SERMON]-Jericho and Babylon

Babylon is fallen when all of us shout together The history of victory gained through shouting is also found in the days of Gideon. Just as there was a shouting from the people when they conquered the city of Jericho, so there was a loud shout when Gideon's 300 warriors defeated a large army of Midianites.Jdg 7:9-23 『During that night the LORD said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. . . ." So Gideon . . . Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. "Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.' " Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled . . . Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites.』 Jdg 8:10 『Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen.』 Here we can see an amazing scene where Israel defeated 135,000 Mdianites with a small army of 300 men. They didn't fight with swords or spears or any other destructive weapons, but just shouted in the still of the night, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" Their shouting threw them into fear and confusion. At the same time, the trumpet blast sounded here and there, jars were smashed and torches appeared. Then the enemies were so startled and confused that they mistook one another for their enemies and started killing each other. Over 120,000 Midianites were killed that night, and only 15,000 Minianite men were barely left alive. There was such a loud shout whenever God's amazing work occurred. When Jericho was conquered and when the Israelites were delivered from the oppression of Midian, God let them defeat the enemies through shouting. It is the same when Babylon is fallen. God has prepared a loud shout to destroy Babylon. 2 Ti 4:1-5 『In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. . . . 』 Preaching the Word is the mission given to us in this age. We should shout out loud to the world, "Come to God and receive salvation!" When we all shout the good news of God's salvation together, Babylon will fall down in an instant. God told us to shout altogether. Since God commanded us to shout, we shouldn't remain silent, should we? When we shout, God gives us victory. Jericho didn't move at all until the Israelites marched around it six times. It was when they shouted that Jericho fell down. If they had failed to believe God's word and collapsed midway even after marching around Jericho seven times, they would have been neither able to see the miracle nor obtain Canaan, the promised land flowing with milk and honey. However, they all shouted with one voice, believing the word of God. Then God's amazing work occurred. Our promised land is the spiritual Canaan, that is, the kingdom of heaven. Before the eternal heavenly kingdom comes, we should shout the gospel more loudly to the world, so that Babylon will be completely destroyed as God pre-ordained her to be. God said, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues." When we shout this voice of God altogether to the people who are held captive in Babylon, all people on the earth will return to where God dwells and God's saving grace will come upon them.

to be continue....