A Southern Destruction - Joshua 10:29-42

Thank you for everyone's patience just working on some settings on the camera. We got it rolling now just want to Thank everyone for jumping online

Obviously the weather is keeping our families in the church somewhat predisposed I certainly hope everyone is safe and with their families as always

It's good to get together for worship, even if it's by a camera hook up here But nonetheless, let's go ahead and get started as many of you know

We've been in the book of Joshua as specifically in Joshua chapter 10, and we're going to be continuing in that chapter this morning

We're we're gonna be in verses 29 through 42 And the title of this message is a southern destruction

Now if you recall in our previous study in the first half of Joshua chapter 10 We found one of the most dramatic events in the conquest of Canaan For the victories seen in those verses here really emphasized

God's sovereign power his faithfulness to his covenant promises As well as how well he takes care of his people

We see where the Lord really threw the enemy into complete confusion Allowing Israel to slaughter them from Gibeon down to the slopes of Azekah and Makeda And of course we see even more dramatically that God would rain large

Hailstones on the enemy which would wind up killing more the enemy than even the sword of Israel You know when you think about the this occasion here

We find that it really shows that the the battle is indeed the Lord's we see this in 1st

Samuel chapter 17 verse 47 The hailstones of course They kind of call back to a time where God kept his covenant with Israel and how he judges the wicked

We learned about God's sovereignty throughout history and even in military conquest as God would demonstrate

Time and time again the certainty of his promises to Israel which of course were found in the

Abrahamic in the Mosaic covenants And just as we consider these things in the passage that is before us this morning here

We find this theme now emerging that will ultimately point forward to the ultimate victory that we will have in Christ So, let's take a look at the passage before us this morning, let's read

Joshua chapter 10 verses 29 through 42 Then Joshua passed from Makeda and all

Israel with him to Libna and they fought against Libna and the Lord also Delivered it and its king into the hand of Israel He struck it and all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword

He let none remain in it, but he did to its king what he had done to the king of Jericho Then Joshua passed from Libna and all

Israel with him to Lachish and they encamped against it and fought against it and the

Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel who took it on the second day and Struck it and all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword according to all that Had he had done to Libna?

and Horem the king of Giza came up to help Lachish and Joshua struck him and his people until he left him none remaining

From Lachish Joshua then passed to Eglon and all of Israel with him and they encamped against it and fought

Against it. They took it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword

All the people who were in it. He utterly destroyed that day According to all that he had done to Lachish So Joshua went up from Eglon and all of Israel with him to Hebron and they fought against it and they took it and they

Struck it with the edge of the sword its kings all of its cities and all the people who were in it

He left none remaining According to all that he had done to Eglon, but utterly destroyed it and all the people who were in it

Then Joshua returned and all of Israel with him to Debor and they fought against it and he took it and its king and all of its cities and they struck them with the edge of the

Sword and utterly destroyed all the people who were left in it He left none remaining as he had done to Hebron.

So he did to Debor and its king Yes, he had done to Libna and its king

So Joshua conquered all the land The mountain country and the south and the lowlands and the wilderness slopes and all their kings he left none remaining, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed as the

Lord God of Israel had commanded and Joshua he conquered them from Kadesh Barnea as far as Gaza and all from the country of Goshen Even as far as Gibeon all these kings and their land

Joshua took at one time because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel So now that as we move further here to Joshua chapter 10 we will find ourselves really looking at a continuation here of Israel's conquest of the southern part of Canaan and Once again in these verses here, we see this emphasis on God's righteous judgment on the

Canaanites We see really a swift success that's granted to Joshua through his divine help and of course that this really comes to a a call for all of us as believers to Pursue our own spiritual victories while trusted in the same

God who fought for Israel Now while we examine the passage that is before us this morning

I would like to now address the following three points and of our message if I may The first point that we're going to talk about is a swift and a thorough judgment

This is going to be seen in Joshua chapter 10 verses 29 through 39 This will bring us to the second point in our message this morning where we will see the comprehensive nature of God's conquest this will be seen in Joshua chapter 10 verses 40 and 41 and Then third and last the point that we will be dealing with is the source of victory

This will be seen in the very last verse of our passage this morning, which will be seen in Joshua chapter 10 verse 42

So now this brings us to the very first point of our Message this morning where we see this a swift and thorough judgment here in Joshua chapter 10 verses 29 through 39

We see a first -hand account here on how really great Achievements can be accomplished in a very short period of time when

God owns and blesses the conquest And when the Lord fights for Israel we see in this passage of Scripture this domino effect is one enemy after the other will literally fall before Joshua's advancing armies

And while Joshua would take advantage of these improving opportunities with great diligence Success comes not from human might alone, but from the power of God executing his righteous judgment

So this brings us really to the forefront of some very notable observations here Where we readily see a deadly efficiency, you know when we

Examine the opening verses of our passage here more closely We see Joshua pursuing the advantage that was really brought about by by God's hailstone victory against these

Amorite kings and we see these taking literally city after city with remarkable speed

Makeda falls to the sword Libna will also fall to the sword

Lachish would soon follow in their demise despite geysers failed rescue attempt Eglin would step up for its turn in battle against the nation of Israel and would be utterly destroyed

Hebron would soon follow followed by in their demise. We finally see Debor would then ultimately get conquered as well

So the southern destruction that we see in this passage here. It was complete. It was efficient and it was deadly

And while many would consider this account here To be really just merely a narrative of military history

I'm here to tell you that it goes way beyond that it points clearly to the divine attributes that we see in God's character

And what is that attribute that we see in this passage here? It is the attribute of God's justice

Specifically we see God's justice here with great clarity in these verses And of course it is important for us as Christians to recognize that justice is a foundational

Attribute of God it is rooted in his absolute holiness and righteousness It is inseparable from his sovereignty and mercy

God's justice demands that sin be punished perfectly Yet for the

Christian it is satisfied through Christ's substitutionary atonement So what would appear to be really a mere retelling of a resounding military victory?

We really need to make sure that we not overlook the key biblical and theological principles being conveyed in this passage

God is inerrantly just meaning that he is always he will always act in accordance with his a perfect moral standard

You know, this may not be popular theology in the modern times, but it is timeless nonetheless

In fact in Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 4 the writer tells us this

It says he who is God is the rock his work is perfect for all his ways are

Justice a God of truth without injustice Righteous and upright is he?

So the justice that we're seeing demonstrated here in Joshua chapter 10 verses 29 through 39 is not an arbitrary

Act, but it flows from God's immutable nature He cannot contradict himself nor can he overlook evil and His tristess entitled the evil of evils or the exceeding sinfulness of sin

Jeremiah Burroughs explained God's response to sin in the following manner He said nothing could provide a greater discovery of God's relentless opposition to sin than the amazing sufferings of his own dear son

My brothers and sisters as Christians We really have much to be grateful for here for when

God comes when it comes to God and his opposition to sin We find really the sufferings of his son

We find that in from the sufferings of his son comes the blessing of our salvation

We do not really bear the evil penalty of our sin, but rather through Christ's sufferings

We are redeemed through Christ's blood We are cleansed and of course that he continues to mediate on our behalf to this very day

Now this brings us back to the passage here that we have in Joshua where he executed these military engagements with a very deadly efficiency showing a keen understanding of what

God's Expectations were and of course the role that he as Joshua would play in God's sovereign plan

None of these cities in the south of Canaan surrendered they all resisted if we recall here in our passage yet They were all destroyed with a deadly efficiency

No one was spared and every Canaanite from the highest king to the lowliest peasant were utterly destroyed

So in the final analysis here We see this perspective of true believers who will endure here of God's justice as God upholds his covenant to his people

So now that we've really gained an understanding here of God's justice in this southern destruction

This really brings us to another observation where we really need to address the the history and the reason for God's justice again in Joshua chapter 10 verses 29 through 39 we see a deliberate and a very comprehensive destruction of all that is found in the southern part of Canaan and When such accounts of annihilation are conveyed in history

It may cause some to question or maybe to even condemn the judgment being visited on these pagan people unfortunately in modern -day

Christianity Feelings have been really allowed to dictate our theology rather than the whole counsel of God and as such

I believe that we really need to take an objective look at at what really brought the

Canaanites to this place of God's justice You know Scripture is very clear on this point for what it was is because their sin literally had reached its full measure

You know I'm simply amazed at the speed of how so many people who identify themselves as Christians are so quick to dismiss the sin that Mitigates God's judgment only to find out that when that judgment comes they condemn

God for acting in accordance to his own holiness So the role of the

Canaanites and what the role that they played here to bring about this judgment here is an important consideration as we

Examine this passage and why is that it is because we live in a time here where there's a tendency to overlook

To downplay or to completely dismiss the necessity of God's justice So what did the

Canaanite people do here to bring about this judgment? You know this here is a really important question

It's one that will often be posed when God Exercises his justice in this manner, and I'm here to tell you that the

Canaanites were not just some innocent bystanders Here just minding their own business waiting for Israel to wipe them out

But rather we really need to consider the history here that led up to this judgment

According to biblical accounts found in the Old Testament The Canaanites were condemned for a range of practices that were deemed morally

Reprehensible by a holy God the practices of child sacrifice of ritual prostitution and an utter moral compass had really filled up The cup of divine wrath here.

The moral corruption was deep generations deep with these people You know

God who is infinitely holy and the righteous judge of all the earth He waited for 400 years in really long suffering patience before he brought about Executing judgment through using

Israel as his chosen instrument And while the Bible presents these factual reasons for judgment

We see this clearly in Leviticus chapter 18 verses 24 through 30 We see this again in Deuteronomy chapter 12 verse 31 and again in Deuteronomy chapter 18 verses 9 through 12

We also find the historical and the archaeological record to be quite condemning as well

You know evidence found at archaeological sites in Canaan itself have uncovered thousand of urns can containing cremated remains of infants oftentimes accompanied with Inscriptions dedicating the sacrifices to God by the name of Baal Haman and Tannit furthermore, we see historical evidence in the

Ugarit Texts here which describes myths of gods who engage in violence and incest and ritualistic behaviors

Which were then replicated in real Canaanite religious practices So in the final analysis here

God's judgment had finally arrived on a people whose iniquity had reached its full measure after centuries of these practices now it's really regrettable that I have to address these reasons in such detail, but Again, we live in a culture here

We're condemning God for the consequences that mankind brings upon themselves has been coming has really become a fashionable but a rather apostate theology and because of this we are obligated as Christians to really examine the reason for the magnitude of God's justice here

You know How do we apply these things as believers?

I mean any time that you consider issues of great judgment and annihilation you often wonder as a

Christian How do we apply such things to our lives? and I think you know really as Christians we need to be mindful of the world around us and as Opportunities of honor and duty virtue come our way.

We need to act on them quickly just as Joshua acted on the Lord's command and Just as we see here in God's dealings with Joshua and of course the nation of Israel by extension

I believe each one of us if we were to look back on our lives We would find many instances of God giving us these golden moments.

So to speak after extending us a great mercy Let us not be dismissive of such moments lest we spiritually

Really might pass up on an opportunity of gain that we would have otherwise had here

Another thing that we also see in the Christian life Is that after seasons of spiritual victory whether it is a an answer to a prayer or maybe some deliverance from sin here?

We should also be encouraged to diligently pursue holiness and service So when God visits us with these moments and we act on these moments and we experience spiritual victory in our lives

We should of course use that as an encouragement to continue Holy living and As such as such too

We also need to be mindful of these things lest our hearts become hardened and the enemy of course becomes emboldened now

Just when we consider this historical account here of God's justice we find that it should also influence us as the body of Christ to Embrace the proper view of church discipline and encourage our advocacy of biblical justice all the while Recognizing that the ultimate accountability belongs to God in His work entitled the

Ten Commandments, which is actually a part of a larger exposition known as the Westminster Shorter Catechism Thomas Watson had this to say about God's justice

He said how does it seem to comport with God's justice to punish a sin committed in a moment with eternal torment?

Because sin is committed against an infinite majesty and therefore the sin itself is infinite and Proportionally the punishment must be infinite

But therein lies the blessing here of those of us who are in Christ For his shed blood is perpetual

It too is also Infinite and it gives us a redemption that is timeless here a redemption that cannot be

Undone and one that eternally serves as the proper payment for our sins Thus as it relates to our personal mission of building

God's kingdom here I believe it's important for us to understand that the gospel itself proclaims justice that is satisfied in Christ all these things here really reflect the consensus that is found in Reformed Baptist confessions like the 1689

London Baptist Confession, which echoes also the Westminster Confession when addressing God's attributes

So we have much as Christians to be thankful for here and this Brings us yet to another point in our message this morning, which is the comprehensive nature of God's conquest in Joshua chapter 10 verses 40 and 41

We find Joshua really laying out the extent and the completeness of this southern destruction, you know

When we look at the geography that's being mentioned here We see where Joshua literally he struck the whole southern region of Canaan From the hill country to the south land from the the valleys down to the springs

Utterly destroying everything just as the Lord had commanded leaving none remaining

And in these two short verses here We find some really important observations as well where we first see the human cost here of sin and abomination in Joshua chapter 10 verse 40

We find the human cost of Canaan's prolonged and defiant Disobedience towards a holy

God and the cost of their abomination would be staggering in human costs We see Joshua saying here so Joshua Conquered all the land the mountain country in the south and the lowlands and the wilderness slopes and all their kings

He left none remaining But utterly destroyed all that breathed as the

Lord God of Israel had commanded So when we consider the high human cost here of this southern destruction

We also find a very stark demonstration here of God's absolute sovereignty in judgment

We see the faithfulness he has to his covenant promise and for that matter We see a rather poignant statement here on the sinfulness of all of humanity

There are typological pointers here pointing to Christ and the greater conquest that we will see with his kingdom

So after the dramatic day when the Sun would stand still in the heavens and the Lord would hurl large hailstones upon the fleeing

Amorite Kings Joshua and the nation of Israel would press forward under God's clear command inflicting destruction on the

Canaanites with this solemn finality here So Joshua he struck all that was in the land

The rugged hill country the arid lands of the south the lowland valleys And of course the slopes that descended towards the

Western Sea together with all their kings He left not a single survivor standing every breathing soul among them and those of the

Canaanite people were utterly destroyed Just as the Lord had commanded that he do

So the price of sin here is indeed high And this is the theme that really echoes throughout the the countless sermons and devotionals and personal

Reflections that I imagine all of us have heard at some point or another And we find this to be especially true from the

Christian perspective here and his letter to the church at Rome The the Apostle Paul put it quite bluntly where he said in Romans chapter 6 verse 23 for the wages of sin is death

But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord So I'm here to tell you that death isn't just physical

But it also symbolizes a separation from God and of course throughout history

We bear witness to this likewise spiritual death for the non -believer is really this slow erosion of the abundant life that they were created for all the while ending with the eternal consequence of damnation without redemption

So the human cost in this passage of Scripture was great But this was just a part of God's judgment here where we also see the magnitude of the destruction

In Joshua chapter 10 verse 41 we begin to see the magnitude and the scope of this southern destruction

I mean Joshua tells us that the stroke of the sword reached from Kadesh Barnea and Into the far southern wilderness even unto

Gaza on the Philistine plain It encompassed the whole region of Goshen really stretching northward as far as Gibeon You know, one of the things that we see here is just in one breathtaking

Season of warfare the Lord the Lord literally brought down all these proud Strongholds of Canaan and delivered the land into the hands of his covenant people

So as we read this historical account, it's not just a chapter in military history

But rather we should stand in awe at the righteous severity of God on display here

And as I said earlier the Canaanites again, we're not innocent victims of ethnic aggression

But rather they were generations deep in their own idolatry. They were generations deep in their own

Unbelief and their own disobedience and then their own sin These are the things of course that really symbolized what

God meant when he said that they had reached their full measure Additionally when we consider the magnitude of the destruction here

We need to remember that Joshua's obedience here was not that of a bloodthirsty Warlord but rather he was discharged in the duties of a faithful servant here carrying out the righteous judgment of a sovereign

God of the universe Throughout the book of Joshua. What do we see here? We see this repeated statement where it says as the

Lord God of Israel Commanded we see this repeatedly throughout the book of Joshua and each time that we're told this here

We are reminded of the magnitude of this destruction, which was measured by what by divine decree and not human vengeance

We also see numerous references here where the Lord fought for Israel So the magnitude of this judgment and subsequent victory was a victory from his first to last act

The swift and total subduing of these southern Canaanite Kings It also demonstrates

God's enduring faithfulness to his ancient promise here that he had swore to Abraham and to Israel and to Isaac and to Jacob we see all this in Genesis chapter 12 verse 7 in Genesis chapter 15 verse 18 where we were told that to your offspring

I will give this land So what we are seeing in this passage of skip scripture here is a claim of a

God's promise here being fulfilled in Joshua's generation Likewise we're oftentimes reminded of the doctrines of Sola Gratia Sola Fide and Sola Christus Which are really they come from the same

God who? justifies sinners by grace alone by faith alone and in Christ alone and the very same

God who Delivered Joshua and gave him the victory as well as the nation of Israel is the same

God who keeps his word He basically that makes good on every promise that he ever extends to mankind

So when the smoke of the battles here dissipated and the magnitude of the destruction here really comes into full focus we find that the narrative points forward to a greater

Joshua in Jesus Christ and While Israel's obedience and conquest would falter at times

We can rejoice that the true and the final Joshua has come in Jesus Christ He has disarmed the principalities and the powers of this world

He has won the victory over them on the cross and even to this day he is subduing his enemy under his feet

You know the Apostle Paul put it quite well in his letter to the Colossians where he proclaimed in Colossians chapter 2 verses 13 through 15

Paul said and you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh

He has made alive together with him having forgiven you all

Trespasses having wiped out all the handwriting the requirements that was against us

Which was contrary to us and then listen here and he has taken it out of the way

Having nailed it to the cross having disarmed Principalities and powers he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in it

So the destruction here in the land of Canaan was but a shadow Pointing forward to the eternal victory that we have in Christ It was a shadow that points forward to also something that I would like to characterize as a true inheritance

Which is a new creation which is purchased by blood And of course, it's secured by all those who belong to Christ by his sovereign grace

These verses, of course should summon each one of us to worship the God who is terrifying in his holiness

It is so merciful to us his Christian children He judges sin with perfect justice yet.

He keeps covenant with steadfast love He calls sinners from every nation

Of course to flee the that's flea to the only refuge that has eternal meaning which is

Jesus Christ Who has already won the ultimate victory and is the originator of our salvation?

this Fulfills God's command and it manifests his hatred of Canaanite adulteries and abominations

Their iniquity was now full and of course their measure had finally overflowed into judgment

So in the end the magnitude and the severity of this destruction It really typifies the eternal destruction of those who persist in rejecting

Christ and his grace It also magnifies though God's love for his people and the fact that God keeps his covenant promises here

So there's much that we really need to keep in mind here as we ponder these things and as we apply them to our lives as well

You know as Christians, unfortunately, we live in a very zero accountability culture here

It's a culture that really feels the need to smear any exercise of God's judgment at every turn

But in the Christian life, we need to really remember that God's judgments are never arbitrary

But rather they are holy and they are just Why should believers hate sin?

Simply put it's because God hates sin Which in turn should really prompt us to put off the old man while really rejoicing at the mercy that God has shown to us through Christ and Just as we see the high human cost of judgment here being imposed on the people of Canaan This should also be a really a sobering reminder that that sin is never truly free

You know sin will offer a momentary pleasure or relief, but the promise of sin always comes with a very steep price tag

I'm here to tell you that the cost will ultimately compound over time As Christians we see numerous examples in our modern -day society where where sin is deceptive

It wraps itself up in the banner of fun and in festivity Oftentimes it will brand itself as being a hip and cool the latest thing in fashion that we need to pursue

But in the end it ends up and it delivers nothing but chains of regret You know one unknown writer once said this

They said that sin is expensive it is Incredibly expensive, but the price isn't paid in cash.

It is paid in mental emotional and spiritual pain However as Christians we do have this eternal security where the high cost of sin of course has been paid

Once and for all by the blood of Jesus who sacrificed himself on the cross

He absorbed the full penalty of our sin So we do not have to bear it eternally and While that does not remove the earthly consequences that may come our way because after all we still do live in a broken world

It does offer forgiveness It offers restoration and it gives us the power to walk away from sins grip

So the real question here becomes this is The sin that tempts you today worth the price that you'll pay tomorrow and possibly for years to come

It's never worth it My dear brothers and sisters the high cost is real and I'm here to tell you that his grace is greater

So choose wisely Now this brings us to one final point in her message if I may which is the true source of victory here

Now on this final point it really is a brought to bear in the last verse of our passage here where we find the source of These quick victories for Joshua and the nation of Israel and Joshua chapter 10 verse 42 here

We find one little short sentence here, but nonetheless, it's a very compelling statement where we read

It says and all the kings and their land did Joshua take at one time? Because the

Lord God of Israel fought for Israel So in this final verse we see a

Conclusionary statement here which leave us leaves us really with two final observations that we really need to take a look at The first of which is we see a statement of God's human instrument

One of the clear things that we see in this final verse here in Joshua at least in our passage this morning

And that is that the nation of Israel here would become the human instrument that God would use to accomplish his sovereign plan

Throughout the course of time as well as what we see here in God's creation we see

God's sovereign hand literally weaving every truth and every thread according to his eternal decree and whether it is a cataclysmic event or perhaps a

Supernatural event where God literally suspends the laws of nature or in this case where maybe there's a human instrument

As part of God's divine judgment in every case we see what we see God Accomplishing his his purpose in accordance to his eternal decree for their part

Human beings emerged not as puppets on strings, but rather as responsible agents who choices really fulfill the divine

Purposes that were set forth by God For their part we find in chapter 3 of the 1689

London Baptist Confession We find really this strong affirmation of God's absolute sovereignty in decreeing all things including human agency from eternity

Yet it explicitly really safeguards human responsibility It states that God's decree does not violate the

Liberty or their free will or make God the author of sin But rather in the end human humans actually remain accountable for their voluntary choices thus

God's absolute Sovereignty here it really coexists with this Genuine human responsibility where we see this kind of what

I call Compatibilist harmony here where the Lord ordains all things to come to pass While not violating the will or the accountability of his creatures

This of course is the biblical reality that we see here in Joshua chapter 10 verse 42

We see this illustrated throughout the lives of flawed men and women here whom God employs as instruments for his redemptive plan

Now I have one last observation if I may which is found in this closing verse And that is that there's a statement on God's role in conquest here

You know one thing is quite clear And that is that Joshua and the nation of Israel could not have gotten this victory without God if God had not undertaken this battle to begin with we find that this whole sweeping conquest started with really

God's divine intervention when Israel fought these five Amorite kings in the previous

Passage of Scripture that we looked at the southern Kings What did they do? They had united in fury against Gibeon a city that had made peace with Israel five

Amorite rulers and their allies marched really their armies to crush Gibeon and of course to halt the

Israelite advance and When the desperate plea from Gibeon reached Joshua's ears at Gilgal The Lord spoke directly to his servant and said he says do not fear them for I have given them into your hands

Not a man of them shall stand before you Joshua he would respond with a bold faith as he rallied his mighty warriors

He marched them through the night and he launched a surprise attack and this was no ordinary battle here

We see from the victory from the very beginning We see the Lord's hand in all of it the Lord fought for Israel with an unmistakable sign of divine intervention

Raining down massive hailstones from the heavens upon the fleeing armies So what began is really just a mere defense of Gibeon Exploded into this lightning campaign of southern destruction where city after city fell at the hands of Joshua So in the end here

With this final verse we see a very clear statement of the source of this victory

For all these kings and their land of course would fall to Joshua in one single wide -sweeping breathtaking campaign

Why it's because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel My brothers and sisters this was not any ordinary victory won by superior strategy

It wasn't a victory that was secured by overwhelming numbers or human strength alone I'm here to tell you that time and again

God was the one that confused the enemy. He was the one that hurled hail from the sky He is the one that lengthened the day and delivered this victory to Joshua and the nation of Israel I mean

Joshua for his part in Israel. They simply just walked in obedience here They pursued the fleeing enemy and they watched the

Lord fulfill his ancient promise to give them the land Now this brings us to one last final

Application if I may and it's this as Christians We really need to recognize that that God is sovereign but human

Obedience, of course and human effort still matters in this situation And just as Joshua acted in obedience here with speed and efficiency so too we find that our ultimate success as Christians comes from the

Lord and When God uses the human instrument for his plans and purposes We also find that he will reward those who diligently seek him

We see this in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 where the verse reads it says with without faith

It is impossible to please him for he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder to those

Who diligently seek him? So let us endure adversity as one who follows

Christ and let us take advantage of every Opportunity that God gives us all the while being confident in the fact that the

Lord is the source of our victory My brothers and sinners sisters Let us glorify

God in everything that we do a God who sovereignly employs human agency

To display his grace to display his justice and of course his power

Calling on all of us, of course to a humble faith and the one who holds the universe in his hands

And just as we see in this southern destruction brought about by God through Joshua and the nation of Israel This event shows us that sovereignty doesn't negate

Responsibility, but rather it elevates both as God, of course will use human actions to achieve his holy ends

This of course should encourage each one of us in our faith Especially in the times in which we live we are to engage ourselves

Faithfully in spiritual warfare. We should wage war against sin and of course death and the devil here

We find that God's eternal decree will assist us in all those matters So in the end, let us live here in joyful obedience

Knowing that our battles of course will always belong to the Lord and our triumphs will always be his

Let's pray Our Heavenly Father Lord. Thank you so much for the opportunity to Come together as a body of believers, even if it's remotely

Lord, thank you for protecting our families here in the church Lord safeguard them For those little ones that may be suffering from sickness

Lord I ask that you place your healing hand on their families Lord give the the parents the opportunity and the wherewithal to Help these children who are sick those who may be afflicted by the flu or her other maladies

Lord I just ask that you give them comfort and provision during this time Lord, I ask that you protect us as a church body

Let us always remember that you are sovereign and loving that while there's justice

There's always the fulfillment of covenant promise in our life Thank you Lord for this opportunity to open your word and to learn and to grow