We are well able to overcome it.

Key Scripture:

Numbers 14:9 (KJV)   Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.

SUMMARY

We learn so much from the word of God. Through this sermon, we learn how we can have the right perspective keeping in line with His word. From the story of the 12 spies Moses sent to spy the Promised Land and Caleb’s different response to the challenge that lay before the people of Israel, we learn what our attitude should be through these times of pandemic.

SERMON POINTS

Right Perspective 

Numbers 13:30 (KJV) And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

 The people of Israel wanted to go and spy out the land God promised to give them as their own. The Lord God sent them to tour the land. Twelve men from each tribe were sent. On their return they brought a bad report about the land and spread them among the people (Numbers 13:1-32). That night the people were so discouraged that they started wailing in the presence of the Lord (Numbers 14:1). This murmuring became a memorial before the Lord; that is to say it became a greater offence than idolatry. This night called the ‘Tisha Baav’, became a time of crisis every time throughout the generations. History points out that the first Temple was destroyed on this night, so was the second Temple. It was when the First World War began, the Holocaust was prepared and Jews were expelled from Spain all occurring on Tisha Baav down the years.

Here’s an important lesson we must learn, these men not just brought a bad report about the land God promised he would give them but they were spreading negative reports about the Lord. This was an act of rebellion against God and He wouldn’t tolerate it. They could not enter the Promised Land because of their grumbling and wailing.

However Caleb or Kalev made it to the Promised Land. He had something different to say about the land they spied (Numbers 14:24). The sages say that he was married to Miriam sister of Moses and was the leader of the tribe of Judah. He silenced those who spread the bad report as he had the right perspective. We can see a big difference in perspective of Caleb and the other 10 spies. Therefore he was singled out and appreciated.

What is our perspective about the times we live in? We need to have the Caleb perspective. Even in the midst of a pandemic, God reigns. Nothing shall be impossible. We like Caleb must confess that we are well able to overcome this.

  

Principles Caleb held that can make us stand out 

1. Your Identity

 Mark 16:17-18 (KJV) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

 Caleb was from the tribe of Judah. He knew his identity and the blessing that was over his life and family (Genesis 49:8,9). That gave him the strength. Knowing who we are in Jesus Christ gives us the strength to understand what the Lord has promised to give us through His name. The Bible tells us that we have been given power over serpents, evil powers and sickness. We claim this by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Having the right perspective by knowing your identity in Christ Jesus causes the healing of god to manifest through your life. By his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

 

2. Your Priority

 Hebrews 13:7 (KJV)  Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

 It seems that as soon as Caleb stepped into the Promised Land, he went straight to Hevron or Hebron. Hebron is the place where the patriarchs were laid to rest and his heart longed to be a part of their story of the patriarchs. He went to Hebron, but not the other spies (Deuteronomy 1:36). He was separated from them. He chartered his own course. Caleb drew strength from their lives and stories.

Our priority must be faith: to follow faith by learning the statutes of the Lord and to learn from the spiritual lives of greats and emulate them.  Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. This faith also comes by the gospel that has been laid in our hearts.

 

3. Your Mentality

 Deuteronomy 1:36 (KJV)  Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the Lord.

 Caleb had a different spirit as we see from God’s word. He saw things differently when compared to the others. In this COVID situation our perspective shouldn’t be influenced by fear but by the willingness to overcome it. We shouldn’t panic by seeing the frightening numbers around us. But believe that with the Lord we can do all things. Your mentality should be a one that supports growth. According to the Stanford University research made by Carol Dwecks on mindset, there are two types of mindset- fixed mindset and the growth mindset. When you have a fixed mindset, you plateau early and achieve less than your full potential. This confirms a deterministic view of the world, just like how the spies who brought the evil report had.

The Lord wills us to have a growth mentality wherein like Caleb, we will be willing to learn, embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks and see efforts as path to mastery. Such a mentality will help you reach higher levels of achievement. We need to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

 

4. Your Loyalty

 Numbers 13:30 (KJV) And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

 Caleb was loyal and subservient to Moses his leader. He believed in the leadership and was up for the challenge before them. The sages say that Caleb silenced them that they should hear what he was going to say about Moses. “He cried aloud saying, ” Is this the only thing the son of Amram has done to us?” One who heard him thus speaking believed that he was about to speak to his disparagement and because they had something in their mind against Moses through the spies’ statement, all of them kept silent to hear his disparagement. He however said, ” Did he not divide the Red Sea for us and bring down the Manna and collected the quails for us?” (Sotah 35a).

Caleb was so loyal to Moses, he supported the man of God and would say that they were to do all that he bids them to do, even if it means to make ladders and climb to the heavens. We need to be people who have earned who can be trusted with a mission. That is how loyal we are to be.

 

5. Your Tenacity

 Joshua 14:12 (KJV) Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.

To have the right perspective you have to be very determined in the stand you take. Caleb, who said we are well able to do it, is now asking Joshua for the mountains. He wants to possess the difficult place because he caught hold of the promises of God.

Similarly, he is blessed with the place he set his heart upon because of his tenacity.

His different spirit made him look out for a man just as tenacious and different as him to give his daughter in marriage (Joshua 15:16-19). The right perspective can be had at all times when we are determined to fulfill the purposes of the Lord.

CONCLUSION.

It is crucial to have the right perspective; especially now as the pandemic rages on. We must approach this challenge, not with a spirit of fear, but with tenacity like Caleb. We are well able to overcome this through our Lord Jesus Christ who won the victory over every disease and enemy. Let us ask the Lord to give us that different spirit and a growth mindset that will help us to persist even in the face of obstacles and setbacks.

Shlach Lecha

Key Scripture:

Numbers 14:9 (KJV)   Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.

SUMMARY

This sermon is on how one can have a right perspective in life. Being the month of Tammuz in the Jewish calendar, the Jews read this scripture from the Torah called ‘Shlach Lecha’. We can learn from the story of the spies, principles that help us to have the right perspective towards the purposes of God.

SERMON POINTS

Shlach lecha and Having the Right Perspective 

The Jews have regular Torah reading cycles. This is their cyclical scripture reading throughout the year. During the month of Tammuz, they read this scripture portion found in Numbers chapters 13 through 15. This is called the ‘Shlach Lecha’, which literally means to send men out, formed out of the start of the paragraphs in this scripture portion.

From this scripture portion, we learn how to have the right perspective about the situations we are in. It is very important to have the right understanding of circumstances. How we see things affect how the end is going to be. Some principles that we learn from the story of the spies sent to the Promised Land on how we can have the right perspective.

 

Principles to have the Right Perspective 

1. Standing with your spiritual leadership

 Numbers 12:1 (KJV) And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

 To have the right perspective, you need to stand with your spiritual leadership. Before the spies brought bad news, we see Miriam, the sister of Moses rebelling against his leadership because of his Cushite wife. This rebellion percolates into the community as well. The people of Israel, who until then believed God’s promises, now started to wail when they heard the bad report of the men who went to spy the Promised Land. Though Joshua and Caleb gave a good report, they simply couldn’t see as the man of God saw. That day became a day of wailing because they failed to see as God wanted them to see. When we fail to have the right perspective we break the system and purposes of God. We need to stand with the spiritual leadership God has kept you under, for the Lord has anointed them and set them apart to bless us.

2. Trust in God’s goodness and not test 

 Deuteronomy 1:22 (KJV)  And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

 Having the right perspective, starts with trusting the Lord and taking Him at His word. Now the Lord God had called them out of slavery in Egypt to take them to possess the Promised Land. The people however wanted to check if all that the Lord said about the land was for real. They asked to go spy out the land. Moses asks of the Lord and the Lord asks him to send forth 12 spies. When you look at the background of this ‘Shlach Lecha’ was initiated by the people.

Many of us are like that. We like to test out the goodness of God. Following spiritual principles like reading the Bible, attending church, etc. to test if God will bless.

The right perspective comes when we trust His goodness and not test it. Let’s be committed wholeheartedly.

 

3. See the good things of the land

 Numbers 13:28 (KJV)  Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

The spies were sent to see the goodness of the land as the lord promised. The word spy used here ‘Latoor’ means ‘to go see what is good’. This term is mentioned around 12 times in this scripture portion. They were not asked to go there to realize their weakness or vulnerability. The spies were witnesses to what the Lord said the land was. Everything was indeed as the Lord said. But their eyes saw other negatives too and they spread a bad report among the community, promoting the bad things of the land among the people. As long as we see the negative you can never see the good God has in store for us. There is a division between what we call good and what the Lord says is good. Christian life is a one of blessedness. Let us always focus on the good ,God has placed in our lives.

 

4. Understand your mission in life 

 John 20:21 (KJV) Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

 There is a mission for which we have been sent into this world for. Sometimes we try to escape from the world. But we ought to catch the vision that God has for us. The Lord Jesus has said that we have been sent into the world just as He had been by the Father. We like the people of Israel are called to possess the land and not complain about the bad. Let us understand our mission and who we are called to be. Only then can we have the right perspective. To begin with, our mission is to tell the good things about Jesus Christ; to be co-workers with Him. We are sent in a specific mission to our communities, families, workplaces, so that we can partner with Jesus to steward His creation and work for His purposes. Let us model the goodness of the Lord to this hurting world.

5. The story we tell affects our destiny 

 Numbers 14:36,37 (KJV) And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,  Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord.

Every story we tell can make or break the destiny we were designed for. If we get the story wrong, we lose a whole generation to wandering. Never spread negative rumors about the purposes of God. Ten of these spies sent on the mission to explore the land of Cannan, spread bad reports against what the Lord had promised. These reports of fear and disbelief led to their wandering in the desert for 40 years and the punishment of death (Numbers 14:32-38). This shows the power in what we say regarding the plans He had for us. Even today, God has permitted everything, both good and bad in His sovereignty. Slander, murdering and derogatory speech about others even when it is true, is detestable in the eyes of the Lord. So much so, that the Jews believe, God relented from His anger even when they made and worshiped the Golden Calf but this night of disbelief, grumbling and murmur, He punished them severely (1 Corinthians 10:10). The Jews believe they still experience the punishment from the Tisha Baav- the night of crying (Numbers 14:1). What story you and I tell about this phase of life -2020 and CoVID will affect our destiny

Our word life is so important. What we talk brings forth its consequences in our lives.

Apostle Paul therefore charges us to have wholeness in tongue and spirit (Ephesians 4:29), speaking truthfully, words that benefit others and keep away from course joking (Colossians 3:8).

May thankfulness fill our mouths in the place of grumbling (Ephesians 5:4).

CONCLUSION.

We live in difficult times. It is very easy to get lost in the negativity that surrounds us. The word of God challenges us to look beyond the problems, at the purposes of God behind them. We need to ask the Lord to transform our thinking and give us the right perspective. With the right perspective, we don’t give way to murmuring and fear. Let’s not dwell in the bad. God can satisfy us with good things even in the toughest of times. May we be people who always trust the Lord’s goodness and model His goodness in this time of crisis; grieving with those who grieve, being in the place of need and righting the injustice in this time of crisis.

The Golden Rule

Key Scripture:

Matthew 7:11 (KJV)   If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

SUMMARY

This sermon beautifully explains what it means to be a Christian. Taking Matthew 7:12 as the Golden Rule, we learn on how we are to live as people who receive good things from our Heavenly Father. We have a big role to play too. It’s time to give back to the Lord and we learn how to do it from God’s word.

SERMON POINTS

The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12 (KJV) Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

The Lord wants us to be  unique people-people who bring about good things in the midst of all the negativity in the world. The Golden Rule in Christianity is this scripture- to do unto others as you want them to do to you.

God desires to give us good things. The Bible says that He crowns us with good things (Psalms 103:4).

To experience the good things from God, we need to follow the principle of the Golden Rule. When we hold Jesus Christ in our hearts, His goodness must reflect on the outside. We must desire and work to give the good things we have received from God to the hurting world.

We receive good things from God when we pray and also through the Father’s compassion, love, holiness and goodness over our lives. By following the Golden Rule, we who are full of God’s goodness are ready to go out to spread it into the world. Here is what we understand about Christianity from the golden rule

 

What True Christianity is all about.

1. Christianity is all about doing than hearing 

 Matthew 7:24 (KJV) Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

 We hear a lot of sermons and we do that year after year. But Christianity is not based on hearing alone, it is in our actions; it’s all about doing

We have been called like Abraham to bless nations (Genesis 12:2). Especially in the trying times that we are in, this is the time to show the love of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus stressed on actions based on the hearing of the Word and that’s where we all fail. We need to actionize what we hear. We must come out and be more involved in the field, united in Christ, being there for others and strengthening one another.

God will do good things but what we do with it, determines how we follow the Golden Rule (Psalms 37:3).

These times are the test of our ‘doing quotient’ which goes beyond any barriers of offence, ego and pride. This is what we have been called to do like Jesus Christ of Nazareth who went about doing good, setting a model for us (Acts 10:38). We too are created to do good works in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10)

2. Christianity is more about others than self

 Philippians 2:3,4 (KJV)  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

 Man’s greatest problem is obsession with self. God requires us to come out of that. The Golden Rule is all about an ‘other’ perspective. Do unto others…

Others include everyone around you. Once Christ is in our hearts we realize the crisis of our self-indulgence and regard one another better than ourselves and serve one another showing the goodness of Jesus.

These actions of kindness are never based on how people respond to them. Instead our actions towards others are always based on Jesus Christ whom we serve. This is how we are to treat others:

Jesus asked us to love one another as He loved us (John 15:17)

His love made Him serve His disciples, wash their feet though He was their Lord and Teacher (John 13:4).

The Bible teaches us to be kind and compassionate, quick to forgive (Ephesians 4:32), being devoted (Romans 12:10), honoring one another and always looking out for the interest of others.

In Christianity, there is no place for selfishness. Someone once said about the power of the Golden Rule- “This law is definite, simple, universal, beneficent, under authority of Christ, its observance would provide solution of all problems, preserve all rights, enforce all duties, cancel all differences, silence all discord and prevent all wars.”

If only we can come out of ‘self-zones’ and be willing to open our eyes, we can see the power of God’s peace overtaking the troubled world.

 

3. Christianity is all about understanding God’s heart

 Being a Christian means understanding the heart of God. God’s heart is revealed in the Law and Prophets, which is God’s word. The Torah is still a mystery. Once when asked, ‘What is the Torah?’ Rabbi Hillel said, ” That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah and the rest is commentary. Now go and study.”

Jesus Christ doesn’t teach us what we should refrain from doing, instead He stresses on what we are to do unto others.

We are called to not just be hearers but doers of the word of God and be countercultural. Our life is not based on responses but it is a reflection of Christ in you.  

CONCLUSION.

W H Griffith Thomas said, “What is called the Golden Rule is based on God’s willingness to give, since we have yielded ourselves to Him in prayer with perfect confidence that He will give everything that is good, we in turn are to imitate Him in our conduct.”

Can we turn to God and let go of our complacency, narcissism and self-centeredness? The Golden Rule challenges against all of these. The Church and the community are looking up to you. Let everyday be a day where you show the love of Christ to those around you. Let us initiate a goodness revolution around us. We can make a decisive difference in others lives, even as the world is battling against this pandemic.