Here is the text of the Sermon I preached at my final Service as Pastor-Teacher of the First Baptist Church in Atwood, IL.

Thank you everyone who made this day so very special for me!

God Removes His workers, but He does not Remove His Work!

 Joshua 1:1-9

 These are the Words of the LORD.

 Thanks be to God for HIS Word.

 INTRODUCTION:

 I very much remember Sunday, April 22^nd, 2007. I had been your Interim Pastor twice: August 1999 to July 2000; and from October 2006 to April 2007.

 Of course, I remember the pure joy of coming to serve the LORD and you here and the excitement about what lay ahead.

 But I also remember thinking on my first Sunday here that every Pastor of every Church has BOTH a first Sunday and a last Sunday. And today, I have arrived – just as I predicted – at a last Sunday as your Pastor.

 I remember telling a group of Pastors who were discussing the idea of being an “Interim Pastor” that we are all “Interim Pastors.” And, we certainly are. It is an old joke among Pastors that we are all, “Next on a long line of former Pastors.”

 I remember when we had a former Pastor speak at the First Southern Baptist Church in Waukegan that one of the long-time members mentioned that particular Brother was, “his favorite former Pastor.” Thinking he should say something nice to me, he said, “Oh, Brother Lanny, you will be too.” He was right about that. On Sunday, May 29^th, 1994, at the end of services, I became their most recent, “Former Pastor.”

 I am the 50^th man in the 128-year history of this Church to have the title of “Pastor.” Woody White is #51 on that list. E.E. Gere, Wayne Brackett, Charles Robinson, and I are the only four men to serve here for seven years. E.E. Gere and I are the only two men to serve here for eight years. (He was here from 1910-1918)  I am the only man to serve here for more than eight years. This time, I have been here for 13 years, 4 months, and 4 days.

I am praying that Woody White surpasses us all!

 EXPOSITION: Joshua 1:1-9

Since this is the first time I have ever preached from the King James Version Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible that I was given at my Ordination on November 15th, 1987, (while I usually use the English Standard Version) my scriptures today are quoted from that Bible.

(1:1-2a) God does Remove His workers!

 ¹ “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, ² Moses my servant is dead…”

 *God’s people, (even the godliest of God’s people) are not exempt from the realities of life and death!

 *They had not just lost a leader, they lost Moses!

• Israel lost their leader!
• Zipporah lost her husband!
• Gershom and Eliezer lost their father!

*Moses was a great leader because he was a great servant!

 (1:2b-9) God never Removes His work!

 (2b-6) God’s Promises to them had not changed!

 “now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. ³ Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. ⁵ There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. ⁶ Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.”

(7) God’s Proclamation to them had not changed!

⁷ “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.”

(8) God’s Provision for their success had not changed!

⁸ “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

 (9) God’s Presence with them had not changed!

 ⁹ “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Take Careful note of this: I am leaving; God is not.

Amen.