Evening Sermon

November 18, 2007

CONSPIRACY

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In this country, conspiracy is a crime. Meeting together with another person to plan a crime is itself a crime. Making plans to do something illegal is, in fact, illegal. And that is a good law. Conspiracy ought to be a crime.

Joshua 10 describes a conspiracy, a conspiracy of five kings who gather their forces together, so that as a combined army they might be successful fighting against Israel.

This conspiracy may well be what David has in mind when he asked in astonishment and disbelief: Ps. 2:1 "Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?"

Why do God's enemies constantly cause trouble? That question forms the context for Psalm 2. And that question is a universal question, as appropriate today as it was then. The reality is that,

I. GOD'S ENEMIES WILL CONSTANTLY CONSPIRE AGAINST HIM. Be assured, the conspiracy is against God. Ps. 2:2 "The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us."

In the OT, when kings opposed the nation of Israel, they were opposing God. And there is, within the sinful human heart, a desire to be free from God's rules and control. There is a desire to be free from his authority. Thus God's enemies will constantly conspire against him. Example here, v.1-5

NT example: Acts 4:1 "Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening."

Acts 4:16 saying, "What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 "But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name." 18 And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."

Acts 4:24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: "Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 "who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: 'Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.' 27 "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together."

Are there still examples today? In many ways our own government conspires against true biblical Christianity. Our public education system, in many ways, conspires against true biblical Christianity. The public media and the television industry certainly conspires against true biblical Christianity. The public press in its efforts to be politically correct often conspires against true Christianity.

But what is the motivation for those conspiracies? There might be a variety of answers today, but we know what it was in Joshua's day. The conspirators were,

A. Motivated by self-preserving fear. v.2

What were they afraid of? Their own destruction. They were afraid of losing their own power and influence. They saw that if Gibeon came under Israeli control, they would likely be next. Their fear was for self-preservation.

There are many such fears today. People today want to come to God on their own terms. They want to come to church on their own terms. They want to sacrifice none of their autonomy and none of their selfishness. People today know little about Jesus' command to crucify themselves or to deny themselves. People today rebel against the Lord, with the fear that a commitment to the Lord will force them to lose their autonomy. Such a commitment will force them to lose their independence and their right to choose for themselves what is right and wrong.

And do you know what? They are right. A commitment to the Lord does take away our self-rule, and that is offensive to many people. And so they fear greatly, and they conspire against God. They rebel. They fight against him in a vain hope of keeping their own independence.

God's enemies are motivated by self-preserving fear, and they are,

B. Motivated by self-advancing pride. Not only do they want to be free from God's authority, they want to expand their own authority.

And so, these five kings gathered together to attack Gibeon. This was not a defensive maneuver. This was offensive. They reasoned together, "If Gibeon is willing to join forces with Israel, then we need to conquer them ourselves." v.4-5

God's enemies are still on the attack today, attacking with self-advancing pride. Yet, today, they don't attack in the form of an army. The battles we face today are not fought on battlefields. Indeed, Eph. 6:12 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

And how do we fight that spiritual battle? How do we fight the self-preserving and self-advancing enemies of God? Paul mentions the whole armor of God, describing each piece, and then he says, PRAY.

Eph. 6:18 "...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

That is exactly what the church in Acts did. Acts 4:29 "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 "by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness."

Can you imagine seeing God's power so visibly demonstrated in our midst? Can you image such a display of God's power, that the place where we were praying together was shaken? Such power will be demonstrated only when we pray diligently.

I fear that many Christians today don't sense the spiritual battles that are raging. We go to church, enjoy Sunday School, listen to preaching, and go home. Maybe we occasionally read our Bible or pray for someone traveling or sick in the hospital. But that's about it.

If that is "church", then Satan will leave us alone, because we are no threat to him. But if we really want our church to be involved in the spiritual battles that are raging in our community and in our nation, then we must pray. If this church, or any church, is going to make any difference, if we want to have a more effective ministry and see unbelievers brought to salvation, then we must pray, and pray hard.

Be assured, God's enemies are conspiring against us. They are fearful of their own destruction, and they are proud of their own accomplishments. They are conspiring against our church. They are doing it now, today. I have become increasing aware of spiritual battles in our own midst, battles that surface in various ways. The rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms are hard at work. They are conspiring against the Lord and against his anointed, and against his church.

Yet the hope of Joshua 10 is that:

II. GOD ENABLES HIS PEOPLE TO CONQUER THOSE ENEMIES. v.6-8

Notice again, that this was a second test of Joshua's vow to the Gibeonites. He promised not to harm them, and in making them slaves, he was obligated to protect them. And they asked for that protection. And they received that protection. And God promised success. God specifically enables his people to conquer those enemies, those spiritual enemies.

There is a very specific application for us today. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

As we can learn from this story from Joshua,

A. God promises victory. v.8

Nothing new here, just a promise being repeated. Joshua 1:5 "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you."

Therefore we can be courageous! 1:6-9

The Lord your God is with you wherever you go. That is the real promise of victory. Joshua already knew that! Deut. 31:6 "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you...8 "And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

How many of you have endured a situation that you are helpless to change? How many of you have had to struggle through something that you were powerless to do anything about? How many of you are enduring something like that right now? You know how important this encouragement is.

God promises to never leave you nor forsake you. He says that you will have trouble in this world. But he promises you the victory over the spiritual forces of evil. Therefore he says, "take heart, have courage. I have overcome the world. I have promised you the victory."

And in the life of his people,

B. God also provides for victory. God directly intervenes in the life of his people. He doesn't sit back passively, watching what happens. He actively intervenes. v.10-11

The Lord threw them into confusion. He routed them. KJV: He discomfited them, perplexed, thwarted unsettled them. Don't you wish the Lord would do that sometimes! Pray that he will. When you face opposition from spiritual enemies, ask God to throw them into confusion. Ask God to strike them down, as he did these kings.

The scene is of God actually throwing down large hailstones upon his enemies. None of the Israelites were hit by friendly fire, either. The hail didn't hit the Israeli army, only the fleeing armies. The picture is as if God were in heaven personally throwing these hailstones at his enemies, like I used to do as a young boy throwing snowballs at any number of targets.

Illus: On a more gruesome level, the picture is like that situation that the world saw during the first Gulf War back when the armies of Saddam Hussein vainly tried to flee from the American and United Nations planes at the end of the Gulf War. You might remember the scenes, the highways of death, the massive destruction and loss of life inflicted by the vastly superior firepower of American fighter planes against the stupidity and suicidal strategy of Saddam Hussein. The planes flew over Iraqi troops marching helplessly out of Kuwait, unwilling to surrender peaceably. They were literally sitting ducks. They were killed right in their tracks as they fled along the road.

I don't hesitate to use such an illustration of God's power, because God's final judgment over his enemies will be far more destructive than any war that has been fought on this earth. This scene is a brief preview of that final judgment.

God promises his people victory. And God provides for that victory. Listen again to Jesus' words: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

So what should we do when we face spiritual battles against God's enemies? Should we sit back and wait for God to bring his judgment? Should we hide inside the four walls of our church, and wait for Jesus to come back to rescue us?

I think too many Christians have done that for too long, and have allowed God's enemies to advance unchecked. That is why we have many of the problems that we have in our country today. God's people can't just sit back and hide, waiting for Jesus to intercede. Joshua certainly didn't do that when he confronted his enemies. Rather,

III. GOD'S PEOPLE MUST CONTINUE TO BE FAITHFUL IN FIGHTING AGAINST THOSE ENEMIES. Notice something in these verses. God provides the victory. But God's people are doing the fighting. Balancing those two things is the key to understanding the Christian life.

The NT description of that balance is in Phil. 2:12-13 v.12 "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"

That is our responsibility. And what is God's work? v.13 "...for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

God is certainly at work in Joshua, and Joshua, therefore, is very much aware of his responsibility to work out his salvation with fear and trembling.

Specifically, for us to be faithful in fighting against our spiritual enemies,

A. Obedient action is needed. What was Joshua's obedient action? v.9

Joshua marched his men all night into battle. He knew God has promised victory, but he was willing to act in faith. He was willing to march all night with his army in order to bring about that promised victory. Do you see how God's promise and man's obedience work together?

God's sovereignty and man's responsibility for obedient action go hand in hand. You cannot sit back and wait passively for God to fight all your battles and conquer all your enemies. Remember, Joshua had also learned at Ai that you can't go out and fight without first seeking the Lord's wisdom and direction.

Joshua did neither of those things here. He knew God's promise. He know God would provide. And so he stepped out in faith with obedient action.

Please understand the importance of that example for us today. Please understand the importance of obedient action in our spiritual struggles today. You will not be able to win those spiritual battles without it.

The armor described in Ephesians 6 includes the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate covers our vital organs. The breastplate is what protects us from mortal wounds, just like a bullet-proof vest protects a police officer today. And it is righteousness that provides that protection. Your best protection against the most dangerous attacks of the forces of evil is your own personal righteousness. Godliness of life is the best defense against the wiles and schemes of the devil. Holiness is your best protection.

But how often do we attempt to fight spiritual battles without that armor in place. In our day, we have watered down the standards for personal holiness. We think holiness is a special status for a few super-Christians, people like Billy Graham and some missionaries in Africa. We're often satisfied with a shallow view of holiness, and a shallow view of sin. Some sins are even happily tolerated. But if there is sin in your life, willful disobedience to God's laws, then you are vulnerable to the attacks of God's enemies, just as vulnerable as a police officer in a gun battle without a bullet proof vest.

Learn from Joshua's example. When confronted with spiritual battles, he marched all night so he could surprise his enemies with an attack in the morning.

And Joshua did one other amazing thing, the climax of this whole story. He asked God to make the sun stand still. v.12-14

Why did he do that? I think it was pretty clear. Joshua understood his responsibility. He wanted to be faithful in fighting against his enemies, knowing that God had promised him the victory. He had marched all night long, launched a successful surprise attack, and continued in pursuit of his fleeing enemies all day long. But he needed more time. The job wasn't finished yet. He had more work to do, that couldn't wait even until the next day.

How different is the situation today, when so many of God's people can be characterized as spiritually lazy. How different was Joshua's example from our example today. For us, when the going gets tough, we quit. When too much work is involved, we back off. When the commitment is too great, we withdraw. When there is work to be done, we'll get to it tomorrow or we'll wait for someone else to do it.

As God's people today, too often we are scared of commitment. We are scared of hard work in spiritual things. We are hesitant to work and we fail to persevere. We are lazy. Joshua knew that,

B. Committed perseverance is needed. And it is needed today more than ever. Joshua wanted the day to last longer so he could finish his work. That is committed perseverance.

I'm not going to take the time to mention some of the explanations commentators have offered for this miracle. I'll only say this. The miracle happened. The Lord God, creator of heaven and earth, the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, who sustains all things by his powerful word, brought about a great and mighty miracle.

Joshua needed more time that day to finish his work, so God gave him more time. The sun slowed down, or to be astronomically accurate, the earth slowed down in its rotation around the sun. Perhaps it came to a complete stop. The result was that the length of that day was increased, perhaps even doubled.

Joshua was committed to his work. He would persevere in that work. And he would give it all he had.

I doubt any of us would even have thought about asking for a longer day. After all, it had never been done before. It hasn't been done since. What a testimony to Joshua's faith. And what a challenge to ours.

God has much work for us to do today. He hasn't told us to take up arms and fight a military war. But he has called us to fight a spiritual war. He has assigned us our work. The church is not a place to come to have your needs met. Church is not a spectator sport. The church is an opportunity to work for God. And as a church, he has given us our orders:

Matt. 28:18 "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Go and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. That is our job. That is the work of the church.

We will never accomplish that job if we are lazy and uncommitted. In the face of great opposition, God has promised his church success. He enables us to obtain the victory.

As a church, we face many spiritual battles. We have many spiritual enemies. And if will win those battles, then we must heed this challenge to work, and to work hard, for the kingdom of God.

In 2 Tim. 2, Paul uses three familiar illustrations of the Christian life, each one representing the need for us to be hard workers in the kingdom of God. He speaks of a loyal soldier, a disciplined athlete, and a hard working farmer. Each one is characterized by their diligence and loyalty. Let me end with those words:

2Tim. 2:4 "No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops."

And that is my encouragement and my challenge to you this evening. Be a loyal soldier, a disciplined athlete, and a hard working farmer. And if your labor seems too great, if the task too daunting, then pray that God would make the sun stand still so that you will have more time to finish the work he has given you to you.

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