Instant Obedience or the Frozen Chosen — Friedel Stegen

The Twelve Spies Explore Canaan

In Numbers chapter 13, we read a wonderful story happening. When the Lord said to Moses, Send some of your men to explore the land of Canaan. And then Moses chose twelve leaders of the Israelites. He chose twelve men to explore the land of Canaan.

And then Moses sent them. And then they went to explore the promised land. And the explorers, these twelve men, found that yes, truly, this land flows with milk and honey. In other words, this is a land of paradise.

This is a land which is healthy, wealthy, and whatever your heart desires. But, this word, but. Oh, they found people in this land. Powerful people. Their cities were fortified. Very large cities. And above all, they were the descendants of Enoch.

Those were, oh now, the English word reason, giants. And they were giants. Big, tall people. The Amalekites. The Hittites. The Jebusites. The Amorites. And the Canaanites. They said, oh, if it wouldn't be for these people, it would be wonderful.

They saw these big giants. They saw these obstacles. They saw these impossibilities. I hope you'll recognize yourself while I'm talking. You see the impossibilities. You see the work you do. And you see the opposition you get.

How Difficulties Can Overwhelm Believers

And you see your children. And, at times, it gets too much for you. And then you lose your friends. And maybe you lose a friendship. And maybe you can't get on with your wife as you'd like to. And then you meet up with sicknesses.

And then you meet up with death. Oh, and life becomes so difficult. So impossible. Oh, and eventually we all carry the big burden. Eventually we carry the whole world upon our shoulders. And then, eventually, we get depressed.

We lose hope. And some take their lives. They commit suicide. Oh, no. I never knew that it's so difficult. If I want to get to heaven, that it's so difficult. I wanted to go to the land where milk and honey flows.

Oh, for these difficulties. I forsook Egypt. I turned my back onto the things of this world. And I chose the Lord Jesus. And I said, Lord Jesus, I want to follow you. I want to be faithful to you. Oh, and you even sent me, you gave me a glimpse of Canaan.

I could even explore that land. Oh, I experienced so many good things, which the Lord did for me. And I trusted him. And oh, I can testify so many wonderful things, which I experienced with the Lord. And when Israel was at the gate to enter that land, Moses sent these men to spy out that land.

Preparing for Opposition in the Promised Land

And he said, look, if you go into the land of Canaan, you are going to meet up with certain things. Oh, and many Christians say, hey, when you've accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, and you serve him and you live for him, you'll fly with flying colors into heaven, into Canaan, and it'll just be glory.

Your life will just be glory. That's why he sent the spies into the promised land. That they should report back and tell them how difficult it will be there in the land, in the promised land, where they'll meet opposition, where they'll meet giants.

And he wanted to prepare his people when they enter into the promised land. And that's why the Lord is showing you and letting you experience the difficulties which you meet up with when you enter the promised land.

And when these 12 men came back, 10 of them said, the land is beautiful, but, but, oh, oh, oh, those, those things we're going to meet up with, we feel like little grasshoppers against these giants. And how often do we experience that?

And when these men came back and reported of these obstacles they're going to meet up with, they reported these obstacles.

They reported these obstacles.

The Influence of a Negative Report

Now just imagine, 12 leaders of Israel. People that had been called out of, out of the whole tribe of Israel, they chose 12 leaders to go out. And you are one of those 12. God has chosen you. God has called you.

And you said, yes, Lord. Yes, Lord, I'm prepared to follow you. Yes, Lord, I dedicate my life to you. Yes, Lord, I want to be a true disciple of you. And he took you out of Egypt. And he called you out of the whole tribe of Israel, and he said, listen, you go out, and you explore that land.

And he put all his hope in you. And he said, yes, I can send them, because they will come back with a positive report. These are men which I have chosen. And Moses chose 12 men, two out of every tribe.

Oh, friends, you know, when I read this, I just thought, Lord Jesus, you have called me, and you have called me into the promised land. Woe unto me if I'm like these 10 who come back, who came back with a negative report.

Only two were positive. Oh, it's too difficult. Oh, people have disappointed me. And my goals which I had are just shattered. And everything becomes too difficult. Okay, nobody takes notice of me. Everybody treats me as nothing.

Oh, no, oh, these giants. And these 10 men came back, and they, through their talking, they influenced the whole nation. Be careful, be careful. Be careful for those people which bring a negative report.

Shun those people who bring a negative report. God has said, I'll give you that promised land. And he said, I'll be with you. I will fight for you. And yet, they came back with a negative report. And how often are we influenced by what people say?

How often are we influenced by negative reports? How often are you influenced by the negative heart? And your heart is full of negativeness. And you only see mistakes. You only find fault. You only see the impossibility.

And you only see the hurt that has been done to you. And you can't get over it. And eventually this thing depresses you. And the trouble is, wives, be careful of the negative influence your husband has on you.

But especially we men, how easily are we influenced by the negativeness of our wife. Dear wife, never negatively influence your husband. Never influence your children, dear mother, negatively. Never talk about the next person negatively to your children or children's children.

Because we are in the gravest of dangers if we do that. That's why I don't like friendships. Two girls, they are just friends and you can't separate them. And they influence each other very often negatively.

Or boys. Or married women. No matter who they are. So easily we can influence ourselves negatively and influence the next person negatively. Please don't do it. Because you'll get God against you. God hasn't called you to be negative.

God has called us for us to go from victory unto victory. He has called us to be the salt of the earth. To be the light of this world. To be a blessing one to another. That's what He's called us for. He's called us into the Promised Land and let that milk and honey flow in your life.

Seeing the Glory of Jesus in Our Lives

One of the ministers yesterday said firstly he sang and he repeated and repeated chorus. And then eventually he said do you know that you can see the glory of Jesus? You're supposed to see the glory of Jesus in your face.

And then he said you can even see the devil's glory in your face. Hallelujah! Instead of saying you can see the glory of Jesus in your life. Hallelujah! He said seeing the glory of the devil and he said hallelujah at the wrong place.

So be careful what your influence is. And do you know through this negative report they brought and I'm going to read this chapter 14 in numbers. That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud all the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly said to them if only we had died in Egypt or in the desert of mine.

Do you see what a negative report does? Do you see what you are doing if you talk against that which is God's will? You don't see further than what your nose reaches. And yet you start grumbling. They all came out of Egypt.

God led them through the Red Sea. They experienced the cloud. They experienced the men. They experienced the quenching of their thirst. They experienced so many things. And yet here they say oh if we would have only died in Egypt.

Do you remember how they cried when they were in Egypt? They said oh we slaves we can't stand it any longer. We are dying under the terrible curse. And here they say if we would have only died in Egypt.

Returning to Egypt Instead of Trusting God

Do you see your heart? How desperately wicked you are in all your piousness. If we would have only died in Egypt or in the desert why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?

Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to each other we should choose a leader and go back to Egypt. Oh do you see the heart of men?

Do you see the heart how wicked it is? Here they want to choose a leader who is going to lead them back to Egypt. They rather go back into the slavery of Pharaoh. And how many children of God do we find they say oh it's so difficult to serve God to follow the Lord Jesus it's impossible.

No God hasn't called me for that. No I'd rather go back and they go back into the world. They go back to Egypt. They choose rather to go back into their old life into that sinful life. Because it's getting too difficult for them.

They rather go back into sin than to break with a friendship. They rather go back to Egypt than break with sin. Although God has promised them the promised land. You know when you when you read this it breaks your heart.

How many Christians are they? They start well? How many people have been saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? How many people rejoiced when they were laid out of Egypt? When they saw the wonders of God in their lives?

And then when it doesn't go the way they think? And just because of a friendship just because of so called love they prepared to forsake Canaan. They rather go back to Egypt. They rather go back to there where God saved them from.

And they even wanted to choose a leader. We haven't got time. I see time is just about up already. I'm sorry to keep you so long. And they were absolutely certain we can't carry on. We go back because of being influenced by these ten men.

Joshua and Caleb's Different Spirit

It would be good if you take the Bible and read what the consequence of that was. But the two men Joshua and Caleb they said let us go let's go into that promised land and because God is with us we will overcome.

And then God spoke. And God said Caleb has a different spirit. Oh and we could talk on that for a long time. That we ask ourselves what kind of spirit have we got? Have we got that spirit of Caleb? And in verse 26 we say we read the Lord said to Moses and Aaron how long will this wicked community grumble against me?

I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them as surely as I live declares the Lord I will do to you the very things I heard you say in this desert your bodies will fall every one of you 20 years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.

Not one of you is going to enter the promised land. Not one of you is going to enter the promised land. But as for Caleb and Joshua your children and you will be taken and then you will enjoy the land the others have rejected.

In verse 37 these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. God struck these men down with the plague. That was the death of those that influenced the community.

Forty Years of Wilderness Wandering

Those that were negative in verse 40. Now just listen to this. God said you go back and for 40 years those 40 days which you explored the promised land I'll make them into 40 years and you will be wandering around in the desert for 40 years and all of you who are over 20 years of age will die.

And when the community heard what God had said they did something which you and I always do. And I'll read it. Verse 40. Early the next morning they went up toward the hill the high hill country. We have sinned they said we will go up to the place the Lord promised.

You know when I read this I saw myself. How often does it happen if I see I've made a mistake. How often when I see I have sinned against God and because I have disobeyed God I go, I get up and I go and I do it.

And only to be disappointed because God never said that I should do it. He had told me yesterday what I should do. But I disobeyed him. Now my place would be to fall down and to go and seek God and go to Moses and say Moses intercede for us or intercede for me because I have sinned against the Lord.

It was for Moses to intercede for them because it was always Moses and Aaron who interceded for the community. But here we have sinned and here I take the thing into my own hands and say God has spoken God spoke to me yesterday and now for today it must be the right thing it must be the same and I obey 12 hours too late.

God had told Moses back into into the wilderness into the desert God had told them go back now, turn back and for 40 years you are going to be in the desert and I am going to consume you there. Instead of falling down before them that they plead and say Moses plead with us and plead to God for us that he might change his mind.

Presumption and Disobedience After God's Warning

But Moses said verse 41 why are you disobeying the Lord's command? This won't succeed. Do not go up because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated defeated by your enemies for the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there because you have turned away from the Lord he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.

Nevertheless although God had spoken although Moses had warned them the thick head of a person.

Will not be able to.

Nevertheless in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord covenant moved from the camp. Verse 44. You know that's a message on its own. You get many Christians that don't want to listen to Moses or Aaron.

They don't need Moses. No the Lord speaks to me. All I need to do is ask the Lord and the Lord will show me. And you get many Christians that won't be told they don't want to listen to Moses. They don't want to listen to Aaron.

And if Moses doesn't come along. Well then we'll go it alone. You know I'm so convinced that this is the right way for me. And I'm going my own way. Why must I always listen to Moses. Do you think that God only speaks to you Moses.

He speaks to me as well. And we heard and we know out of experience and out of the Bible what happened to those people that said that. And Moses said okay go. Because you don't listen you don't want to be told you're going your own way.

And they went up although Moses and the ark of God didn't accompany them. And in verse 45 then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Homa.

The Danger of Delayed Obedience

Oh you know this is pudding. This is pudding pudding in its best form. Do it. Go your way. And you will. The Lord is going to the Amalekites and Canaanites and they ran. Have you seen a rabbit being chased by dogs.

That's how they ran fleeing from their enemies. Go your way. Okay if you feel that that is the way go but I'm not going with you. I'm not there. Go your way but I'm not going with you. And yet they said no because God said yesterday we should do it.

We'll do it today. And it was 12 hours too late. And it can be like that to you as well. God has spoken to you yesterday and you didn't obey him straight away. You murmured you listened to what people said.

And we've got a beautiful word that says oh no we are. What are we doing. We are. We discern everything. And they waste their time on discerning and instead of obeying the Lord there. And then they waste the time to discern whether it is the will of God.

And then later on they wake up and they say oh yes. Oh yes. And they do it. And it doesn't work. And you get people that are still discerning today instead of having obeyed a year ago they're still sitting and discerning whether it's the right thing or not the right thing.

A Heart That Obeys Immediately

Oh my God give me a heart that obeys whether I feel like it or not whether it goes against me because God has said go into the promised land no matter what I do no matter what obstacles I'm going to meet.

And even if I've got to lose my best friend even if I've got to lose my wife in death even if I've got to lose my husband in death I'm going into that promised land no matter how difficult it is. And I won't be influenced by those negative spies.

Prayer for Faithful Obedience

But I'll be a Caleb who saw the same difficulties who saw the same obstacles. He said because God has said and God is with us. I'm going through. Let's pray. Oh God thou has spoken to my heart. And I want to be obedient to thy word no matter what it costs no matter how difficult it is I want to go through.

And I only pray for one thing keep me true keep me faithful. May I not be influenced by anything by anybody. But that I go through. And may the cost be even if it is in my thinking too high. But because of Canaan because of the Lord Jesus I am prepared to go all the way.

Amen.