Father, as we come to your word, your word is infallible.
My words are not.
And so we want to hear you.
We want you to speak to us.
God, help us to see what you want to see in your word.
And speak to us today.
Speak to each one of us.
And the various trials and struggles that we're going through,
come and be near to us.
In your presence and in your word.
We pray these things in your great and wonderful name.
Amen.
Today's scripture reading is taken from Numbers 22, verse 1 to 35.
Please follow along in your Bible.
If you don't have one yet, please grab them from the front of the stage
or near the door or at the back of the hall.
Our passage is on page 121.
Hear then God's word to us today, starting in verse 1.
Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho.
And Balak, the son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
And Moab was in great dread of the people because there were many.
Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel.
And Moab said to the elders of Median,
This horde will now lick up all that is around us as the ox licks up the grass of the field.
So Balak, the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time,
sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor at Pethor,
which is near the river in the land of the people of Amor,
to call him, saying,
Behold, a people has come out of Egypt.
They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me.
Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me.
Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land,
for I know that he whom you bless is blessed,
and he whom you curse is cursed.
So the elders of Moab and the elders of Median
departed with the fees for divination in their hand.
And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message.
And he said to them,
Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you as the Lord speaks to me.
So the princess of Moab stayed with Balaam.
And God came to Balaam and said,
Who are these men with you?
And Balaam said to God,
Balaam, the son of Zippor, king of Moab,
has sent me, saying,
Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,
and it covers the face of the earth.
Now come, curse them for me.
Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.
God said to Balaam,
You shall not go with them.
You shall not curse the people,
for they are blessed.
So Balaam rose in the morning
and said to the princess of Balaam,
Go to your own land,
for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.
So the princess of Moab rose and went to Balaam and said,
Balaam refuses to come with us.
Once again,
Balaam sent princes more in number
and more honorable than these.
And they came to Balaam and said to him,
Thus says Balaam,
the son of Zippor,
Let nothing hinder you from coming to me,
for I will surely do you great honor.
And whatever you say to me,
I will do.
Come, curse these people for me.
But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak,
Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold,
I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God
to do less or more.
So you too,
please stay here tonight
that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.
And God came to Balaam at night and said to him,
If the men have come up to call you,
rise, go with them,
but only do what I tell you.
So Balaam rose in the morning
and saddled his donkey
and went with the princess of Moab.
But God's anger was kindled
because he went,
and the angel of the Lord
took his stand in the way as his adversary.
Now he was riding on the donkey,
and his two servants were with him.
And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord
standing in the road
with a drawn sword in his hand.
And the donkey turned aside out of the road
and went into the field.
And Balaam struck the donkey
to turn her into the road.
Then the angel of the Lord
stood in a narrow path
between the vineyards
with a wall on either side.
And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord,
she pushed against the wall
and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall.
So he struck her again.
And the angel of the Lord went ahead
and stood in a narrow place
where there was no way to turn
either to the right or to the left.
When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord,
she lay down under Balaam.
And Balaam's anger was kindled,
and he struck the donkey with his staff.
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey,
and she said to Balaam,
What have I done to you
that you have struck me these three times?
And Balaam said to the donkey,
Because you have made a fool of me,
I wish I had a sword in my hand,
for then I would kill you.
And then the donkey said to Balaam,
Am I not your donkey
on which you have ridden all your life
long to this day?
Is it my habit to treat you this way?
And he said, No.
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam,
and he saw the angel of the Lord
standing in the way
with his drawn sword in his hand.
And he bowed down and fell on his face.
And the angel of the Lord said to him,
Why have you struck your donkey
these three times?
Behold, I have come out to oppose you
because your way is perverse before me.
The donkey saw me
and turned aside before me
these three times.
If she had not turned aside from me,
surely just now I would have killed you
and let her live.
Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord,
I have sinned,
for I did not know
that you stood in the road against me.
Now therefore,
if it is evil in your sight,
I will turn back.
And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam,
Go with the men,
but speak only the word that I tell you.
So Balaam went on
with the princess of Balaam.
Let us believe and respond
to God's true and living word.
Okay.
Thank you, Kristen.
Friends, we live in a city
and in a culture
which is very obsessed with blessing
and favor
and fearful of evil and bad luck.
Just think of the number
or the names of the apartment blocks
in which we live, right?
We live in things like blessing court,
heavenly mansions,
royal gardens,
tycoon villas,
prosperity tower,
and on and on and on.
Or think of what we say
to one another at Chinese New Year.
Gong Hei Fa Chui.
Or congratulations,
make money,
be prosperous this year.
Or think of the lion dances
that happen, right?
At every Chinese New Year
or maybe when a new building is opened,
we get the lion dance
to drive out bad luck
and evil spirits.
Or think about the tens of millions
of dollars
that is spent each year
in our city
to make sure that new buildings
have good feng shui.
We are a city
which works tirelessly,
which hustles
to make sure
that we secure good fortune
and do all we can
to drive away bad luck
and misfortune.
Now, many of us would say,
well, we don't really believe
in that stuff.
We're not really superstitious.
But culture is hard
to shake off, isn't it?
Culture runs deep within us.
Friends, how many of us
subtly
soften our voice
to a whisper
when we talk about
somebody dying?
Almost as if we can't mention it.
How many of us
feel uncomfortable
about moving onto
the fourth floor
of an apartment block?
Or maybe subtly feel
a little bit happy
if we get a new phone number
and there's lots of eights in it.
We're not superstitious,
but there's a few things
that just make us
slightly feel better
about ourselves
and other things worse.
Ours is a city
which is driven
in equal parts
by fear of misfortune
and bad luck
on the one hand,
and yet unrelenting yearning
or desire
for favor and blessing.
But friends,
what happens
if you could come
under the blessing
of the sovereign,
eternal God
who is in control
of all things?
What would life look like
if you could come
into God's blessing
in such a way
that no amount
of bad luck,
no amount of evil
spirits or misfortune
could stop God's blessing
for your life?
What would your life
look like
if you were so secure
in God's favor
and God being for you
that you need not care
a thing about
all the evil powers
in this world?
If you're new to Watermark,
we're going through
the book of Numbers,
and the book of Numbers
is this wonderful book
in the Old Testament,
and it's the story
of how God's people
leave Egypt
and they travel
through the wilderness
towards the promised land,
and we've said
that the book of Numbers
is this apt analogy
for the Christian life.
If you're a follower
of Jesus,
you too have been delivered
out of slavery
to sin and hell
by God's grace,
you're on a journey
of faith,
and God is taking you
through to the new creation,
to heaven itself.
And we've said
that the journey of faith
that the Israelites go on
is an analogy
for the life of faith
for us as Christians.
But this journey of faith
is a perilous one.
It's full of dangers
and toils and snares.
But in order to get
through the journey of faith,
we need to know
and have clarity
on where God's favor
and blessing are found
and what can
and cannot stop us
entering the promised land.
We need to know
with clarity
and certainty
what it is
where we can find
God's favor
and what will
and will not stop us
from coming
under God's blessing.
And so the main idea
in this passage
is that those of us
that are followers
of Jesus,
those of us
that have come
under God himself,
do not need to fear
all the powers
of hell
or the evil spirits
or malicious plots
of man.
We can be confident
that if you belong
to God,
the sovereign God
who rules over all things,
your life is safe
in his hands.
And you do not need
to fear
the counterfeit gods
and the fake
counterfeit powers
that are out there
to bless you
or to bring favor on you.
Friends,
if you're a Christian
this morning,
God wants you to know
that your life,
both now in this world
and in the life to come
for all eternity
are not in the hands
of evil spirits,
evil forces,
wicked or self-serving man.
Your life is in the hands
of the God
that controls all things
and therefore
you can take confidence
in him.
And friends,
if you're not a Christian
this morning,
I wonder what your life
would look like
if you could live
so sure,
so certain,
so confident
of God's favor
and blessing
resting upon you.
So,
let's look at what
happens here
in this passage.
Now the context
as we said
is God's people
are moving
through the wilderness
and what's meant
to take four weeks
from Egypt
to the promised land
ends up taking
40 years.
Why?
Because God
asked him to trust him
and to believe in him
and to hope in him
but believing in him
and hoping in him
and holding on to him
is the one thing
the Israelites
do not do very well.
And so God says
that that generation
will die off
in the wilderness.
And so for 40 years
they're wandering around
waiting for that
generation to die off
and for the new
generation to emerge
so that they can
enter the promised land.
And that's what
we looked at last week
six chapters of death
and misery
until that generation
passes.
And now a new
generation is emerging.
And what will this
happen to this generation?
Will they enter
the promised land?
Will they get in?
Will God's promises
to Abraham
and his descendants
that they will inherit
the promised land
will they be fulfilled
or will they too fail?
Because if God promises
his covenant commitment
to Abraham fails
then the question is
can we take anything
God says seriously?
God made this promise
to Abraham
I will be with you
I will bless you
your descendants
will enter the land
and if that promise fails
can we take anything
God says seriously?
How do we know
that any of his words
will be true to us?
And so look
what happens here.
So the story is
Kristen read it to us
so well
the new generation
aren't perfect
but in chapter 21
good things are starting
to happen.
They engage in these
two battles
the king of Sihon
and the king of Og
and the Amorites
and they defeat them
and so now
they move into
the plains of Moab
that are right across
the river
from the promised land
they're right on the border
and the king of Moab
gets afraid
he thinks
he's heard the stories
of these guys
that have defeated
the kings around him
and he is afraid
and so look at what he does
verse 2 of chapter 22
Balak the son of Zippor
saw all the Israelites
had done to the Amorites
and they were in great dread
because of them
because there were many
Moab was overcome
with fear
because of the people
of Israel
and so what does he do?
He decides
I can't beat them militarily
they're too big for me
I don't have enough firepower
but what I can do
is I can bring a curse
on them
and so he goes
and he finds a shaman
a sorcerer
the world's leading
shaman of the time
man of international repute
his name was Balaam
son of Beor
and he's famous
and well regarded
and he brings him
or he sends him
a bunch of people
in an entourage
with a pile of money
and he says to him
verse 6
come now
curse this people for me
since they are too mighty
for me
perhaps I shall be able
to defeat them
and drive them
from the land
for I know that
he whom you bless
is blessed
and him who you curse
is cursed
well Balaam says
okay
sounds good
let me go and ask God
and so he goes
and prays
now one thing
we need to be clear
a couple of times
here Balaam
seems to talk about
God as being his God
he's like the Lord
my God
but Balaam
is not a God
fearing man
he is a sorcerer
he's a shaman
in the ancient world
you pray to whatever
gods did
you know
the best favors for you
and so Balaam is saying
hey you want me to curse
the Israelites
let me go talk to
the God of the Israelites
and so he
is soliciting the favor
of whatever gods
or spirits
he needs at the time
so Balaam goes off
and God tells him
not to go with Balak
and do what Balak wants
and so he sends
the entourage back
and says
sorry
no can do
and Balak then
sends him more princes
and even more money
and says
please
I really need you
and Balaam
sees all the gold
and silver
and he says
well you know
it wouldn't harm
to ask God again
and so he goes again
and he asks a second time
and this time
he hears God saying
go with him
go with his men
and so he goes
to the land of Moab
to curse the Israelites
but along the way
something very strange happens
Balaam's faithful steed
also known as donkey
doesn't do anything
that Balaam wants him to do
he keeps on going off
on the other path
he goes into a field
and then he smashes
his leg against a wall
and then eventually
he just sits down
in the road
and he won't move
and Balaam's getting
more and more agitated
and frustrated
and angry
and he says
verse 28
it says
Balaam's anger
was kindled
and he struck
the donkey
with his star
for the third time
he's hit his donkey
and amazingly
for only the second time
in the Bible
I don't know exactly
how this works
but it somehow works
the God that can
you know
swallow
cause a whale
to swallow Jonah
is the same God
that opens
the mouth of the snake
in the garden of Eden
and somehow opens
the mouth of the donkey
and for the second time
in the Bible
an animal speaks
in a way that a human
can understand
and he says
why are you beating me
I've only done this
to save your life
and God opens
Balaam's eyes
and he sees
there's an angel
with a drawn sword
standing in front of him
and that his foolish donkey
has saved his life
now
friends I hope you can see here
the whole story
is dripping with irony
right
because here we have
the most famous
the most powerful
shaman in the ancient world
one who's made a control
spiritual forces
and evil forces
and get them to do his bidding
and yet see how powerless
and impotent he is
he can't even control
the movements of his stupid donkey
with a bid and a bridle
he can threaten
he can curse
and he has got no power
to get the donkey
to do anything he wants
he has a guy
that's traveled
all these hundreds of miles
across the Middle East
to curse a nation
merely with his words
and yet
when his donkey
doesn't listen to him
he's reduced to beating
his donkey with a stick
because his words
have no power whatsoever
friends here is a seer
one who's meant to see
into the unknown
spiritual world
and see what's happening
and he can't see
the angel of death
that's standing
right in front of him
but his donkey
can't see it
Balak says to him
I know that
he whom you bless
is blessed
and he whom you curse
is cursed
absolutely not
but Alam here
has got no power
whatsoever
here is the big
bad terrifying
evil man
who's supposed to
derail God's plans
and destroy
God's covenant promises
and he is more powerless
more feeble
more helpless
and more hopeless
than a senseless donkey
and God here
just as God
uses the unlikely
agent of a silly donkey
to speak his words
and reveal his plans
to Balam
God is going to use
the unlikely agent
of a silly shaman
a sorcerer
to speak God's blessing
and God's reveal
God's favor upon Israel
and so
look at what happens
here in verse 36
this is kind of where
Kristen ended
the reading
Balam eventually
goes back with
Balak
and the Moabite king
and they go up
on a high mountain
and they oversee
a portion of the
camp of Israel
and Balam says
okay let's offer
some sacrifices
they build seven altars
they sacrifice goats
and bulls
and all sorts of animals
and then Balak
goes off
and says
let me pray
to the God of Israel
and he goes and prays
and he comes back
with a word
and Balak
has paid good money
for Balak
to come and curse
you know
the Israelites
but what he says
is not what Balak
expects
instead
Balam
blesses them
and speaks favor
of them
and speaks of God
looking after them
look what he says
in 23 verse 7
from Aram
Balak has brought me
the king of Moab
from the eastern mountains
come curse Jacob
for me
come denounce Israel
he said
but how can I curse
those whom God
has not cursed
how can I denounce
the ones the Lord
has not denounced
and Balak
goes on
and he speaks
blessing and favor
of the strength
of this nation
and how blessed
they are
and Balak
the king of Moab
he is about
a burst appendix
I mean he is
so frustrated
I paid you good money
what are you doing
he says
okay fine
maybe you went
to the wrong mountain
let's go to this mountain
he takes them
on the other side
and looks at another
side of Israel's camp
and Balak
says okay
let's build the altars
and they build
seven altars
and they sacrifice
goats and bulls
and all sorts of things
and then he goes off
and he prays
and he comes back
with the word
and Balak
is a bit
he is a bit anxious
and the same thing
happens
look at what happens
here
chapter 23
verse 18
Balak
blesses Israel
again
he says
arise
Balak
here
give word
give ear to me
son of Ezekiel
God is not a man
that he should lie
a son of man
that he should
change his mind
has he said
and he will not do it
has God spoken
and he will not
fulfill his word
behold
I received a command
to bless
he has blessed
him
I cannot provoke
it
he has not
beheld misfortune
for Jacob
he has not
seen trouble
in Israel
the Lord
their God
is with them
there is no
enchantment
against Jacob
there is no
divination
against Israel
and Balak
is losing
his patience
here
he's paid
good money
for Balam
the sorcerer
the powerful
magician
to come and
curse God's
people
and all he does
is he speaks
blessing over
them
so he takes
them up
to the
one more
mountain
to the
highest
mountain
and from
here they
can see
the whole
nation
of Israel
and he
thinks
if Balam
can see
just how
vast
this nation
is
how terrifying
they are
then finally
he will curse
them
and so
look at what
happens
Balam
they build
the altars
they sacrifice
the animals
Balam
goes off
he comes
back
and he speaks
a third
oracle
24
verse 5
how lovely
are your tents
so Jacob
your encampments
oh Israel
like palm groves
that stretch afar
like gardens
planted beside the
rivers
like aloes
that the Lord
has planted
and cedar
treels
beside waters
verse 7
his king
will be higher
than Agag
his kingdom
will be exalted
he shall eat up
the nations
his adversaries
he shall break
their bones
in pieces
and pierce
them with arrows
just imagine this
the king is standing
next to him
he's like
you guys are going
to destroy him
right
if you're a consultant
you probably shouldn't
speak to your
you know
your client
like that
verse 9
blessed are those
who bless you
and cursed are those
who curse you
and by now
Balak has had enough
every time he's paid
Balam to curse Israel
he ends up blessing them
and he sends them
on his way
but notice
in each of these
three oracles
the same thing happens
Balam
enters
echoes
the same words
that God
had spoken to
Abraham
hundreds of years
before
three times
he talks about
his blessing
23 verse 8
how can I curse
those whom God
has blessed
behold I receive
a command to bless
God has blessed
him
I cannot revoke it
24 verse 9
blessed are those
who bless you
cursed are those
who curse you
but friends
500 years before
God had chosen
a man called
Abraham
out of nowhere
and he said
Abraham
blessed are those
who bless you
cursed are those
who curse you
God had spoken
to Abraham
and he said
my blessing
my favor
will rest upon
you
you will multiply
into many
many people
you will enter
into the promised
land
and I will give
you many
descendants
and through you
all the nations
of the world
will be blessed
those who bless
you will be
blessed
and those who
curse you
will be cursed
and the point
of all this
is that God
is absolutely
100%
undoubtedly
faithful
to his covenant
promises
despite all
of Israel's
rebellion
despite all
of their sin
despite all
the curses
and the plagues
and the death
and the wandering
in the wilderness
for 40 years
despite everything
that has gone
wrong
both internally
and externally
God has promised
to bring them
into the promised
land
and he will
do it
despite all
the curses
and all the evil
spirits
and everything
all the money
that Belak
has paid
to curse
these people
nothing
and no one
can stop
God's promises
from being fulfilled
and 500 years
before God
had said to Abraham
I will bless you
I will make
your descendants
more numerous
than you can count
I will give
your people
land in Canaan
across the Jordan
for them to enter
into
and through you
Abraham
will come
a descendant
a Messiah
a Savior
one who will
not just bless
my people
but will
actually reverse
all the curses
that came upon
them
as a consequence
of Adam's
sin in the
garden
I will send
you a descendant
who will be
like a new
Adam
a perfect
Adam
one who's
perfectly
righteous
and obedient
one who will
take upon
himself
the curse
that fell
on the world
who will
defeat the curse
through his
death and
resurrection
and will
make all
things new
and I will
bring my
people home
and here
500 years
later
despite all
that's gone
on and
400 years
of slavery
in Egypt
and 40
years of
wandering
in the
wilderness
and plagues
and disaster
and snakes
and death
and rebellion
despite all
of that
and curses
God says
nothing
will change
my purposes
for my
people
I have
said it
and I
will do
it
and so
look at
24
verse 10
here
Belak's
anger
was kindled
against
Belam
and he
struck
his hands
together
it's the
exact same
words
that used
earlier
for Belam
to describe
the way
he acted
towards his
donkey
and Belak
says to
Belam
I called
you to
curse
my enemies
behold
you have
blessed
them
three times
and he
sends
him away
empty
handed
no payment
no reward
no money
because he
didn't do
what he
was paid
to do
but Belam
gives one
final blessing
one final
oracle
Belak
is kind
of stormed
off in a
temper
but Belam
says
I'm not
done
yet
I've got
one more
thing
to say
and he
speaks
one final
oracle
and he
speaks
here of
a ruler
one who
holds
a royal
scepter
one who
will come
out of
Israel's
own people
but he's
not there
at the
moment
he's
not in
the camp
this is
verse 17
he says
I see
him
but not
now
I behold
him
but he's
not near
he's not
in the
camp
he's a
far
way
off
there's
a
descendant
that's
coming
out of
Israel
and he
will finally
bring them
home
friends of
course he's
talking about
the same
person that
God spoke
to Abraham
about
the Lord
Jesus
Christ
the Messiah
King
and that's
where the
story ends
now what
does all
that mean
for us
okay
interesting
story
what does
that mean
for us
in our
lives
well I
think it
means three
things
and one
statement
two
questions
okay
so here's
the statement
the certainty
of God's
promises
the absolute
certainty
of God's
promises
to his
people
we've been
saying that
for weeks
now the
story of
numbers is
the story
of God's
faithfulness
to his
people how
he will
bring his
people through
the wilderness
and he will
bring them
home and
it's an
apt analogy
for the
Christian
life
God has
delivered us
from hell
and he will
bring us
home but
the point
of the
story is
that God
is absolutely
faithful to
his word
and in many
ways friends
that is the
story of the
Bible
the Bible
is not just
good advice
or good
wisdom
or how to
make life
work
the Bible
is the
story of
the wonderful
works of
God
as Natalie
led us in
earlier to
sing of his
wonderful works
it's the story
of God
speaking to
his people
thousands of
years ago
saying I
will be
faithful to
my word
and the
storyline of
the Bible
from Genesis
to Revelation
is the story
of God
being faithful
to his word
and accomplishing
what he said
he would
God said
that he would
send a savior
to defeat
sin and
Satan and
death
and he
has
God said
that he
will come
again and
make all
things new
and he
will
speaking to
another context
in Isaiah
46
God says
this
I have
spoken
I will
bring it
to pass
I have
purposed
and I
will do
it
or as
Balaam said
in his
second oracle
he says
this
God is not
a man
that he
should lie
God is
not a son
of man
that he
should
change
his
mind
has
he
said
and he
will
not
do
it
has
he
spoken
and he
will
not
fulfill
it
and of course
the answer
is of course
not
when God
speaks
he is
faithful
to his
word
as we
sometimes
sing
faithful
he has
been
faithful
he
will
be
time
and time
again
his
words
return
complete
to his
truth
we cling
when the
night
is deep
faithful
he
has
been
faithful
he
will
be
and friends
if you
notice
that
in the
book
of
numbers
we've
been
focusing
on the
nation
of
Israel
the
people
of
God
but in
this
story
it's
the
first
time
in
the
book
of
numbers
the
people
of
God
do
not
even
feature
where
are
Israel
in
the
story
nowhere
to
be
found
they
are
somewhere
down
in
the
valley
completely
oblivious
totally
ignorant
about
what's
going
the
valley
minding
their
own
business
completely
ignorant
as to
what's
going
on
God
is
looking
after
them
protecting
them
sovereignly
ruling
over
them
turning
curses
into
blessings
and
disaster
into
favor
the
words
of
William
Cowper
the
famous
hymn
writer
said
you
faithful
saints
fresh
courage
take
the
clouds
you
so
much
dread
are
big
with
mercy
and
shall
break
blessings
on
your
head
now
friends
nobody's
saying
that
the
journey
of
faith
is
easy
that
the
road
to
glory
will
be
paved
with
ice
cream
and
marshmallows
there
are
giants
and
obstacles
there
are
enemies
and
people
wanting
to
curse
you
friends
there
is
sickness
there
is
cancer
there
is
job
loss
there
is
disappointment
there
is
people
passing
away
way
too
early
like
we
celebrated
David's
life
this
morning
friends
this
life
will
be
full
of
challenges
and
uncertainty
but
the
one
thing
that
is
not
uncertain
is
whether
God
is
with
you
and
he
will
be
faithful
to
his
word
that
is
not
uncertain
how
could
it
be
otherwise
friends
if
God
is
not
faithful
to
his
word
he
is
not
God
at
all
and
he
would
be
no
better
than
a
powerless
shaman
he
would
be
no
better
than
a
feeble
donkey
he
would
be
no
better
than
a
fearful
Balak
the
Moabite
but
that
is
not
who
our
God
is
our
God
rules
in
the
heavens
the
Bible
holds
out
the
God
to
us
who
speaks
his
promises
and
is
faithful
to
his
word
who
invites
us
to
trust
him
on
the
journey
of
faith
friends
the
God
that
we've
come
to
worship
and adore
this
morning
is
not
like
Balak
or
the
donkey
he
is
sovereign
over
every
single
atom
in
the
universe
every
action
in
the
world
he
is
absolutely
totally
in
control
of
everything
it
is
he
who
knows
the
beginning
from
the
end
it
is
he
who
upholds
the
universe
by
the
word
of
his
power
it
is
he
who
is
faithful
to
his
word
friends
the
future
of
those
who
know
the
Lord
Jesus
and
who
cause
him
to
trust
in
him
is
absolutely
certain
and
sure
settled
by
the
one
who
is
unchangeable
and
sealed
by
his
blood
friends
God
cannot
lie
and
he
will
not
change
his
mind
he
has
settled
his
blessing
on
his
people
with
the
promise
and
he
has
sealed
it
with
his
blood
those
who
come
to
trust
in
him
and
believe
in
him
and
hope
in
him
both
now
and
forever
nothing
can
separate
you
from
the
love
of
Christ
not
ages
to
come
not
demons
nor
Satan
sin
nor
hope
nor
death
nor
life
nothing
can
separate
us
from
the
hope
and
the
confidence
that
God's
people
get
to
live
with
so
trust
him
hold
on
to
him
while
you
are
oblivious
to
all
that
is
happening
around
you
the
God
is
up
in
the
heavens
speaking
favor
over
you
trust
him
now
friends
if
that
is
true
and
it
is
I
think
that
leads
us
to
two
questions
that
we
need
to
ask
first
question
is
are
you
hustling
or
are
you
wrestling
for
many
of
us
we
find
it
hard
to
trust
God
don't
we
and
so
that
means
our
lives
are
far
more
like
black
remember
the
mobot
king
what
is
who
is
black
is
a
hustler
he
is
somebody
that
makes
things
happen
he
is
a
schemer
!
is
not
sitting
around
waiting
for
things
to
happen
he
sees
a
problem
and
he
gets
onto
it
he
plots
and
schemes
and
he
plans
and
he
does
what
he
can
to
make
sure
that
prosperity
and
blessing
and
favor
come
his
way
and
bad
luck
is
averted
and
avoided
and
so
black
spends
an
absolute
fortune
securing
blessing
for his
people
just
think
about
this
he
sends
an
entourage
across
the
wilderness
to
go
and
call
with
a
pile
of
money
and
themselves
and
they
promise
us
the
earth
but
in
the
end
they
turn
out
to
be
expensive
uncertain
utterly
powerless
friends
who are
the people
that come
out best
in the
story
it's
the
people
who
are
carried
by
God
who
have
no
idea
what's
going
on
friends
Hong
Kong
is
a
city
full
of
blacks
I
don't
know
if
you've
ever
seen
the
standard
charted
advert
on
YouTube
that
plays
up
every
single
time
I
you
hustle
to
get
your
kids
in
the
right
school
you
hustle
to
get
that
promotion
you
hustle
to
secure
a
prosperous
future
and
what
is
the
result
yeah
financial
blessing
career
blessing
but
at
what
cost
broken
families
broken
relationships
broken
hearts
friends
we are
a city
of great
wealth
and
great
loneliness
fear
insecurity
uncertainty
hopelessness
friends
are you
like
black
trying to
hustle
your
way
to
the
blessed
life
consulting
leading
experts
trying
to
be
in
on
the
latest
information
how
to
invest
your
money
how
to
get
your
kids
in
the
right
school
how
to
get
ahead
in
your
career
where
has
it
got
you
how
are
your
relationships
how
is
your
family
how
is
your
heart
numbers
shows
us
that
true
blessing
is
not
found
in
having
the
right
inside
information
or
getting
your
kids
into
the
right
school
or
knowing
university
degree
friends
being
blessed
is
being
in
right
relationship
with
the
right
God
the
one
true
God
who
leads
everything
and
controls
all
things
true
favor
isn't
given
to
those
who
work
the
hardest
or
hustle
the
most
or
get
ahead
in
the
rat
race
true
favor
is
found
in
the
quiet
confidence
of
those
who
knows
who
is
totally
in
control
of
all
things
the
God
who
rules
the
world
friends
favor
is
found
by
being
blessed
by
him
by
being
loved
by
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
who
went
to
the
cross
for
us
who
bore
the
curse
of
sin
in
our
place
who
died
and
rose
again
so that
we
can
be
vindicated
friends
Jesus
Christ
invites
us
to
step
out
of
the
hustle
and
to
embrace
his
rest
and
so
here's
the
final
question
what
is
more
dangerous
to
you
internal
unbelief
throughout
the book
of
numbers
we've
been
looking
at
the
people
of
Israel
right
and
their
journey
through
the
wilderness
as
they
struggle
with
belief
and
doubt
and
they
don't
trust
God
and
things
go
wrong
and
leading
to
unbelief
and
rebellion
and sin
but in
these
chapters
for the
very
first
time
the
people
of
God
face
an
external
threat
for
the
last
10
chapters
the
threat
all
been
internal
their
sin
and
unbelief
but
for
the
first
time
there's
an
external
threat
the
curse
of
the
sorcerer
but
there's
a
contrast
here
which
is
going
to
be
more
difficult
or
dangerous
for
the
people
of
God
which
of
these
two
is
going
to
stop
them
entering
the
promised
land
the
unbelief
within
or
the
curses
and
the
evil
outside
it's
the
unbelief
within
right
and
friends
again
if
we
were
to
ask
most
Hong
what
is
a
greater
threat
to
your
happiness
joy
or
security
the
evil
out
there
the
bad
luck
out
there
or
the
evil
within
what
are
we
going
to
say
yeah
of
course
it's
the
evil
out
there
right
it's
all
those
people
that
mess
my
life
around
and
what
numbers
shows
us
is
that
for
the
people
of
God
the
threat
of
black
and
his
curses
blom
and
his
sorcery
is
no
threat
at
all
not
least
compared
to
the
internal
threat
of
unbelief
and
doubt
and
rebellion
against
God
friends
you see
what
this
means
as
Natalie
led
us
earlier
no
power
of
hell
no
scheme
of
man
could
ever
pluck
us
from
his
hand
till
he
returns
or
calls
us
home
firm
stead
vast
secure
here
in the
power
of
Christ
we
stand
friends
the
story
of
black
and
!
power
of
hell
no
scheme
of
man
can
stop
the
promises
of
God
but
it
should
also
give
us
pause
to
remember
there
is
a
danger
far
more
treacherous
than
the
evil
spirits
the
bad
feng shui
or the
bad luck
that so
many
of us
seek
to
avoid
it's
the
evil
of
unbelief
it's
the
doubt
in
our
hearts
it's
the
cynicism
that
resides
that
questions
God
friends
those
of us
who
know
and
be
confident
that
if
you
belong
to
God
the
God
who
knows
you
and
cares
for
you
if
you
trust
in
him
you
can
be
sure
that
he
will
be
faithful
to
his
covenant
promises
he
will
bring
you
through
the
wilderness
and
bring
you
home
faithful
he
has
been
faithful
he
will
be
time
and
time
again
his
word
returns
complete
to
his
truth
we
cling
when
the
night
is
deep
faithful
he
Lord
Jesus
we
come
before
you
now
and
God
we
confess
that
we
find
it
hard
this
journey
of
faith
is
sometimes
difficult
and
God
we
are
full
of
doubts
sometimes
we
God
are
like
our
city
we
are
looking
for
the
blessed
life
out
there
and
we
forget
that
it's
found
nowhere
except
in
you
and
so
help
us
God
help
us
to
believe
!
in
you
help
us
to
trust
in
you
help
us
God
to
turn
to
you
God
I
pray
for
each
and
every
one
of
us
God
those
of
us
that
are
fearful
and
afraid
that
live
with
a
bound
or
slave
to
fear
God
break
that
fear
in
our
hearts
help
us
live
confident
that
you
the
sovereign
God
are
over
all
things
before
all
things
in
control
of
all
things
in
your
great
name
we
pray
!
Amen