I want to focus on this passage tonight because, as I was reading it devotionally this week (what, you don’t read Numbers for your devotions?), it struck me as having some interesting parallels with Immanuel Baptist Church and our community.
Now it is interesting to me that the Lord ordered this spy mission, even though in His divine omniscience, He knew that the majority report would be negative. What was God’s purpose in this? Why would He want the people to be overwhelmed with pessimism in advance of the coming entry into the land? While we can’t always know His purposes with precision, we know that often He moves in such a way that we are presented with a dilemma: human wisdom vs. the promise of God. In this case, human wisdom said, “We’re crazy to try this,” but the promise of God said, “I am giving you this land.” So which would they believe?
I said that this story had some interesting parallels to IBC. What are they? First and foremost, I believe that the Lord has given us this land, our community. I believe He gave it to our forefathers long ago, and like
Listen to what Urban Ministry strategist Ray Bakke says: “Evangelicalism … lacked a conscious theology of place. When a church’s location became inconvenient, it simply relocated to a new place, often near a freeway (reflecting our society’s shift from a walking to an automobile culture). Along the way, we abandoned real estate that had been prayed for fervently by Christians before us—and along with it abandoned any commitment to the neighborhoods we left behind. I think it is much more than a practical, operational church decision when a church relocates in such a manner. It is a theological bias toward individualism and away from a biblical holistic theology, which for me includes not only the physical aspects of persons but also the geography in which we have identity and security. Does God care only about people, or does He also care about places, including cities? And if the Holy Spirit of Christ is in us, should we not also care for both urban people and urban places? … God’s kingdom agenda seeks the personal salvation of all persons and the social transformation of all places.”[1]
God has given us this land for the purpose of salvation, transformation, and glorification: the salvation of souls, the transformation of a community, and the glorification of God. But we have yet to overtake it. In fact, some might argue that we have been wandering in the wilderness without direction or purpose. I wouldn’t say that, but certainly some would – and some have. Just this week, I was talking with a former member of this church who said to me, “You know Immanuel messed up when they decided not to move. Ever since then, it has just gone downhill.” You have probably heard those things said too. Maybe some of you have said those things. Those who say this are believing the report of Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gadiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel.
The majority report says something like this: Immanuel should have moved. Immanuel is dying. Immanuel is full of old people and can’t survive. Immanuel will never reach that community unless they buy some property, build a gym and raise up a rock and roll band for worship services. Immanuel can’t do anything positive as long as that motel is next door. If all we have is human wisdom, those statements appear to be true. But we have more than that. We have a promise from God that this is the land He is going to give us.
Now, how will God give us this land? I want to lay out some truths from this passage and apply them to our setting.
First, we need to send out spies. Now, I don’t mean a covert operation of peeking in windows and snooping through people’s mailboxes and trashcans. I mean people who will go into the land God has given us with their eyes wide open looking for some specific things. I think we need to begin a regular practice of prayerwalking in our immediate church community, this land God has given us. God directed
Moses gave his spies a list of things to look for:
· What is the land like?
· Are the people who live in it strong or weak?
· Are they few or many?
· Is the land good or bad?
· Are the cities open camps, or are they fortified with walls?
· Is the land fat or lean?
· Are there trees in the land?
· What fruit does the land produce?
As our “spies” go out, they need to look for these same sorts of things. What is the land like? How has it changed for better or worse since the last time you really slowed down enough to notice? What signs do you see of “goodness” and “badness”? Do you notice any beauty, any signs of life, any signs of concern for the community in the homes and yards of the people? Are there obstacles you see? Do you see people living behind “fortresses,” or are they living “openly”? What does that mean? It means do you notice a lot of gates and fences? Do people have their front doors open? Are their blinds closed and curtains drawn? Are they out and about or are they locked away behind their doors? Does the land look like it is home to wealthy people, poor people, middle income people? Singles, families, young, old? Are they strong or weak? By that I mean, do you see anything to indicate where people are spiritually? Journey through on a Sunday morning – are people at home or are they heading out to church? Are there few or many – how many vacant properties do you notice? How many cars are in each driveway? How many people are in the yards? What language do they speak? Most of us probably have preconceived notions of how we would answer these questions, but check it out. Walk through, drive through, and see what is really there. And talk to God about it.
Notice the final thing Moses says, “Make an effort then to get some of the fruit of the land.” I don’t mean plunder someone’s apple tree. I am talking about spiritual fruit. If you see someone out and about, talk to them. Steve Hawthorne and Graham Kendrick wrote one of the earliest and most thorough books on prayerwalking, entitled (ingeniously enough), Prayerwalking. In it, they include a quote from a pastor in
Why did Moses want them to bring back fruit? They brought back a cluster of grapes that was so large, it had to be carried on a pole between two men, as well as figs and pomegranates (do you like pomegranates?). But why was this important to Moses? Because this fruit becomes a tangible object to say, “If we are faithful to our task which God has set before us, we shall enjoy this kind of fruit in abundance.” How encouraging would it be for you to have our prayerwalkers come back and say, “We met a guy named Fred, and we told him we were out praying for God to bless him and everyone else in this community, and as we talked, we shared the gospel with Fred, and he prayed to receive Jesus and plans to be in church with us next Sunday!”
But we have to keep looking at the land through the eyes of the Lord. This is where the majority made their mistake. They saw it for what it was surely enough. In verse 27, they say, “It certainly does flow with milk and honey and this is its fruit.” But then they use an enormous word in verse 28. That word is Nevertheless. With that word, they shift their focus from seeing the land through God’s eyes to seeing themselves through the world’s eyes. They are huge, they are strong, and we are like grasshoppers in their sight. I think we have heard this for too long, and the problem isn’t that it has been said. The problem is that we have believed it. The fear of man has overshadowed our faith in God. We’re small, we’re dying, we’re old, we’re weak. We can’t do it. We should have moved out years ago. We should head off to the suburbs where its safe and nice. Let’s get a new leader who will take us there now. What did Joshua and Caleb do when they heard all this? They tore their clothes. This is an ancient expression of righteous indignation. It made them mad! And sometimes I feel like doing the same thing. I hear all this whining, and excuse making, and all the “wisdom of the experts,” and I just want to tear something up!
Let me ask you a question: Do you believe God has given this land to us? If so, then how can we not agree with Caleb and say, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it!”
How on earth will they do this tremendous thing? Joshua and Caleb laid out a strategy. It is very simple.
· If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us.
o Our first priority must be pleasing the Lord. What would please Him? I believe there are any number of things we could do that would please Him. Three things I know would not: 1) Doing nothing; 2) Grumbling and complaining; 3) Giving up. These things we must not do. These things will certainly not please Him, and will not lead to victory.
· Do not rebel against the Lord.
o Each of us must make personal faith and obedience a priority in our lives. We must not ask, “What should the pastor, or the deacons, or the PBA, or the BSC, or NAMB do?” We must ask, “What should I do that I may show my faith in God and obey Him personally?”
· Do not fear the people of the land.
o This is connected to another statement: “The Lord is with us.” If we aren’t sure that the Lord is with us, then we probably have a lot to be afraid of. But if we know He is with us, then what do we have to fear? If God is for us, who can be against us, Paul said. Does this mean there is no danger? No. Does it mean that we will always be safe? No. Does it mean that we may not suffer? No. But are we saved? Yes. Then what can man do to us? We may have to suffer. We may have to face danger. Why should we feel like we are immune to this when a majority of God’s people in every other culture through every generation of Christian history have had to deal with it? But what do we have to be afraid of, if the Lord is with us? They’re just people. They might intimidate us, but they don’t intimidate God. He loves them. Christ died for them. And the only way their lives will ever change is if they learn this and accept Him for themselves. But as Paul says in Romans 10, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?”
So tonight, what I want to say to you is that I want to see this church make an impact in this community. But I can’t do it by myself. I can’t do much of it at all as long as I have to prepare three sermons every week, attend meetings, be at the hospital every time one of us has a major or minor affliction, be at the beck and call of every hurting church member who needs a few minutes of time for counseling and encouragement. I don’t begrudge those things – you rightfully expect those things of me, and I gladly do them, because I have answered God’s call to serve His people. But, there aren’t enough hours in the day, nor enough days in the week for me to do all of this in addition to being the primary force working for salvation, transformation, and glorification in the community. And the answer is not hiring more help. One, that is impractical – we can’t afford it. Two, it is impossible – you can’t pay someone to have a burden. You can pay them to do a job, but not to have a burden. Besides this, people don’t want to hear from a paid professional. This is not the 1950s. In the 1950s, preachers occupied a place of prominence in our culture. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, preachers, politicians – those were the people we trusted. Not anymore. Everybody thinks we are out for personal gain. “Oh, you want me to come to that church so you can get my money to pay your salary or to build your bigger buildings.” Think about it. Some of you can remember those days. How many preachers did you know of in the 1950s who were involved in a moral or financial scandal? How many do you know today? Times have changed, and they don’t trust us anymore. They think we’re up to something.
They don’t want to hear from us – they want to hear from you. Regular people who love Jesus. You don’t get paid to do it, you just do it because they love Him. You are the ones who said so long ago, “This is the land God has given us.” You are the ones who had that burden. So, tonight, I am asking for spies—twelve prayerwalking saints who will commit to 40 days of prayer journey. I don’t think it necessarily has to be 40 consecutive days, but it wouldn’t hurt. Maybe 40 prayer journeys over two or three months or more. And we don’t need Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gadiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel. We have heard their report. I hear it nearly every day, and frankly I am sick of hearing what they have to say. I didn’t come here to preach Immanuel’s funeral. We need hear from Caleb and Joshua. We need those “E. F. Huttons” who, when they talk, people listen. We need those who will see things through God’s eyes, not who will see ourselves through the world’s eyes. We need 12 like Caleb and Joshua. Why 12? I don’t know, I am not a numerologist, but the number 12 sure does seem significant in the Bible doesn’t it? Twelve tribes, twelve spies, twelve apostles. And they need to commit to 40 days of prayer journeys. Why 40 days? Again, there seems to be some significance to it – How many events in the Bible take place over 40 days? But I think if we’ll do it, send out those 12 Calebs and Joshuas on 40 prayer journeys, I think we’ll see some of that fruit – some of those sweet grapes, and figs, and pomegranates that will be the firstfruits of a spiritual harvest. But I know this much for certain – abundant reaping will only come as a result of abundant sowing. We have the seed, but it is going to rot in the barn unless we cast it on the soil. Then it will produce a harvest.
Maybe you are one of those. Maybe you know someone who is. Maybe they aren’t even here tonight. Don’t tell me who they are – tell them. Go to that Caleb, that Joshua, that they have a task to do. Say this to them, “You know our people love you and respect you. I think they’d listen to you. Why don’t you take this challenge – be one of the twelve who will go out praying in our community for 40 days. We want to hear what you have to say.” I am going to call this Operation 1330, because in Numbers 13:30, Caleb said, “Let’s do it.” I am going to hold this open for awhile and see what happens. Ask that person, “Would you tell the pastor you want to be part of Operation 1330?” And as they come in, I am going to send them out, in groups of 2, 3, 4 at a time, and ask them commit to 40 prayer journeys. We will map it out, we’ll be strategic with it. And we will pray for them, and we will listen to them, and we will see what God will do with it. But I tell you, if I didn’t think the Lord was on our side, if I didn’t think there was victory to be had, if I didn’t think our best days are ahead of us, I would only be wasting my own time and yours here. That’s not preacher pep-talk; that is a rock solid confidence in God’s faithfulness to His people and to His own Word. Let’s pray.
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