Joshua 8: Snatching Victory from the Depths of Defeat

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Theological Proposition/Focus: God is a God who is in the process of redeeming that which is broken.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: God offers second chances and victory. He simply wants His people to come to Him.

Contents

Introduction:

Image: No Recovery - Drew Bledsoe injured, Tom Brady takes over

In March of 2001 Drew Bledsoe signed a then-record ten-year 103 million dollar contract with the New England Patriots.

During week 2 of the 2001 season a clean but hard hit knocked Bledsoe out with a suspected concussion

The injury was actually a much longer lasting hemothorax that benched Bledsoe for the entire season.

So imagine the devastation of learning that your franchise record-pay quarterback is out.

Bledsoe's backup was only in his second year, had only thrown three career passes, and was a pitiful sixth round pick

But that didn't stop Tom Brady from leading the Patriots to an 11-3 season and their first Super Bowl

Sometimes in the midst of defeat victory is unimaginable. However, that does not mean victory is unatainable.

Need: God offers second chances and victory. We need to draw to Him and take His second, third,..., chances.

=Preview: =In Joshua 8 we are going to see that God offers restoration, desires each and every one of us, works through us in obvious and not-so-obvious ways, is faithful to complete his promises, and provides us with words worth remembering.

Text:.

Setting the Stage:

Jericho had been defeated.

But Achen's sin had brought defeat.

Body

God is a God of Reassurance and Restoration (1-2)

God reassures his provision.

Failure is part of life. We have within us a sin nature and while sin has been defeated at the cross, that defeat has still to be fully realized in each of us. Coming off of Achen's sin and the first defeat at Ai, I imagine Israel felt defeated and dejected. However, God was still in control and God forgives. Two commands stand out to me in verse 1.

Do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged.

It is striking that these are the same word that had been used in Joshua 1:9.

What we must realize if we are to live as Christ followers is that yes we do sin, but we serve a God who completely restores.

God completely restores.

Verse 1 concludes with a Qal perfect, I have given

The idea here is that this is a done deal. As far as God was concerned the battle was over. Joshua was going to see Ai overthrown just as Jericho had been overthrown.

The only real difference between Ai and Jericho would be that Israel was allowed the plunder.

The Gospel provides assurance and restoration.

There are times when we think of the God of the Old Testament as different than the God of the New Testament. This simply is not the case. The Good News of the Gospel is that God provides restoration. No matter who you are, no matter what you have done, God can forgive you.

But it is even better than that. You see, if you are alive and breathing then the question is not "if you will sin again?" the question is "when will you sin again?" You might sin and believe that what you have done is so bad that God wants nothing to do with you. I want to assure you today that the blood of Jesus cleanses, covers, sin. If you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior then nothing you can do can separate you from the love of Christ.

Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin. Jesus rose on the grave to give assurance of his victory over sin. Following Christ is actually very simple to become a Christ follower you simply place your full trust in Christ's atoning death as payment for your sin.

Image: Restoring a wall, the Hidden Burger King in Delaware

Christ's cover for our sin is amazing. On June 28 a twitter photo was shared from a mall in Wilmington Delaware. The photo showed what looked like a vintage burger king from the 80s. In the process of restoration construction, this old Burger King had apparently been entombed. It is possible to completely restore that which is otherwise damaged and that is exactly what Christ offers us.

MTR: Ask yourself, where do I need God's restoration and reassurance?

God does not need us all but he wants us all (3-9)

Joshua took the whole army

Previously, in confidence, Joshua had only sent out a small force. Now Joshua elects to involve everyone.

Different people had different jobs

Image: training the whole team on WeBWorK instead of just a subset.

MTR: Commit to loyally answering God's call.

God's works are at times obvious but at other times done through His people (10-19).

God's works were clear in Jericho.

In Ai, God chose to work through His People.

Verse 18 reminds us that God was still the one working.

MTR: Look for how God is working through His people.

God is faithful to complete what he has started (20-29).

God provided a complete victory.

God has started working on us (Phil. 1:6)

MTR: Ask yourself, what does it mean to know that God has started to change my heart?

God's words are worth recounting (30-35).

Joshua led the people in covenant renewal.

Joshua led the people in corporate reading of the Bible.

MTR: Commit to reading your Bible daily this week (5 min., 10 min. 30 min. 60 min.)

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