Loosing A Guaranteed Victory?

LOOSING A GUARANTEED VICTORY?

DEFEATED BEFORE THE FIGHT?

WHY CAN’T WE DO IT?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

TO FINISH THIS IN ONE PART, YOU MUST MOVE QUICKLY.

TEXT:

Joshua 7:13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

GUARANTEE:

An assurance for the fulfillment of a condition.

An agreement by which one person in possession undertakes to secure another’s possession.

An assurance of the quality of or the length of use to be expected.

A promise of care, performance.

To undertake for a debt.

To give security to.

To assert confidently.

Certification of quality and performance.

I. GOD BROUGHT HIMSELF IN A VOLUNTARY BINDING AGREEMENT TO HELP AND DEFEND HIS PEOPLE.

A. God knew there was fear and self doubt in the camp and the leadership.

Joshua had to follow Moses, wow what a big job to do?

B. God made a declaration of promise to grant authority and support His people with VICTORY!

C. GOD’S GUARANTEE WAS CONDITIONAL TO JOSHUA AND THE PEOPLE.

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an

inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

D. CONDITIONAL BLESSINGS?

2 Chron. 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves,

and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

II. THEY HAD A GUARANTEE OF THE VICTORY, AND STILL LOST?

A. 36 NEEDLESS DEATHS? FEAR GROWS AND THE HEARTS MELT!

Joshua 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the

going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

B. JOSHUA GETS ANGRY AT GOD. SEEMINGLY GOD BROKE HIS PROMISE? THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY ALWAYS APPEAR TO BE?

WE TEND TO BLAME GOD AND THE DEVIL FOR THINGS THAT WE DO?

Joshua 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

C. SIN AND ANGER ARE OFTEN KISSING COUISINS!

D. A SPIRIT OF COMPROMISE GOES WITH THE BLAME GAME?

WHY DIDN’T WE JUST ACCEPT THE OTHER SIDE OF JORDAN?

E. THESE ATTITUDES WILL HINDER THE CORRECTION AND RIGHT ATTITUDES.

F. ACHAN THOUGHT HE HAD GOT AWAY WITH SIN?

III. THERE IS A TIME TO GET OVER YOUR ANGER, AND GET UP, CORRECT THE SIN!

Joshua 7:10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen,

and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

A. GOD WILL HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE!

B. TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES!

C. AT LEAST 12 TIMES IN THE BIBLE IT SAYS: TAKE HEED OF YOURSELVES.

Deut. 4:23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of

any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.

Deut. 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

Joshua 23:11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God.

IV. OFTEN TIMES WE HAVE A GREAT VICTORY, THEN BANG --- WE ARE LAYING FLAT ON OUR BACKS, SAYING WHAT HAPPENED?

A. WE HAVE EGO AND SELFCENTEREDNESS HIDING BURIED IN OUR TENTS?

B. EVERY PERSON IS MADE OF THREE COMPONENTS OF THE MIND.

1. ID:

Instinctual needs and drives.

2. EGO:

I, Self, high self esteem.

3. SUPEREGO:

Rule of the group, rewards, punishments.

Sense of guilt and conscience.