The Duke of Cambridge said in the late 1800’s, “Any change, at any time, for any reason, is to be deplored.” Change is one of those things that none of us are really comfortable with. Many people, if they had their choice, would choose to keep everything the same. It’s comfortable. It gives us a sense of security. Some people’s favorite place in the road is in the ruts. Some of us probably feel like the guy bought a new radio, brought it home, placed it on the refrigerator, plugged it in, turned it to a station coming out of Nashville that was home of the Grand Ole Opry, and then pulled all the knobs off. He had decided what he wanted and he didn’t ever see himself wanting to change. Change is something a lot of people dread.
But in the game of life, change is also something that is inevitable. Times change. Fashion changes. Prices change. Technology changes. People change. Change happens. It’s part of life. And today, here at First Wesleyan Church, we are going through a time of change. If most of us could have our way, things would have stayed just the way they were. We were comfortable with the way things were. We felt secure with the way things have been. But things change. And right now we’re experiencing the inevitable.
And as I have been thinking and praying about what to share on my first Sunday morning as senior pastor, I have been drawn to a passage of Scripture where we find some people in a very similar situation as ours. And I think that there are some encouragements that we can gain from this passage of Scripture. Why don’t we turn there…
Joshua 1:1-9… Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
I think from this passage of Scripture there are four things that you and I can be encouraged with this morning. Let me share them with you right now.
I. God Still Has A Purpose
The first thing that I think we here are First Wesleyan Church can be encouraged by is the fact that God still has a purpose. God spoke to Joshua and He said, “Moses is dead; now you get up and cross over the Jordan and go into the land that I have given you.” His directions were clear. “Joshua, you are to lead my people into the land of Canaan.” Now, you’ll notice that God didn’t go moping around the golden streets of heaven with no idea of what to do now that Moses was gone. He wasn’t disheartened because He had been counting upon Moses to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. He wasn’t perplexed because Moses was dead and now He was out of ideas. No, for you see, God’s purpose for His people was not contingent upon Moses’ leadership. God’s plan for His people was not reliant upon Moses’ presence. For it wasn’t Moses’ vision. It wasn’t Moses’ idea. It wasn’t Moses’ purpose. It was God’s purpose. God was the one who was leading the children of Israel into Canaan. God was the one who had envisioned the Hebrews conquering and dwelling in the land of mild and honey. It was God’s purpose.
And may I encourage you this morning that God still has a purpose for First Wesleyan Church. He isn’t sitting in heaven right now befuddled because Troy Keaton doesn’t live in Clinton anymore. He isn’t confused as to what to do next. And I hope that you understand me this morning. I hope I’m not coming across as though I’m having an attitude that says, “Well, let him go and do his thing. We didn’t need him in the first place.” I’m not saying that at all. I’m missing him this week as much as you are. I’m missing his direction as much as anybody. I’m not saying, “Fuwee on Troy Keaton.” What I’m saying is that God’s purposes are not contingent upon Troy Keaton. God’s plans are not dependent upon any person. In fact, if we are dependent upon a person, then we are setting ourselves up for failure. For Ps. 127:1 says, Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it. It’s God’s will that matters. It’s God’s plans that matter. And just because He has led Pastor Keaton into another area of ministry does not mean that He’s finished with this church. God uses whatever tools He chooses. He isn’t tied to any. He still has a plan. He still has a purpose. He’s not fresh out of ideas. He hasn’t lost His direction. He’s still leading us. He’s still helping us.
And I think it could be easy for us to sulk around and pout because we’ve lost a good pastor. And we have. But it could be easy for us to feel discouraged and dejected because we’re thinking, “Well, what are we going to do now?” Joshua and the people of Israel could have sat around and felt sorry for themselves too. I mean, after all, the man who had led them out of the land of Egypt was gone. The man who been used by God to part the Red Sea and bring water from out of a rock was gone. The man who had cried out to the Lord on their behalf when they deserved judgment was gone. Moses, their leader, their hero, Joshua’s mentor was dead. What were they going to do? Where were they going to get their direction from? Who was going to lead them? And God said to Joshua, “OK, Moses is dead. But that’s all right, because I’m the one that’s directing this show. I’m the one that has tomorrow all figured out. I’m the one that has a purpose and a plan for you. Now get up, let’s go.”
Friends, can I encourage you this morning? Don’t be distraught. Don’t be down trodden. Let’s not give in to the temptation to feel sorry for ourselves. Because the same God who has a purpose for the Keatons is the God who has a purpose for First Wesleyan Church. The same God who knew what He was doing six years ago is the God who has a purpose for us today. And it’s time for us to get up, and to trust the one who made the plans in the first place. He’s not going to leave us hanging. He’s not going to leave us to fend for ourselves. Jeremiah 29:11… For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. He knows what He’s doing. He’s not confused as to what the next step is. God still has a purpose for our church.
II. God Still Keeps His Promises
The second encouragement I think we can gain from this passage is the fact that God still keeps His promises. God told Joshua, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.” He says, “as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” God had made certain promises to the children of Israel. In Genesis 15 He had promised that He would give the seed of Abraham the land of Canaan. And God had promised Moses that all the land that the Hebrews’ feet would tread upon would be theirs. Deut. 11:24 says, “from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.” He had made all these promises… and He was going to keep them. He wasn’t going to renege because Moses was gone now. He was going to keep His word.
Folks, God has promised us that He would be a buckler, or a shield, to those who trust in Him. He has promised that He will complete the work He has started in us. He has promised that all things will work together for the good of those who love Him. He has promised to supply all of our needs according to His riches. He said that if we trust in Him, and if we acknowledge Him, and if we don’t depend upon our own understanding, then He will direct our paths. And I’m glad to be able to tell you, this morning, that God keeps His promises. What He has said, He will do. He isn’t one to go back on His word. He says in Isaiah 46… I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Num. 23:19 tells us that God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? You can believe His promises this morning. He isn’t a man that He would lie. He isn’t a man that would be sorry for having made a promise. We are serving a God who keeps His word. We are serving a God who doesn’t try to back out on something that He has said. We are serving a faithful God.
In the country of Armenia, in 1988, Samuel and Danielle sent their young son, Armand, off to school. Samuel squatted before his son and looked him in the eye. “Have a good day at school, and remember, no matter what, I’ll always be there for you.” They hugged and the boy ran off to school.
Hours later, a powerful earthquake rocked the area. In the midst of the pandemonium, Samuel and Danielle tried to discover what happened to their son but they couldn’t get any information. The radio announced that there were thousands of casualties. Samuel grabbed his coat and headed for the schoolyard. When he reached the area, what he saw brought tears to his eyes. Armand’s school was a pile of debris. Other parents were standing around crying.
Samuel found the place where Armand’s classroom used to be and began pulling a broken beam off the pile of rubble. He then grabbed a rock and put it to the side, and then grabbed another one. One of the parents looking on asked, “What are you doing?” “Digging for my son,” Samuel answered. The man then said, “You’re just going to make things worse! The building is unstable,” and tried to pull Samuel away from his work. Samuel set his jaw and kept working.
As time wore on, one by one, the other parents left. Then a firefighter tried to pull Samuel away from the rubble. Samuel looked at him and said, “Won’t you help me?” The firefighter left and Samuel kept digging. All through the night and into the next day, Samuel continued digging. Parents placed flowers and pictures of their children on the ruins. But, Samuel just kept working. He picked up a beam and pushed it out of the way when he heard a faint cry.
Then, all of the sudden, Samuel thought he heard something. He listened closer but didn’t hear anything again. Then he heard a muffled voice, “Papa?” Samuel began to dig furiously. Finally he could see his son. “Come on out, son!” he said with relief. “No,” Armand said. “Let the other kids come out first because I know you’ll get me.” Child after child emerged until, finally, little Armand appeared. Samuel took him in his arms and Armand said, “I told the other kids not to worry because you told me that you’d always be there for me!” Fourteen children were saved that day because one father was faithful.
I’m happy that I can tell you today that our Heavenly Father is faithful. And no doubt this can be an encouragement to us in our own lives when we are going through times of discouragement or doubt or confusion. But I think it’s something that we can hold on to as a church as well. God is going to be faithful to our church. He is already being faithful to us. He is already leading us like He promised to do. He is already blessing us as He promised to do. And He’s not going to renege now. He’s not going to back out now. He is 100% reliable. He does not fail, forget, falter, change, or disappoint. You can count on Him because He still keeps His promises.
III. God Still Has The Power
I think the third encouragement we can gather from this passage is the fact that God still has the power. God said to Joshua, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. In other words, He was saying, “Joshua, you don’t have to worry about the future. You don’t have to worry about what’s going to happen once you get into Canaan. I know there are some powerful cities there. I know there are some strong nations there. But you don’t have to worry, because I am the God of all power. I am the one who is leading you. I am the one who has promised you this land. And I am the one who has the power to provide it for you.”
This was the God who had created the universe with just the sound of His voice. This is the God who had breathed life into dust and made a man. This was the God who had whispered to the frogs and the locusts and caused them to plague Egypt. This was the God who had split the Red Sea so the Hebrews could cross through it on dry land. This is the God who had provided manna and quail enough to feed a nation. That was the same God who split the Jordan River for Joshua and the Israelites. That was the same God who sent those huge walls around Jericho collapsing to the ground. That was the same God whose power drove out all of those mighty nations of Canaan. The God of Moses still had the power for Joshua.
Aren’t you glad that our God in omnipotent? Aren’t you glad that our God has all power in His fingertips? Aren’t you glad that He has not diminished in His power? The same God that showed His power to Moses and to Joshua has power for us today. The Bible tells us that our God is a consuming fire. The Bible says that The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.
The God who had the power to calm the raging storm with the sound of His voice has the power to say, “Peace be still,” to the storms of your life. The God who had the power to raise the dead, has the power to give life to your soul. The God who was able to defeat the enemy on crucifixion day has the power to deliver you from temptation. And the God who had the power to lead Joshua and the people of Israel to conquer the land of Canaan is the God who has the power for our church right now.
I’m so glad that we can depend upon the power of God. I’m so glad that He hasn’t left our church to do this on our own. But He is providing His power for us today. He has the exact strength that we need to do exactly what He has called us to do. In fact, Scripture tells us that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. And when it looks as though the road ahead looks difficult, we can rest assured that God still has the power. He offers First Wesleyan Church the same power that He offered Joshua. We can do what He has called us to do, because He has the power that we need. We can make it, because God still has the power.
IV. God Still Affords His Presence
Lastly, this morning, I think we here at First Wesleyan Church can take courage because God still affords His presence. In the last verse of our text this morning God speaks to Joshua and He says, Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. He said, take courage, don’t be afraid or dismayed, because I am with you wherever you go.
Friends, I don’t know about you, but I am desperate for the presence of God. I long for Him to come in all of His power and glory and in all of His sweetness. I’m so glad that He still affords to us today His presence. I’m so glad that He didn’t just offer His presence to Joshua, but He offers it to us today. I’m so glad that He has promised us that He will never leave us or forsake us. I’m so glad that He said, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” And folks, I know it’s easy for us to look back and remember the good ole days when God came in powerful ways and people were running the aisles and shouting, and it seemed like He was always so close. But I’m glad that His presence is just as readily available for us today as it was then. I’m so thankful the He still comes and meets with His people. I’m so glad that He still affords His presence. Because I need to know that He is with me wherever I go. I need to know that He’ll never leave me or forsake me. I need to know that He wants me to be in His presence. I want to proclaim, along with David that as the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul after you, God. Because I am completely dependent upon His presence. I need to know that He is with me.
You see, we can do nothing without the presence of God. We can have all the right answers, but if we don’t have God’s presence in our midst, what does it matter? We can have programs running out of our ears, and not have the presence of the Holy Spirit, and all those programs won’t do any good. We can be doing all the right things but without God’s presence they won’t make a difference. We can come to church 3 times a week and try to work up to a certain level of emotion, but if God isn’t here it’s all just a show. We can study all week for our Sunday school lessons or for our sermons, but if God doesn’t come and bless then our efforts are in vain. We must have the presence of God in our midst, in our services, in our homes, and in our lives.
And the good news is God still affords that presence to us today. We don’t have to do this by ourselves. We can rely upon Him to come. We can depend upon Him to be near. And as we begin a new phase of history here at First Wesleyan, let us not ever forget the importance of seeking and obtaining the presence of God Almighty.
This morning, we are standing at a crossroads. Just like Joshua and the people of Israel, we have a choice to make. Are we going to sit here and feel sorry for our loss? Or are we going to get up and follow the leadership of God? As for me, I’m going to choose the latter. Because I know that God still has a purpose and a plan for this church. His ideas didn’t go out the window this week. He isn’t pacing the streets of heaven, wondering what to do next. This was all part of His plan, and He knows what He’s doing with us. Are we going to follow Him? Are we going to trust in His promises? He never has failed us before. Why should He now? He never has lied to us before. Why should He now? He has never gone back on His word. Why should He now? We can trust His promises. Are we going to rest upon His power? He is the one who parted the Red Sea. He is the one who broke down the walls of Jericho. He is the one who conquered the grave. What reason do we have to doubt His power in our church? We don’t have any reason, He still is omnipotent. Are we going to rely upon His presence? He’s promised to be with us always. And I don’t know about you, but I take much encouragement in that. I need Him. I need His presence.
Today, church, we can take courage because God still has a purpose, He still keeps His promises, He still has the power, and He still affords His presence.
