What makes him so special?
Series: Trust? (On The Hard Road)
Speaker: Chris Jones
Date: 15th September 2013
Passage: Numbers 12:1-16
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 God has a wonderful sense of humour and great ways of humbling his servants.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 So here I am preaching about humility.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:10 Let me tell you how the morning began.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:19 Needed to print out my sermon, needed to redo the service sheet
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 and the photocopier machine that we have, which is a magic machine,
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 had a major meltdown.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 And I come back in to pick up my work off the machine
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 and two people are standing there, two of you are standing there.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 I've apologised to one already, I'll get to the other one,
00:00:34 --> 00:00:39 saying it's all jammed up and it's just not working.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 And I said, somebody's physically turned the switch off on the site
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 because the switch was off on the site.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 And they're standing there going, wasn't me, wasn't me.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 And I'm thinking, well, somebody's turned it off.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 So we go through the cycle again, we turn it on,
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 we push the instruction on the top,
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 and as soon as we push the instruction on the top,
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 the switch on the side of the machine goes, click.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:07 I was wrong.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:09 It's hard to say, isn't it?
00:01:11 --> 00:01:12 Let's pray.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 Lord, as we come to your word this morning,
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 we pray that you would speak to us by your spirit.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 We pray that you would be at work in all of us,
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 transforming us into the likeness of Christ
00:01:24 --> 00:01:28 and wrestling with who we really are
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 and submitting to you as who you really are.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 And we pray this in Jesus' name and for his sake.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:35 Amen.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 To recap, we are on a journey.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 We had an intermission last week.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 We had back to church Sunday
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 and we've got one or two back with us this morning
00:01:43 --> 00:01:44 and that's fantastic.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:46 But we're on a journey.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 Before that, we've been on this journey in the Old Testament,
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 through the Old Testament book of Numbers.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:56 And we began the series in Numbers chapter 9
00:01:56 --> 00:02:01 and God leading his people on a journey to the land of promise.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 All was well.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:06 God was in their midst.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 The whole nation's life was centred on him.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 There was joy and purpose for living
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 which came from having God as the absolute centre of this nation.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 And so it was a journey that began a bit like a Ferrari ride
00:02:22 --> 00:02:23 if you've been on the upgraded M2,
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 the beautiful, smooth surface that it's got at the moment.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 It's fast.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:28 It's smooth.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:29 It's powerful.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 There's not a bump in the road.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 And then you get to Numbers chapter 11
00:02:34 --> 00:02:35 where we were last time
00:02:35 --> 00:02:39 and it is as if the Ferrari has turned off the highway
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 onto a rocky bush track
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 and the grumbles begin.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 The people complain about their difficult life.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 They quickly forget how hard it was before.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:54 They complain about the menu.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:59 They like economy class passengers on a flight to the United States.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:03 They're grizzling about the legroom, the service and the food.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:08 And Moses comes out one morning
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 and people are just sobbing all over the place.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 It says in Numbers 11,
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 they're standing, the whole families are standing
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 at the entrances of their tents,
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 just sobbing.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:23 And Moses is so overwhelmed by the people's demands,
00:03:23 --> 00:03:24 he melts down
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 and he makes this pitiful complaint to God,
00:03:27 --> 00:03:28 finishing with,
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 if this is how you are going to treat me,
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 do me a favour and put me to death right now.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:40 Don't try it.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:45 They are not in a good place.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 Short story is God judges the people.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 But the amazing thing is that God answers Moses
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 with a word which is to awaken faith.
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 Is the Lord's arm too short?
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 You will now see whether or not
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 what I say will come true for you.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:09 And we read on and you see that God does the impossible.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:10 He feeds the people.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:11 He judges them.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 But he tenderly provides for Moses.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 And he raises up 70 spirit-filled leaders
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 to assist him in the task of leading the nation.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 So God hears his complaint
00:04:24 --> 00:04:29 and provides for him in a very generous and personal way.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:33 And that leads us into Numbers chapter 12
00:04:33 --> 00:04:33 where we are today.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:35 So for Moses,
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 leadership clearly isn't easy.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 The complaints continue
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 but now they come from a different direction.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 This time they come from his right-hand man
00:04:44 --> 00:04:44 and his right-hand woman,
00:04:45 --> 00:04:46 both on the same side.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses
00:04:51 --> 00:04:52 because of his Cushite wife
00:04:52 --> 00:04:53 for he had married a Cushite.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 Has the Lord only spoken through Moses?
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 Hasn't he also spoken through us?
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 And the Lord heard this.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 So Miriam and Aaron are Moses' older brother and sister.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 They've both had very significant and prophetic roles
00:05:13 --> 00:05:14 in leading the people of Israel.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 Aaron was the high priest for the nation.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 He was also Moses' public address system.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 So when Moses spoke to the people,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 it was Aaron who did the talking.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:29 Miriam was probably the protective big sister
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 who watched over her baby brother
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 when their mum floated him in the Nile River.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 She was the woman in Exodus 15
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 who led the women of Israel
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 singing and praising God
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 when he saved them from the Egyptian army.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 Now she joyously grabbed the tambourine.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 She bounced all over the place.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:50 They danced and sang.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:51 She said,
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 Sing to the Lord for he's highly exalted.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:54 The horse and its rider
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 he has hurled into the sea.
00:05:56 --> 00:06:00 And so Moses and Aaron and Miriam
00:06:00 --> 00:06:04 were the leading people of the nation
00:06:04 --> 00:06:11 until the Lord appointed 70 spirit-filled leaders
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 to assist Moses.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 The leadership team's just been expanded
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 in a really big way
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 and not everyone's happy.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 Sort of like a family owned and run business
00:06:30 --> 00:06:31 merging with a corporation
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 with a whole lot of people
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 who are at a similar level of leadership.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 And there are many relationships to be juggled
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 as people find their place
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 in this new organisation.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:45 Job security,
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 potential loss of significance
00:06:48 --> 00:06:49 are big drivers
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 for many of us.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 And so what happens?
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 Well, two of the original three
00:06:57 --> 00:06:58 gang up on little brother.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 So verse 1,
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 Miriam and Aaron
00:07:02 --> 00:07:03 began to talk against Moses
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 because of his Cushite wife.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:07 For he'd married a Cushite.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 Has the Lord only spoken through him?
00:07:10 --> 00:07:16 And Moses gets what you call triangled.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 It's the sort of thing
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 that people do all the time.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 Your kids are having a fight.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 Two of your kids are having a fight.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 Well, your grandkids,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 they're having a fight
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 and you step in
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 and think you'll try and fix things.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:30 And all of a sudden,
00:07:30 --> 00:07:31 what do they do?
00:07:31 --> 00:07:31 They unite,
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 they form an alliance against you
00:07:33 --> 00:07:34 and you get sucked into the conflict
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 and they're firmly placed on the other side.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:43 See, Miriam and Aaron
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 speak against Moses
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 and the basis for their accusation
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 is his foreign wife.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:54 Exodus tells us her name is Zephora.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 She's a Moabites
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 who might have come from a place called Cushan.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 She may have had a different skin colour.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 She's descended from Abraham.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 But not from Israel.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 She hadn't been through the plagues in Egypt
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 or the journey through the bottom of the sea.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 She had remained with her dad
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 while Moses went
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 and confronted the king of Egypt.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 So we're not really sure
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 what their problem with her was.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:29 You know,
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 were they critical of her race?
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 Or that she hadn't been through the salvation
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 and the hard times
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 that they had been through?
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 Or that she had Moses' ear
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 in a way that they don't?
00:08:41 --> 00:08:41 But whatever it is,
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 it becomes the issue
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 that Miriam and Aaron
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 work themselves up into a lather over
00:08:46 --> 00:08:46 to the point
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 that they assert themselves against Moses.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:52 has the Lord only spoken through him?
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 And it's almost like,
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 well, what makes him so special?
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 Very Aussie.
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 They cut down the tall poppy
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 and they effectively say,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 he's no better than us.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 We've prophesied.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 And they are right
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 because the Lord has spoken
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 through both of them.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 But they are wrong
00:09:14 --> 00:09:18 because God has made Moses special
00:09:18 --> 00:09:23 and God has called Moses to his role.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 It's not a very easy thing
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 to be a leader
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 when other people think
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 they can do a better job than you.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 I've been there.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 And it's easy to think
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 that you are the better preacher
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 or that you have
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 the intellectual high ground
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 or that you have
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 a much better idea
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 of what is strategic
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 and what our leaders
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 should be doing.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 Most of us have spent
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 the last few weeks
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 being the wise ones
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 and articulating
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 what our prime minister
00:09:56 --> 00:09:56 and government
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 should be concerned about.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 We know how to do that job,
00:10:00 --> 00:10:00 don't we?
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 And it's very easy
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 when we challenge leadership
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 to be in the same time
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 what we're actually doing
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 is we're exalting ourselves.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 And so Miriam and Aaron
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 lift themselves to Moses' level.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 They don't try to go over his level,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 they just try to come up to his level.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 And they say,
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 has the Lord only spoken through Moses?
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 Hasn't he also spoken through us?
00:10:26 --> 00:10:31 But they're not innocent questions
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 because the challenge is on.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 And there is a very foreboding
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 and the Lord heard this.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 Verse 2.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 And God steps in
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 and he stands by his man.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 So verse 4,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 at once the Lord said to Moses
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 and to Aaron and to Miriam,
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 come out to the tent of meeting,
00:10:50 --> 00:10:50 all three of you,
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 get out here.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 So the three of them came out
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 and then the Lord came down
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 in a pillar of cloud
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 and he stood at the entrance to the tent
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 and he summoned Aaron and Miriam.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 And when both of them stepped forward,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:03 he said,
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 listen to my words.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:10 When a prophet of the Lord is among you,
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 I reveal myself to him in visions.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 I speak to him in dreams.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 But this is not true of my servant Moses.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 He is faithful in all my house.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 With him I speak face to face,
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 clearly and not in riddles.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 He sees the form of the Lord.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 Why then were you not afraid
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 to speak against my servant Moses?
00:11:36 --> 00:11:40 And verse 9,
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 the anger of the Lord burned against them
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 and he left them.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 They get a divine dressing down.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 My tent now, all of you.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 He presents himself in power.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 The pillar of cloud descends.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 He calls Aaron and Miriam
00:12:03 --> 00:12:03 and says,
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 step forward.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:10 They are prophets
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 and so are the 70 helpers.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 They declare the work and the words,
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 the work and the,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 the word and the works of God.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 If my spirit,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 if my sermon is spirit empowered this morning,
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 it is a prophetic word
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 in as much as it is a forth telling
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 of the word of God
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 in a way that engages our hearts
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 and is driven by the spirit of God.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 And I always pray that God would speak
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 through his proclaimed word,
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 whether it's a word we speak in public
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 or a word that we speak in private.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:51 And so any power is not mine,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 it's God's power.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 So the Lord doesn't mince words
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 telling Miriam and Moses
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 that when he is among them in prophecy,
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 it is him communicating his words
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 in dreams and visions.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 It's not them and their abilities,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 it's his power which is driving them.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 And then he says,
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 but Moses is different.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 He is my personal house servant.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 He is faithful to me.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 I speak with Moses man to man
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 and face to face
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 and he sees my form.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 I've got relationship with him
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 that I haven't got with you
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 in the same way.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:35 Moses doesn't have to make a name for himself.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 God gives him a wonderful rap.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 It's the Old Testament equivalent
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 of a New Testament well done
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 good and faithful servant.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 And so the question is,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 and it's God's question,
00:13:55 --> 00:13:58 why then were you not afraid
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 to speak against my servant Moses?
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 And this is not a question,
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 this is an accusation from God.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 And we're told in verse 9,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 the anger of the Lord
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 burned against them
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 and he left them.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:20 And he didn't just make an accusation,
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 he left Miriam
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 with leprosy like snow
00:14:25 --> 00:14:28 and probably with something
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 like a white flaky skin disease
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 all over her body,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 which would have been enough
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 to immediately make her unclean
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 and unable to come
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 amongst the people of God.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 But it was probably
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 a threat to her life
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 because Aaron just immediately
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 pleads with Moses,
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 please my Lord,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 do not hold this,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 hold against us the sin
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 that we have so foolishly committed.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 Do not let her be
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 like a stillborn infant
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 coming from its mother's womb
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 and with its flesh
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 half eaten away.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 It's quite a wonderful prayer.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 There's no ifs and buts.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 There's no excuses.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:15 There's no blame shifting.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 There's corporate ownership.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:23 We, not she.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 This is a sin
00:15:25 --> 00:15:29 which we have foolishly committed.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 Please don't let her rot away.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 Amen.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 Amen.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 Amen.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:45 It's liberating
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 to confess our sins
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 in God's presence.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 To not have to hide
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 from what we are really like.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 To be set free
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 from games of pretense.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 Have you ever done it?
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 I have.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 And it is absolutely freeing.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 And I don't just mean
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 private confession to God
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 we're on our knees at home
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 telling him what we've done.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 But I mean going to the person
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 that you have offended against.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 And owning your own offence
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 against them.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 I am sorry
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 I did gossip about you
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 when I said that.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 We read it all the time
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 from 1 John chapter 1
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 don't we?
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 If we confess our sins.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 God is faithful
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 and just
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 to forgive us our sins
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 and to cleanse us
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 from all unrighteousness.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 Aaron owns his sins
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 straight away.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 It's not cheap forgiveness.
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 They do come clean.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 They beg for mercy
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 from Moses.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 And Moses
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 with great grace
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 and probably great love
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 for his sister
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 cries to the Lord
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 Oh God
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 Oh God
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 please help her.
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 That could have been
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 a moment of power
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 for him couldn't it?
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 What can I milk
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 out of this moment?
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 Oh God
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 please help her.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 Failure in confession
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 is a very humbling thing.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 It's good for our souls.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 It's good for our relationships
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 with each other.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:38 It's good for our relationship
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 with God.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 And God responds
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 to Moses' intercession.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 It seems like Miriam
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 probably was healed
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 straight away.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 It's not specific.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 And then she was left
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 outside the camp
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 for seven days
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 while the whole nation
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 waited on her.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 A million people
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 waited for her
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 to go past
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 her period of cleansing.
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 She had done
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 a disgraceful thing
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 but she was
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 completely forgiven.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 And you get
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 this picture
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 that God
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 the way that God
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 treats her
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 is a picture
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 that says
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 sin matters
00:18:14 --> 00:18:17 but it's also
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 a picture
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 that says
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 that the grace
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 of God
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 is very large
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 indeed.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:28 there's something
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 else in this event
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 that is worth
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 noting.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 If you read
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 through that passage
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 you will see
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 that Moses
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 does not speak
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 a word
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 except to say
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 oh God
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 please help her.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 He says
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 nothing to defend
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 himself.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 He speaks
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 no word of
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 rebuke
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 to Miriam
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 and Aaron.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 Verse 3
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 tells us
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 something
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 which is
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 enormously
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 significant
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 Moses was
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 a very
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 humble man
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 more humble
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 than anybody
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 who had
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 ever lived.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 You think
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 well what does
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 that mean?
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 What does
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 that look like?
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 Because
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 Moses was a
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 man who had
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 been used
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 by God
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 in many
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 extraordinary
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 moments.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 He had
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 stared down
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 the king
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 of Egypt
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 while God
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 inflicted
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 his plagues.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:21 he had
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 raised
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 his staff
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 over the
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 waters
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 of the
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 Red Sea
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 and the
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 sea had
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 parted
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 when God
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 parted
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 the waters
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 and more
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 than a
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 million
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 people
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 passed
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 through
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 on dry
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 ground.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 He had
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 had the
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 experience
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 of relating
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 to God
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 man to
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 man
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 face to
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 face.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 He had
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 had unique
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 experiences
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 of God
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 and his
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 power.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 He had
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 had the
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 adrenaline
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 rush of
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 seeing God
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 do
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 extraordinary
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 things
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56 and yet
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 it says
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 he was a
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 humble man
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 more humble
00:19:58 --> 00:20:01 than anybody
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 who had
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 ever lived.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 The Hebrew
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 word which
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 is translated
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 humility
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 is used
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 in other
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 parts of
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 the Old
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 Testament
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 to mean
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 things like
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 poor.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 And
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 needy
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 and socially
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 weak and
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 afflicted and
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 humiliated.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 And you
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 can look at
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 Moses from
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 another direction
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 and say
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 well Moses
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 is afflicted
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 and he's
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 humiliated by
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 his own
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 people.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 He is
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 burdened and
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 he is
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 bowed down.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 And in
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 his great
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 moments of
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 power and
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 in his
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 personal
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 moments of
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 affliction
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 he is a
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 man whose
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 personal
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 ego is
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 submitted to
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 God's
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 will.
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 Whether
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 it's a
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 high high
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 or a
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 low low.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 So he
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 can walk
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 in glory,
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 he can walk
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 in humiliation
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 and he
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 is humble.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 He lives
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 in close
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 personal
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 relationship
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 with God
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 but with
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 his ego
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 in submission
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 to the
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 Lord.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 humility.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 I think
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 humility is
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 what lies
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 behind the
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 apostle Paul
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 saying in
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 Philippians 4
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 12,
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 I know
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 what it is
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 to be in
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 need and
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 I know
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 what it is
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 to have
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 plenty.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 I have
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 learned the
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 secret of
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 being content
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 in any
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 and every
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 situation.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:34 I think
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 this is a
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 lesson for
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 me, I'm
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 still growing
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 in my
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 understanding
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 of this
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 but when
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 we think
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 humility
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 we as
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 Aussies I
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 think often
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 think of
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 somebody who
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 doesn't have
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 tickets on
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 themselves or
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 who is
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 self-effacing,
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 a person who
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 deflects attention
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 away from
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 themselves so
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 you've done
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 something that
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 people acknowledge
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 and say it's
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 really great,
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 oh no, no, no,
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 it was nothing,
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 it wasn't me.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 But it's not
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 humility if we
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 crawl away into
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 a hole really
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 wanting the
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 glory on
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 ourselves.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 A humble
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 person gives
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 glory where
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 glory is due.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 So for a
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 humble person
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 God's glory
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 comes before
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 our own
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 ego.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 If Christ
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 has gifted
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 you, maybe
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 in work which
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 you do or
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 ministry, work
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 that you do in
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 your workplace or
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 work that you do
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 in ministry,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:30 ministry, and
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 if he has
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 called you to
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 humble service
00:22:32 --> 00:22:34 in those things,
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 then give him
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 the glory by
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 using those
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 gifts in his
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 service and to
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 his glory.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 Do them well
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 in his name.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 And maybe
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 Christ has put
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 you in a
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 lowly place, a
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 hard place, a
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 place of
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 suffering, a
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 place maybe
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 where your
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 work is not
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 seen or
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 acknowledged by
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 anybody at
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 all.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 home.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 I still
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 think of a
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 young woman
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 working in the
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 kitchen at a
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 youth camp.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 Everybody wants
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 to do the big
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 high profile
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 tasks, you
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 know, counsellor
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 to the kids or
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 speaker at the
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 youth events and
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 all those sorts of
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 things.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 And this woman
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 worked in the
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 kitchen in a
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 way that
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 wasn't just a
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 job to do, it
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 was the ministry
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 that she was
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 doing in serving
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 everybody at
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 the camp.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 No personal
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 acknowledgement by
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 most, but one
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 or two did see.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 And it says
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 heaps.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 She was
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 humble.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 She served
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 Christ.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 She gave him the
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 glory in what she
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 was doing.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 See, Miriam and
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 Aaron let their
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 pride run away
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 from them.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 Now, they were
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 anything other
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 than humble.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:50 they made a
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 grasp for
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 recognition and
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 exalted themselves
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 when God was
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 clearly raising up
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 other leaders
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 around them.
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 And they
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 exalted themselves
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 over God's
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 appointed leader,
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 Moses.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 Philippians chapter
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 two says in
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 verses three and
00:24:06 --> 00:24:08 four, do
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 nothing, it
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 says to us,
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 do nothing out
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 of selfish
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 ambition or
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 vain conceit,
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 but in
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 humility consider
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 others better
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 than yourselves.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 Each of you
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 should look not
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 only to your
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 own interests,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 but also to
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 the interests
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 of others.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 And I think
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 one of the
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 things that
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 Philippians is
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 showing us is
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 that humility's
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 opposite is
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 our own selfish
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 ambition and
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 vain conceit,
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 glory taken for
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 ourselves.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 So life becomes
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 about me and
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 my issues and I
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 am always the
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 first one in
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 line for the
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 things I need
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 help with.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:50 Aaron and
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 Miriam made a
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 grasp for their
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 own position and
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 place, two
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 ganged up on
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 three.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 Moses was
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 different.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 He put the
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 interests of the
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 nation ahead of
00:24:58 --> 00:25:00 his own numbers
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 of times.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 God even
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 offered at one
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 point to wipe
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 everybody else
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 out and make
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 him the head of
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 a dynasty,
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 start again with
00:25:07 --> 00:25:07 a brand new
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 family and he
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 would be king
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 pin, top
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 dog.
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 God and
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 Moses said
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 no because
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 he was
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 concerned for
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 God's name
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 and God's
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 glory if
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 God did
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 such a
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 thing.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 So humility
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 is not
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 selfish.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 Humble men
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 and women
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 have their
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 egos submitted
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 to Christ
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 and to his
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 purposes.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 When
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 Numbers was
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 written,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 Moses was
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 indeed the
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 most humble
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 man who
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 had ever
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 lived.
00:25:39 --> 00:25:41 But
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 Philippians
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 goes on
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 to use
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 Christ,
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 not Moses,
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 as the
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 ultimate
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 humble man.
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 Your
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 attitude
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 should be
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 the same
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 as that
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 of Christ
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 Jesus,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 who being
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 in very
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 nature
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 God,
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 did not
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 consider
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 equality
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 with God
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 something
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 to be
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 grasped,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 but made
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 himself
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 nothing,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 taking the
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 very nature
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 of a
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 servant,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 being made
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 in human
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 likeness
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 and being
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 found in
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 appearance
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 as a
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 man,
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 he humbled
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 himself and
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 became
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 obedient to
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 death,
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 even death
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 on a
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 cross.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 Christ
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 is the
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 ultimate
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 example of
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 humility.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 Christ
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 Jesus,
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 God
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 himself,
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 did not
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 assert himself
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 or his
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 rights.
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 He did
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 not make a
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 shortcut grasp
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 for power.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 God
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 said,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 he could
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 have
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 called a
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 legion
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 of angels
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 to save
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 himself
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 from the
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 cross.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 He
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 submitted
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 himself,
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 he yielded
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 his ego
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 in faith
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 and trust
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 to the
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 will and
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 purposes
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 of his
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 heavenly
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 father.
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 My
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 father,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 take this
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 cup from
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 me,
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 but not
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 my will,
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 but yours
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 be done.
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 Father,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 into your
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 hands I
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 commit my
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 spirit.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:03 Christ
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 knew who
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 he was.
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 He knew
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 who his
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 father was.
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 He knew
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 what the
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 mission was.
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 He did
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 not
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 accidentally
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 die.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 He became
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 obedient to
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 death,
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 even the
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 humiliation
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 of death
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 on a
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 cross at
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 the hands
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 of the
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 people that
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 he had
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 made.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Christ
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 submitted
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 his own
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 ego to
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 glorious
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 purpose that
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 his father
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 would achieve.
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 And that
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 is why
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 in Philippians
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 2 it
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 says that
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 God exalted
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 him to
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 the highest
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 place and
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 gave him the
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 name that
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 is above
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 every name,
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 that at
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 the name of
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 Jesus every
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 knee should
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 bow in
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 heaven and
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 on earth
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 and under
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 the earth,
00:27:50 --> 00:27:52 and every
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 tongue confess
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 that Jesus
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 Christ is
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 Lord to
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 the glory
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 of God
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 the Father.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:58 God
00:27:58 --> 00:28:01 stood by
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 his man
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 and he
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 vindicated
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 him.
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 God
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 stood by
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 his man
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 Moses
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 and he
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 vindicated
00:28:08 --> 00:28:08 him.
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 We can
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 be absolutely
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 confident that
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 if we will
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 humble ourselves
00:28:14 --> 00:28:16 and submit
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 our egos to
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 the glorious
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 Lord Jesus
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 Christ,
00:28:19 --> 00:28:21 then he will
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 vindicate us.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 A life
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 lived for
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 him will
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 never be
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 wasted.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 1 Peter
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 chapter 5
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 says all
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 of you
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 clothe
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 yourselves
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 with humility
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 toward one
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 another because
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 God opposes
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 the proud but
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 gives grace to
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 the humble.
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 Humble
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 yourselves
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 therefore under
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 God's mighty
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 hand that he
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 may lift you
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 up in due
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 time.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 Cast all
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 your anxiety
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 on him
00:28:50 --> 00:28:52 because he
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 cares for
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 you.
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 God
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 intervenes to
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 protect his
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 people.
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 Humble
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 authenticity
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 is rightly
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 one of the
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 seven core
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 values of
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 St.
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 Paul's.
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 Let me
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 finish by
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 reminding you
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 what it
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 says.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 As a
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 church we
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 seek to
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 declare war
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 on the
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 daily
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 tendency
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 towards
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 self-sufficiency
00:29:14 --> 00:29:16 and the
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 desire to
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 live
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 independently
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 of God.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 The
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 promise of
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 God in
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 James 4
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 6 is
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 that he
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 gives
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 grace to
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 the
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 humble.
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 We are
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 convinced
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 that no
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 effective
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 growth,
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 ministry or
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 mission
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 happens
00:29:32 --> 00:29:34 without the
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 cultivation
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 of humility
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 in the
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 heart and
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 the weakening
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 of pride in
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 this life.
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 And we
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 therefore seek
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 our words and
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 actions to be
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 what we believe
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 and teach from
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 God's word.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:50 brothers and
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 sisters you do
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 not need to be
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 a great one to
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 be humble.
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 It is a
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 wonderful thing
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 to submit our
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 egos to
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 Christ and to
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 walk in
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 submission to
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 him.
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 Amen.