Who will we serve in 2023?

Welcome/Intro/Prayer

Greeting:

Happy New Year Church! Its crazy I havent been with the church family since last year!

How is everyone doing this morning?

This Morning is a special morning for us, as we are not only starting off the new year with a new budget, but I hope a renewed and new passion for God and His Kingdom Come! Amen?!?

Would you join me in a moment of prayer as we prepare our hearts for God’s word and work in our lives this morning.

Prayer:

Yaweh, we come before you this morning eager for a new year and this new season. We come before you with open hands for all that you have for us .

Intro:

How many of you have this verse in your home or have seen it in someone else’s home? (Verse 15 B- Slide). This is a very common verse thats perhaps over quoted, but most renditions leave out the first half , Full verse on Slide. For the people of Israel in this passage they are presented with options. A line has drawn and they must chose who they will serve before we go further.

For Us, we have crossed a line from 2022 into 2023, a choice has been set before us and a line has been drawn,

The question remains, who will we serve in 2023?

For the Israelites, Joshua asks this question not out of the blue, but in light of all that God has done!

Today, we are going to reflect on the work of God in this passage and see how God’s work spurred Israel onward,

Then we will look at the Work That God has done in our lives and we will tell the story of God’s work @ Diller in 2022, with the expectation that it will renew our faith and trust in God for the year 2023!

Walking Through the Text - Lets take a look at God’s story in the Life of Israel

What God has done:

Brought Abraham out of the place of false worship.

Gave him a promise of a son, was faithful to that promise in providing child, and grand child.

Heard his peoples cries and brought them out of Egypt, He rescued them from slavery. He brought them out of oppression into freedom by his own hand.

Yahweh, protected them in their time of trouble as the Egyptians.

He brought them to a new land, when they attacked it was God who won the battle.

He used someone who was supposed to curse them

- Balaam, its funny we so often remember the donkey, but forget about the fact that this man was going to curse God’s people but then Ends up blessing them.

Each time the people faced an obstacle it was the Lord that brought them through!

Joshua says the proper response to God’s faithfulness is to fear him and serve him with faithfulness.

This almost happens naturally in any relationship.

The Question: Will you serve the God ?

The People answer is found in verses 16-18 (Slide)

Joshua asks them, are you sure about this this is not something to take lightly!

The People Respond we will Serve the Lord!

The covenant is renewed!

God’s Story in the Life of Diller in 2022

Earlier this week I sent out the following questions:

how you would write verses 1-13 of how God worked in your life and the life of the church in the last year?

Remember When God did (Blank) in our church family, in my life, in our past… (Slide)

God provided us a temporary place to stay with Frank and Rose when we had no where to live. God provided us with a house.

God blessed us with new and deeper relationships in the church family.

I want to encourage us to not simply reflect on what God has done for us, but who God has been for us, directly and through others? (Slide - add to previous)

The rest of the sermon is yours to share church! You get to preach the rest! When we are done I have one question?

Who Will We serve in 2023 Church?

Will we serve the Lord, or will we serve our own desires, our own ways will we turn to other gods in our lives? Will we let sin rule in our hearts? Will we settle for just coming to church and not engaging in his kingdom? Will we make 2023 all about “me” and what “I” want?

We should respond, just as Israel did: No We will serve the Lord

Lets say it together Church! NO! WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!!!

I want to close these sermon by praying outloud for 2023, Let us pray out loud and lift up ourselves and the next year before the Lord. I will close and we will close with a sending song!