“Faith Has A Voice”
Series Title: The Sound of Faith Pastor Jim Lowe III
Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream 11/01/26 (1st Sunday Message)
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{All scriptures are “NIV84” unless stated}
New Series:
The Sound of Faith
Message Title:
“Faith Has A Voice”
Let’s open with a question:
What Does Your Faith Sound Like?
We say a lot about what does your faith “look like?”
you’ll hear us say we “walk by faith” “live by faith” “faith in action” but what does it “sound like?”
If people would have listened to your conversation this past week… what would they have heard?
They might have heard you talking about the economy. They might have heard you talking about current events.
they might have heard you talking about how difficult life has been.
But would they ONLY hear you talking about how difficult things have been? or would they have heard you say that even still “God is able?”
that “He’s going to work this out?”
Would they have heard about you talking more about your circumstances… or the God who is able to change your circumstances?
Because there can be a misconception of faith.
some people will tell you that faith says you can’t talk about what you’re going through. that saying where the enemy is attacking you is “giving the devil glory.”
that saying what the Dr told you is “accepting it.”
if we break an arm…not talking about it doesn’t make it not broken. that’s not what faith is.
Faith Doesn’t Mean I Can’t Talk About What I’m Going Through. It Means What I’m Going Through Doesn’t Have To Be The Only Thing I Talk About.
Paul had no problem discussing his hardships.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
Hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down… but with each one…that’s not how they ended. hard pressed, but NOT crushed
perplexed, but NOT in despair persecuted but NOT abandoned
struck down, but NOT destroyed
But when it comes to what faith “sounds like…” Paul also talks about this in verse 13.
Verse 13
13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”
He SPEAKS because he believes.
this is all spoken when he’s talking about how hard life is.
Faith Doesn’t Need The Best Conditions Before It Speaks
Let’s talk about “A tale of two reports”
God had promised the Israelites a land of their own. Moses tells 12 men to go and explore the land.
When they come back…they have a report. they talk to Moses and everyone.
Numbers 13:27-28
27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.
We went there!
milk and honey!
But there are powerful people who live there. their cities are protected
But another one of the spies spoke up.
Numbers 13:30
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
Caleb speaks up and says this is possible.
Verse 31-33
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
So now we have a problem.
The Lord has promised these people that land. Moses sent spies to see the land.
everything the Lord said about it was true. but the Lord didn’t mention the people there.
Most of the spies say it can’t be done.
Caleb says it can be taken.
This is the:
Same Land Same Obstacle Same Promise
Different Responses
And we have some points we can see from this here:
Faith Has A Voice:
1: What You Say Reveals What You Believe!
The spies weren’t WRONG about what they saw. The city was protected.
There were giants in the land.
But THEY decided that Israel couldn’t take the land.
Caleb saw the exact same things…
he was confident it COULD be done. Why?
Because Caleb wasn’t looking at only Israel’s abilities.
he was trusting the Lord who was faithful all the way here. he was right about everything else getting here.
AND had promised the land. What Caleb said gives us an idea.
There Is A Difference Between Acknowledging A Problem And Surrendering To It!
You can say where you are…
and still know how big your God is!
You can state that you are having problems with finances… and still know He can fix it!
You can say that you have some health challenges… and still believe that you can be healed!
Just like in last month’s series:
You can NOT know what tomorrow is going to look like…
and STILL know that your future can still be full of hope!
When It Comes To Faith, You Can Say Where You Are Today And Still Believe Where You’ll Be Tomorrow!
But faith requires you to remember what you see isn’t all you know! The other spies didn’t realize this.
Because they did the opposite.
They SAW all the good things the land had.
They SAW the milk and honey…they SAW it’s fruit!
but THEN they SAW the problems…why they CAN’T have it!
All this is great….BUT the people are powerful! the cities are fortified!
there are giants there!!
Here’s the question:
What Do We Emphasize When We Speak?
I know God has been good…BUT.
I know God can make a way…BUT. I believe God is faithful…BUT.
and we want to believe God…then the BUT becomes the focus.
This is why they needed to reverse the order:
“There are giants in the land, BUT it does flow with milk and honey!” “There are people there with fortified cities…BUT HERE is the fruit!”
“The people might be stronger than us, BUT everything God said has been true!” We need to do the same reverse!
“Yeah my situation is difficult BUT God is faithful!”
“I don’t know how this is going to work out, BUT I know who I’m trusting!” “This seems impossible…BUT God is bigger!”
Faith Has A Voice:
2: Your Words Can Influence The Faith Of Others!
Let’s look at what Caleb said.
Numbers 13:30
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
So Caleb attempted to encourage others to say we can take the land.
Numbers 13:31-32
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.
It says here that the other 10 spies not only disagreed… but the spread a bad report among everyone else.
That bad report is caused more problems.
Numbers 14:1-4
That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
So that night all the people of the community raised their voices and cried. they held Moses and Aaron responsible for this.
Moses didn’t do anything!
But think of what the Israelites had seen up to this point! they CROSSED the red sea!
they’d seen the miracles only for them to get this far…
and the words of OTHERS crush them.
and those words turn them to the fears they had.
and makes them want to go back to the brokenness they came from!
But all this happened because their faith was shaken… it was shaken by the words of others.
Their Words Didn’t Just Show Their Unbelief. Their Words Helped Spread That Unbelief!
We have to think about our words. our words are powerful
We have to think about the things we say to each other. Because those words can influence others.
Think about the power of your words.
What happens when you constantly say negative things to your children? you tell them they’re stupid
you tell them they’re fat/skinny/weak
because you want them to be better…
or sometimes you just want YOU to feel better.
What happens when you constantly talk at work about what you wish someone else would do? What happens when you constantly talk negatively to your spouse?
What happens when church folks talk more about what isn’t happening instead of what they can do to help?
“Well we’re just trying to help.” “I’m going to tell the truth.” “I’m saying what needs to be said.”
Those statements have been more responsible for crushing people than you know.
The 10 spies told the truth…as they saw it. They were trying to help. they didn’t want to get their people killed.
they said what they thought needed to be said.
They might have wanted to warn the people…but it discouraged them instead. and now the entire community’s faith has been shattered.
Your Intentions May Explain Your Words, But They Don’t Excuse Their Impact!
Paul talks about this.
Ephesians 4:29
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
This isn’t about if what you’re saying is true or not…
it talks about what is HELPFUL for building others up… ACCORDING TO THEIR needs!
We have to be more careful to meet people where they are. “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it!”
Many households, marriages, and relationships remain broken year after year because we're more concerned with speaking the truth than speaking it in a way that actually builds people up.
The thing is it’s not the TRUTH that’s the problem.
The problem is when we use the truth without thinking about the person we’re talking to.
So if words can crush…
what about the opposite?
What if we remind people of what God CAN do? What about if we talk about our testimonies?
What if we encourage someone to do the right thing? what if the spies encouraged the people?
isn’t that what they were sent to do?
Caleb tries to do that.
he tries to speak against the wrong message being sent.
Faith Has A Voice:
3: Faith Must Be Willing To Speak Up
When the entire assembly wept…
Caleb speaks gain…and Joshua joins him. Those two speak up.
Numbers 14:7-9
7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
They are not allowing any fear to get in the way of their faith. If the Lord is pleased with us…he’ll lead us.
and he will GIVE it to us!
10 people spoke against the plan…2 spoke for it.
Faith Isn’t Always The Loudest Voice In The Room But It Shouldn’t Automatically Become The Quietest.
What I’m saying is speaking in faith means you might be talking different than others. You might have to encourage someone who’s given up.
You might have to remind someone of God’s faithfulness when others are discouraged.
And you MIGHT have to remind yourself that you didn’t just GET this far… you were brought this far…
and if you’re brought this far… there’s more you can go.
Joshua and Caleb are trying to steer the ship back right.
If You Allow Fear To Do All The Talking, Faith May Never Get A Chance To Be Heard!
So back to our first question:
What does our faith sound like?
When people listen to us…do they hear more of fear? or more of what his faithfulness looks like?
Do they hear someone who believes HE is still able?
Do they hear someone who can talk about their problems while still believing it’ll get better? Our Challenge here is not to pretend problems don’t exist.
a broken arm is still a broken arm. Our Challenge isn’t to deny our feelings.
Our challenge is to be more mindful about what you’re saying.
Don’t Let Your Fear Speak Louder Than Your Faith!
