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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Hello everyone.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>This is Pastor Benjamin.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You're listening to Sermon Audio from New City, Orlando.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>At New City, we long to see our Father answer the Lord's Prayer.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>For more resources, visit our website at Newcity Orlando.com.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Please pray this prayer of illumination, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate our hearts with me.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Heavenly Father, we wish to see Jesus by your Spirit's power, give us eyes to see his glory.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Through Christ we pray.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Amen.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Today's scripture comes from Numbers 12.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Kushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.

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<v Sarah Bruner>And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?

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<v Sarah Bruner>Has he not spoken through us also?

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<v Sarah Bruner>And the Lord heard it.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Now the man Moses was very meek more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

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<v Sarah Bruner>And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.

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<v Sarah Bruner>And the three of them came out.

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<v Sarah Bruner>And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.

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<v Sarah Bruner>And he said, Hear my words.

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<v Sarah Bruner>If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision.

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<v Sarah Bruner>I speak with him in a dream.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Not so is my servant Moses.

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<v Sarah Bruner>He is faithful in all my house.

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<v Sarah Bruner>With him I speak mouth to mouth clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

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<v Sarah Bruner>And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.

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<v Sarah Bruner>When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow.

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<v Sarah Bruner>And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

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<v Sarah Bruner>And Aaron said to Moses, O my Lord, do not punish us, because we have done foolishly and have sinned.

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<v Sarah Bruner>Let her not be as one who is dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.

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<v Sarah Bruner>And Moses cried out to the Lord, Oh God, please heal her, please.

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<v Sarah Bruner>But the Lord said to Moses, If her father had spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days?

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<v Sarah Bruner>Let her be shut outside the camp camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.

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<v Sarah Bruner>So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again.

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<v Sarah Bruner>And after the after that the people set out from Hezarath and camped in the wilderness of Peran.

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<v Sarah Bruner>This is God's word.

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<v Sarah Bruner>You may be seated.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We've been walking through the book of Numbers this fall, and in the book of Numbers, Israel is on the move from Mount Sinai to Canaan, the promised land.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And the New Testament is the authoritative commentary on the Old Testament.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul tells us that what was written in the book of Numbers was written for our instruction.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Interestingly.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>So how does this instruct us?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, last week we saw in Numbers 11 that Moses, as he's leading the people of God in the wilderness, faced two challenges.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>This week in Numbers 12, we see that Moses faces one more challenge to his leadership, but this time it's personal.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so, how does this text instruct us?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I've got one point and one point only, and that is that the Lord defends his friends.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The Lord defends his friends.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Let's look at Numbers 12 together.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We're going to walk through this passage verse by verse.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>So if you have a Bible, a device to worship God, go ahead and get it out in front of you.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And look with me at Numbers chapter 12, verse 1.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Numbers 12, 1 says this Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Pause for a moment.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>In case you don't know, Miriam is Moses' sister.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Like in the movie, she's the one that follows the basket down the Nile.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's who we're talking about here.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And Aaron is Moses' brother.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>They've been ride together, died together since the burning bush.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>This is personal and it is painful when his own brother and sister are speaking against him.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But what's their beef?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>What's the problem?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look at verse 1 again.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It says this.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>What's going on here?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, twice the text repeats that Moses married a Cushite woman.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Cushites are descendants of Noah's grandson Cush, the son of Ham.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>They settled in East Africa.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The King James Version reads this it says, Ethiopian woman instead of Cushite.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>So let me make this plain.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Moses married an Ethiopian woman with black skin.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what the text is saying here.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Now, I don't believe Miriam and Aaron were being racist here.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That would be to read modern racial categories back into the text.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Those categories emerged in the 15th century.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It's not here in Moses' story.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But what is happening here?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, I do believe what is actually occurring is a form of xenophobia, a fear of strangers, of outsiders.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>This is why.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>When God led his people out of Egypt in Exodus 12, 38, it says that a mixed multitude came up with Israel.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>What does that mean?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, we see right there in the Exodus, the great act of redemption in the Hebrew Bible, that God's heart is for the nations.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, because along with Israelites, some Egyptians, some Midianites, and apparently some Kushites, Ethiopians, came up out of Exodus with Israel.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>God had a multi-ethnic family back in the day.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>This is really important because in this moment we saw in Numbers 11, verse 4, that there was a quote, rabble.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what the text says.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It was a group of people who caused the Lord to judge Israel.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so here's what I think is happening.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Many commentators connect that group of people causing the Lord to judge Israel by stirring up a strong craving, as it said, with this mixed multitude that came out of Egypt.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>So, to make that plain, in times of fear, human beings often live from their limbic systems.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>What do I mean?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I mean that, I mean, we moderns don't do this, right?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We wouldn't do that.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But but they did it back then, so we're we're exempt.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It's all right.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Um, because we've progressed, right?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>In times of fear, ethnocentrism and xenophobia increase.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It happened in ancient Israel, it happened in the fall of Rome, it happened in Germany in the 1930s, and it's happening today.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It's happening today.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>People make snap judgments, us versus them.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And one of the easiest ways to judge people is by their outward appearance.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Paul in 2 Corinthians 5 says it's he calls it judging people according to the flesh.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what is happening in this text.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Do they look like us, talk like us, walk like us?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>If not, fear stirs up and we begin to make divisive categories.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, that's what's happening here.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Miriam regards Moses and his wife according to the flesh, and that's always divisive.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Now, quick sidebar on interracial marriage because it's here in the text.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, in his book, From Every People and Nation, a Biblical Theology of Race, a scholar named J.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Daniel Hayes writes this quote, clearly God affirms Moses' marriage to this black woman.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Interracial intermarriage is strongly affirmed by Scripture.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Marrying unbelievers, on the other hand, is strongly prohibited.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Let me summarize that.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Biblically, we have more in common with Christians of a different ethnicity than with non-Christians of the same ethnicity.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Moses, the man of God, the figure who towers over everyone until Jesus Christ was married to a black woman, and the Lord defends it in this text.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It baffles me how racist readings of Scripture live on for so long in church history.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But it also sobers me for what we're missing today and justifying it to ourselves.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Lord, have mercy.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But it's not only ethnocentrism that's happening here, it's not only ethnocentricity, but also envy in the hearts of Miriam and Aaron.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look at verse 2 with me.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It says this.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Has he not spoken through us also?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>There's a pastor named Craig Groschel who says, Envy is when you resent God's goodness in other people's lives and ignore God's goodness in your own life.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, Miriam and Aaron had their own amazing callings.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Miriam was a prophetess, a poet, and a musician, a leader of the spirit-filled women in Exodus 15.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Aaron was the first high priest and therefore the supreme religious leader and the most holy man in Israel.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But it wasn't enough because for envy it's never enough.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, when we judge others according to the flesh, we begin to rank ourselves against others.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Now I'm not sure that this really had much to do with Big Mo's wife.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I think actually what was going on was they were playing a comparison game.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>When you're bested by someone, and so you compare their weaknesses with your own strengths.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Like I've been playing ball before and gotten crossed by somebody and thought, at least I'm more godly than they are.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I mean, I used to do that.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I used to do that.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I'm sanctified now.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Doesn't happen anymore.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Some of y'all are laughing because either you're in that category or you're lying.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Okay.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>What happens here is that life, when we judge others according to the flesh, life becomes a zero-sum game.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We get into competitive comparison with others.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But listen to me, the Lord doesn't want you to demean your own uniqueness by envying others.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what's happening with Miriam and Aaron.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's why the best antidote to envy is a deep and settled conviction that the Lord is both great and near.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He is great and near.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's why verse 2 ends with these words here.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It says this, and the Lord heard it.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>They weren't talking to the Lord, the Lord was eavesdropping.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Have you ever been talking about someone and then realized that they were in the room the whole time?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Like you don't even have to be talking trash, but something happens, something changes in the room, right?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The conviction that God is great means that he is in control over all things.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And the conviction that God is near means that he is involved in the details.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's the antidote to envy.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That belief is the root remedy to envy.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And it's called meekness in Scripture.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look at verse 3 with me.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the people who were on the face of the earth until he wrote that sentence.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Just kidding.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I think actually what's happening here is Moses' disciple, Joshua, is writing some editorial comments into Moses' text, just like the death of Moses is recorded at the end of Deuteronomy.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's kind of hard to do posthumously.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so the question is why put that comment here in the passage?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It actually interrupts the flow of the narrative to put verse 3 in there.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, because I think meekness is the opposite of envy.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We just preached through Psalm 37 this summer.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Go back and look.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It's very clear in the text meekness is the opposite of envy.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And Moses is a model of meekness here.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The rapper KB said it like this: if you think being meek is weak, try being meek for a week.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>In our cultural moment, we equate meekness with weakness, and it causes a problem because Jesus intends for meekness to be a characteristic that defines his people.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so, what does it mean to be meek?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Meekness is love-constrained power.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It's not weakness, it's power that's actually constrained, hemmed in by a greater use of that power, which is to love.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And that's what we see.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Moses is being attacked and he doesn't defend himself.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look closely at the text.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He never defends himself.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Why?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>How?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, because meekness trusts that the Lord defends his friends.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what meekness believes.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And Moses told Israel in Exodus 14, 14, a famous text, he says this the Lord will fight for you, you have only to be silent.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And now, when it's not public and political, it's actually deeply painful and personal.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He practices what he preaches.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, Moses doesn't say anything in our text until verse 13.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He knows the Lord will fight for him.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He has only to be silent.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so sometimes the Lord seems slow to defend his friends, but not here.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The Lord is sudden.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look at verse 4.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam, Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And the three of them came out, and the Lord came down.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, the Lord descends to defend his friends.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look at verse 5.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting and called Aaron and Miriam.

00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:03.919
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And they both came forward and he said, Hear my words.

00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:10.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>There's a poetic irony here because Miriam and Aaron claim that the Lord speaks to them.

00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:14.080
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so the Lord is basically saying, Oh, you want me to speak to you, all right?

00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:15.919
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Listen up, verse 6.

00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:17.679
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And he said, Hear my words.

00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:22.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him.

00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:26.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>This is the Christian doctrine of revelation.

00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:28.159
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Revelation.

00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.879
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>How do we know that the Lord defends his friends?

00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:33.120
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Because the Bible tells me so.

00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:36.080
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Because it's in the story of Scripture.

00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:41.600
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Revelation means that the Lord reserves the right to self-define and self-disclose.

00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:45.440
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We don't get to tell God or anybody else what God is like.

00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:47.759
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He reserves that right for himself.

00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:57.840
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, because if the Lord doesn't make himself known, John Calvin says that the greatest geniuses are blinder than moles when it comes to the knowledge of God.

00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:08.639
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>If the Lord doesn't make himself known, we're like travelers walking through a field at night, and then there's a flash of lightning that illuminates real quick and we can see, but then it's dark before we know it.

00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:11.519
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Too dark even to know how to take the next step.

00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:15.120
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what we're like if the Lord does not make himself known.

00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:18.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so praise God that he has revealed himself.

00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:20.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look at verse 6.

00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:25.840
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision.

00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:30.159
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I speak with him in a dream, not so with my servant Moses.

00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:33.039
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He is faithful in all my house.

00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:38.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly and not in riddles.

00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:44.159
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Notice for a moment, the Lord is not denying that he's spoken to other prophets besides Moses.

00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:46.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Maybe even Miriam and Aaron.

00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:48.320
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's not the issue.

00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:53.840
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The issue here is the uniqueness of God's revelation to Moses.

00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:58.000
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>For us today, people might claim to hear God or be led by God.

00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:00.960
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Science might be a source of understanding the world better.

00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:15.440
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We have a lot we can learn from the wisdom of history and other cultures, but disciples of Jesus uphold the unique way in which, quote, I the Lord make myself known to the authors of Scripture, beginning with Moses.

00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:17.600
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It's a uniqueness for us.

00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:25.679
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We believe that the Bible is the authoritative God, the only rule to direct us how we might glorify God and enjoy him forever.

00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:28.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Why do we have such a high view of Scripture?

00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:32.799
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, because in everything we want to be like our rabbi Jesus.

00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:38.320
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, every 10 things that Jesus says, he quotes the Bible.

00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:39.600
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Pause.

00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:41.039
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Think about that for a moment.

00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:46.000
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Every ten things that Jesus says, he quotes the Bible.

00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:51.200
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Eleven times in the Gospels, he's recorded as saying, Have you not read?

00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:59.200
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Thirty times he defended his own teaching by saying, It is written, and then goes on to quote Scripture.

00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:08.799
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, when I have conversations with people, not yet disciples, around hot topics like politics or sexuality, things like that, I will hear this often.

00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:12.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>People will say, Yeah, well, I just don't think Jesus is like that.

00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:15.759
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>To which my genuine question is, how do you know?

00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:20.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I mean it, I ask it with curiosity and gentleness, but it's a real question.

00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:21.519
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>How do you know?

00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:28.160
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Like, what is your authoritative guide to what Jesus is like, except for the inspired portraits of Scripture?

00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:38.079
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so Jesus himself in John 5, 46, says this if you believed Moses, you'd believe me, for he wrote of me.

00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:40.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Listen for a moment.

00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:44.640
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Jesus is telling us if you want to know Jesus, you should read Moses.

00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:49.599
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Read Genesis through Deuteronomy, read the book of Numbers if you want to get to know Jesus.

00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:52.640
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's from Jesus' own lips in the Gospel of John.

00:17:52.640 --> 00:18:05.599
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so Jesus, just as people contest the uniqueness of God's revelation in Scripture today, so Miriam and Aaron contested the uniqueness of God's revelation to Moses then.

00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:11.039
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Charles Spurgeon says, You don't defend the Bible, you let it out of its cage and let it roar.

00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:13.680
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what's happening in the text.

00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:19.359
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Moses, there is no self-defense because the Lord defends his friends.

00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:20.880
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look at verse 7.

00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:24.720
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Not so with my servant Moses.

00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:27.279
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He is faithful in all my house.

00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:36.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord.

00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:43.599
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, in our secular culture, it's popular to say that every religion is basically the same.

00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:49.599
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The only problem with that is every religion denies that, bold face.

00:18:49.599 --> 00:19:04.640
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>In his book Evangelism through the early church, Michael Green, he does this sweeping tour of all the various religions and ideologies on offer, from Buddhism to communism, from Islam to animism, and he comes to this conclusion about the distinctiveness of Christianity.

00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:14.799
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Quote, the Christian message of intimacy with God is strikingly different from the central affirmation of all other faiths.

00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:18.960
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Whatever they're about, they are not about this.

00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:41.119
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>This language of mouth to mouth starts in creation's design in Genesis 2.7 when it says, the Lord God formed the man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:43.440
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We still talk about mouth to mouth like this, right?

00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:45.200
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We talk about it in CPR.

00:19:45.200 --> 00:20:02.720
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The rescuer blows air into the person's lungs and they provide oxygen so that they can breathe again, which, and I I've realized some of you know this too, that apparently the American Heart Association only recommends chest compressions now because bystanders are hesitant to put their lips on strangers.

00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:04.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I get it, I really do.

00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.960
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But I wonder who made that call?

00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:11.599
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Who is the person that was just like, listen, if I have to put my lips on one more Rando, I'm done.

00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:12.799
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I'm gonna let them die.

00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:14.160
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I don't even care.

00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:21.599
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But praise be to God that He isn't ashamed to get up and close it personal with us.

00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:28.400
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The Lord speaks mouth to mouth because we need the resuscitation of revelation.

00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:34.400
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He gets close, he gets near, he gets intimate with his people.

00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:39.039
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Right about now, some men in the room are getting uncomfortable with all this talk about intimacy.

00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:40.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>I get it, it's all right.

00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:43.200
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We come by it honestly from our father Adam.

00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:48.160
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Genesis 3.10 says, I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.

00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:52.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, insecurity is the enemy of intimacy.

00:20:52.480 --> 00:20:59.680
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But God in his kindness wants to lead you out of that insecurity and into intimacy with himself.

00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:02.400
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>This is what he does in the story of Moses.

00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:12.160
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>In Exodus 3.6, the story of the unburning bush, Moses, it says this quote, Moses hid his face when he was afraid to look at God.

00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:14.799
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Fast forward 30 chapters.

00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:21.519
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Exodus 33, 11, it says this, the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend.

00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:23.440
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Fast forward to our text today.

00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:31.279
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Numbers 12, 8 says this, the Lord, I'm saying that the Lord defends his friend as the one who speaks, quote, mouth to mouth.

00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:33.839
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>From face to face, to mouth to mouth.

00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:35.440
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>This is getting more intimate.

00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:38.000
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He's drawing him deeper into his own heart.

00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:39.680
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what the Lord's doing.

00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:43.920
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Because intimacy doesn't just happen, it deepens over time.

00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:48.160
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Verse 7 says, Moses is faithful in all my house.

00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:52.880
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And one commentator says that Moses was a familiar presence in the house of God.

00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:56.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Are you a familiar presence before God?

00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:58.960
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Because you can be.

00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:03.759
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Like Jesus bled and died and rose again to make that possible for you.

00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:07.279
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We get to have far more than what Moses had.

00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:14.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Because if you look at verse 8, it says this, why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, Moses?

00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:20.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But in John 15, 15, Jesus says, No longer do I call you servants.

00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:26.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>For the servant doesn't know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends.

00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:30.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>For all that I have heard from my father, I've made known to you.

00:22:30.559 --> 00:22:41.680
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The true and living God, who spoke cosmos, the cosmos into creation, wants to speak to you face to face, mouth to mouth, as a man speaks with his friend.

00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:44.720
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what the Bible is saying to us here.

00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:53.440
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Because the Lord not only descends to defend his friends, but the Lord descends to befriend his enemies too.

00:22:53.440 --> 00:23:00.799
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, in in the Gospels in Matthew 11 19, some people spoke against Jesus like they speak against Moses.

00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:05.680
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And they said, Look at this guy, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:10.640
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And what they meant as a mock, Jesus took as a title.

00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:16.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He embraced the title of I am Jesus the friend of sinners.

00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:19.920
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He reveled in it, he boasted in that.

00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:25.839
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But Jesus isn't just the friend of sinners because he doesn't leave his friends as sinners.

00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:29.839
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, Jesus wants to set us free, and sin is slavery.

00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:34.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so he begins by setting us free from the just judgment of God for our sin.

00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:36.160
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look at verse 9.

00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:40.319
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.

00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:45.440
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous like snow.

00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:48.799
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:54.400
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And Aaron said to Moses, O my Lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.

00:23:54.400 --> 00:24:01.359
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Let her not be as one dead whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.

00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:03.839
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, God is a just judge.

00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:08.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so we've got to ask the question here, how does this punishment fit the crime?

00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:13.119
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, Miriam judged according to the flesh, and now her flesh is judged.

00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:18.319
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Miriam called out Moses for marrying a Gentile, and now she's cast out with the Gentiles.

00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:22.880
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Miriam claimed inside her access, and now she's outside the camp.

00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:32.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, we get to this point where Miriam is facing the justice of her own judgment, and we finally, for the first time, hear Moses speak.

00:24:32.480 --> 00:24:34.079
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And what does he say?

00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:37.119
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He prays for his accusers.

00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:39.039
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Look at verse 13.

00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:43.039
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And Moses cried to the Lord, Oh God, please heal her.

00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:44.160
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Please.

00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:53.200
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, Moses, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses as enemies, but Moses spoke for them as friends.

00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:58.640
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Praying for our enemies is a mark of meekness throughout the story of Scripture.

00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:04.400
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Job, if you know the story, Job prays for his frenemies because they accused him of all kinds of evil.

00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:10.720
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The Apostle Paul told Timothy that everybody abandoned him, and then he says, May it not be charged against them.

00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:12.720
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Where did Paul learn this?

00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:17.599
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, in Acts 7, Stephen was martyred, and Paul was there high-fiving the murderers.

00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:22.880
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And then he hears Stephen, as he's dying, cry out, Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:25.759
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Paul watched Stephen die.

00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:31.359
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And Augustine of Hippo says that we owe the conversion of Paul to the prayer of Stephen.

00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:34.799
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Where did Stephen learn to forgive like this?

00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:38.000
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, Jesus, when he was crucified, said, Father, forgive them.

00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:39.680
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>They know not what they do.

00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:41.680
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Don't you see?

00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:47.119
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>When it looks bleak for the meek, our technique is to turn the cheek.

00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:50.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's the story of Scripture.

00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:52.079
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's what it looks like.

00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:58.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, Christians don't have a fire that burns with a righteous fury that our enemies cannot comprehend.

00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:03.680
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's not true of Christians because the meek are those who seek the Lord who defends his friends.

00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:06.319
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Remember, meek is not weak.

00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:09.039
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We are called to bless those who curse us.

00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:10.720
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's really hard.

00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:15.039
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We are called to pray for those who abuse us in Luke 6.

00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:16.799
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That takes strength.

00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:19.519
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We forgive as God in Christ forgave us.

00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:20.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>That's love.

00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:22.880
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The answer to hate is not hate.

00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:25.200
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The answer we know from the gospel is love.

00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:26.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But how?

00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:37.839
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Well, Peter, the apostle, writing to a persecuted people in 1 Peter chapter 2, 21, says this, for to this you have been called, new city.

00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:40.480
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>New city, for to this you have been called.

00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:46.880
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps.

00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:48.720
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>What was his example, Peter?

00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:51.279
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>He goes on, he says, He committed no sin.

00:26:51.279 --> 00:26:53.359
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Neither was deceit found in his mouth.

00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:57.039
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.

00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:03.680
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued in trusting himself to him who judges justly.

00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:11.839
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:15.119
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>By his wounds you have been f have been healed.

00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:20.079
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, the gospel makes us meek because Jesus died for the weak.

00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:22.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We are the weak.

00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:29.519
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>When we recognize that, that Jesus died for his enemies, and that was us until he made us his friend.

00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:36.880
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Romans 5 says it like this while we were still weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:41.839
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, we forgive because we know the great cost of our own forgiveness.

00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:50.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>But the gospel makes us meek because we know that justice will be served either on the cross of Christ or in hell for eternity.

00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:53.359
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, we know that God is just.

00:27:53.359 --> 00:28:01.279
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>After Moses' intercession for Miriam, I believe she was healed, but the Lord still put her outside the camp for seven days.

00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:04.240
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>There were still consequences to what she did.

00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:09.759
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Listen, we live for justice, but Jesus died for reconciliation.

00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:24.720
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>The rabbi Jonathan Sachs says it like this forgiveness breaks the cycle of stimulus and response, harm and retaliation, wrong and revenge, which has led whole cultures to their destruction and still threatens the future of the world.

00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:30.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It frees individuals from the burden of their past and humanity from the irreversibility of history.

00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:35.920
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And he ends the quote by saying this: forgiveness tells us that enemies can become friends.

00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:39.440
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Can enemies really become friends?

00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:42.160
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Only the gospel can make it so.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, Romans 8 31 says, if God is for us, who can be against us?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>For if he did not, who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, if he freely did that, will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:59.920
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>It is God who justifies.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Who is to condemn?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Christ Jesus is the one who died, and more than that, was raised and indeed is interceding for us at the right hand of God.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>You see, if it's true that Jesus descends to befriend, that Jesus not only defends his friends, but that Jesus also ascends to send his friends, if that's true, then like Moses for Miriam, Jesus is right now contending for his friends in heaven right now.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Why?

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>So that disciples of Jesus can live as if the Lord defends his friends and we can go befriend our enemies.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Let's pray.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Lord Jesus, thank you.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Thank you that you came down, not in judgment, but in mercy.

00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:51.359
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We look to you now, Lord Jesus.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We see you enthroned on the cross, crying out in forgiveness for your enemies, and we see you enthroned in the throne of heaven.

00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:04.640
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And we praise you that the dust of earth is now enthroned in heaven.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We praise you that you are the one who wears the crown, that all authority in heaven and earth belongs to you because you alone are worthy of it.

00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:14.559
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And so we listen to you now, Lord Jesus.

00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:16.160
<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We trust your words.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>And we read Moses because in Moses we learn about you.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>We pray these things in your name.

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<v Rev. Benjamin Kandt>Amen.