Drew Boswell

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“The Heart of Giving” Malachi 3:1-12

How We Grow

Sermon Series on Spiritual Disciplines

“The Heart of Giving”

Malachi 3:1-12

Introduction

Discuss 4 G’s (Gather, Grow, Give & Go)

One Sunday morning because the mother was sick she sent her son on to the country church without her.  The said now “You go straight to church.”  Before the small boy left his mother gave him two quarters.  She said “One quarter is for you to get some ice cream on the way home and one quarter is for God.”

So putting the quarters in his pocket, he left for church.  On the way he stopped momentarily at a bridge on leaned over the side to see the water.  When he did this one of the quarters fell out of his pocket and fell into the river below.  He jumped down and checked for the other quarter.  Having found it he said “which I sure am glad I didn’t lose my quarter for ice cream!”

Often times we have the same attitude toward giving as the little boy.  When we have gotten what we wanted we have nothing left to give.  God is warning the Israelites through the prophet Malachi that they should prepare because a king was coming who would judge them on how they worshiped God, specifically on how they worshiped Him with their giving.  This morning I want you to understand that this is not a message on tithing, but a message on how we are to worship and show loyalty to our Lord.

In terms of the number of verses on a topic, the subject of money and wealth is the second most dominant theme in the Bible, second only to idolatry. The Bible has 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2000 verses on money and possessions.  Jesus talked more on money than heaven and hell combined.

Why?  Because we hold money very close to our hearts.  God knows that money is the chief rival for our heart’s affection.  Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.”

This is an Old Testament passage, aren’t we under grace now? First tithing was done before Moses and the Law.  In Genesis 4:1-8 Cain and Abel tithe off of their first fruits. In Genesis 14:20 Abraham tithes to Melchizedek, the priest of God. This was before the Law was given.

Secondly, in the New Testament Christ had the perfect opportunity to do away with the tithe when talking with the Pharisees.  Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” Jesus encourages us to continue to tithe, but with the right heart.

Prayer

 Our Hearts as it Relates to Worship (vv. 1-5) 

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. 5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.”

(v. 1) “my messenger” is a reference to John the Baptist.  Jesus 400 years later referring to John the Baptist says in Matthew 11:10 “For this reason is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’

“prepare the way” It was custom of the Near Eastern kings to send messengers before them to remove obstacles to their visit.  He would go through the towns and the people would fill in any holes In the road, clean up, etc…

God is giving the people a warning, to get their lives right, to repent and turn from their evil ways before the king comes in judgment.  He had sent messengers like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.  God had sent many messengers, but now the king was coming Himself.

“suddenly” does not mean immediately, but instantaneously and unannounced.  When all things have been prepared Jesus will return to rule (Matt. 24:40-42).

We are now in between the messenger of the covenant, and His second coming in judgment. We are in a state of grace. It is a day for repentance (or turning from our sin) and salvation.

“whom you desire” is likely sarcastic. They are saying that they are seeking him but in reality this is shown to be false because of their actions. According to the prophet, the people were guilty of many serious sins.  The priests were offering blemished animals in a formal but insincere religious ritualism.  They were going through the motions.

Many were divorcing their wives to marry unbelieving women. Most had been disobeying God’s laws by withholding tithes of their harvest. And they were accusing God of loving them only halfheartedly and of being unjust in his dealings with them – because he had had not prospered them adequately.

In essence they were saying “God look at all this we are doing for you, what have you done for us lately?  We believe that we should have much more material possessions for as much as we serve you.”  (Do you see the irony?  They were doing nothing that pleased Him.)

(v. 3) “a refiners fire” and “a launderer’s soup” — fire is a reference to burning off dross of silver or impurities and launderer’s soup is a reference to alkali that whitens fabrics. When a silver smith would work silver he would heat up the metal to a boiling point where the impurities would rise to the surface.  He would then skim off the impurities.  He would do this until all the impurities were gone and he could see a perfect reflection of himself in the silver.

If God is not pleased with our worship of Him he will heat up our lives to remove the impurities until he can see His Son in us. A launderer would use the harsh and abrasive alkali to whiten cloth.  When we go to heaven we will wear white because we have been cleansed by Jesus’ death on the cross.

It is only when those who present the offering have been cleansed that the offering would be acceptable. This is also a reference to the motive behind the offerings. Simply presenting the offering to God is not enough. It must be done with a clean heart, a pure motive, and obedience to God.

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

The Pharisees would bring their tithe of everything down to the spices in their cabinets, but their motives were so that people would see them and say “wow aren’t they religious!” They did it for the glory it gave them from others.

“swiftly” Jesus second coming will happen suddenly in “the twinkling of an eye.”  His judgment will be quick as well. He will testify against “I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, . . . and do not fear me” In other words those that do not respect or fear the Lord.

Malachi is saying that Jesus will return and He will sit in judgment of those who do not fear the Lord.  The Israelites did not fear God because they gave with wrong motives, they gave their second best, and they were unconcerned about their sin. While the Lord is a God of wrath he is also a God of mercy, longsuffering and grace. The Lord’s response to the people’s rebellion and sin was to say that he does not change.

 Our Hearts as it Relates to Money (vv. 6-12)  

6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts”.

“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed Genesis 15:9 ff. God made a promise to Abraham and to his descendants that they would be His people. It is because of this promise that no matter what Abraham’s family did God would still keep his promise. It was because of this promise they had not been destroyed because of their sin long ago.

In theology this doctrine is called immutability. It means that, being perfect, God cannot and does not change.  God cannot get any better nor can he get any worse, either would mean that he was not God to begin with. It is therefore we who change.  It was because of this character of God that the people were not destroyed.

They thought that God was not being faithful to them, even tough it was them who had changed, showing disrespect and sin toward God. There is a pattern all throughout the Old Testament. God will bless the nation, and they love God.  Over time they grow complacent and forget God and that it is He who had given them all that they had.

They then become involved in any number of sins and after warnings from various prophets they are judged by God. The people would then repent and turn back to God who would then forgive them and bless them, and they would follow His ways again.

“Return to me, and I will return to you,” The people have always had the option of returning to Him through repentance and renewed obedience. God’s people asked what have they done that they needed to return from.  Did they not know what they were doing wrong? They ask “How are we to return, we haven’t done anything wrong?”  “You are the one who has been unfaithful.”

God says that they were robbing Him “In tithes and offerings.”

Well, let’s see if we can tell the difference between giving and sacrifice. What is a tithe? An offering? The meaning of the word ‘tithe’ is 10%.  God says that we are to bring the whole 10% of their income into the storehouse.  The storehouse was a section of the temple where the agrarian Israel would give their grain, animals, etc… It therefore is a reference to the Church.  Tithes are to go to the local church.  Offerings are what we give above and beyond the tithe.

The reason for the tithe is so that “there may be food in my house.”  Ministries within the Church are dependant upon the faithful giving of each member.  God has not designed any other way for fund raising than the tithe and offerings. The financial stability of the church is dependent upon the member’s hearts being right with the Lord.

God promises that if we will tithe, we will be blessed. How are we blessed?  (v. 11) “I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.”

(1) protection from destruction – plagues have throughout the Bible been a way that God would judge Israel.  Lev. 26:24, 25; Deut. 28:21; Egypt 12:29, 30.  When we choose to be disobedient we step out of God’s protective circle.  But if we are obedient we remain within God’s protective graces.

A curse therefore may be that our possessions or what we depend on for our income may be destroyed.  He would do this to strip us of what we idolize so that all that would be left is God – because He is faithful to discipline us as his children.  Discipline hurts.

(2) productivity in labor —  “fields will not cast their fruit.” Our work will yield a harvest.  When we are obedient to God our efforts will be multiplied because God is directing it instead of us.

A curse therefore would be that no matter how hard we toil we can never seem to get ahead.  We sink deeper and deeper in debt.  We become anxious and worried because we are depending on ourselves instead of trusting in God to provide.

(3) popularity – when we are obedient to God will bless us because it is His desire that His name be lifted up.  We can say when I added up all that I owe (to God and the world) and the money that I am taking in I would not have enough.  God provided the money that I needed to do both.  The blessing is that we will be able to be a witness of what God as done with our lives. There will also be joy in your household because of your relationship with the Lord.

 A curse therefore would be that we have robbed ourselves of the blessing that comes from giving.  We have no testimony of how God has done the impossible with our finances and lives.  People will not call us blessed but instead will know that we have done it our way and in our own strength.

Still not convinced about this whole tithing thing?  This is the only place in the Bible where man can test God.  “Test me in this.”

Another reason God requires a whole tithe is that tithing ultimately is a test to determine if we trust God.  It reveals the reality of whom we love more God or money.

“The Importance of Bible Study” Miscellaneous Scriptures

“How We Grow”

A Sermon Series on Spiritual Disciplines

“The Importance of Bible Study”

Miscellaneous Scriptures

Introduction

When my children were younger a neighbor of ours invited my children to a birthday party at Adventure Park in New Market, Maryland.  We rode go-carts, ate birthday cupcakes, and sang happy birthday.  As part of the birthday the parents of the birthday child gave us a swipe card to go and play video games.

Kimberly went with Joshua and Hannah-Grace, and Isaac, and I went with Caleb.  Caleb loves video games but his attention span then won’t let him play for more than minute per game.  So we would swipe his card, he would play for about a minute, and just take off.  So on one of the games he did this with was dance revolution.

Well after swiping the games and then running, I started playing the games instead.  On dance revolution you chose the style of music and the skill level.  Arrows float up the screen and are colored coded so you know where to put your feet.  So I started out on level one (which looks like this), then I went to level two (which looks like this), and then level three – now with level three, you have to throw in one of these.

Our spiritual habits will help you grow closer in your walk with the LORD.  Did you know that who we are and who we will become are based on habits and commitments that we have made or will make?

There are many Christians who desire to grow spiritually but they just simply do not know how, or where to begin.  They may even find themselves in a cycle of sin and asking for forgiveness only to return to same sin over and over – How do we break this cycle?

Bible Study is like Dance Revolution, you start slow, and learn the moves, then you can go faster and faster – but many want to start on level 10, and they get lost (like studying Revelation or Leviticus, when they may need to start with the gospel of John).

You begin your time with Jesus by having good habits that will change who you are over time. With any relationship, time spent together is very important.  Back in July of 1997 I married a beautiful young woman named Kimberly Sue Roberts, but what if I told you the only time we ever talked or saw each other was Easter and Christmas, maybe Mother’s Day – how would describe our marriage?

If it has been that long since you have spent time in God’s Word, then your relationship with him is just as bad. And Communication, openly talking with others is just as important as being there. God desires to talk to us, spend time with us.  Some of you may say “I have a habit already – I’m here at church, just about every week.”  That’s great! And it’s part of the steps we encourage with our 4 G’s (Gather– worship service attendance, Grow – be in a small group in community, Give – financially and in service, and Go – take the gospel outside the walls of the church and engage the community), but to grow with the Lord we also need these habits we will look at over the next few weeks.

You may ask, “Why should I want to study my Bible?”  Because we become like the people that we hang out with.  We begin to take on some characteristic of the people that we surround ourselves with.

We are also having this series because we want you to learn some skills so that you can do these things on your own. So let’s say today we are having a fellowship meal after church, and I was in charge of the food – but the only time you ate again was next Sunday when I made mac-n-cheese again?  Would you be healthy?  Spiritual growth is not about coming and being fed, it’s learning to feed yourself, on your own. You learning to cook something other than mac-n-cheese, everyday.

Let’s Pray – Jesus we thank you that you are willing to wait for us. You are the Creator and sustainer of all of creation, and you want to spend time with us.  That was why you died on the cross, not so that we can do stuff for you – but so that we can talk and grow in our relationship. Show us this morning how we can deepen this relationship and grow to become more like you. Amen.

Why Should I Spend Time In His Word?

So That I Can Grow Up

1 Peter 2:2-5 “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

You do not have to have a newborn home for very long before you realize what this word crave means.  They will scream, wiggle, flail, they will do all that they can to get milk.  Every three to four hours a timer goes off inside the child and you had best not ignore it.  Does a timer go off in your heart?

This verse says that we should crave God’s Word – but to be honest it is an acquired taste. 3 types of Quiet Times– There’s the caster oil quiet time – yuck, but good for what ails you. Then there’s the shredded wheat quiet time – nourishing but dry.  Then there’s the strawberries and cream quiet time – delicious can’t get enough, time flies, etc… How do you go from caster oil to strawberries-n-cream? You spend time with God everyday.

Psalm 19:9-10 “the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”

Notice in the 1 Peter passage it says “so that by it you may grow” not “so that you may know.” We spend time with God and study His word so that we may change.  Spending time with God is not about knowing more about Him, that’s great, but it’s knowing and changing.  Taking what we know and applying it to our lives.

We have the Bible not to satisfy our curiosity, but to help us conform to the image of Christ.  Not to give us loopholes to sin, but to make us like our Savior.  It’s not about facts, but transformation.

The Prince of Granada, the heir to the Spanish crown was sentenced to life in solitary confinement in Madrid’s ancient prison called the Place of the Skull.  The fearful, dirty, and dreary nature of the place earned it the name.  Everyone knew that once you were in, you would never come out alive. The Prince was given one book to read the entire time – the Bible.  With only one book to read, he read it over hundreds and hundreds of times.  This book became his constant companion. After 33 years of imprisonment, he died. When they came in to clean out his cell, they found some notes he had written using nails to mark the soft stone in the prison walls.

The notations were as follows: Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse of the Bible.  Ezra 7:21 contains all the letters of the alphabet except the letter “J.” The ninth verse in the eighth chapter of Esther is the longest verse in the Bible. No name or word of more than six syllables can be found in the entire Bible. For all we know about this prince, he never made any commitment to Christ or had any religious experience, but he became an expert in Bible trivia.   Reading the Bible is not enough, learning is not enough, spiritual growth is about a change in our lives.

The analogy between a human baby and a spiritual baby breaks down when we realize how each baby matures.  A human baby is fed by his parents and growth is natural.  But a baby Christian will only grow as much as he or she  purposefully reads and obeys and applies the Word to his life.  Growth is up to him.

So That I Can Mature

Hebrews 5:11-14 “About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

The key word in this passage is “time,” by this time – Spiritual growth takes time.  You cannot implement the various spiritual disciplines that we are going to talk about and one week later become a mature Christian.

This passage shows that time does not make you a mature Christian.  Unlike natural growth, spiritual growth requires a concerted and constant effort.  There are many people who wrongly assume that just because they have been Christians for many years automatically makes them a mature Christian.  I have seen youth outgrow their parent’s spiritually because of the effort they put into it.

When we do not have a steady intake of God’s Word we find ourselves repeating the same mistakes over and over.  Paul says that someone has to teach them “the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.”

Who is mature? Those who “by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” If we are immature in our faith, then someone else has to show us the ABC’s of Christianity – over and over and over…..

 The mature Christian is the person who says, I want to study God’s Word myself – they are willing to spend time with God past the milk stage and want the steak, the meat. Spiritual maturity is all about application– applying God’s word to your life and coming back for more.

 Another way of thinking of spiritual maturity is to be “built up.”  Acts 20:32 “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” We are learning more about God, applying his truth to our lives, and therefore we grow and are built up into the person he desires for us to become.

God’s Word takes us to places we never thought we could or would.   He takes us on a journey that has twists and curves and is anything but predictable.  You are moving from one point to another, you are taking steps, moving toward becoming like Christ.

 So That I Can Be Effective

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The Bible “is useful” for four things – first for teaching.  The bible teaches us how to think, what we should believe.  If we are not thinking correctly, then we are not living correctly.  Matthew 4:4 “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Secondly the Bible tells us when we have “crossed the line.”  It is useful for rebuking us when we are doing wrong.  It tells us what sin is. It tells you what God’s plan is for your life and where you have gone astray.

Third, it is useful for correcting – it tells us of Christ and how our sins may be forgiven.  He doesn’t just tell we were wrong, but it tells us how to get back in a right way of living. And Fourthly, “training in righteousness” – the Bible shows us how to live in a way that pleases God.

 A five-step plan for what to do when you have your quiet time:

 Start with prayer. Ask God to prepare you to meet with Him. If there is something in your life that you know displeases Him, confess it. Let Him forgive you so that nothing will hinder your communion together.

Read a specific passage of Scripture–perhaps a chapter or two. If you are not very familiar with the Bible, you may wish to start with the New Testament. Many people think that the Gospel of John is a good place to start. Perhaps you would enjoy reading one or two of the Psalms every day.

Meditate on it for a while after you have read a passage. Think about what you read, and ask yourself what it means. What does God want you to do? Remember, even though you may not understand all you read in the Bible, you can still obey what you do understand.

Write down questions about the passage as you read. It is good to write down the things you learn and the questions you have. Later you can search out the answers from someone who knows the subject or Bible commentaries. You can ask the question, “what did this teach me about God?” and “what did this teach me about myself?”

Journaling is simply writing your thoughts and reflections about your life and relationship with the Lord in a notebook. Spend some time writing your thoughts as you spend time with God in His word and prayer. It can be as simple as writing what’s on your heart.

You can write about what God is teaching you in your Bible reading time. You can also write about how you are feeling and struggling with. Develop the habit of writing. This habit reinforces what God is trying to tell you in your mind and heart. I believe it is part of a good quiet time because it is a way for you to remember what God is revealing to you during that time.

Finally, respond and take action. Respond with praise and thanksgiving – “I praise you God for…..” Respond in repentance and confession – “I confess my sin of ……”  Respond by asking for guidance – “Lord, lead me today by…..”
Respond with obedience – “I will obey you in……”

 Conclusion

I have discovered that anything that is an “ought” in my life I will always be a failure at, for “ought” is a lousy motivator.  Anything that is an “ought” I may in time do.  I will do it out of compulsion, guilt, or duty – it will do it begrudgingly but I won’t do it often.

There are many of who understand our salvation to be in terms that Jesus has saved me so that I may serve Him.  Didn’t Jesus say, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  We become disciples of Christ, so that we may become His fishers of men (and we serve, and we work, and we toil).

What we miss is that Jesus’ invitation simply says, “Come, follow me,” – meaning to be in a relationship with Him.  Being a fisher of men was not the purpose of my salvation (it happens, it is an outcome) – but the relationship with Jesus, the following comes first.

We serve, and in our minds we “I ought to have a quiet time” “I ought to spend time with Him” — and we get burn out, and tired, and disillusioned by life, all the while we work, and serve, and toil – and Jesus says, I said “Come and follow me.”  Jesus invites us to a relationship first (service comes later as an outflow of the relationship).  He simply wants to know you, and for you to know Him.

He did not die, so that you can serve Him, he died so that, you can have a relationship with Him.  He doesn’t really need our help anyway, He’s God!

Do you know Jesus? ABC.

“Private Sin Made Public” Joshua 7:1-26

Private Sin Made Public

Joshua 7:1-26

Introduction (v. 1)

“But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.”

Before the people rush in to attach once the walls of Jericho had fallen, Joshua warns the people; Joshua 6:18 “But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.”

The second generation of Israelites had seen the miraculous hand of God as they crossed the Jordan River.  They felt the power of God’s hand as the walls of Jericho fell and they easily conquered the city in seven days. Now a small city, stands before them. Nothing in comparison to a mile wide River or doubled walled city.  But the Israelites were humiliated, thoroughly defeated, but more importantly their conquering the Promised Land comes to a grinding stop. “It is the only defeat of the invading forces recorded in Joshua, and it contains the only report of Jews slain in combat.”[1]

Why?  There was sin in the camp!  Someone had kept some of the plunder from Jericho that was supposed to be dedicated to God.  Whenever we sin, it hurts the whole work of God.  Corporate guilt and individual responsibility go hand in hand.  Our individual sin and the effects upon the entire body are irreparably linked. This morning we will look at how this is true:

Private Sin Hurts Those Who Fight For The Lord (vv. 2-5)

“Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.”

(1:7-8) God’s promise was based on covenant obedience, and this obedience had been withheld.  We sometimes think that our personal private sin doesn’t really hurt anyone, here the truth is that it does. Holding each other accountable, and lovingly seeing that we all stay faithful is a community duty. Matt 18:15-17 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Notice also that the conquering of the Promised Land stops.  Time has to be taken away from conquering to dealing with internal difficulties. When Christians give themselves over to habitual sin, the church must decide to either be campers or warriors.  If they simply want to sit around a small fire and remember the good old days, and they remain in sin. But if they want to follow God’s will and remain warriors then the sin has to be dealt with.

The Israelite’s hearts were brazen and bold in the Lord, but sin in the camp causes that courageous heart to melt with fear. There is confusion and doubt.  Joshua looks to the Lord and asks “why?”  The courage and excitement for being on God’s team suddenly gets extinguished. If Satan wants the conquest of the land to stop, he has to cause God’s own people to turn against Him. He has to get them to not want to fight anymore.

Private Sin Hurts The Witness of All Believers (vv. 6-9)
“Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?”

Joshua calls God “O Lord God,” meaning that he knows God is sovereign over all things and is in control of all things. He then questions God “why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?”  Joshua is dumbfounded that they had been defeated, and with his face to the ground, asks “why?”

Combined with Joshua’s confusion, there is also a fear that God’s name would look bad.  Joshua is concerned about God’s reputation. If we lose battles, how can we say that you are our God, or that we are your people? Are you concerned about God’s reputation?  If you are then it will be displayed by how you live your life.

Achan thought his deed would never be found out. He thought God would not respond to his sin. As long as it stayed hidden under the floor of his tent, who would ever know? What’s the difference? The strangest thing to me is that he thought God would not deal with him.  God dealt with his parents.  They wandered in the desert for forty years.  God was dealing with the Canaanites. They had just finished a battle at Jericho and it was just the beginning of their judgment.  But somehow because God would overlook his sin?

Israel was about to inherit homes they did not build, fields they did not plant, flocks they did not raise, and the spoils of dozens of cities, but Achan wanted it all now. Achan settled for trinkets under a rug for the vastness of knowing God and His presence. Achan settled for trash when he could have had unlimited treasure.

When we settle for the lies of the world, the lust of the flesh, the emptiness of possessions, then we settle for only a mere small portion of what God desires to give to us. He desires to give the knowledge of winning victory after victory against God’s enemies. God desires to give us the privilege of rescuing the perishing (like Rahab), He desires to give the riches and empowering of heaven in order to serve Him. – Don’t settle, don’t settle for trash.

Why didn’t God just judge the one who was sinning? Why did the Israelites have to lose the battle, and why did other men have to die? Because we are all connected.  The opening verse of the chapter even says, “But the people of Israel broke faith. . .” You cannot live your life without affecting others. Like ripples in a pond, one touches another.   Christians are linked by a bond of blood of Jesus Christ.

Understanding this concept of community, we have Grow Groups/Sunday School classes.  It is my hope that these family units will develop authentic friendships, share each other’s burdens and hold each other accountable for their sin. Consider the cost of your private sin.

Private Sin Is A Devotion To Destruction (vv. 10-12)
“The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.”

The nature of the sin is clearly stated: a breech of covenant. Israel, not God was the cause of the defeat. There are many people while they sit on their pile of trinkets, knowing they are not following God actually blame Him for their miserable lives.

Here is how they sinned: violated the covenant, taken the devoted things, stolen property, lied, and put them among their own possessions.  This list grew from one thing to another. As it is with sin, once we begin down the slippery slope, it is difficult to stop the descent.

There is something within us all that sometimes thinks that if the sin is small enough, and if no one knows that God will over look it, “sweep it under the rug,” “let it go.”  But God was clear with the Israelites that everything was to be devoted to the Lord.  Achan’s sin was “I’ll just keep a little, for my family.”  “After all, I saw all that the city had, they will never miss it.”

Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” In Achan’s case, he coveted what was dedicated to destruction. The desire for things beyond what God has intended or proposed for him to possess. The sin of covetousness is the worship of things.  It is the life that is gives value and is interpreted by things. It leaves God out and it places things on the throne of our hearts.

God told Adam and Eve that they could eat of any tree except one. Haman, in the book of Esther, had everyone in the kingdom bow to him except one Mordeci, and it drove him crazy. David had several wives and unknown number of concubines, but he wanted another man’s wife for himself.   All three of these people’s lives became fixated on having the one thing they could not get.

Achan’s sin began with seeing the articles (and he fully knew that he was not supposed to take them). He then said in his mind, “I want these things.” His love for those things was more than his love for God and His people. He liked the way these things made him feel. (successful with the robe, a secure future with the gold). It then led him to hide the sin – so that he could continue in the sin.

How do we overcome the hidden sin? Colossians 3:5 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” Grow to love something else, or should I say loving someone else, more than you love the stuff.  Our love for God and His people is to be the driving force in our lives, when we place stuff above His will, then we love the stuff more.

This was the sin that Achan committed and that God could not allow to continue. Achan was living a dual life. He would serve God on the battle field during the day, but would come and worship the pile of gold by night. Many say they worship God on Sunday, but live their lives as though they don’t even know Him the rest of the week.

Private Sin Must Be Dealt With Family By Family (vv. 13-18)
“Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’” 16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.”

The people were to sanctify themselves: This is to separate the holy from the common.  Complete purity is a prerequisite for service and communion with God.  There could be no victory, without the removal of the sin.  Don’t expect to win any battles for God, if you are sitting on hidden sin.

Why does God choose to go tribe by tribe, clan by clan, and then family by family.  If we were to suffer defeat and God said there is sin in the church, we then went family by family before the Lord, what would be going through your mind?  Would you be thinking, it must be me.  I have hidden sin, I have things hidden in my life, in my home.

If we were to go person by person in this room,

and you were to pass before God, what would your heart be saying?

Notice also that Achan does not speak up, during this long process of finding the guilty person. He could have stepped up and ended it all. But he chooses to remain quiet.  Even then does he think that he will get away with it?

Let me give you an example of when a family stays quiet about sin.  (2 Sam. 13) David’s son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar.  David did nothing. Absalom, David’s son killed his half-brother Amnon; and again David did nothing. Later, Absalom tries to take over the thrown, and again David does nothing.  – It was not because of his lack of courage, but he simply chose not to deal with sin within his own family.

Private Sins Destroy Everything You Have (vv. 19-26)

“Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the Lord. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.”

Giving “glory to the LORD,” and praising Him is more than just words or a song, they are a life lived in accordance to His ways. Where would he wear the robe or spend the money? All would know where he got it?  It was useless to him.

What Achan did not understand and realize, is that as God’s chosen child, he already had a robe far more beautiful than a man’s hand can craft.  He may have desired to get the robe out and pretended to be a king or prince, but as a child of God he already was a prince.  He already had the vast riches of a God who owns all things!

Achan’s stuff that he had stolen, his wife and children, his tent, everything was killed and burned.  On Achan’s body was a pile of stones that served as a memorial for others.  This morning is your life a memorial to hidden sin? Has it affected your children, everything that you are?

Conclusion

In the following chapter Joshua and the Israelites go on the conquer Ai, but they do it without Achan.  As a church we will continue to conquer, but if you hold back what is God’s then you will be found out. Just as Achan’s sin affected the whole nation, so can your obedience affect the whole church.  Instead of slowing down the work of God, you can speed it up.  Instead of causing the eternal loss of many, you can see many saved.

If you look at yourself and you see stones and a person who has settled for trinkets instead of true godly treasure then it is not too late. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

God desires to have a relationship with you, but you must lay everything at His feet, don’t hold anything back. Achan’s sin cost him his life.  But God sent Jesus, so that your sin won’t have to cost you your life.  Jesus gave His life as our substitute.

Eph. 2:8-9 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9not by works, so that no one can boast.”  He offers this forgiveness as a gift.  Will you receive his gift this morning?

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[1] James Montgomery Boice, Joshua We Will Serve the Lord (Old Tappan, New Jersey; Fleming H. Revell, 1989) 78.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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