He Changes Everything: “Men in White” – Mark 16

Many of you are familiar with the “Men in Black” franchise of films. The first film bearing that name appeared in 1997. For the two uninitiated people on the planet that do not know of them, the Men in Black stories offered a tale of the exploits of agents “K” and “J”, members of a top-secret organization established to monitor intergalactic matters as well as police alien activity on planet Earth. Known for their uniform black suits and dark glasses, the two heroes untied a plot to destroy earth after an alien  terrorist came to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies. A few years later, movie-goers were entertained with a second slice out of the galactic pie in 2002. In this story, agent “J” became aware of an old enemy of the MIB, who returned to earth in search of a powerful artifact. “J” was forced to restore the deliberately wiped memory of his old mentor “K” to stop the Earth’s calamity. A third installment is promised to those who are waiting to save the earth – yet again – in May of 2012. Based on other movies that predict the end of the earth that year – it is a good thing we have “J” and “K” to save at least Hollywood – if not the earth!

We want to take a brief look at a different story today. This one is also intergalactic and has a SAVE THE EARTH heartbeat to it. This one has one striking difference to it – it is the TRUTH AS GIVEN BY THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE. This one enlists the help of a covert  organization as well – but they don’t dress in black. They are the ‘MEN IN WHITE’ and they truly exist. They were present long ago when the work of Jesus was done on earth… and the Bible says they are still here among us. Look at a short story that includes one of them, and listen to the words of the agent of the “Men in White”:

Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2  Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 “But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” 8 They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

When we read the Mark account, we know that we are reading a summary of the story, not the whole story. We don’t want to forget to synthesize the story with the other account so that we will add much more richness. All four Gospel writers mention the tomb of Joseph of Arimethia (though Luke doesn’t name him, but only says a man of Arimithea). Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that Roman soldiers guarded the tomb following Jesus’ death. The same three tell us of the group of women who prepared the spices to use them the morning after the Sabbath. On the way to the place of the burial, Mark reveals the discussion between the women – they were unsure of how the stone could be moved for them to do their work. Matthew mentions that a severe earthquake, powered by the Angel of the Lord, moved the stone from its resting place, exposing the tomb. As the women approached, their discussion about moving the stone was hushed…. Now they stood amazed the tomb was open. Entering the tomb, they heard the testimony of the man in white.

The shocking part of the story as Mark tells it is this: the man in white told the women to do something, and fear kept them from obeying him right away! How much like God’s church in this time they were!   

Key Principle: The promise that Jesus kept in His death and His resurrection is a truth designed to be shared – but our fear can keep it from reaching the ears of our neighbors!

It is true that Matthew shared that they overcame their fear and eventually ran out of excitement to the disciples to report the news. Luke explained that they “remembered Jesuswords” (Lk. 24:8) suggesting that it took a bit of “memory jog” to snap them out of fear and get them in gear, running as they should have been. Yet, Mark’s story ends on a note of uncertainty that bothered people through the ages. Later manuscripts appeared to have added a monk’s notes that were later inserted as verses 9-20 – they don’t appear to belong in the original Gospel. [For that reason, we end our systematic study in this Gospel at verse 9. For those who want more on these “rogue verses”, we will offer the notes of another teaching on that subject.]

If Mark truly ended with the words “they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” One may wonder why he didn’t resolve the problem. There are at least two plausible answers: first, the proper ending to the text may have been lost (a view shared by many New Testament scholars) or second, perhaps he wanted to teach us something that has become relevant for every generation of inheritors of the Gospel

Step back for a moment and look with me at the meaning of the events of that 100 hours, in a week long ago. The death of Jesus remains to this day to be the single event that separates human history between broken by need of redemption and mending toward eventual redemption. The Cross is the watershed event of our faith. It means everything. Before the Resurrection, we must understand His death – for only when we understand that will we be truly drawn to share the message of Jesus. Let me be clear: the women didn’t share the message of His Resurrection right away, because they didn’t understand the meaning of His death. Had they grasped what Jesus was truly doing and able to complete – they would not have hesitated. For many believers, the problem is the same even today. When we don’t grasp the real hopelessness of men without the salvation offered to them – we sit silent and let them pass from our sight without offering the urgent warning.

When we hesitate from fear and do not share the Gospel – a MEMORY JOG IS IN ORDER.

Perhaps the most important study we could have in this passage is one that underscores the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Why did Jesus die? Why was He raised? We must remember some important truths:

First, we must remember that Jesus’ Death and Resurrection satisfied the Father in Heaven:

Jesus died a criminal’s death. The Bible says that was essential. Listen to Paul’s writing to the first century church at Rome: Romans 3:21 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.The words may sound complicated, so take them apart:

Paul shared that the Gospel of Jesus – the message that people can be right with God simply by trusting that the work of Jesus on the Cross paid the full and complete price for their sin – was both consistent with the Hebrew Scriptures and for everyone, both Jew and Gentile. (3:21-23).

Paul then carefully explained that God gave a right relationship – “justification” – as a gift, and that gift was in Jesus paying the price for our sin. At that point, Paul explained WHY the death had to take place from God’s perspective. He said that God PUT JESUS ON DISPLAY publicly as the complete satisfaction He was looking for as the Righteous Judge – found completely in the blood of His sacrifice. That means, from God’s point of view, His wrath (the penalty for sin – with its cause and effect relationship) was turned away by the offering of Jesus as a gift. The death of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary turned away the punishment that was judicially right for me – because I trusted in that payment. The Resurrection demonstrated clearly to those who were following Him that the payment was accepted.

Imagine a man was guilty of killing his neighbor. Imagine him being brought into the courtroom in shackles to stand before a judge. Now imagine that the judge, after hearing the jury’s verdict, gives the man this sentence: “Having been found guilty of murder in the first degree by a jury of your peers, the people demand a life for the life you have taken. You are therefore sentenced to forfeit your life by lethal injection… and may God have mercy on your soul.” Now imagine that from the back of the courtroom a voice is raised that catches the ear of the judge. “Your honor!” cries the voice. “Before an appeal can be raised for this man who has been found guilty, I would like to pay for his crime in full. I will forfeit my life in his place.” Such a suggestion would have been quickly dismissed as lunacy, but when the judge looked up, the one that said this was none other than his very own son. In our system of jurisprudence, no such substitution could be made – period. Yet, a careful look at the Bible shows that God had long before set up a system of substitution – allowing an animal (after a sinner placed his hand on that animal’s head in acknowledgement of personal sin) to represent the man and die in his place. Keep going with the illustration… Imagine that the judge tearfully allowed the substitute to carry the death penalty for the man who was found guilty. Do you think the guilty man would ask to die anyway? DO you think he would ask to be taken back to his cell and await punishment in spite of the fact that the substitute was found and the judge declared that substitute to be effective?

The problem with the Christian message is that we often repeat a fundamental truth that “God loves you!” Though this is absolutely true, when shared out of balance with man’s guilt before God, it can leave the impression that God doesn’t care about the mutiny of our hearts and the stubborn rebellion we exhibit day to day. We talk of God’s love much more than we speak of God’s “wrath to come” – a phrase taken from the Bible (Lk. 3:7) and very much part of Biblical thinking.

Ray Pritchard wisely reminds us: “When Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” the listeners held on to the pillars of the building lest they suddenly slip down into eternal damnation. Can anyone imagine that happening today?

Make no mistake. God’s loving nature is not in conflict with His Righteousness. Any judge can tell you that they both have deep sympathy for people on trial and at the same time uphold the standard of righteousness in the law. God understands us and loves us, but His nature requires that He not dismiss rebellion and self will. In a very real way- parenting is a reflection of this same issue. We need to LOVE enough to DEMAND OBEDIENCE – and we cannot allow rebellion under the guise of calling it real love.

Up to the time of the death of Jesus, God provided a temporary system though animal sacrifice to turn His wrath away. There was a problem with that system – it was incomplete and could cover the sin, but not wash it away, according to the Scriptures (Hebrews 7:23-28;10:4) When Jesus died, He became a Lamb of God that was the last necessary sacrifice.

In the Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, an Englishman is caught trying to flee France during the French Revolution. He is to be put to death on the guillotine. One hour before his appointment a friend visits him in jail. He insists that they swap clothes. The Englishman refuses. The French friend tells him that at that moment his wife and child are waiting in a carriage at the door. Moments later guards led the wrong man to his execution. In some ways, our message of the Gospel fits into that scene.  We were under a sure sentence of eternal death. Our Savior took our place at the cross. At the same time, we have to admit that He did more than that. He paid a debt we could NOT pay.

Second, we must remember that God COULD NOT accept a lesser payment!

God provided Jesus as a spotless lamb – something that I could not be if I died for my own sin. We must recognize that God is NOT LIKE US if we truly want to understand the meaning of Jesus’ death on Calvary. Again, using the words of Ray Prichard, let me offer explanation: “God is infinite in holiness, and every single sin committed against him is infinite in magnitude. Only a gift of infinite value could turn away the infinite wrath of God. And only God himself (in the Person of his Son) could make such an infinite gift. That’s why our piddling efforts to turn aside God’s wrath are doomed to failure. We think that going to church or being baptized or going to Mass or saying our prayers or being good or stopping a bad habit or “trying really hard to be better” will somehow turn away the infinite wrath of God….Because God is holy, he cannot allow sin to go unpunished. His justice demands that every sin be punished—no matter how small it may seem to us. … That’s why sinners can’t simply say, “I’m sorry” and instantly be forgiven. Someone has to pay the price.”

We follow this same principle in our criminal justice system. Suppose a man is found guilty of embezzling six million dollars from his employer. Let us further suppose that just before sentencing, he stands before the judge, confesses his crime, begs for mercy, and promises never to embezzle money again. How would you react if the judge accepted his apology and released him with no punishment? Suppose the man had been convicted of rape and then was set free with no punishment simply because he apologized. …When lawbreakers are set free with no punishment, respect for the law disappears. … The same principle applies to raising children. When parents refuse to discipline with tough love, they end up raising criminals instead of responsible adults. The same is true in the spiritual realm. When sin is not punished, it doesn’t seem very sinful.“ (Prichard)

If the central message of the Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus paid the full price for my sin when I willfully trust that His substitution fully delivers me from my deserved punishment – than it is essential that I recognize the reason God will accept no other way. God has set ONE DOOR by which men can be accepted by Him. Buddha cannot offer it. Mohammed did not believe it. Confucius did not accept it. Joseph Smith did not trust in it…. No denomination can manufacture some method of obedience that compares to it.

The acceptance of Jesus as my punished substitute is the one and only way to God according to the Bible. Every attempt man makes to blow another hole in Heaven’s wall to gain access by some other good work is an affront to the price of Jesus’ blood in God’s eyes. God provided what God demanded… but we must accept that God knew the best way.

Good works lived to find Heaven’s gate are another manifestation of man’s rebellious nature. “Their must be a way I can earn it in SPITE of what God has done and said”, we tell ourselves… it is deception and rebellion revisited.

More than two hundred years ago in England, William Cowper, a man of nervous disposition who struggled with bouts of severe depression began fearing that he was under the wrath of God. “I flung myself into a chair by the window and there saw the Bible on the table by the chair. I opened it up and my eyes fell on Romans 3:25, which says of Christ, ‘Whom God has made a propitiation through faith in his blood.’ Then and there, I realized what Christ’s blood had accomplished and I realized the effects of his atonement for me. I realized God was willing to justify me, and then and there, I trusted Jesus Christ and a great burden was lifted from my soul.” Looking back on that day, William Cowper wrote a hymn that we still sing today:

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins.
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stain.

In our mad rush to feel “ever satisfied” with every area of life, Bible preaching has left the airwaves and many pulpits. In its place a steady stream of psychological sermons that could have come from Oprah or Dr. Phil offer us management tips, diet recommendations, and child rearing truths. It was not always so…The early church quickly made the death and resurrection of Jesus the central feature of their message.  Paul wrote:

  • We preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23).
  • I decided to know nothing among you except Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
  • For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).
  • But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

We must be firm in our commitment to preach the cross. There is simply no other message so important. No facebook status update will offer eternal life. Jesus, and His sacrifice must be proclaimed clearly by a church adrift.

One time a man was on a fishing trip and was sleeping on his house boat. He heard a splash right between his boat and the one next to his. The man on that boat had been drinking quite heavily and had apparently fallen into the water while drunk. The first man jumped in, found him and rescued him. He gave him artificial respiration, revived him, dried him off, changed his clothes, and got him into bed. An hour later he returned to his own boat, wet and exhausted. The next morning he went back to the man’s boat to check on him. The other man told him to go away, leave him alone, and mind his own business. He said, “Why are you being so mean. I saved your life last night.” The drunk did not remember. Instead of thanking him he laughed at him and then began to curse him. As this man left, unappreciated and rejected, he thought for a moment of how Jesus must feel when people reject him.

Third, we must remember that God delivered on His own promises!

The Gospels present clearly that Jesus saw His death not as some after-thought designed to touch men by the sheer size of the self-sacrifice  – but rather as the central work God called Jesus to do – and the work that He accepted beforehand (Phil. 2).

After all: “Hadn’t the Hebrew Scriptures already revealed the need for the death of Messiah?”

  • Jesus saw His call as clear in the Hebrew Scriptures: After his resurrection Jesus reminded the disciples: “These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled” (Lk. 24:44). Clearly Jesus saw his life and his death as being prophesied in the Old Testament.
  • Jesus saw His call as required by God’s promises: At the last supper Jesus explained one of these prophecies: “For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was reckoned with transgressors’” (Lk. 22:37). Notice the strong word “must” that is used here. It was not a matter of choice. Since God had foreseen and predicted it, it would occur. Paul said Jesus’ death was “in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).
  • Early church leaders saw this as the PLAN of God, not a surprise ending: Peter realized that the death of Christ was a part of God’s scheme of things: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). Later Peter wrote “He was destined before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:20).

Early church leaders understood this was a difficult message for Jewish people – Jews were not expecting a crucified Messiah. It was very difficult for most of them to accept Jesus as the Messiah for this reason: “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews” (1 Cor. 1:23). The term “stumbling block” was “skandalon” – a scandal to many Jewish leaders. The Scriptures taught that anyone who was hanged on the tree was cursed. Dt. 21:23: “…his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.” Even during His ministry, Jesus saw opposition among His followers to the idea of His death. When Jesus first spoke of it, Mark reminds: “Peter took him, and began to rebuke him” (Mk. 8:32).

Because they went through the learning curve, the early church leaders explained Jesus death carefully: When Jesus was raised and the Holy Spirit was given, His followers had to go back and research the Prophets of old. They rediscovered passages like Isaiah 53 and Psalms 22 there they recognized in the shadows the crucified Messiah.

Fourth, we must remember the scene poured out God’s power in front of man:

The Bible says: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). It is the message that reveals the power and truth of God like no other: “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:22-24).

  • THE CROSS REVEALS OUR NEED: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:4-6). Look at the words “our” and “him”. Clearly the cross was a payment by an innocent on behalf of the guilty.  The cross very clearly reveals that we are sinners in need of salvation. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24).
  • THE CROSS PRODUCES CONVICTION: When Peter at Pentecost, he laid responsibility for the death of Jesus at the feet of his listeners. When many of them realized this truth, they were “pricked in their hearts” or “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). They were convicted of sin.
  • THE CROSS PROCLAIMS FORGIVENESS: The writer of Hebrews said: “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb. 9:22). Someone has said: “God forgave people under the Old Covenant in advance of full payment for sin….Figuratively speaking, they were saved on credit and Jesus finally came and “paid it all”.
  • THE CROSS CREATES LOVE: 1 John 4:9 “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” … 19 “We love, because He first loved us.

Looking at the cross and the empty tomb, we have seen that like the women who hesitated, it takes a memory jog to get in GEAR and proclaim the Gospel.

  • We must remember that Jesus’ Death and Resurrection satisfied the Father in Heaven:
  • We must remember that God COULD NOT accept a lesser payment!
  • We must remember that God delivered on His own promises!
  • We must remember the scene poured out God’s power in front of man:

The promise that Jesus kept in His death and His resurrection is a truth designed to be shared – but our fear can keep it from reaching the ears of our neighbors! We need to remember. One Pastor wrote: “In Arizona an Indian boy was out plowing corn while his sister was playing in the mud hut in which they lived. She turned over a rock and a rattler crawled out, coiled up, struck, and bit her. She screamed loudly, and her brother came running. Quickly he killed the snake and squeezed his hands around her leg. He sucked the blood and poison out and may have saved her life. Due to a sore in his mouth the poison entered his blood system, though, and he died shortly thereafter. Long ago back in the Garden of Eden mankind was bitten by a poisonous snake called the Devil. We received the poison of sin which would surely bring about death if something was not done. Jesus came running from heaven and took that poison into his own body, dying on the cross for our sins. At the same time he struck a death stroke against the ancient Serpent, Satan. That is what God promised: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15).” (A-Z Illustrations).

“How to lose frustration and gain a positive heart” – Philippians 1:1-11

An old man was slowly laboring, as he walked up a long and dusty trail, set on an open hill. The trees were gone now, and the field grass was dried into a golden hue. In one hand the man held a stick, the rod that helped him ford streams and steady himself on the long journey that was nearly complete. In his other hand, he grasped a rope that alternated between slack and taught, as he tugged a loaded down donkey behind him. His skin was brown and cracked. His lips were parched, evidence of a long and difficult walk. The load on his beast of burden showed on his own frame. Both the man and the donkey appeared to be nearing exhaustion.

The graphic scene is the picture of many men and women who are walking into their respective ministries today. If you ask the children’s workers, many of them are overwhelmed. They are committed to work all week long, and Sunday has now become a burden. Families feel overscheduled and many believers secretly feel spiritually parched when it comes to things of God. The program has run them over. They feel depleted at best and unloved at worst. Add to that, they will work this week amid hearing the complaints of those who have spent no time, offered no sweat, bore no pain for the work. Many are quietly frustrated, unhappy and near the breaking point…. And they feel guilty about it. They believe that Jesus is worth it, but it has been a long time since that spirit of refreshment has cooled their overheated core.

  • The heartless among our ranks will simply mutter: “Well that’s there job! Nobody encourages me in my job. That’s what they get paid for!” The truth is that the vast majority of them get NOTHING for what they do in the Kingdom. They work because they believe it is what God called them to do. They are scores of Sunday School teachers, ushers, song leaders, children’s workers, etc. Among those who do get paid, few are those who make good wages among their peers in other work areas.
  • “We should encourage them more!” Another may say. That may be true, but that won’t really refresh them the way they need to be refreshed.
  • “Give them more time off!” Someone else will say. Let the children’s worker be in the service every other week!” They offer.

But even time spent without working for the Kingdom won’t restore them from the reduction gained in spiritual battle. The church cannot give them back what they have lost. They are in need of something that only God can supply. The problem is the oxygen tank of restoration is only available when we will stop working, and deliberately seek its restoring power. It is found in time with the Father, and can be found no other way.

Paul was writing the letter to the Philippians at a particularly difficult time. He was under house arrest, we can surmise a number of things about what he was going through:

  • Progress was slowed. After traveling much of the 10,000 land miles that made up his journeys, Paul was stopped and held to a single house near the Tiber River. He couldn’t physically check on the churches, or practically show live to them.
  • Attacks increased. Both existing churches and new believers were under attack, both in the public square and by sub groups within the church. Gentiles felt they were second class citizens of the Kingdom of God, while Judaizers moved about.
  • Divisions began to show. Cracks in the church were evident. People who should have been mature were picking at each other and the harmony was being interrupted by dissonant notes.

Paul sent a letter under the Spirit’s command, and it contains three essential parts:

The Prayer of the Church Planter (1:1-11) – losing frustration and gaining a positive heart.

When the problems are mounting and the people are being pushed apart, it is easy to lose our way in the troubles and frustrations. We forget that the problems we face as we attempt to share Christ with other are NOT simply “people problems” – though that is how they will appear. Leaders must pray or they will be dragged down into the problems.

The Prescriptions of the Church Planter (1:2-4:9) – how to learn to discern the best path.

When we pray consistently, God exposes the problem and sheds His light on it. When we seek Him we get answers that are consistent with His truth and dependent on His priorities. Those exposed truths are like a healing balm in the believer who will take heed. At the very least they will understand the problems they are facing. More than likely, they will see God power through some of those problems. In all of it, they will learn to put the problems and their solutions in the order that God has them.

The Pattern of the Church Planter (4:10-23) –unlocking constant encouragement secrets.

Models are one of God’s favorite ways of sharing what He desires an obedient believer to look like. Paul was used of God, not only to share the Gospel, but to model what the Gospel did in the life of one who is obedient.

Those are the “bones” of the letter, but it all started with Paul’s prayer. He prayed and he shared about prayer.

Key Principle: Prayer is the process of exchanging burdens for energy as I deliberately spend time with my Savior.

Paul taught the Philippians even as he shared his prayers for them. He managed to show love and a positive spirit toward them in spite of their arguments and internal strife. He could look past their infantile behaviors. How did he do that? He prayed and prayed and prayed for them… Paul said: “I keep thanking God as I reflect on your journey from the beginning to now. My confidence is in the Lord to finish a work He started in you.” (1:1-6). Paul’s prayer was:

  • Public – he encouraged them by letting them know that he was praying and what he was praying about for them (1:1-2). 1:1 Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Prayer in private is POWERFUL, and prayer in public is ENCOURAGING. Paul didn’t hide his prayer for them when he saw it would lift them. Let people know that you are praying if your believe it will encourage them.
  • Positive – he shared a thankfulness and energy of excitement concerning them as he spoke with God about them (1:3-5). 1:3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. Instead of dwelling below the decks and working the engines of ministry, he took time in prayer to celebrate what God was doing above the deck with His people. It is easy in ministry to look at everything as a hassle, and to push against each task. We can so easily lose sight of the purpose of the grime and gears – and people that should be our joy become a hassle. Take the burdens and frustrations of working with people to Jesus and let Him offer your joy in exchange for the burden.

The organ in a large church broke down one Sunday morning just before services were to begin. A member of the congregation happened to be a organ repairman and he immediately went to work on the instrument – finding it was a simple electrical problem. When he finally got it fixed it was just about the middle of the sermon. He quietly passed a note to the organist which read: “After prayer – the power will be on.” (Pastor Jeff Strite, Sermon Central illustrations).

  • Projecting – he prayed with a sense of their great future, showing he believed in God’s ability to do great things through them (1:6). 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. We don’t grow people – God does. We don’t know how He will work in them or when. God is at work! We must remember that reaching into the lives of people is NOT what it appears to be. We are to work as though WE are solely responsible, but KNOW that we are NOT – God is at work! Because He loves His church, and because He is shaping His people, we need not feel all the burden. Look ahead! God is not done with His people! Look for the good things God is doing in others, and let Him see to their faults and flaws as you pray. Teaching people is fine, but most things simply are not accomplished and cannot be – apart for Divine work in the heart of another.

Paul’s prayer was therapy for his frustration with people. It was a re-energizing experience, as he poured out frustrations and filled up on the positive lift that comes with spending time acknowledging God’s holy presence. I am certain that Paul wanted to see changes that were slow coming. At the same time, instead of pouring those on another person in ministry (which is what we tend to do in the flesh), Paul poured them out consistently before the Lord. His prayer life was not in DESPERATION but in CONFIDENCE. I sometimes wonder how long it took for Paul to begin to be a positive person because of his prayer life? He doesn’t say – but he does show that it worked!

The story is told of a woman who lived in a remote valley in Wales. She went to a great deal of trouble and expense to have electrical power installed in her home. However, after a couple of months, the Welsh electric company noticed she didn’t seem to use very much electricity at all. Thinking there might be a problem with the hookup, they sent a meter reader out to check on the matter. The man came to the door and said, “We’ve just checked your meter and it doesn’t seem that you’re using much electricity. Is there a problem?” “Oh no” she said. “We’re quite satisfied. We turn on the electric lights every night to see how to light our lamps and then we switch them off again.”

 Now, why didn’t this woman make more use of her electricity? She believed in electricity, and she believed the promises of the electric company when they told her about it. She went to a great deal of trouble and expense to have her house wired for it, BUT – she didn’t see the value of USING IT in her home… so she used it’s power sparingly. I suspect many believers treat time with God in prayer much the same way. They believe in the THEORY OF prayer. They recognize that God has made significant promises concerning prayer. They’ve even read and heard stories about answered prayers…BUT they use prayer’s power sparingly…(adapted from sermon central illustrations).

  • Personal – he showed that he was personally attached to their situation, and truly LOVED them as people – not as a WORK.  He essentially said: “It is fitting that I have confidence in you, because you are deeply rooted within me, and I feel you are with me in this trouble. God knows how deeply I long to be with all of you.” (1:7-8). 1:7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

 He wanted the people to know he loved and respected them for who they are in Messiah, and that he would CHOOSE to be with them if he could. He called on God Himself as his witness that he wasn’t just putting on an appearance – he truly cared for them. They were in his thoughts throughout the day. People want to be loved and cared about – but they feel small when they are “our project”. Look for ways to express real love to those for whom you are praying. Allow God to move your words to Him from the secret closet to the spill out of your heart. The process began with empting frustration, feeding on time with Him – and then allowing that love to spill over on to them.

 It is clear through the words of Paul that he was consistent in his prayers for them, because he cared about them. Luke reminds:Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” It is worth remembering that persistent prayer comes from a loving heart  – but the reverse is also true. If I don’t love what I should love, God works in me to WILL of His good pleasure –and changes what I WANT. (cp. Phil 2:13).

Leland Patrick wrote about PERSONAL PRAYER: “When we carried our son and daughter-in-law to the airport in Birmingham, as they left to go overseas, I cried. I had told myself not to cry. Get this picture. My oldest son felt led of God to spend his life serving in southeast Asia. He was about to leave. I knew that for the rest of his life I would only see him for short visits. I knew that I would never spend extensive time with my grandchildren. I had the audacity to tell myself that I was not going to cry. When they started through security, I cried. I didn’t just cry. I wailed. People were staring at my as if there was something wrong with me. There was something wrong. My heart was broken. I cried! There was no pretense. There was no cover up. People could read me like a book…That is what happens when we get real with God. We bare our soul to Him.”

  • Pointed – he wasn’t praying grand general themes (i.e. “bless my friends at Philippi”), but had specific issues he was presenting to the Master on their behalf. He said: “Here is my chief prayer for you: that rich discernment would grow from your love. I pray that you would allow that discernment lead to priorities that honor “fleshed out” in blameless behaviors until you stand before Jesus full of fruits that bring His Father pleasure.” (1:9-11). 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul wanted God to do a work in several specific areas of the people’s lives. First, he was concerned that the love they had would increase and not wane. Second, he wanted that love to grow toward a holy discernment that would allow them to attain the right priorities. Third, he wanted those priorities to produce practical works in the hands of the people. Paul targeted very important specifics, and he desired God to do the work behind the scenes in the lives of the people.

It’s kind of like when you’re at a theatrical play and the curtain is closed. You don’t usually see what takes place behind the curtain. If you didn’t know better, you might never realize that while the curtain is closed the props are brought out, the scenery is changed and the actors take their positions. But every once in a while somebody slips up and the curtain is accidentally drawn back and you see what is taking place behind the scenes. That’s (in essence) what God is doing here – He’s drawing back the curtain so you see what ordinarily would be hidden from your eyes.” (Pastor Jeff Strite).

Look at the verses another way. Strip away the prayer of Paul and time spent with the Lord. Here is what Paul may have been saying to a ministry partner if he WASN’T praying, but was trying to work harder to FIX THE PROBLEMS of the ministry without God’s intervention and settling in his heart: “These people are LOVING, but they just don’t seem to GET IT. They run off after every silly thing presented to them for ministry, and can’t pick out the BEST things from the GOOD things. They choose things that are WAY OFF THE MARK of God’s real purposes. They approve of things that will defile them, and then they wonder why it doesn’t work out in their lives. We need a new class, a new seminar, a new sermon series…” Sadly, that is where the maturity stops. The church craws along in half truth and half power – because all of the answers lay in leaders spending time with God.

God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” -C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

Paul publicly and personally laid before people a positive look at where God was taking them. He understood the time spent with Jesus on his knees was essential or he would lose his focus. At the same time, his prayers didn’t HINDER him from seeing the problems – the prayers INFORMED him of God’s desires concerning the problems. He GAINED FOCUS and GAINED ENERGY – rather than the sinking feeling of sharing problems with a friend or ministry partner that seems to leave you feeling powerless and victimized by problems.

Much of our prayer life can be consumed by reciting to God the problems and tossing them at God’s feet. That isn’t the response God is looking for. Look at the way God used the prayers of Paul to open his eyes to specific encouragements and exhortations that the people could grow through. Paul got SMARTER because he prayed.

God opened Paul’s eyes to truths that could be shared like a prescription that would offer medicine to the sick – but they needed to take the medicine.

George Mueller was known for his powerful prayer. In the course of his ministry to the orphans of England, he learned to count on God wholly… Once while on his way to speak in Quebec for a engagement. On the deck of the ship that was to carry him to his destination, he informed the captain that he needed to be in Quebec by Saturday afternoon. As the captain related the story, he said “’It is impossible,’ I said. ’Do you know how dense this fog is?’” “’No,’ he replied, ’my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God who controls every circumstance of life. I have never broken an engagement in 57 years; let us go down into the chart room and pray.’ He knelt down and he prayed one of the most simple prayers. When he had finished I was going to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray. ’As you do not believe He will answer, and as I believe He has, there is no need for you whatever for you to pray about it.’ “I looked at him and George Mueller said, ’Captain, I have known my Lord for 57 yrs. and there has never been a single day when I have failed to get an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, and open the door and you will find that the fog has gone.’ “I got up and the fog indeed was gone, and on that Saturday afternoon George Mueller kept his promised engagement.”

Paul recognized that when the problems were mounting and the people were being pushed apart, it was not time for counseling on the “people problems” – it was time to pray and seek God for the next steps He knew that prayer is the process of exchanging burdens for energy as I deliberately spend time with my Savior. Believers must pray or they will be dragged down into the problems and overwhelmed by them.

God often allows the problems so that we will remember that we need Him. Satan often initiates the problems so that we will forget God and become independent.  

Grasping God’s Purpose: “Judging God’s Blessing by My Comfort” – Exodus 17:1-7

Based on a true story, The story, screen play and eventually the movie called “The Fifth Quarter” unfolds an emotional tale of one family’s journey through unimaginable grief. In February, 2006, a young man named Luke accepted a ride home from a fellow student following his high-school team practice. Driving recklessly over the intense objections of his friends, the teen driver lost control of the car at nearly 90 miles-per-hour, hurling off a tiny back road and landing in an embankment far below. Luke suffered instant and irreparable brain damage, and died two days later in the local hospital – just shy of his sixteenth birthday. His broken family struggled with facing their loss. Luke’s brother, Jon was a football player at Wake Forest University and considered quitting his sports career. Instead, he returned home and worked with a personal trainer to ramp up his performance on the field, just as his brother would have wanted. His newfound dedication not only affected his abilities, but encouraged his team, as well. Jon gained approval from his coach to trade his jersey for number five, the one his brother wore. In the 4th quarter of each game, he signaled the number five with an outstretched hand to his family in the stands. Soon the entire team embraces the signal and “the 5th quarter” is born. Wake Forest University went on to one of their best seasons ever. It is an inspirational tale.

That’s the kind of story I love to watch – a “feel good” fest. I don’t want the story where pain lingers and good is hard to find. Like most Americans, I want resolution in one and a half hours or less – or the movie wasn’t worth the film it was made on. I want happiness to come from sorrow. I can deal with the “grave scene” if the end is about the beautiful flowers that grow on it. I am structured for comfort and convenience. That is one of the reasons I have learned through my culture an un-Biblical way of judging experiences and challenges.

For the believer, his life is about the journey from the world to the land of Promise that awaits him at life’s end. The journey has some cool evenings and comfortable days, but also a significant number of painfully hot times of testing and trouble. Many believers get the notion that if God is in it, things will be easy. Conversely, if things are tough, God is either negligent or has left the scene. It never occurs to us that our comfort is not God’s main concern – our growth is!

Key Principle: We cannot judge God’s blessing by our comfort.

For some context to this lesson in their lives, we need to recall that this is a FIFTH LESSON in a series that God was teaching Moses and the people, as God formed a nation from a rabble. The first four were:

  • The Obedience Test (15:22-27): They were brought to bitter water when they needed to drink. This was a test in “doing what was hard to understand, while trusting the results to God. Obedience is more important than obstacles. God gives us what we NEED, not what we WANT.
  • The Goal Test: (16:1-3; 8-12): They were tested on the real problem they had in their complaints. They lived with their “eye on Canaan, but heart in Egypt. The children of Israel thought their number one issue was Moses’ leadership, but they had no self-awareness of the bigger obstacle – their departure from God. God wants our hearts tuned to following Him – and our complaints will evaporate.
  • The Consistency Test (16:4) They were given instructions concerning the manna collection. The daily GRIND of serving another’s goal goes against our nature. Those who master this are remembered as great by God. God doesn’t take care of our part without us, that isn’t the deal. Nor can we expect others to do our part. We must act when prompted by God or face lack and the withdrawal of His blessing.
  • The Limitation Test (16:16-36) They were given limits on the food they collected. This test can be summarized as the  “learning to set limits” test. This is a hard one for a culture trained in HAVE IT YOUR WAY thinking. A simple request for food gets translated into gluttony in our culture. Many Christians do to food what drunks do to alcohol. The difference is the believer doesn’t feel guilty or unjustified at all.  Our culture is all about self-indulgence – and God was curbing theirs.

Now as we look at the fifth test, note carefully the details of this short but dramatic story…

Exodus 17:1 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.” 5 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?

The Problem (17:1)

Life has its barren places. For the children of Israel, life in the wilderness proved to be theirs. This was the second shot at “lessons on water supply” in a few weeks!  Exodus 17:1 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.

  1. The people were moving farther into the harsh lands with no ability to turn back (17:1). Many of God’s people left Egypt reluctantly. Like Lot’s wife, they needed to be delivered but they wanted to continue to enjoy the comforts of compromise. “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8). This was a time of full commitment – for soon they would be past the point of no return. Someone has said: “The problem with skydiving is that you can’t change your mind after you step off the plane – it is about total commitment.”

A blind man was describing his favorite sport – parachuting. When asked how this was accomplished, he said that things were all done for him: “I am placed in the door and told when to jump. My hand is placed on my release ring for me, and out I go.” “But how do you know when you are going to land?” he was asked. “I have a very keen sense of smell and I can smell the trees and grass when I am 300 feet from the ground” he answered. “But how do you know when to lift your legs for the final arrival on the ground?” he was again asked. He quickly answered “Oh, that’s easy, I attch a rock to a rope, and when we come to the ground the rock hits first and the rope goes slack”. Though you may not be able to see exactly what God is doing but He will provide subtle signs.

  1. God led them to that difficult and barren place. Now was the time to completely trust God.
  1. The place didn’t seem to have what they felt the needed – it seemed WRONG. The human body is 2/3 water. – By the time you are 70-years-old, you will have required 1½ million gallons of water. – Studies show that increasing water consumption can decrease fat deposits. Water is a natural appetite suppressant. Australian pain expert Dr. Michael Farrell study claims Going without a drink can make you more sensitive to pain. If you loose 2% of your body’s water supply, your energy will decrease by 20%. A 10% decrease in water, you will be unable to walk, and a 20% decrease – you’re dead. I think it is interesting that the need for water began their journey – Ex. 17:1-7. The need for water ends their journey – Num 20:1-13. Now was the time to recognize that all they needed to focus on was following God – and let Him provide for them.

THE PROBLEM WASN’T WATER —  IT WAS TRUST!

The Reactions: (17:2-4)

Exodus records the reactions of the people –  a perfect model for all the WRONG responses.  Exodus 17: 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.”

  1. Act as though there is a conspiracy by the other people in your life (17:2a). Skip the hints of God and focus on others. If you aren’t comfortable, someone must be at fault. After all, you are supposed to be comfortable – aren’t you. This comes from the misshapen notion that I deserve better than a hard life.
  1. Blame people for what God is doing, but don’t talk to Him about it! They weren’t even on speaking terms with God. Instead, they complained to Moses about God. When you have been talking to God you don’t need to be talking about God.
  1. Ascribe motives to people that uncover why they are causing the discomfort in your life. After all, by now you should be able to read their hearts and flawlessly judge their motives! (17:3a).

An old rather crotchety Christian man and his dear believing wife were suddenly killed in an auto accident and both were taken to Heaven. As they began to look all around at their setting for eternity, the sweet wife was amazed at the beauty, the peace and the contentment she felt and commented over and over about what a nice place Heaven was and how fortunate she felt to be there. The husband turned to his wife and sneered, “If it weren’t for you and your oat bran muffins & health food, we’d have been here 15 years ago.”

  1. Forget any blessing God may have given you. (When did slaves get livestock anyway? 17:3b). It is hard to complain about the livestock you didn’t even have until God gave it to you… or is it? If they took the time to think about it, so far God had provided:
  1. An opening in the heart of Pharaoh.
  2. An unexpected showering of gifts on them by their former masters.
  3. A cloud and fire navigation system.
  4. An escape corridor through the sea.
  5. Water wells at Marah and Elim.
  6. “Frosted Mini Wheats” in the desert.
  7. Quail roasters.
  1. Push leaders to the edge, become threatening and nasty. (17:4) After all, if you don’t stand up for yourself, who will? The person who followed God next to you is obviously less competent than they should be, even though you followed the same God they did. Surely they get special perks for being in charge that you don’t get, so make sure you blame them. If they can’t stand the heat, they shouldn’t be in the kitchen. After all, the perks of leading God’s people should more than replace the inconvenience of getting threatened with stoning – shouldn’t they?

By the way, many leaders mishandle the situation as well: In a short article called “Sinking Ship”, Steve Templeton wrote: Left on a sinking ship were the captain and three sailors. The captain spoke first. “Men, this business about a captain going down with his ship is nonsense. There’s a three-man life raft on board and I’m going to be on it. To see who will come with me, I will ask you each one question. The one who can’t answer will stay behind. Here’s the first question: ‘What unsinkable ship went down when it hit an iceberg?’ The first sailor answered, “The Titanic, sir.” “On to the next question: How many people perished?” The second sailor said, “One thousand five hundred and seventeen, sir.” “Now for the third question,” and the captain turned to sailor number three. “What were their names?”

God’s Answer: (17:5-7)

The people took God’s testing and turned it upside down – testing God! Finally God stepped in – but it wasn’t until someone asked Him! God’s response was a six part model for times of trouble. Exodus 17: 5 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?

1. Get out in front of the people – reset the leadership place of Moses (17:5). Without leadership, the mass would quickly become a panicked mob. God knew that Moses would need to re-establish the place of leadership or nothing else could happen.

2. Get others to see how God works and what He can do (17:5b). God used the time to train people, because that was the point of the discomfort to begin with. The time of discomfort was about trust, obedience and confidence in Him. As long as we believe we can build a comfortable life that is sufficient for the wilderness trip, we will not trust God. Our God will be our bellies. God doesn’t have your HEART until He has your WILL, and what FULFILLS you!

Paul comments on the significance of the water which they drank in 1 Corinthians 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” The issue was control and fulfillment. And it still is!

3. Remember to take the gift God has given you, that He has used in the past. For Moses it was a stick. The stick that came from Moses’ shepherding days. Remember when God said so long ago, “What is that in your hands?”

What was significant about this stick was: It was what Moses had. IUt is what God has used in his life. God did not ask Moses what he didn’t have. We could all make a long list if what we don’t have. (*We don’t have enough money; *We don’t have a good education; *We don’t have a high social standing) The list can go on and on.. but God never directs our attention to what we don’t have, but to what we do have even though it seems small. God gave us everything we needed to do the job! Even though what we have seems, small, weak, insignificant, This is on purpose, because God has designed it so that what we have must be connected to him to work. The difference is the power of God. It is not your ability, your knowledge, your talent, or the size of your gift or the beauty of your gift that matters. All that matters is:  How much of God is in your stick. Your stick represents that which you have that you surrender to God. When God gets in it, it’s enough! When God gets in it – it will surprise you (Moses fled from before his rod when it turned into a serpent). The empowering is the supernatural power of God operating through the natural to produce results that are humanly impossible. When God gets in a thing it is not the same. When God gets in a thing it can scare some people. Just like Moses who had never seen his rod do anything like that before. God got in a rock and caused a river to flow out of it that quenched the thirst of the nation of Israelites. Got got in a donkey and caused it to speak and rebuke a rebellious prophet. The rod could only do what the natural human power of Moses enables it to do – until the power of God got in it. One of the greatest problems we have as Believers is we have a tendency to underestimate what we have – because when yielded – God is in what we have! (adapted from Sermon Central illustrations).

4.     Follow God to the place He will take you, promptly when He leads you. When you are talking to Him about each step, it is much easier than it sounds. (17:6). God is leading you when you are following Him. He sees you as one of great value, for He has written into your life. Others may not see you the way He does, but His view is the right view – the Eternal view. A story is told of a man who loved old books. He met an acquaintance who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations. “I couldn’t read it,” the friend explained. “Somebody named Guten-something had printed it.” “Not Gutenberg!” the book lover exclaimed in horror. “That Bible was one of the first books ever printed. Why, a copy just sold for over two million dollars!” His friend was unimpressed. “Mine wouldn’t have brought a dollar. Some fellow named Martin Luther had scribbled all over it in German.” Do you realize your value to God? You may think it’s not worth much but  it has Jehovah’s writing printed on it.

5.     Obey God, no matter whether you get it or not. Don’t just follow the directions that appear to work out. That is a disaster. Follow all the things God tells you to do! Moses knew what to do, but God led him where he was to do it! Remember, Moses has been in this desert before, the people had not!

This selection is taken from records of the British governor of the Sinai region of the 1930’s, Major C.S. Jarvis – today a part of the “Palestine Exploration Fund” records:

Several men of the Sinai Camel Corps had halted in a dry wadi and were in the process of digging about in the rough sand that had accumulated at the foot of a rock face. They were trying to get at the water that was trickling slowly out of the limestone rock. The men were taking their time about it and Besh Shawish – the color sergeant – said, “Here, give it to me”. He took the spade of one of the men and began digging furiously in the manners of NCO’s the world over who want to show their men how to do things but have no intention of keeping it up for more than a couple of minutes. One of his violent blows hit the rock by mistake. The smooth hard crust which always forms the weathered limestone split open and fell away. The soft-stone underneath was thereby exposed and out of its apertures shot a powerful stream of water. The Sudanese, who are well up in the activities of the prophets but do not treat them with a vast amount of respect, overwhelmed their sergeant with cries of ‘Look at him! Prophet Moses’!”

6.     Mark the spot and recognize the lesson, because you will need to hear it again. Not only that, but other believers coming behind you will need to learn the lesson as well! (17:7).

Reggie Jackson is well known for having played baseball for the Oakland A’s and the World Champion New York Yankees. Earlier in Jackson’s career, he played briefly for the Baltimore Orioles. O’s Manager Earl Weaver had a strict rule he expected his team to follow: He wouldn’t allow a player to try to steal a base without first receiving the go-ahead sign from him. Of course, this was an affront to a temperamental individual like Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. In one decisive game Reggie did not receive the steal sign from Weaver, but he took off for second base regardless. The future Hall of Famer slid in, barely beating the tag. As he brushed himself off, he smiled and glared at Earl Weaver in the dugout, proud of his accomplishment. After the game was over, Weaver pulled Jackson aside, “Reggie, I want you to know why I didn’t give you the steal sign. Our best power hitter, next to you, is Lee May. May was at the plate when you were on first base. When you stole second, that left first base open. So our opponents intentionally walked him. The next batter hasn’t experienced much success against the opposing pitcher. That meant I had to put in a pinch hitter. This left me with insufficient bench strength should the game go into extra innings, which it did, and I think that is why we lost.” Reggie Jackson wanted to steal a base; Earl Weaver wanted to win a ball game. As God’s people we are sometimes going to miss the Big picture.

Before you finish this, let me ask you some simple questions…. What could God do through you is He has all of you (complete surrender)? What could He do through my life if I didn’t only follow when I felt it made sense to me? What could He do through my life if I recognized the point of life was HIS GLORY and not MY COMFORT? The lesson is simple: You cannot judge God’s blessing by your comfort.

 

 

He Changes Everything: “The Old Rugged Cross”- Mark 15:22-47

A man was driving down a backstreet in a small town. He looked up into the rear view mirror, and noticed the flashing lights of the police cruiser. He looked down at recognized that he was proceeding at ten miles past the speed limit signs. He pulled over. It could be any place, any day or any time, but it would still be a familiar scene. As he pulled over, a host of issues rolled through his mind. If he is like most Americans, he is disgusted that the police officer would waste time on him instead of catching “real criminals”. If he is like most Americans, he will surmise cynically that the city is running low on cash, and that the motivation for the stop is financial. If he is like most Americans, the very last thing on his mind will be his actual infraction – buried behind a raft of good reasons why he wasn’t really as wrong as the policemen was going to suggest with the ticket.

Here is the problem: Our culture has confused GOODNESS for RIGHTEOUSNESS. In the last 100 years, the number of “mitigating circumstances” that allows a defense attorney to argue “not guilty” on our behalf has grown at a staggering rate. Don’t misunderstand me, there are mitigating circumstances that need to be considered in judgment. The problem is that people become deceived into thinking that they are truly NOT GUILTY because they believe they are basically good, and had a good reason for doing wrong.

Why do I bring this up as we look into Mark 15 and the story of the Cross of Jesus? Because the enemy is convincing our fallen culture that because they are basically good people (a left over of God’s image stamp on them in creation) – that they are also RIGHTEOUS (truly not guilty of sin under the judicial penalty of God).

Go back to our man sitting in the driver’s seat. Let’s say he is a GOOD MAN. Let’s stipulate that he volunteers at Big Brothers of America, is a scout leader, donates regularly to Good Will, is ecologically sensitive, grew up in Sunday School and helps little old ladies across the street. Let’s name him “Dudley Dooright” and give him a “A” for civic minded efforts. What does that have to do with the fact that he was GUILTY of speeding? Everything. It gives him a reason to try to justify himself in his own mind, while calling into question the law enforcement official. It has a graying affect on the black and white of his situation. It adds subjective standards to what is really objective.

Now take that same driver, and bring him to church. If it is a Bible teaching and Bible believing church – it will offer this picture of the man: HE IS A SINNER, CONDEMNED BY GOD. He will sit and look around, perhaps squirming a bit. Why is he a sinner? He is a GOOD GUY – we have already established that! What right does that Pastor have to call him a SINNER – “I’ll bet he is trying to get money out of me for the building program!” he’ll muse. Maybe he will argue in his own mind, “This guy doesn’t know me, how can he say ANYTHING about who I am?” He will leave the service feeling condemned (a bad feeling) and that will reinforce his reasons for thinking church people aren’t for him. Like in the case of his traffic violation, it will not occur to him that the whole event occurred because he was ACTUALLY GUILTY before the law (unrighteous). He confuses being GOOD GUY with being UNRIGHTEOUS in regard to violation of an absolute standard.

It was not always so. Puritan culture understood the judicial nature of our Creator. They believed they were sinners, and they needed the cross. Our twenty first century culture in America has no need for the cross as any more than a symbol of giving. It is a hallmark moment that brings an “Ahhhh” to the modern crowd. Jesus has joined the ranks of the radical peaceful protestors, alongside Mahatma Ghandi and other examples of non-violent protest.

To a student of the Bible, Jesus’ work was not simply about EXAMPLE – it was the solution to the judicial unrighteousness of man. To a Christian, the Cross on which Jesus died became a symbol of inestimable worth. It captured in time the single greatest moment in world history since the Fall of man, only to be eclipsed by the King’s return at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom. It symbolized the breaking of sin’s inevitable hold on mankind. It symbolized the finished work to conquer sin and death (meaning a separation from God). It graphically depicted God’s love for man. It is the source of our hope.

In this passage we will go back to stand on a hill outside of Jerusalem. We will watch victory and tragedy meet. We will again be amazed at the love of our Creator, and the faithfulness of His Son…

Key Principle: The Cross changed everything. At the same time, it offers potential life to those who accept it and eternal death to those who reject it.

Before we read from Mark 15, we must understand a Biblical idea about God’s judgment. Every man or woman is judged TWICE. One judgment is for his RIGHTEOUSNESS and the other for his GOODNESS. His eternal destiny is determined by the judgment of RIGHTEOUSNESS. The degree of his reward or punishment is determined by his GOODNESS. How do I know? There are many passages, but we will suffice it with one very clear passage in the end of the Bible:

Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Note three specifics of the passage you just read:

First, there are two different measures of the passage – a single book of life by which a destiny is determined and a library of books that houses the record of one’s works in life. The Book of Life simply requires a name listing, the other books have details of works.

Second, there are two judgments – whether one is in the Book of Life and the other refers to what works one had done. Though every person not found in the Book of Life is sent to the Lake of Fire – not all are equal in the works they have done.

Third, it is possible to be GOOD in terms of works, but UNRIGHTEOUS in terms of the Book of Life. The passage we read doesn’t specify who is in the Book of Life – but the Bible elsewhere does. That is where the CROSS story comes into the problem – offering a judicial solution to UNRIGHTEOUS MAN.

Now to the Cross. There are three essential parts to the story as given by Mark. First, there is the Setting of the Execution itself. Next there is the special focus on the moment of Jesus’ death. Finally, there is the Reaction of the Observers.

The Setting of the Execution:

The very word Crucifixion brought fear to a non-citizen during the Roman period. It is still considered by most historians one of the most gruesome of deaths. Mark describes it: Mark 15:22 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24 And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him.

These four verses offer some important truths to historically set the redemption act of Jesus. It is essential that we have details, in order that we assure each generation that these were not simply “cleverly devised myths” (2 Peter 1:6). The details given are:

The Place:

Christians use a number of words that remind us of the place of Jesus’ death, simply because the Biblical terminology for the site includes the terms Golgotha, the Aramaic word for “skull,” and Calvary, from the Latin term calvaria also meaning “skull” (Matthew 27:33, Luke 23:33, John 19:17). All that we know historically about the place was that it was outside a wall to the north and west of the city, on the western hill of ancient Jerusalem. There was a garden nearby, as well as a cemetery contemporary to Jesus’ time. The Crosses may have been ON the hill, or in a flat space BELOW the hill, since the text doesn’t indicate their actual location.

The Cross:

Mark offers four important details of the actual event: 1) the drink they offered Jesus (23), 2) the method of execution (24), 3) the parting of his personal effects by casting lots (25), 4) the time of the event (26). Each of these add special texture to the history and drama, and offer details that suggest one who was there was the source. Each of these four records are consistent with the details of an eyewitness. Since this method is now removed (thankfully) from our public life, some details of the scene may be helpful to really capture the event.

  • Their Purpose: Crucifixion was another of the “spectacles” of Roman society. Even punishment was designed to send a message to people on every level of society. The crucified were often left on display after death as a deterring warning to any who might attempt insurrection. This method was particularly slow, painful (hence the term excruciating, literally “out of crucifying”), and a terrifyingly public gruesome display. Specific methods varied with location.
  • Their Variety: “Crucifixion” applied to many forms of execution, from impaling on a stake to affixing to a tree, to an upright pole (a crux simplex) or to a combination of an upright (in Latin, stipes – 300 pounds or more) and a crossbeam (in Latin, patibulum – 75–125 pounds).
  • Use of Nails: Normally attached by rope to the wood, nails were not always used. They are specifically mentioned by Josephus Flavius, in a record of the Siege of Jerusalem (in 70 CE) where he says, “the soldiers out of rage and hatred, nailed those they caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by way of jest.” Seneca the Younger suggest that victims were crucified completely nude. When the victim had to relieve bowel or bladder – they did so in open view, increasing the attraction of flies and insects, and adding to the awful smell of the place.
  • Other tools: In the normal course of the execution, the legs of the person executed were shattered with a club, an act called “crurifragium”– a punishment applied without crucifixion to rebellious slaves. This act hastened the death, but was not considered merciful on its face.
  • Roman Records: Roman citizens were spared this execution form, and its horrors were shunned by some eminent orators. Cicero described crucifixion as “a most cruel and disgusting punishmentthe very mention of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen’s body, but from his mind, his eyes, his ears.”
  • Roman Superstitions: Strangely, just like objects associated with gladiators, the nails after a crucifixion were sought as amulets with perceived medicinal qualities.

The only clear archeological evidence of crucifixion of the Roman period in ancient Judea is that of “the case of the crucified man” at Giv’at HaMivtar. The discovery was in a tomb, unexpectedly uncovered by road and construction work in the 1960s. The tomb yielded a number of ossuaries, boxes containing the bones of the dead, which were examined by archeologists. One of the ossuaries contained a curiosity that is still the subject of much discussion (See Israel Exploration Journal, vol.35, no.1, 1985, pp. 22-7). The excavator, Vasilios Tzaferis, took the skeletal remains of a male who appeared to have been crucified at about the age of 28. Evidence for the man’s death as a crucifixion included a bent nail, still positioned in the foot bones. The nail was 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) in length. Tests were run at Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School and published by an anthropologist with the Israel Exploration Society. It was determined that the crucifixion in this particular case did not include the use of the crurifragium (a sledgehammer). Further, the victim did not appear to have evidence of hand injury, implying that his arms were roped and not nailed, and may have been nailed to an olive tree. If the same type of crucifixion were applied to the Gospel narrative, Jesus may well have been nailed to a patibulum (crossbeam) and then boosted against a small olive tree.

Note that Mark includes three statements that set the cruelty of the scene in Jesus’ case very carefully:

  • His charge: A charge was nailed above Him, explaining the Roman crime He was convicted of – INSURRECTION. Mark 15:26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
  • His companions: He was not crucified alone, but was a later addition to those who were killed that day. It is likely that Barabbas’ companions were those who accompanied Jesus in death. Mark 15:27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”]
  • His curses: Mark 15:29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

The Death: How Jesus was Executed

Two details are drawn out of the spectacle on Calvary that morning long ago. Mark focused on Jesus’ personal agony as He perceived the Father’s turning from Him in the midst of the crucifixion. Jesus cried out:

Mark 15:33 When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.

The Gospel writer was not unaware of the theological realities he was trying to teach in his writing. In the middle of the scene, we need to recall some important truths about the Cross. Jesus made two essential changes at His death – He changed man’s potential relationship to God and He changed all Creation’s hope of redemption. The scene of the Crucifixion was not simply in Jerusalem – it was played out in HEAVENLY PLACES for all Creation to watch and learn.

The work at the Cross changed Man’s Potential Relation to God

The most profound effect of the Fall into sin was on man’s connection to God. Sin was primarily against God. It was a deliberate mutiny, not a personality flaw. For that reason, the Biblical notion of sin can be seen in the lost son’s confession in the parable of Joy (Luke 15): “I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.” Much earlier, the wayward King David (after he had committed adultery and arranged a murder) acknowledged, Ps. 51:3 “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.” From a Biblical view, others may be hurt by our sin, but sin is primarily directed against the character of a righteous God the way a physical attack on our President would be considered an attack against our country. Sin is the personification of self will and rebellion – the opposite of dependence upon God and the desire for submission.

From the time of the Fall, sin separated man from God. God’s revealed nature is HOLY – and holiness cannot overlook sin. Our mutiny of sin naturally separates the sinner from God as oil from water – their physical properties do not mix. Sin is a barrier ever separating permanent the fellowship between man and God that he once had in the Garden of Eden. Paul called  our state in Ephesians 2 simply “dead in sin.”

The result of sin is guilt of mutiny before God, a condition passed to every baby born of man’s sperm, where God says the defect is extended. Each sinner is responsible both by their blood (at birth) and later by their deeds – all offenses chargeable before God. Sin requires God’s condemnation – just as crime requires that of any human judge. The necessary punishment to satisfy the judicial nature of God must be met – and God set the payment terms of a holy life in exchange for an unholy one. That was Heaven’s view of the Cross of Jesus. He became the Lamb slain for me.

The Bible is not silent on the state of man without the payment of the Cross (one who chooses to try to satisfy God without relying on the work of Jesus at the Cross). “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Sinners deserve death. Paul said, “They which commit such things are worthy of death” (Rom. 1:32). “Because all men sinned, death passed upon all men.” (Rom. 5:12.)

“But I wasn’t there in the Garden!” one may object. That’s true, but one who represented you was in the Garden. Just as an Ambassador for our country represents us today before other nations, so Adam and Eve represented all of us. If our Ambassador, our President and our Congress declares war –YOU declare war. You pay for it. You support it. You send your sons and daughters to fight it. Because they represent you – they speak for you – and you pay the price. They are your FEDERAL HEAD – and so was man and woman in the Garden. One more thing: the Bible is clear, and so are our lives – we would have made the same choice. We lied and cheated without any instruction – our hearts showed self dependence since we uttered “MINE!” at age two.

God is life – and he who rejects God, rejects LIFE – and asks for the penalty of death. Choosing door number two means you rejected door number one – that is the very nature of choice.

Biblically, in His sacrifice Jesus took the believer’s place. He paid the debt left by sin on behalf of the sinner that opts into the program. Just like TRAVEL INSURANCE you cannot expect to be covered if YOU OPTED OUT OF THE COVERAGE.

The man who OPTS OUT of sin coverage of Jesus lives self-centered instead of God-centered – EVEN IF HE IS A GOOD PERSON. The righteous standard is determined by the JUDGE, who has written that man cannot live righteously until he is living godly. Man’s goodness to his neighbor is meant to be a social expression of his redemptive relationship with God. We only really love our neighbor as self when we first have a walk with God and reflect the values God has stated in every other relationship – so says the Creator. Ultimately, GOOD is subservient to RIGHTEOUS. That is why the Bible says that “No one does good!”

Mark includes the detail of the curtain of the Temple to show that the division between God and man was changed at the Cross. Mark 15:38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

The Response of Observers:

One final feature of the scene of the Cross in Mark’s Gospel is perhaps the most relevant part of the story to anyone studying the event today – the reactions of people. Why is this more relevant? Because the work of the Cross only POTENTIALLY changed a man’s destination. If they don’t accept the work of Jesus – the work has only one impact on them – it becomes a STANDARD OF CONDEMNATION before God. The check box to OPT OUT becomes the CONDEMNING CHOICE by which your claim to Heaven is denied.

Consider three who appeared to be moving toward the Cross:

The Centurion as a leader of 80 men in the Roman army, and perhaps the highest official on the scene, knew that Jesus was not guilty of subversion, and thought His death was a statement of WHO JESUS IS: Mark 15:39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

The women who stood back and watched were shocked into Covert Action. They loved Jesus, but could not understand the plan: Mark 15:40 There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. 41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

The Pharisee Joseph showed Courage, and wanted to honor Jesus by offering his tomb for a proper burial. Mark 15:42 When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.

The real question is not whether you RESPECT Jesus, love Jesus’ example, or want to HONOR Jesus through some show of self sacrifice. The real question is whether you will OPT IN to accepting Jesus as the only satisfaction for sin before the justice of God.

If you believe you are too GOOD to be UNRIGHTEOUS – you are confusing the judicial standard, and answering the wrong judgment. The Cross changed everything. At the same time, it offers potential life to those who accept it and eternal death to those who reject it.

Grasping God’s Purpose: “Testing, testing, 1,2,3…testing” – Exodus 16

For some strange reason, at the beginning of most sound checks on the microphones, no matter where I am, people use the opening line: “Testing, testing, 1,2,3, testing..” I was watching karaoke on a cruise ship a few years ago, and a Japanese man that could barely speak English, got up and clearly said those words. I was amazed! Obviously the idea of the phrase is to offer sound for the tech person to adjust levels of microphones and be sure they are working. At the same time, there is something more powerful to be learned from that simple and common exercise: Tests prepare for optimum performance.

For the believer, his life is about the journey through this world to the land of Promise that awaits him at life’s end. The journey has some cool evenings and comfortable days, but many report that there are a significant number of painfully hot times of testing. Is it because God is disconnected or cruel? No, of course not. Testing prepares for optimum performance. Testing helps us know what is improperly set in our lives. It helps us have an opportunity to take corrective steps. That is the point of the middle section of Exodus that highlights the journey through the “hot by day and cold by night” dusty desert

Life is filled with tests: At the beginning of a new year, a high school principal decided to post his teachers’ new year’s resolutions on the bulletin board. As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a great commotion started. One of the teachers was complaining. “Why weren’t my resolutions posted?” She was throwing such a temper tantrum that the principal hurried to his office to see if he had overlooked her resolutions. Sure enough, he had mislaid them on his desk. As he read her resolutions he was astounded. This teacher’s first resolution was not to let little things upset her in the New Year.

Key Principle: Testing may be an unwanted gift, but it shows us our trouble spots.

God is very present in our testing! We must understand that the absence of trouble does not signal the presence of the Lord – and conversely, the presence of the Lord does not mean the absence of trouble.

We left off in our story last time in the end of Exodus 15, where the real tests of the desert began to become clear to Moses and the children of Israel. The tests are such a feature of the life of the believer, they are mentioned in many places. In the opening chapter of James, the writer of the Epistle begins with tests of the believer (Lit: “peirasmos”or approving tests, an alchemy term, cp. James 1:2-12). James argues they should not be viewed as enemies, but rather as a normal part of the battlefield lifestyle. Moses was just about to find that out.

The Obedience Test (15:22-27)

Look back a few verses into our last lesson to begin where the real testing started. This time of trouble we will call the “Obedience Test”. All were indirectly tests of obedience. This one was a test in “doing what was hard to understand, while trusting the results to God. Obedience is more important than obstacles.

Exodus 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. 26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”  27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

Note the progression of the testing process, and you will uncover a pattern that will repeat many times in the text:

First, there was the disappointment: When they finally got to a place with water, they found that drinking the water made them ill (15:23). Having just come from God’s great miracle at the Sea of Reeds, followed by a tear-filled time of deep worship, the contrast was striking and painful. With time, they would learn there was nothing WRONG with facing tests, and they should expect them. “They could not drink” can be translated they could not bear to drink (elo yakoli). From the initial shock and disappointment, there arose a sense of disgust: What do we do now? (15:24). Voices that were quick to celebrate will be equally quick to complain! The test began in fear and quickly manifest in COMPLAINT.

Faced with an insurmountable problem, Moses cried to the Lord for deliverance. The Lord directed him to collaboration on the problem —  he needed to cast a tree limb into the water to make it potable without any ill effects (15:25a). God provided a way of escape after they failed to drink water that would make them ill – but Moses had to ACT to access the deliverance. By the end of verse 25, we can clearly see the whole thing was a test from God (15:25b). God wanted to help them by making them sick, and getting the parasites of Egypt from them. If we simply obey, it may seem more painful up front, but it is the BEST way to get through the wilderness!

In the shadow of the deliverance was the directive of God: He told them, “Next time do what I say, even if you think it will make you sick, I am working a plan!” (15:26). God knows what He is asking, and why! He is the healer! When the people were cared for, He took time to carefully teach them WHY He tested them.

The test ended with some needed “down time: They arrived at a place of rest, with fresh water and no further test. This was a time to enjoy the delights of God after a difficult lesson. At the same time, it reminds us that many people get to Marah and never leave. They can’t go on to Elim – for they prefer to sit in bitterness and wallow at what appears to be an unfairness in the testing. To most, God gave them an escape and they were all able to continue, but they learned a critical lesson – trust God and don’t always expect an easy way out of troubles!

In this study we are in Exodus 16, where we find three more of life’s tests (sponsored by our Creator) illustrated. The three tests are the “Goal Test”, the “Consistency Test” and the “Limitation Test”. Let’s look at each.

The Goal Test: (16:1-3; 8-12)

In order to achieve success, or attain a goal, you must have a deliberate mind. This test is aimed at the mind and focus. It can be quickly summarized as the “eye on Canaan, heart in Egypt” test. The text opens with three symptoms of the need for the test:

Exodus 16:1 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. 2 The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Symptoms of the Need for the Test (16:1-3)

FEAR: First, there was a fear of the future that set in when they recognized the discomfort of their choice to follow God. The Israelites left the comfort of Elim and entered the foreboding environment of Sin a month after their departure from Egypt (16:1). The place of Elim (Hebrew: אֵילִם‎, ’êlim) is referenced both here and in Numbers 33.9 as a place where “there were twelve wells of water, and seventy date palms,” and that the Israelites “camped there near the water”.

It is described as being between Marah and the Wilderness of Sin, interior to the Sinai, and has been debated by some scholars to be in Wadi Gharandel, an oasis 100 km southeast of Suez. In the late 1960’s, Professor Menashe Har-El (a researcher of the ancient geography and history of Israel and the Mideast, formerly a lecturer at the teachers’ seminaries of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University) proposed Elim to be `Ayun Musa “the springs/wells of Moses.” He noted that in 1907 the geologist Thomas Barron had observed that 12 springs existed at this site along with palm trees.  That location is still debated. What is NOT DEBATED is the meaning of the name, “gods” or “strong ones”. It was a place of gaining strength, and it was a place of LIFE to a people lost in the desert. In protest, they became one giant “Back to Egypt Committee,” acting as though slavery with water was preferable to freedom without. The problem with the FEAR was that it blocked out God. We cannot see faith through fear, but the reverse is also true: We cannot see fear through faith.

FUSSING: A second symptom that surfaced from the inner fear was the whining about the circumstances – a mere verbalization of disbelief in God’s power and purposes. When the discomfort grew intense the contagion was released and spread like wild fire (16:2). Some people can complain about anything! One writer tells the story of a young man writing at a post office desk who was approached by an older fellow with a post card in his hand. The old man said, “Young man, could you please address this post card for me?” The young man gladly did so, then agreed to write a short message when asked and to sign the card for the man. Finally the younger man asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” The old man looked at the post card, thought about it for a moment, and said, “Yes, at the end put, ’P.S. Please excuse the sloppy handwriting.’” (Complaining Saints by Quintin Morrow Exodus 16:1-15, SermonCentral.com)

FORGETFULNESS: A third common call for the GOAL TEST is the manifestation of a selective memory, when we recall the past differently than it really was! (16:3). It is astounding how quickly they forgot their sorry in Egypt and recalled it romantically. Though memories are great to have, we never move forward by looking behind us. Israel was so consumed with the memories of leeks and onions by the Nile they failed to wait on the One who was taking them to a “land flowing with milk and honey”! Why? Simply because they hadn’t LET GO. Although God released them from Egypt, they hadn’t released Egypt from within them! When we won’t let go of the past life, we won’t follow God in faith in the present life.

The Process of the Testing (16:8-12):

Exodus 16:8 Moses said, “This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the LORD hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”

WRONG DIAGNOSIS: When the Lord provided for the needs, they should have quickly realized they had rejected His plan, not just their own dreams and ideas (16:8). The people needed to look beyond THEMSELVES to see the hand of God and the purposes of God. When we are hurting and needy, we don’t easily see others, and God is buried deep in the pile.

Jim Smith went to church on Sunday morning. He heard the organist miss a note during the prelude, and he winced. He saw a teenager talking when everybody was supposed to be bowed in silent prayer. He felt like the usher was watching to see what he put in the offering plate and it made him boil. He caught the preacher making a slip five times in the sermon by actual count. As he slipped out through the side door during the closing hymn, he muttered to himself, “Never again, what a bunch of clods and hypocrites!” … Ron Jones went to the same church that Sunday morning. He heard the organist play an arrangement of “A Mighty Fortress” and he thrilled at the majesty of it. He heard a young girl take a moment in the service to speak her simple moving message of the difference her faith makes in her life. He was glad to see that this church was sharing in a special offering for the hungry children of Nigeria. He especially appreciated the sermon that Sunday – it answered a question that had bothered him for a long time. He thought as he walked out the doors of the church, “How can a man come here and not feel the presence of God?” (Illustrations Unlimited, James Hewett). The reality of these two men are that each HAD A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE about church, life and God.

The children of Israel thought their number one issue was Moses’ leadership, but they had no self-awareness of the bigger obstacle – their departure from God. Their failed relationship with the Lord was at the heart of their grumbling – and so is OURS.

DIVIDED HEARTS: The children of Israel looked one way and thought another…. They talked freedom, but dreamed slavery….They followed God’s cloud, but dreamed about Pharaoh’s provision. The PROMISED LAND and the PAST LIFE were is opposite directions – and they knew what their heart was beckoning for.

Exodus 16:9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumblings.’” 10 It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’”

When we recognize the Lord has heard our voice whining, we may be afraid He will judge us, but we if we don’t back away from Him we will discover new things about God and His character (glory-16:10; provision- 16:12a; mastery over all things- 16:12b; creative ability to care for you- 16:13-15). God was about to give them BREAKFAST CEREAL for the morning, and QUAIL for the evening grill.

To think about Egypt, their minds would slip across the burning desert sands, and back across the sea, where slime bricks and slavery were quick forgotten but the smell of leeks lingered and held sway. But to think of Canaan, their minds would have to lift past the burning sand of their feet to the promised land of the distant hills… Canaan or Egypt… Forgotten shackles in one, future songs in the other…. Freedom in Canaan, full stomachs in Egypt… The key question is always, Would we rather stay in bondage than pay the price for freedom?

The key to the focus test is this: We need to keep our eyes on the Lord of our journey, not simply on the destination of our journey, or we lose heart!

The Consistency Test (16:4,27)

This can be easily summarized as the “use only as directed” test. The text shares: Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.

The clear point of the Consistency Test is obedience – not once, but ongoing. The daily GRIND of serving another’s goal goes against our nature. Those who master this are remembered as great by God.

In the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He made application to Prior Richard at a local monastery, asking to be accepted as a contemplative and spend the rest of his life in the monastery. “Your Majesty,” said the Prior Richard, “do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a king.” “I understand,” said Henry. “The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you.” “Then I will tell you what to do,” said Prior Richard. “Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you.” When King Henry died, a statement was written: “The king learned to rule by being obedient.” (Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching 155, ed. By Craig Brian Larson Baker 1993).

God met their need, but not so that they would begin to place their trust in the FOOD, but rather that they would recall their Master – and TRUST HIM. Food was supplied faithfully all the while they were in the desert until after they came into the land (Josh. 5:12). They had sufficient clothing and sandles (Dt. 29:5). They saw His hand in their lives in profound ways – a pillar of fire, a cloud, provisions of food and water – and this was just the beginning. The old English word for “rely” comes from the word, rally; so to rely on the Lord means having the confidence that He will rally to you, coming to the right place at the right time with the right help. Dependence on the Lord is not blind faith; it comes with instructions from God’s Word. For fullness — they had to follow orders.

What were the instructions?

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us  — what was meant to enjoy, what they should evade, and what they should expect along the way. God told the Israelites how to enjoy their food: knowing when to collect, what to do with it, and how much was needed. It meant gathering food in proportion to the storage of the stomach and the people in the family (16:15). Exodus 16:15 “When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us…They were expected to work together in collaboration with God to get the job done, day by day. Exodus 16:4 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.” God wanted them to celebrate HIS WORK and do THEIR WORK. Effective prayer involves the balanced tension between total dependence on God and responsible action by the one who prays. R. C. Sproul has noted, “To pray without action is hypocrisy. To act without prayer is pagan.”.

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us — Each person became responsible to care for their own collecting, with each family caring for the needs of their family.  Exodus 16:17  The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18 When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat.

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us – Obedience is time sensitive. He explained not only the fact that it is to be done daily, but when in the day it is to be done (16:21). Exodus 16:21 They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

God’s Word told Israel exactly what it tells us — Those who did not follow instructions found themselves without and hungry. Exodus 16: 27 It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? This same idea was repeated many times, as in 2 Thess. 3:10 “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. 13But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

The key to the Consistency Test is this: We can’t expect God to take care of everything without us, that isn’t the deal. Nor can we expect others to do our part. We must act when prompted by God or face lack and the withdrawal of His blessing.

The Limitation Test (16:16-36)

Exodus 16:16 “This is what the LORD has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’” 17 The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18 When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. 19 Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21 They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt. 22 Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 then he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” 24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26 “Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.” 27 It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? 29 “See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 The house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32 Then Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded, ‘Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

This test can be summarized as the  “learning to set limits” test. This is a hard one for a culture trained in HAVE IT YOUR WAY thinking. Look at these five truths:

  • First, the amount of food was specified: The amount that each person needed was given by God. They were to live within the amount He said they needed to be healthy. The amount was checked and divided as specified. (16:16-18)
  • Second, when to eat the supply was specified: Moses told them to eat it that day, and not leave any for later. God wanted them to work daily and need Him daily, but not hoard or begin to sell and take advantage of the system. (He must have seen what happens to relief food supplies of the UN! 16:19-20).
  • Third, when to gather was specified: The pattern of doing it every morning got the camp up and stirring early in a way that kept them disciplined (16:21).
  • Fourth, when to plan was specified: They were given opportunity to effectively plan for the Sabbath weekly (16:22-24).
  • Fifth, when to rest was specified: Nothing would be given them if they tried to run without rest and keep gathering (16:25-30).

A simple request for food gets translated into gluttony in our culture. There is nothing wrong with looking out for tomorrow, but when it becomes an opportunity to hoard things, our heart toward God grows cold as our heart warms to more and more things. We are living in the days of all-you-can-eat buffets. We stop at the food spread and eat until we can’t move. Often, we eat too much, even to the point of gluttony. Many Christians do to food what drunks do to alcohol. The difference is they don’t feel guilty at all.  Our culture is all about self-indulgence. It’s about the drive to obtain things that we think will make us happy.

Funny things happen on the way to the Promised Land, don’t they. We tend to forget what is really important. We tend to stop trusting God. We forget our past and begin to doubt our future. Our fear of what may happen tomorrow can some times turn us into gluttons because we’re not sure that what we want will be available when we want it. So we stock up. We load up. We hoard all that we can get. Gluttony is in its essence, a failure or a refusal to trust God in everything.

The key to the Limitation test is this: God wants us to work hard, but to control our desire to have everything we want when we want it. Failure to control our appetites, work and plan will hurt our walk with Him and our understanding of Him!

Testing may be an unwanted gift, but it shows us our trouble spots. God is very present in our testing! The absence of trouble does not signal the presence of the Lord – and conversely, the presence of the Lord does not mean the absence of trouble.

He Changes Everything: “The Suicide King” – Mark 15:1-32

Games have a unique and interesting history. Take for example, the playing card. They were apparently invented in Ancient China, where they have been uncovered as early as the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty (618–907).  Playing cards first entered Europe in the late 14th century, probably from Mameluk Egypt (A complete pack of Mameluke playing cards was discovered by Leo Mayer in the Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, in 1939). The first documentary evidence is a ban on their use in 1367, Bern, Switzerland. Wide use of playing cards in Europe can, with some certainty, be traced from 1377 onwards. The earliest cards were made by hand. Printed woodcut decks appeared in the 15th century and from about 1425 professional card makers in Ulm, Nuremberg, and Augsburg created printed decks. Playing cards even competed with devotional images as the most common uses for woodcut in this period.

The four suits now used in most of the world — spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs —originated in France in approximately 1480. Also in the 15th century, Europeans changed the court cards to represent European royalty and attendants. In the early years, French playing-card makers  assigned to each of the “court cards” names taken from history:

  • King of Spades: David (a biblical king)
  • King of Hearts: Charles (presumably after Charlemagne)
  • King of Diamonds: Caesar (presumably after Julius Caesar, dictator of the Roman Republic)
  • King of Clubs: Alexander (king of Macedon)

The king of hearts is oft referred to as the “suicide king” because the figure appears to be sticking his sword into his head. Closer inspection of the cards of antiquity seem to indicate a hand holding it – perhaps someone else stabbed him. His youthful death is attested in that he is the only one of the kings without a moustache.

Today I want to look into the Word and trace a close picture of a King at the point of His death. It can be understood to be a suicide theologically (Jesus gave His life for us), but it certainly was a MURDER in the text. It is the death of the King of Kings, and it is graphically depicted in Mark 15.

Key Principle: Two kinds of people met Jesus at His Cross – the pride-filled powerful and the pain-filled prisoner. One was offered rescue, the other condemned by his hardness. That is ALWAYS how it is with Jesus.

The scene was early in the morning on a Friday, after Jesus had been taken into custody. He had been up most of the night, and badly treated by the Sanhedrin. He was marched from the western Hill, today called “Mt. Zion”, and was brought to the ancient Temple Mount. Mark shares:

Mark 15:1 Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.

They took Him to the place where Pilate was staying in the city…

2 Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.” 3 The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” 5 But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.

A little while later, a crowd began to gather before Pilate…

6 Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. 7 The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 The crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. 9 Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. 12 Answering again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 They shouted back, “Crucify Him!” 14 But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” 15 Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Again, Jesus was led away, this time into the lair of a brutal band of discontented soldiers…

16 The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. 17 They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him. 21 They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross. 22 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24 And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified Him.

The cross was placed just outside the city as a reminder of “Roman sovereignty”….

26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] 29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

Two kinds of people met Jesus at His Cross – the pride-filled powerful and the pain-filled prisoner. Let’s walk into the scene, and meet them. You won’t have any problem identifying who is in what role MOMENTS into their description. Let’s begin with the POWERFUL.

THE FIRST KIND: THE PRIDE FILLED POWERFUL PEOPLE

They stick out, and that is their intention. They dress for attention. They walk with a swagger, and expect you to move out of their way. Some of them take pride in their GOODNESS – that is the religious kind. Some take pride in their easy RECOGNITION – that is the fame oriented political kind. Some take pride in the FEAR they create in others – that is the earthy “raw power” kind you find in bars where soldiers back from the front gather. The scene today provides a look at all three of these:

Religion based Power – Elders and Scribes

Search the passage for all the times the Elders, Chief Priests and Scribes are mentioned and it will look something like this:

They felt POWERFUL:

Mark 15:1 Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.

The verbs of verse one reveal a sense of power. Note words like “held consultation”, “binding”, “led away” and “delivered”. Jesus appears to be a victim, and they appear to be in control of everything. He is a docile rabbit, and they are the slaughterers. He is unarmed, and they are dominant.

They felt SELF-JUSTIFIED: Mark 15:3 The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” 5 But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.

The men raised accusations. The term “katagoreo” is the word here, a combination of two very well understood words in Greek. “Kata” is a modifying word that usually indicates intensity or direction. Sometimes it is translated “down”, but it is much more. The second part of the word is “agora” the word for the public forum, shopping mall, or public discourse center. In combination, the idea is the loud disputations one could hear in a market place. Read: LOUD, BRASH, HOSTILE, FRUSTRATED. Stand at a “customer service counter” at Christmas and you will get the idea. People complain loudly out of a sense that INJUSTICE has been done to them. They believe they must PRESS the idea to be heard. Someone said about there marriage to me the other day: “My wife was taught in her home that if someone didn’t agree, it must be a hearing problem – they can’t hear you. She learned that if she turned up the volume, you would agree. Often I do – simply because I want the volume back down!”

You can read of their self justified attitude a few verses later:

Mark 15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead.

Here are the leaders behind the scenes “agitating” (ana= by; seio=stir) the crowd to get what the leaders want. They are FINE with freeing a murderer and dissident, in exchange for getting rid of One who is much more popular. Their issue isn’t MORALITY or PUBLIC ORDER – their issue is CONTROL – and that is at the center of their works. Some religious people are about controlling others – but in the end all of them are about hoping they can CONTROL GOD and His reaction to their outward devotion.

I suspect that no teaching of the Bible is harder to swallow for people in our day than that of man’s utter depravity. Those words are the theological terms for the utter inability of man to earn God’s favor. That is at the heart of the religions made by men. Biblically, I can do NOTHING that will make myself acceptable to God – no attendance at mass or religious service, no prayer to a saint of yesteryear (no matter how great that saint was in their lifetime). Isaiah 64:6 reminds us that even our RIGHTEOUSNESS – that is, the things we do that we deem GOOD, are as “filthy rags” before God – because they are not what He accepts as our Judge.

Ray Prichard said it this way: “That doctrine teaches us that there is nothing we can contribute to our salvation. We are so lost in our sins that we have no idea how sinful we really are. When we look into our own souls and see ourselves, we see only the sin that lies on the surface, but God sees to the bottom – and what he sees is a foul pit of iniquity. We are so lost that unless God takes the initiative to save us we will never be saved at all.”

They are SELF SATISFIED: The religious powerful find evidence in the world that they are right in what they teach and believe. They are able to SHOUT DOWN the conscience that God placed within them with self made “ends justify means” dogma. Look at the behaviors they had toward the condemned Jesus at the cross: Mark 15:31 “In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.”

Isn’t it sort of obvious if you were standing on the that hill on that particular day, that you would see THEY WON. They got the One who called Himself “The Way” out of their way. The One who was called “The Truth” was listening to the taunts of those who shouted insults and LIES. The One who called Himself  “The Life” – was having His life drained away from Him – at the command of the taunting ones.

Men of religion can seem powerful because they can indicate GOOD WORKS and ACCOMPLISHMENTS they believe justify the way they do things. They can point to beautiful buildings and helpful philanthropy – and argue they had the right to plow under distractions on their way to doing God’s work. Ironically, when God put on skin and walked the earth, He chose to walk with people who were largely uncared for by these religious powerhouses.

Political based Power – Pontius Pilate

Beyond religious people, there was the political backdrop of the passage. Jesus was not only a religious problem, He had become a political liability.

Pilate thought Jesus was STUPID: Mark 15:2 Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.” 3 The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” 5 But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed. To one who supremely prizes POWER, the argument to gain and keep power makes sense. When you are accused, you fire back. You hold your ground, because YOUR OPINION is worth hearing. You believe in yourself, and you ask people to believe in (and vote for) you and the ideas you bring to the table. Silence is a sign of inability to the political mind. Your skillful oratory is your ability to FIGHT – and that is what makes you powerful. There He stood, the Creator of all (Col. 1:16-17), embodied before a puny Prefect. (Wikipedia on the title: “The “Praefectus” was the formal title of many, fairly low to high-ranking, military or civil officials in the Roman Empire, whose authority was not embodied in their person (as it was with elected Magistrates) but conferred by delegation from a higher authority. They did have some authority in their prefecture such as controlling prisons and in civil administration.”) What an irony… Jesus before Pilate. The levels between the two in every way were staggering. Was Pilate more intelligent? He thought so. Was Pilate more important in human history? He thought so. Was Pilate more significant in governing the affairs of men? He thought so.

Both Pilate and Jesus died. One opened salvation to humanity, and saved the world. The other was apparently banished to Gaul and unable to die in his own home, discarded by his emperor and his spouse. In what appears to be the more reliable historical note on what happened to Pilate: Eusebius (Historia Ecclesiae book ii: 7), quotes some early apocryphal accounts that he does not name, which already relate that Pilate fell under misfortunes in the reign of Caligula (AD 37 – 41), was exiled to Gaul and eventually committed suicide there, in Vienne.

Pilate thought Jesus was a CAREER OPPORTUNITY: Mark 15:9 Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy…15 Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Pilate knew the charges were not real, they were based on ENVY. He frankly just didn’t CARE. He wanted to keep the people before him from causing a stir. In a way, he was like the parent of the child that is held hostage in the public setting by a child that threatens to SCREAM if the parent tries to curb any desire of the child. He was hoping this would help cement relationships in HIS JOB. Luke adds the detail: “Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.” (Luke 23:12). Pilate no doubt saw the condemnation of Jesus as a great career move toward making important friends.

He thought Jesus was PATHETIC: Both before the Crucifixion and after, Pilate reflected a tiny bit of humanity in his demeanor. He seemed to argue to keep Jesus alive for a time: Mark 15:12 Answering again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 They shouted back, “Crucify Him!” 14 But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” After his bigger agenda of keeping the people happy took over and the Crucifixion was completed, he again showed a more human side: Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

I am not trying to make him into a good guy – he clearly was not. At the same time, he and his colleagues had dispensed such “justice” many times in their lives, and he certainly had no clue this day was any different. Jesus was, as far as he was concerned, a pathetic pawn trapped in His own popularity by envious and jealous religious stooges. He should, Pilate thought, be pitied for His misfortune.

Reputation based Power – Roman Soldiers

Beyond the echelons of power reached by public placement – like the priests and prefect – were the simpler but still powerful bearers of the Roman eagle standard… the cohort of Roman soldiers.

They saw Jesus as ENTERTAINMENT: Mark 15:16 The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. 17 They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him. The chief problem for Roman soldiers was BOREDOM. Those who have served “Uncle Sam” can understand. There is nothing like being transported far from home to a place where most people HATE you and don’t even KNOW you. Respect of such people can only be gained, they thought, by open displays of BRUTE STRENGTH. If they had to be brutal, so be it. At least Jesus offered a distraction from the mind numbing boredom of serving Rome in this backwash of the Empire.

They saw Jesus as a DUTY: Mark 15:21 They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross. 22 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. The soldiers had no desire to build relationships – just get their job done. When Jesus couldn’t stand up and carry the cross beam of His cross – they found someone else. A Numidian African – a Roman of the Senatorial Province of Cyrene was pressed into service.

They saw Him as a way to GAIN: Mark 15:23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24 And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. Beyond the distraction from boredom that Jesus provided, they could gain a small amount under Roman law, by getting the few meager pieces of cloth and leather that were taken from the condemned. It wasn’t much, but many duties offered no gain at all.

THE SECOND KIND: THE PAIN FILLED IMPRISONED PEOPLE

Just a single verse describes the criminals crucified on either side of Jesus in Mark’s account: Mark 15:27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Ray Prichard notes: “When Christ died, he didn’t die alone. Two thieves died with him. We often focus on the thief who cried out, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” We know that man was saved because Jesus told him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). But don’t forget there was another man hanging beside Jesus. He cursed and swore and blasphemed the Son of God. He died as he had lived, a wretched sinner, unforgiven. ..The cross that saved the one doomed the other. The cross stands as a silent sentinel proclaiming that you have to come God’s way – or you won’t come at all! The same cross that offends the world and judges the world also saves the world…God has no other plan of salvation – and he doesn’t need one.

Paul acknowledged how our message looked to his world. He said: “But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (I Corinthians 1:23) Our chief Christian symbol is the symbol of an EXECUTION. Today, a contemporary symbol might be a noose, an electric chair, or a small chamber with the machine for a lethal injection. Our message is the OUR LIFE COMES FROM HIS DEATH.

There is, however, a condition. I can KNOW that God accepts ME because of Jesus IF and ONLY IF we accept His Son’s sacrifice in the place of our own goodness, and our own works. 1 John 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Hold up your left hand and let it represent you standing before God with your sins – in an unforgiven and guilty state. Now hold up your right hand and cover it with a cloth or a towel or a handkerchief. Let your right hand represent Jesus Christ and the cloth his perfect righteousness. As long as you (the left hand) stand before God with your sins uncovered, you cannot enter heaven. Now take both hands and clasp them together so that the cloth covers both hands. When God looks down from heaven, what does he see? He doesn’t see your sins because they are covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Now you can enter heaven because God sees you as having the righteousness of his Son. (Prichard)

Two kinds of people met Jesus at His Cross – the pride-filled powerful and the pain-filled prisoner. One was offered rescue, the other condemned by his hardness. That is ALWAYS how it is with Jesus.

Grasping God’s Purpose: The Day After Syndrome – Exodus 15

There they stood, no dry eye in the place. We had been up until all hours of the night every day of the last week. We were all saying “Goodbye” tomorrow. How had we grown so close together in just one week? Now Pastor Ed just preached about giving our all to Jesus. We were all sure we would be ready to read our Bible no less that daily, and reach our entire school for Christ. We were the committed, the empowered. We were kids on a mission. Our lives would never be the same. We surrendered great things – such great things as can be surrendered by elementary school boys. What a time of worship we had. Now the sticks were tossed on the fire as we symbolically told Jesus we were ready to live for Him in all things. We were ready for anything… anything, that is, but going HOME. Anything but living these truths when we got home.

Don’t get me wrong, our hearts were emotionally immature, but terribly genuine. We believed what we were saying. The plateau we reached in our elementary school walk was not false… it was just set in an unreal setting. Life would set in and test our resolve. Long after camp, at least a few weeks or so, we would struggle to live the ideals we swore to at the camp fire. Was the time WASTED? I don’t believe so. Even in the camp experience of plateaus, our fragile and infant faith was being nurtured. We DID leave stronger than we came in. We NEEDED the experience of the “Rise and Fall” that followed as part of our growing process….

Have you ever left a worship time with the Lord elated, excited, committed and joyful – only to have it all come crashing down on your head! Have you ever seriously committed things to the Lord in a special time of consecration. Maybe it was a promise in a hospital room. Maybe it was a praise moment after a deliverance of the Lord. Looking back,you were geneuine in your surrender, but what followed was unforeseen in your life. EVERYTHING seemed like it was even worse than before. You really thought you were going to be able to walk with God… but in a blink the whole dream soured. Problems rushed in and nothing worked. If you know what that is like, this passage is for YOU.

Like a play with a “split stage”, Exodus 15 has two very different and even contrasting scenes. The first was elation and worship, the second was the “day after” when a pummeling of problems rolled in. It is a natural experience for us – for we live in two realms at the same time. The joys of the world above don’t cancel the power of the problems below. Yet, Intimacy with God gives us strength to care for BOTH worlds at the same time!

Key Principle: I must learn Who God is and how He works in the journey to be able to both enjoy life and walk with Him.

In order to understand the problem of the second half, let’s spend a few minutes in the joy of the HOT HIT in the first half of the passage…

Song of Preparation for the Journey (Exodus 15:1-21)

Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. 2 “The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him. 3 “The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name. 4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 “The deeps cover them; They went down into the depths like a stone. 6 “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. 7 “And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff. 8 “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be gratified against them; I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ 10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? 12 “You stretched out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them. 13 “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation. 14 “The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. 16 “Terror and dread fall upon them; By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; Until Your people pass over, O LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased. 17 “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established. 18 “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.” 19 For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea. 20 Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing. 21 Miriam answered them, “Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”

Moses led a song with the people: This is now a famous song sung in synagogues around the world on Shabbat. Later it will become a part of the song of the redeemed Jewish people that add to it the song of the Lamb in Revelation 15:3 in Heaven!

Refrain: Who is like You? (15:11)

  • Mi-chamochah b’elem Adonai (YHWH). (Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?)
  • Mi-chamochah ne-adar b’kodesh (Who is like You glorified in holiness?)
  • Nora t’hiloth oseh feleh – oseh feleh (Fearful/Revered in praises; Worker of Wonders!)

Don’t skip the details. The song was:

Directed to the Lord (1): Exodus 15:1a “Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said…” Redemption is impossible without God, and the redeemed need to turn back to God and PRAISE Him and thank Him for the great thing He has done. We praise Him when He delivers our body from harm. We praise when He heals from sickness. Which is harder, to say “rise up and walk” or to say “your sins are forgiven you”? Tell the Lord you want to PRAISE HIM for accomplishing your new life.

Once the song was lifted, the contents yielded six truths about God: Exodus 15:1b: “…I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.”

  • God has His place (1b “Lord” is Master): I am overjoyed to call Him my Master. He has all rights to my life, my happiness, my fulfillment!
  • God holds His position (1b: “exalted”): I will not lift another above Him in my eyes or my heart, He is first!
  • God does His powerful work (1b: “hurled”): There is NOTHING He can’t do to defend me. He can pull apart the earth itself to hold on to me!
  • God gives His provision– Exodus 15:2 “The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him. 3 “The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name. 4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 “The deeps cover them; They went down into the depths like a stone.”
  1. Personal (2 “my”): He is the object of my praise and worship!
  2. Empowering (2 “strength”): He gives me the power to keep going!
  3. Joy (2b “my song”): He fills my mouth with song and my heart with joy!
  4. Rescue (2b “my salvation”): He throws a lifeline to me when no one else will!
  5. Defense (2b “Elohim”): He stands over me to defend me in strength!
  6. Connection (2b “my Father’s God”): He bonds me to a history of His legacy!
  7. Victory (3-5; 19 “warrior” mentioned and then illustrated): When I am overwhelmed, He is there to create a victory over my enemy!
  • God shows Himself through His Performance – He relates through His “working features” (15:6-13):

Right hand (6-7): Majestic, shattering power that consumes those who stand against You. 6 “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. 7 “And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff. Later the Right Hand is mentioned again (12-13): The sign to all creation to obey, it swallowed enemies and led us gently at the same time! …12 “You stretched out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them. 13 “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.”

Nostrils (8-10): A powerful force that drove back the sea and shut down the pursuit of the enemy. 8 “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be gratified against them; I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ 10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”

  • God works in His purposes (Exodus 15:14-19)

1. Let the world know of Him (14-15): You want all Creation to know of You! 14 “The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.

2. Let His redeemed be rescued (16-17a): You want your people to acknowledge Your rescue! 16 “Terror and dread fall upon them; By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; Until Your people pass over, O LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.

3. Let His worship be established (17b): You want to be at the center of our hearts! 17  “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

4. Let His sovereign control be known (18): You want to bring about the righteous rule You have promised! 18  “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.”

STOP! See what the Lord has revealed about Himself through His servant Moses in a moment of JOY! It was the pattern of preparation for HARDSHIP!

The song is again sung in human history. The stage is set in Revelation 15:3. In the shadow of the Great Throne of God the sound of the voices of Jewish martyrs begin to cry out. From the anguish of their life on earth they were forcibly born into the presence of the Holy One, even as a newborn baby is pushed into arrival. Entering Heaven with tear-filled eyes, God wipes their eyes and pulls them to His side. “Well done, My child!” says the Master. Almost without thought they begin to sing the words they have learned from their youth. These Jewish followers of Jesus cry out, “Mi-chamochah b’elem Adonai” (YHWH). (Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?); “Mi-chamochah ne-adar b’kodesh” (Who is like You glorified in holiness?); “Nora t’hiloth oseh feleh – oseh feleh” (Fearful/Revered in praises; Worker of Wonders!). What are these words they sing? What are they saying?

  • My God is My Master! He has my heart and is exalted in my eyes!
  • He stops at NOTHING to cling to me, and hold me in His hand!
  • He gives me the power to make it through troubles and the joy to fill my heart in the journey!
  • He rescues me from the pit of despair and stands as a strong defender over my life.
  • He connects me to the great drama of history – His story.
  • He makes me a victor over the enemies of discouragement, addiction, and a broken life.
  • With His great right hand He orders the worlds, all Creation is formed and crushed in His hands. With a mere breathe He shuts down any enemy that pursues me, and uses His hand to gently lead me.
  • He wants the world to know Him, and He desires to rescue even more of my world!
  • He hungers that we would enjoy Him, for He knows that only when I recognize His greatness and love Him intimately will I truly find fulfillment!
  • Great is our God! Great is Our God!

In Exodus 15, the excitement receded, and what replaced the celebration was…heat and trouble. Salvation is exciting, the Christian life can be just plain hard. That’s the truth. Obedience and surrender are RIGHT and BIBLICAL and really, really tough. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are lying. It is worth it, but it is HARD.

Lessons of Living on the Journey (15:22-27)

Follow the progression of the story in 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. 26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.” 27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

“Seven Lessons for the Journey”

 Lesson One: The Departure Lesson:

Moses led them from the place of victory to the desert, and the people began to suffer (15:22). Exodus 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. We must move back from the place of celebration to the problems that we face in our lives. The worship is designed to strengthen us and give us hunger for God, not a place to hide from our problems!

In November of 1988 a 19 yr old woman fell asleep behind the wheel of her car at about 2:15 in the morning. Her car plunged thru a guardrail and was dangling by its left rear tire. A half dozen passing motorists stopped, grabbed some ropes from one of their vehicles tied the ropes to the back of her car, & hung on until fire units arrived. A ladder was extended from below to help stabilize the car while firefighters tied the vehicle to tow trucks with cables and chains. One of the rescuers later said “Every time we would move the car, she would yell and scream. She was in terrible pain.” For nearly 2 ½ hours police officers, tow truck drivers, firefighters and passers-by (about 25 people in all) – to secure the car and pull the woman to safety. All through the episode, the woman kept repeated a phrase over and over to rescuers. She kept saying: “I’ll do it myself.’” (November 20, 1988, the Los Angeles Times)

This woman was in horrible pain. She was pinned inside her car, And she unable to change her circumstances Or save herself from her danger Ultimately, it took the efforts nearly 25 people to rescue her from potential death — And yet, she kept thinking she could solve the problem all by herself.

Lesson Two: The Disappointment Lesson:

When they finally got to a place with water, they found that drinking the water made them ill (15:23). Exodus 15:23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. The contrast between the great time with God and the reality of life here can be painful (cp. Elijah). There is nothing WRONG, that is the way life is, and we should expect it. “They could not drink” can be translated they could not bear to drink (elo yakoli).

Lesson Three: The Dissention Lesson:

What do we do now? (15:24). . Exodus 15:24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Voices that were quick to celebrate will be equally quick to complain!

Lesson Four: The Deliverance Lesson:

Moses cried to the Lord and the Lord directed him to cast a tree limb into the water to make it potable without any ill effects (15:25a). Exodus 15:25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet…. God provided a way of escape after they failed to drink water that would make them ill. Deliverance often includes doing something that requires discipline and obedience – it wasn’t intended to be easy.

Lesson Five: The Detail Lesson:

The whole thing was a test from God (15:25b). …There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. God wanted to help them by making them sick, and getting the parasites of Egypt from them. If we simply obey right down to the DETAIL, it may seem more painful up front, but it is the BEST way to get through the wilderness!

They say “the devil is in the details!” The story is told of a little boy who went to the grocery store and asked the clerk for a box of laundry detergent. The clerk was very impressed at such a little guy taking on the responsibilities of helping his mom with the household chores. So he said to the boy “Well that is mighty grown up of you to be wiling to help your mother out with the washing. Well the little guy wanted to set the record straight so he told the clerk, “Oh, I’m not going to use it to wash clothes, I need it for my dog.” The clerk was a little concerned at that point and so he said “Don’t you think this detergent might be a little strong for washing a dog?” The little boy replied, “Well, that’s what I want, he’s a mighty dirty dog.” So the boy took the box of detergent home, and about a week later returned. Well the clerk recognized him and asked him about his dog. The little boy said “O my dog is dead!” The clerk was shocked “Oh that’s so terrible, I guess that laundry detergent was too strong after all.” The little boy thought for a minute and said “No, I don’t think it was the detergent that got him, I think it was the rinse cycle.” Have you ever gone through a time in your life when you felt like you had been through the wringer.

Lesson Six: The Directive Lesson:

God told them, “Next time do what I say, even if you think it will make you sick, I am working a plan!” (15:26). Exodus 15:26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.” God knows what He is asking, and why! He is the healer! The test is not whether or not God is TRUE, but whether or not I will believe and follow.

Lesson Seven: The Down Time Lesson:

Exodus 15:27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters. They arrived at a place of rest, with fresh water and no test. Many people get to Marah and never leave. They won’t go on to Elim, they sit in bitterness and wallow. God is His goodness gave them an escape and they were all able to continue. The way out of the wilderness is THROUGH IT!

The Bible doesn’t leave us in the dark as to Who God is and what He is like..

Apparently, in New Hampshire, a man named Josh Muszynski stopped at a gas station and bought a pack of cigarettes with his debit card. A few hours later he was online checking his bank account and found that this particular pack of cigarettes set him back: $23,148,855,308,184,500.00. That’s 23 quadrillion, 148 trillion, 855 billion, 308 million, 184 thousand, 500 dollars. To put that in perspective: if you took ALL the money from ALL the countries in the United Nations, you still wouldn’t have enough money to buy that single pack of cigarettes. Needless to say, Josh immediately called his bank and managed to clear things up. Not only did his bank correct the error, they also removed the $15 overdraft fee they charged him. (Patrick D. Odum, Heartlight.org 8/11/09) The point is: if this man had actually owed that much money there was no way he (or anyone else on face of earth) could ever pay it back.

They should have understood from their time of worship: When I truly understand Who God is, I can face a trouble filled life here and now with confidence!

 

 

He Changes Everything: "The Great Snapshots"- Mark 14, part two

Pete Souza was attributed with saying: “Every great moment deserves a photograph!” and he knows a great moment. He is the Chief Official White House Photographer for President Obama; he is also the Director of the White House photo office. He is on an extended leave of absence from Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication where he is an assistant professor of photojournalism. He has a lot of experience as a “finder of great moments”  because he previously worked as an Official White House Photographer for President Reagan, a freelancer for National Geographic, and as the national photographer for the Chicago Tribune based in their Washington bureau.

The incredibly part of his job is that he is often standing there at the moment great things in America are happening. He has a very special and very technical view of the scene. He is also virtually silent on his feelings about the events he is a witnessing. I wonder what IMPRESSION he could give of some of the key people in government today from HIS PERSPECTIVE. Does Mrs. Obama get involved in policy? Do Vice President Biden and President Obama like really each other? How does the current President stack up (in his estimation) with President Reagan? Is the White House a lot different now? These are just a few of many things I would like to ask him at a lunch. He has certainly seen much!

If great moments deserve attention, probably no one has had a better view than Peter the Disciple, who was (according to the early Christian writers) the source of the accounts in much of the Gospel according to Mark. Mark seems to have a great view of many of the pivotal moments in Jesus’ earth ministry. He wasn’t a photographer, but he did offer short, clear verbal snapshots of the people and places that mean everything to our record of Jesus’ provision of redemption and forgiveness. In fact, Mark offered twelve small snapshots of the last hours before the arrest of Jesus.

In these twelve short snaps, we see can observe kinds of people that surrounded the event, and if we examine it more closely, we will observe the same three kinds are with us to this day. The three kinds of people are: 1) Religious but spiritually dead; 2) Obedient but seemingly unimportant; 3) Disobedient but loudly self righteous.

Key Principle: God uses people who are ready to commit to Him within, and anxious to live His truths without!

There are twelve snapshot scenes in Mark 14, each with one of three kinds of people:

Religious But LOST

The first kind are what I’d call the “Religious but lost” – they are physically in tune, spiritually dead. Last time we spent our study primarily looking at people that fit into this category, so we will only briefly mention them. There are four snapshots that offer examples.

Snapshot One: The Scribes seeking to kill Him (Mark 14:1-2): We saw the pious men in their elegant religious attire, conspiring to kill the Prince of Life. They had the trappings of godly men, but the hearts of ungodly ones! Do you recall: Mark 14:1 “… the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him.” Mark carefully showed the men knew what they wanted to do, but fear of the loss of control over the crowd shut them down – at least for the moment. In some ways, it appears they were afraid to lose STANDING in the eyes of the crowd. Remember, we made note that: “When we try to desperately hold on to the position or power that we have, we tip our hand to our real belief – that we EARNED the place we have.”

Snapshot Two: Judas, offering help to plotters (Mark 14:10-11): Our eyes drifted to the man under the cloak that was skirting the light on the edges of a dark forest. He had been in the meeting with Jesus, but heard the most painful thing Jesus ever shared about an individual. Do you recall? Jesus said of him: “It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” (Mark 14:21). Judas went out broken, but Jesus didn’t say this until Judas had already promised to TRAP JESUS. God didn’t bring judgment on him until he decided he didn’t want Jesus. That is STILL the way it works.

Snapshot Three: Judas and his Temple mob (Mark 14:43-50). The next snapshot of him was in the Garden of Gethsemane kissing Jesus and betraying Him (Mark 14:42-46). Do you recall what we learned about the POWER trap Judas was in? He was disappointed because Jesus didn’t measure up to his lofty expectations…When we try to hold God to our standard, we forget who He really is, and who we really are. Certainly Judas was guilty of that… and some of us are as well.

Snapshot Four: Jesus in questionings (Mark 14:53-65). We didn’t get to this one last time…but we should not miss this snapshot. Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, and was led back across the Kidron Valley onto the upper hill to the west, a hill today called “modern Mt. Zion”. The hill offers a bird’s eye view of the most ancient part of Jerusalem, and follows the line of a stair like street that has been archaeologically uncovered in the twentieth century from the Pool of Siloam westward. Go up the steps with me as we read:

Mark 14:53 “They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. 54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. 57 Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” 59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. 60 The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” 63 Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 “You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.

By now, it should be an easy journey to see between LIES and FLAGRANT MISTREATMENT of God. Don’t just see these men and check them off the list of people who were wrong! Ask yourself this question: “How could they behave like this?” Then ask a more important question: “Could that be ME?” “No!” You object. I would not have treated Jesus with such disrespect! Really?

Look at the short distance between lies and a cool disregard for God and His Word. Look at it carefully. We keep hearing that God wants us to give our hearts to Him. One day we decide that God doesn’t really have the right to a surrendered heart. He doesn’t really deserve my life, or my deliberate obedience. We swallow a LIE that we can run our own lives well enough. We postpone obedience and say, “God, someday I will think about really following You, but today I am too busy!” On and on it goes, and our hardness allows us to flagrantly mistreat God inside. Maybe your best friend or your spouse doesn’t see it, but YOU DO. You are NOT GOD’S PROPERTY. You may be religious, but you are not in a relationship with Jesus.

Is that really different than slapping Him in the face? Imagine the feeling of the soldier that returned after serving his country with distinction, only to be spat upon by someone in the airport and called “baby killer”! This is the feeling the rebellious, self willed believer evokes in the heart of a Father who has sent His Son to die when we decide to walk away on our own. A short distance from that hardness and we begin to become cynical about His Word. “Prophesy!” We yell, as we demand that God jump through our hoops because our self willed life isn’t working as well as we had planned…Those men BEGAN as followers of God, hoping to make a difference. By accepting lies and promoting SELF, they displaced a holy ambition and began to rail against the God they had earlier hoped to serve.

Let me very clear here. This first set of snapshots (above) were people who had decided to live for themselves and not for God – because they don’t know God. They may have had a tender moment that sparked a religious sentiment at one time earlier, but it was not a true and real surrender based relationship. They began RELIGIOUS life, but did not walk in RELATIONSHIP with God. God knows the difference. There are two kinds of people in this world – those who KNOW God personally and have a relationship, and those who DON’T but need to. The people we have seen, for the most part, were a part of the DON’T group.

Let’s switch gears to the ones who KNOW God. There are two kinds – those who are walking with God, and those who aren’t – but know they should be….and it is entirely up to them to choose which they will be. Let’s look quickly at both:

Obedient but EASILY MISSED

First, we see the “Obedient but seemingly unimportant” – lot of believers that seem more like set props – until you recognize that their surrender and obedience made a real difference in the way God told His story!

Snapshot One: Mary and the anointing (Mark 14:3, 6-9): This little snapshot is found in the earliest part of the chapter. We skipped over a woman (John 12 suggests it was Mary of Magdala) who was sacrificing to Jesus by pouring an expensive and cherished ointment on His feet, to allow her story to linger in our hearts as the final part of the teaching from Mark 14. Look briefly at her story: Mark 14:3 While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. Jesus was pleased with the sacrifice of a woman who FELT SMALL, but gave what she had to be used for His purposes! She BROKE the vase of what she had to offer, and gave every drop to His use. There can be no more complete snapshot of surrender. She is in this story what the woman with the last coin of her home was in the earlier study – one who gave all. I want to say more about how Jesus reacted to her, but let’s pick up the other snapshots that fit into this section first.

Snapshot Two: Peter and John preparing Passover (Mark 14:12-16):  Another quick look, and we see two disciples responding to Jesus’ command to go set up a room. At first glance it doesn’t look that essential, but in restrospect, the setting would become one of the most important of any – with one third of the Gospel of John recalling the events of that evening, and many coming from inside that very prepared room!  Mark 14:13 And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’  Not to beat the point, but let’s quickly recall that obedience creates a platform for God’s work to grow and expand. What God calls a man or woman to do may seem insignificant to them at the time– but that is only because we don’t know the whole plan!

Snapshot Three: The man with the water pot (Mark 14:13): When we read Mark 14:13 above we found a matching story in the account of the room preparation  — another obedient man, who only gets the stage mention of “man with water pot”. We don’t know his name, or his family. We don’t know how God communicated to him to be there at the Siloam Pool at that specific time – we only know that he was there, and that the man was working in concert with the plan of God. Do you think the enemy didn’t work a bit to slow down that guy? Is it possible that he was fighting to be obedient in that hour to do what God called him to do. His most important moment in life may well have been this one – and I am willing to wager that it was not convenient, and that it felt hard to do – because I know the adversary of Jesus.

Snapshot Four: The owner of the upper room (Mark 14:14-16): Barely a “blip” on the radar screen of history, this man knew what Jesus wanted, and had it furnished and ready. The Gospel offers only this: Mark 14:14 “and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15“And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” 16The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.” I am certain the man had no idea how important his obedience was to Jesus’ plan – believers HARDLY EVER see that.

Each of these snapshots are obedient people that could almost be skipped in the passage. They are almost wall flowers – but God used their obedience dramatically. They offer us critical truths that we should not ignore or glance over…Go back to Mark 14:4 and look at the woman with the ointment. In that aromatic room you will see God’s truths:

Mark 14:4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 “For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. 7 “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8 “She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 “Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.

First, there is a truth that is expressed in the Bible many times – even those one the team don’t always get what you are doing when you surrender and sacrifice at God’s command. Some well meaning believers were SCOLDING her, when she was being supremely obedient to the call of Christ. Truth: Measure life by God’s approval, not everyone else’s. They don’t always get it right.

Second, note that Jesus rebuffed those who criticized her action for their own cloaked motives and self righteousness, protecting her with His words. “Let her alone” (6a). Truth: Let God be your defense when you know you are walking in surrender to Him. Self justification isn’t necessary – God is big enough to protect you while you work out His call on your life.

Third, Jesus noted that her sacrifice was “a good deed” to His standard (6b)! Judas complained because it looked like a waste. Even some believing Disciples joined the chorus of complaints. Truth, nothing given to Jesus in surrender is a waste. Your boss may simply shake his head when you leave a lucrative position to go work in the third world – but nothing truly given in response to God’s call is a waste – no matter who believes it is.

Fourth, Jesus identified her insights and priorities as the CORRECT ones (14:7). Jesus alone is the judge. Truth: the court of public opinion is often at odds with the court of ETERNITY. Don’t get caught deeming something ok because of the popular sentiment. It is only RIGHT if Jesus says it is right.

Fifth, Jesus again showed the size of the sacrifice was the true gauge of her heart (14:8a). You can see this in every one of the four snapshots. The individual acts of our life may seem utterly tiny against the backdrop of history. Truth, obedience – like disobedience  – has enormous consequence.

Sixth, Jesus carefully identified that her work fit with God’s plan (14:8b). Truth: our best moment is the one we are doing to advance God’s plan – no matter what it looks like at that moment. You share Christ with a neighbor who seems to pay little heed to your words, but you do not know that a year later in a coma, that testimony is the one they recall before meeting Jesus. When you get to Heaven, you’ll realize the importance of that day – not today.

Seventh, Jesus promised that her act would be ever recalled by followers of Jesus in times to come (14:9). Truth: Nothing given in sacrifice to Jesus is forgotten by Him. More people see what you sacrifice than you know. Angels are watching the children of God! Other young believers are watching the children of God.

Mary came to Jesus out of a broken heart and a failed life. His words set her free. His love unlocked the deep pain of her heart, and empowered her to serve by surrender and sacrifice. She understood the meekness Jesus called for – because her only hope of eternal life was found in His grace. She saw no goodness in herself. She had little, but she was unwilling to keep any of it for herself! When we recognize our own deep sinfulness, we are ready to thankfully surrender to the One who gave all for us! This is the SURRENDER KEY– the key that opens us to be used of God for powerful tasks that last for the ages to come! The SURRENDER KEY allows Jesus access to all that we have, and all that we hope to accomplish. It is the gift God most wants. It smells of perfume, but is really not about the physical world – it is a spiritually open heart.

It seems like we could end our study there, but we would miss the third group that needs little more than a mention to be totally understood. They are the believers that have decided to walk without obedience to God.

Disobedient but NOISY

Last, we see the “Disobedient but loudly self righteous”  – a bunch ready to preach truth to the lost world, but not ready to live truth when it comes to their own choices.

  • Snapshot One: The disciples in the upper room with Jesus (Mk. 14:17-26): Can’t you hear them shouting to Jesus: “Surely it is not I that will betray You!”
  • Snapshot Two: The sleepy disciples at Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42): Can’t you hear the snoring in the midst of the prayer meeting Jesus called in the minutes before His arrest?
  • Snapshot Three: Peter declaring allegiance to Jesus (Mark 14:27-31; 66-72): You surely grasp the whole scene of Peter making grand gestures that he would DIE before DENY! Yeah, right.
  • Snapshot Four: The young man who ran away uncovered (Mark 14:51-52): John Mark (traditionally) is so desperate to stand until death with his Lord, he fled into the night immodestly.

Can you see the connection of these snapshots? Believers that decide to go at the walk with God in their strength “doth protest too much” but live to little. In the end, God uses people who are ready to commit to Him within, and anxious to live His truths without!

Seven Truths About God's Judgment (short post)

Truth 1: The judgment can first be seen in the YOUTH (the resource of the future – 4:1-10). The generation of the youth were thrown to the dogs in successive stages, and should have been an adequate warning to the society to change!

Their value is diminished in society (4:1-2)

Lamentations 4:1 How dark the gold has become, How the pure gold has changed! The sacred stones are poured out – At the corner of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, Weighed against fine gold, How they are regarded as earthen jars, The work of a potter’s hands!

Normal bonds of caring wane (4:3-5)

Lamentations 4:3 Even jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young; But the daughter of my people has become cruel – Like ostriches in the wilderness. 4 The tongue of the infant cleaves to the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.

Once protected without, they were destroyed from within (4:5-6)

Lamentations 4:5 Those who ate delicacies are desolate in the streets; Those reared in purple Embrace ash pits. 6 For the iniquity of the daughter of my people Is greater than the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown as in a moment, And no hands were turned toward her.

They showed on their bodies the signs of devastation (4:7-9)

Lamentations 4:7 Her consecrated ones were purer than snow, They were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than corals, Their polishing was like lapis lazuli. 8 Their appearance is blacker than soot, They are not recognized in the streets; Their skin is shriveled on their bones, It is withered, it has become like wood. 9 Better are those slain with the sword Than those slain with hunger; For they pine away, being stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.

Parents used them up for their own purposes (4:10)

Lamentations 4:10 The hands of compassionate women Boiled their own children; They became food for them Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

How sad, but the idea that parents would use their children for themselves is not new! Look around our society. We have the freedom to treat marriage like we used to treat dating, but the generation of children coming up should show us that such disregard to the covenant of marriage will undo us!

Truth 2: Not all judgment is FUTURE (4:11). Some judgment is playing out NOW in consequence. God has purposes to allow consequences of sin to be part of the judgment process. Those consequences are part of the down payment to justice.

Lamentations 4:11 The LORD has accomplished His wrath, He has poured out His fierce anger; And He has kindled a fire in Zion – Which has consumed its foundations.

Perhaps we think that God will let everything go now, and judge in the life to come – that isn’t Biblical. The consequences in our society today are PART of the beginnings of judgment. God’s loving justice requires that someone answer for the unjust behaviors that flourished.

Truth 3: The world was taken by surprise that God acted in this way (4:12). The confidence of the hollow believers was infectious, and others believed they were impervious and would last – but they were all proven wrong.

Lamentation 4:12 The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

We wrap the truth of God’s power in the cloak that He will allow us the luxury of acting irresponsibly, and He made no such promise!

Truth 4: The problem began in spiritual leadership (4:13-16). It was SIN among the teachers of truth that began the problem. They offered false sacrifice in sinfulness, until God stripped them of their spiritual insights. When they understood it, they proclaimed their wretchedness and the outreach shriveled – and the Lord set their work aside.

Lamentations 4:13 Because of the sins of her prophets And the iniquities of her priests, Who have shed in her midst the blood of the righteous; 14 They wandered, blind, in the streets; They were defiled with blood So that no one could touch their garments. 15 “Depart! Unclean!” they cried of themselves. “Depart, depart, do not touch!” So they fled and wandered; Men among the nations said, “They shall not continue to dwell with us.” 16 The presence of the LORD has scattered them, He will not continue to regard them; They did not honor the priests (they did not honor the priesthood), They did not favor the elders (they did not favor the eldership).

Those who know and teach God’s Word must first pause and look within. Those who teach the youth of the nation are often the first to lay aside truth. Trouble starts in the teacher, and then infects the student.

Truth 5: We looked in the wrong direction for salvation! (4:17). It may mean we looked to another NATION rather than REPENTANCE. The second reading also makes sense – that we looked to our national heritage to save us, and not to the Lord!

Lamentations 4:17 Yet our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; In our watching we have watched For a nation that could not save.

How many are looking for salvation from our FLAG our PARTIES and our GOVERNMENT? The answer has always been in a walk with God.

Truth 6: Our end came SWIFTLY as our enemies rallied (4:18-20). There is an illusion in history that all things will continue – but it is an illusion. The end can collapse swiftly, and will always be a surprise to most. God’s people will suffer along with the rest, but they must take God with them – not forsake Him!

Lamentations 4:18 They hunted our steps So that we could not walk in our streets; Our end drew near, Our days were finished For our end had come. 19 Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They chased us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness. 20 The breath of our nostrils, the LORD’S anointed, Was captured in their pits, Of whom we had said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.”

Most people won’t believe judgment will happen until it DOES happen. That is why they continue to text while driving, “manage” their porn addiction or keep feeding bad behaviors.

Truth 7: Those who gaze at our judgment will live to see their own (4:21-22). Judgment begins with the house of God, but uit does not end there. It may begin with one nation, but all will eventually face judgment. One should be a warning to another!

Lamentation 4: 21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, Who dwells in the land of Uz; But the cup will come around to you as well, You will become drunk and make yourself naked. 22 The punishment of your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no longer. But He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins!

Part of the purpose of incremental judgment is GRACIOUS WARNING! When a nation begins to see its youth slipping away, when bonds of family are being loosened, they should pause and pull back. To keep going forward with the “liberating policies” that are pulling them ever downward is to ignore the warning signs!

Grasping God’s Purpose: “A Choice Vessel”- Exodus 14

Walking through Colonial Williamsburg, I was struck by the simplicity of the vessels that our forefathers used to care for their needs. The days of molded plastic and cheaply machined glass have certainly made a change in the quality and stylishness of even our simplest drinking cups! One thought was particularly clear, it wasn’t the BEAUTY of the vessel that made it valuable, it was the USABILITY of the vessel. The most beautifully carved bucket was only worth having if it was water tight. In the same way, though God wants to use me as a vessel that will bring honor to Him, it is only possible if I make choices that open up His use of me. What choices can I make that will open myself to being used by Him?  Key Principle: To become a vessel God can use, I must understand and then live the choices that God will be honored by. Some of our problem stems from a lack of knowledge, but most of it stems from simple willful disobedience. Exodus 14 offers at least Ten Choices that I can make to become a useable vessel to God! Each of the ten must be grasped, but are only effective when put into ACTION:

The Ten Choices of a Vessel fit for Use

  1. Choose to recognize that God has the right to use me to reach others even by taking me through difficult and trying times. (14:1-4).

Exodus 14:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. 3 “For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 “Thus I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.

God’s plan for Israel was not going to be an easy one, but that was the one Moses was to obey, announce and lead. Moses was in the difficult predicament of sharing unpopular truth. Believers should get used to it – truth is often inconvenient, but always helpful! I liked this:

Have you ever found yourself in a predicament? We have a lot of word pictures in the English language to describe being in a predicament. We hear phrases such as “you sure have painted yourself into a corner,” of being “caught between a rock and a hard place,” being “up against the wall” or “in a pickle. ” A least one person has defined a predicament as being , “A lawyer who specializes in suing doctors for medical malpractice finding himself in need of major surgery.” [Charles Swindoll. Moses: A Man of Selfless Devotion. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999). p. 211.]

The events of our lives are not random, God has crafted a time and place for us. We forget that when things go wrong. More often than not, we wonder if we have deserved some spanking when things don’t go our way. In the face of stern difficulty, we even convince ourselves that the reason we are going through trouble is something we have done. It seldom occurs to us that the wilderness and the Sea of Reeds is part of the call of God for us. God has a plan for the troubles!

In the text, note that God had several reasons for the journey direction of Moses. First, God wanted to lure in Pharaoh. Sometimes God uses our lives to pull in the lives of godless men. It is exciting when that purpose is to soften their hearts to see His love and goodness – but that wasn’t the case here. God used the testimony of the people of God, and Moses their leader, to bring a hardness into him that would set him up for judgment. As uncomfortable as that could have been for any of us – our lives are about recognizing God’s right to use us for HIS PURPOSES.

The ultimate end point of God’s plan was what it always is: to expose WHO He is to man and to the Heavenly host. That is His big plan, and we have the opportunity to be used of Him today to do it! For this reason, Paul reminded the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 2:14 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17 For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.”

Do you believe that God has the unreserved right to use your life for any purpose that will fit His plan – even if that use doesn’t fit YOUR plan? Moses had to believe that, or he would have been utterly ineffective as God’s leader and spokesman – and so will we.

  1. Choose to remember that power is not often where it appears to be in a fallen world. God allowed Pharaoh to feel a sense of control and power that was not there! (14:5-9).

Exodus 14:5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; 7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly. 9 Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

The human view was a powerful Pharaoh and a puny Moses – an organized army and a hapless camp of clueless slaves. That IS the human view – but it is NOT the truth! God was there. His power moved men, and soon would move seas, mountains and monuments. God can and will shake the foundations when it suits His purposes! Towering countries will be brought low for His purposes. Famous men and women will be swept aside by the tide of HIS STORY. Power is not where it appears to be!

  1. Choose to accept sometimes even friends and even God’s people won’t understand what God is doing in your life – and why! (14:10). Rather, expect that people will look for someone to blame when they are hurt and cannot understand their pain. Accept the fact that they are wrong in what they are saying, but deal with them patiently! (14:11-12).

Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 “Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

When we face insurmountable odds, it is so easy to lose our perspective over the situation. Too often when we are confronted with an impossible situation, rather than meet it head on, we want to take the easy way out. We say, “I don’t want to face this, I don’t want to have to fight so I’ll just go back to Egypt and resume my life as a slave.”

It may be that this very day, someone hearing these words is thinking… If God doesn’t take this pressure off, I am going back to my old life. It may seem like it at this moment, but a full slave is much worse off than a hungry free man. Freedom to walk with God brings possibilities. Slavery to sin brings death – God’s Word could not be more clear! The people in the narrative didn’t have all that we have, so don’t be too hard on them!

  1. Choose to walk obediently while leaving the running of the universe to God. If God’s purpose is to use us as a testimony, we don’t have to fix everything. God will do what God needs done if we give His Word as instructed (14:13-15).

Exodus 14:13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14 “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.” 15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.

God’s instructions through Moses are four-fold – all emphasizing the passive role of men and active role of God:

  • “Do Not Fear”.
  • “Stand by”.
  • “See”.
  • “Keep silent” .
  1. Choose to courageously face that God’s purposes are bigger than we can grasp, and He will, no doubt, call you to do things well beyond your ability. (14:16-18).

Exodus 14:16 “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 “As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 “Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”

Pastor John Hamby wrote: “Nine year old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School that day. ‘Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind the enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge, and all the people walked across safely. He used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.’ ‘Now, Joey, is that REALLY what your teacher taught you?’ his mother asked. ‘Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it!’”

  1. Choose to accept that God owes you no complete explanation of how He intends to work. God defends His work In ways that may look like they make no sense to you or the people around you! (14:19). Mature vessels will learn to see God’s hand in what is happening and learn to discern some of the purposes! (14:20). God works well beyond our list of possibilities! (14;21-22)

Exodus 14:19 “The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.” 20 “So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night. 21 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. 22 The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

  1. Remember life without God is more difficult than it appears. Choose to warn yourself often that they we follow God to be used of God. People who think they can participate in the power of God without the purposes of God  are badly mistaken (14:23-25).

Exodus 14:23 “Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. 24 At the morning watch, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from Israel, for the LORD is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

It may be that you have developed a rather materialistic lifestyle. Like Moses, and the children of Israel you have rubbed shoulders with folks in Egypt most of your life. You work with Egyptians. Think like Egyptians. Read Egyptian newspapers. Listen to Egyptian music. Do commercial battles with Egyptian entrepreneurs. You’re in the competitive world of the Egyptians, so its only natural that you react like them.” [Charles Swindoll. Moses: A Man of Selfless Devotion. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999). p. 223.]

  1. Choose to accept that God is a righteous judge. It is our privilege to be used by God’s hand to show His power to the world (14:26-29).

Exodus 14:26 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained. 29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

  1. Choose to identify God’s hand of blessing on your life. When God acts and His people see Him clearly, they see the world for what it is (14:30).We need to rehears the blessings twice what we say about our dislikes and troubles, because they are more easily forgotten!

Exodus 14:30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

  1. Choose to accept the truth that the troubles are worth it all, for God will show Himself and be praised! (14:31).

Exodus 14: 31 When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.

Your future may seem impossible, and the problems impassable – but God is working a plan. You are where you are because God has something He can teach you. “Often God seems to place His children in positions of profound difficulty, leading them into a wedge from which there is no escape, designing a situation that no human judgment would have permitted had it been previously consulted. The very cloud directs them there. You…, may be involved in a situation like this at this very hour. It does seem perplexing and mysterious to the last degree, but it is perfectly right. The issue will more than justify Him who has brought you there. It is a platform for the display of His almighty grace and power. Not only will He deliver you, but in doing so He will give you a lesson that you will never forget …..” [F.B. Meyer. The Life of Moses: The Servant of God. (Lynnwood, Washington: Emerald Books, 1996.0 p. 80]

To become a vessel God can use, I must understand and live the choices that God will be honored by.

The Message offers this note to close from 2 Timothy 2:20ff

In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing. Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.