WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.879 Well, good morning, church. It's good to see you all this morning. Would you turn with me to the book of Numbers? 00:00:06.700 --> 00:00:11.640 ! Today, we'll be looking at chapters 13 and 14. That's page 113 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:13.179 --> 00:00:19.480 If you turn to page 113 and it's not Numbers 13, that means you have one of the new editions of the Pew Bible. Lucky you, 00:00:20.039 --> 00:00:22.019 it's somewhere close to there. You'll find it. 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:27.379 If you're new to the Bible, then the chapters are the big numbers and the verses are the little numbers. 00:00:27.379 --> 00:00:31.980 We have a long passage today that we're going to look through. We'll skim through some of the 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:40.560 paragraphs, but just follow along with me as we pick up. Let me pray first as we come to God's Word. 00:00:45.239 --> 00:00:51.420 Our Father in heaven, we thank you for these moments that we get on Sunday mornings to gather 00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:59.100 together. Lord, throughout our recent Sunday school class, we've been thinking about other parts of the 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:07.040 world where gathering is not so easy. Lord, where there's much danger gathering on a Sunday morning. 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:14.540 So, we're just grateful. We're grateful to be able to meet, to open your Word, to read it, to be edified 00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:19.480 by it. And as we do so, we remember that we do so with your people throughout the world, 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:22.719 your people who are coming to your Word, 00:01:24.580 --> 00:01:27.719 so that we might hear what your Spirit is saying to us today, 00:01:28.920 --> 00:01:33.520 so that we might walk faithfully and worthily of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 00:01:33.520 --> 00:01:36.440 and fix our eyes on Him once again. 00:01:36.439 --> 00:01:43.920 So, we pray that by your Spirit, you would allow us to do that, allow us to understand, apply, 00:01:45.239 --> 00:01:49.280 and be transformed by your Word today. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:53.920 All right, Numbers 13. I'm going to pick up at the end of chapter 12 just for context. 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:56.159 We'll read some of this, and then we'll dive in. 00:01:57.459 --> 00:02:01.759 After that, the people set out from Hazaroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran. 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:04.160 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 00:02:04.900 --> 00:02:08.560 Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. 00:02:09.319 --> 00:02:13.520 From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them. 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:18.840 So, Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:22.259 all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel. 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:26.420 And then, in verses 4 through 16, are the names listed of those men by their tribes. 00:02:26.480 --> 00:02:29.340 You can scan over those names down to verse 17. We'll pick up there. 00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:33.659 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, 00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:38.860 Go up into the Negev and go into the hill country and see what the land is, 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:42.640 and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they're many or few, 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:45.939 and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, 00:02:46.620 --> 00:02:50.099 and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:53.379 and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:56.980 Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land. 00:02:56.979 --> 00:03:02.139 Now, the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:08.239 And then, in verses 21 through 24, it says how the spies successfully spied out the land 00:03:08.239 --> 00:03:12.659 and how incredibly fruitful the land was, and then we pick up in 25 when they return. 00:03:12.739 --> 00:03:15.500 At the end of 40 days, they return from spying out the land. 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.379 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:21.319 in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. 00:03:21.899 --> 00:03:24.120 They brought back word to them and to all the congregation 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:25.960 and show them the fruit of the land. 00:03:26.819 --> 00:03:27.520 And they told them, 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:29.920 We came to this land to which you sent us. 00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:32.879 It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:37.140 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, 00:03:37.700 --> 00:03:40.219 and the cities are fortified, very large. 00:03:40.860 --> 00:03:43.340 And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 00:03:43.340 --> 00:03:46.860 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negev. 00:03:47.479 --> 00:03:50.640 The Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:54.379 And the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the Jordan. 00:03:56.060 --> 00:03:59.080 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:04.980 Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it. 00:04:06.099 --> 00:04:07.699 Then the men who had gone up with him said, 00:04:07.699 --> 00:04:10.479 We are not able to go up against the people, 00:04:10.579 --> 00:04:11.939 for they are stronger than we are. 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:16.839 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:18.259 that they had spied out, saying, 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:21.860 The land through which we have gone to spy it out 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:23.759 is a land that devours its inhabitants, 00:04:24.019 --> 00:04:26.839 and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:28.259 And there we saw the Nephilim, 00:04:28.919 --> 00:04:30.019 the sons of Anak, 00:04:30.019 --> 00:04:31.480 who come from the Nephilim, 00:04:31.899 --> 00:04:34.800 and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers. 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:37.240 And so we seemed to them. 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:41.560 And all the congregation raised a loud cry, 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:43.240 and the people wept that night. 00:04:43.939 --> 00:04:47.160 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 00:04:47.520 --> 00:04:49.220 The whole congregation said to them, 00:04:49.620 --> 00:04:52.220 Would that we had died in the land of Egypt, 00:04:52.540 --> 00:04:54.620 or would that we had died in this wilderness. 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:59.000 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:02.080 Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:05.439 Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:07.979 And they said to one another, 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:12.740 Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt. 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:15.219 All right, let's pause there. 00:05:18.299 --> 00:05:19.319 On the surface, 00:05:20.439 --> 00:05:22.680 doesn't this seem kind of hard to believe? 00:05:24.060 --> 00:05:26.419 How could they possibly want to return to Egypt? 00:05:27.039 --> 00:05:27.360 Right? 00:05:27.479 --> 00:05:30.680 After all they had seen and experienced up to that point, 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:34.459 here they are on the verge of the promised land. 00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:36.959 How could they want to turn back now? 00:05:38.019 --> 00:05:41.079 The whole story from Exodus 1 up until this point 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:42.699 has had one plot line, 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:44.139 rescuing the people, 00:05:44.460 --> 00:05:47.480 God doing everything necessary to take them into the land. 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:51.439 God had fulfilled so many of His promises. 00:05:51.620 --> 00:05:54.360 The people were now a great nation, massive in number. 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:57.460 They'd been liberated from slavery and oppression and death in Egypt. 00:05:57.459 --> 00:06:00.120 They'd been given His instructions and commandments 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:03.579 so that they might be His people and display His glory in the world. 00:06:04.139 --> 00:06:07.419 And now, right when they're at the climactic moment 00:06:07.419 --> 00:06:10.339 to enter the land and be settled in their home, 00:06:10.500 --> 00:06:12.719 to find rest from their slavery, 00:06:13.219 --> 00:06:14.500 rest from their wanderings, 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:15.539 they're right there. 00:06:17.620 --> 00:06:18.819 And they turn back. 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:21.479 They fail to enter. 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:27.860 It just seems so hard to believe, right? 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:31.680 Hard to believe, 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:35.560 at least until we start to examine our own hearts, right? 00:06:37.020 --> 00:06:41.140 You know, the New Testament often will return to this episode in Numbers. 00:06:41.540 --> 00:06:45.600 It often looks back to this critical turning point in Israel's history, 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:47.600 the rebellion of the Exodus generation, 00:06:48.340 --> 00:06:49.939 their failure to enter the land. 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:53.939 And it will bring it up as a constant reminder. 00:06:54.259 --> 00:06:57.839 It will say things like Psalm 95, for example. 00:06:57.959 --> 00:06:58.839 It will say things like, 00:06:59.079 --> 00:07:02.519 today, if you hear His voice, 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:05.959 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion 00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:08.620 on the day of testing in the wilderness. 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:11.540 And in the New Testament, 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:15.199 the writer of Hebrews especially follows that same example, 00:07:15.500 --> 00:07:18.339 and he applies Numbers 13 through 14 to the church today. 00:07:18.339 --> 00:07:21.579 Giovanni read it for us earlier in the service. 00:07:22.599 --> 00:07:24.639 Remember what the author of Hebrews said? 00:07:25.159 --> 00:07:25.439 He said, 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:26.979 Take care, brothers and sisters, 00:07:27.099 --> 00:07:28.399 lest there be in any of you 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:30.959 an evil, unbelieving heart, 00:07:31.539 --> 00:07:33.620 leading you to fall away from the living God. 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:36.039 But exhort one another 00:07:36.039 --> 00:07:37.459 every day, 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:39.879 as long as it is called today, 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:41.899 that none of you 00:07:41.899 --> 00:07:44.779 may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 00:07:44.779 --> 00:07:49.119 So you see, according to Scripture, 00:07:49.359 --> 00:07:52.119 we too can be just like the people 00:07:52.119 --> 00:07:54.179 in Numbers 13 and 14. 00:07:55.139 --> 00:07:57.359 When faced with the challenges of the world, 00:07:58.059 --> 00:07:59.919 when faced with the seeming dangers 00:07:59.919 --> 00:08:01.799 and impossibilities before us 00:08:01.799 --> 00:08:03.919 as God's people living on God's mission, 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:06.259 when faced with just 00:08:06.259 --> 00:08:09.019 constant and everyday fears 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:10.219 and uncertainties, 00:08:11.339 --> 00:08:12.099 our hearts 00:08:12.099 --> 00:08:13.759 can give way 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:15.479 to unbelief. 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:18.060 We can become hardened, 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:18.699 Hebrews says, 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:20.240 by the deceitfulness of sin. 00:08:21.919 --> 00:08:23.599 When the difficulties at work 00:08:23.599 --> 00:08:24.979 seem to mount up, 00:08:25.479 --> 00:08:26.979 when the pressures rise 00:08:26.979 --> 00:08:28.639 to conform to our peers, 00:08:28.819 --> 00:08:30.799 when our own habitual sins 00:08:30.799 --> 00:08:31.359 and failings 00:08:31.359 --> 00:08:33.100 seem to not be getting any better, 00:08:33.539 --> 00:08:35.639 unbelief can start to creep in. 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:38.919 We fear things will never get better, 00:08:39.939 --> 00:08:41.319 that maybe we should just give up 00:08:41.319 --> 00:08:42.899 and go along with the crowd. 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:43.860 We think that perhaps 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:45.199 it's not worth the effort 00:08:45.199 --> 00:08:47.139 to follow and obey Christ. 00:08:49.799 --> 00:08:50.899 Suddenly, we start to think 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:51.779 and act more and more 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:52.500 like the Israelites 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:53.879 in Numbers 13 and 14. 00:08:55.299 --> 00:08:56.580 Let's just pick another leader, 00:08:57.220 --> 00:08:57.980 go back to Egypt. 00:08:59.899 --> 00:09:01.360 Now, maybe we wouldn't put it 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:02.500 that bluntly, right? 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:05.940 We wouldn't explicitly reject Christ 00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:07.100 or leave the church, 00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:10.240 but we start to harden. 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:13.679 Our hearts start to get callous, 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:15.320 get jaded, 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:17.000 get uncaring, 00:09:17.539 --> 00:09:19.360 no longer believing 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:20.980 that God's promises are true 00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:22.740 and that God's promises 00:09:22.740 --> 00:09:24.039 are what really matter 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:26.340 in life and in death 00:09:26.340 --> 00:09:27.980 and in everything in between. 00:09:30.179 --> 00:09:31.379 So what do we do? 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:34.439 How do we prevent this hardening 00:09:34.439 --> 00:09:35.419 that I think all of us 00:09:35.419 --> 00:09:36.899 have felt some, right? 00:09:38.139 --> 00:09:40.200 How do we combat this subtle unbelief 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:41.519 from growing in our hearts? 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:44.659 Well, Hebrews says, 00:09:45.799 --> 00:09:46.939 we must exhort one another 00:09:46.939 --> 00:09:48.159 every day. 00:09:50.019 --> 00:09:50.500 Thankfully, 00:09:51.379 --> 00:09:52.419 this very passage, 00:09:52.539 --> 00:09:53.700 Numbers 13 through 14, 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:55.080 shows us a number of things 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:56.100 that can do just that. 00:09:56.940 --> 00:09:58.220 There are a number of things here 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:01.580 that come to speak to us 00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:04.000 and to soften our hearts. 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:06.759 So let's look at each of them in turn 00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:07.639 so that our hearts 00:10:07.639 --> 00:10:08.940 might be softened today, 00:10:09.160 --> 00:10:10.680 so that we might grow 00:10:10.680 --> 00:10:11.700 in our believing, 00:10:11.940 --> 00:10:12.620 trusting God, 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:13.620 even in the face 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:14.940 of great challenges 00:10:14.940 --> 00:10:16.259 and uncertainties and fears. 00:10:16.840 --> 00:10:17.960 So we're going to look at three things 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:19.420 in the rest of chapter 14. 00:10:20.100 --> 00:10:21.379 First thing we see is this. 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:23.220 There's a faithful exhortation 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:25.180 to soften our hearts, 00:10:25.179 --> 00:10:26.599 a faithful exhortation. 00:10:27.079 --> 00:10:28.599 This is found in verses 5 through 9 00:10:28.599 --> 00:10:29.239 of chapter 14. 00:10:29.359 --> 00:10:29.719 Thankfully, 00:10:30.319 --> 00:10:31.959 not every spy that day 00:10:31.959 --> 00:10:32.819 was convinced 00:10:32.819 --> 00:10:34.139 that they should run away. 00:10:35.579 --> 00:10:36.819 Not every spy that day 00:10:36.819 --> 00:10:37.779 gave a bad report, 00:10:37.859 --> 00:10:38.899 which the Hebrew word there 00:10:38.899 --> 00:10:39.620 actually has shades 00:10:39.620 --> 00:10:40.739 of a false report. 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:42.759 They started to skew 00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:43.819 the report 00:10:43.819 --> 00:10:45.259 because they were so afraid, 00:10:45.339 --> 00:10:46.559 because they were so unbelieving. 00:10:46.699 --> 00:10:48.239 Did you catch how they skewed it, right? 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:51.199 Everyone there is a giant, right? 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:54.740 The land devours its inhabitants. 00:10:55.179 --> 00:10:55.739 How could the land 00:10:55.739 --> 00:10:56.659 devour its inhabitants 00:10:56.659 --> 00:10:58.259 and everyone be these giant, 00:10:58.399 --> 00:10:59.779 huge, flourishing people? 00:10:59.879 --> 00:11:01.299 That doesn't seem to add up, right? 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:03.079 Thankfully, 00:11:03.739 --> 00:11:05.539 not everyone gave a bad report that day. 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:07.120 Two spies, Caleb and Joshua, 00:11:07.539 --> 00:11:08.379 exhorted the people 00:11:08.379 --> 00:11:11.000 to remember the reality greater 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:11.959 than the challenges 00:11:11.959 --> 00:11:12.639 in front of them, 00:11:13.299 --> 00:11:15.139 the reality of the God 00:11:15.139 --> 00:11:17.139 who had promised to go with them. 00:11:17.479 --> 00:11:18.620 Let's pick up in verse 5. 00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:20.339 Then Moses and Aaron 00:11:20.339 --> 00:11:21.039 fell on their faces 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:22.000 before all the assembly 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:22.679 of the congregation 00:11:22.679 --> 00:11:23.479 of the people of Israel. 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:25.200 And Joshua, the son of Nun, 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:26.379 and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:27.620 who were among those 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:28.379 who had spied out the land, 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:29.300 tore their clothes 00:11:29.300 --> 00:11:30.620 and said to all the congregation 00:11:30.620 --> 00:11:31.340 of the people of Israel, 00:11:31.779 --> 00:11:33.600 the land which we passed through 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:34.560 to spy out 00:11:34.560 --> 00:11:36.279 is an exceedingly good land. 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:38.820 If the Lord delights in us, 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:40.539 He will bring us into this land 00:11:40.539 --> 00:11:41.360 and give it to us, 00:11:41.560 --> 00:11:42.460 a land that flows 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:43.320 with milk and honey. 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:44.899 Only do not rebel 00:11:44.899 --> 00:11:45.800 against the Lord 00:11:45.800 --> 00:11:46.720 and do not fear 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:47.779 the people of the land, 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:49.560 for they are bred for us. 00:11:49.559 --> 00:11:51.019 Their protection 00:11:51.019 --> 00:11:52.079 is removed from them 00:11:52.079 --> 00:11:54.519 and the Lord is with us. 00:11:55.119 --> 00:11:57.259 Do not fear them. 00:11:59.939 --> 00:12:01.219 You see, what often happens 00:12:01.219 --> 00:12:02.459 when we face trials 00:12:02.459 --> 00:12:04.000 is that we do exactly 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:05.479 what the ten fearful spies did. 00:12:06.339 --> 00:12:07.439 And what they did was 00:12:07.439 --> 00:12:09.919 is they put their however 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:11.839 in the wrong place. 00:12:12.939 --> 00:12:15.279 We contend to put our however 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:16.199 in the wrong place. 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:17.259 What do I mean by that? 00:12:17.259 --> 00:12:19.740 Look back at verses 27 through 28. 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:22.299 In 27 through 28, 00:12:22.379 --> 00:12:23.519 the ten fearful spies say, 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:25.500 we came to the land 00:12:25.500 --> 00:12:26.319 which you sent us. 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:28.019 Notice, which Moses, 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:28.700 they're saying, 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:29.740 you sent us here, Moses. 00:12:29.819 --> 00:12:30.840 They forgot that it was the Lord 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:31.519 who had sent them there. 00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:32.460 We came to this land 00:12:32.460 --> 00:12:33.120 which you sent us. 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:34.600 It flows with milk and honey 00:12:34.600 --> 00:12:35.700 and this is its fruit. 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:36.360 However, 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:38.720 the people who dwell 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:39.539 in the land are strong 00:12:39.539 --> 00:12:40.840 and the cities are fortified 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:41.519 and very large. 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:44.179 Do you see where they put 00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:44.720 the however? 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:47.460 The land is good, 00:12:47.540 --> 00:12:48.019 they say. 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:48.700 However, 00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:50.160 the people are strong. 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:52.620 Therefore, 00:12:52.860 --> 00:12:53.660 we're doomed. 00:12:53.820 --> 00:12:54.360 Let's give up 00:12:54.360 --> 00:12:55.139 and abandon ship. 00:12:56.300 --> 00:12:57.519 But notice what Joshua 00:12:57.519 --> 00:12:58.379 and Caleb do. 00:12:59.420 --> 00:13:01.879 As you read verses 7, 8, and 9, 00:13:02.139 --> 00:13:03.060 you don't literally see 00:13:03.060 --> 00:13:03.660 the word however 00:13:03.660 --> 00:13:05.000 anywhere in there. 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:05.759 But in essence, 00:13:05.920 --> 00:13:06.879 don't they say this? 00:13:08.139 --> 00:13:09.200 The land is good. 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:10.600 And yes, 00:13:10.660 --> 00:13:11.640 the people are strong. 00:13:12.520 --> 00:13:12.980 However, 00:13:13.780 --> 00:13:15.040 the Lord is with us. 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:18.160 They put their however 00:13:18.160 --> 00:13:20.080 in a much different place. 00:13:21.040 --> 00:13:22.600 And that made all the difference. 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:25.040 It wasn't the strength 00:13:25.040 --> 00:13:25.840 of the inhabitants 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:27.060 that had the last word. 00:13:27.700 --> 00:13:28.860 It was the reality 00:13:28.860 --> 00:13:30.640 and presence of God. 00:13:32.800 --> 00:13:34.180 Just think of the difference 00:13:34.180 --> 00:13:34.900 that would make 00:13:34.900 --> 00:13:36.340 in our lives. 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:38.460 Think about our mission 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:38.940 as a church. 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:40.080 You know, 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:40.600 if we said, 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:41.920 there are lots of people 00:13:41.920 --> 00:13:42.400 in our city 00:13:42.400 --> 00:13:43.220 who need Christ, 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:44.180 however, 00:13:44.840 --> 00:13:45.680 most of them 00:13:45.680 --> 00:13:46.540 don't seem interested 00:13:46.540 --> 00:13:47.580 in hearing the gospel. 00:13:49.340 --> 00:13:50.600 That begins to make 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:52.360 human realities 00:13:52.360 --> 00:13:53.240 the final word. 00:13:54.340 --> 00:13:54.920 But instead, 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:56.180 what's really true? 00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:58.840 There are lots of people 00:13:58.840 --> 00:13:59.340 in our city 00:13:59.340 --> 00:14:00.120 who need Christ, 00:14:00.920 --> 00:14:01.920 and many of them 00:14:01.920 --> 00:14:02.660 don't seem interested 00:14:02.660 --> 00:14:03.540 in hearing the gospel. 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:05.079 however, 00:14:06.079 --> 00:14:07.480 God has many 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:08.279 in this city 00:14:08.279 --> 00:14:09.199 who are His, 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:11.179 and He will make sure 00:14:11.179 --> 00:14:12.120 according to His word 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:12.879 that He converts 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:14.059 every single sinner 00:14:14.059 --> 00:14:14.939 for whom He died. 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:19.099 So where are you 00:14:19.099 --> 00:14:22.079 putting your however 00:14:22.079 --> 00:14:25.439 when it comes 00:14:25.439 --> 00:14:26.120 to your marriage 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:27.240 or your children 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:29.279 or that difficult relationship 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:30.079 in your small group 00:14:30.079 --> 00:14:31.019 or in your friend circle? 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:33.139 is your however 00:14:33.139 --> 00:14:35.179 giving God 00:14:35.179 --> 00:14:36.799 the rightful 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:38.179 and final place 00:14:38.179 --> 00:14:39.240 that He deserves? 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:40.919 Yes, 00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:42.019 your marriage may be rocky. 00:14:42.220 --> 00:14:42.399 Yes, 00:14:42.439 --> 00:14:43.439 you may be in a challenging 00:14:43.439 --> 00:14:44.340 season of parenting. 00:14:44.860 --> 00:14:45.240 Yes, 00:14:45.379 --> 00:14:46.039 there might be 00:14:46.039 --> 00:14:47.079 tense relationships. 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:49.840 However, 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:52.279 God has given you 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:53.319 everything you need 00:14:53.319 --> 00:14:54.319 for life and godliness 00:14:54.319 --> 00:14:55.000 in the gospel. 00:14:55.980 --> 00:14:57.220 He can change hearts 00:14:57.220 --> 00:14:58.379 and give you patience 00:14:58.379 --> 00:14:59.179 and wisdom 00:14:59.179 --> 00:14:59.960 and kindness. 00:14:59.960 --> 00:15:01.139 He can heal 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:01.680 and restore. 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:02.840 He can instruct 00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:03.500 and guide. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:05.120 The Lord is with us, 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:06.060 verse 9 says. 00:15:06.920 --> 00:15:08.019 Don't fear. 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.139 Do not harden your hearts, 00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:12.540 friends. 00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:14.860 Don't harden your hearts 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:15.480 by dwelling 00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:16.400 on how great 00:15:16.400 --> 00:15:17.000 the problems 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:18.300 or the trials may be 00:15:18.300 --> 00:15:19.280 and all the attending 00:15:19.280 --> 00:15:20.040 circumstances. 00:15:20.400 --> 00:15:20.940 You don't need 00:15:20.940 --> 00:15:22.259 to minimize those things, 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:24.879 but instead, 00:15:25.259 --> 00:15:26.639 put those great problems 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:27.080 and trials 00:15:27.080 --> 00:15:28.120 before the greatness 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:29.919 of the almighty God 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:30.779 who rescued you, 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:31.980 who filled you 00:15:31.980 --> 00:15:32.620 with His Spirit 00:15:32.620 --> 00:15:33.679 and now promises 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:34.720 to never leave you 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:35.580 or forsake you 00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:36.980 as you walk 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:38.080 in trusting obedience 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:38.539 with Him. 00:15:42.259 --> 00:15:43.240 Notice how that 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:44.100 changes things. 00:15:45.299 --> 00:15:46.100 Notice how it changed 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:47.879 things for Joshua 00:15:47.879 --> 00:15:48.500 and Caleb. 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:48.759 You know, 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:49.879 the ten spies 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:50.539 saw the people 00:15:50.539 --> 00:15:51.100 of the land 00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:52.460 and they thought, 00:15:52.680 --> 00:15:54.100 we look like little 00:15:54.100 --> 00:15:54.779 grasshoppers 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:55.720 next to these giants. 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:56.019 Right? 00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:57.300 Now, 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:58.300 grasshoppers were like, 00:15:58.980 --> 00:15:59.240 you know, 00:15:59.279 --> 00:15:59.960 they weren't like 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:01.340 karate apprentices, 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:02.200 you know. 00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:04.560 Grasshoppers 00:16:04.560 --> 00:16:05.180 in the ancient world 00:16:05.180 --> 00:16:06.080 were like the smallest 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:06.920 edible creature 00:16:06.920 --> 00:16:07.500 you could find, 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:07.800 right? 00:16:08.560 --> 00:16:09.220 So the spies 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:09.879 were basically saying, 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:10.240 like, look, 00:16:10.540 --> 00:16:11.240 these guys are going 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:11.759 to eat us up 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:12.180 like a plate 00:16:12.180 --> 00:16:12.879 of chicken nuggets. 00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:14.040 Like, this is not 00:16:14.040 --> 00:16:14.580 going to go well. 00:16:16.660 --> 00:16:17.540 But notice what 00:16:17.540 --> 00:16:18.200 Joshua and Caleb 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:18.960 say in verse 9. 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:21.100 Don't fear the people 00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:21.600 of the land 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:23.460 for they're bread 00:16:23.460 --> 00:16:23.940 for us. 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:26.480 Putting God 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:26.940 in the center 00:16:26.940 --> 00:16:27.420 of their vision, 00:16:27.540 --> 00:16:28.240 putting God 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:28.820 in the place 00:16:28.820 --> 00:16:29.680 of their however, 00:16:30.640 --> 00:16:31.580 it changes even 00:16:31.580 --> 00:16:32.940 their self-perception. 00:16:34.020 --> 00:16:34.560 The ten spies 00:16:34.560 --> 00:16:35.360 literally said, 00:16:35.740 --> 00:16:37.100 we seem to ourselves 00:16:37.100 --> 00:16:38.200 to be grasshoppers. 00:16:38.280 --> 00:16:38.740 We don't stand 00:16:38.740 --> 00:16:39.380 a chance. 00:16:40.540 --> 00:16:41.140 But that wasn't 00:16:41.140 --> 00:16:42.040 what Joshua and Caleb 00:16:42.040 --> 00:16:43.100 understood to be 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:43.940 really true. 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:46.340 They couldn't wallow 00:16:46.340 --> 00:16:47.120 in self-pity 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:48.100 or despair. 00:16:48.900 --> 00:16:49.860 They had found 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:51.420 an appropriate confidence, 00:16:52.020 --> 00:16:53.040 not a prideful confidence 00:16:53.040 --> 00:16:53.860 in their own abilities 00:16:53.860 --> 00:16:54.680 of their own strength, 00:16:54.840 --> 00:16:56.440 but a God-centered confidence 00:16:56.440 --> 00:16:57.820 because of God's ability 00:16:57.820 --> 00:16:58.560 and strength. 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:00.320 The Lord is with us. 00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:02.200 Do not fear them. 00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:07.220 So here's the first thing 00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:08.680 that will soften our hearts, 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:10.400 a faithful exhortation 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:12.400 to put God uppermost 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:13.160 in our thinking, 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:15.400 to end even our sentences, 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:17.420 not with our horizontal 00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:18.160 circumstances 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:19.420 or with our present trials 00:17:19.420 --> 00:17:19.900 or troubles 00:17:19.900 --> 00:17:20.539 or difficulties, 00:17:20.539 --> 00:17:21.940 but to give God 00:17:21.940 --> 00:17:22.859 the final word, 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:25.000 to put His reality 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:26.779 in front of our fears, 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:30.480 a faithful exhortation. 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:33.039 Now, the second thing 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:34.399 in Numbers 13 through 14 00:17:34.399 --> 00:17:36.220 that can soften our hearts 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:38.000 is not just a faithful exhortation, 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:39.920 but a faithful intercession, 00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:41.220 a faithful intercession. 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:43.240 We see this in verses 10 through 19. 00:17:44.299 --> 00:17:44.740 Unfortunately, 00:17:44.879 --> 00:17:46.420 the people did not heed 00:17:46.420 --> 00:17:48.200 Joshua and Caleb's exhortation, 00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:50.299 and we read this in verse 10. 00:17:51.340 --> 00:17:52.240 Then all the congregation 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.220 said to stone them with stones, 00:17:55.420 --> 00:17:56.440 but the glory of the Lord 00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:57.819 appeared at the tent of meeting 00:17:57.819 --> 00:17:59.120 to all the people of Israel. 00:17:59.779 --> 00:18:00.720 And the Lord said to Moses, 00:18:00.860 --> 00:18:02.660 How long will this people despise me? 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:05.319 And how long will they not believe in me 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:06.680 in spite of all the signs 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:07.620 that I have done among them? 00:18:08.259 --> 00:18:10.240 I will strike them with the pestilence 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:11.480 and disinherit them, 00:18:11.840 --> 00:18:13.259 and I will make of you 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:14.440 a nation greater 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:15.380 and mightier than they. 00:18:15.380 --> 00:18:18.140 But Moses said to the Lord, 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:21.260 Then the Egyptians will hear it, 00:18:21.520 --> 00:18:22.920 for you brought up this people 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:24.460 in your might from among them, 00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:26.200 and they will tell the inhabitants 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:27.040 of this land 00:18:27.040 --> 00:18:29.960 according to the greatness 00:18:29.960 --> 00:18:31.440 of your steadfast love, 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:33.000 just as you have forgiven 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:34.200 this people from Egypt 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:35.600 until now. 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:39.620 So the people pick up stones 00:18:39.620 --> 00:18:41.860 to judge Joshua and Caleb. 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:43.300 That was a judicial act, 00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:44.000 right? 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:47.019 As a sign of their total rebellion, 00:18:47.180 --> 00:18:48.399 the people are ready to judge 00:18:48.399 --> 00:18:49.799 the people who are attempting 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:51.359 to draw them towards faithfulness. 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:54.019 So the Lord comes down 00:18:54.019 --> 00:18:55.539 to this people 00:18:55.539 --> 00:18:57.899 and speaks a word of judgment 00:18:57.899 --> 00:18:58.399 over them. 00:19:00.460 --> 00:19:01.700 They've rejected the Lord 00:19:01.700 --> 00:19:03.200 and His chosen mediator Moses. 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:04.700 They've declared that they'd rather 00:19:04.700 --> 00:19:05.599 go back to Egypt 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:07.559 than go forward into the promised land, 00:19:07.639 --> 00:19:08.500 trusting His promises. 00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:11.099 So God is ready to judge them 00:19:11.099 --> 00:19:12.440 completely for their rebellion 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:14.160 and for disregarding 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:14.799 and dishonoring 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:15.660 all the mercy 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:16.500 and kindness 00:19:16.500 --> 00:19:17.220 and power 00:19:17.220 --> 00:19:18.480 He's shown on their behalf. 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:21.579 A word of judgment comes. 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:24.279 But then, 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:26.759 the God-appointed mediator, 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:27.259 Moses, 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:28.500 intercedes. 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:31.160 When God threatens 00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:32.200 to wipe the people out 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:32.799 because of their sin, 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:33.680 to give them over 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:34.500 to the death 00:19:34.500 --> 00:19:35.400 that they've chosen 00:19:35.400 --> 00:19:36.119 for themselves, 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:36.799 when God's ready 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:37.639 to give them exactly 00:19:37.639 --> 00:19:38.359 what is perfect 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:39.519 and good justice 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:40.419 requires, 00:19:41.139 --> 00:19:42.579 Moses intercedes. 00:19:43.919 --> 00:19:44.819 And His intercession 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:45.680 has two parts. 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:47.000 First, 00:19:47.339 --> 00:19:48.419 He prays 00:19:48.419 --> 00:19:50.099 in light of God's glory. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:51.740 And then, 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:52.079 second, 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:52.940 He prays in light 00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:53.960 of God's character. 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:56.240 We see His prayer 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:57.159 in light of God's glory 00:19:57.159 --> 00:19:58.440 in verses 13 through 16. 00:19:59.879 --> 00:20:00.099 Moses, 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:01.000 in essence, 00:20:01.099 --> 00:20:01.240 says, 00:20:01.700 --> 00:20:01.819 Lord, 00:20:01.899 --> 00:20:03.079 what will the nations think 00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:05.000 if You wipe out Your people? 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:06.400 Well, 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:06.819 they'll think 00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:09.099 that You aren't actually able 00:20:09.099 --> 00:20:09.680 to bring them 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:10.720 into the promised land. 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:11.720 They'll think 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:12.240 that the Lord 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:13.619 wasn't strong enough, 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:14.819 wasn't mighty enough, 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:15.859 wasn't wise enough, 00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:16.859 wasn't good enough. 00:20:17.019 --> 00:20:17.700 It will result 00:20:17.700 --> 00:20:18.559 in God's glory 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:19.460 being defamed 00:20:19.460 --> 00:20:20.400 among the nations. 00:20:21.259 --> 00:20:22.059 And false gods 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:22.900 will go on getting 00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:24.019 the honor and praise 00:20:24.019 --> 00:20:26.079 that only the true God deserves. 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:29.000 So Moses prays 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:31.319 for God's glory 00:20:31.319 --> 00:20:32.500 to be advanced. 00:20:32.500 --> 00:20:35.200 God is God. 00:20:35.299 --> 00:20:36.480 Only God deserves 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:37.019 the praise 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:37.980 and honor of creation 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:39.119 because God is 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:40.160 the Creator and Redeemer 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:41.000 of all that is. 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:42.799 So Moses prays, 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:43.039 God, 00:20:43.160 --> 00:20:43.700 praise God, 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:45.099 pardon Your people 00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:46.440 because such a pardon 00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:47.240 will increase 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:48.180 to Your glory. 00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:51.579 Then second, 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:52.259 Moses prays 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:53.440 in light of God's character 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:54.839 in verses 17 through 19. 00:20:55.859 --> 00:20:56.920 And the central verse here, 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:57.440 verse 18, 00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:58.079 is Moses 00:20:58.079 --> 00:20:59.420 rehearsing 00:20:59.420 --> 00:21:01.000 the self-revelation 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:01.960 that God gives 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:03.319 in Exodus 34. 00:21:03.660 --> 00:21:03.940 You remember, 00:21:04.019 --> 00:21:05.319 that was the golden calf incident 00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:06.839 and God had to 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:08.039 sort of reestablish 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:08.440 His covenant 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:08.980 with the people 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:09.460 after that. 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:10.000 And this is where 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:11.019 God gives 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:12.799 this revelation 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:14.500 of His very nature. 00:21:16.299 --> 00:21:17.839 The Lord is unlimited 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:19.279 in love and mercy. 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:20.960 The Lord is slow 00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:21.480 to anger 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:22.059 and abounding 00:21:22.059 --> 00:21:23.119 in steadfast love, 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:24.480 forgiving iniquity 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:25.420 and transgression. 00:21:25.420 --> 00:21:27.880 But at one 00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:28.660 and the same time, 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:29.340 the Lord is also 00:21:29.340 --> 00:21:30.940 completely just. 00:21:32.320 --> 00:21:33.340 He will by no means 00:21:33.340 --> 00:21:34.460 clear the guilty, 00:21:35.320 --> 00:21:36.220 visiting the iniquity 00:21:36.220 --> 00:21:36.840 of the fathers 00:21:36.840 --> 00:21:37.820 on the children 00:21:37.820 --> 00:21:38.600 to the third 00:21:38.600 --> 00:21:39.580 and fourth generation. 00:21:39.700 --> 00:21:40.140 That is, 00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:42.019 the effects of sin 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:43.200 will go down 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:45.120 into the succeeding generations. 00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:46.740 And don't we know 00:21:46.740 --> 00:21:47.880 that that's how it works, 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:48.300 right? 00:21:49.320 --> 00:21:50.279 That the sins 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:51.240 are passed down 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:52.900 generation after generation. 00:21:52.900 --> 00:21:56.120 What do we see here? 00:21:57.220 --> 00:21:58.019 God's love 00:21:58.019 --> 00:21:58.860 and God's justice. 00:21:59.019 --> 00:22:00.640 We see that God's love 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:01.860 is a righteous love. 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:04.360 God's justice 00:22:04.360 --> 00:22:05.800 is a merciful justice. 00:22:05.960 --> 00:22:06.960 He's all these things 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:07.580 at once. 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:11.640 And so Moses' intercession 00:22:11.640 --> 00:22:12.720 appeals to God's 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:13.759 own character. 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:15.019 He appeals to 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:15.960 His righteous love, 00:22:16.259 --> 00:22:17.780 to His merciful justice. 00:22:18.340 --> 00:22:19.540 And on that basis, 00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:20.460 he asks God 00:22:20.460 --> 00:22:21.940 to pardon His people. 00:22:22.900 --> 00:22:23.480 not because of 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:24.540 who the people are, 00:22:24.780 --> 00:22:25.400 but because of 00:22:25.400 --> 00:22:26.440 who God is, 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:27.740 who God has revealed 00:22:27.740 --> 00:22:28.740 Himself to be. 00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:32.780 And you see, friends, 00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:35.200 this faithful intercession 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:38.080 should soften our hearts, 00:22:38.820 --> 00:22:41.340 should soften our hearts 00:22:41.340 --> 00:22:42.560 because we know, 00:22:43.060 --> 00:22:44.860 we know in light 00:22:44.860 --> 00:22:45.620 of the New Testament 00:22:45.620 --> 00:22:47.759 that for the sake 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:48.820 of His own glory 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:50.399 and for the sake 00:22:50.399 --> 00:22:51.639 of His own character, 00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:54.359 God has forgiven us. 00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:56.919 God has pardoned us. 00:22:58.679 --> 00:22:59.740 And He has ultimately 00:22:59.740 --> 00:23:00.480 done it through 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:02.039 an even greater intercessor 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:02.639 than Moses. 00:23:03.819 --> 00:23:04.099 You know, 00:23:04.139 --> 00:23:04.460 don't you read 00:23:04.460 --> 00:23:05.220 the Old Testament sometimes 00:23:05.220 --> 00:23:05.639 when you think, 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:06.500 God's here, 00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:07.700 and then Moses jumps in, 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:09.000 and then God changes His mind? 00:23:09.099 --> 00:23:10.359 What does that seem like? 00:23:10.379 --> 00:23:10.659 Well, friends, 00:23:10.679 --> 00:23:11.019 don't you see, 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:12.059 all of that is 00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:14.579 God crafting a picture 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:16.899 of what would be true 00:23:16.899 --> 00:23:19.379 when the even greater 00:23:19.379 --> 00:23:20.319 intercessor came? 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:23.500 Jesus Christ, 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:25.359 the true and better 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:25.940 Moses, 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:26.619 is the one 00:23:26.619 --> 00:23:27.220 who offers 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:28.480 perfect intercession 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:29.099 for us. 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:31.539 Jesus is 00:23:31.539 --> 00:23:32.599 the very glory 00:23:32.599 --> 00:23:33.700 of God incarnate, 00:23:34.159 --> 00:23:35.259 the second person 00:23:35.259 --> 00:23:36.059 of the Holy Trinity, 00:23:36.179 --> 00:23:36.919 the eternal Son 00:23:36.919 --> 00:23:37.819 of the eternal Father, 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:39.399 become flesh for us, 00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:41.060 who now intercedes 00:23:41.060 --> 00:23:41.759 at the Father's 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:42.940 right hand for us. 00:23:43.759 --> 00:23:44.420 And the basis 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:45.820 of Jesus' intercession 00:23:45.820 --> 00:23:46.620 is not simply 00:23:46.620 --> 00:23:47.400 God's character, 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:49.100 but His fulfillment 00:23:49.100 --> 00:23:50.220 of that character 00:23:50.220 --> 00:23:51.259 in history 00:23:51.259 --> 00:23:52.440 through His own life, 00:23:52.540 --> 00:23:53.280 death, and resurrection. 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:55.600 Because in the life 00:23:55.600 --> 00:23:56.060 of Jesus, 00:23:56.400 --> 00:23:57.280 and in particularly 00:23:57.280 --> 00:23:58.900 at the cross, 00:23:59.340 --> 00:24:00.320 we see 00:24:00.320 --> 00:24:01.840 God's character, 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:03.160 His mercy, 00:24:03.259 --> 00:24:03.900 and His justice 00:24:03.900 --> 00:24:05.800 in perfect expression. 00:24:05.799 --> 00:24:09.740 God's justice 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:10.480 is displayed 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:11.419 because at the cross, 00:24:11.740 --> 00:24:12.559 human sin 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:13.859 is judged 00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:15.539 in the humanity 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:16.220 of Jesus. 00:24:17.339 --> 00:24:18.659 And God's mercy 00:24:18.659 --> 00:24:19.919 is perfectly displayed 00:24:19.919 --> 00:24:21.839 because at the cross, 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:24.259 sinners are forgiven. 00:24:26.399 --> 00:24:27.159 Jesus becomes 00:24:27.159 --> 00:24:27.799 our substitute. 00:24:28.859 --> 00:24:29.740 He pays the penalty 00:24:29.740 --> 00:24:30.500 for our sin 00:24:30.500 --> 00:24:31.379 and gives us 00:24:31.379 --> 00:24:32.159 His righteousness 00:24:32.159 --> 00:24:33.000 so that we can be 00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:33.839 forever accepted 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:34.539 by the Father. 00:24:35.799 --> 00:24:37.339 So you see, 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:38.480 Moses' intercession 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:39.819 buried here 00:24:39.819 --> 00:24:41.500 in Numbers 14 00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:42.460 takes us right 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:42.980 to the heart 00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:43.899 of God's glory 00:24:43.899 --> 00:24:45.079 and God's character, 00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:45.980 and therefore, 00:24:46.099 --> 00:24:46.960 it takes us right 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:47.419 to the heart 00:24:47.419 --> 00:24:48.180 of the good news, 00:24:48.339 --> 00:24:48.859 the gospel. 00:24:50.859 --> 00:24:51.720 And by the power 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:52.240 of the Spirit, 00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:53.039 the gospel, 00:24:54.139 --> 00:24:56.139 God's mercy displayed 00:24:56.139 --> 00:24:57.619 in perfect fulfillment 00:24:57.619 --> 00:24:58.759 of His justice 00:24:58.759 --> 00:24:59.539 at the cross, 00:24:59.899 --> 00:25:01.099 that is what softens 00:25:01.099 --> 00:25:01.579 even the most 00:25:01.579 --> 00:25:02.399 hardened heart. 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:07.100 Jesus intercedes 00:25:07.100 --> 00:25:07.600 for you, 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:09.620 His blood, 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:11.140 His righteousness. 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:12.360 He's offered them 00:25:12.360 --> 00:25:12.900 up for you 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:14.940 and for all 00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:16.440 who unite themselves 00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:18.420 to Christ by faith. 00:25:20.019 --> 00:25:20.820 And you know 00:25:20.820 --> 00:25:21.240 what that means, 00:25:21.360 --> 00:25:21.600 friends? 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:24.460 That means that now 00:25:24.460 --> 00:25:27.340 when you reach 00:25:27.340 --> 00:25:28.040 the verge 00:25:28.040 --> 00:25:28.960 of the true 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:30.220 and better promised land, 00:25:30.220 --> 00:25:31.980 that is when your 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:32.880 earthly days 00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:34.000 are nearing their end, 00:25:34.620 --> 00:25:35.759 and when you stand 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:36.539 on the verge 00:25:36.539 --> 00:25:38.779 of the metaphorical Jordan, 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:40.120 ready to cross 00:25:40.120 --> 00:25:40.880 into eternity, 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:43.140 when you stand 00:25:43.140 --> 00:25:44.039 in that place, 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:47.079 if you are united 00:25:47.079 --> 00:25:47.740 to Christ, 00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:49.980 then you need not fear 00:25:49.980 --> 00:25:51.799 the greatest enemies, 00:25:52.799 --> 00:25:54.740 the most terrifying giants. 00:25:54.740 --> 00:25:57.940 you need not fear sin. 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:00.339 You need not fear 00:26:00.339 --> 00:26:01.420 Satan. 00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:03.140 You need not fear 00:26:03.140 --> 00:26:03.900 death. 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:05.339 You need not fear 00:26:05.339 --> 00:26:05.740 hell, 00:26:06.220 --> 00:26:07.819 because Christ 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:08.980 has conquered them all. 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:11.579 He died 00:26:11.579 --> 00:26:13.120 so that you might live 00:26:13.120 --> 00:26:14.019 now and forever, 00:26:14.859 --> 00:26:15.579 so that you need 00:26:15.579 --> 00:26:16.839 never turn back 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:18.140 when fear and uncertainty 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:18.839 raise their heads. 00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:19.779 If He has conquered 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:20.680 those enemies, 00:26:21.140 --> 00:26:22.400 and you can cross 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:23.680 through even death 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:24.900 itself with confidence, 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:26.360 what else do you 00:26:26.360 --> 00:26:27.060 have to fear? 00:26:29.100 --> 00:26:30.080 Have courage, 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:30.920 brothers and sisters. 00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:33.080 The risen Lord Jesus 00:26:33.080 --> 00:26:34.620 intercedes for you 00:26:34.620 --> 00:26:36.060 with His own life, 00:26:36.420 --> 00:26:37.039 His own blood, 00:26:37.120 --> 00:26:37.980 His own righteousness. 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:42.860 So this is the second thing 00:26:42.860 --> 00:26:43.820 we see in this passage, 00:26:44.920 --> 00:26:46.299 a faithful intercession 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:47.039 that takes us 00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:47.980 to the heart of the gospel. 00:26:50.140 --> 00:26:51.320 But what's the last? 00:26:51.400 --> 00:26:52.779 We've seen a faithful exhortation 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:54.200 and a faithful intercession. 00:26:54.859 --> 00:26:55.339 But last, 00:26:55.399 --> 00:26:56.359 the passage ends 00:26:56.359 --> 00:26:58.039 with a firm warning. 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:00.460 A firm warning. 00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:02.319 And this warning 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:03.279 is also meant 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:05.000 to soften our hearts. 00:27:06.059 --> 00:27:06.799 Let's read the rest 00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:07.639 of chapter 14, 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:08.799 picking up in verse 20. 00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:10.899 Then the Lord said, 00:27:10.900 --> 00:27:12.600 I have pardoned 00:27:12.600 --> 00:27:13.519 according to your word, 00:27:14.300 --> 00:27:15.740 but truly as I live 00:27:15.740 --> 00:27:16.540 and as all the earth 00:27:16.540 --> 00:27:17.120 shall be filled 00:27:17.120 --> 00:27:18.180 with the glory of the Lord, 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:19.720 none of the men 00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:20.800 who have seen my glory 00:27:20.800 --> 00:27:21.519 and my signs 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:22.300 that I did in Egypt 00:27:22.300 --> 00:27:23.040 and in the wilderness 00:27:23.040 --> 00:27:25.259 and yet have put me 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:25.759 to the test 00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:26.580 these ten times 00:27:26.580 --> 00:27:27.220 and have not obeyed 00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:27.860 my voice 00:27:27.860 --> 00:27:29.440 shall see the land 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:29.980 that I swore 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:30.880 to give to their fathers. 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:32.680 And none of those 00:27:32.680 --> 00:27:33.560 who despised me 00:27:33.560 --> 00:27:34.200 shall see it. 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:36.040 But my servant Caleb, 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:36.580 because he has 00:27:36.580 --> 00:27:37.240 a different spirit 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:38.540 and has followed me fully, 00:27:38.580 --> 00:27:39.720 I will bring into the land 00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:40.559 into which he went 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:41.799 and his descendants 00:27:41.799 --> 00:27:42.680 shall possess it. 00:27:44.120 --> 00:27:45.440 Now, since the Amalekites 00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:46.140 and the Canaanites 00:27:46.140 --> 00:27:46.960 dwell in the valleys, 00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:48.000 turn tomorrow 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:49.980 and set out for the wilderness 00:27:49.980 --> 00:27:51.519 by the way of the Red Sea. 00:27:52.880 --> 00:27:54.420 And the Lord spoke 00:27:54.420 --> 00:27:55.600 to Moses and Aaron saying, 00:27:56.120 --> 00:27:56.980 How long shall this 00:27:56.980 --> 00:27:57.960 wicked congregation 00:27:57.960 --> 00:27:58.920 grumble against me? 00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:00.779 I have heard the grumblings 00:28:00.779 --> 00:28:01.600 of the people of Israel 00:28:01.600 --> 00:28:02.759 which they grumble against me. 00:28:03.600 --> 00:28:04.299 Say to them, 00:28:05.079 --> 00:28:05.660 As I live, 00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:06.420 declares the Lord, 00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:07.920 what you have said 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:08.579 in my hearing, 00:28:08.579 --> 00:28:10.139 I will do to you. 00:28:11.460 --> 00:28:12.179 Your dead bodies 00:28:12.179 --> 00:28:13.379 shall fall in this wilderness. 00:28:14.500 --> 00:28:15.439 Of all your number 00:28:15.439 --> 00:28:16.579 listed in the census 00:28:16.579 --> 00:28:17.559 from twenty years old 00:28:17.559 --> 00:28:17.879 and upward 00:28:17.879 --> 00:28:18.939 who have grumbled against me, 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:20.460 not one shall come 00:28:20.460 --> 00:28:21.019 into the land 00:28:21.019 --> 00:28:21.720 that I swore 00:28:21.720 --> 00:28:23.139 that I would make you dwell, 00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:24.559 except Caleb, 00:28:24.740 --> 00:28:25.480 the son of Jephunneh, 00:28:25.539 --> 00:28:25.980 and Joshua, 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:26.659 the son of Nun. 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:28.939 But your little ones, 00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:30.179 who you said 00:28:30.179 --> 00:28:31.019 would become a prey, 00:28:31.799 --> 00:28:32.720 I will bring in, 00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:34.339 and they shall know 00:28:34.339 --> 00:28:34.839 the land 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:36.179 that you have rejected. 00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:38.060 But as for you, 00:28:38.140 --> 00:28:38.820 your dead bodies 00:28:38.820 --> 00:28:39.920 shall fall in this wilderness, 00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:41.340 and your children 00:28:41.340 --> 00:28:42.259 shall be shepherds 00:28:42.259 --> 00:28:42.740 in the wilderness 00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:43.460 forty years 00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:44.140 and shall suffer 00:28:44.140 --> 00:28:45.640 for your faithlessness 00:28:45.640 --> 00:28:47.160 until the last 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:48.000 of your dead bodies 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:48.900 lies in the wilderness. 00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:50.799 According to the number 00:28:50.799 --> 00:28:51.299 of the days 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:52.240 in which you spied out 00:28:52.240 --> 00:28:52.799 the land, 00:28:53.539 --> 00:28:54.299 forty days, 00:28:54.860 --> 00:28:56.019 a year for each day, 00:28:56.360 --> 00:28:56.840 you shall bear 00:28:56.840 --> 00:28:57.420 your iniquity 00:28:57.420 --> 00:28:58.259 forty years, 00:28:58.840 --> 00:28:59.660 and you shall know 00:28:59.660 --> 00:29:00.420 my displeasure. 00:29:01.620 --> 00:29:03.220 I, the Lord, 00:29:03.340 --> 00:29:03.840 have spoken. 00:29:03.839 --> 00:29:06.639 Surely this will I do 00:29:06.639 --> 00:29:08.039 to all this wicked congregation 00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:09.000 who are gathered together 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:09.559 against me. 00:29:10.159 --> 00:29:10.799 In this wilderness 00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:11.480 they shall come 00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:12.339 to a full end, 00:29:12.899 --> 00:29:14.279 and there they shall die. 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:16.639 And the men 00:29:16.639 --> 00:29:17.319 who Moses sent 00:29:17.319 --> 00:29:18.199 to spy out the land 00:29:18.199 --> 00:29:18.699 who returned 00:29:18.699 --> 00:29:19.779 and made all the congregation 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:20.740 grumble against him 00:29:20.740 --> 00:29:21.379 by bringing up 00:29:21.379 --> 00:29:21.980 a bad report 00:29:21.980 --> 00:29:22.659 about the land, 00:29:23.379 --> 00:29:24.559 the men who brought up 00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:25.240 a bad report 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:25.819 of the land 00:29:25.819 --> 00:29:27.839 died by plague 00:29:27.839 --> 00:29:28.579 before the Lord. 00:29:29.699 --> 00:29:30.459 Of those men 00:29:30.459 --> 00:29:31.279 who went to spy out 00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:31.619 the land, 00:29:31.699 --> 00:29:32.299 only Joshua, 00:29:32.419 --> 00:29:32.980 the son of Nun, 00:29:32.980 --> 00:29:33.460 and Caleb, 00:29:33.620 --> 00:29:34.339 the son of Jephunneh, 00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:35.319 remained alive. 00:29:36.799 --> 00:29:37.660 When Moses told 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:38.380 all these words 00:29:38.380 --> 00:29:39.180 to all the people 00:29:39.180 --> 00:29:39.500 of Israel, 00:29:39.559 --> 00:29:40.579 the people mourned greatly. 00:29:41.460 --> 00:29:42.220 And they rose 00:29:42.220 --> 00:29:42.960 early in the morning 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:43.500 and went up 00:29:43.500 --> 00:29:43.900 to the heights 00:29:43.900 --> 00:29:44.400 of the hill country 00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:44.680 saying, 00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:45.519 We are here. 00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:46.640 We will go up 00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:47.140 to the place 00:29:47.140 --> 00:29:47.519 that the Lord 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:47.920 has promised, 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:48.880 for we have sinned. 00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:50.160 But Moses said, 00:29:50.259 --> 00:29:51.140 Why now are you 00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:51.940 transgressing 00:29:51.940 --> 00:29:53.039 the command of the Lord 00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:54.660 when that will not succeed? 00:29:54.900 --> 00:29:55.860 Do not go up, 00:29:56.259 --> 00:29:56.700 for the Lord 00:29:56.700 --> 00:29:57.900 is not among you, 00:29:58.079 --> 00:29:59.259 lest you be struck down 00:29:59.259 --> 00:30:00.140 before your enemies. 00:30:00.140 --> 00:30:01.900 For there the Amalekites 00:30:01.900 --> 00:30:02.520 and the Canaanites 00:30:02.520 --> 00:30:03.259 are facing you, 00:30:03.300 --> 00:30:04.000 and you shall fall 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:04.520 by the sword 00:30:04.520 --> 00:30:05.680 because you have turned back 00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:06.960 from following the Lord. 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:08.180 The Lord will not 00:30:08.180 --> 00:30:08.920 be with you. 00:30:10.340 --> 00:30:11.580 But they presumed, 00:30:12.140 --> 00:30:14.240 they presumed 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:14.880 to go up 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:15.520 to the heights 00:30:15.520 --> 00:30:16.300 of the hill country, 00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:17.960 although neither 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:18.820 the Ark of the Covenant 00:30:18.820 --> 00:30:19.300 of the Lord 00:30:19.300 --> 00:30:19.960 nor Moses 00:30:19.960 --> 00:30:21.140 departed out of the camp. 00:30:22.100 --> 00:30:23.100 Then the Amalekites 00:30:23.100 --> 00:30:23.800 and the Canaanites 00:30:23.800 --> 00:30:24.820 who lived in that hill country 00:30:24.820 --> 00:30:25.400 came down 00:30:25.400 --> 00:30:27.060 and defeated them 00:30:27.060 --> 00:30:28.600 and pursued them 00:30:28.600 --> 00:30:30.200 even to Hormah. 00:30:32.580 --> 00:30:33.420 So the Lord, 00:30:33.540 --> 00:30:34.040 in response 00:30:34.040 --> 00:30:35.460 to Moses' intercession 00:30:35.460 --> 00:30:36.380 for the sake 00:30:36.380 --> 00:30:37.060 of His own glory 00:30:37.060 --> 00:30:37.720 and character, 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:39.420 pardons the people. 00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:42.140 He doesn't make 00:30:42.140 --> 00:30:43.220 an end to them. 00:30:43.360 --> 00:30:44.519 He doesn't give them 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:45.100 what their sins 00:30:45.100 --> 00:30:45.820 fully deserve 00:30:45.820 --> 00:30:46.720 and completely 00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:47.480 wipe them out. 00:30:49.160 --> 00:30:50.480 But there are still 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:51.540 consequences 00:30:51.540 --> 00:30:52.880 for their sin. 00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:54.900 the Lord 00:30:54.900 --> 00:30:56.060 disciplines them. 00:30:57.840 --> 00:30:58.760 And even in those 00:30:58.760 --> 00:30:59.300 consequences, 00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:00.200 even in that discipline, 00:31:00.300 --> 00:31:01.180 the Lord proves Himself 00:31:01.180 --> 00:31:01.840 to be just 00:31:01.840 --> 00:31:02.580 and merciful. 00:31:03.360 --> 00:31:04.180 Merciful because 00:31:04.180 --> 00:31:05.020 God promises 00:31:05.020 --> 00:31:05.580 that the people 00:31:05.580 --> 00:31:06.200 will live, 00:31:06.520 --> 00:31:07.000 their children 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:07.800 won't die, 00:31:08.120 --> 00:31:09.120 and that next generation 00:31:09.120 --> 00:31:10.440 will inherit the land. 00:31:11.500 --> 00:31:12.540 He will keep 00:31:12.540 --> 00:31:13.200 His faith 00:31:13.200 --> 00:31:13.960 with His people. 00:31:15.660 --> 00:31:17.180 But God is also just. 00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:18.540 Just because 00:31:18.540 --> 00:31:19.180 the generation 00:31:19.180 --> 00:31:20.520 that rebelled 00:31:20.520 --> 00:31:22.200 will not enter 00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:22.980 the promised land. 00:31:23.779 --> 00:31:24.019 Instead, 00:31:24.140 --> 00:31:24.600 they will get 00:31:24.600 --> 00:31:25.440 what they asked for. 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:27.600 They will get a life 00:31:27.600 --> 00:31:28.640 outside the land. 00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:30.340 They will have to 00:31:30.340 --> 00:31:30.860 turn back 00:31:30.860 --> 00:31:31.640 towards the Red Sea, 00:31:31.779 --> 00:31:32.759 turn back towards Egypt, 00:31:32.860 --> 00:31:33.900 and wander in the wilderness 00:31:33.900 --> 00:31:34.860 for forty years. 00:31:35.700 --> 00:31:37.120 One year for every day 00:31:37.120 --> 00:31:38.160 the spies spied out 00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:38.620 the land. 00:31:40.519 --> 00:31:41.580 Except for Joshua 00:31:41.580 --> 00:31:42.660 and Caleb. 00:31:44.160 --> 00:31:45.019 The Lord knew 00:31:45.019 --> 00:31:45.779 their faithfulness 00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:46.620 and they will enter. 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:47.660 They will be the only 00:31:47.660 --> 00:31:49.420 two of the whole generation 00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:50.140 that was counted 00:31:50.140 --> 00:31:51.259 in chapter one 00:31:51.259 --> 00:31:52.280 who will enter 00:31:52.280 --> 00:31:52.720 the land. 00:31:54.640 --> 00:31:55.280 And the other 00:31:55.280 --> 00:31:55.880 ten spies, 00:31:56.160 --> 00:31:56.620 the ones who gave 00:31:56.620 --> 00:31:57.240 a bad report, 00:31:57.460 --> 00:31:58.420 who led the people astray, 00:31:58.980 --> 00:32:00.400 they're judged immediately. 00:32:02.020 --> 00:32:02.320 You see, 00:32:02.360 --> 00:32:03.160 those in positions 00:32:03.160 --> 00:32:03.680 of leadership 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:04.620 are held accountable 00:32:04.620 --> 00:32:05.520 to a greater degree, 00:32:05.620 --> 00:32:06.320 and so they bear 00:32:06.320 --> 00:32:07.600 the penalty right away 00:32:07.600 --> 00:32:09.280 for their unrepentant hearts 00:32:09.280 --> 00:32:11.040 and so that their unbelief 00:32:11.040 --> 00:32:11.840 doesn't continue 00:32:11.840 --> 00:32:12.600 to spread 00:32:12.600 --> 00:32:13.900 amidst the next generation. 00:32:15.720 --> 00:32:16.360 But perhaps 00:32:16.360 --> 00:32:17.500 the most tragic part 00:32:17.500 --> 00:32:18.060 of this passage 00:32:18.059 --> 00:32:19.379 is the final paragraph. 00:32:20.299 --> 00:32:21.119 Some of the people 00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:22.179 in presumption 00:32:22.179 --> 00:32:23.019 decide 00:32:23.019 --> 00:32:24.119 that they will 00:32:24.119 --> 00:32:24.659 take the land 00:32:24.659 --> 00:32:25.279 after all 00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:27.599 and they're defeated 00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:29.279 because the Lord 00:32:29.279 --> 00:32:29.940 isn't with them. 00:32:31.700 --> 00:32:32.659 The people shift 00:32:32.659 --> 00:32:33.059 overnight 00:32:33.059 --> 00:32:34.639 from faithless fear 00:32:34.639 --> 00:32:36.599 to faithless presumption. 00:32:38.500 --> 00:32:39.619 And in neither 00:32:39.619 --> 00:32:40.659 their fear 00:32:40.659 --> 00:32:41.619 nor their presumption 00:32:41.619 --> 00:32:43.539 were they accepting 00:32:43.539 --> 00:32:45.019 what God said 00:32:45.019 --> 00:32:46.559 and living accordingly. 00:32:47.659 --> 00:32:48.879 It would have been better 00:32:48.879 --> 00:32:49.680 for them at this point 00:32:49.680 --> 00:32:51.220 to accept God's discipline 00:32:51.220 --> 00:32:53.740 than to presumptuously think 00:32:53.740 --> 00:32:54.379 they could go into 00:32:54.379 --> 00:32:55.159 the promised land 00:32:55.159 --> 00:32:55.879 without God. 00:32:58.059 --> 00:32:59.519 So the passage ends 00:32:59.519 --> 00:33:00.799 with a warning. 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:03.500 You see, friends, 00:33:03.659 --> 00:33:04.960 the cost 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:06.559 of unbelief 00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:07.779 is great, 00:33:08.379 --> 00:33:10.659 as great as could be imagined. 00:33:10.660 --> 00:33:13.740 That's why Hebrews says 00:33:13.740 --> 00:33:14.600 exhort one another 00:33:14.600 --> 00:33:15.480 every day 00:33:15.480 --> 00:33:16.720 as long as it's called today 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:18.259 so that you won't be hardened 00:33:18.259 --> 00:33:19.120 by the deceitfulness 00:33:19.120 --> 00:33:19.680 of sin. 00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:22.080 The cost of unbelief 00:33:22.080 --> 00:33:23.040 is so great. 00:33:25.420 --> 00:33:26.540 This generation 00:33:26.540 --> 00:33:28.000 lost the earthly 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:28.820 promised land 00:33:28.820 --> 00:33:30.040 because they allowed 00:33:30.040 --> 00:33:31.180 the fear of man 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:32.540 to overshadow 00:33:32.540 --> 00:33:33.120 their awe 00:33:33.120 --> 00:33:34.220 and trust in the Lord. 00:33:35.900 --> 00:33:36.960 They didn't enter, 00:33:37.080 --> 00:33:37.640 Hebrews says, 00:33:38.300 --> 00:33:39.580 because of unbelief. 00:33:39.579 --> 00:33:43.319 And the same 00:33:43.319 --> 00:33:43.960 is true today. 00:33:45.559 --> 00:33:46.000 Friends, 00:33:46.039 --> 00:33:46.899 there's only one way 00:33:46.899 --> 00:33:49.279 to face our fears 00:33:49.279 --> 00:33:50.539 and to enter 00:33:50.539 --> 00:33:51.740 the heavenly promised land, 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:53.799 and that is through faith. 00:33:54.939 --> 00:33:55.460 Believing, 00:33:55.779 --> 00:33:56.859 ongoing trust 00:33:56.859 --> 00:33:58.539 in God's promises 00:33:58.539 --> 00:33:59.980 fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 00:34:01.359 --> 00:34:02.000 You see, 00:34:03.119 --> 00:34:04.460 God would keep 00:34:04.460 --> 00:34:05.019 His promises. 00:34:06.119 --> 00:34:07.099 In a generation, 00:34:07.799 --> 00:34:08.199 Joshua, 00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:09.420 would lead the people 00:34:09.420 --> 00:34:10.360 into the promised land. 00:34:11.339 --> 00:34:11.699 In fact, 00:34:11.900 --> 00:34:12.880 the Jordan River 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:13.539 would part 00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:14.679 just like the Red Sea. 00:34:15.039 --> 00:34:15.980 The people would walk 00:34:15.980 --> 00:34:17.420 through on dry land, 00:34:17.639 --> 00:34:18.519 and Jericho, 00:34:18.659 --> 00:34:19.519 one of those great 00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:20.559 fortified cities, 00:34:20.839 --> 00:34:21.779 would collapse. 00:34:21.980 --> 00:34:22.339 How? 00:34:23.539 --> 00:34:24.400 Because the people 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:25.139 obeyed the Lord 00:34:25.139 --> 00:34:26.159 and walked around it 00:34:26.159 --> 00:34:26.920 seven times. 00:34:29.420 --> 00:34:30.519 But it wouldn't stop there. 00:34:30.599 --> 00:34:31.279 God would continue 00:34:31.279 --> 00:34:31.860 to be faithful 00:34:31.860 --> 00:34:32.500 to His people 00:34:32.500 --> 00:34:33.239 and His promises. 00:34:33.239 --> 00:34:34.639 No matter what enemies 00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:35.919 or trials arose, 00:34:37.059 --> 00:34:38.059 think of Gideon. 00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:39.019 Gideon would defeat 00:34:39.019 --> 00:34:39.919 the Midianites 00:34:39.919 --> 00:34:40.859 with nothing more 00:34:40.859 --> 00:34:42.079 than torches 00:34:42.079 --> 00:34:42.979 and clay jars. 00:34:44.379 --> 00:34:45.359 David would defeat 00:34:45.359 --> 00:34:45.939 Goliath 00:34:45.939 --> 00:34:47.119 with a sling 00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:47.839 and a stone. 00:34:49.500 --> 00:34:50.459 Hundreds of years later, 00:34:50.559 --> 00:34:51.979 the exiles would return, 00:34:52.279 --> 00:34:53.579 protected and preserved, 00:34:53.859 --> 00:34:54.399 though their enemies 00:34:54.399 --> 00:34:54.899 abounded. 00:34:55.919 --> 00:34:57.279 God would remain faithful. 00:34:57.280 --> 00:35:01.580 But the reality is 00:35:01.580 --> 00:35:02.840 a true place of rest, 00:35:02.900 --> 00:35:03.860 a true home, 00:35:04.260 --> 00:35:05.440 would still remain 00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:06.440 for the people of God. 00:35:08.600 --> 00:35:10.120 Joshua wouldn't be the one 00:35:10.120 --> 00:35:12.320 to truly lead his people 00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:13.320 to ultimate rest. 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:15.100 David wouldn't be the one 00:35:15.100 --> 00:35:16.120 to ultimately defeat 00:35:16.120 --> 00:35:16.640 the enemies. 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:17.820 Ezra and Nehemiah 00:35:17.820 --> 00:35:18.720 wouldn't be the ones 00:35:18.720 --> 00:35:19.760 to bring the people 00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:21.060 in to the safety 00:35:21.060 --> 00:35:22.480 of the ultimate promised land. 00:35:23.400 --> 00:35:24.700 It would be Jesus. 00:35:24.699 --> 00:35:27.379 His resurrection 00:35:27.379 --> 00:35:29.619 would inaugurate 00:35:29.619 --> 00:35:30.719 the new creation 00:35:30.719 --> 00:35:32.980 and open the door 00:35:32.980 --> 00:35:34.599 to our true rest. 00:35:35.639 --> 00:35:37.619 And through trusting in Him, 00:35:38.879 --> 00:35:39.899 our real rest, 00:35:40.079 --> 00:35:41.579 our real home is found. 00:35:43.399 --> 00:35:44.319 So friends, 00:35:44.379 --> 00:35:45.259 don't be like the people 00:35:45.259 --> 00:35:46.299 of Numbers 13 00:35:46.299 --> 00:35:48.839 who stood on the verge 00:35:48.839 --> 00:35:49.439 of victory 00:35:49.439 --> 00:35:51.619 and instead chose defeat. 00:35:53.139 --> 00:35:54.619 Trust God's promises 00:35:54.619 --> 00:35:56.380 trust that He's already 00:35:56.380 --> 00:35:57.920 conquered our greatest foes. 00:35:58.039 --> 00:35:59.039 Trust in Christ. 00:35:59.519 --> 00:36:00.859 Yes, your sin is great. 00:36:01.519 --> 00:36:02.779 Yes, the wages of sin 00:36:02.779 --> 00:36:03.519 is death. 00:36:03.980 --> 00:36:04.480 However, 00:36:07.119 --> 00:36:08.319 Christ has died 00:36:08.319 --> 00:36:08.880 and rose again 00:36:08.880 --> 00:36:09.799 for all who believe. 00:36:10.679 --> 00:36:11.900 And there's no weapon 00:36:11.900 --> 00:36:12.799 formed against us 00:36:12.799 --> 00:36:13.559 that can stand. 00:36:14.460 --> 00:36:16.199 And nothing can separate us 00:36:16.199 --> 00:36:17.440 from the love of God 00:36:17.440 --> 00:36:18.699 in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:36:20.539 --> 00:36:21.239 Let's pray. 00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:21.319 Amen. 00:36:21.319 --> 00:36:21.319 00:36:24.619 --> 00:36:27.960 Our Father in Heaven, 00:36:28.039 --> 00:36:29.139 we confess this morning 00:36:29.139 --> 00:36:30.480 that we do bring with us 00:36:30.480 --> 00:36:31.239 many fears. 00:36:35.519 --> 00:36:36.579 And we confess 00:36:36.579 --> 00:36:37.139 that often 00:36:37.139 --> 00:36:38.400 we are tempted 00:36:38.400 --> 00:36:39.259 to slide 00:36:39.259 --> 00:36:42.259 into obscuring 00:36:42.259 --> 00:36:43.039 the greatness 00:36:43.039 --> 00:36:43.920 of who You are 00:36:43.920 --> 00:36:44.839 in our own hearts. 00:36:47.099 --> 00:36:47.619 Lord, 00:36:47.679 --> 00:36:50.359 we see the calcification 00:36:50.360 --> 00:36:51.720 of our own hearts 00:36:51.720 --> 00:36:52.519 setting in 00:36:52.519 --> 00:36:53.240 at times. 00:36:54.780 --> 00:36:55.880 But we thank You 00:36:55.880 --> 00:36:56.320 for the work 00:36:56.320 --> 00:36:57.099 of Your Spirit 00:36:57.099 --> 00:36:59.280 who through Your Word 00:36:59.280 --> 00:37:00.900 comes and softens us. 00:37:01.860 --> 00:37:03.019 So soften us today. 00:37:04.300 --> 00:37:04.800 Cause faith 00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:06.220 to rise up in our souls 00:37:06.220 --> 00:37:07.579 as we behold Christ, 00:37:07.680 --> 00:37:08.440 our great champion 00:37:08.440 --> 00:37:09.000 and King. 00:37:11.000 --> 00:37:12.019 Help us, Lord, 00:37:13.380 --> 00:37:14.079 to put You 00:37:14.079 --> 00:37:14.760 in the uppermost 00:37:14.760 --> 00:37:15.519 of our minds, 00:37:15.680 --> 00:37:16.400 Your reality 00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:17.559 and Your promises 00:37:17.559 --> 00:37:21.360 to not give credit 00:37:21.360 --> 00:37:24.440 to these earthly circumstances, 00:37:26.019 --> 00:37:27.720 but to give all the credit 00:37:27.720 --> 00:37:28.480 and all the honor 00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:29.320 to You, God. 00:37:31.280 --> 00:37:31.840 And Lord, 00:37:31.900 --> 00:37:32.760 help us to encourage 00:37:32.760 --> 00:37:33.280 one another 00:37:33.280 --> 00:37:34.119 with these things. 00:37:36.260 --> 00:37:36.800 Hebrews says 00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:38.039 to exhort one another. 00:37:39.059 --> 00:37:39.960 So give us the words, 00:37:40.059 --> 00:37:40.800 give us the wisdom 00:37:40.800 --> 00:37:41.780 in our community 00:37:41.780 --> 00:37:43.280 to be able to speak 00:37:43.280 --> 00:37:44.280 life-giving, 00:37:44.539 --> 00:37:45.500 encouraging, 00:37:45.500 --> 00:37:47.420 exhorting words 00:37:47.420 --> 00:37:48.340 to one another. 00:37:49.179 --> 00:37:49.280 Lord, 00:37:49.320 --> 00:37:50.000 help it to happen 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:50.820 in conversations 00:37:50.820 --> 00:37:51.920 and in small groups, 00:37:52.019 --> 00:37:52.639 in marriages, 00:37:53.019 --> 00:37:53.980 between parents 00:37:53.980 --> 00:37:54.599 and children. 00:37:55.400 --> 00:37:55.579 Lord, 00:37:55.639 --> 00:37:56.659 between friends. 00:37:58.000 --> 00:37:58.460 And Lord, 00:37:58.519 --> 00:37:59.820 would how we live 00:37:59.820 --> 00:38:00.699 as Your people, 00:38:00.900 --> 00:38:02.079 free from fear, 00:38:04.059 --> 00:38:05.360 be a great witness 00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:06.460 to those around us. 00:38:07.340 --> 00:38:07.559 Lord, 00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:08.719 we know the uncertainties 00:38:08.719 --> 00:38:09.820 in the world are great. 00:38:10.920 --> 00:38:11.159 Lord, 00:38:11.199 --> 00:38:11.820 the challenges, 00:38:12.539 --> 00:38:13.420 the trials, 00:38:13.659 --> 00:38:14.360 the fears, 00:38:14.360 --> 00:38:16.260 or they abound 00:38:16.260 --> 00:38:17.120 in our neighbors. 00:38:19.260 --> 00:38:19.700 But, 00:38:19.800 --> 00:38:20.099 O Lord, 00:38:20.180 --> 00:38:21.920 allow our confidence 00:38:21.920 --> 00:38:22.400 in You, 00:38:22.500 --> 00:38:23.400 our trust in You, 00:38:23.480 --> 00:38:24.519 our boldness in You 00:38:24.519 --> 00:38:27.180 to speak brightly 00:38:27.180 --> 00:38:30.380 of the matchless grace 00:38:30.380 --> 00:38:30.800 of Jesus 00:38:30.800 --> 00:38:31.480 that is offered 00:38:31.480 --> 00:38:32.519 to all who believe 00:38:32.519 --> 00:38:33.400 in which You draw 00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:34.720 all people to Yourself. 00:38:36.059 --> 00:38:36.880 We pray this 00:38:36.880 --> 00:38:37.559 in Your mighty name, 00:38:37.640 --> 00:38:37.860 Jesus. 00:38:37.860 --> 00:38:39.420 Amen.