Deserts | Week 2 | Sermon · Rewind

Deserts | Week 2 | Sermon · Rewind

Pastor Bill Bush · Mar 4, 2024

Big Idea

Don't wander in fear — walk in faith into the land God has already called you to take.

God has already secured the victory and has an inheritance for us to walk into now, not just someday in heaven. But like Israel at the edge of the Promised Land, fear and unbelief can freeze us on the outskirts, and we end up wandering instead of resting in what God has for us. Faith means trusting God enough to actually move.

Key points

1
1Fear procrastinates, faith prepares
Of the 12 scouts sent into the land, ten came back still undecided, dragging their feet until they found a reason to say no, while Caleb and Joshua went in already intending to prepare for battle. Pastor Bill applies this to how believers mistake 'I need to pray about it' or endless preparation (buying the right shoes, the right devotional) for real obedience, when it's actually stalling.
2
2Fear sees obstacles, faith sees opportunity
The ten spies' report was consumed by the size of the enemy and the giants in the land, while Caleb's report started and stayed with what God had said. Pastor Bill notes that when you only see the obstacle, it's because you aren't looking at God at all, and applies this to marriage, service, and giving.
3
3Fear rebels, faith relies
When the people couldn't fight the enemy, they turned on Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua instead, and God declared that whole generation would wander until they died rather than enter the land. Pastor Bill uses the story of 'Wrong Way' Roy Riegels running a fumble the wrong direction in the 1929 Rose Bowl to show how avoiding the fight can turn into confidently running toward defeat.
4
4Fear tries, faith trusts
After God said that generation would not enter the land, the people tried to go up anyway on their own terms and were slaughtered by the Amalekites and Canaanites because the Lord was not with them. Pastor Bill applies this to people who try to be spiritual without trusting and obeying God on His terms, including trying to follow Jesus without being part of the church.

Application

Pastor Bill's charge is to stop wandering and actually walk into the land God has already called you to take.

Stop mistaking preparation for procrastination
If God has already made something clear — reading your Bible, loving your spouse, serving — stop saying 'I need to pray about it' and just start doing it this week.
Look at God, not just the obstacle
Whatever obstacle feels too big right now — in your marriage, your finances, your calling to serve — refocus on what God has already said rather than the size of the problem.
Commit time, talent, treasure, and testimony
Get involved by serving with your gifts, giving financially toward what the church is building, and sharing your story about Jesus rather than staying behind the gates.
Trust and obey God on His terms
Don't try to follow God your own way, in your own timing, and don't try to be spiritual while skipping real commitment to the church body.
Give above and beyond for David Elijah's church
Give financially this weekend, especially those with more resources, to help David Elijah move into full-time ministry at New Hope Church in Lehi, Utah.

Take it into your week

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7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

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Day 1

The twelve scouts came back from the same land, having seen the same cities, the same crops, the same giants. But they did not all come back with the same report. Ten of them had already decided what was impossible before they ever opened their mouths — and that decision was made not in Canaan but in their hearts. Pastor Bill pointed out something worth sitting with: the fearful scouts went in undecided. They were not prepared to act on what God had already said. Caleb and Joshua entered ready, because they had already settled the question of who was in charge. That gap — between knowing what God has said and being ready to act on it — is where a lot of us live. We gather information, we survey the land, we make lists of everything that could go wrong. And we call it preparation when, honestly, it's procrastination wearing preparation's clothes. Real preparation is not about eliminating risk; it's about settling, in advance, that God's word is enough. Caleb didn't need a risk-free situation. He needed a clear word from God — and he had one. So do you. The question today is not whether your 'land' looks overwhelming. It probably does. The question is whether you've decided ahead of time to trust the One who sent you there.

For reflection

Where in your life are you gathering more information when what you actually need is to act on what God has already made clear?

Pray

Pray for the courage to move from preparation into trust in one specific area God has been speaking to you about.

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

This message takes us to a moment in Israel's story when the promised land was right in front of God's people — and they couldn't make themselves step in. As we dig into Numbers 13–14 together, we're asking what it actually looks like to trust God when the stakes feel highest.

Discussion questions

1
In Numbers 13:25-33, the ten scouts and Caleb and Joshua all walked the same land and saw the same obstacles — but came back with very different reports. What do you notice about the difference in how they framed what they saw?
2
Pastor Bill pointed out that Caleb's first words in Numbers 13:30 were essentially 'the Lord said' — meaning his starting point was God's promise, not the size of the giants. What difference does it make, practically, when a community starts its thinking from what God has said rather than from what the circumstances look like?
3
Numbers 14:1-4 shows the Israelites not only refusing to go forward but actually longing to go back to Egypt. Pastor Bill described fear as forgetful — forgetting both what God has done and how hard the past really was. How do you think that kind of forgetfulness takes hold in people, and what tends to interrupt it?
4
In Numbers 14:39-45, the people finally rush into the land — but without the Lord, and they're defeated. Pastor Bill drew a distinction between trying and trusting. What does that difference look like when a community or a person is doing the right action in the wrong way?
5
Hebrews 3:7-8 uses Israel's story as a warning, connecting a hardened heart to missing God's rest. What does it look like, in everyday life, for a heart to gradually harden toward something God is calling a person into — and what tends to keep that from happening?
6
Pastor Bill challenged us to name the specific 'land' God may be calling us into — a restored relationship, active service, sharing the gospel — and to consider whether we've been preparing or procrastinating. As a group, how might we help one another move from cataloguing the giants to actually taking the next step?

Pray together

Softened hearts, surrendered outcomes, and the courage to step into what God has already secured

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Topics

Fear and Faith God's Rest Overcoming Obstacles Promised Land Trust and Obedience

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