Living In The Land Of Giants

LIVING IN THE LAND OF GIANTS

Josh. 14:6-15

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: New Motivation

1. In a Florida Army training camp there was a grueling obstacle course all the recruits had to daily complete. On the final stretch of the endurance test they had to grab a rope and swing across a broad deep pond.

2. Under the glaring southern sun, the water looked so inviting to the men that most of them soon developed the habit of making it only half way across and dropping into the refreshing water. That is, until an enterprising lieutenant made the pond the new home for a large alligator!

3. From that day on the recruits left the ground on one side and fell sprawling in the dust on the other, and not even one carelessly dropped into the water!

B. TEXT

9 “So on that day [45 years before] Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’ 10...So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said.” 13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb...and gave him Hebron as

his inheritance. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath-Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)

C. THESIS

1. Caleb represents the believer, full of faith and in communion with God. The Anakites represent the devil or the attack of adverse circumstances.

2. So we’re looking at identifying the giants in our land, why we should be willing to take on giants, and how to fight the battle with faith.

3. The title of this message is “Living in the Land of Giants.”

I. OUR PROMISED LAND STILL HAS GIANTS

A. DOUBT GIANTS

1. Imagine the people of Israel, who, after being slaves 400 years in Egypt, and spending 40 years in the wilderness finally stood at the Jordan River and looked into their new land.

2. It was a beautiful dark-green; hilly, and filled with wonderful, abundant fruit. And God said their names were on the deed. All they had to do was go in and possess it.

3. There were just a few problems – there were giants living in that land! The spiritual parallel is that you & I don't have to fight literal giants, but we have to fight temptations, discouragements, setbacks, or circumstances that make it look like God has failed or forsaken us. I call these our “doubt giants.” Or you may be facing fear giants.

B. EXAMPLES OF GIANTS

1. Or you might be a single mother facing overwhelming bills, rebellious kids, and battling questions of your self-worth.

2. You might be a Christian student facing an atheistic professor who taunts or demeans Christians in class;

3. Or a person struggling to save your marriage & your kids;

4. Or a TDCJ C.O. facing opposition from a group of inmates.

C. DON’T DELAY DEALING WITH YOUR GIANT

1. There’s all kinds of reasons people delay facing their Giants. The Israelites delayed for 5 years facing the Anakites of Kiriath-Arba because they lacked the vision of how Great their God was.

2. The bigger your God gets, the smaller your problems get! HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?

3. HUMOR

a. I heard about a Man who took his son to the Doctor because he swallowed their House Key.

b. The Doctor asked, “When did this happen?”

c. The Man answered, “About 3 Months ago.”

d. Doctor said, “Why are you finally bringing him in Now?”

e. Man said, “Because Now We’ve Lost Our Duplicate Key!”

D. CALEB LEANED ON GOD’S POWER

1. "I’m not trusting in size or human strength, but I’m trusting in the Lord God of Israel to give me victory!"

2. Like you saying, “I’m not depending on my employer, or the government, my doctor, or my medicine, or my lawyer to save me – I’m depending on the Lord!” The Lord is my provider. Whom shall I fear, and of whom shall I be afraid?

II. WHY ‘TAKE ON’ A GIANT?

A. GIANTS INDICATE A HUGE BLESSING

1. Arba was the great-grandpa (15:13; 21:11) of all the Anakites, the giants. This was where they started; their home turf. This was one of the most beautiful spots in all Israel. The enemy always wants to hold onto what’s valuable. This city of the giants – WAS THE SEEDBED OF THE POWERS OF DARKNESS.