FOCUS SCRIPTURES: NUMBERS 13-14
Do you know that you can follow Jesus with your body but be totally disengaged in your heart and mind? I’ll prove it to you.
Matthew 15:8 the words of Jesus. (Read)
Do you also know that you can say all the right things -even do church things and not be in relationship with Jesus. The Bible calls those people scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites. Most people who have all the answers do so by rote but are not necessarily engaged to their answers. The same people shouting hosanna also cried crucify Him. Why do you suppose that is?
Disengagement with the One who fed them supernaturally, healed them and raised their dead. Enjoying the benefits without a commitment.
Most of the Israelites followed with their bodies, but were faithless in their approach towards God. They enjoyed their needs being met but as soon as they hit a bump in the road complaining and murmuring was plentiful.
Most of us are no different. Think about your life. How many times have we murmured against God? We prayed and the answer didn’t come at the time or the way we expected it to. I’ve learned in my short life on earth, that it’s impossible to show gratitude and complain at the same time.
I heard someone say: when you walk by faith the future is your friend every enemy is defeated.
Faith looks ahead with courage
Unbelief looks back with complaint
Faith unites the people of God unbelief looks for someone to blame
Not believing God is a dangerous position to take. Unbelief leads to rebellion. (1Samuel 15:23)
Faith brings life; unbelief brings death.
Rebellion led to intercession
Intercession led to pardon but God still judged their sin
Pardon led to presumption and impetuousness. Numbers 14:13-45
God will grant whatever you put your faith in. Words matter. Life and death is in the power of your tongue (proverbs 18:21)
The flesh will never accomplish what only faith can do. Numbers 14:44
Feeling badly about your sin is not the same as repentance. We’ve all felt badly about a decision and the consequence it brings or just sorry about being discovered, but true repentance accepts responsibility and makes restitution if required. It doesn’t make excuses or pretend that everything is well. I know from experience that you can’t push through guilt if indeed Jesus is your Lord. A seared conscience is death to the individual. If you keep piling one unconfessed sin upon another youre either prideful or foolish and either is death. Acknowledging your sin leads to forgiveness and restoration. The Israelites did not repent, instead they presumed that Moses’ intercession and God withholding His judgement gave them the right to just move on as if they hadn’t sinned.
Some of us need to learn to apologize. Restoration comes through acknowledgment of wrong done to another. The Bible teaches us not to let the sun go down on our wrath. And also to repent quickly when we walk with the one accusing us. Matthew 5:25 and Ephesians 4:26 whenever we willfully disobey God’s laws, He may be slow to anger and plenteous in mercy, as was demonstrated with Israel, but His judgment is sure for the unrepentant.
Don’t be stiff necked, it compounds your problem. God is faithful and just to forgive. 1 John 1:9. As a matter of fact “like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him,” Psalm 103:13.
We don’t need to hide or throw up our hands in frustration when we fail. Just turn around and run to Him, confessing your known sin. Sin is rebellion against what you know to do, but refuse to do so. Israel compounded their sin by blatantly refusing to repent. The Bible says don’t be like a mule who has to be controlled to do what is right Psalm 32:9. We have the Spirit of God on the inside of us.
Make up in your hearts and minds today to live a life free of rebellion. Then whatever the Holy Spirit reveals, go seek the Lord, and in your own words pour out your confession. Then walk in His rest and joy. John 8:36
“THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God,”
Hebrews 6:1
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
I’ve used a different format for this message. You’ll need to find the highlighted scriptures and read them to understand the lesson. We’re encouraged in 2 Timothy 2:15 to...yup. Go read it.