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Give Me This Mountain
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                                            Lord, Give Me This Mountain

                                                Joshua 14:6-14

King James Version (KJV)

6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.

7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.

8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.

9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God.

10 And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.

11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.

13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.

14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel

 

 

Introduction

 

The book of Joshua describes the Israelites conquest of Canaan-from the initial invasion across the Jordon River to the final division of the land. Like most military histories, Joshua focuses on the commander. The book repeatedly emphasizes that the Israelites victories were due to God’s intervention (chapters 10,11). The extraordinary victory over Jericho dramatically demonstrated this chapter 6. Now God was decisively acting on the promises that He had made to Abraham: He was giving the land of Canaan to His people. The book of Joshua describes a God who faithfully fulfills His promises. The book of Joshua is named for the man who figures most prominently in it, Moses successor and Israel’s leader during the conquest of Canaan. Appropriately, Joshua’s name in Hebrew means “The Lord Saves” or “May the Lord Save.” Many summaries often give the impression that the campaign of conquest was one in which the Israelites overwhelmed the Canaanites with a superior force, inflicting a series of total defeats. But the Book of Joshua as a whole does not describe Israel as winning a frontal offensive attack (bombing, super fire power) by means of a superior force. Rather, under God’s direction, Israel used various means such as ambushes and diversionary tactics to defeat it enemies. The Israelites are said to have destroyed only three cities: Jericho, Ai and Hazor. Joshua 16:10 and Judges 1 suggest that Israel’s victory over the Canaanites was incomplete. There were Canaanites still living in the land. Nevertheless, God did give the greater part of the land of Canaan in the Israelites hands through a series of dramatic battles in a relatively short period of time. God was faithful to His promises. God had repeatedly promised the land of Canaan to Abraham The book of Joshua emphasizes that the conquest of Canaan was a direct fulfillment of that promise. God was fighting for the Israelites and giving the m the land in the process. Since God was demonstrating His faithfulness to Israel, He expected Israel to be faithful to His covenant with them.

 

 So why was Possessing the land so important.

 

Conquering the land enabled Israel to experience God’s rest, which He had promised to the Israelites from the beginning. The text today talks about what you need to do in order to get rest.

 

The text is tailored to teach you:

If God said it! You can believe!

 

  1. We need to Remember those who fight for our freedom
  2. Remembering those who have fallen in battle
  3. Remembering all loved ones who have died

 

  1. Chapter 14 is This is a Text From a Book of Battles
  2. After Moses, Joshua became the leader
  3. The land divided among the tribes of Israel
  4. The area given will have to be conquered and developed

 

  1. Caleb: “Give Me this Mountain”

1.Asks the most difficult task (v.12)

2.What motivated Caleb to press on to higher ground?

 

Body

  1. He Remembers God’s Promise to Him (vv. 6-7)

 

(He promises us, desires of your heart, peace, joy, rest, ask and it shall be give…)

  1. Caleb the spy (Num. 13:1-4)

a.Sent by Moses 40 years earlier to spy out the land

b.The fruit of the land, flowing with milk and honey

c.But Caleb saw beyond this to Hebron, where Abram met God

 

  1. Caleb;  “We are well able to overcome it” (Num. 14:23-24)

a.The majority had great giants and a little God

b.Caleb had a great God and little giants

c.The majority were problem-conscious, but Caleb was power-conscious

 

  1. Caleb will now stand on the promises

a.He will never forget them

b.You will never find him part of the grumbling crowd

c.He is on his way to this better land all through life

  1. Caleb Remembers His Own Commitment To The Lord (vv. 8-9)

1.“I wholly followed the Lord…”

a.Reminded of the time of his full surrender

b.A man of God, total dedication, committed

2.Remembers how he had stood apart from the crowd

a.Do you remember a day of victory?

b.What about the day you were saved?

c.What about the time of full surrender?

3.The sad story of Revelation 2:1-7)

4.Have you left your first love?

  1. Caleb Remembers God’s faithfulness to Him (vv. 10-11)

1.God hath kept me alive

a.Have you thanked God for keeping you alive?

b.Except for Joshua, all the rest had died

2.I am now fourscore and five years old (85)

a.some senior citizen!

b.Not resting on his laurels

3.God had cared for him up to that hour

4.“Grace hath brought me safe thus far?

III Conclusion

 

Story:

Many of you are going through times like never before. I come here to tell you that even though this seems like the worst time, its not the first time.

 

My mother taught mentally challenged kids and was the foster mother to a young man for 20 years.  The first day he came to live with her, she took him to the carpet store. When he walked in immediately, turned over all of the carpet samples in the whole store. She called me crying saying I think I made a mistake in taking him in. I knew before he came that he was locked up everyday. But I prayed and God told me to do it. He said in his word to ask and it shall be given, seek and it shall be found, knock and the door shall be open. 

 

What did God promise. He said I will give you rest…. But it will be a fight!

  1. Now, Therefore, Give Me This Mountain!

1.give me your best

2.Give me your toughest task

  1. Remembering Should Challenge Us
  2. Lincoln at Gettysburg
  3. Accept the Challenge

      C.  Move on to Higher Ground