Seek God's Preservation In All Things Series

Seek God’s Preservation in all things

Israel preserved in Thirst

Israel preserved in Battle

DBF Sunday Sermon, 11/17/02

I certainly thank God for preserving my life for all these 43 years and nearer to 44 every day.

I plainly remember in my ignorance and folly thinking things that happened to preserve my life had something to do with me prior to my accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of my life.

Riding motorcycles in the Philippines at over 100 miles and hour, hitting oil and having my bike slip completely and the rear end starting to pass the front end…yanking hard and righting the bike…then thinking—boy I’m good instead of “Oh thank you my Heavenly Father for preserving my life.

Driving 80 miles and hour on a two lane bridge going from Biloxi, Mississippi to Ocean Springs, Mississippi…racing and at the last second before colliding with a car in front of me slamming my brakes to late…having the car I was racing go by my front fender just prior to my hitting the car in front and deciding to use the rear bumper of that car to break me from slamming into the other car…my car going into a spin…no less than six times…turning the steering wheel in an effort to keep off of the bridge rails and going sailing into the Gulf of Mexico then coming to a stop backwards on the bridge—and thinking boy I’m good…Instead of giving Glory and Honor to the one true and powerful God for again preserving my life.

On another occasion going out on Petersville Road and taking four wheelers out about 6 miles, after I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior while still working out the path that God was calling me too and while climbing a steep hill getting the front of my quad stuck on a large rock…releasing my brake to slip back just enough to go around and when I tried to go back up my quad starting to flip back over on itself…falling back and landing directly under it, watching in horror as it came back…and miraculously it stopping when past the apex long enough for me to flip out from under it prior to it coming crashing down directly where I had been. My friend watching below thought I had killed myself, but finally I had learned to praise God for HIS strong hand had preserved me this day and every other day that I had been preserved through my ignorance, for the benefits that I might possibly bring to the kingdom of God.

We will today walk with the nation of Israel and see contention and strife with them in their walk with God. We will see complaining against Moses, and we will see God’s deliverance once more. We should also see things that remind us of you and I as we go through this sanctification process through the grace of God.

Let’s join them as we examine principles given for us to grow on in Exodus Chapter 17 in their journey from the wilderness of Sin.

Israel preserved in Thirst

Exodus 17:1-7 (KJV)

And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. [2] Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? [3] And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? [4] And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. [5] And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. [6] Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. [7] And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?

And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim... We do see that in many aspects the nation of Israel did not fair well in the tests that were brought before them. Yet one area that they did do well in was following the command of God to go.