Discouraged Because of the Way — Numbers 21

0:00 Well, good morning. I should offer one, little disclaimer before we start. In the midst of all the VBS construction, the clock has been covered up. So if you want to make any motions, you know, you can. But otherwise, certainly a joy to be here this morning and excited about an opportunity to open the word together, but then also mindful of of what God might use this morning to communicate to us.

0:40 So let's do pray as we as we get ready here. Our heavenly father, we we do we do pause. We we recognize that you are a great God, a holy God, one that we... As we consider or or even contemplate for just a few minutes, we we understand and see your awesomeness. And father, we we find it quite impressive that you've allowed your word to be written and that we have a copy of the scripture.

1:13 Father, we pray that as... This morning as we look at it, we pray for your help and understanding it. We know the Holy Spirit would would be happy to give us further understanding. We recall that these things are really intended for our good, written for our our help and for our learning. Father, we face circumstances every day that are bigger than us.

1:39 We face things that that are hard and difficult, and we're praying this morning that we might glean from the scriptures ways to live our life in a way that is well pleasing to thee. So we pray this morning, we commit our time to thee, we recognize our dependence on thee, and we pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Please take your Bibles and turn to Numbers chapter 21. Numbers chapter 21.

2:06 In our breaking of bread time, we were in in Numbers chapter 16. And just to know that all the things you probably know about the children the the children wandering in the wilderness, well, they've almost all occurred by this point as we get to Numbers chapter 21. A lot has happened. People have died in the wilderness. Even Moses' sister, Miriam, has passed away.

2:36 His brother Aaron passes away in a preceding chapter, and we're in Numbers chapter 21. Numbers chapter 21, and and I'd like to read just verses four through nine as we start. This reads pretty much as a narrative, and so follow along if if you will. Numbers chapter 21 and verse four. And they journeyed from Mount Horeb by the way of the Red Sea to compass the Sea of...

3:05 Or or to compass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people was much distressed or much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God and against Moses, wherefore have you brought us out out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is no bread, there is neither any water, and our soul loatheth or hate this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died. Verse seven.

3:38 Therefore the people came to Moses and said, we have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord and sinned against thee. Pray unto the Lord on our behalf that that he may take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord's... The Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten when he has looked upon it shall live.

4:06 And Moses, in verse nine, we see him executing. Moses made a serpent of brass. He put it on a pole, and it came to pass if a serpent had bitten any man when he had beheld or looked upon the serpent of brass, he lived. Now if you will hold your finger there and go to first Corinthians, please. First Corinthians.

4:57 Now this is referring back to the children in the in the desert, back to the ones wildering, wondering in the wilderness, our fathers which were under the cloud and had passed through the great sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat and drink all the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. Notice verse five, but with many of them God was not well pleased for they had... They were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Now verse seven and verse eight refers to to things that happened earlier in their journeys, but look at verse nine.

5:47 This is the this is the portion where we just read from in numbers 21. Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them, some of the children of Israel also tempted and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for and samples, and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore, let him that thinketh he stand take heed, lest he fall.

6:23 There hath no temptation taking you, but such is common to man, but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you were able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that ye may be able to bear it. And we'll pause right there. Go back to Numbers 21, please. Back to Numbers 21. If you wanna put that little string in your Bible at first Corinthians chapter 10, we may be coming back there.

6:55 Numbers chapter 21 in verse four, we've we've read this portion. You you get a grasp of what's happening. You understand that that the children of Israel are hit up against a certain situation. They they they make some mistakes. They sin.

7:11 God brings judgment. They repent. There's a solution, and so we understand that in a very general sense. But I'd like to draw your attention to a phrase that is that is there in verse four. It's the second half of the phrase, and it says, the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

7:30 And so we have this description of the people being discouraged. We we we find out their condition, but then we also notice why the reason is told. It says the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. Discouragement because of the way. I'd like to also first consider that that this is this is talking about the soul, the soul of the people.

7:56 Think about your soul. And this is this is the inward the inward person. Your innermost being is discouraged. The soul of the person, the soul of the people was discouraged. We sometimes face discouragement, don't we?

8:20 We we sometimes hit up against things that are discouraging. And Kim asked me, you know, what are you speaking about tomorrow? And I said, discouragement. But the reality is these people were discouraged. Alright?

8:39 They were discouraged and it was because of the way, because of the way. Now we we we can maybe draw from some facts in our minds about what we understand of of the journey that they were on, the fact that they were in a desert, the fact that they were pilgrims, they were wandering, that they were strangers, we can think about all those things and that's fine and appropriate. But we really want to make a connection of the fact that these people, the soul of the people was discouraged because of the way and then think about what way or what path that you and I are on. And when we say, man I'm discouraged. And we might say, it's because of the way, it's because of it's because of what I've been going through, it's because of what I've been getting, what I've been hitting up against.

9:33 We could go row by row, person by person and give a little testimony of, hey, this is what I'm hitting up against that's hard. This is what's hard in my way right now. Ray Ray's Ray's making a trip to Texas. Right? I mean, there's...

9:51 We think about... And some some things we think, well, that's that's a heavy one, that's that's a big one, this is a little bit lighter, but they kinda come at us. Right? They come at us. There's different things that come at us, and and sometimes the reality is we find ourselves discouraged.

10:31 The first person that's given this parachute is told, hey, this parachute that I've got for you, it is a 2,018 model and this thing is great. You're gonna love it. It is going to enhance your flight. You will have no more cares or troubles as you get on the... It's gonna bring you peace.

10:48 It's gonna bring bring you happiness. It's gonna bring you contentment, you are gonna make your destination like like no other. In fact, Devon, where should we go? We're going... We're we're getting on a flight here.

11:02 Where where should we go? The Grand Canyon. Alright. So the first person's given us this parachute. They're headed to the Grand Canyon, and you understand what they've been told.

11:16 The next person's given the parachute. But here's what they're... Here's how it's explained to them. Look, we've got this parachute. You're gonna put it on, and it potentially is gonna it's gonna be it's gonna be a little bit...

11:30 Well, I'll tell you what. This plane going to Grand Canyon is gonna crash. We... It is going to crash. So here's a parachute.

11:43 You'll be prepared for the crash. You understand the two different things that people were told. The first fellow puts it on. He's excited about going to the Grand Canyon. He's got his camera, you know, he's got his film.

11:57 Oh, wait a minute. Let me update this. Yeah. See, you're paying attention. Good.

12:03 So... But he gets on the plane and he's got his parachute on and he's trying to get through the aisles and it's like bumping, he's bumping and he tries to sit down and you can imagine here if you were to sit down with a parachute on your back, well, can't get all the way in the chair. So he's like, man, is this thing is uncomfortable. This guy told me that this is gonna be an enjoyable ride. This is gonna improve my experience.

12:29 Right? And so... And and and then some people like Josh are there, and he's like, did you see that guy with the parachute on? Like, he starts laughing, and and then another person starts snickering, you know, and they're like, get along with this guy. He's got a parachute.

12:47 And it doesn't even match his outfit. You know, I mean, there's... So he becomes disillusioned with this parachute that he's been given, and he takes it off. And he says, I want nothing to do with that. Well, the next person, he gets on the plane.

13:06 He has a very similar experience. He he can't... He he he bumps through the aisle on his way there. He he can't sit all the way in the in the seat. It's very uncomfortable, but he just thinks, this plane's gonna crash.

13:20 I need this. I'm glad I've got this thing. People are laughing and snickering. He's like, I wish I wish they had a pair... I wish they had what I have.

13:31 You know, and like, the people's soul was discouraged because of the way. They were discouraged. They felt, I've got Jesus. I'm a believer. Why is it hard?

13:55 You know, there's something as we read this little passage here. We read this passage, and we see that there's some things that are happening here. Yes, it was hard. Yes, they were discouraged. Yes, it was real.

14:12 But then there's something that... I don't know how to describe it. It's like they're on the fence. Alright? And I would say to all of us that you will be discouraged as a Christian, as a believer.

14:42 We went on a hike yesterday and and we're going through, what's the name of that park, it's French Creek? French Yeah. Beautiful park, beautiful hiking trails, but there are some places in the trail that fork, Right? There are some places in the trail that I didn't know the way. Thankfully, I had guide Bob with me.

15:02 And you know what we found? We found a fork on the trail. We did we did have a little joke about that, you know, as we were we were walking through there, and sometimes there's a fork in the path. Right? And these people, these children of Israel, they came up to they came up to a fork.

15:27 And you know what? There was two ways for them to choose. They chose the path that led to complaining. Your your version, we read that it says, and the people spake against God and against Moses who is God's appointed leader for them at that time. The the the...

15:52 Some of it says murmuring, some of it says complaining, you know, your version might say a little bit different word, but the fact is they complained, they spoke out against God. Against what we just we looked at earlier. It's like this God who had delivered them, this God who had demonstrated his power over over all the plagues, who who had delivered them from death, who had allowed the whole Egyptian army to be gulfed up in the sea. This god, this god that had provided for them along the way, they didn't have to carry a cook stove. They didn't have to worry about the new insta burner jet pot.

16:34 They were provided food every day, what they needed along the way. There teetering was point. They were on the fence. They came to the fork in the road. We read these people chose complaining.

16:53 Discouragement is real. Discouragement will come. You have the same choice. You're at the same divide in the road. One of the paths leads toward complaining.

17:09 I'm a critical thinker. That sounds nice, doesn't it? I'm a complainer. I mean, I don't when I don't like it I I wanna point out what's wrong with it I wanna fix it I'm a fixer. That can be a good that can be a positive strength but that can also be a detriment because you know what when I'm discouraged I'm complaining and I'm pointing fingers I'm saying it's this reason this is why it's happened, that happened this way, he shouldn't have done that, I can't believe he did this.

17:39 It's real... I mean, we're talking real life. Right? The choice they made was to complain. I wanna I wanna draw out something else here is because we can we can understand this, but I'd like to ask you the question.

18:19 To a to a land. They had been delivered from slavery where they were being beaten and killed. That that was not true. Right? Look at the next thing.

18:28 For for for there... I'm in verse five, back in 21 verse five, for there is no bread. Was that truth? It's like delivery every day. You didn't have to call Domino's.

18:43 The... It's already there. Right? That was not truth. Neither is there water.

18:49 That was not true either. That was not true. Now look, here's the last statement in this... The last phrase in this verse. Here, we get to some truth.

18:59 Right? Our soul hates this light bread. That was true. But you know what? That should not have been true.

19:08 They should not have been hating that. But they did. And so, look look, they're complaining. They were... They based their complaining, and they were they were complaining about three things that were not true and one truth that shouldn't have been true.

19:25 And guess what? Why did Paul have to say, these things are written for our learning? Why did Paul have to say, look, you're going to identify with this? Because we do the same thing. So I'm gonna I'm gonna say, let's ask ourselves this question.

19:45 When I'm tempted to complain... Oh, let's back up because I don't even want you to go to the complaining route. Alright? Let's back up. When I'm discouraged, am I discouraged based on truth?

20:02 Sometimes we we can say this this children of Israel that they they they were thinking they had, well, what Zig Ziglar would call for all the Zig Ziglar fans out there, what Zig Ziglar would say, hey, they got some stinking thinking. Right? They got some stinking thinking. They need to take a checkup from the neck up. Right?

20:19 And and we need to come out on top of this and say, hey, you know, I'm thinking things that are not true. That's the reason we're told in scripture, therefore whatsoever things are, you start filling the blank, lovely, but one of those is true. Right? And and love is patient, love is kind, love thinks no evil. Right?

20:46 And so we we... Our thoughts are important in this because if we start thinking evil, we start thinking wrong, we start thinking lie, we start substituting the truth for a lie, then we're gonna be not only discouraged, but we're gonna be knocked over into the complaining side. So we we say, we evaluate our situation. There will be hard situation, and it can be hard, and it can be truth and you still can be discouraged, but once you've evaluated, once you've assessed, hey, my situation is hard. I'm thinking truth.

21:22 I'm discouraged. Don't take the complaining route. There's another route we'll get to in just a minute. But we've got to point out one other thing. There's...

21:42 Well, let's look back at the text. Numbers 21, we're reading through this. We we hear what happens. We hear what they're talking about. We hear what they're saying.

21:55 Verse six says, the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. They bit the people and much people died. Now look at verse seven. Therefore, the people came to Moses and said, we have sinned. I'd like to suggest to you right here in this passage is that before this point, the people did not realize that they were in sin.

22:16 They didn't realize that they had messed up. They didn't recognize their sin. And there's another pretty big lesson for us, isn't it? We we track, we go down certain paths, and then we realize, wait. Now there's there's times that we, like, are are...

22:40 We're we're fully aware I'm making the I'm making the bad decision, but I want it, and I... You know, there's times like that. But there's other times in our experience, in our Christian walk, that we get down a path and we don't even realize. We don't recognize that we are in the bad place. We are doing the wrong thing.

23:04 Come to that point. Go down the path of complaining. And complaining, you know, is kinda one of those righteous sins. It's kinda one of those things that you can do and not feel so guilty about it. I mean, somebody's gotta speak up.

23:18 Somebody's got to say something. I mean, this has got to be known. We can justify it. But I'm not talking about just complaining. Let's expand that too to think about, like, hey, these people didn't realize that they were wrong.

23:37 God sent a wake up call. C. H. McIntosh says that when when when we when we choose a path to follow after Satan or give into temptation, we will experience the taste of the serpent or Satan. They experience the bite.

24:01 They experienced what his bite, what his temptation, what his allurement leads to, death. They experienced... So then all of a sudden they say, wait a minute, hold on, something is not right. And it caused thing to say, hey, wait a minute. Woah.

24:20 We've been complaining against Moses. We've been complaining against God. We we we've gotta we've gotta make a we've gotta make a change. We... And they and they go.

24:28 We see that they go. Go... If you can't hold your finger there, wanna in the context of our discussion here, let me reread some of these verses over in first Corinthians. If you don't wanna flip back, that's okay. Just listen.

24:40 So in in the context of what we're thinking, that these people did not realize, they didn't recognize their sin. Now these things were for our example, that to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye or complain as some of them also murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happen to them for examples to us, and they are written for our admonition upon whom's ends of the world are come.

25:23 Notice they didn't recognize their sin. Wherefore let him think that he stands, take heed, lest he fall. This person's not recognizing their sin. He's saying he's saying, look, take heed, take evaluation, examine. Like the psalmist would would write, search me, oh God, and see if there's any wicked way in me.

25:44 Look, pay attention. Take heed lest you fall. And verse 13 is a is a is an amazing comfort to us to say, look, no temptation has taken you. Are you tempted to complain? Are you tempted to to stay in discouragement?

26:01 Because here's what happens. When discouragement not dealt with, it leads to depression. And depression's a real thing. Depression depression cripples a lot of us. We struggle with that.

26:15 And so we've got this teetering thing that's happening. Don't be dis... I mean, the way is hard. Discouragement has come. Now I'm tempted.

26:24 I'm being drawn away. I'm I'm tempted to sin. But there's no temptation that's taken you but is such as common to man. God is faithful. Was God faithful to those people there in the wilderness?

26:39 He will not suffer you to be tempted above what you were able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. They were not aware of their sin. Now here's here's a here's another... This this one, we can get a little excited about this one. We need some excitement.

26:59 We're about we're about... We're we're cruising through this, and some of you are getting too laxed on me. Alright? So we need a little excitement. Hey, you know what the next point is?

27:07 That these people didn't recognize their sin, but guess what? God didn't act until they confessed their sin. And so we think about our own situation. I say, hey, I'm discouraged. I'm in a hard place.

27:20 Where's God? I stay in my ignorance. Where's God? When when is he gonna show up? I still stay in my ignorance.

27:30 I'm not evaluating. I'm not I'm not looking. I'm not looking inward. I'm tempted to complain. I'm tempted to do this.

27:37 I'm tempted when when they confessed, man, God sent, God acted. So have you thought about that? Can you realize that you may hold a key to God taking action? Our confession opens the door for God to act. That's pretty tough.

28:03 My confession means I gotta say that I'm wrong. My confession means I gotta say I made a mistake. My confession probably means that, hey, did you notice who the people went to? The very person that they had spoke against. Mason, you're a big guy.

28:20 I like this. Mason, we've sinned against you. We've done wrong. That's hard to say. Right?

28:29 But that's when God acted. God, we've sinned against you. He sent instruction, he sent a solution, he sent a result that would lead to life. Right? Confession.

29:03 She had been caught in adultery. And and they said, hey, we got this lady dead to write. See brings them... Jesus... They interrupt Jesus teaching in the temple.

29:11 Say, look, Jesus, we caught this lady in in the act of adultery in the book of the law. Moses said she's this sort should be stoned. What do you say? They asked the question hoping to trick him, hoping to trap Jesus. Jesus, well, he just bends down and starts riding in the sand.

29:36 The people are like, hey, hey, hey, hey, remember Moses said to stoner, look. And people started picking up the stones. They already had stones in hand. Right? Maybe one in their pocket of their of their robe.

29:51 They were ready. Jesus writes those and he and he he stands up and he says, you that are without sin, cast the first stone. It goes back down to writing. They stop asking their question. In fact, in a very respectful way, could I ask everyone that's 60 or over to please stand?

30:17 If you're 60 or over, just please stand. Remember where we are in our in our scene here. Jesus is is in the midst. There's an angry crowd with stones in their hands. There's an angry crowd with stones in their hands.

30:31 And Jesus says, you that are without sin, you cast the first stone. Yes, she's she's caught dead to rise. Yes, she should be stoned. But you that are without sin, you cast the first stone. The bible says that from the oldest, they were convicted in their own hearts.

30:54 And the oldest ones among us, which would be this group right here today. If we had a person up here getting ready to be stoned, these folks right here would have dropped their stones first. Y'all can sit down. But do you see the people in the wilderness? They didn't recognize that they were sinning.

31:20 They didn't recognize they were sinning. Those people that that were ready to cast those stones, they didn't recognize that they were sinning. And so we we have this... We gotta recognize. And when we recognize it, we confess it, and it gives God the way.

31:50 Hey, if you're stuck in discouragement, just evaluate. Is it because I I need to confess something? Do I need to make something right? Here's a question for you. This your thinking question.

32:08 Will hardship and discouragement lead to you being overthrown? The people that didn't recognize their sin, the people that needed the judgment to wake them up, guess what? That's what Paul's talking about as the ones that were being overthrown in the wilderness. Some of them, well they didn't have the opportunity to look because they were they were already dead. Will you allow discouragement?

32:37 Will you allow the hard way? Will you allow this hard Christian life to to have you be overthrown? To allow Satan to seek his fangs into you? To to have your Christian testimony shipwrecked? To make you kneel, numb, of no effect for God?

33:29 Path is simply this. Look to Jesus. I'm discouraged. I'm tempted to complain. But I've realized I don't wanna go that path.

33:46 Look to Christ. Complaining or Christ. You want that comparison? There's your choice. Complain or Christ.

33:53 Look to Christ. Kim gave me a little writing, just as a short quotation from f c Jennings as she was studying the book of Isaiah. And it says, when I look at my circumstances, my heart fails. When I look at Christ, my heart revives. Hey, you realize that whenever Moses, when he lifted up lifted up that serpent on the pole and and the the person that was snake pit, when they looked there and they were healed, it says that when they looked, they lived.

34:30 Let's think about living for a minute. They lived. When when when you choose the path of complaining, what are you living? You're miserable. You're not living.

34:42 Right? You would rather be dead. You would... You go down discouragement. You go down to depression.

34:48 You choose this. You're you're you're miserable. God's intention is for us to have a path even though in discouragement I look to Christ and I live. I have not come that you that you would not have trials and tribulations, but even in the midst of those trials and tribulations that you would have life and that you would have it more abundantly. His intention is for you to live even though the way is hard.

35:26 And so we have this opportunity to to look to Christ and live. Alright. Everybody stand up. This is our closing song. We're right on time even though the clock's covered up.

35:45 We're going to sing a hymn. I think it's let me just double check. Four ninety five. Four ninety five. We're gonna sing this in closing.

36:02 We're gonna sing the first two verses of this hymn, and then we'll be dismissed. But hey, can I just tell you this? That as I came here this morning... Well, I can hardly see everybody. I'm gonna go back up here.

36:20 When I came here this morning, this this message was was heavy on my heart for the people that I know and love here. And I trust you've heard from God. Here's his word. What what he was saying through his word and being communicated to us all. And we sing this song as we as we close.

36:39 I want you to pay attention to these words. Number four ninety five, oh soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the savior and life, the living more abundant and free. The second verse says, though death...

37:00 Or through death into life everlasting, he passed, the Lord Jesus passed, that we may follow him there. Over us sin hath no more dominion, for more than conquerors we are. And when you sing that verse, I want you to think about that fork in the road. I want you to think about that that way that leads to complaining, but then that way that leads to Christ. And you would say, when I look at Christ, you've got the victory.

37:26 Right? More than conquerors we are.