The Gospel in a Blessing

What if someone asked you what is the Gospel? You would undoubtedly explain that it is the good news only found in Jesus Christ. What then can we say when we see good new offered in scripture to those that are yet sinners? Last week we talk about how we live so accustomed to the sin around us that we do not even begin to know the depths of how short we fall from God’s perfection. Last week in the in meditating on the Nazirite Vow we got a little picture of how dependent we are on God for protection from the world of sin we live in. It is not a coincidence that these words in our text to day follow right on the heals of the instructions concerning Nazirites. We are to understand that it does not matter how hard we work we cannot keep ourselves from sin, that is a work of God and that God goes beyond keeping us from just sin, he keeps us in every way.

Read Numbers 6:22-27 with me

Numbers 6:22–27 ESV

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Lets Pray

John Calvin comments on this section of scripture saying,

“In these words, then, the priests were appointed ambassadors to reconcile God to the people; and this in the person of Christ, who is the only sufficient surety of God’s grace and blessing. Inasmuch, therefore, as they then were types of Christ, they were commanded to bless the people. But it is worthy of remark, that they are commanded to pronounce the form of benediction audibly, and not to offer prayers in an obscure whisper; and hence we gather that they preached God’s grace, which the people might apprehend by faith.” [1]

Transition

What do we have in-common with the ancient Israelite when we read this passage? The answer is Faith. As Calvin just explained, the people hearing this bless must apprehend it by faith. Lets dive into verses 22 and 23

Body

This is How to bless the People of God (1)

Text

Numbers 6:22–23 ESV

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

Exposition

Familiar Themes

You shall say

The Lord Orders the Blessing

The Priests are not to Bless the people anyway they want to.

Big problem with Roman Catholicism.

This is verbal, this is a proclamation

Not because as someone say, “your words have power.” But because faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17, ESV).

The reason we speak the gospel is that is how God has decreed faith would come from him to the hearer.

Application

This is why Gabe and I use the Word of God for the benedictions at the end of service.

We cannot bless you, we cannot curse you, God is the one who hold all blessings and cursings and distributes them as pleases him.

The good news is to be preached.

The 1689 says that our actions are to “adorn the profession of the gospel”[2] they are not the gospel.

The first thing Jesus did was preach repentance (Mark 1:14)

When Jesus sent out the disciples. he didn’t say, go moving into town and wait for people to ask you. Jesus said “… proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 10:7, ESV)

Not everyone is called to

stand on the street corner

Apologetically Confront false ideologies

From me to you please don’t do that unless you know what you are doing. The scriptures say study to show yourself approved for a reason.

However, everyone is to vocally proclaim the Lord ship of Jesus. Think about some ways to do that,

Pray over your food in public

When making plans with Friends do what James said, say, God willing we will do this and that.

Make it so your home if a place where God is honored so that know one seeing you can miss it.

Speak out when evil happens, if someone is supporting abortion publically near you. You don’t have to say much, but you are called to speak up.

In everything that you do understand that your actions and your words are called for by God.

If they have to come and ask you have failed.

are you a christian or just a really nice person?

An example of what his looks like comes from my time in the army. want to be clear up front, I was not perfect and I am not perfect, I only offer this example in the way Paul did, follow me as I follow Christ.

I never got all the guys to gether and preached the gospel. But I lived and spoke of Christ in my daily life so much so that the platoon Sargent insisted I pray every tie before we do outside the wire, in his words, “Hale you have the big guys ear.” I was not preaching, doing street evangelism. But no one had to ask if I was a Christian. There was many that hated me, that called me “captain integrity” which if you know the army is not a good thing. They knew that if one of the superiors asked me a direct question I would answer with integrity. Don’t get me wrong dear friends, I was not perfect and I am not perfect, I only offer this example in the way Paul did, follow me as I follow Christ. The point of the example, is your goal need to be the know needs to ask you if you are a Christian.

The point of the example, is no one had to ask if I was a Christian.

Transition

In these two verses we see that the Lord is the author of the blessing and the good news is to be preached in-accordance with God’s instructions from his word. The next three are the good new. Look and verse 24-26 with me.

The Lord Will (2)

Text

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Exposition

The Lord will

Bless You

The Lord knows you needs and is providing before you even ask (Mat 8:8, ESV)

Keep You

You guys know the test, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” why “you are with me” (Ps 23:4, ESV)

Make his face shine on you.

This is a picture of looking on you with favor, to do you good.

In a common way we might say God smiles at you.

be gracious to you

Not just partial grace, but like the father that saw the prodigal son in the distance and ran to him and embraced him, that is how God will be gracious to you. (Luke 15:20)

give you peace

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” (Jn 14:27, ESV)

What kind of peace is there knowing we have peace with God through Jesus?

Illustration

The overwhelming army are is a great illustration of this blessing and the gospel.

Imagine you live in a little village and you hear that a massive army is coming. You cannot run away, you cannot hope to sin in a fight, you are going to die. As you watch the horizon for the first sign of this impending doom you see a runner in the distance and he draws closer you hear the shot, peace, peace peace has been declared. Behind the runner the army marches over the hill and now where fear was there is safety. They take up station around your village and nothing can come near to harm you.

God’s wrath against sin is that army and you were in the cross hairs. Bug God made the peace and God justice is now your protector instead of your executioner

Application

The Apostle Paul helps us apply what we have hear when he wrote to the Corinthians saying, “all the promises of God find their Yes in him. [In Jesus] That is why it is through him [ Through Jesus] that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Co 1:20–22, ESV)

In other words, this promise that the Lord will bless you, keep you, find favor with you, run to you and embrace you, and be your peace is all through the work of Jesus.

God wrath is your ally because of Jesus.

In the final point today the Lord says, “I will bless them.” Take a look at verse 27

I Will Bless Them (3)

Text

Numbers 6:27 ESV

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Exposition

The priest speak the word, we speak the words but God is the one doing the blessing.

We have to have faith in him both to proclaim the message and that he will carry out the blessing.

I am going to step in a few eschatological toes here, but I must.

The blessing only applies to the People of Isreal.

The text says, “so shall they put my name upon the people of Israel”

In order to understand the text correctly we must understand who the people of Israel are, biblically speaking.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel.” (Heb 8:8, ESV)

The new new covenant is the one symbolized in the cup and the bread by Jesus himself.

The new covenant is for Israel, not new Israel, not part of Israel but for Israel.

The church is the Isreal of God (Galatians 6:16, ESV)

The Isreal of God are the ones that have Faith in God who will bless. (Galatians 3:27-29, 4:28-31, ESV)

Application

Who do we apply this, with one word, confidence. Those who have faith in the promises of God are the people of God and through Christ those promises are applied to all that have faith.

The Author of Hebrews says that by faith “the people of old received their commendation.” Heb 11:2. Just as we do now. The plan for redemption, the plan for salvation, the plan for every blessings in heavenly place to be bestowed on the people of God was always and always will be the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Do you have faith that that this blessing applies to you? Then you are a true Israelite.

Conclusion

Next Time we will be in Numbers 21. In conclusion today I think no more words server better then our Benediction.

Benediction

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

For those in the Lord by faith, go in peace or stay and fellowship, both are good.

References

[1] John Calvin and Charles William Bingham, Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 246.

[2] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2486.

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and Charles William Bingham. Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.

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