Numbers 32:5
The danger of stopping short of God's best for your life is that you may miss out on the promises God has for you, including perfect peace, fullness of joy, and the supply of all your needs.
Chuck Smith emphasizes the danger of settling for less than God's best, as illustrated by the tribes of Reuben and Gad who chose to remain outside the Promised Land. He warns that many promises of God go unclaimed due to complacency and a lack of spiritual ambition, leading to a life that is less fulfilling. Smith highlights the importance of striving for a deeper relationship with God rather than becoming content with a superficial faith. He cautions that those who stop short may become vulnerable to spiritual attacks and miss out on the fullness of God's blessings. Ultimately, he calls believers to cross over into the abundant life that God has promised.
Text
"LESS THAN BEST"
Intro: The Children of Israel now ready to enter the land God had promised them. The
tribes of Reuben, Gad and 1/2 of Manassah requested inheritance outside the
land; they had become content where they were dwelling.
I. THERE IS A DANGER OF STOPPING SHORT OF GOD'S BEST FOR YOUR LIFE.
A. Many of the promises go unfulfilled because we fail to claim them or
appropriate them.
1. God has promised perfect peace.
2. God has promised fullness of joy.
3. God has promised to supply all our needs.
a. Sometimes people come saying, "I live completely by faith, can
you help me out"?
b. This never means that God is going to support my laziness.
c. Paul was completely serving the Lord yet when the need arose
he made tents.
d. Great inconsistencies.
1. "I have given my life completely to God" How much time
does He get each day?
2. "All I have belongs to God" When is He going to get it?
4. God has promised Living Waters.
B. This land that Reuben and Gad wanted was not the best, they had grown
accustomed to it.
1. So many times we just get used to our situations. "What you can't cure
you must endure."
a. We make adjustments and settle down.
b. This is all the farther I wish to travel with God.
2. There is a contentment which is good and there is a contentment
which is bad.
a. The spiritual man is content with his material possessions
yet striving for more of God.
b. The carnal man is content with his relationship with God, yet
is striving for more material possessions.
C. Some people attend church on occasion; that is all the closer they want to
get to God.
1. They have a sort of "you don't bother me, I won't bother you" attitude.
2. Oh yes. they believe in God and would defend Him in an argument; they
even joined the church but they never left Egypt.
D. Some attend church regularly, every chance they get. They look for the
things of God, they are truly God's people, yet they have stopped short
of God's best.
1. Spiritually they have come to Jordan but they have never crossed over.
II. THE DANGER OF STOPPING SHORT.
A. History tells us that these tribes were the first to fall the Assyrians.
1. You are far more vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.
2. Satan finds it easier to lure you away.
B. We are also told that the descendants of these people were the Gadarenes.
1. When Jesus came to their coasts they asked Him to leave.
2. They had degraded from raising cattle to raising pigs.
a. Failing to go forward they went backwards.
3. Not entering in to the promises. they rejected the greatest promise
of all; God's Messiah Jesus.
C. Some of you standing today at Jordan's banks.
Sermon Outline
- THERE IS A DANGER OF STOPPING SHORT OF GOD'S BEST FOR YOUR LIFE
- THE DANGER OF STOPPING SHORT
- A points: - History tells us that these tribes were the first to fall the Assyrians - We are also told that the descendants of these people were the Gadarenes
- B points: - When Jesus came to their coasts they asked Him to leave - They had degraded from raising cattle to raising pigs
- C points: - Failing to go forward they went backwards - Not entering in to the promises, they rejected the greatest promise of all; God's Messiah Jesus
- D points: - Spiritually they have come to Jordan but they have never crossed over
Key Quotes
“Sometimes people come saying, 'I live completely by faith, can you help me out'?” — Chuck Smith
“This never means that God is going to support my laziness.” — Chuck Smith
“Failing to go forward they went backwards.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- Continually strive for more of God, seeking to appropriate the promises He has for you.
- Do not become content with your current situation, but rather seek to move forward in your spiritual growth.
- Remember that God's support is not a guarantee of laziness, but rather a promise of provision and guidance.