SUNDAY SERMON
MAY 17, 2020
“TIME TO CHOOSE”
Goods morning. This is pastor Rod Davison from Hilltop Chapel in Miramonte, CA. We are delighted to have you with us this morning. Let’s start our worship this morning with a word of prayer;
“Our gracious Heavenly Father we thank you for this day. We thank you for your many blessings to us and we thank you for bringing us all here safely this morning. We just pray that your will be done in everything we do and say this day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Open your Bibles and read Joshua 24:1-15.
SERMON:
As I read the scripture this morning I was thinking about choosing, and it is time to choose. It took me back to when I was youngster back in the 1950’s and I was learning baseball. I am a very big baseball fan, as most of you know. More specifically, a San Francisco Giants fan. So for you Dodger fans you may silently boo at this time, But I would like to take you back in time to what we called a pick-up ball game. The big kids would gather all the kids in the neighborhood and we’d play great baseball. But first they had to chose sides. It was a very important and solemn moment in every pick-is game. They would take a bat, turn the handle end up and each captain would grip the bat and they would go alternately hand-over-hand til they got to the top of the. Handle. The one that reached the top of the handle first got to choose first. Which ever captain’s hand that ended up closest to the knob without going over was the one that chose the first person. After all, the fate of the game rested on the ability of the players chosen. As the process began they quickly gobbled up the best players and then the hard labor began. They couldn’t play without having 7 players on each team, they cheated on that every once in a while when somebody didn’t show up, but they were supposed to have 7 players on each team. So they needed some warm bodies to primarily fetch the balls that were hit over their heads, we didn’t have fences in those days, and those hits ended up being triples or home runs, especially if it was hit to right field. Right field was given to worst player on each team. Not only did you have the shame of being picked last but then you got to run your little legs off chasing balls for two or three hours. How do I know all this valuable information? For the first few years of by baseball career I was the right fielder. I take great pride in watching Mike Yastrzemski, the current Giant’s right fielder, although we are not watching him at this point in time. He’s a fantastic player that would make any former right fielder swell with admiration and pure delight.
So what does baseball have to do with Joshua who lived over 3500 years ago? It’s all about choosing sides. It occurred to me that many times we make choices on what is convenient or expedient. Rather than any consideration that what may be the long-term effect. It doesn’t matter how big or small the decision is it still has consequences of some kind. Small decisions sometimes have the most profound results.
I’d like you to consider for a couple of minutes the decision that Joshua made as a young man to stay close to Moses and be his helper and confidant. As one of the 12 valiant men sent out by Moses to the promised land across the Jordan River, he along with Caleb, came back with the desire to go into the land and claim it for the Lord. The other 10, unfortunately, said no and gave a bad report about giants and a prospect of defeat. All those who predicted defeat died in the wilderness. But Joshua entered the promised land and conquered just as God said he would.
Something came up recently in a poll and it said that 82% of the people polled said they would go to church if they were asked. In that same poll only 2% of regular attendees had ever asked anyone to come to church with them. Think about that, 82% of the people polled would go to church if somebody asked them and only 2% ever asked them. And granted at this point in time someone might kind of look at you cross-eyed if you invited them to attend church. Most churches are closed right now. However, there is nothing stopping you from asking if they would be interested in watching our video presentation at 11:00am every Sunday, or some other church’s video. I know a lot of churches in our area are producing these videos so that you could have a choice of many that you might be able to watch. One of the things that we have to decide as Christians is “are we truly going to give God first place? Are we going to do what he calls us to do? Are we going to choose to be bold in our witness?” (Please open your Bibles and read II Timothy 1:3-14)
The important thing that Paul in emphasizing is Timothy, in the scripture, is to keep the faith. But more than keep the faith, to spread the faith. We are called to spread the faith. In other words, he’s simply stating we are to be willing to clearly say “I am a Christian and here’s the reason why.” And why was he telling Timothy to be bold? What was the reason for that? I believe that Timothy had become discouraged by something he saw happening in the church and was loosing his enthusiasm for the challenge of meeting his young congregation. Maybe with all things going on in the world today you have become a little bit discouraged. Maybe about the roll of the church in the world and wonder how we will be most effective in our witness or our outreach to the communities.
I’d be less than honest if I said there was a one-size-fits-all answer to the question. I’m confident, however, that God has not rested or retreated from the battle. Just like Joshua and Caleb in the Old Testament and Paul and Timothy in the New Testament, God will empower us to do all that He calls us to do in the 21st Century. We are His people. He has called us by name and we know that His Word tells us that all things work together for good to those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose. We are His people. We have been called. The question is always the same, “Are we willing to join the battle He has called us to?” Whatever the battle plan for wherever you live wait on the Lord for commands. Then go bravely to the front and give Him your best effort. He will lift you up, He will sustain you, and He will bring you to the defining moment of your life. As the saying goes, “you’re in it to win it.”
What's the price? The price is giving our lives to him for however He sees fit to use us. What’s the prize? The prize is the Crown of Glory given tho those who stand firm until the end. We are His people, we are called by His name and He has a purpose for each one of our lives. It may be different for you than it is for me, it may be different for your than for someone else, but God has a purpose for everybody. His will is being done even in the midst of this pandemic that we have been going through for the last several months. We don’t know how it’s going to end, we don’t know when it’s going to end. But we do know that God is sovereign in every situation. Nothing escapes His notice and nothing since the beginning of the world has ever happened that has surprised Him. You have to realize that you are working according to His plan, not ours. Kingdoms rise and fall at the pleasure of God and people and rulers rise and fall at the pleasure of God. He knows what He’s doing. He’s faithful and He has a reason for us being here this morning. You and I are here by Divine Appointment. You are listening to me and watching me right now— I’ll tell you that I am always nervous when I do this, but God has a purpose for it. He will bring about that which is pleasing in His sight. We are all called by Him. Joshua was called by Him 3500 years ago, Paul was called 2000 years ago, Timothy at the same time. Each one was working ac cording to God’s purpose and God’s plan for them. 2000 years down the road, here we are, and God has a plan for each one of our lives. Nobody is immune, we’ve all got a purpose. And God wants to use us for His honor and glory at this time. You’re here today because God has called you. You’re here today listening to me because God has a purpose for your life. He wants to do something great and wonderful in you and through you so others might know the truth that will set them free too. We’re all here together, we’re all here for His purpose. All God wants you to do is to say. “Yes Lord. I’n in, I’m in all the way and I will serve you any way that I possibly can.
He’s a wonderful God. He’ll never leave us or forsake us and He sent Jesus into the world to die for us. To give us eternal life. To give us forgiveness of sins, and all we have to do is ask Him and He will say yes to you.
I thank you for your time today, I pray that it has been a blessing to you and we are so thankful to be able to come where you are and give you the truth of the Gospel. Thank you so much. Let’s have a word of prayer.
“Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day, we thank you for your blessings and we thank you most of all, Lord, that we are doing something that is pleasing in your sight. Whenever we give out the Gospel, you are pleased. Help us to give it out in a way that is always pleasing in your sight and brings glory and honor to your name. We praise you and thank you in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
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