FBCWest 699 | Between the Living and the Dead
Recorded On: 02/15/2026
Bulletin
Hymn # 335 “Standing on the Promises”
SCRIPTURE READING – 2 Peter 1:2 - 4
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“Way Maker”
“This Is Amazing Grace”
“Praise You Anywhere”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Between the Living and the Dead”
“Resurrection Power”
Sermon Notes
Numbers 16:41 & 42 The people grumbled and blamed Moses and Aaron for yesterday
Numbers 16:43 – 45 God tells Moses to get away from the people
Numbers 16:46 & 47 Moses tells Aaron to make atonement for the people and he does so
Numbers 16:48 Aaron by standing between the living and the dead stooped the plague
Numbers 16:49 & 50 The results of the plague
Ephesians 2:1 – 10 We were dead, but now alive because of Jesus
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
are willing to stand in the gap. Even fewer people are willing to stand in the gap when people that they're standing in the gap for hate them or complain and think everything that's gone wrong is because of them. We're gonna see what Aaron chooses to do when Moses asks him to stand in. We're also gonna take a look at someone else who stands in the gap for us. It is really hard to be with God's people.
I'm taking a look at the book of numbers. We have seen that Moses has been challenged by his brother and his sister. We've seen that he's been challenged by leaders.
We've seen that they went to spy the land and because of a majority report, they didn't do what God had called them to do. We've seen him again challenged by leaders. So much so that what we took from him was that those who started the rebellion were swallowed up by the earth and the 250 leaders were kind of burned to his crisp. So you would think that that would cause God's people to say, you know, maybe we should do what God has called us to do and do with that. I'm here to disappoint you. So if you'll take and turn to your Bibles, and hopefully you have them, turn to numbers, chapter 16, and we're going to start with verse 41.
And so you would think again, you see, of the things that just happened that there would be a change in the people's hearts. But it says this, but on the next day, 24 hours later, not a month, not a year, then seeing what God had done to the rebellion, all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They continued to gripe and complain. And if there's anything that wears on a person, is those who are painting all the time. You know, if you're around somebody who gripes and complains, you tend to want to move. Unfortunately, God has called Moses and Aaron to be leaders of this grumbling and complaining group of people, so he doesn't get to move. And I'm up until now.
When God has said, okay, that's it. I'm going to take these grumbling and complainers out. And I'm going to start over. Moses has interjected and interceded for the people, and say, no, no, God. And he's arguing with God why God should not take them out. Everything from it will give God a bad name to all these other things. And so again, so the government and complaining against them, saying, you are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord's people. No.
If it wasn't for Moses and Aaron, especially Moses, they'd all be dead. It's the intercession of Moses that has kept them alive to this point, but they're complaining that it's Moses' fault and Aaron's fault that these things are happening. Maybe they should take a look at their own heart and say, am I following God or am I following a... But again, that's what people will do. They usually bring charges against you to make them feel better, and you're the reason why everything is bad that's happened.
Know the people who made their choices are the reasons why the bad things happen. The reason why they're not in... Oh, it's because they decided they couldn't take it. The reason that leaders died was because they decided to rebel against God and His leaders. It's not Moses' and Aaron's fault. If anything, like I said, it's the reason that they're still alive.
And it came about, however, that when the congregation has assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turn towards a tent of meeting. Now, there's a little bit of... Back and forth of what it means by the congregate towards the tent of the meeting, the tabernacle. Some of the commentators will tell you what it is that they cast their gaze towards the tent of the meeting. I think it's something more evil than that. I think that they went towards the tent of the meeting. Okay, we've turned against Moses and Aaron, and what is their symbol of authority come from, the tabernacle? And I think it is the intention of the congregation to dismantle the tabernacle.
So their rebellion has gone just attacking Moses and Aaron to saying, we want to get rid of anything that has to do with God. And so then God takes immediate action. And behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. I think God had... It is tabernacle. And that's why I think what happens next is because God has decided he's had enough for the umpteenth time. And so God, I believe, is protecting the tabernacle because it was the intent of the congregation to dismantle it.
And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of the meeting. So they joined with God at that place. So they're saying, we God is protecting it, and you've got to go through us as well, because it allows you to do this. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly, and they fell on their faces. Again, God said, that's it. They're not going to join in the desert. I'm just going to consume them now.
Right now I've had it. Moses and Aaron, again, if you will, plead with God not to do this, they prostrate themselves before God. Aaron, take your censor and put it on from the fire, on the altar, and lay incense on it. Then bring it quickly to the congregation and make a tomeant for them. For the wrath has gone forth from the Lord.
The plague has begun. God is not allowed to argue with him. There's no longer, okay, God, if you kill these people, the world is going to stay this or that. God said, I'm not listening to your arguments.
I'm going to just wipe them out. And Moses understands that he didn't have a lot of time. So he instructs Aaron, to offer a burnt offering. There's not enough time nor is there the right day to go into the tabernacle and make intercession for them like on the day of atonement. So Moses goes, well, what is it that's holy and what is it that we just saw? The censors. I want you to take coal and put incense, which is if you will, a symbol of the prayer of the high priest and the people. And so Moses, I want you to take this and you take this and take it and make atonement for the people that God may forgive.
Notice the people aren't asking for forgiveness, but the high priest is in his job is making intercession and atonement for the people. Because the late print plague has begun. There's no time to waste. Now, Aaron could have said, they've been blaming me. They've been blaming you. I think God's kind of right.
I'm kind of tired of these people. Just let them wipe them out. I've had it, but he doesn't. He acts freest to intercede between the people and God. Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken and ran into the midst of the assembly for behold. The plague had begun among the people on the incense and made atonement for the people. So Aaron did exactly what Moses did and he goes, but I want you to understand.
Aaron is risking his life because Moses, because God could have said, I'm not accepting. Just like when the high priest would go into the holy of holies, he would first make an offering for himself and then for the people. But if God rejected that offering, he'd kill the high priest there in the holy of holies. So Aaron, in essence, risking his life, Moses is the one who told him to do this. It's not God, but he's acting in that capacity.
And so he goes and the midst while the plague has started to make that atonement. And he took his stand between the and the living so that the plague was checked. He stood in the gap between those who were living and those who were dying. It didn't say, okay, I'll get at the end of the line of the living or I'll turn the dead. No, he put himself in the battle line. He stood in the gap. That concept of standing in the gap, it means that when someone intercedes, advocates for other people in a situation that's generally spiritual or moral. There's standing in the gap and that's what he does.
He goes, I'm going to stand between the plague and what's happening and you. This concept in Psalms, Psalms 106, 23, Psalms gives credit to Moses for standing in the gap. The concept more defined, you'll find in Ezekiel chapter 20 where God calls the people of Jerusalem because the wall around the city, which protects the city, had been broken down and there were gaps in the wall. And God called for the people for men to stand in the gap, to be in those breaches in the wall so that there would be protection for the city and guess what? No one came. Unfortunately, there are very few people who are willing to stand in the gap. See, Aaron, who has hated and blamed for everything, taking a risk for the people who hate him standing in the gap. Maybe there's somebody in your life that we need to stand in the gap, to pray for, to intercede for.
Yes, even the people who don't like us, that we pray for anyway. I'm going to bring this up in a little while, who really stood in the gap, but I want you to notice that the plague was checked that God accepted that intercession. God's plan was to wipe them out to consume them instantly, but because Aaron was willing to stand in the gap, God, the plague. But there's a consequence, but those who died by the plague were 14,700. He saw all those who died on a can of Chora. That was 500 plus the others. So we've got about 17,000 people who have now died because of the rebellion and the judgment of God.
But it could have been 600,000 if Aaron didn't stand in the gap. What if you stood in the gap? What could be the results?
And maybe we won't know until we get to heaven. It's not whether we know now, but Jesus is our intercession. Maybe we should be like him. And Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of the meeting for the plague had been checked.
So Aaron said, my job is done. I provided that standing in the end. And now I'm going to go back to the tent of the meeting where I'm going to join God. I identify with God, not the people. I interceded for them, but I'm not on their side. I'm on God's. I'm someone who stood in the gap for you and me.
And we find this in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 10, verses that you probably know fairly well. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins. Aaron stood in the gap from people who were died, who had died, but to prevent them from dying.
I believe that we're talking about people who are dead in their trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked. Yes. According to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, we used to be on the enemy side. You see, there are no Switzerland's when it comes to spirituality. You're either on God's. The Satan side, there is no neutrality. Being neutral is being on the devil side.
And so he said, you used to be in the enemy's camp. You used to be like the quote unquote people of God who are always rumbling and complaining. On the two formerly lived in the lust of our flesh, indulged in the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature, children of wrath, even the rest. You see, people have this misunderstanding about who Christians are.
We don't claim we're better than anybody. In fact, we claim we're about as bad. I'm not a believer because I'm a wonderful person. I'm not saying because I'm a wonderful person. I was a dead person. And those who are separated from God are spiritually dead.
And all we was good for us, what was of desires of the flesh, of the mind. And we were just children of wrath. We'd always choose the rebellious side. But God, this is the greatest but in, it's like I really like you, but you have such a pleasing personality, but this is different.
This is all the terrible stuff, but God. Now, here's the terrible, but I'm going to change it in an entirely different way in rich and mercy. He isn't stingy with his mercy. Rich and mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. He doesn't love us a little bit.
He doesn't love the kind of that. He has love for us. His God is love. And even when we were dead in our trust, Christians made us alive together with Christ by His grace, you have been saved. You see, Jesus stood in the gap. Different was, he didn't stand in the gap between those who were dead and keeping them, the living continued to be living.
He goes, no, no, there are dead people. I wanted to be alive. So he stood in the gap to change us from dead people to living people. And what was it? It was called the cross. He hung there as an advocate and an intercessor for you and me so that we might be made alive. And he raised us up with him, seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
What do you do when you sit down? You're done. You don't have to work. You have been seated with him.
There is security. You are in the household of God where you belong, seated there, not as a guest, but as a child of God. It's not enough, if he will, that he made us from dead to alive. He made us from dead to alive to children of his and seated us with him. Why? So the ages that come, he might show the surpassing riches of his grace and the kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. You see this whole world that we talk about, it's not about you and me. It's about him.
340 million years from now, in 17 and 40 million, billion years from now, he's going to say, you see Joe walking around in heaven? Yeah. He cares. He's here because of me. And then another 40 million years, you see Joe walking around, he's here because of me. You see, his surpassing riches of his grace, the unmerited favor. So in eternity to come, I'm going to be a testimony of God's grace.
Here because by the skin of my teeth, I didn't get here because I did a bunch of good things. I got here because of God's unmerited favor, which he originally bestowed on me and originally bestowed on you, if you believe in him. 4 by grace, that unmerited faith, you have been saved. Now by your works, but by faith. And how is it that I know? And that, not of yourself, it is a gift of God.
I cannot even claim that the faith I have is mine. The faith I have is a gift from God. He gave it to me. I didn't even earn faith.
He gave it to me. That's why I'm always a little uncomfortable when you hear people or you hear songs about that I will never deny you. And I'm going, you know, what kind of Peter did and whatever. You know, gift of grace, why am I so confident of my brightness? So God, give me faith and keep giving it to me because I'm kind of like those other people. I'm kind of weak and I'm faithful once in a while, but you're faithful all the time. So he gives me that again, that of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not as a result of works.
Now, I'm glad you're here at church and I hope more people come and I hope you come every week and whatever. And I hope you go do some good things that I and I hope you testify and I hope good, holy things. But you're not given grace because you worked at it. You're given grace because he gave it to us.
It was a gift. And the reason that so that no. So when I'm in heaven, 40 billion years from now, I'm going, yeah, it was God's grace, but, you know, I earn my faith because I did this good thing and I didn't do that bad thing and whatever. So look at me. None of God goes, nothing you did got you here. Nothing you could ever have if I gave you a million years on earth, you could have never earned it. So matter of fact, the more time you probably gave me, the less I would earn it.
For we are his workmanship. A little easier to work at than others. You know, sometimes it's like building a house. If you build a house and you got a good rock foundation, it's a little easier kind of to build that house.
But if you're trying to build that house on a moving different or it's shaky ground or sand and it kind of shifts and it keeps getting cracks on it, kind of tough. God's working on us no matter how difficult the circumstances are. It would be nice if I'd make it easier on him.
Or we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. We do good works not to get saved. We do good works because he's working through us that we might declare who he is. Which God prepared so that we would walk in him.
God and come up with a plan after Jesus. God came up with a plan before he ever said let there be light. And God said, I'm going to choose to call people. They're going to know that I've given them grace because of faith. And they're going to do good works to show forth who I am. And we claim and we desire to be Christians, little Christ.
Well what is the best way for us to do that? Well, Jesus loved us as God loved us and gave himself for us. Maybe we should be less concerned about our ways and our privileges rather than his kingdom. Maybe we should be like him and standing in the gap between a bad situation and a better one so that people. Maybe we need to intercede more.
Maybe just maybe as Jesus did we wash other people's feet. Now just like Moses took a man, what Moses and Aaron took a risk. When you wash other people's feet, they'll think you're less than them. Because only a servant would wash my feet. So therefore I must be better than you because in me.
Do you think any of those disciples, when Jesus was washing their feet, thought they were better than Jesus? Even if they did, do you think Jesus was less than them? As a matter of fact, Jesus showed his love for them if no other way but by being their servant. Because as Jesus said himself, I came to serve rather than to be served. So if our Lord, our Savior, who's caused us to go to life, did that as his ministry. Maybe we should be willing to do so as well and to say, I am going to trust him.
And I don't care what you think of me. I care what he does. And I don't care if you blame me for all the terrible things that have happened. I'm going to trust him. And I'm going to be at the tabernacle.
I'm going to be in here. And I'm going to be on here. So many times we're always talking about whether God is on our side. And don't care.
Am I on God's side? If I'm on God's side, then I'm never wrong. God being on my side are not, but I'm right or wrong. But if I'm on God's side, I am never wrong and I never lose. Because God will accomplish God's purposes. So we may pray for a bit or one every week we have a long list of people we pray for. And I wish I could tell you every week we had a new list, but we don't. At least 75 percent or more of those people we're praying for, we're still praying for.
But we don't give up. Because we don't give up on them or God. Because God has enough love, power and authority to answer every single prayer request. We don't take circumstances. We trust him. And I don't want you to understand.
It's not what I believe in. It's who I believe in. And the person I believe in, the God that I believe in will never change.
God that I believe in, as we've been singing songs and reading scriptures. It's a promise. It's not a promise.
It'll be fulfilled. It's just a matter of when it arrives. I can trust him.
I can trust him with my eternity. And I can trust him for the next five minutes. Because it's got it all. It's my challenge to us, to be the people, for a willing to be like our Lord and like Moses, to stand in the gap for other people.
And all God's people said Amen