The seriousness of sin

What do we do with our sin?

Damp problem in house

Tried to ignore - spread.

Painted over it but over time paint and plaster pealed away.

Tried to justify it - not that bad

Until eventually faced with reality. We had a problem.

I wonder if we are so often to tempted to think of sin in same way.

What sin? live in denial

Self pity? Whats the point it will always be there

Justify it - its not that bad, look at so and so.

Secracy - if I just keep it to myself, it will eventually go away.

This morning come to one of those passages we want to avoid. But its a bit of a surprise. Everything seems to be going so well for God’s people. Last week we heard them doing victory lap as God brings down walls of jericho.

But this morning we find them confronted with shocking defeat.

Joshua 7:1–26 NIV

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. 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. 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.” So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 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. Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?” The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 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. 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. “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. “ ‘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. 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!’ ” Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. 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. 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. 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.” Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 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.” So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. 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. 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. 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.

Federer beaten by youth

Even if you know next to nothing about tennis, it’s likely you’ll know exactly who Roger Federer is. He is one of the best players to have ever graced the court. Between 2003 and 2009, he was in his prime and won a massive fourteen major tournaments in that time, including five US Opens and six Wimbledon titles. In 2009, he was expected to go all the way in the US Open, as he had done the year before. He made it through to the finals, in games, which seemed to barely trouble him. On the day of the final match, he was extraordinarily beaten by 20-year-old Argentinean Juan Martin del Potro, who has never gone on to win another major trophy. Major upset.

Israel on this glorious journey. Promised victory. Enemies trembling wont even fight/. Jericho conquered without even single fight.

Come to face this little army in Ai. Not even worth taking whole army. Not complacency but confidence.

Find themselves defeated - why? Had they underestimated enemy? Verse 1 we get clear. Sin is the problem.

Kill your sin!

Last week we saw that God’s greatest desire for us is that we be like Jesus, living in Spirit led, faith fuelled obedience. But this week we see that we will only do that as we the seriousness of sin.

Sin decieves

Joshua 7:1 NIV

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

Easy to say “What was he thinking” except we can’t claim we wouldn’t be tempted. Here the are first major conquest, and faced with riches of victory.

Commanded to devote it to destruction. The city and all that is in it is subject to destruction. To be a offering to the Lord.

“What a waste. Whose going to know. Whose it harming”

Why did he do it. V21. Coveted them. He wanted what was not his, that which he had no right to. “excesive and wreckless selfish desire for something that belong to someone else - and that someone was God. Word covert same word used in Genesis 3:6, talking of Eves desire for the fruit - “umbriddled passion for the Lord’s property.

Sin decieves the heart and once decieved the heart, without correction will steer the body to corruption.

Writer shows a pattern common to all sin:

v11 original repeats word also

Decieves. Decieves Achan. Get this spiral of sins decietfulness

Begins in the heart - Unfaithful - begins with lie at heart of all sin, that God is not good.

Moves to action: Took v1 - stole what belong to God

Then comes the cover up:

then they lied v11

they hide it v12

Why do we sin. because we are decieved into believe that God is withholding his goodness from us. That’s what happened in the garden, and here with Achan, and in every temptation. Sin decieves us to think we know better than God about how to run our lives, when reality is sin stops us seeing more than whats right in front of our faces.

“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Achan was decieved. Faced with treasure infront of his eyes, he failed to see it’s emptiness compared with the life that God was offering him in obedience and blessing.

Whatever sin is our struggle, covertness, lust, selfishness, pride, what does it do but decieve us by tempting us to find life in something else other than God, to find satisfaction outside of his design, and we fall for it. Again and again. We sin because in our sinful flesh we want to! So what do we do. Like Achan.

Play it down

Private thing

Not that bad

But we need to see this mornign sobering reality.

There is no sin that is anything less that treason against the King of Kings.

Sin kills

Sin kills your relationship with God

What is the most shocking verse in this passage? Most terrifying verse?

v4 - defeat and Israel losing their courage and melting in fear like enemies?

v15, the threat of being burned?

Or verse 25, the judgement that falls on Achan and his family and live stock and possessions?

No. Writer puts a single terrifying verse right in the middle of this passage.

Joshua 7:12 NIV

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.

Nothing more terrifying than thought that God is not with them. The thought of God abandoning them? All the way through Joshua, see this repeated promised, covenant promise. Our verse for the year.

Joshua 1:9 NIV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

All they had to do is trust Him, demonstrated by obedience to his word. And as long as Lord was with them, they would have all they needed. They need not fear, or worry, or struggle, instead they could know peace, and rest and blessing.

How terrifying those words. There is nothing more terrifying that being seperated from Lord almighty. To be cast out of his presence, and instead face his judgement.

It’s only as we see as we did last week that goal of Christian life is to be like Jesus, and enjoy the glorious benefits of God himself, and not just what he gives, that we will take our sin seriously.

That our greatest need, the thing we were made for is right relationship with one who made us, in which we glorfify him, and therefore most awful thing about sin is that is dishonours God, and threatens that beautiful union.

How much we need to hear this. Because we live our lives as if our sin is primarily about relationship with other humans and what they might think of us. We are happy to accomodate the sin which others don’t see. If we can justify ourselves before others, fool others, then no problem. That’s what Achan did. But God will not be fooled. And how tragic it is we can’t see our greatest need is to be right before Holy God. How tragic that we worry more what humans think than what God thinks.

One who made us and knows our hearts, our inmost being.

All sin is serious because it left undwelt with it destorys our relationship with him.

Sin kills God’s church

I wonder if you picked up something strange in verses. Achan sin - Israel held responsible.

corperate nature of Achans sin (v1, 10,12)

Achans sin as much as he thinks it is a private affair, it is not. When we come to faith in Christ we become part of his body. Brothers and Sisters. One family, joined together. And therefore our lives our no longer just our own. We are responsible for one another. My sin effects everyone, and unrepentant sin undealt with in the church will destroy the church. Like yeast NT describes it will spead. Like a virus, if untreated will effect everyone.

CORONVA VIRUS and asymptomatic , minor symptoms Party gate. Im sure the ythought no one would find out, but impact has been complete loss of convidence and loss of respect for COVID rules and government.

Are we trying to hide symptoms to avoid inconvinience or risk of isolation.

If we don’t deal with sin in the community of God’s people, then we face same warning.

“Would it be going to far to say that the apprent absence of God in various segements of the chruch may be due to our unwillingness to purge evil from our midst by the costly exercise of church discipline?”

So what are we to do then? We are right to be worried about our sin, concerned by it. It should bothers us. If you your sin doesn’t bother you then you haven’t been listening, but what are we to do with it? Are we to melt in fear like people? Start getting stones ready?

Kill your sin at the foot of the cross.

Joshua not knowing what Achan has done, goes before God, falls on his face, and rare occasion in bible someone is told to stop praying.

Joshua 7:10–11 NIV

The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 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.

Here we see the Lord’s grace. He doesn’t leave Joshua or the people to guess what has gone wrong - but tells them. And tells them what to do about it. v13-15. They are deal with seriously and swiftly. And was they do, God is gracious in turning from his anger. The valley is named Achor - meaning trouble. A reminder for people of danger of sin, but later in Hosea God promises that Achor will be a door of hope. And a place for rest for shepherds and flocks. In his grace what does God do for those who take sin seriously and repent - he takes trouble and turns it in to hope.

And that is what God in his grace does for us. He turns trouble into hope. For we need not face the consequence our sin deserves. Like Achan we deserve death. Such is the seriousness of sin. But God gives us Jesus to face death for us. How serious sin is - The eternal son of God had to shed his blood so pay for it. To set us free from it.

SLOW

Unlike Achan, Jesus the innocent, sinless son og God had our trouble heaped on his shoulders, that we might know hope. His death is doorway to life. It’s as we see the seriousness of our sin that we appreciate truly what God has done.

So what do we do with our sin then?

Like he does for Joshua we first

1)Let God show you your sin.

Does this in a number of ways.

As we open the bible its like a mirror, confronting us with reality of ourselves, and our shortcomings, and our need of a Saviour.

He does this by his Spirit, who convicts us, and brings to light what was hidden in our hearts. Experience of situation or feeling, God continually presses where it hurts, areas where we are resistant to change.

He does it in community. Because often I am the last person to see my sin. Do we have Christians in our lives who know us, who we have given permission to hold us acocuntable, who know where we are tempted, who know our sinful tendancies, and are we willing to appropriately bring sin to light that it might be dealt with.

2)Leave your sin at the foot of the cross

What are we to do - deal with it seriously and swifly by bringing it to the foot of the cross. We are to kill their. Crucify daily the flesh, the old way of life, by being overwhlemed by the Goodness of God and his grace to us in Jesus.

We are to do that on our own before God, because its our relationship with him that matters most:

1 John 1:8–9 NIV

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

and we are to do that together.

Galatians 6:1 NIV

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

If we see in a brother or sister, its our reponsibility to lovingly, gently, speak truth in love. Not to ignore it, but not to be harsh, but seek to restore each other with the grace of Jesus, calling each other to repentance.

As we gather together, in ones and twos, or in groups, or all on a Sunday, are we looking to bring each other before Jesus, and encourage each other in Christ likeness, because its God’s desire for us to be like him and enjoy him. Part of that is helping each other to get rid of what isn’t Christ like.

This is how Jesus says we are to deal with sin:

Matthew 18:15–17 NIV

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Building facing demolition. you wouldnlt let loved one remain inside.

Sin is far more serious than burning building it dishounours God, kills our relationship with him, and if we let it will kill church. Most loving thing to do if we see someones sin is let them know. Gently and lovingly. And if they don’t listen counsel of their brothers and sisters, treat them as unbeliever - that they might see their danger and come to Jesus.

Matter of life and death. Heaven and Hell. More its about whether or not we have a relationship with the One true living eternal almighty God to bring Glory to his name.

Praise be to God that he has sent Jesus to take the penalty of our sin, to bring us from death to new life and has given us his sSpirit and the power to change, that we might live for his glory. Lets not be comfortable with our sin. Let’s kill it together.