Believing God’s Report
I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of reports in this world of information we live in. I read a pretty funny one the other day… You’ve got to love the internet. On Thursday March 6th, an article came out of a woman on Tiktok (of course) who is eating packing peanuts.
People are eating biodegradable packing peanuts under the assumption that they are edible — much to experts’ dismay. On TikTok, online shoppers claim that the biodegradable packing peanuts make for the perfect “bedtime snack,” arguing that the foam pieces are completely edible because they dissolve in their mouths. “Did anyone know that Lush packing peanuts are edible??” wrote one beauty lover on a TikTok video, which showed her popping one into her mouth.
The personal care brand packs its shipping boxes with “eco-flo chips,” an alternative to typical foam peanuts that are instead made with a potato starch base to make them dissolve in water and soil .“Biodegradable doesn’t mean edible,” warned one viewer.
While some TikTok users said they finally don’t feel like “a weirdo” for their strange snack, experts warned that the sustainable packing peanuts probably shouldn’t be consumed — not to mention that some biodegradable packing peanuts aren’t made from edible ingredients.
Best case scenario, eating the eco-friendly shipping materials could cause bloating, pain and gas. At worst, the process in which the potato starch peanuts are created forms a known carcinogen, linked to cancer. ThriveLab nurse practitioner Angelica McGough told Delish that the excessive heat used to make packing peanuts causes the formation of acrylamide, a carcinogen with ties to endometrial and ovarian cancer.
You know what, maybe Tiktok should be illegal. Oh wait, we already knew that. Gotta love the internet don’t we? There are a lot of reports in this world, some odd like this one! But of all the reports in this world, which one will you listen to?
The truth is, this passage has a lot more to do with us than may be initially seen. Here we see the Israelite people approaching God’s promise for their life. The promised land… a place of promise and fulfillment. God’s plan, God’s place for them. But the people missed it. They missed out on God’s promises because they accepted and put faith in the wrong report.
Numbers 13:17-33
Today, you and I have promises from God. A promise that we will be delivered and forgiven of sin. A promise of eternal life with our savior. A promise, of hope and a future in Christ that will exceed all expectations of living on this earth. Do we accept and stand on that report? Or are we believing and hoping in another one?
All of us are searching the land for something
God has called the Israelites to go and search out for the promise he has for them. To scope out and investigate the promised land. We see this detail about the grapes. This means it is during the time of the first harvest of the vineyards, which would mean late summer or early fall. Which would be several months after their spring departure from Mount Sinai.
They came to Hebron (22) which is twenty miles south of Jerusalem. They were gone for 40 days. The land that is described here would have taken anywhere between 350 to 500 miles of hill country and valleys. These guys must’ve been in good shape!
The Israelites were looking for their place in the world. Each and every one of us is looking for our place. We search for meaning in all kinds of things: addictions, sports, movies and entertainment, money, prestige, careers, relationships… but ultimately what we are looking for is only found in God and his promises.
Instead of seeing God’s promise to them, the Israelites saw worldly obstacles. Are there worldly obstacles that keep you from seeking God? We all have an innate nature to seek out fulfillment and purpose. We are all on a journey ourselves, looking for that fullness. There is a God shaped hole in each and every one of us, we are searching. And in our searching, we hear many reports… which leads to my second point:
What report will you believe?
The “Anak” people were feared by many and were considered to be great not only in size but also in military prowess. Caleb’s words, “We can certainly do it,” were not merely bravado; they were the words of one who really believed that the Lord was giving the land to the people. Boldly, confidently, Caleb assured the people that they could take the land.
In a world full of reports, which report are you placing your stock in? Many of us know how important it is to plan, to prepare and trust in something or some system, have you trusted in God’s report?
They were in a state of denial that included the power and presence of God, the promises and assurances of God, their own resources—indeed, even their own names. The Land of Promise was a good land, a gracious gift of the Lord. By speaking evil of it, the faithless spies were speaking evil of him.
Belief is the conduit through which God’s power works. Who else believed God in the Bible? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, Mary believed God about her baby Jesus who would be the Son of God and Savior of the world, the disciples believed in Jesus’ radical call and great commission.
Speaking of the great commission… we see that because of belief in Jesus’ authority that this will be accomplished. They believed in him. What would belief do in Macon? Well if 11 guys can flip the whole world upside down then surely a church of 150 should have no problem flipping over Macon for Jesus? What is missing church? Belief in God’s report, trust in him and him alone.
Look closely again at the great commission: “but some doubted.” Wow, I am amazed by this! The physical, risen Jesus is standing before them and what do they do? They doubt. Take note of this, there will always be doubters. Always! No matter what time or season, place or ministry, there will always be doubters.
But we have a choice today, to believe in the doubters, or to believe in God. To stand on the word of God and what the word declares and what Jesus says to us, or to believe what the world has said.
The world has said Christianity is false, not the only way to heaven, that if you have bad circumstances that God has abandoned you, that God can’t use you to do great things for the kingdom because you aren’t important or valuable. The list goes on and on! Whose report are you going to believe today?
The greatest report you’ve ever received, is the gospel
There is no other report putting your hope, trust, and confidence in today. We, like these Israelites, are in desperate need of salvation. We have walked this earth, looking for a promised land. Looking for a land of plenty, a land of rest, and a fulfillment of a promise.
That land of rest, plenty, and promise is only found in Jesus Christ and Christ alone. Some of us have traversed the land but have found problems with it. “Well, to follow Jesus means I have to give this up. It means I have to live a selfless life that doesn’t revolve around me. It means that I have die to self, pick up my cross, and follow Jesus. This is too great! Like giants in the land, I cannot do this.”
You have believed the report, that God cannot save you from your sins. You have believed the report that you have been a sinner, will be, and will forever remain a sinner that doesn’t belong in Christ’s kingdom. But the gospel says you’ve been saved by grace, through faith. Sin, shame, and the giants of this world and this life pale in comparison to the power of your God.
If you would only believe the gospel and live! Not just in the life to come, but in your life now! This report is the only report worth hanging your hope, your fulfillment, and your belief in. Acts 4:12 tells us that salvation is found in no one else… hear me now, no one else, but Jesus Christ.
You can have this hope. You can have this life. You can step out of the wilderness of your life and believe that the gospel is enough. We need to believe and then walk in the power of the gospel. The implications for us are limited by our belief.
There is a simple truth that we are all searching for something. Each and every one of us, whether we realize it or not, are searching for an answer to all of this. Some of us have taken in wrong reports, place hope and trust in poor places. But Jesus is the answer, he is the report we need to believe and to hope in. Are you finding it in him or in another?