WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:01.280 Well, good morning. 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:11.359 I want to talk about something today that's been on my mind and my heart for a few weeks in light of all the victories that we're seeing about around Kingsland. 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:12.640 You know this is not normal, right? 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:14.320 God's been so good to us. 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:32.799 And one of the great dangers of any church in a season like this is that we would settle for what we have or what has already been, rather than asking the Lord to do whatever it is that he has for us, even if it's uncomfortable. 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:37.520 And so thank you for stepping outside of your comfort zone here at Kingsland during the season. 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:44.880 But more than that, I want to ask the question in each of our lives: what does it take to have courageous faith? 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:47.359 To take that courageous step. 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:48.960 That's what we're going to talk about today. 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:52.960 Would you turn your Bibles to the book of Numbers, chapter 13? 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:59.600 In your Old Testament, the book of Numbers, if you don't have a Bible with you, they're available all around the room in the seat backs in front of you. 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:03.280 And so you don't have a, if you're in the back row, somebody else can hand you one. 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:06.640 But it sure is nice to look on even as we look at God's word. 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:09.280 As you're turning, I want to mention a couple of items. 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:10.799 First of all, men. 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:19.439 Wednesday, September the 9th, we will gather for a meeting of the men right here in the worship center on that Wednesday. 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:27.599 And that will kick off our shaped at home emphasis that involves a series of sermons and also some men's Bible studies and our community group lessons. 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:29.200 And so I'm really looking forward to that. 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:35.280 But I want to encourage you, clear off the calendar, stop whatever else you're going to do, be with us Wednesday, September the 9th. 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:40.719 Ladies, if you have a man in your life, give him a strong elbow and say, hey, you need to be there, okay? 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:43.920 Encourage him to be with us on September the 9th. 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:51.280 And second, I'm grateful for this little brochure you can pick up in the lobby today that says every seat has a story. 00:01:51.439 --> 00:02:03.439 I've been telling you for the last few weeks that I've just been praying for the new worship center and the new courts, which will be in here in terms of the seats and those who are going to sit in those seats and asking the Lord to provide. 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:10.159 So would you pick this up and consider and pray through your part in the miracle that's taking place around us? 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:13.919 Let me give you the context of Numbers chapter 13. 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:17.599 Israel has spent centuries waiting for this moment. 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:20.639 God has delivered them from bondage in Egypt. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:24.080 God has carried them through the Red Sea. 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:30.240 God has sustained them in the wilderness, and now they stand on the very edge of the promised land. 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:33.520 This land that God had told them would be theirs. 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:40.400 And Moses sends 12 leaders out into the land to spy out what is there. 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:41.759 They're going to scout. 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:44.800 That's when we find ourselves in Numbers 13, verse 1. 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:47.039 You look on as I read. 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:58.879 Send one man who is a leader among them from each of their ancestral tribes. 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:03.520 Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the Lord's command. 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:06.080 All the men were leaders in Israel. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:09.199 Then allow me to summarize the next part for now. 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:13.439 Verses 4 through 16 list the names of those twelve who are sent. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:17.759 And then in verses 17 through 25, Moses sends them to survey the land. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:24.639 Forty days later they return, and they're carrying incredible fruit and evidence of the land. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:28.319 But the report has two very different perspectives. 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:34.560 There are 10 that give a majority report that's negative, and two that give a minority report that says we can go. 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:38.400 How many of you know that the majority isn't always right? 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:39.520 Did you know that? 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:41.280 Well, that's what we see here. 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:42.960 Look at verse 27. 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:47.680 They reported to Moses, We went into the land where you sent us. 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:51.520 Indeed, it is flowing with milk and honey, and here is some of its fruit. 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:52.479 It should have stopped there. 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:55.919 There's the end, but it doesn't, because we have this terrible word. 00:03:56.159 --> 00:04:04.560 However, in verse 28, however, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:07.280 We also saw the descendants of Anak there. 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:17.360 The Amalekites are living in the land of the Negev, the Hephites, the Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country, and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan. 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:27.519 Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, Let's go up now and take possession of the land, because we can certainly conquer it. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:34.480 But the men who had gone up with him responded, We can't attack the people because they are stronger than we are. 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:39.600 So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they scouted. 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:48.160 The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:50.480 We even saw the Nephilim there. 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:53.439 The descendants of Anak come from the Nephilium. 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:58.800 To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them. 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:02.160 So, we summarize chapter 14. 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:09.839 In chapter 14, the people were in full panic mode, so much so that they longed for the quote, good old days back in Egypt. 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:12.560 They said, if only we'd have just died in Egypt. 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:20.079 Then they say, if only we just died in the wilderness, be careful what you ask for, because that's exactly what is going to happen. 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:27.120 Joshua and Caleb try one more time in chapter 14 to convince them, and then the deal is done. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:30.560 The children of Israel miss the blessing. 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:41.839 How is it that 10 can come back with such a negative report, and two can experience the very same thing and come back with a positive report? 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.920 How is it that two people can experience the same set of circumstances in life? 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:51.839 One ends up responding in a positive way, and one in a negative, destructive way. 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:56.319 All 12 men walked the same road, ate the same fruit from the same vineyard. 00:05:56.480 --> 00:06:02.639 They stood in the shadow of the same giants, but ten came back ready to quit, and two came back ready to conquer. 00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:06.000 What separates the faithful from the fearful? 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:07.839 That's the question we have to ask today. 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:20.800 And more practically, in your life, when you consider those places that God is telling you to go, what does it really take to walk in courageous faith? 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:34.560 I want to share with you what I see in this passage are four variables that always determine the level of courage in the life of a believer. 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:36.399 Here's the first variable. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:39.279 The first is the most important. 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.000 The first is your theology. 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.959 Theology is a fancy term that literally means the investigation of God. 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:48.879 In other words, it's a study of God. 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:53.920 The more you know of God, the more you're gonna have courage. 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:54.879 So A.W. 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:59.360 Tozier put it this way: what you think of God is the most important thing about you. 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:00.480 And I think that's true. 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:06.800 The ten failing spies, they didn't miss the promised land because the giants were too big. 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:11.279 They really missed the promised land because their God was too small. 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.920 It's still the greatest danger in the life of God's people. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:22.800 The number one factor that will measure your courage will come down to what you believe about God. 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:26.480 Something jumps off the page to me at the very beginning of this chapter. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:31.199 In verse one, the very first phrase, it says, The Lord spoke to Moses. 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:34.959 You see, this entire exercise began with God speaking. 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:37.680 He was guiding, he was making a way for his people. 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:43.680 That word Lord that you see in your Bibles should be written in all caps. 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:46.319 You see, uh, small caps for O R D. 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:48.560 That's not an accent, it's not a typo. 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:55.040 That is an expression of the translators to say, this is the word Yahweh that's being translated here. 00:07:55.199 --> 00:08:01.199 It is the word that uh is the personal covenant name of God to his people. 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:05.759 It's connected to God's revelation to Moses when he said, I am. 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:08.399 He is the God who simply is. 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:11.920 He is eternal, self-existent, dependent on no one. 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:15.040 He is supreme, he is holy, he is God. 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:17.519 That's what started this whole thing. 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:21.920 The mission didn't begin in the mind of God, or the mind of men. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:25.839 It began in the hearts of God, of Lord God. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:38.720 Listen, long before you ever stand before a giant in your life, what you believe about God's power, about God's love, and about God's wisdom will determine how you attack your problems. 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:44.639 Your theology is not an academic exercise, it's going to be the sealing of your courage. 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:50.960 And that's why if you want to take those steps of faith, you need to invest time in knowing him better. 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:56.080 Not just Bible study, but I'm talking about prayer time before God, knowing him personally. 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:59.919 The more you know him, the more you'll grow in courage. 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:03.919 You know, I've been married to my wife Lana for almost 35 years. 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:09.679 And one of the fun things about being married to Lana is I still discover new things about her all the time. 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:14.879 Now, if Lana were up here, she'd tell you she figured out everything about me in about 90 days. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:16.639 I'm still learning. 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:19.360 That's really probably not true, but she thinks so, right? 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:21.200 But that's one of the glories about it. 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:23.279 I'm still getting to know her. 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:33.759 And if that's true in a relationship, a marriage of 35 years, how much more is it true when we consider the infinite, almighty God that we serve? 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:36.559 We want to know him more. 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:38.320 In fact, this is the heart of the gospel. 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:40.799 If you're just checking out the things of God, you know. 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:47.039 If you don't know of God, if you don't really investigate who he is, how could you possibly come to a place of salvation? 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:55.600 Because you have to know he's holy, you also have to know he's loving, that he paid a price so that you could be brought back into relationship. 00:09:55.759 --> 00:09:59.279 Uh, that's why the scripture says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:00.240 You have to know him. 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:04.879 So the first question is never about the problems you're facing, is it? 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:10.240 The first question is whether the God you serve is bigger than the problems you have. 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:14.320 But here's the good news your view of God is not fixed. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:21.200 In other words, you can continue to change that, it can grow, and there's a 0% chance that somehow you're gonna overestimate him. 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:24.159 In other words, you're gonna find out more about him, and he's gonna become less. 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:25.919 That's not the way it works. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:30.000 The more you know of God, the more magnificent he becomes. 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:32.720 That's the first variable, theology. 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:37.679 And it leads directly to the second variable, and that is perspective. 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:43.360 The way you view your problems will determine how you deal with them. 00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:45.519 Look back at verse 28. 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:52.159 However, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities were large and fortified. 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:55.120 We also saw the descendants of Anak there. 00:10:55.279 --> 00:11:01.440 So there are giants in the land, and for ten of the spies, apparently they see those giants as bigger than God. 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:03.919 They might have been big, but they're not that big. 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:06.480 This, you see how this builds on theology? 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:10.240 If your giants are bigger than your God, your God is too small. 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:13.919 The small view of God had distorted the size of the problem. 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:18.000 And I want you to note that Joshua and Caleb in this passage did not ignore the challenges. 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:20.799 They didn't come back and say, Oh, there's no giants in the land. 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:26.240 Being courageous is not the same thing as being naive or pretending that problems don't exist. 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:32.799 We don't ignore problems, but we see them differently because of Almighty God. 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:37.039 So when fear is our guide, it determines whether we'll obey. 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:39.279 That's not the way it's supposed to work. 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:42.080 We don't live by that imperfect perspective. 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:48.720 Have you ever seen uh uh a magnification of uh something very small, like an insect or an ant? 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:53.679 You see a magnified face of an ant, and it looks like a monster. 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:54.559 Until what? 00:11:54.720 --> 00:12:02.720 Until you zoom out and you recognize that it did look like that, that's a true picture, but it's so much smaller than you imagine. 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:06.720 And that's that's a picture of what we see happening here. 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:09.519 Fear is a zoom lens. 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:14.559 You see something that might be real, but you blow it up. 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:21.759 See, the fear didn't necessarily lie about the existence of the giants, it fear lies about the proportion of the problem. 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:27.120 In verse 2, when God sent the spies, he told them to evaluate the land. 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:31.919 It said, Send men to scout out the land of Canaan, I am giving to the Israelites. 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:36.399 He's not saying them to bring back an opinion at all, he's sending them to bring back a strategy. 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:40.240 They're not sent to determine whether they should go, but how they should do it. 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:47.039 And focusing on the size of problems can not only be paralyzing, but something else happens when you have that perspective. 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:53.519 Something irrational happens where you start imagining the fear beyond what it really is. 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:55.600 Look at verse 33 again. 00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:58.960 We even saw the nephilium there. 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:00.000 Now stop right there. 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:01.519 Do you know what the nephilum are? 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:16.399 Go back to Genesis and the account of Noah just before the flood, and what had happened, we don't fully understand, but as best as we can tell, demonic powers were having relations with humans and with an evil offspring. 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:20.799 It was never meant to be this way in God's design, and God said, enough. 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:28.799 There is no evidence that these are demonic powers or offspring that are living in the land at this time. 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:29.360 None. 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:31.200 They're using this as an exaggeration. 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:34.480 They see large people and they say, Oh, this must be the Nephilium. 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:36.639 No, so this is their picture in their minds. 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:37.360 It's not true. 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:40.000 The descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim. 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:40.799 What? 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:42.159 How do you know this? 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:45.120 To ourselves, we seem like grasshoppers, and it gets worse. 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:45.759 Watch this. 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:48.320 And we have seemed the same to them. 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:55.840 Now, when it talks about a grasshopper, it's not just an expression, I don't believe, of a small insect. 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.480 He's talking about food there. 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:03.759 It would be the smallest expression, maybe a snack of nutritional sustenance. 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:09.200 That may sound gross to you, but they'd eat grasshoppers at the time as a source of protein. 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:10.639 Some people still do. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:14.879 Remember John the Baptist, he lived on locusts and honey. 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:16.000 He was eating grasshoppers. 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:18.960 He was eating dates out in the wilderness. 00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:19.919 So that's what he was doing. 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:25.440 And so what they're really saying is, we seemed a snack food to the giants. 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:27.679 But it went even farther than that. 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:34.399 You see, they're not just reporting of how they related to the size of the giants, they're actually reporting the opinions of those giants. 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:37.039 They said, and we seemed that way to them. 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:41.679 How in the world do they know what the giants thought of them? 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:42.799 Did they interview them? 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:44.080 Excuse me, sir. 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:50.240 I just wonder, when you see us, what insect do we remind you of? 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:57.759 I don't think that conversation ever took place, but it did in their minds, and they so exaggerated the problem that they found themselves here. 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:03.200 Fear doesn't just magnify problems, it manufactures problems. 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:10.480 So, according to the report, God was too weak, they were too small, the task was too hard, and the giants were too big. 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.799 It's a grasshopper mentality. 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:15.360 You say no when God says go. 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:21.919 But in the midst of this vision failure, there are two men of faith, Joshua and Caleb. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:22.879 Look at the contrast. 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:27.279 They had a vision of victory with the same set of circumstances. 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:31.840 When you're confident in God, even the problems look like opportunities. 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:39.440 It's so interesting that all these spies traveled the same route, had the same view, but saw two totally different things. 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:42.559 One saw opportunities, the other saw obstacles. 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:45.919 One group saw the grapes, the other group saw the giants. 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:49.120 One group saw the blessings, the other group saw the burdens. 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:53.759 The only difference was the lens through which they saw what was happening. 00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:56.720 It's one of the reasons, incidentally, we gather for worship. 00:15:56.799 --> 00:15:57.679 You know that, right? 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:01.519 We gather and we worship a holy God because He's worthy of our worship. 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:05.360 We were designed to worship, but something else happens when we gather for worship. 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:12.799 You see, when we see God as he is, high and lifted up, it changes our perspective about everything. 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:16.480 You might consider a worship service perspective adjustment therapy. 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:18.320 That's what God's doing when we sing together. 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:22.559 We say, wait a second, all those problems I walked in with, they didn't go away. 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:26.399 But man, they shrunk when I saw the size of my God. 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:28.480 Perspective changes everything. 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:33.919 Most of life will be determined by how you view your problems. 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:41.039 The variables of courageous faith, theology, perspective, and then conviction. 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:48.639 This has to do with your confidence in God's ability to carry out his promises, to trust what God says over what you see. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:53.120 Think about it this way: theology lets you see God before you fight the giants. 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:57.120 Perspective lets you see the giants accurately in light of God. 00:16:57.279 --> 00:17:01.360 And conviction is what makes you walk toward the danger. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:07.039 Conviction comes from knowing what God has already said and deciding that he meant it. 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:10.079 Some of you know I grew up around airplanes. 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:12.640 My dad ran an airport in our hometown. 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:18.640 And so when I wasn't in school, I was usually working for him, and we'd work those days, and then wasn't unusual in the afternoons. 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:24.799 He'd say, Go uh put some gas in the 172 or one of the other planes there and let's go fly. 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:26.960 And I'd have a lesson there at the end of the day. 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:35.200 And what I remember the most that my dad would say to me when we were in those flying lessons is he would say, Get your head out of the cockpit and look at the horizon. 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:44.400 What he meant by that is you can get fixated on just whatever's happening in here, but the only thing that really matters is to see the horizon because the horizon doesn't change. 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:53.519 Now you're in a storm, you have to look at the instruments, but the whole point is your mind and your body will lie to you in an airplane. 00:17:54.400 --> 00:18:02.400 Your whole senses will think I'm flying straight in level, but you look out at the horizon and realize, oh, I'm actually gonna dive, or I'm climbing, or I'm banking. 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:06.079 So you can't trust your instincts, you can't trust your gut. 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.960 You look out and you see what's absolutely true. 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:11.599 And that's what needs to happen in our faith, you see. 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:13.039 That's where conviction comes from. 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:16.799 It doesn't matter how you feel, it doesn't matter what your gut says. 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:19.839 What matters is what God has promised. 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:23.519 Trust what was reliable over what feels true. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:28.720 There will be moments when everything you see tells you God cannot possibly do what he said. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.920 And that's when faith looks for what is sure. 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:39.920 Nothing should bolster your faith more than looking through God's word and recognizing that he has a perfect record for keeping his promises. 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:43.680 Think about Abraham and Sarah as they waited on Isaac. 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:47.200 I think about how God uh redeemed and delivered Israel. 00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:49.119 I think about this story. 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:52.960 I think about the coming of Christ Jesus the first time. 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:57.039 And you can trust his promises because he keeps his promises. 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:03.839 Numbers 13, 2 tells us Joshua and Caleb had specific promises that they were counting on. 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:08.400 God said, Send men to scout out the land of Canaan and watch this three words. 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:10.960 I am giving to the Israelites. 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:12.400 It's not up for grabs. 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:16.480 He's not saying, hey, you know, cross your fingers and hope it works out. 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:18.000 Just why don't you go check it out? 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:18.720 Maybe it's gonna work. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:19.119 Who knows? 00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:20.160 That's not what he says. 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:21.839 He says, I've already given it to you. 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:29.839 The difference between Joshua and Caleb and the other ten spies is Joshua and Caleb knew God had already promised a land. 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:34.960 Their job wasn't to manufacture a promise, but to trust the promises God had actually made. 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:41.039 Biblical vision is picturing what God says that he says will be. 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:46.880 So in order to trust and understand, it does not is not based on how I feel. 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:48.240 That's biblical vision. 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:50.160 To say, okay, God's called me to do this. 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:53.279 I don't know exactly how it's gonna go, but I'm gonna walk in obedience. 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:55.680 Look at verse 30 of chapter 13. 00:19:55.839 --> 00:20:05.359 Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, Let's go up now and take possession of the land, because we can certainly conquer it. 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:12.559 In other words, Caleb was saying, Stop measuring them against us and start measuring them against God and let's go. 00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:16.480 That's why there's a difference between bravery and courage. 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:22.160 Some people get the wrong idea that courageous faith is finding something irrational to do and just doing. 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:25.119 That's that's not that's not biblical courage at all. 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:28.960 It might be brave, but it doesn't necessarily need to be blamed on God. 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:30.720 People do crazy things and blame them on God. 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:34.799 No, God's not calling you to do that, He's calling you to walk in faith even when you don't feel like it. 00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:37.279 Lana and I were in Switzerland last week. 00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:41.039 We had an opportunity to go to the Swiss Alps with her parents, and it was beautiful. 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:42.640 And we just hike through the mountains. 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:46.799 But you know there's a sport in Switzerland that is fascinating to me. 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:48.880 It's called base jumping. 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:58.240 So what they do is somebody will go up on a cliff and they'll jump off the cliff and then they'll throw out a parachute, and they're irrationally low to the ground. 00:20:58.400 --> 00:20:59.039 You understand? 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:00.240 And then they fly in. 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:04.960 It's actually illegal, I think, in most of the states, the U.S., but they do it all over the place there. 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:06.319 And it is the craziest thing. 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:14.480 We're sitting at a bus stop one day in the Louder Brunin area, and we'd just been up in the mountains, and I look up and I tell Lana, is that an eagle? 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:20.480 I just see something flying with it's black with a white head, and then I realize, oh, that's a dude, like right there. 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:22.240 And he throws out the parachute. 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:23.440 I'm that's crazy. 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:25.119 And one after the other, they're doing this. 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:30.160 So I Google on my phone when I'm sitting there, what's the fatality rate of base jumping? 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:34.960 And it's estimated to be one in 2300 to one in 2500. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:38.160 So these guys may have bravery, but they're not good at math. 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:42.559 Like that's really bad odds to be jumping off a cliff. 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:44.799 It's it's it's nuts, right? 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:49.759 Now, what I want you to understand is God is not calling us to that kind of bravery. 00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:56.160 Joshua and Caleb were not thrill seekers saying, let's just go for it and see what happens. 00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:59.599 No, they're interpreting what they see through what God has said. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:02.079 And they're standing on conviction. 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:04.480 That's where courage comes from. 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:07.920 Then Caleb quieted the people and he called them. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:10.960 They were convinced God had spoken. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:32.720 When you know the deed is already in your pocket, because God has made the promise, you stop asking whether you can, and you start asking where to begin, which leads us to the final variable theology, perspective, conviction, and finally response. 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:35.279 This is so important. 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:41.119 So many people have a misconception that biblical courage is what you feel or what you say. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:45.279 It's not about words, it's about obedience. 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:47.599 That's what demonstrates biblical courage. 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:53.680 There comes a point in any endeavor when it's time to act on what you know and believe. 00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:57.279 Opportunities always have an expiration date. 00:22:57.359 --> 00:22:58.400 You know that, right? 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:03.519 When you know what God is calling you to do, you need to do it. 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:06.960 And what's true for the believer is also true for the church. 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:11.279 You know, Jesus gave us a great commission to go and make disciples. 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:15.359 But then at Kingsland, I love that he's given us a very unique way to carry that out. 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:17.279 We talk about our mission statement often. 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:20.160 If you've been here more than a week, you've seen it written on the walls. 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:26.640 We talk about it here because we're inviting all people to experience true fulfillment in Jesus Christ one home at a time. 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:32.480 Of course, the centerpiece is true fulfillment in Jesus Christ because you cannot have true fulfillment apart from Jesus. 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:34.480 So we want to invite people to Jesus. 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:37.599 We do that with what I'd call the bookends of that mission. 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:41.359 Inviting all people, that's missions, one home at a time. 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:42.240 That's home. 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:48.240 So what we're doing at Kingsland is taking dead aim at family and mission. 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:55.039 When it comes to mission, we're going to go to the hard places, locally and globally, to share the hope of Jesus Christ. 00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:59.440 We're going to address real needs so we win the right to share the hope of Jesus. 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:04.079 And then when we do all these things, we're going to do it in the framework of home, of family. 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:08.079 Regardless of your season of life, your home has shaped you, informed you. 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:09.440 And you need to understand that. 00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:12.240 So when we reach people that way, then everything changes. 00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:17.440 Do you understand how countercultural those two particular callings are for our church? 00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:19.599 There's easier ways to do ministry. 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:22.079 Missions and hard places is difficult. 00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:24.160 There's a reason a lot of people don't go there. 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:26.640 It's a reason they take the easy road. 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:28.640 It's counter-cultural. 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:33.680 It's hard to focus on family in a culture that's forsaken family. 00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:40.799 We recognize that God has called uniquely man and a woman to raise their children and to be the biblical faith trainers there. 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:42.160 That's countercultural. 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:43.759 We don't do it because it's easy. 00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:45.920 We do it because of what God's called us to do. 00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:46.640 Do you see? 00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:50.240 The obstacles are worth the inconvenience. 00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:53.599 Go beyond to the ends of the earth. 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:54.960 That's why we do it. 00:24:55.279 --> 00:24:56.559 Because God called us to. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:25:00.799 It's why we're praying for a million seven homes to be transformed by the gospel. 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:03.680 I'm praying specifically that it would happen by 2030. 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:05.279 It's not that far off. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:11.519 It's why we're building a new worship center and a new courts so we can welcome our neighbors and they can hear about Jesus. 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:14.559 It's why we have the empowered homes ministry. 00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:18.720 Because there's so many others who are longing to see transformation in their homes. 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:24.160 These are hard things, they're countercultural things, but they're things God has called us to do. 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:26.480 The question is never, is it difficult? 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:29.039 The question should be, has God called us to do it? 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:32.160 Because if He has, our job is to obey. 00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:39.680 So I'm praying that each of us, if you're a part of Kingsland, would take ownership of reaching the seven in that million seven. 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:43.440 It's one thing to say, let's just ask God to do something extraordinary. 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:50.319 It's something much more personal to say, could in your lifetime God use you to see seven households transformed? 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:52.240 And how are you gonna answer that call? 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:54.480 How are you gonna be in on what that is? 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:59.440 I'm praying that the collective missions that we have would be personal to you. 00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:01.680 What is that gonna mean for you? 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:05.680 For some, that means investing in others to win the right to share. 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:07.920 For others, it means that you're gonna answer the call. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:16.400 You're gonna raise your hand and say yes to what God's leading you to do in ministry, whether it's a ministry here at the church or it's a mission with one of our partners. 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:29.920 I love that right now as we gather down the hallway, there are hundreds of people serving our children and our preschoolers, our special needs individuals and others teaching God's word, faithfully serving. 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:31.200 What is God calling you to? 00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:44.000 I love that right now as I preach, there's an army of Kingsland people working in disaster relief outside of Joliet, Illinois, where they've had unbelievable floods and storms and tornadoes and a chainsaw team's up there sharing the love of Christ. 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:45.279 How cool is that? 00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:48.640 Are you willing to answer the call for what he called you to do? 00:26:48.960 --> 00:27:01.519 For some, it's gonna mean you're raised up and called to go to a new work, whether that's the mission field or another local church, not just by leaving, but being deployed by Kingsland to advance the gospel. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:09.359 This week, last week, next week, hundreds of our students will go off to their next job or school and they're looking for a new church. 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:11.359 But they don't get to just land at a church. 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:15.519 They're commissioned by Kingsland to go and see homes transformed. 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:19.039 But it might be more personal than that what God's calling you to do. 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:29.759 What actionable step of obedience do you need to take that you've hesitated on before now to demonstrate biblical courage to trust what God has called you to do? 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:38.480 Maybe it's gonna be to overcome some obstacle in your life, whether it's fear of rejection or fear of not having enough financial resources or fear of losing your job. 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:40.559 What is God calling you to do? 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:45.599 Maybe it's clearing your calendar every week for five meaningful meals with the ones you love. 00:27:45.759 --> 00:27:50.720 Or moms and dads, taking ownership of blessing your children and discipling them. 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:54.000 Maybe it's gonna mean forgiving that person who hurts you. 00:27:54.319 --> 00:28:00.480 Maybe it's gonna mean confessing the hidden sin in your life to a trusted friend and taking steps of repentance. 00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:08.799 And of course, for some, if you don't know Jesus, it means following Jesus, forsaking everything else, and trusting your life to Him? 00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:14.480 I know that some of those things that are gonna come to mind for you right now might seem overwhelming. 00:28:15.440 --> 00:28:21.039 But I know every one of those steps is aimed directly at something he's already told us to do, do you see? 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:24.640 So let's ask God for something great in our lives. 00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:28.160 Before we close, I want to ask you a question. 00:28:28.559 --> 00:28:31.599 Do any of the following names ring a bell to you? 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:46.880 Shammuah, Shapat, Egal, Palti, Gadiel, Gadai, Amiel, Sether, Nabi, Gul, anybody? 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:50.000 You have any cousins at the family reunion by those names? 00:28:50.640 --> 00:28:53.920 If you think that's the name of a law firm, you're wrong. 00:28:54.720 --> 00:29:01.440 Those were the names of the spies that were sent out with Joshua and Caleb and came back with a negative report. 00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:07.279 The critics missed out on the promises of God. 00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:10.480 But I'm curious about something else. 00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:15.759 Just by a show of hands, how many of you know someone named Joshua or Caleb? 00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:16.720