One of the greatest blessings we, as human beings, know is that God talks to us.
One word frequently on God’s lips, when He has spoken to us throughout history, is the little word:
GO
“Go” was the first word that God spoke to Adam and Eve after they had sinned against Him in the Garden of Eden: He commanded them to “go”, to leave the Garden of Eden.
It also became the word God used most frequently to test the faith of believers.
- It was the word God used to test the faith of Abraham.
Without a Bible, and knowing very little about God, God commanded him: “GO! Get out of your country – from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.”
Abraham is called “the father of all those who believe” – all because, when God called him to “go”, he “went”. - Later, God tested Abraham’s faith again: “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and GO to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering”… and again, he went.
- Similarly, God tested Moses: “GO down to Egypt, and there tell Pharaoh to let my people go.”
- When Israel departed from Egypt they found themselves caught between the devil and the deep Red Sea.
Moses told the people: “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” But God had other plans: “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to GO forward”… which they did.
And the Bible says, by so doing: “they believed the Lord and His servant Moses.” They “believed” by going when the Lord commanded them to “go”.
I too could “go on”:
- Lot: told to go, and leave the city of Sodom
- Barak: told to go, and lead an army against the Canaanites
- Gideon: to go against the Midianites
- Isaiah: absorbed in the worship of God in the temple… what could be more glorious than just to be there worshipping this God; he could have remained there for the rest of his life.
But instead, this God tells him: “GO, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’”
That was the test of his faith! - Jonah: told to go to Nineveh etc.
The word God most often gives to test the faith of His people is this word, “GO”:
– Usually to do something hard, something that requires faith.
– But, by so doing they prove their faith… or, sometimes (as we will see) by not doing, their lack of faith.
Nearly all significant events in the history of redemption throughout the Bible are prefaced by the word, “GO”.
GOSPEL
God tests our faith too with a command to go: “GO into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
We are specifically encouraged to do so; the One giving us this command tells us: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”
And He gives us this promise: “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
This is where the Lord is testing your faith and my faith.
But God’s tests can be scary.
GIANTS and grasshoppers
When Israel reached the border of the Promised Land in Numbers ch 13, it was a critical time for the people of God.
About a year before God had redeemed His people out of Israel “with great power and with a mighty hand”. Israel had witnessed this for themselves: they had no excuse.
Now, a mere 12 months later, God is about to tell them to “go” and take possession of the Promised Land.
But first the Lord commands Moses to send in men who would “go” and spy out the land.
These spies were not individuals acting on their own behalf; they represented the people: “from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them” (Num 13:2). This was Israel itself “going” up into the land.
But God’s tests can be scary.
The spies (at least 10 of them) were scared stiff.
There were giants in the land. In fact, the first thing that is mentioned is the giants: “the descendants of Anak, were there” (Num 13:21). These were a race of giants.
When the spies return and report, it is obvious that this is a wonderful land that lies before them: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit…” (Num 13:27)
But, it isn’t long before they get to the giants: “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” (v 28)
Why “nevertheless”? Why “moreover”? Why not just: “The people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; we saw the descendants of Anak there” – that’s all they really needed to say.
But there’s a “but”; two “but’s”: “Nevertheless”… “moreover”.
“Here is why we don’t want to go any further.”
Caleb and Joshua try and counter their discouragements.
But, to no avail. The other ten “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.’
“There we saw GIANTS.
“THEY saw us like grasshoppers …we saw us like grasshoppers.’”
Then, “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!’”
They would rather be dead than have to face the enemy.
“Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”
God says, “Go”.
They say, “Go back.”
They would rather go back to the godless world that God had redeemed them from, than go forward to overcome the world that God commanded them to overcome – and promised all the help they needed to overcome it.
GOSPEL again
Sound familiar?
God says, “Go”: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
But we are fearful. There be giants out there.
And we be like grasshoppers.
God says, “Go”.
We want to go back.
Maybe we don’t put it quite like that.
But, in many ways we feel more comfortable, more at home, living at peace with the world and its worldly values, than going into the world with the gospel.
We feel more comfortable:
– in our workplaces,
– in our neighbourhoods,
– in our schools,
…identifying with the worldly values of those around about us.
We shrink from having to “wrestle with principalities, and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”
There be “giants” out there.
What sort of “giants”?
Giant FEAR
We are fearful of fear itself.
We know that once we present Christ as the only way, and the only truth, and the only life some will react angrily, some even violently.
We fear; we fear being threatened.
Giant POPULARITY
We fear becoming unpopular.
People like us; they find us easy going.
We may even tell ourselves we have a great witness at work, because everyone likes us – because we never disagree with them; we always affirm them.
Giant REPUTATION
It’s good to have a good reputation – if it is for compassion and kindness; or, honesty and integrity.
But what good is your reputation for honesty and integrity, if you are not honest about who you are, and what you believe?
In that case, you have a false reputation; a reputation gained by false pretences.
Giant FINANCIAL PRESSURE
“Will I be passed over for promotion because of what I believe?”
Increasingly, Christians are.
Increasingly, Christians face financial loss because they live out the gospel in their lives.
Giant RIDICULE
We fear being ridiculed.
The world will ridicule you, if you are true to the gospel.
Look how Christians are being ridiculed today for standing for God’s truth about marriage.
“You are just like the racial bigots of the 50s who opposed interracial marriage,” they say – as though homosexual marriage is the same issue as interracial marriage. “You’re no better than racists.”
It’s not true, of course. I’m sure there are – but I personally know of no Christians who believe God’s Word that homosexual marriage is wrong, who are anything like racist, or who ever believed there was anything wrong with interracial marriage.
It hurts to be tarred with that brush.
It hurts because it isn’t true. It is a cheap shot, aimed at intimidating us.
It is just another lie the world uses to silence its critics.
But it hurts; it wounds in this battle.
God says, “GO.”
But, there be GIANTS out there.
And, we be grasshoppers.
GOD
What’s the answer?
How did Caleb and Joshua handle the “Giant” problem?
Numbers 14:7 “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land…” (O.K. even the other 10 spies agreed with that).
“If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’” (v 8)
Therefore:
“Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.” (v 9)
Their answer to the problem was: GOD.
Just… God!
If the answer is “God”, then there are no more questions.
That silences every objection.
The people feared because they took their eyes off God.
They kept their eyes on the giants; they saw the giants’ eyes looking at them like grasshoppers. They took their eyes off God.
When it comes to sharing the gospel, keep your eyes fixed on God.
The Bible’s answer is: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
When Jesus told His disciples to “go” He was fully aware of the dangers they faced”: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16a).
Jesus’ answer was: “Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (v 16b)
We are to be “as harmless as doves…”
We don’t fight with a sword, or boxing gloves.
We don’t even fight with sarcasm, or abusive speech.
Our weapons are truth and love.
We are not to be naïve. We don’t go into this battle with our eyes shut, thinking, “O well, the battle is the Lord’s. We don’t have to do anything. Just let go and let God…”
No! We are to be “as wise as serpents”.
Take time to spy out the land, before you go rushing in.
Think about who you are sharing the gospel with:
- Their background
- How much they know
- What are the barriers?
- Are you getting through?
- Do you need to change tack?
- Do you need to be quiet and listen to them for a while?
The Bible says be wise:
“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt,
“…that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
God says “GO”.
“Go” is a test of faith.
Keep your eyes fixed on God: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Only do not fear. Do not rebel.
“If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us.”