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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661
Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org
OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”
Nobleton Community Church
Date September 21, 2025
Text Joshua 8:1-29
Pastor Paul Lehmann
Our text speaks about the tiny city of AI. From all indications, this city should have been a pushover for Israel as they marched through Canaan. However, in Chapter 7, Israel experienced its only defeat when it attacked the little city of Ai. In that battle, 36 of their soldiers died, and Israel was forced to flee from Ai.
Israel experienced this defeat for a couple of reasons.
FIRST,
THEY FAILED TO SEEK THE LORD’S WILL
BEFORE THEY WENT INTO BATTLE.
They were arrogant and proud after their victory at Jericho. They assumed they were beyond defeat. They learned that wasn’t the case.
Another reason they suffered this defeat was:
BECAUSE THERE WAS SIN AMONG THEM IN THEIR CAMP
When Israel faced Jericho in Chapter 6, they were commanded to destroy the city, but they were to take the wealth of the city and dedicate it to the Lord. A man named Achan took some of that wealth for himself and brought the wrath of God upon the whole nation. Because of these two failures, Israel suffered a tragic defeat at Ai.
The Lord used the defeat at Ai to teach Israel the importance of holiness and of seeking the Lord’s will in every situation. He used this defeat to teach them the danger of pride. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. One of the most valuable lessons Israel learned was the truth that they needed the Lord. His presence and His power, if they were going to defeat their enemies and walk in VICTORY.
There is a sense in which we believers are a lot like Israel. If you are a child of God, then you know something about battles. You know that you have very powerful enemies that must be overcome every day you live. The world, the flesh, and the devil are all out to destroy the child of God, but each of these enemies can be defeated if they are handled according to the will of God. God will not bring blessing if there is unconfessed sin “in the camp” (so to speak). It doesn’t have to be blatant sins of the flesh; it is more likely to be sins of a heart attitude that is not of the Lord.
As we move into these verses, I want you to see that Ai is a picture of one of our enemies. Ai is a picture of the flesh. The word “AI” means “a heap of ruins.” That is a good way to describe our flesh, of our fallen, human nature.” Paul reminds us about the wickedness of the flesh in Romans 7:18. “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) there is no good thing. “Our flesh is dead, (Eph. 2:1), and “it is absolutely wicked and unredeemable” Romans 3:10-23) OUTSIDE OF Jesus Christ.
Ai is first mentioned in the book of Genesis in connection with the life of Abraham, Gen. 12:8, 13:3. The Bible tells us that Abraham pitched his tent “between Bethel and Ai.” Now, the name “Bethel” means “the house of God.” Like Abraham, many of God’s people have pitched their tents somewhere between “the house of God” and “a heap of ruins.”
Do you see the connection? You can either live in a place of victory and blessing, or you can live in a place of defeat and misery. You can either have a Bethel kind of life or an Ai experience. The kind of life you live will be determined by where you pitch your tent.
Just like Israel, we often lose battles with our flesh, but by God’s help, we can learn how to defeat our Ai and walk away with the victory in our lives.
I don’t know the battles that you are fighting with your flesh, but I do know that you are fighting something, because we all are at some point. It may be physical, or it may be spiritual, or BOTH.
I DO KNOW THAT: YOU CAN EXPERIENCE VICTORY OVER YOUR AI.
These verses have something to teach us about how that can become a reality in our lives. Notice with me the truths that present themselves in this passage. I want to preach on the thought.:
VICTORY IS YOURS IF YOU WANT IT
In verses 1 and 2, VICTORY OVER AI IS PROMISED
Verse 1: —IS A WORD ABOUT WINNING. When the Lord speaks to Joshua, God tells him to go to Ai. God promises Joshua that things will be different this time. He assures Joshua and Israel of the victory.
It is interesting that the Lord called them to return to the place of their greatest defeat. God knew that they needed to overcome Ai before they could move on in the conquest of Canaan.
The same is true for us, How many times have we lost the battle to the flesh? How many times have we been defeated by this old, sinful nature’s lust for the forbidden? How many times have we fallen and wondered if we would ever get back to where we were before?
If that has been your experience, the Lord has a word for you today! He says to Joshua. “FEAR NOT”. I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land. And you shall do to Ai and her king as you did to Jericho and her king.”
To those who have fallen and have lost a battle to the flesh, God says:
Fear not! I am able to give you the victory.
God has made some tremendous promises to his children
We do not have to live in defeat!
We are no longer slaves to sin, the flesh, and the devil
. “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6 :14
We have been made “new creatures” in Jesus Christ. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new 2 Corinthians 5:17 In the NIV it says: The old has gone and the new has come.
We have been given everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us…
”He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, and escape the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)
We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who teaches us about the Spirit of truth, Come, he will guide you into all truth…” John 15:13
God has promised victory to his children. But thanks be to God, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 15:57
The Lord did not save you to leave you defeated, beaten, and enslaved by the flesh. He saved you to set you free, to enable you to walk in the victory that he gives to all those who walk according to his word and his will.
Now in verse 2, we have: A WORD ABOUT WAITING (Jeannene and I learned to wait on the Lord in 1975 when we were returning to Zaire. We were anxious to go to the Capital city of Kinshasa, but God had other plans that were the best for us and for the Church.)
Notice that the Lord tells them that they will do to Ai what they did to Jericho, except this time, they are allowed to take all the spoils for themselves! If Achan had waited just a few more days, he could have had all the riches that he could have imagined. Instead, he ran ahead of God and grabbed for himself what God had forbidden, and as a result, Achan and Israel paid a terribly high price.
What a lesson for you and me today! If we could just learn to WAIT on God and let him lead and bring into our lives the things that need to be there, we would be far better off, because we would see his blessing. The flrsh is impatient. Our flesh wants what it wants and it wants it now. It doesn’t want to wait for its gratification.
We are better off waiting on the Lord to bring those things into our lives that he knows are best for us than we are to run ahead of God. But that’s what we do, isn’t it? Too often. We make our plans, do our thing, and never check with God about it. Are we doing things in God’s time, or ours? Let alone even doing things that God condemns in His Word. Then, when we make a mess, we ask and expect him to “bail us out.”
When we can learn to be patient and wait on the Lord, we are well on our way to victory in the Christian life.
*Wait for the LORD, and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.” Psalm 37:34
“Wait for the LORD: be strong and take heart; and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14
Not only do we see that Victory over AI is promised, but also in verses 3-26, we see
VICTORY OVER AI IS PURSUED
So for us, as we pursue spiritual victory, we can experience God at work, just like the army of Israel did.
In verses 3-17, THEY EXPERIENCED GOD’S PLAN
God told them in exact detail how they were to mount their attack against Ai. They were to lay an ambush for Ai, and they would take the city and all its inhabitants. Israel learned at Jericho what happens when you do things the Lord’s way. They had also learned what happens when they refused to do it God’s way. They learned that failure awaits the person who goes against the will of the Lord.
We need to learn this lesson today! When you fight the battle God’s way, you cannot fail. When we do it our way, we are headed for trouble.
We are talking about fighting this flesh and its lusts. If you are going to pursue victory over your flesh, and if you ever expect to gain the victory, then you must go about it God’s way. No other plan will work! We need constant contact with the spiritual support God has given us. We are strengthened spiritually when we are exposed to the spiritual blessings the Lord has given to us to help us walk in his will. God’s spiritual support system must be made a huge part of our lives.
What are the things we need in our lives?
- We need the Word of God, I Peter 2:2; 2 Tim 2:15
- We need prayer. Luke 18:1:1; I Thess. 5:17; James 4:2 (you don’t have because you don’t ask, you don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives.)
- We need faithful church attendance. (You may think you can worship God anywhere. You don’t have to always “go to church.” That’s true. But it is also true that the body of believers needs you. You can’t have fellowship with the church body when you are out on a boat _We read in Hebrews 10:25, “Don’t neglect the assembling of yourselves together.”
- We need the constant fellowship of the saints—–I Cor. 12:27 None of these things will give victory in and of themselves, but we need each of them to strengthen us and to help us grow in the Lord. When we begin to neglect even one of these essential areas, then we are headed toward spiritual trouble. When we feed the flesh and ignore our spiritual needs, it is a sign of impending problems in our spiritual lives and in our church.