Results of Stumbling
Joshua • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsThe consequences and results of stumbling to worldly influence and idolatry
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Background to passage: It could be that the two speeches that we have here at the end of the book of Joshua are some 25 years following the distribution of the land, especially if Joshua and Caleb were close to the same age. Joshua is about to die, and he gives his final instructions to the nations in two forms—in ch. 23 a warning, and in ch 24 a call to covenant obedience. In our text today Joshua is concerned about worldly influence from the remaining pagan nations left in the land (mentioned 7 times). The American church and we as individuals face a continual struggle with our pagan culture to maintain faithfulness to God.
1 A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years,
2 Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years.
3 And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you.
4 Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west.
5 The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.
6 Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left,
7 that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them,
8 but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day.
9 For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day.
10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you.
11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God.
12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you,
13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.
14 “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.
15 But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you,
16 if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”
Opening illustration: In ancient Rome, some of the gladiators were known for taking a 'dive' in the arena. They would purposely lose a fight for money, showing how temptation can lead one to fall in disgrace. While those gladiators laughed all the way to the bank, their lives were at risk. Similarly, we can easily stumble into sin for temporary gains, but ultimately it’s our character and faith that truly count.
Main thought: Last week we looked at places that our lives will be open to attack because of the lack of spiritual diligence. Today we look at possible consequences of falling to the attacks.
1) Loss of Strength (v. 9-10)
1) Loss of Strength (v. 9-10)
9 For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day.
10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you.
1) Loss of Strength (v. 9-10)
1) Loss of Strength (v. 9-10)
Explanation: Joshua explained here that it is God who fights for Israel. He attributes all the victories, all the fame, all the spoils to the strength and abilities of God. He was saying that whatever strength Israel had, it came from God. Therefore, if the Israelites forsook their covenant with God, their strength would fail.
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Illustration: Samson and Achilles
Application: When you and I fall to WI, and allow it to shape our thinking, behavior, attitudes, or speech, then we should expect our strength to begin to fail. And in the trials of life, you can’t make it without God’s strength. God created us to be dependent beings. However, there is a conditional element to our strength, and it relates to our obedience and trust. Do you want to endure tribulation well? Then maintain your covenant with God, flee worldly influences, and he will fight for you.
2) Loss of Intimacy with God (v. 11)
2) Loss of Intimacy with God (v. 11)
11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God.
2) Loss of Intimacy with God (v. 11)
2) Loss of Intimacy with God (v. 11)
Explanation: In Joshua’s warning he instructs the nation to be diligent to love God. He knew that Israel could not dabble in worldly things and expect a close walk with God. Absolute loyalty is what God expects. Not perfection, but a commitment to Him and Him alone. Unfaithfulness does not promote intimacy.
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
Illustration: King Saul from the OT
Application: When you and I hold on to little pet sins, dabble in a little sins, persist in an ungodly relationship, our relationship with God will suffer. It could even be with things that are not inherently sinful. First, we don’t hear Him speaking to us in our devotional time, so we stop being so diligent. Prayer seems useless because we know that He will not hear us. Then we become hardened to conviction on Sundays, and we stop going as much. To hold on to these things is idolatry. In fact anything that you treasure more than God is idolatry, and will hinder your closeness with Him. Do not treat the lack of intimacy between you and God as a light matter.
3) Loss of God’s Favor (v. 13)
3) Loss of God’s Favor (v. 13)
13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.
3) Loss of God’s Favor (v. 13)
3) Loss of God’s Favor (v. 13)
Explanation: Ultimately favor with God comes from pleasing Him. And pleasing and bringing glory to God is our life’s purpose. That is why you were created. God’s favor displays itself in sustaining grace, in the anointing of His Spirit for service, in the providing of the fruit of ministry, in being clear in the leading of the Spirit, and in other ways.
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
Illustration: Robert E. Reccord also is author of the book “Beneath the Surface: Steering Clear of the Dangers That Could Leave You Shipwrecked,” Reccord cited survey statistics from the book “Men’s Secret Wars” by Patrick Means that indicated 64 percent of pastors or church staff struggled with sexual addiction or compulsion. Twenty-five percent admitted to having sexual intercourse with someone besides their wife while married, and after they had accepted Christ. Another 14 percent admitted some form of sexual contact short of intercourse.
Reccord told of a difficult conversation he had several years ago with a friend in the ministry who had fallen because of adultery. He asked him, “What in the world were you doing? Didn’t you hear the alarm bells going off?” There was a long silence, Reccord said, then the man answered, “Oh Bob, I did hear the alarms. I heard the alarms plainly. But when I heard the alarms I decided to disconnect the wires.”
Application: When we cease to follow Him exclusively, listen to Him completely, follow Him unconditionally, we should not expect His favor. Without the hand of God on our lives, we cannot hope to experience success (in the godly sense), fruitfulness, clarity in leadership, joy in the Lord, or sustaining grace. If we want to please God, we must resist WI and maintain our covenant of absolute Lordship with God. If we want to be used of God, we must submit to Him, be obedient to Him; reverence Him, and Him alone.
4) Chastisement of the Lord (v. 13)
4) Chastisement of the Lord (v. 13)
13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.
4) Chastisement of the Lord (v. 13)
4) Chastisement of the Lord (v. 13)
Explanation: Joshua speaks of the nations not only remaining because the Lord will stop fighting, but that they will be chastisement to the people as thorns in their flesh. This was a fairly common form of national chastisement for Israel. It happened many times mildly, and twice severely, from which the nation never recovered. But this concept also applied individually—life of Moses, life of David, life of Paul. To leave someone in their sin is the least loving thing that anyone can do. God’s motivation is love and restoration of covenant faithfulness
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,
Illustration: “God does not discipline us to subdue us, but to condition us for a life of usefulness and blessedness. In His wisdom, He knows that an uncontrolled life is an unhappy life, so He puts reins on our wayward souls that they may be directed into the paths of righteousness.” –Billy Graham
Application: If we are influenced by worldly things, relationships, false gods, etc, the Lord promises to chasten us. He may do it by removing the thing that we are attached to. He may do it through health, or through loss, or through humiliation. But he wants to bring us back into an exclusive dependent, joy filled, passionate, useful relationship with Himself. Warning: if there is no chastening, you are not saved.
5) Loss of Blessing & Possessions (v. 15-16)
5) Loss of Blessing & Possessions (v. 15-16)
15 But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you,
16 if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”
5) Loss of Blessing & Possessions (v. 15-16)
5) Loss of Blessing & Possessions (v. 15-16)
Explanation: Joshua indicates that sins that come from WI and break the covenant relationship with God are so serious that the Israelites would lose the land of inheritance. Basically, he was stating that the pipeline of blessing and prosperity would be stopped up with disobedience, sin, and unfaithfulness. And the Lord will remove His blessings. And it asis so serious that He would take away the most prized possession in order to humble them.
15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.
36 “The Lord will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone.
37 And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the Lord will lead you away.
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
Illustration: The workaholic is actually a sluggard at home. He is lazy, distant, and undisciplined in his duties at home, because he makes an idol out of work.
Application: You may be denied things that you were previously entitled to. Where it is an attitude, a possession, a habit, or anything other thing that WI has lured you into believing or doing, God will not bless in spite of sin. God requires of us that we be faithful to be blessed. There is nothing too sacred for the Lord to allow it to come between you and Him. We must take careful heed, and remember that God is a jealous God. Are you focused on God? Is He the center of your life? Is WI creeping into your life in subtle ways?
Closing illustration: The Bridge of Ice
In a remote village, there was a treacherous river that froze over in the winter. Each year, the villagers warned travelers to wait until the ice was thick and safe before crossing. One man, eager to reach his destination, dismissed the warnings. “It looks fine to me,” he said, and stepped out onto the ice. At first, the surface held firm, and he grew confident, walking faster. But halfway across, a loud crack echoed through the valley. Before he could react, the ice shattered beneath him, plunging him into the freezing waters.
This is the danger of sin. At first, it feels safe—appealing even—and we tell ourselves that no harm will come. But sin always cracks beneath us when we least expect it, dragging us into spiritual ruin.
Recap
