Introduction

• Psalms 127:3

God loves you, and you should love Him back.

• Romans 5:6
• Genesis 1:26-27
• James 3:9
• I John 4:19
• Matthew 22:37

Do what is right because it is right.

• Proverbs 3:11
• God gets to define what is right and wrong because He is the Creator.
• I John 5:3
• We must teach our children discipline. What are we communicating about discipline?
• Hebrews 12:7-12
• Don’t give in to kids that whine and complain.
• Ephesians 6:1-2
• Don’t teach them to do right only to avoid punishment.

Life is hard. Get tough.

• Judges 2:16-3:2 – The new generation needed to learn war.
• I Corinthians 10:13
• God allows us to struggle but prevents us from being overwhelmed.
• James 4:4, 7; 5:10; 1:2

You are not the center of the world. God is.

• Proverbs 3:5-7
• Matthew 22:37
• Ephesians 5:23; 6:4 – Husbands, lead your families!
• Philippians 2:3

Conclusion

• Take courage! Don’t let the world sway you!

Numbers 10

• Timeline:

• Five sections of Numbers:
  • Wilderness of Sinai – Numbers 1-10
  • Travel – Numbers 10-12
  • Wilderness of Paran – Numbers 13-19
  • Travel – Numbers 20-21
  • Wilderness of Moab – Numbers 22-36
• Numbers 10:13-28 – They marched out in the specified order.
• Numbers 10:29-32 – Moses convinces his brother-in-law Hobab to travel with them.
• Numbers 10:35-36 – Moses prayed for their safety in travel.

Numbers 11

• Numbers 11:1-3 – Three days in to the journey, they already start complaining and God punishes them.
• Numbers 11:4-9 – The people complain about only having manna to eat.
  • Exodus 16:14-15, 31-34 – Manna is first introduced. God wanted them to remember that He had provided for them.
  • Joshua 5:11-12
  • Deuteronomy 8:1-6, 16
• Numbers 11:10-15 – Moses despairs because of the grumbling of the people.
• Numbers 11:16-25 – God relieves Moses’ burden by setting up seventy men to share the load. Perhaps God was waiting for Moses to realize he couldn’t do it all alone.
• Numbers 11:31-35 – God gives the people quail to eat, along with a plague to punish their greediness.
  • Exodus 16:16-20 – Compare the rules for gathering manna.
  • It seems they were trying to greedily horde the quail rather than trusting God to provide.
  • Psalms 78:8-32, 40
  • Deuteronomy 9:22

Numbers 12

• Numbers 12:1-2 – Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses, apparently because of his marriage to a Cushite woman. We don’t know anything else about the Cushite woman.
• Numbers 12:3-16 – Miriam is struck with leprosy and must stay outside the camp for seven days.

Introduction

• Acts 7:58 – First mention of Paul.
• Acts 8:1-3 – Paul persecutes Christians.
• Acts 9:1-6, 9, 11 – Jesus appears to Paul on the road to Damascus.
• Acts 9:18-22 – Paul was converted and began teaching Christ.

Paul confessed his sins completely.

• I Corinthians 15:8
• I John 1:10
• I Timothy 1:12-16

Paul learned how to truly love people.

• The old Paul:
  • Acts 26:10-11 – Paul was violent against Christians!
• The new Paul:
  • II Corinthians 7:3; 12:15; Philippians 1:8 – He helped and encouraged them to repent like he did.
• I Corinthians 9:19, 22; 8:9, 13
• It must have been difficult for Paul to love those who were less zealous in their beliefs than he was, yet he did that with the Corinthians.
• I Corinthians 9:20
• Philippians 3:5-6
• Acts 26:15-18 – Paul was a Pharisee sent to the Gentiles.
• Galatians 3:28
• Ephesians 3:1, 6

Paul defended every inch of God’s truth.

• Acts 15
• Acts 26:25
• Don’t overreact to error and swing too far the other way!
• Psalms 119:1-2

We are commanded to be grateful

• Ephesians 5:20
• I Thessalonians 5:16-18
• Matthew 7:21
• David – I Chronicles 16:7-11
  • Psalm 136 – The writer of this psalm constantly stops to be thankful.
• Daniel – Daniel 6:10
  • We should be thankful to God whether things are good or bad.

How to overcome ingratitude

• Prayer can often help us get our attitude right.
• Don’t take your blessings for granted.
  • Psalms 103:1-5
  • Luke 17:11-19 – Only one of the ten lepers who were cured return to thank Jesus.
  • “Blessed are those who give without remembering and those who can receive without forgetting.” – Elizabeth Asquith Bibesco
• Don’t focus on your problems and troubles
  • The key is contentment.
    • I Timothy 6:8
    • Hebrews 13:5
    • Philippians 4:10-13 – Paul was in prison when he wrote this! He had learned to be content in all circumstances.
    • Fanny Crosby
      • She was content and even thankful for her blindness!
• Count your blessings
• Stop complaining
• Remember where your blessings come from.
  • I Corinthians 15:10 – Paul knew.
  • Luke 12:16-21 – The rich farmer didn’t.

Acts 17:30-31:

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Judgment is coming. It is certain. Thus, it behooves us to consider the question of Job 31:14: “What then shall I do when God riseth up? And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?” Most live their lives without giving this momentous question much thought. Let us not make this mistake, for judgment is coming.

Judgment is sure. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Acts 9:27). All things will be made known then - even secret things. “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” (Romans 2:12) “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes. 12:14) How would you like for one to reveal to this congregation every thought you have had the last seven days? God knows, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13) All will be open at the judgment, every deed (Colossians 3:17), every word (Matthew 12:37), every thought (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Thus, it so behooves us to live so that our record will be clear on that day.

There will be no excuses at the judgment. People make many excuses now: too busy, not enough time, not enough ability, intend to do it soon, let someone else do it, etc. Jesus never did accept excuses while on earth; thus, He will receive none at the judgment (Matthew 7:21-23).

Judgment will be individual. It will not be what parents believed or did, what wife believed or did, what brethren believed or did. It will just be God and me (Galatians 6:7-8).

Consider the opportunities the sinner will not have at the judgment. He cannot believe unto salvation. I did not say that the sinner will not then believe, for he will, but too late (Philippians 2:10-11). He cannot repent unto remission of sins. He will repent – have a change of heart, but to no avail. He cannot confess unto salvation. Yes, he will confess Jesus to be Lord but to no benefit. He cannot be baptized for remission of sins. He then will be baptized (Matthew 3:11-12). But he will think less of that baptism than he did of baptism in Jesus’ Name. He can plead with Jesus (Matthew 7:22-23) but the answer will be “Depart, I never knew you.”

If we now consider God’s judgment and prepare, we will have opportunities that we do not have now. We will hear Him say “well done” (Matthew 5:21). We will have glorious bodies like Jesus (Philippians 3:21). We will see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). We will ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

We will be as the angels of heaven (Matthew 22:30). We will have blessings unmanageable.

The wise will take advantage of opportunities now that will result with these glorious opportunities then.

Jesse G. Jenkins