Seek God’s Preservation in all things
Israel preserved in Thirst
Israel preserved in Battle
DBF Sunday Sermon, 11/17/02
I certainly thank God for preserving my life for all these 43 years and nearer to 44 every day.
I plainly remember in my ignorance and folly thinking things that happened to preserve my life had something to do with me prior to my accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of my life.
Riding motorcycles in the Philippines at over 100 miles and hour, hitting oil and having my bike slip completely and the rear end starting to pass the front end…yanking hard and righting the bike…then thinking—boy I’m good instead of “Oh thank you my Heavenly Father for preserving my life.
Driving 80 miles and hour on a two lane bridge going from Biloxi, Mississippi to Ocean Springs, Mississippi…racing and at the last second before colliding with a car in front of me slamming my brakes to late…having the car I was racing go by my front fender just prior to my hitting the car in front and deciding to use the rear bumper of that car to break me from slamming into the other car…my car going into a spin…no less than six times…turning the steering wheel in an effort to keep off of the bridge rails and going sailing into the Gulf of Mexico then coming to a stop backwards on the bridge—and thinking boy I’m good…Instead of giving Glory and Honor to the one true and powerful God for again preserving my life.
On another occasion going out on Petersville Road and taking four wheelers out about 6 miles, after I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior while still working out the path that God was calling me too and while climbing a steep hill getting the front of my quad stuck on a large rock…releasing my brake to slip back just enough to go around and when I tried to go back up my quad starting to flip back over on itself…falling back and landing directly under it, watching in horror as it came back…and miraculously it stopping when past the apex long enough for me to flip out from under it prior to it coming crashing down directly where I had been. My friend watching below thought I had killed myself, but finally I had learned to praise God for HIS strong hand had preserved me this day and every other day that I had been preserved through my ignorance, for the benefits that I might possibly bring to the kingdom of God.
We will today walk with the nation of Israel and see contention and strife with them in their walk with God. We will see complaining against Moses, and we will see God’s deliverance once more. We should also see things that remind us of you and I as we go through this sanctification process through the grace of God.
Let’s join them as we examine principles given for us to grow on in Exodus Chapter 17 in their journey from the wilderness of Sin.
Israel preserved in Thirst
Exodus 17:1-7 (KJV)
And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. [2] Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? [3] And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, 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? [4] And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. [5] And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. [6] Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. [7] And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?
And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim... We do see that in many aspects the nation of Israel did not fair well in the tests that were brought before them. Yet one area that they did do well in was following the command of God to go.
Are you able to say that you are following this commandment in your life today?
What do you mean pastor, brother, or whoever…God couldn’t have meant me???
Well, actually God did mean you and I and every other believer who calls upon the name of the Lord are to go to the ends of the earth proclaiming the “Good News” Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
Jesus speaking in Matthew 28 tells all of us who believe on HIM:
18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus confirmed this in Acts 1:
6When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
When people remember you will they remember one who was faithful to the call and cause of Christ to “Go”.
and there was no water for the people to drink. [2] Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? Of course we now read that water was scarce in the arid region they were traveling through.
We as Christians travel through regions in our lives of ever flowing water and some of us act as if we travel through very arid regions also. As true believers, we should be in HIS flow in all things and in all our paths.
We should not be with the heathen in saying “Woe am I, I am undone because…”. God is our shield, our righteousness, and our living water. With HIM truly, we shall not want.
God warns us in Jeremiah 2:
13For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Let us always remember that we are part and partaker of the “living water” which God himself brings into our lives, do not forsake this.
[2] Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink…In this time that God was doing such great works in the lives of the nation we might think it difficult that God’s chosen people might feel and say such things. It is sobering to know that God did show us that today it would be even more difficult to have people believe in HIS blessings.
Our people today are hardened because they have become their own god in their eyes. As Deuteronomy 6 tells us:
10And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
You see this is how today many of us live our lives. We move into houses, work for a living, eat chickens and beef that we do not kill and prepare, buy furniture that we did not build, drink from wells we did not dig…yet we expect and demand that all this be available, never acknowledging God as the source of all good things in our lives.
You see the nation of Israel chiding Moses, who is the visual representation of God to this young nation of God instead of kneeling and letting God know of their needs.
I pray that this does not remind you of yourself? Remember we are called also to be in continuous prayer…how else will we communicate with God and allow him to know our innermost needs and desires.
wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? [3] And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, 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? We are admonished along with Israel by Moses that we should not tempt the Lord.
We are not to test or tempt God as we see in Acts 15:
10Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Hebrews 3:
9When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
And 1 Corinthians 10:
9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
We next see the people again murmur against Moses, as we have stated previously…let us not be counted with those who murmur against the chosen shepherds of God.
Murmuring is easy and deceitful, it is of the deceiver and we are to have no part in it. Let us grow in the strength and grace of Christ Jesus remaining far from it.
We should strive to have and be a mediating effect on our brothers and sisters bringing them daily into a closer relationship and experience with Jesus Christ our Lord.
Remember, Moses was not the one that prayed to God to set the people free, he was simply God’s chosen vessel to shepherd/lead the nation at this time, much as your pastors, deacons and church elders are today.
[5] And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. [6] Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. [7] And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?
God directs Moses in much the same manner HE directs you and I who are faithful today. God tells Moses to “Go” to it. You see, for the works of God to be brought to fruition, You and I must be ready, willing and able to “Go”.
God does a great miracle by bringing water from a rock in the desert. God is not out of the miracle business yet. He brings life and hope to things that or dead and hopeless…only if we “Go” and bring HIS word.
Will people name places “Contention” (Meribah) or “Temptation” (Massah) after you or will they name them “Hope”, “Deliverance”, and “Love”.
Israel preserved in Battle
Exodus 17:8-16 (KJV)
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. [9] And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. [10] So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. [11] And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. [12] But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. [13] And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. [14] And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. [15] And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: [16] For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. [9] And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. [10] So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. [11] And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. [12] But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. [13] And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. It is interesting that the root word of Rephidim is Rehidad which means to “spread out”. In this battle Moses calls the faithful Joshua to call out men who will go and fight for us.
God has challenged you and I similarly. You see, we battle daily with dominions and principalities of darkness. This is the difficult thing because we know by faith that they are present. We must love all, but recognize that when people are difficult towards us it is because of bondage to or in a specific area of darkness.
It would be great if we only were required to deal with the darkness outside of the body of Christ, but unfortunately we deal with it from within also…which to some is even more hurtful.
We can however overcome this if we will only walk by faith, bringing all of our cares, worries, past and present hurts before God at the foot of Jesus’ cross and laying them down there in the presence of the only “one” who is able to have the strength to bring us to completion.
You see, much as the nation Israel we spread ourselves out in battle every day. God’s word clearly tells us we must be prepared as in Ephesians 6:
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
You see, we should not be deceived that we battle the dominion and the forces of evil. God gives us the tools and armor to bring the battle to completion. We are to rest in Jesus knowing as the book of Philippians 4 tells us:
13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
God brought the victory to the nation of Israel today, and HE is still able to bring that victory into your life daily if you will only acknowledge HIM and let HIM.
Of course, as in all things, this is only able to become a “truth” and “reality” in our lives upon the acknowledgement of our sinfulness, and acceptance of Jesus Christ as the son of God.
If you are willing today to acknowledge that you are a sinner…for the word of God clearly tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” You see, if a sinner such as I were to tell you this, you could discard it…but it is God in HIS holy word that brings this message to you, will you hear it.
But even in letting us know that the ultimate punishment for this sin is death and hell, God even while we were yet sinners sent HIS only begotten SON (Jesus Christ) to die for us, so that all who believed on HIM might have life, not just life but life eternal.
If you would like to bring about a change in your life today, if you have been hurting for too long and hurting others around you along the way…God is and has the answer.
You too can have the power of God, the deliverance of God, and the light of God in and around you today.
Jesus as always stands just outside of your heart knocking, waiting for you to open up and invite HIM in so that HE may come in and make HIS home with you.
This is the most important decision you will make in this lifetime and eternity, and I pray that you will come to know Christ more and more.
We would love to pray for you, your family, and your work for Christ. Let us know and we would love to be a prayer partner with you.
Closing prayer.
