Text: Joshua 14:6-15 (NASB)
Introduction: This passage centers on a man called Caleb. Caleb was a part of Israel when they departed from Egypt. He was there when God divided the waters of the Red Sea. For your information - Israel crossing the Red Sea is a picture of Salvation. Free from bondage and free from Pharaoh. As we observe Israel as they journey through the wilderness we can clearly see that there is much more to salvation than just being set free. God had a land flowing with milk and honey prepared for them. It would be a land of giants and a land of battles, but it was theirs if they wanted it.
Now, as you know - Israel chose to wander in the wilderness for forty years. In addition, here is another great picture of the Christian life. God saves us, and promises us that we can have a life of victory and intense spiritual joy, but rather than claim what is rightfully ours - things like peace, joy, fellowship, power, and the glory of God, we choose to live in a spiritual wilderness, defeated and depressed.
This morning I want to tell you that many Christians are guilty of spiritual window-shopping. Now nothing is wrong with window-shopping! Many folks like to do it. Men normally do not like it.
A man once said to his wife - "Why do you call it shopping? You never buy anything." She replied - Well, why do you call it fishing? You never catch anything!"
As Christians, we need to do more than window-shop with God’s promises. We need to appropriate them. This morning I want us to see what it was that enabled this 85-year-old man to possess that which God had promised him. Caleb is a type of the Christian who 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 too can claim our part of Canaan and walk in victory every day of our lives! Allow me to speak to you for a little while about Caleb: The Gray-haired Conqueror.
I. Caleb’s commitment. (Vs. 8, 9, 14)
A. The first key to Caleb’s success was that God had all of Caleb that there was!
1. Notice the repeated phrase that Caleb “followed the Lord God fully.”
2. This statement is made about Caleb six times in the Old Testament.
a) This phrase means, “To close the gap.”
b) It is a phrase that is often used by hunters to refer to their closing the gap between themselves and their prey.
c) Here in our text, it refers to Caleb being committed to keeping the distance between him and the Lord to an absolute minimum.
d) We, like Caleb, should be dedicated to fully and wholly following the Lord.
e) (Illustration) When Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure that success of his military venture. Ordering his men to halt on the edge of the Cliffs of Dover, he commanded them to look down at the water below. To their amazement, they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat! Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer! And that is exactly what they did. Too many Christians have left themselves some sort of an escape hatch back into the old life of sin. We need to burn every bridge that leads back to the old life and set our minds to the task of conquering our Canaan.
f) Matthew 16:24 says, (NASB) “24Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (AMP) “24Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].”
g) When Jesus used this picture of his followers taking up their crosses to follow him, the disciples knew what he meant.
h) Crucifixion was a common Roman method of execution, and condemned criminals had to carry their crosses through the streets to the execution site.
i) Following Jesus, therefore, meant a true commitment, the risk of death, and no turning back.
B. Half-hearted Christians are faint-hearted Christians and they never learn to conquer the giants in their lives.
1. (Illustration) The story is told of a man who rode in his car as it was being towed to be repaired. When they arrived at the repair shop, the tow truck driver told him, "I didn’t think I was going to make it up that big hill." The man replied, "I didn’t either. That’s why I kept the brakes on so we wouldn’t roll backwards." To live without total dedication to Jesus Christ is the same as trying to go forward and to hold back at the same time.
2. James 1:8 says, (KJV) “8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (AMP) “8[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].”
a) There is only one way to stand up against the devil and the hordes of hell and that is to be totally surrendered to Jesus.
3. (Illustration) In his book One Crowded Hour, Tim Bowden describes an incident in Borneo in 1964. Nepalese fighters known as Gurkhas were asked if they would be willing to jump from airplanes into combat against the Indonesians. The Gurkhas did not clearly understand what was involved, but they bravely said they would do it, asking only that the planes fly slowly over a swampy area and no higher than 100 feet. When they were told that the parachutes would not have time to open at that height, the Gurkhas replied, "Oh, you didn’t mention parachutes before!"
a) Jesus calls us to follow Him with a similar kind of commitment and courage, willing to risk all for His sake.
4. (Illustration) C. H. Spurgeon told about the deep love and devotion French soldiers had for their leader Napoleon. He noted that it was not at all unusual for a mortally wounded soldier to raise himself up on one elbow and give a final cheer to his revered General. In addition, if by chance the dying man saw Napoleon nearby, he would, with his final breath, shout, "Vive l’Emprereur!" Perhaps one of the most eloquent expressions of all, however, came from the lips of a soldier who had been shot in the chest. As the surgeon was attempting to remove the bullet, the suffering man was heard to whisper, "If you go much deeper, Doctor, you’ll come to the Emperor!" Spurgeon commented, "He had him on his heart." If a man as notorious as Napoleon could be the object of such undying devotion, how much more should Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, be an object of our devotion!
C. The man who kneels before God in submission can stand before anybody or anything.
1. (Illustration) In the former Soviet Union several years ago, there was a house church that had to meet in secret to avoid reprisals from the communist government. One Sunday these believers arrived inconspicuously in small groups throughout the day so as not to arouse the suspicion of KGB informers. By dusk, they were all safely inside, windows closed, and doors locked. They began by singing a hymn quietly but with deep emotion. Suddenly, the door was pushed open and in walked two soldiers with loaded automatic weapons at the ready. One shouted, all right--everybody line up against the wall. If you wish to renounce your commitment to Jesus Christ, leave now!’ Two or three quickly left, then another. After a few more seconds, two more. ’This is your last chance. Either turn against your faith in Christ,’ he ordered, ‘or stay or suffer the consequences.’ Another left. Finally, two more in embarrassed silence with their faces covered slipped out into the night. No one else moved. Parents with small children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly. They fully expected to be gunned down or, at best, be imprisoned. "After a few moments of complete silence, the other soldier closed the door, looked back at those who stood against the wall and said, ’Keep your hands up-but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church several weeks ago to arrest a group of believers...’ The other soldier interrupted, ’But, instead, we were converted! We have learned by experience, however, that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted."
2. Our commitment to Christ affects all our other relationships.
3. The more devoted we are to Jesus, the more faithful we will be to our church, family, and friends.
D. All that Jesus wants from us is our total commitment.
1. Anything less than total commitment will prevent you from being victorious in every area of your life.
2. (Illustration) President Eisenhower told this tale, "An old farmer had a cow that we wanted to buy. We went over to visit him and asked about the cow’s pedigree. The old farmer did not know what ’pedigree’ meant, so we asked him about the cow’s butterfat production. He told us that he did not have any idea. Finally, we asked him if he knew how many pounds of milk the cow produced each year. The farmer shook his head and said, ’I don’t know, but she’s an honest old cow, and she’ll give you all the milk she has!"’
3. God’s people need to be like that old cow. We need to give everything we have for Him.
4. This comes down to one truth.
a) If you, like Caleb, will close the gap between yourself and Him.
b) If you will pursue God with every fiber of your being, He will do the same toward you.
c) James 4:7, 8 says, (NASB) “7Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (AMP) “7So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you. 8Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].”
II. Caleb’s confidence (V. 12)
A. What was it that gave 85 year old Caleb the idea he could be a giant killer?
1. Caleb’s confidence was in the Word of God. (Vs. 10 and 12)
2. Deuteronomy 1:34-36 says, (NASB) “34 "Then the LORD heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, 35’Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, 36except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the LORD fully.’”
3. Caleb had seen the Promised Land and for 45 years, that vision had burned in his heart as he wandered through the wilderness!
4. While others complained, Caleb looked for a mountain where milk and honey flowed and where the grapes of Eschol grew.
5. He was able to see beyond his circumstances into the promises of the Lord.
a) Faith is not just positive thinking.
b) Faith is not just optimism.
c) Faith is not just looking on the bright side.
d) Faith is simply acting on what the Word of God says.
e) Faith is more than saying that you believe; it is acting on what you believe.
f) Hebrews 11:1 says, (KJV) “1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (AMP) “1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”
6. It takes faith to win the spiritual victory.
7. In fact, faith in God alone can give us the victory we seek.
a) Hebrews 11:6 says, (KJV) “6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (AMP) “6But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].”
8. Faith is never a blind leap, but it is instead a deep settled conviction that God will do what He has promised!
III. Caleb’s courage
A. Commitment led to confidence - confidence to courage.
1. Caleb had to scale 3 great obstacles in his quest for his Canaan.
B. Caleb had to overcome grasshoppers.
1. Numbers 14:33 says, (NASB) “3 "There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
2. For Caleb to claim what God had promised he had to go against the majority.
3. Jesus was usually alone in everything He did!
4. The Cants and the Canters will always surround the people of true faith.
5. There will always be someone saying that it cannot be done, it has never been done like that before, we cannot afford it, etc.
6. Sometimes you will stand alone, but if you are standing on the Word of God in the will of God, then you were never in better company!
C. Caleb had to overcome giants.
1. Numbers 14:6-9 says, (NASB) “6Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, "The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 "If the LORD is pleased with 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; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them."”
2. All of us have giants in our lives.
a) Giants of discouragement.
b) Giants of finances.
c) Giants of sickness.
d) Giants of family problems.
e) Giants of distress.
f) Giants of doubt.
g) The truth is - we cannot defeat them ourselves.
h) We have 2 options in dealing with the giants of our lives.
3. We can say look how small we are compared to those giants.
a) This is the outlook of fear!
b) 2nd Timothy 1:7 says, (KJV) “7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (AMP) “7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”
4. Alternatively, we can say look how small those giants are compared to God!
a) This is the up look of faith!
b) Philippians 4:13 says, (KJV) “13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (AMP) “13I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].”
c) Ephesians 3:20 says, (KJV) “20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (AMP) “20Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].”
d) Matthew 28:18 says, (KJV) “18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (AMP) “18Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, all authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
e) Fighting giants is also good for you.
f) Giants are bread for the children of God.
g) Numbers 14:9 says, (KJV) “9Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.”
D. Caleb had to overcome gray hairs. (Vs. 10, 11)
1. When God makes a promise, he will give us the strength to see its fulfillment!
2. Never count God, or yourself out.
3. True faith looks beyond the present circumstance and sees the provision of the Almighty!
4. "Comedian Jerry Clower once told a story about Uncle Versie Ledbetter who had a mule named Della. One day Della fell into a cistern Uncle Versie thought he had covered up but had not. "Uncle Versie had a problem. There was his best mule down at the bottom of that cistern and no way he could get the mule out of there. He did not want her to stay down there and starve to death, so he decided he would get a shovel and cover her up. It would be cruel, but it would not be as cruel and inhumane as to let Della starve to death in the bottom of that deep cistern. Uncle Versie took a shovelful of dirt and threw it down into the cistern and every time a shovelful of dirt hit old Della, she would shake the dirt off and stomp it. It was not long before Della had shaken off enough dirt and stomped it so that she was high enough to jump out of the cistern.
5. We are like that mule--either our problems will bury us or we can keep trampling them down until we rise above them.
E. When you boil all the fat away, courage can be defined in a three letter word: YES!
1. All real Christian courage really is, is the willingness to say "Yes!" to God’s call in your life.
IV. Caleb’s conquest (Vs. 13, 14)
A. Caleb experienced what God had promised!
B. He climbed the mountains and he defeated the giants - he claimed his possession.
C. The name of the place Caleb inherited was named Hebron.
1. This means "Fellowship.”
2. Caleb refused to quit until he had obtained everything the Lord has for him!
3. He refused to stop until he had obtained that place of fellowship with God.
4. That should be our battle cry this morning!
a) We ought to refuse to give up, back up, or shut up or be held up, until we have stood up, lined up, read up, prayed up, confessed up, stored up, spoke up, looked up, and filled up on everything the Lord wants to give His children!
b) We ought to settle for nothing less than that place of perfect fellowship with the Lord our God!
5. What about you, have you entered your Canaan and claimed your possession?
6. It is not God’s will for you to wander around in the wilderness of defeat forever.
7. It is His will that you walk in victory and in His power.
8. 1st Corinthians 15:57 says, (NASB) “57but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (AMP) “57But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
9. 2nd Corinthians 2:14 says, (KJV) “14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.” (NASB) “14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” (AMP) “14But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere.”
D. There will be trials.
1. God had: a flood for Noah.
2. A fire for the 3 Hebrew children.
3. A lion’s den for Daniel.
4. A cake for the widow.
5. And a cross for Jesus.
6. Nevertheless, there was victory in the midst of each trial for these and there will be victory for you as well!
Conclusion: Where are you in your personal walk with the Lord this morning? Have you entered into your Canaan, or are you wandering around in the wilderness still struggling day to day? God has a place of peace and power for you, but you must be willing the claim your possession. It is not for the fainthearted, but it is for the faith hearted. Come claim your Canaan right now! You see, there is a vast difference between a promise and a possession! God promised Israel the land, but they had to possess t before it became theirs. Hey, God has victory for His child, which is His promise! However, that promise must be actively pursued and possessed before it will ever become a reality.
Some of you are not even saved this morning. There is nothing for you to do, but to come to the Lord Jesus and bow before him confessing your sins and then receive Him into your heart as your personal Savior. Your greatest need is to be saved by the grace of God!
