Broke Faith
Strong: Courage over Fear • Sermon • Submitted
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· 255 viewsWhat do you do when your faith has been broken before the Lord. Joshua 7 delivers a stern warning about obeying the Lord and the stiff consequences it brings on the offender and those around him. Pastor Bill discusses the way to restoration when you find yourself in a broke faith. Learning to live a life of repentence before the Lord is the key to forgiveness and blessing.
Notes
Transcript
introduction: (Defining the Pain)
Faith is a powerful thing.
20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
When our faith is strong in the Lord we can move mountains.
All through the Bible we see these examples of people living in amazing faith.
Abraham leave his family to follow God into unknown lands.
Moses Leads the Children of Israel out of Slavery.
David is a might man of war as he walks in faith with God.
But all these mighty men of God have something in common. At some point they all Broke faith and did something stupid.
In the midst of all the blessing of God in the power of God they turned and Broke faith.
Abraham has a son with Hagar that started a war that is still going on today.
Moses kills an Egyptian that causes Isreal to spend another 40 years in slavery.
David gets a girl pregnant while his men are out fighting and then tries to cover it up by killing her husband.
These guys are living in all the fullness of God’s blessing and just broke faith.
There have been times in my life that I have broke faith.
God is blessing and moving. Everything is going the way it’s supposed to go. And I do something stupid and sin against God.
And immediately I feel God’s hand removed from the life.
The power of the Spirit is gone.
God shuts up the windows of blessing and I’m left in my own strength.
“Broke faith with rob you of all the power and blessings of God.”
“Broke faith with rob you of all the power and blessings of God.”
The protection of God is gone and the attacks of the devil get through.
“Broke faith will rob you of all the power and blessings of God.”
“Broke faith will rob you of all the power and blessings of God.”
I’ll bet you I’m not alone. Maybe there are some of you here today that have experience a time when you Broke faith.
This morning I want to talk about how you restore a broken faith. In all these stories God restored the power and blessing to their lives and they were used by God again.
As we are moving through the book of Joshua, we have seen some astounding faith from both Joshua and the children of Israel.
By faith they walked across the Jordan on dry ground.
By faith the walls of Jericho were laid flat.
And in the midst of the victories, in the midst of all the blessing they broke faith.
Bible Lesson: (Defining the Passage)
1 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.
Josh 7:1
They could just honor God the way he asked. They had to take for themselves.
The God who gave them the victory is now their enemy.
So how do you restore this Broken Faith. What is required to restore the power and blessing of God on your life once again.
I want to talk about both the pattern of sin and the Pattern of Restoration this morning.
Broken Faith Produces Sin
Broken Faith Produces Sin
20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
Joshua 7:20
The Pattern of Sin
The Pattern of Sin
The Bible is very clear about how a person sins against God. This pattern of sin was established with the very first sin of Eve in the garden.
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
Gen 3:
She saw it.
She desired it.
She took it.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
“The desires of the heart determine the actions of the body.”
“The desires of the heart determine the actions of the body.”
“I saw it.” Desire of the eyes.
“I coveted them.” Desires of the flesh.
I “took them.” Pride of the life.
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
James
Broken Faith Breaks Others
Broken Faith Breaks Others
We live under the delusion that our sin doesn’t effect others. God has designed us to live in community with others. When you sin you hurt those closest to you.
Joshua
Your Sin effects your family
Your sin effects your church family
Your sin brings the chastisement of the Lord.
4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
Your Sin effects your family
Your sin effects your church family
Joshn 7:4
Your sin brings the chastisement of the Lord.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
Your sin quenches the power of the Spirit in your life.
Your sin quenches the power of the Spirit in the lives of others.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads.
Josh 7:
Joshua had not sinned he was just unaware.
Joshua was blindsided because he assumed everything and everyone was good with God.
Broken Faith Produces Sin
Broken Faith Produces Sin
10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings.
Joshua 7:10-11
12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.
“When you live in things devoted to destruction you suffer destruction.”
“When you live in things devoted to destruction you suffer destruction.”
Restoring Broken Faith brings Victory
Restoring Broken Faith brings Victory
13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.”
10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings.
10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.
Repentance is the key to restoring broken faith.
Repentance is the key to restoring broken faith.
12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.
Get the sin out of the camp!
24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
Josh 7:24
25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
Remove the sin and you remove the reproach from the Lord.
Josh 7:10-12
Solution: (Defining the Process)
The Pattern of Restoration
The Pattern of Restoration
The Pattern of Restoration
The Pattern of Restoration
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
James 4:4
Humble yourself before God.
Humble yourself before God.
James
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Confess your sin to God.
Change your thinking about your sin and agree with God.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Draw near to God once again.
Draw near to God once again.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Renew your mind and love for God through his Word.
Resist the devil by making better decisions.
Cleans your hands by changing your actions.
Cleans your hands by changing your actions.
Practice a life of repentance not an act of repentance.
Solution: (Defining the Process)
Keep your mind focused on God and not the things of this world.