WEBVTT 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:22.000 This podcast is a Ministry of Random Hard Wave Baptist Church, helping people know, enjoy, and glorify God. 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:27.039 For more information about Random Hardway, visit grandheartway.org. 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:30.559 Thank you, worship team. 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:32.960 Appreciate your leadership this morning. 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:36.960 If you're just tuning in, I'm not Neil McClendon. 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:39.600 My name is Jason Kraft. 00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:45.679 I have the privilege of being the lead pastor at a church called Messiah's House in Amarillo, Texas. 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:50.320 And I'm honored to be here at Grand Parkway today for your live service. 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:54.880 I have been friends with Pastor Neil for a long time. 00:00:55.119 --> 00:01:01.039 And I am honored that he and the elders would invite me to come and open up the Word of God with you this morning. 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:02.320 So let's get into it. 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:07.120 Our main text this morning will be in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:11.760 And we'll be in the first chapter, Deuteronomy chapter one. 00:01:12.480 --> 00:01:20.079 I'm going to give you several other references for those of you who may be taking notes, but this will pretty much be where we camp this morning. 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:23.599 I thought I'd get started by sharing this with you. 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:28.000 Every day a woman stood on her porch and shouted, Praise the Lord. 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:31.840 And every day the atheist next door yelled back, There is no Lord. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.000 One day she prayed, Lord, I'm hungry. 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:35.599 Please send me groceries. 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:38.560 The next morning she found a bag of food on the stairs. 00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:40.560 Praise the Lord, she shouted. 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:45.120 I told you there was no Lord, her neighbor said, jumping from behind a bush. 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:46.799 I bought those groceries. 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:49.120 Well, praise the Lord, the woman said. 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:53.120 He not only sent me groceries, but he made the devil pay for them. 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:58.799 I trust that you're smiling, maybe even chuckling. 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:03.120 Do you know how hard it is to tell a joke to a camera in an empty sanctuary? 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:07.359 By faith, I hope that you found that uh at least humorous. 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:10.879 I think it's an important time for us to keep our sense of humor. 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:24.639 But I also share that just to make a point before we get into the word this morning, and that point is this I think it's important for us to know that God is big enough to use the devil. 00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:37.120 God is actually big enough to use the devil in such a way that he can use evil to provoke me to righteousness. 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:46.159 I don't know if you grew up in church, I don't know, you know, um what your theological background may be if you even have one. 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:55.280 But I would challenge all of us, no matter what camp you come from, to make room in your theology for the fact that God's big enough to use Satan. 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:59.280 We're gonna be reading about the Israelites in this Old Testament passage. 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:03.759 They would have never entered the promised land without the enemy on their tails. 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:09.520 And we need to understand that Satan is no match for God, he's no real foe for God. 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:15.520 It's nothing for our God to defeat the enemy, but he loves it when we as his people do it. 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:20.000 And he calls us at time to rise up in our own authority. 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:25.280 He calls, he causes us at time to work on our character in times like this. 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:26.319 God's at work. 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:28.800 We know that the enemy's at work right now. 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:31.680 I just want to submit to you that God's at work as well. 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:39.039 And I really believe that after all of the shaking that is going on, there will be an outpouring of God's spirit. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:42.560 The church will grow and the kingdom of God will be advanced. 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:48.560 I I think we should be agreeing for a great revival across the land to come out of COVID-19. 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:51.280 God is at work, church. 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:53.759 And I want to remind us of that this morning. 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:55.360 Okay, well, enough of my opinion. 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:57.360 Let's get into the Word of God. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:03:59.280 Deuteronomy chapter one. 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:03.599 We're gonna pick up in the middle of a chapter, so let me give you a little bit of context. 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:12.000 When you read through the book of Deuteronomy, what you find is that it's a series of farewell speeches from Moses. 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:23.040 Moses, who's 120 years old, uh, is passing the baton of leadership on, if you will, over to Joshua, who will lead a new generation into the promised land. 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:30.079 And when we come into this first chapter, Moses is giving somewhat of what is basically a history lesson. 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:36.959 He's reminding the Israelites of why the previous generation didn't get to enter the promised land. 00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:48.480 And so he wants them to understand where they've come from, but he also is preparing them so that they won't make some of the same mistakes that have been made by their forefathers. 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:57.040 And so I think the words that he shares about Israel's rebellion actually will speak to us in a great way today. 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:02.560 So, Deuteronomy chapter 1, verse 26, I'm in the NIV this morning. 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:04.879 But you were unwilling to go up. 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.839 You rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:10.959 You grumbled in your tents and said, The Lord hates us. 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:16.079 So he brought us up out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:17.199 Where can we go? 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:19.199 Our brothers have made us lose heart. 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:25.519 They say the people are stronger and taller than we are, the cities are large with walls up to the sky. 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:27.680 We even saw the Anakites there. 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:32.480 And then I said to you, Do not be terrified, do not be afraid of them. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:40.720 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt before your very eyes, and in the desert. 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:48.879 There you saw how the Lord your God carried you as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. 00:05:49.120 --> 00:06:00.639 In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey in fire by night, and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:13.519 And when the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore, not a man of this evil generation shall see shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, except Caleb, son of Jehanna. 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:21.519 He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly. 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:29.680 Because of you, the Lord became angry with me also, and said, You shall not enter it either. 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:31.680 Let's go back to verse 32. 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:33.439 This is our key verse. 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:38.959 In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God. 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:43.680 The title of the message this morning is Distrusting God. 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:45.920 Distrusting God. 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:47.120 Let's pray together. 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:49.759 Father, I thank you for your word this morning. 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:52.480 I thank you that God, it is alive. 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:53.759 It is active. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:58.959 I thank you that though the grass withers and the flowers fade, your word endures forever. 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:06.959 And God, I thank you that as we get in the scripture this morning, that we're not left just to our own ability to understand. 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:14.240 But I thank you that we have you, Holy Spirit, who will bring us revelation, who will bring us enlightenment. 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:21.600 I thank you that this is not a word that was just once spoken, but that it's a word that's being spoken right now. 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:34.720 And I pray that, God, this would be a message, God, today, that would bring encouragement to us, that it would come with power, that it would come with the Holy Spirit, and that it would come with deep conviction, God. 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:38.079 Move in our hearts and speak to us by your Spirit. 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:39.839 In Jesus' name. 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:40.800 Amen. 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:47.600 Psalm 56, verse 3 says, When I'm afraid, I will trust in you. 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:49.040 I will trust in you, God. 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:50.319 Now that's a very simple verse. 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:51.439 We can all memorize it. 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:53.360 Psalm 56, verse 3. 00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:57.839 When I'm afraid, I will trust in you. 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:00.000 I will trust in you. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:04.480 See, there's nothing wrong with us at times being afraid. 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:14.720 In fact, it's a very normal thing for us at times to feel fear, depending on what our circumstances are in the moment. 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:17.040 It's not wrong for us to be afraid. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:20.720 The question is, is what do you do when you're afraid? 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:27.439 The other night my wife and I were watching the news, and it was just one bad report after the other. 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:33.759 And a commercial came on, and my wife looked at me and she said, I'm feeling a little anxious right now. 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:35.039 And I said, You know what? 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:36.639 Me too, let's turn this off. 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:43.120 So we turned off the TV, and then uh with our surround sound, we just blasted worship music uh in our house. 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:46.240 And we made uh a deliberate decision. 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:51.039 When I'm afraid, I'll put my trust in God. 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:52.399 That's what the psalmist said. 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:54.960 See, it's not wrong necessarily to be afraid. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:57.919 The question is, is what do you do when you're afraid? 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:02.080 The psalmist said, when I feel afraid, I'm gonna put my trust in God. 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:03.120 It's a choice. 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:10.720 That's the first thing I want you to catch today is that trusting God is a choice that we make out of our will. 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:26.320 I have found in pastoring for over 15 years now that many people actually have a fundamental, and I'm talking about church people, actually have a fundamental distrust of God. 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:35.120 We believe in God, we love God, but deep down there is a disconnect, there's a trust issue. 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:39.200 We believe in a God that we don't actually trust. 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:46.159 Just a couple of weeks ago, one of the guys on my staff called me and he said, Hey man, I am really struggling. 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:47.200 I need to meet. 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:55.759 And we set up a time for him to come into my office, and he came in and he sat down, and I could just tell he was unraveled, and I looked at him, I said, dude, what's going on with you? 00:09:56.000 --> 00:10:02.799 And he said, Well, look, I want you to know I I fully trust God, but right now I'm just in panic mode. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:04.320 I keep having nightmares. 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:10.159 I've seen myself getting COVID-19, and I'm gonna die, and I'm gonna leave my family behind. 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:12.240 He's like, I trust God, but I'm just in panic. 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:13.519 And I said, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:15.200 Let me just stop you right there. 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:19.440 Because those two things don't actually go together. 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:24.720 There's what we need to understand is that there's a practical side of trust. 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:30.559 There are certain ways that you can tell if you're trusting in God or not. 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:39.759 In fact, Isaiah chapter 26, verse 3 says, you will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.720 See, one of the byproducts of trusting God is that you have peace. 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:52.000 So the very fact that you're saying you trust God, but you're living in panic, those two things are not running mates. 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:53.600 They don't go together. 00:10:53.840 --> 00:11:05.919 So I want to submit to you, if you're not ultimately at peace today, because you've been keeping your mind focused, steadfast on God and on his word, you've been spending time with God. 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:15.120 If you're not ultimately at peace right now, it's because at some level there's a breakdown in your trust of God. 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:27.519 So, what I want to do is go back through this word, and I want to look at the Israelites who didn't trust God, and I want to show you why they didn't trust God, why Moses says they didn't get to enter the promised land. 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:30.159 And what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna give you several reasons. 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:31.600 In fact, I'm gonna give you six. 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:33.360 I know you're probably used to three points. 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:36.159 I'm gonna give you six, but I'm gonna go rather quickly. 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:40.240 Six reasons why the Israelites struggled to trust God. 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:42.240 I believe it'll speak to us this morning. 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:46.399 Reason number one, they had a distorted view of God. 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:48.480 They had a distorted view of God. 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:52.559 They had a negative view of who God was. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:55.840 We're talking about trust, so let me define it. 00:11:56.159 --> 00:12:04.559 Trust, according to the dictionary, is assured reliance on the character, ability, and strength of someone. 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:06.480 So we're talking about trusting God. 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:09.519 Trusting God means that you have an assured reliance. 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:16.000 You can count on him, you rely on his character, his ability, and his strength. 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:16.720 All right? 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:20.639 I'm calling this sermon distrusting God. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:23.759 And I know that the word distrust is pretty strong. 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:39.759 I almost called this mistrusting God, but as I thought about it and I looked up the word distrust, I thought it would, it was actually the word I wanted to use because to distrust someone is to doubt that you can rely on them or to be suspicious of them. 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:45.840 And I have found that many people, even in the body of Christ, actually have that kind of view of God. 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:53.200 It's like we really at some level are suspicious of God and we doubt his intentions for us. 00:12:53.279 --> 00:13:01.919 And I want to submit to you today that you will never ever really trust God if you don't believe that he is good. 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:03.759 It's not gonna happen. 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:12.159 Psalm 31, verse 19 says, How great is your goodness, O God, which you have stored up for those who ultimately trust you. 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:20.240 God has goodness stored up for us as his people, but it is dependent upon us trusting him. 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:37.200 This is a time, church, where we need to quit being anchored to that which is perishable, and we need to be anchoring ourselves in the goodness of God, trusting God, counting on who he is and his character and in his nature. 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.440 Look at what Israel believed. 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:51.759 In verse 27, it says, You grumbled in your tents, you said, the Lord hates us, and he brought us up out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:55.039 This, how ridiculous is this? 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:58.080 This is what they actually believed about their God. 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:01.039 They believed, first of all, he hates us. 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:02.240 He hates us. 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:03.919 That's why we're in this situation. 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:06.399 He ultimately is gonna destroy us. 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:09.200 That was a lie about God. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:10.559 What was the truth? 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:12.960 The truth is that God loved them. 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:14.720 He wanted to bless them. 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:19.679 Here's the truth: he wasn't out to get them, he was out to give them something. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:20.559 Oh, come on. 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:22.799 I better get an amen through the camera. 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:27.600 He wasn't out to get them, he was out to give them something. 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:34.399 The word says, I don't know if you caught it, that he wanted them to see them like a father who carried his son. 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:36.080 That's what he said. 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:39.279 I uh this is how I want you to know who I am. 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:45.759 I'm a good father who will carry you, who has carried you, who has protected you. 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:49.840 And they believed a lie about God. 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:57.600 In 2006, Baylor University conducted a study to see how people view God. 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:00.799 They interviewed over 1,700 people. 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:05.919 I believe it was called the Four Gods, and they had four different categories. 00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:08.080 Here were the results. 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:10.720 This was the the biggest percentage. 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:20.559 31% of those interviewed saw God as authoritarian, meaning he's angry and he's ready to judge the world at any moment. 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:26.559 23% saw God as benevolent, meaning he's loving and he's forgiving. 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:35.120 16% saw him as critical, meaning he has a judgmental view, but he's not actually going to intervene. 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:41.600 And then 25%, this was the second largest group, 25% saw God as distant. 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:51.440 He's the creator, he's ultimately in control, but he's really far away from man and doesn't really care about the day-to-day things going on with man. 00:15:52.559 --> 00:16:01.440 Church, 75% of those interviewed, listen, at a Baptist university, saw God in a negative light. 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:04.720 They had a wrong view of God. 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:10.480 And there are many people in the church today who still see God in these ways. 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:14.000 There are many people right now, and part of it is preachers' faults. 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:19.679 We've got preachers on TV telling us that, you know, God's judging the world right now. 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:24.799 COVID-19 is from God, and he's judging us for our sin. 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:28.480 And this is the message that the lost world gets. 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:32.799 It's like, why would they want to come to a God they see that's that angry? 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:34.799 Read the Bible. 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:45.759 The word says, and I may get onto another message here, but the word says that all sin for all time was placed on Jesus, and the punishment that brought us peace was upon him. 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:52.799 Romans chapter 8, verse 3 says that in his flesh he became sin and condemned sin in his flesh. 00:16:53.039 --> 00:17:00.639 1 John chapter 1, verses 1 and 2, he's the atoning sacrifice, not only for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world. 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:02.159 I want to submit this to you. 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:04.640 People are saying this might be the judgment of God. 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:10.240 But listen, when the judgment of God happens, there'll be no doubt that it's him. 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:14.400 We won't be just going, you know, we won't be sitting here going, is that God or is it not God? 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:16.000 No, we'll know it's God. 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:21.440 I want to say something to you here that I think is very important for us to remember. 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:23.119 And it's very simple. 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:29.839 This is my my theology, and uh, you know, I might I might I might not get invited back, but this is very simple. 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:33.680 If it's bad, it's the devil. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:36.319 If it's good, it comes from God. 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:41.599 He is the Father who gives us every good and perfect gift. 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:47.279 Jesus said Satan is the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:49.759 He is the prince of the kingdom of the air. 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:51.599 He is the ruler of this world. 00:17:51.759 --> 00:18:00.240 We live in a fallen world, church, where injustice happens every day and the enemy is allowed, like a roaring lion, looking for people that he might devour. 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:02.960 He is allowed by God to move in this time. 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:08.000 The good news today is that our God in this moment is a loving God. 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:14.319 Now we're reading the Old Testament here, but remember this is before Jesus came and bore our sins. 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:19.119 And and I just want us to understand this morning, if you don't get anything else, get this. 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:22.480 That God really loves you. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:27.440 That he so loved the whole world that he sent his only begotten son. 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:35.920 And if we will just place faith in him today, we can come into a love relationship with him and spend eternity with him. 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:37.200 He's a good God. 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:40.960 We need to have a right and proper view of our God. 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:48.880 Yes, there is a judgment coming that is gonna happen, but today, 2 Corinthians 6, 1 and 2 says, is the day of salvation. 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:50.720 This is the time of God's favor. 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:55.359 We have an open door right now to know him in new ways. 00:18:55.440 --> 00:19:01.680 So, all right, reason number two that they struggled to trust God is they didn't agree with his plan. 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:03.279 They didn't agree with his plan. 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:05.119 Look with me at verse 28. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:06.319 This is what they said. 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:07.920 Where can we go? 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:13.359 I found that kind of funny considering that we're in a shelter and place time. 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:14.400 Where can we go? 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:15.920 I mean, I woke up this morning. 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:18.240 I may move from the bedroom to the living room. 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:21.440 If it's a real crazy day, I might end up in the kitchen. 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:24.000 I mean, many of us feel like this, right? 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:25.839 It's like we're just kind of stuck. 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:27.839 Well, that's how the Israelites felt. 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:28.960 They were like, where can we go? 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:30.640 They felt stuck. 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:36.160 They didn't like where God had placed them, they didn't like God's plan. 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:38.240 And notice where it started. 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:44.079 Verse 26, it's uh 27, it says, You grumbled in your tents. 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:45.359 You grumbled. 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:47.039 It's that's how it starts. 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:51.279 See, again, there's a practical side to trusting God. 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:55.039 There are things you can look at that will tell you whether or not you're trusting God. 00:19:55.279 --> 00:20:01.759 Another thing that you can look at is what kind of words are coming out of my mouth? 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:02.799 Listen to this. 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:10.480 Psalm 31, verse 14, the psalmist said, But I trust in you, O Lord, I say you are my God. 00:20:11.039 --> 00:20:14.880 See, he says, I trust in you and I say you are my God. 00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:20.480 What you say verifies whether or not you really trust God or not. 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:35.839 And this would probably be a good question for some of us to talk about in our homes today, is you what kind of words, what kind of tone even am I using when I'm talking right now at the house? 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:38.000 Am I prone to grumble? 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:39.359 Am I complaining? 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:42.079 Or is his praise on my lips? 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:45.119 Am I speaking out the word of God? 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:46.880 Am I putting my trust in him? 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:50.000 Or am I just griping and complaining? 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:53.839 Because that's actually a sign of distrust. 00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:55.680 Distrust. 00:20:56.160 --> 00:20:58.799 And so it starts in our homes. 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:00.799 Reason number three. 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:04.960 They didn't trust God because they had been betrayed. 00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:06.400 They'd been betrayed. 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:08.480 Look with me again at verse 28. 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:10.000 Where can we go? 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:13.680 Our brothers have made us lose heart. 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:16.799 They're referring to the 12 spies. 00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:25.440 You remember they took, they took one spy from each tribe and they sent them over into the promised land to survey the land and come back and give a report. 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:32.160 When the 12 spies came back, 10 out of the 12 gave what the Bible calls an evil report. 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:38.559 Listen, not just a bad report, it was evil because it was hostile to God and his word. 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:40.640 They had unbelief. 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:42.480 They didn't trust God. 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:50.160 Only two came back with a good report saying we can take the land, we can conquer the giants that are in the land. 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:54.160 But these ten spies came back and they promoted fear. 00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:58.640 There was fear mongering among God's people. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:01.440 And it spread like a wildfire. 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:04.640 If you think leadership is not important, think about this. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:13.279 Ten unbelieving spies led the whole nation of Israel into the wilderness and caused them to miss the promised land. 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:15.359 Leadership is very, very important. 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:19.839 They had been betrayed by people they should have been able to trust. 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:34.480 I find in counseling and ministering to people that many of us have an issue with God because we've been betrayed by somebody in our lives that we should have been able to trust. 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:38.640 And it causes us to see God again in a negative way. 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:41.519 I'll just, you know, give you my own example. 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:47.119 I grew up in a home with a dad who was an addict and he was abusive. 00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:53.759 When I was 10 years old, my mom divorced him, and I only saw him a couple of more times before he died. 00:22:53.839 --> 00:23:02.240 So I didn't have much of a relationship with him, and the relationship I did have was not what it should have been, you know. 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:12.960 And as a result, even after I got saved when I was 15 years old, for the longest time I struggled to see God as a father. 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:18.000 The way I'm built, I saw God as like the general commander of the universe. 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:24.720 He just gives commands and I'm in his, you know, I'm in his marching orders, I'm in the Lord's army, and I just do what he says. 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:27.119 And this is kind of our relationship. 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:30.240 There's no father thing really to it, you know. 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:39.680 I in fact, I remember hearing people, and maybe maybe this will relate to some of you, I would hear people say things like, you know, they would call God daddy. 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.240 And that just always bothered me. 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:44.319 I was like, that's just irreverent. 00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:53.279 I just had such a negative taste in my mouth, you know, a bad taste for even the word daddy, and I just thought that's irreverent. 00:23:53.519 --> 00:24:08.960 It wasn't until years after I went through a lot of healing and got a lot of ministry that I could really relate to what Romans 8 says when it says that we received the spirit of adoption by which we cry out, Abba, Father, Daddy. 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:14.160 Again, even God said, I carried you like a father carries his son. 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:23.839 Because I had such a negative experience with my earthly dad, I had a real negative view of God as a heavenly father. 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:36.400 And again, it's hard to trust God sometimes when you've been betrayed by somebody else that should, you should have been able to trust. 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:38.240 I see this in church all the time. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:41.759 People will will come, you you see what happened with Moses? 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:43.519 They wouldn't even listen to Moses. 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:46.559 Moses says to them, don't be afraid, don't be terrified. 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:48.079 They wouldn't listen to their leader either. 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:49.599 I see this in the church all the time. 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:51.839 People will come to our church. 00:24:52.160 --> 00:25:05.839 Maybe you come to Grand Parkway from another church where you got hurt by somebody in leadership, and you find it hard to trust Pastor Neil and the elders here at this church because of your experience at the last church. 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:10.480 And it's a common thing that I see, especially as it connects to God. 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:18.799 And we a lot of us need some real healing, and a lot of us need to really get in the Word of God and understand who our God is. 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:22.640 And so they struggled to trust God because they had been betrayed. 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:25.359 Reason number four, fear. 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:26.960 Fear. 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:36.079 Notice again, verse 29, Moses says, do not be terrified, do not be afraid of them. 00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:39.839 Fear started ruling over their thinking. 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:45.279 When these spies gave this evil report, I want you to put yourself there. 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:50.720 Ten spies come back and they give this report about these giants who are living in the land. 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:58.319 And immediately what happened for most of the Israelites were what-if questions started happening. 00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:02.000 Well, what's gonna happen to us if we go over there? 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:03.039 What about this? 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:03.839 What if? 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:06.000 See, this is how fear operates. 00:26:06.160 --> 00:26:10.319 Fear always kind of revolves around what-if questions. 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:12.960 And then that leads to vain imaginations. 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:20.319 And then if we don't repent soon, it can lead us to what the Bible calls a full-blown stronghold. 00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:41.920 In fact, 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 4 and 5 says, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:45.599 So, real quickly here, let me just define what I mean by stronghold. 00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:50.000 I'm going to give you a physical definition that will help you understand a spiritual definition. 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:59.839 Physically speaking, a stronghold is a place where an army can go rest, so that from there they can go out and do exploits. 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:12.960 Spiritually speaking, strongholds are thought patterns where the enemy can rest and from there go out and do exploits in our lives. 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:19.680 It's a place where we've given access to the enemy, if you will, to rest in our lives. 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:22.640 And from there, he steals from us. 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:25.680 He destroys things in our lives. 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:29.839 He ultimately wants to kill us, if you just want to be honest about it. 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:33.279 But all of it is based on a lie. 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:36.400 This is what happens here with the Israelites. 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:38.480 Fear set in. 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:42.240 Now, real quickly, let me tell you how this process works. 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:45.599 Strongholds start with a thought based on a lie. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:47.119 They believed a lie. 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:49.200 They believed several lies. 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:55.519 And if you don't, if you don't repent, then that thought can become what's called a high thing. 00:27:55.680 --> 00:27:59.759 A high thing is when you begin to exalt the lie above the truth. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:08.240 And then if you don't repent, it leads to imagination, which is just simply reasonings that are hostile to God and his word. 00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:15.839 And then that becomes how you see your world, and you begin to live in a full-blown stronghold. 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:17.839 And what I'm talking about is serious. 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:22.640 You have to remember we're in a war, and the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:25.119 We're talking spiritual warfare here. 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:38.240 And right now, many people are living in strongholds, especially the stronghold of fear, where there it's an emotional stronghold where people have fear, depression, despair that's ruling over them. 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:44.640 Some of us have been launched into physical strongholds, addictions, things that are keeping us in bondage. 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:49.599 But the good news this morning, we sang about it, is Galatians 5 1. 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:54.559 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:59.359 It's not God's will for us to ever live in any form of a stronghold. 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:03.039 He is to be our stronghold and our strong tower. 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:05.119 We run to him and we are safe. 00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:12.079 We're not to give ourselves to these other things because what happens is we run to them and they begin to control us. 00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:18.880 And so this morning, if you're living in a stronghold of fear, I want you to know that God wants to set you free today. 00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:20.960 He wants you to come into a place of peace. 00:29:21.119 --> 00:29:26.880 And it starts by simply beginning to trust in him with all of your heart, your soul, and your mind. 00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:30.559 Reason number five, they struggle to trust God. 00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:32.160 They were forgetful. 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:33.599 They were forgetful. 00:29:33.759 --> 00:29:35.279 Look at what he says in verse 30. 00:29:35.359 --> 00:29:44.079 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. 00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:49.200 He's reminding them of what they've already seen God do. 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:53.680 But they forgot the testimony of the Lord and his faithfulness to them. 00:29:53.839 --> 00:29:56.880 They forgot the miracles, they forgot the provision. 00:29:57.119 --> 00:30:05.599 And I just want to submit to you, it's much easier to trust God for the future when you choose to dwell on what he's done in your past. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:06.880 Look back. 00:30:07.119 --> 00:30:12.799 Can't you see surely goodness and mercy have followed you all the days of your life? 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:25.359 Right now, if you're struggling financially, I want you to look back and intentionally try to remember where you've seen God show up in the area of provision in your past. 00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:31.039 Think back to his faithfulness and how he's provided it every turn. 00:30:31.200 --> 00:30:35.680 And then today, put your trust in him and say, God, I'm trusting you. 00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:40.319 I'm trusting you in this moment because you've always been faithful. 00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:41.519 I'm not going to forget. 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:46.160 The same God who said, keep my commandments, said, keep my testimonies. 00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:49.759 It's important for us to remember what God has done. 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:54.480 And then last but not least, I told you I was going to go through these rather quickly. 00:30:54.640 --> 00:30:56.640 This is about as quick as I go. 00:30:56.799 --> 00:31:04.880 So, last one, reason six, that they struggled to trust God, and the reasons we struggle to trust God is this. 00:31:05.119 --> 00:31:07.039 We have control issues. 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:10.720 We have control issues, and I want to use Moses here as an example. 00:31:10.880 --> 00:31:12.400 Look at verse 37. 00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:20.960 Moses is speaking, he says, Because of you, the Lord became angry with me also, and said, You shall not enter it either. 00:31:21.279 --> 00:31:27.759 I find that very interesting because there's a real reason that Moses didn't get to enter the promised land. 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:29.119 You may remember it. 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:39.279 There are two different accounts in the scripture in the Old Testament where God brought forth water out of a rock to provide for his people in the desert. 00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:48.319 One is found in Exodus chapter 17, where God speaks to Moses and he says, I want you to take your staff and I want you to strike the rock and water will pour out. 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:49.759 Crazy cool miracle. 00:31:50.000 --> 00:32:00.079 And then again, it happens in Numbers chapter 20, but when you read that account, God speaks to Moses and he says, I want you to speak to the rock. 00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:02.880 He doesn't say, I want you to strike the rock again. 00:32:03.039 --> 00:32:07.119 He says, I want you to speak to the rock and water will come out. 00:32:07.279 --> 00:32:10.640 And then Moses and Aaron walk up and they're frustrated. 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:17.680