Sermon Thoughts from September 12, 2004

What Do You See? Numbers 13-14


1. What you see depends on what you are looking for 13.18-20

• They saw what they wanted to see because some of them wanted to go back to Egypt
• What we see depends on what we are looking for
• If you are looking for problems - you will find problems
• If you are looking for hypocrites - you will find hypocrites
• If you are looking for blessings - you will find blessings
• If you are looking for faithfulness - you will find faithfulness
• What you see depends on what you are looking for
• As parents - look for the best in your children
• As spouses - look for the best in your spouse

2. What you see depends on what your perspective is 13.33

• The 10 who didn’t want to go into the promised land looked at the situation from their perspective
• Joshua and Caleb looked at the situation from God’s perspective
• When they looked they saw giants
• When Joshua and Caleb looked - they saw God - the giants didn’t look so big

3. What you see depends on what your relationship to God is 14.8,9

• The people were wailing and crying grumbling wanting to go back to Egypt
• There relationship to God was lacking and so they saw only problems
• Joshua and Caleb had a right relationship with God and they saw only promise
  

4. What you see depends on what you remember 14.11

• It not that they didn’t believe in God
• They refused to believe the God they believed in
• They didn’t trust his Promises even after he provided
• They didn’t trust his Word even after He proved it
• They didn’t trust his Power even though they had seen it first-hand
• If they would have remembered - They would have seen things differently

What you see determines your destiny 14.26-35

• Caleb and Joshua saw God therefore they saw the promised land
• The ten other spies saw destruction therefore they were destroyed

What do you see?

Pastor's Point - Great Quote

Here is a great thought I came across in my readings.

"We can talk on the phone as we eat fast food while using the

ATM. But not only are we better at multitasking and becoming more porductive and efficient, along with the increased pace, more is required of us. And so we hurtle through life faster and faster, becoming busier and busier. The result is that in our busyness we are becoming increasing efficient at leading meaningless lives."