1 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:07,080 Most Americans believe in heaven and that they'll be there. 2 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:13,280 What about you? Do you hope in heaven? 3 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:21,320 Are you headed there? How often do you meditate on the 4 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,800 hope of heaven? Daily. 5 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:37,240 Weekly, Rarely. Richard Baxter meditated on 6 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:42,280 heaven often one of the most significant 17th century English 7 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,720 Puritans. He wrote over 140 books. 8 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:51,480 I don't even know the average, you know, per year, including an 9 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:58,640 800 page book on heaven. It was a runaway bestseller, 10 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:04,840 multiple editions within the first couple of years, but I'm 11 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,480 afraid today it likely would have flopped. 12 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:15,360 Even in churches, conversations about heaven seem to be on the 13 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,560 decline. One professor studied the 14 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:23,000 difference between songs used in American churches from 2000 to 15 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:29,360 2015 and those used from 1737 to 1960. 16 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:35,560 He said among the many similarities, one difference was 17 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:40,600 striking. The topic of heaven, which was 18 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:45,800 once frequently and richly sung about, has now all but 19 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:49,720 disappeared. Now, I trust this professor's 20 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,200 never visited Trinity Baptist Church on a Sunday morning like 21 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:56,600 today. We sing a lot about heaven, but 22 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:58,880 we still need to recover our heavenly hope. 23 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:06,040 So why should we remember where we're headed and how we'll get 24 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,560 there? Why is that important for us? 25 00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:14,720 Because God presents the Christian life like this, we're 26 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:19,760 in the middle of an exodus from death to life, a journey from 27 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,160 the city of destruction to our heavenly home. 28 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:29,200 In other words, we're walking through the wilderness and we 29 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:33,520 need to make it home. And one of the books God's given 30 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,280 us to lead us along is the book of Numbers. 31 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:40,880 So if you have your Bible, please open in Numbers chapter 32 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,200 31. If you don't have a Bible, 33 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,560 please raise your hand. Somebody would be glad to bring 34 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:50,200 you a Bible right now in this moment so you can follow along. 35 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:53,560 Anyone need a Bible? It's our gift to you. 36 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:58,320 If you don't own one yourself. And if you're not familiar with 37 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:00,440 the Bible, you can just look at the table of contents at the 38 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:02,880 very beginning. You'll find Numbers, 5th book of 39 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:06,880 the Bible early on in the Bible, Numbers chapter 31. 40 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,200 This is the last sermon and a series of sermons on Numbers. 41 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,280 Numbers is about how the Lord delivered his people from 42 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,840 slavery to Egypt and then prepared to lead them to the 43 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,280 Promised land, but they had to go through the wilderness. 44 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,720 Numbers is 36 chapters. You probably could have told the 45 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,560 story in just a few chapters because the journey should have 46 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:36,640 just taken a few weeks. But it took 40 years because 47 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,680 when the first generation was on the verge of the promised land, 48 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:47,120 they refuse to enter God's rest. So Numbers is the story of how 49 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:51,760 the Lord led his people to the promised Land despite their 50 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:58,320 rebellious refusal to enter. Now the book begins in the 51 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,560 wilderness of Sinai. That's chapter one, verse one. 52 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,600 We're going to see the last verse today and it ends by the 53 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:12,200 Jordan at Jericho, meaning in chapters 31 to 36. 54 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,520 What we're going to cover today, Israel's on the verge of the 55 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,720 promised land. They're on Jordan, stormy banks. 56 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,760 You know, when the apostle Paul reflects back on numbers in 57 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:31,800 First Corinthians chapter 10, he says these things were written 58 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:36,040 down for our instruction on whom? 59 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:44,680 The end of the ages has come. Numbers was written down for 60 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:50,720 Christians, us, people living in the last days. 61 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:55,520 And as we live in those last days, with heaven just over the 62 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:59,840 horizon, what instruction do these six chapters of Numbers 63 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:02,400 have for us? Here's the main point of today's 64 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:07,680 sermon. Be ready to depart this 65 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:14,080 wilderness and dwell with God in heaven. 66 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:23,840 Friends, be ready to depart this wilderness and dwell with God in 67 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:27,000 heaven. Now to help us on our way, 68 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:33,080 Numbers gives us 4 pictures of us on our journey. 69 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:35,640 That's what we're going to consider this morning. 4 70 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:39,360 pictures. First, chapter 31, we're 71 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:43,720 soldiers in a battle. That's the first picture. 72 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:47,880 We're soldiers in a battle. I'm going to read a little bit 73 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:51,320 of chapter 31 before just a quick overview of the chapter. 74 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,280 You have to remember back to chapter 25 first. 75 00:05:54,760 --> 00:06:00,360 In chapter 25, the Midianites seduced the Israelites to commit 76 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:04,960 spiritual adultery against the Lord, leading to a plague. 77 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:11,280 Thousands died. Now here in chapter 31, the Lord 78 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:16,680 sends the Israelites to pay back the Midianites with vengeance. 79 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,320 Chapter 31 I'll read verses 1 to 18. 80 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:28,000 The Lord spoke to Moses saying avenge the people of Israel on 81 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,440 the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered 82 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,760 your people. So Moses spoke to the people, 83 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:39,360 saying, armed men from among you for the war, that they may go 84 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:43,640 against Midian to execute the Lord's vengeance on Midian. 85 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:48,600 You shall send 1000 from each of the tribes of Israel to the war. 86 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:53,800 So there were provided out of the thousands of Israel, 1000 87 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:59,520 from each tribe, 12,000 armed for war, and Moses sent them to 88 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:04,160 the war. 1000 from each tribe, together with Phineas the son of 89 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:08,640 Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the 90 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:12,920 trumpets for the alarm in his hand, they ward against Midian. 91 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:18,520 As the Lord commanded Moses and killed every male, they killed 92 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:22,920 the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evie, 93 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:29,440 Reckham, Zur, Kor, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. 94 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:35,520 And they also killed Balaam the son of Bayor, with a sword. 95 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:39,440 And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and 96 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,920 their little ones, and they took his plunder all their cattle, 97 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:49,000 their flocks, and all their goods, all their cities in the 98 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,360 places where they lived, and all their encampments. 99 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:57,600 They burned with fire and took all the spoil and all the 100 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:01,080 plunder, both of man and of beasts. 101 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,160 Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to 102 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:10,320 Moses and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the 103 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:14,520 people of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab by the 104 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:16,200 Jordan. At Jericho. 105 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:21,160 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the 106 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:23,680 congregation went to meet them outside the camp. 107 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:28,320 And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the 108 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:32,720 commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds who had 109 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:38,000 come from service in the war. Moses said to them, Have you let 110 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,840 all the women live? Behold. 111 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:46,200 These, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to 112 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,960 act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Payor. 113 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,040 And so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. 114 00:08:54,720 --> 00:09:00,240 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill 115 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,400 every woman who has known man by lying with him. 116 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:07,800 But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him, 117 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:14,880 keep alive for yourselves. We'll pause there, friends. 118 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:20,800 Notice this is the Lord's final assignment to Moses, vengeance 119 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:26,120 on the Midianites. So in verse 4, Moses sends 1000 120 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,760 soldiers from each tribe to war. They kill every male. 121 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:35,920 Verse 75 Kings and Balaam, that military medicine man, the 122 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:40,400 sorcerer who tried to curse them into oblivion in verse 8. 123 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:45,360 But it's who they don't kill that angers Moses. 124 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:52,520 He commands them to kill every male child and every woman who's 125 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,160 known a man. You probably have questions 126 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:56,480 about that. We'll get to that in just a 127 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,600 minute. But the rest of the chapter 128 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,080 includes the Israelites who participated in this war, 129 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:05,520 purifying themselves and then distributing the plunder. 130 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:11,040 Look at verses 32 to 35. It's an amazing plunder. 131 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:20,280 Over 600,000 sheep, over 70,000 cattle, over 60,000 donkeys, and 132 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:26,040 32,000 virgin women. This is all a foretaste of the 133 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:30,240 abundant blessing that awaits them in the promised land. 134 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,120 And what's even more amazing is verse 49. 135 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:39,000 Look at verse 49. When they counted the Israelite 136 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:44,120 soldiers, not a single one was missing. 137 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:50,200 They marched into battle by faith and God supernaturally 138 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:52,640 spared them. He protected them. 139 00:10:54,560 --> 00:11:00,120 Now, why did Moses command them to kill the male infants and the 140 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:04,440 women who'd been with a man? Maybe you're wondering, is this 141 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:07,760 right? Is this genocide? 142 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,200 Friends, this is not genocide like what's happening to the 143 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:18,320 Uyghurs in China, because it has nothing to do with race and 144 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:22,960 everything to do with rebellion, as verse 3 makes clear. 145 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:27,640 Look at verse 3. This is the Lord's vengeance on 146 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:32,200 Midian. The Midianites were rebels 147 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:36,920 against God. They bow down to false gods, and 148 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,520 they seduce the Israelites to do the same. 149 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:42,840 And so the male children are killed because they represent 150 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,560 the seeds of future Midianite revenge. 151 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:50,160 The women who'd known a man are killed because they're the ones 152 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:56,120 who Moses says seduced Israel. These are not innocent people 153 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,840 slaughtered. These are rebellious people 154 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:05,520 judged by a holy God. If you have problems with this 155 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:15,000 passage, consider it once again how holy our God is and how 156 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:20,800 sinful we are. God is holy, friends, we are 157 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:24,320 not. The truth is, every person on 158 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,720 this planet deserves this same judgement. 159 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:35,200 This war against the Midianites is a picture of the final 160 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,760 judgement ushered into the present. 161 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:44,960 So what's the lesson for us? Why was this written down for 162 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:49,600 our instruction? Here's two First, our journey to 163 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,560 heaven is through a war zone. Now. 164 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:55,880 The battle lines have changed since numbers. 165 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:59,440 Our warfare is now spiritual in nature. 166 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:02,000 We are soldiers in the Lord's army. 167 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:05,120 We've been given the full armour of God. 168 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:09,520 We must put to death the deeds of the flesh. 169 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:13,080 Friends, that is the Christian life. 170 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:18,840 I was talking to a friend recently who had signed up for a 171 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:23,560 cruise, Celebrity Cruises. It was a special section on the 172 00:13:23,560 --> 00:13:28,080 cruise called The Retreat. Sounds nice, doesn't it? 173 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,840 I mean, you get a personal Butler, all your meals are made 174 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:36,680 by a Michelin star chef. And in that section of the 175 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:43,400 cruise, and I love children. No children are allowed peace 176 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:48,280 quiet as you just cruise through whatever destination you choose. 177 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:53,840 Is that the picture of the Christian life we're given in 178 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:59,360 scriptures? Friends, the Christian life is a 179 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:01,600 war. This church is a little 180 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,480 battleship. We're sailing through enemy 181 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:10,000 lines as we speak. I wonder if you feel like your 182 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:16,160 life is a war zone. Satan's schemes around every 183 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:23,680 corner, your own enemy within attacking you at every moment, 184 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:31,480 that last enemy death ever looming on the horizon. 185 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,760 If you feel like life is war, then you just might be marching 186 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:42,400 in the right direction. Jesus said the gate is narrow 187 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:49,240 and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it 188 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:53,880 are few. In this life you need to make 189 00:14:54,400 --> 00:15:01,680 war, but as you wage war friend, don't forget to enjoy the 190 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:08,120 spoils. In Isaiah 9, the prophet Isaiah 191 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:14,240 describes the joy of the gospel as the rejoicing that occurs 192 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,360 when victors divide the spoil after defeating their enemies. 193 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:25,280 In Isaiah 9, the battle that he's reflecting on is this 194 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:33,400 defeat of the Midianites. Friend, have you experienced the 195 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:40,040 joy of the gospel? Have you enjoyed the plunder 196 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:45,720 that Christ has won four sinners on the cross? 197 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,840 As we've seen in our passage, God is holy. 198 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:57,960 We are rebellious and deserving of his wrath, his vengeance. 199 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:01,120 And yet the beauty of the gospel, the good news of the 200 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:06,400 gospel, is that the only innocent man, Jesus Christ, 201 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:12,120 truly God and truly man, took vengeance. 202 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:19,360 All of God's wrath that you deserved for your sin, if you 203 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:22,320 trust in him and turn from your sin. 204 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:28,680 Friends, the the beauty of the gospel is that in Christ there's 205 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:33,000 only one casualty. The innocent man is the only one 206 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:40,880 slain, and those deserving of wrath are pardoned, forgiven if 207 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:45,880 they've trusted in him. And Jesus rose again, truly 208 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:49,920 victorious over the grave, victorious over all his enemies, 209 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:54,560 and he's seated at the right hand of God the Father, and he 210 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,560 will come again. Friend, if you've not trusted 211 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,520 Christ, turn from your sins and trust in him. 212 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:08,160 And those spoils of the gospel, that plunder can be all yours. 213 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:15,079 Oh, brothers and sisters, what joys do we have in the gospel? 214 00:17:16,839 --> 00:17:24,079 The forgiveness of our sins, Friendship with God, everlasting 215 00:17:24,079 --> 00:17:28,359 life, the Spirit, the local church? 216 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:35,200 Lovejoy, peace, hope. It is all ours in Christ Jesus. 217 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:39,840 Yes, we're walking through a war zone, but friend, if you're in 218 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:45,160 Christ, the battle has already been won and all those gifts are 219 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:49,280 just a foretaste. They are the appetizer of the 220 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:51,640 main course, which is yet to come. 221 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:56,520 Friend. The second lesson, the second 222 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:01,280 lesson from this passage is it's brief, but it's sobering. 223 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,320 It's a warning. It's a warning for all those who 224 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:12,960 haven't trusted Christ. God's judgement is certain. 225 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:19,160 Not everyone who thinks they'll enter heaven will be there with 226 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:23,960 God. Jesus said the gate is wide and 227 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:29,440 the way is easy. That leads to destruction, and 228 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:35,280 those who enter by it are many. Friend, if you've not repented 229 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:38,640 of your sins, if you're not trusting in Christ, if you're 230 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:44,040 not following Him, then a day of vengeance is imminent for you. 231 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:47,120 You're fighting for the wrong army. 232 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:51,520 The path that you're walking on right now is not heading to 233 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,320 heaven. It's heading to hell. 234 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:02,120 Friend, don't you want to enter heaven and dwell with God? 235 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:08,960 Sadly, in chapter 32, not everyone does. 236 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:14,440 Not everyone wants to enter the promised land. 2 tribes in 237 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:18,080 chapter 32 try to settle east of the Jordan. 238 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:21,480 Here's the second picture of us on our journey. 239 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,880 We're a family with brothers and sisters. 240 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,280 We're family with brothers and sisters. 241 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:38,720 In chapter 32, two tribes, Reuben and Gad, fixate on their 242 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:42,240 possessions and they actually try to forsake the Promised 243 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:46,320 land. Thankfully, after Moses rebukes 244 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,880 them, they repent and they commit to crossover the Jordan 245 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,160 with the rest of the tribes. Look at chapter 32. 246 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:57,080 I'm going to read verses 1 to 15 now. 247 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:00,920 The people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great 248 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:05,320 number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazzer 249 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:09,120 and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place 250 00:20:09,120 --> 00:20:12,200 for livestock. So the people of Gad and the 251 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:16,840 people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eliezer the 252 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:21,800 priest, and to the chiefs of the congregation, Aderoth Dibben, 253 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:28,040 Jazzer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elila, sebum Nebo. 254 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:31,240 And beyond. The land that the Lord struck 255 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:35,440 down before the congregation of Israel is a land for livestock, 256 00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:38,400 and your servants have livestock. 257 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:41,880 And they said, If we have found favour in your sight, let this 258 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:44,280 land be given to your servants for a possession. 259 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,640 Do not take us across the Jordan. 260 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:53,400 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, 261 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:57,560 shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? 262 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:02,040 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel 263 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,280 from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? 264 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:11,200 Your father's did this when they sent them from Kadesh Barnia to 265 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:15,440 see the land for the when they went up to the valley of Eshkol 266 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:19,040 and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the 267 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:23,080 people of Israel from going into the land that the Lord had given 268 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:25,960 them. And the Lord's anger was kindled 269 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:29,320 on that day. And he swore, saying, Surely 270 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:33,320 none of the men who came up out of Egypt from 20 years old and 271 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:37,480 upward shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to 272 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:42,160 Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed 273 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,200 me. None except Caleb the son of 274 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:50,200 Jefuna the Kenazite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have 275 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:54,560 wholly followed the Lord. And the Lord's anger was kindled 276 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:58,360 against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness 40 277 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:02,320 years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight 278 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:06,480 of the Lord was gone. And behold, you have risen in 279 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:12,440 your Father's place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still 280 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,640 more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. 281 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:20,120 For if you turn away from following Him, He will again 282 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:24,000 abandoned them in the wilderness, and you will destroy 283 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:31,120 all this people. Friends, look again at the 1st 4 284 00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:36,800 verses of this passage. What could be so important to 285 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:41,160 Reuben and Gad that they're willing to forsake the promised 286 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,920 land, abandoned their brothers, and depart from the Lord? 287 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:51,640 Look at verse 1. Moses awkwardly front loads the 288 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:56,120 fact that Reuben and Gad had a lot of livestock. 289 00:22:57,080 --> 00:23:02,000 They love their livestock. In the 1st 4 verses livestock is 290 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,960 repeated 4 times. If you struck up a conversation 291 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:09,640 with Reuben and Gad, I bet you they would bring up their 292 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:14,200 livestock. Livestock is listed before any 293 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:19,000 mention of their children. It's listed before their mission 294 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:23,400 to the Promised Land. It's even listed before any 295 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,960 mention of the Lord himself. In fact, in their first speech, 296 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:30,680 they only briefly mentioned the Lord one time. 297 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:36,360 What is important to Reuben and Gad friends? 298 00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:40,000 This is an insight into their spiritual sight. 299 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:43,720 Their focus is not on receiving the Promised Land, it's on 300 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:46,520 settling down the first chance they get. 301 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,160 They want to settle east of the Jordan. 302 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,920 Lot separated from Abram and went E to Sodom. 303 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,320 Esau separated from Jacob and went E to Dare. 304 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:03,680 Reuben and Gad request to settle E away from their brothers and 305 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:06,400 sisters east of the promised land. 306 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:11,040 And so of course Moses refuses their request. 307 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:16,480 Verse 6 Shall your brothers go to war while you kick up your 308 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:23,440 feet? Moses says they're in danger of 309 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:29,360 discouraging the heart of the nation and therefore destroying 310 00:24:29,360 --> 00:24:35,480 them. Notice here their desire leads 311 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:39,080 to discouragement which will lead to destruction. 312 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,800 That's why Moses cares about it. They should be concerned about 313 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:47,480 their brothers. Their only concern is 314 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:51,640 themselves. They place their possessions 315 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:59,440 over people, animals, over their family, and that's why Moses 316 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:03,280 accuses them. He accuses them of being like 317 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:07,040 their fathers. He says you're on the verge of 318 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,280 repeating the rebellion of the 10 spies from the first 319 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:15,120 generation, that generation that died in the wilderness. 320 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:20,840 If you follow the fathers and desert the land and forsake the 321 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:24,480 nation, Moses says you'll abandoned the Lord. 322 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:31,120 What a rebuke. Now, thankfully, this second 323 00:25:31,120 --> 00:25:33,680 generation does not follow their fathers. 324 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:36,960 They hear the rebuke. They receive it. 325 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:41,360 You could say they repent and they make a vow to Moses and to 326 00:25:41,360 --> 00:25:45,960 the nation to send their soldiers to not return home 327 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:48,400 until the Promised land has been won. 328 00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:51,960 And yet Moses still issues a warning to them. 329 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:58,920 Verse 23, he says, if you fail to keep your vow, be sure your 330 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:07,240 sin will find you out because with God there's no secret sin. 331 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:13,400 Here's the picture we're getting here in in Numbers chapter 32. 332 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:20,480 It's the picture of us on our journey to heaven as a family, a 333 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:22,400 family with brothers and sisters. 334 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:28,520 Christian, God adopted you into his family and you're not an 335 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,680 only child. When he brought you home, you 336 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:33,400 found out you have brothers and sisters. 337 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:38,040 You belong to one another. We're on this journey together. 338 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:44,800 So let me ask you, Christian, what could possibly lead you to 339 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:50,280 forsake your family to refuse heaven and settle for earth? 340 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:55,680 What were Reuben and Gad willing to trade their family for? 341 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:01,280 Well, just notice the things they talk about. 342 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:05,960 Sin in our lives runs like a stream from our hearts. 343 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:09,680 You just need to follow it, trace it back to the source. 344 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:14,200 What's that thing in ruining Gad's life that they're willing 345 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:18,760 to sin to get? If you just listen to their 346 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:24,760 conversations, their requests, it just leads you to the feet of 347 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:29,480 their favorite idol. For Ruben and Gad, they love 348 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:35,640 their livestock. Perhaps they love their careers, 349 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:39,600 their security that those livestock brought. 350 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,800 They love possessions more than their brothers. 351 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:48,720 They love their stuff more than their God friends. 352 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:56,200 Their desires were disordered, and disordered desires leads to 353 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:59,720 the discouragement of other Saints around you as they see 354 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:02,920 you fall into sin. Ultimately, it leads to 355 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:06,040 destruction. How can we rightly order our 356 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:13,000 desires? One way is to beware of the love 357 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:17,920 of money. That is what captivates their 358 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,280 hearts. Jesus says the cares of the 359 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:24,960 world and the deceitfulness of riches have choked out the faith 360 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:29,960 of many. Money and the things it can 361 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,520 purchase tricks us into thinking we don't need others. 362 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,560 We certainly don't need God. Now here's the thing. 363 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:44,520 Nobody says I mean mostly. Nobody says I love my livestock 364 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:52,600 more than I love the Lord. Nobody says I love my job more 365 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:59,320 than I love the local church. Nobody says that but their 366 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:01,920 speech. What did Reuben and Gad always 367 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,600 talk about? What came up in reference to the 368 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:07,080 Lord? What about your conversations? 369 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:10,320 What about the things that captivate your heart? 370 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,680 What about the replay in your head, your hopes, your 371 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:18,480 ambitions, your dreams? Friends, we need to be aware of 372 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:21,600 the love of money. We enter this wilderness with 373 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:26,320 nothing. If you've ever had a child and 374 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:29,000 been in the room, the baby comes out with nothing. 375 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:34,400 There's nothing. We depart this wilderness again 376 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:38,960 with nothing. So why? 377 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:47,280 Why should we spend our time in between fixated on passing 378 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:52,760 possessions? Friends, another way to rightly 379 00:29:52,760 --> 00:30:00,680 order our loves, our desires is to be aware of the needs of our 380 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:06,720 brothers and sisters. Our love for God is seen through 381 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,280 our concerning care for our brothers and sisters in the 382 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,840 church. The apostle John said if anyone 383 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:17,000 says I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. 384 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,160 He's lying. Brothers and sisters, we will 385 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:25,240 get to heaven together or we won't get there at all. 386 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:29,640 That's the purpose of friendship in the local church. 387 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:36,120 We're helping one another make it through the wilderness to the 388 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:43,400 city of God because no one can faithfully follow Jesus alone. 389 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,680 one-on-one disciple is one way we carry this out, whether 390 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:53,800 that's over a quiet cup of coffee or while you're folding 391 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:57,680 laundry at home. It's crucial to our ministry to 392 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:02,320 think of one another, to invest in one another, to pour in our 393 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:04,920 spiritual efforts towards one another's well-being. 394 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:09,680 Another way is prayer. Maybe you don't have time to 395 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:11,800 meet with anyone right now. That's OK. 396 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,680 Are you struggling on behalf of the members of this church in 397 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:20,120 your prayers? It's vital to our care for one 398 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:23,160 another. And you can't really do any of 399 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:26,280 this if you're neglecting to meet together. 400 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:32,160 If you're forsaking the assembly, you can't care. 401 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:37,320 Love, show concern for your brothers and sisters. 402 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:40,720 Brothers and sisters, none of us can make it to heaven by 403 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,000 ourselves. We need one another. 404 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:46,200 We need one another's help. We need to help one another. 405 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:51,720 Who are you helping to heaven? If you're not helping anyone to 406 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:56,800 heaven, is it possible that you're not heading there 407 00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:02,000 yourself? True Christians help one another 408 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:09,920 to heaven because we're family. We're brothers and sisters now. 409 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,560 No family is perfect. Trinity Baptist Church is not a 410 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:17,320 perfect church. But by God's grace, thank the 411 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:20,880 Lord for the way that this is already being cultivated in our 412 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:25,920 very church members who just met each other eight months ago for 413 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:30,400 the first time, caring for one another, showing spiritual 414 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:33,920 concern for one another, knowing one another's needs and meeting 415 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:35,880 them. Let's pray that that just 416 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,800 continues to grow more and more throughout our church. 417 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:45,240 Picture #3 picture #3 is a big one. 418 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:49,880 Chapters 33 through 35. Here's the picture. 419 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:56,640 We're pilgrims on a holy path. Chapters 33 to 35. 420 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,640 Now I'm making a choice here. I'm only reading a few verses, 421 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:05,960 and I'm going to summarize a lot of it. 422 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:09,840 This text of numbers, Numbers 31 to 36 is 5000 words. 423 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:14,160 If I read the whole text in this sermon, I would say Amen, let's 424 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:17,200 pray, and that'd be the sermon. So that's a choice we're going 425 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:20,160 to make, and it's fine. Hopefully you read the passage 426 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:23,360 beforehand, and if you haven't, read it after the service later 427 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:26,560 today. Chapters 33 through 35 form a 428 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,600 unit. First, Moses recounts Israel's 429 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:33,160 journey, and that's kind of like an introduction to the Lord's 430 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:37,080 last five speeches to Moses in the Book of Numbers. 431 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,000 So you have the intro, the recounting of the journey, and 432 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,880 then that leads to five speeches from the Lord to Moses. 433 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:47,880 We'll look at the recounting first, and then we'll look at 434 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:50,920 the five speeches. So look at chapter 33. 435 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:53,640 I'm just going to read 2 verses, Chapter 33. 436 00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:59,440 These are the stages of the people of Israel when they went 437 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:03,280 out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the 438 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:07,720 leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses wrote down their starting 439 00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:13,560 places, stage by stage, by command of the Lord, and these 440 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:18,000 are their stages according to their starting places. 441 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:24,840 Now in 49 verses, Moses retells Israel's history. 442 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:29,000 They started in Egypt and they're ending by the Jordan. 443 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:36,360 In between there's 42 stages, 42 stops along the way. 444 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:40,320 And what's remarkable if you read through these about the 445 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:43,639 Lord's recounting of their story, is that there's not a 446 00:34:43,639 --> 00:34:46,560 single mention of their complaining. 447 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:52,880 They're grumbling, their unbelief, their outright 448 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:55,199 rebellion. It's as as if in the Lord's 449 00:34:55,199 --> 00:34:59,960 recounting he is passing over their former sins, and therefore 450 00:34:59,960 --> 00:35:04,440 the rhythm is simply this. They set out and they can't. 451 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:10,680 They set out and they can't over and over again because the 452 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:13,560 wilderness was never meant to be their home. 453 00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:17,640 They were always simply just passing through. 454 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:21,800 I don't know if you've ever been camping. 455 00:35:23,720 --> 00:35:27,520 I love camping, personally. I'm not talking about glamping, 456 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:31,760 You know, where you bring an air conditioner and 3/4 of your 457 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:36,000 household and you've set it all out and you've got ATV, you 458 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:37,600 know, it's basically as if you're home. 459 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:40,320 No, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about Backcountry 460 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:42,320 camping. Like you go into the woods with 461 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:45,520 a backpack and everything that you have with you is in that 462 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:48,200 backpack. And I love that. 463 00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:52,080 I love going through the woods, sitting by the fire, drinking 464 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:53,960 coffee in the morning around the campfire. 465 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:59,440 But I'll tell you what I love also when camping is over and 466 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:02,840 when you get back home and there is air conditioning and I'm 467 00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:04,720 thankful there's air conditioning in this gym today. 468 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:06,960 You know, I love that experience. 469 00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:10,360 When you get home, you shower and you get to sleep in your own 470 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:12,840 bed. People who tell you that camping 471 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:15,040 and sleeping work together, they're lying. 472 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:17,320 It does not. You can only sleep when you get 473 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:18,600 home. Everyone knows that. 474 00:36:19,240 --> 00:36:25,240 Here's the thing, this picture of the Christian life, it's one 475 00:36:25,240 --> 00:36:30,680 of a big camping trip. It's one where we're pilgrims 476 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:35,800 walking through the wilderness, not home yet. 477 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:40,480 Parents, one way to get this in your kids bones. 478 00:36:40,720 --> 00:36:42,440 This is a tip from Sunday school this morning. 479 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:47,360 Eric Beech said this. Read your kids pilgrims progress 480 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:51,680 written by another Puritan. That is a great allegory of what 481 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:54,400 the Christian life is. It's a pilgrimage. 482 00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:57,880 It's from the city of Destruction, headed to the 483 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:00,720 Celestial City. The Christian life is in 484 00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:04,320 between. We're not home yet, friend. 485 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:08,840 Reflect on your journey so far. In God's wisdom. 486 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:15,040 Where has he taken you? What are you could say your 487 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:18,520 stages? That'd make a good for a good 488 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:20,280 question. At the potluck after the 489 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:23,120 service, if you're sticking around, ask somebody who's 490 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:24,680 there. What are your stages? 491 00:37:25,240 --> 00:37:28,200 Where's the Lord taking you? You know, for me it's cities. 492 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:31,960 Worthington, MN where I was born, where I think I became a 493 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,480 Christian. Kansas City where formative 494 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:37,360 years of my Christian life were lived. 495 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:41,800 A brief stint in Fayetteville, AR where I grew a ton because of 496 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:46,800 a faithful local church. Dubai United Remembrance. 7 497 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:51,160 years there with dear friends and a dear church. 5 months 498 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:54,600 formative months at in Washington DC at a great church 499 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:58,120 there. Now here in Durham slash Chapel 500 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:00,440 Hill we're technically right on the border and I live right over 501 00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:04,240 there so Durham is technically part of my journey. 502 00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:10,000 Good churches along the way too. I am so thankful for Unity 503 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:14,320 University Baptist Church in Fayetteville, AR and Covenant 504 00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:18,400 Hope church in Dubai and Capital Baptist Church in Washington DC 505 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:24,240 and Trinity Baptist Church here. So many Christians who have 506 00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:26,760 helped me along the way. I couldn't name them all. 507 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:32,520 I miss many of them dearly. What about you? 508 00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:36,480 What are your stages? Where has the Lord brought you 509 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,200 through? Where has He brought you from? 510 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:45,320 The Lord leads us through every stage, and every stage is a 511 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:50,000 further departure towards our final destination. 512 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:58,280 Sometimes in this journey, we feel confused or lost. 513 00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:05,600 Sometimes it feels like we got off on the wrong stop, like 514 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:10,880 we're staring at a dead end, like we're in the middle of the 515 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:16,400 valley of the shadow of death. Sometimes it feels like we wish 516 00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:20,000 we could go back, but we can only go forward. 517 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:29,760 Brothers and sisters, keep walking by faith, not by sight. 518 00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:35,800 In 1761, John Newton encouraged his friend. 519 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:43,520 When you get to heaven, you will not complain of the way by which 520 00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:48,400 the Lord brought you. He who has been with us thus far 521 00:39:50,240 --> 00:39:56,400 will be with us to the end. Christian, you're a Pilgrim. 522 00:39:57,760 --> 00:40:02,880 You're just passing through and you're on a holy path. 523 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,240 And that's really what the next 5 speeches are about. 524 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:13,040 Holiness. After the Lord recounts their 525 00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:18,080 journey, he speaks to Moses. Five more times in the book of 526 00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:21,000 Numbers, five more speeches. You can see those speeches. 527 00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:24,560 Each one begins with the Lord spoke to Moses. 528 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:29,880 Chapter 33, verse 50. Chapter 34, Verse 1, Chapter 34, 529 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:35,680 Verse 16, Chapter 35, verse 1, Chapter 35, verse 95. 530 00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:40,640 Speeches, each with instructions, looking West of 531 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:44,120 the Jordan, life in the promised land. 532 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:46,360 That's what the five speeches are about. 533 00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:48,720 Here's a brief recap. There's actually a pretty clear 534 00:40:48,720 --> 00:40:50,760 logical ordering of the speeches. 535 00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:54,320 The first speech, they're told they must drive out the 536 00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:57,800 inhabitants and destroy all the idols of the land. 537 00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:01,560 The second speech, they're then given the boundaries of the 538 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:03,960 land. So once the inhabitants are 539 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:06,400 removed, here are the boundaries of the land. 540 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:09,360 In the third speech, they're told how they can divide the 541 00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:13,840 land among the tribes, and in the fourth speech, once the land 542 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:18,360 is divided, cities need to be chosen to give to the Levites to 543 00:41:18,360 --> 00:41:21,560 care for them. And the 5th and final speech, of 544 00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:25,280 those Levitical cities, some will function as cities of 545 00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:30,080 refuge. Now what's the point though of 546 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:34,880 these five speeches? If you look at chapter 35, the 547 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:42,520 last verse says the point, chapter 35, verse 34, you shall 548 00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:47,960 not defile the land in which you live in the midst of which I 549 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:54,120 dwell, For I, the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of 550 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:57,640 Israel. The reason the Lord was giving 551 00:41:57,640 --> 00:42:02,200 them the promised land was so that they could dwell with Him. 552 00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:05,960 In other words, the point of the land was the Lord. 553 00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:11,200 The land was a gift that pointed to the gracious giver of all 554 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:16,000 gifts. And because there was, because 555 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:20,480 their Lord was a holy God, they were told to rid themselves of 556 00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:25,200 all idolatry and to continue to make sure that they themselves 557 00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:30,760 were wholly devoted to Him. Friends, the glory of heaven. 558 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:37,400 It's not ultimately reuniting with loved ones, though that 559 00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:41,960 will be a sweet reunion. It's not ultimately that there's 560 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:46,840 no more sin, though. Imagine that day, the glory of 561 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:51,720 heaven, the goodness of heaven. The point of heaven is God 562 00:42:51,720 --> 00:42:54,880 himself. In high school I remember 563 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:58,120 conversation with friends and they they asked the question, 564 00:42:59,080 --> 00:43:02,440 would you go to heaven if God wasn't there? 565 00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:07,960 Friends, heaven is in heaven if God is not there. 566 00:43:09,120 --> 00:43:15,240 Everything good about heaven flows from the presence of our 567 00:43:15,240 --> 00:43:20,920 holy God. We're pilgrims on a holy path. 568 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:25,680 We're heading to our holy God, and we reflect that heavenly 569 00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:28,560 hope today by walking in holiness. 570 00:43:29,720 --> 00:43:33,520 Like Israel was called to drive out the inhabitants of the land 571 00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:38,720 to destroy all the idols. We can't grow complacent in 572 00:43:38,720 --> 00:43:42,920 mortifying our sinful nature. It's a cancer. 573 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:47,640 It will spread throughout our bodies and into our churches. 574 00:43:48,680 --> 00:43:53,480 It must be put to death. What does holy holiness look 575 00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:59,240 like as you walk to heaven? Holiness looks like taking every 576 00:43:59,240 --> 00:44:02,760 aspect of your life and then devoting it to the Lord. 577 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:11,120 Your home, your family, your career, your work, your 578 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:15,720 relationship with your colleagues, your quiet moments 579 00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:21,640 when you're alone with your thoughts, your future and 580 00:44:21,640 --> 00:44:23,880 devoting it to the Lord. Lord, this belongs to you. 581 00:44:24,800 --> 00:44:29,000 Lord, this is yours. Heavenly hope changes your 582 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:33,640 present day behaviour. It causes you to think about 583 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:37,880 every weight that you have, to consider every sin that clings 584 00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:41,200 so closely that's keeping you from dwelling with the Lord. 585 00:44:42,080 --> 00:44:46,600 It's remembering that the Lord's dwelling with you even now. 586 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:51,600 As Jesus said to us, Behold, I'm with you always, even to the end 587 00:44:51,760 --> 00:44:56,760 of the age. How does knowing that Christ is 588 00:44:56,760 --> 00:45:00,560 dwelling with you now help you walk a holy life today? 589 00:45:03,320 --> 00:45:08,920 Are you aware of various of your life that you've sectioned off 590 00:45:09,240 --> 00:45:14,120 from Christ, from holiness? Are you aware of patterns of 591 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:20,240 thought that continue in your heart that you need to devote to 592 00:45:20,240 --> 00:45:24,560 the Lord? Once again, pilgrims regularly 593 00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:28,560 re evaluate their path. Am I headed on the right 594 00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:32,600 direction? Am I walking in holiness today? 595 00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:36,000 Friends, we've covered 3 pictures. 596 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:40,200 We're soldiers in a battle. We're citizens of a heavenly 597 00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:43,160 Kingdom. We're pilgrims on a holy path. 598 00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:45,800 Here's the 4th. The final one turn to chapter 599 00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:53,760 36, where a bride awaiting her groom, Chapter 36 where a bride 600 00:45:54,400 --> 00:46:01,640 awaiting her groom. In chapter 36, the daughters of 601 00:46:01,640 --> 00:46:05,200 Zola Fahad desire life in the promised land with the Lord. 602 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:10,880 They represent Israel, they symbolize the Lord's faithful 603 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:15,320 bride. Look at chapter 36, The heads of 604 00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:18,680 the father's houses of the clan of the people of Gilead, the son 605 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:22,800 of Machar, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of 606 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:26,920 Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the 607 00:46:26,920 --> 00:46:30,720 chiefs, the heads of the fathers houses of the people of Israel. 608 00:46:30,960 --> 00:46:34,800 They said, the Lord commanded my Lord to give the land for 609 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:38,080 inheritance to Lot to the people of Israel. 610 00:46:38,680 --> 00:46:42,160 And my Lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of 611 00:46:42,160 --> 00:46:44,320 Zelophahad our brother, to his daughters. 612 00:46:44,960 --> 00:46:48,600 But if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes 613 00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:52,680 of the people of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken 614 00:46:52,680 --> 00:46:56,320 from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the 615 00:46:56,320 --> 00:46:59,640 inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. 616 00:47:00,360 --> 00:47:04,440 So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 617 00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:08,960 And when the jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then 618 00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:13,320 their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe 619 00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:17,760 into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken from 620 00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:19,920 the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers. 621 00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:25,320 And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the words 622 00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:30,800 of the Lord, saying, The tribe of the people of Joseph is 623 00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:33,720 right. This is what the Lord commands 624 00:47:33,720 --> 00:47:35,440 concerning the daughters of Zelophaha. 625 00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:40,880 Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry 626 00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:43,240 within the clan of the tribe of their father. 627 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:46,760 The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred 628 00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:50,360 from one tribe to another. For every one of the people of 629 00:47:50,360 --> 00:47:54,560 Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribes of his 630 00:47:54,560 --> 00:47:57,680 father's. And every daughter who possesses 631 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:01,520 an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be 632 00:48:01,520 --> 00:48:05,320 wife to one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that 633 00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:09,040 every one of the people of Israel may possess the 634 00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:12,880 inheritance of his father's. So no inheritance shall be 635 00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:15,800 transferred from one tribe to another. 636 00:48:16,120 --> 00:48:19,480 For each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall hold on 637 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:22,760 to its own inheritance. Verse 10. 638 00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:27,480 The daughters of Zelophah did as the Lord commanded Moses. 639 00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:32,760 For Mala, Terza, Hogla, Milka, and Noah, the daughters of 640 00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:36,320 Zelophah had were married to the sons of their fathers brothers. 641 00:48:36,920 --> 00:48:39,920 They were married into the clans of the people of Manasseh, the 642 00:48:39,920 --> 00:48:42,920 son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the 643 00:48:42,920 --> 00:48:48,120 tribe of their father's clan. These are the commandments and 644 00:48:48,120 --> 00:48:52,000 the rules that the Lord commanded through Moses to the 645 00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:56,720 people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at 646 00:48:56,720 --> 00:49:03,040 Jericho. If you remember back Genesis 17, 647 00:49:03,760 --> 00:49:07,560 the Lord promised Abraham, I will give to you and to your 648 00:49:07,560 --> 00:49:12,160 offspring after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land 649 00:49:12,160 --> 00:49:15,120 of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. 650 00:49:16,280 --> 00:49:21,240 Numbers 36 ends with more than a promise that the land will be 651 00:49:21,240 --> 00:49:24,440 given. It ends with a promise that the 652 00:49:24,440 --> 00:49:29,560 land will be preserved from one generation to the next. 653 00:49:30,240 --> 00:49:33,480 Now, as you've probably noticed as I read, the keyword of this 654 00:49:33,480 --> 00:49:40,600 chapter is inheritance. It's mentioned 17 times in 13 655 00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:44,280 verses. The inheritance of the land will 656 00:49:44,280 --> 00:49:46,480 be passed down for generations to come. 657 00:49:46,760 --> 00:49:49,840 The gift of the land will be a lasting 1. 658 00:49:50,560 --> 00:49:53,960 And we see all of this come through the daughters of 659 00:49:53,960 --> 00:50:00,080 Zelophahan, if you remember them, Mala, Noah, Hogla, Milka, 660 00:50:00,440 --> 00:50:03,680 and Teresa. Back in chapter 27, they faced a 661 00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:06,680 problem. Their father had died, meaning, 662 00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:09,360 and he also had no sons, which meant that they would not 663 00:50:09,360 --> 00:50:11,040 receive the inheritance of the land. 664 00:50:11,440 --> 00:50:15,800 They presented themselves to Israel's Supreme Court, to Moses 665 00:50:15,800 --> 00:50:20,360 and to the leaders, and the decision was from the Lord that 666 00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:24,520 they were right. But here they face another 667 00:50:24,520 --> 00:50:27,400 problem. Their problem is that if they 668 00:50:27,400 --> 00:50:31,320 marry outside of their clan, eventually their tribe will lose 669 00:50:31,320 --> 00:50:34,000 the land. So again they appeal to Moses, 670 00:50:34,640 --> 00:50:38,240 and the Lord says again, verse 5, they're right. 671 00:50:38,920 --> 00:50:42,040 So the Lord commands the daughters to marry whomever they 672 00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:45,600 think best, as long as it's someone in their tribe. 673 00:50:45,600 --> 00:50:51,600 And the problem's resolved. Why does Moses choose to end the 674 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:54,480 Book of Numbers with the daughters of Zalufahad? 675 00:50:56,320 --> 00:51:00,760 Why are they so important that they actually frame the second 676 00:51:00,760 --> 00:51:03,240 generation? They're mentioned in chapter 27. 677 00:51:03,760 --> 00:51:05,880 They're again here at chapter 36. 678 00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:12,440 The reason is because if you remember from Numbers 11 to 25, 679 00:51:12,880 --> 00:51:17,720 the first generation complained about the food, despise the 680 00:51:17,720 --> 00:51:22,600 land, and in chapter 25 even committed spiritual adultery 681 00:51:22,760 --> 00:51:25,880 against the Lord by bowing down to Baal. 682 00:51:25,880 --> 00:51:30,640 And then in chapter 27 we were presented with the daughters of 683 00:51:30,640 --> 00:51:33,520 Zola Fahad. They are presented as the 684 00:51:33,520 --> 00:51:38,280 faithful bride of Israel, a picture of what the nation 685 00:51:38,280 --> 00:51:43,720 should be, a people who have fearless faith, who long for 686 00:51:43,720 --> 00:51:46,920 life with the Lord in the Promised land. 687 00:51:47,600 --> 00:51:52,360 And here in chapter 36, Israel is on the verge of the Promised 688 00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:55,280 Land. They're about to experience life 689 00:51:55,560 --> 00:52:00,400 with the Lord forever in their home, with their divine husband. 690 00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:05,040 It's no coincidence then, that the book concludes by 691 00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:08,640 referencing the daughters of Salafah had and their marriages. 692 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:13,160 They represent Israel, the faithful bride of the Lord. 693 00:52:15,320 --> 00:52:19,280 You know, I remember waiting for my wedding day. 694 00:52:20,280 --> 00:52:23,120 Hannah and I got married March 19th, 2016. 695 00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:26,480 It's also our Wi-Fi password. It's an easy way to remember 696 00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:29,400 your anniversary. I tried to marry Hannah many 697 00:52:29,400 --> 00:52:31,640 years before then. That's another story. 698 00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:37,120 We eventually dated for six months around, engaged for five 699 00:52:37,120 --> 00:52:40,920 months, married in a little barn in Fayetteville, AR. 700 00:52:40,920 --> 00:52:46,880 I remember those months leading up, the anticipation, the 701 00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:51,760 longing, the days could not fly by fast enough and then they 702 00:52:51,760 --> 00:52:55,520 make you wait at the front as the bride comes in the room even 703 00:52:55,520 --> 00:52:57,640 more. I remember when those doors 704 00:52:57,640 --> 00:53:03,800 opened and their Hannah was and the waiting was over. 705 00:53:05,800 --> 00:53:11,760 Friends were presented in the Scriptures as the bride awaiting 706 00:53:11,760 --> 00:53:15,880 her groom. Whether you're single or married 707 00:53:16,640 --> 00:53:22,160 or a man or a woman, the Bible depicts the church as the bride 708 00:53:22,160 --> 00:53:26,480 of Christ. You know, the apostle John saw a 709 00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:29,840 vision of that glorious day in Revelation 19. 710 00:53:32,600 --> 00:53:34,720 He said. I heard what seemed to be the 711 00:53:34,720 --> 00:53:41,520 voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters, and 712 00:53:41,520 --> 00:53:44,560 like the sound of mighty peals of Thunder crying out. 713 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:50,280 Hallelujah for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 714 00:53:50,520 --> 00:53:54,880 Let us rejoice and exalt and give Him the glory, for the 715 00:53:54,880 --> 00:54:02,120 marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself 716 00:54:02,720 --> 00:54:07,040 ready. Brothers and sisters, this is 717 00:54:07,040 --> 00:54:10,120 the wedding that you've been waiting for. 718 00:54:11,440 --> 00:54:14,760 That's the groom you were created for. 719 00:54:15,560 --> 00:54:20,720 Jesus is the one that your soul longs for. 720 00:54:22,320 --> 00:54:23,960 So how should we wait for that day? 721 00:54:26,160 --> 00:54:32,120 Like the daughters of Zalufa hat with eager longing, with 722 00:54:32,120 --> 00:54:40,360 courageous risk taking, with bold faith, our heart should cry 723 00:54:40,360 --> 00:54:46,320 out, come, Lord Jesus. Brothers and sisters, these 724 00:54:46,320 --> 00:54:49,680 things took place as examples for us. 725 00:54:50,560 --> 00:54:54,480 Numbers was written to remind us that though we walk through the 726 00:54:54,480 --> 00:55:00,000 wilderness, our wilderness days will soon be over, will soon 727 00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:04,240 depart and dwell with the Lord forever. 728 00:55:06,880 --> 00:55:11,600 Let's turn our hearts towards heaven more often as we 729 00:55:11,600 --> 00:55:14,080 conclude. The Puritan Richard Baxter, the 730 00:55:14,080 --> 00:55:18,760 brother who wrote that 800 page treatise on heaven. 731 00:55:19,600 --> 00:55:24,200 His heart was turned towards heaven during the winter of 1647 732 00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:28,960 when his nose started to bleed and the medical wisdom of the 733 00:55:28,960 --> 00:55:33,880 day said that he had an excess of blood and so he opened up 4 734 00:55:33,880 --> 00:55:40,480 veins followed by more blood. The loss of blood nearly killed 735 00:55:40,480 --> 00:55:46,800 him and it was there on his deathbed that he began to write 736 00:55:46,800 --> 00:55:49,200 what he initially intended to be his funeral sermon. 737 00:55:50,760 --> 00:55:53,960 Those thoughts, those thoughts steadily grew into that best 738 00:55:53,960 --> 00:55:58,440 seller on heaven, The Saints Everlasting Rest 800 pages, 739 00:55:58,440 --> 00:56:02,200 reflecting on one verse of the Bible, Hebrews 49. 740 00:56:02,200 --> 00:56:09,080 There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, and Baxter 741 00:56:09,600 --> 00:56:12,480 dedicated the book to his beloved church members at 742 00:56:12,480 --> 00:56:16,200 Kidderminster. The dedication reads written as 743 00:56:16,200 --> 00:56:21,240 it were, by a man who was between living and dead. 744 00:56:22,800 --> 00:56:30,320 He wrote in his book, Reader, take your heart once again and 745 00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:34,200 lead it by the hand. Bring it to the top of the 746 00:56:34,200 --> 00:56:38,320 highest mountain. Show it the Kingdom of Christ 747 00:56:38,840 --> 00:56:44,560 and glory of it. Say to your heart all this will 748 00:56:44,560 --> 00:56:49,120 your Lord bestow on you. It is the Father's good pleasure 749 00:56:49,880 --> 00:56:55,000 to give you this Kingdom. Friends, don't settle for earth 750 00:56:56,480 --> 00:56:59,400 when you were made for heaven. Let's pray. 751 00:57:07,030 --> 00:57:12,230 Father, we pray for us as we journey to heaven together. 752 00:57:14,070 --> 00:57:15,950 Lord, we pray you give our hearts hope. 753 00:57:17,430 --> 00:57:24,430 Hope that Christ is with us now, hope that Christ will return. 754 00:57:25,510 --> 00:57:30,880 And Lord, we pray that that hope would prepare us well as we show 755 00:57:30,880 --> 00:57:36,800 concern and love for one another as we head to heaven together. 756 00:57:36,800 --> 00:57:39,320 We pray in Jesus name, Amen.