Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20110724.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Numbers: Lessons From Spiritual Casualties And Conquerors
Part IX: Heeding God's Signal To Keep Trusting Him In Life's Setbacks
(Numbers 9:1-14)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    The trials we face that require us to trust God for His help can be very hard to handle if we are in the MIDST of the trials themselves:

    (1) When this message went to press, the White House and congressional leaders were talking about the nation's debt ceiling. It had to be handled by August 2nd or, according to many, the nation and world would plunge into some form of economic catastrophe.

    The July 18, 2011 Republican-American, p. 6A reflected the visceral concern millions of citizens and experts had over the issue:

    (a) Donald W. Maclean of Middlebury, Connecticut wrote: "Washington needs to get its act together. Politicians, with their own obvious personal agendas, are playing chicken with our financial future and ignoring the advice from learned professionals . . ."

    (b) Peter Polstein of Oxford, Connecticut complained: "I, as well as a vast majority of Americans, am (sic) sick and tired of the political hyperbole that has placed this country in the economic morass of not only the past year but during the past 30 days."

    (c) Emil W. Henry, Jr., an assistant secretary of the Treasury from 2005 to 2007, in his article, "America's Debt-Ceiling Opportunity" in The Wall Street Journal, July 19, 2011, p. A15, noted "a recent, nonpartisan research project . . . led by famed Wall Street analyst, Mary Meeker" made "an attempt to review the country's finances assuming they were analyzed and accounted for like those of a business". It found that "if Congress had submitted fiscal year 2010 financial reports of our country in a fashion similar to a corporation, the U. S. would show a negative net worth of $44 trillion, an operating loss of $817 billion, and $1.3 trillion of negative cash flow."

    (2) On top of this national and international financial crisis, last Sunday, two believers told me their concerns about their jobs, with one believer saying he had received a pink slip in being laid off at work.

    (3) Also, on local radio talk shows and in conversations with businessmen, we hear of concerns over the new, higher State tax burdens that have been dumped on Connecticut businesses!

    In fact, legendary talk show host, Brad Davis, reported last Friday that 4,000 jobs were lost in the State in the month of June alone allegedly due to the State's new higher taxes!

    Thus, we ask, "In the MIDST of our trials of living by faith in God, as the trials really STING, how do we HANDLE them?!"

    Need: "I know I must trust God for help when I face life's trials, but IN the TRIALS themselves, trusting seems so HARD! Any ideas?!"

  1. When God gave Israel the Passover, He taught her to trust His might and will to save her in Egypt as well as in the Promised Land:
    1. God instituted the Exodus 11:1-8 Passover to deliver Israel in Egypt.
    2. At that time, He told Israel to observe the Passover upon reaching the Promised Land to recall God was able and willing to help her, that she need not turn to other gods in the Promised Land, Ex. 12:25-27!
  2. However, BETWEEN Egypt and the Promised Land when Israel faced TRIALS in the WILDERNESS JOURNEY, she OFTEN FAILED to trust God's ability or will to help her (as follows):
    1. While backed up against the Red Sea by Pharaoh's chariot army, Israel had faithlessly cried out in fear of being slain, failing to trust God was either able or willing to deliver her, Exodus 14:9-12.
    2. When they came to Marah a three day journey after the Red Sea and found bitter water, Israel's people faithlessly murmured, Ex. 15:22-24.
    3. Six weeks after leaving Egypt and running out of food, the people of Israel complained out of fear of starving to death, Exodus 16:1-3.
    4. When God graciously gave Israel manna from heaven, some of her people faithlessly hoarded it overnight in violation of God's command, so it rotted and bred worms, Exodus 16:19-20.
    5. After God directed the people of Israel to gather twice as much manna the day before the Sabbath so they would not have to gather any on the Sabbath Day, some of them faithlessly failed to obey, so they failed to have any food to eat on the Sabbath, Ex. 16:22-26, 27-28.
    6. At Rephidim when they found no water, Israel's people faithlessly argued with Moses, afraid they would die of thirst, Exodus 17:1-3.
    7. At Mount Sinai when Moses had not returned from the Mount after 40 days, Israel faithlessly became idolatrous, doubting God and God's servant Moses who had led them to that place, Exodus 32:1-7.
  3. Nevertheless, God had graciously delivered Israel in each such trial:
    1. God had saved Israel from Pharaoh's army, parting the Red Sea for Israel to cross while closing the sea on Pharaoh's men, Ex. 14:30-31.
    2. The Lord had sweetened the bitter water at Marah so the people of Israel could drink it and stay alive in the wilderness, Exodus 15:25.
    3. God had given Israel manna from heaven to eat that she not starve to death in the barren wilderness, Exodus 16:4, 14-15.
    4. He faithfully gave it for 40 years until Israel had not only reached the Promised Land, but had then even entered it, Ex. 16:35; Joshua 5:12.
    5. The Lord gave a double portion of manna each Friday, keeping it from spoiling overnight so Israel would not have to work on the Sabbath Day to collect it, Exodus 16:23-25.
    6. The Lord had given water out of the rock at Rephidim, Ex. 17:5-7.
    7. God heeded Moses' plea not to destroy Israel for idolatry, Ex 32:9-14.
  4. Thus, the relevancy of the Passover lesson given BACK in EGYPT in view of Israel's CURRENT WILDERNESS TRIALS led God to RENEW His call that Israel observe the Passover IN THE WILDERNESS to SIGNAL her need to KEEP TRUSTING His ABILITY and WILL to HELP her even THERE, Numbers 9:1-3.
  5. STRESSING this lesson, God ADDED MORE commands in the WILDERNESS on the PASSOVER OBSERVANCE, Num. 9:4-14:
    1. When some Hebrews asked Moses how they could observe Passover since they had been defiled from touching a dead man (Num. 9:4-7), God directed that such well-meaning, but logistically restricted people celebrate the Passover exactly one month later, Numbers 9:8-12.
    2. Yet, if one did not keep the Passover out personal of neglect or rebellion, he was to be excommunicated, Numbers 9:13.
    3. God also announced that if a foreigner wanted to observe the Passover, he could do so [providing he became a proselyte in Israel by submitting to circumcision], Number 9:14 with Exodus 12:48.
    4. Thus, BEFORE REACHING CANAAN AND WHILE STILL IN THE WILDERNESS, the Passover was to be seriously observed, but all were encouraged to observe it. God thus SERIOUSLY ENCOURAGED Israel to TRUST He was WILLING and ABLE to SAVE her PARTICULARLY in her TRIALS in the WILDERNESS LONG BEFORE she REACHED the PROMISED LAND!
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ to be a child of God, John 1:11-12. (2) IN our TRIALS of faith, may we WATCH for GOD'S SIGNAL(S) much as He gave Israel in Numbers 9 that URGE us to KEEP trusting Him! (3) When He gives them, may we heed them!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 (1) Amid the financial trials of our world, we as a Church received a signal from God last week to keep trusting Him to provide for our Church's financial needs.

It came in the form of last week's July 17, 2011 Treasurer's Report: for the first time in a very long time, it showed no debt in our columns. Both the 2010 and 2011 Missions dues were paid up, and we had an "End Balance" of $18,576.40 in the black!

So, in the summertime, when attendance and giving is typically lower due to people being on vacation, amid the threat of the nation's debt crisis, the bad mortgage market and the worst recession since the Great Depression, God has met our Church's financial needs!

With the timing of this lesson out of Numbers 9, this provision acts as a SIGNAL from the Lord to KEEP TRUSTING Him in the WILDERNESS of our current world's economic wilderness, trusting He WILL meet our Church's financial needs!

(2) The Lord gave another signal on the personal level too! My brother saw his San Francisco Bay area house sell last week after it had been on the market for 11 days! He needed to exchange it for a newer, larger but far less-costly home further inland to house himself, his wife and my aging Mother who needs assisted living! God honored his step of faith to put his house up for sale in the current difficult mortgage market because he was trying to care for Mom as Scripture teaches!

In fact, after my brother had sold his house, two more couples approached him offering to buy it! In today's market, that is amazing!

Once Mom is moved in with my brother and his wife in their new home, Mom's condo can be sold and she will incur only part-time assisted living costs since she will be living with family. God has thus shown His approval in all of this by amply meeting everyone's needs!

So, the timing of this Numbers 9 lesson with this house sale last week is another SIGNAL from God: He wants ME to KEEP TRUSTING Him in the WILDERNESS of this world's economic wilderness, trusting He WILL meet our extended family needs!

That way, I can urge YOU to KEEP TRUSTING HIM, too!

May we believers in Christ WATCH for God's SIGNALS that we KEEP ON TRUSTING His ABILITY and WILL to HELP us in life's WILDERNESS trials! Then, once He GIVES them, may we USE them as MOTIVATION to KEEP TRUSTING Him!