Doubt: Seed Of Destruction

All right, now let's take our Bibles and let's turn to Numbers 13. Numbers 13. I'm hoping you're finding that the book of Numbers is not quite as boring as you thought it was. Can I encourage you? You know, I think a lot of people think those things. You know how I say, oh, I'm going to read through the Bible.

Oh, but when you get to Leviticus, that's going to be a drag. Right? If you go to the Bible with that in mind, it will be a drag. But if you go thinking, this is going to tell me something about God, this is going to tell me something about me, about my world, you'll find that the Bible opens up to you, and God will bless that. And that's true with the book of Numbers.

So I want you to follow along as I read Numbers chapter 13. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. For each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them. So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.

And these were their names, from the tribe of Reuben, Shemua, the son of Zakur, from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat, the son of Hori, from the tribe of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Issachar, Egal, the son of Joseph, from the tribe of Ephraim, Hosea, the son of Nun, from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti, the son of Raphu, from the tribe of Zebulun, Gadiel, the son of Sodi, from the tribe of Joseph, that is from the tribe of Manasseh, Gadi, the son of Susi, from the tribe of Dan, Amiel, the son of Gamali, from the tribe of Asher, Setur, the son of Michael, from the tribe of Naphtali, Nabi, the son of Nafshi, from the tribe of Gad, Goel, the son of Maki. These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hosea, the son of Nun, Joshua.

Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, Go into the Negev and go up into the hill country and see what the land is and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob near Lebo Hamat They went up into the Negev and came to Hebron Ahimon Sheshai and Talmai The descendants of Anak were there. Hebron was built seven years before Zohan in Egypt.

And they came to the valley of Eshkol and cut down there a branch with a single cluster of grapes and they carried it on a pole between two of them. They also brought home pomegranates and figs. The place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there. At the end of 40 days, they returned from spying out the land, and they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh.

They brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, We came to the land to which you sent us. it flows with milk and honey and this is its fruit. However the people who dwell in the land are strong and the cities are fortified and very large and besides we saw the descendants of Anak there.

The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negev. The Hittites, the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell in the hill country and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the Jordan. But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said let us go up at once and occupy it for we are all for we are well able to overcome it. Then the men who had gone up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than we are.

So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, The land through which we have gone to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak who came from the Nephilim. and we seem to ourselves like grasshoppers and so we seemed to them. There we will end.

Let's pray. Guide us now, Father, we pray, as we look into this. It's so easy to look at these stories, to think of our little picture Bibles with the pictures in them and forget that this is more than a story for children. it is a story for us, a warning for us. Help us we pray now to understand this to take it to heart to see the seriousness of what happening here and by the grace of the Spirit respond in a way that would cause us to glorify our Father.

Help us to accomplish that this morning, we pray. Amen. Amen. In my family, I'm known as the worst driver. and there's a good reason for that. I don't pay attention very well. Driving is kind of boring for me, and so I think do other things with my mind.

As a consequence, there are times when I miss warning signs. I end up in holes and ditches. One time I missed a warning sign about a curve and I almost ended up going down a railroad tracks. That's the way it is. But you know what? We come to this chapter, we have to see this as a warning.

You remember the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10. The very first week we looked into the book of Numbers, he referred to the book of Numbers. Three out of the four examples he gave come from the book of Numbers and said to us, these are warnings for us. And so as we come to Numbers chapter 13, we want to see the warning here. Now, let's not lose hope.

When we are warned, it's because God loves us. And he says, look, you can fall into some serious difficulties. Pay attention. Note the warnings. And so that's what we want to do today. with the hope that because of Jesus, we can see the warnings and we can do what He calls us to do. Now, as we come to this chapter, you have to see chapter 13 and 14 as a whole.

They describe a watershed, a decisive point in the life of the people of God. This is the very heart of the history of Israel. It's not just about complaining and griping. Rather, it's about will those whom God has delivered believe God or not? will they believe God or will they not? These chapters describe the hardening of the people's hearts through disbelief which leads to the devastating judgment of God.

They stand as a warning. Do not test the Lord through rebellion. Do not test the Lord by not believing. Now our attention this morning is going to be limited to chapter 13, Lord willing. next week we'll look at chapter 14. The very bloom of the doubting that we see in chapter 13 We begin in chapter 13 then That takes us down the road of the narrative of Israel rebellion And here you find the seed that blooms into rebellion.

It's the seed of doubt. Doubt is the seed of destruction. Doubt, not believing, is what will eventually lead to judgment. Now let's recall where we are in the story of God's people. Remember, God sent Moses to deliver His people from the oppression of Egypt. He has shown His power to deliver through a number of miraculous events.

Don't forget this. They have been witnesses to unbelievable things. In the land of Egypt, when they're under oppression, they see ten plagues. Ten plagues that literally just wreak havoc on the whole kingdom. The whole kingdom of Egypt. There's the dividing of the Red Sea.

They come up to the Red Sea. They despair. We're trapped. And God opens up the Red Sea. They go through. And in the reading of the law today, it says they went through the Red Sea as if it was a dry desert.

He split the sea and they walked through dry land. And on top of that, it destroys the pursuing army. It destroys their adversaries. There's the provision of their needs for food and water all through this time. Jehovah has organized them into a nation of his very own, giving them his law at Sinai that sets them apart from all the other nations and says loudly they belong to the one true and living God.

They're now numbered and organized into a moving fighting force. And now here they are at Kadesh at the very border of the land that their God had promised them by covenant. Moses organizes a scouting expedition. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe just to figure out, okay, what's our plan of attack going to be? Where are we going to move first?

Who are we going to take out? And all those sort of things, a strategic plan. It's at this point that everything begins to unravel. This is the decisive moment. These two chapters are when we see everything unraveling. What is it that leads to judgment?

What starts you down the path to judgment? The path to judgment begins with doubt. It begins with doubt. Now, if you would heed this warning that we find here in this chapter, then you must first recognize what kind of doubt, or you must first recognize what doubt is all about. What are we talking about here? Let's look at verses 26-29.

The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negev. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the Jordan. Alright, now remember the backdrop to this scouting expedition. You've got to remember the backdrop to this scouting expedition. And it is the promises of God.

That has to be front and center in understanding why God is so angry here. You must understand the promises of God. You see the promise, first of all, in Genesis. Now let's remember, it hasn't been that long since I preached through Genesis, has it? Anyway, you remember. You remember the book of Genesis that that was probably written on their way to the Promised Land.

Or these stories had been recited to them. They've heard these stories on the way to Canaan. They've heard all these stories of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and all of God's working. Did you listen to... Dare I ask? Did you listen to the Old Testament reading today?

Why did Pastor pick that whole thing about Noah getting drunk and all that. Who gets cursed in that narrative? Who saw his dad naked and did something? Ham. Who gets cursed? Did you notice that?

His son Canaan. Canaan is cursed. Bells should be going off in your head. And in that prophecy, he says, Canaan will be the servant of Shem. Who the Israelites descended from. Shem.

They know that. All the way back. Way into Noah story they hear that Canaan is cursed Right Now you go to Genesis chapter 12 Let's look at this. You see these promises in that prophecy. You see those promises with Abraham. Turn to chapter 12 of Genesis.

Genesis chapter 12. Turn there. This is where we first find Abram and the promises that God makes that eventuate and the covenant that He makes with Abraham. Genesis 12. We're going to pick out one part. There are a number of promises that He makes, but this is a particular one.

Way back given to Abraham. Genesis 12, verses 6 and 7. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abraham passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Morah. At that time, the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abraham and said, To your offspring, I will give this land. So he built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him.

Wow, already he says, I'm going to give you and your descendants this land. Okay? Look at chapter 17. This is the renewal of the covenant. Chapter 17. And when you come to verses 7 and 8, what do we read?

And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout through generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. I will be their God. There it is again.

I promise to give you this land. God promises it to Abraham. Now by the way, without reading through the whole book of Genesis, do you remember? The whole book of Genesis is about God fulfilling the promise of raising up a seed. Genesis 3.15 That seed finds its first expression in a whole nation. And you remember, the whole story of Genesis is all these terrible fixes people get into that may nullify that promise and God proves faithful.

The entire book, every turn of the page God is faithful to keep that promise that there going to be a seed That the whole background to them standing there listening to these spies They have these promises. If that's not enough, look at Exodus. You see the promises at their deliverance. Exodus chapter 6. God spoke to Moses. Verse 1.

But the Lord said to Moses, Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name, the Lord, Jehovah, I did not make myself known to them.

I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel, whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, I am the Lord, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm with great acts of judgment.

I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am Yahuwah, your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for possession. I am the Lord. At their deliverance, he says, I'm going to give you this land.

Look at his command. So turn to Leviticus chapter 20. Look at what he says in the midst of commands. So we have promise, we have covenant, we have prophecy, we have deliverance. Now look at what he says in the middle of his commands. Leviticus chapter 20.

Verse 22. You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out, and you shall not walk in the customs of the nations that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. But I have said to you, you shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess a land flowing with milk and honey.

I am the Lord your God who has separated you from the peoples. In the middle of the commands, what does he say? I'm giving you this land. Alright? Turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 1 Now of course this is 40 years after where we are in Numbers 13 There 40 years that have transpired between Numbers 13 and Deuteronomy 1 So in Deuteronomy 1 he recalling what going on back then So, in Deuteronomy chapter 1, verses 6 through 8, what do we read?

The Lord your God said to us in Horeb, by the way, that's Mount Sinai, you have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country, and in the low land, and in the Negev, and by the sea coast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. See, I have set the land before you.

Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them and their offspring after them. and then verses 19 and 21 same through 21 same chapter then we set out from horrib and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw on the way to the hill country the amorites as the lord our god commanded us and we came to kadesh barnia and i said to you you've come to the hill country the amorites which the lord your god is giving us see the lord your god has set the land before you go take go up take possession as the lord the god of your fathers has told you, do not fear or be dismayed. What do you see? There is this constant refrain.

God has promised and made a covenant that He would give them this land. It's yours. Take it. I'm giving it to you. I've promised it. From way back from Noah, all the way up now, what's God said?

Don't worry about it. You're going to take possession of it. By the way, as we're going to see next week, do you ever wonder why God got so mad at them? Does it start to dawn on you why He's so angry? He has said consistently over, even in the middle of these commandments, He says. Oh yeah, obey me because, by the way, I'm giving you this land, right?

So you see, there's this consistent drumbeat of the promise of God. Now, the spies return with a report. Note, they start out with a positive emphasis. This is a land flowing with milk and honey. Right? Look at all this.

They bring back, do you remember that picture? I got this picture in my head from Sunday school. It comes from Numbers 13. Do you know what that picture is? Did you all see that picture too? The two guys with this great big pole as they're carrying on their shoulders in the middle is this cluster of grapes that's about like that big, about that wide.

It comes from this chapter. So they're coming in with this stuff, right? And they said, man, this is a great land. However, look what happens to what they do. verse 27 we've come to this land with milk and honey and this is its fruit however but what? the people who dwell in the land are strong and the cities are fortified and very large and besides we saw the descendants of Anak there and on and on they go they choose to emphasize the difficulties they will encounter they they start off the report positively, but the overall emphasis is, man, I'm telling you, I don't think we can do it.

This is a great land, but it's too tough. Can you see what doubt looks like? It's not full-blown rebellion against God. It is not saying, God, you lied to us. We don't believe any of this. You're just playing games with us.

That's not how it starts out. Now, that's eventually what happens. as we're going to see next week. That's eventually where it goes. Doubt. That tiny seed is focusing on the obstacles rather than focusing on the promises of God. You're doubting when you cry, why is this happening to me?

Why is this happening to me again? Right? You're doubting when you say that. Forgetting the promises that God makes. Like what? Like Romans 8, 28 and 29. right?

God's working all things for your good to make you like Christ. That should pop into your head. Or Hebrews 12, God's treating you like sons. He's not against you. So that you, what? Share in his holiness.

That's why he's bringing these hard times on you. Or you look at your husband and he's a scoundrel and you focus on that rather than God's promises. One that rings through my head constantly is 1 Peter 3 verses 13 and 14. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake you will be blessed That a promise from God Or James 1.12, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Yeah, it's hard. It's difficult. But what do you focus on? See, this is the beginning of doubt. You focus on the obstacles and you forget the promises. You say, submit to my boss with all respect?

1 Timothy chapter 6. Is God kidding me? If I submit to this person with all respect, you know what's going to happen? He'll just use me. He will just use me and things are going to get worse and worse rather than focusing on the promise in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 6. Humble yourselves therefore under God's mighty hand that He may what? lift you up in due time.

Yeah, it's hard. Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand because that hand is going to exalt you someday. Now, is all doubt wrong? Is all doubt wrong and inevitably leads to judgment? Hmm. Sometimes we'll say, I don't know if that promise is meant for me, right?

There's a doubt. What about it? I want to tackle this just for a moment. Turn to Psalm 10. Psalm 10. Listen, if you're asking yourself, why me?

Why is this happening to me? Someone has treated me terribly or someone is treating me terribly and it just seems like they're getting the upper hand and there's no escape, there's no way out, it's horrible, read Psalm 10. That's meant for you. But in the very first verse, what do we read? Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

That looks like doubt, doesn't it? Sure it is. Look at chapter 13. Psalm 13 is one of my favorites. How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God. Light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. Lest my enemies say I have prevailed over him. Lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken Now that looks like doubt to me What the difference I want you to catch this Here the difference The psalmist takes his doubt about God to God.

Have you noticed that? He takes his doubt about God to God. I want you to listen to David Powelson. and Dave was a good, tremendous biblical counselor, a great man of God. But here's something he wrote. I hope you find it helpful. People can ask questions like these, the ones we've just read in Psalm 10 and 13.

People can ask questions like these from two fundamentally different stances. For those who walk in the footsteps of this psalm, the questions express a cry of faith that looks to God. In trouble, they want God, but feel overwhelmed and isolated. Other people express a cry of unbelief, hatred, and accusation. In trouble, they blame God. At first, it may not be clear which stance predominates.

There may be mixed motives. But over time, it always becomes clear whether we are processing our experience through faith or through pride and unbelief. These psalms speak intimately and directly with trust in the Lord who is great, not with contempt for a God who seems impotent and uncaring. Do you see the difference? There are two different kinds of doubt.

There's the doubt that takes your doubt about God to God. There's a doubt that says, I don't know what's going on, but I want God, as opposed to the other one that blames God. You see? Now, David says there, and I love it, he says sometimes it's mixed. It's kind of mixed, but one's going to predominate over the other. Which one do these people have?

You want to see? You just have to drop down to the very next chapter. The very next few verses. Look at chapter 14. We'll get to this next week, but just a little bit. What kind of doubt do they have?

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night, and all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, the whole congregation said to them, would that we had died in the land of Egypt or would that we had died in this wilderness. Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword Who are they blaming God All right So there is a doubt that leads to destruction. There is a doubt that goes to God with the doubt.

And the doubt that we're talking about is the doubt that says, what's God doing here? What is going on? I just don't think it's it's not worth it right now doubting does not lead inevitably to judgment Caleb recognizes that and proposes the remedy to the doubt there evidently is quite a tumult because it says that Caleb quiets the people they start getting upset they're starting to you know congregations start getting getting roiled and starting to talk up and everything and he quiets them down and Caleb says you must believe.

Okay, so instead of doubting, you must believe. You must exercise faith. This is the answer to their doubt. This can stop the growth of that seed before it blooms into rebellion. Now, is Caleb some kind of mystic? Notice what he says in verse 30.

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it. Wow. Now, is Caleb some kind of mystic? Is he saying, you've just got to have faith. You've just got to have faith. Right?

Is that what he's saying? I have faith. We can do it. Is he a possibility thinker? And says, we've got to think positively here, guys. Is that what he is?

No. Caleb is not the kind of guy who says, I've got faith. We can do it. He says, no. He is a man of faith. He's not proposing some mystic leap in the dark.

He's not proposing that we can do it if we have enough faith in ourselves. That's not it at all. What is He relying on? We can overcome Him. How does He know that? Because of the promises of God.

Because of the promises of God. He's not a possibility thinker. He's not a mystic. His faith is in the God who made the promises. By the way, this is something that I can get really exercised about. I get really tired of people who talk about faith. having enough faith, you know, and faith in yourselves, or just faith is like this leap.

Well, you just got to do it. What's the basis of doing something? What's the basis of your belief? The clearly expressed promises of God. Why can Caleb say that? Because God said, Did you remember the drumbeat?

He hears the drumbeat. I've given you the land. I promise you the land. It's yours to take. I'll drive the people out. Take the land.

That's what's going in. That's the promises that are shouting in his ear. Now, can you see then how this leads to a devastating judgment from God? This kind of death. The living God had promised them by covenant. He'd enter into covenant.

With Abraham, he had promised to drive out the inhabitants. And he had showed that he had sufficient power to do it. Now, this is why judgment comes. What had he done? Ten plagues on Egypt. Right?

Splitting the Red Sea. Wiping out their adversaries. Incredible power to accomplish his promises. And still they sit and say, we can't do it. And Caleb says, yes, we can. You know, I want you to leave here this morning and think carefully.

When have I doubted God? And what are the promises He's made? And by the way, you have a whole history of the power of God sitting right here. You believe this is true? Do you believe the God who split the Red Sea is the same God that you serve? Now that you have this, you have a whole history of God working in your life.

You know when I tend to get worried and I start doubting God, I can look back over a lifetime and I can see where God has intervened at particular places. You have a history too. Don't you? And you can see how God was faithful to what He said in His Word. When doubts come we need to believe in the promises The last thing I want you to see about this doubt is it deceives Doubt deceives Verses 31 to 33.

The men who had gone up with him said, because here's Caleb, he's saying, come on you guys, God's promised it to us. Look what he's done. Are you really serious about doubting what God can do? And the other ten other guys are going, no, we can't do it. It's impossible. Well, that's what they say.

The men who'd gone up with him said, we are not able to go up against the people for they're stronger than we are. That's probably true. So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, the land through which we've gone to spy out is a land that devours its inhabitants and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.

There we saw the Nephilim. We seemed ourselves like grasshoppers and we're grasshoppers to them. Now, notice. They focus on the obstacles rather than on God's promise. Okay, verse 31. They focus on the obstacles rather than God's promise.

Look at verse 32. The land devours it. Wait a minute. What did they say in verse 27? What did they say in verse 27? Look back.

We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey and this is its fruit. Now it's become a land that devours us. And by the way, all the people of great size, verse 32, when you look at verse 22, they mention three men in one city. Did you catch that? Look at verse 22.

They went up into the Negev and came to Hebron. Ahimon, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. they mentioned three guys by name now we come down here and it's like there's all these giant people and we're like grasshoppers okay when doubt is allowed to take root that kind of doubt that blames God it leads to deceit it leads to self deceit you start believing that the obstacles are greater than the promises of God. Isn't that what the divine commentary on this section tells us The divine commentary on this chapter is found in Hebrews chapter 3 and through part of chapter 4 So turn back to Hebrews 3.

Austin read part of it for us today. Well, he read most of it. But here's the divine commentary on it. And he says, don't harden your heart like they did. He's referring to what's going on right here. And then here's the conclusion.

Verse 12. Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day as long as it is called today that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Can you see the deceitfulness already starting in their hearts? For we have come to share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

All right? you see self-deceit constantly. I want you to think about that with me. See the man who says, I'm in love with this woman. I know she's married, but we'll be happy and God will understand. Can I tell you folks, as a pastor, how many times I've heard that? I met a woman.

I was a pastor for like three weeks when a woman came and told me that. I'll never forget that. I mean, talk about wet behind the ears. I mean, it was just, you know, I was brand new. And here's a woman saying, I know this guy is married, but he's unhappy and we'll be happy together and God will understand. She believed that rather than the God who says, joy comes in obedience.

John 15, 9 and 10. Obey and find joy. here is one who says and believes I know divorce is wrong but it's the only answer it's the only answer nothing else works he does not believe what God says the way of the transgressor is hard here is another one who says I just don't see how we can make ends meet that tax deduction isn't exactly legal but it the only way we be able to make it Right He believes that He really believes that He been deceived Because he forgotten the promise but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. So my question to you, are you caught in a web of deceit?

Has that doubt led to sin, it hardens your heart so that you're deceived. Doubt leads to deception, leads to destruction. Doubt, deception, destruction. Are you focusing on the obstacles and forgetting the promises? You say, that could never happen to me. We just read Hebrews 3, verse 12.

Written to people who profess to know Christ. Who have claimed Christ. And he says, don't have an evil, unbelieving heart, lest you fall away from God. You ought to exhort one another every day, as long as it's called today, so that you're not hardened by sin's deceitfulness. be careful of doubting God's promises what's going to help what at the root is going to help you remember the promises of God look to the cross look to the cross God guarantees every promise by the sacrifice of his son listen to Romans 8.32 this is out of that huge section you know where Paul is just saying if God is for us who can be against us if God is for us who can be against us you know what the very next verse says he who did not spare his own son but gave himself up for us all how will he not also along with him give us all things there's a guarantee there's the guarantee of your faith how will right he who did not spare his own son but gave himself up for us all how will he not also give us everything that we need if he sacrificed his son for you do you think he's going to let you down If he nailed his son to the cross, do you think he's not going to take care of you?

That's what Paul is saying. Friends, doubt is the seed of destruction. Now, some of you are here this morning who've never submitted Jesus as your Savior. And God says, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. But you doubt that. You doubt it.

You don't want to believe it. You say, yeah, yeah, well, okay. Okay. Maybe you believe you're good enough. You don't need a Savior. You're not good enough.

But you've deceived yourself into thinking you are. Maybe you believe that Jesus is fine for everybody else, but you don't need him. Well, it's fine for those people over there, but I don't need him. Maybe you think, well, look, I've got plenty of time. I want to have fun first. Then I'll believe in Jesus.

Wow. Sin continues to harden your heart and deceive you. And you will find that the life you thought that was good is going to get worse and worse and worse. And before you know it, you stand before Jesus. Don't let sin harden your heart and so deceive you. God promises eternal life in Christ As a Christian God says to you be diligent Be diligent Guard your heart Live by the promises of God.

Believe them. Don't pass them off. Don't focus so much on the obstacles that you forget the promises. Live by those promises. Eat those promises. Drink those promises. make them a part of your everyday part of your life so that your faith is enriched and you believe heed the warning of doubt here heed the warning don't focus on the obstacles focus on the promises Father thank you for the living word of God that opens up to us our very hearts Father my prayer is that you would help us to be people of faith that we believe your promises so much that when we doubt we run to you with our doubts wanting you and knowing that you care for us and so we thank you for this word from you now help us to be people of faith believing the promises of God.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.