Timothy: Let’s continue to talk about simple task and dark, deep sins. Video: God will judge a bad congregation with holy leadership. Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned? Whose bodies fell in the desert? Hebrews 3:16-17.
Timothy: Let’s go to Acts chapter 6 verse 1 as we move in to looking at Joshua in the town of Ai. Remember we’re talking about simple task, but dark sins. We find in Acts chapter 6 verse 1. There was a problem. It was a pretty mundane problem. The widows were not getting a decent share of bread, the poor widows. Let’s see what the first church did. Jacob, go ahead and read Acts 6:1&2.
Jacob: “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked and the daily distribution of food”.
Timothy: Verse 2 says, “So, the 12 gathered all the disciples together and said”. They begin to tackle the problem and let’s see how they do it and compare it to so often how it’s done in the church. “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry, the Word of God in order to wait on tables”. A congregation, a grumbling congregation would be going, oh he thinks he’s better than we are and they just want to sit in the office and do nothing. The reason I’m kind of laughing is I heard that 1 all over the years. You devote yourself to just preaching in the word of God and getting yourself holy. That’s not quite enough. Everybody seems to whine about that. I shouldn’t say everybody. Not everybody did. But yeah, it was a big enough problem. I’ll go ahead and tell this story just to kind of make a point. How it filters through. There was a child in the church I want to say 12, 13 right at that age you start thinking and you’re reflecting what’s being said at home, alright? But one of the things that was said or held against me is that I had quote unquote a lot of gadgets. To me, they’re not gadgets and so anyway he comes with an attitude and he goes, yeah, you got all these gadgets and stuff. So, I said, okay, tell you what. One man’s gadget is another man’s tools. I want to say gadgets, these weren’t what RC cars or toys. These like whatever I had an electric stapler sitting on my desk, right? So, I go okay, you pick anything in this room anything that’s you see here and point out to me what is not needed or that I’ve g1 too far or that’s a gadget. So, he looks around and he examines and he points the electric stapler. Now Jacob, you heard this story before.
Jacob: Yes.
Timothy: Alright, so I won’t ask you what the final inning was. So, he goes yeah, what about that, what about that. And I go, well, I have an electric stapler because it’s plugged in and very few People will cob the whole thing. If I had a regular stapler, I was always losing them because people come in and borrow them and I’d say yes and bring them back and then come back but electric ones pretty much bolted down. That’s just one minor example multiply that a couple hundred times and you see where that’s headed. Alright, Acts 6 2. So, the 12 gathered, all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables”. They’re being holy. They’re being righteous. There’s no darkness here. It’s they’re picking what is best for the congregation to be done. Not every leadership does that just because they say it but the point is we know the men were seeking God and knew what the message of the cross was. What they decided to do in Acts chapter 6 verse 3 says, “Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Holy Spirit of wisdom”. This is just for passing out bread. This is just giving bread to individual widows throughout the church. “Choose seven men among you who are known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom”. Most churches be lucky to get volunteers, let alone to say no we’re not taking volunteers. We’re only going to pick those that are known to be full of the spirit and wisdom through the message of the cross. “We will turn this responsibility over to them. And we will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word”. And you know praise God for this congregation. Acts 6:5 says, “This proposal pleased the whole group”. And if you read on there, it says and then this way the word of the Lord spread rapidly. Of course, because you have the most spiritual people doing the least or the most menial task. I think of churches and we’ve discussed this before so I’m just going to kind of go real fast. Jacob, who’s the most important person in a church building?
Jacob: Oh, I think we said the janitor.
Timothy: The janitor. Everybody talks to janitor and the janitor represents what the church is and who it is unless they’re hired out or whatever. So, you need the most spiritual men. The most spiritual men being janitors in the church and in that way the Word of the Lord will spread. Alright, pressing on let’s go to Joshua now chapter 7 verse 9. Let’s see how he’s responding to this hidden sin that’s within the camp. The sin that needs to be destroyed. We’re going to see here in Joshua that so often our repentance is misplaced. Let me repeat that again. So often our repentance is misplaced. It takes a lot of effort and hearing from God and being dead to self to not repent in the wrong way or to even have our repentance made right and proper in Jesus Christ. So often the church would choose the wrong methods to repent if they’re even repenting of the correct thing. We don’t, and the Reason why that’s there is we don’t cherish the rebukes of the living God. We want to handle ourself because we know if God rebukes us or corrects us or even encourages us. It always leads to being crucified with Christ. It always leads to the cross, it always leads to falling to the ground and dying to your sin. That’s one where you said among a couple others why we just refuse to really go for honestly before God. But don’t be surprised and I haven’t been surprised in many, many years. It’s so often, okay, I’m going to repent here and I’m going to do this here and I’m convicted here and God comes along and says oh no, no, no, that’s not how you’re going to repent and that’s not what needs to be done or it needs to be refined over here or it’s correct. And I move on I’ve grown up in Jesus Christ. Part of pastoring as a church when I would people would start to repent, which is good. You didn’t put out the fire but then it was either misplaced or misdirected or it wasn’t quite in line with the Word of God or the spirit. It takes a lot of discernment and a lot of work to help people hear from God how to repent and what to repent of. In Joshua 7:6, it says, “Then Joshua tore his clothes, fell face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord”. Always the presence of the Lord, always seeking the Lord. “Remaining there till evening”. Wasn’t in a hurry to get away, didn’t have other things to do, didn’t need to get his Bible time, didn’t need to go claim a couple promises, didn’t need to go drink a cup of coffee, didn’t need to go talk to brother so and so, didn’t need to check with his wife, didn’t need to check with his Bible study group, didn’t need to check the Greek or the Hebrew. Are we getting a point here, Jacob? Remaining there before the Lord in emptiness and solitude and God’s quiet and you’re going what’s going on and things are going through your head and the emotions are increasing and you’re looking and you’re examining if you got a decent kind of heart which we sure Joshua does. It says, “The elders of Israel did the same and sprinkled dust on their heads”. There’s an expression here. It reminds me of Corinthians where see what these Godly sorrows produced in you. See what’s happening. See the earnestness, the eagerness, see it. See, everybody can tell. Alright, with Joshua in this event Jacob, been hidden in a nice little committee meeting church that nobody could see.
Jacob: No.
Timothy: But they’ve come back with some worldly thing like, Joshua, you need to go through some sensitivity training here and you’re just being too critical. We were doing the best. We can, we prayed. It’s like you sent us on the mission, you heard it wrong. Why weren’t you listening to God correctly? Get any idea? Alright, so they’re not blaming Joshua they’re not looking at this as a superficial kind of way. They’re remaining before the Lord. They’re fixed on the Lord and he’s going to bless. When God rebukes, it’s a blessing as much as when he blesses the blessing that you wanted. Alright, so Joshua begins his prayer and his dialogue. He’s been before the Lord the whole time. You have to know Joshua is very sensitive to the spirit, because he’s waiting on God and he yet he’s not feeling that it’s time to say anything. When you go into the king’s presence, scripture tells us, don’t just go in blabbing. You go in respect; you go in with silence. The fact church says when you go to church, go near to listen rather than offer the sacrifice of fools. So, there’s this Quietness. There in quietness with a noisy set of dust in the air, clothes torn. There’s probably groaning going. I can imagine the conviction that’s going on and all the concerns. All the different emotions that are going through. From you know I don’t want people to get hurt anymore and I’m leading them to God needs to be glorified and there’s just is it a comfortable day, Jacob?
Jacob: No.
Timothy: I’ve had many days like this emotion back and forth wrestling and cleansing getting my robe to be wors. Deeper sins and convictions. So on and so forth. So, he finally pray. He feels the freedom. The Holy Spirit is working or God is working and allowing that opportunity and he turns to God and his first word is, ah. There’s just this emotional loud cries and tears like Jesus prayed the Hebrews told us. Ah, sovereign Lord. He begins with who he is. Lord you’re the holy one. You know what’s right. You know what’s going on. Ah, but it’s not quite that noble. It’s true. He’s got the titles down, right? But what does he do? Who does he begin to blame?
Jacob: The Lord.
Timothy: The Lord. He blames Lord. Garden of Eden, it’s just in us. It’s who we are. We blame the Lord. That’s the gut reaction. That’s the first simple reaction. So, know that there. We can die. This was sent as an encouragement so we don’t do what they did. Don’t go on before the Lord and go Lord why? Now that can be mixed up with all kinds of fancy words. We could go, Lord was it, were you. Sure, I was supposed to go do this or go out there so you know look be honest. Get some dust in the air. Tear your clothes. Humble yourself. Push everybody away. Tell wifey who would come in and hugs, honey it’s okay seek God be patient or your brothers and sisters let the conviction roll, let it come in through your life. You’ll be made holy. You’ll be blessed by being turned from your wicked ways and the congregation just might become holy. Alright, “Ah, sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us?. Man, that’s isn’t that direct, Jacob? There’s no guesswork about Lord, you know I got a question here, why are we out here? You kind of told it, no man, it’s just he’s bursting through and you think he know better. Didn’t the whole generation of people perish in the desert, because they grumbled against the Lord?
Jacob: Yes.
Timothy: Didn’t he see all the pain that Moses went through and all? I mean he was there the tenth of meaning. He saw that went on and all even Moses fell into sin. He saw all of that. So, how do we put that together, Jacob? How do we put together with Joshua saw those things but yet we see this in Joshua 7:7.
Jacob: I think maybe well it’s human nature that everybody wants like a break. Everybody wants there to be wants it to be done. So, you know what I mean? Like so he maybe he endured all that and then they finally crossed the Jordan. It’s supposed to be the promised land. We’re supposed to take this easily because God’s on our side. I’ve done my time in the desert and then he’s met with this opposition. I don’t know.
Timothy: No, that’s good. When I make a statement like that’s what’s there. There’s a multitude of things. Who of us actually around with one single thought about anything. So, that’s not to say you’re wrong. That definitely is in there. There is the difference between first Corinthians says, “Knowledge puffs up, love builds up”. We are just not as strong and holy as we think we are. We just really aren’t. He knew all of that. He could have preached that sermon better than I declared it. He was there. He saw right. But when push comes to shove and you’re in a corner, you’re just kicking yourself. Like I’m sure Josh is going, oh man, later on he’s looking back going on, ha, how can I be so stupid. That’s why scripture says always remember that you were slaves in Egypt there there’s so many times during the day I get a little shutter sometimes it’s like, ah man, why did I do that or why did say that or not say that or not these, no mass have said. Nobody go off on some tangent. You wouldn’t even be able to relate to what I’m telling you and it’s not a puff up. I’m just telling you the refinements there. There’s this kind of shuttering. It’s like, yeah, I knew better I knew that wasn’t right and you just kind of go down the line. So, but he’s honest. That’s what you like about Joshua. That’s what you praise. Look there’s this truth that’s who he is. He might be wrong, but he’s pouring his out to God. Is he not?
Jacob: Yes.
Timothy: I remember early on praying Lord ignore my prayers, Lord. And we’re going to see that here in a moment. When my prayers are about me when my prayers are self-centered. When I’m whining complaining no matter how flowery I can make that sound. Please ignore me. Pretty confidence, he’s answered that prayer too. Many a frustrating day. “Ah, sovereign Lord why did you”. Man, the accusation does great? And that’s really what we’re doing. And blessed be God that even after the whole generation and perish in the desert and Joshua’s, he just ignores Joshua. You think he’d be triple mad. You think he’d just go just nuts. Wouldn’t we all like how many times have I told you? You know how many times do I have to say that to you? Why did you ever, ever bring these people across the Jordan to deliver us? I mean the words are you’re being delivered right? So, it’s like that’s the problem with bad attitude somewhere around in there or misguided perception. You’re acknowledging the of what God did but it’s coming across in, think about how negative that is like you delivered us. How dare you deliver us? You did this bad thing. We’re in this fix because you delivered us and then God could have said, well, okay. How about I don’t deliver you then? Now, you’re right back to where you’re at now, right? Alright. “To deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us”. Wow. It’s like not only are we dying God because you’re doing this and but you send us to our enemies to perish and that’s the Nasty rebuke, right?
Jacob: Yeah.
Timothy: Do it then sometime. Get mad enough at God. Do respect. Don’t get me wrong, but don’t lie. If you’re mad at God, tell God you’re mad. If you’re happy with God, tell him that too. Pour your heart out to him and then prepare to be cleaned up and fixed up. Apostles, you come back you cast out a few demons, you preach the word of God, you’re rejoicing. Jesus says, why are you rejoicing? Stop rejoicing, those things. Yeah, expect to be corrected pretty much on everything. But he goes on to say. I’ll let you read that next, Jacob.
Jacob: “If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan”.
Timothy: Man, that’s what the last generation that perished in the desert. Repeated all the time. That we stayed in Egypt. That we could have perished here. “If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan”. I’ve kind of had out attitudes like that and I’m just sharing in a practical way not this deep and certainly probably not this Holy, but you just kind of get all the way out there and you go, man, why wasn’t I discontent. Remember, we were praying about doing a podcast and doing other things, right? And I said and be careful what you pray for right? That’s where this is coming from. Alright. Joshua 7:8. “O Lord what can I say, now that the Israelites have been routed by its enemies”. He emits failure. Please. Christian church. Stop admitting that you’ve succeeded when it’s a failure. He’s honest. He’s not glossing this over. He’s not putting a spin on it. He just simply said, “O Lord what can I say now that Israel has been routed by its enemy”. He admits fully to the defeat. Learn to go before the Lord and say, Lord I failed. No justifications. No white wars. Nothing else. You see it clearly. God has laid it out. You’re probably going to be convicted even deeper on it. In fact, that’s what’s going to take place here. But admit it. Don’t try to gloss it over. Oh well Satan was against me or I was doing the best I can or somebody else’s fault. Usually, they don’t go blame God. They go blame leadership or you said this or you did this back when or I was wounded 40 years ago and I’m still holding on to it and whether it’s true or not who knows by that time. He just admits he failed and that’s so God can continue to work. Verse 9 of Joshua 7. “The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?” In the midst of all of this, ultimately his concern is God’s glory. Let us become a blessed people that that’s all we care about. Not our comfort, not our family, not our job, not our things, certainly not America, not our favorite cause, not our ministry, nothing. Anything, not any aspect of our life, our concerns, and only be concerned for the glory of God. Let’s get indignant about all the failures that Satan has free reign to advertise all earthly because they’re there. The failures are happening. The world people see the hypocrisy in the church. It just seems nobody in the church can see the hypocrisy in the church. So, God begins to deal with this. Jacob, let’s go and play the second part of that on Joshua and we’ll pick it up again and start looking at it.
Video:Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes and Judah was taken. The clans of Judah came forward. He took the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and the Zimri was taken. Joshua had his family come forward man by man. And Aiken son of Kami the son of Zimri son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah, was taken. Then Joshua said to Aiken, “My son, give glory to Lord, the God of Israel and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done. Do not hide from me”. Aiken replied, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done. When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent with the silver underneath”. So, Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. Then Joshua, together with all Israel took Aiken son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the valley of Achor. Joshua said, “Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today”. Then all Israel stoned him. And after they had st1d the rest they burned them. Over Aiken they heaped up a large pile of rocks which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore, that place has been called the valley of Ahcor ever since. The considered podcast. Examining today’s wisdom. Folly and madness. www.archive.consider.info.
Timothy: Jacob, read Joshua 7 verse 10.
Midpoint
Jacob: The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up what are you doing down on your face”.
Timothy: Hallelujah, you got to love our God, stand up. It reminds me Paul says be men of courage. Alright, you’ve been on the ground, you’ve done the dust, you’ve done the weeping, the conviction and that needed to happen. That needed to be there, but there comes a point in time when stop the weeping stop the groveling stop the humbling stand up now is time to get busy and to deal with this. God is, he’s just dealing with the self-pity. Wasn’t Joshua saying oh Lord and this is miserable and all that we had died inside, right? He lets him go through all that and praise God that God ignores Joshua in a direct sense. He doesn’t come to him and go, ah knock off the self-pity or how dare you blame me, right? He doesn’t do that. He’s not defensive for himself to put that in human terms. He just says to him alright stand up. Stand up. What are you doing under. He begins with the rebuke. He begins with an accusation of Joshua. So don’t think, oh, I was weeping and I was crying and I was before the Lord and I have repented. You don’t know my heart. You don’t know how I try. I’ve heard it all. Right?
Jacob: Yeah.
Timothy: And so, when God says stand up and now it’s time to actually deal with the sin. They’re not dealing with the sin. They’re just getting up and going on their day. And so, the sin is brushed over. It’s Whitehorse. Other pastors, other fellow believers come in, those false or immature Christians. Oh, you just have to trust Jesus. The blood of Jesus covers you. Don’t worry about that part. That’s his interpretation. He’s just a cult leader. There’s no use paying attention to him because why? It’s not what you want to hear and you’re free in Jesus Christ. So, get on and do your thing. It’s not stand up and be rebuked. Stand up and deal with the sin. It’s just stand up and go on your way, right? Joshua, in those few words God is saying to Joshua you’re totally wrong in your response. This is what the church needs to hear today. They are wrong in the response. They are wrong in their doctrines. They are wrong in getting ready for what’s about to happen. So, stop blaming me or stop blaming God. Stop groveling. Stop the self-pity. Stop the hopeless. Part of the problem is the church is so busy having their hope in Jesus Christ and being happy. They won’t get hopeless. Joshua and God wants to drive you down to the point that you’re hopeless. Then, he, first Peter says, will lift you up in due time and due time Joshua’s being lift up. It’s not how we think. God’s not coming along with a bandage and a solve to put on and say, hey, is everything’s okay? It’s all going to work out. You just need to know that all things work for the good, right? You don’t hear God saying that, right, Jacob?
Jacob: No.
Timothy: It’s like stand up and learn how to move on in true victory. Let me repeat that. God is saying, stand up and learn now. I’m going to teach you how to move on in true victory. No white horse victory. Stand up and let’s confront the disobedience. Stand up and be a man demanding righteous obedience just with yourself and with everybody else. Isn’t that what God is saying in this one simple sentence Jacob? Alright. God is crystal clear in verse 11. Joshua 7:11. God is crystal clear. Reminds you of James 1:5. Jacob, are you there? Can you read James 1:5?
Jacob: I am not there.
Timothy: No rush.
Jacob: James 1:5. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him”.
Timothy: We don’t ask for that wisdom or we do and then we just shut God up and then the wisdom we get is from our neighbors, from our commentaries, from our own mind that reads scripture. Because the wisdom isn’t necessarily going to be, well, it’s never going to be what your flesh wants to hear. The promise here God will give generously without finding fault. He always wants us to be wise. What we do with that wisdom is a different story. In other words, a child comes in disobedient, kind of rebellious. Dad, what did I do wrong and you explain it all to him. There’s no guarantee the child then’s going to reform his ways or that he won’t go out and commit the same sin again, but you do give the wisdom. A good parent just doesn’t leave them in the darkest to what’s wrong. So, God will give the wisdom. Now, what you do with that, we don’t count the then is the same thing as possessing it. God comes along and he says yeah, you’ve got this hidden sin and this is here and you okay I got it. And then that’s it. You’re kind of missing the point. So, you’ll get lots of wisdom if you’re h1stly seeking God and he’s not going to go no, no, I’m not telling you because you’re so bad. You’ll always find out. And that’s why a lot of people don’t actually ask God that happened a lot and where I preach and stuff. People knew if they went back and asked God, they were going to get it. Many times, they did go back and they were blessed. I’m just encouraging you to a totally soft heart that it’s not going to be what you want to hear. So, let’s go back up to Joshua 7:11. God is extremely clear. Israel has sinned. No ambiguity there, correct?
Jacob: No.
Timothy: They have violated my covenant. You think it’d be enough just to say they’ve sinned but he goes on, okay, here are the specifics. They violated my whole covenant, everything. This is such of a major consequence that’s a violation of the whole covenant and everything I have set down exactly who I am and what it means to follow me. There are certain things in certain churches at certain specific points. If I were preaching there, you’d have to say, you have violated the covenant of God. It’s not a minor little thing here. This isn’t your usual everyday walk in the light as he’s in the light and have fellowship with one another and confess your sins to one another. This is a violation of the very covenant or sound doctrine that’s in Jesus Christ. They have violated my covenant, my gospel. That’s why Jesus says in Luke 14 that if you lose this particular saltiness, you’re not even fit for the manure pile. You’re just thrown out. So, there are churches that need to repent of everything or maybe one major thing that has violated the whole covenant. It’s a complete mess out there. “They violated my covenant which I commanded them to keep”. He’s reminding I did this. I brought them out. This is my covenant. These are the words of Jesus Christ. People often say to me, well, that’s your interpretation. I haven’t interpreted anything. I just read it. This is God’s covenant. It is his commandment. It is him speaking. It is direct. It is clear. In fact, I have one fault is probably that I’m too clear, right Jacob?
Jacob: Hmm.
Timothy: They have taken some of the devoted things. So, God gets specific. He goes on and he keeps going and he keeps digging and that’s what the Holy Spirit would like to do in our own hearts and our own churches. First of all, let me back up. Wouldn’t it be great to find a congregation where any of this kind of purity could take place? Can you imagine, leadership makes a mistake, the sin, we lose, we’re routed, we failed, we didn’t do what we needed to do in Jesus Christ. This was a complete mess. And the leadership goes in and seeks the living God and gets these specifics like okay everybody needs to get their house cleaned up there are some hidden things that need to be destroyed. Can you imagine then suppose that leadership in that church started going to each person’s house looking for sin? What do you think that leadership would be called, Jacob?
Jacob: Cult leader.
Timothy: Bingo, they would be called a cult leader and that would probably be minor. It would certainly purify the church, but again don’t go do this. You have to humble yourself before God to even get a foundation of the message of the cross. Of course, this can be misused. It always is. That’s why you have to seek the living God. But finding a congregation where the leadership could go, oh, we’ve really sinned. We’re under conviction. We’re coming to everybody’s house and listen to the Lord to see what everyone needs to repent of. Oh, talk about people searching their heart and that’s why God’s doing it the way he’s doing it here by the way. This big sin that was committed. This covenant grabbing on of this big item right is a result of tolerating a lot of little sins over here. It’s a little bit of yeast that works through the whole batch. You don’t just add 1 or 2 drops of yeast and then go okay well this still looks flat. You have to wait a little bit of time. If you were trying to track back the cause you’d go, well somebody, put some yeast in over here with a small thing and it’s spread throughout. So, when you see injustice within the judicial system. When you see corruption in police departments or whatever in somebody’s home, and you see these big things. Well, you can be sure you can be 100% sure there’s a lot of quote unquote little sins, little yeast that were Not dealt with. A congregation walking in the light, having fellowship with one another is dealing with yeast. They usually don’t get to a stage or it can happen but you don’t usually get to this stage where you got this giant sin that came out that nobody saw coming because you’re dealing with these small things. Look, okay. Should we wait till somebody commits adultery to say they committed adultery or should we honestly say if you lust for a woman, you committed adultery. Which one should we actually do?
Jacob: Latter.
Timothy: Alright. They have some of the devoted things. They have stolen. They have lied. They have put them with their own possessions. Is he not specific? This is blessed conviction by the Holy Spirit to cleanse us from sin. They have taken. They have taken the devoted things. They have stolen. They have lied. They have put them with their own possessions. So, why didn’t God just come along, go to the particular tent and say, oh, see this over here Joshua? This is the person that committed the sin and this is what they’re hiding. Why didn’t he do that, Jacob?
Jacob: Well, he’s about to.
Timothy: Well, he’s about to, but how’s he doing it?
Jacob: He’s going top to botPaul, starting with Joshua and it’s going to go down.
Timothy: Right. House by house, individual by individual, name by name, right?
Jacob: Correct.
Timothy: Because everybody needs to search their own heart. Everybody needs to see if their life is clean. Everybody needs to examine what part did I have in playing here. God’s actually being merciful by only stoning this immediate family. He could’ve wiped out the whole congregation. You’re trying to tell me a group of he’s got what? Was he got gold, a robe, and some other things, right? And you’re running from the battlefield.
Jacob: People do not see it.
Timothy: And nobody’s else saw it?
Jacob: They saw it.
Timothy: So exactly.
Jacob: The family would have saw it.
Timothy: The rumor meal would have g1 out. People knew. So, alright verse 12, “That is why the Israelites cannot stand”. It’s God saying, look I’m not at fault and I delivered you the reason you can’t stand. Here’s the specifics, here’s the wisdom. “Against their enemies, they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction”. That’s a lot of churches and ministries right now. If they’re ever pushed to actually do a serious battle in Jesus Christ, they couldn’t stand. They’d wind up running. They’d wind up losing in a massive way. Again, that doesn’t mean you win a legal battle or you win by 30 people coming to Jesus Christ. Whatever you’re looking for, it just means as you march into that, you may lose a particular battle but you’re winning in Jesus Christ. I don’t have time to go into all that. If that’s kind of a mystery to you, you need to start understanding the message of the cross. “That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies, they turn their backs and run”. And they don’t know this until it happens. That’s the problem. These sins are all hidden. They’re violating a covenant. There’re compromises going on in each tent. And everybody’s just kind of going along thinking, well, God’s not convicting me. I’m not feeling the Holy Spirit coming on me and anything and the sermons are on inspiring. And everything’s going well. I’m doing so good. And this is kind of the whole congregation. Then all of a sudden, we’re routed. Well, this is just didn’t happen right out of nowhere. This is just didn’t take place as an anomaly. This is something that’s been going on within the camp because on a daily basis they’re not making themselves holy for God. Whether it’s in small ways they’re violating the company, the covenant or they’re taking things that for themselves that are really meant for the Lord. They turn their backs around because they have been made liable to destruction. There comes a point in time when the sin will be big enough and God will not be with you and a ministry be destroyed, a family be torn apart whatever it is because of sin. Now notice the next verse. This one’s very sobering and all of this by the way we’re looking at very New Testament. There is anything that’s being looked at or examined for which I can’t take you to the New Testament and show you that it’s true. So don’t say this is a just Old Testament. Number 1, all scriptures useful for growing in the Lord. Alright, Jacob, you see that last sentence there? You want to read that to us?
Jacob: Verse 12.
Timothy: Yes, Joshua 7:12, the last sentence.
Jacob: “I will not be with you anymore, unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction”.
Timothy: At anymore word is a pretty heavy word, wouldn’t you say? “I will not be with you anymore”. How many churches out there God’s not really with them anymore? Because they violated the basics of Jesus Christ and his gospel. Others are headed that direction and unless they destroy whether it be humor, whether it be worldly sermons, whether it be just worldly lives, impurity. We could go down the list of sins. God is saying, “Unless you take care and destroy whatever among you is to destruction. I will not be with you anymore”. That’s rough to consider. But it’s true. Go through the book of Hebrews and you’ll see the same thing that if we fall away, if we drift away, got some massive, massive problems. Alright, let’s go to Joshua chapter 7 verse 13. So, Joshua he’s standing up he’s ready to go. Verse 13, “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, consecrate yourselves in preparation for Paulorrow, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. you cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it”. The shallow doctrines have to go. The massive worldliness in the church has to go. Don’t worry about losing a third or half or three quarters or all of your congregation. The hypocrites you must be dealt with. Verse 13, “In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe”. So, you see God allowing the conviction, the thinking, right? Comes along. This is what’s going to happen. We’re going to remove it. So, there’s this time like that gives people a lot of time to contemplate, soul search, look at their house, look in the tent, examine okay, where are we at? And it also the people that committed this sin. Are they not being given time to repent.
Jacob: Yes.
Timothy: There’s no Joshua saying like come forward and repent. But God doesn’t always lay out for us exactly what we’re supposed to do because he’s wanting us to repent on our own. If you come to somebody and go, well, you know if you do these five things, I’ll accept you back. Well, they might do the five things or do the four and they go why I did the four out of the five. You see they start playing games. But the way this is being approached it looks like it’s ultimatum. There’s no way you’re going to convince me that it those who committed this sin all came forward laid these things before Joshua and said we sin, we were wrong, our lives are total mess, that mercy wouldn’t have been poured out. So, there’s a timeline here that’s going on. “In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe”. It just doesn’t go for, he is the whole church is responsible here and that’s what God is trying to communicate whether it be the grumbling, the lack of faith, or the people not seeking God to purify their own lives. There’s a lot at play and so it’s tribe by tribe. The tribe that the Lord takes shall come forward. All of this is by the Lord. This isn’t some preacher on some power trip. All of this is by the power of God to clean up a whole church. Leadership down. Let me repeat that. Leadership down. It wasn’t like I was this leader here and I was exempt from all these things the other way around. I was accountable to all these things and even more. The tribe that the Lord takes shall come forward clan by clan. The clan that the Lord takes shall come forward family by family. And the family that the Lord takes shall come forward man by man. God is coming down and doing some very fine cleansing. Isn’t he, Jacob?
Jacob: Yes.
Timothy: Verse 15 says, “He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire”. This is the baptism of fire from Jesus Christ. This is the holiness that supposed to be in the church. There is just no excuse for hypocrites. Let me repeat that. Unrepentant hypocrites being in the church. There is no excuse for this sloppy doctrines on here. Nothing that we’ve looked at this podcast can be defined as deep doctrine. It’s all the minimum of what people should be doing. It’s easily discerned. It’s easily read. It’s laid out clearly. There’s not giving yourself to do it. “He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel”. Next time some your congregation or congregation belong to or they fall into sin if they even get convicted of that. Don’t write a book. Humble yourself and clean up the congregation first. Well Jacob, we’re going to have to go on to part 3 on this one. So, take us out of here and we’ll pick it up later.
Outro: This has been the Consider Podcast at www.archive.consider.info where yesterday’s folly is today’s madness. In the beginning, the unrepentant sinners words are folly. At the end, they are wicked madness. Ecclesiastes 10:13. Judgement begins with the house of God. Therefore, let every1 who loves the Lord with an undying love pick up their cross and walk the talk. As Peter the wrote. “Therefore, prepare your minds for action. Be self-controlled”. First Peter 1:13-14. The Considered Podcast, examining today’s events and Paulorrow’s realities. www.archive.consider.info.
End
The Consider Podcast Examining today’s wisdom, folly and madness Ecclesiastes 7:25 www.archive.consider.info
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