We have received such great feedback from this series.  So many of us in this spiritual family are walking through very difficult things.   And this series has really hit home.   Today we continue the story.  If you were with us last week, you heard about the rebellion.  Sam told the story about Moses’ brother and sister starting a rebellion.  It was pretty intense because Scripture said, ‘God heard them.’  What was the cause of the rebellion?  Comparison.   Sam explained how comparing grows.   I stop celebrating. I start criticizing.   Then I start gossiping.  And that gossip leads to division and pain.  It was a great talk.

Let’s jump into today’s scripture.

Numbers 13:1 The Lord now said to Moses, 2 “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.” 3 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He sent out twelve men, all tribal leaders of Israel, from their camp in the wilderness of Paran.  

…23 When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also brought back samples of the pomegranates and figs.

…25 After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. 27 This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country - a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.”

30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

Numbers 14:1 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. 2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. 3 “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!” 

…11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt [despise me TLB]? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?” NLT

This is heartbreaking.   After everything God did for them, they still are living lives in fear.  Everything God promised them was real.  They saw it.  They experienced it.  They brought back samples of it.  All twelve spies confirmed it.  They have made it to the promised land.  You would think they would be so grateful.  You would think they would be so full of joy.  You would think this moment would inject faith, courage, and passion into their souls.   But it doesn’t.  Their two-year journey has been marked by constant complaints.   Constant questioning of God.   Constant fear.  They simply refused to relax and enjoy God.  It’s a maddening story to read.  They can see the promised land, and they want to go back to slavery.  

Let’s read what God thought about this.

Psalms 95:9-11 They tried my patience. And I was provoked - oh, was I provoked! ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes? Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’ Exasperated, I exploded, ‘They’ll never get where they’re headed, never be able to sit down and rest.’ MSG

They wore God out.  You read this story, and you wonder, ‘Oh my word, how is that possible?’  Who would do that?  Who would see the promised land and not be filled with gratitude, passion, and joy?   Well, the answer is we would.  We do.  Their story is our story.  

They are moments away from experiencing everything God promised them.  They sent twelve spies to spy out the land.  All twelve came back with the same report: the land is amazing.   Then everything changed in verse 28.   Do you remember how verse 28 started?   'But'.  

But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there… 33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too! NLT

Get this.  They know who God is.  They experienced God over and over.  They have seen the power of God.  Their response?  God is amazing, but.  But the cities are fortified, and the people are big.

That’s the same as us saying today, I know God is in control.  I know God is good and loving.  I know God has provided everything in my life.  I know God died for my sins, and I will be in heaven someday.  But.’  But the world I live in is scary.  But my life is hard.  But there is so much going on in my life.  But I’m tired.  I don’t know if God will come through for me.  But I am checked out.  And so, for all of those reasons, I can’t follow Jesus.  

Ten spies saw every reason not to trust God.  They saw milk, honey, and fruit.  They saw fortified cities.  Strong people.  Giants.   And as they walked through the land, they felt small compared to the people.  They were filled with insecurities, worry, and fear.  They concluded, We can’t go into the promised land.  In God’s word in Psalm 95, they despised God and what He was doing.  

Caleb and Joshua saw the same things.  They saw what God promised them.  They saw every reason to trust God.  They saw milk, honey, and fruit.  They saw fortified cities.  Strong people.  Giants.   They were also small compared to the people.  They had faith, courage, and passion.  It led them to love God and what God was doing.  They concluded, Let’s go today and conquer the land.

All twelve spies saw the same thing and agreed the land was awesome.  Why two radically different conclusions?  We find the answer in Psalms 95.

Psalms 95:10 Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes? MSG

The answer is, for the ten spies, ‘No’.  And because ten spies didn’t focus on God, they could only see every reason not to follow God.  What filled their lives?  Complaints.   Questioning God.  Fear, doubt, worry.  They concluded, we can’t go into the promised land.

Sadly, the story gets worse.   Because of the ten spies' report, they wanted to find a leader to take them back to slavery.  I want you to see this.  The negative report was contagious.  Because the ten spies were not focused on God’s promises, they could only see every reason not to trust God.  That lack of faith led to a negative report.  That negative report led to complaints.  The complaints led to questioning God.  Questioning God led to fear spreading through the community.  It all concluded when they rebelled against God.   In God’s words, they despised Him.

I started today by saying this story is heartbreaking.  We read it and think, that’s crazy.  We think it would have been so easy to follow God.  We think, if I were there, obviously, I would have never acted like that.  Truth is, this story is about us.  Let’s talk about it.  

First, I already shared that the negative report was contagious.  I don’t think we will ever fully understand the damage lack of faith creates.

Did you know that a lack of faith prevented Jesus from performing all the miracles He wanted?

Mark 6:1 Jesus left that place and went back to his hometown, followed by his disciples. …“What wisdom is this that has been given him? How does he perform miracles? 3 Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren't his sisters living here?” And so they rejected him. 4 Jesus said to them, “Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their relatives and their family.” 5 He was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 He was greatly surprised, because the people did not have faith. GNT

Did you know that the lack of faith had the power to push against Jesus like that?

Lack of faith is a way of living that says, ‘I don’t trust God.’  And because I don’t trust God, I’m not going to give my life to God.  I’m not going to pursue God.  I’m not going to orient my life around God.  I will do life on my own.  I will do life based on what makes sense to me.  I will make decisions based on my comfort.  And when we live lives that don’t put our trust in God, what happens?   Our hearts are closed off and go dark.   What we don’t see is that our hearts can become hard-hearted, negative, and sarcastic.  And it is contagious.  It has the power to spread like wildfire.  In an individual heart.  In a family.   At church.  At work.  Sports teams.   Everywhere.  This is very spiritual and has huge implications.  

The whole point of being freed from Egypt was to go to the promised land.  The Children of Israel knew that.  They knew God’s promises.  They experienced God.  They could now see the promised land.  When the ten spies shared the negative report, it went against God’s promises.  It wasn't about positivity.  It was about going against what God wanted.  This story isn't about being positive and imagining future success.  It's about lack of faith and trust in God.  And the result was devastating.   

You should ask yourself, Am I closed off to what God is doing?

The second thing we see in this story is that God wanted to give them the promised land.  But they would have to fight for it.  And God promised them victory.  It’s the same for us today.  God wants us to experience spiritual freedom, joy, and healing, but we must fight for it.  

Ephesians 4:17-19 And so I insist - and God backs me up on this - that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything - and I do mean everything - connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life - a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. MSG

Do you see it?  There is a way of living that just does what everyone else does.  Scripture here describes it as empty-headed, mindless.  They don’t deal with God.  They lose touch with reality.  Can’t think straight anymore.  God is saying, that’s no life for you.  Get rid of it. Renew your life from the inside.  That means there is work to be done.

Please understand, we are saved by grace.  That’s a free gift; we don’t have to earn that.  But to live a godly life, we have work to do.  We don’t coast like the empty-headed, mindless crowd refusing to deal with God.

The Children of Israel saw the promised land.  They saw the fortified cities.  They saw strong people.  They saw giants.  And they concluded, it’s too much.  We won’t win.  It’s the same today when we know something is not right, and we ignore it.  My marriage is off; we are losing our connection, but I’m going to ignore it.  It's too much to deal with.  It's exactly what the Children of Israel decided.  Things in my life, like anxiety and depression, are growing, but I'm going to ignore them by getting busy, or alcohol, or smoking weed.  It’s too much to deal with.  It's exactly what the Children of Israel decided.  I’ve been hurt in my life.  I have been unfairly wounded in my life, and I don’t want to deal with it.  I’m going to just check out in life and always do the least possible.  It’s too much to deal with.  Please hear me.  The promised land is there for you to walk into.  Spiritual freedom is there for you.  But you will have to fight for it.  And God will give you victory.

This leads me to my last point.  The passive Christian doesn’t enter the promised land.  I don’t know if you can be passive and be a Christian, but I do know this: the passive Christian doesn’t experience victories in their life.

James 2:19 Are there still some among you who hold that “only believing” is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too - so strongly that they tremble in terror! 20 Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. TLB

Believing and coasting isn’t enough.  James says demons do that.  That’s not being a Christian.  But our faith, if it’s real, shows up in our choices, our behaviors.  What does it mean to be passive?  It’s a way of living where we just don’t care.  It’s the passive husband or father who doesn’t lead themselves or others spiritually.  They're checked out.  They won’t be honest with their wives; they don’t want to rock the boat; they just want to keep the peace.  It’s the passive wife or mom who doesn’t lead themselves or others spiritually.  They are just trying to get to the next ‘Me’ day.   Or wine o-clock.  The passive person who doesn’t really care about their character when no one is around.  

And when it comes to God, the church, and the mission of Jesus, the passive person has no passion for it.  They think it’s someone else’s job to care.   Jesus is sitting on His throne in deep heaven and is building His kingdom on this earth called the church.  And we are anointed by the Holy Spirit to build His church.  It's a huge honor.  And the passive person doesn't care.  They don't see it.  And when the pastor challenges people from Jesus’ parables to serve, give, or get involved in the spiritual family, they think, that’s just the pastor manipulating people to build the church; that’s his job.  Sam and I have heard that; it’s heartbreaking.

And the defining mark of a spiritually passive person is that it is never a good time to make the decision to enjoy a faithful, courageous, and passionate relationship with God.  Doesn’t this sound like the Children of Israel refusing to trust God and follow Him into the promised land?  It was never a good time to follow God.  For the passive person, it’s never a good time to follow God.  Why?  They hide.   They hide behind a life that is always too busy.  Life is always too hard.  Life has left them burned out.  The reality is, they are checked out.  They are passive and don’t really care.  But they think, if life slowed down, if life got easier, if they had more vacations, then, then they would be five-star Christians.  Please hear me.  A passive person doesn’t follow God into the promised land.  

Jesus spoke about this passive way of living that always has the excuse why it’s not a good time to follow God.

Luke 14:16 Jesus said to him, “A man gave a big dinner. He invited many people. 17 When it was time to eat, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come. The food is ready.’ 18 But all the guests said they could not come. Each one made an excuse. The first one said, ‘I have just bought a field, so I must go look at it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another man said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of work animals; I must go and try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 A third man said, ‘I just got married; I can’t come.’ 

Check out what Jesus says in verse 24.  I tell you, not one of those people I invited first will eat any of this food I prepared.   

25 Many people were traveling with Jesus. He said to them, 26 “If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters - even more than your own life! 27 Whoever will not carry the cross that is given to them when they follow me cannot be my follower.” Easy to Read

I want to end with this.   You are invited by God into a spiritual life of freedom.  You are on the border.  You can see it.  It’s right in front of you.  You have experienced good things from God.  What do you do?  Do you see every reason to not trust God, or do you see every reason to trust God?

God promised you spiritual freedom, joy, and healing.  It’s right in front of you.  But you are going to have to deal with a few things.  What do you do?  Do you walk away?  Do you want to go back to slavery?  Do you want to deal with anything you must confront because God promised you He would be with you?

Last couple of questions.   Have you gone passive?  Do you care about God, the church, and the mission of Jesus?  Or have you discovered it’s never been a good time to take God seriously?  Too busy.  Life is hard.   You're burned out.

When someone writes your story, what will others read?  Will they read that you entered the promised land, or will they read that you turned back and wanted to go back to slavery?