A Divine Trap! - Joshua 8:10-17

Good morning. It's, as always, good to see everyone here. Always look forward to being with my church family on a

Sunday morning. It has been a little cool, that's for sure, but we're all here safe and sound, ready for another time with the

Lord in worship. As many of you know, we've been in the book of Joshua, and we're gonna be returning to the book of Joshua.

Specifically, we're gonna be in chapter 8, verses 10 through 17, and the title of this message is,

A Divine Trap. Now, if you recall in our previous study at the beginning of Joshua chapter 8,

Micah really brought us to the point where we found a renewed sense of hope with Joshua and the nation of Israel.

If you recall, Israel's entrance into the promised land had become one of many highs and lows, as they would experience

God's demonstrative power in their conquest at Jericho, only to be handed a resounding defeat at the hands of a much weaker opponent there at Ai.

And so, as the magnitude of Israel's defeat would start to settle in, it would lead Joshua to some rather painful reflections, and he would soon discover that there was sin within the camp, and that that sin would have to be dealt with decisively.

So we found that sin is a very detrimental condition that was confronting Joshua and the nation of Israel, and I'm here to tell you that this is the case for us today.

Another thing that we also understand is that this sin would have to be decisively dealt with in order for Israel to move forward.

And of course, likewise, for us as Christians, we understand that we're best served, too, when we understand the gravity of sin and we, you know, take such matters seriously, that we commune with God on a constant basis and that we walk accordingly.

In 1678, John Flavel, he addressed the gravity of sin in his work entitled, The Mystery of Providence, where he made this statement.

He said, sin is a fire that consumes the soul, a poison that corrupts the heart, and a debt that brings on eternal ruin.

So what we find here in Joshua chapter 7 is the sin of Achan would, of course, would bring defeat for Joshua and the nation of Israel.

And as we now come to chapter 8, we find that repentance and consecration would renew

God's promise where God would say, He says, do not fear, I have given into your hand the

King of Ai. So now let's take a look at the passage that is before us this morning.

Let's take a look at Joshua chapter 8 verses 10 through 17. The writer says, then

Joshua rose up early in the morning and he mustered the people and he went up, he and the elders of Israel before the people of Ai.

And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near and they came before the city and they camped on the north side of Ai.

Now a valley lay between them and Ai and he took about 5 ,000 men and he set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai on the west side of the city.

And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north of the city and its rear guard on the west of the city,

Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. Now it happened when the

King of Ai saw it that the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people at an appointed place before the plain.

But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. And Joshua and all of Israel, they made it as if they were beaten before them and they fled away into the wilderness.

So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued

Joshua and they were drawn away from the city. There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel.

So they left the city open and pursued Israel. So what we see in this passage here that we just read is a stark contrast between Joshua chapter 7 and Joshua chapter 8.

And in this contrast, we find this really is not about Israel's improved performance, but rather about God's sovereign grace being reasserted in lieu of the judgment that Israel had just received.

For in the end, this divine trap at Ai is a demonstration here of how God wins victories for His covenant people.

And it is through this divinely appointed means that exposes our weakness, but it magnifies

His power, which is really what we're going to discuss in the following three points of our message this morning.

The first point that I come before you to discuss is God's divine commander.

We're going to see this in Joshua chapter 8, verses 10 through 13. This will bring us to a second and a very familiar point, that being of pride and doom.

We will see this in Joshua chapter 8, verses 14 through 16. And then the third and the final point is a predetermined victory.

We will see this in the very last verse of our passage this morning, which is found in Joshua chapter 8, verse 17.

You know, even when Israel obeys God's detailed plan, the victory over Ai is not ultimately achieved through human strategy or military strength, but rather it is the

Lord's divine trap, which is set upon a pagan people. So let's take a look at some of the opening verses that we have in our passage this morning, where we need to examine here

God's divine commander. You know, as we consider this divine trap, we once again find

Joshua at the center of this passage, where he is taking directions from the Lord.

And as Joshua reasserts his command, we readily see that God will ordain both the means, which in this case is

Israel's renewed obedience, as well as the end, which is the total victory that they would ultimately experience.

So this brings us to some important observations as God's divine commander now prepares his army, where we see an obedience in mustering

God's people. In Joshua chapter 8, verse 10, we find

Joshua now rising up early, where he musters his people, calling them to obedience to the word of the

Lord. And one important distinction that we see here in this call is how he calls the elders and how they would be deployed in this effort.

Now, an important thing that we need to remember here is before Joshua allows for any military action to be undertaken, he would ensure that obedience to the

Lord would be the first and the foremost part of their preparations. And in order to ensure that the spiritual dimension in this effort would, of course, be considered central here to their conquest, we find that this divine trap that was set for the people of Ai, of course, would be one that they would be implementing detail by detail as it came from the

Lord. I'm here to tell you that warfare continues even to this day, especially as we consider spiritual warfare that we ourselves as Christians are confronted with.

For example, in his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul, he readily acknowledges the spiritual dimension of such matters where he proclaimed this in Ephesians 6, verse 12.

He said, 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 heavenly places.

We also find the apostle Peter, he highlights the importance of spiritual due diligence when it comes to spiritual warfare, where he said this in 1

Peter 5, verse 8. He said, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Likewise in his last letter to the Corinthian church, we find the apostle Paul again stressing the importance of reliance on divine power in such spiritual engagements where he said this in 2

Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 and 4. The apostle Paul said, though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

So the initial planning here of this divine trap is important because Joshua would demonstrate the importance of an obedience to God in such matters.

And as such, we find that God would show His hand would be upon Joshua and the nation of Israel moving forward.

Now another thing is readily seen here in these opening verses, that is that complexity prompts a reliance on God.

In Joshua chapter 8, verses 11 through 13, we find some really complex details of this divine trap where God would direct

Joshua to set an ambush from behind the city. And what we find is that this would require a total reliance on the part of Joshua and the nation of Israel.

I mean, think about it, they did not have radios. They did not have the internet. I mean, to coordinate this kind of multifaceted ambush was really something that had to be divinely ordained by God.

You know, as we look at this passage more closely, we find God's plan would call for 30 ,000 mighty men to be staged west of the city, while the main army would be camped in the east and to the north of Ai.

Now Joshua then, of course, he would stay with the main army, which was located to the east and the north of Ai, and it would be in plain view of the enemy, while the larger force, of course, would be staged west of the city and would be completely concealed.

There would also be a unit of about 5 ,000 additional men that would serve as a smaller group, which would kind of launch an attack, but then would serve, you know, as a kind of a fake retreat.

They would engage and then they would quickly retreat to the wilderness, all in an effort to kind of give this image that they are fleeing, as they had done before, to kind of give this false sense of victory to the defenders of Ai and draw them out into battle.

This of course was done to draw them out and, of course, make sure that they would be exposed to the multi -pronged ambush that was waiting for them.

So in the final analysis here, we really see really four moving parts here of this divine trap.

And, of course, all this would be coordinated by Joshua as God's commander. The first component that we see in this ambush is one of deception, where the nation of Israel would pretend to flee again and lure the overconfident defenders into the open field.

Secondly, we would find that ambush would be part of this overall trap, where a large and very hidden force would be really to the west of the city, and they would be ready to capture and burn the city while it was unoccupied and undefended.

Third, we would see that there would be a signal, we'll be covering this a little bit more next week, where Joshua's outstretched javelin would literally trigger the ambush.

And lastly, of course, we would see encirclement here, where the enemy is caught between two

Israeli forces with no possible escape. So there's a lot of moving parts here in this ambush.

And so God's divine trap here had to be ordained by God, given to Joshua through his direction, and of course, step by step, he had to be with them every step of the way.

This divine trap would originate from God's direction, and of course, that of human compliance.

And for his part, Joshua, he would obey every detail, which in turn would really result in a miraculous victory, thereby turning a humiliating defeat into one of the most brilliant ambushes in biblical history.

Now for some of us, we take a look at these things and we think, how would they apply to us? You know, as Christians, we live in complex times, where the role of many leaders oftentimes is really predicated on their own personal charisma, perhaps their own pride, their own self -promotion, and anyone who follows politicians, we can see that prevalently displayed in our society today.

But from a Christian sense, nothing could be further from God's plan for mankind. In his work entitled,

Gospel Remission, Jeremiah Burroughs, he highlighted what godly leadership is all about in order to accomplish

God's divine will, where he said this. He said, rulers must remember that their power is not their own, but lent them of God, and they are to use that for the good of those they rule, and not for their private ends.

So as leaders of Christ's church, elders should lead in this manner.

And as congregations, of course, we need to remember that God alone should receive the glory for our every effort, for our every experience, and of course, understand that it's not a self -reliant effort.

It's totally reliant on God. So let us recognize here that God is the ultimate strategist.

He is sovereign. He ordains all things, and that every detail of redemption comes directly from Him, and not our own merits.

We see this in Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9. For in the end, our obedience is very real and necessary, and let our obedience always be response, and always understand that it is a response to a prior act of divine grace.

This, of course, should move us towards gratitude for this act on God's part. Now another thing that we also need to keep in mind is that even our best plans and our best efforts are woefully insufficient without His appointing and His upholding.

This is what a reliance on God is all about. When our reliance is on God, we recognize our total inability apart from grace.

We understand that we are indeed in a fallen state, that we are spiritually dead, and that we cannot turn to God, trust

Christ, or for that matter do anything spiritually beneficial without God first granting us life and faith.

When our reliance is on God, we recognize that even the act of believing is literally a gift from God.

When our reliance is on God, we recognize that sovereign grace is necessary from the beginning to the end, from regeneration to final glorification.

We understand that it's with us for every step of the way, every step of salvation that's by grace alone.

In chapter 13 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession, we find the basis of our ability to rely on God in such matters where we are told this, they, which is referring to those of us who are in Christ, who are effectually called and regenerated, have any new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified really and personally through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection by His word and spirit dwelling in them.

The dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they are more and more quickened and strengthened in all the saving graces to the practices of all true holiness without which no man shall see the

Lord. My brothers and sisters, the entirety of the Christian life, whether it be sanctification, whether it be perseverance or prayer or obedience or endurance amidst the trials that we deal with, it's sustained by the very same grace that brought salvation to our doorstep.

Now, just as we see as Joshua being God's divine commander, we too also find that faith is a demonstration of complete reliance on Him.

I mean, this saving faith is not just a mere intellectual ascent, but rather it is a complete casting off of oneself to Christ.

In His righteousness alone, of course, we find that Christ brings us justification,

He brings us sanctification, and of course He brings us reconciliation, all of which fuels eternal life that we now have in Christ.

For those of us who are in Christ, we continually look away from ourself, whether it's our efforts, our merits, or our feelings, and we focus our emphasis, our views, our choices, our actions, and our beliefs on Christ's finished work.

Always remember that true believers will persevere to the end, not because of their own resolve, but because of God preserving them through faith.

And this, of course, is the truth where we find that humility and confidence comes together in perfect harmony.

So to rely on God is to live every moment of our life in complete reliance to His sovereignty and His irresistible and preserving grace.

So let us abandon all trust in human ability and merit, but let us solely rest on the work of Jesus Christ.

Now with that said, I would like to visit our next point where we find ourselves once again coming to this condition of pride and doom.

You know, when you consider the issue of pride and doom, we find it to be a familiar theme in the book of Joshua.

I mean, if you recall in the opening verses in the book of Joshua, we found Israel at the end of 40 years of divine judgment in the wilderness.

And then let us not forget where Israel's pride and overconfidence led them to a very humiliating defeat at the hands of AI there in Joshua chapter 7.

However, in Joshua chapter 8 verses 14 through 16, we now find such outcomes are not the exclusive domain of the nation of Israel.

For in these verses, the men of AI would be the ones that would be overwhelmed with pride. The men of AI would be the ones that would be overconfident as they rushed headlong into their own divine judgment as well.

So some things never change, especially when we find that a trap now has been set.

You know, as we continue our story in Joshua chapter 8 verse 14, the king of AI sees

Israel's fake retreat and he haphazardly rushes out with all the people with little regard to the trap that has been set for him.

In many ways, they were blind in their own hubris and the trap that awaited them. Simply put, pride oftentimes comes from a blindness and a lack of self -awareness.

It is insidious. It is deceptive and it will ensnare you. And by the time you realize what doom awaits you, the judgment has already paid its willful visitation.

So let us take heed to the example now that has been set for us by these men at AI and let us commit ourselves, of course, to rejecting pride and the resulting spiritual blindness that comes from that.

Let us be mindful that Satan and his minions are setting traps for us as well.

In his last letter to Timothy, we find that the apostle Paul, he specifically challenged him and us as well with these words.

We see this in 2 Timothy chapter 2 verses 24 through 26. The apostle

Paul said, and as a servant of the Lord, must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient in humility, correct in those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and what?

And escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

You know, as we consider these things, the doctrine of spiritual blindness is something that really comes readily to the forefront.

And such examples, of course, should prompt us to consider our own station of life as well, where such blindness is really rooted in the total depravity of man, where the sovereignty of God is central to regeneration and where there's an absolute necessity of the new birth by the

Holy Spirit. For those of us who enjoy such blessings, let us be mindful of this.

Let us be guarded in our choices and, of course, let us always, always understand that there are traps all around us that have been set by Satan, all in an effort to impede the relationship that we have with Christ.

Now another important thing that we also see in this passage of Scripture is the connection between human pride and divine judgment.

In the last part of Joshua 8, verse 16, we find that the men of Ai were lured away from the city, leaving it unguarded, where they are told that all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them.

And just as we saw with Israel's overconfidence here, in the wake of their victory at Jericho, now we see the men of Ai essentially lured into a false sense of victory as well.

In his work entitled, A Body of Divinity, Thomas Watson, he warned us about the dangers of human overconfidence, where he made this observation, saying, he said, pride is the greatest sacrilege.

It robs God of His glory. He that is proud and overconfident in himself sets up a throne in his heart for the devil to sit in.

So what is seen in this passage and many others is that the human pride and divine judgment do indeed go hand in hand.

They are interconnected. And this condition, of course, exists where the condition of pride and overconfidence exists.

We find that divine judgment will be part of that equation as well. Now another thing that we really need to keep in mind is that an absence of immediate consequence is not an endorsement to sin, nor should we ever, ever allow

God's mercy to lull us into thinking that the consequences somehow do not apply to our situation.

My brothers and sisters, let us be mindful of these things and let us take heed and walk accordingly.

Now there's much to think about here as we consider our own life practice. You know, as Christians we need to be mindful that pride makes men blind and it makes them overconfident.

We see such admonitions in the Old Testament where we're told in Proverbs 16, verse 18, where it says that pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

And we find that these warnings are likewise repeated in the New Testament as well, where the Apostle Paul told the

Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 12, where he says, therefore, let him who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

So as we apply these things, there are some theological considerations found in this passage of Scripture as well.

You know, one thing that we readily see here is that God sovereignly hardens whom He will. We see this specifically in Romans 9, verse 18, as well as in this situation where God uses pride of the reprobate here to accomplish

His righteous judgment on Canaan so He could extend mercy towards Israel. And this is the wonderful picture of the

Gospel, where the enemies of God's people literally will destroy themselves by walking into their own trap instead.

And in this current day, we find examples of this all around us. We see where Christ's apparent defeat on the cross became the very thing that would destroy

Satan, death and sin. The Apostle Paul, he pointed this out in 2

Corinthians 4, verse 4, where he said that the God of this world has blinded the minds of those unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the

Gospel of the glory of Christ. For it is God in His sovereign mercy who opens blind eyes, who causes the light to shine from the darkness, who shines that light into the hearts of those who are the elect, giving them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

My brothers and sisters, this is what it means to be cured of spiritual blindness. Not that we have made a better choice than those who are blind, but rather it is

God's omnipotent mercy that we are seeing, that we are made to see the need that we have for Christ and to exercise that belief and faith unto salvation.

For in the end, it is really to Him alone that deserves the glory when a person comes to salvation.

It is glory to God alone when that guiding hand of the Holy Spirit guides that person on the path of sanctification.

It is to God alone that the glory comes from the blood of Christ that justifies and redeems and reconciles us to a holy

God. So how do these things apply to the lives in which we lead?

You know, as Christians there's many lessons that we can learn from this pride -driven defeat that we see that took place to Israel and now

AI. And of course for us we need not to forget that pride and overconfidence is not just the domain of nations, but it afflicts

Christians and non -Christians alike. So whether we consider the defeat of Israel at the hands of a pagan people or where God literally turns the tables in this passage of Scripture on the people of AI, one thing is indeed for certain, and that is that pride and overconfidence is a rebellion against the

Creator who brought all things into existence since the beginning of time. Simply put, pride is spiritual blindness.

It's self -deception. We are told this in the book of Proverbs chapter 16, verse 5, where the writer says that everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the

Lord. Though they join forces, none will go unpunished. How many times have we seen hubris delude a person into thinking that they are richer or wiser or more righteous than they truly are?

My brothers and sisters, let us not fall into that trap. Throughout the ages we find that the foremost obstacle to repentance and faith is found in the heart of a proud person who believes that they have no need for a

Savior in Christ or His imputed righteousness. Let us recognize the gravity of this first sin, which is a pride that destroys true saving faith and that justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone.

As Christians, let us be thankful that both grace and faith are indeed gifts from God.

On February the 23rd, 1880, Charles Spurgeon, he preached a sermon on 2

Timothy chapter 2, verses 20 and 21. The title of the message was,

The Great Mysteries of Godliness. And in this message, there's one short and really simple sentence that was really kind of jumped out at me when

I was reading this. One of the things that Spurgeon said was, he says, the same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay.

Think about that. The same sun that softens and melts the wax is the same sun that hardens the clay.

My dear brothers and sisters, throughout Scripture we find numerous examples where God will resist the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

This is a lesson that all of us would be well served to learn. Make no mistake, pride invites divine opposition and discipline.

This is especially true in the life of a Christian, where God will administer sanctifying discipline because He will not share

His glory with another person. Let us behold the glory and the humility of Christ, and let us not forget that pride is not a mere character flaw, but rather it is idolatry of oneself, which is the very antithesis of the gospel.

Now we've covered a lot of territory here so far, but I'd like to kind of visit with you guys with one last final point, if I may, which we find in our passage really the setting of a predetermined victory here.

You know, as we come to the final verse in our passage this morning, we find that the men of Ai were overwhelmed with overconfidence, and they left their town exposed to pursue the fleeing

Israelites. And before this battle even really started, the signs of this predetermined victory were already beginning to take shape.

And in this final verse, we begin to see that this victory was indeed a gift from God. You know, when we consider the elements of this predetermined victory, we find a couple of final observations that I would like to share with you here in closing of this message.

You know, one observation worth mentioning is the fact that we see a sovereign act being conveyed here in this passage.

In Joshua 8, verse 17, we find that God really has already declared the outcome of this encounter.

We read this specifically where it says that there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel that went not after Israel.

This overconfidence left the enemies of Israel incredibly exposed here. Now, it's also important to remember that Joshua and Israel, they are quite active here in their obedience to God's direction.

I mean, after all, if you take a look at the logistics leading up to this divine trap, we find them marching all night.

They were staging troops over here in the plains. They were hiding some troops over here to the west of the city.

They were setting this divine trap in accordance to the details that were conveyed to Joshua by God Himself, and then they were planning to set the stage for a fake retreat.

Yet throughout Joshua chapter 8, one of the things that we are repeatedly reminded of is that God is the one giving them the victory here.

And as the sun, of course, would rise over the plains and the rugged hills of Canaan, the men of Ai and their neighbors at Bethel, they would move forward in reckless pursuit, and not a single warrior remained within the walls of their respective cities.

No one would be there to guard the city gates and to protect their households. Every man driven by pride, the lust of conquest, they poured out after a seemingly retreating

Israel. They smelled blood. They tasted victory. They rushed headlong into the open plain, leaving their cities defenseless, their women and children exposed, and their future unsecured.

And this, my brothers and sisters, was not a tactical blunder, but rather it was a sovereign act where we see a judicial hardening from God Himself.

So long before a single Israelite soldier would lift a spear, the Lord had already predetermined that the victory would be done by sovereign decree, where He declared that Canaan's iniquity had finally reached its full measure.

The Amorites, the Hittites, the Pezzrites, with Ai being among them, of course, they had filled the land with adultery.

They had filled this land with child sacrifice. They had committed every abomination known to man.

And let us not forget that for four entire centuries, God had been patient, but now the day of reckoning had come.

God's sovereign act would commence to harden the hearts of Ai, which, of course, would be unabated, it would be predetermined, and it would be irreversible.

There was nothing that the men of Ai could do. You know,

God's sovereign act, He would give these people at Ai over to their own pride and folly.

They saw Israel fleeing. They believed that the lie that had really, that they were the strong ones, that they were the ones that would prevail once again.

They had no understanding that, really, that they were no longer the masters of their faith. God had already dictated another outcome for them.

And so God, of course, He would stir them up to empty themselves completely, putting them in a place where there would be no refuge, there would be no retreat, there would be no remnant of resistance left when the hammer of God's judgment would fall.

Now, this brings us to one last element, if I may, as it relates to this predetermined victory, and it is this.

It is one of a greater truth that we need to take a look at here. You know, when we look at Joshua 8, verse 17, we find the shadow of a greater truth where sinful man, when he is left to himself, what will he do?

He will always run headlong into his own destruction. Apart from the sovereign grace that God gives to mankind, mankind will ultimately pursue the very thing that will lead to their destruction, all the while proclaiming that they themselves are on the right side of history.

In Joshua 8, verse 17, we find the men of Ai now serving as a very clear example of this for us, where total depravity of unregenerate hearts, of spiritual blindness, of moral bankruptcy charging in recklessly into their own ambush that God had set for them.

If we consider our current times in which we live, if we were just to look around, we would find examples of this very same thing all around us.

We would see men and women running recklessly towards their own sin, so blinded that they no longer even recognize

God's objective truth. The prophet Isaiah put it quite clear when he said this in Isaiah chapter 5, verse 20.

He said, woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Is this not a description of the society that we find ourselves living in today? Today we live in dark times where even grown adults have deluded themselves into believing that a man can become a woman and a woman can become a man.

How can you put God's divine plan of marriage and family on its head and not expect divine judgment to follow?

And yet at the very same moment, the covenant faithfulness of God will always shine forth with its spiritual radiance.

Let us not forget that the same sovereign Lord who hardened the hearts of the Canaanites is the same

Lord who would circumcise the hearts of this new generation of Israel that would move into the promised land and claim a promise made to Abraham.

And now in perfect justice and invincible grace, God was giving them the land that was sworn to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, not because Israel was righteous, mind you, but because there was a greater truth found in God's promise.

And in all these things here, God had foreordained to glorify Himself through salvation of His elect people and through the judgment of His enemies.

And so as we close out our passage, we find the gates of Ai stood open and the city literally laid unprotected before the army of an avenging

God. And the divine trap would be set not by Israel's might or strategy alone, but by God's eternal decree.

So there's a lot to consider here in this final application, if I may, and that is as Christians we need to recognize that grace and salvation is by God's work alone.

And just as Israel did not conquer Ai by their own sword, neither are we saved and sanctified by our own strength and will, but rather by the goodness of God's work.

There's much to be thankful here. Just as perseverance is secured by God in the times of Joshua, where a victory is predetermined, where God has kept every soldier in place and every enemy blinded, likewise we find a lesson here for us as well.

The Apostle Paul, he spoke to this condition in Philippians chapter 1 verse 6, where he said, being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will do what?

Will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. So let us be encouraged here.

Our salvation is predicated on God's sovereign act and the greater truth that is found in the gospel.

And victory in the life of a Christian, I'm here to tell you, is predetermined as well. The battle indeed belongs to the

Lord and our greatest enemies of sin, Satan, and death have already been ambushed and taken down at the foot of the cross.

A couple parting points here. I think it's important that we make sure that we are humble before the

Lord. Let every step that we take be one of obedience, which is enabled by God's sovereign grace.

And let us be obedient, understanding that God still uses prayer and scripture and spiritual discipline to allow us to live victoriously in Christ.

The psalmist said in Psalm chapter 20, excuse me, in Psalm 20 verses 7 and 8, he said, some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we will remember the

Lord, the name of the Lord, our God. They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stand upright.

So let us not forget that all of us who are in Christ, we are called by grace. Those of us, of course, in Christ, we hide ourselves in the true city of refuge, which is in Christ himself.

Let us stand on the pillars of God's sovereign act and salvation and the greater truth that is found in his word.

And let us be filled with his spirit as we look forward to that day when he will bring every one of his elect safely home.

Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, thank you so much for your word. We come before you,

Lord, in humility and obedience. Lord, just ever thankful for your sovereign grace.

Lord, let us never forget that faith and belief unto salvation are your wonderful gifts and blessings to us.

And let us understand that there is an enemy, that there is spiritual warfare, that there is a spiritual dimension to the life that we lead, and let us walk accordingly following Christ in sanctification.

Dear Lord, thank you so much for the privilege of being able to come together as a body of believers to worship you, to pray, to read your word, and to live accordingly.