SPEAKER_00: Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years, welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_00: You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.
SPEAKER_01: I'm grateful for Miss Anna coming and helping us translate today.
SPEAKER_01: While you're turning, I'd like to welcome our associational missionary Jeff Thompson and his wife Susie, who are worshiping with us today.
SPEAKER_01: Such an encouragement.
SPEAKER_01: He's a great friend to pastors.
SPEAKER_01: Appreciate you being here, bro.
SPEAKER_01: Well, we uh as that song said, we are all looking forward to the return of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: But if Jesus doesn't come back this afternoon, we have to make it through the rest of the week.
SPEAKER_01: So how do we stay faithful while we wait on Jesus to return?
SPEAKER_01: The Bible gives us the answer to that, uh to that strength.
SPEAKER_01: We find ourselves here in the study of Joshua and the children of Israel.
SPEAKER_01: As we've been studying the book of Joshua, you know, we've seen it as an Old Testament picture of the life of a Christian in the New Testament.
SPEAKER_01: As they fight battles in the land of Canaan.
SPEAKER_01: If you remember from the Old Testament, in the Antigua Testament, when the children of Israel left Egypt and approached the land of Canaan for the first time, um when the children of Israel left Egypt, and God had them approach the land of Canaan.
SPEAKER_01: Moses was in charge.
SPEAKER_01: They all twelve talked about how incredible that land was.
SPEAKER_02: Regresé y di un informe objetivo de lo que vi.
SPEAKER_01: My brothers, who went with me, caused the people's hearts to melt with fear, but I remained loyal to the Lord my God.
SPEAKER_01: On that day, Mamas Moses promised me the land where you have set foot will be an inheritance for you, Caleb, and your descendants forever because you have remained loyal to the Lord my God.
SPEAKER_02: Pero los hermanos que me acompañaron asustaron tanto al pueblo que nadie quería entrar en la tierra prometida.
SPEAKER_02: Por mi parte, seguí al Señor my Dios con todo mi corazón.
SPEAKER_02: Así que ese día Moisés me prometió solemnemente la tierra de Canaán, por donde recién caminas, será tu porción de tierra y la de tus descendientes para siempre, porque seguiste al Señor my Dios con todo tu corazon.
SPEAKER_01: As you see, now listen to this statement.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord has kept me alive these forty-five years, as he promised, since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel was journeying in the wilderness.
SPEAKER_01: Here I am today, eighty-five years old.
SPEAKER_01: I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out.
SPEAKER_01: My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.
SPEAKER_02: Ahora, como puedes ver, in todos estos quarenta y cinco años después hizo esa promesa, el Señor me ha mantenido con vida anda salud, tal como lo prometió, incluso mientras Israel andaba vagando por el desierto.
SPEAKER_02: Ahora tengo ochenta y cinco años, estoy tan fuerte hoy como cuando Moisés me envió a esa travesía, y aún puedo andar y pelear tan bien como lo hacía entonces.
SPEAKER_01: Now give me this hill country, the Lord promised me on that day.
SPEAKER_01: Because you heard then that the Anakem are there, as well as large fortified cities.
SPEAKER_01: Perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out, as the Lord promised.
SPEAKER_01: Then Joshua blessed Caleb and gave him Hebron as an inheritance.
SPEAKER_02: Así que dame la zona montañosa que el Señor me prometió.
SPEAKER_02: Tú recordarás que mientras explorábamos, encontramos allí a los descendientes de Anác, que vivían en grandes ciudades amuralladas.
SPEAKER_02: Pero si el Señor está conmigo, yo los expulsaré de la tierra, tal como el Señor dijo.
SPEAKER_02: Entonces Josuebendijo a Caleb, hijo de Jefone, y le dio Ebron como su asignación de tierra.
SPEAKER_01: After forty-five years of battle, now listen to this scripture Hebron belongs to Caleb as an inheritance to this day, because you remain loyal to the Lord the God of Israel.
SPEAKER_01: After 85 years old, 45 years of war, Caleb says, I am still ready, give me my mountain.
SPEAKER_01: Caleb is one of my personal heroes in Scripture.
SPEAKER_01: Here on earth, one of my heroes and one of the men most important to me was my father.
SPEAKER_01: He went to heaven a few years ago.
SPEAKER_01: It is incredible to see the faith of someone be faithful to the end.
SPEAKER_01: Let me share with you just three principles from this passage.
SPEAKER_01: Also, lack of perspective can be a hindrance.
SPEAKER_01: But the perspective of knowing this is going to take a long time is important.
SPEAKER_01: People can let you down.
SPEAKER_01: Caleb looks at Joshua and says, Can you believe that knucklehead?
SPEAKER_01: How many people let them down and how discouraging could that have been?
SPEAKER_01: But Caleb gives us an example from the Bible.
SPEAKER_01: How to be strong to the end.
SPEAKER_02: When Caleb focused on the promises of God, he could meet every challenge in the way.
SPEAKER_01: When they faced an enemy, Caleb knew he would be successful because God had promised him an inheritance.
SPEAKER_01: I imagine in one of those walks with Joshua.
SPEAKER_02: After 25 years of wandering in the wilderness, after 25 years of wandering in the wilderness, Caleb is thinking, we'll never get there, these people can't do it.
SPEAKER_01: And Joshua and Caleb would remind each other that God had promised them an inheritance.
SPEAKER_01: Our lives should be driven.
SPEAKER_01: By seeing the promises of God and believing them.
SPEAKER_01: Foundation number two.
SPEAKER_01: Three times in this passage of Scripture.
SPEAKER_01: It uses the description that Caleb followed the Lord completely.
SPEAKER_01: But there is a reason that that happens.
SPEAKER_01: To daily pursue the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: The idle mind is the devil's playground.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, if you're not focused on something, you're at risk.
SPEAKER_01: Foundation number three.
SPEAKER_01: Living for something bigger than yourself.
SPEAKER_01: There is something in us that wants to be a part of something greater.
SPEAKER_01: God's plan to create a nation.
SPEAKER_01: Do you see your role in God's plan?
SPEAKER_01: Is there something in you that just comes to church, or do you want to see us reach the river valley?
SPEAKER_01: Are you just coming to church?
SPEAKER_01: Or is there something in you that sees God's greater plan in reaching people in the river valley?
SPEAKER_01: We should have a vision for what God's doing around us.
SPEAKER_01: Caleb never gave up.
SPEAKER_01: Because he knew there was another battle to be fought.
SPEAKER_01: To advance the plans of God.
SPEAKER_01: All of that begins with the decision to follow Jesus as your Savior.
SPEAKER_01: The first promise that we all trust in following Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And Lord, I pray if there's someone who's never made that decision to trust in Jesus, that today they'll give their life to Him.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, as we come, we sing our praises to you to say thank you for that salvation, to proclaim our trust in you, and we pray that you'll give folks the freedom to come to you today.
SPEAKER_01: It is in Jesus' name we pray, and all God's people said.
SPEAKER_00: We pray this message has been a blessing to you and helped to strengthen your walk with Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Please know we want to minister to you and pray for you.
SPEAKER_00: Send an email to contact us at fsfbc.org and let us pray for you and help you in any way we can.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.