Sermon Notes: A Remarkable Life

Joshua 14:6-12

Pastor Chris Castaldo
New Covenant Church
Naperville, IL

What would be said about you after your gone?  Spin vs authenticity.  How can we avoid hypocrisy and develop a life of godliness?

Only two of twelve spies thought the Israelites could defeat the giants in the land Good had led them to.  Caleb and Joshua.  What has happened in Caleb's life that helped him cultivate a spirit of faithfulness?  He probably did not suddenly become faithful when confronted with the sight of those giants.  He didn't believe the low that as a young person he had plenty of time and could think about Good when he got older.  It is easy to swim downstream, we tell our kids and it is true.  Ten said easy, Caleb said no.  He put a stake down, like Jim Eliot and decided to swim upstream.  85 years old, he was moving forward full steam ahead.  Was a little upset that he had to share the judgement of the rest of the Israelites?  Disappointment unplugs the cord of vitality.  We find it harder and harder to look past the disappointments of life.  We must be careful to not let those disappointments nor unpopular Supreme Court decisions let us forget that God is in control,  God is greater still.  On the other hand, Caleb did not think of God as his errand boy.  Confidence without presumption.  Caleb battled the holders of that land at the age of EIGHTY-FIVE and won, because God was on his side.  (Don't give up when you get older, find a new outlook, focus on the Lord, and get right back in the battle.)  Passion is a gift from God we should enjoy and use right up until the last moment of this life.  Move forward at all times, always toward God, every new moment used for His purpose.  "Living sacrifice"  Caleb would tell us it is never too late!  Pressing forward!!