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<div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Judy <judy_boli@ecunet.org><br>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic@ecunet.org><br>
Sent: Sat, Aug 25, 2018 6:54 pm<br>
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 16B: “Do You Keep your God-Promises When You Get Home?”<br>
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<div style="margin: 16px 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">This
Sunday’s sermon is entitled <span style="margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Do You Keep your God-Promises When You Get
Home?”</span>
and deals with the Old Testament lesson ( Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18). <span style="margin: 0px;">It will be tweaked to account for the fact that our 23 year old Christian sister, Ms. Dameka Henderson, mother of 2 precious children, died last night. </span>Here it
is- untweaked: </font></span><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"><br>
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<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">In our Old Testament lesson
(Joshua 24), we heard part of the mighty prophet Joshua’s last words to his
beloved people.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>To get the most out of
this sermon, let me refresh your memory about the sequence of the Old
Testament.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You recall how the Children
of Israel were slaves in Egypt; and how God called his mighty Prophet Moses to
lead them out of Egypt through the Red Sea to the Promised Land.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was in the desert that God gave the
Children of Israel (and therefore us) the Ten Commandments.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Just before the people were about to enter
the Promised Land, Moses died and Joshua was appointed the next prophet to take
over after Moses.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Joshua led the
Children of Israel across the Jordan River and also as they settled the
Promised Land.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do you remember what happened
next?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Time and time again, the Children
of Israel, who had seen miracle after miracle as God protected and provided for
them in the desert and in conquering the Promised Land, started following the
sophisticated ways of the pagans who lived among them and worshipped idols.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Calamity would hit; they would pray for God
to save them; God would; then things would go back to normal- including their
worship of the fashionable idols of the land.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Now- in today’s Old Testament
Lesson, we hear Joshua’s last words to his beloved people.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We hear him as he challenges them: “Choose
this day whom you will serve” (God or idols).<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Then Joshua reminded them of his own lifelong choice: “As for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord.”</font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Now let’s move our focus to
the Gospel.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Crisis- the 5,000 men (plus
women and children) had been listening to Jesus in the hot sun.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It is getting late- time to travel home, and
many will be sick and fainting on the journey, since they haven’t eaten.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Jesus feeds all 5,000 plus from the five
barley loaves and two small fish donated by a small boy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>After everyone has eaten, twelve baskets full
of leftovers are collected from the five barley loaves and two small fish.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What a miracle!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Jesus saved the day!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Surely after such a great miracle, the people
would be receptive to Jesus’ teaching- right?<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Wrong!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Jesus used the occasion to
teach some of the 5,000 plus people about the meaning of the Bread from Heaven
(i.e. his Holy Flesh given for the life of the world- Holy Communion).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do you remember what happened next?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Some of these very same people who
experienced this mind-blowing miracle start mumbling- “This teaching is too
hard!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Who can stomach such teaching!”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They start to drift away- leave!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Jesus turns to the disciples and asks if they
are leaving too?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That’s when Simon Peter
makes his prophetic statement: “Lord, to whom shall we go?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You alone have the words of eternal
life!”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In other words, the twelve
disciples choose to stay with Jesus- no matter what.</font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">Look at the pattern: Crisis,
miraculous deliverance; life gets better; the people drift away- go back to the
same-old, same-old; the choice- whose side are you on?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>With the Children of Israel- they faced their
huge crisis (slavery in Egypt, the Red Sea in front and the Egyptian army
behind); with relief they gloried in their miraculous deliverance; life got
better and they drifted away from the Lord to selfish behavior; and Joshua
challenged them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The same pattern
happened in today’s Gospel.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The many
would-be disciples faced their crisis- no food and a long trip home; miraculous
deliverance with the multiplication of the five loaves and two small fish so
that all 5,000 plus were fed; and then hard teaching.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They decide that following Jesus is too hard;
they start to drift away; Jesus’ challenge.</font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#000000">Now- what about us?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We’ve seen the same pattern in our lives,
sometimes over and over again. Crisis; we pray for deliverance; God works
things out for us- we get the house, car, job, health, whatever…<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We get used to it and go back to the “same-old,
same-old”, in other words- living as if God doesn’t exist and our only concern
is what we want.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We become our own idol.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></font></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">You don’t want to be like
that, do you?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So how do you recognize
the symptoms of going back to the “same-old, same-old”?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It depends on your own personal weaknesses to
temptation.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Check these out: </font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font color="#000000"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman">1.</font><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">When someone does
evil to you, do you drop it and give it to God, or do you get revenge?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>(This one can be really hard to identify-
it’s easy for us to trick ourselves, and revenge can be so very subtle.)<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></font></span></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font color="#000000"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman">2.</font><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">What about money
as your idol?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do you put up God’s money
first and work toward a tithe, or do you give God the leftovers?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></font></span></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font color="#000000"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman">3.</font><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">What about your
relationships?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do you treat everyone
with respect, even your enemies?</font></span></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font color="#000000"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman">4.</font><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">What about sex?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do you follow your way or God’s way?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Adultery is NEVER all right!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Sex within marriage is always the rule, but
if you’re doing it your way- are you taking all possible precautions against
pregnancy and STD’s, especially HIV?<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>It’s one thing to risk yourself.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>It’s something else to bring an innocent baby into this world when you
are not in any kind of position to care for or even provide for it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></font></span></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font color="#000000"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman">5.</font><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">What about your
time?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do you always give God his worship
every Sunday, or do you just come to church when it is convenient?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Is every waking minute all about you, or do
you invest your time for God- helping others, improving yourself, doing all you
can to make God’s church and world glorious in His name?</font></span></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font color="#000000"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman">6.</font><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font face="Times New Roman">Your friends?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Do they determine your values, or does Jesus
determine your values?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When you’re
trying to decide what to do, do you ask yourself WWJD- what would Jesus do?</font></span></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">This list of six
temptations may not have identified yours, but you know your weaknesses.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>You know what God is calling you to change (or
to keep changed), to improve (or to keep improved), how God wants you to grow
(or to keep growing).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So now I’m asking
you the same thing Joshua asked his people?<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Whom will you serve- God or yourself and what you want?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I can only tell you my choice- I intend to
serve the Lord.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></font></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman">I’m going to close with a
story.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I hope and pray these scriptures
have you thinking about changes that will make you a better Christian.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>To be honest, our problem is not making a
choice for Jesus while we’re in this holy church- it’s keeping the commitments
we make when we get home.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This is a
story about the First Goose Church of God in Christ.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Pastor Gander waddled up to the pulpit and
began his fiery sermon. “What kind of birds are we?” He thundered. “Geese!” The
congregation answered, and an “Amen” was heard from somewhere in the back.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“That¹s right!” shot back the Pastor. “We are
GEESE! God made us GEESE to be GEESE, and not DUCKS or SPARROWS or KIWIS!”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“AMEN!” honked several congregants. “And what
are these things that GOD has given us, these MAJESTIC appendages?” “WINGS!”
shouted the congregation, honking its approval of this fine observation.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“And WHY did GOD give us these fine
wings?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“To FLY, Pastor!” said Mrs.
Thelma Gosling, standing up in the first row.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>“We can FLY with them!” Choruses of “That¹s right, Thelma!” and “You go,
Girl!” rang out from around the room.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The pastor really started to groove now. “God wants us to FLY! We can
soar above the clouds! We can fill the skies! We are God¹s flying children! The
moles can dig, the lions can hunt, but we can fly! We can catch the winds
beneath our wings and thrill to the sensation of the breeze through our
feathers. We can reach the mighty mountain tops and skim the tips of the giant
Sequoias!” “AMEN! We can FLY!” the congregation echoed back<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“If GOD wants us to fly, then what do we
gotta do?” challenged the pastor. “We gotta FLY!” said the congregation. “We
gotta WHAT?” asked Pastor Gander. “We gotta FLY!” “WHAT?” “FLY!!” “WHAT!”
“FLY!!” And as the congregation WADDLED out of the church and WALKED home, they
remarked to one another on how inspiring the pastor¹s sermon was that morning
(The Rev. John Ramsey, Ottawa, Ohio).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So
don’t be like those geese- don’t waddle home.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Use your Holy Spirit power.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Don’t
block the Spirit.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Make Jesus your choice
and stick with Him.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Amen.</font></span></div>
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