Exploring Canaan

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). Their Opportunity - Special.
(2). Their Outlook - Small.
(3). Their Opposition.- Strong
(4). Their Omnipotence.- Sovereign
(5). Their Outcome.- Sad.


SERMON BODY:


Ill:
• The bishop’s car ran out of petrol,
• His wife, who was a passenger remembered seeing a garage half a mile back down the road.

• He got out the car and started to search the boot of the car for a container,
• But the only one he could find was his baby grandson’s potty - so that had to do!


• He trudged to the petrol station,
• Then carefully carried it back with a full container of petrol.
• And started to carefully pour the contents from the potty into the petrol tank.


• Driving by was the leader of a new independent church,
• Recognised a fellow Christian in need and stopped his car to offer-help.


• As he approached he saw the bishop pouring the contents of the potty into the tank.
• The man-gasped and said:
• ’If I’d known they had faith like that in the Church of England I’d never have left!’



Question: What is faith?


Answer:


• Faith is simply taking God at his word!
• And there is nothing new about it.

• Throughout all generations God has deliberately withheld the evidence of things visible;
• So that people would have to trust in his promise and believe him!
Now There are two sides to faith


• Saving faith.
• Experimental faith.


• Saving faith is primary and fits us for heaven.
• Experimental faith is secondary and fits us for earth.


• Saving faith is intangible (it cannot be measured).
• Experimental faith is tangible (it produces results that can be tested).


• But remember the order:
• Saving faith needs to come first.



SAVING FAITH IS A PERSUASION OF THE HEART & MIND;


• It occurs when a person understands that they cannot save themselves;
• That through the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ;
• He has done all that is needed to secure our salvation


• Saving faith is therefore passive;
• It requires nothing but belief and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
• And just like when we are offered a gift – we receive it or reject it!



EXPERIMENTAL FAITH LIES IN THE WILL:


• It is active;
• It too focuses on Jesus and is inspired into activity.
• We seek to do what he has told us to do!


• And whenever a Christian exercises faith:
• They are giving evidence to the world;
• That God can be trusted and that he keeps his word;
Ill:
• We will see this morning that both Joshua & Caleb had faith,
• While the rest of the nation, sadly did not!

• Only these 2 men out of a population of about 2 million people;
• Exercised real faith!



Background:


• We pick-up the story of Moses when Moses and the Hebrew people:
• Are at Kadesh Barnea – this is the last oasis in the Negav desert;

• It is 66 miles south-west of the Dead Sea (today it is called Ain Qudeist).
• It is just before Canaan – the Promised Land.

• It has taken them one year, one month and one week, since leaving Egypt.
• To arrive at this point.

• And they now have the opportunity that they have longed for, for so-long;
• A chance to occupy the land that had been promised to their forefathers.


• There it was right in front of them! So close they could smell it and almost touch it!
• This was their moment in history! This