Sermon Tone Analysis

God Turns Failure Into Victory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua 8:1-29

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 1999

 

 

God Turns Failure Into Victory

 

Story Of Abraham Lincoln

 

There was a tall lanky lawyer in America in the 1850 s who ran for president many times.

He was one of the first members of the new Republican party.

Time after time he worked hard only to fail again.

He ran for president many times before finally being elected.

All the time God was preparing him for the job he had for him to do.

He was probably the best president America ever had.

He sought to bring reconciliation with the southern states after the Civil War.

He fought for the abolition of slavery.

He pioneered the legislation that finally made it a reality even though he was killed before it was passed.

He was of course Abraham Lincoln.

He was a great man who pressed on through failure to achieve ultimate victory.

Introduction

 

/Have you ever felt that you were a failure?/

You tried to do something important, only to fall flat on your face.

/Does one defeat mean that you become a failure for life?/ *No!*

Many of God's greatest servants failed dismally at first.

Look at Peter who said he would remain faithful to the Lord even if all the rest forsook Him.

Then he denied the Lord three times a few hours later.

John Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey.

Because of this Paul wouldn't allow him to come on the second missionary journey.

But Barnabas gave John Mark another chance and helped him back into a life of fruitful ministry.

One or even a number of failures doesn't mean we become permanent failures.

The key to victory is God.

If we will turn our failures over to the Lord and seek His plans, He can turn them into victories.

In the same way Israel had tried to conquer Ai and failed.

They were self confident and unaware that the enemy had gained a stronghold within their camp.

They underestimated the enemy.

Through defeat God revealed their sin and self confidence.

They were now ready for the conflict.

This time they would follow God's plan.

This time He would give them victory.

God's Plan involved a:

 

i.

*Promise*

*ii.

**Preparation*

iii.

*Providence*

iv.    *Possession*

v.      *Plunder  **  *

 

After their last attempt on Ai ended in defeat Joshua was discouraged.

*/So God's plan had a/*

/  /

*i.

Promise*

 

*Joshua 8:1-2 says: */And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

/

Remember Your Commission

 

The Lord told Joshua not to be /afraid/ or /dismayed.

/God assured Joshua that He had given the city of Ai into their hands along with the king and it's people and land./

/Israel would defeat them the same way they defeated Jericho and her king.

This must have encouraged Joshua immensely.

This would have reminded him of His commission on the other side of the Jordan.

God*/ promised/* that no one would be able to stand against him.

At Jericho God gave him a similar promise before their tremendous victory.

Now Joshua knew that all was well, and that God was with them again.

Application

 

God has given us*/ promises/* as well.

He has */promised/* us that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

*2 Peter 1:3-4* /According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and *precious promises*: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

He/ has */promised/* to complete His good work in us.

He has promised to come back and take us to Himself.

Therefore let us be courageous in the Lord's battles.

Let us take hold of His promises and claim victory for our captain.

*/God's plan also involved/*/ /

*/ /*

*ii.

Preparation*

 

*Joshua 8:2-13 says:* /Take all the men of war with thee, lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.//

And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready: And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them, (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.

// Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.

And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do.

See, I have commanded you.

/

/ /

/Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.

And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.

And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley./

a.

A Different plan

 

The first thing you notice is that this is a different plan to Jericho.

God doesn't work the same way each time.

He is able to work in may different ways.

I believe He does this so that we will trust in Him and not the method.

If God worked the same way every time we trust in the method and not the Lord.

He wants us to trust in Him.

He asks us to walk by faith, not sight.

Illustration From Bible College

 

When we went through Bible college we had financial needs.

Almost every month we had more bills than money available.

We prayed for God's provision.

And God touched people's hearts and often they would send a letter with a gift.

After a while we started to wait eagerly for the postman.

We began to trust in what we could see rather than the Lord.

So God met our needs in a number of ways.

Sometimes we were given boxes of food.

At other times we were presently surprised to find our bank account had increased by $ 200.00.