This seemed to be a very small issue to die for-just gathering sticks. But we can't get side tracked looking at the sticks instead of looking at the major issue which was the sabbath. If we look at every thing in context, God just gave the law and a remedy concerning sin (whether it was intentional or unintentional, whether you are a native or a sojourner).Numbers 15:22 ‘But when you unwittingly fail and do not observe all these commandments, which the Lord has spoken to Moses,
29 ‘You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the sons of Israel and for the alien who sojourns among them.
30 ‘But the person who does anything defiantly(or deliberately), whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.
31 ‘Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.’
I would like to make a statement over here concerning this passage. It's not stating that there are big sins and little sins, sin is sin. what is being laid out is the punishment for sin and why!
Amy Carmichael the missionary said that it costs God Calvary to forgive my smallest sin. That it doesn’t matter what it was>Jesus still had to die for it. And if he had to die for it it’s huge. If my sin sent him to the cross it’s big-lying,blasphemy,whatever you want to call it. He begins to show is that there is a difference in attitude/what they do,because the one that he says is defiant is blaspheming and despising the word of God. So God begins to speak to these groups of people and as he speaks these words and the command is over, we get to this point in the story in verse 32 where this is done.We are living in a time in which Oprah has her own kind of church service on Monday nights: and they are beginning to proclaim that there Is no such thing as sin anymore, there Is no such thing as heaven and hell anymore, everybody is the same. It seems like what we re trying to do is erase the whole idea that we have sin today. This syndrome is even taking place in the church ,we don’t hear sin preached about,we don’t hear repentance preached any more! Let me show you what I’m talking about, keep your finger in Numbers chapter 15 and turn with me to the book of Luke chapter 12. If this doesn’t describe the spirit of the age I don’t know what does. I want you to see what Jesus does in Luke chapter 12 :1 Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, (Jesus is speaking to one of the largest crowds He has ever spoken to watch this church-it is unbelievable what begins to take place here) He began saying to His disciples first of all,(he starts preaching on hypocracy in verse 1) “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (He then starts to speak on Sin)
2 “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. (If you keep going He get’s even more intense )
3 “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. (what an intense message to thousands of people, thank God Jesus gives us an example of not being afraid of speaking the truth to the crowd no matter how severe the message is)
4 “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.
5 “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! ( Then Jesus says don’t be afraid of man that can take you out of your body, but be afraid of the One who can send your soul to hell. Then he get’s tender in verse 6.)
6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.
7 “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. (Then He continues to go on about being bold for God)
8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;
9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. ( This is just an intense message to thousands of people! And it even gets more intense, watch this> He shifts and then covers the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost)
10 “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.
11 “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say;
12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (What an amazing message, Jesus runs from Hypocrisy-then He starts to deal with sin that has been covered up that may be revealed-then He starts on who to fear and who to be afraid of- do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him. But don’t be afraid of anything else because God has numbered the very hairs of your head .If he can care for sparrows he can care for you.and then he goes into-(How many ever struggle with this?) has anybody ever ask themselves if they ever blasphemed the Holy Ghost? I’ve done that- If you’ve been raised in church or with the bible, you’ll always begin to ask yourself if you ve commited the unpardonable sin. Did I commit the unpardonable sin. Now watch this- If I’m going to find out what the unpardonable sin is, I’m going to find out from Jesus right? He’s the one who’ll expose that thing and bring healing right? What a message-he’s speaking on sin, fear, hell, care of God, blasphemy of the holy Ghost, Hypocracy-and all of a sudden you start to relize what the spirit of the age is when someone has the audacity to interupt in the midst of thousands of people (not just interupting the preacher, but interupting Jesus!) You don’t think that took place? Read the next verse!
13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” In the midst of the message! Watch this now church-Someone has the audacity to raise their hand and say>We re not interested in sin, blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, hearing about hell, hering about hypocracy> I’m interested in knowing how I can get my money. You tell me this is not the spirit of the age. This man stands up and says tell me about prosperity! Don’t preach about holiness, tell me how do I get the money to get what I want. He steps up and interrupts Jesus-and says stop talking about this kind of stuff. I want to know how do I get the inheritance, I want to know how do I get the cash-how does money cometh! But don’t say anything on blasphem, hypocrisy or on any of this other stuff-I want to know what’s my inheritance. That is the spirit of the age right there. Church I want to know how to stay out of hell and how to get into heaven, you can keep the cash get me to heaven at this point that’s there.You interrupt him when he’s talking about blasphemy, so you can find out how to get your money? The next verse if I were there verse 14 would’ve said and some guy from Ozone park slapped him.That’s what I would’ve done.I’m trying to stay out of hell, I don’t want to know about your cash situation. But that's what we are hearing today. Let me get off my soap box and get back to the message.
1-Obedience can only be tested in the small things . It’s the stick test that determines how obedient you are going to be. Were all prepared to be heroic. We are all ready to step up to preach, but no one’s ready to step up for ushering. We want to be the hero, but Jesus doesn’t say well done my heros-He says good and faithful servants. And what Jesus uses for the test is something so small as a stick test to determine obedience.
I think sticks are the small things that God says to watch out for. Be careful church not to treat things so small that you think God doesn’t take notice of them. Because your character can be found in how you treat the sticks.
Oswald Chambers who is one of my favorite authors wrote many books said, "character is the sum total of a mans action not the isolated acts that are displayed from time to time". A mans character is what he does habitually, it can’t be summed up in spots or trends in his life. Character is what stedily prevales, it's not just something that manifests itself ocasionally.
There are times that men want to see how far they can go before they are confronted. There are people that will sit there, whether it’s in a marriage or any relationship, and look to see how far they can go before a confrontation takes place. That’s the place of violation! That’s the worst kind of relationship to have church, when you keep doing selfish things until it gets confronted. It’s the husband that continually lives his old lifestyle with his buddies, and spends the money anyway he wants with out any accountability to his wife and family. There's nothing worse than a relationship like that! Think about it, to continually do something wrong until someone confronts you. Now think about your relationship with God, are you doing something questionable waiting for Him to call us out on something, or do you love Him to the point that conviction enough. This man knows all the way back in Exodus 20 that the seventh day is the sabbath, and in it you shall do no work.
10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
11 “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 31:15 ‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.
And it's as if this man who hears constantly the Decalogue- 10 commandments is almost going to push it to the limit- let's see if this is really true . Let's see if they prosecute to the fullest extent of the law .This is the first time that they have the law of God before them, now we see the first guy to step up and challenge the whole thing. Let's see if they really are going to kill you. After the transgression they didn't even know what to do so they put him in custody, no one has ever messed this thing up. That’s when God has him executed. This book is not optional. You will not discover someones character in their preaching but in their driving. Not in their ushering, but their attitudes. By the way that their children respond. In the offering and their generosity. In how they respond to their wife/husband. You’ll know someones character by their personnel file at their job, by how they treat their bills, and by how they spend money. These are the sticks, the things that you think nobody sees. The things that you say are no big deal. God says they are a big deal . Every small thing that you are entrusted with builds and reveals your character and estimation for God. It's something as small as hearing a gospel message brought forth and at the altar call rushing out to go to lunch when the Spirit wants to do something in the life of someone in the place. And we don't realize that every day is a gift from God.
2-Stones- People are always more willing to punish than they are to restore.36 So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. If there was a stoning here I guarentee you that you ll all show up, ok pastor Chris messed up we are going to stone him tonight, everybody would be there. The yankees and mets are on tonight, but my boys getting stones tonight that's where I'll be. But Jesus reformed the law or the perception of the law.
John 7: 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court,
4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.
5 “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?”
6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.
7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.
10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”]
I've heard a lot of thoeries on what Jesus was writting while he stooped down, I'm going to add to it. I believe that when Jesus stooped down he wrote who he was. Ultimately Jesus was the only one worthy to pick up a stone, but he chose mercy. Church , if God can choose mercy, why do we love violence and vengence? Today I exhort you to allow Christ to reform your heart, your character, and your nature. Amen.
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