Wednesday Night Bible Study by Billy McCool First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN) Kind: Bible study Scripture: Isaiah 40:31 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/billy-mccool--wednesday-night-bible-study-97 Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ we greet you tonight in that wonderful precious all-powerful magnificent magnanimous name of Jesus and we are so glad to see each one of you in the house of the Lord tonight so glad to see that you're here and love to study the word of the Lord as Pastor has already mentioned maybe Pastor uh Whitley what a great time we've had this past week our marriage Retreat and then the weekend with brother Woodward from Canada we've just had a a super time and we thank God for it we want to get back into the study of the word of the Lord tonight I have some things to tell you and to show you it that you have never seen but you have heard the word of the Lord and some form of fashion if you've attended an Apostolic Church you have heard the word of the Lord but how Peter said I'll not be negligent to put you in memory of the things though you already know them I'll call your attention to our lesson it's uh entitled just simply Jericho and our lesson text is taken from Joshua chapter 6 and we're going to start at verse 1. let's pray first father we thank you tonight for the privilege of being in the house of the Lord we thank you for the precious word of God I pray that you will anoint the lips of clay with the spirit of God give that which you would have spoken in this service tonight in Jesus name we pray amen now before I read this very first verse I want to remind you that our last study we crossed the Jordan's River and um The Next Step thank you my brother the next step of course is to uh face in Jericho and Jericho's walls you remember Jericho was walled with a very strong fortified walls and Jericho had prepared to um when they had heard about all the exploits of Israel they shut up the gates and they wanted to see to it that Israel would not be able to enter Jericho and Joshua 6 1 says now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel because of the children of Israel they they inhabitants the citizens and the king of Jericho had heard of all the great exploits of Israel and they were taking every precaution they already knew that they had been penetrated by two spies and the spies had had come and had spent the night at Rahab the harlots place of business with her family and they had promised her that when Jericho was invaded because she had provided them safety and hid them from the King and his cohorts that she would be spared she would hang out a Scarlet line out her window where they should let them down outside the wall and she and all of her family would be spared but other than that the Bible said now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel none went out none came in sometimes it seems our blessings or just shut up you can't get things moving one where none come in and none goes out I think we've all faced this down Israel had never seen anything like the wall that was going to fall they had certainly some of them had remembered the Red Sea that not not many because a lot of them probably were dead but the new generation they had had crossed the river of Jordan and they had seen the head of each tribe pick up a stone and set it up as a memorial and they saw the the the the the wall of water pile up as they crossed over on dry ground but they had never seen a wall fall like God had promised that it was going to happen and the Bible said they that it was shut up and and none went in and none came out nothing is happening sometimes in our walk with God that is our biggest challenge it's not necessarily the great battle we're in but sometimes when a gene just seems like nothing is happening just God do something Lord one preacher said if God would just tell me what he wanted me to do he'd get lots more done but sometimes God just don't tell you I remember uh here in Knoxville we went through a time um we were not there we were we we had our house trailer and things were going fairly well but I wasn't seeing the growth that I wanted to see I didn't see the church expanding the way I wanted it to see and I remember laying on my face I'll never forget the the the the vinyl floor and that little pink trailer was black with the with with pink uh coloring in it and um I lay on my face on that uh vinyl floor and I wept a public tears God do something let me hear from you God speak to some preacher somewhere to call me tell me tell me what you want didn't hear a thing from Heaven I waited for a phone call you've heard me tell about getting the call from uh uh our dear brother uh when we was praying for for a special offering for the restrooms and and but now then I just could not hear from God and I laid there and I wept and sometimes that's where we are with God I would just love for God to just write me out a road map and tell me exactly what's going to happen next and you know God didn't tell Joseph he was going to make a pit stop God didn't tell him he was going to be taken out he he just he just told him to go see about his brothers and and and take them some food and come back and tell Daddy how they're getting along he didn't realize they was going to throw him in a pit neither did he realize he was going to be taken out and sold he didn't realize he was going to be a a servant and he didn't realize he was going to wind up accused of of attempted rape and be put in a dungeon and he didn't realize that one day God was going to bring him out and he would become prime minister of Egypt let me tell you something sometimes your biggest challenge is weight we need to read Isaiah 40 and 31 but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall Mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint sometimes we say it seems like I'm praying against a brick wall have you ever said that I have it just seemed like my prayer don't get any higher than the ceiling where are you God well tell me something now I'm being very transparent with you tonight but sometimes that just happens and and you need to be prepared for that you need to understand that you're going to go through those times that um you know if you was in a great big battle yeah you would you would maybe you'd see the excitement that that David was looking for when he went down to see about his brothers but he didn't see anything now there's going to be times you're going to walk with God and there's an Obama but there's no great victories things are just at a stat there's a wall That's blocking me off and whatever God is doing he sure is taking his time I do something God well this was their case we sometimes say I'm praying against a brick wall it seems like there seems to be walls keeping us from our promised blessings it's that weight which tries our faith and determination it is that these times we forget about our Red Sea Crossing and our Jordan River miracle and we're attempted to despair but look at the next verse verse 2 and the Lord said to Joseph Joshua C I have given unto thy hand Jericho and the King thereof and the Mighty Men of Valor now let me read that again and put my version to it and the Lord said Joshua see well as a matter of fact God I don't see I wish I could God said Joshua I've given you I just see it Joshua I've given you no I don't say it there's just a lot of times I wish God would let me say no I I just don't see it I've given thy hand a thine hand Jericho and the King thereof I've given into thy hand Jericho and the King thereof and the Mighty Men of Valor and ye shall Compass the city all ye Men of War and go about the city once thus shall father six days no no what do you God why don't you just do something you you just said let there be light and there was light you should let the light and the Darkness be divided you created God what are now you and I sometimes would love to put the rush on God but God's got his way of doing his things there's a wall that you're going to have to wait on that wall to fall it's going to fall in time but but you're going to wait on it in ad 1368 the Ming dynasty was founded in China within 100 years construction commenced on what would become known as The Great Wall of China for the next three centuries the wall expanded to 13 000 miles including more than 25 000 Towers each protected by a permanent Garrison what was this world's main purpose it was built to prevent a large-scale Mongolian invasion but not all walls are defensive in nature some are designed to keep people in a case in point was the infamous Berlin Wall after the the Great World War II and the Victory of the allies uh they they begin to split up uh of course Germany was on the wrong side and they were conquered and and the allies split up Berlin the capital of Germany and the way they thought it should be split up but all those and the Allied Forces they had to have their portion and it turned out that Russia was in charge of a very important part of Berlin and they set up a blockade the U.S set up their own blockade of their territory and they begin to fight each other of setting up a a certain roadblocks and that that's one couldn't do this and this one couldn't do that and this one couldn't do that and the poor German people were about to to starve to death and that's when the U.S and and the Allied Forces put into to force the the great Berlin uh of uh and they they were providing a food shelter coal ever everything they needed uh in this this great uh Berlin effort and eventually they they broke the the blockade but after that now there were there were thousands of they didn't think it could be done and by by error but they did by the Allied Forces joining together and in my study that it became so in there's no way I could actually give you all the report but because you are aware of it of your study of history but when it simmered down uh the the the Russians set up a wall there was a great escape from East Berlin into West Berlin and so they they put up a a great wall and some of you can remember this that that that wall if you tried to escape There Were Soldiers on that wall the Berlin wall and they were given orders to shoot to kill there was even a a no man's land that was covered with a fine sand that if you tried if you got if you escape the rifles if when you got across the wall you left tracks in that sand and they would track you down and and literally literally kill you and but they're what they needed they needed a strong leader to to break that wall down the Berlin Wall separated East Germany in West Germany for nearly in three decades it became a symbol of the Iron Curtain that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War it was ultimately a barrier to program to progress and the unification of a Nation at a critical point during the Cold War when President Ronald Reagan uttered those words that have echoed through the following decades Mr Gorbachev teared down this wall over the next few years the shock waves of Reagan's words reverberating became a rallying call and the wall indeed fell it's fall ultimately led to Germans reunification on October 3rd 1990. and important as the wall can be history has shown some walls simply need to fall often all it takes is for some courageous enough to Make Some Noise you remember what brother Woodward said when the devil gets after what are you to do turn and run no resist the devil resist the devil and he'll flee from you and we remember when those words were spoken by the then President Ronald Reagan Gorbachev tear down this wall he spoke something that gave people enthusiasm enough to start pressing for that wall I got to looking in my office this week and um I had on my bookshelf of an envelope that says please read this first and I began to bring back memories and I want to share it with you tonight and this letter is dated September the 4th 1991. dear brother and sister McCool I know you're very surprised to get this package I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you I realized I haven't written you that much since I've been gone this small gift is to let you know that I still think about you and you're always in my prayers there are times because of a job and the commitment to my country that I'm not able to write like I should I am in such a rush when I do write that I forget who to write it's not that everyone isn't on my mind it's just hard to remember everyone I want to say I appreciate the prayers that everyone has prayed for me God has protected me from the from the time I have been here he's kept his hand on me through the good and the bad times he's never let me down it's so wonderful to know he has never left my side I know I've left him many times he's always been there well brother and sister McCool I don't want to take up too much of your time I know you have to be very busy I wanted to let you know I'm doing just fine I miss everyone so very much I hope to see everyone very soon I hope you enjoy your package please have the church continue to pray for me thank you love and prayers Michael hollifield P.S this is a real original this is a real original Russian hat a Soviet hat I traded a Soviet Soldier a fatigue cap for it this is also a piece of the Berlin Wall here in Berlin Germany I chipped it off myself on May the 28th 1990. I hold in my hand an actual peace of the Berlin Wall there it is and Michael hollifield chipped that out of the Berlin wall and sent it to his pastor and he traded his fatigue cap for this he and a Russian soldier trading hats and he sent this to me you're seeing something that you've probably never seen you've heard about it but you've never seen this before but this is an actual piece of the Berlin wall that Michael hollifield chipped out and this is one of the Russian soldiers cap that he wore as they mixed and mingled together after the wall came down right here this is not so pleasant but this is what Michael hollifield sent this is an actual body bag that uh probably a body has been put in this this is a one of the body bags and they were so violent over there that folks were being shot and these are some mementos that brother Michael hollifield has sent to me and and I I thank him so very much because it means so much to me and I'm using this to illustrate now that what that wall did for them now we're talking about the wall of Jericho that was keeping God's people from their Victory I want to tell you something God's got a way of taking the wall down that's keeping you from your blessing and what God has promised to you God has got something for you if you'll just wait upon the Lord if you'll just take your time God's got something for you it may not happen today it may not happen tomorrow but it is going to happen I lay on my face on that uh behind the floor and I literally wept I remember a puddle being under my chief praying for God to do something let me Lord tell me to wait to tell me what you want me to do I'll I'll I'll do what you want me to do Lord just just answer me but I I heard nothing but finally one Sunday morning I stepped down out of that pink trailer and I'll never forget had one foot in the step sister couldn't believe was in front of me and I said honey I'm resigning this morning you're what I saw him resigning the church this morning I'm burnt out I give it all I've got and and the church isn't growing and maybe the Lord will bless somebody else but I'm going to resign and that Sunday morning I resigned and I turn the church over to brother Ira McKinney and my assistant pastor and sister Uncle Mark was just a little boy three or four years old and we started traveling and we traveled for three years in the Evangelistic work I could hardly stand to come through Knoxville it was like an arrow in my heart but something kept saying to me my wife sister McCool she would say honey someday there's going to be a good church in Knoxville Tennessee someday there's going to be a good church in Knoxville Tennessee if you'll just wait on the Lord let me tell you something your wall may not have come down you may have your own personal wall and if that person of all may not have fallen yet but hold on to God that war is going to come down how's it I don't know how it's going to come down I don't know what's going to happen that the Berlin Wall came down through political forces but let me tell you something God's Got a Way and your wall whatever it is it is going to come down [Laughter] as I was studying this subject there was a sideline story that I've got to share with you now you remember Rahab the haunted there was a Sideline Story to the fall of the wall and that she was saved that was had totally nothing to do with the the fall of the wall and this little story as I was studying there was a page after page after page and this is entitled the Candy Bomber one of the many airlift Pilots decided to use his off time to fly into Berlin and make movies with his handheld cameras he arrived at uh on the 17th of July 1948 on one of the c-40s and the c-54s and walked over to a crowd of children who had gathered at the end of the runway to watch the aircraft he introduced himself and they started asking questions about the aircraft and their flights as a Goodwill gesture he handed out his only two sticks of Wrigley's double mint gum the children quickly divided up the pieces as best they could even passing around the wrapper for others to smell he was so impressed by their gratitude and they that they didn't fight over them that he promised the next time he returned he would drop off more before he left them a child ask him how they would know it was him flying over he replied I'll wiggle my wings I dug the sea 54 dropping over Berlin 1948-49 the next day on his approach to Berlin he rocked the aircraft and dropped some chocolate bars attached to a handkerchief parachute parachute to the children wedding below every day after that the number of children increased and he made several more drops soon there was a stack of mail and the base Ops addressed to Uncle wiggle Wings the chocolate uncle and the chocolate flower his commanding officer was upset when the story appeared in the news but when Turner heard about it he approved of the gesture and immediately expanded it into operation Little Riddles other Pilots participated and when news reached the U.S children all over the country sent in their own candy to help out soon major candy manufacturers joined in they end over three tons of candy were dropped on Berlin and the operation became a major propaganda success German children christened the candy dropping aircraft raisin bombers or candy bombers I want to tell you something God's got some candy to drop on your head if you'll just wait on him it's unexpected nobody knows nobody orders it but God's got some Sweeting for your soul if you'll just wait on the Lord and see what God is going to do give him a hand clap praise there's no power there's no regime there's no political party big enough to withstand God God is going to come to your rescue but we've got our own personal battle that we're going to fight remember the Bible said faith comes by hearing and hearing from the word of God we need some positive preaching when he preaching which will build our faith we need somebody to tell us that God still heals we need somebody to tell us that God still performs Miracles we need somebody to tell us that God is still God he's the same yesterday today and forever what has he done for us right here in this building it's miraculous what God has done thank you Jesus thank you Jesus Faith cometh by hearing hearing by the word of God my father had a wall that hemmed him in my father was rolled off by a cigarette habit after God done many things for us and my dad almost was killed in a tractor accident and when he finally he said when that tractor was ramming him against the other tractor my other brother they were plowing at night and uh my brother my father's lights went out on his tractor my brother pulled his tractor down my oldest brother and when he pushed it in the clutch to throw out bearing went bad and his truck was made and he didn't have a clutch and it rammed him against the tractor and Bobby and I were called to preaching we'd already been out preaching a few places and we were trying to get our dad to go with us to preach and he said boys I need more help in the field if y'all to to uh sick to to go preach and then help me in the cotton field and use and but one of us gets sick then the other would get sick and finally we'll talk showery doctor there in Hayti Missouri he adopted us and we he wasn't fevered he Dr Shari told my dad said Mr McCool I've done a lot of no to do for these boys these boys they're not going to get any better until you go with them to preach now you're a medical doctor said that an intelligent uh Highly Educated man said Mr McCool these boys aren't going to get any better until you go with them to preach and then a few days after that's when the accident of the tractor happened and when we got dad to the house he laid there in the bed we didn't know how bad crippled up he was and we prayed for him and as he we lay there in that bed he said God if you'll heal my body and make a way for me I'll go with my boys to preach and he said my dad said God said to him make a way he said God said you don't see the highway crowded with preachers a hitchhiking to get a ride to you and my dad said God you make me able to get up of this bed all good now we're talking about a sharecropper no car no web Transportation no organization to back us how do you get started preaching for two little 11 year old boys what a wall of difficulty we were facing God's Got a Way Around over through an to lower your wall if you'll just be true to him dad very quickly got better over his back and his crippled up condition and we stood out there on the side of 84 Highway brother Leon voltowing the other day he said I I went in fact somebody here in the church told me that Melania was that you Brother Richard said when y'all went down 84 Highway and brother Leon showed you the approximate place where we lived on 84 Highway their houses are all gone now it's Bean fields and rice fields but we were we were hitchhiking and we we prayed for a ride and sure enough God sent a ride a cattle truck been to the sale the Soul's adamant we got in the back of that cattle truck and we rode to Kenneth about 15 miles north towards Morrison and and on the toward Dexter we wanted to go to my grandmother's house she was a a Godly woman and we felt if we could get to granny crank's house that she could advise us and help pray with us well we we got the cold we couldn't hardly make it but we finally got close enough that uh we got to Granny's house and she was glad to see us and we went in and told her what we were there for and she said well God Will Make A wage she was the one that uh had a private meeting with Jehovah's Witness they came to her house and wanted to have her a Bible study why yes honey I love to study that Bible yes sir come right on in you're welcome to have a Bible study so I always like to have prayer before we study the Bible and said y'all let's pray she got down on her knees and granted didn't just pray a little simple prayer she prays lay it loud and she talks in tongues and prays and talks and stuff and she said to me Billy honey when I got up they were gone I would guess they I would guess they avoided her house from then on when they wanted to have a prayer meeting with somebody but anyway we went to Granny's house and she said I'll fix some breakfast or whatever it was and for me and just a little bit of not came on the door and brother Gunn he was the pastor of the United Pentecostal Church there in Dexter and she went to the door and he said Miss crane I've heard that your grandsons are preaching do you know how I can get in touch with them to come and hold me a Revival now she didn't know we were coming he didn't know we were coming we didn't know he was wanting a Revival but there we were and she said why yes brother God they're sitting right here in my living room right now and we started a Revival with brother Gunn that weekend now my dad hadn't quit smoking yet would pray for him my dad would go to the altar on his way and throw his cigarettes out the window back then we didn't have air conditioning but if what if it was so many and he said he'd go down there to pray and he'd worry about it going to rain and run his cigarettes because after church he'd get up and go back and I'd get out there in the dark and and find the cigarettes but in that Revival I walked down the aisle and I didn't have all that much wisdom back then and I said Daddy if you don't repent and get them cigarettes you're gonna die and go to hell that wasn't too kind but that's the way I preach but my dad hit the Altar and he meant what he did the wall that was keeping him pinned in that cigarette habit God released him from that habit and he quit those cigarettes and got the Holy Ghost in that first Revival in Dexter Missouri 1948. and we give the Lord a hand clap now we got enough money in that Revival to get a bus ticket and we went to Southern Illinois worded getting around brother Gunn let somebody else know and we uh they heard they heard about us in Southern Illinois and we went to Southern Illinois and began to preach in different churches and and uh we eventually we got to Harrisburg Illinois and um one Sunday morning a lady came down the aisle with a dollar bill and she said the Lord laid on my heart to start an automobile fund for them cools said they need a car and she started upon for us and when we left for after a few revivals we drove back to Dexter Missouri and a brand new 1948 Dodge and and uh started out evangelizing uh with our own automobile well so much for what God does God is God he's he's real let's go on sister McCool kept me reminded that one day there would be a great church in Knoxville Tennessee God said you see and I said Lord no I don't see I wish I could see but I've given by given unto thy hand Knoxville Tennessee and where there will be a great church verse 3 and I'm quoting that by my own version understand that now verse 3 and ye shall Compass the city all ye Men of War go round about the city once Thou shalt do six days now why does God stretch things out like it is their marching had nothing to do with the physical uh Affair of that the geography or the earthquake or that didn't rattle the walls but yet God said do it I want to tell you too many times we wanted our way now when when the man of God told Naaman to go dip seven times in the river of Jordan and Naaman went away to rage and his servant said why would you do a thing he said they're they're beautiful rivers of my own country why couldn't I go he said had he told you to do some great thing you would have done it she said why don't you do what he said to do go dip in the river of Jordan seven times he dipped once he didn't get partially clean every time he dipped he didn't get a little he was a leopard but when he went down the seventh time he came up and his skin was as a skin of a baby I want to tell you something if you want to see your Wall fall just do what God says to do it may be wait he may say just wait you may wonder why it had nowhere to happen God don't have to tell us why we you and I just simply need to wait on the Lord and let God's time take over ye shall Compass the city all you Men of War go round about the city once this shall you do six days and the seventh priest shall bear with the ark seven trumpets of Ram's horns seven days you shall Compass the city seven times and the priest shall blow with their trumpets and that shall come to pass it when they make a long blast with the Rams Horn and when you hear the sound of the trumpet all the people shall Shout by the great Shout and the wall of the city shall fall down flat and the people shall Ascend up every man right before him now notice the rest of this and Joshua the son of nun called the priest and said unto them take up the Ark of the Covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of Ram's horns before the Ark of the Lord and he said unto the people pass on to me that supplement press on just keep on going the wall is not going to partially fall just keep on going and Compass the city and let him that is armed pass on before the Ark of the Lord and it came to pass when Joshua had spoken unto the people that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of Ram's horns passed on before the Lord and blew with trumpets and the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord followed them and the armed man went before the priest that blew with the trumpets and the rearward came after the ark and the priest going on blowing with the trumpets and Joshua had commanded the people now notice this Joshua had commanded the people saying ye shall not shout don't make any noise with your voice neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I bid you shout then ye shall Shout sometimes the Lord tells us when to speak up and when to be quiet sometimes now I don't why did they do it this way what what effect did that have on the falling of the wall don't anybody let your voice be heard the the trumpet is sounding at the trumpet sound but don't let your voice be heard we don't know why God does the things he does yet to this day I don't know a God that I could understand would be too simple to answer my prayers and solve my problems all I need to do is to do what he said to do it reminds me Pastor Mark I I have a pet scripture I quote many times when Jesus entered into Nazareth his hometown went into the synagogue and they gave him a book to read in the Bible said he found the place when it was written and I said Jesus said he found the place if we'll only look it's there if you'll find it and then Pastor Mark said yes it also said when he finished he closed the book and gave it to the minister said sometimes we need to know when to close the book and give it sometime we didn't know when to quit sometimes I needed no one to be quiet and sometimes we need to know when to shout so he said uh command the people say ye shall not shout nor make any noise with your voice neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I bid you shout then shall ye Shout all right weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning I might be sitting quiet today but I may be shouting tomorrow just hold on and do what God says to do so the Ark of the Lord encompasses the city going about it once and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp and Joshua Rose early in the morning and the priest took up the Ark of the Lord Seven priests bearing seven prophets of Ram's horns before the Ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets and the armed men went before them but the rear wood came after the Ark of the Lord the priest going on and blowing with the trumpets and the the second day they encompassed the city once the seventh day they Rose early in the morning encompassed the city in the same manner seven times only on that day they encompassed the city seven times and it came to pass at the seventh time when the priest blew the trumpets Joshua said unto the people you've been quiet long enough now shout he said shout for the Lord hath given you the city and thy City shall be accursed even if and all that are therein to the Lord only rehab the Harlot shall live she and all that are with her in the house because she hid The Messengers that we sent and ye in any wise keep yourself from the curse saying lest you make yourself a curse when you take the accursed thing and make the camp invisible cursed but all the silver the gold the vessels of the brass of the arm are consecrated unto the Lord they shall come into the Treasure of the Lord so the people shouted when the priest blew with the trumpets and he came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout that the wall fell down flat so that the people went up into the city every man straight before him and they took the city would you stand your feet with us please oh and the young men who were spies went in and brought Rahab and her father and her mother and her brother and all they they had and they brought out all her Kindred and left them without the camp of Israel let me tell you something God's got a reward it will just simply do what he says and this Friday night we'll meet in Dandridge at the church where Pastor you know Magnus pastors and we'll observe another great youth rally father we thank you tonight for the Blessed word of God I pray that you will let the word of God sink deep into our hearts may we may we obey and may we stand still when you say stand still and may we shout when you say shall brings back up the appointed time in Jesus name we pray amen shake hands and be friendly you're dismissed In The Name Of The Lord