April 18
Josh 16:1-18:28 | PS 87:1-7 | Prov 13:11 | Luke 19:1-27
What has happened to courage? Hidden behind masks, so many sequestered in their houses, avoiding being in close proximity to others, we live in a world consumed by fear, not courage. The hope that so many have to combat this fear is not God, or innate courage, but an experimental vaccine. But when we place our hopes on a thing, such as a vaccine, what happens when there is a new strain, or a new virus, or it proves less than effective? Fear returns. On June 6, 1944, D-Day, during World War II, was launched with the simultaneous landing of U.S., British, and Canadian forces along five separate beachheads along the coast of Normandy. The task was truly monumental as they entered on boat to a cliff filled with German forces releasing a steady stream of gunfire and larger ammunition. The allied forces continued to move forward with courage despite the overwhelming threat to their lives. They succeeded in that battle, but in that bold attack there were over 209,000 casualties of the Allied forces, with 37,000 dead among the ground forces and 16,714 dead among the Allied air forces. These brave men courageously moved forward because they believed their nation, and their loved ones at home were worth fighting for, even if that cost them their lives. The disparity between that America and our current situation is staggering, as people consumed with loss of self, are literally paralyzed with fear. In the Bible it says "Fear not" 365 times. We read in Mark 8:35-36, "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" Martyred missionary, Jim Eliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
We have just gone through a series of battles in which thirty-one kings were defeated by the Israelites. These nations were more fortified, more trained, often had better weapons than the Israelites. But the men of Israel moved forward under the leadership of Joshua, but more importantly courageously behind their God who they trusted to overpower any army. Their success rested not in their military prowess, but fully in their God. Yet, once they stopped this steady campaign, and despite what they had experienced, and despite God's promise in Joshua 13:6, "...“I myself will drive these people out of the land ahead of the Israelites. So be sure to give this land to Israel as a special possession, just as I have commanded you.", we see fear replacing their courage. We read in 17:16, "The descendants of Joseph responded, “It’s true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shan and its surrounding settlements and those in the valley of Jezreel. They are too strong for us.” They had faced iron chariots before, why had they now lost their courage? We also read in 15:63, "But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day." Of course they could have driven them out, for God promised them that they could. Either complacency, or fear, or being consumed with self stopped their momentum.
It's hard enough to witness a world literally paralyzed in fear due to a virus, with the only remedy for this fear being an experimental vaccine for those outside the body of Christ, but it is alarming, I would even say shocking to see so many within the body of Christ likewise paralyzed. Every excuse is given to justify this behavior of sequestering oneself behind the "safety" of their four walls. It might be not to give it to aged parents or grandparents. It might be to preserve oneself for what would happen to their family if anything were to happen to them. Consider the numbers of casualties mentioned above in that one battle, and reflect for a moment how many loved ones at home were affected. So many widows, so many grieving parents, so many children who lost their parents, etc. But these brave soldiers were not consumed with fear, but moved forward with courage. Are we Christians who know how to say the right things, but not do them? You know: "God is the most central and important part of my life", "I can do all things through Christ", "There is nothing more important than spreading the gospel message", etc. Guess what, none of this rings true when we are sequestered in our homes and not congregating with other Christians and hiding from the outside world. That so many churches are still not meeting in person, I can't even comprehend. Do we see the D-Day events as more important than the battle for the souls of those around us? They faced bullets but moved forward. The chance of dying to take control of an area was tremendously higher than the chance of dying from this virus. So, what is the difference? They moved forward in courage, while the masses, even in the Christian community shrink back in fear. This should not be, brothers and sisters in Christ. Our mission is too important. The enemy is real, but our God is able to take any stronghold. May we be Christians whose walk matches our talk, and move forward without fear, armed with the gospel message.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: