My Retirement Sermon God Always Has A Replacement

First off I want to thank each of you for being out this morning.

It’s a bit of a surreal feeling for me.

I don’t suppose I will be long winded this morning so perhaps in my last message you can say that you saw a miracle.

Something the Lord has reminded me of recently is that He always has the next man in place to take up the mantle of leadership.

The first church that Dee and I pastored in Fordland Missouri we had pioneered, and like any greenhorn novice when the time came to move on I fretted over what would become of them. I remember for several years looking into the annual church listings sent to each pastor. I would turn to Fordland Missouri first just to be sure they were still there.

Several years later I had the honor of going back there to preach on a Sunday morning.

The man who followed me in our second church in Sailsbury Center, NY is in fact still there. So I know they are safe.

Our last pastorate before coming here was in Gowanda New York.

They had both a church and a K-12 school over which I was pastor, principal, Gym Teacher, Basketball coach, and yearbook advisor.

I will confess on the same trip that I got to preach at my first church I also stopped in to a midweek study in Gowanda and was treated unusually cold by my replacement. I knew God had called us here and I knew He was in control there so I let it pass from my mind.

But I will say I was very excited to hear a few years later, that a young man who I had pastored, coached , was his principal and did his wedding had now assumed the position of Senior Pastor there.

So you see while I admit to a genuine sadness this morning, I instead find a deep abiding peace that God has someone more than able in store for his church here.

The Bible is rich with examples of exactly what I am saying to you here, so lets just look at a few.

Moses a man called by God, but clearly not the most confident of bloaks would be the first person I would look to this morning.

Something I always appreciated about him was he always seemed aware that he hadn’t done something to earn the honor of leading Gods children.

He never lorded it over the people, and because of that at times had to rely on God asserting his leadership. Thankfully Ive not had to have the ground open up and swallow anyone for me.

I relate to his 40 years on the backside of the dessert status. Its exactly 40 years since God graciously opened my eyes to his son, and then called me to ministry.

But the area I most wish to relate to him is in his ability to train faithful men who immediately were able to step in at his passing and lead the people of Israel.

Moses had his brother Aaron, but perhaps even better were the combination of Joshua and Caleb.

• Two men who he mentored and taught.

• Two men who weren’t afraid to stand against public opinion when Public opinion was wrong.

I can relate to Moses in that he had lead the people for years with one intent in mind, to enter into the land that God had promised to Abraham. But he never got the chance to enter.

Perhaps the hardest part for me – When the Lord said NOW was thinking but God what about the Nightcare.

We read in Deut 34 -

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

It’s a little bit of how I feel with the Nightcare Center –

I always thought that because God gave me the vision I would get to see it built, but that is saved for someone special who God is going to bring to this fellowship.

David knew that feeling with the Temple – But scripture tells us one plants, one waters, but its God who brings the increase.