Post Repentance - The Book of Joshua

Hello everyone, I'm Dr.

Steve Holt.

I want to welcome you to the Road Church Podcast.

Each week we go into God's Word.

We teach chapter by chapter and verse by verse.

We are here to build the Kingdom of God revolution through empowering people to change the world.

So we pray this will minister to you at your heart level and change your life.

Today, be encouraged by our guest speaker.

So, my name is Immanuel Mutui.

I'm the young adults pastor, for those who don't know.

And today we are looking at chapter 8 of Joshua.

And in chapter 7, Joey did a great job covering how the Israelites got prideful in their pursuit of obeying God, and we saw what happened.

They fell and all those things.

Then at the end of chapter 7, we see them repenting.

And now in chapter 8, we're dealing with the aftermath of their repentance.

And last week, when Joey was speaking, if you're not here, please go online and check it out because that was such an amazing message.

Well, last week, one of the things he established was how sin is very, very dangerous, especially when you're trying to pursue God and fulfilling what God has called you to do.

And one of the beautiful things about the scriptures and about God is this mercy always triumphs over judgment.

God is a forgiving God.

And we know that God will forgive us, regardless of what we've done.

We know there's nothing too big or too small for his forgiveness.

His blood is greater than any sin we could ever do.

And one of my favorite verses that I always come to mind, especially after I've messed up, is 1 John 1 and 9, and I'll go to 10.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we've not sinned, we make him a liar.

And his words is not in us.

All of us have sinned.

And we will sin in the future, especially as we're growing in satisfaction, as we're learning how to walk in holiness.

We will stumble from time to time.

But the truth is this regardless of what we've done, God will forgive us.

All we have to do is ask.

And He's faithful and righteous to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I want everybody to repeat after me.

When I'm cleansed, when I'm cleansed, I become brand new.

I become brand new.

When you're cleansed by the Lord, you become you become brand new.

And another verse that just is a great reminder is Romans 8:1.

Romans 8:1

There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.

God is a forgiving God.

And that is the starting point I want to start today.

God is a forgiving God, regardless of what you've done.

Now, in chapter 8, though, we see that they're already forgiven.

At the end of chapter 7, they ask for forgiveness and we know God will forgive.

And now in chapter 8, when is the aftermath of their repentance?

Have you ever wondered when Jesus would pray for someone and then tell them, go and sin no more?

You ever wondered, like what do they think?

What is it?

What does that look like?

Go and sin no more.

We know God will forgive us.

So in this chapter, though, we see the expectation of how we're supposed to fulfill that command of go and sin no more.

In this chapter, we see how we can walk in holiness.

So my title for today is post-repentance.

Yes, I am forgiven.

Now what?

What do I do now?

What's the expectation?

The first step in our post-repentance is we must go back to the last command.

What was the last command God told you to do before you sinned?

In the case of Joshua, and I'm just gonna read this quick in Joshua chapter 1, verses 2 to 5, this is what God told Joshua to do.

Joshua 1:2–5

Moses, my servant, is dead.

Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all these people to the land which I'm giving to them, the children of Israel.

Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given you.

As I say to Moses, from the wilderness and this Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and he goes on and on.

And then in verse 5, he says this no man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

I will not leave you nor forsake you.

This was the command that God gave Joshua.

So whenever we've sinned and God has forgiven us, what was the last command that God gave you?

What did God tell you to do before you stumbled?

And Joshua obviously obeyed, and Jericho fell.

Our greatest tests always come after our greatest victories.

When we have those moments with the Lord where He's spoken to us, and it's amazing, we have this beautiful encounter, and then we step out, and then we see what He does.

That's when we're the most vulnerable.

That's when we think sometimes I could do this without Him.

And then we end up falling.

But after you fall, when you get back up, God will tell you, Let's continue where we started.

Look at what God tells Joshua in verse 1 of 2.

So now let's go to our chapter, chapter 8.

Now the Lord said, Now the Lord said to Joshua, Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed.

Take all the people of war with you, arise and go up to Ai.

See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, 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 cattle you shall take as booty for yourself.

Lay an ambush for the city behind it.

God said, Let us continue what we've started.

No sin is great enough to derail you from the purposes of God.

God is ready.

As soon as you say, God forgive me, you are cleansed and you become brand new.

And then I'll pick up a short and let's go.

Let's go and fulfill what God has called you to do.

The work is too great for you to sit around and mope around about what I did.

The blood of Jesus is too costly, too dearly for us to stay back and be like, Oh well, I messed up, I'm disqualified.

That's not what the blood of Jesus did.

The blood of Jesus made it so that you can be completely brand new and then you fulfill what God has called you to do.

See, here's a crazy thing.

And this is the lie that I think the enemy is so good at spreading.

The lie of being damaged goods.

Especially after you've lived long enough.

Because I'm young, I'm 30, so barely there.

I'm just getting started.

My mess ups are not as big.

But 20, 30 years down the line, I have a hit of just like mess-ups.

So for me, when I hear that message, I'm like, it doesn't really relate.

But for those of us who've lived life long enough, long enough to make a lot of mistakes, the lie sounds pretty good.

But you're damaged goods.

And that is a lie straight from hell.

Because we serve a God of second chances, we serve a God who loves you so much that he left heaven and came here on earth and made it where, regardless of what you did, you can continue doing what he's commanded you to do.

We serve a God of second chances.

So the first step in our post-repentance journey is what was the last command from God?

The second step is obeying his direction.

Look at verse 3 of Joshua 8.

So Joshua arose.

So Joshua arose.

What is God telling you to do and you're afraid to do?

It's time to arise.

It's time to arise and do what God has called you to do, regardless of what it sounds like.

It's time to arise and fulfill your destiny.

It's time to arise.

Just like Joshua did.

So Joshua rose and all the people of war to go up against Ai, and Joshua chose 30,000 men, Menovella, and sent them away by night.

So from verses 3 till 29, we see Joshua thoroughly obeying God.

The sin of Achan has been dealt with.

They are repentant people ready to do whatever God tells them to do.

So now they arise and it's time to go and do and take Ai.

It's time to go and take the land.

And this is a crazy thing I just want you to remember.

Actually, more of a question.

Do you know that disobedience is what caused Saul, King Saul, his kingdom?

God doesn't play when it comes to obedience.

I think sometimes we get comfortable.

Since you don't see God, you just get comfortable, like, yeah, I can do whatever.

He wants me to do this, but man, maybe I'll do some of it.

No, I'll just just enough.

And we forget who we truly serve.

We forget that this is the God that created you.

This is the God that created the heavens and the earth.

This is the God that is all-powerful, all-knowing.

That is who we serve.

We don't serve a big brother.

We don't serve just a guy who's old enough with wisdom.

I remember when I was in Kenya, this youth pastor asked us, whenever we think of God, what do we think of?

And the one answer that I remember was this kid that said, I when I think of God, I think of a really old guy sitting on a throne with a beard that goes to the ground.

And he's all like just javel, he's old, doesn't have a lot to do.

Just bored.

He's living for eternity, right?

And I feel like sometimes that's how we treat him, just like an old guy who's been around forever, and we forget who he truly is.

If you read Exodus, when God came to see the children of Israel, the mountain literally shook.

It wasn't a hyperbolic statement, it wasn't a metaphor.

The mountain literally shook when he touched down.

There was smoke.

That is who we serve.

So whenever we're talking about obedience, you obey based on the level of reverence you give someone.

If you give someone high reverence, you will truly obey and do everything he's telling you to do.

If you don't really care for them that much, you can skip out of some stuff.

But that's who we serve.

Obedience is better than actually.

Let me read.

1 Samuel 15, 22.

Listen what King uh Samuel tells King Saul.

So Samuel said, Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed the fat of rams.

For rebellion is at the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you, being you from being king.

Obedience is better than sacrifices because obedience leads to the death of your will.

God will ask you to do things that He knows you cannot do without Him.

And the expectation is that as you're obeying Him, you are dying to self so that you can fully depend on Him to accomplish what He's called you to do.

The nation of Israel had no business taking over a whole couple nations and lands.

This was just one tiny nation with three million people.

He had no business attempting to do what he did.

But God was with him.

The goal of us Christians is to be transformed into the image of Christ.

Christ submitted his will to that of the Father, and that is the expectation of us that we submit our will to his and obey him.

Listen to this parable in Matthew 21, verse 28 to 31.

Matthew 21:28–31

But what do you think?

A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard.

He answered and said, I will not, but afterward he regretted it and went.

Then he came to the second and said, Likewise, and he answered and said, I go, sir, but he did not go.

Which of the two did the will of his father?

They said him, the first, Jesus said to them, Assuredly, I say that the tax collectors and hamlets enter the kingdom of God before you.

Obedience will lead us to enter the kingdom of God.

Now, for us Christians, we are obviously already in the kingdom of God.

But what obedience will do for us is help us bring the kingdom everywhere we go.

If you want to have an impact in your sphere of influence, obey God.

For us to bring the kingdom, we must be willing to obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Now, when you read chapter 8, you see that the instructions were obviously very different from how to take down Jericho.

And I want us to read some of these instructions in verse 48.

And he commanded them, saying, Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city.

Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city.

And it will come about, then, when they come against us at the first, that we shall flee before them.

For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, They are fleeing before us as at the first.

Therefore, we will flee before them.

Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

And it will be when you have taken the city that you shall set the city on fire according to the commandment of the Lord, you shall do.

See, I have commanded you.

So Jericho was walk around it and shall.

Here, we actually have to fight.

We actually have to pretend like we're losing and then we'll attack and burn the city to the ground.

When we have freshly repented and we have discovered the last command of God, we must be attentive to heed the direction of the Holy Spirit.

And David did this very, very well.

Whenever he will fight the Philistines, every time he will go, he will ask, How should I go?

Should I fight like this?

And God will say, Actually, do this, this, this.

He was very attentive to heed the direction of the Holy Spirit.

In our obedience, we must make sure to listen to the direction of the Holy Spirit.

And this is where we go wrong at times.

Especially if something that we have experience in.

We think, uh, it's gonna be the same as last time.

Oh, I've done this before, especially after you've lived a while.

There's really nothing new after you've lived a while, just different shades, but the core is the same.

So we relax on obeying the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

But then we end up messing up, and then it's like, oh wait, why did I why did you do this to me, God?

Why did you let me do this?

Actually, he did not.

You just stepped out without asking, how should I go?

Listen to Romans 8:14.

Romans 8:14

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons and daughters of God.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons and daughters of God.

The difference between a fruitful Christian and an unfruitful Christian is one is led by the Spirit of God and the other is led by themselves or tradition.

So who are we today?

Are we being led by tradition and our selfish ambition?

Or are we being led by the Holy Spirit?

Because when it comes to being led by the Holy Spirit, you have to wait.

You have to wait and find out what is He saying.

You can't just jump and do it.

And it's in the waiting period that we sometimes don't like, especially in this fast-paced culture that we're in.

You feel like if you don't make a decision today, you're gonna lose out on everything.

And then we end up missing God, and then we end up making a shipwreck of our life because we were in haste to do something that maybe God didn't even want you to do.

It sounded good.

Do we wanna be fruitful or unfruitful?

God is always speaking to us, but we must make sure that we are spiritually attentive to hear what he's saying.

So the problem is never on the sending end for those who grew up with radio.

For some young folk, where's Claire?

She's not, I can't see her.

You didn't grow up with radio, so radio is a thing that you used to use in the car.

I have to explain this to these young adults.

But whenever your radio had issues, you didn't start calling the radio station to find out what's the problem.

You first fix your antennas and make sure that it's on the receiving end.

Because most of the time it was always on the receiving end.

See, God is God is always sending instructions.

But do we have the time and the patience to wait and hear and then obey?

So when we choose to obey the Holy Spirit, the second thing we must do is this we must thoroughly obey Him.

Half obedience is like disobedience.

Half obedience is like disobedience.

Imagine telling your kid, I want you to go clean that garage, and then they clean half of it.

In my day, that would be a belt right there waiting for you.

I think you folk do timeout, I believe.

I'm assuming that's what you do.

Half obedience is like disobedience.

Now, we're gonna skip down to Joshua 8, verse 26.

Joshua 8:26

Now, at this point, the plan is going well.

They have obeyed the Lord, they're doing everything that God is telling them to do.

And then listen to what it says.

For Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the spear until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of the Lord which he had commanded Joshua.

So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever.

A desolation to this day, and the king of Ai he hung on a tree until evening.

And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day.

Repeat this after me.

I will thoroughly obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

So let's say it together: I will thoroughly obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

That is the expectation for us to thoroughly obey.

Because half obedience is like disobedience.

God is an all-in God.

See, that's why Pastor Steve always talks about being whole-hearted.

For those who are not married, think about this.

Dating someone who half-heartedly likes you.

That's pain, ain't it?

Because you give everything you got, well then that's so-so.

So-so so text you back, so-so calls you, everything feels like a chore.

It's annoying.

It takes a toll on you.

So why do we do the same thing to God?

Why do we half-heartedly like Him and do things that He wants us to do?

Like Man Sure, I'll pray, I'll get up in the morning, and then as you're praying, you'll sleep half of it.

Like, thank you, God, for everything you've done.

And then you're out.

Might as well stay in bed and just sleep.

Just wait.

I mean, I love sleep.

Actually, this day sleep is a thing of the past with a kid.

I used to love sleep.

Why choose to do things if you're not gonna do it right?

The second step in our post-repentance journey is that we must obey his direction.

The third and final step in our post repentance journey is we must submit to God's covenant.

Now, let's read verses 30 to 35.

That's a lot of reading.

So let me, I heard this lady say this back in the day.

Let me wet my whistle.

And I really love that.

Verse 30.

Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.

And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings.

And there in the presence of the children of God, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.

Then all Israel, with the elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priest.

The Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as who was born among them.

Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim, and half of them in the mount, in front of Mount Ebal.

As Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

And afterward he read all the words of the Lord, the blessings and the cursings.

According to that is written in the book of the law.

There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded, which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, which with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.

Just a side note.

So Pastor Steve actually told me this.

This was very fascinating.

See, Joshua led them 30 miles north of Shechem, which lies in the Mount of Ebal and Mount Gerizim, and this is the exact location where Moses told them to reconsecrate themselves when they came into the land.

This is the exact place where Abraham had entered the land, and this is the exact place where Abraham built an altar in Genesis 12, 6, and 7.

Then hundreds of years later, at this exact place, the people are renewing this covenant with God.

I don't think that's a coincidence, because that's way too specific.

And this is this covenant they're renewing is the one that God made with the generation before in Exodus 24, when God came down and gave the Ten Commandments and all the other law.

And then you see in Deuteronomy 28, Moses reminds them of the terms and condition of this covenant.

And for us today, we have a new covenant.

Listen to Hebrews 8:6.

Hebrews 8:6

For now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as he is also a mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

So the writer is trying to remind us we New Testament believers, we have a new covenant, which is actually better than what they had to deal with.

And then Jesus in John chapter 13, verse 34 to 35, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

John 13:34–35

By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

So Joshua at the end of this battle, we won, they've thoroughly obeyed God to the T.

And now they're reminding themselves of what God, who is serving and what this expectation is.

So now, us, when God has forgiven us, we've discovered our last command.

We've chosen to obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Now the third thing is that we come in agreement with the covenant that He has with us.

And for us is to walk in love.

In obedience, you walk in love.

When things get tough, you walk in love.

Whether things happened last week, we walk in love.

Our walking in love is not dependent on the other people.

Whether they follow it or not, that's none of our business.

Whether they choose to kiss us on the cheek, saying that is so beautiful, none of our business.

Whether they slap us, which is probably what's going to happen more.

You still walk in love because that is the covenant that we have with him.

And the expectation that Joshua had with the children of Israel, he wasn't having this long service for fun.

I'm sure he got tired of reading.

I'm tired of speaking already.

It wasn't for the fun of it, it was so that they will obey and do what God told them to do.

So for us today, this covenant that we have with God, the expectation is that we will walk in love regardless of what's surrounding us.

Another thing about a covenant, it is not an option.

If you understand what covenant is, it's not maybe I can do this, maybe I can do this.

No?

Because the beautiful thing about covenant is this, especially the covenant we have with Him.

It's a blood covenant.

Someone had to die, obviously, Jesus, for it to be secured.

It's only signed in blood.

And so when you pour your blood out on something, what do you expect it to be done?

You expect people to do it.

You expect you yourself to keep it because you understand the cost.

Because when you understand the cost of something, obedience will be so easy.

So this was the blood covenant that we have with Jesus, and he will always keep his end of the deal.

He never changes.

He will do what he said he'll do.

We are the ones who are on the shaky side.

Are we going to walk in love?

Because in this time that we're in, this is when honestly our walking in love will be tested.

Back in the day it was easier.

Everybody was respectful.

Not today.

Social media has brought out such a demonic side of people.

So they how then did Jesus demonstrate his love for us?

He did it by dying on the cross.

For us to love one another like Jesus, we must first die to self.

You cannot love anyone selflessly when you're selfless.

You cannot love anyone like Jesus did when you are the king of your life.

The only way to love someone selflessly like Jesus did is when he's reigns.

When he's the king.

Because self-preservation is real, we are always going to choose what's best for us.

But when Jesus is king, and we're staying and listening to his direction, he'll tell us, actually, let them do that to you.

Think about the stoning of Stephen.

He did nothing wrong, all he did was just proclaim the truth.

But the truth that we are all of us supposed to be proclaiming, it will bring things out of people that is so ugly.

And there will be a reaction.

Expect a reaction.

And if there's no reaction, I just leave it at that.

But when they do react, you still choose to walk in love.

And many of us in this room are like, man, I don't think I can walk in love like that.

That's Jesus.

That's them.

I'm just, I nobody here.

Listen to Romans 5.5.

Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

What that verse tells me is each of us in this room who's a Christian, we all have the capacity to love like God does.

We all have the capacity to choose to be selfless like Jesus did.

But the one thing that hinders that kind of outpour from us is self.

Because picture of self as a gate that restrains the love of God from being demonstrated.

And this is why Jesus talks about this in Matthew.

Die daily.

Pick up your cross.

It's not about you, it's about Him.

Seek the kingdom.

If you go here, you know you hear that verse a lot.

Seek the kingdom.

And when you seek the kingdom, when you put Him first, you will see how it's gonna be effortlessly to walk in love.

For as long as you are at the center, walking in love is gonna be so hard, but that as soon as you choose to die yourself, as soon as you choose to make Him king of your life, things like this will just scooze out of you.

Christianity is only hard when you are the king.

But as soon as God is King, you'll find yourself just walking in the fruits of the Spirit.

You'll find yourself walking in love.

You'll find yourself doing things that you never do.

Because that is the example that Jesus set for us.

To fully complete our post-repentance journey, we must walk in love, and for us to do that, we must die to self.

For us to fully do that, self has to be the first casualty.

So Jesus has paid for our sins.

Then he gave us the Holy Spirit to walk, to help us walk in love and walk in holiness.

Do you know the craziest thing that you when you read in this in the scriptures you see?

Well, I guess I guess it's not crazy, it's just reality.

That Jesus will hold us accountable for what he's given us.

He's given us his Holy Spirit, He's given us all blessings that pertain to God, to this life.

He's given us, I mean, all actually all that's all you need.

You need him and all the blessings.

And because we have that now, the question is this what are we gonna do with it?

Are we gonna keep our side of the covenant?

And the beautiful thing about God, whenever you stumble in your keeping your side of the covenant, he'll forgive you, we've established that.

So I don't want you to think that this is not like, oh may I have to do this for God.

No, no, no, no.

We don't, God is good and he's giving us everything that we need, regardless of what happens.

He'll forgive you instantly and you move on.

But for us to keep us out of the covenant, we must first die ourselves.

And I really am talking about this point a lot because that is probably the most important thing I can share this morning.

See, to complete our post-repentance journey, we must first go back to the last command God gave us before the sin.

And then, secondly, we must obey his direction.

And then thirdly, we must walk in love, and for us to do that, we must first die to self.

That is the expectation that God has of us.

Thank you for listening to the Road Church Podcast.

We pray today's message has empowered you to make a difference in your world.

For more information about the Road Church and to find more content like this, go to theroad.org.

That's theroad.org.