 Amen Joshua chapter 8 so here we are we're in AI again so of course Joshua chapter 7 we had the problem where someone did not follow God's commands and did not do things the way God wanted them to be done when they sacked Jericho and they kept you know some of the things that they weren't supposed to keep they stole some of the things that they were supposed to give to the Lord and they'd now in Joshua chapter 7 they went to AI under those conditions and they lost the first battle with AI and everyone was you know worried God told them what the problem was they found out who had done it they took care of that issue and now of course we see the battle where they go back again this time the Lord on their side against AI so I want to just go through quickly the chapter and then I want to kind of go back and show you some interesting things about Joshua chapter 8 is kind of an interesting tie between the New Testament and the Old Testament here I thought was interesting anyway hopefully you do too but see what we can learn from it so let's go ahead and it's important that we understand what's happening in the battle here to understand where we're going to go with this towards the end so let's just step through the chapter real quickly in the verse number one the Bible says and the Lord said to Joshua fear not neither be now thou dismayed so he's kind of like building him up now he's like don't worry you know don't worry you know I'm with you this time you know you've gotten things taken care of so we're going to go ahead and try this again take all the people of war with thee and arise and go up to AI and see I've given into the hand the king of AI and his people and his city in this land and now shall do to AI and her king as thou didst the Jericho and her king only so there's a difference here God you know gives different you know characteristics here of things that they can and can't do so you know you should pay attention to what the Lord is saying because it's not just the same command for every city so they're able to keep the spoil in this city God allows them to keep the cattle in the spoil in verse number two he says the spoil thereof in the cattle thereof shall you take for a prey unto yourselves lady and ambush for the city behind it so that's different than it was in Jericho they weren't to keep anything in Jericho and the gold in the silver they were supposed to put into the treasury of the Lord so they were to keep nothing for themselves out of Jericho here they're allowed to keep the spoil so that's different so Joshua rose and all the people of war to go up against AI Joshua chose out 30,000 mighty mighty men of valor and sent them away by night and he commanded them saying behold you shall lie in wait against the city and behind the city and go not very far from the city but anyway go back go back to verse number we'll just continue and then I'll go back to that later but he commanded them saying behold you shall lie in wait against the city even behind the city go not very far from the city but you shall be you all be ready and I and all the people that are with me will approach under 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 so we have drawn them away from the city for they will say they flee before us as at the first therefore we will flee before them then you 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 you have taken the city that she'll set the city on fire according to the commandment of the Lord you shall 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 but Joshua lodged that night among the people so Joshua didn't go to the people on the west side so these people on the west side they went to lie in wait and to form an ambush to hide and Joshua and all the people and the people of war that were with him went up and drew nigh and came before the city that means in front of the city and pitched on the north side of AI now there was a valley between them and AI so here's the situation there's AI there's this west side of AI which we don't really know what the terrain is but I would guess that it's kind of a wooded covered area over on the west side which is why they chose that area but on the north side is a valley so what's in the valley is just big open area so Joshua goes and he camps out in the valley in front of AI I mean he's basically he's announcing his presence to AI and he took about 5,000 men and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and AI on the west side so that's on the side when they had set the people even all the hosts that was on the north of the city and their liars and wait on the west of the city Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley so in the dark or in the you know the failing light or whatever Joshua goes in the middle of the valley and it came to pass he goes out there and what happens the king of AI saw it so he goes out to basically make himself seen to the king of AI in the valley and of course they hasted up and rose up early the men of the city went out against Israel to battle and it's interesting that it's it you know it's it's either completely dark or it's not light out and it's but he's in the valley he's seen he's able to be seen he's got his whole army out there but he's got his real people in ambush on the west that are not seen okay so I mean they couldn't see because it was it was dark it wasn't light and they were in this valley okay so Joshua verse 15 and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them and fled by the way of the wilderness and all the people of AI were called together to pursue after them and they pursued after Joshua and were drawn away from the city there was not a man left in AI or Bethel so these folks went for they went for it okay so basically they had retreated before because they had been beaten in Joshua chapter 7 they had been beaten when they lost the battle the first battle that they went up against AI so here they see this big army out there and they start running right away and this king you can about imagine he's like let's just finish this thing off right now and he sends everything that he has after these people there's many stories about this same type of mistake by the way in military history you know if you don't have to read too many too many battle stories to see that you know this kind of thing has been used again and again and again alright verse 18 and the Lord said unto Joshua so just keep a you know an idea here in verse 18 that the Lord is directing this battle okay the Lord is directing what happens in this battle okay the Lord is directing the battle the Lord said unto Joshua okay the Lord didn't fight for Joshua the Lord said unto Joshua stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward AI for I will give it in thy hand and Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city and the ambush arose quickly out of their place and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand and they entered into the city and took it and hasted and set the city on fire and when the men of AI look behind them they saw and behold the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven and they had no power to flee this way or that way so now they're stuck they're outside the gates and the ambush has snuck around inside the city and they start the city on fire to signal to the other army we're in we're inside you know the you don't have to act anymore you know it's time to fight now so basically the men of AI they have nowhere to go they have nowhere to go at this point they're stuck outside their city their city is on fire with the enemy inside it already and they have this huge army in front of them that isn't really fleeing they they're about to learn okay and when Joshua and all the city that the ant saw that the ambush had taken the city so Joshua now who is in the retreating army the larger force sees the signal that the plan is you know and look they don't have cell phones right they don't have a radio man this is the radio right here so the radio was the smoke of the city Joshua now knows what's going on and here he turns around they turned again they turned around and slew the men of AI verse 22 and the other issued out of the city against them so they were in the midst of Israel some on this side and some on that side they smoked them so they let none of them remain or escape so they they wiped them completely out this army and the king of AI they took alive and brought him to Joshua and it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of AI in the field in the wilderness where they chased them and all were falling at the edge of the sword until they were consumed that all the Israelites returned to AI and smote it with the edge of the sword so they went into AI and killed everyone in AI okay and so it was all that fell that day both men and women were 12,000 even all the men of AI so I mean it wasn't a huge city as we would think of a city today but 12,000 people were killed in this city that was everybody first in Joshua chapter 26 Joshua drew not his hand back where with he stretched out the spear until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of AI only the cattle and spoil the city took for praying to themselves so they did take the cattle and everything with them and then he burnt the city and then the king of AI verse 29 he hanged on a tree until even tide and as soon as the sun was down Joshua commanded they take his carcass down from the tree cast it at the entering end of the city and raise there on a great heap of stones that remain at under this day so this is interesting turn to Deuteronomy chapter 21 Deuteronomy chapter 21 just a little interesting note here we remember of course Aiken he took what what is the condition of these cities you think this is pretty brutal they go in there and they they just they just wipe everybody out in these cities you know men women and children in these cities you say why well look at what they did to the king they hung him on a tree look what the Bible says in Deuteronomy chapter 21 in verse number 22 Deuteronomy 21 in verse number 22 the Bible says this it says it's talking about it's talking about somebody who has committed a sin worthy of death a sin worthy of capital punishment of the death penalty the Bible's for the death penalty by the way okay so you know and we're gonna I'll talk to you little bit about why this evening okay why why is the you know why the death penalty why punishment at all okay look if a man if committed a sin worthy of death and he be put to death and they'll hang him on a tree it says if Deuteronomy is giving you the law here is if you if you if you execute somebody by hanging execute somebody by hanging his body shall not remain all night upon the tree but thou shall in any wise bury him that day and then in parentheses look at this so there is this extra look it's extra bad to get hung okay if you're gonna get executed if someone's gonna execute me hey shoot me you know firing squad please or whatever you know maybe not the electric chair you know that's gone bad a few times but it's like oh we forgot to get the sponge wet or something like that you know you know just anyway not part of the sermon anyway I mean that was like some demented electrical engineer had to come up with that right anyway hanging is an extra it's a curse to be hung okay so it's not only that you're being executed but it's it's literally a curse the Bible says so it says here for every for he that is hanged is what it says a cursed of God now what was the condition of the people in these cities what was the condition of the people in these cities what was the condition of everything is a matter of fact in these cities everything that was to be destroyed was under what condition it was a cursed of God that's what Akon's problem was was he took of the accursed thing okay it wasn't like some special weird thing that was you it was everything everything in the city the people the stuff everything was a cursed the Bible says except for the golden silver which he just plain stole from God so this king was a cursed that's why he was hung that's why Joshua hung him because he was a cursed of God just like Akon took of something that was a cursed of God it's the condition so you say well it's pretty real what they did in these cities these cities were a cursed of God every single person was a cursed of God in these cities okay that was the condition that they were in okay now go to Galatians chapter 3 in verse 13 just very quickly and we'll see one other thing about this Galatians chapter 3 and verse number 13 Galatians chapter 3 and verse number 13 so back you know just finishing off this idea of being hung or being hung on a tree the Bible says in Galatians 3 13 are you there Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law so look before we were saved before we were redeemed by Christ we were we were under a curse as well we were under a curse look everybody that is not saved is cursed right now they are cursed by the law okay they are cursed because they have broken God's law and until they are redeemed or saved they're still under that curse okay but look what it says here it says Christ hath redeemed us for the current from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed it is everyone that hangeth on a tree so Christ he took the punishment for our sin but he was literally he was literally made that curse for us he was that propitiation that that that he became the curse he became the cursed for us so it was the substitute you were cursed instead he became cursed and that's how you can be saved redeemed through him okay just an interesting little point there let's go back to Joshua chapter 8 and verse number 30 I mean such a beautiful complete picture when you think about the salvation and the the redemption that Christ provided for us I mean it's just a complete picture of redemption it just it completes the the circle of everything that the Bible talks about look at verse 30 then Joshua built an altar under the word God of Israel and Mount Ebel remember Mount Ebel from Deuteronomy chapter 27 Deuteronomy chapter 27 in verse number 10 I'll just read it for you you don't have to turn there you can if you'd like to but this is where Moses prophesied this event that's about to take place I talked about it in the sermon at the woman at the well but in Deuteronomy 27 Moses said in verse 10 thou that thou shalt therefore obey the Lord the voice of the Lord thy God and do his commandments and his statutes where thy commanded thee this day and Moses charged the people the same day saying these shall stand upon the Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you come over the Jordan Moses is prophesying what's gonna happen in you know when they get over the Jordan and and take over this area you know he says all these tribes and they says he said cursed be the man in verse 15 that make it any graven image or molten image or abomination to the Lord the works of the hands of the craftsmen and put it in a secret place interesting and all the people shall answer and say amen cursed be he that set at the light by his father and mother and all the people should say amen and that was the people that stood on Mount Ebel to curse so Mount Gerizim got the blessings and then six tribes stand on Mount Ebel to curse looked and then in this area look these battles are not over there's plenty to curse still that's that's with the point of the blessings and the curses here is that they set up these altars and you know the Levite stood in the middle and they laid out curses and they laid out blessings there's plenty more people that are going to be cursed in the promised land look at Joshua chapter 8 in verse 31 now we see in Joshua chapter 8 verse 31 we see the the prophecy that Moses said we see it coming true Joshua actually does it and it says in verse 31 as Moses the Sermon of the Lord 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 have lift up any iron you'll see that by the way many places in the Bible when they build alters and they build things to the Lord especially alters you're not to hue the stone or or put any kind of tools to the stone you know I actually thought about this this morning when I was I was waking up and I have one of these I don't know if you guys have these same screensavers or whatever but I every morning I wake up and I hit my mouse and it's it's some like beautiful landscape somewhere on earth you know in this morning it was some place and then if you go to the top right corner of your computer screen it tells you where it's at because you look at it you're like oh man I love to go there and then you look at where it's at and it's like in you know Zimbabwe or something you're like yeah I'm not going there you know but anyway this morning I did it it was like this big you know no offense to people from Zimbabwe but you know I don't know I just it just came to my mind anyway this morning it was some place in Utah it was like all these these rocks you know that that just had all these you know these red rocks and yellow rocks with all these different patterns on them and holes through them and these big flat rocks sitting over there I mean you're like this is like a different planet you know this is not real you know and and you're looking at it but here's the thing like God did that you know God did that so I mean I kind of look at like why God didn't want us hewing these rocks because it's kind of like someone taking like a like a famous painting and then like painting over the top of it right it's like it's like if if my wife would have had painting day with the kids and instead of using like you know blank white paint you know canvases they would have used like you know million dollar paintings from some I'm not even gonna mention a painter because they're all wicked they're all evil people but I mean if we just take some some beautiful painting from some really talented painter and then we would just make our painting over it we'd have our Joel Osteen drawing contest over the top of these really expensive paintings that's like us like hewing rocks right I mean God's already created these beautiful things he's like you know what just that's just my opinion on this but I'm just the thought that I had this morning but anyway so he builds these altars after doing this in verse 30 32 and then he writes he writes a copy of the law of Moses in verse 33 it says an all Israel and their elders and officers and judges stood on this side of the Ark and that side before the priests and the Levites would bear the Ark or the covenant of the Lord as well as the stranger and he that was born amongst them half of them over on Mount Gerizim for the blessings and half of them over against Mount Ebo as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before the that they should bless the people of Israel and then they're cursing look they're cursing the other people and after where he read all the words of the law the blessings and the cursings according to all that is written in the book of the law and there was not a word of all that Moses commanded with Joshua read not before the congregation of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers that were conversant among them so I mean basically I mean that's another good just example of how you know there's there's blessing there's blessings and cursing in the Bible I mean the problem you know you'll see today is people just talk about the blessings all the time people never talk about the negative there's a lot of cursing in the Bible there's actually a lot of consequences and there's a lot of bad things and there's a lot of wrath in the Bible even against saved people even against you know save people like hey you know I'm saved now but look if I do things a certain way I could bring God's anger and his indignation against myself so I mean people leave that out today you know and that's what you see in churches today and that's why churches you know they they get so many people in because it's just blessing blessing blessing but what about you know what about Mount Ebo you know what about the other mountain there's blessings and cursing okay so we see the strategy here and what I really want to point out I want to make a few observations of Joshua chapter 8 and then I want to kind of give you some thoughts on applying that to your life but first of all you know we see here God is kind of a strategist we see in Joshua chapter 8 you know God is a strategist notice here but I mean he's basically he's basically the military commander of the Israelites he's basically the military commander I mean he provides the strategy here but it's interesting because as God provides the strategy he expected them to take ownership of the plan you know God I mean he expected the Israelites to carry out the actions it's look it's the same thing for us I mean think about this for a second why didn't God if he was with them if he was with them and he had you know the Son of God there willing to help with his sword and why didn't he just you know just take care of it why didn't he just I mean turn to Genesis 19 God has done this before God has done this why didn't he do it look at Genesis chapter 19 and look at verse number 24 Genesis chapter 19 and verse number 24 I mean look what God did here God just took care of this city you know God wanted this city gone and he made it gone it's that simple look at verse 24 Genesis 19 then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven look God just rained fire from heaven and just destroyed these two cities and he over and he overthrew those cities and all the plane and all the inhabitants of the cities and and that which grew upon the ground look in Joshua chapter 8 God didn't do this God did not do this he gave the tactics he gave Joshua the commands the orders he was he was the he was the general sort of speak but the people needed to carry out the plan you see the same applies to us in our lives God is not going to execute battles for you he tells you what to do and if you do them you will win and if not see chapter 7 that that's you know that's that's the lesson but here's what's really interesting okay here's what's really interesting God is such a brilliant strategist think about this for a second he can literally use our defeats to achieve victory think about what happened in Joshua chapter 7 in Joshua chapter 7 the children of Israel disobeyed God they didn't do it he said God was not with them the man with the sword was not with them that time and they lost the battle now to achieve the victory in the second battle God literally used the fact that they lost the first battle to achieve victory and draw the man out of the gates completely so they would have that complete victory God used in a strategy to gain victory look but it was it was this go back to verse 14 of Joshua 8 it was that defeat because of a consent that God used to give them victory but something happened first go to Joshua chapter 8 and verse 14 look let's look at the let's look at the victory for a minute first Joshua chapter 8 and verse 14 and it came to pass when the king of AI saw it that they hasted and rose up early and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle he and all his people at a time appointed before the plane but he wist not that there were liars and ambush against him behind the city it wasn't like that last time I just went out and beat him last time there was no ambush last time and Joshua and all Israel made is that they were beaten before them this king was like we've done this before we got him again let's go everybody and all the people that were in AI gathered were called together to pursue after them they pursued after Joshua and were drawn away from the city God used the fact that they ran once before to lure in the enemy God used the defeat to strategize in victory is what he did now here's the application for us how to turn defeat into victory like Joshua did like God did for Joshua how can we turn victory or defeat in our lives into victory turn to Romans chapter 8 turn to Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 turn to Romans chapter and wait for you all to get there because I want you to see this turn to Romans chapter 8 this is super interesting because this is a super common verse in the Bible you see it pasted on refrigerators nobody really understands it though especially people from you know you know the blessings only churches they don't understand it they're just like you know everything good is always going to happen to me always because I'm me look at Romans chapter 8 and verse number 28 we know and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose this verse is Joshua chapter 8 right here Joshua chapter 8 is Romans 828 played out in a practical situation you say I don't understand I'm gonna explain it to you the mistake that they made was used for the good was used for the good to give them victory notice notice but what notice it was only used once they got right it was only for the good once they got right look it says it says we know that all things work together for the good it doesn't say some things it doesn't say there will be some things in your life that I will make to turn out good it says all things work together for the good but the verse doesn't stop there see everybody thinks the verse stops there and that's where they all go wrong that's where it makes the refrigerator magnet right all things work out to good well that's just not gonna happen it's all things look all things do work out not just some things but there's more it says it doesn't say everything works out together for good for everybody all the time that's not what it says no matter what nope that's not what it says look there are conditions to Romans chapter 8 and verse 28 the step one step one condition on turning defeat into victory is this it's getting right turn to 1st John chapter 1 1st John chapter 1 you want to turn defeat into victory in your life you say think back in your life you had any defeats in your life think back in your life you ever had something that didn't go well how about before you were saved have any defeats before you were saved in your life want to turn those into victory that can happen but first things first look at 1st John chapter 1 and verse number 9 the Bible says if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness now Catholics and Lutherans and other people that don't understand the Bible say that this is how you get saved this is why people think you have to confess your sins to get saved but that's not what it says it says if you confess your sins God will forgive your sins that's what it says it's talking about getting right with God by confessing your sins find your faults and own them is what the Bible is saying here some people look some people really stumble here but look it's super important turn to Matthew chapter 6 this is super important in mending any relationship that you want to be whole ok if you want a relationship in your life to be whole yes it's true that we're supposed to forgive one way we're supposed to forgive one way are you in Matthew chapter 6 look at verse number Matthew chapter 6 look at verse number 14 the Bible says this is very simple for if you forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your father forgive your trespasses not talking about salvation talking about being right with God you want to be right with God you want to have God forgive you and not chastise you for the sins in your life be forgiving to other people is what the Bible is saying if you just withhold forgiveness from the people in the brothers and sisters in your life God's going to just chastise you harder that's what the Bible is saying here he's not going to be lenient with you if you're hard on other people God's going to be harder on you live by the sword die by the sword that's what the Bible is saying here so look forgiveness is to be one way if one of the brothers in this church you know just constantly just offends me I'm supposed to just forgive him just forgive him doesn't mean that like if brother so-and-so you know I keep borrowing him $20 and he never pays me back you know it doesn't mean I have to keep borrowing him $20 doesn't mean I have to learn you know I can't learn from that it just says I'm not whole I'm not to just you know hate him for that I suppose you just let it go forgive him for that okay but look that doesn't mean that our relationship is whole that doesn't mean that our relationship is all turn to Matthew chapter 18 verse number 21 I'll give you another verse on this so forgiveness is to be one way it is to be one way but if you have one way forgiveness it doesn't mean the relationship is whole look at Matthew chapter 18 and look at verse number 21 we're talking about getting right as Israel got right we're talking about how do we get right I want Romans 8 28 to come true in my life don't you for the first thing we have to do Romans 8 28 is Joshua chapter 8 the first thing we have to do is get right look at Matthew chapter 8 verse 21 the Bible says then Peter came to him and said Lord how off shall I brought my brother sin against me and I forgive him like seven times it's like how many times should I forgive somebody that keeps doing the same thing to me and Jesus says I say not only until seven times but until 70 times seven he's like basically what he means is just just keep forgiving him that's what Jesus means but that's really just instructions for us to be right does that make sense if I want to be right between you know if I want to be right with God I need to forgive brother so-and-so just keep forgiving and just keep forgiving I don't have to be stupid and allow him to borrow my car when he wrecked the last five cars but I have to just let it go and just forgive him then I'm right with God that doesn't make my relationship with him whole does that make sense but here's the thing if you want the entire relationship between brother so-and-so and myself to be whole then confession needs to happen on both sides or on the sides where it's needed anyway turn to James chapter 5 so brother so-and-so I gave him you know my car and he just drove it off a cliff it started on fire and he just burned up my car and I'm just like you know what brother I just I forgive you but he's just like should have done the brakes better you know there's a piece of garbage car anyway you know I'm just like I just forgive him I just forgive him that's my job but that's not a whole relationship there if we want our relationships to be whole amongst two people both ways here's what needs to happen the Bible says in James 5 16 confess your faults to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed see that you see that confess your faults to one another this doesn't mean you come up to me and tell me every you know you go up to brother Matt and tell him every sin you've committed in your life that's not what this means okay brother's Matt is like but you know I mean that's not what this means there's nothing we don't come to church or just be like alright brother Ryan it's your turn get up here buddy tell us everything you've ever done you know and you know it's saying confess your faults one to another you have faults between each other get that stuff out there and confess them to each other apologize to me for driving my car off the cliff and starting it on fire and don't blame it on me that the brakes were bad okay it's saying and it says that ye you know what ye means here's here's one of those words again that no one thinks are important ye is plural it says that ye may be healed that ye meaning meaning brother Trevor and brother Johannes that ye may be healed that that relationship between those two will be brought whole again okay confess your faults to one another okay you got it you got to own it you wronged your brother you got to own it okay so two people have trouble in a relationship they much and many times they may both have faults to confess maybe brother Johannes got mad at brother Trevor for driving his car off the cliff and brother Johannes you know went and smashed brother Trevor's car with the baseball bat now they both have faults so they both need to come together and confess those faults okay now go back to Joshua chapter 7 what did Joshua say to Akin who did Akin sin against look at Joshua chapter 7 Joshua chapter 7 verse number 19 the Bible says this in Joshua chapter 7 in verse 19 so we must get right if we want Romans 828 to work if we want the machine of Romans 828 to work and have these things work out for us the Bible says that we must get right look at Joshua 719 and Joshua said unto Akin my son give I pray the glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him that's interesting right there because he tells them to confess straight to God not to a priest not to any man he says confess to him this is before Christ okay and tell me now what thou has done hide it not from me and Akin answered Joshua and said indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done and he confesses the whole thing he confesses to Joshua and more importantly he confesses to the Lord okay he gets right he gets right so look he he he did first John chapter 1 in verse number 9 he confessed his sins unto the Lord okay so but think about this they executed the guy right after he did this so like what in the world I mean they knew he did it right so I mean why you know you think about it this way this wasn't a thing about you know the law this wasn't a thing about you know it was about getting right the confession was about getting right with God but the execution still took place folks you know so the confession to God was necessary to fix the relationship with God that fix the relationship with God but I mean as confession we saw has a has a huge part of mending relationships people could say he confessed so why punish him why punish him why is their punishment for sin instead of just confession I mean did this guy really need to die I mean think about it look here's the answer here's the answer I'll answer it for you it wasn't just about this guy punishment is not about that guy it never was it was about the nation the punishment of Akin was about the nation of Israel the punishment was to deter others from the same sin I mean they named the Valley the Valley of Acre I mean they wanted people to remember this event where this family was stoned and burned they made a marker of it look that is that that is the purpose of punishment look if you execute murderers you will have a lot less murder and you wonder why I mean look I mean Leslie's pool supply the other day you want to see you want to see this all you want to see the opposite of this California has a law where basically you can steal anything under $950 and it's just a misdemeanor you can't even get in trouble for it and so like theft it talked to any person that works at any retail store they have actually shut down some retail stores now because they're just getting robbed like crazy I'm at Leslie's pool supply the other day and I'm standing in a line and there's two young gentlemen in their 20s working the counter and this guy this guy walks in and you know he's a guy that looks like he's gonna steal something all right he walks in and of course what's he got on his face he doesn't want to catch coronavirus he's got a big mask on his face all you can see are just little beady eyes and he walks straight in the store and pants are around his knees and he walks up to the shelf and he I don't even know how he could walk like that and he grabs like the first thing you can find and he just gets up and he just walks right up the door and the guy the guy behind the car is like I'm just like you want me to go get him cuz I'll go get him he's like no just forget it it's like who cares I mean it was like 50 bucks I went and checked it before I left it's like 50 bucks I'd be I'd be executed if I did something like that no I'm just kidding but I mean the point is the point is when you have no punishment for crime it's just completely out of control that's why they executed Aiken it wasn't for Aiken it was for the rest of the nation and look that's where we're headed today just complete lawlessness is where we're headed today I don't know what I don't know what people are thinking you know they're not they just shows you they know nothing of even the concepts of the Bible that's not that they don't know the Bible they don't even know the concepts of the Bible anymore so back to our point we want Romans 828 to work in our lives we first need to get right we need to mend that relationship with God but look it actually says in Romans 828 to them that love God turned to John 14 John 14 a lot of people I'm sure would say I love God I love God the difference but here's the thing the difference between your definition or man's definition of love and God's definition of love is that love is action to God and it is a feeling to man that's the difference tell you tell your wife that you love her tell your wife that you love her but then live your life only thinking of yourself live your life tell her tell her that every day though love you honey love you I love you so much and then just do nothing for her just live your life in the most selfish possible way that you can and I guarantee you she will not think that you love her why you tell her every day is because your actions show otherwise so if you if love is just a feeling to you the only person that will think or feel that love is you nobody else will feel or will benefit or will actually get that love because that that's not what love is does that make sense look at John chapter 14 of verse 15 God actually defines this for us in like eight words or seven words or whatever that is the Bible says this it says if ye love me keep my commandments turn to James chapter 1 of the Bible says if you love me listen to what I say God says and it's more than that look at James chapter 1 in verse number 22 James chapter 1 in verse number 22 but be ye doers of the word and not hears only deceiving your own selves so God says if you love me you know look nothing is more maddening nothing is more maddening than someone who listens or seems to listen to your direction I mean I've said this to my kids many times my kids have heard this maybe a million times if you want to anger me make me repeat myself again and again because nothing angers me more than that then then just having to having to just repeat yourself again and again and again and God says the same thing he says he says don't just don't just hear what I say don't just listen to I say you have to do it you have to do it you must listen here and do the Bible says and then and then you love God and then I will turn your defeats into victories Joshua chapter 8 and Romans chapter 8 and then God can use past defeats past weaknesses as means of victory in your life I mean look once they got right once they confessed once their actions were corrected look he confessed then they followed through on everything and God literally used their defeat to gain them victory I mean examples in your life could be you waste just wait just plain wasted time in your life how much time have you wasted of your life how much time look that is something that God can use that God can use I'm just gonna I'm just gonna throw out a couple ideas that I'm not the general okay you understand I'm not the general I'll just throw out a couple ideas that I can think of just a man okay I'm not the strategist that's gonna do this though wasted time God can use wasted time to spur you to motivate you you could waste half your life and God could use that to motivate you and drive you forward through the rest of your life mistakes made maybe you made huge mistakes in your life maybe you face dangers I mean look maybe maybe you know maybe you didn't have good parents maybe your parents didn't do anything right maybe your parents were wicked maybe your parents were were bad people you know what you can use that God can use that to drive you to be the best parents according to what the Bible says you can use that look maybe maybe there was alcohol problems or drug problems in your life you can use that to you know just emphasize that danger to other people your family yourselves everybody you can have that influence over people because of those those defeats that you've had in the past does that make sense look this is how there's a plan B for your life no matter where you're at in your life this is how there's a plan B but you need like it's it's super important to understand that you need to follow the right path to achieve it and then you know you can have I mean you can have Romans 8 28 realized but you say you know you say I mean a lot of people get just just bogged down in their past defeats I mean too many people I mean we're raising we're raising entire generations entire cultures of people that were just we're just convincing them to just do nothing but just be bogged down in past defeats do nothing but focus on your past and the things that have gone wrong in your life and you know do nothing about that but look all you have to do is just get right confess your sins get right with God love God do what he says and then look here's the thing I just gave you some silly little examples but here's here's how God can turn anything here's how God can turn any messed up situation think of the most messed up situation you can think of in somebody's life the reason that God can turn those things into those defeats into victories is because he intervenes you see God's not just you know magic invisible man God is telling us in Romans 8 28 that if you do these things he's like all things all things I don't care how big of a mess it is I don't care how big of a mess it is I don't care what you've done he's like you get right and you love me he's like I will intervene that's what the Bible saying and that's exactly what happened to Joshua chapter 8 God intervened he took that defeat and made it a victory he can put strategies together that we can't even think of right I mean his ways are way higher than our he can take anything that you've done anything that you've been defeated with you get right you confess everything you get right with God you start doing the right things and God will step in I mean God will step in I think people I used to kind of think this way actually you know before I was saved and maybe even a little bit after I was saved actually used to kind of think this way that you know God doesn't really it's kind of up to us to drive this bus of our life you know I remember I always had this friend growing up I grew up with this friend in Sunday school from like second grade and you know even when we were in our 20s he was always talking about well the Lord wants me to do this and the Lord wants me to some just like God talked to you got talking to you you know the Lord did this how do you know God did that you know I was kind of a skeptic but look if you're saved and you are right with God and you I mean you've gotten right and you are loving God with your life God will move stuff around for you and you'll see it happening you will see it work I promise you I promise you I don't care how messed up it is and look look here's another thing the more messed up it is the more you'll see it moving Joshua chapter 8 Romans 8 28 let's borrow heads and have a word