Restored Relationship (Joshua 8:1-35- John Lasken)

is my God, that is who you are. Waymaker.

Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, my

God, that is who you are. You are a waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, my

God, that is who you are. That is who you are,

Lord Jesus. We welcome you here this morning. Thank you for being the promise keeper, never, never going back on your word.

You received the email, the weekly email that John sent out.

There was a link to a contemporary hymn, modern hymn writers, a group called

City of Light. They're writing wonderful theology -based hymns.

This one, Yet Not I, Through Christ in Me. We're going to introduce that one this morning.

Join us. What gift of grace is

Jesus my Redeemer? There is no more for heaven now to give.

He is my joy, my righteousness and freedom, my steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace.

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus. For my life is wholly bound to His.

Oh, how strange and divine I can see.

All is mine, yet not I, but through Christ in me.

In His dark mind, the

Savior, He will stay. My shepherd will defend me.

Through the deepest valley, He will lead.

Overcome not my dread, for the price is paid in due.

For Jesus bled and suffered for my part.

And He was raised to overthrow the grave.

And defeated.

Jesus now and ever is my peace.

Every breath

I long to follow Jesus. For He has said that He will bring me home.

My day, I know that He will. I stand with joy before the throne.

His only Jesus. All the glory evermore to Him.

When He did not care, when

He did not care. Good morning, everyone, and Happy New Year.

Just a quick celebration that we wanted to do before we get to our announcements. Ten years ago in January, Michael Stockland was brought to us.

We're super excited and thankful for what God has done in his life and what he's brought to our church here.

So thank you, Michael Stockland. Okay, on to the announcements.

All right, so we are one week away. The Rock Church, Pastor Ben will be kicking off this upcoming

Sunday. So please be in prayer for Pastor Ben and for all those who are involved in the ministry over there as they get their last -minute details in order to kick off the

Rock Church over in Mount Laurel. And we also have our

Women's ABF class will be resuming on January 10th. That will be meeting during the first service.

Kimberly is going to be leading the women in a study through the Book of Galatians. We also have our

Men's Prayer Breakfast, which will be starting on January 11th again. That will be here in the sanctuary with also a

Zoom option. And they'll be going through a new book called Tactics, and they'll be discussing Chapter 1.

You can see John Detoli if you have any questions about that. Our Isaiah study resumes this week as well on Wednesday here in the sanctuary, and those are also recorded and put on YouTube if you miss coming to that study.

We're also going to be starting our Starting Point class. Pastor John's going to be leading this on the 17th, 24th, and 31st, and that's primarily for anyone who's interested in becoming a member here at Cornerstone.

And then finally, Christmas cards. We have a large folder out in the foyer full of Christmas cards, so if you haven't checked that recently, try to grab whatever

Christmas cards you have in there. And then if you live near someone, maybe you can grab cards from someone who may not be here this morning, and you can drop them off to them.

That would be great. All right, let's pray. Dear Lord, we thank you for this day.

We thank you for this new year that's upon us. Lord, we just ask that you continue to be with us as we sing songs to you, as we prepare to take communion this morning, and as we hear from Pastor John.

Just be with us in this new year. Help us to be a shining light to those in this dark world. Help us to spread the love of Jesus to all that we come in contact with.

And we ask this in your Son's name. Amen. We're going to sing one more song together as we prepare for the

Lord's Table. If you would stand with me. This throne, this earth you formed

Was not your home A love like this

The world had never This fell upon your face

A love like this The world had never

Let there be no higher name

Jesus, Son of God You laid down your perfect life

You are the sacrifice Jesus, Son of God You are

Jesus, Son of God You rose to life

You defeated the grave You took our sin

You bore our shame You rose to life

You defeated the grave A love like this

Let there be no higher name

Jesus, Son of God Let there be no higher name

Jesus, Son of God You laid down your perfect life

You are the sacrifice Jesus, Son of God You are

Jesus, Son of God I want you in your mind's eye to think about a dinner table.

Mom, Dad, kids, enjoying the evening together, talking about the day perhaps, sharing stories.

I've had a little bit of time to think about this opening. And in my mind, I'm thinking of Daniel.

Let me change your picture just a little bit. Daniel's sitting at the table with Mom, Dad, probably siblings.

We don't know a whole lot about him at this point. The story picks up when he has been called and sits in the throne room with the king.

But at this point in time, he's at home. Now, the things that we do know about David, one is, well, they're in captivity.

Jerusalem has fallen, the nation has been taken, and they're in captivity. But other things that we think we know, one is that Daniel is a little boy of faith.

And the reason I say that is the way he responded when he goes into the throne room with the king and turning in pure devotion and turning away from the lores that were given.

And Mom and Dad must have been amazing people. And I believe that 800 years before this, in Deuteronomy, it was recorded,

Deuteronomy 11, 18, and 19, You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house and when you are walking by the way and when you lie down and when you rise.

And so I have, in my picture of this dinner table, I have young Daniel being taught in the ways of the

Lord by his mother and father. There's no evidence that there was a synagogue at this point in time.

The temple has been destroyed. And so the instruction that Daniel would have received would have come from his parents.

Now, I can see Daniel saying something like, Daddy, tell me some stories about David.

And we can go there, we can tell stories about how David protected the flock of sheep against a bear and a lion as a young lad.

Or we have the stories of Goliath, the Philistine, the very large

Philistine, who basically insulted the nation of Israel and said, nobody of you guys can stand against me.

And all of the mighty fighting men of Israel cowered back in fear.

But this one little ruddy, complexioned young lad said, I'll do it. And they tried to put the coat of armor on him, and they tried to give him a spear, and he said, no,

I'll take my sling, and I'll take some stones. And as he goes out, Goliath mocks him.

Who are you? And David says, you come at me with sword and spear. I come at you in the name of the

Lord. Now, before that even occurred, we know that God selected this ruddy, complexioned young child to be the king.

Now, in reality, there are other stories that need to be told. David fell.

David had lapses into the flesh. And we know the story of Bathsheba, Uriah the

Hittite. In fact, the first sin for David would have been sluggardness because the story says that in this season, when the kings went out to battle, but David stayed behind in the palace, setting himself up for temptation and fall, and then having to take the second sin to protect against the first fall against Uriah the

Hittite. And then the story of Nathan. And Nathan comes up to him, and he tells him about this man, very poor, and they had one ewe lamb.

That's all they had. And it was more of a pet than anything else. Well, this rich man had a visitor come from out of town, and he needed to prepare a feast.

So instead of taking one of the multitude of his flocks, he took the ewe lamb from the poor family.

And David was outraged. How dare he? And Nathan said, You are that man.

And he was judged. The stories tell about the punishments and the consequences.

But here's the thing. Through all of this, we must understand God knew

David's heart. When God called David to be king as a young lad, he already knew about Bathsheba.

He already knew about Uriah the Hittite. And he still called him, and he still said,

I am picking a man to be king, a man after my own heart, knowing what would happen.

God knows his heart. He said that he would be king.

He said that it would last forever. 2 Samuel 7 says,

When your days are fulfilled, and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up offspring after you who shall come from your body.

I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name. I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

This is the same David who sinned grievously. But you see, at the end of that chapter about Bathsheba and Uriah the

Hittite, and then Nathan, he says, I have sinned against the

Lord. There was a recognition of sin, and there was a recognition that this was grievous.

And so he says in Psalm 54, David pens this, God save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.

O God, hear my prayer. Give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me.

Ruthless men seek my life. They do not set God before themselves.

Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is the upholder of my life.

David fell and sinned. David was called and blessed, fell in sin, confessed that this sin was against God, and now he calls out to God.

God is my helper. The Lord is the upholder of my life.

He fully confesses. He fully surrenders his heart. And in fact, in Hebrews 11, the hall of faith,

David is in that list as a man of faith. There's a pattern to David's life.

It's a pattern of relationship with God, of falling away, and of restoration.

This restoration isn't because of David. It's because of God and his grace and his mercy acting in the heart of David to where David said, yes,

I have sinned against God. So young Daniel can hear the stories of David and learn what it means to remain and to be restored.

And it's actually a pattern about the nation of Israel itself. Now, for the nation of Israel, this starts way back with Abram, who becomes

Abraham, and God said that you will be my people and that your descendants will be like the sands of the sea, the stars of the heavens.

Through you, all nations will be blessed. This relationship set up was by God's initiation, but it was to be forever.

But the nation ends up in Egypt, and as they're coming out,

God has Moses proclaim these words, let my people go that they may serve me.

Let my people go that they might serve me. Well, guess what's going to happen very soon after that?

They're going to disobey, and they are going to walk away from God. Some of the things that are talked about, think about the golden calf.

Moses is up receiving the Ten Commandments, and the people get anxious, and they make a golden calf.

Or think about Kadesh Barnea, their chance to go into the Promised Land. They're like giants, we're like grasshoppers.

They grumble, they complain. Send us back to Egypt where at least we had leeks and onions and that kind of stuff.

But yet God, in Exodus 9, has Moses say, fully knowing the end from the beginning, fully knowing who these people will be, he says, let my people go that they might serve me.

My brothers and sisters, this is an important exhortation for us to hold on to.

I'm going to sin this week, probably today. But I have a

God who has loved me and desires that I serve him and went to the cross for me.

Israel was destined to get into the Promised Land. It was promised to Abraham.

It is all about God's sovereignty. Things that Israel would do, did do, don't change that promise that God was sending them.

And he said that they might serve me. And so we began a journey, when

I get the chance to be here, going through the book of Joshua. And it starts out in chapter 1.

They're east of the Jordan, in camp at a place called Shittim. They already know the stories, what happened at Kadesh Barnea.

And there's still grasshoppers there. And across the river, their first encounter is going to be

Jericho. A massive, a massive city, a big obstacle. They send in the spies.

They learn that God has prepared the way the hearts of the people in the land have melted before you and as you go in.

So then we have the people now, having crossed the Jordan, are going to consecrate themselves in chapter 5.

What they're going to do, they have not circumcised and they have not practiced the Passover.

They've been in the wilderness for 40 years since Kadesh Barnea. All the adults have died. They are reestablishing their relationship with God and consecrating themselves through circumcision and through the

Passover. And then in chapter 6 is the victory at Jericho. As they walk around in obedience to God, the trumpets blow and God takes the walls down.

And they have a victory, which takes us to chapter 7. And their lapse of reliance on God.

We know that Achan took from the city that which was forbidden. And he had to hide it.

But we also know that the next city was Ai. Nothing like Jericho, but another obstacle.

And Joshua did not turn to God. He remembered that they beat

Jericho. He saw that Ai was not a big deal, and so he set the plan.

He sent spies in. The spies came back and said, this is going to be easy. Don't send everybody. And the story is a disaster.

Their sins were multiple. Greed, covetousness, self -reliance, denial of the sovereignty of God, and utter destruction as they were defeated.

And eventually they had to put Achan to death. Joshua 7, however, ends with these beautiful words in verse 26.

It says, Then the Lord turned from his burning anger.

At the end of Joshua 7, at the end of the first battle of Ai, with sin and with consequences comes the beginnings of restoration.

As they obediently did what they needed to do to Achan. And they acknowledged that sin, and it says,

Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. So today we're turning to Joshua 8.

The nation has still got Ai in front of them. This is a picture of restoration, and it comes in four phases.

The first is restoring your reliance on God. The second is accepting that he has the sovereign plan, and then stepping out in obedience when

God gives the direction. And finally, responding in worship. Father, as we turn to your word, we pray,

Lord, that you would instruct us, not challenge us to do things on our own, but to do things through your grace, to realize that sin comes, and sin has its consequences, but you have a plan, you have a blueprint for us to be renewed.

I pray that we would see that through Joshua 8, and that we would be encouraged to always, always rely on you.

Amen. Joshua 8, verses 1 and 2. The Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear and do not be dismayed.

Take all the fighting men with you, arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land.

And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king only, its spoil and its livestock.

You shall take as plunder for yourselves, lay an ambush against the city and behind it.

Do not fear. Now the people came out of the battle at Jericho and went northwest towards Ai and set camp, and that's where the problems began.

Achan with his plunder, and Joshua with his self -reliance, and they got defeated.

And so now they're back in camp. They've got to be asking, what went wrong?

How did this happen? We've been defeated.

What about the promise to Joshua in chapter 1? I will be with you.

I will not fail you. But we lost, but we defeated. There had to be doubt, and there had to be despair.

And this restoration is going to start out with an important point, and that's that it starts with the

Lord. You need his grace. Even in this discussion of restoration, it says, and the

Lord said to Joshua. His grace was going to be, his grace is adequate.

And so he spoke, the Lord spoke to him. The failure at the first battle of Ai wasn't necessarily in their battle plan.

It was in the fact that God wasn't in the battle plan. So I guess that's the failure. And so as the restoration begins, we have the

Lord said to Joshua. Deuteronomy 31 talks about Moses.

Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the

Lord has sworn to their fathers to give to them. You shall put them in possession of it.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Do not fear or be dismayed. One of the things I do probably frequently in different Bible studies is

I throw some extra words into a passage and see who catches it. It is the

Lord who goes before you while you are following him. He will be with you.

He will not leave you or forsake you as long as you don't leave him or forsake him. That's not what it says.

These are promises from God. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you.

He will not leave you nor forsake you. Do not be dismayed. The problem is that we choose not to listen or we choose not to follow.

And so restoration begins. The Lord said to Joshua. David in Psalm 51.

Take time in Psalm 51. This is just an encouragement. An amazing Psalm. Verse 1.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love. According to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

It's God. Have mercy on me, O God. The second thing is to have strength to overcome fear after defeat.

Do not fear or be dismayed. What will Satan do to you after a failure?

He will give you thoughts of rejection. Now AI was a defeat because the people used self -reliance, self -experience.

They saw what was going on at Jericho. But then came defeat. And after defeat can come doubt.

And these are Satan's lies. And this is what he's going to try to do with you, my friends. That moment where you sin and that moment where you step away from God.

These are the things that Satan will use to you. Or some variation of them. God has abandoned me.

I must have lost favor with God. This was too much for God.

These lies are intended by Satan to keep you trapped in that moment of doubt and despair.

Now in reality they're about to have a second battle at AI.

The circumstances are almost the same. AI is still who they are.

The nation of Israel haven't gotten any stronger. And in reality God is still the same

God. So what's got to change is Joshua's perception of the circumstances.

He has been looking at this obstacle called

AI. And now maybe perhaps the defeat and the issues through his own vision from what he sees.

But what God needs him to do is to start looking at it from his perspective.

Satan wants you to remain in defeat. God wants you to turn to him.

He said do not fear. Do not be dismayed. And there's a reason for that.

It's because I'm God. And when you went there the first time you chose not to go there with me.

He also says take all the fighting men with you. Now this is another important part to grab a hold of.

AI, the first battle, I call it AI one. They approached the city.

They were in camp. And Joshua sent out spies. And the spies came back. And they said no great shakes.

Don't bother everybody. Just send a few. And we can take this place. Just send a few.

And we can take this place. Anyway, AI one, that was destined for failure for a lot of reasons.

And one of them was that Joshua underestimated the enemy. And the enemy is

Satan. God demands in the spiritual warfare your whole heart.

Your whole obedience. They asked Jesus what's the greatest commandment? And he said love the

Lord your God a little bit with your heart and somewhat with your soul and every now and then with your mind. I finally got somebody going no.

With all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. That's when the victory comes. When you have turned totally totally to him.

And then he says pursue the task, get up and go to AI. Listening to God needs to be validated by what you do after you listen to him.

James puts it this way in chapter 2 verse 17. So faith by itself if it does not have works is dead.

Now he is not teaching works salvation there. But he is teaching that if your faith is so empty that it doesn't motivate you to standing up and rising and going and being for God.

Has your faith ever really done anything in the first place? He says rise, go up to AI.

See I have given it to you. And he is assuring them of a victory.

The nation needs to restore this relationship with God. Turning to him, listening to him, accepting him, being all in with him and recognizing he is the one who gives the victory.

And so now we have a plan. Starts in verse 3. Joshua and all the fighting men rose to go up to AI and moving down to 7.

Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city. For the Lord your God will give it into your hand.

As soon as you have taken the city you shall set the city on fire. And here it is.

You shall do according to the word of the Lord. See I have commanded you.

This victory is going to be based on God's provision. He is going to use people to do it, but it is going to be based on his provision.

And he does require each and every person's involvement in it.

Now we will see that some of the people are going to go in an early ambush. Some will be in another ambush. Everybody, the entire nation, needs to be involved in this.

The battle plan must be God's. Every situation is going to be different. My brothers and sisters, if you have some mountaintop experience of faith, maybe a seminar, maybe it's a message that you've heard, maybe it's reading in a chapter and you just feel the strength and the power and the warmth of God's love.

That is not enough for tomorrow. What does Jesus say in his

Lord's prayer? Give us this day our daily bread. Give us this day and give us this day our daily bread.

1 Corinthians 12 9 says my grace is sufficient for you.

And 2 Corinthians 9 8 says God is able to make all a grace abound in you so that having all sufficiency at all times you may abound in every good work.

The battle plan for Jericho is not good enough for what they were going to encounter in Ai.

They needed to hear God. They needed his plan. Now here's a couple of interesting thoughts.

Part of his plan and God is really kind of cool this way. He's going to use the pride and arrogance of Ai against them.

Now in Ai 1 they went with a small band. They attacked the city.

The king sent out his troops and they routed the Israelites and it was over.

From the very beginning Satan who is not omniscient who is relentless has known that there was a

Messiah coming. It was prophesied over and over. Every book in the Old Testament will tell you about the coming

Messiah. He knows that it's coming and he is relentless in trying to stop this train heading to the

Messiah. So he's done different things. And so now they head up into Kadesh Barnea and if the nation goes into the land, well the progress towards the

Messiah will continue. So he befuddled them. They're like giants. They're like grasshoppers and they don't go.

Satan won that battle. But then they go back into the land and they beat Jericho but now they're at Ai.

So Satan convinced them, go on your own. And they lost again. He needs them to be defeated to stop the coming of the

Messiah. So here comes Ai too. And there's going to be the

Jews again and the king of Ai. His own pride and arrogance. It's going to set himself up for a trap.

You'll see that in a minute. The other thing I want you to see is that Joshua was given instructions but then told to wait.

They had to wait until tomorrow. They sent the first ambush away but then they made camp for the night.

I don't know why God does that but he does. He wants us to wait for his timing.

That can be a hard thing. He wants us to listen to his plan. He wants us to wait for him.

Judah had a king named Asa. He was a very righteous king. Not many of them were but if you read in 2

Chronicles you'll read about Asa, a righteous king. He was, the nation was being attacked by Zerah the

Ethiopian. Anybody looking for a name for their son Zerah?

Zerah the Ethiopian. They were coming and Judah was outmanned 2 to 1 in the battle.

This did not look good. But Asa as a righteous man prayed. He says in verse 11,

Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, Lord, there is no one besides you to help in battle between the powerful and those who have no strength so help us

O Lord our God for we trust in you and in your name have come against this multitude

O Lord. God's plan is there. Asa knew how to rely on the

Lord and Joshua now needs to know to rely on the Lord but now he needs to take action.

So starting in verse 10 Joshua arose early in the morning and mustered the people and went up he and the elders of Israel before the people to Ai.

In verse 18, then the Lord said to Joshua, stretch out the javelin that is your hand toward Ai for I will give it into your hand.

Anybody here make a New Year's resolution? Anybody here who made a

New Year's resolution think they'll still be doing it next year? Sandy and I like to go to the

Y and tomorrow when we go we know that the parking lot is going to be really full with a lot of people who have made this resolution we're going to exercise this year but guaranteed by the middle of February the parking lot will be pretty empty again.

God wants commitment to his plan. God wants when he sets his sovereign plan he wants you to let go and let him plan it but now he expects action.

He expects you to go forward. Let's review the battle. It's listed here in 10 -19.

It starts out in verse 3. 30 ,000 were sent to go behind the city and hide in ambush and then they spent the night and then 5 ,000 are going to be sent to the west of the city in ambush, hiding and then the rest of the camp is across this ravine in full view of the people of Ai.

So the first encounter happens as the king sees Israel back there again.

That's in verse 14 and it says that he and all of his fighting men went out to attack

Israel. Going back to this thought that Satan, he's just got to knock this thing out and if he can knock this out now and it's over with, well

Joshua and the nation pretend like they're beaten again, just like Ai won and so they turn tail and they run and the king sees it and he goes, great, everybody, come on, everybody, let's put this together once and for all and it says in verse 17 so the city was left open and so now the scene is set and God takes over.

He tells Joshua, hold out your javelin and when you hold out your javelin, the men waiting in ambush will come in and take the city and so Joshua holds out his javelin, very reminiscent of Exodus 17 and Amalek is coming against the nation of Israel in the wilderness and the battle is going to be tough and Moses is told to hold up his staff and as long as he holds his staff, they're winning but when his arm gets tired and it comes down, they're losing and so Aaron sends people to help hold his arm up for the battle.

It's very reminiscent to that. In the second chronicles it says, listen all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat, thus says the

Lord, don't be afraid, do not be dismayed at this great horde for the battle is not yours but God's.

Ai is coming out in force. God tells Joshua, hold your javelin and let the battle begin and they turn around and face the king and the king turns around and he sees his city in flames and the ambush is now behind him and Israel is in front of him and he's caught in the middle and he loses.

It says in verses 21 and 22 that Israel struck down Ai until none was left.

They hung the king on a tree. Now here are the important elements of this battle.

The entire nation is involved. Did you catch that at the beginning? Joshua, the elders, the people, the proper leadership structure, everybody's involved and there's a plan set and they obeyed it.

The ambushes went out. The people spent the night. Joshua waited for the Lord and when he held the javelin people responded.

Ai thought they were powerful but they didn't have a chance against God.

Ai was powerful and Ai won and they routed Israel but this time they're going up against God and they don't have a chance.

But here's another important message for you, my friends. The elimination was total. In those times where sin occurs, in those times where you stop relying on God, restoration must occur and it must be complete.

Leaving some of it behind, I can control that, leaving some of it behind, that's not really important, is not the answer.

Restoration after turning away from God must be complete.

Partial victory against sin is not victory. It's defeat.

When God calls you to him, come to him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

And in this passage they get rewards after the fact. When the battle occurs,

God will deliver but there's going to be a battle and you're going to participate in that battle.

It's God who owns the battle. He is sovereign. We must obediently obey.

And after that battle is completed comes worship. At that time

Joshua built an altar to the Lord in verse 30, the God of Israel on Mount Ebal.

And then verse 33, all Israel, sojourners as well as native -born, with their elders and officers and their judges stood on opposite sides of the ark before the

Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Half in front of Mount Gerizim, half in front of Mount Ebal.

All the way back in Deuteronomy 27 this was told. When you have crossed over the

Jordan, you shall set up stones concerning which I commanded you today on Mount Ebal.

And then in Deuteronomy 11, verse 29, and when the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to take possession of it, you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.

The nation is crossing the river Jordan in the beginning of the book.

And they're faced with Jericho. And then they have to go by Ai. They have to go by these two to get to Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.

That's the path. They needed to defeat both as they go up there. But all the way back in Deuteronomy they were told when you go into the land, go to Mount Gerizim.

Go to Mount Ebal. Proclaim the blessings and the curses. Go back to what you've been taught all the way back in the book of Deuteronomy.

And you know what's in the middle of these proclamations of the blessings and the curses? The ark of the

Lord. His very, very presence. They needed to go through Jericho. They needed to go through Ai partly because those were the two big centers of pagan worship.

Defeat them. Go to Mount Gerizim. Go to Mount Ebal. When you're on the top of Mount Gerizim you can look around and see most of the land.

This is picturing God's final provision for them. God has them go to Mount Gerizim, to Mount Ebal, to reclaim the word, to hear the word, to be instructed by him, to be encouraged by him, and to worship him.

After restoration comes worship. Joshua 8 is an important book.

It's relevant to who we are today because sin happens.

We are in the flesh. And sin and a rejection of God, a lapse of devotion, is going to lead you to having to make a decision.

Satan is going to have you believe several things, variations of them perhaps.

No harm, no foul. Nobody really sees it. It's a quiet sin. It's not an outside sin.

Don't worry about it. It's okay the way you are. It's okay.

What's the big deal? You can deal with part of it, but you've gone too far this time.

There is no coming back. You are a lost cause. You've gone too far.

You're now useless. God can't use you anymore in ministry because of that sin.

My friends, each one of us here, each one of us here has a gift that God has given, and it's given for the furtherment of his people.

It's given to be used in the one another. It's to be given in the ministry. We are given the great commandment.

We are given so much. Satan will have you believe that this sin that you did, everybody knows about it, and you really can't do it anymore.

Those are lies. The other choice is to be restored and returned to God and let him have the glory.

Establish that close relationship with God once again. Acknowledge and surrender to his sovereign plan, letting go of yours.

Taking action when he tells you to take action in full obedience all in, and then worshiping him and acknowledging him and standing in front of him.

It says, do not fear. Now, grief and fear are real. They are, and they're not bad in and of themselves, but when they become bad is when

Satan uses your grief and your fear to separate you from God. The fear and grief is bad when they become the obstacles to the ministry that God has called you to because you don't feel worthy anymore.

That fear and grief is bad if it takes you out of God's way and keeps you from turning your eyes on him.

When you sin, run to the throne of grace.

Last week, Jeff took us into Hebrews chapter 4, verse 16 says, let us then with confidence, confidence, draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need.

Joshua 8 is encouraging us that in time of sin, in time of relapsing from reliance on God, there still is this opportunity and take this opportunity to turn to him, to restore your relationship with him, to bask in his mercy, to feel his love and allow his grace to turn you back into his way and reestablish you as the light and the salt in a dark world.

Let us pray. Father, we do acknowledge the reality that as the nation of Israel was defeated in the first battle of Ai because of their sin.

There is sin. But God, we have victory through the power of God.

We desire that victory through the power of God that comes in your grace. Lord, by your grace,

I pray, lead us back into your sovereign will. We confess our sins.

We surrender to you. Please stand with me as we close.

As you go, may you know the love of Christ, how deep and long, how high and wide.

As you live, may you seek to win the prize and find his death to be your life.

May you go with the love of the Father God. May you go with the grace of Christ.

May you go with the power of the Spirit now. Bring him glory with your life.

May you know the power of grace and his very strength for what's to come.

May you feel praise to rise.

May you go in the grace of Christ. May you go in the power of the

Spirit now. Bring him glory with your life. As you go, may you show his heart to bless the ones with less, the blind and hard to see.

May you seek the

Father God. May you go in the grace of Christ.

May you go in the power of the Spirit now. Bring him glory with your life.

So go encouraged. Our God loves you. His grace is sufficient.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit.