O Sun, Stand Still Joshua 10:12-14, NIV On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel! The Christian faith is a faith of absolute positivity. There are no negative things in the Christian faith. The Christian faith is a faith of absolute hope. Although all the people in this world are in despair, if they come to Jesus Christ, their despair will go away, and Jesus who is the absolute hope will become their Savior and give them hope in their lives. At the same time, the Christian faith is a faith of miracles. Everything in our lives are miracles. The fact that Jesus has saved us and we have become God’s children, even though we were dead in sin and guilt, is the miracle of miracles. Even today it is a miracle that we have come here to worship God with joy and thanksgiving. What is a miracle? God's work in our lives is a miracle. It is also a miracle that God heals our incurable diseases, our wounded hearts are healed, and that the Lord comforts our loneliness when no one else can give us comfort. We live with miracles. Everything is a miracle, grace, and blessing. Expect miracles. "God, please come into my life and perform a miracle every day." When we look at the Scripture today, among many recorded miracles in the Bible, there is a miracle about the sun standing still. How could this happen? This miracle happened when the Israelites attacked the allied armies to conquer Canaan. First, I would like to speak about the attack of the allied armies. When the Israelites destroyed Jericho and Ai, the people around them trembled with fear. Among them were the Gibeonites, and they got together, saying, "We will be destroyed like Jericho and Ai, so let us make a treaty of peace. However, if we say we live here, they won't make a treaty of peace with us, so let’s deceive them and say that we came from a distant country." The Gibeonites wore old shoes and clothes and prepared wine in a torn bag and dried moldy bread. Then they went to Joshua with a worn-out look and said, "We are from a distant country, and we would like to make a treaty of peace with you." Without proving where they came from, however, Joshua made a treaty of peace with them. After entering into the treaty, Joshua found out that the Gibeonites came from the land of Canaan. Joshua said, "How could you deceive us? Because you deceived us, you must become slaves of the Israelites and chop firewood and draw water for us.” Therefore, the Gibeonites started doing such work from that time on. When other countries around Canaan heard that the Gibeonites had made a treaty of peace, they were fearful and angry. Among them was Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, who was very alarmed and planned to attack the Israelites. Joshua 10:2 says, "He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters." Adoni-Zedek formed a military alliance and attacked Gibeon first to defeat Israel. Joshua 10:3-5 says, "So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. Come up and help me attack Gibeon," he said, "because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites. Then the five kings of the Amorites-the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon-joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it." They thought that they would defeat Israel if five clans joined forces. Therefore, they first attacked the Gibeonites who made a treaty of peace with Israel. However, victory in war does not depend on military number. It depends on God's presence. If God is with us, we win, even if we are short in number. In 1967, the Six-Day War broke out. This war shocked the whole world. An army of over 100 million allied Arabs attacked Israel who only had an army of five or six million. However, the Arab army was totally defeated in six days, because God was with Israel. If God is with us, we will win every battle. Even though a great number of armies join forces, form a military alliance, and attack us, we will win if the Lord is with us. Please say to each other, "We win going away[D1]." When we trust and obey the Word of God, God will be with us to win going away[D2]. He will put fear in the hearts of all people who fight against us. When the allied armies started to attack them, the Gibeonites sent a message to Joshua, "Come up quickly and help us." Joshua 10:6-7 says, "The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us. So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men." When Joshua received a request for help, he marched up with his entire army to help them. Sometimes the enemy, the devil, attacks us through problems. The devil brings physical pain, family problems, loss of jobs, and business difficulties, and various other problems attack us, like the allied armies. However, do not be afraid The Lord is with us. When trouble and despair come, do not look at people or at circumstances, but look at God, the trouble-solving intermediary who is greater than trouble. God will solve all the problems. The Lord says, "Do not worry. Do not be anxious. Do not fear. I will be with you. The Lord helps us in the time of trouble. Second, I would like to speak about the God who helps. Gibeon is about 35 kilometers from Gilgal. It is a castle[D3] town, which is located 1,800 meters above sea level. It is located in a high place, about the height of Mt. Halla. The Bible, however, says the Israelites marched up all night. They marched at night. If they marched during the daytime, the allied armies, waiting on the mountainside, would have attacked them and the Israelites would have been damaged greatly. The Israelites marched up at night without any delay. Although it was hard and difficult, they marched at night. Then they suddenly appeared to the allied armies. Joshua 10:9 says, "After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise." The help of God comes just like this. If we earnestly ask for God's help repeatedly, the Lord will bring the answer to us quickly and surprisingly. He will come as a miracle. God's answer will come to us before dawn breaks. God's hand of salvation comes upon us even before the night of despair, sorrow, and pain passes. Therefore, we should always kneel down before the Lord and pray, listen, and obey the Word of the Lord. Do not listen to what people say. Sometimes what they say brings us greater disappointment. They bring us greater problems and hardship. When people have trouble, they go to people, call on them, and ask for their help. However, I pray that we will kneel down and pray, asking for God's help first?instead of asking for people's help. Joshua 10:8 says, "The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you." Not one of them will be able to withstand you. Not one of them will be able to withstand you. Hallelujah! Nobody is able to withstand us, because God is with us. Joshua received this word. The Israelites fought this war with victory already in their hand. We have many spiritual battles in our lives. We are already winners of our spiritual battles. Do not ever be afraid. When Jesus said on the Cross 2,000 years ago, "It is finished," wonderful victory and blessing were given to us. If we believe in Jesus Christ, He will become the master of our lives and guide us to the path of wonderful victory and blessing. Do not be afraid. Do not worry. Jesus, the victor, is in our hearts. Jesus says in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." "I have overcome the world!" We are able to win every battle because Jesus who conquered this world is in our hearts. We are fighting a battle of victory. When our neighbor is in difficulty and asks us for help, we should rely on the help of the Lord and march forward. Then the great grace, blessing, and love of God will be shown to them. At Bethsaida, 5,000 men and about 20,000 to 30,000 women and children were sitting down on the grass listening to the words of the Lord, starving. When we look at Matthew chapter 14, Jesus told the disciples to give the people something to eat. Therefore, the disciples started to look for something to eat. They needed a lot of money to feed that many people. However, even if they had enough money, there was no place to buy so much food. Andrew was a man of faith. He brought five small barley loaves and two fish from a boy and gave them to the Lord, and the Lord gave thanks and broke the loaves. The disciples experienced the miracle of giving the barley loaves and fish to the people who ate it until they were satisfied, and then the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The help of the Lord is amazing. The miracles of the Lord are amazing. When the Israelite armies surprisingly appeared to the allied armies, the allied armies were confused. God allowed the allied armies to be defeated in front of Israel. Joshua 10:10 says, "The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah." Defeated by Israel, the allied armies started to run away. It is recorded in the Bible that when the allied armies were fleeing in haste, God hurled large hailstones down upon them, and there were more people killed by the hailstones than people who were killed by the swords. Joshua 10:11 says, "As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites" Believe and depend on God completely. Then you will be given great grace, blessing, and victory. When a young boy was growing up, he could not study because he was so poor. His family was living in such difficult circumstances. However, he had faith in his heart, saying, "God is with me." He worked part time and paid his tithe whenever he earned money. He went to church every Sunday and kneeled down before the Lord and prayed, "Lord, please help me. I believe that I can overcome this hardship and be successful if You are with me. He went forward by faith, and when he became 30 years old, he founded a company called "Mobile Lunch Service." Not long after that, he started the global chain store of donuts and that chain store is, “Dunkin' Donuts.” His name is William Rosenberg, the founder of Dunkin' Donuts. There are Dunkin’ Donuts shops all over the world. There is one next to our church as well. Dunkin' Donuts is the business of a man of faith. He had nothing, but because God was everything to him, he created something out of nothing. He experienced the miracle of God. At his 72nd birthday party, Rosenberg confessed, "I was too poor to receive a formal education. However, I gave my life to God. I brought all my problems to the Lord. Whenever I brought my problems to Him, He carried the burdens of my life. Hallelujah! He led me to good places all the time.” This is our loving God in whom we believe and serve. Although we have nothing and have no education, if our Lord is with us, we are more than conquerors. We will have a great blessing and live a successful life in the Lord. Commit your ways to the Lord. In order to leave everything to the Lord, we need to have faith that we can be equal to God's blessing [D4]in our life. We need to show faith. Third, I would like to share the Word with the title, "Show your faith." Please repeat after me, "Show your faith. Show your faith." God helped Israel. He hurled large hailstones down on their enemy. Rely on God all the time. We need to rely on the help of God all the time. David confessed in Psalm 18:1, "I love you, O LORD, my strength." Lord, You are my strength. You are my power. You are my everything. I love You, Lord. I rely on You, Lord. I fix my eyes on You. I give everything to You, Lord. Hallelujah! When Israel was at the height of attack, the sun started to set. They needed more time to end the war, and if the sun set and it became dark, things would be unfavorable for the Israelites. There were so many cliffs and hills. The allied armies knew the area well so that they could take advantage of the lay of the land, but the Israelites were not familiar with that area. Therefore, if it became night, it would be very unfavorable for Israel. At that time, Joshua proclaimed his faith toward the sky. He proclaimed his faith, and he shouted to the sun. Joshua 10:12 says, "On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." He proclaimed with spiritual authority. In front of everyone, he showed his faith. He showed the faith that creates miracles. If his prayer were not answered, it would have been a disgrace to God and Joshua, a disgrace to both of them. However, Joshua had faith. Because God promised that He would give victory to Joshua, Joshua proclaimed by faith, "O sun, stand still, moon stand still." At that moment, God was touched by Joshua’s faith and stopped the sun and the moon. Joshua's prayer of faith stopped the sun. Things like this had never happened before or since this time. Joshua 10:14 says, "There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!" Because God fought for Israel, the amazing history of the sun and the moon standing still could happen. How long were they standing still? The sun and the moon stood still for almost a whole day. Joshua 10:13 says, "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day." The prayer of faith creates a miracle. The Lord wants to see our faith today. When Jesus’ disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee with Him, there was a storm. When the disciples were afraid and woke up Jesus, the Lord got up and said in Matthew 8:26, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." Because Jesus was with them, they should have commanded, "Waves and wind, heavy seas, be calm in the name of Jesus!” The Sea of Galilee would have been calm at that moment, but they were afraid and woke up Jesus, asking Him to save them. Jesus said, "Where is your faith? You of little faith." He rebuked their lack of faith. When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciples stood in a circle around the demon-possessed boy, because they could not heal him. The boy's father came before Jesus and said to Him, "If you can, heal my son and take pity on me.” In Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, " 'If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Everything is possible for him who believes. Everything is possible for him who believes. I pray that you will become such a person of faith today. No one can win[D5] a person of faith. When you believe and rely on the word of Jesus and march forward holding onto the Cross of Jesus Christ, there will be victory waiting for you. God's miracle is waiting for you in your life. Become a person of faith. Become a person of prayer. Become a person of God's Word. Calcium creates bones in our bodies. We need to take a lot of calcium so that we can avoid osteoporosis when we get older. Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones that leads to reduction of the bone mineral density. Therefore, we need to drink a lot of milk, eat anchovies, and take in the kind of nutrition that makes our bones strong. There is a disease, however, which results from excess calcium. If there is too much calcium, calcium clumps together and sticks to parts in the body, making the body hard and callous. The body turns into stone. Doctors do not know why this happens and have not found the way to cure this disease yet. The name of this disease is long and complicated in medical terms. It is calcification by hyperparathyroidism. About 33 years ago, a person named Park Jin Suk suffered from this disease. Doctors concluded that this disease could not be healed by medicine and said that he would die before he became 20 years old. Nevertheless, he is 41 now. Calcium accumulated in his body, and the level of calcium even came up to the level of his heart. He fell into a comatose state and recovered many times. However, he was a person of faith and said, "I can never accept despair." Therefore, by faith, he started to pray with his mother. Although his body became hard like a stone, he prayed and prayed. Park was born in Sunchang, Jeollabuk-do in 1968. When he was born, everyone said he was a perfect child physically. He was healthy in childhood. However, the disease started when he was seven, and when he was eight he began to limp. He could not walk after he graduated from elementary school. In 1984 when he became 16 years old, he was 160 centimeters tall and weighed only 27 kilograms. His left arm was bent so badly it could not straighten out. His neck and shoulders became so hard that he could not move. They were as hard as if they were covered with plaster. However, he was a person of faith. He decided to reject despair. When problems and difficulties come to us, please reject them. Please repeat after me, "I will not allow despair. I will never approve of despair." Amen! Park Jin Suk decided to write to help people who are in difficulty and despair just like him. He read books while lying down and studied English and Chinese writing. He held a pen in one hand and typed with his other hand. In thirty months, he completed a manuscript of 800 pages and released the book. His book was introduced in an SBS human drama program, and the title of the book was this. Please repeat after me, "Despair Is Another Name for Hope." By naming his book, "Despair Is Another Name for Hope," Park Jin Suk confessed to many people that God was with him. Because he believed that God was with him, he created such a miracle. If he did not believe, he would have died a long time ago and vanished from people's memory. God was with him and performed miracles. With his book, "Despair Is Another Name for Hope," he gave many people hope and courage. Brothers and sisters, there is no despair in Jesus. Please do not forget that when we look at the Cross of Jesus from a human standpoint, it was despair. However, when we look at the Cross from God's viewpoint, it was a great seed of hope. Jesus is our absolute hope. If we believe in Jesus and march forward, God will perform amazing miracles. God, who stopped the sun, is with us now. We need to puff out our chest with courage and command with faith, "O sun, stand still, moon stop. The Lord is with me. There is no despair in me. I will not worry. I will fix my eyes upon the Lord and march forward." Hallelujah! Sometimes trouble will come to you like the allied armies. Worry, anxiety, concern, pain, suffering, hatred and anger in our hearts, and loneliness and isolation will come to our lives like the allied armies. However, do not look at them, but look at the Lord who is the Lord of faith and makes us whole. Shout toward the sky, "All despair, go away! Problems go away! O sun, stand still! O moon, stop!" Your confession of faith and your proclamation of faith will create wonderful miracles. The rest of your lives will be lives of miracles. Pray, "O Lord, be with me and fill the rest of my life full of miracles." God is with you. Do not despair. I pray that you will believe and rely on Jesus, and march forward in the name of Jesus. I pray in the name of Jesus. I pray in the name of Jesus. Let us pray. Father God, You are rich in love, grace, and mercy. Thank You so much. We thank You that You loved us, made us Your children and helped us to live lives of miracles, even though we are nothing. It is a miracle that we came to believe Jesus, live a healthy life by the grace of Jesus until today, live a life of glorifying God, and that we breathe and live. Everything is a miracle. Help us never to be discouraged and never to despair, but to be joyful, to give thanks, and to live a life of miracles. Bless us so that our lives can glorify You. Please bless us so that everyone who is in despair and everyone who listens to this message will meet Jesus, their absolute hope. Let them overcome despair and trouble. Let them live lives of miracles. We give thanks to you Lord. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. [D1]What does this mean? [D2]I cannot understand the meaning of this sentence. [D3]What does this mean? [D4]What does this mean? [D5]Do you mean “overcome” or “defeat?”