"Holiness"

Good to see you all this morning. Happy Father's Day to all of you.

Let me invite you to turn with me to Numbers chapter 16.

Numbers 16 · chapter mention

! We are continuing through our summer sermon series in the book of Numbers,

and today we're looking at all of chapter 16. That's page 116 or 117 in the Pew Bibles.

And as we come to God's Word, let me begin with a word of prayer for us.

Father, we do ask for your Spirit to come now and help us to not just understand your Word with our

minds, but truly to have it shape our desires and our commitments, Lord, at a deeper heart level.

Lord, we want to not just be hearers of your Word, but doers. And Lord, we know that this

deep heart transformation comes only as you, by your Spirit, help us to see our Savior Christ,

our Lord Jesus, more richly and more fully. So do just that as we come to this rich passage,

this rich book of Numbers. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

All right, let me begin by reading the first 15 verses of Numbers chapter 16.

Numbers 16 · chapter mention

Now, Korah, the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab,

and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, Korah's rebellion. Now, at first, this seems to be just

another story in Numbers about the people grumbling against the leadership of Moses. At this point in

Numbers, you think, man, are they going to grumble about anything else, right? But, you know, when we

take a closer look, we see that this rebellion, this chapter, it's really about something more vital.

Well, chapter 16 and 17 and 18 of Numbers, which is really the center of this book, they take up the

theme of the priesthood. And what was the priesthood all about? Well, the priesthood was all about how

sinful people could draw near to a holy God.

And so, the question that really runs throughout this passage at the deepest level is,

can we approach God on our own terms? Or must we submit ourselves to approaching God on His terms?

Well, let's take a closer look and see how that comes out in this passage. First, notice in verses 9 and 10

what Korah is really after when he raises this complaint and raises this rebellion. What he's

really after is the priesthood. Now, as a Levite, Korah had been assigned, along with the rest of his

tribe, a very important role in the care and in the service of the tabernacle. The Levites, you'll

remember, were set apart of all the other tribes to serve the Lord and to serve the people of God by

keeping and tending the tabernacle. And Korah's clan, Korah's clan, which was the Kohathites, the

children of Kohath, they were even responsible for moving the most holy things into the holy places of

the tabernacle when it was set up. They had the unique role given from the Lord to intercede in this way

for the people. But Korah wanted that role for himself. And we can speculate why. You know, perhaps

Korah wanted the priesthood because he thought it would bring him more privilege or more power or more

human praise, not just carrying the ark, but going in and being the one who offered the sacrifice before

the ark. You know, too often people seek leadership for these reasons, for privilege, for power, for human

praise. And the New Testament is very clear that we should watch out for so-called leaders like that.

Beware, the New Testament will say again and again, beware the leader who wants to lead,

but who doesn't want to serve. Leaders in the church, leaders in the people of God should be first and foremost

willing servants, willing to set up the chairs and make the coffee if need be.

Nothing at the end of the New Testament will actually name Korah by name as an example of what to beware of

in the church. Beware the so-called leader that stirs up dissension and disunity. Beware the so-called

leader that seems to listen intently to people's complaints only to manipulate it for his own gain.

Jesus spoke a blessing upon whom? Upon the peacemakers.

Paul writes that we should make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of

peace. That's what a real leader looks like.

But last, notice how Korah makes his case in verse 3. He says to Moses and Aaron, he says,

you've gone too far, for all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them.

Why then do you, Moses and Aaron, exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?

Now, of course, there is a sense in which some of what Korah is saying is true.

God had indeed chosen and set apart the people for himself. In that sense, the entire congregation

was holy unto the Lord, and God had indeed been dwelling in their midst. The Lord was among them.

In fact, at the end of chapter 15, right before this passage, that's exactly what the instructions

about the tassels on the garments was all about. It was to remind the people to keep the commandments

of God. It was to remind them to be set apart, to be holy, because the Lord was indeed in their midst.

But here's a hallmark of a false teacher. They take something that's true,

and they use it to justify something that's false.

Korah's conclusion was that anyone should be able to be a priest because the congregation was holy,

that anyone should be able to do what the priest can do. But that was wrong. Yes, God had set apart

the whole people for himself. Yes, they were a holy nation and a royal priesthood, as Exodus 19.6 says.

But that doesn't mean that they could then approach God on their own terms.

God had appointed very specific means whereby they could draw near. And under the old covenant,

he had chosen one particular family for that particular role and no one else.

And this brings us to the real heart of the passage. Yes, Korah is an example of a so-called

leader to watch out for and to avoid, but the real question that Korah raises is,

can we approach God on our own terms?

You see, the heart of Korah's rebellion is just that, a desire to want to draw near to God

in the way that Korah himself chooses, apart from God's appointed means.

And friends, that is the very heart of human rebellion against God,

that I get to choose how and on what basis I get to God. I mean, surely, right, if I'm sincere

and I'm basically moral, that's enough, right? Why can't I draw near to God through my own version

of spirituality? Whatever I happen to think is best. I mean, who's to say which religion is true,

right? I mean, aren't they all just kind of paths leading up the same mountain?

Aren't we all just blindfolded men and women grabbing a different part of the elephant?

You've got your way, I've got mine. God will just accept them all, right?

So goes, I think, our very common line of thinking.

But can we, can we actually draw near to God on our own terms?

You see, the problem with this line of thinking

is that it fails to account for God's holiness.

It fails to account for God's holiness.

Because God is not some inert goal at the top of a mountain

that we can just bushwhack our way to the top.

And God is certainly not a kind of benign elephant

that we can blindly grasp and grope like a baby Dumbo.

God is holy.

God is infinite in majesty, in power, in purity, in love.

The chapter from Revelation that Nick read for us earlier is all about this.

What do we see there in Revelation 4?

We see that God is not some kind of cosmic, doting grandparent,

but God is the Holy One

before whom all creation will and must worship.

An unmediated glimpse of the Holy and Majestic God,

an unmediated glimpse of that God would not be bliss,

but our utter undoing.

Like a tiny ship pushed by a growing wave

into rocky cliffs thousands of feet high,

dashed into oblivion,

one glimpse of God's real unmediated glory

would utterly wreck us.

We cannot come to God on our own terms

because of who God is.

And that's exactly what we see

in the next part of this passage.

Let's pick up in verse 16,

and we'll read all the way through verse 40

and see what happens to Korah's rebellion.

Moses said to Korah,

Be present, you and all your company,

before the Lord, you and they and Aaron tomorrow,

and let every one of you take his censer

and put incense on it,

which was a priestly task, by the way.

God is basically saying,

Okay, Korah, put yourself in the place of a priest.

Let every one of you take his censer

and put incense on it,

and every one of you bring before the Lord his censer.

250 censers, you also, and Aaron, each a censer.

So every man took his censer

and put fire in them and laid incense on them,

stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting

with Moses and Aaron.

Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them

at the entrance of the tent of meeting,

and the glory of the Lord appeared

to all the congregation.

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron,

saying, Separate yourselves from this congregation

that I may consume them in a moment.

And they fell on their faces and said,

Oh God, the God of the spirits of all flesh

shall one man sin,

and you will be angry with all the congregation?

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Say to the congregation,

Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram,

and the elders of Israel followed him.

And he spoke to the congregation, saying,

Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men,

and touch nothing of theirs,

lest you be swept away with all their sins.

So they got away from the dwelling of Korah,

Dathan, and Abiram.

And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood

at the door of their tents,

together with their wives, their sons,

and their little ones.

And Moses said,

Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me

to do all these works,

and that it has not been of my own accord.

If these men die as all men die,

or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind,

then the Lord has not sent me.

But if the Lord creates something new,

and the ground opens its mouth

and swallows them with all that belongs to them,

and they go down alive into Sheol,

then you shall know that these men

have despised the Lord.

And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words,

the ground under them split apart,

and the earth opened its mouth

and swallowed them with their households

and all the people who belonged to Korah

and all their goods.

So they and all that belonged to them

went down alive into Sheol,

and the earth closed over them,

and they perished from the midst of the assembly.

And all Israel who were around them

fled at their cry,

for they said,

Lest the earth swallow us up.

And fire came out from the Lord

and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest,

to take up the censers out of the blaze.

Then scatter the fire far and wide,

for they have become holy.

As for the censers of these men

who have sinned at the cost of their lives,

let them be made into hammered plates

as a covering for the altar,

for they offered them before the Lord,

and they became holy.

Thus they shall be a sign

to the people of Israel.

So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers,

which those who were burned had offered,

and they were hammered out

as a covering for the altar

to be a reminder

to the people of Israel,

so that no outsider

who is not of the descendants of Aaron

should draw near

to burn incense before the Lord,

lest he become like Korah

and his company,

as the Lord said to him

through Moses.

So Korah wanted to come to God

on his own terms.

Dathan and Abiram joined Korah

in his rebellion,

and as a result,

they all crashed against the rocks

of God's holiness.

Korah and the rest

who take censers

before the Lord at the tabernacle,

you would sort of put fire

inside a plate

and you would swing it

so the incense would go up.

Korah and all the rest

who did so

before the Lord at the tabernacle

were consumed by fire.

And the tragedy

is that the sin of Korah

and Dathan and Abiram

doesn't just impact themselves,

but their families as well.

At first,

we sort of recoil

at passages like this,

don't we?

At first,

it seems unjust

for family members

to suffer the same fate

as the heads of the households

who did the rebellion,

who did the rebelling.

But that's the tragedy

of sin, friends.

It impacts all those around us.

Especially the presumptuous sin

of thinking

that we can handle God

on our own terms

in any way that we see fit.

That rebellion

will impact our children.

And that's why people

were commanded to flee

from the tents

of Dathan and Abiram.

And even Korah's tent,

even though Korah himself

was at the tabernacle

with the 250,

God in mercy warned them

that this sin

was going to impact

all those around it.

But you see,

that spreading impact

of sin,

the truth is,

that's exactly how sin

has worked

from the very beginning.

All the way back

to our first parents,

when our first parents sinned,

we all fell

under its deadly sway.

Consider the original sin

of Adam.

Rather than listen

to God and obey,

Adam chose his own terms.

He took the fruit

God had commanded him

not to take,

thinking that in doing so,

he could just become

like God

rather than approach

God on God's terms.

Adam thought

he could do it

his own way.

And that rebellion

brought spiritual death,

not just to Adam and Eve,

but to all humanity.

You see,

friends,

every single human being

is created

in God's own image.

Each one of us

is full

of inestimable

dignity

and value

and worth.

And

every human being

has inherited

a guilty status

before God

and a corrupt nature

within ourselves.

Like a computer virus

that spreads

to every computer

in the network,

there is no human

who is exempt

from the effects

of Adam's sin.

And that means

there is no

approaching God

and His holiness

without it resulting

in utter ruin.

The 250 men

who swung their censers

that day

before the tabernacle

were consumed

in an instant.

God

is not

to be trifled with.

How could we think

that we could just

saunter

into God's presence?

That we could just

approach God

and be accepted

by God

on our own terms,

on our own way?

I mean,

think about it.

We would never

think about

entering our

neighbor's house

without their

permission

and on their

own terms,

right?

Of course,

you wouldn't just

like show up

at your neighbor's

house,

open the door

and take off

your shoes

and start eating

the food

out of their fridge.

I mean,

maybe you would.

Maybe you have

a really good

relationship

with your neighbor.

I don't know.

But no,

you do it

on your neighbor's

terms,

right?

That's how

you draw near

to them.

But think about

something even greater.

What about

the mayor's office?

What if we were

to walk,

you know,

a few blocks

down to the green

and go into

the city hall

and go into

the city hall?

We just kind of

barge into

Mayor Eelker's

office,

put our feet

up on his desk.

What would

happen?

Well,

you would most

likely be

escorted out

by security,

right?

You can't

approach the

human mayor

on your own

terms.

And what

about the

White House?

Try to get

into the

White House

on your own

terms and you

will certainly

be arrested

or worse.

Friends,

if that is

true of our

relationship

with mere

humans,

what makes

us think

that we

could approach

God on

our own

terms,

in our

own way?

God,

the consuming

fire himself

who is

infinitely good,

infinitely pure,

perfectly just.

And so God

tells Aaron's

son,

Eleazar,

to take all

those burned

censors of

Korah's

rebellion,

to hammer

them into

plates,

and to

plate them

onto the

altar as

a covering

so that when

the people

came to

the tabernacle

to worship,

they would

see the

covering and

every time

they would

be reminded

that they

had to

come to

God on

God's

own terms

or not

at all.

Friend,

how are you

hoping to

approach

God,

to get

near to

God

today?

I mean,

after all,

nearness to

God,

communion with

God,

fellowship with

God,

that is the

very thing

that we

humans were

created for.

We weren't

created to

find our

meaning,

our purpose,

our hope,

merely in the

created things

of this life.

Do you want

evidence that we

weren't created

to find our

meaning and hope

and purpose in

the things of

this life?

Then talk to

someone who

has it all.

Talk to the

wealthiest people,

talk to the

most famous

people,

talk to the

most powerful

people,

and what do

you find?

Do you find

that all those

things have

brought them

contentment,

joy,

peace,

awe?

No.

More often

than not,

they will all

tell you the

same thing.

It didn't

actually make

them happy.

This is why

songwriting is

such a good

gig,

because you

write songs,

you get really

famous,

it doesn't

actually satisfy,

so then you

can just write

more songs about

being dissatisfied

and make more

money.

It's a brilliant

scheme,

right?

And yet it is

evidence that

this world is

not what we

were created to

find our deepest

meaning and

identity in.

That deep

hole,

that deep

hunger still

remains.

there's only

one thing

that can

satisfy the

human heart,

and we've

read about it

in Revelation

4,

the glory of

God,

our Creator,

only in

communion with

the triune

God,

the triune

God whom all

creation praises

ceaselessly,

day and night,

only in communion

with God,

will we find

the true

meaning of

our existence.

And only in

communion with

the triune

God revealed

in Jesus

Christ,

will we be

able to

actually enjoy

the things of

this life?

Because otherwise

we just try to

use the things

of this life to

fill the God-sized

hole in our

hearts and it

doesn't work.

It doesn't

Here's the truth,

friends.

you and I

need to

approach God.

We have to

draw near to

God,

but we can't

do it on our

own terms.

Our sin is

too great,

and the holiness

of God is

infinitely greater

still.

So what's

the solution?

How can we

actually draw near?

What's the

answer to our

dilemma?

Well, it's

this,

that God has

appointed a

way.

God has set

His own

terms.

In His

grace,

God has

opened a

road whereby

sinful humans

can come to

Him and

not be

consumed.

But there's

no other

road.

only one

leads out

from Him

and only

one leads

back to

Him.

And that

road was

signified

under the

Mosaic

covenant

that one

appointed way

to God

was signified

under the

Mosaic

covenant

by the

priesthood

of Aaron.

Aaron and

his

sons

would be

the means

whereby

the Old

Testament

people could

have

fellowship

with God

without being

consumed by

God's

holiness.

Through the

priesthood's

intercession,

God would

make atonement

for His

people so

that sinful

people could

dwell with

a holy

God.

Let's read

the rest of

the chapter,

verses 41

through 50.

But on the

next day,

all the

congregation of

the people of

Israel grumbled

against Moses

and against

Aaron,

saying,

You have

killed the

people of

the Lord.

And when the

congregation had

assembled against

Moses and

against Aaron,

they turned

toward the

tent of

meeting,

and behold,

the cloud

covered it,

and the glory

of the Lord

appeared.

And Moses

and Aaron

came to the

front of the

tent of meeting,

and the Lord

spoke to Moses,

saying,

Get away from

the midst of

this congregation

that I may

consume them

in a moment.

And they fell

on their faces,

and Moses said

to Aaron,

Take your

censer and

put fire on

it from off

the altar and

lay incense on

it and carry it

quickly to the

congregation and

make atonement

for them, for

wrath has gone

out from the

Lord.

The plague has

begun.

So Aaron

took it,

as Moses said,

and ran into

the midst of

the assembly,

and behold,

the plague had

already begun

among the

people,

and he put

on the

incense and

made atonement

for the

people,

and he stood

between the

dead and

the living,

and the

plague was

stopped.

Now those

who died in

the plague

were fourteen

thousand,

besides those

who died in

the affair of

Korah.

And Aaron

returned to

Moses at the

entrance of the

tent of meeting

when the plague

was stopped.

So you see,

when Korah,

when Korah and

his company of

250 chiefs of

the congregation,

important,

powerful,

prestigious men,

when they took

their censers and

burned incense

before God,

they were

consumed.

But when Aaron,

just Aaron,

by himself,

takes a censer,

and when he

stands between

the dead and

the living and

makes intercession,

the plague is

stopped.

the just

wrath of God

is turned away

from the sinful

people,

and they're

saved.

Notice how

this episode

starts.

Now the whole

congregation is

grumbling against

them, and God

again gives

what is true.

He says,

get away from

the midst of

this congregation

that I may

consume them

in a moment.

You see,

that's how

sinful sin is.

It deserves

God's wrath.

But Aaron,

fulfilling the

priestly office

that God had

assigned to

him,

stands in the

midst of the

people and

offers up

intercession on

their behalf.

And God,

in His grace,

receives Aaron's

intercession.

God turns aside

His wrath.

He withholds

His full

judgment.

But friends,

you see,

Aaron in the

Old Covenant,

Aaron was just

a picture of

the greater

priest to come.

As the New

Testament opens

and as the

story unfolds

and as we see

the ministry

and the deeds

and the work

of the Lord

Jesus Christ,

we see that

He was the

true and the

better priest.

He was the

priest that Aaron

and his sons

were just

gesturing towards,

just pointing

towards as a

sign.

You see,

Jesus did

stand in the

midst of His

sinful people

and He

identified with

them fully.

And He didn't

merely offer up

incense and

prayers,

but He offered

up His own

body on the

cross.

And when Jesus,

our true priest,

stood in the

midst of His

people,

on that day,

the wrath of

God didn't

turn aside.

No, at the

cross, the

holiness of

God was in

full display

as Jesus

bore the

full weight

of the divine

wrath our

sins deserved.

But His

sin,

death-bearing

death,

this was

the very

plan of

God.

For in

Jesus,

we see

the terms,

God's terms,

whereby sinful

humans can now

come near.

Through faith

in Jesus

crucified and

risen,

sinners can

draw near to

God because

Jesus Christ

has turned

aside God's

holy wrath

through His

self-giving

death on the

cross in our

place.

And what's

more, on the

third day,

this true and

better high

priest rose

from the

dead,

and forty

days later,

He ascended

to the

Father's

right hand,

where He

now intercedes

forever for

those who

trust in

Him.

You see,

unlike Aaron

and all of

Aaron's sons

down through

the Old

Testament age,

unlike Aaron

who eventually

died,

Jesus,

our true and

better high

priest,

always lives.

And that

means He

always lives

to make

intercession

for us.

What He

did for us

will always

be effective

before the

throne of

our holy

God.

So for

those who

approach God

apart from

Jesus,

there is

nothing but a

fearful expectation

of judgment.

But for those

who approach

God through

Jesus,

there is

actually

confidence and

boldness to

approach God

because Jesus

has covered

our sins

and welcomed

us in His

name.

And you see,

that means if

you're not a

Christian,

if you're here

this morning and

you're spiritually

searching and

trying to figure

out what it

means to be in a

relationship with

God, then the

message of

number 16 to

you is this.

Repent of

trying to

approach God

on your own

terms.

Admit it and

turn away from

it.

Repent of

trying to

approach God

on your own

terms, in

your own

way, and

accept the

one and

only sure

way to

draw near

to God

through what

God Himself

has appointed

through the

true and

better high

priest, the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

call upon

Him and

entrust

yourself to

Him and

know that

without a

doubt in

Him your

sins will

be forgiven.

And because

He lives to

always intercede

for you, you

will have

eternal favor

and fellowship

with God your

Creator, and

God will be

your joy and

your utmost

satisfaction,

because there's

one who stands

for you at the

right hand of

God.

And for those

of us who

are trusting

in Christ,

then the

application of

number 16

is this,

remember,

remember that

our true

priest has

come and

that He

always lives

to make

intercession

for us and

that now we

can draw near

with confidence

to God.

Ephesians 3,

11 through

12 says that

God has

saved us

according to

the eternal

purpose that

He has

realized in

Christ Jesus

our Lord,

in whom,

in Jesus,

we now have

boldness and

access with

confidence through

our faith in

Him.

Do you see

what the work

of Jesus

Christ has

wrought?

Now we can

draw near to

God, though we

are sinners,

and yes,

God is holy,

now we can

draw near to

God with

boldness and

with confidence.

We don't have

to find our

identity and

satisfaction in

the things of

this world.

We can come

to God and

find it in

Him, the

one we were

created for.

We have

boldness and

access with

confidence.

It's not

presumption,

it's not pride

like Korah,

but real

confidence.

It's boldness

even because of

what God has

accomplished in

Jesus Christ on

our behalf.

We see this

theme throughout

the New Testament,

but perhaps

Hebrews 10,

19 through

25 says it

best.

The author of

Hebrews says,

therefore,

brothers and

sisters, since

we have confidence

to enter the

holy places by

the blood of

Jesus, by the

new and living

way that He

opened for us

through the

curtain that is

through His

flesh, and

since we have

a great priest

over the house

of God, let

us draw near

with a true

heart and full

assurance of

faith, with

our hearts

sprinkled clean

from an evil

conscience, and

our bodies washed

with pure water.

Let us hold

fast the

confession of

our hope without

wavering, for He

who promised is

faithful.

And let us

consider how to

stir up one

another to love

and good works,

not neglecting to

meet together as is

the habit of some,

but encouraging one

another, and all the

more as you see the

day drawing near.

Amen, friends.

Through Jesus, the

way is open.

We have a great

priest over the

house of God.

We don't have to

come to God on our

own terms, which are

failing and faulty, but

God has graciously

opened heaven's door

through Jesus, and we

can come in.

We have a great

priest over the

house of God, so let

us draw near in faith.

Let us hold fast in

hope, and let us stir

up one another in love.

Let us pray.

Father, we do ask that

You would impress upon

us, Your people, again

a genuine sense of

Your holiness.

Help us to live in

awe of You, God.

Help us to have a

rightful reverence

before You.

And Lord, help us to

see that in Christ,

what would mean certain

destruction for us,

drawing near to You,

our holy God, has

now, Lord, become an

open path where the

work of Christ and the

intercession of Christ

has paved the way.

Lord, open our eyes to

see this truth afresh.

Give us confidence and

boldness as we go

forth this week in His

name.

Amen.

Amen.