How Big Is Your God?

THE PASTOR’S POINTS

sermon ministry of

CEDAR LODGE BAPTIST CHURCH

Thomasville, NC

A fellowship of faith, family and friendships.

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Russell Brownworth, Pastor

August 3, 2003

1And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. 2And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: 3And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. 4Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. 5And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. 6And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: 7And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? 8And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD. 9And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings. 10And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.

13And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

Exodus 16:1-15 (KJV)

According to 1 Timothy 3:16 the Lord has given us a Bible filled with examples that teach us profitable lessons. The reason the lessons are so profitable is that we see ourselves in the Bible; we are frail skin bags full of future dust, who need all the help we can get when it comes to being a royal kingdom of priests.

Today’s story follows last week’s story of Moses leaving Egypt, as we follow the children to Canaan-land. Last week it was April, now it is May and the food the Israelites carried on their backs is gone. It’s a forced march with empty backpacks; except for the heavy gold and jewels they got from the Egyptians (and none of that is edible). And there is not a Winn-Dixie or Food Lion in sight; just sand!

We find the children of God trudging towards the Promised Land, but looking back over their shoulders to the abundant food they left in Egypt. The talk on the trail may have been of freedom, but in their minds Israel’s children were still slaves.

They looked one way and thought another.... They talked freedom, but thought slavery.... They started out watching God as He beckoned them through the clouds by day and the fire by night.... But at the same time they held on to Pharaoh’s hand…! Canaan and Egypt were in the same valley but in extreme opposite directions. To reach one, you had to turn your back on the other...

(Your Eyes Are On Canaan, But Your Mind Is In Egypt! , Kirk DeVine, on SermonCentral.com)