October 28, 2012
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST
CHURCH
LOCATION
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd
Floor
150 Washington Street
Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10: 15 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11:00 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7: 30 PM Midweek Service
Order of service, announcements, etc, are in
attachment. All articles in the bulletin
are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
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UNBELIEF AND FAITH
Numbers 13: 1-33; 14: 1-12
Together we are beginning to see
that God joins a family of believers to teach us by experience the reality that
God is our salvation. The Lord uses
props like expenses we face together as a church, various trials with our jobs,
heartaches in our families, as well as joy.
Yet, he shows us again and again that our security is in Christ Jesus.
Every chosen, regenerated child of grace has been in Christ from
everlasting. He will not let us go. Our
justification is our Justifier, our sanctification is our Sanctifier, our
deliverance is our Redeemer, our sufficiency is our God. For his sake, for his glory, for his Son, God
shall provide all for his people. (2 Cor 5: 7; He 11: 1) In this text, the Lord has led his children
to the edge of Canaan and teaches us how different unbelief and faith are.
Unbelief’s Proposal
God gave his command for them to believe God and take the land. (Deut 1:
21) But the men in the camp proposed
they take a look at the land first. (Deut 1: 22) After convincing themselves they
could provide themselves then they would believe the Lord. That is called self-salvation. Faith is not a blind leap; we have God’s
word. God had told them what the land
looked like, promised to drive out their enemies, and deliver the land into
their hand. (Ex 23: 27; Eze 20: 6) God has
promised the believer that all our enemies are conquered and all things are
ours by Christ Jesus. Walk by faith, not sight and God shall provide.
Truly, better than foresight, we have the word of God. We do not see with the carnal eye, what we
believe by the gospel. God says, “Christ
put away our sin”; we believe our sin is put away. God says “We are complete in Christ”; we
believe we are complete in Christ. Likewise,
God tells us to trust that God will provide in this life. There have been times
we could not see how he would but he always has.
Unbelief Turns the Report Evil
The Lord permitted them to spy the land (Nu 13: 1-3) but God required every
tribe be represented by a man of the highest dignity. God commanded them specifically where to go,
what to look for and what to report on when they got back. (Nu 13: 17-20) Yet, after sending the best they had, the men
came back with a report that directly contradicted the word of God just as God
knew they would. The report turned evil
when it went beyond what they were told to report on. (Nu 13: 31-32) Instead of saying that it is
exactly as it was told us, they interjected their negative opinion. There is no
precaution that will overcome the wicked heart of unbelief: no popular opinion,
no counsel of the wisest men, not even our natural eye seeing things to be
precisely as God tells us it will be. (Nu 13: 27-28) The only way for us individually, and as a
whole congregation, to stand is by faith alone. (He 11: 6) Seeing is not believing.
Unbelief Forgets God’s Word
They said, “The land through which we have gone to search it, is
a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof.” (Nu 13: 32) That was probably the hornets God promised to
send to help them take the land. (Ex 23:28) But unbelief causes us to forget the word of
God. I wonder how often perplexing providence
discourages us when that perplexing providence is the very thing the Lord has
sent to make the way for us.
Unbelief Exaggerates
They said, “All the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.”
(Nu 13: 32-33) There may have been many
giants but everywhere in scripture that the sons of Anak are named, there are
only three sons. Their city’s name meant “the city of four” for the three sons
and their father. (Jos 15: 14) Unbelief makes a mountain out of a mole hill.
Unbelief Causes Strife
The brethren turned against one another because of unbelief. (Nu 14:
1-4) We forfeit peace and bring needless pain walking by sight
in our wisdom and works, rather than trusting Christ. Cast everything into Christ’s hand and LEAVE
IT THERE! His command, “Look unto me and be ye
saved” is not only our hope and strength at conversion, but the constant hope
and strength of the believer daily.
Unbelief shuts out the Gospel
The word of faith spoken by Caleb and Joshua was true. (Nu 14: 7-9) Believer,
the LORD has promised us an inheritance that fades not away, reserved in heaven
for us. It cost him giving his only begotten
Son. God will withhold no good thing
from the believer since he spared not his own Son! (Jn 14:2, 3; Ro 8: 32) But unbelief acts as if that only applies to
salvation, not to things in this life. How sad, “But all the congregation bade
stone them with stones.” (Nu 14: 10) God hates unbelief (Nu 14: 11-12)
Confidence of Faith
Caleb saw the same things they saw but Caleb believed God therefore the
obstacles did not appear to him as they did to those in unbelief (Nu 13: 30) Believer, do you see that in this life things
are just as Christ said they would be
when he said, “In this world you shall have tribulation?” (Jn 16: 33) By faith do you hear Christ saying, “But be
of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (1 Jn 5: 4; 1 Cor 15: 57) We have
more proof than they had: Christ’s
incarnation, Christ’s pierced hands, Christ’s word, Christ’s ascension, the gospel we hear continually. God says, “How long will it be ere they
believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?” (Nu 14: 11) God who promises is all the proof we need. (Ro
4: 3; 4: 4-5)
Happiness
and confidence comes by believing God, not by spying out the land. God
is not a man that he should lie. There will be briars, bills to pay, difficult plowing and even setbacks. But
be of good cheer, Christ has overcome the world. What reason would God have to make that
promise if it were not so?
“Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer:
for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” (Ac 27:25)