252-Living According to God's Promises#
252-Living According to God's Promises
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing is: Living According to God's Promises.
The scripture we are sharing is Joshua 14:6-11, let's read it together:
6 Then the children of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. 7 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. 8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.
9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ 10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for preparing this wonderful time, allowing Your children to worship and praise You together here. Today, through Your words, let us be renewed in strength, let us discover the strength that Caleb obtained, and let us learn from Caleb to see Your power in everything in our lives, looking up to You in all things. Thank You and praise You! Grant us Your strength and power. Thank You and praise You! In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
From this passage, we can see that when the Israelites left Egypt, there were nearly two million of them, but the promise God gave them was the same: that all who believe would enter the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. Among that generation, two people entered Canaan: one was Joshua, and the other was Caleb.
I have mentioned before that "Joshua" is the Hebrew name for Jesus. So what does Caleb bring us? We can see that Caleb entered Canaan, fought alongside Moses, and after forty-five years, he is now eighty-five years old. Thinking in today's terms, what is there to boast about for an eighty-five-year-old? Nothing.
It seems that the world no longer needs him because he is already very old. In our impression, an eighty-five-year-old person should be losing their teeth, have no hair, and lack strength to walk. Can they still go to battle? We might think not.
But look at Caleb; why does he still have a strong body at eighty-five? Generally speaking, when we see elderly people who are very strong and healthy, many people ask, “Can you tell me your secret to health?” Is it one method for each person? Some say, “I have only ever drunk this kind of water.” Everyone rushes to buy that water; some say, “I have only ever liked this kind of food.”
Everyone starts eating that food; is it really the effect of that water and food? I want to ask everyone a question: After Caleb entered Canaan, did he eat completely different food from others? No, it was the same food. But why was Caleb still so strong at eighty-five? It seems it’s not about food or any health regimen; it’s because Caleb had a heart that was different from others, and his faith seemed to surpass that of Moses.
Think about it again; when Moses met God at eighty, how did he describe himself? “I am not eloquent, I have no ability, I can do nothing, don’t send me to battle.” Isn’t that the same situation? God said, “Go to Egypt and bring My people out.” Wasn’t God with him? But Moses said, “You can find someone else; I have no eloquence or ability, I can’t do this.” He was only eighty at that time! Now Caleb is eighty-five, and this eighty-five-year-old man actively says to Joshua, “Give me that land, I will go to battle and conquer it.” Isn’t that a battle? It seems different; this is an older man, but what is the difference? It is in the aspect of faith. Caleb knew that God was with him; when he went to claim this inheritance, he knew it was not by his own strength, because for the past forty-five years, he had been living this way.
We need to look through God’s words to see how he faced life. When he was forty, something happened: the Israelites arrived at the edge of the promised land. This can be seen in Deuteronomy chapter one, where the Israelites came to Moses and said, “We know that God has given us this land; can we send spies to check it out?”
Brothers and sisters, you must know that God never told them to check out the land, “Go see if it’s as I said.” Generally, we only say this when others do not believe, right? “You don’t believe? I’ll show you my heart…” It’s useless; true trust does not require checking. If we believe in God, we do not need to see before we believe; we believe even before we see.
Moses prayed to God, and God told Moses, “Go ahead, let them send one leader from each tribe.” There were twelve tribes in total, so twelve leaders entered the promised land. When they returned, what did they say? “Indeed, just as the Lord said, this land flows with milk and honey.” Is that a fact? Brothers and sisters, we should not wait until we see to say, “God’s words are true.” By then, it’s already too late. Did their faith increase after they saw?
Logically, it should be this way. Many people say, “Lord! If You accomplish this for me, I won’t doubt You anymore.” Do you find that after the accomplishment, they no longer doubt? Or do they still doubt? Because human faith is not built on miracles or accomplishments; it is built on God’s words, on whether we can fully believe in God’s promises. The ten spies returned and all said, “Indeed, the land is as God said, but…” Do you know what this “but” means? It is a complete turnaround and a total denial. “We saw the giants of the Anakim there, and we saw the fortified cities; we cannot enter that land.”
Let’s look at the scripture in Numbers 13:32-33:
32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Where is God? Did you notice that after they saw the land, they believed in God’s words, “God will bring us into the land flowing with milk and honey; I believe it.” But when it came time to enter, they began to give a bad report. Many people live like this today: “Lord! I believe that word is from You, but it’s hard for me to apply it in my life.” They complain at the slightest problem, doubt at the slightest circumstance, and finally say, “Forget it, I’ll just do it my way.” So when they thought like this, they wanted to go back to Egypt, thinking it was more secure there because there were not so many resources in the wilderness.
God said they were giving a bad report. Do you know what a bad report is? Any message that is completely contrary to God’s promises is a bad report. Sometimes others may say nice things, but if they are completely different from God’s promises, that is also a bad report. A bad report is when God’s promise clearly says, “I will bring you into the land of Canaan,” but they give a bad report saying, “We cannot go.”
Everything they described was unrelated to the promise, even completely contrary to it. They said, “That land devours its inhabitants, and the people there are of great stature.” They never saw that their God is greater than these people. They said, “Those people are giants.” But your God is the greatest one. “They are the descendants of giants.” And you? You are the children of God! They never saw who they were, always reporting a bad report, and the more they looked at these things, the more their faith diminished. Then they said, “In our sight, we are like grasshoppers,” completely lacking in offensive power. Brothers and sisters, always let your mouth speak God’s promises; do not speak those bad reports.
Were the things they said factual? They were completely factual. We cannot say, “Don’t look at your difficulties; just ignore them…” That’s deceptive. Many people introduce it like this: “What’s the devil? Just treat him like nothing, and he’ll go away.” He does exist, and he does have power. But we must acknowledge another fact: our God’s power is greater.
Do not say the devil has no power. But when he deceives you and traps you, you will find that he seems to have power, and you even deny yourself. We acknowledge that those people are indeed descendants of giants; they are indeed of great stature, and their walls are indeed fortified. But all of this is nothing before our God because God’s promises have already been given to us. So when we encounter difficulties and setbacks, we must believe that God’s promises will surely be fulfilled; no one can stop it. Do not believe, “I can’t overcome it.” You indeed cannot overcome it; you overcome it through God.
Some people also set goals for themselves in the new year, but after just two months, some start saying, “You have no idea; this year my problems are particularly many; my goals cannot be achieved; my situation is worse than last year…”
I said, “Your situation will only get worse.”
He asked, “Why?”
I said, “Look, it’s only been two months; how can you believe your situation is worse than last year?”
He said, “You don’t know; I caught a cold right after the new year, and my business has been bad.”
I said, “Stop! From now on, use your mouth to speak God’s promises.”
Although these difficulties exist, do not keep your focus on them; you need to look up to God’s promises and live. Let’s take the Israelites as an example; what was God’s promise to them?
Exodus 3:7-8:
7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
Isn’t this a promise? I have highlighted it for you in yellow. What did God come down to do? Does God know their current situation? They are working hard in Egypt, suffering greatly, and God says, “I have come down to do one thing: to bring you out of Egypt to a good and large land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Does God not know that there are giants there? He knows. But did God ever say, “The place I will take you to has great giants, and the walls are very fortified; although that place has abundant resources, you cannot enter…”?
Did God ever say that?
He never said that. So do not give a bad report; first, do not speak a bad report to yourself, and do not give a bad report to others. Do not say anything that contradicts God’s promises. God knows the people of that place, the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. God truly believes that these enemies are nothing; He knew about them before you went there.
Do not act as if God knows nothing; you must complain before He knows. God has known there are problems there for a long time, but problems are nothing. You must believe in God’s promises. The reason most of the people could not enter was that they did not believe in God. Some say, “They are believers in God.” That’s right; they believed, but that’s two different concepts. Let’s look at this passage:
Hebrews 3:19: So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Not believing in God and not believing in God’s promises are two different things. When a person does not believe in the Lord, it proves that he is a lost person, a person who cannot be saved. But can a person who believes in the Lord not believe in God’s promises? Yes, there are such people. God clearly says, “After you believe in Me, I will give you everything of Jesus, making you rich, prosperous, and successful in all things.”
Some say, “I don’t believe; I believe what God gives me is sickness, pain, and shame. In that case, the poorer I am, the more spiritual I am.” Are there people who believe like this? Can we say they are not saved? They are saved too. So here God says, “They could not enter in because of unbelief.” They just did not believe God in this matter, and this is something we must be cautious about and discern.
You who have believed in Jesus are saved. In your life after being saved, you must speak to yourself based on God’s promises. If you are a person who gives a bad report, the first person you harm is yourself. You have no confidence in anything, and you dare not do anything, so naturally, you cannot see the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life.
We need to emphasize again that what is meant by “not believing in God’s promises” refers to the lack of reward in this area. We need to learn to believe in the Father in all things like Jesus did. To what extent did Jesus believe in the Father? You let me willingly go to the cross to die, and I also believe You will raise me from the dead. This is the greatest faith a person must face. Why is it the greatest? In the face of death, can you believe: “Lord! I am not afraid of death; even if I die now, one day You will raise me from the dead”? If you have this faith, you will no longer fear death.
Everyone knows that life is only once. So how many people become like Judas when their lives are in danger, abandoning their faith when they face great persecution? It is because they do not believe in this aspect of God; they cannot enter into rest because they do not believe in “rest.” You must believe in what you pray to God. Even if you do not see the fulfillment now, it is precisely because there is no fulfillment that you need to believe. If it is fulfilled, you do not need to believe; once you see it, it is no longer called faith!
On the way to Canaan, they were also unwilling to obey Moses’ commands; this is a series of events. When a person does not believe in God’s promises, he also does not believe in the servants God has appointed. We can be sure that when a person no longer believes in this person or is unwilling to come to this church, he is first shaken in his belief in the God we preach.
Let’s look at how the Israelites treated Moses: they were unwilling to listen to Moses’ words, disobeyed Moses’ arrangements, and wanted to appoint their own leaders to manage themselves, leading to the rise of Korah’s faction. Look at how this group complained to God. God’s promise was to bring them into the land of Canaan. Look at how these people, who give a bad report and are self-righteous, view God.
Let’s read Numbers 16:12-14 together:
12 Then Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they said, “We will not come up! 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness? Is it a small thing? And will you make yourself a prince over us? 14 Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!”
What do we see? Why were this group of Korah’s faction ultimately killed by God? They were completely giving a bad report. They thought Egypt was the land flowing with milk and honey. They said to Moses, “You brought us up from the land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness.” Does God’s promise say this? Is Egypt truly the land flowing with milk and honey?
Look at what their faith has become! Some people encounter something and often complain to God; they think this world is the land flowing with milk and honey. So when they are in the wilderness, they say, “Oh, if only I didn’t believe!” Did God bring them into the wilderness to kill them? The wilderness is just a process; it is to go through the wilderness to enter the beautiful land of Canaan. Brothers and sisters, when you are in this world, when you are entering the promised land and receiving God’s promises, there will be some obstacles. You can understand this as your wilderness. Is there God’s presence in the wilderness? Always! So you should believe in God’s promises and live according to God’s promises.
Look again, is this a small thing? Do you want to make yourself a prince over us? Who is trying to make himself a prince now? Korah’s faction. In the church, those who say, “Why are you serving there? I can do it too!” Do you know what they want to do? They want to stand in that position. In the end, those of Korah’s faction took their censers and went to offer sacrifices, and a total of two hundred and fifty people were killed. Isn’t that where it came from? And you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey; where are they going now? What is their destination? It is Canaan!
But on the way there, they said, “Moses, why did you bring us up from the land flowing with milk and honey to let us die in the wilderness? You did not bring us into the land flowing with milk and honey.” Moses did not explain to them, saying, “Come on, we are on our way there; why are you so anxious? Don’t we have to go step by step?” Would these people listen? They would not listen at all. “You did not give us land and vineyards as an inheritance…”
What was God’s purpose in bringing them into Canaan? As long as you enter the promised land, isn’t all that yours? God said clearly, “The land you are going to is not one you planted the vineyards in, nor dug the wells, nor built the houses… but I have given it all to you; you will see it once you enter the promised land.”
Many times, before we enter, we give up, saying, “Why don’t You give it to me now?” God says, “You need to take two steps forward.” You must live according to God’s promises. Hallelujah! Even if you say, “My current situation is like the wilderness, with no relatives and surrounded by enemies,” you need to know that once you cross that river, you will not be an ordinary person.
Do not learn from Xiang Yu, who ended his life by the river; you must cross over. On the other side is another world. As long as the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, they would be in the land of Canaan. Do not say that there are enemies on the other side; so what? God is still with you! Even if you are alone, as long as you know that God is with you and that God has promises for you, do not worry; live according to God’s promises.
In the face of God’s promises and God’s words, this group of Israelites preferred to believe in their own judgment. They valued their own abilities more and were still unwilling to rely on God. However, Joshua and Caleb faced the same enemies, but their perspectives were different. This year, our theme is: Expand Your Horizons.
You must know that you encounter the same problems as others; you can rest because you have God within you, and you see God’s promises. This is the difference. When can we see that our lives are different from others? When encountering problems, one acts as if nothing has happened and can pray to God; the other is already panicking. One has lost rest, while the other remains in God’s rest. Brothers and sisters, this is the part we need to adjust in our daily lives.
Joshua and Caleb faced the same problems; they did not lose heart or complain. They spoke according to God’s promises in the face of these problems. Let’s see how they comforted the hearts of the people.
Numbers 13:30, Caleb quieted the people before Moses, saying, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Isn’t that good? This is God’s promise. So can you say such words based on God’s promises? This is not a bad report; this is good news, this is called the gospel. The gospel is that even though you have difficulties now, you should say, “Don’t worry; let’s quickly eat this difficulty; that is my food.”
Then we will not worry at all; you will feel this is a good thing. Caleb and Joshua comforted the people like this; the people should have had a correct response, right? What kind of response is correct? “Your faith is so great; we have no faith and should learn from you.” Isn’t this the normal response? But what did the other ten say? Verse 31: But 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.” One is faith, and the other is a bad report; the difference is here.
Why are there these two different results and languages? One looks at himself, while the other looks up to God’s promises; that is the difference. Did you notice? They always talked about how tall the enemies were; they acted based on what they saw, not speaking based on faith. We need to view ourselves correctly: I may not have the ability, but I must believe in God’s promises; the promises God gave me will surely be fulfilled. Amen!
There is a verse I want to share with you, Proverbs 24:10: If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
In the New Testament, there is a saying that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The Bible never says that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, wanting to eat whoever he wants. Has it ever said that? No! So we should not describe the devil as too powerful; he only devours those who can be devoured. What kind of people can be devoured? Those who do not believe in God’s promises. Those who believe in God’s promises cannot be devoured because their eyes are always on God. I believe in God’s promises; God says this to me, and I believe Him; I do not care what the devil says; whatever you say does not matter.
If someone is beside you saying, “You look like a vixen to me,” if you do not believe him at all, no matter how he says it, “No matter what you think I am, I am still a person.” You cannot let him say that and then think: “Right! Why do I look like a vixen?” That would be troublesome! First, you must have certainty about yourself; where does your certainty come from? God defines you.
The day of adversity is when the environment is very harsh. Generally, people are particularly timid in the day of adversity because we cannot be like Jesus, who has no fear at all; we all have timid hearts, and that is normal. But the Bible says, if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Is that referring to you? Does God’s strength become small? God never said, “If you faint in the day of adversity, God’s strength will be small.” That would be troublesome. Then we should say, “Lord! I must have great faith; my strength must be great…” That kind of declaration is what works. Even if you are timid in the day of adversity, God’s strength is not small; you must rely on God’s promises. Amen!
The Bible says, He is seeking whom He may devour. If you often look up to God’s promises, you will not be devoured. If those people are defining themselves with negative words every day, they will definitely be timid and weak. The book of Proverbs gives us many teachings like this. Some say there are fierce lions on the street; they are deceiving themselves. They are lazy and do not want to go out, so they say there are fierce lions on the street. In the end, they become afraid themselves.
Let’s see what kind of results our words bring to ourselves. Unbelievers have their own feelings. I am now talking about a common occurrence in the world: if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. If your mouth often speaks words of fear and timidity, you will become more and more afraid. I used to scare myself; there was a very famous storyteller who told ghost stories, and I heard that he scared himself to death in the end.
For a while, I also felt nothing; I started to scare the people in my dormitory. I was trying to scare them, but while I was saying it, I scared myself and often had nightmares at night. Brothers and sisters, do you now know the reason? He (or she) speaks bad news, so if you always say those negative, bad messages, “It’s over; my family is broken…” Congratulations, you will definitely see that result. Do not learn from the Israelites; you must look up to God’s promises and live.
A few days ago, someone gave me a testimony. His son was always playing games; as soon as he got home, he would go online to play games, and nothing worked, no matter what methods were used. I said, “Since that’s the case, give up (not giving up on your son), give up your efforts; from today on, declare for your son: In the name of the Lord Jesus, I command my son to leave the bondage of this game.” As a result, in less than a week, he told me his son really gave it up; this is God’s power. You must look up to God’s promises and live; you must see God’s promises fulfilled in your life.
Although some Israelites comforted them, they did not believe at all. Let’s look at Numbers 14:6-9:
6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. 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!”
The people who just said “the land devours its inhabitants” will find that a person who looks up to God’s promises speaks completely differently from someone who only looks at himself. If the Lord delights in us, He will surely bring us into that land; are Caleb and Joshua fighting on their own? If God leads you into that land, what are you worried about?
You see, when a child is afraid to climb the stairs, as long as he holds his parents’ hands, he will not be afraid because he believes that someone is holding him. Even if there is a higher threshold ahead, he will pass because the parents will carry the child over. If there is such dependence on parents, can we not have such dependence on our God? We can! No matter how high the walls are, God says, “I will carry you like an eagle.” So what are we worried about?
Caleb already had this kind of faith, saying, “If the Lord delights in us, He will surely bring us into that land and give it to us.” He did not say, “We will fight for that land; the people there see us as grasshoppers. Although we are grasshoppers, we can become very big grasshoppers…” God said He would give us that land; even if we are grasshoppers, God will sweep away all the pests and let this grasshopper enter. So what are you worried about? It is not about you going to battle.
That land is indeed a land flowing with milk and honey. But do not rebel against the Lord; this means do not give a bad report, do not disbelieve in God’s promises; nor fear the people of the land; this means do not look at your environment, do not look at your enemies, because they are our food. Why can you see the enemies as your food?
Because of God’s promises, you believe that God’s promises will surely be fulfilled, so you can see your difficulties and problems as your food. God did not say that the place was “full of giants”; He did not say that, did He? He said it was a “land flowing with milk and honey.” God did not say that the place “has milk and honey,” but rather that it is “flowing,” which means abundance, a continuous supply.
God hopes their lives will be abundant. First, you must believe in God’s promises, which have already been fulfilled in the spirit. Wherever God’s life flows, it brings resurrection life; this is what we must believe. God hopes you will be prosperous in wealth, and that the gospel and power can flow within you; it is flowing within you, not becoming a stagnant pool.
Is the tap water we use at home flowing? What happens if it doesn’t flow? If it doesn’t flow, you will not receive it. Some time ago, our water pipes froze; when they froze, they did not flow, and thus there was no supply. If it flows, it will bring you endless supply. Do not let the things of life within you be completely blocked; let them flow.
God hopes you will be rich in wealth, and then you will become a flowing pipeline, a pipeline of wealth. Secondly, He hopes you will be prosperous; God hopes you will be capable in any field and be a person who can testify to His glory, and this must also be supplied outward. The gospel, once you understand the gospel, is like a lifesaving straw, a lifesaving pill; do you eat it yourself? No, it must be given out. Similarly, the use of gifts is like this; if you have God’s gifts, you must use them often. For example, speaking in tongues; some people have learned to speak in tongues, but after learning, they stop speaking. After a while, you will find that they really cannot speak anymore. Isn’t it necessary for it to flow? It means to keep speaking, and you will find more and more; this is a spiritual principle.
God brought them into a land full of life and abundance. You must first believe that God is bringing you to such a place. When you arrive there, you will be a person with life and able to bear this abundance. According to the present, brothers and sisters are weak; so now when I tell them, “Don’t worry; you must believe in God’s promises.” How should we respond? Amen! The meaning of amen is “I believe; let it be done to me according to your words.” The people of that place are our food; we must eat it. Isn’t that how we should accept it? But how did the Israelites respond? Let’s look at Numbers 14:10: But all the congregation said, “Stone them with stones.”
You will find that this group of people is not easy to serve. They insist on living their way. Today, there are still such people. Some say, “You don’t know; our leader is really too gracious; we want to kill him! Because he always talks about grace, I want to kill him and make him talk about grace! I am so weak, and he still talks about grace! He still talks about faith…”
“What do you want me to say? You are corrupt; you are a sinner; you should repent to God!” He says, “Amen! I am despicable.” You see, that’s harmonious!
They want these things. When encountering difficulties, God’s promises are here. Caleb and Joshua said, “Let’s go; we are well able to overcome; God will lead us into that land.” Logically, they should say, “Hallelujah! Let’s stand up and go.” But instead, they said to stone them. After killing the faithful, what kind of people are left? Only the faithless are left. You will find that this era is also like this; those who preach grace must be killed, those who preach faith must be killed, those who preach healing must be killed. What kind of people are left?
The church is really left with a group of the weak and sickly. Such things did not just happen now; they existed in Israel back then. The descendants of those who give a bad report still exist; they do not like the message of grace. They do not like that our sermons are filled with God’s promises and the grace of Jesus Christ; they prefer to hear, “We are full of sin; we are the chief of sinners; we are corrupt…”
In the past, I often heard, “We are dust!” When I heard this, I thought: How do I describe myself? No matter how I think about it, I cannot imagine anything good. Dust is not liked by others; it is all gray; who likes that? “We are dust; God lifts you from the dust, but you are still dust!” I said, “Oh, I understand.”
Then they said, “You were made from dust, and in the end, you will return to dust…” You say, what hope do we have in believing in Jesus? Is this our reality? It is a reality, but you do not need to promote a bad report. Just like we said earlier, the Israelites faced these problems, which are facts, but they should not look at these; they should look at God’s promises. Even if you are dust, even if you are an earthen vessel, that is not important. What matters is that you are in God’s hands; even if you are a clay pot, that humble vessel, God says, “My treasure is inside!”
You must see Jesus Christ within you; even if you are dust, you are wrapped in the best treasure! That is not ordinary dust; no matter how you see yourself, you are valuable, joyful, and powerful. Thank God for giving us such a vision. The gospel is good news; good news is that when we cannot, you hear the news that you can; when we have no hope, you hear the news of hope; He is your good news.
Among the twelve spies, ten were speaking messages of failure. Ten, in the Bible, is a number of fullness, but here it represents two kinds of people. The twelve people are divided into two parts; the ten represent the law, the ten commandments, and they represent those living under the law, while the other two represent those living under grace.
So those living under the law see their inability, and problems keep arising… Is that the case? But how do these two people living under grace and in faith see themselves? They see that God can; He can help me, He can give me, He can lead me in. The focus is not on themselves but on God’s promises. God has already said this to me, so I will believe it and live according to God’s promises. Although they saw difficulties and problems, it seemed that this problem was troubling them, but those living under the law saw that the problem would devour them, while we living under grace saw that we would devour the difficulties.
There are two ways God can save you from your current problems and challenges.
The first way: God directly removes you from the problem. This is the method most Christians particularly expect: “Lord! Quickly save me from here; I do not want to see any difficulties anymore.” These Christians complain every time they encounter difficulties, “Lord! I believe in You; why do You still let me encounter difficulties, setbacks, and problems? Didn’t You say I would not have to do anything, and You would give me everything I need? Why do You still make me struggle?” What is meant here by God saving us is that God saves our lives from death into eternal life; everything Jesus accomplished for us on the cross is not something you need to participate in; He has already done it directly, and God has saved you.
In life, God generally uses the second method: God gives you strength to overcome all your problems. And this is precisely what we are unwilling to do; it requires looking up to God’s promises. When you have problems and difficulties, you must look up to God: “Lord! Your promises are like this; I receive Your promises; I overcome it.” This is the strength God wants to give you.
For example, at work, if colleagues always point fingers at you and talk behind your back, how do you overcome these problems? You cannot avoid them; what should you do? You must let God give you strength to expand your horizons, and then you will overcome. I have shared many ways God can give you strength to overcome this problem. For example, you will see a person whose mouth is full of negative messages; what is filled in their heart? A person who is always complaining and bitter; what is filled in their heart? Isn’t it bitterness, complaints, and condemnation? These have filled their hearts, and they have become such a person. Shouldn’t you pity them? Shouldn’t you provoke them further?
So we need to look at it from a different angle: this person is so pitiful; she curses as soon as she opens her mouth; how much bitterness is filled in her heart! She has never been loved by God, nor has she loved anyone; she has lived her whole life in this bitterness. Shouldn’t we have compassion for her? “In the name of the Lord Jesus, bless you!” Shouldn’t we give her something? Looking at your colleagues and that unlovable person from this perspective, can’t you overcome? She is already like this; she has been like this for so long, so we can have compassion for her from the heart.
This is also how Jesus sees everyone. Jesus saw that the Israelites were lost, like sheep without a shepherd, and He had compassion on them. Brothers and sisters, when your heart is filled with God’s compassion, your prayers have great power. You can feel it yourself; usually, when your heart is particularly compassionate towards someone, perhaps just placing your hand on her will make things happen. That power certainly does not come from you.
What comes from us is only complaints and bitterness: “Why do you treat me like this? What did I do wrong?…” We can immediately see that this is human. What comes from God? “Lord! Have mercy on her. I bless her from my heart.” This is what Jesus gives us; God wants to give us this kind of strength to overcome all the problems in life. So God wants to give you strength to overcome your colleagues’ accusations and the criticisms of others. God hopes you will tightly grasp His promises, which can help you overcome all problems.
Numbers 14:23-24:
23 They certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 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.
The ten who gave a bad report and the people who believed what those ten spies said will certainly not see the promised land that God swore to them. Is God being partial? They did not believe; they did not believe they could obtain it. For example, today, if you tell some people, “I will pray for you; our Lord Jesus can heal you.” She will say, “I don’t believe; don’t pray for me; I don’t believe what you say; you are a liar.” “I must pray for you.”
“Stay away from me…”
Are there such people? Indeed, there are. In the past, I knew an aunt and her husband; both were retired and often fought at home. The old man did not believe in Jesus. One time, the old man had a stomach ache, rolling on the ground in pain, and the fastest way to the hospital was not fast enough, right? So the fastest speed was to pray. The aunt had already believed in Jesus and said, “Old partner, I will pray for you; Jesus can heal you.” The old man said, “No! Stay away from me.” You say, at this level, can’t you let someone pray for you? Would you lose anything?
Brothers and sisters, you will find that the Israelites did not believe, right? “That is a land that devours its inhabitants; the walls of that land are high, and the people are tall; we are like grasshoppers; we are doomed; we cannot enter; let’s go back to Egypt.” They did not believe at all in their hearts that they could obtain it.
Please remember: God’s promises are obtained by faith. So God said, “Everyone who despises Me shall not see it.” What does it mean to despise God? God’s promises are like this, but we insist on saying it is like that; this is despising God. God says this is correct, but you insist it is wrong; God says you can enter, but you say you cannot. Clearly, you are despising God’s words, so God says, “You despise My words; you will not see.” Then you can only live according to what you believe.
Today, we who have accepted Jesus, I hope everyone looks up to God’s promises and believes in God’s promises and lives. Do not rely on your own ways anymore; it is time to let go. Some say, “I think my way of living is fine.” Can you enter Canaan and taste the delicacies of that land? That is different. It is not that God is unwilling to give them; it is that they do not believe. They would rather go back to Egypt; they would rather rely on themselves. It says, only My servant Caleb, it is not that Caleb did many good deeds; it is that Caleb had a different spirit; he had a spirit that was different from others.
Here I want to tell everyone: the church is different from society. In society, everyone comes together to hold a meeting to see how to solve this matter; most people think it is correct, and everyone must listen to him, and it is settled like this. But in the church, everyone must believe God’s words. We do not practice majority rule in the church; we do not manage the church this way. Because the church is different from society, do not use society’s methods to judge the church; do not use your viewpoints to judge God’s promises; if you do not understand, you can only believe.
From the scriptures we just looked at, among two million people, only a very few believed God’s words; the rest had a unified opinion. If we think according to the principle of majority rule, then no one would enter Canaan; they would all die in the wilderness. But these two had a different spirit; they looked up to God’s promises. Although twelve people entered Canaan and spied out the land, ten of them were wrong. God only used those who believed correctly to give them promises. So you must believe correctly; this is the part we need to emphasize. God accomplishes what He has said and promised; if God were to accomplish what we say, that would be troublesome; we would have long since ceased to exist. So you must believe in God’s promises and believe that God will fulfill His promises; you just need to believe that this can be fulfilled in you.
It is not that Caleb behaved better, had a better attitude, or did more; it is not these things; he had a different spirit, which is to follow God fully. I also hope you can follow God fully; do not follow the crowd; do not believe what others say. When others say, “Now we have reached a new era; we must believe in another god,” you should not follow and say, “Yes! That sounds reasonable.” Do not believe these; just follow Jesus fully.
I hope you have a different spirit; a different spirit will make you different from others. A different spirit does not mean being completely different from others’ thoughts or being extreme; it means being like God, believing in God’s promises. In business, family, or life, once you have a spirit that is different from others, you will stand out among the crowd, and God will lift you up. Just like Caleb said: This year I am eighty-five years old, and I am still strong, just like the day Moses sent me; my strength is still the same for war, both for going out and for coming in.
If you can believe in God’s promises for forty years, then after forty years, you can also say, “I was how I was when I was young, and now I am how I am.” Amen! Among us, there is a testimony; you see, our Aunt Duan is almost seventy, but she looks like she is in her fifties, and she has no problem climbing the mountain. Unlike many people, when they reach this age, just getting on a bus can make them wobble and fall. We have God’s promises within us, which is different from the world. You will stand out among your peers; this is not just in wisdom and health but in all aspects. Caleb said: My strength was how it was then, and it is how it is now.
I also hope you have this spirit, saying at eighty-five, “My strength is still like that of a young person.” Think again about those who mocked him, ridiculed him, and wanted to kill them; where are they now? They have all been laid to rest, buried outside the promised land. Caleb cannot see them anymore; they are all gone.
Brothers and sisters, I finally tell you: You must hold on to God’s promises and hold on to the grace of Jesus Christ. Let those who mock you, ridicule you, and condemn you go; you just enjoy God’s grace and live a life like Caleb. Then you will find that in the end, you are still here, while those people are no longer here.
Or you are enjoying God’s grace while they are still outside the promised land, enjoying poverty, pain, and misery; they want that kind of life. So we must look up to God’s promises, like Caleb, having a different spirit, and wholeheartedly following God’s promises; that is enough. You will not only live long but also be youthful and strong. Thank and praise the Lord!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! Thank You for supplying us again today with such words, allowing us to live according to God’s promises. In this world, we often see the environment and people, and we become weak. Lord, I look up to Your promises and live because Your promises are Your strength.
A new week has begun; I am willing to receive Your strength and live. I do not look at my current difficulties; I believe You will help me overcome this problem. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, give strength to our brothers and sisters, let them see their current environment and difficulties through God’s strength and God’s promises.
In the name of the Lord Jesus, you will surely overcome this difficulty; these difficulties are your food; you will eat them and become stronger. This is the strength God wants to give you. Do not fear the storms you encounter ahead; these are not problems because our Lord is still above the storms. Hallelujah! Thank You, Heavenly Father, for such abundant supply. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!