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| JAMES LESSON #53 Flip over to Deuteronomy 1:26 and 28. Moses and the Israelites had been wandering for 40 years � waiting for all the males 20 years and older to die because of the problems they had with their mouths �THAT, is quite the punishment wouldn�t you say? The book of �Deuteronomy� is like the second giving of the �Law.� It was a reminder of how they were �supposed� to live once they entered the land. READ verses 19-27. Look at verse 19- Remember how we saw that the Israelites were lined up � like at the front door entrance to the promised land, when they were in Kadesh Barnea? Read on through verse 21- Don�t be afraid or dismayed�why? God is God. He called it into place. This is something I really try to remind myself of � God, You�re God. You�re in charge. You can change the heart of a king � notice that �promotion� doesn�t come from the East and it doesn�t come from the West � it comes from God. God � You are the source. �You� rule over all of the kindgoms of the East. READ on through verse 22 � circle or underline the word, �word.� Get this: GOD was able to �tell them� �but they wanted to get �word� from where? Themselves. GET THAT. READ On through verse 27- If the Lord hated them He could have left them in Egypt or destroyed them all in the wilderness. The thinking is way way off here. Why is it that when we get into a �stuck� position we automatically assume that God is �against� us? When will we get the fact that �God is for us?� God had already told them through Joshua that He had brought them out in order to �bring them in.� GOD, had a plan. Question is: Did it matter? Does it matter to you? Turn to Numbers. I want to show you the power of the tongue. I want to look at how it can change the course of the work of God. No � I�m not saying that God is not sovereign so don�t even go there. In His sovereignty He indeed does know all � but right next to God�s sovereignty is the free will of man � to which man is held accountable. How do those two things go together? In our heads they don�t � but in God�s wisdom, they do. If you try to �figure it out� it will make you nuts � so don�t go there. In Numbers 13:28 they came back with a �report.� They start rattling off their findings � They sent twelve guys in who come back saying the land is out of sight � much more than anything they could have ever even imagined�NEVERTHELESS� Big word: means �but� - The �buts� in the Bible can make or break you � This one �broke them� � After verse 29 What are they bringing back? A bad report. They are saying things that are instilling FEAR into the hearts of men. The fear that�s being instilled goes directly against the promises of God. This is exactly what happens in churches � in the work place � and in your home. GET THIS: There is a work of God where you have to walk in �Faith� not in �presumption.� �Presumption� � an overstepping of proper bounds- accepting something as �truth� based on the fact that there is no evidence to the contrary- There has to be a delicate balance between faith and presumption. That�s why you can�t be �many teachers� � There are many people who have �presumed� things and turn around saying that God is going to �do things� or �is� doing things when God isn�t and won�t � they lead people astray. READ ON- verse 30 -Caleb was one of the group that went up into the land. Joshua and Caleb and 10 others. Read on through verse 32- The �bad report� � their mouths � basically caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Man that�s a pretty big payback for mouth work! Remember- they were standing right in front of the front door � all they had to do was �walk in.� The sheets were on the beds! The payback didn�t end with the �wandering.� That bad report brought the death of every male 20 years and older, except Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb. All these young guys were killed off by the age of 60 because of Murmuring And complaining. Notice here, that �murmuring and complaining� changed the �course� of the work of God. God had the agenda set. �Mouths� turned things in a different direction. Why? Because �mouths� directly influenced hearts. READ through verse 14:3. Look at that � �one� bad report- Just one little itsy bitsy bad report and what happens? The people pick up on it and spread it like there�s no tomorrow. God is so upset with them that He wants to get rid of them. Moses steps in and begs..�Please God..No.� Read verse 11-12 God�s deciding to make Moses a �Greater nation� than Israel. Moses says � �No.� HE is more concerned with God�s reputation than with His own. How many times has that been the case with you? Look at verses 26-27 This is a tough thing to get: but GET IT: ALL, I repeat, ALL grumbling, eventually, if you trace it back far enough, is against God. It�s against the promises of God � the character of God � and the commands of God � because He tells us that we are to do all things..ALL things � �without� grumbling and disputing. (tall order � remember the �joint effort�) READ on through verse 28-33 In verse 30 � Why Caleb and Joshua? Because they believed God where? In their hearts. They had wisdom from where? Above � not below. They didn�t have �jealousy and bitterness and resentment� � They had hearts that were right � that �believed� God � and �spoke� what God would �have them speak�- READ verses 32-33 They had cried out what? �I wish to God we�d died!� �God was so sick of that that He basically said..�Ok �you�re call guys- have it your way- you can!� The tongue- You need to be careful how you use it. You are held accountable for every word that comes out of your mouth. We�re going to see that � you will give an account � I�ve worked with person after person who�s life has been torn into pieces because of someone else�s mouth. I�ve watched coaches destroy high potential players � mothers destroy daughters � bosses destroy co-workers � and father�s destroy families. A tongue can build or destroy. Walk through your day � who will you encounter? Usually, it will encompass a particular circle of people. Who will you �devour?� Who will you �build?� What are you �all about?� Listen to your mouth. What do your words do to your husband? To your wife? What do other�s hear when your mouth kicks in regarding them? What are you telling others about your heart? What do your words do to your kids? Are you building them or breaking them? Are you �pouring into them,� or �tearing them apart?� The greatest impact you�ll have on another life will unfold from your mouth �it�s presence, or lack of it. Who controls it? Have you taken advantage of the �joint effort opportunity,� or are you managing life on your own? The tongue is a tough one to master and James knows that. I want to close with a conversation with a child- Opening day of school � kindergarten �room 5, just down the hall on the left. Lindsey sat watching her teacher fill out an emergency card. �What�s your father�s name?� she asked. �Daddy,� Lindsey said. �Yes, I know. But what does your mother call him?� �Mother doesn�t call him anything,� said Lindsey. �She likes him.� -----Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man �(Tagore) � if God still offers grace� shouldn�t we? Your mouth�will spill from your heart when it�s jarred. Examine it carefully. It can alter the course of God�s plan. More tomorrow, Loving you, Robin �copyright Jim and Robin Hibschman 2001 |
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