Well good morning again and would
you turn with me to the book of Numbers. The book of Numbers
chapter 4. We're going to be in the book
of Numbers chapter 4 and we're going to be looking at the last
four verses I believe it is. The last four verses of the book
of Numbers chapter 4. And I would encourage you to
read chapter 5 Lord willing we'll start in that next Sunday. Alright Numbers chapter 4 beginning
with verse 46. all those that were numbered
of the Levites, who Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel
numbered, and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families,
and after the house of their fathers, from thirty years old
and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do
the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden
in the tabernacle of the congregation, Even those that were numbered
of them were 8,580, according to the commandment
of the Lord. They were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one
according to his service and according to his burden. Thus
were they numbered of him as the Lord commanded Moses. Now
I didn't count the number of times in that short passage of
scripture that God moved Moses to write the word numbered or
number, but there is a significant number of times in this passage
of scripture alone. And we also notice that the very
name of this book is numbers. Two specific times God ordered
the numbering of the children of Israel. And in this chapter
we have seen that he requested, required, and imposed upon Moses
and Aaron to number certain of the Levites that were to be used
to take down and set up the tabernacle as they moved for those years
in the wilderness. The use of a number is exacting. There is no modern math with
God. exact numbers and exact results
now we may ask ourselves what is the Lord showing us here through
these numbers found in the book of numbers or even found in other
places but we find that the Lord is sharing with us that he has
an exactness about redemption he has an exactness about who
he is going to deal with out of all peoples who he's going
to deal with there is a definite number of the Levites and of
Israel and he'll give us a picture of working in redemption. He
must have done all their pre-work in order to save any. So he has beforehand, predestinated,
predestined, pre-worked that he might have that exact number
that he will have in the end now we heard read a passage of
scripture just recently just moments ago from brother mike
in the book of luke but the book of number excuse me book of numbers
the book of matthew shares a verse of scripture that i'd like to
look at to share with us that god is so interested in the correct
number in the book of matthew chapter ten Matthew chapter 10
we have this passage of scripture that shares with us what we just
heard read there in the book of Luke and God used these three
or these four, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, so often share
with us similar passages, similar thoughts, similar incidents,
but that we might be able to look at them from these perspectives
of the Holy Spirit and have a more complete picture of what is taking
place. Here in the book of Matthew,
chapter 10, verse 30, we have this. The Lord wants us to know
something about his numbering system. He wants us to know from
the book of Numbers. He wants us to know from the
Old Testament. He wants us to know from the New Testament as
we see that there is an exactness about God when it comes to numbers.
And here it tells us in the book of Matthew chapter 10 and verse
30, but the very hairs of your head are what? Not black or gray
or blonde, but are numbered. They are numbered. Now, that
is a very intricate way that God lets us know that He has
a grave, great concern concerning His people, and He has a great
concern concerning redemption. That this is not just a mass,
but it is an exactness about Him, just as He has numbered
over there in the book of Numbers chapter 4. It says that this
is how many that meet this criteria, this age group, that I will have
and he has them counted out and numbered on purpose. In the book
of 2nd Timothy, now there's not an exact number mentioned here,
but it is insinuated, because when we're dealing with God and
we're dealing with redemption, we're dealing with an exactness.
It took this exact work by Almighty God, purposed in eternity, brought
out in time, and will be carried out, but it has for a specific
number. Here in the book of 2nd Timothy
chapter 2, As we think about the numbering system of God,
2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 19. We have this mentioned here
in the scriptures that we might know that God has a definite
purpose and a definite number and without him having this pre-work
there would be nobody saved. No one would find a position
with God on their own. So 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse
19 the scriptures share this. Nevertheless and thank God for
this. He gives us this. If we didn't
have another verse of scripture look at this one. Nevertheless,
the foundation of God standeth sure. The foundation of God standeth
sure. His purpose is sure. His grace
is sure. Everything that we depend on,
everything that is required by God, the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled
and it is sure. It will be taken care of. The
foundations of the Lord Standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord
knoweth them that are His. The Lord knows exactly them that
are His. Now, He doesn't bring out an
exact number here as He did in the book of Numbers, but the
book of Numbers is sharing with us He does have an exact number.
And He's going to show that a number of times. We saw that in the
book of Ezra. This tribe had this many. This tribe had this
many. And what's interesting to me, it went down to the last
two digits were 19, 23, how God is exact in His numbering,
He's exact with numbers, and He's exact with the number of
people that He is going to purchase with the blood of His Son, the
Lord Jesus. So, the foundations of the Lord
stand assured, and there is this wonderful truth couched in all
of that, the Lord knoweth them that are His. Now, we have this
illustrated in the book of Romans. Romans chapter 11. Would you
join me in Romans chapter 11? I don't know if you've ever complained
about anything. I am guilty. I am guilty. I've complained. And here is
the ministry and the message of a prophet that has complained
to God. In the book of Romans chapter
11, Elijah He finds himself seemingly alone. Seemingly alone. Now, we were joined by a lady
from Canada. I've never met her before. Didn't
know she existed before, but she joined us this morning. So
we're constantly finding out people that have an interest
in the gospel. When I hear the report, the sharing of the gospel
through our missionary, Brother Lance Heller, it is astonishing
to me to find out how many people down there in New Guinea that
have an interest in the gospel. And here we have a man that feels
like he's exactly the last person that is ever on the face of the
earth that is going to stand for the truth of the gospel and
stand for the truth of God. Romans chapter 11 verse 1 I say
then hath God cast away his people now when we talk about his people
we could in God's mind there is an exact number of God's people
his people that belong to him exact number Did you know, as
astonishing as it may be, he knows the exact number of people
that are on this earth at this exact moment. He knows the exact
number of babies that are going to be born today, and he knows
the exact number of people that will pass away today. The exact
number, not a guess. When it comes to us, we guess
how many. We guess how many babies are
going to be born. We guess how many people are going to pass
away. But with God, it's an exact number. And did you know, too,
that He knows the exact number of people that are going to hear
the gospel today, and the exact number of people that He's going
to give the new birth to today. Exactly. So this book of Numbers
is sharing with us this wonderful purpose of God that he knows
exactly what he's doing, with whom he's doing it to. So here,
hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I say, I also
am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin.
Now we just heard this morning about this man standing with
all the coats of those who stoned Stephen At the young man's feet,
whose name was Saul, this is this man talking about himself. I've got this criteria. I've
got these qualifications. But that wasn't enough, he found
out. He needed Christ. God hath not
cast away his people which he foreknew. Now he knows them all. He knows them by name. Their
names are written down in the Lamb's Book of Life. their names
are written there and they're not added and they're not erased.
They're there in the blood of Christ if you please. What ye
not that the scripture saith to Elias How he maketh intercession
to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets. Now that's the truth. More than
one prophet reported that the prophets had been killed, and
the Lord brought this out to those Pharisees in His day. You
have these sepulchers to the prophets in which your father's
killed. That's the truth of the matter.
and God knew every one of them, and dig down thine altars, and
I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer
of God unto him? Now God's going to be a blessing.
As we search the scriptures, we find more and more what a
blessing it is that God has for us in the scriptures. to grow
in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. What a blessing that is. It gives us a positive outlook
for tomorrow to know that God is going to bless His people
with more knowledge about God. Not more knowledge about eschatology,
not more knowledge about this subject or that subject, but
more knowledge about Christ. And that's what is the comfort
to His people is to know more about Christ. It goes on to tell
us here, What saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved
to myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to
the image of Baal, the most famous of the gods that were in Israel
at the time. 7,000. Now he had a number of
prophets that had not bowed the knee to Baal and Elisha Elijah,
excuse me, Elijah didn't know about them, but they were still
there as God had appointed them. There were 7,000. There were
how many over there in the book of Numbers? Chapter 4, 8,580
that met this criteria. And God purposed that they would
be his servants to move the tabernacle and to set it up again exact. The Lord was insistent that Moses
and Aaron get the exact number of the Levites that would do
this business. He was insistent. It is in His
Word that He was insistent. He ordered it. He requested it,
but when God makes a request, it's an order. So He requested,
and according to the service of their burden, 8,580 were numbered
by Moses and by Aaron. Now turn with me, if you would,
over there to the book of Luke. Back to the book of Luke, from
the book of Romans, back to the book of Luke chapter 6. Luke
chapter 6. It's interesting, I have found
in my ministry that the more I hear about other books, Bible
class teachers, pastors that come and visit, whatever, that
book becomes more in our messages just because we've heard it.
It's alive and it's in us. But here in the book of Luke
chapter 6 we find the Lord did something. Now it wasn't because
there were no one else to choose from and it wasn't because there
was any less to choose from. We notice here in the book of
Luke chapter 6 verse 12 chapter 6 and verse 12 of the book of
Luke It says, it came to pass in those days that he, Christ,
went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer
to God. Now I just want to stop and say
this about this subject. This is true prayer. This is
his closet. True prayer is not on a street
corner. True prayer is not Everybody, stop right now from what you're
eating, we're going to have prayer. No, that's not prayer. Prayer is
what the Lord is practicing here. He went out alone to pray. That's
where generally we do our prayer. It goes on to tell us here in
the book of Luke chapter 6 and verse and it came to pass in
those days he went into a mountain to pray and when it was day he
called unto him his disciples. Now how many is that? That number
was exactly known by the Lord. I don't have any idea how many
disciples he had. But of them he chose twelve. who also he named apostles. Now, this last week I was thinking
about that. Why were there twelve apostles? Why were there twelve
tribes of Israel? I mean, we go back there and
there's four women that God used to produce the sons that would
become the twelve tribes of Israel. Why wasn't there eleven? Why
wasn't there thirteen? Why wasn't there fifteen? Why? Why? You know the answer to that
is? God determined that's how many
there would be. He is sovereign in this. He is sovereign in the number
of children of Israel. He's sovereign in their numbers
that are going to work. He tells us that this is how
many there are that are going to do this service. This is how
many there are that are in the children of Israel. And here
He chose twelve. Now it's easy for us, in retrospect,
to say, well there's twelve tribes of Israel, so there's going to
be twelve Apostles all right might be that but it is still
sovereignly chosen he chose 12 The Lord chose 12 exactly and
then it tells us here are the names of them just like in heaven
He said, there's a book with the names of all the children
of Israel written down before the foundation of the world.
Now whether that's a literal sense or a spiritual sense, it
doesn't make any difference. God has a number of people chosen
before the foundation of the world that he intends to save
by the blood of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And it gives
us their names. Their names are listed here.
And in fact, out of that host, can you imagine someone from
Iscariot? by the name of Judas is brought
into his disciples, brought under his ministry, brought under him,
and God knew that, purposed it, and chose this one person, Judas
from Iscariot, he was going to be the traitor, mentioned in
the book of the Psalms. What brought him out of the hinterlands? What brought him out of the mountains?
What brought him out of the swamp? To come and be a disciple. He's
one of the disciples, and now he's one of the apostles, but
he is chosen of God. One person God chose to do this
dastardly thing. His name is Judas. We have that
written right there. Now, in the book of John chapter
10, verse 14, John chapter 10, verse 14, once again, We don't
have a definite number, but this number is known by God. We are
not given that information. We're not given the number of
the total number that will be saved by the grace of God. We
don't know how many are going to be saved today or yesterday.
We don't know how many have been saved from the beginning of human
history. We don't know that. God does.
Just like He knows how many people live in the Dalles, how many
people live in Oregon, how many people live in the United States,
how many people are in the world. here in the book of John chapter
10 and verse 14. What a wonderful verse of scripture,
but notice what it has to say about him. I am the good shepherd. Now we have this mental picture
of a shepherd many times brought out by our Savior. I am the good
shepherd. Now the shepherd takes care of
the sheep, but he does have sheep. I'll never forget that illustration
that missionary that was down in Mexico, Brother Milton Howard,
his father was down there, and he said, Milton, I saw something
I've never seen before. I saw a shepherd with goats and
sheep at the same time. And Milton says, you didn't see
everything, did you? And he said, what do you mean?
So they turned around and went back. He says, see that shepherd
chucking rocks to keep those goats going? And all the sheep
are following. It illustrates the point, doesn't
it? The sheep follow. My sheep know my voice and they
follow me. Well, in this passage of scripture,
in John chapter 10 and verse 14, it says, I'm the good shepherd
and know my sheep and am known of mine. Now, when that word
mine is used there, God has a definite number in mind that he calls
mine. They are mine. I may not give you the number,
but I know the number. They are mine." Now, we know
this about this number that he brought out here when he illustrates
the point, they are mine. Shepherd, I'm the good shepherd,
I'm known of mine. In the book of Acts, you know
this verse of scripture? I just used to never read it.
It just didn't fit theology. Acts chapter 13 and verse 48. I had a letter from a missionary,
quote-unquote, and he was begging us for money. Now, I never heard
of him before, begging the church. He was sent to the church leadership.
Well, all you folks are part of the church leadership, and
I'm just going to share you a letter that this guy that's down in
California church planting, and he needs about $2,000 a month. That's a key right there. I've
never done this before, but I wrote him a letter and I said, most
modern missionaries have succumbed to what politicians and religious
people do today, and that is they send out a blanket letter
begging for money. Now you didn't share with me
anything about what you believe. You didn't share with me anything
about Christ. salvation, sin, the gospel, election,
or predestination. They're all keys to the gospel.
He didn't share anything about that. And number two, I would
venture to say that there are a hundred churches there in Roseville,
California that believe exactly what you believe. Now, why do
we need another one? Well, I don't know if I'll ever
hear from him. And it's the first time I've ever written a missionary
like that, a letter like that, but I just felt compelled to
write that. God does not do mission work
like that. He has a definite number of missionaries and they're
preaching the gospel. Well, here in the book of Acts,
chapter 13, verse 48, one of God's missionaries had preached
the gospel. And he preached the gospel to
a bunch of Gentiles. Now how many belong to the Lord? How many are the Lord's? We know that this number is found
in this verse of Scripture. It tells us in Acts 13 and verse
48, and when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified
the word of the Lord. Now, did you notice this next
three words? And as many. That's a definite
number. Paul didn't know that number.
The rest of the apostles didn't know that number. But Christ
knew that number. And as many as were ordained
to eternal life. They're the ones that God granted
belief to, those that were ordained to eternal life. As many, God
indeed can number them, but not man. For they are a set and particular
number of people, persons, chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, who
are perfectly and distinctly known by their number and names,
and are with them, their names are written in the Lamb's Book
of Life." Now if God wants us to know that there were a little
over 8,000 Levites between this age and this age that were going
to serve Him by setting up and taking down the tabernacle, He
certainly is in order to have in the Scriptures that He has
a definite number of people that He intends to save. This principle
lets us know that when our Savior said in John 10 15, we are just
in John 10 14, turn back with me to John 10 15 if you would. He numbered the people. John
chapter 10 and verse 15. In verse 14, I am the good shepherd,
and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth
me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the
sheep. He had a particular number in
mind when he died for them. There was a particular number
of individuals in his heart and in his mind engraven on the palms
of his hand and on the breastplate that he wore, spiritually speaking,
of all those that he intended to redeem at the cross. He didn't
go over that number and he doesn't go under that number. And every
one of that number will be saved and will be with him for eternity. in John chapter 6 verse 37. Back up just a little bit here.
John chapter 6 and verse 37. This number is mentioned. The
Lord brings up this number. It's a number between the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now we're not involved in that
number. But we can read it here in scriptures
and know that God is involved in that number. He has a particular
number. In John chapter 6 and verse 37,
the scriptures share this, all that the Father giveth me. Now,
Jesus Christ knew that number. God the Father knew that number.
And you know, in the covenant of grace, the Holy Spirit knew
that number because that is the number He is going to come down
and make sure, here's the gospel of God's free grace in Christ
Jesus, and they will be given the new birth. This number is
God's number. And we, as believers in Christ
Jesus, live by this, that God has a definite number and He's
going to save them. He didn't make people savable.
He promised to save them by His grace. They are His. They belong to Him. They belong
to Him from eternity. As we heard in the Bible class
this morning, and it's so often brought out, He has loved His
people with an everlasting love. They were chosen as long as that
is. And their names have been written
down in the Lamb's Book of Life as long as that is. And here
we have, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. They're
going to be brought. They're going to be drawn. They're
going to be, well, as Mephibosheth, David went and got him. He fetched
him. He's going to bring his people
out of every kingdom, nation, people, and tongue. And him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. So when God moves,
it's a guarantee that he's going to do what he said he would do.
He would not leave it stopped, short. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and he that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out. Now move just a little further
in the book of John and the Lord brings this number up again.
John chapter 17. His great high priestly prayer.
In the Son's glorious prayer. Now just think for a moment. We get to over here. of some
wonderful things that were between the Father and the Son. As He
prayed alone, we get to overhear them. They're recorded for us.
It tells us here in John chapter 17 verse 2, As thou hast given
Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to
as many as thou hast given Him. What a glorious statement. that
he will give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."
You know, God is the only one that truly understands the effects
of the fall. We learn a little bit more every
day about the effects of the fall. Sometimes we look at it
and see it in others a whole lot more than we see it in ourselves,
don't we? How could that person do that?
How could that happen? Well, we hear the Apostle Paul,
O wretched, look that word up, O wretched man that I am, this
vile body, it's mentioned in another place. So God is the
only one that truly knows the effects of the fall. And that
the effects of the fall are so serious, the fall of Adam. when he sinned against God is
so serious as a representative of all the human race that fall
is so serious that there is only one that can ever take care of
the problem and that is God and he has to do it from outside
of us. He can't do it in us. He has to take care of it outside
of us. He has to do it, the Father had his part, the Son had his
part, the Holy Spirit has his part to raise us out of that
desperate condition that we're in in the fall. We find one verse
over in the book of Isaiah chapter 53. That 53rd chapter of the
book of Isaiah just, well, it just puts us on the mountaintop
of what the Lord would go through to take care of the problem.
And that was the gift of his son. In Isaiah 53 and verse 11,
it says, he shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. by his knowledge shall my righteous
servant, now look at the next two words, shall my righteous
servant, now we know who that is, that's the Lord Jesus Christ,
he is the righteous servant, he's the only righteous servant,
the only righteousness that the church has is imputed righteousness,
given righteousness, it's none of our own, it's his, but here
it tells us here, shall my righteous servant do what? justify many. He shall justify many. for he
shall bear their iniquities. So he's going to take care of
the sin problem for them and by that they shall be justified. He is going to justify many. How? He shall bear their iniquities. He will take our sins upon himself
and therefore by that he can justify many. But that many is
a definite number. That many is known by God. That
many is God's number of all those that Christ died for. Now there
is a number of sheep that is known by God. Turn with me if
you would to the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation chapter
7. There is a number. and it tells
us where they come from it tells us how the Holy Spirit
is going to draw people and we've looked at that just a little
bit there in the book of Zechariah that he brings people from all
languages There in the book of Zechariah, that chapter 8, we've
noticed that the word 10 is used. That's just a symbol of the numbers
of people that are going to come out. Not just 10, but that's
a symbol of the people. We get that word, comes to us
from the word that we get, tithes. So there is a definite number
known to God symbolized by that 10. Here in the book of Revelation
chapter 7 and there in verse 9 it says, after this I beheld
in lo a great multitude which no man can number. Now this number
is known to God but it's not known to us. We don't know. We would have thought the last
person in this world that could ever be saved was Saul of Tarsus,
just like many in the church of Jerusalem no doubt thought.
Saul of Tarsus is a wreck. The man that was sent to him
by God had to have it described to him, he is a chosen vessel
of mine. And as soon as God brought up
the subject of election to that old preacher, he went right over
there. Because he knew what that's all
about. He'd been there. God had saved him by His grace,
and he was erect just like Saul of Tarsus was erect, until He
saved him. After this I beheld, lo, a great
multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds,
and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before
the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. what a beautiful picture here
of the whole church gathered together at that time and it's
a number that no man can number but it's a number that God has
in his own it's a great multitude he knows the number in that multitude
and it says in verse 10 and cried with a loud voice saying now
every one of these that are in that great multitude, a number
known by God, have this to say about Christ. They have this
to say. Why? Because they've been saved
by the grace of God. They're not going to say, I'm
here on my merit. They're going to say, salvation
to our God, which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb.
Now what they're saying was summed up in those words by Jonah in
that great fish's belly, salvation is of the Lord. What they're
saying is what the message throughout the Old Testament is and what
the message of the New Testament is. Salvation is of the Lord. He's the only one that knows
exactly the seriousness of Adam's fall in the Garden of Eden. He's
not caught short by that. We may not ever come to that
complete conclusion in this life. We know it's serious, but God
knows how serious it is. In fact, it is so serious that
there is only one way to redeem a number of people out of that
great host, and that's by the blood of Christ. That's the only
way it could happen. No works are going to enter in
but His works. Nothing is going to happen without God. Which
sitteth upon the Lamb, and all the angels stood around about
the throne, and the elders, and the four beasts, and fell before
the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Blessing,
and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might
be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. What a chorus that's
going to be when everybody's saying the same thing. In tune. They're gonna be worshiping the
Lord. Now we worship Him in spirit and in truth today. But when
we leave this old body, we're gonna find out what real worship
is. We'll worship Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. God sums up the very, very need
of God. Turn back with me to the book
of John chapter 15. There is a number that's going
to know this. A number known by God that are
going to know this. It's going to be revealed to
them. When we're born again it's revealed to us. This wonderful
subject is revealed to us. We find out just how weak we
are. We find out how dead we are. We find out our heart, how
stony it is, how black it is. We find out about our merit.
We find out about our works. We find out about everything.
We didn't know by nature. They're spiritually discerned.
We just cannot figure it out. Oh, we know we stole a cookie
one time and borrowed dad's car without permission and those
simple little things like that, but sin against God that deserves
eternal death. Well, here in the book of John
chapter 15, verse five, notice this with me. I am the vine,
ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. Now notice the last
phrase of this verse of scripture. For without me ye can do nothing. There's not a spiritual thing
we can do. We can't have any spiritual belief.
We can't have any spiritual faith. We cannot have any spirituality.
We can't have anything without God, without Christ. And He gives
us these great and blessed gifts. He gives them to His church. He gives them to His host. He
gives them to a great multitude. He gives them to a number known
unto God. He gives it to the 7,000 who
have not bowed the knee to Baal. He gives it to a number known
to Him. Now in the book of Numbers it's
counted out for us. It might be in Old English. Most
people today don't know what a score is. Well, it's 20 people. Do you know what a lustrum is? That's five. Different way of
keeping track of numbers. But God keeps track of numbers
because He ordained a number that no man can number out of
every kindred, tribe, and people. They're in the book of Numbers
chapter 4. Let's go back over there again. Numbers chapter
4. As we find the close of this chapter 4, The Lord brought out
something very important for us. This whole book of Numbers
is very important in this way. It declares Christ. It declares
the ministry of Christ. It declares the work of Christ.
We're going to find out just how valuable this book is as
we go through it because the Lord Jesus referred to the book
of Numbers in his own ministry as the serpent must be raised
upon that pole. so shall the Son of Man must
be lifted up." Well here in the book of Numbers, there it tells
us in Numbers chapter 4 verse 48, even those that were numbered
of them were 8,000. I didn't leave this to anybody's
conjecture. Anybody could come along and
say, Moses, how many were there? Well, right here, the number
of them is 8,580. Someone else could come from
another tribe and say, how many are supposed to help in the movement
of that tabernacle? Moses could say, 8,540 meet the
criteria that the Lord had laid out. There wasn't a hidden number
about this. Everybody could know it. Moses
knew it. Aaron knew it, the priests knew
it, and guess what? Those who were chosen knew it. I am one of the host that will
be used to move the tabernacle and set it up. And so shall it
be when God saves his people wherever they are, they can say,
I know I am one of the host. God has given me the new birth. I have been born again. I heard
that glorious gospel and now it is my business to glorify
Him. Glorify Him in my life and glorify
Him in my preaching. Glorify Him and put all of the
glory and honor to Him. So how many were there? There's
an exact number. and the only ones that know about
it are the ones who are revealed Christ. Flesh and blood hath
not revealed us unto you but my Father which is in heaven.
You know, after we're saved, we don't have any trouble with
God having a book with the number of names in it written before
the foundation of the world. We don't have any trouble about
election or predestination because it is then we understand the
seriousness of our problem and that we couldn't take care of
it ourselves. we're preparing to go into chapter
five of the book of numbers and we, Lord willing, will do that
next time we meet on zoom or in person and if you take time
to read through there you'll just find out that lepers were
not to be in the host wow serious problem God is the only one who
can take care of leprosy let's once again go to the Lord in
prayer Gracious Father, we thank you for this time you've given
us together and we ask your blessing upon your word and we thank you
for that number that you have numbered. In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen.