Miracles and Regulars

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Miracles and Regulars</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Preparing for Future Challenges"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id136.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="No Rules Not Right"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Ministry Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Joshua 6.1-27, “Miracles and Regulars,” Berean Bible Church, December 3, 2000</B></div> <bR> <div>           Gary Richmond said, "If miracles were happening every day, they wouldn’t be called miracles, they’d be called regulars.” Does a miracle have to happen for God to be at work? God is at work, in big and small ways. He is able to work through the “regulars” of life. We sometimes forget God is at work unless he is doing some big miracle that can’t be explained in any other way. But we must trust God – with or without miracles.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. The unusual battle of Jericho, Joshua 6.1-27.</B></div> <div>      This should be a familiar outline to the reader by now. Recall in chapter 3, in preparing for future challenges, that the life of faith demands direction, demands action, and results in accomplishment. Also recall chapter 1, that God’s project is our goal, and God’s presence is our strength. The first major challenge has now arrived for Israel: the conquest of Jericho.</div> <div> A. God’s gives his direction.</div> <div> Vss. 3-5, God instructs: this was unusual to say the least, but does God have to do things our way? He can work miraculously, outside the realm of our natural understandings.</div> <div> Vss. 6-15, Joshua relates the commands to the people, and they obey.</div> <div>      Vss. 16-19, More instruction is given. This will be particularly relevant in chapter 7. </div> <div> Vss. 20-21, More obedience on the part of the people, which leads to a great victory.</div> <div> B. God’s applies his dynamic.</div> <div>      The point for Israel and for us: <I>God</I> was doing it, not Joshua or Israel. That is why it was deliberately unusual. It could not be explained any other way, and Israel needed to know that God was going to be their strength.</div> <div> Vs. 2, God promised victory.</div> <div> Vs. 20, God performed as he promised.</div> <div> Vs. 27, God makes it clear that he, not Joshua or the people, is behind the victory!</div> <div>      This was a miraculous and unusual tactic. Other unusual battles include the one in Joshua 10, where the sun stood still for an otherwise normal battle. Also recall Israel’s battle with the Amalekites in the desert: when Moses held his hands up, Israel was winning, when his hands dropped, Israel started losing (Exodus 17.8-14). But other battles would be more “normal” usually, and God would still be active and powerful. God can work through the big miraculous experiences, and well as in the mundane routine of our daily experience.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. With or without miracles, God is our strength.</B></div> <div>      What about the use of methods, strategies? For example, one says, “We have to change everything in order to grow,” and someone else says, “God can grow our church just the way it is, we don’t need to change.” </div> <div>      Here are some verses that set forth the balance between God’s miraculous works and his working through the regular events, choices, and actions in people’s lives: In 1 Corinthians 15.10, Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” Paul said in Colossians 1.29, “To this end I labor, struggling with all HIS energy, which so powerfully works in me.” In Proverbs 21.31, the writer said, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory comes from the Lord.”</div> <div>      The balance is to work hard and trust God. Prepare well and depend totally on God. Someone said, work as if everything depends upon you, and pray as if everything depends upon God. Growing in Christ takes hard work and discipline, <I>with trust in God</I>. Leading a small group takes hard work, discipline, preparation, <I>with trust in God</I>. Teaching a Sunday School class takes hard work, discipline, preparation, <I>with trust in God</I>. Growing a church takes hard work, preparation, strategies, <I>with trust in God</I>.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>