in the wilderness

Just as faith and boldness go hand in hand, so do fear and cowardice. God’s people are to be obedient, to fear Him above man, and to move forward resolutely to spread His glory over the face of the earth. 
Part 3 of our series, "In The Wilderness." 
Number 13 & 14. 
Preached by Jared Kress on May 15th, 2022. 

When The Lord has spoken and has established a plan for us, we ought to joyfully accept that plan. We should not feel comfortable trying to do things differently than what God expects from us. 
Part 2 of our series, "In The Wilderness." 
Numbers 12 
Preached by Jared Kress on May 1st, 2022. 

God’s people were immediately derailed in their journey into the wilderness, not by an enemy on the horizon, but by their own critical spirits.
Part 1 of "In The Wilderness."
Numbers 10:33-11:6. 
Preached by Jared Kress on April 24th, 2022. 

As the book of Numbers concludes, once again the character of God is on full display, namely in his gracious care for his people.  He shows his care for the insignificant, for those carrying a special calling or burden and for those in dire circumstances.  This care points directly to Jesus, the ultimate manifestation of the care of God for his people by laying down his life.

After all the people of God have been through in the wilderness, God makes it clear that He will be faithful to finish what He started...to fulfill the promises He made to His people to provide for them and be with them.

The Israelites were called to engage the Canaanite enemy and lay claim to the entire land of promise on the basis of God's faithfulness.  Though they fell short, Jesus came and announced the defeat of the actual enemy - sin and death.  And on the basis of our union with him, he calls us to engage in the battle against sin.  This fight is largely fought, as the apostle Paul reminds us, through the renewal of our minds.

In Numbers 32, some folks decided to settle for "good enough".  But doing so is never God's enough.  Moses knows this and challenges these folks that settling for good enough is a lack of faith that ignores direct commands of God and jeopardizes the faith of the community.

Just as the nation is ready to lay hold to the land God has promised, two tribes express their desire to settle east of the Jordan River.  Moses' response shows us their folly.  In settling down, they are actually settling for less than God has offered.  Just like them, we tend to get bogged down by our stuff, weary from the journey and comfortable where we are and thus settle for less of God and less faith in God's promises. 

In Numbers 31 God brings judgement on the Midianites for their opposition to His kingdom advancement.  In His providence He has mercy on Israel but condemns Midian.   When we really analyze God's judgement, we find that we can either die to self because of His love or die in our sin because of our guilt.

In Numbers 31 God brings judgement on the Midianites for their opposition to His kingdom advancement.  In His providence He has mercy on Israel but condemns Midian.   When we really analyze God's judgement, we find that we can either die to self because of His love or die in our sin because of our guilt.

After multiple failures, we see in Numbers that God's covenant love still remains.  And that covenant love is actually what motivates our commitment and obedience to Him. 

A life centered on God's rescue helps us remember who we are in light of who God is and what he has done.  This is why we must be intentional in creating a rhythm of life as a response to God's grace and to engage in our communion with him.

With a new census, we once again see the faithfulness and the goodness of God.  And both of these are even more apparent when God resounds to the daughters of Zelophehad.  Though their father's sin had led to their deprivation, God welcomed them into an inheritance that legally wasn't theirs to share.  In the same way, God has welcomed us into the inheritance of enteral life through Jesus.

With a new census, we once again see the faithfulness and the goodness of God.  And both of these are even more apparent when God resounds to the daughters of Zelophehad.  Though their father's sin had led to their deprivation, God welcomed them into an inheritance that legally wasn't theirs to share.  In the same way, God has welcomed us into the inheritance of enteral life through Jesus.

Failing to realize God's promises, the Israelites on the precious of entering the land fall into temptation.  Sexual immorality for sure, but at its core cheating on God with other gods.  Into this mess steps a man named Phinehas with zeal for God who stops the downward spiral.   On an ever greater scale, Jesus stepped into the downward spiral of this world and through his zeal for God took judgment on himself so that all things could be set new.

Idolatry is zeal for anything other than God's honor.  Fleshly zeal and religious zeal both end in pain and separation from God.  But what we see in Numbers 25 is that zeal for God's honor starts with atonement and ends in a covenant of peace...foremost and finally with Jesus!

God's promises spoken cannot be broken.  What He has blessed cannot be cursed.  He the power and the heart to fulfill all of His promises for His people...in and through Jesus.

The narrative of Balak gives the reader of Numbers an important question to ponder: what kind of king do I want to serve?  One who provokes, tempts and is destined to defeat.  Or one who blesses by by walking among his people and fighting for them til ultimate victory.  The king we need is divine, not human.  Our king is God, who himself became the human king we needed in Jesus.

When you plan isn't working, perhaps God is.  That's not meant to be motivational drivel.  It's meant to encourage us that when God stops us and gets our attention, perhaps He is calling us to repent and believe something new in the Gospel!

In that day, Balaam was clearly the go to guy if you found yourself in a tough spot.  But this famous story of Balaam and his donkey shows us that his broken humanity makes him an incapable rescuer. It is God who shows perfect power, vision and loyalty.  And it is ultimately Jesus, our servant rescuer, who demonstrates this rescuing power for the world.