promise is, "Lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world."
I do not wish to talk, but I desire rather that you should exercise
your own minds, your faith, your spiritual powers, and vividly believe
that Jesus is here–so believe it, that your inner eye beholds what you
believe. The Son of Man is here, as surely here as He was with the
disciples at the lake when they saw coals of fire, and fish laid on
them, and bread! He is here to talk with us by His Spirit as He did to
Peter and to the rest of the disciples on that memorable day. Not
carnally, but still in real truth, Jesus is where His people meet
together.
Joshua saw Him with His sword in His hand. O that Christ might come in
our midst with the sword of the Spirit in His hand! Might He come to
effect deeds of love but yet deeds of power! That He might come with
His two-edged sword to smite our sins, to cut to the heart His
adversaries, to slay their unbelief, to lay their iniquities dead
before Him! The sword is drawn, not in the scabbard, as alas, it has
been so long in many churches, but made bare for present active use. It
is in His Hand, not in the minister's hand, not even in an angel's
hand, but the sword drawn is in His hand. Oh, what power there is in
the Gospel when Jesus holds the hilt! And what gashes it makes into
hearts that were hard as stone, when Jesus cuts right and left at the
hearts and consciences of men!
Brothers and Sisters, seek this Presence, and seeking it, believe it.
And when you hear the Gospel preached, or when you meet together for
prayer, think you see in the center of the assembly the Champion of
Israel with uplifted sword, prepared to do great exploits, as in days
of old. The glorious Man whom Joshua saw, was on his side. The day
shall come when the ungodly shall see this Man with his sword drawn.
But in answer to their question, "Are you for us, or for our
adversaries?" they shall find Him to be the fiercest of their foes!
In the midst of His Church Christ carries a sword only for the purposes
of love to it. Oh, how blessed it will be if you can know that out of
His mouth there goes a two-edged sword, like unto a flame of fire! And
to know that if you dare to bring your heart near to that sword, that
it may cut and kill in you everything obnoxious to the Divine will! And
then bring your children and kinsfolk and those that sit in these pews
side by side with you, and say, "O Master, let Your sword of fire go
through them according to Your Word–'I kill and make alive, I wound
and I heal'–O kill, that they may live! O wound, that they may be
healed"–
"Your arrows sharply pierce the heart Of foemen of the King, And
under Your dominion's rule The people down do bring. O you that are
the Mighty One, Your sword gird on Your thigh, Even with Your glory
excellent, And with Your majesty."
The Divine Presence, then, is what we desire, and if we have it,
Brethren, faith at once is encouraged. It was enough for the army of
Cromwell to know that he was there, the ever victorious, the
irresistible, to lead on his Ironsides to the fray. Many a time the
presence of an old Roman general was equal to another legion–as soon
as the cohorts perceived that he was come whose eagle eye watched every
motion of the enemy, and whose practiced hand led his battalions upon
the most salient points of attack–each man's blood leaped within him
and he grasped his sword and rushed forward, secure of success.
My Brethren, our King is in the midst of us, and our faith should be in
active exercise. "The shout of a King is in the midst of us," it is
said, for where the King is there the people shout for joy and because
of confidence of victory. The preacher may preach, but what is that?
But if the King is there, then it is preaching in very deed. The
congregations may have met, and they may have gone again. "The
panoramic view which has dissolved," you say. Ah, so it may seem to
you, but if the Spirit of God was there, all that as been done will
abide, and remain even to that day of judgment, when the fire shall try
every man's work of what sort it is.
"Nothing but a simple girl sitting down to talk to a few little
children about their souls." Just so, but if the Lord is there, what
awe gathers round that spot! If the King Himself sits in that class,
what deeds are done that shall make the angels of Heaven sing anew for
joy! "Nothing but a humble man, unlettered, earnest, but not eloquent,
standing in the corner of a street addressing a few hundred people. His
talk will soon be forgotten." Precisely so, but if the King is there it
shall never be forgotten! The footprints of every true servant of the
Lord shall not be in the sand, but in the enduring brass–the record of
which shall outlast the wreck of matter! When the King is with us,
faith is confident because God girds faith as with a golden girdle, and
from head to foot clothes her with a panoply of armor and puts a sword
into her hand which is all-destroying, and with which she cuts through
coats of mail.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" When the King is with His
people, then Hope is greatly encouraged, for says she, "Who can stand
against the Lord of Hosts?" There must be conversions! It is no longer
a question of trust and expectation, but of absolute certainty when
Jesus is at the preaching! My Brethren, if by earnest prayer we shall
really bring the King into our midst today, as I am persuaded we
shall–and if we keep Him here, holding Him by our entreaties, and by
our tears, which are the golden chains that bind Christ to His
people–then we need not think that there shall be good done, nor hope
so, but it must be so! It shall be so, for where Christ is, there is
the manifestation of the Omnipotence of Deity and the hardest of hearts
feel its influence!
Where Jesus is, love becomes inflamed, for oh, of all the things in the
world that can set the heart burning, there is nothing like the
Presence of Jesus! A glimpse of Him will overcome us so that we shall
be almost ready to say, "Turn away Your eyes from me, for they have
overcome me." Oh, but a smell of the aloes, and the myrrh, and the
cassia which drop from His perfumed garments! But a smell of these, I
say, and the sick and the faint among us shall grow strong! Oh, but a
moment's leaning of the head upon that gracious bosom and a reception
of His divine love into our poor cold hearts, and we shall be cold no
longer, but shall glow like seraphs, being made equal to every labor,
and capable of every suffering! Then shall the Spirit of the Lord be
upon us, and our old men shall see visions, and our young men shall
dream dreams–and upon the servants and the handmaidens will God pour
out His Spirit!
If we do but know that Jesus is here, every power will be developed and
every Grace will be strengthened–and we shall cast ourselves into the
Lord's battle with heart, and soul, and strength! There is not a single
part of our inner man which will not be bettered by the Presence of
Christ! Therefore is this to be desired above all things. Brethren,
suppose that Christ is here, this morning–His Presence will be most
clearly ascertained by those who are most like He is. Joshua was
favored with this sight because he alone had eyes that could bear it. I
do not read that even Caleb saw this Man with His sword drawn. Only
Joshua saw Him, because Joshua was the most spiritual and the most
active. If you desire to see Christ you must grow to be like He is, and
labor to serve Him with heart, and soul, and strength.
Christ comes not in the visions of the night to those who toss upon the
bed of indolence. He reveals Himself in the night watches to those who
learn to watch and war. Bring yourselves, by the power of the Spirit,
into union with Christ's desires, and motives, and plans of action, and
you are likely to see Him. I would that all of you were Joshuas, but if
not, if but some shall perceive Him, we shall still receive a blessing!
I am sure this Presence of Christ will be needed by us all. All of you
who love Jesus intend to do Him service during this next month, and
indeed, I hope as long as you live. Now, there is nothing good which
you can do without Christ. "Without Me you can do nothing," is a great
and undoubted fact. If you meet to pray, you shall not pray acceptably
unless He is with you. If you teach, or preach, or whatever you do,
however small the labor, you shall accomplish nothing unless it is
through His power, and through His manifested Presence with you. Go not
to warfare at your own charges but wait upon your Master, tarrying at
Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.
But, Brethren, Jesus Christ's Presence may be had. Do not despond and
say that in the olden times the Master revealed Himself but He will not
do so now. He will, He will, He will! His promise is as good as ever.
He delights to be with us even as with our fathers. If He does not come
it is because we hinder Him–we are not straitened in Him, but
straitened in our own heart. Let me persuade you that all the great
things which were done at Pentecost can be done again, in this
Tabernacle! Let me persuade you that all the wondrous conversions which
were worked in any of the ages of the Church may be repeated at this
hour! Do not say that Luther, or Calvin, or Whitfield, or Wesley were
great men and therefore around them great things gathered!
My brethren, the weakest of men may be more honored than the greatest,
if God so wills it. Our weakness, lack of learning, lack of eloquence,
and what not–I look upon these as advantages rather than not–for if
we were eminent, we might, perhaps, claim some of the glory. But if we
are "less than nothing and vanity," then is there a clear stage for the
Divine operations! And why should we not so see in this place such a
revival as shall shake all England and stir the dry bones in the Valley
of Vision at this day as they never were stirred since Apostolic times?
We have but to expect it, to believe it, to pray for it, to work for
it, and we shall have it!
God's clouds still pour down the water floods as plenteously as when
Elisha went up to the top of Carmel. The Lord thunders mightily against
His enemies at this day, as when He went forth with His people in the
days of yore. Think not that the Almighty has ceased to do marvels–the
Lord of Hosts is still the King eternal, immortal, and invisible–with
an arm which does wonders. You have still only to plead the power of
the precious blood and the meritorious death of Christ to see wonders
in this year of Divine Grace which shall even eclipse any that your
fathers saw, or heard of in the old time before them!
May God grant to each Believer among us the vision of the God-like Man
with the sword drawn in His hand, and then may we go forth in the
strength which He alone confers.
II. In the second place, understand the Lord's position in the midst of
His people. "As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." What a
relief this must have been for Joshua. Perhaps he thought himself the
captain–but now the responsibility was taken from him–he was to be
the lieutenant, but the King Himself would marshal His hosts! I feel it
no small relief to my own mind to feel that though I have been at your
head these 14 years, leading you on in God's name to Christian service,
yet I am not your Captain, but there is a greater One, the Presence
Angel of the Most High, the Lord Jesus–He is in our midst as
Commander-in-Chief.
Though my responsibilities are heavy, yet the leadership is not with
me. He is a leader and commander for the people. Brothers and Sisters,
wherever Christ is, we must remember that He is Commander-in-Chief to
us all. We must never tolerate in the Church any great man to domineer
over us. We must have no one to be Lord and Master except Jesus. Christ
is the Field-Marshal, the Captain of our salvation! And if you are a
member of the Church of God, you must admit this, not as a general fact
only, but as a fact particularly in your case. Christ is your Master.
You are not to say, "I prefer this or that doctrine." What have you to
do with likes or dislikes? Believe what He tells you. You are not to
say, "I prefer a certain form of worship." What have you to do with
preferences? Worship as the Master bids you.
Alas, for the day when whims and tastes and fancies come into the
Christian Church to lead the people. All this Puseyism which we hear so
much outcry about is simply the putting up of taste into the place of
simple obedience to Christ. If we would but just keep close to Christ's
Word we should be right enough. I pray each Believer here to remember
that he is in no respect his own master in the things of God, but that
Christ is Commander-in-Chief. "Is it of any use to send missionaries to
India?" said someone to the Duke of Wellington. "What are your marching
orders?" said the Duke. "Go you into all the world and preach the
Gospel to every creature."
Those are our marching orders. We have nothing to do with whether they
are prudent orders or not. They are sure to be good if they come from
Him! Our duty is to do as our Commander bids us to do. Every word of
Christ, if we would see Him do wonders in our midst, must be obeyed!
Not the great precepts only, but the little ones, too. It behooves
Christians to have done with that cant about non-essentials. My
Brethren, every command of Christ is essential to us as servants! Not
essential to our salvation–we are saved–that is not the question for
us to raise. But being saved, and being servants of Christ, every
command which comes from the great Captain is essential for every
soldier to keep. It matters not though it is simply a ceremony, yet
still we have no right to alter it.
What would the court-martial say to any of the private soldiers, who,
having received an order from a captain, should say, "Well, I did not
consider it to be exceedingly important?" "Drum him out of the
regiment, Sir, there is an end to all discipline in the army when
soldiers criticize their orders." So is it with Christ's Law. We have
no right to say, for instance about Believers' baptism, "Well, it is a
non-essential." Who told you so? If Jesus commands it, obey it! And if
it is the Lord's Law, make haste and delay not to keep the Master's
statute. I single out that one precept, but there are many others which
are, perhaps, of greater importance, if we are allowed to say greater
or less about anything which Christ has bid us do.
My Brothers and Sisters, let us seek, now, to put our minds into the
hands of the Holy Spirit to be taught what the great Captain's will is.
And when we know it, let our souls bend under it, as the willow bends
in the breath of the wind, and as the boat upon the sea is driven to
and fro in the gale. Down with you, Self, down with you! Carnal
judgment and foolish reason, lie still! Let the Word of God be
paramount within the soul, all opposition being hushed! Brethren, if we
do not act with the Captain, disappointment will be sure to follow. The
Lord had issued orders that none of the tribes should take of the
accursed spoil of Jericho. Achan did so. I have often wondered that
only Achan did it, but that one Achan brought defeat upon Israel at the
gates of Ai.
I wonder how many Achans there are here this morning. I should feel
myself very much at ease if I thought there were only one, but I am
afraid that there are many who have the accursed thing hidden within
them–the love of money, or wrong ways of doing business, or
unforgiving tempers–or an envious spirit towards their fellow
Christians. Now, if the possession of these bad things by one will stop
the blessing, we are in a very evil plight–but he is in a worse
plight, by far, who is the occasion of the evil. Where are you, Achan?
God will find you out even if we do not! He will bring us all by our
tribes, by our families, by our households, and then man by man–and
woe unto the son of Carmi if he is taken! Brethren, the violation of
the Law of the Captain may bring defeat upon the whole company. And
where the law is not obstinately and willfully violated, yet its
neglect will cause much trouble.
They were commanded to make no covenant with the Canaanites, but in a
thoughtless hour, the Gibeonites came like persons from a far country.
The Israelites believed their deceitful story and made a covenant with
them–and this became a trouble to Israel long afterwards. If as a
Church we forget the Law of Christ, even though we do not
contemptuously break it, if we ignorantly forget it we may expect no
small amount of evil to flow from it. Do not tolerate the idea that God
punishes His people for sin in the sense of punitive justice. But
always hold it for certain that the Lord chastises His people for sin
as a father chastises his children, and that the great Head of the
Church will not suffer His Laws to be broken with impunity by His own
people.
I wish I could speak to you with the earnestness which I feel boiling
up within my soul. I would, my Brothers and Sisters, that we should
keep our Master's commands in every jot and tittle, depending upon His
Presence, feeling Him to be here, not daring in His Presence to offend,
but yielding up to Him the reins of government in all respects that we
might then have His blessing. I want that we should all keep to the
Word of God, minding each precept as far as we understand it. I want,
moreover, that we should be attentive to that mind of Christ which is
often expressed by the Holy Spirit in Divine monitions in our minds,
that the Law of the Book may be with us, and the Law of the Spirit
within us. If we are obedient to both these, we shall be prepared, like
Joshua, to advance to the war.
III. Thirdly, and very briefly. Our third rule is worship Him who is
present with us. Joshua, it is said, fell on his face to the earth.
Worship is the highest elevation of the spirit, and yet the lowliest
prostration of the soul. If Christ is here, Brothers and Sisters, when
you reach your homes get a little time of quiet and worship. And when
you come up again, this evening–in your songs and prayers truly
worship the ever present God–bow down in the lowliest reverence of
your subdued spirit as though you were actually in Heaven.
If you have no wings with which to veil your face, still cover it with
shame. If you have no crown to cast, yet such talent as you have, lay
it all down reverentially before Him. Worship the Son of God! Then,
when you have so done, give up yourself to His command. Say to Him,
"What says my Lord unto His servant?" I wish you could spend this
afternoon, those of you who are not actively engaged, in trying to get
an answer to this question: "What says my Lord unto His servant? What
is there for me to learn, for me to feel, for me to do? And as I would
help my Brethren during this month, Lord, what part of the work am I to
take?"
When you have done this, dear Friends, I want you to imitate Joshua in
the third things, namely, take off your shoes from your feet. Joshua,
perhaps, had not felt what a solemn thing it was to fight for God, to
fight as God's executioner against condemned men. Therefore he must
take his shoes off. We never can expect a blessing if we go about God's
work flippantly. I shudder when I see any sitting at the Lord's Table
who can indulge in light remarks or in wandering thoughts on so solemn
an occasion. What have you to do here, not having on a wedding garment?
There are some of us whose besetting sin is levity of spirit.
Cheerfulness we are to cultivate, but we must beware lest levity become
a cankerworm to our Graces.
Brethren, this next month must be a holy month unto us. I ask our young
and our old friends, alike, to seek a quiet and sober spirit. To seek
to save souls from going down to the pit is no pastime. To talk of
Jesus is no trifle. We do not meet to pray in sport. We do not gather
together in supplication as a mere matter of form. Angels are in our
midst observing us. The King Himself is here! How would you behave if
you actually saw Jesus with your eyes? If I were to vacate this pulpit
and the Crucified One stood here, stretching out His pierced hands and
looking down upon you with the mild radiance of His sovereign love–how
would you feel?
Ask to feel just so, for He is here. Faith can perceive Him. Ask to
feel just so at this present moment, and so to go out to your work this
afternoon and all the remaining days of your life, as a servant of God
who is standing in the Presence of his Lord upon holy ground, and
cannot, therefore, afford to trifle since he has solemn work to do and
means to do it in his Master's name.
IV. To conclude, let us now, even before we separate, advance to action
according to the Master's command. Unconverted men and women, you are
in our Jericho–we wish to conquer you for Christ. Our desire is to win
you to Jesus for your own good and for His glory. Now, what are we to
do with you? Joshua was bid to go round the city seven times. We would
preach to you the Gospel of Christ, not seven times, but 70 times
seven. They were to blow the rams' horns. The rams' horn was most mean
as to matter, most dull as to sound and the least showy as to
appearance. So, we say with the rough sound of our ram's horn that
unless you repent, you must perish!
Sin must be punished. Sin is upon you, and God must punish you. Heaven
and earth may pass away, but not one jot or tittle of His Law can fail,
and this is one part of His Law, "The soul that sins, it shall die."
You have sinned, you are always sinning, and die you must. Some of you
are going from bad to worse. If you do not live in outward sin, yet the
sins of thought and heart will condemn you. You will die before long
and when you die the Lord will cast you into the place which He has
prepared for the devil and his angels. Be not deceived, there may be
but a step between you and death–or if your life is prolonged for a
little season, yet how soon will it be over.
Eternity! Eternity! How dread to you if you plunge into it unprepared,
to face an angry Judge–no righteousness of Christ to plead, and no
blood in which to wash your guilty soul! You are standing, some of you,
between the jaws of perdition. The Gospel has been preached to you and
you have neglected it. You have been brought up by godly parents and
you have despised their admonitions. Therefore wrath will come upon you
to the uttermost. As sure as you live you shall be driven from
Jehovah's Presence into the place where hope cannot follow you and
where mercy will never seek you.
We must sound this ram's horn! We only pray that God may bless our
warning voice to you. After the rams' horns came the ark, which the
priests carried round and round the city. That ark was the type of
Christ. We beg to bring Christ before you, you unconverted ones. Jesus
Christ came into this world to seek and to save that which was lost.
God smote Him instead of us. He took the sins of His people and God
punished Him for our sins instead of punishing us. Christ is the great
Substitute for sin. If you trust Him you shall live. If you will take
Him this day to be your Savior, and to be your Master and your Lord,
you shall never perish, for God has pledged His word for it, that if
you believe in Him you shall be saved.
that you would look to Christ, and live! Your good works are nothing,
your tears and prayers all go for nothing as to merit, but if you look
to Jesus hanging from yonder Cross, you shall live! If you will trust
yourself with Him who is now at the right hand of the eternal Father,
crowned with many crowns, sooner shall Heaven's high throne be shaken
than your soul be suffered to perish! Only believe in Jesus, and you
shall live, for this is the Gospel, "He that believes and is baptized
shall be saved. He that believes not shall be damned." We seek not to
mince matters with you–damned you will be unless you trust Christ!
Damned you never shall be if you will come and cast yourself before
Him. "Kiss the Son lest He be angry, and you perish by the way, when
His wrath is kindled but a little."
Suppose that in the visions of the night, this night, when you are on
your bed you should suddenly see in your chamber the Man with a sword
drawn in His hand! You would not need to ask the question, "Are You for
us or for our adversaries?" for your own conscience would soon tell
you. Suppose you should hear a solemn voice declare, "The harvest is
past, and the summer is ended, and you are not saved." "Because I have
called and you refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man
regarded…I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your
fear comes." Suppose you saw that sword uplifted and about to strike
you? Would you not start in your dream, and your face be covered with a
clammy sweat, feeling horrors indescribable? Yet such is your case
today and unless you repent such will be your case eternally.
I bless God that now our Lord Jesus has no sword drawn in His hand, but
He comes to you with open hands, and says, "Come unto Me all you that
labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." With tears He
invites you to come to Him, persuades you to come. O why do you tarry?
Why do you turn your backs upon your own mercy, and seal your own death
warrant? God grant that you may come to Jesus, and before He grasps
that sharp destroying sword.
Lastly, Brethren, we are not only to sound the ram's horn of warning,
and to bear round and round the sinner's conscience the ark of Christ's
Grace, but all the host must engage in the work. Did you notice that
the whole of the people were to compass the city! It would not fall
otherwise. And they were to shout, too, at the last. I want you, my
fellow members, to unite in our earnest efforts to win souls for
Christ. I have a right to claim it, and now I entreat you to fulfill
the claim. You profess to have been bought with the Lord's blood, and
to be His disciples. I ask you all, if you are sincere in your
professions, come with us round about this Jericho, every one of you!
If you cannot all come up to the public Prayer Meetings, yet send us
your hearts–pray for sinners, plead for the unconverted–give the
eternal Leader no rest till He is pleased to use His great power for
their conversion! I am almost inclined to fall on my knees to ask you
Church members to rally round us at this hour. If you owe your
conversion to me, under God, as many of you do, I charge you by every
filial tie you feel, desert me not just now! If you have ever been
comforted, as I know some of you have. If I have ever been God's voice
to your souls, I beseech you return to me this kindness by drawing very
near to God in prayer for the souls of others!
For your own children's souls be very earnest. For the souls of your
servants, and kinsfolk, and neighbors, wrestle with God even unto
tears! And if you will not do it, I had almost said I had sooner you
were not with us. If you will not pray–if you will not join in the
common supplication–why do you cumber us? O Meroz, take care lest you
be accused if you come not up to the help of the Lord–to the help of
the Lord against the mighty! But you will come. God will be with us,
and show us His bare right hand resplendent in our midst, and unto Him
shall be the praise forever and ever. Amen.
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Joshua's Obedience
A Sermon