Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, North Gower, Ontario
www.wearecornerstone.ca
Scripture: Joshua chapter 7
The one thing: Deal with sin: admit it, identify it, put it to death.
Know
- What’s the biggest or strangest pest that you’ve ever had in your house? How did you deal with it?
Grow
- Chapter 7 verse 1 says “But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things. Achan…took some of them”. What does this verse tell us about the impact of one person’s sin? Can you think of examples today where one person’s decision to sin impacts many?
- We are given the backstory of why Israel failed at Ai, but Joshua didn’t have the whole story yet. What do you make of Joshua’s response in 7:7-9? Was Joshua’s despair and confusion justified?
- Dan said that Joshua ‘admitted it’ (that there was a problem) before ‘identifying it’ (what the sin was). God
- In 7:11 God reveals the specific sin to Joshua. How do we know if it is God highlighting areas we need to change or grow in – how do we know it’s not ourselves?
- God’s response to Achan may seem harsh, given Achan’s specific sin. But this was much more than a small theft. Go back through the chapter and list the various descriptions of Achan’s sin.
- 7:16-18. God knows everything. Why then did He choose to gradually reveal the culprit (tribe by tribe, clan by clan and family by family)? Why not just reveal Achan straight away? What might this show us about how God deals with sin in our lives?
- Read 7:20. Achan clearly confessed his sin, but the broader context of Achan’s confession, including its timing and what he didn’t say is not encouraging. What features of this account highlight the problem in Achan’s heart?
- Did anyone get to read ‘My Heart, Christ’s home’? How did God speak to you through it?
Show
- Finalize details for your show project and pray specifically for the people who will be impacted by it.