Greg Laurie - Overcoming or Overcome? (01/24/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares the dramatic contrast between Joshua's great victory at Jericho and the shocking defeat at Ai, showing how self-confidence, neglected prayer, and hidden sin can cause even God's people to stumble right after triumph. Drawing from Joshua 6-7 and Peter's denial, he warns believers: will you overcome through humble dependence on God, or will you be overcome by pride and disobedience? The message calls us to stay vigilant, confess sin quickly, and keep looking to the Lord.
From Peter's Confidence to His Fall
Joshua chapter 6. The title of the message is "Overcoming or Overcome?" He never thought it would happen to him. I mean, after all, he was handpicked by Jesus himself and even given a new name. He had been known for his whole life as simply Simon, but now Jesus said, "I've got a new name for you, Simon. It's Peter, which means rock." Not only was he a natural leader, but Simon Peter was now a spiritual leader. And he reveled in the fact that Jesus would often pick him along with his two fisherman buddies, James and John, to go with the Lord on special missions, like when the daughter of Jairus was raised again from the dead, or when Jesus was transfigured with Moses and Elijah. Peter had a front row seat.
The Insight at Caesarea Philippi
And it was that time at Caesarea Philippi that Simon Peter had the insight no one else had. After Christ asked the question, "Who do men say that I am?" it was Peter who said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said, "Flesh and blood did not reveal that to you, but My Father who is in heaven." That's why it came as a complete shock to him when Jesus dropped the bombshell in the upper room and said, "One of you is going to betray Me." And Peter thought that would be a good opportunity to boast of his great loyalty to Christ. And he said, "Even if all are made to deny You, I will never deny You."
The Prediction of Denial
At least paraphrasing Jesus said, "Well, since you brought it up, Rocky, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And that's exactly what happened. Peter's first step down was self-confidence. Now let me ask you, can you relate to that story? Have you ever had one of those times in your life when you were on an absolute roll? You were just hitting it out of the park spiritually. God was blessing you in such a powerful way. As Scripture said, "Indeed your steps were ordered by the Lord." And then suddenly, in some ways inexplicably, you just crashed and burned. You fell so hard and you never even saw it coming.
I remember years ago I was out riding my bicycle. My wife had gone to breakfast at a little restaurant. I said, "I'll meet you there. I'm going to ride my bike." And I had one of these mountain bikes. So I jumped on it and sped down the hill and was cruising up the street. And I was popping off the curb to go over to get to the other side of the street. And something had happened to that bike I was not aware of. You know that little lever on the front that you open up to take the tire off and then you close it to keep the tire on. Well, unbeknownst to me, someone had opened the lever up. So the forks went up and the wheel kept going.
A Sudden Crash – Like Spiritual Falls
What are you laughing at? Let's see what happens when it happens to you. I'm coming to your house tonight and lifting that little lever up. No, I'm kidding. But I didn't know what happened. It happened so quickly I couldn't even brace myself. I did a face plant in the middle of the street. Knocked me unconscious for a couple of moments. And I kind of came to. And why is it whenever we're injured we always say, "I'm okay"? You ever notice that? I mean, someone said, "Are you okay?" And I'm like, blood coming down my face. "No, I'm good. I'm good. It's great. It's great." You know. And I wasn't okay. And I went to breakfast and my wife said, "What happened to you?" I said, "Who changed that lever?"
The next day I really felt the full impact of it. I didn't know it was coming. And I bring this up because here in the book of Joshua, we have a story of great victory. And right on the heels of it, horrible defeat. And this often will happen in our lives as well.
The Book of Joshua – Victories and Defeats
Book of Joshua. It's a fascinating book. Because this picks up where we last left off. The children of Israel have been delivered from Egypt in the book of Exodus. We get an insight into some of their wilderness wanderings in the book of Numbers. But now as we come to the book of Joshua, they're poised and ready to enter into the promised land. Canaan's land. The land flowing with milk and honey. Oh yeah, the opponents were big. But the fruit was big. And the opportunities were even bigger. And the book of Joshua is effectively a book to a large degree about military victories as well as defeats.
Now why would God put a book like this in the Bible? Simple answer. Because we too are at war. As I've often said, the Christian life is not a playground. It's a battleground. Not a war of flesh and blood, but a spiritual battle. It started in the day of your conversion. And it will rage into the day you go to heaven. You're going to be tempted, harassed, hassled, and attacked. Simply put, the devil does not want you to follow Jesus Christ. So it's not a decision about whether or not you're going to fight or not. The real question is, are you going to win or lose? Are you going to advance or retreat? Are you going to stay in the wilderness or enter the promised land? Are you going to be overcome or will you overcome?
He Brought Us Out to Bring Us In
Deuteronomy 6:23 says, "He brought us out that He might bring us in." So here are the Israelites. They come to a place called Kadesh Barnea. You remember that they sent some spies in, twelve in total. And they came back with a majority and minority report. The ten said, "Oh, we can't do it. We can't go in. We'll be slaughtered in there. Our opponents are like giants." And then the minority report, Joshua and Caleb said, "Yeah, you know, there's some large guys in there. But God is with us. And He'll give it to us. We need to just go and take this step of faith and obey the Lord."
Entering the Promised Land by Faith
Well, of course, the people believed the majority instead of the minority report. And the result of that is they were not able to enter into the promised land. But now we're at a point where all those original whiners that did not believe God are gone. The wilderness wanderings are complete. God tells Joshua to lead the people into this new land. And the Lord promises that every place the sole of their foot touches is theirs to possess. They're reminded to obey the Word of God and to be courageous.
But there's a barrier. Between them and the new land is the Jordan River. Now, granted, it's not as formidable an obstacle as the Red Sea was. But pretty big river. And this was flood season. So this thing was charging. And there was no way they could cross over this on their own. There was no bridge. There was no way to get over it. But now the Lord was going to do a miracle for them.
Crossing the Jordan – Getting Feet Wet
And so He told them to go down into the Jordan River with the priests going ahead carrying the Ark of the Covenant. And they were to actually go into the water. Now imagine this for a moment. Here are the priests holding the Ark on their shoulders. Here are the people with the little children. You're walking into a raging river. But He said, "You've got to go in first. You've got to get your feet wet." He didn't part it before they went over like the Red Sea. They had to walk into it first. And as they went in, the Lord opened up the Jordan. And they were able to cross over to the other side.
Suddenly a mysterious visitor comes to Joshua. Joshua chapter 5. He's a massive, strapping soldier with a very large sword. And Joshua says, "Are you a friend or a foe?" And he's thinking, please say friend. Please say friend. There's no way I want to get in a fight with you. And this soldier says, "I am the commander of the Lord's army." And then he tells Joshua to take off his shoes because he's standing on holy ground.
A Christophany – God Meets Joshua as Warrior
This appears to be not just an angelic appearance, but possibly what we would call a Christophany, which is an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament. Because an angel would not ask for one to take their shoes off, but God would. And this reminds us of the burning bush. So in a way, what the burning bush was to Moses, the soldier that appeared to Joshua was a similar kind of thing. It's interesting how God comes to us where we're at. What is Joshua? He's a soldier. He's a military man. How does God come to him as a soldier, as a warrior? He says, "Joshua, listen buddy, I'm with you. Just remember that wherever you go."
The Battle Plan for Jericho – God's Unusual Way
And I think it's a great thing to realize that God will always make Himself known to every generation. You know, it's important that we as parents pass our spiritual values unto our children. But we also pray that God will make Himself known to them. And you know, some forty years ago, we had a great spiritual awakening in our country, and right here in California, called the Jesus Movement. And you know what? We need another Jesus Movement. And we need to pray for that. We really should. For our kids, and for our grandkids, so they can see for themselves how powerful and how great God really is.
So here now are the Israelites. They've crossed over the Jordan. The Lord's appeared to them, reminding them that He is with them each step of the way. And they come to their first obstacle. We might call it the big enchilada. The city of Jericho. Massive walls. And God wanted to bring it down.
The Strange Instructions from God
Now how was the Lord going to bring this city down? He gives them the battle plan. Throw up massive ladders and scale them and attack. Cut off food supplies and starve the inhabitants out. No. God had a more, shall we say, novel plan in mind. Let's read about it. Joshua chapter 6. And we are going to start in verse 1. "Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go in or out. But the Lord said to Joshua, 'I have given you Jericho, its kings, and all of its mighty warriors. Your entire army is to march around the city once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the ark, each carrying a ram's horn. On the seventh day, you are to march around the city seven times with the priests blowing their horns. And when you hear the priests give one loud blast on the horns, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the walls of the city will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the city.'"
Why God's Methods Seem Strange
We will stop there. Does it ever seem to you like God is just messing with your mind a little bit? "Okay Lord, this is a joke, right?" It is not a joke. You want us to march around the city every day, and then on the final day, march around it seven times, and then blow trumpets and yell. That is the strategy? Indeed it was. It seems as though God goes out of His way, coming up with all sorts of unusual and diverse ways to accomplish His purposes. And why is it? So we will realize it is Him and not us.
Whether it's Joshua with his trumpets, or as we'll see later, Gideon with his torches and pitchers. God loves to use weakness to show His strength. And I want you to know that there's always a method to the madness. And I use that expression loosely. I am not accusing God of madness. It is not madness at all. It is God's way of keeping us humble and looking to Him.
Examples of God's Humbling Methods
A great example is the story of Naaman, another military man actually, who was the leader of the armies of Assyria. And he was famous and powerful and influential and admired by many. But he was a leper. And there was no way he could get rid of this leprosy. And so he had a little maid working in his house, who was an Israelite that had been captured as a slave. She said, "You know, you ought to go to Israel, because there's a prophet there named Elisha. And I bet he could pray for you, and you'd be healed."
So Naaman goes to the king of Assyria and says, "You know, my maid told me there's some prophet in Israel that can help me with my leprosy." And so a message is sent to the king of Israel now. "Hey, who is this prophet?" And so Naaman finds out his address. So Naaman gets his chariot decked out and his beautiful horses and his entourage with him. And he comes charging into town and stops right in front of the house of Elisha. Probably a beat-up place, door kind of hanging on one hinge, you know, broken flower pot in front. His name Elisha kind of hanging on one little deal.
Naaman's Pride Meets Humility
He pounds on the door expecting a hero's welcome. Elisha doesn't even give him the time of the day. He just disperses his servant Gehazi and says, "Tell him to go dunk himself in the Jordan River seven times. He'll be healed." So Naaman is waiting and Gehazi walks out. "Hi, Elisha can't see you right now. He's kind of busy. But listen, go to the Jordan River. Dunk yourself seven times. You'll be healed. Thank you. God bless." Shuts the door.
Naaman's like, "What? Does he know who I am?" He's ticked off. "Let's go back home." He's saying to his men, you know, "We have better rivers in Assyria than some stinking muddy Jordan River." And one of his associates says, "Hey, what harm is there in it? Give it a go." Well, there was a reason Naaman didn't want to do it. And there's a reason God did want him to do it. Because Naaman didn't want to peel off his armor. It's very likely many of his men didn't even know he was a leper. But to go into that water, he'd have to take off his armor and take off his royal clothing and reveal what he really was.
Healing Through Obedience
Well, he humbled himself and he took off his helmet. And the men probably gasped when they saw the effects of leprosy on his face. Maybe an ear was missing, disfiguration. And he took off his breastplate. And then he took off the other pieces of armor. And they saw that great warrior humbly go down into the water and immerse himself and come up. Same old leprous Naaman. Number two, three, four, five, six. Still the same. He came up the seventh time. His flesh was like a baby's. Why did God want him to do it this way? So God would get the glory, you see.
And sometimes it happens in our lives. Have you ever noticed that Jesus never really healed any two people in exactly the same way? Sometimes He would touch a person. Another time a person would touch Him. On another time He would speak the word and they would be healed. And on another occasion they would just touch the hem of His garments. Sort of the edge of His robe. And they were healed. One time, to heal a blind man, He spit in the dirt, wiped it around, and put it in the guy's eye. "Here is mud in your eye, buddy."
Jericho Falls – Victory Through Obedience
Can you imagine coming to a pastor for prayer? "Pastor would you pray for me?" "Sure." "What?" The point is, Jesus did things like that so people wouldn't say, "Oh, it's the holy spittle." Or, "Oh, it's touching Him." Or, "Oh, He has to touch you." No. It's Jesus. That's what it is. It's God. Because we get hung up on methodology. We get hung up on traditions. We get hung up on styles. We get hung up on the past. And God likes to vary His methods so we will be dependent upon Him.
And that's exactly what the Lord was doing now with the Israelites. That's right. March around it in silence. And on the seventh day, march around it seven times and shout. So they did it. They got the whole Israeli army together, the priests with the ark. That thing was heavy too, by the way. So they're marching around those inhabitants of Jericho, probably laughing. "What a bunch of fools, man. Look at these guys. Israelites." Maybe they're throwing things at them, dumping garbage on them. Who knows?
Every day the Israelites would go around this city. Now, why did God let them do that? Maybe so they would see how formidable of an obstacle it was. You know, we have our Jerichos in life, so to speak. Problems that loom large. Things we can't handle on our own. Sometimes the Lord will have us march around them, so to speak. So we will not rely on ourselves.
Your Personal Jericho – When Problems Loom Large
The greatest difficulty for many is to get to the place where one is prepared to admit that the whole thing is simply too big for them. For them to say, "I can't do this on my own." Do you have a Jericho right now? Maybe it's an incurable illness. Maybe it's an unsolvable problem. Maybe it's a hopeless marriage. Maybe it's a prodigal child. And as you think about it, you don't know how you're ever going to resolve this conflict. Listen, that in effect is your Jericho.
Now here's another reason God had them go around this city. He was giving these inhabitants of Jericho an opportunity to repent. We're going to see that. They slaughtered all the inhabitants. And that might seem harsh to some. But you need to know that these people were wicked, the Canaanites. They used their children as prostitutes for their false gods. They even sacrificed their children on pagan altars. They were into every kind of idolatry and perversion and sin.
400 Years of Patience – Then Judgment
And they had plenty of opportunities to repent before Jericho fell. You see, God had patiently endured the evil of the Canaanites from the time of Abraham to Moses, a period of 400 years. And you know what? The Canaanites knew the Israelites were coming. See, because they were updating their Facebook page and they were sending out tweets every day. Instagram photos too. Picture of manna. Little tweet. "Another manna breakfast. Life is good with the Lord. Just walked across the Jordan. Headed to Canaan." Of course I'm joking about that. But the word was out. And their reputation preceded them.
In fact, when two spies were sent into Jericho before the Israelites went in, and they came to Rahab the harlot. The prostitute. And she hid them in her home. And because of that, she wasn't killed when they came in and took over Jericho. But Rahab said to them at Joshua 2:10, "We've heard how God made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And our hearts have melted for fear. No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above the earth below." So she's saying, "We know all about you. We've heard all about you."
The Defeat at Ai – After Great Victory
Here's my point. They had plenty of opportunities to repent, but they didn't. So now judgment was coming. You know what I think about our own country? I think about how we thumb our nose at God. I think at how we break His laws left and right. How we go out of our way to mock God. How in a way, we too sacrifice our children on altars. Altars of sex. And we call it abortion. When we take the life of an unborn baby. How we think we'll never have to face the repercussions for it. And God warns us. And He warns us. And He warns us. And He warns us. And He warns us. And there's going to come a day, folks, when God will judge the United States of America for our sin.
Now, I don't look forward to that day. I don't take any relish in making that statement. We should pray for America. And I pray that we'll have a great spiritual awakening. But ultimately, judgment will come to our nation as judgment has come to every nation that has ever been on the face of the earth. We know this for sure.
The Ominous Turn in Joshua 7
So here are the Canaanites. They didn't lift a finger to believe in God. They just opposed the Lord. So now, the Israelites march on that final day. They go around the city seven times. They blow their trumpets. And the walls fall. And they go in and wipe out the inhabitants. And that's the story of Jericho. One of the greatest stories ever told.
Now here's what I love about the Bible. It's brutally honest. The Bible is the only real no-spin zone. You see? And when the Bible tells us about a hero who did well, they'll say there are the strengths. And if there were weaknesses, God will show us those too.
So now we come to chapter 7. That opens with an ominous word. Joshua 7:1, "But Israel was unfaithful concerning the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of those things. And the Lord was very angry with the Israelites."
From Victory to Defeat at a Small City
So here's this great victory. The defeat of Jericho. It was God's plan for the Jews to go from victory to victory, overtaking their enemies in Canaan. But they had to do God's will in God's way. But instead they faced a crushing defeat at a city called Ai, by the way, that was much smaller than Jericho. And it just shows us that we can be doing well, and that we can crash and burn.
Let's see what happened. Joshua 7, verse 2. I'm reading from the New Living Translation. "Joshua sent some of his men from Jericho to spy out the city of Ai, east of Bethel, near Beth-aven. When they returned, they told Joshua, 'Oh, it's a small town. It won't take more than two or three thousand of us to destroy it. There's no need for all of us to go there.' So approximately three thousand warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the city gate, as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at the turn of events, and their courage melted away."
Three Reasons for Defeat – Self-Confidence
Wow. So why did they fall? And for that matter, why do we fall? Reason number one, self-confidence. Self-confidence. You see, Ai was a small city compared to Jericho, which now lay in smoldering ruins. They could have effectively done this one in their sleep. They didn't even really need the whole Israeli army. Just a few thousand men. But this argument was based on the supposition that Israel had captured Jericho. But if anything's clear from that story, Israel had very little to do with the defeat of Jericho. God did it.
And as they were willing to humble themselves and do it God's way, He brought them this great victory. And now they are acting like they are all that. And they can knock down another city without any effort or apparent dependence upon God. You know, sometimes we are more vulnerable after a time of victory. We are more vulnerable after God has blessed us. Don't be surprised when you leave church that you get attacked spiritually. Don't be surprised that when the Lord has done a great work in your life, there is that attack.
After the Dove Comes the Devil
Remember how Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and we read that the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove. And the Father said from heaven, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." What happened after that? Jesus went immediately into the wilderness where He was tested by the devil for forty days and forty nights. After the dove came the devil. And it is often that way in our lives as well. Those attacks will come.
One commentator wrote, "Let us be watchful after the victory as before the battle." Again, this is what happened to Simon Peter in the upper room. Pride goes before a fall. The sin of self-confidence is at the foundation of many sins that people commit. We say, "Oh, I can handle this." "Oh, this isn't even a problem." "I'll know when to stop." Right?
The Dessert Illustration – Sin's Deception
You know when you go to dessert at a restaurant? Well, I said a lot right there, didn't I? Was that a Freudian slip? You go to a restaurant and you've had your meal. And maybe you've tried to be good. And you want a salad. And then someone says, "You want to get dessert?" "Oh, no, no, I'm on a diet." And then someone has a bright idea of saying, "Well, let's get one dessert and get four forks." Right? So the dessert arrives and there are the forks. And you know, "I'm actually fine. I don't crave the dessert that much." But once I take that first bite, I'm like a shark with blood in the water. Okay? I go into a feeding frenzy.
It's one of the reasons I like to go with my wife because, you know, she'll take a bite. And then she's very ladylike and she's talking, holding her fork. She turns away. I'm like, you know. She turns back. "Where did it go?" That's why now she'll take the dessert and cut my little section out. "Here's your section, Greg. Eat up your plate." But when she's not looking, I still take some of hers. Don't tell her that, please.
But sin can be that way. "Oh, I can handle this." "I'd never fall to this sin." You know, some people think they can do what they want, when they want, with whom they want, without repercussions. But it doesn't work out that way. And this was the problem here with the Israelites. They had self-confidence. "Oh, we can handle Ai. It's not a problem." And this is what will often lead to a fall. You think it's not going to happen to me.
Neglect of Prayer – The Second Reason
And here's the thing. If you know someone that has fallen into sin, don't be all arrogant, because you could have done the same thing. That's why the Bible tells us that when we know someone who is overtaken in sin, in Galatians 6:1, "Dear friends, if a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back into the right path and be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself."
I mean, if you were out with a friend and suddenly they tripped and fell right on their face and they were injured, you are going to kick them while they are down? "Idiot! Why didn't you look?" Or are you going to jerk them up, throw them up against a wall? I hope not. No, you are going to reach down and gently get them back up on their feet again, dust them off. "Hey, are you okay?" "Hey, hang on to my shoulder." "I hope you can walk here." "Do we need to go to the doctor?" "Are you going to be all right?" Show a little compassion? It could have happened to you. So we must remember that when we are reaching out to others as well.
The first reason they were defeated was self-confidence. The first reason we are usually defeated spiritually is self-confidence. Number two, there was a neglect of prayer. A neglect of prayer. Oh my, the Israelites were so dependent on God when they looked at Jericho. But because they were smaller, they thought, "We don't need to pray about this. I mean, this is like a no-brainer. This is a slam dunk. We've got this one, Lord. We'll let you know after we are done."
Don't Underestimate Small Battles
Don't underestimate these things. Flushed with the victory at Jericho, they thought it would be a walk in the park. Instead it was their Waterloo. Listen, if you pray in times of victory, you will never plead in times of defeat.
Going back to Simon Peter, it started with self-confidence. "I'll never deny You." Jesus said, "Actually, you will." Peter contradicted Him. "You're wrong. I won't." And then we read that as Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane, He took Peter, James, and John again, asked them to stay awake with Him. They fell asleep. He said, "You know, the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Then the temple guard come to arrest Jesus. Peter is woken up from his slumber, pulls out his sword, starts slicing, cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant. Jesus is arrested and taken away. Peter had it all wrong. He was boasting when he should have been humbling, sleeping when he should have been praying, and fighting when he should have been trusting. Then he ended up falling.
Joshua's Blame-Shifting Prayer
So now Joshua prays. But it's interesting, and it's a little disappointing. Joshua blames everything on God. Look at Joshua 7:7. Joshua cried out, "Sovereign Lord, why have you brought us across the Jordan River if you're going to let the Amorites kill us? If we had only been content to stay on the other side?" Effectively saying, "Nice job, God. Just great. How am I supposed to defend this? Why would you bring us to this defeat?"
And I love the Lord's response. Joshua 7, verse 10. "The Lord said to Joshua, 'Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken My covenant. They have stolen the things that I told them that are to be set apart for Me. And they've not only stolen them, they've lied about it and hidden the things among their belongings.'"
Disobedience – The Third Reason for Defeat
God is saying, "Give Me a break, Joshua. You guys sinned against Me." Because here's what the Lord said. "Okay, now, I want you to know something. When you go into Ai, everything you get there, that belongs to Me. Bring it back to Me. Bring it back to the treasury for the work of God." There were times when God would allow the soldiers to keep what they got in battle. But this was not one of those times.
And this brings us to the third reason for defeat in Ai. Flat out disobedience. Flat out disobedience. Someone had committed a sin. Notice God says, "Israel has sinned and broken My commandment." But as it turns out, it was one guy who did it. But they all suffered as a result. This reminds us that the sin of one will affect many. 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, "If one member suffers, all suffer together. If one member is honored, all rejoice together."
Sin in the Camp – One Affects All
Look, we as believers are interconnected. And this is why Paul said, the church should never tolerate evil. See? And that was in the book of Corinthians. And Corinth was a wicked city. And in many ways, you could have called it First Californians as easily as First Corinthians. Because all kinds of crazy stuff was going on. Just like we have in our own state. And these people were so upside down in their thinking theologically, they were boasting about how liberal and tolerant they were.
Apparently there was a guy who was sleeping with his father's wife. Not his biological mother, but the woman that his father had married. This guy was sleeping with her. And they are boasting. "Hey, man, we are so liberal. We have got a guy sleeping with his father's wife. And we are good with it." Paul is like, "Are you nuts? What are you doing? You can't tolerate sin like that in the church."
Church Discipline Protects the Body
And he says to them in 1 Corinthians 5:2, "You are so proud of yourselves. Why aren't you mourning in sorrow and shame? Why haven't you removed this man from your fellowship?" See, if sin is tolerated, it will spread and corrupt others.
So look, here is the way I look at it. If someone is coming here for the first time and you are a non-believer, and you are living in an immoral lifestyle, we actually welcome you. And we say, "We love you." And we say, "Jesus Christ wants to change your life." And we will call you to the Lord. We will call you to faith.
But if you are a Christian, and you have made a commitment to the Lord, and now you are living openly in sin, maybe you are having sex with your girlfriend, or you are having an affair, or you are doing whatever, if we find out about it, we will confront you and say, "What are you doing?" And say, "Well, I am doing this thing, you know." "Well, that is a sin. You need to repent." "Well, I do not want to repent. And I want to bring my girlfriend that I am living with to church. And if my wife who goes to the same church isn't happy with it, that is too bad for her."
No, it is too bad for you because we will ask you to leave. "Well, that is not very loving." Oh yeah, it is real loving. I will tell you why. Because if you start letting people live openly like that, and don't do something about it, you send out the signal that everything is cool and we can just, you know, thumb our nose at God.
Achan's Sin – I Saw, I Coveted, I Took
And here is why you do that, because that is called church discipline, by the way. The reason you do that is so that person realize there are repercussions for sin. You can't have it both ways. You know, if you want to walk with the Lord, you walk with the Lord. But if you are going to say you are a Christian, and then openly contradict that by the way that you live, that you can come to church and do everything else that all the other believers do, you need to know that is not right with God.
So we are going to deal with that because we care enough to protect the other believers, you see. Because Paul says a little leaven leavens the lump. Or to modernize that statement, a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough. And so sin spreads like that.
And the fact is, they removed that guy from the church. And ultimately he repented. But they weren't letting him back in. And we won't let him in. Paul is saying, "Come on now guys, he repented, let him back now. And welcome him." So we can swing too far the other way. You know, we can say to somebody, "You know that is wrong, you need to repent, you are not welcome here until you do repent." And then they repent and they come, "Yeah we don't want you still." No, no. Now you welcome him back in.
It goes back to what I said earlier there, quoting Paul from Galatians. "If someone is overtaken in a fault, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness." "Hey, welcome back man. We have missed you. We love you."
But, so there was sin in their camp. And it was committed by a guy named Achan. Now, Achan is an interesting character. He was going to be aching, I will tell you that much, soon. But what happened was they went into Ai, and he saw some goodies, some treasure, and he took it and hid it in his tent. And God was fully aware of it. God had given strict directions that everything they got was the Lord's, and this man kept it for himself.
Everything Belongs to God – Tithe and Offerings
This brings up a really interesting point, which is simply this. We belong to God, right? You belong to God. I belong to God. In fact, the Bible says, "You are not your own. You have been bought with a price, so glorify God with your body." Your career belongs to God. Your family belongs to God. Your home belongs to God. Your car. Your health. The beat of your heart. The breath you draw in your lungs. It is all a gift from God to you.
But often we will forget and neglect God. Is it asking too much to dedicate some time every day to pray and read the Word of God? God gave you everything that you have. You can't give thanks. Is it really that big of a deal before you start eating to say, "Lord, thank you for this food"? It doesn't have to be a long prayer. You don't have to pray for every missionary on the earth. In fact, I don't like long prayers at a meal. But I think it's important to give thanks to the Lord for all that you have. Say, "Lord, we know that we have received this from You."
Is it asking too much to take a percentage of your income and give it to the work of God? That's called tithing. And by the way, tithing is biblical. Some say, "Well, I think tithing is, you know, only in the Old Testament. I don't believe in it." So what do you do? I give nothing. Oh, that's brilliant. No, tithing is where you start. The Bible talks about tithes and offerings, you see. And by the way, what is a tithe? It means ten. A tenth. And tithing is in the New Testament too. In fact, Jesus commended the Pharisees for their tithing. But He was just saying they were simply missing the point. So tithing has not been done away with. Every Christian should tithe.
I saw a bumper sticker. It said, "Tithe if you love Jesus. Anybody can honk." And then there is offerings. So in addition to my tithe, I will bring an offering. Why should I do that? Here is why. Here is why. Because God says, "Will a man rob God? You have robbed Me." And the people say, "How have we robbed You?" And the Lord says in Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, "You have robbed Me in your tithes and your offerings. So bring your tithes and your offerings into My storehouse. And see if I will not throw open the windows of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
The Impact of One Person's Sin
See, the Lord says, when you give faithfully to Me, I will give back to you. "Give, and it shall be given." Pressed down, shaken together, running over. Let me ask you this. What if all of the church were just like you? What if everyone attended as faithfully as you do? What if everyone worshiped just like you do? What if everyone shared the gospel as faithfully as you do? What if everyone gave financially as you do? What kind of church would we have? What if everybody studied the Bible as often as you do? Would we have a biblically literate or illiterate church?
You see, you affect the church. No individual Christian can sin without affecting the whole body. No child of God can grow cold in the spiritual life without lowering the temperature of everyone else around him. I put it on the screen. Look at this. "No child of God can grow cold in his spiritual life without lowering the temperature of everyone else around him." You affect others and others affect you. We all have a part to play.
Coming back to our story. Achan, one guy sins against the Lord. And now everybody is paying the price. One man or woman outside of the will of God can be a menace to themself and everyone else. Case in point, Jonah. The Lord told Jonah to go preach to Nineveh. Jonah said no. And he got on a boat going in the opposite direction. And a storm came. And the boat was shaking and tossing back and forth in the sea. Everybody was affected because of Jonah.
The Cost of Hidden Sin – It Will Find You Out
So they figured out it was Jonah. And they said, "So what is the deal?" He goes, "Well I am a Hebrew and I serve the Lord God." "You mean the God that can do storms like this?" "Yeah." "Then why are you running from Him? This is a powerful God you are following." "I know." I will tell you what Jonah said. "If you throw me over the side the storm will stop." "Really? That is interesting. Bye." Off he went. And the storm stopped.
But isn't it interesting how one man in his disobedience affected all those other people. Think of the kind of impact you have on others. You see a husband who is not being the man God has called him to be. He is not being the spiritual leader of the family. In so many Christian homes even, the wife is the spiritual leader. And the husband just kind of goes along for the ride. Right? "Honey, let's go to church." "There is a game on." "Oh come on. Just TiVo it." "I know, but okay."
It is the wife that says, "Let's open up the Word of God." It is the wife that says, "Let's pray." How wonderful it is when a husband recognizes he is to lead spiritually. And the father realizes he is to lead spiritually. I read an interesting study that revealed that if only mom attends church regularly, 15% of their children will attend church in the future. If only dad attends regularly, 55% will attend church in the future. But if mom and dad attend church regularly, 72% of their children will remain faithful in attendance. But if neither mom or dad attend regularly, only 6% remain faithful.
You think of what the impact you have on your children? "Well we don't want to go to church today." Or "Oh we are busy." You are just passing that legacy on right now, Mom, Dad. But when you say, "No this is the Lord's day. We are going to church." And we are going to even go to a midweek study like you guys right now. What a great example for your kids.
Achan's Confession – The Pattern of Sin
So coming back to Achan. The man responsible. I mean how did they know it was him? He was the only guy with a mullet. You know, he was standing over there. He was singing, "If you break my heart, my aching breaking heart." Little joke. Remember Billy Ray Cyrus had a mullet, right? Got it? Got it? I didn't say it was funny.
So they identify Achan as the culprit. Of course he doesn't volunteer this. No one ever does. I can think of only a couple of occasions in my 40 years of ministry when someone has voluntarily come forward and said they had done something wrong. People come forward and admit it only when they are caught. And even when they are guilty and you confront them, they almost always deny it.
But now it is proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. Achan is the culprit. Joshua says, "Look buddy, just come clean. Tell us the truth." He says, "Yeah, go check my tent out. I have all the stuff you are looking for."
Joshua 7:20. "Achan answered Joshua and said, 'I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel. This is what I have done. When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted and took them. And there they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent with the silver under it.'"
That sums it up. Operative words, "I saw, I coveted, and I took them." Again, "I saw, I coveted, and I took them." That is how most sins happen. First you see. Most temptation starts with what you see.
Temptation Begins with the Eyes
This is why Jesus said, "You have heard that it has been said you should not commit adultery. I say if you look on a woman lustfully, it is effectively the same thing." It is not only what you see. Sometimes it is what you smell. I read an article in USA Today on how retailers are luring you into their stores, not only with displays and mannequins wearing the latest style, but now they are using fragrances. And you do not even know it.
This article said that at the Sony style store, they have developed a signature fragrance of vanilla and mandarin orange that wafts down on shoppers, relaxing them and drawing them in. I don't know how those things would make you want to buy. "Mmm. Must buy electronics." I don't know. It says other retailers use different scents with different departments. For instance, Bloomingdale's uses a scent of baby powder in the baby store. Suntan lotion in the bathing suit area.
So some men's clothing stores are using the aroma of bacon to draw men in now. That wasn't in the article. I just threw that in. It's not the first look that gets you into trouble. It's always the second one, right? That second look, you see something, or should I say someone? You go, "Hmm." You know, like that.
So some guys would say, "I'm not going to look a second time. I'm just going to make the first one last real long." Now. I look. I saw. Remember how when Eve fell into sin, there with that piece of fruit in the garden that I pointed out, the Bible never says was an apple. She saw this beautiful fruit. She says, "I saw the fruit, that it was good for food, and pleasant to the eyes."
So the devil's smart. He knows how to make his stuff attractive. He knows how to package his temptations effectively. First he saw. Then he coveted. I pointed out recently what coveting is. It's a greedy desire to have something, no matter what it costs you or anybody else.
Final Call – Repent and Believe
Going back to that story of Naaman. I mean, if it ended there, it would have been a great story, but there's another little twist on that one, too. Where after Naaman, the Assyrian, is healed. He brought all this loot to give to Elisha. Just tons, thousands and thousands of dollars. Elisha says, "Don't want your money. Keep your money." And so Naaman is on his way back, healed. Leprosy gone.
Gehazi is like, "Ugh." So he runs after Naaman and says, "Oh, Elisha sent me in. You know what? We are kind of changing our mind now. And we want some of the stuff you brought." And so he gave him a lot. And Gehazi went and hid it and went back in. Elisha says, "Hey, buddy, where have you been?" "Oh, nowhere." "Yeah, didn't my heart go with you when you did that?" And then leprosy came on Gehazi, you see. Why? Because he coveted something that was not his.
First you see it, then you covet it. "I must have it." Then you act on it. "I took it." I saw. I coveted. I took. And the Bible says, "Your sin will find you out." And it found him out. And it always does find you out. And by the way, that verse that says, "Your sin will find you out," Numbers 32:23, was written to God's people. So don't think that you can sin and get away with it. It's going to catch up with you. It's not a matter of if. It's only a matter of when.
And the good thing is, is if you repent of it, maybe you won't have to face the full ramifications of it. Now, then again, you may have to face them in some way, shape, or form. Sin is very costly. But it's always a better thing to confess a sin and bring it before God, rather than hiding a sin and continuing in it.
And I don't know what state you're in spiritually as you come here tonight. Maybe you're hiding some sin, or you think you're hiding some sin. And if you are, I want you to know you're going to be about as successful as Moses was when he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. That didn't work out so well with him. Because when the sand shifted, there was the evidence of what he had done. And before you know it, that sin you've committed is going to be revealed. What's been done in secret will be shouted from the rooftops.
So I urge you to repent of it if you need to. But maybe you've joined us here tonight as a non-believer. You know, you've never put your faith in Jesus Christ. And as I said earlier, if you come here, no matter what you're doing, no matter what lifestyle you're in, no matter what vice or addiction you have, God loves you and will forgive you of whatever sin you've committed and give you a fresh chance in life. A second chance. If you'll turn from that sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ.
So we're going to close with an opportunity to believe in Jesus for you that have not done it. Because listen, 2,000 years ago, God loved you so much He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, to come to this earth on a rescue mission. And go to the cross and die for your sin and for mine. And at the cross of Calvary, Jesus bore all of your sin and the penalty for them. And then He rose again from the dead. And if we will turn from that sin and put our faith in Him, we can be forgiven and know that we will go to heaven when we die.
If you've not done that yet, I want to give you an opportunity to do that. And if you need to repent of a sin in your life as a believer, I'll give you an opportunity to do that as well.