Name It And Claim It
Joshua 14:6-14
“So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” vss. 11-12
The Battle of the Ages
It was March 29, 1991 and a boxing match took place that was dubbed “The Battle of the Ages.” Not because the fight was to be a all out brawl and incredible fight but because George Foreman, now 42, was attempting a comeback in boxing against the heavy weight champion of the world, Evander Holyfield, who was 28. Holyfield had an unblemished record to this point in his career, 25-0 with 21 knockouts. Foreman, a gold medalist in the 1968 Olympics had won the heavyweight title in 1973 defeating Joe Fraiser but lost it to Mohammmad Ali in 1974 and then retired in 1977 after a heartbreaking points loss to a relative unknown, Jimmy Young. After that devastating loss he claimed he had seen God in the locker room and hung up his boxing gloves to become a minister. Ten years later he was broke and struggling in ministry, especially to pay all the bill. He had also gotten out of shape. When he began his comeback he weighed a whopping 350 lbs. and was not in shape. He calculated his moves and thought that he could make enough money making a comeback to cover ministry expenses and set up ministries for the future. He now had a clean shaven head, a far cry from the afro he sported in the early 70’s, was in shape and down to 257 lbs and had learned to fight in such a way that would allow him to complete with quicker, younger, opponents and be competitive. It was called the cross armed defense and that combined with his size made it very difficult to fight against. He now had 3 consecutive knockouts and had gained enough momentum that he was able to get a shot at the title. He was ridiculed by the media and that played right into his personality and strategy. He claimed to train and be on a diet of cheeseburgers. He even claimed to eat Holyfield’s weight in his breakfast meal. Of course, because of his age and the persona that he carried he was the sentimental favorite. The physical differences between the two were pretty big, Foreman weighing 49 pounds more, he was 2 inches taller but of course he was also 14 years older. Foreman held his own in the fight and even managed to make a good showing of it but in the end the chiseled, younger, incredibly fit and built Holyfield prevailed. Foreman managed to take the fight the whole 12 rounds which is quite a fete in itself but lost on points and although Holyfeild won the fight, it was really Foreman’s night.
Many thought this was the end for Foreman but it wasn’t. He kept fighting and 3 years later he knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round to become the oldest heavyweight champion in history at age 48. Foreman has made enough money to support his ministries and did a brief stint as an announcer and is an entrepreneur best known for his cooking grill.
Read Passage – Joshua 14:6-14
6 Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 8 but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’ 10 “Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” 13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.
Stepping Back A Week
Last week we talked about naming the promises of God, things like peace, joy, hope and strength. The challenge was to name the promises of God in your life. Ask how it went. Any stories about how you experienced them? (Allow congregation to answer then do follow-up)
Story from my week (if needed): Peace about the funeral I performed on Wed.
Last week we looked at Caleb in his younger years and how he and 11 other guys went into The Promised Land to survey the land that God had given the Israelites and only Joshua and Caleb came back with a report and trusted God that they could take the land. Joshua’s words were:
“We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Num. 13:30
This year we are looking at some lesser known people in the Bible and how God spoke to us through them. We learned last week what a strong man of integrity Caleb was. I think we can safely say that Caleb impressed us with his commitment to God. He knew God’s promises, he claimed God’s promises, and he really tried to uphold the promises of God.
Lack of Conviction
I think you could call Caleb a man of conviction. When I went back and looked at this passage I realized that it tells us just that, Caleb was a man of convictions. Verse 7:
“And I brought him back a report according to my convictions “ vs. 7
This got me thinking: what stops us from living out our convictions? It seems that a lack of conviction is key in people not following through on claiming the promises of God.
Ex. I was reminded of this as I was working out this week. I was on the treadmill at the gym and Let’s Make A Deal was on one of the TV’s. It struck how people would be so convinced about what they were offered and how easily they could be swayed by money. (Give the example of the guy and the box)
Living Out God’s Promises
Believe it or not it made me think about our story of Caleb here. Caleb stuck it out when the odds were against him, he stood up and held his ground when it seemed overwhelmingly bad, he lived out the promises of God when others couldn’t. So what is the key? What does it look like to claim God’s promises. Let’s see what Caleb did.
- Look Up: Know Your Foundation
First, he looked up and knew the foundation for his convictions. By looking up I mean he looked up to God in everything he did. In verse 9 he could claim:
“I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.” vs. 9
What Caleb shows us in his story is that God is the base, the foundation of everything he did. Have you ever thought about what your foundation is? Your foundation is that thing you go back to, the thing you revert back to for everything. Some it can be money, some it can be power, prestige, image, etc. David was the same way; Psalm 73:26
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
There is a common thread with these two. See it? It’s the word heart. Circle them or underline the in these verse. Both of these mean, their hearts are sold out to God.
Ill. Song – Heart of Worship
When the music fades
And all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that’s of worth
That will bless your heart
I’ll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You’re looking into my heart
Going to the heart is building everything on God and his ways, your morals, values, ethics, etc.
- Look In: Patient Perseverance
The second aspect to claiming God’s promises in your life is to look in. Looking in is knowing who God has created you to be and using that as your strength. Verse 45:
“Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years.” vs. 10
Patient perseverance is the idea that you rely and trust on God’s timing. It would make sense if we said he had to wait 45 seconds,45 minutes, maybe even 45 days but he had to wait 45 years; yes, years. That is a long time. But when we persevere, you will receive God’s promises. That comes right out of Scripture; Hebrews 10:36:
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:36
Trusting God’s promises and claiming his promises is choosing to believe what God has told you even though it doesn’t happen when you want it to and even when it looks like it might never happen. It’s trusting that His way is the right way and the best for your life. It’s doing everything you are suppose to do and that god has gifted you to do and then trusting his timing, his plan, his way.
Key: Not quitting
The Key is not quitting. Caleb never quit. He was ready to go whenever God’s timing was right. Verse 11:
“I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” vs. 11
Isn’t that great! At 85 he says I’m ready God. I’ll go right now because I am good to go and I’ve got God on my side. I can’t lose.
- Look Out: Action
The final aspect is to look out; that is to take action. Verse 12:
“…but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” vs. 12
I think James 2:17 puts it in perspective for us:
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17
The action is taking the head knowledge you have and trust you place in God and then putting it into action. We saw Caleb put his faith in action in last weeks story and he continues it on here.
The Determination of a Saint
I’d like to recommend a book to you as we end. It’s called Soul Survivor by Phillip Yancey. It’s a book about 13 people (not all Christians) that had a big influence on his life. In it there is a chapter on a Dr. who worked with people with leprosy.
Dr. Paul Brand, a well-known doctor & author, was raised in India. His parents were missionaries there. In his book, “In His Image,” he writes about his mother. It is one of the most touching stories I’ve ever read.
He writes that when his mother was 75 years old, she was still walking miles every day, visiting the villages in the southern part of India, teaching the people about Jesus.
One day, at age 75, she was traveling alone & fell & broke her hip. After two days of just lying there in pain, some workers found her & put her on a makeshift cot & loaded her into their jeep & drove 150 miles over deep rutted roads to find a doctor who could set the broken bones. But the very bumpy ride damaged her bones so badly that her hip never completely healed.
He said, “I visited my mother in her mud-covered hut several weeks after all of this happened. I watched as she took two bamboo crutches that she had made herself, & moved from one place to another with her feet just dragging behind because she had lost all feeling in them.”
He said, “At age 75, with a broken hip, unable to stand on her own two legs, I thought that I made a pretty intelligent suggestion. I suggested that she retire.” He said, “She turned around & looked at me & said, `What value is that? If we try to preserve this body just a few more years & it is not being used for God, of what value is that?’”
So she kept on working. She kept on riding her donkey to villages until she was 93 years old. At age 93 she couldn’t stay on her donkey anymore. She kept falling off. But she didn’t stop preaching. Indian men would carry her in hammocks from one village to another. And she continued to tell people about Jesus Christ until she died at age 95.
Paul Brand writes, “My most vivid memory of my mother is of her propped up against a stone wall as people are coming to her from their homes, schools, & places of work. I can still see the wrinkles in her face, & her skin so tanned by the weather & the heat.
“I saw her speaking to those people. I looked at them & saw the sparkle in their eyes, & the smiles on their faces. And I saw them deeply moved by the message of God’s love, spoken by this old woman. I knew what they saw was not an old woman who had passed her prime, but a beautiful person bringing tidings of love straight from heaven.”
You now what of the incredible aspects of this story: her ministry continued for another 22 years after everyone else thought she was done and should retire. How many lives she touched in those years. How much ministry she did.
