Sherwood Baptist Church has one of the most dynamic media ministries of any church in America. They have produced Facing the Giants, arguably the best feature-length movie ever made by a local church. It’s a God-glorifying, excellently created sports film in the tradition of Hoosiers, Remember the Titans, and Friday Night Lights. Facing the Giants is being released by Sony/Goodwyn and will be in theaters on September 29th.
Accompanying the movie are numerous sermons by such leaders at Johnny Hunt of Woodstock Baptist Church, Michael Catt, Pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church, and Dr. Jay Strack of the Student Leadership Network. You may copy and paste the following links to access these sermons:
1. Evidence of Christian Growth (Johnny Hunt)
URL: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=94258&ContributorID=15171
2. Overcoming The Grasshopper Syndrome (Dr. Jay Strack)
URL: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=94257&ContributorID=15170
3. Faith to Face Your Impossibilities (Michael Catt)
URL: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=94256&ContributorID=15169
4. Hearing God When You’re Hurting (Michael Catt)
URL: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=94255&ContributorID=15169
5. It’s Always Too Soon to Quit (Michael Catt) URL:
URL: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=94254&ContributorID=15169
6. What Does It Mean to Live By Faith? (Ron Dunn)
URL: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=94253&ContributorID=15167
7. Will a Man Serve God for Nothing? (Ron Dunn)
URL: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=94252&ContributorID=15167
Also, a study curriculum that accompanies the movie may be downloaded at:
http://www.facingthegiants.com/resources.php
Overcoming The Grasshopper Syndrome
Jay Strack
Moses commanded thirteen men to go see what the Promised Land was like (Numbers 13-14). For forty days they spied on the Promised Land and its inhabitants. They departed with the same instructions, but they returned with conflicting accounts. How could this happen?
Note that twelve of the men were each from a different tribe, thus each was from a different background. Each man reported not only what was, but also his opinion of what was. Moses did not ask, “Should we obey God and take the land?” Yet they reacted immediately with negative complaints.
Joshua and Caleb carried in proof of the land’s bounty. The grapes were so heavy that one branch had to be carried “between two of them on a pole.” Here is a summary of the attitudes of the followers:
· The “I’m scared, let’s not try it” attitude: “It truly flows with milk and honey….Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large” (Num. 13:27-28).
· The “I already know I can’t do it” viewpoint: “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we” (Num. 13:31).
· The grasshopper syndrome: “We saw the giants…and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight” (Num. 13:33).
But here is what the leaders had to say:
· The heart of vision: “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it” (Num. 13:30).
· The heart of faith: “If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey” (Num. 14:8).
After these controversial summations were presented to the people, which attitude do you suppose they adopted? The negative or the positive? You guessed it! The negative is just so much easier to accept.
· First they cried, though there was nothing yet to cry about. “So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night” (Num. 14:1).
· Next they complained. “If only we had died in Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness” (Num. 14:2)
· This led to imagining the worst possible scenario. “Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims?” (Num. 14:3a).
· Finally, they just gave up. “Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (Num. 14:3b).
What a bunch of whining cowards! God had already delivered them from bondage and then saved their lives through 100 percent, grade-A miracles. How quickly they forgot! All they could see was their own small abilities, and so they called themselves grasshoppers – just helpless insects.
The giants they feared were not the only ones destroying their hopes. In truth they were the giants of selfishness and poor self-image. These qualities lived within their own hearts and kept them from entering into God’s promise of abundance. These same powerful mammoths still control the hearts of people today.
SELFISHNESS
What they were saying in essence was, “Look, this just doesn’t work for us. You guys might want to go on over to the new land, but we think it’s too hard. We’re just not willing to sacrifice. We’re staying here, and if that doesn’t work for you, well, tough!”
J. Oswald Chambers defines selfishness as “that which gives me pleasure without considering Jesus Christ’s interests.” I think the key word in that definition is pleasure. As infants, our security blanket was usually close by for comfort. Unhappiness could be easily quelled by sucking our thumb. It was easy and instant gratification. Growing up we look for more sophisticated pleasure and security – some of it noble and memorable, some of it we would rather forget. “If it feels good, do it” was a popular phrase before AIDS began to destroy lives. Janet Jackson echoed the attitude of many teens in her song, “What have you done for me lately?” Porno movie shops are often referred to as “pleasure houses.” Magazines offer hints on what to do when you need sex to satisfy lust. And the number-one reason for divorce today – “I just wasn’t happy.” We have become a generation ruled by our lusts and passions.
Selfishness has also been defined as prostitution of the God-given capacity to love. Jesus summed up the foundational principles of life with two basic precepts:
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
This type of love gives birth to an unconquered goodwill. Bitterness is banished and the consistent hope is for the good of others. This is not man’s natural reaction; often it is a victory of the will, a decision of the heart. The selfish person’s objective is to push others out of the way; the goal of the Christ-centered person is to enable others to climb higher. As long as self is on the throne of your heart, you risk collision with others and failure as a person.
Refusing to allow personal advantage to govern the course of one’s life is the first step to conquering selfishness. Nationally known motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, my good friend, firmly believes “you become a success when you help others to become a success.”
SELF-IMAGE
The spies looking at the Promised Land talked more about themselves than they did about the land. “We’re grasshoppers! We’re small, powerless, hopeless!” They simply did not believe in themselves at all. The giant of a poor self-image stands blocking the path to success with outstretched arms. Throughout the day a taunt roars in your mind: “You’ll never make it. You won’t be accepted. Just who do you think you are anyway?” At the risk of being caught talking to yourself, shout back to the giant, “I am a child of the Living God, Creator of heaven and earth. And don’t you forget it!”
Gospel singer Ethel Waters was conceived as the result of rape. Her unmarried, teenage mother believed God had a plan for the baby and vowed to keep her. Feeling inferior many years of her life, she later understood God’s love for her and for years sang as the featured soloist for Billy Graham crusades. Ethel became famous for her motto: “I know I’m somebody ‘cause God don’t make no junk!” As my good friend Roland Lundy always says, “I heard that! I know that’s right!”
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
How can we even dare think poorly of ourselves when we have been created in His very image and by His own hands! That alone is God’s standard for the basis of your self-esteem, and there is none higher. The problem of self-image is not a new one. It was evident thousands of years ago, and it still rules many today. In 1910, Success magazine editor Orison Swett Marden spoke of believing in yourself: “Self-deprecation is a crime. The great trouble with many of us is that we do not believe enough in ourselves. We do not realize our power. Man was made to hold up his head and carry himself like a conqueror, not like a slave – as a success, not as a failure – to assert his God-given birthright.”
Fully understanding the origin of our worth is the foundation of a commitment to excellence. This basis for self-image also serves as a constant factor when circumstances disappoint us. A self-image built on goals and accomplishments will topple with every shift of opportunity. Your source of value is in your creation by God in His image. Nothing less!
Look, if you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect others to? Dennis the Menace gave his friend Joey some of the best advice I’ve ever heard: “Joey, always be good to yourself. Sometimes you’re all you’ve got!”
The saddest thing about a negative attitude is not its destruction to the individual, but its contagious effect on others. The grasshopper syndrome of the eleven men soon infected the entire congregation. A strange thing about it is that both the negative and the positive reports required an act of faith. It’s all in your decision. What do you want to believe? Notice: “Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried.” Like a plague it traveled from person to person, destroying hope and leaving weakness in its path.
The majority loudly determined to go against any positive actions. They criticized the motives of the leadership. What do you think you would have done? You may face this type of situation often in your own life. Any time a leader stands up against the flow of the crowd, he or she can expect criticism. Joshua and Caleb faced the task of inspiring the other spies to change from followers to leaders, from whiners to winners, from “I can’t” to “I must.”
The picture we see in this account is of men who began as faithful, but whose faith evaporated in the heat of fear. They magnified the difficulties until their only recourse was to discard all self-image in favor of despair. Instead of operating on the truth, they believed a mirage of what they thought was or even what might be.
It’s true there were giants in the land, but to the spies they appeared larger and more fierce because their vision was altered by pessimism. They left God completely out of the picture and never even mentioned His name. Joshua and Caleb looked at the giants, but through eyeglasses of faith in God’s power and particularly in His will for Israel. While the others shrank in their own sight to grasshoppers, the young leaders stood tall in conviction and trust.
If Joshua and Caleb were teaching a seminar on leadership today, I believe their syllabus outline would include:
1. Don’t give in to the fear of the moment.
2. Depend on the resources available in God and not in yourself.
3. Believe in yourself; believe in His will for you.
4. Adjust your vision with the eyeglasses of faith.
5. Always give a good report.
6. Stand against the crowd when you know your conviction is based on faith and truth.
Notice the faith and outlook of the two with a “different spirit.” Joshua and Caleb gave a “good report.” When the majority said, “No way,” they replied, “Way!” In later years, Caleb told his descendants, “I brought back word to him (Moses) as it was in my heart” (Joshua 14:7, emphasis mine).
The terms FOCUSED, FAITHFUL, and FINISHERS describe the leadership traits of Joshua and Caleb. These three important attributes will also empower your private and professional life if you adopt them with fervor.
FOCUSED
They were focused on the Lord and His power. They never lost sight of their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and the Red Sea. Their vision was clear and unobstructed by opinion. By clearly focusing on the goal, you will find yourself able to see further than those around you see. Cultivate the habit of looking for solutions, opportunities and possibilities rather than obstacles, excuses and problems. In most situations, you see whatever it is you are expecting to see. Clear vision assures you of sure victory.
“If a man advances confidently in the direction of his dream and endeavors to live life
as he imagined it, he will meet with success unexpected by most.” (Henry David Thoreau)
FAITHFUL
They were faithful to their convictions. I remember my pastor, Dr. Jack Graham, giving this simple standard for any decision in life: “It’s never right to do wrong, and it’s never wrong to do right.” Each of us must remain faithful to the Word of God and its command to “walk by faith and not by sight.” We cannot be swayed by those who are the loudest or attract the most votes. We cannot be manipulated by the multitudes. The Chinese have a proverb: “Noisy on the outside; empty on the inside.”
These two young men remained faithful to God even when the mob attempted to stone them to death (Num. 14:10). God chose to reward these men of “a different spirit” because they were faithful to stand alone (Num. 14:24). In fact, Joshua and Caleb were the only two of that generation who were allowed to enter the Promised Land.
Notice that God did not comment on education, I.Q., ability or family background, but only on faithfulness. I like what Mary Kay Ash, founder and president of Mary Kay Cosmetics, says about ability: “God is not interested in our ability. It is our availability that He wants.”
FINISHERS
Finally, Joshua and Caleb were finishers. This positive attitude of faith was a lifelong decision. At the ripe old age of 85, Caleb thundered, “Give me that mountain!” Still standing on faith in God’s power, he claimed the very mountain where the giants lived.
Joshua became the great leader of the nation of Israel. His last address to Israel confirms he finished the race with the same commitment and courage with which he began it:
Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14-15)
Desire gives birth to dreams.
Dreams give life to drive.
Drive dares us to DO!
To be a leader is to impact those around us on a daily basis. If you are wondering how effective your leadership can be, use this simple formula. Multiply the length of your own vision times the width of your commitment times the height of your conviction. The result is the volume of your influence.
Dr. Jay Strack
Founder/President
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