Numbers 13:26-33 (KJV)

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. [27] And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. [28] Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. [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. [30] 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. [31] 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. [32] 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 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 stature. [33] 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.

•  It amazes the wide range of perspective that can be realized in any given situation.

•  If I were to ask you what you see when you look towards the platform, the range of what can be seen and what is perceived would differ greatly based upon where you are seated as well as your own personal perspective.

•  There are many things that affect our perspective – how we grew up, our self-esteem, and other variables play a role in what we perceive.

•  In our text, 12 tribal leaders were called upon to be spies.  They went into the land with the same purpose – search and spy out what things were like across the Jordan.

•  Although they had the same purpose, they did not have the same perspective!  10 came back with an evil report, and only 2, Joshua and Caleb reported that through God they were well able to possess the Promise! By the way, do any of you know exactly what I am thinking right now?  NO YOU DO NOT!  Because you are not in my hea

•  The 10 evil spies could not get over the size of the giants in the land.  They felt as if they were viewed as grasshoppers in the sight of the giants.

•  Joshua and Caleb could not get over the size of their God…They viewed themselves as conquerors!

 Faith VS Facts

•  The catalyst for revival lies in the hearts of men and women who are willing to possess the promises of God by faith!

•  You cannot rely on yesterday’s faith – you must achieve fresh faith and pursue your promises, and possess them!

•  The reason many see giants and feel like grasshoppers is because they add up the facts…

•  
  • FACT = God is great!
  • FACT = God’s promises are true!
  • FACT = There are giants to destroy!
  • FACT = To the world, we do appear as grasshoppers.

• You see when you add it all up, it equals fear…FACTS ultimately cause you to remove God from the equation.

• Fear of change…Fear of growth…Fear of facing ourselves…Fear of dealing with ourselves…

• The facts that were presented to the Israelites caused a people that were pregnant with promise to have an abortion of that promise in the wilderness!

• The facts forfeited the promises of God…

• BUT “NOW FAITH” SEES THROUGH THE FACTS…

• Now faith doesn’t make human sense, and cannot be explained with logic, science or any other method…

• BUT “NOW FAITH” MOVES MOUNTAINS!

• The facts don’t add up in the first miracle of Jesus = water to wine, unless you add in the now faith of His mother Mary…

• The facts don’t add up in the miracle of feeding 5,000 men plus their wives and children with just five loaves and two fishes, UNTIL you add in the faith of small boy willing to give what he had to be used by God…

• The facts don’t add up in the raising of Lazarus who had been dead four days, until you add in the obedience of those around who were willing to roll the stone away – God turned their obedience into faith, and wallah = LAZARUS AROSE!

• The facts don’t add up = Gethsemane + Betrayal + Unfair trial + Desertion of disciples + Calvary + mockery + stone rolled over the tomb!  BUT NOW FAITH ADDED INTO THE EQUATION, REALIZES THAT it didn’t finish when Jesus said, “It is Finished.”

• Was finished was the power and authority of sin over us…AND THAT WAS DEFEATED ON THE CROSS!

Grasshoppers squashing giants

• Have you ever seen a grasshopper squash a giant?  It kind of sounds absurd doesn’t it?  However, it did happen…

Joshua 14:12 (KJV)

Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.

• Caleb was 85 when this happened – he had been viewed by the enemy (giants) as a grasshopper.  However, this grasshopper squashed giants!

Apex:

• Abraham is called the “Father of Faith.”

James 2:23 (NKJV)

…Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness…

• I like what Paul had to write about Abraham…

Romans 4:19-21 (KJV)

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: [20] He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; [21] And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

• What Abraham did NOT do:

1. Was NOT weak in the faith…
2. Did NOT question (staggered not) at the promise

• What Abraham did do:

1. Was strong in the faith!
2. Fully persuaded in the Promise Performer!

• How do you see yourself?  How do you see God?