Pastor Bob spoke to us from the book of Ruth about the faith and favour of God on a foreign woman, Ruth, who was from Moab, a sworn enemy of Israel.
In the 7th message in The Story series, Pastor Bob talks about breaking the relentless cycle of sin, defeat,repentance, sin,defeat, repentance.... The Story
Chapter 08 “Breaking the Cycle of Sin and Defeat” Judges 6-7 Intro – welcome to chapter eight of The Story…a 31 week journey we are taking as a church family through the Bible…in which we are discovering the grand theme of the Bible, the one overall message that God is wanting to communicate to the world…that God created you and loves you…but then He lost you because of sin…so now He is on a rescue mission to bring you back to Himself through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ… -if you’ve been reading your book acc to our schedule, then this past week, in chapter 8, you read selections from the entire book of Judges… Judges…with lots of interesting characters: Deborah, a fearless female leader of God’s people…Samson, a strong man with a weak character who couldn’t control his passion for women…Gideon, a fearful man that God used mightily despite his doubts and insecurities…and a whole host of names that might not sound familiar: Othniel, Abimilek, Jephthah and even a left-handed leader named Ehud…and many more… Dark Period of The Story Now the story of Judges takes place during a dark period in the history of God’s people…right after the death of Joshua. They’re living in the Promised Land, but it’s a bad time of oppression against the Israelites by enemy nations all because of their unfaithfulness and spiritual idolatry… The people of Israel can’t stay true to God; they are addicted to worshipping other gods, the gods of the nations around them… …and because of this, God allows them to be oppressed and punished by these nations so that they will wake up to their true condition, repent and become desperate enough to call upon the Lord and return to Him and worship Him alone… The Sinful Cycle We see a pattern of behavior in the book of Judges…a sinful cycle that occurs at least six times in this period of their history: about a 300 year period: • peace, prosperity, honoring God • spiritual idolatry and unfaithfulness • oppression by an enemy nation • crying out to God for help, repentance • God raises up a Judge who delivers them Randy Frazee points out that of the 330 years that make up this period of Israel’s history, they spend 111 of them in oppression. That’s about a third of the time…even after all the good things God continues to do for them…they always go back to sin and unfaithfulness… We read about that cycle in 2:8-19… Good summary of the Judges cycle in 21:25: In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. -very appropriate description of our society today… -eg “Post-truth” Oxford Dictionaries word of the year… (see note * at end) Sinful Cycle Today -this cycle of sin isn’t an unfamiliar one among us even today as God’s people…many of us as God’s people find ourselves following the same pattern… -it’s a wonder God doesn’t give up on us…why doesn’t He give up on us? * Because of His faithfulness…His faithful love for us…His covenant love for us…because of the complete work that Jesus Christ did for us which guarantees our salvation and makes our relationship with God secure…not based on what we do, good or bad… Gideon’s Story There is one story in the book of Judges that I want to focus on for the rest of our time together, that shows us the way to break out of this cycle of sin and defeat and be set free for God to use us mightily and effectively in His kingdom… …and that is the story of Gideon, which we find in chapters 6 and 7. Gideon, the fearful farmer who was chosen by God to lead the Israelites against the Midianites…who needed lots of encouragement from God and lots of assurance…and got it…eg the double fleece confirmation… -then he got his 32,000 soldiers together only to have God pare that number down to 300…up against an army of about 135,000 Midianites…Yikes! But through whom God gave a decisive victory by causing the enemy to turn on each other in utter confusion…thus Gideon soundly defeated the Midianites and Israel was set free from their oppression…until: One of my favorite Bible stories…probably because I can relate so well to the person of Gideon… Breaking the Cycle of Sin and Defeat From Gideon’s story, we learn how to break the cycle of sin and defeat that we so easily find ourselves in… We do it in two ways: A. by recognizing and renouncing the lower story lies that keep us locked in the cycle of sin and defeat. B. by recognizing and embracing the upper story truths that set us free from the cycle of sin and defeat. A. Five lower story lies that keep us locked in the cycle of sin and defeat: 1. I have to hide from trouble 6:11 -“Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.” -as long as we stay hidden from what troubles us, try to protect ourselves, even deny there’s anything wrong… …we will stay defeated and locked in our sinful cycle 2. The Lord has abandoned us 6:13 -believing that God is unable, unwilling to help us…that God doesn’t care… -this is Gideon’s discouragement talking…God understands how we feel when we are down and oppressed… -that’s why we need to recognize it for what it is and renounce it as a lie…counter it with truth… -that God hasn’t abandoned us, never does…that He is good and ready to help…that He is for us and not against us… “You’re a good good Father…” 3. I’m insignificant, weak and small 6:15 -humility is one thing…but outright lies about your value and worth and significance in God’s sight is another thing…and frankly it’s sinful to rehearse how bad you are, how weak, puny and little you are…it’s an affront to what God says is true about you… -stop giving power to those kind of lies… 4. I’m afraid of the way people might react 6:27 -Gideon’s fear of his family and the townspeople… -fear of people will keep us bound like nothing else… -the fear of man is a snare Pr. 29:25 -remember last week, God’s word to Joshua in 1:7-8…be strong and very courageous… -faith is not demonstrated by fearlessness but by obedience…faith is when our commitment to obedience is stronger than our fear… By the way, God’s altar cannot be built until Baal’s altar is destroyed… 5. My own strength has saved me 7:2 -“you have too many men!” -our reliance on numbers, human resources… -as I mentioned God reduced the number of Gideon’s men from 32,000 to 300…against approx. 135,000 Midianites and camels beyond number… “you can never be too small for God to use, but you can be too big…” -what if the Lord did a reduction, filtering out of our church…how many of us would be left? what criteria would He even use to pare us down? • those who fear the powers of darkness? who are afraid to speak about the Lord to the lost? who want church to be comfortable, entertaining, just for them, fit our preferences and meet our needs? those who have little time for prayer and the word? who are half-hearted about obedience? who hold back their finances and their involvement? …how many would be left? From this story we learn that God can use a small group of dedicated folks in a greater way than even a large group of indifferent folks… So those are five lower story lies that will keep us locked in the cycle of sin and defeat. B. Five upper story truths that will set us free from the cycle of sin and defeat: 1. The Lord is with you, mighty warrior 6:12 -it’s time to start learning and believing the truth about who you are in Christ… -what do you think God sees when He looks at you? vitally important how you answer that question… eg Who I Am In Christ sheet…sheets on info table… 2. Am I not sending you? 6:14 -if God is asking you to do something, then that gives you the assurance that you are the right person for the job… -it means you have found favor in His sight, like Gideon did… -remember His promise in v.16 “I will be with you” 3. Joash replied to the hostile crowd 6:31 -Gideon’s father Joash stood up for him to the angry people who wanted to kill him after he tore down Baal’s altar. -God will give you someone to help you, stand with you, fight for you…you need someone to help you break free from the cycle of sin and defeat… • Moses had his Aaron and Hur • David had his Jonathan • Paul had his Barnabas • Jesus had His disciples -count on God to send you a Joash…you’re going to need one to break free from the cycle of sin and defeat…can’t do it on your own… 4. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon 6:34 -the key to being set free from the power of sin and the cycle of defeat…the freedom the Holy Spirit brings as we allow Him to fill/control us… -freedom comes to those of us who choose to walk in the way of the Spirit instead of the way of the flesh… Gal 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 5. Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands. 7:15 -God is the one who gives the victory… -He is the one who defeats the enemy, sets us free, breaks the bondage to a cycle of sin and defeat… Ultimately, Jesus is the One who breaks the cycle of sin and defeat, which He did by His victorious death on the cross… Rev. 1:5 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood… Conclusion -the choice is clear: to break the cycle of sin and defeat, we have to learn and embrace God’s upper story truths…and we have to recognize and renounce our own lower story lies…and we have to do all of this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ… -you can be set free from the cycle of sin and defeat… -let’s lay hold of that today…prayer… * Post-Truth -declared Oxford Dictionaries’ 2016 word of the year adjective = “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief” -in the wake of the US presidential election and the UK Brexit vote… -truth or proof doesn’t matter as much as what appeals to what I think and how I feel… Pastor Bob talks about the readiness for battle that we should have as believers. The Story
Chapter 07 “The Battle Begins” Book of Joshua Intro – welcome to chapter seven of The Story…a 31 week journey we are taking as a church family through the Bible…in which we are discovering the grand theme of the Bible, the one overall message that God is wanting to communicate to the world…that God created you and loves you…but then He lost you because of sin…so now He is on a rescue mission to bring you back to Himself through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ… -if you’ve been reading your book acc to our schedule, then this past week, in chapter 7, you read selections from the entire book of Joshua… …the incredible story of Joshua…the story of God’s people entering the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership after 40 years in the wilderness…an amazing story of faith, courage, battle and obedience in which the Israelites move into the land God had promised to give them many years earlier… Israel as a Metaphor of the Christian Life -the journey of the people of Israel is a metaphor for the Christian life…what the OT people of God experienced is meant to be a picture of what we go through as God’s people today… a. Egypt – is a symbol of slavery, bondage, the place of death and captivity to sin…it represents being lost, separated from God…under the control of Satan… -the only escape from Egypt is through the Red Sea, through a pathway that only God can open up and rescue us…and that pathway is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, through Who’s death on the cross we have been set free from slavery to sin and brought out of death and bondage and have been made new people through the gospel of Christ… -symbolized by the blood painted on the doorposts of the Israelites homes…first Passover…picture of Jesus’ blood… b. Wilderness – is a symbol of wandering, exile, waiting, of being formed by God…the place in which we’re in transition…we’re unsettled and restless… we’re easily discouraged and are tempted to grumble and complain about how hard things are and how let down by God and others we feel… -yet there is great mercy from God in the wilderness…there are great times of victory and experiencing God’s faithfulness…there is His care and love and protection…we learn great lessons in the struggles…we discover God’s faithfulness and protection over us…we are being formed into the image of Jesus Christ in the waiting… c. Promised Land – a symbol of the life of victory, obedience, conquest over sin’s power and control, the place of effectiveness and usefulness, joy, faith, adventure… AND of regular spiritual battles, warfare, challenges, difficulties… not a perfect life free from all sin, not a place of comfort and ease, not trouble-free… …but a realm that still has to be conquered and settled, because Satan’s opposition still illegally occupies this place and tries to prevent the Christian from entering fully into the good, abundant life God has made available to us…so the Promised Land is where we are called to go on the offensive and be spiritual warriors…and to take the land God has promised us… Where are you living these days?… In our story today in the book of Joshua, this is where the Israelites find themselves…on the edge of the Promised Land…ready to go in as a result of God’s faithful promise and under the leadership of God’s chosen servant, Joshua… Let’s read the introduction to the story and then learn how you and I as God’s people today, can also enter into the spiritual promised land He is giving us as our inheritance… Open Bible to Joshua 1…Prayer…read 1:1-9… I How To Enter the Promised Land (at least 3 ways) 1. Commitment to the Word vv.7-9 -one of the ways we enter Promised Land living is by committing ourselves to the word of God… Why? because when we align our life with God’s word, we are able to receive God’s blessing, direction, His rewards, His support… -conversely, when we disregard or disobey God’s word, we experience the opposite…susceptible to sin…weak, powerless…open the door to Satan and his attacks… That’s why I am so glad we are diving deeply into the word as a whole church family these days through The Story series…”don’t make it your goal to master the Bible: let the Bible master you…” How far does this commitment to God’s word go?… Well, for the Israelites, when God told them to do something really challenging, like march around Jericho seven times…they did it…even if it didn’t make logical sense…even if it seemed a little excessive or over the top… And we know what happened when Joshua and the Israelites obeyed God’s word in this specific way: the walls of the city fell and they took possession of it… 2. Consecrated Life 3:1-5 -another way we enter Promised Land living is through a consecrated life… 5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” -read 3:1-5… What a promise from God!! We near to hear this as the word of God to us today…He wants to do amazing things even among us here at Northgate…but we have to be consecrated people…set apart…prepared, cleansed and singularly devoted to God and His purposes… I love the conversation Joshua has with the people near the end of his life in ch. 24…listen to what he says in that chapter: -read 24:2-13…(vv 14-15 on screen when I get there) 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” You see, that’s the kind of consecration that God blesses…that’s why Joshua was such a great leader…because he was dedicated to serving God regardless of whether or not anyone else did… How about you and your spouse say that together? you and your children? grandchildren? you and your siblings? And if they won’t, then how about just you say that? and find other people in the church family that are saying that… and join arms with them so your faith and courage can be strengthened by that of others… Another way we enter the spiritual Promised Land is by 3. The First Step of Faith 3:8-15 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’” 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” And that’s exactly what happened…all because the priests took one step of faith…they took the first step of faith… …they put their foot into the Jordan river…they stepped out in faith at the clear direction of God…and God opened up the way into the Promised Land… * interesting the ways in which God works: sometimes you have to wait until the way is opened up before you…eg. The Red Sea…other times you have to take the first step when the way is blocked before you…eg Jordan River…but you can because you know God is going with you… I’m wondering what step of faith God is wanting you to take? what He is asking you to do that requires great courage and bold obedience…that doesn’t make logical sense to you or the people around you? that somebody is trying to talk you out of because it’s so risky… God’s gives the Promised Land to people who will enter it by faith…so stop being passive or reluctant or outright rebellious…and do what God is asking of you… Those are three ways we enter the Promised Land today, the place of joy, victory, obedience, conquest over sin’s power and control, the place of effectiveness and usefulness, of adventurous faith… II Why Enter the Promised Land? But the last question I want us to ask today is why? Why enter the Promised Land? Is there another reason other than it’s what God wants for us? Is there another compelling reason to take possession of the Promised Land? And, from God’s upper story perspective, there is: one of the greatest reasons we must enter the spiritual Promised Land and live life there, has less to do with us and more to do with people that are highly important to God… …and that reason is: for the sake of Rahab ch.2 -Rahab is the prize…lost, sinful Rahab…open-hearted, chosen by God Rahab…that is one of the greatest reasons for you and I to enter the Promised Land… Listen to her story in chapter 2:1-21… * the prize is Rahab; the rescue of one life at a time from the stronghold of sin; the rescue of that lost and needy person who has a spiritual hunger for God, who wants so badly to be free from their captivity and join up with the people of God. -that is a Rahab… and they are in your life…you already know them…and they are waiting and ready for you and I to get to them and offer them rescue from death to life through the gospel of Jesus Christ… How to Spot a Rahab 1) they are currently lost, separated from God, held captive to sin and slavery to Satan in “Jericho” … people who have a lifestyle we may not approve of, or they look a little messy, or live somewhere we don’t care for, or associate with a crowd we would rather not. They’ll no doubt have a past that makes us squirm, and their present might look pretty bleak, but their future is what God is interested in! Rahab was a prostitute. Think about that. How many of us would be willing to go and talk to a prostitute and be interested in their life and lovingly speak to her or him about the answer for their needs that can be found in Jesus Christ? God chose a female Canaanite prostitute to become one of His own children and get mentioned in the famous Heb.11 Hall of Faith chapter… But remember, God loves to turn things upside down. He chooses the most unexpected people to work with. He specializes in social outcasts. So you know any Rahabs? There’s more to recognizing a Rahab: 2) they have a growing spiritual sensitivity to and hunger for our powerful God. They are hungry for God, for spiritual reality. They have heard stories about the God of love, power, grace, unusual kindness. They have heard of His wrath against sin, judgment and punishment of those who disregard Him. And they want to know more. They are asking questions like: “Who is this God? Who are these people of God? Can this God possibly love someone like me?” This obscure, lowly, despised prostitute believes in God! So many people out there do. And she is looking for something better in life. She is on a spiritual search. All she needs is an opportunity to meet Him first-hand. And when God brings two men into her life who are not interested in her services as a prostitute, her question is, “What kind of God is it that these men serve? A God that causes men to act like this could certainly give me a new moral framework and freedom from my captive life.” And she listens to their stories about their God. Rahab is a seeker of truth; and her questions are a starting point for her faith, a faith that is already quite far along. Know any Rahabs? there’s more to learn about her: 3) she is willing to do something by faith to begin moving toward God • she takes a great risk in hiding the two spies… • she is willing to ask for help, for her and her family’s life to be spared… • she is willing to speak to her whole family and convince them to take refuge in her house when the attack comes… • she is willing to forsake her life for a new one, to leave Jericho, her people, culture, old way of life and join up with a new family, the family of God’s people… I’m telling you that there are Rahab’s out there, people you know, waiting for you and I to come and invite them to a changed life, to meet Jesus. So, is it worth the struggle of entering the Promised Land of spiritual victory just for one Rahab? Jesus would say yes! Rahab’s Legacy By the way, it took God exactly 5 verses at the beginning of the NT to mention Rahab. And you know why she’s mentioned? She’s listed in the genealogical record of Jesus Christ in Mt.1 (the list of His ancestry, family tree from Abraham on). From a sinful prostitute lost in Jericho to belonging to the Messianic blood line of JC! Quite impressive! You never know what plans God has for the Rahab you know. Conclusion Let’s wrap this up by mentioning a highly significant image in the Rahab story: the scarlet cord (picture) she hung from her window. The scarlet cord is a symbol of Jesus Christ and His blood…some Bible students have found what they call the “scarlet thread” that runs throughout the whole Bible…and it is there if you look for it… And when we look for it we once again see that the over-all message of the Bible, the one story God is wanting to tell through His word, is that because God loves but lost you, Jesus is now on a rescue mission to bring you back to Himself through His death on the cross… …and if you follow the scarlet cord through the pages of the Bible, you find that it leads directly to the cross of Jesus Christ…the only way you can be rescued, which is by faith in the blood of our Savior… How about we spend a few moments praying for that Rahab? Perhaps you are that Rahab?… Due to technical problems, there is no audio. Rod Munro delivered this message on November 6th, 2016 in The Story series.
The Story Chapter 6: Wandering Bulletin title: “Choosing your lenses” SIAS: How do you choose to view the world? Scripture Numbers 14:1-11 Introduction Welcome to chapter 6 to those of you who are just joining us. We are exploring God’s amazing story through the bible. As we go through chapter by chapter we continually see God’s sovereignty and his desire to have a relationship with us. We see in chapter six God doing such amazing miracles and God wanting to bless his people by giving them the Promised Land. Before we get into the text I want to do an exercise that will demonstrate my message. I want us to do a little activity. I want everyone to stand up and to move to the opposite side of the church and sit down. I will give you a couple of minutes to do this. How does that feel? Some of you are a little bit uncomfortable? That’s because we are used to sitting in the same spot week after week. Some of you are thinking it’s not that bad here! Others are thinking, “I can’t wait until next week so I can get back into my own seat. The point is I’m asking you to do something you really didn’t want. In this sermon, I want to look at how we respond when God gives us something we really don’t want. When I was in Mexico this last summer I learned that we cannot grow in our faith if we are unwilling to move or change. I got back to the church and as I was sitting in my office, I was reflecting on this. I was thinking, “You know I am pretty comfortable in children’s ministry, dressing up like a clown, hanging with your seven year old children.” Then Bob comes into my office asking me to preach. Well now I am not so comfortable anymore. But I have to make a choice about how I will respond to this challenge. I have decided to cooperate and ask God to guide me so that He can use this message to strengthen people’s faith. So here we are walking together through God’s amazing story. Our scripture passage is found in Numbers 14:1-10 but before we study the scriptures together, we need to look at the accounts beforehand. God is calling his people to do something they don’t want to do and to trust in him. We see God’s faithfulness through the story of the Israelites. Pharaoh finally lets God’s people go - freedom at last! No more back breaking labour. All the plagues were just too much for pharaoh. Moses has such a huge task ahead of him to lead hundreds of thousands of people to the Promised Land. God has big plans for his people; all he asks is for them to be faithful. As they work their way through the hot dessert there came a huge obstacle: the red sea. I can’t imagine standing there looking over the water knowing the Egyptians are right behind. Why all these obstacles to get to a land that God has promised? Then it happened: the sea parted, the Israelites were able to walk through on dry land. As they crossed over God closed the sea up. Clear sailing from here, right? All they had to do was follow a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. It was God’s GPS for his people. After walking what seems like forever, the Promised Land is right before them. Moses sends 12 spies in to check the land out before the rest go in. The spies come back with different reports. Isn’t it funny how they saw the same land, but had such different reports? They were looking through different lenses. Narrative Monologue (Put on sign: “10 spies”; Put on large glasses) The people that live there are HUGE we are like grass hoppers to them. We can never defeat them. The cities, oh my, the cities are full protected! There is no way we can conquer this land. We are doomed! (Take off large glasses, switch sign to “Joshua and Caleb”; switch to second pair of glasses) Whoa! This land is amazing! Flowing with milk and honey; the best olives I have ever seen; sweet, juicy grapes, just look at the size of them! The giants, huh, they don’t stand a chance! The cities—no sweat—our God’s bigger than any city or giant. Let’s go for it guys! (Take off “Joshua and Caleb” sign and glasses; put my glasses back on) How do we view the world? What lenses do we use? Are we ready to take on the obstacles that God has before us to get to the Promised Land? Prayer Our heavenly father, we recognize that we cannot do anything without you. We ask that you would give us faith and courage to tackle the difficult things in life. We invite your Holy Spirit here to teach us through the scriptures. We love you, in Jesus name, amen. Bible Reading Open your Bibles to Numbers 14 1-11. The passage should be on the power point. 1 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” 10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. The Lord said to Moses, How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous sings I have performed among them? Illustration As I studied the text I tried to put myself in their position, asking God to reveal to me a difficult time I had and a difficult decision. In 1997, I decided to go on a one year mission trip. I was involved with a fine arts team. We did drama and music and traveled all over North America and took our ministry to West Africa. Before we did our ministry we were in intense training camp for two months. One day the staff drove all of us to the Rocky Mountains and divided us up into two groups: guys and girls. The girls hiked up one mountain and the guys hiked up another. The guys were thinking, man we got to beat the girls. We could see the girls off on their hike in a distance carefully crafting there hike and looking for the trail. As I followed the other guys looking for the trail we had a difficult time finding it. One guy suggested, “Forget the trail, let’s go straight up.” Are you kidding me? Straight up? I looked at the thick bushes and tried to talk them out of it but did not want to be left at the base by myself so straight up it was. The terrain was very tough: thick bush, losing your footing, steep cliffs. I got half way up and I was ready to go with the Lord. I was truly done. I passed the tree line and that was good for me. My buddies talked me into going on. I tried to talk them into leaving me and they basically dragged me up the rest of the way. We came down exhausted, scratched up and hoping to beat the girls. We got down and the girls looked great sipping their bottles of water and waiting for us guys. Now I know why God created Man and Woman to be together. Little did we know the mountain was a test and the staff was seeing how we responded in difficult situations and as you can guess I didn’t get picked to be team leader. I wonder why? I clearly did not react well in a difficult situation. Let’s look at how the people of Israel responded. (3 points) Point 1 People’s response v 1-4 We need to overcome obstacles that God has put before us, knowing there is something better on the other side. Imagine the frustration that God must have felt after the spies came back and the people met in verse one. “That night ALL of the members of the community raised their voices and wept out loud all of the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken us plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt” I read these verses over and over and I can’t believe it. Are you kidding me? You guys made it this far and you want to go back? God promised you this land 400 years prior and you want to go back? There seems to be a lack of faith with the Israelites. They did not trust God for what was ahead. They caved into peer pressure like so many of us do. They would rather go back to what they were used to. Even though it was horrible, it was better than the scary changes God proposed. I think of Proverbs 26:11 “As a dog returns to its vomit so a fool reaps his folly.” People seem to go back to their old ways and habits over and over again. They will often repeat the same mistakes, over and over again, and the same sins, over and over again. This seems to be human nature. God has a better plan for us. He wants to free us from this bondage and sin but we have to do our part. We need to shift our thinking and be aware of our old habits. We need to be willing to move and change, and I am talking about more than just switching pews on Sunday morning. Point 2 Joshua and Caleb’s response Let’s look at Joshua’s response to the people wanting to go back to Egypt. Numbers 14:5-9 “Then Moses and Aaron fell face down in front of the whole Israelite Assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who had explored the land and tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, the land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land because we will devour them. There protection is gone. But the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” We have 12 spies all seeing the same thing. 2 interpret it differently. Joshua and Caleb want the land God has promised. The other 10 are scared and want to go back to a life of slavery in Egypt. What kind of person are you? Are you a Joshua or Caleb or are you one of the 10? In order for Joshua and Caleb to get the land they had overcome obstacles. The Promised Land is right there in front of you. What obstacles do you have to overcome to get to it? Yes, you will probably have to change your lenses and move. If you don’t we will be like those dogs that returning to their vomit. So many Christians have a faith like the 10 spies: when life gets tough they check out. Their faith is conditional depending on circumstances. We need to be like Joshua and Caleb. We need to continue to trust God and believe His Word, following Him no matter what happens. Instead of grumbling like the Israelites, we should be giving God praise and glory despite the circumstances we are in. I can’t think of anyone in the bible who had an easy life. Even Jesus himself had adversities in life. We are the same. The question is, which set of lenses are we going to use when facing these adversities? I want to show you a video of a man who did not have an easy life, but the lenses he chose determined his success. Show video of Nick Vujicic 5 min https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYuVx2LU5QM Nick had a choice. He could have looked at his life, rolled over, and said, “Life is not worth living…woe is me…I have no arms, no legs, everyone feel sorry for me.” He did the exact opposite. Do you think God would have used him in the same way if he had arms and legs? No, Nick’s message is powerful because he overcame barriers. He knew that God had a plan for his life. He trusted God. He viewed his life through these lenses, instead of focusing on what he didn’t have. Point 3 God’s response v-10-11 “But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. The Lord said to Moses, “How long will those people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me?” God punished them. The Israelites missed their opportunity. They were disciplined in the desert for 40 years, until all of the disobedient people died. They never saw the Promised Land. What would have happened if they took the plunge into the land? They would have been spared 40 years of wandering. If we trust God and recognize his blessings we can be spared from wandering in our own desert. What is it going to take for us to come out of the desert? His goodness and signs are all over. It’s healthy to wrestle with God or have struggles; the problem is when we question God’s character or blatantly disobey Him. God is always with his people. Through good and tough times in life God is always with us. You know you might be sitting here feeling really empty inside. You might be thinking, “You don’t understand, my marriage is on the rocks, my grandson is into drugs, I can’t find a job, life is too difficult.” Jesus says I will never leave or forsake you. He will always be there for us. ALWAYS. He is there to pick us up during hard times. But we have to believe Him and we have to follow Him. Conclusion What lenses are you using to view your obstacles in life? (Take off glasses) How do you view world? Are you viewing it through the lenses of Joshua and Caleb or are you viewing it through the lenses of the other spies? Many of you are going through a difficult time and your heart and eyes are always focused on Jesus and I really appreciate that. Some of us need a reminder that God is carrying us through our obstacles in life. If Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith we shouldn’t let obstacles stand in the way of what God has in store for us. We should have a desire to see things through the eyes of Joshua and Caleb and have a desire to go with God to reach the blessings despite the obstacles. As we come to the communion table today, I encourage you to seriously consider what lenses you are using because this can make the difference between opposing God and cooperating with His plan, between wandering in the desert and entering the Promised Land His way. |
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