Another spirit in Caleb. (Quality: very good)

[0:01] Feeling so much to need the Lord's merciful and gracious help. I have two verses to read this evening.

[0:12] The first you will find in the book of Numbers, chapter 14, and verse 8, which was the verse we read in the morning service.

[0:27] And we know that here Joshua and Caleb were speaking under the sweet and precious influence of living faith.

[0:46] 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.

[1:04] The other verse that I must read is verse 24 in this same chapter. And I want to notice that in verse 8, we have Joshua and Caleb together speaking.

[1:24] And in verse 24, we have God speaking. And this is what God had to say in a particular way to his servant Caleb.

[1:38] But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went, and his seed shall possess it.

[2:02] Oh, I do pray that this very evening we may be granted that sweet gift of living faith that we too may join, first of all, with Caleb and Joshua, as recorded in verse 8.

[2:32] 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.

[2:44] And then we have God speaking. You know, dear friends, I wonder how many of us here desire to be granted what God gave to Caleb, but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit.

[3:06] The spirit of faith. The spirit of grace. The spirit of love. The sweet spirit of hope. In his God.

[3:19] Oh, do we find that we have to say within our hearts this evening, Lord, by nature, my poor heart is full of unbelief.

[3:31] But at the same time, is there that within us that longs to be favoured, to honour our God in our life, to walk in his ways, to fulfil his will, and to be found at the feet of Jesus.

[3:52] Well, in the morning service, we are compelled to speak of the very solemn account that we have in chapter 13, first of all, and then in the first 12 verses of chapter 14.

[4:15] And again, once more, I just seek to convey to you this most solemn account that we have here of those ten men, of those ten men, leaders of their tribes.

[4:37] Men who were chosen, I believe, by God through Moses, to go and search out the land of Canaan.

[4:48] There were twelve men chosen, and only two of them brought back a good report of that land that their God had promised to give them.

[5:05] The other ten men were filled with unbelief to such a degree that they were ready to stone Caleb and Joshua to death.

[5:21] They were ready, as we read in verse 4 in chapter 14, And they said one to another, not only the ten men, leaders of their tribes, heads of their tribes, but also the whole congregation.

[5:41] They lifted up their voice and cried, and the people wept that night. And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

[5:55] You know, it reminds me, really, of another very solemn account in the life of Jesus, when after he had been preaching to a great congregation concerning himself as the bread of heaven, and as he had spoken to them of their great need, and I would say it with deep reverence, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

[6:34] And what was the response? To many of them, from that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.

[6:46] There is a similarity, as I feel it in my own soul, this evening. Oh, they could not bear the searching ministry of the Lord Jesus.

[7:03] And they went back and walked no more with him. And such was the anguish of the holy soul of Jesus, that he said to the twelve, Will ye also go away?

[7:20] And Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom can we go, or to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

[7:39] Well, there is such a gulf between unbelief, which is the product of our own fallen sinful heart.

[7:51] And if we know anything of our hearts by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, we shall know that we have this dreadful sin. And I wonder how many of us know this, that at times we are plagued with it.

[8:08] And yet, at the same time, oh, do we have what Caleb had. And of course, what Joshua had. But the Lord speaks of his servant Caleb because he had another spirit with him.

[8:25] And I think of the lines of a hymn in this moment, which says this, spirit of faith, descend and show the virtue of his name.

[8:39] His name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now, as helped, first of all, I desire that we may linger upon the eighth verse.

[8:59] And my desire, or the burden of my soul regarding God's word that is with us today, is this, that together, we may be enabled to look back into our lives.

[9:16] You see, Caleb and Joshua, they could say, if the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us. And here, if we are among the redeemed of the Lord, we are pilgrims who are journeying to the celestial city.

[9:40] We are journeying to the heavenly Canaan. But here, I believe, Caleb and Joshua, they were favoured in believing.

[9:53] They were faithful to their God. They could say this, and they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, the land which we pass through to search it is an exceeding good land.

[10:14] And oh, what a good land is the land of glory. heaven. Oh, that I could be enabled this evening to feelingly take your hands by the hand, as it were, and that we might be led up to heaven before we leave the house of God.

[10:45] Well, in reflection, we left the subject this morning as we considered this. And of course, we have been reading again of this very word in our reading this evening.

[11:04] And how Moses surely here a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. and how he stood between an angry God and the whole congregation of the children of Israel.

[11:25] And what does he say? He says this, Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy.

[11:38] thee, and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. And that was, that had been fulfilled.

[11:53] The Lord had brought them out of Egyptian bondage, which under the gospel dispensation speaks to us like this, when the Lord touches the hearts of sinners by his grace through the work of the Holy Spirit.

[12:11] Their souls are quickened into life and they begin to be aware of their need as sinners. They're brought to cry with the public and God be merciful to me a sinner.

[12:29] They are made, they begin to be aware that this poor dying world is no longer their home and they leave or they desire to leave.

[12:42] I wonder how many of us can take this very thought up this evening. They desire to leave this world's deceitful shore and leave it to return no more.

[12:56] Oh, are we among these whom God has quickened into life, granted us the sweet gift of faith? Oh, I would remind you of this, that salvation is by grace through faith.

[13:14] This is the channel. It is, salvation is by grace through faith and that not of works lest any man should burst.

[13:27] Let me just read it as it is as it is in the second chapter of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. For there we have those wondrous words of truth.

[13:44] For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves. Not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

[14:00] Oh, do we understand this? Do we know, dear friends, that we shall never reach heaven by our works? that is impossible because if it was possible, I've said it I know before but I say it again this evening and I say it with great reverence, heaven would be full of boasting sinners.

[14:26] But oh, if we do reach heaven it will be this, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake.

[14:37] It will be unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood to him be glory and dominion and power forevermore.

[14:50] Oh, there is a hymn that speaks of heaven and what does it say? It says this, and Christ will lead the song. Now then in reflection, you know when the Lord brought them out of Egyptian bondage, which they were soon faced with the Red Sea.

[15:11] That was the first great obstacle in their journey to the Promised Land. The Lord helped me to try and find you, dear people, then, through his word here this evening.

[15:25] And isn't it right to say there are those here, and I'm with you in this, that in our journey through the wilderness to the heavenly Canaan, we have come into spots and places.

[15:40] And there may be those that are there this very evening, just as it was with the children of Israel, often mentioned, that there they were, and you'll remember how, that as they were journeying out of Egyptian bondage toward the Promised Land.

[16:03] Where do we find them? We find this, the Red Sea lay before them, the mountains on either side of them, and their enemies behind them.

[16:14] And you know, their enemies said, the wilderness has shut them in. Do we know something about these enemies? Do we know something about these enemies?

[16:28] Mighty enemies without, much mightier within? Do we know what it is to realize that this journey to the Promised Land is one in which these dear souls that have been blessed with living faith, they know they have enemies?

[16:47] There are mighty enemies without, the world is an enemy, the devil is an enemy, sin is an enemy, and yet here are these dear people, they are journeying through this wilderness, wilderness, and you know very well what happened at the Red Sea.

[17:05] Did their God leave them? And I want to come where you are this evening in this. Oh, friends, there are those of us here, and we have been really just like the children of Israel as they came to the Red Sea, and you might be there this evening.

[17:22] You may feel to be hemmed in. You may be in a place where, to you, what am I going to do? There is this, and I use the word of God in it, there's this great Red Sea in front of you, and the Lord knows if any of you are in such a position.

[17:43] You may feel to be shut in, and, oh, you may be in that same exercise of soul, and you will be saying in your heart, feelingly, Lord, oh, Lord, what are we to do now?

[18:03] Well, haven't we seen the Lord appearing for us from time to time? We have. life. The Lord has made a way where there has seemed to be no way.

[18:19] He's divided in the sense of truth, he's divided the Red Sea for us. Have you ever heard the Lord saying to you, as he said to the children of Israel, what did he say to them through his servant Moses?

[18:35] Bid the children of Israel that they go forward? it. And Lord, you might say, if the Lord has spoken like that to you, and you may have some great obstacle in the way, like the dear women who came to the sepulchre very early in the morning, and you know how it was with them, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

[18:59] But you know when they came there, the Lord had rolled it away for them. And if any of you are in distress about tomorrow, wondering where the scene will end, well, the Lord helped me to encourage you in this.

[19:16] And what did the Lord say to them? This may be a word for someone here this very evening, but in Exodus chapter 14, what do we read there?

[19:31] We read this, oh, I hope the Lord will say it to souls here this evening, and Moses said unto the people, fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today.

[19:50] For the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace.

[20:03] peace. But there was still this Red Sea in front of them. I wonder if, and I may never know, but if there's even one soul here tonight that feels to have come, if one might use such a word, perhaps to a dead end.

[20:20] You may be wondering, whatever you are to do, everything may seem to be against you in providence and grace, but oh, the Lord said unto Moses, wherefore criest thou unto me, speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.

[20:40] You may respond this evening and say, Lord, how can I? How can I go forward? Well, dear friend, if the Lord has told you to do so, I tell you there's no way back.

[20:53] There was no way back for them, you know. The mountains on either side and their enemies, but pursuing them. But let me remind you of this.

[21:04] What did the Lord do with his pillar of cloud? Well, it went behind them. It went behind them. Let me read it as it really is in this wondrous account here.

[21:19] And the angel of God which went before the camp of Israel removed and went behind them. And the pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind them.

[21:32] You see, a wall of protection. Protection by this great God. And oh, he still protects his dear people.

[21:42] And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these, so that the one came not near the other all the night.

[21:59] Oh, 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.

[22:10] Well, just this thought then, you know, how good it is to be enabled to come where again the Lord spoke to his people in Deuteronomy chapter 8.

[22:25] May the Lord really bring us there this evening. And it was this, and thou shalt remember all the way that the Lord thy God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness and you will understand what follows to humble thee and to prove thee that thou mightest know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no.

[22:51] Oh, this humbling process, this refining process, this purifying process of the Lord's dear people and all of it is to continually prepare us.

[23:06] If we're among his people, it's to prepare us for heaven. Well, have you known then something of this? The Lord dividing the way, the Lord opening up the way that was with man, it was impossible.

[23:22] I'm sure there are those here you may be taken back this evening and be reminded of that very thing in your life. When you felt and you may have said, Lord, it's impossible, how can I go forward?

[23:38] How can I enter into this when all these things are opposing me, against me? and yet we have seen the hand of our God, haven't we?

[23:51] Oh, you see, it glorifies his name to acknowledge it. Let the redeemed of the Lord say, sir, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

[24:04] Oh, we need help to acknowledge. The devil will always try to prevent us acknowledging what the Lord has done. Oh, Caleb and Joshua, they well knew these things.

[24:19] And then I would go on a little more here. This is the only way I can seem to venture to try and open up this word today. You know how soon after their deliverance from the Red Sea, they came to the bitter waters of Marah.

[24:39] Now, I wonder how this will find us here this evening. Haven't we known what it is to come to bitter waters?

[24:53] You may be there again this evening. You may be in a path, a bitter path, and yet you know again they murmured, they complained, they cried unto Moses, and I would just read it as it is recorded there.

[25:15] But you see, after their deliverance from the Red Sea, they sang praise to their God. Moses, then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously.

[25:35] The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea, the Lord is my strength and song and he has become my salvation, he is my God, and I will prepare him and habitation, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

[25:54] And you will remember that Miriam took a timbrel. Oh, how they sang and how they praised for deliverance from their enemies. but you come to the end or nearly to the end of that chapter and this is what we read.

[26:11] And when they came to Marah they could not drink of the waters of Marah for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah and oh how soon they began to murmur.

[26:25] You know if we know anything of our own full and sinful hearts we shall have to say Lord I'm no better. You know we're no better.

[26:36] How soon we murmur how soon we complain how soon we cry out how hard they're lot. And at times we swell our words to an immense degree and sometimes cry none are so tried as we.

[26:55] But you see even there and haven't we known something of this? Bitter waters and the people murmured against Moses saying what shall we drink?

[27:07] Oh but the Lord didn't leave them there. What did he do for them? A dear Moses a type of Christ and he cried unto the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree which when he had cast into the waters the waters were made sweet.

[27:25] There he made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he proved them. Well haven't we seen this at times in our life when the Lord has sweetened bitter waters he's made them sweet.

[27:42] This tree you know that was cast into the waters it speaks of Christ it speaks of him friends haven't you known sometimes something of this in the midst of your distress in the midst of bereavement in the midst of sorrow in the midst of temptation but oh the Lord has come hasn't he and he's sweetened bitter waters and he's enabled you to take the cup that your father has given you and you have joined a little with the Lord Jesus Christ in this and what did he say the cup that my father hath given me shall I not drink it and then of course we find in the very next chapter they murmur for bread oh how many times they murmured and complained against their God and of course they brought it all to

[28:45] Moses and Aaron 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 but then another thought is this in this journey to the heavenly Canaan you know the Lord provided for them manna oh that wonderful provision all through their wilderness journey their God provided them with manna and you know it fell in the silence of the night and as the dew covered the ground oh I seem to keep turning back to the book of Exodus but I want just to read this to you what the Lord did for them and what the Lord favoured them with and it was this this wonderful provision and when the dew that lay was gone up behold upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing as small as the hoar frost on the ground and when the children of

[30:06] Israel saw it they said one to another it is manna now cannot we say this evening that the Lord has fed our bodies you think of God's provision for us all in our lives providentially how faithful our God has been I know that as we look back into the years that have passed many of our forefathers knew what it was to come into spots and places where they had no food in the house and yet the Lord provided for them in a wonderful way but I look on this congregation this evening can any of us say friends can any of us say that we have ever been without a meal perhaps there are those who will say yes but

[31:08] I doubt if there is we've never been without a meal have we have we ever been without bread in the house I mean in a literal sense I know I have I know we have been without it you think of then the provision that God has made but oh to look beyond this to the heavenly manner那 Christ come does there have been times when we've had a few handfuls of purpose as well?

[32:13] You think of the times the Lord has appeared for us, granted us spiritual food, granted that at times at least we've been brought to sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

[32:27] And when, like I think it was the prophet Jeremiah who could say, Thy word was found and I did eat it, and it was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.

[32:39] Well, you see, the Lord fed them all through that journey to their heavenly Canaan, and that is how I want to speak about it. But he led them to the promised land.

[32:49] And then if you think of another thought too, how from time to time they murmured because they had no water. That follows on after the Lord's provision of the manor.

[33:02] And there he commands Moses to go forth on that occasion. The first occasion he commands Moses to smite the rock.

[33:15] The second occasion, oh, the dear man was left to his own spirit, and it meant that he could not go into the promised land.

[33:29] It doesn't mean that he didn't go to heaven because he did. Now, I want just to bring this thought before you regarding the Lord's provision, the wondrous provision that he has made in Jesus Christ.

[33:48] And the people thirsted there for water. And the people murmured against Moses and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

[34:06] And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be all most ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee the elders of Israel, and thy rod wherewith thou smotest the river.

[34:27] Take in thine hand and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it that the people may drink.

[34:43] And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Well, again, dear friends, haven't we been favoured at times to draw water from the wells of salvation?

[34:59] You see, not only is Jesus the bread of life, but he's the water of life. And oh, to think of how the Lord has favoured us in our lives.

[35:10] Haven't we known a few moments at least when we too have been favoured, when water has been drawn out of the rock of ages for us, and our thirst has been quenched.

[35:26] Some living water, give to me, says the hymn writer, or I shall faint and die. Well, I must soon come to a close, but you see here, dear Caleb and Joshua, 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, and God's, oh, God's own testimony, but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit, the spirit of faith, the spirit of grace, of hope and of love, because he had another spirit with him and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went.

[36:17] But now I just want to come right through this wilderness journey once more to the River Jordan.

[36:30] We were speaking about this on the past Wednesday evening. But you know what happened when they came to the River Jordan?

[36:41] They were commanded to follow the ark. And as the ark went before them, the priest bearing the ark, and as the priest's feet touched the edge of the waters of Jordan, and you know, it tells us that that river overflowed its banks all the time of harvest, which made the whole thing more wonderful.

[37:08] And oh, dear friends, you know, if we are among these people, what will the Lord do for us? I believe he'll do for us, he'll do for you what he did for his dear people.

[37:22] He made a way through Jordan into the promised land. And that speaks to my soul, and I'm sure it speaks to yours, some of you at least.

[37:33] What does Jordan speak to us about? It speaks to us about death. The Jordan of death. And yet the Lord divided that river.

[37:46] The ark went before them. The ark stood in the midst of Jordan on dry ground until all the people had passed over. You see, the Lord brought them.

[37:57] Yes, there were those, there were thousands that perished because of their unbelief. But oh, there were those, and Caleb and Joshua among them, and the Lord brought them through that river.

[38:09] He brought them through the river into the promised land. And that is just what the Lord does for his dear people. Oh, in that lovely hymn which says this, concerning that river, the river of death, in that dread moment, oh, to hide beneath thy sheltering blood, till Jordan's icy waves divide, and land my soul with God.

[38:40] Oh, do we? Is this the burden of our heart? Do we know what it is? And yet you see, the Lord brought them right through, and he brought them through to the promised land, and he made a way through that river.

[38:56] And that is just what we are going to need, all of us, when we come to die. Oh, that river, the river of death, and yet, in death thou wilt most needful be when I yield up my soul to thee.

[39:11] But frenzy brought them into the promised land. And I venture to say this, there are souls here this evening, and the Lord will bring you safely through, through many dangers, toils and snares, we have already come.

[39:30] But oh, to think that grace will lead you home. Amen. Amen.