Intro: Tonight we are continuing our survey of
the Book of Numbers
A)Ch.26
takes us to the place where the Children of Israel are several months away from
entering the promise land
B) 1st Generation dies off & the Lord
instructs Moses to take a new Census
1) The first census was taken in the beginning of the book - & was for Military Organization
C) The purpose of the second census is also
made clear v.2 ; they were to count all who are
able to go to war in Israel.
1) This accounting, 38 years later, is again for military organization.
D)
What is interesting is there wasnt much of a Change
( Study the Chart on your own but notice the Bottom
1) In the first census, Israel counted 603,550 men ready for war; 38 years later, they count 601,730 men - a loss of 1,820 men (.3%).
E) So, the total number of men ready for war during the wilderness stayed virtually the same over the 38 year period
Spiritual
Sig: The stagnation of population is
reflective of Israels spiritual state during these 38 years
A)The normal thing would have been growth that is normal in the course of generations & reproduction!!!
B) Instead, they simply stayed where they were. The 38 years in the wilderness were years of no growth, no advance
1) just going in circles until the generation of unbelief had died and a generation of faith had arisen !!!
C) Spiritually is there growth or are you simply going around in circles ?
CH.27
Now we touched on the first part of ch.27 on Sunday am The
5 daring daughters of Zelophehad Their faith
A)Determined / Daring /
Dispersed - Good example for us lay
hold of all that the Lord has for us Pick up in v. 12 {Rd 12-14
B) Now in actuality it was several months from the time that Moses was going to go up on the Mt. Duet 34 - & die God was preparing him
1) But there were still some final things to take care The sermon of the Book of Duet . retraces the History from Gods pt of view
C) And reminds the New Generation of the Laws of God
D) And there is the Need for a New Leader which seems to be the chief concern on Moses heart
1) He doesnt want the people to be w/out a Shepherd v.15-17
E) Sheep without a shepherd are in constant danger; they face slim provisions of food and water, and they are never led to where they should be. 1) God Knew the people would need a leader & had the right guy in mind So in (18-23) Joshua chosen and given authority. Rd. verses
Up to this point, Joshua had mostly been known as Moses
Servant
A)But God was preparing him for something else to Lead the People of Israel into the Land of Blessing
B) That is Gods way of training & Preparing a great leader is He teaches him to learn how to follow & How to serve
1) If a man cannot learn to follow & learn to serve He will never be used by God to lead no matter how gifted he is { Wiersbe / Saunders
C) Joshua had been a faithful
& Brave servant to Moses & the other note worthy thing about Joshua
v.18 That Gods spirit was upon !!!!
D) Key to Leadership: Spirit filled man who has learned how to be a follower & Servant { That was Joshua}
This public presentation and laying of hands on Joshua was important; A)Because it let the whole nation know that Joshua was now the leader and the nation should expect to follow him.
B) It was the outward display to the People of Recognition of what the Lord had done in his heart { Tonight Phil / Rob / David
1) Spirit filled men who have learned how to follow
NUMBERS 28- 29 are a reiteration of the sacrificial system
A)We have studied the sacrifices in the Books of Exodus and carefully in Leviticus 1-6 and we have seen them once again in the Book of Numbers
B) The question that comes to
mind is : WHY does the Lord repeat Himself so
frequently?
1.) Because He wants to RE-ESTABLISH in our hearts the fact that sin is serious and needs to be dealt with
C) The wages of sin is death - Sin causes death...... ALWAYS- Brutal affects
So The Lord shows us in these sacrifices that sin brings death
1) Either OUR death or the death of a SUBSTITUTE something else
D) Now The animals that were slain in these O.T. sacrifices point to the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ
E) SO the Lord repeats Himself because He wants to RE-ESTABLISH in our hearts the fact that sin is serious and needs to be dealt with!!!!
2ndly He repeats
Himself to RE-ENFORCE truth
A)It has been said that repetition is the mother of learning
B) It really doesn't matter how
much you know- What matters is how well you know
what you know
1) So the Word of God continually REITERATES./ RE-ESTABLISHES..... REMINDS AND REVIEWS certain principles over and over again
C) Because Our heavenly Father KNOWS our capacity to learn and
retain is not the greatest
1) And THAT is why we get the same information over and over again
D) So that is why we have this
reiteration of the Sacrificial system
Now we studied the Sacrifices at great length in Lev. Ch.1-6
several weeks going thru them { looking at the Sig/ & Symbolism of each
A)Tonight I have provided for you a very general outline that talks about the Sacrifices/ rather than going into each one in detail Read v.1-4
B) Every day throughout
the year TWO lambs were to be offered as a Burnt offering = Consecration & Dedication of Self
1) The Lambs that pointed to THE lamb that was to come
C) The one of whom John the Baptist said:John 1:29 Behold the .world
NOTE: There was to be a
lamb offered each morning and each evening
A)The pattern of sacrifices
morning & evening - serves as a powerful
EXHORTATION to me -
B) It is a PATTERN for devotional life !!!! Morning & Evening
1) It is a pattern that virtually every man and woman that has ever made a mark on this world for Jesus Christ has followed
C) As you study the lives of those who have made an impact on this world you will find this pattern of devotional life MORNING and EVENING
1) So much so that Charles
Spurgeon wrote a book entitled: Morning
and Evening
D) Listen We NEED to start our days out with the Lord
1) But
our flesh says: Yesterday was such a LONG day and your day today is going to
be so busy.... sleep in... you need your rest
No one had LONGER or more full
days than Jesus Mark 1
Mark
1:35 And in the morning,
. rising up a
great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and
there prayed.
A)IF Jesus needed to do this, how much MORE do we need to
B) EXAMPLE: Martin Luther: He rose every morning at 5:00 a.m. and spent 2 hours in quiet meditation
C) Someone asked him once: What do you do if you have a very busy day ahead of you? DO
you sleep in an extra hour?
1) He replied: NO - I get up one hour EARLIER and seek the Lord for an
extra hour
D) We wonder WHY Luther was such a GREAT man of God
1) It was because he spent time with his GREAT God
Our greatest need is ALONE time w/ God getting into the
word on our own
A)Purpose of Bible studies stimulate you seek God { Mens groups / womens / Not home work Seek the Lord draw near hear from Him
B)We need to discipline ourselves to seek Gods face { Accountability Mike Sav. / Call pray
1) Now I admit I have no problem Mornings { Evenings is where I struggle brain dead at 9:30 { Coursons Commentary Lighter reading
C) Interesting I find I sleep better when I do that !!!!
1) So Sacrifice morning & evening
Now in vs 5-8
note that the morning & evening
lambs were to be offered w/ Grain offering v.5 / & the drink
offering v. 8
A)The grain offering speaks
of service & the Drink offering speaks
of fellowship
B) SIG: It tells us that our SERVICE is INEFFECTIVE & our Fellowship is IMPOSSIBLE apart from the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ
We MUST enter into SERVICE and FELLOWSHIP on the basis of
the shed blood of Jesus ONLY
A)My Service is UNACCEPTABLE to God apart from the blood of Jesus
B) And I can have Fellowship / no relationship with God based on my righteousness{ Only thru the Shed Blood of Christ ACCESS
1) Everything Centers around the Cross !!!!!!
RD v.9-10
Notice On the Sabbath day there was an ADDITIONAL 2 lambs
offered PLUS an ADDITIONAL drink and Grain offering
A)Note: The sacrifices and worship INCREASED on the Sabbath day
B) This restates to us the HIGH view that God holds of the Sabbath
1) It is NOT a holiday...... It is a Holy Day
C) It is to be centered upon SPIRITUAL communion with God
1) For WORSHIP of God and LEARNING of God & FELLOWSHIP w/
God { Important to have a Sabbath day -
D) So Whatever day you set aside as your Sabbath is to have the Lord as PRE-EMININENT and as the PRIORITY of it
1) We must guard against the tendency to let spiritual things slide on our day of rest { Church & Football
So v. 1-8 talk about how they were to
offer a Daily Sacrifice / v.11-15 talks about the Monthly Sacrifice pick up in v.
16 Focus is on the a Feast
A) Which We studied in detail
in Lev 23
Feast #1 Passover Rd v.16
A)April
14th. Commemorating the deliverance
..from Egypt
B)
After 430 years of slavery, while Pharaoh was determined to keep them in slavery, God sent Moses
to Egypt
1)
After 9 plagues came
the final plague { Angel
. Passover
C) As The angel of
death passed through the land- The ONLY way to escape was to kill a lamb
sprinkle the blood of a lamb above the door
1)
and on the
door posts and in the basin at the bottom
forming a perfect
cross
V.17-25 Describe the 2nd Feast Unleavened Bread Rd v.17
A)The
day AFTER Passover was the feast of unleavened bread
They were NOT to have leaven for 7
days after Passover
B)
In fact They cleaned out every bit of leaven from their homes- Why?
APPLICATION Leaven is symbolic of sin
C) This feast Commemorates Ex. 12 after Passover / angel of
death passed the Egyptians distraught urged them to leave left in a hurry
And the people took their dough before it was leavened,
their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
D)They
were in such a hurry to get out of Egypt that they left behind their leaven
E)
Leaving of the Leaven Commemorated their leaving of
the world Behind
1)
Egypt being symbolic
of the world
Pharaoh being symbolic of Satan
They LEFT behind with their LEAVEN
V .26-31 3rd Feast Feast of Weeks or
Pentecost Rd v.26
A)The feast of PENTECOST, took-50 days after Passover
It took place around JUNE - It commemorates the giving of the Law
B) INTERESTING: When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, he found the people worshipping an idol and involved in sexual immorality
1) The day that the Law came down from Mt. Sinai, 3,000 people died
C) After Calvary in NT On the day of Pentecost, the Law did NOT come down, but the Holy Spirit came down upon the Church{ 3,000 saved
1) All the Law can do is pronounce the death penalty{ Spirit gives life
So PENTECOST represents to the Jews the giving of the
Law...
A)But it pointed to a day when because of Jesus, the sentence of the Law would be cancelled and we would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
1) to
give us life us and empower us{ New Covenant
Ch.29:v.1-6 Next Feast is the Feast of Trumpets Which took place in October read v.1
A)The COMMEMORATION was the gathering together of the
people of God (We'll see this in
NUMBERS 10)
B)
In that day there were no
telephones or email
1) The way of communication was through
the blowing of trumpets
C)
So the Trumpets were used to gather
the people of God together for specific functions
D)And
The Feast of Trumpets was to gather the people together to COMEMMORATE their ONENESS
This feast Pointed to the
RAPTURE of the Church
1Ths. 4:16 6For the Lord
Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then
we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Rev.
4:1 1After these things
I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which
I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will
show you things which must take place after this.
A)There
will be a voice that sounds like a trumpet
saying: Come up here - We will be GATHERED together... The
RAPTURE
B)
So the Feast of Trumpets spoke of the gathering together of Gods People
/pointed to the Rapture
1)
Seen Fulfillment of Passover / Pentecost / Not Trumpets Be Ready
The Next
Feast v. 7-11 is the Day of Atonement which is ONLY
sorrowful day in the calendar of Feasts... Read v.7
A)We
looked at this in detail Lev -Ch. 16
B)A day of RESTORATION...All sin in Israel was forgiven
as the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat
1) Once a Year
C)
He would come out and announce that their sins were forgiven
D)
So this one day the people would mourn & afflict themselves / day of
introspection / Sobriety & Meditation Heavy day
1) Priest sin
Fall over dead Heavy
Now
if Passover > The death of Christ
A)
Pentecost > Birth of the Church
Trumpets > The Rapture of the Church
B)
WHAT day is there going to be when there is an AT-ONE-MENT
after the Rapture of the Church.... When there will be sorrow and affliction?
1) When Israel realizes that they have
crucified the Messiah/ 2nd Coming
Zech. 12:10-11 10And I will pour on the house of David and
on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they
will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns
for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11In
that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem,
Zech.
13:6 Where
Wounds
.I was wounded in the house of my friends.
D)
A day of heaviness... A day of AT-ONE-MENT as they acknowledge Jesus as their Lord
AFTER
the Atonement comes the LAST and the most JOYOUS of the feasts v.12 The feast
of Tabernacles { 8 day Celebration } Read v.12
A)It was to remember how they wandered or tabernacled through
the wilderness for 40 years
B) How they were pilgrims and how God provided for them and was faithful to them and brought them through that
C) NOTE: The Feast of Tabernacles is the only feast that will be celebrated through out the millennial rule of Christ
Zech. 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against
Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of
hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
D) We are going to camp out in Jerusalem to celebrate how God brought us through life in this earth and into heaven
VER 13-35 We see
that there were Bulls that were to be Sacrificed each day but that the offerings DIMINISH in number from day to
day
A)Day one v.13 13 Young Bulls
B) But on the 2nd day v. 17 12 Young Bulls / 3rd day v.20 Eleven / 4th day v. 23 Ten / 5th day v. 26 Nine / 6th day v.29 Eight /
1) 7th day v. 32 7 Bulls
C) So 7 Bulls on the 7th day Seven is the # of Completion The work was completed
On the Eighth
day v. 35, 'On the eighth day you shall have a sacred assembly. You shall do no customary work. 36 You shall present a
burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD: one
bull, one ram, seven lambs in their first year without blemish
So 7 is the # of Completion it is all completed in Jesus
& 8 is the # of new beginnings New Start
A)This is significant in light
of what Happened in John 7 { turn there
Courson:
37 On the last
day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If
anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water." 39 But this He spoke
concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy
Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
B) Put this in the context of the whole Feast of Tabernacles
The joyous week is at it's end- 8th day
1) The sacrifices that have been spent- AFTER all the celebrating and all the sacrificing
C) Jesus stands up Now all the Sacrifices have been pointing to Him / He stands on LAST day..... the GREAT day of the feast and said
1) "ANYBODY THIRSTY?"
D) That was an incredible question after 8 days of all this religious activity Jesus stands & ask is there Anybody who is NOT satisfied from the abundance of religious activity? { That was everyone there
E) Anybody NOT satisfied from a week of celebrating? -Anyone who is still thirsty... come to Me and drink
1) ALL of the sacrifices decreased pointing the Jesus who alone could satisfy
F) He was THE NEW BEGINNING NEW COV -
TONIGHT