Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20120115.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Numbers: Lessons From Spiritual Casualties And Conquerors
Part XXIV: Identifying God's Signs Of His Truly Appointed Leaders
(Numbers 16:41-17:13)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Criticism of one's activity in his calling is not only difficult to face, but often difficult to evaluate, a fact we can readily illustrate:

    (1) On January 4, 2012, President Obama made controversial appointments of four people to office while Congress was in "recess." ("Obstructionism leaves Obama little choice on appointments," USA TODAY, January 9, 2012, p. 8A) Such appointments are permitted by the U. S. Constitution, but the President was heavily criticized for his appointments because Congress was allegedly still in session. (Ibid.)

    In reality, Republican lawmakers were "trotting out a senator to gavel an empty chamber into session for a few seconds every three days" to make Congress technically appear not in recess! (Ibid.) One might then want to blame the Republicans for political hypocrisy!

    However, such "pro forma sessions'" did not originate with the Republicans, but with the Senate Democrats in late 2007 "to stop President George W. Bush from making recess appointments." (Ibid.)

    Conversely, one might put the blame back on the President, for "the Senate enacted the payroll tax holiday extension, President Obama's leading legislative priority, on Dec. 23 during one of those pro forma sessions," so since he supports that legislation, the President himself should admit Congress is still in session during pro forma sessions! (Michael McConnell, "Democrats and Executive Overreach," The Wall Street Journal, 1/10/12, p. A13)

    What makes the issue more complex is Article I, Section 5, Clause 4 of the U. S. Constitution that requires "the concurrence of the other house to any adjournment of more than three days." (Ibid.) Well, since the "Senate did not request, and the House did not agree to, any such adjournment . . . the Senate was not in adjournment according to the Constitution" writes Michael McConnell, professor of law and director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, Ibid.

    Now, who stands to be criticized -- can we even figure it out?!

    (2) Similarly, criticism in our callings from God can be equally difficult to evaluate! As a boy, I once saw a missionary lady fight back tears at a dinner table over being troubled by another missionary's critique of her husband's ministry! I was stunned to hear of the matter, but could not evaluate who was right as I did not understand the facts!

    We thus ask, "Can we discern God's true evaluation of the criticism of a party's function in his calling, and, if so, how?!"

    Need: "To know if the criticism one faces in his activity in a calling in life is valid, can we know GOD'S view on it, and IF so, HOW?!"

  1. After God destroyed Korah's followers in judgment, the people of Israel misread that event and so sided with Korah and charged Moses and Aaron with killing the people of the Lord, Num. 16:41!
  2. Thus, God supplied signs that all could use to assess this criticism and discern that it was false (as follows), Numbers 16:42-17:13:
    1. God signaled that opposite the criticism, Aaron, His true priest, had God's gracious saving success in his ministry, Numbers 16:41-50:
      1. When the Lord heard the people errantly criticize Moses and Aaron for slaying the rebels, He told the two leaders to separate from the people so He might quickly destroy the nation, Numbers 16:42-45.
      2. What occurred next shows Aaron's ministry was in great positive contrast to the criticism of Korah's group, thus validating Aaron's priesthood before the onlooking people, Numbers 16:46-50:
        1. Moses understood that the Lord's anger was beginning to be expressed against the spiritually rebellious people, so he told Aaron to do what Korah's group had tried -- to get a censor and put fire in it to minister as God's priest, Numbers 16:46; 16:17.
        2. However, where Korah's group was destroyed by God as they tried to offer incense (Num. 16:35), Aaron's offering by his censor saved many lives from God's wrath: Aaron took his stand between the dead and the living, the already-judged and the not-yet-judged, and kept God's wrath from those not yet affected so that only another 14,700 of the whole nation of the nearly 2 million people were slain by the Lord, Num. 16:47-50!
    2. God signaled that, opposite the criticism, Aaron, His true priest, had God's true divine power in his ministry, Numbers 17:1-13:
      1. The Lord wanted to check all criticism about Moses and Aaron being His true leaders, for that criticism countered God's plan as it opposed His work in Israel through these two men, Num. 17:5b.
      2. God thus told the leaders of the 12 tribes, with Aaron representing the tribe of Levi, to have their rods put in the tabernacle overnight for God to signal which man He recognized as priest, Num. 17:1-4.
      3. God said He would identify which man was His true priest when He thus caused his rod to "sprout" (NIV, ESV), Numbers 17:5.
      4. When the rods were put in the tabernacle (Num. 17:6-7), just overnight, Aaron's rod alone had not only sprouted, but it had budded, bloomed and "bore ripe almonds," Numbers 17:8-9 ESV!
      5. In view of how almonds naturally grow, and in light of the Ancient Near Eastern religious and historical contexts, this event clarified to all those involved that Aaron was God's true priest (as follows):
        1. To bud, almonds begin to develop flower parts on the edges of the growing bud in the fall, www.waterfordnut.com/grow.html.
        2. A strong November and December chill followed by a warmer January and February spurs the blossoms from the buds. (Ibid.)
        3. Yet, for almonds to develop, at least two varieties of trees are needed for cross-pollination, and bees to pollinate them, Ibid.
        4. If the weather is frost-free and mild, and little rain falls for the pollination to occur, the blossom petals drop, the "fruit" of the almond, the hull, appears and starts to split open by July, with the split widening between mid-August and late October, Ibid.
        5. So, for all of this to occur, steps that naturally take a year, and all overnight so that Aaron's rod went from being a dead rod to yielding mature almonds, it signaled God's approval of Aaron!
        6. Besides, in the Ancient Near East that was highly influenced by pagan fertility cults that taught the annual death and resurrection of crop plants, this miraculous crop production from a dead rod proved beyond all doubt to all involved that Aaron enjoyed the true Creator God's approval and power as His sole high priest in Israel, Zondervan Pict. Ency. of the Bible, vol. Two, p. 531.
      6. When the rods were brought out for all to see, and Aaron's rod alone displayed God's power (Num. 17:9), the Lord had Moses put the rod back with the ark to serve as a perpetual reminder through Israel's history that Aaron was His true priest, Numbers 17:10-11.
      7. The effect of this test was great: the people realized their error, and feared God might slay them for their rebellion, Numbers 17:12-13!
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ as Savior to become a child of God, John 1:11-12. (2) Then, to discern that God supports a party in a calling versus false criticism, look for (a) God's gracious saving success and (b) true power in the party's work in his calling. (3) Yet, if a party lacks God's gracious saving success and true power in his effort, know he functions outside God's calling or will. (4) If we are wrongly criticized in God's calling, let God vindicate us, for His will that He use us must be fulfilled regardless of critics, Num. 17:5b!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 The gracious saving success and true power of God has been seen in many ways in the ministry efforts of many in our Church, evidences that can abundantly thwart false criticism to the contrary!

One illustration revolves around an event that occurred a few days before Christmas Eve. I was on my way out of the Church's front door in the afternoon to check the Church mailbox when I saw a lady on the front lawn taking a picture of our Church with a digital camera.

She was shivering in her sweater in the cold day, but exclaimed how beautiful the southern front of our white Church was with the afternoon sun shining on it while the Church stood up against the clear, deep blue sky. She said, "It's the quintessential New England church!"

She told me she worked for the Torrington Register-Citizen, and her photograph then appeared just before Christmas Eve in that paper in full color, with her description of our Church being a "Quintessential New England Church" just below it!

What she did not know was that event was part of an answer to prayer involving God's grace and power. Years ago, when I saw how badly chipped the paint was high up on the front of the Church, I had wondered how I could get up there to paint it! I even prayed about it.

Sometime later, Dave Slate had brought over his "lift" to use in painting that area, and we both rode the "lift" basket to the top of the roof line and painted the whole front of the building. I recall telling Dave how the endeavor was an answer to prayer, how amazed I was that I didn't have to shudder standing up on some tall ladder trying to paint there, but with a mere touch of a button, see Dave move the basket where we needed to go to paint what so badly needed a coat!

In retrospect, what had seemed humanly impossible for me had been turned into something relatively easy for us. On top of that, the picture of our paint job ran in full color in the newspaper right before Christmas, a great, free ad to spur readers to attend our Christmas Eve Service where they could hear the salvation Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Gracious saving success and God's true power -- I've seen it in many ways in this ministry, even in the painting of the top part of the front of our "Quintessential New England Church."

May we examine whatever party or ministry we need to examine, be it ourselves or some other party in any calling, using these tests to be SURE of God's signals of His blessed involvement!