Overview
Rev. Rico Magnelli presents “Stand and Overcome,” beginning with let's look at Joshua chapter one, tie in this great truth from Joshua regarding the taking of Jericho, how they stood and overcame. The teaching draws from Matthew 5:34 and applies these truths to faith, spiritual growth, and daily Christian living.
Transcript
Understanding Stand and Overcome
Let's look at Joshua chapter one, tie in this great truth from Joshua regarding the taking of Jericho, how they stood and overcame. And in this record we see that walls are meant to protect or walls can be an obstacle to overcome and it depends on which side of the wall you're on. And certainly there are physical walls and there are mental walls like walls around people's hearts.
In this record though Joshua and Israel are faced with what seems like an insurmountable wall and that wall was surrounding Jericho, that most fortified city in the land of Canaan and really the key to the conquest of the promised land. But what we're going to see is Joshua stood on what God told him and not only that he had integrity with those he dealt with and so did the spies that he sent out and Rahab. They all had integrity because integrity is a key component to standing and overcoming challenge.
And in Joshua chapter one verse five God tells Joshua this, there shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life as I was with Moses so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. God will never fail us and as we stand the opposition within which we are facing no matter what it is just like in Joshua's day will not stand either because when we stand with God and for God, God brings to pass his power and his deliverance.
The Biblical Foundation
And in Joshua chapter two we read about this record it says in verse one and Joshua the son of Nun sent out of two men to spy secretly saying go view the land even Jericho and they went and came into a harlot's house named Rahab and lodged there. Now some commentaries say that it was really she wasn't really a harlot she was an innkeeper but it doesn't really matter she was a woman and she had great integrity regardless of her background as we'll see in this record.
And it was told the king of Jericho saying behold there came in hither tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country and the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab saying bring forth the men that are come to thee which are entered into thine house for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men and hid them and said thus there came men unto me but I wished or I knew not whence they were. So she redirected the search because she knew something and this is what she knew.
Look at verse nine she said unto the two men I knew I know that the Lord have given you the land and that your terror has fallen upon us and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. She's on one side of the wall Israel's on the other for we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt that was 40 years prior to this 40 years and it was still reverberating through the people.
Examples and Spiritual Lessons
And what you did unto the kings of the Amorites that were on the other side Jordan Sihon and Og whom you utterly destroyed and as soon as we had heard these things our hearts did melt neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you. For the Lord your God he is God he is Elohim in heaven above and in earth beneath. What a tremendous testimony of a person that was considered an unbeliever. This is an unbelieving person on the other side of the wall of Jericho declaring that the Lord is Elohim in heaven and on earth.
Tremendous. Now therefore I pray you swear unto me by the Lord since I have showed you kindness that you will also that you will also show kindness unto my father's house and give me a true token and that you will save alive my father and my mother and my brethren and my sisters and all that we have and all that they have and deliver our lives from death.
And the man answered her our life for yours if you utter not this our business and it shall be when the Lord hath given us the land that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. She's a Canaanite woman and she ends up being part of the Christ line yet she recognized that God Elohim was the Lord Jehovah and the power that he had. And look at in the middle of the situation how important their words they're not signing a contract they are staking their lives on their own words.
Faith in Action
That's pretty powerful stuff especially when you're in the midst of a challenging situation. What happens is is then she lets them down through a window because her house was built on the wall part of her house was the wall on one side probably on the north side of Jericho because they entered later on through the south side when the wall fell. Look at chapter 2 chapter 2 verse 17. And the men said unto her we will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
Behold when we come into the land thou shall bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by and thou shall bring thy father and thy mother and thy brethren and all thy father's household home unto thee and it shall be that whosoever shall go out of doors of thy house into the street his blood shall be upon his head and we will be guiltless and whosoever shall be with thee in the house his blood shall be on our head if any hand be upon him. Wow.
And if thou utter this our business then we will be quit of thine oath which thou has made us to swear. I love her response here she says according unto your words so be it. Talk about in the she never met these guys before she had never met them and they're each putting their lives in each other's hands and it's just words between them just words look at the integrity and quality of these people and she sent them away and they departed and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
Walking in Love and Confidence
Yeah she better do that that's what she said she was going to do and that's exactly what she does. Look at chapter 3. You know this reminds me of a section in Matthew Matthew 5 34 through 37. In Matthew 5 34 through 37 Jesus Christ teaches about making an oath a commitment this is what he said in Matthew 5 34 to 37.
But I say unto you Jesus said swear not at all neither by heaven for it is God's throne nor by the earth for it is his footstool neither by Jerusalem for it is the city of the great king neither shalt thou swear by thy head because thou canst not make one hair white or black but let your communication be yay yay nay nay for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
What Jesus is saying there is that let your yes be yes and your no be no that period end of story have integrity say what you mean and mean what you say and that's the way we deal with people because other than this cometh of evil and the text is in Matthew is the evil one it gives access to the adversary when people don't say what they mean and mean what they say.
Applying the Teaching in Daily Life
I'm not talking about people making mistakes or forgetting and that kind of thing but as a habit pattern we say what we mean and mean what we say and in this record it is so vital so key because all their lives were staked on it in Joshua chapter 3 verse 13 and it shall come to pass as soon as the souls of the feet of the priest that bear the ark of the Lord the Lord of all the earth shall rest in the waters of Jordan that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above and they shall stand upon and heap oftentimes waters represent the adversary's realm and here not only physically are the waters being held back but also spiritually the waters of the enemy the adversary are being held back and the children of Israel are going to pass right through and came to pass when the people removed from their tents to pass over Jordan and the priest bearing the ark of the covenant before the people and as they bear the ark were come unto Jordan and the feet of the priest that bear the ark were dipped in the brim of the water for the Jordan overflow of all his banks all the time of harvest and you've got to picture this you got the priest carrying the ark of the covenant and they're approaching the water which is overflowing its banks at this time of year and they're getting closer and nothing's happening yet they are stayed they're focused on what Joshua told them and not until they touch the brim of the water do those waters part they're getting close they're 10 feet 5 feet 3 feet 2 feet away and then and when they touch that brim boom the waters part oftentimes life is like that you just have to keep moving and if God says something he will bring it to pass that the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon and he very far from the city of adam that is beside zaratan and those that came down toward the sea of the plain even the salt sea fell and were cut off and the people passed over right against jordan and the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the lord stood firm not only did they physically stand firm they also stood firm in their heart on what they were told they stood in the midst of jordan even though it had been flooded with water the land was sufficiently dry for them to walk right over it on the dry ground in the midst of jordan and all the all the israelites passed over on dry ground until all the people were passed clean over jordan god makes the point very clear and establish it that they went on dry ground even though it was under the river amazing amazing so joshua and the priests stood and they passed over safely look at chapter 5 verse 9 and the lord said unto joshua this day have i rolled away the reproach of egypt from you wherefore the name of the place is called gilgal unto this day the word gilgal means rolling like you roll off something off your back you finally get something off your back and what they had on their back was the shame israel had shame that they had been in egypt and in slavery for 400 years and and they were under the enemy's thumb and this shame was now rolled away when they crossed over the jordan they were literally in the land of canaan and look at what else happens and the children of israel and camped in gilgal and kept the passover on the 14th day of the month that even in the plains of jericho and then they they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover unleavened cakes and parched corn in the self same day and the manna that had been going on for 40 years six days a week ceased on the morrow after they eaten of the of the old corn of the land neither had the children of israel manna anymore but they did eat of the fruit of the land of canaan that year wow they were no more disgraced whenever people stand in a situation their their shame and all the past just moves out of the way look at chapter six well what happens is is they take a stand and god instructs joshua to march around the city once a day for six days and on the seventh day they march around seven times and they blow the trumpets and the people shout and that wall just falls down in jericho and they go in and take the city and what i really want you to see here there's so much in this record this is so amazing look at verse 22 and mistaking the most fortified city in the land of canaan look at how joshua does not forget verse 22 but joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country go into the harlot's house that's rahab and bring out thence the woman and all that she hath as ye swear unto her he made an oath he made a commitment and in this of all the things going on he never forgot it he kept it and the young men that were spies went in and brought out rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren and all that she had and they brought out all her kindred and left them without the camp of israel and rahab became part of the christ line she married producing children and eventually the christ pretty powerful stuff so walls can be depend on what you are you're behind it or you want to get through it god can overcome those situations as we stand as we stand and in the midst of standing we're going to have to deal with people more than likely and as we do and as we work with them we should have integrity we should say what we mean and mean what we say and you can see this powerful record really does speak to that clearly
Key Takeaways
- Let's look at Joshua chapter one, tie in this great truth from Joshua regarding the taking of Jericho, how they stood and overcame.
- And in this record we see that walls are meant to protect or walls can be an obstacle to overcome and it depends on which side of the wall you're on.
- And certainly there are physical walls and there are mental walls like walls around people's hearts.
- They all had integrity because integrity is a key component to standing and overcoming challenge.
- I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of “Stand and Overcome”?
Rev. Rico Magnelli presents “Stand and Overcome,” beginning with let's look at Joshua chapter one, tie in this great truth from Joshua regarding the taking of Jericho, how they stood and overcame. The teaching draws from Matthew 5:34 and applies these truths to faith, spiritual growth, and daily Christian living.
Which scriptures are central to this teaching?
The teaching draws especially from Matthew 5:34.
How can believers apply this teaching?
I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
Scripture References
Matthew 5:34
This text was prepared from the teaching audio or source document. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
