Men and Women in God's Plan
Achan
October 5, 2025
Using Joshua 7 and Achan's theft of the devoted things, the sermon teaches that God's holiness makes hidden sin a corporate problem with grave consequences, highlights greed and secret sin as destructive, points to Christ as the ultimate refuge, and exhorts believers to confess, seek accountability, and remove sin from the congregation.
Summary
The speaker examines Joshua 7 where Achan secretly takes devoted things, causing Israel's defeat at Ai and bringing God's judgment on the whole nation. This episode is used to emphasize God's holiness, the communal impact of individual sin, and the necessity of removing devoted things to restore God’s presence. Achan is noted as a troubling typology — his substitutionary suffering foreshadows Christ while also illustrating how covetousness and secrecy lead to communal ruin. The sermon presses practical application: confess to God (and to a brother if needed), submit to accountability, resist greed, and find true shelter only in Christ.
Key Points
- Text: Joshua 7 — Achan stole devoted things and Israel was defeated at Ai
- Central theme: God's holiness and the necessity of purging devoted/accursed items
- Consequence: One person's secret sin brought national guilt and military failure
- Achan's sin: coveting a cloak, silver, and gold; greed and discontent as the root
- Corporate responsibility: the community bears responsibility and must remove sin
- Typology: Achan as a problematic type of substitution — points to Christ but also to judgment
- Practical application: confess sins to God and, when needed, to another believer for help
- Warning: secret sin spreads harm in the church; accountability and communal wisdom matter
- Hope: there is no safe space from God's holiness except the shelter of Christ
- Outcome/penalty: Achan and his possessions destroyed; place named the Valley of Achor
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