Rebellion!

Prayer for Parents

School is starting and we want to pray for all of those involved in education...

Our kids minds are so moldable at this age that this really is a big deal

But this morning I want to announce a new partnership that we prayerfully forged back in May

My family in has been involved in a christian Homeschool co-op since we moved to Sacramento two years ago.

This Co-Op is newer and has outgrown its space. Their board came to our board and asked if they could meet here.

So on Tuesdays this school year we will have about 100 preschool-12th graders here at the church

The co-op is called Forest Schole and they have grown so rapidly that they are pretty full. And this is a partnership. They have their own board so we are letting them run their own oppressions including admission to the program.

So we need to pray for them and us…This is huge to have a christian homeschool meeting here

We need to be in prayer for them

Students

Parents

Healthy Public schools Teachers

Intro

In Many ways...The story of the Exodus is the story of all of us..

It is the story of a people trapped in bondage with no way out...

A story of a people who when they do find a way out…They are so grateful…And then the immediacy of life’s problems overtake all of the history of what God has done…and all you can see are life’s problems

The exodus story…the story of Moses is a reminder that God is faithful when we are not

It is no wonder that the story of the exodus became central to the life of the people of God

This is the story of the people of God...

There is a book of the Bible called Judges and there in that book if you read it you will see things like: Israel remembered the Lord and they did well...

And then you will read…when they are doing really bad: “In those days everyone did as they saw fit”

It is always the story of the people of God and it is the story of us sometime too right.

Even after Jesus died on the cross for our sins and people began to put their faith in Jesus this was a problem...

So much so that the author of Hebrews has to tell this to the church:

Hebrews 10:26 NIV

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,

The author of hebrews is making this point, hey…Jesus already died on the cross…Why do you insist on crucifying him again?

Why do we do this?

Why do we go back to our bondage

One of my favorite proverbs explains this very thing it is Proverbs 26:11 and it says this:

Proverbs 26:11 NIV

As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.

That should be on a T-shirt.

I think the question that needs to be asked is why do we do this and why is this so universal to the human condition?

Why is it that when we read that proverb its like we just got hit with a deep dose of truth?

Well if you feel it…like Oh man that is me sometimes…well you are in luck, your not the only one.

For the majority of this series we have been in the book of Exodus but today I want to take us to the book of numbers, chapter 16.

If your new to the Bible it is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus then Numbers, it is the 4th book of the bible.

This book tells the story of Israel in the wilderness:

And I have to tell you this is sort of an obscure biblical story. while many of you may have heard it..., I guarantee that there are a few of you who will have never heard this before

But it is a story of rebellion...The story might seem obscure but in reality it is your story and mine

Numbers 16:1–3 NIV

Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”

I want to pause right here and help us to understand a few names that are coming up

So the main Character in this rebellion is Korah and he is a Levite, which means it is his job to work in the service of helping people worship God

And he recruited two of his friends Dathan and Abiram they are from the tribe of Rubin…There is impotrant backstory here

Its impotrant to note that The Levites had the jobs as priests and the Rubinites did not…See The Rubinites were decedents of Rubin, the first born son of Jacob…so firstborn children get privileges…they typically get to be in charge.

And Korah is making the point that just the levites are in charge...

But way back in Exodus 19, God told all the people…Hey you are all destined to be a kingdom of priests But God selected just the tribe of Levi to serve him in the tabernacle...

And just Moses and Aaron to speak directly to God and Korah does not...

Why? Because God is holy. Because of his goodness, evil can have no place before him…God is so good that his goodness is dangerous...

SO these men were challenged with always making sure they were pure before God..>Always being ready to make atonement for the people of God

So it was just the Levites that were the priests.

And what I want to point out to you is that the Bible says that this man Korah becomes Insolent

The word Insolent at its root in Hebrew word that was first used in Genesis 3....In the garden....It means “to grasp of to take ...”So if you re-read Numbers 16 it would say that all of these men became “grabby” They were grasping at something that they wanted to take....

So in Genesis 3 the very first rebellion what happened was that humanity was trying to define what was good in its own terms…And it grasped at the forbidden fruit...

Now numbers 16 just becomes another fall story...

There is no mistake at all that the same words that are found in this rebellion echo the words from the first rebellion of humanity...

The heart of rebellion is about taking authority into your own hands

See I think we might see the word insolent and think in terms of english that it just means rude or disrespectful, and that is true, it does mean that in english…But to rebel is to take authority that isn’t yours to take ...

and this is what we do every time we decide what is right in our own eyes...

We get “grabby”

For our own way

For God to bless our agenda rather than to submit to his...

We get grabby for control

We get grabby for what God hasn't given us...

The original rebellion of Adam and eve was to redefine good in their own terms

Korah from the tribe of Levi

His two friends Dathan and Ruben: First born of the 12 tribes. Eldest gets a double inheritance Insolent is a good word to describe what he might be feeling

So I can imagine them thinking, we are from the first born tribe, why aren’t we first? Why can’t we do what Moses does? Why is Moses first?

But what is the response of Moses?

Numbers 16:4–8 NIV

When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!” Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites!

Moses showed humility before his accusers

If someone accuses one of us…There is a whole lot of defensiveness that comes out of us initially right?

I mean if someone came up to you and trued to take away your authority in a certain area, probably the knee-jerk reaction is to be defensive but instead he gets humble.

Why is he humble? He knows god better than Korah.

Korah wants to start a fight but Moses knows that God will sort it out

How do we deal with issues when people come agains us?

what is your knee-Jerk reaction

Because that reaction shows why you have faith in...

Is the Lord with you and is your faith in him

Or do you feel compelled to fight and defend…Then your faith is likely in yourself

The next fill-in is

Moses has faith that the Lord will sort out the rebellion

Response of Moses: Humility and submission

Moses’ response is the Lord will show you...

The Lord will sort out what is going to happen next

Rather than I’ll Show you

The Hebrew is literally : “Yahweh will demonstrate”

Numbers 16:8–11 NIV

Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?”

So Moses Calls out Korah, he says hey you already have a big job in the priesthood and now you want more…Why are you doing this?

What Moses is doing here is asking a rhetorical question to Korah…Isn't it enough that God called you and separated you? Or do you feel like you should rise higher then where you were appointed...

Moses is revealing that Korah is acting out of selfish ambition...

Often times this is where rebellion comes from..>Selfish ambition

We want what someone else has …and we get grabby for it

It might not even be power and authority....It might be ideological or could deal with any number of things....

You know where you are most prone to get grabby…to rebel

Korah wanted an authority that was not granted to him

Then we get to the heart of what this rebellion is all about:

Numbers 16:12–14 NIV

Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come! Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us! Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves? No, we will not come!”

Did you see what the rebels said…Isn’t it enough that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey?

wait! they are using God’s words for the promise land to describe Egypt

When we are in rebellion we often mistake our bondage for the promise land.

We do this! when we are living in outright rebellion to god then we think that we have made it to the promise land!

What Korah, Dathan, and Abiam are saying is that Egypt was the place filling with milk and honey and then he is claiming to Moses that hey now you are acting like Egypt. So much so that you are treating us like slaves!

This does not sit well with Moses.

Numbers 16:15–22 NIV

Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.” Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.” So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”

So this is something of a pattern. Moses and Aaron continue to interced for their people. Oh Lord! will you wipe everyone out just because of the sin of Korah...

And again, God listens to Moses’ prayer

Moses is the first intercessor....He is setting up Jesus thousands of years later

So in this setting many people would die because of the sin of one man but with Jesus many sinners will become righteous because of the sacrifice of one man

Let’s keep reading

Numbers 16:23–34 NIV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’ ” Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.” So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents. Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.” As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”

So you might get the point here: Moses isn’t putting them to death, he isn’t taking vengeance

Moses isn’t grabbing a sword or making gallows...

He says…Hey if he lives a long life then the Lord hasn’t sent me and Korah is right...’

But if something totally supernatural happens like the earth swallows them up then it is the Lord’s judgment and not mine.

And that is exactly what happens...

The earth swallows them alive....Much later in the biblical story a righteous man named Elijah will be taken to heaven alive in contrast to this where Korah and his followers and taken to the realm of the dead still alive...

They are the living dead...

The point here is that living in outright rebellion to the lord will swallow you up...

It will eventually consume you so that you will feel dead

Rebellion, taking, grasping at authority that is not ours

Trying to be the gods of our own life is rebellion

All of us at one point were rebels

All of us are takey…We were born as rebels

And that is why we have to be re-born…That is why we have to surrender our whole selves over to Jesus

Standing before God and we should have been swallowed up.

But in his grace....Jesus took our own rebellions onto himself…and he put them to death

I love this verse:

Romans 5:8 NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While we were Korah standing before everyone else saying…nope I am stuck in my ways and I want to be in charge....

Jesus humbly took the cross and made the bloody journey to Golgotha he watched as they nailed him to the cross

While we were like the roman centurion nailing him to the cross or even mocking him

Jesus shouts from the cross, Father forgive them for they dont know what they are doing

Hebrews 10:26NIV

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,

Response

In war…in battle when soldiers are faced with a greater power and are going to be overtaken…they have a few options…>Fight till the last man or wave the white flag

Ot feels so weak sometimes to wave the white flag. like your giving up....

But its not weakness…It takes strength to finally say, I can not do it! I can’t keep up my rebellion

I can’t keep fighting God

So I just want to invite you into a moment of surrender

Lay down your rebellion....

The alter is open

If you are in a state of rebellion....Surrender Wave your white flag