Sunday Morning, December 5th, 2004
Let us pray
Welcome.....
We are now in the final month of the year 2004, and today is the second Sunday of the
Advent season. It is a time of cel-e-bra-tion of our Lord’s coming to earth as God In-car-
nate; God in the flesh. Last Sunday we talked about The Eternal Word, and we said if
people want to know what God is like they can look at Je-sus; and if people want to know
what Je-sus is like they should be able to look at you and at me.
In our Bible class last Wednesday night, Sis. Kitchen challenged us to live holy lives.We
are called out from the world, and sent back into the world to be a witness for our Lord.
We were reminded that somebody is watching the way we live, and so we should let our
light shine in a darkened world. Our key verse for this year is taken from Matthew 5 verse
16, and it says, Let your light so shine...................................Our theme for the year is,
Glorifying God, everything we do, and everything we say should be done to glorify God.
How well are you glorifying God as a child of God? ........elaborate....
Even though we are in the Advent season, we are going to take a slight detour, and we
will be looking at Numbers 13 verses 25 through 33 as our Scripture reading for today.
This is found on page 5 of your bulletin. Let’s all stand and read together. Please tell
someone, It’s alright to believe God.
I will be using as my to-pic for to-day, Whose Report will you believe? Number
One.........Will you believe the negative report of the majority? or Number Two......Will
you believe the positive report of the minority?
Today we are hearing all kinds of reports, and it is important as to whose report will you
believe. We listen to the weather report which might say, today you will be having
scattered snow fall in the evening, and by tomorrow morning you will be having 6 to 8
inches of snow, so if you don’t have to go outside, it is best to stay inside. God has given
you a special assignment for tomorrow, and God has assured you that you will have a fair
day, it will be cold, but there will be no snow.Whose report will you believe, the weather
report or God? You have prayed to God for your son who has been diagnosed with
cancer, and God has told you that he would be alright, but the doctors have told you he
has only 6 more months to live. Whose report will you believe, the doctor’s report or
God? You have no money to do your shopping at Christmas time to buy those things that
are needed, your friends have told you to give up because God has forgotten you; but God
has promised to supply your needs. Whose report will you believe? Your friends report
or God? You are somewhat discouraged as you come to the house of God, and see just a
few people, someone whispered to you, what’s the use, but God told you he will not leave
you nor forsake you and everything will be alright. Whose report will you belive? That
someone or the word of God?
People today like to go along with the ma-jority. They like to go along with those who are
in-flu-en-tial. They like to go along with those who think they know, but I prefer to go
along with what God says, and believe his report.........elaborate..
In our text for today we find 10 men giving a negative report, and 2 men giving a positive
report, and the majority prevailed. Twelve men were commissioned from each tribe of the
children of Israel to go and search out the land of Canaan, and to bring back a report.
After searching out the land for 40 days, in verse 25 of our text they returned. Forty days
must have been a long time to be waiting for a report. Most of us would have become
impatient, most of us would have given up waiting.
In Exodus 3 verse 8 God had made a promise to the children of Israel while they were in
bondage in Egypt, and we read these words, And I am come down to deliver them out
of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land
and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.... The Children of Israel were
delivered from Egypt, and the time has come for the fulfilment of God’s promise. The
spies have gone into the land of Canaan, and they are now back to give their report. In
verse 27 of our text 10 of the spies started to give their report. (read verse 27) Moses we
have been to the land of Canaan, and it is true that the land does flow with milk and
honey. This land is a fruitful land, and we have brought back some of the fruit to show
you Moses we have no doubt that this is a fruitful land. We have no doubt that this is a
prosperous land. We have no doubt that this is s good land, nevertheless; wait a minute;
but....Moses the land is good! But!.. Moses the land is truly flowing with milk and
honey! But! The land would be a great place to inhabit! But! We cannot reach our full
poetntial, if everytime we try to go forward there is a but in our life. These 10 spies were
saying, as we searched the land for 40 days, we came to realize that there are giants in the
land. The children of Anak are there. On the south-side are the Am-a-lek-ites. In the
mountains are the Hit-tites, and the Jeb-u-sites and the Am-or-ites. By the seaside and by
the coast of Jordan are the Ca-naan-ites. Moses things look so bad that in the sight of the
sons of Anak, we were like grasshoppers. Moses there are giants in the land.
What caused these 10 men to bring back a negative report? They surely must have known
of the promises of God, but they must have forgotten or just did not believe. When they
arrived on the land they found it just as God said, flowing with milk and honey, but they
still did not believe. These 10 men had lost faith in the promises of God, and they were
paralyzed with fear. In their fear they fell into the trap of thinking that it all depended on
them, and failed to rely on God. Saints of God, we cannot rely on ourselves, we must
know how to trust God. In ourselves we will fail, but God never fail. Martin Luther who
lived in the 15th to the 16th century, wrote these words, Did we in our own strength
confide, Our striving would be losing, Were not the right man on our side, The man
of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Je-sus it is he, Lord Sab-
a-oth His name, From age to age the same, And he must win the battle. These 10 men
for forty days searched our the land, they looked at the promised land, and instead of
believing God, they looked at themselves and said we can’t do it..........elaborate...
In that group of 12 men were two men, Caleb and Joshua. They had traveled the same
road, they had walked the same path, they had seen the same things, the land flowing with
milk and honey, and the giants in the land, but they saw things differently. Let’s look at
verse 30 of our text (read) Caleb was saying to Moses, yes there are giants in the land,
but we are not afraid, so let’s go at once and possess the land. Moses there is no time to
wait around, let’s go now. Somehow Caleb and Joshua knew that if God made a promise
he will keep his promise, and victory is guaranteed. Caleb and Joshua knew about the
God whom they serve, but so often we forget as to who God really is. I want somebody
to know today that we serve a God who is all powerful, a God who can do anything. We
serve a God who made this world out of nothing, by just saying, let there be. God don’t
need me, and God don’t need you, but we all need God. Sometimes we act as if we don’t
need God, but we all need God, so let’s stop acting, and start believing
God.......elaborate...
These two men who believed God had not for-gotten that only 2 years ago they were
slaves in Egypt. They had not for-gotten how God by his mighty hand had divided the
Red Sea. They had not for-gotten where God had brought them from. When Joshua and
Caleb saw the land, when they re-mem-ber of the mighty power of God, when they
realized who they were serving, they were able to say with the assurance, Let us go up at
once, and possess it. We can surely do it! The Lord will give it to us! It is time for the
people of God to start speaking out with con-fi-dence, and start believing God. It is time
for God’s people to realize that greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
It is time for us to realize that no weapon formed against God’s people shall prosper. I
am not afraid because I am resting on the promises of God, and I am comforted by the
Word of God. David writes in Psalm 27 verse 1, The Lord,(not man) is my light and
my salvation: whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life: of whom shall I
be afraid? Caleb and Joshua believed God, they had the confidence that the Lord was
with them, and they relied on the promises of God. When David saw Goliath, he saw a
giant that would stumble and fall. He saw a giant that would be defeated. This same
David writes, When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came up to eat up
my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Saints you do not have to be afraid, because you have
God on your side...........elaborate...
When you are given two conflicting reports, whose report will you believe? Over three
thousand years ago, the people of God were faced with the choice of 2 reports. One report
was a report of courage, a report of hope, a report of complete de-pen-dency upon God,
let us go up at once and posess it. The other report was a report of fear, and not
believing God’s promises. God’s people instead of relying on the promises of God, instead
of believing God, they chose the message of despair and doubt, and because of this choice
they were punished. They could have entered the Promised Land 2 years after leaving
Egypt, but because of their unbelief they wandered around in the wilderness. Let’s turn to
Numbers 14 verses 33 and 34 (read)
As we strive to live for the Lord; as we strive to glorify God in the things that we do, as
we strive to be at our very best for the Lord, we too will receive conflicting reports. The
question is, Whose report will you believe? Ten men saw the land; ten men realized the
promises of God were true; but these ten men did not believe God, and so brought a bad
report. Two men saw the land; two men believed the promises of God, and they brought a
good report. I believe God is looking for some Calebs and Joshuas who will truly believe
God. Pastor that is a very good idea. It’s a noble task, we should be doing more
witnessing, "But the job is too big, the road is too long, the hill is too steep, so we might
as well turn back."
So many of God’s people when they have been challenged to share the gospel with
someone who is lost, stop and listen to that bad report. Yes, it’s a great idea to pass out
flyers at Wall-greens inviting people to our church, it’s a great idea to tell someone about
the Lord, I agree that people certainly need the Lord, But. we are weak, we can’t speak;
they wont listen to us; they will think we are strange. These same folks who are saying
they can’t speak; these same folks who are saying they are fearful, let someone rub them
the wrong way, and it is possible you might hear a piece of their mind. Let them go to a
baseball game, or a football game, and their team hits a home run, or score a touch down,
you would be surprise of how that very quiet person would react...........
God has blessed us here at Harvey, and God has given us another chance. For 7 years we
have been struggling. For 7 years we have gone through the famine. For 7 years we have
gone through the drought, but God has given us a break-through, God has answered our
prayers, the question is, what are we going to do? God’s people could have entered the
Promised Land after 2 years out of Egypt, but because of unbelief, for 38 more years they
wandered around in the wilderness. I believe God is saying to his church here at Harvey,
there is no need to wander around in the wilderness, but it is time to possess the land. It is
time to start witnessing to lost souls. it is time to get involve in the work of the Lord. It is
time get out of our four walls, get out of our comfortable pew, get out of our nice soft
beds, and fluffy pillows, turn off the TV and get out and be a witness for the Lord. It’s
time to stop doing our own thing, and be involved in ministry.
Someone has said this, and I quote, "If we had a list of all the churches throughout the
years who failed in their work for the kingdom because they allowed in-ti-mi-da-tion to
stop them dead in their tracks, I am sure the list would be staggering and very sobering.
We’d see countless lists of; Communities that were not reached; Buildings that were not
built; Lessons that were not taught; Visits that were not made; fellowship that was not
shared; And souls that were not saved." end of quote.
Saints of God, we need to have the faith like Caleb and Joshua, and believe God even
when out numbered. If we truly want to advance the kingdom of God, if we truly want to
please God in everything that we do, we must remember that we are not alone, and God is
right there to help us.
On this second Sunday of Advent, I believe God is looking for some Calebs and Joshuas
who will truly trust God even when the odds are against them. God is looking for some
Calebs and Joshuas who will put their complete trust in God. God is looking for some
Calebs and Joshuas who will be faithful to the end. God is looking for some Calebs and
Joshuas who will stand up for the truth and will not run away from the truth. It is
interesting to note, that everyone who left Egypt, died in the wilderness except Caleb and
Joshua who believed God.
Maybe you have had some conflicting reports, and you are not sure what to believe, why
not believe God? Maybe someone told you that God don’t love you, but there in the bible
it says, For God so love the world; Whose report will you believe? Maybe someone told
you that you are a nobody, and you will not amount to anything, but God in his words
tells you that he is not willing for anyone to perish; Whose report will you believe? If
you are not saved God is saying to Come unto me, ...........elaborate.........If you are saved,
and you want to continue in the footsteps of that of Caleb and Joshua, by truly believing
God, then you can come and ask God for that needed strength..........elaborate.......
Let us stand
Call to discipleship
Closing song/prayer
