Good Morning! Happy New Year! Let’s Pray.

(Let me read you a story today. It’s called Psalm 106. It’s more of a commentary really, about the chosen people, the Israelites. It appears to be written by the same person who wrote Psalm 105 (not sure who that is). Psalm 105 tells some of the story of God’s people from Abraham to Moses. In Psalm 106 we get part of the story of Moses leading the people into the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. North Canaan became Israel and south Canaan became Judah. As I read this morning, listen to what the psalmist is saying and consider how it relates to you and to your life…Psalm 106

 1 Praise the LORD.
       Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
       his love endures forever.

 2 Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD
       or fully declare his praise?

 3 Blessed are they who maintain justice,
       who constantly do what is right.

 4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people,
       come to my aid when you save them,

 5 that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,
       that I may share in the joy of your nation
       and join your inheritance in giving praise.

Notice anything so far? The thing that jumped out to me was one word; praise. Why praise him? Because he is good. His love is amazing! There is no one like him. He saves the people. (That’s you and me). There is favor in being one of his people. There is prosperity. There is joy! There is a blessing from God.

This is what we aspire to, right? The top of the world experience.

"I’m on the top of the world lookin’ down on creation and the only explanation I can find is the love that I’ve found ever since you’ve been around, your love’s put me at the top of the world."
The only thing I would add to those lyrics from The Carpenter’s is, "Jesus, your love’s put me at the top of the world."
Yeah! When you know Jesus, life is good. You can say, "It is well with my soul". Praise You, Lord! The mountain top is a great place. I love it there, don’t you? But it’s not where we live is it? It’s not where I live! Why? Well, one reason is sin. Listen as the psalmist goes on in verse 6…

 6 We have sinned, even as our fathers did;
       we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

(picture of Mark sitting in snow after snowboard mishap)

Train wreck. This is my last run on the last day of a back country trip to BC Canada a few years ago. Great week. Great riding. Surrounded by God’s beauty, our only job was to get up each morning and hike up one of the mountains nearby so we could ride down again. No rides up. If you want to ride it you have to hike it. Some refer to it as "earning your turns". Anyway, we were riding in the trees that morning. Great snow. Steep terrain. A week of riding the mountains under my belt and I was feeling pretty good. We made one run here and took a break for a sandwich and I was thinking I’m about done but the break and the conversation got me fired up for "one more run" and I headed back up with the rest of the group. When we ride in the trees we break into groups of two and watch out for each other so we don’t lose anyone if they fall or get off too far left or right. My partner was our guide, Jim McCay, and we were flyin’ down the hillside weaving through the trees when I exploded into the deep snow. Ka Boom! This is the result. Don’t know how it happened but even my goggles were full of snow. Jim was right there as a good buddy should be and asked if I was ok. I said yes and he began to take pictures. Here’s the metaphor: Think of the trees as sin.

Looking down the hill I could see all the trees and consider the paths between them. Lots of trees. Sin and temptation surrounds us. Paths through sometimes narrow. Yeah, I see the sin around me, no problem, I can handle it. Hey, I made the first run through the trees with no problem. It was so much fun I decided to do it again. And I almost made it… almost. (picture: repeat of Mark sitting in snow)

You see I trusted in myself and my ability to get close to the trees without getting caught up in them. We trust in our ability to get near sin without getting caught up in it. It didn’t work out very well in the trees that day. It doesn’t work any better here and now. We either just don’t know any better or we forget what God told us about how we are to live our lives, offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him.
Now, just in case you think this is all about you, it’s not. It is about each of us and about that secret sin we may be holding on to in our life.

Let’s pick up the story again and as we do remember this is written after the fact and written as a confession of sin. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but when we confess our sin and repent of our wrongful ways we grow close to God who promised us he would never leave us or forsake us. Turn away from your sin, brothers and sisters and run into the loving arms of the Lord through his son Jesus.

Consider the Israelites now and consider how they actually saw God work.

And yet… Verse 7

7 When our fathers were in Egypt,
       they gave no thought to your miracles;
       they did not remember your many kindnesses,
       and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.

 8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
       to make his mighty power known.  9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;

       he led them through the depths as through a desert.

10 He saved them from the hand of the foe;
       from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.  
11 The waters covered their adversaries;
       not one of them survived.

 12 Then they believed his promises
       and sang his praise.

After suffering at the hands of the Egyptians, Moses lead the people out of Egypt but hardhearted Pharaoh changed his mind about letting the people go and sent out his armies to bring them all back to slavery. Remember now that "by day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night." God was right there with the Israelites. Night and day God never left his people. When you have Christ in your life God will never leave you. Never. Ever. On that day at the Red Sea God stood between the Israelites and the Egyptians and when the Chosen People had crossed the floor of the Red Sea between the huge walls of water He let the water pour over the Egyptians. Not one Egyptian soldier survived. "And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant." After that kind of escape, seeing the waters moved and then come surging back to crush the Egyptians completely, the people sang his praises once again and wouldn’t you think the picture of a great and mighty God, worthy of praise would be clear to the people and inscribed onto their hearts?

Before you scoff at the Israelites, what about you? Have you seen lives changed? Have you seen God work? Have you forgotten what he did for you when He sent his son to die for your sins?

Have you sung his praises on Sunday morning and forgotten about what he did on Sunday afternoon? Are you so unlike the Israelites? I don’t know that I am.

 13 But they soon forgot what he had done
       and did not wait for his counsel.

Oh my, I think this is so very important to each of us. Inquire of the Lord and wait for his counsel. How many times in our lives has it gone ready, fire, aim? You need to spend time with him to know his counsel. Spend time with him and he will safeguard you from the trees of sin that surround us. Don’t be like the Israelites were. Verse 14 and 15 now in Psalm 106.

 14 In the desert they gave in to their craving;
       in the wasteland they put God to the test.

 15 So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them. Here is the story the psalmist is referring to from Numbers 11, starting in verse 18: "Say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, "Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat and you shall eat.  19'You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,  20but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the LORD who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'"
(Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it!) Verse 31 :
Now there went forth a wind from the LORD and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground.  32The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.  33While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very severe plague. Because of their grumbling and complaining. Grumbling and complaining is NOT what the Lord asks of us. Grumbling and complaining is sinful. Confess your sin and be free of it. Through Paul God tells us in Colossians: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. We are here to serve. As believers in Christ and through his salvation we are called to serve others and to serve him. Christ calls on us to love one another as he has loved you. That love does not include grumbling or complaining or envy… Back to Psalm 106, vs 16:

 16 In the camp they grew envious of Moses
       and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.

 17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
       it buried the company of Abiram.

 18 Fire blazed among their followers;
       a flame consumed the wicked.

Here’s the story from Numbers 16: 250 of the Israelites after grumbling and complaining among themselves rose up against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. They said, "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?" Holy indeed, the nation of Israel was NOT acting very holy and it severely needed the leadership of Moses and Aaron. What was Moses’ response? He threw himself facedown and prayed. He inquired of the Lord. And the Lord told him what to do. Korah was the spokes person for the 250 men. His fellow conspirators were Dathan and Abiram. The last two refused to even acknowledge the leadership of Moses and Aaron and wouldn’t respond to the request of Moses to gather with the 250 the next day, censers in hand and see who the Lord would choose to lead the people. Moses or the others. Now remember Moses was a wise man, because of his close counsel with the Lord. You want to lead, you guys want to be priests? OK. Be a priest. We will see what the Lord has to say about your "priesthood" tomorrow.

Judgment came quickly from the Lord. It would not go well for those who conspired against Moses & Aaron, yet Moses, leader that he was, pleaded for Korah, and Dathan and Abiram.

Despite their rebellion against him, he showed his love for his people and asked the Lord to spare them. God heard the plea, the prayer of Moses, but his answer was no, I will not spare them.

And the three men along with their families and possessions were swallowed up by the earth. Then fire came from the Lord and the 250 men who stood with Korah, Dathan and Abiram were consumed by it. Their worship was not received by the Lord.

Did the people take heed to the message God sent? To stand by the leaders he chose for them, against all others? Nope, Verse 41, Numbers 16,
The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said. There’s that sin nature rearing its ugly head again.

42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, 44 and the LORD said to Moses, 45 "Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown.

 46 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started."

47 So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. 49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.

The people were sinful again and so the Lord struck the people with a plague which claimed 14,700 lives before Aaron was able to make atonement for their sins before the Lord. Aaron with his censer is the picture of our prayer to the Lord. He ran into the midst of the people to intercede for them. (After they stood against him) Our prayers stand between the dead of this world and the living in Christ, beseeching God's mercy, preserving and promoting life. To stand between the dead and the living speaks of how serious the matter of prayer is; it is no casual pursuit. Prayer moves the hand of God, and moves it to stop death and to give life! When was the last time you prayed with passion, as if life and death depended upon it?

The repentance of the psalmist continues

 19 At Horeb they made a calf
       and worshiped an idol cast from metal.

 20 They exchanged their Glory
       for an image of a bull, which eats grass.

 21 They forgot the God who saved them,
       who had done great things in Egypt,

 22 miracles in the land of Ham
       and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

 23 So he said he would destroy them—
       had not Moses, his chosen one,
       stood in the breach before him
       to keep his wrath from destroying them.

24 Then they despised the pleasant land;
       they did not believe his promise.

 25 They grumbled in their tents
       and did not obey the LORD.
There it is again. Grumbling and disobedience. God DOES NOT like it one bit.

 26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand
       that he would make them fall in the desert,

 27 make their descendants fall among the nations
       and scatter them throughout the lands.

 28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
       and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;

 29 they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds,
       and a plague broke out among them.

Another plague.

 30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
       and the plague was checked.

 31 This was credited to him as righteousness
       for endless generations to come.

Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron. Because he was zealous for the honor of his God he was able to make atonement for the Israelites. Again with the atonement thing for the Israelites. You can read about it in Numbers 25. For Phinehas, no grumbling, no complaining. He knew what was right in the eyes of the Lord and he did it. Woe to us who know and do not do.

 32 By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD,
       and trouble came to Moses because of them;
 33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
       and rash words came from Moses' lips.
The people are grumbling and complaining. Surprise, surprise. This time there was no water for the people and they were wishing for Egypt again. Yikes! Moses and Aaron inquired of the Lord.

Numbers 20 for this episode. "The LORD said to Moses, 8 "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."

Speak to the rock Moses and water will flow from it. I think Moses was getting a little testy with the people. He had interceded for them more times than they ever knew. They let him down over and over and perhaps he was getting a bit short with them and all the grumbling and complaining. This is what he did; "So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

 12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."
The constant grumbling and complaining of the people pushed Moses to a point where he acted with anger and struck out at the people by striking the rock rather than speaking to it as the Lord asked. He disobeyed the Lord and thereby was denied the Promised Land for himself. After all he had been through, the dream, the goal, the land of milk and honey was taken away by one rash act.

Will your grumbling and complaining push someone into a rash act, one both of you will regret? Why take a chance? And the confession of sin continues…

34 They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them, 35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.

 36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.

 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

 38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters,
       whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
       and the land was desecrated by their blood.

 39 They defiled themselves by what they did;
       by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

 40 Therefore the LORD was angry with his people
and abhorred his inheritance.

 41 He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them.  

42 Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power.

 43 Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion
       and they wasted away in their sin.
Your sinful ways are a waste. A waste of time, a waste of energy, a waste of people. Stop grumbling and complaining. It is sinful and self indulgent. It’s not about you. And it’s not about me. It is about Him. John the Baptist had it right when he said, "I must decrease. He must increase." Turn from your sinful ways and call upon the Lord. He hears the cry of his people. That is the good news! The Lord listens.

 44 But he took note of their distress
       when he heard their cry;

 45 for their sake he remembered his covenant
       and out of his great love he relented.

 46 He caused them to be pitied
       by all who held them captive.
What sin is holding you captive? Let it go. Call upon the Lord for He is Mighty to Save.

 47 Save us, O LORD our God,
       and gather us from the nations,
       that we may give thanks to your holy name
       and glory in your praise.

 48 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
       from everlasting to everlasting.
       Let all the people say, "Amen!"
       Praise the LORD.

We could finish up with a song I think. Consider how the sins of the people caused much pain and anguish. Remember how God has worked in the past, how God has worked in your life, and how God is working in your life right here, right now. Think about how the grumbling and complaining of the people caused Moses to sin and thereby lose his opportunity to enter the Promised Land. Consider how Moses and Aaron stood for their people and prayed for them even when the people were against them.

Their prayer was powerful and passionate prayer. Because they loved their people despite their sins. Moses and Aaron looked to the Lord for guidance, they had faith in him, a faith that often seemed to be lacking in the people. Consider how you might work on your relationship with the Lord and with each other this year. Don’t be like the man in the mirror James talks about when he says,
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. (Slide #10 Praise!)

Psalm 106 begins with a call to Praise the Lord! It ends the same way. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord with all of your heart, your mind, your soul and your strength. Give it all to Him today and everyday. And you will be richly rewarded. That‘s his promise to you. For you. Forever. Call upon the Lord. He hears you. He loves you. He is worthy to be praised. Amen.