1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,580 Could you open your Bibles please? 2 00:00:02,580 –> 00:00:09,300 The book of Numbers, and Chapter 22, as we continue our series, deckchairs on the Titanic. 3 00:00:09,300 –> 00:00:15,900 We’re following the stories of eight bible characters who all took a plunge to disaster. 4 00:00:15,900 –> 00:00:19,840 And the fascinating thing about these stories is that every one of these people would have 5 00:00:19,840 –> 00:00:22,940 been very comfortable amongst us here this morning. 6 00:00:22,940 –> 00:00:25,540 I find that actually quite disturbing. 7 00:00:25,540 –> 00:00:32,360 They all believed in God, they all came to worship, and yet every one of them took a 8 00:00:32,360 –> 00:00:34,259 plunge to disaster. 9 00:00:34,259 –> 00:00:40,160 And so on these Sundays, we are seeking to learn from their mistakes so that their disaster 10 00:00:40,160 –> 00:00:42,279 does not become ours. 11 00:00:42,279 –> 00:00:45,380 Now, we’ve already made some important discoveries. 12 00:00:45,380 –> 00:00:49,939 First, we saw from the story of Cain how we need to deal with anger. 13 00:00:49,939 –> 00:00:51,740 Remember he was angry with God. 14 00:00:51,740 –> 00:00:53,720 He became angry with his brother. 15 00:00:53,720 –> 00:00:58,860 He did not find an effective way to deal with that, and sin was crouching at his door, and 16 00:00:58,860 –> 00:01:02,279 it was his plunge to disaster. 17 00:01:02,279 –> 00:01:07,480 Then, from the story of Esau last time, we saw the importance of establishing true values. 18 00:01:07,480 –> 00:01:10,739 Remember that this man was surrounded by privilege. 19 00:01:10,739 –> 00:01:15,660 Priceless gifts from God were placed into his hand, and yet he simply could not see 20 00:01:15,660 –> 00:01:18,019 the value of them. 21 00:01:18,059 –> 00:01:22,720 Now today we’re going to learn a third principle from the story of Balaam, and it’s very simply 22 00:01:22,720 –> 00:01:28,419 this, live what you believe, live what you believe. 23 00:01:28,419 –> 00:01:32,220 So I hope you have your bibles open at Numbers Chapter 22. 24 00:01:32,220 –> 00:01:37,059 We’re going to follow through the story, and then draw the lessons for us today. 25 00:01:38,120 –> 00:01:41,480 Well things have been going very well for God’s people. 26 00:01:41,480 –> 00:01:46,519 At this point in the bible story, they had been wandering in the desert for some time, 27 00:01:46,519 –> 00:01:50,419 but now at last, it seemed that they were making some progress. 28 00:01:50,419 –> 00:01:53,139 They had not yet entered the land of Canaan. 29 00:01:53,139 –> 00:01:58,820 At this point they were still on the east side of the river Jordan, but they had some 30 00:01:58,820 –> 00:02:01,239 great victories in that area. 31 00:02:01,239 –> 00:02:08,059 In Numbers 21 verse 33 we read about the Battle of Edre where God’s people won a great victory 32 00:02:08,059 –> 00:02:11,020 over two kings, Sihon and Og. 33 00:02:11,020 –> 00:02:15,139 And after they won that victory, they took possession of that whole northern area of 34 00:02:15,139 –> 00:02:18,259 the land on the east side of the Jordan river. 35 00:02:18,259 –> 00:02:22,160 They’re getting ready to make their invasion across the Jordan into the land that God had 36 00:02:22,160 –> 00:02:24,000 promised to them. 37 00:02:24,000 –> 00:02:28,839 Now in Numbers chapter 22 and verse 1 you will see there that Israel travelled to the 38 00:02:28,839 –> 00:02:35,160 plains of Moab, still on the east side of the Jordan, but this time further south. 39 00:02:35,160 –> 00:02:41,279 And the king of Moab, a man by the name of Balak, having learned of their great military 40 00:02:41,320 –> 00:02:48,320 victories in the north was now absolutely terrified as this mobile community of more 41 00:02:48,320 –> 00:02:52,380 than two million people began to head south. 42 00:02:52,380 –> 00:02:58,059 In actual fact he had nothing to worry about because in Deuteronomy 2.9 God had already 43 00:02:58,059 –> 00:03:02,479 said that they were not to harass the Moabites. 44 00:03:02,479 –> 00:03:08,740 But perhaps Balak was unaware of that or perhaps if he was he didn’t believe it. 45 00:03:08,740 –> 00:03:14,520 The whole book of Numbers is about what happens when people do not act on the basis of faith. 46 00:03:14,520 –> 00:03:18,520 All we know from verse 3 is that the king of Moab was absolutely terrified. 47 00:03:18,520 –> 00:03:21,820 In fact he was filled with dread. 48 00:03:21,820 –> 00:03:28,300 Verse 4, this hoard, he says, is going to lick up everything around us like an ox licks 49 00:03:28,300 –> 00:03:30,119 up the grass of the field. 50 00:03:30,119 –> 00:03:31,119 That’s how he felt. 51 00:03:31,119 –> 00:03:36,020 We’re going to be wiped out by this lot unless we can find some effective way of defending 52 00:03:36,220 –> 00:03:39,380 ourselves against it. 53 00:03:39,380 –> 00:03:44,899 Well Balak knew that he didn’t have a chance in military terms and so he decided that he 54 00:03:44,899 –> 00:03:49,419 would try the supernatural. 55 00:03:49,419 –> 00:03:54,179 It was obvious to him after all that the victories of these people were coming as a result of 56 00:03:54,179 –> 00:03:55,740 the blessing of God. 57 00:03:55,740 –> 00:04:02,740 And not just any God, the God of Israel was winning triumphs all over the place. 58 00:04:02,740 –> 00:04:05,539 God was blessing what they were doing. 59 00:04:05,539 –> 00:04:10,399 Now the question in Balak’s mind was what if that could be turned around? 60 00:04:10,399 –> 00:04:15,380 What if this God who was giving all the victories could change sides? 61 00:04:15,380 –> 00:04:19,459 What if instead of blessing these people, he was to curse them. 62 00:04:19,459 –> 00:04:24,779 Well that could just tip the scales in another direction. 63 00:04:24,779 –> 00:04:28,660 And that’s where Balaam came into the story. 64 00:04:28,660 –> 00:04:35,339 Balaam lived in a remote backwater, about 400 miles away from the action in this story, 65 00:04:35,500 –> 00:04:42,519 in a little place called Pethor that the NIV tells us was near the River Euphrates. 66 00:04:43,140 –> 00:04:51,100 Now this man was not then part of the travelling community of God’s people and yet he did have 67 00:04:51,100 –> 00:04:54,500 a genuine knowledge of God. 68 00:04:54,500 –> 00:05:00,220 He talks in verse 8 about the Lord, and do you see the word Lord in verse 8 is printed 69 00:05:00,220 –> 00:05:02,179 in four capital letters. 70 00:05:02,179 –> 00:05:06,459 Now whenever you see that, the four capital letters for the word Lord in the Old Testament, 71 00:05:06,459 –> 00:05:11,320 it means that the Hebrew word that’s being used is the specific name that God gave to 72 00:05:11,320 –> 00:05:16,799 Israel, Yahweh, the covenant name by which God had made himself known. 73 00:05:16,799 –> 00:05:22,980 And this man Balaam evidently knew the covenant name that God had given, very wonderful thing. 74 00:05:22,980 –> 00:05:24,019 How did he know that? 75 00:05:24,019 –> 00:05:25,700 Well we don’t know. 76 00:05:25,700 –> 00:05:30,720 It could have been that God had revealed himself directly to Balaam, this man who lived amongst 77 00:05:30,880 –> 00:05:33,160 pagan people up by the Euphrates. 78 00:05:33,160 –> 00:05:35,000 God could have done that. 79 00:05:35,000 –> 00:05:41,119 An interesting suggestion, of course, is that Balaam lived in an area near to Hiran where 80 00:05:41,119 –> 00:05:44,579 Abraham had traveled and stayed for a time. 81 00:05:44,579 –> 00:05:50,760 And it’s speculation but it’s at least possible that when Abraham had passed through that 82 00:05:50,760 –> 00:05:58,019 way that he had shared his knowledge of God with people in that region and that they had 83 00:05:58,019 –> 00:05:59,679 then shared it with their children. 84 00:05:59,679 –> 00:06:07,339 And so, at least some knowledge of this living God, the Lord was given, even to this man 85 00:06:07,339 –> 00:06:08,339 Balaam. 86 00:06:08,339 –> 00:06:10,880 We don’t know, but perhaps that was the way of it. 87 00:06:10,880 –> 00:06:15,200 If that was the case, then he certainly would’ve known the promise of God to Abraham. 88 00:06:15,200 –> 00:06:23,320 God had said, those who bless you, I will bless, and those who curse you, I will curse. 89 00:06:23,320 –> 00:06:26,519 Balaam knew the living God of the Bible. 90 00:06:26,959 –> 00:06:31,739 The second thing about him is that he had a very remarkable spiritual gift. 91 00:06:31,739 –> 00:06:33,459 He was a prophet. 92 00:06:33,459 –> 00:06:38,160 That is, he was able to receive words directly from God and to speak them and to know that 93 00:06:38,160 –> 00:06:42,440 they really were the Word of God, not mixed up with any human ideas. 94 00:06:42,440 –> 00:06:45,519 And that what was said was therefore true and would happen. 95 00:06:45,519 –> 00:06:50,859 In fact, he had evidently got something of a reputation for this, because Balak, four 96 00:06:50,859 –> 00:06:56,660 hundred miles away, the king says, I know, verse six, that what you bless is blessed 97 00:06:56,660 –> 00:06:59,739 and what you curse is cursed. 98 00:06:59,739 –> 00:07:05,480 So, Balak, the king, decides that this man who lives in this remote community but knows 99 00:07:05,480 –> 00:07:09,739 the God who is the God of Israel and has a remarkable spiritual gift, and who he blesses 100 00:07:09,739 –> 00:07:11,899 is blessed and who he curses is cursed. 101 00:07:11,899 –> 00:07:13,820 This is the man for the job. 102 00:07:13,820 –> 00:07:18,359 And when you know the man for the job, you know you just need to go out and hire him. 103 00:07:18,519 –> 00:07:21,359 So that’s what the king decides to do. 104 00:07:21,359 –> 00:07:29,480 He sends out a delegation and they have a handsome check to sign up Balaam and his services. 105 00:07:29,480 –> 00:07:32,440 I want you to try to imagine yourself in Balaam’s shoes. 106 00:07:32,440 –> 00:07:40,619 Here you are, a young man with a remarkable gift, but you’re stuck in a rural backwater 107 00:07:40,619 –> 00:07:42,880 in the middle of nowhere. 108 00:07:43,859 –> 00:07:50,200 Suddenly one day a delegation arrives from 400 miles away and they say now we need to 109 00:07:50,200 –> 00:07:51,859 talk to you. 110 00:07:51,859 –> 00:07:56,440 We’ve heard great things about your ministry. 111 00:07:56,440 –> 00:08:02,839 We want to tell you about an opportunity that we think is just right for you. 112 00:08:02,839 –> 00:08:06,279 Now we know that you’re not the kind of person, of course, to be unduly influenced 113 00:08:06,279 –> 00:08:13,179 by money, but we’ve brought this check because we want you to know that we value your services 114 00:08:13,179 –> 00:08:19,440 and we believe that this can be a very profitable relationship for us all. 115 00:08:19,440 –> 00:08:24,040 Well, Balaam is absolutely bowled over by all of this. 116 00:08:24,040 –> 00:08:29,480 He takes the envelope and sure enough inside is the biggest check he has ever seen in his 117 00:08:29,480 –> 00:08:30,720 life. 118 00:08:30,720 –> 00:08:35,679 He says, I need time to think and pray about this, he says, and invites the visitors to 119 00:08:35,780 –> 00:08:38,280 stay the night. 120 00:08:38,280 –> 00:08:41,359 Well that night God spoke to Balaam. 121 00:08:41,359 –> 00:08:46,239 Now imagine this, God spoke to him directly. 122 00:08:46,239 –> 00:08:53,239 As directly as God spoke to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Moses, God spoke to Balaam. 123 00:08:55,000 –> 00:08:58,960 And he received the very words of God. 124 00:08:58,960 –> 00:09:01,320 Remember this man was not a false prophet. 125 00:09:01,320 –> 00:09:02,739 He wasn’t making up his prophecies. 126 00:09:02,760 –> 00:09:05,900 He really received revelation from God. 127 00:09:05,900 –> 00:09:08,919 And look at what God said to him in verse 12. 128 00:09:08,919 –> 00:09:11,140 “‘Do not go with them. 129 00:09:11,140 –> 00:09:17,400 You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.” 130 00:09:17,400 –> 00:09:21,859 Now there are no difficulties of interpretation with this verse, are there? 131 00:09:21,859 –> 00:09:25,299 Is there any part of this that we can’t understand? 132 00:09:25,299 –> 00:09:27,239 Do not go with them. 133 00:09:27,239 –> 00:09:31,099 Don’t put a curse on these people because they are blessed. 134 00:09:31,239 –> 00:09:36,039 And Balaam made a courageous choice. 135 00:09:36,039 –> 00:09:37,780 The following morning, he said to the visitors, 136 00:09:37,780 –> 00:09:39,140 “‘I’m sorry, I can’t do it. 137 00:09:39,140 –> 00:09:40,340 You’re going to take your check back. 138 00:09:40,340 –> 00:09:42,380 You’re asking me to do something I cannot do.’” 139 00:09:42,380 –> 00:09:47,419 Verse 13, “‘The Lord has refused to let me go with you.’” 140 00:09:47,419 –> 00:09:51,020 It was the most courageous thing that he ever did. 141 00:09:51,020 –> 00:09:55,440 And if that was the end of this story, it would be a wonderful one. 142 00:09:55,440 –> 00:09:56,159 But it’s not. 143 00:09:56,219 –> 00:09:59,619 By the way, when you’ve won a great victory, 144 00:09:59,619 –> 00:10:03,260 don’t rest too much on your laurels. 145 00:10:03,260 –> 00:10:06,340 Satan will tempt you again. 146 00:10:09,619 –> 00:10:14,859 Well, when the delegation got back, 147 00:10:14,859 –> 00:10:17,940 Balaam knew exactly what he was going to do. 148 00:10:17,940 –> 00:10:19,580 No, he says he won’t come. 149 00:10:19,580 –> 00:10:22,179 I guess he just wants a bigger check. 150 00:10:22,179 –> 00:10:25,320 And so Balaam sends a second delegation 151 00:10:25,359 –> 00:10:29,760 of more distinguished princes with a more attractive offer. 152 00:10:30,880 –> 00:10:33,280 And goes back to Balaam a second time. 153 00:10:33,280 –> 00:10:34,719 And they come and they say, 154 00:10:34,719 –> 00:10:36,760 look, this is an opportunity you can’t refuse. 155 00:10:36,760 –> 00:10:38,200 It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. 156 00:10:38,200 –> 00:10:41,400 The king is offering to do whatever you ask. 157 00:10:43,580 –> 00:10:46,359 And Balaam gave them this marvelous answer a second time 158 00:10:46,359 –> 00:10:47,559 in verse 18. 159 00:10:47,559 –> 00:10:51,320 Even if Balak were to give me his palace 160 00:10:51,320 –> 00:10:53,539 filled with silver and gold, 161 00:10:53,539 –> 00:10:55,640 I could not do anything great or small 162 00:10:55,640 –> 00:10:58,919 to go beyond the command of the Lord, my God. 163 00:11:00,580 –> 00:11:03,520 And that should have been the end of the story. 164 00:11:03,520 –> 00:11:05,500 God had said these people are blessed, 165 00:11:05,500 –> 00:11:06,500 and if that’s the case, 166 00:11:06,500 –> 00:11:08,580 there is no way in the world that Balaam can curse them. 167 00:11:08,580 –> 00:11:09,940 He believed that, 168 00:11:09,940 –> 00:11:12,500 but what he believed and what he did 169 00:11:12,500 –> 00:11:15,260 were two entirely different things. 170 00:11:17,419 –> 00:11:20,580 He knew that despite all that God had said, 171 00:11:20,599 –> 00:11:24,000 he was being offered a once in a lifetime opportunity. 172 00:11:24,940 –> 00:11:25,940 I mean, imagine this. 173 00:11:27,320 –> 00:11:28,580 I suppose you’re in some ministry 174 00:11:28,580 –> 00:11:30,520 in a remote backwater in Idaho, 175 00:11:34,500 –> 00:11:37,460 and you receive an invitation from the White House 176 00:11:37,460 –> 00:11:40,799 to be a speaker at a national banquet. 177 00:11:40,799 –> 00:11:45,599 It’s going to launch a national prominent career. 178 00:11:45,599 –> 00:11:48,780 It’s gonna have all kinds of benefits over years to come, 179 00:11:48,780 –> 00:11:52,539 and all you have to do is to change the message 180 00:11:52,539 –> 00:11:55,039 that you’re preaching to adapt it to the audience. 181 00:11:57,659 –> 00:12:00,500 Now, Balaam knows what God has said, but he’s struggling 182 00:12:01,840 –> 00:12:04,419 because he knows that there are great rewards 183 00:12:04,419 –> 00:12:06,700 if he’ll say something different. 184 00:12:08,940 –> 00:12:10,780 And so he’s desperate to find a way 185 00:12:10,780 –> 00:12:13,780 of accommodating what Balaam is asking for him, 186 00:12:13,780 –> 00:12:15,200 and he says to these folks, 187 00:12:15,200 –> 00:12:16,539 Well, look, I’ll go and pray about it. 188 00:12:16,539 –> 00:12:18,380 You stay the night, no I’ll go and ask God. 189 00:12:19,260 –> 00:12:20,599 Now, that’s sound spiritual, doesn’t it? 190 00:12:20,599 –> 00:12:23,380 Oh, let me pray about it. 191 00:12:25,020 –> 00:12:27,099 But an actual fact is the most unspiritual 192 00:12:27,099 –> 00:12:29,559 and rebellious thing he ever said for this reason. 193 00:12:31,239 –> 00:12:36,239 When God has said a thing, you do not need to pray about it. 194 00:12:38,760 –> 00:12:41,840 When God has revealed his will in scripture, 195 00:12:42,979 –> 00:12:46,640 praying about it and questioning it further 196 00:12:46,640 –> 00:12:50,179 is not a mark of spirituality, it is a mark of rebellion. 197 00:12:51,700 –> 00:12:54,859 I’m praying about whether I should marry this girl. 198 00:12:54,859 –> 00:12:56,380 Is she believer? 199 00:12:56,380 –> 00:12:58,099 Oh, no. 200 00:12:58,099 –> 00:12:59,859 Does God speak about that in his word? 201 00:12:59,859 –> 00:13:01,099 Yes. 202 00:13:01,099 –> 00:13:02,179 Why are you praying about it? 203 00:13:02,179 –> 00:13:04,780 There’s nothing to pray about, you do what he says. 204 00:13:06,179 –> 00:13:08,840 I’m praying about whether I should be baptized, 205 00:13:08,840 –> 00:13:11,659 doesn’t that sound spiritual, I’m praying about it. 206 00:13:11,659 –> 00:13:13,479 Was God spoken about being baptized? 207 00:13:13,479 –> 00:13:15,179 What has he said? 208 00:13:15,179 –> 00:13:17,580 If he’s spoken clearly, what is there for you to pray about? 209 00:13:17,580 –> 00:13:19,299 The only issue is to pray for strength 210 00:13:19,299 –> 00:13:23,700 to do what he has said, not to go on questioning endlessly 211 00:13:23,700 –> 00:13:25,679 as if there was going to be some other way 212 00:13:25,679 –> 00:13:28,020 that would be revealed to you that would work around 213 00:13:28,020 –> 00:13:30,099 what God has already revealed in his word. 214 00:13:32,719 –> 00:13:34,260 My wife, Karen, as some of you know, 215 00:13:34,260 –> 00:13:36,020 teaches preschool children. 216 00:13:36,020 –> 00:13:38,340 This was a tough week because it was so cold, 217 00:13:38,340 –> 00:13:41,119 so play-time, the break was cancelled. 218 00:13:41,119 –> 00:13:43,900 They had to stay in the classroom for that 219 00:13:43,919 –> 00:13:46,460 and one little boy found this very, very hard 220 00:13:46,460 –> 00:13:47,440 to accept this week. 221 00:13:47,440 –> 00:13:50,400 He kept coming every day back and back again. 222 00:13:50,400 –> 00:13:52,520 Please, can we go out to play today? 223 00:13:53,780 –> 00:13:56,559 Please, Mrs. Smith, why can’t we go out to play? 224 00:13:57,440 –> 00:13:59,719 Because it is very cold, 225 00:13:59,719 –> 00:14:02,179 but we will put our coats on, Mrs. Smith. 226 00:14:04,380 –> 00:14:06,239 You know, his continual asking 227 00:14:06,239 –> 00:14:07,799 is a sign of his immaturity, isn’t it? 228 00:14:07,799 –> 00:14:10,400 He can’t accept what has been said 229 00:14:10,400 –> 00:14:11,979 and decided in his own good. 230 00:14:12,599 –> 00:14:17,239 Now when a person like Balaam just keeps coming back 231 00:14:17,239 –> 00:14:21,140 and trying to renegotiate with God what is already said, 232 00:14:21,140 –> 00:14:22,760 that’s not spirituality. 233 00:14:22,760 –> 00:14:25,500 However dressed up you put it, 234 00:14:25,500 –> 00:14:29,479 that’s simply resistance and an inability to accept 235 00:14:29,479 –> 00:14:30,799 what God has already said. 236 00:14:30,799 –> 00:14:33,859 Now if you do that, how will God respond? 237 00:14:35,179 –> 00:14:39,820 You see, God will not treat you as a preschool child 238 00:14:39,859 –> 00:14:42,039 because we are not preschool children. 239 00:14:43,260 –> 00:14:48,260 He has given to you the gracious capacity of choice. 240 00:14:48,820 –> 00:14:51,219 He does not lock us up as it were in the classroom. 241 00:14:51,219 –> 00:14:53,780 He gives us his word, 242 00:14:53,780 –> 00:14:56,479 but then there are real choices for you to make. 243 00:14:57,539 –> 00:14:59,500 So when Balaam goes on and on asking, 244 00:14:59,500 –> 00:15:02,299 sure enough God gives him what he wants. 245 00:15:02,299 –> 00:15:03,880 At first sight it looks as if God 246 00:15:03,880 –> 00:15:05,539 might be contradicting himself. 247 00:15:05,539 –> 00:15:07,280 But of course that is not the case. 248 00:15:07,280 –> 00:15:08,960 Notice in verse 12, God says, 249 00:15:08,960 –> 00:15:11,559 “‘Don’t go to curse,’ 250 00:15:11,559 –> 00:15:13,080 but in verse 20 God says, 251 00:15:13,080 –> 00:15:15,539 “‘You may go, but only to do what I say. 252 00:15:15,539 –> 00:15:18,159 You may go only to bless.’” 253 00:15:18,159 –> 00:15:22,000 And what God was allowing was that Balaam would go 254 00:15:22,000 –> 00:15:24,859 though he would live with the consequences 255 00:15:24,859 –> 00:15:27,640 of pushing against God’s best for him. 256 00:15:29,080 –> 00:15:31,440 And we’ll see the pain that that brought to him, 257 00:15:32,280 –> 00:15:33,900 but nothing that he would ever do 258 00:15:34,080 –> 00:15:38,820 could ever change the blessing of God upon his people. 259 00:15:39,739 –> 00:15:41,119 When you know what God has said 260 00:15:41,119 –> 00:15:43,200 and you are desperate to find a way around it, 261 00:15:43,200 –> 00:15:47,739 God may just give you what you want. 262 00:15:47,739 –> 00:15:49,520 Okay, I’ll let you go. 263 00:15:50,539 –> 00:15:53,580 But you will live with the pressures and the consequences 264 00:15:53,580 –> 00:15:57,039 from which I wanted to protect you. 265 00:15:58,080 –> 00:16:00,320 Well, Balaam thinks to himself, great. 266 00:16:00,320 –> 00:16:02,020 And off he goes. 267 00:16:02,059 –> 00:16:04,119 Now what happens next as we follow the story, 268 00:16:04,119 –> 00:16:08,039 I just covered it very briefly, is absolutely extraordinary. 269 00:16:08,039 –> 00:16:10,340 Balaam rides on his donkey 270 00:16:10,340 –> 00:16:13,919 on this 400 mile journey down to the area of Moab. 271 00:16:13,919 –> 00:16:16,500 And while he’s making this journey, 272 00:16:16,500 –> 00:16:20,020 the donkey experiences a theophany. 273 00:16:20,020 –> 00:16:22,200 I mean this is an extraordinary story. 274 00:16:22,200 –> 00:16:23,200 There are many occasions, 275 00:16:23,200 –> 00:16:25,000 as you know, in the Old Testament, 276 00:16:25,000 –> 00:16:29,479 where God makes himself visibly present to a person. 277 00:16:29,520 –> 00:16:32,679 They actually saw the Invisible God, a theophany. 278 00:16:32,679 –> 00:16:34,760 He took on visible form. 279 00:16:34,760 –> 00:16:36,880 But this is the only occasion in the Bible 280 00:16:36,880 –> 00:16:39,780 where a theophany was given to an animal, 281 00:16:39,780 –> 00:16:44,140 but Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord 282 00:16:44,140 –> 00:16:47,460 standing right in the road with a sword in his hand. 283 00:16:47,460 –> 00:16:52,460 The presence of God was made visible to this dumb animal. 284 00:16:53,080 –> 00:16:54,679 And it happened three times. 285 00:16:54,679 –> 00:16:58,200 The first time, the animal sees this alarming sight 286 00:16:58,400 –> 00:17:01,099 of the presence of the Almighty standing in the road, 287 00:17:01,099 –> 00:17:02,880 veers off into a field. 288 00:17:02,880 –> 00:17:06,699 Second time, lurches against a wall crushing Balaam’s foot. 289 00:17:06,699 –> 00:17:08,680 Third time sinks into the ground. 290 00:17:08,680 –> 00:17:10,739 And every time the animal reacts 291 00:17:10,739 –> 00:17:13,400 to seeing the presence of the Lord, 292 00:17:13,400 –> 00:17:16,439 and Balaam’s eyes are kept from seeing the Lord, 293 00:17:16,439 –> 00:17:18,160 Balaam doesn’t understand what’s happening. 294 00:17:18,160 –> 00:17:20,939 So he beats this animal, trying to drive it forward. 295 00:17:20,939 –> 00:17:23,699 And of course he’s frustrated because he gets nowhere. 296 00:17:26,400 –> 00:17:27,380 Poor animal. 297 00:17:28,260 –> 00:17:31,339 God was in this way, giving a picture 298 00:17:31,339 –> 00:17:35,079 of the position Balaam had chosen for himself. 299 00:17:36,300 –> 00:17:39,420 On three occasions, he would be pushed forward 300 00:17:39,420 –> 00:17:43,180 by Balak the king, urging him to do something 301 00:17:43,180 –> 00:17:45,199 that God resisted. 302 00:17:45,199 –> 00:17:47,979 Eventually God enables the donkey to speak. 303 00:17:47,979 –> 00:17:51,199 Another extraordinary incident in the Old Testament. 304 00:17:52,339 –> 00:17:53,979 This must have humbled Balaam, 305 00:17:54,000 –> 00:17:58,719 and it was an unusual event with a very specific purpose. 306 00:17:58,719 –> 00:18:03,040 You see here is this marvelously gifted prophet. 307 00:18:04,020 –> 00:18:08,760 This man who speaks the word of God. 308 00:18:10,239 –> 00:18:12,079 And God’s saying to him, and this humbles 309 00:18:12,079 –> 00:18:14,280 every preacher I’ll tell you. 310 00:18:14,280 –> 00:18:16,400 Don’t you get too carried away with the fact 311 00:18:16,400 –> 00:18:17,739 that you speak the word of God, 312 00:18:17,739 –> 00:18:20,060 you’re so marvelous, people praise you for that. 313 00:18:20,060 –> 00:18:23,839 I can put my word in any old donkey’s mouth. 314 00:18:24,140 –> 00:18:26,680 And that’s true. 315 00:18:29,760 –> 00:18:34,400 Eventually, Balaam sees the presence of the Lord. 316 00:18:35,760 –> 00:18:37,859 Balaam, your donkey had more 317 00:18:37,859 –> 00:18:39,979 spiritual discernment than you did. 318 00:18:41,500 –> 00:18:43,339 He could see that I was saying no 319 00:18:43,339 –> 00:18:46,400 and you have been one who has just charged on regardless. 320 00:18:48,020 –> 00:18:49,000 And so he did. 321 00:18:50,420 –> 00:18:52,140 Eventually, he arrives in Moab 322 00:18:52,140 –> 00:18:54,119 and they get down to the business 323 00:18:54,119 –> 00:18:55,640 for which the money is to be paid 324 00:18:55,640 –> 00:18:57,439 and Balak takes him to a mountain 325 00:18:57,439 –> 00:19:01,920 and encourages him to pass this curse on Israel. 326 00:19:01,920 –> 00:19:05,319 Balaam gets ready to speak some words of prophecy 327 00:19:06,180 –> 00:19:08,459 and words come to him. 328 00:19:08,459 –> 00:19:10,859 They’re words from God! 329 00:19:10,859 –> 00:19:12,579 We don’t know whether he was in a trance 330 00:19:12,579 –> 00:19:14,439 or whether this was ecstatic speech 331 00:19:14,439 –> 00:19:16,780 but clearly he was overwhelmed by words 332 00:19:16,780 –> 00:19:19,260 and he spoke words that were nothing other 333 00:19:19,260 –> 00:19:22,099 than words of blessing on God’s people. 334 00:19:22,180 –> 00:19:24,180 Balak must have been absolutely furious. 335 00:19:24,180 –> 00:19:27,839 This is the very opposite of what we’re paying you for. 336 00:19:27,839 –> 00:19:29,439 So he takes him to another mountain 337 00:19:29,439 –> 00:19:31,079 again driving him forward 338 00:19:31,079 –> 00:19:32,739 and again God stands in the way, 339 00:19:32,739 –> 00:19:34,260 gives words of blessing 340 00:19:34,260 –> 00:19:35,660 and then to a third mountain 341 00:19:35,660 –> 00:19:37,380 and the same thing happens again 342 00:19:37,380 –> 00:19:39,439 until Balak has to concede defeated. 343 00:19:39,439 –> 00:19:41,920 It is absolutely useless 344 00:19:41,920 –> 00:19:45,199 and getting nowhere pushing against 345 00:19:45,199 –> 00:19:47,079 the word that God 346 00:19:47,079 –> 00:19:48,119 has given to me. 347 00:19:48,839 –> 00:19:51,719 But then there was one more thing that happened 348 00:19:53,060 –> 00:19:55,339 that we only discover 349 00:19:55,339 –> 00:19:58,079 when we get to the New Testament. 350 00:19:58,079 –> 00:20:00,599 And you might like to turn to one cross reference today 351 00:20:00,599 –> 00:20:02,739 that’s in Revelation chapter 2 352 00:20:02,739 –> 00:20:04,719 and verse 14 353 00:20:04,719 –> 00:20:07,479 Revelation chapter 2 in verse 14. 354 00:20:07,479 –> 00:20:11,239 You remember that the risen Lord Jesus Christ 355 00:20:11,239 –> 00:20:13,780 gave messages from heaven 356 00:20:13,780 –> 00:20:16,359 particularly to seven churches 357 00:20:16,839 –> 00:20:18,199 seven churches. 358 00:20:18,199 –> 00:20:20,619 And in the message to the church at Pergamum 359 00:20:20,619 –> 00:20:23,459 the Lord Jesus Christ himself 360 00:20:23,459 –> 00:20:25,400 tells us something that we don’t learn 361 00:20:25,400 –> 00:20:26,719 from the Old Testament 362 00:20:26,719 –> 00:20:27,880 about the story of Balaam. 363 00:20:27,880 –> 00:20:29,380 It’s an extra detail 364 00:20:29,380 –> 00:20:32,359 that adds to filling out the picture 365 00:20:32,359 –> 00:20:33,680 Revelation two fourteen 366 00:20:34,719 –> 00:20:36,079 You have people there 367 00:20:36,079 –> 00:20:37,959 that’s in the church of Pergamum 368 00:20:37,959 –> 00:20:41,839 who hold to the teaching of Balaam 369 00:20:41,839 –> 00:20:44,540 who taught Balak 370 00:20:44,540 –> 00:20:48,300 to entice the Israelites to sin. 371 00:20:49,260 –> 00:20:51,459 Balaam taught Balak 372 00:20:51,459 –> 00:20:55,280 to entice the Israelites to sin. 373 00:20:55,280 –> 00:20:57,520 In other words, 374 00:20:57,520 –> 00:20:59,420 Christ says there was some point 375 00:20:59,420 –> 00:21:02,099 at which Balaam evidently turns to Balak 376 00:21:02,099 –> 00:21:03,479 and he said it’s no use. 377 00:21:03,479 –> 00:21:05,239 I’m sorry, 378 00:21:05,239 –> 00:21:06,579 you want to pay me this money 379 00:21:06,579 –> 00:21:08,219 but I can’t do 380 00:21:08,219 –> 00:21:09,640 what you’ve asked me to do. 381 00:21:10,560 –> 00:21:12,300 What you’ve asked can’t be bought. 382 00:21:12,300 –> 00:21:13,780 I cannot curse them. 383 00:21:13,800 –> 00:21:17,359 I cannot turn God against His people 384 00:21:19,359 –> 00:21:21,660 but if you want to bring them into defeat 385 00:21:21,660 –> 00:21:23,339 which is your ultimate objective, 386 00:21:23,339 –> 00:21:25,599 there is another way you could approach this. 387 00:21:26,660 –> 00:21:30,180 You can’t turn God against His people 388 00:21:30,180 –> 00:21:33,540 but you could turn the people against God. 389 00:21:36,859 –> 00:21:39,339 Balaam made a suggestion to Balak 390 00:21:39,339 –> 00:21:41,219 as to how he might do this. 391 00:21:42,339 –> 00:21:43,300 And you read what happened. 392 00:21:43,900 –> 00:21:46,699 Balak is in Numbers in Numbers chapter 25. 393 00:21:46,699 –> 00:21:49,239 While Israel was staying in Shitten, 394 00:21:49,239 –> 00:21:53,040 the men began to indulge in sexual immorality 395 00:21:53,040 –> 00:21:57,619 with Moabite women who invited them 396 00:21:57,619 –> 00:22:00,140 to the sacrifices to their gods. 397 00:22:00,140 –> 00:22:02,760 The people ate and bowed down before these gods 398 00:22:02,760 –> 00:22:07,180 so Israel joined in worshiping the Baals of Peor 399 00:22:07,180 –> 00:22:09,219 and the Lord’s anger burned against them. 400 00:22:10,060 –> 00:22:14,959 Balaam became the Judas of the Old Testament. 401 00:22:14,959 –> 00:22:18,579 He sold out the people of God. 402 00:22:18,579 –> 00:22:22,140 He betrayed the people of God and he died, 403 00:22:22,140 –> 00:22:27,140 we read later, as an enemy of the Lord and of his people. 404 00:22:27,140 –> 00:22:28,479 It’s a tragic story. 405 00:22:30,859 –> 00:22:35,859 I expect he was paid well for that critical piece of advice 406 00:22:35,979 –> 00:22:39,060 as to how the people of God could be undermined 407 00:22:39,060 –> 00:22:40,699 and their strength could be drawn. 408 00:22:43,280 –> 00:22:46,900 But he took a plunge to disaster. 409 00:22:49,020 –> 00:22:50,760 Now the question we’re obviously facing 410 00:22:50,760 –> 00:22:53,579 as we try to apply this story to ourselves 411 00:22:53,579 –> 00:22:58,579 is how then can we avoid Balaam’s plunge to disaster. 412 00:23:01,140 –> 00:23:03,780 I want to draw three things from this story 413 00:23:03,780 –> 00:23:05,859 that I think speak to us very powerfully, 414 00:23:05,859 –> 00:23:08,479 incisively and personally. 415 00:23:09,719 –> 00:23:13,079 First, in relation to the matter of gifts, 416 00:23:14,319 –> 00:23:17,319 make sure that you cultivate character. 417 00:23:18,819 –> 00:23:23,819 Now spiritual gifts, natural gifts are wonderful things, 418 00:23:25,979 –> 00:23:28,859 but gifts without character 419 00:23:29,900 –> 00:23:33,859 are useless at best 420 00:23:33,859 –> 00:23:37,140 and dangerous at worst. 421 00:23:37,140 –> 00:23:39,660 See, Balaam was so gifted, 422 00:23:40,680 –> 00:23:44,000 so gifted, that his ministry was known 400 miles away, 423 00:23:46,040 –> 00:23:47,979 and yet, at the end of his life, 424 00:23:47,979 –> 00:23:51,459 the net contribution of this most gifted man, 425 00:23:51,459 –> 00:23:53,219 spiritually gifted man, 426 00:23:53,219 –> 00:23:54,719 to the advance of the kingdom of God, 427 00:23:54,719 –> 00:23:56,859 was a great big zero. 428 00:23:58,500 –> 00:23:59,859 In fact, the people of God 429 00:23:59,859 –> 00:24:02,459 would have been better off without him, 430 00:24:03,780 –> 00:24:05,560 the man whose ministry could have been 431 00:24:05,560 –> 00:24:07,520 such a blessing to God’s people 432 00:24:07,520 –> 00:24:09,819 became a burden to God’s people. 433 00:24:09,819 –> 00:24:13,239 He was useless, 434 00:24:13,239 –> 00:24:16,459 despite being so wonderfully, wonderfully gifted, 435 00:24:19,199 –> 00:24:21,439 and that can be an issue in the Church today, 436 00:24:22,680 –> 00:24:24,520 to have great gifts, 437 00:24:25,400 –> 00:24:29,599 but never to develop the character 438 00:24:29,599 –> 00:24:32,959 that will give you the wisdom to use them well. 439 00:24:33,680 –> 00:24:36,959 So instead of being a blessing to God’s people, 440 00:24:36,959 –> 00:24:38,780 such folks become a burden. 441 00:24:41,920 –> 00:24:44,119 The Church would be better off without them. 442 00:24:45,979 –> 00:24:48,479 Always remember, just a pertinent phrase. 443 00:24:48,479 –> 00:24:50,359 You notice sometimes a phrase just strikes, 444 00:24:50,359 –> 00:24:52,839 I was at seminary at the time, this is many years ago, 445 00:24:52,839 –> 00:24:56,160 and the news came on of a well-known evangelist 446 00:24:56,160 –> 00:25:00,839 of national reputation, who had committed immorality. 447 00:25:00,880 –> 00:25:02,140 And it was a great scandal, 448 00:25:02,140 –> 00:25:04,760 and it was a tragedy for the Church. 449 00:25:04,760 –> 00:25:07,500 I remember one of my professors just saying this to me, 450 00:25:07,500 –> 00:25:10,000 there will always be some men 451 00:25:11,199 –> 00:25:14,979 whose gifts are more than their character. 452 00:25:16,839 –> 00:25:19,079 And when gifts outrank character, 453 00:25:20,939 –> 00:25:24,579 the ship is ready for a plunge to disaster. 454 00:25:24,579 –> 00:25:27,359 Now this Church, this congregation right now, 455 00:25:28,660 –> 00:25:30,800 is full of multi-gifted people. 456 00:25:31,739 –> 00:25:33,079 This is a wonderful thing. 457 00:25:33,079 –> 00:25:33,959 Fantastic. 458 00:25:35,800 –> 00:25:38,819 And I’m reminded of what the Apostle Paul said 459 00:25:38,819 –> 00:25:40,199 when he wrote to the Church at Corinth. 460 00:25:40,199 –> 00:25:42,400 He said, I want to thank God 461 00:25:43,459 –> 00:25:45,900 that among you there isn’t a single 462 00:25:46,739 –> 00:25:47,979 spiritual gift that’s missing. 463 00:25:47,979 –> 00:25:48,880 They’re all there. 464 00:25:49,979 –> 00:25:52,599 I think about this congregation, 465 00:25:52,599 –> 00:25:56,619 and it is a congregation of multi-talented, 466 00:25:56,619 –> 00:25:58,180 mega-gifted people. 467 00:25:58,180 –> 00:25:59,719 It’s a wonderful thing. 468 00:26:01,760 –> 00:26:03,119 But then I want to remind you 469 00:26:03,119 –> 00:26:05,079 of what Paul said to that church. 470 00:26:05,079 –> 00:26:06,520 You’ll know these words well. 471 00:26:09,400 –> 00:26:13,359 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels 472 00:26:14,680 –> 00:26:16,239 but have not love, 473 00:26:17,680 –> 00:26:19,500 I am only a resounding gong 474 00:26:21,239 –> 00:26:22,540 and a clanging cymbal. 475 00:26:24,880 –> 00:26:28,180 And if I have the gift of prophecy, 476 00:26:28,219 –> 00:26:30,439 that’s what Balaam had, wonderful gift. 477 00:26:32,640 –> 00:26:35,439 And even if I could fathom all mysteries, 478 00:26:35,439 –> 00:26:37,880 I could write books on theology, 479 00:26:41,160 –> 00:26:44,680 if I have not love, I am nothing. 480 00:26:44,680 –> 00:26:46,079 Nothing, nothing. 481 00:26:49,219 –> 00:26:52,359 So that was Balaam’s problem as a multi-gifted man. 482 00:26:52,359 –> 00:26:54,459 But he doesn’t love God’s people. 483 00:26:55,719 –> 00:26:57,180 He doesn’t love God. 484 00:26:58,819 –> 00:27:01,160 Balaam is simply in love with himself 485 00:27:01,160 –> 00:27:03,479 and his own gifts and his own ministry 486 00:27:03,479 –> 00:27:06,859 and that sets him up for a plunge to disaster. 487 00:27:09,880 –> 00:27:12,859 Imagine spending a life in a ministry of teaching 488 00:27:12,859 –> 00:27:16,479 and of god saying, oh, he was just a big noise. 489 00:27:18,199 –> 00:27:21,780 So all you are, if you have great gifts, no character. 490 00:27:24,920 –> 00:27:26,719 Great speaker, no love. 491 00:27:29,180 –> 00:27:31,319 One of my greatest heroes of the faith, 492 00:27:31,319 –> 00:27:33,560 a man by the name of Robert Murray MacShane said, 493 00:27:33,560 –> 00:27:37,660 it is not so much great gifts that god uses 494 00:27:39,219 –> 00:27:43,040 as great likeness to Jesus. 495 00:27:47,180 –> 00:27:49,739 Gifts without character are useless. 496 00:27:52,160 –> 00:27:53,280 Cultivate character. 497 00:27:53,280 –> 00:27:54,420 Cultivate character. 498 00:27:57,160 –> 00:27:59,680 Ask God, multi-gifted man or woman 499 00:27:59,680 –> 00:28:01,459 to fill your heart with love. 500 00:28:04,959 –> 00:28:09,760 Cause you don’t want to go down with Balaam. 501 00:28:13,760 –> 00:28:18,160 Second, in regard to money, practice integrity. 502 00:28:18,160 –> 00:28:20,760 Now there’s no doubt that the great stumbling block 503 00:28:20,760 –> 00:28:22,859 in Balaam’s life was this whole issue of money, 504 00:28:22,979 –> 00:28:26,920 the Bible identifies that twice for us very clearly. 505 00:28:26,920 –> 00:28:30,180 Jude verse 11, it speaks about false teachers 506 00:28:30,180 –> 00:28:33,400 who rushed for profit into Balaam’s error. 507 00:28:33,400 –> 00:28:35,380 Peter also tells us that Balaam 508 00:28:35,380 –> 00:28:37,699 loved the wages of wickedness. 509 00:2:37,699 –> 00:28:41,880 It was money that really pulled this gifted man off track. 510 00:28:41,880 –> 00:28:42,880 No doubt about it. 511 00:28:43,699 –> 00:28:45,579 And Jesus spoke very clearly about this. 512 00:28:45,579 –> 00:28:47,979 No man can serve two masters. 513 00:28:47,979 –> 00:28:50,180 He’ll either end up hating the one, and loving the other, 514 00:28:50,219 –> 00:28:52,979 or they’ll be devoted to one and he’ll despise the other. 515 00:28:52,979 –> 00:28:56,520 You cannot serve both God and money. 516 00:28:57,500 –> 00:28:59,180 In other words, you have to decide. 517 00:28:59,180 –> 00:29:00,819 And the earlier in your career 518 00:29:00,819 –> 00:29:02,579 you make this decision, the better. 519 00:29:03,939 –> 00:29:06,180 Is the first thing in your life 520 00:29:06,180 –> 00:29:08,339 pleasing God or making money? 521 00:29:08,339 –> 00:29:09,900 You have to make that decision. 522 00:29:11,180 –> 00:29:12,739 Because somewhere along the line, 523 00:29:12,739 –> 00:29:15,160 God will put you in the position where like Balaam, 524 00:29:15,160 –> 00:29:17,160 you have to choose between the two. 525 00:29:18,339 –> 00:29:19,780 You don’t have to choose between the two 526 00:29:19,859 –> 00:29:22,099 all the time, but sometime God 527 00:29:22,099 –> 00:29:23,380 will put you in the position 528 00:29:23,380 –> 00:29:25,300 where you do have to choose between the two. 529 00:29:25,300 –> 00:29:27,900 And that’s where who you are will be revealed. 530 00:29:30,380 –> 00:29:31,939 God will put you in the position 531 00:29:31,939 –> 00:29:34,819 where you have an opportunity of making money 532 00:29:34,819 –> 00:29:38,400 if you find a way around of 533 00:29:38,400 –> 00:29:40,500 something that you know He’s clearly said. 534 00:29:43,819 –> 00:29:44,920 And Balaam’s problem is very simple. 535 00:29:44,920 –> 00:29:47,500 He just couldn’t let go of the money. 536 00:29:47,900 –> 00:29:52,900 And when he couldn’t make the prophecy to curse Israel, 537 00:29:53,959 –> 00:29:56,859 he found another way of getting round the problem. 538 00:29:59,339 –> 00:30:03,000 So here’s a man who discovers that there’s big money 539 00:30:03,000 –> 00:30:04,359 in a different message, 540 00:30:05,979 –> 00:30:10,520 and everything within him is drawn in that direction. 541 00:30:13,479 –> 00:30:16,099 And at the end of the day, God will not measure your life 542 00:30:16,140 –> 00:30:18,239 by the amount of money you’ve accumulated. 543 00:30:20,079 –> 00:30:21,140 He will measure your life 544 00:30:21,140 –> 00:30:24,140 by the faithfulness that you’ve shown. 545 00:30:28,459 –> 00:30:31,000 The last thing is this in relation to faith. 546 00:30:32,260 –> 00:30:33,599 Live what you believe. 547 00:30:35,160 –> 00:30:36,300 See, I find this extraordinary. 548 00:30:36,300 –> 00:30:37,800 Think about it. 549 00:30:37,800 –> 00:30:41,060 Balaam had extraordinary spiritual experiences. 550 00:30:41,060 –> 00:30:45,000 Imagine hearing the voice of God, seeing God. 551 00:30:45,060 –> 00:30:47,619 I mean, there isn’t a greater privilege than this. 552 00:30:49,079 –> 00:30:51,479 He spoke the Word of God. 553 00:30:53,160 –> 00:30:54,500 But he did not live by it. 554 00:30:55,760 –> 00:30:58,579 And that, of course, is the great challenge for us today. 555 00:30:58,579 –> 00:31:02,040 You see, for many of us in this congregation, 556 00:31:02,040 –> 00:31:04,199 we decided what we believe a long time ago. 557 00:31:04,199 –> 00:31:06,400 The issues for us today are not decisions 558 00:31:06,400 –> 00:31:07,800 about what we believe. 559 00:31:08,699 –> 00:31:12,719 For many of us, we can honestly say, 560 00:31:12,719 –> 00:31:14,079 I believe in God the Father, 561 00:31:14,099 –> 00:31:15,300 the Son and the Holy Spirit. 562 00:31:15,300 –> 00:31:17,719 I believe that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. 563 00:31:17,719 –> 00:31:19,640 He died on the cross for our sins. 564 00:31:19,640 –> 00:31:20,839 He rose again on the third day. 565 00:31:20,839 –> 00:31:22,000 He’s coming again in glory. 566 00:31:22,000 –> 00:31:23,599 We’ve decided that we believe it. 567 00:31:23,599 –> 00:31:25,619 The decisions about belief have been made. 568 00:31:25,619 –> 00:31:27,280 But the decisions that are really going to 569 00:31:27,280 –> 00:31:30,959 count for you this week are decisions about behavior. 570 00:31:33,599 –> 00:31:35,859 And that was the problem for Balaam. 571 00:31:37,020 –> 00:31:39,479 There was a great chasm between 572 00:31:39,479 –> 00:31:41,359 what he believed and how he behaved, 573 00:31:41,359 –> 00:31:43,199 his convictions were one thing, 574 00:31:43,239 –> 00:31:44,719 his conduct was another. 575 00:31:44,719 –> 00:31:46,640 He spoke the Word of God, 576 00:31:46,640 –> 00:31:48,319 and he went out and lived a life 577 00:31:48,319 –> 00:31:49,920 that was an utter contradiction. 578 00:31:52,479 –> 00:31:54,479 That’s why he took a plunge to disaster. 579 00:31:55,760 –> 00:31:56,760 That’s what James was talking about. 580 00:31:56,760 –> 00:31:58,719 When he said, you talk about your faith, 581 00:31:58,719 –> 00:31:59,839 well, that’s all very well. 582 00:31:59,839 –> 00:32:01,819 The devil believes these things also. 583 00:32:01,819 –> 00:32:03,719 It shudders when he thinks about them. 584 00:32:04,859 –> 00:32:07,000 But faith without works is dead. 585 00:32:09,400 –> 00:32:10,239 It’s a sham. 586 00:32:11,479 –> 00:32:12,319 It’s nothing. 587 00:32:14,040 –> 00:32:16,199 It’s what Jesus was speaking about 588 00:32:16,199 –> 00:32:19,680 when he said, a man who hears my word, 589 00:32:19,680 –> 00:32:22,760 and Balaam heard the word of God directly, 590 00:32:22,760 –> 00:32:25,719 but does not put it into practice, 591 00:32:25,719 –> 00:32:27,479 it’s gonna be like someone who’s building 592 00:32:27,479 –> 00:32:29,900 the house of their lives on sand, 593 00:32:29,900 –> 00:32:33,920 and one day, one day, though everyone in the church thinks, 594 00:32:33,920 –> 00:32:36,579 oh, this is a marvelously gifted and spiritual person, 595 00:32:36,579 –> 00:32:40,180 one day the storm will come and that house will collapse. 596 00:32:40,680 –> 00:32:43,719 And so how am I to live? 597 00:32:45,560 –> 00:32:49,140 If you hear my word, says Jesus, 598 00:32:49,140 –> 00:32:52,339 and you put it into practice, 599 00:32:54,180 –> 00:32:58,619 then you will be like someone who builds a house on a rock, 600 00:32:59,900 –> 00:33:01,920 and storms will come, 601 00:33:03,900 –> 00:33:08,900 but when they do, that house will stand firm. 602 00:33:11,060 –> 00:33:12,579 Let’s pray together, shall we? 603 00:33:15,939 –> 00:33:18,380 Father, somehow this message speaks to all of us 604 00:33:18,380 –> 00:33:23,380 very personally, because we see something of Balaam 605 00:33:23,900 –> 00:33:26,979 in ourselves, and that humbles us, 606 00:33:29,380 –> 00:33:31,219 makes us want to come to you right now 607 00:33:31,219 –> 00:33:33,640 to ask for your mercy and for your grace. 608 00:33:36,500 –> 00:33:40,040 Thank you for every gift that you have given to us. 609 00:33:40,800 –> 00:33:45,439 Save us from our giftedness 610 00:33:45,439 –> 00:33:49,260 amounting to a net zero in your kingdom. 611 00:33:51,859 –> 00:33:53,660 Deliver us from the kind of arrogance 612 00:33:53,660 –> 00:33:58,660 that imagines, because you have given gifts, 613 00:33:59,239 –> 00:34:01,260 that somehow all is well with us. 614 00:34:03,640 –> 00:34:05,699 Teach us to cultivate the character 615 00:34:05,699 –> 00:34:08,100 that will enable us to use our gifts wisely. 616 00:34:10,399 –> 00:34:13,080 And most of all, let none of us be a great big noise, 617 00:34:13,080 –> 00:34:14,320 a great big zero. 618 00:34:16,139 –> 00:34:17,679 Because we like love in our hearts. 619 00:34:17,679 –> 00:34:20,620 Pour the spirit of your love for your people 620 00:34:20,620 –> 00:34:22,399 and for yourself into us 621 00:34:22,399 –> 00:34:24,919 and deliver us from the self-love 622 00:34:26,620 –> 00:34:29,419 that leads many to take a plunge to disaster. 623 00:34:32,239 –> 00:34:35,000 Live in a world of financial complexity 624 00:34:36,120 –> 00:34:38,820 and of great financial scandal. 625 00:34:40,879 –> 00:34:43,300 Whether the resources you have given to us 626 00:34:43,300 –> 00:34:44,760 be great or small, 627 00:34:46,479 –> 00:34:51,199 grant that we may handle them with integrity. 628 00:34:53,239 –> 00:34:58,179 That we may be marked by integrity in all of our business 629 00:34:58,179 –> 00:35:01,280 and in the exercise of all of our gifts. 630 00:35:05,320 –> 00:35:07,760 Then oh Lord, we are those who hear your word 631 00:35:08,659 –> 00:35:11,439 so deliver us from being those who simply hear it 632 00:35:11,439 –> 00:35:13,080 and then go away unchanged 633 00:35:13,080 –> 00:35:15,479 and make us those who put it into practice. 634 00:35:17,320 –> 00:35:19,320 So that rather than us being, as it were, 635 00:35:19,320 –> 00:35:21,679 a burden upon your people, 636 00:35:21,679 –> 00:35:25,260 our lives may count for the advance of your kingdom. 637 00:35:26,280 –> 00:35:29,560 The gifts that you have given may be used for your glory. 638 00:35:30,699 –> 00:35:32,760 The money with which you bless us 639 00:35:32,760 –> 00:35:36,000 may be marked by integrity in the way in which it is earned 640 00:35:36,219 –> 00:35:37,820 and the way in which it is used. 641 00:35:39,679 –> 00:35:42,080 Let us therefore be a light that gives evidence 642 00:35:42,080 –> 00:35:44,679 of what true faith really means 643 00:35:44,679 –> 00:35:48,280 when the spirit of God is at work among his people. 644 00:35:49,860 –> 00:35:51,300 To this end, work in our lives 645 00:35:51,300 –> 00:35:53,080 and make us what you want us to be. 646 00:35:54,399 –> 00:35:57,479 For these things we ask humbly before you 647 00:35:58,739 –> 00:36:01,159 through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 648 00:36:02,860 –> 00:36:03,699 Amen.