WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.280 So, the other night, I got an update from a friend that I haven't heard anything from 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:13.040 in a while, an old friend, and turns out he and his family are celebrating a major opportunity 00:00:13.040 --> 00:00:17.080 that has come into life for their… come into their lives as a family. 00:00:17.179 --> 00:00:19.719 It's going to be a fantastic experience for them. 00:00:20.179 --> 00:00:24.000 And I read this update, and I really wanted to be happy for him because I really like 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:28.000 this guy, and I really wanted to feel happy, but I felt something actually very different. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:36.939 As I read the details of the update, I felt my stomach start to turn sour, and I felt 00:00:36.939 --> 00:00:43.159 this kind of tightness in my chest, and I realized that I kind of stopped breathing for probably 00:00:43.159 --> 00:00:52.060 several seconds, and all of… at once, all of the, you know, satisfaction and contentment 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:55.719 that I normally feel in my life just sort of evaporated. 00:00:55.719 --> 00:01:00.159 You know, that's how quickly envy can set in. 00:01:00.740 --> 00:01:05.420 I felt like I was just kind of going along, feeling pretty good about things, and then 00:01:05.420 --> 00:01:07.319 envy blindsided me. 00:01:07.579 --> 00:01:10.219 It's like getting jumped from a dark alley. 00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:13.640 And all at once, all of that contentment was gone. 00:01:14.539 --> 00:01:19.359 And I struggled to feel happy for this friend that I really care about. 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:22.319 And I don't know if that's ever happened to you. 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:24.120 Probably has. 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:29.120 I think envy is something that happens to everybody if you live long enough, and many 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:31.920 of us struggle with it, especially now in the age of social media. 00:01:32.539 --> 00:01:34.700 This is what we're going to be talking about this morning. 00:01:35.219 --> 00:01:38.500 And we're going to be talking about envy as a part of a series that we've been doing all 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:40.939 summer in Psalm 106. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:42.900 We read a snippet of that earlier. 00:01:42.900 --> 00:01:47.960 Psalm 106 was written down during Israel's time of exile in Babylon. 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:56.460 And they wrote this psalm as a song that recounts all of the formative experiences that Israel 00:01:56.460 --> 00:02:03.000 faced during their time wandering in the wilderness after being set free from slavery in Egypt. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:10.719 And you say, well, why would somebody write a song to remember all of these formative experiences? 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:16.199 And it's because they wanted to remember them and to teach them to their children. 00:02:17.259 --> 00:02:20.879 This is what life is like in the wilderness. 00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:27.259 And, you know, the story of Israel is really, if you understand the Bible and kind of how to read 00:02:27.259 --> 00:02:30.219 the story, it's really a microcosm of the world. 00:02:30.219 --> 00:02:33.180 The story of Israel is really the story of the world. 00:02:33.479 --> 00:02:39.579 It's the story of human beings in the world in the sense that we're all wandering in the 00:02:39.579 --> 00:02:39.919 wilderness. 00:02:41.060 --> 00:02:45.300 All human beings, according to Scripture, are spiritually homeless. 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:48.659 We're like pilgrims searching for home. 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:52.379 And the reason is because we were made to live with God. 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:57.560 That's our home, and yet that relationship has been broken. 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:01.620 And so, we're all like pilgrims trying to find our way home. 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:07.060 And there are certain challenges that are kind of like marks of wilderness life. 00:03:07.420 --> 00:03:12.560 There are symptoms that remind us that we are spiritually homeless and that this isn't our 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:16.219 home and that we're merely pilgrims passing through. 00:03:16.640 --> 00:03:21.080 And so, Psalm 106 recounts these symptoms of spiritual homelessness. 00:03:21.580 --> 00:03:25.400 These are the things you're going to face on the road as pilgrims. 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:29.740 And so, a couple of weeks ago, we looked at unbelief as one of the challenges of wilderness 00:03:29.740 --> 00:03:30.280 life. 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:37.560 Last week, Jeff preached on discontent, and that's a marker of life in the wilderness. 00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:40.620 And this week, we're going to look at envy. 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:47.520 And Psalm 106, verses 16 through 18, they refer to an incident in the wilderness that we read 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:52.319 about in…we just heard read a moment ago in Numbers chapter 16. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:56.139 Now, there's a lot going on in Numbers 16, and we don't have time to get into all of it. 00:03:56.459 --> 00:03:59.139 We're really going to focus on this theme of envy. 00:03:59.519 --> 00:04:01.039 And we're going to see a couple of things. 00:04:01.079 --> 00:04:06.000 We're going to see the problem of envy, and then we're going to see the way out of envy. 00:04:06.340 --> 00:04:06.919 Let's pray. 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:12.819 Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and I thank You that we get to come around Your Word every 00:04:12.819 --> 00:04:14.400 week together as a family. 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:17.719 And we thank You that we don't do that alone, that You're here with us. 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:23.940 We pray that Your Holy Spirit would illuminate Your Word, that these words would become flesh. 00:04:24.140 --> 00:04:27.860 Lord, we're here to do more than just hear human wisdom or insights. 00:04:28.060 --> 00:04:30.260 We're here to encounter the living Word, Jesus Christ. 00:04:30.760 --> 00:04:35.360 And I pray that through Your Word now, and then in a little while through the sacrament of the 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:42.220 Eucharist, that in both ways, Lord, we would encounter and receive Christ and be changed by 00:04:42.220 --> 00:04:42.500 Him. 00:04:42.640 --> 00:04:44.680 We pray this in Your Son's holy name. 00:04:44.860 --> 00:04:45.140 Amen. 00:04:45.139 --> 00:04:45.300 Amen. 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:50.979 So, first of all, we're going to look at the problem of envy. 00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:54.879 Numbers 16 begins with a dramatic public confrontation. 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:59.099 By the way, I think this is the most dramatic chapter in Numbers, which, believe it or not, 00:04:59.139 --> 00:05:00.599 is a fairly dramatic book. 00:05:00.979 --> 00:05:03.819 It doesn't sound like it, but it's a fairly dramatic book. 00:05:03.899 --> 00:05:09.319 Actually, the original, the Hebrew title for Numbers is not Numbers, it's in the wilderness. 00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:12.300 So, a lot of Numbers is about life in the wilderness. 00:05:12.300 --> 00:05:15.900 So, we begin with a very dramatic public confrontation. 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:20.480 Four men, we have Korah, we have Dathan, we have Abiram, and we have On. 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:23.500 They recruit 250 other men. 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:24.360 These are chiefs. 00:05:24.400 --> 00:05:28.379 These are well-known, well-respected influencers from among the community. 00:05:28.580 --> 00:05:32.120 And they all come together to publicly confront Moses and Aaron. 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:33.360 You say, well, what's the issue? 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:40.000 Verse 3, you have gone too far, they say to Moses, for all in the congregation are holy, 00:05:40.400 --> 00:05:43.240 every one of them, and the Lord is among them. 00:05:43.540 --> 00:05:48.240 Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord? 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:50.879 So, it sounds like a theological critique. 00:05:51.139 --> 00:05:54.860 It sounds like they are legitimate in their complaint. 00:05:55.020 --> 00:05:58.280 They're challenging the legitimacy of Moses as their leader. 00:05:58.279 --> 00:06:00.199 They're saying, who do you think you are? 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:06.439 How dare you exalt yourself above the rest of us as though you're somehow superior? 00:06:07.959 --> 00:06:12.279 Now, the truth is, if you understand the context, Moses has done nothing wrong. 00:06:13.059 --> 00:06:17.359 God Himself had appointed Moses to this position, not Moses. 00:06:18.299 --> 00:06:22.279 And if you know anything about how that went down, Moses originally didn't want the job. 00:06:22.279 --> 00:06:27.879 He was resistant, and God had to say, well, okay, we'll send Aaron along to help you. 00:06:28.119 --> 00:06:29.119 Does that make it better? 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:30.859 And Moses said, okay, I'll do it. 00:06:32.039 --> 00:06:33.799 So, what's the real issue here? 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:35.539 Moses is not exalting himself. 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:37.779 He's just responding to God's call. 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:43.319 And Psalm 106 gives us insight into the real issue here. 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:47.279 It seems like a legitimate critique, but in fact, the real issue is envy. 00:06:48.479 --> 00:06:49.459 It's envy. 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:57.799 Now, envy means coveting something that somebody else has and wanting it for yourself. 00:06:57.979 --> 00:07:06.399 So, in this case, Korah and his associates, they covet the job that Moses and Aaron have 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:07.859 in the congregation. 00:07:08.299 --> 00:07:09.639 They covet that job. 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:12.959 They covet the status that seems to come with it. 00:07:13.379 --> 00:07:15.099 Now, here's the thing we need to understand. 00:07:15.599 --> 00:07:18.259 Korah already has a great job. 00:07:18.259 --> 00:07:21.339 He already has a respectable job. 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:26.000 We hear Moses refer to this in verses 8 through 10. 00:07:26.339 --> 00:07:31.500 Korah was a descendant of Levi, and all of Levi's descendants had been given special roles 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:32.300 in the tabernacle. 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:36.959 He had already been set apart and given a very important role, but that wasn't enough. 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:45.639 All Korah can think about is the job that Moses has, the job that Aaron has, which seems in 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:49.299 his mind to be more important, higher status. 00:07:49.599 --> 00:07:51.299 That's what he wants for himself. 00:07:52.060 --> 00:07:55.879 And, you know, it's easy to read this and to kind of write Korah and these guys off as 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:56.620 bad guys. 00:07:57.099 --> 00:08:02.819 But I think that if we're honest, probably most of us can identify with this on some level. 00:08:02.819 --> 00:08:09.279 You know, this is like finding out that someone from your grad school program who finished 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:14.560 the same year you did has landed a much more prestigious position than you. 00:08:15.300 --> 00:08:19.180 You know, you have a great job at a Fortune 500 company, and you find out that they're 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:21.180 a VP at a Fortune 100 company. 00:08:22.039 --> 00:08:25.620 And it just kind of burns you up because you've got the same MBA at the same time. 00:08:25.620 --> 00:08:30.959 It's like struggling to get pregnant and then watching people around you get pregnant seemingly 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:31.840 without even trying. 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:36.360 You have friends on their third kid, their fourth kid, and you're still trying to have 00:08:36.360 --> 00:08:36.840 your first. 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:43.720 It's like swiping through online dating profiles and then switching over to Instagram and seeing 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:48.340 the latest batch of wedding photos from one of your friends who got married in Bora Bora. 00:08:49.460 --> 00:08:51.919 It just burns you up, right? 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:55.559 And we all know how it feels when envy sets in. 00:08:55.719 --> 00:08:59.639 Proverbs 14.30 says, envy makes the bones rot. 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:06.419 And I think there's a…it's going to be hard to find a more accurate description of how 00:09:06.419 --> 00:09:07.719 envy feels on the inside. 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:09.179 It feels like you're rotting. 00:09:10.259 --> 00:09:11.740 It feels like your bones are rotting. 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:15.439 So then we need to ask ourselves, what's going on here? 00:09:16.599 --> 00:09:21.799 You know, why can't we simply love and be happy for and celebrate with our friends? 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:25.939 When good things happen in their lives, why is it so hard to do that? 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:34.359 And you know, in Shakespeare's Othello, Iago says of Cassio, he hath a daily beauty in his 00:09:34.359 --> 00:09:36.639 life that makes me ugly. 00:09:37.859 --> 00:09:42.779 He hath a daily beauty in his life that makes me ugly. 00:09:42.779 --> 00:09:47.079 You know, I think that really shows us how envy works. 00:09:48.439 --> 00:09:56.059 Someone else has something in their life, something that I believe I should have, and by having 00:09:56.059 --> 00:10:02.039 it, simply by having it, they expose my inadequacy for not having it. 00:10:03.319 --> 00:10:03.539 Right? 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:10.220 Simply by having that really great job or that really nice big house, they expose the fact 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:11.300 that I don't. 00:10:11.820 --> 00:10:13.800 They expose my inadequacy. 00:10:13.899 --> 00:10:17.279 They expose my lack of that thing. 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:24.779 And the thing is, we don't tend to envy people for having things that we don't really care 00:10:24.779 --> 00:10:25.080 about. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:31.120 You know, growing up, I never really envied people who are good at shuffleboard because 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:34.120 I never really cared about being good at shuffleboard. 00:10:34.500 --> 00:10:38.879 What I wanted for a long time when I was growing up, I really wanted to be in a band. 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:41.820 I wanted to be in like a rock band. 00:10:42.519 --> 00:10:45.639 And that was kind of one of my core dreams as a kid. 00:10:45.939 --> 00:10:50.200 But no matter how hard I tried, I was just honestly never really that good. 00:10:51.259 --> 00:10:55.980 My younger brother is just a naturally talented musician. 00:10:56.379 --> 00:11:01.379 He can just pick up instruments and play them, and he has a fantastic singing voice. 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:05.399 So when I would play and sing for people, I would get the polite clap. 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:09.639 When he would play and sing for people, he would get the genuine applause. 00:11:10.199 --> 00:11:15.159 And I knew deep down that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be as good as my brother. 00:11:15.299 --> 00:11:19.399 And so when he would play and when he would sing and when everybody else would say, isn't 00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:20.039 he so great? 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:20.980 Isn't he so talented? 00:11:21.199 --> 00:11:23.019 It would just burn me up inside. 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:26.659 I couldn't ever really be happy for him. 00:11:26.659 --> 00:11:31.079 I couldn't really ever clap wholeheartedly because that's what I wanted. 00:11:32.539 --> 00:11:36.240 That's what I craved as a part of my own identity. 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:40.959 So this is what envy does. 00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:47.039 It sets in when somebody has something that we want, that we think we need, that we think 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:47.699 we lack. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:49.600 And so this is how Korah feels. 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:55.700 Every time Korah sees Moses, every time Korah sees Aaron, and everybody else is kind of looking 00:11:55.700 --> 00:11:57.480 around saying, hey, I love those guys. 00:11:57.540 --> 00:11:58.540 They're doing such a good job. 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:01.019 Korah, it burns him up. 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:07.639 And, you know, the rabbinic tradition says that Korah and Dathan, that these guys have 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:12.259 been grumbling all the way back since the time at the Red Sea, that whenever you read 00:12:12.259 --> 00:12:17.860 about the grumbling in the wilderness, that Korah and Dathan and these guys are always a 00:12:17.860 --> 00:12:18.279 part of it. 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:21.199 You know, they can never really join in the celebration. 00:12:21.379 --> 00:12:22.500 They're always grumbling. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:28.879 And this would suggest that a lot of that's motivated by envy, you know. 00:12:30.139 --> 00:12:34.299 Because when that happens, when you envy somebody and they're excelling or getting a thing that 00:12:34.299 --> 00:12:36.459 you think you want, you feel diminished by that. 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:39.319 You feel smaller somehow. 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:41.579 And nobody likes to feel diminished. 00:12:41.819 --> 00:12:42.720 And so what do we do? 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:47.079 What's the kind of easiest way to deal with it when you're feeling diminished by the goodness 00:12:47.079 --> 00:12:48.220 in somebody else's life? 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:53.379 Well, it's very tempting to deal with envy by tearing down the people that we envy. 00:12:54.459 --> 00:12:54.659 Right? 00:12:54.699 --> 00:12:59.199 That's kind of like the quickest solution is to tear down the people that we envy. 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:05.240 Because we mistakenly think, if I make that person smaller, it's going to make me feel 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:05.579 taller. 00:13:06.579 --> 00:13:06.799 Right? 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:10.799 If I can make them seem a little smaller, it's going to make me seem a little taller. 00:13:10.939 --> 00:13:12.620 And so this is what Korah's doing. 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:15.399 He's saying, Moses doesn't deserve to be a leader. 00:13:16.579 --> 00:13:18.539 Moses doesn't deserve this position. 00:13:19.099 --> 00:13:20.599 Moses is a self-promoter. 00:13:20.939 --> 00:13:22.679 Clearly, he's exalting himself. 00:13:22.819 --> 00:13:23.839 Can't you all see it? 00:13:24.059 --> 00:13:25.719 He's trying to build himself up. 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:31.820 And what's really going on is Korah's trying to build himself up by tearing Moses down, 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:33.920 by tearing Aaron down. 00:13:34.460 --> 00:13:35.720 But that never works. 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:40.500 But, you know, this is no different than the way people talk about one of their colleagues 00:13:40.500 --> 00:13:43.320 when you're all peers and then one of you gets promoted. 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:51.040 And just the way the kind of behind-the-scenes, behind-closed-doors conversations about the 00:13:51.040 --> 00:13:56.620 person that all of a sudden is now promoted over the rest of you. 00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:00.280 And all the ways people say, oh, well, he doesn't deserve that. 00:14:00.340 --> 00:14:02.040 He only got it because he's a kiss-up. 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:03.920 He's not qualified for that. 00:14:04.040 --> 00:14:05.340 And what's the subtext of that? 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:06.620 I could do a much better job. 00:14:06.860 --> 00:14:08.480 I deserve that more than he ever did. 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:14.600 And, you know, I hate to say it, but you hear this kind of talk among pastors sometimes 00:14:14.600 --> 00:14:19.879 as well, and maybe some of you have heard this kind of talk before. 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:23.800 You know, it's always interesting to hear kind of smaller church pastors talk about the 00:14:23.800 --> 00:14:25.680 larger, more successful church down the road. 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:29.820 And they'll have kind of on the service some biblical, legitimate-sounding critiques. 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:33.039 Oh, well, the only reason they're that way is because they compromise the gospel. 00:14:33.560 --> 00:14:35.360 You know, it's because they're too numbers-focused. 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:39.259 It's because they're too corporate, you know, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:43.039 But behind those legitimate critiques, if we're really honest, there's a whole lot of 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:46.639 envy going on, deriving that kind of talk. 00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:49.259 So envy is a major problem, you know. 00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:50.779 It's destructive to us. 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:51.700 It rots the bones. 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:55.019 It's also destructive to the people around us. 00:14:55.060 --> 00:14:59.039 We can't celebrate the good things that happen in the lives of our friends. 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:02.980 So then we have to ask, if this is such a problem, what's the way out? 00:15:03.899 --> 00:15:04.800 What's the way out? 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:09.439 Now, this text doesn't seem to offer a whole lot of hope for those of us who feel envy, 00:15:10.099 --> 00:15:13.099 but I think there's more hope than we see at first pass. 00:15:13.459 --> 00:15:14.459 So what's the way out of envy? 00:15:14.839 --> 00:15:18.879 Well, Moses responds to these accusations with amazing grace. 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:23.639 He doesn't respond by puffing out his chest, by saying, how dare you? 00:15:23.699 --> 00:15:26.319 All I've done for you, and this is how you repay me. 00:15:27.099 --> 00:15:32.439 He responds in a characteristic way of humility and prayerfulness. 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:33.800 He falls to his face. 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:38.960 And then he does what we've needed someone to do since the beginning of the chapter. 00:15:39.140 --> 00:15:41.580 He turns the whole focus back to God. 00:15:42.380 --> 00:15:47.420 His first response is to say, this is above my pay grade. 00:15:48.420 --> 00:15:50.580 This is something only the Lord can sort out. 00:15:50.580 --> 00:15:58.420 And so the way out of envy starts by recognizing that envy happens when we take our eyes off God 00:15:58.420 --> 00:16:01.780 and we begin to focus on the people around us. 00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:05.780 When we take our eyes off God as the primary source of meaning in our lives, 00:16:05.800 --> 00:16:08.220 and we start to focus on other people around us. 00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:11.680 In other words, comparison feeds envy. 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:17.759 The more we focus on and compare ourselves to others around us, the more that feeds envy. 00:16:17.859 --> 00:16:19.859 And Moses says, you've taken your eyes off the Lord. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:21.159 We need to look back to the Lord. 00:16:22.059 --> 00:16:27.179 Because envy can't exist in our hearts when we are focused on the Lord. 00:16:27.599 --> 00:16:29.039 And then look what Moses says. 00:16:29.099 --> 00:16:31.000 He says, starting in verse 8, it says, 00:16:31.000 --> 00:17:00.899 This response really shows us the next thing that we need to understand. 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:03.340 If we're going to climb out of envy. 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:06.240 The next step is recognizing that whenever we feel envy, 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:09.779 it means that we're ignoring God's goodness to us, 00:17:10.619 --> 00:17:12.759 and we're resenting God's goodness to others. 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:17.960 Moses is saying, look, look at all that God has done in your life. 00:17:18.539 --> 00:17:21.559 Look at all the amazing opportunities that God has given you, 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:24.259 and all of your family, and all of your descendants. 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:25.740 Everybody descended from Levi. 00:17:25.859 --> 00:17:29.720 You have all of this amazing honor that God has given you. 00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:31.519 In our common life together. 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:33.539 And you're completely ignoring that. 00:17:34.100 --> 00:17:38.380 And then you're resenting the good things that God has done in Moses' life, 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:39.759 and in Aaron's life. 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:42.319 Right? 00:17:42.360 --> 00:17:44.220 You're ignoring God's goodness in your life, 00:17:44.360 --> 00:17:47.480 and you're resenting God's goodness to others. 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:50.339 You know, whenever envy sets in, 00:17:50.420 --> 00:17:55.180 one of the first things that we can do as a way to respond in faith 00:17:55.180 --> 00:17:59.299 is to stop when you feel that sour stomach, 00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:00.460 rotting bone feeling, 00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:01.519 to stop and to think, 00:18:01.820 --> 00:18:03.759 what are the blessings? 00:18:04.279 --> 00:18:06.519 Where is the goodness of God in my life 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:08.480 that at this moment I am ignoring, 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:10.140 I'm willfully blind to? 00:18:11.620 --> 00:18:14.480 Because I'm so focused on this other goodness 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:15.660 that I don't have. 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:18.380 What are the things that I'm willfully blind to at this moment? 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:20.440 What blessings or provisions am I overlooking? 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:23.059 So that's the second thing, 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:26.779 recognizing that envy means ignoring God's goodness to us 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:28.160 and resenting God's goodness to others. 00:18:28.460 --> 00:18:31.380 Then Moses really gets to the heart of the issue in verse 11. 00:18:31.660 --> 00:18:31.940 He says, 00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:34.059 therefore it is against the Lord 00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:36.680 that you and all your company have gathered together. 00:18:38.140 --> 00:18:40.259 What is Aaron that you grumble against him? 00:18:40.259 --> 00:18:44.599 The third step in walking out of envy 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:48.859 is recognizing that envy is not really about the other person. 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:50.460 Right? 00:18:50.500 --> 00:18:53.339 The envy I felt for my brother's musical ability, 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:55.079 that's not really about my brother. 00:18:55.940 --> 00:18:57.200 He has nothing to do with it. 00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:01.599 It's really a grievance that I have against God. 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:04.700 That's the core issue. 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:07.660 Because the core belief that drives envy 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:10.400 is that God has somehow made a mistake. 00:19:12.040 --> 00:19:15.440 That God has not given me something that I deserve. 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:18.279 And in fact, even worse than that, 00:19:18.580 --> 00:19:20.000 God gave it to someone else 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:22.960 who doesn't deserve it nearly as much as I do. 00:19:24.740 --> 00:19:26.380 I really want to be a musician. 00:19:27.100 --> 00:19:29.500 I would do so much more with that gift. 00:19:29.800 --> 00:19:31.800 I would do so much more with those talents. 00:19:31.940 --> 00:19:33.279 I deserve them so much more. 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:34.420 Why don't you give it to Him? 00:19:35.360 --> 00:19:36.000 Why not me? 00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:37.799 God made a mistake. 00:19:38.039 --> 00:19:38.980 And so along with that, 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:41.220 there come all kinds of assumptions about God. 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:43.039 Either God doesn't know me, 00:19:43.579 --> 00:19:44.880 either God doesn't love me, 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:46.279 doesn't care about me, 00:19:46.299 --> 00:19:48.519 or God's powerless to give me these things. 00:19:49.859 --> 00:19:50.079 Right? 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:51.539 Either He doesn't know me and doesn't love me, 00:19:51.579 --> 00:19:52.339 or He doesn't care, 00:19:52.660 --> 00:19:53.599 or He's powerless. 00:19:54.180 --> 00:19:55.640 But in one way or another, 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:59.799 envy becomes a barrier between us and God, 00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:02.259 because envy is really a theological position 00:20:02.259 --> 00:20:05.259 that you're adopting about God 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:07.640 and God's character and God's power. 00:20:08.299 --> 00:20:11.500 And so it becomes this wall between us and God. 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:12.660 And at the end of the day, 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:13.500 who do we really resent? 00:20:13.579 --> 00:20:14.960 It's not the person with the nice job 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:16.359 or the big house or the big family 00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:18.720 or the amazing opportunities or whatever. 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:20.940 The person we really resent is God. 00:20:21.819 --> 00:20:23.160 How could you let this happen? 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:25.680 And so that's why Moses says, 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:26.319 your grievance, 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:27.220 the issue here is really, 00:20:27.220 --> 00:20:29.980 you've gathered against God. 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:31.920 You're opposing God in your envy. 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:34.339 And so ultimately, 00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:37.420 that can only go in one of two directions. 00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:41.000 The first is what happens to Korah 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:43.299 and Dathan and the rest. 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:45.600 Moses challenges them and says, 00:20:45.860 --> 00:20:48.140 well, if you think that you deserve to be a priest, 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:51.779 if you think that that is a part of God's plan 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:52.420 for your life, 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:54.620 then why don't you act like a priest? 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:56.120 Why don't you go and get a censer 00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:57.479 and put some incense in it 00:20:57.479 --> 00:21:00.939 and light the censer in the presence of the Lord, 00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:03.479 burn it before the Lord like a priest would. 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:06.379 Do a priestly offering to the Lord. 00:21:06.679 --> 00:21:08.559 And if the Lord is with you 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:10.019 and you're reading the Lord's intentions 00:21:10.019 --> 00:21:11.139 correctly for your life, 00:21:11.419 --> 00:21:12.579 then nothing will happen. 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:13.939 God will honor your offering. 00:21:14.139 --> 00:21:16.039 But if you are doing this 00:21:16.039 --> 00:21:19.659 in defiance of God's plan for your life, 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:22.279 in defiance of the way that God has ordered 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:24.000 this community to function, 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:26.200 then God's going to make that known. 00:21:27.099 --> 00:21:29.119 And of course, we know what happens. 00:21:29.220 --> 00:21:30.759 The ground opens up 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:32.279 and swallows Korah 00:21:32.279 --> 00:21:34.400 in all of those with him. 00:21:34.819 --> 00:21:36.299 And you know, we read things like this 00:21:36.299 --> 00:21:36.980 in the Old Testament, 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:37.400 and we think, 00:21:37.539 --> 00:21:39.799 how in the world are we supposed to make sense 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:41.220 of something like that? 00:21:41.339 --> 00:21:43.160 But the thing that we need to understand is 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:44.660 this kind of response from God 00:21:44.660 --> 00:21:45.779 is not the norm. 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:47.279 It's very much an exception. 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:50.240 And when God does things like this, 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:53.799 God sometimes does these dramatic acts of judgment 00:21:53.799 --> 00:21:55.920 as a form of poetic justice. 00:21:56.460 --> 00:21:58.779 It's almost always a form of poetic justice 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:01.859 that's meant to teach the broader community, 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:02.779 including us, 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:04.579 something about the nature 00:22:04.579 --> 00:22:07.019 and the consequences of sin. 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:09.319 It's meant to be a dramatic act 00:22:09.319 --> 00:22:10.460 that makes such an impression 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:12.599 that everybody's going to keep talking about it 00:22:12.599 --> 00:22:13.259 for generations. 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:16.900 And it's a job mission complete, right? 00:22:16.940 --> 00:22:18.220 We're still talking about it 00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:19.480 all this time later. 00:22:19.879 --> 00:22:20.960 And what we need to understand 00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:22.740 is this connects to how envy works. 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:27.059 Envy is like a pit that you fall into, right? 00:22:27.180 --> 00:22:28.539 Envy separates us. 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:30.900 It cuts us off from the love of God. 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:32.660 And in many ways, 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:36.460 the trap of envy is like a little foretaste of hell. 00:22:37.220 --> 00:22:39.019 It's a little foretaste of hell. 00:22:39.799 --> 00:22:41.960 In the preface to the Screwtape Letters, 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:43.740 C.S. Lewis talks about 00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:47.960 the way he portrays hell in this book. 00:22:48.019 --> 00:22:48.840 And he says, you know, 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:52.940 hell is not really a place of pitchforks 00:22:52.940 --> 00:22:56.779 and lava pools. 00:22:57.299 --> 00:22:59.000 You know, it's more like a bureaucracy. 00:22:59.860 --> 00:23:00.819 And he says, 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:02.240 we need to picture hell 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:04.000 as a state where everyone 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:05.840 is perpetually concerned 00:23:05.840 --> 00:23:08.220 about his own dignity and advancement, 00:23:08.579 --> 00:23:10.440 where everyone has a grievance, 00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:11.880 and where everyone lives 00:23:11.880 --> 00:23:13.740 with the deadly serious passions 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:17.120 of envy, self-importance, and resentment. 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:18.960 For Lewis, 00:23:19.600 --> 00:23:22.160 living in a place like that for eternity 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:24.420 was a much more biblical way 00:23:24.420 --> 00:23:25.500 of thinking about hell. 00:23:25.559 --> 00:23:26.039 In other words, 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:28.940 hell is a place where God gives people over 00:23:28.940 --> 00:23:30.620 to the things that they have chosen 00:23:30.620 --> 00:23:32.019 over Him. 00:23:33.340 --> 00:23:33.660 Right? 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:34.740 So he's saying, 00:23:35.100 --> 00:23:37.040 if we choose to hold on to envy 00:23:37.040 --> 00:23:38.100 and resentment, 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:40.860 if I choose to resent this other person 00:23:40.860 --> 00:23:41.940 and to resent God 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:43.460 because I don't have the thing 00:23:43.460 --> 00:23:44.440 and they do, 00:23:44.500 --> 00:23:45.940 if I choose to hold on to that, 00:23:46.100 --> 00:23:47.500 one day God's going to say, 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:48.500 have it your way. 00:23:49.860 --> 00:23:52.240 And God will withdraw His presence, 00:23:53.080 --> 00:23:54.800 and then we will be left 00:23:54.800 --> 00:23:55.840 spending eternity 00:23:55.840 --> 00:23:57.600 with nothing to hold on to 00:23:57.600 --> 00:23:59.180 except our envy, 00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:01.640 except our resentment. 00:24:01.640 --> 00:24:03.540 You see this portrayed also 00:24:03.540 --> 00:24:04.300 in his book, 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:05.400 The Great Divorce, 00:24:06.060 --> 00:24:07.320 where people have just become 00:24:07.320 --> 00:24:08.759 entirely defined 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:11.020 by things like envy, 00:24:11.740 --> 00:24:12.420 self-important, 00:24:13.100 --> 00:24:13.460 resentment. 00:24:15.040 --> 00:24:15.640 Right? 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:16.360 And at any point 00:24:16.360 --> 00:24:17.640 during this whole exercise, 00:24:17.860 --> 00:24:19.640 Korah could have repented, 00:24:20.780 --> 00:24:23.100 but Korah refuses to repent 00:24:23.100 --> 00:24:24.660 and he digs in his heels, 00:24:24.780 --> 00:24:25.880 he doubles down. 00:24:26.900 --> 00:24:27.700 So in other words, 00:24:27.780 --> 00:24:29.080 by clinging to envy, 00:24:29.080 --> 00:24:30.920 Korah was already living 00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:33.259 in a kind of self-imposed hell 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:35.060 long before the ground 00:24:35.060 --> 00:24:36.480 opened up under his feet. 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:38.220 God was simply saying, 00:24:38.460 --> 00:24:39.700 have it your way. 00:24:41.580 --> 00:24:43.140 So the fourth step 00:24:43.140 --> 00:24:44.940 out of envy 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:46.920 is to recognize 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:48.300 that ultimately envy 00:24:48.300 --> 00:24:49.800 is rooted in sin, 00:24:50.380 --> 00:24:51.900 and it's something 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:53.460 that we need to repent from. 00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:55.980 And so we ask, 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:57.500 well, how can we possibly do that? 00:24:57.500 --> 00:24:59.500 It strikes like a thief 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:00.359 in the night, right? 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:02.299 It jumps us from the shadows. 00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:03.579 How do we repent? 00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:04.859 And this is really 00:25:04.859 --> 00:25:05.940 why we need the gospel. 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:08.720 You know, as we said before, 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:10.920 envy is rooted in a lie. 00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:12.319 It's rooted in the lie 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:14.079 that God has not given me 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:15.220 what I think I deserve, 00:25:15.799 --> 00:25:17.359 and instead He gave it 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:18.200 to someone else 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:19.160 who doesn't deserve it 00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:21.079 nearly as much as I do. 00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:22.980 And so what repentance means 00:25:22.980 --> 00:25:23.900 is repentance means 00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:24.960 admitting the hard truth 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:27.000 that we don't actually deserve 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:28.840 anything from God 00:25:28.840 --> 00:25:30.519 when it comes to blessing 00:25:30.519 --> 00:25:31.660 and provision. 00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:32.960 And who am I to think 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:35.579 that I deserve anything, right? 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:36.600 Least of all, 00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:38.299 this thing that I'm coveting. 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:39.620 And this is the thing 00:25:39.620 --> 00:25:41.059 that Korah never seems 00:25:41.059 --> 00:25:42.019 to understand. 00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:43.620 Korah and Dathan and Abiram 00:25:43.620 --> 00:25:44.700 and On and all of these 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:46.100 compatriots, 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:47.559 they don't ever seem 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:48.700 to really get the fact 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:50.000 that God's choice 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:51.000 to use people 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:52.279 like Moses and Aaron 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:53.639 has nothing to do 00:25:53.639 --> 00:25:55.299 with their inherent merit. 00:25:56.660 --> 00:25:56.759 Right? 00:25:56.819 --> 00:25:57.859 God's choice to use 00:25:57.859 --> 00:25:58.859 someone like Moses, 00:25:58.980 --> 00:25:59.740 if anything, 00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:00.980 is meant to highlight 00:26:00.980 --> 00:26:01.960 God's goodness. 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:02.700 Right? 00:26:02.859 --> 00:26:04.180 Moses was a murderer 00:26:04.180 --> 00:26:05.700 who then left and went 00:26:05.700 --> 00:26:06.599 and lived in hiding. 00:26:06.819 --> 00:26:08.559 Moses had a speech impediment. 00:26:08.639 --> 00:26:09.480 He was terrified 00:26:09.480 --> 00:26:11.319 of public speaking. 00:26:11.579 --> 00:26:12.519 And God says, 00:26:12.660 --> 00:26:13.720 that's the guy I'm going to use. 00:26:13.819 --> 00:26:14.039 Why? 00:26:14.139 --> 00:26:14.720 Because then there'll be 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:16.980 no doubt that I'm the one 00:26:16.980 --> 00:26:18.559 leading and providing 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:19.740 for my people. 00:26:19.740 --> 00:26:20.740 And they never seem 00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:22.039 to understand that. 00:26:22.279 --> 00:26:22.980 They never seem 00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:24.220 to understand the principle 00:26:24.220 --> 00:26:25.299 that runs all the way 00:26:25.299 --> 00:26:25.960 through Scripture, 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:27.500 from Genesis to Revelation, 00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:29.639 that no one is worthy 00:26:29.639 --> 00:26:31.480 on their own merit 00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:33.579 to stand in the presence 00:26:33.579 --> 00:26:36.339 of God and offer worship. 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:38.960 That none of us are worthy 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:40.680 of that honor on our own. 00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:42.500 And the gospel says 00:26:42.500 --> 00:26:44.039 that if we try to have 00:26:44.039 --> 00:26:45.299 a relationship with God 00:26:45.299 --> 00:26:47.019 based on our own merit, 00:26:47.019 --> 00:26:48.279 if I try to stand 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:49.000 before the Lord 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:49.359 and say, 00:26:49.579 --> 00:26:50.519 look how great I am, 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:51.920 aren't you glad I'm here? 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:53.019 You're lucky to have 00:26:53.019 --> 00:26:53.940 somebody like me, 00:26:54.160 --> 00:26:55.200 that we are standing 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:56.539 on shaky ground. 00:26:57.720 --> 00:26:58.640 We're standing 00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:00.060 on very thin ground 00:27:00.060 --> 00:27:03.060 and there's no foundation 00:27:03.060 --> 00:27:03.860 under us. 00:27:05.140 --> 00:27:06.320 There's just a big, 00:27:06.460 --> 00:27:07.420 empty cavern. 00:27:09.100 --> 00:27:10.519 And at some point, 00:27:11.120 --> 00:27:12.560 that ground under our feet 00:27:12.560 --> 00:27:13.560 is going to give way. 00:27:14.600 --> 00:27:16.140 That merit that we think 00:27:16.140 --> 00:27:17.440 makes us so impressive 00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:18.720 is going to crumble 00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:19.980 right under our feet. 00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:22.779 So, God's choice to use 00:27:22.779 --> 00:27:24.000 people like Moses and Aaron 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:26.820 is based entirely on His grace, 00:27:27.779 --> 00:27:29.120 on His willingness to give people 00:27:29.120 --> 00:27:30.019 what they didn't earn, 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:31.360 don't deserve, 00:27:31.799 --> 00:27:32.820 and can never repay. 00:27:33.059 --> 00:27:34.380 And we see a little preview 00:27:34.380 --> 00:27:35.640 of grace in action 00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:36.660 in this passage. 00:27:37.140 --> 00:27:37.420 You know, 00:27:37.700 --> 00:27:39.019 these guys have been 00:27:39.019 --> 00:27:40.900 a thorn in Moses' side 00:27:40.900 --> 00:27:42.360 probably all along. 00:27:42.660 --> 00:27:43.500 They've been grumbling. 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:44.339 Now they've recruited 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:45.720 250 influencers 00:27:45.720 --> 00:27:47.339 to basically bring about 00:27:47.339 --> 00:27:48.019 an insurrection. 00:27:49.019 --> 00:27:50.539 And Moses turns to God 00:27:50.539 --> 00:27:51.279 and says, 00:27:51.339 --> 00:27:52.180 God, could you please 00:27:52.180 --> 00:27:53.000 deal with these people? 00:27:53.079 --> 00:27:54.099 They're causing havoc 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:54.799 in the community. 00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:56.279 I'm at my wit's end. 00:27:56.299 --> 00:27:57.160 I don't know what to do with them. 00:27:57.720 --> 00:27:59.119 And then God literally says, 00:27:59.319 --> 00:28:00.880 you might want to back up. 00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:03.200 Like, I read that 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:04.039 and I cracked up 00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:04.740 because I thought, 00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:05.680 well, I laughed 00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:06.460 for like 10 minutes 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:07.119 because I thought, 00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:07.619 I mean, 00:28:07.700 --> 00:28:08.660 how many times 00:28:08.660 --> 00:28:09.259 are you having 00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:10.059 a really hard time 00:28:10.059 --> 00:28:10.460 with somebody 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:11.140 who's just making 00:28:11.140 --> 00:28:12.000 your life miserable? 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:12.720 And you say, 00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:13.559 God, could you please 00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:14.480 take care of this person? 00:28:14.579 --> 00:28:15.019 Could you please 00:28:15.019 --> 00:28:15.660 solve this problem? 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:16.539 And God says, 00:28:16.660 --> 00:28:17.960 you might want to back up. 00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:20.079 I would be utterly thrilled. 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:21.599 I would get a fold-out chair 00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:22.859 and a cooler of beer 00:28:22.859 --> 00:28:23.960 and I would sit down 00:28:23.960 --> 00:28:24.799 in the front row 00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:25.519 and be like, 00:28:25.599 --> 00:28:27.200 this is going to be awesome. 00:28:27.380 --> 00:28:27.720 I don't know 00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:28.640 what God's going to do. 00:28:29.160 --> 00:28:29.859 But that's not 00:28:29.859 --> 00:28:31.299 how Moses responds, right? 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:32.339 Moses immediately 00:28:32.339 --> 00:28:33.599 falls on his face 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:35.519 and he intercedes 00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:36.720 on behalf of these men. 00:28:37.019 --> 00:28:37.859 And he intercedes 00:28:37.859 --> 00:28:39.400 on behalf of the community. 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:40.400 And he says, 00:28:40.460 --> 00:28:41.099 God, remember 00:28:41.099 --> 00:28:41.799 in your judgment, 00:28:41.959 --> 00:28:42.259 remember, 00:28:42.639 --> 00:28:44.899 these are all human beings 00:28:44.899 --> 00:28:46.740 of your spirit, right? 00:28:46.759 --> 00:28:47.899 Your spirit is in all 00:28:47.899 --> 00:28:48.639 of these people. 00:28:49.159 --> 00:28:49.759 Remember that. 00:28:49.799 --> 00:28:50.579 He intercedes. 00:28:51.379 --> 00:28:51.980 And so God says, 00:28:52.119 --> 00:28:52.379 okay, 00:28:52.819 --> 00:28:54.419 separate the congregation out. 00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:57.199 I just want the ringleaders, right? 00:28:57.279 --> 00:28:58.879 And we see in Moses' 00:28:59.119 --> 00:29:00.159 response of grace 00:29:00.159 --> 00:29:00.899 and intercession 00:29:00.899 --> 00:29:02.179 this preview 00:29:02.179 --> 00:29:04.000 of someone else 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:04.740 who would come 00:29:04.740 --> 00:29:06.959 who would embody 00:29:06.959 --> 00:29:07.519 this grace 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:07.980 in a way 00:29:07.980 --> 00:29:08.860 that even Moses 00:29:08.860 --> 00:29:11.759 never could have imagined. 00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:13.339 The gospel actually says 00:29:13.339 --> 00:29:14.200 there's only one person 00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:15.019 ever to have lived 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:16.000 who is worthy 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:17.019 to stand in the presence 00:29:17.019 --> 00:29:17.980 of Jesus Christ, 00:29:18.259 --> 00:29:19.319 presence of God, 00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:20.400 and that's Jesus Christ. 00:29:21.059 --> 00:29:22.039 And the gospel says 00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:22.559 that even though 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:23.759 we've all rebelled 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:25.420 against God, 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:26.559 even though none of us 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:28.180 deserves to stand 00:29:28.180 --> 00:29:29.099 in God's presence 00:29:29.099 --> 00:29:29.900 as a worshiper, 00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:30.819 that we all deserve 00:29:30.819 --> 00:29:31.480 to go down 00:29:31.480 --> 00:29:32.620 into the pit ourselves, 00:29:33.099 --> 00:29:34.079 it says that Jesus 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:35.420 loves us so much 00:29:35.420 --> 00:29:37.120 that He threw Himself 00:29:37.120 --> 00:29:37.660 into the pit 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:38.320 of God's judgment. 00:29:39.740 --> 00:29:39.980 Right? 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:41.380 Before we could go in, 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:43.640 He threw Himself in. 00:29:44.900 --> 00:29:45.380 Right? 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:46.560 He took on the pit 00:29:46.560 --> 00:29:47.019 of judgment, 00:29:47.140 --> 00:29:48.180 the fires of judgment, 00:29:49.180 --> 00:29:50.640 and He gave His life 00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:51.160 on the cross 00:29:51.160 --> 00:29:51.920 to save us. 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:52.680 And that means 00:29:52.680 --> 00:29:54.400 that when we are standing 00:29:54.400 --> 00:29:55.759 on that shaky ground, 00:29:55.840 --> 00:29:56.279 when the ground 00:29:56.279 --> 00:29:57.200 is about to give way 00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:58.060 under our feet, 00:29:59.100 --> 00:30:00.900 Jesus falls to His face 00:30:00.900 --> 00:30:02.820 and He intercedes for us 00:30:02.820 --> 00:30:04.279 before the Father. 00:30:04.279 --> 00:30:05.119 and He says, 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:05.839 this is one 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:07.359 that I gave my life for. 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:07.899 This is one 00:30:07.899 --> 00:30:08.920 who belongs to me. 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:10.579 Right? 00:30:10.819 --> 00:30:12.220 And that His invitation, 00:30:13.079 --> 00:30:14.299 His invitation, 00:30:14.460 --> 00:30:15.440 and we see an echo 00:30:15.440 --> 00:30:16.460 of this in His Sermon 00:30:16.460 --> 00:30:16.920 on the Mount, 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:18.879 is stop standing 00:30:18.879 --> 00:30:20.559 on that thin soil 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:21.519 of your own merit 00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:23.279 and build your house, 00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:24.299 build your life 00:30:24.299 --> 00:30:25.819 on the rock, 00:30:26.099 --> 00:30:27.079 on the foundation 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:28.160 of my righteousness, 00:30:28.700 --> 00:30:29.559 on the rock 00:30:29.559 --> 00:30:30.279 and the foundation 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:31.440 of everything 00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:32.399 that I've done for you. 00:30:32.559 --> 00:30:33.339 And then you're never 00:30:33.339 --> 00:30:34.039 going to have to worry 00:30:34.039 --> 00:30:34.579 about the ground 00:30:34.579 --> 00:30:35.680 giving out under your feet. 00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:36.720 You're going to be 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:37.700 on solid ground 00:30:37.700 --> 00:30:39.099 for all of eternity. 00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:41.220 Right? 00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:42.339 So if we're ever tempted 00:30:42.339 --> 00:30:43.740 to doubt God's love for us, 00:30:43.779 --> 00:30:44.759 we have only to look 00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:45.399 to the cross. 00:30:45.500 --> 00:30:46.359 We have only to look 00:30:46.359 --> 00:30:48.119 to Jesus' intercession 00:30:48.119 --> 00:30:48.859 for us, 00:30:49.619 --> 00:30:51.539 of which Moses' intercession 00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:53.039 is a small echo. 00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:55.220 But in this way, 00:30:55.299 --> 00:30:56.619 the gospel sets us free 00:30:56.619 --> 00:30:57.339 from slavery 00:30:57.339 --> 00:30:58.799 to feelings of envy 00:30:58.799 --> 00:30:59.519 because honestly, 00:30:59.799 --> 00:30:59.980 you know, 00:31:00.019 --> 00:31:00.859 the Bible talks about 00:31:00.859 --> 00:31:01.940 being slaves to sin. 00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:03.299 That's how I feel 00:31:03.299 --> 00:31:04.840 whenever I feel envious. 00:31:05.980 --> 00:31:07.559 I feel like a slave. 00:31:08.299 --> 00:31:09.920 I feel like this taskmaster 00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:11.759 is making me feel 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:12.380 and think 00:31:12.380 --> 00:31:12.980 and say 00:31:12.980 --> 00:31:13.720 and do things 00:31:13.720 --> 00:31:15.039 that I don't want to do. 00:31:15.180 --> 00:31:15.920 And there's a part of me 00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:16.700 inside that's saying, 00:31:16.820 --> 00:31:17.680 no, no, no. 00:31:17.820 --> 00:31:18.820 Don't feel that. 00:31:18.920 --> 00:31:20.120 Don't respond that way. 00:31:20.200 --> 00:31:20.900 You should be happy 00:31:20.900 --> 00:31:21.700 for this person. 00:31:22.380 --> 00:31:23.340 But envy is like 00:31:23.340 --> 00:31:24.640 a taskmaster. 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:25.600 And I say, 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:26.860 no, you will resent them. 00:31:27.840 --> 00:31:29.580 You will take no joy in this. 00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:30.439 I order you. 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:32.539 You will resent them. 00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:34.919 But the gospel sets us free 00:31:34.919 --> 00:31:37.419 from that kind of slavery 00:31:37.419 --> 00:31:38.839 because if envy means 00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:39.939 believing that God 00:31:39.939 --> 00:31:40.619 doesn't give me 00:31:40.619 --> 00:31:41.639 what I think I deserve, 00:31:41.859 --> 00:31:42.579 the gospel says, 00:31:42.659 --> 00:31:43.159 that's right. 00:31:43.980 --> 00:31:44.179 You know, 00:31:44.220 --> 00:31:45.779 what we deserve is judgment. 00:31:45.919 --> 00:31:47.399 What I deserve is the pit. 00:31:48.199 --> 00:31:49.579 But God hasn't given me 00:31:49.579 --> 00:31:50.579 what I deserve. 00:31:50.919 --> 00:31:51.319 Instead, 00:31:51.639 --> 00:31:53.059 even though I don't deserve it, 00:31:53.339 --> 00:31:55.000 God is pouring His love 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:55.519 and grace 00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:56.119 and presence 00:31:56.119 --> 00:31:57.379 into my life 00:31:57.379 --> 00:31:58.919 every moment of the day. 00:31:58.920 --> 00:32:00.400 So instead of resentment, 00:32:00.539 --> 00:32:01.880 when you begin to focus on that, 00:32:02.120 --> 00:32:02.960 instead of resentment, 00:32:03.120 --> 00:32:04.860 the gospel produces gratitude. 00:32:05.700 --> 00:32:06.740 And there is no better 00:32:06.740 --> 00:32:07.880 antidote to envy 00:32:07.880 --> 00:32:08.980 than gratitude. 00:32:09.880 --> 00:32:10.140 Right? 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:12.180 And gratitude sets us free 00:32:12.180 --> 00:32:13.580 to celebrate with our friends, 00:32:14.180 --> 00:32:15.500 to celebrate when good things 00:32:15.500 --> 00:32:17.160 happen in their lives, 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:19.259 to like the wedding photos 00:32:19.259 --> 00:32:20.279 in Bora Bora, 00:32:20.700 --> 00:32:22.240 to throw a housewarming party 00:32:22.240 --> 00:32:22.820 for the person 00:32:22.820 --> 00:32:23.700 who just moved in 00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:24.100 to the big, 00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:25.420 to throw a baby shower 00:32:25.420 --> 00:32:26.000 for the person 00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:27.580 who's having their fourth baby, 00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:28.220 to do things 00:32:28.220 --> 00:32:29.659 that feel so unnatural 00:32:29.659 --> 00:32:30.759 when you're sitting there 00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:31.639 doom scrolling 00:32:31.639 --> 00:32:33.099 at night on your phone. 00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:33.779 Well, all of a sudden, 00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:34.879 your heart begins to shift 00:32:34.879 --> 00:32:36.179 because instead of resentment, 00:32:36.299 --> 00:32:37.000 there's gratitude. 00:32:38.579 --> 00:32:38.939 Right? 00:32:39.079 --> 00:32:40.019 Which is a… 00:32:40.019 --> 00:32:40.980 and the wellspring 00:32:40.980 --> 00:32:42.019 of which is the gospel. 00:32:43.439 --> 00:32:44.460 And it sets us free 00:32:44.460 --> 00:32:45.279 not just to celebrate 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:45.779 God's goodness 00:32:45.779 --> 00:32:46.659 in other people's lives, 00:32:46.699 --> 00:32:48.039 but to pray for God's goodness 00:32:48.039 --> 00:32:49.319 in other people's lives. 00:32:49.359 --> 00:32:50.319 And that's one of the best things 00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:51.179 that we can do 00:32:51.179 --> 00:32:52.879 when we envy someone, 00:32:53.579 --> 00:32:54.439 is to stop 00:32:54.440 --> 00:32:55.680 and to not only pray 00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:56.299 and give thanks 00:32:56.299 --> 00:32:56.940 for God's goodness 00:32:56.940 --> 00:32:57.519 in their life, 00:32:57.539 --> 00:32:58.640 but then to pray 00:32:58.640 --> 00:32:59.340 for more of it, 00:33:00.140 --> 00:33:00.840 to pray for more 00:33:00.840 --> 00:33:01.500 of God's goodness. 00:33:02.140 --> 00:33:02.840 And you'll be amazed 00:33:02.840 --> 00:33:03.640 at how prayer begins 00:33:03.640 --> 00:33:04.580 to shift your heart. 00:33:05.640 --> 00:33:06.400 And then there's 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:07.320 these great promises 00:33:07.320 --> 00:33:08.200 for those who put 00:33:08.200 --> 00:33:09.140 their faith in Jesus. 00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:10.059 The Bible promises 00:33:10.059 --> 00:33:12.120 that every spiritual blessing 00:33:12.120 --> 00:33:12.820 is ours. 00:33:14.259 --> 00:33:15.000 Ephesians 1. 00:33:15.620 --> 00:33:16.320 And that one day 00:33:16.320 --> 00:33:17.000 we'll experience 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:18.220 the full truth of that. 00:33:18.820 --> 00:33:19.220 So it says, 00:33:19.340 --> 00:33:20.039 whatever you think 00:33:20.039 --> 00:33:21.440 you lack in this life, 00:33:21.500 --> 00:33:22.140 in whatever ways 00:33:22.140 --> 00:33:23.299 you think you're deficient, 00:33:23.299 --> 00:33:24.019 in whatever ways 00:33:24.019 --> 00:33:24.599 you're focused 00:33:24.599 --> 00:33:26.220 on your inadequacy, 00:33:26.440 --> 00:33:27.700 through Jesus, 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:29.159 you will gain 00:33:29.159 --> 00:33:30.559 infinitely more, 00:33:30.919 --> 00:33:31.960 not only in this life, 00:33:32.299 --> 00:33:33.240 but in the life to come. 00:33:34.039 --> 00:33:34.740 Let's pray. 00:33:36.779 --> 00:33:37.839 Lord, we thank You 00:33:37.839 --> 00:33:39.480 for the great promises 00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:40.480 of Scripture. 00:33:41.639 --> 00:33:42.799 Lord, and we thank You 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:44.399 that even as we recognize 00:33:44.399 --> 00:33:45.519 that the ground 00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:47.139 probably should open up 00:33:47.139 --> 00:33:48.859 under us right now, 00:33:48.980 --> 00:33:49.180 Lord, 00:33:49.599 --> 00:33:50.659 that it doesn't. 00:33:51.200 --> 00:33:52.899 Lord, that we woke up 00:33:52.900 --> 00:33:53.500 this morning 00:33:53.500 --> 00:33:55.300 with breath in our lungs. 00:33:55.980 --> 00:33:56.980 Lord, with the ability 00:33:56.980 --> 00:33:57.740 to get out of bed 00:33:57.740 --> 00:33:58.480 and to come here 00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:00.660 to worship You, Lord, 00:34:00.780 --> 00:34:02.180 and that those are all 00:34:02.180 --> 00:34:02.880 great gifts 00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:04.060 of Your grace to us. 00:34:04.800 --> 00:34:05.800 Lord, we thank You 00:34:05.800 --> 00:34:06.920 for being the kind of God 00:34:06.920 --> 00:34:08.280 who is constantly giving us, 00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:09.480 continually giving us, 00:34:10.039 --> 00:34:12.280 far more than we could ever earn, 00:34:12.539 --> 00:34:13.539 far more than we deserve, 00:34:13.800 --> 00:34:15.360 far more than we could ever repay. 00:34:16.380 --> 00:34:17.760 Lord, I pray that Your grace 00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:19.500 and not things like envy 00:34:19.500 --> 00:34:20.019 and resentment, 00:34:20.019 --> 00:34:22.099 I pray that Your grace 00:34:22.099 --> 00:34:22.840 would sit at the center 00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:23.440 of our hearts, 00:34:24.059 --> 00:34:25.099 at the center of our community, 00:34:25.239 --> 00:34:26.320 and that we would be marked 00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:26.980 by the gratitude 00:34:26.980 --> 00:34:28.099 that flows out of that, Lord, 00:34:28.259 --> 00:34:29.219 and that we would be 00:34:29.219 --> 00:34:30.400 a community that is able 00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:31.320 not only to support 00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:32.159 and care for those 00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:33.079 who are struggling 00:34:33.079 --> 00:34:33.739 and who lack, 00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:34.739 but, Lord, 00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:35.280 that we're able 00:34:35.280 --> 00:34:36.000 to be a community 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:38.059 full of celebration 00:34:38.059 --> 00:34:38.980 for God's goodness 00:34:38.980 --> 00:34:40.159 in the lives 00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:40.940 of Your people, Lord. 00:34:41.500 --> 00:34:42.400 And we pray this, 00:34:42.559 --> 00:34:43.340 in this way, 00:34:43.420 --> 00:34:44.039 we would bring glory 00:34:44.039 --> 00:34:44.780 and honor to You. 00:34:45.480 --> 00:34:46.159 And we pray this 00:34:46.159 --> 00:34:46.960 in Jesus' name. 00:34:47.159 --> 00:34:47.380 Amen.