Jr. High Sunday School - 2/15/09

We had a blast in our last Sunday School! This was undoubtedly because my beautiful wife brought in Valentine's Day fun-fetti cake for everyone. It was amazingly moist with vibrant pink frosting that just screamed to our students "we love you guys." Needless to say, it was gone rather quickly and most of the young boys were now bouncing off the walls. But hey... that's ministry for ya! :)

After settling them all down, we got down to business. We opened up the Scriptures to the last 3/4 of Numbers 14 in order to finish up our discussion on the 2 different perspectives found amidst the spies that were sent into Canaan (the Promised Land).

At first we reviewed what the 2 perspectives in this group were. All of the spies went into the land, experienced it, partook of it and reveled in it. However, 10 of the spies regarded the inhabitants of the land as too big of an obstacle to take the land. Thus, their perspective was one that lacked faith and viewed God as small and unable to make good on His promise. Yet, the remaining 2 spies (Caleb and Joshua) regarded the inhabitants of the lands as nothing more than bread for the people of Israel, for God had promised them the land and was with them! Thus, their perspective was one of full faith and viewed God as huge and more than able to make good on His promise.

Next we looked at how these different perspectives were impressed upon the rest of the people and the outcome they both produced. As the people were persuaded by the 10 spies it showed that the whole congregation shared their perspective. This caused them to want to ditch Moses and the like and return to Egypt. In effect they were not only turning their backs on Moses, Caleb and Joshua, but God as well. This was utter rebellion! Yet, when they heard Caleb and Joshua's perspective they were not persuaded but wanted to stone them instead. This was the tragic state of the people of Israel as they camped at the boarder of Canaan.

Now, before the people were able to pick up stones to dispose of Caleb and Joshua, God appeared on the scene. He was severely angered and wanted to do away with the people of Israel and start fresh with Moses, creating a new nation from him. However, Moses, being the Godly leader he was, interceded on the people's behalf. Thus, he became a mediator between God and man. He pleaded that God would act according to His divine mercy and pardon the people. Moses pleaded with regard to God's ability, saying that the neighboring nations would say that the God of the Israelites was not able to deliver them into the land He promised them. So, God pardoned the people.

However, He did punish them to some degree. He caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years so that all those who had rebelled against Him of that generation died in the wilderness. The only exceptions were Caleb and Joshua (and their families). For God says of Caleb, and can be inferred of Joshua as well, that he had a different spirit and was full of faith. This is what allowed them to enter into the Promised land; the spirit of God and faith!

Thus, we concluded by asking, "what shapes our perspective?" Is our perspective of God shaped by His spirit within us producing faith like Caleb and Joshua or is it like that of the other 10 spies (and the whole of Israel), faithless and spiritless? For we too must have the Spirit of God producing faith in us if we want to one day see God's eternal promised land - the new heavens and earth!

So, we noted that our perspective is important and so is what shapes it. I hope and pray that we would all check ourselves, examining our perspective of God and what it is that shapes it. May the Lord guide us in this process, molding us and shaping us into people who are willing to step out and do amazing, world changing things for the cause of Christ!

For His Kingdom...