1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:05,680 Would you please stand for reading of God's word this 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:06,920 morning? I'll be reading from the Book of 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:12,400 Numbers, chapters 13 and 14, beginning with 13 verse one. 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,280 The Lord spoke to Moses saying, send men to spy out the land of 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,080 Canaan, which I'm giving to the people of Israel. 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,160 From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, everyone, 7 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:29,110 a chief among them, and verse 25 At the end of 40 days they 8 00:00:29,110 --> 00:00:32,549 returned from spying out the land, and they came to Moses and 9 00:00:32,549 --> 00:00:35,670 errand into all the congregation of the people of Israel in the 10 00:00:35,670 --> 00:00:40,150 wilderness of Peran and Kadesh. They brought back the word to 11 00:00:40,150 --> 00:00:42,390 them, and to all the congregation, and showed them 12 00:00:42,390 --> 00:00:45,390 the fruit of the land. And they told him, We came to 13 00:00:45,390 --> 00:00:49,070 this land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, 14 00:00:49,070 --> 00:00:52,390 and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell, 15 00:00:52,390 --> 00:00:55,830 the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very 16 00:00:55,830 --> 00:00:59,930 large, and besides we saw the descendants of a knock there. 17 00:01:00,610 --> 00:01:04,129 The Malachites dwell in the land of the Negam, the Hiptites, the 18 00:01:04,129 --> 00:01:06,810 Jebbie sites, the Emirites dwell in the Hill Country, and the 19 00:01:06,810 --> 00:01:09,370 Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the Jordan. 20 00:01:10,210 --> 00:01:13,810 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, let us go 21 00:01:13,810 --> 00:01:18,290 up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it. 22 00:01:18,850 --> 00:01:21,530 Then the men who had gone up with them said, we are not able 23 00:01:21,530 --> 00:01:24,570 to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are. 24 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,280 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land 25 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,800 that they had spied out, saying the land through which we have 26 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,360 gone to spy it out as a land that devours its inhabitants. 27 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,480 And all the people we saw in it are of great height. 28 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,720 And there we saw the Nephylene, the sons of Anak who come from 29 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,400 the Nephylene, and we seem to ourselves like grasshoppers. 30 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,160 So we seem to them chapter 14, verse one. 31 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,760 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept 32 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,230 that night, and all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses 33 00:01:57,230 --> 00:01:59,630 and Aaron. The whole congregation said to 34 00:01:59,630 --> 00:02:03,150 them, would that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would that 35 00:02:03,150 --> 00:02:07,150 we had died in this wilderness? Why is the Lord bringing us into 36 00:02:07,150 --> 00:02:10,870 this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones 37 00:02:10,870 --> 00:02:13,870 will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to 38 00:02:13,870 --> 00:02:16,390 go back to Egypt? And they said to one another, 39 00:02:16,390 --> 00:02:19,270 let us choose a leader, and go back to Egypt. 40 00:02:19,850 --> 00:02:22,450 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the 41 00:02:22,450 --> 00:02:25,010 assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. 42 00:02:25,410 --> 00:02:29,130 And Joshua the son of none, and Caleb, the son of Jafuna, were 43 00:02:29,130 --> 00:02:31,490 with those among those who had spied out the land. 44 00:02:31,490 --> 00:02:33,970 And they tore their clothes. And they said, all the 45 00:02:33,970 --> 00:02:37,090 congregation of the people of Israel, the land which we passed 46 00:02:37,090 --> 00:02:40,650 through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 47 00:02:41,290 --> 00:02:44,250 If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into this land and 48 00:02:44,250 --> 00:02:48,520 give it to us a land that flows with milk and honey only. 49 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,920 Do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of 50 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:55,600 the land, for they are bred for us, their protection is removed 51 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,840 from them, and the Lord is with us. 52 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,240 Do not fear them. Then all the congregations said 53 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,840 to stone them with stones, But the glory of the Lord appeared 54 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,880 at the 10th of meeting to all the people of Israel. 55 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,160 This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated. 56 00:03:15,770 --> 00:03:18,930 As we continue our sermon series through the life of Moses. 57 00:03:18,930 --> 00:03:22,450 We're turning from the Book of Exodus to the Book of Numbers. 58 00:03:22,450 --> 00:03:24,570 And you might be wondering, well, what does the Book of 59 00:03:24,570 --> 00:03:28,250 Numbers have to do with me? What relevance could it actually 60 00:03:28,250 --> 00:03:30,130 have in my life? I don't know if you've actually 61 00:03:30,250 --> 00:03:32,410 ever read the Book of Numbers. Maybe you've just kind of 62 00:03:32,410 --> 00:03:35,450 skimmed it or speed through it in a Bible reading plan. 63 00:03:35,450 --> 00:03:39,570 But I want you to know this morning that the Book of Numbers 64 00:03:39,850 --> 00:03:44,460 has great application to our lives today in the original 65 00:03:44,460 --> 00:03:48,820 Hebrew, The title for the Book of Numbers is In the Wilderness. 66 00:03:49,460 --> 00:03:52,540 It's a much better title, you see, because the Book of Numbers 67 00:03:52,540 --> 00:03:55,820 tells the story of the people of Israel as they wandered in the 68 00:03:55,820 --> 00:04:00,100 wilderness between Mount Sinai and the Promised Land. 69 00:04:00,100 --> 00:04:04,500 And in many ways, it's a cautionary tale about what 70 00:04:04,500 --> 00:04:10,100 happens to an entire generation who failed to believe and trust 71 00:04:10,100 --> 00:04:16,329 in the promises of God, a generation who didn't listen to 72 00:04:16,329 --> 00:04:21,089 God and his promises and instead trusted in the lies and slanders 73 00:04:21,290 --> 00:04:26,370 of an unbelieving culture. And just like Israel, we are 74 00:04:26,370 --> 00:04:30,610 prone, prone to walk in a wilderness. 75 00:04:31,490 --> 00:04:35,570 This part of our lives, in between what God has already 76 00:04:35,570 --> 00:04:39,010 done and sending Jesus his death and resurrection for our 77 00:04:39,010 --> 00:04:42,780 salvation and what he has not yet fulfilled in the last days, 78 00:04:42,780 --> 00:04:46,460 we too Now we find ourselves in a wilderness. 79 00:04:47,540 --> 00:04:51,380 And if we're honest, we spend most of our lives trying to 80 00:04:51,460 --> 00:04:58,300 insulate ourselves from that wilderness, seeking comfort and 81 00:04:58,300 --> 00:05:02,380 seeking ways to distract ourselves, trying to pretend 82 00:05:02,860 --> 00:05:06,780 that life is not as difficult as it truly is. 83 00:05:07,460 --> 00:05:11,020 But every once in a while, every once in a while, we are 84 00:05:11,020 --> 00:05:13,300 confronted with the wilderness that we live in. 85 00:05:13,980 --> 00:05:21,500 When we experience heartache and grief and loss and shame and 86 00:05:21,500 --> 00:05:27,260 guilt and difficulty and strife, we are reminded that we too are 87 00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:32,260 a wilderness people. And just like the people of 88 00:05:32,260 --> 00:05:37,220 Israel, when we find ourselves and the wilderness, it is so 89 00:05:37,220 --> 00:05:40,770 easy to become disoriented and to become lost. 90 00:05:42,690 --> 00:05:48,890 And just like them, we are prone to believe the slanders of our 91 00:05:48,930 --> 00:05:52,770 unbelieving age rather than trust and the promises of God. 92 00:05:54,010 --> 00:05:57,210 And so this morning, as we continue our sermon series, The 93 00:05:57,210 --> 00:06:00,010 Life of Moses, and we look at the Book of Numbers, this is 94 00:06:00,010 --> 00:06:05,090 what I want you to know, that God has called us to a 95 00:06:05,170 --> 00:06:09,260 dissenting hope. I want you to see what it looks 96 00:06:09,260 --> 00:06:15,220 like to trust in His promises as we live life in the wilderness. 97 00:06:15,780 --> 00:06:18,140 First wet thing I want to look at this morning, I want you to 98 00:06:18,140 --> 00:06:21,540 look at the slander of unbelief, and I want you to look with me 99 00:06:21,740 --> 00:06:26,460 at numbers 13, verse one. This is the central point to the 100 00:06:26,460 --> 00:06:29,500 book of Numbers. This is the climax, Numbers 13 101 00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:31,820 and 14. And verse one. 102 00:06:31,820 --> 00:06:36,370 We're told that the Lord came to Moses and told him to send out 103 00:06:36,450 --> 00:06:39,970 12 spies to go in to the promised land. 104 00:06:40,570 --> 00:06:44,970 One spy representing each and every one of the 12 tribes. 105 00:06:45,810 --> 00:06:48,370 And the people of Israel are now on the brink of entering the 106 00:06:48,370 --> 00:06:49,770 promised Land. They are on the verge. 107 00:06:49,770 --> 00:06:52,610 And I want you to consider all that has happened to bring them 108 00:06:52,610 --> 00:06:55,450 this point. This is the same land that was 109 00:06:55,450 --> 00:07:00,130 promised to Abraham when God made a covenant with him in 110 00:07:00,130 --> 00:07:04,130 Genesis chapter 17. This is Genesis 17 verse 8. 111 00:07:04,610 --> 00:07:07,890 Or God promised Abraham, I will give to you into your offspring 112 00:07:07,890 --> 00:07:11,850 after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of 113 00:07:11,850 --> 00:07:15,450 Canaan for an everlasting possession, and I will be there. 114 00:07:15,450 --> 00:07:17,970 God. This is God's covenant with 115 00:07:17,970 --> 00:07:22,250 Abraham, and I want you to think about all that has happened 116 00:07:22,250 --> 00:07:27,530 between then and this point. All that God had done to bring 117 00:07:27,530 --> 00:07:30,810 them to the edge of the Promised Land, the promise he gave to 118 00:07:30,810 --> 00:07:35,680 Abraham, the call he gave to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and 119 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,160 then providing a ram to die in his place. 120 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:43,600 All that the Lord did through Moses and rescuing the people of 121 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,520 Israel out of slavery and bondage in Egypt, sending the 10 122 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:52,880 plagues, rescuing them through the Passover, parting the Red 123 00:07:52,880 --> 00:08:00,400 Sea, giving them the Law, forgiving them, and renewing His 124 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,960 covenant with him. Even after they worship the 125 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:07,720 golden calf, God has now brought them from that place of Mount 126 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,080 Sinai, now to the edge of the promised Land. 127 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:15,720 They're finally there, and so the Lord instructs them go and 128 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,400 spied out, go on a reconnaissance mission for 40 129 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,880 days and come back and report all that you see. 130 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:25,520 Verse 25. We're told at the end of 40 131 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:29,900 days, the spies return. Verse 26, they come to Moses and 132 00:08:29,900 --> 00:08:32,260 Aaron and all the congregation, the people of Israel. 133 00:08:32,539 --> 00:08:35,620 And they brought back a word to them, to all the congregation 134 00:08:35,620 --> 00:08:36,980 and showed them the fruit of the land. 135 00:08:36,980 --> 00:08:39,620 Now I want you to put yourself in their place. 136 00:08:40,620 --> 00:08:43,059 If you are among the people of Israel that day, you've been 137 00:08:43,059 --> 00:08:46,340 waiting for 40 days. With all that you've been 138 00:08:46,340 --> 00:08:48,420 through, you're finally to the edge of the promised land. 139 00:08:48,420 --> 00:08:50,660 You've been waiting for 40 days to hear what's it like? 140 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:54,860 Is it all that we hoped for? Is it a good land? 141 00:08:54,860 --> 00:08:57,540 They're finally ready to hear what they've had to say. 142 00:08:57,540 --> 00:09:02,460 Verse 27 And the spies tell them we came to the land which you 143 00:09:02,460 --> 00:09:04,820 sent us, and it flows with milk and honey. 144 00:09:04,820 --> 00:09:06,260 And this is its fruit. Can you imagine their 145 00:09:06,260 --> 00:09:08,660 excitement? The land is good. 146 00:09:10,060 --> 00:09:12,140 But then notice what they say in verse 28. 147 00:09:13,060 --> 00:09:19,860 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong and the 148 00:09:19,860 --> 00:09:24,670 cities are fortified and very large. 149 00:09:25,710 --> 00:09:28,070 There's a couple things I want you to notice about their 150 00:09:28,070 --> 00:09:30,510 report. First, I want you to notice what 151 00:09:30,510 --> 00:09:34,870 the report says. The land is good and the people 152 00:09:34,870 --> 00:09:37,950 are large. The land is good. 153 00:09:37,950 --> 00:09:41,870 It's a good land. It offers a lot for us, but the 154 00:09:41,870 --> 00:09:45,830 people are too large for us to be able to go in. 155 00:09:46,830 --> 00:09:48,910 That's the other thing I want you to notice about the report 156 00:09:48,910 --> 00:09:53,570 is what's not in it. Not once do they mention the 157 00:09:53,570 --> 00:09:56,770 name of the Lord. Not once they say this is the 158 00:09:56,770 --> 00:10:00,450 land that God promised to us. No, this is the land that Moses 159 00:10:00,450 --> 00:10:03,530 you've brought us to. Not once they say the Lord is 160 00:10:03,530 --> 00:10:05,490 with us and He will help us enter the land. 161 00:10:05,490 --> 00:10:07,770 No, they say the the people are too large. 162 00:10:08,690 --> 00:10:10,570 There's no the way that we can enter in. 163 00:10:11,450 --> 00:10:15,050 Imagine the crowd, the people of Israel, what they must have now 164 00:10:15,050 --> 00:10:19,730 thought from excitement to complete chaos and fear. 165 00:10:20,380 --> 00:10:22,380 Evidently this is what happened because of what happens next. 166 00:10:22,380 --> 00:10:26,140 In verse 30, we're told that Caleb quieted the people before 167 00:10:26,140 --> 00:10:30,780 Moses and he said let us go up at once and occupy it, for we 168 00:10:30,780 --> 00:10:33,060 are able to overcome it. Now this is what's going on 169 00:10:33,060 --> 00:10:39,700 here. 12 spies go out on a reconnaissance mission to report 170 00:10:39,700 --> 00:10:46,940 back about the land. 10 spies give a report that the land is 171 00:10:46,940 --> 00:10:50,900 good, but the people are large. And now we're told Caleb, and 172 00:10:50,900 --> 00:10:55,420 later we're told Joshua. Two of the 12 spies say no, no, 173 00:10:56,620 --> 00:11:01,140 don't listen to them, The land is both good and the Lord is 174 00:11:01,140 --> 00:11:02,820 with us. Listen to what Caleb says. 175 00:11:02,820 --> 00:11:06,380 Again, verse 30. Let us go up at once and occupy 176 00:11:06,380 --> 00:11:08,740 it, for we are well able to overcome it. 177 00:11:10,140 --> 00:11:14,620 And what we see unfold is this debate between two sides. 178 00:11:15,290 --> 00:11:19,370 A majority report, 10 spies saying the land is good but the 179 00:11:19,370 --> 00:11:23,490 people are too large and we can't go in, we cannot go into 180 00:11:23,490 --> 00:11:24,970 the promised land, we'll never make it. 181 00:11:26,370 --> 00:11:32,250 And a minority report, a dissenting voice of just two 182 00:11:32,250 --> 00:11:37,170 spies, Caleb and Joshua, saying no, don't listen to them. 183 00:11:37,170 --> 00:11:39,410 We can go in, we are able to overcome it. 184 00:11:40,220 --> 00:11:42,540 Verse 31 we're told. Then the men, that's the other 185 00:11:42,540 --> 00:11:45,620 10 spies who had gone up with them said, we are not able to go 186 00:11:45,620 --> 00:11:49,660 up against this people, for they are stronger than we are. 187 00:11:50,540 --> 00:11:54,620 And then the report begins to take on a life of its own. 188 00:11:55,780 --> 00:11:58,300 It almost becomes the stuff of legend. 189 00:11:59,140 --> 00:12:01,460 Listen to what they say. Verse 32 So they brought the 190 00:12:01,460 --> 00:12:04,380 people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied, 191 00:12:04,380 --> 00:12:07,840 saying the land through which we had gone to spy it out as a land 192 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:12,200 that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw 193 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,280 are of great height. And there we saw the Nephylene, 194 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,520 and we seem to ourselves like grasshoppers. 195 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:22,000 And so we seem to them. Now we have a lot of ground to 196 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,680 cover this morning. I wish we had a lot of time to 197 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:27,920 just park here. Let me just say a few things 198 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:30,960 about what's going on. Maybe you've heard this word 199 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:31,960 before. The Nephylene. 200 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:33,960 You're wondering, what on earth is this talking about? 201 00:12:35,490 --> 00:12:39,210 Let me tell you why it matters. See the Nephelene we're told 202 00:12:39,210 --> 00:12:39,850 about? Really. 203 00:12:39,850 --> 00:12:44,770 An obscure spot in the Book of Genesis, Genesis 6 and the word. 204 00:12:44,770 --> 00:12:46,530 Nephelene could be loosely translated. 205 00:12:46,530 --> 00:12:51,650 Giants, men of great height. They were known as the men of 206 00:12:51,650 --> 00:12:55,450 renown. The Bible tells us in Genesis 6 207 00:12:55,450 --> 00:12:59,570 that they're the offspring of the sons of God and the 208 00:12:59,570 --> 00:13:01,410 daughters of man. Now, what on earth does that 209 00:13:01,410 --> 00:13:03,640 mean? Well, two basic theories. 210 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:07,560 One is that this is the offspring of angels and humans 211 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,360 that have produced giants. Have you never heard that 212 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:12,640 before? You're like, wow, the Bible is 213 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:14,680 amazing. And it is. 214 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:18,800 But there's another theory. Theory that says, no, the sons 215 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,920 of God, the daughters of man, is simply talking about believers 216 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,840 intermarring with unbelievers. And that's the nephleme. 217 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:29,680 Whatever the case may be, what we know is that they were of 218 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:32,990 great height, they were known as the men of renown, and they were 219 00:13:32,990 --> 00:13:37,870 legendary. And so here we see the 10 spies 220 00:13:37,870 --> 00:13:41,590 giving this majority report saying that's what we saw, 221 00:13:42,350 --> 00:13:45,390 literally saying we can't go to the promised land because it's 222 00:13:45,390 --> 00:13:48,910 filled with giants. That's going to make us feel 223 00:13:48,910 --> 00:13:52,950 like grasshoppers. What I want you to see this 224 00:13:52,950 --> 00:13:56,990 morning is how much they're beginning to allow their fear to 225 00:13:56,990 --> 00:14:01,620 overtake them, are now exaggerating. 226 00:14:02,540 --> 00:14:06,900 Surely they saw probably people bigger than them, and perhaps 227 00:14:06,900 --> 00:14:11,380 they saw fortified cities, lots of people in them. 228 00:14:11,380 --> 00:14:15,180 But now their fear has overcome them, you see, because the other 229 00:14:15,180 --> 00:14:17,500 thing we know about the Nephilim is that they would have died at 230 00:14:17,500 --> 00:14:21,780 the flood. They would have completely died 231 00:14:21,780 --> 00:14:23,460 out. So what is it that they saw? 232 00:14:24,900 --> 00:14:29,260 They saw fear, you see, and this is what fear does to us. 233 00:14:30,450 --> 00:14:33,490 Fear is so closely associated with what we worship. 234 00:14:34,890 --> 00:14:36,890 We tend to fear the things that we worship. 235 00:14:36,890 --> 00:14:38,090 You think, well how could that be? 236 00:14:39,370 --> 00:14:43,010 Well, the reason that we worship money is because we we also, we 237 00:14:43,010 --> 00:14:48,050 are afraid of being uncomfortable and afraid of 238 00:14:48,210 --> 00:14:53,210 having lack or or the reason that we worship other people 239 00:14:54,330 --> 00:14:57,610 because we're afraid of what they think of us and how we are 240 00:14:57,610 --> 00:15:01,970 seen in all these ways. When we fear other people or we 241 00:15:01,970 --> 00:15:06,090 fear things, we fear these things, we fear these people and 242 00:15:06,090 --> 00:15:09,930 we fail to fear and worship God. And that's exactly what happens 243 00:15:09,930 --> 00:15:14,010 here. Ed Welch in a great titled book, 244 00:15:14,010 --> 00:15:17,570 When people are big and God is small, it's literally what's 245 00:15:17,570 --> 00:15:20,530 happening here. He says that fear of man is 246 00:15:20,530 --> 00:15:23,850 always part of a triad that includes unbelief in 247 00:15:23,850 --> 00:15:27,130 disobedience. And that's exactly what we see 248 00:15:27,130 --> 00:15:31,880 happen here. Their fear becomes unbelief, 249 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:34,640 which gives rise to disobedience. 250 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:36,840 Look with me, Numbers 14, verse one. 251 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,040 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry. 252 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:43,360 The people wept that night, and the people of Israel grumbled 253 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:48,240 against Moses and Aaron. We've seen this word grumbled 254 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,000 over and over it again in the book of Exodus. 255 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:55,130 Here it is once more in the book of Numbers, they grumbled. 256 00:15:55,130 --> 00:15:59,290 The word here is like a vote of no confidence against Moses and 257 00:15:59,290 --> 00:16:03,530 against God. Once again they are denying that 258 00:16:03,530 --> 00:16:08,570 God can take care of them and they are presupposing that they 259 00:16:08,570 --> 00:16:11,490 know better. Look with me, verse 2. 260 00:16:12,090 --> 00:16:15,250 The cold congregation said would that we had died in the land of 261 00:16:15,250 --> 00:16:17,810 Egypt. How often have we heard the 262 00:16:17,810 --> 00:16:20,770 people say this throughout the book of Exodus? 263 00:16:22,050 --> 00:16:25,850 Every time they were hungry, every time they were thirsty in 264 00:16:25,850 --> 00:16:30,770 the desert, they would grumble and complain and question God 265 00:16:30,770 --> 00:16:33,450 and say, wouldn't it would have been better if we had just 266 00:16:33,450 --> 00:16:36,530 stayed in Egypt? Wouldn't it be better if we go 267 00:16:36,530 --> 00:16:40,450 back to slavery now? Notice they're adding on to 268 00:16:40,450 --> 00:16:42,890 that, They say. Would it would be better if we 269 00:16:42,890 --> 00:16:47,330 just died in this wilderness? It would be better for us to die 270 00:16:47,330 --> 00:16:50,530 in the wilderness than to go into the Promised Land. 271 00:16:52,220 --> 00:16:57,460 You hear? How deceived, how confused the 272 00:16:57,460 --> 00:17:04,300 people of Israel are, how long they've been waiting to enter 273 00:17:04,300 --> 00:17:07,700 the promised Land. And now they think it would be 274 00:17:07,700 --> 00:17:11,260 better to die in the wilderness than they go in. 275 00:17:13,260 --> 00:17:17,960 They continue verse 4. They say to one another, let us 276 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,680 choose a leader and go back to Egypt. 277 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:26,400 Make no mistake, this is mutiny. And at its core that's what 278 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,440 every single sin is. It's mutiny. 279 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:35,600 High treason against the king. This is outright rebellion. 280 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:42,320 Fear that became unbelief, that became disobedience that has 281 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:47,820 become rebellion. They've rejected God's covenant. 282 00:17:49,100 --> 00:17:50,660 They've rejected the promised land. 283 00:17:54,700 --> 00:17:58,020 The thing that I find most frightening about this passage 284 00:17:59,820 --> 00:18:02,580 is not simply that they rebelled against God. 285 00:18:02,660 --> 00:18:08,700 It's why do you notice they rebelled against the Lord? 286 00:18:09,140 --> 00:18:15,280 Based on the report of 10 people, not one of them saw the 287 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,280 land for themselves. Not one of them saw that it was 288 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:21,920 good. Not one of them saw one of the 289 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:27,400 socalled giants. They had launched A rebellion 290 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:33,320 against Moses and against God based on the false testimony of 291 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:39,760 10 people. In chapter 13, verse 32, we're 292 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:44,770 told that it was a bad report. In Hebrew, the word for bad 293 00:18:44,770 --> 00:18:48,850 report is the word for slander. In other words, it wasn't just a 294 00:18:48,850 --> 00:18:50,850 bad report because it was inaccurate. 295 00:18:51,570 --> 00:18:54,250 It was a bad report because it was slander. 296 00:18:55,330 --> 00:18:57,930 It was 1/2 truth that become a lie. 297 00:18:58,650 --> 00:19:01,530 Sure, maybe there were large people in big cities that were 298 00:19:01,530 --> 00:19:05,850 all fortified, but their complete conclusion was 299 00:19:05,850 --> 00:19:10,610 completely wrong. Good land, large people. 300 00:19:10,650 --> 00:19:13,930 We can't go in. It was a lie. 301 00:19:15,090 --> 00:19:18,290 They slandered the promises of God. 302 00:19:18,290 --> 00:19:21,610 And what I want you to understand this morning is that 303 00:19:21,610 --> 00:19:25,650 it took 40 days for that slander to reach the people of Israel. 304 00:19:25,650 --> 00:19:30,170 It takes 40 seconds for us to be slandered today. 305 00:19:32,450 --> 00:19:39,370 How many slanderous statements do we hear each and every day? 306 00:19:40,690 --> 00:19:44,610 Bad reports about the world we live in. 307 00:19:45,170 --> 00:19:51,050 Half truths that become a lie. So this morning I want to ask 308 00:19:51,050 --> 00:19:57,170 you what lies are you believing? What slanderous reports are you 309 00:19:57,170 --> 00:20:02,770 prone to believe? Half truths that become a lie? 310 00:20:02,770 --> 00:20:08,250 Lies like the culture is winning, therefore the Church 311 00:20:08,250 --> 00:20:15,450 must be losing. Lies like our country is falling 312 00:20:15,450 --> 00:20:18,410 apart. Therefore the Kingdom of God 313 00:20:18,410 --> 00:20:22,770 must be failing all forgetting the promise that Jesus said he 314 00:20:22,770 --> 00:20:25,770 would build his church, the gates of hell will not prevail 315 00:20:25,770 --> 00:20:30,850 against it, and that the Kingdom of God is here and now. 316 00:20:33,050 --> 00:20:36,770 Perhaps for you it's the lie that you're worthless. 317 00:20:38,090 --> 00:20:42,360 You don't amount to anything that because you continue to 318 00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:45,760 fall into that besetting sin that you can't seem to shake, 319 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,800 that God is no longer with you and he will not equip you to 320 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,160 overcome the temptation that you face. 321 00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:56,080 Perhaps others. For you is to lie that there is 322 00:20:56,080 --> 00:21:01,800 nothing in this life except for disease and grief and cancer and 323 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:06,400 depression and anxiety and so why bother fighting anymore? 324 00:21:09,170 --> 00:21:14,730 Each and every day we are inundated with slander and lies. 325 00:21:16,450 --> 00:21:21,290 The question for us this morning is what report are you going to 326 00:21:21,290 --> 00:21:25,410 believe? Because they're in the middle of 327 00:21:25,410 --> 00:21:30,330 this majority report that slandered the promises of God. 328 00:21:31,130 --> 00:21:36,290 There was a voice crying out in the wilderness, a dissenting 329 00:21:36,370 --> 00:21:40,420 voice of hope that said God can be trusted. 330 00:21:42,140 --> 00:21:44,380 So the second thing I want you to look at this morning, I want 331 00:21:44,380 --> 00:21:47,100 you to see the dissension of hope. 332 00:21:48,140 --> 00:21:50,420 Look with me at Numbers 14, verse five. 333 00:21:50,580 --> 00:21:53,900 We're told that after the people rebel, Moses and Aaron fall on 334 00:21:53,900 --> 00:21:57,500 their face, Joshua and Caleb tear their clothes. 335 00:21:58,180 --> 00:22:02,820 This is an act of mourning. It's as if they are witnessing a 336 00:22:03,140 --> 00:22:07,230 death before their eyes, and so they are grieving. 337 00:22:07,230 --> 00:22:11,070 And in the midst of their grief, verse 7, Joshua and Caleb 338 00:22:11,310 --> 00:22:15,830 courageously deliver a dissenting message that cut 339 00:22:15,830 --> 00:22:18,790 right through the slander of the 10 spies. 340 00:22:19,390 --> 00:22:22,230 They contradict everything they say, and they say in verse 7. 341 00:22:22,230 --> 00:22:25,630 The land which we passed through to spy it out is an exceedingly 342 00:22:25,630 --> 00:22:29,030 good land, and if the Lord delights in us, He will bring us 343 00:22:29,110 --> 00:22:32,070 into the land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and 344 00:22:32,070 --> 00:22:34,730 honey. Notice where they begin, not 345 00:22:34,730 --> 00:22:37,050 simply with the land, but with the Lord. 346 00:22:37,570 --> 00:22:41,290 Why is the land good? Because the Lord has brought us 347 00:22:41,410 --> 00:22:46,810 to it, and he will lead us in verse nine they continue. 348 00:22:46,810 --> 00:22:50,410 Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people 349 00:22:50,410 --> 00:22:54,090 of the land, for they are bred for us, their protection is 350 00:22:54,090 --> 00:22:57,210 removed from them, and the Lord is with us. 351 00:22:57,210 --> 00:23:01,330 Do not fear them. Notice now the conclusion. 352 00:23:02,460 --> 00:23:05,580 Yes, maybe the people are large, but the Lord is with us. 353 00:23:06,940 --> 00:23:10,260 And where you say that the land will devour us, know this, that 354 00:23:10,260 --> 00:23:14,980 with the Lord on our side, these giants that you speak of will 355 00:23:14,980 --> 00:23:20,300 become bred for us. The Lord is with us. 356 00:23:20,300 --> 00:23:22,860 He will lead us into the promised land. 357 00:23:22,860 --> 00:23:26,940 He will be with us just as He is always been, because he is a 358 00:23:26,940 --> 00:23:31,340 covenant, keeping promise, fulfilling God. 359 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:41,640 It's a dissenting message, a minority report, just two among 360 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:46,360 the 12. How would the people respond? 361 00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:50,600 And hearing this dissenting message, this dissenting message 362 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,160 of hope, how will they respond? Verse 10, we're told. 363 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:57,920 Then the congregation said to stone them with stones. 364 00:24:00,090 --> 00:24:02,930 So this is the question for you and me this morning. 365 00:24:04,970 --> 00:24:10,690 Whose report are you going to trust as you walk through the 366 00:24:10,690 --> 00:24:14,570 wilderness of life and you face griefs of many kinds and 367 00:24:14,570 --> 00:24:20,170 difficulty and strife as you're confronted with the brokenness 368 00:24:20,170 --> 00:24:27,770 and the wilderness of our world, and you hear half truths, lies 369 00:24:27,770 --> 00:24:29,970 that slander, the promises of God. 370 00:24:31,010 --> 00:24:34,610 What report will you believe? Because I want you to notice 371 00:24:34,610 --> 00:24:38,410 something. Where did the slander come from? 372 00:24:40,210 --> 00:24:46,090 Did it come from out there? No, it came from within the 373 00:24:46,090 --> 00:24:50,410 camp. It came from among the people. 374 00:24:53,050 --> 00:24:59,850 What report will you believe? We believe the majority that 375 00:24:59,850 --> 00:25:03,650 slanders the promises of God and says we can't overcome because 376 00:25:03,650 --> 00:25:06,850 it's all up to us and we'll fail. 377 00:25:08,570 --> 00:25:14,610 We trust in the voice of the dissenting minority, the voice 378 00:25:14,610 --> 00:25:19,650 of dissenting hope that says God is who he says He is. 379 00:25:20,690 --> 00:25:27,780 His promises are true and they find their yes and Amen in Jesus 380 00:25:27,780 --> 00:25:30,340 Christ. That's where I want to end this 381 00:25:30,340 --> 00:25:33,780 morning. The power of God's promise to 382 00:25:33,780 --> 00:25:36,020 look at this final section. I want you to get your Bible or 383 00:25:36,020 --> 00:25:38,460 you can turn to a Pew Bible. You'll find them there in front 384 00:25:38,460 --> 00:25:40,220 of you. You don't have a Bible this 385 00:25:40,220 --> 00:25:41,020 morning. That's our gift. 386 00:25:41,020 --> 00:25:42,380 You would love for you to take it with you. 387 00:25:43,460 --> 00:25:45,220 This section is not printed in our bulletin. 388 00:25:45,220 --> 00:25:48,260 I want you to see with your own eyes what happens next. 389 00:25:49,260 --> 00:25:53,220 An incredible interchange between Moses and God. 390 00:25:56,180 --> 00:25:59,700 Just as we're told that the people are about to stone Caleb 391 00:25:59,700 --> 00:26:04,420 and Joshua, we're told that the glory of the Lord comes down. 392 00:26:05,340 --> 00:26:08,900 And verse 11 we're told that the Lord says to Moses, how long 393 00:26:08,900 --> 00:26:12,780 will this people despise me, and how long will they not believe 394 00:26:12,780 --> 00:26:15,300 in me, in spite of all the signs that I've done among them? 395 00:26:15,860 --> 00:26:18,740 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them. 396 00:26:18,740 --> 00:26:23,020 I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they. 397 00:26:23,910 --> 00:26:26,190 If you've been with us in our serious life of Moses, this 398 00:26:26,190 --> 00:26:28,590 should sound familiar, because once again the people have 399 00:26:28,590 --> 00:26:31,710 rebelled against God. And once again God has said, I 400 00:26:31,710 --> 00:26:34,430 must pour out my judgment on unbelief. 401 00:26:35,430 --> 00:26:37,590 And he said, well, does that make him cold and vindictive? 402 00:26:37,590 --> 00:26:39,350 Know what makes him good and righteous? 403 00:26:40,950 --> 00:26:46,470 He must judge sin. And the truth is, if we're 404 00:26:46,470 --> 00:26:50,150 honest this morning, every single one of us fall into this 405 00:26:50,150 --> 00:26:56,030 camp, prone to unbelief, prone to believe the slanders of our 406 00:26:56,030 --> 00:27:01,910 unbelieving age. And so here it is God saying, I 407 00:27:01,910 --> 00:27:08,750 must pour out my judgment. But then here comes Moses, the 408 00:27:08,750 --> 00:27:13,150 great mediator of the people, the one whom God is called to be 409 00:27:13,150 --> 00:27:18,390 a priest, to come and pray on the people's behalf. 410 00:27:19,350 --> 00:27:24,580 Verse 17 Moses prays Now please let the power of the Lord be 411 00:27:24,580 --> 00:27:30,060 great as you have promised. Notice what he says, Lord, Let 412 00:27:30,060 --> 00:27:34,380 your power. Let your glory be great, just as 413 00:27:34,380 --> 00:27:38,100 you promised, just as you said it would, he continues, praying. 414 00:27:38,100 --> 00:27:41,340 Verse 18 The Lord is slow to anger and abounding and 415 00:27:41,340 --> 00:27:45,380 steadfast love for giving iniquity and transgression, but 416 00:27:45,380 --> 00:27:47,740 he will by no means clear the guilty. 417 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,960 Visiting the iniquity of the fathers and on the children to 418 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:58,040 the 3rd and the 4th generation, Moses praise the promises of God 419 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,440 back to him. The same promises we looked at 420 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:06,720 last week in Exodus 34. God's covenant promise to be 421 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:10,320 slow to anger in a bounding and steadfast love, but by no means 422 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:13,880 clear the guilty. And then in verse 19, Moses, 423 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,520 praise, please pardon the iniquity of this people 424 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:20,280 according to greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have 425 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,240 forgiven this people from Egypt until now. 426 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:28,200 And then notice what God says next. 427 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:33,040 Verse 20. Then the Lord said, I have 428 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:41,040 pardoned, according to your word, what just happened. 429 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:47,920 God seized the unbelief and rebellion of this people, and as 430 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:52,880 a holy and righteous judge says, I must pour out my judgment. 431 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:59,360 Then Moses praise the promises of God back to him, and notice 432 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:01,200 what God says. Then the Lord said, I have 433 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:03,800 pardoned according to your word, What is going on here? 434 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,840 Did Moses just change God's mind? 435 00:29:09,830 --> 00:29:14,390 Can we, when we pray, change the mind of God? 436 00:29:14,390 --> 00:29:20,270 It's one of the great questions of the Bible, one of the great 437 00:29:20,270 --> 00:29:24,390 questions, The book of numbers, the book of X's The Great 438 00:29:24,390 --> 00:29:28,070 Questions of Prayer. There's a couple answers to that 439 00:29:28,070 --> 00:29:31,430 question. The first, I think, is good. 440 00:29:32,390 --> 00:29:35,510 Good to a point. And the first says, well, what 441 00:29:35,510 --> 00:29:38,710 we are seeing here is an anthropomorphism. 442 00:29:39,590 --> 00:29:41,510 It's a good big Scrabble type word, right? 443 00:29:41,550 --> 00:29:44,710 It It it simply means that what we're reading here is an 444 00:29:44,710 --> 00:29:49,030 interchange from a human perspective of a human being 445 00:29:49,030 --> 00:29:51,870 with God. And so it's ascribing to God 446 00:29:51,870 --> 00:29:55,110 human language that we can understand what goes on in 447 00:29:55,110 --> 00:29:58,150 prayer. And I think that's hopeful, but 448 00:29:58,150 --> 00:30:03,030 only to a point, because it doesn't enable us to really 449 00:30:03,030 --> 00:30:05,990 wrestle with what's really going on here. 450 00:30:08,110 --> 00:30:10,950 I want you to notice what God says to Moses. 451 00:30:12,230 --> 00:30:19,190 I have pardoned, according to your word, Whose word did Moses 452 00:30:19,190 --> 00:30:23,550 pray? Was it really Moses's word? 453 00:30:25,230 --> 00:30:30,870 No, no. He prayed God's word, Word for 454 00:30:30,870 --> 00:30:35,110 word. Moses prayed the promises of God 455 00:30:35,470 --> 00:30:40,740 back to him. In other words, what we are 456 00:30:40,740 --> 00:30:47,380 seeing here is Moses being conformed to God's covenant 457 00:30:47,660 --> 00:30:53,220 promise. We're seeing Moses trust fully 458 00:30:53,220 --> 00:30:57,740 in the promises of God. CS Lewis put it this way. 459 00:30:59,100 --> 00:31:02,540 Can we believe that God ever really modifies His action in 460 00:31:02,540 --> 00:31:04,260 response to the suggestions of men? 461 00:31:05,330 --> 00:31:08,450 For infinite wisdom does not need telling what is best. 462 00:31:09,210 --> 00:31:11,770 Infinite goodness needs no urging to do it. 463 00:31:12,490 --> 00:31:16,050 But neither does God need any of those things that are done by 464 00:31:16,050 --> 00:31:21,450 finite agents, whether living or an animate He goes on to stay. 465 00:31:21,450 --> 00:31:25,810 Instead, He allows soils and weather and animals and the 466 00:31:25,810 --> 00:31:31,130 muscles, minds, and wills of men to cooperate in the execution of 467 00:31:31,250 --> 00:31:35,690 His will. Or to put it more simply, and 468 00:31:35,690 --> 00:31:37,450 I've always loved this from RC Sproul. 469 00:31:38,770 --> 00:31:44,130 Prayer does change things, all kinds of things, but the most 470 00:31:44,130 --> 00:31:47,810 important thing it changes is us. 471 00:31:49,690 --> 00:31:54,050 So did Moses change God's mind? No. 472 00:31:55,850 --> 00:31:58,290 No. Because Moses prayed his promise 473 00:31:58,290 --> 00:32:04,410 and in response God carried out his promises to the very end. 474 00:32:06,820 --> 00:32:12,420 God promises to be slow to anger and abounding and steadfast love 475 00:32:12,420 --> 00:32:15,540 and mercy and by no means clear the guilty. 476 00:32:15,540 --> 00:32:21,060 And that's exactly what happens. In verse 21, we read the 477 00:32:21,060 --> 00:32:28,420 unbelieving people of God are now condemned to go back towards 478 00:32:28,660 --> 00:32:35,470 Egypt and to now wander in the desert for 40 years before they 479 00:32:35,470 --> 00:32:40,190 die in the wilderness, having never entered the promised land. 480 00:32:41,310 --> 00:32:43,670 In other words, they got exactly what they asked for. 481 00:32:45,070 --> 00:32:48,190 They asked to go back to Egypt, they asked to die in the 482 00:32:48,190 --> 00:32:50,390 wilderness, and that's exactly what they got. 483 00:32:51,510 --> 00:32:54,550 They refused God's covenant promise. 484 00:32:55,190 --> 00:32:58,230 They refused to go into the promised land, and they wandered 485 00:32:58,230 --> 00:33:02,150 in the desert for 40 years until they all died. 486 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:09,360 The 10 spies who delivered a slanderous report all died by a 487 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:12,480 plague. We're told to the end of chapter 488 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:15,720 14 that some of them decide to go into the promised land now 489 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:18,600 anyways, even on their own, even though God's not with them. 490 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:22,920 And they all die because they tried to do it on their own. 491 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:27,440 And you hear that and you say, okay, I hear that. 492 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:31,040 But where's the loving kindness? Where's the mercy? 493 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:35,590 Where's the pardon in that? I want you to look with me at 494 00:33:35,590 --> 00:33:40,950 verse 24. God says, But my servant Caleb, 495 00:33:41,710 --> 00:33:44,470 because he has a different spirit and has followed me 496 00:33:44,470 --> 00:33:47,310 fully, I will bring into the land and to which he went, and 497 00:33:47,310 --> 00:33:49,390 his descendants shall possess it. 498 00:33:50,390 --> 00:33:56,550 The name Caleb means faithful. The name Joshua means savior, 499 00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:03,480 even as God promised to pour out his judgment, as we've seen time 500 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:06,720 and time again that God saves through judgment. 501 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:11,520 He did it in Egypt and sending the Passover. 502 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:16,560 He's doing it here as he's sending his people to wander in 503 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:21,080 the wilderness for a generation, only now to save a remnant 504 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:26,480 through Caleb and Joshua, and the next generation to go into 505 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:31,650 the land and to inherit God's promises once and for all. 506 00:34:33,090 --> 00:34:38,370 And many years later, he would send his own Son, Jesus Christ 507 00:34:39,810 --> 00:34:46,409 to come and to bear the weight of all God's judgment for our 508 00:34:46,409 --> 00:34:53,120 sin of unbelief, so that all who are faithful, all who believe in 509 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:56,800 God's promises fulfilled, and His death and resurrection, 510 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:00,680 might enter the promised Land forever. 511 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,560 So this morning, what report are you going to believe? 512 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,680 You're going to believe the slanderous report of our 513 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:15,920 unbelieving age, Or are you going to place your hope and a 514 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:22,190 dissenting message? It says God is who he says He 515 00:35:22,190 --> 00:35:26,870 is. And reflecting on this passage, 516 00:35:28,150 --> 00:35:33,590 preacher of Hebrews wrote that for we are to come to share in 517 00:35:33,590 --> 00:35:37,590 Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the 518 00:35:37,630 --> 00:35:44,190 end, as it is said today, if you hear His voice, do not harden 519 00:35:44,190 --> 00:35:49,330 your hearts as in the rebellion. Brothers and sisters, Do you 520 00:35:49,330 --> 00:35:53,690 hear His voice this morning? Can you hear His voice? 521 00:35:54,410 --> 00:35:57,690 In the midst of the chaos and confusion and slander of our 522 00:35:57,690 --> 00:36:02,650 unbelieving age, can you hear His voice today? 523 00:36:02,650 --> 00:36:07,010 If you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, but hear the 524 00:36:07,010 --> 00:36:11,530 voice of the One who is crying out in the wilderness, The one 525 00:36:11,530 --> 00:36:15,290 who's proclaiming A dissenting message of hope that God is who 526 00:36:15,290 --> 00:36:18,220 He says He is and His promises are true. 527 00:36:18,900 --> 00:36:22,500 The voice of Caleb and Joshua calling us to enter into the 528 00:36:22,500 --> 00:36:26,100 promised land. The voice of the prophets 529 00:36:26,580 --> 00:36:30,540 promising the coming Messiah. The voice of John the Baptist, 530 00:36:30,540 --> 00:36:35,220 who said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who comes to take away the 531 00:36:35,220 --> 00:36:41,220 sin of the world, and the voice of Jesus who bore the judgment 532 00:36:41,300 --> 00:36:47,630 of God on the cross for you and for me today. 533 00:36:47,630 --> 00:36:53,550 If you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, but trust 534 00:36:54,150 --> 00:37:00,910 and the dissenting hope of the one who died and rose and is 535 00:37:00,910 --> 00:37:03,350 coming again for you. Let's pray. 536 00:37:03,350 --> 00:37:08,190 Father in heaven, would you set our eyes on the promised Land 537 00:37:08,190 --> 00:37:12,330 that is to come? And in looking and believing and 538 00:37:12,330 --> 00:37:16,410 trusting and that future promise, would you now reorient 539 00:37:16,410 --> 00:37:20,370 our present? Would you change the way that we 540 00:37:20,370 --> 00:37:25,690 look at life in the wilderness and able us to trust you to hear 541 00:37:25,690 --> 00:37:29,530 your voice until you come again? In Jesus name we pray. 542 00:37:29,530 --> 00:37:30,290 Amen. Let's stand. 543 00:37:30,290 --> 00:37:31,130 Let's sing together.