Larry A Bunch 11-25-2007 1

Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be

LearnedNumbers 20:1-13

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• 1Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there. 2There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. 3The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• 4Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here? 5Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.” 6Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them; 7and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• 8“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.” 9So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; 10and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?”

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• 11Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 12But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.

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1 Cor.10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.Rom.15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• "Moses was faithful in all his house,“• "men of whom the world was not worthy.“

• Aspects of Moses' Sin–Anger– Psalm 106: 32They also provoked Him

to wrath at the waters of Meribah, So that it went hard with Moses on their account; 33Because they were rebellious against His Spirit, He spoke rashly with his lips.

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

– James 1: 19This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

– Eph.4: 26Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and do not give the devil an opportunity.

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

–Anger–Disobedience–Transgression–Dishonored God

•Text

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• Deut.32: 48The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49“Go up to this mountain of

the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land

of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. 50Then die on the

mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on

Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you

did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52For you shall see the land at a

distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.”

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

–Disobedience–Transgression–Dishonored God–Unbelief

• Lessons Drawn From Moses' Sin

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• Sin in a way least expected• Ex.3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that

I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

• Ex.4:10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• Num.12: 1Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 2and they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard it. 3(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• Sin in a way least expected• No one is above sin• Deut.34: 10Since that time no prophet has risen

in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, 12and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• Sin in a way least expected• No one is above sin• God expects exact obedience

– John 4:24– Prov.16:25 There is a way which seems right

to a man, But its end is the way of death.– Matt.15:9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ ”

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

•Sin in a way least expected•No one is above sin• God expects exact obedience• The end does not justify the means

– Missionary Societies or Sponsoring Church Arrangements

– Social Programs– Women Preachers

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• The end does not justify the means

• Rom.3:8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.

• God judges us by our actions

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• James 2:18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

• 2Cor.5:10

• God is no respecter of persons

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned• 1 Peter 1:17 If you address as Father the One who

impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;

• 1 Peter 4: 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?

• Heb.12: 28Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29for our God is a consuming fire.

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• God judges us by our actions• God is no respecter of persons• God is to be hallowed and praised• Eph.3: 20Now to Him who is able to do far

more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

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Moses' Sin And Lessons To Be Learned

• God judges us by our actions• God is no respecter of persons• God is to be hallowed and praised• We cannot let mistakes defeat us

•Conclusion• Phil.4:13 I can do all things through Him who

strengthens me.

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