AFFECTING OTHERS

WHAT WE DO A

FFECTS OTHERS

Pastor Tim P Blaisure – 5/07/23 – Morning Message

Intro: (Joshua chapter 6) Jericho falls by the hand of God.

· The Lord told Joshua that He had given him the city.

· The Lord gave specific instructions to Joshua on what they were to do and not do.

· The Lord kept His promise, and the walls came down and the Israelites defeated Jericho.

· The Lord said what was His and what was to be destroyed and that the people were to take nothing for themselves – if they did it was sin and it would effect the whole nation of Israel.

Foundation Scriptures:

Romans 14:11-13 NLT

“For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’”

12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.

13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

Joshua 7:1-26

“But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites. Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zimri son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah.

2 Joshua sent some of his men from Jericho to spy out the town of Ai, east of Bethel, near Beth-aven.

3 When they returned, they told Joshua, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.”

4 So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai

5 chased the Israelites from the town 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 this turn of events, and their courage melted away.

6 Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the Lord until evening.

7 Then Joshua cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side!

8 Lord, what can I say now that Israel has fled from its enemies?

9 For when the Canaanites and all the other people living in the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe our name off the face of the earth. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?”

10 But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this?

11 Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings.

12 That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now, Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.

13 “Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.

14 “In the morning you must present yourselves by tribes, and the Lord will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. That tribe must come forward with its clans, and the Lord will point out the guilty clan. That clan will then come forward, and the Lord will point out the guilty family. Finally, each member of the guilty family must come forward one by one.

15 The one who has stolen what was set apart for destruction will himself be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has broken the covenant of the Lord and has done a horrible thing in Israel.”

16 Early the next morning Joshua brought the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Judah was singled out.

17 Then the clans of Judah came forward, and the clan of Zerah was singled out. Then the families of Zerah came forward, and the family of Zimri was singled out.

18 Every member of Zimri’s family was brought forward person by person, and Achan was singled out.

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, by telling the truth. Make your confession and tell me what you have done. Don’t hide it from me.”

20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel.

21 Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest.”

22 So Joshua sent some men to make a search. They ran to the tent and found the stolen goods hidden there, just as Achan had said, with the silver buried beneath the rest.

23 They took the things from the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites. Then they laid them on the ground in the presence of the Lord.

24 Then Joshua and all the Israelites took Achan, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, tent, and everything he had, and they brought them to the valley of Achor.

25 Then Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will now bring trouble on you.” And all the Israelites stoned Achan and his family and burned their bodies.

26 They piled a great heap of stones over Achan, which remains to this day. That is why the place has been called the Valley of Trouble ever since. So, the Lord was no longer angry.

ISREAL IS DEFEATED BY AI BECAUSE OF SIN IN THE CAMP

I. FROM WHERE DID THE SIN ORIGINATE?

- Jericho where God said,

Joshua 6:18-19

18 “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel.

19 Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”

- A present sin will eventually affect the future.

- Disobedience brings a curse.

- Obedience brings a blessing.

II. FROM WHAT DID THE SIN ORIGINATE?

- The designated items from Jericho.

A beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound.

- God had said that everything was to be burned except for what was God’s part to be put in the house of God’s treasury.

- The silver, Gold, bronze, and iron were the Lord’s.

- The city, people, animals, and possessions were all to be burned.

III. FROM WHO WAS THE SIN COMITTED BY?

- God said Israel had sinned.

Numbers 32:23

“But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”

- God gets to the person who committed the sin. – Achan.

- This disobedience – sin – cost Achan everything.

- Israel – lost the battle against Ai and 36 men died.

- Achan and His family were stoned, and their bodies were burned, and stones piled on top of them for a continual reminder of what sin in the camp will do.

Conclusion:

Hebrews 11:24-26

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.

26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.

- The choices we make don’t just affect ourselves.

- Our present choices affect our future, our family’s future, our church and even our nation’s future.

- Are we going to enjoy sin for a season and then face destruction or will we walk in obedience and keep sin out of the camp so that we can experience victory and the Blessings of the Lord?

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.

14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.