Exodus - God's Goodness vs. Our Grumbling - Exodus: 13-18

How are we doing. Welcome to the roots, where it's

all about Jesus.

We love God, we love people, We reached the lost,

and we make disciples. One of the primary ways that

we make disciples is by regularly going through God's words.

So we're really excited that you're joining us today because

we have been in a series going through the Book

of Exodus. It's been really exciting. We're several weeks deep

into this thing, and we got several more weeks to go.

We're doing it in about thirteen weeks, so we've been

covering some pretty big chunks.

Pastor Greig.

Last week, Pastor Or he covered all the plagues, all

ten plagues, and it was a mighty feet so it

was a great time. But we have another big chunk

of texts, and as I've known for going short.

We're gonna need to get right into this.

But before we jump right into it, before we pray,

there's two things that I want to say. The first

thing is that it is a longer text, so it

might be just a little bit longer, but that's okay.

You don't have anywhere to go.

We have food right afterwards, and we're gonna fellowship, So

you're just cozy in. We got the kids here. It's

gonna be a great time. If they are loud, I'll talk louder.

It's we'll figure it out. We're gonna it'll be a

nice dance. The second thing is uh, being that it's

a little bit longer. I was like, the How's what's

the positive spin that I can put on this? The

positive spin other than it just being more of God's

word is let's just consider today a double dose. Okay,

let's just consider today a double dose. I don't know

if you guys know that the Seahawks are going to

the super Bowl. You guys know that, Yeah, there are

games on a Sunday. You guys also know that you

know that, so let's consider today a double dose. I'm

not saying that you shouldn't come to church next week.

I just know that some of you may not, but

you should come to church.

I want to say this.

This is what I will tell you so you can

know what you're not missing, okay, because you'll be here.

Next week.

We're looking at the ten Commandments, were the first is

you shall have no other gods before me. So anyways,

let's pray and jump into today's text. We'll leave that

for next week. Lord, Jesus, we thank you so much.

We give you glory and we give you thanks. We

just asked that as we open your word, that you

would be glorified, that you'd be magnified, that we would

be built up to look more like you.

So, Lord, we just asked that the.

Songs we've already sung have prepared our hearts, and that

we are ready for all the things you have for

us today. Have us have ears to hear, eyes to see,

and help us put it into practice.

And Jesus name, we pray Amen.

Now it's kind of funny because at our huddle we

like to ask a question. We're asking about favorite childhood memories.

And so it was funny because I didn't know what

we were talking about. But it was fitting because I actually

have a story from my childhood to share today. I

should have told my mom about this, but that's okay.

It's nothing bad. When I was about probably five years old,

my mom took me to McDonald's. We got the kids

in here, right where the kids at?

Kids? Are you listening? Do you love McDonald's? Eh? Oh right,

that's all right, goode. You guys are healthy. That's fantastic.

Anyways, when I was a kid, I liked McDonald's. We

went to McDonald's and back in the day, it's when

like all the McDonald's had the play structures on the inside.

You guys, remember those those germ factories that were just

incredibly fun.

Yes, So my mom took us through the drive through.

And I was like, I want to go inside and play,

and she was like, no, we got to go through

the drive through.

We got stuff to do.

And so me, being the reasonable five year old I was,

went absolutely ballistic and just started freaking out in the car.

My mom said, if you don't calm down, if you

don't stop, I am just going to order you bread

and water. And I'm like, she's bluffing. There's no I'm five,

and I'm like she's bluffing. So I continue. She orders

bread and water. I'm like, surely that's not for me.

She's just you know, we'll set that the side. She'll

give me my actual meal. We get up to the

drive through, the hand of the food, she hands me

my bread and water my plain burger bun. So, in

my fit of rage, I took that bun and I

shredded up and threw it all over the car, and

my mom calmly looked at me and was like, that

is your food. And it was like a life reason

like dawned on me in that moment, and I quietly

picked up all my pieces and started nibbling on my bread.

But now here's the deal. Crazy story, kind of silly,

kind of funny. But growing up after that, the rest

of my time growing up, anytime we go to a restaurant,

anytime we would go out to eat or something like that,

and I would start to complain or grumble about anything,

my mom would say, do you want bread and water?

And immediately I got quiet. I had learned my lesson.

This thing had happened. It was an example that my

mom could point back to that taught me a lesson,

and it should have it impacted how I lived after that.

So today we're gonna be looking at actually.

A handful of stories that served the same exact purpose.

They were written down as a reminder and an example

for all who were to read these stories. And it's

a set of story where we see God miraculously deliver

his people out of their bondage, but every time his

people encounter another problem, instead of remembering God's goodness, they grumble,

instead of remembering how God has been there for them

and has brought them through, has given them grace and

supplied them with everything they needed in those past hard times. Instead,

they grumble and complain about their current situation.

Sound familiar, all right? If it doesn't, we'll get there.

Don't worry.

We're talking about you, guys, we're talking about me. We're

talking about all of us. So today, what we're gonna

be looking at is God's goodness versus our grumbling. We're

gonna be looking at God's goodness versus our grumbling. Like

I said, we're gonna cover a lot of ground. It's

five chapters versus thirteen through eighteen, so let's jump right

into it. If you don't have a Bible, please go

grab one. We have some out in the lobby for you.

Go grab it, keep it for yourself. So, while it's

a lot of ground two cover. I believe that as

we examine these stories, we're going to see that they're

telling us the same message from different angles. They're telling

us the same story, the same they're setting us the

same example, but from different angles.

So what we're gonna do is We're gonna.

Look at the very first story and let that kind

of set the pace in the tone for the rest

of them. You guys ready, all right, So we've been

going through Exodus. We've seen God's people in bondage in Egypt.

But God, remembering his promise to their ancestors Abraham, sends

Moses with a message that Moses is that God's going

to deliver them with great acts of judgment so that

God's name would be made known and would be glorified

by everyone. So, as we looked at last week, God

did just that by sending ten plagues to Egypt until

Pharaoh finally yielded to God. After Pharaoh had struck down

all the firstborn in Egypt. Yet God provided a way

for his people to save their firstborns by sacrificing a

lamb and putting its blood on the door posts so

that when God came, he would pass over their homes

when he saw the blood covering the doorframes.

You remember this from last week.

Yeah, So, after we see it recorded that the people

of Egypt left Egypt, they plunder Egypt, and at the

end of the chapter, Moses writes down how basically some instructions.

He writes down some instructions.

We get a little break in the narrative where he says, hey,

and this is why every year at this time we

celebrate the Passover, and this is something that's to be

instituted to remember what God has done.

Now, interestingly enough, it's not quite done.

At the beginning of chapter thirteen, he talks about a

couple other things that he's going to institute so that

the people would remember what happened.

Let's look at this.

Exodus thirteen to three says that Moses said to the people,

remember this day in which you came out from Egypt,

out of the house of slavery. For by a strong

hand the Lord brought you out of this place. No

unleavened or no leavened bread shall be eaten. So he

gives kind of a bunch of instructions for what there's

how to prepare all their food that day, and what

they're to do. And then down in verse eight, once

again it gives us the reason that they're doing these things.

He says, you shall tell your son on that day,

it is because of what the Lord did for me

when I came out of Egypt, And it shall be.

It shall be to you as a sign on your

hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the

law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For

with a strong hand, the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed.

Time from year to year.

So this is ongoing reminder put in place to say,

remember what God has done.

Remember what God has done. That's why God.

Institutes these feasts and these regulations, so that the people

will remember how God had redeemed them out of the

land of Egypt with a mighty hand. Now, after giving

this instruction, our story tells us that God leads the

people out of Egypt, and it's interesting these versa says

that it leads them both day and night. God is

leading them in by day a cloud and by night

a pillar of fire so that they would have lights

and so they could travel during the night. So they're

on the move day and night. But interestingly enough, it

tells us that God decides to not take them the

short route. God's like, well, we could go through the

land of the Philistines, which means they're going to basically

have to fight their way through to get to where

I'm trying to take them, and God's like, I don't

want the first thing that they encounter to be war

and have them turn around and go like, we need

to go back to Egypt. I didn't sign up for this.

So God decides to take them a different route. Then

they end up encamping up against or kind of near

the sea. So then God comes to Moses and tells

Moses something that at this point Moses is probably used

to hearing.

Let's look at it.

In verse three, chapter fourteen, Pharaoh will say of the

people of Israel.

They are wandering in the land.

The wilderness has shut them in, and I will harden

Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will

get glory over Pharaoh and all of his hosts, and

the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.

And they did so.

So God says, I am not done with Egypt. I

am not done with Pharaoh. I got one more one

more thing in the chamber, one more thing We're gonna

We're gonna let loose, so that God would be glorified

in this situation. So, just as God had said once,

it's reported that the people of Israel kind of wandering

around Egypt or in the wilderness. Pharaoh's heart is hardened.

He gathers his troops of soldiers and chariots to chase

down the people. And now we're just we're gonna read

the story. Let's look at it. Verse ten says when

Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes,

and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them.

And they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried

out to the Lord.

They said to Moses, is it because there's there are

no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away

to die in the wilderness. What have you done to

us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this

what we said to you in Egypt? 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. And Moses said to the people,

fear not, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord,

which he will work for you today, for the Egyptians

whom you are, whom you see today you shall never

see again.

Yeah, hush right, that's hardcore.

The Lord will fight here are you and listen to this,

and you have only to be silent.

The Lord's gonna take care of it. Be quiet.

So the people see Pharaoh in his army and start

to cry out to God. But do we see their

tone here? Do you see their attitude, this immediate grumbling,

this immediate fear. But what does Moses do? He points

them to remember God and be silent. And I really

think we need to hear that. When things are upon us,

sometimes we just need to remember God's goodness and just

be quiet. Maybe that's not I mean be quiet out here,

We just need to be quiet in here. Just I'm

not I'm just gonna be quiet. I'm gonna trust the

Lord with this thing. So then look at God's response.

Exodus fourteen or verse fifteen. The Lord said to Moses,

why do you cry to me? Tell the people of

Israel to go forward? Lift up your staff and stretch

out your hand over the sea and divide it that

the people of Israel may go through the sea on

dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the

Egyptians so that they shall go in after them.

And I will get.

Glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts, his chariots, and

his horsemen, and the Egyptians shall know that I am

the Lord when I've gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots,

and his horsemen. So this is kind of crazy because

God simultaneously creates a way of deliverance for his people

while setting a trap for the enemies.

It's perfect.

He's like this, why, people, We're gonna move this way

and they're gonna follow you, and don't worry. I got

that taken care of. And that's exactly what happens. While

they're crossing. They go across as if it's on dry land.

That was just the bed of a sea, the sea Beck,

that's what it was.

The bottom.

It should be muddy, but that's not what they experienced.

They experienced dry land. To go across on the chariots, however,

are getting all clogged up and their wheels start to

get clogged, and the Egyptians have a terrifying realization.

Look at this in verse twenty four. And in the morning, watch.

The Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud

looked down on the Egyptian's forces and threw the Egyptian

forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that

they drove heavily look at this, and the Egyptian said,

let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights

for them against the Egyptians.

They're literally like.

This mud is holy mud, this mud is from God.

He is literally fighting for his people, allowing them to

get away. But before they could get out, God tells

Moses it's time to deliver the final blow. He tells

Moses to raise again his staff over the sea and

have a crash down on the Egyptians. Now, like, really

picture this, like I hope you're going there with me

in your mind, Like I picture this, Like the walls

open up and you're like.

All right, I'm running through. This is crazy. You were

running through. The Egyptians are behind you.

There's this cloud of smoke, which is God literally just

separating the two of you so that you can get away.

Then all of a sudden, the Egyptians start crossing, running over,

getting stuck and going like we need to get out

of here. And Moses walks up to raise his staff

once again, and you know what happened the first time

he raised that staff, And then you see that entire

army that was pursuing you washed away, completely buried covered.

Look at this verse thirty.

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand

of the Egyptians. And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on.

The seashore, like it was real.

Like look at this description, that's crazy, Like they see

the aftermath of just this, this whole army getting wiped.

Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against

the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord, and they

believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. So

God saves the people yet again. And now instead of

fearing Pharaoh, they.

Do what they should have done in the first place.

And feared God and believed and trusted God. And so

then to commemorate this, Moses breaks out into this long song.

It to the Long Song. So we're not gonna read

all of it, but we're gonna look at the beginning

of it, commemorating what God had done. Versus one of

Chapter fifteen. It says, then Moses and the people of

Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, I will

sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously. The

horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

The Lord is my strength and my song, and He

has become my salvation. This is my God, and I

will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

So God had saved the people once again. God had

provided salvation for the people. God had not left his

people out to dry. God had not abandoned his people.

But God had been good to them. God showed them

grace even when they had begun to fear. They'd begun

to grumble because of their current situation.

Are we seeing that? No?

All right, well, we're gonna see it a lot, So

don't worry, because this is gonna be a repeated pattern.

The next couple of stories that we look at and

the next three stories, we're gonna see the people come

into other problems and begin to grumble against Moses and God.

But God will show grace and he's going to provide

for his people. And then there's two more stories after that.

Like I said, there's a lot of stories where we're

gonna see God actually provide in a very unique way

for the people and for Moses himself. And the main

point I want us to get from today's text is this,

remember God's goodness and refuse to grumble. Remember God's goodness

and refuse.

To grumble. Over and over again.

We're gonna see God's people get it wrong in this story,

and this example is for us to learn from, but

also has written to reveal God's goodness, how gracious he

is with even stubborn people. So let's look at our

next incident. When they came to Marra Verse twenty three,

they could not drink the water of Marra because it

was bitter. Therefore was named Marra, and the people grumbled

against Moses, saying what shall we drink? So now the

people who saw God rain hail from the sky, the

same people who saw God part a sea in half,

are mad that their water's bitter, and they become bitter.

They start to grumble, and I think we could laugh

at them, and I'm kind of how ridiculous that is.

It's like, why don't just trust God? He's like right there.

We could laugh at them and think about how ridiculous

this is if we weren't exactly the same way. Think

about how dramatic the people were at the sea. Think

about what they said when they were up against the sea.

What you brought us out here because there wasn't enough

graves in Egypt? You just brought us out here to die,

left us out here to die. How often do we

respond to God in the same exact way. We don't

think about the amazing ways God has provided for us

in the past. Instead, we look to our problem the head,

and instead of having faith in God to provide in

this situation, we begin to complain. We begin to grumble

and fear about what's gonna happen. God saves us and

we hit our first sin struggle, our first obstacle, our

first trial or test, and then we get dramatic.

I gotta die God.

I thought this Christian life was gonna be all rainbows

and sunshine.

What's up.

Now? I have all this temptation and this flesh to

put to death that I didn't even think I had

a problem with before. Lord, following you has made my

marriage harder. I've lost relationships. Instead of seeing what God

has delivered us from or where He's leading us to,

we look at our current situations in doubt his goodness

to sustain us in the in between. So these people

get thirsty and complain about how the water is bitter.

So God provides for them. But then he shows that

none of this is in an accident. These are very

purposeful run ins, purposeful trials or tests.

Look at this verse twenty five.

And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed

him a log, and he threw it in the water,

and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for

them a statue and a rule, and there he tested them, saying,

if you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord,

your God, and do that which is right in his eyes,

and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes,

I will put none of the diseases on you that

I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord

your healer. Then they came to Elam, where there were

twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they

encamped there by the water. So God heals the water

and turns the bitterness to sweet. He then provides them

with a small vacation in palm springs. And God tests

them and says if they walk in His ways, that

he will keep them safe from the diseases that he

inflicted upon the Egyptians. The Lord is their healer. God

is their salvation. God is their healer. We're gonna see

later that God is their banner. These are good things

to remember about who God is. That he goes before

us on the journey ahead, that he's with us in

this wilderness, in this in between. But unfortunately, much like us,

how quickly do we forget because we meet another trial

or another problem and immediately revert to grumbling to others?

And God look at this. So they move a little

bit of ways, and then they get hungry.

Verse two of chapter sixteen, And the whole congregation of

the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in

the wilderness.

And the people of Israel said to them, would that

we have.

Died by the hand of the Lord in the land

of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and

ate bread to the full. For you have brought us

out into the wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

If only we had just died, we had it better

when we were enslave. How many of us, if we're

not careful, just start to sound the same, start to

say the same things. We start to look back on

the past with these rose colored glasses. I don't know

if you've ever worked a past job that you hated, Well,

I have, I've worked jobs where I'm like, that was

not after I was ready to leave by the time

I was done there.

And there was one.

Job specifically where it kind of made me die inside

a little bit. My wife can attest to that. There's

a lot to it, But all I can say is

I was not my best attitude in that time in

that wilderness and that drought, whatever you want to call it.

And it's hard because the Lord brought me out of that,

brought me to a new season, brought me to do

a new job, all that stuff.

Sometimes I look back and I'm like, Wow, that wasn't

that bad.

That was kind of nice, you know, that was kind

of co working with the hands, like you know, these

these rose colored glasses that have us looking back and

the Israelites we're like, if only we were back with

the meat pots, if only we were back with the bread. Dude,

they were killing your babies. They were literally working you

to death. And you're like, with the meat pots, the bread.

They were slaughtering you. But all you can remember is

the bread.

And how many of us treat our sin just like this,

how that drink, how that puff, how that late nighttime

on the internet helped with our stress when all those

things are killing your soul, the great shame and guilt

that came after we've eaten of whatever forbidden fruit we

have in our life. And think about how deceptive our

hearts are because our flesh hides the reality and consequences

of our sin but highlights the good times. Next time

you attempted to sin, just remember that there's death on

the other side of this, and it's trying to tempt

me with something sweet, something nice flying to you. It's

what keeps us coming back to the sin, a promise

of momentary pleasure, but it damns you to an eternity

in hell.

Not worth it.

But we'll forget instead of think about how we used

to have it. This new life that God has called

us to, it's just too hard. I want my old life.

But you were a slave to the passions of your

flesh and of your sin. You couldn't say no, You

wouldn't say no. But now you're free and you can't.

These Israelites are an example of exactly how we can

be and an example of how kind of everything that's

wrong with us as people.

We just turn back, we grumble.

Especially like they asked to be delivered God help us

see us answer our prayers.

And God's like, fine, I'll deliver you. How many of us? God, please,

just that spouse, Please, just give me that spouse. Just

give me that spouse.

Please, And then you marry them. You're like, what the heck? God,

what's up with this person? Right? Takes about five seconds,

So these Israelites complain.

Yet God shows his grace.

And I did not mean to rhyme, but he then

makes it rain literally look at this verse four. Then

the Lord said to Moses, behold, I'm about to rain

bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go

out and gather a day's portion every day that I

may tell them whether they will walk in my law

or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what

they bring in, it will be twice as much as

they gather daily. So Moses and Aaron said to all

the people of Israel, that evening you shall know that

it was the Lord who brought you out of the.

Land of Egypt.

And in the morning you shall see the glory of

the Lord, because he has heard you're grumbling against the Lord.

For what are we that you grumble against us? And

Moses said, when the Lord gives you in the evening

meat to eat and in the morning bread to eat,

or bread to the full. Because the Lord has heard

your grumblings, that you grumble against him?

What are or what are we?

You're grumbling is not against us, but against the Lord.

So Moses says, to summarize God, he says, you're grumbling

isn't really against Moses. It's not really against me. Your

grumbling is against the Lord. And how often should we

realize that when we're complaining about our situations, we're complaining

about our problems, our trials, that we're really grumbling against God.

God sees us. God knows our situation, and God is

the one who placed us there.

He knows.

God is leading these people to his mountain, and the

whole way there that people are complaining about every inconvenience,

The Lord keeps saying, this is a test to see

if you're just gonna follow me, if you're gonna trust me,

if you're gonna obey me. And as God has saved us,

and we're on our way to glory, on our way

to be in His presence, we are on a journey

through this life. But instead of counting every trial with joy,

as James calls us to, we grumble at every inconvenience. Really,

the problem isn't our inconvenience, it's our attitude, it's our

heart posture. These problems reveal where we will turn to

when life gets real, when life gets hard, what do

you turn to? And we keep seeing them get the

wrong answer over and over again, we will turn to

grumbling and looking to the past.

Or are we going to look to the Lord?

God is testing the Israelites, not so that he would

know what's in their heart. He already knows what's in

their hearts, but to reveal just how faithless these people are,

just how hard their hearts are. God lays out his

statute as clear as day. But the people still complain

and do their own thing. God makes it rain every

single day bread from heaven and gives them instructions on

gathering it. That each day God will provide bread, but

that if they keep any of it overnight, it's going

to begin to stink. Like there's like these instructions, like

will you obey me? So God gives them their daily bread.

God gives it daily to each the Israelites that they

are to be dependent on God to provide for them

daily every day. Every day you come back to me.

Every day you come to me for what you need.

That's why Jesus teaches us to pray give us this

day are what daily bread.

Every day.

We are to come before God to trust him for

our needs for each day, that He will provide for

each day that he gives us. But how many of

us are trying to hold onto yesterday's provision because we

don't trust him with today or tomorrow. He provided for

me yesterday, but I don't know about today. I know

this thing's coming, I don't know if he'll take care

of me. Then, when we have that attitude, just like

the day old manna, it makes our attitudes stink. God

does tell them to gather each day, that on the

sixth day they are to gather double because of the

seventh day would be a day of rest, that is

the Sabbath, where no bread would fall from heaven. But unfortunately,

still like some of the people don't listen. Some people

leave the bread overnight and it stinks and has worms

in it, disgusting. Some people on the seventh day go

out looking for the bread. These people are struggling to

listen to God's instruction. But how many of us are

struggling to even listen right now? Listen to what He

wants us to hear. After God provides to the miraculous,

he actually tells them to keep some of that bread,

put it in a jar for what for future generations

to remember how God provided for them in the wilderness.

So we're gonna get to our last grumble right here,

and once again it's about water.

Look at this verse one chapter seventeen.

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on

from the wilderness of sin by stages according to the

commandment of the Lord, and camped at refited him. But

there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore,

the people quarreled with Moses and said, give us water

to drink. And Moses said to them, why do you

quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? But

the people thirsted there for water. And the people grumbled

against Moses and said, why did you bring us up

out of Egypt to kill us and our children and

our livestock with thirst. They're so dramatic every single time,

we're like, oh, you die, you protise out here to

die every single time, So dramatic. What's kind of crazy

here as you're seeing that these people not only is

God testing them, but now they're starting to test God.

They're just starting to grumble against him. They're being dramatic.

And now we're gonna see God once again provide for them.

He's going to provide water out of a rock. He's

going to provide water out of a rock. It's gonna

be really cool. But it's interesting because in this situation,

it's a little worse because it tells us in a

few verses, there was an air of unbelief amongst the

people because this is what they were saying. Look at

verse seven, and he called the name of the place

Massa and Marabah because of the quarreling of the people

of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying

is the Lord among us or not?

That's what the.

People were saying. They were just saying, where's the water?

We're gonna die?

They're saying, is God even with us? Has God even

with me? Right now? Is God even for us here?

And how many of us have asked that same question? God?

Where are you? Are you even here? Doesn't he see?

Doesn't he know?

Is He with me? Or is he not.

That instead of remembering all the good things that God

has done for us, that we begin to grumble, And

that grumbling comes from unbelief that starts to set in,

and unbelief is always the root of our grumbling. God's

people feared. God's people were discontent. God's people were questioning

God all about what is God going to provide for

us this time?

Is God going to provide for us this time? But

it's funny because that's not the question that they ask.

They just say God brought us out here to die

if He's even with us. Instead of believing that all

things work together for the good of those who love

Him and are called according to His purpose, we immediately

attribute the trial to God forsaking us. This hardship must

mean God's not with me, rather than viewing it as

the means that God uses to reveal our hearts to

refine us and bring us closer to him. We need

to remember God's goodness.

And refuse to grumble.

We need to trust God to provide for us daily.

We need to trust God to sufficiently give us what

we need while we're waiting in the wilderness, waiting to

go to the promised land. But every single one of

us has a problem, and that problem is our unbelief.

Are continued turning to things that can never truly satisfy

or give us what we need. But what if I

told you that every single one of these stories are

pointing to the one thing that can perfectly satisfy and

perfectly provide for us forever. And you're like, the answer

is God, right, And yes, the answer is God, But

more specifically, the answer is Jesus.

These all of these stories are pointing to.

Jesus, And you're right, the name Jesus does not appear

in the text. But what if I did tell you

that Jesus was in the bread, Jesus was in the water,

Jesus was in the rock. That that is where Jesus appears.

What are you talking about? Duncan give me a second,

go there with me. Let me show you John six,

John six, It's interesting. Jesus just got done feeding five

thousand plus people in the wilderness with bread. Okay, that's

just cool. The next day the people come looking for more.

So we're going to read a little bit. See what

Jesus has to say about this situation. Look at it

Verse twenty six. Jesus answered them, truly, truly, I say

to you, you were seeking me, not because you saw signs,

but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do

not work for the food that perishes, but for the

food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of

Man will give to you. For on him God, the Father,

has set his seal. Then they said to him, what

must we do to be doing the works of God.

Jesus answered them, this is the work of God that

you believe in him whom he has sent. So they

said to him, then, what sign do you do that

we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?

Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it

is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Jesus then said to them, truly, truly, I I say

to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread

from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread

from heaven. For the bread of God is he who

comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

They said to him, Sir, give us this bread always.

Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes

in me shall never thirst. But I said to you

that you have seen me, and yet do not believe.

Jesus is the true heavenly bread that has come down

from heaven, that whoever believes in him shall never hunger

or thirst Again. Everything that you need is in Jesus.

But these people have seen signs. They just ate the

bread from yesterday. They've seen him and yet have not believed.

It's the same exact thing going on an exodus. Jesus

just tells him straight up, what's going on. You guys

don't believe me. You guys do not believe, and you

guys are never going to guess how the people respond,

You're never gonna believe how they respond.

Look at this verse forty one. So the Jews grumbled

about him. The Jews grumbled about Jesus. It's the same thing.

They're grumbling because he said, I'm the bread that came

down from heaven. They said, is this not Jesus, the

son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know. How

does he now say I have come down from heaven?

Jesus answered them, do not grumble among yourselves.

Amen, let's end now. I'm just kidding. They're like, do

not grumble among yourself.

No one can come to me unless the Father who

sent me draws him and I will raise him up.

On the last day, they begin to grumble.

It's the same thing, it's the same situation.

It's the same.

Revelation of the condition of these people's hearts, of our hearts.

Their unbelief has driven them to grumble against God and

reject the one who can give them everything they need.

And this is exactly what we need to see and

we need to learn.

From their example. Look at this one Corinthians ten one

through six. For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,

that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all

passed through the sea, and all were baptized in de Moses,

in the cloud and in the sea. And they all

ate the same spiritual food, and all drink the same

spiritual drink, for they drink from the spiritual rock that

followed them, and that rock was Christ, and the rock

was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them, God was not pleased,

for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things

took place, as what an example for who us that

we may not desire evil as they did. Those are

examples for us to learn from and go like they're

missing it. So they're not just examples for us to

learn from, but also to see Christ in. And who

does it say Christ is? It says that heat is

the rock that the people drink from. Now that it's

even more incredible. I want us to go back to

our Exodus text and see how God provided the thirsty

people in verse four, So Moses cried to the Lord,

what shall I do with this people? They're almost ready

to stone me. And the Lord said to Moses, pass

on before the people, taking with you some of the

elders of Israel, and taking your hand the staff with

which you struck the Nile, and go.

Now, listen to this, guys, this is wild.

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock

at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water

shall come out of it, and the people will drink.

And Moses did so in the sight of the elders

of Israel. God says he is going to stand there

on the rock, and that Moses is to strike the

rock so that living water would pour out and provide

for the people. It's all right here. First, Printhian has

already told us Christ is the Rock. What does that mean?

Christ is the one who was struck. Christ is the

one who.

Was struck for us to be provided for.

That. Jesus was struck so that all those who would

believe in him can have their sins forgiven. They can

have all their provision, the things that they need taking

care of in the eternal life giving waters that only

Christ can provide. Jesus is the one struck for our sins.

He takes the punishment of our sin and instead gives

us life and sustains us. Jesus shows us all these

things are there to point to him, even these last

two stories, and you're like, goodness, Duncan, don't worry, we

got this.

I need the band to come up really quickly.

These last two stories that I mentioned earlier are to

show God and how he even provides for Moses. That

Israel gets attacked by the Amalekites, and Moses goes up

on all and while he keep he takes with him

the staff of God. And as he has the staff

of God raised, the people of Israel win against the Amalekites.

And when his arms start to lower, he loses well.

He is like eighty years old, and so his arms

get tired, and so.

He has friends.

He has companions come alongside him, place a rock underneath

him to sit on, and come alongside and hold up

his arms until the battle is finished. Once they win

the battle, God has them record the victory so that

future generations would know what God did. Then there's this

final story where Moses's father in law comes to meet

Moses and Moses tells him all that God had done.

And after Moses's father in law witnesses kind of how

Moses is running the camp, is running the place which

was by hearing the grumbling and deciding all the cases

from morning until night every single day for everyone. There's

a lot of people. Moses's father in law gives him

some advice. He says, what you're doing is not good.

You need to share the load. Have other people deal

with the small issues and bring all the big issues

to you. Look at this verse twenty two, and let

them judge the peoples at all times. Every great matter

they shall bring to you, but any small matter they

shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you,

and they will bear the burden with you. If you

do this God will direct you, you will be able

to endure. And all this people also will go to

their place in peace. So not only is this just

good practical leadership advice, but this is good advice for us.

And that advice is it is not good for you

to do this alone. As we're wandering, as we're going through,

as we're waiting for Jesus to come back, as we're

living out our Christian life, as we're waiting on the Lord,

as we're trusting in the Lord, as we're looking to

the Lord, we shouldn't.

Be doing that alone.

We need others to come alongside us, to bear our burdens,

to remind us of God's goodness when we begin to grumble,

to remind us of the truth, when we start to

look back at our past with rose colored glasses. So

I tell my wife that job that was kind of nice.

She's like, you, don't you dare to remind us that

we aren't alone, that we should share the load. But

more than just the good advice, we need to understand

that there is only one who can truly carry our

burdens perfectly, and that's Jesus Us. That no matter what

we face, no matter what we go through, we can

come to Jesus because he will provide for us. Because

his promise is true when he says in Matthew eleven,

Come to me, all who are labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon

you and learn from me, for I'm gentle and lowly

in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

All these stories.

Tell the tale of those who grumbled and refused to

learn the lesson God was showing them over and over again.

And so for us today, we need to remember God's

goodness and refuse to grumble.

Amen. Would you guys please stand to your feet