In this sermon, the speaker begins by discussing how Joshua and his army marched up from Gilgal with determination and strength. The speaker then shares his personal experience of occasionally feeling discouraged, but finding strength in the presence of Christ within him. He emphasizes the unwavering support and encouragement that comes from having a deep connection with God. The speaker also mentions the adoption of his son's daughter and the celebration they are having, highlighting the joy and love that comes from such a relationship. Additionally, the speaker references biblical passages, such as the stars fighting against Cicera and the description of the throne room in Revelation 4, to emphasize the power and majesty of God. The sermon concludes with the reminder that Satan will always challenge the victories given by God.

Please open your Bibles this morning to Joshua chapter 10. Joshua chapter 10. Let's bow for just a word of prayer. Now, Father, we pray that you will breathe your Holy Spirit upon us in a very special way, enable us to understand the truth that you want to give to us, each one as individuals. And we pray that your Spirit will encourage your people this morning and lift them up. In Jesus' name, amen. All Christians live in a war zone. All Christians live in a war zone. As we have watched the many news reports of the terribleness of war, war that is going on now, people filled with hate, attacking one another, people being hurt, wounded, killed, families destroyed, homes demolished, terrible picture of war. We are so blessed by God to be living in a land where we're not personally in the midst of war. Some of you can still remember when you were children being in a war zone somewhere in the world and the terror of that. I think because in North America we are so blessed and we are so free from some of the things that go on in other parts of the world, I think sometimes that as Christians we forget that we do live in a war zone. Dr. Simpson put it this way, there's a battle raging in the heavenly places, sin and death and sickness with Satan leading on. When the hosts of earth and hell arrayed against us, how in all our weakness shall the fight be won? Jesus gives to us the victory. He who overcame on Calvary overcomes again in you and me. Hallelujah. Jesus gives the victory. Isaiah said, when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. Do you ever feel like the enemy comes in like a flood? Oh, I know there are many of you sitting out there this morning that even sometime this week have felt like the enemy just came in on you like a flood. And maybe you weren't totally aware of what God was doing for you, but I want you to know that whether you felt it or not, whether you knew it or not, whether you were a part of it or not, I want you to know that if you're a child of God and the enemy attacked you, that the spirit of God at the same time rushed in with a banner of his power against the enemy. And who knows what would have happened to you had he not done that, even if you were not aware of it. Though so many times we are aware of it. I think that our scripture this morning is a dramatic illustration of this great promise of God. Please look with me now at Joshua 10, and I'm going to read the first 15 verses. So follow along in your Bible silently as I read. Now Adonai Zedek, king of Jerusalem. Now it's funny to talk about a king of Jerusalem, but this is when the Israelites were just coming into the land and just conquering the land, and Jerusalem was not yet the capital of Israel, but it was inhabited by pagan king and his people. He heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and were living near them. He and his people were very much alarmed at this because Gibeon was an important city like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai and all its men were great warriors. So Adonai Zedek, king of Jerusalem, appealed to Hoham, king of Hebron, Piram, king of Jarmath, Japhia, king of Lachish, and Debar, king of Eglon. Come up and help me attack Gibeon, he said, because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites. Then the five kings of the Amorites, the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmath, Lachish, and Eglon joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took positions against Gibeon and attacked it. The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal. Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us. Help us because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us. So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, no pride this time, no saying we only need a handful. They're taking the whole army and putting their trust in God, including all the best fighting men. The Lord said to Joshua, do not be afraid of them, I have given them into your hand. And that's what I want you to notice that again. He says, I have already given them into your hand. Joshua, you haven't lifted a hand, you haven't marched one mile, but I want you to know right now, before you ever attack them, that I have already given them into your hand. And what I love about the book of Joshua is just full of that teaching that God has already done it. He has already won the victory. He's already made it possible. He just says, step in and take it. And so there it is again and again, I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you. After an all night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them all along the road, going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Ezekiel and Makeda. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Ezekiel, the Lord hurled large hail stones down on them from the sky. And more of them died from the hail stones and were killed by the swords of the Israelites. On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said, this is a very strange sentence structure here, because it sounds like Joshua is speaking to the Lord, not to the son. Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel, all sun stands still over Gibeon, all moon over the Valley of Agilon. So the sun stood still and the moon stopped till the nation avenged itself on its enemies as it has written the book of Jasher. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel. Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal. Now, one of the truths that I think is very important for Christians to understand is that every time God gives you a victory, Satan will challenge it. I don't care what it is. Always when people open their hearts and receive Christ as their savior, immediately, I want to pray for them. Oh God, protect them. Oh God, surround them. Oh God, keep them. Because I know now they've made a decision to come to Christ and to receive him as their savior. Now I know Satan will attack. And every time you take a step for God, every time you make an advance for God, every time you make a commitment to God, every time you obey God, every time you pay a price to walk with God and surrender to him, the enemy will challenge it. Folks, we're at war. Do you believe it? Oh Christian, don't live like you're not at war. People who are in a war zone and act like they're not get killed. You can't live that way. As Christians, we need to be aware and God and his word has made us aware constantly of the fact that as Christians we are in a warfare. And we sing that old song, onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war with the cross of Jesus going on before. You say, but Lord, excuse me, I've got other things to do. No, it doesn't make any difference because if you're a Christian, you will be under attack from the powers of darkness. You say, do you like that? No, I don't like it. I wish it weren't so. I wish I could stand up here and tell you this morning that once you become a Christian, Satan will never bother you again. I wish I could say all that because if I could say that to you, I could say it to myself, but it ain't so. It just isn't true. You see, we think that it's people that we have problems with. You say, well, I do have problems with people. I mean, if you had to live with a woman I have to live with, you'd know. Or yeah, some of the women are glaring at me. Well, and they would be quick to say, yeah, preacher, but you ought to know about the rascal I'm living with. Or we say it's the kids or it's the neighbors or it's the boss at work or it's something or someone else. But I want you to know it's not people. And one of the scriptures that God has made very real in my life for many years is we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Huh? For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against a host of wicked spirits in the heavenlies. That's what God says. He says, therefore, I want you to take on the whole armor of God. And I want you to stand and I want you to stand and I want you to stand, go back and read it four times. He says, stand because we're at war and we'll be under attack, spiritual attack. First Peter 5, 8, 9, Peter says, be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him. Standing firm in the face. Somebody says, well, I don't believe that. I believe when I received Christ that all that was taken away. My friend, when you received Christ, you came under his protection and he's already dealt with that. But it doesn't mean that it's taken away. And if you think so, you're going to become defeated. God says, resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. All Christians everywhere on earth are in the same war. And I was praying for some of you yesterday individually by name, because I know you're under attack. And I was praying for you in a special way. Some of you, because I know you're under attack and I know that you're struggling and I'm praying, oh God, give that person courage. Give them strength. Help them to stand. Lord, rescue them. Deliver them from the hand of the enemy. In 1st John 3, 8, we read a very striking statement. For this purpose, the son of God was manifested. He might destroy the works of the devil. Jesus said in John 10, 10, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it abundantly. Thank God. But we are at war. Every step we take with God will be challenged by the enemy, but victory is assured. I'd like a sure thing. Do you like a sure thing? I get, I don't know whether to get tickled or angry at all these finance companies that advertise on television, telling you that they're the one that you can trust with your savings. Watch it, because we've just seen people's lifetime savings go down the tube, haven't we? Well, I like a sure thing. And I got tickled one day, I was talking to the lady in the Royal Bank where I have what God has allowed us to have for our last years, we have them. And I said to the lady, I want everything under government insurance. And she looked at me and she said, pastor simply, if this bank goes down, the government will go with it. She's probably right. But listen, friend, I want you to know that as far as the spiritual battle in which we are engaged as Christians, we are assured a victory. God has assured us a victory. He said to Joshua, every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, now notice that's in the future, every place that your foot shall tread upon, that's future, I have given you, that's past. You get the twisted up grammar? You know, sometimes people have tried to straighten it out, leave it alone, that's the way God said it. He had something in mind. And he's saying, every place that you put your foot on, I've already given you, the victory is already yours. Romans 4, 17 to 18, as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations. He's saying this to Abraham. I have already made you a father of many nations. What do you mean? I don't have any children. That's all right. I've already made you a father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were against all hope. Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations just as it had been said to him. Yes, the victory is assured. James 4, 7, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Number of times yesterday as I was praying and interceding for some of you and I said, Satan, get out of here in Jesus name. Do you ever do that? Fight back. Don't just sit there. Fight back at the devil. Strike back in Jesus name. Tell him to go. Tell him to let go. Get your hands off those people. In Luke 10, 18, 19, Jesus speaking and he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Is that good? Oh, that's wonderful. Jesus said that. Nothing. I give you power over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. I'll tell you what, no matter what the devil does against you, no matter what the earth and the people of the world do against you, if you're a Christian, God has you in his hand and you're going to arrive safe at home in heaven at last. So tell the devil he's a liar because he is and stand up for the Lord. I love Colossians 2, 15. He's talking about what Jesus did when he died and descended into Hades and rose again. It says, and having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. My friends, Jesus said, now has come the time when the God of this world shall be cast out. When Jesus died on the cross, when he died on the cross and took our sins upon himself and went down into Hades and conquered our sins and conquered our death and conquered our judgment and satisfied all that the law demands and fully satisfied all the judgment that would be from the wrath of God and took it all upon himself. And then he came up out of there and the hosts of hell tried to keep him down and he stripped them off from him and triumphed over them publicly and put them to shame and defeated the powers of darkness forever. Yes. Thank you, Christine. It's good to be against the defeated foe, isn't it? See, you battle in the spiritual life from victory. You battle from a position of victory. Because Christ has won the victory and he will win the victory through me and through you. If I just trust him, praise his name. I wish we could understand what we have in our side. Many years ago, the king of Abyssinia took a British subject named Cameron prisoner and incarcerated him in the fortress of Magdala. No cause was given for his confinement. When the British government found out, it demanded his immediate release. King Theodore refused. I wish we still had governments like what's going to follow. Within 10 days after the refusal, 10,000 British soldiers were sailing down the coast headed for Magdala. They marched across an unfriendly country for 700 miles, went up the mountain to where the prisoner was being held, attacked the fortress, tore down the gates, went to the dungeon, lifted out that one British citizen and took him home to England. That was years ago and nations had some guts. Pardon the statement. That rescue took several months and cost over $25 million when that would be about 25 billion today. The entire resources of the British government were made available for that one citizen. Now, listen to me, Christian. The entire resources of the infinite God and his government stand behind every individual child of God. Is that good? That's wonderful. In that battle that Joshua got into, God hurled down hailstones, large ones enough to kill people. The sun stood still. Do you realize the infinite power it took to manage that? To have the sun and the moon stand still for 24 hours? The whole world, everything on it should have fallen into space. Can God do that? Well, if God could create it and put it there, he could keep it there without the normal functions of astronomy, right? God will do anything that it takes to take care of one of his children. And if you've put your faith in Christ, I don't care how discouraged you are this morning. I don't care how many lies the devil's telling you. I don't care how defeated you feel or weak or useless or failing or anything else. If you've really honestly put your trust in Christ and call on him to be your savior, I want you to know that God will do anything it takes to keep you. It's wonderful. It's wonderful. Wow. The Bible says that the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. I've often, that's one of the questions I want to find out when I get to heaven. What was that all about? I just thought I had to give you a picture this morning of what's behind you. So I'm going to read this really fast, but it's in revelation four. And I'm going to give first one after this, I looked in there before me was a door standing open in heaven at once. I was in the spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of Jasper and Carnelian, a rainbow, resembling an Emerald encircled the throne. Here's the ancient of days, the almighty God of the universe, the great God sitting on his throne surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones. You're looking at the throne room of the universe and seated on them were 24 elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. Here is the government of all that is the throne of God, 24 thrones, great beings created by God, masters of the universe ruling over the universe under God. And then I looked and the voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and 10,000 times 10,000. There are millions of angels there and they encircled the throne and they're crying in a loud voice and singing worthy is the lamb. And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all those in them saying to him who sits in the throne and to the lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever. And Paul said, so then all things are yours, whether the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours and you are Christ and Christ is God's. Wow. My friends, we may be in a war, but I want you to know Christ won the victory and the victory is assured and all, all of the infinite God and his universe will stand behind you. You know, that ought to, that ought to make some of you happy all week, at least one week. Nevermind the lies of Satan who says you're not good enough. You must not be born again. That doesn't have a thing to do with it. All that has to do with it is that Jesus, God's eternal son, shed his precious blood and paid for every one of your life sins. And he is the savior, not you and your salvation is in his hand and guaranteed by him. Don't listen to Satan. He's a liar. He's always been a liar, says the scripture victory attempted. Well, in that case, then why not fight? In that case, if victory is assured, why not fight? If I have all the resources of heaven, why not fight? So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all his best fighting men. He put everything into it. You know, there every so often I get discouraged. Do you, do you ever get discouraged, anybody and the rest of your line? And, uh, you know what I've discovered? I've discovered that no matter what happens, and I've talked to my wife about this sometimes, no matter what happens, there is something down deep inside of me at the center core of my being where Christ has come to dwell. That just hangs on. It just hangs on. It won't let go. Good. And you know, if like Jeremiah, I say, think I'll quit. And that little thing down in there says, not a chance, not a chance. I've got you. I've got you. My son and his wife are adopting a little girl and this afternoon, they're going to have a gotcha party because this is the day a year ago when they got her. So they've invited some friends over and they're going to have a gotcha party. I sent her card. We talked to her yesterday on the phone, you know, and, uh, what they're saying to her is we got you. And that's great, isn't it? That's wonderful. Victory attempted. Go out there and fight because no matter what happens, you can't lose. The days after the battle of Dunkirk, some of you are old enough to remember world war two. They were some of the darkest days in British history. All seemed lost in the invasion of England. Imminent. Nothing could keep the German hordes from swarming across the channel onto the mainland of England. 47 warships had been sunk. Half the British destroyers were in the shipyards for repairs. The Royal Air Force had lost 40% of its bombers. Britain was on the brink of famine and her armies without arms or equipment. They had left 50,000 vehicles in France. They couldn't get Churchill spoke for the defenseless Islanders. And I just want to quote his short statement. We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost, we shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight in the fields. We shall fight in the streets and we shall fight in the Hills. We shall never surrender. Yes, Christ has won the victory. Our victory is assured. We're not going to give up. We'll never surrender. Never. We're going to fight for Christ to the very end. So Christian counter-attacked from the position of victory at Calvary in the empty tomb. Paul said, I have been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. One time, Martin Luther was asked how he overcame the devil. He replied, well, when he comes knocking upon the door of my heart and asks who lives here, the dear Lord, Jesus goes to the door and says, Martin Luther used to live here, but he has moved out. Now I live here. The devil seen the nail prints in his hands and pure side takes flight immediately. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. I like this one. Sometime after the conversion of Augustine, he came face to face with the woman who had for many months dragged him deeper and deeper into sin until he had been freed by the regenerating power of the cross. When he attempted to pass her by with only a formal nod, she stopped him and said, Augustine, do you not know me anymore? See it as I looking at her a moment, Augustine replied, but it is not I, not I, but Christ, a Lexington, Kentucky woman. And my wife likes this one because she's from Kentucky, a Lexington, Kentucky woman received a traffic ticket, charging her with running a stop sign. Sounds simple enough, but not to her lawyer. It seems that she was on route to vote when she was stopped by the officer. Well, section one 49 of the Kentucky constitution says voters in all cases, except treason, felony breach of surety of the peace or violation of the election laws shall be privileged from arrest during their attendance at elections. And while they are going to and returning there from, that's a great law case dismissed. She was under protection of a higher law. Hmm. And I couldn't help, but think of Romans eight two for the law of the spirit of life in Christ. Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and then victory one, victory one, my, they won the victory who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword as it is written for your sake. We face death all day long where you're considered a sheep to be slaughtered. Now in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for, I'm convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. When Lord Nelson reported to the British Admiralty is great victory over the French fleet in the battle of the Nile. He said that victory was not a large enough word to describe what had taken place. And when Paul spoke of the victory, which through Jesus Christ, he had won over all ills, adversaries, temptations, and woes of life, that greatest of all words, conquerors was not sufficient to describe it. And therefore he said more than conquerors through him who loved us victory and despair. Recently, I read with horror about a woman in BC who fought a mountain lion. She was trying to protect three small children. They did not escape unscathed, but she finally drove it away without any weapons, but her bare hands and her courage. Brother and sister, we live in lion country. Well, not only because we live in British Columbia, but we live in lion country because the word says, be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour, resist him standing firm in the faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are ongoing, same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. The victory won. Well, Christ has already won the victory. And now he says, my child, it's yours. It's yours. Just take a stand in the victory of Christ. And in Jesus name, and the victory is yours. Let us bow in prayer. There's a battle raging in the heavenly places, sin and death and sickness with Satan leading on with a host of earth and hell arrayed against us. How in all our weakness shall the fight be won? Jesus gives to us the victory. He who overcame on Calvary overcomes again in you and me. Hallelujah. Jesus gives the victory. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for the victory in Christ. Amen.