Discontent and Dissatisfied
St. Paul's Anglican Church Chatswood - SermonsAugust 31, 201325:5035.5 MB

Discontent and Dissatisfied

Discontent and Dissatisfied

Series: Trust? (On The Hard Road)

Speaker: Chris Jones

Date: 1st September 2013

Passage: Numbers 11:1-35


00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 In Hebrews chapter 10, believers are warned that it is a fearful thing,
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 or they're warned about deliberately continuing to sin
00:00:09 --> 00:00:13 and going back to their old life after experiencing God's truth.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:19 And the only thing which is really left for us if we do that is to expect God's judgment.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 And in very strong language he says,
00:00:22 --> 00:00:27 How much more severely do you think a person deserves to be punished
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,
00:00:30 --> 00:00:35 who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that made him holy,
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 and who has insulted the spirit of grace?
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 And he concludes chapter 10 of Hebrews by saying,
00:00:43 --> 00:00:47 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:53 To deliberately reject the grace of God is to put yourself in a place
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 where there is nothing else but to expect judgment.
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 God is no fool.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 He knows our hearts.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:06 He knows the deep attitudes that we have towards him and towards his purposes.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 We have been shown immense grace in Christ.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 He has powerfully overcome our sin.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 He has graciously brought us to faith.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:18 He has saved us.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:23 And God has done all that is required to make us safe from his judgment.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:28 So one of the messages of the Bible is very clear.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:33 If you reject salvation in Christ, you must expect his judgment.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:35 And in the words of Hebrews,
00:01:35 --> 00:01:40 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:46 When you come to Numbers chapter 11, you read about trouble for the first time.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 And God is very angry.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 The first 10 chapters flow really smoothly.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 Israel's life is built around God.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:00 His presence is in their midst physically, in the center of their camp.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:01 God is with them.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:05 Life revolves around the Lord.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 It revolves around his purposes.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 The nation moved when the pillar of cloud moved.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 The nation camped when the pillar of cloud stopped.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 Their desert journey was a journey which was led by God.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:23 And last week, if you were here, you would have seen that his presence was with them.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:25 He led them.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 He protected them.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:32 The Israelites were actually set free from having to run their own lives and figure out their careers.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:38 Their lives, present and future, were caught up in the life of God and of his people.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 Life was very straightforward.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:47 But in Numbers 11, the problems begin.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:55 And the people of God begin to learn that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 And there's three complaints.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:04 And two of these complaints come from the people and one of the complaints comes from Moses himself.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:09 So verses 1 and 2, if you're following with me, Numbers 11, where Leslie's just read to us from.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:14 The people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:19 And when he heard them, his anger was aroused.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:26 And then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:32 And when the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:34 So they're having a whinge.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:40 They've just gone the first three days of their 40-year journey.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:44 And they're already complaining about it.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:47 We're not told the details.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 We know that they haven't got homes.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:51 They're living in tents.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 They have to walk a lot.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 They eat the same food all the time.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 It's almost like, you know, you take the kids on holidays to Queensland.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 And they're already asking, how much longer?
00:04:03 --> 00:04:04 Is there anything else to eat?
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 Haven't you got something else except tiny teddies?
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 I don't like tiny teddies.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 And it's all happened before you've crossed the Hawkesbury River.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:15 Very human.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 It happens with adults as well.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:20 I've been in small groups.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 Not in this church, of course.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 People top one another with stories of difficulty.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:41 So the first dad in his small group, being Father's Day, because we couldn't pick on mums,
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 you wouldn't believe what last night was like.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 Up for two hours with a crying baby.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 Second dad, he tops that.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:58 Three hours and a couple of changes of wet bedding and then off to work with the insufferable boss.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:07 So we're really good at whinging and complaining and it gets us going and we relate to one another through it.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 But the problem is in verse 1, it says,
00:05:12 --> 00:05:18 The Lord heard and his anger was aroused.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:21 And do you know why?
00:05:21 --> 00:05:30 Because in the end, they are complaining about the circumstances that he is leading them through.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:38 And their perspectives skewed and as they enjoy their little grumble, God gets very angry.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:46 And in three days, they've had 400 years of suffering erased from their memory as though it never happened.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:50 And discontent and dissatisfaction reign supreme.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 And God's judgment flares.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:02 Fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 And again, not a lot of detail,
00:06:05 --> 00:06:13 But fire on the outskirts of a tense city with a million people is a threat to the whole camp.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 They thought their problems were bad.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 They now know that God's judgment is even worse.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 And there's a really interesting response to God's judgment.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:26 Verse 2,
00:06:26 --> 00:06:35 People speak to Moses.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 Moses speaks to the Lord.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 The judgment passes.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 And you see this pattern.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 The pattern is the people complain.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:43 They sinned.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:45 God judged.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 Moses intercedes.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:49 God saves.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 God saves.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:56 And so the people are saved from God's judgment by the intercessor that God appoints.
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 And you see something similar throughout the Bible,
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 But especially perhaps in the book of Judges.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 The people forget God.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:03 They sin.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 God sends an enemy who oppresses them for a time.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 And when the people have suffered enough,
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 God sends a judge to rescue them and to make them safe.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 When believers sin,
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 When people like us sin,
00:07:18 --> 00:07:24 Sometimes we have to experience a level of pain before we humble ourselves
00:07:24 --> 00:07:28 And ask for our Heavenly Father's mercy.
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 We try to tough it out.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 We persevere in disobedience before yielding to the Lord
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 And doing what he invites us to do,
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 Like if we confess our sins.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 God is faithful.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 And God is just.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:49 And he will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 Or Hebrews chapter 8,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:56 Which reminds us that we do have such a high priest
00:07:56 --> 00:08:01 Who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:05 The one that we pray to.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 The one who intercedes for our sins in heaven.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 Is Jesus himself.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:16 And so I think when you look at this first grumble and how God deals with it,
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 It's more like parental discipline.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 He's a father.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:26 He brings punishment which doesn't harm their persons.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:32 But it does frighten them back to repentance and faith.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 The second complaint is much more serious and it's about food.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 If you can believe it.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:46 If only we had meat to eat.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:47 Verse 5.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:50 No cost.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:54 And also the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, the garlic.
00:08:56 --> 00:09:00 Now we've lost our appetite and we never see anything but this manna.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 They've been watching MasterChef on the Arabian Peninsula.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 We're sick of this manna.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:09 We want meat.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:10 We want meat.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:15 And it's a grumble against God's miraculous provision of manna.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 And worse, this is the worst part.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 They remember Egypt.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:24 Their hearts are turned to Egypt and not to God.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:28 They're focused on what they haven't got rather than grateful for what they do have.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 And it's a really skewed remembrance.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:35 We had great food and it didn't cost us anything, they say.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 It's almost like, you know, you're in the middle of an election campaign
00:09:38 --> 00:09:43 where a whole lot of facts are suddenly erased from collective memory.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 They were slaves for 400 years.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 They were terribly oppressed.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 They were crying out for deliverance.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 And verse 10.
00:09:55 --> 00:10:08 Just awful.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:12 This grumble has spread.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 Every family is wailing.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:19 And God this time, not just is his anger aroused, he is hot with anger.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:23 And Moses is troubled.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 He's discouraged.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 He's leading a nation where everybody's attention's on their stomach
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 and what they're not getting for dinner.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 They are totally discontent.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:39 And Moses is standing there and he's feeling the pressure as though this problem is his to fix and it's not.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:46 And God fixes it with this ironic judgment.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 You want meat?
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 I'll give you meat.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 Verse 19.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:53 You will eat it not just for one day or two days or five or ten or twenty,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:57 but for a whole month until it comes out your nostrils and you loathe it
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 because you have rejected the Lord who is among you
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 and have wailed before him saying,
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 Why did we ever leave Egypt?
00:11:09 --> 00:11:19 They're hankering back into their old life with all its agonies and distortions.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 We do that.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:33 God brings us to new life in Christ and we look back and we see the fun that everybody else seems to be having
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 and we make a grab for it.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:44 I remember the drug addict on the northern beaches wonderfully converted to Christ
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 and came into our church and into our small group.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 And he had a background in using women
00:11:50 --> 00:11:56 and it was quite thrilling to see the changes God was working in his life
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 until he began using women again in our church.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:07 He loved Egypt too much and he turned his back on the grace and mercy
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 that he had come to know in Christ.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 And as far as I know, he has never come back.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:23 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:27 You jump to verse 32.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:31 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:35 No one gathered less than ten homers.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 That's donkey loads.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 And they spread them out all around the camp.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 But while the meat was still between their teeth
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 and before it could be consumed,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 the anger of the Lord burned against the people
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 and he struck them with a severe plague.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:57 And therefore the place was named Kibroth Hatava.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 Leslie did that much better than me.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:04 Because they buried the people who had craved other food.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 This time people die for their sin.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 They reject the Lord
00:13:13 --> 00:13:16 and they experience his judgment.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:23 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 Third complaint from Moses.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 And most of the passage is about God's response to it.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 Verse 11, he asks the Lord,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 Why have you brought this trouble on your servant?
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 What have I done to displease you
00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 that you put the burden of all these people on me?
00:13:44 --> 00:13:48 Did I conceive all these people?
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 Did I give them birth?
00:13:49 --> 00:13:52 Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 as a nurse carries an infant
00:13:53 --> 00:13:57 to the land that you promised on oath to our forefathers?
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 Where can I get meat for all these people?
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 They keep wailing to me,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 Give us meat to eat.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 I can't carry all these people by myself.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 The burden is too heavy for me.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 If this is how you're going to treat me,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 put me to death right now.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 If I have found favour in your eyes,
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 do not let me face my own ruin.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 Let me die.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 It's pathetic.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 I'm not saying I would have done any better,
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 but it's pathetic.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:30 He has a sort of a meltdown or even burnout.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 Verse 11,
00:14:34 --> 00:14:38 he is right to say that God has brought the trouble on him.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 God has called him,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 he's appointed him to lead,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 and leadership does mean bearing the sinful responses
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 of people who think they know better.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:54 And you get a huge insight
00:14:54 --> 00:14:57 into what it's like to be in Moses' shoes
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 when he says,
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 in verse 11,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 what have I done to displease you
00:15:03 --> 00:15:07 that you put the burden of these people on me?
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 He's very quick to presume
00:15:15 --> 00:15:19 that his difficulties are some sort of divine chastisement
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 or punishment,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 like his heavenly father is dishing out on him
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 in some way.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 It's like in John 9,
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 when the Pharisees asked Jesus
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 about the man who had been born blind
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 and their presumption,
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 you know,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 who sinned?
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 This man or his parents
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 that he was born blind?
00:15:40 --> 00:15:44 And in John 9,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 Jesus shows
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 that it's a completely wrong assumption.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 It's got nothing to do
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 with their weakness or sin.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 His blindness
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 is part of the purpose of God
00:15:56 --> 00:15:59 that he will be glorified.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:05 It is always a very cruel thing
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 and a wrong thing
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 to be quick
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 to link poverty
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 or sickness
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 or difficulties
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 in families
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 to sin.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 You see,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 it's in how we respond
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 to difficulty
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 that we can glorify Christ.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 Glad we've got the Fitzroys with us this morning
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 because the Fitzroys family
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 has been
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 on an exceedingly difficult journey
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 the last few months.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 And watching them respond
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 in faith
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 in very testing circumstances
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 is an enormous encouragement
00:16:42 --> 00:16:46 to see their God-given joy
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 even as they grapple
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 with difficulty
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 that is immense
00:16:50 --> 00:16:54 as they journey in faith.
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 We saw last week
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 that God is in the midst
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 of his people.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 God is with his people.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 It's why we can be confident
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 with Romans 8
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 that in every circumstance
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 God is working
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 his purposes out
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 for good
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 in the lives
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 of his people.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 Moses feels like
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 it is all too hard.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 The whole nation
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 is bleeding.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 He's feeling the pressure.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 The pressure
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 is almost unbearable
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 unbearable
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 and the future
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 seems
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 very dim.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 I ran ahead of God
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 on Thursday.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 I was in a low hole
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 wondering
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 why I had ever said yes
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 to the trip
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 to South Africa
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 in five weeks time
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 with all the problems
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 that have arisen.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 And last week
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 God encouraged me
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 with perfect timing
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 and I was on top
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 of the world
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 feeling like
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 he's in control.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 and this week
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 it was quiet
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 and I didn't hear
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 anything
00:17:58 --> 00:18:01 and I went low
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 and I began
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 to pray
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 for God's timing
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 and God's working
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 things out
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 and I rang
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 Darian in South
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 Africa
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 and I said
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 I'm feeling low
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 what's happening
00:18:12 --> 00:18:15 and he was
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 a great comfort
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 and he told me
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 lots of good things
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 that are happening
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 in the background.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 But I was
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 disappointed in myself.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 I wished
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 I had waited
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 patiently
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 a little longer.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 I put it
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 in God's hands
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 in the morning
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 and I was taking it
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 back into my own hands
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 in the afternoon.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 There is joy
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 in faith.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:43 There is great joy
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 and peace
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 to be found
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 in trusting God
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 and being patient
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 in difficulty.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 It is hugely
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 reassuring
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 to later see
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 that God
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 is in control.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 Moses is wrong
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 to think
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 that God
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 is punishing him
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 and you see
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 that by the way
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 that God
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 treats him
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 over the other
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 part
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 of this complaint.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 It's a two-fold
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 complaint.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 What have I done?
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 Verse 11.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 What have I done
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 to displease you
00:19:13 --> 00:19:16 that you have
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 put the burden
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 of all these
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 people on me?
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 Second part.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 You have put
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 the burden
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 of all these
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 people on me.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 Did I conceive
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 them?
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 Where can I
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 get meat?
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 I can't carry
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 this burden
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 by myself.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 Again,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 it's echoes
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 of the New Testament.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 Jesus feeding
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 the 5.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 He turned
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 to his disciples.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 5 people
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 out there
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 and not a
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 McDonald's
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 in sight
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 and he turns
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 to his disciples
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 and said,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 you guys
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 give them
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 something to eat.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 And their
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 response is
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 incredulous.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 Where can we
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 get food
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 for all these
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 people?
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 They express
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 their own
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 limitation.
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 They can't
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 do it
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 and Moses
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 can't do it
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 either
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 and God
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 knows that
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 he can't
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 do it.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:06 But Moses
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 can't imagine
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 how God
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 could do
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 such a
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 thing.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 Here I
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 am,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 I'm among
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 600
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 men on
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 foot and
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 you say
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 I will
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 give them
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 meat to
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 eat for
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 a whole
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 month.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 Verse 22,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 would they
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 have enough
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 if flocks
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 and herds
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 were slaughtered
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 for them?
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 Would they
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 have enough
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 if all
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 the fish
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 in the
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 sea were
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 caught
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 for them?
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 And
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 verse 23,
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 the Lord
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 answered
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 Moses,
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 is the
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 Lord's
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 arm
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 too
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 short?
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 You
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 will see
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 now
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 whether or
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 not
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 what I
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 say
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 will
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 come
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 true
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 for
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 you.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 This
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 is a
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 great
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 statement
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 question.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 Is the
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 Lord's
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 arm
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 too
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 short?
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 Ever
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 felt like
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 you're
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 standing
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 in an
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 impossible
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 situation
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 with no
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 way
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 out?
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 Huge
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 problems
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 surrounding
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 you
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 every way
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 you look?
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 thinking
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 God is
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 asking you
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 to do
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 something
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 which is
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 beyond
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 your
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 means
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 or your
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 capacity
00:21:02 --> 00:21:05 and God
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 speaks
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 very gently
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 to Moses
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 and says
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 is the
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 Lord's
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 arm
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 too
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 short?
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 See
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 Moses is
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 learning about
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 himself,
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 what God
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 expects of
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 him.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 He's not
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 the saviour,
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 God is.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 There are
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 limits to
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 his ability
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 to lead
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 God's
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 people.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 Moses
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 has an
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 incredibly
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 important
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 role.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 He speaks
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 to the
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 people on
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 behalf of
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 God and
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 he also
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 speaks to
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 God on
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 behalf of
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 the people
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 but he
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 isn't
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 God.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 Only
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 God can
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 do what
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 God will
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 do and
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 God makes
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 provision for
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 Moses in a
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 very practical
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 way.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 Verse 16,
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 the Lord
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 said to
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 Moses,
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 bring me
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 70 of
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 Israel's
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 leaders who
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 are known
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 to you as
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 leaders and
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 officials among
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 the people.
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 Have them
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 come to the
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 tent of
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 meeting that
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 they may
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 stand there
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 with you
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 and I
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 will come
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 down and
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 speak with
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 you there
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 and I
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 will take
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 the spirit
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 that is on
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 you and
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 put the
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 spirit on
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 them and
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 they will
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 help you to
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 carry the
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 burden of
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 the people so
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 that you
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 will not have
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 to carry it
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 alone.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 And then
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 in verse 25,
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 he took of
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 the spirit
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 that was on
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 him and
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 put the
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 spirit on
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 the 70
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 elders and
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 when the
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 spirit rested
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 on them they
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 prophesied but
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 they did not
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 do it again.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 See God
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 raises up
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 people to
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 help him,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 men with
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 God's spirit
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 chosen by
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 God.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 Huge
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 parallels to
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 the early
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 chapters of
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 Acts of the
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 Apostles in
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 the New
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 Testament when
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 Christ was
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 building his
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 church.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 In Acts
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 chapter 2,
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 the spirit
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 of God
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 poured out
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 on all
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 believers at
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 Pentecost and
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 they prophesied.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 They preached
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 the gospel of
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 the Lord Jesus
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 Christ in the
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 languages of
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 the nations
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 who were
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 present.
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 In Acts
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 chapter 6,
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 the believers
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 appointed seven
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 men from
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 among you who
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 are known to
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 be full of
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 the spirit
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 and of
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 wisdom.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 The load
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 of ministry
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 leadership was
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 authenticated by
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 God.
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 And it was
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 expanded and
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 it was
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 shared.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 God was
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 very kind to
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 Moses.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 He provided
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 others to
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 help him.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 So the
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 work of
00:23:27 --> 00:23:29 ministry is
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 shared by a
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 body of
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 believers united
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 in submission to
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 God and
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 empowered by
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 God.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 It's a
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 brilliant picture
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 of what a
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 well-functioning
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 growing church
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 might look
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 like.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 For Moses
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 and for us
00:23:47 --> 00:23:50 it is quite a
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 wonderful thing
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 to fall into
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 the hands of
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 the living God.
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 So Numbers 11
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 is an amazing
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 chapter.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 There's a lot
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 more that could
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 be said and
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 especially about
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 the operation of
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 the spirit in
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 this chapter and
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 you can tackle me
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 at morning tea if
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 you want to go
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 there.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 But there are
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 three complaints
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 and God deals
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 with them in
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 three ways.
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 He's angry with
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 their grumbling.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 He disciplines
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 them as
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 children.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 He leads them
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 back in repentance
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 and faith when
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 they cry out to
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 Moses who intercedes
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 on their behalf.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 God is
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 exceedingly angry
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 when they turn
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 their backs on
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 God's salvation.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 They turn their
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 backs on the one
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 way of salvation
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 that God gives
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 them and they
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 experience judgment
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 and death.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 And when Moses
00:24:45 --> 00:24:47 complains he is
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 wrong to think
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 that God is
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 punishing him.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 And he was also
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 wrong to think
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 that the burden
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 of ministry was
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 his to bear
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 alone.
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 God provided
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 tenderly for
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 him.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 So friends
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 there are safe
00:25:03 --> 00:25:05 ways and there
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 are unsafe ways
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08 to fall into
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 the hands of
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 the living God.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 Safe ways
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 see us
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 disciplined,
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 corrected,
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 cared for
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 as children
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 by a loving
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 heavenly father.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 Unsafe ways
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 lead to judgment
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 and death
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 at the hands
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 of the sovereign
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 king over all
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 creation.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 Life
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 versus
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 death.
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 death.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 Jesus
00:25:31 --> 00:25:34 says in
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 John 3
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 36
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 whoever
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 believes in
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 the son
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 has eternal
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 life.
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 But whoever
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 rejects the
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 son will not
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 see life
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 for God's
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 wrath remains
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 on him.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 Amen.