Sermon Central
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Now 5
Contributed by Ken Hubbard on Feb 2, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon addresses fear in the face of transition and change.
INTRO
1. Control
Influence
2. Courage
6"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Be = Command
Courageous
* God knew Joshua would have to be strong and courageous to reach his flow
* There might be some fear
* But feel the fear and do it anyway
* Fear false, evidence, appearing ,real Kills faith
* And I can't get my 'flow' without faith
* Because without faith I can't please God
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
* When I hear God's word I get faith
* When I obey His word, I get love
But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
* And love casts out fear
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
* Everyone faces fear of something
* Every generation has something to fear
* The Bible is only 66 verses long when we see Adam have fear
* I knew a guy who said I am never going to fly or swim
* Why?
* Because I don't want to do anything that if you stop you die
* He was already partly dead
* His fear was preventing him from:
„X Experiences
„X Places
„X People
„X Opportunities
* Don't let fear keep you paralyzed
* Doctor Samuel Johnson
o Had a fear of entering a room with his left foot
* Peter-the-Great
o Had a fear of crossing bridges
o He would tremble and cry
* Julius Caesar
o Feared thunder
* A line-man that played for Vince Lombardi said when Coach Lombardi said 'sit down'
o I didn't even look for a chair
* We misunderstand courage
o Courage is feeling the fear but doing it anyway
C - Continue to Pursue God
O - Obey God's Word
U - Unify with Leaders
R - Remember God's Praise
A - Act on His Authority
G - Grow in Grace
E - Enter His Word
3. Compassion
Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
COMPASSION = A deep awareness of suffering of another
Coupled with the wish to relieve it
ƒ{ Christians are often viewed as the least compassionate people in society
„X Portray a closed circle
* Harder to become a member of a church than of heaven
„X We only have time for church events
„X Church people are viewed as mudslingers:
o Bombing abortion clinics
o Hating homosexuals
o Judgmental
o Arrogant
o Closed minded
o Hateful
ƒ{ Yet Jesus said "love one another"
o "By this all men will know you are my disciples
ƒ{ This verse always gets me in trouble with legalistic 'suchy much' types
„X Two spies
„X Two = witness
„X Spies = mature
ƒ{ Went and spent the night with a prostitute
ƒ{ Today we would throw them out of the church
ƒ{ If we're going to live in "FLOW"...
o Then we've got to have a compassion that gets us out of the "church camp"!
o AND into the lives of everyday people
„X Without our overbearing desire to save them
ƒ{ My friend who owns the tattoo shop
o Remodeling his tattoo shop
o Hanging out at J.R. Cycle
o Doc -- calling me
„X (remember influence)
o Feed the Multitude
„X No ulterior motive
o Bike Giveaway
„X No ulterior motive
ƒ{ Too many hounds of heaven have no life
ƒ{ So they mess up everyone else's life
ƒ{ Many of today's Christians would be
