Fresh Every Morning
Exod 16:2-4, 13-20
2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.
15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.
16 This is what the LORD has commanded: ’Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’"
17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little.
18 And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.
19 Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning."
20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
SERMON’S PURPOSE: To remind us that the things that matter most in life must be gathered fresh every morning.
Just as in the case of the “manna,” some things cannot be stored up for future use. They cannot be frozen, pickled, or embalmed.
What is it that we like to hang onto?
Money
Property
Youth
Health
Possessions
Relationships
The most valuable things in life are those which cannot be seen; they must be gathered in every morning.
Let’s think together about some of these.
1. God’s Mercy and Compassion
Lam.3:23: “The Lord’s mercies are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.”
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,
As Thou has been, Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning, new mercies I see
All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.
This hymn was written by Thomas O. Chisholm.
In a letter written in 1941, he said, "My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness."
In other words, we can depend on God. He will not let us down!
Illus.:The Hitchhiker
Roger Simms, hitchhiking his way home, would never forget the date—May 7. His heavy suitcase made Roger tired. He was anxious to take off his army uniform once and for all. Flashing the hitchhiking sigh to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek, new Cadillac. To his surprise the car stopped. The passenger door opened. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back, and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat. “Going home for keeps?” “Sure am,” Roger responded. “Well, you’re in luck if you’re going to Chicago.” “Not quite that far. Do you live in Chicago?” “I have a business there. My name is Hanover.” After talking about many things, Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to witness to this fiftyish, apparently successful businessman about Christ. But he kept putting it off, till he realized he was just thirty minutes from his home. It was now or never. So, Roger cleared his throat, “Mr. Hanover, I would like to talk to you about something very important.” He then proceeded to explain the way of salvation, ultimately asking Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger’s astonishment the Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger thought he was going to be ejected from the car. But the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger. “This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.” Five years went by, Roger married, had a two-year-old boy, and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white business card Hanover had given him five years before. In Chicago he looked up Hanover Enterprises. A receptionist told him it was impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but he could see Mrs. Hanover. A little confused as to what was going on, he was ushered into a lovely office and found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties. She extended her hand. “You knew my husband?” Roger told how her husband had given him a ride when hitchhiking home after the war. “Can you tell me when that was?” “It was May 7, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army.” “Anything special about that day?” Roger hesitated. Should he mention giving his witness? Since he had come so far, he might as well take the plunge. “Mrs. Hanover, I explained the gospel. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day.” Explosive sobs shook her body. Getting a grip on herself, she sobbed, “I had prayed for my husband’s salvation for years. I believed God would save him.” “And,” said Roger, “Where is your husband, Mrs. Hanover?” “He’s dead,” she wept, struggling with words. “He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see—I thought God had not kept His promise.” Sobbing uncontrollably, she added, “I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought He had not kept His word!”
Why Christians Sin, J. Kirk Johnston, Discovery House, 1992, pp. 39-41
2. Physical Blessings
Yesterday’s blessings, i.e., sunshine, air, water, and food cannot provide for today! James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
3. Strength for Today
Each day brings new challenges to our faith! We battle the spiritual forces of Satan. We need power to overcome and it is available to us. Isaiah 33:2 says, “O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.”
Yesterday’s victories are no guarantee that we will succeed today. We must call daily upon the Lord. He will come to our aid!
4. Love for Our Enemies
Luke 6:32,35
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them.
35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Illus.: “Love Your Enemies”
We found ourselves on the same track with several carloads of Japanese wounded after we were freed from the Kwai prison camp. These unfortunates were on their own without medical care. No longer fit for action in Burma, they had been packed into railway cars which were being returned to Bangkok. They were in a shocking state. I have never seen men filthier. Uniforms were encrusted with mud, blood, and excrement. Their wounds, sorely inflamed and full of pus, crawled with maggots. The maggots, however, in eating the putrefying flesh, probably prevented gangrene. It was apparent why the Japanese were so cruel to their prisoners. If they didn’t care for their own, why should they care for us? The wounded looked at us forlornly as they sat with their heads resting against the carriages, waiting for death. They had been discarded as expendable, the refuse of war. These were the enemy. They were more cowed and defeated than we had ever been.
Without a word most of the officers in my section unbuckled their packs, took out part of their ration and a rag or two, and, with water canteens in their hands, went over to the Japanese train. Our guards tried to prevent us, bawling, "No goodka! No goodka!" But we ignored them and knelt down by the enemy to give water and food, to clean and bind up their wounds. Grateful cries of "Aragatto!" ("Thank you") followed us when we left--. I regarded my comrades with wonder. Eighteen months ago they would have joined readily in the destruction of our captors had they fallen into their hands. Now these same officers were dressing the enemy’s wounds.
We had experienced a moment of grace, there in those bloodstained railway cars. God had broken through the barriers of our prejudice and had given us the will to obey His command, "Thou shalt love."
(Ernest Gordon, Through the Valley of the Kwai)
James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, pp. 119,120
5. Faith
Faith to believe in a BIG GOD who cannot fail and who can do the impossible. Eph.3:20-21: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Guess where Paul was when he wrote these words? PRISON!
Everyday faith. Faith that says, “I don’t see how God can get me through this day, but I believe He can.
Let me share an essay written by a fellow by the name of Danny who is eight years old. This is what he thinks about God and what he wrote about God, and I thought you would enjoy it.
"One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes these to put in place of the ones who die, so there will be enough people to take care of the things here on earth. He doesn’t make grown-ups. . .just babies. I think that’s because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He doesn’t have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can leave that up to mothers and fathers, and I think that works out pretty good.
God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on as some people, like preachers, pray other times besides bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV on account of this. Since He hears everything, not only prayers, there must be a terrible lot of noise going on in his ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.
God sees everything, and hears everything, and is everywhere . . .which keeps Him pretty busy, so you shouldn’t go wasting His time by going over your parents head and asking Him for something they said you couldn’t have. (I think a parent snuck in and wrote that paragraph right there. I think Danny had some help).
Atheist are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any in Jula Vista, at least there aren’t any that come to my church.
Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and doing miracles, and trying to teach people about God who didn’t want to learn. They finally got tired of His preaching to them, and they crucified Him. But he was good and kind, like His father. He told His father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them, and God said, "OK".
His dad appreciated everything He done and all of His hard work on earth, and so He told Him that He didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did. Now He helps His father out by listening to prayers and seeing which things are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. He’s like a secretary only more important, of course. You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to hear you because they got it all worked out so that One of them is on duty all the time. (You know, this kid’s got a better grasp of God than some preachers do.)
You should always go to Sunday School because it makes God happy. And if there is anybody you want to make happy, it’s God. Don’t skip Sunday School to do something that you think will be more fun. That is wrong. . .and besides the sun doesn’t come out on the beach until noon. If you don’t believe in God, beside being an atheist, you will be very lonely. Because your parents can’t go everywhere with you like to camp, but God can. It’s good to know He’s around when your scared, or when you can’t swim very good, and you get thrown in the deep water by the big kids. But you shouldn’t think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases, and that’s why I believe in God.
6. Peace
An inner serenity that flows from intimate communion with God. Isaiah 26:3 says it well: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee.”
When life is so busy and hectic and humming,
You’re uptight and frazzled and stressed;
Slow down for a while and spend time with the Savior,
And be sure to get adequate rest. —Fitzhugh
We can sleep in peace when we remember that God is awake.
7. Joy
This world of ours is so filled with suffering and sadness. It needs Christians who have the joy of the Lord to spread it everywhere. After all, we are the ones who possess it in abundance! We have…
Been set free!
Redeemed!
Heaven is awaiting us
The Holy Spirit lives in us
The mighty hand of God is upon us!
A simple formula:You should do something every day to make other people happy, even if it’s only to leave them alone.
Illus.: Let Your Balloon Go
A conference at a Presbyterian church in Omaha. People were given helium-filled balloons and told to release them at some point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. Since they were Presbyterians, they weren’t free to say "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord." All through the service balloons ascended, but when it was over one-third of the balloons were unreleased. Let your balloon go. (Bruce Larson, Luke, p. 43).
REMEMBER, THESE BLESSINGS HAVE TO BE ACQUIRED DAILY! They are there for the taking, but it is up to us to avail ourselves of them. That’s the way it was for manna. That’s the way it is for us.
That’s why it is important for us to be in the Word every day. It is our daily bread.
One thing is for certain—we can rely on it. It will be “fresh” every morning. Interesting what the dictionary definition of fresh is: free from impurity or pollution; pure; not dull or faded.
Reach out and grab hold of God’s many promises. They will sustain you along life’s roadway.
