#5
(THE "DIFFICULTIES ON THE JOURNEY" SERIES)
"DIFFICULTIES
ABOUT THE WATER!"
TEXT: Numbers
20:2-13; I Cor. 10:1-6,
11-13
INTRO: Nothing can
be more miserable than being a Christian with a worldly attitude! To have the "dry" heart of an unbeliever
and yet to be a Christian that is suppose to trust in God's goodness leads to a
bitter spirit. Even 40 years of
God's blessing in their journey hadn't caused them to take their eyes off of the
desert! In a "dry moment" they
found bitterness, this time even Moses joins in ... the result is
tragic!
ILLUS: A
MAN TRAVELING ON A TRAIN INTO
PROP.
SENT:
The Bible teaches us that we
are to trust in God's goodness even when we face those "dry" spots in our walk
with Him. Do not respond to dryness
with anger and bitterness, there is still "living water"
in the Rock Jesus Christ!
Just speak to the rock, don't strike at it!
I. REPEATED
FAILURE! Num.
20:2-8
A. Forgotten
Lessons!
20:2-5
1. A new generation had reached the same
place their elders had 40 years earlier, it was a very dry
place!
a. Each generation will find theses
dry places!
b. Like their fathers ... they must
choose how to trust God when facing dryness.
c. Like their fathers ... they chose
to complain bitterly!
2. It is tragic that they had so quickly
forgotten the lessons of the past!
a. How important history
is!
b. Those who fail to learn from the
past are truly doomed to repeat it!
3. They express their bitterness by wishing
they had died with the "brothers" of the older
generation!
a. There were few left from the older
generation, only Joshua, Caleb, Moses, and Aaron, verse 1 indicated that Miriam had just
died.
b. These young believers were
frightened, perhaps this is why God is somewhat lenient with the whole group;
they were young!
c. Dryness had created a panic, and
fear had generated bitterness and doubt.
4. Their focus was not on the land just
across the way … the promise land, it was on their immediate surroundings, the
desert!
a. They had too much focus on the heat
of the moment.
b. With their eyes on the dryness they
complain!
c. They forgot that they were not
alone in the desert!!
ILLUS: A
PASTOR WAS TRAVELING ON A TRAIN AND THE ONLY OTHER PERSON IN HIS SECTION WAS A
YOUNG MAN. THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE
PASTOR WAS DISCOVERED TO BE A CHRISTIAN, BUT A WEAK ONE WITH LITTLE FAITH, HE
WAS BITTER ABOUT LIFE. HE SHARED
WITH THE OLDER PASTOR HOW HE DID NOT THINK HE WOULD BE ABLE TO STAND LIFE MUCH
LONGER, THAT HE WAS READY TO FALL!
THE PASTOR TOOK OUT A PEN KNIFE AND A BIBLE AND TOLD THE YOUNG MAN "SEE, I CAN MAKE THIS PEN KNIFE STAND UP ON
THIS BIBLE IN SPITE OF THE ROCKING MOTION OF THIS TRAIN!" THE YOUNG MAN
THINKING THE PASTOR HAD SOME FLASHY TRICK UP HIS SLEEVE RESPONDED WITH INTEREST,
"I AM AFRAID REVEREND THAT THAT IS NOT
GOING TO BE EASY!" TO HIS
SURPRISE THE PASTOR RESPONDED, "BUT I AM
DOING IT RIGHT NOW! LOOK!" THE YOUNG MAN SAID WITH A LAUGH, "OF COURSE, YOU ARE HOLDING IT UP, BIG
DEAL!" THE PASTOR THEN SAID, "WELL OF COURSE YOUNG MAN, DID YOU EVER HEAR
OF A PENKNIFE STANDING UP ON ITS END IN A MOVING TRAIN WITHOUT HELP IN HOLDING
IT UP!" SUDDENLY THE YOUNG MAN
UNDERSTOOD AND RESPONDED, "I
SEE!" YOU MUST TRUST IN GOD TO
HELP HOLD YOU UP, IF ALL YOU SEE IS YOUR OWN STRENGTH IT WILL BE OVERWHELMING,
BUT WITH HIS HELP EVEN THE DRIEST OF PLACES WILL YIELD "LIVING
WATER!" -- Source
Unknown
5. Israel had forgotten the 40 years of
God's blessings and provisions, how tragic!
B. Forgiving
Lord!
20:6-8
1. These young people will see how loving
God really is, in spite of their complaining, 40 years of wandering was enough.
God would bless them in spite of
themselves, perhaps their youth was taken into
account!
a. God was merciful and willing to
show them openly how he loved them!
b. Though they were dry He would pour
out refreshing waters on them in great abundance!
2. This is clearly a picture of a God of
mercy and love, He is being patient with these young
believers!
a. God is anxious to have them
experience His promises.
b. While He is patient with these
young ones He will expect more from an older Saint like
Moses!
3. God sets the stage for Moses and Aaron to
teach these young complaining believers how God's power can be released, by
simply obeying the Lord!
a. Moses is told to do 3
things:
(1. Take the rod of God, the staff in the
tabernacle; this stood for God's authority!
(2. Assemble the people for a solemn
assembly, a time of worship
(3. Speak to the rock which was a symbol for
God's presence!
b. There was actually a legend in
Israel that a rock followed Israel the whole 40 years of
wandering.
c. These actions were designed to be a
final lesson from the older generation as to how to handle stress and
dryness!
II. RECKLESS FRUSTRATION! Num.
20:9-13
A. Frustration Limit! 20:9-11
1. Tragically, Moses begins to obey God but
in a moment of weakness he lashes out at God's people and at the
Lord!
a. Usually these two go hand in hand,
those who lash out at God's people are usually angry with God too … and vice
versa!
b. Moses begins by blasting Israel, he
says, "listen
you rebels, must we bring
water out of this rock?"
(emphasis mine)
c. Moses had had it, 40 years of
living with these complaining people had finally broken down his resolve and so
he too complains!
2. Moses blasts the people, he strikes out
at them and he also strikes out at the rock, the symbol of God. Thus it was as if he struck God, not
once, but twice!
a. The fact that he struck the rock
twice indicates how out of control he was!
b. This must have startled Israel,
their own leader was bitter too!
3. Ironically, God allows the refreshing
waters to come forth for the young believers, a symbol of grace even in the
midst of sin!
a. While God might be easy on the
young believers this action by a seasoned saint would be handled
differently!
b. God however does not punish the
people for Moses anger, grace flows!
4. How tragic that a man like Moses who had
put up with so much for 40 years should choose in a moment to lose
it!
ILLUS: BOBBY
LEACH, AN ENGLISHMAN, STARTLED THE WORLD BY GOING OVER NIAGARA FALLS IN A BARREL
MANY YEARS AGO AND CAME OUT FROM THE EXPERIENCE COMPLETELY UNSCATHED! SOME YEARS LATER HOWEVER, HE WAS WALKING
DOWN THE STREET AND HE SLIPPED ON AN ORANGE PEAL AND WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. HE WAS QUITE A WHILE IN THE HOSPITAL
RECOVERING! IN A MOMENT OF NOT
BEING PREPARED HE WAS CAUGHT BY A SIMPLE THING THAT BROUGHT INJURY! HOW WE MUST KEEP OURSELVES ON GUARD ALL
THE TIME! -- Source
Unknown
5. Moses’ failure to speak to the Rock
indicated his anger, he lashes out against it!
a. When we are feeling “dry” we need
to speak to our "rock" Jesus Christ!
b. Lashing out at the Lord will only
make matters worse and it might send a bad lesson forward to young believers on
how not to have "self-control"… part of the fruit of the Holy
Spirit!
B. Foolish
Loss! 20:12-13; Deut. 3:23-29
1. Moses' one act of foolishness cost him
the promise land, after 40 years of faithful
service!
2. These people needed an example of
steadiness, they were rarely steady!
3. Moses' final act of leadership involves a
failure of great proportions, he had failed to show these young ones how
important self-control is … just as they were about to enter the promise land
and face their enemy!
4. No doubt Moses was sorry for this act, in
Deut. 3:23-29 it says Moses cried out to God
to let him still go into the promise land, but God's answer was very clear, "that is enough
Moses, do not speak to me anymore about this
matter."
a. God's tough stand was necessary to
keep a young generation of believers from thinking sin has no
consequences!
b. God's long range purposes were
more important than a momentary reprieve!
c. After all, Israel had a long
history of thinking that it was o.k. to sin and not have any consequences to
face!
5. Truly now God's earlier statement would
be true, only Joshua and Caleb would enter the Promise
land!
a. Moses would die and so would Aaron
before Israel entered into the promise land!
b. To show his willingness to forgive
Moses however God instructs him to climb mount Pisgah so he could see the
promise land, to at least look upon it, and God would bring him to a better land
soon anyways!
III. ROCK'S FOUNDATION I Cor. 10:1-6,
11-13
A. Fountain
of Life 10:1-4
1. Paul mentions here to a group of young
believers how Israel all shared the same blessings, the same experiences, the
same frustrations and opportunities, they all drank from the same
source!
a. His point is to show that even
though they all had the same "stuff" they didn't all respond the same
way!
b. How true still, though we all face
the same types of trials and temptations, the same types of blessings, we don't
all choose to respond the same way.
2. Israel in the wilderness had shared the
very same fountain of blessing!
a. They were all led by God with the
same cloud!
b. They all passed through the same
Red Sea, the same journey out of slavery!
c. They all ate the same food, the
same Manna!
d. They all drank from the same
rock!
3. They all experienced the same blessings
and trials!
4. All had been privileged by
God!
5. This should have been enough to stand
strong in the moments of dryness in the desert, it should have been enough to
trust in the moments of difficulties!
6. It is possible to experience good and
bad and still trust in the lord.
ILLUS: A
MAN FROM DUNDEE, SCOTLAND HAD FALLEN AND BROKEN HIS BACK AS A LAD OF 15 YEARS
OLD. FOR 40 YEARS HE WAS IN SO MUCH
PAIN HE COULD DO NOTHING! FOR 40
YEARS HE SPENT MOST OF IT ON HIS BACK, BUT DAY AFTER DAY GOD'S GRACE WAS FOUND
SUFFICIENT FOR HIM. IN FACT, MANY
PEOPLE CAME TO HIM FOR SPIRITUAL ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT. ONE DAY A CHRISTIAN ASKED HIM, "DOESN'T SATAN EVER TEMPT YOU TO DOUBT
GOD?" "OH YES," HE REPLIED, "HE DOES TRY TO TEMPT ME! I LIE HERE AND SEE MY OLD SCHOOL MATES
DRIVING PAST IN THEIR CARRIAGES AND SATAN WHISPERS, 'IF GOD IS SO GOOD, WHY DOES
HE KEEP YOU HERE ALL THESE YEARS?'
THEN, SEEING AN OLD FRIEND WALKING BY IN PERFECT HEALTH, SATAN FAIRLY
SCREAMS, ‘IF GOD LOVED YOU, WHY DID HE PERMIT YOUR BACK TO BE BROKEN?’ ‘WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN STAN TEMPTS YOU?’
SOMEONE ASKED?’ “AH, I TAKE HIM TO
CALVARY AND POINT TO THOSE DEEP WOUNDS AND SAY, “DOESN’T HE LOVE ME!” AND THE FACT THAT SATAN GOT SUCH A SCARE
THERE 1900 YEARS AGO THAT HE CANNOT STAND TO BE REMINDED OF CALVARY; HE FLEES
FROM ME EVERY TIME!” THAT
BEDRIDDEN SAINT HAD LITTLE TROUBLE WITH DOUBT; HE WAS TOO TAKEN BY GOD’S GRACE
TO SEE HIS NEED OF BITTERNESS! -- Source
Unknown
B. Freedom
From Loss! 10:5-6,
11-13
1. Even with sharing all the blessings of
the Lord together many of them fell away in
bitterness!
a. With great understatement Paul
says, “with
many of them God was not please.”
b. "Many"
is right, almost all of them, only two made it from the original
generation!
c. How tragic that they could all
share the same blessings and trials and only two could come to a faith
expression!
2. Paul is trying to show how easy it can be
to lose perspective and focus on bitterness instead of
faith!
a. They had 40 years of God's proven
faithfulness to them to build on, yet they made a bitter choice near the end of
the journey!
b. You can't live off of yesterday's
experiences today; faith is something that must be expressed right up to the end
of the journey.
3. Paul says here that their example is
recorded for us to learn from, lest we think we can't fall look at
them!
a. God's blessings are no guarantee
against a bitter spirit!
b. It boils down to the choices we
make!
4. As a statement of encouragement Paul adds
here that God will not allow us to be tempted above that which He knows we can
handle!
a. That doesn't mean ease, but
it does means enduring!
b. With any temptation God makes a way
of escape, a way out!
(1. God had made a way of escape in the desert with
Manna!
(2. God had made a way of escape in the desert with
water!
(3. God had made a way of escape in the desert with
shoes that never wore out on their feet!
c. God knows exactly the load we can
handle!
ILLUS: IT
WAS DUE TO THE EFFORTS OF SAMUEL PLIMSOLL (1824-1898), A BRITISH REFORMER, THAT
THE MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT OF 1876 WAS PASSED REQUIRING ALL SHIPS TO BEAR A MARK
KNOWN AS THE PLIMSOLL MARK WHICH WOULD INDICATE THE MAXIMUM LOAD LINE. BY THIS ACT THE BOARD OF TRADE OF
ENGLAND WAS EMPOWERED TO DETAIN ANY VESSEL DEEMED UNSAFE, AND THE AMOUNT OF
CARGO WAS RESTRICTED, THUS MAKING THE LONG AND PERILOUS JOURNEY OVERSEAS MUCH
SAFER. BECAUSE OF HIS WORK PLIMSOLL
WAS CONSIDERED THE SAILOR'S FRIEND.
THE PLIMSOLL MARK, WITH ITS GRADATIONS AND FIGURES ON THE SHIP'S BOW NEAR
THE WATER LINE WOULD INDICATE THE POINT AT WHICH A SHIP COULD NOT BE LOADED DOWN
ANY MORE AND STILL BE SAFE. THIS
NEW MEASURE SAVED MANY SHIPS FROM DESTRUCTION! EACH SHIP WAS DIFFERENT, BUT IT WAS
CALCULATED AND MARKED AS TO THE SAFE MAXIMUM LOAD IT COULD CARRY! GOD HAS DONE THIS WITH EACH OF US TOO,
HE KNOWS EXACTLY THE LIMIT EACH OF US CAN CARRY, AND HE WILL NOT LOAD US DOWN
BEYOND WHAT WE CAN HANDLE WITHOUT HIS HELP! HE HAS SET HIS OWN MARK UPON US AT
CALVARY, A BLOODSTAINED MARK THAT CAN NOT BE WASHED AWAY BY SATAN. WE ARE NOT ON A SINKING
SHIP! -- Source
Unknown
5. So, we are at times in the desert, the
dry places come, what do we do?
a. We speak to the
Rock!
b. We bring the staff (God's
Authority, the Word of God!).
c. And, we assemble in a sacred
assembly and drink from the grace of God that flows from that
rock!
6. We don't strike out in anger or in
bitterness, we trust God and His promises!
a. And we look for His help to
overcome!
b. We keep the
faith!
CONCLUSION:
The biggest battle when facing terrible dryness is to strike out in anger
at the Lord you love, the very one who delivered you from slavery in the first
place … or even those loved ones around you! Even in the greatest dryness there is
living water that can refresh, it comes from the solid rock Jesus! Just speak to the "rock"
and out will come “living
water!”