2020-02-02 Joshua 8
Notes
Transcript
1 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all the troops with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land.
2 Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king, except that you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”
3 So Joshua and all the troops set out to attack Ai. Joshua selected thirty thousand of his best soldiers and sent them out at night.
4 He commanded them: “Pay attention. Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it, and all of you be ready.
5 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.
6 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,
7 you are to come out of your ambush and seize the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you.
8 After taking the city, set it on fire. Follow the Lord’s command—see that you do as I have ordered you.”
I. Your failures don’t define you, but God gives mercy so that you might find life in Him.
I. Your failures don’t define you, but God gives mercy so that you might find life in Him.
1 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all the troops with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land.
2 Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king, except that you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”
jsh 8:1-2
A. God took charge in the midst of Israel’s defeat.
A. God took charge in the midst of Israel’s defeat.
1 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all the troops with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land.
2 Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king, except that you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”
Illus: Israel had repented. They found Achan who had turned his back on God by plundering Jericho and they turned him over to the punishment he deserved.
Last week we left this moment of God’s wrath realizing that we deserve the same punishment of Achan, but Jesus took the punishment for us.
Let’s take a step forward to what happened next. God spoke. Following repentance God spoke.
Why is this important… because it shows who God is. God did not simply write off Israel when they made a mistake. He disciplined them leading them to repentance, and then continued to work among them.
The second battle of Ai is all about how doesn’t give up on his people.
God does not give up on you when you mess up.
He may bring discipline into your life… to lead you to repentance, but because of Jesus you have mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
After Israel failed at Ai, they repented and God spoke.
When you sin and repent, God will speak and work in your life.
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him.
16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him.
17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said.
18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.”
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins
2 in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.
3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us,
5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
jn 21:15-19
B. Greed will keep you from the provision and blessings of God.
B. Greed will keep you from the provision and blessings of God.
2 Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king, except that you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”
jsh 1:2
Illus: One of the great ironies of the story is that God allowed the people to plunder ai. Follow me… if Achan who plundered in Jericho had waited, God would have provided for him. God would have blessed him.
But Achan didn’t wait for God’s hand of blessing. Instead, he allowed his own greed to prevent him from the limitless provision and blessing of God.
We’ve talked recently about how we rob God.
We rob him when we don’t give our tithe to him, when we humble brag, when we seek the glory ourselves.
In large part we are living in a time where we are told to seek our own gain, our own glory, and our own desires.
Then we wonder why we don’t experience then fullness of God and his blessings.
You can’t live for your pocketbook, your glory, yourself and experience God’s provision and blessing.
Remember God does not use people who rob him, take glory from him, or see no need for him.
Also, God will nor bless people who rob him, take glory from him, or see no need for him.
9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.
II. The battle belonged to God.
II. The battle belonged to God.
10 Joshua started early the next morning and mobilized them. Then he and the elders of Israel led the troops up to Ai.
11 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.
12 Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
13 The troops were 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.
14 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.
15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten back by them and fled toward the wilderness.
16 Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17 Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city exposed while they pursued Israel.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you.” So Joshua held out his javelin toward it.
19 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.
20 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.
21 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.
jsh 8:10-
A. Half hearted obedience was not and is not enough.
A. Half hearted obedience was not and is not enough.
10 Joshua started early the next morning and mobilized them. Then he and the elders of Israel led the troops up to Ai.
11 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.
12 Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
Illus: Think back again to the first story with Ai… the people brought only half the troops because the people they thought they could handle the fight on their own.
It is the ultimate example of half hearted commitment. When they needed God in Jericho they prayed, sought and depended on him. When they thought they were strong enough on their own, God was an after thought.
This picture of lukewarm half heartedness is how we live every day. When something is to big for us, we seek God, ask for others to pray for us, learn to lean on Him. BUT for most of life you still want to be incontrol.
Your life is marked my spurts of faith with while most is lived in yoru own strength.
Israel learned their lesson. Instead of half heartedly following God, they had to go all in. They sent their entire for and depended on God to win the battle.
When are you going to go all in? When are you going to begin to trust God with everything?
Beware of half hearted faith.
15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.
rev 3:
B. Joshua’s obedience displayed his faith.
B. Joshua’s obedience displayed his faith.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you.” So Joshua held out his javelin toward it.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you.” So Joshua held out his javelin toward it.
19 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.
jsh 8:18-19
26 Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed.
Jsh 8:
Illus: There was nothing magical about Joshua’s javelin. Holding the javelin above Joshua’s head was an act of faith.
This is and will be a theme throughout scripture. God won the day, but our faith is seen in our obedience to God.
Obedience is lost in our day in age. We want the benifits of faith without the obedience of faith.
We display our faith by making church a priority.
We display our faith by giving the full ten percent.
We display our faith sharing the good news of Jesus with others.
e display our faith by obeying the law of God.
We display our faith by obeying the law of God.
We display our faith by studying scripture.
Those acts don’t save you… BUT each of these will be evident in your life if you have faith in God.
If those things are missing in your life, you need to ask if you genuinely live by faith.
13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.
15 But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;
16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.
1 peter 1:12
III. Your obedience to God’s commands shows your heart of faith.
III. Your obedience to God’s commands shows your heart of faith.
27 Israel plundered only the cattle and spoil of that city for themselves, according to the Lord’s command that he had given Joshua.
jsh 8:27
A. God will lead us in victory as we follow in obedience.
A. God will lead us in victory as we follow in obedience.
Illus: The secret to Israel’s victory was not their numbers, strength or military plan.
It was their dependency of faith and obedience to God.
Those are the two questions I want you to wrestle with today.
1. Are you living half commited/ in your own strength or are you living fully dependent by faith.
2. Does your faith lead you to obedience?
Faith is not faith if it is half commited. Faith is not faith if it does not lead to obedience.
1 jn 5:
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him.
2 This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands.
3 For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden,
4 because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.