Sermon Central
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Dream Makers Series
Contributed by Dan Cale on May 12, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: This is the third in a series of sermons on our stewardship of God’s vision. Adapted from a message by Denny Feasby on this website. It covers the idea’s of being dream makers by looking at Joshua and Caleb compared to the other spies sent into Canaan.
Dream Makers
Dream Makers ¡V these are people who lift you up, pick you up, and encourage you through life.
Moses sends the spys. Exo 13:1-2, 17-20; 25-31
1) Dream Makers ask the right questions ¡V Notice what it was that God who sent the twelve men to do. They were to search the land. It was the land God said He was giving to the Israelites.¡¨ He wasn’t sending them on a mission to decide whether or not to actually possess the land; that had already been decided. They were just supposed to go explore the area that was now to be their home, the land God had promised to give to them since the days of Abraham. Often we ask the wrong questions: Can we make a difference? Can we change this community? Can we impact eternity? Do we have what it takes? Those questions have already been answered. We are called. The questions need to be ¡V How do reach this community? What are we doing to impact eternity? What do we need to make a difference?
2) Dream Makers Look for the right answers In life there are optimists and pessimists. In this story we see both. I tend to be an optimist. Optimists focus on what can be; possibilities, opportunities, and potential. They look for the positive the hopeful and the reassuring. Pessimists on the other hand tend to focus on problems, obstacles and potential doom. They look for the cloud behind every silver lining. Optimists tend to operate by faith not by sight where the pessimist operates more by sight than by faith. Notice that all 12 men saw the same things all witnessed the same extraordinary blessings all reported the same treasure but not all came to the same conclusion. Caleb and Joshua said ¡§look at the great land God is giving us. The rest said nevertheless v28.
3) Dream Makers see the world from God’s perspective. The 10 spies saw walled cities, giants, and strong armies facing them. Their conclusion We can’t. Caleb and Joshua saw these things but saw them in God’s perspective. (14:8-9) When Joshua leads these people’s children into the land it has all the same cities with all the same fortifications and all the same giants but the wall of Jericho fall down, the people of Ai are defeated and God delivers Canaan into their hands.
Dream Makers celebrate as they watch dreams come true.
