Sin Faults floors, Righteousness Raises

**fennywest** Wed 18 Jul 2012, 10:18 am

Sin Flaws Floors, Faults, Soils and Separate, Righteousness Raises

Sin Faults floors, Righteousness Raises Achan5

Sin soils, stops, separates, saps your strength
Creates a chasm, digs a hole that you fall in
Sin breaks fellowship and empowers Satan
Ties the hand of God and makes you powerless.

Righteousness is right and raises you, empowers you
Makes room for God to come and fight for you, lift you up
Holiness creates a buffer zone between you and danger
Faithfulness fortifies, stabilises, makes you a rare gem.

Willingness and obedience opens the door to conquest
Disobedience triggers impotence and makes you a target
Fear becomes a fetter than binds rendering you weak
You die many times before your death, as you daily leak.

Worldliness wastes, wears, waters down your armour
Worry weighs you down and would even drown
Faith, not in yourself, but in God becomes a shield
Pleases God and quenches every flaming arrows
.
Sin Faults floors, Righteousness Raises Achan1

Sin Faults floors, Righteousness Raises Achan1

Sin Flaws Floors, Righteousness Raises

1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, "Go up and spy out the country." So the men went up and spied out Ai.
3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few."
4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai.
5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.
7 And Joshua said, "Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all --- to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!
8 O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies?
9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?"
10 So the LORD said to Joshua: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?
11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff.
12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.
13 Get up, sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: "There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you."Jos7:1-13

Sin flaws floors, Righteousness Raises

The children of Israel had just won a mighty battle, the Jewel in the crown of the Promised Land- Jericho. Jericho was the first City to be captured. It was a well fortified city, seemingly impenetrable. Her walls were so massive you could run races on horses on them. However, all Israel did was to obey what the Lord said regardless how ridiculous it sounded. Imagine being told that your weapon against a well fortified city was to march round it, once every day in silence for 6 days and on the seventh to march round it seven times and shout: ‘the Lord has given you the City.’

This was exactly what they did and because of their obedience, God caused the seemingly impenetrable walls to not just crack, crumble but fall down flat. The Lord was fighting for them and they simply overran the city despite its size, armament and strength of its army.

Joshua had warned the people to ensure that they do not take anything in the City for themselves however Achan was tempted by some garment and gems which he took and hid. He thought no one saw it but God did. Everything is open to Him with whom we have to deal. He sees the end from the beginning.(Heb4:13, Ps139:1-16)

Unfortunately what he did, did not just affect him, but the whole nation was soiled, compromised, weakened, rendered vulnerable to the enemy, unbeknown to General Joshua.

[b]Sin faults and floors, Righteousness Raises

Ai was the next nation in sight. As an astute military strategist, Joshua sent an advance party to check them out before sending an invading army. The report they brought was very comforting: Ai is small and their army is no different and so they would be a bread or piece of cake compared to Jericho. It was then decided to send just a few thousand soldiers to do the quick business and give a break to the rest of the soldiers for bigger battles. It was a sound strategy naturally.

As they confidently attacked Ai they could not believe the resistance and the casualty they suffered. Ai seemed to be galvanised, empowered beyond belief and successfully fought off Israel and killed 36 soldiers. The rest of the soldiers had to scamper back in humiliation, leaking their wounds wondering what was going on.

Joshua himself was taken aback and fell down flat on his face like the walls of Jericho had earlier fallen before them. He sought God’s face from morning to evening and God told him why.

Sin Faults floors, Righteousness Raises Jericho4

Sin Faults floors, Righteousness Raises Jericho4

Sin flaws floors, Righteousness Raises

"

Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?
11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff.
12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.
13 Get up, sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: "There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you."

Sin Faults floors, Righteousness Raises Jericho3

This story of defeat, humiliation and powerlessness resulting from temptation and disobedience and the success Israel had in Jericho from obedience underline important truths in our relationship with God.

It does not matter how formidable our enemy may look, like Goliath or Jericho, if God is with us we can and will overcome. He will fight for us.

[b][size=24]Sin flaws floors, Righteousness Raises

God often gives us ridiculous instructions which if followed to the letter will bring about miraculous manifestation that will not only surprise us but also those around us who do not believe, so that the glory goes to God alone.

Jericho is also symbolic of the 'First' in our lives which belongs to God. The seat of your life is your heart. That is why God wants to occupy the throne of your heart. When He is your first love every other thing will fall into place.

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.Col3:1-2
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.(Matt6:33)

2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.
4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Rev.22-4

That was why the gold and other gems were to be dedicated to the house of God and not to be taken for personal use. Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be (Matt6:19-21). Achan violated God’s command and by default the whole nation vicariously sinned and fell where he fell. The power of God was neutralized and Satan was empowered against them. They were vulnerable and did not know it until they went into battle and were summarily humiliated and defeated.

This demonstrates that our sins will find us out. Unless we acknowledge them ourselves and repent we will have a rude awakening on the battle ground when we go, presuming that God is with us, when He is not.

Again it is clear to see that our sins affect not just us but also our family, friends, church and nation. Achan stopped the advance of the whole nation. His sin triggered the defeat of Israel, resulted in the loss of not just 36 lives and the families these men were devastated but the whole nation. When he was caught he was not the only one stoned, all those closely related to him were also stoned because they would have colluded with him to cover up the sin.

It is also clear from what we have seen that we should not play with sin. It has far reaching consequences.

When Achan was judged, Israel was empowered to go forward and conquer Ai and other nations. We too need to deal with sin which stops our advance in the conquest of our Promised Land in the Lord. God has a Promised Land for each one of us. That Promised Land is your purpose, your assignment, your dream, your inheritance, your reason for being. Entering that land will give you fulfilment. There are enemies in that land at the moment. You and I would need to identify them and dispossess them and possess our possession. The enemies in my Land will be different from the enemies in your land because we have different passions and dreams. However unbelief, pride and disobedience are common names we can use to describe them.

Sin flaws floors, Righteousness Raises

We will be challenged by the enemy all the way. Goliath will stand in the way. The Philistines (our enemies) will come again and again against us but we must remain resolute, uncompromising, steadfast, faithful, willing and obedient to the Lord and we will win the battles ahead.

Our righteousness is in Christ and it is a gift. This means we cannot save ourselves by trying to do right. We are saved by grace through faith and not by our works, otherwise Christ died for nothing. You don’t work for your rightstanding with God. Jesus paid for that rightstanding with God. God gives it to you when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. When we repent of our sins, God forgives us and cleanses us of all unrighteousness. From then on He sees us as if we have not ever sinned.

17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Rom5:17
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.Eph2:8-9 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God --- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption --1Cor1:30

Does it mean we never sin again? As human beings there will always be the struggle between the flesh and the spirit and we will fall from time to time. When this happens, we need to repent of our sin and be cleansed. We cannot take our sin lightly or take things for granted. This is different from sinning deliberately. If this is the case, then we have not really been saved. Our righteousness is not a licence for sin.

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Rom6:1-2

Sin faults and floors, Righteousness Raises

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1John 1:7-9

Medication for Meditation on the Promised Land

Kings 18:40

Let not one of them escape.

When the prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer, and the fire from heaven had consumed the sacrifice in the presence of all the people, he called upon the assembled Israelites to take the priests of Baal, and sternly cried, "Let not one of them escape." He took them all down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. So must it be with our sins-they are all doomed, not one must be preserved. Our darling sin must die. Spare it not for its much crying. Strike, though it be as dear as an Isaac. Strike, for God struck at sin when it was laid upon His own Son. With stern unflinching purpose must you condemn to death that sin which was once the idol of your heart. Do you ask how you are to accomplish this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to overcome sin given you in the covenant of grace; you have strength to win the victory in the crusade against inward lusts, because Christ Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the end. If you would triumph over darkness, set yourself in the presence of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so well adapted for the discovery of sin, and recovery from its power and guilt, as the immediate presence of God. Job never knew how to get rid of sin half so well as he did when his eye of faith rested upon God, and then he abhorred himself, and repented in dust and ashes. The fine gold of the Christian is oft becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to consume the dross. Let us fly to our God, He is a consuming fire; He will not consume our spirit, but our sins. Let the goodness of God excite us to a sacred jealousy, and to a holy revenge against those iniquities which are hateful in His sight. Go forth to battle with Amalek in His strength, and utterly destroy the accursed crew: let not one of them escape

C.H. Spurgeon

Deliverance should be followed by holiness if we are to possess our possession

17 " But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Obad.1:17

We cannot gain possession of the Promised Land by our might, carnal or worldly weapons or intelligence but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sin faults and floors, Righteousness Raises

3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them.Ps44:3

Exodus 3
8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.

17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey." '

The power of prayer cannot be overestimated

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.Ps2:8

God will even give us favour with the enemy- our slave masters when we are submissive to Him

And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. Ex3:21

Sin faults and floors, Righteousness Raises

The Land God is taking us is a land that is flowing with Milk and Honey and it is currently in the hands of our enemies who need to be dispossessed. We need to be obedient to what the Lord commands when we enter the land and not compromise our standards, otherwise we will court God’s displeasure and judgment unless we repent of our sins.
Exodus 13
5 And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.

Exodus 33
3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people."

Deuteronomy 26
9 He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, "a land flowing with milk and honey";

15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, "a land flowing with milk and honey."

We are separated for God’s purposes, ‘called out’ from the world, in the world but not of the world. John17:14, 2Cor6:15-18
Leviticus 20
24 But I have said to you, "You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey." I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples.

Obedience will stabilize us and give us longevity in the Promised Land. Disobedience will make us prey to our enemies.

Deuteronomy 6
3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you --- 'a land flowing with milk and honey.'

Deuteronomy 11
9 and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, 'a land flowing with milk and honey.'

Deuteronomy 27
3 You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the LORD your God is giving you, 'a land flowing with milk and honey,' just as the LORD God of your fathers promised you.

Unbelief and disobedience can keep us from the Promised Land

Deuteronomy 31
20 When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant.

Joshua 5
6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD --- to whom the LORD swore that He would not show them the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, "a land flowing with milk and honey."

Genesis 17
8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
Genesis 26
14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

Sin faults and floors, Righteousness Raises

©Fenny West2012
https://christian-talk.forumotion.com/t5576-fresh-and-flourishing#10883