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Go ahead and turn in your Bible to

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Numbers 32.

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I want to think about the wickedness of

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being a discouragement to others.

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The wickedness of being a discouragement to others.

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So I hope this is an encouraging sermon.

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Unless you're a discouragement, then you won't leave

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encouraged.

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You'll be discouraged about not being an encouragement.

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And then my only plea to you is

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don't get caught in some cycle where you're

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back and forth analyzing yourself and you fall

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into self-pity.

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No one will be encouraged by you if

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you're having a pity party.

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Numbers 32.

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Let's just start in v.

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6.

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The first five verses just speak about these

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tribes wanting to stay in this land.

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They don't want to keep going further.

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They want to stay and take this land

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as their possession.

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As v.

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5 says, do not take us across the

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Jordan.

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V.

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6, But Moses said to the people of

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Gad and to the people of Reuben, Shall

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your brothers go to war while you sit

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here?

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Look at this statement.

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Why will you discourage the heart of the

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people of Israel from going over into the

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land that the Lord has given them?

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Amazing, right?

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There's land the Lord's given that they've yet

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to take, but it's given to them.

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It's incredible.

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V.

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8, Your fathers did this.

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So now, he's bringing in history.

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You want to give someone a really firm

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reproof on an action they're about to do?

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Can you appeal to something in history?

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Your fathers did this.

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Wow, appealing to their fathers.

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When I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to

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see the land, when I sent them.

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V.

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9, For when they went up to the

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valley of Eshgal and saw the land, here

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we have it again, they discouraged the heart

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of the people of Israel from going into

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the land that the Lord had given them.

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So you see here two times, right?

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You guys presently are discouraging the hearts of

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these Israelites if you don't go into the

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land and wage war with them.

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And then remember your fathers.

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Your fathers were a discouragement to the hearts

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of those people back then when the spies

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came and the report that 10 of them

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gave.

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It was a real discouragement.

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How do you think God views this discouraging

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the hearts of these people?

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How does the Lord view it?

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Well, let's find out.

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V.

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10, And the Lord's anger was kindled on

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that day, and He swore, saying, Surely, none

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of the men who came up out of

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Egypt from twenty years old and upward shall

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see the land that I swore to give

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to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because

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they have not wholly followed Me.

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None except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the

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Chazanite, and Joshua the son of Nun.

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For they have wholly followed the Lord.

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V.

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13, The Lord's anger was kindled against Israel,

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and He made them wander in the wilderness

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forty years until all the generation that had

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done evil on the side of the Lord

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was gone.

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And behold, you have risen in your father's

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place, a brood of sinful men, to increase

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still more the fierce anger of the Lord

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against Israel.

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For if you turn away from following Him,

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He will again abandon them in the wilderness,

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and you will destroy all this people."

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But you see it there, two times, discourage

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their hearts.

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Discourage their hearts.

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Right there, v.

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7 and in v.

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9.

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They discourage the heart of the people of

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Israel from going into the land.

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And to be discouraged, it's to have a

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loss of confidence.

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You lose confidence.

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Instead of having courage, you lose confidence about

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moving forward.

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Instead of pressing forward, you get discouraged and

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what happens?

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You shrink back.

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You don't go forward.

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You shrink back.

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And these men are discouraging the hearts of

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the people as their fathers did in the

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previous situation from many decades ago.

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And as I mentioned, what does this discouragement

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bring about from the Lord?

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Yeah, His fierce anger is brought about.

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And you could say, well, yeah, but that's

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because they're not wholly following Him.

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Right.

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But why is that happening?

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Their hearts are being discouraged.

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The discouragement leads to a lack of confidence

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where you don't wholly go on after the

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Lord and God's fierce anger is brought about,

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verse 14 says.

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And to me that's interesting because kind of

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like a sin like self-pity or anxiety,

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do you look at how sinful it is

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to be a discouragement to others?

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Do you look at how does God view

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me when I am a discouragement to others?

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God is angry at these people, right?

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When in their own belief, they drag others

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down and they cause those other individuals to

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lose courage.

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That increases the fierce anger of God.

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That's what, I mean, do you guys see

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that in the passage here?

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Right, He's reproving them.

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You discourage their hearts.

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And then He says, it says the outcome

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of this is the fierce anger of God,

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verse 14.

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It increases still more and more.

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And then look at verse 14.

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It says these men have risen in their

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father's place, a brood of sinful men.

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So let's consider their fathers.

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Let's go to numbers 13.

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This is where we're going to spend our

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time.

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Numbers 13, by them not moving forward, fully

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trusting the Lord, their discouragement to the other

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individuals of Israel, and this is provoking the

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fierce anger of God, the God who is

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fully trustworthy, the God who's given us every

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reason we have to trust Him.

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And yet, people are not trusting in the

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Lord here.

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So number 13, let's start in verse 17.

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Moses sent them, and the them is referring

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to the chiefs of the tribes.

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He sent them out to spy out the

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land of Canaan.

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And he said to them, go up into

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the Nagab and go up into the hill

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country and see what the land is and

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see whether the people who dwell in it

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are strong or weak, whether they are few

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or many, whether the land they dwell in

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is good or bad, whether the cities that

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they dwell in are camps or strongholds, and

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whether the land is rich or poor, and

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whether there are trees in it or not.

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And then he commands them in a positive

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way, be of good courage, right?

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The opposite of being discouraged and full of

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discouragement is you're full of courage, right?

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You're not stepping back, you're stepping forward.

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Be of good courage and bring some of

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the fruit of the land.

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Now the time was the season of the

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first ripe grapes.

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Now go to verse 25.

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At the end of the forty days, they

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returned from spying out the land.

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And they came to Moses and Aaron and

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to all the congregation of the people of

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Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh.

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They brought back word to them and to

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all the congregation and showed them the fruit

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of the land.

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And they told him, we came to the

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land to which you sent us.

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It flows with milk and honey.

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And this is its fruit.

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Verse 28, However, however, the people who dwell

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in the land are very strong and the

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cities are fortified and very large.

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And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak

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there.

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The Malachites dwell in the land of the

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Negev.

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The Hittites, the Jebusites, the Amorites dwell in

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the hill country.

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And the Canaanites dwell by the sea and

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along the Jordan.

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So here, these ten of the spies are

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given a very, very negative report.

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They've been told to go in the land

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and be of good courage.

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They come back.

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They start with something positive.

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Then they bring in the statements, however, besides.

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They bring in these two statements.

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They put all this negative, discouraging content forward.

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And Caleb tries to make an attempt here

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to steer things in another direction.

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Verse 30, But Caleb quieted the people before

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Moses and said, let us go up at

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once and occupy it, for we are able

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to overcome it.

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This is faith speaking.

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Then the men who had gone up with

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him said, we're not able.

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He got Caleb.

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We are able.

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He got the other guys.

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We are not able.

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We're able.

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We're not able.

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We're able.

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We're not able.

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You've got this debate here.

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One thing you've got to remember is their

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accusation about we're not able ultimately reflects their

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view of who?

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Of God.

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They're ultimately accusing God of not having the

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ability to give them that which He has

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promised.

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That is an incredibly deadly accusation to make

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against the Lord.

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What verse were we in here?

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Verse 31, Then the men who had gone

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up with him said, we are not able

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to go up against the people.

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Why?

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For they are stronger than we are.

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So, they brought to the people of Israel

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a bad report.

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Or you could say this, a discouraging report.

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Very discouraging what they're saying.

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Their whole tone is just...

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Talk about a wet blanket.

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I mean, it just totally discourages you on

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moving forward when these guys are saying what

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they're saying.

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They spied out the land.

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The land through which we have gone to

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spy out is a land that devours its

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inhabitants.

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Wow, they must have forgot that our God

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is an all-consuming fire who devours His

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enemies.

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Forget about the land devouring its inhabitants.

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And all the people that we saw in

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it are of great height.

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And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons

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of Anak who come from Nephilim.

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And we seem to ourselves...

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This is their perspective, right?

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You know what?

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You want to get discouraged and not go

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forward for the Lord in some area?

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Just get an incorrect perspective.

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View yourself in a way, or view your

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circumstances in a way that is not according

280
00:11:07,780 --> 00:11:08,420
to the Lord.

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We seem to ourselves like grasshoppers.

282
00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,220
And so we seem to them.

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Let's keep reading a few verses in chapter

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00:11:16,900 --> 00:11:17,440
14.

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Then all the congregation raised a loud cry.

286
00:11:20,820 --> 00:11:22,660
And all the people wept that night.

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00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:25,000
And all the people of Israel grumbled against

288
00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:25,900
Moses and Aaron.

289
00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:29,360
The whole congregation said to them, would that

290
00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,060
we had died in the land of Egypt.

291
00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,220
Or would that we had died in this

292
00:11:33,220 --> 00:11:33,620
wilderness.

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00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:36,040
Why is the Lord bringing us into this

294
00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:36,360
land?

295
00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:37,440
To fall by the sword?

296
00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,600
Our wives, our little ones, will become prey.

297
00:11:41,460 --> 00:11:42,820
Wouldn't it be better for us to go

298
00:11:42,820 --> 00:11:43,540
back to Egypt?

299
00:11:44,060 --> 00:11:45,840
And they said to one another, let us

300
00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:47,620
choose a leader and let's go back to

301
00:11:47,620 --> 00:11:47,900
Egypt.

302
00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,020
Verse 5, then Moses and Aaron fell on

303
00:11:51,020 --> 00:11:53,060
their faces before all the assembly of the

304
00:11:53,060 --> 00:11:54,900
congregation of the people of Israel.

305
00:11:55,300 --> 00:11:57,420
And Joshua the son of Nun and Cadle

306
00:11:57,420 --> 00:11:59,860
the son of Jephunneh, who were among those

307
00:11:59,860 --> 00:12:01,600
who had spied out the land, they tore

308
00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:02,320
their clothes.

309
00:12:02,860 --> 00:12:04,760
They said to all the congregation of the

310
00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:07,540
people of Israel, the land which we passed

311
00:12:07,540 --> 00:12:09,660
through to spy it out is an exceedingly

312
00:12:09,660 --> 00:12:10,400
good land.

313
00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:12,740
If the Lord delights in us, He will

314
00:12:12,740 --> 00:12:14,340
bring us into this land and He will

315
00:12:14,340 --> 00:12:15,180
give it to us.

316
00:12:15,340 --> 00:12:17,320
A land that flows with milk and honey.

317
00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:19,740
Only do not rebel against the Lord.

318
00:12:20,060 --> 00:12:22,360
Do not fear the people of the land,

319
00:12:22,900 --> 00:12:25,340
for they are bred for us.

320
00:12:25,340 --> 00:12:28,900
Their protection is removed from them.

321
00:12:30,100 --> 00:12:31,680
And the Lord is with us.

322
00:12:31,740 --> 00:12:32,760
Do not fear them.

323
00:12:33,580 --> 00:12:36,180
Then all the congregation, they didn't agree with

324
00:12:36,180 --> 00:12:36,340
him.

325
00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:38,820
You want to talk about being encouraged?

326
00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:40,780
Imagine standing there and you hear Caleb.

327
00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,620
That would be encouraging to hear everything Caleb

328
00:12:43,620 --> 00:12:44,160
is saying.

329
00:12:45,060 --> 00:12:46,800
And what do they do to the encourager

330
00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:47,580
amongst them?

331
00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:49,540
Yeah, let's stone them.

332
00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,940
Verse 10, they said to stone them with

333
00:12:52,940 --> 00:12:56,020
stones, but the glory of the Lord appeared

334
00:12:56,020 --> 00:12:57,380
at the ten of the meeting to all

335
00:12:57,380 --> 00:12:58,320
the people of Israel.

336
00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:00,720
And the Lord said to Moses, how long

337
00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:02,160
will this people despise Me?

338
00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:04,300
How long will they not believe in Me

339
00:13:04,300 --> 00:13:05,980
in spite of all the signs that I

340
00:13:05,980 --> 00:13:06,780
have done for them?

341
00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:10,240
I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit

342
00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:11,940
them, and I will make of you a

343
00:13:11,940 --> 00:13:14,840
nation greater and mightier than they.

344
00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:16,200
Amen.

345
00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:17,460
Well, that's the Word of God.

346
00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:21,360
So, if you just came in before what

347
00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:22,580
I've stated at the beginning, what we're going

348
00:13:22,580 --> 00:13:24,360
to look at right now is the wickedness

349
00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:27,700
of being a discouragement to others.

350
00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,440
And it's interesting to me, in the account

351
00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,120
we just read, as we saw in Numbers

352
00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,900
32, the way the Scriptures describe what just

353
00:13:37,900 --> 00:13:41,120
took place here is that they discouraged the

354
00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:41,540
hearts.

355
00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,100
They discouraged the hearts of the nation.

356
00:13:45,620 --> 00:13:47,920
That's how Numbers 32 describes it.

357
00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:50,560
And as we saw, that discouraging the heart,

358
00:13:51,050 --> 00:13:53,720
the hearts of these people was something that

359
00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,120
brought about God's fierce anger, right?

360
00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:58,180
Because rather than having courage, which the Lord

361
00:13:58,180 --> 00:14:00,060
told them to be of good courage, to

362
00:14:00,060 --> 00:14:04,700
go forward trusting Him, people make statements that

363
00:14:04,700 --> 00:14:10,000
cause discouragement internally in individuals' hearts where they

364
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,720
doubt the Lord and they shrink back.

365
00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:16,220
And what I'm calling that is something wicked

366
00:14:16,220 --> 00:14:18,280
when you and I do that, right?

367
00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:19,980
I want us to view it as the

368
00:14:19,980 --> 00:14:22,420
Lord views it, because it brought about His

369
00:14:22,420 --> 00:14:23,320
fierce anger.

370
00:14:23,580 --> 00:14:26,480
It brings about people not wholly following the

371
00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:29,560
Lord as they should.

372
00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,400
And I feel like even just studying this

373
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:33,760
is hitting me in a fresh way.

374
00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:36,100
Do I view the times that I'm a

375
00:14:36,100 --> 00:14:39,380
discouragement to you all from wholly following the

376
00:14:39,380 --> 00:14:40,700
Lord in some specific way?

377
00:14:40,860 --> 00:14:42,480
Do I see it for what it is?

378
00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,460
It brought about the fierce anger of God.

379
00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:46,460
Right?

380
00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:50,060
This isn't some little neutral thing there where

381
00:14:50,060 --> 00:14:53,420
you being a discouragement has no effect.

382
00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:54,140
It has an effect.

383
00:14:54,540 --> 00:14:56,120
We saw the effect it had on all

384
00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:57,120
of these other individuals.

385
00:14:58,300 --> 00:14:59,600
So that's what we're going to consider.

386
00:15:01,220 --> 00:15:03,200
The spies were going out to the land

387
00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:06,180
that is called the promised land, as we

388
00:15:06,180 --> 00:15:06,640
call it.

389
00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:07,820
The promised land.

390
00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:09,260
It's not the unpromised land.

391
00:15:09,300 --> 00:15:10,760
It's not the land that was up for

392
00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:11,160
auction.

393
00:15:11,860 --> 00:15:13,460
It is the land that is said was

394
00:15:13,460 --> 00:15:15,100
given to them by the Lord.

395
00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:17,860
Given prior to them even conquering it.

396
00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:20,280
And even given to them even after they

397
00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:22,440
didn't enter the first time and they've got

398
00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:25,840
to wait 40 more years, it's still that

399
00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:30,040
secure of a thing for them to take

400
00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,080
that the Lord has promised.

401
00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:34,120
I mean, there's every reason to believe the

402
00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,220
Lord, and yet here people doubt the Lord

403
00:15:36,220 --> 00:15:40,220
in unbelief and they bring about discouragement upon

404
00:15:40,220 --> 00:15:41,640
the nation.

405
00:15:42,300 --> 00:15:44,200
And we saw there how they should respond.

406
00:15:44,380 --> 00:15:45,660
Numbers 13, verse 20.

407
00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:48,440
He just made multiple statements.

408
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,700
Whether the people, verse 18, whether the people

409
00:15:51,700 --> 00:15:54,220
are strong or weak, whether few or many,

410
00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:56,740
whether the land is good or bad, whether

411
00:15:56,740 --> 00:15:59,840
the cities they are in are camps, or

412
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:04,000
it's a city with massive stone walls and

413
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,080
it's a stronghold, whether the land is rich

414
00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:08,140
or poor, whether there are trees, or whether

415
00:16:08,140 --> 00:16:09,100
it's a barren desert.

416
00:16:09,620 --> 00:16:12,040
His point is all those things are irrelevant.

417
00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:14,420
Whether it's this or that or that, don't

418
00:16:14,420 --> 00:16:16,140
get consumed in the circumstances.

419
00:16:16,260 --> 00:16:17,620
I want you to be of good courage

420
00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:19,240
and I'm going to give you the land.

421
00:16:19,420 --> 00:16:22,340
Those things don't matter is what the Lord

422
00:16:22,340 --> 00:16:23,260
is telling them.

423
00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:25,720
And yet they let these things, obviously 10

424
00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:27,860
of the spies let this factor in to

425
00:16:27,860 --> 00:16:29,700
a point where it stripped them of their

426
00:16:29,700 --> 00:16:30,320
courage.

427
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,760
It stripped them of their courage.

428
00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:36,680
And it says right there in verse 13,

429
00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:43,180
18, and see what the land is.

430
00:16:43,260 --> 00:16:43,520
See.

431
00:16:45,540 --> 00:16:47,840
I mean, you're commanded to go into the

432
00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:48,100
land.

433
00:16:48,300 --> 00:16:49,680
You don't know what you're going to find

434
00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:49,880
out.

435
00:16:49,940 --> 00:16:51,740
You go in there and what changed their

436
00:16:51,740 --> 00:16:53,340
perspective on God's ability?

437
00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:59,740
What ultimately allowed unbelief to enter in and

438
00:16:59,740 --> 00:17:01,200
cause them to lose courage?

439
00:17:01,820 --> 00:17:02,320
Say again?

440
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:05,960
How did they know there were giants there?

441
00:17:06,020 --> 00:17:08,140
They didn't send 12 blind spies.

442
00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:11,780
They sent men in who had two things

443
00:17:11,780 --> 00:17:12,839
you've got on your head.

444
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:13,420
Eyes.

445
00:17:15,060 --> 00:17:16,839
And their eyes and what they saw with

446
00:17:16,839 --> 00:17:20,780
their eyes determined their perception of the situation.

447
00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:21,720
Oh, this is bad.

448
00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:23,480
That guy is huge.

449
00:17:24,220 --> 00:17:25,160
We're small.

450
00:17:25,579 --> 00:17:27,760
I feel like I'm a grasshopper and he's

451
00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:29,240
going to come over here and crush me.

452
00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:32,300
What happened to what the Lord said?

453
00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:33,880
You know what happens often?

454
00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:37,760
Your eyes, what you see, leads to you

455
00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:39,960
losing heart and falling into discouragement.

456
00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:41,660
Brethren, we are a people who walk by

457
00:17:41,660 --> 00:17:44,100
faith, not by sight.

458
00:17:44,740 --> 00:17:46,200
Yet, we are a people who have to

459
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,520
continue to be reminded of this reality because

460
00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:50,540
we're living in the realm of the sight.

461
00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:52,360
We're seeing things.

462
00:17:52,420 --> 00:17:54,100
You might have seen something this week that

463
00:17:54,100 --> 00:17:55,080
discouraged your heart.

464
00:17:56,140 --> 00:17:58,320
We're going by faith in the Word of

465
00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,320
God and His promises, not by sight.

466
00:18:01,940 --> 00:18:04,140
And so you have this dynamic inner here

467
00:18:04,830 --> 00:18:07,560
of what you see affects them and not

468
00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:08,540
going forward.

469
00:18:09,140 --> 00:18:11,480
And this is a continual theme throughout the

470
00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:12,680
Bible, the Old Testament.

471
00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:15,080
Everything's going a-okay.

472
00:18:15,340 --> 00:18:16,940
You're following the Lord, and then you face

473
00:18:16,940 --> 00:18:18,840
a trial, and what you see with the

474
00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:22,140
physical eye looks like this is an impossibility.

475
00:18:22,460 --> 00:18:24,300
But what do we find often happens?

476
00:18:24,300 --> 00:18:26,320
You don't see the thousands of angels that

477
00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:27,120
are surrounding you.

478
00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:29,280
You don't see the power of God and

479
00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,000
His ability to absolutely conquer in that situation.

480
00:18:32,660 --> 00:18:34,320
And there are certain people the Lord lets

481
00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:36,000
them see into that realm, but often, you

482
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,400
and I, we don't see into that realm.

483
00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,180
We've got to take it by faith.

484
00:18:41,100 --> 00:18:42,600
And you know, these guys were gone 40

485
00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:42,900
days.

486
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:45,000
They had time to think about what they

487
00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:46,480
were going to communicate to the people.

488
00:18:46,620 --> 00:18:48,980
This wasn't them running into a five minute

489
00:18:48,980 --> 00:18:51,080
video on YouTube about what is the land

490
00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:52,580
like, and they come away with a knee

491
00:18:52,580 --> 00:18:53,400
-jerk reaction.

492
00:18:54,260 --> 00:18:56,380
They had time to fight the thoughts of

493
00:18:56,380 --> 00:18:57,880
discouragement and unbelief.

494
00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:00,800
Did Caleb and Joshua even know what the

495
00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:02,320
other ten spies were going to say?

496
00:19:02,500 --> 00:19:04,040
Did that just catch them off guard?

497
00:19:05,820 --> 00:19:07,900
We don't know some of those details.

498
00:19:09,540 --> 00:19:10,260
Look at v.

499
00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:10,840
28.

500
00:19:11,340 --> 00:19:13,200
I emphasize this, but look at this.

501
00:19:13,620 --> 00:19:15,840
This is a very interesting word.

502
00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:16,520
However.

503
00:19:18,260 --> 00:19:20,740
Have you guys ever used that word before?

504
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,280
This is true, this is true, this is

505
00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:24,880
true, this is true.

506
00:19:25,180 --> 00:19:25,740
However.

507
00:19:27,540 --> 00:19:28,700
It doesn't matter.

508
00:19:28,940 --> 00:19:29,860
All this is true.

509
00:19:30,340 --> 00:19:32,260
However, look at this.

510
00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:33,200
Right?

511
00:19:33,580 --> 00:19:35,540
That's what unbelief does.

512
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,560
I should believe God, but however, this is

513
00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,220
here, so now I lack an ability to

514
00:19:42,220 --> 00:19:42,860
trust the Lord.

515
00:19:42,860 --> 00:19:44,460
However, the people who dwell in the land

516
00:19:44,460 --> 00:19:45,100
are strong.

517
00:19:45,580 --> 00:19:46,500
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

518
00:19:46,980 --> 00:19:49,300
You're worshiping the Lord who you've already seen

519
00:19:49,300 --> 00:19:50,860
do what up until this point?

520
00:19:53,060 --> 00:19:54,320
Divide the Red Sea.

521
00:19:54,820 --> 00:19:59,880
I mean, who's got strength destroying Pharaoh and

522
00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:00,480
his men?

523
00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:04,040
Who picked up a sword for that battle?

524
00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:06,380
God did.

525
00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,500
And He used creation to consume His enemies.

526
00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:12,500
Who has strength?

527
00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:12,900
He does.

528
00:20:12,900 --> 00:20:17,220
There's every reason to be courageous because you

529
00:20:17,220 --> 00:20:19,040
have the Lord with you.

530
00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:21,620
But the people, however, we saw.

531
00:20:21,780 --> 00:20:22,400
We saw.

532
00:20:22,500 --> 00:20:25,000
We saw the descendants of Anak there.

533
00:20:25,580 --> 00:20:26,920
You know, it flows with milk and honey.

534
00:20:27,020 --> 00:20:28,160
However, we saw something.

535
00:20:28,260 --> 00:20:28,860
Tall people.

536
00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:30,860
Therefore, we're going to disregard all that we've

537
00:20:30,860 --> 00:20:31,520
seen God do.

538
00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:33,380
We're going to disregard what God has said.

539
00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:34,960
We're just going to fall into the state

540
00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,060
of discouragement and we can't move forward because

541
00:20:37,060 --> 00:20:38,740
we're too weak and God's too weak and

542
00:20:38,740 --> 00:20:40,180
God's not going to be with us.

543
00:20:41,220 --> 00:20:42,120
Unbelief, brethren.

544
00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:44,540
All this does is it stinks of rotten

545
00:20:44,540 --> 00:20:45,280
unbelief.

546
00:20:47,660 --> 00:20:48,760
We saw it there.

547
00:20:48,980 --> 00:20:50,180
Look at 1411.

548
00:20:50,780 --> 00:20:52,700
The Lord said to Moses, how long will

549
00:20:52,700 --> 00:20:53,760
this people do what?

550
00:20:55,340 --> 00:20:56,080
Despise Me.

551
00:20:56,940 --> 00:20:58,340
How long will they what?

552
00:20:59,420 --> 00:21:00,740
Not believe in Me.

553
00:21:01,020 --> 00:21:02,880
In spite of all the signs that I

554
00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:04,100
have done among them.

555
00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:04,880
Isn't it amazing?

556
00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,500
You see, unbelief leads you and I to

557
00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:10,420
lack courage, and therefore we could be a

558
00:21:10,420 --> 00:21:11,740
discouragement to others.

559
00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,340
And when we're a discouragement to others, it

560
00:21:14,340 --> 00:21:17,180
actually increases the fierce anger of God because

561
00:21:17,180 --> 00:21:19,860
our being a discouragement to others is preventing

562
00:21:19,860 --> 00:21:21,900
them from following the Lord in a direction

563
00:21:21,900 --> 00:21:24,320
they should be going because we make a

564
00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:27,560
statement to them that causes discouragement to enter

565
00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:29,960
their heart and they stop moving forward for

566
00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,120
Christ because of something we said.

567
00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:35,980
Brethren, how many spies spoke negatively?

568
00:21:36,940 --> 00:21:37,340
Ten.

569
00:21:37,340 --> 00:21:40,640
How many people heard what the spies spoke?

570
00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:44,240
Millions.

571
00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:45,820
Hundreds and hundreds of thousands.

572
00:21:46,980 --> 00:21:48,780
And look how it affected all of them.

573
00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:51,200
How many people does it take to cause

574
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:52,640
great discouragement?

575
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,560
It could take ten people to discourage a

576
00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,660
million Israelites to not trust the Lord.

577
00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:01,120
It's incredible.

578
00:22:01,340 --> 00:22:02,560
That's very weighty, right?

579
00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,420
The very words I'm saying right now could

580
00:22:05,420 --> 00:22:09,100
be used to encourage, discourage, cause unbelief, help

581
00:22:09,100 --> 00:22:10,020
create faith.

582
00:22:10,340 --> 00:22:12,420
I mean, some dynamic could be happening right

583
00:22:12,420 --> 00:22:12,760
now.

584
00:22:13,460 --> 00:22:17,360
Obviously, I'm hoping it's a positive dynamic from

585
00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:17,920
the text.

586
00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:23,080
So, are they of good courage like Moses

587
00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:23,620
told them?

588
00:22:23,660 --> 00:22:23,880
No.

589
00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:25,780
They've not.

590
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:28,320
They've lost confidence based on what they saw.

591
00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:33,160
It's amazing, isn't it?

592
00:22:33,180 --> 00:22:35,560
God can just become irrelevant in your present

593
00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:37,700
circumstances because you get too caught up in

594
00:22:37,700 --> 00:22:38,880
what your trial looks like.

595
00:22:39,660 --> 00:22:40,400
God help us.

596
00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:41,580
The Lord is never irrelevant.

597
00:22:41,780 --> 00:22:42,960
The Lord is never far off.

598
00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:44,960
The Lord is always there.

599
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,060
Does what you see cancel God's promises for

600
00:22:48,060 --> 00:22:48,300
you?

601
00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:50,420
No.

602
00:22:50,900 --> 00:22:53,940
My confidence in persevering to the end by

603
00:22:53,940 --> 00:22:56,400
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, no

604
00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:58,940
matter what I see, whatever comes my way,

605
00:22:59,020 --> 00:23:01,460
that can't cause doubt to enter in that

606
00:23:01,460 --> 00:23:04,040
the Lord will not do as He has

607
00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:04,420
promised.

608
00:23:06,820 --> 00:23:08,720
It's not like the Lord's lied here.

609
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:10,940
It's not like the Lord's misrepresented things.

610
00:23:11,100 --> 00:23:12,700
I mean, the Lord even said, whether it's

611
00:23:12,700 --> 00:23:14,560
this or that, the Lord wasn't telling them

612
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:16,020
exactly what they would find.

613
00:23:16,380 --> 00:23:17,380
I mean, in a way, this was going

614
00:23:17,380 --> 00:23:18,080
to test them.

615
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:19,480
It was going to test them to see

616
00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:20,760
do they trust the Lord?

617
00:23:20,820 --> 00:23:22,040
The Lord could have said, you're going to

618
00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:23,340
run into giants in there.

619
00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:25,420
The Lord didn't do that.

620
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:27,100
He didn't tell them ahead of time exactly

621
00:23:27,100 --> 00:23:28,720
what they would find other than the fact

622
00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:29,620
they'd find fruit.

623
00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:31,820
Because He wanted to see when they faced

624
00:23:31,820 --> 00:23:34,340
what they faced with their eyes, would they

625
00:23:34,340 --> 00:23:36,140
believe Him or doubt Him?

626
00:23:36,820 --> 00:23:37,940
Same thing in our lives.

627
00:23:37,940 --> 00:23:39,920
The Lord has not told you what the

628
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:41,620
next ten years of your life will look

629
00:23:41,620 --> 00:23:41,880
like.

630
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,240
That would defeat the purpose of the test

631
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:45,860
of faith.

632
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,220
As you enter trials, as I enter trials,

633
00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:51,720
we've got to trust the Lord no matter

634
00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:54,140
what we see with our eyes.

635
00:23:55,260 --> 00:23:57,280
But we clearly see it takes faith to

636
00:23:57,280 --> 00:23:59,300
trust God when the odds are stacked against

637
00:23:59,300 --> 00:24:00,520
you in the physical realm.

638
00:24:01,620 --> 00:24:03,540
And the prevailing way that you and I

639
00:24:03,540 --> 00:24:05,900
interpret our circumstances can't be based on what

640
00:24:05,900 --> 00:24:07,020
we see with our eyes.

641
00:24:09,700 --> 00:24:11,280
Because that's what these guys did and it

642
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:12,800
didn't end up well at all.

643
00:24:14,420 --> 00:24:17,100
Notice Caleb's confidence there in v.

644
00:24:18,100 --> 00:24:18,580
30.

645
00:24:19,700 --> 00:24:22,280
He says, let us go up when?

646
00:24:24,170 --> 00:24:24,950
At once.

647
00:24:26,230 --> 00:24:27,650
This guy's got no delay.

648
00:24:28,730 --> 00:24:29,110
Let's go.

649
00:24:30,030 --> 00:24:30,510
Let's go.

650
00:24:30,810 --> 00:24:32,390
Why could you have such a confidence?

651
00:24:33,430 --> 00:24:35,990
And he has that confidence even after all

652
00:24:35,990 --> 00:24:37,050
these people are doubting.

653
00:24:37,510 --> 00:24:38,990
You'd think he'd say, let's wait a week

654
00:24:38,990 --> 00:24:40,070
for them to think it through.

655
00:24:40,070 --> 00:24:42,510
No, because who's the victory belong to?

656
00:24:43,170 --> 00:24:44,010
The Lord.

657
00:24:45,810 --> 00:24:48,230
You've just got to take their next step.

658
00:24:48,490 --> 00:24:49,570
Believe God.

659
00:24:50,210 --> 00:24:51,750
And the Lord's going to come through.

660
00:24:51,890 --> 00:24:53,090
He's going to help you, believer.

661
00:24:53,170 --> 00:24:54,390
He's going to strengthen you.

662
00:24:56,770 --> 00:24:58,390
But they brought a bad report.

663
00:24:58,510 --> 00:24:58,630
V.

664
00:24:58,690 --> 00:25:01,830
32 says, they report full of unbelief, full

665
00:25:01,830 --> 00:25:02,710
of discouragement.

666
00:25:02,810 --> 00:25:05,990
Just so discouraging compared to everything that Caleb

667
00:25:05,990 --> 00:25:06,530
says.

668
00:25:07,890 --> 00:25:10,610
And they lost their confidence based on what

669
00:25:10,610 --> 00:25:11,270
they saw.

670
00:25:12,270 --> 00:25:15,110
Based on what their eyes witnessed.

671
00:25:16,850 --> 00:25:19,250
And it's interesting here, the other word, it's

672
00:25:19,250 --> 00:25:21,370
not just however, but look later at the

673
00:25:21,370 --> 00:25:21,750
end of v.

674
00:25:21,750 --> 00:25:22,170
28.

675
00:25:23,250 --> 00:25:25,670
He just finished saying the cities are fortified

676
00:25:25,670 --> 00:25:26,610
and very large.

677
00:25:27,070 --> 00:25:28,630
And he says, and besides.

678
00:25:29,750 --> 00:25:31,050
Why would you say that?

679
00:25:31,750 --> 00:25:32,510
What's he mean?

680
00:25:33,150 --> 00:25:33,850
And besides.

681
00:25:34,310 --> 00:25:36,230
I mean, he just stated all these things

682
00:25:36,230 --> 00:25:36,850
are true.

683
00:25:37,570 --> 00:25:39,030
And it's kind of like he's saying this

684
00:25:39,030 --> 00:25:40,470
is the final nail in the coffin.

685
00:25:41,190 --> 00:25:43,590
Like we wouldn't encourage you all to go

686
00:25:43,590 --> 00:25:45,890
just based on all of these things being

687
00:25:45,890 --> 00:25:49,150
true, but to top it off, besides all

688
00:25:49,150 --> 00:25:52,290
of that, we saw the descendants of the

689
00:25:52,290 --> 00:25:52,990
antic there.

690
00:25:53,750 --> 00:25:56,430
Kind of like that totally does us in

691
00:25:56,430 --> 00:25:58,770
where we can't go.

692
00:25:58,850 --> 00:25:59,890
And isn't that how it is with us

693
00:25:59,890 --> 00:26:00,630
sometimes, Christian?

694
00:26:00,690 --> 00:26:01,290
You're going along.

695
00:26:01,370 --> 00:26:02,050
You feel courageous.

696
00:26:02,050 --> 00:26:03,010
You're believing the Lord.

697
00:26:03,150 --> 00:26:05,330
And all of a sudden, it's like everything

698
00:26:05,330 --> 00:26:08,630
that seems maybe doable, and then, oops, the

699
00:26:08,630 --> 00:26:09,730
Anak get thrown in.

700
00:26:10,050 --> 00:26:11,490
And all of a sudden, now, you really

701
00:26:11,490 --> 00:26:12,870
struggle with believing God.

702
00:26:13,310 --> 00:26:15,050
You know, it looked like it was going

703
00:26:15,050 --> 00:26:15,610
to work out.

704
00:26:15,770 --> 00:26:17,730
Just as long as this one thing doesn't

705
00:26:17,730 --> 00:26:21,010
happen, the Anak aren't there, then maybe we'll

706
00:26:21,010 --> 00:26:21,370
do it.

707
00:26:21,410 --> 00:26:22,610
And then boom, the Anak are there.

708
00:26:23,350 --> 00:26:25,950
It's like, oh, man, I thought I wouldn't

709
00:26:25,950 --> 00:26:28,450
be discouraged if this one thing didn't happen.

710
00:26:28,490 --> 00:26:29,290
Then it happens.

711
00:26:30,070 --> 00:26:30,330
Right?

712
00:26:30,830 --> 00:26:32,090
Think in your life.

713
00:26:32,150 --> 00:26:33,610
Has you ever had anything like that happen?

714
00:26:33,990 --> 00:26:35,310
You kind of reason like that?

715
00:26:35,930 --> 00:26:38,390
Caleb, he doesn't let these things faze him.

716
00:26:38,890 --> 00:26:42,830
He's by faith trusting the Lord.

717
00:26:43,750 --> 00:26:44,450
Look at v.

718
00:26:44,470 --> 00:26:45,470
33 again.

719
00:26:46,090 --> 00:26:48,010
The whole thing of perspective at the end

720
00:26:48,010 --> 00:26:48,150
there.

721
00:26:48,270 --> 00:26:51,110
He says, we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers.

722
00:26:51,850 --> 00:26:54,530
Where else does the Bible talk about grasshoppers?

723
00:26:58,810 --> 00:26:59,330
Isaiah.

724
00:26:59,510 --> 00:27:00,230
Listen to this.

725
00:27:00,230 --> 00:27:03,690
Isaiah 40, verse 21, Do you not know?

726
00:27:03,850 --> 00:27:04,650
Do you not hear?

727
00:27:05,350 --> 00:27:06,810
Has it not been told to you from

728
00:27:06,810 --> 00:27:07,310
the beginning?

729
00:27:07,470 --> 00:27:09,530
Have you not understood from the foundations of

730
00:27:09,530 --> 00:27:09,950
the earth?

731
00:27:10,370 --> 00:27:12,390
It is He who sits above the circle

732
00:27:12,390 --> 00:27:15,330
of the earth, and its inhabitants are like

733
00:27:15,330 --> 00:27:15,770
what?

734
00:27:17,450 --> 00:27:18,010
Grasshoppers.

735
00:27:18,350 --> 00:27:20,710
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

736
00:27:21,170 --> 00:27:23,310
spreads them like a tent to dwell in.

737
00:27:23,610 --> 00:27:28,110
Who brings princes to nothing and makes the

738
00:27:28,110 --> 00:27:31,150
rulers of the earth as emptiness.

739
00:27:31,730 --> 00:27:33,930
I mean, newsflash, you think you're like a

740
00:27:33,930 --> 00:27:34,650
grasshopper.

741
00:27:35,430 --> 00:27:37,170
I mean, the reality is all of humanity

742
00:27:38,070 --> 00:27:42,290
is ultimately like a grasshopper before the Lord

743
00:27:42,290 --> 00:27:43,650
God Almighty.

744
00:27:43,790 --> 00:27:45,590
Brethren, we need to get rid of the

745
00:27:45,590 --> 00:27:46,110
howevers.

746
00:27:46,330 --> 00:27:47,470
We need to get rid of the and

747
00:27:47,470 --> 00:27:48,930
besides this thing.

748
00:27:49,430 --> 00:27:50,710
We need to have faith.

749
00:27:50,790 --> 00:27:52,290
We need to be encouraged in our hearts

750
00:27:52,290 --> 00:27:54,130
to be obedient to the Lord, to follow

751
00:27:54,130 --> 00:27:55,130
Him, to trust Him.

752
00:27:55,130 --> 00:27:57,050
Don't let there be one thing that gets

753
00:27:57,050 --> 00:27:59,070
added on and it tops it off where

754
00:27:59,070 --> 00:28:00,210
it's like I can't go on.

755
00:28:00,890 --> 00:28:02,350
I could have went on, but then that

756
00:28:02,350 --> 00:28:03,130
one thing happened.

757
00:28:03,610 --> 00:28:05,450
Is that what your faith is like?

758
00:28:07,570 --> 00:28:08,530
That's unbelief.

759
00:28:08,850 --> 00:28:10,290
You've got to trust the Lord.

760
00:28:11,970 --> 00:28:14,830
Like I said, ten spies discouraging over a

761
00:28:14,830 --> 00:28:17,230
million people, the women and children included.

762
00:28:17,670 --> 00:28:19,510
Ten chiefs of the tribes.

763
00:28:20,370 --> 00:28:22,210
What they said had a massive impact.

764
00:28:22,410 --> 00:28:24,810
Do you realize the negative impact of discouragement

765
00:28:24,810 --> 00:28:26,050
you could have on the brethren?

766
00:28:27,490 --> 00:28:28,910
Do I realize that?

767
00:28:31,810 --> 00:28:33,450
I mean, there's something there to be gripped

768
00:28:33,450 --> 00:28:33,850
with.

769
00:28:34,910 --> 00:28:36,910
You know what talks about death and life

770
00:28:36,910 --> 00:28:38,450
are in the power of the tongue?

771
00:28:39,290 --> 00:28:41,310
One of the ways you could bring death

772
00:28:41,810 --> 00:28:43,650
is with a discouraging word.

773
00:28:44,210 --> 00:28:48,010
You could strip someone of their courageousness to

774
00:28:48,010 --> 00:28:49,690
by faith press on to the Lord.

775
00:28:49,750 --> 00:28:52,790
You could go, I appreciate your faith, brother,

776
00:28:52,890 --> 00:28:54,190
but don't you see that?

777
00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:55,710
Do you see?

778
00:28:56,510 --> 00:28:58,170
Do you see what I see?

779
00:28:58,450 --> 00:28:59,670
The anichor over there.

780
00:29:00,130 --> 00:29:01,910
You see, it doesn't matter the faith you

781
00:29:01,910 --> 00:29:02,250
have.

782
00:29:02,510 --> 00:29:04,810
Let's dump water on the coals of the

783
00:29:04,810 --> 00:29:05,530
burning faith.

784
00:29:05,950 --> 00:29:08,550
Let's go look at what things look like.

785
00:29:09,110 --> 00:29:10,210
Then you lose heart.

786
00:29:11,030 --> 00:29:13,810
And now, God's fierce anger is against you

787
00:29:13,810 --> 00:29:16,290
for being a discouragement to them and stripping

788
00:29:16,290 --> 00:29:18,250
them of the confidence that they were having

789
00:29:18,250 --> 00:29:19,970
as they were trying to plow on for

790
00:29:19,970 --> 00:29:20,490
Christ.

791
00:29:25,350 --> 00:29:27,950
So we shouldn't say besides the anichor there,

792
00:29:27,950 --> 00:29:30,370
we should always say besides, God is with

793
00:29:30,370 --> 00:29:31,530
us, so we go forward.

794
00:29:32,870 --> 00:29:34,870
If He's with us, who could be against

795
00:29:34,870 --> 00:29:35,310
us?

796
00:29:35,770 --> 00:29:37,510
Isn't that Paul's argument in Romans 8?

797
00:29:38,370 --> 00:29:40,010
What an argument of faith that we've got

798
00:29:40,010 --> 00:29:40,430
to believe.

799
00:29:43,390 --> 00:29:45,330
So Joshua and Caleb, we saw it.

800
00:29:45,330 --> 00:29:46,690
They sought to encourage the people.

801
00:29:46,790 --> 00:29:47,730
They tore their clothes.

802
00:29:47,810 --> 00:29:49,690
They desperately said what they said.

803
00:29:51,230 --> 00:29:53,610
But the people wanted to stone them.

804
00:29:54,470 --> 00:29:56,190
The people wanted to stone them.

805
00:29:56,190 --> 00:29:58,550
And then we read in chapter 14, verse

806
00:29:58,550 --> 00:30:00,830
11, we saw the Lord's response is how

807
00:30:00,830 --> 00:30:02,630
long are these people going to despise Me?

808
00:30:02,750 --> 00:30:05,030
How long will they not believe Me?

809
00:30:05,070 --> 00:30:06,730
They're rebelling against the Lord.

810
00:30:06,790 --> 00:30:07,570
They feared man.

811
00:30:07,650 --> 00:30:08,950
They don't have a fear for God.

812
00:30:10,330 --> 00:30:12,490
Think of this, by fearing what they saw

813
00:30:12,490 --> 00:30:16,190
and not acting on what God said, they're

814
00:30:16,190 --> 00:30:17,710
despising the Lord Himself.

815
00:30:18,090 --> 00:30:21,130
Anytime I don't act on what God has

816
00:30:21,130 --> 00:30:24,230
said because of what I've saw, the Lord

817
00:30:24,230 --> 00:30:26,290
says I'm despising Him.

818
00:30:26,790 --> 00:30:30,710
I'm treating Him as little because I'm not

819
00:30:30,710 --> 00:30:31,250
going forward.

820
00:30:31,350 --> 00:30:32,570
I'm not having courage there.

821
00:30:32,650 --> 00:30:33,870
It's an act of unbelief.

822
00:30:35,090 --> 00:30:37,350
So think of this, this whole giving into

823
00:30:37,350 --> 00:30:39,430
discouragement is giving into what?

824
00:30:40,670 --> 00:30:43,570
Not just unbelief, but to use the words

825
00:30:43,570 --> 00:30:46,530
of the text, giving into discouragement is giving

826
00:30:46,530 --> 00:30:48,630
into despising of the Lord.

827
00:30:49,050 --> 00:30:50,110
They had a clear path.

828
00:30:50,390 --> 00:30:51,550
The Lord commanded them.

829
00:30:51,550 --> 00:30:54,830
Yet, they fell into discouragement, which is unbelief,

830
00:30:55,130 --> 00:30:56,410
and they didn't go forward.

831
00:30:56,650 --> 00:30:59,170
And ultimately, the text says they despised the

832
00:30:59,170 --> 00:30:59,850
Lord Himself.

833
00:31:00,370 --> 00:31:02,130
I mean, do you think of discouragement like

834
00:31:02,130 --> 00:31:02,370
that?

835
00:31:03,190 --> 00:31:06,650
You being discouraged to go forward and be

836
00:31:06,650 --> 00:31:10,210
courageous for the Lord means you're not trusting

837
00:31:10,210 --> 00:31:12,170
His power for you to go forward.

838
00:31:12,850 --> 00:31:15,590
In other words, you're despising Him and viewing

839
00:31:15,590 --> 00:31:18,590
the Lord as small and insignificant with whatever

840
00:31:18,590 --> 00:31:21,070
it is that you're facing on the path

841
00:31:21,070 --> 00:31:21,790
ahead of you.

842
00:31:22,670 --> 00:31:24,190
So I think it's interesting.

843
00:31:24,330 --> 00:31:25,870
It's one thing to say, you know, I'm

844
00:31:25,870 --> 00:31:26,650
really discouraged.

845
00:31:27,610 --> 00:31:31,130
It's another thing to say, I'm really despising

846
00:31:31,130 --> 00:31:32,350
the Lord right now.

847
00:31:34,730 --> 00:31:36,250
How do we tend to word it?

848
00:31:36,310 --> 00:31:38,890
We don't say, I'm really despising the Lord.

849
00:31:40,190 --> 00:31:43,010
We use the phrase, I'm really discouraged right

850
00:31:43,010 --> 00:31:43,330
now.

851
00:31:44,330 --> 00:31:46,830
You really lack the courage and the confidence

852
00:31:46,830 --> 00:31:48,730
to believe God in the midst of your

853
00:31:48,730 --> 00:31:50,850
trial and move forward because of something you

854
00:31:50,850 --> 00:31:51,250
saw.

855
00:31:52,450 --> 00:31:54,050
And you're not moving forward.

856
00:31:54,270 --> 00:31:55,950
The Lord looks at you and says, how

857
00:31:55,950 --> 00:31:57,970
long will they despise Me despite all the

858
00:31:57,970 --> 00:31:59,570
signs and the wonders that I've done?

859
00:32:02,020 --> 00:32:03,200
You guys see what I'm saying?

860
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:03,960
Perspective.

861
00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,060
I'm wanting to think, according to this passage,

862
00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:10,660
correctly about the seriousness of being a discouragement

863
00:32:10,660 --> 00:32:13,340
to you brethren.

864
00:32:13,740 --> 00:32:15,600
I don't want to be a source of

865
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:16,200
discouragement.

866
00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:17,720
I want to be a source of you

867
00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,540
finding courage to believe the Lord and follow

868
00:32:21,540 --> 00:32:23,160
Him wholeheartedly.

869
00:32:26,870 --> 00:32:28,450
And what's that going to take?

870
00:32:28,650 --> 00:32:30,370
We've got to believe God in His power,

871
00:32:30,530 --> 00:32:30,710
right?

872
00:32:30,850 --> 00:32:32,190
Look at 14 v.

873
00:32:32,310 --> 00:32:32,650
9.

874
00:32:32,750 --> 00:32:34,350
This is an amazing statement.

875
00:32:36,010 --> 00:32:38,030
He gives a reason why not to fear

876
00:32:38,030 --> 00:32:39,230
the people of the land.

877
00:32:39,710 --> 00:32:41,610
And he actually gives a perspective there.

878
00:32:41,630 --> 00:32:43,010
He says they're like bread for us.

879
00:32:43,750 --> 00:32:45,550
Isn't that an interesting way to look at

880
00:32:45,550 --> 00:32:45,670
it?

881
00:32:45,890 --> 00:32:47,790
And then what's the next thing he says?

882
00:32:48,650 --> 00:32:52,010
Their protection is removed from them.

883
00:32:53,450 --> 00:32:54,090
What's that?

884
00:32:54,650 --> 00:32:55,830
What's that imply?

885
00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:02,700
Any protection anyone has is put there by

886
00:33:02,700 --> 00:33:02,960
who?

887
00:33:04,660 --> 00:33:07,160
And that protection, if it's removed, is removed

888
00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:07,700
by who?

889
00:33:08,260 --> 00:33:09,160
The Lord.

890
00:33:09,500 --> 00:33:10,380
Pretty simple.

891
00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:15,060
And that's one of the reasons He gives

892
00:33:15,060 --> 00:33:16,000
to not fear.

893
00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:17,840
So obviously, if you don't go forward and

894
00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:19,600
you're not courageous, what does that imply?

895
00:33:19,890 --> 00:33:21,520
They don't believe what about the Lord.

896
00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:23,720
They don't believe the Lord is the one

897
00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:25,860
who gives protection and removes protection.

898
00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:27,820
I mean, if you really believed that, you

899
00:33:27,820 --> 00:33:29,720
would keep marching, right?

900
00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:32,200
You would trust Him in faith.

901
00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:36,080
The ironic thing is their disobedience, not going

902
00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,040
forward believing the Lord has removed the protection

903
00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:40,500
of the people of the land and they

904
00:33:40,500 --> 00:33:42,760
will get victory, what's that now done to

905
00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:43,640
their protection?

906
00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:45,980
The Israelites' protection.

907
00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:47,560
Where's their protection gone?

908
00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:51,320
It's now being removed and the fierce anger

909
00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:53,620
of God is now being against them because

910
00:33:53,620 --> 00:33:55,760
they're despising Him and not believing Him.

911
00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:57,800
So the very move they thought they took

912
00:33:57,800 --> 00:33:59,920
to protect themselves ended up doing what?

913
00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:01,760
Endangering themselves.

914
00:34:04,690 --> 00:34:06,870
It's kind of like that story, that antidote

915
00:34:06,870 --> 00:34:09,489
we keep repeating of Rosalind Goforth where she

916
00:34:09,489 --> 00:34:10,409
had such a sense.

917
00:34:10,630 --> 00:34:12,110
Her husband was saying, we've got to move

918
00:34:12,110 --> 00:34:13,210
to a certain place in China.

919
00:34:13,310 --> 00:34:14,250
We've got to move the family.

920
00:34:14,510 --> 00:34:16,230
They'd already had one child die.

921
00:34:16,650 --> 00:34:17,969
And she thought we're not going to go

922
00:34:17,969 --> 00:34:19,270
there because there's all this sickness.

923
00:34:19,530 --> 00:34:20,790
We're going to lose more children.

924
00:34:21,389 --> 00:34:23,210
And she did not submit to her husband.

925
00:34:23,310 --> 00:34:25,409
She fought her husband and she stayed there.

926
00:34:25,750 --> 00:34:27,290
And God killed one of her children.

927
00:34:27,870 --> 00:34:29,469
And then they went all the way up

928
00:34:29,469 --> 00:34:30,070
to that place.

929
00:34:30,190 --> 00:34:31,210
They were there for decades.

930
00:34:31,590 --> 00:34:33,969
And no kid ever got severely sick.

931
00:34:34,250 --> 00:34:37,090
And the whole point is, you're most protected

932
00:34:37,750 --> 00:34:39,750
when you're in the will of God, right?

933
00:34:39,929 --> 00:34:41,989
Your greatest protection is being in the will

934
00:34:41,989 --> 00:34:42,350
of God.

935
00:34:42,449 --> 00:34:43,989
It's not being in a place where everything

936
00:34:43,989 --> 00:34:46,790
appears to be full of protection because the

937
00:34:46,790 --> 00:34:48,830
only reason any protection is anywhere is the

938
00:34:48,830 --> 00:34:49,130
Lord.

939
00:34:50,550 --> 00:34:52,989
You want to think about how unprotected you

940
00:34:52,989 --> 00:34:53,310
are?

941
00:34:53,429 --> 00:34:55,909
Apart from God, listen to Kurt Daniels' sermon

942
00:34:55,909 --> 00:34:57,830
called A Step Between Life and Death.

943
00:34:58,570 --> 00:35:01,170
He goes through lists of ways people died.

944
00:35:01,270 --> 00:35:03,710
From mowing their lawn and a plane flew

945
00:35:03,710 --> 00:35:05,130
over and a bolt fell off and it

946
00:35:05,130 --> 00:35:06,250
flew all the way down and hit the

947
00:35:06,250 --> 00:35:07,390
guy in his head and he died.

948
00:35:07,750 --> 00:35:09,430
You're just hearing the sermon and all these

949
00:35:09,430 --> 00:35:10,350
ways people died.

950
00:35:10,630 --> 00:35:12,630
And you just realize we are but grasshoppers.

951
00:35:12,690 --> 00:35:14,170
We are but small before God.

952
00:35:14,810 --> 00:35:17,210
Apart from His protection, we won't make it.

953
00:35:18,230 --> 00:35:20,110
We could have a stroke at any moment.

954
00:35:20,350 --> 00:35:21,610
God could take our life.

955
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:30,620
So the safest place to be is the

956
00:35:30,620 --> 00:35:32,140
place God has guided you, right?

957
00:35:32,180 --> 00:35:34,340
By not going into the land to face

958
00:35:34,340 --> 00:35:37,820
the giants, they're actually putting themselves in greater

959
00:35:37,820 --> 00:35:38,200
danger.

960
00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:38,880
Who would have thought?

961
00:35:39,700 --> 00:35:42,340
You're putting yourself in greater danger by not

962
00:35:42,340 --> 00:35:45,540
facing great danger in the physical realm because

963
00:35:45,540 --> 00:35:48,720
you are now disobeying the Lord.

964
00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:50,240
So do you see here?

965
00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:52,500
Not going forward for the Lord because one

966
00:35:52,500 --> 00:35:54,600
is discouraged, is despising the Lord.

967
00:35:54,700 --> 00:35:56,040
It's an act of unbelief.

968
00:35:56,300 --> 00:35:58,480
We instead should have courage to trust the

969
00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,020
Lord despite what our eyes have seen and

970
00:36:01,020 --> 00:36:01,840
to believe Him.

971
00:36:04,820 --> 00:36:06,000
Let's see, what time is it?

972
00:36:06,060 --> 00:36:07,040
We've got 20 more minutes.

973
00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:13,060
Okay, so where's your confidence in Christ today,

974
00:36:13,180 --> 00:36:13,420
right?

975
00:36:14,300 --> 00:36:18,400
Being courageous, being encouraged is having confidence in

976
00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:18,660
the Lord.

977
00:36:18,700 --> 00:36:20,420
It's all about who God is.

978
00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:22,540
Who is the Lord to you?

979
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:24,120
What is your view of the Lord?

980
00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:28,580
It's not even about being confident you're in

981
00:36:28,580 --> 00:36:29,500
the will of God.

982
00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:31,840
You could say, well, I need confidence I'm

983
00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:32,940
in the will of God, then I'll have

984
00:36:32,940 --> 00:36:33,940
courage to go forward.

985
00:36:34,460 --> 00:36:35,400
You know what you need?

986
00:36:35,460 --> 00:36:38,340
You need confidence in God more than you

987
00:36:38,340 --> 00:36:40,140
need some confidence that you're in the will

988
00:36:40,140 --> 00:36:40,520
of God.

989
00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:41,900
What if you get confidence you're in the

990
00:36:41,900 --> 00:36:43,220
will of God and you're not and you've

991
00:36:43,220 --> 00:36:43,860
deceived yourself?

992
00:36:43,860 --> 00:36:45,980
I mean, how do you know whether you're

993
00:36:45,980 --> 00:36:47,060
in the will of God or not?

994
00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:49,980
Well, you're not looking so much for what's

995
00:36:49,980 --> 00:36:51,520
the will of God as you're looking to

996
00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:55,160
God, following Christ, and then He is faithfully

997
00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:56,480
guiding you.

998
00:36:57,060 --> 00:36:59,940
And you'll find yourself in His will and

999
00:36:59,940 --> 00:37:01,260
serving Him.

1000
00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:05,460
But discouragement, it says what the spies said.

1001
00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:07,320
We are not able.

1002
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:10,760
I'm not saying there's not a time where

1003
00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,820
you actually need to discourage someone who's saying

1004
00:37:13,820 --> 00:37:15,600
we're able and they're saying we're able to

1005
00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:17,560
do something that's just, it is crazy and

1006
00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:18,240
it's not a faith.

1007
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:20,640
I mean, there's times you want to discourage

1008
00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:23,180
people and it's a right discouragement.

1009
00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:27,220
But often, us being a discouragement and bringing

1010
00:37:27,220 --> 00:37:29,440
in the language we are not able, often

1011
00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:32,900
it's rooted in some unbelief there.

1012
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,300
And what we see, we're not going by

1013
00:37:35,300 --> 00:37:35,840
faith.

1014
00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:38,100
Listen to J.O. Frazier.

1015
00:37:38,260 --> 00:37:40,860
He was a isolated missionary among a mountain

1016
00:37:40,860 --> 00:37:41,760
people in China.

1017
00:37:42,500 --> 00:37:44,540
And for years, he saw very little fruit.

1018
00:37:45,060 --> 00:37:46,880
Eventually, revival came to the mountains.

1019
00:37:47,460 --> 00:37:49,000
And after a trial, listen to what he

1020
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:49,340
said.

1021
00:37:49,820 --> 00:37:52,200
If such a trial had happened a year

1022
00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,020
ago, it would have driven me down to

1023
00:37:55,020 --> 00:37:56,220
the depths of depression.

1024
00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:00,900
I have given way to discouragement, dark discouragement

1025
00:38:00,900 --> 00:38:03,180
far too much in the past.

1026
00:38:04,020 --> 00:38:07,620
Now I know rather better and thoroughly agree

1027
00:38:07,620 --> 00:38:11,040
with the assertion all discouragement is of the

1028
00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:11,320
devil.

1029
00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:16,260
Discouragement is to be resisted just like sin.

1030
00:38:17,300 --> 00:38:19,200
And we've seen that here from numbers.

1031
00:38:20,060 --> 00:38:22,840
Discouragement is to be resisted just like sin.

1032
00:38:23,220 --> 00:38:25,760
To give way to one is just as

1033
00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:27,680
bad and weakens us as much as to

1034
00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:28,800
give way to the other.

1035
00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:32,420
God has wonderfully sustained me through this trial.

1036
00:38:32,780 --> 00:38:34,700
And to Him be all the praise when

1037
00:38:34,700 --> 00:38:37,300
I say, that not for one instant has

1038
00:38:37,300 --> 00:38:40,500
it disturbed my peace or radiant faith in

1039
00:38:40,500 --> 00:38:41,920
the risen and ascended Lord.

1040
00:38:42,140 --> 00:38:44,560
God has enabled me to trust Him more

1041
00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:47,480
than ever before, to rejoice in Him more

1042
00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:50,000
than ever before, and to believe more than

1043
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,520
ever before for a work of grace among

1044
00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:53,180
the lesu.

1045
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:56,340
You see, Frazier, he got to a point

1046
00:38:56,340 --> 00:38:58,320
he had to view being discouraged for what

1047
00:38:58,320 --> 00:38:58,800
it is.

1048
00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:00,440
Sinful unbelief.

1049
00:39:01,260 --> 00:39:03,720
If you don't even view discouragement in that

1050
00:39:03,720 --> 00:39:06,920
way, brethren, it's like having lust in your

1051
00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:08,500
life and you don't view it as sin.

1052
00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:10,880
You're content with it.

1053
00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:11,980
It can't be so.

1054
00:39:13,140 --> 00:39:14,960
Discouragement is despising the Lord.

1055
00:39:15,100 --> 00:39:15,760
It's unbelief.

1056
00:39:15,860 --> 00:39:18,620
It's lacking courage and confidence in God because

1057
00:39:18,620 --> 00:39:19,540
of what we've seen.

1058
00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:21,440
Therefore, we don't go forward.

1059
00:39:22,340 --> 00:39:24,060
As Frazier said, we shouldn't look at that

1060
00:39:24,060 --> 00:39:24,820
and say it's irrelevant.

1061
00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:26,040
We should look at that and he says

1062
00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:27,900
he views others' sin.

1063
00:39:29,380 --> 00:39:31,080
Frazier goes on, he says the aim of

1064
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,700
satanic power is to cut off communication with

1065
00:39:33,700 --> 00:39:34,100
God.

1066
00:39:34,580 --> 00:39:37,120
To accomplish this aim, he deludes the soul

1067
00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:38,300
with a sense of defeat.

1068
00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:40,800
He covers him with a thick cloud of

1069
00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:41,220
darkness.

1070
00:39:41,860 --> 00:39:45,220
He depresses and oppresses the spirit, which in

1071
00:39:45,220 --> 00:39:48,760
turn hinders prayer and leads to unbelief, thus

1072
00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:50,560
destroying all power.

1073
00:39:51,460 --> 00:39:53,820
The enemy is delighted to have us so

1074
00:39:53,820 --> 00:39:57,920
occupied incessantly with secondary and trivial concerns as

1075
00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:00,160
to keep us from attacking and resisting in

1076
00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:01,760
the true spirit of the conflict.

1077
00:40:03,060 --> 00:40:04,840
You see, he's so right.

1078
00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:05,960
He faced it as a missionary.

1079
00:40:06,060 --> 00:40:08,020
We've got an enemy who's opposing us.

1080
00:40:08,060 --> 00:40:10,740
He's wanting us to be discouraged, to be

1081
00:40:10,740 --> 00:40:13,300
depressed, to be full of darkness, not moving

1082
00:40:13,300 --> 00:40:13,740
forward.

1083
00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:15,120
We need to fight and go in the

1084
00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:16,260
opposite direction.

1085
00:40:20,580 --> 00:40:23,180
Well, a few thoughts here in closing and

1086
00:40:23,180 --> 00:40:24,040
some applications.

1087
00:40:28,420 --> 00:40:30,740
What does lacking courage lead to?

1088
00:40:30,740 --> 00:40:31,560
We already saw it.

1089
00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:32,880
Not moving forward.

1090
00:40:34,540 --> 00:40:37,060
And not just not moving forward, what does

1091
00:40:37,060 --> 00:40:38,280
14 verse 2 say?

1092
00:40:40,970 --> 00:40:42,490
Would that we had died in the land

1093
00:40:42,490 --> 00:40:42,930
of Egypt.

1094
00:40:44,110 --> 00:40:44,890
It's interesting.

1095
00:40:46,370 --> 00:40:48,690
Verse 3, would it not be better for

1096
00:40:48,690 --> 00:40:49,850
us to go back to Egypt?

1097
00:40:51,490 --> 00:40:54,090
Wow, I mean, lacking courage, being discouraged, it's

1098
00:40:54,090 --> 00:40:55,530
not just that it led them to do

1099
00:40:55,530 --> 00:40:55,810
nothing.

1100
00:40:56,030 --> 00:40:57,910
They actually wanted to go further in reverse.

1101
00:40:59,610 --> 00:41:02,170
So, I'd ask you this, is there a

1102
00:41:02,170 --> 00:41:02,650
direction?

1103
00:41:04,010 --> 00:41:06,750
You are no longer moving forward right now

1104
00:41:06,750 --> 00:41:08,950
in your life because you are discouraged.

1105
00:41:11,420 --> 00:41:12,980
Is there some direction?

1106
00:41:13,100 --> 00:41:15,080
You had confidence in God to go in

1107
00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:17,320
this direction, and now you're not.

1108
00:41:17,460 --> 00:41:19,200
You're not doing whatever it is the Lord

1109
00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:21,500
had burdened and called you to do because

1110
00:41:21,500 --> 00:41:22,640
you've been discouraged.

1111
00:41:23,060 --> 00:41:25,000
You've kind of thrown in the towel.

1112
00:41:26,700 --> 00:41:27,600
That's the question.

1113
00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:28,720
Ask yourself that.

1114
00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:31,760
Why do we get discouraged?

1115
00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:33,400
We saw it there, right?

1116
00:41:33,660 --> 00:41:34,600
Unexpected things.

1117
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:37,360
I didn't expect the antic to be there.

1118
00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:40,220
If they weren't there, we could have gone

1119
00:41:40,220 --> 00:41:40,640
on.

1120
00:41:42,180 --> 00:41:44,360
But brethren, our whole lives are full of

1121
00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:45,560
things that are totally unexpected.

1122
00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:49,380
When I followed Christ 15 years ago, I

1123
00:41:49,380 --> 00:41:51,600
had no idea what trials I was going

1124
00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:51,980
to face.

1125
00:41:52,100 --> 00:41:52,940
Neither did you.

1126
00:41:53,860 --> 00:41:55,520
Hard trials are not the issue.

1127
00:41:55,980 --> 00:41:58,920
The issue is how do you respond in

1128
00:41:58,920 --> 00:41:59,980
the midst of a hard trial?

1129
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:01,000
Don't blame the trial.

1130
00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:03,340
If you lack courage and you get depressed

1131
00:42:03,340 --> 00:42:06,540
and discouraged in it, that's your own response

1132
00:42:06,540 --> 00:42:07,440
of unbelief.

1133
00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:08,520
The fault's on you.

1134
00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:09,440
It's not on the Lord.

1135
00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:10,360
It's not on the trial.

1136
00:42:10,460 --> 00:42:11,700
We need to believe the Lord in the

1137
00:42:11,700 --> 00:42:12,480
midst of the trial.

1138
00:42:14,720 --> 00:42:15,140
You know what?

1139
00:42:15,180 --> 00:42:17,040
There's going to be cruel comments made by

1140
00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:19,120
onlookers telling us to look back.

1141
00:42:19,780 --> 00:42:21,700
Telling us God's abandoned you.

1142
00:42:22,180 --> 00:42:23,560
Telling you that there's no hope.

1143
00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:25,800
And does that affect you?

1144
00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:27,720
Does that discouragement, does it affect you?

1145
00:42:27,740 --> 00:42:28,980
Does it drive you to despair?

1146
00:42:30,620 --> 00:42:33,720
Joshua and Caleb, apart from them, the ten

1147
00:42:33,720 --> 00:42:35,880
other spies, they sinned against their brothers.

1148
00:42:36,580 --> 00:42:39,100
They sinned against them by discouraging them from

1149
00:42:39,100 --> 00:42:40,380
going in God's way.

1150
00:42:41,260 --> 00:42:43,100
And you and I too can discourage the

1151
00:42:43,100 --> 00:42:44,380
hearts of the brethren.

1152
00:42:44,460 --> 00:42:45,060
Listen to this.

1153
00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:46,260
Deuteronomy 20, v.

1154
00:42:46,300 --> 00:42:46,580
8.

1155
00:42:47,140 --> 00:42:49,700
The officers shall speak further to the people

1156
00:42:49,700 --> 00:42:52,140
and say, is there any man who is

1157
00:42:52,140 --> 00:42:53,300
fearful and fainthearted?

1158
00:42:53,300 --> 00:42:56,810
What does he tell them to do?

1159
00:42:58,270 --> 00:43:00,110
Let him go back to his house.

1160
00:43:01,050 --> 00:43:01,430
Why?

1161
00:43:03,780 --> 00:43:08,080
Yeah, lest he make the heart of his

1162
00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:09,420
fellows melt like his own.

1163
00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:10,060
Isn't that interesting?

1164
00:43:10,220 --> 00:43:11,740
Your heart starts melting.

1165
00:43:12,340 --> 00:43:13,880
You fall into discouragement.

1166
00:43:14,540 --> 00:43:15,420
You know what might happen?

1167
00:43:15,720 --> 00:43:17,580
You might have other people's hearts melt.

1168
00:43:18,340 --> 00:43:19,720
You might cause that to happen.

1169
00:43:20,780 --> 00:43:22,620
And it was so serious here, he's telling

1170
00:43:22,620 --> 00:43:25,100
those who are causing this discouragement in the

1171
00:43:25,100 --> 00:43:27,080
midst of the war, go home.

1172
00:43:27,940 --> 00:43:30,280
Don't stay there and negatively affect others.

1173
00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:32,880
Brethren, I don't want to be a negative

1174
00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:35,480
effect of discouragement upon any of you.

1175
00:43:35,680 --> 00:43:37,160
And I hope you don't want to be

1176
00:43:37,160 --> 00:43:37,980
that either.

1177
00:43:38,980 --> 00:43:41,240
We're all trying with joy to follow the

1178
00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:43,120
Lord, to be encouraged in Christ in the

1179
00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:44,800
midst of trials, in the midst of seeing

1180
00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:48,540
things that we might not have expected when

1181
00:43:48,540 --> 00:43:51,580
we embarked in this life of faith, not

1182
00:43:51,580 --> 00:43:52,640
a life of sight.

1183
00:43:53,180 --> 00:43:54,060
It's faith.

1184
00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:55,420
It's faith.

1185
00:43:56,820 --> 00:44:00,060
So is there anyone that maybe they've made

1186
00:44:00,060 --> 00:44:01,980
comments to you based on what they saw

1187
00:44:01,980 --> 00:44:03,240
and it left you discouraged?

1188
00:44:04,300 --> 00:44:06,220
Or maybe you've done the same thing.

1189
00:44:07,240 --> 00:44:08,980
As I said, what if one of us

1190
00:44:08,980 --> 00:44:11,060
elders leading a prayer meeting, a Sunday service,

1191
00:44:11,160 --> 00:44:13,760
what if we've made a comment that discourages

1192
00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:14,460
your faith?

1193
00:44:15,560 --> 00:44:17,400
What if we want to be like Joshua

1194
00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:19,380
and Caleb, but who says we have perfectly

1195
00:44:19,380 --> 00:44:19,940
been that?

1196
00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:20,620
I don't know.

1197
00:44:23,290 --> 00:44:25,990
When we're vulnerable, when we're discouraged, that's the

1198
00:44:25,990 --> 00:44:27,170
time to strike, right?

1199
00:44:27,650 --> 00:44:30,490
Anahithophel, a very, very wise counselor, he told

1200
00:44:30,490 --> 00:44:33,570
Absalom that, listen to this, 2 Samuel 17,

1201
00:44:33,850 --> 00:44:36,010
I will come upon David while he is

1202
00:44:36,010 --> 00:44:37,350
weary and discouraged.

1203
00:44:38,910 --> 00:44:39,710
You hear that?

1204
00:44:39,730 --> 00:44:41,270
That's an opportune time for the enemy.

1205
00:44:41,390 --> 00:44:42,110
You're discouraged?

1206
00:44:42,390 --> 00:44:46,430
Man, let's attack and throw him into a

1207
00:44:46,430 --> 00:44:46,870
panic.

1208
00:44:47,830 --> 00:44:49,230
And all the people who are with him

1209
00:44:49,230 --> 00:44:49,870
will flee.

1210
00:44:49,870 --> 00:44:50,130
Wow!

1211
00:44:51,490 --> 00:44:53,510
I mean, in one moment, it's like the

1212
00:44:53,510 --> 00:44:55,610
enemy sees they're discouraged, let's strike.

1213
00:44:55,950 --> 00:44:57,950
Let's get them all to just flee and

1214
00:44:57,950 --> 00:44:58,370
separate.

1215
00:44:58,970 --> 00:45:01,310
Let's divide them all from David and keep

1216
00:45:01,310 --> 00:45:02,010
them advancing.

1217
00:45:02,110 --> 00:45:03,290
That didn't happen, brethren.

1218
00:45:03,790 --> 00:45:07,150
They arose, God protected them, and David eventually

1219
00:45:07,150 --> 00:45:08,450
took the throne again.

1220
00:45:10,510 --> 00:45:12,210
And as I said, maybe there's someone you

1221
00:45:12,210 --> 00:45:13,070
should discourage.

1222
00:45:13,270 --> 00:45:15,330
Maybe there's a path someone's going on and

1223
00:45:15,330 --> 00:45:17,510
you look at everything there and you feel

1224
00:45:17,510 --> 00:45:18,350
like there's no way.

1225
00:45:19,370 --> 00:45:20,990
I mean, they're trying to go marry an

1226
00:45:20,990 --> 00:45:22,670
unbeliever or something like that.

1227
00:45:22,750 --> 00:45:24,070
You should discourage them.

1228
00:45:24,770 --> 00:45:26,410
When they meet with you and they go

1229
00:45:26,410 --> 00:45:28,470
away saying, I feel really discouraged about marrying

1230
00:45:28,470 --> 00:45:30,930
this unbeliever after the meeting, yeah, they should

1231
00:45:30,930 --> 00:45:33,070
feel really discouraged about marrying the unbeliever because

1232
00:45:33,070 --> 00:45:35,070
marrying the unbeliever, it's not the will of

1233
00:45:35,070 --> 00:45:35,410
God.

1234
00:45:40,480 --> 00:45:42,700
Look at the despair the people had due

1235
00:45:42,700 --> 00:45:44,200
to the spies' bad report.

1236
00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:46,020
We already kind of saw it.

1237
00:45:46,080 --> 00:45:48,080
14, verses 2 and 3, they grumbled.

1238
00:45:48,620 --> 00:45:49,820
Just look at all the moaning.

1239
00:45:50,190 --> 00:45:51,400
Oh, that we had died.

1240
00:45:52,960 --> 00:45:54,540
Oh, we fell by the sword.

1241
00:45:54,640 --> 00:45:56,280
Oh, our wives, our little ones, they're going

1242
00:45:56,280 --> 00:45:57,060
to become prey.

1243
00:45:57,960 --> 00:46:00,620
You can't imagine even being there in person.

1244
00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:03,100
Just seeing all of that happening.

1245
00:46:03,300 --> 00:46:03,880
The grumbling.

1246
00:46:04,140 --> 00:46:06,660
And often, grumbling goes hand in hand with

1247
00:46:06,660 --> 00:46:07,280
discouragement.

1248
00:46:07,680 --> 00:46:09,740
Someone who's discouraged, they tend to just grumble

1249
00:46:09,740 --> 00:46:10,220
a lot.

1250
00:46:11,060 --> 00:46:11,240
Right?

1251
00:46:12,020 --> 00:46:14,840
They're already lacking confidence in the Lord.

1252
00:46:15,460 --> 00:46:17,820
Their discouragement causes them to be a grumbler.

1253
00:46:17,820 --> 00:46:21,680
And ultimately, that was them not trusting the

1254
00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:21,980
Lord.

1255
00:46:26,150 --> 00:46:27,630
How can we encourage others?

1256
00:46:28,270 --> 00:46:31,870
Well, by not being discouraged.

1257
00:46:32,410 --> 00:46:33,990
You know how encouraging it is when you

1258
00:46:33,990 --> 00:46:34,730
talk to someone?

1259
00:46:35,070 --> 00:46:36,450
And you might think, are they discouraged?

1260
00:46:36,830 --> 00:46:37,430
Are they not?

1261
00:46:37,710 --> 00:46:39,530
And you find out they're full of encouragement.

1262
00:46:40,030 --> 00:46:41,050
What does that do to you?

1263
00:46:42,450 --> 00:46:43,510
It tends to encourage you.

1264
00:46:44,590 --> 00:46:45,330
Think about Paul.

1265
00:46:45,450 --> 00:46:47,730
Philippians 1.14 Most of the brothers having

1266
00:46:47,730 --> 00:46:50,490
become confident in the Lord because of what?

1267
00:46:52,170 --> 00:46:53,930
Because of my imprisonment.

1268
00:46:55,290 --> 00:46:57,110
Paul's there rejoicing in prison.

1269
00:46:57,270 --> 00:46:59,490
It causes the brethren to become more confident.

1270
00:46:59,750 --> 00:47:01,430
And then he says this, they are much

1271
00:47:01,430 --> 00:47:03,950
more bold to speak the Word without fear.

1272
00:47:04,410 --> 00:47:07,630
You see, Paul's response in the trials of

1273
00:47:07,630 --> 00:47:10,390
trusting the Lord despite what he saw, him

1274
00:47:10,390 --> 00:47:12,850
being encouraged in the trial did what?

1275
00:47:12,910 --> 00:47:14,190
It encouraged others.

1276
00:47:15,130 --> 00:47:18,550
Just you being encouraged and happy in Jesus

1277
00:47:19,190 --> 00:47:21,570
has an incredible effect on the life of

1278
00:47:21,570 --> 00:47:22,270
the church.

1279
00:47:22,690 --> 00:47:25,250
Don't look at that as something small.

1280
00:47:25,730 --> 00:47:28,050
Just you being confident in the Lord while

1281
00:47:28,050 --> 00:47:30,650
you're in prison can lead others to have

1282
00:47:30,650 --> 00:47:32,290
a confidence in Christ.

1283
00:47:32,410 --> 00:47:33,330
We see that with Paul.

1284
00:47:33,870 --> 00:47:35,310
So how can you encourage others?

1285
00:47:35,550 --> 00:47:37,870
By being encouraged in whatever you're facing right

1286
00:47:37,870 --> 00:47:38,810
now, brother and sister.

1287
00:47:40,450 --> 00:47:41,610
How can we be encouraged?

1288
00:47:41,810 --> 00:47:43,090
By being in the Word of God.

1289
00:47:43,090 --> 00:47:46,310
We read this in Romans 14 that these

1290
00:47:46,310 --> 00:47:48,050
things are written down, that the God of

1291
00:47:48,050 --> 00:47:52,270
endurance and the God of encouragement may grant

1292
00:47:52,270 --> 00:47:54,390
you to live in such harmony with one

1293
00:47:54,390 --> 00:47:55,430
another.

1294
00:47:55,670 --> 00:47:57,850
And he says that through endurance and through

1295
00:47:57,850 --> 00:48:00,630
the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have

1296
00:48:00,630 --> 00:48:00,850
hope.

1297
00:48:01,390 --> 00:48:02,730
When you go to the Bible, you're going

1298
00:48:02,730 --> 00:48:03,290
to be encouraged.

1299
00:48:04,310 --> 00:48:05,890
You want to be encouraged, you be in

1300
00:48:05,890 --> 00:48:06,270
the Bible.

1301
00:48:06,350 --> 00:48:07,910
You be in the Bible, you be memorizing

1302
00:48:07,910 --> 00:48:10,450
the Scriptures, you start studying the Bible more

1303
00:48:10,450 --> 00:48:12,670
and more, you believe the promises of God,

1304
00:48:12,670 --> 00:48:14,490
you trust the promises of God, you write

1305
00:48:14,490 --> 00:48:15,690
them on your heart, you put them on

1306
00:48:15,690 --> 00:48:17,990
your wall, and you're going to find yourself

1307
00:48:17,990 --> 00:48:20,670
being encouraged because what's going to happen when

1308
00:48:20,670 --> 00:48:22,490
Satan tries to twist a verse like he

1309
00:48:22,490 --> 00:48:23,130
did to Christ?

1310
00:48:23,210 --> 00:48:25,030
You're going to have a counterattack from another

1311
00:48:25,030 --> 00:48:26,570
verse and you're going to win the battle.

1312
00:48:27,330 --> 00:48:28,930
You're not going to be consumed by the

1313
00:48:28,930 --> 00:48:29,610
lie of the enemy.

1314
00:48:30,470 --> 00:48:32,050
You might even feel what they felt in

1315
00:48:32,050 --> 00:48:35,530
Luke 24 as Christ taught them from the

1316
00:48:35,530 --> 00:48:37,510
Old Testament Scriptures of how it all pointed

1317
00:48:37,510 --> 00:48:37,990
to Him.

1318
00:48:38,270 --> 00:48:40,270
It says their hearts burned within us.

1319
00:48:40,270 --> 00:48:42,790
I mean, the more my heart burns from

1320
00:48:42,790 --> 00:48:44,870
truth from who the Lord is and from

1321
00:48:44,870 --> 00:48:46,050
His Word, I'm not going to be in

1322
00:48:46,050 --> 00:48:46,530
encouragement.

1323
00:48:48,170 --> 00:48:50,350
Then we'll have, as Hebrews 6.18 says,

1324
00:48:50,410 --> 00:48:53,750
we'll have strong encouragement because of all these

1325
00:48:53,750 --> 00:48:55,850
things that God has promised who does not

1326
00:48:55,850 --> 00:48:58,470
lie, we'll have strong encouragement to hold fast

1327
00:48:58,470 --> 00:49:00,970
to the hope that is set before us.

1328
00:49:05,400 --> 00:49:07,380
So yeah, what is your perspective in whatever

1329
00:49:07,380 --> 00:49:07,920
you're facing?

1330
00:49:09,020 --> 00:49:11,340
They said our enemies are like bread.

1331
00:49:12,080 --> 00:49:14,740
Brethren, what you're facing right now, that trial,

1332
00:49:14,860 --> 00:49:15,420
it's like bread.

1333
00:49:17,100 --> 00:49:18,080
What do you do with bread?

1334
00:49:18,860 --> 00:49:19,400
Eat it.

1335
00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:22,580
I mean, look at the antic over there,

1336
00:49:22,600 --> 00:49:23,100
the giants.

1337
00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:24,160
Look at a piece of bread.

1338
00:49:24,660 --> 00:49:25,640
What's more intimidating?

1339
00:49:27,380 --> 00:49:28,520
The antic over there.

1340
00:49:28,620 --> 00:49:29,820
When you view them as what they are

1341
00:49:29,820 --> 00:49:31,660
in God's eyes, a piece of bread, sit

1342
00:49:31,660 --> 00:49:33,020
down and get the knife out and start

1343
00:49:33,020 --> 00:49:33,280
eating.

1344
00:49:34,380 --> 00:49:38,500
View your trial through the perspective that the

1345
00:49:38,500 --> 00:49:40,140
Lord says in His Word and you will

1346
00:49:40,140 --> 00:49:41,120
find encouragement.

1347
00:49:47,120 --> 00:49:51,260
So, what satanically inspired discouragement in your life

1348
00:49:51,260 --> 00:49:53,600
right now is causing you to lack courage

1349
00:49:53,600 --> 00:49:55,440
to do something right now as a Christian?

1350
00:49:55,820 --> 00:49:57,580
Or is there anyone in the church that

1351
00:49:57,580 --> 00:50:00,020
you're causing to be discouraged by statements of

1352
00:50:00,020 --> 00:50:00,700
unbelief?

1353
00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:04,980
Or even this, the discouragement you and I

1354
00:50:04,980 --> 00:50:07,080
face, do we act in a similar way

1355
00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:07,960
to our children?

1356
00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:09,260
Listen to Colossians 3.

1357
00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:11,900
Fathers, do not provoke your children lest what

1358
00:50:11,900 --> 00:50:12,340
happens?

1359
00:50:13,560 --> 00:50:15,080
They become discouraged.

1360
00:50:16,360 --> 00:50:17,500
You realize that, parents?

1361
00:50:18,400 --> 00:50:20,360
It's not just, oh, I'm a discouragement to

1362
00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:21,340
the brethren at times.

1363
00:50:21,440 --> 00:50:23,100
You could be that to your children where

1364
00:50:23,100 --> 00:50:27,720
you exasperate them with discouragement by your perfectionist

1365
00:50:27,720 --> 00:50:31,340
mindset or your harsh, impatient parenting with no

1366
00:50:31,340 --> 00:50:34,120
humility and not apologizing for the ways you

1367
00:50:34,120 --> 00:50:35,040
sin against them.

1368
00:50:36,180 --> 00:50:38,840
That's going to be a discouragement to them.

1369
00:50:40,580 --> 00:50:43,100
Here, another question is who is someone today

1370
00:50:43,100 --> 00:50:45,280
that you can speak a word of encouragement

1371
00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:47,220
to and build up who's going through a

1372
00:50:47,220 --> 00:50:47,560
trial?

1373
00:50:48,540 --> 00:50:50,900
You want to have an environment of encouragement

1374
00:50:50,900 --> 00:50:52,660
in the church and people have encouragement?

1375
00:50:52,760 --> 00:50:53,620
You be an encouragement.

1376
00:50:54,160 --> 00:50:58,020
Who can I encourage today who's going through

1377
00:50:58,020 --> 00:50:58,420
a trial?

1378
00:50:58,500 --> 00:50:59,860
Maybe they're not going through a trial.

1379
00:50:59,980 --> 00:51:01,420
Who can I give encouragement to?

1380
00:51:03,540 --> 00:51:06,540
Another question, is there a situation you're facing

1381
00:51:06,540 --> 00:51:09,220
in which you are stuck dwelling on we

1382
00:51:09,220 --> 00:51:09,940
are not able?

1383
00:51:11,660 --> 00:51:13,740
Any of you thinking that this morning?

1384
00:51:13,840 --> 00:51:15,800
Is there some situation where you're saying we're

1385
00:51:15,800 --> 00:51:16,320
not able?

1386
00:51:17,200 --> 00:51:18,860
Maybe you're like those in v.

1387
00:51:18,860 --> 00:51:19,940
14 too, right?

1388
00:51:19,940 --> 00:51:21,800
Our wives and our little ones will become

1389
00:51:21,800 --> 00:51:22,100
prey.

1390
00:51:22,420 --> 00:51:25,500
Maybe your overprotective nature of your family is

1391
00:51:25,500 --> 00:51:28,760
preventing you from doing something in faith that

1392
00:51:28,760 --> 00:51:30,700
is actually what God wants you to do.

1393
00:51:36,550 --> 00:51:38,610
Well, we're about out of time.

1394
00:51:41,070 --> 00:51:43,210
One reason this is a real warning to

1395
00:51:43,210 --> 00:51:44,830
us here with the Israelites is they had

1396
00:51:44,830 --> 00:51:47,410
40 years or more to think about the

1397
00:51:47,410 --> 00:51:50,430
very lack of faith their fathers had, and

1398
00:51:50,430 --> 00:51:53,210
in the end, even with that example, they

1399
00:51:53,210 --> 00:51:55,730
go and they do something similar in v.

1400
00:51:55,730 --> 00:51:56,250
32.

1401
00:51:57,190 --> 00:51:59,730
And so, my whole point here is I'm

1402
00:51:59,730 --> 00:52:03,210
hoping we will be an encouragement to this

1403
00:52:03,210 --> 00:52:05,630
current generation in this church.

1404
00:52:05,750 --> 00:52:07,070
We don't want to be a discouragement.

1405
00:52:07,550 --> 00:52:10,410
2 Chronicles 32 Be strong and courageous.

1406
00:52:11,050 --> 00:52:13,610
Do not be afraid or dismayed before the

1407
00:52:13,610 --> 00:52:16,270
King of Assyria and all the horde that

1408
00:52:16,270 --> 00:52:17,070
is with Him.

1409
00:52:17,710 --> 00:52:19,970
For there are more with us than with

1410
00:52:19,970 --> 00:52:20,350
Him.

1411
00:52:20,990 --> 00:52:23,050
With Him is an arm of flesh.

1412
00:52:23,550 --> 00:52:26,230
But with us is the Lord our God

1413
00:52:26,230 --> 00:52:29,330
to help us and to fight our battles.

1414
00:52:30,790 --> 00:52:32,590
Brethren, we've got to believe that.

1415
00:52:33,290 --> 00:52:34,770
Be strong and courageous.

1416
00:52:34,950 --> 00:52:38,210
Do not be afraid at the horde because

1417
00:52:38,210 --> 00:52:39,270
the Lord's with us.

1418
00:52:39,730 --> 00:52:40,970
The Lord is with us.

1419
00:52:44,500 --> 00:52:45,540
You want to be encouraged?

1420
00:52:46,200 --> 00:52:47,500
What's your prayer life like?

1421
00:52:49,040 --> 00:52:51,200
You commit things to the Lord in prayer

1422
00:52:51,200 --> 00:52:52,940
when you have a sense of fear entering

1423
00:52:52,940 --> 00:52:54,000
in or discouragement?

1424
00:52:55,020 --> 00:52:56,240
You get discouraged.

1425
00:52:56,380 --> 00:52:57,780
Someone says something to you today.

1426
00:52:57,840 --> 00:52:58,680
It discourages you.

1427
00:52:58,740 --> 00:52:59,680
It makes you lose heart.

1428
00:53:00,000 --> 00:53:00,900
Do you go and pray?

1429
00:53:01,980 --> 00:53:04,280
Listen to Lloyd-Jones from his biography.

1430
00:53:04,900 --> 00:53:08,520
For MLJ, prayer was primarily fellowship with God.

1431
00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:11,740
He abhorred any attitude which tended to represent

1432
00:53:11,740 --> 00:53:13,920
it as a means of getting results.

1433
00:53:14,500 --> 00:53:17,180
His testimony was to God, not to prayer.

1434
00:53:17,720 --> 00:53:20,020
But one cannot truly draw near to God

1435
00:53:20,020 --> 00:53:21,140
without being affected.

1436
00:53:21,460 --> 00:53:24,880
In the words of John Flable, prayer begets

1437
00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:29,480
and maintains a holy courage in evil times

1438
00:53:29,480 --> 00:53:32,860
when all things about you tend to discouragement.

1439
00:53:33,960 --> 00:53:35,080
This is why I read this.

1440
00:53:35,220 --> 00:53:37,800
It is your being with Jesus that makes

1441
00:53:37,800 --> 00:53:38,500
you bold.

1442
00:53:39,540 --> 00:53:41,920
And he appeals to Acts 4.13. He

1443
00:53:41,920 --> 00:53:44,280
that is used to being before a great

1444
00:53:44,280 --> 00:53:47,500
God, he who is used to being before

1445
00:53:47,500 --> 00:53:50,180
a great God will not be afraid to

1446
00:53:50,180 --> 00:53:52,900
look such little things as men in the

1447
00:53:52,900 --> 00:53:53,300
face.

1448
00:53:55,260 --> 00:53:55,860
Let's pray.

1449
00:53:58,770 --> 00:54:00,990
Father, Lord, that is so true.

1450
00:54:01,090 --> 00:54:02,630
The more that we are before You and

1451
00:54:02,630 --> 00:54:05,330
Your greatness, Lord, the more we'll see all

1452
00:54:05,330 --> 00:54:07,450
of humanity as but grasshoppers, Lord.

1453
00:54:07,470 --> 00:54:09,070
All of our enemies as but a loaf

1454
00:54:09,070 --> 00:54:10,730
of bread on the table there to be

1455
00:54:10,730 --> 00:54:11,610
eaten and conquered.

1456
00:54:13,090 --> 00:54:15,570
Lord, forgive us of the ways that we

1457
00:54:15,570 --> 00:54:17,090
have not trusted You.

1458
00:54:17,090 --> 00:54:22,770
And, Father, Lord, I feel like I didn't

1459
00:54:22,770 --> 00:54:24,810
get to say everything I necessarily wanted to

1460
00:54:24,810 --> 00:54:26,570
say during this time, but Lord, I pray

1461
00:54:26,570 --> 00:54:29,830
nonetheless, use this word to, yes, Lord, I

1462
00:54:29,830 --> 00:54:32,870
pray that brethren, one outcome would be brethren

1463
00:54:32,870 --> 00:54:35,030
being more of an encouragement to one another

1464
00:54:35,030 --> 00:54:37,650
in their speech even today, Lord, even in

1465
00:54:37,650 --> 00:54:38,550
the weeks ahead.

1466
00:54:39,130 --> 00:54:40,850
And Lord, part of that I think is,

1467
00:54:41,050 --> 00:54:44,450
Father, do cause us to be gripped more

1468
00:54:44,450 --> 00:54:47,350
and more with the wickedness of being a

1469
00:54:47,350 --> 00:54:48,630
discouragement to others.

1470
00:54:48,750 --> 00:54:50,230
Lord, that we would look at it like

1471
00:54:50,230 --> 00:54:51,530
J.O. Frazier said.

1472
00:54:52,650 --> 00:54:54,970
View discouragement as any other sin.

1473
00:54:55,650 --> 00:54:57,170
And so, Lord, give us courage.

1474
00:54:57,490 --> 00:54:58,910
Give us confidence in You.

1475
00:54:58,990 --> 00:55:02,390
Father, wherever a sheep here today is lacking

1476
00:55:02,390 --> 00:55:04,850
confidence in You and in Your promises and

1477
00:55:04,850 --> 00:55:06,890
what You have said, Lord, I pray that

1478
00:55:06,890 --> 00:55:08,570
You would break through into their life.

1479
00:55:08,670 --> 00:55:11,130
You'd give them faith to trust You, to

1480
00:55:11,130 --> 00:55:11,830
believe You.

1481
00:55:11,970 --> 00:55:13,030
Lord, to not doubt You.

1482
00:55:13,130 --> 00:55:14,990
Lord, to not look at what they saw

1483
00:55:15,550 --> 00:55:17,490
and say that God is not able.

1484
00:55:18,390 --> 00:55:21,210
Lord, to look and to say, yes, I've

1485
00:55:21,210 --> 00:55:21,870
learned the secret.

1486
00:55:21,970 --> 00:55:23,670
I can do all things through Christ who

1487
00:55:23,670 --> 00:55:24,410
strengthens me.

1488
00:55:24,490 --> 00:55:27,070
Lord, whatever the circumstance, Lord, Your strength is

1489
00:55:27,070 --> 00:55:27,370
there.

1490
00:55:27,790 --> 00:55:29,250
Lord, help us to believe You.

1491
00:55:30,070 --> 00:55:31,750
Lord, be with us now even in this

1492
00:55:31,750 --> 00:55:32,790
time of fellowship.

1493
00:55:33,370 --> 00:55:35,230
In Christ's name, Amen.