A--They'd received the Ten Commandments, and had sent out spies to scout out the "Promised Land" to which they were going.

Transcription

1 !1 "JOURNEYING TO THE PROMISED LAND (#3): PERSISTENCE" (Deuteronomy 31:1-8) 2017 Rev. Dr. Brian E. Germano [LaGrange First U.M.C.; ] --I-- 1. Read CEB Text: Deuteronomy 31:1-8. Pray. 2. In 1832, there was a man who lost his job. In that same year, he was defeated for the legislature. He failed in business in He was elected to the legislature in He sweetheart died in He suffered a nervous breakdown in He was defeated for Speaker of the House in 1838 and again defeated for nomination for Congress in He was elected to Congress in 1846, but lost his renomination for Congress in A year later, he was rejected for land officer, and in 1854 was defeated for the Senate. He was defeated for the nomination for vice president in 1856, and again defeated as representative to the Senate in But in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. 1 A--Well, for the last few weeks we've been sharing together in a sermon series called Journeying To The Promised Land in which we've been using the story of Israel's journey to the promised land to suggest things that we might need along our journeys towards the respective "promised lands" of our lives, both individually & corporately. B--And today I want to wrap up this short series by focusing on one thing that both Abraham Lincoln and the Israelites in today's scripture understood well: the value of PERSISTENCE (or Perseverance). 3. Now, it may be helpful to know that to this point in Israel's journey, they had survived many perils, including armies sent against them and the threat of famine and drought. A--They'd received the Ten Commandments, and had sent out spies to scout out the "Promised Land" to which they were going. B--But through all of this, they seemed no closer to their destination, and instead seemed to merely be wandering around in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula. 2 C--And after a while, all of this began to take its toll on the people's morale: 1--They began to complain about the shortages of food, water, and shelter, and the absence of a "settled" life. 2--They voiced their discontent over Moses' leadership, even to the point of questioning whether or not they would have been better off staying in Egypt.

2 !2 3--"Better," some began to think, "to face the known oppression of the Egyptians, than the unknown perils of the journey to this so-called 'promised land'!" D-In short, since they hadn't reached their destination quickly, and since things hadn't gone as smoothly as they had thought they would, the people began to lose their resolve and determination to finish the journey. 4. Well, this is precisely where today's scripture from Deuteronomy 31 picks up. A--Moses is nearing the end of his life, and he's already heard from God that though he'll catch a glimpse of the "promised land," he himself won't be allowed to enter it. B--So he calls the people of Israel together one last time not only to appoint his successor Joshua, but also to offer words of challenge that I want to read again (Vss. 3, 5-6 & 8) : 1--"The Lord your God, he's the one who will cross over [the Jordan River] before you! [He'll] destroy these nations before you so you can displace them... [He] will lay them out before you, and you will do to them exactly what the command I've given you dictates. [So] Be strong! Be fearless! Don't be afraid & don't be scared by your enemies, because the Lord your God is the one who marches with you. He won't let you down, & he won't abandon you... The Lord is the one who is marching before you! He... will be with you! won't let you down. He won't abandon you. So don't be afraid or scared!" 3 (NRSV: "He will not fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed") 2--In effect, Moses is saying, "Whatever challenges, difficulties and discomforts you face along your journey, don't give up! Persevere! Be persistent, because GOD will be WITH you!" C--You know, the dictionary defines "persistence" as "to go on resolutely in spite of difficulties" (Webster's Dictionary). 1--That's exactly what God (through Moses) was urging Israel to do in their journey, & I believe it's also what He wants us to do in our lives today, as well. 2--So in the time we've got left, I want us to look at what "persistence" might mean for us both CORPORATELY and INDIVIDUALLY/PERSONALLY. --II-- 5. First of all, thinking of this in terms of the "journeys" that we take CORPORATELY (i.e., with others together as churches, groups, communities, and even as a nation),... A--I think that "persistence" means -- first of all -- that we must ACCEPT the difficulties of the journey and CHOOSE to make the destination a priority.

3 !3 1--You know, whenever a church (or any group, for that matter) goes through times of change (as our church, community and nation is now experiencing) there's always a period of transition before we become what we're striving to be (i.e., before we "reach the promised land" ). 2--That period of transition (that "wilderness") is always awkward, uncomfortable, and nerve-raking because it's so different from what we've been used to! 3--And so one of the dangers that a group often faces is exactly what happened to Israel: the formation of a "back-to-egypt" group (Read Exodus 16:1-3) -- a clamoring for the "good-ole' days"/the "way things used to be" because we're uncomfortable with the present, and nervous about the future. B--But please notice that even though that's what some people in Israel wanted, in the end that's not what they did. 1--No. Instead of an "about face" return to their past, God through Moses urged Israel to press on and persevere forward towards their future Yet, as one wise person once said, "We can't be who we need to BECOME by remaining who we ARE." C--So, as we go through times of change as a church, community, or even as a nation, I want to encourage us NOT to "return to Egypt" and the ways of our past, but instead to persevere in accepting the awkwardness & discomfort of the present as a necessary part of getting to our "promised land," knowing that God is with us along the way --III-- 6. Yet, this story of persistence also has something to teach us AS INDIVIDUALS, as well. A--For one, it reminds us that no matter how difficult or challenging a person, circumstance, or situation might appear, don't give up on it or them! B--[STORY OF MS. THOMAS FROM RICH'S] Back when I was in college, I used to work weekends as a Sales Associate at Rich's Dept. Store, Shannon Mall (southwest of Atlanta). One the heads of the Security Dept. there was a woman named Ms. Thomas. She had a reputation as being cold, mean, impersonal, unfriendly, and deeply suspicious of everyone (including fellow employees!). Yet, despite this reputation, I made a conscious decision to try to befriend her and show her the love of Christ. At first, when I'd smile and say 'good morning' as I clocked in, she'd give me an evil eye, as if smiling people couldn't be trusted. But I didn't give up, and by the time I left 3 years later, Ms. Thomas was a different person (at least to me). She began to smile back, her countenance seemed to change, and I was even able to share my faith verbally with her on several occasions. It was almost as if she was starved for someone to show her love and compassion.

4 1--Some of you may know that my favorite bible verse is Galatians 6:9: "Do not grow weary in doing what it right, for in due season we shall reap, if we don't give up." 5!4 2--You see, all I did for Ms. Thomas is let the love of Christ that already dwelled in my heart shine persistently enough for it to reach her heart. 6 C--Some of you may have heard this before, but my High School chorus teacher shared the following poem with (maybe because we were so challenging!): "People are unreasonable, illogical, self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and real enemies. Try to be successful anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do it anyway. Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. People favor the underdog, but they chum up to the top dog. Fight for the underdog anyway. What you spend years building can be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. Give the world the best you have & chances are you will get kicked in the teeth. Give it anyway." 7 --IV-- 7. Well, I don't know what challenges you're facing today -- maybe they're personal and individual in nature, or maybe you're struggling with challenges that we face together as a church, community or nation. A--But whatever they are, you (and we) -- like the people of Israel -- are going to need to "pack" PERSISTENCE in our "Journey(s) to the Promised Land" B--We're going to have to recognize that any and every such trip by necessity usually crosses through uncharted territory that we experience as an inhospitable, uncomfortable "wilderness." C--And yet, if we will but remember how God walked with Israel -- how He did not "fail [them] nor forsake [them]," then we (like them) won't need to give up or turn around, but instead to persist in OUR journey, as well, knowing that we need not be "afraid or dismayed" about either our present or our future. 8. [PRAYER TIME AT ALTAR: (Invite people to pray for something in their church or individual life that they need persistence in right now...)] 9. [Suggested Closing Hymn UMH#130, God Will Take Care of You] 1 ENDNOTES: Cited in Skip Ross, Say Yes To Your Potential (Word Books, 1983), p. 143.

5 2 The Bible tells us that they eventually ended up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years!!5 3 Deuteronomy 31: 3, 5-6 & 8. 4 Israel's future was certainly GROUNDED in the past, but it didn't LIVE in that past. It contained the "DNA" of its heritage, if you will, but Israel nevertheless had a NEW identity as a people of God's promise. 5 Think of the many stories of persistence told or shared by Jesus in the gospels: --The story of blind Bartimaeus receiving his healing from Jesus (Mark 10:46-52). --The story of children coming to Jesus to be blessed (Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16). --The story of the woman with the hemorrhage seeking and being healed by Jesus (Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48). --The parables of the lost coin, lost sheep, and prodigal son (Luke 15) -- those are stories of God's persistence in seeking us, no matter how far we stray from Him! --Remember, too, that Jesus himself was whipped, scorned, and crucified by Roman soldiers, for him he prayed "Father forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing." (Luke 23:34). 6 Maybe you've heard it before: "You may be the only Jesus some may ever see. And you're the only words of life that some may ever read. So let them see in you the one in whom is all they'll ever need. 'Cause you're the only Jesus some may ever see" (Song "You're The Only Jesus" by the Imperials, 1983 album Side by Side, lyrics cited at 7 Attributed to Mother Teresa.