Come on now. What a friend we have in Jesus. Hi, I'm Pastor Darryl Bailey of People's Valley Baptist Church. We want you to come and join us at 68 Leffert Lane. Thank you for listening to our message. Our hope is that through God's Word of Truth to build up lives into the Kingdom of God. We want to make a difference in all that we do through the Word, through action to glorify our Lord and Savior. And now, let's get ready to go into the wonderful Word of God. Take your Bibles over to Matthew chapter 1 verses 18 through 25 and then back over into Numbers chapter 21 verses 6 through 9. Amen. I thank God as we continue our series on our wonderful blessing of being able to talk about our preparation for promise out of the book of Numbers. our preparation for promise. Now I'm glad that God is always pointing us somewhere, but sometimes it isn't always clear where he's pointing us. And as we wait for his direction, God will shape us, he will teach us how to trust him. But the danger of waiting is that during that time we can grow restless, frustrated, and even disobedient. And so the book of Numbers is a great reminder to keep our eyes focused on God while we wait in the wilderness for God to fulfill His promises. And so each and every one of us as we go through life today, before we go any further, let's have a word of prayer. Father, Lord, as we're on our journey every day in this walks of life, Lord, we just want to celebrate with you this Sunday morning, Father. We thank you, Father, for life's journey, and we know we've got a final destination of an eternal land of promise. Lord, you never promised the Israelites that journey would be easy, just as your son never promised his disciples that their faith journey through life was going to be without struggles. But Lord, I know, Father, as we ourselves go through life. We must be willing to take up our own crosses on the journey to salvation. And Lord, through your Holy Spirit to guide us, help us in our studies, Father. Lord, as we continue going forward, keep us ever mindful that a promising start does not always end in success, but it requires vigilance, perseverance, and faith up to the very end before reaching the goal. We pray in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Lord, thank you, Father, for all this in the Word of God, in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Here this morning, as we continue in our series, Preparation for the Promise, We started out talking about Jehovah leads. God leads his people according to his will and purpose. We talked about the presence, the practice, and the principles. Then we went into Jehovah judges, how refusing to trust God and his promises leads to judgment. We talked about the challenge of Jehovah, the accountability, and the grace sought of. And so then our third study was on how Jehovah requires. You see, God requires the leaders of his people to follow him fully. And in that one, Moses and Aaron was not allowed to go into the promised land. And so it talked about the timing. It talked about the directions, the frustrations, and the fallout. But here we look at how that Jehovah saves and we look at how Jesus came to earth for the purpose of saving all people who turn to him. We're going to be talking about the Savior and the arrival and the requirement. And so I thank God, most families, as we look at around and realize that they all have their traditions, even if it's at Christmas time, it may be the timing of pulling out their decorations. It might be about who reads the Christmas story when they do that. And many families just wouldn't be Christmas without that special ornament or their activity or their trends, tradition. that they read the Christmas story when they do that. Many families, without that activity and all of those celebrations, it would not be the same without the cross. Jesus was born with a purpose, and that purpose included Calvary. And so here, we realize that this lesson falls on us as we honor our Lord and Savior, and as we look at, continue it, and Matthew, along with Numbers this morning, that proven that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah to whom the Old Testament pointed, Matthew traced the genealogy of Jesus through 42 generations, moving from Abraham to David to the Babylonian exile and ending with the birth of Jesus. In Matthew chapter one, verses one through 17, Matthew reminded his original Jewish leaders that educated men from the East searched and found Jesus by examining the Old Testament scripture. In Numbers 24, verse 17, in Jeremiah 23, verse 5, in Micah 5, verse 2, and in Matthew 2, verses 1 through 12. Moreover, Jesus fulfilled the prophetic promises of Scripture when God relocated His family to Egypt. Numbers chapter 24 verse 8, Hosea chapter 11 verse 1, and Matthew chapter 2 verses 13 through 15, while Herod massacred all the male children two years of age and younger. in Matthew chapter 2 verses 16 through 18. You see, in the book of Numbers, the passage tells us why Moses set a bronze image of a snake in the camp of Israel, sending the poisonous snakes as part of his judgment on Israel for their constant complaining in Numbers chapter 21 verses 4 through 6. God used a bronze snake on a pole as a means of salvation and after being bitten by a snake only those who trusted him by looking up at his appointed method of healing lived in Numbers chapter 21 verses 8 and 9. The bronze snake foreshadowed the cross and Jesus stated that this episode illustrated his mission. Now as we look at the the wonderful word of god in uh... the book of matthew chapter one verses eighteen and nineteen right now the bible says now the birth of jesus was on this wise and when as his mother mary was espoused to joseph before they came together she was found with child of the holy ghost and then joseph her husband being a just man and not willing to make her a public example was minded to put her away privily Now, contrary to what some people may think, Jesus' last name is not Christ. While his given name is Jesus, the word Christ or Christos in Greek, it means anointed one. And it's identified Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. That title indicates the uniqueness of Jesus. His birth was different from any other birth ever. Mary was a spouse to Joseph. Engagement in that culture was a legally binding contractual agreement that could be dissolved only by divorce. And although the wife would remain at her parents' home until the wedding ceremony, they were legally husband and wife. Taking a radical turn from the norm of that day for engaged couples, Mary found herself with child. She was out of wedlock, as they would say today. And just as the Spirit of God had been at work in the creation of the world in Genesis chapter one, verses one and two, he was now at work in Mary's body in a miraculous way through the supernatural work of God. Mary was God's divine chosen delivery method of bringing the Savior into the world by immaculate conception. And when Joseph heard the news, he must have thought that Mary had been unfaithful because he was minded to put her away privily. Joseph was a just man. He was honest. He was upright in his character, in his actions. And you know what? If he made the scandal public, Mary would have been humiliated, rejected by the community, possibly even stoned to death according to the laws of Deuteronomy chapter 22, verses 23 and 24. but Joseph's love for her gave him pause. And so, we look and we realize that out of all of this, and as we see what the Lord is doing in our lives, let's continue reading in Matthew 1, verse 20. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not. I'm gonna pause there for a minute. To take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Man, I'm gonna pause again, because that's powerful. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is God Boy, I'm going to tell you, God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream and addressing him as the son of David, the angel pierced Joseph's heart with a long forgotten promise made to King David of a perpetual reign through his descendants. In 2 Samuel 7, verses 11 through 16, you see the line of David lost its glory when Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC. Over 500 years had passed since a descendant of David had been overthrown, and descending from David, Joseph would inherit that promise through Jesus. Afraid of what others might say or do, the angel reassured Joseph, explaining how and why Mary was with child. You see, Jesus was conceived of the Holy Ghost. immaculate conception, and yet God entrusted Joseph with the task of being Jesus's earthly father and guiding him in his childhood and teenage years. That task wasn't given to the high priest. It wasn't given to a religious leader. Now, I know Catholics, they do a big thing with the Virgin Mary, but what about the father, the earthly father? He did his role as well. uh... you know and so uh... uh... so this charge that was given not to some rich not to some influential person joseph an ordinary laborer with limited income limited education received a tremendous responsibility the angel informed joseph the baby's name would be jesus And Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yahshua, which means Yahweh saves. And so the very name of Jesus reflects the purpose of his life. He shall save his people from their sins. This is the first mention of sin in the New Testament. Jesus would bring freedom from the power, from the guilt, and from the penalty of sin. You see, God provides salvation through Jesus alone. Amen. That's John 14 6. Matthew tells every one of us as we look at this lesson. that all of this took place to fulfill Isaiah 714. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel. Man, hallelujah! Because from the beginning, the promises of God pointed toward this event. Jesus would be the seed promised in Genesis 3.15, and the promised seed of Abraham in Genesis 12, verses 1, 2, and 3. He would be Emmanuel, literally God with us, and in Jesus, God came to earth and dwelt among men. Only this child would save people from their sins. God provides salvation through Jesus Christ alone, amen? And so, boy, the virgin birth was a miracle of God, but I tell you, the sequence of events included acts of grace and obedience by Joseph. And so here we see not only the Savior, but we see the arrival because in Matthew chapter 1 verses 24 and verse 25 of that arrival, the Bible says that Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him. and took unto him his wife, and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son. And he called his name Jesus. You see, waking from his dream, Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him to do. He fulfilled his engagement commitment by marrying Mary. Lost in the birth of narrative is the fact that Joseph put his own reputation on the line as much as Mary. He too would face scrutiny and criticism, but regardless of the truth, some would likely accuse Joseph of getting Mary pregnant. And while others would condemn him for marrying someone they thought was unfaithful, but his love for Mary And God's angelic affirmation were enough for Joseph. He took unto him his wife. And this in turn made it possible for Joseph to take Mary with him to Bethlehem for the census, fulfilling another prophecy concerning the Christ child, according to Micah chapter five, verse two, and Luke chapter two, verses one through five. You know, filled with integrity, Joseph, he restrained his newly wed desires, leaving no doubt that Jesus was God's son. You know, it's a mistake to think that leaving no doubt, to think that Mary reminded a perpetual virgin. And so the language in verse 25 is very, very clear. Listen, listen. Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son. The word till indicates that after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary lived together as husband and wife and produced children of their own. Matthew chapter 12, verses 46 through 50 and Matthew chapter 13, verses 55 and 56. In obedience to God, Joseph named the child Jesus. And at the time, the birth of Jesus made little stir on earth, except in the hearts of a few shepherds. Later, Herod would learn of Jesus's birth from a group of Magi and take drastic measures. But on the night he was born, Jesus arrived on earth with little recognition. And in heaven, however, there was a celebration and a singing. The angels filled the skies declaring his praises. Praise God. And so believers demonstrate their faith in God through obedient action. Just like Joseph, God has given his word as a guide for faithful living. And by doing what the Bible commands, believers join hands with Joseph and countless others in fulfilling God's purposes here on earth. Life's greatest privilege is living in faithful obedience so others will know Jesus as Savior. because Christmas we can give Christ our undivided loyalty. And so I thank God how we've talked about how Jehovah saves, how Jesus came to earth for the purpose of saving all people who turn to him. We've talked about the Savior in Matthew chapter 1 verses 18 through 23. We talked about their arrival in Matthew chapter 1 verses 24 and 25. But now we go lastly into the requirement in the book of Numbers chapter 21. Class, turn over there right now. In Numbers chapter 21, we'll start with verse 6, amen, and eventually we'll go down to verse 9. But I thank God when we look and realize of all the things that it talks about. Let's read verses six and seven first of the requirement, because the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses and said, we have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee, Pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us." And Moses prayed for the people. Now I'm going to stop right there. An event in the book of Numbers, it pointed to the reason that Jesus came into the world. foreshadowing the cross of Jesus. Because when addressing Nicodemus, Jesus pointed to this very event recorded in Numbers chapter 21 to explain the need for a savior. Jesus then followed by explaining that God loved the world so much that he sent his only begotten son to save those who believe in him. And so here in verses six and seven, That new generation grumbled like their forefathers had, and because the Edomites refused them safe passage through Edom, the people of God were forced to go a longer journey in Numbers chapter 20, verses 14 through 22. Being impatient and frustrated, they blamed God. and Moses in chapter 21 of Numbers verses 4 and 5. In times past, when Israel complained, the Lord would send a warning and then judgment. This time, There apparently was no warning. God immediately sent his judgments in the form of fiery serpents and much people of Israel dying. The Lord made sure that this was the last time they complained about food. And never again did Israel complain about God's provision. Suffering and dying, the people approached Moses for relief. Previously, when the judgment of God fell, Moses would instinctively fall on his face before the Lord and pray for the people. This time, they begged for intercession. Once before, as we've seen the people admit their sin and that happened after they didn't follow God into the promised land in Numbers chapter 14 verse 40. Here they confessed we have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee. The lethal snake bites had gotten their attention and Moses then prayed for the people. Even today, God loves his people too much to overlook their sins. Like the Israelites, we must quickly and humbly seek his forgiveness for our sins, amen. I thank God each and every one of us as we look and realize in verses eight and nine that he tells us, he says, And the Lord spake unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Here we begin to realize that God answered Moses' prayer in the most unusual way. He did not remove the snakes. Instead, he told Moses to make a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole. Having learned his lesson at Meribah, Moses followed God's command without deviating. Numbers chapter 20 verses 9 through 13. Anyone bitten by a poisonous snake would recover if he beheld the serpent of brass and that sculpture possessed no magical power. It was merely a man-made object. The power came from God in response to the people's faith in him. The bronze snake was an object lesson, a foreshadowing of Jesus's atoning death on the cross. Teaching his people the necessity of life, the bronze snake was an object lesson. And I thank God, drawing from this passage, Jesus taught that he too would be lifted up for the salvation of the world. And like the snake in the wilderness, those who look to Jesus in faith and find life, while those who refuse to face eternal death. Looking at the snake in Moses' time required an act of the will, just as trusting in Jesus' death on the cross for salvation involves an act of the will. And unlike the bronze snake that provided only a physical recovery, the suffering Savior provides permanent healing of a sin-sick soul. Praise God, hallelujah. Why did God use a model of a serpent? the very creature that killed the people, because on the cross, Jesus became sin, and the very thing that condemns people. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21, that God hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. You see, salvation is available only by turning to Jesus in faith, and this Time of the year, even as Christmas has already passed a month ago, we receive the greatest gift of all, Jesus, the one who saves people eternally from their sins. Hallelujah. Because God provides salvation through his son. Believers demonstrate their faith in God through obedient action. And salvation is available only by turning to Jesus in faith. What are you doing this Christmas to celebrate the gift of salvation? Man, I'm going to tell you, we realize that Jehovah saves. Jesus came to earth for the purpose of saving all people. who turned to Him, because we see the Savior in Matthew chapter one, verses 18 through 23. We see the arrival of Emmanuel in Matthew chapter one, verses 24 and 25. But then back over in Numbers with the brass snake that was put on the pole that represented Jesus, we see the requirement in Numbers chapter 21, verses six through nine, amen. Let's pray. Father, you provide our needs in so many ways, giving us not the desires of the flesh, but the needs of our spirit. And we pray that we'll be able to recognize your merciful provisions, even in the midst of trials and sufferings. Send your Holy Spirit, Lord, guide us and give us that that we need. of a covenant people, that we would be faithfully guided on our journey with grateful hearts, help us to remember that conquering our adversities through prayer, to have patience, that we can lead us to the levels of mature faith. Father, we want to thank you for everything, for this lesson, and we pray all of this in the mighty name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all of this in Jesus Christ, that we pray.