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You may turn in your Bibles to 
Joshua chapter 14. Joshua 14. It's not often the 
case, but occasionally one of our studies on Wednesday night 
will make it into the pulpit ministry. So I think there are 
some very helpful themes or very helpful thoughts in Joshua 14. 
One might wonder what it has to do with the Lord's Supper 
specifically. God willing, we'll make some 
New Covenant application as we proceed in our exposition this 
evening. Joshua chapter 14, I'll pick up reading at verse 1, read 
to the end of the chapter, and then we'll begin. These are the 
areas which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, 
which Eliezer the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads 
of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed 
as an inheritance to them. Their inheritance was by lot, 
as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine 
tribes and the half-tribe. For Moses had given the inheritance 
of the two tribes and the half-tribe on the other side of the Jordan, 
but to the Levites he had given no inheritance among them. For 
the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And they gave no part to the 
Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in, with their common 
lands for their livestock and their property. As the Lord had 
commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided 
the land. Then the children of Judah came 
to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, 
said to him, You know the word which the Lord said to Moses, 
the man of God, concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. I was forty years old when Moses, 
the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy 
out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless, my brethren who 
went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly 
followed the Lord my God. So Moses swore on that day, saying, 
Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance. and your children's forever, 
because you have wholly followed the Lord my God. And now behold, 
the Lord has kept me alive, as he said, these 45 years. Ever since the Lord spoke this 
word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness. And now here 
I am this day, 85 years old. As yet I am as strong this day 
as on the day that Moses sent me. Just as my strength was then, 
so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming 
in. Now therefore give me this mountain 
of which the Lord spoke in that day. For you heard in that day 
how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and 
fortified. It may be that the Lord will 
be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord 
said.' And Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb, the 
son of Jephunneh, as an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance 
of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, to this day, because 
he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And the name of Hebron 
formerly was Kirjath Arba. Arba was the greatest man among 
the Anakim. Then the land had rest from war. 
Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
ask now that Your Spirit would guide us and direct us and let 
us learn these lessons from this particular chapter of Holy Scripture. 
And help us to see as well the glory that we have in New Covenant 
religion, the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the great act 
of redemption accomplished by Him for us. How we thank you, 
and how we praise you, and how we bless you, and we pray through 
Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Well, up to this particular 
portion in the book of Joshua, the people of Israel had gone 
in to the land and they had conquered the land. In fact, that's how 
the book breaks down. They enter chapters 1 to 4, they 
conquer chapters 5 to 12, and the section that we're in is 
the largest section of possessing the land, which begins actually 
in chapter 13 and continues to chapter 21. And then the ending 
chapters deal with retaining the land. Exhortations by Joshua 
to the children of Israel so that they will maintain fidelity 
in the land and be able to hold on to it. So as I said, this 
larger section is dealing with possession. If you go back for 
just a moment to chapter 13. In verse 1 it says, Now Joshua 
was old, advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, You are 
old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land to be 
possessed. And he describes that land, he 
describes the remaining portions, up to verse 7, and in the midst 
of this he highlights the fact that he will drive out the inhabitants 
of this land. This is typical of our great 
God. Throughout the conquest, it wasn't 
the superior military strategy of the children of Israel. It 
wasn't their superior armament, it wasn't their superior capability, 
rather it was their superior God who went before them, who 
drove out the inhabitants, and who enabled his people to gain 
victory. So here in chapter 13 of verse 
1, we see that Joshua was old, advanced in years. Chapter 13 
verse 6, we see that Yahweh is not old, He's not advanced in 
years, He is not incompetent or inept, but rather it is He 
who will drive them out from before the children of Israel. 
Chapter 13 then takes up the division of land in the eastern 
tribes. East of the river Jordan, there 
were two and a half tribes that occupied that land. East, Manasseh, 
Gad, and Reuben. And probably why it's reiterated 
here is to maintain the emphasis on the unity of the people of 
God whether they find themselves on the east of the Jordan River 
or whether they find themselves on the west of the Jordan River. 
So when we get to chapter 14 verses 1 to 5 it is introductory 
for the division of the land west of the River Jordan. Interestingly enough it begins 
with Caleb and it ends with Joshua in chapter 19. Of course chapter 
20 deals with the cities of refuge and cities for the Levites, but 
properly speaking Caleb and Joshua bookend this whole allotment 
of the land. These were the two spies that 
were faithful and brought back a positive report to the children 
of Israel back in Numbers 13 and 14. It's as if to say the 
author wants us to emphasize or wants to emphasize that the 
faithful men of God head up and follow up the tribal allotments 
here. As I've said, it deals primarily 
with the tribe of Judah beginning in chapter 14. and specifically 
with this man, Caleb. Caleb is a good man. Caleb is 
one worthy of our emulation, one worthy of our imitation. But it's not only that, we need 
to understand that Caleb lives by faith in the God of heaven 
and earth, looking toward redemptive act. And that's what I'll argue 
tonight. that just as God delivered his people out of the land of 
Egypt, where God gave his people this gift of the land, this is 
what kept Joshua going, but Caleb, he persevered by God's grace 
through faith in his promises. That's how the supper functions. 
The Supper points to that great redemptive act of God on behalf 
of His people, namely the death and resurrection of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. We derive strength and perseverance 
by believing, by looking back to that event, and it gives us 
the grace to stand firm in the present and to persevere into 
the future. That's what I believe we learned 
with reference to this man Caleb in Joshua 14. So let's look at 
the inheritance given to Caleb in verses 6 to 15 under four 
considerations. First, the past recall. Notice, 
then the children of Judah, verse 6, came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh 
the Kenizzite said to him, You know the word which the Lord 
said to Moses, the man of God, concerning you and me in Kadesh 
Barnea. Now remember, Caleb was part 
of the exodus. Caleb had been in Egypt. The event that he's referring 
to specifically here is the reconnaissance mission of Numbers 13 and 14. 
But we need to put Caleb in his larger biblical context. He was 
a man that had been in bondage in the nation of Egypt. And he 
was a man that witnessed the power of Yahweh, the glory of 
God, as he led through Moses these people out of the land 
of Egypt. He points specifically to that 
instance where Moses dispatched 12 spies into the land of Canaan. Numbers 13 and 14. I'm gonna 
assume that you've read that. I'm gonna assume that you know 
what I'm talking about. If I see puzzled looking faces, 
may I just encourage you to go home and read those two particular 
chapters. But in essence, or some in substance, 
Moses selects a man per tribe. Twelve total. And he sends those 
twelve men to go and spy out the land of Canaan. Now God already 
says, I am giving you this land. This was already promised, this 
was already in effect, this was already told to father Abraham 
way back in Genesis chapter 12. And so the people of Israel had 
come out of the land of Egypt, they're marching their way to 
the promised land, and God says to Moses to separate these spies, 
send them into the land to spy it out. And so of course they 
do that. The 12 spies go into the land, 
the 12 spies return to Moses. It's a reconnaissance mission. 
They are surveying the enemy. They are surveying the fruit. 
They are surveying the land so that they can bring back report 
to the children of Israel who are poised to go in and conquer 
the land. So these 12 spies return and 
two of them give a good report, Joshua and Caleb. They say, it's 
a good land, it's filled with good fruit, and we should go 
at once and take the land. This is precisely what Caleb 
says, let us go at once. Well, the 10 other spies bring 
back a negative report. The 10 other spies come back 
and they say, well, it's a good land, but there's big people 
in that land. There's anarchy. There's giants. They are a formidable threat. 
We don't think that we can conquer them. And when they come back 
and report this to the congregation, it shouldn't surprise us that 
the congregation gravitates toward the negative report. so much 
so that the people of Israel want to stone Caleb and Joshua 
for having given this good report and insisting that we go into 
the land. This is what Caleb is talking 
about. You know, verse 6, the word which 
the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me 
in Kadesh Barnea. He says, I was 40 years old when 
Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to 
spy out the land. And I brought back word to him 
as it was in my heart. Again, it was a faithful testimony. Good land, bad people, big God, 
we will destroy. So let's go at once. And then 
he goes on to say, nevertheless, verse 8, my brethren whom I brought, 
I'm sorry, nevertheless, my brethren who went up with me made the 
heart of the people melt. This is the language of distress. This is the language of fear. 
This is the language of trepidation. This is the language of paralysis. The people of Israel melted and 
therefore they whined and complained So God ordered that they be executed 
in the wilderness or that they die in the wilderness and not 
ultimately enter the land. Caleb is referring to this particular 
instance, and then notice what he says at the end of verse 8. But I wholly followed the Lord 
my God. That is repeated again in verse 
14. I wholly followed the Lord my God. It's interesting because 
between Numbers 13 and 14, and this allotment of land in Joshua 
14, you don't hear a lot about Caleb. other than in some genealogies 
he appears occasionally, and then in two specific spots it 
refers to that instance at K-Barnea. And in those two specific spots 
it describes Caleb as one who wholly followed the Lord. Wouldn't 
that be a great way to die? Wouldn't that be a great legacy? 
Wouldn't it be a fantastic statement on your tombstone? He had his 
issues here, I don't know if a tombstone can contain all this 
stuff, but the heart, the psalm, and the substance is this, he 
wholly followed the Lord. The reason that he wholly followed 
the Lord, I believe, is made evident as we traverse through 
this particular passage of Scripture. This is a faithful brother. And 
as New Covenant believers, whose Lord died for them, who granted 
us this benefit of redemption, and this every spiritual blessing 
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, isn't our great privilege, 
our great blessing, to be able to wholly follow the Lord? Remember 
the death of Polycarp when they were about to burn him at the 
stake? They give him the opportunity, he's 86 years old, and they say, 
recant, renounce the Lord. He says, 80 and 6 years I've 
served my Lord, and he has never, ever done me wrong. Should I 
betray him now? Absolutely not. Polycarp goes 
to the fire because he has a Christ that is worth going to the fire 
for. That's what Caleb's about. When 
you serve the God of Israel, it isn't a chore to wholly follow 
Him. It isn't bad to wholly follow 
Him. It isn't a burden to wholly follow 
Him. This is the joy and the delight 
of God's Spirit-filled people. It isn't a burdensome thing to 
keep the commandments of God. It isn't a bad thing to read 
those 10 words, to have the power of the Spirit, so that we may 
pursue those things. This antinomian or a rejection 
of the law of God and this idea that it's all about me does not 
find its tap roots in men like Caleb, or men like Joshua, or 
men who know and serve their God. Holy following the Lord 
is what it's about. It's what we've been saved for. 
Isn't this Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 on resisting 
sexual immorality? Don't you know you were bought 
at a price? Therefore, glorify God in your 
body and in your soul. Do not present your members as 
instruments of unrighteousness. Do not pursue your lusts, but 
rather wholly follow the Lord. That's what characterized, that's 
what described, that's what demonstrated, that's what evidenced this 85-year-old 
man. He feared God. He served God. He glorified God. Notice in verse 
9, again, he's reflecting on the past. This is so important 
for the Christian life. That's what this is about. When 
we eat this bread and we drink this cup, what are we doing? 
We are rooting our minds back. We are looking to the cross. 
We are remembering and recalling the great redemptive act of God 
Most High. And that's what Caleb is doing 
here. He's not so much different than you and I, other than we're 
not as faithful, I think, as this dear brother was. But notice 
in verse 9, So Moses swore on that day, saying, Surely the 
land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and 
your children's forever, because you have fully, wholly followed 
the Lord my God. It is a great description of 
the faithfulness of this particular brother. Before we leave the 
past with reference to Caleb, consider what it cost him. Consider how it affected him. 
We mentioned this on Wednesday night. My apologies to those 
of you who remember Wednesday night. Actually, not my apologies 
to those of you who remember Wednesday night. My cheers for 
you for remembering Wednesday night. I hope this just seals 
it in all the more. But you remember, there were 
12 spies and there were two that were faithful. The congregation 
sided with the 10. The congregation wanted the stone 
with stones, Joshua and Caleb. We made the observation that 
long before Daniel, Caleb dared to be a Daniel. He dared to stand 
alone. It wasn't the populace, it wasn't 
the majority, it wasn't what we want. It's what God has said 
is what Caleb was faithful to. There will be times in your Christian 
experience, there will be times as New Covenant believers when 
you will be called upon to stand alone. There will be times when 
the congregation itself may turn against you. There may be times 
when workmates or family members... Jesus speaks of this very specifically 
in Matthew 10. Do not think that I came to bring 
peace. Are you crazy? I came to bring 
a sword. There will be division in a family 
because of the claims of our Lord Jesus Christ. Brethren, 
you signed up to dare to be a Caleb. You signed up to dare to be a 
Daniel. You signed up to stand alone 
if that is what is necessary. This brother is able to look 
back in history and say, by God's grace I wholly followed Him. 
He's recalling the past, the great redemptive act of the Exodus 
that brought them to that place in Kadesh Barnea, where they 
would then be dispatched to spy out the land that the Lord God 
was giving to them. He acknowledges God's goodness. 
He acknowledges further God's faithfulness. And that brings 
us to the present, considered in verses 10 and 11. Notice what 
he says, "...and now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive." 
Isn't this beautiful? That's great. Not for us. We've got to be great. We've 
got to be prosperous. We've got to be victorious. Caleb 
says, it's great, he kept me alive. 21st century North American Christians 
like to live in the sphere of victory constantly. Well, brethren, 
if you're in Christ, you're in the sphere of victory. You just 
may not be bouncing around the way you might like. He kept me 
alive, which is no small feat through wilderness and war, is 
it? Isn't that what Caleb's life 
of 45 years consisted of? Wilderness and war. Not retirement 
villa, not vacation spot, not golf course. Notice what he says 
in verse 10, "...and now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive." 
As he said, these 45 years, ever since the Lord spoke this word 
to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness, and now, here 
I am this day, 85 years old. As yet, I am as strong this day 
as on the day that Moses sent me. Just as my strength was then, 
so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming 
in. Let no one ever tell you that 
the service of the living and true God is burdensome. 85 years old and he says my strength 
is as good as it was when I was 40. That's that Psalm 92 man 
we just read about. What happens when he gets older? 
He flourishes. His righteousness abounds. He's 
godly. He's solid. He is firmly established 
in the Lord. He is God. So what he does is 
he looks to the past, he brings those promises into the present, 
and he highlights certain aspects that brought him to this point. 
The first thing we ought to notice is his patience. His patience. Again, if in the 21st century, 
North America, we want to live in the sphere of victory, or 
bubbly-bubbly, whatever that looks like, patience doesn't 
fit with us. We like our investments to yield 
immediately. We get upset if our email downloads 
in 5 seconds rather than 3, because I'm so busy. 45 years through wilderness and 
war. 45 years is probably longer than 
many of us have been alive. And I realize that when we look 
at the biblical data, and we look at the ages, and we look 
at the time frames, and we look at those numbers, we look back 
from this vantage point, we say, you know, in the grand scheme 
of things, 45 years really isn't that much. Yes, it is. 45 years 
of patience, perseverance, and endurance. 45 years of getting 
up every morning, brushing his teeth, combing his hair, leading 
his family, going into the wilderness, going into war, coming home, 
kissing his wife, kissing his children, getting back in bed, 
getting up the next day, and doing that for 45 years. Brethren, may I suggest to you 
that this is the Christian life. It's not bouncing from cloud 
to cloud. 21st century North American Christianity, 
in many respects, has gotten it wrong. God calls us to faithfully 
and doggedly endure. God calls us to be tenacious 
and to be persevering. God calls us to go through wilderness. God calls us to go through war. 
God calls us to do so in dependence upon Him, wholly following Him. So what we find here with Caleb 
is that he reflects on the past. Now he talks about the present 
to look forward to the future. Notice in verse 10. and now behold 
the Lord has kept me alive as he said these 45 years ever since 
the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in this 
I'm sorry wandered in the wilderness and now here I am this day 85 
years old we can't stop there hang on back to the present as 
yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me 
just as my strength was then so now is my strength for war 
both for going out and for coming in That's a great testimony. I know we spent a little bit 
of time on this, but this is what we ought to be pressing 
onward to. Great things for God looks like this. Looks like faithfulness. Do you know that Paul's instruction 
with reference to gospel ministry, according to the first Corinthian 
letter, he says, moreover, it is required of stewards that 
they be found, what? Successful, popular, cutting 
edge, visionaries, dreamers. Moreover, it is required of stewards 
that they be found faithful. Faithful in preaching and in 
teaching. Faithful in praying and in shepherding. Faithful in the tasks that God 
has entrusted to them. You know what everybody's calling 
is with reference to the Christian life? To be found faithful. persevering, enduring, tenacious, 
holding on to the promises of God while marching through wilderness 
and war. That's what characterized this 
man Caleb. Now notice, he submits his request 
in verse 12. Now therefore give me this mountain 
of which the Lord spoke in that day, for you heard in that day 
how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and 
fortified. Now this is the point where anybody 
who had any faith was cheering in their hearts. Joshua was probably 
written to educate the people of Israel even as far back in 
the time of the judges. In other words, the people that 
lived in Israel during the time of the judges should have been 
able to see here a great example of faith. And when Caleb makes 
this request, if you know anything about Anakim, they're big, aren't 
they? That's their claim to fame. Big 
people. Giants. Do you see what Caleb 
says? It was at Kadesh Barnea when 
they spied out the land and they come back and report their findings. The ten spies say to the children 
of Israel, there's Anakim in the land. Everybody's knees knocked, 
they began to bite their fingernails and they got very freaked out. 
It immobilized them and it paralyzed them. When it comes time for 
tribal allotments of the land, guess what Caleb wants? I want 
the Anakim's land. What immobilizes and paralyzes 
the children of Israel energizes this man of faith. I don't care 
how big the Anakim are, I want what they've got. When we get 
to the apportionment for Joshua, he makes a request and the children 
of Israel make it happen. These two faithful men got from 
God blessing that they specifically requested. This is great faith, 
not because Caleb was a great man necessarily, but because 
he believed in a great God. Now therefore give me this mountain 
of which the Lord spoke in that day. For you heard in that day 
how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and 
fortified. Notice, down in verse 15, in 
the name of Hebron, formerly was Kirjath Arba. Arba was the 
greatest man among the Anakim. This was a foe. These people 
were scary. These people were a threat to 
Israel. And Caleb says, I want their particular land. When he says in verse 12b, it 
may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able 
to drive them out as the Lord said. He is not doubting. He is not disbelieving. He is rather recognizing the 
sovereign prerogative of God. You see, even as Caleb predates 
Daniel, Caleb predates David, who would write concerning our 
God in Psalms 115 and 135 that he's in the heavens and he does 
whatever he pleases. You see, Caleb has bold faith, 
Caleb has an earnest faith, but Caleb does not presume. Caleb 
understands the sovereign prerogative of God, and his hope-filled statement 
acknowledges that. It may be that Yahweh will be 
with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord 
said. And then the specific answer 
given to him in verse 13, Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to 
Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, as an inheritance. Hebron therefore 
became the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite 
to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. before we make some specific 
applications, something that I think is helpful to understand, 
something that we looked at on Wednesday night. Go back for 
just a moment to verse 4 in chapter 14. For the children of Joseph 
were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. Remember, there's two 
and a half tribes east of the Jordan. That means nine and a 
half tribes take the west of Jordan. Levi does not get a tribal 
allotment. The other tribe are these two 
half-tribes of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh. That's how you 
end up with nine and a half. Is everybody with me? I know 
math's not my forte, but I think even I understood that. So, everybody's 
there? Okay, these Josephite tribes, 
that's how we'll refer to Manasseh and Ephraim, don't seem to be 
of the same grit as Caleb. Turn for just a moment to chapter 
17 in Joshua. Caleb is identified as an at-once 
sort of guy. Let's go take Golan. Caleb is 
a man that acknowledges the goodness and the faithfulness and the 
kindness of the Lord in having preserved him through wilderness 
and war. Caleb is the sort of man that sees Anakim in the land 
and says, I want that portion, provided this is the will of 
the Lord. The Josephite tribes do not come 
across that way, according to Joshua 17 at verse 14. Then the children of Joseph spoke 
to Joshua, saying, Why have you given us only one lot and one 
share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the 
Lord has blessed us until now? So Joshua answered them, if you 
are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear 
a place for yourself there in the land of the parasites and 
the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for 
you. But the children of Joseph said, the mountain country is 
not enough for us." Imagine your child doing that. He'd say, oh darling, it is enough 
for you. That's what you might say. What 
you might feel like saying is it, oh darling, it's enough for 
you. They sound whiny, don't they? They sound like grumblers. They sound like complainers. 
The mountain country is not enough for us and all the Canaanites 
who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, 
both those who are of Bethshean and its towns and those who are 
of the valley of Jezreel. bit of a different approach between 
Caleb and these Josephite tribes. I just want to read a quote from 
Dale Ralph Davis. He says, it was crucial concerning 
the time of the judges, it was crucial for Israel to respond 
rightly to the challenge of possessing the land. A Josephite attitude 
will lead to military inertia. We see that in Judges 1, which 
will in turn create the conditions for religious apostasy. We see 
that in Judges 2. Caleb and Ephraim Manasseh present 
the models and alternatives for next generation Israel. It will 
spell the difference between fidelity and apostasy, between 
blessing and curse. He says, so if you have read 
chapters 14 to 17 as though they comprised an ancient, tedious 
geography lesson, you have wrongly read them. They are charged with 
the current that runs through them, the crisis of faith or 
unbelief. Behind every town he lists and 
every border he traces, the writer is seeking to raise up disciples 
of Caleb. There's a reason why these things 
are indicated in the text. It is for the encouragement, 
it is for the faith-producing character on the children of 
Israel. So that when they continue in 
the conquest, they dare to be a Caleb rather than a Josephite. And they, by God's grace, go 
in and devastate the land. Unfortunately, as the book of 
Joshua Judges unfolds, we see, unfortunately, they weren't always 
disciples of Caleb. So thus, exposition, what are 
some lessons for us? So I've already alluded to, as 
I've already mentioned many times throughout the course of our 
study tonight, it is the redemptive act of God. that produces Caleb. It is the exodus from Egypt. It is the gift of the land. It 
is His view of God and His promise and in His grace, and for the 
New Covenant believer, it's the cross. Matthew 121, for it is 
He who will save His people from their sins. It is that that we 
reflect upon tonight. It is that that we consider as 
we eat this bread and as we drink this cup. We do so to feed our 
hearts, to feed our minds, so that we, by God's grace, will 
persevere for another 45 years, through wilderness and through 
war. Why do you do what you do? It's 
because of what Christ has done on our behalf. You see, faith 
looks to the past, strengthened for the present, and to go forward 
in the future. That's the point of the supper, 
one of the points of the supper. Secondly, as Caleb alludes to 
in Joshua 14 concerning the faithfulness of God, consider the faithfulness 
of God in the New Covenant equation. We've got the great redemptive 
act of Christ crucified. The apostle draws this implication 
In Romans 8.32, he says, "...he who did not spare his own son, 
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also 
freely give us all things?" So the great redemptive act of Christ, 
on behalf of his people, secures for them every blessing they'll 
ever stand in need of. If God has done the chief in 
delivering up His Son for us all, how will He not come to 
you in the wilderness? How will He not sustain you in 
the war? How will He leave you or forsake 
you or abandon you in light of a crucified Savior? He won't. It is the strength we derive 
from this blessed Christ. It is nurtured and fed by sacraments 
like these so that we will understand that great redemptive act of 
Christ on our behalf is that which spurs us on each and every 
day. Consider the wilderness. There 
are times when it seems like the believer is in the wilderness. 
Is God faithful? Yes. Does he see you through 
that? Yes. You know what's very intriguing 
is that the children of Israel interpreted the wilderness as 
a bad thing. They thought God was taking them out there just 
to kill them. God says it was in the wilderness where I nurtured 
you. In Deuteronomy chapter 1 he uses 
the language of as a father carries his son, so I carried you through 
the wilderness. Little did Israel realize, I'm 
sure the faithful and the remnant did, but it was in the wilderness 
that God communed with them. And the same is the case with 
the Christian today. God has never stopped being with 
you. God does not forsake. God does 
not abandon. Have you ever gone through a 
season of difficulty? Have you ever gone through a 
trial? Have you ever gone through a challenge and come out on the 
other side and you've said, God was there with me? God was present. Yea, though I walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? Because 
God's with me in the midst of the valley, in the wilderness, 
in the trial, in the difficulty. When everything seems to be falling 
down around me, God is there. And what about the war? Ephesians 
6, 10 to 20. We don't wrestle against flesh 
and blood, but we wrestle, we battle, we engage in war. Who 
is responsible for keeping us? Who is responsible for preserving 
us? Who is it, according to the psalmist, 
that trains our hands for war? It's God. It's the Lord. The 
great redemptive act of Christ on Calvary frees us from the 
tyranny of Satan, but it enters us into a warfare or battlements 
wherein we need the Spirit, we need His Word, we need to persevere, 
but He has promised to stand with us in the midst of the fire. 
the perseverance of God's people in light of the cross. You know, 
if a Caleb could for 45 years march through wilderness and 
war based on the redemptive work of God and the Exodus, certainly 
Caleb's in the New Covenant can march through wilderness and 
war based on the redemptive act of God in the New Covenant. Jesus 
said, in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good 
cheer, I have overcome the world. You know what we need a great 
big dose of today is some tenacity. We need a staying power, we need 
devotion, we need patience, we need perseverance, we need dogged 
endurance. We need to be a people that press 
onward, that faithfully plot, that serve the way that a man 
like Caleb served. These 45 years in wilderness 
and war, God has been there. And then may I suggest the means 
employed by Caleb. The Word and Sacrament. You know, 
at times as Baptists, we use the word ordinance. That highlights 
the fact that they're ordained by the Lord Jesus. Because of 
its association with Romanism, we sometimes back off from the 
word sacrament, but it's a legit word. It's a good word. You say, 
what sacrament did Caleb engage in? What happens when they cross 
the River Jordan to get to the west side? Do you know what they 
do before they go in battle? Do you know what they do before 
they go and kill people? Do you know what they do before 
they go and dispossess the land of the Canaanites? They circumcise 
and they eat the Passover. What's God telling us? Battle 
in the land is first fought and won spiritually. Right? You don't go marching in to the 
land of the Hivites without having spent time with God. That's what's 
crucial. It is the word and sacrament. 
If you go back for just a moment in Joshua 14, notice it was the 
word that Joshua believed. Verse 6. He says, you know the word which 
the Lord said to Moses. Look at verse 10. And now behold, 
the Lord has kept me alive as he said. These 45 years, ever 
since the Lord spoke this word to Moses. Drop down to verse 
12. Now therefore, give me this mountain 
of which the Lord spoke. And at the very end of verse 
12, I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said. You 
see, it's not magic, it isn't mystery, it isn't a surprise 
why Caleb is the man of God he is. It's because he lives by 
faith in the Word of God. And he takes the supper, and 
he takes baptism, at least the old covenant equivalents of them, 
and he uses them. He's a man that employs the means 
of grace, and as a result, He is firm, He is established, and 
He is flourishing in His old age. Our confession of faith 
concerning the supper tells us the supper of the Lord Jesus 
was instituted by Him the same night wherein He was betrayed, 
to be observed in His churches unto the end of the world, And 
here's the reasons. For the perpetual remembrance 
and showing forth the sacrifice in his death. As we eat this 
bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death. We remember it and we show it 
forth. It goes on to say, confirmation 
of the faith of believers in all the benefits thereof. You 
see, when you eat this bread and you drink this cup, there 
is a benefit on your soul, according to our forefathers. Their spiritual 
nourishment and growth in Him, their further engagement in, 
and to all duties which they owe to Him, and to be a bond 
and pledge of their communion with Him and with each other. Don't think it's accidental that 
these two ordinances are mentioned in the land of Canaan. I don't 
think it's accidental that we are seeing Caleb reflect constantly 
on the Word of God. Jump into the New Covenant, what 
are we told as Christians? We're told to read his Bible, 
we're told to pray, we're told not to forsake the assembling 
of ourselves together, we are to obey him in the ordinance 
of baptism, and we are to obey him in the ordinance of the Lord's 
Supper. Mystery? Magic? Surprise? No. Faithful use of the means that 
God has ordained for His glory and for the growth of His people. 
So may we learn, with Caleb, what it is to reflect upon the 
living and true God, specifically focusing upon great redemptive 
act. And in the New Covenant, that 
great redemptive act is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. If 
you have not come to Christ, if you have not believed the 
gospel, do not take the supper, flee to the Savior. Believe on 
Him, look to Jesus, He lived, He died, He rose again, and the 
scripture says, whoever believes on Him, will have everlasting 
life. That is what you need tonight. It is a look to Christ in faith 
to live. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for this, your word. We pray that you would help us, 
God, to grow in our understanding of your truth, to grow in faith 
and belief. And God, may you help us to truly 
flourish as we age. Help us, God, to acknowledge 
and to realize your faithfulness through wilderness and through 
war. And God, please continue to come to the aid of your people 
in this world. Cause us to know your nearness, 
to know your presence, to know your spirit, to know your goodness 
and your kindness in our lives, and help us to live in absolute 
dependence upon you. For Jesus said, apart from him 
we can do nothing. We thank you for this time that 
we can remember his death in a special way. We pray that you 
would be glorified in this, and we ask through Christ our Lord. 
Amen.