by the friends of the
Amazing Facts Ministry.
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¤¤
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Doug Batchelor: Jesus said
in Revelation chapter 2 and 3,
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"To him that overcomes, to
him that overcomes, to him--"
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He says it seven times.
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Why would Jesus say to him that
overcomes if it wasn't possible
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for you to overcome?
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The question is
do you believe Jesus?
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Or do you believe the devil?
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Doug: I don't know if you've
ever heard about a nefarious
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character by the
name of Grigori Rasputin.
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Sometimes known as the Mad Monk.
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He was a--started as a Russian
Orthodox believer, but he kind
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of went on a spiritualistic
pilgrimage and became sort
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of a self-proclaimed holy
man by the time he got to St.
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Petersburg, and Moscow and
some of the Russian capitals.
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He was embraced and during that
time in this high society he
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somehow came in contact
with the king and his families.
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Tsar Nicholas II.
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The Romanov family had been
ruling in Russia for 300 years.
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That dynasty.
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Well, they have a son
named Alexei that struggled
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with hemophilia and Rasputin
claimed to be able to heal him.
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And it seemed like that
when he did his incantations
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or hypnosis.
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They're not
exactly sure what happened.
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The boy improved whenever he was
having some episode, struggling
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with bleeding.
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And or he was anemic
and the parents were very
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anxious then to keep
this holy man around.
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Well, he enjoyed the
attention, the prestige.
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He was in the press quite a bit.
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And everyone was
fawning over him.
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And over a period of months
and years, it became where he
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invaded the family,
began to manipulate the family
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and control the
affairs of the state.
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And many believed that it was
because of his evil influence as
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Czar Nicholas was making
bad military decisions during
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World War I.
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Eventually the communists
overthrew the czar and his
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empire, and a lot of it can be
traced back to the bad counsel
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they have from Rasputin.
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Rasputin was assassinated.
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The communists
arrested the Romanov family
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and eventually
they were all executed.
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They believed the wrong source
and it destroyed an empire, not
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to mention the family.
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So we need to guard
against believing the wrong
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sources.
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Remember the devil is a wolf who
dresses up in sheep's clothing
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to deceive sheep, and
his tactics have been very
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successful.
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When Christians believe
the devil, it would seem
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like that would
be a contradiction.
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Christians are Christians
because they don't believe
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the devil.
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Well, there are many who want
to be Christians that sometimes
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believe the wrong source.
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Matthew Chapter 7.
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Jesus said, "Many will say to me
in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have
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we not prophesied in Your
name and cast out devils in Your
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name, and done many
wonderful works in Your name?'
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And I will declare to
them, 'I never knew you.
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Depart from Me you
who practice iniquity.'"
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Here are believers who thought
they were listening to the Lord,
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but they were
listening to the wrong voice.
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Go to the end of time.
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Look in Revelation 12.
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"That great dragon."
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Who's that?
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That's the devil, Satan, "Was
cast out who deceives the whole
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world."
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There are so many
who believe the enemy.
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Revelation 19, verse 20, "The
beast was captured, and with him
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the false prophet--" and Jesus
warns us there'll be many false
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prophets in the last days, "who
worked signs in his presence
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by which he deceived those who
received the mark of the beast
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and those who
worship the image."
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Now, so much of the warnings
that we read about in the Bible
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are warning Christians
against believing the enemy
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because he is
a--he's a deceiver.
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Now, the story I'd like to use
as a template for the points I
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want to make today is
found in the Book of Numbers.
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So if you have your Bibles,
you might join me by going
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to Numbers 13.
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And I'll be setting
the stage for you hear.
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Numbers chapter 13, here
the children of Israel are
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on the borders
of the Jordan River.
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Originally, God's plan
was save them from Egypt.
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He miraculously fed them on
their way to the Mount Sinai.
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There at Mount Sinai
they got the Ten Commandments.
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He gave them instructions
on building the sanctuary.
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They built the sanctuary,
better understood the plan
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of salvation, and then go
on into the promised land.
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That was God's plan.
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But there were some
distractions along the way.
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Something went wrong.
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As they got to the borders,
right there at the threshold
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of the promised land, the
Jordan River, and can look
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across the river and
see the promised land.
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They're right there.
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It's right within their reach.
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And don't forget, the reason
it's called the promised land is
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because God
promised to give it to them.
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But they began to
doubt the promise.
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And so they said to Moses,
"You know, nobody has been there
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in a long time."
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I mean, you think about it,
who were the last Jews that were
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in the promised
land at this point?
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When Jacob and his family
came out over 200 years earlier,
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there's no record of any of
the Jewish people going back
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from Egypt to visit or
vacation in the promised land.
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They had not seen it
in over two centuries.
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And so they said, "You know
we're going to take this land,
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but we don't--nobody here
has lived, nobody in this two
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million people that came
out of Egypt know anything
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about it.
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We need to send some spies
over and take a look at it."
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So the Lord
gave them permission.
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Now, when you read it
here in Numbers 13, it sounds
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like it's God's idea.
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But you read in Deuteronomy
chapter 1, and it says, "The
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people came and said,
'Let's have some spies.'"
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They started
having second thoughts.
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So they went up and
they spied out the land.
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I'm in verse 21, Numbers chapter
13, "From the wilderness of Zin
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as far as Rehob, to
the entrance of Hamath.
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And they went through the south
and they came to Hebron, Ahiman,
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Sheshai, and Talmai,
the descendants of Anak,
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were there."
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Anak was this giant king.
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I think he had a bed
that was 13 feet long.
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Now, keep that in mind,
Goliath's only 9 1/2 feet.
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So he was the
giant of the giants.
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Then they came to the
Valley of Eshcol and they cut
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down a branch with one cluster
of grapes and they carried it
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between two of them on a pole.
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And it says, "They
brought some of the pomegranates
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and the figs.
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And the place where they
cut down the grapes was Eshcol,
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because the cluster
that the men cut down."
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And that means cluster.
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"And they returned from spying
out the land after 40 days."
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Now, I'm gonna stop here
and just let you know that there
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was soon discovered a
different attitude between two
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of the spies and
ten of the spies.
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And it unfolded something
like this, after they crossed
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over the Jordan River and
the first big city they saw
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there was Jericho, Joshua
and Caleb said, "Look at all
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the palm trees.
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Look at the size of the dates.
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Look at the spring--" later
known as the Spring of Elisha.
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And Karen and I and some of
us here were there this year.
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And they saw the waters and
they saw this is like the Garden
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of Eden.
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It's beautiful.
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But ten of the spies said,
"Are you guys out of your mind?
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Look at the walls.
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How could we ever conquer a city
with walls that are that thick
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and that high and
that well fortified?
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Look at the
thickness of the gates.
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How are we ever going to
conquer a fortress like this?"
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And two of them, they
said, "I don't know, that's
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God's problem.
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He'll work it out.
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I mean, look what
he just did for us.
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He brought us out of Egypt.
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Have you
forgotten all the miracles?"
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A year hadn't gone by
since the ten plagues fell
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on Egypt.
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They had overcome the
greatest empire in the world.
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So Joshua and Caleb said,
"Well, I don't know how God's
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going to do it.
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But hey, He's God.
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He'll do it."
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Believe the Lord.
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He said, "It's
the promised land."
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He made a promise.
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Let's believe his promise.
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Ten of them
said, "There's no way."
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They go up to the area of
Hebron where the Anakim live,
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the giants.
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And from the bushes they looked
and they saw the giants coming
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in and out of the gates.
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Bumping their heads every
time because they're so tall.
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They said, "Man, we're
like grasshoppers in their
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sight."
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And Caleb, he said, "Wow."
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He's sticking his hands in
the soil and pulling up this
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rich human soil.
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He said, "You can
grow anything here.
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This is great.
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Look at the springs,
the southern exposure.
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Look at the size
of these olive trees."
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And Caleb and Joshua were
thinking, "What a beautiful
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country."
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And the other guy said,
"You guys are out of your mind.
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How can we ever
conquer a nation of giants?
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Had nobody like this in Egypt."
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They said, "Well, I don't know.
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But it's God's problem."
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And it just kept
happening like that.
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As they went from place to place
over 40 days, ten of them kept
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looking at the obstacles,
two of them kept looking
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at the promises.
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And two of them refused to
be discouraged by the pessimism
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of the majority.
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Now, keep in mind they
were all church members.
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Two of them believed all
things are possible with God.
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Ten of them did
not believe that.
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Ten of them were believing
the devil, who is whispering
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doubt and fear to
their minds all the time.
00:10:04.87\00:10:08.24
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Doug: Now, this
is just an old story.
00:10:44.14\00:10:45.47
It would have nothing
to do with us today, right?
00:10:45.51\00:10:49.68
So after 40 days, It says, "They
returned--" this is verse 25,
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"From spying out the land."
00:10:55.45\00:10:57.45
Verse 26, "And they departed.
00:10:57.49\00:10:59.85
They came back to
Moses and Aaron and all
00:10:59.89\00:11:01.99
the congregation of the children
of Israel in the wilderness
00:11:02.02\00:11:04.93
of Paran at Kadesh.
00:11:04.96\00:11:06.86
And they brought back
word to them and to all
00:11:06.90\00:11:09.46
the congregation."
00:11:09.50\00:11:10.80
The congregation is--they're
lookin' through their
00:11:10.83\00:11:12.47
binoculars.
00:11:12.50\00:11:13.84
They didn't have binoculars.
00:11:13.87\00:11:15.17
So they would do
this with their eyes.
00:11:15.20\00:11:16.54
They're looking down the road
and they keep waiting for these
00:11:16.57\00:11:18.11
spies to return.
00:11:18.14\00:11:19.47
And finally they see some
figures on the horizon coming
00:11:19.51\00:11:23.45
in that they
say, "They're coming."
00:11:23.48\00:11:25.15
And they blow the trumpet.
00:11:25.18\00:11:26.48
All the
congregation comes together.
00:11:26.51\00:11:27.88
They want to hear this report.
00:11:27.92\00:11:29.25
They've been waiting
over a month to find out.
00:11:29.28\00:11:31.12
You know, we've come
out of Egypt for this moment
00:11:31.15\00:11:33.25
to go into the promised land.
00:11:33.29\00:11:34.96
We don't know
what it looks like.
00:11:34.99\00:11:36.36
This is the closest thing we're
going to get to video or, you
00:11:36.39\00:11:40.03
know, a
newspaper of what's there.
00:11:40.06\00:11:43.40
And so they come back
and all the people gather.
00:11:43.43\00:11:45.97
But evidently, I think that
two of them outran ten of them.
00:11:46.00\00:11:52.01
Because it seems
like the report changes.
00:11:53.44\00:11:56.41
So they came back to
Moses and Aaron and all
00:11:56.44\00:11:58.88
the congregation of the children
of Israel, and they brought
00:11:58.91\00:12:01.85
back word.
00:12:01.88\00:12:03.18
And they showed them
the fruit of the land.
00:12:03.22\00:12:04.55
See, I think Joshua and Caleb
were the ones to--the grapes
00:12:04.59\00:12:07.56
were carried
between two of them.
00:12:07.59\00:12:10.03
Ten of them
thought, Oh, why bother?
00:12:10.06\00:12:11.73
We're never
gonna eat these grapes.
00:12:11.76\00:12:13.93
We'll never have this land.
00:12:13.96\00:12:15.26
But Caleb and Joshua
said, Oh, we've got to show this
00:12:15.30\00:12:16.90
to the people.
00:12:16.93\00:12:18.23
And knowing how negative their
friends were, I think that they
00:12:18.27\00:12:20.77
outran them even though they're
probably surrounded by fruit
00:12:20.80\00:12:25.34
flies because they've
got grapes and it says figs.
00:12:25.37\00:12:29.11
And they've probably got pomelos
and pomegranate and sticky dates
00:12:29.14\00:12:33.15
in their pockets.
00:12:33.18\00:12:34.58
And Joshua and Caleb, they're
just thinking about the fruit
00:12:34.62\00:12:38.79
of the land.
00:12:38.82\00:12:40.16
They've come and they
bring the report and they come.
00:12:40.19\00:12:41.79
And here's verse 27.
00:12:41.82\00:12:43.12
This is Caleb and Joshua.
00:12:43.16\00:12:44.73
"Then they told them, they said
We went to the land where you
00:12:44.76\00:12:47.30
sent us and truly it flows
with milk and honey, and this is
00:12:47.30\00:12:52.87
the fruit."
00:12:52.90\00:12:54.24
And you can just hear it
all the congregations goin' ooh.
00:12:54.27\00:12:57.04
You know, their plucking
off these grapes and they're
00:12:57.07\00:12:59.21
tossing them and
saying, "Incoming."
00:12:59.24\00:13:01.14
Tossing the fruit to everybody
and everyone's goin' "Yes."
00:13:01.18\00:13:03.65
They're rejoicing and things are
really positive until the other
00:13:03.68\00:13:07.52
ten came dragging up.
00:13:07.55\00:13:09.78
And here's where you
have the majority report.
00:13:09.82\00:13:12.99
You have to decide today if
you want to believe the minority
00:13:13.02\00:13:15.49
report or the majority report.
00:13:15.52\00:13:18.53
The majority report was,
"Nevertheless, the people who
00:13:18.56\00:13:22.33
dwell in the land are strong.
00:13:22.36\00:13:24.33
And the cities are
fortified and very large.
00:13:24.37\00:13:27.97
Moreover, we saw the descendants
of Anak there--" the giants,
00:13:28.00\00:13:32.44
"And the Amalekites
dwell in the land to the South,
00:13:32.47\00:13:35.44
and the Hittites
and the Jebusites
00:13:35.48\00:13:37.35
and the Amorites and
the Termites, they dwell
00:13:37.38\00:13:39.78
in the mountains.
00:13:39.81\00:13:41.12
And the Canaanites dwell
by the sea along the banks
00:13:41.15\00:13:43.69
of the Jordan."
00:13:43.72\00:13:45.82
And the next verse says,
Caleb quieted the people.
00:13:45.85\00:13:48.39
Now why did Caleb
need to quiet the people?
00:13:48.42\00:13:51.49
What do you think was happening
when the ten finally caught
00:13:51.53\00:13:54.66
up and they began to say, "Ooh,
they, the people are so big
00:13:54.73\00:14:00.24
and they're so many and
their cities are fortified.
00:14:00.27\00:14:02.77
And they're trained and ready
for war, and they can defend it.
00:14:02.80\00:14:06.31
And the giants lived there."
00:14:06.34\00:14:08.21
And they had
nothing good to say.
00:14:08.24\00:14:10.38
Did you notice that?
00:14:10.41\00:14:11.71
The second part of the
report, nothing good to say.
00:14:11.75\00:14:15.95
And so Caleb saw that
the opinion was changing
00:14:15.98\00:14:19.42
and the people were
becoming discouraged, and he
00:14:19.45\00:14:21.96
quieted them.
00:14:21.99\00:14:23.29
Now, this is the
crux of the whole story.
00:14:23.32\00:14:25.19
This is really really
important that you catch this
00:14:25.23\00:14:28.03
next passage.
00:14:28.06\00:14:29.36
Verse 30, Numbers 13, verse 30.
00:14:29.40\00:14:32.13
"Then Caleb quieted the
people before Moses and he said,
00:14:32.17\00:14:37.14
'Let us go up at once.'"
00:14:37.17\00:14:40.24
He said not only can we
take it, we can take it today.
00:14:40.28\00:14:43.71
And he had just gone 40 days.
00:14:43.75\00:14:45.91
He said, "Let us go up at once
and take possession for we are
00:14:45.95\00:14:51.92
well able to overcome it."
00:14:51.95\00:14:55.26
Based on what?
00:14:55.29\00:14:56.62
How could he say that?
00:14:56.66\00:14:58.19
Based on what had already
happened over the last year.
00:14:58.23\00:15:00.50
God had provided
everything for them.
00:15:00.53\00:15:02.83
He had given them victory
over the most of--these are
00:15:02.86\00:15:05.03
the people who
built the pyramids.
00:15:05.07\00:15:06.90
There's nothing that was
in the promised land like what
00:15:06.94\00:15:08.70
you find in Egypt.
00:15:08.74\00:15:10.04
God had overcome the Egyptians.
00:15:10.07\00:15:11.71
He says, "This
is nothing for God.
00:15:11.74\00:15:13.31
We're well able."
00:15:13.34\00:15:14.64
He had faith
based on past evidence.
00:15:14.68\00:15:19.31
Now does God
want us to have faith?
00:15:19.35\00:15:21.62
Does He want us
to have blind faith?
00:15:21.65\00:15:25.79
All real faith, I
believe, is based on evidence.
00:15:25.82\00:15:29.49
Why did David think
he could kill Goliath?
00:15:29.52\00:15:32.99
Did he tell Saul?
00:15:33.03\00:15:35.06
He said, "When I
was a boy, a bear came.
00:15:35.10\00:15:38.37
And I went out after the bear
and I smote It and killed it.
00:15:38.40\00:15:42.50
And then a lion came.
00:15:42.54\00:15:43.97
And I went out after the lion
and I smote it and I killed it."
00:15:44.01\00:15:46.81
I believe Goliath will be
like the bear and the lion.
00:15:46.84\00:15:48.88
God showed me that he can use me
to kill animals that are bigger
00:15:48.91\00:15:51.88
and stronger than I am.
00:15:51.91\00:15:53.25
I think I can kill
the giant with God's help.
00:15:53.28\00:15:56.32
So he had evidence.
00:15:56.35\00:15:57.99
Has God ever giving
you evidence to believe?
00:15:58.02\00:16:01.22
Has he ever given
you any victories?
00:16:01.26\00:16:03.49
Have you had any answered
prayers upon which to base
00:16:03.53\00:16:06.80
your faith?
00:16:06.83\00:16:09.03
Caleb said, "We're able."
00:16:09.06\00:16:11.10
He wasn't just having some kind
of irrational warm feeling that
00:16:11.13\00:16:14.97
made him think it.
00:16:15.00\00:16:16.34
He said, "I believe based
on the evidence of all God has
00:16:16.37\00:16:19.17
provided for us on all
the deliverance we've received
00:16:19.21\00:16:21.88
and the
victories we've received."
00:16:21.91\00:16:23.38
The Amalekites that
attacked them in the wilderness.
00:16:23.41\00:16:25.51
They got victory with Joshua
when Moses held up his hands.
00:16:25.55\00:16:28.88
That was behind them now.
00:16:28.92\00:16:30.22
They had that evidence too.
00:16:30.25\00:16:31.62
Said, "I believe that
God will give us victory."
00:16:31.65\00:16:34.69
But the other ten spies
said, "We are not able."
00:16:34.72\00:16:37.69
Now here you have it, friends.
00:16:37.73\00:16:39.73
"We are able or
we are not able."
00:16:39.76\00:16:45.03
Which is it?
00:16:45.07\00:16:47.50
Do you know you have the same
decision to grapple with today?
00:16:47.54\00:16:51.64
Now, don't miss these
are all church leaders.
00:16:51.67\00:16:57.71
Isn't that right?
00:16:57.75\00:17:00.18
Now what is the giant?
00:17:00.22\00:17:02.35
Are we at war
against the Amalekites,
00:17:02.38\00:17:04.09
the Hittites, the Jebusites,
the Canaanites, the Amorites,
00:17:04.12\00:17:07.49
the Anakim?
00:17:07.52\00:17:09.19
No.
00:17:09.22\00:17:10.53
It's the devil, right?
00:17:10.56\00:17:12.49
In his many forms.
00:17:12.53\00:17:14.93
And some believe that Christians
are just forgiven, that we can't
00:17:14.96\00:17:18.47
overcome.
00:17:18.50\00:17:20.54
And others believe, no
we are able to overcome.
00:17:20.57\00:17:23.74
And Jesus said in Revelation
chapter 2 and 3, "To him that
00:17:23.77\00:17:27.64
overcomes, to him
that overcomes, to him--"
00:17:27.68\00:17:29.88
He says it seven times.
00:17:29.91\00:17:31.15
Why would Jesus say to him that
overcomes all these promises if
00:17:31.18\00:17:34.18
it wasn't possible
for you to overcome?
00:17:34.22\00:17:36.58
The question is
do you believe Jesus?
00:17:36.62\00:17:39.79
Or do you believe the devil?
00:17:39.82\00:17:42.32
"Now to him who is able to keep
you from falling, and to present
00:17:42.36\00:17:47.66
you faultless before
the presence of his glory
00:17:47.73\00:17:50.40
with exceeding joy."
00:17:50.43\00:17:51.83
Jude commends his book
with a benediction saying, "You
00:17:51.87\00:17:55.50
can surrender yourself to
the one who is able to keep
00:17:55.54\00:17:59.67
you from falling."
00:17:59.71\00:18:01.84
How did the children of Israel
ultimately take the promised
00:18:01.88\00:18:04.55
land?
00:18:04.58\00:18:06.11
One day at a time.
00:18:06.15\00:18:08.25
And, you know, it didn't happen
in one day or one week or one
00:18:08.28\00:18:10.69
month.
00:18:10.72\00:18:12.05
It was over a year.
00:18:12.09\00:18:13.39
It was several
years. But they did take it.
00:18:13.42\00:18:16.09
How are we able to be victorious
in our battles with the devil?
00:18:16.12\00:18:18.69
The same way.
00:18:18.73\00:18:20.26
One day at a time.
00:18:20.30\00:18:21.80
Sometimes it's one
little temptation at a time.
00:18:21.83\00:18:24.93
Moment by moment, you are able.
00:18:24.97\00:18:28.34
Now, was it true that
the Canaanites were better
00:18:28.37\00:18:30.81
armed?
00:18:30.84\00:18:32.41
Yes.
00:18:32.44\00:18:33.78
Were their
cities better fortified?
00:18:33.81\00:18:36.08
Yes.
00:18:36.11\00:18:37.51
Were the people there
physically bigger and stronger?
00:18:37.55\00:18:41.18
Yes.
00:18:41.22\00:18:42.62
Were the people more numerous?
00:18:42.65\00:18:45.19
Yes.
00:18:45.22\00:18:46.55
Did that matter when
you're fighting with God?
00:18:46.59\00:18:49.72
No.
00:18:49.76\00:18:51.06
Because the Bible says one
of you will chase a thousand.
00:18:51.09\00:18:55.23
This is why Joshua--I'm sorry,
why Jonathan could be victorious
00:18:55.26\00:18:58.80
when he and his armor bearer
went against the Philistines.
00:18:58.83\00:19:00.90
He said, "There's no restraint
with the Lord, whether to save
00:19:00.94\00:19:03.30
by few or many."
00:19:03.34\00:19:04.67
So the two of them went
against 20 and they won.
00:19:04.71\00:19:09.31
One person with faith in God is
a majority, whatever the problem
00:19:09.34\00:19:15.22
happens to be.
00:19:15.25\00:19:16.65
So we've gotta
decide, do we believe or not?
00:19:16.69\00:19:20.22
The just shall live
by faith, faith in God.
00:19:20.26\00:19:23.49
Faith is not faith
if you see the obvious.
00:19:23.53\00:19:25.93
Faith becomes important when it
doesn't look like you're going
00:19:25.96\00:19:29.90
to win, but you believe
in an outside power that's
00:19:29.93\00:19:31.93
greater.
00:19:31.97\00:19:33.30
F. B Meyer said,
00:19:33.34\00:19:34.64
"Unbelief puts our
circumstances between us
00:19:34.67\00:19:36.20
and God.
00:19:36.24\00:19:37.54
Faith puts God between
us and our circumstances."
00:19:37.57\00:19:41.18
When you've got faith in
God, you might see a mountain.
00:19:41.21\00:19:43.18
And you go, "I don't know
how we're going to get over that
00:19:43.21\00:19:44.61
mountain."
00:19:44.65\00:19:45.95
Well, don't
look at the mountain.
00:19:45.98\00:19:47.32
Put God between
you and the mountain.
00:19:47.35\00:19:49.78
And that might be a mountain
of temptation or sin or whatever
00:19:49.82\00:19:52.42
the problems are in your life.
00:19:52.45\00:19:54.59
That's what makes a
Christian a Christian.
00:19:54.62\00:19:56.93
"A weak faith is
weakened by predicaments
00:19:56.96\00:19:59.86
and catastrophes, whereas a
strong faith is strengthened
00:19:59.89\00:20:03.30
by them," Viktor Frankl said.
00:20:03.33\00:20:06.00
Someone else wrote, "Faith
sees the invisible, believes
00:20:06.03\00:20:09.27
the incredible,
receives the impossible."
00:20:09.30\00:20:12.41
So you've got one
group says, "We can do it."
00:20:12.44\00:20:14.71
The other group
says, "We can't do it."
00:20:14.74\00:20:17.08
I want to go to verse 32 of
chapter 13, just finish this
00:20:17.11\00:20:19.71
chapter out.
00:20:19.75\00:20:21.68
"And they--" the ten spies,
"gave the children of Israel
00:20:21.72\00:20:26.12
a bad report of the land that
they spied out, saying, 'The
00:20:26.15\00:20:30.19
land through which we have gone
as spies is a land that devours
00:20:30.23\00:20:33.53
the inhabitants.'"
00:20:33.56\00:20:34.86
Isn't it, isn't it
amazing how two groups
00:20:34.93\00:20:37.13
can look at the same thing
and see something so different?
00:20:37.17\00:20:41.74
They're looking
at the same thing.
00:20:41.77\00:20:43.17
One group is saying, "It
truly flows with milk and honey
00:20:43.20\00:20:45.94
and it's sweet and
here's the produce of it."
00:20:45.97\00:20:48.21
And the other one says,
"It eats up the inhabitants."
00:20:48.24\00:20:51.35
Well, which is it?
00:20:51.38\00:20:53.31
Have you ever heard the little
quip that says two men looked
00:20:53.35\00:20:56.75
out of prison bars, one
saw mud and one saw stars.
00:20:56.79\00:21:01.72
Depends on where you're looking.
00:21:01.76\00:21:04.46
I heard about this guy that
worked with a Christian lady.
00:21:04.49\00:21:07.23
And she was just
always so positive.
00:21:07.23\00:21:08.83
He was negative.
00:21:08.86\00:21:10.17
He was an atheist.
00:21:10.20\00:21:11.70
And she was a Christian,
and she was a believer.
00:21:11.73\00:21:14.00
And she was just
always so positive.
00:21:14.04\00:21:15.37
No matter what happened, she'd
always turn it around and say
00:21:15.40\00:21:18.41
something positive.
00:21:18.44\00:21:19.81
And it used to irritate him.
00:21:19.84\00:21:21.18
He tried to get her to join him
in his bad news and complaining
00:21:21.21\00:21:26.08
about the government and the job
and everything else, and that
00:21:26.11\00:21:29.28
they could commiserate together.
00:21:29.32\00:21:30.65
But she'd always turn
around make him feel bad because
00:21:30.69\00:21:32.52
she was always positive.
00:21:32.55\00:21:35.76
And he thought, "I got her.
00:21:35.79\00:21:38.56
She's a Christian."
00:21:38.59\00:21:39.93
So he went to her one day.
00:21:39.96\00:21:41.26
He said, "What do you
think of that old devil?"
00:21:41.30\00:21:45.17
She said, "Well, he
certainly is busy isn't he?"
00:21:45.20\00:21:48.87
Always saying something
positive no matter what.
00:21:48.90\00:21:53.44
So these--ten of these spies,
they couldn't think of anything
00:21:53.48\00:21:55.61
nice to say.
00:21:55.64\00:21:57.51
"And we were like
grasshoppers in our own sight
00:21:57.55\00:22:00.12
before the children of Anak."
00:22:00.15\00:22:02.98
The devil will
make you feel so puny.
00:22:03.02\00:22:06.09
"So the congregation--"
chapter 14, verse 1, "all
00:22:06.12\00:22:09.29
the congregation lifted up
their voices and they cried.
00:22:09.32\00:22:12.49
And the people wept all night.
00:22:12.53\00:22:14.56
And all the children of Israel
complained against Moses--" they
00:22:14.56\00:22:18.63
took it out on the leaders,
"they complained against Aaron.
00:22:18.67\00:22:22.27
And they said, 'If only we
had died in the land of Egypt.'"
00:22:22.30\00:22:25.14
Be careful what you pray about.
00:22:25.17\00:22:28.14
"Or if only we had
died in this wilderness.
00:22:28.18\00:22:30.88
Why has the Lord brought
us out to destroy us and our
00:22:30.91\00:22:34.55
children by the sword,
that we should be victims?
00:22:34.58\00:22:38.82
Would it not be better
for us to return to Egypt?"
00:22:38.85\00:22:42.06
So they said let's select
a different leader and return
00:22:42.09\00:22:44.93
to Egypt.
00:22:44.96\00:22:46.29
They said let's find a
leader that believes like us.
00:22:46.33\00:22:49.23
They didn't want one that
would tell them the truth.
00:22:49.26\00:22:51.07
They said let's find one that'll
tell us what we want to hear.
00:22:51.10\00:22:54.50
"And Moses and
Aaron fell on their faces
00:22:54.54\00:22:56.37
before the
assembly of the congregation
00:22:56.40\00:22:58.17
of the children of Israel.
00:22:58.21\00:23:00.54
But Joshua the son of Nun
and Caleb the son of Jephunneh,
00:23:00.58\00:23:03.91
who were among those who had
spied out the land, they tore
00:23:03.95\00:23:06.01
their clothes and they
spoke to all the congregation
00:23:06.05\00:23:09.02
of the children of Israel
saying, 'The land through which
00:23:09.05\00:23:11.35
we passed to spy out is
an exceedingly good land.'"
00:23:11.39\00:23:15.46
It's not just a good land.
00:23:15.49\00:23:16.79
He said, "It's an
exceedingly good land.
00:23:16.83\00:23:19.76
If the Lord delights in one--"
says "it's a land that devours
00:23:19.79\00:23:23.06
the inhabitants."
00:23:23.10\00:23:24.43
Well, if they devours the
inhabitants and how did all
00:23:24.47\00:23:25.97
their enemies
seem to be thriving?
00:23:26.00\00:23:28.64
"If the Lord delights in us,
he'll bring us into this land
00:23:28.67\00:23:31.34
and give it to us, a land
that flows in milk and honey.
00:23:31.37\00:23:34.14
Only do not rebel
against the Lord or fear
00:23:34.18\00:23:37.38
the people of the
land, for they're our bread.
00:23:37.41\00:23:39.58
We'll eat them up.
00:23:39.61\00:23:40.92
Their protection
has departed from them.
00:23:40.95\00:23:42.88
And the Lord is with us."
00:23:42.92\00:23:44.15
This is why Caleb and Joshua,
they can look right out there.
00:23:44.19\00:23:47.16
Here they are complaining
God's never going to bring us
00:23:47.19\00:23:49.09
into the promised land.
00:23:49.12\00:23:50.43
Are you aware that right there
within sight they could see
00:23:50.46\00:23:52.56
the Shekinah
glory above the tent?
00:23:52.59\00:23:56.80
And they still were neglecting
the evidence of God's presence.
00:23:56.83\00:24:01.57
You know I'm convinced that
all you've got to do is listen
00:24:01.60\00:24:03.41
to the devil for five minutes.
00:24:03.44\00:24:04.74
You might have 50
years of miracles.
00:24:04.77\00:24:06.17
You will forget those 50 years
of miracles in five minutes
00:24:06.21\00:24:09.68
of listening to the devil.
00:24:09.71\00:24:12.55
The ones who believed that
God could save them were saved.
00:24:12.58\00:24:17.65
The ones who believe they would
make it to the promised land
00:24:17.69\00:24:20.49
made it to the promised land.
00:24:20.52\00:24:23.26
It doesn't say that Joshua
and Caleb were smarter than
00:24:23.29\00:24:26.53
everyone else.
00:24:26.56\00:24:27.86
It doesn't say they had bigger
muscles than everyone else, they
00:24:27.93\00:24:30.07
had more self
control than everybody else.
00:24:30.10\00:24:32.47
They had more
faith than the others.
00:24:32.50\00:24:36.00
Their faith, their trust, was
that God could do it for them.
00:24:36.04\00:24:41.04
And God did it
because they believed.
00:24:41.08\00:24:45.21
Do you associate
with positive people?
00:24:45.25\00:24:50.82
He that walks with
wise men will be wise.
00:24:50.85\00:24:54.56
He that walks with
complainers will complain.
00:24:54.59\00:24:58.53
You know, I think it's important
for Christians--and we all have
00:24:58.56\00:25:00.86
friends that might want
to, you know, bend our ear
00:25:00.90\00:25:02.60
with a problem.
00:25:02.63\00:25:03.97
And you can pray with them.
00:25:04.00\00:25:05.30
And we want to
encourage each other.
00:25:05.33\00:25:06.67
But, you know, I think we ought
to search out, we ought to try
00:25:06.70\00:25:09.57
to be people of
faith and encouragement.
00:25:09.60\00:25:11.97
People who believe in victory,
that God can give us victory not
00:25:12.01\00:25:15.48
just always talk
about grace and defeat.
00:25:15.51\00:25:17.75
I believe that God forgives sin.
00:25:17.78\00:25:19.18
I thank God for his grace.
00:25:19.21\00:25:20.68
But if we're always focusing
on Jesus on the cross, and we
00:25:20.72\00:25:24.52
don't focus on Jesus risen, that
he can live a new life in us,
00:25:24.55\00:25:28.79
then it's always about just
being forgiven, and it's not
00:25:28.82\00:25:31.79
about victory.
00:25:31.83\00:25:34.10
And Christ wants his people
to be a people who believe
00:25:34.13\00:25:36.43
in old things are passed away.
00:25:36.46\00:25:38.60
All things are made new.
00:25:38.63\00:25:40.37
I am a new creature.
00:25:40.40\00:25:41.74
I am born again.
00:25:41.77\00:25:43.41
It's the new birth.
00:25:43.44\00:25:45.24
This is the power of the gospel.
00:25:45.27\00:25:47.44
Amen.
00:25:47.48\00:25:48.98
announcer: Don't forget to
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To get your digital copy
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It's now easier than ever
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with "Amazing Facts" wherever
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important, to
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announcer: What if
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What would you do?
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To see the future, you
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This intriguing documentary
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in Time."
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Or a car like this one could
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If you have a vehicle you're not
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We hope you'll join us next week
as we delve deep into the word
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of God to explore
more amazing facts.
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This presentation was
brought to you by the friends
00:28:24.13\00:28:25.93
of the Amazing Facts Ministry.
00:28:25.97\00:28:28.57