Found in His Promises

Praise God it is so good to be here at session 2 of the conference tonight! Are you glad to be in the house of the Lord? Are you glad to be in His presence tonight? Are you glad to be surrounded by men who, like you, are here to seek more of what God has in store for their lives?

Then I want you you stand to your feet, give your neighbor a fist bump and/or a man grunt and say, “let’s get ready for the Word.”

Numbers 14:24 NIV

24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

Alright… I want us to read this together this evening one more time, and then we are going to pray for God to move. Here we go…

Tonight, we are going to talk about being Found in His Promises - God’s promises to be exact. We are going to talk about what that means and why it is important for us as men to be living in the promises God has for us.

First off, we all know what a promise is. A promise is a a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.

Promises come in all shapes and forms.

They are used in advertising - like a ladder that is the SAFEST ladder a person can buy.

PLAY BAD LADDER VIDEO

They are used in boasting - like a ship that God Himself could not even sink.

AND… we all know how that story goes… on her maiden voyage, the RMS Titanic hit and iceberg that caused it to sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Promises are also used in things like politics - well, for the sake of keeping the peace, we will not unpack that one! but you get the point!

The problem with these examples are… they are examples when promises do not pan out like they are supposed to.

The world is FULL of broken promises. The world is full of claims… full of if you do this, buy this, vote for this person, etc... then you will receive fill in the blank.

Sometimes they pan out… but we all know what it feels like when they don’t

Promises are as only as good as the person or party making them. And that might sound a bit out of the box or harsh but hear me out.

Who you are and what you do, your reputation, your integrity, your ability to follow through… all make huge impacts on whether or not a person will believe the promises you make.

Here’s the thing… people are looking for… promise - a truth they can hold on to… a proclamation they can get behind and stand upon. PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING REAL.

This is a generation that is tired of wishy washy. This is a generation that has just about seen it all and heard it all. This is a generation that has been bombarded with empty claims… and broken promises. This has made it difficult for people… especially men… to know who to trust and who they can follow.

Guys, tonight I want you to realize and understand that God is someone who always keeps His promises. In fact, according to 2 Corinthians 1:20, God’s promises are YES and AMEN!

2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV

20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

God does NOT go back on His promises! Do you believe that tonight? God always follows through!

And where the world has let you down time and time again, God will NEVER let you down.

Tonight I want to talk to you about a guy named Caleb. Caleb was one of twelve… one of twelve spies that had just returned from a reconnaissance mission… into the promised land. Caleb is a guy that stands out from the rest… because he was willing to stand on the promises of God - when everyone else decided to go their own way. His hope never wavered. His faith never failed.

The people of God had recently been delivered from the oppressive hand of the Egyptians. They were now standing on the threshold of a territory God had promised to give them.

Imagine the excitement they must have felt! They had been supernaturally delivered from a really bad situation and God was about to give them a land flowing with milk and honey! Imagine the how incredible it must have been to know you were almost there! God’s promise to the people was about to come true!

And then… the 12 spies returned to give their mission report. The land was GOOD as God said it would be… but it was also occupied by people who… weren’t looking to leave anytime soon. And before God’s people could inhabit the land, the current inhabitants had to be… cleared out.

Think about it… when you buy or rent a home, you do not move in, until the previous family has moved out. It is a mutual transition that occurs as you take possession of your new living space.

But this transition wasn’t mutual. If the Israelites wanted to take possession of the land, they would have to fight for it. This wasn’t a matter of negotiating over final price and closing costs… this was winner takes all… loser takes a walk.

And these inhabitants… were big. This was not going to be easy. BUT… GOD WAS WITH THEM AND HIS PROMISED LAND was just a few steps ahead.

But the obstacles were more than the people wanted to take on. Although God’s promise remained… their resolve to pursue His promise did not.

But one guy… one guy begins to shout above the doubting crowd to give a different word. That guy was Caleb. And his report is found in Numbers 13:30

Numbers 13:30 NIV

30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Whoa… easy tiger! Where in the world did that confidence come from? How was Caleb so resolved in his thinking and belief regarding his projected outcome? CALEB KNEW GOD WOULD MAKE GOOD ON HIS PROMISE. Therefore, Caleb was willing to take the steps necessary to see God’s promise become a reality.

There was something different about Caleb… there was a unique characteristic regarding this guy that set him out among the rest. While the crowd of people grumbled, Caleb didn’t go for it! He remained in God’s promise and would not be side tracked!

Our main text told us what the difference was - CALEB HAD A DIFFERENT SPIRIT. Caleb wouldn’t give in because His spirit was not aligned with the nay-sayers. Caleb’s spirit was aligned with the direction and promise of God. So… what was it that made the way for this different spirit found in Caleb? This was the result of his wholehearted pursuit of God. Look at our main text again.

Numbers 14:24 NIV

24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

The difference in Caleb was the result of a WHOLEHEARTED PURSUIT of God. He was all-in. Caleb was NOT found in the grumblings of the day… Caleb was found in the promises of God.

The end results of this day… were not good. Because of their doubt, the people would wonder in the desert until the nay-sayers were gone. But Caleb… Caleb would live and fight to see the promise fulfilled. And it was all a result of a different spirit that came from His wholehearted pursuit of God.

To be found in the promises of God… is to be all-in in your pursuit of God. It means not getting distracted or sidelined. It means being active, not passive, in your faith and giving your best for the Lord.

We need men of God today who would be bold enough to stand as Caleb stood. We need men of God today who would not only believe in God’s promise but also lead others to His promises as well.

We need men who would lead families, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities to God’s hope, healing, peace, presence and forgiveness. We need men who have experienced God’s promises to proclaim His promises!

Caleb believed that the land was as good as theirs. Why? Because God said it was theirs. All they had to do was deliver God’s eviction notice to the inhabitants and boom!

We have a saying we like to say around here at HWC - If God is in it, the work is already done!

How many here desire God’s best for your life? How many here believe that God has GOOD things in store for you? Consider this - To get God’s best… we must be willing to GIVE God our best.

Here’s the question: How many here have been been giving God your best in your pursuit of Him?

And… that is where we might begin to experience turbulence in our walk with the Lord.

There are a couple of quick things I want us to look at tonight that can cause a man to stumble in his pursuit of what God has for him. As we look at these three things, we will also look at what a wholehearted pursuit of God look like.

The three points come from Caleb and Joshua’s plea to the people to not turn their back on God’s promise.

Numbers 14:6–9 NIV

6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

Do Not Rebel Against God

As Caleb stood believing God would bring the victory, the people stood defiant. Their hearts were going a DIFFERENT direction. It was clear that God had brought the people this far… yet in this moment, they began to grumble and rebel against what the Lord had for them.

The promise land was right there… I do not believe there was a single person in that assembly that didn’t want what God had promised. The problem was, they didn’t want to walk the path necessary to get to where God was leading them to go.

And even with all the grumbling, Caleb did not become distracted in his wholehearted pursuit.

God has a plan for each and every one of us - and it is a good plan. The reason Caleb stood in the middle of God’s promise 45 years after this all took place was because he never stopped following God. His heart NEVER rebelled against the Lord.

Rebellion is a serious thing in the eyes of God. Rebellion is the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention. As the spies stirred up grumblings and murmurs, they were rebelling against the word Caleb had given AND against the direction God was leading them to go!

Caleb was found in the middle of God’s promise because he chose not to rebel against God.

A Wholehearted pursuit of the Lord will choose to lay down any and all grumblings and will trust the word given by God.

Grumblings do nothing more than allow for doubt to enter the picture. Grumblings give room for our limited understanding to divide us from God’s infinite power and ability. What kind of things might cause a person to “grumble” today regarding the promises God has in store for us?

One, Misaligned Passions.

I am speaking of a man’s desires. I am speaking of a man’s priorities. I am speaking of what a man… truly treasures.

Jesus gives some interesting insight regarding how powerful of an influence the “treasures” or passions in our life can become.

Matthew 6:21 NIV

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

How strong of an influence are the desires of your heart to your life? Well, gentlemen, we will absolutely pursue those desires! Our heart’s desires are revealed in the treasure we pursue.

I want you to see a growing concern that is taking place in in our churches. People say they WANT more of God, but they are unwilling to GIVE more of themselves. For instance:

More than 90 percent of American men believe in God, and five out of six call themselves Christians. But only two out of six attend church on a given Sunday. The average man accepts the reality of Jesus Christ, but fails to see any value in going to church.

The typical U.S. Congregation draws an adult crowd that’s 61% female, 39% male. This gender gap shows up in all age categories.

Midweek activities often draw 70 to 80 percent female participants.

Fewer than 1% of churchgoing men participate in any sort of ongoing men's ministry program

Only 1 out of 18 men are involved in any form of discipleship.

This leads me to ask: WHERE ARE ALL THE MEN??? The sad and very real answer is - they are… we are pursuing other passions that have become a distraction in our pursuit of Jesus.

We can hardly expect to receive from the Lord and to be led by Him when we are unwilling to passionately pursue Him.

Two, the lack of patience.

This involves wanting what God has for us… WHEN WE WANT IT. We don’t like to… wait. We live in a day when we can have what we want, when we want it!

Culturally, we have been conditioned to have what we want or need in a very short amount of time. We have become a nation of consumers that demands quick and easy access for our convenience.

How many understand tonight that… God does NOT operate that way! God has a plan… and His timing is PERFECT.

Problem is, our patience is often… imperfect. We don’t like to wait! It can be easy to rebel and grumble against the Lord as impatience creeps in and demands God to operate according to our calendar and time table.

God is on the move! His Promises are yea and amen! DO NOT ALLOW for impatience to cause grumblings to begin to rise up in your soul against the Lord. Take a deep breath… don’t become anxious… but instead be at peace because you know that God’s got this! It will all work out according to HIS TIMING.

Three, our preferences.

Does anyone in the room have an opinion? Anyone? Does anyone here tonight like things to be done a certain way, according to certain standards?

We ALL have our different likes and dislikes. We ALL have a preferred way of getting things done. And even when indifference is on the surface, often times there is a preference hiding within.

For instance, after Sunday morning church, have you ever asked your wife, “where would you like to eat today” and you received the response, “I don’t care?” Then you make a suggestion and then you hear, “No, I don’t want that?”

On the surface, we “appear” to be indifferent but really there is a preference hiding in there that will come to the surface at some point.

The Israelites did NOT want to fight the people in the promised land. The would have rather seen God kind of shoo them out for them. AND… had their faith been in the right place, they would have seen that happen!

God will do things in ways that are different from how we might do them. We cannot allow for our preferences to get in the way and cause us to rebel as God moves in the situations at hand.

A wholehearted pursuit of God says no to grumblings and yes to what God is leading you to do.

God is calling us… calling and leading you into something new… something big… something beyond what any of us can do on our own. It will look different, it will require faith to get it done. It will require a people who will rise up… who will hold nothing back in their pursuit of what God has for us.

It will require that we resist grumbling… and instead give God praise. Church… His grace is sufficient to carry us through! All we have to do is simply walk by faith!

Yes there were giants in the land, and yes there were many enemies to overcome. But Caleb realized, as I hope you realize today, that there is nothing our God cannot do! His promises are yes and amen!

A wholehearted pursuit chooses to remain on course and to resist the urge to rebel. Remain faithful to the call for with the help of the Lord, you can certainly do this!

Do Not Be Afraid

Fear can become a prison that keep us from experiencing the promises God has for us. Fear is a weapon the enemy uses and it is deployed before any soldier takes to the field.

The spies came back with the fruit of the land in hand, and the fear of the enemy in their hearts. Caleb and Joshua, however, had a different perspective. Theirs was a perspective only God could give. They were not afraid. They were ready for the promise.

Fear will work to shift your focus from what God can do… to what you can do. Fear can rise up as we compare our resources against the challenges ahead. But faith rises up when we remember all that our God can do!

Fear wants to keep you where you are. Let that sink in. Fear led the Israelites to rebel and remain. Fear led them to MISSING OUT on God’s promise ahead.

I get it… facing new challenges and obstacles bigger than you can cause our emotions to get stirred up a bit. Change will often come with feelings we do not like to experience.

However, Those feelings CAN BE SILENCED with faith. But in order for that to happen, YOUR HEART MUST BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

Caleb and Joshua both saw the same obstacles the other spies saw. The difference is, they knew God was able. Their hearts remained aligned with faith… not fear.

Fear opens the door for the “what if” questions to begin to rise up. Fear opens the door for the “I can’t” reality to supersede the “HE CAN” reality.

Fear can become a prison that keeps us from experiencing the promises of God. The key in overcoming this fear is fully trusting in God - we cannot hold any part of our trust back with the Lord. our pursuit most be wholehearted.

With God, it really is all or nothing. There is no grey area. He either has all of you… or He has none of you. When it came to Caleb, he wasn’t afraid after spying out the land… He had no fear because he had unwavering faith!

Caleb is never described as bigger or stronger than anyone else; we have no description of him being a superior strategist or charismatic leader. He wasn’t brimming with any special gifts or talents that we know of. But… he had a heart that was willing to give fully to His God - and THAT made all the difference.

He wasn’t afraid of the battles… he wasn’t afraid of the enemy. He wasn’t afraid that God wouldn’t come through. Caleb wasn’t afraid because he wholeheartedly pursued God.

Think of ALL the things in recent years that have caused a rise in fear. From the economy to a pandemic to moral issues to violence to war and the list can go on and on.

People are living in fear of what might happen… people are imprisoned by things they cannot control. And that fear is taking a toll on people physically and spiritually.

God does not want you living in fear! That is why He called out Caleb as one having a different spirit than the others. Where the spirit of fear gripped the hearts of the other spies… Caleb spoke boldly from a spirit of faith and assurance!

WE NEED MORE OF THAT SPIRIT TODAY! Hearts full of the assurance that GOD IS ABLE. hearts that are not afraid to pursue God no matter where He leads us to Go!

And in that leading, there is one more thing we need to NEVER forget.

Do Not Forget God is With You

As we choose, by faith, to be found in the promises of God… we need to never forget that God is with us. To be found outside of His promises is to be found trying to navigate life in this world alone… empty of promise… struggling in the journey.

God DOES have good things in store for those who remain faithful. I want to close with this challenge today: We talk a lot in church circles about wanting more of God. But if we are real with ourselves, then we know that God is always accessible. His sons and daughters have unlimited access to Him. We can have as much of God as we want!

So what’s the problem? The issue isn’t getting more of God… the issue is God getting more of us! God is with us ALL THE TIME! Do you believe that? God was with Caleb and Joshua then… and He is with us today! As Caleb and Joshua addressed the grumbling crowd, they did not attempt to ease the fear and rebellion rising up by trying to give a pep rally of sorts. They reminded the people that God was with them. This was NEVER about what the people could do… it was always about what God could do for His people!

In Moses’ day, God had not brought the people to the promised land for a tour or a flyover. He had not brought them there for a visit or vacation. God took them there to take possession of the promise. They were not to view the land from a distance… they were the new owners… the new occupiers… the new inhabitants.

I hear so many people talk about how they wish God would move powerfully in their lives. They talk about what God is doing for people over here or groups over there and they wonder why God isn’t moving in their lives like that?

Could it be… that instead of taking possession of the promise, you have settled for taking a tour instead?

A person’s inability to enter the new normal God has for them does not come down to their lack of natural gifts or ability. It will not be because that person wasn’t the best or brightest. It won’t be because they weren’t tough enough or strong enough. It WILL be because they were not willing to pay the the price of TOTAL COMMITMENT. They were unwilling to follow God wholeheartedly.

Jesus told us the cost of being His disciple. He said in Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23 NIV

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

This is total commitment. This is wholehearted pursuit of Jesus. All of the old is left behind as you WALK BY FAITH into the new that He has for you.

So the final question is: how much of you are you willing to give to God?

If you truly desire all that He has for you… you must be willing to wholeheartedly give ALL that you are to Him!

Today is NOT a day of holding back… it is a day of boldly walking in faith as the Lord would lead us. But in order for Him to lead us… we must be willing to follow.

In order to follow, we must have a relationship with Him.

PRAYER - Salvation

Lastly, if you recognize today that there are areas in your life where you are holding back… then it’s time to let go. It’s time to wholeheartedly pursue the Lord.

Are you willing to pay the price of total commitment? Stand if that is your decision today.

PRAYER