Podcast: BaptistBasics.org - Sermons

He Was Gathered To His People 

Genesis 25:7-10 

I find it interesting what people put into obituaries. 

You can tell not just a lot about the deceased but also about the family they leave behind. 

Sometimes there are family feuds going on and parts of the family are not even mentioned. 

Sometimes someone will go way overboard making someone out to be a saint that was far from it. 

I think the saddest are the ones that list so many hobbies and activities and achievements but have no mention of God or their family. 

Some are also just funny. 

In 2014, the obituary for Johanna Scarpitti went viral on the internet. 

It opened with these words: “Ding dong the witch is dead, but the memory of our mother lives on.” 

Her daughter said it was a joke because she loved The Wizard of Oz so much, and was even buried in ruby slippers. 

I think they could have found a better quote to use, personally. 

You might say that our text is part of Abraham’s obituary. 

He was 175 years old. 

This chapter records much of his family records surrounding our text. 

It tells of his wife Hagar’s son Ishmael and his family. 

It tells of his wife Sarah’s sons Isaac and his family. 

It tells of a later wife named Keturah and their children together. 

We find the details of his funeral, that Isaac and Ishmael were pallbearers. 

We see the place of interment, in the family plot at Machpelah where he would be laid beside Sarah. 

If you have been trying to keep up with your daily Bible reading this year, it is this kind of chapter that can discourage you. 

So many names, so many details that just don’t seem to matter. 

But even the genealogies are mines with rich veins if you take time to look. 

As I was going through this passage, I was struck by the words of vs. 8: 

Gen 25:8  Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.  

It is an amazing testimony for a man greatly used by God. 

Abraham did not fear death nor did he fight it. 

When his time came, he peacefully let his soul slip from his body. 

He had a lived a long and good life. 

He was content in all that he had seen and accomplished. 

It is such a beautiful picture of the ideal death. 

Someone has lived a long and happy life and they move on to Heaven. 

Too often for me God in His wisdom takes folks home in other ways. 

I can only trust that His way is best, and I can only be somewhat jealous of those that get to Heaven ahead of me. 

I want to pause for moment here. 

Death has two parts – a departure and an arrival. 

I want to talk about the departure for just a few moments before we look at the arrival. 

One of the themes I see in Genesis is the progression of death. 

We begin in chapter 1 with a brand new, perfect world unmarred by sin’s touch. 

In chapter 2 is the first mention of death -: 

Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  

Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  

In chapter 3, the serpent lied to Eve and said “ Ye shall not surely die” 

She was tricked and broke the divine law of God. 

Adam was not tricked, but willingly and soberly chose to do the same. 

Part of the curse of sin that God pronounced is this: 

Gen 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.  

The world that knew no sin and death was not broken by sin and death. 

In chapter 4 there is the first human death, as Cain killed his brother Abel. 

In chapter 5 there is the genealogy from Adam to Noah. 

There is a pattern there: “So-and-so was so old when they had a son and then lived for so many more years, and he died.” 

Methusaleh held that fate off for 969 years but in the end he died too. 

We read in chapter 6 how the world grew so corrupt that God destroyed human civilization, killed them all in a global flood, but saved Noah and his family alive to being anew. 

All those men and women and animals perished in the flood, but death was not satisfied. 

We get to chapter 11 and there is another genealogical section, linking Noah’s son Shem to Abraham. 

It is a similar formula to chapter 5, saying they had a son at such an age and live so much longer after that. 

You can even trace here the shrinking life spans. 

Death was coming for all and it was coming quicker and quicker! 

We could continue on and see how Abraham’s line through Isaac and Jacob all lived their lives before dying and being buried. 

I think one of the most startling verses in Genesis is the very last. 

Remember how it all stated: 

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  

Then look at how it ends: 

Gen 50:26  So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.  

From Creation in Eternity Past to a Coffin in Egypt. 

That is the hold of sin and death. 

That is the testimony of their destructive power. 

But I am also glad to tell you that those two are nor the only things on the rise in Genesis. 

There is also a seed of hope that is planted. 

I think you first see it back in 3:15 – in the middle of Sin’s Curse the promise of the Savior’s Coming: 

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.  

We can trace the lineage from Adam to Seth to Methuselah to Noah to Shem to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Judah. 

Remember what Jacob said when he blessed his son Judah: 

Gen 49:10  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.  

Shiloh means “man of peace” 

That is talking about the Prince of Peace there, the Messiah. 

We see the picture of the salvation of Christ bearing us safely the floods of God’s wrath in Noah’s Ark. 

We see the picture of Christ’s substitution – dying in our place – in the ram provided when Abraham was sent to offer Isaac. 

I think we see Him pictured in Joseph, the son that “dead” but returned to bring salvation to his family. 

We could go on and on. 

Just know this – Yes sin and death entered this world through Adam’s sin: 

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” – Romans 5:1 

Know that the natural consequence of sin is death, both physical and spiritual: 

“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” – James 1:15 

But also know that God has provided hope for us: 

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 6:23 

You know how Abraham found salvation? 

He trusted in the work that Christ would do. 

How are we saved 

We trust in the word that Christ has done. 

There is no other means of salvation but through faith in Christ! 

Now, that is all about the departure that death brings. 

Let’s look now at the arrival it also brings. 

God has made it so that there are two destinations for the departed souls of men. 

Which destination you arrive at is determined by if you found forgiveness through faith in Christ on this earth before your final breath. 

There is a place of wondrous peace and blessing ahead for the child of God. 

There is a place of horrible torment ahead for those that reject Christ. 

That is the Gospel truth. 

If it is not so Christ came and died in vain. 

If it is not so we might as well pack up and go home, all the missionaries quit their labors, and all the churches shut down. 

But it is true. 

There is hope beyond death’s embrace. 

Look back with me at our text in vs. 8 

Gen 25:8  Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.  

That is such a beautiful phrase. 

We find the same or similar wording used for the deaths of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Aaron – I’ll let you track down those references. 

It is also used in Judges 2:10 – the final time this phrase appears – to talk about the passing of the generation that conquered the Promised Land under Joshua. 

All these “were gathered to their people” 

That is not about the departure of death, it is describing the arrival in the Blessed Hope that awaits the child of God. 

Yes, I know it is a little different before the Cross and Resurrection, and that the Old Testament saints had to wait for Christ’s victory to enter Heaven. 

But they still had a wonderful place to be. 

David said in II Samuel 12:23 about his infant son that died –“But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” 

Christ gives us a glimpse into this in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. 

I do not think this is a parable, I think that his Lazarus was a real person, and not the same one that He raised from the dead later. 

Luk 16:22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom… 

You know what these Old Testaments saints did after they died – “They where gathered to their people” 

The same can be said about Christians. 

For example, Paul wrote: 

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  

We too will be “gathered to our people” 

Now quickly, I want to note a few things about this phrase before we draw to a close. 

First, this proves that we, our persons and personalities, continue beyond death. 

Matthew Gage will not cease when his heart stops. 

No, I will only move on through death’s door into live everlasting. 

I like to use the word “graduate” – I just graduate from this life to the next. 

I will be gathered to my people, and so will you if you know Christ. 

Second, we will not be alone. 

Think about Abraham, he left his ancestral home, left his family behind and went to Canaan land. 

He had only Lot, and probably should have left him behind. 

He was a pilgrim and stranger amongst people who were not like him, did not serve the trust God as he did. 

But there came a day when God gathered him to a place filled with family and friends. 

He would never be alone again, and neither will we. 

Third we will be “our people” 

That can be family – I have many I wish to see again or meet for the first time. 

That can also be people like us. 

Heaven is a place filled with the children of God, all will love and serve Him. 

CONCLUSION 

One day if Christ does not return soon, all of use will stand at the departure gate of death. 

I speak here metaphorically, but there will be great sorting that takes place there. 

We can read in the Bible of the sorting out of the wheat and the chaff or the goats and sheep. 

God knows His own and no mistakes will be made. 

There is no space given to change your fate, that time has passed. 

To the child of God this morning whose sins have been washed white as snow in the blood of the lamb, what a happy day that will be to be gathered to our people. 

What a reunion that will be – friends, family, and most importantly our wonderful Savior. 

Do not fear the departure of death because that arrival lies beyond it. 

If you do not know Christ, if you have not fully trusted in Him, if you are still holding out hope that your good deeds, your baptism, your family, or anything other the Christ and Christ alone – get ready now. 

Christ loves you, died for, rose again and conquered death so that we could be with Him forever. 

He alone can forgive our sins – He alone can make us righteous and whole in the sight of God. 

Come to Him today. 

Call on Him – put your faith in Him! 

Be ready for that day when death comes creeping in. 

Don’t be gathered with the lost and doomed by rejecting Christ. 

Be ready to be gathered to your people with Him. 

The Other Woman At The Well 

John 4:1-10 

I hope that our text this morning is a familiar one to you. 

I have preached from it here at least once and taught lessons from it at least twice. 

The ancient Jews despised Samaria and would often travel around it. 

But Christ told His disciples that this time He needed to go that way. 

We see why that is in our text. 

He knew that on this particular day there would be a woman at that well who needed Him. 

He knew all about her past and her shame. 

He knew she was a social outcast. 

He knew she needed someone to care about her. 

So Christ waited by the well in the heat of the day until she came out. 

He knew the disciples would not have the same heart to reach her so he sent them on into town. 

She came out thinking her biggest need was to satisfy her thirst. 

Christ showed her she needed Him – that he was the water that satisfied. 

When she finally realized Who He was that was talking to her, she went running back into town to tell the news. 

The disciples came back and were puzzled as to why Christ would be talking to such a woman. 

I don’t know if it was her sinful background or her bloodline that made them overlook her need. 

But I do know that she was thankful that the Almighty God had compassion on her, and went out of His way to be there that day. 

If you study the book of John you will notice that there is sort of a trilogy of stories in chapters 3, 4 and 5. 

All involve Christ going out of this way to seek and to save that which was lost. 

In chapter 3 there is Nicodemus. 

He is a leader of the Jews, he had to turn from his own self righteousness to see his need to be born again. 

In chapter 4 there is the Samaritan woman at the well. 

She was an outcast and a lost cause, she had to turn get tear down the walls of prejudice and defense she had put up to le the Savior in. 

In chapter 5 there is the lame man by the pool of Bethesda on the sabbath day. 

He was unable to gain the healing desires, but Christ healed him physically and spiritually. 

All three of these stories show that wonderful love of the Savior. 

All three show His mercy extended to the vilest of sinners. 

All three show His mercy pour out immeasurably on underserving man.   

I don’t know about you, but I am glad that way back when I was about four years old that He came looking for me. 

There I was, too timid and shy to go to children’s church on a Sunday morning. 

Bro. Jackson got up and preached the hottest sermon on hell I think he ever preached. 

I sat there knowing I was a sinner and that I was in trouble if I had to stand before the Lord. 

I did not know what to do, but that night Bro. Horton took me back into the pastor’s office. 

We sat on the couch that was right inside the door. 

He took his Bible and he showed me what Christ did for me. 

I already had the first two parts down – I knew I was a sinner and that I was not going to Heaven. 

He showed me the second to parts – that Christ came to this earth to die for lost sinners like me also rose again in victory, and if I would only place my faith in Him that I could be freed from the chains of sin. 

I was only about four, but I can still send my mind back to that night and I can still feel that feeling that was like the weight of the cosmos was lifted from my little shoulders. 

I found that peace that passes all understanding! 

I found that hope that will ever endure! 

I found the joy that comes from knowing you are a child of God. 

Some might say that I found Christ that night. 

In reality, He found me. 

He knew who I was before the foundation of the world was laid. 

He knew on the cross that it was for me. 

That day the Spirit reached out and took hold of my young heart and the Savior took up residence. 

I don’t know everyone’s story that is here today, but I hope you have that same kind of story. 

I pray that you know what it is like for Jesus to come along and take you up in His nail scarred hands. 

That is why He came – “to seek and to save that which was lost” 

He sought out Nicodemus, He sought out the Samaritan woman at the well, He sought out the lame man lying by the pool of Bethesda, He sought me out when I was just a little rascal of a boy, and friend I guarantee is seeking you out if don’t know Him this morning. 

The pages of this Bible are filled with this truth. 

For instance, you can go over to Luke 15 and see three wonderful pictures of it. 

He is like the shepherd that lost one of his sheep, but left the ninety and nine to bring the lost lamb back into the fold. 

He is like the woman who had ten coins, but lost one and did not rest until she found it. 

He is like the prodigal son’s father, patiently waiting for us to repent and come to His open arms. 

Now, I told you up front that the title of this sermon is “The Other Woman At The Well”. 

That is not referring to the woman at the well in our text. 

As I was putting together the daily Bible reading notes this week, it occurred to me that she is not the only lost soul that Christ went out of His way to find sitting near a well. 

Now, you are going to need to follow me closely here if this is going to make any sense at all. 

I am going to go a little deeper into the Word that is just a cursory, surface-level reading. 

If you want to follow along with me, I am going to ask that you turn back to the book of Genesis and find chapter 16. 

While you are doing that let me give you a little background. 

God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, yet his wife Sarah was barren. 

They grew impatient with God and decided to take matters into their own hands. 

Sarah had an Egyptian handmaid named Hagar. 

She decided that Abraham could just marry Hagar and have kids with here. 

Abraham went along with it, and Hagar was with child. 

That plan didn’t seem so good anymore! 

Sarah turned on Hagar, treated her badly – so badly that she fled and ran away into the wilderness. 

There she is, scared, pregnant, and confused. 

Neither Sarah nor Abraham seems to go looking for her. 

She thought her life was over. 

If ever there was a lost cause, she felt like she was it. 

But God saw her tears and His loving heart was moved at her plight. 

We find in there in Genesis 16:7 – “And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.” 

Now this is not something you are going to pick up just skimming through this chapter, but there is something special about this “angel of Jehovah”. 

An angel is a messenger – that is literally what the word means in Hebrew and Greek – and they act at the command of God. 

That is what we see when, for example, the angel Gabriel doing when he appears and delivers the message to Mary that she was going to be the mother of the Messiah. 

The angel shows up and says, “Thus saith the Lord” and then delivers the message. 

Other times angels show up and do the job God had sent them to do – a good example is the angel that was sent to encourage Elijah in I Kings 19 – he made the prophet food, told him to take a nap, then pointed him in the direction of Horeb. 

I say this because this “angel of the Lord” here in Genesis 16 acts differently when he appears. 

Yes, this not an isolated incident. 

I believe we see this same person appearing to: 

Abraham in Genesis 22:11-12 

Moses in Exodus 3:2-6 

Gideon in Judges 6. 

Samon’s parents in Judges 13. 

Let’s look at what happens here between the “angel of the Lord” and Hagar. 

In vs. 8 he asks what she is doing there and she confesses that she ran away from Sarah. 

In vs. 9 he tells her to go back. 

In vs. 10 – this is where it starts getting interesting – he says “I will multiply thy seed” 

That is not delivering a message, it is making a person promise. 

In vs. 11 he tells her to name her unborn son Ishmael, which means “who God hears” 

In vs. 12 he reveals the future character of the boy. 

Now look at vs. 13: 

And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her 

Wait, she doesn’t say an angel spoke to her, she says God did! 

Thou God seest me:  

In Hebrew that is El-Roi. 

Again, she does not say an angel saw here, but that God Himself did. 

for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?  

She says she saw the God who sees her, not the angel that sees her. 

In vs. 14  she names the place Beerlahairoi, meaning “the well of Him that liveth and seeth me”. 

Now, I believe it is clear that this is no mere angel that went into the wilderness to comfort Hagar that day. 

Every indication here is that this was God Himself making an appearance. 

I did not mention it, but I think there is a reason vs. 9, 10, and 11 all start the exact same way – “And the angel of the Lord said unto her” 

Three times – I think this is a hint at the Trinity. 

Now, if that was God Himself that appeared that day to Hagar, and every clue points to it, I want to go a step further in “Gageology” 

My theory is that whenever God makes a physical appearance in the Old Testament it is Christ. 

Colossians  1:15  says of Christ – “Who is the image of the invisible God,” 

I believe that was the preincarnate Son of God that ministered to Hagar that day. 

It is in His character to reach out in love to the hurting and lost. 

That is what we found in doing in our text, over 1900 years after He appeared to Hagar. 

That is what Christ does. 

He seeks and saved. 

He finds the lost and brings them home. 

He heals our wounds and strengthens us in our weakness. 

He meets the needs of the hurting. 

There is no one that comes close to loving us the way Christ does. 

I like the way Paul said it: 

1Ti 1:12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;  

1Ti 1:13  Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  

1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.  

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.  

1Ti 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.  

I leave you with a few closing thoughts: 

1. There is no one beyond redemption 

1. Most Christians would write off Hagar and the Samaritan woman as lost causes. 

2. That is probably Christ had to step in and handle those cases Himself! 

2. When it comes to the salvation of a human soul, there is no price that is too high. 

1. Christ gave His all for them, should we not be willing to do the same? 

3. If you have never truly known Christ and the salvation He provides, there is not better time than now. 

1. He died and rose again for you! 

2. His arms are wide open waiting for you! 

Faith in Focus 

Joshua 14:6-15 

How many of you ever played with a water hose growing up? 

I don’t know how many times I turned the water hose on that was in front of our house. 

We used that for everything. 

That was our water fountain when we were playing outside. 

We’d turn it on and make mud to play in. 

We washed cars with it. 

We would have water fights with it. 

Now, we rarely had any sort of sprayer attached to it. 

Those usually got misplaced somehow. 

If we needed a little more pressure or a little more distance, we did that age old, tried and true method of sticking your thumb over the end of the hose. 

It still amazes me how water that coming out without a lot of force, the second you make that opening smaller how the force of the water increases. 

I remember some lessons on hydraulics from high school that explained why that happens, but I can sum it up for you. 

You get a lot more power when you focus your energy. 

The same is true with flashlights. 

I have always liked the ones you can twist the end to focus the light. 

I can have a wide beam that isn’t very bright, that a few twists later I have a narrow beam that is pretty bright. 

Essentially that is all a laser is – focused light. 

As I was thinking about a theme for this year, I have kept coming back to the word focus. 

A few months ago I was thinking about foundations or roots, but I they just didn’t seem right. 

I think in some ways the theme is me preaching to me. 

Sometimes it is easy to lose focus or have too many things dividing your focus. 

But there is great power when you can focus your attention, your passion, your energies onto one precise target. 

Now, we know from the Bible that the Just shall live by Faith. 

We know that without faith it is impossible to please God. 

We know that God works through our faith. 

I hope to challenge us to focus our faith and see what God can do. 

Our text this morning is one of the great stories in all the Bible. 

It features one of the many people I cannot wait to get to heaven and learn more about. 

His name is Caleb, which means “capable.” 

We first meet him in Numbers 13 where he is one of the twelve spies sent into the land of Canaan. 

He is the representative of the tribe of Judah. 

He was one of the first to see the goodness of the land God had promised to the children of Israel. 

He saw the fruitful plans, the rolling pastures, and the flowing streams. 

He tasted the grapes of Eschol and the pomegranates and figs. 

He saw the cities and the farms and the garrisons of soldiers. 

His heart burned within him. 

This would be HIS land, and his children’s, and his children’s children’s. 

They would not have to be a slave as he had grown up. 

No, they would live in a land flowing with milk and honey. 

We know the story how the twelve spies returned. 

How ten of them said there was no use – the enemy was too strong. 

How two men – Joshua and Caleb – failed to rally them people to trust in their God and claim the land. 

The nation of Israel rejected God’s promise, and God let them wander in the wilderness for forty years. 

Everyone over the age of twenty died and was buried there. 

All except the two faithful spies – Joshua and Caleb. 

Here is what God said about this amazing man: 

Num 14:24  But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.  

That different spirit I believe is talking about him being filled or led by the Holy Spirit. 

His righteous heart directed his steps so that God could say Caleb followed him fully. 

Six times – you can go and find them – God told them Caleb would not die in the wilderness but would possess the land he had spied out and set his heart on. 

Caleb’s courage and character led to him being named the chief of the tribe of Judah in Numbers 34:19. 

This amazing man fades into the background of the story as Joshua leads the Israelites across Jordan and begins the conquest of the Promised Land. 

Surely Caleb was there when the walls of Jericho fell. 

Surely Caleb was there when the sun stood still in Joshua 10. 

Surely he fought in the southern and northern campaigns. 

While they were not able to completely rid the land of the Canaanite tribes, Israel had a firm enough hold to begin dividing the land among the tribes and families. 

As this is being done, a party from the tribe of Judah approaches Joshua while they are camped at Gilgal – This is our text. 

There is Caleb – 85 years old – and begins starts to tell his story to Joshua. 

Now he and Joshua are bonded by their time as spies, their faithful stand against the doubters, and the fact that they are the two oldest guys around. 

Caleb tells his story about spying out the land. 

He recalls a promise that Moses had made to him personally: 

Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.  

He said he has waited 45 years for this day but it was time. 

There was a place he had seen while spying out the land. 

This place captured his heart and I imagine he made a vow that God allowed him it would be his. 

It was in the hill country of Judah about twenty miles south of Jerusalem. 

It had historic ties to Abraham. 

Abraham dwelt there for some time, and it was there that he purchased a burial ground for his family. 

Abraham and Sarah were buried there. 

Isaac and Rebecca were buried there. 

Jacob and Leah were buried there. 

There is even a Jewish tradition – I highly doubt its true – that Adam and Eve were buried there. 

Hebron was also set aside to be a city for the Levites and city of refuge. 

Caleb could not have known it, but it would be David’s first capital when he first ruled only over Judah for seven and half years. 

Now, the problem with Hebron is that it was still in Canaanite hands. 

And not just any Canaanite people, but the descendants of Anak. 

Anak means “long neck” – they were some of the giants that had startled the fearful spies. 

If you read into chapter 15, beginning in vs. 13, you can read about how Caleb drove them out. 

He defeat three sons of Anak – probably princes or kings. 

There was a town nearby called Kirjathsepher. 

Instead of fighting it he proclaimed a reward for the man who could take the city and promised his daughter Achsah as the prize. 

His nephew Othniel did so and married Achsah. 

We have the added detail that she made her husband request land with springs because it was not as fertile as other areas. 

By the way, this same Othniel would become the first judge over Israel in Judges 3. 

What is Caleb know for? 

As far as the genealogies go, his line is not very important and he and his three sons are only briefly mentioned in I Chronicles 4:15. 

Many remember him as one of the faithful spies. 

Few that he was a great leader among the tribe of Judah. 

Most remember his bold faith – claiming a piece of land in enemy territory and taking it for his own and his family. 

Caleb was a great man, yes, but an even greater man of faith. 

It was not bravado or boasting the moved him. 

No, he trusted in God promises and power. 

He put his finger down on a map and said – “this spot is mine”. 

Through God’s faithfulness it was made so. 

That is the power of faith in focus. 

We live in a world that does not know how to focus. 

Our attention spans are minutes or seconds long. 

This is not just in the secular world but in the spiritual also. 

We have faith, yes. 

We may even have great faith. 

But how few are the men and women who focus their faith like a laser and see God do great things. 

John Knox was one of the most famous leaders of the Reformation. 

His prayer was this: ‘Give me Scotland, or I die.” 

He focused his faith on that goal. 

God used him to turn Scotland from Catholicism to Presbyterianism. 

If only He had kept turning that knob until He hit the Baptist setting, but oh well. 

The Scottish missionary John Keith-Falconer, who turned his back on a promising career as a cyclist and on a professorship at Cambridge said: 

“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.” 

He died at the age of 30, but many have followed his example of faith in focus to respond to the need of Missions work. 

It was faith in focus that led Edward Kimball to visit one of the young men in his Sunday School class and led him to the Lord. 

That young man was D.L. Moody, who shook two continents for Christ in the late 1800’s 

Bob Jones says in his book “Things I Have Learned” that “Every successful person I have ever met had come at some time in his life under the dominating power of some great truth.” 

That is what I am talking about today. 

You can apply that principle in any walk of life, but oh the power of having your faith focused on a target! 

This is the kind of faith that God honors and rewards! 

I have explained the theme and given you a tremendous example from Scripture. 

I have given you a few illustrations of its power. 

Now, let’s get down to business for a few minutes. 

First I ask, how is your faith this morning? 

Faith is a measurable quantity in Scripture. 

You can have no faith, little faith and much faith. 

Christ said in Matthew 17:20 – “…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” 

Now that is focused faith! 

Second I ask, how focused is your faith? 

I don’t know that we have less faith than previous generations, or that we have less faith from those that God greatly uses. 

I think it may just come down to focusing our faith into action. 

Third I ask, what are you focusing your faith on? 

There is no reason why we cannot spend daily time in the Word or in prayer – it is a matter of focusing the faith we have into action. 

There is no reason why we cannot continue to grow our missions program – it is a matter of focusing the faith we have into action. 

Do you want to see God do great things in your life? 

Do you want to see that in our church? 

Well, we need to lock onto the promises of God, focus our faith and our attention and our energies. 

We need to be united in prayer and vision. 

We need to constantly help keep each other on track. 

If you want 2026 to be a better year than 2025, and even the best year yet, we need to get on board with this. 
We need to focus our faith and see what God can do 
It takes little faith to focus on Christ to find salvation. 

A New Start in a New Year 

Proverbs 16:3 

I want to be practical this morning. 

Our text is from the single most practical book of the Bible. 

King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. 

After he became king he went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices to the Lord. 

God appeared to him, and did something remarkable. 

1Ki 3:5  …God said, Ask what I shall give thee.  

Can you imagine that? 

We sometimes fantasize about that magical genie granting us three wishes and think about what they would be. 

Here is God, offering to Solomon anything he might request. 

He could have asked for riches, fame, and a long life. 

But the one request he made was for wisdom to be a better ruler: 

1Ki 3:6  And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.  

1Ki 3:7  And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.  

1Ki 3:8  And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.  

1Ki 3:9  Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?  

Now, I do not think that Solomon was a moron by any stretch. 

His father was a genius is warfare, music, and government. 

It is highly possible that he wrote the Song of Solomon a few years before this. 

That is what Reese’s Chronological Bible states. 

It took a genius to write that. 

I think that one of the marks that someone has very high intelligence is not that they know so much but rather that they admit they know so little. 

That was Solomon. 

God answered his prayer and gave even greater wisdom to an already gifted man. 

The practical truths he put together that were collected in the book of Proverbs are without peer. 

Take any of the great philosophers, your Aristotle, Plato – they are all pale imitations of Solomon. 

I think the book of Psalms tunes our hearts, but the book of provides guides our feet. 

I have yet to find any statement within it to be untrue. 

Now that is all introduction that I hope helps you to realize the importance of our text. 

This is truth in action. 

This is the way the wise are supposed to live. 

This is the way a Christian is supposed to live. 

Pro 16:3  Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.  

As with most Hebrew poetry we have two truths in one. 

By taking both halves of the verse and examining their relationship to each other the truths are magnified. 

The relationship here I believe is called either synthetic or constructive. 

That is the second half supplements and completes the thought of the first half. 

In the first half, we are told to commit our works to the Lord. 

The word commit there is literally “roll”. 

I love that image – here we are with something too heavy for us to carry on our own, and all we can do is roll it over to God who can handle all things. 

What is it that we are rolling over to God so He can handle? 

Our works. 

Now, this has nothing to do with salvation. 

You can in no way work your way into heaven. 

But every Christian is to be busy at work for Christ. 

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.  

I think that is the idea here. 

God has given us something to do, but we cannot do it in our own power, so we roll it over to Him. 

That is the first half. 

The second says that the result of our rolling our works over to the Lord is that our thoughts will be established. 

The word thoughts there can also mean devices, cunning, purposes, or imaginations. 

It is just the random ADD impulses of a human mind. 

No, these are the things we desire and plan for and work toward. 

It is not just wanting a new car, it is researching and finding the best deal on the best vehicle that you have calculated you can afford. 

For most of us that leaves only two brands, Matchbox and Hot Wheels. 

That is what is meant by thoughts here. 

What happens to our thoughts. 

Well, they are established – that is prepared, readied, set, or fixed. 

We might say that our plans work out and our desires come true. 

Now what is interesting to me here is that there is something circular in this verse. 

The works in the first half are born out of the thoughts in the second half. 

The works do not create the thoughts, it is the other way around. 

But when we allow God to shoulder the burden of our work, He in turn blesses the thoughts behind it and sees them come to fruition. 

Can I tell you what that makes me want to do? 

It makes me want to keep dreaming bigger and stepping back to see what God will do! 

I want in on this deal! 

By the way, this is not the only time these truths are to be found. 

David says the same in Psalm 37 

Psa 37:3  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  

Psa 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  

Psa 37:5  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  

Psa 37:6  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.  

Now, what does all this apply to us today? 

Let me boil it down for you – God blesses the heart that wants to do right and hands that let Him do the work. 

We need the right desires and plans in our hearts and minds. 

We need to get busy acting on those desires. 

What better time is there to do this than now? 

You know, there may actually be a better time than that. 

Thursday we turn another page on the calendar and begin a new year. 

I know all of that with the dates and such is arbitrary, but even the sinful world recognizes that a fresh start to a new year just makes sense. 

Besides, this way it gives you a few days to prepare! 

I ask you, do you desire to be a better Christian this coming year? 

Do you have plans to see that happen? 

Are you going to let God in to take control? 

I want to challenge myself and everyone here to set it in your heart, make it your desire to grow in Christ this coming year. 

It is very important that we do so in God’s power – if it is up to us, we will not last a week. 

Let’s get in on what Solomon was talking about. 

Let us get in our hearts a resolve to press forward. 

Let us put those plans into action. 

Let us rely on God to see it through. 

Let us praise Him for the victories He gives. 

Now, I am not going to challenge us with anything earth shattering this morning. 

I am going to keep it simple because I have a feeling that we should start there. 

I now offer these resolutions to you. 

I. Be present more 

There is something special about this church family. 

I have been a part of some churches during some amazing times. 

I am not just saying this, I mean it – I firmly believe we are in that kind of time. 

Too many times people look at going to church as a chore. 

It is no chore to be here today. 

If you enjoy this morning, come back on Wednesday night. 

Come a little earlier for Sunday School – you are seriously missing out if you do not. 

We’ve got monthly meetings for men and women. 

I’ll talk to folks that go to different churches – sometimes I wonder why they even still go there. 

Friends, I don’t know why you would not want to be here every time the doors are open. 

II. Be involved more 

Most churches today frankly run their people into the ground. 

I was told in Bible college that the average members stays active and involves for an average of two years, so get the most out of them while they are here. 

Well, no wonder they are gone so soon! 

You work them to death! 

We do not, and we will not, pressure people like that. 

In fact, I have told at least one person in this church that they had too much going on up here and needed to let a few things go. 

There is always something to be done or someone that could use some help. 

We are a family, but as in every family there are chores and duties and needs. 

I believe the Holy Spirit will lead you to help where you are needed. 

III.  Give more 

Yes, I am meddling now. 

God has been good to us 

There is not a single pastor I know that wouldn’t trade bank accounts with us. 

We are putting a lot of it to work now. 

Can I tell you, I am really not even talking about our regular offerings here. 

It would be nice to have a little more room in the budget but we are doing well. 

If there is anything I would challenge everyone in this room to give more toward it is Missions. 

There is no greater investment you can make than supporting the work of the Gospel. 

IV. Pray More 

I guarantee there is not a single person in this room that could not use improvement in their prayer life. 

Maybe it is to be more organized. 

Maybe it is to be more consistent. 

Maybe it is to be more fervent. 

Of everything I am talking about this morning, this is the greatest need if we are to see God do mighty things – no, let me rephrase that, if we are to see God do ANYTHING we must do our part in prayer. 

V.  Study More 

I want to challenge you specially this year to make it a daily habit to get into God’s Word. 

There are many great books and devotionals out there, but nothing compares to reading straight from the Bible. 

CONCLUSION 

I want to return to our text in closing. 

How can you make a change for the better in the new year? 

First, make it a priority. 

Purpose to go through with it and make plans to do it. 

Second, rely on God. 

Do you honestly think He does not want you to do more for Him? 

Do you honestly think He does not want you to spend more time with Him? 

God earnestly desires these things and will help you to do them. 

Third, press on. 

Miss a day reading your Bible? 

Pick it up the next day! 

Get sick and don’t pray like you should have? 

Pick it up the next day! 

God works through our faithfulness, not our perfection. 

Pro_24:16  For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. 

2Co_12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. … 

Let’s just see what God can do through each of us this coming year! 

If you do not know Christ, do not wait until New Years! 

Do it today! 

Be Thankful 

Colossians 3:12-17 

There are literally dozens of verses we could turn to examine the subject of thanksgiving. 

We could talk about the sacrifice of thanksgiving in Leviticus 7. 

We could see the many calls to be thankful in the Psalms. 

We have in the New Testament multiple positive commands to be thankful. 

We could also study the many times time that being unthankful is condemned by God. 

Our text this morning, from which we will launch into the sermon, is I think one of the most powerful. 

Paul is writing here in Colossians chapter 3 of the great difference there should be in the life of someone who has found salvation in Christ. 

There is a quite a long list of “thou shalt nots” in vs. 5-9. 

But in vs. 10 there is a shift to the positive – a list of “thou shalts” 

I believe these are more important that the “thou shalt nots” 

We are to put on the new man in the image of Christ. 

Our affections should be changed, governed by mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, patience and forgiveness. 

Peace and love should fill our actions and motivations. 

The truth of God’s word should overtake our minds and hearts and come flowing out in singing. 

In all these lofty aspirations we should strive towards are two commands regarding thankfulness. 

Vs. 15 – “be ye thankful” 

Vs. 17 – “giving thanks to God and the Father by Him” 

It is God’s stated goal that He desires to develop a spirit of thankfulness and not shy away from expressing our thankfulness. 

To be thankful implies a few things. 

First, it means that we are not so lifted up in pride as to expect good things to happen to us because we somehow deserve them. 

Second, it means that we are cognizant of what God and others are doing. 

Third, it means we nurture genuine appreciation for the acts of others. 

Fourth, it means that we express this in some way, perhaps in words, a card, or with a hug. 

This week, our nation pauses and tries to remind itself that we should be thankful. 

Without God this is very difficult, and we see that in how the day has become all about football and feasts. 

I wish we could all travel back in time and learn from history just how important the day and the idea are. 

I cannot think of a civilization that I have studied that did not have some form of a thanksgiving day. 

Usually, it is a festival celebrating the end of the harvest season. 

If you study out the Feast of Tabernacles you will find that it, at least in part, celebrated the end of the harvest and the bounty of God’s provision. 

Many Christians down through the centuries have marked that time as a special time of thanking God for His goodness. 

By the way, in those days you were TRULY thankful for the harvest. 

It wasn’t just about decorations and kids dressing up. 

They understood if God had not blessed the harvest that they likely would not live to see another. 

The survival of the individual, the family, the community was largely dependent on harvesting enough supplies to make it through the winter months. 

I think this is, in small part at least, why modern people neglect and reject God. 

They do not acknowledge on a regular basis that they would not be alive if not for His blessing and grace. 

Traditions are strange things in how they start and which stand the test of time. 

There are records of many thanksgiving celebrations in the New World in the earliest days of exploration and settlement. 

But none have had such a lasting impact as that of the Pilgrims of Plymouth. 

Their story has been under attack for decades, but if there ever were a group to be thankful it was them. 

Their story begins many years before the thanksgiving celebration in 1623. 

I begin with the founding of the Church of England by Henry VIII in 1534. 

There was much battle over what this new denomination would look like, but whatever shape it took it was conjoined to the monarchy as THE official state church. 

There were many that were unhappy with what the Church of England believed and taught. 

Some sought to reform it – these were called Puritans because they wanted to purify it. 

Some threw up their hands and separated from it, these we call Separatists. 

To many in those days, to deny the authority of the state church was to deny the authority of the government. 

The Act of Uniformity of 1548 under Edward VI made it illegal to hold a religious service that did not follow the official Church of England liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer. 

Any minister doing so could lose their status and be imprisoned. 

The first offense was prison for six months, the second for one year, the third for life. 

The Act of Uniformity of 1558 under Elizabeth I imposed a civil fine of one shilling of each Sunday or holy day services of the Church of England that someone missed. 

The Religion Act of 1592 under Elizabeth I imprisoned anyone over the age of 16 that attended unlawful religious meetings, that is, not the Church of England. 

John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress was convicted under this law in 1661. 

In spite of these laws, people chose to obey God rather than men. 

We focus now on just a few of these brave souls. 

The year is 1605 and the place is Nottinghamshire, England. 

Here there is a sizeable population of Separatists meeting under such leaders as John Robinson, Richard Clyfton, and John Smyth. 

They believed the Church of England was too corrupt to be saved and simply sought to worship God according to their own conscience. 

William Brewster joined these separatists and allowed them to meet in his home, Scrooby Manor. 

But the persecution was too great, and the various Separatist leaders and their followers emigrated to the Dutch Republic of the Netherlands over the next few years. 

The Dutch had greater religious liberty than another other place in Europe at this time. 

Life was hard for these religious refugees. 

They were limited in what jobs they could get and had to work long hours to make a living. 

The culture and the language were both hard to assimilate. 

The issue that forced them to decide to leave was closer to home. 

They watched their children become entranced with the Dutch life and marry into Dutch families. 

What good was the freedom they enjoyed if they lost the next generations? 

They decided to move to the New World of the Americas. 

Not everyone could go at once, so William Brewster led the first group while John Robinson cared for those that stayed behind. 

There were 120 passengers plus crew that set sail on the Speedwell and the Mayflower on August 5, 1620. 

For history nerds I am going to try to stick with Old Style dates, not New Style. 

The Speedwell proved leaky and unreliable, so 102 passengers crammed about the Mayflower and set sail for the New World on September 6. 

Roughly half were Pilgrims – 30 adults plus children 

The trip was stormy and lasted 65 days. 

One passenger and one crewmember died at sea. 

On November 9, land was spotted and Brewster led the pilgrims in singing Psalm 100. 

Because there was some uncertainty about the legal status of their colony, they laid the foundation for their settlement in the Mayflower Compact. 

IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. IN WITNESS whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620. 

A site was selected and construction began on December 19 and the first common building – 20’x20’ – was finished on January 9. 

Many stayed on the Mayflower through the winter. 

Lack of shelter and supplies made the illnesses that spread even deadlier. 

102 settlers had set sail from England that fall. 

One died and one baby born during their voyage. 

By March, almost half of the settlers and crew were dead. 

But the Pilgrims held on. 

They were able to establish good relations with the local Indian tribes. 

The surviving settlers saw a good harvest that summer and fall. 

They celebrated it with a three-day harvest festival. 

52 settlers were there. 

It is believed that the foods were prepared by the four adult women along with their daughters and other workers. 

Edward Winslow who was present at the first Thanksgiving later wrote: 

Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you, partakers of our plenty. 

Modern skeptics and revisionists have tried to downplay the importance of the Mayflower pilgrims. 

I look back and marvel at these brave souls who risked everything in order to worship God freely and to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

They paid a high price yet did not flinch at the cost. 

They truly understood what it was to be thankful for the goodness of God. 

The example they set helped start a tradition that still shapes our nation. 

In 1777 the Continental Congress designated December 18^th as a day for “Solemn Thanksgiving and Praise” 

In 1782 the same body marked November 28 as “a day of solemn thanksgiving to God for all His mercies” 

In 1789 George Washington proclaimed November 26 as a day “that we may then all unite in rendering unto him [God] our sincere and humble thanks” 

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed three different days as special days of thanksgiving. 

In 1941 the US Congress made it an annual holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. 

Now I am not preaching to you about America this morning. 

I am telling you from the word of God that Christians ought to be thankful people. 

I have given you one of the greatest historical examples of thanksgiving the world has ever seen. 

How settlers risked it all because of their faith in God, braved unthinkable hardships, and carried on though the losses mounted. 

They did not quit but kept on trusting in God. 

When God blessed them, those surviving settlers did as many others have done before them and after them. 

They paused to celebrate a bountiful harvest thanks to the blessing of God. 

That celebration echoes through our history and is woven into the fabric of our culture. 

Christian, be thankful to the almighty God who saves you and blesses you through this matchless grace. 

Christian, do not neglect to show you thankfulness to God and to your fellow man. 

You cannot truly understand thankfulness without Christ. 

Get Saved.