Let us now turn to our scripture reading, which is found in the book of Numbers and the 13th chapter. The book of Numbers, chapter 13. We read from the verse 30 through to the chapter 14 and the verse 25. This is the word of almighty God. Come, let us hear his holy word together. The Lord give us ears to hear and hearts to truly receive his word. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we, and they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land through which we have gone through to search it is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof, and all the people that we saw in it are men. of a great statue, 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. And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried, and the people wept that night. And all 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? 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? Then they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 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 all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it 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 bred for us. Their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Fear them not. But 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. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? How long will it be ere they believe me? For all the signs which I have showed among them, I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it. For thou 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 a 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. And now I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word, that as surely as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice, surely they shall not see the land which I swear unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoke me see it. But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land wherein he went. and his seed shall possess it. Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley. Tomorrow turn you and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea. Amen. This is the word of the Lord. the Word of Almighty God. May the Lord add his blessing upon that public reading of his most holy, infallible, inerrant and sacred Word, and may he do so to the glory of his name and to the everlasting good of our very poor, needful and never-dying souls. Well dear congregation, I turn your prayerful attention once again to the words which I read to you and you're hearing a little earlier from the book of Numbers, the chapter 14. May the Lord be pleased to graciously enable me to minister his word to the prophet of your souls. and to the glory of his name. We return once again this Lord's Day as we did last Lord's Day. We began to look at the chapter 13 as this time when the Lord's people arrive now just at the southern border of Israel. They have spent the last two years at Mount Sinai. The law of God has been given them there. both the moral law, the civil law, and the ceremonial law, and they are now just about to enter into the promised land. They embark upon that journey in the chapter 10 of Numbers, a journey that should really only take a couple of weeks to enter into the promised land, but because of their sin, as we read in this chapter, it will set them back some 38 years. It's been two years since they have left Egypt, by the mighty hand of God, by the deliverance of God, as he sent those ten plagues upon Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. And then he parted the Red Sea, and in the parting of the Red Sea he not only delivered his people out of Egypt, but he destroyed the enemy as the enemy pursued The people of God, through the Red Sea, the Lord closed the walls of the sea in on the Egyptians and Pharaoh. And as we read in the Psalms, not only was Pharaoh's army destroyed, but Pharaoh himself was destroyed. in that great deluge in the Red Sea. And since the Lord has delivered them over these last two years, the Lord has given every provision, hasn't he, for the people. He has given them water from the rock. He has given them manna daily from heaven, over two million people. He has given tons and tons of food every day falling from heaven, provided water, provided all of their needs, and especially brought them into a living true understanding that he is the God of heaven. And he has brought many of them, not all of them, he has brought many of them into a living relationship with him. Particularly men like Joshua, Moses, and Caleb here, and many other godly members there of Israel. But not all who are of Israel are of Israel, as we read elsewhere in Romans chapter 9. And we noted, and as have done on previous occasions, that after they left Mount Sinai as they commenced that very last leg of the journey into the Promised Land, many of them begin to complain. They're on this last leg of the journey. And God has given a very clear promise, hasn't he, in Exodus chapter 3 and the verse 8, that he will give them this land flowing with milk and honey, that he will subdue all of their enemies. He not only spoke that at the beginning of the book of Exodus, but right at the end of the book of Exodus. He said, I will bring them out of that land unto a good land. We saw how the many began to complain. about the journey. But really, they're on the last leg, aren't they? They've left Egypt. They've been provided for. They're on the last leg. They should be rejoicing in the prospect of Canaan, which they're about to enter. Now, when they get to the border here, as we saw last week, and as we learned from Deuteronomy chapter 1, it wasn't God's idea to send the spies into the land, but it was the people that wanted the spies to be sent into the land. And God agreed to it. It pleased Moses, and God agreed to it. And so it was. The spies were sent into the land, and God, when he said to Moses, send the spies into the land, He said, make sure they bring back some of the fruit. And they did. They were in the valley of Eskol, and a large cluster of grapes had to be carried between two men on a pole. So large were those grapes and the cluster of grapes. And it was evidence, it was proof, wasn't it, that God was true to his word, that this was a land in great abundance of fruit. The spies spent some 40 days in this land, spying out the land. viewing the territory, viewing the fruit, the produce, but also the people. But as we know, out of those 12 spies, 10 were bad and 2 were good. The 10, and of course they were all leaders of each tribe, said, oh yes, the produce is good, the land looks so favorable, oh but the people there, we're not able to overcome them, we're not able to subdue them. Well, They didn't put God in the equation, did they? That was the whole problem. These men didn't see by faith, they didn't have faith in God. But it was a terrible day. So now as they arrive here in the desert of Paran, at this place called Kadesh Barnea, just at the southern border of Israel, we note that there is this crisis. And as we will see this morning, we want to look at this man Caleb. We want to consider something of what the Lord says about him. And we want to make personal application with regards to our own lives. Are we truly men and women of faith like Caleb and like Joshua? And God highly commends him. God greatly commends him. and what he did here. It may not seem that he was successful, but as far as God is concerned, he was successful. He withstood the people of Israel, over two million of them, and he withstood the ten. And we must never measure success in terms of, you know, moving people. But success and faithfulness is in terms of being faithful to God. That's what counts for everything. Eternity will reveal those who truly have been faithful. And so we must be very careful. We learned many lessons, I trust, last time. And, you know, people will be unfaithful. The faithful are, by and large, in the minority. as was Caleb here. And we want to consider him this morning as we come to these verses in the chapter 14. But going back there to the chapter 13, just for a moment, we read, and they brought up an evil report of the land. Let's just think for a moment. Let's get to the context. As they surveyed the land, yes, everything was fine. Everything was as God had said it. But the enemies were a problem for them. but not for the two spies here, Joshua and Caleb. Why? Because they believed God. Notice the verse 30 in the chapter 13 where Caleb says, or rather we read of Caleb, and Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, let us go up at once. We don't even need to prepare. Stop and think for a moment. Had they not have even asked the spies, God would have just sent them in. Now we know Providence, God has ordained that the people ask for spice. And there was no need for the preparation, God has done everything. God will overcome the enemies, just like they never had to lift a finger to defeat the Egyptians, if they will just trust now God and obey. But sadly, the people sided with the ten spice, not the faithful two. So we read these words in Psalm 78 in the verse 10, how oft Did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert? Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy. how he wrought his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Zoan, and had turned their rivers into blood, that's the Egyptians, and their floods that they could not drink. That was the problem. They left God out of the equation. They remembered not the things that God had done. And what faith does is it reflects on God's, not only his word, but his dealings in time past. And faith looks to God and trusts God. But the majority of the people here didn't. The ten spies are just like the people. Furthermore, they wanted to now appoint another captain. Who was their captain? Well, it was Moses. They wanted to replace Moses, and then they wanted to stone Moses. Chapter 14, notice in the verse 10, that all the congregation bade stone them with stones. Isn't that awful? Despite the times, and think of the many times that these people would have been wiped off the face of the earth had it not have been for Moses, who interceded for them, who prayed for them. They now want to stone the very one who has been so kind. But those of us who are Christians, how was it with us before the Lord saved us? The very one who saved us, the Lord Jesus. And they were their people at the cross, crying, crucify him! Crucify him! And yet 50 days later, the Lord pricked their heart. And they put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. God gave them faith. They were born again. Saved. The Lord is very gracious. And here Moses is a wonderful picture or type of the Lord Jesus Christ. How gracious Moses has been. and how quick they are to replace him, but how quick sinners are to want to overthrow God. Don't want to answer to God, don't want to listen to God, just as the people here don't want to follow Moses. Now what is the response of Joshua and Caleb at this scene. Verse 6 of chapter 14, And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Juniper, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes. And here was a very typical thing that somebody would do if they were greatly grieved. They would rent their clothes. It was a sign of great upset and disapproval of something. Joshua and Caleb, they rip their clothes, so deeply distressed at the unruliness of these people. Their unthankful hearts, what Moses has done, they tear their clothes. And before they get a chance to stone Moses and Joshua and Caleb, we noticed last time, the end of the verse 10 there, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. God came and he intervened and he stopped this whole thing. And God spoke then to Moses in the verse 11, how long will this people provoke me? How long will it be ere they believe me for the signs which I've shown among them? I will smite them with pestilence and disinherit them and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. The Lord is saying I am able to get rid of all these people and to start again afresh with Moses. But Moses he intercedes as a gracious Savior would. Here in typical form he is the one who intercedes for the people. Moses says unto the Lord, then the Egyptians will hear it. You see, Moses' first concern is God's glory. What will they hear? Thou 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 art among us, this people, that thou art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them by daytime 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 these people out. You see, Moses' first concern, and it's a godly concern, is for the glory of God. And that should always be our concern. We're not humanist friends. These people deserve to be obliterated off the face of the earth, as you and I do. We don't deserve to be here. We don't deserve anything. But God, who has been so gracious, who has been so kind, surely he deserves the honor and the praise amongst the nations of this world. You know, if we think we deserve anything less than hell, we're sorely mistaken. We've never seen our souls. We've never seen, we don't know what we deserve. God who has given us life, breath, and everything to enjoy. If we don't see we deserve hell, there's something wrong with us. We've never really seen ourselves for what we are. And surely even the Christian Christ, Lord, I deserve wrath. But Lord, for thy name's sake and for thy glory, glorify thy name. And this was Moses' concern, that God be glorified in the nations. And you know the Lord will honor such a man. The Lord will honor such a spirit. You'll honour it in our lives, especially even when we sin. At times we have sinned, and of course we do not want to bring any discredit to God's name in the world. We can pray on that front, can't we, Lord? For Thy name's sake, don't expose my sin to the world. I know I deserve everything I get, but Lord, have mercy upon me. Come, for Thy name's sake, Lord, lift me up. Let me not bring shame to Thy name. And so this is a great lesson for us this morning. May the Lord help us and teach us these things. So you notice as we progress on in the verse there we come to the verse 19. Moses says, Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy. and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word, but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, because all those men which have seen my glory and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice, surely, They shall not see the land which I swear unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it. And so as a result, you notice in the verse 28, everyone 20 years and older would not enter in. And this would be the punishment of the people, those who tempted God, who rebelled and who refused to hear God's word, and they had been given ample empirical evidence of his power and his presence, and he had made clear promises, they shall not enter, because they tempted the Lord, as we read in the Psalms. And so they will spend the next 38 years wandering and wandering and wandering in the wilderness. Imagine that, 38 years. in the wilderness until that entire generation died and only the children who they said they cared about. Don't you care about us? You want to send us into this promised land and kill our children? We'd rather be back in Egypt. Oh yes, with the Egyptians that were whipping them and beating them. If they go back then, now it's going to be far worse. So God says as a result, they shall wander and wander. in this wilderness. Only Caleb and Joshua out of this two million will see the promised land. Now notice we want to concentrate this morning on the verse 24, particularly the expression there concerning Caleb. But my servant Caleb, because he hath another spirit with him and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land wherein he went and his seed shall possess it. And later on there is a commendation concerning Joshua as well, not just Caleb, but here Caleb specifically because he spoke out against these unruly people. Now it's the expression here that we want to be taken up with us this morning concerning Caleb, and he hath followed me fully. And I want to apply that to ourselves this morning as Christians, whether we follow God fully. And that's certainly the mark of true faith, the faith that God gives. Now if you turn for a moment to Joshua chapter 14, And you notice in the verse 8 there, here Caleb says this again to the people, and he remembers these words which the Lord spoke of him, and he says it to the people. Now they're in the promised land, Joshua 14, 8, nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. And you notice there in the verse 9 that follows, And Moses swear on that day, saying, surely the land wherein thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance and thy children's forever. Why? Because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. And it's that theme and that motif that I want us to consider this morning. Wholly following the Lord. Do we do it? If we say we are the Lord's people, do we wholly follow the Lord? Or do we half follow the Lord? Half following is no good, is it? But we should wholly follow the Lord. And so there, Caleb said it to the people to remind them that the Lord honors that when we wholly follow Him. My servant, Caleb. What a wonderful expression. My servant, Caleb. He's the servant of the Lord. Well, we need it this day, don't we? Especially today when there's so much half-heartedness in the church. We want to think this morning, what is it to follow the Lord fully? Well, we could say, first of all, it's about full and complete obedience to the Lord. Ephesians 5, verse 1, we're told, be followers of God. We considered that in our week-by-week studies going through Ephesians, didn't we? What it is to truly be a Christian, to be a follower of the Lord, not of our own ways, not to lean on our own understanding as these ten spies were doing, but to follow what the Lord has said, to obey his word. Now you notice as we come back to verse 24 of chapter 14 here, something about Caleb, and this really sort of elaborates what it means to obey him fully, because there's something that Caleb has that enables him to follow fully. But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, that's what made the difference in Caleb's life. You know, being a Christian is not just deciding to turn over a new leaf and to be somebody different. It's not something on our own initiative, but it's really the work of God in us. We read here, Caleb because he had another spirit. It's not the spirit that the ten spies had. It's not the spirit of the people either, because the people just wanted to do what the ten spies did. Totally different spirit. And the Lord is emphasizing this here. They, the ten spies, had the same spirit as the congregation. It was rejection of God's Word. They refused to accept God's Word. But Caleb had another spirit. Think of it, the whole congregation, all the evidence was there before them, all the empirical evidence, even the enormous cluster of grapes that was brought back. Everybody had the same evidence, didn't they? They saw, they all saw the power, the presence of God. They all went through the Red Sea. They all saw the manna coming down from heaven. Yet they opposed God. They rejected God. But Caleb had another spirit. Well, in 2 Corinthians 4, in the verse 13, we read this. We having the same spirit of faith. Do you hear that? We having the same spirit of faith. Faith has a certain spirit. When we're born again, God gives us faith. It's the gift of God. Ephesians 2.8. We're saved by grace through faith, which is not of yourselves, lest any man should boast, but it's the gift of God. And Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4.13, we having the same spirit of faith. And that's the spirit that Joshua and Caleb had the spirit of faith. They had a totally different spirit. So that those that hear the promises of God receive it by faith, as we'll see in Hebrews 4. What they heard, as Hebrews 4 says, they did not mix with faith. Everybody heard these things. Everybody saw these. Miracles, these wonders, these signs, but not everybody had faith. And that is the difference. As Paul says, we having the same spirit of faith, the true Christian has faith in the Word of God. What God has said. They asked for spies. What good did the spies do them? No good. We don't trust God. That's why they were asking for it. But when God sends two good spies, although they be in the minority, oh, they won't receive those. It was a mixed message, wasn't it? We be able. They have a different spirit. And faith, let's say as well, has faith in things to come, doesn't it? Faith in God who was able to perform what he has said. Faith in the things God promises. That's the different spirit which Paul speaks of. We having the same spirit of faith, we do believe. It's a supernatural gift. It's given to us when we are, as I said, born again of God. Without faith, the apostle tells us in Hebrews, it is impossible to please God. These people didn't please God because they didn't have faith. It's easily proved from Hebrews 4. to the things of God that he has spoken by his word. You see, when we have faith, they become very real to us. We don't question them. And because it's a gift of God, we therefore don't boast. We don't put ourselves above other people. It creates a very humble disposition of soul. You know, true Calvinism is humbling. It creates a humble church when we really understand that faith is the gift of God. It's very humbling. Very humbling indeed. So we take no credit. And so Caleb, though he saw men there of great stature, what he was saying is, I know God is able. He's able to overcome. And so again, Hebrews 11, verse 6, but without faith, it is impossible to please him. And this is what he has, a different spirit. Notice again in the verse 30, there's something else about faith. It is quick to want to please God. Chapter 13, the verse 30, and Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, let us go up at once, immediately. Faith says yes. It doesn't hold back. It doesn't restrain. God has said, why are we doubting him? We must trust him. And faith as well, it means we exercise it. Faith is to be exercised. It's to be put into practice. You can't say you have faith, says James, and there's no works. That's what he means. There's practice in the life. Show me your works. Yes, then you truly have faith. Faith without works, as James says, by the Spirit is dead. Moses had this faith. Hebrews 11, 24 speaks of Moses by faith. Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. That's something, isn't it? What would become of him then? He really put himself to great exposure, didn't he? It's a little wonder that Pharaoh went after him in the end, brought up in Pharaoh's house. But there came a point where he refused. And he stood with the people of God, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, we read, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and so on. You go through the great hall of faith there in Hebrews 11, and you read of these great characters. Who made them to differ? God, by giving them that precious gift of faith. But many of these people did not have faith. They were not of the same spirit. So it firstly humbles us. But we need to promote faith, don't we? if we are Christians. We must promote. We don't promote it if we don't hear the word. We must hear what God says. And we live on that word. They should have known by now, man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God. Don't just trust in the manna that's coming, but trust in the one who is sending the manna. Trust in him every day. Take him at his word. Faith feeds, doesn't it, upon the word of Almighty God, and feeds upon what we hear. But these people did not do that. They failed to do that. If you turn for a moment to Hebrews 3, and you notice there, in fact, the Apostle Paul here, he brings this out in the chapter, Hebrews 3, 15. We read, while it is said today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, referring to this very incident, by the way, for some, when they had heard, did provoke him, albeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses, not all of them, but many of them, but with whom he was grieved forty years. Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness, and to whom he swear that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believe not. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Now notice. Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest. Any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them. But the word preached did not profit them. Now why? Notice, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. In other words, they didn't have faith. What they heard was not mixed with faith, the gift of God. That's why. It's by grace that Joshua and Caleb are different. It's by grace that we're different. And you notice verse 3, for we which have believed do enter into rest. Again, important to understand that what we believe is because of faith. And actually, both the 1689 Confession and the Westminster Confession make it very clear in both their chapters, the chapter 14 of both those confessions, that there is a difference between faith and belief. I'll just read it to you quickly. The grace of faith whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls. It is the gift of God, isn't it? And our forefathers were very clear to make this principle known to us, that there is a difference. The grace of faith whereby the elect are enabled. Faith enables us to truly embrace what God has said and not to reject Him. That's the work of God. That's the work of grace. Faith is the grace of God whereby we are enabled to believe. It's not something we can boast in. It's not something Joshua or Caleb could boast in. And the writer to the Hebrews warns Jews to follow and to make sure that you do not have this same spirit that these other people have, but make sure that you truly have the gift which God says is required upon his people. That we do receive the promises, unbelief is a result of not having faith. And so again, all glory to God, not to us. And this reminds us, you see, these people imagined, many of them, that they were the people of God because they said so. That was the Jew throughout his history. And many people today believe that they are the people of God because they say so. Because they believe so. But what's the evidence of faith? Obedience, isn't it? That's the evidence of faith. That's the evidence that you are different. The proof of faith is obedience. Faith without works is dead, my friend. It's not real. Faith labors and exercises itself. Do you remember when Saul of Tarsus, when he was first converted, what did he ask? Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do? That's faith crying out, isn't it, Lord? What would you have me to do? I surrender myself to thee. Why? Because God has subdued us to himself. And I would warn you today, don't make the terrible mistake that so many make today. It's very dangerous. And that is to think, because we are orthodox in our understanding of God's word, that we're somehow saved. You know, you can have a right doctrine and you can agree with all that I'm saying this morning. Don't make that terrible mistake of simply saying, yes, I know and I understand and therefore I must be a child of God. No, don't make that mistake. The proof is their obedience. If you truly have faith, there's obedience in the life. Otherwise it's fake, it's not real. Pride, people have so much of. Many people pride themselves on the little doctrine that they know. And doctrine can make people very proud. I know this, I understand that. But rather the Word of God should actually humble us. The more we know, the more we should become humble and obedient to God's Word. When was the last time You and I really read the Word of God to such a degree that it led us to repent of our sins and not to take pride. Oh, I've learned something new. I've gained some more understanding today. But you see, when we truly study God's Word, it ought to humble us and bring reformation in the life. When was the last time we actually read where it brought us to the point of tears and humble submission. The Lord Jesus said in John 17, 17, Sanctify them, Father, by thy truth. Thy word is truth. The truth is not meant to make us proud, but it is meant to sanctify us, to make us more holy, to conform us more to the Lord Jesus Christ. And we should do God's will because we love Him. Why did you come to church today? Did you come out of a servile fear? Oh, I better go because if I don't go, I'm going to hell. That's the wrong reason. You come because you have a filial fear for God, a love, a respect for him. You want to honor him in your life. You want to live worthy. You want to come and you want to worship Him because worship is rightfully His. Praise is rightfully His. There is a sense in which we should be concerned that we keep God's commandments. But as we read in Galatians, faith worketh by love. Where there's true faith, there's love there. We want to love the God that has loved us and given His Son for us. And we want to serve Him in that way. that we come because love is the fulfillment of the law. As Romans 13.10 says, it's important, isn't it? Some people think it's okay just to attend once, but remember it's the Lord's day. We're to keep it all to Him. We're to honor Him. Love keeps it, doesn't it? We don't keep it out of a grim determination. I'm just gonna do it. But it's a gracious enabling that God gives us in our hearts to keep his laws. Faith which worketh by love. It's true with all of God's commandments. And Caleb, you see, he wants to honor the Lord God. That was what was in his heart that day. He wanted to honor the Lord that had so blessed the people. That is so important for us. Faith's desire is love. The desire to keep his commandments. Such a difference, isn't there, in that kind of a spirit, rather than a servile spirit. What a wonderful expression here. Caleb, my servant. Caleb, my servant. Now, it's important to emphasize that obedience does not contribute one iota to our salvation, does it? Not at all. It's by the obedience of another. It's the love of Christ that constrains us, as the Apostle Paul says. We want to do this for Christ. We want to do it for His namesake. But so often it's true because of sin, as Christians, we fall and we stumble and we realize, as Paul says, I go to do good and I find that evil is right there present with me, and we fall and we stumble. But what do we do? We pick ourselves up again by God's help. And we dust ourselves off and we fight the good fight of faith. And we press on. We press on because He pressed on for us and bore our sins at Calvary. And let me say, you know, real Christian progress is not, you know, not learning new doctrine all the time and not going on to do the next and greatest thing for the Lord and taking something bigger on in the church and taking more responsibility. That is not true spiritual progress, friends. But true spiritual progress is doing the things that we used to do more faithfully. Isn't it? More sincerely. More readily. More to the Lord. More humbly. That truly is Christian progress. It's not so much the grand things that people do, but it's why you do it. Who you do it for. For His honour. And you do it out of love. And you do it more faithfully, with real holiness, with real sincerity, with greater zeal, with greater fervor than before, just like Caleb. And that is what is so needed in the churches today, is true, obedient Christians. Think of Caleb and Joshua, they were in a minority. And you know, faithful Christians today will be in a minority in the church. They really will be. And I think they increasingly are. But you see, how much more the need then to be faithful to God? Because you're in a minority. Because there are so many who profess to be the people of God and who are a bad example. You see, the problem is not that there will be bad examples. There will be bad examples. And there will be people who are empty professors. But the thing is, how are you going to respond to that in this day of compromise? How are you going to be? Caleb, despite almost being all on his own apart from Joshua, he withstood two million people. Isn't that amazing? And that's faith, friends. And the Lord will honor that. Again, the question is not whether they are bad examples, of course they will be, but how are you going to be affected by them in your Christian life? Let me say this, it's God that makes us to stand. When he gives a real faith, he gives a real love for Christ. It's the breastplate of righteousness. Where there one is, the other will always be there. And the more you go on in Christian maturity, that's real Christian maturity, you will be more faithful and you will be more loving to your dear Savior. And look at Caleb. They want to stone him. They want to put him to death. But he will not budge. He rends his clothes, so does Joshua, and he stands up. He commits himself to his God. Why? Because God has committed himself to his people. That's the difference, isn't it? God has committed himself to his people in the Lord Jesus. Then he will not let us go. He will not forsake us. Psalm 147, verse 11. He taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. You see, they fear him. It's a filial fear. And they're not trusting in their fear to save him, but they hope in his mercy, the mercy that is in the Lord Jesus. And they love him because he first loved them. And he commits himself to such people. Caleb was not a proud man. Many may feel this and read this. Look at him, standing up against all these people. Who does he think he is? Caleb. Fear God. And that's what we need today. It's pride, dear friends, that doesn't fear God. Do you realize that? If you don't fear God this morning, the reason for it is pride. And it's something we're all born with. Pride in the heart. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Fools despise understanding and instruction. But blessed are they that fear the Lord. Don't be like the majority, dear friends. You should have no part with the majority, except they be right. But you know, we would have no part, Joshua would have, and Caleb would have no part with the Lord, were it not of the true servant of Jehovah, the Lord Jesus. Isaiah speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ in that wise, where the father refers to his son, behold my servant. in whom my soul delighteth, I will put my spirit within him." Speaking there, of course, of the Holy Spirit. And we would have no entrance into a promised rest without the Lord Jesus, who came into this world, who came to be a servant and to suffer and to die, and to give his life as a ransom for many. We would have no part of heaven, were it not of the servant of God, the Lord Jesus, who said in John 8, 28, for I always do those things which please Him. The Lord Jesus never sinned. He always did those things that pleased the Father. None of us can say that of ourselves, can we? But only Him. And it pleased the Father that He should lay down His life as a ransom for His people to bring them into that promised rest of heaven. and give them eternal life. If you just turn there to Hebrews 4, 3. Hebrews 4, 3. You know that Joshua would lead them into the promised land, but they would not have rest. And the writer of the Hebrews tells us this. They would not have the rest that they ought to have. But he says in the verse 3, for we which have believed, believing upon Christ, do enter unto rest, he said. As I've sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest, although the works which were finished from the foundation of the world, for he spoke in a certain place in the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, if they shall enter into my rest, seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not because of unbelief or disobedience or no faith, if you like. Again, he limiteth a certain day in David. Today, after so long a time, as it is said, today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, Now you notice it says there, Jesus, but if you notice in your margin, it says Joshua. That's correct. As you know, the name Jesus comes from Joshua, and the context is correct. The TBS translators are very right to put there in the margin, Joshua. For if Joshua, short name Yeshua, had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day? You see, Joshua really didn't give them rest. Not the rest that we look for. But as verse 3 says, they which have believed do enter into that rest. It's the Lord Jesus that truly gives us rest. And that's why we rest now. We rest in him. We rest in the hope, the mercy that we have in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. Joshua didn't give them rest, but the Lord Jesus does. The Lord Jesus Christ. Well friends, the reminder of all this is, you see, without faith it's impossible to please God, as the writer to the Hebrews says. And we must make sure, as the writer to the Hebrews says in the chapter 3, that we do not have the same spirit that the people have. We have the same kind of spirit, the spirit, as Paul says to the Corinthians, that spirit, that same spirit of faith, Let us examine ourselves. Do our lives have obedience? We're not saved by obedience, but the obedience proves that we are the children of God. and not castaways, but we truly have entered, we who have believed, do enter into that rest. We are in Christ and we rest in our dear head, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, may we examine our hearts, friends, and make sure we do not have a spurious faith, but a real saving faith in our blessed head, the Lord Jesus Christ, and for his sake. Amen. Father, what lessons we learn from thy word, we pray that thou would help us to put to practice what we know, to walk by faith, less by sight, And Lord, to be fully obedient to Thee, may we be as dear Caleb, who obeyed Thee fully. But Father, we thank Thee above all for the Lord Jesus, who fully obeyed Thee, and who said, I do always those things which please Him. I do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught me, I speak these things. Oh Father, we pray. that we may trust only in the Lord Jesus, the one who does give us rest. While Joshua did not give them rest, our dear Lord Jesus gives us rest. May we rest in him, may we abide in him, and may we walk by faith in the Son of God that loved us and gave himself for us. And may we enter into that eternal rest with him. Bless us and keep us this day. Seal thy word to our hearts. The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.