Experiencing God's Vision
Experiencing God’s Vision
Four Roadblocks to Experiencing God’s Vision For the Church
This morning we are going to focus our attention to the book of Numbers chapters 13 and 14. In these chapters we find the Lord directing Moses to explain God’s plan with the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel so that they might one day in the near future realize the vision God had set in motion before He delivered them out of Egyptian bondage. God had led these people on an incredible journey, had supernaturally parted the Red Sea, and had providentially provided food, shelter, clothing, and direction. God also established commands to govern the people in civil, ceremonial and ethical matters. Furthermore, God instituted rules and regulations to guide the Israelites in their worship. Now as the Israelites have crossed the Red Sea, and have spent a year at Mt. Sinai, they were now closer than ever to experiencing God’s vision to take possession of and live in the Promised Land of Canaan.
God not only had a desire for Israel to experience God’s vision, but He also has a desire you and I to experience His vision for the Church. And so, as we consider these four roadblocks to experiencing God’s vision, these roadblocks not only apply to the Israelites entering the Promised Land, but they also apply to you and me. You and I will not see God’s vision realized in our individual lives or in our church if we allow one of these roadblocks to stifle God’s work and thereby forfeit His vision for us.
Before we consider God’s vision for the Church let’s first look at his vision for the Israelites.
I would invite you to look with me at the opening verses of Numbers chapter 13:1-3
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”
3 So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.
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God’s desire was to have a personal relationship with the Israelites, to bless them, to dwell with them, and to teach them who He was and that there was no god, like Yahweh. God’s vision for the Israelites was that He would one day set up a permanent temple where the Israelites would gather to worship Him. In order for this vision to be a reality God shares the plan with Moses to share w. the leaders to go and spy out the land and see what challenges lay in front of them.
They were to see what the land was like, was it good or bad?
They were to find out if the people were strong or weak, few or many?
What kind of towns they lived in, unwalled or fortified?
They were to find out if the soil was fertile or like red Virginia clay?
Did they have trees or not?
They were to bring back some fruit? Sending men on an expedition and not have them bring back food is almost unchristian.
And just as God had a vision for the people of Israel, the New Testament tells us that God has a vision for His church. And while there is a great responsibility placed on the shoulders of those who lead God’s people to experience God’s vision for His church, there is also a great responsibility placed on the shoulders of the followers to support and encourage those leaders in their task.
And so, as we consider these four roadblocks to experiencing God’s vision, these roadblocks not only apply to the Israelites entering the Promised Land, but they also apply to you and me. You and I will not see God’s vision realized in our personal lives or in our church if we allow one of these roadblocks to stifle God’s work and thereby forfeit His vision for us.
Before the church can experience God’s vision and before the Israelites can experience God’s vision we need to consider the four roadblocks to experiencing God’s vision.
Roadblock #1 A negative attitude- Num. 13:26-33
26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
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What has my attitude been like toward God?
Perhaps you find yourself in circumstances today that you feel are impossible. Your attitude may be that God has made a big mistake in placing me where I am right now.
Maybe you are struggling with a negative attitude toward your job.
Maybe you are dealing with a negative attitude toward your co-workers.
Maybe you are battling a negative attitude because you are unwilling to do something that God has told you to do.
My life is impossible- if you knew my past.
Quote- It’s been said that “A pessimist can hardly wait for the future so he can look back with regret.”
“If it weren’t for the optimist the pessimist would never know how happy he isn’t.”
A. The problem with a negative attitude is that it influences others in the wrong way.
Story- Out West a cowboy was driving down a dirt road, his dog riding in back of the pickup truck, his faithful horse in the trailer behind. He failed to negotiate a curve and had a terrible accident.
Sometime later, a highway patrol officer came on the scene. An animal lover, he saw the horse first. Realizing the serious nature of its injuries, he drew his service revolver and put the animal out of its misery. He walked around the accident and found the dog, also hurt critically. He couldn’t bear to hear it whine in pain, so he ended the dog’s suffering as well.
Finally he located the cowboy who suffered multiple fractures off in the weeds. “Hey are you OK?” the cop asked. The cowboy took one look at the smoking revolver in the trooper’s hand and quickly replied, “Never felt better.”
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How can I overcome a negative attitude?
Christ-like attitude- which is the attitude of a servant.
II. A complaining spirit- Num. 14:1-4
That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” [4]
There are so many people who profess to know Jesus and yet possess a complaining spirit one would expect to see a complaining spirit listed in the fruit of the spirit or as one of the spiritual gifts. Yet upon a glance over each of these lists one can quickly come to the conclusion that it is clearly not a spiritual gift or a fruit of the spirit.
A. They only see what’s wrong in a situation and never what’s right.
Israelites complained about Moses leadership, complained about the manna, complained that Moses took so long to come back down the mountain and built a golden calf.
We complain because so and so has a nicer house than we do.
We complain because the neighbors drive a nicer vehicle and they don’t even go to church.
We complain because the cashier is so slow at the grocery store.
We complain because the pastor preached too long.
We complain because we sang too many praise choruses.
Erwin Lutzer- “Complaining about our lot in life might seem quite innocent in itself, but God takes it personally.”
Why is God so offended by a complaining spirit? Because a complaining spirit belittles God’s power. In our culture today, there is a great emphasis placed on down-sizing God. He’s just one of the gods people can worship. He one of the ways to heaven. In fact people have attempted to down-size God to the point that some would testify that He doesn’t even exist. They would argue not only is God not all-powerful, but He has no power at all.
Story- A farmer advertised a “frog farm” for sale, claiming that he had a pond that was thoroughly stocked with fine bullfrogs.
A prospective buyer appeared and was taken late one warm evening to the pond that he might hear the frogs. The “music” made so favorable an impression on the buyer that the sale was made.
Soon afterwards the purchaser proceeded to drain the pond in order to catch and market the frogs. To his surprise, when the water was drained out of the pond, he found that all the noise had been made by one old bullfrog.
—G. B. F. Hallock
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God calls the Israelites a “wicked community” because of their grumbling and complaining spirit-
Numbers 14:1-4, 26-29,35
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29 In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. [6]
35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die.” [7]
“People love goldfish because they like to see something with a mouth open that’s not complaining.”
A grateful spirit- which can rest in God’s Sovereignty and His infinite wisdom.
III. A rebellious heart- Num. 14:9-11
9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?
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Fear can lead one to rebel against God.
Fueled by unbelief.
This unbelief led to the rebellion against God.
It may be true that there are two sides to every question, but it is also true that there are two sides to a sheet of flypaper. And it makes a big difference to the fly which side he chooses!
Keywords: Consequences; Decisions
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Reformation’s Two Martins
At the beginning of the Reformation, Martin of Basle came to a knowledge of the truth, but, afraid to make a public confession, he wrote on a leaf of parchment: “O most merciful Christ, I know that I can be saved only by the merit of thy blood. Holy Jesus, I acknowledge thy sufferings for me. I love thee! I love thee!” Then he removed a stone from the wall of his chamber and hid it there. It was not discovered for more than a hundred years.
About the same time Martin Luther found the truth as it is in Christ. He said: “My Lord has confessed me before men; I will not shrink from confessing Him before kings.” And we know the rest of the story.
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A confident heart- is confident in the God of the Bible and in what He has said about me and about my future.
IV.A blurred vision- Num. 13:31-33
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
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A blurred vision will cause someone to misunderstand God and His vision for their lives.
Impaired sight will hinder one from seeing with a proper perspective.
Psa. 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”
Exodus 14:13 “Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.”
Isa. 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.[12]
Job 42:5- My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
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What is God’s vision for the Church? God’s vision for His Church is that we might experience all of the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. That we might experience redemption through the blood of Jesus that we would experience the riches of God’s grace that we might comprehend how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, that we may experience the fullness of God. God’s vision for His church is that we might reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. That we might experience the hope to which He has called us and experience His incomparably great power. God’s vision for the church is that one day He can present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. God’s vision for His church is that one day people from every tribe, every tongue, every language and every people will gather around His throne and worship Him.
A clear vision- is realized through seeing God for who He is. A clear vision has to include God in the equation, so that when I add everything up I find that God and God alone is enough. He’s all I need. He is a Great Shepherd who can and will faithfully lead us through the wilderness and will never leave us or forsake us.
His promises are just as true today as they were the day He revealed them to His prophets to proclaim and put to paper.
“We usually see things not as they are, but as we are.”
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[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 13:1-3). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 13:26-33). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[3]Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.
[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 14:1-4). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[5]Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.
[6]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 14:26-29). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[7]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 14:35). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[8]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 14:8-11). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[9]Green, M. P. (1989). Illustrations for Biblical Preaching : Over 1500 sermon illustrations arranged by topic and indexed exhaustively (Revised edition of: The expositor's illustration file). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
[10]Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.
[11]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 13:31-33). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[12]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Is 6:1). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[13]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Job 42:5). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.