Jump Start # 4136

Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Yesterday was my final sermon as one of the preachers at Charlestown Road. It also was the ending of my work as a local preacher. I’ve been doing this for close to fifty years. I’ll continue to preach and help out in the kingdom anywhere that I can be used. As the time drew close for this ending, I sat down and wrote out ten things I wanted the church to know before I left. For the next ten Jump Starts I will walk through those ten things.

  # 10 Together with God great things are done

Throughout the Bible we read of a great partnership with God. For instance, many of the great miracles, done by the power of God, involved a human touch. The parting of the Red Sea came about by God, but Moses raised his staff and it took place. The healing of the cripple in Acts was God working through the apostles. This partnership  is also seen in the proclamation of God’s word. The message was God’s. The means was God. But it was the human voice that proclaimed and preached that saving message. To the Corinthians Paul said that he planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. The growth would never take place as long as the seed remained in the barn. Paul had his part. God had his part. It was a Divine Partnership. Together with God great things are done.

In understanding this partnership with God, we see that God won’t do the work alone. How can they hear, the Romans were told, without a preacher? Neither will God go against our will. If we sit on the sidelines of life, then God won’t just do it Himself. And, there are so many times that we do not realize that God is involved, helping, opening doors and providing opportunities for us to bring about good things through Him.

Here are some things God has worked through you:

First, you have become an incredible person of virtue. God has changed you. You catch yourself from saying words that ought not to be said. Your eyes see opporutnities because you have learned to lift up your eyes and see the good that the Lord can do. A rock in a river doesn’t become smooth instantly. But over time, that river shapes and works on that rock, just as the Gospel has shaped and worked on our hearts. Decades with Jesus has made us a better people.

Second, through the Lord you have done some incredible things. Things you never thought possible. We see this through the Scriptures. Moses standing before Pharoah. Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar. Nehemiah before the Perisan king. Paul before King Agrippa and then before Caesar. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things because God was with them.

And, think about your life. You have forgiven when you didn’t think you could. You have taught classes when you were terrified of speaking publicly. You have invited people into your home for a meal. You have comforted grieving people. You have defended the truth before family and friends. You have given up a Saturday to help someone. You have served as a shepherd.

It is amazing to look back and to see all that you have done. You could have never done that without the Lord.

Third, with the Lord, the future is bright. More great things will be done as a new generation of disciples are raised to walk and serve the Lord. In the rely race, it’s not always the fastest that wins, but those that can easily and smootly pass the baton on to the next runner. The fastest team often fails because they fumble, drop and mess up the passing of the baton. Generationally, we do well when we pour effort and thought into how we are passing the baton on to the next generation.

With God at the helm of our hearts and our congregations, great things will continue to happen. The future is bright, as long as we remain with the Lord.

Roger