Our God Is Sweet! Series

There are 27 different definitions/meanings of "sweet/sweetness." Specifically, it could be the tastiness of honey or sugar. Or, it could something pleasing to the ear, such as a sweet sound. Or to the eye, beautiful, awesome. Or a very special person, you call "Sweet heart"! Or honey bun, or sugar pie, or sweet potato pie! ha ha. Larry, we get it!

One of the most beautiful story comes from Exodus 15, as Moses sang to the children of Israel. Verse 2 says "The Lord is my strength and song. . . I will exalt Him." In verse 22, he says The Lord took them to wilderness for 3 days without water. They came to a brook named Marah and the water was very bitter and they refused to drink it. Then (verse 25) "The Lord showed Moses a tree, and he threw it into the water, and immediately the water became sweet . . and he made a statute as a reminder of what God did for them. When they got to the next city, in Elim, God then gave them 12 springs of water (more than they needed) and palm trees to relax in. God, also promised them that they would not have any of the diseases that their enemy had.

This wonderful story of God's Sweetness is realized in the New Testament. "Sweet little Jesus boy came into a world full of bitterness, hatred, greed, and pride. Jesus, who is called "branch" took a tree as well and died on it and forgave every bit of hatred, greed, and sin known to man, and with that tree replaced it with sweetness!

God performed a miracle before Moses and Israel replacing bitterness of the water, to the sweetness of honey to drink. It was a miracle what God did through His Son and as believers we take the cup in remembrance it is nor bitter but sweet. Like Moses setting a memorial to remind them of God's love, Jesus set a memorial as we are again reminded of God's Love.

Isn't it amazing that God uses trees to remind us of Him and His Sweetness. 1. The tree of Knowledge and Good and Evil. 2. The tree of Life that Adam and Eve partook. 3. Calvary's Tree to bring God's sweetness. 4. John had a vision of the angel coming down from heaven. He was told to eat the scroll. He described it as sour to his stomach and sweet on his lips. It was picture of nations being destroyed by God's judgement, and the sweet taste was of Jesus Christ living in our lives forever. Amen.

CONCLUSION:

There are many hymns that we sing about the sweetness of God . . . "Sweet Hour of Prayer", "In the Sweet By and By", "Sweet Peace" and "Sweet Little Jesus Boy", and "Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus." Lelia Naylor, was raised in Malta Ohio and then moved to McConnelsville, PA after she married. She began writing hymns in her thirties. Later when in her fifties, she became blind, but relentlessly she still gave us over 1,000 hymns before she died at 67. And one we know very well as sing often in our churches.

"Walking by faith, where my eyes could NOT see, I will follow Jesus,

Holding the hand that was wounded for me, I will follow Jesus.

Sweeter as the years go by richer, fuller, deeper . . .

Jesus' love is sweeter, Sweeter as the years go by." She lived it! Amen.