I'm going to take a bit of a departure this morning from the book of Colossians.
Let me ask you to take out your copy of God's Word and turn to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8.
At the rate we're going, I fear that we're never going to get through Colossians 3.
Although at some point here will happen, I've made so many adjustments to the original schedule.
But we'll get there.
There are two reasons today. We're going to take a bit of a break, a little step away from Colossians 3.
The first has been mentioned now a few times.
This is the minor reason, and that is that I'm not feeling well.
I think I have quite a cold. I really probably shouldn't be here right now.
I'm always and ever sustained by God's grace, and part of His grace to me this morning is cold medicine.
I'm having a bit of an out-of-body experience right now.
So, the late missionary Jim Elliott once said,
wherever you are, be all there.
And I try to do that wherever I am.
I would like to add to that, though, unless you're on cold medicine, then go home and go to sleep.
But nonetheless, I'm here.
The second reason, and the major reason that I am here not feeling well,
is that this Sunday is likely this Wimke family's last Sunday with us.
They have been preparing for a bit over a year now,
believing that the Lord is leading them to go to Germany,
the south of Germany to a rather whimsical part of Germany called the Black Forest,
through an organization called Teach Beyond to serve with Black Forest Academy.
And Black Forest Academy is a boarding school for missionary kids,
for parents who are on the field in places that are particularly dangerous,
or in places that don't offer the education necessary for their children.
And it's a great organization.
We had some misgiving about it at the beginning,
but as we've grown to know it more,
and as the Zwimpies particularly have invested themselves there,
we have grown to love what they're doing.
And so the Zwimpies are going to be going.
Ryan is going to be teaching chorus.
Kathleen's going to get to be, at least for some time,
a stay-at-home, which will be really wonderful,
both to minister to those kids that are there at Black Forest Academy,
as well as the people in the region.
We have been joining with them in this effort in a number of ways.
Wes mentioned during our time of offering ministry partners,
and the Zwimpies are one of those for us,
a portion of our church budget.
So if you give here, a portion of that goes to help the support of the Zwimpies.
They were asked to raise their own support.
This is the way Black Forest Academy functions.
So they had to raise their living expenses for the time that they'll be there.
And I know that many of you individually, personally,
have encouraged and supported them as well.
We as a church have been praying for this.
We've been eagerly looking for this,
and they've done such a great job of including in this effort,
of keeping us updated about where they were,
and percentage, and posting consistently.
Kathleen shared with me that she was concerned she was doing it too much.
And I said, no, it's been great.
We've wanted to know exactly where you were.
And coming into this week, they were at 76%.
24% is a long way to go,
but trusting that the Lord would provide.
They've sold their house.
They've been waiting.
We've got tons of their stuff boxed and ready to be shipped downstairs
here at the building.
Faithfully believing that God intended for them to go and be in this place.
And Sam and I had the pleasure this weekend,
Friday evening and into Saturday,
of going to a wedding.
Some precious young people in our church.
And the Zwimkies went as well.
And so we decided to make a bit of a weekend of it.
And we went away together.
And we're just joyful to be renting a house together,
to wake up on Saturday morning and have Kathleen share
that they're now 100% funded to be able to go to Black Forest Academy.
And Amen is right.
And it's incredible to see the way they have devoted themselves to this effort,
the way that this church has come around them in devoting to the effort.
Even though it was my great task at the beginning to convince them not to leave,
to have my heart turned and be desirous for them to get to go and to serve in this way,
to even have my joy complete in seeing them go and to serve.
And my mind just very quickly as they were sharing
all of the individuals in our church that have been giving,
just the way that they've been blown away by it,
my mind was just moved to how very good God is to us
and how consistent He is in His promises.
And so I just want to, in brief, keep my comments short this morning,
but in brief, talk a bit about that.
So in Deuteronomy 8, God commands Israel, His people,
to remember what He has done for them.
And I'll begin reading in verse 10.
Verse 11.
Verse 12.
So post-Exodus and the Israelites being established in the land,
God is saying to them,
be careful, be warned,
because as things go well with you,
you may forget who has caused things to go well with you.
And as we have endeavored,
particularly as Ryan and Kathleen have been throwing their energy into the fundraising effort,
and as we have joined around them,
it would be easy to think that this was a thing that they or we accomplished.
And it was not.
It was a thing that the Lord accomplished.
Be careful lest you forget, lest you say,
my power and the might of my power and the might of my hand have done this or that.
And the Israelites were faithful to this, to the recording and to the reminding one another of the good things that God has done.
And the Psalms are full of Psalms that are a recounting of what God had done for the people of Israel.
Listen to Psalm 63 as David talks about the effect that the remembering has for him.
Beginning in verse 5,
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips when I remember you upon my bed
and meditate you on the watches of the night.
For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you.
Your right hand upholds me.
And this is when David was in a time of great trouble.
He was in the wilderness of Judah escaping for his life.
And he says,
When I remember the things that the Lord has done for me,
a number of things happen.
He sings for joy.
His soul clings to the Lord because he knows that the Lord's good right hand or His mighty hand
is what upholds and supports him.
You see the effect that remembering has.
And the Lord throughout the Old Testament commanded Israel to do this physically.
To set up altars that would remind them as they traveled in the land of the things that God had done.
So let's look at an example of that, if you will.
Turn to Joshua chapter 4.
And here we see an example of this.
It's God commanding, after accomplishing something for Israel,
commanding that they do a particular thing.
Beginning in verse 1,
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan.
So the people of God, Israel,
being brought out of the wilderness and into the land that God had promised them,
through the Jordan River,
the Lord said to Joshua,
Verse 2,
Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,
and command them, saying,
Take twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan,
from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly,
and bring them over with you,
and lay them down in the place where you lodged tonight.
Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel,
whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.
And Joshua said to them,
Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan,
and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder,
according to the number of tribes of the people of Israel,
that this may be a sign among you.
When your children ask in time to come,
what do these stones mean to you?
Then you will tell them that the waters of the Jordan
were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
When it passed over the Jordan,
the waters of the Jordan were cut off,
so these stones shall be to the people of Israel
a memorial forever.
To remember what God had done for them,
so that when the children would ask,
they could pass on and they could impart that truth.
Beloved, now as the people of God,
we have the record of it.
While we don't physically see the stones,
and ask what does this pile of twelve stones mean,
we see the story and the record of what happened,
and what God had done for His people,
and the way He has commanded them to remember.
Another example is found in 1 Samuel.
If you will turn there with me.
This will be the last text for this morning.
1 Samuel 7.
If you only have a New Testament with you today,
you only have a third of the Bible with you.
Samuel was a prophet of God.
Samuel was the one who anointed Saul,
and then David.
I'll frame this for you.
This is pre-Saul and David.
So that Saul is chosen in chapter 9.
This is chapter 7, verse 3.
And Samuel said to all the house of Israel,
If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart,
then put away the foreign gods and the Ashteroth,
which was a Canaanite god.
This would have been an idol of Ashteroth.
From among you,
and direct your heart to the Lord,
and serve Him only.
And He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashteroth,
and they served the Lord only.
Then Samuel said,
Gather all Israel at Mizpah,
and I will pray to the Lord for you.
So they gathered at Mizpah,
and drew water,
and poured it out before the Lord,
and fasted on that day,
and said there,
We have sinned against the Lord.
And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.
Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel
had gathered at Mizpah,
the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel,
and when the people of Israel heard of it,
they were afraid of the Philistines.
And the people of Israel said to Samuel,
Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us,
that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.
So Samuel took a nursing lamb,
and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord.
And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel,
and the Lord answered him.
As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering,
the Philistines drew near to attack Israel.
But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day
against the Philistines,
and threw them into confusion,
and they were routed before Israel,
destroyed before Israel.
And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah,
and pursued the Philistines,
and struck them as far as below Bethcot.
Then Samuel took a stone,
and set it up between Mizpah and Shin,
and called its name Ebenezer.
For he said,
Till now the Lord has helped us.
So he did this thing,
not commanded by the Lord this time,
but rather in praise of God.
He set up a stone,
and I think that would probably mean
he took a stone maybe that was a long stone,
and set it up on its end.
He did something with it
to make people take note of this stone,
and he called it Ebenezer.
It's actually a phrase in Hebrew.
Eben Ha-Ezer.
A stone of help.
That's what it means literally.
We sing a song here quite often
that talks about an Ebenezer.
Are your minds going to it?
It's called Come Thou Fount.
The second verse says,
Here I raise my Ebenezer.
Here by Thy great help I've come,
and I hope by Thy good pleasure
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger
wandering from the fold of God,
He to rescue me from danger,
interposed His precious blood.
And that verse is about
establishing in our minds and our hearts,
not a physical stone raising,
but rather raising an Ebenezer
in our mind and heart
to the redemptive work of Christ.
That's what this song is about,
and that's where this comes from.
This Eben Ha-Ezer,
our God,
our stone of help.
And so my exhortation to you today,
setting the stage for you,
beginning with what's been going on
with the Zwimpies,
and the way that we've been
participating with them,
is that we use this
as a great reminder
of God's faithfulness to us
in a couple of ways.
Firstly, God,
in the life of our church,
has always been faithful
to provide to us
the people we needed
for our church.
At the most particular of times,
and in the most special of ways,
God has brought each and every one of you here.
I'm thankful today,
particularly for the Zwimpies.
They have told me
that they came at a time
that they were hurting,
that they needed close fellowship,
that they needed to be served,
but the opposite is absolutely true.
At a time where we were incredibly hungry
for families to come along
and to invest and to serve young people.
What a blessing they have been.
And I know,
at least for me,
maybe not for you,
but for me,
when a family leaves our congregation
that is so single people full,
it hurts a little bit.
Oh, but we need families.
We need families so much
as if the Lord doesn't know what we need.
But He certainly does.
And just as He's taking
the Zwimpies from us,
I am confident
that He will continue to provide
exactly what we need.
And we ought to remember this.
This.
The financial provision
for the Zwimpies
is a thing we should remember.
I am amazed.
I believe Ryan's going to share in a bit
the degree to which our church
is sending them.
It is wonderful as a church
with a tiny, tiny budget,
able collectively out of our budget
to just take 2% of our giving,
with the way in which you guys
have sacrificially gone
above and beyond that
to continue to give
and to support and to go.
We as a collective body
are the major senders
of the Zwimpies.
That is a great encouragement
to me.
We run on a tight budget around here.
Praise God,
we have a building and property
that's paid for.
It doesn't take a lot
to take care of this,
the physical things
that we see.
He has always, always, always
provided just what we've needed
over the past
six and a half plus years.
We've never been
without those things necessary
for the work being done here.
I'll give you one quick
physical example.
Those of you who were here
months ago heard the story
that the pullout on the street
was struck by lightning.
I got here one morning
and the internet was down.
Couldn't figure out
what was going on.
Called AT&T up.
Everything that was electronic
downstairs fried.
So all of the modems
and the wireless broadcasters
and the really expensive
copy machine that we lease,
everything in that line got hit.
And yes, it was all
service protected properly.
Just sometimes things
don't go as expected.
We had to fix the copier.
We had to replace
the things downstairs.
And the very day
that I realized this,
that it happened,
and I was calling
the insurance company
and figuring out
what we were going to have to do.
We have a thousand dollar
deductible on the insurance.
We got a check in the mail
from a dad, I think,
I'm just connecting
the last name,
I believe the dad
of a young man
who came here for a while
and I hadn't seen
in months and months
and months and months.
No clue why
this father was compelled
to sit down
and write a check
to our church.
Maybe he thinks
his son is still in church
and this is where he's at.
I'm not really sure.
But he was compelled
to write a check
for a thousand dollars,
which was the amount
of that deductible payment.
So here on the very day
that my mind goes,
oh, geez,
how in the world?
God goes,
like this.
And it shows right up.
The Zwingke's last bit
that they needed
was given
through a kind of a stranger,
a person that they met
in recent times
who anonymously
didn't want his name
to be known,
filled the gap
for them
in this last week.
Their original goal
was to leave
on August 1st
and that money came in
on August 1st.
Just incredible
to see the way
in which God provided.
As I said,
we were with the Zwingke's
and rejoicing with them.
They fairly quickly
put up on Facebook
that they were 100% funded
and the responses
began to just pour in.
We were at Alex
and Lizzie's wedding
yesterday
and we had to get going
so we went up
to say hi to them
and bye to them as well.
And the first thing
that Alex and Lizzie said
was,
it's their wedding day
and they said,
we're so excited
that you got 100% funded.
Just the rejoicing
around that thing happened
was incredibly special
and what they shared
with us
is that their prayer
has been through
this entire process
that their faith
would be increased,
that their children's faith
would be increased
and that the church's faith
would be increased.
And I don't know,
I can't speak for everybody here,
but I can certainly say
that that has been true
for me.
Hebrews 11.1,
the writer of Hebrews says,
the faith is the assurance
of things hoped for,
the conviction
of things not seen.
So he says that faith
is an assurance
and it is a conviction.
It's not a vague hope
grounded in wishful thinking,
but rather it's a settled confidence
that God will do
what God said He will do.
And He has promised
to provide for our need.
And so we can trust Him in that.
And certainly,
we can raise a stone of remembrance
for this moment to remember.
Remember the way
that the Lord provided
for the Zwingke's.
Remember the way
that He used us,
that He gave to us
to meet our living needs
and that we had an abundance
that we could give to them.
God is faithful
to the things He had said
He will do.
In front of your bulletin,
I've got a quote
from John Calvin.
And I'm going to close with that.
He wrote,
we should ask God
to increase our faith
when it is small.
Awaken it
when it is dormant.
Confirm it
when it is wavering.
Strengthen it
when it is weak.
And raise it up
when it is overthrown.
Let's pray together.