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Private Sin Made Public Joshua 7:1-26
“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.
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Difficulty” John 16:4b-15
The Trinity; Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
A Sermon Series
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Difficulty”
John 16:4b-15
Introduction
“Jesus’ departure from his earthly ministry to return to his Father is now at hand, and this is why he is telling his followers of the difficult days that lie ahead. They need to know not just of all the troubles that will soon fall on them but also of the help God (the Father) will send them to enable them to rise above the struggles. This help consists of the Spirit of Jesus as the presence of the Lord among them. He has just told them of the trials soon to arrive (15:18-16:4a), and now he wants to make them know of the coming Paraclete, who will empower them so they can be victorious.”[1]
Prayer
The Disciple’s Mission (vv. 4b-7)
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
And in all of the time that Jesus has been with them all of the animosity and anger has been directed at Jesus (because He was there among them). He is going away, and He wants to prepare them for all the difficulty that is coming. Jesus confirms again that He was sent from the Father, and “now I am going to him who sent me.”
We are going to see that Jesus is the standard of righteousness but how do we know that Jesus’ teachings are right, and the world’s teachings are wrong? Because, “But now I am going to him who sent me,” As the resurrected King of Kings, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, ruling and reigning over all of creation. His pattern of righteousness and the standard He set was accepted by God the Father – because He raised Him from the dead.
When Jesus says, “none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’” seems out of place because Peter had asked, “Lord where are you going,” and Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going.” But the verse is given in the present tense, “None of you asks me.” They had stopped asking him about the future, and seem to be overwhelmed with what is going on right then. They can’t see a way to continue forward without Jesus being with them.
They are filled with confusion, grief, and despair. But they are not considering what Jesus’ departure means for the mission that He is sending them on. He has been preparing them to continue His work, He wants them to stay focused on that mission (in spite of fear, grief, and despair).
(v.7) “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth,” – Jesus is saying that the only way for God’s plan to be completed is for the Son to return to heaven, and the Spirit is sent to take His place on earth.[2] “But his saving reign of God cannot be fully inaugurated until Jesus has died, risen from the dead, and been exalted to this Father’s right hand, returned to the glory he enjoyed with the Father before the world began.”[3] Why does the Holy Spirit have to wait until Jesus’ departure? It is because of where Jesus goes when He leaves, John 7:39 “Now this he (Jesus) said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
That plan also involves them being filled with the Holy Spirit, and telling others about Jesus (who now has completed His mission and sits at the right hand of the Father).
God’s plan for the salvation of the world
could not be completed If Jesus had stayed on earth.
Earlier in John, the word for the Helper (paraclete) was used as “one who comes and stands beside” as in Comforter, Advocate or Helper. But here the standing beside is still there, but it carries a judicial tone. The Holy Spirit is the Prosecutor – convicting sinful men of being in the wrong.[4]
(v. 7) Jesus says that “it is to your advantage that I go away,” – Earlier in John 11 the high priest Caiaphas uses this same word, “advantage, expedient” “So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better (expedient) for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
The Holy Spirit’s Ministry (vv. 8-15)
The Spirit will have a two-fold ministry, convicting the world of sin (vv. 8-11), and strengthening the Church (vv. 12-15).
Convicting the World of Sin (vv. 8-11)
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
“Whenever sin and righteousness meet, there is judgement.”[5]
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
(v. 8) “he will convict the world,” This is a word meaning “convicting by proof” by “missing the mark,” and how they have wronged God and other people. Without the working of the Holy Spirit men will not believe in Jesus because they will not understand the depth of their sin. In order to follow Jesus, you have to repent of your sin, ask Him to forgive you of your sin, to trust in His gift of sacrificial death on the cross and how that covers your sin. People have to understand sin, before they can understand who Jesus is.
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
Righteousness is the opposite of sin, and after we are convicted of sin, we seek after this opposite. The Holy Spirit guides us to seeking after righteousness. “In order to define sin there must be a standard. There can be no transgression where there is no law, no darkness where there is no light, no sin where there is no holiness.”[6]
When Jesus was present, simply His presence would convict men of sin, and they could see perfect righteousness before them. John 1:4-5 describes it like this, “In him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
In Luke 5:7-8 the men who eventually would become Jesus’ disciples are fishing and Jesus performs a miracle so that their nets are ripping because they are so full of fish, “They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Also, think of all the times the religious leaders in Jesus’ day thought that they were righteous because of their keeping the OT law (which they really were not). For the entire 23rd chapter of Matthew Jesus blasts the religious leaders, he says, “woe to you scribes and pharisees,” . . . vv. 1-5 “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,1 and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others . . .” The Holy Spirit shows us righteousness only comes through Jesus – not by works. So every time we start down that road of being self-righteous the Holy Spirit points us back to Jesus and His righteousness.
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“The word ‘judgement’ means an ethical decision; approbation of such qualities or acts as may be deemed good, and simultaneous pf such qualities or acts as may deemed evil. The vindication of Christ by the resurrection as the incarnate righteousness of God was at the same time God’s rejection of the prince of this world as the personification of evil.”[7] The Holy Spirit makes the world aware of this judgement by God.
Why does the Holy Spirit convict people of the coming judgment? Because “the ruler of this world is judged, or “now stands condemned.” If the world continues to follow this defeated foe of God, it too will have the same fate. Satan lost, Jesus won – sin and death have been defeated. Sin is shown as being evil, and righteousness shown as the good.
“The anti-Christian point-of-view (or anti-biblical), the principles which govern the actions of worldy men, have been once and for all discredited and condemned (12:31, 1 Cor. 2:8, Col. 2:15). The work of the Spirit manifested in the history of Christianity verifies the judgement that by Christ’s death evil has been condemned utterly; the Devil is fighting a losing battle.”[8]
There are many worldviews – but only one is from God.
Jesus proved it by His death, burial and resurrection.
It is the Holy Spirit’s ministry to convict people of sin in their lives (as defined by God),[9] He guides them toward righteousness and godly behavior, and there is a final judgment between good and evil. But sin, righteousness, and God’s judgement ultimately deals with an acceptance or rejection of Jesus.
Matthew 21:42 Jesus is talking to the crowd but He is aiming His comments to the religious leaders, “Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” The cornerstone was used to determine true vertical and horizontal lines for a building, so that it would be level and plumb. Jesus is the measure of truth, The Holy Spirit confirms this truth, and to reject it is to face the judgement of God.
Matthew 12:22-32 “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.”
Strengthening the Church (vv. 12-15)
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
(v. 12) Jesus has more to say about future judgment and how His death burial and resurrection all show the enemies defeat, but they just can’t handle any more right then, “you cannot bear them now.” They are so devastated by Jesus going away, they can’t take any more information in. It could also mean that as Christians there is information that they could know, but it is only with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that they could bear the implications of what it means. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples about the cross until well into His ministry with them. He teaches us, as we are able to bear it.
There is a weight that comes with certain knowledge,
that the Holy Spirit helps to carry.
But when the Holy Spirit comes, in spite of all the trauma and difficulty, John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit will make sure that they know and remember what they need in order to complete Jesus’ work.
(v. 13) “he will guide you into all the truth,” When you have a guide that assumes a couple of things 1) you are on an adventure, a pilgrimage, you are going somewhere. 2) There is someone who knows the way that is leading (guiding) the way. As you are following God, He will reveal the truths of Scripture to you. There is an Old Testament background for the Spirit guiding believers in truth, Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” The Spirit continues the ministry of Jesus by explaining the Word of God.
“for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak,” – Jesus often used this same wordage; Jesus would say, what the Father told Him to say.[10] And now the Holy Spirit will say what Jesus has said, and will reveal new things (by Jesus) of what is to come in the future. “The disciples receive these truths on a trinitarian path from the Father to the Son to Spirit to them and likewise pass them on in their own teaching and preaching (2 Tim. 2:2).”[11]
2 Timothy 2:1-2 “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” There is a chain of truth that begins with God the Father, then the Son, then the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2), then the apostles, then to faithful men, and on down through the generations (always guided by the Holy Spirit). So what you share is the Word of God, Spoken through the Son, and guided by the Holy Spirit.
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[1] Grant R. Osborne, John Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentary (Bellingham, Washington; Lexham Press, 2018) 373.
[2] John 7:39 “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
[3] D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991) 534.
[4] Leon Morris, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971) 695.
[5] Merrill C. Tenney, John, The Gospel of Belief, An Analytical Study of the Text (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982) 236.
[6] Tenney, 236.
[7] Tenney, 237.
[8] G.H.C. Maccgregor, The Gospel of John (Harper and Brothers Publishing, 1928) 298.
[9] Prevenient grace – “God’s grace given to all humans indiscriminately. It is seen in God’s sending the sunshine and the rain upon all. . . Since mankind is hopelessly dead in trespasses and sins and can do nothing to obtain salvation, God graciously restores to all men sufficient ability to make a choice in the matter of submission to Him. . . . Since God has given this grace to all, everyone is capable of accepting the offer of salvation . . .” Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Academic, 2007) 932.
[10] John 3:34-35; 5:19; 7:16-17; 8:26, 28; 12:49-50; 14:10; 15:15.
[11] Osborne, 378.
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Forgiveness” Romans 5:1-11
The Trinity; Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
A Sermon Series
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Forgiveness”
Romans 5:1-11
Introduction
Prayer
God’s Gifts of Justification
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the previous chapters Paul has laid out his argument and addressed any arguments against how we are justified (made right) with God by faith in Jesus. Notice that it is a past action (you have already been justified); when a person places their faith in Jesus they are immediately made right with God. You don’t have to wait until some future day to see if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds – by placing your faith in Christ that issue has already been resolved.
When I asked Kimberly to marry me, I had to travel from Alabama to Maryland where she was living. After my arrival I told her I had a gift for her and that I wanted her to open it where we first went on our first date (the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland). We sat down on the boardwalk and I handed her a large wrapped gift – that when it was opened was another smaller wrapped box – which progressively got smaller and smaller until there was a ring box, and by the time she got to that one I was on one knee ready to propose.
With God’s gift of justification, it is like my gift to Kimberly, one gift leads to another gift, and leads to another gift – but where Kimberly had worthless empty boxes until the end, each of God’s gifts are incredibly important.
The Gift of Peace with God (1b)
“we have peace with God.”
Now, he transitions, “therefore” – there is something that results from a person having placed their faith in Jesus, “we have peace with God.” In this world peace in only temporary.
As Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain is remembered for his support for the policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler over the annexation of Czechoslovakia and the signing Munich Agreement on 29 September 1938. Returning from Munich, Chamberlain delivered his “Peace with Honor – Peace for Our Time” speech. While he was holding up the paper Hitler was planning to invade more countries. In this world rarely is there peace, World War 1 led to World War 2, then Korea, then the Cold War, then Vietnam, then, and on we go, and on we go.
“This is why the central motif of the gospel in the New Testament is reconciliation. What is a necessary condition for reconciliation to take place? The most important – and necessary – ingredient for reconciliation is estrangement. Where there is no estrangement, there is no need for reconciliation. The New Testament repeatedly described the ministry of Jesus as a work of mediation, because the God-Man came into a hostile world estranged from God. The work of Christ is that of a mediator to bring the estranged parties together. He is the Prince of Peace, who came to end the warfare that is so real.”[1]
Jesus knowing that He is about to leave has no earthly possessions to give to the disciples (no houses, no lands, no earthly wealth). But look what He gives them, John 14:26-27 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Peace is a cessation of fighting, freedom from hostilities – our fight with God is over.[2]
The Gift of Access to God (v. 2a)
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve had unlimited access to God, and they would run to Him when He would appear. But once sin came into the world when He would come to them, they ran away and hid because they were aware of their nakedness and were filled with shame. An angel with a flaming sword was placed at the entrance of the garden keeping them out. And since then, as Adam’s children, if our sin is not removed, and our shame taken away, we cannot be anything but rebels in God’s creation.
Later God introduced ways for His people to have access to Him. With the tabernacle God’s people encamped in a circle around it so no one tribe had more access to God than another. He would appear in a pillar of smoke and fire and would settle above the Tabernacle showing that He was among His people. But only on the Day of Atonement could one priest, the high priest, enter the Holy of Holies and perform the rites of purification. His presence was among them people, but the people could not have direct access to God Himself.
Then we fast forward to Jesus dying on the cross and we see these events happening while He is dying, Matthew 27:50-51 “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” God the Father, gave His one and only Son to pay the penalty so that humanity may have direct access to God once more, and “no longer was there to be incense and ritual but now simple worship from the human heart, in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).”[3]
“in which we stand,” When the law was given at Mt. Siani God’s people trembled with fear, and earth shook, and there were terrifying lightening strikes, and commands were given, “don’t touch the mountain!” Is this how we approach our God when we gather in worship?
Hebrews 12:22-24 “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
“We come to the presence of God. We have access to his presence. There is no more veil. The angel’s sword of flame has been doused with the blood of Christ, and God welcomes us into his presence.”[4]
The Gift of Hope that Leads to Rejoicing (2b)
“and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
If someone were to ask you, “do you think the Titans will win today?” Someone may say, “I hope so.” This is an answer where the person desires for the event to happen, but they are not certain that it will happen. This is not true for the promises of God – We have stability in this world of war; we have an anchor that helps us to stand in the face of difficulty. Hebrews 6:19 “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,” People want an anchor to hold them, and hope gives them purpose and value.
The words faith and hope are very similar in the New Testament – Faith looks at something that has already taken place, and we put our trust in it. Hope is merely faith looking forward. We rejoice in the sure reality that one day we will enter into the glory of God – we will see Him, and experience Him in all of His glory. Hope is the belief that God is going to do what He said He would do.
The Gift of Suffering that Leads to Rejoicing (vv. 3-5)
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Paul is not someone who enjoys pain and suffering. Instead, he knows that because of our relationship with God, our suffering produces something within us. This suffering will cause us to grow as a person. Christians build strength when they endure sufferings. Sufferings also cause us to look beyond our present situation of distress to God and His promises.
James 1:2-4 says something similar, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to pour (not drip) God’s love into the Christian’s heart. When they are experiencing sufferings, and they are trying to endure, and hope – the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirit that God loves us. “That is what fuels our hope and gives us confidence that we will not be ashamed. It is what enables us to persevere and endure trials and tribulations.”[5]
God’s Timing of Justification (vv. 6-8)
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(v. 6) In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and all of humanity fell into sin. This is what we call “original sin.” But the discussion throughout the ages is how much did sin affect humanity? Original sin does not refer to the sin committed by Adam and Eve, but to the consequences of the sin – how far and how deep did the corruption affect the entire human race.
Paul in this Romans passage refers to this corruption as a degree of strength. We are described as being “weak” and “still sinners.” “We have been plunged so deeply into sin that we do not have moral capacity to incline ourselves in any way to the things of God.”[6] We are totally depraved.[7]
Apart from Christ, “we are unable to understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). We were unable to see the kingdom of God or enter it (John 3:3,5). We were unable to seek God (Rom. 3:11).”[8] Paul later uses another image to explain this idea, Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” We are spiritually dead in our trespasses and totally moral corrupt that we will never choose God over the world – so the Holy Spirit moves in our souls and draws us to God.
We have rebelled and sinned against a holy God who is our Creator. This Father God, in His Love, Sent His One and Only Son (who also is God) to pay the price for our sin, to make the relationship right again. Then God the Holy Spirit in our complete moral depravity and spiritual death, allows us to be able to choose Jesus’ gift of salvation and to follow God. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are essential to our justification before God.
(v. 6) “Christ died for the ungodly,” and “while we were still sinners,” – The law of the OT was given to show us one thing (honor your father and mother, have no other gods before God, do not covet, etc.) All the festivals, celebrations, special meals, all should show us one thing – You cannot keep all the laws all the requirements – you cannot be perfect before God. The law was designed by God to alert people to their need for grace and a Savior.
Look what Jesus says on this topic, Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” The law pointed to the need for a Savior, Jesus fulfills the Scriptures by being that He died for the ungodly.
God’s Wrath and Our Reconciliation (vv. 9-10)[9]
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
Jesus, the Son, acted as our mediator between God and Us – He reconciled us back to God the Father, and Paul reminds us that because of that free gift of grace, we are avoiding the wrath of God. The wrath of God is His hatred of sin. The wrath of God is not just an OT teaching, John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Ephesians 2:3 talks about those apart from a relationship with God, “and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
Why would God pour out His wrath upon humanity? “God is sovereign, but the lost oppose him – they do not want anyone to rule over them. God is holy, yet they oppose his holiness. They do not accept His righteous moral standards; they do not want their sinful acts and desires to be called into question. God is omniscient, yet they are angry because God knows them perfectly, nothing is hidden from His sight.”[10] Humans oppose God, we are enemies of God.
God’s attribute of wrath and hatred of sin shows another reason why we should praise and worship Him. Imagine a god that did not hate the evils of this world, injustice and instead delighted in wrong doing, or was just tolerant of sin. A god who does not hate sin, is not worthy of worship, or honor, or praise. But humans do sin, we rebel against our Creator, we do not follow His ways. So, His wrath is justly aimed at everyone, and especially those who reject His Son as the only means of salvation.
Romans 3:25 uses the word propitiation with regards to Jesus; it is a word that means, “a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath to the end and in so doing changes God’s wrath toward us into favor.”[11] To propitiate is to make someone favorable toward you – What is required to make a holy God favorable toward a sinful mankind? His sin has to be dealt with – someone had to bear the full weight of God’s hated of sin. Once that was done, God no longer holds anything against the believer. The believer is seen by God as being as perfect as Jesus. We are accepted as Jesus is accepted.
But even with all that hatred toward sin, He is still patient and longsuffering toward sinners. But don’t think His mercy will he held out forever, 2 Peter 3:9-10 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, . . .” The Lord delays His wrath because He wants as many people to be saved, by faith in His Son, as possible before His return.
“God has made peace, and no other peace can be made except that which He has already made. To talk about making our peace with God is to reject His peace . . . If a man rejects the peace which God has provided through the Lord Jesus Christ, he remains at enmity with God.”[12]
11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
The result of these gifts from God (peace with God, access to God, a hope of being with God in glory, how we grow as a person in this life), how God came to us when we never would have chosen to do so, how we escaped the wrath of God, and Paul says, “more than that,” is joy, unspeakable joy. The Christian life, is meant to be a life of joy. We have so much to be happy about!
“We contemplate our state of affairs in this world and we see our bank accounts sliping away, our homes destroyed, our jobs lost, and our bodies torn by disease, and we have every reason to complain, whine, and weep. But if we lifted our eyes for one second to the cross and the resurrection, we see that Lord God omnipotent, who is too holy even to look at us, now looks at us and embraces us and adopts us as his children because he has reconciled us.”[13] This should bring us nothing but joy!
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[1] RC Sproul, The Righteous Shall Live By Faith, Romans, St. Andrews Expositional Commentary (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2009) 141.
[2] See also Matthew 11:28-30, with the fighting being over, now our soul can rest.
[3] Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s River, Expositions of Bible Doctrines Taking the Epistle to the Romans as a Point of Departure, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973) 38.
[4] Sproul, 145.
[5] Sproul, 152.
[6] Sproul, 154.
[7] Here is a helpful video on the topic of Calvinism v. Arminianism, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q4Z66lF2CA
[8] James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1992) 537.
[9] Just as an aside, if a person doesn’t choose Christ, and they go to hell where there is torment and anguish – why is it eternal? Why after a period of time of this punishment would their sins not be paid for (by their suffering), eventually? Apart from Christ, there is no way for a person to be rid of their sin; they would eternally be sinful. It is their nature. So hypothetically if they paid for their sin from when they were on earth, they still would have continued to be under God’s wrath because they are “dead in their trespasses and sin.,” They have no way of giving themselves spiritual life again. Apart from Christ and the Holy Spirit, you have no way of changing your depraved nature. You are a sinner, and will eternally exist that way apart from salvation in Christ.
[10] Boice, 537.
[11] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1994) 575.
[12] Barnhouse, 22. See also Hebrews 10:29.
[13] Sproul, 166.
“What Happened?” Genesis 3:1-24
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