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Summer Sermon Series Book of Joshua
How To Not Let Secret Sin Ruin
Your Life
Rev. Kevin L. Baker
August 21, 2005
INTRO
What’s wrong with
the world?” a newspaper editorial once asked. G.K. Chesterton wrote
in reply, “I am.”
·
Today, we are going to
conclude our summer sermon series on the Book of Joshua with the
account of Achan—the one who brought trouble on Israel as 36
soldeirs were killed because of his disobedience.
·
When Chesterton answered
the question “What’s wrong with the world?” by saying, “I am,” he
was right. Achan, the troubler, is a picture of what is wrong in
the world—US.
·
Today, we are going to
the heart of biblical teaching about what is wrong in the world—why
all the bad things we witness in life occur—sin. The willful
transgression of God’s holy laws by men, women, and children who
disregard how God says we are to live in order to do life their way.
PASSAGE INTRO
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After their victory at
Jericho, the Israelites thought the rest of their battles would be
easy. Joshua could see that God was helping them and knew with His
help no enemy could stand before them.
·
Therefore, when they
went up to the next town of Ai, Joshua sent only 3,000 soldiers. Ai
was a small town and his spies had said there were not many people
there.
·
Imagine their surprise,
then, when the men of Ai killed thirty-six of the Israelites and
chased the rest of them back down the hill.
·
The people of Israel
were so frightened that their hearts melted and became like water.
In his distress Joshua tore his clothes. Then he and the elders of
the people fell before the ark of the Lord, throwing dust on their
heads.
·
Joshua went to the Lord
to find out what was wrong.
·
Alas, Lord God, he
prayed, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all - -
to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us?
·
If only they had been
satisfied just to stay on the other side of the Jordan River, Joshua
thought. Now when the nations of Canaan heard about Ai, they would
wipe Israel off the earth.
·
Before the walls had
fallen the Lord had spoken through Joshua to tell the people
everything in Jericho was accursed and should be destroyed. No one
was to keep any of its riches for himself.
·
Even all the flocks and
herds were to be killed. They were to save only the gold and silver
and vessels of iron and bronze to go into the treasury of the
tabernacle.
·
But someone had not
followed those instructions and had taken some of the accursed
things for himself. Because of this, the men of Ai had won the
victory.
·
The remedy for the
defeat of the people of God was that they had to discover the secret
sin and the accursed thing in their midst and root it out.
·
When confronted, Achan
confessed his sin. He and his whole family were then led out to the
Valley of Achor, or the valley of trouble, where this sentence was
pronounced: Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you
this day.
·
So all Israel stoned
Achan with stones and burned everything he had with fire. A great
heap of stones was raised over the place to remind people of what
happens when people do not obey God.
WHAT LESSONS DOES
GOD WANT US TO LEARN ABOUT HOW SECRET SIN CAN RUIN OUR LIVES AND
BRING TROUBLE TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD?
1.
SIN IS ALWAYS THE RESULT
OF DISOBEYING A COMMANDMENT
·
Joshua had clearly
instructed the people with what the Lord had told him as recorded in
Joshua 6:18-19—when Jericho fell, they were to abstain from the
accursed things, lest you become accursed, when you take of the
accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble
it.
·
Sin is always a willful
breaking of a commandment of God. God’s laws test and prove our
obedience or tempt us into disobedience. This is the story of Adam
and Eve, of Achan who robbed from God and touched the unclean thing,
of Judas who betrayed the Lord, of Annanias and Saphhira who robbed
from God and lied aobut it and were put to death on the spot under
the New Covenant!
2.
SIN ROBS GOD.
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All the metals of
Jericho were to belong to God. During the battle, Achan saw, he
coveted, and he took what did not belong to him.
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Listen to James 1:14-15
14but
each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away
and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
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What Achan did is what
many do today. They take for themselves what God said is to belong
to him so the work of God can go on.
8
"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we
rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a
curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in
my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I
will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much
blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I
will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your
fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12
"Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a
delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
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Sin not only deprives
God of gold, but of the love, honor, obedience, and the use of the
gold that belongs to God by faithful stewards who will further the
work of God in the world by being good managers of God’s possessions
in the earth.
·
Sin also robs the person
who commits it of fellowship with God; of peace, and of joy in life.
3.
SIN DELIGHTS IN WHAT GOD
ABOMINATES
·
The possessions of the
Canaanites were banned from God’s people possessing them. God does
not want us taking the world’s things and using them as they do.
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The Babylonian garment
was to be burned and the gold and silver redeemed from the curse by
being set apart fro sacred use.
·
God curses all the
riches of the world and they are set for destruction by fire or
redemption when they are set apart for sacred us. Folks, realize,
that gaining possessions is not the goal of life.
·
All your possessions
will mean nothing to you when you are judged by fire. What oases
through the fire? Only the good works you did with what you had to
glorify God. All your wealth amassed for your own selfish
reasons—it dies with you.
4.
INDIVIDUAL SIN AFFECTS
THE PEOPLE OF GOD AS A WHOLE.
·
The whole nation of
Israel was put at risk because of the disobedience of one man.
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It was through one man’s
sin, that of Adam, that the whole human race—all of Adam’s
children—has become subject to the same judgment of death and the
curse that was place don Adam.
·
In Adam’s fall we sinned
all. When Achan sinned, not only did his whole family become liable
for his sin, but so did the whole nation of Israel.
·
God promised Joshua that
obedience would bring success in all they would do. But not, at Ai,
a small town had defeated the same warriors who had just won a might
battle at Jericho killing 36 of them.
·
All of Israel began to
fear defeat because of the sin of Achan.
·
The truth about sin is
this—your sin holds back our church from victory and keeps us in
defeat. Today, we need to realize this! Please confess your sins
to God so that this church can grow.
5.
BE SURE YOUR SIN WILL
FIND YOU OUT—CONFESS OR BE EXPOSED
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Since Adam and Eve tried
to hide the shame of their sin with fig leaves, men have tried to
hide their sins from God. Adam confessed when confronted and God
covered his nakedness.
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When Achan sinned, the
heavens did not shake or lighting strike him. Life seemed to go on
in its ordinary routine—until destruction came suddenly on the
nation at the battle of Ai. Joshua began calling for people to come
before him, and Achan did not confess until he was exposed by God.
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Achan thought his sin
was secret and would be undiscovered. This sometimes goes on for
years.
·
However, God says that
what is done in secret will be eventually made public for all to
see.
6.
THE SENTENCE AGAINST SIN
IS DEATH
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Achan’s sin brought
death to his children and his whole household just like Adam’s sin
did the same to the whole human family.
·
St. Paul said in the
Book of Romans that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God
is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
·
St. Paul also put it
this way:
18Consequently,
just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so
also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that
brings life for all men. 19For just as through the
disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also
through the obedience of the one man the many will be made
righteous.
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What Paul says is the
one man Adam’s sin brought condemnation to all men, but the
righteous obedient life of Jesus, who was also tempted by the devil
to sin but did not, has brought salvation to the many who believe.
CONCLUSION
Prussian king Frederick the Great was
once touring a Berlin prison. The prisoners fell on their knees
before him to proclaim their innocence -- except for one man, who
remained silent. Frederick called to him, "Why are you here?" "Armed
robbery, Your Majesty," was the reply. "And are you guilty?" "Yes
indeed, Your Majesty, I deserve my punishment." Frederick then
summoned the jailer and ordered him, "Release this guilty wretch at
once. I will not have him kept in this prison where he will corrupt
all the fine innocent people who occupy it."
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The remedy for sin is
simple—when we know that we have sinned against God, our families,
and the Church because of acts of habits of sin, we must repent of
them unless we want God to expose us.
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Our sins affect can
bring us trouble in our own lives—shame, guilt, even mental illness.
Our sins also can bring defeat upon the people of God—our church and
the whole larger church.
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Sin must be acknowledged
and confessed. God has set it up that sins are confessed to another
human being so we cannot hide our shame and guilt. When we confess
our sins to a church elder, a priest, as it says in James 5, we take
the secret part of it away that Satan uses to keep us in bondage.
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Once we confess, God
will forgive, and restore victory to our lives and our church! As
soon as Achan and the accursed things were taken care of, God sent
the people back to Ai and told them to not be dismayed any
longer—and they were once again victorious defeating the King of Ai.
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Jesus died for your sins
so you do not have to die and be destroyed by eternal fire. But, if
pride keeps you from acknowledging and confessing, you will die in
your sin.
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Today, Jesus calls us to
repent. To change our minds about the way we live. To see how our
sins have impacted others in our own family, our church, and how it
has brought defeat and destruction.
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Today, Jesus stands
ready to forgive all who will humble themselves and admit their
sins, and lift the curse of sin from us so we can enter into the joy
of the abundant life in the promised land of spiritual freedom and
blessing where if we obey God, we will be successful and blessed in
all we do.
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May we like Joshua,
say, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
ALTAR CALL.
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