THIS IS GOOD
Text: Numbers 32 : 33
The children of Israel have come full circle.
They have been in the wilderness 40 years since leaving Egypt.
38 ½ years earlier they had stood at this place as children.
Now their parents generation was dead and they were the adults.
They were faced with the same scenario.
Go into the promise land and inherit it or not.
For some the choice was easy, but for the tribes of Rueben, Gad and half the tribe of Mannaseh they had other thoughts.
They kind of liked things where they were. Why go on?
The text shows that God’s Promised Land of Blessings was great, but
The land where they were was good enough.
God had a land for them, but Moses gave them this land east of Jordan.
They had come to the decision that: THIS IS GOOD
I. The land they desired was not what God had for them
A. God had promised them the land across the Jordan.
Ex. 6:8 And I will bring you unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham to Issac and Jacob; and I will give it you for an inheritance: I am the Lord.
B. But they were satisfied with what they had. (v 4-5)
C. We do not need to go on.
II. Moses confronts them
A. You want to stay here while your brothers go on and fight.
1. The rest will go on and you won’t go with them?
2. Why do you discourage them?
B. The history of the wilderness wandering given. (vv 8-13)
C. Now you are going to be responsible for destroying Israel.
1. If you don’t go on He will again leave them. (v 15)
2. Another generation? Maybe.
Rom. 1: 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
D. If you do not go you will have sinned against the Lord. (v 23)
1. And be sure your sins will find you out.
2. Sin always leads to destruction. ( Rom. 6:23)
III. They decide to go over Jordan with the others. (v 17)
A. Let us take care of thing here first so we can return.
B. We will stand with the others as they go.
1. We will fight beside them.
2. We will encourage them to go on.
C. But we are coming back to what we have now.
IV. The Nation of Israel moved on.
A. They inherited the land. All the blessings.
B. The change from the old land to the Promise Land.
C. But they did not remain faithful to the promise.
D. And they lost out.
Conclusion: Today we as the Church of God are Spiritual Israel.
God’s chosen people. And He has Promises for us.
But like the nation of Israel, we sometimes settle for 2nd best.
We don’t go on to the promised land of blessing.
We get content with where we are and say this land is good.
What God has is better.
We must stand with our Brothers and Sisters who want to go on.
We must fight with them the battles they will face.
God wants His Church to move on and not settle for less than He
Has promised those that are faithful.
As the land is conquered we must remain true to Him.
When the land is conquered we must remain true to Him.
Then if you want to go back to the other side of Jordan have at it.
I think I want to dwell in the Promises of God not just next to them.
