Introduction
Visit the 1st Baptist Church of Dickinson Texas Website for other Facebook Live sermons delivered by Dr. James White.
There's Giants in Those Lands!!! What are We Gonna Do???2nd Corinthians 4:9 Numbers Chapters 13 & 14 Proverbs 1:7; 9:10 James 1:17 Numbers 14: 42-45 2 Chronicles 7:14 Deuteronomy 31:6 Hebrews 13:5 John 10:28 & 29
Posted by First Baptist Church - Dickinson, TX on Sunday, November 15, 2020
The words of the sermon are provided below. Play the video and follow along. (All the scriptures are provided in the written content below).
Sermon Opening & Prayer
I
Welcome and Thanks for Sharing in the Words and Ways of God, Almighty… I know it’s a surprise to find me delivering this sermon, and I will get to that in a moment…
I am, however, deeply honored that Pastor Jimmy has entrusted me with today’s message, and – as always – I feel humbled, yet privileged, to be able to share the Word of God and the Savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, with any who will listen.
But first: Let us begin in prayer:
Lord, we come to you, as did the Apostle Paul in the 4th Chapter of 2nd Corinthians: humbly, yet confidently; pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed… (2nd Corinthians 4:9)
Please, Lord; be with your people in these times of darkness and shine the light of your Love and Grace and Mercy into all of our hearts, and be with me personally that I may simply be a vessel from which your truths, and only your truths, shall go forth… And, Lord, please heal our Pastor and Shepherd, that he may lead us once more, in the way we should go… In the meantime, thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon us, and our families. We love you, Lord, amen.
II
Our Beloved Pastor Jimmy White has been tested positive for COVID-19 — Just Recently; the other day, in fact… He’s pretty sick, but looking forward to a full recovery. Please keep him in prayer, as he Battles this Equivalent of a Giant that has Invaded Our Land, and the Pastor’s Health and Home.
As, this as come upon us very suddenly, we don’t really have a plan for church services, or how things will go in the near future. We will, however continue our Facebook Live sessions… Please continue to check the website for information that will be posted as it becomes available…
For the past several months, the Pastor’s interest has been in the first five books of the Old Testament. Today, I will follow his lead and preach out of the Book of Numbers, primarily out of the 13th and the 14th Chapters… But please read both chapters in their entirety… and take your time doing so; there is a lot to unpack concerning reward and consequence, as relates to our relationship with God, Almighty.
The Promises and Provisions of God for the Faithful, are Real and Magnificent, but there is a reason the wisest of all-natural men, King Solomon, stated that it is the duty of all mankind to Fear God and Keep His commandments… There is a very good reason that Proverbs 1:7 informs us that it is the beginning of Knowledge to Fear the Lord… and that Proverbs 9:10 declares that the beginning of wisdom is Fear of the Lord.
But please do not take Fear of the Lord to mean that He is just sitting up there waiting to pounce when we are disobedient… No… In reality, all of the scriptures in this sermon are encouraging and they are, very definitely, a blessing… They serve to provide us with accurate information, or knowledge, or wisdom, concerning the blessings we will experience in trusting and obeying God and the pitfalls that await when we do not…
You must understand that it is not God who punishes us. We punish ourselves by failing to adhere to His Instructions; His Promises…
If we were able to completely follow His Words…in their entirety…if we could just do that, if we could do everything He said – as Jesus did… and only as Jesus could – then, even in the worst of our situations, we would be able to see the good that God is accomplishing in allowing it — Just as Jesus always did… that is why the foundation of knowledge and wisdom is Fear of the Lord…
In this respect, the word fear is equated to reverence or respect for God and His Promises, His Warnings, His Instructions: His Word. Not-Good happens when we choose ways other than those God has set before us… And if you think about it: If every good thing comes from God above as stated in James 1:17, then — when we choose ways other than God has provided, we have – by default – chosen ways and circumstances that are not-good… and we should not be surprised when things turn out to be exactly that: Not-good.
So, while these two chapters in Numbers, may have what some view as worrisome principles, they are really pure blessing because they serve, by example and written instruction, to either help us stay on the path of all that is good, when we are wise enough to trust and obey God, or they serve to bring us back into the fold of blessings when we have wondered, from choosing what is good…
God is not threatening us. He is, instead, warning us of what is poised to pounce upon us when we live our lives apart from trusting and obeying Him…
He is also promising – by example and written instruction – Blessings and Power and Courage and Steadfastness each time we are able to trust and obey Him… especially during those times when, but for His knowledge and wisdom, it would be nearly impossible to do so…
The message of Numbers, Chapters 13 & 14, is – simply put – the message of the entire Bible: Believe God and Enjoy His Power and Blessings; OR Disbelieve God to Your Own Peril…
And, yes… That, too, is the same today as it was in the days of old…
I have entitled today’s sermon — But There’s Giants in Those Lands! What are We Gonna Do???
I previously mentioned COVID-19 as a Giant. It is one that has invaded our land, as well as our homes and families throughout the entire world. While this virus is not the physical Giants of the Canaan of Old, it IS a GIANT, nonetheless, and it HAS spawned enemies in the wake of its devastation…
There are distinct parallels, that we may draw from to face down this plague of a disease, as well as to not live in fear of those who do not adhere to God’s Instruction to Respect the Authority Over Them, but who, instead, prey upon their fellow humans, with rioting, robbery, and murder…
Giant Issues… Troublesome Times… Fear and Anxiety… The Promises of God, Almighty.
Each of these things are as prevalent today, as they were during the time in which Moses sent 12 spies to scout-out the land of Canaan for 40 days… 12 Leaders from the Ancestral Times of the Israelites… Leaders; not common folk, mind you.
10 of the 12 men – supposedly equipped to lead their people – lost sight of the fact that it was God who would accomplish what they never could because of their own lack of strength…
Only 2 of the 12-man Scouting Party were able to remain faithful and believing God, in the face of the fact that Giants were filling the land that God had promised to deliver to them. Yet the people of their own tribes – these 2 that were faithful – their own people; their own tribes – were disbelieving, fearful, and complaining… Openly desiring to return to Egypt, and Slavery, over God’s Promise and the personal testimony and witness of these 2 faithful leaders…
When Giants were filling the land, the people quickly forgot the parting of the Red-sea, and all of the miracles God performed to get them out of Egypt, and to provide for them in the desert… A complaining, disbelieving, bunch…
No different in the days of old, than it is in today’s world… right???
I don’t know about you, but myself? I often wonder what Giants in my own life, I might have slain, had I been a man of faith and commitment to God, during the times it was most required, but hardest to recognize BECAUSE of whatever I was attempting to endure in my own strength…
In my own life, it has ever been as described in the last verses of chapter 14, when I went at things without God’s presence being with me… You can read it Numbers 14: 42-45.
By now, you may be wondering how a correlation can be drawn between the times of old, where God’s people invaded a land, and the time’s of today, in which we have been invaded, but the parallel is there, nonetheless. It’s just the same…
Let’s take a look, to see just how precise the two foundations are:
There was Goliath, and little David with his sling and stones. Fear and anxiety filled all the people, including the mighty warriors, who could not adhere to their faith… who simply could not believe and trust God.
There were the Giants in the land of Canaan, for whom the hearts of all but two of the returning spies quaked in fear and dread, in spite of the luscious fruits, and descriptions of lands flowing with milk and honey… But, more importantly, in spite of God’s instructions and promises that He would go before them that they might possess all the riches of the lands they entered…
Today, Giants have invaded America; Our land that flows with milk and honey. This Disease, Covid-19 and the same fear, the same anxiety, the same divisions among the people, because of what lies before us… But the choice is the very same for us, as it was for the Israelites: Trust God and Obey. Or give in to fear and miss much of the blessings He will have for those who believe and persevere…
Many believe that David slayed the Giant. He did not. Yes. He was the vessel God had used to accomplish His Purpose, but it was God that empowered and guided the stone from the young soon-to-be-king, David’s, sling…
It was not the Israelites that drove the inhabitants out of the lands that God had given them – by themselves, they were too weak to do it – it was God that went before them, all in accordance and in direct proportion to and with their faith in Him and His Promises…
As in the days of old, today’s giants, COVID-19 and the so-called Insurrectionist following in its wake – who are so prone to violence – that many are fearful to even leave their homes? They will be defeated by God, for the few who will remain faithful to Him and His Promises in the face of their fear… It has ever been a remnant, a few, that fully enter into the abundance of the Blessings of God.
So, Now? There’s Giants in THIS Land!!! What are WE Gonna Do???
As for Me and My House, We WILL Serve the Lord!
We are going to remain steadfast and true to God and His Promises, and We are going to thrive as He goes before us: We are going to face whatever comes our way with the Peace that Passes All Understanding, and the Promise that none can stand against us, BECAUSE God be with us!
I once knew a man, for whom the only answer to anyone’s dilemma was the same three words: Just trust God… Will You Trust Him Today?
Again! As for Me and My House? We Will Serve and Trust the Lord…….. Join Us, Won’t You?
Right Where You’re At — Please Pray With Me:
Lord, it’s easy to know that if you be with us, none can stand against us, but knowing that you are with us, is sometimes very difficult, though it ought not to be, because you have promised to never leave or forsake us… (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5)
Yet, lord, we are easily swayed in the face of giants, even as Your Chosen People Were, in the Days of Old…
Please help us to have the Faith of David. Help us to have the Steadfast Courage of Joshua and Caleb… and please let us recognize that the only thing separating us from victory is doubt and fear and a lack of faith. Help us to walk with courage and to proclaim, boldly, Your Will and Your Ways…
Let us remember 2 Chronicles 7:14, in which you promise:
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
And let us enter into the folds of Your Peace and Your Grace and Your Mercy and the Totality of the Blessings that You have Promised the Faithful…
Amen and Amen and Amen…
Don’t Know Him??? Well, if you would like, we can fix that right now. Romans 10: 9&10 very clearly states all that we must do to be saved and, thereby, to enter into the promises of God…
Confess with our mouths, that Jesus is Lord… believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead… That’s it… That’s really all there is to it… There’s nothing else… Learning His Will and His Ways, and learning to allow Him to guide us, is a little more difficult and comes only after the Profession of Faith unto Salvation… and the receipt of the Holy Spirit.
But do not worry, learning to trust and follow God is a continual process – a lifelong process – but once again; we will never have to be alone in our struggles, once we grab hold of the free gift of salvation…
John 14:26 guarantees that upon our Profession of Faith unto Salvation, Jesus sends the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to teach us and guide us and call to remembrance all that He has said…
If you don’t know Him, repeat this prayer today and enter into a covenant with God, Almighty, for whom lying is an impossibility:
God, I want to know you. I know that I am a sinner and that everyone is. I want what You freely offer, my eternal salvation, and the blessings of strength and courage and certainty for my life that you provide believers.
With my mouth, I now confess that Jesus is my Lord and Savior and, in my heart, I believe that You Raised Him from the Dead to Pay for All Sins — Including My Own…
I welcome you, Lord Jesus, as Lord of My Life, and I Thank You that I will No Longer have to Face Adversity Alone because you will me go before me and never leave or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5).
Please put the people in my life to lead me and send your Holy Spirit to teach and guide me, as you promise in John 14:26.
Amen and Amen and Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, your name has been entered into the Lambs Book of Life and NONE can take you out of it… None can take you out of the Hand of Jesus and None can take you out of the Father’s Hand (John 10:28-29).
Praise be to OUR God. Go WITH God and be Blessed BY God!!!
Until we meet again, God Bless & Keep You and Yours, Always!
We Love You, from here at 1st Baptist: Dickinson, and we invite you to join us… as we are able: Here on Facebook Live and in the Church, when we go back to having regular services…
The enemy is not as strong as Our God… The enemy cannot prevail — We will prevail; we will thrive and we will be blessed, in the end because We Will Trust and Obey God… God Bless You!
