Sermon Title: Freeing God in our Lives

Sermon Series: Joshua: Finding Courage through the Challenges of Life

Sermon Text: Joshua 8

April 13, 2008

 

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Key takeaway last week: Unacknowledged sin chokes out God’s presence and power making us vulnerable to defeat and discouragement. 

Why did Achan’s whole family receive the punishment?

 Once the sin was acknowledged and dealt with and they began to walk in obedience; God was again freed to accomplish all he desired for them.

How do we keep sin from making us vulnerable to defeat and discouragement in our lives?

• Ask God to help you recognize sin when it’s present in your life.
• When sin is identified, acknowledge and confess it. 
• Trust in Christ’s death as your atonement for sin.
• Yield to the Holy Spirit, repent and walk in obedience.

 

The second run at Ai is a case in point

Having dealt with the sin of his people, God directs them to re-engage in the effort to secure the promise land (1-9). 

By fully relying on God’s battle plan, victory results (10-23). 

Ai is completely destroyed and Israel carried off the plunder as the Lord had instructed (24-29).

Understanding the violence of these conquest narratives:

• War in our day verses war in Joshua’s time.

 

• We have to keep in mind that every living thing was put to death in these towns for two primary reasons:
• They were sacrificial offerings to God 
• God’s justice was being administered
• Genesis 15
• Romans 1
• Joshua 11 
•  
• Judgment is not palatable in our culture.

 

There are clear differences between the violence in the Old Testament and the violence contained in the Quran.