Strong and Couargeous 7

Getting back on track.

Joshua 8:1–35 NKJV

1 Now the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.” 3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night. 4 And he commanded them, saying: “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. 5 Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, that we shall flee before them. 6 For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ Therefore we will flee before them. 7 Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. 8 And it will be, when you have taken the city, that you shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of the Lord you shall do. See, I have commanded you.” 9 Joshua therefore sent them out; and they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people. 10 Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11 And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near; and they came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now a valley lay between them and Ai. 12 So he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. 13 And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north of the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. 14 Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before the plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16 So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. 17 There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel. 18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city. 19 So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire. 20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers. 21 Now when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22 Then the others came out of the city against them; so they were caught in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. And they struck them down, so that they let none of them remain or escape. 23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. 24 And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. 25 So it was that all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—all the people of Ai. 26 For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of the Lord which He had commanded Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day. 29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day. 30 Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, 31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.

Intro:

John Mark was a relative of Barnabas, he went with Barnabas and Paul on Paul’s first missionary journey. He started, but he didn’t finish, he went home.

When Paul was getting ready to head out a second time, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark again. Paul would not. So Barnabas went to Barnabas, and Paul took Salas.

Later Paul would write in his last letter.

2 Timothy 4:11 NKJV

11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.

Once a failure, he didn’t give up. He would write the gospel of Mark.

Failure is an opportunity to start over, a time to get it right.

You can learn from success, but you can also become big headed and self confident, which can lead to failure.

But failure can either make you give up, give in, Or we can learn from our mistakes and move move forward and be successful.

Everyone has had failures of some kind. Marriage, business, job ,family. And churches, in ministry.

Here what happens to many times. You look back and remember your failures and don’t want to try again.

We can’t get caught up in your past failures that you don’t have a successful future.

God doesn’t want us to dwell of the past. He forgives us.

The devil want to remind us of our failures and tell us we can’t.

In Chapter 7 the people of Israel and Joshua had faced defeat. Joshua questioned God.

They were defeated in Ai because of a hidden sin.

But they were also self confident. They didn’t pray. Failure came to them.

We we fall, God is their to pick us up.

Peter when walked on the water.

Later he would deny that he even knew Jesus. When he preached after Jesus went back to heaven, 3000 people were saved.

There will times of failure. But we have to move on. Look what Paul tells us.

Philippians 3:13–14 NKJV

13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

We have to do what Paul says here. Don’t let our past failures control us.

READ vs 14

When we fail, we need to get back on track.

Listen to God. 1-2

Joshua 8:1–2 NKJV

1 Now the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”

How do we listen to God? By reading His word. God speaks to us through His word.

God spook to Joshua.

“Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed” (discouraged)

When we get discouraged, its easy to give up.

That why we need to be in God’s word, and allow God to speak to us and encourage us.

Why was there defeat? Be cause of disobedience.

So victory will come when we are obedient.

Elab on what God has told Joshua.

What is God telling you?

God tells Joshua how to have victory over Ai.

He will tells us you to have a Christian life of victory.

Young, old, married, single, God will give you instructions on how to live you life.

Israel had sinned (One man, but it cost defeat)

Once the sin was dealt with, then they would hear from God again.

Joshua and Israel were discouraged.

You may be discouraged for some reason.

As a pastor, I get discouraged.

Look what God says. “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed” (discouraged)

Why did the Lord tells Joshua this?

Because God knew that he was afraid, and discouraged.

Joshua, great man of God, great warrior, great leader, he was afraid, and discouraged.

Joshua 7:6–9 NKJV

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”

So when you are afraid, discouraged, you are not the only one.

As your pastor, I get fearful, discouraged.

I’m thankful for a God who loves me, a God who is still in control.

When I am discouraged, when you are discouraged, and fear, look into Gods word. He will speak to you.

God is going to tell Joshua what to do.

Read 8:1

Get up and go back to Ai. The place they had failed.

You have to get up and go back and face our fears and failures.

When you fail at something, that doesn’t make you a failure, giving up does.

Joshua and Israel had to move forward, not be fearful. But do as God said, and have victory.

Look at the rest of VS 1

“Take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.”

Follow God’s plan. VS 3-8

Joshua 8:3–8 (NKJV)

3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night.

4 And he commanded them, saying: “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

5 Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, that we shall flee before them.

6 For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ Therefore we will flee before them.

7 Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

8 And it will be, when you have taken the city, that you shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of the Lord you shall do. See, I have commanded you.”

This is a different plan then Jericho.

Elab on this plan, by reading the verses going over them.

God was leading them in a different direction this time.

All churches are to lead people to faith in Christ. (Gospel conversion)

All churches are to make disciples (train people)

But God will lead churches to do things differently.

Some may go to jails and prisons.

Some to reach the homeless.

Nursing Home ministry.

I believe God has lead us to be more traditional.

That will reach more Sr adults.

We have to follow Gods plan. In our personal life, and as a church.

God works in different ways. He will use churches in different ways. There are people that others will reach that we will not. There are churches that we will reach that others will not.

a. Jesus healed the same disease in different ways.

He touched a leaper. So spoke and healed.

The blind.

As a church we have to pray and obey.

God will call you to do something you thought you could do.

Tithing.

Teaching Sunday School.

Being a soul winner.

My pray is for this year to be a year that Pine Grove will reach more people for Jesus.

A church that will encourage people to trust God and not be fearful.

A church that will