WEBVTT 00:00:00.620 --> 00:00:02.840 I'm going to invite you to Numbers, chapter 13. 00:00:02.880 --> 00:00:04.900 That's where we're going to be today, Numbers, chapter 13. 00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:11.680 I'm going to read a part of this narrative story to us because this is a significant place in the scripture. 00:00:11.680 --> 00:00:18.680 We're in a series together called The Kingdom Come, and we want to see how God has really created everything to belong to him as the King of all 00:00:18.680 --> 00:00:19.180 things. 00:00:19.380 --> 00:00:26.560 The Lord is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and he created all things for his glory, and he intends to make all things new knowing that 00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:30.400 creation has rebelled against him and that all of creation rests under this curse. 00:00:30.840 --> 00:00:34.840 And so, he has come as the great rescuer to bring all things in his kingdom back to him. 00:00:35.360 --> 00:00:41.920 And what we've seen together as we've gone through this story is in the Book of Genesis, if I just highlighted one thought, is that God called his people. 00:00:42.740 --> 00:00:49.840 In the book of Genesis, you see the story of rebellion that God highlights a particular group of people that he is going to bring his Messiah through to redeem all 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:50.320 things. 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:51.820 And so, Genesis God calls his people. 00:00:52.080 --> 00:00:53.940 Exodus God redeems his people. 00:00:53.940 --> 00:00:56.580 He brings them out of slavery which we've talked about together. 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:01.240 And then, in the book of Leviticus, which is also shared, is that God is present with his people. 00:01:01.240 --> 00:01:03.460 He teaches them how to worship and walk with him. 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:11.440 And what we're going to find in the book of Numbers as we dive into chapter 13, chapter 13 is recognizing that God has commissioned his people. 00:01:11.440 --> 00:01:18.640 And so, when you start the book of Numbers, if you read through it, if you're going through our Bible reading plan as a church, when 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:26.000 you start the book of Numbers, what you find in the very beginning is God is talking to his people, Numbers, chapter one, through Moses, and then, God calls them to count 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:26.740 their people. 00:01:26.740 --> 00:01:33.740 That's why it's called the book of Numbers, count how many people that you have, because God wants to number their military capacity because God 00:01:33.740 --> 00:01:37.480 is about to commission them to go into the promised land for battle. 00:01:38.300 --> 00:01:45.380 Now, I realize when you start in the Old Testament, and you begin to see these battles that God calls Israel to, it raises sort of a theological 00:01:45.380 --> 00:01:50.200 question in our mind that I'm going to tell you, I'm going to answer more of next week. 00:01:50.540 --> 00:01:54.520 But it deals with the idea of how in the world can God call people into a land to kill other people, right? 00:01:54.940 --> 00:01:58.720 A little bit of a conundrum there to deal with theologically, but it's an important question to ask. 00:01:58.780 --> 00:02:01.840 So, we'll deal with that more next week, but God does commission people. 00:02:02.320 --> 00:02:09.800 He commissions his people to go into this promised land, and you see that in the book of Numbers through the numbering of God's people as he leads 00:02:09.940 --> 00:02:13.640 them into what he desires in the land of Canaan for a battle. 00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:20.340 But while God calls them into this battle, this is also where the struggle comes in for Israel and this wilderness journey that they're on. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:21.620 They've left Egypt. 00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:28.500 They're going into the land that God has promised them, and they're struggling with the idea of being faithful to follow after God. 00:02:29.720 --> 00:02:36.980 When, if you look at the journey that Israel's been on from Egypt to Israel, some people have estimated that it would take Israel 00:02:36.980 --> 00:02:44.140 about somewhere around four days to make this journey from Egypt to Israel if they had just walked by straight line, 00:02:44.540 --> 00:02:51.200 but if you follow the course that Israel takes by map, it's sort of this spiraling, circular motion that... 00:02:51.200 --> 00:02:52.260 They didn't go the short way. 00:02:52.260 --> 00:02:52.880 I should just say this. 00:02:52.920 --> 00:03:00.620 [inaudible 00:02:53] the only other short way in the land, and they're going about 250 miles of a journey, and when you get to Numbers, chapter 13, 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:08.040 they've gone all but maybe 10 miles of this journey, and they're about to make those final steps 00:03:08.320 --> 00:03:16.540 into this promised land, and God calls them to grab a group of spies and 00:03:16.540 --> 00:03:19.080 send them into this promised land. 00:03:20.040 --> 00:03:26.300 And what this book ends up being is really a tragic book, the book of Numbers, because it's a book of faithlessness. 00:03:28.180 --> 00:03:35.180 The result of life when it's lived apart from the Lord, and we choose, rather than walk in faith with God, we live contrary to 00:03:35.180 --> 00:03:36.900 that, and we don't trust in him. 00:03:36.920 --> 00:03:39.770 And so, Numbers, chapter 13 is where we're going to pick up. 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:46.900 I'm going to read just the beginning, a couple of verses in chapter 13, and I'm going to skip all the way to verse 25 and read really the 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:51.140 rest of this story as it unfolds and then pepper it with a couple verses here at the end. 00:03:51.140 --> 00:03:57.910 But if you look at chapter 13, verse 1, I'm not going to throw this on the screen because it's a lot of verses, and you can just listen if you don't have it open in your scripture. 00:03:58.760 --> 00:04:06.460 But in chapter 13, verse 1, it says, "Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'Send it out for yourselves men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan.'" Okay. 00:04:06.460 --> 00:04:07.040 Canaan's going to be important. 00:04:07.380 --> 00:04:13.040 We'll come to that in just a minute and talk about it, but he says, "Which I am going to give to the sons of Israel. 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:21.480 You shall send a man from each of their father's tribes, every one of a leader among them." So, God's not just calling these 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:23.260 pansy people from this group. 00:04:23.300 --> 00:04:25.530 He's saying, "I want you to go through your 12 tribes. 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:32.560 I want you to pick the person that when they walk in the room, it makes other people pee their pants." It's those kind of powerhouse people, right? 00:04:32.820 --> 00:04:35.880 Those sort of large, great warriors. 00:04:35.880 --> 00:04:40.860 In verse 25, "When they return from spying out the land at the end of 40 days," so, they go into this land. 00:04:41.100 --> 00:04:43.470 Moses, actually, in verse 17, gives them some special rules. 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:54.140 He says, "When 00:04:54.140 --> 00:05:01.140 you go to the 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:21.540 land, here's what I want you to do while you're spying around and doing different things." And so, 00:07:21.660 --> 00:08:08.100 they go into the land, 00:08:08.100 --> 00:08:10.060 and one of the things that Moses tells them to do is grab some of the produce of the land and bring it back so that we can take a look at it. 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:18.040 In verse 25, "When they return from spying out the land at the end of 40 days, they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all of the congregation, the sons of 00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:54.160 Israel, and the wilderness of 00:08:54.160 --> 00:09:01.320 Paran and Kadesh, and they brought 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:26.520 back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. 00:09:26.520 --> 00:10:32.380 Thus, they told 00:10:32.380 --> 00:11:37.520 him and said, 00:11:37.520 --> 00:11:58.960 'We went into the land where you sent us, 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:07.080 and it 00:12:07.100 --> 00:13:25.600 certainly does 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:55.600 flow with 00:13:55.600 --> 00:14:13.060 milk and honey, and this is its fruit.'" So, they come back, and they show everybody, "Look, this land can 00:14:13.080 --> 00:21:07.040 definitely sustain us. 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:24.400 It's the land flowing with milk and honey." Now, 00:21:26.080 --> 00:21:33.220 I don't think that this 00:21:33.500 --> 00:22:06.580 necessitates the land literally has to be full of milk and honey, but rather, what 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:15.280 he's saying is this land has the capacity to maintain what we need 00:22:15.280 --> 00:22:16.220 in life, and not just maintain. 00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:16.220 It has the capacity to allow us to flourish at life. 00:22:17.540 --> 00:22:41.600 What's really interesting when you study scripture is this idea of milk and honey continues more than just the physical land of Canaan. 00:22:53.100 --> 00:23:15.700 It continues 00:23:15.700 --> 00:23:19.260 for you as a follower of the Lord today. 00:23:19.260 --> 00:23:26.880 In fact, the Bible 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:34.200 plays on those words over and over. 00:23:39.860 --> 00:23:44.120 In Psalm 119 and verse 103, it tells us that the word of God is sweeter than honey. 00:23:44.120 --> 00:23:54.400 In 1 Peter 2, verse two and three, it tells you to long for the 00:23:54.520 --> 00:23:56.620 pure spiritual milk of God's word. 00:23:56.820 --> 00:24:11.840 And so, while 00:24:11.840 --> 00:24:20.300 we're looking Israel, 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:57.280 going into the physical land of Canaan that flows the milk and honey, I think it's important 00:24:57.280 --> 00:25:00.900 for us to recognize that the invitation from God is to continue to experience him in that land. 00:25:00.900 --> 00:25:08.160 But in scripture, what it's relating to is the idea of your spirit flourishing in the presence of 00:25:08.160 --> 00:26:17.520 God, that God, as 00:26:17.520 --> 00:26:31.800 he calls people into this land, God continues to call you in to his presence, in the land of his presence, 00:26:31.980 --> 00:26:33.040 that you and your spirit may flourish before the Lord. 00:26:33.040 --> 00:26:50.980 In verse 28, nevertheless, 00:26:51.040 --> 00:27:00.300 though, so, while 00:27:01.080 --> 00:27:14.660 they give this 00:27:14.660 --> 00:27:34.000 wonderful report, it 00:28:43.180 --> 00:28:51.560 says, "Nevertheless, the people 00:28:51.560 --> 00:29:06.300 who live in the land are strong, 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:22.060 and the cities 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:40.720 are fortified and very large. 00:29:52.260 --> 00:30:25.340 Moreover, we saw 00:30:25.340 --> 00:30:29.240 the descendants of Anak there, and Amalek is living in the land of the Negev, and the Hittites and Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country. 00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:29.540 And the Canaanites are all living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan. 00:30:29.540 --> 00:30:44.420 And so, what he's saying, I want to come back to this word, 00:30:44.660 --> 00:32:39.400 Amalek, in a minute, but what he's saying is, "Look, 00:32:39.660 --> 00:32:43.580 this land is loaded with people. 00:32:43.580 --> 00:32:52.920 And so, what in the world are we going to do." 00:33:00.020 --> 00:35:11.340 In verse 30, 00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:06.520 "Then, Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, 'We should, 00:36:06.680 --> 00:36:17.640 by all means, 00:39:04.020 --> 00:39:13.040 go up and take 00:39:13.040 --> 00:39:31.700 possession of it, for we will surely overcome 00:39:31.700 --> 00:40:42.300 it.'" But in verse 31, "The 00:40:42.300 --> 00:40:50.000 men who had gone up with Caleb said, 'We are not able to go up against the people for they are too strong for you.' So, 00:40:50.020 --> 00:40:57.200 they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land, which they had spied out, saying, 'The land through which we have gone and spying it out is a 00:40:57.200 --> 00:40:58.180 land that devours its inhabitants. 00:41:39.900 --> 00:41:44.340 All the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. 00:41:44.340 --> 00:41:49.420 There, also, we saw the Nephilim. 00:41:49.420 --> 00:41:49.420 The sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim, and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight. 00:41:49.420 --> 00:41:58.060 And so, we were in their sight.'" Now, some people debate whether or not the 00:41:58.060 --> 00:42:01.460 sense of Nephilim are even there because of the Noahic flood or just the idea of what the Nephilim represent because in the times of Noah, these were great warriors of giants. 00:42:01.460 --> 00:42:05.420 And whatever the case may be here, when Israel goes into this land, they just feel like peons in comparison to the people that they encountered. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 encountered. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, in chapter 14, verse one, "Then all of the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, 'With that, we had died in the land of Egypt, or with that, we have died in the wilderness. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword, or our wives and our little ones will become plunder. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt so that... 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 ' They said to one another, 'Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.'" Can you imagine how short-lived they are in their memory here. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They would rather go back and be slaves than live in the promises that the Lord wants to provide. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 In verse five, "Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all of the assemble and the congregation to the sons of Israel. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Joshua, the son of Nun and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes, and they spoke to all of the congregation, the sons of Israel, saying, 'The land which we passed through to spy out is exceedingly good land. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 If the Lord is pleased with us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Only do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Their protection has been removed from them. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The Lord is with us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Do not fear them.' But all the congregation said to stone Moses and Caleb and Joshua. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Then, the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel." In verse 11, "The Lord said to Moses, 'How long will these people spurn me? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 How long will they not believe in me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?'" Verse 17, if I skip down just a moment, it's a very interesting passage because Moses intercedes for these people, and God is very angry with them. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And when Moses intercedes in verse 17, what Moses actually does is he uses these verses or these statements that God had already declared to Moses back in Exodus, chapter 34. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 If you remember in Exodus 34, God had given Israel the tabernacle. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He gave Israel the laws, and right after God does that, Moses goes up on the mountain. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Israel disobeys God, and God's ready to kill Israel, and Moses pleads for Israel, and God finally comes forth and says, "Okay. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I'm not going to wipe out Israel. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This is my nature." And he declares his own nature to Moses. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And now, they're in another place of disobedience, and Moses knows that God's anger is burning against Israel for their sin, and when Moses intercedes for Israel, he quotes what God had said to him in demonstrating his character, verse 17, "But now, I pray that the power of the Lord be great, just as you have declared, God. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The Lord is slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquities of the fathers of the children to the third and fourth generation. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of these people according to the greatness of your loving kindness, just as you also have forgiven these people from Egypt even until now." And verse 28, if you just skip here, and this will be the last section I read. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It says, "Say to them, as I live," says God, "Just as you have spoken in my hearing so I will surely do to you. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Your corpses will fall on the wilderness, even all of your numbered men, according to your complete number from 20 years old and upward, who have grumbled against me. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Surely, you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey, I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected." And let me end there. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We are always in a faith battle to trust God's promises over our problems. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This story shows us, really, what's the result when faith drives... 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 excuse me, when faith hides and fear drives. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I think it is reasonable to be afraid of certain things in life. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It's completely okay to be afraid of things. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 For example, it is okay to be afraid of clowns. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That is not natural that grown men would do that, unless you're a clown. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I'm just kidding. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We don't love you. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We believe Jesus can save anything but clowns, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It is natural to be afraid of some things. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I am just kidding. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 If you like to dress like a clown, we love you, too, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But God gives a reasonable amount of fear for good reason, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But it's ungodly when we allow fear to take precedent over God's promises. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, everything I want to share this morning, I want us to recognize this, that while we look at the children of Israel that cry out in fear rather than faith, that for Caleb and Joshua and Moses and Aaron, any of them that make a stand against the crowd, that's not easy either. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And it's not because their absence of fear that they would do that, but it's ungodly when we allow fear to take precedent over the promises of God. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And we look at this story in Numbers, chapter 13, I think it's important for us to recognize God isn't calling Israel to go into a land out of the blue. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 God is not sitting there thinking, "You know what would be a great idea? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I don't know. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Let's just pick this land and send you guys. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Looks like there's an opening here. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Let's take this group of you and put you here since we had no place to send you." He's not calling Israel out of the blue into this promised land and hoping that everybody works out. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This story that's being shared in Numbers 13 and 14 is peppered with the promises of God. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Let me just show this to you. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 When you think back on what God is saying in Numbers, chapter 13, the story has been already told and fulfilled in promises of God in previous passages, and so, look at this. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Numbers, chapter 13, verse 29, he says that in this land, the Amalek are living there, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This is the reason they're panicking. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We can't go into this land. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The Amalek are there. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But what we found out even previous to these moments, if you read through the book of Exodus is that Israel has already encountered the people of Amalek. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 In Exodus, chapter 17, verse 14, "Then, the Lord said to Moses, 'Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.' Moses built an altar, named it The Lord is My Banner and said, 'The Lord has sworn. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.'" Says the same thing in Deuteronomy, chapter 25. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I mean, God's not just... 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Israel had a battle with Amalek already. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The reason God's saying this is because when Israel walked into the wilderness, and they began this journey to the promised land, this group, these Amalekites came and fought against Israel. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And this is the story where Moses holds up his hands before the Lord, and when he dropped his hands, they would lose the battle. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 When he raised his hands, they would win the battle. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, they propped Moses's hands up so that Israel could win the battle. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They had already seen God be faithful to defeat the Amalekites. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And on the backend of that victory, God gives this statement, and he doesn't just say, "Hey, just remember to save me." He's telling Joshua, "Look, no, this is a memorial. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Build a monument. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Don't forget this. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This will become a part of the identity that you need when God calls you to do what he wants you to do by going to the land of Canaan." And so, when they come back as spies, and they give a report, they're like, "Amalek is there, Amalekites." And for Israel, that should be a trigger word, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The faithfulness of God, we don't have to worry about that because we've already seen a pattern in the Lord and promising this land, and we've already seen the Lord provide for us by defeating these people that came against us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Therefore, there's no worry here. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, God gives them... 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He's not calling them to go to this land out of the blue, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He's giving his promises to his people. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And not only that, they've seen his incredible hand of faithfulness. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 You consider Genesis, chapter 15 in comparison to Numbers 13, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 In Numbers 13, verse 2, "Send out for yourself men so that they may spy on the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel." If you remember this statement, this statement of going to the Canaan is not just this arbitrary thought that God's just like, "Let's send you here, I guess." This statement is rooted in promise, all the way back to the calling of Abraham in Genesis, chapter 15. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 God said that, "Abraham, know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in the land that is not theirs." He's talking about Egypt here. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 "Well, they will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Then, the fourth generation, they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete." So, what he's saying is not only are the Amalekites but also the Amorites that God is coming against in this passage. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And he tells them it will be 400 years, and one of the reasons why is because he's waiting for the sins of the Amorites to reach this place of iniquity in which God will bring judgment. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This is part of the answer of how God could allow people into a land to defeat the people that are there. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 God isn't just haphazard with life. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 God loves life. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 God creates life. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The Bible tells us that he doesn't delight in the death of the wicked. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 For hundreds of years, he was patient with the people in the land of Canaan, and a common practice in this land was the murdering of children. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They would sacrifice human beings on altars to false gods, and God found that detestable. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And for hundreds of years, hundreds of years, he patiently waited. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And now, he sends Israel into this land. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I mean, how interesting. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Here they are, Numbers, chapter 13. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Abraham is standing on this land in Genesis 15 and says, "Look, I'm going to send your people as slaves into a land, and 400 years from this time that I'm telling you this, I'm going to bring them back to the very place that you're standing." And now, in Numbers 13, here they are standing just a few miles from the border. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Interesting that God... 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Their whole identity is rooted in Abraham. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This is where God's promise comes to them, and they look at their calendars and watches, and they're thinking, "How long ago was this promise given to Abraham? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 400 years. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 400 years, and we just happen to find ourselves at the border of this location, right?" God isn't simply calling Israel out of the blue into this place. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I could say the same thing for us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 God isn't calling us as Christians to trust in something that he invented last minute. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 God is calling you into him through a demonstration of his faithfulness that he has articulated log ago. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I mean, you can root the identity from which we step to in Christ as far back to genesis in the very beginning when God created finding our identity in the promise of a Messiah who would bring freedom. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 When it comes to the idea of trusting in God, a lot of the idea of faith in this world is based off of just this thought of ignorant guessing. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But can I tell you? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 In Christianity, you have the most tangible faith that you could ever trust in. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The evidence of God and the demonstration of his faithfulness through the promises that he's given in scripture, it is ridiculous the amount that's available to us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So much so that I think the only reason that would keep us from just trusting in it is, one, pride within ourselves to want to call ourselves king and the fact that we are just simply ignorant to the promises of God as demonstrated in the scripture. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I mean, how in the world could you explain this that God would say to Abraham hundreds of years before that they're there that 400 years from now, I'm going to bring you to this exact spot? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That's incredible. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I mean, we looked at some of the idea, the evidence of God through the thought of Temple and what Temple means and the pictures of God's redemption in the process of Temple and history last week, but it goes on and on in Christianity. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, when you think about putting your faith in God, it's not this blindness to the promises of God but rather the demonstration of his promises fulfilled to us and the continuation of us being able to trust them based on the past precedent that he has set for us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 See, if I ask the question this morning, how can I grow in faith rather than fear? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Because this is the juxtaposed position within the context of the scripture, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 You see these just few individuals faithful to God, and these other individuals, how quickly their demeanor changes because they go into this promised land. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They come back with the fruit. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They give this report. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They're just flowing with milk and honey. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It's incredible, but there's giants, and we're all going to die. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And they go from cheering to, "Oh, no. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Everyone's dead. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Let's go back to the horrible life of Egypt. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 At least we'll live, but the conditions, even though awful, are going to be better than death, right?" So, how can I grow in faith rather than fear? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I would say this for us in the most simplistic way that faith is cultivated in the soil of assurance. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What certainty do you have? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 If I were to just bring us to the hinge point of this story, for me, it's Numbers, chapter 13, verse 30 because this is where it contrasts, these couple of verses that follow, the idea of faithful versus faithless. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Now, verse 30, "Caleb quieted the people." So, they're all getting worked up over the report, "And Caleb quieted the people before Moses." And look what he says, "We should, by all means, go and take possession of it for we will surely overcome it." What certainty does Caleb have to make such a statement, to have this faith cultivated in such assurance? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 How could he know this? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Well, it's simple in the answer. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He rests on the promises of God. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He seemed fulfilled. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, he can trust in the promises of God that are to come. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 How do I know this? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Well, I showed you exactly how he knows this. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We just saw it as it was communicated within the text of Numbers, chapter 13. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The Amalekites are there, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 You're standing on the precipice of the promised land exactly when God said that you would be here. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 How do I know? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Because I was a part of the Exodus in Egypt that I saw God's hand rescue us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, just as I've seen the faithfulness of God and his promises, and God has promised us this land. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, with assurance, I can say that we can go into this land, and we will be victorious. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And the Bible says the same thing for us today because we face challenges, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We have the opportunity to recognize God's faithfulness in the past. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This is why Numbers is written. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Numbers is written so we can look back and say, "Look at God's hand of faithfulness over and over." Even when they're not faithful, he is faithful. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That is incredible. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Look at what Moses says about God and quoting it in Numbers, chapter 14, that he's long suffering to us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He forgives us, even in our failures. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This God, this is how I know, even I when I fail, he's not going to turn his back on me. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I can get up and keep going, is the past precedence of God's promises made known so that, in those moments, we can also rest with them in the present. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Romans, chapter five, as it relates to the church in the New Testament, and it continues to identify how God works in our life, and he says this. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We also exalt in our tribulations. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, he's saying, "Look, we're going to face those moments where it looks like giants are in front of us." We also exalt in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance improving character hope. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who is given to us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, what he's saying in this passage is, look, you're going to face trials today, too. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 There's going to be some adversity in front you in following after God. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 There will be, but God's still with you, just like he was with the children of Israel stepping into Canaan or right on the border. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 God's still with you. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And what he's recognizing in this story, the beautiful thing about being faithful is that your faith grows in assurance through the struggles, not in the absence of it. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It's not, "God, hurry up and get rid of this so that we can go back to trust. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Get rid of the hard stuff, so we can go back to trusting you again," right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It's, "No, no, no. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Your faith actually grows in the struggle." That's what he's demonstrating to Israel right here. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Here's some adversity. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I want you to talk with me through it. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Trust in me in it because you believe I'm better than the struggle, and what you're going to find in that is that your faith grows because God is faithful. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Same thing for us, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Tribulation brings about perseverance. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Hope, today, for us, means more wishful thinking. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Hope in biblical times did not mean that. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It was absolute certainty. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 There was a certainty that came [inaudible 00:25:54]. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It wasn't just, "Gee, I hope so." That's not how it was intended in scripture when it's written. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That's how we say it today, but it's the certainty of this great anticipation in Christ, and it will not disappoint us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, he's recognizing for us that how does faith grow. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Well, it's cultivated on understanding... 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 or it's cultivated in the soil of assurance, understanding that God has demonstrated himself in the past so that here in the presence, we continue to walk with him. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 In Romans 8, it moves forward to think about the bigger picture. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It says, "And also, as you look towards the future," past, present, future, God's there. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Listen to this, verse 28, "All things, and we know that God causes all things to work together for God to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose, for those whom he foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son so that we would be the first born of many brethren." Verse 30, "And those whom he predestined, he called, and those whom he called, he justified. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And those whom he justified, he also glorified." Here, let me just summarize this by saying this. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Not only do you have the confidence of God, seeing God move in the past that gives precedent to the present and his presence in the presence... 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 and the presence in the present, I should say, but you also have the hope that he provides for the future. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And here, he's saying to us that in him, your destiny is secure to the point that God already sees the end picture, and in his mind, you're already glorified. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And why is it so? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It's because God doesn't operate in time. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He sees the beginning from the end. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 God is not bound by time like we are. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, as certain as his promises in the past were made, so is the certainty of the promises for the future. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, for us, because we've seen God move, we can trust. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It's like saying this. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 When you go to hire someone for a job, if you're the owner of a company, what do you look for? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Well, you want to make sure that they have a past precedent that assures you that whatever you're wanting them to do for you in those moments or in the future of that position that there's a precedent made known, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The more important the job, the more pedigree you want from the individual as it relates to the job. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And I would say the same thing's true with your faith because we're talking about eternity here. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, when we're talking about something of such significance as your life and where you're going to trust and find your identity as it relates to your life, there better be some sort of precedent and not just some kind of wishful thinking. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, what Caleb is saying is we've seen it with absolute certainty. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, therefore, our lives can trust in him, and this becomes the soil of assurance for our faith, not self, but God. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, on the backend of that, we could ask the question, well, how do you lose faith, then? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Well, Numbers 13:31 tells us, the very next verse, "But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We are not able to go up against the people for they are too strong for you.'" Here, you find within them this critical spirit. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 A critical spirit will be the first step that will drain you from trusting in God's promises. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Their critical spirit and this critical spirit noticed in this passage as they articulated why they should never go into this land, even beyond this point and even before this verse, they're not even mentioning guys. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Their eye is completely on themselves. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, I would tell them, I would agree with you, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Verse 31, "I completely agree with you. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We are not able to go up against the people because they are too strong for us." Yes, you are not able. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 You are not able. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Do not go in there. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 You are not able, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But God is. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And that's the point. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But God. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 When our spirit gets critical, here is what the [inaudible 00:29:53] of our life, is that we are looking in ourselves. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But when we recognize that the Lord is with us, that changes everything. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Their critical spirit, their complaining, what it led to was complacency in their lives. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Romans 8:13, in contrast to this reminds us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It says, "For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But if by the spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." And I would say this is exactly the difference between verse 30 and 31. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What's Caleb trusting in? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Well, not himself. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He would have nothing to hope in here. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But what are the people trusting in? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Themselves. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And what does it produce in the wilderness? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Death. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But how is it accomplished, Romans 8:13? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 By the spirit. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Here's what happens when they look within themselves. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They're asking the question, "What is manageable? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What's manageable here?" But looking at the circumstances, they're thinking, "What's manageable? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What can we handle? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What do I want?" Rather than ask, "What has God called us to? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What is it God wants?" The Lord says in verse 11, "How long?" He complains, in chapter 14, this is what he says to Moses, "How long will the people spurn me?" In other translations, it says, "How long will they treat me with contempt?" So, their obedience is based on the comfort of the couch, honestly. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And you think about what do they want. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Let's just go back to Egypt so we can sit on our couches again. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 At least we're familiar. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We know the circumstances aren't the best, but it's our circumstances that we're familiar with that we're in control of, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, let's go back to the couches. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, obedience is really based on the comfort of the couch. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The moment God puts a cross in front of them, they say no. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That's going to tell you, maybe the encouragement for us in this is you think about the movement of Israel from Exodus to this promised land is to simply say this. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 If we're not faithful to God in the small things, we're not going to be faithful to God in the big things. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And what you'll see if you read the book of Numbers is the continual demeanor in the life of the Israelites was always complaining. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They're always complaining because their eyes were always on themselves, and they never stopped in the middle of that to look at their circumstance and their complaining to just say, "But man, what does God call us to?" Because what God calls us to, his presence is there, and his promises are true, and maybe we can let go of the past in order to move forward. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And maybe we can get off the couch to do something more daring, more life-transforming than just keep this critical spirit of complacency among us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What these two verses should do, really, ultimately, is compel our hearts to know him more and to walk with him, and part of the reason we don't step with God in the place that he promises us and the land flowing with milk and honey is simply because we don't know him. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 We don't know truly what he calls us to. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And here's both the comfort and tragedy of this story. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Does God forgive them? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Yes, God forgives them. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Numbers 14, verse 17 and 19, that's a beautiful passage, guys. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 No matter what happens in your life, when you leave this place, if you fail, God is still loving kind. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He is patient. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He is forgiving. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Beautiful passage to memorize in Numbers 14, verse 17 and 19 because it's the same passage in Exodus, chapter 34, verses 6 and 7. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 You get to memorize two sections of scripture at one time, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But the identity of getting to know that character of God is so important because it's what allows us to move forward, but here's the other reality. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 There's still consequences for the decision, and the consequences, they don't experience God's comforting presence, nor the fruit of his promises. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 When you don't trust in God, there can be 40 years of wondering. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Why? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Why do we not do what the Lord calls us to do? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Often, we find ourselves not doing what God wants us because we're planted in the soil of fear. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That's where Israel is because they haven't got their eyes off themselves and into the promises of God. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 When I think about just the contrast of this idea from other passages of scripture, in my mind, I think often of in the book of Daniel, Daniel and his friends, how faithful they are to God in the most adverse circumstances before a king that followed false gods. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel, chapter 3 are called before the king because they refused to bow down to a statue the king made in honor of himself. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And the king tells his soldiers to set up a fire and bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and when they come before the king, he's like, "Okay. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Bow to the statue or die. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I'm going to throw you in the fire." And I love it, chapter 3, and verse 16 and 17, they say to the king, "Well, we believe our... 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 " This is [inaudible 00:35:23] summary here. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, they say to the king, "Well, we believe our God can rescue us from this fire, but even if he doesn't, we'd rather burn than bow down to you." How incredible. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What brings them to such a place as that? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The promises that are God and the beauty of who he is, more important than anything this world has to offer. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They want to be next to his goodness. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Guys, you hear stories like that, and maybe you're like me and say, "I'm not a giant like that. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I'm not a Moses, a Caleb, a Joshua, a Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I'm not a Daniel." Well, guys, can I tell you? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They weren't giants either. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The only thing they decided to do is trust in the promises of God above their problems. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Romans 12:2 says this about us, "Don't be conformed to this world." That's what they're doing in Numbers. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 They're allowing the world to dictate what they do, but he says this, "Rather, be transforming. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Here's how. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Renewing your mind so that you may prove what the perfect will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Look, how do you renew your mind? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The promises of God made known in his word because when the world presses against you, what can you hold against it? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 The only thing that supersedes God's promises. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And it says, "In holding to that and letting your mind be transformed in that rather than the pressure of the world, you've proved the perfect will of God," which means you demonstrated, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 You demonstrate in your life the perfect will of God, and here's what you're saying. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Regardless, I believe what God has for me is better than what anything in this world can offer, proving God's perfect will. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Maybe as you think about renewing your mind on the idea of God, I think there are just important promises that if we can just saturate our mind with, it helps us. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 If you're getting to know God for the first time and really just starting that journey with him, the Bible's chock full of promises of the Lord. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 In Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Psalms 16, verse 11, a great verse to hold onto on that journey. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 It says, "You will make known to me the path of life and your presence as the fullness of joy. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 In your right hand, there is pleasures forever more." As I got to the end of this, I thought, "Well, what would be the tragedy of this section if we walked away and made the wrong application," right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What would be the tragedy here? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And here's maybe my little bit of a concern but more of what I don't want to do is that we can look at this and say, "You're right. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I need to have more faith with God in my problems," and here's what I hope we don't do with this story and say, "I want to have more faith, and I need to invite God into my circumstance to show me how I can live with more faith through the struggles that I have," right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And that could be true, but I would rather us look at it like this. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This is not calling us to have a kind of faith where it invites God into our problems. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 This is the kind of faith where we're forsaking that, really, and we're saying, "God, where is it you're at work, and I want to trust in you for you're calling us to be. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I want to join you in your kingdom. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I'm not inviting you into mine. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I want to join you in yours. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, how can I... 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 " Sometimes, we get so petty in our circumstances that we forget that God's picture for what he wants to do in this world is far bigger than what I can even cultivate in my own kingdom living. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And so, it's about letting go. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And if I could think of all of the examples I could share, I try to think, "Okay. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 How can I just lay out a place of examples for us as a church in the application of this?" And rather than get real specific, let me just tell you this one thing. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I think in America, here's a lie that we bought into, that faith is personal and private. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And I would say, yes, faith is certainly personal because God calls you into relationship with him, but faith, by no means, is never intended to be private. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I don't think that gives you the excuse to be obnoxious to people or to yell to people. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I think, in fact, if you know Jesus, you of all people should better love people. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Faith is not intended to be private. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Faith is intended to be lived out in a way that displays the glory of God, and I think that's a lie that we bought into our culture that honestly allows us to be cowards because here's what happens. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Sometimes, sometimes, in our life, we feel, "I think that the Lord would want me to share my faith with him." But here's what we can hide behind. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 But in America, faith is private. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 So, it's okay for me not to do that, right? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And I would say for us, that's the couch living. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That's going back to Egypt. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That's no Canaan promises because the land in which you live in with God is the land flowing with milk and honey. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Why in God's name would you not tell people about it? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I mean, even if we can buy into that lie in the context of our own home, "I found God, but with my family, they're all on their own separate journey." Baloney, baloney. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 If this is the true God, and this true God created them to know him, then live that out, not in the way that pastors people or demeans them, but honors the life that God has given them and loves them more deeply for the truth of who God is. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That's promised living. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 That's what God calls us to dream bigger, and why would we not do that? 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Oh, I'm afraid. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Yeah, but faith is bigger than fear, and faith is cultivated in the soil of assurance of God's promises and exactly who he is. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 And the more you live in that, the greater light you become for Christ. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 I love this quote. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 Rowland Bingham said this. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He was a missionary to Africa. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 He actually had to go to Africa three separate times. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 On the first two trips, he saw his friends die, and he had to retreat and go back, but he said this about his life, "I will open Africa for the gospel or die trying." Hudson Taylor, another famous missionary, said, "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply." Every day, there's a faith battle. 00:42:06.930 --> 00:42:06.930 What do you trust in.