← ArchiveNumbersSunday, January 20, 2019DateJanuary 20, 2019Speaker—TextNumbers 1Passages in this sermonNumbers 16:40Genesis 1:113:36Jeremiah 2920:47Exodus 427:111 John 229:25Ezekiel 3629:49Ephesians 634:21Exodus 1935:50Luke 1942:37TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00The End0:30If you have your Bibles with you, and I hope that you do, turn to the book of Numbers. You're thinking, what? The book of Numbers. So it's Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. And you can go ahead and mark your Bible for the next several months. We'll be in this book. And if you've been here really the last three years, we've preached through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and now Numbers.0:55And seeing how God works in that. So we're beginning today a new series entitled, Lost. A new series entitled, Lost. So let me take you back to the good old days, 1985-ish. I verified this in my parents. I know my mom will probably be listening this week. I verified this story with her. I was about three years old, and I decided it was time to become a man.1:23And so I just figured that afternoon, I'm going to venture out on my own. And when you're three, and you're now blossomed into manhood, you think, so if I'm going to take this venture by myself, I need my best friend to come along. And so I didn't have a lot of time in my life to make best friends at this point, but I had one. And his name was Skippy. Skippy was a faithful friend. Skippy was a beagle.1:54And so, as the story goes, my dad was in the garden, and I decided to, with the dog, wander off into the woods. It was time to become a man. Jesus, you know, the Israelites are wandering in the desert wilderness. Jesus goes for 40 days in the wilderness, so it's my turn. So I leave, and unfortunately, it starts to become dark. And Skippy, who was a faithful friend in the beginning of the trip, decided it was dinnertime, and so he knew to find his way back to the house.2:22And it's getting dusk, and I'm not at home. And so what you might know about where I grew up, so we're in the back of the neighborhood, but towards the front of the neighborhood was a busy highway. Towards the front of the neighborhood, through the woods, was a pond. And my mom nor my dad knew where I was, so they knew that the dog had come back home, and they knew that I was beginning my manhood alone in the woods.2:49Thankfully, after a short search, they found me probably 200 yards away behind the neighbor's house in the woods. And it could have been a lot worse than it really was. And I'll spare you the rest of the details. I've changed the names of the innocent that way they will not be identified later.3:14But I just think back through that, and so it made a greater impression on my dad and my mom than it did on me, because, you know, I don't remember much of that. I just knew it was time to go, right? We're going on a journey. We're going on an adventure. It made an indelible impression on my parents. They tell me that story often, even to this day. And so here's some truth about that clearly, that episode.3:40One, I was clearly lost. I had no clue where I was. Number two, it was possible that I was wandering around in circles without hope of being rescued. So that truth is also a possibility that I was walking around in the woods in a straight line or around, and I had no clue where I was. The dog obviously knew where he was, but he left me in my time of need.4:07Number three, there was no indication that I was ever scared. I was lost, but it was possible that I was confident even in my lostness. And fourth, as I think about that episode, I had a father and a mother who were looking for me, even though I did not realize it. I was lost and didn't know I was lost, and I had a father who was looking for me, even though I didn't know I was lost.4:38There's a lot of spiritual implications in that, isn't there? And so we're going to unpack the book of Numbers together this morning, but I just want you to contemplate and think of these truths as you look at the Word of God. For some of you, you're confident right now where you are in your life, but the reality is you don't know the Lord or you're not living for the Lord and you're lost.5:01And the spiritual reality is that God is looking for you, even though you don't know you're lost. Let that sink in. God loves you so much that while you don't even think about him or maybe even care about God, he is already pursuing you. That's what Jesus, he sent his son while you were still sinners. For some of you this morning or today, maybe nothing in your life is working right, and you're thinking, I'm following God, I'm part of the community of faith, and yet I am still lost.5:30So now what? But the book of Numbers hits us right there. The community of faith, Israel, knowing God, part of his covenant family, and they're wandering around, lost in the wilderness. What do you do when you're full of sin? How do you pick up the pieces?6:00How do you pick up the pieces when your life is completely broken? These are some truths that we will see in the next several months together. And the reality is, this is numbers are God's people wandering around thousands of years ago and still applies to our lives today. The same God who's working here in the book of Numbers is the same God who is working here today in 2019. Praise the Lord for that power and that truth. So join me as we read the book of Numbers as we begin a new series, Lost, simply entitled today, God's Presence in the Wilderness.6:30Numbers chapter 1, beginning in verse 1. And next week we will have booklets for you. I've given you an overview of the book of Numbers that will be here next week. So if you don't know Numbers at all, we want to help you in growing your faith. Numbers 1, 1. And the Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the wilderness of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after Israel's departure from the land of Egypt.6:55Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their clans and their father's families, counting the name of every male one by one. You and Aaron are to register those who are 20 years old or more by their military divisions, everyone who can serve in Israel's army, a man from each tribe is to be with you, each one the head of his ancestral family.7:23And these are the names of the men who are to assist you. Now, if you are super spiritual, this afternoon you can go home and memorize the rest of this chapter, okay? Right? So you can finish that in your super spiritual time afterwards.7:51But be careful not just to gloss over that. These are people that God has called out for his purpose, to do his bidding. So let's pray as we look at the word of God. Lord, we thank you for your word that is living and it is active. Father, we confess to you right now that there's so much in our life that we don't know. And Lord, the reality is that many of us right now feel lost.8:21We don't know what tomorrow is going to look like. Father, we face difficulty and calamity this week. And Lord, we just don't know. Father, be our guide. Lord, we know that there's some among us right now that they are lost and they don't understand their lostness. Father, as the three-year-old me wandering around in the woods with not a care to his name. Lord, I did not understand the dangers of that situation.8:50Lord, I thank you that you were there. Thank you that I had a father that was looking out for me before I was even looking out for myself. And Lord, for those right now that are hearing this message and hearing your word, I pray that you would convict them of their sin. That they would know Jesus is their hope. Jesus is their rescue. Lord, change us through the power of your word and through your Holy Spirit. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.9:20Amen. So the presence of God in the wilderness. So let's look back at verse 1. And so the first point is the presence of the Lord centers your life. The presence of the Lord centers your life. So verse 1, the Lord spoke to Moses. Now, if you go back and you read Genesis, if you go back and read Leviticus, you'll see this over and over again. The Lord speaking. Now, this is the theme of the book of Numbers. You can turn to Genesis and you see God creating.9:49And in Genesis, we know that God calls Abram at that point from a foreign land and calls him to be his chosen community. And through Isaac, a son that he did not yet have, that through this son that God would make his name great. And then we have Exodus where God's people are in Egypt and they're struggling. And then we have Leviticus where God is telling the people, look, this is how you worship me. This is how you look differently among a world who doesn't honor the one true God.10:18And then we have Numbers and you have the journey to the promised land. But here's the problem. Something happens between Egypt and the promised land. Something happens between Egypt and the deliverance of Pharaoh and the Red Sea and the promised land. Something happens between those monumental, miraculous events. The wilderness. The wilderness.10:49The wilderness. And what we see here in Numbers is God's people going on a journey. A difficult journey. So if that's where you are right now, don't think you're alone. You're not alone. So if you're struggling in your life and you think, I am wandering through the desert places, through the wilderness. And I am, this is, I'm the first person that's ever been through that. No, you're not. No, you're not. God's people journeyed for 40 years. God's son went to the wilderness for 40 days and was tempted.11:20You're not the first and you won't be the last. But you are not alone. I want to bring hope to you today. If you're here and you're thinking, well, life is pretty rosy. I am in paradise and I will never walk through the desert places. Just see me tomorrow. Right? Because we will. And praise God for the good times. Praise God for the comfortable times. But there will be a day in all of our lives where things are not the promised land.11:47And where you look around and say, we are hungry and there's no meat. God, where are you? God, where's the water? There's nothing for us to drink. And that's what Numbers teaches us. And I cannot think of a better way to begin the journey than verse one. The Lord spoke to Moses. Over 65 times in the book of Numbers, we see that phrase, via de bear.12:15The Lord is speaking. And it's almost that same phrase. The Lord spoke to Moses saying, and immediately you have Moses doing. Over 120 times in the book of Numbers, we have the Lord speaking in other ways. Through the tent, through the cloud, through the fire. God speaking to his people. And as I think about that, it's so common throughout the Pentateuch. Throughout Genesis, through Deuteronomy.12:43The Lord speaking. I think we take it for granted. I think we take it for granted that God can speak to us. Or we think this book is so ancient that he doesn't speak anymore. And just let me say, if you don't think God speaks to you anymore, and you're a Christ follower, that's a sad place to be. Because God is speaking. You might not be listening. I might not be listening.13:13But God is speaking. And God wants to speak. And as we look at the Word of God, the power and the presence of God is central in our lives. And I just want to be someone who, if nothing else happens in my life, if I can just hear God speak, that changes everything. Just to know the presence of God is here. And you go back to Genesis. Think about Genesis 1.1. That there was nothing. It says that there was darkness and there was void of form.13:40It's really the best way to translate that. And the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord hovered. And there was nothing in Genesis. And what happens in verse 3? And the Lord said, let there be light. God speaks and history begins. God speaks and salvation begins. We have in Leviticus, the Lord speaking. We have Jesus on the cross saying, and when we sing it, I don't know if you caught it.14:08And Jesus says this in a loud voice. It is finished. Right? Tetelestai. Not only is the work on the cross is done, but your salvation is accomplished. Quit trying. You can't do it on your own. So when God speaks, salvation begins. But how important is the power and the presence of God in our lives?14:36Don't take it for granted that the Lord wants to speak to you and that you can hear his voice. It's so vital in the community in Numbers. And we'll see this for the next several weeks as we unpack it. But so vital is that they encamped around the presence of God. I think I have a graphic for you here behind me. And if you can see that the people of God were encamping around the Ark of the Covenant.15:02You say, well, what is the Ark of the Covenant? It's not the same Ark that Moses built. It's a tent of meeting. And inside the tent of meeting, you have the Ark of the Covenant. And inside the Ark of the Covenant, you have the Ten Commandments. You have the manna and later on the budding staff of Aaron. But for the people of God, the Ark of the Covenant represents the power and the presence of God.15:25And so they encamp around that. That's how important. And you see the smoke coming up. So by day, the smoke is leading the people of God. And by night, the fire is leading the people of God. And they would not move unless God went first. Think about how vital the presence of God is in our lives. And I just begin to think and to pray over this, Lord, how can I apply this in my life?15:54And if we're not careful in church life, let me speak to religious people, which most of you are. If we're not careful, we just want to be in the camp. We don't care if we're facing the presence of God. We just want to be somewhere on the periphery. Lord, let me face anywhere. But God's people were commanded to face the presence of the Lord. What would your life look like if everything in your life was facing the presence of Yahweh?16:24That when you get home and you put your wallet on, wherever you put it, right? Your purse. That you turn your wallet to God and say, God is yours. What would our families look like, parents, if you took your child and you took them and you turned them towards the presence of God and said, God, they're yours. We probably wouldn't live as vicariously through our kids.16:53You probably wouldn't take an eight-year-old basketball game as seriously as you do. Our hopes and dreams for our families would probably look different. If we said, God, I love my son. I love my daughter. But Lord, you love them more than me. And so God, I'm going to turn them to you. I don't just want to be in the camp. I want to face the power and the presence of God in my life. Can you say that of your life today?17:23Can you say that everything in your life is facing the Lord? Man, I want, look, to be honest, I can't say that right now. But I want to leave here and say, Lord, I'm going to commit everything in my life to you. I'm tired of just assuming that we can be in the camp and face any direction we want. Because that's the way we live, isn't it? We just live and say, God, you've called me by your name. And I know the smoke's right there, but I'm going to go today. I'm tired of standing still. Let me journey on my own.17:53How dare us say that we have surrendered our lives to God and then not. May we be people who believe in the power and the presence of God. May we today say, Lord, when you speak, it is everything. And I can just hear Jesus saying in the book of Hebrews in chapter 13. He says, I will never leave you or forsake you. Therefore, we may boldly say the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid.18:22What can man do to me? This is what Jesus promises us. He promises us that we don't have a tabernacle anymore and we don't have a temple, but that his spirit will not leave. That's the power of Jesus Christ. And so for you, does the presence of God change everything? Does the presence of God change everything? It does. And the Lord spoke to Moses.18:51Secondly, we see this in the wilderness, not only when we're lost, is the Lord speaking to us, but we see that the Lord will guide our way. Look at verse one. The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the wilderness of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after Israel's departure from the land of Egypt. Now, we have some very clear instructions here, don't we? It doesn't say, well, there were some day in the past that the Lord started to speak.19:20And he doesn't say, well, you just, however you can count, you just figure it out. No, the Lord gives specific instructions to Moses. It tells me this, that God doesn't do anything by accident or haphazardly. God's not this divine watchmaker where he creates everything and it says, and winds it up and says, good luck. That's not the God that we see in scripture. And we see that they've had a year long experience in Mount Sinai, but God never designed or planned for the people to stay there on that mountain.19:50God planned for them to do something, to go. And in the same way, God has a plan for your life. Think about it. God has a plan for your life. God doesn't look out and say, Frank, I don't know what I'm going to do with Frank, right? Or Bob or John. Man, that's a tough case. Josh, I know that Jesus saved him.20:19Man, he's outside the plans. God is not caught off guard by your life. He has a plan for you. And so even if you feel like you've broken the plans of God, he's calling you back to himself. So what are those plans? I want to give you a very familiar verse and then give you the context of that familiar verse. Many of you have in your house somewhere. You might have it tattooed on your wrist. Jeremiah 29, 11. For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord.20:48Plans of good and not of evil. Plans to give you a hope and a future. And we're saying, yes, good plans, hopeful plans, and it's for me. But we never listen to the rest of the context. What is God's plan for us? So verse 12 says the plans that God has for you. That we will call to him and you will pray to me and I will listen.21:15Think about that. God's plan for our lives is that when you call to him, he will listen. When you pray to him, he will hear. And then verse 13 clarifies even more in Jeremiah. You will seek me and you will find me when you search for me with all of your heart. What is God's plan for you and me? God's plan is that you and I might know him and find him when we seek him.21:45I don't know about you. That gives me hope. Because there are times where I feel lost and I don't feel like I can find God. And God says, Josh, I already have a plan for you. We're not coming up with this on the fly. God is not recalculating. God has a plan. And his plan is that if we seek him, he has already made a way for us to know him. And for Israel, it's the same that God shows him even in difficulty, even in the wilderness,22:13God has a plan for the people. Take this census on this day by these heads and I want these people to count. God has a specific plan for your life. So how do we live that out is the question, even when we feel lost. George MacDonald has a great quote. And he just simply says about the will of God. I find doing the will of God leaves me no time to dispute about his plans.22:41Sometimes we want to question, God, you show me your plans and I will march. And God says, just do my will. Just because God has a plan doesn't mean that he's giving you the plan. He says, do my will, follow my ways. And so George MacDonald just simply says, look, I don't have time to dispute the plans of God because I'm spending my time doing the will of God.23:10And some of us, if we're honest, we dispute more than we do. Are you living out the will of God in your life? And you say, well, what is the will of God? What is the plan of God? He gave us his word. He inspired his word. And he opens our heart to the power of his Holy Spirit to illuminate your life that you might know the plans that God has for you. So we cannot say to God, God, I don't know your plans if our Bible is sitting closed.23:39Now we can say, God, I am opening your word and search my heart and God, show me, reveal to me. But he has given you his word that you might live in a way that is honoring to him. The plans of the Lord guide our way. Thirdly, what do we see? How can God help us in lostness when we feel lost and when we don't know the way?24:06Look again at Numbers. The Lord spoke in the tent of meeting in the wilderness of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after Israel's departure from the land of Egypt. Egypt. Why? Why would God's people remember Egypt?24:36Because that was a life-altering place for these people. Egypt was a place of possibly 400 years of bondage and slavery. And they were praying for God. God, help us. God, change us. And Lord, we need to know that you are with us when everything else seems lost. And Egypt was the day, the moment, the marker in their lives where they always looked back and remembered forever, from generation to generation to generation.25:04For me, I was in college at this time, but I will never forget where I was when I was when I got the news that an airplane hit the Twin Towers from 9-11. Anyone else remember that? I just remember thinking, man.25:32And at that moment, it was an accident. It was a, hey, a jet has hit the Twin Towers. And so I rushed to the TV, and then you see the second plane hit, and I will never forget. That is forever etched in my memory. And for millennials, for people who remember that, for the younger generation, most of them will never feel safe again because that has deeply changed their life. We know that we're not insulated anymore. I mean, I remember even looking back now, but thinking about the Challenger shuttle explosion.26:03And I couldn't hardly even watch it. I went back and just watched a video this week and just thinking, man, it's hard to watch. I remember where I was. Some of you remember when the first man actually stepped on the moon, when the eagle had landed. I mean, some of you are shaking your head and saying, I remember that. And over and over again, for those who went through World War II, hearing about the Pearl Harbor attacks is forever etched in their memory.26:31What would cause 17 and 18-year-old men, sometimes 16-year-old men, to storm beaches knowing that hundreds and thousands of people would die because they looked back and said, this is for good. This is, we're going to sacrifice that we might have freedom because this event has changed our life. That's what Exodus was. It was, God, you are faithful, and God, we will forever remember this.27:01And can you think about the first time that God's people living in the wilderness, that they heard for the first time, and in Exodus chapter 4, I have heard your prayers. Thinking, God, you're going to deliver us, finally? God, we've been praying for years and nothing has happened, but God, you're finally going to deliver us. Lord, you have heard our misery and you have paid attention, it says in Exodus 4, 31.27:29And so how do we apply this to our life? Often times of difficulty, remember that the promises of God bring hope. The promises of God. I, you know, this is how my mind works. I know it sometimes works, and when it does work, it works in weird ways. But I can just see this as, as the people of God singing. This is like they're standing on the promises of God, right? You know the song, standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, our Savior, standing, standing.27:59Some of you grew up in the same church I did, and then you catch your breath, and it's like, I'm standing on the promises of God. And then verse 2, I'm like, no, no, no, not verse 2. Sorry, parents. I know they're going to listen to this. But I remember that song.28:28And as a young man growing up, we were thinking, this is just a funny song, and I can't catch my breath. And now you look back and you say, we can stand on the promises of God. They are faithful. And so for me, when the people of God hear this, we just read it well, you know, that in the first day of the second month of the second year after Israel's departure, they are taking the census. No, they are remembering the promises of God. They are dating their life from the Exodus. And if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, everything begins the moment you've trusted in Jesus.28:58And go back to that this morning. Just think of the day that Christ has saved you and redeemed you. And if that doesn't flood your heart with hope and joy, you don't know Christ, but you can. That's his invitation. Are you standing on the promises of God? What are those promises in difficulty? First John 2 says that Jesus has promised us eternal life.29:25We see that promises in the New Testament that nothing is impossible with God. Did you hear that? Nothing. So is there anything in your life that is not possible, that is not possible with God? No. No. Nothing is impossible. We see in Ezekiel 36, 26, that God creates in us a new heart. We see in Romans that not death or life or angels or rulers or present or future or powers or heights or depths or any other creative thing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.29:55I love Paul. I can just see someone coming to him weary and saying, I don't, I think that, Lord, I don't know if God's love is everlasting. And Paul says, okay, sit down real quick. Not death. And they're like, okay, well, how about life?30:25Not life. How about demons? Not demons. How about angels? Not, not angels. How about past? Not past. How about future? Not future. How about if I go to the depths? Not depths. How about heights? Not heights. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. This is the hope that we have in the Lord. And I think of it this way. Remember the promises of the Lord. If the enemy cannot make you doubt the faithfulness of God, he'll try to make you forget the goodness and the promises of God.30:55If the enemy can't make you doubt the plans of God, he's going to make you just forget. Don't worry. Just forget about what God's done. Forget the promises. And so I think we need to stand up today and say, I am going to stand. You know what? I might never have been in Egypt, but Lord, you've carried me through some things.31:22I'm going to remember. I'm going to date my life. I remember where I was. I remember where I was sitting when you rescued me from my sin. And Lord, this is the second year of the second month of the first day. And I'm going to count my life back to when you flooded my soul with the good news that you saved. I will have faith in you. Look, some of us this morning need to stand upon the promises of God. And these are not trite, robotic promises.31:52We don't stand upon the promises of God like this, right? Standing upon the words that are, give me hope and difficulty. These are things that change us. I mean, they do something to our heart. They change our mind. We are to live them out in a different way. So stand upon the promises of God. They bring hope. And then fourthly, we see this in the word of the Lord. Look at verse one again.32:22The Lord spoke his presence, right? In the tent of meeting, presence in the wilderness. Get ready of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after Israel's departure from the land of Egypt. Remember the promises of God. And then he says in verse two, take a census. Now this is proof that the Israelites were Baptists because they're already counting people in the pews, right?32:46Okay, so how many do we have in worship today? That's not what's going on here. God is purposing his people for mission. To take a census. This is something that would happen right before and right after a battle. So God is telling the people, get ready, you're mine.33:14And you have a mission to accomplish. And you're going to live differently because I have counted you. So let's go. So what is the battle? What are the people going to? They've been delivered from Egypt. They've gone through the Red Sea. You remember that the ark goes in the Red Sea and it splits. They didn't walk through the swamp. They walked through the dry ground and now they're receiving the Ten Commandments. God says, go to the promised land.33:44But along the way, there's battles. There's military conquests. And God is telling the people, look, I will be with you, but you have to work. You have to fight. And the same thing is true with us, isn't it? What does Jesus say? He gives us a mission. He gives us a mandate. Go, therefore. Let's just stop there. If you don't know anything else about what Jesus wants for your life, He says, go. How hard is that? Go. Go and make disciples. And we're reminded in Ephesians that the going is not always in times of peace.34:14Ephesians 6, 11. Put on the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the tactics of the devil. He's coming for you. He's shooting at you. Don't go at it alone. Because you're in a battle. You're fooling yourselves if you think you're not. And then in verse 13, it's reiterated. This is why you must, you must take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to resist in the evil day.34:42And having prepared everything, take your stand. Missional living is not always peaceful, but it's worth it. And being counted and knowing our mission and knowing your purpose in God, let's just suit up. Some of you aren't suiting up. And you wonder why you're wounded every week. You come in here limping, right?35:12And God says, well, if you put on my armor, you wouldn't have that. If you would suit up. We're not in a time of peace. We just want to be loved by everyone, right? We want to sing kumbaya. But Jesus says that there will be people that hate you. For the sake of Jesus. That's reality. Are you living on mission for Christ? Additionally, though, taking a census meant this.35:40It meant for the people of Israel that they were the Lord's. He promised them in Exodus 19, 6, that they would be a special treasure, a royal priesthood. And it's almost as if in Numbers chapter 1, God is going to each person and saying this, you're mine. I just counted you. Right? You're mine. I just counted you.36:10Right, Bella? You're number 500, 3,000,000,032. But don't worry about the number, Josh. You're mine. And can you just see the people saying, look, God is with us. We are his. He knows us by name. And for them, he knows us by number. But it's a reminder that we are the Lord's. He's counting us. He loves us. He cares for us. And for us today, knowing the purposes and the plans of God change our lives.36:37And so taking a sentence is God's way of saying, look, when you go through the battles, just remember I'm fighting with you. When you go through the battles, don't forget I know your number. And I have missionally called you, but I've equipped you and I will not leave you and I will not forsake you. So as we journey through Numbers and as we apply this really in our lives today, where do we go from here?37:06Are we going to go home and take census? How do we live this out? Four simple steps. One, if the presence of God changes everything, are you looking to Christ in your life? Can you honestly say right now, I'm looking to Jesus? That Jesus, I am treasuring him among everything else in my life.37:38Maybe you're just happy to be in a place where we worship God and you're just happy to be part of the camp. But no, God doesn't want you to be part of the camp. He wants you to turn and look inward. He wants you to see his presence and know him. Do you look to Christ? Secondly, are the plans of God guiding your life?38:05Are the plans and the purposes of God guiding you? Because God has a plan and he has a purpose. So are you following that in your life? Can you honestly say, and this is what I've been praying through this week for my family and my life. Can I honestly say, God, I am committed to following your plan and your way no matter what? Because some of us hear the promise saying, and we're like, yes, places flowing with milk and honey, I am in.38:34And God says, but don't, Josh, hold on. You got to walk through the wilderness. And we said, no, I'm out. Egypt's not so bad. And that's what the people of God do. And then there's a point where they want to go back and are you following the plans of God in your life? If you are his and he is yours, we have no right to live by our ways anymore.39:03Are you living by, maybe you need to spend time in prayer and saying, God, I don't know if I can answer that question. So Lord, show me your way. Show me your plans for my life. I think thirdly, are you standing upon the promises of God? And do those promises bring you hope? There is nothing in my life that I can face or will face that can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. There's nothing.39:34There's nothing. Are you standing upon those promises? Do they bring you hope? Do you, does your heart stir with joy when you open the word of God? When you read things and you say, God, I know your plan is, is that when I pray that you will hear me. And for me, I'm like, God, you would even hear my prayer. Wow. The fact that I can even search God and that when I search with a humble heart and a heart convicted that he is who he says he is, that I will find him. That doesn't even compute that that should happen.40:02Do the promises of God bring you hope? And then finally, are you motivated in your life by the purposes of God? God has not called you here to sit and be fit. God has not called us here to be pretenders. God wants us to go on mission. Now, let me tell you, when you live for Christ, you are going to be shot. Sometimes it's in the front, sometimes it's in the back. Don't be surprised.40:32I know that's a horrible conclusion to this message, right? Let's go live for God. It's going to be really bad. But he is faithful. And I would rather be shot at with the armor of God than live in a time of false peace without the armor of Christ. So are you living missionally for Christ? If you are in your home, if you have kids, if you're married, the greatest mission field you have right now is your family.41:00If you're working a job, probably the second greatest mission field you have is your job. If you shop at all, the greatest mission field you have probably is where you shop. You say, well, I do the online pickup. Someone still has to deliver it to your car. Share the good news with them. Share the hope that you have in Christ. Are you living missionally and watch the Lord open up doors? So as we respond to the word of God, are you living for him fully?41:29Knowing that even when we feel lost, God is there. And last, let me speak to some of you who are where I was as a three-year-old. I believe there are people here right now, and you might even possibly be a member of this church. And you are lost spiritually and you don't know it. And you are happy like me. You were just wandering around in the woods. And you don't understand there's a pond right there that you could drown in. And there's a hierarchy right there.41:59But you don't realize if you died today, you would die without the presence of God. Not because God has chosen that for you, because you are not putting your trust in Jesus Christ who was sent to rescue you. If you're lost here spiritually, and the Bible says you are, right? So in our sin, you're not sick, and one day you're going to recover. You're not lost, and one day you're going to find your way out. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. You don't come back from that.42:28Jesus says that no one is good except God. There's no one good that's here. But here's the hope in Jesus. Listen to these words in Luke 19. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. And the first step to you being saved is to say today, God, I realize for the first time I'm lost. And I'm not getting out alive, but I believe that Jesus is who he says he is.42:58That he died a sin, he lived a sinless life, he died on the cross, he rose.Next in Numbers →Sunday, February 10, 2019More sermons on Numbers →
