Address—N. Berry
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Might reopen our meeting by singing hymn #241 two 4/1.
Savior through the desert. Leave it.
Let's see who cannot go.
Thou from cruel chains, has freed us, and has laid the tyrant low. Let thy presence.
Terrorists all our journey through 241.
Savior through the heavenly living.
Heart.
And heart, may the Lord let the Lord where the thyroid cry.
My heart this afternoon.
Is 2 men walking with God for 40 years?
Yesterday we had brought before us so beautifully.
One other person.
Starting off when it was 8 years of age, going on until he was 39.
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I'd like to follow through on that and take up another person who starts in the story at age 40 and goes on till he was 85.
I want to speak with the help of the Lord about Joshua and Caleb.
Beautiful, surpassingly beautiful picture for us all of walking through this world with Christ.
Joshua.
LED God's people into that promised land.
The Lord Jesus Christ is leading you and me to glory.
And he's walking with us. Walking with us.
Peter.
First, in the chapter, First chapter tells us who we are to follow in his steps following this step.
Dear young ones, my heart goes out to you today.
You're growing up in a world that is filled with corruption and sin and as my son said, getting worse faster every day.
You're one resource is to put yourself this afternoon for this hour in the place of Caleb.
He walked with Joshua. Caleb didn't make decisions. He followed.
Joshua was the leader. Christ is your and mine leader.
Are we following him?
Let's turn to Numbers, Chapter 13.
Israel.
I'm going to surprise you. Vizio is starting out on a short journey.
From Goshen.
To the land of promise.
I'll surprise you when I explain it later. I just want to say that they started out across the Red Sea, opened up before them, God doing it. He wants to do this to your life, beloved young people and each one of us.
Were on that journey.
Across the Red Sea went down at the Sinai. There they built that beautiful Tabernacle dear to my heart. It took them two years to do it completed it according to the pattern that God had showed Moses. Exactly.
The Tabernacle mainly was for the priests.
And the Levites that guard it when it stood still. The priests.
Led the worship they had access into God's presence, the two sons of Aaron, a picture of the church.
Into the holy place, Aaron himself a picture of Christ. Into the holiest of all. We know that we are acquainted with that.
Caleb and Joshua, or I should say Joshua and Caleb were neither priests nor Levites.
Caleb came from the tribe of Judah.
Joshua from Ephraim. They were one of the people.
We've had so much in these last two days about walking. I have enjoyed the meeting so much, been a blessing to my soul. I trust to yours. Walking, walking.
This is what we're going to do now, with God's help walk.
With our Joshua with Christ.
They came to that promised land.
Exodus chapter 6.
Gives 7.
Promises of God saying I will seven times I'll take you out of Egypt, deliver you from the oppression there. Never a word about the wilderness. I will lead the end of the land, You'll be my people and I'll be your God and so on. 7 Promises I want to relate if you will pay a little attention to you, dear younger ones, to your life today.
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Caleb is you and me.
We are following our Joshua.
They come to the land to go in, should have gone right in to unbelief through doubt of the goodness of God.
Moses goes along with their desire and what do they do? If he does, he chose. He chooses 12 men to go in to.
Cute the land but for.
God said that there is a land flowing of milk and honey and so on.
Doubting they have doubts sometimes.
This is for you.
So God.
Those men were chosen. They made that beautiful search of the land of being in many parts of that.
Lovely land of Israel. They made a big complete circle and as they came back down South.
They came to a place called.
It's the first name of any of those places that are mentioned, Hebron.
12 men searching the land, and they came down to a place called Hebron.
Or Hebron, as they call it today.
And Eshkar.
Had the privilege of being in both those places, very fertile, beautiful fruit trees, there, now again in around.
That that place.
They see the fruit. They're so impressed. They said let's take some grit back to the people back home. So they agree. And why a man can't carry the the grapes, a stem. They have to get a pole and put the pole through the stem of grapes and two men have to carry it the rest of the journey. That's the fruit of the land. What am I saying? This is heaven.
Or this is the full enjoyment of heaven today, now, now, while we're waiting. That's what Canaan is for you and for me now.
They saw it.
They saw the beauty of that land. They went down. They arrived back down. Let's read a little bit now about it.
Verse 27 of #13.
26 And they went, and came to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Parrin to Kadish, and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Two things in order were for their ears, fruit for their eyes.
Two things.
All information, 85%, comes through the eyes to us. Of all information, 15 through the years they heard the report, the people did 3 million or so, 600,000 men anyway.
Waiting expectantly. And here they come, loaded here with this beautiful fruit. They hear the beautiful message. All the 12 men say. It's true. It's true.
You've heard older ones. You've heard your parents say to you it's true, the Lord lives. The Lord lives, Let's live for him. You heard them say that, haven't you? And you've seen the fruit. You've seen the fruit in your parents lives. Walking with Christ, you say, I want to get half what my father and mother have.
They saw, they heard.
The 12 Said.
Wonderful. It's true. Let's go down a little bit farther.
27 First says, surely the land flows with milk and honey. The verse 28 Oh, look at the first word. I think it's in the heart of some of us today. Nevertheless, oh.
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Yes, but in other words nevertheless.
The people would be strong and dwell in the land, and the cities are walled and very great. And moreover, we saw the children of Enoch there. Those were the giants and the Amalekites throughout there, and the Jebusites and the Amorites they had. They knew them all. They got all. Those enemies weren't thinking of what God said, they were just reporting what their eyes saw without faith. The Canaanites.
Six Nations there, they just saw them. And then they said, oh, the Giants.
And they said everyone of them is a giant. They saw everybody, in other words, difficulties.
They are getting it, dear young people.
I'm talking about your life and my life in this world, the difficulties.
Are they? Are we looking at the difficulties we have to face the world?
But two or one man?
One man is there. Are there some caleb's here this afternoon? You dear young ones?
Verse 30.
Cannon. What's he do?
See that word, Joanie? What's it say? That word? What was he doing?
Got to watch the revival now he still.
To the people who I ask you, I ask myself, am IA Skiller amongst the Reverend at the meeting?
Are you or you're disturbing here? Is Caleb now a follower of? Not yet, but he is.
As the Lord in his heart and Caleb still the people before Moses and Said let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able. They said we're not able. The 12 Said, The ten said, Caleb says we are well able. What's that mean? It means confidence. Do you have that confidence? Do I have that confidence in the Lord facing the difficult? Everybody is becoming a giant. They weren't all giants.
That area where the fruit.
Verse 31 But the men.
That went up with him said we're not able and then they recite oh don't take time to look it up they recite all the difficulties and.
Verse 33 And there we saw the giants, the son of Enoch, and so on.
Everybody hears this. Their hearts are shattered. The people.
But one man said, we are well able. Are you one of those ones?
Am I? Do we have the courage to stand one man against twelve of them, or ten of them? You, you, and I are called off to go on to do this. We can do it with his strength, if you and I have Christ before.
This is the first of the areas that I'm speaking about. They searched the land, They came back. These two men stood firm. Let's go down a little bit farther.
And to the next chapter.
Verse 6 and Joshua.
The son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Gephuni, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes, and they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land which we passed through to search, it is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us. He didn't think the Lord delight in me collective if the Lord delight in us. Certainly the Lord delighted in them, He'd given them that great promise take you into that land.
They doubted. Are you doubting?
I know how to keep pressing this, but am I doubting the goodness of God that is able to take us through?
And then he will bring us not. We'll get there. We'll fight our way through. No beloved ones, He will take us through.
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Who do the people listen to?
3 million people out there in a great crowd. What do they listen to? They listen to the majority. Are you listening to the majority? Majority in the Bible is always wrong.
They listen to the majority.
They were saddened.
These two men had a purpose of heart pleasing to the Lord.
What are the people Do they pick up stones to kill these ones? Dear brother, we're facing violence. I believe it's coming fast. And you and I need what purpose of heart that leads to Christ to be able to stand in confidence, not in ourselves, but in Him.
The people say we're not able.
God said to them all right.
All right, you don't. You're making that decision. This is the people, not Caleb and Joshua.
He said You're going to, I'm going to take you out into the wilderness and you're going to wander around till every man that is over 20 years of age is dead.
That's judgment of God. That's the holy judgment of God.
I'm not saying.
Any more than God isn't trifling. Did he carry it out? Yes, he did. Did God say to Caleb and Joshua my, you've been faithful to me, I'm going to take you into the land. No, he didn't. He didn't. Those two men had to go with.
That proof of unbelievers, you and I are surrounded.
By unbelief in this corrupt world.
You have the courage.
He wants to give it to you, you dear young ones. Here. You're so much on my heart these days. I just trust you're getting this.
Want to?
Bring you closer to Christ to realize he's real. He's with you. Caleb and Joshua start out on that long journey. They didn't know how long it was going to be.
Round and around they went year after year after year after year.
1234303538 Years of Wandering.
And everyone of those people was dead.
How many men? 600,000 What does that mean? That means that 300 men a month died.
Stay on.
Or maybe it is a week, but 300 were dying.
This one, that one. I don't believe that they were getting sick and gradually because of the scripture in Psalm 105, it says there were no weak ones amongst them. I believe that I just just pass on this thought. I believe that the men just died suddenly 1 by 1.
Caleb and Joshua. What about them?
No blistering heat and sun and sands could dampen their vision.
Particularly, I should say exclusively, of Caleb. He had a vision of that one place Hebron he saw. Hebron means communion. He valued that above all else. He kept no doubt saying to himself as he went through that awful period of 38 years. Hebron, Hebron.
He had seen it. He had seen Hebron. What was Hebron?
For what was for Caleb it was the death, the the, the, the tombs of his fathers.
I've been there in that very room where Abrahams body and Sarah's and Jacob and Rebecca.
The six of them are there. Leah and Isaac, and Rebecca, I should say, and Jacob.
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Rachel is not there, but there they are. Their bodies are still there.
To Caleb, it was death.
Yeah, what am I saying? I'm saying that you and I need to realize that when the Lord Jesus Christ according to Romans 6, when he died, you and I died in that old life with.
I'll just say this, that do you believe that? I'll say this. Your life shows whether you believe it or not, my life shows it. Whether I believe that that old life is gone and dead and I have a new life. According to the First Epistle of John Chapter 5, that can't sin. You've got a life that can't sin. Do you believe that?
It says he that is begotten of God cannot sin.
We've got that life, but that old life is dead.
As it lost its attraction. As the world lost its attraction to you.
If Christ means what he is for us.
Surely we won't have any ambition to be something in this poor world.
So that's the second journey, second part of the life of Caleb.
38 years gone by.
God said he wandered around here long enough.
Now they're heading over into.
The land of promise.
All those men are dead.
All of them were dead. What about the new ones, All the other ones that have grown up? They had never gone across the Red Sea. They'd never gone through the waters of death.
Instead of God, I spoke a trust. I'm speaking reverently instead of his taking them right up to Kadish and into the land. No, he told them.
Told Joshua to Leah Moses to lead them around the bottom of a shiny eye and up on the West side to cross the Jordan. They had to cross the Jordan.
For themselves, the crossing of the Jordan, beloved younger ones, is a contrast with crossing the Red Sea. The crossing of the Red Sea is Christ, death for you and for me.
There they saw those great walls of water on either side, a picture of death they walked through on dry ground. That was deliverance.
In the land of Egypt, when they came out of it, that was redemption. When the lamb was the blood was shed and put on the door, that was redemption. But costing of the Red Sea was deliverance.
Now they've got another lesson to learn, and so have you and I, and that is that we have died with Christ on the cross.
If you and I grasp it, I know it's not very easy for me to talk about it because I have to confess how little there is in my life. But this is what Caleb only saw.
He grasped what Abraham had.
His faith had seen.
And that was that. Abraham saw only death there. He never possessed anything in the land.
So they coming. They're coming into the land now. Moses is dead. Let's go over to Joshua Chapter 13.
Verse 14 Joshua 14 verse 6.
Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal.
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And Caleb the son of Jefuni the Kenazite, said unto him, That's unto Joshua. Thou knowest the thing that the Lord saith unto Moses, the man of God, concerning me and thee in Kadish. Barnier now.
Chronologically verse, 740 years old. There he was when he started at 40.
He's reciting now his experience 40 years old.
Was I when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadish Berna to a spy or search out the land? Notice this particularly.
And I brought him word again, as it was in my heart.
Are you speaking out of your heart?
When you speak to a soul, is it coming out of your heart?
Or out of your mind. Oh, it must be out of our heart. Caleb told the secret that was the secret of his strength. He was able to say we are, well, able because he was speaking out of his heart. Oh beloved ones, may Christ become more precious to my heart, to your heart, as we pass on through this world subtle enemy.
So here he is reciting now this is looking into.
We might say your life, my life.
Is it worth it? I'm not going to ask you that to answer it.
Is it worth it? Was it worth it for Ken after all these?
Years and years and years. And if you read in Acts Chapter 7, there you would see what the people had turned to.
They would turn to idolatry. They were worshipping the moon as they went through the wilderness. That just tells me what the world is around me. What am I looking for? Nice things? No, it's a world of corruption.
Spiritual and moral evil.
That's what surrounded Caleb.
And the swoop out of what was in his heart.
And then he tells in the eighth verse.
A very lovely thing. Nevertheless, my brethren didn't call them nasty names.
He didn't say the rascals.
He said, My brethren, that respect for them, my brother.
That went up with me, made the heart of the people melt. But.
See what it says there but.
I wholly.
Followed.
Six times in Scripture. It says that.
Once.
God said it once Moses said it.
Twice Caleb himself said it, the other times it said in the scriptures 6 * 1 Time it says fully and I looked up.
The new translation to see if it is the same word. It was so seven times.
It was said of Caleb, he wholly followed the Lord.
Full beloved, once one of these days we're going to be in the glory. Your record, My record is going to be opened up before the Lord Jesus. What's he going to find? Is he going to see you and call you by your name and say you only followed me?
That's what I want.
What else is there in life?
Seven times.
He followed the Lord.
Was that brushed aside and said Oh yes, but the others had a rough time too.
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He's going to get what he deserved, and so are you and so am I.
We're going to get if you are faithful to the Lord. The Lord is writing it in his book, not a it doesn't miss a minute of your life.
Revelation 2 And also in three, seven times he said, I know thy works, He knows your life. If you have a heart there beating for Christ, young or old alike. It's recorded and the day is going to come when the records are going to be opened up. But I just want to don't want to confuse the issue a little bit because this being in the land when they had taken the whole land.
Is a picture for you and for me. Not many Christians get this, but it's a picture of our present privileges. Not to like the spiritual songs they say. You know crossing the Jordan is going into heaven when you die. No, your portion now is to be the enjoying, the fruit of the land. Now they don't have yet to glory.
What about this this man, Caleb? Now let's read a little bit more.
Verse 9 and Moses swear on that day. Now this is what Caleb is reciting to see of what happened 40 years before saying surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden. It's very beautiful. Can I digress for a minute? Joshua one and three. I often misquote it in order to emphasize the point.
The Lord said to Joshua.
Every place I'm going to misquote the verse.
Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon when he got into the land. Every place that the soul of your foot shall try it upon. That will I give you. You didn't say it. I'm not going to ask anybody to correct me on that, because I've done this many times. He didn't say that. He said. Every place of the soul of your foot shall tread upon that. Have I given you. You have it. You have the ability.
Have the ability. And here notice the significance of this wording. This is what Moses said before it happened and here he uses the expression. Surely the land were on thy feet doesn't say will tread tread. He says have tread. It's all present. You see how beautiful.
Beautiful. What confidence this gives you and me.
Shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's forever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord.
My God.
Now then, a beautiful testimony to the preserving care of the Lord over those 38 years.
Searching in the land, but traveling through the wilderness, the going into the land, taking the whole land.
Let me just digress a minute again. Last verses of the 11Th chapter of Joshua.
It says that finally.
Joshua had conquered the whole land, and the land rested from war.
14th chapter and first verse says, the Lord said to Joshua, thou art old and well stricken in years, and there remaineth much land to be possessed. That seems like a contradiction, doesn't it? They've taken all the land, and he says much land. What's the key of it? I pass on a thought that I just have on that possess.
How can we relate that to our life yesterday and today, or at least yesterday, in the reading meetings and and and in the meetings we have had such beautiful, wonderful, delightful truth brought for us? We have it.
I've learned everything I've ever known in the 70 years that I've been at the Lord's table. From the assembly, from the assembly, from the brothers and the sisters, by their life and their words, have learned that they're from the assembly.
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Do I possess it? Do I possess it?
My life shows. Your life shows whether you possess the truth. Might say yes, I know this or not. I can give this brother. He left the Lord's table now. I certainly tried to convince him.
We must possess the truth. I read a very lovely statement. If a person has the truth, that person knows they have the truth. But they cannot convince anyone by words, only by their life.
Pull this Are you possessing? Are you walking John 7/17?
John Luke 818 says to him that hath shall more be given.
And he that hath not from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
Am I living? Are you living in the truth that you know? If you are, you're going to learn more. No, you're not going to learn more. He's going to teach you more. Shall more be given. But he that hath not, I might know the truth, and I'm not possessing it from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have serious.
Can't trifle with God.
This is serious life we're in now. The Lord is holding out these glorious promises and showing us the fruit of joy.
Do we possess it? Let's go on.
Verse 10 Now behold, the Lord, oh this is beautiful, hath kept me.
Alive.
Didn't he? Because he did exercises every day in those 38 years in the wilderness. The Lord kept him alive. He keeps you and me alive in every way.
That was his testimony. Well, I don't want to take more time on that.
Verse 12. Now he claims it. He's not rude, but he says now. Therefore give me this mountain. What mountain?
Hebron Hebron communion is not an appealing word, A lovely word. I like that communion fellowship with Saints.
Come here, give me that, Jesus.
Did he deserve it? Yes, he did. Was he going to get it? Yes, he was. Are you going to get your reward for your faithfulness? Yes, you will. Yes, it will.
He wants you to have it too. He's with you.
Now the middle of 12.
If so, be the Lord be with not us this time Me is that nice first time collective us.
I saw their numbers 13.
Hears me very personal, beloved ones. Then I shall be able to drive them out.
Diana comes. Yes. Enemies, yes. Yes.
Verse 13 Here's the culmination. And Joshua blessed him and gave unto Caleb the son of Jeff Uni, Hebron, Hebron 4 and inheritance.
Egert, It's Peter. Tell us.
Saying to you he says that an inheritance.
Incorruptible and defiled waiting for you.
Waiting for you. I just trust beloved ones.
The children realize that the Lord is speaking to each one of us individually. I'm going to tell you another little secret, and that is this.
That these were the only two men.
Apart from Eliezer the priest, the only two men.
That got a personal inheritance in the land. The others got their inheritance through tribes. Everyone of the tribes was given a place. Here's Joshua and Caleb. Joshua at least Caleb here in the 13th chapter and Joshua in the 19th chapter. We don't take time to look at it there. He got his inheritance and.
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What about us? What about you and me?
Didn't tell you that secret, I forgot to tell you.
You know, we think of that journey from the land of Goshen. Way off to the land of Promise was so long it took them 40 years to get there. You know how far it was.
In miles.
You may be surprised less than 300 miles.
Yeah, about 11 days. Journey took him 40 years.
Was that in the purposes of God? No. No.
It was. It shows the ways of God.
God's purpose was to take them right in. And what am I saying? I'm saying this that when the Lord saved your soul and my soul, He wants you and me to be enjoying all that He has provided for us now in your life. And I am so happy to see some young ones going on for the Lord. We have a few of them there in Montreal, young brothers that are fathers in the to all the other younger ones got a heart for Christ.
The view of.
There they got their inheritance.
They got it, and you'll get it too. Don't lose courage, beloved ones, 1St Corinthians 1011 Says Now all these things happened unto them, for in samples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world order come all these glorious stories. They all are all happened, and they are all written for your and my.
To energize you and me, to give us the strength and the the energy to go on.
And I just like to say that I trust that what I have said this afternoon is here to encourage you.
We don't have much longer beloved ones.
I believe that I've heard it since I was a child.
The Lord is coming soon, but for I can just feel it in my in my heart that were in the last few days, and I just say to you, and love young and old alike.
Press on, keep on with the courage and strength that it gives, and don't forget, but Caleb walked with Joshua. They were inseparable for those 40 years. Inseparable. And that Caleb had locked in his heart.
Hebron, Hebron. And he got it. He got it and so will you if you with the strength that the Lord gives you.
You possess the joys now and the inheritance that's waiting for you. You are prepared for it, tells us in the scriptures, and the inheritance is waiting for you. Live it now, Beloved, warns Lift and Joy Christ.
Walk with him day by day. One of these moments will take a step, and it'll be right into the glory with our Christ forever. That's bound for her.