What to do after you succeed

Good Evening, its good to be back with you tonight and I look forward to sharing the word of God with you. Turn with me in your Bibles tonight to the book of Joshua chapter 8 were going to be looking at verses 30-35 tonight.

Joshua 8:30–35 HCSB

At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord, the God of Israel, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used. Then they offered burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings on it. There on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites. All Israel, foreigner and citizen alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on either side of the ark of the Lord’s covenant facing the Levitical priests who carried it. As Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded earlier, half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half in front of Mount Ebal, to bless the people of Israel. Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings as well as the curses—according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, the little children, and the foreigners who were with them.

Joshua 8:3–35 HCSB

So Joshua and the whole military force set out to attack Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 fighting men and sent them out at night. He commanded them: “Pay attention. Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it, and all of you be ready. Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them. They will come after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us as before.’ While we are fleeing from them,you are to come out of your ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God has handed it over to you. After taking the city, set it on fire. Follow the Lord’s command—see that you do as I have ordered you.” So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the ambush site and waited between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But he spent that night with the troops. Joshua started early the next morning and mobilized them. Then he and the elders of Israel led the troops up to Ai. All those who were with him went up and approached the city, arriving opposite Ai, and camped to the north of it, with a valley between them and the city. Now Joshua had taken about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. The military force was stationed in this way: the main camp to the north of the city and its rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley. When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, the men of the city hurried and went out early in the morning so that he and all his people could engage Israel in battle at a suitable place facing the Arabah. But he did not know there was an ambush waiting for him behind the city. Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten back by them and fled toward the wilderness. Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city exposed while they pursued Israel. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out the sword in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you.” So Joshua held out his sword toward it. When he held out his hand, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They ran, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire. The men of Ai turned and looked back, and smoke from the city was rising to the sky! They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers. When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. Then men in ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces, some on one side and some on the other. They struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained, but they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. When Israel had finished killing everyone living in Ai who had pursued them into the open country, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the sword. The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was 12,000—all the people of Ai. Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the sword until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed. Israel plundered only the cattle and spoil of that city for themselves, according to the Lord’s command that He had given Joshua. Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, desolate to this day. He hung the body of the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take his body down from the tree. They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and put a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day. At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord, the God of Israel, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used. Then they offered burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings on it. There on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites. All Israel, foreigner and citizen alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on either side of the ark of the Lord’s covenant facing the Levitical priests who carried it. As Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded earlier, half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half in front of Mount Ebal, to bless the people of Israel. Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings as well as the curses—according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, the little children, and the foreigners who were with them.

We come upon a scene in our text tonight that really holds meaning for us as children of God. after a strategic military advance on AI and the conquest of the city, the Israelites renew their covenant on Mount Ebal.

If you will remember the children of Israel have just come off of a major defeat, they failed miserably, but when they came in repentance and gave themselves whole heartedly to the Lord once more then God sent them back to where they had failed and gave them the victory.

Now here on the mountain as the people have defeated AI Joshua reads all of the words of the covenant and formally reminds the people of the blessings that come from following the Lord and the curses that come when they disobey.

Why did Josua do this?

Joshua did this because He wanted to keep ever before the eyes of the people the spiritual realities that make up a relationship with God. There are two pillars that make up our relationship with God.

COMMITMENT AND SERVICE

God did not save us and give us an eternal home just so that we might enjoy our inheritance and sit back and wait on those things to come. He desired a people set apart for Himself right here on this Earth.

This is really about our commitment to spiritual renewal.

(repeat)

commitment and renewal is a noraml part of our everyday lives. for example married people renew their vows as a sign of commitment. For the most part most of us renew our membership to the gym, or insurance policies, or even Sams club.

but most importantly when it pertains to our spirituality we are called to regularly seek after spiritual renewal. you see the problem is this sin creeps in and it lures us away from the presnece of God, and what we find in that very moment is that we need God. so what do we do?

We must seek Him.

What are some other ways we might find ourselves being pulled away from the presence of God. Well sin is one way, but also just the business of life. Many of you work all the time, man and you find yourself drifting away from God. Even taking care of our families, we find ourselves mothers drifting away from God.

The business of life causes us to drift away from God. Drift away from the fountain of life.... Jesus Christ.

You see in we see Gods people renewing their commitment to the Lord. This is why this text is so important, because sin creeped in and caused them to drift away from Him and now in this text we find Gods people saying “god I want to renew my committment to you.

My prayer is that if not all of you many of you will desire to recommit to the Lord, that you would renew your spirituality, your faith, your commitment to the Lord. The book of Joshua is a book of Gods faithfulness to His promises and covenant.

Fo those of you who havent been on this journey with us I think it is important that I give you a preview of whats going on.

Ch. 1 god commissioned Joshua to lead His people into the promised land. However Joshua will only be victorious only because of the presence of God and the word of God.

Ch. 2 The Israelites receive affirmation from this woman. A Cannanite prostitute woman named Rahab who actually told the 2 spies that God has given the land of Jericho into the hands of Israel. But not only that this prostitute woman named Rahab she confessed and professed Yahweh to be the only god.

Ch. 3 we see Gods faithfulness to HIs covenant to His people by the ark of the covenant this dominates chapter 3. It is the presence of God among His people. Gods presence lead the people to the JOrdan River it was the ark of the covenant carrying the presence of God that dried up the Jordan river.

Ch. 4 Gods people are faithful to Him by simply setting up 12 stones of rememberance in the place called Gilgal.

Ch. 5 Gods people are renewing their covenant with God (circumcision)

They were committed to taking the passover.

Ch. 6 we see that God is fighting on behalf of the people that God brought down the walls of Jericho

Ch. 7 The people sin against God

Joshua 7:11 HCSB

Israel has sinned. They have violated My covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put the things with their own belongings.

we see that because of thier sin God disciplined the people of God and let the people of AI defeat them.

35 were killed Achan and HIs family was stoned

Ch. 8 we see the faithfulness of God by restoring His people. He restored them by giving them victory and now in this text after the people have experienced great victory they are on their way to renew their covenant with thier faithful God.

Let’s look at 2 facts Concerning spiritual renewal

we see this in the life of the Israelites but we as a church we must pursue these facts.

Spiritual Renewal Requires our commitment and fellowship with God

Joshua 8:30–31 HCSB

At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord, the God of Israel, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used. Then they offered burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings on it.

MT. Ebal now I want you to understand this. This si the second time in the book of Joshua where we find the people renewing the committment to the Lord. I mentioned to you in ch 5 it mentions they renewed their covenant by circumcizing those who had not been circumcised.

What we find they are doing it again.

Now in ch 24 the Israelites will renew the covenant again. So three times in the book of Joshua they are renewing their covenant. There is something we cant miss in this text. dont miss this.

WE TOO AS A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH SHOULD RENEW AND BE COMITTED TO SPIRITUAL RENEWAL.

On a daily basis we should examine our hearts and make sure we are not drifting away from the presence of God. We too must do this on a consistent basis, dont miss this.

As believers we should not be lax in our spirituality because the faithfulness of god towards us should deepen our comittment toward Him.

(repeat)

I wanna illlustrate this

Philippians 3:12 HCSB

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

Paul what is your commitment?

There it is

I AM SO COMMITTED TO JESUS I PRESS ON TO MAKE IT MY ON. But Paul what is stimulating your comittment?

Jesus’ faithfulness to Paul is what dirves HIm forward to chase Jesus even harder than He did before.

god was faithful to restore them after they sinned, god was faithful to give them victory over AI and now they are saying GOD BECAUSE OF YOUR GOODNESS TOWARD US WE ARE GONNA PURSUE SPIRITUAL RENEWAL.

God is so faithful towards us, that even when we sin, even when we drift away from Him. HIs desire is to draw us back into the fold. what gets us back to God is not our own self efforts but HIs faithfulness when we stop and think about His faithfulness and His goodness.

Look carefully

they took a 20 mile trip to Mt Ebal, to renew their covenant with the Lord. I want you to see this any military strategist would disagree with their decision. A logicla decision would be man after you have defeated your enemy AI continue with those victories dont go away 23 miles away on this spiritual journey, no you keep on going. you stay and fight, now you can say that if your looking at this through a worldly perspective and this is proof enough that action and comittment is proof enough and all the victories they will experience through the book of Joshua did not come from their military strategies, but came as a result of them making their relationship with god their top priority.

For us to find success in our days it does not come because we are special it comes from us being obedient and seeking hard and fast after the face of