1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,600 Everyone has a story of rebellion. 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:07,920 Some of you maybe have a couple. I've got a few myself. 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,400 You know, a few years ago, I was visiting my parents in Kansas 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,120 City, and we were in the living room. 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,880 And they're in the living room is one of my mother's treasured 6 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:20,280 vases who was sitting there in the corner. 7 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:24,880 And then she looked at it. She did You guys notice there's 8 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:28,640 a huge crack on the top? And as she got a little closer 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,760 to inspect it, she said, wait a second, there's a lot of cracks. 10 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,120 It looks like somebody glued this back together. 11 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,640 Then she looked at me. She looked at my siblings. 12 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,640 Do you guys know who did this? Well, you can probably guess who 13 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,360 it was. Guilty as charged. 14 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:49,800 You know, actually what had happened was almost 15 years 15 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:55,720 before then, maybe even 20. I had this big red kickball. 16 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:57,760 It was oversized. It was gigantic. 17 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,200 And I had one rule with it. You probably guess don't play 18 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:05,960 with it in the house. But my parents were gone, and 19 00:01:05,960 --> 00:01:09,840 there it was tempting me, and I thought a good game of kickball 20 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:11,280 would be a good idea in the house. 21 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,960 I kicked it. And I remember I knocked over a 22 00:01:14,960 --> 00:01:16,960 painting that was on the fireplace. 23 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,040 The painting fell and broke the vase. 24 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,360 What I do? Well we had super glue and so I 25 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,160 ran. I got the Super glue, I glued it 26 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:29,960 back together and I completely forgot about it. 27 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:37,640 Fast forward 1520 years later, my rebellion was found out. 28 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:42,560 The cracks gave way. My mother caught me, I repented, 29 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,120 I asked for forgiveness. She gladly forgave me. 30 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:51,080 We all laughed about it. Even you know the reality is we 31 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,520 all have little stories of rebellion. 32 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,120 Some of them are silly, maybe like that story. 33 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,520 Perhaps others of yours, even today, are more serious. 34 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,600 And you've taken the Super glue. You've tried to clean up your 35 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,840 mess. Your hope is that your story 36 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,080 will hold, that maybe you won't get found out. 37 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,560 And friend, the encouraging thing I want to present you with 38 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:26,800 today is that even rebels can find grace with Jesus Christ. 39 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:31,880 Maybe you walked in this morning hiding your rebellion. 40 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,760 Even as we confess in our statement of faith, friend, even 41 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:44,440 the greatest Sinner can find grace sufficient for them in the 42 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:47,880 power of the gospel. Brothers and sisters, we're back 43 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:52,160 in the book of Numbers today. If you don't have a Bible, maybe 44 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:54,240 you forgot it at home. Maybe you don't even own a 45 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:55,640 Bible. Just raise your hand. 46 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:58,640 We're going to be looking at 5 chapters of Numbers. 47 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,200 You will need a Bible. Just raise it. 48 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,160 Dawson's in the back. He's ready to bring you a Bible. 49 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,720 If you need a Bible, If you have your Bible, go ahead and turn 50 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,680 their Numbers chapter 16 through 20. 51 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,480 I'll recap the story because it's been about a month since 52 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,720 we've been in the book. After the Lord delivered his 53 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:22,000 people from slavery to Egypt, he prepared to lead them to the 54 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,040 promised land, but they had to go through the wilderness. 55 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,280 And if you remember, there was a pattern in the 1st 10 chapters 56 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,560 of the book. The pattern was simple. 57 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:36,240 The Lord spoke, the people obeyed, and no one died. 58 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:41,720 But the pattern was broken in chapters 11 through 15, the 59 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,840 pattern that we've been looking at, the new pattern was the 60 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:50,480 people complained, the people rebelled, and so God poured out 61 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,000 His judgement. So the journey that should have 62 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:59,240 just taken a few weeks ends up taking over 40 years because 63 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,800 when the 1st generation arrived at the promised land, they 64 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,600 refused to enter. You know, we sang on Jordan. 65 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:13,560 Stormy Banks just a minute ago, cast a wishful eye to Canaan's 66 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:17,720 fair and happy land. Well, that first generation 67 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:21,040 friends, their wishful eye was not towards Canaan. 68 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,720 It was towards Egypt. They didn't want to go to 69 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,520 heaven. They wanted to stay in the 70 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:32,400 world. In chapters 16 to 25 chapters, 71 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:36,080 the spotlight shifts. Now we're looking at Aaron. 72 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:38,880 It's about Aaron and the priesthood. 73 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,760 Now you won't be surprised. Chapter 16 begins with a 74 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:44,840 rebellion against Moses and Aaron. 75 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:52,480 But it is shocking that in chapter 20, Moses and Aaron are 76 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:58,760 the ones who rebel against God. And so even Moses and Aaron are 77 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,840 refused entry into the Promised Land. 78 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,640 Brothers and sisters, as we just read, we just had read to us in 79 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:12,800 First Corinthians, these things took place as an example for us. 80 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:19,400 So how can rebels like us dwell with a holy God in the Promised 81 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:21,320 Land? How? 82 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:27,360 Well, three things we must do. First, we must honour God's 83 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:29,200 chosen authority. So this is the outline of the 84 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,960 sermon. 3 points honour God's chosen authorities. 85 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:39,280 That's chapter 16 to 17. Second, we must receive God's 86 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:43,440 cleansing sacrifice, chapters 18 to 19. 87 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:51,320 And 3rd, we must fear God's patient holiness, chapter 20. 88 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:55,480 Now since there's five chapters that cover, if I read the whole 89 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:59,320 thing, that would be the sermon. I'm going to read some portions 90 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:01,840 and then I'm going to summarise some of the other sections. 91 00:06:01,840 --> 00:06:05,920 So 1st .1 honour God's chosen authorities. 92 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:10,440 Chapter 16 to 17 before I read just the structure real quick of 93 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:14,760 chapter 1617, there's a rebellion, then there's a sign, 94 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:19,800 then there's a second rebellion, and chapter 17 is another sign. 95 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:22,400 So that's the structure. The point of these chapters is a 96 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:27,640 warning. To reject God's authorities is 97 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:32,320 really to reject God himself. It starts with Korra's 98 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,400 rebellion. Look at verse 1 of chapter 16. 99 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:43,120 Now Korra, the son of Izhar, son of Co-op, son of Levi, and 100 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:47,840 Dathan, and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and on the son of Pileth, 101 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:53,600 sons of Reuben, took men, and they rose up before Moses with a 102 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:57,640 number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, 103 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:00,480 chosen from the assembly, well known men. 104 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:04,960 They assembled themselves together against Moses and 105 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:09,720 against Aaron, and said to them, You have gone too far, for all 106 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,280 in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord 107 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,640 is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves 108 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:22,120 above the assembly of the Lord? When Moses heard it, he fell on 109 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,720 his face, and he said to Cora and all his company. 110 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,880 In the morning the Lord will show who is his and who is holy, 111 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:34,560 and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will 112 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:36,520 bring near to him. Do this. 113 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,120 Take censors, Cora and all his company. 114 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,720 Put fire in them, and put incense on them before the Lord 115 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:47,200 tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy. 116 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,640 1 You have gone too far, sons of Levi. 117 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,960 And Moses said to Korra. Here now, you sons of Levi, is 118 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:59,640 it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has 119 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,880 separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring 120 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:06,880 you near to himself, to do service in the Tabernacle of the 121 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:10,320 Lord and to stand before the congregation, to minister to 122 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:12,920 them? And that he has brought you near 123 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,720 him and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you? 124 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:21,080 And would you seek the priesthood also? 125 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:26,280 Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company 126 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:30,120 have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble 127 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,280 against him? We'll pause there. 128 00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:37,440 So notice the rebellion begins with three groups. 129 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:42,400 You have Cora who's a kothite, you have 3 Rubenites, Dathan, a 130 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:47,720 Byram and on and they take 250 leaders from all the tribes and 131 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,160 they gather against Moses and Aaron. 132 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:54,920 If you look at verse one on is mentioned but he's never 133 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:56,240 mentioned again in the narrative. 134 00:08:56,560 --> 00:09:01,440 It seems like he changes his mind maybe on repents but still 135 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:06,080 we have to ask why are Koathites and Rubenites leading a 136 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,200 rebellion? What do they want? 137 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,400 Well, to understand the answer, really, to see the start of the 138 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,600 rebellion and the heart of the rebellion, we really have to go 139 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:17,800 back to numbers, Chapters 3 and 4. 140 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:19,960 That's where we found out the camp structure. 141 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:25,040 So the structure of the camp is that the 12 tribes are gathered 142 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:28,760 around the tent of Meeting, and there on the South side of the 143 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:33,960 camp are the Rubenites and the Koathites together. 144 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,800 It seems there's some neighborly gossip, some grumbling was 145 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:39,920 stirring. That's the start of the 146 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:41,760 rebellion. What about the heart? 147 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,400 Well, the heart of the rebellion is about holiness. 148 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,200 Remember the camp structure? There's gradations of holiness. 149 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:51,160 So you have the very centre of the camp. 150 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:54,440 That's the tent of meeting. And then around the tent of 151 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:58,560 meeting were the priests. 1 ring further the Levites and 152 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:03,000 Coethites were Levites, and then one ring further was everyone 153 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,200 else. And this very structure was 154 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,480 under attack. You can hear the attack in verse 155 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:12,760 three. They accuse Moses and Aaron, 156 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:17,960 hey, everyone in the camp is holy, which in some sense is 157 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:19,600 true. If you remember the end of 158 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:23,640 chapter 15, they're all holy to the Lord, but there are 159 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:27,360 gradations of holiness. And so they accuse Moses and 160 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:31,160 Aaron. You guys are exalting yourselves 161 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,880 above everyone else. Now Moses responds to Cora. 162 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:41,680 He says, isn't it enough that the Lord's already separated you 163 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:43,440 to serve him? He's brought you near. 164 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,520 Remember, Korra was a Levite. He's a Coathite. 165 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,320 He's already been separated from everyone else, and he gets to 166 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:52,560 serve the Lord in a distinct manner. 167 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:58,080 But Korra, Moses says, wants Aaron's priesthood also. 168 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:03,440 And Moses calls Dathan in a Byram in verses 12 to 15. 169 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:06,760 He calls them up. They refuse to come. 170 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:11,440 Dathan and Abaram say to Moses, hey, you brought us out of 171 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:15,520 Egypt. You brought us out of that land 172 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,160 flowing with milk and honey. I mean, that's not Egypt. 173 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:20,840 That's the promised land. But not to them. 174 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:26,320 And they say, you brought us out to kill us in the wilderness. 175 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,800 You make yourself a Prince over us. 176 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:36,320 So what's happening here? Kora strives for the priesthood. 177 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:41,800 Dathan and Abiram attack Moses's authority like Satan before him. 178 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:48,280 Korra grasp for greater glory. Being a Levite is not enough. 179 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:53,360 He wants to be a priest. And Dathan and Abiram, they're 180 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,640 dead wrong about Moses. Moses did not make himself 181 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:00,600 priest over them. Moses gave up being a priest in 182 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:07,200 Egypt to serve them. The Lord chose Moses, the Lord 183 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,800 chose Aaron. So ultimately this rebellion, 184 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:15,960 it's not against Moses, it's not against Aaron, this is a 185 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:22,800 rebellion against the Lord. And so in verses 16 to 30, to 186 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:26,440 protect the priesthood, Moses sets up two tests. 187 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,520 And if you look there in those verses, these are two tests that 188 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:35,960 cannot be accomplished other than God himself acting the 1st 189 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:38,120 test. He tells Kora, he says, Kora, 190 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:43,320 you the 250 men and Aaron, you take censors and you go and burn 191 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:46,160 incense before the Lord at the tent of meeting. 192 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,760 So Kora does that, but he also assembles the whole 193 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:53,120 congregation. He wants to show, he wants to 194 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:57,560 show who is the chosen one. But the glory of the Lord 195 00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:00,720 appears. And if so far in the Book of 196 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:06,560 Numbers, when the glory of the Lord appears, we know judgments 197 00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:09,600 coming. And so the Lord, the Lord warns 198 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,560 Moses and Aaron, He says he's going to consume everyone. 199 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,160 But Moses and Aaron intercede for the congregation. 200 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,720 So the Lord tells them, OK, tell the congregation to separate, 201 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:24,600 separate from Cora and Dathan and Abiram. 202 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:28,200 And that's what Moses does. He warns everyone, depart from 203 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:34,160 them lest you be swept away with all their sins, and many do, 204 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,440 many do depart, many are saved. Moses gives the second test. 205 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:43,600 He tells the congregation, here's how you will know who 206 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:47,800 despises the Lord. If the Lord swallows them up in 207 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:52,360 the ground and they go down into the ground alive, then you'll 208 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:56,520 know they despise the Lord. And immediately look at verse 209 00:13:56,520 --> 00:14:01,280 31. As soon as he had finished 210 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:05,840 speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart, 211 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,440 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their 212 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:15,800 households and all the people who belong to Cora and all their 213 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,680 goods. And look at verse 35. 214 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:26,400 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men 215 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:33,560 offering the incense. Friends, the Lord could not be 216 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:37,360 clearer. Dathan and Abiram refused to 217 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:41,600 come up to Moses, so God sent them down in the Sheol. 218 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,320 Korra wanted the privilege to burn incense like the priests, 219 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:52,240 so God set him ablaze. God is a consuming fire, and 220 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:59,400 rebellion ends in destruction. But after the rebellion, there's 221 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:01,960 a warning sign. Look at verses 36 through 40. 222 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,360 Remember the structure? There's rebellion, then there's 223 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,640 a sign. Moses tells Eleazar, Aaron's 224 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:12,000 son. He says, turn those 250 censors 225 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:16,640 into a sign, hammer them and cover the altar with them as a 226 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:20,600 warning sign to everyone so that everyone would know that only 227 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:24,800 priests can draw near to the Lord to burn incense. 228 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:32,120 So what's the lesson for Israel? God's ordained distinctions must 229 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:37,960 be respected, not rejected. Think of how Moses and Aaron 230 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:41,080 have been using their authority. They've been given authority by 231 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:45,880 God to serve the camp. Moses and Aaron sacrifice for 232 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:49,080 the camp. They say follow us, listen to 233 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:53,560 us, draw near to God through us, and we will guide you and we 234 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:55,440 will make it to the Promised Land. 235 00:15:56,360 --> 00:16:03,240 But Korra saw that distinction. He felt slighted when he saw 236 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:06,760 Aaron lead, when he saw him burn incense. 237 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:11,040 It was like putting salt in his wounds, like putting a knife in 238 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,400 his own back. And notice the progression. 239 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:19,600 Rebellion against God begins with the rejection of God's 240 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,320 authorities. The roots of that rejection 241 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:28,200 sprouted from the sin of envy as Cora grasped for Aaron's office, 242 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:33,000 and that envy spread there on the South side as they grumbled 243 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:37,440 and they complained together. What's the lesson for us, 244 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,280 friends? We need to beware of envy in our 245 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:47,240 hearts and even the influence of our friends, especially with 246 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:51,320 regard to rejecting God's authorities in our lives. 247 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:56,880 Now, in God's wisdom, He's placed every one of us under 248 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:00,640 authority, every one of us in this room, children are under 249 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:04,040 the authority of their parents, wives are under the authority of 250 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:08,040 their husbands, employees under bosses, students under teachers, 251 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:12,359 citizens under governments, members under elders, elders 252 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:18,560 under the whole congregation. God's chosen authorities are for 253 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,359 our good. But what does envy do? 254 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:28,440 Envy drives us to strive for and then reject the very authorities 255 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:30,560 God's placed in our lives for our good. 256 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:36,200 We're like kora. We're like kora When we yearn 257 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:38,600 for platforms that are out of our reach. 258 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:43,080 We're like kora. When we strive to climb the next 259 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:47,680 rung on the ladder, no matter the cost, we're like Kora when 260 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:53,080 we fail to honour the leaders God's placed and appointed in 261 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:58,600 our very lives. Brothers and sisters, how have 262 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:02,040 you failed to honour the authorities God's placed over 263 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,960 you? It would be a good question to 264 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,440 talk about with one another after the service or over lunch. 265 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:11,720 To keep our hearts from this sin. 266 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:17,400 To keep our hearts from envy, we must instead learn to honour. 267 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,600 You know, we could Daydream about the day when we'll be on 268 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:25,760 top. Or we could privately pray for 269 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:29,640 the authorities God's placed over us and even praise God 270 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:31,600 privately for the good that we see. 271 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:37,960 We could grumble and gossip about our boss kids, about your 272 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:44,400 parents, wives, about your husband, or we could publicly 273 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:47,160 honour the authorities God's placed over us. 274 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:51,800 We could point out even the good that we see to others. 275 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:56,320 And we can be easily influenced by the sin and the grumbling of 276 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:59,120 others. You know, years ago when the 277 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:02,880 church father Augustine was a teenager, he reflected on his 278 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:07,640 teenage years and he remembers stealing pears with his friends. 279 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:11,320 Here's the thing, Augustine would never have stole pears by 280 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:15,560 himself, but when he's with his friends, that's what he does. 281 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:19,400 He reflects on that moment and he says, why did I derive 282 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:24,000 pleasure from an act I would never have done on my own? 283 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:29,320 I'm sure you've all been there, Augustine said. 284 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:34,800 Friendship can be a dangerous enemy, so beware of those 285 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:39,280 influences in your life that are causing you to reject the 286 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,360 authorities God's placed over you. 287 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:49,120 Now, Kora and the rebels were gone in verse 41, but their 288 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:52,960 influence remained in the camp. So in verse 41, a second 289 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:58,400 rebellion arises, but this time it's the whole congregation. 290 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:04,800 Look at verse 41. But on the next day all the 291 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:08,000 congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses 292 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,080 and against Aaron. Saying, You have killed the 293 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,800 people of the Lord. And when the congregation had 294 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:19,320 assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned 295 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:23,320 toward the tent of meeting. And behold, the cloud covered 296 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,320 it. And the glory of the Lord 297 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:28,240 appeared. And Moses and Aaron came to the 298 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,640 front of the tent of meeting. And the Lord spoke to Moses 299 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:36,960 saying, Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may 300 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:42,160 consume them in a moment. And they fell on their faces. 301 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:48,120 And Moses said to Aaron, Take your sensor and put fire on it 302 00:20:48,120 --> 00:20:52,000 from off the altar, and lay incense on it, and carry it 303 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:56,080 quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them. 304 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:02,560 For wrath has gone out from the Lord, and the plague has begun. 305 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:07,880 So Aaron took it, as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the 306 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:11,240 assembly. And behold, the plague had 307 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:16,120 already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and 308 00:21:16,120 --> 00:21:21,640 made atonement for the people, and he stood between the dead 309 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,960 and the living, and the plague was stopped. 310 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:33,280 Now those who died in the plague were 14,700 besides those who 311 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:37,360 died in the affair of Korra and Aaron returned to Moses at the 312 00:21:37,360 --> 00:21:43,000 entrance of the Tent of Meaning when the plague was stopped. 313 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:50,200 Friends, the congregation does not heed the warning sign. 314 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:56,640 They grumble, they assemble, the glory of the Lord appears. 315 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:01,160 And this time Moses and Aaron cannot intercede for the 316 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,120 innocent, because no one's innocent now. 317 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:12,000 And so Aaron the high priest runs into God's wrath with his 318 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:17,280 censor, and he makes atonement. 14,700 die. 319 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:22,760 But how many more would have if Aaron had not stood between the 320 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:28,080 dead and the living friends? This is the purpose of the 321 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:32,280 priesthood, Korra thought. He could get the priesthood to 322 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:34,000 maybe have a platform for himself. 323 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:39,080 Aaron shows us the priesthood is for the sacrificial service of 324 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:43,120 others. This is a picture of godly 325 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:46,240 leadership. Authority that protects, 326 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:51,480 authority that loves and serves and sacrifices for others, 327 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:58,160 authority that risks death for the lives of others. 328 00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:03,680 Brothers and sisters, this is a picture of Jesus Christ. 329 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,600 Now, it's raining quite a bit right now, so you need to pay 330 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:12,280 attention to this moment, especially because here we see a 331 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:16,800 picture not only of Christ, but also a picture of ourselves. 332 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:21,120 We are the congregation. Don't you see that in this text? 333 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:23,680 We've rebelled against the holy God. 334 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:27,720 We've ignored the warning signs. We've rejected God's 335 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,880 authorities. We've rebelled against God 336 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,600 himself. And So what do we deserve? 337 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:39,440 We rightly deserve God's wrath. We rightly deserve to be 338 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:43,560 consumed by fire. We rightly deserve to be 339 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:48,480 swallowed up into the depths of the earth. 340 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:54,160 Friends, that's the fate that sinners who rebel against God 341 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:57,440 deserve. We need a mediator. 342 00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:00,960 We need someone to stand between US and God. 343 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:06,000 We need someone to run into God's wrath and to save us. 344 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:10,000 And of course, friends, that's Jesus Christ. 345 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:16,880 Jesus, unlike Cora, did not grasp for the priesthood, but he 346 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,240 received it. Like Aaron, he was appointed 347 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:26,800 priest forever by God. Jesus was righteous, but Jesus 348 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:33,000 died on the cross for rebels. Jesus himself bore God's wrath, 349 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,560 and he rose victorious over the grave. 350 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:41,280 And he stands between the living and the dead, and he's ready to 351 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:49,320 extend mercy and forgiveness and grace and love to all rebels who 352 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:52,320 would repent of their sins and trust in him. 353 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:59,080 So, friend, if you've not trusted in Christ, if you're 354 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:03,560 still holding onto your rebellion, turn from your sin 355 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:12,280 and trust in Jesus Christ and be saved after this rebellion. 356 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:17,680 Remember rebellion, sign, rebellion. 357 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:20,480 There's another sign in chapter 17. 358 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:25,960 In chapter 17, Aaron's priesthood is vindicated. 359 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:30,600 Again, we're not going to read the whole chapter, but if you 360 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:35,680 think about it, what happens is God tells Moses to gather up all 361 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:39,720 the tribes and have the leaders write their names on a staff. 362 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:43,360 Those Staffs are put before the tent of meeting. 363 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:48,400 And the purpose of this test is to stop all the grumbling, stop 364 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,600 questioning who the leader is. God's going to make it apparent 365 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:53,480 who it is. And so they gather all the 366 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:55,800 Staffs. They put them before the tent of 367 00:25:55,800 --> 00:26:00,440 meeting and God says the one which blooms, that will be the 368 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,480 God's chosen leader. And so look what happens in 369 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:10,520 verse 8, chapter 17, verse 8, on the next day, Moses went into 370 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:15,320 the tent of the testimony and behold, the staff of Aaron for 371 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,680 the House of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced 372 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:23,920 blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 373 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:29,240 And in verse 10, we see that staff is then chosen as a sign 374 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:34,200 for the rebels to make an end of their grumblings, lest they end 375 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:41,320 up like Cora, lest they die. The only staff to sprout is 376 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,600 errands. And the staff not only sprouts, 377 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:50,280 it put forth buds. It produced blossoms, even bore 378 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:52,960 ripe almonds. Think about it. 379 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:57,560 The staff was dead, and through God's supernatural, miraculous 380 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:02,480 work, the staff is alive. It's like a tree of life. 381 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:06,080 And so the high priest Aaron is vindicated before everyone. 382 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:11,160 Everyone should know that he is God's chosen priest. 383 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:17,520 The staff's a sign to everyone that the way to draw near to God 384 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:23,960 is through his chosen priest. But notice the people's response 385 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:29,440 at the end of the chapter. They say, Behold, we perish. 386 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,920 We are undone, we are all undone. 387 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:38,160 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the Tabernacle of 388 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:43,160 the Lord shall die. And the chapter ends with this 389 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:47,920 question. Are we all to perish? 390 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:51,320 Now they actually get one part right here. 391 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:56,600 On the one hand, they now understand that if a rebel tries 392 00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:01,040 to draw near to God on his own, he'll die. 393 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,120 That's right. And yet they're missing the 394 00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:09,520 other half of the equation, that God has provided a way for 395 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:13,880 rebels to live with a holy God in the wilderness through the 396 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,680 priesthood. And so the very thing they cry 397 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:25,640 for in chapter 17 is what chapters 18 and 19 are about. 398 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,560 Chapters 18 and 19 answer their cry. 399 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,640 How can we dwell with God in the promised land? 400 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:45,040 The answer, chapters 18 and 19. So point 2.2, receive God's 401 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:49,840 cleansing sacrifice. Now before we dive into these 402 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:54,560 chapters, we're moving. We're shifting from story to 403 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,240 speeches. You could say we're shifting 404 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,560 from narrative to law. You might be wondering as you 405 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,640 read the Book of Numbers, why are there narratives? 406 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:05,560 And then kind of all of a sudden it seems like we're reading 407 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:08,320 about laws. Well, the narrative set up the 408 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:13,880 need for the law, and then the laws reflect on the narrative. 409 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:18,360 So that's what's happening here. In other words, these speeches 410 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:23,920 are the answer to the Israelites plight at the end of chapter 17. 411 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:28,080 At the end of chapter 17 they say are we all to perish? 412 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:34,000 And chapter 18 answers no, not if you draw near through God's 413 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,760 priests. And chapter 19 answers no, not 414 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:41,600 if you receive God's cleansing sacrifice. 415 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:46,080 Now chapters 18 and 19 are made-up of five speeches. 416 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:48,920 The first four are in chapter 18. 417 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:50,920 Those are all about the priesthood. 418 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,320 Chapter 19, speech is about purification. 419 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:58,360 So first chapter 18, the priesthood, we're not going to 420 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:00,960 read all the speeches, but we're going to read the first one. 421 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:06,680 So the first speech, chapter 18, verses one to seven, look in 422 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:12,360 your Bibles, one to seven. So the Lord said to Aaron, You 423 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:16,240 and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear 424 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:20,760 iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons 425 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:24,160 with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. 426 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:28,720 And with you Bring your brothers also the tribe of Levi, the 427 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:33,000 tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to 428 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,480 you. While you and your sons with you 429 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:37,720 are before the tent of the testimony. 430 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:43,080 They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but you 431 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:46,640 shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to 432 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:50,080 the altar, lest they and you die. 433 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:54,800 They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting 434 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:59,320 for all the services of the tent, and no outsider shall come 435 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:02,280 near you. And you shall keep guard over 436 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:06,320 the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never 437 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:09,240 again be wrath on the people of Israel. 438 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:14,480 And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among 439 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:18,200 the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to 440 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:23,400 the Lord to do the service of the tent of meeting, and you and 441 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:27,400 your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that 442 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:31,840 concerns the altar, and that is within the veil, and you shall 443 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:34,360 serve. I give your priesthood as a 444 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:40,440 gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death. 445 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:48,000 So here we see the job of the Levites and the priests. 446 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:50,040 It can be summed up with two words. 447 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:54,120 Guard and keep and notice their roles. 448 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,440 They're complementary, but they're distinct. 449 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:01,720 The Levites are like a buffer zone, protecting God's people 450 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:05,440 from God's holy presence. They stand between the 451 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:10,360 congregation and the priests, and still the priests are like a 452 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:13,760 buffer zone. They too protect the tent of 453 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:18,560 meeting from any, even Levites trespassing like Cora tried to 454 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:21,280 do. So they work together. 455 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:25,720 They protect one another. And this is the very thing Cora 456 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:28,520 was attacking. Think about what Cora did. 457 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:33,080 It's like he walked up to a dam and thought, well, what? 458 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:35,440 What happens if I pull a couple of these bricks out? 459 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:37,960 Well, there's going to be a flood. 460 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:41,800 Everyone's going to be ruined. That's what Kora did. 461 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:49,000 The priesthood was put in place to keep everyone alive, not to 462 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:52,120 be rejected. And think about the relationship 463 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:54,240 between the priesthood and the people. 464 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:56,760 So we see these in the remaining speeches. 465 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:00,480 They're reciprocal. So the priests shield the people 466 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:05,400 from God's wrath, and then the people in return give to God the 467 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:07,200 first fruits of their provisions. 468 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:12,960 And God uses this to provide sustenance, the livelihood of 469 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:16,840 the priests. Now the 12 tribes of Israel are 470 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,480 heading into the promised land and they're going to inherit 471 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:23,160 land. But here we see specified the 472 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,600 Levites and the priests. They don't get any land, but 473 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:30,800 they get the best portion. Their inheritance is the Lord 474 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:34,040 himself. And to further support the 475 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:38,480 priests, the Levites receive a tithe from all the other tribes 476 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:40,160 of Israel. And think about it, it makes 477 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:42,840 sense. There's 12 tribes, so each tribe 478 00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:47,600 gives 110th to the Levites. So the Levites receive basically 479 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:52,080 what everyone else has, and then the Levites take that tithe and 480 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:55,640 they tithe from that to the priests, which is a smaller 481 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:57,680 subset, and they provide for them. 482 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:05,240 So Korra's rebellion led to chaos and division and death, 483 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:10,520 but God intended his camp to run like an orchestra. 484 00:34:11,639 --> 00:34:15,360 You know, there's a conductor, maybe that's Moses, there are 485 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,400 distinctions, there's first chair, maybe that's Aaron. 486 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:22,280 But the, the whole point of an orchestra is that they play 487 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:25,840 together. And if they do that, if everyone 488 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,400 plays their part, they can make some beautiful music. 489 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,159 You know, earlier we were singing and on Jordan, Stormy 490 00:34:34,159 --> 00:34:36,840 Banks, and we didn't even write it in the bulletin. 491 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,440 It doesn't say men sing this part, women sing this part. 492 00:34:40,679 --> 00:34:43,840 But there's a beautiful harmony when we each sing our parts 493 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:45,679 together. And to be by God's grace, I 494 00:34:45,679 --> 00:34:48,199 think we sounded pretty good today in the service. 495 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:52,199 All the glory to Christ. You know, today in the church 496 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:57,040 there's also a reciprocal relationship between the priests 497 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:00,000 and the leaders. You know, so in one sense, we're 498 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,840 all a priesthood of believers. That's one big difference. 499 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:05,760 As we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament, 500 00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:11,320 it's the job of every church member to guard and to keep the 501 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:16,240 gospel, but not every church member has the same job. 502 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:21,320 So for us to do this faithful ministry, God has established 503 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:25,760 elders in the church to equip the Saints for the work of 504 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:28,880 ministry. And like in numbers, there's a 505 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:30,560 reciprocal relationship. Think about it. 506 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:35,960 The elders teach, they equip, they teach, they model, they 507 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:38,640 practice the very things they preach with their own lives. 508 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:43,280 And by doing that, members are equipped and the whole body 509 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:46,360 starts doing the ministry. The whole body starts building 510 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:50,520 itself up, and God receives all the glory. 511 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:53,000 Now everyone has a different role. 512 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:58,200 Every part of the body is different, but every part is 513 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:00,760 necessary for the body to function. 514 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,040 So if you're a member of our church and you're still 515 00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:05,520 wondering what, well, where do I fit in? 516 00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,280 What's my role? Let me encourage you. 517 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:14,360 Simply fill the gaps. As you notice there's needs in 518 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:17,280 the congregation. Perhaps the Lord is equipping 519 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:22,240 you and providing you to be the very one that fills the needs 520 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:24,880 that you see. And by God's grace, brothers and 521 00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:29,240 sisters, so many of you are doing this so well. 522 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,960 Praise the Lord. Let's see it happen even more 523 00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:37,680 and more. And in the church, there's also 524 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:42,440 a reciprocal relationship between those who receive a 525 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:45,920 spiritual benefit, providing for those who are teaching God's 526 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:48,520 Word to the people. That's very similar to the 527 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:51,920 Israelites and the priests. There is a difference, though. 528 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:57,440 You know that word tithe that's used in numbers after Christ's 529 00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:01,400 resurrection, the word tithe completely disappears from the 530 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:04,080 New Testament. It completely disappears. 531 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:06,960 But instead Paul gives principles for giving. 532 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,480 He says, first, you should primarily give to those people 533 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,320 who are providing you spiritual benefit, which would be the 534 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,520 passage of your own church. So from that we take you should 535 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:18,880 primarily be giving to your own local church. 536 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:23,440 But also, Paul doesn't just prescribe a percentage. 537 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,920 This is fascinating. Instead, he prescribes a posture 538 00:37:28,240 --> 00:37:30,440 of the heart. Paul encourages in Second 539 00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:33,600 Corinthians 8:00 and 9:00 that our giving should be cheerful 540 00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:39,560 and regular and sacrificial. And in the Lord's Providence, in 541 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:43,400 his kindness, the congregation here is already being equipped 542 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:46,640 for the work of ministry. Members are giving cheerfully 543 00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:49,960 and sacrificially to provide for the ministry of the church. 544 00:37:50,720 --> 00:37:55,760 This is all the Lord's kindness to us and I think in many ways 545 00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:01,000 our little church plant and our unity we have and the body 546 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:06,600 working together is bringing praise and honour and glory to 547 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:10,760 Jesus Christ. He gets all the glory when we do 548 00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:16,600 our job, which is to work and keep and guard the gospel and 549 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,040 pass it on to the next generation. 550 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:24,240 So those are the speeches about priesthood in chapter 19. 551 00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:27,040 The laws shift. Now we're talking about 552 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,520 purification. But you might be wondering so 553 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:34,720 why purity now? The reason is because 15,000 554 00:38:34,720 --> 00:38:37,320 people dropped dead in the wilderness in the previous 555 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:44,280 chapter and dead bodies means you can be polluted and defiled 556 00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:47,480 from approaching the Lord. And if you remember, the whole 557 00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:51,240 first generation has been told by God because of their 558 00:38:51,240 --> 00:38:54,440 unfaithfulness, they're all going to drop dead in the 559 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:56,880 wilderness. So this journey to the promised 560 00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:00,120 land is going to have a lot of dead bodies. 561 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:03,040 It's going to bring a lot of corpse pollution. 562 00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:07,440 It's going to mean that they need cleansing, they need 563 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:10,160 purification. And that's exactly what chapter 564 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:12,440 19 is about. I'll just read the first 3 565 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:17,640 verses, chapter 19. Now the Lord spoke to Moses and 566 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:21,480 Aaron, saying, this is the statute of the law that the Lord 567 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:24,720 has commanded. Tell the people of Israel to 568 00:39:24,720 --> 00:39:28,440 bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no 569 00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:33,040 blemish, and on which a yoke has never come, and you shall bring 570 00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:37,880 it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be taken outside the camp 571 00:39:38,440 --> 00:39:43,080 and slaughtered before him. So here's what's supposed to 572 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,800 happen. They're supposed to find a red 573 00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:50,280 heifer, and Aaron's son Eleazar takes that red heifer, brings it 574 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:54,600 outside of the camp, slaughters it, burns it to ashes. 575 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:58,680 And then those ashes are used for the waters of impurity, 576 00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:03,000 basically for cleansing waters. And so if you think about it, 577 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:07,120 the ashes in the Water Act like an instant offering to the Lord. 578 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:10,720 You know, it's kind of like for some of you who drink instant 579 00:40:10,720 --> 00:40:12,920 coffee. Personally, I don't recommend 580 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:15,000 it, but for those of you who do, it's totally fine. 581 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:16,600 It's edible. When I'm camping in the 582 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:19,040 wilderness, I choose to go that route also. 583 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:21,040 But this is kind of what it was like. 584 00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:24,720 Instant coffee. All you do is add the water to 585 00:40:24,720 --> 00:40:27,120 the coffee grounds and you can have your coffee. 586 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:30,560 That's what's happening here in verse 18. 587 00:40:30,960 --> 00:40:35,760 Anyone unclean by a corpse must have a clean person. 588 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:39,880 Sprinkle this water on them twice, once on the third day and 589 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:42,120 once on the 7th day. And there's a warning here. 590 00:40:42,720 --> 00:40:47,760 Whoever fails to be cleansed must be cut off from God's 591 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:52,280 people, because failure to be cleansed from death is a 592 00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:58,560 rejection of the God of life. Failure to be cleansed aligns 593 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:01,720 yourself more with that first generation that's dying in the 594 00:41:01,720 --> 00:41:06,320 wilderness and less with the second generation that's bound 595 00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:12,000 for the Promised land. Now, our modern ears, my 596 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:14,800 struggle with cleansing, ritual cleansing. 597 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:18,720 Why do we need cleansing? I mean, we wash our dishes, we 598 00:41:18,720 --> 00:41:21,880 clean our toilets, you know, we take showers. 599 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:28,160 The cleansing here points to something deeper, something that 600 00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:30,440 I think many of us understand instinctually. 601 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:34,040 You know, even if you're not a Christian, perhaps you talk 602 00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:38,320 about needing a moral reformation or just needing a 603 00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:43,160 fresh start, or even think about the reality that you can take a 604 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:46,880 shower and still feel dirty on the inside. 605 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:49,440 That's what this cleansing is getting at. 606 00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:51,760 It's getting at a deeper problem. 607 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:56,120 It's getting at the issue that we need to be clean on the 608 00:41:56,120 --> 00:42:00,320 inside. And friends, the author of 609 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:07,280 Hebrews in Chapter 9, verses 13 and 14, refers to this very red 610 00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:12,160 heifer sacrifice, and he points to the blood of Jesus Christ. 611 00:42:12,160 --> 00:42:17,960 Let me read just those verses. He says if the sprinkling of 612 00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:22,320 defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer sanctify for the 613 00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:25,560 purification of the flesh. And here's the important part 614 00:42:25,560 --> 00:42:32,600 for us. How much more will the blood of 615 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:39,040 Christ, the blood that cleanses us, even purifies our 616 00:42:39,240 --> 00:42:43,520 consciences from dead works to serve the living God. 617 00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:49,280 That red heifer sacrifice pointed beyond itself to the 618 00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:55,440 blood of Jesus Christ. Many of us sing what can wash 619 00:42:55,440 --> 00:43:01,640 away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 620 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:06,240 And friends, if you've trusted in Jesus, you've been cleansed 621 00:43:06,240 --> 00:43:10,120 by Jesus. Your conscience is clean, and 622 00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:15,800 he's cleansed you and saved you to serve him and to serve one 623 00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:18,880 another. You know, in numbers here, this 624 00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:24,240 ritual of cleansing was required even by clean Israelites. 625 00:43:24,240 --> 00:43:27,520 It didn't have to be a priest. And as we turn into the New 626 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:31,960 Testament, as we journey to the promised land together, that's 627 00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:36,760 our job with one another. Our job is to cleanse and to 628 00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:40,200 serve one another. This looks like in many ways, 629 00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:41,880 what we talked about in Sunday school this morning. 630 00:43:41,880 --> 00:43:46,960 For those of you who are there, confession and repentance, you 631 00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:51,240 know, first John says if we walk in the light as he is in the 632 00:43:51,240 --> 00:43:53,880 light, we have fellowship with one another. 633 00:43:54,800 --> 00:44:02,000 And the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 634 00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:06,160 You know, last week it was a lot different than today. 635 00:44:06,160 --> 00:44:08,360 It was not raining all week. It was sunny. 636 00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:12,800 And our staff meetings for the most part were scheduled 637 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:16,160 outside. Because it is amazing and 638 00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:21,200 beautiful to bask in the warmth of the sunlight. 639 00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:23,160 And it's even better to do it together. 640 00:44:23,560 --> 00:44:27,480 Friends, that's a picture of confession and repentance. 641 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:32,120 God is light. In Him is no darkness at all. 642 00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:38,240 Sin tempts us to isolate, to move away from our brothers and 643 00:44:38,240 --> 00:44:41,800 sisters. To think I need to clean myself 644 00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:44,680 up before I come to church, before I share this with a 645 00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:48,000 brother or sister. Much better if I tell them, oh, 646 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:51,240 a few months ago this happened and you know I haven't told 647 00:44:51,240 --> 00:44:52,440 anyone. But I'm telling you now, 648 00:44:52,680 --> 00:44:57,600 friends, brothers and sisters, we are charged with cleansing 649 00:44:57,600 --> 00:45:00,880 one another with the good news of the gospel. 650 00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:04,680 Those who are Christians are not those who stop sinning all 651 00:45:04,680 --> 00:45:08,800 together. There are those who continue 652 00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:12,400 walking in the light, dragging their sin into the light, 653 00:45:12,600 --> 00:45:16,440 repenting of that sin. Following Christ and Christian 654 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:22,640 community is 1 where the celebration of repentance is 655 00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:27,920 ordinary, where we remind one another of the cleansing freedom 656 00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:32,440 and the power and the goodness of the gospel. 657 00:45:33,160 --> 00:45:36,800 And so, brothers and sisters, as members of the Church, let's 658 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:42,360 cultivate virtues like honesty and transparency. 659 00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:48,880 Let's pray that we be people of integrity and wholeness, that 660 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:52,160 when we share a meal together and when we share a coffee 661 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:55,640 together and when we're walking around our neighborhoods and 662 00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:59,000 sharing meals in our homes that were regularly enjoying the 663 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:03,280 refreshment and the joy of walking in the light. 664 00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:11,800 Friends, there is freedom and there is joy available today for 665 00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:14,560 you. If you've never made that step 666 00:46:14,720 --> 00:46:18,480 into the light yet you can do that today and find freedom in 667 00:46:18,480 --> 00:46:22,480 Christ. Now we turn to the final 668 00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:32,520 chapter, chapter 20, chapter 20. We find that even our leaders 669 00:46:32,520 --> 00:46:37,800 are fallen. Even in Moses and Aaron, we have 670 00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:47,370 men who fail to follow God. I have to drink a lot of water 671 00:46:47,370 --> 00:46:51,680 right now because when that rain pours, I'm yelling basically. 672 00:46:51,960 --> 00:46:55,120 So appreciate you paying attention, diving into God's 673 00:46:55,120 --> 00:46:57,920 Word. One more chapter, chapter 20, 674 00:47:00,040 --> 00:47:04,040 3rd and finally, fear God's patient holiness. 675 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:10,400 Fear God's patient holiness. Chapter 20 begins and it ends 676 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:16,400 with death sandwich. In the middle is rebellion and 677 00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:19,920 then rejection. The timing is crucial to 678 00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:23,080 understanding this chapter. You might not realise it, but 679 00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:26,160 from chapter 19 when you flip the page in your Bible to 680 00:47:26,160 --> 00:47:32,200 chapter 20, you just passed 38 years. 38 years have passed. 681 00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:37,160 We know that one because it says in verse one that it's the first 682 00:47:37,160 --> 00:47:39,040 month. It's signalling to us. 683 00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:42,320 The first month of what? The first month of this new 684 00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:44,640 generation? We also know that because Aaron 685 00:47:44,640 --> 00:47:48,440 dies at the end and later in numbers, we're told Aaron dies 686 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:51,160 in the 40th year of their wandering. 687 00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:57,560 So the timing is crucial. 38 years pass by, they're omitted. 688 00:47:57,880 --> 00:48:00,440 We don't even know what are they filled with. 689 00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:04,440 Israelites rebelling against God? 690 00:48:05,640 --> 00:48:08,160 Maybe. Israelites obeying God? 691 00:48:08,840 --> 00:48:12,320 Walking with them, dying faithfully in the wilderness. 692 00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:16,400 We don't know. First we see Miriam's death in 693 00:48:16,400 --> 00:48:18,680 verse one. Look at verse one, the people of 694 00:48:18,680 --> 00:48:22,440 Israel, the whole congregation came into the wilderness of Zen 695 00:48:22,440 --> 00:48:26,800 in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh and 696 00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:29,680 Miriam died there and was buried there. 697 00:48:31,320 --> 00:48:35,120 We're back at Kadesh. Do you remember Kadesh in 698 00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:39,040 chapter 13? Kadesh is where they refused to 699 00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:42,840 go into the Promised land. Here we return, but it's the 700 00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:46,600 first month, a signal that this is a new beginning for a new 701 00:48:46,600 --> 00:48:50,880 generation. But crisis arises in verse two. 702 00:48:50,880 --> 00:48:55,760 Look at verse 2. Now there was no water for the 703 00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:58,960 congregation, and they assembled themselves together against 704 00:48:58,960 --> 00:49:02,840 Moses and against Aaron, And the people quarrelled with Moses, 705 00:49:02,840 --> 00:49:05,760 and said would that we had perished when our brothers 706 00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:09,440 perished before the Lord. Why do you brought the assembly 707 00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:12,080 of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die 708 00:49:12,080 --> 00:49:16,920 here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up 709 00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:19,720 out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? 710 00:49:19,920 --> 00:49:25,040 It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and 711 00:49:25,040 --> 00:49:30,200 there is no water to drink. Then Moses and Aaron went from 712 00:49:30,200 --> 00:49:33,160 the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of 713 00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:38,680 meeting and fell on their faces, and the glory of the Lord 714 00:49:38,920 --> 00:49:41,040 appeared to them. We'll pause there. 715 00:49:42,480 --> 00:49:45,760 Now at this point you might be thinking, OK, new generation, 716 00:49:45,760 --> 00:49:48,800 but it's the same old pattern. The people complain. 717 00:49:49,240 --> 00:49:51,760 They assemble together against Moses and Aaron. 718 00:49:52,040 --> 00:49:54,600 Moses and Aaron fall on their faces. 719 00:49:54,760 --> 00:50:00,280 The glory of the Lord appears. It's the same old story, but 720 00:50:00,280 --> 00:50:02,680 friends, this is the last time the glory of the Lord will 721 00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:05,800 appear, and this time it's different. 722 00:50:06,760 --> 00:50:11,760 We've seen before we're right to expect anger and wrath, but look 723 00:50:11,760 --> 00:50:14,320 what happens instead in verse seven. 724 00:50:14,760 --> 00:50:18,000 Look at verse 7. The Lord spoke to Moses saying, 725 00:50:18,560 --> 00:50:22,920 take the staff and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your 726 00:50:22,920 --> 00:50:26,560 brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its 727 00:50:26,560 --> 00:50:29,520 water. So you shall bring water out of 728 00:50:29,520 --> 00:50:33,400 the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their 729 00:50:33,400 --> 00:50:36,400 cattle. And Moses took the staff from 730 00:50:36,400 --> 00:50:39,000 before the Lord as he commanded him. 731 00:50:39,840 --> 00:50:42,600 We'll pause here. So this is a simple complaint. 732 00:50:42,600 --> 00:50:47,000 We need to note that this is a sinful complaint, but it's also 733 00:50:47,440 --> 00:50:51,280 a legitimate request. What do they need in the 734 00:50:51,280 --> 00:50:53,240 wilderness? Earlier they were longing for 735 00:50:53,240 --> 00:50:55,480 the meats they had back in Egypt. 736 00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:58,760 They didn't need that. They had manna here. 737 00:50:59,240 --> 00:51:04,080 They cry out for water. They do need water to walk 738 00:51:04,080 --> 00:51:07,160 through the wilderness. And so the Lord wants them to 739 00:51:07,160 --> 00:51:12,600 know that He is more than willing and able to supply their 740 00:51:12,600 --> 00:51:16,320 needs. But friends, in verse 10, Moses 741 00:51:16,320 --> 00:51:19,000 does not share the same sympathies. 742 00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:20,320 Does he? Look at verse 10. 743 00:51:22,200 --> 00:51:25,800 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the 744 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:31,160 rock and said to them, Here now you rebels, shall we bring water 745 00:51:31,160 --> 00:51:35,600 for you out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand and 746 00:51:35,600 --> 00:51:40,080 struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out 747 00:51:40,080 --> 00:51:44,360 abundantly, and the congregation drank and their livestock. 748 00:51:45,680 --> 00:51:49,800 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not 749 00:51:49,800 --> 00:51:54,880 believe in me to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people 750 00:51:54,880 --> 00:51:59,440 of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the 751 00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:03,120 land that I've given them. These are the waters of Meribah, 752 00:52:03,480 --> 00:52:06,880 where the people of Israel quarrelled with the Lord, and 753 00:52:06,880 --> 00:52:10,760 through them he showed himself holy. 754 00:52:12,520 --> 00:52:17,800 So Moses and Aaron are sinned against and yet they sin to. 755 00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:22,600 It is so easy, as many of you know, to justify our own sin 756 00:52:22,920 --> 00:52:25,680 when others blatantly sin against us. 757 00:52:26,600 --> 00:52:29,400 Moses sin is that he doesn't speak to the rock. 758 00:52:29,840 --> 00:52:34,880 He strikes the rock twice and he scolds the people more than 759 00:52:34,880 --> 00:52:39,800 anyone else. Moses knows that he represents 760 00:52:39,800 --> 00:52:44,200 God to the people. His one job is to hear from the 761 00:52:44,200 --> 00:52:46,720 Lord and then speak to the people. 762 00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:54,160 God speaks and Moses speaks. The people know the Lord through 763 00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:59,440 the mediation of Moses. And while God is patient with 764 00:52:59,440 --> 00:53:02,880 the people, Moses here wants to put them in their place. 765 00:53:03,840 --> 00:53:08,000 God wants to provide for his people, but Moses wants to 766 00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:13,680 punish them. And Moses failure still doesn't 767 00:53:13,680 --> 00:53:18,640 stop the water from flowing. The water flows out abundantly 768 00:53:18,920 --> 00:53:22,600 for all the congregation, even their livestock. 769 00:53:23,920 --> 00:53:25,880 Moses and Aaron didn't believe in the Lord. 770 00:53:26,440 --> 00:53:29,160 That's what the Lord says. The Lord says they did not 771 00:53:29,160 --> 00:53:32,680 uphold him as holy before the people. 772 00:53:32,880 --> 00:53:38,560 He's patiently holy. And Moses failed to teach the 773 00:53:38,560 --> 00:53:41,600 people that. And you can understand why. 774 00:53:41,600 --> 00:53:45,800 I mean, Moses and Aaron now have endured 40 years in the 775 00:53:45,800 --> 00:53:49,760 wilderness, 40 years of the sheep biting at them, 776 00:53:50,040 --> 00:53:53,920 complaining against them, even rallying together to kill them. 777 00:53:54,560 --> 00:53:58,120 They're tired. Their patience has run dry. 778 00:53:59,200 --> 00:54:02,520 But it's still no excuse. The Lord doesn't call this a 779 00:54:02,520 --> 00:54:05,360 mistake. He doesn't call it an accident 780 00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:08,960 later in the chapter. He calls it rebellion. 781 00:54:10,000 --> 00:54:15,040 And so the Lord says you shall not lead them into the promised 782 00:54:15,480 --> 00:54:21,360 land. Friends, if you're ahead in the 783 00:54:21,360 --> 00:54:25,560 fourth quarter, the game's not over yet. 784 00:54:27,320 --> 00:54:32,160 How many Saints ease up when they're on their final lap to 785 00:54:32,160 --> 00:54:35,120 the finish line? How does Paul apply this 786 00:54:35,120 --> 00:54:37,720 passage? Paul takes this passage and he 787 00:54:37,720 --> 00:54:40,320 says we're at the end of the ages. 788 00:54:40,320 --> 00:54:45,880 Brothers and sisters, take heed lest you also fall. 789 00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:50,120 Friends, some of you have been Christians for decades. 790 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:53,800 You've been following Jesus for more than 40 years. 791 00:54:54,760 --> 00:54:57,800 Now is not the time to let down your guard. 792 00:54:58,920 --> 00:55:01,440 Don't let the years wear you down. 793 00:55:01,680 --> 00:55:03,880 Don't let others sin against you. 794 00:55:04,120 --> 00:55:07,600 Build up and fuel your sin against them. 795 00:55:07,960 --> 00:55:14,320 Instead, fuel your patience for others by meditating on the 796 00:55:14,320 --> 00:55:18,360 Lord's patience towards you. If you've been a Christian for 797 00:55:18,360 --> 00:55:23,960 40 years, how many years? How many instances had the has 798 00:55:23,960 --> 00:55:30,160 the Lord just poured out mercy and kindness on your life and 799 00:55:30,160 --> 00:55:32,320 friend? Even when you fall into sin, 800 00:55:34,320 --> 00:55:39,080 even when you snap when that sinful anger bursts out, maybe 801 00:55:39,080 --> 00:55:42,320 you yell at your kids. Maybe you snap at your spouse. 802 00:55:42,680 --> 00:55:48,640 Let God's kindness and His patience continue to lead you to 803 00:55:49,280 --> 00:55:55,720 repentance. It seems in verses 14 to 21 that 804 00:55:55,720 --> 00:55:57,400 that's exactly what happens with Moses. 805 00:55:57,400 --> 00:56:00,760 Look at verses 14 to 21. We'll just look at this briefly. 806 00:56:01,800 --> 00:56:04,760 The gist of it is that they're trying to go through Edom's 807 00:56:04,760 --> 00:56:06,800 land. Edom rejects them. 808 00:56:07,320 --> 00:56:10,600 And who's leading the charge? Moses. 809 00:56:12,040 --> 00:56:15,840 Moses knows now he's not going to get to lead them into the 810 00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:21,080 Promised Land, and yet Moses still faithfully leads God's 811 00:56:21,080 --> 00:56:24,960 people. It seems Moses received the 812 00:56:24,960 --> 00:56:29,360 Lord's discipline and he was sanctified by the correction. 813 00:56:30,160 --> 00:56:32,720 Now they asked twice to go into Edom. 814 00:56:33,080 --> 00:56:36,600 Edom's a long time enemy. You know, Edom comes from Esau. 815 00:56:36,760 --> 00:56:40,600 Jacob and Esau were brothers, should be some brotherly love. 816 00:56:40,600 --> 00:56:42,160 He even appeals to them as brother. 817 00:56:42,360 --> 00:56:47,000 But Edom shows no hospitality. In fact, Edom even brings out 818 00:56:47,000 --> 00:56:50,920 their army as a show of force and says you're not passing 819 00:56:51,040 --> 00:56:53,600 through. You could say in a sense 820 00:56:54,360 --> 00:56:58,200 Israel's defeated. But friends, this is the last 821 00:56:58,200 --> 00:57:03,280 defeat in the Book of Numbers. Finally, at the end of chapter 822 00:57:03,280 --> 00:57:07,800 20, the chapter ends with Aaron's death. 823 00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:12,520 Look at verses 22. On they journeyed from Kadesh 824 00:57:13,240 --> 00:57:15,920 and the people of Israel. The whole congregation came to 825 00:57:15,920 --> 00:57:19,880 Mount Hor. And the Lord said to Moses and 826 00:57:19,880 --> 00:57:23,520 Aaron at Mount Hor on the border of the land of Edom. 827 00:57:24,480 --> 00:57:29,040 Let Aaron be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter 828 00:57:29,040 --> 00:57:33,960 the land that I have given to the people of Israel because you 829 00:57:33,960 --> 00:57:39,960 rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. 830 00:57:42,600 --> 00:57:47,240 What ends up happening is Aaron climbs the mount with his son 831 00:57:47,240 --> 00:57:49,560 Eleazar. He's stripped of his garments 832 00:57:50,160 --> 00:57:53,800 and he's buried there. There on the Mount of Horror, 833 00:57:54,280 --> 00:58:01,360 the whole congregation mourns. Verse 2930 days, you see the 834 00:58:01,360 --> 00:58:05,040 consequences of rebellion. Because he rebelled against the 835 00:58:05,040 --> 00:58:09,280 Lord's word, He's forbidden entry into the promised land. 836 00:58:09,280 --> 00:58:12,920 But notice also the grace in verse 24. 837 00:58:13,400 --> 00:58:18,600 There on Mount Hor, Aaron is gathered to his people. 838 00:58:19,600 --> 00:58:23,360 It's the same phrase that's used with past patriarchs as God 839 00:58:23,360 --> 00:58:27,160 brings them home. Even though Aaron rebelled, God 840 00:58:27,160 --> 00:58:31,120 graciously still brings him home. 841 00:58:32,720 --> 00:58:34,160 Think about your heroes in the faith. 842 00:58:35,960 --> 00:58:40,200 Maybe it's parents. Maybe it's past pastors that 843 00:58:40,200 --> 00:58:42,760 you've had. Maybe it's missionaries. 844 00:58:42,760 --> 00:58:47,160 You know from biographies. Every single one of those heroes 845 00:58:47,720 --> 00:58:51,240 is fallen. Every one of those heroes 846 00:58:51,600 --> 00:58:54,760 sinned. Why did the Lord bring them 847 00:58:54,760 --> 00:58:58,440 home? Not because of who they were, 848 00:58:59,560 --> 00:59:04,280 but because of His grace, His kindness and friends. 849 00:59:04,280 --> 00:59:08,160 There's still grace for rebels who repent today. 850 00:59:08,360 --> 00:59:11,200 There are consequences for Christians when they sin. 851 00:59:12,760 --> 00:59:16,520 There's no condemnation, though. For those who are in Christ 852 00:59:16,520 --> 00:59:19,960 Jesus. There's enough grace for Moses, 853 00:59:20,480 --> 00:59:25,880 for Aaron, for me, for you brothers and sisters, these 854 00:59:25,880 --> 00:59:30,560 things took place as an example for us. 855 00:59:32,120 --> 00:59:38,600 And as we conclude, I just want you to note how clearly these 5 856 00:59:38,600 --> 00:59:43,400 chapters in numbers point to Jesus Christ. 857 00:59:43,600 --> 00:59:47,440 I mean, think about it. In chapter 16, Moses intercedes 858 00:59:47,440 --> 00:59:49,880 for the people. God's about to pour his wrath on 859 00:59:49,880 --> 00:59:53,360 them, but Moses and Aaron intercede and the wrath is 860 00:59:53,360 --> 00:59:56,240 reverted. And then later in chapter 16, 861 00:59:56,440 --> 01:00:00,360 when the whole congregation rebels, Aaron runs into wrath. 862 01:00:00,960 --> 01:00:04,400 For the sake of God's people, they're pointing to Jesus 863 01:00:04,400 --> 01:00:07,240 Christ. Friends, Aaron's staff. 864 01:00:08,160 --> 01:00:13,120 Jesus, the forever high priest, is also vindicated by a symbol 865 01:00:13,320 --> 01:00:17,880 from death to life, the red heifer we've already seen. 866 01:00:18,120 --> 01:00:21,240 How much more does the blood of Christ? 867 01:00:21,560 --> 01:00:26,040 Cleanse us, even the rock, Paul says in First Corinthians 10. 868 01:00:26,040 --> 01:00:31,440 For he says the rock that was struck was Christ, meaning that 869 01:00:31,600 --> 01:00:36,720 every divine provision that we need in our wilderness days is 870 01:00:36,720 --> 01:00:43,040 provided for us by Jesus Christ. And Moses and Aaron disqualify 871 01:00:43,040 --> 01:00:45,000 themselves from leading God's people. 872 01:00:45,680 --> 01:00:51,200 But Jesus, our great High Priest, our forerunner, will 873 01:00:51,280 --> 01:00:56,560 lead us and bring us into the Promised Land. 874 01:00:56,760 --> 01:01:01,120 Brothers and sisters, how can we dwell with a holy God in the 875 01:01:01,120 --> 01:01:05,600 Promised Land through Jesus Christ? 876 01:01:06,480 --> 01:01:15,640 Let's pray. Father, you are holy, you're 877 01:01:15,640 --> 01:01:21,880 sinless, and you rightly pour out your wrath on sinners for 878 01:01:21,880 --> 01:01:27,160 their rebellion. And yet in your kindness and in 879 01:01:27,160 --> 01:01:32,760 your mercy and in your grace, you've lavishly provided Jesus 880 01:01:32,760 --> 01:01:35,920 Christ as the sacrifice for sinners. 881 01:01:35,920 --> 01:01:41,600 We pray that we would find all the spiritual sustenance we need 882 01:01:42,000 --> 01:01:46,080 in your Son Jesus Christ. We pray in His name, Amen.