HAVE YOU SEEN GOD LATELY?

Numbers 13:25-14:10

HAVE YOU SEEN GOD LATELY?

Introduction

It has been two years since God moved in power to bring the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt.  During those two years, they have seen the Lord perform many powerful miracles on their behalf. 

They saw Him part the Red Sea and drown the Egyptian army. 

They have been eating manna and quail sent from God for their provision. 

They have received His Law and they have witnessed the construction of the Tabernacle. 

They have seen the glory of God resting on the Holy of Holies. 

In other words, they have seen the Lord do some pretty amazing things!

      Now, they stand at the border of the Promised Land.  This land, Canaanland, is the land God had promised to Abraham, Jacob, Isaac and Joseph.  They are poised to enter that land and claim it for their very own.  All they have to do is cross the river, enter the land and take it from the inhabitants.  It sounds like it might be hard, but God has promised to fight for them and to give them the land.  All they have to do is have enough faith to go and get it.

      When they arrive at the Jordan River, they are told to select a man from each tribe to act as a spy.  These spies are to enter the land; observe the weaknesses and strengths of the people; and return with some of the produce of the land, v. 17-20.  They are to observe these things and bring back the report to Moses and the rest of the nation.  When they return is when the problems begin.

      The spies do their job, but they return with bad news.  Ten of the spies are convinced that the land is unconquerable.  Two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, are ready to go claim the land in the name of the Lord.

The difference in attitude between that of the ten spies and that of Caleb and Joshua could not be greater.  Now, they went to the same places; they saw the same things; they observed the same people and they participated in bringing back the same produce; but they return with vastly different opinions. 

Why is this the case?

      I think we can answer that question by looking at these verses together today.  The short answer is this:

Caleb and Joshua went into Canaan with their eyes on the Lord and what He could do. 

The other spies went in with their eyes on man and what he could not do. 

That simple difference turned out to be a huge problem for the nation of Israel.

      Today, I would like to look at these verses and show you some areas of life that are greatly affected by where you have your spiritual eyes focused. 

Caleb and Joshua had their focus on God; the rest had their focus on man. 

That was the problem, but it is also where we can glean some help today.  You see, who you look to in life will determine the outcome of your life! 

If you can keep your eyes on the Lord and on His ability, you can walk in His victory. 

If your eyes are on man and what you or others can accomplish, you are destined to defeat. 

I want to help us get out eyes on the right Person today. 

I want to preach around this question: Have You Seen God Lately? 

Notice the areas of life that are affected by who has our focus today.

I.  WHAT THEY SAW

Numbers 13:27; 32-33

(Ill. When the twelve spies return from Canaan, they come back with a report of what they had seen over there.  It appears that the ten man majority is speaking in these verses.  Notice what they saw.)

A.  v. 23-27  They Saw Grapes

The first thing the spies do is to report that the land of Canaan is a land of wonderful things.  They even return with samples of the fruit of the land, including a cluster of grapes that is so large it must be carried on a pole between two men! 

They are saying, “This land is everything God and Moses have said that it is.  It is a place of wonderful opportunities!”

B.  v. 29, 32-33  They Saw Giants

They come back with a report about the inhabitants of the land.  They talk about the heathen tribes that occupy the land. 

Each tribe they mentioned was well known for its warlike spirit and wickedness. 

Then, they drop the bombshell!  “There are giants in that land!  Men so tall that we were like tiny little grasshoppers beside them.”  They are saying that the land of Canaan is a land of opportunity, but it is also a place filled with opposition!

C.  v. 33  They Saw Grasshoppers

– These men were thrilled by the opportunities they saw in Canaan; they were frightened by the opposition that awaited them there; but they were totally overcome by the opinion they held of themselves. 

They said, “There’s no way we can defeat those folks!  They are giants and we are just little grasshoppers compared to them.  It’s hopeless!”

Did you notice what they didn’t see? 

In all their looking, they failed to see God in their situation! 

They totally left Him out of the equation and, as a result, they were filled with fear and with doubt!

  Notice Caleb’s response in verse 30.  He saw the same things they saw, but he was looking in the face of a great God when he saw them.  He remembered everything God had done in the past and he remembered the promises God had made to Israel.  He believed in what he could not yet see, Heb. 11:1.  All Caleb is saying is, “Have you seen God lately?”  My friends, seeing Him makes all the difference!

 What do you see today? 

Do you realize that there is far more that God wants to do in and through your life? 

Do you see the spiritual opportunities that God has placed in front of you? 

Are you like Caleb?  Are you saying, “That’s what I want; let me go and get it!” 

Where are the people who will say, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”?

Have you seen God lately?

What They Saw

II.  WHAT THEY SAID

Numbers 13:28-31; 14:1-10

(Ill. What they saw was important, but what they said tells us even more about where their eyes were.  Notice what they said.)

A.  13:28-29  Their Words Reveal Their Doubts

– They use the word “nevertheless”.  That word is equivalent to saying “but”.  In other words, they said, “That land is everything God said it was, but…”  Then they start listing the reasons why this plan will never work. 

They were overcome with a negative spirit because they hadn’t seen God lately! 

Their eyes were in the wrong place and their faith followed close behind.

B.  13:31  Their Words Reveal Their Devotion

– In this verses, the ten spies use the word “we” twice.  You will notice that there is no mention of God at all; their focus is on what they themselves can do.  For some reason they seem to think the battle rests upon their own shoulders. That little verse tells us exactly where their faith rested.  They did not look to what their God could do; they looked to what they could do. That is a sure step toward spiritual defeat!

C.  14:1-10  Their Words Reveal Their Desires

When the people hear the news about the cities and the citizens, they join their voices with those of the ten spies and the whole crowd, with the exception of Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, starts to weep and cry. 

They attack Moses and Aaron. 

They despise the great work of God in delivering them from Egypt. 

They declare that they would have been better off if they had been left there to die, or if they had died along the way. 

They turn on God and they even threaten to stone Caleb and Joshua when they speak up, v. 6-10. 

Their feet may have been on the banks of Jordan, but their hearts were still in Egypt!  They are filled with doubt and fear and they are trying to back-up on the Lord.

 When you listen to the words of these people, you understand that what they are really saying is, “We haven’t seen God lately!” 

When you listen, you are also aware of what they could not say.  They could not say, “The battle is the Lord’s!  The land is ours; let’s go take what the Lord has given to us.”

In fact, the only time these people even mention God is in a negative context, 14:2-3.

How many of God’s people are possessed by that same negative spirit?  God is trying to lead you forward into a place of joy, peace, power and victory; but you are pulling against Him, trying your best to back-up on God.

      Have you seen God lately? 

If you have, you will have a vision for what He is wanting do in you, your life, your family, and in your church.  If you haven’t seen God lately you will have a negative spirit when it comes to going farther with Him. 

Your words will betray you.  You will say things like, “I’m trying to live for God, but it’s just no use!”; “I think I am all right just like I am.”; “Sunday morning is enough for me.”; “I know I ought to change, but it’s just too hard.”; “I want the church to grow, but the opposition is just too strong.”; “I don’t see any reason why we need to do that!”.

      That negative attitude abounds in the church today!  Everywhere you look, God is trying to take His people deeper with Him.  He is trying to get them to enter their Promised Land, but they keep trying to back up on God just like Israel did. 

God’s people live in fear and doubt, and faith is almost nonexistent in our world. 

The truth is, our focus is on us and what we can accomplish and our hearts are longing for Egypt!

      That’s right, we walk in faith, but our faith is in our own abilities.  Listen, if it is up to us to grow this church; to win souls to Jesus; to make something happen here; then we are in big trouble.  If that is the case then we have a reason to despair!  We might as well throw up our hands and quit!  But, friends, it is not up to us!  It is up to God and He never fails!

      Until we get our eyes off the world and what they are doing, we can forget victory and power in our lives and in our church! 

We are to be a separate people, 2 Corinthians 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”

We don’t need Egypt!  We don’t need Egypt’s music, Egypt’s methods, or Egypt’s mentality. 

We need to see God one more time!  We need a dose of what Caleb and Joshua had in Numbers 14:6-9.  We need hearts and eyes that long for nothing and can see nothing but our great God.

Have you seen God lately?

What they saw

What they said

III. WHAT THE Y SURRENDERED

Numbers 14:22-34

What they saw and what they said had a major impact on what they experienced in their lives.  Because they could not see the Lord and because they could not say that He was in control of the situation; they surrendered some mighty important things.

A.  14:23, 29  They Surrendered The Land

Because they did what they did, God vowed that none of the people that had been adults when they left Egypt would be allowed to enter the Promised Land. 

Their doubts and their desire for Egypt caused them to miss out on the blessing, the power and the glory of living in God’s Promised Land.

B.  14:28-37  They Surrendered Their Lives

God’s promise to them is that they will wander in that wilderness for forty years until every single one of the doubters is dead! 

The ten spies died immediately, v. 36-37; the rest over the course of the next thirty-eight years.  

Over one million died during the next 38 years. 28K per year, 540 per week, 77 per day.

Their route through that wilderness became a march through a graveyard! Their rebellion literally cost them their very lives!

C.  14:40-45  They Surrendered The Lord

After hearing the Lord’s judgment, they try to change their minds and go to Canaan anyway.  They are told that God will not bless them, nor will He go with them.  They go anyway and suffer a tragic defeat.  Their rebellion cost them the power and presence of God.

What a warning that should be to every child of God today!  When we fail to see God in the right light, and when we fail to follow Him as we should; we are opening our lives up to His judgment! 

 We will surrender our chance to enter His Promised Land of victory. 

We will waste our lives wandering around in a wilderness of defeat and sub-standard Christian living. 

We will surrender His presence and His power on our lives and in our churches. 

The cost is just too great!  We need to get a vision of the Lord and follow Him; regardless of the cost!

 Is having our way worth all that we will give up by not going with God?

Is sacrificing His power and His presence worth living the kind of life you live now?  Does the thought of wasting your entire life wandering around aimlessly, waiting to die bother you in the least?  Does the thought of missing out on God’s best for your life touch you in any way?

      God has victory for every one of His children.  God has a place of peace, power and provision marked out for each of God’s children.  He has blessing and revival set aside for His children.  To get it, we merely have to see Him and Him alone!  When He is first in our hearts and lives, the Promised Land of blessing becomes available.  But, when we walk in doubt, we risk throwing it all away!  Which outcome would you rather have?

Have you seen God lately?

Conclusion:

Have you seen God lately? 

If you have, then you are seeing the right things; saying the right things and surrendering nothing but yourself to the will of God.

Far too many people are just like those ten spies.  They are walking through life with their eyes on everything but the Lord.  That, my friends, is a recipe for disaster!  If that is the life you are living, you can change the direction and the devotion of your life today.  If you are lost, you can be saved.  If you have been backing up on the Lord, you can start to move in His direction.  If there are needs and giants, well, He can meet the needs and defeat the giants.  He is greater than all of them put together!  If He is drawing you and calling you to come to Him, then I challenge you to heed His voice and come be Him right now.