Caleb: The Gray-Haired Conqueror Series

Sermon by: Dr. Todd Morris

Text: Joshua 14:6-15

Title: Caleb: The Gray-Haired Conqueror

Date: February 25, 2004

Introduction: This passage centers of the man called Caleb. Caleb was a part of Israel when they left Egypt. He was there when God divided the Red Sea, by the way Israel’s passage across the Red Sea is a picture of salvation, free from bondage and safe in the promised land, yet observing Israel as they journey through the wilderness shows us that there is much more to salvation that just being set free. God had a land flowing with milk and honey for them, but to claim it they would have to battle giants.

Now as you know when Moses brought the children of Israel to the border of the Promised Land he appointed 12 spies to go into the land and report back. Caleb was one of those spies, the only one other than Joshua to say, “we can take the land.” However, the Israelites chose to wander in the wilderness another 40 years rather than fight the battles necessary to have what God promised them. This is yet another picture of the Christian life. When God saves us, He promises us that we can have peace and joy and victory, and have the glory of God upon us, but too often we choose to live in defeat simply because we don’t want to fight the battles necessary for victory. Too often we live in a spiritual wilderness of defeat and depression.

Tonight I want to tell you that many Christians are guilty of spiritual window-shopping. As Christians we need to do more than window-shop with God’s promises, we need to appropriate them. I want us to see this evening what it was that enabled this 85 year old man to possess that which God had promised him. You see, Caleb pictures the Christian that is willing to pay the price, fight the battles and win the victory that God has waiting for him. In these verses, we are shown how we can claim our little part of Canaan and walk in victory day by day. Allow me to speak to you this evening for a little while on this subject, Caleb: The Gray-Haired Conqueror.

I CALEB’S COMMITMENT (8, 9, 14)

A. God Had All of Caleb.

1. 6 times in the Old Testament it is said of Caleb, “he wholly followed the Lord.”

B. Half-Hearted Christians Are Faint-Hearted

1. They never learn to conquer the giants in their lives.

2. James 1:8 tell us that, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

3. The man who knells before God can stand before anybody.

C. Jesus Demands Total Commitment

II CALEB’S CONFIDENCE (12)

A. Caleb’s Confidence Was In God’s Word (10, 12)

1. Faith is NOT positive thinking

2. Faith is not optimism

3. Faith is not looking on the bright side

4. Faith is acting on what God said!

B. Caleb’s Confidence Translated to Faith

III CALEB’S COURAGE

A. He Had Overcome Grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33)

1. He had to go against the majority

B. He Had To Overcome Giants (Numbers 14:8-9)

1. Instead of saying look how small we are compared to the giants, Caleb said, “look how small the giants are compared to God.

C. He Had To Overcome Gray Hair (10-11)

1. When God makes a promise He gives us strength to see it through.

IV CALEB’S CONQUEST (13-14)

A. Caleb Experienced What God Promised

B. Caleb Climbed His Mountain and Defeated His Giants

Conclusion: Where are you tonight in your personal walk with the Lord? Have you entered your Canaan and claimed your mountain? God has a place of peace and power for you, but you must be willing to claim your possession. It isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it is for the faith-hearted. Many of you in this room tonight have no spiritual victory. You have no joy of salvation. You have none of God’s promises, because you have no faith! You cannot be saved without faith, and you cannot have saving faith without living faith. If you don’t have enough faith to live for God, you don’t have enough faith to trust God and if you don’t have enough faith to trust God, you don’t have enough faith to get you to heaven.

Some of you need to give up the charade and come and be saved tonight. If you live in fear of tomorrow you have no faith, and without faith you can have walked 1000 aisles and said 1000 prayers and you cannot be saved. Salvation is by grace you say, yes, nit by grace through faith and without faith there is no salvation.

Tonight you need to nail things down and determine if you’re going to live by faith or live in fear.