Sermon Central
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God Directs
Contributed by Christian Cheong on Oct 12, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: God wants to direct His people to where He wants them to be. Keep the Lord before you continually. Trust that God knows what He is doing, even when we don't.
How do you survive in the wilderness? You need food and water, you need to stay warm at night and cool in the day.
• God provided all that! Daily manna from the sky, water from the rock, pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.
• God is the reason why they survived the wilderness. God will be the reason why we can survive in the wilderness journey of life.
I received this in my email yesterday. How timely. It’s like God affirming me what I was thinking about.
• “The man who walks with God ALWAYS reaches his destination!” by John Hagee.
• Don’t live life without God. Don’t walk this journey alone and independent of Him. You can only survive because of Him!
The passage in Num 9 tells us GOD DIRECTS. They survive because God directs.
• God wants to direct. He is interested, not just to SHOW us the way but to WALK us through it.
• God does not just tell us WHERE to go. He ENABLES us to reach the destination.
We see that in the books of Moses, from Exodus to Numbers. God directs His people. He gives them clear instructions and provided the means.
• The Lord wants to direct your life. He is concerned about where you are going.
• Can we expect less from the God who is the Author of life, who is all-knowing and all-wise?
If we are driving to a place and I see you take a wrong turn, what do you think I will do? Call you up and tell you.
• If this comes naturally to us, then expect it from an all-knowing and all-wise God. He will not leave us direction-less. He will speak!
• The books have been showing us a SPEAKING God who is constantly DIRECTING His people, to the what, when, how, where and why of their journey to the Promised Land.
• Don’t blame Him for giving so many instructions. He knows life perfectly.
God directs them to the WHEN and WHERE they are to move, across the desert.
• He appears as a pillar of cloud over the tabernacle by day and a pillar of fire by night, in the sight of all Israel.
• They people sees and knows. It is a visual statement of God’s presence with them. They would not set out unless the cloud is lifted.
• The people were trained to see God’s presence and His leading.
Today we see with eyes of faith. This is the way to surviving in life’s journey:
KEEP THE LORD BEFORE YOU CONTINUALLY
He is present. We don’t need any tangible signs because the Holy Spirit is given to us. He dwells in your heart and mine today.
Keep the Lord before you and expect Him to guide you every day.
• Psalm 16:11 “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
The next chapter Numbers 10 records their first journey out from Sinai.
• You know who is right in front? Who leads?
• Num 10:33-34 “So they set out from the mountain of the LORD and travelled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. 34The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp.”
• King David was spot on when he writes in Psalm 23:1-3 “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
• Seek Him and enjoy His presence every day. Expect Him to lead you.
[Show layout of the tabernacle and the various tribes when they are in camp.]
SEE HOW GOD ORGANISES THEM
The Judah camp (E) moves first, followed by Reuben’s, the 2nd camp (S).
• And then the Levites will move with the tabernacle’s holy things, which will be in the middle of the camps (Num 2:17).
• Right behind will be the Third (W) and Fourth (N) camps.
The Levites are the priests and they are the tribe dedicated to the ministry of the tabernacle.
• Num 3:11-13 “The LORD also said to Moses, 12"I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, 13for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD."
