Seize the Moment – Day 668
God’s Plans!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, January 14.
The nation of Israel was now poised to take the Promised Land, but God had not yet revealed His battle plans to Joshua. Instead of revealing the plan, God ordered Joshua to circumcise the generation who had been born in the wilderness (2-8), and to celebrate the Passover on the “desert plains of Jericho” (9-10). Afterwards, the manna that had fed God’s people for forty years unexpectedly stopped, and God’s people were now dependent on God’s provision of the Promised Land for their daily bread (11-12).
Can you imagine the burden of responsibility Joshua was experiencing?
Still with no plan, Joshua goes to look upon Jericho, a heavily fortified city prepared for a siege, and now with his people in need of the food that this city’s crops would provide, Joshua contemplates his next steps. In Joshua 5:13-15, God reveals His abundant provision:
Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
God’s plan was to lead the battle! God’s captain, with his sword drawn, was ready to lead Joshua and His people to victory. Can you imagine how relieved Joshua must have felt?
Seize the moment and wait upon God, His plans are for your good and His glory (Psalm 46:10-11)!
God bless you!
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Seize the Moment – Day 667
A Memorial Stone!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, January 13.
What are the ways you memorialize God’s saving work in your life?
Joshua 4:20-24 concludes the two-chapter focus on Israel’s miraculous crossing of the Jordan River with Joshua’s command to commemorate God’s mighty hand to bring His people into the Promised Land:
Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
Joshua did not want the people to forget, so a man from each tribe was required to take a stone from the center of the Jordan River and carry it to Gilgal. The establishment of this memorial was costly, and it was strategically located in the foothold of the Promised Land. The message was clear: God did this!
Seize the moment and routinely remember God’s mighty hand to bring you into His promises through the Cross of Jesus Christ. This is the victory of God for you and me!
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Seize the Moment – Day 666
The Living God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, January 12.
Do you need God to make a way for you through an impossible situation or difficult season?
There was a significant obstacle between Joshua and the Promised Land – the swelling Jordan River at harvest time (Joshua 3:15). God emboldened him, in Joshua 3:7, by drawing his memory back to what He had done for Moses at the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14): “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.”
In response, Joshua encouraged the Israelites in verses 10-13:
By this you shall know that the living God is among you, … Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. … It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.
Joshua named God the “living God” to testify of His active presence to make a way in an impossible situation. When you face obstacles in your life, the living God is with you!
Listen to Daniel 6:26b-27 and the powerful testimony of God’s active presence when He rescues His people from impossible situations:
For He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
Seize the moment and call upon the living God in your impossible situations.
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Seize the Moment – Day 665
Rahab’s Testimony!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, January 11.
Testimonies about God are powerful and can move people to make important decisions!
In Joshua 2:9-11, Rahab the harlot gave a powerful testimony to the two Israelite spies, who had entered Jericho to scout the land:
I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
Can you imagine how encouraging this must have been for the two spies to hear?
Seize the moment and share your testimony with people about God because you never know how God may use you to lead a person to make an important decision.
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Seize the Moment – Day 664
Be Strong and Courageous!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, January 10.
The Bible is a history of God’s work through real people, with real faith, in real history. When I teach someone how to memorize the order of the books of the Old Testament, I emphasize that the book of Joshua follows the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), because Joshua assumed command of the Israelite nation after Moses’ death to fulfill God’s promise to enter the Promised Land.
God charged Joshua with this task of leadership in Joshua 1:6-9:
Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Including verse 18, four times God tells Joshua to be “strong and courageous” in this opening chapter. People presume that God said this because of the long military campaign ahead, starting with Jericho, and while that is true, the only real danger Joshua faced was the people’s rebellion against God and His word. Joshua’s primary duty and greatest challenge was leading the people spiritually. Without obedience to God, there could be no military victory, nor rest in the land (13-18; Hebrews 4:8-11).
Seize the moment and be strong and courageous to follow God!
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Train to Live on Mission Today! (Overview Week 1)
Grow Strong in the Grace of God!
2 Timothy 2:1-4 (NAS95)
The Scripture lesson for today and the theme verses for the 2022 sermon series are found in 2 Timothy 2:1-4:
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
This passage is the foundation for a year-long journey of learning how to live on mission for God as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. In fact, it is verses 3-4 which will provide the theme for this sermon series: “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” From this truth, I am going to train you to live on mission for Jesus Christ and to see every moment of your life as a providential opportunity to fulfill the mission of God. As a good soldier of Jesus Christ, you have been enlisted to train to live on mission today!
I know what this life looks like because once upon a time I was on the tip of the spear in our nation’s security, serving in a rapid deployment unit as an Infantry platoon leader in the 2nd Battalion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 82nd Airborne Division, stationed out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1997-98. After graduating West Point, I was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army. Having graduated from the US Army’s Infantry Officer Basic Course, as well as the Airborne, Air Assault, and Ranger Schools, I was prepared to live the life of a paratrooper and train America’s finest to complete the mission, at any time and in any place that we were called to go. It was our mission to be delivered behind enemy lines through airborne operations to successfully secure key objectives for follow-on combat missions. As a rapid deployment unit, we had to be ready to be wheels up within 18 hours of notification! As a leader in such a unit, it was my responsibility to ensure my platoon was trained, our equipment was maintained, and we were ready to deploy so that we could respond without hesitation. Our motto was “H-minus,” which represented our readiness prior to the start of the operation. H-hour was too late to train—it was mission time!
In the same way, you need to be trained to respond to your Lord’s calling without hesitation. When the opportunity presents itself or the enemy comes against you, you need to already know what to do and to execute the mission with confidence! Each Sunday of January, we are going to lay a solid foundation for our year-long training routine, so that by the end of this year, you will be ready at any time to accomplish the mission of God anywhere you are called to go.
Let’s start by walking through 2 Timothy 2:1-4. Today, we will focus on what what it means to grow strong in God’s grace and next week we will learn what it means to have a mission-focus, like a good soldier of Jesus Christ. You have been enlisted! Are you ready?
“YOU THEREFORE, MY SON,”
Paul calls Timothy his son, even though he is not a biological father to him. In 1 Timothy 1:2, Paul calls him “my true child in the faith.” He is speaking to Timothy, just as he did to Titus in Titus 1:4, “my true child in a common faith,” as a spiritual father who sees in him the potential not only to be a follower of Jesus, but to carry on his apostolic mission to spread the gospel. Paul relates to both Timothy and Titus as his protégés (his apprentices or disciples). This is the intent of verse 2, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” We will learn more about this next Sunday (1/16) when I will teach you to have a mission-focus, like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
It is enough for today to explain that Paul’s familial reference (son) to Timothy is mission-focused; it’s not sentimentality or emotionalism. While there is genuine love, it is a love born of shared suffering for their “common faith.” I equate this kind of relationship to that which we see between veterans who shared combat together or who can relate to one another because of similar experiences. There is a powerful camaraderie amongst soldiers that is unique to them.
We can share in Paul’s charge to Timothy because we are the “sons of God,” as Paul taught of all Spirit-filled Christians in Romans 8:14-17:
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
This is God’s promise of adoption, as we learn from Galatians 4:4-7:
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
This is the grace of God in your life—you are no longer a slave to sin! You are alive in Christ and are commanded by the One who enlisted you to grow strong in your identity as a child of God and your new power source as a good soldier of Jesus Christ—the grace of God! It is because of God’s amazing grace, which saved a wretch like me (and you), that we can share a unique camaraderie with one another. It is only through the victory of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary that a blind man like me can now see. That is our common faith, and this is the war that has been won for us! His victory yokes us to one another and we are called to the mission of God by the One who saved us! We are the sons of God—co-heirs of God’s grace!
“BE STRONG”
There are seven usages of this Greek word in the New Testament, many of which will be familiar to you. First, and most alike in usage to today’s passage, is Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:10-20:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak [italics added].
Listen to the other verses with the Greek word italicized for emphasis:
- Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens”
- 1 Timothy 1:12, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service.”
- 2 Timothy 4:17, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.”
- Acts 9:22, “But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”
- Romans 4:20, “Yet, with respect to the promise of God, [Abraham] did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God.”
It will be the emphasis of this year’s sermon series to learn how to grow strong in God’s grace, increase in strength, and be strengthened by God. I will be teaching you more about the very intentional training routine of a good soldier of Jesus Christ in 2 weeks (1/23).
“IN THE GRACE THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS”
Furthermore, Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 9:8 that God’s grace is not just our entrance into the Kingdom, it is also the empowerment of the Christian life, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”
Grace is what enables us to successfully live the Christian life and accomplish the mission! Paul expressed to his protégé in Titus 2:11-15:
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
The promise of grace teaches us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God’s grace is our sufficiency for every task God calls us to accomplish: “And [Jesus] has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” In other words, there is nothing you can’t do in God’s grace, but apart from God’s grace, there is nothing you can do! Jesus taught us this with the agricultural imagery of John 15:1-5:
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
This is the beautiful partnership we are called to have with God through the grace of Jesus Christ! His grace flows into our lives as we abide in Him! Listen to 2 Peter 1:2-11 explain this through the imagery of fellowship with God:
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
To accomplish the mission of God, every good soldier must be trained to grow strong in God’s grace, which has been abundantly supplied to you!
Grace is the key to the Christian life! We must grow strong in our identity as children of God, enlisted into the mission of God as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3-4). Next week, we will learn that we are commanded to remain focused on the mission of God and not get ensnared or entangled on that which would distract us from growing strong in the grace of God. As Hebrews 12:1-3 commands us,
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
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Seize the Moment – Day 662
Today’s hymn focus will be
“At Calvary”
William R Newell was born on May 22, 1868 to a pastor in Savannah, Ohio. Those who knew him considered him to be a ‘humble man”, but that was not the always the case. He had been a rebellious teen and his father wrote several letters requesting that Dr. Torrey, President of Moody Bible Institute, allow his son to enroll. It was only with the stipulation that William would meet each day with him and agree to uphold the rules and requirements of the Institute that he was allowed to attend.
The boy faithfully visited his office each day and would answer the questions asked of him with wisdom from God’s word. Finally, after months of counseling, Torrey led him to Christ. He later returned to Moody Bible Institute as a teacher, writing the words to this hymn and having his friend, Daniel Towner, compose the tune in about an hour in 1895.
Mercy there was great, and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty, at Calvary!
This hymn is very special to me, as it was one of my dad’s favorites. Much like Newell, my dad found his way to Calvary because of a pastor who looked past the rough exterior and saw him for who he could be in Jesus.
We need to share the message of mercy and grace with those around us each and every day!
YOUTUBE:
At Calvary
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.
Mercy there was great and grace was free,
Pardon there was multiplied to me,
There my burdened soul found liberty–
At Calvary.
Then I trembled at the Law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary. [Refrain]
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary. [Refrain]
O the grace that brought it down to man!
O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. [Refrain]
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Seize the Moment – Day 661
The Divine Gift of Wisdom!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, January 7, 2022.
We all need wisdom to live our lives on mission for God and His glory, but do we realize that God is the only true source?
After Moses blessed the twelve tribes, like Jacob did before he died, he went to the top of the mountain and looked out over Jericho and the beauty of God’s Promised Land! His 120 years of sojournings was over for him, but the journey would continue for Israel as they are about to enter the Promised Land and seize Jericho. The 40 years of wandering have come to an end!
Deuteronomy 34:9-12 ends one chapter of Israel’s history and begins another, as the leadership baton is passed from Moses to Joshua:
Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Seize the moment and seek wisdom from God and His Word!
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Seize the Moment – Day 660
The Two Blessings of the Twelve Tribes!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, January 6, 2022.
How often do you pray a blessing over your family and loved ones?
It’s been approximately 450-500 years between the two blessings over the twelve tribes of Israel!
Jacob’s blessing was prior to the exodus, and the over 400 years the Israelites would spend in Egypt. Moses led them out of slavery at the age of 80, then led them through their 40 years of wilderness wanderings, until this very moment when he blessed them, as recorded in Deuteronomy 33. Moses blessed the tribes, starting in verse 6 with Reuben, and ending with a beautiful blessing over all of Israel in verses 26-29:
There is none like the God of Jeshurun [Israel], Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He drove out the enemy from before you, and said, “Destroy!” So Israel dwells in security, the fountain of Jacob secluded, in a land of grain and new wine; His heavens also drop down dew. Blessed are you, O Israel; who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, who is the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! So your enemies will cringe before you, and you will tread upon their high places.
What a beautiful tradition that we should carry into our families and churches: the blessing of the generations!
Seize the moment and say a blessing over your family and the next generation today! There is no reason to wait 50 years, nevertheless, 500 years!
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Seize the Moment – Day 659
God is the Rock!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, January 5, 2022.
What is the most important part of a house? The foundation! If you don’t lay a strong foundation, then, no matter what else you do, it is still unstable and insecure. The same is true for our lives.
Any nation that is not built on God will collapse under the weight of its people’s instabilities and insecurities. Do not forsake God because in doing so you weaken the foundation of your life and your society. Moses explicitly stated this in verses 15-18:
But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked — You are grown fat, thick, and sleek — Then he forsook God who made him, and scorned the Rock of his salvation. They made Him jealous with strange gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, new gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread. You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth.
Seize the moment and build your life upon the Rock. Jesus is the only sure foundation for your life (Matthew 7:24-27)!
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