Disallow
Numbers 33:50 “And the Lord spake unto Moses in hthe plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, kWhen ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 52 Then ye shall ldrive out mall the inhabitants of the land from before you” [1]
I. Deliver
A. Wander
B. Wonder
II. Displace
A. Worry
B. Worship
III. Dislodge
A. Won’t
B. Will
Introduction: We, who are “getting up” as they say, often are content with coming to church to hear a familiar message from God’s Bible. We enjoy hearing and singing familiar hymns that take us to a comfortable place. This is why this place is called the sanctuary. It is a place where we should expect to find comfort and safety as we learn more about God so that we can praise Him and honor Him with our lives. It is a place of quiet rest as the old hymn goes.
Does it mean that we are to retire when we believe we are close to the horizon? This morning we will consider more of what Moses instructed those who would continue into the Promised Land. The scripture always contains more messages each time we read if we will only hear and be willing to listen. The message title is “Disallow.” Moses was careful to instruct the Israelites what they would encounter when they crossed the Jordan. Some forty years earlier, the expedition reported with mixed messages about what they saw. The mob decided to disallow going across. There were things across the Jordan that would need to be overcome.
Today we are crossing our Jordan right. People are returning to a place that they have been kept away from for over two years. What do we do? How do we act? Who can we hear the truth from?
Moses was there when they were afraid and did what the others wrongly told them. They listened and lost an entire generation. Moses could have sat quietly by and said something like Rachael’s Uncle Frank told me. You remember him? Uncle Frank said something to the effect, “Well I’m about to leave this mess behind. I feel sorry that ya’ll are going to have to deal with it but for me it’s just about over.” Moses could have done that but Moses did not do that.
Let’s examine the first few words of our text for today which is Numbers 33:50-52. Numbers 33:50-51a says this, “50 And the Lord spake unto Moses in hthe plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 51 Speak unto the children of Israel,” [2]
Dr. Kenneth Ridings used to say, “ya’ll got that little truth for free.” The first part of this message is we all still have something left here to do if we are left here for now. The message to the Israelites and us will come later in this morning's sermon. Dr. Kenneth Ridings was the president of the Bible College where I finally finished. He was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s when He called and asked if I would return to Fruitland to serve on the board of directors for the next four years after his calling me. Kenneth could have also said, “ya’ll got this” but he didn’t either. God had more to do.
So that was the mini-message this morning. It doesn’t matter what you know is coming God has more for you to do. God has someone else for you to tell His Message to and He will speak through you. We might all be “getting up” but we are never to give up until God says come home. The Israelites would indeed meet obstacles and all sorts of temptations when they crossed over but they did cross over to a place that still belongs to them.
We must never stop telling of that promised place and what following Jesus will be like. We must always be ready to speak God’s truth when we hear Him. Others are going to places where we will not be allowed, but if they hear and follow what God teaches through us, we will be together some day.
Scripture: The scripture today is Numbers 33:50-52a. Please stand if you’re able.
Prayer: Let us pray. Be seated.
Message: Death is an angel sent down from above. As I was listening for this message the old familiar words from “The Master’s Bouquet” kept ringing in my ears. It is an old Bluegrass Song that to some is hard to hear. For us who have known true saints that have crossed the divide the words are a blessing.
The Israelites had been delivered from bondage into the wilderness and they were afraid to pass on. Death is one of the most fearful things that most people will face. Crossing into the unknown is scary unless you believe in the One who is taking you across. They had been led out of Egypt and they went from place to place mostly arguing and murmuring against God and the one who was leading them. They heard of the wonder of the place from the two who had faith but they wondered what would happen to them so they decided as a group to turn back.
On the TCT show “Ask the Pastor” the other day, the thing about “once saved always saved” came up again. The four guys stumbled with their answers and pretty much discounted the idea as untrue. This is my take on it as a Southern Baptist raised and SBC educated guy.
You must have the Holy Spirit to indwell you for the Holy Spirit to seal you. That is a Biblical fact. The hard fact is that when most people decide to accept Jesus as The Savior they are not willing to give Him themselves. They don’t allow Jesus to be Lord. They don’t receive The Holy Spirit so they are not sealed thus they are not truly saved because they have not driven out the will to sin in their lives that they have decided to keep. Once they have truly decided to give their whole life to Jesus as Lord; then they are saved and sealed. Romans 8:33 "Who shall elay any thing to the charge of fGod’s elect? gIt is God that justifieth. 34 ghWho is he that condemneth? It is Christ that bidied, yea rather, that is risen again, jwho is even at the right hand of God, who also kmaketh intercession for us. 35 lWho shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall mtribulation, or mdistress, or mmpersecution, or famine, or nnakedness, or peril, or sword? [3]
Does this mean that they cannot backslide and give back the free gift of salvation? There is that little hypothetical verse in Hebrews 6:4-8, 4 “For lit is mimpossible for those who were once nenlightened, and have tasted of othe heavenly gift, and pwere made partakers of sthe Holy Ghost, 5 And qhave tasted rthe good word of God, and sthe powers of tthe world to come, 6 If they shall ttfall away, to renew them again uunto repentance; vseeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and wput him to an open shame. 7 For the earth xwhich drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs ymeet zfor them ||by whom it is dressed, xreceiveth blessing from God: 8 But athat which beareth thorns and briers is brejected, and is bbnigh unto ccursing; ccwhose end is to be burned” [4]
This letter to the early Jewish Christians explained that God’s sovereignty and man’s free will work together. Hypothetically then it is nearly impossible for a person to renege on their promise. Consider again Hebrews 6:6. If a person were to really fall away then there is no returning from that and the person is most assuredly lost. That is a really big IF. We must read on though because there is that other great big little word BUT.
Hebrews 6:9-12, 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded dbetter things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 10 ddFor eGod is not unrighteous fto forget your work and fglabour of love, which hye have shewed toward his name, in that iye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you do hshew the same kdiligence to lthe full assurance of mhope unto the end: 12 That ye be not nslothful, but nnfollowers of them who through faith and patience inherit opthe promises. [5]
So back to our focal text for today, if the Israelites would have driven out the sinful people who might influence them in the wrong way, they would not have had a need to worry. God allowed the Israelites to displace those people because those other people had defiled the land and themselves. The sinful nature of those displaced people would allow their worry to return and before they knew what hit them the Israelites would be unable to worship God again. Pharaoh had done all He could to prevent them from worshipping God so God delivered them so that they would and could worship Him. That’s what we do!
God wants worry out of your life. Worry and worship never co-exist. They can’t! If you won’t dislodge worry and the affection of other things and other people who don’t believe, you will not feel the contentment that is available to you when you finally pass over the guilt of sin that you have been carrying in your wilderness.
So the last bullet in the outline is “will.” Man’s will is never God’s will until man decides to let go of himself. Once a person has decided to take that necessary walk across the river the decision time is not over. Can a person backslide? Yes! Are you lost when you backslide so that Jesus has to die on another cross for you? No! If God has allowed you to backslide for a season to hone your faith into a sharper faith that can cut through the garbage of this world, He will still be there when you get through again. The question then is will.
Do you want to continue the things that you are doing even to your own destruction, or are you willing to finally cross over and walk with Jesus? The water might get a little deep but God is always there to hold you up. That is if you are willing and don’t give up like Simon Peter did.
Prayer: Let us pray
Invitation: The invitation this morning is twofold. First, Moses knew for a fact that he would not cross over the Jordan with those whom he had delivered from their bondage. His insurrection of striking the rock was like the last straw for God. There had been other times that Moses showed apprehension against doing what God told him to do. Aaron became the priest because Moses argued with God about his ability to speak in public. Even with all the knowledge Moses had that he would miss the boat so to speak and stay on the wrong side of the river, Moses still preached what God had for him to say to those who would continue.
We must all be encouraged to remember who was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Elijah was there with Moses. Moses was sealed into that place where he would never be separated from the love of God.
The second part of this invitation; you will not be able to be in God’s will unless you are willing to be delivered. Yes there are going to be people and things that will influence you when you decide to know Jesus as Lord. The choice to put those things and yes often those people out of you field of influence. If you are not willing to do that then you will never truly be whole.
Does that mean that we are to throw people away? Absolutely not! Remember, God was ready to take them away from Moses but Moses persuaded God on behalf of those that murmured against him and God. We never throw people away. We intercede through prayer. But we must not be influenced away from God. Never! What happens otherwise?
Numbers 33:55” But if ye will not ldrive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks qin your eyes, and qthorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. 56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.” [6]
That is your free will. There it is. Either follow His will for your life and not the will of others who don’t follow Him or stay in the wilderness. That part is up to you. The altar is here to pray for those whom you love as you pray for God’s strength to endure whatever life throws your way.
It’s up to you. It’s always been up to you. That cannot be blamed on anybody else. Please ask Him into that dark recess that you have been hanging onto for too long.
A promise from Paul’s letter to the Romans… Romans 8:38 “For I am persuaded, that neither ldeath, nor life, nor rangels, nor sprincipalities, nor stpowers, nor things uwpresent, nor things uto come, 39 Nor xheight, nor xdepth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from ythe love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [7]
Saved, Saved; in the name of Jesus Saved! Consider and respond to Him as we sing…
h See ch. 22:1.
k Deut. 9:1. Comp. Josh. 3:17.
l ch. 32:21. See Ex. 15:9.
m Ex. 23:24, 33. & 34:13. Deut. 7:2, 5. & 12:3. Comp. Josh. 11:12. Judg. 2:2.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Nu 33:50–52). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
h See ch. 22:1.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Nu 33:50–51). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
e Wisd. 12:12. See Acts 19:38.
f See Luke 18:7. Comp. ch. 16:13.
g Isai. 50:8, 9. Comp. Rev. 12:10, 11.
g Isai. 50:8, 9. Comp. Rev. 12:10, 11.
h So ver. 1. See Ps. 37:33.
b See ch. 4:25.
i ch. 14:9.
j Mark 16:19. See Ps. 110:1.
k ver. 27. Heb. 7:25. So 1 Tim. 2:5. Heb. 9:24. 1 John 2:1.
l Comp. Cant. 8:6.
m 2 Esdr. 16:19. Esther 11:8. Wisd. 5:3. See ch. 2:9.
m 2 Esdr. 16:19. Esther 11:8. Wisd. 5:3. See ch. 2:9.
mm See 2 Cor. 12:10.
n See 1 Cor. 4:11.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ro 8:33–35). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
l See Matt. 12:31, 45. So ch. 10:26.
m Comp. Matt. 19:26. Mark 10:27. Luke 18:27.
n ch. 10:32 (Gk.). So Eph. 1:18. Comp. John 1:9.
o So John 4:10. & 6:32. Eph. 2:8.
p See Gal. 3:2. So ch. 2:4.
s Gal. 3:5 (Gk.).
q Ps. 34:8. 1 Pet. 2:3.
r See Eph. 6:17.
s Gal. 3:5 (Gk.).
t So ch. 2:5.
tt See Wisd. 6:9.
u Comp. ch. 12:17.
v So ch. 10:29.
w Esther 14:11. Matt. 1:19 in the Gk.
x Ps. 65:10.
y Hist. of Susanna 15. Luke 9:62 in the Gk.
z So 2 Tim. 2:6.
|| Or, for. See ch. 2:9.
x Ps. 65:10.
a Isai. 5:6.
b See 1 Cor. 9:27.
bb So ch. 8:13 (Gk.).
c So Jer. 44:22. Comp. Gen. 3:17.
cc So Isai. 27:11. Ezek. 15:4. Mal. 4:1. John 15:6.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 6:4–8). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
d See ch. 7:19.
dd Prov. 19:17. Matt. 10:42. & 25:40. Mark 9:41. See Matt. 5:7.
e So Rom. 9:14. 2 Thess. 1:6, 7. ch. 13:16.
f 1 Thess. 1:3. So Acts 10:4.
f 1 Thess. 1:3. So Acts 10:4.
g So 1 Cor. 16:16.
h 2 Cor. 8:24.
i Rom. 15:25. 2 Tim. 1:18. See Rom. 12:13. & 2 Cor. 8:4.
h 2 Cor. 8:24.
k See Rom. 12:8.
l ch. 10:22. See Col. 2:2.
m See ch. 3:6.
n ch. 5:11 (Gk.).
nn Comp. ch. 13:7.
o Comp. Gal. 3:18.
p So ver. 15. ch. 10:36.
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 6:9–12). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
l ch. 32:21. See Ex. 15:9.
q Josh. 23:13. Judg. 2:3. So Ps. 106:34, 36.
q Josh. 23:13. Judg. 2:3. So Ps. 106:34, 36.
[6] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Nu 33:55–56). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
l Comp. Cant. 8:6.
r See Matt. 18:10. Comp. Gal. 1:8.
s 1 Cor. 15:24. Eph. 1:21. & 3:10. & 6:12. Col. 1:16. & 2:10, 15. Comp. Luke 12:11 (Gk.). Tit. 3:1.
s 1 Cor. 15:24. Eph. 1:21. & 3:10. & 6:12. Col. 1:16. & 2:10, 15. Comp. Luke 12:11 (Gk.). Tit. 3:1.
t Song 39. 1 Pet. 3:22.
u 1 Cor. 3:22.
w 1 Cor. 7:26. Gal. 1:4. Heb. 9:9.
u 1 Cor. 3:22.
x Eph. 3:18. So Isai. 7:11 (Gk.).
x Eph. 3:18. So Isai. 7:11 (Gk.).
y ch. 5:8.
[7] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ro 8:38–39). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
