The Next Right Thing

Intro Hook:

Frozen 2

Lost in the woods 3 Minutes.

We all understand this feeling.

- We experience with our parents, when they set rules or boundaries that we do not understand. Sometimes its as a parent and you do not understand what your child is doing or why they are making the choices they are making. An addiciton or a relationship.

-It can be the weather…we missed an ash wednesday service last week…we were so excited about it… why did we have to miss it.

It can be with yourself. A Diagnosis…the death of a loved one.

2020…Covid…political tensions…racial tensions…wars....

We all have times where we do not understand what is going on in life. Often this leads us to asking God...”How do I get through this?”

And there are times where God is quiet. We all have all had a time in our lives where we have wished to hear from God… and he was silent...

But what happens when he answers. What happens when he is clear about what we should do, clear with his invitation or instruction. Like a giant Billboard sign saying “DO THIS”… and his instruction does not make sense. When it seems foolish, like we could lose infuence, or money or power. Safety… What happens when God calls us to be obedient and we do not understand…or even do not agree.

Joshua 6:1-18

Joshua 6:1 (NIV)

Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

Joshua thoughts.

Joshua 6:2–5 (NIV)

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

This is ridiculous.

But what does Joshua do...

Joshua 6:6 (NIV)

So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.”

Repeated 3x.

Joshua 6:20 (NIV)

When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.

Seam: What drives Joshua to obedience? What drives Joshua to listen to God even though it doesnt make sense?

Hebrews 11:30 (NIV)

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

Its FAITH. But what is faith?

Now Faith is one of those words that has religious feelings to it.

It's common to ask people if they are a person of "faith..." which can mean are you spiritual? Or are you a religious person?

We define leaders as "Faith" Leaders.

And we know we need it. Coaches say we need it. Pastors say we need it. Senators, presidents... they say we need faith.

Even George Micheal said "I Gotta have faith...faith...faith..."

Most people would define it as "trust in something."

But how does Scripture say about it? How does God define faith?

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Faith in the storm is true faith! Faith in a calm may be, or may not be, genuine faith.

An Instructive Truth, Volume 50, Sermon #2893 - Jeremiah 10:23

Charles Spurgeon

Every man lives by faith, the non-believer as well as the saint; the one by faith in natural laws and the other by faith in God.

A. W. Tozer

Faith is main theme of scripture. Jesus talks about it over and over again.

Matthew 9:2 (NIV)

Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Luke 12:26–28 (NIV)

Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!

Hinge: Let’s be honest though. It can feel so cliche to talk about faith. We hear all the time from pastors and spiritual people that we need to have faith.

With parents who were supposed to be there for you and they werent. Or even worse they were abusive. The data says its 3/10 of emerging adults physically or sexually. Those go up for women.

It may be that someone broke your heart.

Or lets be honest. Some of us have church hurt.

Or maybe God. Maybe the things that you have had to walk through, or experience…or just the pain in the world makes you not trust or even believe in God.

8/10 members of Gen Z… those are the people between the ages of about 18-30ish… do not trust any institutions. Thats schools, governent, companies and church.

There are two reactions that happen when we have no faith in people. In institutions. We decide that it is us vs them. We make anyone that we do not trust the enemy…and We either Fight or Run.

You see it in your jobs…how many of you want to work for a manager or business you dont trust…

Families that just fight when they get together…or worse dont talk at all

People leaving the church. Deconstructing.

Riots. A broken political system.

Jon Tyson is a pastor in New York City that paints our culture like this in his book Beautiful Resistance “ instead of being a people who have good news to share, news that could transform the world, we have become a people mired in the twenty-four-hour news cycle, fed a constant diet of hopelessness and despair. Our ability to dismiss the work of God in the church has become toxic. We are plagued by a lack of expectation and have begun to believe that this is all there is.”

Seam: How do we turn from this? How do we get from being where we are to even being able to be obedient to enter the promise land?

We have to begin with knowing that God is good.

Genesis 1:31 NIV

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

God makes good things

Nahum 1:7 (NIV)

The Lord is good,

a refuge in times of trouble.

He cares for those who trust in him,

God himself is good. His heart is towards those in need. If you are in distressed, depressed or destitute… God is in your corner.

“The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.”

SEAM: Now a word on obedience.

1 John 2:4–6 (NIV)

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

There is a difference between agreeing with Jesus and obeying him.

If we just do the things that we agree with Jesus about, like loving our neighbors, helping those in need... that is just agreement. It requires no faith. It really requires no love. True love for God is expressed through obedience. Love is shown is shown when we are obedient even when we disagree... when we are instructed to turn the other cheek, to be generous with our calendar and money, to love our enemies...the poor... the immigrant...when it goes against how we grew up, what CNN or Fox News says...Biden Trump... Can we be obedient... have faith...Love and submit even when we disagree?

This is what Marriage is built upon. Submitting to the other person even when I do not agree. When my wife wants to watch Gilmore Girls and I want to watch the Mandalorian...guess what we watch...On my most loving and submissive days... Call of the Midwife.

On Sundays... when I want to vedge out and play video games or read...but my wife asks that I help with dishes, or cleaning the bathroom...or brushing the dog.... guess what I do...

And this is at the core of how we know how much that Jesus loves us. We are in the season of lent...a season of anticipation where we look forward to Easter. The Day we remember and celebrate Jesus' defeat of death and evil. But to do that he had to suffer. He had to die for us. And when you go and read the easter story its not just physcial beatings and torture. It is complete isolation...everyone leaving him. People humiliating him...verbally and physically abusing him. God even removing his presence from him... something you and I can never experience...

And if God is love, joy, peace.... Jesus experienced a period of time where all love was removed from him...all peace...all joy... to be completely and utterly naked, exposed and ultimately die.

This is not what Jesus wanted. We know this from a moment contained in all 4 of the gospel accounts. And when something appears in all four... you know how it important it is.

I am going to only read from one.

"Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.....

Jesus is overwhelmed with sorry. Have you ever felt that way. When you are completely and utterly consumed with sadness and depression... When you cannot get out of bed...or off the couch...when your thoughts turn to it being better if you were not even alive...just for the pain to stop...

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. ..

Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

This is love my friends. For everypart of you to want anytihng else. But out of love for God, for love others...for a love of you...very specifically you... To be obedient... that is love

PRACTICE: How do you begin to be obedient to God…even when it does not make sense.

01 Decide to do it. Commit to being obedient.

02 Start where you are. What are the small ways you know to be obedient. Weight lifters started small. Find small acts of obedient.

Do you need to start doing the things your wife asks you to do? You know the things she asks you to do… what if you started doing it. Dishes, Trash…shoveling. And did it joyfully

Is it to stop something. I am abstaining from Dark Soda for Lent… and it sucks… but I know it is out of Love for God and my wife… it is the obedient thing to do.

Maybe its just showing up in someones life.

03 Begin a Bible Reading Habit.

If you do not know how Thats ok.

Get a translation you can understand. If you cannot understand what you are reading…there are so many translations and paraphrase out there and I Would all of them… except 2. If you want help I will get a bible for you. If it feels stale, get a new translation or paraphrase...

The goal is not to do it. It is to know God.

How?

Quiet

Read

Reflect

Pray

Rest

What should you read? We are reading through the Gospels right now. Mark is literally the VERY FIRST thing I reccomend to people. Join us. Start there. There is no reason not to. There is not a good reason not to.

If you do… Read Joshua…its what we are doing right now...

If you are sad, angry, depressed…Read one psalm everyday

If you are a leader, a manager or a parent…Read a Proverb everyday. There is 31

If you have been reading for a while… Try reading all four gospels… or the letters.

And if you are ready… start reading through the old testament. Right down the questions you have that you dont understand.

If you read the bible… read it again…its meant to be read over and over like a really good movie.

How much? Read a section, Read a chapter. How much? Read three chapters. Read till your heart is full. Read one verse. Read a word if God stops you.

When… Morning. All through Church history that is what is reccomended. Pastors, Teachers, wisemen, ordinary joes, leaders, Moms, dads… I know few people that have a meaningful time of reading in the eveving.

Parents… Seasons. There are seasons.

Dont understand it? Welcome to the Club. Thousands of years have spent on this book. Best thing you can do is read it with others. Get a friend or two or five. Read it with them. Dont know who? I will read it with you if you ask. I Love 3 things.

01 Coffee

02 Conversation.

03 Bible

I cant wait to learn what you see…it is how I have grown the most.

Have questions. Dont google it. Get the answers from Pastors, mentors, resources, books, teachers, sermons. Dont know where to start. Ask me. Ask Dr Al.... we both are readers. I love helping people find resources.

Dont just listen or read. Scripture has warnings for us against htat

That is a second hand relationship. The Goal is to know God. Relationship with god. Friendship. Abiding. Communion.

If you want to have life to the full... A life where you are freedom, Love and joy...love... obedience even when things dont make sense.

I dont know where you are at. Maybe your against God right now... and you are going to do things your way...

Maybe you are investigating God... your not sure what you think...but you know there has to be more... maybe what you need to do is take a step of faith in obedience.

Maybe you want to begin to be obedient...soem of you jsut need to accept Jesus as your savior, submit to following him and his ways...

Maybe you have been a christian and you know that there is a jericho in front of you...you know what you should do...but you are struggling...

Maybe you dont have on right now.

What Ive disccovered...is that what I need to do is just take a first step. To do the next right thing...

yeah but Im scared...of getting hurt, of being uncomforable, of losing alot of money, of being alone...

Over and over again...whether it was moving from a community i loved, to moving from home...to getting married...to starting a new job...to giving up destructive behaviors...I have always found Obedience always falls to the walls falling down.