Book of Hebrews - Ch. 3, Vs. 1-19 (02/28/2021)

Park Meadows Church

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In any case, we're going to be in Chapter 3 of Hebrews this morning.

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And Chapter 3 is divided into basically two categories. One, a comparison of Jesus to Moses.

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And then the second one is an accounting of warnings and the way we should live our lives.

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So I'm going to break the passage into two pieces. I'm going to read one of them. And then

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I'm going to begin breaking it down part by part.

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Hebrews 3, Chapter 1. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession,

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Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that appointed him. As also

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Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses.

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Inasmuch as he who hath built the house hath more honor than the house.

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For every house is built by some man, but he that built all things is

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God. And Moses barely was faithful in all his house. As a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken.

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But Christ as a son of God, but Christ as a son over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope until the end.

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Let us pray. Most gracious heavenly father, we thank you for letting us come together again in person, face to face to meet with each other and to search out the scriptures to worship you.

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Thank you for giving us the technology to reach across time and space to communicate and deal with other people who could not be here today.

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Thank you for giving us the Lord Jesus Christ who came and died that we might be saved.

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Thank you for all the things that you have provided for us. Thank you for those things that you will continue to provide.

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In Jesus name we pray. Amen. So we'll begin with verse one.

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Wherefore holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling. Now they're holy in the sense that they're set apart to God.

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They're identified with the heavenly reign. And they are citizens of heaven more than citizens of the earth.

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Now because Jesus is committed to bringing many sons to glory, they and we are partakers.

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That is to say we're partners. We're partners in his heavenly calling.

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If you remember back to chapter two, when we read chapter two, verse 10 of Hebrews, it says, for he became him for whom all things and by whom all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.

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Well, this should bless us and encourage us to press on even through times of difficulty and trial.

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Now look at the last half of that sentence. Wherefore holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession,

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Christ Jesus. It's not often that we refer to Jesus as an apostle.

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Have you ever thought about that? How many times have you seen Jesus referred to as an apostle? I think just this one time, but I'm not sure.

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But the word apostle simply means the sent one. And that certainly pertains to Jesus.

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Jesus was sent into the world by God to save his chosen ones.

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We know from John 3, 16 and 17 this, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

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And we usually just stop there. But look at verse 17. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

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So God sent his son into the world that the world might be saved.

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Now there's something interesting about that. The phrase that's interpreted or translated might be saved is a single word in the

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Greek. Sosa. It's not even a big word. It's a four -letter word.

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And what it means, it means to save, to keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.

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When I read that the first time, I read that the world through him might be saved.

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And I thought, okay, that makes sense. If Jesus had not been sent into the world, there would be no pathway for anybody to be saved.

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And that's what it meant. But when I read that to my sister -in -law, she said that creates some doubt.

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Do you really mean that one might be saved or one might not be saved? Is anyone that is called going to not be saved?

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Not a single word. There is not a hint, not even a hint of uncertainty in that passage.

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We might read a hint of that in it, but it's not there. It simply means to keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.

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There is not even a hint of uncertainty about it. He tells us many times that not a single person that he has chosen, he will lose.

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And so now the comparisons continue. Jesus has already been compared to the angels in verses 1 and 2, and found to be superior to the angels.

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Now in chapter 3, He'll be compared to Moses. And let's just begin with verse 3 of chapter 3.

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For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses. Inasmuch as he who hath built the house hath more honor than the house.

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Okay, so what does that tell you? Moses was a member of the household of God, but Jesus is the creator of that house, and worthy of much more glory than Moses, who was only a member of the house.

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So that's the first item. Moses being less worthy than Jesus, or Jesus being more worthy of glory than Moses.

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Now you've got to consider this. The ancient rabbis considered Moses to be the greatest man ever, greater even than the angels.

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And the writer of Hebrews does nothing to criticize Moses. But he does look at Moses in his proper relation to Jesus.

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Now think about Moses. God had spoken face to face with Moses as a man speaks to a friend.

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I went to Exodus 33 verse 9. Moses has come down off the mountain, and is in the assembly of the

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Jews. And it came to pass as Moses entered into the tabernacle, a cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle.

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So Moses is in the tabernacle. And the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar, stand at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose up and worshiped every man in his tent door.

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And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend.

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So Moses was not only a servant of God, Moses was a friend of God.

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And in the eyes of the Jews, that put him a little higher than the angels.

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Have you ever heard of an angel being referred to as a friend of God? I haven't.

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Angels were never referred to as a friend of God. But Jesus was

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God's Son, God's only begotten Son. So as great as Moses was, the greatest man that ever lived, according to the ancient rabbis, greater even than the angels, because he was a friend of God, whereas the angels were only servants of God.

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As great as Moses was, Jesus was greater, because no matter how great the servant can be, the servant is never the son.

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And not only that, Moses was great for another reason in the eyes of the Jews.

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It was through Moses that God delivered the law to the Israelites. Now, the commandments and the rituals of the law were very important to the

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Jews. They were their supreme priorities. And to them, Moses and the laws were synonymous.

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Look at Nehemiah 9, verse 13, talking about God as He came down from the mountain and spake to the assembly of Jews from heaven.

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Now came us down also upon Mount Sinai and spake with them from heaven and gave us them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and made us known unto them by Holy Sabbath and commended them precepts, statutes, and laws by the hand of Moses, thy servant.

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So not only was Moses the friend of God, Moses was also the bringer of the law from God down to man or to the other man.

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Jesus brought the commandments from God to Moses.

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Moses delivered them to the people. Verse 4, for every house is built by some man, but he that built all things is

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God. Now, the comment I want to make is Moses was only part of God's household.

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On the other hand, Jesus was the creator of that household.

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Verse 5, and Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after.

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Now, Moses in his leadership of the Israelis out from Egypt in the

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Exodus and then through the 40 years wandering in the wilderness showed an amazing faithfulness.

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I can only think of one time where Moses lost his patience, where he struck the rock twice when he was instructed to strike, not to strike the rock at all.

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He was instructed to speak to the rock. And as you consider the significance of that, it broke the pattern because the rock represented

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Christ for salvation to come. The rock had to be struck.

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That represented his death. But when he got to the second time, he didn't have to strike the rock again.

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The rock had already been struck. He only had to speak to the rock, and the Lord told him to speak to the rock.

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But Moses was exasperated. Is that the right word? I really found that one up.

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He was perplexed. Good. Give me a word I can pronounce.

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He was perplexed. And as a result, he struck out and hit the rock and said, there you worthless people.

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Now there's your water. And the Lord said, that was not a good idea. For that,

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Moses did not enter into the promised land.

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He did go up to a mountain where he could see into it. He came close.

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And for him, coming close was actually the same as getting there because he is up there now.

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Moses showed an amazing faithfulness, only angry so far as I know one time. But Jesus showed perfect faithfulness, surpassing even that of Moses.

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And one other thing that I need to mention, the Greek word that is translated servant in this passage is theropo.

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And that implies a position of dignity and freedom, not that of a slave.

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So being a servant in that sense was a revered, a position of dignity, a position of freedom.

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It would like when you go to the doctor and visit your doctor, your doctor at that point in time is your servant.

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And yet he is higher rank than you are. Moses was the highest ranked servant of all the servants.

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He was even higher ranked in the eyes of the Jews than the angels. And yet,

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Moses could never hold the position of son.

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That belonged to Christ alone. And in a sense to Moses, and in a sense to us, but that only after Jesus' death, crucifixion, and resurrection, when he paid the sin debt in full and we became adopted brothers,

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Moses did too. So in a sense, Moses could and did eventually attain the position of a son, albeit an adopted son.

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Verse six, but Christ as a son over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm until the end.

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Now, I wanted just to quote something from Dr. MacArthur, John MacArthur, and I'm just going to read it.

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This is not speaking of how to be saved or how to remain saved. It means rather, perseverance and faithfulness is proof of real faith.

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The one who returns to the rituals of the Levitical system, that is to the law, the one who goes back to the law to contribute to his own salvation proves that he was never truly part of God's household.

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Whereas the one who abides in Christ give evidence of genuine membership in that household.

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So now we have finished with the comparison of Jesus to Moses.

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We've compared Jesus to the angels. We've compared Jesus to Moses. And verse seven of chapter three begins with a quotation from Psalms 95.

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I'm going to read the quotation, and then I'm going to break down verse seven. Here's the quotation, or here is the part of Psalms 95 that is being quoted from 95 verse 7 to 11,

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I believe. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pastor and the sheep of his hand.

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Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart as in the day of provocation and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness.

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When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work, 40 years long was

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I grieved with this generation and said, it is a people that do err in their heart.

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They have not known my ways unto whom I swear in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

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Okay, let's look at verse seven and eight. Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the day, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.

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Now, that's almost word for word of what was in Psalm 95. Yeah, but essentially, that's in there to tell you where it's coming from.

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Now, today speaks of the urgency of the message of the Holy Spirit. Now, why do you think that message was so urgent?

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Well, Charles Spurgeon points out one thing. Why the Holy Spirit and His message is so urgent.

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Here's his quote. Besides, He waits to execute

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His favorite office of a comforter. He's talking about the Holy Spirit, the

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Holy Ghost. He waits to execute His favorite office of comforter, and He cannot comfort an ungodly soul.

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Comfort for unbelievers would be their destruction.

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As He delights to be a comforter and has been sent forth from the Father to act specifically in that capacity, that He may comfort the people of God, He watches with longing eyes for broken hearts and contrite spirits, that He may apply the balm of Gilead to heal their wounds.

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So what is He saying? He's saying that the

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Holy Spirit cannot comfort an ungodly soul. For if He did, it would be their destruction because they would remain ungodly.

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He goes on to say this, and this struck me as being, for me, a great urgency.

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So here's what He says, and you think about this as I read it. Select the strongest man you know.

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I'll add some things to it. The healthiest man you know. The smartest man you know.

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Perfect in all that you know, but not Jesus Christ Himself. Select the strongest man you know and suppose that everything in reference to your eternal welfare depends upon whether he lives to see the next year or not.

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With what anxiety would you hear of his illness? How concerned would you be about his health?

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So if this man that you selected, the strongest, healthiest, wisest man that you know, whose eternal life you are dependent upon, only if he lives through the year, you understand that he got sick, you'd be concerned about his health, wouldn't you?

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How often would you check? How much would you worry? How much sleep would you get? I don't think

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I'd get any. Well, sinner, this is back to Spurgeon.

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Well, sinner, your salvation is risked by you upon your own life.

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Is that any more secure? If you're a sinner, then your eternal life depends upon whether you get to the end before you die.

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That is scary, isn't it? If you're a sinner and you die, your eternal life is fixed.

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Now consider this. If those who followed Moses were responsible to surrender, trust, and persevere in following him, we have a much greater responsibility to do so with the leadership of a much greater leader, a message of a much greater leader,

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Jesus. The point's clear. When we hear his voice, we must not allow our hearts to be hardened.

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Now, how do we hear the spirit? How do we hear or communicate with the spirit?

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How does the spirit speak to you? I'm sorry?

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Through his word. Sometimes we hear the spirit speak in the scriptures.

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Now, there's almost a little addition that you need to make to that. You're not going to get much out of the scriptures unless the

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Holy Scripture is being illuminated by the Holy Spirit. If he's not telling you what it means, then you're not going to get much about it, much from it.

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But sometimes we hear the spirit speak in scriptures. Sometimes we hear the spirit speak in our own heart, but that's only if he's already drawn us to salvation.

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Sometimes we hear the spirit as we observe his work in our lives. Yes, ma 'am?

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In our thoughts, and I should have said that too.

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I did qualify it on the other one. If we have the mind of Christ. In our thoughts, if we have the mind of Christ.

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Not in our thoughts if we don't, because if we don't, we are straying from him and we will not get satisfaction.

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We will not hear the spirit speak then. I like that. Now, just as the spirit speaks in many ways to us, there are several ways we can harden our heart.

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Some harden their hearts by relapsing into their old indifference. Some harden their hearts by unbelief.

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They hear it. They just don't believe it. Some harden their hearts by asking for more signs.

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How many times have you seen that happen? Lord, just give me one more understanding.

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One more miracle. One more thing that will make me convinced. Some harden their hearts by presuming on the mercy of God.

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Is God going to be merciful to his children? Yes, indeed he is. Is he going to be merciful to everybody?

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Now, we're going to go over the rest of the chapter, and we'll keep referring back to a couple of passages that I want to read before I go any further.

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One passage is in Exodus 17, starting at verse 1.

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Exodus 17, verse 1. And you'll pick this up right away, what this is.

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And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of sin after the journeys according to the commandment of the

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Lord, and pitched in Rephidian. And there was no water for the people to drink.

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Wherefore the people did chide Moses and said, give us water that we may drink.

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And Moses said unto them, why chide ye with me? Wherefore do you tempt the

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Lord? And the people thirsted there for water. And the people murmured against Moses and said, wherefore is this that thou has brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

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And Moses cried unto the Lord saying, what shall I do unto this people?

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They be almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, go on before the people and take with thee the elders of Israel and thy rod, which were with thou smotest the river.

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We'll talk about what river that was in a minute. Take in thine hand and go.

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And behold, I will stand before thee there on the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite it, the rock, and there shall come water out of it that the people may drink.

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And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

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Now, I was talking to Brother David this morning about the water situation in Mahia. They finally have water coming out of the tap.

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Is that right? But with little critters in it. The water has got critters in it.

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But before we go on, let's consider the logistics for just a second.

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I looked up some things, but some things I didn't look up, and there was one I failed to see. Six million men, women, and children cross the

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Red Sea into the wilderness. Six million. It would take about 11 million gallons.

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And that only gives them about a little less than two gallons a piece. That's for everything they're going to use it for.

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Now, Brother David mentioned there was a whole bunch of cattle there also. And I was going to say one cow will drink what 10 men will drink.

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So we're talking about at least 100 million gallons of water a day.

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A big rock, a big river, and a big God. It wasn't.

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Even today, it took a week to get enough water from Mahia.

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They were still carrying water down in bottles on Friday.

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They still were having water delivered on Friday in bottles. Even today, we could not deliver enough water each day to keep the animals and the people alive.

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Put 11 million. I'm sorry. Put six million people and put a whole herd of cattle and sheep out there in the desert wandering around with no water and build a railroad track 12 tracks wide and 12 tracks coming the other way, hauling water continuously every day.

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You couldn't meet the need. It is impossible. That's an impossible task even today.

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And it was impossible then as well. So what was it? It was a miracle.

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And every day, the Jews saw a miracle. Every day that they wandered in the wilderness, they saw a miracle.

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That's just for the water. There'd be another dozen train tracks carrying food.

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And every time they moved, you'd have to change where they went. Impossible. And yet, go to Numbers 14, verse 22.

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Numbers 14, verse 22. Because all these men which have seen my glory and my miracles, every day they saw two.

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They saw manna from heaven and water. Because all these men which have seen my glory and my miracles, which

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I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice, surely they shall not see the land which

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I swear unto their fathers. Neither shall any of them that provoked me see it.

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Now, one more thing I want to read. Psalm 78, verse 40. And this is talking about how oft did they provoke him in the wilderness and grieve him in the desert.

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Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

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They remembered not his hand, nor the day he delivered them from the enemy, how he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zion, had turned the rivers in the blood.

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That's when he struck the rivers, and the rivers turned to blood, and they couldn't drink it.

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And there floods that they could not drink. He sent diverse sorts of flies amongst them, which devoured them, and frogs which destroyed them.

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And he also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor unto the locusts.

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He destroyed their vines with hail, and the sycamore trees with frost.

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He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

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This is Egypt that he's talking about. He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble.

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By sending evil angels among them, he made a way to his anger, and spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence.

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He smote all the firstborn in Egypt, and the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham, but made of his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock, and led them on safely, so they feared not, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

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Who's providing for these people? The shepherd. The shepherd is providing for them.

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He provided for them when they were trapped against the Red Sea, and the Red Sea opened, and they went across on dry land.

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The army followed after them. The water came back, flooded, and grounded them all. He provided for them all the days of the wandering through the journey until they got to the rock and complained that they had no water.

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Where had they been getting the water before this? They'd been depending upon God, but they became impatient.

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Every day he was providing them food in the form of manna. They didn't like the taste of the food, or it got tired.

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I mean, even sirloin steak can taste bad after a while, and they wanted meat, and they complained, and the

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Lord sent them so much meat that they got sick of it, and they complained.

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But what's happening here? He made his own people go forth like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

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He took responsibility for them. Had they just did what he said, they'd have been in the promised land in less than a month.

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They came to the promised land, and what did they do? They said, Lord, we're not sure. We're going to send some people to get a report back how they are.

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And King came back with this report. Everything there is great except one thing. The enemy are too great.

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We can never make it. The Lord that split the Red Sea, the Lord that conquered

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Pharaoh, the Lord that led them through the wilderness, the Lord that led them up to the border, not enough.

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So they turned back. Then they tried to make amends for it, and it was too late, and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.

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Oh, were all the reports negative? How many reports came back positive?

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Do you know who brought those two reports? Caleb and Joshua.

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Do you know who went into the promised land after the 40 years? Caleb and Joshua, not even

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Moses. You see, Moses could have said, we don't need a spy.

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We got the Lord. I never thought about that before. He was at fault because he didn't take charge.

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God put him in charge, and he didn't take charge. He should have said, when he got to the border, let's go and take our land.

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God has delivered us. He's put us here. We are where he wants us to be.

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We're doing what he wants us to do. He is protecting us. He has been protecting us. He has provided water for us.

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He's provided all the things for us. I don't think they have had the experience at the rock at this point.

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I think they went up and then they turned around before they had the experience, but I'm not sure about that. In any case, verse 8, harden not your hearts as in the provocation, in the days of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works 40 years.

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Now, despite all the miracles and mighty works that they had seen God do, most of the people fail to commit themselves to him in faith and to rely on God to meet their needs.

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And I think that even applies to Moses. Had Moses depended upon God, he would have gone in without sending spies.

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Verse 10, wherefore I was grieved that the generation and said, they do always err in their hearts.

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They have not known my ways, so I swear in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.

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Now, of course, there's an earthly rest, a rest that God promised to give, life in the land of Canaan that Israel would receive as their inheritance.

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But because they rebelled, because they sent spies in, because they took the report of the bad spies and didn't go in, an entire generation of the children of Israel were prohibited from entering into that rest.

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The application of this picture is to the individual spiritual rest with the Lord. At salvation, every believer enters the true rest, the realm of the spiritual promise, never again laboring to achieve through personal effort a righteousness that pleases

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God. And that's a good thing. What can we do that would please God? Nothing apart from Him.

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And God provided the opportunity for both kinds of rest for that generation who was delivered from Egypt.

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So verse 12, Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living

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God. John MacArthur says this. This admonition is addressed to those having the same potential characteristics as the generation that perished in the wilderness without ever seeing the land of promise.

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They were unbelieving Jewish brethren who were in the company with the holy brethren.

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They were admonished to believe and be saved before it was too late.

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Now, that evil heart of unbelief. How many people are born with that evil heart of unbelief?

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Everyone. All men are born with such a heart. Jeremiah describes that heart.

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I'm going to read it. Jeremiah 17, 9. The heart is deceitfully wicked above all things.

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I'm sorry, is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

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Well, the answer to that is the Lord. I, the Lord, searcheth the heart. I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruits of his doings.

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In the case of these Hebrews that were with the holy brethren, but not part of them, that evil heart manifested itself in disbelief of the gospel, and that moved them in the opposite way from God.

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13. But exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through this deceitfulness of sin.

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There is an accountability, both individually and cooperatively. We need to do what?

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Exhort one another daily to trust in the

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Lord, especially in time of stress. Verse 14.

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For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.

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That is, we are to persevere. While it is said today, if you will hear

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His voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke, howbeit not all they came out of Egypt by Moses.

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So here's what you could say. As a nation, Israel made a good start, had a good beginning.

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They followed Moses out of Egypt to the Red Sea. They had a little moment of panic, but Moses extended his rod across the sea and it parted.

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And they walked across the Red Sea. And I can just imagine walking across the Red Sea with the water way higher than your head, walls of water on each side, standing there supernaturally.

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You got to be either one of two things, faithful or fearful.

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If you're not faithful, you'll be fearful because it's not natural for water to stand like that.

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Yet all of those people that had enough courage, enough faithfulness to cross the

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Red Sea with the water standing up about them, every one of those died in the wilderness except for two,

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Joshua and Caleb. Verse 17, but with whom was he grieved 40 years?

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Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?

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And now for a question, and I want an answer to this if I can. What was the sin that kept them out of the promised land?

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Unbelief, not fear, not disobedience, fear, not fear, unbelief.

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Verse 18, and to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believe not.

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Who did he speak to? Everybody except Joshua and Caleb. So who should enter his rest?

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Those who persevered in the belief. Israel's great failure was to persevere in the faith.

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After crossing much of the wilderness, trusting in God, after seeing so many reasons to trust him, they ended up falling short because they did not persevere in the faith and in the promise.

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So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

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Well, okay. If you read a verse ahead, you knew, didn't you? They couldn't enter in because of unbelief. It was unbelief that kept them out.

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It was not anything else that kept them out. Their sin did not keep them out of Canaan. They sinned because they didn't believe.

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Their disobedience did not keep them out. They were not... They were disobedient because they didn't believe.

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The lack of evidence didn't keep them out. They had a miracle, two miracles every day for 40 years.

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Lack of encouragement didn't keep them out. Difficult circumstances didn't keep them out.

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So what's the obvious conclusion? It was unbelief that kept them out. Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this day and thank you for all the many blessings that you've given us.

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Bless us and keep us and go through the service later this morning. Be with us. Be with Brother David as he presents his message.

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In Jesus' name we pray, amen. And normally we take...

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We don't really have any time. I think we're about ready to roll to the next couple of minutes.

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Will anybody got a comment or anything you want to say or add while we're still live? And Joshua.

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Oh, it didn't say that in number 14. That is interesting. I hadn't seen that.

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But there's other places we know. Well, we know that Joshua went in because he led the army.

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And you know what else is interesting if you think about it? When they got into the country, the first opponent they met was

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Jericho. Jericho was a wall city. It was a huge city. There was no way they could possibly take it.

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So what did they do? The Lord said, walk around it seven times. Each day once and on the seventh day, walk around it seven times, blow your horns and the walls will fall down.

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And that's what happened. And so Joshua was a big hero, right? So they go to the next town, a little small town,

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Ai. And Joshua says, Lord, don't need you help on this one. We can handle this one. But we'll send a small army up and take care of them.

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They sent a small army up in the Ai and sent it back. Defeated.

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It's up to God. It's not up to Joshua. It's not up to Moses. It's not up to me.

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It's not up to you. It's up to God. And that's a healthy thing to know. Anything else? I'm sorry.

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I took too much time. Oh, I like that for sure.

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Giving God a sign of our faith.

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That's what it's all about. Instead of asking for signs. He has given enough signs.

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He's given in each one of our lives enough signs that we ought to believe. And then we complain.

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And we worry about things that we have no reason to worry about. Little things keep you up at night.

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How many of you? Raise your hand on this one. How many of you have spent a night awake because you thought your soul was destined to hell?

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How many of you spent a night awake because you thought your water, your electricity was not going to come on for three days?

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Now, what should we have been worried about? Well, actually, neither one of them, because we're assured that we belong to him.

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We should have got a good night's rest, even when the electricity was off. And we should never have to worry about whether we have eternal security or not.