Sin & Consequences – Numbers 25-26

Introduction:

Quick review: After Moses misrepresented God at Kadesh-Barnea & the people suffered snakebites due to their complaining, they started their move into the promised land & fought King Sihon of the Amorites & King Og of Bashan…news of the conquests spread throughout the land & attract the attention of Balak, king of the Moabites. At this point, the narrative leaves the Israelites & turns to Balak & the prophet/seer he hired by the name of Balaam…

Balaam was hired to curse Israel, but God prevented him from doing it every time & in doing so revealed much about His faithfulness to Balaam & Balak. (When God blesses someone, they are blessed & God does not lie…) Balak gets so upset with Balaam that he pays him not to speak & ends up firing him saying that “the Lord had kept Balaam from honor”…and that was true! This is the last we hear from Balaam for a while – but it’s not the last of his effect.

Balaam actually told Balak one more thing that’s not recorded here for us – how to go about defeating the Hebrews. Balaam may not have been able to pronounce curses upon God’s blessed people; but he knew how God’s people would invite God’s judgment upon themselves…

Moses is going to allude to it after going to war with Midian (Num 31:16) – but if there were any doubt, Jesus spells it out in the letter to the church at Pergamos – Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. [] Jesus goes on to say how much He hates this & the other sins at Pergamos… The point? Balaam tripped up the Hebrews something severe! Balaam couldn’t curse them, but he could get Balak to tempt them away from God by appealing to their basic lusts.

As horrible as the event we’re about to read is, it’s by no means uncommon. (Unger) “God’s blessing is frequently the prelude to satanic temptation. Satan’s snare is not only set for the young and immature, but for the seasoned and mature.” Too many times we want to let our guard down after a big spiritual victory…but that’s exactly the time we need to be most aware! We are not just in a spiritual battle; we are in a spiritual war!

Numbers 25 (NKJV)
1 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. 2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.

A. Committed “harlotry’…KJV “whoredom.” The implication here is that the Hebrews weren’t merely committing fornication (which would be bad enough!) – but that they were taking part in pagan Baal fertility practices. Ritual prostitution was a common form of pagan worship & it seems that the Moabite women had enticed Israel to engage in it.

a. Basically we’re talking about spiritual adultery! “Israel was joined to Baal of Peor…” They were yoked together in such a way where Israel had turned from her 1^st love after a harlot…more in a minute.

B. Committed idolatry: Beyond the harlotry, Israel went so far as to start sacrificing to the Moabite gods & eating of those sacrifices. [] Keep in mind that Israel was STILL eating the manna every single day… This is abhorrent behavior!

a. Before we get on our soapbox, we should note we do the same thing. We wake up & thank Jesus for the Cross & then often forget about Him the rest of the day…we don’t even realize the spiritual idolatry we might participate in through various TV programs/movies, hobbies, or whatever… Praise God for forgiveness!

C. No wonder the anger of God was aroused! Over & over again the Scripture declares that God is a jealous God – He’d even warned them against idolatry using this very language. (2^nd Commandment) Exodus 20:4-6 (4) “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; (5) you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, (6) but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. []

a. Does this mean God is petty? Of course not! He’s not jealous of other gods (they don’t exist)…He’s jealous FOR us. He desires for us to worship Him because it’s what is best…

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”

A. Punish the leaders: The buck has to stop somewhere & obviously the Moabite women didn’t sneak into the Hebrew camp unnoticed. The leaders should have known better & protected their people from the idolatry that was sure to follow. (Teachers have a stricter judgment – James 3:1)

B. Punish them publicly: We don’t do much of this any more, but it served a distinct purpose. Public punishment (in this case, execution) would serve as a reminder & lesson to the rest of the congregation the seriousness of sinning against Almighty God.

a. Same thing is supposed to happen in the NT when elders are caught in sin. 1 Timothy 5:19-20 (19) Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. (20) Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. [] Discipline isn’t merely for those in the congregation; it applies to leadership as well & is beneficial for ALL w/in the Body…

C. The result? God’s “fierce anger” would be turned away…the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) – this was to be grusomely illustrated before the entire congregation. But once the death had come, God’s justice would be satisfied.

a. ‘Is this too harsh?’ No. Sin has a price – but here’s the good news: once that price is paid in full, it doesn’t have to be paid over & over. Jesus paid the price for sin for every believer in Christ! …

5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”

A. Moses follows through & people had to personally carry out this sentence.

B. How bad was this sin in the sight of God? It couldn’t get any worse – Hosea 9:10 (10) “I found Israel Like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers As the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal Peor, And separated themselves to that shame; They became an abomination like the thing they loved. [] Remember Hosea is the prophet whom God told to marry a prostitute as a reflection of God’s relationship with Israel…

a. Again, the picture spiritual adultery. What Israel did was an abomination in the sight of the Lord – yet God was using them to bring judgment on other people who had been an abomination in His sight.

6 And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; 8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.

A. Summary…

B. What exactly made this offense so bad? It was directly in front of the tabernacle! This wasn’t an innocent mistake; this was an intentional rebellious act in the face of the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob…

C. The singular act of Phinehas stopped the plague…

a. Why did the plague start? Because of the national sin or because of this individual sin? Probably the national sin. But because Phinehas acted with such zeal on behalf of the Lord, the entire nation was spared further death.

9 And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

A. Don’t let anyone ever claim to you that sin is victimless…sin is NEVER victimless! At the very least, sin claims the sinner as a victim…

B. Contradiction with 1 Cor? 1 Corinthians 10:8 (8) Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; [] No. Paul qualifies by “one day”… (Possibly left out 1000 leaders killed by Moses & the elders)

10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.

A. What does it mean to be zealous with God’s zeal? To be zealous for the things God Himself is zealous for. God is zealous for His holiness & jealous for His people & so was Phinehas.

1. Bottom line – we need to care about the things God cares about. God cares about sin & sinners hearing the gospel…so should we. We get a great example of this in Jesus, when the zeal for His Father’s house consumed Him (John 2:17).

B. So is God still looking for people to make flagrant sinners in the camp into human shisk-ka-bobs? No. Can intercession/service turn back the wrath of God? Yes! … God is looking for people who will stand in the gap (Eze 22:30) & He uses our intercession to do just that!

12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”

A. The reward? God’s “covenant of peace” – played out in an “everlasting priesthood”. God was giving the high-priesthood to Phinehas’ line (narrowing it down from Levi, Aaron, Eleazar…) – this peace is exactly what we have through our High Priest Jesus Christ. He IS our peace (Eph 2:14) & through Him we have a covenant of peace with God the Father.

a. ‘Was it truly everlasting? Phinehas’ priesthood passed after the captivity & Jesus’ priesthood is not of Phinehas’ lineage.’ True – but the priesthood that remained after Phinehas was still a priesthood that makes atonement for those who have sinned. Jesus is of the tribe of Judah & of the priestly order of Melchizedek, but His function is still that of Phinehas in making atonement.

b. We NEED atonement…

B. Zeal can be good… Zeal can be bad… We want to be zealous in a good thing! (Gal 4:18)

14 Now the name of the Israelite who was killed, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a father’s house in Midian. 16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 17 “Harass the Midianites, and attack them; 18 for they harassed you with their schemes by which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor.”

A. One other reason this was so offensive is that the harlotry took place among the leadership…the fact he performed this in front of the tabernacle seems to indicate he was actively trying to promote this among the people.

B. What’s the relationship between Moab & Midian? Apparently Midian had made an alliance with Balak of Moab before he ever hired Balaam (Num 22:4), thus the Midianite woman partipated along with the Moabite women in harlotry. Thus the Midianites were to be “harassed.” IOW, God was telling them to go to war at their 1^st opportunity…takes place in Numb 31.

Numbers 26 (NKJV)
1 And it came to pass, after the plague, that the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying: 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go to war in Israel.”

A. Interesting that the 2^nd census came after the plague. Their numbers would have been dramatically different (by 24,000 ppl!) if they hadn’t given into harlotry…

B. Why the census? Military preparation – “all who are able to go to war…” Just like the census in Ch 1-2, God was preparing the Hebrews to go to war in the land. The difference? In Ch 1-2, God knew all the army would die off; this army will actually go in to possess the land!

a. Speaks of the mercy of God that He still had the 1^st group counted!

3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying: 4 “Take a census of the people from twenty years old and above, just as the Lord commanded Moses and the children of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt.”

A. From vs. 5 – 51, we get a detailed listing of the census of the tribes; the individual numbers changed quite a bit from the 1^st census taken before the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea.

a. Reuben: 43,730… -6%

b. Simeon: 22,200… -63% (Possible Simeon was one of the chief offenders in Baal Peor…)

c. Gad: 40,500… -11%

d. Judah: 76,500… +3%

e. Issachar: 64,300… +18%

f. Zebulun: 60,500… +5%

g. Manasseh: 52,700… +64%

h. Ephraim: 32,500… -20%

i. Benjamin: 45,600… +29%

j. Dan: 64,400… +3%

k. Asher: 53,400… +29%

l. Naphtali: 45,400… -15%

m. Total: 601,730… -0.3% – Miraculous maintaining of size! ‘Wouldn’t the greater miracle have been growing the army?’ That wasn’t the lesson God was teaching Israel. Due to their sin, Israel had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years…wasted time, just counting the days. Likewise they neither grew nor shrank significantly (in total)…simply nothing happened except a lot of death & a lot of heartache.

i. How many of us have been in the same boat? There have been times in my own life when I veered off into sin & those times were a complete waste – there’s nothing to show for it. (Praise God it’ll all be burned away at the Bema Seat! J)

[excerpt from Reuben]
9 The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, representatives of the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord; 10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; and they became a sign. 11 Nevertheless the children of Korah did not die.

A. Review Korah (Num 16)…

B. Korah, & those of his family & friends who stood by him were definitely punished…but his children did not die.

a. Does this tell us anything about the “age of accountability?” Though there seems to be support for this (potentially) in other Scripture, this would not seem to be a prooftext. There were children who died in the rebellion (Num 16:27)…just not these particular children.

b. Does this tell us anything about the character of God? Yes! It shows us the immense mercy of God. God did not blame Korah’s children for their father’s guilt…they appeared not to stand with him in his sin & God honored that.

c. What was the result of Korah’s children? They accepted the role that God had given their family in worship! Originally, God had commissioned them to carry the furnishings of the tabernacle – later transitioned into worship leaders & the authors of 11 psalms.

1. ‘God could never use me…you just don’t know my history or what my family is like.’ Tell that to the sons of Korah! God is in the creation business…if He has made you into a new creation, then He can do anything with you that He wants. J

52 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 53 “To these the land shall be divided as an inheritance, according to the number of names. 54 To a large tribe you shall give a larger inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a smaller inheritance. Each shall be given its inheritance according to those who were numbered of them. 55 But the land shall be divided by lot; they shall inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. 56 According to the lot their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller.”

A. Divide the land sufficiently: Larger tribes get more land.

B. Divide the land fairly: Larger tribes don’t get to push their way into the best land. God makes that decision via casting lot (may be reference to Urim & Thummim).

C. When we look at the Promised Land as a type of the blessing that God gives to every believer in Christ, we see the same thing. God’s grace is sufficient for whatever it is we go through (2 Cor 12:9); and God gives gifts to His children as He pleases…we simply rejoice & are responsible to use what He has given us…

57 And these are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. 58 These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, and the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begot Amram. 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam.

A. Levi not numbered with the rest for military service; but they were numbered for priestly service…

B. Moses’ family tree…

60 To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered profane fire before the Lord.

A. Quick review…

B. It’s interesting to me that Scripture brings up this history on 4 different occasions – God’s telling us something very important here: don’t bring profane fire!

62 Now those who were numbered of them were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and above; for they were not numbered among the other children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given to them among the children of Israel.

A. Review: Why wasn’t Levi numbered with the others? Their inheritance IS the Lord… Given to them probably for the same reason Phinehas received the high priesthood – Levi was zealous for the Lord in the golden calf incident (Ex 32:26)

63 These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. 64 But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” So there was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

A. Everyone died out…

B. God’s word is true! For both blessing AND judgment. We tend to just remember the promises for blessing – but God is faithful to His word, no matter what. Sometimes that’s blessing & sometimes that’s discipline. God promised they would die & they did.

Conclusion:

Probably the most amazing aspect of this section of Scripture is the contrast. In Ch 25, Israel is committing spiritual adultery against the Lord & 24,000 people die in a plague. Yet in Ch 26, God is again preparing Israel to enter the Promised Land. What GRACE!

Praise God that our relationship with Him isn’t based on our ability to keep a promise – we’d fail every time…just like the Hebrews. Our relationship with God is based on HIS ability to keep a promise – and He does so through Christ Jesus. In our struggle with sin, we fall constantly – there’s probably not a day that goes by that we don’t have to ask forgiveness & repent of something in our lives. Yet God is faithful each & every time to forgive us. WHY? Because it’s the just thing to do (1 John 1:9) based on the cross & resurrection of Jesus Christ! Jesus has already paid the death sentence for you & me & He has lavished His forgiveness & grace upon us.

May we never forget that the reason it’s called “grace” is because we DON’T deserve it. Sin indeed has its consequences…but Jesus has borne those consequences upon Himself. We may be disciplined from time to time, but we never get what we truly deserve only because Jesus took on what He never deserved.

Victory over Legalism

Introduction:

It’s often said (rightly) that the biggest difference between Christianity & every other religion in the world is that in other religions, man reaches up to God – and in Christianity, God reaches down to man. Absolutely true! Wonderful picture of grace. Yet often a funny thing happens with people under grace…they don’t always want to live under grace. They’ve been saved completely by the work of Christ, but over time decide that’s not good enough & they try to start doing things to make themselves “more holy.” (Which is impossible & completely illogical.) Worse yet, they start imposing the same restrictions on other people. All of a sudden, we end up with man trying to reach God again…except this time, in the name of Christ (which is completely the opposite of where we started!).

The biblical term for this is “legalism” & it is just as rampant in the church today as it was in the church Paul was writing to. When it comes to the issue of legalism, the question is not “What to do IF you encounter it?” – it’s “What to do WHEN you encounter it?” How prevalent is it? The church hadn’t grown outside of Jerusalem by the time Ananias & Sapphira tried to “buy” their holiness & lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5) & the very 1^st controversy that the church convened a council to address was due to the legalism of the Judaizers (Acts 15). Safe to say, we WILL encounter it.

The particular brand of heresy in Colosse was pretty unique…a blend of Judaizers & Gnosticism that had crept into the church. But the root of it all was simple legalism: either legalism through physical actions of adhering to the customs of the Jews, or legalism though the mental exercises of gaining more knowledge to be more holy. They even threw in a little asceticism to show how holy they were in their walk – but it was legalistically imposed on the rest of the church body.

Thus far, Paul has been trying to refocus the church away from those teaching this heresy & put it back onto Christ. Jesus (as the Creator) is preeminent over all creation – we have been reconciled to God through Him – and in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge. He has made us complete, so it’s pointless to look anywhere else besides Christ for what we need in our walk with Christ.

So now what? What are the practical ramifications of all this? That’s what Paul looks at in the rest of Ch 2 as he takes the legalism of the Judaizers & Gnostics head on.

Colossians 2:11-15 (NKJV)
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

A. Remember circumcision is more than a medical procedure – to the Jews, it was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant with God (Gen 17:10-11). It was a way they knew they were set apart by God to God, symbolized through the cutting away of the flesh.

B. Circumcision by definition is done in the flesh by hands…what Paul says is revolutionary to the mindset of the day! Our circumcision is “made without hands” – the circumcision of Christ is a spiritual act. What happens in the circumcision of Christ? We don’t physically cut away actual flesh from our bodies; in Christ we “[put] off the body of the sins of the flesh”. Physical flesh has never been the problem; it’s a picture of sin – thus the real work that needs to be done is what is done by Christ when He completely breaks us away from the sins of the past & gives us new life.

a. BTW – this is ALWAYS what God intended true circumcision to be. Deuteronomy 10:16 Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. [] What happens to our bodies (or what we do physically for God) is meaningless if our hearts are not devoted to Him. We can fake Christianity our whole lives & still end up in Hell (Matt 7:23) – God sees & knows our hearts (1 Sam 16:7).

C. How does this happen? By our being “in Him” = Christ – no other way!

12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

A. Baptism?! Where did THAT come from? J Remember what baptism is…identification with Christ Jesus. Like circumcision was the sign of being set apart to God, baptism is a sign – a public proclamation that we have been born again in Christ. Circumcision was a sign of being received into the family of the Hebrews; baptism is a sign of being received into the family of believers.

a. Does this justify infant baptism? Those who hold to infant baptism claims that it does…but if we say that baptism is precisely the NT equivalent of circumcision, we need to take the analogy all the way. A baby was circumcised because he was born into a family of Jews…thus he was born Jewish. We can be born into a Christian family, but we cannot be born Christian. We have to be born-again (John 3:3) – thus baptism does occur with babies…but we’re speaking about new-born believers in Christ.

B. What happens in baptism? We are symbolically identified with everything Jesus literally did on our behalf. We are “buried with Him” – wages of sin is death, so we die with Christ… “raised with Him” – to new life in His resurrection (and the promise of future resurrection)… []

a. This is why we practice immersion!

C. How is all this done? “through faith” – baptism doesn’t save us; God does. It’s HIS work. “working of God.” This is way we say baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality. The reality is that when we repent & trust Christ – we’re born again and at that moment God baptizes us into Christ. The physical baptism that follows is simply the symbol of what has already occurred.

a. ‘Does this mean baptism isn’t important?’ No. Jesus commanded us to be baptized (Matt 28:19) – so we are baptized.

b. Have you been baptized? What are you waiting for?

13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

A. What does it mean that we were “dead in our trespasses”? It means we were dead. J We may have been walking around, but our spirit was completely dead inside – whether or not we knew it. [Adam died in the garden…sin nature – Rom 5]

B. Our flesh was uncircumcised – our sin had left us dead…what to do? We can’t do anything (we’re dead), so God did everything! He made us ALIVE…we’ve been born-again – we’ve been made new creations – we have LIFE that we never had before! We have been forgiven…literally, “graced.”

a. Not just our unintentional sins; we were forgiven all our “trespasses”. This isn’t the idea of “missing the mark” – this is a willful disobedience & offense against God. [] What does this say about the immensity of the love of God that He would forgive us of the things we INTENTIONALLY did to cause Him grief and pain? Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. []

14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

A. What does forgiveness accomplish? It wipes “out the handwriting of the requirements…” Two thoughts here of what Paul might be referring to (closely related to each other):

B. The Law: Knowing that Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law, some scholars believe that Paul is saying God took the whole of the Mosaic law & nailed it to the cross of Christ as being done away with. There’s definitely truth to this – the law is contrary to us (it brings death – Rom 7:10) & we are dead to the law because we died in Christ (Rom 7:4-6) & we are now free to serve Christ in the newness of the Spirit.

a. BTW – don’t get the impression that the law is bad. The law is good & still applicable in the lives of non-believers. Why is the law good? It shows us our sin & thus our need for a Savior! (Law is a tutor – Gal 3:24)

C. Our sin: With written contracts, it was common (once the bond was paid) to take the parchment it was written on & either blot out or scrape off the section dealing with payment owed. We owed a payment due to our sin (Rom 6:23 – death!), and that payment was literally nailed to the cross!

D. Either way this is wonderful news! If you are in Christ (born again in Him through repentance & faith), your sin has already been dealt with & justice from the law has already been meted out. The work is finished & nothing more needs to be done!

15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

A. “disarmed” = “to spoil/undress” – it’s a military term used of what the victors would do with those they captured. Who did Jesus disarm? “principalities & powers”…demons. What did He do with them? Made them a “public spectacle”…like conquered soldiers in a Roman victory parade, Jesus stripped the demons of their power & parades them in front of the entire universe as utterly defeated enemies. He completely “triumphed over” them.

a. I LOVE this! Paul basically says that Jesus stomped on the devil & demons & does a victory dance over them… J []

b. ‘But isn’t the devil powerful?’ Sure – he’s walks about seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet 5:8). If you & I were to walk up to him in our own strength & try to take him down, we’d be trounced. [Sons of Sceva – Acts 19:13-16] But we don’t approach Satan in OUR strength; we approach him in CHRIST…and Jesus has defeated him! [] The only power the devil & his minions have over believers in Christ is the power we give them… When we listen to temptations, lies, etc., we’re playing into their hands. Hear me on this: we don’t have to listen to the devil. We have been freed! []

B. Sometimes we need to stop and realize how utterly & completely victorious Jesus Christ is over the enemy & the sin that resulted from his lies!

a. Victorious over the past: Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world – before Adam ever saw a serpent, God had already made provision for the sin that hadn’t yet come.

b. Victorious over the present: When we’re born again, our debt is paid in full – Satan has no claim whatsoever on our lives because we have been bought at the most expensive price: the blood of Jesus.

c. Victorious over the future: Every day brings us closer to the day that Satan will be forever cast down. Even after his final rebellion – the end of the book is already written. Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. [] And you bet Satan knows this…

d. Jesus is victorious!

16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

A. So in light of the fact that Jesus is COMPLETELY victorious, what’s our response to those who would impose legalism upon us? How do we respond to yet one more lie from the pit of hell that tells us what we need to do to be “more” holy? Don’t be judged! Don’t give power to people (well meaning or not) to judge you in areas in which Christ has already been victorious.

B. Don’t let them judge you in what?

a. Diet: We are not forced to keep kosher or vegetarian… (and praise God for it – I just BBQ’ed some pork shoulder!) J On the flip side, if you’ve got a conviction about dietary items, don’t let someone judge you on you don’t eat.

b. Feasts: We are not forced to keep the Jewish calendar of holy festivals or new moons. These celebrations are not bad, but they are not imposed on NT believers.

c. Sabbaths: Whether THE Sabbath or any other Sabbaths, we’re not to judge one another here either. [] This is the big one that always pops up from time to time. There are many arguments of how Jesus is our Sabbath rest (Heb 4:11) & how this commandment is the only one of the 10 not repeated in the NT. Bottom line? For a Christian, every day is holy – so we have no business judging one another on what day we worship.

C. Why not? Because all those things are fulfilled in Christ! They had a purpose as a “shadow”…but now we have the “substance”. On diet, the Hebrews kept kosher (beyond health reasons) primarily to show themselves set apart as holy unto God – we’re made holy in Christ. On feasts, virtually every festival on the Jewish calendar pointed to the work of Christ in some fashion (Passover = the cross, Firstfruits = the Resurrection, etc.) On Sabbaths, Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath & our rest is in Him. All of the substance of these items are in Christ…everything in the OT ultimately speaks of Christ – the whole book is about Him!

18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

A. Reiteration from earlier in Ch 2…don’t get cheated! But “cheat” is a different word in the Greek than in vs 8 (“plunder/carry off as spoil”). Here, it’s a sports term meaning “to decide as an umpire against someone.” Any sports fan can immediately think of a list of bad calls against their favorite team when asked – that’s the same idea Paul’s trying to get across. Colosse had taken in teachers & set them up as arbiters over themselves…unfortunately, these teachers were making biased calls & judgments.

a. Is there a reward we could lose? Yes – at the Bema seat! 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (9) Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. (10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. [] So the question is: what are we doing in the body? Are we worshipping God in our hearts rejoicing in the completed work of Christ? Or are we trying to add to His work through false legalism? Don’t get cheated!

B. How would they cheat the church? What methods would they use?

a. False humility: They may act humble & spiritual, but it’s vanity. Like the Pharisees would parade their religion before men, so these people put on a show.

b. Worship of angels: The only angel that ever receives worship in the Bible is the “Angel of the Lord” – which is usually a euphemism for a pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Otherwise, angels NEVER receive worship. [John – Rev 22:9]

i. Be wary of those who would receive doctrine & teaching from angels. [] Angelic encounters were not uncommon in the NT, but they usually didn’t say too much & almost always pointed people back to Christ. Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) – just because an experience can seem supernatural doesn’t mean that it’s edifying.

c. Intruding into unseen things: Speaking of religious initiation rites. Various mystic organizations/cults call upon unseen beings & places – and Paul’s warning the church to stay away from that stuff. Ultimately, this is vanity & egotism as they “puff up” their view of themselves with what they think they know or have experienced.

19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

A. Make no mistake – when people get off into mystical trips outside of the Scripture, they are not holding fast to the Head! We don’t need angelic encounters; we need Jesus. The more puffed up we get in our mind, the less Christ-like we are.

B. When we hold fast to Jesus, we’re healthy…we find our nourishment in Him. Goes back to what Paul was saying in vs. 10 – “and you are complete in Him…” Our fullness is in Christ; our nourishment is in Christ; our increase & growth comes from Christ – it’s pointless to look anywhere else for it.

20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using— according to the commandments and doctrines of men?

A. Remember the form of Gnosticism that had come into Colosse had (among other things) claimed that anything physical/material was evil – thus there was a move to asceticism. They thought, “The more I withdraw & abstain from life, the better.” [] At 1^st glance, that may not seem too bad – after all, we don’t want to be influenced by the “things of the world”… Here’s the difference: asceticism tells us that denying (of afflicting) our flesh makes us more spiritual; Christianity tells us Jesus makes us spiritual…everything else is the outgrowth of what Christ has already done. Asceticism basically claims that the work of Christ is not enough… [] In addition, it leads to legalism. ‘If Christ is not enough for me, then He’s definitely not enough for you – so you have to deny yourself the same things I’m denying myself of you’re in sin.’ Wrong!

a. Jesus IS enough

b. Minor issues are (by definition) minor issues. J We don’t have the right to impose our view upon other Christians. [Ex: moderate alcohol] I can make the Biblical argument that it’s restricted for elders – that it’s a stumbling block – that it’s unwise…YET I cannot label it as “sin.” Romans 14:21-23 (21) It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. (22) Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. (23) But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. []

23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

A. IOW, legalism puts on a good show, but it’s not true religion.

B. What’s wrong with legalism? Everything. J It doesn’t help us get saved… And on top of that, it doesn’t even help us to be holy! It’s of “no value against the indulgence of the flesh”… Think of it this way: how much weight did you gain on your last diet? J Does legalism help? No – we need a complete life change & that only comes through new life in Christ!

Conclusion:

The Bible calls us to be holy; it doesn’t call us to make ourselves holy…we simply can’t! In our own legalism we will fail every time…but in Jesus, everything changes! Jesus is sufficient – He wiped out the handwriting of requirements against us – He forgave us – He is victorious over the enemy…everything else is a cheap substitute. [] Don’t get cheated by legalism – stay rooted & grounded in Christ!

Don’t Get Cheated

Have you ever flipped around on TV, catch a program talking about the Lord Jesus & watched it only to get disappointed? Feels like you’ve been cheated out of something in the end…

That’s what had happened with the Colossian church. They had started out great in the faith having received the gospel from Epaphras, but over time people came in with all sorts of false ideas about legalism & false ideas about being “super-spiritual” & they ended up cheating the Colossian church out of the joy of simply following the Lord in truth.

The solution? Get the church’s focus off of the heretics & back on to Jesus. Thus far in this epistle, Paul’s been doing just that by painting a picture of Christ so big that the church just can’t ignore it. After telling the church how he’d been praying for them, he showed them what Christ had saved them from (the power of darkness) – showed what Christ had saved them for (redemption/forgiveness) – showed them Who Christ is (image of the invisible God & 1^st born over creation as Creator) – showed them what Christ did (reconciled us to Himself)… Incredible doctrine so far!

Left off in Chapter 1 with Paul transitioning to his own calling as a minister of the gospel. With all the correction he was bringing to the church, he didn’t want to do it out of nowhere, but took the time to establish a relationship with them telling the church of his suffering for them – his simple call to stewardship of the gospel – and his responsibility to warn & teach every man in all wisdom…it was what God called him (and every minister) to strive & labor for through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So with all that in mind, Paul is going to take the time to show the church how they’ve been swindled out of the truth of the simple gospel of Christ. We all have a tendency to try to “fill in the gaps” in various areas of our Christianity that we don’t understand – and that’s good as long as we’re filling in the gaps from the right source. The problem comes in when we stop looking to Jesus FOR those answers.

Colossians 2:1-10 (NKJV)
1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,

A. Possibly proof Paul hadn’t been to Colosse…

B. What kind of conflict is Paul referring to? A mental conflict in which he desired to see the church succeed. “conflict” = ἀγών (agony) = struggle/fight/contention… It hurt Paul to see this church engaged in such heresy…

C. Letter supposed to go to Laodicea as well. [MAP] Possible that they had encounted the same heresy as Colosse…

a. Heresy is a lot like weeds: pops up often – hard to get rid of – easily spread. That’s why it’s so important to (1) address it when it does arise, and (2) keep focused on Jesus! The more we keep our eyes on Christ, the less distracted we’ll be.

2 that their [those who hadn’t met Paul] hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,

A. How are their hearts encouraged? By being bonded hearts… (knit together in love). “encouraged” = παρακαλέω (paraclete) = “call alongside/comfort”. Isn’t this a wonderful thought? As we’re called out of the world by Christ (ekklesia = the church), we’re called to come alongside each other & as we walk together, we comfort & encourage one another in agape love. We’re called into 1 body, so it only makes sense that we would be unified & mutually encouraged.

a. This is something that Paul struggled to see – he desperately wanted to see the encouragement & unity of the church! It’s striking to realize how many times throughout his epistles that Paul called for unity. [Rom 14, 1Cor 1.3.12, Gal 3, Eph 4, Phil 4 & now] Obviously the early church had just as much of difficulty with this as we do.

b. Unity is not optional for us…

B. Paul also wanted the church to be rich! (Never thought I could say that & be Biblical at the same time! J) Obviously not talking about money but the “full assurance of the understanding”… IOW, as the church grows in their unity & encouragement with one another – as they continue walking with Christ – that their understanding of doctrine would grow & we would be assured that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3) – that we would have assurance of the character of God – that we would be rich in Him!

C. What do we want to understand? The “mystery of God” – remember our definition of a Biblical mystery from 1:26, “…hidden from ages…but now has been revealed to his saints.” [] How does this apply to God? Obviously generations past knew of God (Adam, Noah, Abraham, etc.)…what’s new? The incarnation of Jesus Christ! God’s character had always been revealed through the prophets & Scriptures, but His person was always concealed. (No man shall see me & live…Exo 33:20) But in the Lord Jesus, His very person was revealed to us! John 1:14, 18 (14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. … (18) No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. []

a. “both of the Father and of Christ”: Simply saying the Father & Christ are both fully God. Paul’s already demonstrated the deity of Christ in Ch 1 – he’s not going to let go of this point. (And neither should we!)

b. Many English translations don’t have this. Phrase isn’t found in the oldest manuscripts; but it IS found in the majority of manuscripts. Does this add/take away from Paul’s point? Part of the mystery of Christ is His union within the Trinity & specifically the Father. He is of one essence & one substance with Him. This goes dramatically against the grain of gnostic thinking!

3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

A. All knowledge is hidden in Christ: That’s a pretty high statement. Is Paul saying, “If your 1984 Chevy S-10 Blazer breaks down (which mine did, often!), turn to the book of 1 Automotives for the answer.”? Of course not. J But everything we need to know about God – everything we need to know about life – everything we need to know about truth is all found in Christ Jesus!

a. It amazes me when people look to movies, TV programs, & popular books (even Christian ones) to tell them something new about God. The best any book can do is simply point us back to Jesus Christ – ALL the treasures of the knowledge of God are found in Him.

B. All wisdom is hidden in Christ: What’s the difference between knowledge & wisdom? Knowledge is the accumulation of fact; wisdom is the application of it. Want to know how to apply the truth of Scripture – have a need for wisdom in a certain situation? Look to Christ… James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. []

C. Why are they hidden? These are treasures stored away for us – available to every believer to discover in Christ. Don’t miss the importance of this fact: knowledge isn’t available to only certain believers; knowledge & wisdom are hidden in Christ & thus available to every believer. The gnostics didn’t have any sort of hidden key that was only available through them – and neither does any pastor or teacher have any different access to God than any other believer in Christ.

a. We have a tendency to set up walls in the places where God obliterated them. The OT model of a priestly class set apart from the rest of Israel was meant to picture the difference between believers born again into the family of God & the world… The NT tells us specifically that we’re ALL holy priests – a royal priesthood of believers (1 Pet 2:5-9). We were never supposed to set up a class system among ourselves in Christ! Pastors may have a different vocational ministry than other believers, but we’re all called to minister in whatever vocation God has given us…

4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.

A. Paul had a reason for laying this foundation: people were trying to deceive the church. Note it wasn’t that people were merely wrong; mistakes can be corrected (re: Peter in Antioch – Gal 1). These people were intentionally trying to mislead the church through falsehood & lies.

B. People still try to deceive the church! They come knocking on your door & intentionally try to change the way you understand biblical doctrine & twist it to their own cultic interpretation of it. They can be really persuasive & when they’re standing there in front of you, it can make sense. But just because an argument is persuasive doesn’t mean that it’s true.

i. When in doubt, fall back on Jesus (that’s Paul’s whole point!) – Jesus IS the truth (John 14:6) & we can trust Him & His word…

5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

A. Why was Paul rejoicing in their good order? Understand “order” is a military term that carried the idea of having discipline in the ranks – like a military parade where every soldier is in line. The Colossians were definitely under attack by the various heresies, but they hadn’t completely broken rank yet… Thus Paul rejoiced over their “steadfastness” of faith…

B. Note you can’t have faith in just anything. We must have faith “in Christ”

6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

A. What does it mean to have “received Christ Jesus the Lord”? Some scholars take this to mean the doctrine of Christ, but I think the NIV nails it here. “…as you received Christ Jesus AS Lord…” Doctrine is surely part of it here, but Paul’s talking about our salvation! As believers, we have received Christ Jesus as our Lord & Savior – it’s unthinkable to consider abandoning Him for the lies of those who would deceive us.

B. I love the fact that Paul spells out Jesus’ full title/function here! He is Christ – the fully incarnate Anointed Son of God who paid the price for sin that we could never pay… [] He is Lord – not just the Son of God but God the Son who is fully God & fully King…victorious over death & hell through the Cross & Resurrection… []

a. Have you received Him? That’s what this whole passage hinges on! You can’t search out wisdom & knowledge in Him if you’re not IN Him. We must receive Christ! What’s the result of receiving Him? We’re saved! John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: []

C. After we receive Him, then what? Walk in Him! Note Paul doesn’t say walk WITH Him (though that’s appropriate); here the emphasis is walking IN Christ. We walk in His knowledge – walk in His wisdom – walk in His power – walk in His love – walk in HIM! J

7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

A. Interesting mixing of metaphors here. (Paul would’ve driven English teachers crazy! J) We walk as a person in Christ, we’re rooted like a tree in Christ, and we’re built like a building in Christ. All very different, but all very true. When we’re walking in Christ, we don’t want to get tossed to & fro by every wind of doctrine (Eph 4:14) – we need a solid foundation & root system. (Ps 1:3, tree planted by the rivers of water) [] In addition, once we’re rooted in Christ we need to grow in Christ – thus we are built up by Him through His word.

a. Described by being “established in the faith”. Established for what? Everything! J 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (16) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. [] Is there any situation in life you’d prefer to be unequipped/unprepared for? Of course not – that’s what doctrine (teaching) is so important. The more we grow in our knowledge of Christ & our relationship in Christ, the more prepared we are to face the things the world throws at us every day.

B. As we’re rooted, built up, and established through teaching – Paul tells us to be grateful. How do we abound in thanksgiving in relation to doctrine/teaching? It’s virtually impossible to learn more about our salvation in Christ & NOT be grateful! []

a. (Courson) “Truly, the Church is an enigma. We’re the only people in the world who get together regularly to acknowledge that we’re a bunch of worms, wretches and sinners — all the while feeling wonderful about it.”

C. This is all what we want to have happen. What we DON’T want is what Paul addresses next…

8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

A. We can be cheated! To “cheat” goes back to the military analogy. The word literally means “to plunder” or “to carry off as booty.” Paul’s warning the church against becoming the victory spoil of false teachers…

a. Keep in mind this is exactly what happens when nominal Christians get picked off by various cults…

B. What were they cheated by? Philosophy. Is Paul referring to all philosophy in general? Not really…the term simply means “love of wisdom” & we can certainly have a love for the wisdom of God. Paul was well acquainted with the philosophy of his day & used it as a jumping-off point into the gospel in Athens (Acts 17:28). Yet Paul draws a distinction here between the philosophy that would uphold biblical principles & exalt God, and the philosophy that would be in opposition to God…and there is MUCH of the latter! (Direct hit on the gnostics!) Described as:

a. “Empty deceit”: Simply because someone’s ideas sound lofty doesn’t mean that they are true. [ridiculed by college prof.] Philosophy or ideas that take us away from Christ are ultimately deceitful…

b. “Tradition of men”: Tradition doesn’t sound too bad until we understand that Paul is pitting it against revelation. Which is better to build our lives upon: the tradition of men, or the revelation of God in Jesus Christ?

c. “Basic principles of the world”: The term “basic principles” could refer to elementary things (like the alphabet)…thus Paul might be saying empty philosophy at its core is nothing more than the glorifying of the things of the world. [] It could also refer to supernatural powers…thus Paul might linking the empty deceitful traditions of men with demonic influence (and that’s not too hard to see!).

C. Paul’s point? This kind of man-centered philosophy is all opposed to Christ! The legalism of the Judaizers & the spiritualism of the Gnostics had one major thing in common: they were works-based cults that denied the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus. Whether they worked their bodies or their minds, both were proclamations that “Jesus isn’t enough; you really need ___ to be complete.” That’s heresy!

a. It’s still heresy today! All sorts of people try to sell all sorts of religions and different forms of “Christianity” that tell us “Jesus isn’t enough.” If Jesus isn’t enough, NOTHING is. We have absolutely nothing to offer God because we are utterly & thoroughly tainted by our sin…and without Jesus Christ saving us, we have no hope whatsoever. [] But because Jesus DID die & rise again, He is the hope of glory (Col 1:27).

b. Paul’s drawing a direct contrast here. Christ is whom all the treasures of knowledge & wisdom are hidden (vs 3); not the world. When we look to the world to provide that which only comes through Christ, we’re cheating ourselves…we’re allowing ourselves to be plundered by the enemy. From day 1, Satan has always offered a cheap substitute of what only God can offer…and as Adam learned, Satan’s version is a lie.

9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

A. Review from Ch 1 – Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, [] The fullness = Jesus is fully God. “Godhead” speaking literally of the divine essence… Basically saying there’s nothing that exists about God that Jesus doesn’t embody.

B. Quick review from last week: why couldn’t Jesus be more than a man but less than fully God? It makes salvation impossible. Only God can perfectly atone for sin & give us His righteousness, and only as a man could He offer Himself as both our High Priest and the perfect sacrifice. Anything less than Jesus being fully God & fully man makes our faith utterly worthless.

a. Here’s the good news: (1) We know that Jesus is a literal human in the flesh because He literally died on the Cross (certified by the Romans)… (2) We know that Jesus is literally God because He literally rose from the grave – this was God’s declaration to the world of the fact…

10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

A. IOW, since the fullness of the Godhead rests in Jesus & we walk in Jesus, what more do we need other than Jesus? We are complete in Him! “complete” similar root to “fullness” (vs. 9) – our fullness comes from Christ’s fullness. (Walvoord & Zuck) “This, of course, does not mean believers become God but simply share in Him. They have or share in the goodness of the nature which He is.”

B. He is over everything: principality, power…everything.

Conclusion:

Is there something that you need in life that you’ve been looking to the world to provide? You’ll never find satisfaction through Donald Trump; it only comes from being satisfied in Christ. You’ll never find spirituality through Oprah; it only comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit. The tragic thing for many Christians is that we’ll run everywhere else for the answers, and it’s only when everything else inevitably fails that we turn back to our Savior. The Lord Jesus is not a last resort for believers; He’s the ONLY resort. We are complete in Him – what more could we possibly want or desire?

If you haven’t received Jesus as your Lord – I can guarantee there’s something you desperately need that you’ll NEVER find in the world: forgiveness. How do I know you need it? Because you’re human. Like the rest of us, you’ve lied, cheated, stolen, lusted, hated, or somehow generally ignored God altogether at some point (if not every single day). You’ve broken God’s law & have to face Him on judgment day. What can the world possibly offer you to fall back on? Everyone else is just as sinful as you…we’re all in the same boat! The good news is that Jesus already has done something on your behalf when He went to the cross…

Using Pagans for Prophecy – Numbers 23-24

Numbers 23

1 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a desolate height.

A. Question: had God commanded Balaam to build an altar? No. Did he do it according to God’s revealed law to Moses? No. Likely these were pagan sacrifices performed to Baal done in the high places. Several commentaries argue that these sacrifices were given to the One True God, but Balak was the one offering them & he obviously didn’t care about the One True God…he was just looking to talk to “any” god that would curse Israel.

B. Balaam is committed to only speak the word the Lord gives him…undoubtedly his encounter with the Angel of the Lord made an impression! [] Which makes his lack of conversion all the more amazing!

a. Some people have truly seen the work of the Lord in their lives; yet they refuse to repent & surrender their lives to Him. Underscores the fact that (1) God shows mercy to the just and unjust, and (2) God’s provision isn’t an indication of salvation; new life is…

4 And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 5 Then the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”

A. Interesting that God actually met Balaam and spoke to him at a PAGAN altar… Not only that, God treats Balaam no different than any other prophet by “putting a word in his mouth”…

B. Our God is merciful! He doesn’t cast judgment on us when He has the right to… Our God is gracious! He actually blesses us in spite of us… [] Please don’t ever take that for granted…

6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. [pretty public event!] 7 And he took up his oracle and said: “Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, From the mountains of the east. ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!’ 8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

A. How indeed? If God has not cursed Israel, what possible good would mere words do? Even if Balaam had decided to depart from the oracle of God, Balaam’s words have no power in & of themselves. The only One who has power when He speaks is God Almighty! If someone is to be blessed, it’s b/c GOD has blessed them…(and vice-versa).

9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among the nations. 10 “Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my end be like his!”

A. The innumerable size indicates blessing…part of the covenant God made with Abraham. Genesis 15:5-6 (5) Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” (6) And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. [] (David got in trouble for not trusting God on this point – 2 Sam 24)

B. What’s the difference between Balaam & Abraham? Balaam wanted to die the death of the righteous, but wasn’t willing to believe God to obtain it. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness…

a. There’s a ton of self-centered “Christians” out there who have nothing to do with Christ. It just doesn’t work that way…

C. Interestingly enough, when Balaam was looking down upon the camp, what shape did he see? The cross…(Numbers 2)

11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!” 12 So he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”

A. Balak ain’t happy. J Understandably so – he just paid a lot of money to get a curse out of Balaam.

B. Balaam’s still speaking the word of the Lord. And notice he actually recognizes that this is coming from the LORD…

a. This has got to be one of the most tragic aspects of Balaam. He KNEW this was all coming from the Lord Almighty – he completely recognized this fact. Yet in the end, he ignored God entirely.

13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.”

A. Funny! Since Balaam prophesied regarding their number, Balak says, “Now that you can’t see all of them, surely NOW you can curse them.” … Thinks a different location is going to make things better – perhaps Balak thinks Balaam is going to contact a different god. (Too bad there aren’t any! J )

14 So he brought him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the Lord over there.” 16 Then the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”

A. Take 2…this is the exact same procedure: another 7 altars, another 7 sacrifices. God met Balaam & gave the word…

17 So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

A. Note even Balak acknowledges it’s the LORD this time…like Balaam, he leaves virtually unchanged by this.

18 Then he took up his oracle and said: “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor! 19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

A. Foundational truth about God’s character! God doesn’t lie. It’s not merely that He refrains from it; it’s that lying profoundly violates His very character and person. He CANNOT lie. Lying is something men do in our sin…God is perfectly holy & never sins – thus He never lies.

B. ‘What about the times the Bible says God repented?’ KJV sometimes uses the word “repent” to describe God’s change of course/action, or His regret. NKJV often translates is “relent”…better thought. God cannot turn from sin to righteousness (our version of repenting); He does not change His will (He knows everything); but He can/does change His action according to His will. Thus when we intercede in prayer, God does change His actions – but it’s always His will to have done so. (Abraham/Sodom – Gen 18)

C. The takeaway? God is FAITHFUL…God granted blessing to the Hebrews & thus God’s blessing was going to stay on the Hebrews.

a. God will ALWAYS be faithful to His word. Romans 3:4 (4) Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” []

20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

A. What was Balak asking God to lie about? His blessing upon Israel… Again, b/c God blessed, Balaam had no power to do anything about it.

21 “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them. 22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox.

A. Incredible to think that God “has not observed iniquity in Jacob”…Israel had messed up lots of times! …. Speaks of His grace…[] As far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12)…

B. God is with Israel. God guards/protects Israel – the very fact God is among them speaks of His protection over them. He brought them out of Egypt in a famously miraculous way… []

a. What’s the “wild ox”? KJV = “unicorn” – possibly a reference to a rhinoceros, possibly to a now-extinct cow called the Aurochs. The point is God’s strength…rhino fits pretty well!

23 “For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’ 24 Look, a people rises like a lioness, And lifts itself up like a lion; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.”

A. Basically says, “Stop trying to curse them…it’s useless”

B. Not only will God not curse them, He’s going to give them the victory over their enemies…like a lion, Israel is going to conquer the land God gives them, simply because God is the one giving it to them. They do it in HIS strength…

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!” 26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the Lord speaks, that I must do’?”

A. “I’m going to pay you just to be quiet!” J Gotta love that!

27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland. 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar.

A. So Balak’s still not learning…he’s going to try it again. Walks through the same routine in yet one more location. Peor was known as a location for Baal worship – still trying to perform pagan rituals.

B. Ever try to outrun God? Balak thought each mountain would be a better place with a different result – he never wanted to accept what God was plainly telling him…

Numbers 24 (NKJV)
1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

A. What’s the difference here? Balaam finally realized his pagan sorcery was no good at manipulating the word of God. He simply prepared himself to receive the word as it was given to him.

2 And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 Then he took up his oracle and said: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, The utterance of the man whose eyes are opened, 4 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:

A. He’s a pagan, but his eyes are wide open now…he’s received the word of the Lord; spoken the word of the Lord; had his eyes opened to the will of God – and his response? Still to try to curse God’s people.

B. Prophecy/experience doesn’t save anyone! Matthew 7:21-23 (21) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (22) Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ (23) And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ [] In the end, Balaam sought lawlessness…

5 “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! 6 Like valleys that stretch out, Like gardens by the riverside, Like aloes planted by the Lord, Like cedars beside the waters. 7 He shall pour water from his buckets, And his seed shall be in many waters. “His king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.

A. The blessing of Israel…tended & cared for by the Lord like a garden.

B. It’s a beautiful thing simply to be a child of God! Everything else about our life might be helter-skelter, but we’re STILL saved… []

8 “God brings him out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox; He shall consume the nations, his enemies; He shall break their bones And pierce them with his arrows. 9 ‘He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?’ “Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses you.”

A. Reiterates how God brought them out of Egypt…and the strength & power God would use to protect His chosen people.

B. Quotes the Abrahamic covenant… Genesis 12:3 (3) I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” []

a. Why is the earth blessed? Because of the coming Messiah!

10 Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! 11 Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the Lord has kept you back from honor.”

A. WHO kept Balaam from honor? The Lord! Spoken in sarcasm from a pagan, but undoubtedly true. God used Balaam for His word, but God wasn’t endorsing what Balaam had tried (and failed) to accomplish.

B. Consider what God did through all this: (1) protected His people, (2) blessed His people, (3) spoke His word, (4) used a pagan to do it, and (5) did it in such holiness where the wicked didn’t prosper from it… J

a. God doesn’t merely accomplish His will; He takes care of every detail along the way, too!

12 So Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13 ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak’?

A. Balaam’s trying to justify himself in the eyes of his employer, but again – what he says is true: The word of God cannot be sold! []

B. Don’t be unaware…there are still false teachers trying to do the same thing! 2 Peter 2:14-15 (14) having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. (15) They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; []

14 And now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.” 15 So he took up his oracle and said: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, And the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened; 16 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, And has the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:

A. 2^nd to last oracle… Gives a few freebies before he leaves…this one being of the latter days. Before, Balaam had blessed the work of God in Israel’s past; this is going to specifically deal with the future – messianic promises…

17 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult. 18 “And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, While Israel does valiantly. 19 Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, And destroy the remains of the city.”

A. Jesus is the bright morning star (Rev 22:16). He is the scepter (has it) as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10). Seems that Balaam not only sees Jesus, but he sees the Lord Jesus at His 2^nd coming!

B. Note all the nations that are included here. Moab (Balaam’s own nation) & Edom included. Keep in mind that Israel was not permitted to attack these lands in the conquest b/c they were distant relatives. Yet Balaam pronounces them defeated – when does this take place? History shows some temporary conquests during the Kingdom years…probably a ref to the millennium…

20 Then he looked on Amalek, and he took up his oracle and said: “Amalek was first among the nations, But shall be last until he perishes.” 21 Then he looked on the Kenites, and he took up his oracle and said: “Firm is your dwelling place, And your nest is set in the rock; 22 Nevertheless Kain shall be burned. How long until Asshur carries you away captive?” 23 Then he took up his oracle and said: “Alas! Who shall live when God does this? 24 But ships shall come from the coasts of Cyprus, And they shall afflict Asshur and afflict Eber, And so shall Amalek, until he perishes.” 25 So Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place; Balak also went his way.

A. Last prophecy he gives isn’t about Israel, but about the lands/people Israel will be invading.

a. Amalek virtually destroyed by Hezekiah (1 Chr 4:41-43) Haman possibly an Amalekite – his family executed in Esther 9…

b. Kenites lived in relative peace with the Hebrews (firm dwelling place) until they were to be captured by Assyrians/Asshur along with the conquest of the Northern Kingdom. (2 King 15)

c. Assyrians/Asshur overthrown by Greeks & Romans (ref: Cyprus)

B. The grand end to all the prophecy? God’s enemies go home disappointed. J

Conclusion:

Don’t be a Balaam! Here’s a guy that spoke more words of God than some of the minor prophets & yet he departed from God unchanged. What tragedy!

Ultimately our eyes aren’t on Balaam, but on the One Balaam spoke of – we worship the God who put the words in Balaam’s mouth! We worship the Bright Morning Star whom Balaam saw – we worship the God who never lies or repents. Praise God!

The Cost of Hope – Colossians 1:19-29

Introduction:

Paul has just initiated an in-depth description of who Christ Jesus is. He is the image of the invisible God – the 1^st born over Creation – the Creator – the Head of the church – 1^st born from the dead – the Preeminent One… With that as the foundation, Paul moves the discussion to what Christ Jesus does & what Paul’s role is in proclaiming it.

So is this just an academic exercise? Is Paul simply instructing the church patiently in the theology of our faith? No – there’s profound application that Paul is driving at here. The Colossian church had allowed major heresy to come in & throw them off their theological bearings incorporating both legalism (Judaizers), and mystical dualism (Gnostics). The faith that they had started to embrace was a pretty far cry from the one true Gospel…so what did Paul do? He instructed them in doctrine (for sure!), but more than that – he shows them the VALUE of the doctrine…why the “pearl” is of such “great price.”

Example: If you ask to borrow a watch & I hand you a pocketwatch, you might be grateful & go about your merry way. But if I tell you that the pocketwatch had been handed down to me by my great-grandfather & was a one-of-a-kind timepiece from a master maker in Switzerland, I bet you’re going to care for it a little better. Why? You understood the value of it.

We NEED to understand the value of our salvation! Sometimes evangelism has been cheapened to a sales-pitch for “good-times-with-God”…but it’s vastly more valuable than that! That’s what Paul is trying to convey to Colosse – he’s telling them, “Before you so easily let go of the gospel, you need to understand what it is you’re letting go of.”

- One last description of the Person of Christ as Paul transitions the subject…

19. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,

A. What does this say about Jesus’ person/being? It says that He’s God. J No ifs, ands, buts about it – no qualifications of Him being “less than” – no questions about Him not having every “capability” of God…all of the “fullness” of the Father dwells in the Son. IOW, there’s no characteristic or ability that God the Father has that God the Son does not…Jesus is FULLY God.

B. Who did it please? God. Technically, the word “Father” does not appear in the Greek text – scholars unanimously agree that the word “please” is relying upon the context for a subject, which either takes us back to vs. 12 (Father) or vs. 15 (God). [] Personally, this emphasizes the fact that our God is bigger than our understanding. There are certain things about the Trinity that I just cannot wrap my mind around…and praise God for it! J …

C. So how long does Jesus contain the fullness of God? Was it just for eternity past & did He give it up when He emptied Himself (made Himself of no reputation – Phil 2:7)? No! Jesus did not empty Himself of any characteristics of the Godhead because the fullness dwells in Him. “dwell” indicates a permanent place of abode. From eternity past to eternity future, the fullness of the God dwells in Christ Jesus, has always dwelt in Him, and will always dwell in Him.

20. and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

A. Not only does Christ have the person of Deity, He has the ministry of reconciliation. This was His stated purpose – Luke 19:10 (10) for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” [] Our relationship with God was damaged because of sin (as we’ll see in verse 21) & Jesus came to change all that.

B. What does He reconcile? “all things” – some see a limitation here because Paul doesn’t mention “things under the earth”, but that seems to go against the whole idea of “all things.” One definition of “reconciliation” is to “bring back to a former state of harmony” – and that’s exactly what Jesus does. (Robertson) “Sin has somehow put the universe out of joint. Christ will set it right.”

a. Is Paul teaching universalism here? No…NT teaches quite clearly about the fate of unbelievers elsewhere… To state that Paul teaches universalism on the basis of this verse is to ignore Paul’s theology through the rest of his letters!

b. Paul seems to be contextually referring to Creation as a whole. There is a general sense in which ALL of creation will be reconciled back to God through the New Heavens & New Earth… Romans 8:21-22 (21) because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. []

C. To Whom does He reconcile them? To Himself. Note Jesus is not reconciled to us; we are reconciled to Him. Important distinction! We are the ones who rebelled against God, thus we are the one who need to be reconciled back to God.

D. By what does He reconcile them? By/through Himself…speaks of what power He did it by. Jesus is fully sufficient in & of Himself to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him (Heb 7:25). He needs no help & requires no assistance.

a. This speaks volumes about our vain attempts at legalism! When people get the idea that they can somehow “improve” upon their salvation through works, they neglect to remember that we are reconciled to God by Christ alone – it’s only HIS work that has any value for salvation.

E. What does reconciliation do? It made peace…and note this peace came through violent means: “the blood of His cross.” It’s interesting to me that God didn’t sit down one day & proclaim a decree that we were forgiven – sometimes skeptics claim that if God truly loves us, then He should freely forgive us without the shedding of blood. [] But as much as God DOES love us & IS love (1 John 4:8), God is also holy & righteous & just. To forgive without judgment is an affront to His justice…it simply compounds the issue of sin. [] Thus God DOES forgive & offer peace & reconciliation, but it only comes through the “blood of His cross” because there justice was meted out & now forgiveness could be truly offered in love.

a. Note “His” cross: it couldn’t have been just anyone’s cross. There were 3 on the hill that day; only one mattered.

21. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22. in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight

A. Why did we need reconciliation & peace? 3 reasons:

a. We were alienated: As Gentiles we were estranged from the promises of God, and as sinners we were excluded from any relationship with God.

b. We were enemies in our mind: People often claim that they’ve got their own relationship with God, and He doesn’t care what they do. Not true! Outside of Christ, we’re not merely estranged from God, we are at war with Him! NT uses the same word “enemy” to describe Satan… People may not realize it, but in their sin they are actively opposing the things of God.

c. We were enemies by wicked works: The works of our flesh merely bear out the sin in our hearts & minds. Want a list? Galatians 5:19-21 (19) Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, (21) envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [] And that’s not even exhaustive! Which of that have we not engaged in at some point? (Either in the mind or in the act.) THIS is what we need to be reconciled from!

B. How were we reconciled? “in the body of His flesh through death”. Gets kind of gruesome, doesn’t it? 1^st we need His blood; now we need His dead flesh. Paul’s point isn’t to gross us out; it’s simply to show that real sin has a real price & it had to be paid by a real person in Christ Jesus. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), thus SOMEBODY had to die. Not a figurative death; not a pretend death – Jesus of Nazareth was physically crucified to a cross & actually died for the sin of the world.

a. Don’t miss the dig to the Gnostics. Paul’s saying, “Guess what? The Creator God of the Universe put on human flesh in His incarnation. He was really real!” If Jesus is less than fully human, then He could not serve as our High Priest. If Jesus is less than fully God, then He could not pay the price for sin. Jesus MUST be (and is) both God and man.

b. BTW – Should sound familiar to us through the Lord’s Supper…this is exactly what we celebrate during Communion…

C. The results of reconciliation? The way God sees us is completely changed!

a. We’re holy: We’re set apart/dedicated by God – we’re made saints…

b. We’re blameless: “without defect” – like the sacrifices that were to be offered to God, we’ve now been given the righteousness of Christ Who was truly without blemish/defect

c. We’re irreproachable: Not that we’ve never done anything wrong, but simply (and wonderfully) that we can no longer be blamed for it. There is One Who has borne our blame already!

d. Gotta emphasize that this is ALL done through the blood & body of Christ! []

23. if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

A. “if”: little word; BIG impact… Is this an “if” or a “since” or something else? The Greek is actually a conditional, which means this “if” means “if.” Some would claim that what Paul is about to say is a foregone conclusion – but the “if” shows that it is definitely not…which means it’s definitely worth paying attention to.

B. If what? If we “continue in the faith”… As we saw earlier, Paul’s trying to underscore the value of their faith in Christ. Jesus has been proclaimed to be God who has reconciled us & made peace after all of the evil stuff we’ve done. We were deserving of true judgment, but God forgave us. This isn’t something we’d want to depart from! We need to “continue” – actively abide & remain in the faith we received. Further described as “grounded & steadfast” – like a building established on a solid foundation, we want to be established & grounded on the true gospel…and remain there!

a. ‘But I prayed a prayer when I was 12!’ Good for you, but that’s not what Paul is asking here. Are you continuing in the faith? If you prayed a prayer at an emotional rally & then walked away from Christ the rest of your life, then that’s the sign of a false convert. A ‘prayer’ cannot save you; it’s the God you pray to that does…[] Do you know Christ & does Christ know you? (Matt 7:23)

b. ‘So is this a Calvinist or Arminian prooftext?’ Yes. J The Calvinist would claim that if a saint continues in the faith till the end, they have persevered… The Arminian would claim that if a saint continues in the faith, they haven’t become apostate & thus remain saved… Either one would give the same exhortation: KEEP WALKING! Hebrews 10:23 (23) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. []

C. Notice what the gospel brings: hope! Paul’s not talking about an emotion here… “Hope” in the NT speaks of confident expectation…contextually here of heaven & everlasting life with God.

a. Why can we be so confident? Because our hope isn’t based in ourselves; it’s based upon Christ!

D. Question: Had the gospel really been preached to “every creature under heaven”? Of course not (using hyperbole), but the gospel had gone into every major area of the Roman Empire (which was basically the known world)…and it’s definitely meant for the entire world.

a. That said, the entire world HAS been given the testimony of a Creator through creation, so that we are without excuse (Rom 1:20), and the law of God has been written on our hearts in our consciences (Rom 2:15)… That doesn’t excuse us from the responsibility of the Great Commission – but God WILL make Himself known to every man & woman in all history.

E. What does it mean to be a minister of the gospel? Simply a servant! Gk διάκονος (deacon) = “one who serves”. Ministers minister; Servants serve…that’s simply the job description! J

——-

24. I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

A. Takes a break from discussing the work of Christ to discussing his calling as a minister. Why? Paul is bringing a TON of doctrinal correction to the Colossian church – so he needs to establish some groundwork first. He’s not trying to get Colosse to listen to his teaching in order to build up a following or puff up his pride; he’s simply doing this because this was his calling from God. [] Keep in mind that Paul probably hadn’t been to Colosse, so this might be extra important without the context of a relationship.

B. What’s one way Paul served in his ministry of the gospel? He suffered. Paul’s not talking about some sort of superficial stress…he actually suffered for the ministry physically & emotionally. Yet what was his response? Joy! [] Paul could rejoice because he was participating in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering (Phil 2:10). So much so, that he writes that he could complete in his “flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” What on earth does that mean?! There’s no question that if the Lord Jesus still walked the earth, He would be persecuted & afflicted…Paul is simply participating in them.

a. (Vaughan) “ ‘What is still lacking’ is not an intimation of deficiency in Christ’s own sufferings but a reference to what is yet lacking in Christ’s suffering in Paul. In his experience as a prisoner the apostle was filling up the sum or quota of suffering yet remaining for him to endure.”

b. Nobody desires suffering…yet there is a fellowship we have in Christ when we suffer with Him. Jesus knows what it’s like to have His body afflicted with pain – Jesus knows what it’s like to be mentally anguished – Jesus knows what it’s like to be betrayed. As we suffer with Him, we can identify with Him as He continues to shape our character. (James 1:2-4)

C. What does Paul suffer for? Christ’s body = the church. (2^nd mention of this – Col 1:18). If Paul suffers for the sake of the church, ultimately he’s suffering for Christ Himself. What we do to the body, we do unto the Lord.

25. of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26. the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

A. Ministry wasn’t a career path for Paul (he had his own before Jesus called him!), it was a stewardship. God had entrusted His word to him, and Paul’s job was simply to dispense it out at God saw fit. As he wrote to Corinth, he was a servant of Christ & steward of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1).

B. His point? Saying, “I’m just a servant!” Paul’s not trying to “put one over” on the Colossian church – he’s simply doing what God has called him to do. No more; no less.

a. No matter what it is God has called us to do, we are stewards of that gift/responsibility! (Parable of the talents)

C. Vs 26 is the basic definition of a Biblical mystery: that which once was hidden in the OT & now revealed in the NT through Christ Jesus…

a. Another dig at the Gnostics. They had “secret” knowledge; God’s mystery was an “open secret” – it’s been revealed to everyone in the church.

27. To them [the saints…] God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

A. The mystery? “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” This same Jesus in Whom dwells the fullness of the Godhead – by Whom we are reconciled – through Whom the universe was created – THIS Jesus is in us. What an astounding thought! God has revealed the riches of His glory through Him in that we have been brought into the family of God & been made co-heirs with Christ…His riches are our riches, and we experience the abundance of eternity through Him. Thus our hope rests in Him & indeed IS Him.

a. There is no better promise in all religion! Other systems might promise emotional experiences or mystical rituals, but none other than Christianity opens up the riches of the glory of heaven & actually produces salvation!

B. How does this take place? By the will of God. Not through ritualistic legalism nor through secret knowledge nor anything else. There’s not an act in all the world that can produce the reality of us being in Christ & Christ being in us. That is a miracle of God done in each believer in Christ done solely through the will of God.

a. That’s why it’s called grace!

28. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

A. What do pastors/ministers do? Or at least, what are they supposed to do?

a. Preach Christ: Show & proclaim Jesus in the whole of their teaching. Among the Corinthians, Paul resolved to know nothing except Christ & Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2) & it was the same in every city & every epistle. When pastors teach, they should be proclaiming Christ & His word & nothing else.

b. Warn every man: NIV translates “admonishing” – but contextually to the Colossians, “warn” is vastly more appropriate. Why would we need to be warned? Because there’s a TON of people teaching false doctrine. There will always be false religions & false gospels proclaimed – there will always be ‘ministers’ looking to tickle the ears of the masses (even in the name of Christ) – and thus Paul (and every pastor) has the responsibility to warn believers to stick to the truth. (Consider yourselves warned. J)

c. Teach every man in all wisdom: The logical follow-through to “warning.” If we’re going to be warned away from lies, we need to know the truth…

i. This is why we teach verse-by-verse…

B. To what end? Maturity. “present every man perfect” Perfect isn’t speaking of blamelessness (that only comes through Christ); speaks of completeness. Remember Paul (and every minister) is a steward – he dispenses the word of God to the people of God in order that they might grow in God to maturity. And he worked hard at it…

29. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

A. “labor” = “to grow weary/tired or exhausted”… “striving” = ἀγωνίζομαι (agonize)

B. Paul labored; God worked. “working” = ἐνέργεια (energy) = effectual working… Paul could strive as hard as he wanted to in the ministry – he could pour blood, sweat, and tears into each church – but without God working, it would have all been in vain.

Conclusion:

Covered a lot of ground today! Paul labored, agonized, and toiled to present ONE thing to Colosse: Christ. Our salvation, reconciliation, and peace with God is completely wrapped up in Christ Jesus & without Him we’re hopeless. Without Christ, we remain enemies of God & doomed to eternity without Him.

But IN Christ, we have hope – the hope of glory! Jesus as the fullness of God has reconciled all things back to Himself through His body & blood & WE are the proof in the pudding! We’ve been forgiven, made holy, blameless, & irreproachable…amen! So our response to that? We want to stay grounded in the gospel of Christ! What we have been given is without value – it’s beyond worth – so we want to continue in the faith & not get distracted by false gospels, revivals, fads, or anything else. We want to simply rejoice in the simple gospel of our incredible Savior!

Doing things the hard way

Numbers 21

1. When the king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. 2. So Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3. And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.

A. Where’s Arad? [MAP – approx.]

B. Arad’s problem was twofold:

a. They came out against the people of God. From what we know of the text, Israel hadn’t gone seeking them out or was attempting to enter the Promised Land through Arad. The king himself went looking for trouble…and he found it!

b. They got cocky. Instead of simply warning the people not to come in that way (per Edom), they took prisoners.

c. When people purposefully put themselves against God, He WILL act. Maybe not immediately, but definitely in eternity…we reap what we sow.

C. Israel’s response? For once, it was perfect!

a. They sought the Lord in prayer – even acknowledging that the victory would have to come through God alone.

b. Vowed to give Him the glory. “destroy” carries the idea of devoting something to the Lord. Like they were later (supposed) to do at Jericho, they weren’t going to take any spoil from the city…

c. Followed through in the power of God. They didn’t simply pray; they acted – and the Lord empowered them for the battle. “the Lord listened…and delivered…”

d. Impossible to do the work of God without the power of God! He MUST empower us, or what we attempt will either fail or fall away…

D. Note: this is the 1^st conquered piece of the promised land…just a taste of what is to come when they do things God’s way.

4. Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”

A. Worthless bread?! This is the MANNA they’re talking about! Keep in mind that the manna was a picture of Christ (John 6:32-35), so when they rejected God’s provision through the bread, they were really rejecting God’s provision through the Bread of Life.

B. Ever take God’s miracles for granted?

6. So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

A. Righteous discipline of the Lord! “fiery” probably not a reference to the color, but to the pain of the bite. Their rejection of Christ produced only a taste of what awaits those who eternally reject Him. …

a. We (obviously) don’t like talking about it, but Hell is a terrible place… But it’s the righteous response to rebellious sin against an infinite perfect God.

7. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

A. What to do? Confess & repent! The Hebrews agreed with God that what they did was indeed sin… And they turned from that sin & turned to God for forgiveness…

a. Note they actually went to Moses this time instead of Moses having to fall down on his face for the people. Perhaps they’re learning the lessons their parents did not?

B. Moses interceded for the people…as he often did.

8. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

A. Model of Christ! [Talking with Nicodemus] John 3:14-16 (14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, (15) that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. []

B. Much significance!

a. Pole = cross

b. Look to it for healing…

c. Available to all; effective for those who look

d. Even the serpent is significant. Not only in the “bronze” judgment – but in the fact that the serpent is a symbol of sin (re: Garden of Eden & Revelation dragon). How does that relate to Christ Jesus? Jesus BECAME sin on the Cross… 2 Corinthians 5:21 (21) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. []

C. Don’t leave tonight without knowing Christ crucified…

10. Now the children of Israel moved on and camped in Oboth. 11. And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at Ije Abarim, in the wilderness which is east of Moab, toward the sunrise. 12. From there they moved and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13. From there they moved and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14. Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: “Waheb in Suphah, the brooks of the Arnon, 15. and the slope of the brooks that reaches to the dwelling of Ar, and lies on the border of Moab.”

A. [MAP]

B. “Book of the Wars of the Lord”: book lost to antiquity. All we know of it is what’s found here. ‘Does that make it an inspired lost book of the Bible?’ No. Simply means that the only inspired text God desired for us to read is what is listed here…

16. And from there they went to Beer [“well”], which is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” 17. Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! all of you sing to it 18. the well the leaders sank, dug by the nation’s nobles, by the lawgiver, with their staves.” And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah, 19. from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20. and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looks down on the wasteland.

A. God gives a foretaste of the promised land with the well…

B. God quenched their thirst by a well here…reminiscent of Jesus talking about thrist-quenching drink with the Samaritan woman (John 4). (Wiersbe) “In the Bible, water for drinking is a picture of the Spirit of God, while water for washing is a type of the Word of God. But before Jesus could send the Spirit, He had to die on the cross, which leads us to the uplifted serpent in Numbers 21… The manna emphasizes His incarnation, the serpent His crucifixion, and the water His ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit.”

21. Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22. “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into fields or vineyards; we will not drink water from wells; but we will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23. But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24. Then Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified. 25. So Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages.

A. Similar request to what they gave Edom… Sihon went a step further than Edom & actually went to war against Israel…

B. What was the difference between the Amorites & the Edomites? Only the mercy of God. God had declared that the Edomites not be destroyed (), whereas the Amorites had been judged since the time of Abraham (Gen 15:16).

26. For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon. 27. Therefore those who speak in proverbs say: “Come to Heshbon, let it be built; let the city of Sihon be repaired. 28. “For fire went out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the heights of the Arnon. 29. Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, O people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters into captivity, to Sihon king of the Amorites. 30. “But we have shot at them; Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon. Then we laid waste as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.”

A. Loosely paraphrased: “Nyah nyah” J In the Amorite’s view, their god(s) helped them defeat their enemies – yet the True God proved Himself mightier than the best the Amorites could throw at Him.

31. Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32. Then Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33. And they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. So Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.” 35. So they defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land.

A. Same thing happened with Og of Bashan. Only instead of asking permission to travel through the land, they bypassed the pleasantries & simply went to war. Israel beat them so soundly that the news of these battles went all the way to Jericho, where they were basically trembling with fear once Israel was ready to possess the city. (Joshua 2:10)

B. Question: War is always a dreadful thing & something that people are legitimately afraid of. Why is it then that God tells Moses not to fear? Because God was the One fighting the battle! [] If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31)

Numbers 22

1. Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. 2. Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up all that is around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

A. News about Israel had spread… Like the king of Arad, Balak of Moab went looking for trouble without any cause & found himself on the wrong side of the Lord & His people.

B. Moab actually didn’t have a reason to fear…like Edom, they were family to the Israelites & God had granted them protection & had given their land to Lot. (Deut 2:9).

a. Isn’t that how we are so many times? We look at circumstances we don’t really understand, start to panic & make poor decisions as a result… Fortunately, we don’t have to be like Moab. J We may walk through fearful circumstances, but fear is never from the Lord as a Christian (2 Tim 1:7)…we can rest in Christ as we follow Him!

5. Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6. “Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

A. Who’s Balaam? Prophet of God or pagan? When considering this, there a few things we need to keep in mind.

a. Balaam was not part of the nation of promise. Pethor was a city up by the Euphrates River. Apparently Balaam had quite the reputation as a diviner/soothsayer, and these chapters are the only time we see him speaking for the Lord.

b. Apparently Balaam was still an enemy of Israel all the way through Joshua 13, when Israel killed him in battle. (Josh 13:22)

c. The NT repeatedly refers to Balaam as a sinner.

d. From this, we have to conclude that Balaam was a pagan. Begs the question: “Why on God’s green earth would He choose to use THIS guy to speak His word & some of the greatest truths about the character of God?” J Great question…let’s ask Jesus when we get to heaven. J We DO know that God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isa 55:9) & that He’s chosen to use the foolish things of the world to confound the wise (1 Cor 1:27)…perhaps God was simply using another donkey to accomplish His will. J

i. The lesson? God can use all sorts of people to do His will. He used pagan kings to both discipline & restore His people – and He can use those people we think are completely unreachable to proclaim His gospel if He so chooses.

ii. ‘So how do we know if it’s really of God?’ Be a Berean. If someone claims to speak the ‘Word of the Lord’, then it WILL reflect Scripture. Claims of “holy hand grenades” or “angelic encounters” mean NOTHING without the weight of Scripture behind them.

B. Note how Balak got it backwards. He thought whoever BALAAM blessed was blessed; instead it’s whoever GOD blesses that will be blessed! That’s not simply a nice promise given to Abraham (Gen 12:3) – that’s a FACT. That God would proclaim blessing on someone means that that ARE blessed – because God is the one who did it…and we can’t get any higher than Him.

a. Christian, you have been blessed! Psalm 32:1-2 (1) Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. [] Because of Jesus, you’ve been blessed!!

7. So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8. And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

A. Prophecy for hire…still see it today & I believe it’s still an abomination.

9. Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”

A. Question: Did God ask this because He didn’t know? J Of course not! God asks questions to for US to learn something; not for Him…

10. And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11. `Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’ ” 12. And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”

A. Interesting that Balaam is actually conversing with God on this. Instead of simply humbling himself to the response of Almighty God, it seems Balaam is trying to talk God into doing this for Balak. [Sheer arrogance!]

B. God’s response? DON’T go. They are already blessed.

13. So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you.” 14. And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.” 15. Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. 16. And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: `Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17. `for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’ ” 18. Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. 19. “Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”

A. At 1^st glance it looks like Balaam’s doing the right thing. However, at a closer look, he’s actually just engaging in the haggling process…

B. The word of God cannot be sold! Without intending to do so, Balaam got this part right. Simon Magus learned the same thing regarding the Holy Spirit… (Acts 8:20)

20. And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you that you shall do.” 21. So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. 22. Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

A. Why is God upset? “because he went” – Some commentators have an issue with this because they say in vs. 20 God told Balaam to go. They propose that God was merely testing the prophet. I suggest to you the text says otherwise. God had told Balaam to go only “IF the men come to call you” – yet Balaam got up the next morning & went out to meet them…

B. Who’s the “Angel of the Lord”? Probably a Christophany!

23. Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24. Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25. And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26. Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27. And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

A. Ever been ‘pushed against the wall’ & hurt only to find out that hurt saved your life? Balaam had no idea what was going on, yet God in His provident mercy was allowing the donkey to steer him away from utter destruction…

B. Quite a bit of irony here. It’s thought that one of the ways Balaam performed divination was through sacrificing animals & using their livers & other organs to “see” the future. Here, the donkey has more spiritual sense than the oh-so-famous Balaam. J

28. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29. And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!” 30. So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.”

A. The donkey talks… The punchlines write themselves after this incident. Personally, I’m not sure what’s the most astounding thing: God giving speech to a donkey – or Balaam not even noticing the miracle!? J

B. What the donkey says (or doesn’t say) is interesting. One would think that this sort of miracle would have the donkey utter an oracle of God or some other prophecy…instead, the donkey says something surprisingly normal (under the circumstances)…

a. Why? I suggest that although God wanted to get Balaam’s attention through the donkey, He didn’t want Balaam looking to the donkey for answers. God’s word only comes from God Himself!

31. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32. And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33. “The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”

A. Opening Balaam’s eyes… [spiritual reality]

B. If there’s one place we don’t want to be, it’s when God is standing against us… [] Why was God standing against Balaam? His way was “perverse”…lit “headlong”. Balaam was doing what God had NOT commanded him to do; the opposite of a prophet. (Rushing headlong into covetousness…)

C. Note that the Angel of the Lord was prepared to kill Balaam with the sword…this is JESUS we’re talking about! Many people try to draw a distinction between the “OT God” & the “NT Jesus”…but they’re the same Triune God. God the Son is JUST as capable of pouring out judgment as God the Father is. And in fact, God the Father has committed all judgment to the Son (John 5:22) – implying that although Jesus did not condemn on earth (John 3:17), He will condemn at the Great White Throne.

34. And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.” 35. Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

A. Balaam’s been humbled…does he stay that way? No. It’s one thing to admit sin; it’s another to be so grieved by it that we repent from it. Godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Cor 7:10); Balaam seems to have just been sorry that he was almost killed with no understanding of Who he was dealing with.

B. Only speak the word God says…still applicable to teachers of the Word today!

36. Now when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the border at the Arnon, the boundary of the territory. 37. Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not earnestly send to you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?” 38. And Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you! Now, have I any power at all to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak.”

A. Balaam is actually going to stay true to this promise…to the point where Balak’s going to basically offer to pay Balaam to be quiet!

39. So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kirjath Huzoth. 40. Then Balak offered oxen and sheep, and he sent some to Balaam and to the princes who were with him. 41. So it was the next day, that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, that from there he might observe the extent of the people.

A. Balaam got paid & got ready to prophesy. Stay tuned for what happens next…

Conclusion:

Arad, Sihon, Og, Balak, Balaam, and even Israel found themselves on the wrong side of the Lord through presumption and pride. Yet all but Israel continued to sin against the Lord – only Israel truly repented and confessed their sin to God. The result? God took them to the Cross of Christ & those who had faith in God looked up & were saved!

THAT is God’s plan for our life. He desires for us to lay our lives down & follow Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit in the NEW life He gives. Yet so many times we struggle against Him – we presume against Him – perhaps we even lose all fear and perspective of it is Who we’re supposed to be serving. And then somehow we’re confused when God disciplines us out of His love.

If God’s convicted you of something to repent of – don’t put it off! Don’t grow cold to His call.

Jesus is GOD

Introduction:

When we left off last week, Paul was praying for Colosse – incredible lesson in intercession for us! Prayed that the church would grow in their knowledge/doctrine – grow in their practice/walk – grow in God’s character/strength…and thanking God for our salvation! Almost seamlessly, Paul moves from this wonderful prayer to a wonderful defense of Christ Jesus. Jesus had come under fire by the early Gnostic heretics who had influenced the church, and Paul takes them on in a theological description of Christ that has few equals in Scripture!

So what makes Jesus so special? Why is it that through Him we have “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins”? If Elijah had died & rose from the grave, surely he wouldn’t have been good enough – what makes Jesus stand out from the crowd? This one fact: He is wholly different than the crowd! That’s what Paul details in these few verses. He’s going to tackle two aspects of Jesus in the rest of Ch 1: (1) Who He is, and (2) What He does. Today we look at the “Who”…

Colossians 1:15-18

15. He is the image of the invisible God,

A. 1^st thing we need to take note of is the present tense. “He IS”; not “He was”… Jesus is alive RIGHT NOW… []

B. Image = εικων (icon) = “likeness/portrait.” Basically saying that Jesus is what the Holy Godhead looks like. He is the perfect representative of His character, power, and likeness. [Show us the Father?...] John 14:9 (9) Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? [] Jesus doesn’t leave any wiggle room here – this is pretty black & white. For those who would claim to have their own spiritual relationship with God, but not believe in Jesus – Jesus says, “You can’t.” The only way we can see the Father is to go through His Son because Jesus is the icon/image/likeness of God Himself.

a. Why does God command us not to make any graven images? Because only ONE image is accurate: Jesus Christ! (He is the “express image of His person” – Heb 1:3) Everything else falls massively short of His nature, character, and majesty. There simply is no comparison to God, so the only One who can accurately represent God is God Himself.

b. How do we do this today? Some might still bow to statues, but most Westerners create graven images in our minds. “My god does this; my god doesn’t do that.” … That’s an inaccurate picture of God! To know God, we have to turn to Christ alone!

i. BTW, we don’t worship God using icons like EO does because Jesus Christ is the only “icon” we need!

C. What makes this unique? Because God is “invisible.” He cannot be seen because of His holiness (Ex 33:20) – He cannot be seen physically b/c God is spirit (John 4:24) – He has never been seen historically by any person (John 1:18). Thus the 2^nd Person of the Trinity is the image of the invisible God.

a. What does tell us about OT manifestations of God? It tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. J Who was walking with Adam & Eve in the cool of the day? Jesus. Who did Abraham & Sarah prepare dinner for? Jesus. Who did Moses see on the Mountain? Jesus. [] We have a tendency to restrict our idea of Jesus in the Scripture to solely the NT. But let’s be clear: Jesus became incarnate through the virgin birth & was fully revealed to us in the NT – but Jesus has ALWAYS appeared in the pages of Scripture. []

b. Thus how was everyone saved in the OT? The same way we’re all saved in the NT – by grace through faith in Christ Jesus as Lord! Abraham believed God & it was accounted to him for righteousness (), yet when Abraham saw God, who did he see? Jesus!! (And apparently, he was overjoyed to see Him – John 8:56)

D. Understand this truth is a smackdown-blow to Gnosticism. Because Jesus came in the ­flesh, we saw a physical image of God Almighty. Thus although the physical world may be fallen, it is not inherently evil – it was originally created & declared “good.”

E. What do you do when you have a question about God that you don’t understand? Fall back on what you DO know. Jesus is the image of the invisible God – if you’re running into doubts about God’s goodness, love, patience or whatever – look to Christ! Everything you need to know about God in portrayed in His Son!

…the firstborn over all creation.

A. This phrase is the source of a lot of confusion for JWs! They claim Jesus was created 1^st by God (as an angel), thus being the 1^st born. They missed the point! Paul isn’t referring to birth order; he’s referring to birthright. Jesus is far superior to creation because He IS the Creator. How can we say this so definitively?

a. He’s not part of the creation; He’s 1^st born over/of the creation. IOW, if Jesus was created in the same way as all the rest of the universe, He would simply be chronologically first – but the Greek specifically sets Him apart from the totality of the universe. Time-wise, Jesus obviously does precede creation…but that’s because He created it!

b. The Hebrew culture & Greek language allows this word to be used in regards to birthright. Example? Psalm 89 refers to the Davidic covenant (and Messianic promise) – Psalm 89:26-27 (26) He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’ (27) Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. [] (LXX translation uses “prototokos”) Was David the 1^st born son? No – he was last. Was Solomon the 1^st of David’s sons? No. ‘Firstborn’ indicates the rank associated with the birthright – which was given to David & Solomon.

i. Other examples? Jacob/Esau… Ephraim/Manasseh (Jer 31:9)…

B. Jesus was born into His incarnate nature via Mary – but the 2^nd Person of the Godhead (God the Son) was NEVER born; He was begotten of the Father. BIG difference! There never was a time that Jesus was not…He has always been. John 1:1-3 (1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. []

a. What’s the ramification of this? Jesus eternally existed with the Father before creation ever came into being. Put it together with the 1^st half of verse 15 – Jesus has the place of preeminence over all creation not because He was “born” first, but because He is GOD. He is the image of the invisible God, thus He IS God.

b. Beware of those who would try to demote Christ. When JW’s, Mormons & others make the claim that Jesus is lesser than God the Father, what they’re saying is that Jesus is less than fully God. Jesus willingly humbled Himself in submission than His Father, but that’s a FAR cry from being less than God. If Jesus is anything less than Almighty God Himself, then the whole of the NT is worthless. [] …

i. What to do with loved ones who insist on these claims? Take them to the same Scriptures they’re quoting & look at the full context. To say Col 1:15 says that Jesus was created of God is to completely ignore vs. 16-18.

16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

A. If the “image of the invisible God” argument doesn’t convince us of His deity, His work in Creation should! Angels do not create anything. Demons do not create anything. Humans don’t even create anything (we just manipulate what God has already created…the closest we come is “designing”). The only Being that is capable of creation is God… What did Jesus create? ALL.

a. Heavenly things: Reference to sky/outer space/the universe. The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps 19) – and it’s easy to be left in awe by them! The sun is apparently average by astronomical measures, yet it is so big that it would take over 1M earths to fill it. The next closest star? 25 trillion miles away…and there over 100B of them in the Milky Way galaxy alone. It blows the mind…and Jesus Christ created it! J

b. Earthly things & Visible things: Everything we see in creation is a testimony to the fact that there is a Creator. To look at the intricacy of design in the human body alone and claim that it happened by chance takes FAR more faith than it does to simply acknowledge what we already know to be true. Romans 1:20 (20) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, []

c. Invisible things: Even if we can’t see it, Jesus created it…that’s a pretty amazing thought! Where did gravity come from? Magnetic forces? Sound? All the invisible things we take for granted were conceived of & spoken into existence by Christ Jesus.

d. Part of those invisible things are things beyond our understanding – thrones, dominions, principalities, powers. Referring to angelic beings… Figured prominently into the Colossian heresy that Paul was addressing – Colossians 2:18 (18) Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, []

i. Never in the Bible do we see angels of God accepting worship. The only angels that do are (1) the Angel of the Lord when it is a pre-incarnate Christ, or (2) a demon. The ONLY being worthy of worship is Almighty God – and thus Jesus Christ because He is above the angels.

B. Note Jesus wasn’t merely present at Creation – He was instrumental at Creation. All things were created:

a. “By Him”: Could be translated “in Him”. It all took place by the sheer act of His will. Creation has its beginning & end in Christ Jesus.

b. “Through Him”: through His mighty power. Jesus didn’t conceive of it & hand it to someone else to perform…as God, He physically did the work Himself.

c. “For Him”: For His glory & pleasure. Sometimes we get so “me-centered” & think that the universe revolves around us. Wrong. J Every bit of the universe WAS created for a reason & that reason is Jesus Christ! …

i. ‘Even Hell?’ Yes – it was created for the devil & his demons, and God is glorified through the justice it represents.

d. With these statements, Paul perfectly addresses any objections raised by Greek philosophy. (Wiersbe) “For centuries, the Greek philosophers had taught that everything needed a primary cause, an instrumental cause, and a final cause. The primary cause is the plan, the instrumental cause the power, and the final cause the purpose. When it comes to Creation, Jesus Christ is the primary cause (He planned it), the instrumental cause (He produced it), and the final cause (He did it for His own pleasure).”

17. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

A. “before”: Like English, the term can be used chronologically (Jesus is begotten before anything was ever created) and preferentially (Jesus is above everything else in the universe). As in vs. 15, this sets Him completely apart from Creation.

B. The universe could not exist without Him…“in Him all things consist”: Amazing thought! Speaks to the ongoing work of His within Creation simply by way of His existence. Think of it this way: by the will of God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), everything came into being. God didn’t lift a finger; He simply spoke & it was created. Likewise, if He so willed it, creation would cease to exist & be destroyed…and in fact, that’s exactly what will happen. 2 Peter 3:10 (10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. [] And just as by His will it will be destroyed, by His will a new heavens & new earth will be created…

a. The ramifications of this? Jesus Christ holds the universe together. There’s not a single atom in all the universe that does not bear the fingerprints of God… ‘That’s a theological claim on science! You can’t join those two together!’ On the contrary – they can’t really be separated! There would be no science without Jesus Christ because there would be nothing to study…

18. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

A. Who’s the leader of the church? Jesus Christ. Can’t get any clearer than that. Not Tim Burns, Chuck Smith, Billy Graham…not even the Pope. The leader of the church (the “called out ones” – the body of Christ) is Christ Jesus Himself. [] BTW – He’s the head of the WHOLE church. Paul’s not merely writing of the local fellowship in Colosse, but of the universal church. Anyone who believes Jesus is the Resurrected Son of God & has trusted their life to Him is a member of the “Church” no matter what “church” they attend every Sunday. And that Church only has ONE head: the Lord Jesus Christ.

a. Question: is He the leader/head in theory or in practice? It can be a convicting thing to read through the Book of Acts & see how the Church was literally led by Christ – and then compare it with today… Even looking beyond local church fellowships to us as individuals – is Jesus our leader? Do we take our marching orders from Him?

B. More than speaking of authority, “head” also refers to origin (like the head of a river…) The church proceeds from & is built by Christ Jesus (Matt 16:18)…not through the efforts of man – no matter how well intended.

C. He is the beginning & firstborn from the dead. Grammatically, these words are in “apposition” which means Paul uses two words to explain one idea: when it comes to the resurrection, Jesus is 1^st…in order, in position, everything. [] ‘But lots of people were raised from the dead. How can He be 1^st?’ Jesus wasn’t the 1^st person EVER raised from the dead, but He is definitely the 1^st person raised from the dead who STAYED raised… 1 Corinthians 15:20 (20) But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. []

a. 1^st Fruits implies there are more coming…us! And Jesus still has the place of the 1^st born among us. He has the place of preference of everyone who WILL BE raised from the dead for all eternity…

D. Jesus has preeminence in ALL THINGS…He is vastly superior compared to anything that can be conceived with our mind or seen with our eye. It’s hard to sum it up better than this – Jesus simply is GOD. And there is no comparison with Him. He has preeminence based on His authority & He has preeminence based on the pleasure of God the Father who has highly exalted Him & given Him the name which is above every name (Phil 2:9).

Conclusion:

Wow…that’s a LOT of theology. It can hurt our head to try to conceive so much. J What do we do with it? Just think of it: THIS is the Christ we worship! Some people try to make Christ out to be merely a good teacher… Some people up the ante a bit & declare Him to be a prophet… But in truth, Jesus blows both of these assumptions out of the water! Jesus is no less than Creator God who is superior to everything in Creation both seen & unseen.

So what? So try to figure out a problem that’s too big for Him to solve…you can’t do it. There is no situation we will ever face that is beyond His power to deliver us from it, to sustain us through it, or to provide for us in spite of it. [] How do we know? Because He already tackled the biggest problem of all: death. And not only did He defeat death, He did a victory dance over it! J The only way that is possible is through the power of God, and the only way Jesus has that power is because He IS God. And this is the same God who loves you, who died for you, who calls you friend, who makes you a coheir as His bride for all eternity. So Christian, what’s your application from all this? WORSHIP.

Moses Messes Up

Since Ch 12, the Israelites had been rebelling. 1^st Aaron & Miriam came against Moses – then the nation refused to enter the Promised Land – God reminded them of His promise, but no sooner than He did, Korah led a rebellion against Moses & Aaron – finally God made a very public proclamation of Aaron as His choice for priest & what the nation’s responsibilities were Aaron & Aaron’s responsibility back to God.

Tonight’s chapters likely span a huge timeframe – bringing us to the end of the 40 year wandering. We don’t know when Ch 19 was written…may have been written right after the budding of Aaron’s rod or it could have been sometime throughout the wandering dealing with a specific situation when the nation needed to be purified from some uncleanness. Ch 20 is far more famous as it shows the incident where Moses loses his cool & then loses his opportunity to enter the Promised Land. BOTH serve as a reminder to us that God is HOLY & calls His people to be holy as a result!

Numbers 19

1. Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2. “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: `Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come.

A. The red heifer…what’s a heifer? (For non-cattle folks J) Young cow that’s never borne offspring. (Veal!) Pretty unusual…

a. Female rather than male. The exact reason? We don’t know – but it definitely shows that God identifies with women just as well as He does with men. There is no male or female in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28).

b. God specified the color – red would have been fairly rare. Obvious tie to blood/sacrifice…

c. This needs to be unusual b/c God’s giving them an object lesson in purity; the solution is rare b/c it has to be given to them by God. (Typifies the rarity of purity outside of Christ)

B. Why now? Don’t know exactly. All the sacrifices pointed to Jesus in some way – but the red heifer especially does. By giving the instruction here & instead alongside the other sacrifices in the Book of Leviticus, God ensured that this one stands apart in what it symbolizes & teaches.

3. `You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; 4. `and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. 5. `Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned.

A. Priest didn’t kill it; someone else did. (Courson) “Why? Because although Caiaphas, the high priest, ordered that Jesus be put to death, it was actually the Romans who carried out the sentence.”

B. Not sacrificed on the altar; burned outside the camp…

a. Possibly pointing towards the day when Jesus would be taken outside the city to be crucified.

C. Not sprinkled on the Ark of the Testimony; sprinkled in front of the Tabernacle…emphasizing the fact this was done outside the camp.

a. Calls to mind Jesus crying out from the Cross, “My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?” Because God made Him sin who knew no sin, Jesus had to completely bear the wrath and judgment of God upon Himself & God had to turn His face away in the midst of it.

D. Completely burned – even the blood! Every bit of it, except what was sprinkled was consumed unto God.

6. `And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.

A. Along with the burning of the whole animal, symbolic items thrown in. All 3 referenced in Lev 14:4-6 regarding lepers. (Impurity is impurity, no matter how it came about. Likewise with sin…sin is sin.)

a. Cedar wood: Possibly symbolic of the Cross itself.

b. Hyssop: Used with the 1^st Passover & to give Jesus drink on the Cross.

c. Scarlet: Another obvious reference to sacrifice…

d. Question: With these materials in mind, what makes the ashes able to purify? The Cross!

i. Jesus could have walked among us & taught us with little to no effect regarding our sin. In order for us to be forgiven/made pure, He HAD to go to the Cross!

7. `Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8. `And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9. `Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin. 10. `And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who sojourns among them.

A. Anyone who touches needs to wash with water mixed with the ashes for purity/cleanliness… Typology is profound here: Heifer = Christ; Water = Spirit (John 7) & the Word (Eph 5) … the combination of all of it is what continually purifies the believer from the ongoing effects of sin in the world. We’re transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12) – a work performed by the Spirit on the foundation of Christ through the Word of God…

11. `He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. 12. `He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13. `Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him.

A. Touching dead bodies leave people unclean… [] Sin is contagious! (A little leaven leavens the whole lump – 1 Cor 5:6)

B. Purified on the 3^rd day…again on the 7^th day…possible references to the Resurrection & Rest in the Sabbath of Christ? At the most basic level, this is how God determined it was to be done & we do things on His terms.

C. Refusal to be purified “defiles the tabernacle of the Lord”. IOW, it’s not just harmful to you; it’s an affront against a Holy God.

i. People wonder why God cares about their sin… It’s because God is HOLY! If He cannot allow sin to even enter His presence (Isa 6) – it defiles everything. Thus God MUST deal with sin either through the Cross or Judgment.

14. `This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; 15. `and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. 16. `Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

A. Sanitary protection in addition to symbolism. As we saw in Leviticus, even it the people didn’t know about microbiology, God did. Declaring these items unclean helped stop disease from spreading.

17. `And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. 18. `A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave. 19. `The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean.

A. How to be purified – the red heifer ashes mixed with running (living) water…

B. Are the ashes what actually purify the person? No! Jesus is… Hebrews 9:13-14 (13) For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, (14) how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? [] The heifer typified physically that which was to come: Christ Jesus! …

20. `But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.

A. Time does not erase impurity. Without the purification, the person is FOREVER unclean…

21. `It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. 22. `Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ”

A. Summary of regulation…

Numbers 20

1. Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there.

A. 1^st month of what? A new year…after years of wandering. The 38^th year of wandering/40^th year since leaving Egypt. Back in Kadesh [MAP]

a. We get almost no info about the 38 years, but whole books of the Bible dedicated to the 1^st 2…why? Underscores the notion that the wandering was a waste of time for everyone. When we disobey the Lord, we waste vast portions of our lives away…

B. Death of Miriam: momentous event in the life of Israel. Not only was she a great prophetess & servant of the Lord (we only know of one recorded fall in her whole life of protecting Moses), this was also one more reminder that the whole nation shared in the sin of rebellion. Even Moses’ family was dying off in the wilderness.

a. Reminds us somewhat of original sin. We tend to think of sin as things we individually do (and it is, in part), but it’s also part of who we are as humans. Adam fell & all of humanity fell with him. Even if you could claim to have lived a perfect life (in which case we’d be lying and/or guilty of pride), we STILL would need a Savior because our very nature is sinful! ALL of us – no matter what we’ve done – need salvation through Christ…

2. Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3. And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4. “Why have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5. “And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.”

A. Sound familiar? Children have the same lack of faith as their parents – Exodus 17:3 (3) And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” []

B. How bad is our self-despair when we prefer death to the provision of God?

C. Note that they attributed evil motives to Moses & Aaron. It wasn’t merely that they were upset about the lack of water; they accused Moses of bringing them to this point specifically to kill them…

6. So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

A. Sought God in prayer…

7. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8. “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”

A. Take the rod, but don’t use it. Keep this in mind for later!

B. Interesting that God doesn’t seem mad with the people. They’ve rebelled against Him before & He’s responded in righteous anger. Why not now? Speculation – but God is omniscient…He knows exactly what Moses is about to do.

9. So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. 10. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11. Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. 12. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.”

A. D’oh! Moses messed up big time…

a. Demonstrated anger when God wasn’t angry. Moses represented God to the people, so this was a flat out misrepresentation.

b. Struck; didn’t speak…disobeying God’s direct command. Went so far as to strike it twice! (If ANYONE knew the importance of doing God’s work God’s way, it was Moses! He saw what happened to Nadab, Abihu, Korah, & more.)

c. Assumed power came from him; not God. “Must WE” – God’s glory ALWAYS belongs to God.

i. (Be wary of those who try to share the spotlight with God!)

B. God’s response to Moses? Neither Moses or Aaron could bring Israel into the promised land – they die in the wilderness with the rest of the previous generation. … Too harsh? No.

a. God showed mercy in that He didn’t strike Moses dead on the spot!

b. Moses had destroyed the picture God was painting of Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (1) Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, (2) all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, (3) all ate the same spiritual food, (4) and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. [] Remember that at this point, the rod (most likely Aaron’s rod in the ark) had budded…symbolizing the Resurrection. After Jesus had been stricken on the Cross & Resurrected from the grave, He never needed to be struck again!

c. Could God still use this? Yes! This became the opportunity to demonstrate that the law doesn’t save. (Moses = law; Promised Land = salvation; Joshua = Jesus)

d. BTW – Did Moses ever enter the Promised Land? Not in the OT…but he was there at Jesus’ Transfiguration! J God is gracious & merciful!

C. God’s response to the people? They still drank water abundantly. (Think of 2M+ people + livestock drinking…that’s a LOT of water!) The Hebrews’ leader may have been flawed, but God still blessed the people.

a. It never fails to amaze me how heretical and egotistical some preachers are on TV, but yet some people still get saved. … I guarantee it had nothing to do with the preacher & everything to do with the mercy of God!

13. This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.

A. Meribah = “Contention” Same name given to this place as in Ex 17.

14. Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother Israel: `You know all the hardship that has befallen us, 15. `how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. 16. `When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. 17. `Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’ ”

A. Trying diplomacy to navigate through the land. Going through Edom would save a LOT of time. [MAP] Calling upon their family history…

B. The problem? Taking 2M+ people through Edom isn’t exactly a quiet affair…

18. Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.” 19. So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” 20. Then he said, “You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. 21. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

A. Edom didn’t let them do it. Some think they were holding a grudge from Esau – perhaps simply being stubborn.

B. God’s response? Nothing…for the moment. God commands Israel to keep treating Edom as a brother (), but in His mercy allows Edom to continue. Eventually, they force God to act & He answers them in Obadiah.

a. What’s our response to people who would do us wrong? Contention & lawsuits…or prayer? Jesus specifically told us to pray for those who persecute us – we place ourselves in God’s hands & leave vengeance to Him.

C. Note that Moses was willing to pay. No matter what the world does around us, we always want to do what is right & take responsibility for ourselves. Ultimately we represent the King of Kings & we want to represent Him correctly…

22. Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24. “Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah.

A. Aaron was punished 1^st for the incident with the Rock…

B. Why is Aaron punished? Didn’t Moses do all the bad stuff? Yes, but Aaron apparently stood by & did nothing. He heard the Lord’s instruction to Moses & had a responsibility as the high priest to say something…

25. “Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; 26. “and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.”

A. Why stripped of his garments? Because the priesthood needed to go on…

27. So Moses did just as the Lord commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28. Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29. Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.

A. Death of Aaron…30 days of mourning!

B. Transfer of priesthood… Today, our High Priest never changes! Hebrews 7:23-25 (23) Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. (24) But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. (25) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. []

Conclusion:

So we end off with Moses messing up big time & Aaron dying on Mt. Hor. Are things hopeless? No…look back to Ch 19 with the Red Heifer! We WILL screw up from time to time…we’ll defile ourselves with the things of the world & acting out in our flesh. But God has already provided the sacrifice for us! Forgiveness is already available through Christ.

Hello world!

Ok…so after reading countless blogs, and managing one for my work, I’ve decided to take the plunge and actually get one for me. We’ll see what God does with this little space, but for the time being this will be a spot where I’ll place my sermon notes from Sundays & Wednesdays, write some random thoughts from time to time, and strike up a conversation with those who visit.

Who am I? My name (if it wasn’t obvious) is Tim Burns, and I’m the pastor of Calvary Chapel Tyler (www.calvarytyler.com) located in East Texas. I have had the privilege of being married to my beautiful bride for almost 12 years now, and we have been blessed with the cutest little girl most folks have laid eyes on. Not that I’m biased, of course.

Before I place any other post, I should tell you the most important thing you could know is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for your sins. He’s not some “good teacher” or some “ordinary prophet” – He really is God in the flesh. Because we sinned against God in our thoughts, our words, and our actions (indeed in our very being), Jesus went to the Cross on our behalf. There He took the wrath of God upon Himself for our sin, paid the price we could not pay, and died. Three days later, Jesus proved to be victorious over the grave & rose again to new life…and He still lives today.

That’s great news…wonderful news! But don’t let it stop there. The news has to go beyond your eyes/ears to your heart. You must receive His forgiveness in order to experience His forgiveness…and that’s only done through faith.

(1) Recognize your sin & recognize who Jesus really is: the Son of God.

(2) Repent/turn away from your sins, and turn to Christ Jesus by faith for forgiveness.

(3) Receive Him as your Lord, God, Master, King…entrust your whole life to Him.