The Tragedy of the Parking Lot: Why Faithfulness Isn’t Enough

• Moses' Failure at Kadesh Barnea [00:33:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor analyzes Moses' sin of striking the rock twice instead of speaking to it, identifying it as a failure to trust God and honor Him as holy, resulting in Moses being barred from the Promised Land.
• The Consequence of Unbelief [00:35:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that 40 years of faithfulness does not cancel a single public act of unbelief, emphasizing the seriousness of sin and the holiness of God.
• The Danger of Complaining [00:31:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor highlights the Israelites' complaint that life was better in Egypt, noting this as a recurring pattern of unbelief and fear that led to their wandering in the wilderness.
• Obedience vs. Outcome [00:36:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that obedience is defined by compliance with God's specific instructions (speaking to the rock) rather than the success of the result (water flowing), using Moses striking the rock as the primary example.
• Grief and Emotional Release [00:36:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that Moses' outburst was likely an emotional release due to grief over his sister and frustration with the people, noting that grief does not excuse sin but helps explain it.
• Spiritual Danger of Feeling Justified [00:38:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor warns that the most dangerous spiritual moments occur when believers feel justified and right, leading to a desire for release and action rather than reliance on God.
• Glory to God [00:39:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies Moses' failure to glorify God by taking credit for the miracle ('Shall we bring water...') as a critical error, emphasizing that all miracles are God's work, not the instrument's.
• Unbelief and Trust [00:42:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor cites Numbers 20:12 to show that Moses' sin was rooted in unbelief and a failure to honor God as holy, acting as if he could handle the situation himself.
• Christological Foreshadowing [00:44:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the striking of the rock to Christ's crucifixion, explaining that the rock was struck once for the final payment of sin, and we now speak to the rock (Christ) rather than striking it again.
• God's 'No' to Prayer [00:47:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses instances where God says 'no' to prayer (Moses, Jeremiah, Paul), teaching that intercession is not a vending machine and that God's 'no' can be the holiest response.
• Consequences and Grace [00:49:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor notes that while Moses faced the consequence of not entering the Promised Land, God did not withhold His presence or friendship, showing that consequences do not equal abandonment.
• Intercession and Divine Sovereignty [00:49:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor corrects the cultural trope of treating God like a vending machine, asserting that intercession is not about shaking God for results, but accepting His 'no' as an act of holiness.
• The 'Land in Between' and Endurance [00:52:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the spiritual state of being 'delivered but not yet arrived,' highlighting the danger of weariness and the difficulty of finishing well compared to starting well.
• Results vs. Obedience [00:57:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that producing results (like water from the rock) does not equate to God's pleasure or obedience, emphasizing that God is concerned with holiness over success.
• Grace and the Transfiguration [00:59:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the Mount of Transfiguration to illustrate that entry into the promised land is by grace through Jesus, not by human performance, as Moses stands with Jesus despite his failure.

• Sermon Illustration [00:34:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of driving to Disney World and getting in the parking lot but not being able to enter the park to illustrate the tragedy of Moses being so close to the Promised Land yet barred from entering it.
• Sermon Illustration [00:22:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the upcoming Farmer's Market and the presence of Sean McDowell as contextual illustrations of community service and apologetics, though these are announcements rather than homiletic illustrations.
• Sermon Illustration [00:34:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of driving to Disney World and getting in the parking lot but not being able to go into the park to illustrate the injustice of Moses being denied entry to the Promised Land after 40 years of faithfulness.
• Sermon Illustration [00:36:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the biblical account of Moses striking the rock twice instead of speaking to it, noting that while water came out, the act was disobedient because it violated God's specific instruction.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor lists several miracles performed by Moses (staff turning into a snake, parting the Red Sea, defeating Amalekites) to illustrate that God, not Moses, was the source of the power, emphasizing that Moses should not take credit.
• Sermon Illustration [00:41:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the hymn 'To God Be the Glory' to reinforce the principle that believers must give glory to God for all achievements and not take credit for themselves.
• Sermon Illustration [00:43:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor cites Psalm 106:32, noting that Moses' rash words angered the Lord and that the event is a foreshadowing of Christ, who was struck once for our transgressions.
• Sermon Illustration [00:47:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references Deuteronomy 3, where Moses pleads with God to let him cross into the Promised Land, but God says 'no,' illustrating that God can refuse prayer even when the petitioner is faithful.
• Sermon Illustration [00:48:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor mentions the apostle Paul's thorn in the flesh, where God said 'no' to removing it but promised grace, to illustrate that God's 'no' is often for a greater purpose.
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the biblical account of Moses striking the rock at Meribah, noting that while water flowed (a result), God was displeased because Moses acted in unbelief and took matters into his own hands, contrasting this with Jesus who finished the work perfectly.
• Sermon Illustration [00:49:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a vending machine to debunk the idea that prayer is a transactional mechanism where God is obligated to give what we ask for.
• Sermon Illustration [00:59:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the Mount of Transfiguration, where Moses appears alongside Jesus, to illustrate that the lawgiver who failed to enter the land now stands in it through the grace of Christ.

• Pastoral Charge [00:41:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > Give glory to God for all actions and miracles, avoiding self-attribution.
• Pastoral Charge [00:49:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > Accept God's refusal or 'no' in prayer with willingness and trust.
• Pastoral Charge [01:01:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor prays for those considering quitting to persevere and hang on to their faith.

[00:00:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:00:04] Good morning, Venture Church. I am so excited to see you and hear us worship the Lord this morning. Amen.
[00:00:10] Our God is faithful. He is good. And He is the lover of our lives. Yes. He loves you. He loves you.
[00:00:18] Come on, say it. Jesus loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. Amen.
[00:00:24] You've been for all my life. Could ever change my mind. You never break a promise.
[00:00:45] You're constant in all you do Yours is the way, the truth, the life that I will choose Come on, clap your hands like this I know that I know you won't ever let me go
[00:01:02] Every low and every high, you are faithful Taste it and I've seen, been so, so good to me Therefore I say please, we'll be home It's victory of love had given up his life

[00:13:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:13:44] The darkest day in history Sing there on the cross On the cross they made for sinners For every curse his blood atone Was spent to shame And the veil was made as a hat

[00:14:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:14:33] Lord, we stand here today to worship you

[00:19:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:19:36] To magnify your name, Jesus to proclaim of your faithfulness of your goodness god love your powerful word it's the lord we stand here today by your grace and your mercies that i knew every single morning we thank you thank you
[00:19:50] for bringing every person here in this room today god and the desire of our hearts is to bring honor to you and everything that we do and say here in this room god so we ask your holy spirit to
[00:20:00] breathe life into our lungs and help us to see more of you today change hearts and minds god we need you, Holy Spirit, we need your presence. Jesus, we love you, Lord. Thank you for all you
[00:20:12] have done. In your name we pray, amen. Thank you for being here with us. You may be seated.

[00:20:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:20:25] Welcome to Venture Church. I'm Jason and we're so glad you're here today. Before we jump in, grab your phone and tap the circle on the seat in front of you. The first thing you'll see is
[00:20:34] a connect card. That's simply our way of getting to know you and helping you find your next step here. Fill it out and someone from our team will reach out this week. And while you're there,
[00:20:43] You'll find today's sermon notes and everything else happening around here.
[00:20:46] And if today's your first time with us, stop by the welcome desk in the lobby after the service.
[00:20:51] We got a gift for you, and our team would love to say hello and answer any questions you may have.
[00:20:55] The Venture Church Farmer's Market opens this Friday, right here on our property.
[00:20:59] Local vendors, fresh produce, coffee, food, and more.
[00:21:03] It runs every Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
[00:21:05] Bring a friend and come check it out.
[00:21:07] And if you're newer around here, or you've been coming for a while, and you're ready for a next step, Starting point is October 11th. It's one night, dinner is included, and you get a whole tour of our campus. You'll hear what we believe and how you can find
[00:21:18] your place here. Learn more on our website. Thank you for your generosity because when you give, kids get to learn about Jesus, people are finding their community, and the city gets to see Venture in action throughout the week.
[00:21:31] You could give through the Venture app, online, and through the offering boxes around our campus. Today is our final week of our current series. We've walked with Moses from the river to the wilderness and today Pastor Tim finishes the story. Let's hear

[00:21:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:21:45] from God's word. Good morning Venture Church. Good to see all of you here today. What an exciting day it is. Hey I want to tell you about our farmer's market which starts this Friday. It will be open
[00:22:50] 8 a.m to 1 p.m and it is going to be awesome. All kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables and then all the good yummy stuff there's going to be a barbecue person there there's going to be a
[00:23:02] a hero person there they're going to be doing uh the the vegetable oils they've got uh guacamole and salsa and all kinds of amazing amazing things there and um on your way out at the portico share
[00:23:19] there's a table with a bunch of fresh produce that they delivered to us yesterday and there's some flyers there so if you'd like to take this to your community and pass it out and let folks
[00:23:28] know about it and if you happen to be part of one of the next door gossip chains you can uh you can you can go on there and tell folks about you know uh the the farmer's market a place for folks to be
[00:23:40] able to get fresh food at a at a discounted price and just a way for us to once again serve our community i think it was very gutsy of me to put a table full of tomatoes at the back before i
[00:23:52] preach so if you brought any tomatoes in with you please hold them till the end of the service but I will say I was not able to offer this to the first service but on your way out when you
[00:24:03] go to the table to check it out go ahead and take some with you it's all yours there so just go ahead and take some stuff home with you and enjoy it all right so today we bring our study on Moses
[00:24:15] to a conclusion and it's not because there isn't more to be said he lived a truly remarkable life but there has to come a point where we where we end it and we move on next week i'll begin our
[00:24:28] new series uh talking about real questions uh where we're going to be answering some of the difficult questions that folks have as it relates to faith and christianity and and god and uh so you know if you know somebody that's struggling and and uh having questions then this series
[00:24:44] will be something they will enjoy now this series i'm excited about this this series is going to conclude with sean mcdowell being here on the weekend of november 4th sean mcdowell his dad is josh mcdowell uh written numerous books sean has written numerous books best-selling books
[00:24:59] on uh apologetics and some of the most difficult questions he's an incredible speaker he speaks in colleges and campuses and churches and all over the country he's in high demand we've on the calendar for many many months now but he will be with us november 4th so make sure that you
[00:25:16] mark that date on your calendar to make sure that you are here and then on the Saturday night before we're going to have a special Saturday night service at 6 p.m. where he's going to be doing
[00:25:26] Q&A and you can ask him some of the really tough questions and then we're doing something special for young adults and youth that night after that and so it's going to be a great weekend that is
[00:25:36] all coming up but today we're going to finish our story on Moses and Moses really lived an extraordinary life. And we know that he is with the Lord, probably spending company with all the other Old Testament saints. And today in our study, we're going to find him standing at the door
[00:25:57] of the promised land. So let me bring you up to speed from where we were last week to where we are this week. Last week, two weeks ago, we were at Mount Sinai and Moses had come down and God
[00:26:11] delivered the 10 commandments and then last week Moses went back up and he was getting the tablets written by the very finger of God came down and here's Aaron and the people and they had made a
[00:26:21] golden calf and you remember you know God just wanted to wipe them out and Moses interceded on their behalf and he relented and so that was last that that was last week and then now they have
[00:26:36] moved on from Mount Sinai and the people are now at Kadesh Barnea and they've gone there and to spy out the land that God had promised and if you recall in in other sermons and other studies
[00:26:52] God you had you know Moses sent people and they sent 12 spies into the land and they came back and two of the spies said my goodness the produce the land it's it's fantastic we need to do this
[00:27:07] let's go but 10 said oh man the people there are giants and they have walled cities and they have large hills and they scared the people and the people are like oh no we don't we don't want to
[00:27:23] go and they became fearful and even though God had promised them and said this is this is your land I'm giving you this land but they were they were fearful and didn't want to go and so God was
[00:27:35] displeased with them and so he determined that that generation that made that determination would not go into the promised land and instead they would wander until the very last person from that generation died and then their kids could go in but that generation could not so for the next
[00:27:53] 38 years they wandered in the wilderness they lived in what I like to call the land in between you know the land in between is you know they're not where they used to be they're not in Egypt
[00:28:09] and they're not in Canaan where they're going to be they're in that land in between and that is a very difficult place to be sometimes we call it limbo and they lived in limbo for an entire generation to pass away, and it was very difficult. I would love to say
[00:28:29] that they died, and then the story of Moses continues, and this incredible story of Moses' life ends on a high note, but unfortunately, it doesn't end on a high note. It ends on a low note,
[00:28:43] and it's kind of sad, because in the end, after all that Moses had done, his temper got the best of him so let's pick it up in numbers chapter 20 we'll begin reading in verse 1
[00:28:55] in the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the desert of Zin and they stayed at Kadesh and there Miriam died and was buried now there was no water for the community and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron they quarreled with Moses and
[00:29:14] said if only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord why did you bring the Lord's community into this wilderness? That we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us
[00:29:25] up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs or grapevines or pomegranates, and there's no water to drink. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we open your word today, God, I pray that you would show us things that maybe we haven't seen before. I pray that you
[00:29:43] would put out of our minds the things that would distract us for the next few moments.
[00:29:46] and lord let us hear from you god i pray that you would speak to hearts lord i believe that when your word is open and your holy spirit is moving that god you speak and so god i don't
[00:29:59] know what each person here needs to hear but i pray that you would use your word and the spirit to just speak to hearts so we dedicate this time to you lord in jesus name we pray amen so here
[00:30:10] Numbers chapter 20 opens with uh kind of a sad note uh Moses's sister Miriam uh passed away this was the big sister who kept an eye on her brother when he was put into the little you know
[00:30:25] little ark and sent out into the out into the river she walked alongside and watched it and saw when Pharaoh's daughter plucked him out and she was the one that said hey you want me to go
[00:30:35] get one of the hebrew nursemaids to take care of her and uh you know it was that miriam was miriam that that led the song uh when they had been delivered uh through the red sea she was the
[00:30:46] one that led the chorus and the song and uh you know she was a big part of moses's life and here at the beginning of this chapter moses puts his sister in the ground and then before he
[00:30:59] even really has time to process the grief of that the next crisis arise and that is there's no water and the people are thirsty and so they they rally against Moses and his brother Aaron
[00:31:15] and they say we wish we would have died in you know the land of Egypt or with our brothers and they accused Moses of bringing them out here in the wilderness to to die they said oh life was
[00:31:29] better in Egypt and same song that the previous generation had said, right? The same bunch of complaining people. Verse six, Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell face down and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord said to
[00:31:52] Moses, take the staff and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water you will bring water out of the rock for
[00:32:06] the community so they and their livestock can drink now God made the instructions very clear there did he not speak to the rock before the people's eyes verse 9 so Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence just as he commanded him he and Aaron gathered the assembly together in
[00:32:22] front of the rock and Moses said to them listen you rebels must we bring you water out of this rock then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff water gushed out and
[00:32:39] the community and their livestock drank I'll just bet for Moses that felt good you know right just you get sick and tired of hearing people mumbling and griping and complaining and they're never happy you know and so he just picks up the rod and he strikes the rock twice
[00:33:00] and you know it probably felt good to let off a little steam and i i think we can probably all understand how moses was feeling but god was not at all happy with moses look at verse 12 but the
[00:33:15] lord said to moses and aaron because you did not trust me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites you will not bring this community into the land I give them whoa what a gut punch
[00:33:30] that must have been to Moses I know you've been leading him for 40 years I know your life has been driving to this point but because you just lost your temper you're not going in you can't go
[00:33:49] to the promised land you've ever done something and immediately regretted it I would imagine Moses felt that at this point. It'd be nice if we could all say, hey, I've never lost my temper. I've
[00:34:05] never done something stupid in a rash moment. I've never made a foolish promise. But here's the reality. All of us, like Moses, have failed miserably. All of us have done things that we wish we could undo, that we could do over. Moses spent the last 40 years of his life drawing closer
[00:34:28] and closer and closer to the promised land it was right there god said but you're not going in it'd be like driving to disney world and getting in the parking lot but not being able to go in the park
[00:34:39] right you just sit in the parking lot that's what moses is dealing with here you know to get that close to the promised land and then not be able to go in kind of feels like a bit of an injustice
[00:34:58] doesn't it sometimes we can kind of think isn't it a little harsh that after I mean 40 years of faithfulness and then one rash decision and now he's not allowed into the promised land I mean that seems harsh well it does if you don't understand the seriousness of the situation
[00:35:20] now here's a sobering word for every one of us who's ever done anything for God even if you have done incredible things for God in your life in a momentary lapse of judgment it can keep you
[00:35:36] from finishing well 40 years of faithfulness does not cancel one public act of unbelief not because God is cruel but because God is holy and the people were watching so I want to share with you uh what happened and why this mistake was such a big deal and it wasn't just a mistake
[00:36:07] it was a cluster of mistakes i want to show you three of them here first of all number one he didn't follow the lord's instructions right god was clear speak to the rock but instead moses
[00:36:18] struck the rock not once but twice picked up his rod struck the rock two times water still came out the people got their water the miracle still happened but obedience is not measured by whether
[00:36:33] the water flows obedience is measured by whether you did what God said to do now it's quite possible that Moses felt justified I mentioned earlier I mean hitting the rock probably felt good and it
[00:36:49] was probably an emotional release for him I mean he was grieving his sister he was tired of these people tired of their bickering and complaining and griping all the time their false accusations against him you let us out here to kill us I did not we would have been better off in Egypt really
[00:37:10] really you think you'd have been better off in Egypt back when you were a slave back when you were making bricks I mean you really think you're better I mean he you know he'd heard that speech
[00:37:22] for years from the previous generation and now he thought okay now I'm dealing with their kids and the kids are doing the same thing and something in him snapped right now grief does not excuse what Moses did but it does help us to kind of explain and understand you know why perhaps his
[00:37:44] defenses were down I mean you know the reality is the outburst that we are most ashamed of often comes on the heels of a loss that we haven't had time to process or to deal with some of the most
[00:38:07] dangerous moments in your spiritual life will not be the moments when you feel weak it'll be the moments when you feel justified that you're right they're wrong when the people really are wrong when the pressure really is unfair when you actually have been faithful and yet they still
[00:38:34] complain when you feel justified it can cause you to want that release to just pick up the pick up the rod and strike the rock come out swinging now if you remember god the first time
[00:38:52] told moses to strike the rock so it wasn't like this was an unheard of event i mean god had told him the first time take the rod strike the rock and water will flow and so he did that was
[00:39:03] obedience then but this time God told him to speak to the rock he picked up the rod struck it it's not obedience this time it's disobedience this time same rock same people same problem they were
[00:39:16] thirsty but this time it was a different word from the Lord yesterday's obedience is not today's permission just because God said yes then doesn't mean he says yes now let's look at the second mistake. He failed to glorify God. Listen to what comes out of his mouth if you're paying attention.
[00:39:43] Shall we bring water for you out of this rock? Who's the we? The we is Moses and Aaron. Not Moses and God or not God. It was shall we bring water out of this rock? Shall Moses and Aaron bring
[00:39:59] water from this rock? It wasn't, hey, look what the Lord is going to do. Hey folks, let me show you what God is going to do for us. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. It wasn't that.
[00:40:12] No. Moses was saying, look what I'm going to do. Here's the problem. It's a big deal when we take credit for what God does. That's a big deal. God used Moses to perform numerous miracles,
[00:40:36] but it was never Moses that did the miracles, right? It was always God. You know, the staff, when he threw it down on the ground and it turned into a snake and he picked it back up and it was
[00:40:47] back into a rod? When he took the staff and held it over the river and it turned to blood? When he took the staff and he put it up over the Red Sea and the waters parted and they came through on
[00:40:59] the other side? When Moses held it up and Aaron and Hur on either side held his arms and they defeated the Amalekites? It was never Moses. The rod itself didn't defeat Amalek. In every one of
[00:41:16] those situations it was God so in our lives we must be careful that we never take credit for what the Lord does on our behalf we must give him the glory for all that he's done I love the old
[00:41:31] hymn to God be the glory great things he has done so loved he the world he gave us his son to God be the glory we must be careful that we never take glory for the things that God has done in our
[00:41:47] lives the moment we say look what i've done look what we've achieved look what we've accomplished we're taking glory away from god and putting it on ourselves let's look at our third mistake he didn't fully trust god you say well preacher how do you know he didn't fully trust god well
[00:42:09] it's because the bible says so november november numbers 2012 because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the israelites said moses you didn't you didn't trust
[00:42:22] me enough the underlying issue here was was unbelief moses failed to treat god as holy in front of the people he acted as if the situation was going to be too much for the word of the lord
[00:42:38] and he was just going to handle it his way speak to the rock i don't need to speak to the rock i hit the rock last time water came i'll do that again i've got this i can handle this
[00:42:48] one sin of anger one act of disobedience one moment of unbelief and the desire of his heart lay shattered at his feet he can't go into the promised land because he blew it he blew it
[00:43:09] psalm 106 looks back at this very event psalm 106 32 says by the waters of meribah they angered the lord and trouble came to moses because of them for they rebelled against the spirit of god and
[00:43:25] look at this and rash words came from moses's lips has your mouth ever gotten you in trouble oh no don't point don't point why was this so serious when the first time you destruct the
[00:43:48] walk or the rock and water came out why why why was this so serious all the way through this series and the entire story of Moses I have pointed out the fact that it is all a foreshadow
[00:44:05] to Christ right I mean just everything every sermon everything about Moses's life is a foreshadow of Jesus Christ and the Passover and just all of it it's all a foreshadow of that Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians chapter 10 verse 3 they all ate the same spiritual food that was
[00:44:27] manna and drank the same spiritual drink for they drank from the spiritual rock that's the rock that was struck they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them and look at this and that rock was christ paul was explaining the foreshadow paul was explaining the illustration that god was
[00:44:48] making clear back in the days of moses this was what it was all about the first time the people needed water God told Moses to strike the rock just as Christ would be struck on the cross he
[00:45:03] was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities the rock was smitten once so that the living water could flow but after Christ was put to death we do not strike him again he is
[00:45:21] the one and final payment for sins he offered himself up once and for all the sacrifice is finished we don't have to sacrifice christ again or anyone else now to be saved what do we do we
[00:45:36] ask whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved christ doesn't have to be crucified again because of your sin and mine he's already been crucified once and now we ask we talk
[00:45:49] to the rock forgive me lord save me right in moses's angry outburst he broke the picture that's why god was so upset with moses that was a huge mistake god guards his symbols and the
[00:46:19] whole old testament is a foreshadowing picture of what jesus was going to do the messiah when he came so that's why this penalty may feel heavy to us but it was not just about a rock in the desert
[00:46:31] it was about the gospel that was hidden in the wilderness and what Moses did here was he he he made a he made a blunder that twisted it now Moses was not happy about his punishment as you can
[00:46:46] imagine in Deuteronomy 3 Moses writing he says at the time I pleaded with the Lord sovereign Lord you've begun to show to your servant your greatness in your strong hand for what god is there in heaven on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do
[00:47:03] now listen to his request this is moses praying let me go over and see the good land beyond the jordan that fine hill country and lebanon but because of you the lord was angry with me and
[00:47:23] would not listen to me listen to what god said that's enough the lord said do not speak to me any more about this matter how would you like to go to prayer and God says no and stop asking
[00:47:39] that's what that's what God did here to Moses right it is a rare thing in the Bible where God says stop asking stop praying but it's not completely unheard of it happened you know back
[00:47:52] you know in the days of Jeremiah with the people of Judah and they were going through a famine and he said you do not pray for them we can think of the apostle Paul when he kept praying that the
[00:48:04] thorn in his flesh would be relieved and God said no I'll give you grace but the thorn stays that bothers us because we like it when God answers our prayers the way we want them to right
[00:48:20] we like it when God does what we in fact it was Moses himself who prayed on behalf of the children of Israel remember you know he came down the mountain the Aaron had made the golden calf and
[00:48:34] God said I'm done with these people Moses here's what I'm gonna do I'm gonna wipe them all out I'm going to start over with you and moses prayed to god and said ah don't do that lord don't please
[00:48:44] don't take me instead but don't don't do that and so god changed his mind and he didn't god answered his prayer the way moses wanted him to and we like it like that we like it you know when
[00:48:57] the bible says come boldly before the throne of grace and make your petitions known we love it when it says you have not because you ask not and that we can ask for whatever we will we like that
[00:49:08] But we need to understand that intercession is not treating God like he's a vending machine, that we just shake it and whatever we want comes out.
[00:49:16] No, it's not like that.
[00:49:19] Sometimes the holiest thing that God says to us is no.
[00:49:24] And we need to be willing to accept God's no.
[00:49:28] Because he knows best.
[00:49:31] Deuteronomy 34.4 Then the Lord said to him, This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when I said, I will give it to your descendants.
[00:49:40] I have let you see it with your eyes but you will not cross over it I want you to notice God wasn't happy with Moses but he didn't withhold his presence from Moses right he didn't end his friendship with Moses God was still friends with Moses he still loved Moses
[00:50:02] he just said but there's consequences for your action so no you're not going to get to go into the promised land look at verse 7 moses was 120 years old when he died yet his eyes were not weak
[00:50:18] nor his strength gone okay why is that last phrase there his eyes were not weak and his strength was not gone why did we need to know that because at the end of his life god took moses up mount
[00:50:47] Pisgah and let him look and see the land of Canaan he let him see it he couldn't go but he let him see it at 120 years old he probably shouldn't have had eyesight right you know at 120 years old
[00:51:04] he probably shouldn't have been able to climb Mount Pisgah right but God gave him strength and he gave him vision so that he could at least see and that was the favor of God amen then it says
[00:51:18] he died there verse 5 and Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab as the Lord had said he buried him in Moab in the valley opposite Beth Peor but to this day no one knows where his grave
[00:51:31] is this is just kind of cool a way to finish the story God himself buried Moses and nobody knows where his body is today God buried him the man who could not enter the land was put to rest by
[00:51:49] the hands of the God he'd walked with for 40 years now I want to go back to a phrase for just a moment here i talked about the land in between israel was not in egypt anymore but they were not in canaan
[00:52:07] yet they were in the wilderness delivered but not yet arrived they'd gotten away from the egyptians but they'd not arrived to the promised land yet provided for but not at rest and that's where a
[00:52:21] lot of us live saved but still waiting called but not yet having seen the promise out of the old life but not fully into the fullness of the new life yet and the danger of the land in between
[00:52:39] is not only unbelief on the front end you know the 10 spies refusing to go in the danger is also the weariness on the back end Moses made it through the first crisis he made it through
[00:52:52] all kinds of obstacles and painful events and people that were just a real nuisance to deal with then they made the big blunder and he interceded on behalf of the calf and he stayed even though the people wanted to stone him and then late in the journey while the Jordan was
[00:53:14] almost in sight his sister had just been buried he got tired he got angry he took the staff into his own hands and made a mess of things now at the end of the same chapter November why do I
[00:53:33] keep calling numbers November numbers 20 at the beginning Miriam his sister died right and then at the end of the same chapter his brother Aaron the priest died so he buried his sister and he buried his brother beginning in the end of that chapter and in between
[00:53:59] he lost his temper can I just tell you that finishing well is harder than starting well it's much easier to start than it is to finish starting has adrenaline starting has excitement starting leads with vision but finishing is tough you've got wounds and scars from the battles you
[00:54:29] fought the difficulties you faced that's why the bible talks so much about endurance the christian life is not a sprint out of egypt it's as eugene peterson put it it's a long obedience in the same direction. So let me bring this all together here. The miracles behind you do not
[00:54:57] guarantee faithfulness in front of you. You may have seen God's hand of blessing upon your life in the past, but just because you had great things happen in the past doesn't mean it's going to happen in the future. You have to stay faithful and true. Moses had seen more
[00:55:22] miracles than any man alive the plagues Moses got to go up the mountain with God he saw God in a way that no one else had seen him he's the one who carried the stone tablets with the commandments
[00:55:36] on him he knew God and yet he failed in a moment we need to stay humble we need to stay close to God we need to keep listening next a delayed promise is not a denied promise but delays do
[00:56:02] test our temper don't they when God seems slow we get antsy and we're tempted to take matters into our own hands aren't we well God if you're not going to do it I'll do it I've done it before
[00:56:20] I see how this works I hit the rock water comes out I don't do this I can I can handle this right it's similar to what Aaron his brother did when Moses was up on the mountain he was there
[00:56:30] for 40 days ah we don't know moses coming back let's make another god that'll lead us they took matters in their own hand because things didn't happen on their schedule i wonder how many times
[00:56:39] in life we make big blunders because we fail to wait for god and we take matters into our own hands third god is more concerned that he is seen as holy than that we are seen as successful
[00:57:08] moses still produced water right the crowd still drank and from the grandstands it looked like success we were thirsty water flowed good job moses but from heaven it looked a lot like unbelief so don't legitimize your outburst just because it worked just because you got the outcome you
[00:57:42] wanted doesn't mean God is pleased. Results are not the same thing as obedience. God is looking for our faithfulness to the end. 40 years of extraordinary service did not purchase Moses a pass in this. God didn't say, okay, you should have done that. You blew it. I'm going to let you
[00:58:08] go. No, he didn't. Moses could lead the people to the border, but he could not take them in.
[00:58:18] he could strike the rock but he could not be the rock Jesus did what Moses could not do and unlike Moses Jesus said I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me
[00:58:41] to do Jesus did what Moses couldn't Moses got so close so close but he didn't finish well now i'm going to wrap up this sermon in this series on a high note centuries after moses died
[00:59:06] in pisgah jesus went up on a mountain with peter james and john we refer to it as the mount of transfiguration and at that moment jesus's face shone like the sun and there were two men who were standing with him who were talking with him one was elijah of the prophets
[00:59:28] and the other was Moses, the lawgiver. So at the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses finally stood in the promised land. Not because he had earned a late entrance. No, it was because Jesus was there.
[00:59:46] The lawgiver stood on the soil that he had only seen from the ridge and the mountain in Pisgah, talking to the one that the law was pointing towards the whole time and that is grace
[00:59:58] now the man who died outside is standing inside with jesus and my friend that is our hope too hey maybe there's some here today are joining us online and you feel like you've blown the end
[01:00:14] you feel like man i did so well and then i blew it hot temper bad decision season of unbelief you may think you've missed your opportunity to cross the Jordan see the promised land you think
[01:00:29] I blew it I don't know that God's gonna accept me and I just want you to know this this is the gospel you will not enter because you finished perfectly you will enter because Jesus did
[01:00:45] heavenly father thank you so much that Jesus did what we could never do God I pray this morning that you would speak to the hearts of your people god you would use your word to show us what you'd
[01:01:04] have us to do there may be some today that are thinking of quitting and walking away and giving up and god i pay i pray that they would persevere that they would hang on and god thank you thank
[01:01:17] you that we don't have to see jesus crucified again that he was crucified once for all and now all we have to do is ask and speak to the rock, the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ. Father,
[01:01:34] we love you and we praise you. In Jesus' name and all God's people said, amen and amen. Let's stand as we sing our final song.

[01:02:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:02:24] bought us healing your punishment our peace jesus the shepherd and the savior you're the son of the winter sea and it's through your blood it seizes righteousness as it started here to trump us like