Sunday Worship Service May 12, 2024

Prelude
Call to Worship John 16:33b
Hymn JBC#27 Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 80 Father, we love You
Offering
Scripture Numbers 13:25~32
Prayer
Sermon “We can certainly overcome it”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 544 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Doxology JBC # 672
Benediction
Postlude

Today's passage begins with the sentence, "At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land."
“They” refer to the people who were sent by Moses to spy on the land of Canaan, where God promised to bring the Israelites to after they left Egypt.
After leaving Egypt where they were living as slaves, the Israelites went on a journey towards the Promised Land (Canaan). Among them, 12 people were chosen to spy and investigate the land.
We can tell from the report they gave to Moses after the 12 spies returned, that there were already other peoples living in the land of Canaan.

It was probably life-threatening to go spying in that area. However, the Lord God gave this command to Moses: to send them first to spy the land of Canaan.

In chapter 13, verses 1-2 says:

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”

Moses was the leader of the Israelites. However, as the leader, Moses could not do everything by himself.
He needed to entrust someone else with the important task of spying the land of Canaan.

I think the journey through the wilderness to reach the land of Canaan was also a process in which Moses, as a leader, learned that “I cannot do everything by myself. I need the support of people around me.”
Since the beginning when he was chosen by God, Moses refused to obey God's commands, saying, “I'm not good at speaking, so no one will listen to me.”
Then God sent Moses' older brother, Aaron, to help Moses. Because Aaron was an eloquent man, he was given the supporting role of speaking God's words on behalf of Moses.
Today's passage is from Numbers chapter 13, but in Chapter 11 which precedes today's passage, the following event is described.

During their journey through the wilderness, the Israelites began to complain about food. According to chapter 11, verse 1, “the people complained in the hearing of the Lord”.
Moses appealed to God because the people’s complaints and wailings were extreme. Moses prayed to God, “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.”
Then God told Moses to gather 70 men who are known as leaders and officials among the people to support him by his side. (Numbers 11:16)
In this way, God ensured that Moses do not have to carry the burden alone.

　The same thing applies to us as a church, a community of faith. It is not God's will for any person to bear the burden or responsibility of something alone, nor for just specific group of people to bear an excessive burden themselves.
Each of us is to contribute our talents and gifts to build the Lord's church. If someone suffers because of excessive responsibility or burden, that is not the way God wants the church to be.
Therefore, if there is any of us who are suffering because you feel like you are carrying a certain burden or responsibility on your own, please don’t hesitate to ask help from people around you (and, of course, you can always talk to me, pastor too).

It’s our hope to be a community of faith, a church, where anyone can say “Please help”.
Also, it’s our hope to be a church that can notice people who are struggling like that and call them out (to offer them help).
　Now, going back to today's passage, the Lord commanded to “choose one person from each tribe of Israel (12 tribes)” to spy the land of Canaan.
The Lord commanded Moses to send leaders from the 12 tribes. The fact that representatives from all tribes of Israel were sent to spy the land of Canaan also shows that this is important.
That means the Israelites, their entire faith community, must join together in prayer, strength and wisdom as they went on their journey.

Also, that means it was not only one or a few select leaders who lead the people and the people simply follow what the leaders say.
The goal of entering the Promised Land was a mission that each tribe of Israel had to work together to accomplish.
　The fact that a representative leader was chosen from each tribe also means that people from diverse backgrounds were chosen. Each would also have different gifts.
God ordained that 12 people with various backgrounds and gifts would work together to carry out an important and dangerous mission to spy the land of Canaan, a land that was unknown to them.
In our church, let’s contribute each of our gifts, work together, pray for each other, help each other, and live a life of faith together.

　Now, in today's Bible passage, verse 25, it’s said that the spies returned. Moses and the Israelites must have been looking forward to their return.
Also, they must have felt a mixture of anxiety and anticipation, wondering, “What kind of land is Canaan?”
They first reported like this:

Ch:13:27
They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.

As God had said, it was a “place flowing with milk and honey = a land rich in food.” To prove this, they also brought fruit (grapes) with them.
God was indeed trying to lead the Israelites to a land rich in food, just as He had promised.
But something became an obstacle. What is it?
It was "fear". They had fear at that time because of their lack of trust and faith in God.
They said, “The people of Canaan are very strong and have a great wall (fortified city). They are stronger than us. It is impossible for us to go up against those people.”
But of all the people who went out to spy, only one named Caleb (and probably one named Joshua as well) who said:

“We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
Everyone has fear. Fear is an emotion that sometimes protects us from danger.
The emotion of fear also allows us to detect danger and avoid it.
However, if our fear is due to lack of faith in God, then that fear can actually lead us into a crisis of faith.
The inhabitants of Canaan were probably larger and stronger than the Israelites. Caleb also did not say, “We can win because they (the Canaanites) are weak.”

Caleb and the others saw the same Canaanites.
But why were there two different responses: the thought of “They are strong, so we will never win” and the thought of “We should absolutely go up there. Let's take possession of the land, for we will definitely overcome it”?
The difference was in this: "relying on themselves" or "relying on God instead of themselves and trusting in God's promises”.
Those who thought, "It is impossible to go against those people; they are stronger than us," were comparing themselves to the inhabitants of Canaan.
Therefore, they thought, “We cannot win since we are weak” (well, they were certainly weaker because they had been on a journey in the wilderness)
However, Caleb did not compare the inhabitants of Canaan (who must have seemed strong and large in his eyes too) to himself.

　Caleb compared the people of Canaan to the Lord God. Needless to say, God is far greater and stronger than the inhabitants of Canaan. Caleb knew this by faith.
When we are faced with a crisis or difficulty, we may compare ourselves to that difficulty and become afraid, thinking, “There's just no way I can do it.”
However, instead of comparing ourselves to those difficult situations, if we look up to God, who is strong and great above all else, and trust in Him, and if it’s according to God’s will, we can (through God) overcome any hardship.

This is the promise that God of the Bible gives us.
　After some time passed from the time in the book of Numbers, a man named David appeared to later become the king (second king) of the kingdom of Israel.

At that time Israel was in the midst of a battle with the Philistines (1 Samuel 17).
A Philistine giant named Goliath appeared and said, “Someone must fight against me on behalf of Israel.”
When Saul, king of Israel, and all the army of Israel heard this, they were terrified (1 Samuel 17:11).
However, David, the youngest in his family and a shepherd, fought alone against Goliath while all the soldiers of Israel were afraid.
David defeated the giant Goliath not with the helmet, armor, and sword that King Saul had initially tried to give him, but with his own weapons: the stones and a sling.
At that time, let us listen to what David said when he went to face Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:47
All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

There are various crises and difficulties in our lives. Sometimes we think we can't get over them and overcome them.
However, at times like these, we should look up to the Lord God, not ourselves, and trust in His power. Let us remember how great and strong the Lord is.
When we completely humble ourselves, trust in the Lord, pray for His will and follow God’s ways that are shown to us, the Lord will certainly let us overcome any difficulties that lie ahead.
For the Lord is strong. Although we are weak, through God’s strength and greatness we do not need to be spiritually afraid of anything.

Lastly, I would like to end today’s message by reading the following verse from the book of Psalm.

Psalm 118:6
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?