The Gathered Church (7) - Gathered for Travel

We're going to begin our worship now. We're singing firstly today in Psalm 96.

Psalm 96, that's in the Scottish Psalter, page 358.

Sing to the tune of St. Magnus, verses 1 to 6.

Sing a new song to the Lord. Sing all the earth to God. To God sing. Bless His name.

Show still His saving health abroad. Among the heathen nations His glory do declare.

And unto all the people show His works that wondrous are.

If you're able to stand, we'll stand to sing these verses, Psalm 96.

Sing a new song to the Lord. Sing all the earth to God.

To God sing. Bless His name.

Sing all the earth to God.

Sing all the earth to God.

Sing all the earth to God.

Sing all the earth to God.

Among the heathen nations His glory do declare.

And unto all the people show His works that wondrous are.

For Christ the Lord.

For Christ the Lord, not greatly be.

Is to be magnified.

Yea, worthy to be feared.

Is he above all those beside.

For all those beside.

For all the gods are idols found,

Which blinded nations fear.

A Seventh the land of the Hajnnej.

100%.

A se glass may be imantizized.

The way of your grave, the Mary masters fear.

With

يرon most.

The Lord by you, the heavens be interweb.

With honour is the Lord is face, and majesty divine.

Strength is within his holy place, and there the beauty shines.

Let's call upon the Lord now in prayer briefly.

Our gracious God, we give thanks today that we are gathered here in your name.

That we do so under your own promise that you will be with your people as they gather.

And we thank you that we come together of all ages and all backgrounds,

and that we are welcome in your presence.

We give thanks, Lord, for the provision you have made for us to enable us to come

through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose again from the dead,

and is today seated at the right hand of glory on high.

And we thank you that he reigns over us, and that we expect him to come back to this world

at the day that you have appointed.

We pray, Lord, today that we may be still in your presence,

that we may know your blessing as we come together.

Bless the children today, we pray.

Bless them in all their activities, not only today, but as we anticipate that throughout this week.

Lord, we thank you for all our children, for our young families belonging to the congregation.

For we give thanks to you, O Lord, for the way in which we are so encouraged and so often given to rejoice

in seeing so many young lives coming to be taught the things of God.

Bless them, we pray today, and all who teach them and all who belong to them as parents and relatives.

Be with us in all our homes.

Grant us your blessing throughout this day.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Now, I know you're going to be looking at Gideon again today in Sunday School Lessons,

and today you're looking at Gideon's victory, or Gideon victorious.

And in Judges chapter 7, I'm not sure if you're going to be looking at that chapter or not,

Judges 7 · chapter mention

but Judges chapter 7 records a great victory that Gideon achieved by God's help over the Midianites.

Judges 7 · chapter mention

And there's something quite amazing in the chapter as you read through it.

And it's this, that Gideon was told by God that he had too many people with him,

and he had to reduce that number until eventually he just had 300 out of 24,000 men that he began with.

Now, that's very strange because when you read in verse 12 there,

the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley like locusts in abundance,

and their camels were without number as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance.

Why would God tell Gideon, you've got too many people,

when there were thousands and thousands and thousands of the Midianites and the Amalekites also that they were going to fight against?

Well, the reason was that Gideon was going to manage victory with God's help with the 300,

and that was going to give glory to God.

It was going to show Gideon that the power, the victory, belonged to God, not to themselves.

It was God helping them, enabling them, that gave them that victory.

And it was showing them that the power that gives us victory belongs to God alone,

and obviously from that they were being taught to depend on God and not on themselves,

not on anything that they had by way of their own gifts.

And so I want you today, young folks, to pray for God's power in your lives.

We all need God's power, and whatever age we are, we need God's power working in our lives today.

And what that means is that we need to pray for God's help and for God's power to work in our lives.

It doesn't matter what we're facing.

It doesn't matter how much bigger that may seem than ourselves.

It's important that we depend on God to give us the ability.

The second thing I want you to remember is that when we are given help by God, we need immediately to thank Him.

It's very interesting here in this chapter that you'll find in verse 15 that after Gideon,

you can look at the incident later yourselves, but he went down to the camp of the Amalekites.

He was told a dream had taken place.

One of these men of the Amalekites had had a dream, and another one was telling the story, the meaning of the dream.

And it was going to be a victory for Gideon and for his people.

And as soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped.

Isn't that important?

As soon as he heard what that dream meant and realized that it meant victory for them, he worshipped the Lord.

And for us too, that's important.

We're here today to worship God, and you young lives, you children as well are part of that.

And we're here to give thanks to God as well as to pray to God for His help.

So remember, pray for His power in your life.

And always give Him thanks.

Whatever He gives you at any time, give Him the thanks.

Give Him the glory just as Gideon did.

Well, let's say the Lord's prayer again together.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.

Amen.

We're going to sing some more verses now, this time in Psalm 119.

In the same Psalms, page 159, verses 33 to 40.

And the tune is Finart.

Teach me to follow your decrees, then I will keep them to the end.

Give insight, and I'll keep your law with all my heart to it attend.

That section of Psalm 119.

That section of Psalm 119.

To God's praise.

Teach me to follow your decrees, then I will keep them to the end.

With this sight of that dear pure law with all my heart to it attend.

We feed me in your commandment's path.

For then, O Lord, delight thy mind.

They provide my heart to the Lord's new laws.

Come, selfish King, descend my life.

Oh, God, my heart to the Lord's new laws.

Oh, God, my heart to the Lord's new laws.

Come, selfish King, descend my heart to the Lord's new laws.

Give life according to your word.

To lead your servant, keep your place.

So that you may be here, O Lord's new laws.

Be good from me, the shame I get.

Your laws accept and unrighteousness.

O how I long for your redeeming.

Please bear me in your righteousness.

A reading of God's word today is from the book of Numbers.

The book of Numbers.

And we're reading in chapter 10.

We'll begin reading at verse 11.

So Numbers chapter 10 at verse 11.

Numbers 10 · chapter mention

In the second year and the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony.

And the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai.

And the clouds settled down in the wilderness of Paran.

They set out for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses.

The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out first by their companies.

And over their company was Nashon, the son of Amminadab.

And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel, the son of Zuar.

And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab, the son of Helon.

And when the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, set out.

And the standard of the camp of Rehuban set out by their companies.

And over their company was Elisur, the son of Shedur.

And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was Shelamiel, the son of Zerushaddai.

And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was Elisaph, the son of Deuel.

Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things.

And the tabernacle was set up before their arrival.

And the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies.

And over their company was Elisamah, the son of Ammihud.

And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was Gamaliel, the son of Pedasur.

And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was Abaddon, the son of Gedeoni.

Then the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the rear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies.

And over their company was Ahiezer, the son of Amishaddai.

And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was Pagiel, the son of Ochran.

And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was Ahira, the son of Inan.

This was the order of the march of the people of Israel by their companies when they set out.

And Moses said to Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law,

We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, I will give it to you.

Come with us. We will do good to you.

For the Lord has promised good to Israel.

But he said to him, I will not go.

I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.

And he said, Please do not leave us.

For you know where we would camp in the wilderness.

And you will serve as eyes for us.

And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.

So they set out from the mount of the Lord for three days' journey.

And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them for three days' journey to seek out a resting place for them.

And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day whenever they set out from the camp.

And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered.

And let those who hate you flee before you.

And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, to the ten thousands of Israel.

Amen. May God bless to us reading that portion of his word.

Let's join together again in prayer.

Lord, our God, these words that we have read cause us to reflect upon our need for your guidance.

And the need for order in the way that we set about our lives.

And we give thanks that you are the God of order and of guidance.

That you are the one who gives counsel to your people, even as they travel through on their journey through this world.

Lord, we bless you that like Moses, we too can say that you have given us an account of what the journey will involve and where we are going to as we come to trust in you and look forward to that eternity you promised to your people.

We thank you today, Lord, that we gather as a joint company of people whose will it is that we should know you and that you should reveal yourself again to us.

So, Lord, bless us.

So, Lord, bless to us your word, we pray.

And enable us as we look upon this passage together that we will do so conscious of our need to truly belong to the company of your believing people.

To belong to those who are traveling in their own way by faith and relying upon the Lord himself and not on anything with which you may have endowed us.

So, bless us, we pray, as a congregation today.

Oh, Lord, we thank you for all the encouragement you give us.

We thank you for the many activities that we already heard of and read through as we anticipate in this coming week.

The various types of meetings and of worship services that we engage in as a people.

And we thank you, Lord, that you enable us to have the resources that we have for these activities and events.

And we thank you for them.

We thank you, Lord, that you continue to provide for us against our need.

We bless you that your promise is that you will at all times look to the need of your people.

And we pray for the confidence that your servant Paul had long ago when he could say of himself that he was confident that God would supply all the need of the Philippian church according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus.

So, help us, we pray, today as we worship you.

And help us by your Holy Spirit, Lord, to lay to heart the things that you teach us in your word.

Bless us, we pray, as a congregation continue to bestow upon us the blessings of the gospel, the blessings of your Holy Spirit,

so that we may progress spiritually and morally and grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

O Lord, our God, we today give thanks that the promise you give to your church in all ages is that you will never depart from them,

that you will never forsake them, even in the difficulties of life.

Yet we acknowledge, Lord, that we, by our own sin, cause the times that you face may be hidden from us.

And we will not have the comfort that we ought to have in our hearts.

We know that it is our sin that causes such times in our lives.

Lord, we ask that whenever we are conscious of being at a distance from you,

whenever we are conscious that in our hearts we have backslidden,

that we have become cold, that our love is not as it once was and should be.

Lord, help us, we pray, to return to you.

Enable us to heed your voice and your appeal to us in the word.

And Lord, help us today, if that be our condition,

that we may be drawn by your Holy Spirit again,

that we may come to appreciate anew the warmth and the benefit of fellowship with you.

Bless any today, we pray, who are still unsaved,

and who have not come to rest upon the Lord Jesus Christ for time and for eternity.

Bless them, we pray, under your word today.

Be near to them, Lord, to open their hearts and give them the mind and the wherewithal to embrace you

as you offer yourself in your word to us.

And we pray that we may know of many during our own days here and elsewhere coming to know the Lord.

Bless, we pray again, those who have particular needs in our midst today.

Again, we remember those who mourn the passing of loved ones.

We know in this past week, O Lord, again, we've had two funerals, two families involved in times of sorrow and loss.

We pray for them and we pray that you would bless them even in the times that they find most acutely the pain of departure from loved ones.

Gracious one, we ask that you would be pleased to bestow your comfort upon them.

And remember all others who reflect upon times gone by and people who are no longer with them in this world.

O Lord, in all our bereavements and our sorrows, be our comforter, we pray.

Be our God to guide us and to counsel us that we may be able to say with the psalmist long ago that you hold us by your right hand and that you guide us with your counsel.

And afterwards that you will receive us to your glory.

Bless the world in which we live in these troublous days, O Lord.

We pray especially for places where there is violence and war, terror, famine, neglect.

Be pleased we pray in all these places in the world to remember them who suffer adversity at this time.

Be with the situation in the Middle East.

Lord, we ask that through your blessing, even though it may seem to us hardly possible, bring about, we pray, a lasting peace between the warring peoples.

Remember the situation also in Ukraine.

Again, we continue to pray for your people there.

We ask, O Lord, that you would bring deliverance from the oppression and from the violence that is carried out against your people there.

Lord, we ask that you would bless your church there.

Bless those who continue faithful to you.

Be pleased in all other places of the world, Lord, to create peace where there is strife and war.

Make us thankful that we have such a level of peace and security in our own circumstances.

But bless us, we pray, as a nation, as a people.

For we know, Lord, that there is much evidence every day we live of a departure from you and from your ways and from your values, from your commands.

Turn us, we pray, to yourself as a people.

And to that end, bless those who are ruling over us.

And grant them, Lord, that they may trust in you, that they may look to you and realize their accountability to you.

And that they may come by your grace to rule wisely and to exercise wisdom and judgment.

Hear us now, we pray, and continue with us here, pardoning all our sin, washing us freely, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

Let's sing once again before we turn to Numbers chapter 10.

Numbers 10 · chapter mention

We're singing this time Psalm 84.

84, that's on page 112.

Sing to Tune Ottawa, verses 1 to 7.

How delightful are your dwellings, O Almighty Lord, to me!

For your courts my soul is yearning, in your house I long to be.

Heart and flesh cry out aloud, for the true and living God.

And verse 5 to 7, which speaks about the journey, as we'll see in Numbers.

We're thinking today of God's people, ourselves being gathered together for travel, on a journey on into eternity.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, those who have a pilgrim's mind.

Pools from autumn rains refresh them, springs and bakers veil they find.

Strength increasing, Zionward, they go on their way to God.

So we'll sing these verses, Psalm 84, to God's praise.

Amen.

Ro

Your force my soul is bearing, in your hearts I long to thee.

I can pledge thy love for the true and living love.

Even sorrows find their dwellings, and thus follow hills and airs.

Near here, altar, Lord Almighty, where the offspring may have rest.

Blessed are those who strengthens in you, those who have a wilderness mind.

Who strong autumn waves refresh their strings and make us live behind.

Strength and peace inside of the world, they go on their way to God.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Please turn with me now to Numbers chapter 10.

Numbers 10 · chapter mention

And today we're looking at verses 29 to 32.

And Moses said to Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, We are setting

out for the place of which the Lord said, I will give it to you.

Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.

But he said to him, I will not go.

I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.

And he said, please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness,

and you will serve as eyes for us.

And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same we will do to you.

Well, as we continue to look at the theme of the gathered church, gathered for various reasons,

gathered in different circumstances, today we're looking at the gathered church in terms

of the church on a journey or the church traveling onwards.

And we'll see something of what comes across in this part of the book of Numbers, these verses

we've read especially.

Because Numbers really is about this journey of the people of Israel on towards the promised

land of Canaan, as the Lord had promised to them, and as Moses here said to Chobab.

In fact, that's in the Hebrew text, which is what the Old Testament was written in.

This book is not called Numbers.

That came about by it being translated firstly into Greek and then all the other various languages

into which it was translated.

But the book that we know is the book of Numbers.

The title in the Hebrew text is In the Wilderness.

In the Wilderness.

Because it's talking, telling about this journey of the people in the wilderness, through the

wilderness, on towards the land that God had promised them.

God had said to them through Moses in Exodus chapter 8 that he had heard their groanings.

Exodus 8 · chapter mention

He was coming out.

He had come down to rescue them out of the hand of the Egyptians, to take them out of that

land, and to take them into a land that flows with milk and honey.

Where God takes us out of, He also takes us into.

He doesn't take us out of our state of being lost, our deadness and sin.

He doesn't take us out of that without taking us into its wonderful replacement in the salvation

that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are either in one or the other today.

And the Lord is teaching us here the importance of traveling together with the mind of pilgrims

on towards the land that God has promised His people.

Now, not all the people of Israel would actually enter the land of Canaan.

Sadly, many, many of them died in the wilderness.

And when you go to the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, Hebrews actually tells us that

the reason so many of them fell in the wilderness was due to their unbelief.

Their unbelief, their lack of faith.

The word that God sent to them was not actually received by them in faith.

And because of unbelief, they did not enter into the land of Canaan.

In other words, it's the same that you find with the church throughout all the generations,

throughout all the time of history and on to the end of the world.

There will always be a mixed multitude.

There will always be people who have received the word of the Lord believingly,

and therefore are in a relationship with himself where they are saved,

where they are secure in Christ.

And there are others who have not come to place their trust in the Lord,

who are traveling with those who believe, with those who come to trust,

whose place in the church is valued,

but who have not yet come to place their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ

and receive Him as their Savior.

So we remember that that's the case today as we look at this passage,

that the way we're traveling together,

it's important for us to remember that traveling together in that sense

doesn't guarantee automatically that we will enter into heaven.

We need to have Jesus for ourselves.

We need to receive Jesus as He's offered to us in the gospel.

We need to have Him as our King and as our Lord.

So let's look at these verses as we see them setting out,

the traveling together of the people.

They set out from the mount of the Lord for three days' journey.

Now Moses gives Hobab, first of all, an explanation

before he gives them the invitation to actually come to travel with them.

He gave them, first of all, the explanation of their journey,

where they were going to, where they were journeying on to.

And then having given them that explanation,

he gave them this invitation,

come with us and we will do good to you.

And then after the explanation and the invitation,

when Hobab refused and preferred to go back to his own people,

he then exhorted him,

please come with us.

And he explained to him,

any good that the Lord will do,

all the good the Lord will do to us,

we will also do to you.

So you have these three things,

this explanation,

this invitation,

and this exhortation,

all built into this short passage

describing the travels that Moses anticipated

towards the promised land.

So it's important that he began with,

we note that he began with this explanation of the journey.

We are traveling,

we are setting out for the place of which the Lord said,

I will give it to you.

He began with that statement.

That's really, in a sense,

what we do with the gospel as well.

We don't just come and look at the invitations

without something of what lies behind it,

without something of the statements

of the truth of God,

as he gives it to us,

on which the invitation is built.

We don't just appeal to people

in preaching the gospel

so that all you have is just a set of appeals

or maybe some nice stories or illustrations,

good though these are,

and important though the appeal is.

Every time you come in the Bible

to God's appeal,

to come to himself,

to follow him,

to trust in him,

and so on,

you always come to find

certain truths along with that,

certain truths on which the invitation

and the appeal is based.

And it's the same here.

In summary,

you find Moses here saying,

we are traveling to this place

of which the Lord said,

I will give it to you.

He's saying,

here is a place

the Lord has actually assured us

that he's giving us this place,

that he's made it ours,

and we're on the way to it.

So on the basis of that truth,

he's then inviting him to come and join them.

And you notice,

he is saying,

we're traveling to the place

of which the Lord said,

I will give it to you,

or I'm giving it to you.

It's really a matter of the Lord's gift to them,

so that the main feature in the passage really,

and through the whole of this book of Numbers,

though it's describing the journey of the people of Israel,

the main feature of it is the Lord's presence with them,

the Lord's guidance,

the Lord being their God as he goes before them,

as represented here by the ark being with them,

being in their midst,

and the cloud that's over them by day,

and all that's associated with that,

the Lord is with them,

the Lord is guiding them,

the Lord is in their midst,

and it's that Lord who has given them this land

that they're traveling towards.

You see, salvation,

the journey of salvation,

the journey through this world

onto the promised land of Canaan,

we didn't devise that journey.

It's not something that we invent.

It's not something that's arisen out of our own idea.

It's not something that's just grown in people's minds

and gradually built up momentum over the years

until we're at the stage that we're at today.

This is actually the same for us.

Salvation is God's deliverance from sin

and setting us on a journey that terminates in heaven,

and it's the Lord's doing.

It's the Lord's doing.

From beginning to end.

You know, we're so used, aren't we,

in the world in which we live,

the circumstances,

the situation we have in the world.

We're often told

that we don't really have a monopoly of the truth as Christians,

that we need to actually listen

and give due place to other faiths so-called,

that we need to combine together

all the accumulated wisdom of pagan writers,

of other faiths, of other religions,

and that is as you put them all together in a multi-faith,

including even the likes of secularists or scientific discoveries,

that then you're in a position to ask,

well, where can I get the truth amongst all of that?

Is it really as I put all of that together

that I come to some idea or semblance of where the truth lies?

No, God is saying,

I have given you my truth.

I have given you my word.

I have given you this revelation of myself.

I have given you this explanation of where the world came from,

who created it,

what is it like,

why is it in a state it's in?

I have given you this record of my Son coming into the world,

of His death on the cross,

of His resurrection from the dead,

of His ascension to glory,

of His return on the last day.

You have all of that.

That's the truth.

We're not traveling together without knowing where we're going.

We're not traveling on a journey,

on a path,

on a road that we've devised for ourselves.

We're not actually traveling

in what's just an accumulation of different ideas

that began with different philosophies of human beings.

It's exactly as Moses put it here.

We are on this journey.

We're setting out for the place of which the Lord said,

I will give it to you.

And you see,

there's a definite terminus as well,

isn't there,

for these people.

And Moses is reminding Hobab here,

this is where they're going to.

He's not just saying,

we're on a journey.

I'm not sure where it's going to end.

He's saying,

we are on this journey to this place

of which the Lord said,

I'm giving it to you.

There's a definite terminus in view.

And so you don't go along with current ideas,

really,

that says that you can't really be certain

about what the truth is

or can't really be certain

about things in the future.

Life is evolving.

We are evolving with it

as we go on in our human experience.

Uncertainties,

but life evolves as you go on.

So you can't really be sure

where it's going to terminate at all.

No,

that's not what God is saying.

You're on a journey to eternity.

And when you get to eternity,

there's only two possibilities,

two realities,

two certainties.

The eternity of the lost

or the eternity of the saved.

And the eternity of the saved

is this place

that the Lord has promised to His people

and Christ has prepared for them

as He taught His disciples

in the Gospel of John in chapter 14,

that wonderful chapter

that we so often read,

especially at times of loss,

of bereavement,

of sorrow.

Don't let your hearts be troubled.

I'm going to prepare a place for you.

If that were not the case,

would I have told you so?

It's the same as Moses here

saying to Hobab,

we are traveling.

We're setting out for this place

of which the Lord said,

I'm giving it to you.

You remember in Hebrews,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11,

that great list

of people who lived by faith.

And in the middle of that,

we have a statement

that fits in with the point

we've just made

that life's journey,

while it is full of uncertainties

in terms of what will happen to us

on the journey,

that's in God's hands,

but we know where the journey ends

and we know what the journey is about.

Here in the middle of this,

chapter 11 of Hebrews,

at verse 13,

you find a little summary

and then it moves on

to a list of further names.

And the summary goes like this.

These all died in faith,

not having received

the things promised,

but having seen them

and greeted them from afar,

having acknowledged

that they were strangers

and exiles on the earth.

For people who speak thus

make it clear

that they are seeking

a homeland.

And if they had been thinking

of that land

from which they had gone out,

they would have had opportunity

to return.

But as it is,

they desire

a better country,

that is,

a heavenly one.

Therefore,

God is not ashamed

to be called

their God.

Why?

For He has prepared

for them

a city.

It's been prepared.

It's ready.

Partly occupied already

by those who have gone

before us.

But Moses is saying,

we are traveling

to this place.

That's the reality

of the gospel.

That's what the gospel

is setting out

for you and for me today.

That God has prepared

an inheritance,

an eternal dwelling place

for His people.

And so,

the invitation

is based on that.

Come with us

and we will do

good to you.

So,

that's the second thing.

The explanation

is followed

by this invitation.

Come with us.

Following the explanation,

you have this invitation.

Hobab's here

with them

at Mount Sinai.

Hobab,

or Rauel,

as he's also called,

Moses'

father-in-law.

He wasn't a Hebrew.

He belonged to

the place

that he mentions himself

to his father's house,

his kindred,

the Midianite.

And he knew

the wilderness

very well,

as we'll see.

But he is

invited here

to stay with them,

to join with them,

to travel with them now.

And that's really

exactly what we do

in the gospel.

That's exactly

how we set about

not just the preaching

of the gospel,

but our evangelism,

which presents

the gospel

to the world.

It doesn't just say

statement-wise,

we are traveling

as Christians,

we're traveling

to a certain place,

a terminus

that God has prepared

for us.

We also say,

will you come with us?

Please join us.

Come with us

and we will do good

to you

out of whatever good

the Lord

will do to us.

And that's the promise.

We will

do good to you.

We will do good

to you

for the Lord

has promised good

to Israel.

In other words,

despite what you often

hear to be the case

that our interest

really in

being the church

together,

that our interest

is just self-interest,

that we're not really

interested in people

at all to an extent.

All we're interested

in is preserving

what we have,

preserving the church,

preserving our own

interests in it.

that's not what

we're saying.

This is so important

that people actually

see that our interest

in them,

that our interest

in them as people

we invite to join

with us on the journey

is not self-interest,

that it's genuine.

It's something that

has the best

motives in it.

That, of course,

means that our own

conduct,

our own behavior,

how people see us

is important.

because sadly,

some of the time,

we don't accompany

the invitation

by the kind

of conduct

that would really

draw people

to study

and to listen

to the statements

we make about

our traveling

on to the place

that God

has provided for us.

But we have

the best motives.

We have the best

intentions

for people to come

and become travelers

with us

on the way

to eternity.

Christianity

has always had

its share

of hypocrites,

charlatans,

people who are

not genuine,

people who have

simply attached

themselves

for whatever reason

to the church

visibly.

But we're concerned

with genuine

love,

genuine

intentions,

genuine motives,

genuine compassion,

genuine concern.

As we come to

say to people

through reaching

out with the gospel,

come and join us.

Come with us

because it's good

that we have

promised by the Lord.

Here is one of

the definite things

you can say to people

as you pray

that God will

bless them

and bless His word

to them.

We have to say

to them,

the Lord has promised

good to Israel.

We don't have

any doubts

about that.

Even if people

find it difficult

to understand,

this is the reality

of it,

that God for us

today has promised

good as we travel

on together,

as He gathers us

together,

especially as we

come to place

our trust in Him.

It is good,

good, good

that the Lord

has promised.

As the psalmist

put it,

how great

is the goodness

which you keep

in store

for them

that fear you,

for those

who honor you,

for those

who trust in you.

you see,

for you

as a Christian

today,

and for us

together,

as we join

together here,

is God's

assurance to us.

He isn't just

inviting us

to come

and meaningfully

be part of

His traveling

people,

and inviting us

to place

our trust in Him,

our confidence

in Him,

to believe in Him,

to receive Him,

all of what's

included in that.

God,

but He's

saying,

everything that's

going before you

as a Christian

is good.

Everything.

The goodness

of God,

even at the

most difficult

of times,

even those

incidents where

we're hurt,

where the

providence of

God is

challenging,

where we

would prefer

it to be

some other

way,

we would

prefer that

the way we're

traveling on

is just too

hard,

we'd prefer

it to be

easier.

Why does it

have to be

this hard?

Why does it

have to hurt

so badly?

Why can't it

just be a

little bit

easier,

a little bit

less challenging?

Well,

because the

Lord is

assuring us

that He

knows what

He's doing.

And He

knows what

He's doing

because He's

the good

God.

He's good

and He

does good.

Millions of

people today

are thanking

God.

That the

troubles that

came their

way in the

providence and

the appointment

of God

were a

framework or

a means by

the blessing

of God

out of which

so much

good came

flowing into

their lives.

And so He's

assuring us

today, as the

Lord has

promised good,

He's assuring

us that when

we have our

place along

with His

people,

then we

will do good

to each

other out

of the

good that

the Lord

has done

and is

doing to

us.

In other

words,

Moses is

saying,

Hobab,

you will

share in

the goodness

of God

to us

if you

come and

travel with

us.

Genuinely,

this will be

your experience.

The

explanation

invitation

is based

upon that.

But let me

just pause

and pose

the question

today.

We're all

here together

as the

gathered

church at

worship.

We're all

here together

as people

who are

traveling on

through time

on into

eternity.

We all have

different

experiences in

that journey,

but we're in

it together.

Here is the

important question

though.

What is your

relationship with

the Lord as

we travel on

together as

a people?

Is it

indeed your

expectation

that the

Lord will

continue to

do you

good?

Is it

goodness that's

waiting for

you when

your life is

over in

this world?

Will the

goodness of

God then be

a goodness

that you will

enjoy for

all eternity

because that's

what heaven

is about?

Enjoying the

goodness of

God.

Or are you

still not

saved?

In a

relationship

with God

that assures

you of the

place you

are going

to and

that it's

yours in

Christ,

please don't

journey along

with God's

people and

miss out

on the

core issue,

the eternal

life.

life.

And if

you're here

today and

not saved,

surely this

is giving you

pause for

thought,

that you're

traveling in

the company

of people

who know

the promise

of God,

the promise

that you

know yourself

in the

gospel.

And we

say to you

today,

you come

with us

spiritually,

you come

with us

intentionally,

you come

with us

believingly and

trustingly in

the Lord,

and goodness

will be the

result.

God's goodness

will be shared

as we travel

together.

And thirdly,

there's an

exhortation that

follows on the

invitation and

the previous

explanation.

because Hobab

said,

I will not

go,

I will

depart to

my own

land and

to my

kindred.

And then

Moses said,

as he

exhorted him,

please do

not leave

us,

for you know

where we

should camp

in the

wilderness,

and you

will serve

as eyes

for us.

And if you

do go with

us,

whatever good

the Lord

will do

to us,

the same

we will

do to

you.

In other

words,

Moses is

pleading with

him,

please don't

go back,

please stay

with us,

because you

are gifted

in a particular

way to

help us on

our journey

through the

wilderness.

You will

be eyes

for us,

you know

the wilderness,

you're

experienced in

the wilderness,

you know

the place as

we seek a

resting place

for us,

you know

where we

should stop,

where we

should go,

where we

should avoid,

you will

be as eyes

to us.

In other

words,

Moses knows

the gift

that Hobab

has.

And that's

an important

feature of

the appeal

the Lord

sets out

in the

gospel,

that he

knows that

each one

of us

is gifted

in a

particular

way,

in such

a way

that would

actually

add that

gift,

whatever it

is,

to the

overall

equipment

of the

church

as it

travels

on

through

time.

And

whatever

gift you

have

today may

be very,

very different

from anybody

else's

gift.

God has

given you

that gift

to use

it,

to be a

doer of

the Word

and not

just a

hearer only,

as James

put it.

And that

gift is

not for

you to

just hold

on to

for

yourself.

It's

to use

in the

accumulation

of gifts

that the

Lord has

given to

His

people,

so that

as you

travel with

them,

as we

travel

together,

whatever way

the Lord

has endowed

us and

gifted us,

maybe it's

working with

young folks,

maybe it's

working with

older folks,

maybe it's

looking after

a creche,

maybe it's

in reaching out

to people and

speaking to

them.

Not all of us

are gifted

that way,

but we're

gifted in

some way or

other.

And as

Moses says to

Hobab,

you know,

we can

really use

your gifts.

So,

the gospel,

so the

preaching of

the gospel,

so the

voice of

God's

people,

if you

like,

and the

voice of

God

Himself is

saying to

you and

to me

today,

we can

use your

gifts.

We need

you.

We need

you to

be part

of this

gathered

church

together

as we

travel onwards

together,

serving the

Lord,

the service

that we

owe to

God and

the service

that we

give in

return for

all that

He has

done for

us.

Well,

the church

is not so

much about

what you

get from

it.

It's much

more indeed

about what

you give.

We all

get so much

from being

together.

We all

get so much

individually

from that.

We serve

each other,

but we

give,

in a sense,

more than

we actually

receive.

And,

you know,

the

gifts that

God has

given to

His

church,

while they

vary,

yet

accumulatively,

they all

fit together

in God's

way.

And

serving the

Lord

through using

these gifts

is so

important.

Let me just

conclude by

a quotation

from a book

by Sinclair

Ferguson,

a book

called

Devoted to

God's

Church.

Please read

through it.

It's a

wonderful

book.

And in

describing

the service

we owe

to God,

he gives

certain

principles,

negatives and

positives

together.

And I'll

finish with

that.

He says,

service to

God,

first of

all,

it's not

a matter

of others

recognizing

our gifts,

but it

is a matter

of us

recognizing

others'

needs.

It's not

a matter

of others

recognizing

our gifts,

it is a

matter of

us recognizing

the needs

of others.

Secondly,

it's not a

matter of

doing things

for others

at our

own

convenience,

it is a

matter of

our helping

others when

they are

inconvenienced.

It's not a

matter of

doing things

for others

at our

own

convenience,

without

putting

ourselves

out,

but he

says it

is a

matter of

our helping

others when

they are

inconvenienced.

And thirdly,

he says,

it's not a

matter of

feeling that

we have

special gifts,

but it is a

matter of

us seeing

that others

have very

special needs.

And fourthly,

it's not an

optional extra

for a member

of the church.

Service to

God is not

an optional

extra,

he says.

It's written

into the

definition of

being a member

of the church,

or you might

say even

being a

Christian.

It's written

into the

definition of

that.

As we

travel together

that each

of us

will say

of ourselves,

saving the

Lord,

saving the

church,

it's not an

optional extra.

It's a

delight,

as well as

a responsibility,

because all

that the

Lord has

done for

us,

calls upon

us to do

as much

as we can

for him.

We are

traveling to

the place

of which the

Lord has

said,

I will

give it

to you.

Come with

us.

We will

do good

to you,

for the

Lord has

spoken good

concerning

his people.

Whatever

good the

Lord will

do to

us,

the same

we will

do to

you,

as God

has

promised.

Let's

pray.

Almighty

God,

we give

thanks that

you are

the God

that keeps

company with

your people

and that

has set

them on

the journey

which you

yourself is

also on

with them.

Your

presence,

Lord,

is promised

to your

people.

We pray

that your

presence will

be out

portioned

daily.

We ask

that you

would enable

us,

Lord,

as we look

at the

ways in

which you

have gifted

us.

Help us,

we pray,

to use these

to your

service and

to your

glory in

your service.

and we

give thanks,

O Lord,

that while we

don't boast

about our

gifts,

why we

would never

see ourselves

as better

than others

or better

endowed,

we ask,

Lord,

that you

would help

us in

true gratitude

and humble

service to

extend all

that we

can by way

of our

using our

gifts to

the furtherance

of your

church.

Lord,

help us,

we pray,

as we

consider the

wonderful

truth about

your people

and their

traveling,

and the

invitation that

you send to

us through

the gospel.

Help us to

know that you

are also

exhorting us

through that

gospel to

cast our

lot in with

your people

and to come

to serve you

while we

have the

opportunity.

Hear us

now, we pray,

and receive us

graciously for

Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Well, we're

singing finally

in Psalm 107.

Psalm 107,

this time it's

in the Scottish

Psalter.

June is

Newington,

we're singing

verses 1 to

8.

Praise God,

for he is

good, for

still his

mercy's

lasting be.

Let God's

redeemed say

so whom he

from the

enemies handed

free and

gathered them

out of the

lands from

north,

south,

east,

and west.

They strayed

in deserts

pathless way,

no city

found to

rest.

For thirst

and hunger

in them

faints

their soul.

When

straits

them

press,

they cry

unto the

Lord,

and he

them

frees

from

their

distress.

Them also

in a way

to walk,

that right

is he did

guide,

that they

might to

a city

go,

wherein

they

might

abide.

Oh,

that men

to the

Lord

would give

praise for

his goodness

then,

and for

his works

of wonder

done unto

the sons

of men.

To the

tune

Newington

these

verses.

Amen.

Thank you.

And gather them out of the lands from north, south, east and west.

This great desert's pathless way, no city come to rest.

For thirst and hunger in their face, their soul west, west and west.

They cry out to the Lord and He, then preach from their distress.

Then also in our way to walk, that righteous be denied.

That they might do a city, O where they might abide.

O that men to the Lord would give praise for His goodness name.

And for His works of wonder, O where they might be.

After the bendiction, I'll go to the door to my left.

Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and evermore.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.