in a few weeks, I'll be joining a conference in Michigan and A
few weeks ago, we had an opportunity to be on a
conference call to speak about what the meeting will be about
and I had no idea what the the conference theme was but they
had told me the title of it and the title of, it was something
that I've been chewing on really since we have that phone
conversation and the title of that conference is I'm saved.
Now, what? I love it.
What is your purpose? Now that you're saved?
Or let's ask it even more. Precise question, what is the
point of this Bible study? What are we doing here tonight?
What's the you guys came from work?
Some of you came from school, some of you rush to be here and
you're sitting in a chair. Why are you here?
What's all the preparation about?
Why do we do this on a week-to-week basis?
I'm saved. Now?
What? And I think one verse is so
clear. You don't have to turn.
There were about the stand in a moment to pray together. 1st,
John 3:3. Therefore everyone who thus
hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Hoping in him concerning that salvation work in the future
tense that he's going to redeem us.
And until that moment, my hope is in that, you know what, your
purpose of mine is that we purify ourselves as he is pure,
not because you need to get to that place to be redeemed, but
because you have been redeemed. Now, your mission in life, if
you claim to abide in Christ is that you desire to walk as Jesus
walked as 1st, John 2:6, everyone who says that he abides
in him, listen to how profound this statement is everyone who
thus says that he abides in him must walk as he walked Stay with
me as we pray. There's no scripture reading.
We're going to pray together though.
So we're here why because we want to purify ourselves through
the sanctifying power of the word of God, the saying Lord I
want to be found faithful when you return, father in this place
tonight as we've chosen to be here because we know what our
life purpose is, now that we are saved we want to be pure as
Jesus is pure and we want to leave a mark on the lives around
us. So we pray that this Bible study
by your grace would contribute to that mission.
That is Any other pursuit in our life.
Any other plan, any other dream. We have one desire to walk as
Jesus walked Lord, with this Bible study help us do that
tonight. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
You may be seated and this is what the Book of Numbers is all
about. In the old Covenant sense, that
God has redeemed his people. And from Numbers, Chapter 12,
Numbers Chapter 10, The camp, the Israelites are in one
location. Receiving instruction after
instruction, after instruction, and none of them have mobilized
yet. This Camp does not move forward
from the Wilderness of Sinai to the promised land until Numbers
chapter 10. And so what is the Lord doing
from 1 to 10? He is giving the necessary
Commandments and laws for his people in the present tense.
Yes. In the moment as we're going
through the Wilderness, but more importantly, for their future.
Investment in the promised land to know how to live, so that
they can live as long as possible in that place called
The Promised Land. And so, here's this nation and
their infant stage and here's the Lord investing in them with
all these Commandments saying, listen, the reason why I'm doing
this is so that when you get to the promised land, you would be
able to sustain the promised land.
You be able to sustain the blessings that I want to pour
out on your life. And so that's what this is all
about and up to this point, as we've covered chapters 1 to 4.
We're in a good start here. Look at the end of 1:54 of
numbers. Thus did the people of Israel.
They did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses.
So when God had given instructions in chapter one,
they did it. They obeyed.
Now look at the end of chapter 2 and verse 34.
Thus did the people of Israel according to all that the Lord
commanded Moses, so they can't buy their standards and so they
set out each one in his clan according to the his father's
house. So they're obeying again, then
he come to the end of chapter 4, verse 49.
According to the Commandment of the Lord through Moses, they
were listed each one with his task of serving or carrying
thus, they were listed by him as the Lord commanded.
Moses. This is amazing.
There is no record of failure up to this point with the
Israelites and that's going to continue, even into this chapter
in chapter 5. And so we read in verse 1 as the
Lord continues to usher in more Commandments for his people to
represent him and to live with him.
An estate of blessing, the Lord spoke to Moses and 5:1 saying,
command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp,
everyone who is leprous, or has a discharge.
And everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead,
you shall put out both male and female putting them outside the
camp that they may not defile. Their camp in the midst of which
I dwell here. It is again.
And the people of Israel did. So, and put them outside the
camp as the Lord said to Moses. So the people of Israel did It's
just amazing. Track record of obedience.
And this specific command is not as easy.
As it sounds really, put yourself in a modern-day
Israelite shoes as a lord gives out this command.
Remember, all of this, all of these things are symbolic of
what the Lord desires from his people in order for them to
advance in his purpose. And this is one of those
Investments. He's saying, I want you to get
rid of every single lepers person, I want you get rid of
every person. Has a discharge of bodily fluid.
I want you to get rid of every person.
That is touch the dead have come in contact with anything that is
dead. Why do you think that would be a
difficult thing to do? Yes, I see exactly.
So you talking about, here's the Lord, giving the commandant
through his prophet and you know what people are doing right
after they hear that they're scanning and they're looking
around, they're saying oh Mom has leprosy.
Our good friend, he's touched a dead before you can just imagine
what that was like to pile up, all these people and to exit
them out into the outside of the camp.
This is a difficult thing but we see a quick obedience to such a
thing because all those things represent, something of
uncleanness of sin of death, everything.
Contrary to the character of God and he says, I need you to expel
these things and for some it would be a permanent.
Reality for others. If they got themselves to be
clean, especially if there is a discharge of fluid, they would
be able to come back. But what was the reason?
The Lord says, it's so clearly here in the anniversary, in the
midst of which I dwell, the people of Israel needed to come
up with this conclusion and their own Hearts concerning
their Dwelling Place. Are we going to do?
And are we going to set up this atmosphere to make God
comfortable or to make others comfortable?
That is the ultimate question that had to ask ourselves in
that moment. Are we going to set up an
environment that would make God pleased?
That would make him dwell, here comfortably, or we going to do
this for our own benefit and for our own comfort.
For others to feel. Like, they can stay.
And listen, that is a question that every single believer has
to ask themselves. That if they want to know God's
Advance purposes for their lives.
This is a question that every single Christian needs to ask
themselves. Am I willing to make God
comfortable or others comfortable including myself?
Because we're not talking about a physical land anymore, we're
not talking about Jerusalem, being the holy city in the
sense, where that's where God dwells alone.
It is the holy city. God will come back in Christ and
reign in that City. All those great things but a New
Covenant sense, your the temple in the New Covenant sense, your
that Holy Land. I'm that Holy Land and the New
Covenant sense. This church is the Temple of the
Living God and we have to ask the same question that these
Israelites probably have to ask themselves when this command was
given. Are we willing to make God
comfortable here? Or we can arrange things for
people in their state of uncleanness to remain.
And when you ask yourself that question and you've determined
within yourself that you want to make God comfortable, the second
question is this now Lord, what makes you uncomfortable?
Can I tell you something you want to advance in
sanctification if you really want to be pure?
As he is pure, if you really want to be found faithful as
Jesus gave. So many parables, do you notice,
although so many parables are different, a lot of them have
the same theme talking about a master, who has gone away for a
long while how many parables are like that and what is that whole
mindset? That he would come back and find
it. People that are faithful, if you
and I have determined within ourselves, we want to make God
comfortable in this temple in this Temple.
The next question is Lord will what makes you comfortable?
It makes you uncomfortable and if you really sincerely, ask
that question, watch how you will in a moment I'm telling you
in a moment, leap in your sanctification, If we're not
asking that question. And what are we really doing?
And God has given us Specific Instructions, as personal
individual Hostess of present of the presence of God.
And as a corporate body I remember hearing an interview
just a few days ago in a grieve my heart because it was too
much, megachurch multi campus pastors, interviewing one
another. And one asks the other what it
was your philosophy before you started your ministry?
What was your what was your mindset before you planted your
first church? And now you have all these
churches and you know what? This man said he said well I ask
myself as a pastor if I was a business man with three
children. Run and my vocation was not full
time ministry. What kind of church would I want
to go to? I asked myself this and it meant
so much to me that if I was not a pastor, what kind of church
what I want to go to? And that was the church.
I was going to build Here's the problem with that philosophy.
It's in direct contradiction to the word of God because Paul
told Timothy, who was left in Ephesus.
And First Timothy, 3:14, 15, you have to turn there.
He says, listen, I'm writing these things to you because if I
delay, you might know how you ought to behave in the household
of God. We have the prescription for
what God wants from us in this church.
And we have that same prescription for what God wants
from us in this life. You've heard me use this example
before, but this is a great question to ask even in those
gray areas, especially in the gray areas of life.
We don't know if it's right or wrong and there are some
cultural influences on certain habits or decisions that we make
just ask yourself this question. Lord, does this make you
comfortable? And watch how you will have an
answer. If the spirit of God dwells in
you, you will know that nudge a teacher once said this, he went
into a place in India, a Bible teacher, and he was in a
specific place where culturally it was acceptable, even amongst
Christians to smoke, So, he went into a church and as he pulled
up, he saw the men outside smoking.
He felt himself. Well, the Bible doesn't say
anything about smoking. What am I gonna do though?
Because this is harming the body.
It's not a good thing. So you've heard this but I'll
share for those who haven't and he got up on the pulpit and he
had a translator because it was a specific type of language that
they were speaking in specific part of India and he said I
wanted today, teach you how you can smoke like a Christian So
this is what you need to know if you want to smoke like a
Christian. Next time, you pull out a
cigarette Ask Jesus if he wants to smoke with you.
And he left out of that. That's wisdom.
And the next day after he had
shared that message, he was preparing to share another
message. The translator came up to me
before he went up to the pulpit. He says, I have to have to tell
you, something said, why he says I stopped smoking.
He says, why I didn't tell you to stop smoking.
He says, I know, but I pulled out a cigarette after the
message, and I asked Jesus, if he won and won in, I knew he
didn't. So I quit I remember it was a
couple youth conferences when I was first going around doing
these things from time to time and it was amazing.
You would see young 13 year old boys after a message that wasn't
even on the specific subject. I don't even know if it was
mentioned behind the pulpit but you have these young kids come
up and they would say, excuse me and I have a question.
I said what's your question? He goes, well I'm playing this
video game and he would tell me the name of the video game is
young as 13, 12 years old. Sometimes that would be in the
meeting. And he would I knew what video
game he was talking about, it was gor nudity violence, body
parts, being chopped up, all these different things and it
was a simple answer. I I'm not going to give him a
yes or no. I just asked something along the
lines of next time. You play as if Jesus wants to
play with you. The week after one of those kids
came back with that video game. He says I'm not playing this
anymore and he looked at me and he says, can you break them?
I am not breaking your video again and you go tell your mom
that I broke it. You go break it.
I'll watch you. So he went into the bathroom,
what do you do? Each start breaking and I was
just cheering while he was doing it.
It was a very, we were in a bathroom locked or if it was
just it was amazing how you did and I just that's awesome.
I think I recorded it too but I don't know where when it was on
my old phone and then that's it. Ask yourself this question.
If you want advance in your sanctification Lord, does this
make you comfortable? What makes you uncomfortable?
And watch how things will pop up in your life that you thought
they're not mean anything to the Lord where he says, thank you
for asking. This does make me feel
uncomfortable. Because there's something better
I have for you. And they had to make that
decision. And they did make that decision.
Now we come to verse 5 and 9 to 9 where there's another set of
instructions given and the Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to
the people of Israel. When a man or woman commits any
of the sins that people commit by Breaking Faith with the Lord.
And that person realizes his guilt.
He shall confess his sin that he has committed and he shall make
full restitution for his wrong. Adding a fifth to it and giving
it to him, whom he did the wrong.
But if the Anne has no, next of kin to whom restitution may be
made for the wrong. The restitution for wrong, shall
go to the Lord for the priest. In addition to the ram of
atonement which atonement is made from.
Let's just stop here. Kind of going fast.
What's the idea here now? God is giving and he's
revisiting this understanding of a sin that is committed to
another brother or sister and how that ought to be figured out
how that can be cleaned up. And this is what the Lord is
giving concerning instruction. We've seen this before, where
have we seen this? We've read this somewhere before
and just a past few weeks. It was in a specific book that
that with a specific offering. Does anybody remember the
offering that dealt with this? The trespass offering the guilt
offering and Leviticus five and six.
This is one of the offerings that were was catered towards a
person with sin against another. And part of that process was
that if you have wronged the brother, By either taking from
him or harming him, even physically or damaging his
property. This was the Lord's mindset
behind. This is his wisdom.
He goes not only are you going to make full restitution, you're
going to add a fifth to a 20% and the the idea behind God
doing this is so that people won't do it because they're
going to not only how many things in the law today, if we
had this mindset would not be done by people that if you took
something or I don't know what the laws are, not professional.
All these things you have to make full restitution out of
fifth to it. It was a beautiful understanding
there because even in the New Covenant sense, though, this is
not required for salvation, it is a healthy response to
somebody who understands Grace and we talked about Zacchaeus
how when he realized that the Lord wanted to sup with him and
eat with him. And he knew his name, he stood
up and he says, I'm going to make a four-fold, restitution to
those I've robbed, I want to do this and it's just a response of
wanting to make things right to those that you've wronged in the
past, as a normal healthy response to wanting to represent
Christ in that That. And it's amazing.
We talked about that in Leviticus and somebody had come
up to me. After the Bible said he made a
great Point. What happens if you even as a
Believer want to make restitution but it just not
possible. It's just not possible
circumstances. The timing of it that person
doesn't doesn't exist anymore in my life.
That person is in live actually anymore.
How do I go about making restitution?
I'm a firm believer that the Holy Spirit Will convict a
person concerning this area of restitution in their life that
there isn't a law about it. That's written across all
believers lives but that is a normal response that you you.
The Holy Spirit. Will don't be surprised that
even after you get saved he will and he'll just put something on
you saying. You have to go make things right
with that person that you wrong before you got saved. sometimes
it not possible that person that's not possible, either in a
financial sense Anything property, anything even
emotional damage? How do I do this and you want.
God is so realistic. Because he expands on that.
And Leviticus, we have the same instructions, concerning the
guilt offering at a fifth, do it.
And here in numbers, he expands on that principle and he says,
look at verse 8, but if the man has no next of kin.
So if that person does not live anymore, you gotta go make
restitution to a family member And if that family member
doesn't exist, or that person doesn't have family members, you
know, what you have to do next. He says go and give it to the
priest. And I believe that out of this
Old Testament, texts concerning the understanding of restitution
that. If even in a New Covenant, we
want to make things right with a person that we've wrong and we
don't know where they are in Life, or is just it just does
not make sense. There's no wisdom and going to
that person again or that person's family, whatever, that
the best thing next to that is making it right with God.
And that's what the Lord is saying here.
Saying if you can't deal with that person, if you can't deal
with a family member, just make it right with me.
Let me see in your own heart that you desire you desire to
make things, right? But you couldn't What I I I
would love to show that person that I'm a changed man, changed
woman but I can't believe, you know, my heart.
Help me to live in light of your character for the rest of my
days. This is the principal here.
And I just love the wisdom of God.
I love his realistic. Standards here concerning us.
It's a beautiful thing. So in your own life, let that be
true. That, that be true that You
desire to do it and if you can't do it, God knows it in your
heart. Now, we come to an interesting
Passage. From verse 11, actually, to the
end of the chapter. And the reason why this is such
an interesting portion of scripture is because from one to
five. And 529.
We've seen these things before we seen these things in other
places of scripture. But now we're coming to a law.
We're coming to a ritual that is unique to the Book of Numbers.
It is not found anywhere else. It's just here, it's just here.
And it's a test that God has instituted and this test deals
with validating whether somebody has actually committed adultery
or not. It's a ritual that would reveal
whether a husband's jealousy for his wife with suspicion towards
her being an adulterous or committing an adulterous ass is
actually something that is true or not.
And what's so surprising about this portion of scripture, when
I came about and read it is, how much detail God has given this
text? Look at your Bibles from verse
11 down to the end of the chapter.
All of the rest of this chapter is dedicated to describing how
this thing will go about. And to us it's very strange
especially in our Western context that as you read.
If you have read it you're like this is kind of mystical.
And so again, whenever we come to a portion of scripture, what
is the rule that we have concerning our application in
these verses? What's the question that we
always ask? What is God's heart behind this?
What do I know about God through
these texts? Now instead of just going and
touching on versus I want us to actually already.
So I need I need a few volunteers you that you're able
to vocalize and and you have strong voices so that everybody
can hear. So I need a person to read from
verses 11 to 15 and he volunteers verses 11 to 15
Barrett verses 16 to 22 Evan Verses 23 to 28 Tamara.
And lastly verses 29 and 31. 29 and 31.
Matt go for it. So wherever starting, please
read out loud and follow through your Bible.
And just imagine this in your minds as we're at this is bible
study, this is not a sermon. So we're going through the
scriptures together. Whoever can start us off
wherever took the first few verses, please start us off the
Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to the people of Israel.
Any man's wife goes astray and breaks Faith with him.
If a Man Lies with her sexually and it is hidden from the eyes
of her husband and she is undetected though, she would has
the file herself and there was no witness against her since she
was not Taking in the act. And if the spirit of jealousy
comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who was the father.
So, or if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous
of his wife though, she has not to bother self.
Then the man shall bring his wife to the priest and bring the
offering required her a tenth of an, ephah of barley flour.
He shall pour no oil on it, and put no frankincense on it for it
is a grain offering a jealousy. The grain offering of
remembrance bringing iniquity to remember because the stop there
for a moment. Is what we have up to this
point. This is not dealing with a sin,
this is dealing with suspicion. And so up to this point, if a
husband is suspicious Of his wife, who has?
It's not clear yet, but there is evidence of perhaps that she's
committed, an act of adultery, he would come to the priest and
notice the language will get to this in a moment.
It's unknown to anybody else. The whole idea here is that the
Lord would expose it. The Lord would expose whether it
is true or not. True.
And we'll get to why this is important.
Whoever has the next portion of scripture, please read the
priest shall bring her near consider the priest shall take
the holy water in the Earthen vessel and take some of the dust
that is on the floor of the Tabernacle, put it all into the
water, then the priest shall stand the woman before the Lord
uncover, the woman's head and put the offering for remembering
in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy.
And the You shall have in his hand, the bitter water that
brings the curse and the priest shall put her under oath and say
it's the woman. If no man is laying with you.
And if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your
husband's Authority, you free from This Bitter Water that
brings a curse. But if you have gone astray
while under your husband's Authority, and if you have to
follow yourself at some men, other than yourself, other than
your husband has Lain with you. You then the priest shall put
the woman under the oath of the curse and he shall say to the
woman, the Lord makes you a curse and an ovum on your
people. When the Lord makes your thigh
rock and your belly swab and made this water, that causes the
curse. Go into your stomach and make
your belly's. Well, and your thighs rots, then
the woman shall say, Amen. So be it.
All right, so here's the next part.
So you have a husband, bring the wife, they come into the
Tabernacle, they bring it before.
The priest, the priest says, okay.
You're under suspicion. So we're going to, I'm going to
lay out what this is going to look like to you and he has her
unbind her hair now. Why is that?
Because there's an instruction early on that.
The lepers had to unbind their hair and Let it Loose if the Let
it Loose it was a state of uncleanness it was a state of
uncleanness it. So she would do that then he
went what he would take dirt put it in water and it would be a
bitter taste really it would be obviously dirt and water doesn't
taste very good and he would lay out these consequences to what
was about to take place and She was hearing all this and that
she's hearing all of this. She has to come to the point
where she says. Amen.
Amen, in other words. All right, let it be.
So let it be so that if I did do this after I drink the water,
then it and what would happen as a result is that there would be
an infection, there'd be a disease that would cause her not
to be able to have children anymore.
But if she wasn't guilty of it, then she would be clear of all
such infection. Next portion of scripture, And
you shall make the woman, drink the bitter water, and bring the
curse. And the water that brings a
curse, shall I tell her to become bitter.
And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from
the woman's hand, shall wait for offering for the Lord and bring
it to the Altar and a pre-show, take a handful of the offering
as it is memorial portion. Burn it on the Altar and
afterward make the woman drink the water when he has made her
drink, the water that I shall be if she has decided Yourself and
being unfaithful, we told her husband that the water that
brings a curse, will enter them become bitter and your Valley
will swell forth. I will rock when the woman will
become curse among four people, but if the woman is not defile
himself is clean and she shall be free, and they conceive
children. So here's the next thing.
Not only is he putting dirt in the water.
He's going to write out these curses on material and then put
it in the water. Let the ink go in whatever,
whatever needed to go into that concern and then that would just
add to the bitterness of it. And then again is really the
Bible's reinforcing. What would come about if she
actually did this? That there would be a visible
and there would be a reputation for the rest of her days.
In that canvas. She had actually done this act
to very this is a very weighty and serious thing.
Very waiting, very serious. And the finally the last two
verses this is the law in cases of jealousy.
When the wife go under her husband's Authority goes astray
and the files herself. But when the spirit of jealousy
comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife and he shall
set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall carry out
for her. All this block, The man shall be
free from iniquity but the woman shall bear.
What do you think? The reason for all of this is
relating to the Israelites and their immediate context, what
purpose is God have in giving this specific law and ritual?
What is the Lord trying to promote in the hearts of his
people? Faithfulness.
Yes. Another word with f.d.r., a holy
fear, a holy fear with the Lord is trying to promote in this
moment. And through this, through this
text, is that he would have a people that would have a wholly
healthy, fear relating to faithfulness and marriage and
what this text is trying to show you and I about God, is that he
has a fierce zeal. And when two become one, they
stay one. Unfortunately, though, his
people back then and today, do not have that same Zeal.
And so he gives these instructions to the Israelites
to say, listen, what this will do is ultimately leave me to be
the judge, it's a very wise thing, it's amazing.
The wisdom of the Lord that the Lord will be the ultimate one
that would reveal and judge and exposed.
Whatever, unfaithfulness there would be.
Now we read this and we kind of think this is kind of unfair,
because we have a husband who's kind of bringing the wife in.
And, and this is a, this is a template, but there is something
here for the wife. You have to understand that
there is something of great benefit through this law for the
woman. What do you think that is?
Fruitfulness. Vindication if she's right.
That's that's partly true. Yeah, that is I think there
would be a Vindication but there's something even more
practical than that. Yeah.
So this is like Vindicated that what you meant by Vindication?
Like, she's going to prove herself to be faithful through
this. Yes.
Yes, it was just another confirmation for her to be able
to bear fruit. I absolutely trust her husband's
trust so that is guaranteed through that.
Yes. That's right.
So part of this, the way God set it up, is that the woman because
of God being involved directly would be protected from her
husband, or from even others around that would try to respond
to her suspicions with mistreatment.
What this law does, is it removes any possibility for
anybody to jump the gun through suspicion and through a violent
response or mistreatment? Or reputation being spread.
God had brought this for the sake of protecting wives as
well, so that they would go into this place and if they are
innocent, God would have the final word and her record would
be clean before the sight of others.
So we see that this is going both ways.
This is a very fair thing because if her husband did bring
her in out of Suspicion, he was wrong.
I mean, she has nothing to fear in the first place.
All right, let's just get this over with Has God's heart
changed. Concerning how he feels about
marriage from Numbers, Chapter 62, 2018.
Let me read this new testament, verse and Hebrews 13:4.
Let marriage be held in honor, among all.
And let the marriage bed, be undefiled for God will judge the
sexually immoral and adulterous, that's not found in Numbers.
Chapter 6, that's found in Hebrews.
That's Hebrews 13:4. Let the marriage bed.
Be undefiled, why? Because if not, then God will
judge. And how he will judge.
Hebrews doesn't tell us number 6, tells us, but Hebrews is not
tell us, but it does says he will.
And he is the perfect judge. He knows exactly what to give as
his act of discipline towards those who have been unfaithful.
So here are some things that you and I can learn from Numbers.
Chapter 6, sitting with this text going, okay?
I understand God has a heart for faithfulness and marriage but
what else is a saying about the Lord?
Not only, what is he saying about the Lord?
What is he saying about you and me?
What I'm about to say in the next few minutes.
My prayer is always this and I pray that it would be true
tonight that no matter how hard a word may be that you would
feel the love the love of Christ in it.
Always and I look at you and I praying into this Bibles that I
look at all of you and I say this with a heart throbbing with
love for you with a love to see you live, your life for Christ
and protect it from all the deceitfulness of sin.
So, hear me tonight. And the rest of this Bible study
concerning this text. That it comes from a heart of a
person that prays for you. If you hear an angry person, if
you hear a person that wants to see you fail, if you're hearing
a person that can't wait till you fall.
So I can say I told you so you do not know this heart.
So I pray in this Bible, study in the rest of this text, you
would hear somebody that truly loves as a brother.
One thing I take out of this text a very simple truth, a
truth that people don't really live out on.
Understand number one, God sees it all, God sees it all.
Notice in verse 13 of Numbers, Chapter 6, if a Man Lies with
her sexually and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and
she is undetected though, she has defiled herself and there is
no witness against the. Do you see that language there?
If it's unknown to the husband. If she's done it, undetected
lie, if she's done it with no witness.
You know what? I learn here.
Even though her husband didn't know it, even though the priest
did not see it, Jesus did. Jesus did and Jesus always, we
seized it, he sees it in great detail, he sees it better than
any security camera can capture it.
He sees it better than any voice recorder can record it, he sees
and he knows and he will bring it about.
I need you guys to hear me very carefully that God is faithful
and every single command, and every single revelation of his
character. But if I can personally testify,
and what's more important is what the word of God says, but
if I can Come under the word and testify concerning the, the
commands of God. The character of God if there is
one thing that the Lord has proven in my life and what I've
seen and what I've heard That there is a certain promise, a
certain warning in this very same book that I have seen.
Come to pass, not 95% of the time, 100% of the time numbers
32:23, Numbers 32:23 branded on your heart.
But if you will not do so behold, you have sinned against
the Lord and be sure your sin will find you out.
Be sure. Your sin will find you out.
Let me say this way. If you and I do not learn how to
confess our sins to God. Be sure of this.
Your sins will confess you to others.
Let me say that one more time. If you and I do not learn how to
confess our sins to God. Be sure of this.
Your sins will confess you to others.
In other words, let's simplify your sins will tell on you.
Remember our friend, Saul after the Lord had commanded him.
You'd get rid of all the amalekites, you get rid of
everything when I say destroy everything.
I mean everything. In 1st Samuel, 15, Samuel comes
onto the scene in verse 13 13:14 and Saul comes and look.
What saw says he goes Blessed Be You To The Lord.
I have performed the Commandment of the Lord, and Samuel said,
hold on. Why do I hear the bleating of
sheep? In other words, you were
supposed to destroy all the animals and I hear them
bleeding. That tax terrifies me.
You know why? Because it wasn't a soldier that
ran up to Samuel said Samuel, didn't you tell saw that?
He was supposed to destroy everything.
He didn't do it. It wasn't a fellow Prophet that
went to the same school of prophets, with Samuel, that came
and said, the Lord had revealed to me that your servants saw
there. The king did not perform your
vows, no, it was a sheep. It was a sheep and that name
that bad. Expose them.
And there's a another verse in Ecclesiastes, 10:20 That speaks
of this listen to these words very carefully.
Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king.
Nor in your bedroom curse, the rich for a bird of the air will
carry your voice or some winged creature.
Tell the matter. What is the principle of that?
That whatever you do in private? Even if there's nobody around,
just like in Numbers Chapter 6 they thought that they were
alone. And the Lord had a poetic
fashion is saying, even if you think alone, the birds will tell
on you. Even if you think you're alone.
I'll get nature to testify, you would be amazed of how God will
expose somebody who is an unconfessed sin, especially when
it deals with another individual private sin is one thing, but
when it deals with other people, when it deals with Community,
you up the ante, you up the chances of the Lord, pulling the
sheets. Let me say this very carefully
and in love, don't fall asleep though.
Your eyes are open right now. Let me make this very clear,
very clear as a brother who loves you?
Your sin will tell on you. And I don't want you to
experience the reality of the omniscient omnipotent,
omnipresent God by him, exposing sin.
I want you to experience the reality of God by you walking
righteously and him blessing your life and you praying and
God answering. That's how I want you to
experience. God, not this way, not numbers
32:23, not that way. Please don't let your experience
of God come to a place where you see that he might not have seen
but he actually Did don't go there don't flirt with it.
Your sin will tell on you. And you know what the thing
about Sin is that it can stay quiet and people think that
silence silence Concerning a sinful lifestyle is a way of
God, expressing his affirmation wrong.
Any extension of God's silence in your habitual sin is God's
extension of Mercy for you, to confess it before.
It's exposed I've been doing it a gut and God's, not revealing,
it just wait. Your sin is waiting for the
perfect time and when you think that you have your hand over its
mouth, it will move that hand and say he's doing it.
She's doing it. And it will be so loud.
Somebody else is going to hear it. if you are not convinced
with these Old Testament scriptures, Be convinced of Luke
chapter 12, the words of Jesus Christ himself in the first
three verses. in the meantime, when just Jesus, this is what he
preached to a crowd. This is what Jesus preached to a
crowd. In the meantime, when so many
thousands of the people had gathered together that they were
trampling. One another, he began to say his
to his disciples first. So, what does Jesus do?
And a multi-thousand conference setting, this is what he does.
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Nothing is covered. That will not be revealed.
Or hidden, that will not be known.
Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark, shall be heard
in the light and whatever you whispered and private room shall
be proclaimed in the housetops. That's New Covenant.
That's Jesus, taking Ecclesiastes, 1020 that's Jesus,
taking Numbers Chapter 6. That's Jesus.
Taking numbers. Twenty thirty two, twenty three
and simplifying it in the New Covenant.
If you do it in secret, it's going to come out in public.
I want you to notice that in the text that we just read a
Numbers, Chapter 6. That what would expose this sin?
Was holy water to some degree. And we hear that we go.
That's kind of terrifying, drink this water, and if it makes you
feel better, and you have this disease and that's it people
know, but in the new company, it's something else.
It's not holy water. It's the Holy Spirit.
And so, that's even more terrifying and the New Covenant
since why? Because the ministers don't have
to come up to you say, hey drink this so we can find out if you
did it. You know what happens and then
Isis of fire walk into church. Hey, we gave everything.
Peter didn't go up and say, drink this, let's find out.
If you really did it, The Holy Spirit was right there and says
you lied. And you lied to me.
So we look at Numbers Chapter 60, this is severe.
We're in the New Covenant. And the Holy Spirit, does the
work that this holy water does. Second truth, the power of
confession, the power of confession.
You know, I'm reading this text and I think to myself in
Numbers, Chapter 5, scuse me. I kept saying six, it's actually
chapter 5, well, edit that later.
In Numbers. Chapter 5, what I find
terrifying is that when you look here, again in verse 22 may this
water that brings the curse pass into your bowels and make your
womb swell and your thigh fall away and the woman shall say,
amen. Amen.
What this text is showing you and me that there is a
possibility that someone who is guilty of this sin.
And it's not just this since the principle of Austin that they
are willing to go through the entire process.
They're willing to go through the entire process and only be
found out when they are exposed. Maybe I'm reading too much into
this but I wondered to myself. What would have been like if
that person who was truly guilty on the way to the Tabernacle was
like, I did it. I'm wrong.
I did it and let's deal with this another way, this person is
so stubborn, the possibility of a person being so stubborn that
they go through the entire process.
And the only way that they'll even convey, and here's even the
scary part. Even to this day, there are
people to this day in the New Covenant.
But even after they're exposed, they'll still deny it.
You hear of this stuff. It's like, brother.
There's evidence. It's like wah.
The stubbornness of man is unbelievable.
The unbelief of, man is tragic And this person.
The scripture says it's possible for them to go through the
entire thing. Who knows what they're thinking,
this isn't going to work. next thing, you know, The Bible
doesn't give us that comment commentary on what they're
thinking. But here's a possibility that
somebody's willing to go through that entire ordeal and only be
found out when they're exposed and here's the power of
confession that you and I Need to confess before it gets to
that place. That's a scripture in Proverbs
28:13 whoever conceals his transgression shall not Prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain Mercy.
Never forget that. Never forget that that whoever
tries to hide, it isn't going to prosper, but a person who
confesses it will obtain Mercy. Listen on a horizontal level
When sin is done to another. And that person that person
Confesses their sin and ask for forgiveness before it becomes
this whole blowout. Even on a horizontal level, it
changes the dynamic of the future of that relationship
because there's a humility there.
Listen I did wrong. I'm not going to wait till this
thing is exposed. I'm sorry you didn't even know
it what a difference. Does it make listen an any level
of sin if you and I were to come to a place where whoever we send
against or send with or whatever is the case and you say listen
you did not know this but I did this.
And I just need to ask for your forgiveness.
Don't you think that that conversation?
Would heal that relationship compared to somebody who doesn't
do that and wait till it blows up in their face.
And then says, yeah, I did this. What's the principle here?
May we be a people who know how to confess to one another and to
God. Don't conceal it.
Don't hide it. Have you ever wondered what
David experience in that period of time when he had committed
adultery with Bathsheba? Psalm 51 is written in his
confession. What his heart was like when he
confessed to the Lord, but have you ever wondered?
What his life was? Like in that period before,
Nathan came and pointed the Bony finger in his face?
Some believe that Psalms 32 is that song, it's not explicitly
clear but some believe that Psalms 32 was written after
Psalms 51, where David is fulfilling his vow from Psalms
51, where he says, I will teach the transgressors your ways.
If you heal me, if you restore me, if you do not take your Holy
Spirit from, he says that in verse 13, then I will teach
transgressors your ways, and in Psalms 32, some believe is that
Psalm where he is teaching? And sinners from his own
experience of what they should avoid and look how he describes
his state of unconfessed sin. Blessed is the one verse one.
Whose transgression Is Forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts, no equipment
equity and whose Spirit, there is no deceit.
Now, listen to this for when I kept silent.
In other words, when I did not confess my sin, my bones wasted
away. Through my groaning all day long
for day and night. Your hand was Heavy upon me.
My strength was dried up as by The Heat Of Summer.
When a person lives in unconfessed sin, they are
haunted to some degree. They are haunted to some degree
and part of that haunting is this.
You're living your life wondering.
If anybody will ever find out. Can I tell you in love again as
a brother? Whether you confess or not, it's
coming out. And you will be totally shocked.
To know how it gets exposed. Confess it to him, quickly.
He's willing to give you Mercy. Lastly.
There is a holy confidence that there's three truths out of this
text number one numbers five, there's three choose number one,
God sees it all to. There's power and confession,
there's healing and confession. There is restoration and
confession. Number three, there is a holy
confidence that comes from holy living.
Now look at verse 22 of Numbers. Chapter 5, not from the
standpoint of somebody who might be guilty for from the
standpoint for somebody. Who knows their innocent Me this
water that brings the curse past into your bowels and make your
womb swell and your thigh fall away and the woman shall say,
amen. Amen.
Now here's the one, possibly a possible scenario of somebody
saying. Amen.
And they're going, I hope this
thing doesn't work. Here's another person who knows?
They're innocent that's going. Amen.
Amen, let's get this thing over with.
I want to tell you something that a clear conscience will
give you a confidence. In all Lifestyles and all
matters and all decisions. Even when false accusations
come, Can I tell you something? You should not be.
If anybody in here is scared. It's probably because there's
something I need to get cleaned up.
If you're sitting in your chair right now and you're scared it,
probably because you need to get something out of your life, that
would cause you. In the eyes of others, to
question your testimony. At the question, where you're at
with the Lord. But if you're hearing something
like this and you're living in righteousness, you're hearing
this news saying yes. I do have a holy fear and I
should always have a holy fear, but if I have a clear conscience
before God throw, whatever you want at me, God is my judge.
And there have been situations even in life, even with people
that I've talked to where they have had false accusations or
accusations because of suspicious behavior in their
lives or because of false, just not even a suspicion.
Because, you know what, this text tells us to that you and I
should avoid suspicious Behavior to give people no work to give
people no evidence to get people know firm of a grass for us to
be able to be a potential question mark, that's what that
showing us as well. But in some cases, some people
like this, even a husband, my I have the spirit of jealousy come
over and based on nothing, no matter what.
If accusations coming your way? You know, I always counsel
people with brother sister. Did you do it?
No, then what are you afraid of? Well, they're saying this and
Earth isn't. Did you do it?
No, did you no? Okay then God is your judge.
And he will vindicate you. He'll vindicate you and that's a
confidence that you and I can walk in in this life that if we
know that before the Lord that in our private life styles,
there is nothing for anybody. There's nothing for the devil to
use against us. There is such a holy boldness
and a liberty that comes about in your life, it is so freeing
to live clean in private. It's so freeing.
And this text shows me not only here it shows me enrollments 12.
It shows me in so many other places that even if accusation
comes to the place where they have to cut off my head, Think
of Stephen, all these false accusers, they come to Stephen.
And they're saying this guy's telling us that the temple is
going to be destroyed and they're going to overthrow, he's
teaching at Jesus. Going to overthrow the law of
Moses and it says, at the end of that chapter, they all looked at
Stephen. His face was shining like an
angel. And then they ask them are these
things. So, instead of Stephen going,
listen, this is all fake and starting defensive.
He preaches an entire sermon because you got all need to
repent. This is a confidence that comes
with clean living. I pray. the no matter where you
go in life, you would walk in the light that we would walk in
the light. Everything Changes. when you
live with a conscious awareness that God is here, Wherever You
Are. Do that, please.
And if there's something in your life that you know, that if it
was exposed to others, that they would bring shame to the name of
Christ, it would bring harm to your community.
If I were you the quickest thing I would do tonight is run get
before the Lord confess it. Lord, clean me up. because a
person that has unconfessed sin in their life, is a ticking time
bomb Because part of the deception of unconfessed sin is
that even if this thing does go out and people, somebody finds
out, it won't do that much damage, you have no idea.
Might be wondering why the intensity because you have no
clue how real this is. And God in his Mercy gives us
versus like this to say. I see it.
Don't try to hide it. Don't try to run from it.
Come to me. Come to me.
And this is the beauty about Christian Living in community.
And in Ministry, I'm a firm believer.
The Minister's don't need to play private investigator and
everybody's life. It's as simple as this Lord, you
know? Lord, you know.
You're there a God. You're there, sanctifier.
Protect this community. Protect this church.
Your judgment is perfect. Do what you need to do.
He's the best private investigator.
We closing numbers chapter 6. And the Lord spoke to Moses
saying speak to the people of Israel and say to them.
When neither a man, either a man or a woman makes us special vow
a vow of a nazirite to separate himself to the Lord.
He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink.
He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and
shall not drink any juicer grapes or eat grapes fresh or
dried all the days of his separation, he shall eat
nothing. That is produced by the
Grapevine, not even the seeds or the Skins.
All the days of his vow of Separation.
No razor shall touch his head until the time.
Is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord
and he shall be holy, he shall let the locks of his hair of his
head. Grow long, all the days that he
separates himself to the Lord. He shall not go near a dead
body, not even for his father, or his mother for brother or
sister, if they die. Shall he make himself unclean?
Because his separation to God, is on his head, all the days of
his separation, he is Holy to the Lord.
Now, we've come to a place where the Lord wants to give a
wonderful invitation. There is a vowel, there are many
vows that people can make in the Bible.
This Oh, is a unique value. This vow was called the Nazarite
vow. What is the purpose of this
vowel? If any Israelite desire to get
closer with God, he would take this valve.
And what this vow would do essentially is it would cause a
person who intensely desired a more intimate passionate
personal knowing of God. They would commit themselves to
such a thing. It did not mean that those who
were not in a Nazarite vow, we're not whole hearted towards
the Lord. What it does mean though is that
if a person wanted a greater intensity a time of consecration
to seek God, this is what they would do.
And this is the instruction for that.
And what's amazing here is that there are three guidelines.
The first guideline is no wine or any fruit of the vine should
be eaten. The second guideline was as long
as your vow is, no matter how long you want it to be for,
you're letting your hair grow and it's just showing it's an
outward external expression that your consecrated unto the Lord
and people can see that. And lastly, no contact with dead
bodies, even if it's a family member.
And so specific is this to the Lord that these.
We won't read the next few verses he gives instruction if
somebody just happens to die right before you, and that
moment, and the process to go about that.
And I look at this and I go well.
Has arrived. I mean that's old Covenant and
is that apply to you and me as a Believer?
But again the ultimate question, what does it reveal about God's
heart? Look at verse 1 and 2 again.
The Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to the people of Israel
and say to them. When either a man or a woman
makes a special vow the valve and nausea you know what
Nazarite means an original language consecrated or
dedicated one. number one, truth from this as we close concerning
the Nazarite vow and what it reveals about God's heart,
whatever real is about you and me is that the Nazarite vow was
given As a possibility for anyone who is willing to do it.
It was not just for the priest, it was not just for the Levites,
it was not just for a specific tribe.
He goes whether a man or a woman who ever wants to take this upon
themselves. I'm making it available to you.
And this is a cry from God's heart that he Longs for a people
to say, I'm going to pursue God in this season of life in a way
that I haven't before, that's his heart.
That's what I see there in the Old Testament, the Lord saying,
would you would you in the busyness of your life, find it,
whether it's a day or two, just you take that vow, you take that
season. However, long you need and you
just give all the focus to me and you just drive yourself to
know me and he goes, anyone whoever's willing to take it
here, this vowel is for anybody, that wants it because I want all
of you, not just some of you And the second principle is this is
that there are three guidelines and they're very specific and we
can talk for the next 10-15 minutes of why these specific
guidelines and we won't. But the principle is still
there, the overarching principle is there is that if I do take
advantage out of consecration to seek the Lord in my life,
whether it's a day, whether it's a week, whether it's a month,
what I bought. Don't put a timeline on.
I say, Lord, I'm going to do this until I see you and know
you in a way that I've never known before.
There's always a price. There's always a cost.
For the Nazarite. And that day, it was these
things for you. And me might be different, but
there's always a price. If you and I desire to come
closer to him. There has to be some separation
that occurs. Might be a separation from
activity. And might be separations from
Association. Might be separation from even
good things, like maybe a meal a day.
But I'm telling you, the Lord will customize that in your
life. That if you've said it within
yourself to say, God, In the New Covenant sense.
I want to take a Nazarite vow and I want to pursue you
desperately, No this that God gives that invitation to
everyone here, like he did back then. and for them, there was a
price and for you and me, there's a price And the rules.
Haven't changed though. The prescription has We're
closing this chapter in verse 22 of Numbers.
Chapter 6. And the Lord spoke to Moses
saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons saying, thus, you shall
Bless the people of Israel, you shall say to them.
The Lord bless you. And keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you.
And be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance
upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon
the people of Israel? And I will bless them.
Notice the nature of this blessing, they Raonic blessing,
it's call notice the nature of it, read a very slowly and
notice what blessing means really in life. 24.
The Lord bless you and keep you. That's a blessing for got to.
Keep you and me to keep you close to keep you protected to
keep you from Harm's Way, not just physically, but
spiritually, the Lord keep you. The Lord make his face to shine
upon you. Not just his face, be towards
you, but for it to shine, Upon you.
Glistening favor a smile on his countenance upon you.
And be gracious to you. Bible says that the Lord opposes
the proud and he gives grace to the humble.
Listen, it's one thing for Satan to fight against you and me,
it's a whole nother thing when God fights against you and me.
And that word oppose is literally to fight against.
He fights against the proud. The Lord lift up his countenance
upon you and give you peace. I don't know about you but I can
use some peace in my life every day.
All the chaos in the world. I can't even take 10 seconds on
the news without feeling nauseated.
Because there's so much chaos, would you stand with me?
And let's pronounce this ironic blessing.
He has the worship, team comes up.
well, read this in closing after the music, but
Seen your own heart. Don't look to the left.
Don't look to the right. you know, if the Holy Spirit spoke
to you through his word, But to say Lord give me clear
conscience. Let me walk in the revelation.
that even if I walk in the dark where nobody sees you're right
there. The Lord.
Let not my life be. Anywhere near.
That place where I would discover how real you are.
Because of unconfessed sin. But Lord, I pray.
That any interaction that you have in my life, any
intervention that you would have in my days would be the result
of a life that is lived out For Your Glory.
How many disasters could be avoided?
if people lived in light of that text, It's true.
Love for somebody to say these things behind a microphone.
It's true. Love.
If anybody were to see you walking off a cliff with you
having blindfolds on, they would not love you.
They did not yell even to say watch where you're going, take
off the blindfolds. Just stay in that place of
prayer. This is between us and God.
Let her ring in the corridors of your conscience tonight.
Whoever conceals his transgression will not prosper.
But he who confesses it and forsakes them shall obtain
Mercy. An amazing.
That is strong as the warning is just as strong.
Is the reward. At the moment, I confess the
Lord. He's willing to shower.
Mercy, upon me, do you know why God exposes things?
There are many reasons why. But sometimes in oftentimes,
it's in his Mercy, too. Even at the expense of someone's
Ministry. Why?
Because God cares about his relationship with you more than
your service for him. As the music's playing.
Just bring your heart before the Lord saying Lord.
I want that confidence that comes with a clear conscience.
I want to live in such a way that if anybody were to pull out
my private records, there'd be no, hesitation Are you afraid to
give people the password to your computer?
Are you afraid to give people? Your web browser history.
Can you say, hey, go for it. I'm telling you this because
there is such a freedom that comes, I'm struggling, man, if
you're struggling, you struggle in the light, don't struggle in
the dark. You know what that means.
You keep coming before the Lord. You find an accountability
partner, you confess it, but there is no room for somebody to
portray a spirituality or to remain in some kind of a state
of everything's fine. When a not really is and even
trying to do some kind of thing for the Lord, when your
character is not lining up with it, just live in the light.
That's all the lord requires of us.
Walk In The Light, walk in the light walking in the light does
not mean being perfect all the time.
It means being honest, all the time.
Big difference. The lord requires honesty from
you and me. And when we do walk in that
place, he walks with us graciously.
God is Not Looking. If you heard this in this Bible
study, you've heard the wrong God.
God is not waiting for you to sin and the moment you mess up
and secret, nobody hurts my ego. So I can't wait to pull the
sheets on you to show you that. I'm God wrong, God, wrong God.
I believe that, I believe this with all my heart, because in
light of scripture that God in his wisdom knows when to expose
it at the right time for your benefit and mine and I'm not
going to play God to tell you. How that timeline works.
It can happen tonight, it can happen.
I don't know when, but I believe it's one of his final Solutions.
The way God pursues, a person is unbelievable for them to confess
and the smallest setting possible before it becomes
something that is public. It's amazing.
I've read and heard, and sermons way too many times in this, in
the Pastoral Ministry, that pastors who were living in
secret sin, God had pursued them way before became public.
Waking up other pastors in the middle of the night to pray for
them, even giving people prophetic insight to say,
listen, bro, I don't know what's going on, but you need
confessing get right with God. It's amazing what the Lord will
do before he gets to that point. It's unbelievable.
And even in that act, So that he can protect you from greater
disaster. Imagine living in a state in
which you don't confess your sin and because you don't confess
your sin and you don't see it being exposed, you continue in
sin. When God, exposes, its always to
put a roadblock in your lifestyle, I can Ramble On and I
won't just look to the one. Who hates our sin but loves us
and worship and confess to him and you can walk out of here
feeling like a weight lifted off your shoulders Lord help me walk
in the light. Help me walk in the light.
Give me the holy confidence. That comes from clean.
Living in private. I need it.
God is willing to give Who hates our sin but loves us and worship
and confess to him and you can walk out of here feeling like a
weight lifted off your shoulders Lord help me walk in the light.
Help me walk in the light. Give me the holy confidence.
That comes from clean. Living in private.
I need it. God is willing to give