1. I invite you to come back with me about 3,500 years ago. We belong to God’s chosen people our people have spent 40 years wandering in the desert going from place to place like nonmds with no place to call home. We have been eating manna and quail every day but were able to withstand the hardships because of what lay ahead. We knew that one day we would be given our own land in which God would make us a great nation. We knew that this land was a rich land, over flowing with milk and honey. We knew that God promised that he would give us the victory over the people that lived there.
2. And now that promise has become reality. We have come to the edge of this land, by the bank of the Jordan River. We send spies to spy out the land. They learn that the people are afraid of them. And so they come back to us and we cross the Jordan. And just like God did for our fathers, He opens up a dry path through this mighty river. We are finally home. We thank God and circumcise ourselves and our sons. We even ate of the produce of the land - some unleavened bread and some roasted grain. That did taste good!
3. And then we come to Jericho. We march around it seven times and then the walls fall down and we destroy all that is in the city. God had given us the victory. He is so good! His promise has come true and the future looks so bright. With Him on out side, nothing can stop us.
4. But we must move on next we must take the city of Ai. There are only a few men there and so we send only 3,000 men to take i. But something strange happens. They stop our men, chase them away and even kille 36 of them. Our hope is turned to despair, our future seems bleak. "Where is God? Why did he not give us the victory?" Our leader Joshua is beside himself - he teats apart his cloths and falls face down before the ark. The elders do the same.
5. Joshua asks God why He did this to us? Did He brings us this far only to destroy us?
6. As we look back we can undersatnd how the people must have felt but the problem they faced was not God’s fault but rather their own fault . For they had committed a terrible sin we might even look back and question if this sin was all that bad.
7. God thought is was so bad and evil that unless they would truly repent of it and set things right with Him, He would no longer be with them.
8. What was this terrible sin? God had told them to destroy everthing in Jencho except for thosethings which could not be destroyed. These things - silver, gold and articles of bronze and iron were to be devoted to the Lord. They were sacred to God, they belonged to Him and were to go into His treasury.
9. And only one person, Achan as we find out later, took a beautiful robe from Babylonia, 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels or 1 1/2 pounds. Was God not overrating somewhat to this sin? All Achan did was steal a little and then lied about it.
10, The problem was this sin - for all sin is an abomination to God, But problem was much greater. For the sin was deeper than that.
11. These outer sins were caused by a root sin. A sin that Achan confesses to the people in verse 21. He stole because he coveted these things. He took them became of his own greed.
12. Today we consider the 2nd of the 7 deadly sins - the sin of greed - the sin of desiring more and more of things - wanting to acquire things for the sake of acquiring them
13. An example is seen in the man who is a beggar and dies from starvation - after he dies they discover he had over 10 million dollars in bank. Money more important than his own well-being.
14. But greed not always that severe. I believe most of us have some greed in us - a desire to have something, a desire to have more. Ever see what someone has and say - "I wish I had that?" Ever unhappy with what you have? Ever hold on to what you have and afraid to give it up? If a million dollars in $1 00 bills fell from sky into parking lot after church, ,would you be tempted to grab some before someone else did?
15. We’ll look at this again, but first we will see the terrible greed is, why it is so bad. We have seen how terrible this to God and what it does. Why is greed so terrible?
16. 1st - It is a rejection of what God has given us. Its saying thanks to God, but saying I want more, it’s not enough. Think of all the blessings that lay ahead for Achan - of all God had done for him. But he hoped to have more - more than God had in store for him and more than the others would have
17. The sad thing is that having more becomes so important - more important than God Himself. That is why its hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The riches are more important to him than God. And that’s the 2nd bad thing about greed. We startr to worship our possessions. Greed is a form of idolatry. Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot save both God and Money.’ Why I stop going to church we I was younger - to make more money - work 7 days a week. Soon I did not even believe in God. Greed means to put trust in almighty dollar rather than almighty God. 1 Timn 6: 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Could the affluence of our society have anything to do with how few are true believers?
18. 3rd - it is tertble that we put hope in something that doesn’t last. Mat 6:19-20 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal".
a. First person gound in Pompey was found clutching to coins - which did him little good
b. Alexander the Great learned this - asked to be buried with hand sticking out of coffin - to show it was empty and that we cannot take riches with us.
19. 4th - it is terrible because as all sin it affects others as well. God was angry with all of Israel because of Achan’s sin. He was ready to leave them all to themselves. We are corporately responsible for our sin. When you am and I do nothing about it, when I fail to point it out, then I am guilty - in fact your blood is on my own hands.
20. Greed, like pride, like all deadly sins also affects us because of what it does. I wonder if Achan was allowed to get away with his sin, if the others would soon follow his way. Think of how pervasive greed has become in this land.
21. Greed leads to other sins. We saw how Achan stole and lied. We saw how it is idolatry. People have killed for money.
a. Greed can lead us to make little lie on tax return. Have you ever been paid under the tabble and were glad you would not have to pay taxes on it? Have you claimed business expenses when they were not really business? We may justify it, but is greed not the real reason. You’d rather have the money than give it to the govenunent.
22. Greed leads to misery. It breaks up families and churches. Whether greed is for money, control, recognition - it puts us before others. Could greed be why so many mothers in our society are working at ftill time jobs?
23. And greed makes us focus so much on what we have that we may not own enjoy them.
24. For Achan it led to his death. For many it has led to spiritual death.
25, We cannot enjoy and be thankful for what we have. We need more. And we are afraid someone might have more than us. Illustration of two mean walking and being granted a wish - see Bible Illustrator under greed.
26. Greed is terrible. It can take a hold of us and not let us go. We become thankless, sinful, discontented and miserable.
27. Just a few things to think about as to whether or not we struggle with greed. Be honest with yourself. Do you ever want more than God has given you? Do you not spend for fear that one day you may exhaust your savings? Do you look at how much money you have or do you ask how you can use what you have to glorify God? Do you see yourself as the owner of what you have, or is God the owner?
28. Even if we follow Lord, can still be greedy. It took while after entering ministry to let go of some things I used to have. I have shared in evening before how God reduced money when I went into ministry - house sold for $92,000 and went to $250,000 in little over a year. The exchange rate losses of $30,000 when I went to USA.
29. What is most important to you? What you have, your prestige, what people think of you? Or is it God?
30. Don’t let anything stand between you and God. Don’t let anything else become your god, your lord. If He is Lord of all, is He lord at all?
31. Deep inside, can you say - "I will give up everything I have if God would ask me to? He is all I need?"
