to The Man Who Followed Fully
Numbers 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Caleb was a man with a backbone, you might say he had a backbone of steel he had no fear except the fear of the Lord. This man called Caleb simply lived his life with a made up mind that God was in control therefore his circumstances could not get out of control.
Numbers 13:17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: 18 And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.
In this passage of scripture we find Moses sending 1 representative from each of the 12 tribes of Israel into Canaan to determine the condition of the land that was promised to them of God. Here the Children of Israel had traveled for some time and had finally where the Lord wanted them to be. For the first time in all their journeys they get close enough to have a glimpse of this Promised Land but let us be reminded what happens when they were so near receiving their promise.
Numbers 13:21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. 22 And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
We find here that after 40 days in the Promise Land the First Committee Report of the 12 chosen is brought before all the congregation of Israel.
The Report of the 12 was not unanimous. 10 of the 12 reported it is impossible to arrive where the Lord had intended for them to be, but 2 of the 12 declared it could be done. A further study of the scripture reveals that it was the minority of only two who latter possessed the Land of Promise, thus providing scriptural proof that the majority is often times wrong. Only Joshua and Caleb received the reward. God rewarded Joshua by permitting him to lead the Children of Israel into the Promise Land and Caleb by permitting him to overcome the Giants within the land.
Hebron was the place where they found the Giants and Hebron means: the place of fellowship. This was the place where Abraham once dwelt, the place of Jacob and his sons, the final resting place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Rebekah, and Leah. It was this beautiful place that the Giants had made to become evil.
Caleb was one of the men who was chosen by those over him to use his vision to be a witness of the reality of what truth was. Caleb did not have the same vision as some of those around him he did not see things the way others did, but he looked upon things in the way God did. Just because others did not agree with Caleb’s vision did not change his outlook.
Numbers 13:27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
What would you do if you met a Giant?
Retreat or Advance
This account of Scripture reveals to us 12 men who were sent to represent the 12 tribes of all of Israel. These 12 men were all searching and spying out the Land. In their searching they found Giants. For the sake of this message we will name them.
1) Ahiman The Flesh it must be recognized and destroyed.
The Flesh it must be recognized and destroyed.2) Sheshai The World must not become our home.
The World must not become our home.3) Talmai The Devil must be resisted.
The Devil must be resisted.There are three Giants that confront each of us as Christians.
If they are not put to death they will result in us not receiving the Promise. However if they are put to death we will enjoy all the blessings of the Promise. This means that we must prepare ourselves to make battle with all three and overcome them. Our outlook will determine our outcome. If we will look through the eyes of faith we will see a good report and win the victory. We must realize that there can be no victory without a battle.
Caleb was convinced that they were no match for Him, that they needed to be addressed immediately. He believed that the sooner they were dealt with the sooner the Victory would be come and the sooner they could enter the land of Promise.
While all the others declared there was no hope Caleb believed in the God he served. Caleb saw what other ignored.
Where others saw defeat Caleb saw opportunity.
These three Giants that Caleb saw were the sons of Anak.
Anak: means Longnecksand the longer the neck the bigger the opportunity.
and the longer the neck the bigger the opportunity.These three Giants were in a land where they did not belong and they were there to destroy the fellowship that once was once in Hebron
These three Giants if permitted in the Church will hinder the fellowship that once was in her midst.
It is not until you kill these three Giants that you can enjoy the grapes that are in the Promise land.
The majority will say it is impossible but the majority will not be in Heaven.
You must take a stand for you self as Caleb and Joshua once did.
Numbers 14:1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. 10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. 11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
The Sunday Message6-7-10
6-7-10Lord, Have Mercy on My Son
Matthew 17:14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
In these passages of the scripture we find here a Father who is making intercession to the Lord for his son. This man came to the Lord even though there was a multitude of others all around him. He had became concerned enough about his child, that even though there was a crowd all around him, it did not stop him from kneeling before the Lord and pleading with him for his son’s deliverance.
This man had a good reason for crying out to the Lord. His son was bound by the Devil and was being tormented by him. Not only was his son in need of deliverance but he could not help himself and those he turned to could not help either.
When he came to Jesus this is what he said:
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
This Father brought his child to the church, possibly Sunday after Sunday, but still there was no change in the condition. Finally the Father decided to get down to business and ask the Lord for help for his son. The result was his son was delivered and set free.
We have a great need in the Church of God today. That need is for some Godly Parents to get concerned about their children. We need some Godly men and women who will not stop crying out to God until they see their families saved.
First before we can see them saved we must come to understand that our loved ones are Sore Vexed of the Devil. Satan has his death grip upon them and he means to do them harm. We must come to understand that they must get delivered. Some how you and I must reach the Lord for them or they will be lost.
Should we fail to make intercession for them then they will be cast into the fire and eternally lost. We can not wait for others to do our praying for our loved ones. We are going to have to make the difference. You may say my children are saved! How about your companion? What about your Husband or Wife. What about your in-laws and out-laws. How about your co-workers and employers?
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
Jesus often times has to do the work for you and me because we still have the same problem the early church had. UNBELIEF!
The early church was described as being unable to get answers from God because of their lack of faith and the lack of PRAYER and FASTING. Because of their lack of faith they were described as a perverse generation.
To be perverse is to be corrupt in your thoughts and actions.
The disciples had become perverse in their thinking and had begun to believe that they could just expect things to happen rather than see to it that God was moved by Prayer and Fasting.
It is very easy to just go through the motions but going through the motions does not move the hand of God. It is going to take more than we have been giving him.
Satan is trying to cause you and I to just to give up and forget about their condition. He is perverting the judgment of the Church of God.
Satan would have you to believe that just because someone seems to have things going their way that all is well but be not deceived Satan is hoping for them to fall into His fire. We had better mean business if we are going to make a difference.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
The good news is that just because the Church is lifeless and powerless does not mean that God is powerless. God still answers the prayers of those who get down to business with him. When the church failed to be able to do its part on God’s program this Godly man rose to the occasion. This Parent by faith caused the hand of God to be moved on his behalf. The result was an eye opener for those who thought they had what it took.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
On this day the disciples learned an important lesson. They learned that if they want to see the Lord work when they called upon him then they needed to spend some time on their knees in prayer and away from the table in fasting.
If we are going to be rapture ready there are some things that are going to have to change. God’s people are going to have to become like God. We need a Church wide repentance of the sins that have been and are being committed by the membership of the Church.
Ne 9:1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth’s, and earth upon them. 2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.
The Church in the Wilderness knew how to get a hold of God. They separated their selves from the things that did not belong in their lives, they confessed their sins, and they spent time in the word of God. Until this happens in the Church of today our loved ones are never going to be saved.
Jesus instructed us to Fast and Pray while he was here. It is up to us if we will be completely obedient to his word or not.
Mt 6:16 Moreover when ye fast be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
All of those who professed to belong to the Lord both in the old and new testament Fasted and Prayed. This generation is not going to slip in to glory if they do not follow the pattern that has already been laid.
Psalms 35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
Psalms 109:24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
Instead of Fasting in the Church of God we have Feasting. We can gather for Homecomings and Dinner gatherings but what about Prayer visuals and fasting hours. We are not there yet and our loved ones are going the other direction. It is our own fault. We are not fully obeying the Word of God.
Php 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
We do not want to provoke the Lord at the loss of those we love and possible even our own souls. How good is that meal? Is it worth losing your soul?
Job 20:23 When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.
CHURCH IT IS TIME TO PUSH AWAY FROM THE TABLE AND SEE SOULS SAVED. This is a Church wide problem but it is also our problem and we had better do something about it.
Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? 18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. 19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
Jer 36:6 Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD'S house upon the fasting day.
Things are going to have to change in our lives before the return of our Lord. If we do not begin to take notice to what the Word of God has to say to us then we will find our selves in the same condition as many others today. LOST IN SIN!
The Lord instructed us that if we want our children saved then we are to:
1) Live free from sin
2) Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
3) Guard our hearts and minds from the enemy
4) Fall on our face before Him
5) Spend time in Prayer
6) Spend time in Fasting
7) Expect a mirical.
5) Spend time in Prayer
6) Spend time in Fasting
7) Expect a mirical.
The Choice is ours to make. Souls are in the balance what will we do about it?
The Sunday Message
