Have you ever played one of those arcade games where you operate a claw that can pick up a toy inside? I’ve never played those games (too frustrating for me). But years ago, there was a story out of Wisconsin about a 6-year-old who attempted to get the toy of his dreams out of that machine… and he was not being successful. This 6-year-old got so frustrated with his failure that he finally gave up using the claw and decided on a more direct approach. He climbed inside the machine to get the toy he wanted. He managed to get almost completely inside before he got stuck. The Fire Department arrived and unlocked the game and got the boy out unharmed… but there was no report about whether he got the toy he wanted.
That boy was frustrated (that’s why he acted the way he did) because he wasn’t able to achieve his goal. He got so frustrated he ended up doing something he shouldn’t have done. And, of course, he got stuck.
Our sermon today deals with frustration. One dictionary defined frustration as: “The feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something. And they put the word in a sentence: ‘I sometimes feel like screaming with frustration.’”
Another source compared frustration with anger. Anger is like setting off an explosion of emotion, but frustration is more like a slow burn. And of course, if your frustration lasts long enough, an explosion of anger isn’t far behind.
And that’s what we see in our text this morning. Moses had been leading the Israelites through the wilderness for nearly 40 years, and it seems like every time he turned around they were quarreling and complaining and grumbling.
• When they reached the Red Sea -- with Egypt’s chariots close behind them the people said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Exodus 14:11-12
• Later, they complain about the food they ate. “The whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." Exodus 16:2-3
• Then they complained about the water. “The people quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ And Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?’ But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” Exodus 17:2-4
• And when they’re about to enter the Promised Land… they do it again: “All the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!” Numbers 14:2
These people did this over and over and over again and God warned us (as Christians) DON’T DO THAT! “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. I Corinthians 10:9-10
Every time Moses turned around, it seemed like these people were nipping at his heels. And it got so bad at one point that Moses complained to God – “Why have You brought such trouble on Your servant? Why are You angry with me, and why do You burden me with all these people? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth so You should tell me, ‘Carry them at your breast, as a nursing woman carries a baby,’ to the land that You swore to give their fathers? Numbers 11:11-12
It was really frustrating! And Moses’ frustration finally got to the point that he’d had enough. He was so annoyed and so irritated with them that he did what he shouldn’t have done.
But what did Moses do wrong? God tells Moses: “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you DID NOT BELIEVE IN ME, to UPHOLD ME AS HOLY in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
There’s several views about what Moses did wrong. Some believe God was angry because Moses didn’t follow instructions. Moses was supposed to speak to the rock, but instead he struck the rock – not once – but twice, and he apparently struck it in anger calling the people “rebels.” And I think there’s something to that.
But I think there was something more going on. God told Moses that he did not “UPHOLD GOD AS HOLY” What’s that mean? Well, notice what Moses said: “Hear now, you rebels: shall WE bring water for you out of this rock?”
Moses did not proclaim God’s power… he proclaimed his own! “You folks want to grumble and complain at me? Well, just let me show you what I CAN DO!!!” And in his frustration with the Israelites, he forgot about GOD and he focused on himself.
Moses’ sin was NOT that he got frustrated. His sin was that when he allowed his frustration to control him… then he sinned. He behaved in a way that was sinful because he let his frustration get the better of him.
Now there’s all kinds of things that can frustrate us. For example - there’s SMALL things like getting stuck in traffic, or having your lawn mower break down, or having to pick up someone else’s dirty clothes off the floor. SMALL things can frustrate us and - it’s not the frustration -it’s how we respond to the frustration that makes the difference. It can cause us to lose our temper. Or curse under our breath.
You see, it’s not the frustration… it’s how we respond. And even small frustrations can lead us to sin.
But what about the BIG frustrations. Small things like traffic jams or broken lawn mowers - they’re just annoyances. They don’t last. Sooner or later they stop bothering us.
But what about an annoyance that won’t go away. What if they are frustrations that keep staring you in the face and keeps coming back at us. These are the frustrations that really bug us… because we can’t fix it! We can’t change it! We can’t control it! And we can’t get away from it… it traps us!
Kind of like the Israelites who were always quarreling with Moses. They just keep coming back at us.
ILLUS: Let me tell you one of my stories. The first church I served was up in Hamilton Indiana. When they 1st hired me, I owned a house in Angola (about 15 miles away) but this church wanted me to move into the parsonage. So we moved out our home and moved to Hamilton. But what was I going to do with the home I owed? Well I rented it out… and I will NEVER do that again. I had a miserable time with renters. Every tenant I had became a nightmare. But then my sister Donna told me about a church-going young couple who needed a home. So, I interviewed them. They looked pleasant and trust-worthy and I rented my house to them.
About a month later I get a call from the police. They inform me that my tenants had built a dog kennel in the back yard (he was raising Shih Tzu dogs – which were very expensive) and the kennel violated the city code. The dog kennel had to go, or I’d be fined for the violation. I tried to explain that these were my tenants’ dogs and that they should talk to them, but they said this was a private matter and it was my problem.
So I went to talk to the husband and he said he had not intention to move it. I tried explain its against city code and that I was going to be fined, and he replied that was my problem not his.
So, I go to the man’s church and ask for them to help me – but they reply that this was my problem, not theirs, and they had no intention of getting involved.
Now I DO have a problem – I’m a preacher, and the Bible says I’m not supposed to sue a fellow Christian. It wouldn’t look good for me to do that. But I’m trapped. The man refuses to move the kennels; the police won’t help me; his church won’t help me; AND I CAN’T SUE HIM! And if that kennel stays up, the city’s going to fine me for a violation. I am trapped!
Finally, my frustration with the situation got so intense that I lost my temper. I called him up and I explained that if that kennel wasn’t down by the end of the week I’d do it for him. I’d come over and tear it down – and he could go looking for those dogs. THEN I HUNG UP! I’d made my point – you don’t mess with Jeff Strite.
(PAUSE) But then God got involved - my conscience began to bother me. I had threatened this man’s property, I had threatened to let his dogs loose (that he’d spent lots of money on). And I’d lost my temper.
Try as I might, I couldn’t get around the fact that I’d SINNED!!!!
Well, what am I supposed to do if I sin against someone? That’s right. I have to go ask forgiveness. I took my foster son Chad with me as a witness and sat down at the rental with the man. I explained that I had sinned against him and had come to ask forgiveness. The man grumbled and complained that I SHOULD be asking forgiveness after how’d I behaved. He ranted and raved for a few moments and eventually I replied, “I’m not here to defend what I’ve done. I’ve come to ask your forgiveness. Will you forgive me?” Again he ranted on about how I had failed in my Christian witness and obviously wasn’t much of a man… and again I asked if he would forgive me. Grudgingly he said “Yes, I forgive you.” I replied, “That’s what I came to ask for” and I left.
I didn’t feel really good about myself. I felt empty and defeated and went home. But by the end of the week, the renter and his dogs were gone. The man had taken all his worldly goods and moved on to another rental, and I was free of the fine for violating the city ordinance.
Now here’s my point. In my anger - like Moses I hadn’t held up God as HOLY. I hadn’t trusted God to take care of this frustration. I hadn’t cast all my anxiety on Him because I forgot that He cared enough for me to take care of my problem. But God showed Himself to be holy in spite of my failure. God moved the renter away and made sure the dogs went with him.
This points to the way that we can stop our frustrations from leading us to sinful behavior. The key to look to God for His guidance and help.
Paul said it this way: I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. (i.e. Paul’s frustrations didn’t control him) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (And here’s the secret) I can do all things through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13
If we hold on to God as your source of HOLINESS God will carry us through. He’ll give us the strength to do what we have to do.
Last question: Did Moses ever make it into the Promised Land? Well… he sinned and God said “you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” Moses was allowed to go the top of Mt. Pisgah and see the Promised Land - and then he died, and God buried him.
Somehow, that doesn’t seem fair. Moses was a nice guy. He was holy and humble. He talked to God all the time and he did almost everything God told him to do. And yet he didn’t get to lead Israel across the Jordan.
One sin!
That was all that kept Moses out of the Promised Land. Just like ONE SIN would be all it would take to keep us out of heaven. The Bible is quite clear - all it takes is ONE SIN! But we have an advantage - we have Jesus. Jesus died so that we could be forgiven of ALL OUR SINS, and it’s ONLY through Jesus that we get into OUR Promised Land/heaven.
It’s too bad that Moses didn’t have Jesus to get him into the Promised Land. (LONG PAUSE)
But WAIT… Moses did get into the Promised Land! Matthew 17:1-8 tells us “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Moses got into the Promised Land! How did he get there? Well - Jesus brought him. The only reason Moses got into the Promised Land… was because of Jesus. And that’s the only reason we’ll get into heaven. If we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. If we acknowledge that we have sinned in our lives and that we need to repent. If we are willing to confess that Jesus will now be our Lord and Master And if we allow ourselves to be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. That’s all we need to do to be assured that Jesus will bring us with Him to heaven.
INVITATION
