Sermon Central
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16% Approval Rating Series
Contributed by E. True Neilson on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: At first glance the book of Numbers reads a bit like an operations manual. It’s got numbers of soldiers, lists of names, and a bit of repetition. Tucked between those lists and numbers are some stories of real people, dealing with real issues of faith!
-In fact if it doesn’t require faith, it’s probably not God leading.
-Everything that God leads us to do requires a degree of faith.
-It takes no faith to do what you know you can do.
-It takes no faith to stay exactly where you are.
-It takes no faith to operate in your comfort zone.
-God has given us some general instructions to follow.
-Don’t swear. Don’t lie. Pay your taxes. Don’t fight w/each other.
-It doesn’t take a huge amount of faith to follow such instructions
-But when God is calling us to action, when he’s leading us into a new work, or some ministry opportunity…it always takes faith!
-And in spite of all that Israel had seen God do, they would still have to enter the Promised Land by faith.
17 Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to
explore the land: “Go north through the Negev into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps? 20 Is the soil fertile or poor? Are there many trees? Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see.”
-This was a great endeavor. They were gathering intel for their people. There was a risk of being caught and killed.
-But you can’t take over the Promised Land from a recliner in
your living room!
-To go where God was leading, to do what God was directing, required them to take action. It’s always that way.
THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO GOD’S LEADING IS OBEDIENCE.
-Think about the things that God sets before us today:
-We’ve all felt that tug to share Jesus with someone.
-Many of us have heard God’s call to go on a mission’s trip.
-We’ve felt conviction about helping someone who is poor.
-At times we’ve had the sense that we should take a stand on something that might make us unpopular.
-We’ve felt that leading to disengage from a setting or situation that was not for us.
-I suspect we all know what it’s like to have the Holy Spirit lead us to act in some situation.
-We’ve all experienced that internal tug-of-war with our feelings when it comes to time to do something for Jesus Christ.
-The question is not usually, “Is God leading?”
-The question is “am I willing to obey?”
-Will I obey the one I call my Lord?
-I’ve trusted Jesus with my deepest secrets, my darkest deeds.
-I’ve accepted his offer for forgiveness and salvation but…will I obey when my Lord calls?
-And for most people, the honest answer is “sometimes.”
-When we first got our boxer Sassy, she was fairly well trained.
-She was my dad’s dog and he had her pretty dialed in.
-She would sit when you said sit.
-She would shake when you said shake.
-But she would not lie down when you said lie down.
-You could say it repeatedly. You could point to floor. You could force her do it for a second, but she did not want to sit down.
