Numbers 16:1-5 – How Bad Is Sin? – Bible study

Numbers 16:1-5 How Bad Is Sin? This chapter contains another in the long list of accounts where sin came and diminished Israel. When we think of the sins of Israel in relation to the Exodus, we often think of their best known sinrebelling against God after being incited by 10 of the spiesbut in reality, they sinned many times. They sinned with their complaining. (The Bible calls it murmuring.) 1. They complained about the wilderness journey but they complained about being in Egypt too. 2. They complained about the lack of food, but they complained when God gave the food too. 3. They complained about enemies, but they complained about leaders too. They sinned in bringing, making, and worshiping false gods. Lets not forget the golden calves they made and worshipped. They sinned in unbelief. Hebrews 3 tells us that because of this sin, Israel was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Despite all of their sin and the consequences Israel experienced due to their sin, Israel never understood sin. They seldom acknowledged their sin. They never learned from their sin. They never understood how bad sin was. So is it in our world today. You will never turn on the news and hear a newscaster use the word "sin" in his account of the todays worst crimes. Just the suggestion of "sin" causes the secular world to convulse. I recall when President Bush, shortly after 9/11, referred to three Communist states as the Axis of Evil. The press objected to the use of a religious term. They were all right with the countries being called Communist, socialist, terrorist, anarchist, and subversive, but it was not acceptable do not call them anything associated with sin. We need to talk about sin. We need to learn about sin. We need to understand sin. We need to see how bad sin really is. Lets see how bad sin is from this text this morning. I. I see how bad sin is by the effect it has on people. A. Strangely enough, one of the scientific means of proving the existence of a thing is to show the effect that it is has on others. 1. The planet Pluto was discovered not by sight but by its effect. 2. Even to this day, we cannot see gravity. We know it exists by its effect. B. Sin had an effect on these people. 1. Sin blinded them to what was there, i.e. their rebellion against God. a. There is a term for this. (1) It is called scotomas. (2) It is a mental blindness where even though our eyes are seeing the object, our brain does not register it. b. Korah, Dathan, Abiram came AGAINST Moses and Aaron. (1) What they did not see was that when you stand against God appointed authority, you are standing against God. (2) Moses tried to explain that to them, but they could not see it. Numbers 16:11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him? c. Even in our day of liberty, we are not go against Gods leader. Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. d. If you talked to Korah, he would not have seen his behavior as rebellion against God. Numbers 16:3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? e. What has sin blinded us to? (1) Are we blinded as to how good God has been to us? (2) Are we blind to what kind of hurt we are causing others? (3) Are we blind to how much trouble we are getting into? (4) Are we blind to the danger we are really in? 2. Sin made them see things that werent there. a. There are several names that we could apply to that such as delusional or hallucinations. b. Korah and his group saw three things that were not there at all. (1) He saw Moses and Aaron as taking too much to themselves. (2) He saw the congregation as being holy. (3) He saw Moses and Aaron as lifting themselves up. c. What illusion is sin causing you to see? (1) For girls, the biggest is, "He loves me." (2) My friends arent bad. 3. \#8-14\ Sin made them unreasonable. a. Moses tried to talk to these people and show them how good they had it, but they would not. b. Dathan and Abiram wouldnt even come talk to Moses \#12-14\. c. Learn a lesson – When we are unreasonable, we are in sin. C. Sins effect is so powerful, everyone ought to have three safety nets. 1. Safety net of salvation. Salvation gives you the Holy Ghost. 2. Safety net of Gods Word. Gods word gives you wisdom. 3. Safety net of an honest voice. a. Everyone needs friends that will tell them the truth even when they do not want to hear it. b. That is another reason God has given us the church. II. I see how bad sin is by the way it enters. A. One of the reasons I have selected this text is because it so clearly shows how sin entered into that congregation. B. Sin crept in. 1. Jude used that same word in the New Testament. Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. \#1\ Here it started with four men. a. Creeping Stage b. It also be called the whispering stage. c. This is where sin is discussed, committed and encouraged in private. 3. \#2\ Sin spread to 250 leaders. a. Conspiracy Stage, Mutiny Stage b. Sin is introduced selectively to the weak and carnal leaders. c. There are always some who just "go along" for awhile but when they have an opportunity, try to "enlighten" others. d. Some might take exception with the fact that I called these men "weak." (1) \#2\ "princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown." (2) That makes them popular but it does not make them righteous. (3) If popularity could measure anything it would likely be worldlinessnot always, but most of the time. 4. \#41\ Then sin caught on with the grass roots. a. Contagious Stage – This is the stage that the Holy Spirit Himself must keep under control. 2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. b. We are all always fighting our nature. c. Like a wildfire on the prairie, all it takes is the smallest flame. (1) The Carr Fire has been in the news. It started when an automobile blew a tire. The sparks from the rim hitting the road caused a blaze that on Saturday had killed 8 and burnt 177,000 acres (277 sq. miles). (2) Robert, my son-in-law, told me that prairie grass is like gasoline. They had a fire come through their area that in 8 hours traveled 100 miles to get to them. (Thats almost 13 mph.) 5. \#3\ Finally, sin was brought it to Moses and Aaron. a. Confrontation Stage b. Its the show-down stage. The leader can either compromise or fight. Most choose to fight. C. It works like this at work, home, and in the church. D. Anything that has to come in by this kind of a means is surely a bad thing. Lu 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. III. \#25-34\ I see how bad sin is because of the way God deals with it. A. There are three passages in this chapter where God speaks. 1. Twice, God told Moses how He wanted to deal with the sin. 2. \#20-21, 44-45\ 3. Both times the message was basically, "Get out of the way and let Me destroy them!" B. This was not just death. 1. We are all under that sentence. 2. This was instantaneous, complete, and frightening death. a. God was talking about killing everyone right then in a most horrible fashion. b. Thank God for mercy and an intercessor! (1) These two are the only reasons you and I are alive! (2) You ask, "Who is interceding for me?" (3) Perhaps a parent, a child, a mate, a friend, a co-workers (4) If none of these then Jesus is doing the job! (Hes the One who really counts.) C. If you can measure sins reality by how God deals with it, this sin was very real and very offensive to God. 1. \#32-33\ God opened the earth to swallow at least three of the men, their families, and their things. 2. \#35\ Fire comes out from God (?) and consumed the 250 leaders. 3. \#49\ God sent a plague which killed 14,700 of the grass root rebels. D. Here is the shocker. 1. All sin deserves an instantaneous, complete, and horrifying deathand all will receive it. a. We drove 30 hours to get back to Green Pond. It took 3 days, at least 12 hours each day in the car. Driving like that, you sometimes wonder if you will ever get there, but we did. About 8:40 last Wednesday night, we drove into the drive. b. You may think because you are not at hell yet, it will never come; but it will. c. And not because God is mean, hateful, and malicious; but because you and I have failed miserably at being what God created us to be. d. Hell is not God being malicious. It is God being justespecially after He sent His Son to pay for our sins! e. As good as salvation is for us it has heated the fires of hell even hotter! 2. Dont let sin trick you into seeing yourself better than you are! All sin offends God and all sin costs a great price! Unfortunately, most people will not repent until the bill comes due.