(23) And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. (26) And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. (27) And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
I. I am one of those that sees God’s Word differently, especially when it comes to the Old Testament. I love to see beyond the words on the pages and see a bigger picture. There’s a research and hacking term called “data mining”. Data mining is the process of sorting through large data sets to identify patterns and establish relationships to solve problems through data analysis or in the case of programming finding lines of code that were either discarded or stored away for a future reveal (Fortnite example). You could say that when it comes to scripture I am “revelatory mining” God’s word to find those deeper hidden nuggets.
A. When you do a little “revelatory mining” of my text, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. That had to be a large cluster of grapes, because the grapes I buy I can carry in my hand without the assistants of someone else and I don’t need a pole to get them out of the grocery store but the bigger question is who were the two men that carried the grapes?
1. You know the story they come back and tell the people that the land surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it, everyone is excited until they throw a “but” in there, Nevertheless (KJV for “but”) the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled. Now everyone is doubting and sowing it among themselves. Except Caleb speaks up and says, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” I believe the reason why Caleb made such a bold proclamation is because he and Joshua were the ones that carried the grapes.
2. How did I come to that conclusion, well the sad ending to this chapter in the history of Israel is that the people chose to listen to the ten spies that said they were in their own sight as grasshoppers. And they suffered the consequences for it. They had to wander in the desert for 40 years, only wondering what it could have been like to have obeyed God and enjoy the land He promised them. Those who were over 20 years of age at the time would not live to enter the Promised Land 40 years later. Only Joshua and Caleb were exceptions to this punishment.
B. It really bothers me that those ten spies said they were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. They never spoke to a giant, the giants didn’t even know they were there; yet they saw themselves as grasshoppers and assumed that the giants would see them the same way; but why?
1. Why a grasshopper, there are much smaller insects they could have used to compare themselves too. They could have said they were like ants or flies but instead they said grasshoppers. I don’t believe this was a size issue but an attitude issue they were having. They didn’t call themselves locust, which are aggressive and work together, they called themselves grasshoppers the timid solitary cousin to the locust, which is known for its distinct green color which it uses to blend in with its surrenders and hide itself from its enemies; that is a prophetic word to the church at large because we are just trying to blend in and stay to ourselves until Jesus comes.
2. The Children of Israel got lazy they wanted everything without having to walk and exercise faith. They complained, got upset with their leadership, and forgot about what God had done from them. They wanted God to do it all for them so they wouldn’t have to do a thing, they saw their promise the one described as a “land of milk and honey” a land of abundance as work and decided that it wasn’t worth it. Somewhere along the way church has decided that God’s promises were not worth the fight that souls were not worth fighting for. Jesus called this church generation the “lukewarm” church; they can take it or leave it, don’t want to commit.
C. I am not talking to grasshoppers; I am talking to some believers that are like Joshua and Caleb. When I imagine those two carrying that cluster of grapes I see Caleb in front of the grapes; he has the cluster on his shoulders while Joshua is on the other end of that cluster.
1. I like seeing it this way because I can see Joshua in the rear trusting Caleb as he leads, but the whole time all he can see are the grapes. Every time they take a step he sees nothing but grapes, all the way back to the camp Joshua saw nothing but grapes. When he went up a hill and all the weight was on his shoulders bearing down on him; he could only see the grapes. When the trail got unstable and he almost lost his footing there was still the grapes right in front of him. That was a set up to"(Jos.1:2-5) Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you.
2. Do you hear what I am trying to tell you here; Joshua never saw the dangers before him and I would say he never really saw the giants because all he could see were grapes. When we place the promises of God before us, all hell is blocked and eschewed. His word is nothing but a declaration of promises and provisions that you need to stick out in front of your face. Let His promises block every attack of the enemy. “When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard (shield, buffer, safeguard) against him”, cause “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”, His word blocks “all the fiery darts of the wicked one”
3. When the promises are before you, it’ hard to hear a negative report. When the Dr. says it’s cancer; the word blocks the report with you are healed, before the boss man let me go I knew that God will supply all my needs, I may have been at the bottom of the meal barrel, but what was my last was God’s first in an endless supply, etc (God’s super to our natural)… weapons may form against you but they can’t prosper, weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning, the world is filled with tribulation but Jesus said He overcame it all. So what if a giants may be all around you; they don’t look so big when the promises are laid before you. Your faith in His word should magnify it to the place where all you see is His word. What happens to a balloon when you keep blowing it up; it keeps getting bigger and bigger. The same thing happens with His word, the more I speak it the bigger it gets.
a. That means wherever I go I am seeing the promises that, I am free from the law of sin and death, I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me, I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world, I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues. I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me , I can do all things through Christ Jesus, I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me , I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath , I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood ,I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom , I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty , I am healed by the stripes of Jesus, I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me, For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind, It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me.
II. Caleb was in front of the grapes so his only view was of the giants and all the obstacles before him, but he had the grapes on his shoulders so he knew their weight and knew the promise was worth carrying and obtaining.
A. When you have carried, tasted the promise (O taste and see that the LORD is good) you can’t let no one take that from you. Once you carried the promises of God around no devil in hell can take that from you. Just like the Giants for the children of Israel; there are giants we deal with; their mission is to keep you out of your blessing, and to keep you from enjoying the promises of God for your life.
1. The weight of the promise sits so heavy on you that you can’t let go no matter what is before you. I am not about to give up now knowing that I carried His promises this far.
2. Wherever you go you are taking that promise with you. I am carrying promises that He made available through His son so on the off chance a giant steps in I got a promise that I have been carrying around that will show itself bigger than any giant. I am not just carrying them for me and mine, I am carrying them for others. You got to make your boundaries personal; everywhere I go with the promises of God in my mouth, is setting up territories that belong to God; at the hospital I am blessing God setting up a place for healing, at the Dr. office receiving news that the cancer is back … (ex.)
a. I am carrying around Ps 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Ps 145:15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. 1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
b. I am carrying those word through many dangers, toils and snares, stepping in faith and not of sight. I am may be in a valley eclipsed by the shadow of the valley of death but I keep my eye on things above; from which comes all my help in the time of need. I know that He is faithful to fulfill His promises. I am carrying promises He made to me about my ministry, my family, my future, I am carrying healing for when I need it, miracles when I need them, etc…
c. The devil is like the wizard of Oz he puts up a good show of his power, he makes himself big and bad, but that’s just smoke and mirrors because he is just behind a curtain pulling the strings to make it look like he is more than you can handle but the reality is he is the one that we will look upon and say is this the one that gave us so much grief. God is and will always be bigger than any stronghold you face.
B. I love what God said about Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. If we are going to make it through today’s brokenness and backwards thinking; it is going to come through those that have a different spirit. Ones that say it can be done when everyone else says it can’t. We should be different, I want you to see that you are different and that there is no reason we should ever hold our heads down, we are not to walk in and live in fear but in power and might. We are not bound, we are free! When we are born into the family of God, we "participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires". We walk as Jesus walked, and He was out of step with this world's system, to say the least. This world relies on what it can see, but we walk by faith, not by sight.
1. We have a perspective not of this world. We, like Moses, endure because we see the unseen. Like faithful Abraham, the Christian lives "as in a foreign land … looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God". Like Jesus, we can be shown "all the kingdoms of the world and their glory," and, like Jesus, we can refuse it all.
2. We have treasures not of this world. We seek "a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys". Our riches are not material but eternal, "kept in heaven". The world wants it all now; we can wait for it.
3. We have weapons not of this world. Our enemy is spiritual, as are our weapons and tactics of battle. "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds".
4. We have power not of this world. We place our trust not in our own strength or earthly might but in the Spirit of God. "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God". We live with a paradox: "When I am weak, then I am strong" because "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
5. We have peace not of this world. Our peace in any situation comes straight from our Lord, the Prince of Peace: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you". Nothing can take that away.
6. We have a home not of this world. "Our citizenship is in heaven". Those who have lived and died in faith "acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth". This world was not their home, nor ours. We look forward to the Father's house, where there are "many rooms". "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come". Being "not of this world" means we have a higher that is, a heavenly calling, purpose, and destination. This world and its priorities are fading away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever. "What counts is the new creation".
III. At some point in your life as a believer. You have to make up your mind what you want in life (giants or grapes). Grapes = the promises, blessings, provisions, abundance of God. Giants = the enemies and the adversaries to the promises and the provisions of God. Giants are employed by the devil to resist you, frustrate you, and steal the promises of God for your life.
A. There are all kinds of giants: fear, insecurity, inferiority, sickness, debt, depression, worry, anxiety, stress, family problems (and the list goes on and on). Whatever name you put on them, their mission is to keep you out of your blessing, and to keep you from enjoying the promises of God for your life.
1. In life, you are either going to have giants or grapes, but you can't have both that means: either the Giants are going to occupy your thoughts and capture your attention and decide your actions and control your life or the grapes will.
2. If you are motivated and energized and driven by the grapes, the giants won’t be any problem. But if you are controlled and manipulated and dominated by the giants, then you will never taste the grapes.
3. When you seek the promises of God, you will scare some people; (you will talk big, you will think big, you will plan big, you will worship big, you will give big). You will make bold statements, like Joshua and Caleb; you will boldly declare; we are well able to take the land, we are well able to do what God said, we can do it.
B. When you are aggressive in your faith, and when you become bold in your confession. You are going to attract attention (you are going to stir people up). Your greatest enemies, are not going to be in the world or of the world. The greatest enemies to bold courageous grape grabbing giant killing faith are going to be sitting close by in the church: and they are the ones with giants in their eyes. Joshua and Caleb were ready to go get what belonged to them but all it took was 10 of their brethren to smash the dream.
1. All they can see is giants, all they can talk about are the Giants, all they can see is the bad economy, the dwindling social security, and the health insurance problems and high gas prices, all they can see is the negative, and they have decided that it's not worth it. And they will fight you, and they will criticize you, and they will persecute you, and they will do everything they can to hinder you and keep you from moving forward and possessing the greater blessing.
2. They are being held prisoner by a giant mentality. (They are slaves in giant prison).These are the ones who will resist you and resent you for breaking out the giant prison. They will criticize you and do everything they can to discourage your faith. All they see is the flood the enemy brings, they don’t bother to acknowledge the standard that God can raise up.
3. We get excited about our promises, but all it takes is someone (a grasshopper believer or non-believer) to come in and tell you it can’t be done. I know God can heal, but. I know God can deliver, but. I know God can save, but. I know God can open the door, but. I know God can, but. That one little word has robbed people of their faith. Stolen their health robbed them of their dreams, kept them from their miracle and slammed the door shut to the promises of God. How many times have we stood on the border of our promised land, and failed to take possession, because we couldn’t believe God was able due to someone always putting their “but” on our promise. They will sit down on your word and camp out.
4. This is the state of the Church we think that we have maxed out and seen our best days, we think that everything in tongues has been said, the best dance in the spirit has already been done, there is no need to prophesy since we know that Jesus is coming back, why seek the miraculous, the promises when we can stay seated and get it through a drive through or click of a button on our computers and smart devices. We got to work, there are requirements and actions needed for the miraculous, get up, go wash, show yourself, etc. James said Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Faith without works is dead.
5. Thomas Edison once said that opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. The fact is that opportunity is everywhere. You only have to look at every situation a little differently – without preconceived notions. They passed on their promise because they didn’t see the big picture of what God was giving them. Man has a tendency to not see beyond; such as the case for…
• Decca Recording Company passed on the Beatles, saying “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”
• In 1975 one of Kodak’s main engineers invented a digital camera but they saw that as a threat to their film business and suppressed the technology. Since the digital boom they fought to stay out of bankruptcy.
• In 2000, Netflix CEO offered to sell their business to Blockbuster for 50 million, they declined the offer and laughed at him. Today Netflix is valued at more than $70 billion. Blockbuster Video has one store left in the U.S.
• Shaq was offered a chance to buy in to Starbucks but was less keen on the idea, he declined the offer saying: "Black people don't drink coffee so I don't think it's going to work." He now claims it was one of the worst business decisions of his life.
C. Like Joshua and Caleb, you have to be able to say to these people: I love you, but I don't agree with you. I love you, but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life in a giant prison just to make you happy.
1. It’s time for Christians to stop worrying about the White House and get their focus back on God’s House; that’s where change happens; how about we make the Kingdom Great Again, now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Once you taste the grapes. The Giants don't matter anymore, giants are just something you have to deal with to get the grapes. When you fill your eyes and shoulders with the promises of God. The problems in your life become very small. We need to separate ourselves from those that say it can’t be done and declare I am not with them. You ever been around embarrassing people, you are quick to let others know you are not with them. That’s how I feel about some Christians and churches. I am not with those that are like the 10 and don’t have anything good to say and can’t see God anymore; they are an embarrassment to the Kingdom.
D. I am calling all that have a different spirit to stand and be accounted for and say enough is enough we are taking it back, I am a child of God, and it all belongs to me. I am on official duty today to proclaim that you have access to power from on high; to make a difference. You have carried the promises, you have seen the promises before you, now march in and take all that belongs to you.
1. If it has been awhile and you don’t have a cluster of grapes to hold on to then it’s time to not only grab a cluster but to reside where the cluster came from. It’s not just about one person getting their promise, Caleb said, we are well able to overcome it. It wasn’t just about his mountain; he wanted everyone to have theirs. I want you all blessed. I don’t want giants as my neighbors just because someone missed theirs.
