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This morning we're continuing 
our series on God's work through

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the life of Moses in the books 
of Exodus and Numbers. 

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In the book of Exodus, we see 
God's power on display as he 

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powerfully leads his people up 
out of Egypt and into the 

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wilderness. 
In the Book of Numbers, which we

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began last week and we'll 
continue in this week and next 

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week, in that book, we began to 
see God's love on display as he 

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disciplines God's people in the 
wilderness towards the edge of 

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the Promised Land. 
We don't often associate love 

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with discipline. 
And yet this is the way and the 

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wisdom of a Heavenly Father who,
as Hebrews says, disciplines 

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those he loves that they would 
grow into his likeness in 

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holiness. 
That is what Hebrews teaches us.

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That's what we see on display in
the book of Numbers. 

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God's people consistently, 
regularly sinning, literally 

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wandering around a desert as a 
result of their sin and God's 

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discipline. 
And yet it was always a 

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discipline with a purpose, the 
holy God making his holy people 

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to grow in holiness that they 
might be prepared to go into a 

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Holy Land. 
And so too for you and I, God's 

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discipline in our lives. 
Some of you may feel it keenly 

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today. 
It is not without purpose, and 

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it is not apart from his love, 
the Book of Numbers. 

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In so many ways it's sometimes 
hard and sometimes strange to 

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apply. 
But the Apostle Paul says that 

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in that way and in so many ways,
the events of this Book of 

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Numbers are profoundly relevant,
profoundly practical for us. 

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In First Corinthians 10, Paul 
says now these things, and he's 

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Speaking of the events of 
numbers. 

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These things took place as an 
example for us that we might not

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desire evil as they did. 
We must not put Christ to the 

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test, nor grumble. 
And so, as we come to this 

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passage this morning, let's 
remember this book is for you. 

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It's for us, and it is leading 
us by God's holy hand to find 

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our hope in Jesus Christ alone. 
So if you're able, please stand 

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for the reading of God's word. 
We're going to read from #1617 

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and Hebrews 7 as these passages 
together teach us about dwelling

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with God in Jesus Christ. #16 
versus one through 5 is where 

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we'll begin now. 
Korra the son of Ishar, son of 

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Kohath, son of Levi and Dathan, 
and Aburam the sons of Eliab and

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on the son of Pelef, sons of 
Ruben took men, and they rose up

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before Moses with a number of 
the people of Israel. 250 chiefs

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of the congregation chosen from 
the assembly, well known men. 

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They assembled themselves 
together against Moses and 

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against Aaron, and said to them,
You have gone too far, for all 

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in the congregation, or holy 
every one of them, and the Lord 

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is among them. 
Why then do you exalt yourselves

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above the assembly of the Lord? 
When Moses heard it, he fell on 

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his face, and he said to Cora 
and all his company. 

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In the morning the Lord will 
show who is his and who is holy,

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and will bring him near to him. 
The one whom he chooses, He will

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bring near to him. 
In chapter 17 the Lord spoke to 

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Moses, saying, Speak to the 
people of Israel, and get from 

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them Staffs, one for each 
father's house, from all their 

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chiefs, according to their 
father's houses. 12 Staffs. 

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Write each man's name on his 
staff, and write Aaron's name on

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the staff of Levi, for there 
shall be one staff for the head 

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of each father's house. 
Then you shall deposit them in 

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the tent of meeting before the 
testimony, where I meet with 

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you, and the staff of the man 
whom I choose shall sprout. 

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Thus I will make to cease from 
me the grumblings of the people 

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of Israel, which they grumble 
against you. 

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Moses spoke to the people of 
Israel, and all their chiefs 

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gave him Staffs, one for each 
chief, according to their 

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father's houses 12 Staffs, And 
the staff of Aaron was among 

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their Staffs, and Moses 
deposited the Staffs before the 

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Lord, intent of the testimony. 
On the next day Moses went into 

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the tent of testimony, and 
behold, the staff of Aaron, For 

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the House of Levi had sprouted 
and put forth buds, and produced

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blossoms, and it bore ripe 
almonds. 

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Then Moses brought out all the 
Staffs from before the Lord to 

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all the people of Israel, and 
they looked. 

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And each man took his staff. 
And the Lord said to Moses, put 

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back the staff of Aaron before 
the testimony to be kept as a 

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sign for the rebels, that you 
may make an end of their 

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grumblings against me, lest they
die. 

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Thus did Moses, as the Lord 
commanded him, so he did. 

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And the people of Israel said to
Moses, Behold, we perish, we are

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undone, we are all undone. 
And from Hebrews Chapter 7. 

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Now if perfection had been 
attainable through the Levitical

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priesthood, for under it the 
people received the law, what 

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further need would there have 
been for another priest to arise

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after the order of Melchizedek, 
rather than one named after the 

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order of Aaron? 
For when there is a change in 

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the priesthood, there is 
necessarily a change in the law 

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as well. 
For the one of whom these things

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are spoken belongs to another 
tribe from which no one has ever

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served the altar. 
For is evident that our Lord was

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descended from Judah, and in 
connection with that tribe Moses

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said nothing about priests. 
This becomes even more evident 

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when another priest arises in 
the likeness of Melchizedek, who

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has become a priest not on the 
basis of a legal requirement 

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concerning bodily dissent, but 
by the power of an 

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indestructible life, For it is 
witnessed of him. 

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You are a priest forever after 
the order of Melchizedek, for on

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the one hand a former 
commandment is set aside because

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of its weakness and uselessness,
But the law made nothing 

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perfect. 
But on the other hand, a better 

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hope is introduced, through 
which we draw near to God. 

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This is the word of the Lord. 
Thanks be to God may be seated. 

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Heavenly Father, we pray that 
you would take your word, and 

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that by it you would teach us 
and form us and give us hope. 

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We pray that you would cause 
your word to be living and 

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active, dividing our hearts, 
exposing us, and then remaking 

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us in confidence into the image 
of Jesus Christ. 

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In His name we pray. 
Amen. 

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This past February, our beloved 
friend and brother Chad Scruggs 

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stood in this pulpit and was 
You're preaching for our winter 

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grace retreat. 
You may remember that on that 

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Sunday, Chad preached from 
Hebrews, Hebrews 4 and Five 

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about the confidence that we 
have in drawing near to God in 

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prayer because of Jesus Christ. 
Our great High Priest Chad said 

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we have God's throne and we have
God's lap. 

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That theme of drawing near to 
God is at the center of the 

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passages before us this morning.
We speak of drawing near. 

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We're Speaking of of several 
different things, all pointing 

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to the same reality. 
We're Speaking of being saved by

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God, drawing near in salvation, 
being made right with Him. 

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We're Speaking of drawing near 
in, praying to God as Christ is 

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our mediator, and of being with 
God, drawing near to Him forever

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in His place as his people. 
We will end in a similar place 

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of hope in Jesus Christ as Chad 
expressed in February. 

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But we're going to begin by 
seeing the hopelessness of 

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attempting to draw near to God 
without His authority and apart 

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from His Son Jesus Christ. 
We're going to see what Moses 

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promises in #16 verse five. 
Look down again at that of what 

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Moses says He says in the 
morning. 

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The Lord will show who is His 
and who is holy and will bring 

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him near to him. 
The one whom He chooses, He will

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bring near to him. 
This is a reminder that this 

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gift of drawing near, this 
confidence that we can have in 

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drawing near, is not for all, 
and sometimes our own strategies

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for drawing near only make 
things worse. 

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This morning we're going to see 
this theme of drawing near to 

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God as we follow the story of a 
false hope from #16, a true hope

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in #17, and a better hope from 
Hebrews 7. 

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First, a false hope in #16. 
The false hope is seen in this 

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man, Cora and the Biddle bitter 
rivalry that he instigated 

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against Moses and Aaron. 
As you read the rest of #16, you

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see that it was specifically 
targeted at Aaron as the High 

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priest. 
You see, Cora was a Levite. 

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The Levite was the tribe of 
Israel responsible for 

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maintaining and overseeing 
Israel's place of worship, the 

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Tabernacle. 
This was an incredible honor. 

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It was a gift of God to this 
tribe to be entrusted with this 

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holy work. 
And yet Cora had become 

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discontent and began grumbling 
against Aaron as the high 

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priest. 
Look at what he says in verse 

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three says. 
They assembled themselves 

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together against Moses and 
Aaron, and said to them, you 

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have gone too far for all the 
congregation, for all in the 

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congregation are holy, every one
of them, and the Lord is among 

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them. 
Why then do you exalt yourselves

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above the assembly of the Lord? 
Korra's accusation contains 3 

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main problems. #1 Korra's 
accusation was loaded with half 

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truths. 
He says All the people of Israel

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are holy, and that's true in a 
general way, but not all were 

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ritually clean and authorized to
come into God's place of 

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worship. 
It was true that Aaron was above

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the assembly of Israel because 
he was the high priest, but it 

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was not true that he had exalted
himself to that position. 

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Rather, God had appointed him. 
Cora's heart was set against God

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himself. 
This is the second main problem 

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with Cora's accusation. 
It was not a mere relational or 

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vocational squabble between Cora
and Aaron. 

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Moses knew and discerned that 
this was ultimately A complaint 

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and an accusation against God 
himself. 

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If you read down in verse 11, if
you have a copy of the Bible 

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with you, #16, verse 11, it's 
not in the scripture reading. 

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But Moses says, therefore it is 
against the Lord that you and 

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all your company have gathered 
together. 

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What is Aaron that you grumble 
against him? 

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Moses knew that Cora's heart was
set against the Lord. 

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And whenever you see that term 
grumble in the Old Testament or 

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in the New Testament, this is 
not mere complaint or a quiet 

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expression of discontent with 
what is served for lunch. 

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This is vocal, rebellious 
opposition to God. 

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And so the Israelites grumble 
about being in the wilderness, 

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saying it would have been better
for us to stay in Egypt. 

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They grumble about lacking food 
and water, yet God was 

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providing. 
They grumble now. 

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They grumbled last week, as we 
saw, as they set spies into the 

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promised land and said those 
people are so big that they will

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squish us like grasshoppers. 
That was vocal distrust and 

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rebellion against God and his 
promise. 

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And now here they're grumbling 
against Aaron and his 

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priesthood. 
This is a complaint against God.

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But third and most importantly 
Cora's claim. 

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The third problem with it is 
that it is radically man 

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centered. 
It's man centered. 

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Look down at verse 3 again. 
Who did Cora point to you when 

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making his case about the 
Israelites drawing near to God? 

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He pointed to the Israelites. 
He pointed to people. 

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He said the people are holy and 
the Lord is among them. 

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He did not appeal to who God is,
or what God had done, or what 

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God had said. 
He reasoned from a point of man 

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centeredness. 
Beloved, if we were to draw near

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to God, whether that is in the 
context of being saved, or 

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drawing near in prayer, or 
drawing near ultimately in His 

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presence eternally, our hope 
cannot be in us. 

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It cannot be in anything in us. 
That is the epitome of false 

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hope. 
Embracing that kind of false 

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hope disorders our lives, and it
ends in destruction. 

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It disordered Cora's life. 
Cora was a man who had the 

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privilege and the joy of serving
in the Tabernacle and eat and 

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assisting these priests. 
He could have lived his days in 

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humble, joyful service to God, 
rejoicing that God had been 

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pleased to draw near to this 
people and was leading them, and

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that he could play a part. 
But his life became disordered, 

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and he began being more 
concerned about his position 

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than about God's presence, more 
concerned about his role than 

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the story of redemption that God
was writing. 

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For Cora, this false hope 
resulted in destruction. 

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God responded to Cora's 
grumbling with swift and severe 

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justice. 
We didn't read it, but this 

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afternoon read through the rest 
of #16. 

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God literally opens the ground 
under Cora's feet and consumes 

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him to the depths of the earth 
and his family and his home. 

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And then God sends fire and 
destroys those coconspirators, 

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those 250 well known men that he
had aligned in this coup against

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Aaron. 
He destroys them with fire. 

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And then God sends a plague 
which afflicts and kills nearly 

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00:16:13,590 --> 00:16:20,670
15,000 of their followers among 
the laity in Israel until Moses 

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00:16:20,670 --> 00:16:23,590
and Aaron courageously 
intervene. 

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00:16:24,510 --> 00:16:31,440
Through Cora, we see the 
destruction of false hope, The 

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00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:35,440
false hope of thinking that 
drawing near to God is a reward 

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00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,600
to be achieved. 
Nope. 

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00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,120
Drawing near to God is like an 
inheritance. 

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00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:46,200
You cannot draw near unless it 
is gifted to you. 

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00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:50,200
And that's what we see in the 
story of Aaron and his sprouting

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00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:53,680
staff. 
In Numbers 17 and 17, God gives 

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true hope for Israel, true hope 
for drawing near to him. 

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00:16:58,090 --> 00:17:02,450
And he gives this true hope by 
giving the people a beautiful 

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00:17:02,450 --> 00:17:08,130
sign to confirm who it was that 
was appointed to draw near as 

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00:17:08,130 --> 00:17:10,530
the priest. 
God could have confirmed Aaron's

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00:17:10,530 --> 00:17:13,290
priesthood in all kinds of ways.
He could have done it 

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00:17:14,410 --> 00:17:18,210
punitively. 
He could have done it with added

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00:17:18,210 --> 00:17:24,260
justice or discipline, but God 
in his mercy, in his kindness, 

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00:17:24,260 --> 00:17:26,579
in his wisdom. 
He does it through giving the 

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00:17:26,579 --> 00:17:31,740
people a sign, a symbol, a 
beautiful symbol that could be 

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00:17:31,740 --> 00:17:39,940
kept even for generations. 
He gives them a sprouting staff.

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00:17:41,980 --> 00:17:47,050
He commands the 12 tribes to 
each contribute a staff to 

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00:17:47,050 --> 00:17:51,490
Moses, with the head or the 
father of each tribe having 

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00:17:51,490 --> 00:17:54,730
their name inscribed on it. 
And he promises that overnight, 

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00:17:54,730 --> 00:17:58,130
as those Staffs lay in the 
Tabernacle before the the 

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00:17:58,130 --> 00:18:00,730
testimony or the arc of the 
covenant, that one of those 

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00:18:00,730 --> 00:18:05,570
Staffs, the one who would be 
authorized as the high priest, 

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00:18:05,570 --> 00:18:08,170
one of those Staffs would would 
sprout. 

249
00:18:08,210 --> 00:18:11,130
It would produce some kind of 
life. 

250
00:18:13,870 --> 00:18:15,430
Kids, do you see what's 
happening here? 

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00:18:15,430 --> 00:18:17,830
God is promising he's going to 
take a dead piece of wood like 

252
00:18:17,830 --> 00:18:21,750
you might find on a summer hike,
and he's going to cause it to 

253
00:18:21,750 --> 00:18:24,990
grow. 
He's going to cause it to become

254
00:18:24,990 --> 00:18:27,190
alive. 
You can even think of how God 

255
00:18:27,190 --> 00:18:31,510
caused this Moses staff to 
become alive earlier in the book

256
00:18:31,510 --> 00:18:34,350
of Exodus. 
He's going to cause this staff 

257
00:18:34,350 --> 00:18:36,830
to become alive in a beautiful 
way, a good way, producing 

258
00:18:36,830 --> 00:18:42,750
something, life giving. 
He's going to do all of that in 

259
00:18:42,750 --> 00:18:46,830
a period of just a few hours 
overnight in his place. 

260
00:18:48,430 --> 00:18:51,510
Earlier this month, my kids and 
I had the privilege of going to 

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00:18:51,510 --> 00:18:54,830
West Africa with a few other 
families from PCPC. 

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00:18:54,830 --> 00:18:57,510
It was an amazing trip. 
Thank you for praying. 

263
00:18:57,510 --> 00:18:59,030
Thank you for those who 
supported. 

264
00:18:59,830 --> 00:19:03,670
We praise God for this beautiful
partnership between our church 

265
00:19:03,670 --> 00:19:08,790
and this church in Senegal, this
denomination in Senegal as we 

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00:19:08,790 --> 00:19:12,800
prepared to to travel home. 
We were in the airport and we 

267
00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:16,520
had a few minutes in one of 
those duty free shops in the 

268
00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:20,560
airport and I decided I needed 
to find my wife. 

269
00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:27,520
Just one more small gift and I 
bypassed the alcohol and the 

270
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:32,240
perfume in the duty free shop 
and found this. 

271
00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:39,280
This, if you can see it, is a 
bulb for a bow Bob tree. 

272
00:19:40,190 --> 00:19:42,510
The bulb for a bow Bob tree. 
The bow Bob tree is that 

273
00:19:42,510 --> 00:19:46,950
quintessential African tree with
the big wide roots and it grows 

274
00:19:47,190 --> 00:19:49,430
high. 
It's one of the largest growing 

275
00:19:49,430 --> 00:19:53,990
trees in the world. 
And I picked a bulb and I walked

276
00:19:53,990 --> 00:19:55,270
up to the counter and I went to 
pay. 

277
00:19:55,270 --> 00:19:58,670
And then one of the teens on our
team, Nicholas McDowell, came up

278
00:19:58,670 --> 00:20:01,350
to me and said, Mr. Fray, I 
think you should pick a 

279
00:20:01,350 --> 00:20:03,910
different one. 
This wasn't the one I had 

280
00:20:03,910 --> 00:20:05,830
originally picked. 
He said you should pick a 

281
00:20:05,830 --> 00:20:08,030
different one and he handed me 
one. 

282
00:20:08,660 --> 00:20:11,900
We had a sprout coming out the 
top, he said. 

283
00:20:11,900 --> 00:20:18,020
That one's probably alive. 
I am not known for my 

284
00:20:18,220 --> 00:20:23,220
agricultural skill or wisdom, so
he gave me one with a sprout and

285
00:20:23,220 --> 00:20:25,180
we brought it home and we 
planted it and the sprouts 

286
00:20:25,180 --> 00:20:28,620
continuing to grow. 
It's probably grown half an inch

287
00:20:29,300 --> 00:20:33,500
in the last three weeks, and in 
400 years, maybe we'll have a 

288
00:20:33,500 --> 00:20:44,070
bow Bob Tree in North Dallas. 
This little bulb is a reminder 

289
00:20:44,070 --> 00:20:48,510
that what Aaron had given Moses 
was was dead, Dead. 

290
00:20:48,510 --> 00:20:52,510
It was totally dead. 
And yet God brought it to life. 

291
00:20:52,510 --> 00:20:57,230
And look at what God caused. 
Look at the kind of life or the 

292
00:20:57,230 --> 00:21:04,150
kind of growing that God caused 
in Aaron's staff says on the 

293
00:21:04,150 --> 00:21:07,870
next day in verse 8 says on the 
next day Moses went into the 

294
00:21:07,870 --> 00:21:10,030
tent of the testimony and 
behold, the staff of Aaron. 

295
00:21:10,030 --> 00:21:13,910
For the House of Levi had 
sprouted and it put forth buds 

296
00:21:13,910 --> 00:21:18,510
and produced blossoms, and it 
bore ripe almonds, buds, 

297
00:21:18,510 --> 00:21:22,350
blossoms and almonds. 
It's miraculous and beautiful 

298
00:21:22,350 --> 00:21:26,510
sign does three things. 
Number one, it ceases Israel's 

299
00:21:26,510 --> 00:21:31,430
grumbling as God had promised by
reminding them God is in charge.

300
00:21:32,150 --> 00:21:38,410
God has authority #2 It affirms 
Aaron as the priest because it 

301
00:21:38,410 --> 00:21:45,850
was his staff that sprouted. 
But #3 this miracle points to a 

302
00:21:45,850 --> 00:21:51,810
future priest for Israel. 
A better priest for Israel? 

303
00:21:52,610 --> 00:21:58,130
You might ask how. 
So look again at what verse 8 

304
00:21:58,170 --> 00:22:01,570
says. 
What grew out of Aaron's staff 

305
00:22:02,210 --> 00:22:07,530
buds? 
Blossoms and ripe almonds. 

306
00:22:08,570 --> 00:22:11,090
Why almonds? 
Why not bananas? 

307
00:22:11,810 --> 00:22:14,570
Why not grapes? 
Why not mangoes? 

308
00:22:15,050 --> 00:22:19,170
Well, in ancient Israel, the 
almond tree was nicknamed the 

309
00:22:19,170 --> 00:22:22,770
Watcher. 
The Watcher the almond tree in 

310
00:22:22,770 --> 00:22:26,090
Mediterranean climate still 
today is the first tree to 

311
00:22:26,090 --> 00:22:32,130
emerge with buds and blossoms 
and fruit almonds in the 

312
00:22:32,130 --> 00:22:35,820
springtime. 
And so farmers would look to the

313
00:22:35,820 --> 00:22:41,300
almond tree as a hint or a 
watcher of things to come, 

314
00:22:42,140 --> 00:22:45,580
knowing that winter was ending 
in spring was coming. 

315
00:22:47,740 --> 00:22:50,860
It was a clue that other trees 
would follow, that greater fruit

316
00:22:50,860 --> 00:22:52,420
would come. 
And so for that reason, the 

317
00:22:52,420 --> 00:22:56,340
prophet Jeremiah used the almond
tree, and Jeremiah won as a 

318
00:22:56,340 --> 00:23:02,140
sign, as a vision for Jeremiah 
that God was going to fulfill 

319
00:23:02,260 --> 00:23:06,720
his word. 
He gives Jeremiah a vision of an

320
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:10,880
almond tree and says that that 
is a promise, that he is 

321
00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:15,960
watching over his people and he 
is watching over the fulfillment

322
00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:22,000
of his word. 
And so when Aaron's staff butted

323
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,040
Almonds, it was a sign within a 
sign. 

324
00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,960
It was a sign pointing that 
there was a better priest yet to

325
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:32,020
come. 
It was a sign of things to come 

326
00:23:32,020 --> 00:23:34,980
in the future. 
In this sign, God gave true hope

327
00:23:34,980 --> 00:23:37,820
as he confirmed Aaron and his 
descendants as the priests for 

328
00:23:37,820 --> 00:23:41,100
Israel in that day and in that 
era. 

329
00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:44,020
But in this sign God also 
promised a better hope. 

330
00:23:45,300 --> 00:23:49,460
Jesus Christ, the perfect 
permanent priest for all God's 

331
00:23:49,460 --> 00:23:53,700
people to draw near to him 
forever and ever. 

332
00:23:55,220 --> 00:24:01,800
And so we have in this, in this 
miracle foreshadowing of what is

333
00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,840
to come through this bunch of 
almonds. 

334
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:11,240
Hebrews Chapter 7 describes the 
better hope that we have in 

335
00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,480
Jesus Christ as our great High 
Priest, our better hope for 

336
00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:19,160
drawing near to God not in 
ourselves, not in an earthly 

337
00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:23,320
temporary priesthood, but in 
Christ himself. 

338
00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:31,400
Flip over to Hebrews 7 As we 
close verses 14 through 16, the 

339
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,640
author shows how Jesus he goes 
to great pains to show that 

340
00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:40,840
Jesus wasn't a Levite, He wasn't
descended from Aaron. 

341
00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:45,960
Listen to how he says it 
beginning in verse 14 says it is

342
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:50,520
evident that our Lord was 
descended from Judah and in 

343
00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:54,640
connection with that tribe. 
Moses said nothing about 

344
00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,580
priests. 
The author of Hebrews is going 

345
00:24:58,580 --> 00:25:03,260
to length to show Jesus didn't 
become a priest over God's 

346
00:25:03,260 --> 00:25:05,900
people by ordinary human 
descent. 

347
00:25:07,060 --> 00:25:13,380
He came unexpected. 
He came as a surprise, as a gift

348
00:25:13,700 --> 00:25:19,580
appointed by God, disrupting the
earthly line of human priests. 

349
00:25:19,940 --> 00:25:22,700
Verse 15 continues. 
It says this becomes even more 

350
00:25:22,700 --> 00:25:25,420
evident when another priest 
arises in the likeness of 

351
00:25:25,660 --> 00:25:29,180
Melchizedek has become a priest 
not on the basis of a legal 

352
00:25:29,180 --> 00:25:32,980
requirement concerning bodily 
dissent, but by the power of an 

353
00:25:33,060 --> 00:25:37,700
indestructible life, for it is 
witnessed of him. 

354
00:25:38,260 --> 00:25:44,460
You are a priest forever after 
the order of Melchizedek. 

355
00:25:45,580 --> 00:25:50,050
You're a priest forever. 
Author again here is saying 

356
00:25:50,170 --> 00:25:54,970
Jesus is not only not descended 
from Aaron and therefore is this

357
00:25:55,130 --> 00:25:58,690
better priest, but he is also an
eternal priest. 

358
00:25:59,370 --> 00:26:03,330
He lives without end. 
He intercedes at God's right 

359
00:26:03,330 --> 00:26:09,770
hand without end for his people.
In a similar way, later in the 

360
00:26:09,770 --> 00:26:15,160
chapter, Jesus is described as 
being able to save to the 

361
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:17,920
uttermost those who draw near to
God through him. 

362
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:23,240
Since he always lives to make 
intercession for them, he holds 

363
00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:27,480
his priesthood permanently. 
He's better because he is 

364
00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:29,480
unique, not descended from 
Aaron. 

365
00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:30,760
He's better because he's 
permanent. 

366
00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:35,840
He's better because he saves. 
He is the priest who not only 

367
00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:39,240
intercedes, but he is the priest
who is himself the sacrifice, 

368
00:26:40,350 --> 00:26:46,030
offering up himself to once and 
for all solve the problem of sin

369
00:26:46,270 --> 00:26:50,510
and guilt and death and 
separation from God. 

370
00:26:53,190 --> 00:26:58,230
And so verse 18 in Hebrews 7 
says, on the one hand a former 

371
00:26:58,230 --> 00:27:00,950
commandment. 
It's Speaking of these 

372
00:27:00,950 --> 00:27:03,670
commandments from numbers of the
Levitical priesthood. 

373
00:27:04,660 --> 00:27:07,020
On the one hand, the former 
commandment is set aside because

374
00:27:07,020 --> 00:27:09,780
of its weakness and uselessness,
for the law made nothing 

375
00:27:09,780 --> 00:27:12,100
perfect. 
But on the other hand, a better 

376
00:27:12,100 --> 00:27:17,940
hope is introduced, through 
which we draw near to God. 

377
00:27:19,420 --> 00:27:24,050
A better hope, just as Hebrews 
describes Jesus coming and 

378
00:27:24,050 --> 00:27:27,370
bringing a better covenant, 
found it on better promises 

379
00:27:27,530 --> 00:27:31,130
through a better sacrifice, in 
better blood, to bring God's 

380
00:27:31,130 --> 00:27:35,370
people to a better country. 
He is for us as we think about 

381
00:27:35,370 --> 00:27:38,690
drawing near to him, whether 
that's for salvation, whether it

382
00:27:38,690 --> 00:27:41,610
has for communion and prayer, 
whether it has to live with him 

383
00:27:41,610 --> 00:27:45,490
forever. 
He is the better hope because 

384
00:27:45,490 --> 00:27:49,290
he's the only hope. 
We cannot trust in ourselves. 

385
00:27:49,890 --> 00:27:53,770
We cannot trust in those old 
ways we trust in the name of 

386
00:27:53,890 --> 00:27:59,850
Jesus Christ. 
If our hope is in ourselves, we 

387
00:27:59,850 --> 00:28:05,010
are condemned. 
If our hope is in some old form 

388
00:28:05,010 --> 00:28:08,530
of drawing near, such as the 
Levitical priesthood, we have 

389
00:28:08,530 --> 00:28:13,570
missed out and have traded the 
fulfillment for foreshadowing. 

390
00:28:14,540 --> 00:28:16,940
Now, I'm confident that not many
of you are looking to the 

391
00:28:16,940 --> 00:28:20,900
Levitical priesthood for 
confidence when you pray, or as 

392
00:28:20,900 --> 00:28:24,660
you come to worship, or as you 
think about your eternal home 

393
00:28:24,660 --> 00:28:28,660
and dwelling place. 
But in a similar way, we can 

394
00:28:28,660 --> 00:28:33,900
find ourselves subtly seeking a 
sense of confidence before God 

395
00:28:33,900 --> 00:28:38,540
through through another person, 
through a pastor or a writer or 

396
00:28:38,540 --> 00:28:44,590
a parent or a friend. 
Someone who we look to as more 

397
00:28:44,590 --> 00:28:49,710
mature, more able to give help 
and wisdom and counsel when we 

398
00:28:49,710 --> 00:28:52,790
are in need. 
Or perhaps through some. 

399
00:28:53,350 --> 00:28:56,430
Perhaps we feel more able to 
draw near through some good 

400
00:28:56,430 --> 00:28:59,670
action that we perform through 
church attendance or volunteer 

401
00:28:59,670 --> 00:29:02,990
service or daily devotions or 
going on a missions trip. 

402
00:29:04,230 --> 00:29:08,350
Are those things wrong? 
No. 

403
00:29:10,030 --> 00:29:13,680
They're just not our hope. 
They are not our hope. 

404
00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:19,200
As we saying earlier in Christ 
alone, my hope is found. 

405
00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:23,160
Now not many of us are going to 
say, you know what? 

406
00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:26,720
I hope that God will hear my 
prayers because I did this thing

407
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:31,240
or I know this person. 
Not many of us would have the 

408
00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,920
gumption to say that. 
Most of us probably understand 

409
00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,620
that that doesn't line up with 
the gospel. 

410
00:29:37,620 --> 00:29:39,300
But think of the inverse 
scenario. 

411
00:29:39,300 --> 00:29:44,820
How many of us have ever felt 
further from God because of sin 

412
00:29:46,340 --> 00:29:49,980
that we have felt further from 
God because of another person's 

413
00:29:49,980 --> 00:29:53,060
disqualifying failure? 
Who has shepherded or mentored a

414
00:29:53,060 --> 00:29:56,700
pastor, a writer, a parent, a 
friend, or, because of some 

415
00:29:56,700 --> 00:30:02,340
wrong action on our part, lack 
of commitment to the assembly of

416
00:30:02,340 --> 00:30:07,410
the church, Selfish use of time 
or money, sexual sin or 

417
00:30:07,410 --> 00:30:08,930
addiction? 
Are those things wrong? 

418
00:30:09,730 --> 00:30:14,730
Absolutely. 
Are they a reason to despair? 

419
00:30:16,010 --> 00:30:19,170
Never. 
Never. 

420
00:30:20,730 --> 00:30:25,930
Christ is our hope. 
And if Christ is our hope, He 

421
00:30:25,930 --> 00:30:31,010
then gives us the ability to 
confess to Him and to one 

422
00:30:31,010 --> 00:30:37,440
another, to repent, to change. 
That's the work that God was 

423
00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:39,840
doing in the people of Israel in
this book. 

424
00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:45,360
They were sinning and He was 
disciplining them, that they 

425
00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:48,920
would grow in holiness and 
likeness to Him. 

426
00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:50,480
And that's the story that He's 
writing. 

427
00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:54,320
If you're a child of God today, 
the story of your Christian life

428
00:30:54,320 --> 00:31:01,080
is 1, where you have and will 
fail, and God your loving 

429
00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:08,900
Heavenly Father well discipline 
in love to grow you up into the 

430
00:31:08,900 --> 00:31:14,580
fullness of His Son, Jesus 
Christ, to bear greater fruit in

431
00:31:14,580 --> 00:31:21,980
you. 
Our hope cannot be in ourselves.

432
00:31:21,980 --> 00:31:23,500
I don't know what you're facing 
this week. 

433
00:31:23,500 --> 00:31:28,500
I don't know what temptation or 
what suffering, what relational 

434
00:31:28,500 --> 00:31:32,640
strife, what material need you 
are facing, but I know this. 

435
00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:36,040
You need a great High priest 
this week. 

436
00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:43,000
You need to draw near to God. 
You need to enjoy and experience

437
00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:46,440
life with him. 
If you're here this morning and 

438
00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:51,880
you're not a Christian, draw 
near by faith, seeing Jesus, 

439
00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:59,800
trusting Jesus as the way to 
draw near to the living God and 

440
00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:04,720
have sins forgiven. 
If you are a Christian and 

441
00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:10,160
you're living this life of of 
wilderness wandering, of sorrows

442
00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:15,320
and sufferings, of challenges 
and responsibilities, you need 

443
00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:20,320
to draw near to God in prayer. 
You cannot do it on your own. 

444
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:27,840
You need this great High Priest,
the one who is perfect, the one 

445
00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:31,680
who is better. 
He is all sufficient. 

446
00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:38,280
Five years ago this week, the 
last week of July 2018, my 

447
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:42,200
mother had an emergency surgery 
to operate on a brain tumor. 

448
00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:47,840
And the night before her 
surgery, she couldn't sleep and 

449
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:56,960
she spent hours texting out on 
her flip phone a a repeated 

450
00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:58,600
message to several different 
people. 

451
00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:02,860
And because of the brain tumor 
affecting her, there was 

452
00:33:02,860 --> 00:33:06,260
misspellings and there were some
changes in Word order. 

453
00:33:07,260 --> 00:33:11,340
But about 20 people got the same
essential message. 

454
00:33:12,300 --> 00:33:18,500
Her message was this 3 words. 
Jesus is enough. 

455
00:33:20,700 --> 00:33:23,660
Jesus is enough. 
She didn't explain all that that

456
00:33:23,660 --> 00:33:27,740
meant theologically or 
biblically or experientially to 

457
00:33:27,740 --> 00:33:34,540
her, but it was a sign and a 
communication that come what 

458
00:33:34,540 --> 00:33:37,900
may. 
In that surgery, Jesus was 

459
00:33:37,900 --> 00:33:43,220
enough. 
We can trust him always as a 

460
00:33:43,220 --> 00:33:47,780
savior, as our priest, as our 
friend. 

461
00:33:48,700 --> 00:33:52,980
He is yours. 
Draw near, Father. 

462
00:33:52,980 --> 00:33:57,100
We thank you for the gift that 
you have given in Jesus Christ, 

463
00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:03,160
the gift we always needed and 
never deserved or expected. 

464
00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:08,960
We pray that in this week, in 
this day, however it is that we 

465
00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:12,480
need to take hold. 
We pray that we would that we 

466
00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:18,239
would draw near to you in Him. 
Father, help us in this for 

467
00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:23,440
we're weak, we're distracted, 
we're so often self reliant. 

468
00:34:25,159 --> 00:34:31,440
Give us that faith, that pure 
faith, to cling to Christ and to

469
00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:34,639
him alone. 
In Jesus name we pray. 

470
00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:38,080
Amen. 
Let's stand together and sing as

471
00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:38,760
we close.