We Are As Grasshoppers In Their Sight

"We are as grasshoppers in their sight"

Deuteronomy 1:1-6

(Prayer)

The underlying theme of the book that I hold in my hand is that Our Heavenly Father, Almighty God, wants to give us the good things in life and bless us not according to what we deserve but instead according to his riches in heaven. At the creation of mankind in Genesis 1:26, we were originally created to have dominion over the whole earth and everything in the earth but sin came into the world causing us to die and eat only from the sweat of our brow because of the curse placed on Earth. Yet throughout history God has still chosen to find and bless those with a heart to believe in him…

Enoch was taken up to heaven and never died

Noah was rescued because he loved the Lord

Abraham was chosen because he had faith

Joseph saved the family because God never left him

God wants his people to have faith in him and to believe that he desires to bless his children, but also throughout history we must recognize that UNBELIEF AND DOUBT has always caused us to miss the mark of God’s intentions for us.

(1) In the gospel as recorded by Matthew 13:58 Jesus himself was unable to do many miracles because of UNBELIEF

(2) Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God for we must believe that he is and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him

There have been those in scripture that believed God and had faith that God was in control but this morning I’d like to talk to the church and to the individuals here that doubt God is still able to do everything written in this Living Word of God. Moses had faith and Rahab had faith and Elijah and Elisha and on and on I might go but until we cross from this ground we’re standing on right now to the other side, OUR FAITH WILL NOT GROW AND WE WON’T EXPERIENCE THE SUPERNATURAL PRESENCE OF THE BLESSINGS OF GOD.

· Note with me that these are the children of those who have died in the desert because of their doubt and unbelief. When they were originally brought to the border of the promised land just this side of the Jordan river, they sent in twelve spies to survey the land and it was a good land because they came back each and every one with a good report of the unspeakable, uncontainable blessings of a Holy and righteous God. They saw that this was indeed everything that God had told them it was BUT TEN OF THOSE TWELVE EXPLORERS NOTICED THE SIZE OF THE ENEMY WAITING TO BE DEFEATED.

· WE ARE AS GRASSHOPPERS IN THEIR SIGHT

Numbers 13:32-33 tells us the whole story of the mistakes made just this side of glory but to sum it all up quickly, THEY REFUSED TO HAVE FAITH THAT GOD WAS IN CONTROL.

Think about who these people were… they had seen God bring plague and hardship on the nation of Egypt and been delivered completely from slavery. They walked on dry ground through the Red Sea and were fed manna and quail from heaven, given water from a rock and god had even taken this ragtag bunch of nobodies and made them into a great army defeating armies of other kings.

Yet for all they have experienced about God, for the good report they could have given at testimony time, they lacked the faith to enter the promised land. They looked only at the size of the obstacle and the threat of the enemy instead of fixing their eyes on

Jesus and following him.

WHY DO WE DO THAT? WHY DO WE TAKE OUR EYES OFF THE ONE WHO CAN WALK ON WATER WHEN THE STORM IS RAGING ALL AROUND US?

You may sit here today and say I live a pretty good life Brother Mike so I must be in the promised land you’re preaching about…

Matthew 6:25-34 (read) Jesus said that our needs will be met and we’ll be provided for, can you see that? We spend most of our lives chasing these things and looking for the hand of God, for the provision of a father for his children’s physical needs. YET GOD WANTS TO GIVE US SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. GOD WANTS US TO EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE AND FELLOWSHIP. JESUS WANTS US TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND BE HIS FRIEND SO WE CAN BE LIKE HIM. THE HOLY SPIRIT WANTS TO EMPOWER US AND FILL US WITH GRACE SO THAT WE CAN BE A LIGHTHOUSE TO A LOST AND DYING WORLD AROUND US. GOD WANTS US TO PRAY AND THEN SEE OUR PRAYERS ANSWERED. HE WANTS US TO LAY HANDS ON THE SICK AND DYING AND SEE THEM HEALED. JESUS WANTS US TO CAST OUT DEMONS AND REJOICE THAT OUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN THE HIS BOOK OF LIFE…