Faithfulness:The Fruit
Notes
Transcript
Introduction- Faithfulness: the Fruit
Introduction- Faithfulness: the Fruit
Happy Inauguration Day
is that even a thing?
Thanks to all who will join today
Pastor Orr and the BMBC family
Faithfulness has benefits; stay loyal to God. He will Bless you
Caleb Life of Faithfulness- Joshua 14:6-13
Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 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 him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”
Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
3 Points
God preserves, Protects, and guards Those who are faithful to Him
God’s Promises to those Faithful to Him
God strengthens those faithful to Him
As Pastor Orr previously indicated, the month of January was dedicated to Joshua and the Bible reading plan we put in place. This is the year of calling and us winning in our purpose. To get this kicked off, we start the book of Joshua together-calling to conquer.
We want to be victorious in everything and after a year like 2020; we need a renewed sense of vision. Many were knocked off quilter and must undergo a realignment. Some were pushed to innovation, they started companies and new endeavors. All of us had to brace this new reality of Covid and new strains and the politicalization of it, and the injustices against black and brown and . . . the list goes on and on.
Our attempt to build us back up, Pastor Orr was like let’s see our calling to conquer through the lens of Joshua
This week’s readings takes us through the giving out of the land God promised to his people.
Chapters 11-13 or so, gives us the kings conquered by Moses and Joshua. . and then there was a section about more lands needing to be conquered.
We are at the section were normally people start fast forwarding to The GOOD STUFF!!
This section is boring, it’s a collection of land being giving out based on God’s promises. What we see over and over and over again is God making good on his Word; that no one with the promise would be left behind.
Reminds me of my Daughter Evie and her favorite movie nowadays: Trolls. Anything Trolls. Troll Holiday. . World Tour . . Trolls is Trolls is Trolls!!!
I can’t remember which Troll movie it was; but the trolls were being attacked by the Bergintons. . the Bergintons Loved eating Trolls. The had a holiday called Trolstice were they gained their happiness and satisfaction by eating Trolls. Well, Queen Papi wasn’t having it. . . she leads the charge of the Trolls being free and rescued from the Evil Bergintons and the Phrase uttered to keep them focused was “No Troll left behind!”
That is what we see happening in our passages this week. No One left behind; God uses Joshua and Eleazar the priest in a form of Democratic Process with checks and balances to ensure all would get exactly what God commanded. Its so much we see in this; Justice, equity, inclusion, and more for His people.
It is fitting we are reading about this while seeing the government processes play out before our eyes. We are witnessing today Democracy. . just weeks ago. . domestic terrorist attacked this process because they weren’t happy and comfortable with the outcome.
So, all this week you will see : “and this person got this. . and this tribe got that”
The section we pulled out from a weeks worth of reading looks at Caleb
Through Caleb we will see why it pays to be faithful.
God preserves, Protects, and guards Those who are faithful to Him
God preserves, Protects, and guards Those who are faithful to Him
CAleb was one of 12 Spies to survey this land. You remember that story in Numbers 13?
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel. And these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of Manasseh), Gaddi the son of Susi; from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.
They went to see the land to bring back a report. They went to Canaan and the reports came back differently.
At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”
caleb makes his address against the other spies:
But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
The People Go crazy
and Joshua and caleb had a positive response
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
Fast Forward: God brought them to the land and now God rewards Caleb for past faithfulness
He preserved his life as people wanted to take him out.
God will do the same for you. You have been waiting for God to show up in your life and God has your protection on display. As the saints of Old would say through many dangers, toils and snares. . .
God is protecting you, Guarding you, preserving your life just like He did for Caleb.
The Bible is clear about how God preserves and protects and guards those who are faithful
Love the Lord, all you his saints!
The Lord preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
Caleb knows and understands this. . usually people get softer as they get older. They see how God has carried them through life and they have a different sense of joy.
you know what i’m talking about. Grandparents. . . they are so nice with the grandkids.
The same parents that created UFC fighting . . before UFC was a thing. . . are so nice on the grandkids.
thats what typically happens.. . most of the time
Caleb says
And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”
I still got more strength. . there is still fight in me. . I’m getting ready to tackle the hill-country.
Is that your prayer for 2021? You have been fighting a long time. . 2020 gave you the fight of your life but God kept you alive. . . and you can conquer the hill-countries in your life
whatever they may be.
God preserves, Protects, and guards Those who are faithful to Him
God’s Promises to those Faithful to Him
God’s Promises to those Faithful to Him
Caleb gets what God said was his
And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’
God is Good
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.
Faithfulness is who God is
God strengthens those faithful to Him
God strengthens those faithful to Him
Caleb said he is still strong
Antwoine Fisher- still standing still strong
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”
stay faithful God will strengthen you
The Bible says: they that wait on the Lord shall renew there strength, mount upon eagles wings, run and not get weary. . walk and not faint
The Bible says:
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
Evening Session
Faithfulness- The Fight
According to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak. And he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir. Now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher. And Caleb said, “Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife.” And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she got off her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
Faithfulness is a lifetime Journey, stay in for the long Haul
Caleb gets his land but there is still a fight at hand.
When you look at the text, we see inhabitants still there in the land not able to be driven out. Some of the people asked what do we do, how do we get them out.
Caleb knew what to do. . he knew he had to fight them off
Even though, we have possession of the promise; we still have to fight off the enemy.
The text names 3 specifically
Sheshai
Ahiman
Talmai
Sons of Anak
Giants
Sheshai
Sheshai
Roadblocks- obstructions or barricades in the road
people put them there
nature puts them there
how do you overcome these?
Ahiman
Ahiman
Distractions - prevents you from giving full attention to something else
noises, images, conversations
some of these are keeping you from the greatness God has in you.
Talmai
Talmai
Self- disparaging- under-value in ones self