New Song Students OKC

Isaiah 53:3-6,” He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Escapism is the tendency to seek distraction or relief from unpleasant realities, stress, responsibilities, or emotional discomfort.

 We ask, ' How may I work to get some real easy living?” 

"Man was made for truth, but truth is costly and mysterious. Therefore, many choose pleasure—not because it satisfies, but because it distracts."

Isaiah 53:4,"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows"

JOHN 6:53-58,”53 So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread that came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

Charles Spurgeon, "Christ did not come merely that we might be better men, but that He might make us new men altogether."

An invitation has been pronounced to enter into something new, different, better, the first and final plan.

• Faith in HIS suffering & gift.

Hebrews 2:14-18,” 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

“Our bodies will break, and our blood will be spilled, but in Christ we have one who spilled the perfect blood and broke the perfect body that though we may suffer here on earth, it pales in comparison to what we have now received through one man’s ultimate suffering.”

• ISAIAH 53
   
  • He carried our griefs
•  
  • He carried our sorrows
•  
  • He was wounded for us
•  
  • He was crushed for us
•  

He became all of our suffering, not for us to run & escape, but rather to stand with Him in freedom.

1 PETER 3:18,”18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”

1. In suffering, we bring His work—not our escape

Psalm 62:8 - “Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

1. In suffering, we look to Christ—not inward for answers

Hebrews 12:2 - “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”

John Piper - “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

1. In suffering, we remain with Jesus—not away from Him

John 15:4 - “Abide in Me, and I in you.”

Acts 16:25 - “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God in prison.”

1. In suffering, we trust Jesus—not the outcome

Philippians 1:21 - “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Romans 8:38–39 - “Nothing… will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”

10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;

I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.

Isaiah 48:10

1. What do I feel in the middle of suffering? 

The Groan

2. What do I see in the middle of suffering?

Discerning

3. What is happening in the middle of suffering?

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:3

2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6

God is Refining

10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;

I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.

Isaiah 48:10

Refining: to improve or purify something by removing unwanted elements or making small, precise adjustments.

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

Michelangelo

God’s love is a consuming fire

3 Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 9:3

“Safe?... Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

C.S. Lewis (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)

“The consuming fire of God is not the fire of a wild animal attacking us; it is the fire of a savior who loves us too much to leave us untouched.”

God sees His children stuck, and will refine them until they’re free.

In The Fire of God’s Refining Love:

1. NOTHING OF VALUE IS LOST

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits[a] and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Daniel 3:1-2

26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12:26-29

1. We lose what we’ve tried to cover ourselves with.

1. We lose what we’ve been bound up in.

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

Daniel 3:23-25 

Fear tells us that everything being broken off is a loss. The Gospel tells us that everything being broken off is gain.

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 

Philippians 3:8

1. NOTHING OF VALUE IS ADDED

1. The Gospel doesn’t say, “Jesus makes life better.”

1. The Gospel says, “Jesus is life.”

1. THE VALUE OF JESUS IS REVEALED

25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

Daniel 3:25

His love does not change; it cannot be made to alter; the furnace cannot scorch us, not a single hair of our head can perish; we are as safe in the fire as we are out of it.

Charles Spurgeon

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

1 Corinthians 13:12

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.

John 16:33

When peace like a river, attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say

It is well, it is well, with my soul

Horatio Spafford

The same suffering that softens one heart can harden another—not because God changed, but because suffering reveals what we think about Him.

Discerning Suffering

Discern: to detect with the eyes; a figure approaching through the fog

Suffering has the ability to distort our vision.

The problem isn’t suffering itself, or even the groan we feel in the suffering. The problem is most people look at the suffering but never learn to ask the right questions to discern what they are looking at.

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:17-26

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

John 11:21

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:23-26

Do you believe this?”

John 11:26

“If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty, He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, power, or both.”

C.S. Lewis

GOD IS GOOD

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

Psalm 31:19

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:17

ASSUMPTIONS WE MUST QUESTION:

1. “If God is good, He will prioritize my comfort”

Reality: Because God really is good, we can rest in the fact that no suffering has the ability to take away true comfort.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

1. “If God is good, then He owes me an explanation”

Reality: Because God really is good, we can rest in the fact that no suffering has the ability to change who He is.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:17

1. “If God is good, then He shouldn’t allow suffering”

Reality: Because God really is good, we can rest in the fact that no suffering is beyond is fatherly care.

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:9-11

QUESTIONS WE MUST ASK OURSELVES:

1. What am I feeling?
2. What story am I living?
3. Is that story true?
4. What is true?

The cross helps us see in the dark

At the cross, ultimate suffering and ultimate goodness are not separate realities. Both can exist together.

“The Groan”

Why does suffering hurt so badly?”

TEACHING TEXT - Romans 8:22-23 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

Job 1:1-3 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. 2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.

Suffering is an ache from being banished.

Genesis 2:25 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Genesis 3:1-7 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” 2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” 4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” 6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

Groaning is a deep, wordless, inward expression of pain, distress, or intense longing for relief and redemption.

1. Our spirit groans for home.

Romans 8:22-23 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

John 11:17 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 

John 11:19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

John 11:32 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept.

Grief isn’t the absence of faith, its a symptom of suffering

2. Jesus entered our groaning

John 1:14 “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 

Luke: 22:42 “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not my will, but Yours be done.”

Job 1:21 “the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

Sometimes we have to pray through confusion. 

Psalm 13 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
 How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Jesus entered our suffering himself, therefore we can stand firm in knowing that He isn’t distant from your pain, and we can trust Him. 

3. Jesus is our hope in the groaning.

Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Hebrews 12:1 Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…

4.Eternity changes our groaning…

Because eternity doesn’t end in suffering, it ends in restoration

Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying…

the groan inside of you isn’t just pain, its homesickness

 John 20:14–18 (ESV)

14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned and said to him in Aramaic,  “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”  18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

5 Lessons of a Present Witness - and What They Reveal About God

1) Keep Looking

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, in you I trust;

let me not be put to shame;

let not my enemies exult over me.

3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;

they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

teach me your paths.

5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 25:1-5 (ESV)

God reveals Himself to those who keep seeking Him.

John 20:11 (ESV)
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Psalm 27:13–14
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord… wait for the Lord…”

2) Don’t Hold Back

God draws near to the humble and those who know they need Him

John 20:13 (ESV)
….Woman, why are you weeping?..

Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted…”

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

Psalm 27:13–14 (ESV)

Psalm 25:1 (ESV)

To you, O Lord , I lift up my soul.

T.Y.O.L.I.L.U.M.S.

Psalm 25:1

3) Jesus is Nearer Than You Think

God meets us where our hearts remain open to Him

John 20:14 (ESV)
she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

Isaiah 65:24 (ESV)
 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.

4) Don’t Be Surprised When He Meets You

God sees you and is drawing you out

John 20:15
“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

Psalm 40:2
“He drew me up from the pit of destruction…”

5) Lean in for His Voice

God reveals Himself personally. He knows and calls you by name!

John 20:16
“Mary.”

Isaiah 43:1
“I have called you by name…”

This is what happens when you encounter a God like this.
 This is what happens to those who linger in His presence.

You discover a God who reveals Himself.
 A God who draws near to the humble.
 A God who meets open hearts.
 A God who sees you and draws you out.
 And a God who knows you and calls you by name.

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

John 6:35-37

"I'm not really a religious person," he said, "but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything. So I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship. I saw him and the cross on his chest, and I broke down in tears. I don't think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we're looking at right now, because it was otherworldly.”

Reid Wiseman, Artemis II 

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Colossians 1:15-22

No man ever saw Christ truly and was left unchanged.

Charles Spurgeon

“I looked back at the previous ten years of VeggieTales videos and realized that a lot of what we were teaching kids was:

‘God made you special, and He loves you very much.’

That’s true. But it’s not the whole story.

We weren’t teaching kids that they were sinners, or that they needed a Savior.”

Phil Vischer, Creator of VeggieTales

ZACCHAEUS, THE WITNESS WHO WAS NEVER THE SAME

He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”

Luke 19:1-7

What is needed in order for a person to first SEE Jesus, rightly?

Sin.

JESUS, FRIEND OF SINNERS

9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came…”

Luke 19:9-10

Jesus came to:

“To show people what a good person looks like.”

“To teach people how to get to heaven.”

“To die on the cross for the sins of the world.”

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Luke 19:9-10

We know nothing aright in religion, if we think the sense of sin should keep us back from Christ. To feel our sins, and know our sickness is the beginning of real Christianity… Happy indeed are they who have found out their soul’s disease! Let them know that Christ is the very Physician they require, and let them apply to him without delay.”

J.C. Ryle

The Danger of Spiritual CIP (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain)

Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP): a rare genetic disorder where a person cannot feel physical pain.

JESUS, THE GREAT PHYSICIAN

8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Luke 19:8-10

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Luke 18:22

What does ‘coming’ mean? It means that movement of the soul which takes place when a man, feeling his sins, and finding out that he cannot save himself, hears of Christ, applies to Christ, trusts in Christ, lays hold on Christ, and leans all his weight on Christ for salvation. When this happens, a man is said, in scriptural language, to ‘come’ to Christ.

J.C. Ryle

JESUS, THE ONE WHO NEVER LEAVES

“No, wait” — we say, cautiously approaching Jesus—“you don’t understand. I’ve really messed up, in all kinds of ways.”

I know, he responds.

“You know most of it, sure. Certainly more than what others see. But there’s perversity down inside me that is hidden from everyone.”

I know it all.

“Well—the thing is, it isn’t just my past. It’s my present too.”

I understant.

“But I don’t know if I can break free of this any time soon.”

That’s the only kind of person I’m here to help.

“The burden is heavy—and heavier all the time.”

Then let me carry it.

“It’s too much to bear.”

Not for me.

“You don’t get it. My offenses aren’t directed toward others. They’re against you.”

Then I am the one most suited to forgive them.

“But the more of the ugliness in me you discover, the sooner you’ll get fed up with me.”

Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

Dane Ortlund

No man ever saw Christ truly and was left unchanged.

Charles Spurgeon

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

John 6:35-37

Witness / Wk.02

22 But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”

31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face.

Numbers 22:22-31

We were wired to belong.

People are willing to go to great lengths to be known by others, but God has gone farther.

24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 

John 17:24

How far is God willing to go in order to be seen?

Witness: a person who sees, hears, or experiences an event firsthand; particularly a crime or an accident.

Balaam is the picture of your “spiritual” person today who will try it all but will not serve any specific god; they are their own god.

So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River[a] in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me.

Numbers 22:5-6

7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” 

Numbers 22:7-8

Balaam is a witness to

1. The God Who Speaks

12 God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 

Numbers 22:12

• God speaks clearly:

“This command… is not too hard for you… the word is very near you.”

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (paraphrase)

“Write the vision; make it plain…”

Habakkuk 2:2

“I have spoken openly to the world… I have said nothing in secret.”

John 18:20

• God speaks truthfully:

“God is not man, that he should lie…”

Numbers 23:19

“It is impossible for God to lie…”

Hebrews 6:18

“The Father of lights… with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

James 1:17

• God speaks effectively:

“My word… shall not return to me empty…”

Isaiah 55:10-11 (paraphrase) 

the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

Psalm 19:8

• God speaks personally:

“It is impossible for God to lie…”

Hebrews 6:18

“The Father of lights… with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

James 1:17

1. The God Who Warns

22 But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. 

Numbers 22:22-23

1. The God Who Pursues

28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

Numbers 22:28 

1. The God Who Turns Curses Into Blessing

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[h] for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Galatians 3:13

1. The God Who he Belongs to

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:32

“You say, ‘I want to see more.’ What more do you want than the Son of God crushed under the wrath of God for sinners?”

Paul Washer

“The greatest display of God’s love is the cross of Christ. If that does not win your heart, nothing will.”

John Piper

TEACHING TEXT:  Exodus 3:1-12,” Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” 

See the Power of God.

Exodus 3:2-6,”4 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”

Charles Spurgeon - “Where God is present, the place becomes holy ground, though it be a desert and a bush.”

Exodus 3:6,”6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”

Matthew Henry - “God's covenant-relation to us as our God is the best support in the worst of times, and a great encouragement to our faith in particular promises. When we are conscious to ourselves of our own great unworthiness we may take comfort from God's relation to our fathers,”

Charles Spurgeon - “A sense of the divine presence will make a man cover his face in humility. The nearer we come to God, the more conscious we are of our own unworthiness.”

Recognize who God is. 

Exodus 3:11-15,”11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” 13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”

A. W. Tozer - “God exists in Himself and by Himself, and all other beings exist only because He wills that they should.”

God extends the call. 

Exodus 4:1-11 “Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” 2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. 3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” 6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous[e]—it had become as white as snow. 7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. 8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.” 10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Exodus 3:7-8,”7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—”

Moses sees → resists → God still sends 

God answers every excuse except one: unwillingness 

Charles Spurgeon - “The Lord’s eye is never closed to the sorrow of His people.”

1. Ask God to reveal His power to you.

1. Ask God to reveal His identity to you.

1. Ask God to send you.

 GOD ALONE SUSTAINS 
 

...

LIVING IN THE NEW COVENANT SLIDES

“20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Sheperd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21

“Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross….” Hebrews 12:2

“20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Sheperd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21

We are to live in the new covenant

Covenant: an agreement between God and people, where God makes promises and people respond in faith or obedience

“A covenant is a sovereign announcement of God which He establishes a relationship of responsibility between Himself and mankind. Covenants are unconditional in the sense that God obligates Himself in grace, by His declaration ‘I will’”- NKJV Study Bible

“5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:5-6

Old covenant
 I will be your God, and you will be my people.
 The law is how the people would live in this covenant

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.” Exodus 19:4

“The Lord reminded the people that up to then they had been the objects of His free grace. The law is not here proposed as a means of salvation but as a means by which Israel, already redeemed as a nation [from Egypt] might through obedience fulfill her proper destiny as a people of God’s possession, a holy nation, and a kingdom of priests.” – NKJV Study Bible

Old covenant:
 God, through grace, bringing a people to himself and the people responding to this means of salvation through obedience to the law

“None is righteous, no, not one” Romans 3:10

“I did not come to abolish (do away with) the law but to fulfill it.” Matthew 5:17

“Only a sinless savior could die for sinners. Only God could bear the weight of God’s wrath.”- R.C. Sproul

New covenant:
 God, through grace, bringing a people to himself and a people responding to this means of salvation through faith.

“8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God. 9 Not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

“be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Ex 19:6

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

KINGS and PRIESTS

Kings deal with the horizontal areas of life
 how we relate to each other. 

• • Kings have dominion/ authority
• • Kings govern/ rule
• • Kings have responsibilities for kingdoms welfare
• • Kings serve rather than exploit

Priests deal with the vertical areas of life
 how we relate to God

• • Priests live a holy (set apart) life
• • Priests know the word of God
• • Priests intercede and act as mediators

“The chief privilege of a priest is access to God”- NKJV Study Bible

So, if we are called to live in this covenant by being kings and priests, then as kings       and priests      we have a picture of the cross       

“May the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead…through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete…to do His will…” Hebrews 13:20-21

“And they put upon His head the accusation written against Him: This is Jeus the King of the Jews”. Matthew 27:37

“If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.” Matthew 27:42

“Remember me when you come into your kingdom” Luke 23:42

“My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:34

“Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they do” Luke 23:24

“With his blood purchased us for God” and has “made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.” Rev 5:10

LOOKING UNTO JESUS

“The Greek word for looking of this verse in Hebrews 12, is only used once in the New Testament. It means to stare.”- Chuck Smith

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Practically if we are to live into the new covenant, we need to ask 3 questions:
1) Am I a King like Jesus?

2) Am I a Priest like Jesus?

3) Am I looking onto Jesus?