Introduction
- The twelve spies - their mission.
- Their report to Moses.
- The importance of this to us.
NOTHING DISPLEASES GOD SO MUCH AS UNBELIEF
- v.22: The men had seen God's glory and yet they did not believe or obey God.
- What had they seen? Explanation.
OBSERVE: Why did they not believe? Because the heart of man is hard till renewed.
- Unbelief is a very cruel, hard thing: (i) ready to doubt God (ii) to upset others' faith (iii) ready to go back to Egypt! (iv) to stone Moses.
- What a marvellous prayer Moses made (v.13-19).
APPLICATION: Do you believe God's Word or not?
UNBELIEF IS THE WAY TO LOSE GOD'S BLESSINGS
- God appeared to save Moses (v.10). It was an emergency situation.
- See how their unbelief displeased God (v.11-12).
- They were pardoned the sentence of death but they lost a great privilege (v.23).
- Never be tempted to go the way of unbelief:
- The Liberal View of the Bible.
- The scoffer's attitude to God and His ways.
OBSERVE: This is the worm that eats all God's blessings - see our country today.
APPLICATION: Believe all that God has told us!
BUT, TO BELIEVE GOD'S WORD IS THE WAY TO GET THE GOOD THINGS THAT OTHERS LOSE
- There were 12 spies - 10 were evil but two were good: Joshua and Caleb.
- See what God says about Caleb and why (v.24): "followed me fully"!!
- We can add Joshua's name too:
- the leader after Moses
- a whole book of the Bible
- see the honour God gave him
- There are these 2 ways:unbelief - which leads men to turn backfaith - which trusts God fully
APPLICATION: O to "follow the Lord fully"!
LESSONS FROM THIS FOR OURSELVES
- These 2 have their representatives TODAY:
- UNBELIEF: Those who regard religion and God with scorn -even many ministers only talk of this word.
- FAITH: those who glory in the truth of the Gospel.
- These are the 2 ways you may go - in all generations.
CONCLUSION
Remember Christ's illustration on the Broad Gate and the Narrow.