The Wanderers
The Wanderers Part 3: “God Provides” Welcome to our summer teaching series “The Wanderers” Over the next several weeks we will trace the story of God’s people as they were brought up out of Egypt and began their journey through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. It’s a story full of God’s Grace, Mercy, and Faithfulness. It’s also a story of God’s patience with people. An idolatrous, unfaithful, and quick to complain group of people that God desired to enter covenant relationship with. Today in Exodus 16, we are joining the Children of Israel once again in the desert, facing another opportunity to trust God as their Lord and provider. Already it seems like the story is building towards something. In fact, it’s not an overstatement to say that the story of The Wanderers is one of the most important accounts in world history. And we get to re-live it. Even if we didn’t know how it ends, we already see themes of God’s leading, of His provision and grace with his people, his miraculous power. We see God revealed as trustworthy and faithful. But we also sense the people haven’t completely gotten this idea in their heads or their hearts yet.Even after witnessing time and time again God’s faithfulness- at the next challenge- they grumble and complain against the Lord.‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16:1-3‬‬The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 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.” Having traveled for a while now, they were using up their food supplies and they could see that starvation was a very real possibility on the horizon. As they became hangry- they lost sight of the opportunity to call out to the Lord in his faithfulness In these difficult moments, they essentially turn their back on God’s plans for them-“This journey stinks, I want to go back.”“ It’s too hard, I don’t like it, and I’m done.” Those very real feelings were rising to the surface in their hearts and their actions. They were so done with it all in this moment that they even accuse the Lord of bringing them out to the desert just to die.“ If we could have just stayed in Egypt at least we would have had food to eat” From our vantage point, we can recognize the absurdity of these comments in light of the whole story- but they couldn’t. What should we take from that today?‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16:4-5‬‬Then 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. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” The Lord promises to rain down bread from heaven, the food they need will come to them in a miraculous way .Not only were they getting what they never expected, it was coming in a way they never imagined- directly from heaven. Contained within this provision of bread from heaven is a test, a daily opportunity, if you will, to trust God. The people are only to gather what they need for one day, except for the 6th day in anticipation of the sabbath day. They will need to trust God every day to supply their needs.This testing or training was not entirely all about their ability to follow instructions, but it was as much designed to reveal the leaning of their hearts.‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16:19-20‬‬Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” 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.‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16:27-28‬‬Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?Within our own lives today we can face this same challenge- will we obey even when the rules or requests don’t make sense? Each time the Lord asks something of us that doesn’t seem like “That big of a deal”- our heart posture will reveal itself One of submission or one of selfish rebellion. Let’s conclude by zeroing in on what the Lord DIDN’T do in this story.- The people are disobedient- The people regularly complain – it seems like every time we check in on them they are grumbling about something.- They don’t trust the one most trustworthy. And when they complain about being hungry, God doesn’t give them what they deserve. He doesn’t punish them or scold them or turn His back on them. HE FEEDS THEM Now that same God is here today and He’s listening to you. What do you need? Do you imagine God will turn His back on you because you are so undeserving? Or- will you trust that he is gracious and cares deeply for you? As you would think about your story today, your desert experience, what is it that you are crying out to the Lord for? Is there really anything in your life that he hasn’t already provided? Overview of Exodus This video gives a brief overview of the book of Exodus, helping us frame it within the biblical narrative. This link is for Part 1, make sure to watch Part 2!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH_aojNJM3E

http://bible.com/events/48907025
The Wanderers Part 2: Healed Waters

Welcome to our summer teaching series “The Wanderers” Over the next several weeks we will trace the story of God’s people as they were brought up out of Egypt and began their journey through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. It’s a story full of God’s Grace, Mercy, and Faithfulness. It’s also a story of God’s patience with people. An idolatrous, unfaithful, and quick to complain group of people that God desired to enter covenant relationship with. The Children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years, and the moment came at the Red Sea when he delivered his people from the bondage of Egypt. God literally parted the waters allowing his people to pass through on dry ground. Today we rejoin the children of Israel in Exodus chapter 15, just a few days after this event, facing yet another challenge. This time the enemy was not in the form of chariots, but in the form of dehydration. They had no water in the desert…‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:22-27‬‬Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.-Modern science says that the human body can go three days without water, no more. So, the people of God in this passage were desperate. They could not have gone on much longer. And they knew it.-Just as the Lord was their only hope when they were facing the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, so now, in different circumstances, God is their only hope yet again. A brief timeline of what happened:1. The people are desperate.2. They grumble and complain (again!).3. God meets their need, even though they are faithless.4. God makes a promise to them about His future protection.5. The promise is contingent on their obedience.6. Finally, God endorses this promise by bringing them to a paradise! As we read the story today, many of us can relate to the pain and frustration the Israelites are experiencing:-Of course, they are frustrated, they haven’t had water in three days-Of course, they are complaining, what else are they supposed to do? All of us have been there at some point in our lives. Some of us are there right now: that desert season. There is a powerful metaphor here within the story:-They arrive desperate for water and it’s almost cruel. They do find water. But they can’t drink it. It’s unsafe and certainly undesirable.-It’s so easy to make judgments about God in those situations…that He’s distant and uncaring, that He’s forgotten you.-But the truth is, God can make something sweet out of your bitter. Bottom line:

Will you trust God when your life tastes bitter? Overview of Exodus This video gives a brief overview of the book of Exodus, helping us frame it within the biblical narrative. This link is for Part 1, make sure to watch Part 2!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH_aojNJM3E

The Wanderers Part 2: Healed Waters

Welcome to our summer teaching series “The Wanderers” Over the next several weeks we will trace the story of God’s people as they were brought up out of Egypt and began their journey through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. It’s a story full of God’s Grace, Mercy, and Faithfulness. It’s also a story of God’s patience with people. An idolatrous, unfaithful, and quick to complain group of people that God desired to enter covenant relationship with. The Children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years, and the moment came at the Red Sea when he delivered his people from the bondage of Egypt. God literally parted the waters allowing his people to pass through on dry ground. Today we rejoin the children of Israel in Exodus chapter 15, just a few days after this event, facing yet another challenge. This time the enemy was not in the form of chariots, but in the form of dehydration. They had no water in the desert…‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:22-27‬‬Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water. Three days from the red sea, from one of the greatest miracles in the history of mankind- you would anticipate them ready to face any battle, right? Confident that God can do ANYTHING for them after what they just saw right? They won’t forget that fast, will they? How could they? I don’t know about you, but it’s about right here in the story I sense the Holy Spirit asking me these same questions…You remember those battles I have fought and won for you, right? You’re not going to forget, are you? How could you after all I have done for you? In a moment of reflection, 3500 years of history are bridged by a common human experience of doubt in the face of difficulty. As we re-enter the story today, rather than finding the people of God triumphantly trusting, we see them returning to the already common motif of doubting and grumbling. How will the Lord find you today? Grumbling or trusting?‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:24‬‬So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink? ”This moment of frustration and disappointment serves to reveal what had already been taking root in their hearts. Their tendency to gripe and complain against Moses and the Lord, rises to the surface again. Somehow, they forget in the middle of these circumstances that it was in fact the Lord who had led them there. But that was lost in those moments. The question of what to drink was not the issue at hand, rather, their attitude of contempt for the circumstances they were facing. They did not have what they expected, and they failed to trust God to provide it. A recipe for sin. The truth is, every complaint we make against our circumstances, is really against the Lord.‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:25‬‬Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. Rather than crying out against the Lord, Moses cried out to the Lord for help. The proper response in those times of trouble. Remember, Moses was thirsty too- he was experiencing the same hardship as everyone else in those moments, yet he didn’t allow bitterness to take root in his heart. Look at the sequence in this verse- Moses Cried out to the Lord- And the Lord showed him…A humble heart receives a gracious response from the Lord‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:25-26‬‬Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” For the first time in our storyline, the Lord lays out his expectations of obedience upon his people In these moments the test has already happened, and it was revealed that their hearts were not committed. The Lord then invites them into a deeper level of trust, commitment, and obedience. This new trust comes with the promise of blessing and protection. In these moments, the people have a choice The places of trial in our lives are always faithful to reveal what’s really in our hearts. What are some of those stories in your life? Perhaps you are living one right now? Maybe at work- or at home, or with someone in your family. One thing we know is that these places of bitterness can come with deep pain and grief. They may be places of desperation and confusion. But beyond what you feel in these moments, what Is God trying to show you? Have you been quick to forget all he has done? Has the urge to grumble against God overtaken you? While trials are quick to reveal what’s inside of us, they also reveal the nature and character of God. God knows exactly where you are, because he has bought you there, and he wants to bring you through there. He knows exactly what you need- even more than you do- and he is the one who will provide. As God’s people in the middle of the trials we all face a choice We will either fall into seeing God as the one to blame for the situation we are in-Or we will cry out to him in belief that he is able to provide the way forward, the rest we do desperately need. The choice is yours Overview of Exodus This video gives a brief overview of the book of Exodus, helping us frame it within the biblical narrative. This link is for Part 1, make sure to watch Part 2!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH_aojNJM3E

The Wanderers Part 1: The Crossing

Today we begin our summer teaching series “The Wanderers”.

Over the next several weeks we are going to journey through the story of God’s people as they were brought up out of Egypt and began their journey through the wilderness.

Our Series begins today with the crossing of the Red Sea.

The Red Sea crossing is the moment when God gave his people a seemingly impossible victory over the enslaving powers of Egypt.

It’s a defining moment of deliverance and grace for his people

In this story, God saves His people from the pursuing Egyptian army by splitting the Red Sea, saving the Israelites, and destroying the pursuing army.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:10-14‬‬

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They 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!” Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Already in our story we find a motif of mistrust and rebellion that we will see time and time again throughout their journey.

We will say to ourselves “How can they doubt and complain after all they have seen God do?” And our Father will look us in the eye and smile knowingly

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:15-22‬‬

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

In these moments of terror, the steadfast faith of Moses bears the weight of the un-believing people.

In the eyes of the people, they were stuck. A sea before them and death behind them. There was no way.

But God was about to display his power to make a way- literally, an unimaginable way for them to be saved, and for him to get the Glory.

In this story we begin to understand that as we are backed up against the impossible- God is not limited by our imaginations. He’s not limited our plans, or our ability to see the way forward.

He has a plan for redemption. A plan that will bring him glory for generations to come!

Our call as His people is to trust and believe in Him.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:23-31‬‬

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

The Lord went behind his people protecting them, and he went before them making the way for salvation.

That’s not just what God did, it reveals who he was, and the good news today friends, it’s who he still is today.

The Lord goes behind you, and before you. Will you trust him? Will you trust him to do the impossible?

Jesus said in Mark 10:27 “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Will you trust God with your impossible today?

Overview of Exodus

This video gives a brief overview of the book of Exodus, helping us frame it within the biblical narrative. This link is for Part 1, make sure to watch Part 2!

The Wanderers

The Wanderers Part 1: The Crossing

Today we begin our summer teaching series “The Wanderers”.

Over the next several weeks we are going to journey through the story of God’s people as they were brought up out of Egypt and began their journey through the wilderness.

Our Series begins today with the crossing of the Red Sea.

The Red Sea crossing is the moment when God gave his people a seemingly impossible victory over the enslaving powers of Egypt.

It’s a defining moment of deliverance and grace for his people

In this story, God saves His people from the pursuing Egyptian army by splitting the Red Sea, saving the Israelites, and destroying the pursuing army.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:10-14‬‬

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They 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!” Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Already in our story we find a motif of mistrust and rebellion that we will see time and time again throughout their journey.

We will say to ourselves “How can they doubt and complain after all they have seen God do?” And our Father will look us in the eye and smile knowingly

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:15-22‬‬

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

In these moments of terror, the steadfast faith of Moses bears the weight of the un-believing people.

In the eyes of the people, they were stuck. A sea before them and death behind them. There was no way.

But God was about to display his power to make a way- literally, an unimaginable way for them to be saved, and for him to get the Glory.

In this story we begin to understand that as we are backed up against the impossible- God is not limited by our imaginations. He’s not limited our plans, or our ability to see the way forward.

He has a plan for redemption. A plan that will bring him glory for generations to come!

Our call as His people is to trust and believe in Him.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:23-31‬‬

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

The Lord went behind his people protecting them, and he went before them making the way for salvation.

That’s not just what God did, it reveals who he was, and the good news today friends, it’s who he still is today.

The Lord goes behind you, and before you. Will you trust him? Will you trust him to do the impossible?

Jesus said in Mark 10:27 “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Will you trust God with your impossible today?

Overview of Exodus

This video gives a brief overview of the book of Exodus, helping us frame it within the biblical narrative. This link is for Part 1, make sure to watch Part 2!