Caleb, A Man With a Different Spirit

Numbers 14. I want to speak to you this hour on Caleb. Caleb. A man with a different spirit. We find this description given to him by God Himself. This is not someone's opinion of Caleb. This is what God Himself says of Caleb. Numbers 14. Verse 24. The Lord is speaking, as you see in verse 20. Verse 24, But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Kind of incredible. The Lord says that. You know, we think of Paul saying how on judgment day, the motives of our heart are going to be disclosed, and we're going to see really why people did what they did. Right here, we kind of get a preview of judgment day. The Lord describes Caleb as someone who had a different spirit. The Lord Himself says Caleb was fully for Him. That's not someone saying that about themselves. That's God Who knows the hearts, the motives, the intentions of a man's heart. And the Lord Himself here says, Caleb has followed Me fully. That is remarkable. This commendation that He receives. He was different. Then we know, specifically, the ten of the other spies who went into the land. Caleb was different. Joshua is clear. Thought similarly as Caleb. We find that the other ten spies were full of fear. Caleb specifically was full of faith. The other ten were half committed. They were willing to go forward if things were found to be an easy victory. Caleb? He was fully committed no matter how impossible the scouting report proved to be. No matter how much self-denial was in his path, he followed the Lord fully. Did Joshua side with him as well? Yes. But you know who the Lord commends? Not Joshua right here. Caleb. So that's why I want to speak this morning on Caleb, a man with a different spirit, because the Lord God Almighty says this of Caleb. Now, as I was preparing and studying this, I was listening to Tim's sermon last week, and Tim preached on genuine saving faith. And it dawned on me, one way you could look at Caleb is he is an example of someone with genuine saving faith. So you could say, Caleb, a man with genuine saving faith. Because we find that in Caleb. The Lord says, Caleb has followed Me fully. That is, Caleb did not say, Lord, Lord, with his lips and with his life, deny the Lord. He was fully at the disposal to the Lord's will and way. The Lord was reigning over his life. This is a marvelous commendation. When we think about the New Testament, we want to hear, well done, good and faithful servant or slave. We want to hear that from the Lord. And can this be said of you this morning? Do you have a different spirit? Can this be said of you that you're fully following the Lord? Are you a servant of God and His will? Or are you only a servant of God and His will when it's easy? Or are you only a servant of God and His will when there's not a lot of self-denial involved? Does He reign over your life? Is there something distinct about you? Because our Lord said He saved a people, a peculiar people. So Christians are distinct. There's something distinct about them. Do you possess this? Now first, I want to look before we get into some points, I want to look at what led up to Caleb getting this commendation. Hopefully this won't take long, but I want you to get the context of everything from Numbers 13 and Numbers 14. We're not going to read this whole section, but we're going to look at it as we go through this briefly. So first, what led up to this commendation? As you know, the Lord delivered the Israelites from Egypt. And in Exodus 3, verse 8, He said He'd bring them out of the land to a good and broad land. A land flowing with milk and honey. And here they've arrived at this point where they can go in and take this land that God has promised. And in 13.2 of Numbers, we see the Lord commanded them to send out spies into the land which I am giving to the people of Israel. The Lord's going to give the land. He said He's going to do that. Twelve men are chosen. Who are these men? Verse 2, it says, every one of these men was a chief among them. The men that were chosen were not the lightweights. These men who were chosen were the chiefs. These men were the ones that the other people were looking to. Their opinion when they got back was going to matter for the group of people at large. These were the chiefs of the people. And Moses sends them out with instructions to do a land survey, you could say. And we see this in Numbers 13:18. They had six questions to ask in a way. Verse 18, Numbers 13. See, whether the people are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, see whether the land they dwell in is good or bad, see whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, see whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Go look at these six sayings and then look what He says. Go look at them and no matter what you see, He says, be of good courage. They already knew the land was going to be flowing with milk and honey. The Lord had told them that. Be of good courage. Will you be confident, once you've seen these enemies, that God is able? We see in Numbers 13:25, they spent 40 days spying out the land, observing these six survey questions. This is no short time. They get a real perspective on the land. And no doubt, like jurors in a deliberation phase, they were probably sharing their perspectives about what they saw before they got back and gave this presentation. It wasn't like they just saw the giants in the land and then said what they said. They had time to think about it. They had time to talk it over. Deliberate. Probably they were understanding, huh, this guy has this perspective. Caleb has this perspective. They were there 40 days after seeing the giants of Anak that they were in the land. They had time to think about it. For Caleb, I think it's safe to say his verdict was already made up before he went in. Caleb didn't need to see how big are these enemies or not, because he already had saw how big and powerful his God was and he was going to trust his God. He walked by faith, not by sight. Numbers 13:26 says they brought back word to them. And in Numbers 13:27, and they told him, we came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey and this is its fruit. They showed him its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong. This is the other ten. And the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Malachites dwell in the land of the Negev. The Hittites, the Jebusites, the Amorites. He goes on. And this clearly started the people talking. These names meant something. This is intimidating to the people because look what Caleb had to do. Verse 30, Caleb quieted the people before Moses. It's like all of you before the meeting started were talking and I was trying to quiet you guys down. Now, you guys were fellowshipping. You weren't debating about a report we just heard, but you quiet everyone down. It takes a couple of times sometimes. You get everyone quiet. And here Caleb's opportunity is. What's he going to say? And he says one sentence. Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are able to overcome it. You know, you sing that song, Be Gone Unbelief. Unbelief was gone from this man at this point. He was believing God. It is a glorious statement that he makes. But, the other people, their report of a negative tone. The men who'd gone up with him, verse 31, they say the exact opposite. We are not able to go up against the people. So Caleb is saying we are able. They are saying we are not able to go up against the people. For they are stronger than we are. Verse 32, they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying the land through which we have gone to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak who come from the Nephilim, and we seem to ourselves like grasshoppers. And so we seem to them. That was the other's report. They had an opportunity to hear Caleb and turn from their own unbelief and say absolutely, we can overcome this. We are able through the strength of God. Let's go. But that was not their response. They gave that opposite answer. Our enemies are stronger. In the ESV, it says this is a bad report. The King James, I like how it renders it. It doesn't say bad. It says what it is. It was evil. It was an evil report. Rather than being courageous and believe in God, it encouraged the nation to disbelieve in God. And remember, these men were the chiefs that were sent out. They had influence. If the leaders say it's too hard, it no doubt is easier for the followers to line up and say, well, man, if they think it's too tough and they saw it firsthand, then you know what? It is too tough. The evil report. In 14, verse 2, look what it led to. "...And the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, would that we had died in the land of Egypt. Or would that we had died in this wilderness. Wise the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by this sword. Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?" And look at verse 4. A mutiny basically begins. "...And they said to one another, let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt." You guys have failed us. Let's get a new leader. Let's go right back. Let's go back to Egypt. That was the level of disbelief that these Israelites had. This was such an insane thing that they said. Look at verse 5. "...Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel, and Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jehuphahun, who were among those who had spied out the land. They tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, the land which we had passed..." So this is them speaking. "...we had passed through to spy it out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us. A land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bred for us. Their protection is removed from them. And the Lord is with us. Do not fear them." Look at their response. Verse 10. "...Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones." Stone them with stones. "...But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tenth of the meeting to all the people of Israel." And obviously, the stoning didn't happen because God happened, because God exists, and God protected those who were honoring Him. So that was the people's response. Let's stone them. As you go on, you find that God, rightly so, wanted to kill them all. But Moses intercedes for the people. The Lord hears Moses. And then we get to the Lord's response in verse 20. This is where our text is at. It's the Lord saying He's pardoned according to the word of Moses. And then in this text, that's where we have verse 24. "...The Lord commends..." Sure, Joshua and Caleb both spoke up a minute ago. But the first one to speak up was Caleb. "...And the Lord commands Caleb by name." Not Caleb and Joshua. Caleb. Right here. Was Joshua the same mind? Yes, it's clear. It says elsewhere that he fully followed the Lord. But Caleb, the text reveals, he was the initiative taker. He was the outspoken one right here. So, I want to look at Caleb this morning. Because just as he was different, we should be different. You know, these Israelites were stubborn. Even after God killed off the spies who had unbelief, what was the next thing the Israelites wanted to do? They then wanted to go into the land themselves. They see all the men dying. It dawns on them, well, that was the right way to go, but it was too late. Kind of like in the Gospels, the virgins who didn't have oil in their lantern, they went to get oil, then they went to the door to knock. It was too late. Couldn't be open for them. So some of these Israelites tried to go back in. They got wiped out. And now Caleb has to wait 40 more years. Forty-plus more years. Here he believed God. And they can't go in. And they've got to go out in the wilderness for 40 more years. And he patiently trusts God to get back to a point where he can go and kill those giants that he had faith right here to slay. So, I have three main points. Each of these has some sub-points. The first point is this. I want to consider the difference in Caleb. What was this difference? Where did it come from? What was the evidence of this difference? Because we should be different. Just as Caleb was different than the rest, true Christians are distinct. The Bible even says we're new creatures. You want to talk about distinct? It's going from a caterpillar to being a butterfly. There's something totally new that was not there before that has been recreated by the power of God. The Christian is distinct. They're set apart. They're holy. First question is this. First sub-point on this is this. Where was this difference in Caleb? The text says, but Caleb had a different spirit. A different spirit. The different spirit starts with something where? External or internal? Well, I wouldn't say starts, but where is that different spirit located? It's something referring on the inside. There was a distinction in him on the inside that made him separate from the majority. He had another spirit than those other ten spies. Now, what does it mean to have a different spirit? What does that mean? I think there's two things. Number one, clearly in the passage, when God says Caleb had a different spirit, it means his attitude and approach to the test was different than the rest. His attitude and approach to the test was different. He believed God. He had a different spirit in that he believed God. The others didn't believe God. He reasoned differently. He had a spirit of faith, not of fear. He was different in that way. He believed God. Secondly, I think what it must mean to some degree, the only way he could have had a different spirit of faith and not fear is because of God's Holy Spirit at work in his life. As we go on in Numbers, we even see the word spirit clearly referring to God's Holy Spirit. In Numbers 27, the Lord said to Moses, take Joshua in whom is the Spirit, referring to the Holy Spirit, and lay your hand upon him. So here, Joshua who teamed up with Caleb, at a later point, the Lord uses that word spirit and clearly it doesn't just refer to a different attitude and characteristic of a man, but it referred to the Holy Spirit within the person. So, even if in our text, spirit just refers to his characteristic, his attitude, we know that the root of why Caleb had a different attitude towards the situation was because of God's Holy Spirit in him. We'll go to our New Testaments. We read in Romans 8, those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. That was those other ten spies. But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The other ten spies had a mind on the flesh. Caleb, he was different. So, Caleb was different because he had a different attitude to the situation where he believed God when the others did not believe God. And that ultimately was because God had put a new spirit within him. The Lord had done something in him. And I think Spurgeon is right when he says this about this text. He says, Caleb had another spirit, not only a bold, generous, and courageous, noble, and heroic spirit, but the spirit and influence of God which thus raised him above human disturbances and earthly fears. Therefore, he followed God fully. So do you have this difference? Do you have a difference on the inside because you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you and your body is His temple? Second point here, where was the evidence that Caleb had a different spirit on the inside? He had a different spirit on the inside. Where did we see that lived out? On the outside. External. His works. The proof was external in that Caleb fully followed the Lord even in the most severe trial. And that's an important distinction. Because all these others were willing to follow the Lord, but when it got to a severe trial, that was really the test where Caleb held fast to the Lord. It's by our works that we show what we really believe. Isn't that what James 2 talks about? Faith without works is dead. You say you have faith, show me your works. Show me you taking God at His Word. In the hard times, that will show you actually believe in the Lord. And even for those who failed in a moment like Peter, their faith ultimately did not fail. Christ prayed for them that their faith not fail. He wept bitterly and continued on. But the evidence, I've got a different spirit. The evidence I've got the Holy Spirit on the inside is that I will, by my life, I'm going to seek to follow the Lord. My life will prove that by my works. And what was the main thing here that was said of Caleb? He has followed Me fully. Caleb was all out for God. You know, if you think about it, if the spies went into the land and they just saw weak men, it's like these guys are so pathetic, we can easily take them out. What do you think all 12 spies would have done when they got back? The other 10 would have been saying, let's go into the land. But you know what proved the other 10 were false? It was that it was a severe test in how they responded then. And that's just what our Lord says in Luke 8:13. It's in a time of testing that some fall away. Where it proves too tough the cares of this life, the trials, the self-denial, it's too much. They said verbally they were fully committed, Lord, Lord, but in the trial, they abandon ship, they throw in the towel. It's too hard. You know, one of the psalms that said that sweet Ebenezer, and I just heard a sermon the other day about Thomas Boston. They had a little daughter. The daughter got really sick, died at four months. And the Lord kept his wife alive because she was sick. They had another child, a son. They named him Ebenezer. A rock to remember. To remember what God had done. Well, guess what? Four months later, that boy died. And Boston said the hardest thing was not burying the son's body, it was burying the name. Because how after that, here, you thought, God remembers us. He's giving this son where we can look to and see God is so good to us. Well, guess what? When God takes that son, now you've got the severe trial of the giants, are you still going to believe the Lord? And Boston did. He lost I think six of his ten children, but he held fast to the Lord. So, when did the genuineness of faith prove true? When all is going well or in the midst of a severe trial? It was in the midst of a severe test. Third thing here. Caleb's spirit was different in comparison to which trial? They had the other spies. Was Caleb different than the Philistines? Yeah. The Lord's saying he had a different spirit. It's saying from these other people, these other Israelites. That's where the comparison is at. And we too as Christians, our great concern is not, okay, am I the same as everyone who says, Lord, Lord? Because many people on judgment day will say, Lord, Lord, and the Lord says He never knew them. So I can't have professing Christians as my standard. I've got to have the Word of God. I've got to have the Lord. Caleb was fully committed to Christ. To the Lord. So, that's who we're different in comparison to. The other spies. The other chiefs of this religious crowd. Are we different than them? Fourthly, how important is it to possess a different spirit? I'd put to you, it's a heaven or hell issue. Especially if that spirit there is entirely speaking of the Holy Spirit. You better believe it. Because without the Spirit, you are an enemy of God. Without the Spirit, you do not belong to Him, Romans 8 says. But if you say you have the Spirit and you don't have the fruits of the Spirit, which we see in Caleb here, this characteristic, this courage, this belief in God, without the fruits of the Spirit, one does not have the Spirit. So how important is it to possess a different spirit? It's a life or a death issue. In 1 Corinthians, Paul uses the Israelites as an example. He says we should be aware of them. We should not be unaware of what happened to them. Most of them were slayed. They were overthrown and struck down in the wilderness. Most of them were destroyed by the Destroyer. These people worshipped idols. They hated God. They despised God. They loved their sin. The moment Moses is gone, they're creating idols. Most of them did not have circumcised hearts. They wanted to go back to Egypt. This wasn't some true Christian who's struggling in his faith. These were people who despised God. As God Himself says, they despised Him. So what does this mean? If I don't have this internal difference on the inside that's from God, I need that. I need to ask the Lord, Lord, change me. Give me faith to believe You, even in the most severest of trials. A fifth thing. What was the main difference between Caleb and the other ten spies? What was the main difference? I want to put it to you like this. Caleb was different in that he was fully committed to believe that God was not a liar. Caleb was different in that he was fully committed to believe God was not a liar. If I meditated on this and I was thinking about this, I thought that's the main difference. The main difference between Caleb and the other ten is he simply took God at His Word and believed God was not a liar. That's really not that complicated. And that's exactly what a Christian is. They're someone who believes the Lord. They take Him at His Word. And we're believing God for sending His Son to pay for our sins. That's a lot more incredible than killing giants in a physical land. We believe in something that's more incredible. You know where we see Caleb's believing God? In verse 30 in chapter 13 when he quieted the people. That was an act of faith to quiet them and to say what he did. Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it. He doesn't say, for we might be able to. He says we're well able to. He believed God fully at that point. He took God at His Word. So to be like Caleb is pretty simple. Just believe God. What's the greatest mark of the Christian? They don't believe God's a liar. They believe God. They take God at His Word in the trials when they're not in the trials. So the big difference in Caleb's life, it wasn't his spiritual or natural gifts. Matthew 7 says people cast out demons when they're in hell. Gifts, external things. That's not going to save you in the end. He took God at His Word. So a man or a woman with a different spirit is someone who seeks to take God at His Word and does by their actions not call God a liar. If God has said this, then I will move in this direction and do this trusting that His promises will be fulfilled. So, this is looking at the difference. This is a difference. We've got to have a different spirit. We've got to look at a situation like giants in the land and be different in that we believe God. So, second main point is this. I want to consider characteristics of those who believe, and that's characteristics of Caleb right here in this text. I have a couple I want to show you. In each of these characteristics we find in Caleb, this is what we should find to some degree in people who are different and they have the Spirit. And I'm not saying every believer perfectly does each of these things, but as a general pattern, it's the desire of their heart, and you're going to see them going in that direction. They're not going to be like the Israelites in all-out rebellion continually. So, number one, Caleb was different in that he didn't live from man's approval. He didn't let the fear of man be the motivator of what he would say or do. But he feared and sought God's approval. We see that in his statement in v. 30. In v. 14-8, when Joshua and Caleb speak up, he wasn't afraid to go against the counsel of the majority. Ten chiefs said this. Let's not go in. We can't. That didn't faze Caleb for a bit. He believed God. Paul says in Galatians 1:10, am I now seeking the approval of man or of Christ? If I'm seeking the approval of man, I am not a slave of Christ. We can't live living from man's approval. If we're God's, we're going to live for His approval. Second thing, Caleb practiced the doctrine he believed. Caleb was different in that he lived out the beliefs that he held to. And we see that in that he lived out the implications of what he said about God's sovereignty. Look at your Bibles. 14, v. 9. This is an amazing statement. Joshua and Caleb, they're speaking here, "...do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us." Wow, bread. But look what he says here. Their protection is removed from them. Their protection is removed from them. And the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. Do you know what that means? God, Caleb believed God can give and remove protection from whom He chooses. He can give it and take it away. And you know what? Moments after he said this, his belief in that was tested. Because what did the Israelites seek to do? Grab stones to stone them. And what happened? The glory of the Lord appeared. And He wasn't stoned. So you know what? He believed God can remove protection from the giants and He can take the land. And then God gave Him protection from the rebellious unbelievers and kept Him alive. His faith was tested. It proved true. Glorious. So what does this mean? We can say we believe God is sovereign and then shrink back in unbelief. Caleb did not. He lived out the implications of what he believed was true of God. And I remember Jeff talking once about when their son died. When he was 18, I believe, just trying to see, do I really believe God is sovereign? Can I live this out? Do I really believe this? And Jeff and Cheryl are still following the Lord. They've got a different spirit. You see, in these severe trials, what way are we going to go? A third thing, we just saw Caleb didn't live for man's approval. Caleb practiced the doctrine he believed. Thirdly, Caleb was not easily fearful and discouraged. You think about it, to lack courage. Moses said, be of good courage. When they got back, Caleb was. Joshua was. The other ten weren't. You know what to lack courage is? It's to lack confidence and faith in God. Am I really going in the right direction? You get discouraged sometimes with the path you're on because you're not confident is this the right direction. And sometimes that's because of the severity of the trials. Well, when Caleb faced that, he believed God. He didn't let that discourage him. He didn't let fear, which fear is rooted in unbelief, he didn't let fear grip him. He kept following the Lord. Be of good courage. You know, Caleb says the giants are bread for us. Does that sound like a man who's afraid? The people of Onneck, the Nephilim, they're bread. See, with faith, your enemies are bread to be easily eaten. But in unbelief, you're a grasshopper who is easily squashed and stomped upon. Isn't that how it is? If I believe God, all of a sudden, you believe that we can eat them like bread. But when you're not believing in the Lord, it's like they're going to crush me. I'm a little grasshopper. What was the difference? One believes God is not a liar. The other believes He is a liar. Doesn't take Him at His word. Fourth thing here, different characteristic about Caleb. Caleb did not complain to God of his ways. He had a different spirit. He didn't complain. He wasn't grumbling. He was not questioning why God is doing what He is doing. That's what most of Israel is doing. And like I already mentioned, you'd think that maybe after the Lord's saying, go on this way, meaning go on another 40 years, you'd think Caleb would maybe complain and say, well, Lord, I had faith to go on the land. Can I go in right now and take out the giants and get in the promised land? He didn't question God. He obeyed the Lord's commands. He waited patiently another 40 to 45 years before he could take that spot of land that was given to him. He didn't complain. Fifth thing, Caleb through faith and patience endured to the end. Through the fiery trials, he kept on taking God at His word. He kept believing that God is not a liar, that the Lord is true to His word. You see, genuine saving faith is not a one-time act of conversion. It continues through our entire life. Day by day. And with each passing moment, we've got to keep taking God at His word. And we see this. Flip over to Joshua 14. Joshua 14, verse 7. And Caleb, verse 6, says, he said to him, you know what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, in Kadesh Barina concerning you and me? I was 40 years old. I was 40 years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh to spy out the land. And I brought him word again as it was in his heart. He had a different spirit. He had a different attitude. A different approach. He had faith from God. Verse 8, but my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, surely, the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God. And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive just as He said." See, God does just as He says. These 45 years. He believed God did just what He said 45 years earlier. 45 years later, He's still believing God will do just what He said. These 45 years since that time, the Lord spoke this word to Moses. Israel walked in the wilderness, and now, behold, I am this day 85 years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me. My strength now is as my strength was then for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country. Boy, he's not intimidated at all. Which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakin were there with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me. And Caleb, he's not saying it may be like, well, maybe. He's saying that God's going to be with him. As the Lord is with him, I shall drive them out just as the Lord said. V. 13, Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son for inheritance. Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jehunah the Chazite in this day because he wholly followed the Lord the God of Israel. Caleb was all out for God. He was all out for God 45 years earlier. He was all out for God in the next 45 years taking God at His Word, believing God is not a liar. He does what He says. He does what He says. And here, in 15, v. 14, in Joshua, Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Seshai, and Amahin, and Salami, the descendants of Anak. And he went up against the inhabitants of Debir. And then, you know, in v. 16, whoever captures a certain city, he'll give his daughter to them as a wife. You wonder what that battle looked like. It says in Deuteronomy, people would say who could stand against the giants of Anak? It's like we get one verse about Him killing the three sons. It's like, what happened there? Well, you know what? Whatever happened there, God did what He said He did. That's what happened there. That's what happens throughout this whole Bible. God keeps doing what He says He's going to do and He's not a liar. Isaiah 40, 17, all the nations are as nothing before Him. They are accounted by Him as less than nothing in emptiness. So, the last main point is this. Characteristics of our God who is different than all the false gods. So we've looked at, number one, a difference you've got to have it. Two, characteristics of Caleb who possessed that difference. And third, I want to think from this text back in Numbers, you can turn back to Numbers, characteristics of our God who is different. It wasn't just Caleb had a different spirit. But our God is different from the false gods of man's imagination. Our God is different. There's no God like Him. He's unique. And this little list of six quick things we're going to look at, it could be expounded to 60, to 600, to 6,000. This is not due the Lord justice for what could be said about Him. We can't even begin to start and get close to ending to declare the praises of our God and how unique He is. So, number one, we find in this section that our God is different than the false gods in that He hears us. That He hears us. And we so easily take that for granted. And we see this, because the Lord justly said He'd kill them all. And He did end up killing the ten spies. But not the rest. But what happened? Moses interceded, and in 1420, it shows the Lord's response. After Moses intercedes, we have this incredible verse that's been referred to often in this church. Verse 20, the Lord said, I have pardoned according to whose word? Moses' word. God heard Moses. We have a God who hears us. That's unbelievable. He actually listens to our cry. He actually wants us to come to Him. He actually wants us to be like the widow and knock consistently. This is so different than false gods. False gods, well, you need to go through the priest. You need to go through this. We go through the God-man Jesus Christ Who is our Great High Priest. And we have full access to the throne of grace for help in a time of need. And God heard Moses. It's amazing. It's like in Joshua, it says, the Lord heeded the voice of a man. It's amazing. God heeding the voice of a man. So what does this mean? God is personal and you can go to Him, believer. You can ask of Him. He's the King who is approachable and we have a Great High Priest in Jesus Christ. Point number two, our God is different in that He shows mercy instead of fast love. And we see that there just in the fact that God pardoned them. That is amazing. These people are wanting new leaders. They're wanting the stone. All these things. And you have every right, O God, to strike them dead. And He doesn't. It's incredible. V. 19, Moses in his argument with the Lord, he says, please pardon the sin of this people according to the greatness of your steadfast love. Just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt until now. That's our God. His steadfast love, it's great. It's marvelous. We cannot wrap our mind around it adequately. He shows us patience. He prays for us that our faith not fail. A burning wick He will not put out. He is so good to us. He shows mercy. That while we were sinners, Christ died for us. Third thing, our God is just and punishes sin. We see this. Numbers 14, 37. The men who brought up a bad report of the land died by plague. Plague. It wasn't an instant death. Here, God had them suffer with plague. And now they're suffering in the unquenchable fires of hell for all of eternity. And that's completely just. Our God is just and punishes sin. He doesn't sweep it under the rug. He didn't sweep their despising of Him under the rug. But He swept them away to destruction. What does this mean for you? Well, if you're not a Christian, if you keep despising Him, if you keep not believing in Him, one day He will remove... Have you heard that phrase? Remove the protection? Listen, kids are on your phones. You're distracted. Listen to me. The only reason you're alive is God has given protection to you. And He could remove that at any moment and cut the threat of your life and be just to take you just like that. And it's His mercy that gives you life and breath. You don't want to keep rejecting that. You want to ask Him, the Lord of all, Lord, I want to be fully for You. I want to follow You with my whole heart and mind. I want to believe in Jesus Christ that He died for my sins. Because you either get that protection of life removed and you die, or you get the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ upon you and all your sins are forgiven and you have eternal life. Fourth thing, our God is different in that He has done multitudes of genuine signs and miracles. We see this in Numbers 14 and 11. The Lord said to Moses, how long will these people despise Me? How long will they not believe in Me? In spite of all the signs that I have done before them. How long? How long will they continue like this? God is saying. Think of what they had seen. The Lord sent the plagues upon Egypt to deliver them. He split the Red Sea and drowned the enemy's army. He provided manna from heaven. He provided water from the rock. It's incredible what God has done. And in spite of all of that, they don't believe in Me. He's done everything He can to prove Himself to them that He is not a liar. And yet, they call Him a liar. That's what they're saying right here. They will not believe in Me. They despise Me. You could say it stronger. They're calling God a liar. They don't take God at His Word. That implies He's not someone who keeps His Word. If you don't take God at His Word, it implies you don't really think He keeps His Word, but He does really keep His Word. So He's done multitudes of miracles, and they still haven't believed. Fifth thing, our God is different than the false gods in that He supplies all of our needs. You hear that? All of your needs. We see this throughout the entire passage. Where on earth do you think Caleb was having strength to be as bold as he was? The Lord. Where do you think Caleb had strength for the next 45 years to endure? His God supplied every need of his according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus as Paul says in Philippians 4. Caleb's life, just as older Christians' lives are to us, they're an example that God supplies all of our needs. He supplies the grace that is sufficient for the trial. Not grace for what ifs, but if you're facing the giants, He will give the strength and the grace. 1 Peter 4:11 Let him who serves, serve with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything, God would be glorified. The only way we can serve, the only way we can do anything is with the strength God supplies. We've got to ask Him for that strength. A sixth thing, our God is different in that He rewards us for our labors. We see this in Numbers 14:24 in that verse. Not only has Caleb followed me fully, but he says, I'll bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Our God rewards us for our labors. We know from Hebrews that the promised land points to what is ultimate. It's not something physical. It's a heavenly city. It's a heavenly country. It's something far greater than anything in this world. And here we follow by faith, believing God, knowing one day we will die and there is a reward. And there's a reward of more of Jesus Christ. Knowing Him more. So what does this mean? It means your labor is not in vain. There is an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in Heaven for you. Jesus told the thief he'd be with him in Paradise. You fully follow God with a different spirit, there's Paradise coming. So, we just saw our God is different. He hears us. He shows steadfast mercy. He's just and punishes sin. He's done a multitude of genuine signs and miracles. He supplies all our needs. He rewards us for our labors. Who wouldn't want to follow a God like that? And that's just six. We could get 600 more. Things on that list. But brethren, here Caleb was. Different from hundreds of thousands of Israelites. And we would be kidding ourselves and ignoring 1 Corinthians 10 if we looked at that and said, well, the main difference was Caleb was just a more radical Christian. This is not about who's a more zealous Christian or not. This is about who actually took God at His Word and believed Him. And if you don't know it, most of those Israelites perished. When it talks in 1 Corinthians 10 about them being slayed, the Lord didn't slay them and enter them into heaven. They were slayed and perished for their idolatry and sexual immorality. It didn't matter that they were a Jew. That didn't save them. Because you're not born of the flesh or the will of man, you're born of the will of God. So this difference that Caleb had being fully for the Lord. Did our Lord Jesus come along and say that we must be fully for Him? Yes, He said if anyone does not renounce all that he has, he cannot be My disciple. He says bring those before Me who refuse to let Me reign over them and slaughter them. True Christianity is saying I believe that God sent His Son and died to pay for all of my sins and the evidence that I really believe that all that wrath has been removed, you'll see how I live. I'm going to trust God. I'm going to be fully for Him. I'm going to be grieved the fact that I had a little something in my heart that wasn't fully for the Lord at that moment. You deny Him like Peter, you weep bitterly, but you keep going on the path. I'm believing God. I don't want to go back to Egypt. Caleb was the real deal. He didn't just say, Lord, Lord. He obeyed God. In the hardest of times. He didn't fear man. He wasn't easily discouraged. God supplied all of his needs. If this is not true of you this morning, what's holding you back? What excuses do you have? You could say, oh, it's too hard. There's giants in the land. If I'm going to be a Christian, there's going to be giants I've got to face and I don't have the strength. You don't. That's right. But God does have the strength and God is a God who keeps His Word and will give you the strength to kill those sins that you think are impossible. The sexual immorality, the idolatry, these things that you're following after. The Lord can absolutely conquer those things just like David cut off Goliath's head. For us believers, v. 24, can we put your name there? Will my servant James, Craig, Joshua, David, can it be said, you have a different spirit and you followed Me fully? Can that be said? Or is there anything where you're not fully for God? Is there something that you're holding back? Like some area that you're holding on to something and there's not a full resignation to the will of God. Is there some command that I've not yet obeyed that God is telling me to obey? Brethren, unbelief is wasted time that we will never get back. We need to believe God, be wholly committed to Him, and follow Him. And I was trying to think, what would be an encouraging thought to end on? And as I was thinking about this, you know what this passage shows us? We're thinking about, am I fully for God? Sure, we should think of that, right? Is there any reservation? Yes. But you know what this passage shows us? You know what the Bible shows us? Our God is fully for us. He's fully for us. He's got our interests and views. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. He provided strength for Caleb. He protected him in the dire hour of his life. When they were wanting a stone, God did not abandon him. So our God is fully for us. If He's fully for me, why can't I be more fully for Him? Why have any reservation? And then lastly, Joshua 21. We can end on this. Joshua 21, verse 43, Thus the Lord God gave to Israel all the land that He swore to give. You see, God keeps His Word. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as He had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them. Not one. For the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed. All came to pass. Do you hear that? I mean, this verse is incredible. We don't attack physical enemies. Is there some enemy of sin in your life that's besetting you right now that you're battling against? You know what the text says? The Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them. We don't battle against Philistines physically. We battle against sin in the heart. And you know what? God will deliver you from every evil deed and bring you safely to His heavenly Kingdom. We need to believe the Lord that nothing is too difficult for Him. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made failed. Amen. Let's pray. Amen. Father, Lord, thank You that not one word of Yours will fail. Lord, we make promises and we procrastinate or don't keep them. Lord, we fail. You do not. Lord, I pray that You would make us more different. Lord, work in us more to be fully for You. Fully, Lord. No strings attached to idols, but Lord, entirely consecrated to You, believing You. Lord, help us to just simply believe You. I pray, Father, would You help my brothers and sisters here and myself, Lord, would we just take You at Your Word. Lord, we pray it. We've seen it. Be gone unbelief. Lord, we want unbelief to be dispersed. We want to believe You and fully follow You. Lord, as many of us are doing, Lord, we pray You'd continue to give grace for that. And Lord, as has already been prayed, we just pray again for Tim and Diego and pray You'd own that time in Nicaragua. Lord, that that husband who's wanting his wife to not go to the meetings, that in that meeting tonight, he'd see Tim, Diego, and that woman. They've got a different spirit. They're entirely different than anything He's ever seen. Lord, that he would see the great sign of true conversion and that he'd believe on You and be converted. Lord, we pray You'd do that. Lord, if millions are perishing, will You not save some? Will You not show Your mercy? Lord, You have great, steadfast love that we cannot comprehend. Lord, if You spared all those Israelites that justly deserve their wicked abominations and despising of You, Lord, would You not only not yes, keep sparing our kids that they not die physically, but Lord, we pray that our kids would be converted. Lord, thank You for the protection that You've sovereignly given them, that You've given them life. But Lord, we pray You'd breathe spiritual life into them, that they'd have a different spirit. Lord, that You would look at them and say, they are in whom my spirit is. Please, Lord, do far more than we can even ask or think, because You said You would do that. In Jesus' name, Amen.