Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Numbers 5 - 7 Bible Study - Pastor Daniel Batarseh
Transcript
- 0:05in a few weeks, I'll be joining a conference in Michigan and A
- 0:12few weeks ago, we had an opportunity to be on a
- 0:14conference call to speak about what the meeting will be about
- 0:17and I had no idea what the the conference theme was but they
- 0:19had told me the title of it and the title of, it was something
- 0:24that I've been chewing on really since we have that phone
- 0:26conversation and the title of that conference is I'm saved.
- 0:31Now, what? I love it.
- 0:36What is your purpose? Now that you're saved?
- 0:41Or let's ask it even more. Precise question, what is the
- 0:44point of this Bible study? What are we doing here tonight?
- 0:49What's the you guys came from work?
- 0:52Some of you came from school, some of you rush to be here and
- 0:55you're sitting in a chair. Why are you here?
- 0:59What's all the preparation about?
- 1:01Why do we do this on a week-to-week basis?
- 1:06I'm saved. Now?
- 1:06What? And I think one verse is so
- 1:10clear. You don't have to turn.
- 1:11There were about the stand in a moment to pray together. 1st,
- 1:16John 3:3. Therefore everyone who thus
- 1:21hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
- 1:26Hoping in him concerning that salvation work in the future
- 1:30tense that he's going to redeem us.
- 1:33And until that moment, my hope is in that, you know what, your
- 1:36purpose of mine is that we purify ourselves as he is pure,
- 1:41not because you need to get to that place to be redeemed, but
- 1:44because you have been redeemed. Now, your mission in life, if
- 1:47you claim to abide in Christ is that you desire to walk as Jesus
- 1:52walked as 1st, John 2:6, everyone who says that he abides
- 1:57in him, listen to how profound this statement is everyone who
- 2:01thus says that he abides in him must walk as he walked Stay with
- 2:08me as we pray. There's no scripture reading.
- 2:10We're going to pray together though.
- 2:13So we're here why because we want to purify ourselves through
- 2:17the sanctifying power of the word of God, the saying Lord I
- 2:21want to be found faithful when you return, father in this place
- 2:26tonight as we've chosen to be here because we know what our
- 2:29life purpose is, now that we are saved we want to be pure as
- 2:33Jesus is pure and we want to leave a mark on the lives around
- 2:36us. So we pray that this Bible study
- 2:39by your grace would contribute to that mission.
- 2:42That is Any other pursuit in our life.
- 2:44Any other plan, any other dream. We have one desire to walk as
- 2:48Jesus walked Lord, with this Bible study help us do that
- 2:51tonight. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
- 2:54You may be seated and this is what the Book of Numbers is all
- 2:59about. In the old Covenant sense, that
- 3:01God has redeemed his people. And from Numbers, Chapter 12,
- 3:06Numbers Chapter 10, The camp, the Israelites are in one
- 3:11location. Receiving instruction after
- 3:14instruction, after instruction, and none of them have mobilized
- 3:18yet. This Camp does not move forward
- 3:21from the Wilderness of Sinai to the promised land until Numbers
- 3:25chapter 10. And so what is the Lord doing
- 3:28from 1 to 10? He is giving the necessary
- 3:30Commandments and laws for his people in the present tense.
- 3:34Yes. In the moment as we're going
- 3:36through the Wilderness, but more importantly, for their future.
- 3:39Investment in the promised land to know how to live, so that
- 3:42they can live as long as possible in that place called
- 3:45The Promised Land. And so, here's this nation and
- 3:48their infant stage and here's the Lord investing in them with
- 3:51all these Commandments saying, listen, the reason why I'm doing
- 3:53this is so that when you get to the promised land, you would be
- 3:55able to sustain the promised land.
- 3:58You be able to sustain the blessings that I want to pour
- 4:00out on your life. And so that's what this is all
- 4:02about and up to this point, as we've covered chapters 1 to 4.
- 4:07We're in a good start here. Look at the end of 1:54 of
- 4:13numbers. Thus did the people of Israel.
- 4:18They did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses.
- 4:23So when God had given instructions in chapter one,
- 4:25they did it. They obeyed.
- 4:26Now look at the end of chapter 2 and verse 34.
- 4:30Thus did the people of Israel according to all that the Lord
- 4:32commanded Moses, so they can't buy their standards and so they
- 4:35set out each one in his clan according to the his father's
- 4:38house. So they're obeying again, then
- 4:41he come to the end of chapter 4, verse 49.
- 4:46According to the Commandment of the Lord through Moses, they
- 4:50were listed each one with his task of serving or carrying
- 4:53thus, they were listed by him as the Lord commanded.
- 4:57Moses. This is amazing.
- 4:59There is no record of failure up to this point with the
- 5:01Israelites and that's going to continue, even into this chapter
- 5:05in chapter 5. And so we read in verse 1 as the
- 5:07Lord continues to usher in more Commandments for his people to
- 5:10represent him and to live with him.
- 5:14An estate of blessing, the Lord spoke to Moses and 5:1 saying,
- 5:18command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp,
- 5:21everyone who is leprous, or has a discharge.
- 5:23And everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead,
- 5:28you shall put out both male and female putting them outside the
- 5:31camp that they may not defile. Their camp in the midst of which
- 5:35I dwell here. It is again.
- 5:39And the people of Israel did. So, and put them outside the
- 5:43camp as the Lord said to Moses. So the people of Israel did It's
- 5:50just amazing. Track record of obedience.
- 5:54And this specific command is not as easy.
- 5:57As it sounds really, put yourself in a modern-day
- 5:59Israelite shoes as a lord gives out this command.
- 6:03Remember, all of this, all of these things are symbolic of
- 6:07what the Lord desires from his people in order for them to
- 6:09advance in his purpose. And this is one of those
- 6:11Investments. He's saying, I want you to get
- 6:13rid of every single lepers person, I want you get rid of
- 6:15every person. Has a discharge of bodily fluid.
- 6:17I want you to get rid of every person.
- 6:19That is touch the dead have come in contact with anything that is
- 6:21dead. Why do you think that would be a
- 6:24difficult thing to do? Yes, I see exactly.
- 6:33So you talking about, here's the Lord, giving the commandant
- 6:35through his prophet and you know what people are doing right
- 6:37after they hear that they're scanning and they're looking
- 6:38around, they're saying oh Mom has leprosy.
- 6:45Our good friend, he's touched a dead before you can just imagine
- 6:50what that was like to pile up, all these people and to exit
- 6:54them out into the outside of the camp.
- 6:58This is a difficult thing but we see a quick obedience to such a
- 7:03thing because all those things represent, something of
- 7:05uncleanness of sin of death, everything.
- 7:07Contrary to the character of God and he says, I need you to expel
- 7:12these things and for some it would be a permanent.
- 7:17Reality for others. If they got themselves to be
- 7:18clean, especially if there is a discharge of fluid, they would
- 7:20be able to come back. But what was the reason?
- 7:23The Lord says, it's so clearly here in the anniversary, in the
- 7:25midst of which I dwell, the people of Israel needed to come
- 7:30up with this conclusion and their own Hearts concerning
- 7:34their Dwelling Place. Are we going to do?
- 7:37And are we going to set up this atmosphere to make God
- 7:40comfortable or to make others comfortable?
- 7:44That is the ultimate question that had to ask ourselves in
- 7:46that moment. Are we going to set up an
- 7:49environment that would make God pleased?
- 7:52That would make him dwell, here comfortably, or we going to do
- 7:55this for our own benefit and for our own comfort.
- 7:59For others to feel. Like, they can stay.
- 8:04And listen, that is a question that every single believer has
- 8:06to ask themselves. That if they want to know God's
- 8:11Advance purposes for their lives.
- 8:13This is a question that every single Christian needs to ask
- 8:16themselves. Am I willing to make God
- 8:18comfortable or others comfortable including myself?
- 8:24Because we're not talking about a physical land anymore, we're
- 8:27not talking about Jerusalem, being the holy city in the
- 8:29sense, where that's where God dwells alone.
- 8:30It is the holy city. God will come back in Christ and
- 8:33reign in that City. All those great things but a New
- 8:35Covenant sense, your the temple in the New Covenant sense, your
- 8:39that Holy Land. I'm that Holy Land and the New
- 8:41Covenant sense. This church is the Temple of the
- 8:43Living God and we have to ask the same question that these
- 8:46Israelites probably have to ask themselves when this command was
- 8:48given. Are we willing to make God
- 8:50comfortable here? Or we can arrange things for
- 8:54people in their state of uncleanness to remain.
- 8:59And when you ask yourself that question and you've determined
- 9:02within yourself that you want to make God comfortable, the second
- 9:05question is this now Lord, what makes you uncomfortable?
- 9:10Can I tell you something you want to advance in
- 9:12sanctification if you really want to be pure?
- 9:15As he is pure, if you really want to be found faithful as
- 9:17Jesus gave. So many parables, do you notice,
- 9:20although so many parables are different, a lot of them have
- 9:23the same theme talking about a master, who has gone away for a
- 9:25long while how many parables are like that and what is that whole
- 9:29mindset? That he would come back and find
- 9:30it. People that are faithful, if you
- 9:33and I have determined within ourselves, we want to make God
- 9:35comfortable in this temple in this Temple.
- 9:37The next question is Lord will what makes you comfortable?
- 9:39It makes you uncomfortable and if you really sincerely, ask
- 9:42that question, watch how you will in a moment I'm telling you
- 9:46in a moment, leap in your sanctification, If we're not
- 9:53asking that question. And what are we really doing?
- 9:58And God has given us Specific Instructions, as personal
- 10:01individual Hostess of present of the presence of God.
- 10:04And as a corporate body I remember hearing an interview
- 10:07just a few days ago in a grieve my heart because it was too
- 10:09much, megachurch multi campus pastors, interviewing one
- 10:12another. And one asks the other what it
- 10:13was your philosophy before you started your ministry?
- 10:17What was your what was your mindset before you planted your
- 10:19first church? And now you have all these
- 10:21churches and you know what? This man said he said well I ask
- 10:24myself as a pastor if I was a business man with three
- 10:28children. Run and my vocation was not full
- 10:30time ministry. What kind of church would I want
- 10:32to go to? I asked myself this and it meant
- 10:36so much to me that if I was not a pastor, what kind of church
- 10:42what I want to go to? And that was the church.
- 10:45I was going to build Here's the problem with that philosophy.
- 10:51It's in direct contradiction to the word of God because Paul
- 10:55told Timothy, who was left in Ephesus.
- 10:57And First Timothy, 3:14, 15, you have to turn there.
- 10:59He says, listen, I'm writing these things to you because if I
- 11:02delay, you might know how you ought to behave in the household
- 11:05of God. We have the prescription for
- 11:09what God wants from us in this church.
- 11:13And we have that same prescription for what God wants
- 11:15from us in this life. You've heard me use this example
- 11:18before, but this is a great question to ask even in those
- 11:22gray areas, especially in the gray areas of life.
- 11:26We don't know if it's right or wrong and there are some
- 11:28cultural influences on certain habits or decisions that we make
- 11:31just ask yourself this question. Lord, does this make you
- 11:34comfortable? And watch how you will have an
- 11:36answer. If the spirit of God dwells in
- 11:38you, you will know that nudge a teacher once said this, he went
- 11:43into a place in India, a Bible teacher, and he was in a
- 11:47specific place where culturally it was acceptable, even amongst
- 11:50Christians to smoke, So, he went into a church and as he pulled
- 11:54up, he saw the men outside smoking.
- 11:58He felt himself. Well, the Bible doesn't say
- 12:00anything about smoking. What am I gonna do though?
- 12:04Because this is harming the body.
- 12:05It's not a good thing. So you've heard this but I'll
- 12:08share for those who haven't and he got up on the pulpit and he
- 12:11had a translator because it was a specific type of language that
- 12:14they were speaking in specific part of India and he said I
- 12:16wanted today, teach you how you can smoke like a Christian So
- 12:24this is what you need to know if you want to smoke like a
- 12:27Christian. Next time, you pull out a
- 12:29cigarette Ask Jesus if he wants to smoke with you.
- 12:36And he left out of that. That's wisdom.
- 12:39That's wisdom. And the next day after he had
- 12:43shared that message, he was preparing to share another
- 12:45message. The translator came up to me
- 12:47before he went up to the pulpit. He says, I have to have to tell
- 12:49you, something said, why he says I stopped smoking.
- 12:52He says, why I didn't tell you to stop smoking.
- 12:54He says, I know, but I pulled out a cigarette after the
- 12:56message, and I asked Jesus, if he won and won in, I knew he
- 12:58didn't. So I quit I remember it was a
- 13:04couple youth conferences when I was first going around doing
- 13:07these things from time to time and it was amazing.
- 13:10You would see young 13 year old boys after a message that wasn't
- 13:13even on the specific subject. I don't even know if it was
- 13:14mentioned behind the pulpit but you have these young kids come
- 13:17up and they would say, excuse me and I have a question.
- 13:19I said what's your question? He goes, well I'm playing this
- 13:22video game and he would tell me the name of the video game is
- 13:25young as 13, 12 years old. Sometimes that would be in the
- 13:27meeting. And he would I knew what video
- 13:29game he was talking about, it was gor nudity violence, body
- 13:33parts, being chopped up, all these different things and it
- 13:35was a simple answer. I I'm not going to give him a
- 13:38yes or no. I just asked something along the
- 13:43lines of next time. You play as if Jesus wants to
- 13:45play with you. The week after one of those kids
- 13:51came back with that video game. He says I'm not playing this
- 13:55anymore and he looked at me and he says, can you break them?
- 13:57I am not breaking your video again and you go tell your mom
- 13:59that I broke it. You go break it.
- 14:00I'll watch you. So he went into the bathroom,
- 14:03what do you do? Each start breaking and I was
- 14:05just cheering while he was doing it.
- 14:06It was a very, we were in a bathroom locked or if it was
- 14:09just it was amazing how you did and I just that's awesome.
- 14:12I think I recorded it too but I don't know where when it was on
- 14:13my old phone and then that's it. Ask yourself this question.
- 14:18If you want advance in your sanctification Lord, does this
- 14:20make you comfortable? What makes you uncomfortable?
- 14:25And watch how things will pop up in your life that you thought
- 14:28they're not mean anything to the Lord where he says, thank you
- 14:30for asking. This does make me feel
- 14:32uncomfortable. Because there's something better
- 14:35I have for you. And they had to make that
- 14:39decision. And they did make that decision.
- 14:42Now we come to verse 5 and 9 to 9 where there's another set of
- 14:47instructions given and the Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to
- 14:51the people of Israel. When a man or woman commits any
- 14:54of the sins that people commit by Breaking Faith with the Lord.
- 14:57And that person realizes his guilt.
- 14:59He shall confess his sin that he has committed and he shall make
- 15:03full restitution for his wrong. Adding a fifth to it and giving
- 15:07it to him, whom he did the wrong.
- 15:09But if the Anne has no, next of kin to whom restitution may be
- 15:14made for the wrong. The restitution for wrong, shall
- 15:17go to the Lord for the priest. In addition to the ram of
- 15:19atonement which atonement is made from.
- 15:21Let's just stop here. Kind of going fast.
- 15:23What's the idea here now? God is giving and he's
- 15:26revisiting this understanding of a sin that is committed to
- 15:29another brother or sister and how that ought to be figured out
- 15:32how that can be cleaned up. And this is what the Lord is
- 15:35giving concerning instruction. We've seen this before, where
- 15:38have we seen this? We've read this somewhere before
- 15:43and just a past few weeks. It was in a specific book that
- 15:47that with a specific offering. Does anybody remember the
- 15:49offering that dealt with this? The trespass offering the guilt
- 15:54offering and Leviticus five and six.
- 15:56This is one of the offerings that were was catered towards a
- 15:59person with sin against another. And part of that process was
- 16:03that if you have wronged the brother, By either taking from
- 16:07him or harming him, even physically or damaging his
- 16:09property. This was the Lord's mindset
- 16:12behind. This is his wisdom.
- 16:13He goes not only are you going to make full restitution, you're
- 16:15going to add a fifth to a 20% and the the idea behind God
- 16:20doing this is so that people won't do it because they're
- 16:23going to not only how many things in the law today, if we
- 16:26had this mindset would not be done by people that if you took
- 16:29something or I don't know what the laws are, not professional.
- 16:31All these things you have to make full restitution out of
- 16:33fifth to it. It was a beautiful understanding
- 16:37there because even in the New Covenant sense, though, this is
- 16:40not required for salvation, it is a healthy response to
- 16:43somebody who understands Grace and we talked about Zacchaeus
- 16:46how when he realized that the Lord wanted to sup with him and
- 16:49eat with him. And he knew his name, he stood
- 16:51up and he says, I'm going to make a four-fold, restitution to
- 16:53those I've robbed, I want to do this and it's just a response of
- 16:57wanting to make things right to those that you've wronged in the
- 17:00past, as a normal healthy response to wanting to represent
- 17:05Christ in that That. And it's amazing.
- 17:07We talked about that in Leviticus and somebody had come
- 17:09up to me. After the Bible said he made a
- 17:11great Point. What happens if you even as a
- 17:15Believer want to make restitution but it just not
- 17:17possible. It's just not possible
- 17:20circumstances. The timing of it that person
- 17:23doesn't doesn't exist anymore in my life.
- 17:26That person is in live actually anymore.
- 17:27How do I go about making restitution?
- 17:30I'm a firm believer that the Holy Spirit Will convict a
- 17:33person concerning this area of restitution in their life that
- 17:36there isn't a law about it. That's written across all
- 17:39believers lives but that is a normal response that you you.
- 17:42The Holy Spirit. Will don't be surprised that
- 17:45even after you get saved he will and he'll just put something on
- 17:48you saying. You have to go make things right
- 17:50with that person that you wrong before you got saved. sometimes
- 17:54it not possible that person that's not possible, either in a
- 17:56financial sense Anything property, anything even
- 18:01emotional damage? How do I do this and you want.
- 18:04God is so realistic. Because he expands on that.
- 18:08And Leviticus, we have the same instructions, concerning the
- 18:10guilt offering at a fifth, do it.
- 18:12And here in numbers, he expands on that principle and he says,
- 18:16look at verse 8, but if the man has no next of kin.
- 18:19So if that person does not live anymore, you gotta go make
- 18:22restitution to a family member And if that family member
- 18:25doesn't exist, or that person doesn't have family members, you
- 18:28know, what you have to do next. He says go and give it to the
- 18:30priest. And I believe that out of this
- 18:34Old Testament, texts concerning the understanding of restitution
- 18:38that. If even in a New Covenant, we
- 18:40want to make things right with a person that we've wrong and we
- 18:42don't know where they are in Life, or is just it just does
- 18:44not make sense. There's no wisdom and going to
- 18:46that person again or that person's family, whatever, that
- 18:50the best thing next to that is making it right with God.
- 18:54And that's what the Lord is saying here.
- 18:56Saying if you can't deal with that person, if you can't deal
- 18:58with a family member, just make it right with me.
- 19:00Let me see in your own heart that you desire you desire to
- 19:04make things, right? But you couldn't What I I I
- 19:09would love to show that person that I'm a changed man, changed
- 19:13woman but I can't believe, you know, my heart.
- 19:18Help me to live in light of your character for the rest of my
- 19:20days. This is the principal here.
- 19:24And I just love the wisdom of God.
- 19:26I love his realistic. Standards here concerning us.
- 19:32It's a beautiful thing. So in your own life, let that be
- 19:35true. That, that be true that You
- 19:40desire to do it and if you can't do it, God knows it in your
- 19:43heart. Now, we come to an interesting
- 19:45Passage. From verse 11, actually, to the
- 19:50end of the chapter. And the reason why this is such
- 19:53an interesting portion of scripture is because from one to
- 19:57five. And 529.
- 20:00We've seen these things before we seen these things in other
- 20:03places of scripture. But now we're coming to a law.
- 20:06We're coming to a ritual that is unique to the Book of Numbers.
- 20:10It is not found anywhere else. It's just here, it's just here.
- 20:17And it's a test that God has instituted and this test deals
- 20:22with validating whether somebody has actually committed adultery
- 20:27or not. It's a ritual that would reveal
- 20:31whether a husband's jealousy for his wife with suspicion towards
- 20:37her being an adulterous or committing an adulterous ass is
- 20:40actually something that is true or not.
- 20:44And what's so surprising about this portion of scripture, when
- 20:47I came about and read it is, how much detail God has given this
- 20:50text? Look at your Bibles from verse
- 20:5311 down to the end of the chapter.
- 20:55All of the rest of this chapter is dedicated to describing how
- 20:59this thing will go about. And to us it's very strange
- 21:04especially in our Western context that as you read.
- 21:06If you have read it you're like this is kind of mystical.
- 21:10And so again, whenever we come to a portion of scripture, what
- 21:13is the rule that we have concerning our application in
- 21:16these verses? What's the question that we
- 21:19always ask? What is God's heart behind this?
- 21:24What is God's heart behind this? What do I know about God through
- 21:26these texts? Now instead of just going and
- 21:30touching on versus I want us to actually already.
- 21:32So I need I need a few volunteers you that you're able
- 21:34to vocalize and and you have strong voices so that everybody
- 21:38can hear. So I need a person to read from
- 21:40verses 11 to 15 and he volunteers verses 11 to 15
- 21:44Barrett verses 16 to 22 Evan Verses 23 to 28 Tamara.
- 21:53And lastly verses 29 and 31. 29 and 31.
- 22:00Matt go for it. So wherever starting, please
- 22:02read out loud and follow through your Bible.
- 22:04And just imagine this in your minds as we're at this is bible
- 22:07study, this is not a sermon. So we're going through the
- 22:08scriptures together. Whoever can start us off
- 22:11wherever took the first few verses, please start us off the
- 22:13Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to the people of Israel.
- 22:16Any man's wife goes astray and breaks Faith with him.
- 22:19If a Man Lies with her sexually and it is hidden from the eyes
- 22:22of her husband and she is undetected though, she would has
- 22:25the file herself and there was no witness against her since she
- 22:29was not Taking in the act. And if the spirit of jealousy
- 22:32comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who was the father.
- 22:35So, or if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous
- 22:38of his wife though, she has not to bother self.
- 22:42Then the man shall bring his wife to the priest and bring the
- 22:45offering required her a tenth of an, ephah of barley flour.
- 22:49He shall pour no oil on it, and put no frankincense on it for it
- 22:53is a grain offering a jealousy. The grain offering of
- 22:56remembrance bringing iniquity to remember because the stop there
- 22:59for a moment. Is what we have up to this
- 23:01point. This is not dealing with a sin,
- 23:04this is dealing with suspicion. And so up to this point, if a
- 23:09husband is suspicious Of his wife, who has?
- 23:17It's not clear yet, but there is evidence of perhaps that she's
- 23:20committed, an act of adultery, he would come to the priest and
- 23:24notice the language will get to this in a moment.
- 23:25It's unknown to anybody else. The whole idea here is that the
- 23:31Lord would expose it. The Lord would expose whether it
- 23:35is true or not. True.
- 23:36And we'll get to why this is important.
- 23:38Whoever has the next portion of scripture, please read the
- 23:41priest shall bring her near consider the priest shall take
- 23:46the holy water in the Earthen vessel and take some of the dust
- 23:49that is on the floor of the Tabernacle, put it all into the
- 23:52water, then the priest shall stand the woman before the Lord
- 23:56uncover, the woman's head and put the offering for remembering
- 24:00in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy.
- 24:03And the You shall have in his hand, the bitter water that
- 24:06brings the curse and the priest shall put her under oath and say
- 24:11it's the woman. If no man is laying with you.
- 24:14And if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your
- 24:19husband's Authority, you free from This Bitter Water that
- 24:23brings a curse. But if you have gone astray
- 24:25while under your husband's Authority, and if you have to
- 24:28follow yourself at some men, other than yourself, other than
- 24:32your husband has Lain with you. You then the priest shall put
- 24:35the woman under the oath of the curse and he shall say to the
- 24:38woman, the Lord makes you a curse and an ovum on your
- 24:41people. When the Lord makes your thigh
- 24:44rock and your belly swab and made this water, that causes the
- 24:48curse. Go into your stomach and make
- 24:50your belly's. Well, and your thighs rots, then
- 24:53the woman shall say, Amen. So be it.
- 24:56All right, so here's the next part.
- 24:58So you have a husband, bring the wife, they come into the
- 25:00Tabernacle, they bring it before.
- 25:02The priest, the priest says, okay.
- 25:03You're under suspicion. So we're going to, I'm going to
- 25:05lay out what this is going to look like to you and he has her
- 25:08unbind her hair now. Why is that?
- 25:10Because there's an instruction early on that.
- 25:12The lepers had to unbind their hair and Let it Loose if the Let
- 25:16it Loose it was a state of uncleanness it was a state of
- 25:19uncleanness it. So she would do that then he
- 25:21went what he would take dirt put it in water and it would be a
- 25:25bitter taste really it would be obviously dirt and water doesn't
- 25:28taste very good and he would lay out these consequences to what
- 25:32was about to take place and She was hearing all this and that
- 25:34she's hearing all of this. She has to come to the point
- 25:37where she says. Amen.
- 25:38Amen, in other words. All right, let it be.
- 25:39So let it be so that if I did do this after I drink the water,
- 25:43then it and what would happen as a result is that there would be
- 25:46an infection, there'd be a disease that would cause her not
- 25:48to be able to have children anymore.
- 25:51But if she wasn't guilty of it, then she would be clear of all
- 25:54such infection. Next portion of scripture, And
- 26:05you shall make the woman, drink the bitter water, and bring the
- 26:08curse. And the water that brings a
- 26:10curse, shall I tell her to become bitter.
- 26:13And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from
- 26:16the woman's hand, shall wait for offering for the Lord and bring
- 26:19it to the Altar and a pre-show, take a handful of the offering
- 26:23as it is memorial portion. Burn it on the Altar and
- 26:26afterward make the woman drink the water when he has made her
- 26:30drink, the water that I shall be if she has decided Yourself and
- 26:34being unfaithful, we told her husband that the water that
- 26:37brings a curse, will enter them become bitter and your Valley
- 26:40will swell forth. I will rock when the woman will
- 26:43become curse among four people, but if the woman is not defile
- 26:47himself is clean and she shall be free, and they conceive
- 26:50children. So here's the next thing.
- 26:53Not only is he putting dirt in the water.
- 26:55He's going to write out these curses on material and then put
- 26:59it in the water. Let the ink go in whatever,
- 27:02whatever needed to go into that concern and then that would just
- 27:04add to the bitterness of it. And then again is really the
- 27:08Bible's reinforcing. What would come about if she
- 27:10actually did this? That there would be a visible
- 27:13and there would be a reputation for the rest of her days.
- 27:15In that canvas. She had actually done this act
- 27:17to very this is a very weighty and serious thing.
- 27:21Very waiting, very serious. And the finally the last two
- 27:23verses this is the law in cases of jealousy.
- 27:27When the wife go under her husband's Authority goes astray
- 27:30and the files herself. But when the spirit of jealousy
- 27:33comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife and he shall
- 27:37set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall carry out
- 27:40for her. All this block, The man shall be
- 27:42free from iniquity but the woman shall bear.
- 27:47What do you think? The reason for all of this is
- 27:50relating to the Israelites and their immediate context, what
- 27:53purpose is God have in giving this specific law and ritual?
- 28:00What is the Lord trying to promote in the hearts of his
- 28:02people? Faithfulness.
- 28:05Yes. Another word with f.d.r., a holy
- 28:10fear, a holy fear with the Lord is trying to promote in this
- 28:14moment. And through this, through this
- 28:16text, is that he would have a people that would have a wholly
- 28:19healthy, fear relating to faithfulness and marriage and
- 28:24what this text is trying to show you and I about God, is that he
- 28:27has a fierce zeal. And when two become one, they
- 28:33stay one. Unfortunately, though, his
- 28:37people back then and today, do not have that same Zeal.
- 28:41And so he gives these instructions to the Israelites
- 28:44to say, listen, what this will do is ultimately leave me to be
- 28:48the judge, it's a very wise thing, it's amazing.
- 28:52The wisdom of the Lord that the Lord will be the ultimate one
- 28:57that would reveal and judge and exposed.
- 29:02Whatever, unfaithfulness there would be.
- 29:04Now we read this and we kind of think this is kind of unfair,
- 29:06because we have a husband who's kind of bringing the wife in.
- 29:09And, and this is a, this is a template, but there is something
- 29:13here for the wife. You have to understand that
- 29:15there is something of great benefit through this law for the
- 29:18woman. What do you think that is?
- 29:22Fruitfulness. Vindication if she's right.
- 29:29That's that's partly true. Yeah, that is I think there
- 29:31would be a Vindication but there's something even more
- 29:34practical than that. Yeah.
- 29:38So this is like Vindicated that what you meant by Vindication?
- 29:41Like, she's going to prove herself to be faithful through
- 29:42this. Yes.
- 29:46Yes, it was just another confirmation for her to be able
- 29:48to bear fruit. I absolutely trust her husband's
- 29:51trust so that is guaranteed through that.
- 29:53Yes. That's right.
- 29:59So part of this, the way God set it up, is that the woman because
- 30:03of God being involved directly would be protected from her
- 30:07husband, or from even others around that would try to respond
- 30:12to her suspicions with mistreatment.
- 30:15What this law does, is it removes any possibility for
- 30:19anybody to jump the gun through suspicion and through a violent
- 30:24response or mistreatment? Or reputation being spread.
- 30:28God had brought this for the sake of protecting wives as
- 30:31well, so that they would go into this place and if they are
- 30:34innocent, God would have the final word and her record would
- 30:37be clean before the sight of others.
- 30:41So we see that this is going both ways.
- 30:42This is a very fair thing because if her husband did bring
- 30:46her in out of Suspicion, he was wrong.
- 30:48I mean, she has nothing to fear in the first place.
- 30:50All right, let's just get this over with Has God's heart
- 30:56changed. Concerning how he feels about
- 31:00marriage from Numbers, Chapter 62, 2018.
- 31:05Let me read this new testament, verse and Hebrews 13:4.
- 31:09Let marriage be held in honor, among all.
- 31:13And let the marriage bed, be undefiled for God will judge the
- 31:17sexually immoral and adulterous, that's not found in Numbers.
- 31:20Chapter 6, that's found in Hebrews.
- 31:24That's Hebrews 13:4. Let the marriage bed.
- 31:28Be undefiled, why? Because if not, then God will
- 31:31judge. And how he will judge.
- 31:34Hebrews doesn't tell us number 6, tells us, but Hebrews is not
- 31:37tell us, but it does says he will.
- 31:40And he is the perfect judge. He knows exactly what to give as
- 31:43his act of discipline towards those who have been unfaithful.
- 31:47So here are some things that you and I can learn from Numbers.
- 31:49Chapter 6, sitting with this text going, okay?
- 31:52I understand God has a heart for faithfulness and marriage but
- 31:55what else is a saying about the Lord?
- 31:57Not only, what is he saying about the Lord?
- 32:04What is he saying about you and me?
- 32:08What I'm about to say in the next few minutes.
- 32:11My prayer is always this and I pray that it would be true
- 32:14tonight that no matter how hard a word may be that you would
- 32:18feel the love the love of Christ in it.
- 32:21Always and I look at you and I praying into this Bibles that I
- 32:24look at all of you and I say this with a heart throbbing with
- 32:28love for you with a love to see you live, your life for Christ
- 32:32and protect it from all the deceitfulness of sin.
- 32:35So, hear me tonight. And the rest of this Bible study
- 32:38concerning this text. That it comes from a heart of a
- 32:42person that prays for you. If you hear an angry person, if
- 32:48you hear a person that wants to see you fail, if you're hearing
- 32:51a person that can't wait till you fall.
- 32:52So I can say I told you so you do not know this heart.
- 32:57So I pray in this Bible, study in the rest of this text, you
- 32:59would hear somebody that truly loves as a brother.
- 33:04One thing I take out of this text a very simple truth, a
- 33:07truth that people don't really live out on.
- 33:09Understand number one, God sees it all, God sees it all.
- 33:16Notice in verse 13 of Numbers, Chapter 6, if a Man Lies with
- 33:20her sexually and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and
- 33:25she is undetected though, she has defiled herself and there is
- 33:29no witness against the. Do you see that language there?
- 33:33If it's unknown to the husband. If she's done it, undetected
- 33:38lie, if she's done it with no witness.
- 33:43You know what? I learn here.
- 33:45Even though her husband didn't know it, even though the priest
- 33:49did not see it, Jesus did. Jesus did and Jesus always, we
- 33:57seized it, he sees it in great detail, he sees it better than
- 34:00any security camera can capture it.
- 34:02He sees it better than any voice recorder can record it, he sees
- 34:07and he knows and he will bring it about.
- 34:11I need you guys to hear me very carefully that God is faithful
- 34:15and every single command, and every single revelation of his
- 34:19character. But if I can personally testify,
- 34:22and what's more important is what the word of God says, but
- 34:24if I can Come under the word and testify concerning the, the
- 34:28commands of God. The character of God if there is
- 34:30one thing that the Lord has proven in my life and what I've
- 34:33seen and what I've heard That there is a certain promise, a
- 34:39certain warning in this very same book that I have seen.
- 34:43Come to pass, not 95% of the time, 100% of the time numbers
- 34:5132:23, Numbers 32:23 branded on your heart.
- 35:07But if you will not do so behold, you have sinned against
- 35:10the Lord and be sure your sin will find you out.
- 35:17Be sure. Your sin will find you out.
- 35:25Let me say this way. If you and I do not learn how to
- 35:29confess our sins to God. Be sure of this.
- 35:33Your sins will confess you to others.
- 35:38Let me say that one more time. If you and I do not learn how to
- 35:42confess our sins to God. Be sure of this.
- 35:47Your sins will confess you to others.
- 35:51In other words, let's simplify your sins will tell on you.
- 35:59Remember our friend, Saul after the Lord had commanded him.
- 36:02You'd get rid of all the amalekites, you get rid of
- 36:05everything when I say destroy everything.
- 36:07I mean everything. In 1st Samuel, 15, Samuel comes
- 36:11onto the scene in verse 13 13:14 and Saul comes and look.
- 36:15What saw says he goes Blessed Be You To The Lord.
- 36:18I have performed the Commandment of the Lord, and Samuel said,
- 36:21hold on. Why do I hear the bleating of
- 36:24sheep? In other words, you were
- 36:29supposed to destroy all the animals and I hear them
- 36:33bleeding. That tax terrifies me.
- 36:37You know why? Because it wasn't a soldier that
- 36:39ran up to Samuel said Samuel, didn't you tell saw that?
- 36:43He was supposed to destroy everything.
- 36:44He didn't do it. It wasn't a fellow Prophet that
- 36:47went to the same school of prophets, with Samuel, that came
- 36:49and said, the Lord had revealed to me that your servants saw
- 36:53there. The king did not perform your
- 36:55vows, no, it was a sheep. It was a sheep and that name
- 37:02that bad. Expose them.
- 37:08And there's a another verse in Ecclesiastes, 10:20 That speaks
- 37:13of this listen to these words very carefully.
- 37:17Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king.
- 37:21Nor in your bedroom curse, the rich for a bird of the air will
- 37:25carry your voice or some winged creature.
- 37:28Tell the matter. What is the principle of that?
- 37:32That whatever you do in private? Even if there's nobody around,
- 37:35just like in Numbers Chapter 6 they thought that they were
- 37:38alone. And the Lord had a poetic
- 37:41fashion is saying, even if you think alone, the birds will tell
- 37:45on you. Even if you think you're alone.
- 37:49I'll get nature to testify, you would be amazed of how God will
- 37:54expose somebody who is an unconfessed sin, especially when
- 37:57it deals with another individual private sin is one thing, but
- 38:00when it deals with other people, when it deals with Community,
- 38:04you up the ante, you up the chances of the Lord, pulling the
- 38:07sheets. Let me say this very carefully
- 38:12and in love, don't fall asleep though.
- 38:15Your eyes are open right now. Let me make this very clear,
- 38:19very clear as a brother who loves you?
- 38:22Your sin will tell on you. And I don't want you to
- 38:30experience the reality of the omniscient omnipotent,
- 38:34omnipresent God by him, exposing sin.
- 38:38I want you to experience the reality of God by you walking
- 38:41righteously and him blessing your life and you praying and
- 38:44God answering. That's how I want you to
- 38:46experience. God, not this way, not numbers
- 38:4832:23, not that way. Please don't let your experience
- 38:53of God come to a place where you see that he might not have seen
- 38:57but he actually Did don't go there don't flirt with it.
- 39:01Your sin will tell on you. And you know what the thing
- 39:03about Sin is that it can stay quiet and people think that
- 39:06silence silence Concerning a sinful lifestyle is a way of
- 39:13God, expressing his affirmation wrong.
- 39:16Any extension of God's silence in your habitual sin is God's
- 39:20extension of Mercy for you, to confess it before.
- 39:22It's exposed I've been doing it a gut and God's, not revealing,
- 39:27it just wait. Your sin is waiting for the
- 39:30perfect time and when you think that you have your hand over its
- 39:34mouth, it will move that hand and say he's doing it.
- 39:36She's doing it. And it will be so loud.
- 39:40Somebody else is going to hear it. if you are not convinced
- 39:49with these Old Testament scriptures, Be convinced of Luke
- 39:54chapter 12, the words of Jesus Christ himself in the first
- 39:56three verses. in the meantime, when just Jesus, this is what he
- 40:05preached to a crowd. This is what Jesus preached to a
- 40:08crowd. In the meantime, when so many
- 40:11thousands of the people had gathered together that they were
- 40:15trampling. One another, he began to say his
- 40:18to his disciples first. So, what does Jesus do?
- 40:20And a multi-thousand conference setting, this is what he does.
- 40:24Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
- 40:29Nothing is covered. That will not be revealed.
- 40:34Or hidden, that will not be known.
- 40:36Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark, shall be heard
- 40:39in the light and whatever you whispered and private room shall
- 40:42be proclaimed in the housetops. That's New Covenant.
- 40:45That's Jesus, taking Ecclesiastes, 1020 that's Jesus,
- 40:48taking Numbers Chapter 6. That's Jesus.
- 40:50Taking numbers. Twenty thirty two, twenty three
- 40:52and simplifying it in the New Covenant.
- 40:55If you do it in secret, it's going to come out in public.
- 41:07I want you to notice that in the text that we just read a
- 41:09Numbers, Chapter 6. That what would expose this sin?
- 41:16Was holy water to some degree. And we hear that we go.
- 41:20That's kind of terrifying, drink this water, and if it makes you
- 41:23feel better, and you have this disease and that's it people
- 41:26know, but in the new company, it's something else.
- 41:28It's not holy water. It's the Holy Spirit.
- 41:33And so, that's even more terrifying and the New Covenant
- 41:35since why? Because the ministers don't have
- 41:38to come up to you say, hey drink this so we can find out if you
- 41:40did it. You know what happens and then
- 41:45Isis of fire walk into church. Hey, we gave everything.
- 41:51Peter didn't go up and say, drink this, let's find out.
- 41:52If you really did it, The Holy Spirit was right there and says
- 41:56you lied. And you lied to me.
- 42:03So we look at Numbers Chapter 60, this is severe.
- 42:06We're in the New Covenant. And the Holy Spirit, does the
- 42:10work that this holy water does. Second truth, the power of
- 42:15confession, the power of confession.
- 42:18You know, I'm reading this text and I think to myself in
- 42:20Numbers, Chapter 5, scuse me. I kept saying six, it's actually
- 42:23chapter 5, well, edit that later.
- 42:27In Numbers. Chapter 5, what I find
- 42:29terrifying is that when you look here, again in verse 22 may this
- 42:34water that brings the curse pass into your bowels and make your
- 42:38womb swell and your thigh fall away and the woman shall say,
- 42:41amen. Amen.
- 42:43What this text is showing you and me that there is a
- 42:47possibility that someone who is guilty of this sin.
- 42:49And it's not just this since the principle of Austin that they
- 42:53are willing to go through the entire process.
- 42:58They're willing to go through the entire process and only be
- 43:03found out when they are exposed. Maybe I'm reading too much into
- 43:08this but I wondered to myself. What would have been like if
- 43:11that person who was truly guilty on the way to the Tabernacle was
- 43:14like, I did it. I'm wrong.
- 43:17I did it and let's deal with this another way, this person is
- 43:21so stubborn, the possibility of a person being so stubborn that
- 43:24they go through the entire process.
- 43:26And the only way that they'll even convey, and here's even the
- 43:28scary part. Even to this day, there are
- 43:31people to this day in the New Covenant.
- 43:35But even after they're exposed, they'll still deny it.
- 43:40You hear of this stuff. It's like, brother.
- 43:43There's evidence. It's like wah.
- 43:47The stubbornness of man is unbelievable.
- 43:51The unbelief of, man is tragic And this person.
- 43:58The scripture says it's possible for them to go through the
- 44:00entire thing. Who knows what they're thinking,
- 44:02this isn't going to work. next thing, you know, The Bible
- 44:07doesn't give us that comment commentary on what they're
- 44:09thinking. But here's a possibility that
- 44:11somebody's willing to go through that entire ordeal and only be
- 44:14found out when they're exposed and here's the power of
- 44:16confession that you and I Need to confess before it gets to
- 44:21that place. That's a scripture in Proverbs
- 44:2528:13 whoever conceals his transgression shall not Prosper,
- 44:32but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain Mercy.
- 44:37Never forget that. Never forget that that whoever
- 44:41tries to hide, it isn't going to prosper, but a person who
- 44:44confesses it will obtain Mercy. Listen on a horizontal level
- 44:49When sin is done to another. And that person that person
- 44:54Confesses their sin and ask for forgiveness before it becomes
- 44:56this whole blowout. Even on a horizontal level, it
- 45:00changes the dynamic of the future of that relationship
- 45:03because there's a humility there.
- 45:05Listen I did wrong. I'm not going to wait till this
- 45:07thing is exposed. I'm sorry you didn't even know
- 45:09it what a difference. Does it make listen an any level
- 45:12of sin if you and I were to come to a place where whoever we send
- 45:15against or send with or whatever is the case and you say listen
- 45:18you did not know this but I did this.
- 45:21And I just need to ask for your forgiveness.
- 45:24Don't you think that that conversation?
- 45:28Would heal that relationship compared to somebody who doesn't
- 45:33do that and wait till it blows up in their face.
- 45:36And then says, yeah, I did this. What's the principle here?
- 45:40May we be a people who know how to confess to one another and to
- 45:44God. Don't conceal it.
- 45:47Don't hide it. Have you ever wondered what
- 45:50David experience in that period of time when he had committed
- 45:53adultery with Bathsheba? Psalm 51 is written in his
- 45:57confession. What his heart was like when he
- 45:59confessed to the Lord, but have you ever wondered?
- 46:01What his life was? Like in that period before,
- 46:05Nathan came and pointed the Bony finger in his face?
- 46:09Some believe that Psalms 32 is that song, it's not explicitly
- 46:14clear but some believe that Psalms 32 was written after
- 46:17Psalms 51, where David is fulfilling his vow from Psalms
- 46:2251, where he says, I will teach the transgressors your ways.
- 46:27If you heal me, if you restore me, if you do not take your Holy
- 46:30Spirit from, he says that in verse 13, then I will teach
- 46:33transgressors your ways, and in Psalms 32, some believe is that
- 46:36Psalm where he is teaching? And sinners from his own
- 46:40experience of what they should avoid and look how he describes
- 46:45his state of unconfessed sin. Blessed is the one verse one.
- 46:51Whose transgression Is Forgiven, whose sin is covered.
- 46:55Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts, no equipment
- 46:59equity and whose Spirit, there is no deceit.
- 47:01Now, listen to this for when I kept silent.
- 47:03In other words, when I did not confess my sin, my bones wasted
- 47:07away. Through my groaning all day long
- 47:12for day and night. Your hand was Heavy upon me.
- 47:15My strength was dried up as by The Heat Of Summer.
- 47:26When a person lives in unconfessed sin, they are
- 47:29haunted to some degree. They are haunted to some degree
- 47:33and part of that haunting is this.
- 47:36You're living your life wondering.
- 47:38If anybody will ever find out. Can I tell you in love again as
- 47:43a brother? Whether you confess or not, it's
- 47:47coming out. And you will be totally shocked.
- 47:56To know how it gets exposed. Confess it to him, quickly.
- 48:03He's willing to give you Mercy. Lastly.
- 48:12There is a holy confidence that there's three truths out of this
- 48:15text number one numbers five, there's three choose number one,
- 48:17God sees it all to. There's power and confession,
- 48:20there's healing and confession. There is restoration and
- 48:23confession. Number three, there is a holy
- 48:25confidence that comes from holy living.
- 48:30Now look at verse 22 of Numbers. Chapter 5, not from the
- 48:33standpoint of somebody who might be guilty for from the
- 48:35standpoint for somebody. Who knows their innocent Me this
- 48:40water that brings the curse past into your bowels and make your
- 48:44womb swell and your thigh fall away and the woman shall say,
- 48:47amen. Amen.
- 48:50Now here's the one, possibly a possible scenario of somebody
- 48:53saying. Amen.
- 48:54Amen. And they're going, I hope this
- 48:55thing doesn't work. Here's another person who knows?
- 49:01They're innocent that's going. Amen.
- 49:03Amen, let's get this thing over with.
- 49:09I want to tell you something that a clear conscience will
- 49:11give you a confidence. In all Lifestyles and all
- 49:15matters and all decisions. Even when false accusations
- 49:18come, Can I tell you something? You should not be.
- 49:23If anybody in here is scared. It's probably because there's
- 49:25something I need to get cleaned up.
- 49:28If you're sitting in your chair right now and you're scared it,
- 49:31probably because you need to get something out of your life, that
- 49:33would cause you. In the eyes of others, to
- 49:37question your testimony. At the question, where you're at
- 49:39with the Lord. But if you're hearing something
- 49:42like this and you're living in righteousness, you're hearing
- 49:45this news saying yes. I do have a holy fear and I
- 49:47should always have a holy fear, but if I have a clear conscience
- 49:50before God throw, whatever you want at me, God is my judge.
- 49:56And there have been situations even in life, even with people
- 49:59that I've talked to where they have had false accusations or
- 50:01accusations because of suspicious behavior in their
- 50:04lives or because of false, just not even a suspicion.
- 50:07Because, you know what, this text tells us to that you and I
- 50:09should avoid suspicious Behavior to give people no work to give
- 50:14people no evidence to get people know firm of a grass for us to
- 50:18be able to be a potential question mark, that's what that
- 50:20showing us as well. But in some cases, some people
- 50:23like this, even a husband, my I have the spirit of jealousy come
- 50:26over and based on nothing, no matter what.
- 50:28If accusations coming your way? You know, I always counsel
- 50:30people with brother sister. Did you do it?
- 50:33No, then what are you afraid of? Well, they're saying this and
- 50:37Earth isn't. Did you do it?
- 50:40No, did you no? Okay then God is your judge.
- 50:44And he will vindicate you. He'll vindicate you and that's a
- 50:50confidence that you and I can walk in in this life that if we
- 50:53know that before the Lord that in our private life styles,
- 50:56there is nothing for anybody. There's nothing for the devil to
- 51:00use against us. There is such a holy boldness
- 51:05and a liberty that comes about in your life, it is so freeing
- 51:09to live clean in private. It's so freeing.
- 51:17And this text shows me not only here it shows me enrollments 12.
- 51:20It shows me in so many other places that even if accusation
- 51:23comes to the place where they have to cut off my head, Think
- 51:27of Stephen, all these false accusers, they come to Stephen.
- 51:31And they're saying this guy's telling us that the temple is
- 51:33going to be destroyed and they're going to overthrow, he's
- 51:35teaching at Jesus. Going to overthrow the law of
- 51:37Moses and it says, at the end of that chapter, they all looked at
- 51:39Stephen. His face was shining like an
- 51:40angel. And then they ask them are these
- 51:43things. So, instead of Stephen going,
- 51:44listen, this is all fake and starting defensive.
- 51:46He preaches an entire sermon because you got all need to
- 51:49repent. This is a confidence that comes
- 51:56with clean living. I pray. the no matter where you
- 52:08go in life, you would walk in the light that we would walk in
- 52:15the light. Everything Changes. when you
- 52:21live with a conscious awareness that God is here, Wherever You
- 52:25Are. Do that, please.
- 52:30And if there's something in your life that you know, that if it
- 52:32was exposed to others, that they would bring shame to the name of
- 52:35Christ, it would bring harm to your community.
- 52:41If I were you the quickest thing I would do tonight is run get
- 52:45before the Lord confess it. Lord, clean me up. because a
- 52:53person that has unconfessed sin in their life, is a ticking time
- 52:57bomb Because part of the deception of unconfessed sin is
- 53:01that even if this thing does go out and people, somebody finds
- 53:04out, it won't do that much damage, you have no idea.
- 53:11Might be wondering why the intensity because you have no
- 53:14clue how real this is. And God in his Mercy gives us
- 53:20versus like this to say. I see it.
- 53:23Don't try to hide it. Don't try to run from it.
- 53:26Come to me. Come to me.
- 53:31And this is the beauty about Christian Living in community.
- 53:34And in Ministry, I'm a firm believer.
- 53:38The Minister's don't need to play private investigator and
- 53:40everybody's life. It's as simple as this Lord, you
- 53:44know? Lord, you know.
- 53:49You're there a God. You're there, sanctifier.
- 53:55Protect this community. Protect this church.
- 54:01Your judgment is perfect. Do what you need to do.
- 54:10He's the best private investigator.
- 54:14We closing numbers chapter 6. And the Lord spoke to Moses
- 54:19saying speak to the people of Israel and say to them.
- 54:22When neither a man, either a man or a woman makes us special vow
- 54:25a vow of a nazirite to separate himself to the Lord.
- 54:28He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink.
- 54:30He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and
- 54:33shall not drink any juicer grapes or eat grapes fresh or
- 54:37dried all the days of his separation, he shall eat
- 54:39nothing. That is produced by the
- 54:41Grapevine, not even the seeds or the Skins.
- 54:44All the days of his vow of Separation.
- 54:46No razor shall touch his head until the time.
- 54:48Is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord
- 54:51and he shall be holy, he shall let the locks of his hair of his
- 54:53head. Grow long, all the days that he
- 54:55separates himself to the Lord. He shall not go near a dead
- 54:58body, not even for his father, or his mother for brother or
- 55:01sister, if they die. Shall he make himself unclean?
- 55:05Because his separation to God, is on his head, all the days of
- 55:08his separation, he is Holy to the Lord.
- 55:10Now, we've come to a place where the Lord wants to give a
- 55:13wonderful invitation. There is a vowel, there are many
- 55:15vows that people can make in the Bible.
- 55:17This Oh, is a unique value. This vow was called the Nazarite
- 55:21vow. What is the purpose of this
- 55:22vowel? If any Israelite desire to get
- 55:25closer with God, he would take this valve.
- 55:29And what this vow would do essentially is it would cause a
- 55:33person who intensely desired a more intimate passionate
- 55:39personal knowing of God. They would commit themselves to
- 55:44such a thing. It did not mean that those who
- 55:46were not in a Nazarite vow, we're not whole hearted towards
- 55:49the Lord. What it does mean though is that
- 55:51if a person wanted a greater intensity a time of consecration
- 55:56to seek God, this is what they would do.
- 55:58And this is the instruction for that.
- 56:00And what's amazing here is that there are three guidelines.
- 56:04The first guideline is no wine or any fruit of the vine should
- 56:08be eaten. The second guideline was as long
- 56:11as your vow is, no matter how long you want it to be for,
- 56:14you're letting your hair grow and it's just showing it's an
- 56:17outward external expression that your consecrated unto the Lord
- 56:20and people can see that. And lastly, no contact with dead
- 56:26bodies, even if it's a family member.
- 56:29And so specific is this to the Lord that these.
- 56:31We won't read the next few verses he gives instruction if
- 56:33somebody just happens to die right before you, and that
- 56:36moment, and the process to go about that.
- 56:41And I look at this and I go well.
- 56:44Has arrived. I mean that's old Covenant and
- 56:46is that apply to you and me as a Believer?
- 56:49But again the ultimate question, what does it reveal about God's
- 56:52heart? Look at verse 1 and 2 again.
- 56:55The Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to the people of Israel
- 56:58and say to them. When either a man or a woman
- 57:02makes a special vow the valve and nausea you know what
- 57:05Nazarite means an original language consecrated or
- 57:08dedicated one. number one, truth from this as we close concerning
- 57:13the Nazarite vow and what it reveals about God's heart,
- 57:15whatever real is about you and me is that the Nazarite vow was
- 57:18given As a possibility for anyone who is willing to do it.
- 57:25It was not just for the priest, it was not just for the Levites,
- 57:28it was not just for a specific tribe.
- 57:29He goes whether a man or a woman who ever wants to take this upon
- 57:33themselves. I'm making it available to you.
- 57:37And this is a cry from God's heart that he Longs for a people
- 57:42to say, I'm going to pursue God in this season of life in a way
- 57:46that I haven't before, that's his heart.
- 57:49That's what I see there in the Old Testament, the Lord saying,
- 57:52would you would you in the busyness of your life, find it,
- 57:55whether it's a day or two, just you take that vow, you take that
- 57:59season. However, long you need and you
- 58:02just give all the focus to me and you just drive yourself to
- 58:07know me and he goes, anyone whoever's willing to take it
- 58:11here, this vowel is for anybody, that wants it because I want all
- 58:15of you, not just some of you And the second principle is this is
- 58:21that there are three guidelines and they're very specific and we
- 58:24can talk for the next 10-15 minutes of why these specific
- 58:26guidelines and we won't. But the principle is still
- 58:28there, the overarching principle is there is that if I do take
- 58:31advantage out of consecration to seek the Lord in my life,
- 58:36whether it's a day, whether it's a week, whether it's a month,
- 58:38what I bought. Don't put a timeline on.
- 58:39I say, Lord, I'm going to do this until I see you and know
- 58:42you in a way that I've never known before.
- 58:43There's always a price. There's always a cost.
- 58:49For the Nazarite. And that day, it was these
- 58:51things for you. And me might be different, but
- 58:53there's always a price. If you and I desire to come
- 58:57closer to him. There has to be some separation
- 59:02that occurs. Might be a separation from
- 59:06activity. And might be separations from
- 59:09Association. Might be separation from even
- 59:13good things, like maybe a meal a day.
- 59:18But I'm telling you, the Lord will customize that in your
- 59:20life. That if you've said it within
- 59:22yourself to say, God, In the New Covenant sense.
- 59:26I want to take a Nazarite vow and I want to pursue you
- 59:30desperately, No this that God gives that invitation to
- 59:35everyone here, like he did back then. and for them, there was a
- 59:38price and for you and me, there's a price And the rules.
- 59:44Haven't changed though. The prescription has We're
- 59:50closing this chapter in verse 22 of Numbers.
- 59:51Chapter 6. And the Lord spoke to Moses
- 59:58saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons saying, thus, you shall
- 1:00:01Bless the people of Israel, you shall say to them.
- 1:00:04The Lord bless you. And keep you.
- 1:00:09The Lord make his face to shine upon you.
- 1:00:12And be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance
- 1:00:16upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon
- 1:00:20the people of Israel? And I will bless them.
- 1:00:22Notice the nature of this blessing, they Raonic blessing,
- 1:00:25it's call notice the nature of it, read a very slowly and
- 1:00:29notice what blessing means really in life. 24.
- 1:00:36The Lord bless you and keep you. That's a blessing for got to.
- 1:00:40Keep you and me to keep you close to keep you protected to
- 1:00:45keep you from Harm's Way, not just physically, but
- 1:00:47spiritually, the Lord keep you. The Lord make his face to shine
- 1:00:52upon you. Not just his face, be towards
- 1:00:54you, but for it to shine, Upon you.
- 1:00:58Glistening favor a smile on his countenance upon you.
- 1:01:06And be gracious to you. Bible says that the Lord opposes
- 1:01:12the proud and he gives grace to the humble.
- 1:01:16Listen, it's one thing for Satan to fight against you and me,
- 1:01:19it's a whole nother thing when God fights against you and me.
- 1:01:23And that word oppose is literally to fight against.
- 1:01:26He fights against the proud. The Lord lift up his countenance
- 1:01:33upon you and give you peace. I don't know about you but I can
- 1:01:37use some peace in my life every day.
- 1:01:40All the chaos in the world. I can't even take 10 seconds on
- 1:01:43the news without feeling nauseated.
- 1:01:46Because there's so much chaos, would you stand with me?
- 1:01:48And let's pronounce this ironic blessing.
- 1:01:56He has the worship, team comes up.
- 1:02:18well, read this in closing after the music, but
- 1:02:33Seen your own heart. Don't look to the left.
- 1:02:35Don't look to the right. you know, if the Holy Spirit spoke
- 1:02:40to you through his word, But to say Lord give me clear
- 1:02:56conscience. Let me walk in the revelation.
- 1:03:03that even if I walk in the dark where nobody sees you're right
- 1:03:09there. The Lord.
- 1:03:19Let not my life be. Anywhere near.
- 1:03:25That place where I would discover how real you are.
- 1:03:31Because of unconfessed sin. But Lord, I pray.
- 1:03:37That any interaction that you have in my life, any
- 1:03:39intervention that you would have in my days would be the result
- 1:03:43of a life that is lived out For Your Glory.
- 1:03:53How many disasters could be avoided?
- 1:03:56if people lived in light of that text, It's true.
- 1:04:05Love for somebody to say these things behind a microphone.
- 1:04:10It's true. Love.
- 1:04:13If anybody were to see you walking off a cliff with you
- 1:04:15having blindfolds on, they would not love you.
- 1:04:18They did not yell even to say watch where you're going, take
- 1:04:22off the blindfolds. Just stay in that place of
- 1:04:30prayer. This is between us and God.
- 1:04:36Let her ring in the corridors of your conscience tonight.
- 1:04:42Whoever conceals his transgression will not prosper.
- 1:04:49But he who confesses it and forsakes them shall obtain
- 1:04:52Mercy. An amazing.
- 1:04:58That is strong as the warning is just as strong.
- 1:05:03Is the reward. At the moment, I confess the
- 1:05:07Lord. He's willing to shower.
- 1:05:10Mercy, upon me, do you know why God exposes things?
- 1:05:17There are many reasons why. But sometimes in oftentimes,
- 1:05:21it's in his Mercy, too. Even at the expense of someone's
- 1:05:30Ministry. Why?
- 1:05:33Because God cares about his relationship with you more than
- 1:05:35your service for him. As the music's playing.
- 1:05:46Just bring your heart before the Lord saying Lord.
- 1:05:51I want that confidence that comes with a clear conscience.
- 1:05:58I want to live in such a way that if anybody were to pull out
- 1:06:00my private records, there'd be no, hesitation Are you afraid to
- 1:06:09give people the password to your computer?
- 1:06:14Are you afraid to give people? Your web browser history.
- 1:06:21Can you say, hey, go for it. I'm telling you this because
- 1:06:28there is such a freedom that comes, I'm struggling, man, if
- 1:06:32you're struggling, you struggle in the light, don't struggle in
- 1:06:35the dark. You know what that means.
- 1:06:38You keep coming before the Lord. You find an accountability
- 1:06:43partner, you confess it, but there is no room for somebody to
- 1:06:47portray a spirituality or to remain in some kind of a state
- 1:06:51of everything's fine. When a not really is and even
- 1:06:55trying to do some kind of thing for the Lord, when your
- 1:06:58character is not lining up with it, just live in the light.
- 1:07:00That's all the lord requires of us.
- 1:07:02Walk In The Light, walk in the light walking in the light does
- 1:07:06not mean being perfect all the time.
- 1:07:08It means being honest, all the time.
- 1:07:11Big difference. The lord requires honesty from
- 1:07:14you and me. And when we do walk in that
- 1:07:18place, he walks with us graciously.
- 1:07:22God is Not Looking. If you heard this in this Bible
- 1:07:27study, you've heard the wrong God.
- 1:07:29God is not waiting for you to sin and the moment you mess up
- 1:07:32and secret, nobody hurts my ego. So I can't wait to pull the
- 1:07:34sheets on you to show you that. I'm God wrong, God, wrong God.
- 1:07:40I believe that, I believe this with all my heart, because in
- 1:07:44light of scripture that God in his wisdom knows when to expose
- 1:07:47it at the right time for your benefit and mine and I'm not
- 1:07:50going to play God to tell you. How that timeline works.
- 1:07:54It can happen tonight, it can happen.
- 1:07:55I don't know when, but I believe it's one of his final Solutions.
- 1:08:01The way God pursues, a person is unbelievable for them to confess
- 1:08:06and the smallest setting possible before it becomes
- 1:08:09something that is public. It's amazing.
- 1:08:12I've read and heard, and sermons way too many times in this, in
- 1:08:16the Pastoral Ministry, that pastors who were living in
- 1:08:19secret sin, God had pursued them way before became public.
- 1:08:28Waking up other pastors in the middle of the night to pray for
- 1:08:30them, even giving people prophetic insight to say,
- 1:08:34listen, bro, I don't know what's going on, but you need
- 1:08:35confessing get right with God. It's amazing what the Lord will
- 1:08:39do before he gets to that point. It's unbelievable.
- 1:08:42And even in that act, So that he can protect you from greater
- 1:08:47disaster. Imagine living in a state in
- 1:08:49which you don't confess your sin and because you don't confess
- 1:08:51your sin and you don't see it being exposed, you continue in
- 1:08:54sin. When God, exposes, its always to
- 1:08:58put a roadblock in your lifestyle, I can Ramble On and I
- 1:09:04won't just look to the one. Who hates our sin but loves us
- 1:09:10and worship and confess to him and you can walk out of here
- 1:09:15feeling like a weight lifted off your shoulders Lord help me walk
- 1:09:19in the light. Help me walk in the light.
- 1:09:22Give me the holy confidence. That comes from clean.
- 1:09:25Living in private. I need it.
- 1:09:27God is willing to give Who hates our sin but loves us and worship
- 1:09:12and confess to him and you can walk out of here feeling like a
- 1:09:16weight lifted off your shoulders Lord help me walk in the light.
- 1:09:21Help me walk in the light. Give me the holy confidence.
- 1:09:23That comes from clean. Living in private.
- 1:09:26I need it. God is willing to give