Tawa Baptist

Hope feeds faith

Scripture: 1st Corinthians 15:51-58

Video Link: https://youtu.be/4Iw4j_DrU6Q

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The hope of resurrection
  • The work of faith
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Bishop Bill Frey once said: “Hope is hearing the music of the future; faith is dancing to it today.”

I like that. Hope is the capacity to imagine a good future. If you know, by faith, that something good is waiting for you in the future, it gives you positive energy in the present. The name for that positive energy is ‘joy’.

Today we conclude our series in 1st Corinthians 15, where Paul writes about the necessity and certainty of resurrection for the Christian faith. In these verses Paul summarises some of the main points of chapter 15 and he draws a connection between the future hope of resurrection and what that means for Christian faith in the present.  From 1st Corinthians 15, verses 51-58, we read…   

51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”  56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Today’s message is about two things: The hope of resurrection and the work of faith. Bishop Frey used the imagery of music and dancing to describe the dynamic relationship between hope and faith. ‘Hope is hearing the music of the future; faith is dancing to it today.’

We might also use the metaphor of food. Hope feeds faith. Hope is not a quick sugar rush. True hope doesn’t pick you up and then dump you. Real hope is nutritious food for the soul, giving sustained energy over time.

The future hope of resurrection feeds our faith in the present, so we can go the distance in doing the work God has prepared for us as we hold to Christ.   

The hope of resurrection:

Does anyone here watch Bear Grylls? He has a TV programme where he takes celebrities on an adventure in the wild. It usually involves doing something risky and eating something disgusting.

In pretty much all the shows I’ve watched, Bear makes a fire to get warm and to cook whatever he happened to find on the trail. But each time he demonstrates a different technique for getting the fire going.

In one episode he said he was going to start a fire using his own pee. It was a mystery to me how he would transform urine into fire. I’m pretty sure pee isn’t flammable, although I’ve never put that to the test.

Long story short, Bear did not pour his urine onto the kindling. Rather he peed into a clear plastic bag and then held the bag of urine up to the sun, refracting the light through his pee, just like you would concentrate light through a magnifying glass. This was enough to ignite some dry grass which he then fed with sticks and logs to get the fire going properly.

From pee to fire. Such a clever transformation. So obvious and simple in hindsight.

From verse 51 Paul reveals the mystery of resurrection. Namely that those who belong to Christ, whether they are sleeping in death or still living when Jesus returns in glory, will be transformed in the blink of an eye.

We might read that and think, how? That seems as unlikely as using pee to start a fire. But for God it is easy. In hindsight, post resurrection, I expect it will be obvious to us all.   

As we heard last week, the transformation of resurrection happens to our bodies. The Christian hope of resurrection does not imagine a disembodied soul in the next life. The Christian hope of resurrection includes a transformed body, one that is suited to our new existence in the kingdom of heaven.

Just as a seed is transformed into a plant and a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly, so too our earthly bodies will be transformed into heavenly bodies, only much quicker. The change is from a body that wears out and dies to a body that doesn’t wear out or die. That is the hope of resurrection for all who belong to Christ.

In 1977 the rock band Queen released a song called We are the champions. It is a victory song, intentionally written for crowd participation. Even now (nearly 50 years later) We are the champions is instantly recognizable and easily sung at sports stadiums around the world.

In verses 54 & 55 Paul offers his own victory song, where he writes: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting?

Paul is referring to Isaiah 25 here, where the prophet says…

7 On this mountain the Lord will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.

It’s like Paul is saying: through Jesus’ resurrection, we are the champions. Through Jesus’ resurrection, we are on the winning side. Through Jesus’ resurrection, we have the victory over sin and death.

Of course, while it is true that in and through Christ we are the champions, it also needs to be acknowledged that we live in the now but not yet. Yes, Jesus has won the victory over sin and death on the cross. But we haven’t yet fully realized that victory. We still await the final victory when Jesus returns in glory. We are (in a very real sense) on the way to victory.   

In verse 56 Paul explains his metaphor saying: The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

If you think of a scorpion, it is the sting of the scorpion that causes death. Sin is like a scorpion’s sting. Sin leads to death. But if you cut off the tail of a scorpion it cannot sting you, it is essentially harmless. Likewise, if you get rid of sin, then death loses its power and cannot harm you.

Paul also makes a connection between sin and the Law of Moses. Ironically, it is the law which gives sin its power. Romans 7 sheds some light on what Paul means here…

7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 

Even though the Law is good, it cannot save us. It can only show us our guilt and accuse us. The thought of having our faults revealed and being judged tends to fill us with fear and dread.

Returning to 1st Corinthians 15: To keep it simple, with the return of Jesus, death is destroyed and sin can no longer touch us. Through Jesus, we have victory over death. Knowing that, one day, God will destroy death in all its many forms gives us something good to look forward to; it gives us hope and that hope feeds our faith, it helps us to obey God in the present.

This hope of transformation through resurrection is not a long shot. It is not like the hope of maybe winning Lotto one day. For those who belong to Jesus, the hope of resurrection is a sure thing because it doesn’t depend on luck or our own ability or goodness.

Our hope of resurrection depends on what Jesus has already accomplished through his own death and resurrection.

One thing we notice as we read these closing verses from 1st Corinthians 15 is that Paul doesn’t play the fear card. Paul keeps it positive. Paul doesn’t threaten his readers with hellfire and brimstone. He doesn’t say, turn or burn. Paul uses the carrot and not the stick.

Some of us may have become Christians out of fear, because we wanted to avoid the pain and torment of hell (as our uninformed minds imagine it). God is gracious and he will still accept you on the basis of wanting to avoid hell but really a relationship which is based on fear is not ideal.

It’s not what God wants. God is love and he would prefer that our relationship with him be based on faith, hope and love, not fear.  

Hope feeds faith like a river waters the land or like bread nourishes the body.  And our faith needs to be fed and watered if we are to find the strength to do the work God has prepared for us. And what is that work? Our work is to believe in the one God has sent, to believe in Jesus.

The work of faith:

Recently I came across a short story by JRR Tolkien (of Lord of the Rings fame). The story is called ‘Leaf by Niggle’.

Niggle is an artist who lives in a society that does not value art. This does not stop Niggle from painting though. He loves beauty and painting for its own sake. Niggle is a perfectionist and spends many hours over the details.

He has a vision of a great tree with a forest and mountains in the background. But Niggle is better at painting leaves than he is at painting trees. He is always reaching to capture his grand vision of the tree but never quite getting there. Part of the problem is that Niggle has many mundane chores that prevent him from devoting his time fully to his master piece.

To make matters worse, Niggle has a kind heart and is not able to turn away from his neighbour in need. His neighbour, Parish, is lame and Parish’s wife is sick. When Parish’s roof starts leaking Niggle is imposed upon to help. In the process Niggle catches a chill and dies before he can finish his painting.

After Niggle dies, the precious canvas on which he painted his tree is used to cover the roof of his neighbour’s house and is all but ruined, except for a small corner which has a perfectly painted leaf on it. The ‘Leaf by Niggle’ is put in a museum but after a while the museum burns down and Niggle’s painted leaf is destroyed.  Niggle is soon forgotten by the people of this world.

In the afterlife, Niggle hears two voices. The voice of Justice and the voice of Mercy. Justice and Mercy are debating with each other about what should become of Niggle. The severe voice of Justice talks about how Niggle wasted his life and was always distracted, never accomplishing much. He never finished his painting of the tree.

But Mercy, a strong but gentle voice, points out that Niggle was kind hearted and helped his neighbour in need. What’s more, Niggle did not paint for fame or money. He painted for the love of art and beauty. Mercy and Justice agree to send Niggle to a kinder place for ‘a little gentle treatment’.      

When Niggle arrives in the heavenly country he finds the tree in his vision, the tree he had been trying to paint all his earthly life. Except now the tree is alive, it is not just a painting. And behind it is the forest and the mountains he had imagined on earth.

Parish joins Niggle in the afterlife and together they work to make this good place even better. The place is named “Niggle’s Parish” and becomes a garden of healing for people as they make their transition into eternity.

Most of us can identify with Niggle. We all have a dream or a vision of what we hope to accomplish in this life but none of us seem to be able to fulfill our aspirations. The demands and interruptions of this world get in the way, as do the limits of our skill and capacity. This life becomes marked by frustration, bitterness and gall until we find ourselves asking, what is the point? 

I like Tolkien’s story though, because it is hopeful. It reminds us this life is not all there is. It imagines a future in which our efforts in this life are not wasted but put to good use in the next life.

Said another way, our purest aspirations in work will come to complete fruition in God’s future. In paradise, the work you do will be useful, bringing you (and others) joy and satisfaction. You will not be frustrated by a lack of time or ability, for you will perform with all the skill you can imagine. [1]

Some might hear Tolkien’s story of Niggle and think: ‘Phew, the pressure is off. I can cruise through this life and it doesn’t matter too much because it will all be sorted in the next life.’  Well, that’s not the point of the story. Nor is that what Paul is saying in 1st Corinthians 15.

In verse 58, Paul writes…

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.  

Some in the church in Corinth were saying there is no resurrection of the dead. Paul counters this by encouraging the Corinthians to stand firm in their belief in the resurrection. Let nothing move you; let nothing shift your hope in the resurrection, because those who hold to their faith in the risen Jesus will realise the deeper meaning and purpose of their life.

The hope of resurrection is not supposed to make us complacent or apathetic. The hope of resurrection is supposed to inspire and energize our work of faith in this world. What we do in this life matters for eternity because it is not just our bodies which are transformed and resurrected. The fruits of our labours in the Lord are also transformed and resurrected.   

Whatever you do in love and faith in this life, bears abundant fruit in eternity. In fact, we could think of the faith and love we share in this life as an investment paying dividends in heaven.

As Jesus says in Matthew 6…

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

Where is the treasure of your hope? What vision of the future captivates your heart?

Conclusion:

Given that hope feeds faith, how then do we get a seat at the restaurant of hope?  By holding fast to our belief in the resurrection of Jesus and taking time to feed our mind and soul on what we know of resurrection life from the Bible.

Over the past few weeks we have done just that…

In the resurrection those who abide in Christ will be given new supernatural bodies. Bodies that do not get sick or wear out or fail. Bodies that are well suited to eternity. Let the hope of a resurrected and transformed body feed your faith and your soul.

In the resurrection those who abide in Christ will receive a share in God’s kingdom. We will enjoy a paradise in which God’s will is always done perfectly. A place of joy and peace and abundance. No more poverty. No more grief. No more homelessness or war. Plenty of good things to go around for everyone.

Let the hope of heaven coming to earth motivate you to love your neighbour and care for the environment.


In the resurrection those who abide in Christ will experience the redemption of their life’s work. Your purest aspirations in work will come to complete fruition in God’s future. The work you do will become useful and satisfying. Your true calling will not be frustrated by a lack of time or ability.

Let the hope of having your life’s work fulfilled and made fruitful sustain your labour in the Lord now. 

In the resurrection those who abide in Christ will be reunited with loved ones who are also in Christ. Parents who have lost children too soon will see them again. Orphans deprived of their parents’ time & love will be cared for. You who are widows and widowers will meet your husbands and wives once more.  

Let the hope of restored and properly functioning relationships inspire you to be kinder, more patient, more honest, more gracious and more forgiving with those near to you today.


But the greatest hope, the most nourishing hope, of resurrection is the indescribable joy of intimacy with God. The ravages of loneliness in this world will pass like a bad dream. In the resurrection we will be so close to God, so immersed in his love, that we will know instinctively what the Lord wants and be willing and able to do it.

Let the hope of intimacy with God fill you with wonder so that your soul overflows with whole hearted worship and praise. 

“Hope is hearing the music of the future; faith is dancing to it today.”

May the music of heaven give you the rhythm and joy you need to dance through this life. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Discuss / reflect on Bishop Frey’s quote: “Hope is hearing the music of the future; faith is dancing to it today.” What does this mean? What does this say about the relationship between hope and faith? 
  • What does Paul mean when he says, ‘the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is death’? 
  • Why does Paul focus on the hope of resurrection (rather than the fear of hell)? What is your relationship with God based on? Does anything need to change?
  • How do you feel hearing Tolkien’s story about Niggle? In what ways does the story ‘Leaf by Niggle’ relate to 1st Corinthians 15:58?
  • What does it mean to share faith and love in this life? How might we do this?
  • Where is the treasure of your hope? What vision of the future captivates your heart? How does the hope of resurrection influence your faith in the present?  

[1] Timothy Keller, ‘Every Good Endeavour’, page 96.

Tawa Baptist

Moses & Joshua

Scriptures: Exodus 17:8-13; 33:11; 24:13; 32:17;

Numbers 11:25-29; 13:1-14:10; 27:18-20

 

Title: Moses & Joshua

 

Structure:

  • Introduction – Intergenerational relationships
  • Symbiotic relationship
  • Mentoring relationship

o   Showing and telling

o   Inviting reflection

o   Providing a catalyst

o   Investing authority

  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

On the wall here we have a picture of a pair of oxen or bullocks

–         In the old days when they wanted to train a young ox to pull a load they would yoke it with an older well-trained ox

–         The younger ox would learn what to do and how to follow directions by walking alongside the older ox [1]

–         In a way the older ox was a mentor to the younger beast

 

Today we begin a new sermon series on intergenerational relationships in the Bible

–         An intergenerational relationship is exactly what it sounds like – a relationship between two people from different generations, someone older and someone younger

–         We find a number of intergenerational relationships in the Bible

–         For example: Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth

–         The aging priest Eli and the young prophet Samuel

–         King Saul and King David

–         As well as the apostle Paul and his protégé Timothy

 

Our focus this morning though is on the relationship between Moses and Joshua

–         No disrespect to Joshua and Moses but in some ways Joshua is like the younger ox learning from Moses, the older more experienced ox, while the Lord God is the one giving the directions, leading them both

 

Symbiotic relationship:

Please turn with me to Exodus 17 – page 78 near the front of your pew Bibles

–         Joshua was Moses’ personal assistant – his aide

–         Joshua was probably about 50 to 60 years younger than Moses

–         We don’t know exactly how they met, but it seems they had chemistry – a special kind of rapport

–         We first hear about Joshua and Moses working together in the wilderness, following the Israelites’ escape from Egypt

–         From Exodus 17, verses 8-13, we read…

 

[Read Exodus 17:8-13]

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

A healthy intergenerational relationship is mutually symbiotic – or mutually beneficial, in other words

–         Symbiosis comes from a Greek word meaning “living together”

–         From a scientific point of view a symbiotic relationship is ‘the living together of unlike organisms’  [2]

 

An example of a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship, in nature, is that of the sea anemone and a clown fish (from ‘Finding Nemo’ fame)

 

The clownfish supports the life of the sea anemone by feeding on small invertebrates that otherwise have potential to harm the anemone,

–         What’s more the fecal matter (or the poos) from the clownfish provide nutrients (or dinner) to the sea anemone.

–         The clownfish receives the benefit of being protected from predators by the anemone’s stinging cells, to which the clownfish is immune.

–         The clownfish also emits a high pitched sound that deters butterfly fish, which would otherwise eat the anemone [3]

 

The anemone and the clown fish are unlike organisms but they support each other in a mutually symbiotic relationship

–         We need each other and we need each other to be different

 

At their best intergenerational relationships are mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships

–         We see this mutual symbiosis in Moses’ and Joshua’s relationship

 

In Exodus 17 (which we just read) the young Joshua goes into battle against the Amalekites to protect Israel at a place called Rephidim

–         Rephidim means support [4]

–         Moses, who is most likely in his 80’s at this stage, is not physically fit enough for hand to hand combat – he relies on Joshua for that

–         But Joshua and the Israelites are the under dogs in this fight

–         Israel has just spent the last few hundred years in slavery – the people are vulnerable and relatively weak

–         They need God’s help and God lends them a hand through Moses & Joshua working together

 

Moses supports Joshua and his soldiers by raising his hands in the air

–         We are not sure how this helps – but it does

–         As long as Moses’ hands stay up Israel gets the advantage – but as soon as Moses’ hands droop, the Amalekites start winning

–         In the end Joshua wins, not by his own strength but by the hand of God and Moses supporting him

 

Why did God do it this way?

–         Why not just zap the Amalekites with lightning from heaven or have the ground swallow them up, or drown them like he did the Egyptians?

–         Well, perhaps God is teaching Israel to work together symbiotically

 

Moses needed Joshua and Joshua needed Moses and they both needed God

–         By working together as they did Moses & Joshua are a living parable to Israel of how God wants the people to function as a nation

 

So that’s the first thing about Moses’ & Joshua’s intergenerational relationship – it was symbiotic or mutually beneficial, not just to each other but also to the wider community

 

Mentoring relationship:

The second thing we observe is that Moses became a mentor to Joshua

–         Now not every intergenerational relationship is necessarily a mentoring relationship but they can often develop that way

 

A mentor is a wise and trusted advisor who guides a protégé and helps them to develop their potential

–         Mentoring is more than simply teaching a particular skill set

–         Mentoring is about developing the whole person

–         Moses does at least four things in his mentoring of Joshua

 

Moses mentors Joshua…

–         By showing and telling

–         By inviting reflection

–         By providing a catalyst for change

–         And, eventually, by investing his authority in Joshua

 

Let me give you some examples from the books of Exodus and Numbers to illustrate how Moses does these things. Firstly, showing and telling…

 

Telling is when the mentor gives the protégé instructions to follow

–         (Whether the protégé follows those instructions or not is the telling part)

–         And showing is when the mentor demonstrates to the protégé by his own example

 

In Numbers 11, verse 28, we read that Joshua had been Moses’ aide (his personal assistant) since his youth

–         This means that Joshua was sort of like Moses’ first lieutenant

–         In this role, as Moses’ aide, Joshua did what Moses told him to do – just as a lower ranking officer would follow the orders of a general

–         Some religious orders require their priests & nuns to take a vow of obedience

–         Obedience is not a very popular word or discipline these days but learning to follow instructions is essential for any man or woman of God

–         That Joshua was willing to obey Moses was very telling – it demonstrates that he is capable of following God’s instructions

 

Joshua’s role as Moses’ assistant also meant he went everywhere with Moses

–         So when Moses went up the mountain to meet with God and receive the 10 commandments Joshua went with him, not all the way but far enough [5]

–         Likewise when Moses met with God in the tent of the Lord’s presence  Joshua was close at hand [6]

–         Wherever Moses went Joshua followed and so Joshua was continually exposed to Moses’ example in leadership

 

More than just showing Joshua what leaders do (the tasks of leadership), Moses was, by his presence, actually showing Joshua how to be a leader

–         Character is more caught than taught

–         We tend to become like the people we hang out with

–         As adults we need to be careful in the example we model for the young among us

–         Our children will learn more from what we show them, through our actions, than they will through what we tell them with our words

 

After nearly 40 years living and working with Moses, Joshua had perhaps one of the longest apprenticeships in history

–         But by the end of it he had a pretty good handle on what was involved in obeying God & leading the nation

–         Not only that but he had developed, and imbibed from Moses, some vital character qualities like patience and faithfulness and integrity

 

As well as showing and telling, Moses also helps Joshua to think for himself by inviting him to reflect on his experience

–         A good mentor doesn’t always spell out the answer for their protégé

–         Sometimes it may be necessary to explain things but often it is better to teach people to figure things out for themselves and let them draw their own conclusions

 

Turn with me to Numbers chapter 11, verse 25 – page 142 in your pew Bibles

–         This little story is relevant for the season of Pentecost that we are in

–         Incidentally though it also shows Moses inviting Joshua to reflect on his experience – from Numbers 11, verse 25 we read…

 

[Read Numbers 11:25-29]

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

You may remember me telling you the story of when I went to Cubs as a boy and attempted my ‘Duty to God’ badge

–         Most badges were supervised by the Cub leaders but the ‘Duty to God’ badge had to be supervised by a minister

–         There was a chaplain at my school so I approached him and asked if he would supervise me – to which he replied…

–         “You can never do your duty to God”

–         I was 10

 

The Chaplain wasn’t telling me off but nor was he willing to explain what he meant – he was inviting me to reflect on what I was doing

–         It seems I’m still reflecting on it some 36 year later

 

Joshua was loyal to Moses and was worried I suppose that the elders prophesying in the camp might undermine Moses’ authority

–         But Moses doesn’t feel threatened

–         He doesn’t reprimand Joshua for his outburst, nor does he seek to explain the meaning of God sharing his Spirit

–         Instead Moses sees a teachable moment here and invites Joshua to reflect on the experience, and his response to it, by saying…

–         “…I wish that the Lord would give his Spirit to all his people…”

 

I’ll leave it with you to figure out what that could mean

 

The third thing Moses does in mentoring Joshua is he provides a catalyst for the young man

–         A catalyst is something which causes or precipitates a change in the protégé’s identity and thinking

 

Some catalysts can be quite pleasant – like when you get married, your identity and consequently your thinking changes

–         Other catalysts can feel less pleasant

–         Just as hot water is a catalyst for drawing out the flavour in a tea bag

–         So too when we find ourselves in hot water over something – this becomes a catalyst drawing out what is inside of us

 

Moses does two things to precipitate a change in Joshua’s identity and thinking:

 

Firstly, in Numbers 13 verse 16, he changes his protégé’s name (and by implication his identity) from Hoshea to Joshua

–         This name change is a relatively pleasant / feel good catalyst

–         Hoshea means salvation while Joshua means The Lord saves  [7]

–         I wonder if Moses is making the point here that it is not Joshua who will save the people – it is the Lord God who saves

–         This change in thinking would lift a huge weight off Joshua and would remind everyone (including Joshua) to put their trust in the Lord

 

Incidentally, the Greek form of the name Joshua is the same as that of the name Jesus – so Joshua points to Jesus, the ultimate successor to Moses

 

The second thing Moses does to precipitate change in Joshua is send him to the Promised Land with the other 11 spies to scout things out

–         By doing this Moses is putting Joshua into a new and unfamiliar situation

–         How will Joshua respond in a foreign culture?

–         Will this new experience draw out faith or fear?

 

Ironically Joshua doesn’t find himself in hot water until he returns to the Israelite camp in the wilderness

–         Ten of the Israeli spies give a bad report, spreading fear among the people

–         Only Caleb and Joshua respond in faith by essentially saying, “with the Lord on our side, we’ve got this”

–         Despite being under tremendous pressure Joshua & Caleb provide an unpopular minority report and the people are ready to stone them

–         But God intervenes

–         Joshua’s character proves true to his name: the Lord saves

 

You know, when a butterfly emerges from its cocoon it doesn’t just slip out easily – the butterfly has to struggle to get out

–         But the struggle is necessary to get the fluid pumping into its wings – without the struggle the butterfly wouldn’t fly

–         It wouldn’t have been easy for Moses to see Joshua in hot water with the people – but it was necessary for Joshua to go through this struggle

–         The whole experience acted as a catalyst to precipitate a deep change in Joshua – it strengthened his resolve and showed everyone what Joshua was made of

 

One of the things we notice about the butterfly’s struggle to emerge from the cocoon is that it happens in stages, not all at once

–         So in providing a catalyst, little steps are usually best

–         For example, if you are a leader in Sunday school you could develop the potential of your helper by providing the catalyst of extra responsibility

–         Don’t throw them in the deep end by making them prepare the whole lesson – rather start by asking them to organise one game or one craft activity, then gradually give them more responsibility as they are able

–         A bit of extra responsibility might feel like a struggle for them at first but they will grow into it – step by step

 

Providing a catalyst for change requires wisdom from the mentor

–         Knowing when to step in and help and when to hang back and let our children and our protégés fend for themselves – it’s not easy

 

Okay – so far we’ve seen how Moses mentored Joshua by showing & telling, by inviting reflection and by providing a catalyst

 

Now let’s consider how Moses invests his authority in Joshua

–         Investing authority is about the mentor letting go (when the time is right) and passing the baton of responsibility to the protégé

–         It’s about handing over the keys for good

 

If power is the ability to do something then authority is the license or the permission to do it

–         You may know how to drive a car but without a license you don’t have the authority to drive

–         You may be a very capable administrator but without winning an election you don’t have the authority to make decisions in public office

–         You may be able to climb through the window of a house but without a deed of ownership or a rental agreement you have no right to be there

 

Towards the end of Israel’s long sojourn in the wilderness God tells Moses he is going to die and Moses responds, not by thinking of himself, but by thinking of what is best for the nation. [8]

–         Moses knows that the people need good leadership – he doesn’t want them to be left alone like sheep without a shepherd

–         So the question is: who will become the new shepherd of Israel?

–         Who will guide and protect the fledgling nation?

 

To his credit Moses doesn’t assume anything

–         He doesn’t assume one of his sons will succeed him as leader of Israel

–         Nor does he assume that because he has been mentoring Joshua all these years that Joshua will automatically succeed him

–         Instead Moses asks God to appoint his replacement and God chooses Joshua because Joshua is capable

–         After all those years of mentoring, Moses had given Joshua the ability to lead the nation

–         But by asking God to choose his successor, Moses was giving Joshua the authority to lead – and it was a rock solid authority for no one can argue with God’s decision

 

Moses formally transfers his authority by publicly laying his hands on Joshua’s head and proclaiming Joshua as the new leader of Israel

 

Moses’ and Joshua’s mutually symbiotic relationship has come full circle

–         Joshua needed Moses to prepare him for leading Israel and Moses needed Joshua to pick up the mantle of leadership for the sake of the nation

 

Joshua went on to be a wise & courageous leader during a time of great change

–         He transitioned the nation into the Promised Land – no easy task

–         The surprising thing is that, as far as we know, Joshua didn’t mentor anyone else after him

–         And if the book of Judges is anything to go by the nation suffered for it

 

Conclusion:

Here at Tawa Baptist we are blessed with a diversity of ages – all the generations are represented

–         Not all churches are as lucky as we are in this respect

–         We want to encourage people to grow healthy relationships together – not just with people of the same age but also with people of a different generation – we need each other and we need each other to be different

 

To help people deepen their relationships we sometimes run lunches after church – like the Count Me In lunches we are having today

–         I encourage you to attend one of these lunches and get to know someone in a different age bracket to you

–         You don’t need to force the conversation but if you find a natural chemistry with someone older or younger than yourself then look for opportunities to develop the friendship

–         You might not end up in a full on mentoring relationship like Moses & Joshua but your life will probably be richer for it

 

Let me leave you with two questions…

–         Who is your Moses?

–         Who is your Joshua?

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/18-jun-2017-moses-joshua

[1] http://www.draftanimalpower.org/forums/topic/young-and-old/

[2] Heinrich Anton de Bary, 1879.

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiosis

[4] Refer George Knight’s commentary on Exodus, ‘Theology as Narration’, page 122.

[5] Refer Exodus 24:13 and 32:17

[6] Refer Exodus 33:11

[7] Refer the footnote in the NIV Study Bible

[8] Refer Numbers 27:15-20

Tawa Baptist

Cyber Parenting

Cyber Parenting – Raising your kids in an online world by James & Simone Boswell

This is one of the most profound Christian parenting books I have had the pleasure of reading. While the focus is on Cyber Parenting, the biblical worldview of parenting is reaffirmed, strengthen and applied in a practical way to protect and guide our children through not only the technological changes  happening in our world today but also through the demands the secular world makes on the family as a whole.  It reassures parents who feel that they grew up in a different era, that God’s word and rules still apply across the ages.

The authors don’t hold back and give an honest account of the dangers faced by kids and adults in the online environment, be it cyber bullying or sending, receiving and viewing inappropriate content. Protecting your online security is essential and dire consequences can result from being uninformed. For instance, if a site requesting your personal information does not begin with https, the S being key, your personal information on that site is not securely stored and identity theft a risk. Also,  innocently informing friends that you are at a local hotspot or agreeing to allow an app to have access to your location, could mean that your movements are tracked, which in some cases has resulted in cyber bullies ganging up on victims in the physical world or criminals preying on children as they are able to find out their physical locations. Another lesson learned is to be careful when sharing content on line and posting information and pictures, while inappropriate and misinformed actions can be “deleted” so to speak, a record of it never really disappears from the online environment, such is the uptake of information! An innocent mistake could have consequences for their future professional lives and reputations ruined as a result.

Yet the authors reassure us that while dangers exist God has given us the tools to cope as parents and in fact, cyber parenting can become a wonderful tool to train our kids in the way of the Lord. As parents, we protect them by modeling good online behaviour, by being informed and putting measures in place to minimize online threats. While, at the same time, we provide biblical lessons on interactions with others, appropriate online behaviour, protecting your reputation and being a great example of a child of God. Then gradually as they mature and prove themselves, we allow them more freedom to make their own decisions. The key is relationship, whether that means joining in online games as a family,  ” friending” them on Facebook or talking about the issues from a non confrontational standpoint. As the online world tends to marginalize families, it’s all about taking back family time!  I strongly encourage you to read this book, it will be of profound benefit to your family as a whole. God Bless

 

By Laurie Coetsee