Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

Reap a Harvest of Praise!

(Part 2 of 2 of Series Conclusion)

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)

The full title of today’s sermon is, “Reap a harvest through the faithful strategy of a hardworking farmer.” Today, I am finishing our 2023 sermon series called, “Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Famer for God’s Harvest!” Allow me to continue the conclusion of this sermon series, which I began on October 22. Listen to the poem, “How Great the Yield from a Fertile Field”:[1]

The farmer ploughs through the fields of green

And the blade of the plough is sharp and keen,

But the seed must be sown to bring forth grain.

For nothing is born without suffering and pain.

And God never ploughs in the soul of man

Without intention and purpose and plan,

So whenever you feel the plough’s sharp blade

Let not your heart be sorely afraid.

For, like the farmer, God chooses a field

From which He expects an excellent yield –

So rejoice though your heart is broken in two.

God seeks to bring forth a rich harvest in you.

How true this poem is, in each of our lives – “God never ploughs in the soul of man without intention and purpose and plan, so whenever you feel the plough’s sharp blade let not your heart be sorely afraid.” God’s intent for your life is that you would reap a harvest of praise to His glory. To participate with God’s work in us, we must follow the faithful strategy of the hardworking farmer. Paul taught in Philippians 2:12-13, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God is at work in us through His Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence. Hope in God’s work for us, and in us, is the key ingredient when following the four steps that every hard-working farmer must follow to experience a large crop yield:

If you minimize the Bible to a moralistic rule book filled with one-dimensional people, then you miss God’s extravagant love and scandalous grace. If you miss love and grace, then you miss Jesus, who is the only way to know the Father (John 14:6). Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that you can make a good human effort at living according to the Ten Commandments, doing and saying all the right things by your own strength. Jesus did not die on the cross so that you can go around living a good moralistic life and be filled with pride and self-righteousness. Jesus died on the cross so that you could be free from sin to love others as God first loved you; not to earn anything, but from the fertile field of a transformed heart.

Working hard, like a faithful farmer, we are to strive to be like Him and like those who have come before us to show us the way of faith – the great cloud of witnesses. Jesus gives us our right standing by grace – a relationship with God that comes with the responsibilities of righteousness. As Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This is our calling; we have been made new by His love to join with Jesus in His ministry of love to reconcile all people to Him. Listen to Paul explain this in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Does your life tell the story of Jesus Christ and how He is seeking to transform stories through His gospel of love and grace? You are being invited into the next class of the great cloud of witnesses. Until the Day you are inducted into the great cloud of witnesses and join with the saints that we have learned about in this sermon series, you are called to “not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3). No matter the struggle, and the fight is real, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, just as He told a better story with His life and death – “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

When all our stories point to Jesus Christ as the main character of each of our stories, then we will find unity in the body of Christ, and each of us will mature so that the entire body will be built up on love (Ephesians 4:11-16). Jesus is the only Hero of this story! Paul testified to this in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, and I conclude with this appeal:

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field….

Today, God is calling to you, choosing you, extending His love to you. Trust Him today and experience the joy of why Christ endured the cross and despised the shame. For the joy set before you, live strong in God’s grace and reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God. Never forget, that what we do in this life is a witness to what Christ did to give us the life we live, once for all.

What does your transforming story of faith look like? Jesus is interceding for you at the right hand of the Father, so do not grow weary and do not lose heart. Go from this place telling a better story, His Story, the transforming story of God’s grace, and together we will see our communities thriving to the glory of God!

If you would like to watch Pastor Jerry present this message, Click HERE.

If you would like to watch the entire service including music, click HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Written by Helen Stiner Rice. This poem was reproduced from the memorial folder for Avon Dwight “Scotty” Scott, an Indiana dairy farmer (February 5, 1929 – October 28, 2023). His daughter, Delora Hartsock, found this poem in his hymnal along with instructions for his funeral. I had the honor of doing his services on Saturday, November 4; he was a faithful follower of Jesus and a Korean War veteran.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Life that Witnesses to the Transformative Power of Faith!

(Part 1 of 2 of Series Conclusion)

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

If you started reading your Bible in Hebrews 12, you would automatically ask yourself, “Who are the people in this ‘so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us’?” The answer to this question is found in Hebrews 11, so let’s review the inaugural class of the great cloud of witnesses, and see what we have learned from each of them over the last 6 months of sermons:

If you minimize the Bible to a moralistic rule book filled with one-dimensional people, then you miss God’s extravagant love and scandalous grace. If you miss love and grace, then you miss Jesus, who is the only way to know the Father (John 14:6). Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that you can make a good human effort at living according to the Ten Commandments, doing and saying all the right things by your own strength. Jesus did not die on the Cross so that you can go around living a good moralistic life and be filled with pride and self-righteousness. Jesus died on the Cross so that you could be free from sin to love others as God first loved you; not to earn anything, but from of a transformed heart, striving to be like Him and like those who have come before us to show us the way of faith – the great cloud of witnesses. Jesus gives us our right standing by grace – a relationship with God that comes with the responsibilities of righteousness! As Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This is our calling; we have been made new by His love to join with Jesus in His ministry of love to reconcile all people to Him (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

In your story, as in every story, grace matters! Do you remember when God chose you?

Today, God is calling to you, choosing you, extending His love to you. Trust Him today and experience the joy of why Christ endured the cross and despised the shame. For the joy set before you, live strong in God’s grace and reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God. Never forget, that what we do in this life is a witness to what Christ did to give us the life we live, once for all!

What does your transforming story of faith look like? Jesus is interceding for you at the right hand of the Father, so do not grow weary and do not lose heart!

YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE BY CLICKING HERE.

In part 2 of the conclusion, schedule for November 19, we will learn how we can be inducted into the next class of the great cloud of witnesses. Live strong in God’s grace today by applying the faithful strategy of the hardworking farmer!

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Calls People Home!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about the prophets of God, who are named explicitly as an office, and then many of their number are alluded to in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions [the prophet Daniel in Daniel 6], quenched the power of fire [the prophet Daniel’s entourage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in Daniel 3], escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong [Hezekiah recovered from sickness by the Word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 38], became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection [the prophet Elijah with the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 and the prophet Elisha with the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4]; and others were tortured [the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 20], not accepting their release [the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 40], so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned [Stephen in Acts 7], they were sawn in two [the tradition of the prophet Isaiah’s death by King Manasseh], they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword [the prophet Uriah in Jeremiah 26]; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins [Elijah, Zechariah, and John the Baptist], being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. [emphasis added]

The prophets are found throughout the Bible, as I briefly illustrated in the above passage. An excellent definition of a prophet is “a person inspired to proclaim or reveal divine will or purpose.”^[1] I prefer this definition because it is inclusive to both forthtelling and foretelling. Today, a prophet is often, and wrongly, limited to the activity of divinely forecasting the future (foretelling), but there is so much more to it – prophecy is a calling forth of God’s will in a specific time and place, with a divine purpose in mind. When done properly, preaching is a prophetic work of the Spirit, in the forthtelling way, regardless of whether there is foretelling. That is important to realize as we learn from the prophets a faith that calls people home. We cannot foretell who God has chosen, and who will be saved, but we are called to forthtell to all, for Jesus died “once for all,” as Hebrews 7:25-27 proclaims:

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

It is our calling to make known the great love of God, made accessible through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Let’s take the next action step so that we may learn how to have a faith that calls people to faith in Jesus Christ, calling them home to a right relationship with God through the forgiveness of their sins.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

The prophetic ministry is important to the church of Jesus Christ today, as Ephesians 4:11 includes them in the list of gifts to the church that Jesus gave as He ascended to the right hand of the Father, “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” All five spiritually-gifted persons has the same purpose – to build the body of Christ in love through the equipping of the saints. Therefore, we cannot see “prophets” as a ministry of the past; they are a current reality, a function of the eldership of the church today – we must hear the message of the prophets, which has been unchanging through the millennia: “Come Home – Return to Me!” A powerful example of this is from Joel 2:12-13:

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.

Other examples of the prophets declaring this message are the following:

This is the same message of the last prophet of the Old Covenant, John the Baptist, who forthtold in Matthew 3:1-3:

Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!’”

As we transition to the next action step, be clear that John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ fulfilled the message of the prophets, as foretold by Malachi in Malachi 3:1-7:

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. … For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Did you hear the God’s emphasis in Malachi 3? From the days of their forefathers, from the beginning of their rebellion, God has been calling His people to return to Him – to come Home! We hear this longing in Jesus’ words in Luke 13:34, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!” Therefore, Jesus intentionally added His voice to the tradition of the prophets, in Matthew 4:12-17:

Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

This is the gospel message by which we are saved, as we see clearly portrayed in Jesus’ prophetic ministry to the rebellious and far away, in Matthew 11:20-30:

Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.” At that time Jesus said, … Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The message is to come Home to a right relationship with God through Jesus. Home is a place of rest, safety, peace, joy, and comfort – all the promises of God are ours in Christ! Without the call of the prophet, there could be no way for the wayward to return home, which means there would be no way for any of us to have salvation in the first place; nevertheless, mature into fruit-bearing trees who reap a harvest of praise. Let’s turn to the last action step.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

In the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:11-32, Jesus emphasized the heart of God through the prophetic message – Come Home! Through it, He called all prodigals (wayward children of Israel and gentiles) to return to a right relationship with the Father, and He reminded the church that this is our prophetic task to call the nations home. Siblings, brethren, we cannot allow ourselves to become older sibling – the religious elite, and self-righteous saints, who become an obstacle to the throne of grace through tradition and regulation. We are called to be like Jesus, who came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). We are called to be “ambassadors of Christ,” entrusted with the “ministry of reconciliation,” as Paul prophesied in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20:

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Listens and Obeys!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Samuel, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Samuel’s story is found throughout the Old Testament. He is remembered as both a prophet and judge (1 Samuel 3:20; Acts 3:24; 13:20; Hebrews 11:32), and he was associated with Moses (Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1). He’s a powerful figure in the Bible,and we will learn how to have a faith that listens and obeys by examining the scope of his life, starting with his first direct experience with God. Let’s take the next action step and watch God’s grace at work.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Samuel’s name means, “heard by God,” and from his name alone we derive the power of His story – the importance of listening to God. His name comes from 1 Samuel 1:20, “It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked him of the Lord.’” You see, Samuel was a miracle baby, an answer to prayer after years of infertility (1 Samuel 1:1-19). The apex of his birth narrative was Hannah’s vow in verse 11, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” Eli, the high priest, witnessed both thismoment in prayer, and the fulfillment of her vow, when she brought Samuel to the temple, saying to Eli, in 1 Samuel 1:26-28, “Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” Samuel’s name means “heard by God” because God heard Hannah’s prayer for a baby.

Samuel’s birth narrative aligns him with some of the greatest stories of the Bible, and it’s just the beginning. Samuel’s first direct encounter with God demonstrates another way we can view his name, as one who hears from God. Once again, Eli, the priest, and the man who raised him, plays an important part in Samuel’s story, as we read in 1 Samuel 3:1-4:

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”

What a beautiful response – “Here I am.” It reminds me of Isaiah’s response to God in Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” What is your response when God calls you? We must have ears to hear. This is the first critical lesson we learn from Samuel – listen for God’s voice!

Now, for those of you who know the story well, I can’t just move to the next point. I must honestly tell you the rest of the story because Samuel, at this point in his life, couldn’t tell the difference between God’s voice and the voice of his father figure. That is not an uncommon developmental reality for any of us, but Samuel kept going to Eli when he would hear from God, then, in 1 Samuel 3:9, Eli gave these wise words of instruction to young Samuel, words he lived by the rest of his life, “And Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” ’ ” Furthermore, in 1 Samuel 3:16-20, Eli taught Samuel to not only listen for the Lord, but to be honest about what God says:

Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.” Thus Samuel grew and the Lordwas with him and let none of his words fail. All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

Samuel learned to listen to God and to be honest about the message from God, no matter how hard the message. Eli instilled this into Samuel, even when Samuel had to tell Eli that he and his sons would come under God’s judgment. Samuel told his father figure that God’s wrath would fall upon him. Samuel’s developmental years uniquely prepared Samuel to be a faithful judge and prophet to Israel. Between Hannah’s obedience to dedicate him, and Eli’s instruction in the Lord, Samuel was prepared to God’s will. Let’s take the next step to learn how to do thisourselves because many of us, including me, were not blessed with such a faithful upbringing.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

I think many of us want to be like Samuel, a good listener who honestly follows the Word of the Lord, in word and deed, but we struggle with the following two things: 1) the ways of the world distorting our perceptions, and 2) people pleasing tendenciesdirecting our actions. We will now learn how to listen to God, honestly hear what He said, and obey His Word, from the story of Samuel’s anointing of David as the next king of Israel, found in 1 Samuel 16:5-13:

[Samuel] said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” But the Lordsaid to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

Samuel was sent on a mission from God, and to accomplish his purpose he had to listen to God and obey His will, not doingwhat was acceptable or understandable in his own eyes, or desirable by culture or family. Paul taught in Romans 12:1-3that to discern God’s will, we must follow in Samuel’s footstepsof faith:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

It is a matter of maturing in the faith to not just give people your knee jerk “common sense” response to their situation or give them what they want to hear. There is still one last challenge we must learn from Samuel if we are to be the kind of people of faith who listen and obey. Let’s turn to the last action step because God desires for you to reap a harvest of praise to His glory, and you can’t do this if you are seeking the approval of man.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Samuel died in 1 Samuel 25:1, but, oddly, his story doesn’t end there. In one of the most unique, and controversial, stories in the Old Testament, Saul visited the witch of Endor, a medium, and commissioned her to summon Samuel from the dead. Samuel’s response to Saul’s summons is epic, as recorded in 1 Samuel 28:15-20:

Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.” Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary? “The Lord has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. “As you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the Lord will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the Lord will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!” Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.

Samuel listened to God’s voice and obeyed Him! His position,as either judge of Israel or prophet of God, was based on how accurately he communicated God’s Word to the people, not on how he made those people feel. You can’t serve God if you are too busy serving man. In Galatians 1:6-10, Paul made it clear that you cannot be distracted by negative doomsdaying, orpositive soothsaying, but you must remain focused on proclaiming the hope of Jesus Christ:

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith of a Person After God’s Own Heart!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He ‘ created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about David, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

David’s story is found throughout the Old Testament, and it would take the rest of the year to cover it, and even then, we would only be covering the highlights. David’s life of faith, and his transforming story, are essential to learn from. What is it about this story that put David in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

David was not a perfect man, but, in Acts 13:22, Paul called him“a man after God’s own heart.” He did so as part of a short history lesson of Israel, during one of his sermons from his first missionary journey, as recorded in Acts 13:21-23:

Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all My will.’ From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus. [emphasis added]

Paul attributes the key phrase here to God, that according to God, David was “a man after my heart, who will do all My will.” Paul mentioned his name’s sake, Saul the son of Kish, who was the first king of Israel. Interestingly, Saul is not listed in Hebrews 11, even though he was the chosen of God to be the first king. Even though the author of Hebrews listed multiple judges of Israel, David was the only king of Israel listed. That’s kind of scandalous if you think about it, especially when you consider the number of Judges who are listed. Hebrews 11 even goes on to say, “Samuel and the prophets,” which we will look at over the next two Sundays, but of all the kings of Israel, only David was named. Furthermore, there is a significant contrast between Saul and David, which emphasizes why David was a man after God’s own heart – David was obedient to do all God’s will. In direct contrast with Saul, who was removed from office for disobeying God, as Samuel, the last judge of Israel and prophet of God, rebuked Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, and verse 28:

Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king. … The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.

David was chosen to replace Saul, and while he, too, didn’t do it perfectly, he obeyed the Lord’s will. It is evident from the Bible that David loved God with all his heart, mind, body, and soul. This is the Greatest Command of Jesus Christ, who taught us in Matthew 22:37-40:

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

More than anyone else in the Bible, David expresses his love for God and His Word. Just read the Psalms. David loved God and that manifested in his obedience to do God’s will, as Jesus explained would happen to His followers in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John built upon Jesus’ words in 1 John 5:1-3:

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

Let’s take the next step to learn how to mature into such loving obedience to God.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

How do we continue to live with the faith of a person after God’s own heart when we sin? When we royally mess things up and must face serious consequences? We learn from David that this requires of us to learn how to walk in a rhythm of confession and repentance. Learning obedience to God’s will is not a linear path, a once and done experience. As we learn from the Old Testament (think about the 40 years of wandering in the desert), observe every person mentioned in Hebrews 11, and confess from our own lives, the pathway of obedience is a meandering journey of learning to trust God, and that He will keep His promises. On paper, this should be a quick and easylesson to learn, but it’s not; it’s a long slow obedience in the same direction of maturing into a person after God’s own heart, who will do all God’s will.

David learned this in the infamous moment of his life: his affair with Bathsheba, and the murder of her husband, Uriah. This story is found in 2 Samuel 11, and David’s life is forever marked by his treachery, as we see it referenced in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1:6, “Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.” Yet, it was not for this massive abuse of power, and sin against God, that he is remembered and celebrated – David is forgiven and called, “a man after God’s own heart.” To understand this, we need to read what happens when Nathan the prophet confronted David for his sin in 2 Samuel 12:7-13 (This response is set in the context of an allegorical story Nathan told David to arouse his anger, and sense of justice, in verses 1-6.):

Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. ‘I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! ‘Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. ‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ “Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. ‘Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’ ” Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.

If you keep reading this historical account in 2 Samuel 12, you see that David was a broken man over his sin against God, and because of the consequences of his sin against his family and nation. We see his confession and repentance most clearly in Psalm 51. To learn from David how we are to walk in a rhythm of confession and repentance, so that, we too, can become people after God’s own heart, let us know read Psalm 51 out loud, together. To do this, I am going to read from one our new pew Bibles, which are the NASB95 edition, donated to us through the estate of Jane Reese. (We will have a dedication ceremony of these new pew Bibles next week.)

Maturing into a person who has a heart after God’s own heart is cooperating with the work of the Holy Spirit to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ, as Paul taught in Romans 8:29a, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” This is a life-long process of maturation, and it is through this process that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God, so let’s turn to the last action step.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Paul taught us about his ministry in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” [emphasis added] The Greek word for “controls us,” is also translated “compels us” and has the connotation of being seized by the love of God. You can only seize the moment for God, after you have been seized by the love of Jesus Christ! (The order matters!)

Compelled by the love God, the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we can live a life of obedience, like Jesus, and become people after God’s own heart, which includes living in the rhythm of confession and repentance when we mess it up. The life of love will not be a perfect life, as we saw from David, and every other person listed in Hebrews 11, but it will be life that is responsive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word and God’s people. This is how we are transformed, from the inside out, so that we become like Jesus, “gentle and humble in heart,” which Jesus graciously invited you to learn from Him and find rest for your soul in His easy yoke.

I conclude with Jesus’ gracious invitation from Matthew11:28-30,

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith of an Overcomer!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Jephthah, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Jephthah’s story is found in Judges 11-12. What is it about this story that put Jephthah in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

The first thing we learn about Jephthah is that he was a valiant warrior, but also that he was the son of his father Gilead’s visit with a prostitute (Judges 11:1). In fact, when I put into my internet search engine “son of harlot,” the first thing that comes up is “Jephthah the Gileadite.” People pay lots of money to be the top result in an internet search. Not Jephthah! He gets that honor free of charge. Jephthah’s name is synonymous with being the son of a prostitute.

How did Gilead’s wife and his legitimate children treat his illegitimate son? Hebrews 11:37-38 gives us the answer in its description of those people who experienced the triumph of faith, “ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy).” Judges 11:2-3 explains “ill-treated”:

Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah, and they went out with him.

He was ostracized; treated like an outcast! How did Jephthah overcome such prejudice and stereotyping to become a judge of Israel? The answer to this question is part of the reason Jephthah is listed in Hebrews 11; his story is a triumph of faith, teaching us the faith of an overcomer. Circumstances beyond his control forced Jephthah to live the life of an outcast.

Have you seen people like outcasts? Have you ever been ostracized by a group? Have we as a church done this? Are we doing it currently? How much damage has our prejudice and stereotyping done to the witness of the church? How much potential has not been developed by congregations because of who someone’s parents were, or the challenges of a person’s childhood that caused them to walk a road that shaped them, inside and out? I invite you to look around you right now and see if there are potential Jephthahs being limited (or worse, being kept out) due to factors beyond their control?

I want to introduce you to my friend, Joshua. He was a member of my Thursday morning discipleship group at the New Castle Correctional Facility, where I took fifteen men through my first discipleship book, Live Like a Champion Today. Joshua was released last month, but he continues to in his discipleship with me, being a part of over forty men who have accepted the New Testament Reading Challenge, reading the New Testament in 90 days. This man is my brother in Christ, a fellow member of the Body of Christ, and God has a plan for life. I am excited that he is here today to share his transforming story of faith.

[Joshua to share testimony and special song.]

Neither Joshua, Jephthah, nor Jerry are the heroes of our own stories! There is only one hero of the faith, and His name is Jesus! If you want to have a story that demonstrates the triumph of faith, you must keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, learning how to walk with Him each day, in His easy yoke, not making promises for the future after your own victory has been won, but obeying Him today, trusting His victory for your situation! You can live with the faith of an overcomer by obeying today. Let’s take the next step to learn how to do this.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Jephthah had the reputation as a “valiant warrior,” and when the Ammonites oppressed the Israelites, the people needed a military leader, and none could be found, so the elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back home and lead them to victory. Judges 11:7-11 captures his response and what happens next:

Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?” The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gives them up to me, will I become your head?” The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is witness between us; surely we will do as you have said.” Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.

Interestingly, in verse 11, we see that Jephthah sealed this with a covenant by bringing all his words before the Lord as Mizpah. This was no longer a contract between men, this was a covenant with God as a witness. Jephthah was all in, and in doing so, he led Israel to victory. We must remember though, it wasn’t Jephthah alone, it was God with him, as verse 29 emphasizes, just like we saw in the Samson story, “Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.” [Emphasis added]

Jephthah stepped into the opportunity that was presented to him. Despite his ostracism, living in Tob, an Aramean city, he responded to the invitation of God to use what he had been given by God for the good of God’s people. Unfortunately, as we learn from the rest of his story, he was not a good father (Judges 11:30-40[1]), nor a skillful diplomat (Judges 12:1-6). The one thing he could righteously offer to God, he used for His glory – he was a break-glass-only-in-the-event-of-war kind of guy. As I wrote in my Seize the Moment devotion on Judges 11:

Jephthah reminds me of Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway, Clint Eastwood’s character from Heartbreak Ridge, a grizzled old medal of honor recipient who, when finishing his last years in the Marine Corps, had to go to war one last time. His commander critiqued that people like him should be behind glass displays that say, “Break glass only in the event of war!”[2]

You may not understand why God made you the way you are, or why certain events have happened in your life, but you can bet that God has good works for you to do with your life (Ephesians 2:10). God is not interested in your promises for one day in the future; He desires obedience today! Are you willing to respond to the invitation of God, even if you have been misjudged previously, or treated unfairly because of people’s prejudices? Are you allowing your past to hold you back from being obedient to God today?

You are being invited today to trust God with every part of your story. Let’s turn to the last action step – God desires for you to reap a harvest of praise to His glory.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Jephthah led Israel to victory – He was an overcomer! We learn at the end of his story, recorded in Judges 12:7a, “Jephthah judged Israel six years.” He fulfilled the purpose for which God created him and called him. He had the faith of an overcomer!

Are you an overcomer? Are you walking in the victory of Jesus Christ? Paul taught in Romans 8:37-39:

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The life of an overcomer is a life that reaps a harvest of praise to the glory of God. It’s not a perfect life though; it’s a life filled with grace. The grace of God, which empowers us to keep going and not bail before the blessing. Jephthah did not do it perfectly, nor will I, or you, or Joshua, or any of us. We will make mistakes and those mistakes will have real consequences, but we should not allow those to stop us from reaping a harvest of praise in our lives, and through the lives of others. Jephthah went from outcast to overcomer, and from his story we have learned how to walk in the faith of an overcomer.

Do you really think you are going to get back at the world for being unfair, or get satisfaction out of a life filled with the pursuit of vengeance. Both are waste of your energy and will not lead to a life that reaps a harvest of praise to God’s glory! Jephthah did not seek vengeance against his people; rather, he obeyed God and was filled with the Spirit to answer God’s call through them. That’s the faith of an overcomer! In Romans 12:17-21, Paul commands us to do the same:

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] I’m not going to go into in this manuscript, but Jephthah’s rash vow, described in Judges 11:30-40, is NOT why he was listed in Hebrews 11. It breaks my heart to think that has been and continues to be taught by teachers. Men like Gideon, Samson, and Jephthah, each of which are found in Hebrews 11, offer students a challenge. We must discern what it is we are to emulate as a triumph of faith, and what is just of man, excess not to be emulated.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith That Calls You to Be Weak!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Samson, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Samson’s story is found in Judges 13-16. What is it about this story that put Samson in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

God providentially works in and through our lives for His purposes. The first thing we learn from Samson’s life is that he was chosen by God from before he was born. In fact, according to Judges 13:3-5, Samson was chosen with a purpose in mind:

Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. “Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. “For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” [emphasis added]

This is a profound truth of God’s Word, as reinforced in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (cf. Psalm 139:13-17). Samson was not the only one who was listed in Hebrews 11 who had supernatural intervention in their birth narrative, so did Isaac, Moses, and Samuel. The reality is that God has a plan, and He chooses people who He will bring about His purposes for His glory! Don’t be deceived, faith is not a way to get God to make your life work for you; faith is about God choosing you to bring about His plans for His glory! In Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” You were chosen and redeemed for a purpose – this is why God gives you His Spirit – to empower you to walk in what God has given you to do.

Samson’s purpose was to begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines, so God stirred up Samson, directed him into the way of the Philistines, and then empowered him with His Spirit to accomplish what God chose him to do. Watch God at work in and through Samson’s life:

Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed of faith, which can be planted into others through our faithfulness to act according to our own faith and convictions, growing into a faith that takes God at His Word.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

We must persevere in our calling, realizing that God has chosen us for a purpose. Our tenacity of purpose, our focus on the mission of God, will form us into what God intended us to be, even if we don’t see it or understand it. The Lexham Bible Dictionary makes a very interesting parallel that draws us the heart of Samson’s story, and why I believe he made it into Hebrews 11:32:

Samson’s actions parallel the actions of Israel in the book of Judges. Samson’s primary weakness was his proclivity to pursue Philistine women; one of Israel’s major faults was their inclination to worship foreign gods. Smith argues that “Samson is an example of Israel’s ‘playing the harlot after other gods’ (Judg 2:17; 8:27, 32)” (Smith, “The Failure of the Family in Judges, Part 2: Samson,” 431).^[1]

To further emphasize this point, I am going to highlight two sections of Romans 11, emphasizing to you this biblical principle found in verse 29, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” This is a truth that I hold near and dear to my heart because there is redemption available through the power of the Spirit – this is the miracle of resurrection! Can God use a divorced person in the church of Jesus Christ or are they forever stigmatized by the most painful experience of his or her life? Can God use a person who served time in prison to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in the church of Jesus Christ or are they forever marginalized by the most painful experiences of his or her life? The examples can be as mundane or as heartbreaking as needed to make the point, but the heart of the issue remains: in the New Covenant, does God remove His gifts and callings from a person? Does God remove His Spirit from those He has chosen? I stand before you today and say, No! Absolutely not! Listen now to Paul’s argument about how the church is grafted into Israel, not a replacement of, in Romans 11:1-6, 25-35:

I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. … For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! [emphasis added]

Samson’s transforming story of faith foreshadows the irrevocable grace of God upon a person’s life. As we have already learned, Samson was chosen, stirred, directed, and empowered by God to fulfill the very purpose for which God chose him – “he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” Here’s the man point of this entire sermon: Samson is not an example of how to act but an example of God’s scandalous grace! He is not a hero to emulate, but a real person in real history with real faith that God used to bring about His plans. His life is in the hall of faith because Samson shows us the power of God’s faith, bestowed on His children so that we would walk in His ways, bringing about His purposes for His glory. Therefore, let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

There is an interesting literary difference in Samson’s story as compared to other stories in the book of Judges. In Judges 15:20, we read what is usually the concluding statement of one of the judge’s lives, “So he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.” What you would expect to be the end of Samson’s story is not; in fact, what comes next is another chapter with big finish of Samson’s story in which we see Samson at his downright worst behavior – an absolute scoundrel, but also, by God’s grace alone, the greatest victory of Samson’s life. Judges 16:28-31 narrates the captivating conclusion of Samson’s life:

Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down, took him, brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. Thus he had judged Israel twenty years.

Interestingly, it was God’s providence that placed Samson in a position to have such a great victory while in such a weakened state. Pointedly, for a man committed to be a Nazarite, this is only the second time we see Samson praying to God; the first was when he was about to die from thirst and the second is when his eyes were gouged out, head shaved with a little peach fuzz growing back, in captivity to the Philistines. Yet, in the most desperate moment of Samson’s life, he pulls of an amazing display of strength and courage. Yet in doing so, the normal equation of Samson’s feats of strength is blatantly missing from this pericope: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily.” It’s so obviously omitted that there must be a reason!

In Hebrew 11:34, there are some descriptive statements made that can be applied to Samson’s transforming story of faith: “escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” There is one that I want to highlight to you today – “from weakness were made strong.” I believe this captures the heart of why Samson is listed in Hebrews 11, a chapter that should never again be called the heroes of the faith, but rather the triumphs of faith in God’s people, just like the book of Acts should not be called the Acts of the Apostles, but rather the Acts of the Holy Spirit. The emphasis should never be on a person, but on God! It’s God’s power; He is the operative agent of our faith – it’s all grace, the gift of God! And, as we’ve learned, God doesn’t revoke His gifts or callings. God’s grace perseveres in a person, transforming them into the very person God chose them to be, just as Jesus promised His disciples in Mark 1:17, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Paul, believing this, prayed from a place of weakness in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

As described of Samson in Hebrews 11, Paul described of himself when struggling with the realities of living in his flesh while answering God’s call of faith – “for when I am weak, then I am strong.” One of the greatest threats to the gospel of Jesus Christ is when people strive to be strong in their own flesh, based on their own merits, convinced of their own righteousness. This only leads to legalism and moralism, distortions of the gospel. There is only one kind of life that will bring down the house for the glory of God, producing a harvest of praise; that is the life of faith that calls you to be weak. I join you to embrace the example of Jesus Christ, by joining with Paul in saying Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” This is the way of the cross!

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

~ Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 20:25-28

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Invites Partnership!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Barak, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Barak’s story is found in Judges 4-5. What is it about this story that put Barak in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Barak was a general and not the judge of Israel; Deborah was the judge, and she summoned Barak to the place she ruled over Israel. Listen to how Barak is introduced and his first recorded exchange with Deborah in Judges 4:6-10:

Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’ ” Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him.

This story has been used in many controversial ways over the years, but the emphasis of the story is simple – the Judge of Israel, Deborah a prophetess, commanded her general to go into battle based on the word of the Lord given to her. Barak wanted the prophetess of God to be with him as he led the army. This possibly could have been to ensure that the one receiving the word of the Lord was there to give timely words (as she does!), and maybe even to ensure that she was not giving a false prophecy. Because while you may or may not remember that the penalty for giving a false word was death, according to Deuteronomy 18:20, the reality of leading a military operation with bad intel is also death. In this case, if she was giving a false word, it would mean the death of Barak and his army. I don’t see any evidence that Barak was abdicating his responsibilities to Deborah. The text makes it clear that he still did everything that was expected of him as the general, Deborah just traveled with them. Her going showed her confidence in God and that she had received a word from Him. In my book, gold stars to both of them!

The fact that Deborah was a woman leading Israel has caused some stir in how this story has been used, but let’s not use this story for our own agendas, let’s just tell it as it is – Barak wanted his leader to go with him, especially since she was a prophetess. Interestingly, for people who have not yet read the rest of this story, it is commonly misunderstood that Deborah was saying that she would get the honor instead of Barak, but that is not what she was saying at all. Since she has been shown by God what would happen, she let Barak know that he would not get the honor. I don’t think this was a struggle between a man and a woman for power or authority. This was a general pulling together all his resources to ensure the victory, and what I find most appealing about Barak was that he cared more about the well-being of his army and its victory in battle, than about who got the honor.

Barak was a man of God who submitted to the authority over him, cared about the people entrusted to him, and didn’t care who receive the credit for accomplishing the mission. Imagine what God would do through His people if none of us cared about who got the credit, as long as God received all the glory! Let’s take the next step to learn how we can become this type of people!

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Through Barak’s partnership with Deborah, God won the victory, and Israel experienced forty years of rest. But, as the continuation of the story teaches us, it was neither Barak, nor Deborah, who received the honor for this great victory, but, rather, the woman Jael. They each had a part to play, and we see this clearly in Judges 4:

I’m not sure if you caught some of the nuances of this story, but the summary statement says it all, from Judges 4:23-24, “So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. The hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan.” To mature into a fruit-bearing plant that reaps a harvest of praise to the glory of God, you must learn that it is God who gives the victory and it is God who brings together His people to do what must be done – whether we see this through the lens of military language, athletic imagery, farming, or family, God has established us as one body for His glory! Let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

God intends for us to work together as many members of one body. This is emphasized by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14, Ephesians 4:11-16; and in Roman 12:4-8. The latter passage captures some of the heart of Barak and Deborah’s partnership:

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

I read Judges 4-5 as a faith story, describing a man and woman of God learning how to work together within God’s call to serve Israel with their gifts and talents. As they grew in the faith that invites partnership, they sang a beautiful duet together. Do you have a favorite duet? Maybe when Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond came together to sing, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” or Faith Hill and Tony Bennett when they sang, “The Way You Look Tonight.” There is something magical about a beautiful duet – when it is done properly the gifts of both complement one another and they are better together.[1]

The story of Deborah and Barak is told twice – Judges 4 tells the story in prose and Judges 5 shares it as poetry, in the form of a duet. Judges 5:1-3 introduces, then begins, their beautiful song, “Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, ‘That the leaders led in Israel, that the people volunteered, bless the LORD! Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I – to the LORD, I will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.’” [emphasis added] This is a rare discovery, because the next closest thing to a duet in the Bible was the Song of Miriam (Exodus 15:20-21), which immediately followed the Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1-19). Even more than Moses and Miriam, who songs are recorded separately, Deborah and Barak sang, as one, of their victory, and they gave God all the glory! Just as foretold, the song gave honor to a woman for the victory, as Judges 5:24 declared of the heroine, “Most blessed of women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; most blessed is she of women in the tent.” Not Deborah or Barak! But, as you listen to their song, they are giving honor to many; they not only honor the champion, but the many from the tribes who fought, whether volunteer or commander.

That leads us to the closing point of today’s teaching on the transforming story of Barak’s faith. When we live by faith, realizing that we are in this together, then it doesn’t matter who gets the credit or is honored, but that God gets all the glory! As the church of Jesus Christ, we are the body of Christ, and we must bring all that we have together to fulfill the mission and bring glory to God. Paul taught this in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27:

For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Takes God at His Word!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Gideon, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Gideon’s story is found in Judges 6-8. What is it about this story that put Gideon in the hall of faith? In my Seize the Moment devotional on Judges 8, I posed this question, “Gideon will always be remembered as one of the heroes of faith for his military victories, as seen in Hebrews 11:32, but what should we emulate from his life?”[1] Let us pray for God to cultivate the soil of our hearts and minds, and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Gideon’s story proclaims the gospel of grace in a beautiful way, and pointedly not because of Gideon himself – his is a God-story, and maybe that’s the point! It is almost as if Paul was thinking of the book of Judges when he explained how God called people according to the power of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 1:21-31:

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Today’s story of Gideon’s transforming faith builds off what we learned from Rahab last week: God chooses people on purpose! It doesn’t matter your past or present, or what other people think about you, or even what you think about yourself; when God calls, He has plans to do good works through you, just as Ephesians 2:8-10 makes clear, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Let’s look at the story of Gideon’s call to illustrate this and then we’ll move on to see how God used Him for His glory. Gideon is introduced to us and called by God in Judges 6:11-16:

Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” He said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” But the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”

Obviously, God had more faith in Gideon than Gideon had in either God or himself! Today’s lesson is about learning to trust God’s Word. Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed can grow into a faith that takes God at His Word. With Gideon, as we will see, it’s a process!

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Gideon in not my hero even though he was included in the Hebrews 11 hall of faith. There are a couple men listed that I will be teaching you about who I consider counterexamples, rather than models of the faith. But I would not be considered a very good example either if all my personal times with God were recorded on paper and my doubts, fears, and bad decisions were highlighted for all to see. So, like we just learned, I choose to take God at His Word, submitting to Him and His choosing of us – aren’t we a happy family of ragamuffins… God is far more gracious and forgiving than I am, as I wouldn’t choose me, just like Gideon tried to opt out of God’s calling. I can tell you many ways that I consider myself disqualified, and that led to me delaying in answering God’s call on my life to be a pastor for five years.  

But God! Watch Gideon continue to carry on with God in Judges 6:17, “So Gideon said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me.’” God responded to his request, Gideon worshipped Him, and then obeyed the Word of the Lord and faithfully accomplished God’s will (18-25). Gideon was faithful, and you think he would have learned his lesson to take God at His Word with this amazing victory. Unfortunately, he had more to learn, as we all do; it’s a process! Gideon carried on with God again, in what has probably become one of the most misapplied stories in the Bible, from Judges 6:36-40:

Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.” And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.

First off, can I just say thank you God for persevering with us in our moments of unbelief! How many times does God have to demonstrate His faithfulness to us until we get it and just trust Him enough to take Him at His Word? Secondly, can I ask that we stop normalizing Gideon’s testing of God by joining him in our metaphorical putting out of fleeces. Just because Gideon did it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. I don’t see us casting lots to choose our next pastor (ref. Acts 1:26). There are some things we find in the Bible that are descriptive of what happened, not prescriptive for what should happen. We need to learn the difference.

We are to grow in the kind of faith that takes God at His Word, which obeys Him so that we can say with Jesus, who testified of His own life in John 17:4, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” Let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Ultimately, because God is faithful, Gideon’s life reaped a harvest of praise to the glory of God for two primary reasons, and this is what I want us to learn from him and emulate:

The peace that Gideon won both militarily and politically, as God’s chosen judge, lasted until his death, but then the people turned back to idol worship, as Judges 8:33-35 describes:

Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel.

The cycle of the period of Judges continued, as the people of God entered a period of disobedience, rebellion, and oppression. It doesn’t need to be this way for the church of Jesus Christ. Every judge of Israel followed God in imperfect ways, but how is that different from us? Gideon was slow to trust God, but ultimately, every victory that He had was because He took God at His Word. Every pastor, just like every leader you look to, or try to be yourself, will be imperfect. We must learn from Gideon’s story and realize he is not in the hall of faith because he was perfect, but for his faith that led him to act upon the Word of the Lord.

We have a king, the rightful King of kings, who has established us as rightful citizens of His Kingdom. He has won us the victory over sin and death, giving us everything we need to experience His victory if only we have a faith that takes Him at His Word; we, too, must act upon the Word of the Lord. Jesus Christ speaks to you today from John 14:11-15, 21, and 23:

Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. … He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him. … If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Saves the Day!

Hebrews 11:31 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Rahab, found in Hebrews 11:31, “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.” This ancient story of Jericho is found in Joshua 2-6. Rahab’s specific part to play, when “she had welcomed the spies in peace” is found in Joshua 2, and when she “did not perish along with those who were disobedient” is found in Joshua 6. While we will walk through her faithfulness, as described in Joshua 2 later, allow me to read to you the reward of her faithfulness from Joshua 6:22-25:

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her.” So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel. They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

What is it about this story that put “Rahab the harlot” in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Joshua 2 explains the answer to that big question. Joshua sent two men to spy on Jericho in preparation for the military conquest of the Promised Land. They ended up in Rahab’s house, verse 1 explicitly states, “So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.” [emphasis added] There is a lot of discussion around this point, whether it was a brothel or a hostel.^[1] Regardless, the king of Jericho, having found out where they were and why they were in Jericho, sent men to capture the spies of Israel (2-3). Rahab deceived to the king’s servants, protecting the spies from capture and certain death (4-7), giving the spies her reasoning in verses 9-13:

I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.

The spies promised to do as she said in return for her help, escaping safely back to Joshua (14-22). The rest is history as we already read in Joshua 6:22-25, and as proclaimed in today’s story from Hebrews 11:31. I want to emphasize how Rahab’s proclamation of faith and actions brought faith and hope to the people of God, from Joshua 2:23-24:

Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, “Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.”

Rahab took a great personal risk to protect the spies because she feared the Lord. As we see repeatedly in the wisdom literature of the Bible, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). God prolonged the days of Rahab’s life, and that of her family and friends, because of her confession of faith. Her actions were motivated by faith, justifying her inclusion into the people of God. Rahab is in the hall of faith because she was the first gentile convert – a type (or foreshadowing) of that which was to come, which is us – the church of Jesus Christ from all nations! Rahab’s family was the first to experience the promise of God to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you … and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed of faith, which can be planted into others through our faithfulness to act according to our own faith and convictions, growing into a faith that saves the day.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Rahab’s salvation from the destruction of Jericho caused by the wrath of God illuminates for us today the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul taught us in the Romans Road to Salvation, four key passages that teach us the simple gospel message:

You, too, can have a faith that saves the day by seizing the moment and living out the redemption story of faith passed to you. I conclude with this invitation from Richard Hess, “The story of Rahab confirms God’s welcome to all people, whatever their condition. Christ died for all the world and the opportunity is available for all to come to him through faith, even the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).”^[4] What is in your past that you feel disqualifies you from being a member of the body of Christ, the household of God? What is in your present that you feel disqualifies you from coming forward today to receive mercy and grace? Today is the day of salvation! Respond to the words of Paul from 1 Timothy 1:15-17:

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] “In his retelling of the biblical story, Josephus portrays Rahab as an innkeeper. He might have chosen an alternate interpretation of the Hebrew term זנה (znh), which is most frequently translated as “prostitute” or “harlot.” On the other hand, he may have deliberately glossed over the issue of her profession (Antiquities 5.6–30). In either case, her “house” may indeed have functioned as an inn (Hess, Joshua, [92]). In comparison, the Septuagint and the authors of Hebrews and James all use the Greek word πόρνη (pornē, “prostitute”)” (Scott R. Moore, “Rahab the Prostitute,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary [Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016]).

[2] Richard S. Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 88.

[3] Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 148.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Toots God’s Horn!

Hebrews 11:30 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Joshua, found in Hebrews 11:30, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” This ancient story of Jericho is found in Joshua 6. Here are highlights from verses 1-5, 16, 19, 27:

Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.” … At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city.” … So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city. … So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

What is it about this story that put Joshua in the hall of faith? To answer that question, we need to look at the next action step.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Joshua’s life was formed during Moses’ formidable years. In other words, Joshua’s transforming story started because he experienced the fruit of Moses’ formidable faith, and the good seed was put into his heart and mind because of Moses’ faithfulness to God. We see here the importance of multiplying yourself, as 2 Timothy 2:2 teaches, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Then, after Moses died, we watch Joshua called forth to succeed the man of God in Joshua 1:1-9:

Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

People presume that God commanded Joshua to “be strong and courageous” because of the long military campaign ahead, starting with Jericho, and while that is true, the only real danger Joshua faced was the people’s rebellion against God and their not following the Law as given to them by Moses in the Pentateuch. Joshua’s primary duty and greatest challenge was leading the people spiritually. Without obedience to God, there could be no military victory, nor rest in the land, as God made clear in Joshua 1:13-18:

“Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’ Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them, until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.” They answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.”

The reality we are going to learn today is that God’s people don’t need a hero, they need a spiritual leader. That truth will be borne out time and time again in the history of Israel, especially once the people get judges then kings. God is the only hero the people of God will ever need, but we have this sinful, incessant desire to make heroes out of people who then afflict us. To learn this, Joshua had to mature as a man of God in his leadership calling.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Whereas heroes toot their own horns, and we happily grant them celebrity notoriety so that we can worship them like the idol worshippers we are, spiritual leaders toot God’s horn and point the people to their fundamental need to worship the only One worthy of our worship – God!

In today’s story about the famous battle of Jericho, Joshua exemplified the call of a true spiritual leader, who proved that his highest calling was to be strong and courageous, meditating upon God’s Word so that he would obey and be successful. Joshua received the battle plan from the “captain of the host of the Lord” in Joshua 5:13-15:

Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua, like the Centurion and how he submitted to Jesus in Matthew 8:5-13, executed the plan given to Him with great faith, even though it was an unusual plan. As a former military officer, sI want you to realize what a big moment this was for Joshua – God’s plan would have been unlike anything Joshua had ever seen or heard. God directed him in Joshua 6:3-5 to lead the army to walk around the city wall of Jericho for seven days, once per day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. Upon completion of which the priests were to blow seven trumpets and the people were to shout out with a great shout. Then the wall of the city would fall flat.

I can only imagine how Joshua, an experienced military leader, could think of all the reasons this plan would not work. If this was Joshua’s burning bush moment, wouldn’t he second guess and argue against every point of God’s plan, just like Moses had done in Exodus 3:10-4:13? But he doesn’t – he had learned through his experiences as Moses’ second-in-command and as his time as a spy of the Land of Canaan to trust God to do the impossible! Joshua 6:6-7 describes how Joshua executed the Word of God without question:

So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” Then he said to the people, “Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the Lord.”

The battle for Jericho was a decisive victory that brought great glory to God. All because Joshua believed God and acted with absolute trust in God’s Word. This is the only way a leader will mature; not by seeking to be a hero for the people, but by pointing the people to the only hero they will ever need – God! Oh, how far the nation of Israel would fall, and how far we fall today when we refuse to trust God by obeying His Word in our own lives. That bring us to the last action point.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Joshua’ life reaped a harvest of praise – he successfully tooted God’s horn! But God’s people did not walk in the way of Joshua, he had no successor, and after the elders of Joshua, the people entered into tumultuous years of the Judges. There is a warning with a call to action built into Joshua’s life, and we only need to look at the Battle of Ai, found in Joshua 7 to realize what it is.

Joshua 7 is a sad story that starts with the startling defeat of the army of Israel at Ai. There was no military reason for their defeat, especially after the amazing victory at Jericho. The defeat was a spiritual one. In response to this unexpected defeat, Joshua’s charge from God was to lead the people in repentance so that he would once again lead them in God’s victory. Joshua led the people back to God in verse 13:

Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, ‘There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.’”

As we learn from reading Joshua 7, the defeat was caused by the sin of Achan, who coveted after the spoils of war and greedily hid in his tent that which God forbade (16-26). What Achan thought would go unnoticed and had justified in his mind and heart to help his family survive, led to great devastation to the community of God, causing a major defeat in the Battle of Ai. That is the startling revelation that each of must ponder about Joshua’s life and his call to leadership of God’s people. The victory comes as each of us learn to submit to God’s Word, just as Joshua was commanded in Joshua 1:8. The calling of Joshua, and every spiritual leader to this day, is to toot God’s horn, emphasizing the importance of meditating upon God’s Word, day and night, teaching God’s people to listen and obey so that they may enter God’s rest. This is as emphasized in the New Testament, in Hebrews 4:8-12:

For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

We must not follow the example of disobedience. Instead, we must surrender ourselves holy and wholeheartedly to God’s commands as given to us through the Word of God. Consecrate yourself to God and dedicate your heart and mind to Him. At the end of his life, Joshua called the people to decide who they will serve; I join my voice to Joshua 24:14-15:

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Brothers and sisters, you don’t need me or any person to be a hero to save the day for you! Jesus Christ has already done that for you – we have a Savior! Today, and every day until He returns, you need to respond to the invitation of Jesus Christ from Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” This is what we learn from Joshua’s life – a life of absolute surrender to God! A life that abides in the vine bears good fruit – a harvest of praise to God!

You can watch the video of this message by clicking HERE.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Humbles You!

Hebrews 11:23-29 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Moses, found in Hebrews 11:23-29:

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

This is the Word of God; let us pray: God, we invite you to cultivate the soil of our hearts with faith to receive the good seed of Your Word! May Your grace work in us and through us so that our stories point to Your story and reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

The first forty years of Moses’ life are that of legends – Moses’ foundational years! This part of Moses’ story, highlighted in Hebrews 11:23-27, is told in Exodus 2:1-15:

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.” Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” But he said, “Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.” When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

The seed of faith was put into Moses, but in his first forty years, a time of privilege and prestige for Moses, he did not know how to wield the power of his position to do good – to protect his people, the Israelites (the Hebrews), so in his haste to do so, he killed an Egyptian man and fled from the wrath of his adoptive father, a man who had ordered his death once before in Exodus 1:15-22.

God’s grace was given to the people of Israel in the man of Moses, but Moses’ foundational years did not prepare him properly to be a man God could use for His purposes. He fled Egypt, according to our passage in Hebrew 11:23-27, because God had to take him to a place where He could care for Moses and bring him to maturity. It was in the next forty years of his life that the faith of Moses was formed so that he was a man God could use for His glory.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

The second forty years of Moses’ life were the most important – Moses’ formative years! This part of his story is not mentioned in Hebrews 11, it is found between Hebrews 11:27 & 28. This period begins in Exodus 2:16-22, where Moses is taken in by Jethro the priest of Midian, who takes him in to his household; Moses marries Zipporah, one of his daughters, starts his family (they have two sons), and he serves Jethro as a shepherd. In exile, Moses goes from being an exalted prince of Egypt to a humbled shepherd, an occupation despised by the Egyptians. This forty-year period is summarized in Exodus 3:1, “Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro,” but by the end of these formative years something is about to happen, as indicated in the verses in Exodus 2:23-25:

Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

Moses was put into exile at the age of 40, having escaped the wrath of his adopted father, the king of Egypt, until the day of his Pharaoh’s death, around the time Moses would have been 80. There is an appointed time for everything, and we must remember a very important lesson as the people of faith: God is always doing more than we can see or imagine! God is doing a larger work in the nations and through His people. You are a part of that, but you are not the center of it – God is the main character of our story; it’s His story that is being told through our stories! We must be formed into the kind of people He can use.

God’s people were in Egypt for 400 years, but it was in these 40 years of Moses’ exile that God set the conditions for the Exodus. It was during his years as Jethro’s shepherd that Moses became a humbled man, broken and contrite, the kind of person God could use. You see, Jethro the priest of Midian, turned his countenance toward Moses, which means he took him in as a his own, protected him, and gave him a new family. A family of security, hard work, and commitment to the community. At just the right time, when both the conditions were set and Moses was formed into a man God could use and trust, God called Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-4:18) to enter the third phase of his life – the formidable years!  

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

The final forty years of Moses’ life tell the most famous story ever told – Moses’ formidable years! This part of Moses’ story was highlighted in Hebrews 11:28-29, and it began after his burning bush experience with God and didn’t conclude until his death forty years later, after accomplishing all that God had set for him to do – to rescue and deliver His chosen people from slavery, defeating the most powerful military in the world and leading them to the Promised Land.

Interestingly, all three periods of Moses’ life, each of which were forty years long, ended with a reference to Moses’ relationship with the father-figure who defined each of these three distinct seasons of his life:

We remember Moses because of his epic birth story, the kind of backstory that we give our heroes. We remember Moses because of his supernatural call narrative, the kind of experience we give those who are called to do formidable tasks for God. We remember Moses because of the Exodus, his victory over the Egyptian military machine, and all of his awesome deeds as a leader of a newly formed nation that was constantly grumbling and rebelling against him and their God.

We don’t remember Moses for being a faithful shepherd, husband, and father, but I believe the forty years he was defined by these relationships and responsibilities that he was shaped into the man of God who did everything else we do talk about. The forty years that didn’t make it into Hebrews 11 are the years that forged the character of Moses from being a pampered prince to being a formidable prophet! Often, the most important parts of our stories are found in the in-between times (the liminal space), for Moses that was the forty years as a shepherd serving his father-in-law. Forty years is a long stretch of time in a person’s life, especially when it comes in what is supposed to be your most productive years of life, but this is where Moses was forged into a humble man that God could use, knowing that Moses would not take the credit for it or hijack it for his own purposes. Moses wasn’t ready to reap a harvest of praise with his life until God nurtured him through his forty years of exile. This was an essential experience for Moses; otherwise, how would Moses have known why God caused His people to wander in the desert for their own forty years of formation to enter the formidable season of conquest under Joshua’s leadership.

Oftentimes, God forges our character through the circumstances of our lives, just as we learned from the story of Joseph. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds, forged in the crucible of life circumstances before we are able to reap a harvest of praise to God! As Jesus said in John 12:24-26:

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

I conclude with this thought about Moses and Jesus: both are described as humble! Numbers 12:3 is a parenthetic statement about Moses, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.” Moses had a faith that humbled him, so that he would be the formidable man of God who stood against the most powerful man in the world and led his people to freedom after four hundred years under Egyptian rule. Jesus described Himself in Matthew 11:29 as “gentle and humble in heart.” Jesus was the second Moses, who stood against all the forces of evil, defeated sin and death, and leads His people to freedom!

You can watch the video by clicking HERE.

The Fullness of the Blessings of the Gospel

I want to encourage you to be still and know that He is God.  When we receive the Gospel, we receive a life changing power within us.  That power begins to change us from the inside out.  We sing songs of praise, and we sing of the blessings God gives us.  Please know when we leave this place God allows us to live in the fullness of His blessings.  We don’t need to leave the blessings here.  We live in those blessings out there!

But out there, we get so caught up in the things of this world, politics, inflation, high prices, wars, civil unrest, LGBTQ++ issues in schools and at work, unrest with neighbors, friends, family the list goes on and on with all the things that distract us from the blessings of Christ.

The Gospel is God’s agent, it is His power.  Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”   The Gospel is that which contains the purpose for your life.  It is filled with His blessing.  Just like Jesus came full of grace and truth, the Gospel comes with that, and it comes with the abundant grace of God.  In the Gospel we have everything we need.

In John 10:10 Jesus says, “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”  My encouragement for us today is to focus on all we have in the Gospel. Let’s live in His abundance!  Let’s live in the blessings He freely and generously gives us!

Now the blessings I am talking about here come from the inside out.  These blessings come from believing and trusting in Jesus. 

When you do, you can know you’re a child of God, bought with a price, living in His grace and mercy.  The blessings I want to focus our attention on are found IN HIM, in a personal relationship with Jesus.  These blessings are not found anywhere else.  But the good news here is if you have that personal relationship with Jesus, you have all these blessings already.  You can walk in them with confidence because of what Jesus has already done!  Trust Him!

So let me ask a few questions to help you clarify your true understanding of what you have inside you (IF you know Jesus to be the payment for your sin) or what you CAN have today if you decide to trust Jesus as your payment today.

How do you see yourself?  Prov 23:7, “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.”  Do you see yourself as a person who has it all together?  Someone who has no need of God because you can handle anything life throws at you. 

Do you see yourself as a person who is so dirty and worthless that not even God can save you out of the pit, you’re in?

Both views are dead wrong!

God loves you as you are

Rom 8:38, 39: 1 Jn 4:9; 2 Thes 3:5.  Jesus is your sacrifice your complete payment

How do you evaluate your circumstances?  Are your circumstances all bigger than you?  Do you feel like there’s no way out?  Does it feel like the circumstances are bigger than God?

If we have those attitudes, we will not see the blessings that are staring us in the face because the blessing begins on the inside.  The blessing is released from the inside.  We get distracted and our faith waivers.  The fulness of the blessing of the Gospel starts and ends with faith.

Jerry has been using the example of a farmer in his sermon series.  Here is the seed of the Gospel being planted and it is planted only by faith.

The Gospel is a seed within us.

(To be incorruptible means not subject to death or decay it is eternal.)

The fullness in the Gospel of God carries all the life of God; it carries all the blessings of God; it carries all the promises of God.  Everything God wants for you came in a seed.  That seed is wanting to be released, but if we don’t live from that, if we don’t live from our spiritually renewed nature, if we live from our emotions and allow our own selfishness to rule, then we will miss out on the fullness of the blessings of the Gospel of God.  We miss out because we stop walking in faith and start looking at all the things around us for answers.

What I am encouraging you to do today is to allow this revelation, that we live in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel, to take over in your heart.  I want to encourage you to truly realize the goodness of God and the fulness of His blessing. Realize your true new nature in Christ.  When you do, you will begin to think differently, you will speak differently, and you will act differently.  The blessing that is within you will come out in how you live your life.

So, what is the Gospel?  Michael Rydelnik, the Professor of Jewish Studies at Moody, defines the Gospel in 25 words.  He says,

“The wrong things we do separate us from God. Messiah Jesus died, taking our punishment, and rose again proving He is God.  Trust in Him.”

It is the good news of God’s love for you. Rom 8:38, 39; 1 Jn 4:9; 2 Thes 3:5

It is the good news of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice for you. Mk 10:45; Heb 10:12

It is the good news of the promise of the Spirit.  You have the very Spirit of God living inside you!  That Spirit is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.  Rom 5:5; 8:9; 8:11; 2 Tim 1:14; 1 Cor 6:19;

It is the good news that you are reconciled to God. 2 Cor 5:18-20; Col 1:20, 22; Rom 5:10, 11

It is the good news that you are seated with God in heavenly places.  You sit with Christ because Jesus took our place on the cross, thus we are in Him.  Eph 2:6; Rev 20:4

It is the good news of an abundant life full of strength, not your strength but His strength in you. Eph 1:19, 3:16, 6:10; Col 1:11

It is the good news of the Gospel of peace.  You can be involved in all kinds of turmoil around you but walk in the peace that passes understanding. Prov 3:5, 6; Mark 9:50; Rom 12:18; 2 Cor 13:11; 1 Thes 5:13

It is the Gospel of joy – the joy of the Lord is your strength.  Walking in joy is where blessings begin. Ex 15:2; Psalm 21:1, 118:14,

It is the Gospel of walking in faith. Seeing the unseen and knowing that God is good enough to supply what you need.  Heb 11:1

It is the Gospel of righteousness.  There is nothing more powerful than understanding your right standing with God.  Understand you are made righteous!  You don’t have to feel guilty; you don’t have to walk in condemnation, you don’t need to feel unworthy.  Jesus has made you free from guilt, free from condemnation.  You are worthy when you are in Him.  That is the Gospel!   Rom 5:19; Gal 3:11

God wants you to realize these things are all part of the Gospel.  Understand these things deep within your spirit, not just intellectually.  Allow the blessings of the fullness of the Gospel into your life and let it change you from the inside out.

It is a Gospel of vision, a Gospel of purpose, a Gospel of freedom from fear.  No one needs to be living in fear.  No one needs to worry.  They are contrary to faith and anti-Gospel.  Living in the fullness of the Gospel gives no place to worry, fear, anxiety, depression or oh my what am I going to do?

You don’t need to live in a fallen state!

You have the ability in Christ to live in peace, live in the joy of the Lord.  You have the fullness of the Gospel within you and that Gospel will impact your circumstances.  It may not change what goes on in Washington, but it will change you personally.  It will change what goes on in your house, within your sphere of influence.  If you walk around with this blessing on the inside, it can’t help touching the circumstances and the people around you. 

Let’s look at what David said in

Psalm 103:2, “Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits.”

 It does not say benefit.  It says all His benefits.  It is plural.  It looks like there are more than two.  David doesn’t say both His benefits, he says all His benefits.   It goes on to talk about forgiveness of sin and healing.  David is looking ahead to what we are experiencing. 

Let’s look at what Paul had to say in

Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Later in the chapter he says we are accepted in Christ.  The Gospel has blessed us with everything.  You get to experience all this the through the grace of God…

Here is a great definition of grace –

Definition of Grace: God’s abundant provision for every need you have, spirit, soul, and body.  

There is nothing lacking.  Nothing was left off of the cross.  Everything that Adam’s sin unleashed, has been restored and then some through the blessing of the Gospel.

So, Paul says we have been blessed with every blessing in heavenly places.  By faith you receive the blessings of God.  They are where moth and rust cannot corrupt.  Those blessings are yours now.

What does Peter say?  Look at

 1 Peter 3:9, “Knowing that you were called to this that you may inherit a blessing.” 

If you were to find out that a rich Uncle, who had you in his will you would be excited about that.  You would be anticipating that inheritance.  You have something far greater than a rich Uncle!  You have an inheritance, a blessing, Peter says.

Do you need peace?  Does anyone have circumstances that are complicated?  Do you want peace that passes understanding?  Do you want joy unspeakable, full of glory?  Do you want the wisdom of God and to know what to do? 

All of that is your inheritance!  That is the blessing of the Gospel that came to you in seed form and is basically waiting on you to accept that fact and to walk by faith in the fullness of the Gospel.  This will change your life and the lives of those around you.  This is powerful!  It begins when we choose to believe it.  When you choose to believe that God is for you and not against you.  Believe that He will bless you and He will multiply you.  Believe God is giving to you pressed down and running over.

Yes, Lord I believe that.  This faith changes the way you think!  When you trust in Jesus it will change the way you speak.  Choose to believe God’s Word at face value. 

The Gospel is about a transformed life.  You became a new creation through the incorruptible seed of the Gospel.  You became something that never existed before.  You were spiritually separated from God, and you have been plugged back into God.  You are one spirit with Him.  You have a new life, a new creation life.

The Gospel is about being free from guilt and condemnation.

Please realize you do not need to live under a cloud of guilt!  You have been released.  You are free.  You have victory.  Let go of feeling unworthy.  That is not living in the blessing of the Gospel.  Jesus died on the cross to set you free from guilt and condemnation. “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…”  Live in the joy of the Lord and in the presence of God in your life.

The Gospel is about loving as we have been loved.

The Gospel is about abounding in grace for every good work.

There are situations around you that God has placed you in and given you the grace to bring healing, to bring solutions, to bring wisdom, to bring help in time of need for the people around you, depending on what the circumstances may be, there is grace for that.  Please realize God has placed you there and given you the grace needed for such a time as this.  Be bold and get involved.  Allow the blessing of the fullness of the Gospel to flow through you!  You have the gifts that others desperately need.  You are the only answer, in some cases, to people’s trauma or need.  That is the power of the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel in you.  Realize that power, agree with it, allow God to bless others through you and your giftedness.  Let the blessing out.

The Gospel is about joy and peace.

Others will notice when you are walking in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel because they can see you responding to situations with grace and peace and having joy from within that is not touched by the circumstances around you.  That doesn’t mean you are always laughing but you are not overwhelmed by negative things around you.  You have the joy of the Lord and can minister from His strength in you.

Are you beginning to realize the power of this Gospel? Romans says it is the power of God.

The Gospel is about ceasing from your own works to earn salvation.

You can just give up trying to earn right standing with God.  You cannot do anything to make God love you more and you cannot do anything that will cause God to love you less.  That was all dealt with on the cross.  You cannot earn anything from God.  You can do something.  You can believe and receive what He has already done and what He has already given.

2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God are in Him, yes and amen to the glory of God through us.” 

All the promises of God reveal God’s heart for His people.  All the promises in Him are yes and amen to the glory of God through us.  Through us!  Believe God is that good and He wants to bless your life.  You get to bless others!  God’s grace and His blessings are yes.  We cannot keep this good news to ourselves!  We get to tell His story!

If your life needs a major overhaul God is the one who wants to do it!   God is the one who has grace for it to happen.  God is the one who gave all these promises to begin with so we would have a place to go and a resource, so say, “Father, show me… “   Where will you find the promise?  Not on TV.  Only in the Word of God.  That is where you will find your inheritance.

If I told you I hid a pot of gold in your back yard, would you invest in a shovel?  Would you invest some time digging around to find it?  You have a treasure in the Word of God.  He tells us about all the promises.  That is your inheritance that is the blessing of the fullness of the Gospel that is available to you.  How much is it worth to you?  Go after it!

Eph 3:20, “To Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.” 

There it is again – in us.  God wants to do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask or think.

So, the blessing of the Gospel is even bigger than we can comprehend, more than we can understand with our finite minds.  But it is according to the power that works in us, so what is the power that works in you and me?  Well in the scope of all the things we could talk about, it is, first of all, you agree that God wants you to have these blessings.  God is good and He wants to bless His children!

But you say, I have too many things that have gone wrong in my life, too many hardships.  It is hard for me to believe God has given me all these blessings, I can accept some of them but in my experience God does not or has not supplied.

Here is what I want to encourage you to do.  Stop judging the Gospel through the lens of your experience.  Look at and judge your experience through the lens of the Gospel. Stop allowing the experience to be your god.  If you or someone you know is saying that didn’t work for me or that didn’t work for Aunt Mable and that IF it didn’t work for this person, nothing works.  Well, if that’s the case then God’s a liar and we may as well pack up and go home. 

But God is not a liar!!  His Word is true.  I encourage you to look at your experience through the lens of the blessings of the Gospel, knowing the Word of God is true.  I encourage you to stop exalting your experience above what the Word says.  Look at your experience through the magnifying glass of the Word.

Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare is own Son, but delivered Him up for us all how shall He not with him also freely give us all things.” 

All things.  If God gave you Jesus, why in the world would He withhold anything else?  Why would He withhold any of His blessings?  His victory?  He has given you His name, His blood, His Spirit.  He has given you His covenant, He has given you His promises, His armor, His authority.  He has given you the sword of the Word, the keys of the Kingdom.  He has given us the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel.  When we accept Jesus as Savior and when we are born again, we get the whole package!  Just think about that… If God gives us Jesus, why in the world would He withhold anything else?

The reality is God is not withholding anything.  What’s happening is we are choosing to be fearful.  Choosing to worry, choosing to doubt, choosing to feed our flesh with garbage.  Choosing to do all those things means you are not choosing God and it is for that reason the blessings are being withheld.  

Blessings come through faith and trust that Jesus is Who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.  This is faith in the Gospel.   I encourage you to get back to believing that you are the righteousness of Christ.  He will reward you as you diligently seek Him.

James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” 

What that means is God does not change.  God is not fickle.  He doesn’t make up one set of rules for some and another set for someone else.  There is no shadow of turning – there is no variation in God.  Every good gift, every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation. 

God is good.  Taste and see that the Lord is good.  All this power, all this blessing of the Gospel comes from the inside.  Please understand that God is good, God is for you, God’s mercies are new every morning.  God has given you His promises, His name, His Spirit, His covenant His Word and on and on.  God has given all of this because He wants you to be blessed.  He delights in your blessing.  As a parent and a grandparent I delight in seeing my children and grandchildren blessed.  I don’t want to see them suffering. God is a much better parent than I am!  He wants to see me blessed.  He wants to see you blessed. 

All this begins with our heart becoming convinced.  First thing you must be convinced in is that Jesus is the Son of God and that His death was for you personally, His resurrection is your resurrection and His life is your life.  Choose to believe that from your heart. Confess it with your mouth – Jesus is Lord.

Choose to believe His joy is your strength

Choose to believe you am accepted in Christ

Choose to believe all things are possible because you believe

Choose to believe you hear His voice

Choose to believe that His favor surrounds you as a shield (Psalm 5:12)

Choose to believe you are blessed in your going out and in your coming in

Choose to believe God – without faith it is impossible to please God

Choose to believe you live with Him in heavenly places

One more passage 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, “Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness. And the work of faith with power that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in Him according to the grace of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Please hear me in what I say next.  Are you listening?  The world is trying to tell you that you are good in yourself.  That is not what I am saying!  We are fallen creatures, no one is righteous because of the good things they do.  What I am saying is we live in His goodness.  There is no one good but God.  When we trust that Jesus paid the price for sin, we receive His goodness and righteousness in us.

When you accepted Jesus as Savior, you may have not realized everything that took place. As a boy I certainly didn’t.   Now you know. Now you know what has been deposited in you.  This is exciting!

We get to live in all the fullness of the Gospel!

We get to be a blessing in this world.  Go live in fullness!  Proclaim it freely to those around you.  The world is in desperate need of the message of the fullness of the Gospel! 

If you have never publicly proclaimed your faith is Jesus, today is the day.  Come receive the blessings of the fullness of the Gospel for yourself!

Receive the blessings of the fullness of the Gospel today.  Remember The wrong things we do separate us from God. Messiah Jesus died, taking our punishment, and rose again proving He is God.  Trust in Him.”

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Elevates You Out of the Pits!

Hebrews 11:22 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ.

This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5)! Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11. Today’s story is about Joseph, found in Hebrews 11:22, “By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.” To be clear, this passage in the New Testament is not referring to  Joseph the husband of Mary; rather, it is pointing to one of the most famous Old Testament stories – the Genesis account of Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob. His story inspired the long enduring Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Jacket.” This is a story that has found a bridge into our culture and has inspired generations of Jewish and Christian people to live with integrity and to put their trust in a sovereign God during injustice and suffering. The problem is that it has been made into a “feel good” story without revealing the true depth of the story. We need to look at the depths of Joseph’s story, in all its gore and glory, for it to be more than a moralistic platitude.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

A decade ago, I was in Chicago at the Moody Bible Institute’s Pastors’ Conference when a celebrity pastor, who has since fallen from ministry notoriety because of toxic leadership practices, stated that every day in church ministry a pastor either becomes bitter or better. In that moment, the Holy Spirit convicted me: I had allowed myself to get bitter at some people and situations that had occurred over the years of my pastorate and that bitterness had started to form a hard, cynical place in me. It had started to inform the way I viewed people and situations, and those people and situations needed a fresh wind of God’s Spirit through me, not a stale wind of human hurt from me. In that moment, I did the only thing I could do, I honestly yielded to the Holy Spirit by crying out for God’s presence and power in me.

Each of us has a daily decision to make; it’s a choice: to choose better or to become bitter! The choice to allow bitterness to grow in our soul or to actively take steps to be transformed into a godly person through the circumstances of our lives is not just for pastors. The choice to embrace spiritual transformation is for every person who is faced with disappointment, discouragement, despair, and/or depression. This is for every person born under the sun, who experienced childhood, navigated friendships, went to school, has worked, has been a part of a church, has dated, has married, has kids, has faced medical issues. This is part of the human experience for all people regardless of human labels. This is about:

The legacy event of Joseph’s childhood was at the age of 17. It was caused by a mixture of his father’s favoritism, his brother’s hatred and jealousy of him, his own boastful and prideful ways, and a divine dose of providential circumstance. Joseph was a 17-year-old spoiled brat, his father’s favored child to his favored and deceased wife. Insanely jealous of Joseph’s favored position and blindly enraged by his boastful dreams, the older brothers plotted to kill Joseph; to throw him into a pit to be left for dead. But at the last minute they pulled him from the pit to sell him into slavery to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites headed through the fertile crescent to Egypt (Genesis 37:26-28). As the brothers go back and lie to their father about their little braggart of a brother, the Ishmaelites “sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard” (Genesis 37:36).

In that one decision of his older brothers, Joseph becomes a powerless victim of vicious circumstances! He is thrown in the pit. He is emptied of his status as favored son to become a feeble slave, but it is what happens next that has caused his story to be told for nearly four-thousand years. Joseph’s legacy was shaped not by the horror of his childhood and his brothers’ bitter choices, but by his own choice of how he would respond to his circumstances. The first pit most of us must work through is an imperfect upbringing – our family of origin and childhood experiences. Even the patriarchs of our faith were all messed up and so were their families.

We aren’t perfect people, nor do we have perfect families. Let’s be honest, there is no such thing on this side of Heaven. The church needs to come to grips with this reality, and instead of having impossible expectations of one another, what we need is to love with truth and grace as we imperfectly live with one another, trying to tell a better story of God’s work in our lives. The Bible is filled with flawed people and flawed families on purpose, so that we realize it is only by the power of God’s grace, the Spirit cultivating the soil of our lives and planting the good seed of God’s Word, that we can be transformed into fruit-bearing people that reflect Jesus Christ.

Do you need permission to get off the treadmill of performance, or to give up the anxiety of perfectionism? Learning to live strong in God’s Grace is the answer for you and your family, for us and our church, for our communities and nation! God loves you so much He gave His one and only Son so that your story would be transformed to tell His story!

Never forget that each of us has a daily decision to make; it’s a choice: to choose better or to become bitter! When life has thrown you harsh circumstances, what do you do? How do you handle the pits of childhood trauma and dysfunctional family systems? Just because you came from a broken family doesn’t mean you must be broken. Just because we have had traumatic experiences doesn’t mean we need to live like victims. Many people feel held back by an experience that happened in the early years of life, whether something that happened in our families or by someone who hurt, betrayed, and/or abandoned us.

The early years of our lives do have the power to shape us, but they don’t have the power to stop us from living the promised abundant life of Jesus Christ (John 10:10). That is why we must take the next action step of a hardworking farmer – there is a process of maturation that we must walk in. Your circumstances don’t shape you; your decisions in your circumstances do!

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

If having bad childhood experiences and a broken family of origin wasn’t enough, Joseph was rescued from the first pit only to be thrown into the second: difficult and disappointing adult life experiences. After being bought by Potiphar at the age of 17, Joseph becomes the all-star slave in Potiphar’s household, given charge over everything in Potiphar’s house except one thing, Potiphar’s wife. She was a cougar, but Joseph would not compromise, not even for momentary pleasures. When solicited, Joseph asked of Potiphar’s wife, “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).

Potiphar’s wife lied about Joseph and Potiphar threw his young slave into prison to rot. Another pit! Another betrayal of his trust! Another abandonment by someone Joseph served with his whole heart! He finds himself as a powerless victim of injustice again! Did Joseph choose better or become bitter? In the pit of prison, Joseph stayed close to God and was transformed into the all-star prisoner, as Genesis 39:21-23 states:

But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper.

Joseph makes me think of a diamond. Formed under years of pressure and showcased behind a black velvet backdrop to bring out its brilliance and beauty. Neither the years of pressure nor the darkness of the backstory is beautiful, but the diamond is priceless. “Simply put, diamond formation occurs when carbon deposits deep within the earth (approximately 90 to 125 miles below the surface) are subject to high temperature and pressure.”[1] Everyone wants to shine like a diamond, but no one wants to go through the process of becoming one!

Each of us has a daily decision to make; it’s a choice: to choose better or to become bitter! Your decisions while in the pits of hard adult circumstances shape you by forming your character and determining the direction of your life. Is there a situation in your life that is not going the way you planned? What is the circumstance you would change right now if you had the power to do so? What would you push fast forward on if you could? Maybe, just maybe, God cares more about your character than your circumstances, and in fact, is using your circumstances to shape your character. How can you choose better in your life so that you can reap a harvest or praise, bearing the good fruit of your relationship with Jesus Christ? That brings us to our final action step.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

You may find yourself in a pit, but that is where God does some of His best work to press you, shape you, prepare you to be showcased. God has a plan for your life and the pits you have experienced, are experiencing, and will experience, may be exactly what are necessary to prepare you for the palace that is ever before you. God wants to glorify His name through your life!

Earlier in his life, before his brothers abused him and betrayed his trust, we saw in Joseph a special connection with God through dreams (Genesis 37:5-11). His lack of maturity as a 17-year-old caused him to share his dreams without discretion or humility, but now that he has been put in the pressure cooker of life experience for a long enough period, this diamond in the rough was being shaped with the precision of a master gemcutter. This is a life-long process!

Then in Genesis 40, Joseph was given the ability to help two prisoners by interpreting their dreams and his interpretations proved correct. He asked them to remember him and to put in a good word for him, but “the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him” (Genesis 40:23). Forgotten in the pit again! Two whole years of being in the prison until one day, at the age of 30, after fourteen years of pressure cooking, something happens. Joseph had learned in the pits that spiritual gifts, leadership capacity, and physical charisma were not about him; his characteristics and giftings were all from God. The gifts of God are to be used for God by loving and serving other people. Joseph learned all this before we get to the climax of the story. These lessons were not words in a book study or classroom instruction, but experiences forged into his soul. Joseph was shaped like a diamond, then excavated from the depths of the pit, and then cut by a master gemcutter to be displayed on the backdrop of black velvet. Let’s watch him shine!

In a dramatic turn of events that only the Master Storyteller could orchestrate in the life of one of His faithful servants, Joseph goes from a condemned slave to a celebrated prime minister in the blink of an eye. Genesis 41 captures the pivotal moment. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, has been given a dream that no one in the land could interpret, but the king’s cupbearer remembers that Joseph could accurately interpret dreams. After being discarded in the pit, Joseph now stands before the most powerful man on earth. A condemned slave, sold by his own brothers who wanted him dead, forgotten by all but God Himself, stands before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. When Pharaoh asks Joseph if he can interpret his dream, what does Joseph say, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer” (Genesis 41:16). [emphasis added]

That is the climax of the story: At a moment when Joseph should have begged for mercy and told Pharaoh he was an innocent man sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, thrown into prison and forgotten about, what did Joseph do? He declared his faith in God: “My God, in whom I trust, can do anything!” Joseph put his whole trust in God and gave God glory! He chose faith when everyone would expect begging and bitterness!

God transforms Joseph’s character so that he can be a part of His plan to save many and shine His glory to the nations – to reap a harvest of praise! For the rest of the story, Joseph shines to God’s glory and the entire world sees and recognizes God in Joseph as many lives are saved through his leadership. It begins with the pronouncement of Pharaoh in Genesis 41:38-41:

Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

From this moment in Genesis 41 until the last recorded moment of Joseph’s life in Genesis 50 we see that Joseph is the real deal – he is a priceless diamond on display! In his old age, Joseph didn’t abuse his position of power for selfish ambition or vain conceit; rather, he chose to bless his family when they were dependent on his favor and forgiveness. He saw that the pit experiences and the palace experience weren’t about him at all. Joseph learned through it all that his life was about God being able to use every part of his story to tell His story of salvation! Joseph made this clear in his last recorded words from Genesis 50:19-21:

But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

For all time, Joseph’s story points to the importance of putting our faith in God through the pit and palace experiences of life – the ups and the downs! Along the way, Joseph had many off ramps to become who God made him to be. By God’s grace, in each crossroad moment, in each circumstance, in each forgotten moment in the pits of his life, Joseph had the choice: better or bitter! The difference between Joseph and others is found in a single word: Faith! Joseph seized the moment, trusted God and didn’t take the off ramp of bitterness. God placed Joseph into the palace because God knew he could trust Joseph with the power and authority. It was in fact his faith through the pit experiences that formed and shaped him for this great responsibility in the place, which was also the ultimate test of His character! God still does this today for those who will trust Him with their whole hearts and choose to get better.

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

“The Faith that Gives You a Limp!”

Hebrews 11:21 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ.

This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5)! Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today, I have the privilege of telling you the story of Jacob, but to tell his story I also must tell you about his twin brother, the older twin brother Esau. Their story is found in between last week’s teaching on verse 20 and today’s Scripture lesson found in verse 21. Everyone loves a good back story to fill in the gaps, so let’s read both, Hebrews 11:20-21, which says, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.”

Jacob’s story happened between the blessing he received from his father and the blessings he gave to Joseph’s sons, as if they were his own sons. Essentially, his whole adult life (between being a young adult and becoming elderly) is missing in Hebrews 11. His full story is behind the scenes of Hebrews 11 but aren’t the truest and most important parts of our stories often happening behind the scenes, in the gaps of our public lives. Jacob’s story is an encounter with God, which forever changed his story from selfish pride and self-sufficient scheming to graceful humility and faith.

Is this your story too? This is the story of what God’s grace can do in a person’s life, but you must be willing to leave today with a limp for it to become true in your life. Are you willing to learn how to lean on God, just like Jacob had to lean on the top of his staff when he blessed his grandchildren? Are you willing to pray that Proverbs 3:5-6 becomes a reality in your story, just like it did in Jacob’s story, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” You can’t lean on God if you are still leaning on yourself! Let’s pray for God’s grace to prevail over us today, cultivating the soil of our hearts and minds so that his good seed of grace can be planted deep in us, just like when God wrestled with Jacob, humbling him so that he would live a life for someone more than himself.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Last week, I contrasted Jacob and Esau by how they valued the promises of God in their own lives. Jacob highly valued and prioritized the promise of God that was passed through his father’s blessing. The birthright and blessing were rightfully Esau’s (the first born), but through Jacob’s trickery and scheming, Esau sold his birthright for a single meal and then despised it. Last week, we read this story from Genesis 25:27-34 and highlighted its implications from Hebrews 12:15-17. This would not have been possible if it weren’t for Esau’s complete disregard for spiritual things; his focus was on the temporary pleasures and opportunities of the world.

Selling his birthright flowed out of Esau’s calloused heart, just as tricking his brother for his birthright flowed out of Jacob’s desperate heart! Esau and Jacob are three-dimensional people – warts and all. If you thought Esau was an easy target, you don’t have to look hard to find the character flaw that threads throughout Jacob’s story and eventually this flaw in his personhood becomes the point of why Jacob is such an important biblical character to whom we all can honestly relate. Then, by God’s grace for God’s glory, Jacob’s story can become our story, and all our stories can tell a better story – the story of God’s grace and faithfulness! Through Jacob, we learn how to live strong in God’s grace today!

Jacob was a self-centered sinner to the core of who he was from birth! In fact, this was so obvious in Jacob that it’s why he was named Jacob. His name means “heal-grabber” and carries with it the implied meaning of being a cheater or deceiver. From the womb, Jacob wanted what he believed to be his: the blessing and birthright of the first-born son (Genesis 25:23-26). You know Jacob’s type – everything is about them, their preferences, and how it impacts them. I know the type because I am a recovering self-centered sinner too. To be redeemed, I had to have an encounter with the God of grace, learning from faith to walk with a limp!

Jacob was a self-sufficient schemer! Jacob was so desperate for what he thought should be his (and not his brother’s!) that he took matters into his own hands. He worked hard! He was stronger! He was more than capable of making his own way in the world! You know Jacob’s type – they don’t want help or even admit that they need help. This is the self-made person that thinks they are better than others because they’ve worked for everything they have. I know the type because I am a recovering workaholic. To be redeemed, I had to have an encounter with the God of grace, learning from faith to walk with a limp! The mystery of God’s grace is that until we have an encounter with God that causes us to trust Him, rather than trust ourselves, we will never get off the ground. There must be a seed planted, for there to be a fruit-bearing tree!

Jacob’s story is all about the faithfulness of God: God unrelentingly pursued Jacob! By God’s grace, God spoke over Jacob’s life from his mother’s womb in Genesis 25:23, “The Lord said to [Rebekah], ‘Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger.’”

In the same way, God knew us before we were born. All of us have been born self-centered, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God knows the truth about us and that we deserve eternal separation from Him, yet He still loves us and chose to bless us through His Son – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). I know this is true about me! You can’t move on to the next step until you believe this truth – the seed of faith through God’s grace must be planted if you are going to be transformed into a fruit-bearing tree! Do you believe it is true about you?

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

By God’s grace, when God should have struck Jacob dead for his scheming and trickery, he met him in the wilderness as he ran for his life the first time. When Jacob’s self-centered, self-sufficient scheming finally caught with him and what he deserved was death, God met him and showed him grace in Genesis 28:10-22:

Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

In the same way, God meets us in our circumstances with His grace, as Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” I know this is true for me! Do you believe it is true for you?

By God’s grace, twenty years after God met Jacob in his escape from Esau, he was running again, this time from his father-in-law Laban. He had not repented of his ways, but continued in his own self-sufficiencies and pride, finding Laban to be his equal in self-focused snobbery and self-consumed scheming, lying, and deceiving. Yet, God did not forsake nor leave Jacob! God met Jacob, so desperate, so fearful, so lost in himself, that it took God Himself to show up on the scene to intervene for Jacob. This story is found in Genesis 28-32.

Sound familiar? God has shown up once for all to intervene! As Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” What does it take for a person to realize that they are so lost they can’t save themselves? There was Jacob on the run again for his life, from Laban going back to Esau, from whom God had rescued the first time. Jacob was uncertain of his own future, and in his anxiety and fear, can you guess what he did, yet again. He schemed, still not trusting anyone but himself, still not believing the very promises of God that he had stolen from Esau, because all this time he still didn’t get it. Jacob still thought it was all about him. He had gone so far, but still had so far to go. What would it take to get through to this man?  That brings us to the last action step because every farmer expects to experience a harvest of praise from all that hard work of cultivating the soil, planting good seed, and caring for the maturing plant!

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

It all changed in one night, the night before he was to be confronted by Esau. Jacob was rightfully scared, fearful for his own life as his brother had pledged to kill him all those years ago. Esau was coming out to greet him with an army of 400 armed men. Jacob devised one of his brilliant plans, his scheming was found in about every detail of it, figured for everything, but, once again, He left out one main factor: God’s transformative power over Esau’s heart! Little did Jacob know, in the same way that he would be greeted with love and acceptance the next day by his brother, that very night God was going to give him a limp that would forever transform his story. Genesis 32:22-32 captures this life transforming moment in Jacob’s life:

Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had. Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.

Jacob was never the same after encountering God! God does for Jacob that which Jacob could not do for himself: God touched him with His grace, a power that overwhelmed him and broke him of his scheming and self-sufficiency. God’s grace changed Jacob’s name to Israel. A person’s character is found in his or her name. When God asks Jacob his name, it is not because God did not know his name, it is because God was asking Jacob to confess his true nature as a self-centered, scheming man. But it took the severe mercy of God’s touch on Jacob’s hip to bring him to the end of his own self-sufficiencies. And at the confession of his own name, Jacob acknowledged his own character and his own desperate need for God, becoming Israel, which means, “He who strives/wrestles with God.” Jacob was no longer defined by his sin, but by his relationship with God! As Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

God’s grace restored Jacob’s relationship with his brother Esau (Genesis 33:1-11). In the light of having experienced the grace of God through personally wrestling with God, Jacob now saw the face of God in the very man he had once treated as an obstacle to the promises of God! Don’t miss the miracle: Jacob had a new outlook on life! His story was transformed by grace!

In the same way, God changes your worldview when you have been saved from self by God’s grace; people are no longer obstacles to your plans and schemes, but now they are the objects of our affections and actions. You are now a minister of reconciliation; Paul taught us of our new purposes in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19:

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

God’s grace healed Jacob’s desperate heart. We see this at the very end of his life, when Jacob passed on the blessing to the next generation with peace in his heart because he had learned that day to trust in God and not in himself, “By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff” (Hebrews 11:21). It’s amazing to me that the Bible highlights his limp by emphasizing his need to lean on top of his staff. We watch Israel limp across the river and into the unknown future, not perfectly but by God’s perfect grace to tell a different story, no longer his own, but God’s story of grace.

In the same way, we are commanded to proclaim the story of our limp in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” We each are touched by grace to give us a limp so that wherever we go, we will be reminded that God’s grace is our only sufficiency. According to 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul had a thorn in his flesh and through his limp, found true life in God’s grace:

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul had a thorn in the flesh given to him by God. Jacob had a limp also given to him by God. What’s your limp and how does it remind you to lean on God’s grace as your sufficiency?

You can watch this video by clicking HERE.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Blesses!

Hebrews 11:20 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ.

This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit! Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today, we are telling the story of Isaac, based on Hebrews 11:20, which says, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.”[1] From Isaac’s story, we are going to learn the faith that blesses.

How did you come into the faith? What is the starting point of your transforming story? Kimberly and I both came to know Jesus through outreach ministries to the military; we were both young adults out of high school and in the beginning of our military service. Maybe you were blessed to come from a home filled with godliness and faith, and you have been a Christian as long as you can remember. What a privilege and joy! That is our prayer for our three children and for all the children of our congregation. Regardless of how or when your story began, in Christ we each have the power to bless another generation. Though the story of Isaac and his twin sons, Jacob and Esau, we are going to learn the power and choice of blessing people by planting the good seed of God’s grace in their lives through faith.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

The context of this whole Hebrews 11 passage is that one word: faith! Hebrews 11:1 teaches us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It means to put your whole trust in someone or something. In this case, and throughout the Bible the object of our faith is in God, who is trustworthy and true. In fact, the purpose of highlighting the people and their stories is to teach us more about who God is and that He is faithful. God is worthy to put all our weight on Him, just as we learned last week through the Abraham-Isaac story. The stories bring to life these doctrinal truths through illustration, illumination, and inspiration!

We have been learning about the faith and obedience of Isaac’s parents, Abraham and Sarah. Though far from perfect as a man and woman, above all they modeled a real relationship with God. Truly, they imperfectly put their full trust in God and God’s grace perfectly sustained them. They believed and they acted upon this belief because they are people of the promise, and Isaac’s very life was the fulfillment of God’s promise to them. We learned of God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness through the very existence of Isaac. Isaac was a miracle baby!

Here is what we know about Isaac: his birth was foretold, longed for, and miraculous (Genesis 21:1-3). He was circumcised by the very hand of his father Abraham on the eighth day as a sign of the covenant that God had personally made with Abraham (Genesis 21:4). Isaac’s mom died at 127 years old, when he was approximately thirty-seven years old, since he was born when she was 90 (Genesis 23:1). She died approximately twenty years after the climactic event of Genesis 22, when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son as an act of worship (check out last week’s teaching). I can only imagine how for thirty-seven years Sarah loved Isaac and spoke of why he was named, “Laughter.” With a smile on her face, she would recount her own lack of faith in God’s plan to give her a baby at 90, and how Isaac shouldn’t make the same mistake: God had proven time and time again, through Isaac’s birth, his experience with her crazy husband on the mount in Moriah as a teenager, that God is a great provider and worthy of all his trust. This would have been a mother on a mission to make sure her son knew he was a miracle, chosen by God, and blessed by his parents, for a purpose.

What is amazing about Isaac is his rich faith heritage. When many focus on the speculation of his psychological damage caused by being a teenage boy who was almost slaughtered at the hands of his father Abraham, their musings miss out on the one thing that is the point of this ongoing story of the people of God’s promise; that is the powerful influence of one generation’s faith on the next generation. Isaac’s family blessed him to be a blessing to others! That is the promise of Genesis 12:2-3, given to Abraham, passed on to Isaac, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing… in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

How can your home be a place of faith where the next generation is not indulged, but rather blessed so that they will be a blessing to others? When I serve my children, I tell them that I do it  so that they will learn to serve others. I bless them so that they will learn to be a blessing to others! That takes us to our next action step.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Isaac may have been a second-generation follower of God, but he believed in God’s promises for himself. His father’s God was His God. His mother’s God was His God. His faith was His own! Isaac was blessed to live in a family with faith, but even as a member of that community, he had to know God for himself. The promise of Genesis 12 had to become his own, just as all the promises of God through Jesus Christ must become our own. The faith of the previous generation is passed on to us so that we can make it our own, passing it on to the next generation.

God provided a faithful wife to Isaac in Rebekah (see Genesis 24). Isaac was 40 when he was married and 60 when Abraham died. Before his death, God blessed Isaac with great abundance; Genesis 25:5 says, “Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.” Interestingly, the Bible makes it clear in Genesis 25:11 who was really doing the blessing, “It came about after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac.” After Abraham died, God adopted Isaac as his own son; He did not leave Isaac as an orphan! Jesus said in John 14:18, “I will not leave you as orphans.” God tends to the maturing plant through the presence and power of His Spirit!

So, like Abraham before him, Isaac was blessed with everything, except the one thing that was necessary to keep passing on the legacy – a child! For twenty years they had tried to conceive a child (Genesis 25:26), then when Isaac was 60, God blessed them as Genesis 25:21 records, “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived.” Isaac had a faith that blessed! He learned this from his mom and dad, but he had to make it his own!

Every generation must embrace faith as their own because God does not have grandchildren; He has children! In the same way that Abraham and Sarah wandered through the nothingness of infertility, so did Isaac and Rebekah. For twenty years, they had to wrestle with their own faith and trust in God; to believe God to keep His promises. To learn that God is good! Faith becomes your own when you have personally had to put your full weight into God. You see, you can’t bless someone with a future promise that you yourself don’t believe in. Sure, you can give them a family name and maybe some money and stuff in an estate, but you can’t pass on to the next generation what you don’t have yourself! Brothers and sisters, what matters is that you pass on the name of Jesus! The name that you have learned through life’s hardest circumstances is trustworthy and true! It is only by the name of Jesus you will have an eternal legacy.

Do you believe? One day, when each of us must stand before God to give an account for our lives, it will be just you and Him. No pastors, no parents, no excuses, no ATMs, just God and you… Do you know Him? Do you trust Him? Are you reaping the good fruit of a life of faith by having plenty of seed-rich fruit to hand to those in your life? That brings us to our last action step in the hard-working farmer’s strategy.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Jacob and Esau are real people in real history; they are the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah, the grandchildren of Abraham and Sarah. These miracle babies, a set of twins that Jacob blessed according to Hebrews 11:20, represent so much more than who they are. We cannot spend as much time with these brothers as I would like, and prefer as a Bible teacher, but for today’s purposes allow me to draw an important contrast between them. Genesis 25:27-34 says a lot in a short space:

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Here is the contrast: Jacob highly valued the birthright of the promise of God and Esau despised his because of his own foolish decisions. Jacob and Esau both have some glaring character flaws, but what matters is that they both made a choice: Jacob for the promise of God and Esau for the pleasures of the world.

You have a choice: every generation must choose whether they will be a Jacob or Esau.

Esau violated the covenant of God, married many foreign wives (Hittites and an Ishmaelite) representing his compromises away from the promises of God and yoking with the world, and he fathered nations who war against God’s people, just like Ishmael fathered great nations who still war against God’s people. Listen to the summary of Esau’s bitterness at rejecting his own birthright and choosing foreign wives, from Genesis 26:35, “They made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah” (ESV). “Esau” passes on bitterness and grief (NASB), generation after generation.

Bitterness begets bitterness! What are some examples in our everyday lives of how we choose Esau: the bitterness of the world? To put it plainly; it happens when we choose to be doomsdayers! When you choose to be negative and nitpicky, as if you are always looking for what is wrong rather than choosing to see what is right, on the verge of anger most of the time, ready to go on the defensive and build a case for your own point of view, living in blame and accusation, critical of others instead of looking for ways to build up and edify, never satisfied rather than living in contentment, never trusting another, but putting yourself first because your worldview as a doomsdayer demands that you protect the glass house you have constructed.

There is a way out of bitterness and the consequences of choosing the mindset and lifestyle of a doomsdayer. Jesus sets the prisoners free; He heals the brokenhearted; and He uproots bitter roots! In short, Jesus is our living hope and transforms us from being doomsdayers to being hope-bearers! Church, we are the hope of the world! We are to reap a harvest of praise – declaring the hope of the blessing of God, given to us through Jesus Christ!

Jacob’s legacy is the twelve tribes of Israel through whom the Savior – Jesus Christ – was born to carry the promise of Genesis 12 to all the nations. Jacob passed on to us blessings and peace. Genesis 28:3-4 records Isaac’s blessing to Jacob when he sends him back to Rebekah’s people to find a wife and to protect him from his enraged brother Esau, “May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.”

Blessing begets blessing! What are some examples in our everyday lives of how we can choose Jacob: the blessings of God? This is where you declare, right now, out loud for everyone to hear you: I AM A HOPE-BEARER! God has called you to be a person of faith, hope, and love! God has given you the sufficiency of His grace so that you can live strong in God’s grace! God has given you forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ so that you can forgive others as God first forgave you. God has given you the Holy Spirit, so that you may reap the fruit of the Spirit for all taste and seed that God is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). A hope-bearer endures to the end, show resiliency when knocked down, is faithful to God and His mission, and is humble – reaping a harvest of praise to the glory of God!

It’s a choice! I present to you today a choice between generational blessings and generational curses. Jacob and Esau’s sibling rivalry has become regional and national conflict today, millennia later, continuing to breed bitterness and grief. But they also represent the choice each person must make to receive between the blessings of God and the bitterness of the world. Hebrews 12:15-17 confronts us with this choice of bitterness or blessing:

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Do you want to have a transforming story? It’s a choice between blessing and bitterness. The time ran out for Esau; it was too late to get back what he had rejected for the world! But you are here today, there is breath in your lungs, and there is still time for repentance: REJECT BITTERNESS! Don’t be a doomsdayer! Grow strong in God’s grace and live your life as a hope-bearer! God’s grace is available to you today personally. Until the Lord Jesus returns or you take your last breath on this earth, you can receive the promises of God as yours through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into the world as the light of God to show the way to God’s blessings. The gospel invites you today to accept Jesus Christ and to receive the promises of God, as John 1:11-13 promises:

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

You cannot rest on your parents’ faith, your faith heritage, or you church affiliation. The most important decision of your life is what you do with Jesus Christ. This is a holy moment of decision. Today can be the first day of your eternal legacy… Today, you are being invited to receive the faith that blesses. It will bless you, then it will bless through you!

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Passes the Test!

Hebrews 11:17-19 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ.

This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit! Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men [and women] of old gained approval.” Today’s transforming story confronts us in our belief in this definition of faith: What happens in life when all we have left is faith?  

A woman finds a lump and finds herself with more doctor visits in the coming months than she has had in the last decade. She prays and prays, has her family, friends, and church pray, only to hear the ‘C’ word. Her mind goes blank as she finds herself walking out of the doctor’s office not remembering anything said to her after she heard the word “cancer.” Her vision clouds over as the tears start falling… Only God knows what’s ahead of her!

A man has just lost his job. He is in his late-forties and has been at the same company since his twenties, and now he’s left with no job, nothing to show for over twenty years of loyalty. His kids are still in college. His 30-year mortgage, twice refinanced, heavy on his shoulders. His mind races out of control as he carries a cardboard box filled with family pictures and worthless tokens out the side door for the last time, heading to the parking lot, heading to his car as he fights back the tears… Only God knows his next steps!

A teenager’s parents are fighting more than ever; the word divorce being thrown around more and more. His grades are suffering, his friends are inviting him to go to parties, he is having a hard time focusing as his world seems to be crumbling around him. Is there really a God, and if so, how could He possibly be good, and does God even care about people like him? He heads out the front door confused, angry, with hopes of ending up somewhere better than here… Only God knows where!

A young couple, recently married, is so excited to have become pregnant in hopes of starting a family together. Three months later, with a nursey under construction, a baby registry filled out, names being discussed, and invitations in the mail, the wife calls the husband from work crying as something terrible is happening, as the EMTs are putting her in the ambulance. She needs him to meet her at the hospital as she won’t stop bleeding. His world starts narrowing and the next breath is too hard to take as he races out the door… Only God knows why!

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

We learn and apply Scripture by watching how the people in His story respond to their situations based on what they believed about God. Faith is a good seed designed by its architect to bear the good fruit of the Spirit in your life. Truth about God leads to life application, which is why we are to plant it like a good seed and tend to it like a maturing plant, so that we may reap a harvest of praise to the One who chose our hearts and minds as His harvest fields.  

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Hebrews 11:17-19 highlights the greatest test of Abraham and Sarah’s faith. They were able to obey God because they trusted Him to keep His promises. The seed of faith was planted deep into their hearts and minds! Turn with me to the book of Genesis and let’s read their story is from Genesis 22. To focus our time, I will read verses 1-2, 7-8, 10-12, and 15-18:

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” … Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. … Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” … Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

This very well could have been one of the last things Sarah experienced in her life, as her death was soon after recorded in Genesis 23:1-2. She had walked with God, and her husband, on a very long journey, passing the greatest test of all at the end of their lives together. She trusted God for His promises and from her barren womb, opened through the power of God’s Spirit, came the promises of God to the nations. She has received the reward of her faith even though she did not live to see God’s promise fulfilled through her son Isaac, as described in Hebrews 11:13-16:

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

What do we learn from this dramatic story of faith? We learn that God is trustworthy and true, worthy of our trust! God keeps His promises and provides for that which He promises! God is consistent to His own character and will never violate the integrity of His character, as revealed to us in His Word and through His Son Jesus Christ. If we had time, I could share with you literally dozens of other Bible stories that testify to these truths about God. If we had all day, we could have testimony after testimony that this is true about God. Instead, let’s move to the next action step so we can learn how to live our lives according to this truth.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

This next step, the step of life application, is the hard one! If you believe that God is trustworthy, then what do you do when all you have left is your faith in a trustworthy God? This is the climax of Abraham and Sarah’s transforming story with God. They have been on amazing journey, chasing after God’s promise and the fulfillment of that which caused them to leave their homeland in search of God’s Promised Land, found in Genesis 12:1-3:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

For forty-five years, Abraham and Sarah spent time with God causing them to know His attributes and character (read Genesis 12:4-21:34). When God asked them to return to Him the precious gift, which He had given them (Isaac), they trusted God for who they knew Him to be – trustworthy in character and true to His promises!

The Bible doesn’t say it was easy for them; it just records them doing it! At the heart of this story is a man and woman who had a personal relationship with God. This elderly couple said “yes” to a painful offering: they offered their teenage son to God because He asked it of them; they did not understand His command or know if they would ever get him back. They trusted God, which allowed them to make a painful offering!

Have you ever made a painful offering to God? Maybe God wants you to give your kidney to someone else who needs it. Maybe God wants you to donate blood on a regular basis. Maybe God wants you to give your extra car to someone who needs a car. Maybe God wants you to give your time to visit lonely people or help those who can’t do what you can. Maybe God wants you to move, sell your house, quit your job, use your talents more, be generous with what He has provided for you. Maybe God wants you to help someone in need. God asks of you because He knows more than you do. He knows what you need, and He knows what is for your good!

King David said, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). Obedience is an outflow of trust! The good seed of faith begets faithfulness and putting your faith into practice causes you to know God more and trust Him for who He is and not for who you wish Him to be. Christianity is not about your choosing when to obey, calculating when to make sacrifices, or doing religious activities like putting coins in a vending machine, hoping God will give you what you want. That is self-serving. We must live with a constant willingness to obey, ready to respond when God asks. It is about trust!

Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7:24-27, making this specific point:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell – and great was its fall.

CHAIR ILLUSTRATION Speaking of falling, allow me to share one of my favorite evangelistic illustrations in hopes of bringing this together: SHOULD I PUT MY FULL WEIGHT IN THIS CHAIR?

John Paton (1824–1907), a Scot, had travelled to the New Hebrides (a group of islands in the south-west Pacific) determined to tell the tribal people about Jesus. The islanders were cannibals. Nobody trusted anybody else. His life was in constant danger. He had come to tell them the good news about Jesus. He wanted to translate John’s Gospel into their language, but he discovered that there was no word in their language for ‘faith’, ‘belief’ or ‘trust’. One day, when his indigenous servant came in, Paton raised both feet off the floor, sat back in his chair and asked, ‘What am I doing now?’ In reply, the servant used a word that means, ‘to lean your whole weight upon’. This became the expression that Paton used. Faith is leaning our whole weight upon Jesus.[1]

You don’t trust God until you have had to put your full weight upon Jesus! You can’t proclaim the faith that “God is good all the time” until you have found Him good in your own life and circumstances! Otherwise, it is truth divorced of reality. Your life of putting your full weight upon Jesus gives meaning to words such as faith, belief, or trust, which have lost meaning in today’s cancel culture. Your trust in God proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ! This takes us to our last action step.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

God did for Abraham and Sarah what they could not learn on their own; He gave them an opportunity to put their full weight onto Him! We know God for how He has revealed Himself to be to us – His character, His attributes, His actions, and His judgments. But the only way we can discover that God is who He says He is, trustworthy and true in all that He says and does, is by putting our trust in all that we know about Him as being true! This is what we learn by watching Abraham and Sarah as the people of the promise. As Genesis 22:8 quotes Abraham responding to Isaac, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Here is where our text from Hebrews 11:19 helps us understand the depth of Abraham and Sarah’s faith: “He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type [it foreshadowed the resurrection of Jesus Christ].”   

Their faith allowed them to trust God in the worst of circumstances! With Isaac being taken from them, trust in God was all they had left… Not trust that God would give them what they wanted or fix their circumstances; but trust that no matter what may come, God was with them. Did you know that Willow is our fourth child? When my wife and I went through the miscarriage of our third child, Skyler, it was heart wrenching, but God was true to His promise: Immanuel – “God is with us!” His presence comforted us and assured us. He still does today!

I am inviting you to join with me in trusting God! I am asking you to believe and putting your faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is scandalous in today’s world; just as trusting another person is risky business, but that ends up being the point: you must risk trust to learn how to trust! You don’t really know what you think you know until you live it! You must pass the test of faith to experience the promises of God, then you reap the harvest of praise!

CHAIR ILLUSTRATION: Can you really know what a chair is unless you have put your full weight into a chair? It’s just an abstract concept until it is tested! Just like faith, which is exactly why James says, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:14-26). That’s like saying there can be a plant without a seed being planted! As Paul said in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

Do you know God as trustworthy and true? Jesus gave it all on the cross so that whosoever puts their full weight onto Him “shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Will you trust Him with your life and circumstances? Will your faith pass the test of trust?

Only God knows the next step:

Bring chair down to response area: I invite you to symbolically come down and take a moment to put all your weight in this chair. Jesus invites you today from Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Let’s pray and ask God, “Lord, help me to respond to Your gracious invitation so that I can put my full weight onto You today. I come to You today and confess, ‘I trust You. Help me with my mistrust.’ In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Bears Fruit! (Cont.)

Hebrews 11:11-12 (NASB)

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Sarah was a real woman, with real faith, in real history, and her story began with a faith that pleased God. Her transforming story is recorded in Hebrews 11:11-12:

By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

To experience the promises of God we must learn how to care for the maturing plant of our faith through the storms and tribulations of this life. Genesis 21:1-8 tells us how long Abraham and Sarah had to wait to experience God’s promise in their lives:

Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

If you read more about Abraham and Sarah’s transforming story of faith in Genesis, you will see that they went through many trials and tribulations. While they blessed the nations through their faith, they had to live by faith to bear the good fruit of the promises of God to them. We are now going to turn to the New Testament, learning from the biblical pattern of Paul’s life so that we can learn how to live strong in God’s grace as an heir of the promise of Abraham. Let us learn from the fruit of Sarah’s womb how we are to live as those who have inherited the promise of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. As Paul said in Galatians 4:28, to those who believe in Jesus Christ, “And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.” This is how Paul saw himself and this is how we should see ourselves.

There are four practical steps we can learn from Paul about how to live as children of promise. First, Paul started by claiming the promises of God in Philippians 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” As we have previously learned in my Live like a Champion Today sermon series, the Bible is filled with the promises of God that will lead you to living the victorious life of Jesus Christ. For example, you may think, “If I am not successful in this situation, then my life will fall apart.” The natural result of such catastrophic, slippery-slope thinking is anxiety and doubt. Replace that faulty logic with the promise of God, “Even if I am not successful in every situation, God, who began a good work in me, will bring me through this tribulation and bring me to completion.” This promise will decrease the anxiety-inducing, self-focused thinking, and keep your mind focused on the power of God to fulfill the promises of God, in and through you! 

Second, Paul taught us to pray the promises of God in Philippians 1:9-11:

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Bible is filled with prayers that are effective and in accordance with God’s will: pray these prayers! The Psalms were Jesus’ prayer book; the Bible has example after example of prayers God has already declared as prayers He will answer. Memorize them, cultivate them into your heart and mind, plant them as seeds of grace, so that in your 9-1-1 moments your communion with God will be unbreakable by neither of the normal fleshly responses caused by your autonomic nervous system: adrenaline rush (fight) or detached retreat (flight). To illustrate this form my life experience, Psalm 23 is my personal go-to prayer. I have memorized it and I walk through my days with it for three reasons:

1. It relaxes me – rest for my soul in His green pastures and beside quiet waters
2. It reminds me of who God is – the Good Shepherd of my soul, in whom I shall not want
3. It focuses me on God’s promises for my life and eternity – He walks with me all the days of my life and I will dwell with Him always

Paul then gives us the right perspective on our circumstances in Philippians 1:12-14:

Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

Our circumstances overwhelm us so often that we lose perspective on what is true and real in life from God’s reality. Yes, it is true that our perception shapes how we view what is real to us, but it is not true that my perception is true reality. Paul claimed God’s promises, he then prayed them, and then he gained an accurate assessment of reality. God gave Paul his perspective: what has happened to me, though difficult, has served a greater purpose. In life, we are going to suffer, but will our suffering have meaning, purpose, and hope attached to it. It is a right perspective of life that shapes our contentment and ability to rejoice in all circumstances. It is how we walk through these circumstances that often shapes our witness to those around us and proclaims the transforming power of faith to all who are watching us. This is the good fruit of God’s grace through the gospel of Jesus Christ – live strong in God’s grace today!

That brings us to the last thing we are going to learn from Paul in how to care for the maturing plant so that it grows strong enough to bear good fruit. Paul teaches us to seize the moment and execute God’s plan for our lives in Philippians 1:21-24:

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

Paul’s life was built on the promises of God, he prayed effective prayers from the Word of God, and he kept a right perspective on his circumstance, so that he could seize the moment for the plan of God in his daily life. God used Paul’s life as a descendent of Sarah’s womb, an heir of Abraham’s promise – Paul was a blessing to the nations as the Apostle to the Gentiles! We are to do the same in our lives as children of the promise – we are called to bless the nations as ambassadors of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). Just as Sarah’s faith bore good fruit, so should our lives reap a harvest of praise. That brings us to the last action step.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Living strong in God’s grace leads to a harvest of praise because it is the empowered life of the Holy Spirit! In a life that reaps a harvest of praise, all four of the elements we learned from Paul’s life are important: a promise to claim; a prayer to pray; the right perspective on circumstances; and a plan to execute. Without one of these you may find yourself overridden with an anxious or fearful heart, aimless in your life, and buried in your circumstances. If you were to examine the life of Abraham and Sarah, you will see the damaging effects of not trusting God for the promises of God (Genesis 16). Whereas the flesh produced Ishmael, the Spirit of God birthed the good fruit of Isaac (Galatians 4:21-31). Paul emphasized this part of the Abraham-Sarah story in Galatians 4:31-5:1, to illustrate why we, as followers of Jesus Christ, are to walk by the Spirit, “So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman [Hagar who gave birth to Ishmael], but of the free woman [Sarah who gave birth to Isaac]. It was for freedom [from sin] that Christ set us free [to live for God through faith]; therefore keep standing firm [by faith through the Spirit] and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [the flesh].”

It is my desire to help you choose the better way, the way of living by the power of the Holy Spirit, who promises to reap a harvest of praise in and through your life, learning to trust God’s promises and obeying Him in all that you do. This is the life of faith – live strong in God’s grace! Jesus taught about the empowered life of the Holy Spirit in John 14:15-21:

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

To keep Jesus’ commandments is to obey the God you worship. True worship is not empty praise from unbelieving lips; it is a life whose actions and attitudes flow out of what you believe about God. This is what Jesus intended when He said in John 4:23-24, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Are you worshipping in spirit and truth?

 What do you believe about God?  Faith is reckoned to you as righteousness! What does your life say you believe about God? Faith in God leads to a life that proclaims the very character of God through the fruit bearing of the Holy Spirit, as promised in Galatians 5:22-23, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” This is the harvest of praise that will spread the seed of Abraham, the fruit of Sarah’s barren womb, to all the nations because you obeyed God’s voice in your life. This is the miracle of God’s grace as it grows in you – from Sarah’ barren womb came the child of promise, Isaac, just as from the seed of faith, God grows the fruit of the good news of Jesus Christ – God’s righteousness for all the nations. Be fruitful for the kingdom of God!

Abraham and Sarah’s transforming story of faith strengthens our faith, gives us hope, and gives us the courage to tell a better story with our stories. To make visible that which is invisible – the kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven! May we reap a harvest of praise as our stories are transformed through the gospel of Jesus Christ!

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.

Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Trusts God’s Promises!

Hebrews 11:8-10 (NAS95)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Let’s follow the four-step strategy of a faith farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. Never forget, this strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God’s grace through His Son Jesus Christ you cannot bear God’s good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace to reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God. Let’s turn to Hebrews 11 and learn from the next transforming story in the Hall of Faith.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men [and women] of old gained approval.” Today’s passage from Hebrews 11:8-10 illustrates the life of faith with the fourth transforming story in the Hall of Faith, from which we are going to learn how to grow strong in God’s grace:

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Just like you and me, today, Abraham was a real man, with real faith, in real history, and his story began with a faith that pleased God. His story is told in Genesis 11:27-25:8. It all started when his name was still Abram, as he responded to the invitation of God in Genesis 12:1-5:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.

Abraham’s faith in God’s promises led him to obey God, leaving for the Promised Land even though he did not know where he was going. Has God ever asked you to take the next step of faith in your life even though you didn’t know where it was taking you? While my story is not nearly as dramatic as that of Abraham, I remember, in October 2009, when we answered God’s call to transition from being the Associate Pastor of Crosswalk Community Church in Sunnyvale, California to become the Senior Pastor here at First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana. By faith, and on a handshake, Kimberly and I packed up our baby boy, Beorn, and we drove thousands of miles to come to God’s promised land for our family – the place God called us to serve His kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven. While it started as a place we had to look up on a map because we had no idea where it was, I can attest to you over 13 ½ years later, since we obeyed God by saying yes to leaving everything to come to New Castle, Indiana, that God has brought great joy to our lives because we obeyed His call, to include both Alana and Willow being born here. If obedience were easy, everyone would be doing it, so let’s learn from the transforming story of Abraham how we, too, can live lives of faith that trust God’s promises.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Hebrews 11:8-10 emphasizes Abraham’s faith. It was his faith in God that caused him to go to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance even though he did not know where he was going. It was faith in God that caused him to take his wife and all that he had to a place where he would be an alien in a foreign land. It took faith for Abraham to trust God and move to the Promised Land.

What is the land of promise for us today? While there is still the literal Promised Land, known as Israel, as a biblical principle it goes beyond the geographical land itself. It represents God’s grace at work in the world – His providential provision and divine protection for His people, both for this life and in the life to come. God’s grace is at work in and through His people to bring about a multigenerational eternal promise which has implications for you today! This is why we are learning how to grow strong in God’s grace, so that we can be the people of God – men and women who believe God for His promises!

The Bible makes it clear that the promises of God are dependent on only one thing: the blood line of faith! What started as the blood line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, then David, was eternally sealed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Hebrews 9:11-28). Therefore, you are the people of the promise through the blood of Jesus Christ! The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1:20-22:

For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

You are called to be a person of God’s promises! That requires faith, so let’s examine the work of God’s grace to plant the seeds of faith into our hearts and minds through the story of Abraham in Genesis. After a great military victory to rescue his nephew Lot, and having received a blessing from Melchizedek king of Salem (Jerusalem), Genesis 15:1-6 conclude with one of the most important statements made in the Bible, and it was first used about Abraham:

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. [emphasis added]

In two places, Paul quoted this statement, “[God] reckoned it to him as righteousness.” The first is in Romans 4, specifically verses 1-5 and 16-22:

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, … For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.

The second place Paul quotes this truth about Abraham’s life is in Galatians 3:6-9, 29:

Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. … And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

Like Abraham, through God’s grace, you are called to be a person who believes God for His promises, and as a person of faith you become a son of Abraham – an heir according to the promise! Obedience flowed from God’s grace through Abraham to Jesus to you today! God made a way through faith – that is God’s grace at work through Jesus Christ! When your story is transformed by faith, through the power of God’s grace, then you will be a blessing to all the nations, just as God choose Abraham and Sarah to do. This is your birth rite as a Christian, as well as the harvest God has called you to reap. Jesus’s Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 is the work of fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham:

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

When you have a faith that trust God’s promises, you will answer the call upon your life to be like a hard-working farmer for God’s Harvest. In doing so, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you will mature in Christ and bear the good fruit of the Spirit. Let’s now turn to Sarah’s story and learn from her the faith that bears fruit.  

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.

Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Gives Substance to your Life

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a faith farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ.

This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit! Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by walking through the Hall of Faith, learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men [and women] of old gained approval.” Today’s passage from Hebrews 11:7 illustrates the life of faith with the third transforming story in the Hall of Faith, from which we are going to learn how to grow strong in God’s grace:

By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Just like you and me, today, Noah was a real man, with real faith, in real history, and his story began with a faith that pleased God. Noah’s faith brought substance through things not yet seen! His story is told in Genesis 5:28-9:29. Listen to what Noah’s father prophesied over him at his birth in Genesis 5:29, “Now he called his name Noah, saying, ‘This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.’” Noah was born for such a time at this! In Genesis 6:5-8, after hearing that the Nephilim were upon the Earth at this time, we learn God’s verdict:

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Today, we are going to learn what it was that gave Noah favor in God’s eyes. In those evil days, Noah had faith, and when God called upon him to act, Noah’s obedience put substance on his faith. Here’s the principle I want you to learn today: If your faith has no substance, it will not provide your life with sustenance!

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

We use words like faith, grace, and good works a lot in the church. One of my favorite passages that combines all three is from Ephesians 2:8-10:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

These words give your life value, meaning, and purpose, but what happens when those words become empty to you? What happens when the promises of God ring hollow in your heart and mind? Has faith become an empty word to you? Have good works become an exhausting tread mill of fleshly striving to you?

Allow me to illustrate with this empty jar: this empty jar is our cruise fund and I hope that if I put enough change into it, we will be able to go on a cruise. Let’s be honest, this empty jar has as much potential to get us on a cruise, as an empty word can lead us to live a life that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). The comparison is obviously not perfect, but I think you get the point: we use the word faith all the time, but the word must have substance to transform anything. As James said in James 2:26, “faith without works is dead.”  

Today, God is going to put some substance in our potentially empty jars through the story of Noah, the man of God, through whom God judged the world for sin, but preserved a righteous root through faith. Listen to God call Noah to substantiate his faith in Genesis 6:17-21:

Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark – you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.

Faith gives substance to that which is not yet visible! Noah responded to the Word of God in Genesis 6:22, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.” In building the ark, God preserved humanity through Noah’s seed of faith – through his three sons and their wives, whom God commanded to be put on the ark with all the animals and birds of His beloved creation. God made a way through faith – that is God’s grace at work through a person of faith!

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Whether it took Noah 55-75 years[1] or over a century to build the Ark, the reality is that Noah was called by God to build an ark at a time when God’s command would not have made sense to either Noah, anyone in his family, and definitely not anyone in his community.

What motivated Noah to persevere in the building of the ark? The answer is found in Hebrews 11:7, “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household.” The key concept is “in reverence,” or as it is translated in the NIV, “holy fear,” in the ESV, “reverent fear,” and in the CSB, “godly fear.” Eugene Peterson described it this way in The Message, “His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world.”

The same Greek root word translated “reverence” is applied to Jesus in Hebrews 5:7-8, “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” [emphasis added] Jesus was heard by the Father because of “His piety” – His reverence or holy fear!

We must have the same “reverence” or “piety” if we want to be like Noah; if we want to be like Jesus; if we want to have the same kind of faith that would compel a man to be seen as crazy for his God in a world that does not accept faith as adequate reasoning for doing anything, nevertheless counter-cultural things. Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Is your life bearing the good fruit of faith? Jesus taught in Matthew 7:16-20:

“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.

Noah’s faith is proven true by the substance of the fruit of his obedience when the flood came in Genesis 7. The conclusion of the matter is found in Genesis 7:23, “Thus [God] blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark.”

The proof was in the pudding! Noah’s faith was substantiated because for 55-75 years, Noah was ridiculed for acting upon the promise of God and nurturing the faith of his wife and three sons, and their wives. Noah and his family acted out their faith by building an ark, every day for 55-75 years (a lifetime of faith for us by today’s adult life spans), and through their faith God preserved the righteous root of humanity. That is why Hebrews 11:7 stated of Noah, he “became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

In the same way, God has planted a good seed of faith into your life so that you will mature into a life that bears fruit, testifying to who you are (a disciple) – a witness of God’s grace bestowed upon you by Jesus Christ. In the same way that Noah’s faith brought substance to the way of salvation, so can yours. That takes us to the last action step.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

The life of growing strong in God’s grace leads to a harvest of praise! Jesus said in John 15:8, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” The author of Hebrews concluded that Noah became “an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Noah’s life reaped a harvest of praise! Watch Noah’s first activity after he and his family got off the ark in Genesis 8:20-22:

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

Noah’s life reaped a harvest a praise – He offered God a right sacrifice of praise! Then, in Genesis 9:1, 12-13 God restored onto Noah and his sons the Genesis Commission He had originally given Adam, and then God gave a sign of His covenant with humanity through Noah:

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” … God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.”

What next steps of faith will allow you to be like Noah – an heir of righteousness?

Noah’s transforming story teaches us to live with a reverence that seizes the moment.[2] The faith that brings substance to your life is your belief in an unchanging holy and sovereign God, which allows you to live by faith day by day, situation by situation, moment by moment. John described such belief in 1 John 5:4-5, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Hold up the empty jar: The first step to having substance in your faith is to know God and what He has already put inside of you – the victory of His faith through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit! Inside of you is the priceless treasure of God’s presence. God willingly and lovingly has put into your jar of clay the gift of eternal life through which you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, according to Ephesians 1:13-14:

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

When God Himself is the substance of your faith, your faith will give you the sustenance necessary to face your everyday life circumstances like Noah.

As you grow strong in God’s grace, you will embrace the Noah moments of your life and seize the moment. The pressure is not on you to perform or add substance to your own faith; this substance is the work of God in you – it is the sustenance of God’s grace at work in you through the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit! 

Allow me to pray over you a disciple’s holy ambition, from the testimony of Paul in Philippians 3:7-11:

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Noah’s transforming story of faith strengthens our faith, gives us hope, and gives us the courage to tell a better story with our stories. To make visible that which is invisible – the kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven! May we reap a harvest of praise as our stories are transformed through the gospel of Jesus Christ!

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Bodie Hodge, “How Long Did It Take for Noah to Build the Ark?” Answers in Genesis https://answersingenesis.org/bible-timeline/how-long-did-it-take-for-noah-to-build-the-ark/ (Accessed April 28, 2023).

Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith that Pleases God

Hebrews 11:4-6 (NAS95)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created and entrusted us to work in as His Harvest workers! All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers. Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by cultivating people with faith, sowing the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds, caring for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants, and reaping a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This is the strategy of a faithful farmer for God’s harvest, powered by the Holy Spirit!

Harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace by walking through these four steps of this strategy. Let’s take the first step by walking through the Hall of Faith, learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men [and women] of old gained approval.” Today’s passage from Hebrews 11:4-6 builds upon this definition, while illustrating it with the first two transforming stories from which we are going to learn how to grow strong in God’s grace:

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Just like you and me, today, the “men [and women] of old” were real people – Abel and Enoch were real men, with real faith, in real history, and even their stories began with faith. But just like with them, we can’t remain at the starting point of our story, we must take the next step of faith. Faith is what made these men’s great; they are not great in and of themselves! The Bible never exalts men and women; rather, the Bible glorifies the God who uplifts men and women through the gift of faith to be used for His divine purposes. Today, you are invited to have faith like Abel and Enoch, so that you, too, can take the next steps in your faith life “to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is rewarder of those who seek Him.”

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Faith gives substance to that which is not yet visible – the kingdom of Heaven on Earth! God’s grace at work in our lives sows the assurance that God can and will do that which God promises to do! Let’s see how that worked with Abel. Hebrews 11:4 teaches, “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” I love this testimony: “Through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” Wow! Abel’s transforming story continues to proclaim the importance of offering God right sacrifices, as seen in Genesis 4:1-8:

Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Both his life and testimony were cut short, literally, by his older brother Cain. Abel did nothing to deserve death. Cain became jealous because Abel’s offering was accepted by God, and his was not. From the beginning of the human saga, we see the curse of sin deeply rooted in the human condition, but we also find the seed of faith to choose a different path – God’s grace illuminates the way of faith that is counted to us as righteousness. Abel set apart the first fruits of his life for God and God accepted his sacrifice. We are called to be living sacrifices, as Paul urges us in Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Abel’s story calls you to live differently – to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). While it appears that Abel was rewarded for his faith by being murdered, there is more to the story, much more! The story of those with faith lives on and continues to tell the better story of God, well beyond what appears to be the end of our stories here on earth. Just as Hebrews 12:1 communicates of these people from the Hall of Faith, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The same will be true for our lives, as we grow strong in God’s grace.

You are invited to be like Abel, a living sacrifice to God’s glory that allows your story to speak even when you feel like your story is being cut short by injury, injustice, heartache, hardship, disease, or death. When we sow with the good seed of God’s grace, then our stories tell a better story! Never forget that God loves to create something from nothing – trust Him to do so with your life. Faith gives substance to that which is not yet visible – the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. We will now turn to the third action step of a farmer’s strategy and learn from the transforming story of Enoch.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

God has planted a good seed of faith into your life so that you will mature and bear fruit, testifying to what you are (a disciple) and to whom you belong – to be a witness of God’s grace bestowed upon you by Jesus Christ. When you first believe and put your trust in Jesus your life is forever changed because you are made new – born again as a new kind of plant because the good seed has been planted into your heart and mind. Paul expressed this in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

We are to mature into ambassadors for Christ! Our maturing faith causes us to become witnesses of God’s grace. Hebrews 11:5 teaches us the transforming story of Enoch, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.” The Enoch being referred to here is the one found in the generations leading up to Noah in Genesis 5:19-24 (as opposed to Cain’s son in Genesis 4:17):

Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died. Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

We learn more about Enoch from our New Testament passage than we do from the Genesis account. Genesis 5:24 stated with finality, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” That’s it! There are many traditions built round Enoch and multiple books written in his name, but no authoritative knowledge about him beyond this. We find only one historical parallel to Enoch’s story: the prophet Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11,“As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.” He went to be with the Lord without dying just like Enoch. While we don’t see Enoch again, Elijah had the honor of being chosen to stand next to Jesus in the Transfiguration, alongside of Moses (Matthew 17:1-9). That places Enoch in a very prestigious position of notoriety – Enoch is a witness to a life that pleases God, the life of faith.

Followers of Jesus Christ are given the promise to be like Enoch when Jesus raptures His church, to bring those who please Him home to Heaven without having to taste of death. This promise is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

You are invited to be like Enoch, a wholehearted person to God’s promises whose trust in God allows you to be a hope-bearer in a world that so desperately needs the grace of God. Choose faith, hope, and love – the currencies of Heaven – even when confronted with the evil in this world, including the ever-intimidating reality of death and dying. Never forget, that as an ambassador of Christ you are not a doomsdayer, but a hope-bearer!

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

The life of growing strong in God’s grace leads to a harvest of praise! Praise God for Jesus Christ who has defeated death and given us the promise of the resurrection and life. Jesus said in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

The author of Hebrews concluded about Abel and Enoch’s transforming stories, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” What next steps of faith will allow you to be like Enoch – a wholehearted person to God’s promises? What next steps in faith will allow you to be like Abel – a living sacrifice to God’s glory?

You can watch this video by clicking HERE.

The Transforming Power of Faith

Hebrews 1:1-3 (NAS95)

We have learned the strategy of a hard-working farmer. If the faithful farmer hopes to harvest a large crop yield, he must diligently work the following four steps:

If you can believe Genesis 1:1, everything else in the Bible is easy because it all points back to one word – Faith! This is exactly what the author of Hebrews is communicating to us: If you can believe there is a God that can speak all things into existence from nothing, then everything else that God does falls within His scope of power to do. In fact, nothing falls outside of God’s scope because “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” When God creates all things form no things, then nothing is outside of the boundaries of what God can do!

If God created all life, then why couldn’t God be able to impregnate the Virgin Mary with the good seed of the incarnate Word, or why couldn’t God raise Jesus from the dead after three days? In the same way that those are perfectly logical to assume of an all-powerful God, so is transforming our stories through the grace of God – God heals the sick! God gives sight to the blind! God casts out demons! God sets the captives free! God forgive sins! God reconciles broken marriages! God restores rebellious children to their parents! God bears good fruit in the lives of ordinary people!

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created and entrusted us to work as His Harvest workers! William Shakespeare famously wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,”[1] but I say to you, “All the world’s a field, and all the men and women merely farmers”! We are called to cultivate people with faith, sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds, care for them as the seed of faith takes root in their lives, and reap a harvest of praise through the church of Jesus Christ. As a harvest worker of God’s kingdom, every time you walk through this farmer’s strategy you will grow stronger in God’s grace, and help others do the same.

CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

What is faith? Hebrews 11:1-2 defines faith for us and its importance to our lives, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.” Why is this important to us as New Covenant believers? Ephesians 2:8-10 clearly explains:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Who cultivated your soil with faith, hope, and love? Whose soil are you cultivating?

SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

When did you first “experience” faith?

Faith is a resolute conviction, a wholehearted trust, that God can and will do that which God promised – “It is done” in Jesus’ name!

God loves to make something out of nothing! He enjoys this so much that God anticipates, looks forward to, doing it in and through us! When we tell the stories of our something, that which we have done by our best efforts, the only one who gets glory for that is us, but when we tell the stories of how God took our nothing and made it into something, then that brings glory to God and amplifies the quality of the good seed of faith! That proclaims the Gospel! We see this in Ephesians 2:4-7

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Faith gives substance to that which is not yet visible – the kingdom of Heaven on Earth! God’s grace at work in our lives proclaims (SOWS!) the assurance that God can and will do that which God promises to do!

When does the Gospel start working its transforming power? When you first believed and put your trust in Jesus Christ; that is the efficacy (power) of the good seed of faith! Paul expressed this in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” The new has come, a new life of faith has been formed, now we move to the second step of the farmer’s strategy.

CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Where are you experiencing transformation through the renewal of your mind? Paul taught in Romans 12:1-3 that once we have become new in Christ, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we must respond:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

God has planted a good seed of faith into your life, now you are to grow strong in God’s grace. The gospel changes things: it transforms the landscape of hearts, minds, souls, lifestyles, and relationships… It transforms your story to point to the best story ever told – the gospel!

Next week, we will start learning from the stories of the great people of faith who are named starting in the very next verse of Hebrews 11 – “By faith Abel…” (4). We will learn that our names can be mentioned alongside their names. We must begin to realize that each of our stories has the power to glorify God, proclaim the name of Jesus Christ, and manifest the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our midst! That is what Paul called us to in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, in response to becoming a new creation through the good seed of faith:

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

This is God’s grace at work in each of our lives! As an ambassador of Christ, you no longer represent yourself. Through your reconciliation with God, your life now bears the good fruit of the Spirit for people to taste and see that the Lord is good! That takes us to the last step to realize that every transforming story is intended to bring God glory. We exist to reap a harvest of praise!

REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

Reap a Harvest: The Fourth Step of the Farmer’s Strategy!

Matthew 9:37-38; John 4:34-38; 1 Corinthians 9:7-11; Galatians 6:7-9 (NAS95)

We are learning that the strategy of a hard-working farmer has four steps, each of which the faithful farmer must diligently work, if the farmer hopes to harvest a large crop yield:

The fourth step of the faithful farmer’s strategy is the heart’s desire of all hardworking farmers – the reaping of the harvest! As farmer’s cultivate the soil, they do so in preparation of sowing good seed. They sow good seed into the ground so that it will grow into the intended plant they have planted. Their expectation is the same as that of Jesus’ claim from Matthew 7:16, “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?” Farmers cultivate the soil and plant good seeds in expectation of having good crop yields of that which they planted.

To bring about the harvest, the farmers care for the maturing plant as it buds out of the ground. A farmer that uses the wrong kind of fertilizers, or provides too much or too little water, or doesn’t protect their crops from animals or insects, will find an otherwise healthy crop not producing as the farmer expected. Never forget that farming doesn’t feed just the farmer’s family, it feeds the whole world! We all would be concerned by a farmer that would feed the world with a crop he wouldn’t first feed to his own family. As 2 Timothy 2:6, our theme verse for this sermon series demonstrates, “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.” Paul communicated to the church in Corinth a similar message, in 1 Corinthians 9:7-11:

Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock? I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?

There was a man who went out to change the world. After years of travel and great effort, he came to the realization that if he wanted to change the world, then he needed to start with his own nation. Upon seeking the welfare of his nation, he came to realize that if he wanted to change his nation he had to return to his own state. After great effort, he understood that if he wanted to change his state he had to start in his own community. Then after many years, he had the clarity that if he was to change the community he needed to start with his family. Finally, in his advanced years, with great wisdom and life experience, he had the epiphany that if you are going to change anything, then you first must be transformed yourself. The problem he saw with the world, with the nation, with his community, with his family, was his own and he could not bring thriving to the community until he was first transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ Himself.

This story captures our church’s mission and vision statements: We exist to transform stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ (mission). As the Spirit does this work in us through the good seed of God’s Word, we will see our communities thriving to the glory of God (vision). In other words, when you are blessed, you will become a blessing to others and that will bring flourishing (thriving) to our communities then to the region, nation, and nations. It is the Spirit of God who catches the good seed that is multiplied through the harvest of fruit bearing in your life which spreads it to the ends of the world as you go wherever and whenever God calls. This is the mission of God, and this is how we participate in the harvest work of God – it is the work of the Spirit to first transform us through the renewal of the mind so that others will come to life through the passing on of the good seed, from field to field, worker to worker.

What is it I hope to reap from this sermon series as I pray in the Spirit over each of these messages and over you who will receive the good seed of God’s Word? C. H. Spurgeon preached in 1871, “Preaching is sowing, prayer is watering, but praise is the harvest.”[1] It is my desire to see First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana witness a large crop yield of praise to the glory of God! That we will be an epicenter of revival throughout our region, into our nation, and to the nations. Until all worship, let us continue to be faithful to the Lord of the Harvest and respond to His call upon our lives to be hard-working farmers!

Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Again, in John 4:34-38, Jesus said to them:

My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, “There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest”? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.     

Like last week, I want to pull from a farmer’s experience to help us understand how we are to respond to the call of Jesus from these two passages because there is a very important concept here that is the whole point of this sermon series, which is called, “Grow Strong in God’s Grace.” Penny shared with me, “farmers need to maintain their equipment, faithfully. Otherwise, their work is doubled, their harvest reduced.” If you are going to answer Jesus’ call, then you must “maintain” the spiritual equipment of a hardworking farmer who seeks to produce a larger crop yield. As I have already taught you in a previous sermon, this is done by abiding in the vine (John 15:1-8) and taking on the easy yoke of Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30). Growing strong in God’s grace is all about absolute submission to Jesus Christ so that the Holy Spirit can flow into our lives. I’ve already taught you this in one of the earlier messages of this new sermon series, but like it has been pointed out to me after last week’s sermon, I need to remind you of this every week, so that no one thinks they can do this by their own power.

Harvest workers must “go” in God’s grace through prayer and by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we learn from Jesus about the harvest from Acts 1:7-8, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Missionary Elizabeth Elliot said, “Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.”[2] As you go into the harvest fields, go with faith in God and trust His Holy Spirit to do the work in and through you. Never forget how Jesus called His disciples in Mark 1:17, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Jesus promised that if they followed Him, the Spirit would transform them into Harvest workers. It is the same thing He promised using vineyard imagery in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” This is the language of growing strong in God’s grace! We are to go as Paul went – by the power of God’s Spirit! Just as Paul exhorted us and testified to in Ephesians 6:18-20:

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Furthermore, Paul testified to this truth in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10:

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

There are so many more passages to support this harvest reality; Reaping a harvest is dependent on God’s grace – the work of the Spirit. Here’s one more, Paul said in Galatians 6:7-9:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Jim G. told me a story after service that illustrates this point. He used to work in a farm store and one day a man came in with a problem. He had accidently used a ground sterilizer instead of a ground fertilizer. [cue the audible groan] The biggest problem was that he had good intentions when he did so, because he not only sprayed his own property, but he sprayed his neighbor property, too. [cue an even louder audible groan] He was trying to be a good neighbor, following the words of Jesus to love your neighbor as yourself. I believe this a metaphor for our fleshly efforts, when we use worldly wisdom, to try to reap a harvest. As you’ve heard me say before if this is how you are going to love yourself then please don’t love me – I would hate for someone to hurt me when they thought they were loving me well. Can you imagine how that neighbor reacted to his neighbor’s love? I the same way that the world has reacted to an infighting, backbiting, fleshly church. They see us, then hear that we are followers of Jesus and say things like, “If this is the Jesus you represent, then no thank you!” To finish the story, Jim told me that to make things right with his neighbor the man had to remove 3 inches of earth from under the sod line because the ground sterilizer he thought was ground fertilizer got into the roots. Church, let’s not do damage to the soil and make the work of harvesting harder for future workers.

Unfortunately, this is a modern-day parable of the work the church of Jesus Christ needs to do in America today. Our witness to Christ, so often done in the flesh and motivated by a spirit of religion, motivated by ambition and ego, and not through prayer empowered by the Holy Spirit for the glory of God, has done more damage than good. Now we must do what the well-meaning man in the above story had to do. We must patiently, lovingly, and prayerfully cultivate the soil, removing the poison from the ground caused by worship wars and denominational wars so that the good seed can bear fruit in its time. We must not grow weary in doing good!

We need to learn from the example of the first great missionary of the church, the Apostle Paul, how we are to do the harvest work. In 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 Paul explained:

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

Amen! It is like the modern-day parable I shared last week. We are to share our award-winning corn with our neighbors because the wind (the Spirit) will take the good seed from our harvest field and pollinate our neighbor’s field. We are in this together as the body of Christ – we are many members working together as one body to the glory of God. May the Spirt of God empower us to the glory of God!

You can listen to the message by clicking below:

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] C. H. Spurgeon, “The Joy of the Lord, the Strength of His People,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 17 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1871), 717.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

Care for the Maturing Plant: The Third Step of the Farmer’s Strategy!

Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43; Luke 13:6-9 (NAS95)

We are learning that the strategy of a hard-working farmer has four steps, each of which the faithful farmer must diligently work, if the farmer hopes to harvest a large crop yield:

Care for the maturing plant and give the maturing plant every possible chance to bear the good fruit of the Harvest. I will close with another one of Jesus’ parables, from Luke 13:6-9:

And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’ ”

You can listen to this message by clicking below:

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Naren Kini, “My Neighbor’s Corn” https://www.awakin.org/v2/read/view.php?tid=2395 (Accessed March 17, 2023).

[2] C. H. Spurgeon, “The Joy of the Lord, the Strength of His People,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 17 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1871), 717.

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

Sow the Good Seed: The Second Step of the Farmer’s Strategy!

Matthew 13:3-9 & Mark 4:26-32 (NAS95)

We are learning that the strategy of a hard-working farmer has four steps, each of which the faithful farmer must diligently work, if the farmer hopes to harvest a large crop yield:

From this first parable of Jesus, we learn about the good seed, which was passed down to us and we are to pass it on to others who will join us in the work of sowing it. Paul taught this to his protégé in 2 Timothy 2:2, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Just like God first sowed the seed of life into us and invited us to join Him in His garden (creation). We read this in Genesis 2:7-8, “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.”

God said to His image bearers at the beginning, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:26-28). As image bearers of God, we were to continue to fulfill His desires for His creation, which is that all things would live under His rightful rule (in His kingdom). This is the work of the harvest, as Jesus commanded in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” This is the Great Commission for which Jesus taught us to pray in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” The work of the harvest is to sow the good seed, passing it from person to person, generation to generation, and nation to nation. As Jesus emphasized in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Let’s enter a time of prayer, asking God to open our eyes to this plentiful harvest. The harvest is in our homes and neighborhoods, in our schools and places of work, throughout our communities, and to the places around the world which we go. Are you willing and available to be a laborer in God’s harvest, wherever and whenever He may call you to go? Let’s pray for each of us to be open, available, and willing to be used by God, wherever and whenever He may call.

[Time of Prayer]

In the next parable, the Parable of the Seed, found in Mark 4:26-29, Jesus taught about the importance of God’s grace in the work of sowing the good seed:

And [Jesus] was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows – how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Just like with life itself, there is a mystery in the power of the seed because it is God-breathed. The seed comes from the Sower (God), who provided the good seed to us so that we can sow in His name, with His same Spirit that brought life out from the dust. There is a guarantee on this seed, as we’ve already learned from Isaiah 55:11, “it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” These words are spoken by the Sower of faith. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us about the One who makes such an extravagant promise, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”

Our job as hard-working farmers is to sow the good seed, which has been provided to us, not second guess the seed or what the Sower says it is capable of or what it will produce. As Jesus taught in the above parable, we can rest easy at night knowing that we have been faithful farmers who “cast seed upon the soil.” The rest is up to God and the power of His good seed.

What is required of you, the faithful farmer? Just that, it requires faith! The kind of faith that reminds you to sow seed everywhere you go because it’s good seed. Regardless of whether it is hard ground, shallow rocky soil, land filled with thorns and thistles, or fields that have proven themselves to be good soil, you sow the seed!

You are called to sow, but you can’t make it grow! You aren’t in control! You can’t control the results of your hard work, only in whether you are willing to work hard and follow the strategy of the faithful farmer, entrusted to you generation after generation, and preserved through the Bible handed down to you. It’s a life learning how to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) – the farmer goes to bed, sleeps peacefully because he trusts the strategy passed down to him. As Jesus taught in His parable, the farmer wakes up to see that “the seed sprouts and grows – how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.”

The second step of the farmer’s strategy is the high call of living by faith. In 1881, C. H. Spurgeon preached about the life of sowing the seed:

The precious seed of the word of God is small as a grain of mustard-seed, and may be carried by the feeblest hand where it shall multiply a hundred-fold. We need never quarrel with God because we cannot do everything if he only permits us to do this one thing; for sowing the good seed is a work which will need all our wit, our strength, our love, our care. Holy seed sowing may well be adopted as our highest pursuit, and be no inferior object for the noblest life that can be led.^[1]

What Spurgeon calls “the noblest life that can be led” is the life of a hard-working farmer, a life of growing strong in God’s grace. By God’s grace, we sow in faith, even if our faith is no bigger than that of a mustard seed. In the next parable of Jesus, the Parable of the Mustard Seed, found in Mark 4:30-32, Jesus emphasized the power of faith:

How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” (cf. Matthew 13:31-32)

Do you feel that you are lacking in faith to be a hard-working farmer for God’s harvest? Jesus’ words convince me that a mustard seed of faith is sufficient to the task! Sowing the good seed is an activity of faith, and the faith you have, even that of a mustard seed, is sufficient for the task that Jesus has called you to participate in. How do I know this? Because the measure of faith you have is not your own, you didn’t muster up, it was given to you by God’s grace, and God’s grace is sufficient to all that God calls you to be and do. Paul taught this in Romans 12:3, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Have you received the good seed of Jesus Christ? You first must receive what you are called to sow into the lives of others. I invite you now to receive Jesus Christ by inviting Him to be your Lord and Savior. Submit to the Lord of the Harvest and be filled with the imperishable seed of God’s Word, who plants eternity into your heart through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

[altar call and pray for salvation]

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FOOTNOTES:

[1] C. H. Spurgeon, “What the Farm Labourers Can Do and What They Cannot Do,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 27 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1881), 330.

[2] C. H. Spurgeon, “The Joy of the Lord, the Strength of His People,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 17 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1871), 717.