The Christian life is a constant warfare, and true victory is found in maintaining connection with God through prayer and obedience. Using the account of Joshua's battle in Joshua chapter 10, the message identifies hindrances to victorious Christian living such as prayerlessness, gossip, worry, pride, and cold-heartedness. It emphasizes that these 'kings' in the 'cave' of one's life must be confronted and dealt with to experience the full benefits of Christ's victory. The sermon concludes by urging listeners to confess their sins, allowing Christ's blood to cleanse them and enable them to live a life of complete obedience and sustained victory.
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This is not the line of thought I have prepared to give at this conference. It's completely different from what I have prepared. And if the Lord is meeting a need, thereby all glory to him. If not, I bear all the blame. Please turn with me to the epistles of the Colossians. The epistles of the Colossians. And if you remember right, Last time we were treating the question of the fruit of the walk that is worthy, as mentioned in chapter one verse ten, that he might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
And we considered the relationship between fruit bearing and the new life in the steps of the new creation in Christ Jesus our Lord. The next verse, verse eleven, says, Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering, with joyfulness. Strengthened with all might, it is God's intention and purpose for every child of his, man or woman, young or old, to be a strong Christian. I am calm that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
It is the more abundant life, the victorious Christian life, which is God's intention for you and your portion in Christ. And if you are not enjoying the rest which comes from a victorious life in Christ, There is something wrong. And we are going to discuss tonight this question of a victorious Christian life, how to live it and how to enjoy it. Please turn with me to a very important portion from God's word. Joshua chapter ten. The book of Joshua chapter ten.
We're going to read of a war there and how the battle was won and the dangers after the battle was won and the application in your Christian experience in mine. Joshua chapter ten. We'll start at verse one and read selections from the chapter. We'll jump from verse to verse. Now it came to pass when Adonai Zidic, king of Jerusalem, had heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it, as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Wherefore Adam Isaiah, king of Jerusalem, said unto Hoham, king of Hebron, and unto Pyram, king of Jarmoth, and unto Japheth, king of Lekesh, and unto Debor, king of Hebron, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibbon, for it have made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, king of Hebron, King of Jarmoth, King of Lakers, and the King of Eagles gathered themselves together and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gideon and made war against them. And the men of Gideon sent unto Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, Flack not thy hand from thy service.
Come up to us quickly and save us and help us. For all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains, are gathered together against us. So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of Barah. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not, for I have delivered them into thine hand. There shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly and went up from Gilgal all night. And the Lord discomforted them before Israel. And slew them with a great slaughter at Gideon. And chastened them along the way that goes up to Beth-Aron.
And smote them at Ezek and Mechida. Verse sixteen. But these five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Mechida. It was told Joshua saying the five kings are found hid in a cave at Mechida. Joshua said they're all great stones upon the mouth of the cave. and set men by it to keep it, for to keep them. And stay ye not but pursue after their enemies, and smite behind most of them. Suffer them not to enter into their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hands. The Lord will bless to us the reading of his words. There is a battle.
Five kings with all their armies gathered against Joshua, and friends, Your Christian life is a constant warfare. And the weapons of our warfare are not weapons of swords and shields and armor and carnal. No, they are spiritual, but they are mighty with God, in God, to the falling down of the strongholds of the devil. Yes, it's a constant warfare. Some people will tell us that the land of Canaan is a type of heaven. I don't agree. The land of Canaan is not meant to be a type of heaven.
The land of Canaan is a type of the rest which remains for the people of God that you enjoy here and now. And you enjoy it as you live the Christian life, the victorious Christian life. Your portion is not defeat. Our Christ is a risen Savior. I don't have a religion. A dead religion. I had a religion before I accepted Christ. But I have no religion now. I'm not an atheist, don't be scared. I am not an atheist. I am a Christian. I have a risen Savior. I have an alive Christ, alive today, to walk with me and talk with me. And I know he is alive today. And in him I have victory.
Joshua won a great victory that day. But he was told after he had beaten the enemy and won a great victory. He was told that there was a cave with five kings. And he said, oh, as long as these five kings are in that cave, I cannot enjoy the benefits of my victory. Roll great stones on the mouth of the cave, and I'm going to deal with them when I come back. And friends, as I thought of this passage, and as I read it over and over again, I said how very important spiritually speaking because there may be in your life and my life a cave.
And there may be somebody in that cave. And I cannot enjoy the benefits of a Christian, victorious Christian life so long as this cave is there with the enemy inside. Joshua was very wise. As long as those kings were hiding and lurking in that cave, he could not enjoy the benefits of the victory he has won that day. Let us open that cave, please, and examine the contents of that cave. Come up. Let's be a little imaginative tonight. Come up, you first one. What's your name? What's your name? I see his name written across his forehead, and he has robbed me of my rest many times.
His name is prayerlessness. His name is prayerlessness. And I know this is the reason in many a case, maybe in your life, maybe in my life, that I am not enjoying the full benefit of the victory, victorious Christian life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Prayer is very important in your life and my life, my friend. The biography of Elijah was written by the Holy Spirit in two words. Only two words. Elijah was a man subject like, passionate like you and I are. But he, he what? He prayed.
He prayed. He was a man who knew God's mind and prayed according to God's mind and changed the course of history and sent the whole nation searching after God because he knew how to pray. Today we have wonderful chapels. Wonderful churches, plenty of money, plenty of views, plenty of organizations. But this is not the need today. We have many organizers, but we need many agonizers. Those who agonize in prayer and know the mind of God and change the course of nature, God has not changed. Why are there many unbelievers today in the world?
Why is there no power in your life or my life today? Because we have not learned the secret of the bent knee before the throne of grace. Yes, God has not changed. God has not changed. He will do mighty things. He will change things. He will change circumstances. He will do mighty works if you only know how to pray. Elijah stood before Ahab. He knew very well what Ahab wanted to do. And he had a very stern message to give to King Ahab. But he was not afraid because he was in touch with the throne of grace all the time.
He said, As the Lord liveth before whom I stand, physically speaking, he was standing before Ahab. But really speaking, consciously speaking, he was standing before God. And he was not afraid. As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, there will be no rain except at my word. What hour is it? What power is it? What authority has he? He has the authority of the Lord. He has the authority of God. He was in touch with the throne of God. Yes, my friends, would you pardon a personal experience? I say it with diffidence. I thought twice before I asked you permission, because you might misinterpret it.
But I say it as it is. In nineteen seventy-two, we came back from Beirut, Lebanon here for a furlough, four months. We arrived at JFK Airport at about nine o'clock at night after a flight of about sixteen continuous hours with a two breaks of forty minutes each. It was a long, long day. Those of you who made the trip know exactly what I'm talking about. We were tired. My sister and her husband were waiting for us. And my wife, my son, and I, three of us arrived. But her car was too small to take all of us and the two kids. So we hailed the taxi cab.
My wife waited with my sister, my brother-in-law, my son and I in the suitcase got on the taxi cab. He took us to the home, to the house, and he helped us very kindly with the suitcases. And we slept that night like any. By your time it was about ten o'clock, by my watch it was way to the morning the following day. Right. In the morning I wanted to call TWR on the phone. I looked for my diary, it was my briefcase, and looked for the briefcase, but the briefcase was nowhere to be found. And it was no simple briefcase. It has my passport, our passports, our very important official documents, everything that we call dear and dear.
It was nowhere to be found. At last the bitter fact dawned upon us. The briefcase was left in the taxi cab which we did not take the number of. I called the Port Authority Police and the first question asked it was, what's the number? Well, I don't think I should have numbers. Well, we can't help you very much. If anybody turns in a briefcase, we will call you. That was no comfort to me. I said, it's impossible. I cannot leave that thing go. I just cannot see how I can exist without the briefcase. Some documents are simply irreplaceable. So my wife... my sister, my brother, my son, and I, kneel before the Lord.
And I just claim the Lord promises. I say it to the glory of God. Don't misunderstand me. I am not claiming that I am a man of miracles. But I just claim God's promise. I said, Lord, you promised. You know how precious this briefcase is to me. You know how I can't live without it. I need it. I need it. I need it. And to the glory of God, I say, I saw a frame of light in front of my eyes. And the number of the taxi cab there. Right. I shouted. I said, the number is so-and-so. My son said, yes, Dad, I read that number last night. Gave me the confirmation. I took the elevator from the fourteenth floor down to the street and inhaled the first taxi cab I found as it took me to the nearest police station.
He did. I told him my story. You know the number? Yes. What? I told him. Are you sure? I said positive. Right. I said positive. In less than two minutes, we had his number, his telephone number, his name, and his address. He denied he had been to the JFK at all last night. But the police got at him after him, and he said, listen, and he called his name. Pardon me for not mentioning names. Go and look in the trunk of your car and come back and tell me you found the briefcase. Right. And he did. He came back and said, I found it. All right, he didn't go anywhere, I'm sure, but he said he found it. Right, we went and I recovered my briefcase.
Nothing was lost. Nothing was lost. Does God answer prayer? He does. He does. We have a living Savior. A risen Savior indeed. Ask and he shall receive. Seek and he shall find. Knock. And it shall be opened unto you. Friends, how much do you spend every day in prayer? How about your prayer meeting? I'm not comparing meeting with meeting, but back in Cairo, we have a weekly prayer meeting, and we have a monthly prayer meeting that goes on the whole day and the whole night, twenty-four hours a day.
Every month, once every month. Right. And the Lord does wonders. A prayer meeting is a prayer meeting. Praise God for what he does. Yes indeed, my friend, let me tell you, the first enemy that robbed me of my rest and my victory in my Christian life is prayerlessness. Speak, Lord, for thy servants, dearest. Some time ago, when I was in Beirut, one of my brothers came to visit me in Beirut from Cairo, and I had bought a good four track tape recorder. I was very proud of it. And I told him, I said, Munir, you want to see my tape recorder?
I just will show you the beauty of a tape recorder. I put one of those tapes of Jim Reed, and I wanted to show him what kind of a tape recorder I had, and I turned the knob on. Nothing happened. I'm no technician, and I have no knowledge of electronics or anything at all. I tried this knob, and that's why I tried all knobs. But nothing would work. And I began to swear before him and I said, well, I'm sorry, Munir. This boy of mine, my son was about two and a half years old. And I put the blame on him. It's good to have a scapegoat, you know. And I said, he just plays with everything. Plays with everything. And the poor boy could not defend himself. And I looked behind and I discovered something.
You know what? Was not plugged in. Was not plugged in. There's no power. No power and no music, no joy. Why? Was not plugged in. And I'm sure the trouble with many of us is the same. We're not plugged in. No connection. No connection. There's no power. Why is it that so many of us carry a long face in their lives? I don't know why. The only person who has the right to be joyful is a Christian. Because he knows he has a living Savior. You remember the chorus used to sing when you were young?
Joy, joy, joy, joy. My heart is ringing. Why? My sins are all forgiven. I'm on my way to heaven. My heart is bubbling over. Yes. Have you ever watched the face of a clock? At six o'clock, it has a long face. There are six-clock Christians with a long face. but look at it at a quarter to three. Are you a quarter to three Christian or a six-clock Christian? Are you in touch with the throne of grace day by day, day by day? You can always steal a Christian who knows how to pray from another one who doesn't know how to pray.
Now let me continue, go on. There's another one there. Come up. What's your name? Boy, his name is written across his forehead. His name is gossip. His name is gossip. And how, how many times this terrible enemy has robbed friendships, has spoiled friendships, and meetings, and gatherings, and robbed us of our race and victory, which is your portion in Christ and mine. Yes, listen friend, I don't know, but you remember what happened in Numbers chapter twelve when Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses, their brother, because of the Ethiopian woman he had married.
Apparently this was one of the girls who went out with the mixed multitude with the people of Israel and Moses married there. And who spoke against him? His own brother and his own sister. What did Moses say? Nothing. But the Lord did something. The Lord was displeased. And he took action, immediate action. We read that the anger of the Lord was kindled. Yes, listen. In your life and in my life, I'm sure there will come circumstances when we rub shoulders against each other. What should we do? Go and tell somebody else? No. No. If your friend says something against you, or sins against you, what must you do?
Go to him, and not to a third person, and try to discuss it with him. If he comes back to you, you have won your brother. If not, take another one and go to him. Take the church. Try to win him back to you. This is the proper way. This is the gospel way. This is the Christian way. But gossip is not the Christian way. It has robbed us of much rest. It has robbed us of much victory. It has formed friendship. It has formed assemblies, meetings, and friends. This is not the way the Lord will have it with you. Let me tell you something. Next time you are tempted to gossip, ask yourself three questions.
Is it true? Because very, very many times it is not true. Secondly, is it necessary? Because it may be true, but not necessary. Thirdly, is it kind? I'm sure if you ask these questions, three questions, you will think twice before you gossip. Let's go on because there are a number of them there. Come up. Number three, what's your name? Oh, he's a terrible idiot. His name is W-O-R-R-Y. His name is W-O-R-R-Y. His name is worry. Worry. Yes, and he had robbed me from sleepless nights, a number of sleepless nights.
He has robbed me of my rest. He has taken away my victory. You know, let me say something. Most of our worries... are unfounded. There is no foundation. Mary on the Easter morning was found at the empty tomb. And she was crying. Crying because the tomb was empty. You should be happy. You should be really glad. Joyful because the tomb is empty. But at the empty tomb, she was really crying with bitter tears. Why? Why weepest thou? What ails you? They have taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they have laid him. Taken what? Taken my Lord away.
Who can take my Lord away? Who can take my Lord away? How funny indeed. Makes me laugh. Makes me cry. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. I don't know. They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid him. Who told you, Mary? This is worry, my friends. It has no foundation. Stop worrying. Martha, Martha. You would trouble yourself about so many things. And we have blamed Martha many, many times. But listen, let me say something. Martha had so much to do. You know how much she had to prepare for? How many people? At least thirteen people. The Lord and twelve disciples and Lazarus and Martha and Mary.
My way is sixteen now. My mathematics is not correct. Sixteen people. How would you like to prepare food for sixteen people? And she was single-handed. Oh, she had a lot to do. And she lost her temper. Many times you try to find an excuse for losing your temper. You're not lost, brother. You still have it. You're not lost. Right, right. She lost her temper. What did the Lord say to her? Martha, Martha. You trouble yourself and you are careful for many things. But the need is for one. Be careful for nothing. But in all things with prayer and supplication, let your request be made known to God.
And the peace of God, the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will rule, will garrison your minds. Why? Because you wait upon the Lord. I love that chorus we used to sing when we were younger. when your fears rise mountains high and would block your pathway, way to wait upon the Lord, believing as you pray. Then your eagle wings will grow. Up, up, up, fight up. Up you go. Over, hallelujah, over with the mountains down below. Amen. My Lord has not changed.
I have, but he has not changed. Why worry? And your worry will never solve any problem. I wonder if there is someone here tonight who is suffering from this enemy. Worry. You want to do something? Wait a bit, I'll tell you about another one. Number four, come up here. What is your name? His name is Pride. Pride. And pride always goes before a fall, friends, not before a victory. Pride. The hardest lesson to learn is meekness and loneliness.
Learn of me. For I am what? Meek and lowly of heart. And you shall find what? Rest. Rest unto yourself. Pride, my friend, has robbed us from rest many a time. Pride has robbed us from the benefits of the victory which is yours and mine in Christ Jesus our Lord. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly, but you cannot have the more abundant life. If you are proud, the greatest testimony was ever given for a man was the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ about John the Baptist. He was a shining light. No one was born of a woman greater than John the Baptist.
And John the Baptist heard it. What did he say? If I were John the Baptist, what do you think I would have done? I would have framed that testimony, you know, and hung it with my little room. Made copies of it to send it in the newspaper. Because who said it? The Lord said it. It's the Lord who said it. It was a correct, wonderful testimony. And I would have sent it to newspapers, you know, and probably on the TV, etc., etc. But what did John the Baptist say? They asked him, who are you? Who are you? Are you the prophet? He said, no, no. Are you the Messiah, the Christ? Oh, he said, no, of course not. Are you a great preacher? Oh, no. Who are you? He said, I'm a voice crying in the wilderness.
That's what? A voice crying in the wilderness. You know, a mature Christian is a humble Christian. Pride is a sign of immaturity. I'm going to give you three references of maturity and growth in the life of the Apostle Paul. In first Corinthians fifteen nine he says I am the least of the apostles. In another place he said God placed first in the church apostles. So he was an apostle and he was. But he says I am the least of the apostles. Later on in his life as he grew older and mature and with more experience in his Christian life he said in Ephesians three eight I'm less than the least of the saints.
I'm less than the least of the saints. Ephesians, verse three, eight. Later on, at the close, almost the close of his life, when he had more experience in the Lord, he said in First Timothy, one-fifteen, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am saved. That's the growth of a soul. First Timothy one-fifteen. The growth of a soul. Yes, friend, pride goes before a fall. And God resisteth who? The proud. But he giveth grace to the humble, to the lowly.
Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and he shall find rest unto your soul. Come on, number five. Come up here. Stand up here in the platform. What's your name? Oh, my name is Cold Hearted. cold-hearted. I know you are a Christian. I know you are a child of God. I know you are doing something for Christ, but cold-heartedly. Yes, let me say something, my friend. This is not the way how you and I should live and work in the cause of Christ.
That reminds me of a story I heard some time ago in the Middle East. Someone got married. And before the wedding day, his friends came to him to ask him what he wanted for presents, you know, so there would be no duplicates. He said, well, really, I have everything. I have everything that I can ask for, except I have not enough wine for the feast. If each one of you got a bottle of wine, I'm going to place a barrel by the door, and you pour the wine in the barrel, you shall have enough to drink. and everybody would be happy. Oh, that's very easy. There were five of them. One of them was very smart.
And he said to himself, I will get a bottle. And nobody will know. And one bottle of water in four other bottles while nobody will detect it. So on the wedding day, the bridegroom watches And everybody came along with those five men with a bottle under his arms. Oh, how wonderful friends these. These are wonderful indeed. And each one poured the bottle in a barrel. And when the time came to drink, it was all water. They all of them thought the same. They were all very smart. They were friends.
They got bottles. But cold-heartedly, yes, I know. I know, my friend. How do you serve the Lord? How do you serve the Lord cold-heartedly? It's a curse. In my Christian experience and in yours, yes, sometimes we obey, but we render not full obedience. We will not enjoy the blessing and the rest of the faith that we have in Christ unless we render complete, complete obedience to the Lord. Half-hearted obedience is no blessing. Remember what happened in the life of Abraham?
Tell me, please, to Genesis chapter twelve. Genesis chapter twelve. Do you know, I'll tell you something. Genesis chapter twelve and verses one, two and three should be read before Genesis eleven thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-one, thirty-one, thirty-two. In other words, I shall start at eleven, thirty-one, thirty-two, after I read twelve, one, two, and three.
Why? Look at verse one, chapter twelve, verse one. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. Had, said, past, perfect. When do you use the past, perfect tense? When there are two actions in the past? One is more past, if I might say, than the other one. The more past is past perfect, and the past only, simple past is simple past. In other words, something must have taken place before had said. In other words, no, I beg your pardon, something taken place after had said.
You see, the Lord had told Abraham to get out of his country and of his people to the land that he would show him, and then comes chapter eleven, verse twelve, and Pharaoh took Abraham his son. In other words, the word came to Abraham that they would leave Mesopotamia and go to the land of Canaan, but he took Abraham. Not he took his father. His father took him and they came and dwelt in Herod. He obeyed the Lord, but he rendered only half-hearted obedience. And you know what happened? Look at verse thirty-two. Chapter eleven and verse thirty-two. And the Lord and the days of terror were two hundred and five years.
And terror died in Herod. The Lord took away Abram's father. He took him away from the picture. Because Abraham rendered only half-hearted obedience. I wonder if the Lord is speaking to someone tonight. If he says something to you or to me, what kind of obedience would I give? Whole-hearted obedience or half-hearted obedience. It is a fearful thing to play with the Lord, to fall in the hands of the living God. Friend, wake up tonight. Wake up tonight. What kind of service are we rendering to the Lord? What kind of a life am I living to the Lord?
And maybe I'm talking to someone who doesn't know the Lord Jesus Christ at all as a Savior. What kind of a life are you leading? What are you expecting? I was talking to a friend of mine some time ago. He was high up official in the government. And I was trying to point him to Christ. And I told him, are you saved? I said, saved? Save from what? I said, save from your sins. Oh, no, I don't need that. I couldn't get anywhere with him. So I said, what is your aim in life? He said, my aim in life? And he thought, I said, my aim in life is to win the first prize in the national sweet state. I said, my word. That's a very big prize.
At that time, it was seventy-five thousand Egyptian pounds. Seventy-five thousand. When the Egyptian pound was worth five dollars. And the dollar went a long way at that time. Now you work out that yourself. See how much it is. I said, that's an awful lot of money. I said, yes. I said, what will you do with it? He said, I would marry a good wife. A beautiful girl. I said, okay. What then? I will buy a beautiful villa. I said, very good. What then? Bardeen. What then? He said, well, I will buy a big American car. all right. Badain, what then? He said, I'll have a portrait of a web, of a portrait of the gate, and when I get out of the car, he will stand up and salute me.
I said, all right, what then? He said, well, I have a family. What then? I live very happily hereafter. I said, what then? Oh, he said, I think he wants me to say I die. I will die. I said, what then? couldn't answer. I said, come on. What then? I said, he said, well, that's the end of that. I said, I wish it were so. It is not the end of that. It's appointed unto men once to die. But afterwards, the judgment, the condemnation, I wish it were twice. The first time we take it as a rehearsal. We see what happens there. We come back and get ready for the second time. But it's appointed unto men once, only once to die. And then afterwards the judgment, where will you go?
Friend, You who don't know Jesus Christ as your Savior tonight, what's your aim in life? All that you have in this life will either leave you one day or you will leave it one day. For the fashion of this world passes away. What will you do then? It's appointed unto men once and I. I will tell you something. There is something that the blood of Christ had done to you which all the sacrifices of the Old Testament could not do to you. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter nine, please. You're going to read to you two verses only of Hebrews chapter nine, to see what the blood of Christ has done to you, which all the sacrifices of the Old Testament could not do to you.
Hebrews nine, let me read verse thirteen. For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifying to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offer himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God, purge your conscience. All the blood of the myriads of sacrifices, billions over billions of sacrifices, that were offered throughout the age in the Old Testament could not purge the conscience of one man.
He still had a sense of guilt with him. It was only a covering. But the blood of Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness. You stand before God without any sense of guilt. Your conscience is purged away and clean. Your sins are not covered. They are purged away. Remind me of the story of a man who stole a watch who was brought before court. But he had a smart lawyer. And the lawyer succeeded in creating doubt in the mind of court. And the verdict was given. The suspect was acquitted because of insufficient evidence. The suspect was uneducated, completely uneducated.
He didn't understand what this meant. So he turned in simplicity to that. He said, Your Honor, does this mean I have to give back the watch? Now you see, the court pronounced me innocent. But his conscience all the time said, guilty. Thief, robber, robber, thief, innocent by court, innocent by law. But really, guilty, in fact, and indeed. The blood of Jesus Christ, my Lord, cleanses you and me. He purges your conscience and my conscience. We stand before God as though we have not sinned at all. By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It's a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. If you have not accepted Christ as your Savior, come to him now. Back with me, please, to Joshua chapter ten. What did Joshua do with those five kings? In the cave? What did he do? He gained a great victory that day. He won a great victory. But listen to what he did. Verse twenty-two. Chapter ten, verse twenty-two. Then said, Joshua, open the mouth of the cave and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave. Open the mouth of the cave and bring them out.
Friends, I don't know. I don't know what cave there is in your life. How many are there in the cave in your life? One, two, three, four, five, more than five. I don't know but you do. If the Spirit of God is talking, speaking to you tonight, would you open the cave? Would you open the cave before him tonight? Is it prayerlessness? Is it gossip? Is it worry? It's a sin? Is it worry? Is it pride? Is it cold-heartedness? is it what? You know it.
You know it. Spirit of the living God. Open my eyes to mine. Help me so that I might open the mouth of the cave. And we have the promise. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just. To forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Open the mouth of the cave and bring them out. Verse twenty two. and said, Joshua opened them out of the cave and bring out those five kings unto me, out of the cave, and they did so, brought forth these five kings unto him out of the cave, and the kings of Jerusalem, etc., etc., verse twenty-four, and came to pass when they brought them out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called all men of Israel and said unto them, unto the captains of the men of war, which were with him, come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings, and they came near and put their feet upon the necks of them, and Joshua said unto them, Be here, Lord, be dismayed.
Be strong and of good courage. For thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom you fight. Ours is victory. Complete victory in Jesus Christ, my Lord. And this victory can be maintained as you keep in touch with the throne of God. Friends, if the Spirit of God is speaking to you tonight, But something in my life, in your life, open the cage and bring it out. And the blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord, cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Shall we pray?