Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20040208.htm

SAMPLING GOD'S "FEAR NOTS" Part VI: God's Victory Over The Fear Of Repeat Spiritual Failures (Joshua 7:1-8:35)
Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

All of us have known painful spiritual defeat in our lives: in an area where we had failed to obey the Lord, and seen His withdrawal of blessing and defense against harm, we have known pain.

Well, how can we ever function in that area of our lives again -- what is the solution? Consider the following illustration:

Josh McDowell, a representative of Campus Crusade for Christ who witnesses about Christ to skeptics on many university and college campuses, reports that for many years, he had hated his father.

Josh had an understandable reason for this: his father was an alcoholic in a small town where everyone knew it. Josh reports his friends "would come to high school and make jokes about my father being downtown" to the point that Josh writes it would may him cry inside. Josh noted he would "go out to the barn and see my mother beaten so badly she couldn't get up, lying in the manure behind the cows. When we had friends over, I would take my father out, tie him up in the barn, and park the car up around the silo. We would tell our friends he'd had to go somewhere. I don't think anyone could have hated anyone more than I hated my father." (from the book, A Ready Defense, by Josh McDowell, p. 18)

How can a party like Josh McDowell who had known only the spiritual defeat of hatred for his father, a hatred we can all understand given the circumstances? For that matter, how can we gain spiritual victory over spiritual defeat in our own lives?

If we have known spiritual defeat in some area in our lives, CAN we, or HOW can we gain VICTORY and HEALING over that defeat?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "I have known great pain in spiritual defeat in some area of life for not heeding God's leading and Word, and now I'm AFRAID to FUNCTION in that area AGAIN! What is the solution?"

Israel experienced a tragic defeat in divine discipline at Ai for failing to FOLLOW GOD and HEED His WORD, Joshua 7:1-5b:

When confronting the little town of Ai in battle, Joshua assumed it could be taken by a small part of the army, so he sent a few thousand men to take Ai without seeking GOD'S counsel, Joshua 7:2-4a.
Not having sought God's advice was a mammoth mistake, for Joshua did not know God was not going to help him as one of the people had violated God's order not to take booty from Jericho, 7:1 with 6:18.
In the end, the army sent to defeat Ai fled before the men Ai and lost 36 fighting men of Israel, Joshua 7:4b-5b.

Consequently, the nation became depressed and immobilized by grief, confusion and faithless fear, Joshua 7:5c-9:

This defeat before Ai demoralized the people of Israel, Joshua 7:5c.
In fact, it demoralized Joshua and Israel's elders:

Joshua and Israel's elders fell face down in distress before God and prayed in unbelief, wondering if God had brought them out of Egypt to be killed by the Canaanites, Joshua 7:6-7b.
Joshua faithlessly said he wished he had been content to dwell on the west side of the river instead of crossing the Jordan, 7:7c.
He even wondered how God was going to protect His reputation at this defeat, wondering what other nations would think, Jos. 7:8-9.

God told Joshua to address Israel's failure to follow Him and heed His Word as the CAUSE of this loss of His blessing, Jos. 7:10-26:

To jar Joshua from his unbelief, God ordered him to get up off of the ground, asking Joshua what he was doing there as the problem was not with GOD; rather, Israel had sinned, Joshua 7:10-11a!
God explained He had withdrawn His blessing because someone in Israel taken of the Jericho spoils in violation of God's order, and then had hidden it, 7:11b-12. Joshua was to find out who had done this thing and punish him according to God's will, Joshua 7:13-15.
Joshua obeyed the Lord in making an inquiry, and after seeing God signal Achan and his family as guilty, he and Israel obeyed God in executing and burying them under a large pile of rocks, Jos. 7:16-26a.

Once Israel handled the sin, GOD told Joshua to "FEAR NOT" going against AI AGAIN: NOW UPRIGHT ISRAEL would know GOD'S HELP as she FOLLOWED and OBEYED HIM, 7:26b-8:2:

When Joshua and Israel punished Achan and his guilty coconspirators for violating God's Word, God's anger was appeased, Joshua 7:26b.
Accordingly, the Lord told Joshua to "Fear not" and no longer be dismayed: rather, he was to return to attack Ai and follow God's lead to gain a great victory where Israel had before failed, Joshua 8:1-2!

In the PROCESS of having HEEDED and OBEYED the LORD, Israel demolished her former foe in Ai and found God's HEALING from the past FAILURE and PAIN, Joshua 8:2-35:

Israel found God's help in gaining a great victory over Ai in following and obeying the Lord in regards to attacking Ai again, Joshua 8:2-22:
In the process, God gave Israel healing from her dismay as follows:

God gave Israel healing from her former defeat by the plan used to defeat Ai: God used a repeat but fake flight before Ai, a hard exercise for Israel to perform again as key to defeating Ai in this second battle; thus, Israel could overcome her former dismay caused by her initial , tragic FLIGHT from Ai, Joshua 8:3-7, 8-22.
God gave Israel healing by the burial of the king of Ai under a pile of rocks as had been done to Achan, Joshua 8:23-29 with 7:25-26:
God supplied Israel healing by way of the reading of the Law's curses and blessings on mount Ebal and Gerizim just after Ai's defeat: this drove home the importance of heeding Scripture versus what Achan had just done before this event, Joshua 8:30-35:

Application: If we have experienced demoralizing, painful defeat for FAILING to FOLLOW and OBEY God and His WORD, INSTEAD OF LYING ON THE GROUND IN FAITHLESS, DEPRESSED GRIEF, (1) HEED God's call to "get up" and trust in Christ for salvation, Acts 17:30-31; Rom. 10:9-10. (2) If we have sinned as a BELIEVER, "get up" and HEED God's call to CONFESS it to Him for cleansing, 1 John 1:9. (3) Then, FOLLOW God's WORD and LEADING in the VERY area we ONCE knew deep pain and defeat and see HIM provide ENCOURAGEMENT that we "FEAR NOT" more failure, and see Him give HEALING and VICTORY in the PROCESS!

Lesson: When Israel failed to FOLLOW God and OBEY His WORD, she knew harmful, demoralizing defeat; yet, when she TURNED to FOLLOW God and OBEY His Word, she was VICTORIOUS, and IN that VICTORY saw God HEAL her from the PAIN of her PAST DEFEAT.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

You will recall we began this message with the illustration of Josh McDowell and the spiritual defeat of his hatred for his alcoholic, abusive father.

Well, about five months following his conversion to Christ, Josh reports the Lord gave him a love for his father that was so strong, he actually was able to look his father right in the eyes and said, "Dad, I love you.'" According to Josh, due to his past history with his father, that statement really shook up his father.

Shortly after that, Josh was in a car accident where his neck was put into a traction and he was sent home to be with his parents from the university where he studied. Josh writes "I'll never forget my father coming into my room. He asked me, Son, how can you love a father like me?'

I said, Dad, six months ago I despised you.' Then I shared with him my conclusions about Jesus Christ: Dad, I let Christ come into my life. I can't explain it completely but as a result of that relationship I've found the capacity to love and accept not only you but also other people, just the way they are.'"

Josh continues, writing: "Forty-five minutes later one of the greatest thrills in my life occurred. Somebody in my own family, someone who knew me so well I couldn't pull the wool over his eyes, said to me, Son, if God can do in my life what I've seen him do in yours, then I want to give Him the opportunity.' Right there my father prayed with me and trusted Christ." (Ibid., McDowell, p. 18)

Josh went on to say his father's life was instantly greatly changed. Only once after that did his dad ever again touch whiskey, and it got only as far as his lips, and no further.

GOD wants to GIVE us VICTORY in the AREA of life where we ONCE knew ONLY spiritual DEFEAT -- He is not only ABLE to do this, He CAN do so with GREAT HEALING! God achieved this for ancient Israel and Joshua at Ai, and He achieved it for Josh McDowell in his relationship with his alcoholic father.

May WE also "get up off the ground" of dismay and defeat and believe in Christ or confess any sins we have done as believers and let HIM LEAD us through His Word unto VICTORY where we once knew only pain and defeat!