Giants or Giant Grapes

I touched on this last week when I preached on expectation.

I touched on the fact that the 12 spies went into the land,

the promised land, and they were told that there would be abundance in fruit,

and they went with an expectant heart believing that they would take those abundant

fruits and bring them back.

So I touched on it last week, and I thought, well, this week I'm not just going

to touch on it, I'm going to preach on it.

And I'm sorry if you've heard this message before, because I have preached it

before, but it's a good one.

And I'm sorry, if you've read your Bible, you know the story anyway,

but I hope it blesses you because the title of my message will say it all.

Giants or giant grapes?

Giants or giant grapes? Now, I'll put the grapes there for a purpose, okay?

I'm taking a leaf from Angela's book with props and, uh, and you know,

there's been lambs handed out. There's been temples handed out.

Well today, and Barry, you'll be glad to know that these are edible.

You can eat these. You won't, they won't break your teeth.

So if I say something this morning or something spoken to you this morning,

or the word speaks to your heart this morning, I want you to run out and grab

a grape and chew on it. Okay.

Because it's our choice this morning. Are we going to be worried about the giants

in our life, or are we going to be worried more about the promises of God in

our life, those giants, grapes?

So when Simon Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water,

it's when you get up, get up from your seat and come and receive that your faith works.

Okay. Good message, Peter. I'm happy to be preaching after that.

But when Simon Peter was in the boat and he saw Jesus walking on the water and Jesus called him out,

it wasn't until he actually put one foot in front of the other and stepped out

that he had the ability to walk on water and his promises came to being.

Same for us this morning. So if something's said this morning,

if you're encouraged, if you love it, what's being said, if you want to receive

the promises of God and the fruits of God, then get out of your seat and come

and grab a grape. Okay? There you go.

Already already that's good that's good yeah they are delicious grapes too they

are they i know yeah probably full of hormones but anyway all right let me read

so we can get some context going here so it's giants or giant grapes okay.

Numbers 13 is where we're going to be sitting to start with.

Actually, that's where we're going to be staying today.

There is another scripture passage, but I've got a little bit of grape that

I spat onto my iPad. There we go.

Numbers 13. I read it last week, but I'm going to read it again,

and then we're just going to pull it apart and get some encouragement in our lives. Amen.

Good to have you back, Richard. Good to have you back. Well done.

So, Numbers 13, starting at verse 1, it says this. Now the Lord said to Moses,

send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I'm giving to the Israelites.

Send one leader from each of the 12 ancestral tribes.

So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He sent out 12 men, all tribal leaders

of Israel from their camp in the wilderness of Paran.

We're going to jump ahead to verse 17.

Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to explore the land.

Go north through the Negev into the hill country. See what the land is like

and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many.

See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad?

Do the towns, do their towns have walls or are they unprotected like open camps?

Is the soil fertile or poor?

Are there many trees? Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see

It happened to be the season for harvesting the first ripe grapes Jump ahead

again to verse 25 After exploring the land,

so the twelve spies went After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned.

To Moses and Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran.

They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the

fruit that they had taken from the land.

This was their report to Moses.

We entered the land as you sent us to explore.

And indeed, it is a bountiful country, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Here is the kind of fruit it produces.

But the people living there are powerful and their towns are large and fortified.

We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak.

The Amalekites live in the Negev and the Hittites, Jebusites,

Amorites live in the hill country.

The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.

But Caleb tried to quieten the people as they stood before Moses.

Let's go at once to take the land, he said. We can certainly conquer it.

But the other men who explored the land with him disagreed. We can't go up against them.

They're stronger than we are. So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites.

The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live

there. All the people we saw were huge.

We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak.

Next to them, we felt like grasshoppers, and that's what they thought too.

Wow. There's a story. Genesis 15. Let's go back and have a look at the history of this.

Genesis 15. Yeah, there's some grapes. There's some grapes.

Isn't that amazing? We got a photo of the 12 spies and carrying the grapes.

I reckon that's close to being right though, isn't it? Yeah, yeah.

Genesis 15 talks a little bit about the history of this.

It says in Genesis 15, God tells Abraham, his seed shall be a stranger in a

land and they will be afflicted for 400 years. And that's when they're in Egypt.

Then God will judge the nation and they shall come out with great substance.

God gave Moses a word of promise to bring to the children of Israel.

This promise comes to them after 400

years of slavery to the Egyptians and

the promise is this which can be found in

Exodus 3 17 I will bring you

up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land

of the Canaanites into a land flowing with

milk and honey and big grapes then in uh in Deuteronomy let's let's talk a little

bit more about it and then we'll go back to numbers Deuteronomy 6 10 to 11 says

The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land He swore to give you When

he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham,

Isaac and Jacob It is a land with large

prosperous cities That you did not build The houses will be richly stocked with

goods You did not produce You will draw water from cisterns You did not dig

And you will eat from vineyards and olive trees You did not plant when you have

eaten your fill in this land.

And there was one other thing that we needed to mention to them.

There are giants in that land.

There are giants over there.

So let's go back again now to Numbers, and let's talk about that a little bit.

So go back to Numbers. Moses sends the 12 spies to spy out the land and bring

back some fruit of the land, okay?

They go into the land, they spy out the land, and they bring back figs,

pomegranates, and grapes.

Grapes. The grapes were so big that it took two men to carry one cluster on

a staff between them. something like that.

The Bible doesn't say who those two men were that carried the grapes,

but I've got a strong suspicion that it was probably Joshua and Caleb, okay?

Because they were the only two who agreed on the promises of God.

We need to agree on the promises of God.

We need to, and believe that they could possess their inheritance,

what had been promised to them.

I don't want us to be going through life worrying about giants in our lives.

And giants, which I can list to you if you like, giants like sickness,

like Peter spoke about, giants like adversity, all those of you,

come on, come on, bring out those grapes.

Are we going to be worried about the giants or are we going to be just standing on the word of God?

Okay, so all 12 spies, all 12 of them announced that it truly is a land flowing

with milk and honey, and here are some of the fruits.

The 10 spies, 10 of them, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua,

the 10 spies went on to say one word. then?

They said the word, but.

It's a land filled with milk and honey, but.

Whoa, yeah, watch out for buts. My goodness. My goodness.

As soon as I see that word, but, B-U-T, as soon as I see that word,

I know trouble is brewing.

I know faith levels are dwindling. Okay.

That one little word, but, has robbed so many people of faith. Okay.

Stolen their health, robbed them of their dreams.

That one little three-lettered word, but, kept them from their miracle,

slammed the door shut to the promises of God. That one little word, but.

In effect, what is being said when you use that word, but, is things like this. I know God can heal, but.

I know God can deliver, but I know God can save, but I know, here we go.

I know God can bring water out of the rock, but God, can you give us a table

where we can sit down and eat some steak?

But I know God can, but that one little word just draws the faith away from you.

I was going to say out of you. No, it doesn't. It takes it away from you.

How many times have we stood on the border of our promised land and failed to

take possession of it? Just like the Israelites did.

Just because we couldn't believe that God was able.

Every time you add the word but to the equation, to the promises of God,

you limit God. and you disqualify yourself from the promise and from his provision.

Whenever you start doubting and you need to add that little word,

but those 10 spies all had the same problems. Okay.

They all had giants in their eyes.

At some point in your life as a believer, you're going to have to make up your

mind what you want in life.

Giants or giant grapes? What do you want?

Grapes can represent, here we go, grapes represent the promises,

the blessings, and the provisions of God.

Giants, on the other hand, they represent enemies, adversaries to the promises,

and the provisions of God. Do you know who employs giants?

The devil does. The devil employs giants to resist you, to frustrate you,

and steal the promises of God in your life.

I don't know why no one's coming up and having a grape.

Come on, they're here waiting for you. Sorry?

Yeah, but there are no seeds in them. Yeah, come on. Come on.

So let's have a look at these giants, okay?

There are all kinds of giants in our lives, okay?

Fear, insecurity, inferiority, sickness, debt, depression, worry,

anxiety, stress, family problems. They're all giants.

And the list goes on and on. But whatever name you put on them,

whatever name you put on them, their mission is to keep you out of your blessing

and keep you from enjoying the promises of God for your life.

That's what the giants do.

In life, you're either going to have giants or you're going to have grapes. You cannot have both.

Giants or grapes as a grape. You can't have both.

Either giants are going to occupy your thoughts or capture your attention and

decide your actions and control your life, or the grapes will.

You need to choose which one you want today. If you're motivated and energized

and driven by grapes, then the giants won't affect you.

They won't affect you. If you're motivated and energized and driven by giants,

then you disqualify yourself from grapes.

Look, I'm just going to pass them around. Come on. It's time.

It's time. It's time. Thanks, Bob. Thanks, Peter. Appreciate it, mate.

So, if you are controlled and manipulated and dominated by the giants,

then you can never taste the grapes, okay?

When you're motivated and energized and driven by the grapes,

you know what? You're going to scare some people.

You're going to scare some people because you'll start talking big.

You'll start thinking big when you start being motivated by the grapes. You'll plan big.

You'll plan big. You'll take your umbrella to a prayer meeting where you're praying for rain.

You'll worship big. You will give big as well. You'll give big.

You'll make bold statements like Joshua and Caleb did that day.

You'll boldly declare, we are able. We are able to do this.

We are able to take the land and we are able to do what God said we can do.

That's what you'll do. Okay. Now, I want you to know when you become aggressive

in your faith and when you become bold in your confession, you're going to attract some attention.

You're going to stir some people up. Okay.

And your greatest enemies are not going to be the world or either going to be

the world or of the world.

Your greatest enemies to bold, courageous, great, grabbing, giant, killing faith.

Your greatest enemies, your greatest enemies. Let me read.

To bold, courageous, great, grabbing, giant, killing faith are going to be the

ones with giants in their eyes. Okay?

Did you get that? The ones they're going to be against you the most are the

ones that are concentrating on the giants in their life. How are they, Richard?

They're like, go on, Roy, try one for me. You'll love it.

Probably nothing compared to your grapes.

Okay.

So all those people can see are

the giants in their lives they go through

their week worrying about what's going on

around them in the world what what's

been said against them they're worried about the giants in their lives and they

will fight you and they will criticize you and they will persecute you and they

will do everything that they can do to hinder you and keep you from moving forward

and possessing the greater blessing in your life, okay?

That's why we need to be looking at the grapes, not at the giants, okay?

The truth is those people are many.

There are many of those kind of people. They've been captured by the giants.

They have been held prisoner by a giant mentality.

They are slaves in a giant prison.

These are the ones who will resist you and resent you for breaking out of the giant prison.

I'm feeling an anointing this morning for escapees from the giant prison.

People who want to break out of the giant's prison. You with me, Sue?

Yeah. Okay. Like Joshua and Caleb, you have to be able to say to these people,

I love you, but I don't agree with you.

Okay. I love you, but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life in giant prison just to make you happy.

I believe someone today is breaking out of giant prison.

Someone here today. I believe somebody is grabbing grapes this morning. Okay.

Once you taste the grapes, once you taste the promises of God,

once you taste the grapes, the giants don't matter anymore.

Okay. Giants are just something you have to deal with to get to your grapes.

I've got written here, tell somebody I'm afraid of giants. I'm afraid of giants.

Giants are a problem, but grapes are promises that we need to seize hold of.

I'm going to grab some grapes today. I'm going to get some. I'm going to get some.

It is his fruit. Absolutely. His promise. It's his promise.

Amen. Thank you for allowing me that time to eat that grape.

Okay. I'm escaping from giant prison today. Is anyone going to join me escaping

from giant prison? Yeah, yeah.

Today is the day for possessing, for possessing the promises of God.

God is giving us new vision today. Vision for his promises. not vision for the

problems that go on around us, visions for his promises.

You're not going to have your eyes full of giants anymore. You're going to see grapes instead. Okay.

You're going to think grapes. You're going to walk grapes.

You're going to talk grapes. When you close your eyes at nighttime,

you're going to see grapes.

Okay. I want to get that into us. You're not going to see giants or problems anymore.

You're going to see the promises of God. You're going to see the promises and

the provisions and the blessings of God in your life. When we take our eyes

off the giants around us and focus on the promises of God, that's what you will see.

What will your confession be when that happens? What will your confession be?

Well, it It should be something like, you know, there's a whole generation coming behind us.

There's a whole generation coming behind us. They are depending on you to show

them how to deal with giants, with giants and enjoy grapes.

What heritage are you going to pass down to your children or your grandchildren?

Giants or grapes?

The confession should be son, daughter, grandkids.

We came to a land flowing with milk and honey,

but the giants were so big and so mean that we didn't even try to fight them

and we forfeited our inheritance.

Is that your confession to your children?

No. what about this son daughter

grandchild grandkid we came

to this land flowing with milk and honey and the

grapes were so big that it took two fully

grown men to carry one cluster between the two of them on a staff oh yeah yeah

yeah there were giants there but there too but they weren't any big deal at

all here taste the grapes that should be a confession that should be how you

are raising your children and influencing your grandchildren.

There are two kinds of people in life, okay? There are those that spend their

lives measuring giants and talking about how tall they are and how mean they

are and how powerful the giants are.

Then there were those who were willing to grab some grapes and weigh them, and weigh them.

Weighing grapes, because you know why we weigh grapes?

Because they outweigh the giants every time. every time.

I can't speak for you today, but as for me and my house, we're in the grape weighing business.

We're weighing the promises of God that are heavier and more powerful than any giant.

I want you to join me. I want you to join me.

I'm starting to feel something in here. I'm feeling a giant stomping anointing in here this morning.

Somebody's getting ready to stomp down some giants.

Stomp them down. Somebody's getting ready to stomp down some giants that have

been lying to you, that have been stealing from you, that have been manipulating

you and intimidating you.

But that was yesterday. That was yesterday.

I feel a grape-grabbing anointing this morning.

Who hasn't come up and grabbed a grape yet? Come on. Ed, there you are. There you are. Yeah.

I'll bring the grapes to you. Anyone else while I'm here? Anyone?

Oh, Gabriel wants another one. Try that. Pass them around.

Gabriel, have a grape. Have a grape.

All right. Somebody's getting ready to stomp down some giants this morning.

I believe I feel some people standing up in their faith this morning.

Standing up in their faith. Somebody here, the giants have been lying to you.

The giants have been threatening you and stealing to you, but today you're getting

the grapes. You're getting the grapes.

Repeat after me. Repeat after me. I'm grabbing the grapes.

I'm grabbing my joy. I'm grabbing my peace. I'm grabbing a new anointing.

I'm grabbing a breakthrough in my finances this morning.

Grabbing it. Grabbing it. Grab some grapes.

Grab for your ministry. Grab for the restoration of your family.

Grab for the healing of your body.

Grab for the breakthrough in your finances. Grab grapes.

Don't worry about the giants. Grab the promises of God.

I'm a giant killing, grape grabbing child of God. That's who we are.

Giant killing, grape grabbing child of God.

And what a tragedy, what a tragedy it is to let the giants stop you eating the grapes.

What a tragedy it is to let giants stop you from eating grapes when they are

growing on your own property.

Yeah, we're letting giants grab grapes that are actually ours.

They're on our property.

We're not the trespassers, the giants are.

You're not stealing the grapes, they belong to you.

Jesus paid for them with his blood.

He paid for them. The devil knows that the grapes belong to you as well.

They're on your property, but the devil doesn't give up without a fight.

So that's why we need just to grab those grapes and use them.

You've got to grab them. You've got to be violent when it comes to grabbing your promises.

Because what does it say from the days of John the Baptist until now?

The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent take it by force. Josh, come on up.

Okay. Do you know what the grapes are? You know what the grapes are?

The grapes are your reward for standing on the word of God, standing on the promises of God.

All hell could be breaking loose in your life, but if you stand on the word

of God, then you can grab some of those promises.

Yep. Sickness may be attacking your body, but you stood on the word and you

grabbed some grapes and you got your healing. Amen.

Your finance were being attacked, but you stood on the word.

Your marriage, your family was being attacked, but you stood on the word.

Your ministry was being attacked, but you stood on the word.

You stood on the word of God and you backed those giants down and you cut their heads off.

You cut their heads off. And now it's time to enjoy the grapes.

I believe God, so the question that you may ask is why were the grapes so big? Why were they so big?

What's the story behind the size of the grapes? Why were the grapes so big?

I believe that God wanted to show us his abundant nature.

His abundant nature. God's not selfish.

He's not stingy. He's not tight-fisted.

He's excessive. He's extreme. He's extravagant. And above all, God is generous.

God is generous. Today, you're going to leave this place.

I want you to leave this place with a giant stomping, grape grabbing anointing.

And I pity those giants that stand between you and your grapes.

There's still a few left here. There's still a few left here.

We'll take them out and enjoy them at morning tea. but I want us to go this

week and I want us to look past those giants that are all around us and look towards the grapes.

Woolworths sell these ones if you wanna go and grab some.

Not as big as God's, but that's all right. It's good. It's good. Grab the grapes.

Ignore the giants. Put them aside and set your eyes and focus on the promises

of God, the grapes in your life. Amen.

Amen. Let's stand and let's pray. right now.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, praise you Jesus.

We sing holy to you this morning, Lord. We sing holy to the King of Kings.

We sing holy to the Lord of Lords.

We sing holy to the one that provides us with abundance.

We sing holy to the one who provides us with everything that we need.

That Lord, you provide us with giant grapes that we can take hold of.

And Lord, use them as an indication of where we want to go with our lives.

Lord, we want to be people who are pushing aside the adversity and striving

for the promises of God, striving for the grapes.

Lord, yes, there are giants in this land. Yes, there are problems,

but we can take this land and we can take those grapes and we can take them

and we can show our family, look at these grapes that are available to us.

Yeah, there's giants, but we can take these grapes and we can take them well

because they are the promises of God in our life.

So God, we thank you for that this morning.

We thank you for your promises, that they are good. They are good promises.

They are promises of abundance.

They are promises of overcoming every giant in our life.

They are promises of overcoming every sickness and illness in our life.

They are promises, Lord, of overcoming everything in our life that is not of You.

So Lord, I pray this morning that You will help us to focus on the grapes and not the giants.

Focus on the grapes, the promises of God, the healing, the prosperity,

the generosity of our God and not on the giants that are in this world.

So we thank You, Lord. Touch every person this morning.

Give them a touch, Lord God, of a giant stomping and grape grabbing anointing, Lord God.

So as we go into this week, as we go from here today,

Lord, we go with new vision in our eyes, new vision about the promises of God,

that is available to each and every one of us, Lord. Go with us this morning.

Go with each and every person this morning as they go to grab grapes,

as they go to grab grapes in Jesus' name. Hallelujah.

Everybody said amen.