Well, good morning.
See, I don't always get that response in my home church when I say that.
But I like trying twice because the second one's always better.
Good morning.
Yeah, see, it's always better the second time.
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to our time together in God's Word this morning.
But I've already been blessed and encouraged.
Thank you for that extended time of prayer.
I just was blessed by doing that with you,
getting to hear some of the stories in those prayer requests,
but to pray along with you for the things that God has put on your heart this morning.
So thank you for that.
Before I begin, though, I just want to introduce myself briefly.
So my name is Dallas, and this is my wife, Marcy.
And I am the Global Ministries Pastor at Hillsdale Baptist Church in Regina,
where I've been for 20 years.
And I have three kids, now four, including my daughter-in-law,
but no grandkids yet.
I think I'm ready for grandkids but not ready for the title.
But we'll see what the Lord has in store.
For the last few years, I've also served as the board chair
of the Baptist General Conference of Saskatchewan.
And so as a result, it was my privilege this last year
to be part of the interview team with your church
and some of your men regarding joining our denomination.
And I was really encouraged by what I heard during that time
about you as a church,
your heart for the Lord, for the gospel and his word,
your heart for ministry and for your outreach into your community,
and also the way that you are working to care for your pastor.
I love the way you shared about Josh
and the need to pray for our pastors.
And so just for that reason and so many more,
we are encouraged to have you now
as part of the Baptist General Conference of Saskatchewan.
And we're blessed to have you.
And we'll see what the Lord has for us
as a part with you being part of our denomination together.
And we look forward to that.
But another one of the reasons that I'm excited to be here
is that when Pastor Josh and his family were in Regina,
they actually moved to our church
while I was the youth pastor there.
And so Pastor Josh was in my youth group.
And I won't tell you a bunch of bad stories about him
while he's not here,
in part because I just don't have any.
Pastor Josh has just always been a good guy.
I had the privilege actually of,
with him and one of his friends,
we met together probably for a couple years
for breakfast once a week
to talk about things of the Lord
and what it meant to walk with him.
And so to be here this morning
in the place where he serves faithfully
is a real blessing to me.
And to see that he is continuing on
in his love for the Lord
and his love for ministry is an encouragement.
So that's another one of the reasons
that I'm grateful to be here this morning.
In my life, I have had the privilege
of many spiritual mentors and influences.
And just for the sake of this morning's message,
I wanna highlight one more for you.
And that is my grandfather, Jake Rempel.
Now, I know that you as a church
have supported from my understanding
Nipwin Bible College.
And my grandfather was the president
at Nipwin Bible College for many years.
And he is 92 years old now.
And I talked with him just on the phone
just a few weeks ago
just to tell him of my great appreciation for him,
his faithful walk with Jesus Christ
and his desire to do ministry.
And so he was telling me
about what some of the things that he is doing.
He works at the food bank a few times a week.
He is on the advisory board
for a new church in his area.
And he will be actually preaching
a couple times in August.
He also mentioned that the prison in Prince Albert
asked if he would come in and do Bible studies
with the men in the fall,
which he is planning to do, Lord willing.
And did I mention he's also planning
to do a couple stucco jobs this summer?
He is 92 years old
and going strong in his walk with Jesus Christ.
And I am so thankful for his example.
He is wholeheartedly following the Lord
even into his old age.
And I share his story with you this morning
because he is a living example
of the kind of story
that we're gonna see from God's word.
And so I wanted to highlight his story
a little bit for you.
But today we are gonna look at the story
of a man named Caleb.
Now, of course, many of you
are gonna know the story of Caleb.
And maybe even as I mention his name,
there's a song that starts ringing in your head.
12 men went to spy on Canaan.
And?
Two were good.
Okay, I'm not gonna sing the whole song
for you this morning.
I won't put you through that.
But many of you will know this story, of course.
But we also know that
while all of the spies
saw the goodness and the bounty of the land,
10 of them responded with fear and disobedience.
They said,
we are not able to go up against these people.
And it was only Joshua and Caleb
who responded in faith and said,
no, let's go and take this land.
And we are able to overcome it.
Sadly, the people of Israel
listened to the 10 spies
who gave the bad report.
And they responded in disobedience
by not taking what God had promised to them.
And we also know that God's punishment
for this disobedience was strong.
The people were sent into the wilderness
to wander for 40 years.
And all of those who were 20 years old and older
were all going to pass away
before they would be able to enjoy the promise.
It would only be Joshua and Caleb
because of their faith
along with the next generation
that would inherit the land
according to God's promise.
And so then that brings us this morning
to Joshua, the book of Joshua.
And you can turn in your Bibles already
to Joshua chapter 14
where we'll be looking this morning.
But at this time,
the older generation had passed away
and Joshua had taken over leadership from Moses.
And the first 12 chapters of Joshua
described the people taking the land.
And then in chapter 13,
after listing the land
that was still to be conquered,
the task begins of dividing the land
between all the different tribes.
And we see that in chapters 14 to 19.
And then in bookending,
both of those,
or all of those chapters,
14 to 19,
we see the land given specifically
to Joshua and Caleb
who had faithfully followed the Lord.
Which serves to emphasize for us
God's faithfulness to them.
And that their example of faith,
Joshua and Caleb's example of faith
is what the rest of the tribes would need
in order to take what was promised to them
and experience God's blessing.
So with that background,
let me start reading for us
in verse 6 of Joshua chapter 14.
Now the people of Judah
approached Joshua at Gilgal.
And Caleb, son of Jephunneh,
the Kenizzite, said to him,
You know what the Lord said to Moses,
the man of God,
at Kadesh Barnea about you and me?
I was 40 years old
when Moses, the servant of the Lord,
sent me from Kadesh Barnea
to explore the land.
And I brought him back a report
according to my convictions.
But my fellow Israelites
who went up with me
made the hearts of the people
melt in fear.
I, however,
followed the Lord,
my God,
wholeheartedly.
So on that day,
Moses swore to me,
The land on which your feet
have walked
will be your inheritance
and that of your children forever
because you have followed
the Lord,
my God,
wholeheartedly.
Now then,
just as the Lord promised,
he has kept me alive
for 45 years
since the time
he said this to Moses
while Israel moved about
in the wilderness.
So here I am today,
85 years old.
I am still
as strong today
as the day Moses
sent me out.
I am just as vigorous
to go out to battle
now as I was then.
Now give me this hill country
that the Lord promised me
that day.
You yourself heard then
that the Anakites were there
and their cities were large
and fortified,
but the Lord helping me,
I will drive them out
just as he said.
Then Joshua blessed Caleb,
son of Jephunneh,
and gave him Hebron
as his inheritance.
So Hebron has belonged
to Caleb,
son of Jephunneh,
the Kenizzite,
ever since
because he followed the Lord,
the God of Israel,
wholeheartedly.
Now,
as I read through
the book of Joshua
this last year
in my personal devotions,
I found myself inspired
by this story specifically.
It really is incredible
to see a man
at 85 years old
still so filled
with passion
and strength
for the things
that God had called him to do.
And in this passage,
we see Caleb described
three times
as one who followed
the Lord God
wholeheartedly.
That's a pretty great
way to be known,
to come to the end
of your life
and to be known
as someone
who wholeheartedly
followed the Lord.
And so I just want
to take a little bit
of time to talk
about that this morning.
What did it mean
for Caleb
to follow the Lord
wholeheartedly?
What can we learn
from this hero of faith?
Now,
this phrase itself
points us to the idea
that this is someone
who is all in, right?
This is someone
who is all in
with his relationship
with God.
But in looking
at this passage this morning,
I want to point out
three things
that I think it looked like
in Caleb's life.
What did it look like
to wholeheartedly
follow the Lord God?
And so those things,
three things are this,
that Caleb endured,
he acted,
and he believed.
So he endured,
he acted,
and he believed.
I want to talk about
each of those.
And so let's start
with the first one.
The first example
we see of Caleb
wholeheartedly following
the Lord
is that he endured
in faith.
He held on
to the promise
that God had made
to him.
Verse nine again.
So on that day
Moses swore to me,
the land on which
your feet have walked
will be your inheritance
and that of your children
forever,
because you have
followed the Lord
my God wholeheartedly.
Now then,
just as the Lord promised,
he has kept me alive
for 45 years
since the time
he said this to Moses.
Moses.
Now think about that
for a minute.
45 years,
Caleb held on
to the promise.
I don't know
what your patience
level is like,
but 45 years
of holding on
to a promise
is a long time
without seeing
movement towards
that promise
in many ways.
But 45 years
he held on.
And this wouldn't
have been without
challenges.
Remember who he was
walking in the wilderness
with?
And often
rebellious
and faithless
people.
And yet,
in the midst
of that,
he held on
to the promise
that God
had made to him.
You know the stories,
right?
All the complaining
and the grumbling
and the lack
of faith.
As I was preparing
for this message
again this week,
I found myself
wondering what
that would have
been like
for Caleb.
I think it would
have been
very easy
to throw a bit
of a pity party
at some point.
Right?
Lord,
why am I
suffering along
with this
faithless people?
I believe in you.
I'm ready to
follow you.
Why am I also
being punished?
I'm also sure
it would have
been easy
during times
of particular
difficulty
to wonder,
is God ever
going to keep
this promise
that was made
to me?
Now,
we of course
don't know
what was actually
in Caleb's heart.
The Bible
doesn't tell us.
But what we can
see is that
later in his life,
at 85 years old,
we see the fruit
of someone
who held on,
who endured
in faith
in the promise
that was made
to him.
At 85 years old,
Caleb remained
ready to receive
the promise.
And he acknowledges
specifically in verse 10
that he knows
that it was God
who had kept him alive.
Why?
In order to fulfill
that promise.
And so after all
of these years
of waiting,
Caleb was not
going to miss out
on the blessing
for being faithful.
So,
this is one
example
of what it looked
like in Caleb's
life to wholeheartedly
follow the Lord.
He endured in faith
that God would
keep his promise.
And so let me
pause here
and ask you
this morning,
those of you
who are here,
are you enduring
today with faith
in God's promises?
You know that the Lord
has made some
incredible promises
to you, right?
And the scriptures
are full of the Lord's
promises to us.
Let me highlight a few.
For one,
through faith in Christ,
we not only can have
a relationship with God
today,
but we have the hope
of one day spending
eternity with the Lord.
Free from earthly pain,
right?
Free from earthly pain
and the reality of sin.
I can't wait to be free
from the reality of sin.
The scriptures have made
us incredible promises.
He has promised
that we can grow
in holiness today
through his indwelling
spirit
as we wait
for that future day
when we will
finally be free.
He has promised,
as was reminded
in our prayer time,
that he is our
great provider,
that he is going
to give us
everything that we
need today.
that is an amazing
promise.
And of course,
I could go on
because the scriptures
are full of God's
promises,
but the question is,
how are you doing
this morning
with enduring faith?
Are you clinging
on to the promises
that God has made,
believing that he
will do everything
that he has said?
Now,
as a guest preacher,
I don't know the stories
that are represented
in this room.
I don't know them.
I heard a little bit
through the prayer time.
But I can assume
that there are
numbers of you
who are following
Caleb's example
in enduring faith.
You are clinging
to the promises of God.
You are longing
for the blessing
that comes
when God fulfills
everything that he has said.
But I can also assume
that for some of you
who are here this morning,
this hasn't been easy.
Maybe God has brought
some really difficult
challenges your way.
Maybe even recently.
It could be physical,
it could be relational,
it could be some
spiritual challenges
that you are wrestling through.
But in the midst
of those challenges,
you have clung on to faith.
Can I encourage you,
please continue to hold on.
I know it would be tempting
to be impatient
or discouraged,
but we need to remember
who God is
and what he has said
in his word.
That he will do everything
that he has said
he will do.
And so my prayer
for each of us
is that we will see
the long-term endurance
of Caleb
and his example
and that we will hold on
to faith.
We're going to come back
to this in a few minutes,
but whatever comes our way,
we need to remember
that God has never failed
to keep any of his promises.
If you turn later
in the book of Joshua
to Joshua 21,
what does it say
in verse 45?
It says,
not one,
not one
of all the Lord's
good promises
to Israel failed.
Every one
was fulfilled.
This is the God
that we serve.
not one
of his promises
to Israel failed.
We need to remember
that as we hold
on to faith.
If we are to wholeheartedly
follow the Lord
like Caleb,
we will need to endure.
45 years
he held on,
but he endured
in faith
and he was about
to receive
his reward.
So that's number one,
enduring in faith.
But his receiving
of the blessing
connected to the promise
that was made to him
would also require action.
It would also
require action.
See, Caleb
not only held
on to the promise
of land that God
had made to him,
but he remained
ready to act
in order to receive
the blessing.
Right?
Go back to verse 11.
I am still
as strong today
as the day
Moses sent me out.
I am just as vigorous
to go to battle now
as I was then.
Now give me
this hill country
that the Lord
had promised me
that day.
Now first,
I don't know
how that sits
with you,
but I'm still
as strong today
at 85 years old.
That's pretty awesome.
I could tell you
again a side story
about my grandpa.
Two years ago
I did a stucco job
with him.
It was the four,
actually the three generations,
my grandfather,
my father,
and myself
were stuccoing together.
And there were
some low parts
on the wall
and I was starting
to complain a little bit
that my knees
were getting sore.
My grandpa comes over
and taps my shoulder.
Don't worry,
grandson,
I'll take care
of that spot.
That's just not nice.
At 92,
he still had all
that strength
and vigor,
right?
But here,
Caleb,
it's different.
I'm ready to go out
to battle
in the same way
as I was back then
at 85 years old.
That's just amazing.
But he understood
that receiving the promise
that God made to him
was going to take work
on his part.
And we need to remember
that he knew
it wasn't going
to be easy.
It says in verse 12
that he remembered
that the Anakim
were there.
These were the great men
that the Israelites,
the spies,
saw when they went
into the land
the first time
that made them feel
like grasshoppers
in their presence.
He knew that this
is where he was going.
And in verse 15,
we read that Hebron,
which was given to him,
was originally named
after the greatest
of these Anakites.
That's the land
that he's going in
to take.
In addition,
he remembered
that there were
great fortified cities
in the land.
But all of this
changed nothing.
Caleb remained
ready to act
to take the land
that was promised to him.
So let me pause here again.
What can we learn here
from Caleb's example?
Well, if you've been in church
for any length of time,
you will not be surprised
to hear me say
that real faith in God
takes action.
In order to receive
all the blessings
of the promises
of God,
we not only need
to endure,
but we need to do
the will of God.
Hebrews 10.36
makes this clear.
Here's what it says.
You need to persevere.
That's the first part
we talked about
with Caleb,
enduring in faith.
You need to persevere
so that
when you have done
action,
done the will of God,
you will receive
what he has promised.
You need to persevere
so that when you have
done the will of God,
you will receive
what he has promised.
So let me just pause
and point out
two big overarching ideas
that show us
how this receiving
of the blessings
of promises
and action
work together.
First,
as I already highlighted,
God has called us
to grow in holiness, right?
We know that that's
what God's word has said.
He's called us
to grow in holiness.
And if we put our faith
in the death
and resurrection of Christ,
God promises
that we are forgiven
and we are set free
from the power of sin.
This is truth.
This is past tense
if we have put our faith
in Jesus Christ.
But then,
we are commanded
to put to death
the sin that remains
in our lives.
Our continued enjoyment
of freedom
and forgiveness
in our walk
with Jesus Christ
is going to take work
on our part.
He's given us
work to do.
So let me just ask
the question here.
Are you actively
pursuing the victory
that God has promised
as it relates
to sin in your life?
Because He's promised it,
but it's going to take
some work on your part
to receive all the
blessings of that.
What might it look for you,
what might it look like
for you to act on that today?
Maybe even as I mentioned
that to you this morning,
God is already
prompting you
by His Spirit
of some things
that He's been asking you
to do.
If you want to experience
all the blessings
of freedom and forgiveness
that God has promised,
then we need to act
to put to death
the sin
that is still there
in our lives.
So that's one example
of how promises
and action work together.
Here's a second example.
God has commanded us
to expand His kingdom
by going out
and making disciples
of all nations.
And He has promised
that the good news
of the gospel
will go out.
When you read
the book of Revelation,
what does it say?
That every nation,
tribe, and tongue
is going to be represented
before the throne of God.
But how do we get
from the promise
to there?
Right?
We get the command.
Right?
The Great Commission.
Go into all the world
and make disciples.
It's not going to happen
if we as believers
simply come to church
on a Sunday morning
and sit in a chair.
That's not how we're going to get
to what we see in Revelation.
So again,
let me ask the question.
Are you acting on God's command here
in order to receive the blessing?
How are you involved
in making disciples?
Are you serving here
in this church
as part of that overall mission?
Are you sharing your faith
with those that are around you
here in Davidson
but also in the surrounding communities?
How are you involved
in acting on this promise
that God has made?
That His word will bear fruit?
That people will come to faith
in Jesus Christ?
I'm looking forward to
on your behalf
of what's going to happen
this next day
with five day clubs.
Or this next week
with five day clubs.
As those of you
who walk out in action
what God has commanded you to do
with faith in the promise
that God has made
so that you will receive
all the blessings of that.
I will continue to pray
for you as a church
in that regard this week.
From talking with Pastor Josh
and your elders
I know that many of you
are doing this
and this is fantastic.
See we as followers
of Jesus Christ
we have work to do.
God has made many
many incredible promises
to us
but again
enjoying all the blessings
of those promises
is going to take some work
on our part.
And it won't be easy.
Like Caleb
we have some giants
that we will need to face
along the way
as we work at these things.
But here's the thing
what are we missing
if we don't?
One of the sadnesses
in my heart
for my own life
but for the church
of Jesus Christ
in general
is I wonder
what blessings
what spiritual fruit
are we missing out on
because we are not acting
on our faith.
We are not doing
the will of God.
I don't want to miss anything
that he has for me.
But what are we missing out on
if we don't act?
Caleb wasn't going to miss out.
At 85 years old
he remained ready to act
and receive God's blessing.
But then maybe one
last comment here.
If it hasn't been clear yet
this is not a challenge
that's just for the young people.
If you are here this morning
you're in the later years of life
see the challenge
of Caleb's example.
There is no retirement
from doing God's will.
Right?
We don't retire
from doing God's will.
And I know that
none of us has promised
the health that we see
in Caleb's life
at 85 years old
or like my grandfather
in his example at 92.
I know none of us
are promised that.
So it may look
a little different
as we get older
but we don't retire
from active obedience.
to God.
As one commentator said
Caleb didn't simply
look for an easy task
suited to an old man.
He asked Joshua
for mountains to climb
and giants to conquer.
How cool is that?
Do you know some people
like that here
at Davidson Community Bible Church?
Men and women
young or old.
People who are actively
walking out their faith
and watching
for how God
is going to bless
and fulfill
his promises.
Are you one of those?
I pray that this church
will be filled
with those kind of people
who understand
that wholeheartedly
following the Lord
enjoying his blessings
will take some action
on their part.
All right,
last point.
Where did this kind
of enduring faith
and active obedience
come from?
Where did it come from?
Was Caleb just
a special human being?
Is this even attainable
for us today?
I think we need to finish up
with the key right here.
Caleb endured
in the promise
that God had made.
He was willing to act
in order to take the land
that was promised to him
regardless of the giants
because what?
Because he believed
in the Lord
and that the Lord
was going to be with him.
Verse 12.
Now give me this hill country
that the Lord promised me
that day.
You yourself heard then
that the Anakites were there
and their cities were large
and fortified
but the Lord helping me
I will drive them out
just as he said.
Just as he said.
It is so easy
for us
to set the heroes of faith
up on a pedestal.
Right?
But we need to remember
that these stories
that we read in God's word
of the heroes of faith
those stories aren't really
about them.
These stories are about
the Lord.
They are normal human beings
like us
with struggles
and weaknesses.
What makes them
heroes of faith
is their belief
in who God is.
Right?
Their belief in a great God
who is with them
and will do everything
that he has said.
This is what causes them
to attempt
what seems incredible to us.
Right?
Not because of them
but because of who
the Lord is.
We can see the clarity
of the object
of Caleb's faith
back in Numbers 14
when they came back
to the land
when they came to the land
the first time.
What does he say there?
As one writer put it
Caleb essentially says
to his fellow Israelites
look the Lord is going
to give us this land
because it's already his.
Right?
The people who are living there
they've lost their protection
from their sovereign creator.
So let's go take it.
It's already ours.
And then 45 years later
Caleb's faith in God
remains the same.
What does it say here
in our passage?
With the Lord helping me
I'm going to drive them out
just as he said.
And I think it's important
to note here
that this isn't blind faith.
Right?
This isn't blind faith.
Caleb had seen God act
on behalf of his people.
He saw God deliver his people
from slavery in Egypt.
He saw God lead the people
across the Red Sea.
He saw God provide
daily manna for his people
40 years in the wilderness.
This isn't blind faith.
And this is part of what
made Israel's disobedience
the first time
when they came to the land
so devastating.
You saw God do all of these things
and you don't believe
you can take the land?
Did you forget who God is?
Caleb along with the rest
of the people
had seen God act
on their behalf.
But while others responded
with fear and disobedience
Caleb was ready to go.
Give me the land.
The Lord is with me.
As I reflected
in preparing this message
I felt like
this was a place
I often come to
as I prepare to preach.
The reality of who God is.
That he is with us
and how that
it really changes everything.
Now is this because
it is something
that's easy to go back to?
Am I simply reading something
into the text
that I want to see?
Or is it
because this is just
such a significant idea
in the scriptures
and what it really means
to wholeheartedly
follow the Lord?
I think it's the latter.
See if you're struggling
to wholeheartedly
follow the Lord today
it is likely
because in some way
you have lost touch
with how great God is.
It's likely that in some way
you've forgotten
what he has done
in your life.
You've forgotten
who God's word says he is
and what he is able
to do in your life
and that that God
is with you.
And so as I prepare
to wrap up this morning
let me take a minute
just to remind you
of who our God is.
The same powerful God
that Caleb believed in
that we are reading
this morning
in God's word.
The same powerful God
that Caleb believed in
who he saw act
on Israel's behalf
is our God.
Same God.
He is the sovereign creator
who rules with power
and authority
over everything
that he has made.
He is the God
who is already victorious
over sin and death
through the death
and resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
Who he sent, why?
Because he loves you so much.
And if we have put
our faith in him
he has made us
his children
and he has filled us
with the Holy Spirit
giving us strength
to do everything
that he has called us to do.
In fact God's word said
it's the same power
within us
that raised Christ
from the dead
is in us today.
And then one day
Christ will return
to judge the living
and the dead
and all those
who are found faithful
are going to spend
eternity
with this great God.
This is who
our God is.
Do you believe that?
Our great
and glorious king
and he is the one
who is with us.
See Caleb believed
in a great God
and that this God
was with him.
It was Caleb's faith
in this God
that allowed him
to endure
in the promise.
45 years
he clung to that promise
because of who
he believed God was.
And the same belief
in that God
is what allowed him
to confidently say
at 85 years old
give me the land
I'm going to take it
because I believe
God is with me
I can take it.
This is what it looked like
for him to wholeheartedly
follow the Lord.
And so the big question
for you this morning
is are you
wholeheartedly
following the Lord?
Are you enduring
in faith
in everything
that God has promised?
Are you ready
right now
to do everything
that he has called
you to do
in his word
and receive
all the blessings
that he longs
to pour out
in your life?
And are you doing
those things
because of who
you believe
that he is
and you know
that he is with you
and he loves you?
This is the kind
of life
that will bring
God glory
and will give
you his blessing.
So here's what
I'd like to do
and we do this
in our church
in Regina a lot
and I love it.
I'm just going to
pause for a minute.
I want to allow you
to respond to the Lord.
What is the Lord
saying to you
right now?
How is he calling
you to respond to him?
Talk to him about that
for just a moment
and then I'm going
to close in prayer.
Okay?
So let's just pause.
Please speak to the Lord
and then I will pray.
Amen.