Cornerstone PLUS

Well, good evening, everyone. It's great to be here with you. Please do keep that, passage of scripture open in front of you. And if someone could bring me a clicker, that would be really, really helpful. But before we start this evening, let me pray for us.

Let me pray. Heavenly father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for its power and the way that it changes us. And so, lord god, we want to pray that you would change us this evening as we listen, to the words of scripture read and taught and we want to pray that you would be at work in our lives, to change us by your, powerful holy spirit. And so, Lord, come and open our hearts and our minds and our eyes and our ears now to see your goodness towards us, for which we thank you in Jesus' name, amen.

Thank you. Great. So grumbling. 1 of the best things about being British is having a good old moan, isn't it? It's something I'm really looking forward to as I get older becoming a proper grumpy old man.

Now some of you might remember the nineties TV character Victor Melju from 1 foot in the grave. His most famous catchphrase was I don't believe it. And it was a joy, wasn't it? To watch him struggle with and complain about and shout at absolutely everything that went wrong in his life. Why?

Because he speaks for all of us. Doesn't he? Who know what it feels like? When things aren't going our way because we love to moan, don't we? People think that us Brits love to talk about the weather.

But actually we'll love to moan about the weather. It's too hot today. I can't breathe. It's too cold with that air conditioning on. We don't really like going on holiday either.

Do we? It's never as comfortable as life at home and don't even get me started on camping. I can't wait to be that age where you just tell people how it is and they have to say, okay, granddad. That's nice. Well, tonight, we're gonna be looking at whinging and grumbling in the bible.

Because that's 1 form of grumbling, which can be quite funny, actually, but there's another kind of grumbling, isn't there that's really, really unhealthy. Kind of grumbling, which is against god directly against God. When we say things like, why have you done this to me? Why did you break up my relationship Why have you taken my job away? Why am I struggling with that particular temptation?

How long do I have to suffer like this? Don't you care what I'm going through? That kind of grumbling is grumbling directly against God. And we're gonna look at 3 short stories from the book of Exodus where the people of Israel get a proper British grumble 1. And we're going to see what god was doing in them through those situations so that hopefully we might begin to see what he's doing in us in some of our situations today.

Now back in March, we, took the youth on their weekend away, and the soul group looked at exodus chapters 1 to 15. And this is the very next section. So, really, this sermon is just for Dave laws and for anyone else who was there. But for the benefit of everyone else, We're at that part of the story where Israel have just escaped from Egypt. We've had the 10 plagues.

We've gone through the Red Sea, and the waters have swept back over the entire Egyptian army. It's been the most incredible rescue It's been the most amazing miracle. And the account ends in chapter 14 and verse 31. Have a look down in your Bibles. Chapter 14 verse 31.

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, then Moses and the Israelites sang a song to the lord. Now let's skip that track and pick up the story in chapter 15 and verse 22. Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went into the desert of shore.

For 3 days, they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Mara, they could not drink its water. Because it was bitter. That's why the place is called Mara. So the people grumbled against Moses saying, what are we to drink?

So 3 days after the greatest and most miraculous victory the world has ever seen, Israel run into trouble again. But this time, it's not an army that's gonna defeat them. This time, it's first. There's nothing to drink. Ironically, 3 days ago, there was so much water you could lose an army in it.

Now, there's not a drop in sight. So they grumble against Moses. And they don't know it yet, but this is a test from God to see how they're going to react. In fact, the next 3 stories are 3 little tests of faith to see whether or not they've really understood who god is. And this is our first test this evening.

Testing faith at Mara. Number 1, testing faith at Mara. God wants us to trust him. God wants you and me to trust him. That's where we're going.

That's the main point. Grumbling like this, grumbling against God, shows that we don't trust him. In this story, god wants his people, Israel to learn to trust him. So how are they going to react to this problem of first? Perhaps they'll remember the awesome power of god displayed in the 10 plagues.

Perhaps they'll remember the awesome way they just escaped through the middle of the sea. And perhaps they'll wonder if that same god who showed such great power only 3 days ago could take them somewhere to get a drink. But after 3 days, when they get to Mara, the water is undrinkable. It's bitter. Like beer.

The faithful response would be to ask ask the lord for a drink. Ask him to provide. But they fail the first test and grumble against Moses saying, what are we to drink? Now to be fair to them, most of our moaning is about the little things in life. Oh, I'm stuck behind a learner.

How is it possible to drive that slowly? Or we're bored with the 500 television channels that we have because there's nothing on. Or you've just made a cup of tea. But the milk that you've put in has gone lumpy and it's floated to the top. Oh, no.

But Israel, they haven't had a drink for 3 days, and there's about 2000000 of them at this point plus animals. Just imagine what your children would be saying to you at that point. Mom. I want to drink. It's a whole new level of whinging.

Yes. Yes, dear. We all want to drink. I'm sure mister Moses is going to take us somewhere soon. You see at that moment, Israel haven't put these 2 ideas together.

They know god is their rescuer but they don't know god as their provider. So Moses responds to their grumbling with prayer, Moses does the faithful thing, and the lord comes straight to the rescue. Have a look at verse 25. He, 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.

Or as the ESV puts it, the water became sweet. And that's what you do with bitter, isn't it? You add sweet lemonade and it becomes shandy fit to drink. There's a French restaurant nearby called Cafe rouge, where you can go and you can get a mix it yourself lemonade called a cichuan Press. And the part come separately.

You get the bitter lemon, you get the sugar syrup, and you get the water, and you mix it yourself. Which is great. I love it. But for me, it's dangerous because the water always seems a little bit unnecessary. You just add the syrup straight into the bitter lemon and that's the perfect mix, sweet and sour.

Lovely. And that's what Moses does here. The wood somehow sweetens the bitter water. The lord shows Moses what to do and graciously provides for his faithless people. Now at this point, we could ask the question.

Is this fair? Is it fair to test your people to see if they'll ask you for a drink. Is it fair to see if they'll just carry on for 3 days without it even occurring to them? But this is how faith grows, isn't it? People say faith is like a muscle the more you exercise it, the bigger it grows.

And we all understand, don't we? What it's like to go to the gym? And week by week, test your strength to see if you can lift more and more. No problem there. But when we apply the same theory to faith, it makes for quite uncomfortable thinking.

So the person who struggles with patience and prays for the gift of patience isn't going to suddenly wake up 1 morning having been supernaturally infused with the power of patients overnight as they slept. Then the next day just automatically cope with everything that life throws at them. No. If you pray for the fruit of patients, watch out As week by week, you test your patience in the gym of life to see if you can cope with all of these test your patient's situations that challenge you more and more. Now could we say the same thing about other things too?

Things like temper, things like temptation. Because if the result of my testing is that I become more prayerful in each situation so that I'm more aware of my dependence on the god who provides what I need, then my faith in him is growing. And what's happening here is the testing of Israel's faith is the very means by which their faith is going to be strengthened. It's like a faith gym It's like conditioning behavior. It's like training a dog.

God wants Israel to learn to trust him, and God wants you and me to learn to trust him too. And the more we see him as our rescuer and provider, the more our trust in him is supposed to grow. Let's look at the second half of verse 25 now. 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 Elon where there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees and they camped there near the water. Do you see?

It's a test. Listen carefully, he says. Do what is right. Pay attention. I will not bring on you any of the diseases.

I am the lord who heals you. Learn to trust me You see, by the time they get to Elon, only 3 verses after grumbling, there's plenty of water again. It was probably just down the road just around the corner. 12 Springs, 1 for each of the 12 tribes of Israel, and then they camp near the water. You can almost imagine them feeling like.

Oh, sorry for doubting you, lord. But notice what god does. Even though they fail the test, god graciously provides for their every need. Now you'd think that that would have been a game changer. Now they know the lord provides for them.

Right? Well, let's come to our second test. This evening, testing faith with manner. Testing faith with manner. Have a look at chapter 16 and verse 2.

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 staff this entire assembly to death. Okay. So maybe we need a little more time to get this 1 sorted. Last time they were thirsty.

This time, they're hungry. And their problem is nicely described in Psalm 78. They spoke against God. They said, can god really spread a table in the wilderness? True.

He struck the rock and water gushed out streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people? Clearly, they're not sure that god is powerful enough to feed them. They know he's powerful. They know he's powerful to save from enemies.

They know he can do water. But what about food? What about bread and meat? Can god really spread a table in the wilderness? Can they trust him in this?

Let's look at the details of this second story because this time Moses doesn't even get to pray the lord simply responds to the tummy grumbles. Have a look at verse 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 follow my instructions. On the sixth day, they are to prep prepare what they bring in and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days. That's gonna be their next test. Then look down to verse 11. The Lord said to Moses, I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites.

Tell them at twilight, you will eat meat. And in the morning, you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the lord your god. That evening Quail came and covered the camp. And in the morning, there was a layer of dew around the camp.

When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, what is it? For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, it is the bread that the lord has given you to eat. Can god really spread a table in the desert?

That would be a yes. But why does he do this? It says, doesn't it in verse 12 so that they will know that he is the lord, their god. Maybe then they'll trust him. Now verse 31 gives us more details about the thin flakes like frost on the ground verse 31 says the people of Israel called the bread manna, the Hebrew word for what is it?

It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. What is it? They were the original frosties. They're great. They were what is it?

They were they were what's it? Yes. God can give us bread and meat. But is this enough to convince them? Now they know that god can provide food for them.

Now the question becomes, will he? How can they know if there'll be more whatsits tomorrow? And this is their next test. Have a look at verse 19. Then Moses said to them no 1 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. Israel fail again God had told them to gather enough for each day. He would personally provide the bread for them every day. And in this way, they would learn to be dependent on him for each day.

Give us each day, daily bread. It's nothing like how we live We go to Sainsbury's and we stock up on food for the week, and then we stick it all in the freezer just in case there's a problem. But this is 1 day at a time stuff, gather enough for each day. And how did Israel respond? No.

There might not be enough tomorrow. Let's keep some of it until morning. But in the morning, it was full of creepy, crawly, stinky maggots, and it began to smell awful, like something's gone off, which is brilliant because they can't keep it because it doesn't keep apart from on Fridays. It will keep overnight on Fridays somehow. Fridays, they have to gather twice as much because they're not to go out and collect it on Saturday.

It doesn't even come on Saturday. They're supposed to take the day off. No going out on Saturdays. Okay? Have a look at verse 27.

Nevertheless, 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? Israel fail again. This second test is a triple failure. First, they don't trust god to feed them at all.

They doubt him. Then they think he won't provide for the next day they doubt him, and then they think it won't last. So they go out to gather on Saturday, and there isn't any because they doubt him. Now just to put this in perspective, verse 35 says the Israelites 8 manner for 40 years. Until they came to a land that was settled.

They ate manner until they reached the border of Canon. That whole time, god was gracious to them and provided everything that they need. For 40 years until they didn't need it anymore. And as some evidence of god's goodness to them, they kept a jar of manner to show the future generations to come how faithful he was to them. Perhaps now, they've learned their lesson.

Perhaps now, they've got it. Perhaps now they'll trust in the lord, their provider. Well, let's have a look at our third test this evening. Testing faith at Masa and Miribar. Have a look at chapter 17 verse 1.

The whole Israelite community set out from the desert of sin, traveling from place to place, as the lord commanded. They camped at Rephadin, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, give us water to drink. Moses replied, why do you quarrel with me Why do you put the lord to the test? But the people were thirsty for water there.

And they grumbled against Moses. They said, why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst? Then Moses cried out to the Lord. What am I to do with these people? They're almost ready to stone me.

The lord answered Moses. Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and taking your hand the staff with which you struck the nail and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horip, strike the rock and water will come out of it for the people to drink. Sir Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel, and he called the place Masa and Maribah testing and quarreling because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the lord saying, is the lord among us or not?

It's a disappointing end to their exam season 3 straight fails. Can you imagine how disappointed your children would be if they're sitting their GCSE exams this summer, results day comes and you can spell the word fudge with the grades or egg. There's no excuse this time. They know that god can provide them with water. It's not even that he won't provide for them this time.

He does. He graciously meets all of their needs. They just won't come to him. Their hearts are just as hard as pharaohs. It makes you wanna shout at them, doesn't it?

It makes you wanna shake some sense into them. Surely, they can't be that stupid. We'd never do anything like that. Would we? Would we?

And it's at this part of the story that we realize that's exactly what we do because god wants us to trust him. God wants you and me to trust him, but we don't. We think maybe he won't provide something physical that we need. Food or water. Clothes, somewhere to live, friends, money, or work.

Maybe he won't provide spiritual things like forgiveness, and salvation from sin. Maybe he won't grow the fruit of his holy spirit within me. We have to admit that we do the same things. But the good news of this story is that god does provide for his faithless people. We've seen that time and again this evening.

The good news for us is that god has provided everything we need to come back into a right relationship with him. And he did that by sending his son, his son Jesus to come and rescue us. The Jesus who gave his life for us on a Roman cross. Jesus who took the punishment that we deserved for our faithlessness so that we don't have to take it. Now in a moment, we're going to be taking communion together And we'll be thinking about that rescue a little more, but there's a warning for us here too.

You see, that entire generation of Israel never really learned to trust the lord. They continued to grumble and grumble and grumble against him, and they died in the desert. It was actually their children that entered the promised land, but they missed out. So the new testament warns us not to be like that Hebrew says today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion during the time of testing in the wilderness. God wants us to trust him.

And he doesn't want us to miss out. So we have to be careful. In those times when we catch ourselves, grumbling against God. When we're struggling to understand what he's doing in our lives, let's ask ourselves the question. Could he be doing in our lives?

What we see him doing for Israel here in exodus? Does he want us to cry out to him independence and ask him to provide everything we need? Is he training us in the gym of life to actually strengthen our faith in him? Is this struggle the very means by which I will develop the character to persevere? When we fail, he shows us grace and provides what we need.

Both physically as we've seen tonight and spiritually. And it's through Jesus that god has provided everything you need to come back into a right relationship with him. He is always faithful even when we are faithless. So will you trust him? Will you come to him?

Will you pray and ask for what you need? Will you believe his word and trust that through what Jesus has already done, he will save and rescue you from the judgment coming on the faithless. Let's not be like Israel here. Grumbling against the lord. Let's turn to him independence.

Now before we take communion, please would you turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 6? On page 1070. That's John chapter 6 on page 1070. I just wanna show you a few things here in the new testament that Jesus has to say about what we've heard tonight. For example, have a look at verse 35.

Jesus says, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry. And whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. And then notice the words in in verse 41. At this, the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said I am the bread that came down from heaven.

Notice how Jesus answers them in verse 43. Stop grumbling among yourselves, he answered. Then look at verse 47. Very truly I tell you the 1 who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.

Your ancestors ate the manor in the wilderness yet they died But here is the bread that comes down from heaven which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves.

How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Jesus said to them, very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. And I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food.

And my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. So we're going to take communion now and we eat this bread and we drink this juice now to remember that the lord Jesus has provided everything for us. The symbols of Jesus' body and blood remind us how he's done everything we need to come back to god and trust in him. We eat the bread and drink the juice as a sign of our faith and trust in god to rescue us from the judgment that we deserve for our faithlessness.

Now here we welcome anyone who trusts in the lord Jesus to take this meal with us. So please eat the bread as the stewards bring it to you, but hold on to the juice and we'll drink it all together. If you need gluten free bread, just signal to the stewards and they'll bring it to you. If you're not yet trusting in the lord Jesus, then why not use this time to pray and think about what god has said to you through his words in this evening. And as the stewards come around, the band are going to play 1 of the songs that we heard this morning to help us respond to what we've heard.

But before we start, let me pray for us. Heavenly father, thank you for your gracious provision. To your unfaithful people in the desert. We confess that just like them, Sometimes we too find it hard to trust you. We're sorry for the times that we've grumbled against you.

Please would you grow our faith in you. Please strengthen our trust in you. In and through the difficulties of our lives. Thank you for the lord Jesus Christ, the 1 who rescues us through the offering of his life in exchange for hours. Give us grateful hearts that don't grumble against you and make us thankful for all you've done for us.

And now lift our eyes to the 1 who helps us as we remember him now. And we thank you and praise you in Jesus' name, amen.