Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

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Thriving on Spiritual Stress Joshua  11:1-15 Promised Land Living in Problematic World Sermon #15 Stress. What one word do you think of when you think of the word “stress”? Overwhelmed, drowning, burnout, anxiety, pressure, frazzled.   Stress is a modern malady and one of our leading health problems. A 1996 Prevention magazine survey found that almost 75% feel they have "great stress" one day a week with one out of three indicating they feel this way more than twice a week. It has been estimated that 75% to 90% of all doctor visits are for stress related problems. Work stress is the leading source of stress for adults but stress levels have also escalated in children, teenagers, college students and the elderly for other reasons, including: increased crime, violence and other threats to personal safety; adverse peer pressures that lead to substance abuse and other unhealthy life style habits; social isolation and loneliness; the erosion of family and religious values and ties; and the loss of other strong sources of social support that are powerful stress busters.   Vienna born physician, Hans Selye, was the first to observe and coin the term “stress” in the 1920's. He was the first to label this collection of symptoms that he noticed in his patients from anxiety, the “stress syndrome.”   Someone suggested that, “You know you’re too stressed when...The sun is too loud. You are missing several days from this week. Trees begin to chase you. You can see individual air molecules vibrating. You wonder if brewing is ‘really’ a necessary step for the consumption of coffee. You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you've said it before. You can hear mimes. You ask the drive‑thru attendant if you can get your order to go. Your heart beats in 7/8 time. You and reality file for divorce. You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you've said it before. It appears that people are speaking to you in binary code. You can travel without moving. Antacid tablets become your sole source of nutrition. You discover the aesthetic beauty of office supplies. You begin to talk to yourself, then disagree about the subject, get into a nasty tiff over it, lose, and refuse to speak to yourself for the next day. You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you've said it before.   All of us deal with stress. For the Christian this is further complicated because we have to also deal with spiritual stress. Believers are in a constant spiritual battle; we are continually under attack from the world, our flesh and the devil. Work problems for the believers are not just work related issues, they are also spiritual issues. Family and marital difficulties are further complicated because for the believer, they also include a spiritual dimension.   Once you are born-again, you became spiritually alive, (Ephesians 2), and now every single area of life has a spiritual dimension. That’s why believers are in a continuous spiritual warfare.   While Dr. Selye was the first to label the “stress syndrome,” spiritual stress is not new. In Joshua 11 our hero deals with tremendous spiritual stress. Wonderfully, Joshua does not merely survive; he thrives in the midst of battle. My friend, God does not want you and I to just be survivors but thrivers. He doesn’t want us to merely get by, but to win and live as victorious Christians. God wants us to be Stress Busters. He wants us, like Joshua, to know how to Thrive on Spiritual Stress. How can we Thrive on Spiritual Stress? How can we live as Stress Busters? Several Insights... 1. Spiritual Warfare can seem overwhelming, vss. 1-5. This is no small battle. In an earlier study we noted that each engagement grows more difficult, the opposing army larger, the foes more aggressive. This is the last major battle of the book of Joshua and it’s the biggest. It’s a Super War.   King Jabin heard what Israel had done to other smaller, lesser armies and he’s not taking any chances. He forms a huge coalition. It’s so big that we’re not totally sure how many kings and armies were involved in attacking Israel. Then, this coalition army has horses and chariots. Not only does Israel not have chariots but the Law forbids her kings from accumulating horses (Deut. 17:16). Humanly speaking, this is a hopeless situation for Israel and the writer wants to make sure that we see that, “a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore” (v. 4). It was an intimidating, seemingly unconquerable enemy force. Josephus, the Jewish historian, speculated that this northern confederacy included 300,000 infantry soldiers, 10,000 cavalry troops and 20,000 chariots.   Friend, are you fighting a spiritual battle in which the sheer size of the enemy is intimidating and overwhelming? Do you feel like that there is no way that you can win? Too often you and I sabotage ourselves and lose the battle before the battle because of our own fear and feelings of intimidation.   I love the story of one man who could not be intimidated. One bright, beautiful Sunday morning, everyone in tiny Jonestown wakes up early and goes to their local church. Before the service starts, the townspeople sit in their pews and talk about their lives, their families, etc. Suddenly, at the altar, Satan appears! Everyone starts screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in their determined efforts to get away from evil incarnate. Soon, everyone is evacuated from the church except for one man, who sits calmly in his pew, seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy is in his presence. This confuses Satan a bit so Satan walks up to the man and says, "Hey, don't you know who I am?" The man says, "Yep, sure do." Satan says, "Well, aren't you afraid of me?" The man says, "Nope. Sure ain't." Satan, perturbed, says, "And why aren't you afraid of me?" The man says, "Well, I've been married to your sister for 25 years.”   But that’s not why we should be unintimidated, we should be unintimidated because of Who our Heavenly Father is and Who our Elder Brother is, the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual Warfare can seem overwhelming. 2. Spiritual Warfare requires aggressive action, vss. 6-8. Marshall Foch, in the second battle of the Marne during World War I, was asked about his situation. He sent back this dispatch: “My left falters. My center is weak. My right crumbles. I am attacking.” Joshua too was always attacking.    German Poet, Bertolt Brecht was right when he said, "None will improve your lot, If you yourself do not." While verses 6-7 recognize God’s power and intervention, divine empowerment never negates human activity and responsibility. It should instead stimulate it.   Frequently, believers have a distorted view of God’s provision and intervention. They erroneously believe that “Let go and let God” renders human effort irrelevant. But Joshua knew better. His view was not to let go but to grab the ball and run with it.   Verse 7 says that the army of Israel “came against them suddenly” indicating the element of surprise. This battlefield was a five-day march. As Joshua had done in the past, he attacks before dawn. Canaan is a hilly country. Most scholars believe that this enemy army had crossed the mountains by carrying the various parts of their chariots. They were camped at a place where they could reassemble them, yet before they could, Joshua pulls off this surprise attack in the early morning hours. He caught them before their “tanks” could be used for a real advantage.   Joshua doesn’t wait to be attacked, he attacks first. God had promised to give him the victory and he takes God at His Word. Please get this, God’s promises should create confidence, which in turn should motivate us to put our wholehearted effort into the cause, even to the point of reckless abandonment. God’s provision is not a doctrine that paralyzes us but is a reality that liberates us. It’s not a cloud that smothers us but an elixir that invigorates us.   My friend, you will never have spiritual victory over “the sin that so easily entangles” you (Heb. 12:1) unless you attack it and become the aggressor. Joshua based his attack on God’s promise of victory, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain” (v. 7). Ephesians 6 calls God’s Word the sword of the Spirit. A sword is useless when it is sheathed or in storage. You and I must aggressively take God at His Word, claiming His promises if we are going to conquer sin and our spiritual enemies.   Do you have a problem with anger? Memorize verses that deal with controlling anger and having God’s peace. The next time you’re tempted to have a nuclear meltdown, cling to those promises. Do you habitually run off at the mouth or gossip? Memorize James 3 and other verses which talk about controlling the tongue. Do you struggle with being negative, critical, pessimistic? Memorize verses about God’s joy and thanksgiving.    Take any spiritual battle of your life. God has already provided the victory, but you and I must claim it. We must clutch the sword of the Spirit and apply God’s Word to our lives. We must aggressively attack our spiritual enemies.   Too many believers are like a teenager wanting a job. Some kids have this idea that if you want a job, someone is going to call you out of the blue and offer you one. Parents have to be the great revealers – if you want a job, you have to burn some shoe leather. You must get off your duff, go out and look for one. It takes personal initiative and responsibility.    The same is true in the spiritual realm. God’s promises and empowerment are sufficient but we must aggressively apply them and trust them.   Friend, what’s your greatest spiritual battle? Are you claiming and applying God’s all-sufficient Word to your battle? Obviously, you cannot use what you don’t know, which is why it is critical that we are people of the Book. 3. Spiritual Warfare demands dependency on God, vs. 9. Humanly speaking, what God commands Joshua to do here is foolish. In modern warfare it would be like fighting an opposing army that has tanks using only automatic rifles. But you capture the enemy’s tanks but instead of using them, you torch them all. Chariots were the tanks of ancient warfare.   Hamstringing a horse made it militarily useless. While it could still be used for domestic purposes, it could never again be a warhorse. This was a powerful reminder to Israel that the battle was the Lord’s. They were to depend on God and God alone for the victory. Believers are to live in the reality of Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”   Now this does not conflict with the point of vss. 6 & 7, that we are to be aggressive and have personal responsibility. It does though forbid depending on human ingenuity as a substitute for God’s aid. The point is that God does not need our help. But we need His and we are to absolutely depend on Him.   Too often we want to help God out. Probably, the most common place where we seek to help God out is in the home. The husband may not be doing things the way the wife thinks that he should. So, the wife decides to help God out a little, and she manipulates him or does things behind his back, rather than trusting God to intervene and work through her husband. Or, our children start going a direction that is not morally wrong but it’s not what think is best, so we help God out and start manipulating or scheming. Perhaps our family has a legitimate financial need. Instead of making it a matter of prayer, we use VISA or go out and get a second job. Too often rather than trusting and waiting, we jump in and try to help God out...like He really needs our help.   Listen, what God has called you and I to depend on Him for is small stuff compared to what was asked of Joshua. It took great faith to obey, burn these chariots and hamstring the horses, particularly when he was living in enemy territory and every army wants to destroy him and drive him into the sea.   Someone pointedly wrote, “As children bring their broken toys – With tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God, Because He was my friend. But then, instead of leaving Him – In peace, to work alone, I hung around and tried to help  – In ways that were my own. Finally I took them back and said,  "Dear God, why are you so slow?" "My child," He said, "what could I do? You never did let go."  Spiritual Warfare necessitates dependency on God. It is to be “in God we trust,” plus nothing! 4. Spiritual Warfare entails destroying the enemy, vss. 10-12. Today this seems harsh and brutal, totally annihilating the enemy. Now that we are under grace and no longer a Theophany, this command has passed. But while we do not put our physical enemies to death, we are commanded to put our spiritual enemies to death, Romans 6:6-13.   Like Joshua of old, spiritual victory requires that we put our spiritual enemies to death. Now our sinful flesh resists that necessity. As I look at this passage I want to ask, "Wouldn't it be better to just humiliate these people or make a public example or perhaps just exile them.” But Joshua executes them, demonstrating that they are under God's curse.   In earlier studies we've considered God's clear mandate to Israel, the call to a holy war against sin. Like the other nations in Canaan, these people are under the ban, devoted to God's judgment. They were in violent opposition to God's will and work in that land. If they aren't destroyed they will come back to attack Israel. Remember too, the iniquity of the Amorites is now full (Gen. 15:16). God’s patience is not limitless. The time for mercy and grace is past for these people.   Similarly, we must seek to exterminate sin in our own lives. Sin cannot be played with, it must be cut off. We must be willing to submit to the crucifixion of self if we want to enjoy victory in Jesus Christ.   Over the years as I’ve dealt with individuals involved in an adulterous relationship, frequently the sin occurred in a work setting. I urge them in breaking off the relationship to find a new job. They must remove themselves from that situation. A line has been violated and the best solution is amputation. But they often tell me that they can handle it. I’ve yet to see one who could. Spiritual enemies must be mercilessly destroyed.   Each of us needs to examine our own souls, “What enemy strongholds are there in my life that are in resistance to God's purpose? What are the fleshly, destructive tendencies that are empowered by Satan? How are they planning to undermine who I'm called to be in Jesus Christ?"   We can't leave even small sins lurking in the hidden recesses of our heart. They must be brought into the light and judged. The good news is that if we face and destroy spiritual enemies, which are committed to pulling the rug out from under our walk with Christ, we will know forgiveness, empowerment, cleansing, and direction for life. Jesus our Savior and King, of whom Joshua is a type, is the one Who defeats our enemies as they rise up, whether it's the fleshly things in us that resist God, satanic evil, or the influence of a world system that hates what we stand for in relationship to God. With Jesus on our side it's guaranteed that we can live in victory over all these things.   Spiritual enemies cannot be negotiated with. We cannot declare an armistice with them. If these nations had not been destroyed, they would come back and attack Israel at a later date. In the same way we must put to death the sins that so easily cause us to stumble. We cannot negotiate with them or give them any ground. William Law wrote, "The heresy of all heresies is a worldly spirit."   Confession of sin implies rejection of sin. Sin’s power is broken only as we are in harmony with the cross of Jesus. The Cross is an ugly thing. It is the place of execution. It is the place where we take our spiritual enemies and nail them to the cross. It is not the place for concealment, hiding or covering sin. It is the place of execution. It is the place where we break with sin, the place of exposure, where we drag out our spiritual enemies and reckon them dead. God says, "cut off," "pluck out," kill it. It is our responsibility to break with sin, "let no sin therefore reign." God's way of victory is through crucifixion and death. "Reckon yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:11).   The Lord has given you the enemy stronghold. He defeated them on the Cross. Are you living in the victory? 5. Spiritual Warfare takes perseverance, vs. 18. Years ago when I played soccer, one thing that our coach drilled into us was that if you wanted to be a winning team, you had to be able to play tough for a whole game. Winning teams are four-quarter teams. Winning teams are nine inning teams. It’s not unusual to start out well in the first half, but to still be playing well in the last quarter, or in the last inning is what makes a great team.   It is easy to read the Bible and overlook how highly condensed It is. It takes the average reader about five minutes to read Joshua 11, because, for the most part, we have a condensed report. We forget though that these events took a long time to transpire. This conquest was a lengthy and grueling process. That phrase, "a long time," refers to the fact that the conquest lasted seven years, from the crossing of the Jordan to this final battle at the waters of Merom. This is an important detail. Warfare is rarely quick and easy. Opposition doesn't just go away because we pray about it. This fact also highlights a wonderful aspect of Joshua's character. Joshua was a man who understood that he was in it for the long haul. He demonstrated patience and persistence. Joshua did not muster up these qualities on his own. Scripture is clear that these are fruits of the Spirit in his life. These fruits take time to develop. They grow from being faithful battle after battle.   The apostle Paul challenges us to persevere in Galatians 6:9, "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary."   There are many times in the battle when I want to give up. I'm sure you feel the same way. We will never win if we quit and it is always too soon to quit.    Have you noticed? Some people, like Joshua, just will not be stopped. They accomplish so much despite adversity. They refuse to listen to their fears. Nothing anyone says or does holds them back. As Ted Engstrom insightfully wrote in his book, Pursuit of Excellence: “Cripple him, and you have a Sir Walter Scott. Lock him in a prison cell, and you have a John Bunyan. Bury him in the snows of Valley Forge, and you have a George Washington. Raise him in abject poverty and you have an Abraham Lincoln. Strike him down with infantile paralysis, and he becomes Franklin Roosevelt. Burn him so severely that the doctors say he'll never walk again, and you have a Glenn Cunningham–who set the world's one‑mile record in 1934. Deafen him and you have a Ludwig von Beethoven. Have him or her born black in a society filled with racial discrimination, and you have a Booker T. Washington, a Marian Anderson, a George Washington Carver. Call him a slow learner, ‘retarded,’ and write him off as uneducable, and you have an Albert Einstein.”    Friend, it is always too soon to quit! Have you quit? Have you given in under the strain of the battle? Have you given up on prayer? Your personal devotions? Fighting a sinful habit? Are you ready to walk out on your spouse? Do you want to throw in your Mommy or Daddy permit? It’s always too soon to quit. But if you have quit, it’s never too late to start again. Just pick up right where you left off. Conclusion: In the end Joshua’s victory in the North was just as decisive as that in the South. It left no question about who was really the giant in the land. His obedience to God was the key to his victory.   But it was not easy. It cost him blood, sweat and tears. He had great stress and duress just as we do. Just as he was victorious, we too can be victorious. Joshua is not some spiritual aberration or oddity. His experience is to be normative for the believer. God wants us, like Joshua, to Thrive in the midst of Spiritual Stress.   Near the end of his illustrious career, Sir Winston Churchill was invited back to his preparatory school to address the young men. Before Churchill arrived, the headmaster said to the students, “In a few days the prime minister will be here. Since he is one of the greatest orators of all time, I would challenge you to listen very carefully and take extensive notes on what this great man will say.” The day finally arrived. After a gushing introduction, Mr. Churchill stepped to the podium and delivered his address. He said, “Young gentlemen, never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never, never!” And then he sat down. That was his total speech, three sentences. But who in that audience would ever forget Churchill’s words?   Joshua was a man who exemplified that kind of spirit. With relentless perseverance he thrived in the midst of great spiritual stress...will we? Churchill urged those young men to be faithful through the sheer power of the human spirit. You and I have so much more, we have the empowerment of the Spirit of God. As we face the inevitable stresses of spiritual warfare, may the words of Churchill ring in our hearts, “Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never, never!”     Never give up when your spiritual warfare seems overwhelming. Never give up though your spiritual warfare requires aggressive action. Never give up though it necessitates dependency on God. Never give up when your spiritual warfare entails destroying the enemy. And never give up because spiritual Warfare takes perseverance. “Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never, never!”