U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris
CP Walker Multicultural Gospel Service
Daegu, Korea
BIG IDEA: RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT should INDICATE MURMURING AND COMPLAINING NO LONGER EXIST while OTHER HINDERANCES, to walking in the spirit, ARE DRIVEN OUT.
REFERENCES: Numbers 14:29-30 ( Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware * to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun); Romans 7:24 (O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?); Numbers 16:1-49 (The rebellion of Korah and Abiram murmuring and openly challenging the authority of Moses and Aaron … the ground opened-up and swallowed up Korah, Abiram and their families); Jude 1:16 (These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words], having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. ) Philippians 2:14-15 (Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; ); Luke 17:11-19 (The ten lepers healed, but only ONE was thankful and returned … Jesus asked, where are the nine?); Proverbs 14:12 (There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.); Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. ); 1 Corinthians 10:11 (Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. ):
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Numbers 33:50-56
II. READ THE PERICOPE: Numbers 33:50-56
III. READ THE TEXT: Numbers 33:51-52 (Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: ).
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the HEARERS to affirm to others that when you receive the Holy Spirit you should cease from MURMURING AND COMPLAINING WHILE OTHER hinderances, to walking in the spirit, are driven-out.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “NUMBERS 33”
VI. Proposition: Do we as believers give thanks MORE or COMPLAIN MORE?
INTRODUCTION: (Open Up With Thanksgiving Reflections … tie them in with the 10 lepers … healed, but only one returned to give thanks … it was so important for the 9 to give thanks … that Jesus asked - in Luke 17:11-19 – WHERE ARE THE NINE? …)
- The introduction to The Book of Numbers reminds us that the English title to this book is derived from its title, Numeri, in the Latin Vulgate. This title was obviously based on chapters one through three, especially chapter one. For example, in chapter one, we are confronted with a considerable array of numbers. For instance, Israel’s tribes culminated in a grand total of 603,550. All of this can serve as a reminder to us that from olden times until now, people have always been impressed by numbers, quite often too much impressed. But mere numbers are not always indicative of strength. On the contrary, frequently they are indicative of weakness. Is this not the case in the church and religion today? We are obsessed by numbers. We measure the success of a church by numbers. We estimate the effectiveness of a religious service by numbers. Like the material world around us, we lay stress on size rather that substance, on quantity rather than quality.
According to our historical research, God delivered the Israelites from the sin and slavery of Egypt. They were delivered across the Red Sea from the threats of Pharaoh and His Army, into the wilderness and on the very border of Kadesh-Barnea – right across from the Promised Land, where God said to them, “move forward and possess the land”.
For you see, … my brothers and sisters … according to Biblical Research, the plan was obviously to carry 2,000,000 people from Egypt through the wilderness experience to Canaan within a short period of time (perhaps 40 months or even 40 days). In other words, it wasn’t God’s perfect will for the Israelites to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Because he had great expectations of the Israelites early on. He was their God. And they were his chosen people. He had already prepared the hearts of the inhabitants of the Promised Land to relinquish the land – once the Israelites made it through the desert of their wilderness. But, unfortunately, they MURMURED against their CIRCUMSTANCES. THEY MURMURED AGAINST GOD’S EFFORT TO BLESS THEM, and they MURMURED AGAINST THE AUTHORITY OF GOD expressed through Moses and Aaron.
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Move 1: For don’t you remember, initially the Israelites whined and complained about their circumstances AND NOT HAVING FOOD. Afterwards, God fed them with Manna from heaven.
a. Later, they whined and complained about the lack of water. So God bless them with water.
b. Still later, they sent out spies, and discovered that the Promised Land was flowing with Milk and Honey.
c. But, they also knew that it was full of giants and because of giants – they were afraid to go forward.
d. Perhaps, they thoughts the giants were greater than God. So they refused to go on into their blessings.
e. In other words, the Israelites resisted God’s effort to bless them. They were glad to get out of Egypt, but unwilling to go into Canaan. Which is why they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness.
f. Unfortunately, when they could no longer see the provisions being made, for them, they didn’t trust God to keep His Word.
g. In stead, they did what many of us do today. They whined about the circumstances that they were in, as if God was unaware of their unique situations and circumstances.
h. As a result, God said in Numbers 14:29-30 that “Not one of you older than 20 years will enter the promised land, except for Caleb, and Joshua. “
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Move 2: Likewise, we too murmur and complain about where God has put us, and the kind of people that he has put us among. We whine about the kind of food we have to eat …
a. Consequently, the Israelites’ murmuring was met by the judgement of God: fire, plague, and poisoned serpents.
b. Which is the results of whining, complaining, and murmuring as believers.
c. When we begin to murmur and complain about where God has put us, and the kind of folk he has put us among, and the kind of food we have to eat and all the circumstances of our life, we discover THE FIRE OF GOSSIP, SCANDAL, AND SLANDER.
d. The PLAQUE OF ANXIETY AND NERVOUS TENSION that takes it daily toll on our life. And the POISON OF ENVY AND JEALOUSY ARE released in our own life to SAP OUR STRENGTH.
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Move 3: Finally, who can ever forget the Open Rebellious Sins of (in Numbers 16:1-49) Korah and Abiram against the Spiritual Leadership of Moses and Aaron?
a. For don’t you remember, they murmured against the authority of God expressed through Moses.
b. Korah and Abiram felt like all the people of God was equally as holy as Moses and Aaron in their own eyes.
c. They judged themselves by their own standards. Therefore, they rebelled against the God given authority in their midst.
d. They resisted that Moses and Aaron should be anything more than they. It has been said that a characteristic of a defeated Christian life is that the individual thinks he/she is Holy enough.
e. In other words, in this state of defeat the individual Christian feels that he/she is as holy as he/she needs to be; and rebel against God’s appointed leadership.
f. Which God met, and always meets, with the most severe punishment of all. God opened up the ground and swallowed-up Korah, Abiram, and their households because of their rebellious attitude.
Move 4: Now, (my brothers and sisters) in our particular text, this afternoon, we find God’s Perception of Israel’s Duty and responsibility in The Promised Land.
a. After they had left behind their sins of hindrances (such as Doubting and
NOT Trusting God at His Word,
b. Murmuring and Complaining against His Blessings,
c. and rebelling against the Spiritual Leadership that He set-up).
**********************Take 5 Beats*****************
Move 5: Israel was told… WHEN YOU ARE PASSED OVER JORDAN INTO THE LAND OF CANAAN … drive out the natives, and destroy everything connected with THE CANAAN CULT that might hinder their dwelling in the Promised Land.
a. My brothers and sisters, the wilderness is a symbol which represents
our short comings:
b. Doubting when we should be trusting;
c. Murmuring and Complaining,…
d. because we don’t have matters under control as we would like - when (as believers) we should be grateful and thankful for what we have, and those that are in our lives;
e. and finally, rebelling against God’s appointed Spiritual Leadership, because he/she doesn’t look or sound like what we wanted – as if we know what’s best for us – more than God does.
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CELEBRATION: Likewise, Canaan is a symbol, which represents the Holy Spirit. A blessed state of increase: increase in knowledge, living and understanding God’s Word, and dwelling on this earth without allowing the enemy of our soul to hindered our spiritual progression. BECAUSE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT …
WE HAVE THE POWER TO … DRIVE-OUT all unwanted inhabitants … DRIVE-OUT lying, cheating, and backbiting … DRIVE-OUT slandering gossip … DRIVE-OUT ungodly conversations … DRIVE-OUT murmuring and complaining and all hindering spirits … Satan the Lord rebuke you … GET-OUT of here! I don’t want Jesus to punish me later for what you have me doing now … DRIVE-OUT!
