https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/FollowingTheLordFully.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Joshua 14:6-14<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. God describes for us the character of various men by referring to them by certain phrases<\/p>\n
A. Abraham was called a friend of God – James 2:23<\/p>\n
1. Because that is how God referred to him – II Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8<\/p>\n
2. Perhaps that gives greater weight to what Jesus said – John 15:14-15<\/p>\n
3. We could spend a lesson just on that, but not at this time<\/p>\n
B. God sought a man after God’s own heart to replace Saul – I Samuel 13:14<\/p>\n
1. And God found such a man in David – Acts 13:22 <\/p>\n 2. We could talk about what it means love God with all your heart, but not at\nthis time\n
C. There is the perseverance of Job – James 5:11<\/p>\n
D. The meekness (or humbleness) of Moses – Numbers 12:3<\/p>\n
E. Each tells us the type of character God desires in his servants<\/p>\n
F. But at this time we will talk about Caleb, the son of Jephunneh<\/p>\n
II. Twelve spies were sent into the land of Canaan<\/p>\n
A. Ten came back certain that Israel could not conquer the land – Numbers 13:27-29<\/p>\n
B. It was Caleb, with Joshua at his side, who disagreed – Numbers 13:30<\/p>\n
C. But the ten prevailed – Numbers 13:31-33<\/p>\n
D. Joshua and Caleb tried to get the people to relent – Numbers 14:6-10<\/p>\n
1. They had a different spirit that the rest of Israel. <\/p>\n
2. They took the unpopular stand because it was the right stand<\/p>\n
3. Even when threatened with stoning, they did not back down<\/p>\n E. All the adults of Israel were forbidden to enter Canaan, except two – Numbers\n14:20-24\n 1. God recognize Caleb as a man with a different spirit, one who followed\nGod fully<\/i>\n
2. Everyone else would die in the wilderness – Numbers 14:28-35<\/p>\n F. You know at the beginning of numbers there were 603,500 men 20 years old and\nup, not including the Levites – Numbers 1:45, 2:32\n
1. Over the next 40 years, all but two died.<\/p>\n
2. That averages out to about 15,000 deaths per year or 41 funerals a day!<\/p>\n
G. Caleb watched just about everyone he knew die – Numbers 32:11-13<\/p>\n
III. And after 40 years of wandering in a wilderness<\/p>\n A. Moses reminded the next generation just before entering Canaan – Deuteronomy\n1:35-39\n
B. Caleb was there for the conquering of Canaan<\/p>\n
C. By this time he is 85 years old – Joshua 14:6-8<\/p>\n D. He reminded them that Moses gave him a right to his own inheritance – Joshua\n14:9-10\n E. He is still able to wage war, and he chose the area the Anakims lived – Joshua\n14:11-12\n 1. Do you remember them? They were the giants. The ones the ten spies said\nwere too big and too strong to conquer – Deuteronomy 9:1-2\n
2. This is the same lineage that Goliath came from<\/p>\n 3. Caleb specifically chose to fight the ones everyone else thought was to\npowerful, to win his inheritance … at the ripe age of 85!\n
4. And he defeated them – Joshua 14:13-15; 15:13-19<\/p>\n a. That Othniel, Caleb’s nephew? He became Israel’s first judge –\nJudge 3:9\n F. It is interesting that in Judges 1 there is a long list of how each of the tribes were\nunable to completely take over their inheritance … except for Caleb – Judges 1:20\n
IV. Application<\/p>\n A. So many want to sit back and wait for God to handle matters, but Caleb was out at\nthe front line. He did what he could, knowing God would handle the rest.\n
1. And he did fade away in his old age. He gave God everything he had.<\/p>\n
2. Like Paul, he finished the course – II Timothy 4:6-8<\/p>\n B. And at the same time, he did not demand God’s help. He acted even though he did\nnot know he would win – Joshua 14:12\n
1. Too many people won’t make a move without a sign from God<\/p>\n
2. But Caleb knew what God had said, what He wanted and that was enough<\/p>\n
C. Caleb didn’t do the minimum possible. He reached for the maximum he could do.<\/p>\n D. It is easy to go along with the majority, but can you take a stand because it is right,\nknowing most will oppose you? \n
1. The majority doesn’t decide morality – Matthew 7:13-14<\/p>\n
2. When you think you are alone, remember – Hebrews 13:5<\/p>\n
E. It is hard to be different from others, but Caleb had a different spirit<\/p>\n
1. Do you have that different spirit?<\/p>\n 2. In a sense, everyone else was looking at the problem while Caleb was\nlooking at the solution – II Corinthians 5:7\n
F. Caleb held on to the promise. Will you? – I John 2:25<\/p>\n
\n
based on an article by Bubba Gardner<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Joshua 14:6-14 I. God describes for us the character of various men by referring to them by certain phrases A. Abraham was called a friend of God – James 2:23 1. Because that is how God referred to him – II Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8 2. Perhaps that gives greater weight to what…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[1242,1177,54],"class_list":["post-54166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-character","tag-commitment","tag-obedience"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63144,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/ordinary-is-gods-extraordinary\/","url_meta":{"origin":54166,"position":0},"title":"Ordinary is God’s Extraordinary","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 6, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Eric M. Hamilton November 6-11, 2011 Joseph - God's Career Path for Greatness Jesus' Disciples - God's Inner Circle Jonah - God's Work-in-Progress Gideon - God's Valiant Coward Ruth - God's Mother of Kings Moses - God's Leader on God's Terms Ezekiel - God's Entertaining Song Saul of Tarsus\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47834,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/character-matters\/","url_meta":{"origin":54166,"position":1},"title":"Character Matters","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 5:1-5 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Suppose you needed to hire someone for a job. What would you look for? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You probably need someone with the skills to do the job, but what other things would you look for? Given several candidates with equivalent skills, what would set\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63750,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-its-all-about-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":54166,"position":2},"title":"When It’s All About Me","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 19, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 12:13-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Peter once tried to hide the fact that he followed Jesus. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Despite repeated accusations that he was seen with Jesus, he denied the truth. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But one servant called his bluff, pointing out \u201cSurely you also are one of them, for your speech\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51184,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-character-of-the-wicked\/","url_meta":{"origin":54166,"position":3},"title":"The Character of the Wicked","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 10 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Is there any doubt that wicked people live in the world? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We see the evidence daily in our news. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We have direct contact more often than we could wish \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And then we wonder, as did the Psalmist, why doesn\u2019t God do something\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94327,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/may-god-almighty-grant-you-mercy\/","url_meta":{"origin":54166,"position":4},"title":"May God Almighty Grant You Mercy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores In Genesis 43:14, Jacob prays, \"May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man.\" This is the first time in the Joseph story that Jacob appeals directly to God's character. The name he uses - El Shaddai - emphasizes God's power and sufficiency. Jacob is finally entrusting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29128,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jamaica-patois-wisdom-character\/","url_meta":{"origin":54166,"position":5},"title":"Jamaica Patois Wisdom – Character","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54166\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}