Overcoming Fear: Daylight Savings Time

 Overcoming Fear: Daylight Savings Time

Opening Illustration:

It was the evening of March 27th. It was a Sunday night to be exact. It was the evening of the Oscars, celebrating the best and most artistic movies of the year. Who knew that one of the most viral moments ever was going to take place. The Oscars is usually known to be boring, bland, and a bit blasé. Then comedian Chris Rock took the stage. Rock was about to give out an award but before he did, Rock told an off color joke about Jada Pickett Smith, the wife of Will Smith. Rock made a comment about Jada Pickett Smith’s haircut. As the camera cut away from the table where Will Smith and his family were sitting, Rock is seen smiling and laughing awkwardly. Smith had gotten up from his table and had begun to approach Rock in a very threatening manner. You know the rest of the story. Smith struck Chris Rock in the face, nearing knocking the comedian to the floor then quietly Will Smith went back to his seat. Chris Rock then tried to make sense of what had just happened to him. He struggled to shrug off the physical assault he had just endured. As Rock tried to make another joke, Will Smith is captured screaming obscenities, live and on camera. It was a very unusual moment. Awkward. Even unbelievable. 

The clip exploded across the internet and became conversation fodder for days. There were two camps, two schools thought. There were some who thought that Smith’s actions were honorable. He was said to have defended his wife’s honor. It seemed to be the majority opinion that what Smith did was nothing but pure physical assault. It was seen to be vengeful. Hateful. Sure, Chris Rock told a silly joke but Will Smith had told equally silly childish jokes about all manner of celebrities over the roughly 30 years of his esteemed Hollywood career. Smith came off as thin skinned, short fused, and unable to take a good natured ribbing. 

What about you? What do you think? Imagine that someone had said something about you or your spouse? Imagine that you were disrespected, low-graded, or just plain lied about in a malicious way. What would you do? Would you attack? Would you embody the age old adage, “don’t get mad, get even”? 

You may have never charged a stage on world wide television but certainly we have all been tempted to lash out on social media. You have been tempted to fire off a blistering email. There have been times where maybe you possessed some juicy gossip about a perceived “enemy” and you wanted to spread that rumor hoping that it might damage their good name, their family, their career. 

Imagine if Will Smith, before he walked on the stage to attack Chris Rock, asked himself “what would Jesus do”. 

“As a Christian, I know that it is my responsibility to protect my family.” That is a quote by Will Smith. Now I have no idea if Smith’s faith is true and real but let’s take this quote at face value. Let’s assume that Will Smith is truly a Bible believing Christian. It is my opinion that if Will Smith would have leaned in to his faith that he would have defiantly done things differently. 

Will Smith fought his own battle. He not only fought by physically abuse another individual made in the image of God, he fought with verbal abuse. He allowed anger and vengeance overtake him and because of this, his career has been damaged to the point where it may never be repaired. Smith has gone on an apology tour. He has been banned from the Ocars for a decade. There were at least 8 film projects promising millions of dollars that are now in jeopardy because of his actions. I can promise you that nothing good came from Will Smith fighting his own batter. 

Point:

Brothers and sisters, the same is true for me and you. When you are facing an enemy, a person who has wronged you, a man or woman who has lied about you, slandered you, or abused you, when you choose to go to war on your own behalf, nothing good happens. When we face fear with personal vengeance, we do not discover victory but instead we highlight our vice. 

Brothers and sisters I want to remind you today that God wants to carry your burden and give you courage in whatever battle you are facing today. 

Today’s Thought:

God Will Carry Our Burden’s And Give Courage In Battle!

Point:

Isn’t it wonderful to know that when we face a battle, whether that is a person or a situation, that we are never alone. God is always with us. He will never abandon us for forsake us. Scripture promises that over and over again. Duncan Campbell, the great Scottish evangelist reminds us of this great truth saying…

“To me, it has been a source of great comfort and strength in the day of battle, just to remember that the secret of steadfastness, and indeed, of victory, is the recognition that "the Lord is at hand."

Today’s Quote:

“To me, it has been a source of great comfort and strength in the day of battle, just to remember that the secret of steadfastness, and indeed, of victory, is the recognition that "the Lord is at hand."

~Duncan Campbell

Background and Context:

Before we read today’s passage, let me set up the scene. Joshua 10 can be summarized as the battle for Gibeon or the Battle in the Valley of Gibeon. In this chapter, the Gibeonites are attacked by their neighbors because of their peace-making with Israel. And thus Joshua is called to rescue them. The King of Jerusalem, Adoni-zedek was outnumbered, outmanned, and outgunned. There were five Kings and five nations that were coming to lay waste to Jerusalem and destroy everyone and everything in their way. Great fear gripped the city of Jerusalem and all of Israel. Joshua, understanding the threat, mobilized the entire army of Israel to stand against these united five godless and pagan countries. Joshua catches these foreign kings by surprise and with God’s help defeats them soundly. In the process of defeating these enemies, one of the most awesome and unique victories takes place. Joshua, needing more time defeat his foes and understanding that if the battle was paused by night that the enemies may get away, requests that God make the sun remain paused, high in the sky and God complies. This is perhaps one of the most awesome, marvelous, and amazing miracles in all of the Bible with the exception of the resurrection.  So to save time, let’s pick up on verse 7 this morning and read through verse 15. 

Today’s Scripture:

Joshua 10:1-15 ESV

[7] So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. [8] And the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you." [9] So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. [10] And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. [11] And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. [12] At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon." [13] And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. [14] There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel. [15] So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Point:

So, let’s look at 4 unique visions from God’s victory. 

4 Visions From God’s Victory

Vision One: The Forces Of Evil…Amass vs. 4-5

Joshua 10:4-5 ESV

Point:

So, we did not read this verse but I will read It for you briefly so that you can understand the point.

 [4] "Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon. For it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel." [5] Then the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it. 

Point:

The King of Jerusalem is calling Joshua for help. He knows that without help, it is hopeless to keep the city and it’s in habitants safe. Evil kings have amassed their forces and they are moving forward to conquer them. Can you imagine what that must have felt like, knowing that a battle and a war is on your doorstep and you hare hopeless and  helpless? All through Israel’s history, the people of God contended with enemies committed to their destruction. The Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Philistines, and the Babylonians are just a few of the many cruel and oppressive enemy nations featured in the Old Testament. Those nations, in opposing God’s people, were counted God’s enemies, and God fought on Israel’s behalf.

Point:

Have you ever felt overwhelmed as a Christian and wondered “if God is so powerful then why does it feel that I’m are always having to fight so hard”? Does it seem that everyday is a battle for you. There is seems to always be a problem knocking on your door. The moment you put your feet to the floor, you bring your head off the pillow, that Satan is there smiling at you? I’ll be honest, I feel like that all the time. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed. Why?

The reason it can feel overwhelming as a Christian is because the enemies of God are real. Satan is real. Demons are real. There are spiritual forces of evil always on the move. There is a spiritual battle taking place in the unseen dimensions of this world. For the most part we cannot see the battle but make no mistake, we can absolutely see the effects of that battle. How do I know that evil is always on the move? When just over half the country believes that it is not only right but moral to kill and dismember a child in the womb of its mother, Satan is on the move. When 1-5 kids ranging 13-17 identify as transgendered Satan is on the move. There are now 1.6 million people in this country who claim to be transgender. When half our country thinks it is moral and right to affirm and encouraging gender reassignment starting at the earliest ages of childhood and adolescence, Satan is absolutely on the move. Satan is mobilizing forces against God’s design of the family, His design of gender, His design of children. Satan’s army is led by General Confusion, General Corruption, and General Cowardice.  

Point:

So what is the connection? What is the connection between what was happening in Joshua 10 and today? The connection is that Satan wanted to destroy God’s people and Satan wants to destroy you and me. The Bible identifies Satan the devil, as the specific enemy of God. Throughout history, as God’s enemy, Satan has sought to thwart God’s plan, harm humans, and lead them away from God.

Besides Satan, Scripture names many other enemies of God and His people. Other words used for an enemy of God in the Bible are adversary and foe. Any person who disobeys the Lord’s commands is declared to be God’s enemy. Our sin sets us against God: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior”. The apostle Paul referred to unsaved sinners as enemies of God: “For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son”

Jesus is clear friends, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Him, in Christ Jesus, will face enemies. We will be persecuted. When you wake up daily to live for Jesus Christ, Satan will use every tactic to hurt you, disarm you, damage you, and destroy you. Be prepared. Be ready. Keep your eyes open and your heart tender to the Lord’s leading. Remember Deuteronomy 20:1. 

Deuteronomy 20:1 ESV

“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

4 Visions From God’s Victory

Vision One: The Forces Of Evil…Amass vs. 4-5

Vision Two: God’s Army…Advances vs. 6-8

Joshua 10:6-8 ESV

[6] And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, "Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us." [7] So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. [8] And the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you."

Point:

So, the enemies of God are mobilizing and moving forward towards Jerusalem. Joshua is called to come and help. It would be an awfully short story if Joshua looks out across the landscape and says, “wow guys, I don’t know about all this, I think we better go find a good hiding space and sit this one out.” Thankfully that does not happen. Joshua hears the call and responds. He summons his courage. 

This is just another of several sermons sin a series called “Overcoming Fear”. There is nothing easy about overcoming fear. Joshua knew that overcoming fear meant that he and the rest of his people would have to overcome adversaries. It meant that blood would be spilt. It meant that lives would be drastically disrupted. Overcoming fear usually means we as God’s people, have to be bold. We have to stare evil in the eye, take hold of our faith, and put our full trust in God. 

Point:

I want to give you a helpful tip on overcoming fear, overcoming evil, and overcoming adversaries. Adversaries like addiction, fear, worry, gossip, delayed obedience, and  tolerating sin. Notice that the King of Jerusalem didnt just call one man, Joshua, to come and defeat five nations by himself. He called Joshua and his army. One man alone cannot defeat 5 armies. No way no how. However, Joshua was not alone. He had men standing behind him. Mighty men of valor in fact. Brothers and sisters you have an army behind you as well. You have the church. When you are battling sin, temptation, it is hard to defeat it alone. You need an army behind you. It is much easier to be bold when you have a great army behind you. 

Acts 4:32 states ““All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.” Unity removes fear and creates boldness. A unified church gives everyone in it more power and courage than a divided church. Do fear, insecurity, and anxiety plague you? Would you like to be more fearless? Would you like to be bolder? Do you wish you were more confident in sharing your faith?

Here’s how to become bolder as a follower of Jesus: Focus on your unity with other Christians. The Bible says that, when people in the early church were unified, they became bold in speaking the Word of God.

Division creates fear and destroys vision. A divided church is a fearful church. But unity removes fear. It helps God’s people remember the Gospel and what he has done, giving them hope.

You can learn something else from the first Christians in the book of Acts: When a church is truly unified the way Christ wants it to be, then all the members’ needs are met.

They shared everything they had so nobody was in need. Acts 2 says that this was impressive to the non-Christians in Jerusalem. The church had the favor of the community because they saw how Christians loved and cared for each other.

Unity in your church—and in the larger body of Christ—will have the same effect: People will see your love for each other and your common purpose in the Gospel. They’ll want to know what makes the difference. Then you’ll have boldness to tell them about the One who unites you.

Oh friends when you have the church behind you, when you have the Lord on your side, your boldness increases. You are not alone. 

Isaiah 14:27 ESV

^“The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can

stop him?”

4 Visions From God’s Victory

Vision One: The Forces Of Evil…Amass vs. 4-5

Vision Two: God’s Army…Advances vs. 6-8

Vision Three: God…Acts and Amazes vs. 10-13

Joshua 10:10-13 ESV

[10] And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. [11] And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. [12] At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon." [13] And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 

Point:

Let me tell you something folks, you want to see God do some amazing things, move in faith. If you want to truly see God moving in marvelous miraculous ways, then respond to His call with faithfulness and boldness. 

Point:

Joshua advances against the 5 armies. God throws His enemies into a panic. They begin to retreat. God throws down stones from heaven. Friends, literally it begins to rain rocks. Not hail. Rocks. You might be thinking “now that is some kind of miracle” and you’d be right. But that is not even the most amazing thing that happens. Literally rocks raining from heaven is not the most amazing part of this story. As the armies began to retreat Joshua requests of God to allow the sun to stand still. Joshua did not want the foreign armies to be able to hide away in the night. So naturally he requested that God hold the sun in its position. 

A couple things to notice. First, what an amazing request that Joshua makes. What creativity. Secondly, what faith Joshua possesses. He asks the unaskable. He literally asks God to do something that he had never seen before. But this is the God who splits seas and rains bread from heaven and quail from the dirt. He causes water to come from the rock. If God can do all of these things, then surly He can hold the sun still. 

Point:

So let’s talk about this miracle of the sun standing still. Naturally, at the time of this request, Joshua was acting under the assumption that the sun was revolving around the earth rather than the earth around the sun. He had a geocentric understanding of the universe, meaning that the earth of the center of the universe rather than a heliocentric view, that being the sun was the center of the universe. Some modern day scientist scoff at Joshua and his request but they are missing the point. The point was not Joshua’s understanding of the universe, it was his understanding of God. By the way, there is quite a bit of evidence that there was a day in history that was extended. 

Some have argued that evidence for this long day is found in other cultures: 

It is interesting to note that parallel accounts in the records of other nations show that the incident of "Joshuas Long Day" is not an isolated one. There is indisputable evidence from the modern science of ethnology that such an event occurred as Joshua records. In the ancient Chinese writings there is a legend of a long day. The Incas of Peru and the Aztecs of Mexico have a like record. There is a Babylonian and Persian legend of a day that was miraculously extended. Herodotus, an ancient historian, recounts that while in Egypt, priest showed him their temple records, and that he read of a day which was twice the natural length of any day that had ever been recorded.

The text does say that the sun stopped. The Hebrew uses two words daman and amad which have the idea "to stop." 

The word translated stand still (Heb dom) means literally to be silent and frequently has the sense cease or leave off. Similarly the word translated stayed (amad), stood still in v. 13, has the sense of cease. The fact that Joshua asked the sun to stop is not the issue. The question is, "In what sense did the sun stop?" 

Now none of us were there so it is very difficult to fully grasp what happened. Whatever happened, however the earth or the sun was affected, it was an absolute miracle. Theologicans have come up with several ideas of what might have happened: 

1. Some say that the passage is figurative, not to be taken literally. 

2. Some think that it was an eclipse of the sun. 

3. Some believe that the earth actually stopped its rotation around the sun for almost 24 hours per Joshua’s request. 

4. The earth’s rotation was slowed down but not stopped. 

5. The sun and moon appeared to be out of their regular place by a supernaturally given mirage. 

6. The sun stopped shining during the latter half of the day. 

7. Rather than the day being prolonged, God prolonged the previous night. 

So, since no one really knows what happened but we all agree that a miracle occurred, we all agree that God’s was the winner, and we all agree that Joshua was the victor. Since we all know that, “preacher what do you think really happened”?

Point:

I believe what the text says. Since God is all-powerful, we conclude that He can stop the sun and moon, freeze the laws of physics and still maintain the universe. Any other view is a very low, illogical and dishonoring view of an all-powerful, omniscient, self-existing God. He does not need our help to explain away a divine miracle with a humanistic and rationalistic explanation.

Joshua 10:12-14 describes a miracle performed by the God of miracles.

Joshua 3:5 KJV

And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

4 Visions From God’s Victory

Vision One: The Forces Of Evil…Amass vs. 4-5

Vision Two: God’s Army…Advances vs. 6-8

Vision Three: God…Acts and Amazes vs. 10-13

Vision Four: God’s Victory…Achieved and Acclaimed vs. 14-15

Joshua 10:14-15 ESV

[14] There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel. [15] So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Point:

Sometimes life is a battle. Life is just like a battle that occurred in Joshua 10. Impossible odds. Huge armies moving against you, testing your faith. However, God is real. His promises are true. His miracles are evidence of His power. God will move if you and I are bold in our faith.  

Sometimes life is like this, isn’t it? You have a seemingly insurmountable problem. You face your enemy and trust God to fight for you. Then you stand unarmed and watch as he wins the victory. But the cost of battle is evident. There are casualties, and things look pretty messy.

But God wants to help you find blessing in the bad. There are things left on the battlefield that God wants to give you.

Throughout this story, God’s people chose to worship him rather than worry. They allowed God to solve their problems rather than fighting the battle themselves. The ultimate result was more blessing than they could handle.

Israel had trusted God to win the battle for them. And he did, but he also exceeded their expectations. The battle was won, and they went home richer. God blessed them physically and spiritually.

What battle are you in the middle of today? Are you a single parent wondering how to make ends meet? Are you facing a problem at work or school? Does it feel like everything in your life is just too much?

If you’re fighting an overwhelming battle today, God wants to move you to the valley of blessing. That happens when you choose to worship instead of worry.

Remember Deuteronomy 20:4.

Deuteronomy 20:4 ESV

“For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”

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