IT'S JUST A TEST

IT’S JUST A TEST

BIG IDEA Faith overcomes fear!

CONNECT (Me) As a beginning band student, my director entered me in the All-Region band contest.  The night before the auditions, he hosted a concert where all the students would perform their audition pieces.  When my turn came, I stopped halfway through and could not finish.  I knew the piece, could play it perfectly at home, but fear gripped me and made me unable to perform!  I was so embarrassed I did not go to the auditions the next day. Even though my director encouraged me and believed I would pass the audition, my fear overcame my faith and led to my withdrawal and missing what might have been an incredible blessing.  

TENSION (We) The journey from where we were to where we want to go has a big gate at the end of it labeled “FEAR”!  If we let fear rule us, we will miss out on the bold blessings that God has planned for us!

SOLUTION We conquer the gate of fear by faith. 

1 John 5:4 NIV For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

PRAYER

INSTRUCTION (God)

Israel left Egypt, journeyed to the Promised Land by way of Mount Sinai, and now stood poised to enter into all God had called them to!

They camped at a place called Kadesh Barnea at the southern border of the Promised Land.  Moses sent out spies to check out the land. Let’s read what happened.

Numbers 13:25 NKJV And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.

26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

The excitement grows as the spies come back with grapes so big that the clusters have to be carried between two men! 

Then they continued their report…

Numbers 13:28 NKJV Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”

30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 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.”

The spies gave a bad report. They did not believe what God said. They were moved by sight, not faith. Fear took hold of them and spread to all the people!

Now you may be right there today. You have journeyed and stand on the cusp of the greatest adventure of your life and right there, right there in front of you is a huge gate, locked from the inside by fear.

Fear is debilitating.

Job 3:25 NKJV For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.

Proverbs 29:25 NKJV The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.

Hebrews 2:15 NKJV and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

How will you react?  Israel did not do well!

Numbers 14:1 NKJV So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”

They didn’t enter into their inheritance!  They tried later, but were rejected. Everyone who refused to believe never got in!  Only Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who brought a good report, got in. Everyone else died in the wilderness, waking around in circles just a few miles from Kadesh!

Obedience was not the issue; faith was the issue.  We will do what we believe!

What is God saying? To unlock the gate we must reject fear!

Romans 8:15 NKJV For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

II Timothy 1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

I John 4:18 NKJV There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

And embrace faith!  Faith is believing what God said!

Matthew 4:4 NKJV But He answered and said, “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every (rhema) word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the (rhema) word of God.

When God spoke to me about planting a church, I questioned why. I was content with what I thought was my niche. God said He could not use me because I had never done anything by faith. God could not use me until I did something by faith!  Suddenly I was thrust into a realm I knew nothing about. I had to live by faith.

Hebrews 10:38 NKJV Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.

God reduces us to the level of our faith. He places us in situations where we can’t accomplish anything in our own strength! He puts us out in the limb of the tree and saws it off behind us. Sometimes He cuts down the whole tree just to see if we will trust Him!  It’s all about my trust in Him!  No flesh shall glory in His presence!

Look at Abraham, called the father of faith…

Romans 4:19 NKJV And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, do not fear! What God has promised, He is able to perform!

INSPIRATION (We) Why is it important for us to go in in through the gate into all God had for us?  We must go in for the sake of the people around us! You need to finish the journey for the sake of your children and your grandchildren!

Numbers 14:13-14 MSG But Moses said to GOD, “The Egyptians are going to hear about this! You delivered this people from Egypt with a great show of strength, and now this? The Egyptians will tell everyone.

ACTION STEPS (You)

James 1:2-4 MSG Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Now what do we do when you come up against a locked gate and fear overwhelms you?

First, repent of your unbelief.

Second, remember the promise.

Third, start to walk it out.

Once you start to walk, you will hear the click of the lock as the gate opens and the fear will be gone!

Here are some verses to memorize…

Psalms 27:1 NKJV The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalms 118:6 NKJV The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Hebrews 13:6 NKJV So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

HASHTAG #nofear

PASSSING THROUGH

PASSING THROUGH

Eye the prize and ignore the lies

CONNECT How many of you like to move? I hate to move. There is a certain excitement about it, but then the work sets in. I remember our move to El Paso…

TENSION All of us are in transition all the time: work, family, relationships, habits, health, retirement, empty nesting, spiritual life… What happens in these transition times often determines the outcome of the move!

SOLUTION Eye the prize and ignore the lies!

INSTRUCTION Today I want to tell you a story. A story about a group of people who had lived in the same place for 430 years and it came time to leave. The people are the nation of Israel and their journey is out of Egypt through a time of transition to the land God had promised them.

Exodus 3:16–17 NLT “Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me.” He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you. I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey…"

Exodus 12:40–41 NLT The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land.

Exodus 13:17 NLT When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

We begin to get a hint of trouble here. There will be battles in times of transition.

The desire to go back will be greater than the desire to go on!

Exodus 13:18 NLT So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus, the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.

Exodus 13:21–22 NLT The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.

Exodus 14:5–8 NLT When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. So, Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance.

Exodus 14:10–12 NLT As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!”

Lie #1: I never should have started: DOUBT.

The answer: DEMONSTRATION

Exodus 14:13–14 NLT But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

God parts the Red Sea for Israel, then drowns the whole Egyptian army!

Exodus 15:20–21 NLT Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. And Miriam sang this song: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.”

The party is on! Miriam has the

dancers and singers going and all is good! Then reality sets in and more lies come up.

Lie #2: I will never finish: DISCOURAGEMENT.

No water, no food, enemies all around, delays, disagreements, destruction…

The answer: PROVISION

God met their needs supernaturally.

Philippians 4:19 NLT And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Lie #3: It will never be better: DESPAIR.

I don’t like where I’m at…

No more manna; we want meat! They already had meat! They named the place “Graves of Gluttony”!

The answer: CONTENTMENT.

Philippians 4:11–13 NLT Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

1 Timothy 6:6–8 NLT Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So, if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

INSPIRATION

Deuteronomy 1:2–3 NLT Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the Lord had commanded him to say.

You determine your length of stay!

APPLICATION

Last week many of you made choices to make a change, a move. You started a transition…

Beware the lies…

I never should have started…

I will never finish…

It will never be better…

What is the prize? What does that look like to you?

Hebrews 12:1–3 NLT Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

Remember that transition is temporary…

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NLT That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So, we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

HASGTAG #Eye on the prize and ignore the lies!