This is a part of a sermon series on the book of Joshua. You can watch more here.
Sermon Manuscript
Hasn’t it been good to study through Joshua? For those who don’t know, we plan our teaching series a year in advance, so we didn’t pick the book of Joshua because of the attack on Israel on October 7, 2024.
Personally, I didn’t want to teach through Joshua because there are parts of Joshua that are really uncomfortable. I remember wrestling with the Lord, “Why would we talk about so much violence on a Sunday morning?”
But hasn’t it been good to wrestle with the book of Joshua as a church in Austin? It’s been good to wrestle with parts of God’s Word that makes us uncomfortable, right?
The Bible is the means by which we know about the glory of God and on some level the glory of God should make us uncomfortable, right?
It would be weird if we were to learn about the glory of God and think, “Yep! Makes sense to me! I went to college, read a book, listened to a podcast, so the glory of God fits in my little pocket so I can go about my day.”
It’s the uncomfortable parts of God’s Word that draws us in to ask questions. It’s the uncomfortable parts of God’s glory that remind us we are finite beings. We need the uncomfortable parts of God’s Word.
Last Sunday we took a high-level overview of chapters 13-21. This morning we are going to zoom in on chapter 14 and look at the life of Caleb.
We are going to see a little recap of where we are in the book of Joshua but then we are going to zoom in on the life of a man named Caleb who was absolutely confronted with the uncomfortable parts of God’s glory and we get to see how he the uncomfortable part of God’s glory shaped his life. Let’s look at Joshua 14:1-2:
Joshua 14:1-2, “1 Now these are the territories which the sons of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel apportioned to them for an inheritance, 2 by the lot of their inheritance, as the Lord commanded through Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe.”
We’re in the book of Joshua. Remember, chapters 1-5 is about preparing Israel to enter the land. Chapters 6-12 are about the promise of the land that goes all the way back to Genesis 12. And chapters 13-21 are the tribes of Israel portioning out the boundaries of the land.
At first glance it could look like the book of Joshua is about a land grab, right? At first glance the book of Joshua looks like one group of people taking land from another group of people.
We touched on this last Sunday and it deserves repeating because when you read Joshua you could think, “Joshua is just like the Europeans taking land from indigenous people in the 1700’s.”
But you need to know the book of Joshua is completely different because the book of Joshua is rooted in a promise that God makes to Abraham 700 years earlier in Genesis 12.
Nowhere in Scripture does God make a promise to the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria of Columbus. Right? But in Genesis 12 we see the Lord calls Abraham to Himself, gives Abraham His righteousness by faith, and says, “You’re going to be the beginning of how the whole earth is blessed.”
At first glance it could sound like the blessing is Israel but when you read the Old Testament it is clear that Israel is not the hope for the whole earth.
Israel struggles and fails a lot throughout the Old Testament, so that the promise to Abraham bringing a blessing to the whole earth is pointing us to Jesus; in Genesis 12!
It isn’t just Genesis 12 but all throughout the Old Testament when you see priests, prophets, kings, temple, sacrifices and when we read those things we think; why does this matter? It matters because these are all layered in promises that point us to the One who will bring a blessing to the whole earth. His name is Jesus!
Sure, Jesus could have appeared in the sky like an alien one day to reconcile humanity to Himself but in God’s wisdom He designed it so that Jesus would enter into a culture, language and history of a nation BUT for there to be a nation there needs to be land, so it might look like a land grab but it’s a promise that starts in Genesis 12. Look at verse 3-6:
Joshua 14:3-5, “3 For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan; but he did not give an inheritance to the Levites among them. 4 For the sons of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, and they did not give a portion to the Levites in the land, except cities to live in, with their pasture lands for their livestock and for their property. 5 Thus the sons of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they divided the land.”
Just a few technical details in verses 3-6. Chapters 1-12 have been focused on the nation of Israel. But in Chapter 13 we start to see the land being portioned out through the tribes of Israel, which is why we see the description 9 and a half tribes back in verse 2 and 2 and a half tribes in verse 3, so that it might be a little confusing.
There are 2.5 tribes on the east side of the Jordan River and 9.5 tribes on the west side of the Jordan so that in total we see 12 tribes of Israel. (Numbers 32)
And, like we talked about last Sunday, the tribe of Levi didn’t receive any land but instead the tribe of Levi receives cities all around the land, so that the priestly tribe of Levi isn’t huddled up in one area but instead the priestly tribe Levi is scattered throughout the land like points of salt and light to remind His people of His glory.
It’s okay that we are uncomfortable with God’s glory. We were created to be in His glory. We ran from His glory and throughout God’s Word we see His glory chasing after us.
The tribe of Levi was a tangible reminder of His glory in every tribe, in every neighborhood calling out to humanity that God has come near. Let’s look at the life of Caleb. Look at verse 6:
Joshua 14:6, “6 Then the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea.”
In verse 6 we meet Caleb but Caleb has been a familiar figure throughout the history of Israel. Caleb was one of the 12 spies who scouted out the land 45-years earlier before Israel enters into the land. (Numbers 14:35). Do you know this story?
Caleb is rescued from slavery in Egypt. Caleb walks through the parting of the Red Sea. Caleb experienced the provision of water and daily manna from the Lord. Caleb was there when they received the Law at Mount Sinai.
Kadesh-Barnea is a geographical location and it’s at Kadesh-Barnea where Moses sends the 12 spies into the land and all the spies come back filled with fear accept Caleb and Joshua.
This is the reference in verse 6. When all of Israel is crying in fear, grumbling and complaining, wishing they would have stayed in Egypt, organizing a plan to go back to Egypt, and Moses turns to the people and affirms Joshua and Caleb for trusting in the Word of the Lord. (Numbers 14) Look at verses 7-9:
Joshua 14:7-9, “7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. 9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’”
In verses 7-9 we see the first principle of our passage this morning which is that the Lord calls us to a SINGLE-MINDED FAITH IN HIM.
Remember, we’ve talked about how we can’t take 1-1 application from Old Testament narrative. We aren’t Israel. We aren’t at war with the Canaanites. Instead we want to look for principles that are true at all times for all people and all places, so that our first principle in our passage is that the Lord calls us to a SINGLE-MINDED FAITH IN HIM. Write that in your notes.
Remember, everyone in the previous generation died in the wilderness but Caleb put his trust in the Word of the Lord in Genesis 12, 700 years earlier, that the land would be provided, so that Caleb didn’t run from the uncomfortable parts of God’s glory but had a SINGLE-MINDED devotion to God’s glory. Amen?
Listen to me, it isn’t because Caleb was favored in the Lord. It isn’t because Caleb is spiritually stronger. It isn’t because Caleb had some special talent.
Instead we see a single-minded faith begins with a single-minded commitment to follow the Lord. Do you see that at the end of verse 8, “But I followed the Lord my God fully?”
Again, in verse 9, “I followed the Lord my God fully.” Underline those phrases that in your notes. If you jump down to verse 14 we see a similar phrase, “Caleb followed the Lord whole heartedly.”
Listen to me, we don’t want to run from the uncomfortable parts of God’s glory. We want to lean into the uncomfortable parts of God’s glory. We want to have a SINGLE-MINDED devotion to God’s glory. Look at verse 10:
Joshua 14:10, “10 Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today.”
Do you understand the timeline? Caleb was 40-years old when he was sent out with those 11 other spies to spy out the land. Now, 45-years later, so that now Caleb is 85-years old and look at the source of Caleb’s confidence in verse 10.
Just as the Lord spoke to Moses. If you jump down to verse 12, “Just as the Lord promised.” And again, in verse 12, “Just as the Lord said.” Again, in verse 14, “Just as the Lord spoke to Moses.” You with me?
In verses 7-9 we see Caleb following the Lord fully and it all starts with Caleb following the Word of the Lord. Amen?
Caleb’s confidence isn’t in himself because Caleb came from such a great family. Caleb’s confidence isn’t because Caleb has made all the right moral decisions in his life. Caleb’s confidence isn’t because he had a lot of muscle, big house, or lots of kids.
Caleb’s confidence is in the Word of the Lord, so that if we are going to be SINGLE-MINDED men and women of faith we need to be clear on God’s Word. Amen? If we are going to lean into the uncomfortable part of God’s glory then we need to know God’s glory made known through His Word. Amen?
This is why we go verse-by-verse through God’s Word. This is why we provide a devotional for you to see what we are teaching through on a Sunday morning. This is why the devotional has a section for Sermon Notes for us to write things down but the best part is the section for us to study God’s Word throughout the week with observational questions like who, what, when, where, why to help us study God’s Word, memorize God’s Word, and enjoy God’s Word throughout the week, so that we are rooted in God’s Word.
Have you seen this part of our city getting flipped for multi-level high rise buildings? Developers are buying chunks of land where 1-2 story buildings existed and they aren’t just tearing down those buildings. They are digging deep into the ground.
Sometimes I drive past the construction and I think, “Have they reached China!” It’s so deep! Why? It’s because they are going to build buildings that go 50, 100 feet in the air, so that you dig deep to build up.
In a similar way, if we want to be men and women with SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Lord we need to have deep roots in God’s Word.
Listen to me, everything in us is going to say, but I connect with God through feelings and emotions, which is great. The God of Scripture is full of feelings and emotions but our emotions won’t lead us to a place of deep roots with the Lord.
If you think about our worship on a Sunday morning. We want our Sunday worship to be emotionally moving but Jas will tell you, “Our worship can’t just be about the emotion.”
This is why we sing songs that are rich in biblical truths. We sing songs that point us to God’s Word because we know a SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Lord has to be rooted in the Word of the Lord. Amen?
If you go back to Caleb’s story at Kadesh-Barnea when the 10 spies came back filled with fear they were being driven by emotion.
Those other 10 spies were looking at the strength of the enemy. They were looking at their limitations. They were ignoring the Word of the Lord and saying to themselves, “This is impossible.” So much so that they were willing go to back to slavery in Egypt.” No, God’s Word is inviting us to be SINGLE-MINDED men and women in Him and His Word. Look at verse 11:
Joshua 14:11, “11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in.”
Just to be clear, Caleb isn’t saying he is physically strong. Caleb’s strength is in the Word of the Lord. Amen?
In verse 11 we see Caleb’s SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Word of the Lord is just as SINGLE-MINDED today as he was then. Does that make sense? Isn’t that good? 40-years later, Caleb is 85-years old and still focused on a SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Word of the Lord.
Let that sink in for a second. Caleb has lived in slavery in Egypt. Caleb has lived through famine in the wilderness. Caleb’s been confronted with his own people turning on him.
Caleb’s gone through all those battles in Joshua 1-12 and in verse 11 Caleb says, “I am still as strong in the Word of the Lord today as I was then.” Isn’t that good?
Caleb could have said to himself, “I am tired.” Caleb could have said, “I am frustrated with people not following the Lord with me?” Caleb could have said, “I have been SINGLE-MINDED in the Word of the Lord long enough. It’s time for other people to be SINGLE-MINDED in the Word of the Lord.”
I remember when we were about 5-years into starting North Village Church and someone asked me, “Would you start another church one day?” And my immediate response was, “I already stepped out in faith for the Lord.” I already did the heavy lifting. I have already taken the risk, I am all done, and I remember the Spirit of God pressing into my soul as those words came out of my mouth, “Are you sure?”
Don’t you want a SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Word of the Lord when you’re 85-years old? Don’t you want to be 80, 90 years old with a love for God’s Word, a love for serving others, a love leaning into the uncomfortable parts of His glory? I do!
You know it doesn’t happen naturally, right? You know there’s a lot of grumpy, bitter, hard-hearted 90-year old’s, right?
This is why I want to get into God’s Word every day. I love to do in the morning. I love to do it before I come to work, before my heart and mind gets reminded of all the chaos in the world and just sit with God’s Word so that I get a chance to peak into His glory.
I get to ask the Lord, “Lord, help me have a soft heart for you today.” Help me NOT to store up bitterness and anger toward YOU or someone else today. Help me to have a faith that is growing stronger in YOU today.
Listen to me church family, it’s not about Caleb being a great guy. Caleb is not the hero of the story. It isn’t that Caleb had great faith but that Caleb had faith in a great God. Do you understand the difference?
We have a woman in our church in Austin named Joy Nelson and I don’t know how old Joy but Joy is an example of someone who is putting her faith in a great God. I love listening to Joy talk about her walk with the Lord. Joy talks about her fears and pains in life. Joy talks about her prayers. Joy talks about how the Lord has walked her through pain and yet she puts her trust in Him. It’s beautiful!
You can grab time with Rhesa and Geraline Browning and they will talk to you about putting the Lord teaching them to have a SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Lord. You can listen to Jerry Chou talk to you about what a SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Lord looks like.
We aren’t looking to be like Caleb we are looking to have a SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Word of the Lord. Look at verse 12:
Joshua 14:12, “12 Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.”
In verse 12 we see reference to the hill country and this is the same piece of land where Joshua and Caleb saw the mighty warriors and said in their hearts, “The Word of the Lord will provide” so that in verse 12 we see Caleb is 85-years old, there are still giants in the land and Caleb says, “I want the hill country with the giants.”
It’s as if Caleb says to Joshua, “Remember how scary it was in those days?” Remember those fortified cities? Remember how small we felt? Remember when everyone thought we were crazy for trusting in the Word of the Lord but here we are in the land, so that Caleb says to Joshua, “Give me that land and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.”
Listen to me church family, there is a mind-shift as a follower of Jesus. It is a transfer of allegiance to trusting in the world, trusting in ourselves to trusting in the Word of the Lord.
It is a transfer of living for the applause of others to living for the applause of One and it isn’t because Caleb is this macho, manly, risk taking person. His confidence is in the Word of the Lord!
It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 16:9 when the Apostle Paul writes, “For a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” Did you hear that? A wide door for opportunities and there are many adversaries.
Listen to me, I am not a man of great faith. I am easily disheartened. I am easily swayed by my emotions but in verse 12 we see mind-shift that assumes a SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Word of the Lord is going to be hard. Does that make sense?
SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Word of the Lord doesn’t get established through comfort and ease. A SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Word of the Lord doesn’t happen overnight. A SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Word of the Lord is a mind-shift, “Give me the hill country with the giants, because the Lord will be with me.”
I don’t know where each of us are on our spiritual journey but following Jesus is going to be hard. It’s supposed to be hard! It’s dying to yourself. It’s going against culture. It’s picking up your cross and following Him. It’s uncomfortable.
I didn’t grow up around Jesus. I came to faith in Jesus when I was 18-years old and I didn’t understand life in a church setting. It was hard to be friends with Christians.
I remember learning to study God’s Word for the first time. It was hard. I didn’t read books. I didn’t like to read. Now I am supposed to be reading and taking notes to learn. It’s hard!
I remember the Spirit of God confronting me with sin and I didn’t like it. I had never felt convicted of sin and now the Holy Spirit is always poking around in my soul. It’s hard!
Still today the Lord is poking around in my soul. I find myself saying, “I am 49-years old.” I am close enough to God to last me till 85. I read the Bible enough. I have served others enough. Everything in me wants to pull away from people and sink into my own little world and still the Spirit of God pokes into my soul. It’s hard!
But Jesus told us it would be hard. Jesus told us there would be persecution. Jesus told us there would be difficulty, so that we can’t let difficulty keep us from SINGLE-MINDED faith in the Word of the Lord. Look at verses 13-15:
Joshua 14:13-15, “13 So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14 Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the Lord God of Israel fully. 15 Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba; for Arbawas the greatest man among the Anakim. Then the land had rest from war.”
Listen to me church family, our danger is that we could read Joshua 14 and leave inspired to be like Caleb or discouraged because we feel so far from a faith like Caleb. Right?
Some of us are encouraged. We are thinking about getting the name Caleb tattooed on our arm. We are thinking about the Anakim’s in our life that we want to defeat and we are really encouraged. You could probably hear a lot of pastors tell you to have faith like Caleb.
But there are also some of us who feel so far from Caleb. We look at our life and we see missed opportunities. We identify more with those 10 spies talking about the giants in the land. We feel so far from a faith like Caleb’s that we can read Joshua 14 and feel disheartened. Listen to me, neither one of those responses is the goal.
God’s Word never invites us to be like Caleb. God’s Word invites us to turn to the greater Caleb. God’s Word invites us to turn to the One who didn’t just take possessions of a piece of land but instead the One who holds all the cosmos together. His name is Jesus!
Let’s lower the lights. Let’s invite the Jas to the front. Faith is like a muscle. The more faith is exercised and stretched, the stronger faith will become so it doesn’t matter if our faith story is impressive. It only matters if we are turning to Jesus to follow Him.
North Village Church
This sermon is brought to you by North Village Church, a non-denominational church in Austin. established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like more information.
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