What enemies are stopping you from taking ground in your spiritual life? Often it is associated with fear as we see in today’s reading.
Numbers 12: Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses
1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.
2 And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it.
3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
4 And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." And the three of them came out.
5 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.
6 And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.
7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed.
10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.
11 And Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.
12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb."
13 And Moses cried to the LORD, "O God, please heal her---please."
14 But the LORD said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again."
15 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.
16 After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of Paran.
Numbers 13: Spies Sent into Canaan
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them."
3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.
4 And these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;
5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;
6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;
7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;
8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun;
9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;
10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;
11 from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of Manasseh), Gaddi the son of Susi;
12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;
13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;
14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;
15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
16 These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.
17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, "Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country,
18 and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many,
19 and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds,
20 and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath.
22 They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23 And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs.
24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there.
Report of the Spies
25 At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land.
26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
27 And they told him, "We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.
29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan."
30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it."
31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are."
32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.
33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."
Things to think about…
1. Moses was the Lord’s representative. He had also married a woman from Cush – Egypt (Ethiopia), Num 12:1. Zipporah may have had an Ethiopian mother or her father Jethro was originally from Ethiopia. Either way, this woman was darker and not of Israel’s bloodline and in fact of the people Israel should destroy. This caused Aaron and Miriam to speak up and say perhaps Moses isn’t all that holy after all and they spoke against him. This encouraged others to speak against him. The Lord rebukes them and particularly Miriam by giving her leprosy. The Lord uses this to humble Miriam in the sight of the people. We must make sure we do not pull down the name of the Lord by speaking out against other Christians – in this case the leaders. Paul says to Timothy 1Tim 5:19 not to bring an accusation against an elder unless you bring two or three others. Well here both Miriam and Aaron were bringing the accusation – so why was the Lord angry? Answer – God had appointed Moses. They were actually speaking out against God. The whole camp was not able to move and had to wait 7 days because Miriam is unclean. Churches cannot move forward while there is unconfessed sin and rebellion against God’s leaders in the fellowship.
2. Twelve spies from the twelve tribes are sent to spy out the land, Num13:1-15. Clearly the land was blessed judging by the size of the grapes, Num 12:23. Remember they had complained in yesterday’s reading about the lack of variety of food. Often we can complain about a situation but when we consider the effort required to change things we then reassess only to be discouraged and accept the status quo. There are many spiritual blessings in store for us if we are prepared to sacrifice our fleshly indulgence.
3. There are always opportunities to experience ‘defining moments’ in our lives. The opportunity the Israelites had here to inherit the promises regarding the land of Canaan was before them, yet due to fear of the inhabitants of the land (the giants) and the fortified cities, the spies brought back the report saying the land would devour them, Num 13:32. Remember this is the land the Lord had promised them. They considered their own strength up against the enemy as opposed to considering the Lord’s strength. Never rely upon earthly strength to be delivered from a spiritual problem. Remember we are told in the NT “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, Phil 4:13.
4. A negative report can crush any endeavours to evangelise or start a new ministry. The 12 spies stopped the inheritance of the Lord’s people for 40 years. The voice of the many detractors over the voice of reason silences the Caleb’s among us. Caleb had said “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it”, Num 13:30. There is power and freedom in the gospel. “If God is for us, who can be against us” Rom 8:31…and as above, “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us”, Phil 4:13. This verses only have a context when we are presented with a trial or suffering. The gospel when it is faithfully proclaimed brings down strongholds of cultural sin and generational lies. Christ’s truth sets us free, John 17:17.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon:-“Living by faith” – Galatians 3:1-14
a. Abraham was called the friend of God and was considered righteous before the Law of Moses was ever in existence. How was this possible?
b. The Galatians had started well and had accepted and believed the gospel that Paul had preached. Miracles had occurred in their midst. They had ‘fuel in the tank’. What had happened where Paul says “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you”, vs 1.
c. Jay used the example of his old ute not starting because of the fuel. He said imagine if he had been driving around a few months and then decided to try and start the car without fuel again. It would be foolish. How can we, like the Galatians, do the same with respect to faith and the influence and power of the Holy Spirit.
d. Pray for the gospel and your gospel witness to all those who live and work alongside of you.
Prayer Points
1. Continue to pray and Andy in Ipswich hospital and for Sally as she continues to battle Alzheimer’s. Give thanks for Andy’s brother Tad and a loving husband and example of Christ – Richard.
2. The processing of our insurance claim and the repurchasing of equipment.
3. That those who are new to the church are encouraged and settle in well into the church.
4. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you saved.
5. Pray for Kids@church and our Youth group.
6. How you can serve in ministry this year.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. The blessing of our Mother’s Day event on Saturday. Big thanks to Suzanne Willey and many other women who made the day a success. A special mention to Katelyn Gillert who was a great blessing in sharing on her role as a mother as well as a daughter.
2. Young adult’s ministry – keep praying as this ministry grows.
3. Kids@Church ministry is a great blessing. Pray for Rosie and balancing her teaching, family and church worlds.
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Church information session 28th May after the morning service.
2. Remember to check your duty rosters for term 2.
3. Community Day Saturday 24th June at Church. More details to follow.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for May...
Q. 8. Who are they? A. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Bible References – Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; Jude 20-21.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
