DEFEATING DISCOURAGEMENT 1 Num 10:11/12 & 33/34 INTRO As we continue w/ the life of Moses the Jews spend some 11 mos. at Mt Sinai o Then as our Scripture Reading stated: the Cloud lifted from above the Tabernacle of the Testimony and they moved out bond for the Promised Land Book of Numbers gives an account of their wandering in the desert for next 4 decades o During this time Moses faces many discouraging situations as their leader Like Moses when we truly serve God we become targets of the Devil Our Enemy isn t concerned w/ ones just playing church for o they don t pose any possible harm to his satanic strategy BUT when committed Christians live by God s Word ~ they become targets of demonic attacks designed to discourage them in their walk with the Lord o 1 Peter 5:8 Lion roars to panic the sheep - scatter them and then devour them When we listen to the lion s roar we can get scared OR we can choose to listen to the Word of God ~ it has lots of promises Ever consider how the devil devours Christians (haven t seen one missing a limb) o A major way the devil consumes Christians is through discouragement We look like the Cruise Director @ Titanic after the iceberg Satan tried to do this Moses and he attempts to do this to us When we defeat discouragement we are neutralizing @ Satan s primary attack tools o We can do this through the power of the Holy Spirit when we recognize the three main causes of discouragement: Fatigue ~ Falling-outs ~ Frustration FATIGUE CAUSES DISCOURAGEMENT Fatigue affect us all and this exhaustion can lead to discouragement o This certainly was the case for Moses As you recall the first rebellion among the Israelites was just three days after God parted the Red Sea ~ (how quickly we forget God s blessings) Now only three days after leaving Mt Sinai they are at it again
Num 11:1 o Their shockingly quick & disloyal thank-less-ness has a major consequence God doesn t like a lack of appreciation ~ and shows His disapproval here Remember: they are a stiffed-neck people ~~ Num 11:4 6 God s Children are making a terrible complaint o The manna was good for food; was pleasant to the eye; easy to cook/bake; was capable of being made into a variety of dishes and they received this gift from God entirely free ~ and in suitable supply Let s be careful for we too can become tired of the perfect stores that God gives us For example many times God s Word is compared to food and there s an appropriate response to God s perfect gift: Jer 15:16 God s Word is an eternal fountain of wisdom & comfort In Numbers - Jews continue whine and complain and Moses becomes discouraged o He turns to God Num 11:11/12 After more than a year of dealing the Jews their sinning, whining, and complaining Moses is at the end of his rope V 15 a Our Heavenly Father is so gracious and kind ~ especially when we don t desire it o He s especially gentle with burned out leaders who are tired & discouraged Consider Elijah as he dealt with Queen Jezebel: 1 Kings 19:4 ~ 8 Moses was tired and became discouraged and fatigue causes our discouragement o When we have problems lasting for months - or years we get worn down Psychologically ~ when we get fatigued and discouraged ~~ we lose our creativeness and confidence to deal with problems Most problems are just the absence of ideas. When we are tired those molehills indeed begin to look like mountains to us o We begin to feel overwhelmed ~ just like Moses He d been carrying the heavy burden of governing 2 million saints all alone o When we re tired worn down let s remember God s still there: Vs 16/17 God told Moses you need to delegate 2
God knows a good leader never does anything they can get someone else to do o When a leader delegates they have time to focus on what only they can do This is what God s First Century Church did: Acts 6:2 ~ 4 o Only the Apostles could prepare for the teaching/preaching of the Word others could distribute food ~ so the Apostles delegated that task Am convenience God s Church at Auburn is growing and developing because we follow His principles including delegation o I purposefully DON T do things that belong to other positions ( i.e. deacon ) I often don t have those spiritual gifts and don t I have the time But mostly because I know we all learn best by doing After taking care of the issues Moses had concerning being over-worked o God turns to the desire for meat by sending millions of quail: Num 11:31/32 o Share: P/P pg 382; para 1 & 2 The Jews over-ate ~ like gluttons so God brought the promised discipline to them more quickly than originally stated: V 20 The Jews preferred life under the Egyptian Pharaoh to life with God who provides the perfect manna There s many spiritual lessons here but that a different sermon TRANS Not only does fatigue cause discouragement ~~ but also: A FALLING-OUT CAN CAUSE DISCOURAGEMENT Few things are as discouraging as trying to do God s Will and having a falling-out o especially with someone close to you Maybe a spouse, parent, friend ~ or as with Moses your siblings In Numbers Chpt 12 ~ Miriam and Aaron (sister and brother) turn against Moses because of his wife V 1 o Commentators disagree on who this Ethiopian women is ~ not important for us 3
Moses faced with the challenge of leading 2 million stiff-necked Jews thru a resourcepoor desert now has to content w/ false charges made by his own sister/brother o This issue Miriam and Aaron are complaining about is a perceived threat from this wife of Moses to their positions of leadership within the camp of Israel Often when there s a falling-out [a misunderstanding] the participants never get to the real issue Rather than dealing w/ envy ~ these two attack the wife of Moses o God rebukes Miriam ~ apparent spokesperson or instigator ~ and Aaron for saying things against Moses and punishes them by inflicting Miriam with leprosy Num 12:4 ~ 10 Not only is Moses fatigued now he s dealing with a falling-out with his sister/brother o Add to this complex emotional caldron Moses now sees his sister w/leprosy o Luckily Aaron sees the guilt in his ways confesses his sin and begs Moses: Vs 11/12 Moses responds by pleading for her healing V 13 When we follow God s Will ~~ some people (often those who are close to us) misunderstand and falsely accuse us o And these accusations can lead to discouragement Consider Jesus Mark 3:21 The family of Jesus thinks He s gone mad TRANS These falling-outs are just another way the devil tries to discourage us o Defeating discouragement requires us to be aware fatigue and falling-outs cause discouragement Also: FRUSTRATION CAUSES DISCOURAGEMENT Discouragement for Moses comes from the disappointment generated by others o Num 13:1/2 After spying ~ they meet w/moses and give a report: V 26-28 4
10 of the spies gave a very negative report o The hearts of the spies were filled with discouragement ~ prompted by Satan Their disbelief cast a gloomy shadow over all the Israelites o The Jews didn t wait to reflect ~ they didn t reason that God had brought them this far ~ and He d certainly give them the land He had promised them In their unbelief they limited the power of God ~ for they distrusted Him Things perceived as real are real in their consequences Fortunately there were two additional spies [ Caleb and Joshua ] and they saw things differently: V 30 o Caleb had seen the same situation as the other 10 spies but he had faith that God was with the Israelites and had already given the Promised Land to them Num 14:8/9 o At this point most of the Jews want to stone these 2 faithful spies: Vs 10-12 The lack of faith among most of the Israelites angered God o Notice what God declares in - Num 14:22 24 Everyone 20 yrs or more would die in the 38 years of desert wandering God would give the Promised Land to their children o The only exception would be Caleb and Joshua: Vs 29/30 Think of the frustration Moses must be experiencing now o 4 decades more years of living in the resource-poor wilderness w/ stiffnecked people o Moses had done nothing wrong ~~ yet he d suffer with those of such little faith o Few things test our faith like frustration because it often leads to discouragement That s satan s plan all along!! Perhaps you ve experienced this too in a new business ~ a new position ~ a relationship ~ or really any opportunity o Even though you pray and follow God s leadership like Moses it turns out to be a disappointment 5
CONCLUSION Moses learned { as we must learn } that following God s Will is never easy o If it were we wouldn t need any faith and we wouldn t even need God for we d be doing it in our own strength o If we re wanting an intimate relationship with God there will be times when we get discouraged because of: Fatigue; Falling-outs; and, Frustration My challenge for you this afternoon ~~ prayerfully consider which of these does the devil uses most often to try to devour you with discouragement o When you know this ~~ your about ready to defeat that discouragement Read memorize and apply: Jam 4:4 ~ 8 V 4 o The chief aim of the world [esp the Prince of this World] is to get us to work to satisfy our personal/selfish desires When we re controlled by self-interest we re under Divine condemnation V 5 o The Holy Spirit ~ who God causes to dwell within His children ~ yearns earnestly with jealousy for us When we re friends with the world system we grieve this jealous Spirit V 6 o Because of God s love for His children a fresh supply of grace is continually given to enable us to resist worldly temptation V 7 o Before God can bestow His GRACE of V 6 the humble child of God must be willing to submit their will to God s Plan Submission implies our trust that all God s arrangement are for our good V 8 o This imperative is the secret of successfully resisting Satan and his influences Defeating discouragement is a decision you make by sticking w/ God 6