Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on JOSHUA: Overcoming Defeat, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Faith and Obedience
as you turn to Joshua chapter 7 let me do a very quick reminder of where we have been in the previous studies in. this book namely last week last week we were in Joshua chapter 6 which is one of the most amazing stories in the Bible. about the victory of God's people Joshua chapter 6 is the telling of the story of how the walls of Jericho fall and how. God's people take the wall take the city of Jericho not by strength or might but by the power of God remember the overarching. theme of the book of Joshua is that God has given his people a promised land and their job is to trust him and. obey his plan for bringing it to them and now they're in the promised land they've crossed the Jordan River and now they have. taken that first city that key in pivotal city of Jericho and it is now time to continue in the promised land and the. study that we'll look at this morning in Joshua chapter 7 is needed because it's the exact opposite study of last week last week. was all about the victory and encouraging us and by the Word of God that we would trust God to allow him to bring. miraculous victory into our lives and now we study Joshua 7 because as sure as you were made to experience breakthrough and victory in. walking with God in the Christian life you will also experience defeat and it's the story of the children of Israel that by their. greatest victory comes immediately after them falling down and completely feeling defeated and that's an important study for us because as much as I. wish all we had to do as believers in God was to march towards victory and then celebrate the mighty wonders of God in. giving us victory more often than not we have to we have to study why are we defeated why do we feel like the. Christian life isn't always as exciting as the victorious wonders of God and that's what this story is about so let's read it and. then I want to talk about this question in my life for this past week and maybe some of you have come why. is it so often that your experience with God and following him why is it so often that your life that is now walking. with Christ doesn't always feel victorious why do you.
Faith and Obedience
feel defeated sometimes and it's an important message because without knowing the circumstances of all of you I already know that there are some. of you who have brought some very tough situations into the sanctuary things that you don't know what to do with and if that's. not you this morning it's probably going to be you in a very short amount of time because the Bible says that in this. world you're gonna have a lot of trouble but to take heart because Jesus has overcome the world and so I want you to. just hold on to that promise that Jesus overcomes those times when we feel defeated we're gonna look at that at the very end. but in the meantime we're gonna look at this story of the people of Israel walking face forward into defeat and ask ourselves a. couple questions what happened and what does God do to give them the ability to overcome because what we're gonna study is not the. final chapter in Joshua we're gonna look at defeat this morning we're going to look at a time that the children of Israel feel. completely faint-hearted but we're gonna look at it with the hope that God has a remedy for it and it's true of the children. of Israel it's true of our life every time we go through those seasons of feelings so defeated it starts in verse 1 but. the children of Israel committed a trust pass regarding the accursed things for akin the son of Carmen the son of zabdiel the son. of Zahra of the tribe of Judah took of the accursed thing so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel. and this chapter really will be a study on the dangers of sin starts out in verse 1 that the very first thing that. we're gonna learn about them walking into not victory but defeat is that they've Trust passed against the Covenant of God they've done things. that God never told them to do and it'll be focalized in the disobedience of one person and keep in mind that this will. be a study about the danger and destructive nature of sin I'm gonna tell you that now because when I when we cover it. and God's remedy for it will come across to us all of us has something that is so challenging we don't love hearing about. the dangers and the destructive nature's of sin because we all.
Faith and Obedience
in some ways are sinners and it is going to be a some of our behavior but what happens as the trespass is brought. out the anger of the Lord is now against the children of Israel and it says very importantly even though that they have broken. the relationship with God they're no longer in good standing with God they're no longer walking in obedience doing what he's told them to. do now they are doing something that he never told them to do and verse 2 it says Joshua sent men from Jericho to. AI which is beside Beth even on the east side of Bethel and spoke to them saying go up and spy out the country. so the men went up and they spy out AI a pattern that we see throughout the children's of Israel wanderings from the wilderness. into the Promised Land there are these reconnaissance missions to go out and get a lay of the land and what do they come. back as a report for the lay of the land verse 3 they return to Joshua and said to him do not let all. the people go up but let two or three thousand men go up and attack AI do not worry all the people there for. the people of AI for the people of this city are few there's not a lot of them and we don't need to exhaust. all of our resources to take this city because it's manageable we can send a small portion of the people of God's army and. what happens and so about 3,000 men went up from there and they fled before the men of AI and the men of AI. struck down about 36 men for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shivaram and struck them down on the descent. therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water and for the first time in our study in the book of Joshua. that is so encouraging leading up to this point up to this point this is a story of how God's people walking in obedience. to God's will find victory and yet now for the first time in the story they're completely faint-hearted they've lost hope they've lost courage. and that is a flip of the script because everywhere they went as they marched towards this moment it was the exact opposite wherever. they went it says their enemies were faint-hearted when they met.
Faith and Obedience
Rahab as spies went into Jericho and they met that one from Jericho named Rahab it said she wanted to partner with them she. wanted to align with them because her heart melted for the stories that she heard about what God had done to give them the. land and then it says when they crossed the Jordan River and they're on the west side of the bank now and they're in. the Promised Land it says all of the kings and the inhabitants of the land were faint hearted they had no courage to actually. go against the Lord's army because they'd heard of what God had done and now the story is the exact opposite now the children. of Israel walking not with God but apart from God are themselves faint-hearted and this is a picture of the Christian life you are. meant to have hope and to have a trust in God that gives you so much confidence that he indeed works all things together. for good and that he has good and perfect works for your life to give you purpose and to give you a path towards. eternity from glory to glory that will bring you satisfaction and joy and that is a message that is received on the day of. salvation with great joy and then what happens so often the question isn't why are these believers in Christ so joyful and why are. they so peaceful and why are they so loving and why are they so confident that in the midst of terrible circumstances God is. going to do something to work it all together for good the question more often than not why are we all so sad why. are we all so burdened why do we feel worried and anxious and why do we sometimes walk through life defeated it is because. as you journey in life when you walk with God you have the courage of the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead inside. of you and when you do things apart from God's will you will feel that faint hearted life you will feel defeated and you. will just feel discouraged if it's not day it'll be tomorrow but here is the reality that we are called to live in be. of good courage and do not lose heart we are not people who are allowed to live as defeated people we are people who. are supposed to represent in all circumstances the courage to not.
Prayer and Dependence
lose heart and to keep going so how do we get out of here how do we get to a place where the defeat. is not final how do we get to a place where the things that we've done to fall do not keep us fallin and. that will be the question of the sermon and to really get out the answer which will come because what is about to take. place as Joshua himself is going to go to the Lord feeling defeated he's going to go to the Lord and start really questioning. whether or not this was even a good idea and the Lord is going to give him some direction on how to right the. wrong and that's what we all need to hear for those times you feel defeated for the times you feel faint-hearted for the times. you wonder what the Christian life is supposed to be apart from any other life that you've seen in comparison the remedy will be. here in Scripture but first I want to talk about the of the problem leading up to the faint-hearted spirit of these people where. they have lost heart and they've lost courage and what we have already read we see a pattern that is the symptoms of the. problem and I want to point out three symptoms of the problem of heartlessness that I see just in the passage of Scripture were. that we read and I want to hold up the mirror to myself and our church and say what does this look like for. us because what happens in this story looks very different than a story walking towards victory and as I study this and think about. my own life even my own past week which I'll share about a little bit I realized that I myself sometimes walk face into. defeat and feel heartless because I'm like the children of Israel in Chapter seven and not chapter six so I'm gonna point out three. things that led to this heartless spirit the first thing is this I want you to think about what they say when they come. back from the report that they're giving jaw or the spine to give the report to Joshua it says in verse 3 they returned. to Joshua and said to him do not let all the people go up but only send two or three thousand why well they. didn't want to get worn out and the other thing is that.
Sin and Salvation
when they look out and they see this city of AI it's little it's got a little name and sorry two letters it's got. few people there's no big deal and so you think about what they came from Jericho it's obvious that they're not gonna overcome the. high walls of Jericho with the mighty warriors and men of Valor of Jericho and the iron chariots of Jericho without the Lord being. on their side and to take Jericho they needed the mighty wondrous works of God but now to take a I it should be. a lot easier now just send a couple people because if you've ever used this phrase they're about to use a very dangerous phrase. I think we got this if you're if you ever felt that way this is what I'm gonna call as our first moment of. trying to understand what happened I'm gonna call so I'm gonna use a word here and I don't want to lose you because I'm. gonna walk a tightrope with it but what happened is they became fearless and I said I don't want to lose you because in. many ways I want to encourage you to not be afraid I want to be part of a body of Christ who does not. have fear dominate what we're willing to do we know that people are afraid miss out on the promised land that's the that's the. lesson of the previous generation the previous generation under Moses before Joshua's the leader would not go in because of fear so I don't. want you to think that I that they should have been afraid of AI but they became fearless because they were no longer worried. or concerned or reverent about what God's plan was and what this is fearlessness that has turned into pride and that is a dangerous. remedy for any single one of us who thinks that now that the gutta that the Lord who does save and does do mighty. works to give you newness of life and set you on a path of purpose to give him glory and to bring satisfaction up. to your life now that he's done the big work the saving work the work of the cross the work of breaking the chains. of addiction the work of setting you back on a life that is actually wholesome and life abundant now you got it from here. and now you can take over from here this is.
Sin and Salvation
the fearlessness that will lead you to falling because you are never meant to be fearless apart from the fear of God look what. Jesus says about being fearful he says whatever I tell you in the dark speak in the light don't be afraid to be bold. for Jesus and what you hear in the air preach in the housetops do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill. the soul he says don't be afraid don't be fearful of the plans of God to be bold for his good news that God. so loved the world but he doesn't leave it at that he doesn't say don't fear anything he says but rather fear Him who. is able to destroy both body and soul and send you to hell that is the healthy fear of God and I want to. walk that tightrope and I want to explain what the fear of God looks like but I also want to use myself as an. example for any single one of us who thinks that now that your life is back on track you can just kind of take. the reins from here fearlessness will lead you to foolishness the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom so the fearlessness of God. is the beginning of foolishness and I think of my own example and I told my wife I wanted to share this story and. she said you can always share whatever story you want because she doesn't never she never cares which I love about her but she. said if I were you I wouldn't because she still thinks this makes me look like such a fool but I'm fine with it. years ago when we were first entering into the ministry we were living in a duplex and we were just praying for long-term commitment. one of those long-term commitments that we wanted just to take part in was to live in a home to buy a house and. to buy a house in Boise then and especially now felt like climbing the walls of Jericho nobody goes in and nobody goes out. the real estate market is like that's a giant task especially when you're you know freshly in the ministry they'll make a lot of. money didn't have a lot of money saved up so it's like okay Lord we need you to do something we could never do. we need you to provide we need you to open the doors.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.