September 11 2016 Seeing Through The Eyes Of Faith

SEEING THROUGH THE EYES OF FAITH

Numbers 13:17-33

TWO WAYS TO SEE THINGS

I.    Notice what happens when we allow fear to dominate our lives.

A)    We misunderstand what God can do.

1. Verses 28-29 – But the people who live there are powerful.  The cities are fortified and very large.  The Amalekites, the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites (all giants) live there.

• Lesson The longer you look at a problem, the bigger it gets.

B)    They underestimate what God can do.

1. Verse 33 – We felt like grasshoppers before them, they were so tall.

• Lesson: Problems rarely defeat us it’s our perspective that defeats.

C)    The results of fear:

1. Discouragement.

a)    14:1 – Then all the people began weeping aloud and they carried on all night long.

       2. Discontented.

        a) 14:2 – Their voices rose in a great chorus of complaint against Moses and Aaron.

       3. There was a desire to return to the old.

       a)   14:3 – Let’s get out of here and return to Egypt, they shouted.

II.    We need to see what happens when faith dominates our life.

       A)   Verse 30 – But Caleb reassured the people as they stood before Moses, “Let us go       up at once and possess it,” he said, “for we are well able to conquer it.”

1. Ephesians 1:18
2. Examples of Spiritual sight.

Genesis 21 – Hagar

Luke 24 – Disciples on Emmaus Road

2 Kings – Elisha’s servant

Genesis 13 – Abraham
        
3.    Spiritual eyes see opportunities, not obstacles.

III. We see the decision of the future here.

A)    Kadesh means place of decision.

CONCLUSION: Moses could lead the people to Kadesh, but he couldn’t make the decision for them.

He didn’t bring us out this far to bring us back again.
He brought us out to bring us into the Promised Land.
He didn’t bring us out this far to bring us back again.
He brought us out to bring us into the Promised Land.
Though there be giants in the land,
We will not be afraid.
He brought us out to bring us into the Promised Land.

February 2 2014 My Life To The Power Of Influence

My Life To The Power Of Influence 

2 Kings 6-7: The Influential Lepers

2 Kings 6:24-25 Some time later, however, King Ben-hadad of Aram mobilized his entire army and besieged Samaria. As a result there was a great famine in the city. After a while even a donkey's head sold for two pounds of silver, and a cup of dove's dung cost about two ounces of silver. 

2 Kings 7:3-11 Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. "Why should we sit here waiting to die?" they asked each other. "We will starve if we stay here, and we will starve if we go back into the city. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway." So that evening they went out to the camp of the Arameans, but no one was there! For the Lord had caused the whole army of Aram to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. "The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!" they cried out. So they panicked and fled into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, and they fled for their lives. When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating, drinking wine, and carrying out silver and gold and clothing and hiding it. Finally, they said to each other, "This is not right. This is wonderful news, and we aren't sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some terrible calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let's go back and tell the people at the palace." So they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened that they had gone out to the Aramean camp and no one was there! The horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order, but there was not a single person around. Then the gatekeepers shouted the news to the people in the palace.

HOW TO LIVE A COMPOUNDING LIFE OF INFLUENCE

(From 2 Kings 6 - 7)

• Influence: USING MY WORDS AND ACTIONS TO MOVE PEOPLE TOWARD JESUS CHRIST

1. YOU HAVE TO RISK DOING SOMETHING GREAT FOR GOD

2 Kings 7:3-5““Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. ‘Why should we sit here waiting to die?’ they asked each other. ‘We will starve if we stay here, and we will starve if we go back into the city. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.’’ So that evening they went out to the camp of the Arameans, but no one was there!” 

Luke 19:26“Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.”

2. REMEMBER HOW MUCH GOD HAS BLESSED YOU.

2 Kings 7:8““When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating, drinking wine, and carrying out silver and gold and clothing and hiding it.”

Luke 12:48“Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.”

3. BEGIN TO RELAY GOD’S GOOD NEWS TO OTHERS

2 Kings 7:9-11““Finally, they said to each other, ‘This is not right. This is wonderful news, and we aren't sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some terrible calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let's go back and tell the people at the palace.’ So they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened . . . Then the gatekeepers shouted the news to the people in the palace.””

Memory Verse: Romans 1:16“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes!”