Dealing With Sin
Joshua 7:6-13; 20
This is a difficult chapter to read.
We love Josh 6 The battle of Jericho
“Only when we deal ruthlessly with our private sins is there any hope for peace and joy.
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Huge pine tree in Colorado that is 900 years old
When the puritans landed at Plymouth rock it was only ½ grown
Only a seedling when the crusades began under urban II.
It has been struck by lightning 14 times yet still it stood.
Survived 900 Colorado winters
Avalanches
Drought
Forest fires
But it did finally fall
Why What brought it down?
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A Japanese beetle that came over in the 1930s eventually wormed its way into the core and one bit at a time he and his friends ate away and the tree finally fell under its own weight.
What wind and drought winter and fire could not do one little bug accomplished.
One solitary family stole a piece of cloth
Because of this little sin there was destruction.
How do you deal with sin in the camp?
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I. Despair of the saints
They sent out a mere 3000 the fell on their face. We don’t spend enough time on our faces before God.
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That is the proper position.
Whenever revival fires have broken out it has been because people get right with God!
A sense of conviction and brokenness over sin
We think revival is the fiery evangelist with hell fire and brimstone.
Revival begins when God’s people are broken over their sinfulness.
When the lost see people they know are hypocrites confess and get right
When the lost see that they will be drawn to it like bugs to a light.
Have we grown too callous to be broken?
When was the last time we went to our knees and wept over our sins?
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1950s New Hebrides Islands on the North side of Scotland,
Sailors would sail by they would feel the presence of God and they would fall down in the hull of the ship, men falling down being broken over their sinfulness.
Joshua says “Why.”
“Houston we have a problem.”
Josh knew that all hope was gone if little Ai could defeat them.
But God this will forsake your name.
Your name will suffer reproach.
How many times have you picked up the paper and saw another pastor falling.
I pray God would strike me dead first.
He wants us to turn from our sins.
II. Discovering the Sin
God discloses the sin.
The sin of Achan
A few dollars of Silver / $20,000 worth of silver
What is God saying to you?
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I wonder if anyone here today has robed God and lied about it.
How?
Malachi said, You have robed me of my tithes and offerings, sick and diseased calves.”
We give less today percentage wise than we did in 1932 in the depth of the depression.
During a time when people could barely put a loaf bread and a bowl of mostly water soup on the table people found the money for God.
35% of those who say they are born again give God not one dime.
We average 2% of our incomes for the Lord’s word.
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Is this a grace church or a law church.
This is a grace church
I thought you might want me to tithe.
Oh no we are definitely a grace church the law says do not murder grace says we are to love our enemies
Law says do not commit adultery grace says don’t even think lustful thoughts.
Law says 10% grace says be generous we would never stop you at only 10%.
Grace does more than the law ever could do with its legalism
Grace is not the permission to live beneath law it is the power to go beyond the law.
Achan had stolen
One man’s sin all were guilty.
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Private sin has corporate consequences
We are only as strong as our weakest link.
I don’t know what sins you are dealing with.
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Sr Adults tend to complain
Feel as though neglected
Opinion doesn’t count
Feed off of ailments
You have limits because of health or simply getting older.
Many of your have risen above this I am sure.
A complaining spirit can lodge itself in the heart of even the best of his children.
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Even Christian singles struggle with elicit thoughts.
65% of the internet is pornographic.
You don’t go looking for it, it comes looking for you.
It holds you, and only God can break it.
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Marriage we take each other for granted
We just use one another.
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I know among young people a spirit of rebellion has gripped their hearts.
There are tremendous needs going unfulfilled because people do not stand up and fill those needs.
So many think let someone else take care of that need.
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Little kids lie. A father was interrogating his children about something that had happened in the back seat of the car where he was sure a offense had been committed he had on smoking gun but he was sure when the child looked up with deeply hurt, misty eyes and said with a quivering voice: “Daddy, you don’t think I’d lie to you, do you?” To which he replied, “Do I think you would lie? Of course I do. I lie, Your mom lies that’s for sure. Everybody I’ve even known has lied. The most famous story about lying in American history is the story of George Washington cutting down a cherry tree. ‘I cannot tell a lie; it was me.’ That was in a biography written by Parson Weems in the nineteenth century he made the story up. The most famous story about not lying in American was a lie.”
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The process of discovering the sinner.
<SLIDE>First the tribe then the <SLIDE>clan then the <SLIDE>family<SLIDE>Achan.
The family must have been in collusion.
There are not secrets in a family especially in a tent.
The wife loves the robes, tries it on before burying it.
The children think of what they can do with the gold, lets go to Disney world
Way to go dad he’s the hero but then they have burry it.
How could have hoped to hide it from God.
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God has promised us Be sure your sins will find you out.
<SLIDE>Pride<SLIDE>Lust<SLIDE>Anger<SLIDE>Greed<SLIDE>Sloth<SLIDE>Gluttony<SLIDE>Envy
When the father chooses a sinful way the whole family goes astray
For good or for ill God has made you the head of your home.
The Godliest mother in the world cannot overcome the example of an ungodly Dad.
Dad when you mess up the whole family is affected.
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I would like to sugar coat this but I can’t.
What is the punishment of stealing a few gold coins a piece of cloth
He is taken to Achor, along with his wife his sons his daughters and donkeys his cattle his sheep even his tent and all that he has.
They are stoned and burned capital punishment is carried out.
Gen X is turning its back on Christianity because they feel that Christianity is too judgmental.
Sin has consequences if not in this life then certainly in the next.
Sin is serious.
I want to be free to live my life and you are telling me I can’t, I am just telling you to listen to God and
if you live fast and loose with his truth and his law then you will pay for it in spades.
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Too harsh ask the 36 families that we left fatherless killed in the battle at Ai
Ask the 2 million who were doomed
What is the harm in a couple of drinks?
As the mom who has had to bury their child because of someone who had a couple of drinks and got behind the wheel.
But God wants me to be happy had my wife doesn’t make me happy.
Ask the child who has had to grow up without a family.
The principal is this we must deal with sin ruthlessly.
It is like cancer and when cancer comes you don’t just pray a massage a little and hope it will all go away, you cut it out with a knife and then bombard it with radiation in case you missed some that kills not only the cancer but the because sin is so deadly. Then pour poison into your body called chemotherapy sin is serious.
What sins have we been coddling?
What sins have you been refusing to confess before God?
Tosure said what ever I rescue from the cross will be my undoing in the end.
When it is dealt with and dealt with ruthlessly only then is there hope.
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Hosea 2:15 There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achora a door of hope.
Only in the valley of Achor where sin is deal with ruthlessly is there any hope.
The devil will tell you oh that is only a little thing.
If God is convicting it is not a little thing.
One sin by one man caused the whole nation of Israel to stop in their tracks.
I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
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Christina was a beautiful 15 year old Brazilian girl. Raised by a mother who died while she was still an infant.
She was drawn to Rio,
How will you live?
I’ll find a way
One morning she awoke and Christiana was gone.
She gathered all she could and stopped on the way and got one thing bunches and bunches of pictures.
She searched and searched putting up pictures every where she could. Finally her money ran out and she had no choice but to return home.
Finally a much older not by age but by experience weathered Christian came across one of those pictures
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Whatever you’ve done it doesn’t matter please come home and she did.
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a Achor means trouble.