How God Guides

Now I'm going to ask you to turn to the book of Numbers and chapter number one. The book of Numbers and chapter number one. I woke up this morning and looked out the window over your fields in Garnevilla and I could not help but think of the scripture, other men labored, ye are entered into their labors.

The name of Mr. Lorne McBain I'm sure is dear to many many here, very special to me as well, and often heard of Garnevilla from his lips and when I first came expected to find this big metropolis because to him it was a big place, but I'm certainly thrilled to be here again and appreciate the invitation. Numbers chapter one and verse number one. And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the tabernacle of the congregation on the first day of the second month in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt saying, and so on.

Chapter number nine, please, same book, chapter number nine and again verse number one. Numbers nine and verse number one. And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the first month of the second year.

So we've got a bit of a flashback here. Numbers one begins with the second month and yet when we come to chapter nine it's telling us what happened in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt saying that the children of Israel also keep the Passover at the appointed season in the fourteenth day of this month at even you shall keep it. Verse 15, and they kept the Passover.

Verse number six, and there were certain men who were defiled by the dead body of a man. I wonder if that was because they carried out Nadab and Abihu, but not told, that they could not keep the Passover on that day. Verse seven, and those men said unto him, unto Moses, we are defiled by the dead body of a man.

Wherefore are we kept back? And so on. Look at verse number nine, the Lord spake unto Moses saying, speak unto the children of Israel saying, if any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body or being in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the Lord the fourteenth day of the second month. So now we're back to the second month, and just jump ahead, we're coming back, but just jump ahead to verse number 11 of chapter 10, the next chapter, chapter 10 verse number 11, and it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony, and the children of Israel took their journey.

So there were those that kept their tabernacle on the first month and the fourteenth day, and there were those that had to wait until the second month the fourteenth day, and they did not travel till day number 20. Now just keep that in mind as a background that we'll come back to, and come back now to chapter number nine, and look at verse number 15. And the day the tabernacle was reared up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely the tent of the testimony, and it even there was upon the tabernacle, as it were, the appearance of a fire until the morning.

And so it was always the cloud by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed. Verse 18, at the commandment of the Lord, the children of Israel journeyed.

At the commandment of the Lord, they pitched. As long as the cloud abode upon their tabernacle, they rested. Verse 19, and when the cloud tarried long upon their tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and journeyed not.

And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon their tabernacle, according to the commandment of the Lord, they abode in their tents. And according to the commandment of the Lord, they journeyed. And so it was, when the cloud abode from even until morning, the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed, and so on.

Chapter 10, and the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver of a whole piece, from one piece shalt thou make them, that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly and for the journeying of the camps. Now notice in verse 3, they would blow it to assemble the people of God. Verse 4, if it was just one, then the princes only would come.

Verse 5, they would blow it as an alarm, and notice in verse number 8, they would blow those trumpets over their offerings. Verse 8, verse 9 rather, they would blow it when they went to war. Verse 10, the day of their gladness.

Notice now what it says in verse number 12, when the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran, and they took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. In the first place went the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their armies, and over his host was Nashun, the son of Amminadab. And then you'll notice in verse number 18, the standard of the camp of Reuben, and in verse number 22, the standard of the children of Ephraim, and verse number 25, the standard of the camp of the children of Dan.

Down the chapter, verse number 33, and they departed from the mount of the Lord three days journey, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them, and the three days journey to search out a resting place for them, and the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day when they went out of the camp. And it came to pass when the ark set forward that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, let thine enemies be scattered, let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.

Now we trust that God will add his rich blessing to what has been a lengthy reading of his word, and I appreciate your patience as we have read the Word of God together. What is your idea, your concept of how God guides? Are you perhaps like I was as a young Christian, that really the will of God is a big puzzle, and it's actually a mystery, and God has purposely intended it that way, and somehow you have to go through tremendous gyrations and spiritual exhaustion, and hopefully in the end, after going through all of these things and setting out all your fleeces and asking for all these signs, that maybe, maybe you'll get it. Or maybe you think that God is some great cosmic policeman just sitting back waiting for you to make the wrong step, and you're going to make the wrong choice, and your life will be a write-off from that point on because you didn't get it.

Do you struggle about the will of God, about direction for your life, about guidance? You know, should I marry Beth or Becky or Sarah or Mary because they really all love me and they're crazy about me, and you can't blame them, but now which one shall I marry, you know, and you struggle about it. Isn't it strange that if that is our thinking, how God did everything he could to make sure Israel did not go astray in their moving from Egypt to Canaan. He gave every possible means of guidance that they would not stray.

He had blessing for them, he had a land for them, he had a life for them, and he wished them to enter into what he had for them to enjoy. And he did everything possible to make it impossible to stray and to miss the way and to miss the mark. So I want to just speak very especially, I know my remarks would be particularly for young believers, I want to speak especially to young hearts about how God guides, the guidance of God in life.

And just to bring you to my summary statement at the end so you know where I'm going and you can be guided, 99.9% of what you need to know of the will of God is found in this book. Now I know that there are specific individual crossroads to which you come where decisions must be made and the Word of God would give you liberty, but 99.9% of what you and I need to know to direct our lives for God and to to be the people God wants us to be, to enter into the life God intends for us, is found within this book. Now I just read those initial words for you in chapter 9 and then we jumped over to chapter 10 relative to Passover, and I only have a minute to give to this which could be developed itself.

I want to talk first of all about the necessity for a spiritual condition. Did you notice why the children of Israel did not move until month 2, day 20? It was because everyone had to be in the good of the Passover. There were those who weren't able to travel yet because they were not in the good of feasting on the lamb.

So why day 20? Well day 14, month 2, day 14, they would have eaten the Passover and would have begun seven days of unleavened bread. And on the seventh day, God said, in the good of a slain lamb and a holy life, I'm ready to guide you. So let me just talk for just a moment about the necessity of a spiritual condition.

Men in touch with Calvary, men who have enjoyed, men who have feasted upon, men who are living upon roast lamb. Three times Israel ate the Passover in those 40 years, at least that recorded. They had to eat the lamb to have strength to leave Egypt.

They had to eat the lamb here in Numbers chapter 9, strength for the wilderness. And they ate the roast lamb again, Joshua chapter 5, strength to enter the land. Men who are in touch with Calvary, enjoyment of Christ, men who were tender to defilement.

There were men who knew that they were defiled. We are defiled and we're not in the good of what you're in the good of. Men who needed to become right with God, men who were tender to defilement, men who were true to revelation.

They did as God had said. Now you can just use that as a background for what we will look at, not just now the necessity of a spiritual condition, but I want to talk about the nature of spiritual guidance. How does God guide? There are perhaps five things that are given to us in these verses.

I will just give them to you as an outline because I want to respect the time I have come as well to listen to other men rather than myself, and so I want to leave ample time. I want you to think first of all of the sign of the cloud. The sign of the cloud.

The sound of the trumpet. The sound of the trumpet. We read together of the sight of standard bearers.

We look together at the steps of the ark. And finally at the supplication of a Moses. Okay? Very quickly again.

The sign of the cloud, rather the sight of the cloud, the sound of the trumpet, the sign of the sight of the standard bearers, the steps of the ark, the supplication of Moses. What does all that mean and how does all that translate into our lives, into our experience? What is the sign of the cloud? It certainly was something they couldn't control, was it? It says they moved at the commandment of the Lord, they rested at the commandment of the Lord, they rested, they waited, they kept the charge. Could I suggest to you that there is in all of our lives this tremendous truth.

There is the sovereignty of God that controls circumstances above and beyond anything we can possibly do. Now I'm not talking about circumstances you and I can manipulate because we are adept, we are skillful, we are able to try to move things the way we want them to be, but there was that which Israel could not control. The cloud rested, the cloud moved.

So that God can use circumstances, closed doors, open doors, opportunities that avail themselves, opportunities that suddenly dissipate, job losses, reversals, all of that is the way in which God and his sovereignty is guiding you and guiding me. There was no pattern, there was no predictability, they had no power to control it. All was at God's discretion, all was under God's wisdom, all was under God's total control, and all Israel could do would be to keep their eye upon the cloud.

You might say, well then, so often the Word of God says this and circumstances say that. Let me just caution young believers. When the Word of God is absolutely crystal clear, God may circumstances to try your obedience.

Word of God is clear, be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. And along comes an unsaved person, and they show an interest, and they say, you know, I'd like to know more about your gospel. And so you think, well, you know, if I'm friendly with them and go out with them and date them and become an item with them, maybe I'll see them get saved.

Now you've got circumstances, and you've got the Word of God. God may allow circumstances to try your obedience. When the Word of God is clear, circumstances are meaningless.

When the Word of God is crystal clear, when the Word of God is not giving clarity to an issue, God may control circumstances to move you a certain way. Now, you know, the circumstances, you can just imagine, I'm not, we're not really given details, are we? But if you had just set up that tabernacle, if you had just pitched your tent and kind of hunkered down and suddenly felt at home, and tomorrow morning the cloud begins to move again, it would be somewhat inconvenient. It wouldn't be the thing necessarily that you would have written the script for.

And then there would be days when you would almost become bored. We're not getting anywhere. We're just sitting here marking time, and the cloud isn't moving, and there's something... It was all under God's control.

There was pitching, journeying, abiding, resting, keeping the charge. Everything was under God's control. And so, circumstances, the sovereignty of God, the sight of the cloud, the sign of the cloud.

What about the sound of the trumpet? Well, I don't think it takes too much spiritualizing or imagination, does it? Two silver trumpets made out of one, giving a clear, unmistakable sound? It's, of course, exactly what Paul says, isn't it, when he's writing to the Corinthians? If the trumpet given on certain sound, who will prepare himself for the day of battle? So it's not now circumstances and the sovereignty of God. What we have when we look at the sound of the trumpet is scriptural guidance, the Word of God. So that God said when it comes to this, there are a variety of reasons, and there is absolute sufficiency in those trumpets for every occasion, for the people of God.

I don't want you ignorant about your worship. Your worship will be directed by the trumpets. I don't want you ignorant about warfare.

Your warfare will be directed by the trumpets. I don't want you ignorant in your walk. It will all be controlled by the trumpets.

Two, just giving one sound. You have in your hand an Old and a New Testament, and they are absolutely consistent in their guidance, in their direction for your life. I often think of what it said about one of the greatest generals of the South in the Civil War.

Stonewall Jackson was perhaps one of the greatest tacticians and geniuses, military geniuses, ever seen, and he was, if you've read anything of the Civil War or have studied it, you know that he was an extremely religious individual, Thomas Stonewall Jackson. He was so religious that his friends said of him that he lived his life by the New Testament, but he fought by the Old Testament. That was the summary of his life, but in reality the Old and New Testament give us one consistent sound.

So could I just ride my brother's coattails for just a moment and just impress on young believers? Rather than agonizing, rather than going on Facebook and asking your friends what you ought to do, rather than setting out fleeces and looking for signs and all the rest, if you want to know the will of God for your life, come to this book. Come to this book for guidance. Now there are three ways that we learn the will of God.

First of all, there are what are called the clear precepts of the Word of God. Clear precepts. There's no question.

There's no getting around it. There's no wiggle room. Wrong to lie.

Wrong to steal. Wrong to be unequally yoked together. And on and on you can go.

You may say you're being legalistic. No, the Word of God says those things. Clear, unmistakably, they're no-brainers.

Then there is the consistent pattern that we see in the New Testament, especially relative to assembly truth, relative to Christian living. A consistent pattern that is given to us that would teach us this is what God intends for us as believers. But perhaps the most difficult area is learning principles of the Word of God to apply to my life.

Them that honor me, I will honor. The Lord seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on the outward appearance.

The Lord looketh on the heart. To obey is better than sacrifice. To hearken than the fat of rams.

And on and on we could go. You see, it's one thing to know the Word of God. It's another thing to know the God of the Word.

And as you learn the God of the Word, you will learn principles that will then you can apply to your life, that you can then begin to mold and control your life by those very principles, so that God gave clear guidance by the silver trumpets. But let me just widen that just a moment if I can, because not only is there a burden upon young believers to know the Word of God. Now I'm talking to my generation.

Is all you have for the Christians your favorite sermon to pull out? Do you ever think that when you are coming to the Bible reading, and it's your responsibility to open the Bible reading, or after the breaking of bread, that 20-minute period of time when there's time for ministry, and you think, you know, it's my turn to impress everyone. Do you ever think that there are young Christians there? There are families there? There are Christians going through crises and trials and decision points, and all we have for them is a favorite story or an old worn-out sermon? Or we think it's a beauty contest and my turn to shine, and we're not giving clear, certain sounds from the Word of God? Tremendous responsibility to handle the Word of God. Now I know that's coming back and hitting me right now.

Tremendously responsible to handle the Word of God, cognizant of the fact there may be many in the audience who have come looking, looking for something from God, and an answer, a direction, a burden, a care, a concern. And if all we can do is play the one string on our guitar that is almost worn out, tragic. Paul says the trumpet must give a clear, certain sound so the people of God can be directed, can be guided, can be helped.

The Word of God. That's where you're going to find the majority of your guidance for living and for direction for your life. The sound of the trumpet.

What about the sight of leaders, the standard-bearers, spiritual individuals? Well, you may say, do we really follow people? I didn't think we followed men. I thought we just kept our eye on the Lord. Yes, but Israel had standards to follow.

There were men that carried the standards that they were then able to follow. We've been reminded already of leadership in the home and leadership in God's assembly, that leaders lead the way. We are reminded, aren't we, that when whoever wrote Hebrews is writing in chapter 13, he speaks about their guides, your leaders, those who have gone before, those who have blazed the trail.

And so Paul could say, encourage others to follow him in the measure in which he had followed Christ. And so there is absolutely nothing wrong, and there is everything right. When you are looking for guidance, when you are faced with a decision, when you are seeking to know the mind of God about a huge step in life, there is nothing wrong with going to older believers, telling them what's on your mind, what's on your heart, asking them to pray for you and to give you any counsel they can give.

If they are wise and spiritual people, they will not tell you what to do. They'll give you the Word of God. They'll give you the benefit of principles that they have gleaned in their own dealings with God and give it to you to help guide you and help give you discernment.

Look, look quickly at just these particular individuals. Just name the four men. There was Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan.

So what kind of men should we be looking to? Judah means a man marked by praise. A worshiping man is a man worth following. Reuben, a son, a Christ-like man, that's the kind of man worth following.

What about Ephraim? Fruitfulness, a man whose own life has been fruitful. What about Dan, a man of discernment? So you aspire to be a leader? Your aspiration is someday to be a help to the people of God in leadership? Then listen, here's what God expects. A worshiping man, a man who is marked by Christ-likeness, a man who is marked by fruitfulness in his own life, a man of discernment, a man of judgment.

Those are the kinds of individuals you can resort to. Those are the kind of individuals that young believers can go to with an absolutely clear conscience. I want to bring my burden to them and just ask them to pray for me, to help me and have guidance in this matter.

What about the steps of the ark? The pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ark went before, the ark leading, the ark marking out the way. Many, many times when faced with issues looking for guidance, go to the Gospels, look at the Lord Jesus Christ. What marked him in his movements among men? What marked him as he sought to minister to men and sought to accomplish the will of God? What priorities, what motives, what compassion all controlled his steps for God? So when I come to the Gospel of Matthew and I look upon the Sovereign, you know what it does? It bows my will.

When I look at him in the Gospel of Mark and I see him as the perfect servant, I learn how I should work for God. When I come to Luke and I see the Savior and all his compassion, I learn there how to walk for God. And of course when I come to John and I see the Son of God, I learn how I should worship, looking at Christ in the Gospels.

Let me hurry because I want to leave time. Just mention in closing, we read there the supplication that marked Moses. Faced with decision-making, faced with crossroads, faced with crises, faced with turning points in your life, yes, prayer is vital.

Prayer is essential. And what Moses does is commits the journey to God. Psalm 25, the meek will he guide in judgment, the meek will he teach his way.

Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, he leadeth me. He's leading. He's guiding.

He is teaching his way. He is showing his way. Don't have to somehow persuade heaven to begin guiding me in my life.

Don't have to persuade the shepherd to somehow begin caring for me and become my shepherd and lead me. He's promised to do that already. And so we just commit everything to him.

What was Moses saying? Moses had two tremendous concerns in his supplication. Arise, O Lord, let thine enemies be scattered. Lord, there are foes on my pathway, and I do not want to be tripped up.

And then he says, return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel. Lord, not only are there foes that may trip me up, but above all in my pathway I want the fellowship of God. Foes to be preserved from, fellowship to enjoy.

Lord, those are the two things I want above all else, and I commit the pathway to you. That's what Moses did. That's what you can do.

Yes, there is the sign of the cloud to guide, the sovereign, controlling hand of God in your life. There is the sound of the trumpet, the scriptural guidance that comes from your own study of the Word of God and from the truth of God as it's ministered. There's the sight of standard bearers, leaders and their example and their advice as you move through life.

The steps of the ark, the example of Christ and learning Christ, gazing upon him to control my life. And finally, supplication, just committing the pathway to God that in all things we may be preserved from faltering before our enemies and enjoy the fellowship of God in our pathway here for him. May the Lord encourage us and may he reinforce the tremendous reality that guidance from God is available.

Not a mystery, not an exercise you somehow have to go through these tremendous contortions to find, but all available to you through this tremendous book. The resources of the Word of God available to each and every believer because you are one of the sheep of his flock.