QUICK TAKEAWAYS

• Jesus is not looking to join our team—He calls us to join His.
• Joshua’s encounter with the Commander of the Lord’s army revealed who was truly in charge.
• True worship begins when we stop making ourselves the center and recognize Christ’s supremacy.
• Surrender means asking, “Lord, what do You want?” before presenting our own agenda.
• Delayed obedience is still disobedience.
• Life works best when Jesus is not only our Savior, but also our Lord, Master, and King.

SERMON SUMMARY

As Israel stood on the edge of its first major battle in the Promised Land, everything appeared to point to Joshua as the new leader. Moses was gone. Joshua had successfully led the people across the Jordan River. The nation had renewed its covenant with God. Now Jericho stood before them—a heavily fortified city that seemed impossible to conquer.

The question seemed obvious: Who is in charge now?

Joshua 5 answers that question in a surprising way.

While near Jericho, Joshua encountered a mysterious man standing before him with a drawn sword. Unsure whether this stranger was friend or enemy, Joshua asked a direct question: “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”

The answer was unexpected.

“Neither. I am the commander of the army of the Lord.”

In that moment, Joshua discovered a truth that every believer must eventually learn: Jesus does not show up in our story to become one of our assistants. He does not arrive to endorse our plans, support our agenda, or serve as a consultant for our ambitions. He comes as Commander. He comes as King. He comes as Lord.

The real question is not whether Jesus is on our side. The real question is whether we are on His.

This encounter reveals what happens when a person truly recognizes the authority of Christ.

Unhindered Worship

Joshua’s immediate response was worship.

He fell on his face before the Commander of the Lord’s army and worshiped Him without hesitation.

That response is significant. Throughout Scripture, angels refuse worship because worship belongs to God alone. Yet this figure accepted Joshua’s worship, reinforcing the understanding that Joshua was encountering more than an angel. He was standing before a divine appearance of Christ—the One whom the series has been calling a “Cameo of Christ.”

What makes Joshua’s response remarkable is the setting. He was facing an intimidating military challenge. Jericho stood before him. The future of the nation rested on his leadership. Fear, anxiety, and uncertainty could easily have consumed his thoughts.

Instead, everything else faded into the background.

When Joshua recognized who stood before him, worship became his natural response.

That raises an important challenge for believers today. So many things compete for our attention and distract us from worship. Convenience, schedules, preferences, fatigue, entertainment, and personal expectations can all become obstacles.

Yet worship was never intended to revolve around us.

The message challenged a consumer mindset that asks, “What did I get out of worship today?” Instead, mature worship asks a different question: “What did God receive from me today?”

When believers gather in the presence of the King, the focus shifts away from personal preferences and toward honoring Him. Worship becomes an opportunity to bless God, express gratitude, exalt His name, and respond to His greatness.

Like Joshua, when we truly see Christ for who He is, worship flows naturally because our attention is fixed on Him rather than ourselves.

Unselfish Submission

Joshua’s next response reveals another mark of recognizing Christ’s authority.

He asked a simple question:

“What does my Lord say to His servant?”

Before requesting help, strategy, or blessings, Joshua wanted to know what the Commander desired.

That posture stands in sharp contrast to how many people approach God. Often prayer becomes a presentation of personal plans, goals, and requests. Joshua demonstrates a different perspective. He begins by surrendering his own agenda.

His first instinct is not “Here is what I need You to do.”

His first instinct is “What do You want me to do?”

That is the heart of submission.

The message challenged the tendency to treat life as though we are the main character and everyone else—including God—exists to support our story. Yet Scripture consistently points to a different reality. Jesus is the central figure. Life is ultimately about Him.

When Christ is Lord, our role changes. We stop demanding that God bless our plans and begin asking Him to reveal His plans so that we can join Him in what He is already doing.

This requires surrender.

It means handing God a “blank check” and trusting Him with every area of life. Relationships, careers, dreams, finances, decisions, future plans, and personal ambitions all belong to Him.

The question becomes deeply personal:

Does Jesus get to tell us what to do?

Not occasionally. Not only when His instructions align with our preferences. But completely.

If He is truly Lord, then His authority extends over every part of life.

Unquestioning Obedience

The Commander’s first instruction to Joshua seemed surprisingly simple:

“Take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy.”

The command echoed Moses’ encounter at the burning bush in Exodus 3.

Joshua obeyed immediately.

No argument.

No delay.

No negotiation.

No excuses.

Why?

Because the boss had spoken.

The message highlighted a difficult truth: many believers struggle not with hearing God but with obeying what He has already said.

Sometimes God speaks clearly, yet people postpone obedience because His instruction feels uncomfortable, inconvenient, or costly.

We delay the conversation we need to have.

We postpone forgiving someone who hurt us.

We hesitate to share our faith.

We resist taking a step of faith.

We ignore an area of surrender God continues to address.

What we often call delay, God calls disobedience.

The challenge was direct: delayed obedience is still disobedience.

The message also raised an important possibility. Before Joshua received the detailed battle strategy for Jericho in chapter 6, he demonstrated obedience in chapter 5.

If Joshua had refused the simple instruction to remove his sandals, would he have been ready to receive the larger instructions that followed?

Many believers desperately want direction from God about major decisions, yet God may first be asking whether they have obeyed what He already revealed.

Faithfulness in the simple things prepares us for greater guidance.

Surrendering Control

The sermon concluded with a call to surrender.

Many people gladly accept Jesus as Savior, Healer, Protector, Provider, Shepherd, and Friend. Those truths are precious and biblical.

Yet Jesus insists on being more than Savior.

He must also be Lord.

He must be King.

He must be the One in charge.

For many, the greatest spiritual struggle is not believing that Jesus can save. It is trusting Him enough to relinquish control.

The invitation was clear: stop gripping the steering wheel and let Jesus lead.

Life works far better when He occupies the seat of authority.

Whether someone was wrestling with a major life decision, an area of disobedience, a controlling tendency, or the need to begin a relationship with Christ, the call was the same:

Wave the white flag.

Surrender.

Recognize who the real Commander is.

And say yes to whatever He asks.

KEY SCRIPTURES

• Joshua 5:13–15
• Isaiah 42:13
• Exodus 14:14
• Deuteronomy 3:22
• Exodus 3:1–6
• Revelation 19
• Revelation 22

APPLICATION / NEXT STEPS

• Ask God where you are resisting His authority and surrender that area completely to Him.
• Shift your focus in worship from “What am I getting?” to “How can I honor God today?”
• Act immediately on the last clear instruction God has given you instead of delaying obedience.

QUOTEWORTHY LINES

• “Jesus does not show up in my story to see if He can join my team. He shows up to see if I will join His.”
• “The question is not whether God is on my side; the question is whether I am on His.”
• “Delayed obedience is still disobedience.”
• “Life works so much better when Jesus is the boss.”
• “If He is going to be your Savior, He must also be your Lord.”
• “What am I going to get out of this? The better question is: What is God going to receive from me?”