Consistent Faith Comes from a Different Spirit

The Account of Caleb

To continue with our topic for this week, “how to be a believer in today’s culture,”

(Back story of the Israelites, from Moses to Caleb)

The first generation of Israelites wandered 40 years.

They grumbled and complained;

They were disobedient,

They whined and wanted to go back to Egypt, t

They wanted to go back to bondage—they preferred bondage over God, over facing an enemy—does this speak to you?

As a result, the first generation was prohibited and denied access, by God, to the promised land.

The two exceptions to this where, Joshua and Caleb. Caleb is our focus today

Number 14:24 “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.”

Caleb wasn’t absent from any of the hardships the Israelites faced.

He was born in captivity (Egypt) and forced to work and as a slave under Pharaoh.

He witnessed the plagues and torture of his fellow people,

He journeyed the miles and miles in the wilderness;

He watched as his people constructed a golden calf waiting for Moses; t

He traveled from Mount Sinai to the brink of the promised land, then was sent spying out Canaan;

He then had to endure the wandering of 40 years with the generation that would never see the promised land.

Caleb’s faith:

One might think he would take on the attitude of the 1st generation of Israelites: Complaining, griping, whining, lacking trust, disobedient.

But what we find is evidence that despite the lack of faith and trust the Israelites Caleb chose not to go along with them, rather he chose to trust God, to see God’s hand in his and the Israelites deliverance; Caleb, as evidenced in over 30 different verses in the O/T had a passion for God, a heart that followed Him fully. He was a man who had fearless confidence in God.

Deuteronomy 1:36 “except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.’”

If we could boil Caleb’s life down to three statements, it would be these:

He believed in God; this belief in God made him unafraid to face the enemy

His belief was authentic b/c of his obedience to God.

His faith was consistent despite living among a world and people set against God and His promises.

He had a different spirit: What did this look like, where can we see this, and what can we learn about what it means too wholly follow God, and have a different spirit?

I. (v.27-28; 30) Like Caleb having a different Spirit means you aren’t afraid to face the enemy!

Numbers 13:27-28 “Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.”

(Culture/Context)-

The Israelites:

What was in front of them (v.27)-Numbers 13:27 “Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.”

The land had all they would ever need.

They would be living under God’s provision.

They would be living under God’s protection.

God would dwell with His people (via the temple-Solomon)

The promise that God had given too Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

They were on the cusp of receiving what God had promised over 400 years ago. So, what happened

What they saw (v.28_ Numbers 13:28 “Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.”

What they didn’t recognize/remember

The Lord promised this land (He keeps His promises, they didn’t rest in that).

The Lord had gone before them;

He prepared the way for them to have victory and the gift of His presence.

Forgot God’s promise of deliverance.

Forgot what God had already done for them; how He had preserved them (Egypt, Red Sea, manna, sandals, etc.)

They were afraid!

They doubted!

They forgot what God had promised!

They had forgotten what God had already done (Egypt, manna, Red Sea, etc).

Seeing things from the perspective of their flesh, reduced them to the belief that it was more comfortable to live in their wondering;

they wanted a different way,

they didn’t want to fight,

they wanted deliverance without having to fight and overcome;

Fear has consumed them to the point, they had no desire to fight, no desire to trust God, no desire to remember all that God had done or them; no desire to remember that God had promised them victory

Caleb

What he saw, was what the other 10 didn’t see/refused to see/couldn’t see.

He chose to see Canaan not as an obstacle, but an opportunity.

An opportunity to trust God and see Him work.

To witness and experience God deliver him from his enemies…this is a different spirit Caleb wasn’t ignoring the enemy; he knew the enemy was strong, he knew the enemy was numerous and all over; but He knew and trusted that His God…our God…is bigger…who was and is able to overcome any enemy, no matter how big, numerous, dangerous, or entrenched.

(You and I)-To have a different spirit, you must be willing to face the enemy (confront your sin and our battles)

In ways not much different from the Israelites, we know what God has promised through His Word

That He Himself, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will live in you.

His presence promises to provide all that we need, so we no longer have to chase after fleeting-temporary things of the world and our flesh

Romans 8:31-32 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

His presence promises life under His provision; not the provision of the fleeting things of this world

His presence in your life, brings you under His protection

In way not much different than the Israelites, we also see what lies in front of us.

An enemy…our sin.

And again, so much like the Israelites, we look at the enemy that is our sin and the battles we are sure to face, and we tend lose the desire to fight. We resort to the belief that says:

Not worth what I have to give up-Jesus says it’s worth it; you’re worth it

I am too afraid of what it takes to surrender-Jesus says don’t be afraid, only believe.”

I’ve done too much wrong, lived (or living) in too much sin for forgiveness-Jesus disagrees that it’s too much for Him to cleanse.

There’s no way God could deliver me from an enemy so strong-The cross says otherwise

You need to have the intentionality of Caleb—you need to see things through the lens of what the Bible teaches, that

What He promises you, if you will trust and obey, is salvation and freedom.

The Lord has gone ahead of you and has prepared the way for you; to have victory and rest over you enemy…the cross of Christ!

We aren’t waiting for the cross, we look back. The way has been prepared for you. All that is needed is your surrender to Jesus.

The Lord has preserved you to this point, to this day and moment, to give you the opportunity to choose Him, to choose His son and be adopted into the family of God

(I, we, will always speak into the necessity to face your enemy (sin)…why? Because sin is our (your) greatest enemy. Because the enemy you face today is strong and the stakes are too high for me to ignore it)). Coming to a place where we can fully/wholly follow God like Caleb, REQUIRES that we have a willingness to know and confront our enemy; to be aware of and confront our sin; there can be no true surrender of your life, if you are unwilling to identify and confront your sin.***

II. Like Caleb, having a different spirit is to have an obedient spirit.

Joshua 14:7-8 “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.”

(Context and Culture)

Israelites-left wandering in the desert for 40 years, ultimately not able/allowed/permitted to see or live in the promised land

Caleb-it’s easy to forget that Caleb (and Joshua) had to live and wander with them

Caleb’s obedience was not conditional; it was steadfast (not perfect, but steadfast)

He could have folded and become like the rest of the Israelites—Griping, complaining, desiring the enemies provision, over God’s b/c it was easier

He had every reason to disobey and the world would have been ok with it

But Caleb’s obedience wasn’t to the rest of Israel—it was to God!

The people couldn’t enter the promised land b/c of their lack of frustration; they had already wandered about for decades and now they were going to have to wander 40 years more

But Caleb knew he had every reason to be obedient.

The man He served under died without ever stepping foot in the promised land—Moses.

Caleb’s obedience wasn’t to man, it was to God

(You and I)

Like Caleb, our obedience should not be conditional

We could fold and become like the rest of the world

Or, regardless of situations and circumstances/regardless of what our friends our doing, what YouTube says, what our b/f or g/f want, etc., we could be committed to obedience to God’s Word, to live

How He calls us to live.

Obedient to adopt and adapt our lives to the character of Christ, rather than the character of the world or friends (lost or saved) living sin.

Standing up to and against the world (the enemy), our flesh and sin and stand up for the things of God

We could choose to compromise our obedience b/c of circumstances in our lives (our fault or not)

Or we could choose to see things from the perspective of Jesus and know that difficult circumstances/situations, when handled biblically produce the character of Christ, stronger faith/dependence, and maturity.

We could choose to pick and choose what or who we are obedient too

Or we could choose outright obedience to the truth of God’s Word, regardless of our own needs/wants/desires/comfort

Like Caleb, our obedience should be seen in seasons of blessing and in seasons of trials

Obedience can be neglected when, “things are going well.”

Obedience can be limited to obedience, “only when things get hard.”

Biblical obedience is obedience regardless of the season of life you are in

Obedience when things are well—strengthen and prepare you

Obedience when trials come-refine and purify you.

REGARDLESS of the circumstance (season of grace or of trials), obedience is done to glorify and honor God

This type of obedience is an obedience of someone with a different spirit

III. Like Caleb, a different spirit means, your faith must be a consistent faith

(Joshua 14:7-8) “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back world to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.”

(Caleb)-Caleb’s consistent faith was visible despite those around him abandoning/ignoring/influencing/rebelling against, God.

Caleb’s brethren, his own people failed to believe in God’s promises

(You and I)-Your faith should be as Caleb’s; visible despite the world around you; and as a follower of Jesus, suffering/hardship/trials should be expected

1 Peter 1:6-10 “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,”

1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”

1 Peter 5:8-10 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”

What is it that (1) belief, (2) confrontation of sin, (3) obedience, and (4) consistent faith will lead you to?

Salvation-b/c a heart devoted to these things, is a heart fully/wholly surrendered to God.

More of Himself-Psalm 37:4

The greatest gift we could ever receive from God, first being salvation/adoption, is more of Himself

Worship Team

Like we discussed at the first session, what I want, what we want—is what God desires—

Your hearts surrendered to Jesus

Your faith grow in Jesus, so you can live boldly and confidently in today’s culture and world.

We see what God is promising us through Jesus Christ, but we look at what stands in our way (sin) and we see how/what the enemy uses to distract, deceive, and distort us from following Him.

When we are confronted with all this, we can tend to posses the same attitude as that of the 10 spies...fear;

Fear b/c the enemy the enemy says:

Your sin is too big/gross;

You’ve been sinning so much, God can’t forgive you,

The sin you are stuck in is too much to give up or fight against…

We want salvation, but we want it another way, rather than what the Bible teaches.

To have salvation and to have a different spiriit,

Fear, b/c what surrounds, overwhelms, and indoctrinates us—is a world that endorses sin

You know you have friends that do

You know you it’s in your school

You know you see it in the movies/music/messages through Social Media, Technology, etc

You know—in some ways—you do

What we need (what you need) is a spirit like Caleb

Caleb possessed a different spirit

A spirit that trusted God, not his flesh

A spirit that believed in the promise of God, to deliver them (the cross is that promise for you).

A spirit that rebelled against naysayers, rebelled against the other 10 spies who were operating in fear rather than operating in faith…Caleb rebelled against the enemy…we need to rebel against our enemy (sin)

A spirit that was obedient to God, regardless of situations or circumstances

A spirit that had consistent faith.

Caleb’s spirit is one in which Jesus speak about in Mark 5 in the account of Jarius and his daughter (one of my favorite statements ever made by Jesus)

(Quick synopsis of the account of Jarius)

Mark 5:36 “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.””

You and I: Is your spirit, is your heart one that

Is unwilling believe in God and His promises, or one that believes in the promise of God, to deliver you from your enemies?

Is unwilling to confront the enemy in your life (your sin) or one that trusts God, not your flesh

Neglects/forgets how God has preserved you up to this moment?

Neglects obedience, or one that is obedient to God, regardless of situations or circumstances

Is afraid of trusting God and surrendering your life to Him, or one that desires and pursues consistent faith.

Gives in and becomes one with the crowd, or stands against naysayers, stands against others who were operating in fear and the flesh, stands against the enemy…against sin?