THE LORD WHO HEALS YOU
Ex. 15:22-26
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: THE REAL CHARACTER
1. It’s wild to see the real nature come out.
2. 2 ladies went out to a restaurant to eat lunch They know how big the portions are so they order only one dish of ‘fried fish pieces’ which they intend to share.
3. When the order arrives, the plate contains one big piece of fish and one little piece of fish. Jill and Vickie politely look at each other.
4. Jill says, "Vickie, you choose first." "No," replied Vickie, "I want you to go first."
5. Jill says, "OK, I'll go first," and picks the big piece of fish to put on her plate. Vickie’s surprised. "Why did you take the big piece? That's not very polite."
6. "Well, which piece would you have taken?" asked Jill.
"I would’ve taken the small piece," replied Vickie.
"So what’s the problem?” replied Jill, "Isn’t that what you’ve got?"
7. We’ll see this happen with the Israelites.
B. TEXT
22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” NKJV
C. THESIS
1. We’re looking at a small but packed set of verses, filled with meaning and divine promises.
2. We’re going to see that troubles are really tests to see if we will obey the Lord under adverse circumstances. We’ll also see how these verses apply to us and our need of healing.
3. The title of this message is “The Lord Who Heals You.”
I. CHRISTIANS WILL HAVE PROBLEMS
A. A GLORIOUS DELIVERANCE
1. They had just come out of Egypt (representing salvation) and passed through the Red Sea (representing baptism, 1 Cor. 10:2).
2. They then traveled for three long, hot days without a drop of water to quench the thirst of approximately 2 1/2 million people! They needed a Lake Conroe just to give everybody enough to drink!
3. When they finally came to a place that had some water, the waters were bitter, brackish (salty) water. It couldn’t be drunk. They would soon die without water.
4. Their throats were dry and parched already. Fear gripped them. “The people murmured against Moses.” “Pastor Moses messed up! He’s led us the wrong direction!”
5. 3 days before, they’d seen the Lord deliver them from generations of slavery, make an impossible escape for them through an ocean, and then utterly defeat their enemies. They’d sung and danced with Miriam on the beach.
6. They wondered – “Can it get any better than this? Glory to God!” But three days later in the wilderness, without water, they were wondering what had happened!
7. When we get saved, we think everyone around us will be as excited as we are about it. But things often turn out different than we think they will.
8. HUMOR: EXERCISE CLASS
a. Like the 65 year-old lady who decided to join an exercise class, and told her daughter Lisa.
b. Lisa said, "That was brave of you, mom! So how did it go?" asks Lisa.
c. "Well, for THIRTY MINUTES I sweated by bending, twisting, pulling, pushing and hopping up and down. But then -- by the time I got my leotards on -- the class was over!"
B. TRUE WORSHIP HAPPENS DURING THE TESTS
1. The call of God was to leave Egypt, to go into the wilderness and sacrifice to God. A lot of people missed that part of the story.
2. The worship doesn't really occur at the Red Sea; the worship is to be done in the wilderness (Ex. 3:18, 5:3)!
3. Moses told Pharaoh, “We must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as he commands us.” (8:27)
4. There are some of you that are at that dry place; no water. "I thought being a Christian meant I’d always be happy."
5. But God showed Moses a Tree, that when thrown into those dry places -- those bitter places, the things hard for the natural mind to endure -- they are made sweet!
6. That Tree is a type of the Cross of Jesus Christ. When the cross is the central focus of our lives, our trials and tests are made sweet.
C. HOW THE CROSS MAKES THEM SWEET
How does the Cross make the dry places and the bitter places Sweet?
1. Because we can never suffer more than what the Lord Jesus suffered. So His suffering, contrasted to ours, makes ours seem small, unworthy to mention.
2. Because only during suffering can God's grace really be seen to be sufficient for us. Then we see and experience the true power of God, like the three Hebrews in the fire. The Tree represents God's grace through the Cross.
3. Because our trials are “working for us” (Rom. 8:28), working in us godly qualities. As we take up our cross, we become more like Jesus!
II. PLAGUES OR NO PLAGUES?
A. SWEET WATERS REQUIRE OBEYING GOD’S VOICE
1. Verse 26. "If you diligently hearken… I will put none of these diseases on you that I put upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you."
2. If we walk in obedience, then none of the diseases that afflict the world will come upon us. God’s judgment on Egypt parallels modern judgments on people who disobey God.
3. Paul said, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor. 6:9-11
4. We can’t expect healing & favor from God if we’re living in sin! But what might the reference to the plagues of Egypt mean today?
B. CONTEMPORARY PARALLEL TO THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT: “If you DON’T serve God you’ll have…(thirst)”
1. Exodus 7:17, the water was turned into blood. THIRST came into the land. John 6:35, "He that believe us on Me shall never thirst." If we despise the blood of Christ, we will have unquenchable thirst (spiritually).
2. The plague of frogs. Cold & UNCLEAN. Beds unclean, food unclean, house unclean (Ex. 8:3). Always hopping. Rev. 16:13 describes constant harassment by unclean spirits as frogs.
3. Lice/fleas – describe unsurrendered ambitions, an ITCH that you can't scratch. Doesn't matter if you get promoted; it doesn’t matter how many relationships you have…they won't satisfy. Contrast that with the totally surrendered Christian’s joy and peace.
4. Plague of flies – noise in your ears; they like to dominate airspace. It’s a plague of DISTRACTING VOICES. God separated Goshen and Egypt at the plague of flies. The only voice we need to hear is the voice of God saying, “I love you, I'm watching over you by day and by night."
5. Exodus 9:16, dead cattle. This represented the LOSS of SECURITY & PROVISION, the loss of a sure tomorrow. Those cattle meant beef in the kitchen, they pulled the plow, they were a status symbol. It was all lost. The Israelites however lost none of their cattle!
6. Exodus 9, the Boils represented WEAKNESS and hardship. The magicians couldn't stand under this judgment. There were no natural solutions – things were spinning out of control. No, our God is in control!
7. Exodus 9:20-21; the Hail. This represented the LOSS of any FEAR OF GOD. They were warned to get their animals and servants out of the fields and under cover, but they didn't fear God and obey. Prov. 22:3; "A prudent person sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." If you're not living right, NOW is the time to get it straight. If you're living together, doing things wrong financially, now is the time to get it straightened out.
8. Locusts, next, covered the earth. LOSS OF HOPE. All good was hidden from their eyes.
9. Darkness – FORETASTE OF HELL. Outer darkness, where God is not. Where you live now, there are many signs of God; the sun coming out, etc., but disobeying God ultimately leads to hell.
10. Exodus 11:5-6; the Firstborn Died. This was loss of strength and LOSS OF THE FUTURE. Your Firstborn might represent your retirement, loss of your good name. Your future hope appears gone. That's the end of all who aren't living for Christ – no future hope.
III. GOD’S BLESSING IS ON THE OBEDIENT
A. NONE OF EGYPT’S PLAGUES
1. But Israel had light in their dwellings in Egypt (Ex. 10:23). They had water to drink. Their cattle didn’t die and the plagues didn’t come on Goshen.
2. Exodus 12, they had a lamb for every house. There was provision. Exodus 12:13, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." Every day in Christ is a new beginning.
B. JEHOVAH-RAPHA, THE LORD OUR HEALER
1. Ex. 15:26 is:
a. A revelation of God's character;
b. A promise of exemption from suffering;
c. A pledge to be the God of Health to them, conditioned on their obedience.
2. In the O.T. there were 18 personal healings & 7 mass healings mentioned:
a. 8 BARREN women healed [Sarah, Gen. 16:2; 21:1-2
(& Abram’s body dead, Rom. 4:19); Rebekah, Gen. 25:21; Rachel, Gen. 29:31; 30:1, 22-24; 35:16-20; Samson’s mother, Judges 13:3; Hannah, 1 Sam. 2:5; the Shunamite woman, 2 Kings 4:1-17; & Elizabeth, Lk. 1:7,13,24].
b. 3 LEPERS healed – Moses, Ex. 4:6-7; Miriam, Num. 12:13; and Naaman, 2 Kgs. 5:10.
c. 3 People RAISED FROM THE DEAD -- Child by Elijah, 1 Kgs. 17:22; Child by Elisha, 2 Kgs. 4:35; & Man in Elisha’s Tomb, 2 Kgs. 13:21.
d. 4 VARIOUS HEALINGS – Jeroboam’s hand, 1 Kgs. 13:6; Job (42:10-12); David, Ps. 30:2,3; Hezekiah, Isa. 38:21.
e. 7 MASS HEALINGS -- Abimelech’s whole family, Gen. 20:17-18; Snakebites healed, Num. 21:7-9; Plague Stopped, Num. 16:48 (14,700 died) & again, Num. 25:8 (24,000 died);
Plague During David’s Reign, 2 Sam. 24:25 (1,000’s); Blindness of the Syrian army healed, 2 Kings 6; Mass Healing, Hezekiah’s Reign – 2 Chron. 30:20.
C. OTHER O.T. PROMISES
1. Ex. 23:25, “Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.”
2. Deut. 7:15, “And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you.”
3. Psalm 41:3, “The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.”
4. Psalm 103:3, “Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.”
5. Psalm 107:20, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
6. Proverbs 4:20,22, “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings….For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.”
7. Isa. 53:4-5, “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
8. And we know how our Lord Jesus spent so much of His ministry healing the sick(20% of the Gospels).
a. “…healing every disease and sickness among the people” Mt. 4:23.
b. “…healing every disease and sickness” Matt. 9:35.
c. “He healed all who were sick” Matt. 12:15.
d. “He…healed [all] their sick” Matt. 14:14.
e. “People brought all their sick to him…and all who touched it [cloak] were healed” Matt. 14:34-36.
f. “…power was coming from Him and healing them all Luke 6:17-19.
9. He commanded His servants, “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” Mt. 10:7-8.
10. In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues….they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
11. So we have every encouragement to ask and believe God for divine healing today!
CONCLUSION
A. PRAYER FOR THE SICK
B. THE CALL
1. We eat with our clothes on, staff in hand, and shoes on our feet – ready for Jesus to come back.
2. Are you ready for the Lord to return? Have you accepted Christ as your LORD and Savior?
3. Let’s Pray & receive Him!
