1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:03,760 Good morning. How are you feeling today, St. 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,200 City? Hey, I tell you what, I am fired 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,720 up about our first Easter. I hope you get you one of these 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:12,800 cards at the tent after service that you would be in prayer for 5 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:14,720 the people in your life that need to be here and here. 6 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:20,240 Jesus Christ has come to planet earth to die for the sins of all 7 00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:23,000 who call upon his name. It is the best thing going is 8 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,520 that Jesus Christ grace is available to any and all who 9 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:28,960 want it. So I want to invite you to join 10 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,520 in on the Easter egg hunt. Man, what an opportunity we got 11 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,600 to go to a Target or wherever, get some Easter egg, get some 12 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:36,120 candy. Let's be generous. 13 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:37,720 Let's be cross shaped in our generosity. 14 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,280 Let's pour it out on this for the sake of this neighborhood, 15 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:42,800 for this city. As your pastor, may I just say 16 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,200 it fills me with such encouragement and joy to see us 17 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,480 all linking for the mission of the gospel here in Tempe and 18 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:51,160 beyond. So please grab some cards, 19 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:53,200 invite some people. We are pumped to do it. 20 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:54,920 But hey, let's get into God's word. 21 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,440 We'll be Joshua Chapter 7 Today we're in the middle of a series 22 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,640 called Not Even 1, highlighting the theme verse of Joshua that 23 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,840 not even one of God's promises has ever failed. 24 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,440 It'll be on page 182 in the Bibles in the seat for you. 25 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:13,000 If you see Bibles on the floor, I promise we respect the word of 26 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,440 God. We just don't have like little 27 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,480 inserts for them on the chairs. But those are actually it's for 28 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,040 you to get your eyes on the Bible. 29 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,640 But also if you don't have a Bible, feel free to grab it. 30 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:23,240 Take it. It is now yours. 31 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:25,480 Congratulations gift to you. That Bible. 32 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,160 It's yours. We're going to be Joshua Chapter 33 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,920 7 and chapter 8 today. So we got to get through a lot 34 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,720 of the text. But before we do, I got 35 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:34,680 something I got to get off my chest. 36 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:39,360 Y'all, some people out here, maybe, maybe you, some people 37 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,720 would say that they do not mind losing. 38 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,000 I don't believe you, I just don't. 39 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,320 I believe that everybody either likes to win or hates to lose. 40 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:51,400 It is one or the other that it is not. 41 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,640 Maybe you're not the most competitive person in the room, 42 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:57,560 but I think inside each and every one of us that we have 43 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,480 what I would call what my friend Alex growing up would refer to 44 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:07,240 as that TWTW, the will to win. We called that TWTW. 45 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,160 And we would use this all the time going about our life like 46 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,000 we would be, you know, driving across town, you know, up to 47 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:14,920 shenanigans, hood rat stuff with our friends. 48 00:02:14,920 --> 00:02:17,000 You know, that's what we do out in high school. 49 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,840 And we would see two people on the streets and they would be 50 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,760 driving their cars And all of a sudden we would see them like 51 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:27,080 race in the middle of a street, their cars as if they were in 52 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,920 Fast and furious Tokyo Drift. And he would point out, he goes, 53 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:32,360 they got that TWTW. You know, that will to win. 54 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:33,960 They're trying to beat the light, they're trying to beat 55 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,560 the person next to him. We would do it when we would see 56 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:38,760 little 7 year olds that would coach flag football. 57 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,800 There would just be some of them that I mean they get emotional 58 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:47,720 with defeat, like I mean tears, screaming because they wanted to 59 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:49,600 win. They had the will to win. 60 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,520 It would be like card games in study hall. 61 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,760 Instead of doing our homework, we would often times play euchre 62 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,280 and we would not want other people to be our partner because 63 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:05,720 they didn't have that TW TW. That TWDTW is a big deal because 64 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,440 athletes feel it, businesses feel it. 65 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,440 Even the uncompetitive people among us today still want to win 66 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:17,440 in some area of their life. But with Joshua Chapter 7 and 67 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,080 Chapter 8, it's going to show us something surprising today. 68 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:27,680 That just because you have that will to win that TWTW doesn't 69 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,720 mean you experience spiritual victory. 70 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:39,040 That just because you want to win, it means you can still lose 71 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:44,760 spiritually. Here's a main thought for us 72 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:46,840 this morning. A big idea. 73 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:52,800 Spiritual victory is 1 on the battlefield of obedience. 74 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,680 How does spiritual victory happen? 75 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:03,240 How do we win as Christians? How do we have that TWTW? 76 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:08,080 Well, spiritual victory is 1 on the battlefield of obedience. 77 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,240 That's what we're going to learn in two chapters of the Bible. 78 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:12,080 We're kind of speed reading it a bit today. 79 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:17,920 Bible maxing, perhaps? College students, We're trying 80 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:19,519 to get through two chapters. We're trying to let it know that 81 00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:22,360 it is profitable for your life and get you through the main 82 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:24,040 themes of these two chapters of Joshua. 83 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,040 But before we do, I want to pray one more time for us and for our 84 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,760 hearts and our minds as we interact with and engage with 85 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,800 God's words. Would you join me as I pray? 86 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:37,120 Lord, this moment, these people are for you, and they are your 87 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,600 people, and I am just but a messenger. 88 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,360 So would you make me so gloriously small, so you can be 89 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,920 so infinitely big, that your words and your power and your 90 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,520 might would be on grand display, and it would remove me as much 91 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:54,960 as possible in the process that they would behold the glory and 92 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,000 the majesty of Jesus Christ as revealed to us in two chapters 93 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:01,880 of the Bible. God, would you give heat where 94 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,440 hearts have grown cold? Would you bring light where 95 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:08,800 minds are dark, so that people would know who Jesus is and what 96 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:10,840 he's done for them in Jesus name, Amen. 97 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:12,640 Amen. All right, Joshua Chapter 7, the 98 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,160 big bold 7 on page 182. Just to catch you up, if you are 99 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:20,720 new to the story of Joshua, Joshua is the successor to a man 100 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:22,400 you might have heard of called Moses. 101 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:26,360 This is about 1400 years before Jesus walks the face of the 102 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:28,400 planet and a few things have happened. 103 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:30,520 He's been appointed most successor. 104 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,000 They have met this woman named Rahab who's a prostitute in the 105 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,360 city of Jericho. She saves a couple of their 106 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,080 spies. They cross the Jordan River to 107 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,040 go conquer her city called Jericho. 108 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,600 Last week in chapter 6, we learned that the Israelites 109 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:50,960 after walking around the city, that God completely annihilates 110 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:55,600 the city of Jericho and they take it by divine force, divine 111 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:59,320 demolition you could say, and Rahab and her family are spared. 112 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:01,360 This is the story of Joshua thus far. 113 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:06,120 And with the battle of Jericho, you have two people highlighted 114 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,560 in between the battle. You have Rahab in chapter 2 and 115 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:14,240 you have Aiken who are about to learn about in Chapter 7 and we 116 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,800 get to verse one. It says this, but the people of 117 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:21,320 Israel, after conquering the city of Jericho, they broke 118 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,520 faith in regard to the devoted things. 119 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:25,280 I want you to underline that. We're going to talk about that a 120 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:28,720 good deal here in a moment because here's what happened. 121 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,680 Aiken, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, son of Zara of the 122 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,920 tribe of Judah, what did he do? He did a no no. 123 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:43,120 He took some of the devoted things and the anger of the Lord 124 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,840 burned against the people of Israel. 125 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,320 So Joshua sent men from Jericho to AI. 126 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:54,160 Now this is not a ChatGPT. This is not clawed. 127 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:56,560 Like I feel like I'm one of the first preachers ever to have to 128 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:58,040 explain that. That is a difference in the 129 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:00,320 text. It is an ancient city called AI, 130 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:02,560 which is near Betheven east of Bethel. 131 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:04,760 And he said to them, go up and spy out the land. 132 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:07,320 And the men went up and they spy out the city of AI. 133 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:09,920 They returned to Joshua. They said to him, hey, don't 134 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,920 have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand 135 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,160 men go up the hill and attack the city of AI. 136 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,400 Do not make the whole people toil up there for they, the 137 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:25,120 people of AI are few. So about 3000 men went up there 138 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:29,760 from the people, and when they get there they lose. 139 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:33,520 They fled before the men of AI and the men of AI killed about 140 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,840 36 of their men and chased them before the gate as far as 141 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,160 Shabarim and struck them at the descent. 142 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:44,040 And the people of Israel, their hearts melted and became as 143 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:46,400 water. Up until this point, that phrase 144 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:48,880 has only been used of the Canaanite people, of the people, 145 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,320 not of God. But now the people of God are 146 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:52,880 feeling what the Canaanites felt. 147 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:55,040 They're saying, whoa, our hearts are melted. 148 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:57,000 We are fearful. We are dismayed. 149 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:01,240 We are in big, big trouble. Now, this city of AI, it's about 150 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:03,920 15 miles away from Jericho. It's smaller. 151 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:05,640 It's literally only about a couple acres. 152 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:10,840 Like it's not that big of a city of the people of Israel. 153 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,120 Joshua sends them up and though their army is the one who they 154 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,720 felt like maybe conquered Jericho, they're realizing real 155 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:18,640 quick it is not them that conquered Jericho. 156 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,760 It was their God that they capture that city not because 157 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:25,080 they were big and strong and powerful, but because their God 158 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,640 was. And they get to this new city of 159 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:32,440 AI and they're realizing, wait a second, though, we might want to 160 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,360 win. At AI, though, we think we've 161 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,760 only experienced victory since the wilderness. 162 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:45,080 We just experienced defeat and loss and it didn't go the way we 163 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:48,080 thought it would go. And I think this is helpful for 164 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:49,880 us that if we're going to experience spiritual victory on 165 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:52,720 the battlefield of obedience, then here's the question I want 166 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:56,600 to answer with us today is how do I win in my walk with God? 167 00:08:57,360 --> 00:08:59,440 Because if there's a way to lose, I want to know how to win. 168 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:03,000 I want to have that TWTW with my walk with God. 169 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,080 How do I win my walk with God? Well, let's say it like this. 170 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:10,400 If I want to win spiritually, first, don't hide my sin. 171 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,160 If you want to win spiritually, if we want to win spiritually as 172 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:17,720 a people of Saint City, what do we have to do? 173 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:22,360 We have to be a people who do not have secret sins, who do not 174 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:30,520 have hidden sins because it has grave consequences, life 175 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:36,320 altering consequences. If we want to win spiritually. 176 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:40,240 If you want to win spiritually, do not be a person who hides 177 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,520 your sin. Akin who he'd heard in those 178 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:45,320 first couple verses. Here's what he disobeyed back in 179 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:49,480 chapter 6, verse 18. But you keep you, people of 180 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:53,920 Israel, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction. 181 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:59,760 God set aside portions of Jericho for himself, the first 182 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,600 fruits of their treasury and their coats and their goods. 183 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:07,040 He said, hey, those things are devoted to destruction. 184 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,240 The Hebrew word for it is called the harem. 185 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,520 It just means this thing, it's set apart so that God can 186 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,800 destroy it. He wants it, therefore it is 187 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:17,960 his. He technically owns the whole 188 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,800 city, but he wants this part to be designated and devoted to 189 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:26,720 destruction. Aiken gets inside of Jericho and 190 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:31,280 he goes into somebody's closet. Apparently he's like, oh, I like 191 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:33,760 me that coat. So he takes a guy's coat. 192 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:37,480 Not only does he take a man's coat, he takes a pile full of 193 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:39,480 money. He says, I like that silver. 194 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:41,200 I like that gold. I'm going to take all that that 195 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:44,280 was supposed to be set aside to God, but it was devoted to 196 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,040 destruction. But I want it. 197 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:53,280 So not only does he take it, but as you read the chapter on, go 198 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:57,200 to verse 12 with me, Joshua rose. 199 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:58,600 Oh, excuse me, I'm in chapter 6 still. 200 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:01,720 Then verse 10. Then the Lord said to Joshua, 201 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,720 get up. Why have you fallen on your 202 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:05,640 face? Israel has sinned. 203 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,800 They have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them. 204 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:13,560 They have taken some of the devoted things they have stolen 205 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:17,080 and lied and put them among their own belongings. 206 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:24,800 Akin doesn't just sin personally, he sins against a 207 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:29,600 holy God. He goes against what God has 208 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:34,480 says, and he learns a painful lesson here, that the pain of 209 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:37,440 concealing your sin is far worse than the pain of confessing it. 210 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:43,080 The chapter will go on to say that he goes and he buries it 211 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,960 underneath his literal tent. There's a hole in the ground, a 212 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:50,440 secret basement of sorts, of all the plunder he took that wasn't 213 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:52,080 his to have, but it was God's to have. 214 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,160 And he buries it inside his tent and his family knows about it. 215 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:59,760 And he's going to learn gravely that the pain of concealing your 216 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:02,760 sin is far worse than the pain of confessing it. 217 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:09,120 He's actually, the writer of the book, is trying to help us see 218 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:13,280 that you have Rahab, who has faith and is saved from 219 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:16,360 destruction. Meanwhile, you have an Israelite 220 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:20,600 named Akin who disobeys and is destroyed. 221 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:29,400 That's how serious sin is. That's how serious disobedience 222 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,680 is. That's why it's a battlefield of 223 00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:41,040 obedience is because there's casualties in a war and the 224 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:46,440 world gets understandably upset at Christians who hide their 225 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:52,280 sin, who are hypocrites with secret sins. 226 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:55,640 If you are new to Saints City, let me just tell you, we are a 227 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:59,240 place full of people who sin. There's not a single perfect 228 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,360 person in this room. In fact, no perfect people are 229 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:03,920 allowed at Saint City because we only worship one of them and his 230 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:06,200 name is Jesus. OK, He died for your sins so 231 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,040 that you wouldn't have to live in bondage. 232 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:10,960 You can live in freedom and unto Him forever more. 233 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:14,760 But the world gets upset with Christians because we will say 234 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:18,120 one thing like we have no sin, but the Bible says we would 235 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:22,680 deceive ourselves if we say we don't have sin instead we have 236 00:13:22,680 --> 00:13:25,040 it. So why do we try to hide it? 237 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:31,520 I think it's so interesting here. 238 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:38,280 Is that akin sins against perfect and holy God? 239 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:40,760 I think there's a few attributes I want to highlight about God 240 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,040 that I think we miss in the middle of our moments of sin and 241 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,320 disobedience. First verse 11, go back to it 242 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:49,280 with me. Israel has sinned and they have 243 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:51,680 transgressed my covenant that I commanded them. 244 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:54,880 They have taken some of the devoted things. 245 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,480 First attribute of God I want to highlight for you is that God is 246 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:01,000 omniscient, which means He knows everything. 247 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:03,640 There's not a thing he doesn't know or a thing he has 248 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:05,720 forgotten. He only knows because he only 249 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:09,240 knows. He is the knower of things. 250 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:13,080 And Aiken thought he could hide his sin, but he can't hide it 251 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:18,920 from a God who is omniscient. He has taken the devoted things. 252 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:21,440 Aiken thought it was hidden. It was not hidden. 253 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:23,960 There's a God who he sinned against who is omniscient. 254 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:25,400 But not only that. Verse 12. 255 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:28,720 Therefore, the people of Israel cannot stand before their 256 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:30,880 enemies. They turn their backs before 257 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:34,680 their enemies because they have become devoted for destruction. 258 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:40,600 I will be with you no more. It's one of the saddest 259 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:45,800 sentences in the Bible. Anytime God's presence leaves 260 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:50,880 somebody in the Old Testament because of their sin, it's 261 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,840 tragedy. But an attribute here that you 262 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,680 have to understand about God is His righteous jealousy. 263 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:01,160 You see, He's the greatest thing going on planet earth. 264 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,040 He is the Lord Almighty. There is no one as sweet as Him, 265 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:06,960 no more as loving as Him, no one as powerful as him. 266 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:11,160 And God, when He says to not do something, He expects to be 267 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:14,920 obeyed, and he wants your full affection. 268 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,960 And by aching going to those goods, by going to that coach, 269 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:20,800 by going and stealing that pile of money, by trying to hide it, 270 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,840 he was saying to God subtly, hey, God, guess what? 271 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,400 I love these things more than I love doing what you say. 272 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:29,000 I love these things more than I love you. 273 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:35,040 And God is right to be jealous. He's the only one who can be 274 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:40,160 unsinfully jealous because jealousy is wrongly wanting 275 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:41,720 something that is not yours to have. 276 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,400 God is right in wanting your affection. 277 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:47,920 He's right in wanting your worship because he's fully 278 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:54,440 deserving of it and a can sinned against a God who told him to 279 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:59,120 destroy the devoted things. So he's omniscient. 280 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,600 He's got righteous jealousy. Verse 13 he's got holiness is 281 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:07,080 who who he sinned against. He tells the people, Hey, 282 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:08,880 consecrate yourselves for tomorrow. 283 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:11,480 For thus says the Lord, there are devoted things in your 284 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:13,240 midst. O Lord, you cannot stand before 285 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,480 your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among 286 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,160 you. God's holiness is His utter 287 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:21,440 perfection. He is set apart. 288 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:24,680 He cannot be near sin. He's incapable of being 289 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:26,920 otherwise. It would compromise the reality 290 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:31,000 that He is holy. He can't be near sin. 291 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:40,480 His presence can't dwell there in His presence, His Holiness. 292 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:43,880 Excuse me? In order to get into the 293 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,920 presence of a holy God, you need a holy one to go before you. 294 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:54,440 You need a sacrifice for your sin because the wages of sin, 295 00:16:54,440 --> 00:17:01,320 the payment for sin is death, and God is holy. 296 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:04,680 And when you sin against him, you are not just sinning against 297 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:07,319 another person, you are sitting against an eternally infinite 298 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:12,560 holy being. Your sin is that serious. 299 00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:20,800 Verse 15, we learn He has the authority, He who was taken with 300 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:22,560 the devoted things shall be burned with fire. 301 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,560 He and all that he has because he has transgressed the covenant 302 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:30,120 of the Lord and because he has done an outrageous thing in 303 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:31,960 Israel. That is a strong phrase. 304 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:36,920 I think when we get to a text like this and we see God 305 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:44,600 executing judgement, we get a little like off a rocker, a bit 306 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:46,160 like kind of uneasy, like, wait, God. 307 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:49,680 I wouldn't have put that in the Bible if I were you. 308 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,560 That feels like it's disjointed. It feels like that's not the God 309 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,760 that I understand him to be. I don't know if you guys watch 310 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:58,320 Survivor, but it's one of my favorite shows. 311 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:01,840 And what happens every season in Survivor is a bunch of people 312 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:04,720 get on an island and they film it 24 hours a day, seven days a 313 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:07,520 week until the conclusion of the days that they're supposed to be 314 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:09,960 on the island. And what's interesting to me is 315 00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:12,600 there's a room that happens after they film it all, where 316 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:17,440 the editors put together an edit of the story they want to tell 317 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:20,280 for this season of Survivor. So some people get what we call 318 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,360 a villains edit where they're looking really mean and 319 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,440 deceitful and bad. You get a hero edit where you're 320 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:29,360 like, oh, this person is pure. You get the Comic Relief at it. 321 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:32,600 You get all these edits. And I think sometimes as 322 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:36,320 Christians, we look at God and we get kind of squeamish about 323 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:38,320 the Bible. Like God, why would you talk 324 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:40,320 about your judgement like this? Why would you do it? 325 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,440 Why would you not edit this out? Listen to me. 326 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:47,920 God is making no apology for the reality that hey, here's who I 327 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:51,320 am and here's how the world works. 328 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,800 He's saying, hey guess what people, we are sent. 329 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,000 You are sinful before me, you are unholy before me. 330 00:18:58,000 --> 00:18:59,560 There is not even one good person. 331 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:01,560 But guess what? I want to make a way so we can 332 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,080 have relationship again. I want to offer you obedience so 333 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,760 we can be in relationship again. He's saying to you, hey guess 334 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:10,680 what? All of humanity stands condemned 335 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,680 under my judgement because I am holy and you are not. 336 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:17,840 Not one of you is. And he doesn't edit this out 337 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:19,720 because all of us stand under judgement. 338 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:23,960 So He is always right to execute His judgement whenever he sees 339 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,720 fit. And in his his patience and his 340 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:30,320 grace and His love and His mercy, that withholds the 341 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,920 judgement. So when God does what he's about 342 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,560 to do, when he's about to annihilate a whole city and he's 343 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:38,120 about to kill off Akin for his sin, guess what? 344 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,560 He is right to do so. He has the authority to do so. 345 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:46,040 You sinned against him and by letter of the law, the wages of 346 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:51,120 sin is what death. This is who God has taught us 347 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:54,160 for who He is. So you have to understand God to 348 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:56,760 understand what's happening in Joshua, because if you 349 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,280 misunderstand God, you would think He's unloving, unkind, and 350 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:04,160 unjust to take life. But it is His life to take and 351 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:07,080 it is to judge. In fact, that's the right. 352 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,800 The last category of his character I want to highlight 353 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:11,960 for you. It is His right to judge. 354 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:17,120 Joshua says in verse 25, why, Aiken, did you bring trouble 355 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:20,040 upon us? The Lord brings trouble on you 356 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:22,120 today. And Israel stoned him with 357 00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:25,440 stones, and they burned his family with fire and stoned them 358 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:32,160 with stones. Sin is more serious than you can 359 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:38,360 even possibly realize. Even something as seemingly 360 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:44,680 small as swiping a coat and some silver from the Lord has grave 361 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:49,120 consequence. And God is showing us something 362 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:54,080 here, something He knows to be true, that you are as sick as 363 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:58,640 your secrets. Aiken realized just how 364 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:04,120 devastatingly consequential sinning against God was, and 365 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:07,120 he's serving as a warning for us and for any who'd read this 366 00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:09,040 passage. It is God's loving kindness to 367 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,280 show us this is what happens when you sin against God is you 368 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,680 are becoming devoted to destruction. 369 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,600 You become the harem. That's what you become. 370 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:21,760 So there's no need to hide your sin. 371 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:24,520 He's saying, bring it to me and I will deal with it. 372 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,520 I will make it paid for. I will foot the bill for your 373 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,640 sin, but don't think you have it in yourself to fix it. 374 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:34,960 In fact, I think the enemy whispers lies into all of our 375 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:40,560 ears about sin here. Lies that we believe, lies like 376 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:44,160 sin is not a big deal. That's not that big a deal that 377 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,960 I watched that it's not a big deal that I said that it's not a 378 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:51,240 big deal that I felt that, that I thought that it's just not a 379 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:53,760 big deal. Which plays into the second lie 380 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,160 that we believe that nobody else is affected. 381 00:21:57,880 --> 00:21:59,560 We think to ourselves that sin doesn't act. 382 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:01,280 It only affects us. It doesn't affect others. 383 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:03,320 But look at this. Look back at the text with me 384 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:09,360 Akin the son of Karmi, the IT says in verse one, the people of 385 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:13,080 Israel broke faith. The whole nation of Israel, the 386 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,000 people of God were affected by one man's sin. 387 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:18,800 I just don't think we have a high enough view of what sin 388 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,920 does. It affects people whether or not 389 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:26,640 you see it. Your sinful choices have grave 390 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,640 consequences. And I think we also believe the 391 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:35,080 lie that nobody will find the sin out, it's not a big deal, 392 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:37,200 nobody else is affected, and that nobody else is going to 393 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:39,360 find out. I've got this covered. 394 00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:41,680 I'm smart enough to hide it. I'm smart enough to cover it. 395 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,440 I'm smart enough so nobody else sees it. 396 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:49,000 Numbers chapter 32, verse 23. Here's a promise God has kept. 397 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:50,560 Remember, not even one of his fails. 398 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:55,400 Here's a promise He made Israel. Be sure your sin will find you 399 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:59,440 out. Be sure, be certain, be 400 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,880 confident that God will reveal your sin. 401 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:13,760 It's not an if, it's a when nothing that is hidden won't 402 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:22,360 come to light in our backyard, I'll often go check with a 403 00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:27,760 black, black light flashlight for the critters of Arizona 404 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:32,520 known as scorpions. I've learned first hand that 405 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:34,320 those are a little bit dangerous to young kids. 406 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:36,440 So I go out and I'll go mark for. 407 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:38,480 And I think it's so fascinating that if you go out with a black 408 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,040 light, they might think they're hidden, but the second you pull 409 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,280 out that black light flashlight, they are exposed. 410 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:49,520 They are no longer hidden. They are no longer a threat 411 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:53,560 even, and I will gladly go take a blowtorch to them or a boot. 412 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,120 I will do something to eradicate them from my presence. 413 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:00,360 Get out of here. Be gone, scorpions. 414 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:08,120 When we believe those lies, we're forgetting who God is. 415 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:12,640 Listen to me. God sees and hears everything, 416 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,800 and He has the power and authority and judgement seats to 417 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,600 do something about it. You know what that creates in 418 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:22,560 US? It's something the Bible calls 419 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:26,080 the fear of the Lord. That's a good thing. 420 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:29,440 That's not a bad thing. Some of you were like, maybe you 421 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:31,080 would fall in Jesus. Like, wait, I think the Bible 422 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:32,400 says. I've seen it on like an 423 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:34,320 Instagram post before. Do not be afraid. 424 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:35,920 Yeah, generally do not be afraid. 425 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:37,800 The Bible's about to say that in chapter 8, verse one, too. 426 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:42,120 Don't be afraid. But there is a holy fear that 427 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:45,720 exists and it's a fear of the holiness of God because anytime 428 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:47,120 you get near the holiness of God is a Sinner. 429 00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:50,360 Guess what, you are deserving of punishment and judgement. 430 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:52,760 But God is saying, guess what, you don't have to be afraid of 431 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,760 me in the sinful sense, but in the holy sense that guess what, 432 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,720 I am king of kings, I am Lord of Lords, I am higher than you. 433 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:01,640 I have thoughts that are higher than yours. 434 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,160 And if you would hear my voice today, he says, guess what? 435 00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:09,640 You have to know that sin is that gravely consequential. 436 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:13,360 Do not hide it, it will get exposed otherwise. 437 00:25:13,360 --> 00:25:17,040 God says to you like he says in Chapter 7 verse 12, I will be 438 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:22,760 with you no more. Don't hide your sin, deal with 439 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:25,720 it. Don't hide your sin. 440 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,760 Don't leave it undisclosed to God and to others. 441 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,200 That's what I mean by hiding it. Deal with it. 442 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:35,400 That is a path to spiritual victory. 443 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:40,760 That is a path to obedience. That TWTW is good when it comes 444 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:44,840 to obeying God. So here's the way we try to deal 445 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:46,960 with it though that Akin and the people of Israel deal with it. 446 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:53,400 Look at now at chapter 8, chapter 8, verse one and the 447 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:56,400 Lord said to Joshua, do not fear and do not be dismayed. 448 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:58,920 You've taken care of Akin. You've taken care of the sin in 449 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:01,160 the camp. Now take all the fighting men 450 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:05,600 with you and arise go up to AI and your pizza phrase you said 451 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,680 about Jericho to Joshua here. See, I have given you past 452 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:11,160 tense. It's already happened. 453 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,440 It's as good as done. The city is yours. 454 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:18,760 I have given into your hand the king of AI, his people, his city 455 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:23,040 and his land. And you shall do to AI and his 456 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:26,240 king as you did to Jericho. And it's king only its spoil and 457 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,080 its livestock. You shall take us plunder for 458 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:29,880 yourselves. Here's how I want you to. 459 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:32,400 I want you to lay an ambush against the city behind it. 460 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:35,440 What do we learn about God here? What do we learn about winning 461 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,440 spiritually here? How do we win in our walk with 462 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:39,080 God? I think chapter 8's going to 463 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,400 show us something in these first 2 verses that's helpful on how 464 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,960 to win spiritually. It's second, don't look within. 465 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:50,080 If I want to win spiritually, I don't just not hide my sin, but 466 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,480 also I don't look within. Joshua's going to serve in 467 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,240 contrast now to the people of AI. 468 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,520 He's going to serve as an example of what it looks like to 469 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,840 appeal to God's mercies and depend on God for salvation 470 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,280 rather than his own wisdom, his own might, his own strategy. 471 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:08,360 He's saying, hey, God, what do you want me to do? 472 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:11,160 And I'm going to do it. Whereas the people of AI are 473 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:12,920 going to think they're big enough, strong enough, powerful 474 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:17,120 enough to overcome God's might and power and his judgement. 475 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,040 Joshua looks to the Lord for rescue, whereas the people of AI 476 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,680 look at their own selves for strength and might. 477 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,880 They looked within another way to say this would be 478 00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:33,960 self-reliance, which is the number one roadblock to 479 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:40,200 following Jesus. So verse one, the Lord says to 480 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:42,160 Joshua, don't be feared to be dismayed. 481 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:44,920 Take all the fighting men with you and arise. 482 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:47,200 Go up to AI. See, I've given into your hand 483 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:49,200 the king of AI. Do you know what attribute 484 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:54,760 you're seeing there of God? His mercy, His mercy. 485 00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:59,200 God didn't owe this to Joshua, the people of Israel. 486 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,000 He could have wiped out this generation and started over 487 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,760 again and fulfilled his promise with another generation. 488 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:07,400 He could have done that. But his mercy says, hey, it's 489 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:11,680 new today and guess what? This city, it's still yours. 490 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:14,360 We're going to keep taking the promised land, the land that I 491 00:28:14,360 --> 00:28:17,280 promised your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 492 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:20,400 It is going to be yours. And I've given you in, given 493 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:24,520 into your hand, the king of AI, his people, his city, his land. 494 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:27,840 And that is God's mercy, which strengthens us believers. 495 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,120 God's mercy is one of the most strengthening forces this side 496 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:38,160 of heaven. Grace and mercy kind of go hand 497 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,080 in hand. Grace is getting something you 498 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:45,320 don't deserve, OK, but mercy is not getting something you do. 499 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:48,760 You do deserve it, but you don't get it. 500 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:54,800 It's withholding. They deserved the people of 501 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:57,640 Israel under Joshua deserve to not get the promised land. 502 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,040 They deserved judgement and God withheld it. 503 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:08,360 And he said, you know what? Here's the land of AI, and then 504 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:14,760 we see God's creativity. Verse 5, lay an ambush against 505 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:17,960 the city behind it. This is really interesting 506 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:19,920 because the rest of the chapter is going to highlight for us 507 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:22,800 just how the sequence goes. Like he says, hey, here's how 508 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:24,320 the ambush is going to work. Joshua, you're going to come at 509 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:26,160 from the front with some people. Then you're going to act scared, 510 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:27,800 then you're going to run away. And meanwhile, there's going to 511 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:30,240 be people right here when they go and chase you, when you 512 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,520 retreat, they're going to set the city on fire. 513 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,640 And that's God's plan. God's like, hey, here's how I 514 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:38,120 want to win this battle. And so the people of Israel 515 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,960 executed the men of AI that are trapped between the two 516 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:43,680 Israelite forces and they get defeated and Israel does what 517 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:46,120 God says. They kill the remaining 518 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:48,840 inhabitants. They listen to God and execute 519 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,600 his judgement through them, which is not our responsibility 520 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:53,160 anymore. By the way, this is the book of 521 00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:55,600 Joshua in the Old Testament. God has made our enemies 522 00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:58,400 different nowadays where we get to love them and pray for them. 523 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:01,360 Those who persecute us, totally different categories before 524 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:03,240 Jesus's arrival. Sorry, that's the Bible. 525 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:05,360 Side note, just want to make sure we know we're not waging 526 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,120 holy war. That's not our job. 527 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,640 But this time, unlike Jericho, God explicitly allows Israel to 528 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:13,680 take some of the livestock and the spoil. 529 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,440 That's the only difference between AI and Jericho. 530 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:23,440 And what we see here on grand display is God's power, which we 531 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:28,000 are intended to yield to. We are intended to yield to his 532 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,040 power. I think a lot of the world 533 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:34,600 follows DJ Khaled's the theologian, I might add, DJ 534 00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:40,640 Khaled, his mantra for how life goes, that all I do is win no 535 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:42,480 matter what. Got money on my mind, I can 536 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,320 never give it up. Yeah, I think the world actually 537 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:49,120 thinks that all they do is win. I think that's the way the world 538 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:52,040 often thinks, that he captures it actually really helpfully. 539 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:55,320 And I think he actually captures what the people of AI thought is 540 00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:57,720 they beat Israel the first time, they're going to beat him again. 541 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:01,160 And I think that if you were in the city that day, you would 542 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:06,240 have heard things like this, that the people of AI, but their 543 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:09,720 famous last words, thinking that they were victorious, that 544 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,680 they're like, you know what, I'm working on myself right now. 545 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:15,480 I don't got to worry about turning to this God of Israel 546 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:18,640 yet. I don't, you know, need to 547 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:20,640 become a better version of me. I need to become a better 548 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:22,120 version of me. I don't feel like that God helps 549 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,960 me do that. That they're sitting there going 550 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:27,680 through their life in the city of AI and they're convincing 551 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,600 themselves of self-reliance. They're looking within saying, 552 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:32,920 you know what? We've lasted this long without 553 00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:35,080 this God. We can keep lasting without this 554 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,600 God that if we beat them, they, oh, they weren't so big, they 555 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:40,120 weren't so strong, they weren't so mighty. 556 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:41,960 What the heck? We shouldn't be afraid of them. 557 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:43,640 We shouldn't be afraid of their God. 558 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,880 And they looked within, not realizing that it was God's 559 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:52,400 grace and patience giving them a chance to, like Rahab, turn from 560 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:55,880 their sin and repent and say, God, no, you are the strong one. 561 00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:59,600 You are the mighty 1. You are the powerful one that 562 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:01,440 we're intended to listen to and obey. 563 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:10,360 Every other world religion thinks this way. 564 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:17,560 AI is a picture of what it looks like to believe in anything 565 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:23,160 other than Jesus for salvation. My growth will save me, My 566 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,840 effort will save me. My strength will save me. 567 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,200 There's another religion that's very prominent here locally that 568 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:37,160 claims to be Christian, and in their literature it says that it 569 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,400 is by grace through faith that you are saved. 570 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:45,840 After all you can do. Listen to me. 571 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:48,120 That is not good news. That is not the gospel, because 572 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:51,080 there you can never do enough to be saved. 573 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:55,760 It is not of your own doing, but God being rich in mercy because 574 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:58,600 of the great love which He loved us, made us alive together with 575 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:01,360 Christ. And it is by grace through faith 576 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:03,400 that you have been saved. And this is not of your own 577 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:05,480 doing. It as a free gift of God so that 578 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:08,280 no one may boast. Listen to me. 579 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:11,280 This is the good news of Jesus. This is how you become alive. 580 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:13,360 This is how you get spared from destruction. 581 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:17,680 This is how you are spared of God's judgement upon your life 582 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:21,520 for all of eternity. You turn to him and say God, I 583 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:25,440 need you to save me. I need you to rescue me. 584 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:29,240 I need you to deliver me. You don't look within, you look 585 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:33,440 to the Lord, because if you are looking in for salvation, you 586 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:37,480 will not find it there. You cannot save yourself. 587 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:42,600 It breaks my heart to read the story of AI and picture the 588 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:45,560 people in our life right now who are devoted to destruction 589 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,240 because they believe that lie that they can save themselves. 590 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:55,320 Salvation is found in no one else, only Jesus Christ and His 591 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:56,600 blood. That's it. 592 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:03,560 Can't look within. We have to look to the Lord. 593 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:08,440 And if we want to win spiritually, here's the third 594 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:10,440 and final thing. We have to trust in Him. 595 00:34:11,639 --> 00:34:16,120 It's a trust in Him. It's a faith in Him, in who God 596 00:34:16,120 --> 00:34:19,840 says He is, in doing what he says for us to do. 597 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:23,159 It's trusting His wisdom. Joshua goes out into the 598 00:34:23,159 --> 00:34:26,960 battlefield in verse 18 and God told him to shout stretch out 599 00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:28,040 the javelin. Excuse me? 600 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:30,400 He's like, hey, stretch it out and put it down when I tell you 601 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:31,760 to. So that's what Joshua does. 602 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:36,159 I picture like Peter and Narnia, except saying for Narnia, he's 603 00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:39,080 like for Israel. And then like the whole city 604 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:44,600 collapses and he holds it out there awaiting God's judgement 605 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:47,960 upon the city. And in verse 34 and 35 at the 606 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:50,400 end of the chapter, something awesome happens. 607 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:54,520 And afterward, Joshua, after they've beaten the city, after 608 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:56,920 they've set it ablaze and they've executed God judgment, 609 00:34:56,920 --> 00:34:59,600 they've listened to him word for word, following his wisdom, 610 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:03,000 obeying what God has said, winning the spiritual victory, 611 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:07,880 because they obey God again and again and again and again and 612 00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:09,200 again. Look what he does next. 613 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:11,960 And afterward, after the victory, what does he do? 614 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,400 He worships. He reads all the words of the 615 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:18,760 law, the blessing and the curse according to what is written in 616 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,920 Genesis through Leviticus, through Numbers and Deuteronomy. 617 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:25,280 He reads the whole book. That's how I know this. 618 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:28,160 Look at verse 35. There was not a word of all that 619 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:30,680 Moses commanded that Joshua did not read. 620 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,600 That would be like me getting up after Easter Sunday and going, 621 00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:38,000 hey, service is not done yet. Let me read for you the book of 622 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,760 Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. 623 00:35:41,560 --> 00:35:44,280 Did I miss one? Thank you, Miss Leviticus. 624 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:48,280 See, keeping you on your toes out there, I would read 5 books 625 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:51,560 of the Torah for you. That's what Joshua, as the 626 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:52,960 spiritual leader says, you know what? 627 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:58,240 We're going to make sure we know who God is, what he says to do, 628 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:00,600 and we're going to worship even after the victory. 629 00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:06,680 And there's a phrase there that you might have missed. 630 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:10,640 He reads it before all the assembly of Israel. 631 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:15,440 The women are there, the little ones, and listen to this and the 632 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:21,600 sojourners who lived among them. That's the Bible giving you a 633 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:25,040 hyperlink to this idea. God was saving more than this 634 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:28,280 Israel, even then, that in Genesis 12 when he asked 635 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:30,160 Abraham, when he told Abraham he's going to make him a 636 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:34,240 blessing to all nations, that there were people, there were 637 00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:37,240 people from AI who were spared of the wrath of God. 638 00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:39,160 Why? Because they realized they 639 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:40,720 couldn't look within. They had to look to God. 640 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:46,440 There were sojourners like Rahab among them, aliens, people who 641 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:50,240 were not of Israel. And he says, hey, here's who we 642 00:36:50,240 --> 00:36:53,120 are, here's who our God is, here's how we live. 643 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:57,720 And he tells it to all of them and they all turn to God in 644 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:01,600 trust. Do you know what trust looks 645 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:03,400 like? It looks like Jimmy Chitwood. 646 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:07,200 Now, I just said a name that I would guarantee most of you have 647 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:09,400 no idea who I'm talking about, and that's OK Come explain. 648 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,680 Jimmy Chitwood is the best basketball player that you've 649 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:14,440 never heard of because he's from the movie Hoosiers. 650 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,120 Now, Hoosiers is an old basketball movie that maybe your 651 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:19,560 dad or your grandpa depend on your age or you like. 652 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:22,120 My dad's favorite movie was Hoosiers growing up. 653 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:24,480 So I've seen it a couple times. And in this movie, The sports 654 00:37:24,480 --> 00:37:27,640 classic, the whole championship comes down to one play, one 655 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:30,200 shot, one player, Jimmy Chitwood. 656 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:32,800 And then in the huddle, they're trying to determine how they're 657 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:34,280 going to win the game, how they're going to win the state 658 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:40,320 championship in Indiana. And Jimmy just says one phrase. 659 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:44,680 I'll make it. And he says it in the most like, 660 00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:46,800 Indiana farm boy way too, like, I'll make it. 661 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:50,520 So the whole team does what they're supposed to do in that 662 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:53,320 moment. They put their hope into action, 663 00:37:55,160 --> 00:38:01,200 into one man, and that's the picture of the gospel, of what 664 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:03,720 it looks like to trust in Jesus for salvation. 665 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:09,120 Jimmy said I will make it, but Jesus said I'll make a way. 666 00:38:10,720 --> 00:38:12,920 Don't you see? There is no other way to be 667 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:15,440 spared God's judgement other than through Jesus Christ and 668 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:17,560 His blood. Because God is so holy that your 669 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:20,960 sin cannot hide from Him. He is so just that sin must be 670 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:24,600 dealt with, it must be judged. But God is merciful, He is 671 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:28,880 gracious, and He sends Jesus 1400 years later to enter into 672 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:31,160 creation. He says, hey, guess what, I'm 673 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,280 going to make a way. I'm going to live the life they 674 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:34,720 couldn't live. I'm going to die the death they 675 00:38:34,720 --> 00:38:37,000 should have died and I'm going to do it so they might have life 676 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,600 with me forever more. I'm going to send to heaven 677 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:42,120 never to die again. And this is the way of Jesus. 678 00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:45,520 And he says if you put your full trust in me, if you put your 679 00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:49,200 full weight of your eternity and your faith in my salvation, 680 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:51,280 guess what? You will not be devoted to 681 00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:53,200 destruction. You will have life and life 682 00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:54,760 eternal. This is why we're teaching 683 00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:57,880 Joshua 7:00 and 8:00 because I want you to see there is hope 684 00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:00,720 for every akin. There is hope for every Rahab, 685 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:05,040 and his name is Jesus Christ. He is the only hope for eternity 686 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:09,280 for you, and you must turn from your sin and embrace Him by 687 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:12,120 faith. You cannot hide your sin or look 688 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:14,560 within. You must trust in Him and Him 689 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:17,440 alone for salvation. This passage is a loving 690 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:18,320 passage. Why? 691 00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:21,600 Because it's a warning passage for anyone who would not trust 692 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:25,320 in God. You have to trust God. 693 00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:28,320 And if your life looks no different than the world around 694 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:31,880 you, if God is mostly an afterthought, if church is a low 695 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:35,080 priority, if His Word is not something you crave, that I 696 00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:37,600 would wonder if you actually trust Him. 697 00:39:41,720 --> 00:39:46,080 Work out your salvation with holy fear and with trembling. 698 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:52,200 Do you trust God? That's how you win spiritually 699 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:57,960 is by trusting in Him to do 2 things First, deal with your 700 00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:00,000 sin. And we'll close with these two 701 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,680 thoughts. You trust in Him to do 2 things. 702 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:04,840 First, deal with your sin. This is the idea of confession 703 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:08,080 and repentance. Because once sin is dealt with 704 00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:11,760 numbers, excuse me, Joshua 726 Then the Lord turned from his 705 00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:13,720 burning anger. He was no longer angry, but he 706 00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:16,280 was gracious and merciful and loving toward them. 707 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:19,960 Confession is this. It's naming and owning your sin 708 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:22,320 to God and others. That's a confession is it's 709 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:24,040 naming it, calling it what it is. 710 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:30,520 It's not a struggle, it's a sin. It's not a weakness, it's sin. 711 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:34,240 That's how serious it is. You name it that to God and to 712 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:37,320 others, and repentance is the idea of this, to turn away from 713 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:41,560 that sin and toward Christ. Running away from the sin and 714 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:44,040 running towards Jesus, that's repentance. 715 00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:46,720 The best place to do that, St. City is what we call community 716 00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:48,240 groups. If you want to get one, go to 717 00:40:48,240 --> 00:40:50,040 the Next Steps tent, the orange tent after the service. 718 00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:52,240 They will happily get you connected to our staff team. 719 00:40:52,240 --> 00:40:54,240 We'd love to get you in a group so you can name your sin, you 720 00:40:54,240 --> 00:40:56,880 can confess it, and you can repent of it regularly so that 721 00:40:56,880 --> 00:40:58,640 you don't have to have hidden sin in your life. 722 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:00,360 We wanted to set you free from that. 723 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:03,720 She trusted him first to deal with our sin, pay for it with 724 00:41:03,720 --> 00:41:07,400 his blood on the cross, but second to bring victory through 725 00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:11,000 obedience. Spiritual victory is 1 on the 726 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:15,160 battlefield of obedience. First Timothy 47 drop down that 727 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:17,000 reference. It says for us to discipline 728 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:21,520 ourselves for godliness, to train to strive for godliness. 729 00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:24,440 That means it's going to take some intentionality on how to 730 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:27,920 obey God. So This is why it's so important 731 00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:29,960 that we're in the Word. It's why it's so important that 732 00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:32,440 we spend time praying. It's why we spend time fasting 733 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:34,600 and praying and journaling. Like these are all things that 734 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:37,480 God has asked us to do. These are spiritual disciplines, 735 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:41,000 meaning you're choosing what you want most over what you want now 736 00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:43,600 so that you might have what you ultimately want, which is 737 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:46,920 godliness in your life. Or another way of saying that is 738 00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:50,800 more obedience. I want us to be the greatest 739 00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:55,320 obeyors in the city of Tempe of God that when people hear about 740 00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:57,480 Saint City, they go wow, they take God's word seriously and 741 00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:02,880 they listen to it and they do what he says to do and perhaps 742 00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:06,880 you're like, man, I just it's hard for me to get in the word 743 00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:11,080 because I'm tired or because of my job or because of my family. 744 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:14,040 Listen to me. Don't make those excuses. 745 00:42:15,680 --> 00:42:18,640 Obedience is serious and spiritual victory is 1 on the 746 00:42:18,640 --> 00:42:21,640 battlefield of it. Get in God's word, get to know 747 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:24,880 him and love him. Your life will be filled with 748 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:28,400 triumph and victory as a result. That's God's promise for us. 749 00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:33,560 I want us to all have that TWTW spiritually that will to win. 750 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:36,320 We go after the things of God with all we've got. 751 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:41,880 We're not trusting in ourself. We're not hiding our sin. 752 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:45,880 We're trusting in Him and obeying Him because spiritual 753 00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:48,560 victory is 1 on the battlefield of obedience. 754 00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:50,160 Would you join me as I pray, Lord?