When I was preparing for the
messages on Follow Me, I couldn't help but... searching through
my concordance and things and came across the story of Caleb. And I'd like us to spend a little
bit of time considering the story of Caleb. Caleb was one of the
two men out of that vast crowd of over 600,000 men of Israel
above 20 who went into the promised land. Caleb was one of the spies chosen,
and he was of the tribe of Judah. He was Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. So if you turn with me in your
Bibles to the book of Numbers, we'll just look briefly at this. I want us to look at what it
was that was so significant in Caleb's life. And there's a verse
in Numbers 14, verse 24, It speaks of the judgment of
God. And I love what verse 21 says,
but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the
glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have
seen my glory and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the
wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, have
not hearkened to my voice. Surely they shall not see the
land which I swear unto their fathers, neither shall any of
them that provoked me see it. May that not be us, but... This
is what the but is. The but of grace, the but of
the gospel. when we were dead in sins. But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us. But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him,
hath followed me fully. So you can see where I came upon
this. Six times I think it says that Caleb followed him fully. Him will I bring into the land
wherein he went, and his seed shall possess it. His seed shall
possess it. He had seen the most remarkable
things, Caleb. He had seen, as all of the rest
of nation Israel had seen, they'd seen the plagues in Egypt. They
had seen the Passover. They had been at the Red Sea
where that pillar of cloud and that pillar of fire separated
them. They'd seen God who said, I'm
going to put a difference between the Egyptians and my people.
They had seen the Red Sea parted, and they walked through, Psalm
107 says, as a wilderness, it was dry ground. They walked through
with a wall of water on each side. Millions of them walked
through with all their cattle and their sheep. They all walked
through. Not a hoof was left behind. They
saw all of that, and they saw, as you go on through the book
of Exodus, you'll see all the remarkable things they saw. And
there they were on the edge of the promised land, which is a
picture of heaven. There they were on the edge of
the promised land. And these spies went in and they
came back and they brought a report, a negative report of this land,
which is why we're in this passage of scripture. And they said that
we can't go up against these people. We can't go and fight
these people. There are giants there and there
are strong cities and there are all of these things that stand
opposed to us. They saw giants there. and the
congregation, earlier in chapter 14, the congregation lifted up
their voice and cried, and the people wept that night. And the
children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, and
the whole congregation said unto him, would to God that we had
died in the land of Egypt, would to God we had died in this wilderness. Wherefore hath the Lord brought
us into this land, to fall by the sword that our wives and
our children should be a prey, were it not better for us to
return to Israel. And Joshua, down in verse 6,
Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephani, which were
of them that searched the land, rent their clothes. And they
spake unto all the company of Israel, saying, The land which
we pass through to search is an exceedingly good land. It
was a land exactly as God promised it was. It's exceedingly good
land. If the Lord delight in us, then
he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which
floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the
Lord, nor fear ye the people of the land, for they are bred
for us, their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with
us. Fear them not. But the congregation
bade, stone there were stones, and the glory of the Lord appeared
in the tabernacle of congregation before all the children of Israel. 40 years, 40 years. 40 years Caleb was with these
people in that desert. I love what his name means. You
might know that Caleb means faithful dog. I have a faithful dog. It's not
something you'd want to name one of your children these days,
probably, but faithful dogs are extraordinary, aren't they? I
can be as... I'm not ever cruel to Millie,
but I can have caught up in so many other things and ignore
her, and I can... be less loving to her than I
ought to be. But if I go home this afternoon,
there she'll be, wagging her tail with a prize for me. Faithful,
and they follow you, don't they? Wherever I go, she's just there
all the time. Faithful, that's what the heart
of it is. But also this word Caleb means
all heart. All heart. So to go back to our
verse in Numbers 14.24, that my servant Caleb because he had another spirit
with him. This is the heart of following
the Lord. This is the heart of obeying
the Lord. This is the heart of living for the Lord. This is
the heart of being saved. He had another spirit with him
and hath followed me fully. Him will I bring into the land
wherein to he went and his seed shall possess it. Oh may God
give us hearts and give us the spirit that we might believe. You cannot believe and follow
the Lord unless you have the Spirit of God. And I know that
you cannot have the Spirit of Christ unless you believe. God
has to give and create faith in the hearts of his people.
But he has to put a spirit in them. So I want you to, Norma's
talking about Going back to our favourite passages of scripture,
well this passage of scripture has been amazingly significant
in my life. Turn with me back to Ezekiel
36 and we'll see where this spirit comes and we'll see, I trust
in these verses and the verses around it, we'll see something
of the glory of the Lord in the life of Caleb. But I want us
to... to go back a little bit further
than we normally do in Ezekiel 36. And it says in verse 16,
Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of
man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they
defiled it by their own way and by their doings. Their way before
me was as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I
poured my fury upon them, for the blood that they had shed
upon the land, and for the idols wherewith they had polluted it. We grieve over the pollution
of this society of ours, but I pray that the Lord will open
our eyes to see that the beginning point of it all is what happens
in the pulpits and what happens in the demeaning of the name
and the character of God. There is no fear of God before. There is no need to have any
fear of the God that's proclaimed in this world. He talks about
how he scattered them, but then in verse 21, But listen to why
God does all that God does. It's so significant this isn't
it? But I had pity for mine holy
name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen
whither they went. Therefore say unto the house
of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God. This is so significant. I do not this for your sakes,
O House of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake. which you have profaned among
the heathen, with you went. And I will sanctify my great
name, which was profaned among the heathen, which you have profaned
in the midst of them, and the heathen shall know that I am
the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified. I'll
be set apart as holy. I'll be set apart as other. God
is not like us. You think that he is, that's
a charge, isn't it? You think that I'm altogether
like you. He's not. I am the Lord, and I shall be
sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from
among the heathen, I will gather you out of all countries, and
I will bring you into your own land. These are the verses that
have just been so powerful in my life. Then will I sprinkle
clean water upon you, and you shall be clean. From all your
filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you. And I will take away the stony
heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh,
a stony heart that can't feel, that can't love, that can't respond. He's going to put in the hearts
of his people a heart of flesh, a heart of flesh that lives,
that lives with a life that God brings. And I will put my spirit
within you, and listen to this, and cause you to walk in my statutes
and to keep my judgments and to do them. Who's the first cause
of everything? It was Owen's favorite phrase.
God is the first cause of everything in creation, in the new creation,
and in life. And you shall dwell in the land
that I give to your fathers. And you shall be my people and
I will be your God. I will also save you from all
your uncleannesses. And I will call for the corn
and increase it and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply
the fruit of the tree. The fruit, what's the fruit of
the spirit? Love, joy, peace, tolerance,
longsuffering. If you multiply that fruit, an
increase of the field, that you shall receive no reproach of
famine among the heathen, then you shall remember. This is the
humility that must come as a part of this. See, God has to give a new heart
and a new spirit before there is any repentance. That's why
in Acts, twice at the beginning of Acts, he says repentance is
the gift of God. Repentance comes after the new
birth, after the Spirit's work, after the removal of that heart
of stone. Verse 31, then you shall remember your own evil
ways. That's the only time anyone will
ever remember their own evil ways. and your doings which were
not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities
and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this,
saith the Lord God. Be it known unto you, be ashamed
and confounded of your own ways, O house of Israel. It's a new heart. Where did Caleb
get this other spirit from? God gave it to him. Where did
Caleb get this heart to follow the Lord fully? from God, a new spirit I'll give
you. Caleb had a believing heart. He just took God at his word.
God says, I'm going to give you this land. Caleb went in and
the land was exactly as God said it was, all prepared, the vineyards,
everything there, the fruit trees, the whole, everything there ready.
And God says, you can go in. And Caleb said, we can go in.
God says you can take it. Caleb says we can take it. And he was a courageous man. He was a meek man. People see
meekness as weakness. Meekness in the scriptures is
not weakness at all. Moses was the meekest man in
all of the earth. You ask Pharaoh how weak he was. But a believing spirit is a loving
spirit. Grace makes men and women loving. Caleb had a zealous spirit. He consecrated his life to God
Almighty. Caleb went into that land. He'd been promised this land
back in Exodus that they were going into this land, and Caleb
went set foot on that land, and the Lord said, you can have it.
And Caleb lived on this earth with heaven in his heart. He
lived on this earth looking to the promises of God and the fulfilment
of those promises in the Lord Jesus Christ. Caleb served Moses
for 40 years. If you just spend some time and
flick back through those chapters in Numbul you'll see what Caleb
had to live through. For 40 years he had to live with
all of that rebellion. While 600,000 men died, for 40
years he had to live with the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and
Abiram. 40 years he had to live with
those people who were always murmuring and complaining about
God and complaining about the manor. 40 years he lived amongst
them. And he just trusted God fully
through all of that and just didn't waver. In the midst of
millions, he and Joshua just stood as one. He was set apart, he was consecrated
to God. He just trusted God because God
had given him another spirit and he'd follow me fully. He
just stood. Even when they stood up to stone
him, Caleb stood there and says, we're going to believe what God
says. What a remarkable example of what it is to stand and to
follow the Lord in the midst of all the trials. He had those
people around him, family and friends in rebellion. And it's a horrible thing to
contemplate, but the Lord says that their carcasses fell in
the wilderness. What a shocking thing for God
to say. Why? Unbelief. Unbelief. It was unbelief. They should not enter into his
rest. because of unbelief. There is a rest for the children
of God and it's a rest that God works in the hearts of his people.
Caleb just believed God. He believed what God said. He
believed God and worshipped God. He believed God in civil duty. We don't read much about Caleb
in his life really. other than the fact that he went
in. He was one of the tribe of Israel that was chosen. He was
obviously a leader of the tribe of Judah. And he was chosen to
go into the Promised Land. He saw the Promised Land and
said, well, this is it. This is it. God has promised.
And he had to stand against a religious multitude that didn't believe. He had to stand and trust God
when the others were saying, let's go back to Egypt, when
they were longing for the leeks and the garlic of Egypt. Caleb, like all those who followed
the Lord Jesus Christ, was prepared to suffer. 40 years, it's a long
time, isn't it? Caleb's a great reminder of us.
that there is a journey through a wilderness and we come up out
of this wilderness leaning on our beloved. But this is a wilderness.
This is always going to be a wilderness. And we not only have a wilderness
outside, but those of us who have this other spirit know what
it is in the terms of Ezekiel 36 to loathe ourselves. to know
that we're nothing but sin all the time. But Caleb followed
the Lord fully. He followed the Lord fully. Caleb
was sincere. He was sincere in what he believed
and he was prepared to stand as one man. And he was prepared
to suffer for the cause of Christ. He was prepared to stand. I love what Caleb, if you go back,
turn with me back into Joshua chapter 16, that is chapter 14. When he finally got into the
Promised Land, Caleb was given the responsibility as an 85-year-old
man. He was still following God fully.
He was still serving God. He served Moses faithfully for
40 years, and here he is entering into the Promised Land with Joshua,
and he obeyed and followed Joshua so wonderfully and so faithfully. Joshua chapter 14 and following
we have Caleb again. And Caleb requested, and the
children of Judah came unto Joshua at Gilgale, and Caleb the son
of Jephunneh. There were just two of them,
isn't it remarkable? Just two entered into the promised
land. One, a faithful dog who is all
heart, and Joshua, whose name is Jesus. How do you get into the promised
land? You get into the promised land under the direction of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and you get into the promised land as a faithful
dog who is all heart. Chapter 14 of the book of Joshua,
6 And the children of Judah came
unto Joshua and Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the cousin
Kenizzite, said unto him, Thou knowest a thing that the LORD
said unto Moses, the man of God, concerning me and thee in Kadesh
Barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses
the servant of the Lord sent me to Kadesh-b'nai to spy out
the land, and I brought him word again, as it was in my heart. Nevertheless, my brethren that
went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly
followed. And Moses swore that day, saying,
Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance
and thy children's forever, because thou hast wholly followed the
Lord my God. And now, behold, the Lord has
kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, ever since
the Lord spoke this word unto Moses, while the children of
Israel wandered in the wilderness. And now, lo, I am this day fourscore
and five years old. There's hope for us yet, he was
eighty-five. He was eighty-five years old. And yet I am as strong this day
as I was in the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then,
even so is my strength now, for war but to go out and to come
in. Now therefore give me this mountain
whereof the Lord spoke, in that day, for thou heardest in that
day how the Anakims were there, the giants 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. And
Jesus blessed, Jesus blessed him, Joshua blessed him, and
gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh, Hebron. Hebron, it's one of the
cities of refuge, isn't it? For an inheritance. And listen to what he had to
do. He was given it, and the Lord had given it to him, and
he had a promise from the Lord. But go down to verse 13 of the
next chapter with me. And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh,
he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment
of the Lord to Joshua, even the city of Arba, the father of Anak,
which is the city of Hebron. Listen to what an 85-year-old
man can do. And Caleb drove thence the three
sons of Anak, they're the giants, Shishai and Ahiman and Talmai,
the children of Anak. And he went up thence to the
inhabitants of Dabir. The name of Dabir was before
Kijath-Sipur. And Caleb said, He that smiteth and taketh it him will I give
Akshar, my daughter, to wife. And Othniel, the son of Kenaz,
the brother of Caleb, took it and he gave him Akshar, his daughter,
to wife. And it came to pass, as she came
to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field, and
she lighted off her house, and Caleb said unto her, what wouldst
thou? He answered, to give me a blessing. Who answered, to give me a blessing
for thou has given me the south land and also the springs of
water. And he gave her the upper springs
and the nether springs. 85 years old. He had waited 45 years. He had
waited patiently 45 years. He lived among an unbelieving
people. And he never once murmured. And
he never once complained, and he followed the Lord fully. And
never once did he join with the rebels, even though they were
powerful. If you read the story of Korah, Dathan, or Byron, you'll
see that they were the princes among the people. So Caleb would
have been enticed to join with them in rebellion. And he just
stood firm all of that time. Not only did he receive the inheritance
in the land of promise, for himself, but his family was blessed as
well. We are simply called upon from
the scriptures to fix our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who's
the author and the finisher of faith, and set our hearts Listen to
what Colossians chapter 3 says, I saw something here this morning
that I hadn't seen before and I'm rejoicing in it. The Word
of God is living and active. Norman, Simon and I were talking
about it a little while ago. If we think we've got it sort
of nailed down and put in a little box, it'll take legs and run
away from us. And it's so delightful to come
to the scriptures and find something new and fresh. If then, Colossians
3.1, if then ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which
are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set
your affections on things above. listen to what did I make a mistake
you read your Bibles with me it says set your affection just
one just one I think that's so powerful. If
you've got multiple affections, that's not what this is talking
about. It's just this one affection,
him. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth. See, Caleb's affection, Caleb's
heart was set on God and God's promises, wasn't he? Land that
he took was a picture of heaven and the trials that he went through
were pictures of the trials that the children of God go through
in this world in the midst of a religious world that claims
to be the children of God but actually lives in rebellion against
God. Set your affections on things
above. I'll just finish with a couple
of verses just to remind us of how our forebears who loved and
followed God fully lived. Abraham, and being not weak in
faith, he considered not his own body now dead. What hope
is there for a 99-year-old man? and he was about a hundred years
old, neither the deadness of Sarah's womb. Listen to this. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith. May God grant that to us. Like
Caleb, was strong in faith, giving glory to God. That's what strong
faith does. Strong faith always gives all
the glory to God for the faith that we have, for the sustaining
of that faith, for the object of that faith, for the glory
of the fruit of that faith. Strong in faith giving glory
to God, listen to this, being fully persuaded that what he
had promised, he was also able to perform. I will, I will and
they shall. And let's finish by looking at
Hebrews chapter 11. This is a summary of the faith
of these patriarchs and others. Verse 13 of Hebrews 11. These
all died in faith. Not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off. Isn't that us? We have these
promises and they seem afar off. They're nowhere near as far away
as we think they are. Not having seen them, but they've
seen them. They've seen them through the
eyes of faith. They were persuaded of them. I want to be persuaded. I want you to be persuaded of
them. And they embraced them. They laid hold of them. And confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth. They had a city. They have a city. They have a city which has foundations. Caleb had an earthly city, but
Caleb wasn't looking to an earthly city. He was looking to a heavenly
city, the New Jerusalem. We live receiving a kingdom that
cannot be shaken, cannot be moved. Let us have grace, whereby we
may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Amen. Let's pray. Our Heavenly
Father, we thank you for your work of grace in the hearts of
your people. We thank you for the glory of
your dear and precious Son and the wonders of the Word made
flesh and the Word which promises such extraordinary things. And
we thank you, Heavenly Father, for your persevering and preservation
of your people through all of the trials of this world. We
pray, Heavenly Father, that we have our eyes fixed. on our Lord
Jesus Christ seated on that throne in heaven, bearing the scars
of perfectly successful redemption, that all of his sheep must come
home, all of his body must be presented before you wholly spotless,
unblameable, and unapprovable in your sight. Make your side
our father, our side, that we might just rest. be persuaded
and embrace the promises you've made. Make his blood precious
to us, Heavenly Father. Make him precious to us. May you allow us in your grace
and mercy to eat and drink worthily by eating and drinking in faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Bless your word to our hearts
and bless this beloved fellowship, Heavenly Father, in my absence.
And I thank you that you have gone before and gone ahead and
you surround your people and you have promised to bless. We
thank you. We thank you for promises fulfilled. Thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.