Well, this morning we're going to be in the book of Numbers. So let me invite you to turn to Numbers 22 in your Bibles so that you can follow along with me. Numbers 22. God has shown himself strong in this book. Israel has set out from Mount Sinai after receiving the law and the promise that they would enter the land of promise. But almost as soon as they left, We hear this constant refrain from Israel, we are sick of, and then fill in the blank. We're sick of this travel, we're sick of this food, this lack of water, this leadership, this threat of death in the wilderness or in Canaan. And then they go on to say this constant refrain, we would rather die in Egypt of old age than be slaughtered in the wilderness. Why did you, Moses, bring us out here to die? And yet as they are grumbling and ungrateful and ornery, what is God doing? Is he determined to give up on Israel? Is he determined to wipe them out as a race and start over with a different race? Has he forgotten his promise to Abraham? It's true that God is angry with Israel for their petulant unbelief. And it is true that he kills those who lead others into unbelief. but that is actually God being a loving father to those who remain. He is gently bearing with his children. So that while they are down complaining and grumbling and turning away from him and wishing they had different leaders, God is right there with them, protecting them, like at the beginning of chapter 21 from the Canaanites, providing atonement for them with this bronze serpent in the middle of chapter 21, and then delivering them from their enemies, Sihon and Og, at the end of chapter 21. Not to mention all the other provisions that he had given to them, like the daily provision of food that we read about in Deuteronomy 8, or their indestructible clothing. Deuteronomy 8.4 says, your clothing did not wear out on you those 40 years. or the gift of bionic feet. In some way, it also says in Deuteronomy 8, 4, your feet did not swell those 40 years, despite all the travel that they had. In short, while they are grumbling, God is fulfilling his promise to bring his people into the land that he had promised. Now, the older generation would not experience this great blessing because of their lack of faith, but the children would. like with Israel we have a lot of trouble as well and we must be completely reliant upon God for our deliverance and for our daily provision but the biggest problem that we have is the biggest problem that Israel had and the biggest problem that everyone has and that is the problem of our sin and its consequences there are two main reasons that that we know this The first is that the Bible teaches us that our sin separates us from God. We don't stand before God condemned because we don't have enough food or we don't have enough money or we have poor health. God says, because of those things, I condemn you. No, that's not why God condemns us. God condemns us because of our sin. apart from Christ that is. The second reason we know that the greatest problem that we have is our sin is because the Bible teaches us that Christ came to die for sin. It's interesting that when Christ came that he did feed the hungry, didn't he? And when he came he did provide for the needs of those who were destitute. He did heal the sick while he was here. But Christ never died, Christ did not die so that we would never go hungry again. Isn't it possible for a Christian to starve? Isn't it possible for a Christian to actually starve to death? So that's not why Christ came. Christ did not die in order that I would have good health the rest of my life. Have you ever known a Christian with poor health? Christ did not die so that I would never have to sweat over another bill. Are there any true Christians that are genuinely poor and destitute? Christ died to take care of our biggest problem. And our biggest problem is our sin. He came to reconcile me to God, and my sin is what made me God's enemy. And therefore, what I need from God is his deliverance of me from myself, from my sin, from the consequences of my sin. And that can only come through faith. I needed to do What Israel had to do in Numbers 21, the serpent, right? They had to look and live. We, like Israel, are guilty and deserving of God's wrath and we stand condemned before him. And his imminent judgment upon us demands an urgent response by us. Our only hope is for God to be merciful to us. No amount of money that I accumulate or no amount of good works will garner favor with God. We need God to do a unilateral work of reconciliation on us. And God has done as much. He has provided a way for us to be healed. He has provided us with a Savior upon whom we can look and live. So if you're a non-Christian today, This offer is available to you, that God is calling you today to repent and believe in the gospel. That Jesus Christ is the only way to take care of your greatest problem. The only way for you to get to God. You must believe in Christ. Only God can save us from our greatest problem and only through Jesus can we come to God. And so I would say to you, non-Christian, come to Jesus today. The focus of our attention will be chapters 22 through 24, so let's read the beginning of chapter 22, see what the Holy Spirit will teach us this morning. Numbers 22, beginning in verse one. This is the word of God. Then the sons of Israel journeyed and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho. Now Balak, the son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, so Moab was in great fear of the people. For they were numerous, and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel. Moab said to the elders of Midian, now this horde will lick up all that is around us as the ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak, the son of Zippor, was king of Moab at the time. So he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the river. the land of the sons of his people to call him saying behold the people came out of Egypt behold they cover the surface of the land and they are living opposite me now therefore please come curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land for I know that he whom you bless is blessed and he whom you curse is cursed So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand and they came to Balaam and repeated Balak's words to him. And he said to them, spend the night here and I'll bring word back to you as the lords may speak to me. And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. Then God said to Balaam and said, who are these men with you? Balaam said to God, Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me. Behold, there's people who came out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out. God said to Balaam, do not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed. So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak's leaders, Go back to your land for the Lord has refused to let me go with you. The leaders of Moab arose and went to Balak and said, Balaam refused to come with us. So this is, we're not going to read the entire text. We don't have time for that, but I do want to introduce you to the main characters. First, we meet Balak in chapter 22, verse two. His identity is revealed at the end of verse four. He is the king of Moab. The Moabites are descendants of Lot, according to Genesis 19. They live on the east side of Canaan. They're east of the Dead Sea. Israel has been wandering around in the wilderness for almost 40 years, since the time of the Exodus, and they're determined to enter the Promised Land, as God has predicted. In chapter 20, Miriam and Aaron die, and Israel is unable to camp at the Jordan. river by passing through the land of Edom because Edom would not let them go through and so God instead has them go around and God delivers the Amorites into Israel's hands that's what happens at the end of chapter 21 so Israel defeats the Amorites now that's significant because look at chapter 21 verse 26 Chapter 21, verse 26, for Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand as far as the Arnon. So who did the Amorites beat? Who did they defeat? They defeated Moab, didn't they? And so now we have the Amorites had defeated the Moabites Israel had defeated the Amorites and now Israel's living right next door to the Moabites. The Moabites are thinking this is not a good situation for us. And we see that in verse 3 of chapter 22 of our text, chapter 22 verse 3. So Moab was in great fear because of the people for they were numerous. So he's fearful of Israel, why? Because Israel had defeated the Amorites. And then it goes on to say, and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel. Moab said to the elders of Midian, now this horde will lick up all that is around us as the ox licks up the grass of the field. In other words, we're toast. We have no chance to go up against this nation, Israel, this people group. So that's Balak. Balak's the king of Moab. We're going to find out what his role is in this story. The second character is Balaam. We're introduced to him in chapter 22 in verse 5 and we learn that he's from Pethor, a city on the river. If you look in the margin of your Bible you see that that's probably the Euphrates River and I think that's right. So who is this guy? Is he good or bad? Is he from Israel or from a pagan nation? Well, at first glance it sounds like Balaam is a prophet of Israel, right? He's speaking on behalf of God, and if you've read the rest of the story you know that he's constantly saying, I can't do this because God has said that they must be blessed. So who is this guy? Is he a prophet of Israel? And at first glance we think he is a good man, a prophet of God, a prophet of Israel. Let me show you why we think he's good. Look at chapter 23, verse 3. Chapter 23, verse 3. Then Balaam said to Balak, king of Moab, stand beside your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me and whatever he shows me, I will tell you. Sounds pretty submissive to the father's will, to God's will. Look at chapter 23, verse 12. Balak replies to Balaam, must I not be careful to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth? And then verse 26, but Balaam replied to Balak, did I not tell you whatever the Lord speaks that must I do? And then chapter 24, verse two, and Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe and the spirit of God came upon him. So not only is he speaking on behalf of God and concerned about what God says, but now he has the spirit of God on him. And then at the end of verse 13, chapter 24, verse 13, at the very end of the verse it says what the Lord speaks that I will speak so seems like he has good intentions he's a good man with good intentions seeking Israel's best seeking God's best and we also might think that he's a good man because he acknowledges his sin in chapter 22 verse 34 chapter 22 verse 34 this is when the donkey he's riding the donkey and The angel of the Lord appears before him and notice what he says here, Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, I have sinned for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. So it sounds like he's actually owning up to his own sin. So we might think that Balaam, and really if you just read these three chapters and you didn't read anything else about Balaam, you might think he's a good man. We might think he's a good prophet, but the Bible is clear that he is a godless prophet who does not have Israel's best interests in mind. He does not have God's best interests in mind. And there are seven reasons why we know this. First, we know that he's a godless prophet because of his hometown. He's not a Jew. He is from Pethor on the Euphrates River, a place that is known for pagan worship. The second reason we know he's a godless prophet is because the text never calls him a prophet from God. Instead, in Joshua 13, 22, he's called a diviner, a professional seeker of the gods. He has this ability to talk to the gods. The third reason we know he's a godless prophet is because of his normal practices. Look at chapter 24, verse 1. Chapter 24, verse 1. When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go at other times to seek omens, but he set his face toward the wilderness. So his normal practice in reaching out to these gods was to seek omens. The fourth reason we know he's a godless prophet was because of his offering ritual in chapter 23 verse 1. You don't have to turn there, but there he asked for seven altars, seven bulls, seven rams, and this does not seem to be something that's prescribed by God anywhere in scripture, but something that he likely came up with or adapted from his own pagan religion. The fifth reason we know he's a godless prophet is because of his desire for money and honor. We'll see this as the story unfolds, but he's constantly trying to figure out how he can curse Israel for money. And that's what we read in Jude, isn't it? That for money, these men went after the way of Balaam, that they did like Balaam did. The sixth reason we know he's a godless prophet is because of Moses' later writings. Turn to chapter 31 with me. Chapter 31, verse 14. Chapter 31, verse 14, Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds who had come from service in the war. And Moses said to them, have you spared all the women? Behold, these caused the sons of Israel through the council of Balaam to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor. So the plague was among the congregation of the Lord. Moses saying, here's a new situation, but very similar to what's happened before. don't fall into the same trap that those women fell into before. They committed adultery with the Moabites. The final reason that we know he's a godless prophet is because of other scriptures. We already read Jude 1.11, that for money they have gone the way of Balaam. 2 Peter 2.15 and 16, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, who loved the wages of righteousness. Revelation 2.14, you have gone the way of Balaam who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So the story in Numbers is that God is using a godless prophet, an unbelieving prophet, in order to speak for him. God's message is coming through this godless man. We should not be surprised by that, that God would speak through a godless person like Balaam. God can speak through whomever he pleases. He speaks through a mute donkey in chapter 23. He spoke through King Saul in 1 Samuel 19. He spoke through Caiaphas in John 11. Better that one man die than the whole nation suffer, right? In fact, Jesus says that many people will speak on behalf of him they will say to him on that day Lord Lord did we not what prophesy in your name and he will reject them saying I never knew you Matthew 7 so many people speak on behalf of God some actually speak truth on behalf of God even though they are godless prophets. And I wanted to start here because this is important as to how we will interpret this story. If we think that Balaam is a good prophet of God, then we will miss the point. But we need to see that he is an evil man with evil intentions whom God chooses to use to make a huge point to Israel. So, we've considered the two main characters. Let's scan through the events quickly. First, in chapter 22 of Numbers, Balaam is hired to curse Israel. Verses 1 through 14. Balaam turns down the first offer. They come after Balaam, saying, Balaam, you're this professional, world-renowned seeker of the God, so can you seek Israel's God for me? This is what Moab, the king of Moab, is asking. Can you seek Israel's God for me? And when you do, tell him to bring a curse upon Israel. Remember, Moab and Israel are camped right alongside of one another. So Balak sends his messengers to where Balaam resides. And Balaam resides way down in the Arabian area. He lives in Pethor, remember, from verse 5 of chapter 22. He's not right next door, he's actually south of Carchemish on the Euphrates River. And so For Balak to send for Balaam, he's actually sending him 350 miles away. This would be the equivalent of from here to Louisville, Kentucky. And for them, it would take about 22 days for the messengers of Balak, king of Moab, to get to Balaam, and then 22 more to get back. And so verse seven of chapter 22, the messengers come prepared with fees of divination. This tells us about Balaam and who he really is. He's a wicked man seeking funds in order to continue his business. And yet he doesn't go. He talks to God. He actually talks to the God of Israel and God says don't go. You're not going with them. And the reason that he couldn't go was because God had already blessed Israel and there's no reason for Balaam to go. Right? Balak wanted a curse. So if you can't give a curse, God's saying to Balaam, don't even go. Now Balaam didn't tell them that. He just said, I can't do it. I can't go with you. And so in verses 15 to 21, Balaam accepts the second offer in fear. Balak is determined to curse Israel. And so he sends his messengers back to Balaam and he ups the ante. More distinguished leaders, more money. In verse 15, you see that. Perhaps Balak thought that Balaam was playing a game of some kind. Maybe he needed more money, maybe he was just negotiating. That's why he wouldn't go the first time. Instead of turning them away because God would not curse Israel, Balaam is compelled by the offer and tries to get God to reconsider. Look at chapter 22, verse 18. Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, though Balak were to give to me the house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything either small or great contrary to the command of the Lord my God. Now please, you also stay here tonight and I'll find out what else the Lord may speak to me. So if you just hang around a little bit, I might have something for you. And what we know from the rest of the story of the scriptures is that he was actually trying to convince God to let him go so that he could curse Israel and to receive this money. In verses 22 through 35, God opposes Balaam. Balaam is opposed by God. He starts out on his three-week journey. Finally, God says, all right, you can go. But immediately, God prevents him from going by causing the donkey to stop. Now, God had permitted him to go in the middle of chapter 22, and now God is saying, eventually, he's essentially saying, you can't go. Why? Why is God seeming to change his ways here? And I think the answer is that God knows Balaam's intentions. Balaam wanted to curse Israel. Notice in verse 35, the repetition of God's command. Verse 35, he says, Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you. Only you may speak what I tell you to speak. What does that imply? But Balaam had something else in mind. Changing the message of God in some way. Making it more palatable for Balak, the king of Moab. I think Balaam was ready to give Balak what he wanted to hear. And so the donkey presses him up against the wall. The angel of the Lord prevents the donkey from going. Verse 27, we see that the donkey knows that the angel of the Lord is there and so she lays down. So we have the stupid donkey could see what the world-renowned seeker of the gods could not even see. So there's some irony here, isn't there? Verse 28, And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you've struck me these three times? Then Balaam said to the donkey, Because you have made a mockery of me. If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now. The donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your donkey on which you've ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?" And he said, no. So here's the imagery I think that's going on here. God is telling Balaam to do what I tell you to do. I am your God. You may not recognize me as such, but I am your God. I'm telling you to speak on behalf of me. And now what Balaam's doing is kind of getting a picture lesson with the donkey, right? He's trying to get his donkey to do something, but his donkey's not doing it. God's saying, you must listen to me. Do what I say. See, you were ready to kill your donkey for not listening to you. What do you think I ought to do if you don't listen to me? Balaam acknowledges a sin in verse 34, but I would argue that this is not the sin of genuine repentance. True repentance is turning away from sin and to God. We know that Balaam does not turn away from sin, that he actually turns into sin. He only expresses his desire to turn away from it. So he's really just a rhino, isn't he? A repenter in name only. So what is the point of the story of the donkey? The point seems to be that God is reinforcing the command. Only speak what I command you to speak. God's saying, I am going to have my way with Israel. I will bless them, even though you and Balak want to curse them. And so in verses 36 through 41, Balaam is unable to curse Israel. He takes the 25 day trip, 22 day trip to Moab. And Balak is there waiting at the gate, telling you how important this meeting is. And Balak's hoping to wine and dine him in order to get him to curse Israel. And yet he comes with this message in verses 38 and 39, I only will say what God says. In chapters 23 and 24, we have Balaam's ritual and prophecy. The first ritual is found in verses 1 through 12 of chapter 23. We have these seven altars with seven bulls and seven rams which were meant to appease God, but they were not prescribed by God. They were a pagan prophet's attempt at pacifying the wrath of God, whose mind Balaam wanted to change. So God speaks to Balaam in verses four and five, and then Balaam passes the message on. Look at chapter 23, verse eight. How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? So he gives this message that he's been giving to Balak through messengers now directly, and Balak is not happy. Look at verse 11. Then Balak said to Balaam, what have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them. And Balaam again says in verse 12, I have to speak what the Lord says. even though he doesn't want to. Second ritual in prophecy is found in verses 13 through 26. Balak tries to take him to another place, get him to curse Israel again. And we have the same message with a little elaboration in verses 15 through 24. But let me just have you focus on verse 19. Here's Balaam's message to Balak. He says in verse 19, God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless. When he has blessed, then I cannot revoke it. He has not observed misfortune in Jacob, which is another way to say Israel, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord, his God, is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. Balaam is saying, God is not fickle with Israel. He will not change his mind on what he has promised them. He will not be manipulated or bribed like I can be, Balaam is saying. He has already chosen to bless Israel, and Israel he will bless. Notice that it's not only that God will bless Israel, but look at the end of verse 21 again. The Lord his God is with him. It's not just that God will bless them, but he's actually with them. He is their provider and protector, isn't he? Verse 25, Balak is angry again. Balak is angry and then Balaam in verse 26 says, I can only speak what God says. The third ritual in prophecy is found in chapter 23 beginning in verse 27. Balak again takes him to another place, this time to the top of Peor. They have the same ritual. Balaam already knew what God would say. In verse 2, we read earlier that the end of the verse, chapter 24, verse 2, the Spirit of God came upon him. When the Spirit of God comes upon a person, particularly in the Old Testament, it's not talking about salvation, although the Spirit was active in salvation in the Old Testament. This is what the theologians call the theocratic anointing, which is where the Spirit of God comes on God's mouthpiece for the nation of Israel, and gives him special ability or administration to be able to carry out his task. Remember, the Spirit of God came on wicked Saul, even, at the beginning of his reign as king. He was the theocratic king at the time, which is why it's called the theocratic anointing. But then, remember, in 1 Samuel 16, the Spirit of God left Saul and went on David. So was that the point at which Saul lost his salvation and David earned his salvation or gained his salvation? No. There's no losing of salvation in the scriptures. Instead, this is a theocratic anointing where the Holy Spirit can actually come on and give administrative ability even to unbelievers as he does with Saul, as he does with Balaam here. Give him abilities that he otherwise would not have had. Balaam in verses three through nine tells Balak what God told him, and in this third prophecy, he shifts his focus from what God is doing in Israel to what God will do in Israel. That God is with these people, he is blessing them, he is among them, and now he talks about what God will do. And again, Balak is angry. You were supposed to curse my enemies, he says in verses 10 and 11, but you have blessed them. In verse 11, he said, I would have given you much honor, but you don't want it. So you, Balaam, go away. I'm done with you. Balaam finishes with a fourth prophecy at the end of chapter 24, this time no seven altar ritual. And Balaam gives his prophecy to Balak. This final prophecy on Israel's enemies and the curse that will come on Israel's enemies is actually an implied blessing on Israel look at verse 17 chapter 24 I see him but not now I behold him but not near a star shall come forth from Jacob a scepter shall rise from Israel and shall crush crush through the forehead of Moab and tear down all the sons of Sheth this is a direct prophecy about what's going to happen to wicked Moab. I hope that you're convinced that Balaam is an evil man with evil intentions. The refrain that was repeated over and over again throughout these three chapters is that Balaam must speak what God says. And the reason that he must do so is because God is making it clear to Balaam and to Balak and to Israel and to us that he is determined to bless his people in spite of their sin. God is determined to bless his people in spite of their sin. So while Israel is down here getting ready to engage in immorality, spiritual betrayal of God, God is working with Balaam saying, Balaam, make sure you don't curse them because I'm not cursing them. You will bless them. God is determined to bless his people in spite of their sin. We know from the rest of the story that Israel betrays God. They commit immorality here with Moab. Apparently, Balaam gives them the idea, gives Israel the idea that they could have this relationship with Moab. And as a result, Balaam receives money for it in some way. And what is God doing? All the people are down in the camp defying God, getting ready to commit immorality. God is speaking through wicked Balaam God is promising to protect his people and remain faithful to his promises. Now you might be thinking, well, that's great, I mean, but we're not Israel. We don't have the promises of Israel, so what good is this message for us? And you're right, we are not Israel. But let's think together if this kind of interaction between God and his people is similar to us at all. Has God been merciful to us in spite of our sin? I mean, think about what your life was like prior to your salvation. Did God look down on you and say, hmm, that one, that person has finally cleaned himself up enough so that I can now save him? or that one's out there drowning in the ocean, but I see that he's starting to swim toward me, so now I can rescue him. Is that how it worked? Is that what God said when he brought you to salvation? No, the Bible says that while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, Romans 5. Or 1 Peter 3.18, Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the slightly just, the mostly just, the just for the unjust, in order that he might bring us to God. Or Ephesians 2, we were by nature children of wrath, but God. being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, he made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved. Listen to this, Christians. While you were sinning, while you were God's enemy, God was quietly working for your good. He was bringing you to salvation. He was paying the ransom for your soul. So yes, clearly we are not Israel and we do not have the same promises as they, but this merciful God in numbers who blesses his people despite their sin is our merciful God. Friends, this is our God. Our God is the same God who led Israel through the wilderness despite their sin. He's the same faithful God who was unwavering in his pursuit of their spiritual well-being. And can I say to you that your sin and your need for God's mercy did not end at the moment of your salvation, right? You needed God's mercy at that point. I needed it as well. But God's mercy did not end there, did it? God did not adopt you as his son or daughter and then say, you know what, they haven't changed like I expect them to, so I'm done with them. No, God continued to show you new mercies every morning, didn't he? Think back to the worst sin that you have committed during your Christian life. Do you have that sin in your mind right now? The worst sin you've done since you've been saved. What was Christ doing while you were sinning? Was he writing up papers to put you up for adoption? No, your Savior was interceding for you with his Father. And your father was waiting on the front porch like the father of the prodigal son, looking over the hill, waiting for you to return, ready to restore you. And in addition to that, he had already put in you his Holy Spirit so that his Spirit would prompt you, convict you of your sin and remind you of his love and his willingness to forgive. You see, God was working on your behalf despite your sin, prior to your salvation, so that you could come to Christ, and since your salvation, so that you could be forgiven continually. God was working on your behalf, even at the worst point of your salvation, and he's continuing to work now, isn't he? Maybe you're thinking, you know, I'm past that, okay, I'm already saved, I'm already past my worst point as a Christian, but now I don't really need God's mercy. Are you free from sin right now? Are any of you at a place where you no longer need to grow spiritually? We all are sinning in some way and need God to change us and yet still what is God doing? Is he ready to cast us out? Is he tired of our perpetual sin? Or is he working on our behalf for our good? Is he working in us and for us? See, friends, we have a merciful God like Israel, don't we? Let me encourage you this morning that God has a purpose for you if you are in Christ. He is pursuing your spiritual well-being. That is that even in spite of your sin, Even in spite of your worst sin and your schemes for greater sins, God is up on the hills quietly, tirelessly working for your good because he has determined to bless you as his child. And I can assure you on the authority of the word of God that no one can thwart his hand. No Balaam can come along and say, well, can you please just curse them? Curse this person for me. Do you believe that God is working for your good this morning? Let me flesh out this principle out with two others that are derived from scripture. Number one, the God who has promised your salvation is unchanging. The God who has promised your salvation is unchanging. The story in numbers should remind us of what a great God we serve. I mean, what if God were fickle? What if God could be bribed What if some evil person or demon could twist God's arm into changing the way he thinks about you in Christ? What if God was quick to change or go back on his promises? If God were like that, how much confidence would you have in your salvation? The fact is that God has never changed. He will not change. He, like Christ, is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And God has never once failed on any of his promises. All of his promises have come to pass, except for the ones that still are to come. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1.20 that all the promises of God are yes in Christ Jesus. The guarantee that God is faithful to His promises is His Son, Jesus. All the Old Testament promises point to Him. The law of Moses is fulfilled in Him. And the fact that God has given up His Son to be sacrificed proves that He will follow through. He goes through the greatest... He gives up His greatest treasure, doesn't He? In order that we can be saved. So why would we expect Him not to follow through on any of His promises? for us. See, we can be sure of God's promise of salvation and that it will come to pass, it will come to its completion. Aren't you thankful for that? There's no power in heaven above or earth or below the earth that can change the mind of God. If you are in Christ, He is determined to bless you and bring your salvation to its final culmination. There is no world-renowned diviner who can manipulate or change his mind, and therefore you can be sure that he who began a good work in you will continue it, complete it, all the way until the day of Jesus. Philippians 1, 6. And then the second principle is that God is relentlessly working for your good. God is relentlessly working for your good. God is determined to bless Israel despite their sin. While God is speaking up on the hill to Balaam, making sure that Israel is still taken care of and his promise is still going to be fulfilled, Israel is down below, running into apostasy and immorality. And yet God is still working for them. And God did something similar to us when we came to Christ. This truth should not give us a license to sin, should it? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may abound? We might think, well, since God's working for me and He's going to do it despite my sin, I can just live however I want. No, may it never be. Don't let God's faithfulness embolden you to abound in sin. God is working for your good, but rather let His faithfulness drive you to humble yourself before Him, to seek His face, to depend on Him more. give you cause to sing praise to Him. How can you be sure that God is determined to bless you? How can we be sure that God is determined to bless us? I mean, doesn't it feel like with the circumstances of life that sometimes God is against us, that He is working for our punishment, that He does not have our best in view? How can we be sure that God will bless us ultimately? And the answer is that he's already given the answer to that question and the greatest gift that he could ever give, his greatest treasure, Jesus, the Messiah. Romans 8.32 says, he who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How will he not also with him freely give us all things? Meditate on that verse. Consider what that means for your daily life. Because in the form of a statement, he's saying, because God gave his greatest possession, his son, we can be sure that he will take care of our lesser needs. God, like with Israel, is relentlessly working for our good. Even in spite of our sin and our plans to rebel against him, God is orchestrating the events of your life. God is orchestrating the sermons that are preached, the notes of encouragement from your fellow church members, the tragedies of poor health or financial trouble or the death of a family member. All of those tragedies are being worked out by God for your good. And the reason I know that is because God has said as much. God causes all things. to work together for good to those who love him and who are called according to his purpose for those whom he foreknew he predestined to become conformed to the image of his son. God is determined to bless his people even in spite of their sin. God is working for your good and no one can ward off his hand and when it's all said and done No one's going to look back on how he orchestrated their life and say, what have you done? God is quietly working for your good, even in spite of your sins against him. Let's pray. Father, thank you for not giving up on us. Thank you for pursuing us from the very beginning. Lord, we were your enemies. We were not swimming towards you in any way out in the ocean of trouble. We were dead. We were floating there, lifeless. We needed you to breathe life into us. We needed you to regenerate our hearts, to provide spiritual life to we who are spiritually dead. And Lord, you did that while we were your enemies. That's when you came to pay the ransom for our souls. Lord, even at our worst point as Christians, you did not give up on us. You continued to pursue us. You reminded us of the reality and the danger of our sin. And you reminded us of your great love that has come through Jesus Christ and is guaranteed. And even Jesus was interceding on our behalf, the Holy Spirit was working in us. And even today, Lord, we are far from perfect. And as long as we have breath in this life, we will be. And yet, you are still showing us new mercies every morning, not judging us according as our sins deserve, but instead, you're patient with us. and you're working on our behalf, orchestrating all the events of our lives, and the truth from your word being exposed to us to help draw us back to yourself. May this not be a reason for us to turn away from you and be emboldened to sin, but rather, may we revel in your love for us, that you are our salvation, that we trust in you. from the beginning of our lives as Christians all the way until the end. Lord, give us the strength to do this. Build us up in our most holy faith. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.