BOOKS OF MOSES

THE LIFTING UP OF CHRIST–PART TWO–JOHN 3:14-15; NUMBERS 21:4-9

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THE LIFTING UP OF CHRIST
PART TWO
JOHN 3:14-15; NUMBERS 21:4-9

Introduction:
The FIRST MESSAGE of this series was about the “Nature of Sin,” how it is OF A DESTRUCTIVE AND DEADLY NATURE, Jeremiah 17:9, “The HEART is DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, and DESPERATELY WICKED: who can know it?”
This is shown by the reaction of the Hebrews in their wilderness journey in Numbers 21:5, And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.”

I.   This message is about the Remedy that God had provided for the sin of mankind.

1.   Israel was guilty and that was without dispute.
2.   They had blasphemed the name of God and His servant Moses.
3.   God sent judgment, vv. 6-7, “And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 7- Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.”

a.   Moses had PRAYED for the people and God HONORED THAT PRAYER.
b.   The Lord proposed a REMEDY BASED ON A LOOK OF FAITH, v. 9.
c.   In this we see God’s great MERCY, Psalms 145:8, “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and OF GREAT MERCY.”

II. A STRONG REMEDY PROVIDED
A. The WONDERFUL PROVISION that God made for their relief, Numbers 21:4-9.
1. God made Moses the INSTRUMENT in which Israel would obtain relief, vv. 7-9;
2. The REMEMDYwas SIMILAR to the punishment, a fiery [brass, the color of fire] serpent, v. 7a;
3. The proposal was: “LOOK AND LIVE,” v. 7b;
a. Jesus is the One with the words of life, John 6:68, “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
b. There is NO OTHER NAME whereby we may gain salvation, Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
B. The Son of God, John 3:14-15.
1. God sent His Son in the LIKENESS of sinful flesh, Romans 8:3, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”
2. Christ DID NOT KNOW SIN, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
3. He was LIFTED UP on the CROSS, John 3:14, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:”
a. He was crucified, John 19:17-18, “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.”
b. He is the propitiation for our sins, 1 John 2:2, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Note: “The propitiation does not procure his love or make him loving; it only renders it consistent for him to exercise his love towards sinners.” Easton’s Bible Dict.

4. All who LOOK IN FAITH, v. 8; John 3:15, “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
a. EVERY PERSON on the earth has been bitten by the serpent, Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
b. The condemnation is UNIVERSAL, Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
c. The offer is to WHOSOEVER will LOOK, v. 8;
1) Jesus was LIFTED UP, John 12:32, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33- This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
2) He is DRAWING MEN after Him, John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
3) He is DRAWING men TO LIFE, Romans 5:18, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

CONCLUSION
The Lord is GATHERING His people, Genesis 49:10, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”

THE LIFTING UP OF CHRIST–PART 1–NUMBERS 21:4-9; JOHN 3:14,15

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THE LIFTING UP OF CHRIST
PART 1
NUMBERS 21:4-9; JOHN 3:14,15
Introduction:
This message will be in two parts: the First dealing with the “Nature of Sin,” it’s destructive and deadly nature.
The second part of the message will deal with the remedy provided for the problem of sin. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has paid the price with His life to redeem man from his sins.
Now consider…

I. THE NATURE OF SIN – DISTRUCTIVE AND DEADLY

A. The GUILT OF SIN is like the BITE of a serpent, Jeremiah 8:17, “For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.”

1. The POISON OF SIN permeates with just ONE BITE, James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

a. The CASE of Adam and Eve, Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17- But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

b. Man brought SIN into  the world by his disobedience, Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

c. Man brought DEATH by his sin, 1 Corinthians 15:21, “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.”

2. That ONE SIN poisons the whole system of man, Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

a. The sin of Solomon, 2 Kings 23:13, “And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.”

1) Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, the moon goddess of the Phoenicians, Judges 10:6, “And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.”

2) Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, the destroyer, subduer, or fish-god, the god of the Moabites, Jeremiah 48:7, “For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.”

3) Milcom or Moloch, the abomination of the children of Ammon, this god became Chemosh among the Moabites.

2. The sin of mankind in general – a heart problem, Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

a. Man walks after the imagination of his evil heart, Jeremiah 16:12, “And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:”

b. GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great before the flood, Genesis 6:5, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

B. The POWER of the CORRUPTION OF SIN is like the POISON of a SNAKE that is SPREAD OUT:

1. First Satan is SUBTLE:

a. He is CRAFTY, SLY, WILY and TRICKY, 2 Corinthians 11:13-14, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14-And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

b. He is SKILLFUL, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”

2. Then Satan is AGGRESSIVE, WITHOUT RESPECT for whom he attacks:

a. Judas Iscariot, Luke 22:2, “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”

a. Peter, Luke 22:30, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:”

3. Then he is terrifying:

b. GREAT SIN is the RESULT of his INFLUENCE, 1 John 3:12, “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”

c. GREAT PERIL RESULTS from his influence to DESTROY the EFFECT of the TRUTH, Matthew 13:19, “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.”

d. His influence brings man to the LOWEST LEVEL of DEPRAVITY, Psalm 9:15, “The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.”

4. Then his influence is destructive:

a. The SIN of ADULTERY is one example, Proverbs 6:32, “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.”

b. The HYPOCRITE is another, Proverbs 11:9,“An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.”

CONCLUSION

In this message we have seen how Satan and his influence in our lives is so destructive. In the next message we will see how the Lord Jesus Christ has remedied the problem by His death on the Cross of Calvary.

THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD–DEUTERONOMY 7:9

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The Faithfulness of God
DEUTERONOMY 7:9

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”

Introduction:
Faithfulness is loyalty, resolution, and exactness. Faithfulness is one of the sweetest and most comforting of the attributes of God. Faithfulness belongs to God.
Inconstancy, the state or quality of being eccentrically variable or fickle, characterizes sinful man.

The faithfulness of God is:
1. A support for a tired head.
2. A stimulant to a faint heart.
3. A strength for weak knees.
I. A Support For a Tired Head
Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”
A. Unfaithfulness is notable in our day.
1. In society:
a. Marriage.
b. Family.
2. In politics:
a. Promises not kept.
b. Dishonesty and corruption.
3. On the international scene:
a. Agreements not honored.
b. Espionage even in a time of peace.
c. War.
4. In the area of religion:
a. The Bible is ignored.
b. “Christians” without convictions.
B. But God is Faithful.
1. He never fails to fulfill His Word, Titus 1:1-2, “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Isaiah 53:9, “neither was any deceit in his mouth.
a. Man has even asked to be lied to, Isaiah 30:10, “Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:”
2. God is faithful to Himself, 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
3. God is faithful to His purpose to choose a people for Himself, Titus 2:14, “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
4. God is faithful to His Son, Jesus Christ:
a. The covenant of the Grace of God. The grace and love of the Father sent Jesus to a lost world, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
b. The covenant of the Son of God, Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
(1) The incarnation of Christ, leaving the glory of heaven.
(2) His death on the cross of Calvary.
(3) His resurrection.
(4) His exaltation to the right hand of the Father.
c. The covenant of the Holy Spirit, 1 John 16:7-11.
(1) The calling.
(2) The convincing.
(3) The regenerating.
(4) The sanctifying.
II. It Stimulates The Heart Of The Faint
A. The faithfulness of God, the basis of our security, 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
B. We have confidence in Him until the end, 1 Corinthians 1:8, “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
C. God is faithful to his saints, Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”  God is faithful to fulfill His promises!
III. He Is A Strength In Our Weakness
Salmos 37:28, “For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.”
Our security does not depend on our faithfulness to God, but rather the faithfulness of God to His Son, Jesus Christ.
A. The saints are weak, but God keeps them, 1 Peter 1:5, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
B. God is faithful to discipline His children, Psalms 119:75, “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”
1. God does not let His children sin without correction, Proverbs 13:24, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”
2. He brings back the rebel, Psalms 119:67, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.”  The LORD never lost even one of His children.
Conclusion:
The faithfulness of God should be a great inspiration to us, the fountain from whence runs the waters of faithfulness in our lives.

THE FAITHFUL GOD–DEUTERONOMY 7:1-9

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THE FAITHFUL GOD
DEUTERONOMY 7:1-9

Key verse: v. 9 “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God,”


Introduction:
Faithfulness is loyalty (feelings of devoted attachment and affection), resolution (firm determination), and exactness (not deviating from truth). Faithfulness is one of the sweetest and most comforting of the attributes of God. Faithfulness belongs to God.
Inconstancy is the state or quality of being variable (Likely to change or vary; subject to variation; changeable, inconstant or fickle which characterizes sinful man.

I. HE KEEPS COVENANT AND MERCY…v. 9

A. With them that love him, Deuteronomy 10:12, “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,”

B. With them who keep his commandments, v. 9, “He keeps covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”
1. Men like Abraham, Nehemiah 9:7-8a, “Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; 8- And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites…”
2. Men like Moses, Numbers 12:7, “My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.”

II. HE IS GOD, THE FAITHFUL GOD

A. His testimonies are righteous and faithful, Psalm 119:138, “Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.”

1. “The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting,” Psalm 119:144, “The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.”
2. The doctrine [the law] of the Lord is perfect, Psalm 19:7, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
3. The Lord never fail to fulfill His Word, Titus 1:1-2, “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2-In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”
B. He testified: “I will raise me up a faithful priest,” 1 Samuel 2:35, “And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.”
1. He will be like His brethren, Hebrews 2:17, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”
2. He “is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,” Hebrews 7:26, “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;”
C. God is faithful to His Son, Jesus Christ:
1. The covenant of Grace; the love of the Father that send Jesus to a lost and dying world, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
2. The covenant of the Son of God, Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
a. The incarnation of the Son of God.
b. His death on the cross of Calvary.
c. His resurrection.
d. His exaltation at the right hand of God.
D. God is faithful to the Believer, 1 Corinthians 1:9, God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
1. To establish you as a believer, 2 Thess. 3:3, But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
2. To keep you from evil, 1 Corinthians 10:13, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
3. To forgive your sins, 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
E. God is faithful to Himself, 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
1. To His Word, Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
2. What if some do not believe? Romans 3:3-4, “For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 4-God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”
3. Faithful is he that called you, 1 Thess. 5:24, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
a. Don’t waver in your faith, Hebrews 10:23, Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
b. He is a faithful Creator, 1 Peter 4:19, Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

CONCLUSION

Our God is the Faithful God. He is bound by His Word and cannot lie. Therefore, He fulfills His covenants. You can trust the God of Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ.

CALEB MY SERVANT–NUMBERS 14:17-24

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CALEB MY SERVANT
Numbers 14:17-24
Introduction:
Moses had sent out 12 spies to spy out the land and to bring back a report confirming the Word of God. However, the spies returned with a negative report seeing giants in the land that made them feel like grasshoppers in comparison to them.
Only Joshua and Caleb returned with a positive report saying that Israel was able to conquer the land. The other spies admitted that it was indeed a land that flowed with milk and honey as the Lord had said, but they refused to believe that God’s people could conquer it.
Israel rebelled against the Lord on that day, but Joshua and Caleb stood with Moses on the Lord’s side. Consider God’s servant, Caleb.

I. CALEB “WHOLLY FOLLOWED THE LORD”

A. Moses testified on Caleb’s behalf, Numbers 32:11-12, “Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: 12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.”

B. Six times in the Bible we are told that Caleb “wholly follow the Lord.”
1. His own personal testimony, Joshua 14:8, “Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.”
2. Moses confirmed Caleb’s testimony, Joshua 14:9, “And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.”
II. CALEB SERVED GOD DISPITE THE OBSTACLES

A. He was firm and constant under pressure, Numbers 14:9-10, “Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. 10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.”

B. Caleb was 85 years old, 25 years older than the other men when they entered the land, Yet he and his family alone, of all the tribes who entered the land, were able to complete God’s command to drive out all the pagan inhabitants from his inheritance—even though these were the same fearsome giants who had so terrified the ten spies forty-five years earlier, Joshua 14:12-15, “Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. 13- And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. 14- Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel. 15- And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.”

III. “IF ANY MAN SERVE ME, LET HIM FOLLOW ME”

John 12:26, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”
A. The True Servant of God keeps God’s Commandments, John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
1. This is a test of love for the Lord, John 14:21, 23, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 23- Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
2. He takes up his cross and follows, Mark 8:34,“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
a. They leave the world behind, Matthew 8:22,“But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”
b. God makes them soul winners, Matthew 4:19, “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
B. Many say that they love the Lord but do not do what He says, Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
1. They do not honor the Father, Malachi 1:6, “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?”
2. God is not fooled, Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
3. He knows those that are His, John 6:64, “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.”

CONCLUSION

Caleb was one of the great men of the Word of God that is not heard of much, but who was a man of great faith who loved his Lord.
Without a doubt we need men of his caliber today serving God. Perhaps he can be an example for us to follow in a time when many so-called Christian men are without courage and conviction.