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Hidden sin… (4 things)
- 1st – The defeat at Ai… vs. 1-9 Read: Joshua 7:2-7
- Overly confident… vs. 1-5
- Joshua sent men to scout out the city of Ai…
- The men came back and reported the city would be easy to conquer…
- They recommended only sending 2000-3000 men to attack the city…
- After the fall of the major fortified city of Jericho Israel was VERY confident…
- Too confident – they were not the ones who had won the battle at Jericho…
- It might be teaching a Bible study / or sharing Jesus with someone…
- The first time we do something we are terrified – clinging to Jesus for His strength…
- But when He pours out His Spirit – and we see God do a work…
- The next time we step out – it is easy to get our eyes off of Jesus…
- Thinking we have done this before – no problem – begin to depend on ourselves…
- Forgetting we did not win the battle – it was always about God!
- The army of Israel was defeated – the men of Ai killed 36 Israelites…
- Those who remained were chased all the way back down the hill from the city!
- Joshua sent men to scout out the city of Ai…
- Overly confident… vs. 1-5
- We often get into the most trouble when we think we are all right in life…
- That is when satan can sneak in – because we are most vulnerable…
- We are depending on our strength – we are not trusting in Jesus…
- And the only strength we have – is when we realize it is all about Jesus…
- II Corinthians 12:10 – “My strength is made perfect in my weakness.”
- Blaming God… vs. 6-9
- Joshua tore his clothes – fell on his face before the ark – put dust on his head…
- Joshua knew word of their defeat would get around…
- Then all the nations of the Land would band together – and wipe Israel out!
- God did you just bring us into the Land to let the Amorites destroy us…
- It would have been better to stay on the other side of the Jordan…
- When things go wrong – we often want to blame God…
- When we have no money – when a relationship falls apart…
- Even though we may have spent too much – been mean to our friend…
- Rather than take responsibility for our actions – admit to our fault…
- It is easier to shake our fists at God – blame Him for what happened…
- The problem is until we are willing to admit our problem – be honest with God…
- There is nothing He can do fix it – He cannot give us the solution!
- Joshua tore his clothes – fell on his face before the ark – put dust on his head…
The greatest lesson we can learn from our mistakes – stick to the Word of God!
2nd – Israel has sinned… vs. 10-26 Read: Joshua 7:10-15
Get up! Israel has sinned… vs. 10-12
Israel had not been defeated because God failed – it was because of sin…
God had commanded that everything from Jericho be destroyed by fire…
Yet someone had stolen some things – and hidden it among their possessions…
They thought no one saw – no one knew – and nothing bad had happened – yet…
When we sin – we may think that no one noticed – we think we get away with it…
There may not even be immediate consequences – making us think God is OK with it
God is patient – because he wants us to repent – admit to our sin…
Romans 2:4 – “Knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance…”
But that does not mean that we will get away with our sin – Galatians 6:7
Israel had been defeated at Ai – because sin had separated them from God!
Sin will always separate us from our relationship / the blessings of God…
When we have conviction in our heart – we tend to avoid the Bible / church…
So God in His mercy lets life start to fall apart around us – lets us be defeated…
He lets us reap the consequences of our sin – to try and get out attention…
Finding out who had sinned… vs. 13-18
God had Joshua line up all the tribes / families / and households of Israel…
With all the tribes lined up – the tribe of Judah was chosen from the twelve…
From all the families of Judah – the family of Zarhite was chosen…
From the Zarhites – the house of Zabdi was chosen…
Each man from his house brought before Joshua – till Achan (trouble) was chosen…
God could have just told Joshua it was Achan – so why the theatrics…
God was giving Achan a chance to repent – to confess what he had done…
With each step – Judah / Zarhites / Zabdi – he could have stepped forward…
If only he would have repented – but instead he tried to continue to conceal his sin…
Ever noticed when you are convicted – everything reminds you of your sin…
Perhaps you stole something – and the teaching on Sunday is about theft…
You go home and turn on the TV – a courtroom where a thief is being sentenced…
You go to the market the next day – and you watch as police arrest a thief…
You start to wonder if the whole world knows what you did – a conspiracy!
God is just giving us abundant opportunities to ‘come clean’ of our sin…
And if we would just be willing to confess – everything would be OK…
I John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
But it is our choice – He will not force us to repent – force us to be forgiven
Compromise… vs. 19-26 Read: Joshua 7:19-25
With no where to hide – Achan finally confessed what he had done…
After Jericho fell he saw a beautiful robe / 200 silver coins / and ½ kg of gold…
He wanted them so much he took them and buried them beneath his tent…
Joshua sent men to check – and they found the stolen loot where Achan said…
So they took him / his family / and his possessions – stoned and burned them!
We see 3 powerful warnings from the example of Achan…
1st – The things of this world are not worth dying for…
Achan ended up dying for a shirt and a little bit of spending cash…
The irony is he never even got to use them – they were just buried under his tent!
What is our eternity worth – what is the cost we would sell our soul for…
Satan is willing to give you just about anything – to keep you out of heaven – but…
Matthew 8:36 – “How do you benefit if you gain the world but lose your soul…”
Unfortunately like Achan most people often sell out for very little…
And with only a few short years here on earth – they never really get to enjoy it!
2nd – Our sin does not just effect us…
Because of his sin – his children also perished with him…
Why did the kids also die – does God punish kids for their fathers mistake…
Ezekiel 18:20 – “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son.”
The stolen good were under their tent – they also must have known…
When God was narrowing down the guilty party – they also said nothing…
Therefore they were just as guilty in the sin as their father!
Because of the sin of Achan – the armies of Israel were defeated at Ai – 36 men died!
We often make the mistake of thinking that our choices only affect us…
If we choose to sin– only we face the consequences– we are not hurting others…
The truth is that our lives effect many people – our kids / family / friends…
Either indirectly by our example – our children following us…
Or directly as a result of our actions – being angry using hurtful words
3rd – Confess your sins before it is too late…
One day we will all confess all our sins before Jesus…
Romans 14:10 – “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
The question is the result of our confession – salvation or judgment…
If we confess now – we find Grace and Forgiveness in Jesus…
If we try and hide our sin – we will confess – as we are judged and condemned…
Do not be like Achan – do not wait till it is too late – confess today!
II Corinthians 6:2 – “Today is the day of salvation…”
3rd – The defeat of Ai… vs. 1-29 Read: Joshua 8:1-8
A cunning plan… vs. 1-9
Joshua sent 30,000 men ahead – they would wait in ambush behind the city and wait…
Joshua would take the rest of the army and attack the city from the front…
They would run away – pretending to be defeated again – drawing out all the men…
Then the 30,000 men were to rise up and take the undefended city!
Joshua had a plan – because he was not going to take any chances this time…
The defeat at Ai had taught him far more than the victory at Jericho!
We tend not to learn well from our successes – but we learn best from mistakes…
Often the best teachers in life is the consequences of our sin…
So do not beat yourself up when you make a mistake – just be sure to learn from it!
The fall of the city… vs. 10-29
In the morning the king of Ai attacked Joshua – but did not know about the ambush…
Joshua began to retreat – and the king of Ai emptied the city to chase them…
The men in hiding came out and took the city without a fight and set it on fire…
The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke – they were caught in a trap…
Joshua attacked from the front – the men of Israel from the city came from behind!
Not a single person was left alive – 12,000 in all wiped out in a single day!
The king of Ai was hung on a tree till night fall – then buried under a pile of rocks…
The city was left a permanent heap of ruins for all to see!
Joshua and Israel were victorious – but not because of their plan…
They defeated Ai that day because they had confessed their sin…
And unlike the first time they attacked – God was with them this time!
When things in life do not seem to be going our way – we need to check our hearts…
It may well be there is some ‘hidden sin’ that we have not dealt with…
And until we confess that sin before the Lord – we will be defeated…
But as soon as it is addressed – we will find God is back on our side…
We will be – Psalm 1 – ‘ A blessed man – and whatever we do will prosper.’
4th – Blessings and Curses… vs. 30-35 Read: Joshua 8:30-35
Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim – Deuteronomy 27:1-10…
Following the command of Moses – Joshua made an alter on Mount Ebal…
And in front of all Israel he wrote the Words of the covenant on the altar…
Then the nation was broken up into two groups – with the Ark and priests in between…
And Joshua read EVERY command Moses had given to the entire assembly…
The real lesson Joshua learned – stick to the Word of God…
The only thing that sin does well – is separate us from God…
The best way to avoid sin – the best way to find victory in life – read your Bible…
The Bible will keep you from sin – sin will keep you from the Bible!
Psalm 119:11 – “Your word I have hidden in my heart… I might not sin against You!”
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