HOPE FOR GENERATIONS - PART 2

Psalm chapter seventy eight is where we will be again. I want to extend

from Pastor Josh another expression of his love for you. He is going to

be gone for the next few weeks. You've got me this weekend, next

week, and then Pastor Seth the following week, because Josh is at a

preaching intensive. He's in a class to help him continue to grow as a

preacher, to make progress. You want that. He wants that as much

as he wants to be here. He's in a good place today. So

and nonetheless, he wants you to know that he loves you, and he

misses you, and he would like to be here, and yet he is.

He is there. So continue in prayer for him and for us.

He's away again. Psalm seventy eight is where we'll be here in just a

moment. Psalm seventy eight. We'll start in verse nine. A few weeks.

A couple weeks back, we did Psalm seventy eight, the first eight

verses. It's really it's a big Psalm seventy two verses, a big,

big chunk of text. We're only going to take that sort of middle section

today, but it's still a big, pretty big section. I it's summertime.

There's all kinds of strange things that you see around this time of day

and year. And this is Texas. I've seen all kinds of things getting

drug behind trucks here, trucks, your cars right, or vans, minivans.

I've actually even drugged some stuff behind my minivan from time to time.

But you can see like people are, you know, maybe it's moving season,

it's a season of transition. You'll see people like some with trailers or

something tied down in the back of a pickup. Not everybody's as good as

everybody at doing that right, and so sometimes you'll be kind of behind somebody

and you'll look at what's going on in front of you, and you'll make

that decision as to whether or not you believe their engineering skills are sufficient for

you to drive behind them right, because something falls out and you're like,

Okay, well I don't want that to fall out behind in front of me,

so I'm gonna get over, you know. And there's there's a bunch

of different ways that we could we could respond when we see something like that.

You know, we could laugh at them. We could point and be

like we thought that was going to tie that down. It's a bunge of

cord. That's a that's a that's a barrel grill. How did you think

that was going to go? Right? You know, you kind of laugh

about it. It could be funny unless it's barreling right in front of you,

right, it could be funny. You could also take an attitude of

looking at how it's tied down and be like, how could they be so

irresponsible? That is just I mean, it's a safety issue. How hard

is this anyway, It's just it's just straps and tying it down. It's

a fairly straightforward thing. You tie it till it doesn't move, and then

you then you move. You don't move until it's tied down. How ridiculous?

Like you know, you can tell which one of these I might be

more likely to be, and you can tell probably wish one of those you

would be more likely to be. But I know, I know you,

I know many of you would probably take the time try to, you know,

flag them down and go and try to be actually helpful to them instead

of making fun of them, which is not the best way to handle the

situation. Making fund's not gonna help, and neither is just merely getting angry.

But the reality is we find it quite easy. It's a lot easier

for us to look at other stuff and figure out whether they've got it buttoned

down or not. I'm really quick to judge forgetting that I don't have all

my stuff buttoned down. It's a lot easier for me to look from the

outside end say hey, they don't have that. That's not gonna that's not

going to go very very well. Right. We read texts like we have

today. The text the scriptures tell us that these things have been written for

our instruction, so that we would not desire evil as they did, so

that we would not disobey as they did, so that we would not crave

things in the way that they did and so be destroyed. And yet I

think sometimes we can come to texts like this and just sort of cast our

opinions about how dumb they look, how could they do that, how could

they be so so irresponsible, how could they be just rebellious? Wasn't God

good to them? Didn't he do all these wonderful things? There's a warning

in this not just about what people can do. There's a warning in this

text about what can happen in your heart, and what can happen in my

heart? It's not just history for history's sake. The reality is any of

us are prone to being captivated by our cravings to the extent that we would

forget to hope in God. I can be so captivated by the problem in

front of me that I forget to hope in God. Yet He continues to

show us his compassion. And this is one of the other things in this

passage. It comes again and again and again. They responded in this way,

silly or ridiculous as it might have been, and God comes in wondrously

compassionate. But there's a danger there too. The danger is that we would

presume upon the riches of His kindness and his mercy and his grace. This

is a story and not just about them. This is a story that's intended

to be a mirror to tell me what could happen in my heart if I

don't pay attention. I hope today to show you from this text, just

in this one nine to fifty five, his tiny little text, that we

should remember, remember the Holy One of Israel's wondrous compassion and hope in him,

remember his wondrous compassion and put our hope in him. We will be

kind of reading the text as we go along. We're not going to read

all of this at one time, but I'm hoping, I'm hoping that you

will be able to follow along as we go. We'll look first in the

first in nine through sixteen. Verses nine through sixteen, we see here he

is wondrously compassionate, despite our fear, despite our fear, pick it up

with me. In verse nine of Psalm chapter seventy eight, that Ephrara Mightes,

armed with the beau turned back on the day of battle. They did

not keep God's coming it, but refused to walk according to his law.

They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them, and the

sight of their fathers. He performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in

the fields of Zoon. He divided the sea and let them pass through it.

He made the waters stand like a heap. In the daytime, he

led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.

He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down

like rivers. It says the Lord's word. You see here in this passage

a sort of a record scratch, like if they responded like this, and

yet God showed compassion. Anyway, we don't know for sure what this day

of battle was there in verse nine, but they turned back from it.

It could be any number of the battles where where Israel was defeated and they're

told that they were to feed and they turned back. I think it's just

as likely perhaps that this turning back happened when they were sitting at the edge

of the promised land looking in and they saw giants and decided not to go

forward, and they turned back. But that's not the point. The point

of the passage is that when they were when they were there, when these

these soldiers of Iphrium, those who were armed with the bow, the Aphraamites

were known to be archers. That'll come up again later and when we'll pick

it up in versus even fifty six. I'll come up in the next section.

But they were armed with the bow, they should have been ready for

the day of battle, especially if Yahweh was with them. But they were

a wall. They were called on, they were supposed to go forward,

and they turned around and went backwards. Despite all that God had done for

them in Egypt, despite all the wonders that they had seen, the power

that they had seen him working, they were too afraid to rely on him

to go into battle at his words when he called them, they were gone.

The author here notes three speci these wonders that they should have called to

mind. One was where he divided and heaped up the waters of the Red

Sea It's seven, verse thirteen. He also led them with a pillar of

cloud by day and a pillar of fire by nights in verse fourteen. And

he had also provided them with water in the wilderness from a rock from a

rock. These wonders they forgot on this day of battle, and they turned

back. They'd seen these things, or maybe their fathers had seen these things.

In either case, they should have known God did these things and kept

them in mind as they're facing the battle ahead, to the point that they

were morally responsible. They were morally culpable for the way that they fearfully turned

back and forgot. Fear in their hearts was a stronger pull than the memory

of what God had done, and what God would do if they would trust

him. I mean, I just rationally asking the question here, how big

of a deal could it possibly be for God to help them to win a

battle if he literally just split the the sea into But that's not what they

were thinking, because biblically speaking, and you see this time and time again,

and you see it in the New Testament too, throughout scripture. Apparently

seeing is not believing, As you see, so often people will see God

do mighty things, incredible things, and immediately forget. They will see Him

do mighty things and then say, yeah, he did that that time.

But what about and we do it too. We seen God's wonders, and

we don't always just run forward in faith. Sometimes our faith falters as well.

Just because you've seen God's wonders does not mean your faith in Him is

necessarily going to be without struggle. Yet we see here God has mercifully shown

his compassion, wonder and compassion to these fearful people. He led them,

he guided them, he provided for them. Fear isn't always rational, is

it, And it's rarely going to be dispelled by reasonable arguments alone. I

can't just tell somebody who's weak in faith and struggling with fear. But God

split the sea. But God spoke and something came out of nothing, and

like that just convinced them, because the reality is that human beings are best

convinced at the level, at the heart, level of faith and hope,

and that's God's territory and he can do that. Fear is an emotion,

to be sure, but it's it's usually an expression of our faith. What

we're actually trusting in, what we're actually believing is going to help fix the

situation. So when I come to some sort of an impasse, some sort

of an issue with a with a with a relationship, or a problem or

something that needs to get done, I'm thinking, in my mind, I

have to think all the way to the end of this and think around this

situation as best I can before I rest, because I believe that I can

come to some kind of way to think through it and come up with a

plan because I had faith in myself. It's in me, and all the

while, God is who has the finger on the pulse of my stress and

my anxiety. He's like, what are you doing, oh you of little

faith? I'm right here. Why do you think you've got to figure all

this out on your own. A fear that hopes in God sees Him as

more powerful than the struggles that are in front of me on A heart that's

resting in Christ should already know, because coming to Christ in faith means I

believe that I can't do this and I need Him right, I've already come

to a place of weakness to recognize I need Christ. So a heart that's

already come to Christ in faith should already know that we're prone to this kind

of sinful shrinking back in fear, and we should be growing on a regular

basis in this in prayers when we are afraid. Yet, this is going

to require that I constantly remember what He's done, constantly remember his works,

and that he makes fearful rebel hearts new through faith in Christ. I need

to remember what I've seen him do. I've seen him break strongholds of substance

abuse, in pornography, addiction by replacing that tiny little flicker of lust's cravings

with an eternally satisfying affection for him. I've seen him do the power of

changing those things out of changing people, bringing people from darkness and to light.

And yet, for some reason, when I'm faced with some sort of

a struggle, I forget, and I think of how can I serve?

How can I fix this situation? So easy for us to respond in fear,

And that's why this text is not just about them, It's about me

too. Would we be those who are increasingly responding in opportunities of fear with

the Remember the wondrous compassion that God has shown to these people and will show

to us. He is compassionate despite our fear. Second thing and verse seventeen

to thirty one. He is wondrously compassionate despite our petulance. Petulance, go

ahead and google that. That's fine, totally normal. It's you're going to

see the definition of it right here. We'll pick it up in verse seventeen.

It's a bold rebellion, a bold, brazen rebellion. Pick it up

in verse seventeen. Yet they send still more against him, rebelling against the

most high in the desert. They tested God in their heart by demanding the

food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, can God spread a

table in the wilderness, heed to struck the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed? Can He also give bread or provide meat for his people.

Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath. The

fire was kindled against Jacob. His anger rose against Israel, because they did

not believe in God and did not trust his saving power. Yet yet he

commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven. He rained down on

them manna to eat, and he gave them the grain of heaven, man

ate of the bread of angels. He sent them food in abundance. He

caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he

let out the south wind. He rained meat on them like dust winged birds,

like the sand of the seas. He let them fall in the midst

of their camp, all around their dwellings, and they ate and were filled,

for he gave them what they craved. But before they had satisfied their

craving, while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God

rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the

young men of Israel. This is the Lord's word. You see here again,

God being compassionate, despite the fact that they sinned Verse seventeen. Yet

they still send and then still verse twenty three. Yet he commanded and provided

and gave them even what they what they craved. He provided the bread of

angels, and these winged birds, these quail. He gave them in abundance,

the thing that they asked for when they tested him. But their sin

did not go unpunished even after receiving the provision in the wilderness. The attitude

that Israel had towards God was like a petulant child who could not be satisfied

with spring water that flowed from a rock. They tested God in their heart

verse eighteen by demanding the food that they craved. The water hadn't even dried

up from the last miracle that He did to provide for them. They were

already over it. Yeah yeah, I mean sure, sure he struck water,

so that he struck the rock so that streams flowed out of it.

But what about bread and what about meat? Can he do a trick to

provide those two? I mean, just think of the most spoiled child you've

ever seen or heard or known or read about. This is this is Verruk

assault on steroids, This is this is Dudley Dursley times ten. This is

But to many are there? Right? I mean he has all these things,

and yet at the same time, and I'm looking at that saying,

how did they think that was a good idea? If you'd distill all of

those those rude, spoiled children's attitudes into a tiny little drop. I'm still

thinking that you're you're gonna come up short based on what we see here.

How bold do you have to be to do that? This is what the

Bible called. The Bible calls this stupid numbers. Eleven is where we read

this story. Moses said that it started when the rabble. The rabble that

was among them had a strong craving and raised up other people along with them.

They induced them to remember and beautify their time in Egypt. Don't you

remember when we had fish that we ate in Egypt that cost us nothing.

They remembered the fish, they remembered the leaks, they remembered the garlic,

the cucumbers, the melons. But they couldn't be troubled to remember that the

Most High God had just divided and provided water for them by his mighty hands.

You get it right. I mean, they did have a craving that

they were hungry for some meat, and they did dumb things, not only

had they forgotten that he had just rescued them from Egypt. They forgot that

he had already they already belonged to him because he made them in the first

place. So, yes, God absolutely owns us because he's redeemed us.

He absolutely owned Israel because he redeemed her from Egypt. Absolutely, But way

before that, he created us. He breathed life into human beings, and

he made us for his glory. We belonged to him from that moment.

He deserves the worship of every every single image bearer, full stop, already

before he redeemed them, because he's God, because he's the one. When

we say we should love him with our whole heart and soul and mind and

strength, that's the right thing to do. It only makes sense because the

whole reason that we have a heart and soul and mind and strength is because

He's given it to us in the first place. So not only did they

forget that he redeemed them, they forgot that he'd created them and owns them

in the first place. God deserves the worship of every single image bearer,

with the rest of the created order in chorus, for all eternity, and

he will get it unless he is right, and he is righteous in pouring

out his wrath on all of those who see these works and do not believe

in him or follow his ways. And surely this is true with these petulant,

just rescued sons of Jacob, who complain that they don't have as many

food options on the way in the wilderness to the land flowing with milk and

honey. God does answer in verse twenty three. Yet he provides bread of

angels, food and abundance, rain meat on them like dust and the sand

of the seas they ate, they were failled. He gave them what they

craved. He worked wonders to provide them food, and he worked wonders to

pour out his wrath on the cravers. While the food was still in between

their teeth. God's anger rose against them, and the strongest the young men

of Israel, the ones Moses said had the craving and numbers eleven thirty four,

were struck down with a very great plague, and they were buried in

a place that afterwards had to be known as Kibroth hatta' Avah Graves of craving.

They renamed the place because of the bodies that they left there. Living

outside of God's good terms puts you at risk of his wrath. There are

some limits, several limits to the way that I personally will engage with the

ocean. I don't think that my limits are unreasonable, especially not this season.

If you've read any of the news lately, I think that my limits

are great. I love the beach. I do. That usually means that

I'm on vacation, which means that my entire agenda for the day is like

set up the tent and at some point get dressed to go to dinner,

which usually almost always means eating out, which means that the food will not

be as good as it is at home. However, we don't have to

cook and clean up right, Praise the Lord. I love the beach.

It's great. Slower agenda almost always means I'm on vacation. I love that

part. The only issue that I have with the beach is the ocean.

I get in, but I get in in very specific ways. I approach

the ocean. I want to make sure that I can see the bottom.

I either touch it or I can see it. I don't like that little

part if you see from really up high where it gets really deep and really

dark. You'll never find me there. I'm not going because I don't want

to be there. I'm already on the buffet. I don't want to make

it easier for them. I'm I am. Of the things that I am

astutely aware of in that moment is yes, how deep the water is?

Yes, can I see the water? I'm looking for wildlife this way in

this way. I also am not ever never going to see this guy be

the farthest out into the water. I'm looking to the left, to the

right, and to the left, and I just want to make sure if

they're going to make easy pickings on somebody, it will not be this guy.

I think that's reasonable to me. That makes sense because there are lines,

and there are there are there are boundaries that to me feel I feel

safer on this side of the boundary. Friends, that God has told you

what he expects of you. If you are wilfully on the other side of

the boundary, you know that you're just putting yourself at risk in ways that

are not wise at all, petulance in the face of God's wondrous compassion.

I mean I'm reading this, and I mean I'm not joking. You can

look up the concordance later, do a search on your Bible. This is

what the Bible calls stupid in the face of God's wondrous compassion, acting in

this way is not a good idea. But we know that we have let

our cravings drive us beyond the bounds of what God has provided for us.

He's given us so many good things, and yet at the same time,

I'm looking over it grass on that side, it's just a touch greener.

Oh, but they have this other thing. A lot of times, we

too forget what he's done. I forget what he's done in my life.

I forget what I've seen him do in my life. And so it doesn't,

for some reason, seem it doesn't seem unsafe, because because I've seen

him be compassionate, and I have presumed on his compassion that he's going to

continue to be compassionate. I would say like, well, yes, Lord,

I mean, I know that you've given me everything I need for life

in Godliness through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. I know that you're faithful.

I know that you're never gonna let me be tempted beyond what I'm able.

You're always going to provide a way of escape. I mean that means that

the temptation is never going to be so great that my only option is sin.

And yeah, I know you provided for all that. I mean,

I guess what I'm saying. Well, yeah, I mean I guess you

also gave me the Holy Spirit, united me to the body of Christ throughout

all the world and all time, who are in the process of being saved

and will be saved. And yeah, I mean you've given me hope for

it tonity such that even death won't be able to keep me down for very

long. I guess what I'm saying, Lord is just that that's not enough.

And you've done all that, sure, But can't you make my boss

like me? I mean, can't you make my kids just listen to me?

Can't you send me a spouse or make the one that I have like

me more? All kinds of good things, not bad things, craven,

craven to my cravings. We can easily be led away and enticed even by

good things, to where whatever else God has already provided for us will not

satisfy us. I pray that the settled state of your soul in times of

plenty and in the wilderness would be increasingly satisfied. And the wondrously compassionate heart

of Yahweh would that we be. We would be the people who would be

satisfied in the steadfast love of the Lord every morning. He is wondrously compassionate

despite her petulance. Thirdly, he is wondrously compassionate despite our flattery verse thirty

two through thirty nine. I'll read it if you'll follow along with me.

In spite of all this, they still send despite his wonders, they did

not believe. So he made their days vanished like a breath, and their

years and terror. When he killed them, they sought him. They repented

and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock, the most

high God, their redeemer. But they flattered him their mouths. They lied

to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him. They

were not faithful to his covenant. Yet He, being compassionate atone for their

iniquity, and did not destroy them. He restrained his anger often and did

not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh,

a wind that passes and comes not again. This is the word of the

Lord. Despite all of that, in spite of this verse thirty two.

Again, yet still, in spite of despite all of it, they sinned.

They continued to sin, and as they continued to sind, God continued

to ramp up his judgment to bring them back to him. He is more

committed to you walking in holiness than you are, and he will continue to

do things that will bring you into his into the stream of his grace.

That's the goal, that's what he's after. The judgment of these cravers was

not enough. We understand. This pattern continued to go back and forth throughout

the entire Old Testament. But the author here introduces a twist to this pattern

that we want to look at really closely. If you look at verse three

before, at some point that judgment got to the point where when he killed

them, they sought him. They repented, They sought him earnestly. They

remembered that God was their rock and he was their redeemer. And at some

point, I want to put a pause there and say, Praise the Lord.

This is the revival that they were hoping for. This was the moment

that they'd been waiting for surely this, surely this is going to go well

from here. This turn is something that's unique and it's special. They turned

to the Lord, they repented, they said the words, they did the

things. Surely, from this point on, it's going to be wonderful.

And I think that's probably how it started. I think that's likely how it

started. Either they were false entirely from the very beginning, and they were

only repenting in name only. I have a hard time seeing how the author

would have said earnestly if that was the case. But the reality is that

God saw anyway. God could see it from beginning end. He could see

the depths of their hearts. No matter what they were saying. He could

see what was true. And even if they started strongly, he knew that

at some point verse thirty six would also be true. They flattered him with

their mouths, they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not

steadfast. They were not faithful to the covenant to whether it fizzled or whether

it was fake from the beginning, it still required the compassionate heart of God

to make atonement for them Verse thirty eight. He being compassionate, Being compassionate,

he didn't. He didn't become compassion. He is compassionate. This is

his attitude, This is his heart. From his heart, he showed them

compassion. He atoned for their iniquity. He did not fully vent his wrath.

They deserved it, but he restrained his anger, remembering that they were

only flesh, just a wind that passes. God is holy and right and

just. And if he was going to dwell in the midst of this stiff

necked people, he knew that he was going to have to make atonement.

There was going to have to be a way for their sin to be atoned

for. And so despite the fact that they were unfaithful to his covenant,

he was faithful to his word. They gave them the tabernacle, He gave

them the sacrificial system. He gave them the blood of bulls and goats,

and he said, walk in this way, shed blood in this way,

so that when we come together and you come into my presence, you do

not die immediately because of your iniquity. God's compassion doesn't mean that he doesn't

deal with sin. Between Sinai and Calvary, God chose to receive the blood

of bulls and the blood of goats on behalf of the sinners that they atoned

for. God is compassionate towards sinners, even lying, unfaithful flatterers. But

even then, we know that God was patiently looking forward to the atoning blood

of his perfect lamb, his son Jesus Christ, whose blood can alone atone

for the sins of sinful people like you and like me. Hebrews tells us

the blood of bulls and goats does not take away sin. And here's one

of the best parts. Whereas those blood of the bulls and the goats would

have needed to be sacrificed over and over and over, day after day,

year after year, Jesus has fully atoned for the sins of all who had

trust in Him, once and for all. That means that if you're struggling

through your life as a disciple, you're struggling with sin still, and your

hope is completely and fully in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. You

are repenting and growing in repentance and in your love for God. You're growing

in your love for his word and for his people, that you do not

have to fear his wrath because Christ has taken the full brunt of God's righteous

wrath against your sin. And you are now hidden with Christ. In God,

you do not have to fear wrath. God poured out all of it

on his son for your sake. You who are in Christ, you don't

have to fear wrath. But you should remember that God still disciplines those whom

he loves. He still disciplines you because He wants you to grow to love

and to walk with and to follow and to hope in Him. You're gonna

still experience the sinful patterns of other people living in a fallen world. Sometimes

the consequences natural consequences of your own sin in this life. That's not wrath

and be disciplined, and the goal is always for your good. But that

is not the case for those who are standing outside of his good terms.

He is God, He made you, and He has a right to your

worship. So if you are still within the sound of my voice, friend,

how much grace and wondrous compassion has he already shown you. I'm urging

you if you hear his voice, repent and put your hope in Jesus right

now. If you're standing on the other side of that boundary, you don't

have to. He offers you life and forgiveness and peace and hope, and

he wants you to turn to him in faith. Believe in him. He

is the one who can be trusted. Do not wait, Do not presume

on the riches of his kindness and his mercy, presuming that you'll have tomorrow

too. Sometimes the punishments and the discipline that happened to us, God measures

out to get our attention. They motivate us to change only to the extent

that we need to to make the pain stop. But that's not repentance.

I can do all kinds of really really right things for all kinds of really

really bad reasons, and God sees straight through it. Ultimately, the point

we need to remember here is that we should be very quick to suspect our

own motives. Is I look at this and I say, they there's an

attitude here that I too need to be warned by. They remembered, they

repented, they sought earnestly, But that became something that was different, And

it doesn't mean that I just need to introspectively pay attention to every moment of

repentance. Is that real? Is that earnest Is that legitimate? Is that

right? Is it true? All the way down? I just need to

hold open the possibility that my heart can deceive me, because I too can

try to just do the things and say the things so that God will give

me what I really want, just like they did. It's not just them.

I want to pray for the kind of heart that repents all the way

down. I cannot trust that my repentance is always sincere, but I can

trust that the God in whom I hope is wondrously compassionate when I turn to

him. So I don't want to presume on the riches of his compassion.

I don't ever want to be aware. I want to ever be aware of

the fact that I am prone to the same kinds of repentance that is experienced

here. Finally, Lastly, yes, he's wondrously compassionate despite our flattery.

Finally, and really fully, this is a way that we really could use

encompass this whole section is he is wondrously compassionate despite our rebellion. And for

the sake of time, I'm not going to read all of that fifteen verses,

but I encourage you to go back again. It's a recap of it's

really hitting the high points of the plagues in Egypt. He's wondrously compassionate,

because again, what happened. How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved him in the desert. They tested God again and again they provoked

the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember. They spurned the mighty

hand that saved them. God had proven time and again that he alone is

worthy of worship. He overthrew, he destroyed their captors, He did away

with their enemies. He divided and provided waters for Israel. He turned Egypts

to blood. He sent flies and frogs and locusts to destroy the of their

labor. He sent hail and thunder amidst a company of destroying angels to annihilate

their cattle and their vineyards. He sent them plague. And finally, when

Pharaoh would not let Yahweh's firstborn go, he sent and struck down all the

firstborn of Egypt. And on the way out we were reminded again that He

split the sea for Israel while it overwhelmed their enemies. But how easily we

can forget the mighty wonders of his wrath against his enemies, he proved that

he alone was God and ultimately kept his promise to Abraham. That's what this

was about. He told Abraham in Genesis chapter fifteen, your offspring is going

to possess this land. Look to the north, in the south, and

the east and the west. I'm going to give this land. They're going

to be slaves for four hundred years in Egypt, but I'm going to bring

them back and settle them here. So despite the fact that they continued to

rebel, look at verse fifty four and fifty five, and he brought them

to his holy land, to the mountain which is right handed one. We'll

talk more about that next week. He drove out nations before them, he

apportioned for them possession. He settled the tribes of Israel and their tents,

not because they were worthy of it, but because He is a compassionate God

who keeps his promises. And we, like Israel, who know much of

God's grace, we can all too easily feel safe when we rebel against him.

They presumed and tested God again and again and again. They provoked,

provoked the Holy One of Israel. How was that a good idea? But

it's still easy it's super easy to read these stories and see they're still rebelling

again. I thought they repented. I can read that, and I can

conclude, just like the religious leaders in Jesus day did, that if we

had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part

with them in these things. Brothers and sisters, Yes you would, and

so would I. And without the Holy Spirit of God operating in the heart

of every believer now, we would still do that. It's Him that's holding

us through our faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

I'm not holding on tight enough. I'm no better than these and neither

of you. I'm asked the band to come and join me. See,

one of the reasons that these stories are here is to warn us that we

two can be captivated by our sinful cravings just like they were. And so

sure, if I'm driving down the road and I see somebody else needs help

strapping down a load, I want to help them, and maybe I will.

Maybe I'll flag them down, maybe they'll slow down, maybe they'll stop

pull over, and maybe I can actually be of help. That'd be cool,

But just imagine the irony of opting to help someone else with their stuff

while not paying any attention to your own load, and you stop to help

them, and that's great. It's easier sometimes for us to notice other people's

problems and to help them get it buttoned up while not remembering that we have

the same problems in our own trailer. We've got our own problems too,

That's what this is about. Friends. Are there things in this passage that

are issues that you yourself are struggling with at a heart level, because we

are to check our heart because the same things that they fell into are the

same things that we can fall into too. And would we as we do

that work, would we remember that the Holy One of Israel is wondrously compassionate

and put our actual hope actually in him