Being too friendly with the enemy ( IOICM)

IOI CHRISTIAN MEAL
TOPIC: BEING TOO FRIENDLY WITH THE ENEMY

TEXT: JOSHUA 9:1-27

Observers have noted that certain kinds of ants have a passion for the sweet, glandular substance given off by the caterpillar of a large blue butterfly. They can become so "addicted" to it that they even seek out "the supplier" and carry him to their nest with delight. But they unwittingly bring home an enemy in disguise, for the caterpillar gorges himself exclusively on ant larva. Usually such a threat to the colony would be repelled with great vigor, but the adults enjoy the tasty secretions of the "guest" so much that they are oblivious of the fact that their young are being devoured in the process.

As I read this story of the foolish ants, I began to see a similarity between this story and what the Bible tells us about Joshua and Israel in Joshua chapter 9. In these verses, we see Israel becoming too friendly with their enemies.

The people of Israel have just defeated the city of Ai and are preparing to march deeper into Canaan as they claim the promised land which the Lord had given to them. As I said, they are fresh from a victory. In fact, they now have a couple of impressive victories under their belts. They have seen the great walled city of Jericho defeated and they have witnessed the pesky little town of Ai defeated too. However, before they will ever see another victory, Israel must learn a valuable lesson about becoming too friendly with the enemy.

In the battles and stories related to Israel's conquest of Canaan, we can see a picture of our lives as children of God as we struggle to obtain the victory in our lives. As I look at the Bible's record of these events, it is not too hard for me to see the parallels between the battles Israel fought in the flesh and the ones which we fight in the spirit. In fact, these cities that they have faced all teach us a spiritual lesson.

1. Jericho - A type of the world - It was defeated, and we have the promise of victory over the world in our walk with the Lord Jesus, 1 John 5:4, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

2. Ai - A type of the flesh - It, too, was defeated, and we have the promise of victory in the flesh as we battle for the Lord Jesus, Romans 7:24-25, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

3. Gibeon - A type of the devil - This is a battle that still must be fought. However, we have been promised victory in this area as well. To obtain it, we must trust the Lord Jesus Christ and walk in His will day by day. He can be defeated - James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Eventually, the devil will get exactly what he deserves! Rev. 20:1-10.

However, today, we must still contend with him. Fortunately, the Lord has not left us without a word in this matter. In this passage, that recounts Israel's experience with the people of Gibeon, we can see a portrait of the devil and his devices. As we will see, there is a danger in becoming friendly with the enemy. That is the thought that I would like to preach on for a while this morning. Let's look into this passage as we think about the thought, Being Too Friendly With The Enemy.

. . .CONTINUE TOMORROW

PRAYER
I COMMAND TOTAL SEPARATION BETWEEN YOU AND ENEMY THAT IS PRETEND TO BE FRIENDLY TO DESTROY YOU, YOUR DESTINY, CAREER, HOME AND ENDEAVOUR IN JESUS NAME