(Joshua 5:13-6:21)............. "BARRIERS THAT BLOCK FROM GOD'S BEST!"
Intro: After forty long years of going around in circles in the desert, Israel is finally ready to begin the process of claiming the Promised Land. And, the very first city they face is a fortified city called Jericho. Some archeologists believe that as it stands today, the Jericho-area was even inhabited possibly prior to the great flood!  Some 3500 years ago when all of this took place, Jericho was a formidable fortress city surrounded by two great stone walls. The outer wall was 26 feet tall and 6 feet wide. The inner wall was 30 feet tall and 12 feet wide. These two walls were separated by a 15 foot wide, guarded walkway. When I first laid eyes on Jericho, I was surprized to find that it was only an 8-10 acre mound of collapsed dirt!  But in Joshua's day, it must have looked like an impossible city to conquer to people who fought with only spears, swords and slingshots!
Jericho stood as a last and final obstacle between Israel and the Promised Land-(Remember the Rich Young Ruler's "One Thing"?).  Well before Israel could go deeper into the land the Lord had promised, "ONE THING"-Jericho had to be defeated. This scripture is all about how Jericho's and those impossible walls were brought to the ground!   Israel could go no farther until Jericho was destroyed. As we enter this NEW YEAR we need to consider the barriers that block us from God's best!
You might not even realize it today, but many of us have walls in your own lives. WALLS represent "restricted access" and "Limited space"!   For you this morning, it may be some unconfessed sin that stands between you and God’s best. Or it may be that someone hurt your feelings and THAT has created a impassable WALL!  It might be that over the years you have gotten to the point that YOU DON'T CARE ANYMORE about TRYING to live a Godly life....and, a bad attitude or an unforgiving spirit has set up residence in your heart!  The WALLS DIDNT JUST APPEAR!....SOMEBODY BUILT THEM OVER TIME; and they where built to HINDER and STOP progress for God's people!  The GOOD NEWS is that "The Walls came tumbling Down" when Israel didn't the right things....the question is, what is it that God requires of you to remove barriers this year?
I. 5:13-15 YOU’VE GOT TO FALL AT THE RIGHT FEET
(Ill. Joshua is sizing up the city of Jericho trying alone to devise a plan to overcome the walls that surround the town. And just when it sems there is NO WAY to get past them, he meets a man who is standing with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua asked him whose side he was on; and this stranger responds by identifying Himself as “The Lord of Hosts.”  Joshua would have not a single chance of overcoming the WALLS without God's help!  Joshua’s reaction to the presence of the Lord is how we should respond when we are confronting the walled off areas of our own lives!
A. 5:14a We Must Recognize His Authority – Joshua reacts by falling on his face and offering worship to the Lord; because he understood the truth that he may have been the commander of Israel’s armies, but he was standing face to face with the Creator of the Universe!  Joshua knew that only GOD could bring the walls down!  And for us, the first step in achieving victory in our lives and in seeing the walls in our lives come down is to come to the place where we understand Who is really in charge and who is calling the shots!
B. 5:14b We Must Respect His Authority – Joshua, the battle hardened General, responded to the authority of the Lord by falling at his feet and bowing before Him. This was a position of absolute vulnerability and surrender. As we look at this we must ask ourselves "Does God have authority in our lives?"...Does He have unrestricted access?  Do we allow God to control us or do we give up and leave the walls of our life standing?
C. 5:15 We Must Rest In His Authority – Then, we see Joshua as he removes his shoe and hands it over to the Lord. That is an Old Testament way of saying “I can’t do this, but you can!” (Boaz asked for RIGHTS of REDEMPTION in Ruth 4:1-12) Joshua has just scrapped his plans, and allowed God to do what he (joshua) could NOT do....and that is the secret to seeing your walls fall down. 

II. 6:1-20a- YOU’VE GOT TO FOLLOW THE RIGHT PLAN
A. 6:1-2 It Is A Simple Plan – For Joshua and Israel the plan boiled down to one simple word: faith. God is telling Joshua, “Just trust Me! Those walls might be tall and they might be thick, but I have already given you the city. One preacher put it this way..."God was saying ,In fact, Joshua, the people behind those walls already know what you haven’t figured out yet! They know they are defeated (6:1; 2:9-14) and you will know it too in a few days. Just trust Me!” GOD'S PLAN FOR A SOUL'S RESCUE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SIMPLE!
B. 6:3-20a It Is A Strange Plan –There was no talk of soldiers, armor or weapons!  God’s plan involved the Ark of the Covenant (God's presense!); the priests; trumpets and people. God said, “Joshua, take the Ark, have seven priests blowing seven ram’s horn trumpets go before it and have them blow those trumpets. Then, have the rest of the people follow along behind. Don’t say a word. Don’t shout. Don’t taunt the people of the city. Don’t even speak! Just walk. Walk once around that city every day for six and then do it seven times on the seventh day. When you finish that last lap, stop and shout the victory and the walls will fall down flat.”
God’s plan boils down to this: walking. They were to walk in the right order; in the right path; for the right period of time; and they were promised the victory. This plan involved no input from the people; all they had to do was walk. Now, to carry out this strange plan required great discipline on the part of these people. God just wanted them to settle in and do it His way.  By the way, God’s plan for His children is a bit strange also. All He asks us to do is nothing! The secret to living the successful Christian life is this: you can’t do it! It is not about what you can do, but it is all about what He can do. It is not about trying and failing. It is all about learning to abide in Jesus, and in drawing one’s strength from Him. 
C. 6:20b-21 It Is A Successful Plan – When they did things God’s way, He gave them the victory. They marched around that city, blowing those trumpets for six days and nothing happened. On that seventh day that did it seven times and nothing happened. Then, they lifted their voices in a victorious shout and the walls fell flat. They were able to enter the city and claim the victory God had given them. (His way worked! )- Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 
Learning to walk in faith and learning to follow the Lord, even when His plan makes no sense, will always result in victory for the child of God! Do you want to see those things, (walls) that have hindered you in your walk with the Lord disappear?
III. 6:20b-22 YOU’VE GOT TO FINISH THE RIGHT WAY
When the walls came down, Israel was able to go into the city and defeat it. They didn't stand around like our scientists and try to explain it away!  These verses tell us how to finish the right way, after the Lord flattens the walls in our lives.)
A. Some Things Must Be Claimed – God gave Israel absolute victory over the city of Jericho. All they had to do was enter the city and claim what He had already given them.  (Achan claimed to WRONG THING and got into trouble with the Lord!).
B. Some Things Must Be Conquered – When Israel entered Jericho, they killed every single person in that city. Nothing associated with Jericho could be allowed to live. You see, the problem with Jericho was not the city itself, but the people in the city. They had to be destroyed or their ways would have corrupted the children of Israel.  The same thing must happen in our lives spiritually...because when God removes barriers for us,it is then our job to rise up and put away everything that is associated with your Jericho.....i.e.-What you watch on TV, what you look at on the internet, how you raise your children, the friends you hang out with...etc....!
CONC:  What WALLS are you up against?  The Lord Jesus is still leveling Jericho’s everyday in the lives of those who trust him!  Is there some wall keeping you from going deeper into the promised land?