Numbers 13:17 – 14:3 “A Saint With Faith”
Dear beloved saints! As we live in today’s age, what is the most necessary and essential matter of life for us? If I ask each of you individually what would your answer be? Of course each person has a different background and different philosophy of life, so the answers won’t be the same. To a person in poverty, it can be money; to a person who grew up with oppression, it could be fame or position; and to a person with a weak body, it can be health. Therefore the answers may vary. However all of these can not be the right answer to my question today. Because these answers seem very beautiful and realistic like fog and rainbows, in fact they are not. Then what is it? It is an absolute faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore we will receive grace through a sermon titled “A Saint With Faith.” I pray that God’s grace fill your hearts.
Then why do we need faith? First, absolute faith is necessary because the world is tough and man’s future is uncertain. Our lives now days are uncertain, much like a small boat on the rough sea. As we look at politics, the military, or the economy, not even one day is easy. We may think that we had it easy yesterday, but today a trial came, we may have peace today, but tomorrow is uncertain, it is such an uncertain time in life which is just like a tidal wave (tsunami) in the Pacific Ocean. It is the same in every individual’s life. It is not always an easy road. There comes a time with all kinds of difficulties; difficulty of poverty, difficulty of sickness, difficulty of failure, uncertainty and suffering in circumstances, and pain of betrayal. There is a time in our lives when we have suffered in all of these. Sometimes, the waves of suffering are too high and rough just like the sky covered with dark clouds all over, coming down, driving us in to trouble. In this time, what do we do? The key to overcome this without disappointment is faith to absolutely trust Jesus. Why is this? It is because Jesus counsels us. In 1st John 5:4 it says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith.” Beloved saints! In this wicked world, what is an essential matter of life, which we must have, to remain living in this age which is hard to discern day or night? The answer is faith in Jesus Christ, Who has already overcome the world and is the gift of God to the believer, bringing strength. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I believe that when we believe in Jesus Christ, who strengthens us and is with us, He will be on our side and solve these problems. I pray you have victory in Jesus Christ.
Secondly, a person with faith will demonstrate the strength to believe in the power of God while in the midst of difficulty. A person with positive belief has a few distinctions. The eyes of faith always see good things and only good things are seen. However, the eyes without faith focus only on the things that are not good but bad. For example in today’s text in the Bible, Moses sent 12 spies, one from each tribe, before entering Canaan, the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb were included in this. 12 Spies went to the same place and came back at the same time and accomplished the same task. However the report from the 12 men was completely different. The report from 10 men, including Shammua the son of Zaccur and the report from Joshua and Caleb was totally different. The reports were totally opposite from each other. They brought one cluster of grapes from Canaan which was so big they carried it between two of them on a pole. The funny thing is that on the negative side there were 10 men and on the positive side that trusted God there were 2 men (Joshua and Caleb). One thing hard to understand is that the cluster of grapes and giant people in the land were bad in the sight of 10 spies including Shammua. They were strange. They gave a bad report in Numbers 13:32-33, “And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33"There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."” What do we learn from this? The 10 spies saw things actually as they were. In fact what they saw was true, the cities were fortified and people who dwelt in the land were strong and large, living well. They reported what was true and their report was not wrong. What is true is true, isn’t it? However the problem was what was not included. Faith, belief in God was excluded. There was no faith. Not to believe is like having contempt for God, isn’t it? They only saw the land before them but they could not see and believe God, Who promised to give them the land. What was the outcome of this? Those who follow negative talk didn’t see the Promised Land (Numbers 14:22-23). God said that those who saw My signs which I did in Egypt and put Me to the test and did not believe Me (v. 22), they certainly shall not enter the Promised Land (v. 23) (1 day x 40 days = 40 years, Numbers 14:33-34). It is very interesting that people follow well negative words more than positive words. Perhaps this is because we have negative thoughts in us which cause us to hear negative words as being more logical. Consequently all the children of Israel complained against Moses and cried out and wept all night as written in Numbers Chapter 14. Beloved saints! This is the world. When we do not have beautiful, positive faith we may listen quickly to negative words. From then on our spiritual walk will be confused and bewildered. An old Korean saying says, “If you are watchful when you are about to be devoured by a tiger you will survive.” What does this mean? This means if we have a right mind we can live in any kind of difficulties. For the non-believers we have this kind of old saying, but how much more for the believers? Since we decide to believe in Jesus we need to do it right from the beginning otherwise we may become a hindrance and be worse than a non-believer. Beloved saints! Which side are you on? The choice is free, whether negative or positive. However the result of that freedom of choice is your responsibility. How blessed to have Joshua and Caleb who were positive, if they did not have them what would have happened to the Israelite people? The trouble is not in the circumstances but it is in our faith. A person controlled by the circumstances in his life has no faith. Look, President Franklin Roosevelt of the U.S.A. in history, was elected president three times as a patient with infantile paralysis. The famous leader in England, Sir Winston Churchill also had infantile paralysis and heart problems. The apostle Paul prayed to God to take away the thorn as an incurable patient. Likewise every man has a river to cross and has obstacles to overcome. I believe at this time we must believe and look to Jesus Christ, Who is above and controls circumstances.
Thirdly, a person with faith gives up all things for the Lord. Today, who are the people that are needed in our church, in our home, and in our society? If the Lord gives praise, who would He give it to? Before the Lord sees a person’s appearance He sees truthful faith in their heart. He will give praise to the person who lifts up His name and devotes himself for God’s glory.
In conclusion beloved saints! In this time of corruption and confusion nation-wide and in personal and religious life what is the most necessary and essential matter of life? I say again, it is absolute faith in Jesus Christ. Why is it an absolute faith? It is because no human being can do these things but “He can do.” Yes because Jesus Christ can do, we believe Him. Absolute faith is our strength to overcome the world. May the grace of God and His blessing fill your hearts.
By, Rev. Samuel Choi