SERIES: Topical
MESSAGE: Not Done Yet
SPEAKER: Skip Heitzig
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 14:6-15

MESSAGE SUMMARY
At 85 years old, the faithful Caleb desired to keep growing and being used by the Lord. In this passage, he takes hold of God's promises, and his story of God's faithfulness unfolds. By examining his courageous life, we learn that as time goes on, we must not slow down in doing the Lord's work; we must boldly look ahead and realize we are not done yet!

DETAILED NOTES

  1. Introduction
    1. All along the way, people and inventors have said, "Not done yet"
    2. Caleb was eighty-five years old, but he wanted to continue to grow
    3. Joshua 14
      1. He looked back carefully at what God had brought him through
      2. He looked around candidly at where God had brought Him to
      3. He looked ahead courageously at what God might want to do through his life now
    4. As we get older, we can get crustier; we want things more comfortable
    5. We can get more concerned about our personal, physical comfort than the eternal comfort of other people
    6. All along the line, including today, we want to say, "We are not done yet"
  2. Look Back Carefully (vv. 6-8)
    1. The name Caleb means bold or impetuous; also the Hebrew word for dog
    2. Memory is a powerful incentive and inspiration if you use it correctly and focus on the right things
    3. Caleb remembered back to when he was one of the twelve spies who went into the land and brought back a report; see Numbers 13-14
      1. Good land, big dudes
      2. Minority report by Joshua and Caleb (see Numbers 13:30)
      3. Majority report by ten spies (see Numbers 13:31-32)
      4. The ten measured the giants by their own strength; the two measured the giants by God's strength
      5. The ten saw big people and a little God; the two saw little people because they believed they served a big God
    4. Can you remember the names of any of those ten spies?
      1. History remembers the heroes who stood against the crowd and didn't go along with the majority
      2. They wanted to move forward
    5. Caleb had a story to tell of God's faithfulness in the past—of what God had brought him through
      1. We have a story of God's faithfulness in this fellowship, too
      2. Like Caleb, we had a promise; Matthew 16:18
  3. Look Around Candidly (vv. 9-11)
    1. Caleb's honest assessment of his age combined with a confident assessment of his God
    2. Our Western culture is obsessed with youth
    3. The older you get, if you live life right, the more valuable you are
      1. You have learned life lessons and spiritual wisdom
      2. You shouldn't be thinking of retirement as much as thinking about how God can make the latter years of your life the most productive years of your life
      3. Example: Billy Graham
    4. The secret is Caleb's spirituality (see Joshua 14:8)
    5. Are you as fired up about God's promises as you used to be?
    6. "None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm" —Henry David Thoreau
  4. Look Ahead Courageously (vv. 11-12)
    1. Caleb didn't sound like he was looking for comfort; he was looking for a fight
    2. Caleb was ready then, and he was ready now
    3. That's courage
  5. Closing
    1. Three characteristics about Caleb's life to consider
      1. He looked back to the past, but he wasn't stuck in the past
        1. He used his past not as a sofa, but as a springboard
        2. This is so important for churches
        3. If you want to be miserable, live your whole life looking over your shoulder
        4. Philippians 3:13
      2. He viewed himself through the lens of faith
        1. He knew he was old, but God had made him a promise
        2. If this is what eighty-five looks like, bring it on
        3. 2 Timothy 4:7
      3. He lived with a reckless abandonment to the will of God
        1. "It may be" (v. 12) implies it may not be
        2. He wanted a challenge, a new horizon
        3. "Attempt something so great for God, it's doomed to failure unless God be in it" —John Haggai
        4. It's God's style to use situations where the odds are stacked against His people
          1. Moses, Gideon, David, newly converted believers
          2. Mark 16:15
    2. At any age, if you want the Lord to use you, it'll be the best ride you've ever had

Figures referenced: Billy Graham, Henry David Thoreau, John Haggai

Cross references: Numbers 13-14; Joshua 14:6-15; Matthew 16:18; Mark 16:15; Philippians 3:13; 2 Timothy 4:7


Topic: Courage

Keywords: growth, God's promises, the church, church planting, church building, memory, remember, memorial, faithfulness, old age, wisdom, retirement, courage, the past, faith, will of God, challenge


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