Please join us during our worship service on Sunday mornings at 9:30, May 27th – June 17th,  for a new sermon series.  Pastor Randy will be sharing a different message each Sunday about Samson whose life was filled with both strength and weakness.  What can we learn from Samson today?  Please join us to find out!

Celebrate Ascension Day with us!  You’re invited to the party!

Please join us at First Church at 6 pm for a special evening filled with songs of praise and a very special celebration of the Lord’s Supper.  No RSVP needed for this dinner.  Walk-in’s are always welcome!

You are invited to join First Church celebrate Memorial Day on Sunday, May 27th  with a special church service at New Life Christian Reformed Church located at 3010 Ridge Road in Highland, IN.  Pastor Bill Sytsma will share a message dedicated to remembering those who served in the armed forces.  There will be refreshments and a social time following the service.  The service begins at 5 pm.  If you have any questions, please contact the church office at (219) 838-6231.

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Intro: What makes a mother a good mother?

Is it that she has kids?

Or is it that she takes care of her kids?

Or is it that she protects her kids?

Or that she just nurtures anyone, whoever they might be?

Certainly there are many qualities of good mothering. And characteristics we could celebrate or encourage. Today I’d like to focus on something we learn from the life of Timothy and his mother.

1. Good mothering is part of God’s eternal plan for the well-being of people.

A. There is a scheme of things that you catch as you read Paul’s letter to Timothy. He seems to be tracing the links of a long, unbroken chain down through world history, urging Timothy to take his spot. To be his link, so to speak. Take a look:

v3 I serve God as did my forefathers

v5 Tim’s christian faith first came into his family through his Grandmother, then his mom. (Tim’s father was a Greek. Acts16:1)

v9 the grace we have from God started before time!

v11 I (Paul) was appointed an apostle

v13 what I taught you, you keep and guard well.

2:2 you pass it on to other men who can pass it on to others

2:18 speaks of some who have wandered away from the faith.

2:25 encourages Tim to gently instruct.

3:14-15 Continue in what you have been learning since you were a baby.

OK, somewhat of a lengthy overview, but I want you to feel the tenor of the letter. There is a process of Gods people coming into their election in history that we followers of God take our part in.

B. What does all this say about how I should view my children? One of the implications of all that we’ve been thinking about so far is this: Children are not a hobby or a mere duty. They are the next carriers of God.

Some people see their children as something they always wanted, right along side a Golden Retriever, a house in the woods, a pickup and a fishing boat. And some parents raise their kids as though they are just additional interesting things to have fun with. They have time and attention for them when they feel in the mood, or interested. The rest of the time they are to be kept in place like the nicknacks on the mantle or the plants in the living room. We gotta feed the dog. We gotta feed the kids too.

Others  see their offspring as a duty they must endure, for after all, they did bring them into this world, and so they are responsible to basically keep them alive. But their parenting is not at all to them a divine calling, a cooperation with God himself in world history, or a venture worthy of time, reading, and learning as best they can. They’d sooner research how to fight weeds in the garden than how to deal with a freshman in the awkwardness of adolescence who suddenly turned from a happy little child excited about life and who ran to hug her grandparents…into a different sort of moody creature that is terrorized by the thought of being seen in public “with their parents!” They’d sooner play video games than wonder about what’s going on inside their sons head.

Hold the phone! Parenting, in our case today mothering, is in fact a divine calling, a cooperation with God in the formation of human history and the outworking of God’s kingdom plan! It is. It is more important than the car you drive. It outweighs the money you spend on your wardrobe and fashion consciousness. And though I realize it’s not politically correct today to say it, Scripture proclaims proper mothering as of greater social significance than any other calling.

Think about it folks. The church is always one generation from extinction, isn’t it? If the next generation does not carry the faith on in it’s own time and place, the generation following will not know the goodness of God. Now God assures us his kingdom will never fail…

 ”His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.” Daniel 4:34, NIV.

 “For he is the living God and he endures for ever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.” Daniel 6:26, NIV.

 “and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:33, NIV.

…but it does accent the significance of taking your role in the history of God’s acts among mankind.

D. And a serious honoring of motherhood makes a serious honoring of real marriage a part of the divine plan as well! Whenever the Bible speaks of a new home beginning, a new family, it’s with words like “a man shall leave this father and mother” (notice God’s intended design for a healthy home) “and be united to his wife and the two shall be one.” Marriage by definition is the permanent, monogamous, exclusive union of a man and a woman that can generate one flesh on all levels, spiritually, emotionally, and bodily.

It is that union where people are produced that society holds as special among all relationships. It is this relationship that forms the bedrock of our responsibility to one another and for one another for here we are part of one another.

Now some marriages may not produce children. Some marriages adopt children. But it is still that relationship where people can commit emotionally and unite bodily to rear children, that union alone that society has historically recognized as special and essential for the good of the state.

As the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy recently pointed out, “Given the marital relationship’s natural orientation to children, it is not surprising that, according to the best available sociological evidence, children fare best on virtually every indicator of wellbeing when reared by their wedded biological parents.”

Indices include: educational achievement, emotional health, familial and sexual development, child and adult behavior.

This past week North Carolina became the 31st State to legally define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. In the aftermath of this news, and for the first time in our history as a nation, our Chief leader has openly advocated homosexual marriage.

This is no small issue and since no Christian can shirk the calling to be God’s witnesses on the earth we cannot ignore it. This is no mere question of freedom or equal opportunity. We are free to love and care for whoever we wish. You can commit yourself above all else to your pet horse or your 3 best friends. But the society does not recognize any of these emotional commitments as foundational building blocks of human culture. Even motherhood alone does not meet the requirements to be honored as an institution by the State. We don’t give baby-making licenses. We don’t issue mating licenses. Societies issue marriage licenses because marriages build good societies. So we cannot honor motherhood and not at the same time revere real marriage.

2. To be a good mothering I need to be godly.

A. Even linguistically the term “good” derives from the term “god”. As image bearers of God, we are the carriers of God in the world he created. So if we are to be good parents, fathers or mothers, we will need to be godly parents, godly fathers, and godly mothers.

Godly mothers pass on God to their children.

Just what exactly did Lois pass on the Eunice and Eunice pass on to Timothy? According to 1:5 is was sincere and living faith.

And how did they pass it on? Let’s go to 3:15-16.

B. God’s word is the prime source of godly human nurture. Mothers, are you taking seriously the call to put God into your children? Are you putting the word into your children? Because if we are not, we are only birthing people who will eventually die. It is the faith that comes through the word of God that gives salvation and eternal life! Do not bear a child and fail to feed him with the bread that gives life.

The classic text on this challenge is repeated every day by the Jew. It’s called the Shema, from the Hebrew word “to hear”:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NIV.

The high calling of a true mother, true parent, is to carry God through the world and to the next generation. Learn to talk about the Lord. Do not be afraid to draw spiritual lessons for your children. Teach them to see the world, study biology, excel at a sport, or build a business through the lenses of scripture. That’s what the Christian schools are about, but it starts in the home.

Here’s the best advice I can give you. Read the Word yourself and pass on whatever you are learning. If you are not conversing with God, you are not learning. If you are not learning, you have nothing to teach. If you are not teaching the

 Conclusion.

Think about Timothy for a minute. In 1:4 Paul is recalling his tears. What do tears usually mean? Sadness. Love. Or both. Paul calls him his “son” in both letters he wrote him. These two were close!

Paul met Timothy in Lystra. Tim accompanied him on his missionary journeys. Paul names him as the co-sender of 6 of his letters: 2Corinthians, Philippians, Colssians, 1,2 Thessalonians, and Philemon –all of which I might remind you, ended up in our Bible, books or letters as they were, that Christians have long recognized as carrying the Holy Spirit.

Here is a third generation Christian. Paul is a first generation Christian, though thoroughly schooled in the OT. His parents were not Christians although they were jews.I think it a safe guess that we have many here today that are at least a 3rd generation Christians. Do you realize how much potential exists among us to be the light in our generations? We have a history of being families with the Word, but that is for a reason! It is not to be kept to ourselves. We carry the things of God just as a mother and father are called to build God into their offspring.

One elder statesman of a Christian church has devoted himself to a fifty-year study of Christian and non-Christian families. He says that in American culture today, most young adults following Jesus Christ either come from non-Christian homes where they were converted to Christ in their teenage years through a dynamic youth ministry, or they come from homes where they grew up in love with Jesus because mom and dad were so in love with Jesus that love permeated their lives. It passed through their pores. Very few believers come from homes where there was a kind of indifferent, apathetic commitment to Christ.

It is sobering and thought provoking to suggest that, in American culture, the chances are better for a child growing up in a non-Christian home to become a Christian than for a child growing up in a home that has an indifferent, apathetic commitment to Jesus Christ. Deuteronomy 6 suggests that a love for God must permeate the parent. And then it must be passed.

In the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, the American women’s 4 x 100 relay race was favored to win the gold medal. The team featured Marion Jones, a sprinter who had won four gold medals at the previous games in Sydney. The American team was already off to a strong start when Jones took the baton for the second leg of the race. She gained ground as she ran her 100 meters and approached Lauryn Williams, a young speedster who would run the third leg.

Williams began running as Jones drew near, but when she reached back to receive the baton, they couldn’t complete the handoff. Once, twice, three times Jones thrust the baton forward, but each time it missed William’s hand—she couldn’t seem to wrap her fingers around it. Finally, on the fourth try, they made the connection. But by that time, they had crossed out of the 20-yard exchange zone and were disqualified. Everyone knew they were the fastest team on the track. The night before, they’d had the fastest qualifying time. But when they couldn’t complete the handoff, their race was over.

As important as it is for the previous generation to set the pace by living authentically, at a certain point, a handoff must be made in which the next generation receives the baton of faith and begins to run with it. That handoff isn’t as easy as it looks. It isn’t automatic.

We will be hosting a Blood Drive on Sunday, June 3rd  from 10-2 pm.  Look for the Heartland Mobile Coach in our east parking lot. All blood types are needed.  Please bring a photo ID with you.  Give blood and stay for lunch, compliments of First Church!

If you would like to sign-up to participate or if you would like more information, please contact the church office at (219) 838-6231.

Recently a member of our church was blessed with a set of TRIPLET boys!  What a new and wonderful adventure children are but three at the same time can be challenging.  Melissa was asked to share about her experience from pregnancy to birth with her three boys:  Noah, Reese and Aiden.

Follow the link to see what she says!

Melissa’s article on the website Network

More Pictures!

Proverbs 16:16-17

Intro: Wisdom. It can be a pretty hard thing to come by considering how much we don’t know. For example:

“Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.” –Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Tolouse, 1872

“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” –Western Union internal memo, 1876.

“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?” –David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.

“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.” –Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

Clearly if we know anything, it’s clear that there’s much we don’t know at any given time. But is knowing stuff the same as wisdom?

Scripture urges us to get wisdom:

 “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:5-7, NIV.

 1. What is wisdom?

A. Wisdom is more than information. The OT term is also translated “skill” or “shrewdness”. That’s more than info. The skillful tennis player has more than the information that a ground stroke ought to contact the ball by the front knee. The skillful tennis player does it. So wisdom is applied truth, lived truth. Live the truth. Live the right way.

In the Book of Proverbs widsom is repeatedly linked with “understanding” (4:7, 16:16). This term is also translated “discernment”. Again the idea is the making of a good choice, or acting out truth.

B. Ultimately Wisdom is a person.

The wisdom of Proverbs was considered a personification of God’s Spirit. Chapters 3, 8, 9 actually speak of it in the third person: Wisdom calls to us. Wisdom instructs. Wisdom was there with God before creation.

 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.” Proverbs 8:12, NIV.

 “The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.” Proverbs 8:22, 23, NIV.

This is part of the background to the NT writers description of Jesus, the Word at creation through whom all was made (Jn.1:1-3), and as the wisdom of God.

 “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30, NIV.

So when the Bible says to get wisdom, it’s telling us to get the mind of Christ, the to live and walk with God.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10, NIV.

C. That’s a tall order. Are we even sure we want it? I dare say if we all wrote down the things we wanted most and then read them off upo front here we’d be reading things like: a million dollars, a cottage on an island, the perfect woman. What would yours say? To be President? To have abs of steel, or a bigger chest size?

In telling us to get wisdom Proverbs tells us to want to know God, to want to fear God. To want it more than we want big diamonds on our earrings, or Rolex watches made with real gold. God is saying to you, “Want me. Want me more than you want that boat. More than you want to visit Tahiti. Want to know me more than you want that cute boyfriend, more than you want a new iphone and a data package so you can play internet games when you’re in the middle of the woods.

You’re being urged to make an internal choice about your life. Have you decided yet what you want most out of life? Decide to want God.

2. What does it mean to fear God?

As we saw earlier, Proverbs repeatedly reminds us that “the fear of the Lord” is where wisdom begins. So what is the fear of the Lord?

A. Clearly we do not mean to be terrified by the Lord, though the immensity of his power certainly could terrify even the bravest. Demons fear the Lord in the terror sense. Followers also know his love and compassion.

 “And the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to fear him for our own prosperity and well-being, as is now the case.” Deuteronomy 6:24, NLT.

It is clear that the fear of the Lord is a good thing. It is to our advantage and betterment. So it’s different than terror.

It will then help us to understand the “fear” of the Lord if we are to get wisdom, that is, the mind of Christ, or a mind that lives and walks with God.

This last text right away shows us that “fear” of God is parallel to “obeying” God. We could define fearing God as reverent respect.

Growing up in the military I was “fear” as reverent respect everyday. When an officer walks in a room the men stand at attention. They shout things like “Sir, yes sir!” unless given permission to be less formal. They salute the rank whether they know the man or not. I particularly like this as a teen driving my father’s car on the base. An officers rank decal is on his car as well. My dad was a “silver bird” (eagle) which meant Captain in the Navy, or Colonel in the Marine Corp. That’s one step under General, who would be the highest rank on the base. So how do you think if feels for a teen driving a car to have soldiers saluting him as he passes? “Yeah, that’s right. Show some respect!”

Let me give another illustration of this fear-reverence:

Maybe you saw the latest Planet of the Apes film. In the course of the film we discover that in ape language repect for authority is demonstrated by holding out the palm to the leader. It’s how an ape asks permission. It’s how an ape bows to priority. Interesting that a gesture of receiving from shows reverence. And not mere reverence which could be done from a safe distance, but a surrender of the self in contact with the other!

So we could say that “fear of the Lord” is the same thing as “surrendering myself to the Lord”. (show a white flag) Why is a white flag the universal symbol of surrender? Well, a flag is ones authority. “I claim this land in the name of the King of England.” “This ship sails for the United States!” A white flag is a bare flag. No colors. No symbols. No one. “We are open to be under you. We surrender.”

 3. What does wisdom, or surrender to the Lord look like?

In a word surrender to the Lord, or the fear of the Lord, or wisdom is seen in obedience. We listen to what he says and then live by it.

A. In wealth: The world says “get while the getting is good.” “Buy now pay later.” “Buy as many clothes as you can while you can. You’re only here once!”

God says things like:

 “…give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.” Proverbs 30:8, 9, NLT.

B. In work habits: The world says “Good enough for government work.” You know what that means, right? If you’re working for the government your not accountable to anyone in particular so it doesn’t matter if you do a good job, earn your pay, turn out quality, charge too much.

God says things like:

 “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23, NIV.

 “A sluggard does not plough in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.” Proverbs 20:4, NIV.

 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,” Colossians 3:23, NIV.

C. In our talk: The world says we should have the freedom of speech! And has bent that into saying all manner of crude and crass things in movies and music as though that’s somehow real life.

God says things like:

 “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18, NIV.

 “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” Proverbs 10:19, NIV.

In your conversations, what percentage of the time is your mouth moving?

 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1, NIV.

D. Being yourself: The world tells says to express yourself. Whatever you feel is the way you are and nobody can say otherwise.

God’s word says

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.” Proverbs 3:5-17, NIV.

Did you notice all the benefits that come with surrender to God’s ways?

Conclusion:

I read recently some wisdom from Larry the Cable Guy. Here’s a sample of the top ones:

• A day without sunshine is like night.

• He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

• When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

• On the other hand, you have different fingers.

• It’s just like those commercials:

• See these pearly whites? Household bleach!

• Naw don’t lift with your legs, lift with your back!

Bad ideas. It’s important where you’re getting your wisdom. I hope you will determine inside to listen to the wisdom of God, to surrender and live in his peace. I hope you will do as the GEMS theme says and look for more than the gold; knowing God.

Philippians 3:12-21

Intro:   Suppose I was to ask you what God has been doing in your life lately. Would you have an answer? Suppose I was to ask you how the health of our soul was? What would you say?

Is the soul like the body: it gets larger and taller in the beginning years, and then levels off to 5’6” or 6’2” staying there until you start getting grey in your hair, and then beginning a slow condensing?

Suppose I was to ask you what kind of person you intend to be later in life? What’s the first thing that comes to mind?

I think many people see their spiritual growth as something that can wait for heaven; as if we all grow to a certain height here on earth, but in heaven everyone suddenly shoots up, or shrinks down to an even 6 feet of soul height. I don’t think that’s what happens.

Scripture hints that this life has something to do with that one.

“Your nature is a hard thing to change; it takes time…. I have heard of people who have life-changing, miraculous turnarounds, people set free from addiction after a single prayer, relationships saved where both parties “let go, and let God.” But it was not like that for me. For all that “I was lost, I am found,” it is probably more accurate to say, “I was really lost. I’m a little less so at the moment.” And then a little less and a little less again. That to me is the spiritual life. The slow reworking and rebooting the computer at regular intervals, reading the small print of the service manual. It has slowly rebuilt me in a better image. It has taken years, though, and it is not over yet.” —Bono, lead singer of U2.

Bono sounds a lot like the Heidelberg Catechism which calls conversion a “dying away of the old self, and a coming to life of the new.”

That of course is the process of spiritual maturity, spiritual growth. You can tell from our text that God is constantly urging us onward.

1. God has greater things yet to come for me.

Hear this friend, your life is of extraterrestrial significance. Yes. God has called you to a heavenly prize!

A. One of Paul’s comments (v19) is that many people think only about their life here. But that’s not us. We are actually from another world, so to speak. (v20) And when we are merely following our stomach, it’s likely our soul is not getting nourished.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:1-5, NIV.

Always we find in the holy scriptures that God’s law is urged upon us as a cooperation with the “real life” God made us for. In our text Paul is urging us to live like the royalty God made us (16). It’s as though God is saying, “Come my child, you are family. Get out of that gutter and live and work with me. It’s clean here. It’s fun here. It’s healthy here.”

B. Gordon MacDonald writes, “When I first ran track in prep school, my coach invited me to his home for dinner one night. After the meal, he pulled out a notebook displaying my name on the front cover. He immediately turned to the back page, which bore the heading “June 1957″—three and a half years away.

“Gordon,” he said. “These are the races I’m going to schedule you to run almost four years from now. Here are the times you will achieve.” I looked at those times. Impossible! They were light years away from where I was at that moment as a runner.

Then Coach began turning back the pages of that book, page by page, showing the 42 months he had scheduled for workouts. These were the graduated, accelerated plans for my increasing skill on the track as the months and years would go by. He had a sense of direction and development when it came to my athletic growth.

Coaches and leaders of all kinds understand the absolute necessity of strategic, long-range planning. Similarly, a wise and all-knowing God has a plan for our total lives—gradually, inevitably, down through the years, we become more like Jesus. -Gordon MacDonald

C. What I want you to see is how understanding this planning, orchestrating God frees us to better life.

V12 says that Paul presses on to take hold of “that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

v14 where Paul speaks again of pressing on, says that it is get the prize that God has called him to come and receive!

Do you see? The power to go on, the power to press on, the power to endure and not give up – it is all so much more possible when we understand that God is not waiting for us to make something of ourselves. God has big dreams for us and comes to us with them.

Here’s why that’s so powerful. Most of us live in plenty of anxiety. One famous author said we live lives of quiet desperation, and I think it’s often true. But we don’t have to. We have a weapon to fight that demonic lie. It is the picture of the God who comes.

Simon Tugwell writes beautifully, “Another picture our Lord loves to use is that of the shepherd who goes out to look for the sheep that is lost. So long as we imagine that is is we who have to look for God, then we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about: he is looking for us. And so we can afford to recognise tht very often we are not looking for God; far from it, we are full flight from him, in high rebellion against him. And he knows tht and has taken it into account. He has followed us into our own darkness; there where we thought finally to escape him, we run straight into his arms.

So we do not have to erect a false piety for ourselves, to give us hope of salvation. Our hope is in his determination to save us. And he will not give in!

This should free us from that crippling anxiety which prevents any real growth, giving us room to do whatever we can do, to accept the small but genuine responsibilities that we do have. Our part is not to shoulder the whole burden of our salvation (be good, change the world, get things done -mine), the initiantive and the programme are not in our hands: our part is to consent, to learn how to love him in return whose love came to us so freely while we were quite uninterested in him.”

2. I have greater things to become here.

A. One of the first tendencies of a fallen person like you or me is to think, “If I’m headed for heaven, then what does it matter what I do on earth?” To ask it another way, “If I’m not of this world, why does this one matter?

Of course there are numerous answers to this.

God received glory through our lives here.

Our lives affect others on the way to eternity.

I live in greater joy and contentment when following God’s design for my life. (That’s a biggie; a hammer always works best when used as a hammer. A screw driver is always most effective when used as a screw driver rather than a hammer.) So the engine of your soul runs most smoothly when finely tuned to run as we were intended by God.

So there are multiple reasons why what goes on here is of great validity. But to focus it down…

B. The late Charles Colson tells the following story about his home town of Naples, Florida, which he calls “one of the garden spots of the world.”

“It’s an absolute nirvana for all golfers, and they all come there. They’re all CEOs of major corporations, and they retire to Naples, and this is “it”—twenty-seven golf courses and miles of sparkling beach and the best country clubs. I watch these guys; they’re powerful people. They have this New York look on their face; they’re determined. But now, all of a sudden, they start measuring their lives by how many golf games they can get in.

I often say to them, “Do you really want to live your life counting up the number of times you chase that little white ball around those greens?” And they kind of chuckle, but it’s a nervous chuckle, because in six months they’ve realized how banal their lives are, and they’ve got beautiful homes—castles—and when they get bored with that, they build a bigger castle, and they’re miserable. The object of life is not what we think it is, which is to achieve money, power, pleasure. That’s not the holy grail. The object of life is the maturing of the soul, and you reflect that maturing of the soul when you care more for other people than yourself.

C. It has been called the greatest rescue mission of World War II. Late in that war, American bombers were sent on dangerous missions over southern Europe to cripple the Nazis’ oil supplies. Hundreds of crews in flying tin cans soared through storms of anti-aircraft shells. Many American pilots were forced to bail from their shot-up planes. The injured airmen drifted by parachute into occupied Yugoslavia, expecting to be captured or killed.

Instead, on the ground remarkable rescue teams were already in place. Serbian peasants tracked the path of the floating flight crews. Their sole mission was to grab the flyboys and bring them to safety—before the Nazis arrived.

The story of what became known as Operation Haylard builds toward a daring mission, a secret landing strip, and a clandestine evacuation plan. Amazingly, those Serbian peasants rescued every single American airman—over 500 in all.

Here’s the fascinating subplot to the rescue. To travel to the evacuation site, the airmen had to spend weeks following the Serbian freedom fighters, who alone knew the path to the evacuation site. Despite the profound language barriers, the direction, the pace, and the destination were in the hands of their rescuers. The men had been saved from their enemy, but the journey had just begun. They still had to walk to freedom.

The story of Operation Halyard sheds light on an important spiritual reality: to be rescued from something sets us on the path toward something. For the airmen it was a journey of survival. For us it’s a journey of faith. The One who saved us is now calling us to walk. It’s nonnegotiable. Though snatched from spiritual death, we soon discover that the Christian life isn’t an arrival; it’s an adventure. Christ rescues us then he points us to the path of following him.

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1, NIV.

“Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Philippians 3:16, NIV.

Conclusion: Be who you are!

If you are a follower of Christ, there are greater things, always greater things yet to come. There is more of God and more of life to learn how to experience!

If you are not a follower of Christ, but you feel a tightening in your chest at these words, it is the call of God on you! He is coming for you too! Throw open the door and begin to be who you were meant to be.

Greater things are yet to come. And God has come to bring you to them! Lets go.

Joshua 1:9

Intro: Maybe you’ve heard of them. I’m calling them the “Not” Believers. They’re safe. They make it through a day “not doing” lots of things. They don’t smoke, drink or chew, and never go out with girls that do. They know all the things people shouldn’t be doing and sometimes tell them so, but mostly they are quiet, safe. Most of those around them have no idea they are religious. They are the NOT– Believers, as I am labeling them today.

They are kinda like what I call Not-Farmers. Did you know that the government pays farmers not to grow certain crops. When we lived in Iowa I found this out. Some farmers would be paid to not-grow corn! Hey, I don’t grow corn! Where’s my check? At least that’s what comedian Brian Regan asks.

Can you imagine meeting one of these guys?

“Yep… I’m the owner of Notverry Farms. Ahm in the business of not growing corn. That’s right, I don’t grow corn. Everyday we git up at the, oh… the crack o’ noon, Yessir. Run on out to the fields to make sure the corns not growin’.

I used to not grow tomatoes, but I gave that up. There’s more money in not growing corn. So now I’m exclusively not growing corn.

Well, a lot of church people can be like that can’t we? We’re in the business of not being religious, or not getting involved, or not saying anything political.

Sometimes it’s because we’re afraid, like Israel was afraid on the border of Canaan. In our text they are there a second time, 40 years after the first time when they did “not” conquer the land ’cause “we can’t do that! Have you seen the giants there? That’s the Promised Land you say? Weeell, we’ll just stay here in the “not” promised land, and be “not God’s people”.” And if you know the story, that’s what happened. But now, after everyone over 21 died off not being God’s, they’re back! And there are still giants in the land.

 1. As God’s person, I cannot NOT conquer the land.

A. Maybe they’d just as soon say, “Um, Lord, how ’bout we just enter the land. You know, we’ll hide here and there. Not make waves, be very tolerant of other people’s beliefs. That sort of thing. Nobody has to know we’re God’s people. “Live and let live”, that sounds kinda biblical doesn’t it? Yeah, that has a nice ring.”

See what’s happening, in not being something, they are –are you ready for this?– not being something!

God did not make you to not-influence your culture. God did not make you to not-grow the kingdom!

B. In our text things are just a little bleak. Seemingly many reasons to not-conquer. First of all, Moses is dead! Moses. The Moses! It’s like saying, the aliens live over there and Iron Man isn’t coming! We had an Iron Man, a miracle guy. No one ever met a man prophet quite like him!

Back up a few pages to Deuteronomy 34:10-12!

“Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt–to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no-one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” Deuteronomy 34:10-12, NIV.

But Moses is gone. Not old and worn out. Just can’t find him. God took him home. But guess what, God is still here. Moses said this earlier:

 “Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said.” Deuteronomy 31:1-3, NIV.

 “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”” Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV.

Are you seeing it? The mission doesn’t stop. The Kingdom doesn’t pass away. The race of men and the Earth were meant for God’s purpose. All of us. Go! Enter! Conquer! Establish the good ways of God.

C. If you are a Christ-follower, you were meant to bring his Kingdom everywhere you go! You are a carrier of Christ! You are destined to rule, that is, to be a public servant for his nation.

Stop being so retisent about it. No one else is! Gay lobbiests are pushing to conquer the countries policies. Muslim activists are intent on seeing Allah’s ways govern the land. Socialists think their plan is best. Something is true. Something is right. Now either the Christian faith is or it isn’t. If it isn’t, lets all stop pretending and wasting time. If it is, it is for everyone. Time to say so.

As you know, today we are celebrating Christian Education Sunday. Let be clear what we mean by doing this. From the very upstart of our demonination, and for over a century here in Highland, our churches have begun and funded Christian Schools. Our recognition of Christian Education is not to say “You are not good Christian if you use public education.” It is not to separate ourselves from the heathen so that we do not mix and get contaminated. (For goodness sake, without Christ we would be heathen. When we ignore him in our day, we act heathen as well.) Furthermore, we are on mission to interact with the unbelieving world and so to influence it for the God who owns it. It is not to say these kind of things.

By supporting Christian schools, from preschool all the way to doctoral studies, and by collecting moneies to aid fellow church members who desire to take advantage of these opportunities – we are seeking to face the giants and conquer the land, to bring everything under the loving rule of Christ. It was Abraham Kuyper who said famously “There is not one square inch of the world over which God does not say “This is mine.””

2. I can be NOT afraid.

A. Fear is one if the most pervasive emotions among mankind, I think. Fear drives us to fight or flight. We like to play games but there’s a little piece in there that is afraid of losing if we are not secure in our value. So when the score is down, there might be an anxiousness. We don’t say anything about our wages when the new hireie gets more per hour for the same job we’ve been doing for 10 years, because we fear losing our job! We are afraid to give a presentation in front of class because we might not be approved of by someone. Fear is what kept Israel out of the Promised Land.

“We can’t go in there! There are giants in the land!”

Much of the time we don’t speak up, or even do the right thing because of some fear. What if…?

B. On the brink of Canaan one thing is spoken over and over. “Be strong and courageous.” It comes with authority from the Lord (v1). It comes like wisdom from Moses in Dt.31. It comes like the road of an army from the people of Israel (v18) No less than four times in this one chapter. Do you think courage might be a theme here?

And when do you feel encouraged? Isn’t when you have some help, some power on your side? The aliens are invading! Quick call the Hulk. Call Thor! Call Captian America! Then we can feel courage. We have some hope, a weapon.

So what’s behind Israel’s courage? What’s their weapon? Their hope? We’ve got GOD!

V6 be strong because… It’s gonna happen. I swore it.

V9 be strong because… I will be right there with you.

V5 you’re gonna win…why? I will be with you.

C. God is with you/me right now. The God who brings dead people back to life is on our side. If you are a repenter of sin, you are in your eternal life. There’s no stopping it now.

So we don’t have to fear that the ozone layer will deplete and earth will explode. We can work at saving it, but now out of fear.

We don’t have to fear that some tragedy might happen to our child, some addiction, some accident. They may. But with God, there will be life after death and accident.

We don’t have to fear that our daughter might not meet the right man, or get the right job, or be able to afford skiing vacations. Because when God is in your life, people find it possible to enjoy life even if they don’t ski, or have lots of money, or the perfect man/woman. God can enable us to love and be loved with the ones we’re with, in the places we are, even in difficult existence.

General George Patton of WW2 notoriety is quoted as saying, “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” Of course prayers are interacting with God!

In the spring of 1940, the German army was plowing through France despite the help from more than 300,000 British troops. (U.S. troops were not involved in this battle.) Finally, the Germans surrounded and trapped most of the Allied forces at Dunkirk, a town in northern France. It appeared that the Allied army would face annihilation or surrender. Eventually, through a miraculous outpouring of courage, the British managed to organize an amazing flotilla of hundreds of little ships that evacuated most of the Allied forces. But before the evacuation, at one point when everything looked utterly hopeless, allegedly a British officer sent the following message, condensed into three powerful words: “But if not ….” At the time it was a strong message of courage and of ultimate hope in the midst of trouble. The message conveyed that the British would stand defiantly against the Nazis and that God would provide a way through the dark night.

“But if not” came straight from the King James Bible. As the prophet Daniel and his friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) faced the fiery furnace in Daniel chapter 3, they refused to go down in defeat. Instead, they declared their trust in God even if their mission failed. According to Daniel 3:17-18 they said, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

3. I can be NOT just surviving.

A. You probably already noticed that God promises Israel prosperity and success. V8b. Naturally we need to know the secret that comes in v7-8a: Prosperity and success come from obeying God’s words. And people, we have God’s words! We know the things he says are the best ways to live. All we have to do is obey them.

Now does prosperity and success mean winning the lottery and making your business bigger? Perhaps not. We know that having a lot of material wealth is not necessarily a blessing. We also know that plenty of people live full and meaningful lives far beyond just surviving, even in materially difficult existences.

“Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil…

Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.” …

 “Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.” Proverbs 15:16, 17; 16:8, NIV.

This is what we seek when we educate one another in a Christian way. Of course we can survive without drawing our faith into our math or finances. Or our neighbors who do not believe in Jesus are surviving. Or course their kids can and do get well-paying jobs even though they did not expend large amounts of cash for Christian education.

B.   But as God followers, our aim in life is not to survive. It is to bring the Kingdom into the Land! It is to live in a place where people obey the design of God for joyful human living. It is to walk with God and thereby be “prosperous and successful.” To live full life.

C.  Wherever we leave God out, we leave out full life.

Lots of us chose this all the time.

 Conclusion: What are the giants in your land? What are the things that cause you fear and discomfort?

Are they not your sins? The places you and I disagree with God’s instructions? The things we do and say and want that are wrong? Are they not the injustices and unfairnesses of others? Are they not the things that might go wrong?

Face the giants people. God is on your side! Grow the corn. Bring the Kingdom with you whereever you go! The God behind your breathing is not a NOT God. He is not NOT involved. He is not NOT listening.

He is with you. He hears our prayers. He directs all men whether they like it or not. And he is a good farmer.

When Bill and I decided to pull off the highway and take a break along with lunch, we had no idea how well God was taking care of us. As Bill stopped our truck at the end of the ramp, we heard a loud ‘pop’. As he backed into the parking space at Love’s, we could hear the ‘womp, womp’ with every rotation. We thought that we had blown a steer tire! I’ve got to admit that my first thought was “God, why must we always have these huge expenditures? Please protect our finances so we can pay the bills”. Then I had to smile. Papa WAS protecting us. We were at a complete stop when that tire blew.
One of the greatest fears for both of us is to blow a steer tire while going down the highway. It can truly be a deadly situation. Losing control is too easy. Tremendous body damage can happen to the truck even if you do stay upright! It takes real talent to move to a shoulder safely without damage.
Bill had been going 70 mph one minute earlier. (The speed limit is 75 mph in Arizona.) We decided on Love’s for the Subway restaurant but, by george, Love’s has a tire shop! AND they sell Michelin tires which is the type we decided to buy whenever we needed to. HAH!!!
Well, it wasn’t long before we had 2 new steers all balanced and pretty, our rims were not bent beyond the ‘good to go’ level and life is good and most of all GOD IS GREAT!