00:00:00.000 - 00:00:24.000

[ Silence ] [MUSIC] [ Music ] ♪ We cannot see in the future ♪

00:00:24.000 - 00:01:02.820

♪ We cannot see through dark clouds ♪ ♪ We cannot see through heartaches ♪ ♪ Oh, walk on by faith each day ♪ ♪ Walk on by faith each day ♪

00:01:02.820 - 00:01:30.400

♪ On Monday ♪ ♪ Born to save ♪ ♪ Let Jesus be your guide ♪ ♪ Ooh, he's able to carry the load ♪

00:01:30.400 - 00:02:03.020

♪ He can see way down the road ♪ ♪ Walk on by faith each day ♪ ♪ Walk on by faith each day ♪ ♪ We cannot see through teardrops ♪

00:02:03.020 - 00:02:49.920

drops. It's hard to smile through trials. We cannot see all the pitfalls. ♪ Ooh, walk on by faith each day ♪ ♪ Walk on by faith each day ♪ ♪ On Monday ♪

00:02:49.920 - 00:03:14.200

♪ On Tuesday ♪ ♪ Let Jesus be your guide ♪ ♪ Oh, he's able to carry the load ♪ ♪ He can see without the road ♪

00:03:14.200 - 00:03:36.940

♪ Walk on by faith ♪ ♪ He's dead ♪ ♪ By faith he's dead ♪ ♪ Well on Monday ♪

00:03:36.940 - 00:03:57.160

♪ On Tuesday ♪ ♪ Let Jesus be ♪ ♪ Oh God ♪ ♪ He's able to carry the load ♪

00:03:57.160 - 00:04:22.360

♪ He can see way down the road ♪ ♪ Walk on by faith each day ♪ ♪ Walk on by faith each day ♪ ♪ Amen ♪

00:04:22.360 - 00:05:00.140

♪ Oh God, by faith each day ♪ ♪ Oh God, by faith each day ♪ - Amen, amen. The basis of the morning message is found in the book of Numbers the 13th chapter and the 33rd

00:05:00.140 - 00:05:52.700

verse. And there we saw the giants and the sons of Enoch which come of the giants and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers. And so we were in their sight. The subject of the message, as we see ourselves, and there we saw the giants, the sons of Enoch, which come of the Giants and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers and so we

00:05:52.700 - 00:06:34.420

were in their sight. Numbers 1333 as we see ourselves. The eye is a camera with which we photograph the past, the present, and the future. With the eye, we can see ourselves.

00:06:34.420 - 00:07:23.260

With the eye we can see others. With the eye we can see the world around us. With the eye we can see what is yet to be. The language of the text contains information which was funneled through the eye. God commands Moses to send forth 12 spies, one representing each of the tribes, to search the land of Canaan.

00:07:23.260 - 00:07:57.620

They were to make a geographical survey. They were to see what they could see and report their findings to the congregation. These spies were to view the promised land. They were to take a good look at where the people were going.

00:07:57.620 - 00:08:34.980

They were to consider their dreams. They were challenged to look at the dream under the searchlight of divine truth. had promised them a fertile land, land that flows with milk and honey, a prosperous land with wells they did not dig, houses they did not build, and

00:08:34.980 - 00:09:16.980

vineyards they did not plan. And now the Lord through Moses sends a delegation to check out the dream. They are to see the land for themselves. They are to see the cities they are to dwell in they're given the chance to see the future. It's already on the scene. They ought to take a journey over the hills, over the

00:09:16.980 - 00:09:45.740

mountains, they are to travel through valleys in order to see the land. In in order to receive a panoramic view of the future. Already, we have prognosticators telling us what to expect of the 21st century.

00:09:45.740 - 00:10:03.160

They're telling us the kind of revolutionary changes that will occur in government. We talk now of reinventing government. We talk about the kind of revolution

00:10:03.160 - 00:10:20.000

that will take place in education. Kind of revolution that will take place in healthcare, in medicine, and of course the kind of revolution which is expected to take place in the church,

00:10:20.000 - 00:10:32.240

already on the scene, just a few, well just in the August edition of Atlantic Monthly, there was an article entitled The Next Church. And they were talking about what the next church

00:10:32.240 - 00:10:47.960

is gonna look like. In fact, it will not look anything like the present church, this writer was saying. No steeple, most of them will look like warehouses

00:10:47.960 - 00:11:15.280

in order to attract people. Well, if we could have a genuine view of the future, How different our lives would be today if we could really see the promised land, if we could see what God has promised us.

00:11:15.280 - 00:11:36.600

Problem was that thousands of them died in the wilderness without ever receiving a glimpse of the promised land. When we see where we are going, we are motivated to pursue the goal with vigor.

00:11:36.600 - 00:11:53.640

We notice what was taking place in the Olympics, you know, when you can see that goal. That's great motivation to get where you're going. So they are sent over there, 12 of them,

00:11:53.640 - 00:12:08.220

to spy out the land. And no doubt, the hope is that they will return and give a report to the congregation and say, "Go for the gold!"

00:12:08.220 - 00:12:42.120

That expressed in two ways, G-O-L-D and G-O-A-L. Go for the gold, go for the gold. Well, they could visualize after going the end toward which they were striving. So they went, "If we expect to get where we are going as individuals and as institutions,

00:12:42.120 - 00:12:57.800

as nations we must see, we must have a vision of where we're going. We must survey the land. Now Canaan is a long, long way from Egypt.

00:12:57.800 - 00:13:21.420

They have journeyed for miles and a journey that has been rather hazardous been rather hazardous. Everybody needs to have a vision of Canaan.

00:13:21.420 - 00:13:30.860

You ought to have a vision, every one of us ought to have a vision of where we expect to go in life. Our Canaan.

00:13:30.860 - 00:13:41.460

Youngster says it many times early in life, I want to be a doctor. Another says I want to be a nurse. Another says, "I wanna be a teacher."

00:13:41.460 - 00:13:59.080

Another says, "I wanna be a clergyman." Whatever, that's Canaan for that young person. He or she journeys toward that Canaan. And many times it takes years before it comes within view.

00:13:59.080 - 00:14:20.060

God wants us to pursue our dreams. God wants us to go for the gold. God wants us to possess the promised land. Now the spies went out and surveyed Canaan.

00:14:20.060 - 00:14:32.840

They saw the beauty of the land. They saw the fertility of Canaan. They brought clusters of grapes so large as they were placed on a pole it took two men to carry.

00:14:32.840 - 00:15:00.440

They saw that it was a good land. But there were strong people already in the land. The cities had walls around them. And then in addition to all of that, there were giants in the land.

00:15:00.440 - 00:15:27.760

This is what they saw. saw that they would encounter conflicts if they possessed the land. They saw that there were battles to fight and walled cities to overcome. These were the obstacles. Then there were giants, people already there. This land was already

00:15:27.760 - 00:16:06.400

occupied. Occupied by the Amalekites, occupied by the Hittites, occupied by the Jebusites as well as by the Canaanites. Now here they are to face difficulty. It's a test of their strength. There are giants in the land. The son of Enoch. those giants are there. So they consider these difficulties great disadvantages

00:16:06.400 - 00:16:35.760

because the giants you see are bigger than they are. They are endowed with greater physical power. But let me tell you my brothers and sisters there is no Canaan with our giants. If we would possess the land of Canaan we must overcome some giants. They're already there in this

00:16:35.760 - 00:17:01.640

land. They're enjoying the land. And if we would fulfill the promise of God, we must be prepared to contend with giants. There's some serious giants in our future. Well one giant we talk about, we read about almost every day, we call it the budget deficit. That's our giant as

00:17:01.640 - 00:17:37.080

a nation. Oh we're passing on a debt to our unborn generation. How will they ever be able to deal with it? That's the giant. And they use as an excuse for so many things, welfare reform, don't feed the poor, don't feed poor children lunches and all that. All that because of this giant in the land. This giant. Another giant in this land is crime. It's a great giant. It's not just in one

00:17:37.080 - 00:18:07.640

section of the land. It's a giant that is all over the land. Crime. Crime. Increasing one year, it decreases another year, it goes up and down on the scale, but it's always crime. Always crime. And another giant in this land is unemployment.

00:18:07.640 - 00:18:29.000

We read constantly of downsizing. And that's going to come. There's going to be more of it. There's thousands of workers, 5,000 this time by IBM, another 5,000 by Sears Roebuck, whatever

00:18:29.000 - 00:18:47.860

it may be, downsizing, that means somebody is out of work. And that's a giant. If we would possess this land, if we would possess this dream of the pursuit of happiness For every American, we've got to deal with these giants.

00:18:47.860 - 00:19:02.320

And then there's another giant, terrible giant, called racism. It's in the land. This giant is present in the land

00:19:02.320 - 00:19:23.120

and this giant has to be overcome if we are to realize our dream. There are giants in the land, giants. And they say to Moses and the congregation

00:19:23.120 - 00:19:34.740

when they come back and make their report, they said, "That's the giants over there. "We can't deal with those people over there. "We saw these giants.

00:19:34.740 - 00:19:50.240

"And we were in our own sight." in our own sight. When we looked at ourselves, we were in our own sight grasshoppers.

00:19:50.240 - 00:20:16.660

And we also were grasshoppers in their sight. How we see ourselves. They saw themselves as grasshoppers. acquainted with grasshoppers. Grasshopper is an insect. Grasshopper depends on

00:20:16.660 - 00:20:57.060

others, something else. Eat up the grain, eat up this or that, hopping from one place to the grasshoppers. Wanting fair weather. Grasshopper loves spring and summer, not winter, grasshoppers. We saw ourselves as grasshoppers and too often we see ourselves as grasshoppers, as consumers rather than producers, just

00:20:57.060 - 00:21:21.240

consumers, grasshoppers. That's the way they saw them, said grasshoppers. Some people are like grasshoppers, they hop from one place to another. Never stayed anywhere long to accomplish anything, just hopping. Hop here, hop there, grasshoppers. Dependent on somebody else for security, dependent on someone else to make the

00:21:21.240 - 00:21:54.040

way. The grasshopper doesn't plant any crops. Grasshopper waits for somebody else to plant the crops and they go and eat them up. Grasshoppers. We saw ourselves as grasshoppers and we were in their eyes as grasshoppers. As I must hurry on here let me say don't Don't let anybody define you.

00:21:54.040 - 00:22:14.220

Don't let anybody else prescribe your limits. Don't let anybody do that to you, no matter who they are. I remember when I was a boy, they had in the church a contest on who

00:22:14.220 - 00:22:22.340

would win this contest. It was in what we call BTU, called a discipleship training now. We call it BTU.

00:22:22.340 - 00:22:32.740

It was on the story of Joseph, and they were having it that afternoon, and it was open to everybody, all ages, answering the questions about the story of Joseph.

00:22:32.740 - 00:22:41.020

So I was young, and so I decided I was gonna get in the contest. And I heard my dad talking to my mother, that boy is too young.

00:22:41.020 - 00:22:52.980

He shouldn't be doing it, and I heard her say, just let him go ahead on. He wants to do that. So I said to myself, he can't tell me what I can't do

00:22:52.980 - 00:23:03.300

and what my ability is. He can't define that for me. Only I can define that for myself. So I went on out there.

00:23:03.300 - 00:23:12.140

I read and read the Bible. I just read the story and I went out that evening. And so when they asked the questions, I was able to answer them.

00:23:12.140 - 00:23:33.420

And so I ended up winning the prize. It was a 25 cent Webster's dictionary. I never forgot it. I kept that dictionary for years because of what it meant. So don't let anybody else, nobody, no matter who they are, not even your parents, define your limits.

00:23:33.420 - 00:23:52.420

Because your limits are determined by you. And there's no telling what you can do to land it out there. And the Lord God Himself says, "Go possess it." That's what God says, "Go out there and possess the land."

00:23:52.420 - 00:24:06.420

So don't let anybody prescribe your limits. David didn't do that. You know the story of David? He went out there to the army where his brothers were.

00:24:06.420 - 00:24:25.700

He was too young to enroll in the army. And so they were all afraid of the giant Goliath. Goliath. He was one of these sons of Anak. Great giant, much taller than he is, much larger and all of that. But David said, "I'll go fight him." He said, "Well, you're just a lad."

00:24:25.700 - 00:24:46.140

He said, "Yes." "Well, how will you do it?" He said, "Well, the Lord was with me when I faced the bear. The Lord was with me when I faced the lion, and the same God will be with me as I I face the giant. So my brothers and sisters, the giants are there.

00:24:46.140 - 00:25:02.660

Giants are there, but don't let anybody prescribe your limits. No matter what your SAT score is, don't let anybody prescribe your limits. No matter what they are.

00:25:02.660 - 00:25:14.340

The other day in New York, they had a man who decided he would go into a school and get the most difficult students. And he went into this school and he said,

00:25:14.340 - 00:25:25.980

he gave his testimony. His name was Steve Mariotti. He said he had a time the kids in this high school would hit him on the head, play with his head,

00:25:25.980 - 00:25:35.000

hit him all. So he'd take them down to the principal and they'd send them home. Finally he'd send home about 18 or 19 kids.

00:25:35.000 - 00:25:46.280

He got along fine, he said, with the girls. You know, they did well. Their parents came out in the school, said what a wonderful teacher he was.

00:25:46.280 - 00:25:59.080

And they gave him an award and all of that. But he had 18 or 19 boys that he had expelled from school. And he decided to go back and call those kids and invite them all to dinner.

00:25:59.080 - 00:26:10.140

He said nine of them came. And they came. And he said, "Then why did you all give me such a hard time?" He said, one of the kids spoke up, said,

00:26:10.140 - 00:26:23.140

"Well, Mr. Mariotti, you were just boring." So you were just boring. He said, "Well, can you remember anything "that I said that was really interesting?

00:26:23.140 - 00:26:32.540

"What was the most interesting thing that happened?" He said, "You know, the time you came "when you were just getting there, "and you didn't know what was going on

00:26:32.540 - 00:26:50.740

because you didn't have the lesson plans from a teacher before, so you just told us how you operated your business. He said that was the most exciting thing. So he took a cue from that and he presented to that group the other day, it was one of

00:26:50.740 - 00:27:12.800

the most inspiring things, he presented young people that had been in his class that had taught the rudiments of business, how to go and buy, how to sell, how to make a profit. He had one young black, all of them were black, one young man came to, he was in business, he was making sweatshirts. He was doing so well,

00:27:12.800 - 00:27:41.880

retailing sweatshirts, he decided he'd wholesale. So he had both a wholesale and a retail. He's running from one to the other and he's doing well. Another one was in a beauty business, another one was in that business, about four or five of them all came, let nobody, all of these were people that had been written off. Don't let anybody do that. Yes there are giants in the land but I hear Caleb as he says yes

00:27:41.880 - 00:28:04.520

there's some giants there, no question about it, but we can overcome. We can overcome with God's help, no matter what's out there. We have a God. That will enable us to. And you know, brothers and sisters, that's the mystery of our history.

00:28:04.520 - 00:28:17.280

How God is always in the equation. We don't see him many times, but he's hidden in a situation. And it's just astounding how God intervenes.

00:28:17.280 - 00:28:32.400

When you least expect him, he somehow shows up. He surprises us. My wife and I decided to go to see some Broadway productions. And one, we had showboat.

00:28:32.400 - 00:28:45.560

We'd already gotten the tickets long before we went to New York. But there was another one that depicts the black struggle, tapping in the like, the noise and the funk was the name of it. It depicts the black struggle.

00:28:45.560 - 00:28:52.640

Well, we didn't have any tickets for that. And it was sold out. And I went and sold out. The man said, "We're sold out.

00:28:52.640 - 00:29:14.380

You get you one for Sunday." I got to be home Sunday. So well, you can get standing room only and that's, that was $15 just to stand up. So we got two tickets. Well, we were already tired. We'd been walking, went to all the sessions of the conference and all that. And so we're standing up. And

00:29:14.380 - 00:29:28.140

so I was much more tired than I was acting. My wife was saying, "Are you tired?" I said, Oh, no. Because you had to stand there this whole performance. And finally, at the intermission,

00:29:28.140 - 00:29:34.740

a man walked up to my wife. And he was talking to her. And I didn't know what he was saying to her. I was standing back over there.

00:29:34.740 - 00:29:47.380

And he was offering her his ticket. And she said, well, I can't take it because my husband is here. He said, well, I'll get my friend. My friend has a ticket.

00:29:47.380 - 00:29:58.580

and he'll give one to your husband. And so we both got tickets, and we went down to the third row right from the stage. Right from the stage, and you know what?

00:29:58.580 - 00:30:09.300

We both said, "The Lord did this." (audience laughing) The Lord is always there doing something for us. It looked like an impossible situation.

00:30:09.300 - 00:30:18.180

Tickets sold out, crowded, everything, but somehow the Lord finds a way, and the lady came up and said to me, The usher said, "Do you know who that is?"

00:30:18.180 - 00:30:26.980

I said, "No." She said, "That's Mr. McIntosh." I said, "Who is Mr. McIntosh?" He said, "He's the one who produces these great shows."

00:30:26.980 - 00:30:38.620

Miss Saigon said, "He's the producer." The Phantom of the Opera said, "He's the producer." Said, "He's leaving now, going to London." He goes from here to London.

00:30:38.620 - 00:30:51.440

And so God has a way of having messages that come right your way. So yeah, we have to go through valleys, we have to go over mountains,

00:30:51.440 - 00:31:06.080

but God is there to lift us up as we go over the mountains. God is there to lead us through the valleys. God is there to give us light in the midst of our darkness.

00:31:06.080 - 00:31:21.700

Yes, we can possess the land. God is our help. As we sing now the hymn of invitation, we extend the privilege of the church.

00:31:21.700 - 00:31:38.900

See yourself as a child of God. See yourself as one whom God is with and will help, whatever may be the condition or circumstance. There may be someone here today

00:31:38.900 - 00:31:58.620

who is without a church home, there may be someone living in Austin who's not rightly related to Christ in the church, or maybe just someone who wants to unite with the people of God here at Ebenezer. This is the invitation. It's an open invitation that's extended

00:31:58.620 - 00:32:18.420

to come, to become a part of the fellowship of God here, to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We invite you to come. Door of the church is open. [MUSIC]

00:32:18.420 - 00:32:32.220

Door of the church is open. [MUSIC] ♪ Oh God ♪ ♪ That ♪

00:32:32.220 - 00:32:45.180

♪ Can ♪ ♪ Be ♪ ♪ Great ♪ ♪ Oh God ♪

00:32:45.180 - 00:32:55.980

♪ You shine ♪ ♪ Upon ♪ ♪ The ♪ ♪ Roots ♪

00:32:55.980 - 00:33:29.240

♪ That leads me to the land ♪ ♪ Where is the land ♪ ♪ That did I view ♪ ♪ In pearls I saw the Lord ♪

00:33:29.240 - 00:34:03.180

♪ Where is the soul ♪ ♪ Refreshing view ♪ ♪ Of Jesus ♪ ♪ And his birth ♪

00:34:03.180 - 00:34:26.520

♪ But he's not ours ♪ ♪ I fear ♪ ♪ In joy ♪ ♪ The street where he was standing ♪

00:34:26.520 - 00:35:09.760

♪ The day had passed ♪ ♪ And it did not ♪ ♪ The world can never be ♪ ♪ Return, oh, home ♪

00:35:09.760 - 00:35:37.940

♪ Be gone, return ♪ ♪ Keep the saviors ♪ ♪ Of bread ♪ ♪ I hate the sinners ♪

00:35:37.940 - 00:36:02.500

♪ And they ♪ ♪ Demore ♪ ♪ And draw me from my grave ♪ - Let's bow our heads.

00:36:02.500 - 00:36:27.560

Lord, we thank you for the land that you have promised us, for dreams that may be realized, Help us to become. [BLANK_AUDIO]