Destroyed by greed!

Read Josh 7:10-26

Kingdom after kingdom on the other side of the Jordan had fallen to the army of Israel.

The people had just started conquering the land west of the Jordan. The first city to fall on that side was the wall protected Jericho. Miraculously, the walls had fallen and general Joshua and the host defeated them.

Sadly, the great victory obtained over powerful Jericho, was soon obscured by a shameful and disastrous defeat before an insignificant city: Ai.

The army, before whom many kings had fallen, had cowardly fled from an inferior army.

Two things had happened: First, they underestimated the power of the enemy; and, second and mainly, one of their soldiers, Achan, had behaved as a “hungry dog” in the prior battle…..

His name means “trouble maker”. That is exactly what he did: he put his people in trouble.

Greed or covetousness was his weakness and sin.

Greed is an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.

He never thought he would suffer serious consequences for his sin!

Covetousness has its consequences.

Covetousness weakens the believer’s faith.

Why it weakens his faith?

Because a greed captures a man’s heart...

He depends on money, not on God.

Due to fear and insecurity, that have no reason to be, we doubt of God’s power and promises to provide for our needs. The doubts are persistent because the devil does not stop sowing them.

Jesus said,

Matthew 6:24 NASB95

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Greed will make you worship money!

You are powerful when love of money does not control you. Pope Pius IV (Giovanni Angelo Medici), the Pope during the last years of the great reformer John Calvin talking about Calvin , said, “The power of that heretic lay in the fact that he was indifferent to money.”

It weakens the believer’s faith because...

He becomes a thief.

Joshua 7:11 (NASB95)

“Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things.

When money becomes more important than God, man dares even to take for him what belongs to God. Taking someone else’s property is stealing.

That’s the sin denounced by God through Malachi. The people were keeping for themselves the tithes. They were under curse because of that.

According to the Bible, if you do not tithe, you are a thief and God will not prosper you.

It weakens his faith because...

He becomes a deceiver.

Just as greed and covetousness are sisters, stealing and deceiving are partners.

Because no one likes to be seen as a thief, man tries to deceive others, so people may think they are honest.

That was the case of Achan, but also of Ananias and Sapphira who knew that they had to give to God out of what they had, but Satan weakened their faith by sowing doubts, “what if later we don’t have enough to eat or live?” “What if we don’t have enough to pay the rent?”

Where they trusting in God? ¡No! They lied to the church, they faked that they were giving as corresponded. They suffered instant death.

What should we learn from that lesson? Trust in God, and give Him what belongs to Him.

A second consequence of greed or covetousness is that...

Covetousness brings suffering to the family.

Very often, covetousness and selfishness walk hand on hand. Immature believers behave like selfish children: “this is mine, and I won’t give it to you”.

The desire to protect what we have makes us unwilling to share it with others. Selfish people only think about themselves. They do not think on their congregation or their family.

The first one to suffer is the spiritual family, the congregation.

It weakens the congregation.

Joshua 7:12–13 NASB95

“Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. “Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, “There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.”

Israel was defeated, not because the army was weak, but because Achan’s sin.

God has given to the church all the means she needs; the problem is the selfishness of the people.

Because of that sin, churches cannot afford buildings, programs, staff, resources, missionaries, and equipment.

We know the Mormon church is a cult and we despise it, but no one can deny that they are faithful tithers. Their churches have plenty of money. Why not our churches?...

Then, suffering to the physical family.

It brings shame to your own family.

Joshua 7:24 NASB95

Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor.

How do you think the family of Achan felt when he was discovered in the presence of all the people?

How would you feel if everyone find out that your father, mother, brother, sister, or child is a thief?

God’s blessing will not be upon a family whose head is daring to steal from God.

The consequences of the sin of one affected the entire family. Even more painful was that they were killed because of their father.

What a blessing that we are under grace and not under Law. If we were living under the Law, many of us would not be here today!

Covetousness will be uncovered.

God cannot be deceived.

Joshua 7:14 NASB95

‘In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the Lord takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the Lord takes shall come near by households, and the household which the Lord takes shall come near man by man.

Achan was able to hide it for a while from his peers, but never from God.

Galatians 6:7 NASB95

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

No matter how deep the dog hides the bone, God know where it is

When you think that no one will know, the only deceived one is you.

God will take away what is His.

Joshua 7:24–25 NASB95

Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor. Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

Remember that God is the rightful owner of all. All you have is not yours; it belongs to God and He has entrusted it to you.

If you do not give it to Him, He will take one way or another…

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Has It Made You Happy?

Has It Made You Happy?

Charles Albertson once interviewed Cecil Rhodes, who built a vast empire in South Africa. In congratulating Rhodes he said: “You ought to be happy.”

Rhodes replied:

Happy! No! I spent my life amassing a fortune only to find that I have spent half of it on doctors to keep me out of the grave, and the other half on lawyers to keep me out of jail!

Remember, God knows all your needs, but also your heart!

Jesus came to give us all we need. He offers forgiveness and salvation, which is our greatest need; supplying of all our material needs “according to His riches in glory”; and fulfilling of our emotional needs by the consolation of His Holy Spirit.

When you receiving Him, He becomes your lord or master. As a good master, He takes care of the needs of His servants.