It was 4:15 this morning when the Lord woke me up with this scripture:
Philippians 3:13-14
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
I believe the Lord would like for us to spend some time together this morning on this scripture.
You see the last few weeks have been amazing.
- We celebrated Passover Seder Dinner together and all the symbolism of Christ in that dinner.
- We celebrated the Triumphal Entry of Christ on Palm Sunday.
- We held special prayer service the Friday night before Resurrection Sunday.
- On Resurrection Sunday we celebrated Christ Death, Burial and Resurrection.
- The Children’s Choir sang
- The adult’s Choir sang
- Amber did American Sign Language to a song
- We held a special baptism service and baptized 10 children and 1 adult.
During all these special services and events, I was so proud of each and every one of you who served, sang, worshipped, prayed, listened, participated.
But this morning the Lord reminded me with this scripture from Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi that while we remember the ways we served the Lord in the past, we have to be pressing forward toward the eternal reward and calling in Christ Jesus.
I think about Caleb. He was Joshua’s right hand person. Together they served Moses and they were the only 2 spies that survived God’s judgement when they came back from searching out the promise land with a report of faith.
What was their report of Faith?
Lets Go to Numbers 13 and look at the story together.
Numbers 13
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.
***The bible here list all the 12 men who were to go including Joshua and Caleb,,, now Skip down to verse 17**
17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:
18 And see the land, what it is, and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;
19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;
20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
***So they go and spy out the land, the cut down the gigantic grapes pomegranates, and the figs. Skip down to verse 25
25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.
27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
28 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.
29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
30 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.
31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
***First point of the Message today: Fear sees the problem, faith sees the promise.
How many times in our lives have we come up to the point of walking into the promise that God has for us and have not been able to go in because we waivered due to fear rather than walking forward in faith.
The confirmation of God’s promise was there. God said I am going to bring you into a land flowing with milk and honey. I am going to bring you into a land of abundance. I am going to give you cities that you do not have to build. I am going to provide for you.
They walked in and saw all the confirmations of the promise but instead of focusing on the promise the got distracted with the problems.
***Point #2 of the Message today: the God of the promise is bigger than the problems.
Hebrews 11:30
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
**We are going to fast forward in time in this story 40 years. Joshua and Caleb are the two old men who are leading the people into the land of promise and fighting with God’s help to take one city after another for their inheritance.
Joshua 14:6-13
King James Version
6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.
9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God.
10 And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake 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.
11 As 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, both to go out, and to come in.
12 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.
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
***In Genesis 23 Abraham buys a cave in Hebron as a burying place for his family. Abraham's descendants buried in Hebron, in the Cave of Machpelah, included himself, his wife Sarah, his son Isaac, Isaac's wife Rebekah, and Jacob, Jacob's wife Leah. The patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish people.
I want to share with you what God showed me this morning. In Philippians 3 Paul is writing about forgetting the things we have done already and pressing toward the mark of the high calling of God…….Caleb was doing the same thing. Caleb was forgetting the things he had already done and he was pressing toward the mark to fulfill the promise of Faith God had made to Abraham. I saw this so clearly this morning. Follow me on this point:
- God calls Abraham to leave his home and go to a land he is going to give his descendants.
- Abraham by faith buys a cave in the land of promise as a place to bury Sarah and for himself and his immediate family.
- The cave is in the land of promise but it is controlled by another king and part of another kingdom.
- By faith Abraham buries Sarah there.
- By faith Isaac buries Abraham there
- By faith Rebekah is buried there
- By faith Jacob buries Leah there
- By faith Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him there, and Joseph does.
*** This is a very special place and Caleb is inspired by the Holy Spirit at 85 to go to Joshua and say. Give me this mountain. Give me this place of Hebron. Let me lead the charge and go in Battle and fight for control of the place of promise. Let me go secure access to the place of legacy.
***Somebody needs to get excited today in this place. Caleb was not the youngest, Caleb was not the strongest….There were many younger, smarter, stronger. But Caleb did not look at the challenges and problems, he focused on the faith and the promise. Caleb said I am forgetting all the things I have accomplished and I am pressing forward toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, Philippians 3:21 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
***What a shame it would have been for the Children of Israel to stop short of taking control of the very place their forefathers were buried in faith.
***First point of the Message today: Fear sees the problem, faith sees the promise.
***Point #2 of the Message today: the God of the promise is bigger than the problems.
***Point #3 of the Message today: God uses those who stand up in faith regardless of any other limitations.
Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:33-34
Speaking of those men of faith
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
****I want to go back to Philippians 3 and take a deep dive into this passage of scripture and see what God wants to speak to us from it today:
Philippians 3
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
****Point #4 of the message today: Our confidence and faith will only stand when it is based on Christ Jesus and not on ourselves.
Your talent and your anointing will only take you so far. It got Peter out of the boat but Jesus had to keep him from drowning.
Lets praise the Lord because Jesus Saves!
4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
*** Point #5 of the message today: No matter how good things are for you here on earth it is not our home, it is not our reward.
Titus 2:13
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
*** Point #5 of the message today: No matter how good things are for you here on earth it is not our home, it is not our reward.
Back to Philippians 3:12
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
***The 6th and closing point of the Message today: Never become comfortable in your accomplishments for Christ but keep pressing forward to your eternal reward
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
1 Corinthians 15:12-26
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Mark 8:34-38
34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
***First point of the Message today: Fear sees the problem, faith sees the promise.
***Point #2 of the Message today: the God of the promise is bigger than the problems.
***Point #3 of the Message today: God uses those who stand up in faith regardless of any other limitations.
****Point #4 of the message today: Our confidence and faith will only stand when it is based on Christ Jesus and not on ourselves.
*** Point #5 of the message today: No matter how good things are for you here on earth it is not our home, it is not our reward.
***The 6th and closing point of the Message today: Never become comfortable in your accomplishments for Christ but keep pressing forward to your eternal reward