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No matter what the year, there will be challenges and successes. In today's message to start off 2023, Pastor Jim Fleming talks about how God is at our side in good times and bad.
The episodes are the weekly sermons from 922 Ministries (St. Peter and The CORE) of Appleton, Wisconsin.
New Years Day 2023
St. Peter
Pastor Jim Fleming
Brothers and sisters, as you reflect over 2022, whether challenges that you faced and difficulties that you encountered. I suspect if we would go around and ask each of you, all of you could come up with something that you wrestled with in the past year.
I know for myself about a year ago, there was some wind shear that came through and took off a bunch of shingles from my roof and I had to go up there and put them back on. I knew I had to get a new roof and was a stressor for me this last year. How much is this new roof going to cost? I got one bid. It was twenty six thousand dollars and that was like "we don't have that much money". So I took a second bid which was about half that and we had some insurance money and so we we were able to get it done,
But that was a huge relief for me to get that done. Now that was kind of a financial thing, a home thing. But there are other things that we wrestle with. For some of us, it was health. That's something we weren't expecting that came up that broadsided us for some of us. Maybe it was financial that we were dealing with, maybe it was a stressed relationship with either parents or children or some way. Maybe things didn't go exactly as planned in the workplace, and I didn't get that promotion and there's that person I'm stuck working with who drives me crazy. Right.
There were challenges this past year for each of us but I'm guessing there were also blessings for many of us. For me it was a new roof on my home, very thankful for that, but maybe for you baby, a health situation that you were struggling with got better and now you recovered. Or maybe there was that stressed relationship with a family member or someone else. But now it's been healed and things are as good as they've ever been in you’re thankful for that. And maybe there was a promotion at work, your boss said, “Good job. Here's a raise for you.” And maybe if there was that person you are working with, maybe they apologized and said, “You are a great gal or a great guy.”
I'm not telling you anything new by mentioning these things. Life Is Life and there are challenges and there are blessings. There are twists and turns Hills and Valleys and the expected and the unexpected. Today, our God would have us know, as we look back. And as we look ahead to 2023 that there are promises that he gives to us and truths that are so very, very encouraging to us as we look at the future. God gave them to a man named Joshua. Do you know this man Joshua? He was one of the twelve spies who initially went into the land of Canaan and two of the spies there was Joshua. And Caleb said we can take the land, we can conquer it. The other 10 said, no we can't. They're too big. They're too powerful. The cities are too big and because of that the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. And Joshua saw it all. He saw the golden calf. He saw that bronze serpant. He saw the people rebel and complained against Moses. There's not enough food. There's not enough water, he experienced all of that. And now God comes to him and says Joshua, you're going to be the next leader and I'm thinking in this initial conversation, they were two things on Joshua's mind.
What am I in for here? Are the people going to listen to me as they listen to Moses? Will I make good decisions as far as leading these people? And what do I do when the challenges present themselves? Because he knew they were coming? I think that was one thing on his mind, but maybe a second thing as well, if we can look at those opening words, God said to be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land, I swore to their forefathers to give to them, 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. If you. The news and follow the news, you know, there's a lot going on with Russia and Ukraine and if you follow that, there's story after story, conversation about weapons, which Weapons Systems, are we going to give to the Ukrainians, right? Because that is important, if you're going to invade someone or defend yourself, For something missing from this conversation that God had with Joshua. There's no discussion about swords or spears or chariots or the number of soldiers, there's no game plan or strategy that God mentions. But he does give a weapon to Joshua. He says, meditate.
It would have been a scroll probably made out of a cow's hide with the very words that Moses would have written down line by line. And God says, Joshua, here is your weapon, my Word. Meditate on it that. Hebrew word, meditate is a really interesting Hebrew verb. It means to like, savor and chew and the kind of gnaw on something. If you have a dog, you know what I'm talking about, but you give a dog, a bone and that dog is the happiest dog in the world. I mean, he'll curl up with it and he'll chew on that bone for a couple hours and he loves that bone and he welcomes that bone. And if you go up and try and take that bone away from him, you're going to have an unhappy dog and maybe depending on breed, right? You might get bit, right because that dog loves to chew and devour that bone. That's the Hebrew word used here and God says to Joshua, meditate, chew on my word in your life. How about for us, is there a time? When we chew and meditate on God's word, God's throwing something out for us. Here, there is a weapon for us, right? I think so many times when it comes to Earthly things and Earthly battles and challenges, we Face, we run for the swords and we run for the weapons in a sense.
If I have a financial problem, I need a fancy financial advisor. If I have a health problem, I need a health specialist. If I have a legal problem, I need an attorney, right? And blessings from God and good things. But God would say to us here, wait a minute, before you start looking for the strategy in the weapons, meditate to understand my word for guidance and encouragement. And for strategy, So what does that look like for us? I had a college professor, at one time said, young pastors. He said Brothers, when it comes to reading the Bible and reading God's word, you have to steal time. And what he meant was that like no one's going to give you extra time out of your schedule. Like, here's an extra 15 minutes for you today. Oh, I'll just study God's word, right? You're going to have to look at your schedule and Hideaway I'm going to my room, I'm sitting in my chair because it's here God's going to give me the weapon I need for the challenges that I face for this day and for the year and brothers and sisters. That was the encouragement to Joshua. And that's really our first takeaway for us today is to meditate, but God tells us why He goes on to the next verse he says, have I not commanded you be strong and courageous, do not be terrified and do not be discouraged.
Some years back when I served on the rez and that people who are afraid. Two stories. There is a man who lived out by a big rock called Shiprock. If you Google it, it's about a 300 football. Can expire that extends out of the desert, it's beautiful. And he had a home like right down at the base of this rock and he said Pastor Jim. And there was another Pastor went Dan Jones. He said, will you come out and talk to me about Christianity said, we'd be happy to and so he went to this man's little house and almost no bigger than my office down the hallway. And we were talking to Him in there wasn't much in his house, but up on this shelf, there was a Nike shoe.
Alex, and it just kind of looked out of place. And my friend Dan asked him, He's like hey what's in that shoebox? And he says oh I got my haircut and I put my hair in it. What was that you said? Well, I take my hair because I don't want people who don't like me or my relatives, who take one of my hairs because they will take it to the medicine man. The medicine man will put a curse on it and I will get sick. He was afraid. Another story. Our church had a 15-passenger van and we would do youth activities and we would drive kids back and forth after something was done and we're driving South on this highway 371 and I say, look, and up on top of this pole was this big horned owl. And the young girl next to me went. I didn't know what it was, but she didn't talk after that. She looked really scared. And I asked someone later, I'm like, what does it mean when you see an owl on? She said, it means that someone in your family is going to die. And so, she was afraid.
There are things in life and they're different for each of us that can make us afraid. We just went through one of those stories. The Christmas story. Might think of Joseph. Joseph finds out his fiance is pregnant and he knows that baby is not his. And what was the emotional roller coaster that he went over? Anger, frustration, betrayal depression. I'm sure all of those things and he had in mind to divorce her. And what did God say? God came to God. Came through a dream and an Angel's Son of Joseph. Joseph, son of David. Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Joseph don't be afraid. Second Story from the Bible. There's a man named Peter. And Peter has just caught a pile of fish and if you're a fisherman, there's nothing that makes you happier than catching a ton of fish and Peter did. But had the opposite effect on him. He said to Jesus Lord, go away from me. For I am a sinful man, Peter understood that he was standing at the very least in the presence of a prophet. And that moves the Messiah. He felt his sin he said, Lord Lord, go away from me for I am a sinful man. And Jesus said to him, Peter, don't be afraid. I'm going to make you Fisher of Matt and people don't be afraid. There are so many on the pages of scripture. If you would Google it, or do a search about 90 times, give or take, whether God or Jesus, tell someone don't be afraid.
People Are People. And like those people in the Bible or those young kids, I told you about earlier, there can be things that that make us afraid as we look at the future, maybe we're like Peter. Maybe it's our sin, like we reflect on this last year. Some of the things that I did that. I said that. We're so unloving the hurt that I caused, and other people's lives in some way or my own family. Maybe that's what makes me afraid. Maybe it's something I did or something I should not have done or said or did not say right. We are conscious of our sin at times just like Peter, and we want to say to Jesus on the Lord go. If I'm a sinful person, I am. But Jesus comes to us, God comes to us as he came to Joseph and Peter and so many to Joshua to say, don't be afraid. See, that was the comfort for Joshua. So many questions as he looked at the future was their fear in there's heart there could have been but to him God said Joshua, “Don't Be Afraid.” Don't be afraid and for us as human beings we can never take fear out of our life 100%. We can never do that because we're sinful. But when that comes up for us, God would say meditate and don't be afraid.
God tells us why? God says to Joshua for the Lord, your God will be with you wherever you go.
Isn't it good to have company sometimes?
Confession on my part. There have been times on Friday night when I like to go to Fleet Farm. I like Fleet Farm and there have been times when my wife Rebecca said, “Well I will go with you.” Really you would do that for me wife? And so we hold hands and we would walk in the Fleet Farm and say that that was our Friday night date. Right now, there is a point I am making by sharing this little story, but there are times when we welcome the presence of someone else,. Maybe there's a doctor's appointment that I'm going to and it would just be nice if someone were with me for that. Or maybe I'm going on a drive to Northern Wisconsin to look at the Ccolors. Oh, I'll go with you with that. And we just enjoy the presence of someone else being with us, right? We treasure that. I mean, there's a reason why correctional institutions put people at times into solitary confinement because it can be torturous.
I will be with you. God says to us, I will not abandon you. I will be with you. Think of how that would have comforted Joshua because Joshua saw God's power. Joshua saw God's split the sea and Joshua walk through. God saw it. Joshua saw God as a pillar of fire and cloud in the desert. Joshua saw the Miracles that God performed for them. Bringing water out of the rock water. Excuse me, water out of a rock and the Manna and the quail. Joshua saw that. And your God is reminding just who would be with him? The god of the universe? The God who created the stars and put them in heaven. The God who created our bodies, the wonderful things that they are the God who gives us intelligence and ability and Faith. It is God who says to us? I will be with you. I will be with you, Joshua. And that is a comfort to us. Is He our God as well would say. I was not only with Joshua but I will be with you. It looks what I have accomplished for you to show you my grace and mercy. You see there was a reason there was a reason why God wanted Joshua and the Israelites to get into the land of Canaan.
There was a reason because there were places that were important. There's Bethlehem where Jesus is going to be born and Mary and Joseph have to be there. There's a place up north called Nazareth where Jesus would grow up as a child and live perfectly with his Step Brothers and parents. There's a place called Jerusalem in the land of Canaan, and a lot would go on there. Jesus would teach and preach, and Jesus would be welcome there. Hail Hosanna to the son of David and a week later, the people would say, crucify him. There was a garden, just outside of Jerusalem. That was important. There is a tomb there but an empty tomb. God would remind Joshua. I am with you and see what I have done for you. And I'm going to do brothers and sisters. God would say that to us as well. I am with you and you are forgiven and you are loved. And you are important to God. Important to me because of all that I have accomplished in Christ for you. And now, God says to you, I will be with you again. So many examples of that. On the pages of scripture, there was Jacob and he is running from his twin brother. Esau, and his brother wants to kill him and God said that. Jacob, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. There was Moses and God said to Moses I want you to go to Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the Middle East. Moses says I don't know about that. And God said, I will be with you, Moses. There was a man named David. David for all of his abilities and accomplishments in life for his wealth and influence and power didn't get full of himself. But he looked to his God and said, if I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths you are there. If I rise in the wings of the Dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there, your hand will guide me.
Your right hand will hold me fast. And finally, Jesus said to those 12, men who would go out with the gospel and surely I will be with you always even unto the end of the age.
So what will 2023 hold for you and hold for me? More of the same that I talked about. We can be certain that there will be challenges, but there will be blessings. But today God reminded Joshua of some precious truth. So He would remind us that he will be with us in the year ahead. May God bless your 2023.