Untitled Sermon (6)

Selfish Obedience Leads to Trouble

(NIV)

6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.

12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.

The Israelites had routed Jericho. Rahab and her family were the only ones spared. God had been true to his word.

I can only imagine the mood at the Israeli camp. That night had to be the high point of their lives. They aimlessly wondered around for 40 years hoping for something better. Now they are having the time of their lives.

Everything is perfect! After all they are the tough guys on the block now. Look at what they have accomplished.

I imagine the people of Jericho laughed and hurled insults at the Israelites as they took their daily walk around their city.

Years of being the screw up and feeling like laughingstock have finally ended. Look who’s laughing now! Everything is perfect!

Well you would think so, but they didn’t know that trouble was coming.

Rod hit in the back with a softball in Zanesville

1. When we pridefully look around at all that we have accomplished (overconfident in our own abilities) we can be sure that trouble is coming.

(NIV)

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” 4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

When things are going great in life it becomes easy to forget about how powerful God is and to start thinking about how great we are!

Rationally speaking Ai should have been a much easier foe, but there were those among them that thought that their ways were greater than God’s.

Joshua and the Israelites’ confidence were rocked. They had a problem and they didn’t know it.

Have you ever met someone who was constantly in trouble? Growing up there I had a classmate in school that was constantly in trouble. He didn’t do his work, cheated on tests, bullied kids. Whenever you saw him you would say, “Here comes trouble.”

Achan was a warrior in God’s army. Achan had a problem…God said that they were to destroy everything in Jericho. They weren’t allowed to take any spoils of war with them. It was to be sacrificed to the Lord because He had won the battle.

Well Achan was that person that when you saw him you would say here comes trouble. Literally his name means trouble.

(NIV)

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

14 “ ‘In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. 15 Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’ ”

16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen.

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord.

24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

2. When we just go through the motions we can be sure that trouble is coming.

When I was a kid I remember getting upset about my bedtime. It never seemed to fail that I would be in the middle of a movie or a sports game and mom would come in and say, “It’s time to go to bed.” I would make my appeal and plead my case quite convincingly to no avail. I remember being so upset. I thought having a bedtime was so stupid. After all these years I can still hear the words that my mom would say to me. “Now march!” I would walk up the steps with the greatest attitude. (Not really-I would stomp my feet up the steps)

I would obey my parents, but I did so under protest.

I thought…when I grow up, I’m going to stay up all night.

Bedtimes and curfews are stupid!

Then I got older and would think I can’t wait until I get out of school or out of this professor’s class. I would obey the rules begrudgingly. On the outside everything looked great. I was a rule follower, but on the inside, I couldn’t wait until the day that I made my own rules. I wouldn’t have to answer to anybody. I was going to do things my way!

Up to this point the Israelites had been obedient. I have to think that they had moments where they stomped off in protest, but still obeyed.

What would have been your response to Joshua if you would have been outside of Jericho? You hear the battle plan and go home to tell your wife what it is. I can imagine the conversation would go something like this.

Achan: Joshua told us that we were going to walk around the city silently once a day for six days.

Wife: What’s that going to do?

Achan: We are going to be a laughingstock.

Wife: Joshua is half the leader that Moses was.

Achan: I guess I’ll do it…everyone else is going to…we are afraid of the stories that our parents told us…I think all of those stories are all made up to just make us do what they want us to do…maybe the Jordan parting was just a coincidence…what if we walk around the city and Jericho’s army comes out and kills us.

You can’t fake your belief in God.

Your actions speak louder than your words.

If we come to church on Sunday and act like a Christian, but then go home, to work, or school, or on social media and don’t obey his commands, what message are we giving our spouses, kids, co-workers, classmates, and friends?

Are we submitting ourselves to God?

Or are we just selfishly being obedient to God only when it is convenient for us?

Like Achan are we happy to be a part of God’s family, but the moment following God becomes difficult, we conveniently do what we want to do.

Jesus never said following Him would be easy.

(NIV)

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

If you are faking it trouble will be at your doorstep.

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(NIV)

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers

3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.

(NIV)

14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

Friend or Foe? Are you a friend of God or his enemy?

3. Your obedience to God and His word has eternal consequences for you and for your family.

Achan and Rahab’s lives changed forever because of decisions that they made.

Achan chose to disobey God and because of it he changed the course of his family forever.

Maybe you are sitting here listening to this today and you have been living a life just like Achan.

Everybody thinks you are living on God’s side, but your actions say that you are faking it.

Maybe nobody knows except for your family. You have been playing it off. I pray that today, this moment, you will decide to change the direction of your eternal life.

Will you please take up your cross today and follow Christ?

Listen to me… we all will be judged…your past doesn’t matter

(NIV)

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Today matters…Decide today…Choose today!

Will you faithfully obey Christ? Will you allow him to change your life…change your family?

A few weeks ago, Rod talked briefly about Rahab the prostitute. She chose to change the course of her life and be a friend of God. Her whole family were the only people saved in the battle of Jericho. She is listed in which is like the Bible Hall of Fame.

(NIV)

31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

You can read about her in Matthew chapter 1. She is one of 5 ladies that Matthew highlighted as a part of the Jesus’ family tree. All because she decided to obey God’s call in her life.

Rahab had quite the checkered past. Her past didn’t matter! The only thing that mattered was that she obeyed God call.

Joshua chapter 8 tells us that after the Israelites got rid of their disobedience God’s blessing was on them again.

They went out to fight Ai again and this time they took the whole army. With God’s help they conquered Ai.

The same can be true for you. Maybe you haven’t been all in like Achan…you haven’t lived your life in a way that you put all your trust in God

Or maybe you have quite the checkered past…you have messed up a lot…today is the day to obey…if God would save Rahab the prostitute then he will save you.

Like the old hymn says trust and obey…