Text: Numbers 13:27-33.
Delivered on: October 26 & November 2, 2008. Streetsboro.
INTRODUCTION.
1 Corinthians 10 establishes the fact that there is a very real parallel between the children of Israel and us today.
1 Corinthians 10:11. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
We have talked about the similarities before.
They were in physical bondage – we are in spiritual bondage to sin.
They were delivered by Moses – we are delivered by Jesus.
They were baptized unto Moses in the sea – we are baptized into Christ.
They wandered in the wilderness – we sojourn here in the church.
They entered into the promised land – we seek to enter in heaven.
They knew that God had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. Exodus 3:8. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
We know that God has promised us heaven.
However, like the children of Israel, we often allow ourselves to be side-tracked.
Notice what happened when they spied out the land. Numbers 13:27-33. Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” 30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we
were in their sight.”How do we respond when challenges are placed before us?
We see in this passage two different Recipes.
The Recipe for Failure.
The Recipe for Success.
BODY.
THE RECIPE FOR FAILURE.
The spirit of pessimism. Numbers 13:31. But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
A spirit of pessimism causes discouragement. Deuteronomy 1:28. Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’
A spirit of pessimism is often caused by fear. Joshua 14:8. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
Are we pessimistic?
Self Pity. Numbers 14:1. So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.
Cain fell prey to self-pity. Genesis 4:5-7. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
There is a time to weep, but feeling sorry for oneself is a waste of time.
All self-pity does is lead one away from the solution to whatever trouble he is facing.
Do we wallow in self pity?
Complaining. Numbers 14:2. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!
1 Corinthians 10:10. Nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Philippians 2:14-15. Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
When we complain, God takes it personally.
1 Samuel 8:5-7. And said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
Numbers 14:27. “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.”
Are we complainers?
Looking Back. Numbers 14:3. Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”
They had forgotten what it was like in Egypt. Exodus 1:13-14. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
Some come upon difficulties in their Christian walk and decide to go back into the world.
Romans 6:21. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
Luke 9:61-62. And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Do we ever look back?
They had a Rebellious Spirit. Numbers 14:4. So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”
Because things weren’t working out the way they wanted, they were ready to reject God’s leadership completely.
Many reject God’s authority today. For a variety of reasons.
If we would enter the promise land, we must develop a spirit of obedience. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Lacking Faith. Numbers 14:11. Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
This was the root cause of their pessimism.
Hebrews 3:17-19. Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who
sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.Are we ever lacking in faith?
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS.
An Optimistic Attitude. Numbers 13:30. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
God said that Caleb had a different spirit. Numbers 14:24. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.
Joshua and Caleb saw opportunities, the 10 spies saw obstacles.
Which do we see?
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Churchill.
Paul was optimistic about his brethren and his work.
Philippians 1:6. Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:12-19. But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; 14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: 16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. 19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
David was an optimist. 1 Samuel 17:32. Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
However, optimism alone will accomplish nothing. John 15:4-5. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Wholly follow the Lord. Joshua 14:6-8. Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
There are many who follow the Lord only as far as they want to go.
To wholly follow the Lord, we must follow Him wherever it leads us.
Revelation 14:1-4. Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
Jesus may lead us in a way that is not pleasing to our friends. 1 Peter 4:4. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.
Jesus may lead us in a way that is not pleasing to our family. Matthew 10:34-38. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Will we wholly follow the Lord?
If not… Matthew 7:21-23. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Passion for the Cause. Numbers 14:5-6. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes.
Paul was misguided but he had a cause. Acts 26:9-11. “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them . 11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
Paul went into his Christian ministry with the same zeal. Acts 14:19-23. Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. 20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
Titus 2:13-14. Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.1 John 4:19. We love Him because He first loved us.
1 Timothy 1:12-16. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He
counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
Dependence on and Trust in God. Numbers 14:7-9. And they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”
Our success depends upon God.
It is He who gives the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:6. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
Colossians 2:19. And not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
2 Corinthians 3:4-5. And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.
We must trust God to fulfill His promises. Hebrews 11:6. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
What are some of these promises?
Salvation.
Answer to prayer.
Hope of heaven.
Spiritual blessings.
Ability to overcome trials and temptations.
Sticktoitiveness. Numbers 14:36-38. Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.
We must stick to it in our good works. Galatians 6:9. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
We must stick to it in prayer. Luke 18:1. Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.
We must stick to it in our Christian walk. Revelation 2:10. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
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