The God Who's With Us (Draft)

Numbers 1-17

Illustration

A story, my story, loneliness or not seeing something, need to be reminded of something??

Growing up Italian, in New York. It was normal to wear the horn and the crucifix, Italian Catholics.

The horn is an interesting one, it is said to be a symbol of good luck.

You know why? Because it’s said to ward off demons or protect the wearer from the evil eye,

Sebastian Maniscalco, “to keep the demons away?!”

It is also said to bring the wearer virility, so men, I just saying.

A Bronx Tale??

Criticism over superstition, not just the italian horn, but also the crucifix

Wearing a piece of jewelry that is a torture device

“Would you wear an electric chair on a chain?”

Ridiculous of course not. So, why did we wear it?

Why do we wear a cross or get a tattoo?

BC it means something else, it’s a reminder, a comfort, and that’s what I’m going to expand on.

How does this idea of a God who’s with us speak?

The Body

This weeks readings

A God of order out of chaos

A freed people, disoriented, confused, directionless, but take comfort, God didn’t just free to just set free

A systematic ordering, based on what, size? power?

Take a look at how God set up the camp, east, south, west and north

The tabernacle at the center, surrounded by, Moses and Aaron to the east

overhead look, a drone, it’s a cross and God is at the center dwelling with His people

Chapter 9, fiery cloud, pillar of fire, it lifts and Judah leads out, it settles and they camp.

Judah the leader, Jesus the lion from the tribe of Judah

chapter 11 the people complain, dwelling with God isn’t enough

Even Aaron and Miriam complained, “God departed” 12:9

The cleanliness laws, kept from the presence of God,

the pleas of Joshua and Caleb, 14:8-9, 21-23

When Balaam was to curse the nation, he couldn’t (Num. 22:18)

Num. 23:18-24, verses 20-21, For the Lord their God is with them

He looks down and sees God at the center of the cross, how many thousands of years before Jesus

The cross was no accident, the cross was always in the foreground

Even after rescuing and redeeming Israel, the cross was always with them, it was their present and it would be their future

What great lengths our God has gone through

How did this great story of God begin, a Garden project, God and man dwelling together

He dwelt with Adam and Eve in the Garden, but they weren’t satisfied, they unknowingly rejected being with Him

He came again to the nation of Israel, Exodus 3:7-8, Why, because He is the God who sees, who knows, who acts

He comes to dwell with them, over time, they too would reject Him, (1 Samuel 8:4-5; 6-8)

And yet, our God would not give up, He would come again, Emmanuel, our Yehoshua, our God who has come to be with us and is our salvation.

John 1:14, 1 John 1:1-4,

How does this story end? Revelation 21:1-7

Closing

So, before the cross was criticized as jewelry, before it was an implement of torturous death, it represented that God had come to be with us.

A God who comes to dwell in our presence

A God who took on flesh, lived with us, and willingly died for us

A God who said because of that cross, I can now be with you and dwell within you anywhere, everywhere, and always

Our Yehoshua is our Emanuel, do you believe that?

This isn’t just an individual concept, this is corporate, our God is in this place???? together we are a temple, the dwelling place of God

A living stone of a holy temple, what does that mean

Maybe our issue is our attempt to feel God isolated and alone?

God didn’t just free us from bondage to sin and death to just set us free

It all began with man and God dwelling together, and God has done everything necessary for God and man to continue to dwell together, and the story ends with the people of God dwelling with God once again.

Music

God is in this place Phil Wickham

Holy Spirit, You are Welcome Here, Elevation

Emmanuel, Chris Tomlin??

For God Is With Us,

Be Alright, Evan Craft, Danny Gokey