Give Me This Mountain

Give Me This Mountain

Joshua 14:6-15 

Introduction

ILLUS – Reading the Kenyan President’s COVID-19 order

1. What kind of person blesses our Heavenly Father’s heart?
2. Tonight, we’re going to look at one of my favorites in the Bible, Caleb.
3. In Numbers 14:24, God said that His servant Caleb “had a different spirit” therefore God promised he would have an inheritance in the Promise Land.
4. Why was Caleb’s spirit different?
5. Usually when someone is called “different”, there is some negativity implied.
6. But this was not the case with Caleb.
7. God’s testimony about Caleb gives us insight into the kind of person God wants all of us to be.
8. The kind of person that causes God to take notice and say, “Well done My good and faithful servant.”

Joshua 14:6-15

Context

1. Joshua 14 is where the story gets very interesting. The sons of Judah came to Joshua and Caleb said to him, “You remember the word which the Lord spoke to Moses concerning you and me at Kadesh Barnea. He swore to us that the land on which our foot has trodden shall be our inheritance. Now then, give me the land which was promised.”
2. Caleb was an amazing person and there is much to learn from his life. At this point he was 85 years old and he said that he was just as strong as when he was 40 years old.
3. Caleb wanted the most difficult land in Israel. It was the most difficult because it was hill country, with difficult terrain.
4. But its greatest challenge was that the Anakim were there. The sons of Anak were large people and it was they who had put fear into the hearts of Israel at Kadesh Barnea 45 years earlier.
5. Caleb had been waiting 45 years for an opportunity to face the sons of Anak and take the hill country that God had promised him.
6. It’s important to see that the Promised Land is also a picture of a believer who is walking victoriously by faith. It takes courage to take hold of God’s promises and Caleb is a tremendous example for us.

Transition – Like Caleb we must…

I.  Follow God Wholeheartedly

• In verse eight, Caleb compared himself to the ten spies who went up into the land of Canaan and came back with a bad report.
• The other spies made the heart of the people melt with fear, so that’s why Caleb said, “But I followed the Lord my God fully.”
• The results of faith versus fear become immediately clear to all.
• Five times in this section Caleb pointed out that he had followed the Lord wholeheartedly, which is a key to understanding the strength of Caleb’s faith.

A.  We must let faith strengthen our hearts

1. If you go back 45 years earlier, you can see that faith and fear have a direct impact on what happens in the heart.
2. Caleb pointed out the problem perfectly when he said in verse eight that because of fear the heart of the people melted.

Numbers 13:30-31, 33, Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

     3.  The problem was that the spies only saw the troubles and challenges. They saw that there were giants in the land, then they looked at themselves and saw themselves only as    grasshoppers in their own eyes.

     4.  In other words, the giants and the challenges were great, and they were too small. They made a direct comparison between the problem and themselves and that is where they made a huge mistake.

APPL – The greatest fear that people have is the fear of the unknown. “What if this or that happens?” Right now, people are wondering…

• What if I get COVID-19?
• What if I lose my job?
• What if the economy collapses?

     5.  But Caleb saw God’s promises when others saw giants.

     6.  Like Caleb, we must take hold of God’s perspective and trust every promise He gives us from His Word.

Isaiah 40:21, 22, 28, 29, Do you not know? Have you not heard? It is He who sits above the vault of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers… Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.

APPL – Faith is the key to experiencing freedom from fear and the “life to the full” that Jesus promised us.

• But if you let it, fear will literally rob you of all that God promises.
• What we need is to receive God’s Word, believe what God has said, and stand firm in the faith.
• Speaking of the generation that did not enter the Promised Land because of fear, notice what the writer of Hebrews said…

Hebrews 4:1-2, Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

B.  Spiritual strength is superior to physical strength

1.  Caleb was 85 years old when he approached Joshua and asked for the challenge of taking the hill country from the Anakim. He then said that he was as strong at 85 as he was at 40.

ILLUS – What’s amazing about that is that many people don’t have much strength at 40. But Caleb had a harder life than most 40-year-olds today and it made him stronger.

     2.  Though it is amazing that Caleb had such physical strength, his spiritual strength was far greater.

APPL – I am convinced that there were men who were physically stronger in Israel, but were there any who were stronger spiritually?

ILLUS – Our world values one’s physical appearance, but places little value on one’s spiritual condition.

• While it’s tempting to focus on Caleb’s physical strength, the most important part of the story was Caleb’s spiritual strength.
• In fact, the Apostle Paul gave us a godly perspective.

1 Timothy 4:8, for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

II.  Adversity Makes Us Stronger

• The choice is ours.
• We can either get stronger or weaker.
• It all depends on whether faith or fear reigns in our hearts.
• Caleb was not afraid of adversity, he embraced it.
• He was convinced that God would do what He had promised.
• And you never read of Caleb making excuses.

A.  Excuses don’t work with God

1. There’s an interesting story that’s related to this in Joshua 17. The sons of Joseph, Ephraim and the half tribe of Manasseh, wanted more land not just because they were numerous, but because the challenges of the land they had were just too great.

     2.  But Joshua rejected their request.

Joshua 17:17-18, And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people and have great power; you shall not have one lot only, but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron and though they are strong.”

     3.  Caleb could have easily asked for something easy. After all, at 85 years old it was time to pull rank, sit back, and take life easy… right?

     4.  Not for Caleb. He refused to use his age as an excuse for not doing what God had asked him to do.

ILLUS – Moses was 80 years old when God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses tried one excuse after another, but God would have none of it.

     5.  What’s interesting is that there were others in the Bible who thought they were too young to serve God.

ILLUS – Jeremiah, when called by God, thought he was too young.

Jeremiah 1:6-7, Then I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak.”

APPL – The key is to continually bear fruit, regardless of your age.

Psalm 92:14-15, They will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

APPL – Now, I wonder what Caleb did for those 40 years. I’m convinced he didn’t sulk, but spent his time encouraging the next generation to have faith and to be strong. There’s much for us to do as well.

• If Caleb were with us today, what would he do? What would he say?
• You see, our world needs what we have.
• Our world needs the hope that we have found in Jesus Christ.
• Our world needs to know that God loves them and is for them.
• Our world needs to know that though we live in a fallen world, tainted by the fall of Adam and Eve, that this is still a season of His grace.
• These are the birth pangs that Jesus spoke of.

Matthew 24:6-8, You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

• So, now is the time for people to get right with God by placing their faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.
• If the Church is quiet, if the Church if overcome by fear, then what witness will the Church have?
• We have the only message that brings hope for this life and the life to come.
• May we have the faith of Caleb.

B.  Eat adversity for breakfast

1. When the 10 spies who discouraged Israel said that there were giants in the land, Caleb responded with an interesting insight…

Numbers 14:9, Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.

     2.  In other words, when we have faith, adversity makes us stronger. In fact, God uses difficulties and adversities to give us greater faith and godly character.

ILLUS – When Jesus had finished teaching a crowd of 5,000, He turned to His disciples and said, “You give them something to eat!” And they responded, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”

     3.  In Joshua 14, Caleb understood this very well. He asked for the challenge. He embraced the opportunity to take on the Anakim and their great fortified cities.

C.  Don’t rest until the last giant is gone

1. Caleb defeated all the giants and their fortified city.
2. The city was renamed, and the land was at peace.

ILLUS – Unfortunately, Israel did not follow Caleb’s example or God’s command to remove all the people from the land because the battle was too difficult… they faced setbacks and gave up.

APPL – You see, adversity doesn’t strengthen everyone.

• For some, it only knocks them down.
• All of us get knocked down, right?
• The question is, “What will we do when we get knocked down”?

Psalm 27:1, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?

APPL – Often, when we think of giants we think of external obstacles. But there are other giants to confront, the “giants within”.

• But God wants to confront those giants too so that we may enter the freedom that Christ purchased for us.
• But our freedom requires a choice…

Hebrews 12:1-2, Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith

Conclusion

APPL – We are facing very big giants.

• Is your heart overwhelmed?
• Don’t give up.
• Trust the Lord.
• Our God is on the throne and He is on the move.
• We have a message, the only message that brings hope for this life and the life to come, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Our God is a giant slayer.

1 John 5:4, For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.