WEBVTT 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello and welcome to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:14.820 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.140 We're Startup Church. 00:00:16.260 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020, and at the Kalamazoo Church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:40.359 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:43.159 --> 00:00:52.479 This morning, we're going to look a little bit about like the culmination of all of these things and how they create a culture of people. 00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:55.520 You know, you guys know culture, we say it all the time. 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:56.780 This is on Google. 00:00:57.460 --> 00:00:59.820 Google is not good for everything, but it's good for some things. 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:07.000 But this culture is like this, this customs, and it's usually a unique language or a way of doing things. 00:01:07.140 --> 00:01:11.299 And this, this culture, we understand American culture. 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:14.640 And if you've been overseas, you'd understand there, they live in a different culture. 00:01:15.019 --> 00:01:21.640 And even if you had, if you even go to Canada, I was, I don't know who I was talking to about this, that you kind of look the same. 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:23.060 We talk a little bit different. 00:01:23.340 --> 00:01:24.519 The humor is a little bit different. 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:26.640 And it's, it's just not exactly the same, right? 00:01:28.340 --> 00:01:30.359 Certainly we understand this in the Midwest. 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:38.260 There's a unique Midwest culture that we are really like, you've heard of Midwest nice. 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:40.879 Midwest nice is great at times. 00:01:41.019 --> 00:01:44.519 Midwest nice also leads to a lot of passive aggression, right? 00:01:45.079 --> 00:01:49.680 When do I, how do I ask somebody to leave when they've overstayed their welcome in my home? 00:01:50.060 --> 00:01:51.260 I don't know. 00:01:53.379 --> 00:01:55.980 Well, it's been, it's been great to have you. 00:01:56.299 --> 00:01:58.319 You know, man, that's a little bit forward, isn't it? 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:05.260 There's a lot of other, there's a lot of great things about Midwest culture. 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:29.740 The finding a way to say goodbye without, you know, high fiving everybody and making you, that's a tough thing to do as you, as you grow in your connection to, you know, the church and his people, you'd understand saying goodbye in a, in a function where there's any more than 10 people is almost impossible because you just get caught up and you start talking and, and, and Bianca, Bianca doesn't, I do, I should say. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:42.520 There's also a culture like biologically, correct, and, and, and you think like a Petri dish and you put a culture of cells and those cells grow. 00:02:43.139 --> 00:02:44.780 You can, you add food and stuff. 00:02:44.819 --> 00:02:44.979 Yeah. 00:02:45.139 --> 00:02:46.919 I'm like, I think this is what happens. 00:02:46.979 --> 00:02:47.300 I don't know. 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:48.439 I wasn't good at that class. 00:02:50.659 --> 00:02:52.199 Petri dish is the right word though, I believe. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:58.580 You can, you can feed the culture like this, this group of cells and they grow. 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:00.580 You can give it some food and it'll grow. 00:03:00.659 --> 00:03:01.379 You can give it a lot of food. 00:03:01.419 --> 00:03:01.759 It'll grow. 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:06.159 You can, after a while you can kind of do nothing and depending on what it is, it kind of just grows. 00:03:06.219 --> 00:03:09.159 And I think our culture can, can be the same way. 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:10.340 Now work with me here. 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:15.080 Like our church culture in, in a lot of ways, it's, it's just going to grow. 00:03:15.080 --> 00:03:15.479 Right. 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:19.180 Um, and that's, that's a good thing. 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:23.680 That's also a scary thing if you're not focused on what, how am I, how am I growing this culture? 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:26.819 How am I, how am I being a part of what we're trying to build? 00:03:28.659 --> 00:03:29.500 Work with me here. 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:35.280 I don't think any church starts off opening the doors and is like, I just, let's be the weirdest church on the block. 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:41.360 Like let it, let's just do everything we can to ostracize ourself from the whole community. 00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:44.180 Let's just make sure they feel bad walking in. 00:03:44.180 --> 00:03:45.240 Let's not say hi to them. 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:46.360 Let's do that. 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:49.159 Let's, let's make sure that every joke is an inside joke. 00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:50.479 Let, you know, let's just do that. 00:03:50.979 --> 00:03:52.460 No church says that, right? 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:54.300 No church is like, I want to be manipulative. 00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:56.000 I want to turn people off to Jesus. 00:03:56.620 --> 00:04:03.840 No, no church says, I want to make people feel distanced from us when they show up and I want to make sure they know they're not wholly like us. 00:04:04.340 --> 00:04:05.979 No church, no church says that. 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:10.379 But maybe you've been in a church that that's acted that way. 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:13.840 I hope, I hope it's, I hope it's not this church. 00:04:15.959 --> 00:04:18.579 No one says it, but it happens and it happens. 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:21.180 I would put before you that you can look at church culture. 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:32.060 You can look at churches in general and if you have been able to identify, maybe you've been in the middle of one and then left and been like, man, that was a weird group of people or that was, the people can be weird. 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:34.620 I think the culture probably shouldn't be, it shouldn't be as weird. 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:44.399 Um, maybe you've left feeling like, I just, I didn't, I wasn't fed or I didn't feel connected or there was some, there was some weird taste in my mouth. 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:51.959 I can't put a finger on it and I'd put before you, it's because there was a lack of focus of Jesus being at the center. 00:04:52.079 --> 00:05:01.240 You can look at every, and that's what we're going to talk about this morning, but you can look at every church, every culture, uh, is every church culture and every like group of people. 00:05:01.339 --> 00:05:06.019 And if Jesus is not at the center, it's going to start being a little bit funky. 00:05:06.180 --> 00:05:09.459 Now Jesus is certainly, Oh, Jesus is a part of church. 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:09.779 Great. 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:10.279 Yeah, absolutely. 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:12.540 But if he's not the center, then we're going to get funky. 00:05:12.660 --> 00:05:15.600 And I, I want to, uh, I want to share that. 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:16.720 That's not only for this church. 00:05:16.759 --> 00:05:18.199 I want you to know that's for your family as well. 00:05:18.500 --> 00:05:19.819 Um, that's for your marriage as well. 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:21.000 That's for your relationship. 00:05:21.019 --> 00:05:21.660 I'm not married. 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:22.220 I don't have kids. 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:24.199 That's for all of your relationships as well. 00:05:24.279 --> 00:05:24.680 As well. 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:29.120 If Jesus isn't at the center, things are going to get funky from time to time. 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:37.339 I want to look at three, uh, three points of Jesus showing up in the book of numbers. 00:05:37.379 --> 00:05:39.019 You're like, Jesus only showed up in the new Testament. 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:39.579 I'm like, no, no, no. 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:40.000 We'll see. 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:45.540 There's three, uh, three moments that Jesus shows up in the old Testament and we're going to make sense of it for our lives. 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:45.720 Amen. 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:47.259 Here we go. 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.800 We're in numbers two in verse one. 00:05:49.800 --> 00:06:01.480 And it says, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, the Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banner of their family. 00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:03.819 Pause here. 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:11.139 We're not going to read all of the context behind this, but this tent of meeting is what we talked about last Sunday. 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:21.000 Like this, this tabernacle was at the center and, uh, the Israelites were taught in these, the different tribes to camp out and set up shop. 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:28.100 And then when this cloud moved, they would do the same, they would move as well to wherever the cloud rested. 00:06:28.699 --> 00:06:48.560 We don't know exactly what this camp looked like, but if we follow how it directed people in the Bible, like how it directed these people to organize, then it might've looked something like this, um, which is, you know, a cross if you guys are seeing, and these are all, again, all of the tribes in the middle is, is the tent. 00:06:49.040 --> 00:07:04.500 And, uh, it's possible that it looked like a cross, like the math on either side of like the two ends, there was about equal people, uh, on, I think it's the West if, uh, basically on the bottom, there was significantly more on the top, there was a little bit less. 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:10.240 And so perhaps Jesus showed up, uh, on, on the cross right here. 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:19.360 Uh, you know, we, and he said, camp under your standards, like camp under with your group of people under your standards. 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:24.399 You know, I think that the truth is that we camp, uh, under our standards as well, right? 00:07:25.560 --> 00:07:28.000 These standards, they're not inherently bad. 00:07:28.019 --> 00:07:28.899 Like you need standards. 00:07:28.899 --> 00:07:38.379 If you're going to, uh, have any friends at all, um, most of us needs to, I guess if you can find people with no standards and then coalesce with them, that's fine. 00:07:38.379 --> 00:07:42.620 But, you know, if you're going to be, if you're going to be a person like you need, you need standards. 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:48.199 And if you're going to be a group of people that is, they're trying to follow and love and serve God, then you need standards as well. 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:52.319 But our standards need to be Jesus's standards and they can't be more. 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:54.439 And they, they shouldn't be less work with me here. 00:07:55.939 --> 00:08:07.879 You know, you, again, you look at any, uh, any church and you look at when cultures get messed up and probably their standards are either way above what Jesus's standard is or their standard is way below what Jesus's is. 00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:12.639 Um, I think it can look like, you know, what, what, what is Jesus's standard? 00:08:12.779 --> 00:08:13.379 What do we want to do? 00:08:13.420 --> 00:08:23.779 Well, what I see in the Bible is I look at Jesus and I see somebody who everybody wanted to, everybody who had a soft heart, uh, wanted to be around him. 00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:29.339 I see somebody who, when, uh, like the worst of the worst were looked down upon, he was like, come on in. 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:34.000 And I see somebody who wasn't really scared to talk to the top of the top. 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:39.178 You think about the rich young ruler and how, man, this spiritual guy, and he says, you, you lack one thing. 00:08:39.558 --> 00:08:44.139 And then you think of the poor of the poor and they flocked to him as well, and he was able to talk to all of them. 00:08:44.139 --> 00:08:57.679 And I see that, but then I see the people who consider themselves to be spiritual, considered themselves to be close to God, consider themselves to be worthy and looked down on these two groups of people. 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:00.120 I see Jesus going head to head with those guys too. 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:00.460 Right? 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:05.320 And so what we are trying to build and we're not perfect and we're never going to be perfect. 00:09:05.659 --> 00:09:10.860 We're trying to build a group that everybody feels like I should be able to like everybody on the street. 00:09:10.899 --> 00:09:22.419 It doesn't matter your nationality, your, your gender, your, uh, your socioeconomic, none of that, your age, you should be able to come in and feel like, okay, these, these people are different, but I'm cool with it. 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:24.659 Like they, they really, they really like me. 00:09:24.659 --> 00:09:34.500 Um, but anybody who says, I want to be a Christian, like I want to be a follower of Christ, uh, then we need to hold them to the standard that Jesus holds people to in that case too. 00:09:35.659 --> 00:09:36.440 Can't be more. 00:09:36.580 --> 00:09:38.159 And we can get weird, man. 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:39.039 If we're like, you know what? 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:41.980 Everybody can come on in, just do your thing. 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:43.100 We don't want to be that. 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:44.840 Uh, that, that's not what I see in the Bible. 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:52.480 It is what I see in some churches and we don't want to be somebody that says you've got to be perfect before you come on in to the faith because that's, that's messed up as well. 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:52.700 Amen. 00:09:56.809 --> 00:09:59.809 The second thing that I want to look at is the rock of Christ. 00:10:00.090 --> 00:10:01.809 Uh, this is the second sighting. 00:10:01.850 --> 00:10:05.009 If you're, you're with me here, it's in numbers 20 now. 00:10:08.309 --> 00:10:11.169 I'm going to read a little bit more, but right up here is kind of six through 12. 00:10:11.230 --> 00:10:13.730 I'll read a little bit of context on either on either end of it. 00:10:13.730 --> 00:10:19.730 It says, now there was no water for the community and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 00:10:20.230 --> 00:10:24.889 They quarreled with Moses and said, if only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord. 00:10:25.490 --> 00:10:30.710 Why'd you bring the Lord's community into this wilderness that we and our livestock should die here? 00:10:31.230 --> 00:10:34.789 Why'd you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? 00:10:35.149 --> 00:10:40.330 It has no grain or figs or grapevines or pomegranates and there's no water to drink. 00:10:42.730 --> 00:10:52.370 Moses and Aaron went to the assembly, went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell face down and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 00:10:52.370 --> 00:11:05.210 The Lord said to Moses, take your staff and you and your brother Aaron, gather the assembly together, speak to the, to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. 00:11:06.090 --> 00:11:11.470 You will bring water out of the rock for the community so that they and their livestock can drink. 00:11:12.909 --> 00:11:18.230 So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence just as he commanded him. 00:11:18.230 --> 00:11:27.990 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock? 00:11:28.929 --> 00:11:39.029 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the ground twice with his staff, struck the rock twice with his staff, water gushed out in the community and their livestock drank. 00:11:39.870 --> 00:11:48.909 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them. 00:11:49.769 --> 00:11:55.950 These were the waters of Meribah where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them. 00:11:56.090 --> 00:11:56.690 Pause here. 00:11:58.870 --> 00:12:01.350 Their culture that they're building, it's not going great right now. 00:12:02.110 --> 00:12:11.690 They were captive, they were in slavery and they're like, it would have been better if we would have just died with the other unspiritual people, like we would have, it would have been much better. 00:12:11.750 --> 00:12:13.269 Like we don't even got pomegranates here. 00:12:13.269 --> 00:12:20.389 Uh, you, you, you see the lack of gratitude and Moses maybe understandably is frustrated and it's like, we got to talk to God. 00:12:20.389 --> 00:12:25.970 Like I bring in my, my brother, he's like my spokesperson, we're going to go and we're going to talk to God and he's going to solve this. 00:12:27.370 --> 00:12:30.090 And what does God, what does God tell him to go do then? 00:12:31.789 --> 00:12:36.309 He says, speak to the rock and water's going to come out. 00:12:37.149 --> 00:12:37.990 That's that's amazing. 00:12:37.990 --> 00:12:38.830 I mean, that's amazing. 00:12:40.389 --> 00:12:48.350 Moses goes and he speaks to the people and he says, he calls them rebels and you see the frustration perhaps in his voice. 00:12:48.429 --> 00:12:49.269 He calls them rebels. 00:12:49.750 --> 00:12:52.710 Uh, and he says, how much longer, uh, you know, we are going to do this. 00:12:52.710 --> 00:12:53.970 And he's like, he's frustrated. 00:12:54.309 --> 00:12:56.230 And then he strikes the rock twice. 00:12:56.809 --> 00:12:59.870 And this is not what, what, what God told him to do. 00:12:59.929 --> 00:13:02.809 You know, it sounds again, we read it and we're like, Oh, he, he did pretty good. 00:13:02.850 --> 00:13:03.870 He did almost good. 00:13:03.870 --> 00:13:08.090 He, he kind of followed, uh, but kind of following is not following. 00:13:08.350 --> 00:13:08.870 Oh, right. 00:13:09.710 --> 00:13:10.110 Yeah. 00:13:10.210 --> 00:13:20.820 You know, if you, if you have kids, you'd understand that, uh, kind of listening is not listening for us though. 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:21.500 Kind of listening. 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:22.259 Isn't listening either. 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:25.320 I remember when I was, uh, I was a sophomore in college. 00:13:25.740 --> 00:13:30.240 I was, I was opening the Bible, studying the Bible with one of my, one of my friends that I had met. 00:13:30.620 --> 00:13:32.480 And, uh, well, I wasn't really studying with him. 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:34.779 I just brought him out and my campus minister was studying with him. 00:13:35.580 --> 00:13:40.059 And, and I remember him asking me, my campus minister, he gave me this direction. 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:46.500 He was like, Hey, go ahead and ask Steve if he, uh, would want to come out to this one event or something like that. 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:47.940 He said, Hey, we asked him if he wants to come out. 00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:51.259 And so I had every intention to ask Steve if he wants to come to this event. 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:52.220 Cause I knew it was a good event. 00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:57.320 It was an event that like, you know, it was a spiritual, spiritual focus, but there was a little bit of sacrifice involved. 00:13:57.320 --> 00:14:02.279 So I, I went up to Steve and I was like, Steve, dude, uh, how's your week going? 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:05.600 And he was an engineer and he just, or an engineering student. 00:14:05.659 --> 00:14:09.620 And he just talked, talked to me about all this stuff that he had going on throughout the week. 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:12.779 And he said, man, I'm, I got this test on Wednesday and the event was on Tuesday. 00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:19.059 I got this test on Wednesday that I'm studying for and I got this and I got this and he went down the list and I was like, you know, that's a lot of stuff. 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:22.019 Um, he's got a lot going on. 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:27.399 And so I decided I was like, I'm not going to ask Steve if he wants to show up on Tuesday because he's a test on Wednesday. 00:14:27.399 --> 00:14:28.259 Like it's a lot for him. 00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:29.679 I don't want to be over, I don't want to overwhelm him. 00:14:30.039 --> 00:14:35.480 And I remember then I met with my campus minister and he said, Hey dude, um, did, did you ask Steve? 00:14:35.580 --> 00:14:36.340 What did Steve say? 00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:39.480 And I said, you know, Steve was pretty busy. 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:45.139 And he said, okay, but did he tell you that he was busy or, and he said, no, he said he was busy. 00:14:45.419 --> 00:14:50.159 Um, I, then, then he asked, like he kind of prodded and I was like, this is going downhill because now I'm like talking around. 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:54.440 And then he said, did you ask Steve to come to Tuesday's event? 00:14:55.500 --> 00:14:58.960 And I said, you know, uh, I didn't ask Steve to come to Tuesday's event. 00:14:59.419 --> 00:15:03.840 And I, I listened a little bit, but I didn't listen all the way. 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:12.120 And he, and I remember Dwayne sharing with me, uh, he was, he just shared like, Hey, you just, you missed, basically you didn't give Steve the opportunity to show his faith. 00:15:12.419 --> 00:15:14.320 Like if Steve shows up, it's because he loves God. 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:15.580 Not because he cares about you. 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:16.019 Trust me. 00:15:16.019 --> 00:15:18.259 Like he doesn't, it's more because he loves God. 00:15:18.259 --> 00:15:20.740 Like, but you gave him that opportunity. 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:27.059 There was an opportunity there that you didn't afford him a chance to grow and show his faith to, uh, to God. 00:15:27.580 --> 00:15:35.779 And I remember just feeling like at the time it was like, this is transformative because I don't got to feel bad about asking for people, uh, to do stuff. 00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:38.860 As long as I frame it, like I'm not trying to manipulate you, but this is for God. 00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:44.539 Um, but listening a little bit of the way, isn't listening all the way. 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:51.559 And, and it's, it's really sad because the reason why Moses isn't able to go in the promised land is because he didn't listen all of the way. 00:15:53.019 --> 00:16:00.779 Um, there's something else here, uh, that I don't know what we're going to do with, but it's, it's in first Corinthians 10 and a, you can just, you can just reference it. 00:16:00.820 --> 00:16:05.460 It's this is now Paul talking about, uh, talking about what, what happened here. 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:14.360 It says, for I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact that brothers and sisters that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:18.460 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:25.700 They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them. 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:27.639 And that rock was Christ. 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:30.679 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. 00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:32.620 Their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:36.639 Yo, Moses just hit Jesus. 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:42.320 Yeah. 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:43.179 That was disrespectful. 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:53.279 He like, like, I don't, I mean, I don't, again, I don't know what we're doing with it, but, but he said the rock is Christ, you know, Jesus is described as a rock and he describes himself as a rock. 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.580 Uh, and he describes, um, other people describe him as a rock all over. 00:16:57.659 --> 00:17:05.180 Peter talks about Jesus as being, uh, this, this rock and, uh, and Paul talks about Jesus as being a rock as well. 00:17:05.618 --> 00:17:12.519 Um, he's, he's called in multiple places, but he identifies himself. 00:17:12.578 --> 00:17:18.660 And then later Paul calls them like the chief cornerstone, like this is the rock that has to be in place. 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:23.480 If everything else is going to work and if this rock is not in place, nothing else is going to work. 00:17:23.480 --> 00:17:26.019 And it might look good for a time, but it will never last. 00:17:26.118 --> 00:17:30.700 And this is what, who Jesus identifies as being and who Paul says, this is who you are. 00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:31.779 You are this rock. 00:17:35.619 --> 00:17:48.000 You know, the, the truth of the matters, either Jesus is the rock that we build our life on, or he's just going to be this stumbling block and he's going to be a rock, but it'd be a rock that we stub our toe on all of the time. 00:17:49.420 --> 00:18:03.039 Uh, you've, you perhaps you're in the spot now, but if you're not, then perhaps you've been in the spot of feeling, I appreciate Jerry sharing your, there's one foot in and there's one foot out and I know the right thing, but I can't make myself do it. 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:15.119 And it's so tough and this is, it's so stressful to try to live for God, but it's stressful when I don't live for God because I know what I should be doing and you're, you're battling between two, uh, competing, uh, competing values. 00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:18.019 And this is perhaps what stubbing your foot looks like. 00:18:18.019 --> 00:18:24.519 I remember living so much of my life, uh, especially early part of my Christianity, just stubbing my foot. 00:18:24.599 --> 00:18:26.160 Like nothing seemed to go well. 00:18:26.259 --> 00:18:34.700 It just, it kind of hurt and I'd feel good at times like I missed the rock, but because Jesus wasn't, uh, I wasn't building my life on Jesus. 00:18:34.819 --> 00:18:40.480 I was building my life on some of his truths or some of what people said, or perhaps the culture of the church that I grew up in. 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:41.720 It just didn't last. 00:18:43.789 --> 00:19:04.750 This is the last thing that we'll, we'll look at the healing of Christ says in, in numbers 21, it says they traveled from Mount, uh, along the route to the Red Sea to go around Edom, but the people grew impatient on the way they spoke against God and against Moses and said, why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? 00:19:04.910 --> 00:19:05.750 Man, I say that a lot. 00:19:05.829 --> 00:19:09.970 There is no bread, there is no water and we detest this miserable food. 00:19:10.410 --> 00:19:13.490 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them. 00:19:13.569 --> 00:19:16.369 They bit the people and many Israelites died. 00:19:17.269 --> 00:19:24.970 The people came to Moses and said, we have sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us. 00:19:25.349 --> 00:19:27.049 So Moses prayed for the people. 00:19:28.109 --> 00:19:31.109 The Lord said to Moses, make a snake and put it on a pole. 00:19:31.250 --> 00:19:33.450 Anyone who was bitten can look at it and live. 00:19:33.650 --> 00:19:36.609 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. 00:19:37.029 --> 00:19:43.029 Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived again. 00:19:43.089 --> 00:19:44.430 Think about these people. 00:19:44.430 --> 00:19:49.930 They are given water from a rock, there is food that comes up. 00:19:50.150 --> 00:19:58.369 They have what they need, perhaps they don't have what they want and it involves trusting God every step of the way and they are complaining. 00:19:58.509 --> 00:20:11.269 You get one person complaining, we can manage it, but then you get a couple of people and hundreds of thousands of people and everybody is complaining, they are going to Moses and then God is holy and he sends these poisonous snakes. 00:20:11.470 --> 00:20:11.730 Why? 00:20:11.730 --> 00:20:16.329 I am not positive, but I think it points to them needing to trust him. 00:20:16.990 --> 00:20:23.089 He brings these poisonous snakes, then they get bit and then the people have some kind of repentance. 00:20:23.349 --> 00:20:27.750 Like, just, we should not have said what we said, please take this away. 00:20:28.109 --> 00:20:33.009 And instead of taking the snakes away, he gives them a way out of being bitten by snakes. 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:39.799 It would make sense if our God should take the snakes away. 00:20:39.900 --> 00:20:41.980 They try to repent, they want to follow him. 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:43.059 Take the snakes away. 00:20:43.059 --> 00:20:44.680 But God does not take the snakes away. 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:50.839 He says, the snakes are going to stay, but when you get bitten, there is going to be a way out of dying. 00:20:54.789 --> 00:21:06.809 And what is really amazing is this passage is connected to Jesus in probably the most popular scripture, or little bit of scripture, at least in America. 00:21:07.609 --> 00:21:11.150 And what would you guys say is the most popular scripture in America? 00:21:11.930 --> 00:21:13.410 John 3.16. John 3.16, exactly. 00:21:13.410 --> 00:21:16.549 Do you know what happens right before John 3.16 or what it's talked about? 00:21:16.730 --> 00:21:18.170 And we're going to learn right here. 00:21:18.230 --> 00:21:22.210 It says, this is John 3.16, or John 3 starting in verse 13. 00:21:22.470 --> 00:21:26.809 No one has ever gone into heaven except the son who came from heaven, the son of man. 00:21:27.210 --> 00:21:35.170 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the son of man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. 00:21:35.890 --> 00:21:42.309 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 00:21:42.609 --> 00:21:47.170 For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:56.559 So this connection is made, that there's, the snakes are not going to be removed, just like they weren't removed in the wilderness. 00:21:57.019 --> 00:22:04.819 But Jesus being lifted up, perhaps in that moment they didn't understand, what we'd understand now is being lifted up on a cross. 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:11.960 And so they were able to look at the snake on a pole and be healed. 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:16.240 We're able to tap in and lock into Jesus on a cross and to be healed as well. 00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:23.539 So it begs the question, like, what is biting you right now? 00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:27.680 What sin is nipping at your heels that's right there? 00:22:31.299 --> 00:22:36.000 When you get bitten, we've all been bitten, we all will get bitten. 00:22:36.180 --> 00:22:45.700 When you get bitten and you get discouraged or you mess up, maybe it's, maybe you decide that I'm going to walk amongst the snakes, maybe some snakes just come up and bite you. 00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:47.759 Where do you go to for healing? 00:22:51.960 --> 00:22:56.140 Jesus is saying, I'm the one that's going to heal you, come to me for healing. 00:22:56.980 --> 00:23:03.460 Don't go to the world, don't go to addiction, don't go anywhere there, come to me and I will heal you. 00:23:03.500 --> 00:23:04.519 That's a promise of his. 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:17.279 We want to be people who can lead people to Jesus when they're in the middle of being bitten or when they're on the way to get bitten. 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:19.640 We want to, this is, how are we building our cult? 00:23:19.720 --> 00:23:21.039 Well, we want to, that's exactly why. 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:26.500 People should be able to come in and feel like, man, these are the people that are going to help me to get right with God. 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:29.299 If we're doing that, then we're doing our jobs, amen? 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:43.559 We're closing out then and ending our series and we're going to look in the coming weeks at this promised land then and what comes of it. 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:58.119 But I want to read in Deuteronomy 30, that right now these people, they're on the brink of the promised land and they're seeing, and Moses knows that he's going to die before he gets there. 00:23:58.140 --> 00:24:02.799 He's not going to be able to see this promised land, or he's going to see it, but he's not going to be able to live inside of it. 00:24:05.339 --> 00:24:14.890 It says in Deuteronomy 30, now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 00:24:14.990 --> 00:24:30.829 It is not up in the heaven so that you have to ask who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey, nor is it beyond the sea so that you have to ask who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey. 00:24:31.109 --> 00:24:33.730 No, the word is very near you. 00:24:34.049 --> 00:24:36.710 It is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 00:24:37.190 --> 00:24:51.950 See I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction, for I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees, and laws. 00:24:52.730 --> 00:24:59.769 Then you will live and increase and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 00:25:02.069 --> 00:25:16.529 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. 00:25:16.970 --> 00:25:20.490 You will not live long in the land you are crossing to Jordan to enter and possess. 00:25:21.369 --> 00:25:28.829 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. 00:25:29.630 --> 00:25:37.670 Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. 00:25:38.150 --> 00:25:45.769 For the Lord is your life and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:25:49.460 --> 00:25:52.160 Family, it's always our choice. 00:25:52.420 --> 00:26:05.019 What are we building as a church, but what are you building in your family, what are you building in your marriage, what are you building in your friendships, what are you building as a parent, what are you building as a grandparent, or as a cousin, or as a relative? 00:26:05.640 --> 00:26:14.599 It's always a choice and there's great blessings if we choose to follow, but there is also a consequence if we choose not to follow. 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:22.200 Let's be those who decide to allow ourselves, find we're going to be bitten, let's look to God. 00:26:22.339 --> 00:26:29.859 Let's allow ourselves when we want to complain and we want to grumble, let's look to God and make sure that he is the chief cornerstone, amen? 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:32.420 Let's pray right now and then you guys will be dismissed. 00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:44.319 Dear God, Lord, we come to you and we are in awe of all of the grace that you've shown us, Lord. 00:26:44.339 --> 00:26:58.180 Even reading just a little bit in the wilderness and seeing how holy you are and seeing how perfect you are, and then seeing how gracious you are to allow us to be healed, Lord, to give us that opportunity. 00:26:58.940 --> 00:27:03.599 Lord, I am so grateful that you don't treat us like our sins deserve, Lord. 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:09.460 I'm grateful that you treat us according to our followership of your son, Jesus. 00:27:09.619 --> 00:27:16.319 I'm so grateful that you died on a cross for us, that you decided that we were worth it and that we were worthy. 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:22.920 Lord, I realize that there's no way that we can repay you and all you're asking is for us to give you everything, Father. 00:27:22.920 --> 00:27:27.960 I pray that we will do that today, this week, and then for the rest of our lives. 00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:29.319 Lord, we love you so much. 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:31.599 Jesus, this is in your name that we pray, amen. 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:36.740 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:40.400 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:48.019 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:50.640 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.