If you wish to follow along,
turn to the book of Numbers. Numbers chapter 1. It is amazing the technology
that God has given mankind in this day and age. And I welcome
some who are not even with us here this morning in bodily presence,
but I welcome them online if they are listening. Numbers chapter
1. I will read the first two verses,
but I will speak of a few things in the first four chapters. Remembers? Chapter one, verses one and two. And the Lord spake unto Moses
in the wilderness of Sinai. So they're still encamped near
Mount Sinai. In the tabernacle of the congregation,
that is where Moses was when God spoke this to him, the first
day of the second month in the second year after they had come
out of the land of Egypt saying so Mason we're told exactly the
day when God told Moses these words Take ye the sum of all
the congregation of the children of Israel I want you to take
note here in the get-go in the book of Numbers the word all
is used and it means all and but it does not mean all universally. It means all that God was speaking
about, but it does not mean all without exception. Now some take
ire with that, but I don't care. God's word speaks for itself.
Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, and
God then defines this all he is speaking about. take ye the
sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after
their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number
of their names, every male by their poles. And then, if you
did, or you would still yet read, Numbers chapter one through four,
you will find this very thing being spoken of. Now this book,
the Book of Numbers, is true to its title. The word number
means to account for. Literally, we could say it means
to make a tally of. So we expect here tallies, don't
we? And in chapters one through four,
immediately we begin to find tallies, even exact numbers,
do we not? find that. We expect these tallies. But another word is used, even
in the book itself, the word number. This word, on the other
hand, means to visit, to oversee, to muster, or gather together
before a specific event. This numbering we will see as
we move forward God willing in the book of numbers But this
morning it's about numbers or to account for to give tally
now consider God's Sovereign prerogative here Even in the
first four chapters Chapter 1 Moses is told to number take a sum
of a Those who are 20 years old plus those who are able for battle,
does he not? Males for battle, 20 years plus
minus the Levites. Now if you read Leviticus one,
one through four, or Leviticus one through four, chapters one
through four, you remember that. Chapter two, we see God declaring
this. A captain is decreed and is revealed
over each tribe. God names them individually. A captain over each tribe is
numbered. Again, minus the Levites. This is God's sovereign prerogative.
Chapter three. We find Aaron's sons and the
tribe of Levi being numbered for the priesthood. God's prerogative. God sovereignly chose exactly
who would do what they were supposed to do. chapter 4. We find Levi's sons, but then
with a specific command of those who are 30 to 50 years old separated
to distinct service in the priesthood and certain groups of people
and names of the head of these groups are given to take care
of certain articles when it comes to the tabernacle. Ellen, some
people are told your family deals with the Ark of the Covenant.
Another was told, your family will deal specifically with brazen
altar, its coverings. And when they began to move,
these certain groups of people were responsible to take these
things down, cover them with the proper coverings, and then
move out. And then when the cloud or the
fire stopped, the people stopped, and these people set these things
back up again. And God may have done this in
one day and God may have made them camp for months somewhere.
The point is this. It's all according to God's sovereign
prerogative. Now take note. I'm going to give
you my title. Most of you probably have already
read it if you received my text. My title is this. Nothing but
males. M-A-L-E-S. Before I begin to go even any
further, let's see God's sovereign prerogative here even amidst
the males. I can see, I can see this, I
can picture this in my mind's eye of some 19-year-old saying,
but that old fella, he's fit for war, and I'm not. I'm stronger than he is. I'm
tougher than he is. Don't you think there were some
who probably felt that way? But God said 20 plus. That's
God's sovereign prerogative. Because this ain't about who
men think is the strongest, this is God Almighty having his way
amidst his people. I can see some Levites say now,
When the people, my brothers, go to battle, you got me over
here protecting a candlestick? But God says the Levites don't
go to battle, right? The Levites engage in the service
of the tabernacle. I can see another in amongst
the sons of Levi, 30 to 50 years old. They get to handle the Ark
of the Covenant. They get to deal with that. Why
am I stuck with mop bowls and dishes and snuff dishes? Things
to light oil lamps and things to put oil lamps out with. What
kind of thing is that? It's God's prerogative. Now let me say this about all
of God's people, male and female. We are exactly where God Almighty
ordained for us to be. A preacher from many years ago
pointed out this, if there were two angels, if there were two
unfallen angels and they were sent down to this earth, one
to rule a kingdom and another to sweep the streets, neither
would complain against the other or God's sovereign providence
because they're not fallen. But we are so fallen that we
complain against the glory of God's service where he put us.
The snuff dishes, that is the little cup that you put the oil
lamp out with. Mason, it mattered just as much
as everything else because all of it points to the person and
work of Jesus Christ. It's all vital. It's all essential. But again, back to my title.
And I thought about this. When I read this, I thought he
only mentions males here, right? Am I right or wrong? Does my
title, Nothing But Males, fit the first four chapters? So I
have been right in naming the title. But I also knew this would
get under the skivvies of some folks. Right from the get-go,
just making the statement, nothing but M-A-L-E-S, would probably
put a burr under some people's saddle. So I have still done
my job. because the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ is offensive. It's meant to offend our pride
and our egos. Yes, this unregenerate world,
whether it's the secular world, and sometimes we break these
things down, I don't know that they're really separated, but
this secular world, if something you see is mainly secular, or
the economic world, or the religious world, And I want to qualify
this with the anti-religious world. I don't believe there
really is such a thing. There are anti-Christ, but even
people who are anti-religious, anti-Christ, they're all still
religious. I'll give you an example of this.
Penny and I often watch things like HGTV, Home of Garden TV. We generally try to watch something
that is as neutral as you could get. so you're not having to
listen to the filth. They try to sell me a pair of
sunglasses and they use sex to do it with. I don't need sex
to know whether I need a pair of sunglasses or not. But we're
watching something like HGTV. Now it may not have been that
channel, but you understand where I'm coming from. And the show's
called Something Along the Lines, and Penny can correct me later
if I'm wrong, but Building Off Grid. Maybe you've seen it, maybe
you haven't. A fine-looking family builds
them off grid a fine-looking house. And you know what they
did at the end? They gathered around the dinner
table, and they reach out to grab hands, and I thought, well,
they're going to pray. And they did. You know who they prayed
to? The earth. The earth! And you think it's
just the heathen hot and tot? down in some jungle, worshiping
some pole? Huh? Idolatry is rampant in the
land. Why? Because man disdains God
Almighty's sovereign order and headship. Let me tell you something. I know men hate this, but I'm
gonna read you a verse. First Corinthians chapter 11,
and it's just one verse. Now you can get angry at me when
I read this, but you're not really angry at me, I know that. If
you get angry at this, you're angry at God. First Corinthians
chapter 11, verse three. But I would have you know that
the head of every man is Christ. And the head of the woman is
the man. And the head of Christ is God. Wait a minute, I haven't read
the last of it. Period. Right? Period. No need to splantify, as Art
Newenswander used to say, thus saith the Lord. And I fully,
again, I fully, fully understand that this rubs the ire, it is
a burr under the saddle of any and every unregenerate individual
that ever walked. But let me tell you this, it's
more vital than that. There are two males, that's M-A-L-E-S. There are two men with whom all
humanity have a connection. whether they like it or not,
whether they believe it or not, whether they've even ever heard
of it or not. Again, I say, there are two males,
M-A-L-E-S, with whom all humanity, rich or poor, bond or free, Black
or white, male or female, there are two males, two men with whom
all humanity have a connection. The first male's name was Adam. Adam. Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 32, just over one more
book. Deuteronomy chapter 32. Verse 8, when the Most High divided
to the nations their inheritance, when He separated, who? The sons
of Adam. Now listen to me, I don't care
who a man is, who a woman is. I don't care who they are, what
their station in life is, I don't care where they're from. We are
all the sons and daughters of Adam. When you go to do a job
interview, and I understand why they do that, and I'm not here
for politics or any of that. That's not my reason to be here. You check your race, don't you? When you go to put an application,
almost every application I've ever had, well, no, every application
I've ever had, you gotta check your race. Well, we are all of
one race. That's called the human race.
And I don't care how light your skin is or how dark your skin
is, we are all brothers and sisters under, under Adam. The Apostle Paul stood on Mars Hill
one day, and he wasn't talking about blood type. He said, God
is made of all nations, all men, of one blood. Of one blood. We are all under. the headship
of Adam. And that's just the way it is.
Even Adam, after they had sinned, called his wife's name what? Eve. Before they sinned, they
were called what? Adam. Man. After they sinned, Adam called
his wife's name what? Eve. Why? Do you remember? Because
she is the mother of all living. Adam is my daddy. Eve is my mommy. And Adam is your daddy. And Adam
is your, or Eve is your mama. Ah, but there is a second male.
And his name is Jesus of Nazareth. We all have our connection to
Adam and Eve, but I want you to go back and read it sometime.
Eve partook of the fruit first. It says she gave it to her husband. Then, then, and then only were
their eyes opened and they knew they were naked. Why? Because Adam was our head. Adam stood for us in the garden. I don't like that. I don't care
That's the truth That's what it is Unless God Almighty breaks
that proud rebellious spirit in you you will go on to eternal
destruction Unless you bow to God's truth But there is that
second man, and I say we have a connection to him look at Colossians
Chapter 1 All men have a connection to this second man Colossians
chapter 1 and this was what it says of Jesus of Nazareth For
by him were all things created If there are things in heaven
who created them God did If there are things that are in earth
who created them God did but who is this God? Jesus of Nazareth
Look, whether they be visible or invisible, whether you can
see them or you can't. And you know, I think it's really
talking about some invisible things there. I've heard people
preach from this, and they're not totally wrong, but they talk
about even the atom. Well, the atom can be seen if
you got a microscope. We're talking about truly visible
things and truly things that cannot be seen. But who created
them? Jesus Christ. visible or invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers,
all things were created by him, and what? And for him. And he is in front of, superior
to, that's the meaning of that word before. And he is before
all things, and by him all things consist. Even the present rebellion
we see in our country and in our world at this present state Somebody says, but how can you
really say Adams the first man and Christ is the second man?
Right? There were thousands, if not
millions, if not billions, if not trillions of other men, males,
before Jesus Christ came on the scene. Right? Yes, you're right. But I stand by God's book, not
human opinion. The Apostle Paul put it this
way in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 45, and so it is written,
and that's where Paul stood too. The first man, Adam, was made
a living soul. Who's he talking about? Our daddy,
Adam, in the garden. God formed his body, bone, muscle,
sinew, and all of these things. And then God breathed into his
nostrils the what? The breath of life, and man,
Adam, became a living soul. And even Eve was taken from where? Out of him. Somebody says again,
I don't like that. I don't care. That's God's truth. That's headship. That's the way
God works. Look, made a living soul, the
last Adam. Now there's been many males born
after Jesus Christ, right? But he's even here called the
last Adam was not made. Notice it says was made, that's
in italics. Christ never was made this. The last Adam, a quickening
spirit. In other words, he's the one
that gives the life. And he gives the life, whether it is physical
life, to plant, to animal, or to mankind. Or he is the one
who must give spiritual life to the sons and daughters of
Adam. Howbeit, that was not first,
which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterward
that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth,
earthy. The second man is the Lord from
heaven. Do you see it? Men may malk,
men may chide, they may get angry, they may even seek to take out
their angers and egos on God's people, but this is the way it
is. Again, I stress, there are two
males with whom all humanity have a connection. And you can't
escape it. You can't escape it. None can
escape Adam's pro-creative headship. You can't do it. I don't care
how much you try to change what men believe or think in this
world. It is established by God. And
let me tell you this, none can escape Christ's creator headship
either. He owns us all, elect or reprobate,
regenerate or unregenerate, saved or lost, finally glorified or
finally condemned. He owns us all, lock, stock,
and barrel. Our connection to him is that
he is our creator, our sustainer, our benefactor, but he's also
our judge. Secondly, all humanity ought
to consider, they ought to consider their Adamic headship. They ought to consider him. Why? Because Paul says, and it's in
Romans 5 verse 12, wherefore as by what? One man. One man, and that man is named
there, Adam. And again, go back to Genesis
three. Adam and Eve did not realize they had sinned and were naked
until Adam partook of the fruit. Yes, Eve was in the transgression,
but she was deceived. Adam went into it with his eyes
wide open. And in so doing, him being our
head, he plunged us all into ruin. Wherefore, as by one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so that death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned. How have all sinned?
All haven't even necessarily been born yet. Right? We hadn't even been born yet
when Paul wrote those words. How did we sin? We sin in our
head. That's not fair. This ain't up for you to decide,
fairness or not. This is God's ordained headship.
Don't ask, Levites, don't you ask God whether this is fair
or not. 20 plus, able to go to war, don't
you ask God whether this is fair or not. This is how God says
it is. This is how it is. All humanity ought to consider
the Adamic headship. Another one, Paul says in the
same chapter, Romans 5 verse 19, for as by one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners. And you and I cannot do a thing
in this world about it. That's right. Your mama and your
daddy brought you forth just like themselves. fallen and you
can't change even two believing parents a Believing man and a
believing woman come together in faith And they are married
and they can join together and they produce a child that child
is not produced in their Spirituality is produced in their carnality We bring forth after our own
kind and And that's just the way it is, and no one will ever
change that. We've made great advances in
society, in medicine, in economics, but you'll never change that. I challenge you scientists, change
that. You can't change that. All humanity
ought to consider the Adamic headship. Reject this? Most do. Do they not? Most people reject
this. Ah, but acknowledge it, bow down
to it, accept it if you want to use the word. Some, by grace,
can and do. I think we got a small group
of people here that God's bowed down through sovereign mercy
to say, Adam's my head, that's just the way it is, and I'd better
deal with it like it is. I better deal with it like it
is. Don't be the ostrich and try to stick your head in the
sand. It won't work. It won't work. Number three, there is a male,
M-A-L-E, there is a male before whom all humanity will bow to
his headship. You hear what I'm saying? There
is a male before whom all humanity throughout all the ages of time,
all of humanity will bow to this male's headship. Scripture often
calls him this, the Lord. And he's the Lord of what? Heaven
and earth. Think about it. Jesus of Nazareth,
the Christ, the Lord, God in human circumcised flesh. That's a male. That's a male. Jesus of Nazareth,
the Christ, the Lord, God in human circumcised flesh is that
male before all, before whom all humanity will one day bow
down and acknowledge his lordship, his headship, his divinity, his
deity. They will acknowledge who he
is. Male or female, you and I will bow to Christ. Paul says that
clearly, Philippians chapter two. I know you're familiar with
this, but some folks may not be. In this day and age, sometimes,
well, many times when myself or Joe or Paul preaches, we don't
know who all might be listening. You know what I'm saying, Mason?
We're not just preaching to the choir here, as people say. Think about this. I know the
context here in Philippians two. is of Paul instructing believers,
we have an example. That's Jesus Christ the Lord.
The way he conducted himself, we ought to be engaged in conducting
ourself that way as well. I know that's the actual context,
but look at what it says. Philippians 2, verse five. Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And remember,
Paul said, God is the head of Christ. You know what it says? He willingly, lovingly placed
himself in subjection to the Father's will. Not because he somehow is less
than the Father, but because that's what God desired. Look, let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God,
now notice it is Christ Jesus, that is the Messiah, but he's
a man, he's Jesus, Jesus. who being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself
of no reputation, took upon himself the form of a servant, and was
made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself. Do you, do I really grasp what
that's saying? This is creator God. Look at
that. humbling himself, but not just
in some philanthropic way. You understand what I'm saying?
Many of us may humble ourselves to one lower than ourselves and
give them a $5 bill or a $10 bill to help them out in their
trouble. This is far, far, far more than that. He humbled himself
and became obedient unto death. but he didn't get to lay in his
bed and just fall asleep. And he humbled himself and became
obedient unto death. What kind of death? Even the
death of the cross. This was being tortured to death. And had he not had the power
of his own life in his own hands, men would have tortured him to
death. Understand, Roman crucifixion
on the cross in that day was not in any way near what we do
today when we exact capital punishment. They tortured these men or women,
if it was a woman there, to death. He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, and he earned
something by this, brothers and sisters. as a man. Mack as a man, wherefore? Because he did this, God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, of things in earth, Things under the earth
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord to the glory of God the Father Hmm Revelations chapter
5 go back and read it sometime verses 1 through 14 I want to
read you just the last couple verses, but read the whole chapter
sometime and Verse 11, Revelations 5, and I beheld and heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beast, and
the elders. Whatever these things are or
stand for, I'm not dealing with that this morning. And I beheld
and heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the
beast, and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 times
10,000, and thousands of thousands, that's a big number. saying with
a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain. Who is that?
That's this Jesus of Nazareth. This is he who is Lord. Saying
with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive
power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory
and blessing and every You see that? You remember what Christ
said one time? That if these keep quiet, even
what would cry out? Yeah. Rocks would cry out. I don't believe he's exaggerating.
God's creation will honor God the Creator. And that God the
Creator is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. Every creature that's
in the heaven, on the earth and under the earth, and such as
are in the sea. And all that are in them heard
I saying, blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and
ever. And the four, and the 20 and
four elders said, amen to that. Did they not? Amen to that. You see, there is one male before
whom all humanity will bow to his headship, his lordship, his
being creator, his being God, his being immutable. All of those
things Paul mentioned as he went down, and Paul, that was only
a partial list. Just scratching the surface.
Listen to me. Ready to wind up here, male and
female. I'm not saying you ought to bow to Jesus Christ. I'm telling
you, you will bow to Jesus Christ. Male and female, you will bow
now, being moved to do so by the spirit of regeneration and
conviction and gospel preaching, or you will bow before Christ
in judgment and condemnation. Acts chapter 17. I mentioned
one thing that Paul, God is made of all nations, one blood. But
look at what he says. Acts chapter 17, verse 30. He's talking about idolatry and
that kind of thing. He says, and the tabs of this
ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere
to repent, because he hath appointed a day, and that day will come. You can mark it down. for hundreds,
if not thousands of years. It was prophesied, Messiah will
come, Messiah will come, and mankind went through its ebbs
and flows of ups and downs, and I'm sure even then, people say,
where is the promise of his coming? But bless God, one day, some
odd 2,000 years ago, Messiah came on the scene. Jesus Christ
of Nazareth is the Messiah. God manifest in circumcised flesh. Cause he is appointed a day in
which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man
whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto
all men in that he raised him from the dead. And when they
heard of the resurrection of the dead, some malked, and they
still do today. And others said, we'll hear thee
again on this matter. They'll put it off. They'll put
it off. So Paul departed from among them,
howbeit, there was a handful or two that just said, we can't
let this go. We gotta find out about this
man. Right? You read it there? Howbeit certain
men clave. Do you see that? Don't you give
it, I don't need no preacher. That's God's ordained pastors,
teachers. That's right. That's God's ordained
way. When you fight against God's
ordained way, you're fighting against your own soul. You can
come up with all, well, he's just the man. That's right, he's
just the man. But this is God's ordained way. Howbeit certain
men clave unto him, and believed among him was Dionysius, their
alphagite, and a woman. Just name two people. Mason,
evidently it wasn't a great big crowd. But here's a man and a
woman. And what? They believed. They
believed. And others with them. Let me
sum it up. You despise God's order. I despise God's order. You despise
God. I despise God. This ain't about,
well I love God, but I don't like that. You'll love God as
he is, or you don't love God at all. That's just the way it
is. You despise God's order, you
despise God himself. You despise God's order, you
despise God's Christ. You despise God's gospel, you
despise his people if you despise his ordained order. We don't
get to pick and choose what we believe, when we believe, how
much we believe, and who we believe. Ask Israel what they got to pick.
Ask them what they got to choose. Nothing. Nothing. The one thing that they constantly
were choosing, though, was what? Belly aching and murmuring and
griping and complaining. And by God's grace, we will see
what happens when such as this takes place, especially amongst
God's people. If we expect the unregenerate
world to bow down to this, then you're sillier than you look.
They cannot. But God's people can. God's people
can. But Mason, sometimes we don't.
Sometimes we don't. If you bow to his Christ now,
if you really do, you will bow to God's ordained order now Not
well one day. I'll all this will be straightened
out. It's already straightened out right here in this book Everything we need to know is
right here in this book There are some secret things that God
says that are mine. They're not your business leave
them alone Deuteronomy as we will God willing see sometime
later, maybe but the things that are revealed They belong to us
and our children. Oh God, help us to stay steady
with them. Father, may these words be used
to your son's honor and glory. In Christ's name, amen.