We're going to be in the book
of Numbers, starting chapter 21. Numbers, chapter 21. We're going to look at three verses
of scripture this morning, and probably like Mike, we will not
finish it. This is a very interesting passage of scripture. Three verses,
the first three verses, it says, when King Arad, the Canaanite,
excuse me, And when King Herod the Canaanite,
which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the
way of the spies, then he fought against Israel and took some
of them prisoners. And Israel vowed a vow unto the
Lord and said, if thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand,
then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the Lord hearkened
to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites and they utterly
destroyed them and their cities and he called the name of the
place Hormah. And I would just like to read
verse five then, because this will be in another message, but
notice here, and the people spake against God. Interesting passage
of scripture that we have here in this passage in the book of
Numbers chapter 21, three verses of this shares with us that Israel
is used as a singular word, which describes all of the people that
are there at that time. Now, I've asked myself a number
of times, and no doubt you have too, why do we have these passages
of scripture like this? Well, the Apostle Paul in the
New Testament was led by the Holy Spirit to share some light
on that. So would you turn with me to
the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 10. In 1 Corinthians chapter
10, the Holy Spirit led the apostle Paul to write a message to the
Corinthians. And in here, he is covering much
of what we've taken place here in the book of Numbers in the
past few chapters. In the book of 1 Corinthians
10, the scriptures share with us some very insightful messages
about this subject. 1 Corinthians 10, and I want
to begin reading with verse one. Moreover, brethren, I would not
that you should be ignorant. I'm so thankful that we have
this kind of language placed in the scriptures because many
times we ask ourselves questions about things and we have that
the Holy Spirit doesn't want us to be ignorant of those things,
wants us to know these things. So the apostle Paul was used
of the Holy Spirit to write how that all our fathers were under
the cloud and all passed through the sea. So we're going to go
back to the book of Numbers here. The apostle Paul is leading the
people there in Corinth to go back and see what happened even
in the book of Numbers, in the book of Leviticus, in the book
of Deuteronomy. And he goes on to tell us, and
were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same
spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed
them, and that rock was Christ. But with many of them God was
not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things were our examples. To the intent, we should not
lust after evil things as they also lusted. Neither be idolaters
as some of them. As it is written, the people
sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Neither let
us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in
one day three and 20,000. Neither let us tempt Christ as
some of them also tempted and were destroyed of the serpents.
Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed
of the destroyer. Now all these things happened
unto them for in samples and they are written for our admonition
upon whom the ends of the world are come." Now, The Holy Spirit
led the Apostle Paul in New Testament times to reflect on the scriptures
that they had at that time and say, this was done for our ensamples,
or this was done for our pattern. There are two verses I'd like
to read that here in the New Testament that share with us
the same word only translated just a little bit different than
the word in samples. And one of them is found in the
book of Hebrews chapter eight. In Hebrews chapter eight, this
word is used and it has to do with the pattern that was shown
to Moses in the mount. In the book of Hebrews chapter
eight and verse five, who serve unto an example of who serve unto the example and
shadow of heavenly things as Moses was admonished of God when
he was about to make the tabernacle. For see, saith he, that thou
make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in
the mount. And that word pattern is the
same word we find over there as an example or in samples.
And once again, in 2 Peter 1. In 2 Peter 1, the same word is
used and translated just a little bit differently 2 Peter 1 and
verse 12. It says here, Wherefore, I will not be negligent
to put you always in remembrance of those things, though you know
them and be established in the present truth. This word remembrance
is the same word that we found as examples. So the Old Testament,
all of it was written for us as an example. It was to read
cause to remembrance. And we also find that there in
the book of Galatians, that the word allegory is used, Galatians
chapter 4 and verse 24, when we find out Hagar and Sarah were
used as an allegory. I look at much of the Old Testament
as allegory. It shares with us a meaning that
is set in a spiritual context. When we read here in the book
of Numbers chapter 21, three verses of scripture, it tells
us that all of the children of Israel, the people, are considered
by one name, and they're also called I in that verse. Let's
go back over there to the book of of Numbers chapter 21. In
Numbers chapter 21, notice with me in this passage of scripture,
these things about the people of Israel. Numbers chapter 21,
and there in verse 1, 2, and 3. It tells us there in verse
1, Heard tell that Israel came up
by the way of the spies. Now this guy or somebody told
him at least that 38 years prior to this, Moses had sent some
spies that went into the land, either coming or going, and they
passed by this same place. And this man is bringing that
up again. But it tells us here, heard tell
that Israel. Now in verse five, we read the
people. But here in this verse, it's Israel came by the way of
the spies and he fought against Israel. Once again, a singular
term describing all the people. And then in verse two, and Israel
vowed a vow. And it tells us, if thou will
indeed deliver this people into thy hand, then I will utterly
destroy their cities. Once again, the Lord uses the
writer of this book to share with us the singularity of Israel,
the I, the Israel. And then in verse three, and
the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel. He doesn't say I hearkened
to all the people's voice, I hearkened to Israel. They are in Israel
and I hearkened unto them and the delivered up the Canaanites
and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. And he called
the name of the place Horma, which means utter destruction.
These things were written for our examples. They are interesting
for us to read over and find out what example is he talking
about? Well, we find here that the Lord
is sharing with Moses as he was used to write the original language
and it's been translated for us to use that he's speaking
here as Israel is a type and a shadow and a picture of the
church. He is sharing with us that the
church is used in a singular context, that it is the church
that is imploring God for help. It is the church that has been
brought attack against. It is the church here that is
speaking. We get into verse five and then
we go back to. the people of Israel. And in verse 5, they
start complaining again. I'm thankful that there are times
in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament that we
find that God is sharing with us that I am dealing with a particular
people. I have called them Israel. They
are mine and they will do what I have pleased for them to do.
Thank God in all of Israel, there wasn't Israel. Thank God in all
these people, there were some that understood the truth of
the matter about salvation and about the gospel. They were not
depending upon Moses and they were not depending on Aaron who
had just passed away or upon Miriam who had just passed away.
They were not depending upon all of those services that were
going on at the tabernacle. They were not looking at the
tabernacle as their hope, but they were looking to the one
whose pattern was in the heavens that was delivered to Moses about
these things. They were looking to the Messiah. As we speak of him as Christ,
they spoke of him as the Messiah. It's the word in Hebrew or the
word in Greek. Messiah, I look for the Messiah. The Messiah has touched my heart. The Messiah has given me a new
heart. The Messiah has circumcised my heart. And here in the New
Testament, we find that the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to his
people said, you must be born again. I will circumcise your
heart, I will give you a new heart. And so it's the same group
of people. The Holy Spirit moved Paul to
write these very important things to them at that time. Let's get
connected to what we should be connected, even in the Old Testament. They were considered my people,
they implored God, God blessed them, and he brought to ruin
all of those things. Now we find several things in
this. that we would like to look at in the moments that we have
left. We find out that God spoke of
this whole group of people called Israel and the I that is spoken
of Israel in the New Testament. Would you turn with me to the
book of Romans chapter 11? In Romans chapter 11, we have
again that servant of the Lord. This last week, it was interesting
to visit with a young man and to bring up how a terrible, terrible
guy that wracked havoc with the church and had many saints killed
and many saints arrested, when God saved him, he turned him
around and said, I want you to write for me. You're going to
be the secretary of most of the New Testament for me. And he
wrote about those things that beforehand he had no use for. In fact, he hated to the core
that when Stephen wrote of election, the apostle Paul was used to
write about election. When Stephen wrote of the sovereignty
of God, this man who hated Stephen and had him stoned to death said,
Paul, right about election. And so we have that whole block
of New Testament books that the Holy Spirit gave the Apostle
Paul to share with us that when he makes an Israelite, he makes
an Israelite. Now, from eternity, we find the
Apostle Paul was an Israelite. Now he was won by physical birth,
but he was won by being marked out before the foundation of
the world and his name written down in the Lamb's book of life.
He did not take a scoundrel and save him and then write his name
down. He wrote his name down. He was born a scoundrel and God
saved him by his grace. All right, here in the book of
Romans chapter 11, would you turn there with me? Romans chapter
11 and in verse 26. And I'm thankful that God saves
scoundrels. Because when we get down to it,
we're all there. All sinners saved by grace. All right, Romans chapter 11
and verse 26. And so all Israel, what does
it say? Shall be saved. Now, if we go back to first Corinthians
there and read that, we find out a whole block of them. were
displeasing to God. They had no faith. God didn't
give them any faith. And they died in the wilderness
in unbelief. And yet here we find that this one man who was
such a rebel against God is given the privilege of being the secretary
of the Holy Spirit and writing down for our time for posterity's
sake, that all Israel shall be saved." That's that Israel that
we find in Numbers chapter 21 verses 1, 2, and 3. This is that
Israel. It isn't a whole group of people
that are just out here doing all the things that they thought
they should do. This is that people that Jesus Christ went
to the cross and died for. This is that people that was
in the covenant of grace before the foundation of the world.
This is that people that are spoken of in a singular sense. They are all mine and I shall
lose none of them. Romans chapter 11 and verse 26,
so then all Israel shall be saved as it is written. There shall
come out of Zion a deliverer and he shall Turn away ungodliness
from Jacob. And this is my covenant unto
them, when I shall take away their sins. What a blessing God
has provided for this Israel. I will take away their sins. And you know what else he writes?
They shall love me. And what else did he write? I
shall be their God and they shall be my people. And this is what
we read in that blessed passage of scripture in the book of Numbers
chapter 21, that I have a people, their name is Israel, and when
it comes to trouble, they will turn to me. Now we also find
in that passage of scripture, as we read over here in the book
of Galatians chapter six and verse 16, turn there with me
if you would, as again, this secretary, such a contrary person
by nature, but what a beloved, apostle by calling. Galatians
chapter 6 verse 16, here we have the truth of the matter about
Israel. This is the Israel of God. It
tells us here in number, in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 16, and as
many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy
and upon the Israel of God. It is so important, the Israel
of God, a people that He chose in Christ before the foundation
of the world, that would be partakers of His blessings, that would
be purchased by His blood, that would be given guidance throughout
their life, that they would be presented spotless in the end.
This is Him. The Lord Jesus Christ has done
this all for them. And what a statement in this
passage that we find over there in the book of Numbers. What
can the church tolerate that is not given by God? Nothing. Nothing. These Canaanites came
out and made war against them. And they said, Lord, if you'll
give us prosperity in this, we will not tolerate any of their
gospel. For it's another gospel. The
Canaanites have another gospel. They don't have the true gospel.
They don't have the gospel according to Christ Jesus. There always
is something added to them. There's always something else.
Christ and him crucified is the issue. And I must say again,
when I had all of those very valuable and important questions
of religion posed to a man who knew something about the gospel,
and his comment about every one of my questions was, That's not
the issue. Well, what is the issue? The
issue is Christ. That's the issue. It's not all
these doctrines. It's not all these intelligent
things. It is Christ and Him crucified. That is the issue.
And that's what made the difference between that Israel in Numbers
chapter 21 and verses 1, 2, and 3, and those people that are
called by I, singular, before Almighty God, not a dispersed
people, but a people in unanimity with regard to the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, someone usually comes
along and says much the same as those who followed Paul. Can
you imagine having followers behind you? Every time you opened
your mouth and shared the gospel with someone, someone came right
behind you and said, you know, he's just a little demented.
He just got a little too much sunlight that day. He just got
a little too much bright light that day. He's just a little
out of sorts. He's talking about things that
are not true. He's talking that everybody is
saved by free grace and free grace alone, and I'm here to
tell you that that's just not quite enough. Acts chapter 15
verse 1, except ye be circumcised, you cannot be saved. That's the
people that followed him. He had the truth of the gospel.
He had the Lord of the gospel. He was in that group called the
eye. He was in that group called Israel.
He was a declarer of the free and sovereign grace of Almighty
God, and people would come along and say, that's not quite enough. You must worship this day. You must be in, well, it doesn't
matter whether you're sprinkled or immersed, but you have to
be baptized or you can't be saved. Well, there's only one baptism
and that's the true baptism is baptism by the Holy Spirit. That's
the new birth. By that, we mark a picture of
it. We go down into the water and
we come up out of the water. That's what it is. Or you don't
take the sacraments. If you don't do this or you,
the Apostle Paul was coming along and saying, he saves his people
by free grace and free grace alone. And he knows who he's
going to save before the foundation of the world. There was a covenant
of grace worked out by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
before the foundation of the world. And he will not be thwarted. He will carry it out to the end
and not one that he died for will be lost and nobody outside
of that will ever be saved because they won't want to be. Hebrews
chapter 4 and verse 10. Read that with me. Hebrews chapter
4 and verse 10. Here we have the comparison.
Why did God give us six days of labor and one day of rest?
Why does he say, this is what I did on the first day, and the
second day, and the third day, and the fourth day, and the fifth
day, and sixth day? And on the seventh day, it tells us God
rested. Why did he do that? Well, it certainly was not because
God was tired, because he neither sleeps nor slumbers. He's not
like we are. He told several of the Israelites,
you think I'm like you are. I'm not like you are. I'm God,
omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. I don't think like men think
and I don't act like men act. My ways are above men's ways
as far as the heavens are above the earth are my ways above your
ways. What will you compare me with?
You know, I used to compare the Trinity with water. Well, I found
out that is a bad comparison because the scriptures tell us,
God says, do what will you compare me with? Well, nothing. There's
nothing to compare God with. He's the almighty. Well, here
in the book of Hebrews chapter four, Hebrews chapter 4 and verse
10, we find out that those people who went and destroyed all the
Canaanites, that Israel, the eye that is mentioned over there,
that prayed unto God and God hearkened them. You know what
they prayed? Not my will, but thine be done. You know what
God did? He blessed him with his will.
And they went in and took care of business. They would not tolerate
any of that except you be, you cannot have salvation. They just
simply said, salvation is of the Lord. End of discussion. Nothing added, nothing taken
away. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 10,
for he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from
his own works. God, he is our Sabbath, he is
our rest, and everyone that is brought into that rest ceases
from trying to produce works for righteousness. As it says
there, as God did from his, he ceased his labors. He said, at
the end of every day, it's good. And then he said, it was very
good. And that's what grace is. It's not just good, it is very
good. And God's people, the church,
are reigning in the person of the King Christ Jesus. They defeated
the foe. They would not tolerate anything
else but Christ and Him crucified. Now, I'm kind of like many of
my fellow pastors. Please, invite anybody to church. Anybody, doesn't matter race,
creed, color, whatever it is, invite them all. But you know,
when they start preaching their false doctrine, we have to stop
it. It can't be tolerated. It will not be allowed. Come
and listen. Come and listen. And I have found
out that those God has appointed to hear the gospel will listen. Now, they may go home and grumble
about it, but they will listen and go home and grumble about
it again. But when God works his work, they say, thank you,
Lord. I'm now resting from my labors. Brother Mike, if you'll come.