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Let's be a Person with Eyes of Faith!

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[Numbers 14:9]

“Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land,

because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us.

Do not be afraid of them.”

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The Israelites, liberated from Egypt by the grace of God, headed to Canaan in their dreams.

They received the Ten Commandments and all the words they must keep as God's people in the Sinai wilderness through Moses.

The tabernacle, where God Himself is present, was also completed.

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God has commanded them the first move. God made the cloud over the tabernacle rise.

They took up the tabernacle, carried it and set off on the road.

The sons of Kohath carried items for the tabernacle.

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The cloud that was leading the Israelites stopped in a place called “The Wilderness of Baran.”

The Israelites stopped and camped there.

They camped at a place called Kadesh in the desert of Paran.

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Jehovah God commanded Moses to do something special.

God commanded Moses to select 12 leaders, one leader from each tribe, to show how blessed

Canaan is the land God gives them.

And God told Moses to send them to the land of Canaan to look over the land and come

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The twelve spies on the mission of spying in the land of Canaan spent 40 days exploring

various places in the land of Canaan. And 40 days later, he returned to Moses in Kadesh.

Moses and the people gathered to hear their report.

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They began to report to Moses. “We have been to the land you told me to go.

I also brought the fruit that grew there. But the people who live there are very strong.

Their castles have walls and are large. We also saw Anaak's descendants there.”

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When they were making negative reports, a person named “Caleb” came out and said.

“We must go up and take possession of that land. We can do it."

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However, those who went with Caleb shared the same opinions as others.

“We cannot attack those people. They are stronger than us.”

“The land will devour us. They were all very tall. We were like grasshoppers to our own eyes.

They must have looked like we are grasshoppers.”

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Of the 12 spies, 10 of them, except Joshua and Caleb, reported that the land of Canaan could not be conquered. The people who heard this report cried out loud.

They began to complain against their leaders, Moses and Aaron.

Their complaint was a grudge against God.

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Some of them chose a leader and tried to persuade the people to return to Egypt.

Moses and Aaron fell to the ground in front of an excited people.

Seeing this, Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes. And they told the Israelites:

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“The whole land we spy on is a very good place.

If Jehovah God has mercy on us, he will lead us to the land.

He will give us a land fertile enough to overflow with milk and honey.”

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“Do not betray Jehovah. Do not be afraid of the people of the land.

God will give the land to us. We have Jehovah God that they do not have.

Don't be afraid of them.”

Joshua and Caleb said with faith that if God was with them, they would conquer the land.

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Hearing what they said, the people became more angry.

And they tried to stone them and kill them.

At that moment, God appeared in the tabernacle.

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God tried to punish the Israelites for forgetting God's grace and blaming and disregarding God.

Moses went to God in haste and asked for forgiveness of the Israelites' sins.

The loving God heard Moses' prayer for the people and punished the Israelites.

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Instead, God said another punishment.

“I will not let any of you enter the land I promised you.

Only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun could enter.”

He said that all those who did not believe in God and acted unbelievingly would not be

allowed to enter Canaan.

Only Joshua and Caleb, who trusted in God and acted in faith, were allowed Canaan.

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In the future, Joshua and Caleb, who looked and acted with the eyes of faith, entered Canaan according to God's promise. However, none of the people who acted with unbelief on that day could enter Canaan. Because of their unbelief, the Israelites were saddled by wandering the desert for as many as 40 years.

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God adds blessings to those who trust in God and act by faith.

God's power cannot be measured by our human minds.

He is the one who sent Jesus to this earth and performed miracles that gave us eternal life.

Like Joshua and Caleb, we must strive to be people who can see with the eyes of faith

everything that is seen before us.Today is Children's Sunday.

I hope that you, like Joshua and Caleb, who are spoken today,

have true faith that will not be shaken under any circumstances.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)