7/ 28/ 2000  Worship service            
         
In most restroom, one can often see graffiti on walls and stalls.  In one bathroom, there were following graffiti written on the stall door.  "God is dead--Nietzsche."  "Nietzsche, you're dead--God."  "Whoever wrote this graffiti, you're dead--The Cleaning Lady."  The quote "God is dead" by the German nihilistic philosopher Nietzche became very famous; however, Nietzsche himself succumbed to mental illness and died a cruel death.  The God we believe in is not dead but alive, and he gives us the confidence and hope that we can accomplish what we set out to do.

There is a legend of one angel.  God sent this angel to Satan and ordered the angel to take away the Satan's power to torment Christians.  Satan willingly gave up most of his powers but pleaded the angel to leave him with one thing.  Satan pleaded "Let me retain depression."  Angel, thinking that Satan's wish was trivial and of no great concern or consequences, allowed Satan to keep the thing that he wanted to keep.  Satan, however, laughed out loud upon the angel's granting of his wish and shouted, "Alright, with this one thing I can make Christians stumble and fall with ease!"  Depression, or the thoughts such as  "I can't help it," "I cannot do anything," are thoughts delivered by Satan, and are spiritual problems that require spiritual solutions.

We all fall into some sort of depression.  There are often too many things to do in one day, too many problems to solve, but we often find that there are not enough time or resources to solve these problems.  When this continues, we become tired and exasperated, begin losing our temperament, and fall into despair and depression.  However, the thing that we must remember is that the depression--the feeling of failure, despair, and loneliness--is not something that God gives us, but rather are obstacles that Satan bestows upon us.  

Do everything seem impossible to you?  Jesus, in Luke 18 verse 27, says "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God."  Are you exasperated with all the world's problems and sins?  Jesus, in Matthew 11 verse 28, said "come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  Do you experience fear when faced with seemingly big problems?  God, through Isaiah 41 verse 10, promises us "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  

Do you find it difficult, or impossible, to forgive yourself and your neighbors?  It is written in First Book of John, 1 verse 9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Do you often find yourself worrying excessively and experience anxiety?  In First Book of Peter 5 verse 7, it is stated "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."  Do you feel loneliness, like you are the last person remaining in this world?  Trust what God says in Hebrews 13 verse 5, "I will never leave you or forsake you."  
Christianity is about looking for the positive and grateful things in the midst of the corruptness in our unsatisfactory lives.  People of Israel, condemned to 430 years of slavery, were able to escape under the leadership of Moses.  

People of Israel crossed the Red Sea and headed towards Canaan; however, they spent 40 years wandering before reaching their destination when it should have took them only about a week.  They were especially curious about Canaan, whether it really was the land where milk and honey flowed, as God had promised.  To satisfy their curiosity, they chose the bravest man from each of the 12 tribes and sent them as scouts, to reconnoiter the land of Canaan.

The 12 men spent the next 40 days, covering every little corner of Canaan and came back to report on the condition of Canaan to Moses and the people of Israel.  The 12 men all agreed that Canaan was indeed as fertile and rich, wrought with milk and honey, as God had promised.  However, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, rest of the 12 men gave negative report concerning Canaan.  They reported that "The people who dwell in the land are strong....we were like grasshopper in our own sight."  Further, their pessimistic and negative report also stated "the land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature."  The Israelites, upon hearing such reports, became unsettled and jittery with fear.

 They began blaming God and Moses, stating "Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims?  Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?"  At that time, it was Caleb who stood up and comforts the Israelites.  "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it," stated Caleb, trying to instill confidence among the Israelites.  The rest of the spies and the Israelites then replied, "the cities are fortified and very large....we are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we," with men of giant stature, stressing that Israelites would be no match for the inhabitants.  However, Joshua and Caleb, especially Caleb, stressed that with God's help, taking Canaan is a possibility.

In fact, the reports of the 10 men--besides Joshua and Caleb--were not false.  Perhaps they were the ones who accurately reported on the condition of Canaan and its inhabitants.  However, they lacked faith, and were able to only look at it through secular vision.  They did not view Canaan as the blessed land that God will be promising them; rather, they reported on the existing obstacles that lay within the land.  The 10 spies still possessed the diseased and corrupted mentality that stemmed from their days in Egypt.  

 They were without faith; and their religion consisted of belief in secular objects.  Hence, they could not see the new land that God was to construct in the future with a vision of faith.  However, Caleb's faith was progressive and forward-looking, that enabled him to believe in God's promise, that because of this promise they can overcome any tribulations and obstacles in possessing the land that has been promised by God.  What was the result?  Just as Caleb stated, the Israelites were able to go into Canaan and step on the promised land.  The interesting note is that all of the ten spies, who gave the negative report that "Israelites will never be able to set a foot into Canaan," all died during the forty-years of wandering in the wilderness.  Because the people with slave-like mentally, that of secular worship, corrupt and pessimistic mentality, did not deserve Canaan, God whittled out these people during the forty years and let only those with strong, visionary, positive and progressive faith step into Canaan.  

The first generation immigrants need wholehearted faith, like that of Caleb.  There are too many obstacles in front of us.  In order to overcome all these obstacles and step into a Canaan that God has promised, we need optimistic and progressive faith like Caleb.  Our mentality must evolve to see and find possibility in the midst of impossibility, solutions within problems, and optimism in the midst of pessimism.  We need the healthy mentality centered on God, of concentrating on God's history while marginalizing the problems that surround us.  If we dare to dream, and possess the firm faith that those dreams will be realized, then our goals will come to fruition.  It is difficult, especially for the first generation immigrants, to set foot into Canaan that flows with milk and honey.  Maybe only the small minority, who possess the same mentality and faith as Caleb, can set their foot into such a land.

The former German prime minister, Otto von Bismarck, went hunting with a friend when the friend fell into a swamp.  When the friend tried to get out of the swamp, he only seeped further into its abyss; when Bismarck extended his rifle for his friend to grab, it was out of reach.  The friend gave up, not able to expend any more effort on getting out of the swamp.  Bismarck suddenly chambered a round into the rifle and aimed the barrel at his friend!  The friend, in order to get out of the rifle's line of sight, began moving around rapidly.  After a while, he was able to reach the edge of the swamp.  Later, Bismarck said to his friend, "Don't take my action the wrong way.  

I was not aiming the rifle at you; rather, I was aiming for the weakness that made you want to despair and capitulate."  The thing that we need in times of difficulty is an undying reliance and courage.  Just as Bismarck's friend would not have survived the swamp without a wholehearted, desperate effort, we cannot overcome the tribulations of a immigrant life without the confidence and wholehearted faith that enables us to believe we "can do it."  

Caleb, despite the opinion of the 99% of the Israelites who said it cannot be done, was able to believe and argue that it can be done because he possessed the faith that placed utmost trust in God.  Our church, and our society in general, need people who possess Caleb's faith.   Everyone lives in a same environment with same sets of obstacles; people who possess Caleb's faith do not give up when faced with these obstacles, but believe that with God's help all obstacles can be overcome.  We must live each day with the faith and confidence that our good will, our benevolent plans will be realized according to God's great vision.  I pray in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that all of us be able to possess faith like Caleb.  Amen.