6th March Sermon Discussion - "From Victory to Victory: The Painful Lessons from Ai"

Bible Scriptures: Joshua 7 & 8

How to have Victory to Victory Despite Failures

1. Corporate Commitment to Holiness

Activity 1: Games Time

I. Split yourself into 2 groups
II. In your group, take out a pen and a piece of paper
III. In order to win, the group that finishes the given task in the fastest time wins the game.
IV. This is the task: Every member in the group has to use both their thumb and their second finger to hold the pen and use that pen to write the word ‘UNITY’ on the piece of paper. If any member’s thumb or finger leaves the pen, the group has to redo.
V. As you played the game, do you realized that in order to win, everyone has to play their part? If one stops, there will be great difficulty in moving the pen. If one decided to disobey the rules, the group can’t complete the game. Everyone’s action affects one another.
VI. Similarly, if one sins, the body of Christ will be affected. Let’s look at the book of Joshua.

In Joshua 6:18, God told the Israelites to keep away from the devoted things. The devoted things refer to the gold and silver of Jericho. However one man decided to disobey what God has commanded.

In Joshua 7: 1 it states, ‘ But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.’ The Lord didn’t just punish Achan. The Lord punished Israel. They lost the battle in Ai and 36 men lost their lives.

VII. Do you know when we sin and choose to be ignorant of it, it affects the body of Christ? Maybe your fellow sister in Christ need God to heal her from a disease, but because of your sin, God’s hand can’t move. Today, if you have a sin in your life, are you willing to repent?

2. Communal Circumcision for Cleansing

In Joshua 7:13, it states ‘ Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says; That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.’ The reason why the Israelites lost Ai was because of sin. Thus, in order to win, they need to remove the sins in their lives. They need to set apart themselves for God.

i. Do you want to experience victory in your life? If you want, consecrate yourself daily. True freedom comes when we choose to obey Christ and live like Christ.

3. Courage to Fight on Again

Joshua 8:1. When Joshua was about to fight against Ai again, he was afraid as he had lost to Ai before. He was afraid that history will repeat itself. But God told him to not be discourage or afraid as God will help him.

Activity 2:

I. What does courage means to you?
II. Courage is simply letting go of the past and letting God take you into His plan.
III. Break into groups of 2 .Is there any areas in your life that you have given up and need courage to fight again? Share and pray for one another.