Taffi Dollar - The Glory of Curiosity - Part 1
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Look over Proverbs 25, verse 2, stay curious because curiosity can cause God’s glory to manifest in your life. Can cause God’s goodness to manifest in your life. «What might God be seeking to reveal to me as I move through this life»? Ask yourself, what is it that God might be wanting to show to you in this stage and season of your life? What new discoveries might the Lord have for me as I journey on through these stages? In Proverbs chapter 25, he says, «It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter».
So, he says, «God’s glory can be concealed, but we as his children: kings, queens, he’s given us that honor to be able to search it out». And as a result, I believe as we search, and as we seek, and inquire, and desire, things will be revealed from us. So, there are so many things that have been concealed from the foundations of the world. But you know, he says, «Those secret things have been revealed to the children».
So, let’s look at Numbers chapter 14, verses 1 through 5 and verse 6, looking at how Joshua and Caleb were in a quest. They were inquisitive. They had interest concerning what was taking place during this time and this new season in their life. It says, «And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them, 'Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God, we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord brought us into this land, to fall by the sword.'» They were so upset. They were murmuring, they were complaining, they were mad with Aaron, mad with Moses.
He says, «That our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return to Egypt»? They would prefer to go back into bondage than to move forward because of what they were experiencing. And then it says here in verse 4, «And they said unto one another, 'Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.' Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel». Then verse 6, «And Joshua,» somebody say, «Joshua,» «the son of Nun and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that,» what? It was something that resonated with Joshua, it was something that resonated with Caleb. That they didn’t go with the crowd and how the others were feeling to wanna go back into bondage, to go back into Egypt.
But the scripture says here in verse 6, that Joshua and Caleb, «Which were of them that search the land». And the Bible says, «They rent their clothes». Skip down to verse 24. They were curious. They were like, «Why would God take us from bondage and then make us go back into bondage again? Why didn’t he take us the rest of the way? This makes no sense. Why should we complain because complaining isn’t going to change anything»? So, hmm, they said here in verse 24, «But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit».
I think Caleb was curious. He was searching some things out. Scripture says, «He had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it». We have to put some things together here because I believe that as we search, and seek, and inquire after God, and we become open to God, that he will begin to reveal some things to us that have been concealed from other people. You are the generation that’s gonna break the curses of previous generations. You’re gonna cause generational wealth to be passed down. You’re gonna end the trauma that’s been passed down through epigenetics and all the things that have occurred.
I love the fact that the Bible says that Caleb had a different spirit and he searched some things out. He inquired about some things and it was he who went over into the land, the promised land that God had for his children. How is it that even Peter, when he was in the boat and he saw Jesus walking on the water and Peter saw the miracle taking place, the great man of God walking on the water, Jesus, in the night, and Peter said, «Is that you? Am I seeing a man walk on the water? Is my mind tricking me? Did I have too much to drink last night»? He said, «Yeah, it’s me. It’s me». Peter said, «Can I come? Can I do it too? Am I allowed»? Jesus said, «Come. You can come. You can walk with me».
Peter was curious. So, I want you to raise your curiosity this morning because it is the first step of living a life of faith. Zacchaeus, over in Luke’s Gospel chapter 19, is the first step of living a life of faith. In verse 1, of Luke chapter 19, let’s look at that example here. Just throwing a couple of things out so you can catch this, «The Glory of Curiosity». Because Zacchaeus was a short guy, the scripture says, «He was short in stature,» but there was a tree that he really wanted to be able to see Jesus. And so, it says, «Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus».
I want y’all to see him that’s why you’re here, so you can see Jesus. But he, Zacchaeus, wanted to see Jesus. «I just wanna see him. I wanna see his face. I’ve heard so much about him. I’ve heard about his reputation, the things that he’s doing, and changing people’s lives, and transforming, turning things around. I’ve got to see this man». He sought to see Jesus who he was. He heard so many great things about him. Heard he was a drunkard and that he was a wine bibber and he was all kinds of stuff. He says, «And he could not because he was so short». «For the press, because he was little of stature». And I wanna encourage you this morning to climb the tree. Climb the tree so you can see Jesus. «He ran before him, climbed that tree to see him; for he was to pass that way».
Go to verse 5, «And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up». He looked up at Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was looking down at him and just like Jesus, he was looking up at him. «And he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, come down; for today I must abide at your house». Zacchaeus climbed the fig tree, the sycamore tree, excuse me, so that he could get a good look. Somebody say, «A good look». I want a good look. We have to ask ourselves, «Are we curious to see Jesus or are we caught up in the crowd»? 'Cause there are crowds and we can easily just get caught up so easily in so many things, amen.
The scripture talks about how all of creation in the Passion Translation somewhere that is on tiptoes. I think the King James says that, «All of creation is looking for the manifestations of the sons and the daughters of God to be revealed». There’s a curiosity in the world so that they’re looking to us. And so, that’s why we gotta look to Jesus to allow him to reveal in us and through us who we are. We can’t look to other things. We can’t look to the past 'cause there was probably some dysfunction back there, wrong believing. Fear, law-based, justification of works. But we got to look to him, the picture of grace, amen.
Look over at Psalms 34. Psalm 34 verse 8, in the New Living Translation, New living Translation. Thank you Lord. He says, «Taste and see that the Lord is good». I want you to be curious to see the good plan that God has for your life. 'Cause when you step out in faith and you begin to live a life of faith, you’ll see that he is good. And once you taste of his goodness, and you say, «You know, maybe I should let the pride go. Maybe I should recognize it. There is another way. Perhaps, God’s way is better than my way. God’s destiny is better than me figuring out my own destiny, and planning my own chart, and trying to go from doing it my way to tasting his will». He says, «Taste and see that the Lord is good». He says, «Oh, the joys». «Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him»!
So, when we exercise curiosity, it communicates two things. Number one, we have to admit that we do not have all the answers or we’re wrong. When we exercise curiosity, it says that I’m like a child. I don’t know. And what I have done didn’t work out. So, maybe I need to learn something new. Most of us have been brought up with a set of beliefs and values that was essentially inherited from our upbringing, from others in our environment and culture. We have to climb the tree of curiosity to see Jesus and to be open to possibilities, open to seeking new answers, open to following a new path. The second thing that happens when we exercise curiosity, we have to admit that there’s always more to learn. We haven’t figured it out yet.
I know, you know the Greek. I know, you know the Hebrew. Well, we hadn’t figured it all out. There’s so much more for us to know and to learn. Maybe because this is the Holy Spirit’s invitation for us to be curious to new things. New things, witty ideas, inventions. We get so stuck on nine to five corporate, thank God for it but honey, does he want you to do something else. Are you curious? «Do what»? «Invent». «What»? «Umbrella with a hat on it»? «What? That don’t even make sense». God will say, «Trust me». Taste, see if I’ll take you out of that six figure income over to eight figure income. «The Glory of Curiosity». New possibilities, new things, new ways of doing things, new doors that could be opened, new revelation. Not stuck on stuff that ain’t worked. It didn’t work back then I don’t know why we think it’s gonna work now.
Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 10 through 16, are you with me? This is kind of a long one but it says, «But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit». And that’s what I’m endeavoring to show you this morning. There are things that will be revealed that had been up to this point, been concealed. Perhaps from our parents, from our grandparents decades and centuries ago. He says, «But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit,» talking about the Holy Spirit, «searches out,» what? Not just some things but what? «Everything and shows us God’s,» what? «Deep secrets». Deep secrets, just keep going. «No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit,» amen.
How many of you receive God’s Spirit? If not, you can receive it today. It didn’t pass away. It hadn’t died out with the apostles. No, we received the baptism of the Holy Spirit that we could speak in other tongues. We can give God thanks well. He says, «We have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit). So we can know the wonderful things that God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain,» what? «Spiritual truths». But it’s gonna come by us spending time with the Holy Spirit. «But people who aren’t spiritual, they can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all,» what? «Sounds foolish to them». Probably sound kinda crazy.
Laura, when Tracy said, «I’m leaving my job». «Like girl, you better get your butt back on that Job». But you know what? Sometimes we don’t understand we have limited knowledge. God will speak to our children, God will put things on their heart, reveal things to us that perhaps are foreign. Think about Jesus when he was 12 years old in the temple. Like boy, you’re supposed to be playing video games. You supposed to be, you in the temple. Look at Luke chapter 2. God’s gonna do some things even with how you parent as a mother to show you even how curiosity can work in your parenting as a mom. Think about that. Because the Spirit, he says, «Everybody who is spiritual can receive the truth, but it sounds foolish to other people. They don’t understand it,» for those things that he reveals to us by his Spirit is spirit to spirit, deep to deep… amen?