The structure of the Gospel message has a distinct sequence associated to it. It is a sequence of victory and ultimate conquest. Its result would be the total reestablishment of Christ's regal kingdom and the universal acknowledgement of God's glory. This sequence of events was first prophesied by God's people during the Old Testament period. Christ's incarnation at his first advent began the second phase of his mission, His ministry, the miraculous proofs of who he was, his betrayal, the unjust trial, his passion, crucifixion, resurrection, his 40-day showing, the ascension, and the Pentecostal awakening were all part of the second phase of God's sequential plan for global conquest and the historic establishment of the crown rites of King Jesus. The final phase is the New Testament Church Age, whereby Christ, through his body, The Eternal Church will bring about His will and decree in time and in history. Today's lecture examines the 40-day event and the 40-day meaning of Christ showing to the masses after His resurrection and just before His ascension unto the Father. Our Old Covenant reading comes from Numbers chapter 13 beginning in verse 16. through verse 25. Numbers 13, 16 through 25, beloved of the Lord, hear ye the word of our God. These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshi, the son of Nun, Joshua. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said unto them, get you up this way southward and go up into the mountain and see the land what it is. and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many, and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad, and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents or in strongholds, and what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein or not, and be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes. So they went up and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rahab, as men came to Hamath. And they ascended by the south and came unto Hebron, where Ahammon, Sheshii, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. And they came unto the brook of Eschol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, And they bear it between two upon a staff, and they brought of the pomegranates and of the figs. The place was called the Brook of Eschol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from searching of the land after 40 days." Luke writing to us in the Acts of the Apostles, the first five verses of chapter one, Acts chapter 1 verses 1 through 5. By the same spirit, the evangelist writes, The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up. After that he, through the Holy Ghost, had been given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, Ye have heard of me, for John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence. Thus far as the reading of God's most holy, inherent, and finally authoritative word, the grass withers, the flower thereof fades away, but the word of our God stands forever, and by his holy word is the gospel presented to us again this day." Without question, there is a sequence in the scriptures of the victory of Christ. His conquest and his dominion all of this as a result of his resurrection, his walking 40 days, his ascension, and of course, the sending of the spirit. Today we will look at the Lord's consummation supper, as well as his 40 days sojourn, and see how that works together within this sequence. We, being with a principle presupposition, must understand this. It was always God's intention to bring about an age of restoration to the earth by way of the Lord Jesus Christ. That must be our presupposition. It is detailed in the scriptures, but that very concisely is what we hold to, recognizing the sovereignty of Christ and the efficacy of his victorious resurrection, his victorious walking, showing himself alive 40 days, his victorious ascension, that coronation period between the 10 days of his ascension and the sending of the Spirit, and then, of course, the power coming by the Pentecost. This is based upon Old Testament patriarchs, psalmists, and prophets, all of them showing forth this sequence. Let's consider first the prophecy of lordship and rule in Genesis in chapter 49. Beginning in verse eight, let me read this to you and listen very carefully to the phraseology. Genesis 49, verses eight through 10, Jacob is prophesying of the Lord Christ and his victory, his lordship, his rule, and his victory. He says this, Judah, speaking of the Lord, the Lord being of the tribe of the lion of the tribe of Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, speaking of his power and the fact that he, by this virtue of power, will subjugate his enemies in the neck of thine enemies, thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion, who shall rouse him up? Notice verse 10, all speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. The scepter shall not depart from Judah. Now, the scepter is a symbol of lordship, of rule. So the scepter will not depart. In other words, it is a consistent rule. It is not something that is here today and gone tomorrow. Very important point. The scepter shall not depart. It will not be diminished from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Verse 11. Binding his foe unto the vine. We see this happening in the New Testament, very prophetic. And his asses called unto the choice vine. He washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes. Here we have a reference to his atonement, the crucifixion. Notice how this is all being played out in association with his regal authority. His eyes shall be red with wine and his teeth white with milk. Here we have a reference to the sending of the gospel, which is both judgment and grace. So we have the red wine and the milk, his teeth white with milk, always referring to what he does by sending the gospel out. The gospel, a sword, two-edged unto life as well as unto death. Now Judah is a reference without question to the Lord Jesus Christ. Note the descriptive wording of the prophecy. Judah, a lion. He is a lion crouching, ready to spring, an old lion. He is ready to tear the prey. He will be victorious. It's no coincidence that even in our day, we call the lion the king of the jungle. So too is Christ the king of the universe. Secondly, Genesis 49.22, we read this in the same prophetic wording. Joseph, another reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, if you're familiar with the Genesis account of Joseph, it is definitely a historical allegory, a historical picture, if you will, a historical story of the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph, he writes here, is a fruitful bough. Christ is a fruitful bough. He will bring forth fruit. We, the Church of Jesus Christ, the Eternal Church, is his fruit. the fruit of righteousness. Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. The archers have surely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him. Another reference to the fact of his crucifixion. But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. from thence is the shepherd the stone of Israel, even by the God of thy Father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts and of the womb." Notice the comprehensive nature of the blessings as a result of his victory. Notice verse 26. the blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, or the children, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. Notice the depth and the scope of his glorious victory, his glorious conquest. They shall be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brother. Notice how Joseph here is being crowned, a symbol, a picture prophetically given by Jacob of Joseph speaking typically of Jesus Christ. So the language here is very clear as to the sovereign majesty, the fruitfulness of Christ's work and the totality of his lordship. Now a careful study of the entire prophecy will show that both Christ as well as the people of God will have together, working in concert, Christ the head, the body, the church, will have the ultimate victory through the fidelity of the covenant and many generations. Remember, the victory comes through many generations. This is a divine promise with earthly ramifications. All of the prophecies are prophesied in order that those reading and understanding the prophecy would recognize that these prophecies, divine in nature, spiritual in nature, will be realized and recognized and effectuated in time and in history. Now, it was a misunderstanding of when and how the kingdom would come about that became major issues. Let's consider, firstly, the when. When would the kingdom come about? This is significant. We cannot think of the kingdom coming in effectual power in the by and by, in our future. Of course, in the Old Testament, it was in their future, but not in ours. So when? When does the kingdom come? Luke 19.11, And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, notice this, and because they, his disciples, thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately appear. They thought that the Kingdom of God would immediately appear. Now, it was going to appear in reality when Christ, of course, sends the Spirit, but not in totality when Christ sends the Spirit. So one of the problems of mankind is they think that when the Kingdom comes, it comes immediately. But as we learned last week, it comes gradually. It comes in time, in history, over many generations. So some of the questions that we might ask are these. When does the Kingdom come into being? Will it come immediately or over a period of time? Does it come upon the heels of the last day of the earth at Judgment Day? Does it come after the rapture of the saints when Christ shall intervene supernaturally again into history to set up a political kingdom in the nation of Israel? Does it only come in the hearts of men upon their individual conversion, whereby it never comes in the reality of the world? So these are the questions that must be asked, and are being asked, and sadly, being answered erroneously. Now note the carefully worded phraseology here. The cue that Jesus gives as to the when. He gives here, he cues them, he gives them that clue. Verse 14 of Luke 22 and following. And when the hour was come, and you should recognize this by some of the passages we read when we partake of the Lord's Supper. And when the hour was come, he sat down and the 12 apostles with him. And he said unto them, with desire, I have desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. And notice verse 16, very significant. For I say unto you, I will not anymore eat thereof until it be fulfilled or consummated in the kingdom of God. So the next time Jesus is going to eat, he's going to eat it when the kingdom comes. At the time the kingdom comes, he will eat. That will be the signification of the fact that the kingdom has come. Verse 17, and he took the cup. and gave thanks and said, Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come." Very, very clear language. The next time I eat, the next time I drink, the kingdom will have come. And he took the bread and he gave thanks and broke it and gave it unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Now the logical deduction is that when Jesus eats and drinks in the ceremonial fashion as he had done the Passover night the kingdom of God would come. When he does this again, he is indicating that the kingdom of God has come. In fact, according to the scripture, when Jesus eats and drinks again with the disciples, the consummation of his work will be effectuated. Note again the word fulfilled. The word fulfilled. It will be completed. It will consummate. The cup that he would drink would be the cup of consummation, for he had already drank the cup of judgment at the cross. And note the immediate action of the Lord upon his resurrection, now in Luke chapter 24. Notice the sequence. Verse 36, Luke 24 and following. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. Now, this is after the resurrection. But they were terrified and affrighted. And supposed that they had seen a spirit, and he saith unto them, Why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me, and see. For a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have. And when He hath thus spoken, He showed them His hands and His feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Notice, Have ye here any meat? He's provoking them to a response. Give me meat because I'm going to show you what I told you would happen before my passion. And they gave him a piece of broiled fish and a honeycomb. And he took it and did eat before them. And he said to them, These are the words which I spake unto you. Notice he has to remind them now. While I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms, concerning me." And in verse 45, he says this, then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. He's showing them everything that was prophesied from the patriarchs in the Old Testament through the prophets into the Psalms, and he's expounding himself to the people, his disciples. So what was it that they were understanding here? What was it that Christ was saying that they should be comprehending? Fundamentally, that the kingdom had come. Christ had been victorious. The prophecies had been fully and completely satisfied. Notice verse 46. And he said unto them, Thus it is written, And thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you." That was pointing forward to Pentecost, the Holy Spirit coming. But, "'Tarry ye here in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.'" So as a result of Christ's comprehensive conquest, which of course as we said is spiritual in nature, divine in power and authority, judicial and real. He now is showing that he has been given the world as his inheritance according to Psalm 2. And the kingdom of God, his rule, has come. He signifies this by his eating. The heathen now are his by right of conquest and right of inheritance. The Gentile nations are His and He will redeem out of those nations those whom the Father has given Him. So the heathen now are His. He owns them by right of conquest and by right of inheritance. The Gentile nations belong to the Lord Christ. This was always God's plan. Ordaining that He would be hated by His own people and that the nation of Israel would apostatize thereby forcing God to divorce them. He goes to the nations of the world, the Gentiles of the world, whom the Hebrews despised. And by going to them, he provokes the Jews to jealousy by a people that were not the people of God, so as to become the people of God and heirs according to the promise. That was always his plan. And thus Peter is given the vision of the sheep coming down from heaven at Simon the Tanner's house in Joppa. declaring that he should no longer call common man unclean. But Christ asks them to wait until they have the tools to bring about the gradual realization of the conquest, he tells them, wait for Pentecost, because you don't have the power yet from the Holy Spirit. It has not come to evangelize the nations. There must be a waiting period. Part of that waiting period was because Christ had to ascend and to be coronated by the Father in order to send the Spirit. All of those ceremonies had to come to pass. So he tells them to wait until he sends the Spirit, the promise from the Father. so that the conquest would be realized in time and in history. He tells them to wait for the power of God via the Holy Ghost, which will provide them all that they need to go forth as Christ had gone before them. That's important for us to recognize today, because Christ has given us everything we need to go forth, conquering by the preaching of the Word of God. This is what is meant by Christ's promise that He will go before the people of God into Galilee. When he meets Mary on the way, he says, tell my brother I go before them into Galilee, and there shall ye see me. And he does this by his spirit, Galilee, according to Isaiah 9.1, Galilee being a reference to the world according to that prophet. Now for a moment, let's consider another passage, John 21. Beginning in verse one, we read this. After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and on this wise showed he himself. Notice how he's going out after the resurrection, showing himself, and establishing the fact, the doctrinal truth, the doctrinal reality, that the kingdom had come, and he does this by a ceremonial eating. That's when their eyes are opened, that's when they recognize that the kingdom had come. The kingdom will come now in power at Pentecost, but the kingdom effectually in doctrine, in reality, had come. It will come eventually in power after the 50 days after the resurrection. Christ is now establishing this fact in the hearts of his hearers, in the hearts of his disciples. Verse 2. There were together Simon Peter and Thomas, called Didymus, and Nathaniel of Cana, in Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. This is important. I go a fishing. They say unto him, we also go with thee. They went forth and entered into his ship immediately. And that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, and I would even see an implication here when the light had dawned, Just like on the first day of the new Sabbaths, when the light had dawned and the resurrection of Christ was evident. When the morning was now come, remember Christ is the son of the morning. When the morning was now come, very interesting language. Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? Notice, He's provoking again. We want to show you that the kingdom has come. Christ is going to show them the kingdom has come. He asks them, Do you have any meat? They answer Him, No. And He saith unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. And when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he gird his fish's coat unto him, for he was naked, and did cast himself into the sea." Notice how he's clothing himself. The Lord has come, a representation of the clothing that they have now, the righteous clothes that Christ gives them spiritually by His resurrection, by His power. He jumps into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship, for they were not far from land, but as it were, 200 cubits, dragging the net with fishes. As soon as they were come to the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon and bred. And Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up and drew the net to the land full of great fishes, and hundred and fifty and three. And for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples thus asked him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, taketh bread, and giveth them, and the fish likewise." Note again the feasting on bread, and of course, by implication, drink as well. But here we find another aspect of the dining, of the meal. Fish. Not the Passover lamb, but now fish. The lamb had certainly been slain, a representation of the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world, but now fish, so the highlight here is the fish. Not only the fish being eaten, but the fish being caught after they toil all night, but then when the morning comes and the light dawns, The Christ says, now cast your net on the right side. They pull in so many fish, even so many that you would think the net might break, but it doesn't break, and they were able to get them to shore safely. But the aspect here added is fish. Within the context of the dining, we see many fish being caught after the entire night of fishing. The entire historical account is given, I believe. so that we may understand along with the disciples what has transpired after Christ's resurrection. You see, Peter indeed would be a fisher of men, as Christ had called him, as would be the entire elect saints. Peter tries all night, catches nothing, a symbol of the Old Testament period before Pentecost would come. The night depicts that period of time before the Spirit is poured out. We know this through many of the prophets. We'll see them in a moment. But once that Spirit is poured out, the day of conquest has begun. The time of night is a period without the grace of God poured upon the nations. It is a period of time when judgment and wrath reigns, and only where a small pocket of God's people are found and where the grace of God is administered. And Isaiah points this out clearly, and we only need to look at Isaiah when he says in Isaiah 9.2, The people that walked in darkness have now seen a great light. Mourning had come, mourning had broken. And they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. I am the light of the world. Isaiah 29, 18. And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. Isaiah 42, 7. to open the blind eyes, speaking of Christ and what He will do finally, to bring about rather the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. In verse 16 of Isaiah 42, God promises, And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not. I will lead them in the paths that they have not known. I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them and not forsake them. Darkness also depicts the shadow of death, ignorance, wickedness, and a foreboding of God's anger upon sin and global rebellion. But when Christ appears in His Incarnation, and when Christ brings by His Incarnation that new hope through His conquering resurrection, when that sequence is finally complete, the darkness is dispelled. The light has come. Isaiah records this verse in Isaiah 60 verse 1. Arise, shine, for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen, is risen upon us. John writes this, John 3.19. And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. But let us now consider the 40 days. Curious, 40 days. I've always pondered this. I've never had an opportunity until now to really consider, what meaneth this? What does it mean? Why not 10 days? Why not 50 days? Well, perhaps there are some obvious answers. 50 days would have been the Pentecost. It couldn't be 50 days. Of course, 40 is a very significant number. Often we see the number as a day, a time of great testing, especially when we see the 40 days and 40 nights of Christ's trial and temptation, the 40 days on Mount Sinai with Moses and all of these numbers, 40 years in the wilderness, a time of great trial. Christ's 40-day walk after the resurrection, however, is absolutely an incredible, incredible message to us as it points the Hebrew disciples back to their own history. Now again, typically, the number 40 would symbolize a testing period. Again, 40 days of Christ's temptation, 40 days and nights in judgment by the flood, 40 years in the wilderness, 40 years on Mount Sinai. However, I believe there's more to it than just that. That might be too simplistic. There's no real learning there. Was Christ being tested? Were we being tested? Were the disciples being tested? What does it mean if it was 40 days that he was walking, showing himself alive? It has really nothing to do with testing, at least not particularly. I believe it is a time for cultural dominion examination. And in this case, I believe Christ is pointing to Numbers chapter 13 and Numbers chapter 14. Let us for a moment turn to those passages of our Old Testament reading and consider the sequence again. Christ preaches the kingdom is at hand. He states that he will not eat or drink of the Passover meal until he does it anew in the kingdom when it's fulfilled. He is crucified. He's dead. He's buried for an atonement on behalf of his people. He's crucified. He resurrects, showing himself to his disciples among others, and eats and drinks. He makes a mention that he will be going to the Father and that he will be sending the Spirit, which he calls the promise given by the Father. In one instance, he adds fish and fishing to the post-resurrection meal, I believe symbolically pointing to the great evangelical commission that is to take place as a result of his victory. He also states absolutely that all power, according to Matthew 28, and all authority is given to him in heaven and in earth. Then he tarries 40 days before his ascension, showing himself to the people. So what does this 40 days mean? Well, I believe that the 40-day period here, in this case, is a period of examination. Firstly, Christ is showing himself so as to be examined by the people as their victorious king. He shows himself alive. I am alive, I have risen, and I am the king. I have defeated death. I am the one the prophets have prophesied about. And they would understand that. So he's showing himself just as a king would present himself before the people, as Christ presents himself for 40 days before the people. And this was no doubt a great encouragement to the people as to the truth and reality of his victory and his resurrection. But secondly, and more importantly, Christ is reminding the people, I believe, of what they are to be doing throughout this symbolic 40 years 40 days and 40 years of the New Testament age. Remember, 40. A time of examination. Christ is saying, in this 40 days, you are to be doing something. And that 40 days, I believe, symbolizes the New Testament age. Turn with me please to Numbers 13, and let me examine this and debate this fact. Numbers 13. and Numbers 14. Herein we have a 40-day examination of the land of promise given by God to Moses and then given to the spies. They are to go out and they are to examine the land to see whether or not it was worth going in and conquering. Go into the land. Of course, Moses is telling the people here, the spies, go into the land and see what kind of land it is. This is what God is telling Moses to command the people to do. So Moses commands them. He tells them to go into the land and to spy out the land. Whether the land is good or bad, whether the cities are tents or strongholds, whether there be few or many, whether they're this or that, whatever it is, we need you to go out and we need to know what is out there. A period of intelligence gathering. because this is the land that God has promised for the people of Israel. So we have a 40-day examination period of the land of promise, the land of Canaan, and we find that it was a glorious place, a place to be greatly desired. But it was not for the simple, easy taking. It's interesting, nothing worthwhile is easily gotten. Christians today, they just want it, They don't want to work for it. They want to have it. In fact, eschatologically, they want the kingdom by supernatural intervention. They don't want to work for it. They want to wait around on a white mountain and a hill with white robes and a big mountain top saying, come Lord Jesus, rapture us out of this mess and we're ready. They don't want to work. But everything, everything that is to be gotten in this world by divine Commandment must be gotten by work. Work is always involved. It is a glorious ordination. Work is a glorious thing. It's not a curse. If it was a curse, it wouldn't be found in the garden before the fall of man. But they spy out the land, and there are giants in the land. It would take a concerted, galvanized effort of courage and diligence to rid the land of the giants in order for the Hebrew people to take possession of it. But it would require much more than diligence. One would think diligence is enough. If I work hard enough, I'll get what I want. We'll rout those giants. No. Diligence is not enough. Courage is not enough. It would require faith. A faith in God's promise. a sure footing, a trust in the promises of God. A battle would have to be fought. No doubt about that. They couldn't just march in there and take it over. They would have to fight for it. Work would subsequently have to be done to make it what it was intended to be. There would be work. God, however, promises that He will give them the land. It will not come to them easy, but it will come to them at the last. And that's the important point. As long as they would remain faithful, hold to the promises of God, trust in God, be obedient, God would bless them. But what happens? Spies spy out the land. The land is good. Oh, there are giants in the land. The people become frightened. But it's not so much that they were fearful as they were faithless. And they rebel. And the sentence is passed. that those who rebel will perish and the people will wander 40 years. You didn't want to deal with the 40 days in examination, now you'll wander 40 years. Let's look at chapter 14. And let me point out, if I may, some of the particulars here in these two chapters. I think this is very enlightening and very important. Numbers 13 and 14. We begin here, firstly, with our Old Testament reading. Moses is given commission to send Joshua out. Joshua and Caleb go out. They go to spy out the land in verse 17, and they go southward to the mountain so they may gather intel as to what type of land it is. Moses asks them to come back with a report. So they go out, they bring back the grapes that were asked, but it takes them, in verse 25, notice They return from searching of the land after 40 days. So they search out the land, they bring the report. They come, they tell Moses and Aaron, and they tell all the congregation of the children of Israel all that they had found. And they say here in verse 28 that the people are strong, the cities are walled, they're very great, and they see there the children of Anak. That would strike fear into the hearts of the Hebrews, because the children of Anak were sworn enemies of God that would perpetually be the enemies of God. We are dealing today with the children of Anak. They are the sworn enemies of God. Of course, maybe not biologically or genealogically, but spiritually, the sworn enemies of God that God promises to keep here until we overthrow them by the preaching of God's Word, all the children of Anak. And this would strike fear into their hearts. The Amalekites, here in verse 29, the Amalekites dwell in the land of the south, and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and by the coast of Jordan. The place is infiltrated with all of these tribes, all of these peoples who are great and strong. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses. Could you imagine? You just have to imagine this. You just can't read the scriptures. If you read the scriptures like you're reading a math book, you're not reading the scriptures. Could you imagine? Here's the report. It's great. Look at the grapes. But here's the problem. And people are going out of their mind because they're faithless. They don't understand that Christ is the conquering Christ. He is the majestic Christ. So Caleb has to stop the people from all the tumult, he stills them. Why would it say that if there wasn't a tumult? Oh, we're going to be destroyed. In fact, they're already murmuring against God, against Moses, against Aaron, against Caleb, against Joshua. They'd be giants in the land, we'd be grasshoppers. Because the carnal mind sees what the carnal mind wants to see, and what the carnal mind can only see. So Caleb stills the people before Moses and says, let us go up at once and possess it. Notice the faith. I just am amazed. How big are they? They're big. How many are they? There are many. Let's get them. What's happening today is how big are they? They're big. How many are they? There are many. Let's build bigger barns. Let's build bigger churches. Let's hide out, not only on Sunday, but let's hide out on the rest of the week and make believe it's not happening. And when we're challenged, we'll declare that challenge, you're a heretic. And we'll stone them with stones. Caleb sees the challenge. And the man of faith says, I see the challenge. But before the challenge, I see the Christ. I see the Lord. And he says, let's go. You've got to love him. You've got to love him. But you've got to love him so much that you want to be like him. So Caleb stills the people before Moses and says, let us go up at once and possess it. But notice what he says after that. You've got this wandering, ragtag bunch of people. They're not trained in military warfare. Oh, they were set up as an army, surely out of Egypt. But they've been slaves for years. And Caleb looks out at the mass of sniveling cowards. With the eye of faith, he says, for we are well able to overcome it. Church doesn't say that today. It's no longer onward Christian soldiers. It's backwards Christian soldiers. But the men that went up with him said, we'd be not able to go up against the people. But they are stronger than we. Already, we find within the group that gathered the intel, within the very group that went out to find out what was happening, we find faithlessness. Within the congregation right here, within the leaders, you think Moses would have sent out just anybody? He picked his choicest men. And of the choicest men, only two come back and say, let's go get them. And they said, oh, no, no, no, no. We have to be very wise here, because they're big. They're strong. There are many. So what happens? They bring up an evil report of the land which they had searched, and the children of Israel saying, The land through which we had gone to search it is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof, and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. You know, when you look out there, Brothers and sisters, when you look out there in the world and you see men of influence and power, don't be deceived. Just because of their position providentially, they are not necessarily men of great stature. Only God's men are men of great stature. These men were deceived. And they brought up an evil report because they were afraid. They were faithless. So they begin to sow discord. They begin to So fear. And they say, and there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers. And so we were in their sight. They failed to factor in the one most important factor of this whole scenario. They didn't factor in, God said, I will give you the land. Just go and get it. I mean, this could be applied to not only our communal problem, our national problem, your family problems, your individual college problems. You are given the tools to advance for the kingdom's glory. So all the congregation, verse 1 of chapter 14, they react and they judge harshly and wrongly. And all the congregation lifts up their voice, and they cry, and all the people wept that night. Instead of planning, instead of strategizing, they whine. What do you hear today, even in the Christian community of the Reformation? You go to conferences. I was sick and tired of conferences. I am fed up, fed up to the point of vomit. You go to these conferences and they're whining all day about how bad it is. And then they're talking about what to do, but then they never do it. They whine all night long. And the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. And the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would God that we had died in this wilderness. This is insanity. This is absolute crazy. Because they still are in bondage to psychological slavery. They still now have forgotten, even now, so short a time, they've forgotten how horrible it was. They want to go back. Carnal men desire carnal things. And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? Were their lives so important that they would not sacrifice their lives for freedom, to go forth for God's blessings? Were their things so important that they would not follow the will of the Lord, These people didn't deserve to be free, and they didn't deserve the Promised Land, and they didn't get the Promised Land either. God shall not be mocked, so whatsoever man soweth, that also shall he reap. If he sows unto the flesh, he will reap destruction. But to the Spirit everlasting life, notice here, and they said one to another, Let us make a captain, other than Moses, other than Aaron, someone that's going to agree with our things now and our understanding. Let's ordain some ministers and set up some churches all around that are going to tell us what we want to hear. Let us make a captain and let us return into Egypt. And what's happening today in the churches of Jesus Christ? They're bringing them back to Egypt through the education process. They're not speaking out against the schools, the government schools, through the eschatological view, through the doctrines of atonement, the doctrines of salvation. They're bringing them right back into Egypt. There's no liberation there. Because only where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And where the Spirit of the Lord is not, there is bondage. So let us make a captain. Let us ordain someone that's going to tell us what we want, And you know, when he stops telling us what we want, we're just going to vote him out. Happens every day. To be faithful is a lonely, lonely place. Don't forget it. But as a good friend of ours used to say, when her daughter used to say, Mommy, I don't want to go in my room and pray. I'm all alone. There's no one to pray with. She used to say, you're not alone. You've got the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. You go and you pray. See, we're never alone. John Knox always said, one of my favorite slogans is that one man with God is the majority. One man with God is a majority. You only need one. So they say, let us make a captain to go into Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron. Now notice this. I guess if this was me, if this was me, I'd say, go. Get lost. But not Moses and Aaron. They fell on their face before the assembly of the congregation. But they knew the anger of the Lord would be stirred. And Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes, and they spake unto the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land which we pass through to search it is an exceeding good land. It's worth the fight. It's worth the sacrifice. My friends, it's worth the fight. It's worth the sacrifice. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land. But without faith, the Hebrew writer says, it is impossible for the Lord to delight in you. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. Joshua and Caleb are asking the people to be faithful people. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for us. We'll eat them like bread. Their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Fear ye not them. You would think with such a sermon and such a speech, they'd stand on their feet. Say, yes, we will sacrifice all that we are, all that we have. We'll give it all up. We'll put our lives on the line for the glory of Christ and for the glory of the inheritance of the people of God throughout many generations. We will give up ourselves, all of the things that we are and have. We'll give it up. You'd think they would say that. And I'm sure it was a great speech. But the dead cannot rise on their own, neither can the blind see, neither can the deaf hear. So they remained in their deadness and their carnality. And all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel." You would think with all the miracles, all the deliverances that they would say, the Lord will be with us, this is good stuff. And the Lord said to Moses, how long will these people provoke me? And how long will it be ere that they believe me for all the signs which I have showed among them? I've showed all these signs and they still don't believe me. And the Pharisees asked for a sign What did Jesus say? There shall be no sign given you, say the sign of the prophet Jonah, who was in the belly of the earth three days and three nights. That's our sign. So Moses and Aaron pray for the people, but their concern is not so much for the people as for the honor of God. Moses says to the Lord in verse 13, if God kills all the people, then the Egyptians shall hear it. For they broughtest up this people in thy might from among them, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. For they have heard that thou, Lord, art among this people, that thou, Lord, art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them by day, time, in a pillar of cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now, if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. Are the people saying that about us today? Yes, they are. The Lord is not able to deliver us out of their hand. But this is not true. The Lord is able to deliver us. If we be faithful, only rebel ye not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they be bread for us, their defense is nothing. Moses debates with God. And the Lord is merciful, but not to this generation. He says, but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Eventually it will. He points forward. Postmillennialism, Reconstructionism, is in that phrase. My servant Caleb, because he hath another spirit, verse 24, because he hath another spirit with him, and had followed me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went, and his seed shall possess it. Notice here, only Caleb, the one who has another spirit. What spirit is that? Well, it's not the spirit of the Israelites. It's not the carnal spirit. It's the spirit of God. And God passes sentence upon them. And because they did not understand the 40-day intel gathering as to what to do because of that intelligence gathered, God passes a sentence of 40 years to wander in the wilderness. Verse 33, And your children shall wander in the wilderness 40 years and bear your whoredoms until your carcass be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye search the land, even forty days each day for a year, ye shall bear your iniquities even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. I, the Lord, have said it. I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation that are gathered together against me in this wilderness. They shall be consumed, and there shall they die. Now consider some of the implications. I believe that this 40 days of Christ showing himself is a warning to the disciples against fear and rebellion of going in to possess the land. They were in the midst of the Roman Empire. They were surely going to be judged, firstly by the Jew, then by the Gentile, by the Romans. They were going to be slain. They were going to be cut asunder. They were going to be destroyed. And yet, they had to go in faith. The Roman Empire was giant. It was the giant of the day, as we face today many giants and throughout history we have as well. Now that the promise had been made manifest in the flesh, especially upon the incarnation of Christ, when the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds, he said, fear not, because you are going to embark on a journey, which will require faith, not fear. To whom also Luke says, He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God." That's what Moses was telling the people about, about what the Kingdom of God is all about. It's about going into the earth with righteousness. It's not meat and drink, it's righteousness and holiness and joy in the Holy Ghost. To bring that to the nations. The Kingdom had come, and Christ was there to confirm that fact. The lesson for the church today is go forward and conquer Canaan by the word of God through the work of Christ, for the kingdom has come. But again, the church has ignored the commission of comprehensive dominion and has compartmentalized the gospel into the realm of the individual pietistic life. And you know, whenever you talk about, I know I talk with pastors here all the time in this county, whenever you talk about going out and influencing the culture, they say, well, that's a social gospel. No, it's not the social gospel. It's the gospel that will bring in the realities of Christ to the society, yes, but it's not going to win people politically or economically, but biblically, theonomically, theologically. The Church has failed to work for the Kingdom. She has failed to act in the Kingdom's behalf as the ambassador that she is, and rather has hidden in fearful silence, fearful of the giants in the land. But when I say the church has failed this, or she has failed to do that, we have failed to do that. We are the church, and we have failed. We can do so much more. We think we've done something? We've done nothing. Compared to what some of these men sacrificed, we've done nothing. You see, we must work, and I mean work, for the kingdom's establishment. We must do battle for her honor and for her glory through the declaration of His law by the power of the Spirit. Anything less is absolutely unacceptable." Okay, an admonition in closing. Find your niche. I don't care what it is. Find a place where God can use you and serve to your utmost ability. Find your niche. Don't tell me you're too busy. I'm busy. A lot of you are busy. But we should never be too busy to do God's bidding. Find your niche, stick to it, and develop it. Develop it. Groom it. Grow it. If you are in business, use the business to gain riches and influence so that you can turn those things into kingdom wealth. Remember, many a man hath riches, but not many a man has wealth. If you are young, pray and ask God to guide you. Seek his face and his word. Ask your mother, ask your father to assist you. Take upon yourself certain tasks and see if you are skilled in those tasks. Ask your church leaders to counsel you. Don't be idle. If you are old, of course that's a relative term, but if you're older, find a place where you can serve. You can do something. God will groom you if your heart is in the right place. Look for that place. Look for that niche. Don't wait for it to come to you. A lot of people say, well, Pastor, what can I do? Well, if you don't know what you need to do, then you can't do it. Because I can't tell you. I can't tell you what you need to do. I'm not God. And I'm not you. Find your place in God's world. Find your place in God's kingdom. Don't wait for that to come to you. Do not be slothful, but be rather industrious. And if you're elderly, you need to know one thing. Never, ever, ever has God ever cast off His elderly. Ever. So that is no excuse. He does not cast off the elderly. He redirects them, but He never casts them off. If you are simple-minded, God will equip you has to continue to seek his face and become more theologically astute. But you've got to want it. You've got to seek it. You've got to go after it like fine riches and gold and jewels and pearls. I'm sure if they were buried in your backyard, you'd be digging all day and all night. But when it comes to godliness, when it comes to service, we're at the back door before anybody gets us before we leave to make us do something. If you are theologically skilled, then pour yourself out for the sake of others. Make sure that the day you die, upon that day, you have imparted more wisdom, more knowledge, more understanding to your friends, your brethren, your loved ones, than you have yourself. That should be your goal. Cast the bread of God upon the waters. Raise up the simple-minded in compassion and love to bring them to a place of great power and influence, because we are only as strong as the weakest link. Despise not one as a result of your gifts. Don't despise anyone. Our gifts are for others, not for ourselves. That's a problem the Church faces today. We think God gives us gifts for us. No, He gives us gifts so we can give it away. Humble yourself to those of us who have been given much, God will require much. If you are in a place of leadership, what I mean by that is father, mother, church leader, community leader, become a better leader. Figure out why you are providentially put in that position because one of two things are going to happen if you are a leader, a mother, a father, an elder, a deacon, a husband, a wife, one of two things can be the result of your position. Either you will shirk your responsibility and become a disgrace, or you will better yourself in it and become a blessing. There's no middle road here. No middle ground. Exercise that position for godly influence so as to honor God and advance His kingdom. Gain more influence in the providence God has placed you in, in order to advance His kingdom. So whoever you are, God has called you. If you really believe that God has called you, then you have to believe also that God has called you for a purpose, for a reason. You're not just here to take up space. You're here to serve the living Christ. There's no excusing you from that purpose. Everyone has a place in the kingdom. Otherwise, God would not have called you to it. May God be pleased to use all of us in advancing His Word and His work unto the praise of the glory of His grace. In this we shall do God helping us. Amen.