Drew Boswell

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“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?

_________________

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

“The Fall of Jericho” Joshua 6:1-27

Joshua: Courage Over Fear

A Sermon Series

“The Fall of Jericho”

Joshua 6:1-27

Introduction

Joshua chapter 5 ends with Joshua encountering the commander of the Lord’s Army, “And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” God is continuing His plan of redemption for all of the world, and Joshua and the Israelites are going to be apart of this process. But there are some big themes that we are going to see, 1) God requires His creation to choose to follow Him by identifying and submitting to Him, or face the consequence of judgement and destruction (you must choose a side) 2) When God gives people an opportunity to break away from identifying with the world and to become part of His people they should do so (respond to God’s grace).

 Prayer

The Plan Given From God (vv. 1-7)

Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” 6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

From archeological digs of the city of Jericho we know that the entire city was about seven acres in its entirety. It was really more of a fortress – prepared to resist a siege.[1] Since Jericho was a small city, the Israelite army was large enough to completely encircle it. So when the front would eventually meet the back. The when the walls fell, they just marched straight into the city (completely surrounding it with no way for the enemy to escape. The honor guard goes first, blowing the shofar horn, and then the ark of the covenant, and then the soldiers, and then the people, and then the rear guard.

Silence For Six Days – Watching Grace Pass You By (vv. 8-14)

8 And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. 9 The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. 12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.

For six days the people from within the city watched as the ark passed them by – the physical representation of God’s presence. Then on the seventh day it passed by them seven times. Opportunity, after opportunity for the people of the city to respond as Rahab had responded and said, “We have heard of the wonders of the One True God and we seek allegiance to Him – we cry out for mercy!” But they did not – they watched silently as the opportunity pass them by. Then on the seventh day, after the ark had passed them by 13 times, the Israelite people screamed, and after that, their destruction was final.

Faith Explained (vv. 15-21)

15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 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. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

Showing Faith By Continuing Onward

The solders are given very specific instructions – we are going to march, and then at a certain point the walls will fall (and when that happens): 1) leave Rahab and all in her house alone, and 2) don’t keep anything for yourselves; destroy everything.

Arthur W. Pink once said, “Seeming failure (walking around and around) did not warrant them in adopting other measures; they must adhere strictly to the divine directions unto the end.”[2] It was only when the people had obeyed God faithfully that victory came and the walls tumbled.

God has given us weapons to destroy the enemy’s strongholds in our lives and in the world around is. 2 Corinthians 10:4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Our weapons are prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other believers, service in His church, but when we don’t see things working in our time table – we quit and give up on the weapons that God has given us.

Remember the story of man named Naaman, who was a high-ranking official that had leprosy. He was told that a prophet of God could heal him. He goes to Elisha the prophet for help and he is told to dip in the Jordan river seven times. 2 Kings 5:12-14 records his response, “Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” Do you think that when he came up out of the water after the second, third, fourth time with no signs of healing that he wanted to quit?

The walls didn’t fall because the people shouted – the walls fell because the people had faith and persisted in doing what God said to do. Hebrews 11:30 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” It is also worth noting that the ark is called “the ark of the covenant,” or “the ark of the Lord.” It is not called “the magical box. This ark showed a relationship between God and His people – a promise made between God and those that placed their faith in Him.

Showing Faith By Dedicating Everything to the Lord

(vv. 18-19) 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. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” – This was the first city that was to be taken in their conquest of the land. They are clearly told not to keep anything for themselves but that everything in this first city was to be given to the Lord. This is the principle of “first fruits.”

There would be other cities to conquer, other gold, clothes, animals, etc. But everything in this first city was to be dedicated to the Lord. God requires of His people to give a portion of it back to be used for His purposes.

Showing Faith to Avoid the Judgment of God

We are told why God would have those in the land completely removed; the Canaanite people were morally corrupt (see Lev. 18) Lev. 18:27 “for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean,” and as part of their religion they sacrificed children to their gods (Duet. 12:29-31) “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you. . . You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.” Their influence had to be removed from the land because it was so morally egregious that God’s judgement fell upon them, and God warned the Israelites that they would eventually follow their practices if they didn’t completely push them out.

“Behold, to the Lord your God belong . . . the earth with all that is in it.” Deuteronomy 10:14

All of creation belongs to God.

Is it right for the Israelites to come into someone else’s land, and destroy them? (v. 21) “Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.” Everyone (except Rahab and her family) were destroyed by the sword. Why would God have His people kill women and children? How do we reconcile Exodus 20:13 “Do not murder” with Joshua being commanded to slaughter every living being in the city? God uses His own people to exterminate the people of Canaan.

God is using the Israelites as agents of judgement. In Genesis 15:14-16 God is talking with Abram about the future of the nations, “But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve (Egypt), and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. . . . 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” We don’t need to know what evil the Amorites were doing, but that God was going to judge them (through the Israelites because of their sin). And the judgement wouldn’t come as a flood, or natural disaster, famine or plague – it would be an invading army – the Israelites.

Genesis 18:25 “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” There is only one righteous true judge, and how He chooses to judge, whom He chooses to judge, and the means of judgement – all are at His discretion. God alone has the right to appoint judgement, and He, over time, changes how He executes judgement (Noah and the Ark – the entire world flooded and eight people spared, Joshua and the Israelites, and even the enemies of God against His own people because of their own sin).

 The position the Bible wants us to arrive at is not us sitting in judgement, determining according to our morality who should be judged and who should not be judged

– instead we should ask “How do I avoid judgement for my iniquity?”

 Jesus and the disciples were walking along and talking about how people had died, Luke 13:4-5 “. . . Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. . .”

The question is not why judgement of sin by God falls, but why hasn’t it fallen on me, yet? Repent and turn to God while there is still time. The Amorities had well over 400 years to turn to God, but refused and even came out to fight against Him and His people. There were a few people spared from God’s judgement because of their faith in God.

God Will Always Keep His Promises (vv. 22-25)

22 But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Rahab and all of her family are spared from the judgement, because of her faith in the one true God. Hebrews 11:31 says “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” A promise was given to her and the promise was kept. When Rahab hid the spies, she knew a wave of judgement and destruction was coming – these two spies were forerunners of what was yet to come. So, she looked for an opportunity to identify herself with this group, “How can I be counted with their numbers?”

There is the question of was it wrong for Rahab to lie, in order to point the enemy in the wrong direction, and how is hiding them an act of faith? At the risk of her own life, she committed treason against her country and her people. She believed that this wave of God’s people were coming, she knew it meant death for everyone, and she wanted to be spared the destruction – so she identified with God, and rejected being identified with those against God. The lying and the hiding were acts of faith because they moved her from being an enemy of God, to being a friend of God. Rahab stopped fighting against God, and started allowing God to fight for her.

When the opportunity presents itself to a person (like spies appearing at Rahab’s door), how do we avoid the judgement of God because of our sin? How do we move from being identified as an enemy of God to a child of God? We take a step of faith. For Noah it was to build and then go inside the Ark and wait for the flood to begin. For the Israelites they marked their doorposts with blood and waited for the angel of death to Passover their homes. And for Rahab she tied a scarlet cord outside her window and waited in her home for the army to arrive.

How Can a Person Be Saved From God’s Judgement?

Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” We place our faith in what Jesus did on the cross, bearing our sins upon himself. In obedience we keep His commands and then we wait – either to join Him in glory or to meet Him in the air at His appearing. We identify ourselves with Him in baptism and we remember Him in the Lord’s Supper.

Just like God promised that He would spare Rahab because of her faith, Jesus says, John 14:1-3 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Those That Cover Over Sin Will Be Cursed (vv. 26-27)

26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.” 27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

Everything in the city was destroyed – every living human being and animal were cut down, the walls lay flat around the city and the city was burned “Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.” As the Israelites left the site where a city once stood, the only thing left was a memorial of ash and destruction. So Joshua then curses anyone who would build on that foundation.

The way ancient cities would rebuild is that they would use the rubble and debris to smooth out the land, and then they would dirt on top of the previous city and settlements, and over time what was there would be forgotten. Joshua and all the soldiers had blood on their hands, they were the instruments of God’s destruction on another people.

I believe that Joshua was thinking, “Look at what we just did, because God said it was just and we were commanded to do it, we just killed every living thing in this city. No one should cover that up so that it is forgotten. The remains of the city should remain as it is so that people will remember what happens to people who defy the One true God.” Destruction and Judgement.

Did anyone ever seek to rebuild on the remains of Jericho? Of course they did – 1 Kings 16:34 “In his days (king Ahab) Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.” There will always be people who ignore the destruction that comes from ignoring God’s wrath and warnings from the past.

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[1] Francis A. Schaeffer, Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2004) 110.

[2] James Montgomery Boice, Joshua We Will Serve the Lord (Old Tappan, New Jersey; Fleming H. Revell, 1989) 75.

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

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