Follow Him To The Life Series

FOLLOW HIM TO THE LIFE

Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunnneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.

Joshua 14:14 NKJV

Introduction

Turn in your Bibles to Joshua chapter 14. We are now over half way through our study Fight for Life. We are studying the journey of the nation of Israel as they enter into, conquer, and take possession of the Promised Land. God had promised to give the descendants of Abraham the land of Canaan. God told Moses and then Joshua that he would drive out the people of Canaan from before them.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen that Joshua and the army of Israel have been successful at conquering the Promised Land. And last week we discussed that they had not possessed it all yet. They had taken out the military forces and leadership but the people of Canaan still lived in the land.

Joshua had been given two missions as he entered the Promised Land. The first was to conquer the land and the second was to divide it as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel. He had accomplished the first part and starting here in chapter 14 we see him completing the second part. Joshua begins dividing the land by sacred lots and assigning them to the 9 and a half tribes that will get their inheritance on the western side of the Jordan River.

Over the next several chapters we are going to see a very detailed, almost monotonous description of the division of the Promised Land. But before we get too deep into that description we are going to see a very interesting account of a character we haven’t talked about too much during this study. As we look at his life we are going to see a man that is living the life that I have been talking to you about.

All through this study I have been telling you about this victorious, abundant life that Jesus promised us in John 10:10. God has promised every one of us a life that is filled with the amazing power of God. We have been promised a life filled with Christ’s blessings, Christ’s strength, Christ’s love, and everything else that is Christ.

Read Ephesians 1:3 page 617

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Our spiritual position is in Christ. That means that where Christ is, so are we. It also means that we have at our disposal everything that is Christ. Nothing has been kept back from us.

But as we look around at people’s lives, we do not see people living lives that show the power of God that lives within them. Every single one of us that have accepted Jesus has within us the Holy Spirit. Also in Ephesians we are told that we are being built into a holy temple of God. The power of God lives within all of us.

The vision that God has given me for this church to teach people how to unleash that power within their lives so that they can live the life that Jesus came to give them. And not just them but their spouses, children, neighbors, church, and everywhere else that they can reach.

We have got to learn how to let the Holy Spirit do what He wants to do and stop restricting Him. Every believer can live this life and the only thing holding us back is us. There is nothing outside of us that can keep us from living the life that God wants us to except ourselves.

And as we look at the life of Caleb we will see some of the characteristics that will help us to live that amazingly powerful and abundant life. The title of our study for today is: Follow Him to the Life.

The first five verses are a kind of preamble for the next six chapters of Joshua.

Read Joshua 14:1-5 page 124 Bible

Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the leaders of the tribes of Israel all meet to divide the land of Canaan. And so that no one can complain that it wasn’t fair, they let God determine who is going to get what land by casting lots. Eleazar carried in the sacred ephod the Urim and Thummin. These were used to determine the will of God. This is the way that God set it up so that He could help them to resolve questions like this one.

And then here in verse six of our text, Caleb comes into the picture.

Read Joshua 14:6 page 124 Bible

Turn to Numbers 13. Caleb is first mentioned here in Numbers 13 in the listing of the twelve men that were sent into the land of Canaan. They were sent in to spy out the land and determine the best approach into the land. They were to bring back a report that would be used to create a strategy for conquering the Promised Land.