Wholehearted to the End

Well, good morning.

See, I don't always get that response in my home church when I say that.

But I like trying twice because the second one's always better.

Good morning.

Yeah, see, it's always better the second time.

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to our time together in God's Word this morning.

But I've already been blessed and encouraged.

Thank you for that extended time of prayer.

I just was blessed by doing that with you,

getting to hear some of the stories in those prayer requests,

but to pray along with you for the things that God has put on your heart this morning.

So thank you for that.

Before I begin, though, I just want to introduce myself briefly.

So my name is Dallas, and this is my wife, Marcy.

And I am the Global Ministries Pastor at Hillsdale Baptist Church in Regina,

where I've been for 20 years.

And I have three kids, now four, including my daughter-in-law,

but no grandkids yet.

I think I'm ready for grandkids but not ready for the title.

But we'll see what the Lord has in store.

For the last few years, I've also served as the board chair

of the Baptist General Conference of Saskatchewan.

And so as a result, it was my privilege this last year

to be part of the interview team with your church

and some of your men regarding joining our denomination.

And I was really encouraged by what I heard during that time

about you as a church,

your heart for the Lord, for the gospel and his word,

your heart for ministry and for your outreach into your community,

and also the way that you are working to care for your pastor.

I love the way you shared about Josh

and the need to pray for our pastors.

And so just for that reason and so many more,

we are encouraged to have you now

as part of the Baptist General Conference of Saskatchewan.

And we're blessed to have you.

And we'll see what the Lord has for us

as a part with you being part of our denomination together.

And we look forward to that.

But another one of the reasons that I'm excited to be here

is that when Pastor Josh and his family were in Regina,

they actually moved to our church

while I was the youth pastor there.

And so Pastor Josh was in my youth group.

And I won't tell you a bunch of bad stories about him

while he's not here,

in part because I just don't have any.

Pastor Josh has just always been a good guy.

I had the privilege actually of,

with him and one of his friends,

we met together probably for a couple years

for breakfast once a week

to talk about things of the Lord

and what it meant to walk with him.

And so to be here this morning

in the place where he serves faithfully

is a real blessing to me.

And to see that he is continuing on

in his love for the Lord

and his love for ministry is an encouragement.

So that's another one of the reasons

that I'm grateful to be here this morning.

In my life, I have had the privilege

of many spiritual mentors and influences.

And just for the sake of this morning's message,

I wanna highlight one more for you.

And that is my grandfather, Jake Rempel.

Now, I know that you as a church

have supported from my understanding

Nipwin Bible College.

And my grandfather was the president

at Nipwin Bible College for many years.

And he is 92 years old now.

And I talked with him just on the phone

just a few weeks ago

just to tell him of my great appreciation for him,

his faithful walk with Jesus Christ

and his desire to do ministry.

And so he was telling me

about what some of the things that he is doing.

He works at the food bank a few times a week.

He is on the advisory board

for a new church in his area.

And he will be actually preaching

a couple times in August.

He also mentioned that the prison in Prince Albert

asked if he would come in and do Bible studies

with the men in the fall,

which he is planning to do, Lord willing.

And did I mention he's also planning

to do a couple stucco jobs this summer?

He is 92 years old

and going strong in his walk with Jesus Christ.

And I am so thankful for his example.

He is wholeheartedly following the Lord

even into his old age.

And I share his story with you this morning

because he is a living example

of the kind of story

that we're gonna see from God's word.

And so I wanted to highlight his story

a little bit for you.

But today we are gonna look at the story

of a man named Caleb.

Now, of course, many of you

are gonna know the story of Caleb.

And maybe even as I mention his name,

there's a song that starts ringing in your head.

12 men went to spy on Canaan.

And?

And?

Two were good.

Okay, I'm not gonna sing the whole song

for you this morning.

I won't put you through that.

But many of you will know this story, of course.

But we also know that

while all of the spies

saw the goodness and the bounty of the land,

10 of them responded with fear and disobedience.

They said,

we are not able to go up against these people.

And it was only Joshua and Caleb

who responded in faith and said,

no, let's go and take this land.

And we are able to overcome it.

Sadly, the people of Israel

listened to the 10 spies

who gave the bad report.

And they responded in disobedience

by not taking what God had promised to them.

And we also know that God's punishment

for this disobedience was strong.

The people were sent into the wilderness

to wander for 40 years.

And all of those who were 20 years old and older

were all going to pass away

before they would be able to enjoy the promise.

It would only be Joshua and Caleb

because of their faith

along with the next generation

that would inherit the land

according to God's promise.

And so then that brings us this morning

to Joshua, the book of Joshua.

And you can turn in your Bibles already

to Joshua chapter 14

Joshua 14 · chapter mention

where we'll be looking this morning.

But at this time,

the older generation had passed away

and Joshua had taken over leadership from Moses.

And the first 12 chapters of Joshua

described the people taking the land.

And then in chapter 13,

after listing the land

that was still to be conquered,

the task begins of dividing the land

between all the different tribes.

And we see that in chapters 14 to 19.

And then in bookending,

both of those,

or all of those chapters,

14 to 19,

we see the land given specifically

to Joshua and Caleb

who had faithfully followed the Lord.

Which serves to emphasize for us

God's faithfulness to them.

And that their example of faith,

Joshua and Caleb's example of faith

is what the rest of the tribes would need

in order to take what was promised to them

and experience God's blessing.

So with that background,

let me start reading for us

in verse 6 of Joshua chapter 14.

Joshua 14 · chapter mention

Now the people 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?

I was 40 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.

But my fellow Israelites

who went up with me

made the hearts of the people

melt in fear.

I, however,

followed the Lord,

my God,

wholeheartedly.

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.

Now then,

just as the Lord promised,

he has kept me alive

for 45 years

since the time

he said this to Moses

while Israel moved about

in the wilderness.

So here I am today,

85 years old.

I am still

as strong today

as the day Moses

sent me out.

I am just as vigorous

to go out to battle

now as I was then.

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.

Then Joshua blessed Caleb,

son of Jephunneh,

and gave him Hebron

as his inheritance.

So Hebron has belonged

to Caleb,

son of Jephunneh,

the Kenizzite,

ever since

because he followed the Lord,

the God of Israel,

wholeheartedly.

Now,

as I read through

the book of Joshua

this last year

in my personal devotions,

I found myself inspired

by this story specifically.

It really is incredible

to see a man

at 85 years old

still so filled

with passion

and strength

for the things

that God had called him to do.

And in this passage,

we see Caleb described

three times

as one who followed

the Lord God

wholeheartedly.

That's a pretty great

way to be known,

to come to the end

of your life

and to be known

as someone

who wholeheartedly

followed the Lord.

And so I just want

to take a little bit

of time to talk

about that this morning.

What did it mean

for Caleb

to follow the Lord

wholeheartedly?

What can we learn

from this hero of faith?

Now,

this phrase itself

points us to the idea

that this is someone

who is all in, right?

This is someone

who is all in

with his relationship

with God.

But in looking

at this passage this morning,

I want to point out

three things

that I think it looked like

in Caleb's life.

What did it look like

to wholeheartedly

follow the Lord God?

And so those things,

three things are this,

that Caleb endured,

he acted,

and he believed.

So he endured,

he acted,

and he believed.

I want to talk about

each of those.

And so let's start

with the first one.

The first example

we see of Caleb

wholeheartedly following

the Lord

is that he endured

in faith.

He held on

to the promise

that God had made

to him.

Verse nine again.

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.

Now then,

just as the Lord promised,

he has kept me alive

for 45 years

since the time

he said this to Moses.

Moses.

Now think about that

for a minute.

45 years,

Caleb held on

to the promise.

I don't know

what your patience

level is like,

but 45 years

of holding on

to a promise

is a long time

without seeing

movement towards

that promise

in many ways.

But 45 years

he held on.

And this wouldn't

have been without

challenges.

Remember who he was

walking in the wilderness

with?

And often

rebellious

and faithless

people.

And yet,

in the midst

of that,

he held on

to the promise

that God

had made to him.

You know the stories,

right?

All the complaining

and the grumbling

and the lack

of faith.

As I was preparing

for this message

again this week,

I found myself

wondering what

that would have

been like

for Caleb.

I think it would

have been

very easy

to throw a bit

of a pity party

at some point.

Right?

Lord,

why am I

suffering along

with this

faithless people?

I believe in you.

I'm ready to

follow you.

Why am I also

being punished?

I'm also sure

it would have

been easy

during times

of particular

difficulty

to wonder,

is God ever

going to keep

this promise

that was made

to me?

Now,

we of course

don't know

what was actually

in Caleb's heart.

The Bible

doesn't tell us.

But what we can

see is that

later in his life,

at 85 years old,

we see the fruit

of someone

who held on,

who endured

in faith

in the promise

that was made

to him.

At 85 years old,

Caleb remained

ready to receive

the promise.

And he acknowledges

specifically in verse 10

that he knows

that it was God

who had kept him alive.

Why?

In order to fulfill

that promise.

And so after all

of these years

of waiting,

Caleb was not

going to miss out

on the blessing

for being faithful.

So,

this is one

example

of what it looked

like in Caleb's

life to wholeheartedly

follow the Lord.

He endured in faith

that God would

keep his promise.

And so let me

pause here

and ask you

this morning,

those of you

who are here,

are you enduring

today with faith

in God's promises?

You know that the Lord

has made some

incredible promises

to you, right?

And the scriptures

are full of the Lord's

promises to us.

Let me highlight a few.

For one,

through faith in Christ,

we not only can have

a relationship with God

today,

but we have the hope

of one day spending

eternity with the Lord.

Free from earthly pain,

right?

Free from earthly pain

and the reality of sin.

I can't wait to be free

from the reality of sin.

The scriptures have made

us incredible promises.

He has promised

that we can grow

in holiness today

through his indwelling

spirit

as we wait

for that future day

when we will

finally be free.

He has promised,

as was reminded

in our prayer time,

that he is our

great provider,

that he is going

to give us

everything that we

need today.

that is an amazing

promise.

And of course,

I could go on

because the scriptures

are full of God's

promises,

but the question is,

how are you doing

this morning

with enduring faith?

Are you clinging

on to the promises

that God has made,

believing that he

will do everything

that he has said?

Now,

as a guest preacher,

I don't know the stories

that are represented

in this room.

I don't know them.

I heard a little bit

through the prayer time.

But I can assume

that there are

numbers of you

who are following

Caleb's example

in enduring faith.

You are clinging

to the promises of God.

You are longing

for the blessing

that comes

when God fulfills

everything that he has said.

But I can also assume

that for some of you

who are here this morning,

this hasn't been easy.

Maybe God has brought

some really difficult

challenges your way.

Maybe even recently.

It could be physical,

it could be relational,

it could be some

spiritual challenges

that you are wrestling through.

But in the midst

of those challenges,

you have clung on to faith.

Can I encourage you,

please continue to hold on.

I know it would be tempting

to be impatient

or discouraged,

but we need to remember

who God is

and what he has said

in his word.

That he will do everything

that he has said

he will do.

And so my prayer

for each of us

is that we will see

the long-term endurance

of Caleb

and his example

and that we will hold on

to faith.

We're going to come back

to this in a few minutes,

but whatever comes our way,

we need to remember

that God has never failed

to keep any of his promises.

If you turn later

in the book of Joshua

to Joshua 21,

what does it say

in verse 45?

It says,

not one,

not one

of all the Lord's

good promises

to Israel failed.

Every one

was fulfilled.

This is the God

that we serve.

not one

of his promises

to Israel failed.

We need to remember

that as we hold

on to faith.

If we are to wholeheartedly

follow the Lord

like Caleb,

we will need to endure.

45 years

he held on,

but he endured

in faith

and he was about

to receive

his reward.

So that's number one,

enduring in faith.

But his receiving

of the blessing

connected to the promise

that was made to him

would also require action.

It would also

require action.

See, Caleb

not only held

on to the promise

of land that God

had made to him,

but he remained

ready to act

in order to receive

the blessing.

Right?

Go back to verse 11.

I am still

as strong today

as the day

Moses sent me out.

I am just as vigorous

to go to battle now

as I was then.

Now give me

this hill country

that the Lord

had promised me

that day.

Now first,

I don't know

how that sits

with you,

but I'm still

as strong today

at 85 years old.

That's pretty awesome.

I could tell you

again a side story

about my grandpa.

Two years ago

I did a stucco job

with him.

It was the four,

actually the three generations,

my grandfather,

my father,

and myself

were stuccoing together.

And there were

some low parts

on the wall

and I was starting

to complain a little bit

that my knees

were getting sore.

My grandpa comes over

and taps my shoulder.

Don't worry,

grandson,

I'll take care

of that spot.

That's just not nice.

That's just not nice.

At 92,

he still had all

that strength

and vigor,

right?

But here,

Caleb,

it's different.

I'm ready to go out

to battle

in the same way

as I was back then

at 85 years old.

That's just amazing.

But he understood

that receiving the promise

that God made to him

was going to take work

on his part.

And we need to remember

that he knew

it wasn't going

to be easy.

It says in verse 12

that he remembered

that the Anakim

were there.

These were the great men

that the Israelites,

the spies,

saw when they went

into the land

the first time

that made them feel

like grasshoppers

in their presence.

He knew that this

is where he was going.

And in verse 15,

we read that Hebron,

which was given to him,

was originally named

after the greatest

of these Anakites.

That's the land

that he's going in

to take.

In addition,

he remembered

that there were

great fortified cities

in the land.

But all of this

changed nothing.

Caleb remained

ready to act

to take the land

that was promised to him.

So let me pause here again.

What can we learn here

from Caleb's example?

Well, if you've been in church

for any length of time,

you will not be surprised

to hear me say

that real faith in God

takes action.

In order to receive

all the blessings

of the promises

of God,

we not only need

to endure,

but we need to do

the will of God.

Hebrews 10.36

makes this clear.

Here's what it says.

You need to persevere.

That's the first part

we talked about

with Caleb,

enduring in faith.

You need to persevere

so that

when you have done

action,

done the will of God,

you will receive

what he has promised.

You need to persevere

so that when you have

done the will of God,

you will receive

what he has promised.

So let me just pause

and point out

two big overarching ideas

that show us

how this receiving

of the blessings

of promises

and action

work together.

First,

as I already highlighted,

God has called us

to grow in holiness, right?

We know that that's

what God's word has said.

He's called us

to grow in holiness.

And if we put our faith

in the death

and resurrection of Christ,

God promises

that we are forgiven

and we are set free

from the power of sin.

This is truth.

This is past tense

if we have put our faith

in Jesus Christ.

But then,

we are commanded

to put to death

the sin that remains

in our lives.

Our continued enjoyment

of freedom

and forgiveness

in our walk

with Jesus Christ

is going to take work

on our part.

He's given us

work to do.

So let me just ask

the question here.

Are you actively

pursuing the victory

that God has promised

as it relates

to sin in your life?

Because He's promised it,

but it's going to take

some work on your part

to receive all the

blessings of that.

What might it look for you,

what might it look like

for you to act on that today?

Maybe even as I mentioned

that to you this morning,

God is already

prompting you

by His Spirit

of some things

that He's been asking you

to do.

If you want to experience

all the blessings

of freedom and forgiveness

that God has promised,

then we need to act

to put to death

the sin

that is still there

in our lives.

So that's one example

of how promises

and action work together.

Here's a second example.

God has commanded us

to expand His kingdom

by going out

and making disciples

of all nations.

And He has promised

that the good news

of the gospel

will go out.

When you read

the book of Revelation,

what does it say?

That every nation,

tribe, and tongue

is going to be represented

before the throne of God.

But how do we get

from the promise

to there?

Right?

We get the command.

Right?

The Great Commission.

Go into all the world

and make disciples.

It's not going to happen

if we as believers

simply come to church

on a Sunday morning

and sit in a chair.

That's not how we're going to get

to what we see in Revelation.

So again,

let me ask the question.

Are you acting on God's command here

in order to receive the blessing?

How are you involved

in making disciples?

Are you serving here

in this church

as part of that overall mission?

Are you sharing your faith

with those that are around you

here in Davidson

but also in the surrounding communities?

How are you involved

in acting on this promise

that God has made?

That His word will bear fruit?

That people will come to faith

in Jesus Christ?

I'm looking forward to

on your behalf

of what's going to happen

this next day

with five day clubs.

Or this next week

with five day clubs.

As those of you

who walk out in action

what God has commanded you to do

with faith in the promise

that God has made

so that you will receive

all the blessings of that.

I will continue to pray

for you as a church

in that regard this week.

From talking with Pastor Josh

and your elders

I know that many of you

are doing this

and this is fantastic.

See we as followers

of Jesus Christ

we have work to do.

God has made many

many incredible promises

to us

but again

enjoying all the blessings

of those promises

is going to take some work

on our part.

And it won't be easy.

Like Caleb

we have some giants

that we will need to face

along the way

as we work at these things.

But here's the thing

what are we missing

if we don't?

One of the sadnesses

in my heart

for my own life

but for the church

of Jesus Christ

in general

is I wonder

what blessings

what spiritual fruit

are we missing out on

because we are not acting

on our faith.

We are not doing

the will of God.

I don't want to miss anything

that he has for me.

But what are we missing out on

if we don't act?

Caleb wasn't going to miss out.

At 85 years old

he remained ready to act

and receive God's blessing.

But then maybe one

last comment here.

If it hasn't been clear yet

this is not a challenge

that's just for the young people.

If you are here this morning

you're in the later years of life

see the challenge

of Caleb's example.

There is no retirement

from doing God's will.

Right?

We don't retire

from doing God's will.

And I know that

none of us has promised

the health that we see

in Caleb's life

at 85 years old

or like my grandfather

in his example at 92.

I know none of us

are promised that.

So it may look

a little different

as we get older

but we don't retire

from active obedience.

to God.

As one commentator said

Caleb didn't simply

look for an easy task

suited to an old man.

He asked Joshua

for mountains to climb

and giants to conquer.

How cool is that?

Do you know some people

like that here

at Davidson Community Bible Church?

Men and women

young or old.

People who are actively

walking out their faith

and watching

for how God

is going to bless

and fulfill

his promises.

Are you one of those?

I pray that this church

will be filled

with those kind of people

who understand

that wholeheartedly

following the Lord

enjoying his blessings

will take some action

on their part.

All right,

last point.

Where did this kind

of enduring faith

and active obedience

come from?

Where did it come from?

Was Caleb just

a special human being?

Is this even attainable

for us today?

I think we need to finish up

with the key right here.

Caleb endured

in the promise

that God had made.

He was willing to act

in order to take the land

that was promised to him

regardless of the giants

because what?

Because he believed

in the Lord

and that the Lord

was going to be with him.

Verse 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.

Just as he said.

It is so easy

for us

to set the heroes of faith

up on a pedestal.

Right?

But we need to remember

that these stories

that we read in God's word

of the heroes of faith

those stories aren't really

about them.

These stories are about

the Lord.

They are normal human beings

like us

with struggles

and weaknesses.

What makes them

heroes of faith

is their belief

in who God is.

Right?

Their belief in a great God

who is with them

and will do everything

that he has said.

This is what causes them

to attempt

what seems incredible to us.

Right?

Not because of them

but because of who

the Lord is.

We can see the clarity

of the object

of Caleb's faith

back in Numbers 14

when they came back

to the land

when they came to the land

the first time.

What does he say there?

As one writer put it

Caleb essentially says

to his fellow Israelites

look the Lord is going

to give us this land

because it's already his.

Right?

The people who are living there

they've lost their protection

from their sovereign creator.

So let's go take it.

It's already ours.

And then 45 years later

Caleb's faith in God

remains the same.

What does it say here

in our passage?

With the Lord helping me

I'm going to drive them out

just as he said.

And I think it's important

to note here

that this isn't blind faith.

Right?

This isn't blind faith.

Caleb had seen God act

on behalf of his people.

He saw God deliver his people

from slavery in Egypt.

He saw God lead the people

across the Red Sea.

He saw God provide

daily manna for his people

40 years in the wilderness.

This isn't blind faith.

And this is part of what

made Israel's disobedience

the first time

when they came to the land

so devastating.

You saw God do all of these things

and you don't believe

you can take the land?

Did you forget who God is?

Caleb along with the rest

of the people

had seen God act

on their behalf.

But while others responded

with fear and disobedience

Caleb was ready to go.

Give me the land.

The Lord is with me.

As I reflected

in preparing this message

I felt like

this was a place

I often come to

as I prepare to preach.

The reality of who God is.

That he is with us

and how that

it really changes everything.

Now is this because

it is something

that's easy to go back to?

Am I simply reading something

into the text

that I want to see?

Or is it

because this is just

such a significant idea

in the scriptures

and what it really means

to wholeheartedly

follow the Lord?

I think it's the latter.

See if you're struggling

to wholeheartedly

follow the Lord today

it is likely

because in some way

you have lost touch

with how great God is.

It's likely that in some way

you've forgotten

what he has done

in your life.

You've forgotten

who God's word says he is

and what he is able

to do in your life

and that that God

is with you.

And so as I prepare

to wrap up this morning

let me take a minute

just to remind you

of who our God is.

The same powerful God

that Caleb believed in

that we are reading

this morning

in God's word.

The same powerful God

that Caleb believed in

who he saw act

on Israel's behalf

is our God.

Same God.

He is the sovereign creator

who rules with power

and authority

over everything

that he has made.

He is the God

who is already victorious

over sin and death

through the death

and resurrection

of Jesus Christ.

Who he sent, why?

Because he loves you so much.

And if we have put

our faith in him

he has made us

his children

and he has filled us

with the Holy Spirit

giving us strength

to do everything

that he has called us to do.

In fact God's word said

it's the same power

within us

that raised Christ

from the dead

is in us today.

And then one day

Christ will return

to judge the living

and the dead

and all those

who are found faithful

are going to spend

eternity

with this great God.

This is who

our God is.

Do you believe that?

Our great

and glorious king

and he is the one

who is with us.

See Caleb believed

in a great God

and that this God

was with him.

It was Caleb's faith

in this God

that allowed him

to endure

in the promise.

45 years

he clung to that promise

because of who

he believed God was.

And the same belief

in that God

is what allowed him

to confidently say

at 85 years old

give me the land

I'm going to take it

because I believe

God is with me

I can take it.

This is what it looked like

for him to wholeheartedly

follow the Lord.

And so the big question

for you this morning

is are you

wholeheartedly

following the Lord?

Are you enduring

in faith

in everything

that God has promised?

Are you ready

right now

to do everything

that he has called

you to do

in his word

and receive

all the blessings

that he longs

to pour out

in your life?

And are you doing

those things

because of who

you believe

that he is

and you know

that he is with you

and he loves you?

This is the kind

of life

that will bring

God glory

and will give

you his blessing.

So here's what

I'd like to do

and we do this

in our church

in Regina a lot

and I love it.

I'm just going to

pause for a minute.

I want to allow you

to respond to the Lord.

What is the Lord

saying to you

right now?

How is he calling

you to respond to him?

Talk to him about that

for just a moment

and then I'm going

to close in prayer.

Okay?

So let's just pause.

Please speak to the Lord

and then I will pray.

Amen.

Amen.