Perfected Praise Worship Center – OKC
Preached Sunday August 8, 2010 - 3:00 p.m.
Installation Service of Pastor Reginald Hamilton
New Hope Baptist Church, Childress, TX
(Sermon modified – originally delivered by my father the Rev. Frank W. Lawson, Sr.,
Who is now retired - Former pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church, Red Bank, NJ and Second Baptist Church,
Keyport, NJ)
TITLE: WHO’S IN CHARGE
SCRIPTURE: NUMBERS 16:25-38
Politics has always been an area that captures my attention. In particular, with the election of President Barak Obama, I have paid even more attention to the Political System that makes up our great Country. It has been particularly interesting to watch the bantering between the President and the Congress. We elect the President to be the person at the Top and as President Truman said in 1950 – “The buck stops here.” He was the man in charge.
We elect the Congress to work with the President for the good of the entire nation and at the same time the individual congressmen are to look out for the interest of their particular state. These men and women are supposed to work together like a well-oiled machine.
• They are suppose to take care of business
• That is the way it is suppose to work
• They are supposed to rise up against Petty Grievances
• They are supposed to put their constituents and their nation ahead of themselves
But we know that is not the case. It does not even come close. The current state of affairs in our nation is in a Shambles. There does not appear to be one elected official who cares one bit for you and for me. The Democrats and the Republicans are spending so much time fighting one another – the President seems to be in a defensive posture. There does not seem to be anyone in charge. At a time like this, does that make any sense at all? It does not make a difference what level of government a person may work in, it seems that there is always somebody or some group that wants to pull you down – even when you are doing a good job.
• It has happened before and it will happen again
• It happens in our school system
• It happens on our jobs
• Sorry to say, it even happens in our Church
Someone in Washington needs to pay attention and smell the roses. One of these days God is going to have enough. He will only put up with so much foolishness before He takes action. I’ll be the first to state that I don’t agree with the direction that our national leaders are moving our country. I think our boys and girls are in harm’s way for the wrong reason. However, my Bible says we are to pray for those in authority over us. So instead of complaining about – IRAQ – AFGHANASTAN – ILLEGAL IMMAGRANTS – NATIONAL DEFICIET – COST OF GASOLINE
• I’m going to Pray and believe that God will step in and take Charge
• I’m going to Pray and let God take over
• I’m going Pray and Believe that the Effectual Fervent Prayers of a Righteous Man Availeth Much
I believe that we have an excellent example of this in our text this afternoon found in the book of NUMBERS 16:1-50. I would like to take a few minutes during this celebration and installation of your new Pastor to leave this subject with you – Who’s in Charge?
Moses, the anointed leader of God’s chosen people Israel, found himself in this very situation although for an entirely different reason. On one occasion his own brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, turned against him and tried to usurp his authority. On other occasions, Small Groups of People or special interest groups rose up against him. In each case, because of God’s intervention, they failed.
But in one particular case the entire congregation of the people grumbled against Moses and they were determined to pull him down. But the people made one big Mistake. They forgot that MOSES WAS NEVER IN CHARGE – GOD WAS! When you go after God’s anointed leader, you’re going after God and when you go after God, utter and complete failure are in your future. Let me say it again - The Scripture tells us that we are to pray for those in authority over us.
• Not Criticize
• Not Murmur Against
• Not Complain about
• They have been put there by God and they will excel if we will spend time on our knees praying for them instead of just talking about them
Let’s look at the text for a moment. We are all very much familiar with the call of Moses to lead the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land. When Moses saw a bush burning and yet not being consumed by the flames – he said to himself – let me go and see this great sight. When he approached the burning bush – Voice of God came forth from the bush and said – “MOSES, TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF, THE GROUND YOU ARE STANDING ON IS HOLY GROUND.” I am the God of your Fathers – Abraham – Isaac - Jacob. I have heard the cries of my people in Egypt and I have seen their oppression. I will send you unto Pharaoh that you may bring them out of Egypt and bring them into a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Moses did not ask for this job. He did not even want it. He made all kinds of excuses, but in the end, God prevailed and Moses went and stood before Pharaoh with a very simple message -- “LET MY PEOPLE GO.” Two years later, while wandering in the wilderness, on their way to the Promised Land, trouble seemed to dog his every step. And this trouble came from the most unexpected place.
• Let me remind you Church, don’t always look for trouble from outside
• Most of the time you will find out that when trouble brews, it is usually from within
• Satan is always on the prowl
• When he gets on the inside, he can tear the organization apart
• It does not make any difference if we are talking about the inside of White House – inside of Governor’s Mansion – inside of Church
• It is all the same
That’s exactly what happened to Moses. One of his own relatives - someone on the inside - a man by the name of KORAH, rose up in rebellion against him. Korah was an important man in the assembly. He was a man of high rank and great honor. He was ambitious and he had the confidence of the people. But he had one problem. He wanted to be in charge. Never mind the fact that God has placed Moses in Charge. That did not matter to him or else he did not believe that God was in the picture. He wanted to be top dog and he would stop at nothing until he was standing alone at the top of the mountain. As he looks at Moses and Aaron, he realizes that the door to greatness has been closed to him and he is not satisfied. For a while he is able to hold his peace.
Ultimately, he realizes that he could not succeed against Moses alone. He needs a plan of attack that will cause the people to come over to his side. Church, when you go up against God, satan will be right there to put all kinds of fool-proof plans in your head. There is one thing that Satan is good at and it is taking the scriptures out of context. Korah remembers that Moses had told the people that Israel would be a “KINGDOM OF PRIESTS AND A HOLY NATION.” And if that is true, then Moses was going against the commandments of God because it appeared that only Aaron and the Levites were priests and along with Moses, considered holy.
To Korah’s power-twisted mind, it appeared that Moses was in violation of the Word of God. With this satanic charge in mind, Korah raises the cry of Equality. Same tactic Satan uses today – Equality:
• Alternative Lifestyle
• Gay Marriage
• Homosexual Priests
• Political Correctness
• Everybody Coming out of the Closet except the Christian
They had just as much right to the highest office in the land as Moses and Aaron. And I am sure you can guess, many of the people sided with him. Those MALCONTENTS – DO NOTHINGS – NEVER SATISFIED – STRAP HANGERS – DREAMERS – FOLLOWERS – FANTASIZERS – those who could do nothing on their own. Those same people who sided with the majority instead of the good report delivered by JOSHUA and CALEB – those are the same that caused this wandering in the wilderness in the first place. They looked up to Korah and stood behind him, because they wanted to:
• Get a piece of the Pie
• Visions of Stardom
• Visions of Grandeur
• Could not do it by themselves
• They followed someone else
Yes, my brothers and sisters, we will find the same thing in the church today – not this church, Praise the Lord. Somebody wants to be the PASTOR – CHAIRMAN OF THE DEACONS MINISTRY – CHAIRPERSON OF A CERTAIN COMMITTEE and they will let satan lead them down a path of no return. And satan will even make sure that they have a following in order to make them feel that they are right. But in the end, they will surely find out that God is still in charge.
So, what does Korah do? He gathers 250 men around him. They were natural leaders in their own tribes -- famous and well known among the congregation. But like Korah, they too wanted to rise up the chain of command to the highest office in the land.
In time they solidified their Position and when the time was right, they struck. They appear before Moses and Aaron and charged them with being dictators and with lording over the people. They even quote scripture to them. Isn’t it amazing that the people in the Church today who never go to Sunday School or Bible Study, are always the first to throw scripture in the face of the leaders of the Church. They don’t know Genesis from Revelation but they will boldly stand up and challenge everyone in the church.
You would think that Moses would immediately start to verbally defend himself. But he did not have to because he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that God was standing behind him. He was never out on a limb by himself. Moses knew that it was hopeless to argue with these men. Therefore; he did something that we should all do when trouble lurks at our door:
• He fell down on his face and he took the matter to the Lord in Prayer
• He did not talk it over with Aaron or Miriam
• He did not talk to his Mother or his Wife
• He did not talk to his BFF
• He did not wait until the Hour of Prayer
• He did not go into the Tabernacle
• He did not ask for the Priests to come and stand beside him
• Rather, he fell down on his face before all the people and Prayed
• When he got up he had a message for Korah and all of the people
• It was not his message
• It was not Miriam’s message
• Moses had no message of his own
• It was a message that came straight from the very mouth of God
He looked at Korah and those that followed him and he said - “IN THE MORNING THE LORD WILL SHOW WHO BELONGS TO HIM AND WHO IS HOLY, AND HE WILL HAVE THE PERSON COME NEAR HIM. THE MAN HE CHOOSES HE WILL CAUSE TO COME NEAR TO HIM. YOU, KORAH, AND ALL YOUR FOLLOWERS ARE TO DO THIS: TAKE CENSERS AND TOMORROW PUT FIRE AND INCENSE IN THEM BEFORE THE LORD. THE MAN THAT THE LORD CHOOSES WILL BE THE ONE WHO IS HOLY. YOU SONS OF LEVI HAVE GONE TOO FAR.”
This should have been a warning to Korah. He should have trembled before Aaron and asked for forgiveness. After all:
• He was there when Moses cast his staff down before Pharaoh and it became a serpent and devoured the serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians
• He was there when Moses poured water into the Nile and it became as red as blood
• He was there when the death angel weaved through the streets of Egypt killing the firstborn of all the gentiles in the land
• He was there when God parted the waters of the Red Sea and allowed them to walk across on dry land
• He was there when God fed them with manna from on high and with water out of a rock
Korah knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God was on Moses side. But satan had already moved in his heart and caused him to stay the course he was on. A course with a head-on collision with Death and Destruction.
• I’m so glad we serve a Merciful God
• He’s not a God of a Second Chance
• He’s a God who will give us chance after chance
• God could have told Moses to challenge Korah right on the spot
• But instead he let him think about his situation all night long
• Suppose he was wrong
• Suppose Moses was right
• What was going to happen in the morning
• What would God do
• Was I wrong to challenge Moses
• Will I win this battle?
I am sure that all of these thoughts went through his mind. All he had to do was fall down on bended knees and have a little talk with God. All he had to do was confess his sins and God would have fixed everything up. But Pride had already set in and there was no turning back. Bible records in PROVERBS 16:18 “PRIDE GOETH BEFORE DESTRUCTION AN A HAUGHTY SPIRIT BEFORE A FALL.” Early the next morning he was up at the Crack of Dawn along with his other co-conspirators filling their sensors with incense and making their way to the tent of Moses and Aaron. The entire congregation of the people stood behind Korah and his cronies.
Without hesitation God showed that he was in charge. We are told that the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. The Lord told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the assembly so that he could put an end to them. God was going to destroy every man, woman, boy and girl in the camp. Over Three Million people because he could no longer take their sinfulness. But, again, Moses and Aaron fell face down and cried “O GOD. GOD OF THE SPIRITS OF ALL MANKIND, WILL YOU BE ANGRY WITH THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY WHEN ONLY ONE MAN SINS.”
We get a glimpse of the kind of man Moses was? Here these people were trying to bring him down and what does he do? He prays for them. And God heard and answered his prayer. But this did not save the Malcontents. Again, God told Moses and Aaron to move away from the ringleaders of the rebellion.
Moses told the people to move away and the earth opened up and swallowed Korah and all of his followers to include their entire families. When the congregation of the people saw this, they fled shouting, the earth is going to swallow us too. And fire came down from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense on behalf of Korah.
Well, let me ask you Church – What is the meaning of all of this? - What is the point as you celebrate the call of a new Pastor? -- the children of Israel had a long way to go before they arrived at the Promised Land. There were many obstacles before them. God would indeed bless them and care for them if they would be obedient. He was showing them that He was in charge and that those who challenged His authority would be punished.
• Moses was not taking them to the Promised Land -- God was
• Moses was not going to feed them when they got hungry -- God was
• Moses was not going to fight their battles for them -- God was
• They had to understand that God was in Charge
Down through the ages, the children of Israel made one mistake after another and never came to understand that God was always in charge. But what about us church? We have had an additional 2,000 plus years to think about it. And yet we find Church members who still do not understand that - GOD IS THE ONE CALLING THE SHOTS -- NOT THE PASTOR - NOT THE DEACONS - NOT THE MINISTERS.
• God sits high and it is He that looks low
• He knows what is going on at all times
• Every time somebody rises up against the called servants of the Lord – God knows all about it
• He hears every Conversation
• He may not open up the earth and swallow them, - But God will take action one way or the other
• Every time someone tries to stop God’s program from going forward – God knows all about it
• Every time somebody or some group gets together to stop the progress of God’s church in the community – God knows all about it
• Every time a trap is set for the leaders – God knows all about it
Just as he took care of Korah and his Straphangers, so he will take care of them because the Bible says that the “GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST GOD’S CHURCH.” That’s a fact that you can count on. I’m so glad about it Church, because I know that we shall not fail. As long as we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus and obeying his commands, the Church and every Church where Jesus is Lord of Lord’s and King of Kings will go forward and be successful.
--I stopped by during this glorious celebration to remind you that God’s Word is Clear
--We are to pray for those that God has put in Authority over us
--You can moan and groan all you want, but in the end God is going to have His way
--Your Pastor will lead the congregation - as God leads him
--Your Pastor will Pray for you – as God leads him
--Your Pastor will move the Church forward – as God leads him
--If your wondering Who’s in Charge - God’s in Charge
--Order my steps Lord for I fully understand - Who’s in Charge?
--Strengthen me for the journey for I understand - Who’s in Charge?
