Sunday School California Spring Conference 2026

UNEDITED TRANSCRIPT: Good morning. It's a delight to be with the Saints here in California, enjoying the fellowship with many dear brothers and sisters, bringing greetings from the saints in Willowdale, in Toronto, in Canada. Um, we were occupied with walking with Jesus, walking in Christ and the beautiful singing that we have this morning. One of the songs, walking with him all the day, walking with him all the way. And that reminds me of, uh, one of the saints in the Old Testament who his life was summarized from the beginning to the end that he was walking with God. And if you please, turn with me to the book of Joshua, chapter fourteen. This wonderful man, this wonderful man of faith. His name is Caleb. And before we get to read a few verses from his life, let me speak first about this man. His name is Caleb and the meaning of Caleb. It comes from word means dose. I'm not sure many here. I think they know Arabic. I believe so it comes from word means Kalb, which is hard. So, Caleb, if you search it, you'll find it in some concordances that say it's from dog. But I asked Brother Gideon one time and he said, yeah, it is very close. And those who knows Arabic, they know that Kalb and Kalb are very close. So he said, it is more. Kalb. So the meaning of Caleb, that is someone who is wholeheartedly. He is someone that characterized his life, characterized that He followed the Lord. Exactly. And the Word of God teaches us six times. It speaks about this man of God that he followed the Lord. Exactly. He followed the Lord wholeheartedly. And if you go to first King, we see the King Solomon, the divine report about King Solomon. It says that he did not follow the Lord. Holy. And here Caleb, who is the one who followed the Lord wholeheartedly, and the age of Caleb as he writes, reading this account about him. He was eighty five years old. He started when he was forty and then thirty eight, about thirty eight years in the wilderness, wandering, and then about seven years when where they were occupying the land until we reach the book of Joshua, chapter fourteen. When Joshua was dividing the land to the people and Caleb came here in the picture. And then, um, he is we read from verse six, the book of judges. Sorry. Book of Joshua, chapter fourteen. And verse six in the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jaffna. The king said to him, you know, the word of the Lord said to Moses, Man of God, concerning you and. And me in Kadesh Barnea here we find the first characteristic of Caleb that he cling to the Word of God. The Word of God for him didn't change. He didn't say, ah, the Lord promised me, you know, that's forty five years ago and it didn't happen. I don't know if I should trust him or not. I don't know if I should remember this word of God or no, no, no, he didn't do that. He from the first day he believed in the Lord, he trusted him. He said, this is the Word of God. And as the Lord spoke this word, I believe totally. I believe from all my heart that this word will come to fulfillment. This is the first thing we learned from him. The second thing I just for the sake of time, I will not go back to all the verses. But in the book of numbers, chapter thirteen, we see at the beginning of the chapter that the Lord told Moses, you send to all the spies to spy out the land. And one of those twelve spies was Caleb, and then Joshua, and then another ten. older names are mentioned. So when they went to spy the land, the ten of them, they came with a bad report. They said, oh, this is a very difficult area. Those enemies are really strong and we are in their eyes as grasshoppers. And as well, we are in our eyes also saw ourselves as grasshoppers. So people of Israel, we, we, um, encourage you, we invite you, we tell you do not go there. And then Caleb, you say, hmm, let me see. One, two, three, ten. And then here are Joshua with me. So let me, I think, follow the majority. I think ten against two, I think, or against one here, because only Joshua was in his side. Let me just go with the majority. Definitely those ten people from the other tribes are right. And maybe Joshua is wrong. I will follow the majority. It is easier for me to follow and I see many people going this direction just to go with them. No no no no no, he didn't do that. He didn't do that. He followed the Lord wholeheartedly. He didn't look to the enemy, but he looked to the Lord and he told the people, you know what, those people this, this land is, is from the Lord for us. And it overflows with honey and milk. And those people are our food, those enemies. They are not giants and we are not grasshoppers, but they are actually our food. We can eat them. He looked at the difficulties not as something to prevent him from going with the Lord or walking with the Lord or hinder him. But he looked to the difficulties as steps that he can step on, and he go in his way with the Lord. And the second important lesson for us today. Do not follow the majority just because of the number or the majority. Look for what the Lord wants you. Look for what the Lord in His Word is telling you. And then he said in verse eight of chapter fourteen, nevertheless, my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt. See what he says here, my president. He didn't speak bad about them. In chapter thirteen of numbers, we read that they brought a bad report. But here someone. He did not bring a bad report about his presence. Although they were wrong, they were wrong. But he didn't say about them anything. But he said, my president. It reminds me of Joseph when he was in Egypt. He said. And they asked him what happened. He said, I was stolen. He didn't mention what his brethren did to him. And the Lord Jesus on the cross while they were crying, crucify him, crucify him. He said, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing. Here is someone looking to their to his brethren in their position in Christ. And then he said, but I wholly followed the Lord my God, my God. Here is someone. He didn't speak about the Lord just as, as, as a God in heaven. But he said, you know what? He is the creator of this universe. He's the creator of everyone. But this creator is Not God, but my God. I have a personal relationship with him, and that actually the main source of power and energy that kept Caleb going, that is the source that he was drawing his, his, his energy and his hope from it is my, my God. And you know what? We know that, um, the, the verses dividing the Bible to verses and chapters is not in the original manuscript. It was not inspired by the Lord, but in this just speech that he has. In these few verses he mentioned the name of the Lord, the name of God twelve times. Twelve times. What do you want to tell us, Caleb? Here, he wants to say, even if I am a good warrior, if I can say, even if I am here after all this year, it is not by my power. It is not by my strength. It is everything. He refers everything to God. You know, in First John chapter two, it teach us don't love the world because all what is in the world is lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of of life. And we can divide this to or match this with the age groups, the lust of the flesh, usually early in life, maybe the first portion of life, maybe one to twenty five or two to thirty. And then the the lust of the eyes when someone is growing and he starts to work and has money and you know, I like iPhone, whatever here. I like this car, I like this house. And then later in age, it is the pride of life. Oh, when someone getting older, you know, I did this in my life, I did this, I did this, I went to this place. I had these certificates. I, I this is my accomplishments in life. But here is someone who is eighty five years old and he refers all things to the Lord. He didn't say, I am Caleb, the strong warrior who kept the word of God. I'm Caleb, the one who is, um, managed to arrive safely here. I am the one who followed the Lord wholeheartedly. He didn't say that. But everything. He refers everything to God. He recognized God in every aspect of his life. But then the other thing that he said in verse, end of verse ten, um, I am. This day eighty five years old. Let me read just a couple of verses in Psalm ninety two, verse. Fourteen it speaks about those who. All those who are planted in the house of God shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in all the age. And then quickly to Proverbs sixteen and verse thirty one. And how wonderful to have among us older brothers and sisters, the Lord give them this wisdom, give them this experience of walking with the Lord. And as they grow, they are still flourishing in their old age. Proverbs sixteen, verse thirty one. The silver haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness. A lot of wisdom, a lot of experience from those older ones who work with with the Lord in their, um, age. And then we can find also that Caleb was very selective in his friend. He didn't select any, just one to be his friend, to be close to him. But it's only someone who has the same mind, the same desires, the same interest in the things of the Lord, in the word of the Lord. And that's why we almost we don't find the name of Caleb mentioned by himself in account, but always mentioned with was Joshua. Not only that, but Brother Gideon. He used to say Yeshua, Messiah, which is the name of the Lord Jesus. Yes, It's similar to Arabic. Yes, sir. So Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua, is Joshua. So here w...