(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And I'm sending out the email this week as well to the pastors. I know that Pastor Shelley is not going to be able to make it, but Pastor Anderson said he would and Pastor Jimenez said that he would already so and Pastor Thompson said that he would as well. So we definitely have and I'm going to invite more. There's more pastors getting invited, but but it's already shaping up to be a really cool event, of course. So Yeah, and we'll get the However, you've already brought this up to me brother Devin Get getting a calendar out here for anyone who wants a volunteer So get thinking about that that camping trip and anyone that wants to lead any type of events You got some funny want to do that. You'd like to make available for for everyone that's going to be a camp to do Then we'll put that on the calendar and and of course, if not, if you just want to just kind of take things as they come and just do whatever and do your own thing and maybe go along with a group of people your friends up. That's fine, too. The whole point of the camp is, you know, kind of do whatever you want to do a fellowship. However, you want a fellowship is, you know, some people want to go off and do some things or go off and golf or whatever. That's totally up to you. But if you want to put it out there and you're really interested in allowing for the people to come and join you in activities and great Appreciate that too for people who want to you know, the kids activities I know kids have a lot of fun with that and it evolves on Sunday and I wrote some things down on there. Is there anyone here that's completed last month's challenge February challenge and did not tell me that you completed the February challenge? You weren't here and you didn't tell me. All right. All right. Very good. Well, that's about it for our announcement. So I'm going to turn the service back over to Brother Peter, who will lead us in our next song. Song four hundred seventy two. This is my father's world. Song four seventy two. Sing this out in the first. This is my father's world. Into my listening ears. All nature sings and round me rings. The music of the spheres. This is my father's world. I rest me in the thought. Across the trees, the skies and seas. This is my father's world. The birds, their carols raise. The morning light, the living white. Declare their maker's praise. This is my father's world. He shines in all that's fair. In the rustling grass I hear him cry. The birds, their carols raise. The morning light, the living white. In the rustling grass I hear him pass. He speaks to me everywhere. This is my father's world. Oh, let me here forget. That though the world seems all so strong. God is the ruler yet. This is my father's world. The battle is not done. Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied. And earth and heaven be won. Amen. Church, great singing. I'd like to ask the bus church, if you could please stand up for our Wednesday night offering. As you guys know, Wednesday night offering goes to support missions. Church, while the offering plates are being passed around, if you could please open up your Bibles to the book of Psalms, chapter 95. Psalms, chapter 95. Next, we do customary here at Strong Old Baptist Church. We're going to read the entire passage. That's brother Michael Ricardo. If you could please do this. Amen, church. Once again, that's the book of Psalms. Psalm 95. Psalm 95, the Bible reads, O come, let us sing unto the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth. The strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his and he made it and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart as in a provocation and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said, it is a people that do err in their heart and they have not known my ways unto whom I swear in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you for this whole entire Bible. Thank you for the words that you give us that God, we can hear and hear the word of God. And God, we thank you for Pastor Burns and for this church. And God, you can fill him with your spirit. Allow for him to preach with boldness. Allow for us to have a wonderful Bible study that we could take notes and be able to meditate on your word tonight and also for the rest of the time to come. And God, thank you for all the souls that were saved and all the future souls that will be saved. We thank you for everything that you've done. We say this all in Jesus' name, amen. All right, so this evening, Psalm 95, we're still gonna go through this verse by verse, but I'm primarily gonna be focusing on this latter portion of the scripture. This is a really significant truth in the Bible, and we know it's very significant because it's mentioned multiple times. And this is one of those things, as we get into this, I just wanna make note of and just maybe call your attention to, as you're reading the Bible, sometimes you read through stories and kind of read over things, and you read it and not necessarily always get the significance of how important some of the stories really are, especially in the Old Testament. So we're gonna go back and look tonight. I'm gonna go through this, like I said, verse by verse. But as I mentioned, this whole Psalm 95 has one main theme, but that latter portion is how this psalm culminates and for very good reason. And we're gonna go back and look at Numbers 14 and a little bit later and see the events that are being referred to here in Psalm 95. And then, of course, this is referenced again in Hebrews 3 and 4. And that's where we're gonna spend the majority of our time tonight, is really kind of focusing on this latter portion. But let's look at this real quickly. I'm kinda gonna go a little bit faster than I normally would through these first few verses. Verse number one says, So come, let us sing unto the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation, let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. And, of course, we've seen this spirit and this heart in the Psalms many times in the past. There's nothing new here about glorifying the Lord and being thankful and being joyful, being joyful with psalms and singing and praising God. Verse three says, of course, The Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. So exalting the name of the Lord, most high, worthy of our praises in a song that is praising his name. Verse number four, In his hand are the deep places of the earth and the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his and he made it and his hands form the dry land. Basically, everything down here that we know belongs to God. And he had his hands in it and he worked in it and it's all his. So who are we, right? I mean, we don't own any of this stuff. It all belongs to God. He made it. It's for his glory. It's for his honor. And this is just in recognition of Almighty God who owns everything. Oh, come and let us worship and bow down, right? That makes sense, doesn't it? To an Almighty God who made everything, who is worthy of our praise. Hey, this is the Lord. Let's bow down to him. Let's worship him and let us kneel before the Lord, our maker, right? He made us. Not only did he make the mountains and the seas and the earth and everything that exists, he made us too, right? Let's bow down before that God. He's the King of kings and Lord of lords. He's the God of gods. He is the one true God. So let's worship him. Let's bow down. Let's kneel before him. So notice this spirit and the heart going into this psalm, verse 7, for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture. It's his pasture. We're his people. We're the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. And now it jumps into this portion of scripture that is quoted later again, of course, in the New Testament. Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart as in the provocation and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness. And this starts off now with an entreaty to others, right? So he said, hey, let's worship the Lord. Let's bow down before God. God's awesome. God's mighty. God's worthy of our praise. Let's just, you know, we love the Lord. We're going to worship him. We're going to praise him, right? And then, and look to all of you else that maybe don't have the same attitude today, if you will hear his voice, his voice, right? Faith come with my hearing and hearing by what? The word of God. If you'll hear his voice, harden not your heart. Don't, don't harden your heart towards God. You hear his voice. Keep, keep your heart humble. Keep it soft. Keep it open to the Lord. Don't harden that heart as in the provocation. And what is a provocation? It's when someone provokes, right? You think about someone who might be trying to make you angry at them or trying to pick a fight with someone. What are they going to do? They're going to try to provoke you. They're going to say things to you. They're going to belittle you. They're going to mock you. They might push you. They might do, you know, that's all provocation. And we're going to look at the provocation of the children of Israel that specifically is being referenced here. So he's saying don't harden your heart like the people in the provocation did. It says, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. So he's saying, you know, the previous generation, your fathers back in the wilderness, and like I said, we're going to look at this reference. They tempted me. They tried me. They proved me. They didn't believe me, and they were testing me, and testing whether or not what I would say is true, whether I'm, you know. When your father said to you, and saw my work, and don't forget, they saw his work, too. Because this same generation, as we'll see, this is the same generation that was led out of Egypt. This is the same generation that saw all the plagues come upon Pharaoh, and upon his household, and upon all Egypt. They're the ones that walked through the midst of the Red Sea with the waters up on each side. They're the ones that saw these great miracles. They're the ones that were led through the wilderness, and God provided for them every step of the way, and these are the same ones, then, that still rejected and didn't have the faith that they needed to enter the promised land. Verse 10, 40 years long was I grieved with this generation and said, it is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways, unto whom I swear in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. And this is an extremely significant doctrine. I mean, this is a salvation doctrine. This is something that is very important, and we know this for the fact of it being referenced multiple times in Scripture. So, when we see certain events and certain things being brought up over and over and over again, it should cause us to do deeper studies and really dig into those things that much more, because God's highlighting to us the importance of these passages. And I want to point this out, too, in verse 10, and look, these are hopefully passages that are bringing really familiar to you. You know, if you read your Bible, especially the New Testament, you read your Hebrews, you know, these are things that it's like over and over and over again. Maybe they're even preached frequently. But look at verse number 10, and kind of halfway through it says, it is a people that do err in their heart. So, he's talking about the people. He's not bringing up all of the sins that they've committed, as in, you know, like, it's not a people that all this fornication and sealing and this other wickedness. What is this all about here? What is he pointing to? They err in their heart. They've got a heart problem. And, of course, they're sinners, but, like, this is what is the big deal here? They're an error, and they're an error in their heart. It's a big problem in their heart. Why? Because they didn't have the faith in the Lord. They're continually doubting and questioning and just not trusting God. That is a heart problem. That is a serious heart problem, it says, and they have not known my ways. They don't even know me. They don't know my ways. And because of this, that's why he's swearing his wrath, you're not entering into my rest. And Hebrews covers this really thoroughly. But let's go back to Numbers chapter 14. And we'll spend some time going through Numbers 14. I know this isn't our typical Bible study, but I think it's very important because it brings up the subject matter to get the back story and the front story, if you will. Psalms kind of in the middle of all the references here with this being the reference, referring back to Numbers and as well. And of course, not just Numbers. Numbers just sums it up well for the way that I want to teach this tonight. Of course, this happens. This is accounted in other books as well. So we'll start reading verse number one, Numbers 14, the Bible reads, and all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried. And the people wept that night. Now in Numbers 13, Numbers 13 records the spies being sent out to spy out the land, right? So this is when they've been, the children of Israel have come out of Egypt and they traveled a little bit around and God didn't bring them to the war right away because the Bible says that he didn't think they were ready for that yet. Like as soon as they came out of Egypt, he didn't just bring them to fight immediately. So he took them around a little bit and then brought them in when they were going to and they were supposed to be going into the promised land. This is prior to the 40 years that they spent in the wilderness. It's because of this event that they did spend 40 years walking around the wilderness. So they were supposed to have just been able to enter the promised land at this point. And at this point in the previous chapter, they send out these spies. There was one head of each tribe, so the 12 tribes, there was 12 men that went in to spy out the land. So all they were doing is gathering some intelligence, going in and kind of spying out the land and checking it out and seeing, okay, we're going to make a plan of attack. Here's this city. Here's this city. Here's the land. And just to get their bearings, right? I mean, they've never been to this place before. And when it was brought up to Moses, he's like, yeah, it's a good idea. Let's send some people in and check it out. And then, of course, when they came back, they said, hey, yeah, the land's great. It's the land that flows with milk and honey. You know, it's just they brought back some grapes, and they're just like, check out this big grapevine and like all these, you know, it's really fruitful, really bountiful, awesome place, great land. God didn't lie about that. In fact, God didn't lie about anything. But 10 of them were scared and started then planting the seeds of doubt and fear in the minds of the people because they're like, oh, man, but their cities are defense. They've got walls going real high. They've got chariots. They've got giants there, and we're like grasshoppers in their side, and these guys are so big, and they're big warriors. There's no way we're going to be able to defeat these people. And they get all the people then doubting, fearing, and it gets to the point to where, and we'll read this here in Numbers 14, where they're ready to go back into Egypt. God delivered them out of Egypt, and now they're ready to go back, like they made it just to that point, and they're just like, no. Of course, two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, were like, no, no, let's do this. Hey, God's with us. These people are nothing, right? God's going to give us this just like he promised to. Let's be strong for the Lord. Let's go. Let's fight. Let's go and do it. But no, the people got too scared off of the bad report. Okay, and this is a provocation, but let's start reading here in verse number one. The Bible says, And all the congregation left up their voice and cried, and the people wept that night, and all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. So all the people now are complaining and murmuring and talking smack about Moses and Aaron is what's going on. And the whole congregation said unto them, would God that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would God we had died in this wilderness? Like, it just would have been better for us to just have died. It's pretty extreme, if you ask me. I don't know. I mean, like, but it's very dramatic, but it shows how hopeless they are, too. Like, they just, I mean, you have zero faith that God's going to see you through this. I mean, if you're that hopeless to say, man, I wish we just would have died already. Verse three, And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? So this is even worse. That's why it would have been better for us just to have died. But now it's like these guys are going to come. It's going to be a brutal death. They're going to kill us. And who knows what's going to happen to our wives and our children? You know, like, like, this is terrible. We should have just died. Were it not better for us to return it? And so now they're starting to think, like, isn't it just better for us to just go back? I mean, then we don't have to face such a slaughter. We don't have to worry about our families. Let's just go back and let's just go back to Egypt and see if we can square things away with Pharaoh. Right. Maybe we could work out a deal, cut a deal, say, hey, we're coming back. We're sorry. Verse four, and they said one to another, let us make a captain and let us return in Egypt. I mean, they're serious about this. They're serious about this. They're saying, we don't like the leadership. We don't like Moses. We're going to make a new captain. Someone else is going to lead us and lead us back into Egypt. What a scary state of affairs to be in because we know, again, not just, you know, for two levels. One, just the surface level, like, dude, you were in, I mean, they were like, you had these serious taskmasters over you and you were hating life every day. And you want to go back to that? But then, of course, too, there's also the spiritual implications of this where they're just completely rejecting God's plan. They're rejecting God's leadership. They're rejecting God's promises. They're rejecting all of that to return to filth. Right. It's like a dog returning to his vomit again. It's like, look, you've been delivered from this stuff and now you want to turn back? You want to go back to that? What's wrong with you? Verse five. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes. And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, the land which we pass through to search it is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it us a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defense is departed from them and the Lord is with us. Fear them not. Look at this. But all the congregation bed, stone them with stones. I mean, they're saying God's with us. I mean, this is a good land. God's going to deliver them. You have nothing to fear. Don't fear them. And don't rebel against the word of the Lord. And their answer to that? We want to kill you. We're going to stone you with stones and we're going back into Egypt. We don't like this. This isn't what we thought it was going to be. This isn't all it's cracked up to be. We want to go back. That's the hardening of the heart. The rest of that verse, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, how long will this people provoke me? There's a provocation, right? How long will they provoke me? And how long will it be ere they believe me for all the signs which I have showed among them? You know, this just goes to show and just reinforce all the people that are just like, well, I'm only going to believe God if I see a sign. If I see something in my life, I have to ask God to show me something, give me proof that God exists, and then I'll believe. No, you won't. It didn't work that way in Jesus' day. It didn't work that way here. People are the same, and when people harden their heart, there's no level of proof that's going to prove it to you. You would think, I mean, if you're looking for proof, wouldn't you think walking on dry ground in the middle of a sea when you've got two walls on either side of you of water just up here and here, and you're like, who's ever seen that before? I mean, yeah, we've got the aquarium, and if you go through a plastic tunnel, it's not quite the same thing, right? But I mean, imagine that happening without the plastic, right? And you're just walking through, and you're like, you can just like reach into the water or something and grab a shark by the tail. I mean, what else do you have to see at that point? And not to mention, of course, all the plagues that they already saw, everything that already happened in Egypt. I mean, what more? What more? What could you possibly have to see? You've seen my works, and this is indicative of the people who have that wicked heart who have hardened their hearts. Now, big events like the Children of Israel are coming out of bondage. Of course, there's spiritual applications there, but there's also real people that are there. So like physically speaking, all the people were delivered, right? Physically speaking, those who put the blood of the lamb on their door, they didn't lose their firstborn son, right? And all of these are pictures and representations and awesome pictures of salvation, of Jesus' blood, of all these different things. But at the end of the day, too, the people there, there was definitely some people who came out of Egypt that were not actually saved, like born again, saved. But they followed Moses. I mean, what are they going to do? Stay behind by themselves, right? So they're going to follow along with the rest of the Children of Israel, and they're going to go out. And it doesn't mean they were saving their heart, but if the picture is salvation. So what we're seeing here is another picture is that, you know, it's kind of like you could lead a horse of water, but you can't make them drink, okay? They've seen everything they could. They were delivered in one sense coming out of Egypt, but they didn't have the faith in their heart. They were able to get away from some of the bondage. They were able to get away from that stuff, but they didn't, they still didn't trust God. They weren't trusting in the Lord. And this is the very reason, the very thing that keeps them out of the promised land, because what they're literally about to do is enter the promised land. Enter the land of Canaan. They're going to enter this land of God. I've got this place for you. I've got this all set up. This is going to be your land. This is going to be your inheritance. And again, of course, this is symbolic of a better promise, a better promised land, the new Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, our eternal inheritance, right? But this is still a picture of that, and this is showing, hey, you're not trusting me. You don't have faith. And this is showing us also a people who have seen the signs, they've heard the words, and they've hardened their heart. And at that point, I mean, they're willing to kill Moses, who freed them from slavery, who did no evil, no ill will against them at all. And time and time again, entreats for their sake, even when they hate him, they still, he still entreats as we're going to see even in this passage. They want to kill him, and he wants to save them. And this is, this heart and the spirit is no different than the heart and the spirit of the Pharisees that wanted to kill Jesus. They had seen the miracles, they heard the truth, they knew about it, they couldn't deny any of it, but their heart was hardened, they didn't believe. And they want to kill the righteous. This is the reprobate heart. This is the heart that gets, you know, they harden their heart as Pharaoh did, and then they get to the point where God will then harden their heart. And here, the result of their provocation, the result of their error in their heart is, okay, now you're never entering the promised land. This is the point. This is the point of no return for these people. Because then God finally gets fed up and he says, that's it. Now, you're going to wander in the wilderness until the last of you that are rejecting me, the last of you that are not believing me are going to fall dead in this wilderness, and then, hey, your children, we'll bring them into this promised land. The ones that you're all worried about, you thought something was going to happen, they are going to see this promised land, but you're not. Not happening for you. Let's keep reading here in verse number 12. I will smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And Moses said unto the Lord, then the Egyptians shall hear it, for thou broughtest up this people and thy might from among them, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land, for they have heard that thou, Lord, art among this people, that thou, Lord, art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them by daytime in a pillar of cloud and in a pillar of fire by night. Now, if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land, which he swear unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. So, Moses makes the argument to the Lord, saying, if you do this, God, if you kill all this people, because God's just like, I'm willing to just wipe them all out, we'll start fresh with you. We'll just, I mean, because he's going to keep his promise, he has to keep his promise. He's going to keep his promise he made to Abraham. So, there's no doubt that that would be kept still. There's a way to still do that. And just say, okay, you know what, these guys, done with them. But Moses entreats for the people and just says, but Lord, you know, if you do this, everyone's going to hear, everyone's already heard what you've done. Everyone's already heard how you brought your people out and you promised them into this land. And the Canaanites, they heard about this because, you know, we're headed their way. They, everyone around us knows what's going on here. And if you kill all them, they're going to just say, see, and they're going to mock your name, Lord, and they're going to bring down your glory and say that you weren't able to bring them into the promised land. So, don't kill them all here because it's going to, it's going to do a disservice to your name in the world. There's a greater good of God's name not being trashed is what Moses is trying to treat the Lord with. He's not, he's not defending these people as being some great people. Like, oh no, you don't understand. You don't understand really in their heart. They're good people. He's not making that argument. He's not making that claim. He's saying, God, we want your name to be glorified in all the earth. So, if you, if you go this route that, you know, then they're going to give, they're going to have an opportunity to speak evil against your name. So, this is, this is the way that he's framed. But he is also entreating to defend the people as well. But he's, he's not using their goodness and their good works as a, as a reason at all for God not to kill him. Verse 17, and now I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great according as thou has spoken, saying the Lord is long suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children under the third and fourth generation. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto thy, the greatness of thy mercy and as thou has forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word, but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness and have tempted me now these 10 times and have not hearkened to my voice, surely they shall not see the land which I swear unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it. But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him and had followed me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went and his seed shall possess it. So the forgiveness they receive here is that God doesn't destroy them immediately. He says they're still going to die in the wilderness, but he's pardoning this iniquity right now so that he doesn't just wipe them off the earth and just destroy them right here. Right? So he's granting them that. And he's showing mercy and long suffering by allowing them to continue. And he's hearing Moses is in treaty. And look, if there isn't all throughout scripture, isn't this another great reason to pray to seek and ask God for things? Moses is entreating the Lord for the people and for very good reason. And he's using up he's using God's will that his name would be glorified throughout the earth as supporting why his request should be granted. He's praying properly. So just as I preach on Sunday about getting your prayers answered, he's I mean, he's doing it right. He's humble before the Lord. Of course, he's respecting God and still trying to pray according to the will of God, but also out of love and compassion for other people and trying to save and intercede all of it. It's all good. And God hears the prayer. And God, when we see in many other places as well in scripture, we talk about God repenting. God changes his mind after hearing from people on this earth. People praying and specifically, Moses does that probably more often than than most. Where he's able to commune with the Lord and entreat God and God will hear him and sometimes change his mind. As he did exactly in this very situation. Verse number twenty five, now the Amalekites and Canaanites dwelt in the valley tomorrow, turn you and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea and the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me, say unto them, as truly as I live, said the Lord, as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you. Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me. Doubtless ye shall not come into the land concerning which I swear to make you dwell there and save Caleb, the son of Jephunneh and Joshua, the son of none. But your little ones, which ye said should be a pray, then will I bring in and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness and your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years and bear your whoredoms until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. And notice here again the impact of sin upon other people. Their children aren't the ones responsible for their parents that were in sin and not having faith in God. But this is what happens when you want to get away from trusting the Lord and not follow his ways and just go off and do your own thing and say, no, I like Egypt. I just want to go into Egypt. I just want to live in the world. I want to be like the world. I want to go back to the world and that's where I want to live my life. You know what? That's going to impact your children and you're going to cause undue burdens put on them as a result of your actions. They're the ones that are denying the Lord, the parents. They're the ones that are rejecting God and rejecting the man of God and just wanting to go back, kill these guys, let's go back in Egypt and now as a result now their children have to wander around in the wilderness. Now their children just have to wait until that previous generation dies off before they can enter into that promised land. Verse 34, after the number of the days in which he searched the land, even 40 days, each day for a year shall ye bear your iniquities, even 40 years and ye shall know my breach of promise. So, you know, if you're wondering why is it 40 years? Well, one, because it needs to be long enough for the generation, the generations of the people to die off. So, he's making it long enough, but of course he's able to make sure that that happens expediently and as expediently as he wants to because he's the Lord, but he specifically numbers it and says, you know what? You were out spying out that land for 40 days. Forty days you were in that promised land and you saw how good it was and you saw it was everything I promised. You were checking it out. So, now you got 40 years before you could go back in there. Verse 35, I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation that are gathered together against me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed and there they shall die. And the men which Moses sent to search the land who returned and made all the congregation to murmur against him by bringing up a slander upon the land, even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land died by the plague before the Lord. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which are of the men that went to search the land, lived still. So, basically everything that God said came to pass. Now, turn if you would to Hebrews chapter 3. Hebrews chapter 3. And we'll get even further in depth into the quotation from Psalm 95. Hey, don't harden your heart as in the provocation. These people harden their heart against the Lord. And as in the day of temptation in the wilderness when your fathers tempted me, proved me and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said it is the people that do err in their heart, they have not known my ways. And unto whom I swear in my wrath, they should not enter into my rest. Verse 7 of Hebrews chapter 3, the Bible says, wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith. Now, look at that. As who says? The Holy Ghost. Now, what are we quoting here? Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness. So, what are we reading here? The Holy Ghost words. What are they the words of? Psalm 95. It's the word of God. It's not just the words of the Psalmist. It's the word of God. As it is in truth the word of God. The Holy Ghost said these things. Verse 9, when your fathers tempted me, proved me and saw my works 40 years, wherefore I was grieved with that generation and said they do all err in their heart and they have not known my ways, so I swear in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest. Verse 12 now. We're going to get some further teaching and expounding on this passage in the New Testament. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. While it is said today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke. Howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved 40 years? Was it not with them that had sinned whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest? But to them that believed not. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. So he's just clearing this whole thing up and it's warning, hey, look, make sure there's not an evil heart of unbelief in any of you. Make sure that there's not some, you know, some unbeliever and check yourself and exhort one another daily, lest you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. And there's there's there's kind of two truths here. There is the. The truth of the of the believer. That just wants to turn back to the world. And commits sin and basically just waste their life and kind of make the rest of their life meaningless. And good for nothing. And that life is not going to be a life of rest. It's going to be miserable. And you think you're going to get some some great benefit from the sin. And of course, it's an illusion. It's a lie. It's it's no good. And then I believe that at the judgment seat of Christ, you're going to be left there with. Really, not much to show for your life. But there's also here and I think this is more the primary application and even seeing here is talking about, look, you don't enter into the rest. You don't enter into Christ. Christ said that he was the rest. Right. We see that God rested from all his labor on the Sabbath day and that we labor here on this earth and we enter into Christ. We enter into his rest when we just trust God and stop relying in our works and rely on the works that were already done. And that's us entering into his rest. And there are people who and I believe this as well. We see this in other passages and I didn't reference it here. But when the Bible talks about, you know, the spirit that the parts from a man and then and then they come back and he takes seven more spirits more wicked than him and they come back and they find a place swept and empty, you know, and then they make their habitation there again. And the latter end of that man is worse than the first. So there's some people that they don't get saved, but they kind of clean up their life and they start maybe, you know, they kind of get to this point near salvation and they might even start, you know, being delivered from some things, delivered from some bondage. Right. But then their heart still never, never gets right. And they could get some things out of their life. But when you get to that point, maybe you're cleaning everything up and you still just reject God. Then the latter end is way worse than the beginning, because some people, I mean, it takes a while. It could take a while for some people to kind of get closer to the truth and just and get some more understanding. And they're kind of on the right path, but it's still not quite clear. Right. And you're headed the right way. And you're you're you're, you know, hearing things when you're coming to church and you still don't you're not you're not saved. You don't quite get it. But but you're you're you're doing the best that you can to try to figure it all out. And look, this happens to a lot of people. It may not be your scenario specifically, but it definitely happens with some people. Some people go to church for decades before they actually get saved. It happens, right. They think they're kind of doing they're trying to do what's right. And some people are trying to live this real clean life and everything, but. You can you can be delivered from a lot of things, but when you get to that point to where you harden your heart against the Lord, then that goes really bad for you. And then and that's the point where it's like, OK, now you're rejected. You've heard you've had opportunity, you've had all these opportunities and you've just rejected. And that's where I think that verse is applicable about the seven spirits more wicked than the first kind of making their habitation there. It's like these devils coming in and possessing a guy and the worst state of that man is worse than the first. So we see that truth here, too, is because, yeah, they were delivered from some bondage. They were delivered from, you could say, some sin. You could have delivered from some oppression. Right. But they never entered into heaven. They didn't make it there. Right. And they were rejected. And why were they rejected? Hebrews three says they couldn't enter in because of unbelief. And that's why. So they could be delivered in one sense, but then still not make it because they still just didn't believe. And this is why, you know, there's so many different spiritual applications to different stories in scripture. And even things that might be kind of like seemingly contradictory, but there still can be very applicable applications. They still could be relevant and true because you're taking a base story like as this just, okay, this actually happened. Literally, the children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt. And there's different truths and different aspects of those truths that could be applied one way versus another way, but still show the greater actual truth. But we don't we don't we don't use the story to form the foundation of our doctrine. We form the foundation of our doctrine on the clear teaching statements of the Bible. And then we see the imagery and we see these truths presented in these stories. Right. So we could see the depth of God's word after we get passed. First, we just we see, OK, look, here's God's law. OK, here's these real clear statements. OK, here's all of this stuff that just spells out very thoroughly, very clearly. You know, the salvation's by grace. It's not of works. You know, all these things that are real fundamental doctrines, real basic stuff. But then we could go back and see, wow, this truth that we already have established now. Look at look at how this is is demonstrated in these in these stories, in parables, in all these other parts of God's word. You can you can see how they come even more to life. And we also see and I preach this in the past. Moses also wasn't allowed to go into the promised land. Now, we know Moses was spiritually saved. Right. Of course he was. Of course he was. There's no there's no doubt about that. But he committed a trespass. At I think it was Mera or Meribah, I forget, I always get those two mixed up, the waters of Mera, waters of Meribah, there's two different events that happened. The first event he was commanded to strike, smite the rock with his staff and the water came out when the children needed water and the water came out of the rock. You know, it's a great picture of salvation. And he did what God commanded him to do. But then the second time, God commanded him to speak under the rock. Speak under the rock. And it's going to bring forth the water. But he didn't. He says, hey, must we fetch you water out of this rock? And he smote it twice with his staff and then the water came out. And I wholeheartedly believe this is that because that was the event that happened, and this is very clear, that's the event that happened where God said, okay, now you're not entering the promised land. God got angry at Moses for doing that. And we see Moses kind of keeps blaming on the people like you guys are the ones that, because of you, God got mad at me. Right? But God's not going to hold, when did God ever hold Moses responsible for what the people did? He doesn't. Right? God instructed Moses to call on the name of the Lord in imagery. Right? Speak to the rock, to Jesus. Call on Jesus to bring forth the life, that living water that you need. That's the illustration. But instead what he did, he took the work, his own work and added that to bring forth that living water. And the imagery is, okay, now you're not going to enter in the promised land either. You messed up my example of what salvation is all about. And because I'm trying to illustrate this great truth and you weren't obedient and you didn't listen to me, because God has greater reasons. Moses, I'm sure, was not thinking he's screwing up anything of God's illustrations and his greater purpose and greater plan. And Moses probably didn't even realize like all of this stuff is going to be in a book for us to read thousands of years later. You know what I mean? Like he's living this stuff, man. He's doing it. And he's communing with God and trying his best to follow the word of God and everything else. He's not thinking of this other greater grand plan of the Lord. But I think for us, we have the benefit of hindsight being able to look back and say like, well, yeah, I mean, it just makes sense. Just like the people here, oh, you're not going to believe, you're not going to trust, you're not going into the promised land. Oh, you didn't call on the Lord to try to add your own works, Moses. You're not going into the promised land. And for all the good that you did, Moses, the great things you did in your life and your great service are still not going. Now, of course, like I said, he's saved. He went to heaven. You know, that didn't keep him from being saved. He was already saved. It's the picture, though. It's the representation. So to make that be driven home, that's why God said, okay, now you're not doing it. You're not making it. And Aaron didn't either. Right? And Aaron was right there with Moses. And he said, well, must we fetch water for you out of this rock? So let's keep reading into chapter four in Hebrews because it continues from chapter three into chapter four, still continuing to expound upon this great truth about hurting not your heart is in the provocation. Verse one, let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest. Any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that hurt it. So he's clearly, I mean, verse two, he said, hey, the gospel is preached. This is clearly talking about the gospel. And this is all in context of the passage that's quoted of hardening not your heart in the day of provocation. So I would say as well, Psalm ninety five is about the gospel to its hey, let's praise the Lord. Let's worship him. God's great. God's awesome. He made us. Everything belongs to him. Hey, praise the Lord. And any of you that that don't know God yet. Hey, today's the day today if you'll hear his voice. Right now is the day of salvation. Don't put it off. If you if you if you don't know this and if this is in your heart, you don't know God. You need to know him. You need to know Jesus. Don't harden your heart. Don't reject it. Don't put it off. Now is the day. Hear his voice. Don't be like the provocation. Don't be like the people. They're scared. Oh, I don't think God could do it. Oh, I don't think God could save me. Oh, I don't think you know. God can do all of it. You just have to trust him. There's nothing too hard for the Lord and there's nothing that you can do and it's not going to be your own works. And you can't say like, well, I've already done too much and I've already seen or I've you know, like, no, it doesn't matter. You just put all of your trust in the Lord and let him save you. And just as here in Hebrews four is saying, hey, look, everyone heard the message, they all heard the gospel, but it did them no good. Why? Because it wasn't mixed with faith, because that is the key ingredient to salvation. It has to be mixed with faith. Verse three, for we which have believed do enter into rest. As he said, as I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world, for he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, if they shall enter into my rest, seeing therefore remain it that some must enter therein. And they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. Again, he limited a certain day saying and David today after so long a time as it is said today, if you hear his voice harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also had ceased from his own works as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. So he's also, what's also being explained here in Hebrews 4 is that the rest isn't just the physically entering into that promised land. Right? Like they did end up going there, but there's still another day that's being referenced or even David's talking about this other. David from in the land is talking about this rest. Right? So there is a rest to the people of God. The rest isn't the physical land of Israel that they were inheriting. It is salvation. It is the new Jerusalem. It's the heavenly Jerusalem. It's that heavenly home. It's that heavenly inheritance. It's salvation where we are relying on all of the works of God and everything that God has done. I mean, they had to rely on God to defeat the enemies for him. They had to rely on God for all of it. They had to rely on God to get them there. That God fed them and provided for them all the way through. And they had to just trust him to do all of that. They couldn't have done that all on their own. There was way too many of them to support themselves in the wilderness. There's way too many of them to get there just completely all on their own by chance and not having supplies and not having planned and not done this stuff. They just had to walk by faith. And God is able to provide and God was able to provide. And he says, look, there is a rest to the people of God. And everyone who is entered into the rest, they've ceased from their own works. Now, what that means is you've ceased from your own works in your heart. Because, of course, they're still working. That's why he says in verse 11, hey, let us labor therefore. They're like, wait, but I thought we're in his rest so we don't have to work anymore. No, you're not trusting in your works. You're not relying on your work. You've ceased from your own works in order to enter into his rest. It's just nothing to do with me. It's all about him. Now I'm entered into his rest. But now, because I know this and I've already, in a sense, entered into his rest because I'm saved, right, and I've stopped relying on myself for salvation, hey, now let's get to work. Hey, now let's labor. Why? Because we don't want any man to fall after the same example of unbelief. Because anyone who doesn't believe isn't entering into that rest. Every unbeliever, none of them can make it into the promised land. And we don't want to see it happen. So let's work. So let's labor. So let's try to reach those people and tell them, hey, don't harden your heart. It didn't work out so well for those that did. There are people that God delivered. There are people that God was with. There are people where God worked in their life. And there's a lot of unsaved people out there that will admit and say, you know what, I think God's been working in my life. And there's people, plenty of people I've talked to personally that have said, you know what, God saved me from death. God has delivered me. God has helped me. God's delivered me from addiction. God's delivered me out of this situation, out of that situation. God's helped me. But they're not saved. And these are the very people that need to know, look, don't harden your heart. Here's the truth. You need to stop relying on your works. And just because God may have saved you physically that you didn't actually die, that doesn't mean your soul is saved. You're in error in your heart. You need to trust the Lord completely that he is the savior and has nothing to do with your good life or anything that you do or your commitment to God or your lack of sins has nothing to do with it. Trust Christ alone. And then you get the full salvation. It's not just the physical deliverance you need. You need your soul to be saved. Great, great, great, great, great truths here. And I'm sure oftentimes you can read through and especially if you haven't read through the Bible very many times, you're going to read through Numbers 14. And you'll read the story. It's an interesting story, right? So grab your attention. You're going to be following along and eating it up. But at first you'll probably not pick up all of the other implications that are there in the story, these other greater truths. And you know what, and maybe you did and it only goes open after you, then amen. But here's what I'm saying. This one is still more obvious, but this is also extremely important. This is also referenced many times in the scripture. And what I'll submit to you is that there's plenty of other places in scripture that aren't quite as easily identifiable as this, but nonetheless have great spiritual truths hidden in the stories themselves. So consider that when you're reading your Bible to really think and absorb and meditate on the word of God. That's why memorization is great. You're going to be thinking about these things and then compare that with other parts of scriptures and see truths that are there. It's like, wow, that's amazing. God illustrated this truth without ever even having to specify it necessarily actually specifically in that story. Yet the truth was there the whole time. And that's found all over the place in the Bible. So just kind of think about that when you're reading in general. And when you come across passages, I'd recommend, hey, make note of those things and maybe look them up at some point. Make that a Bible study for yourself and be like, wait, clearly in the New Testament, it's going to say, hey, very frequently you get the benefit of saying this is quoted from David. The quote from David, you go to Psalms, right? And there'll be other quotations from the Old Testament, from prophets and stuff. And it's usually very clear, but it's not always that clear. So still just keep, you know, when you start noticing things and like, especially the same words, harden out your heart is in the provocation. Like that's kind of stands out. That's just something that like you don't you don't hear that every day. And if those aren't, that's not a phrase you're going to see over and over again in the Bible. You only see it a few times. So when you come across those passages where it's like, hey, I think I've heard this before. I read this before. Make note of that and then study it out because you'll probably find some really awesome truths. They're tucked away in those scriptures. But anyways, let's let's have a word of prayer to your Lord. Thank you so much for loving us. We thank you for saving us. We thank you for the rest that you provide to us for the promise, the promised land. We thank you for not going back on your promises. We thank you for saving us by your grace and by your mercy. We thank you for men of God like Moses, who are who were selfless and seeking to entreat for them and entreat for your mercy. Dear Lord, I pray you please help us to be more like Moses, to be more like Christ, to be able to be selfless and our love for others and simultaneously be just continually seeking out your will to be done. God, strengthen us, teach us and be with us. Lead us. Keep us from evil. Dear Lord, we love you. Keep us safe as we go our separate ways this evening. It's in Jesus Christ. Blessed name we pray. Amen. All right. We're going to sing one more song before we're dismissed for the evening. Brother Peter, will you please lead us? Grab your hymnals and open up your song number 451. Song 451 there at the bottom of the page, Where Could I Go? Song 451. Can you tell the verse? Needing a friend to help me in the end, Where could I go unto the Lord? Neighbors are kind. I love them, everyone. We get along in sweet accord. But with my soul needs manna from above, Where could I go unto the Lord? Where could I go, where could I go, Seeking a refuge for my soul? Needing a friend to help me in the end, Where could I go unto the Lord? Life here is grand, with friends I love so dear, The word I get from God's own Word. Yet when I face the chilling hand of death, Where could I go unto the Lord? Where could I go, where could I go, Seeking a refuge for my soul? Needing a friend to help me in the end, Where could I go unto the Lord?