Judges begins where Joshua is ready to lead the people into the land they have been promised. He is cautious though and like Moses, sends some men (2) to go into Jericho and spy on the city. The spies purpose is discovered and Rahab hides the men with the provision that when they do take the city they will spare her family. The spies agree and when the city is taken Rahab’s household is spared. What I find interesting is Rahab’s recognition that God is at work among the Israelites. Check out what she says.

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Joshua 2

Rahab is able to recognize that God is at work in the world and that He is specifically working among the Israelites. Rahab’s approach is to look in the world and see how God is at work and then look for that opportunity to join Him in His work. So the main point of this Sunday’s sermon would be: Look at where God is active in the world and join him there.

Now here is my stream of consciousness about that statement. We want to serve God, but want to do it our way. Maybe we play this out in several ways. Jesus says in the great commission to go but instead we ask the world to come. We invite them to church. I’m not against inviting people to church, but shouldn’t there be times when we are intentionally trying to go instead of asking them to come. Asking them to come is easy. It’s our turf and we control what goes on. Going onto someone else’s turf is tougher.

Let me give an example: I don’t think I will share this story Sunday morning, but it is a story that has always stuck with me. When I was in campus ministry I had the wife of an international student come to me who had recently become a Christian and when her husband came to Sam Houston State to work on his master’s degree she came to me wanting to continue her Bible studies since she was a young Christian. I would meet with her and we studied. Birds of a feather flock together and international students find each other and make friends.

This young woman started bringing more who wanted to study the Bible. The ones she brought were not Christian but were interested in studying the Bible. I realized quickly that there were more who wanted to study the Bible than I had time to handle on my own. One Sunday morning I presented this to the whole church. I told them that I had international students who would love to make a new friend and study the Bible. What an opportunity!!! I was excited.

I never had one person in the whole church offer to study with one of these eager students. I cannot tell you my disappointment. So I continued to do what I could, but it eventually fell apart because there was another campus ministry that saw God at work in the international students and they jumped in with both feet to welcome and study with these students. This group that welcomed these students went onto become the largest campus ministry at Sam Houston. At the time I left, they were having around 800 to 1000 students at their Thursday night Bible study. At the time I was at Sam Houston there was an enrollment of about 13,000. Look at that percentage!

I think they were asking themselves where is God at work on this campus and they joined God there in working with him. Let me emphasize that I love the church I was a part of during that time and I still do and they were doing good things. So it’s not that they were unfaithful or bad. It’s just that some have an ability to see what God is doing and then go there.

Other ways this can play out: We maintain a program when it is dying or dead because we have just always done it. This is tough to do because where God is working is not always savory or comfortable place to be. Rahab was probably a prostitute or ran a brothel as the madam. Some maintain that she was an innkeeper. But it seems to me that it all becomes the same thing. If you run an inn where men will stay the night after traveling for days what is one of the services you will provide to the men?

To keep this G rated I will not bring up or emphasize this part of Rahab because of children in the audience. For VBS purposes I will emphasize the innkeeper part. : ) I guess I have gone on long enough. I was told to keep it short and I have already broken that. Sorry, I’ll do better in the future.

Is this a bad way to approach this story in Joshua? Do I need to look for a different main point? If I go with this, can you think of things that fit? Thanks, Barry

We all have an earthly father.  He may be the greatest dad in the world or the worst or somewhere in between.  We do not choose him.  There is a father we do get to choose.  In John chapter 8 Jesus has an extended discussion about choosing your spiritual father.  This we can and do choose.  In John 8 there are only two options given as to who your father is.  Choose wisely.

Sunday’s sermon  

Sunday’s Bulletin  6-16-13

There is something Biblical about Memorial Day.  A day to remember those who died for freedom.  As Christians we remember each Sunday the one who died for our freedom.  Because of Jesus sin and death no longer have power over us.  Yes, Jesus gave his life for us, but he also made the point that he took his life up again and that we can live through him.  That’s something to remember.

Sunday’s Sermon  

Sunday’s Bulletin  5-26-13

We are Christ’s ambassadors.  It matters what people think about us.  That does not mean we are out to please everyone so that we water down the message of Jesus.  Jesus is offensive sometimes and we may have to offend also.  However, can we live our lives in such a way that those around us know we are committed to Jesus and can we do it in a way that is peaceful.  When we stand before God someday can we say honestly that in any situation that was not peaceful that we did everything we could on our part to create peace?  I hope so.

Sunday’s sermon  

Sunday’s Bulletin 5-19-13

In Matthew 15 there is a story of a mother who loves her daughter and will not back down until her daughter is helped.  She is not Jewish and at first her reception by Jesus and the disciples is not very warm.  In the end Jesus commends her faith and her daughter’s demon is cast out and if you read further in the chapter you see that Jesus heals and feeds many others who were not Jewish.  This woman’s faith changed the lives of many.

Sunday’s Sermon  

Sunday’s Bulletin  5-12-13

To love God is how we learn how to love others.  It’s tough loving each other.  Without a commitment to love God we can easily fail as we try to make things work here on earth.  Jesus prayed that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We start with heaven and bring it down to earth.  To reverse this can lead us down dangerous paths.  What keeps me going when the struggle seems too much to keep loving?  My commitment to God reminds me to try again.  If I love God first, He will always send me to my neighbor.  My neighbor may never send me to God.  If we are going to make Paul’s admonitions in Romans 12 work, it starts with a commitment to love God and keep his commands.

Sunday’s sermon

Sunday’s Bulletin  5-5-13

“Love must be sincere.”  That’s how the NIV translates the beginning of Romans 12:9.  Let’s consider that maybe this is not just one thought among many that Paul presents throughout the rest of the chapter, but the over ridding theme of the rest of the chapter.  Paul says “Love must be sincere.” and then he spends the rest of the time explaining what that looks like.  We looked at this yesterday as we considered what it means to Hate what is evil and cling to what is good as well as being devoted to one another in brotherly love and honoring one another above yourself.  We will explore the rest of this passage in the next few weeks.

Sunday’s Bulletin  4-28-13

Last week was a heavy week.  With the bombing in Boston and the explosion in West, Texas we were all reminded vividly that evil is still in the world and very active.  Bad news makes all the headlines, but we need to remember that the headlines about the good that will be done will not be as big.  God does some of His best work when things seem the darkest.  This was our focus yesterday in the sermon.

Sunday’s Sermon  

Sunday’s Bulletin  4-21-13

James 4:13-17 is a warning about being urgent about the right things in life.  The passage condemns those whose focus on making money at the expense of more important things.  It’s the Lord’s will that is primary.  We need to learn to live in His will.  This means making our plans with Him, committing our plans to Him and when He still says no to us, then we need to be ready to change.  The problem is not that we plan for tomorrow, it’s that we plan with out God and with an exaggerated sense of our own importance.  Being urgent about the wrong thing also makes us loose our focus.  We live in such a way that we put off the things we ought to do today and tell ourselves that we will get to that tomorrow.  That’s sin according to James.  Let’s not go there.  Do today what you know God wants you to do and then do the other things.

Sunday’s sermon  

Sunday’s Bulletin  4-14-13

We finished Matthew yesterday by looking at what we commonly call the great commission.  The last verses of Matthew are certainly about going into the world, but I think the bigger point is that all authority has been given to Jesus.  If we can really get it that Jesus has all authority, then we can go into the world and make disciples, and baptize and teach that we are to obey all that Jesus has taught us.  He is risen and lives forever and we recognize his authority.

Sunday’s Sermon  4-7-13 All Authority belongs to Christ

Sunday’s Bulletin  4-7-13