Whose Side Is God On?
Discovering True Victory by Submitting to the Lordship of Christ
Sermon Summary
This sermon addresses the common human tendency to enlist God into personal battles and political agendas. Through the narrative of Joshua 5, believers are taught that God demands spiritual consecration, freedom from past shame, and absolute surrender to His sovereign lordship. By bowing before the Commander of the Lord's army, believers move from selfish ambition to humble obedience, trusting in Jesus Christ as the ultimate Captain of their salvation.
Introduction
In times of conflict, stress, or ambition, we naturally look to heaven and ask if God is supporting our cause. We want God to endorse our plans, fight our personal battles, and validate our positions against our rivals. Yet when Joshua stood before the fortified walls of Jericho, contemplating the immense military challenge ahead, he encountered a heavenly warrior with a drawn sword. Joshua asked the very question we so often ask: Are you for us, or for our enemies? The response of the divine Commander shattered Joshua's human perspective and remains a profound challenge for believers today. God does not come to take sides in our human disputes; He comes to take charge. True victory is never achieved by trying to draft God into our battles, but by surrendering completely to His sovereign leadership.
Main Scripture
Joshua 5:13-15
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “ Are you for us, or for our enemies? ” He said, “ No; but I have come now as commander of the LORD ’s army.” Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and asked him, “ What does my lord say to his servant? ” The prince of the LORD ’s army said to Joshua, “ Take off your sandals, for the place on which you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.
Joshua 5:13-15 serves as the pivotal turning point between Israel's wilderness wanderings and their conquest of Canaan. Before a single blow is struck against Jericho, God reveals to Joshua that the conflict is ultimately spiritual and belongs entirely to Yahweh. The divine Commander standing with a drawn sword, recognized as a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, demands the total submission of Israel's military leader. By instructing Joshua to remove his sandals on holy ground, the passage establishes that covenant faithfulness and absolute surrender to divine authority are the indispensable foundations for every victory.
Main Sermon Points
1. Prepare Your Heart Before Entering Battle
At that time, the LORD said to Joshua, “ Make flint knives, and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.” Joshua made himself flint knives, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
Before military action began, God demanded that the new generation of Israelites undergo circumcision at Gilgal. Human strategy dictated a swift attack while the enemy was paralyzed with fear, but God prioritized covenant consecration over immediate action.
Israel was forced to remain vulnerable in enemy territory while healing from circumcision, proving that their security rested in God's covenant promise rather than human strength.
Before making major decisions or embarking on new ventures in career, family, or ministry, set aside dedicated time for prayer, repentance, and spiritual alignment with God's Word.
Quick Insights
- Spiritual consecration must always come before practical action.
- Human urgency should never replace divine preparation.
- God values our covenant alignment more than our immediate activity.
- True security relies on God's protection, not human readiness.
2. Let God Roll Away Past Shame
The LORD said to Joshua, “ Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal to this day.
At Gilgal, God declared that the disgrace of Egyptian slavery and forty years of wilderness judgment were officially removed. Israel could not enter their inheritance while carrying the weight and identity of past bondage.
The name Gilgal means rolling, representing the decisive moment when God removed the historical shame of His redeemed people.
Refuse to let past sins, childhood failures, or former spiritual wandering define your current identity in Christ; receive God's forgiveness and walk in freedom.
Quick Insights
- God rolls away the guilt and shame of your past.
- You cannot step into God's promises while clinging to old disgrace.
- Forgiveness provides a clean break from spiritual bondage.
- Your identity is rooted in God's mercy, not your history.
3. Stop Enlisting God into Personal Agendas
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “ Are you for us, or for our enemies? ” He said, “ No; but I have come now as commander of the LORD ’s army.”
Joshua's question assumed that God must choose between two human camps. The Commander's firm response shifted the focus entirely away from human rivalries to God's supreme authority.
God does not sign up as an ally to human plans; He demands that humans submit to His holy initiative and divine reign.
Examine your prayers and goals to ensure you are seeking God's will rather than asking Him to rubber-stamp your personal ambitions.
Quick Insights
- God does not take sides in human rivalries; He takes control.
- Never treat God as an ally to your selfish ambitions.
- True faith asks what God desires, not what God can do for us.
- Victory begins when human agendas yield to divine purpose.
4. Bow Down in Total Submission
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and asked him, “ What does my lord say to his servant? ” The prince of the LORD ’s army said to Joshua, “ Take off your sandals, for the place on which you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.
Upon realizing the divine identity of the Commander, Joshua immediately fell to the ground in worship, surrendering his military command and taking off his sandals in holy reverence.
Joshua's act of removing his shoes mirrored Moses at the burning bush, signifying that leadership in God's kingdom requires complete humbleness on holy ground.
Daily surrender your leadership, family decisions, and personal rights to Jesus Christ, asking Him what He commands you to do.
Quick Insights
- Humble worship is the proper response to divine authority.
- Removing your shoes marks the surrender of personal ownership.
- Great spiritual leaders are first faithful servants of the Lord.
- Holy ground requires a heart surrendered to Christ.
Bottom Line
Spiritual victory is not achieved by convincing God to support our personal plans, but by humbly surrendering our lives to the sovereign command of Jesus Christ.
Memorable Quote
God does not enlist in our earthly battles; He calls us to surrender to His heavenly command.
Theological Point
This passage demonstrates the divine sovereignty and supreme lordship of God over human history. The divine Commander represents a Christophany, revealing that Jesus Christ is the holy Leader of God's people who demands absolute reverence, obedience, and total surrender.
Prayer Guide
- Pray for a heart that prioritizes spiritual consecration over human haste.
- Ask God to roll away any lingering shame, guilt, or reproach from your past.
- Seek God's help to align your personal plans with His sovereign will.
- Thank God for sending Jesus Christ as the supreme Captain of our salvation.
Responding to God’s Word
Returning to the core question, Whose Side Is God On?, Joshua 5 reminds us that God is committed to His own holy nature, His covenant promises, and His supreme glory. When we stop trying to recruit God into our personal disputes and instead bow before Jesus Christ, the ultimate Commander of the Lord's army, we discover true spiritual victory. Jesus came to earth, fought the ultimate battle against sin and death on the cross, and rose victorious so that we might walk in His righteousness. Let us take off our shoes, bow our hearts in worship, and ask Him with genuine sincerity: What does my Lord say to His servant? As you leave today, place your career, your family, and your future into His capable hands, trusting Him fully in faithful obedience.
