The Challenge of Hebron and the Kingdom of God (Joshua 14:6-12) 9/13/2020
The Answer of the 1st 2nd 3rd RUTC:
The Challenge of Hebron and the Kingdom of God (Joshua 14:6-12) 9/13/2020
One blessing that we enjoy when we receive God’s reign is the blessing of being able to challenge for works that pleases God. This is the sermon that Peter who was a failure preached for the first time with the passage of Joel 2:28 after experiencing the works of the Holy Spirit in Mark’s Upper Room. There is a well-known saying by William Carey who lived as a shoemaker in his early life, experienced the works of the Holy Spirit and became a missionary to save India. “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” Edison who changed the 20th century said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” It may seem like he is emphasizing effort, but he is actually highlighting the one percent inspiration. He said he had a percent of inspiration that others did not have. He said the secret to this inspiration was his prayer. When asked the secret to be able to work so passionately even in his eighties, he said, “it is because of my faith towards God who has prepared an eternal world.” Caleb who an 85-year-old man makes an important decision and challenges himself in the passage. He asked for permission to conquer the land of the Anakite descendants whom the Israelites feared the most. Hebron was the land that brought mourning and despair to the Israelites because of the ten spies to Canaan who reported that this land could never be conquered by them forty years ago. It was a land that they had still failed to resolve even at a time when they should have completed the conquest of Canaan. This land becomes Jerusalem later on and the land of Caleb’s descendant who comes as Kind David. More importantly, Christ comes through the descendants of David. Although it may seem like there are problems, what would you do if that was a time of opportunity for God’s absolute answer and absolute future? At that time, some people push off work to others, give up, and run away, and those who devote and challenge themselves.
- How were these devotions and challenges possible?
The world calls it passion and spiritually it is called faith, nonetheless, it is from God. The foundation is the covenant from God.
1) It is a prophesied covenant. It is a covenant of an eternal answer and eternal conclusion.
We must find everything in the prophesied covenant. That is the Bible. God said that he does nothing without revealing through the word (Amos 3:7). Therefore, we must discover three things when reading, listening, and meditating on the word. It is the comfort and courage of God that is given through the word, things we must realize and renew, and challenging for the future that God has prepared.
① The covenant of Christ who is the eternal answer is within the prophesied covenant.
It was that Christ would come to solve the three fundamental problems of life that humans can never solve. Disbelief and disobedience to God (original sin) and being separated from God (curse) resulted in a life that is oppressed by the world and the devil (spiritual problem). Christ who will eternally fulfill this covenant would come to the land of Canaan. This is why Canaan was called the promised land. Abraham first realized this (John 8:56), then Moses realized (Exodus 3:18).
② God will save all nations and people of the earth through us who met Christ first.
This is what God promised Abraham as He sent him off to Canaan (Genesis 12:1-3). He will save me to save the world and bless me to bless the world. Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8 emphasizes once again that Christ has given this covenant to us. Christ needs to return, and a time of a new heaven and earth needs to open (Acts 1:11, Revelations 21:5). This is the eternal conclusion.
2) It is a fulfilled covenant. The covenant being fulfilled is called evidence. The Bible is a book that has recorded both the covenant and evidence.
① If we realize and meditate on the Bible a little more deeply, we will know how accurately this covenant has been fulfilled.
Christ came as the Bible said, died, and resurrected and is with us just as the Bible says (1Corinthians 15:3-8). Paul confessed that this Christ came to him and that a person as inadequate as him is being used like this.
② What kind of fulfilled covenant did Caleb hold onto?
First, it was relayed through Moses. He confirmed this fulfilled covenant within the Israelites’ history in the wilderness and his life. Is it difficult? It is not a problem. We must be raised as the witnesses of this age once again. It is time to receive that evidence.
3) It is a covenant that will continuously be fulfilled. If it is already fulfilled, is there more to fulfill? It is the covenant we must relay.
Even if we may pass away, the covenant we relay to our posterity must be inherited, fulfilled, and completed.
① Caleb saw that the remnant who would remain as the inheritor of the covenant of Canaan would arise and challenged.
② He chose this land of Hebron that no one wanted and devoted himself because he saw this in advance.
It is through Othniel, Caleb’s son-in-law, that this land is conquered, and through his descendants would King David be born.
- He held onto the covenant and gave a confession of faith and God gave him the strength to conquer that land.
It is God that allows us to embrace God’s desire within us and challenge ourselves, and God who carries out those works (Philippians 2:13).
1) Train the prayer of enjoying the kingdom of God.
The heavenly background helps me, the Holy Spirit holds onto me, angels are mobilized at that time, the enemy the devil that blocks us crumble, and all doors open (Matthew 16:19, Revelations 3:8). This is the spiritual prayer that all believers must enjoy.
2) While praying this prayer of enjoying the kingdom of God takes place, I experience the filling of the Holy Spirit and gain strength to follow through.
How could an 85-year-old man compare to a man in his forties? The land of the Anakites was a fortified city. However, he believed that God would give him the strength to follow through (verse 12). If we look upon God 24 hours, no one can stop us (Isaiah 40:31).
- Hold onto this covenant, always enjoy the kingdom of God through prayer, and challenge to do three things (mission).
1) Challenge yourself to the way that no one else does and goes (way of nobody). That becomes only.
This is only possible through the gospel. Save the multiethnic and all 237 nations with this gospel, and there is a person that will be healed only through this gospel. Think about this in your school, workplace, and all meetings. These thoughts are ones that please God (2 Corinthians 7:10).
2) Challenge yourself to the abandoned and empty place around me. That becomes uniqueness.
Find something that only you who has the gospel and only you can do. Gospel content is needed for them (media ministry). This work may call for loss and persecution. However, there is an answer and blessing we received set aside (Mark 10:29-31).
3) He will gather people around me. It is the blessing and vessel of the platform (Isaiah 60:1–4). Recreation to save the world will be fulfilled.
Works that change the world will arise (transmission). You became a slight platform (leverage) and they will stand as another disciple (outsourcing).
Conclusion – Our movements make works. It creates the works of the kingdom of God. Those works begin in the challenge of those who hold onto God’s covenant and believe that He will fulfill that covenant. May you become believers who enjoy this blessing.