Is The Lord Among Us Or Not?

- Ch 16 - Two and half months from Egypt

- Saw Gods’s hand at the Red Sea-

- v.2 - Murmured — Manna

- Ch. 17 - traveled 40 miles — call it 2 weeks

- Now there is no water

- Last line in v. 7 - Is The Lord Among Us Or Not?

- We need to answer this question

- It has been asked since the beginning of time

• Noah & the Ark - On ark 370 days - 7:11, 8:13

• Abraham & Isaac - Gen 22:8

• Israel & Jericho - Jos 6:16

• Gideon & His fleece - Jud 6:36-37

• David & Goliath - 1 Sa 17:45

• Daniel & Lions Den - Da 6:20-22

• Man born blind - Jn 9:1-3

• Mary & Martha & Lazarus - Jn 11:3-6

• Christ cry from the cross “My God, My God” - Mt 27:46

Today’s World events

Time called it The top 10 News stories — Some stories

• May - Cyclone in Burma (Myan·mar) killing 150,000

• May - Earthquake in China - 87,000 dead

• Aug - Russia move against Georgia

• Sept - Economy

• Aug-Nov - Barack Husai Obama

• Nov Mumbai (5th largest 12 million)Held Hostage by 10 men

• Nov - Pirates of Somali Take supertanker holds Saudi Arabia daily production

• Dec - Israel risking it all in Gaza

• Pew Forum for Religion & Public Life found that 28% of U.S. adults have left their cradle faith for another one

— Is The Lord Among Us Or Not?

Personal Lives

• Marriage going sour

• Kids in rebellion

• Health broken

• Fiancees dwindling

• My job stinks

• Misunderstanding

• False accusation

- Beside that my car is dying

- Cat just threw up on the sofa

— Is The Lord Among Us Or Not.

To put Ex 17 in perspective

John 7:37-38KJV

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Psalm 36:7-8KJV

7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

Isaiah 12:2-3KJV

2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

John 4:10KJV

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

John 4:14KJV

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

- v.1 ALL

- When we journey form the wilderness SIN “Thorns, Mire”

- We will pitch our tents in Rephidim

- Rephidim = “Stretches”, “Expanse”

- Change the ending – Stretched - Expand

- Faith will be tested

- There will be a lack in our lives

- A need

- A problem

- v.2

- What will be our response

- We say “None of this is our fault”

- Chide

Blame others

- Finding Fault

- Quarreling

- Demand our own way

- v.3

Exodus 17:3KJV

3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, ...

- We look around

- We dig in the sand

- We try to solve our needs our way — This is humanism

- We turn to things — This is materialism

- We try to please ourselves — This is hedonism

- None of this satisfies the thirsting soul, the longing heart

- As long as we look this direction we will never see God

- v.3 ..... 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?

- Blamed Moses and forgot that they were lead of the Lord

- Is The Lord Among Us Or Not

- v.4 Moses response — Prayer

• Not complaint

• Not bless me

• Not unbelief

— But “What shall I do....?”

- One who had much asked this question

Mark 10:17KJV

17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?