4/26/2026 Gathering | Exodus - Still Slaves | River of Life

Little bit of spammubi in the back. Get some while it's still there. It's really good. I can guarantee you that. How's everyone doing this week? How's everyone doing? Sound like Marvel zombies up in here. I guess everyone's back in school now. All right. Well, let's get this Lord's Day started with some announcements. All right. The first one. So, we do have an update to Bonnie's memorial. It is at Venice Free United Methodist Church. It's at uh 4871 South Centennial Avenue. Guys, if you do want to go, please take a picture of this. Um and if you guys do want to go, we do need to have you RSVPd for for lunch by let's see here, May 31st. And uh if you do if you do want to go for the lunch, let one of us know and we'll get you. It is uh Rhonda's number Um, but this is going to be the church where it's going to be at. And if you guys do want to send uh flowers, you can send them to Benon at that address right there. That'll let them know, you know, that we care about them, that we love them, and that we want to be there with them. So, if you guys do want to send those off, the cards, whatever you want to send, please do send it there. All right, moving on. We volunteers are needed for the outreach booth. Uh, it's going to be Thursday and Friday. Happy birthday, Monterey Park. We are going to be out there. We're going to be out there in force. If you guys do want to be out there, we will need hands. We will need feet on the ground. If you guys want to be out there, we would love to have you out there. It's an amazing opportunity to just be in the community and honestly to build relationship to with one another. Um I remember doing this last year and I think it was only me and Abner out there last year. Uh we didn't have much interaction with everyone else, but it was just a really fun time between me and Abner. I think I got to do a little bit of a magic show for some of the kids that did come up. But it's a really good time for you guys to just really get out of your own comfort zone, get out of your own normal stuff and try something new, try something different. Um, but if you guys do want to volunteer, if you guys want to help us with this, please reach out to one of us, let one of the pastoral staff know. We would love to have you guys out there. Um, but it is on May 7th and May 8th, Thursday and Friday. So, whatever whatever day you guys can do, let us know and we'll work with you. All right. Uh June 14th, worship service and baptism. So this day we are not going to be having actual service here. We're going to be having it at the place we're going to be doing the baptism at. We are still trying to find a location right now. But as that comes up, as that comes closer, we will get more uh details and get a better definition of what that's going to look like on the day of. But I'm really excited because this is going to be our first baptism here at River of Life. And I'm so excited. Yes, this is Yeah, clap it up. Definitely. This is a huge milestone in our church family here. This is a big one. Um, but do make arrangements because it's probably not going to be closer to here. It's probably going to be a little further out. So, do make arrangements for that, please. Again, if you guys want to get plugged in, we have many different ways. Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. We have the ladies life groups on Thursdays and we have Friday of uh first and third Friday of each month. if you guys want to get in. You know, we've we've had some new visitors coming to some of the life groups and it's just been it's been a blessing. Honestly, it's been a blessing to get to know some of you guys outside of just a regular church context. Um, thank you for your support. It allows us to be in the community. Um, this is the schedule going forward. Volunteers needed. Exodus, keep going. And I think that's it. Next, we'll just invite up worship team. Thank you, worship. Good morning, River of Life. Um, yeah, if you could all stand with me. Let's worship together. Five, six, seven, eight. Come now is it time to worship. Come now is it time to give your love. Come just as you are to worship. Come just as you were before your come. Let's sing. Come again. Come. Now is the time to worship. Come. Now is it time to give your love. Come just as you are to worship. Come just as you are before your God. Come let's sing. One day one day every tong will confess you are God. One day every knee will bow. Till the greatest treasure remains small. Glad we choose you. Now I think come. Now is the time to worship. Come. Now is the time to give your love. Come just as you are in worship. Come just as you are before your God. Come let's sing willingly willingly we choose to surrender our lives. Willingly our knees will bow. With all our hearts on my strength, we gladly choose you now. I think one day, one day every confess you are, God. One day every knee will bow. Still the greatest treasury makes for those who gladly choose you now. Now is the time to worship. Come now is the time to give your heart. Come just as you are to worship. Come just as you were before your God. Come. Let's sing. Come. Come. Come. Just as you are. Come. Come. Yeah. We say come. Holy Spirit. Come. And we thank you, God, that you don't require anything of us but to come to come just as we are, Father. We don't need to be a certain way, God, but that we can just be who we are, God, and come to you, God. That is what you desire. So, we welcome you here this morning. And we ask um for you to come, but we pray that we would come, that we would bring who we are, God, right now. would you do what only you can do. Um we just we love you father and we we pray all these things in your heavenly name. Amen. So let's sing um in Christ alone. Five six Let's sing in Christ alone. In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song, this cornerstone. This solid ground. Birm through the fiercest round and sword. What eyes of love, what depths of peace, when fears are still, when striving please. My comforter, my all in long. here in the love of Christ has said oh singing Christ alone in Christ alone who took on flesh fullness of God in helpless name this gift of love and righteousness Stormed by the woods he gave to save till that cross that Jesus died. The wrath of God was satisfied for everything on him was laid here in the death of Christ. Oh, they're in the ground. There in the ground his body lay the light of the world by darkness. and bursting forth in glorious day up from the grave he rose again and as he stands in victory has lost its grip on me for I am his and he is mine with the precious blood Oh, let's sing. No guilt in life. No guilt in life. No fear in death. This is the power of Christ in me. From last night's first cry to final breath. Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man can never me from his hand till he returns. Oh call me home. Here in the power of Christ I'll stand. No power of hell, no scheme of men can never plot me from his hand. Till he returns and calls me home. Here in the power of Christ, I'll stand. Yes, Jesus. Would we know and believe in this power that we have in you, Father? And would we stand? Thank you, God, because of that we can stand. We can stand and we can face all of our fears, even death, God, and know, God, that we can overcome because of you, God. So, just help us, help us to realize the power that is within us, Father, because of you, God. We thank you. And um pray this in Jesus name. Um yeah, before we sing our next song, I just wanted to share um just a personal story. I was talking with a friend this past week and we were talking about how sometimes like when our children get hurt or they're experiencing something hard, it's like sometimes hard to comfort them. That sounds weird as a parent, but if any of you can relate as parents, sometimes it's like you want to be there for your child, but sometimes you're not sure how. you're not sure how to comfort them. And um as we as my friend and I were talking, we were just processing like, well, when we look back at our childhood, there was ways that we weren't able to be comforted the way that we needed. Um and so that can be hard. We can't give away something that we didn't receive, something that we didn't experience. Maybe we don't know what that's like. So it makes it hard to give that to our children. And as we were processing and talking, I just felt like the Lord was reminding me like, well, you have to like it starts with trusting the Lord. It starts with trust because we have to come to the Lord and ask for what we need. We need to pour out our heart to the Lord so that we can actually receive comfort from the Lord. But to do that, we have to trust, right? It has to be a safe place. And I know for me as someone who's a big feeler and very sensitive there there wasn't a place for me to be safe. Like I didn't I there was no one to hold my emotions safely. So I kept it in and I to this day I'm still learning how to let go and to bring those things to God so that he can comfort and love me in a new way. But just that word like trust, like I just want to ask you this morning like where do you feel like you need to trust the Lord more? Like where where are you holding back or where are you hiding or where you're just holding whatever it is like the Lord wants to know that and will you just trust him in letting him know that so that he can be that for you? He can be whatever you need. Um, and I think what's beautiful is that he he gives us his Holy Spirit to be with us, to give us exactly what we need. And so as we as we sing this next song called Holy Spirit, um yeah, I just want you to think about like what is that area of your life where you feel like you want to trust the Lord more deeply. And let's ask um as we sing this song, let's ask the Holy Spirit to come and help us to be brave. He is that safe place for us. He is our refuge. and we can start there. Even if we didn't receive that from our parents or our friends or whoever, the Lord knows and he is that safe place and refuge. So, let's um trust him. Let's trust him. And um yeah, so let's um sing this next song called Holy Spirit. Oh, sorry. Yes, you're right. Thank you. I do need to change I do need to change keys. That would be the wrong key. Okay. Let's sing. There's nothing worth more. There's nothing worth more that will ever come close. Nothing can compare. You're a living home. Oh, your presence, Lord. I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of love. When my heart becomes free and my shame is undone in your presence, Lord, let's sing. Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, you're welcome here. Come blood this place and give the atmosphere. Your glory, God is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence, Lord. Your presence, Lord. Let's sing. There's nothing worth more. There's nothing worth more that could ever come close. Nothing can come back. You're our living home. Your presence, Lord. I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of love. When my heartbeat comes free and my shame is not bound. Thank you Jesus in your presence. Amazing Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, you are welcome you. Come find this place and the endless. You're the glory. That is what our hearts long to be overcome by your presence. Lord, your presence. Your presence, Lord. Your presence, Lord. Let's sing. Let us become, let us become more aware of your presence. Let us experience the glory of your goodness. Let us become more aware of your presence. Let us experience the glory of your goodness. Let us become more aware of your presence. Let us experience the glory of your goodness. Let us become more aware of your presence. Let us experience the glory of your goodness. Holy Spirit, you are welcome. Love this place and fill the earth. Your glory God is what our hearts all over by your presence. Lord let's sing Holy Spirit again. Your presence. Let's sing Holy Spirit one more time. >> Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for. to be overcome by your presence. Lord God, there there is nothing there is nothing like your presence. Father, in your presence, fears are stilled. Father, in your presence, worries and circumstances, they just dim. Father, the light of your presence, the comfort and love of your presence, there is nothing like it, Lord. So, we just say thank you, God, for your presence, God. We pray for more. We pray for more of your presence and for each one of us to just be more aware of your presence in this moment, God, and throughout our days, God. You are with us till the end of the age. That is your promise to us, Father. So, we thank you, God, that we can face we can face another day. We can face these hurdles and hard circumstances because of your grace and because of your presence, God. So we we love you, Lord, and we long for more of you. So we pray all these things in your heavenly name. Amen. >> Good morning, River of Life. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. >> All right, that's better. Um kiddos, you are free to go with Auntie Cheryl and youth, uh you go with Pastor Sean. Uh it's good to see everybody. Uh I'm all dodgered out today, but it is a Lakers playoff season and uh they're up three three games on the Rockets. Is that right? So So we we got another game uh later today at six, I think, and the Dodgers play after church. Um some of you don't care, but some of us do. Um so welcome. Good morning. I'm I'm going to send you off into small groups just to to talk about uh the question that we have for today. Okay, we're going to we're back in the book of Exodus, obviously, and and looking at this time in in the in the wilderness where the Lord is is testing the people. So, one of the the questions that I have for you is what is the hardest test or exam that you have ever taken? Okay? And and this could be this could be anything. This could be a midterm. This could be a a driver's test. Uh some of you are are at that age. This could be uh Wes isn't here, but he had to take the the bar exam uh at some point in his life. Uh doctors take uh what is it? Medical doctor's test. I don't know what they're called. Um SATs, all of that. So, like what what's the hardest test you've ever taken and why? Uh let's talk about that for the next two minutes and then I'll bring us back. Welcome people online. Uh Kenneth, we we got anything anybody online? Yeah. Okay, cool. Well, awesome. Welcome. Let's uh let's have that discussion and I'll bring us back in 2 minutes. >> All right, let's um let's come back together. So that that it it was fun to walk around and and listen to you all uh share some of your responses. Um, I I've had hard tests and some easy tests in my life. I I I think the the tests that I hated most uh were were my language tests in seminary. And Jesse, I don't know how you felt about those, but man, like I hated Greek, I hated Hebrew, I hated both of them. Uh, and and now just for clarification, part of the reason I hated them is because I waited until the end of seminary to to do my language. And I I don't know why, right? And at the end of the se seminary, I just want you guys to know like you're all burned out. you're like, you know, you don't care about anything. You just kind of want to pass the class, right? So, unfortunately for me, my last four or five classes were all language classes and and hate is not even a strong enough word to describe how I felt about about those classes. Uh, and then there were other tests that that I really loved, I think, uh, throughout my life. And then definitely in seminary, I love the history tests. Like, I always aced history tests pretty well. I was arrogant in some of my history tests, right? Like I remember once I got 100% on a history test and I I felt like that last uh and I emailed him, hey, you gave me 100% but I think he could have gave me a 98 or 99 because uh one of my responses wasn't that good. And he was like, "Dude, just get over it." Um um but you know, like there are some tests that that are important. There are other tests that that are not as important. You know, uh there are some that have been memorable over the decades. Uh I don't remember my driver's test. Uh but some of you all your kids are taking driver's tests and you're you're more stressed out than your kids are. Um I don't remember my citizenship test, you know, you like you need to uh which is kind of funny because even people who were born in this country can't even answer some of the questions now uh on that on that uh citizenship test SAT stuff like that. So we're going to be talking a lot about uh testing today, specifically how Israel failed the test that the Lord had for them. And it's not a light topic, but I do think it's important. And please take notes because at the end I will be testing you to see if you understood this message. No, I'm just kidding. Um I I do make our our ELAC students take notes when I'm teaching though. Uh every Tuesday I'm like uh if if I have a dry erase board in my hand, I mean a dry erase marker in my hand, it means you should be taking notes so that you can remember some of these things. But anyways, uh we're in Exodus 17 and the Israelites have been in the wilderness and they begin to grumble against Moses and Aaron, right? If only Yahweh would have killed us back in Egypt and uh you know, at least back then we had some food. Do you remember that? I think Molly preached on that last week. And the Lord tells Moses um that he was going to rain down mana from heaven to test the Israelites to see if they were going to follow his instructions. and how much are they actually going to pay attention to what I'm asking them to do, you know? So, he provides for them and like Molly mentioned last week, some of them gather more than they were supposed to, right? So, even they can't even follow the basic instructions. Uh, so obviously some of the people don't don't know how to listen, you know, and this this is actually becomes a pattern in Israel as we're going to see and we're going to continue to see uh later on in the book of Exodus. So, let's start over in chapter 17 starting in verse one. From the wilderness of sin, the whole congregation of the of of the Israelites journeyed by stages as the Lord commanded. They camped at Refugeem, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." 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 complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" So Moses cried out to the Lord, "What shall I do for this people? They're they're almost ready to stone me." And the Lord said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock and the water will come out of it so that the people may drink. Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massa and Mebbah because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" Uh, and that's really the issue here, okay? Is their question at the end there. Is the Lord with us or not? Uh this is not really about water, but we'll talk about water because they're talking about water. Um so the people come out of the wilderness and and they come out of the wilderness in stages in in companies, right? Like they're organized as the Lord commanded to them and the place where they come to is actually a place with no water. Now the thing that you need to know in the text is that the Lord actually brought them to this place. The Lord brings them to a place with no water. Um the the reason that they're there is not because Moses led them there. It's because the Lord commanded Moses take them uh to this particular place. So, uh this situation uh this particular passage is a little bit different than the situation in Exodus 15:23 where they camped at Mara in chapter 15. There was water but it was undrinkable. It was bitter. And here uh there is no water, right? So, there's already been uh evidence that the Lord could provide water. Uh he's already done it. But here in chapter 17, the Lord brings them to a place with no water. And this is not Moses doing. This is the Lord bringing them to this place. And you have to remember there's uh 30,000 people with him, you know, and and all their livestock uh on the move. And and when you think about it, just practically speaking, this is actually a very big deal, right? Human beings can go several weeks without food. Uh you could you could last, you know, probably like a month and a half, maybe two months, maybe even longer, uh with no food, but most people will die after 2 or 3 days with no water. uh when you're out in the wilderness away from a a reliable source of water, you're taking a risk. And if you've ever gone hik hiking right here, you know, we we live in the southwest. If you ever gone hiking in the southwest, you know that uh when you go hiking uh long hikes, I'm not talking uh uh the place uh over here with the waterfall. What's it called? Eden Canyon. Um Eden Canyon, you know, you're going to be walking next to a stream. I'm I'm talking like longer hikes all over the St. Gabriel Mountains and all over the Southwest. Um, you need to actually map out where your water sources are, right? Like I've hiked done longer hikes in Yeusede and had to like say this is where we're going to, you know, get water. This is my filtration system. Uh, so knowing the location of water is really the difference between life and death in any situation when when you put yourself out there. So before the kids were born, my kids were born, uh, I would take some of the Elac men hiking in S in the St. Gabriel Mountains. And there are some people on on this picture that you all know. You see in the front, that's Maximus right here. He was a kid. I saw that yesterday, Maximus, and I just laugh. Um, Patrick over here on the left hand side in the Dodgers. He preached a few weeks back. Alex Tjo, who used to hang out, is right here in the blue, and I'm up there in the back looking like Peter Pan. Um, but be before the kids, you know, were born, I used to do a lot more hiking. And there was one year, this particular year where we trained I trained uh our elac men uh to to hike Mount Wilson where all the antennas are out of out of the Sierra Madre Trail and it's a rough hike. You know, they suggest actually that you bring three lers of of water. Now, just you know, just to let you know, three liters of water is about seven pounds. Uh and that's just water. That's not even including anything else that you're going to carry, right? So, right off the bat, you're thinking to yourself, I need to uh fill up my my canister somewhere along the way. And what's interesting about that particular hike, if you leave Adosier Madre, the first stop on the map is literally called First Water. Any of you ever done that hike? Yeah, Caleb. Um the first stop on the trail is the place where you could find water. And one of the last places before you leave the tree line, which we're at here, actually, this this is actually the last place where you can get water. And if you don't fill up, you're running into danger. So, I remember uh this is one of our training runs. And I and I know that because Maximus, you didn't go all the way to Mount Milson with me, right? So, uh this is one of our our training runs, but when we actually did the hike, uh one of the things that ended up happening was uh we met a couple who had done that hike. And I just want you to and if you never hiked, just bear with me. It's like a 4,500 elevation gain. 4,500 foot elevation gain over about seven or eight miles. They did it like on on one of these water bottles, you know, and they were hanging out in the shade dehydrating, you know, and because we had overpacked, we had overprepared, we were able to give them some water. Um, and one of my frustrations every summer is watching reports of people who decided to hike in Arizona or the Mojave Desert uh with no water, right? They dehydrate literally like within an hour. Uh and when when your body goes through that, you you lose your sense of your ability to think straight and then they end up getting lost and then they never make it out. And this hap this is going to happen. You guys just watch the news uh July July August. It it'll happen. It happens every year. Um so water in the wilderness is crucial, right? Like without water, you can't survive. If you don't have water, you're going to die. The Israelites don't have water up at this point. But what's disturbing here is the fact that God actually brings them to this place, right? Like this is not Moses doing. It's God brings them to this place that has no water. It was the will of the Lord uh to bring them to this place. It's not by accident. And then the question that we have to ask them is why? Why is the Lord leading his people to uh a place with no water? Uh when we look at the pattern in the people's journey through the wilderness, what we see is that they're in constantly need of something, right? like they're going to be in need of food, they're going to need uh be in need of water, they're going to be in need of direction, they're going to be in need of protection. Um, and they often respond in a state of panic, in a state of fear, in a state of complaining, a state of doubting. Uh, and then the Lord provides, they forget, and then the pattern starts all over again. And this happens literally for 40 years with the people. So time in the wilderness for Israel and for others actually throughout all of scripture is often a time of testing to see how God's people are going to respond. Now I was told who told me this somebody man who was I hanging out with uh recently that the the Bible project people uh are doing a podcast on time in the wilderness. It's probably Eddie my my friend Eddie on Friday night maybe. But, you know, I I did not have time to listen to all 10 episodes, but they're really tracking just just um God's testing of his people um in the wilderness, right? God wants to know how they're going to respond. It's a time of humbling. It's an opportunity to turn uh towards the Lord. What the will they let like their current circumstance dictate how they feel or are they going to turn to the Lord? Right? Like what is going to define what reality looks like? So the Lord brought them to this place and the question is, you know, why? And the answer to that is really to see how these people are going to respond. Um the Lord is testing them along along the way, seeing if they're going to listen to his commandments, right? That's what last week was about. Like are they actually going to listen to to my commandment about how they're going to gather this mana in the wilderness? And like I said, some of them don't. But the book of Deuteronomy actually makes it even more clear. Deuteronomy chapter 8, Deuteronomy as a book actually lands closer to the end of the the the wilderness journey. And in Deuteronomy 8:es 2:3, it comments on this wilderness journey, right? So, it's a reflection on what the Lord is doing. And this is what um verse 2 says in chapter 8 of Deuteronomy. Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these 40 years in the wilderness in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with mana, which with which neither you you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Right? So that's just one example. the the thing that's get being talked about here in particular is mana, but really that that's a summary of their wilderness journey, right? Like the Lord wants to know where their heart is at. And I think the implication of this text is that the Lord tests his people to see what's in their heart, right? Like it's obvious uh to see if they're going to turn to him for food, uh to see if they're going to turn to him for water, if they're going to turn to him for direction, if they're going to turn to him uh for direction, or is Israel going to panic and turn to other things? And unfortunately, that's that's kind of the thing. You know, they need water, they need food, they need protection, but that's not the real issue. The issue is whether or not they understand that God could provide all of these things, that God is with them and that God is going to take care of them. Like, will Israel turn to the Lord in their time of need, or are they going to turn to other things? Are they going to uh turn to the practical need, right? Or are they going to shout out to the Lord and say, "Lord, we know that you're good. We know that you provide and and we are turning uh to you." That is actually the issue of the wilderness journey. Uh it's it's an issue of whether or not God is good. Uh whether or not God is the one who provides. And really that's the that's at the root of all of Israel's problems, right? Like whether or not they trust in God. In fact, the story of the fall when you look look at it, it's it's whether or not God is going to provide or we're going to provide for ourselves. Are we going to grasp for for something that think that we think that God is keeping from us? Um, I would argue that all all the problems in the world stem out of that. Are we going to try to provide for ourselves? Are we going to trust that God is good and that he's looking for us for protection and and to really to to solve our problems and is he going to be with us, right? Or are we going to respond in disbelief and go at it uh our own way? That's the real issue. Um, but I think maybe what's frustrating about Israel's journey in the wilderness is is the fact that God has already proven that he could do some of these things, right? Like this is nothing new. We saw that last week they were hungry, so God provided mana. Uh, and you would think that if you came to a place with no water and that you're thirsty and in the previous passage, you know, and I'm I I think this is going chronological um or at least I hope, but he's already provided in other ways. uh he's already provided when there was no food, then the logical conclusion would be to ask God to provide water if there's no water. But the Israelites don't go there. They don't turn to God. Uh and but God has already proven himself, right? Which is part of what's frustrating about the story. God came to them and and told them uh that, you know, he promised all these things that he would deliver them, that he would take care of them. Uh think about what the Lord has already done in in in the book of Exodus here. He he's already struck uh Egypt with 10 plagues. God opened the way literally for them to like walk through the Red Sea, right? God destroyed Pharaoh and his army before them. God uh has been leading them. His presence has been with them. Uh the pillar of cloud, the pillar of fire. Uh God provided mana like like we talked about last week. Surely water in the wilderness is not a big deal for God, right? Surely. But no, they don't get it. And they begin to question God's commitment to them through Moses. And we see this in verses 2 and three. The people quarreled against Moses, right? Give us water to drink. And Moses is like, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you, you know, test the Lord? Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and livestock, you know, with thirst and and they approach Moses because he's the one leading them. Um, but like I said, uh, the Lord commanded it. This has actually nothing to do with Moses." And you feel bad for Moses, right? cuz he's like, "The Lord told me to bring you all here." You know, and uh I can make some comments about leadership, man. You know, you you you guys are actually a really good crowd. River of Life is a really good crowd to lead. But but I've heard, you know, like some some churches are really difficult to lead, you know, and sometimes the Lord puts something on your heart or tells you to go do something and you do it and the congregation doesn't respond well. So the Israelites are are overwhelmed by their situation and they and they take it out on this brother, right? Give us water to drink as if Moses has the power to give them water, you know, which which is part of what makes this even more frustrating. Um uh Moses has no power to provide anything at this point. You know, he's just kind of following the Lord's instructions. Like what is Moses supposed to do at this point? U he he doesn't have power over anything, but they turn to him anyways. And the word quarrel here in the Hebrew is uh reeb and it has actually judicial overtones. So when you read it in English, it makes it sound like it's a heated exchange like they're arguing with Moses or hurling accusations against him. It doesn't really read like that, you know. Uh so so it's not like um you know, people shouting at each other to try to get parking during Christmas at the Montabella Mall or anything like that. Uh it it's not like the the rotisserie line at Costco in Monterey Park. You know, you guys know what I'm talking about where people are like fighting over chicken. Uh those of us who like I I do the Costco uh run and that line is always crazy. Um no, they're not arguing against Moses. They're actually bringing a ga a case against him, right? Like this is a charge or a lawsuit like an an accusation. And accusation is you you've deliberately brought us here to kill us. like you are not looking out for our good. So it's not like a shouting match. It's a direct accusation like you want to kill us. Um and I think there there are two string two things that strike me about verse 3. One, I think I've already said it. There's no mention of God on their lips, which which is really mind-blowing, right? Uh it's all about Moses. Moses is their leader, but God is their deliverer. God is the one who set them free, not Moses. but their current situation overwhelms them to the point where they they don't even mention God, right? Like they're so stuck in the now that they don't even think about God. They think about like the guy who's leading them uh physically almost if they've forgotten about God. Um and then the second thing that maybe strikes me or bothers me about this is that objectively speaking, their accusation makes no sense, right? Had God or Moses wanted to wanted them dead, they'd be dead already. You know what I mean? like like like why go through the trouble of destroying the Egyptians only to starve the Israelites in the wilderness, right? Like so so the accusation itself is like it just doesn't make any sense, right? If Moses or God wanted to be cruel to them, there were easier ways to to do off, you know, uh do away with the people. Uh God could have let them stay as slaves in Egypt. If God didn't care, right? If Moses didn't care, uh he didn't have to step up. Um, Moses could have asked God to to have the plagues fall on them also, you know, like I'm I'm just kind of trying to to to go with the argument, right? And just realizing it it doesn't make any sense. It's it's obvious, I think, that that they're not thinking straight, but but they're lay it all out on this brother, you know? So, they they blame Moses, but Moses is just following the instructions of the Lord. So, really to quarrel against him is is to quarrel against God and and to put God on trial. Um, but again, the Lord has already proven himself willing to provide for these guys. Um, so I think this is this is one of those situations where people find themselves in need and and really the current situation, the physical reality overrides everything that they have known to be true about God. Um, their experience of God has has proven time and time again that he is for them. But the situation in the wilderness is so intense for them that it overwhelms or overrides the evidence that God actually loves them, that God takes care of them, that God is is a God of deliverance, right? Like uh the entire name or the title of the series is that God is God of deliverance, that God is God of shalom. He has proven that time and time again. But but the situation um overrides all of that, right? And T Desmond Alexander in his comment on this section says their actions display a lack of faith in Yahweh's ability or willingness to provide them with water. Ironically, as is evident in Exodus 15:25 and 16:4, God intended the Israelites experience of the wilderness to be a time when he would test their willingness to obey him. So he he can provide, but he's still testing and seeing if they're going to obey him in the midst of all of this thing. And the sad thing is, I just want you to know they're failing. And we don't like to talk about that, right? Like, uh, when we talk about testing, I think all of us talk about wanting to pass your test. You want to pass your driver's exams. Uh, uh, somebody said, I want to I want to, uh, pass my colon test. You know what I mean? Like, you know, hey, amen. You know what I mean? you get to an age where you're like, "Oh, hey, there are other tests that I've never had to think about that I just really want to pass." Like, like when we hear that people are being tested or we were we being tested, don't we celebrate that? Like, praise God. Praise God that you got your driver's license a few months ago, Jennifer. Um, you know, praise God that you passed that, you know, test, whatever it was. Um, but when people don't pass the test, how do we feel about that? We we we don't even like saying it, right? and it's like, "Oh, man. I didn't I didn't pass it." Um, but they're failing, you know, and I'll come back to that uh later on in the sermon. They're they're failing to remember God's willingness to provide. So, I think part of the question that that that I'm always wrestling with is why, man? Like, why does Israel continue to forget God's goodness towards them? And I think this question is important for us because it has implications on our walk with God, right? because I don't think we always quote unquote pass the test that the Lord gives us. Now, I don't even know if we think about the things that happen in our lives as God testing us. I I'll get a little bit more uh into that in a minute, but I I think part of the reason that that they go back and forth in in doubting God is because of their experience as slaves in Egypt. Um they were they were free physically, but I think their minds are still shackled, right? What was done to them by Egyptians for for 400 years. I just kind of want you to like wrap your mind around that. Uh that didn't just impact them physically, right? But that experience also act uh impacted them at a deeper level. They were destroyed and diminished at the soul level that they they were they were, you know, they were freed physically, but but they're still slaves up here. You know what I mean? And and they're still slaves in their heart. And their experience in the wilderness reminds me of of how easy it is like for an adult elephant uh to to stay in captivity by a stake in the ground. Do you guys know what I'm talking about? Right. So, uh, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, when a when an elephant is young, right, when you have like a baby elephant, uh, their handlers keep them in place by like tying a rope to a stake on the ground and and they t they tie that to the ankle of of the elephant and and when the elephant is a baby, it's not strong enough to pull this thing out of the ground. So, it'll like be pulling and pulling and yanking and then eventually it it just kind of gives up, right? it realizes that no matter what it's going to do, um, it situation is not going to change. So, he gives into the power of the stake in the ground. And when that elephant grows up, eventually reaching the weight that would easily pull that stake out of the ground, the elephant still doesn't do it. Why? Because in its mind, it's still captive, right? And and that's called learned helplessness, right? It's when you learn that that there's nothing that you could do to change your situation and and even when your ch situation changes and you have an opportunity to make a change to change your circumstance in your mind, you're still in change. You're unable to make a change even when the circumstance changes in your favor. Uh and I think that that happens a lot to us. You know, this happens a lot to individuals and people groups that have been traumatized. If if your uh oppressor beats you and and tells you that you're worthless, you will continue believing that more than likely for the rest of your life, unless you have some kind of like crazy intervention or like inner healing prayer, you know, you you need a entire community to come together and and help uh put you back together, right? But but if you grew up being bullied, if you grew up in a rough neighborhood or have had experience of violence or if you've suffered any type of abuse or grown up around people that have told you that you're worthless or or if you've experienced poverty uh for extended uh periods of time uh or if you were repeatedly ignored, it is extremely difficult to not assume the worst is going to happen to you when things even get remotely hard in your life. Right now, a lot of the things that I'm saying are vulnerable. I just want want you to know like I acknowledge that man like this is this heavy stuff. Um but but the problem with not talking about it is that life is actually not easy, right? So so we can't ignore it. Like life is just not easy. Life is always hard. Being a Christian does not guarantee that you're going to live an easy life, you know? And and unfortunately I hear young people say that all the time, you know, you worship God, everything's going to be like like like so awesome. And and it is to a certain extent in the sense that man, I'm saved. you know, thank God, you know, that I'm not in whatever sin I used to be in. Uh, that's a good thing. But, but if anybody in ministry tells you that life is going to be easy because you're a follower of Jesus, that's not true. You know, that's just not true. Life life is difficult. That's just bad theology. Life has its ups and downs for everybody. Um, but if you have hard things happen to you, uh, and you've and you've had history, right, of like being beat down, uh, it's it's it's difficult to not jump to like the worst case scenario, you know? It's like, well, I've been beat down my entire life. Like, of of course I'm going to be beat down, you know? And and it doesn't need to be that big. Anything uh uh can can trigger you. But but here's the thing and and this is may maybe what rubs me the wrong way that I shared with some of you when we were setting up that these guys were in captivity for 400 years and yet the Lord tests them. And I'm like why not give them a hundred-year break Lord? You know what I mean? Why is this time in the wilderness like 40 years of testing? Why not just let them chill out? You know, and and I think only because your life has been hard does not excuse you from tuning God out. you know, only because your life has been hard doesn't mean that God is not going to test you. And I don't know what to do with that. Uh but that's that's what I see in the text. Um you know, and it and it's not not the first time that they've that they've failed or or turned away from the Lord, right? Like it's not the first time where they've experienced the promises of God and turn away from those things. If you remember, I made a conscious effort to preach a sermon on one verse back in Exodus 6. You all remember that? Uh, and I did that on purpose because I knew that we were going to come back to it. Uh, we never do that, by the way, right? Like we never preach a sermon on just one verse. Um, that was my sermon on Exodus 6:9. Uh, God reveals his name to the people a second time. I'm going to review it for you real quick. Okay? And and you know, and this is after the the God uh told Moses, you know, go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go. And he does. And then uh Pharaoh responds by giving the people more work. Do you remember that? And then the people are are they grumble against Moses, right? Um there's a leadership conundrum. Um but but it's this beautiful description of who God is. That passage, I'm going to be your deliverer. I'm going to do this. I'm going to, you know, stretch out my hand for you. Yahweh goes out of his way to tell him, I'm I'm going to be on your side. I'm going to do something amazing for you. Now, you're going to see what I'm going to do to Pharaoh, right? I'm going to stretch out my hand. And Moses goes back to to tell the people everything that Yahweh is going to do. And do you all remember the response? Moses told this to the Israelites, all the good promises about God, right? We had, I think, six verbs that describe the the the character of God, but they would not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and their cruel slavery. And I and I told you all in that sermon that oppression theologically speaking crushes people and takes the wind out of them to the point where they can no longer believe the promises of God. Right? Like our physical reality impacts our ability to receive spiritual truth. The Israelites ability to believe to take in the truth about who God is and what God was promising for them has been literally just crushed out of them. They can't take it anymore. They can't take it. They are spiritually incapable of listening to Moses because of the physical oppression they have experienced. And I remember having this conversation uh with with Wes after that sermon. Wes is not here unfortunately. Um but but I told Wes, "Hey man, like I I think that was the the issue with Israel for the rest of their history, right? They were given promises that God would deliver them, but they couldn't take it in. You know, they struggled with believing that God could provide, struggled with believing that God would feed them, that God would would provide them. But it's because their their slave masters have beat them and it was something that just went in deep inside the people. And when you look at the history of Israel in the Old Testament where they continue to not believe and go back to their old ways and reject Yahweh after time, I think it's really rooted in in that experience of 400 years of oppression and yet God still tests them, right? And I don't know what to do with that. I think as a people, the Israelites are like like an adult elephant that are no longer bound by the stake in the ground. They are free. God has proven himself, right? They are in the wilderness. Um, Pharaoh is dead. We haven't talked about that dude for a month. Praise God. You know, um, but they continue to have that slave mindset that God God is not going to provide. And as a result, they're going to continue to reject the Lord time and time again. They will continue to forget God, to doubt God, turn away from God, to worship anything else but the Lord, and try to find their own solutions and uh try try to think about like, man, what was this experience like? you know, and I thought of um maybe this is like living like Dory uh from Finding Nemo. Uh you guys ever watch Dory? Uh Finding Dory or Finding Nemo? For those of you who have never seen this movie, which by the way, it's hard to believe. It came out like 20 years ago. Um Dory is is this fish that has like this really short-term memory, you know? So, he introduces himself to Nemo like every 10 seconds. Uh and and it's really funny funny the story, right? But when we're talking about Israel's relationship with God or even our own experience with God, that's devastating, right? Like when when when the Lord does something time and time again and then the Israelites forget and then you're reading the story and you get frustrated at them. But when you think about our own experience, isn't that like our experience with God also? Um when there's evidence in our lives that the Lord has done something, but we continue like doubting and forgetting that the Lord has done something. So, I just want you to know that I that I have to, you know, kind of tread lightly when I talk about the implications of this passage on our own lives. Um, I like I do believe that God still tests our faith, you know, and I had this having this conversation for 45 minutes to an hour be when we were setting up, you know, talking about God testing us. And I do believe that we're supposed to grow in our faith and learn from the things that that we that either life or the Lord throw throws our way. I I genuinely believe that we're supposed to respond a certain way. You know, I don't I don't think I'm I'm lying when I say that. But but here's the dilemma for me as a pastor. I'm just going to let you in on it. Uh the reason that it's so difficult pre preaching on passages like this, the first thing has to do with with the reason why. Why does God need to test us? You know, uh it it feels like a little bit cruel or maybe a little bit unfair. But at a human level, uh we we do understand that testing is required, right? Like testing is a good thing. And and I think there there are different ways to understand testing in general. Uh testing is a way to prove mastery over a topic. Um you took a math test. Either you knew it or you didn't. Um you took a Spanish test. E either you know that or or you don't. You know, another way to test you is to send you to Latin America and uh with no phone to see if you're going to come back in one piece. Yeah. I guess that's one way to test it. Uh testing is a way to prove skills competency. right? Or or that we're qualified to take something on. Mal and I have been watching The Pit lately. Thank you, Carlos. Um awesome show. It's it's it's about emergency room doctors. A lot of shows about emergency room doctors out there over the last 30 years. Um but my response in watching this show is thank God that we require testing of people who are doctors, right? Like I had my appendix taken out back in August and I didn't come for to any of you for that. And thank God, right? Cuz I would not be here if that were the case, right? And and you're not offended by that, right? It's just understood that you don't know how to do that, right? I had to go to somebody who was competent in cutting my stomach open. Um, testing proves your willingness to persevere or to stay focused on a task to prove your quote unquote worthiness. Right? I've been reading books by David Gogggins recently. Uh David Gogggins is a former Navy Seal and and talks about SEAL training in his books. Um and and he and he he's an ultramarathoner now and motivational speaker and and and really he you know he talks about what SEAL training taught him throughout his life uh to that has helped him stay in shape and Gogggins is the reason that I have lost 27 pounds in the last nine months. It's not a mistake. You know what I mean? like uh and and let me tell you something. His SEAL training has taught me to persevere, to not make excuses. I'm a disciple of discipline. I know everything that goes in my body. I know how much weight I've lost from week to week. I weigh myself every single day. I could tell you how many calories I burned, how many calories went in my body, and if I didn't lose weight this week, I don't make excuses, and I know why. I make very conscious choices. But that's because I went to somebody who's an expert. and not just an expert like in um in physical wellness but really an an expert in being disciplined because that's that's what I need you know um so we understand that right like at a human level uh we understand testing but we don't seem to mind but but we do weird out about the thought of God testing us and I think part of the reason we don't talk about that uh is really because in some people's mind they confuse with they confuse God testing with like somehow trying to earn our salvation. And that's really not what we're talking about, right? Like for the sake of clarity, salvation is a free gift of God and there's nothing that you could do to earn it. It's not like you could earn your salvation badge, you know, uh that that comes through faith in Christ. It's something that Christ has done for us. It's something that that God initiates, right? Like God loves us. God went to bat for us. Uh and if we put our faith in him, um uh we're saved. But but it has nothing to do with like us earning it. Uh but scripture does talk about God testing faith. It's all over uh the New Testament and the Old Testament and and and the reasons why God tests us are really numerous. You know, in fact, we we could do an entire series just on God testing us. God tests us to see what's in our hearts like we see in this passage. God tests us to produce maturity and perseverance like it says in the book of James uh uh 1 2-4 Romans 5 3-7 1 Thessalonians 2:4 1 Corinthians 10:13 uh says that God will not test us beyond our strength or our ability. Uh Hebrews 12:5-11 that testing or discipline um that he does that to to produce righteousness in us. Um God tests us to purify us like gold. That's in first Peter, right? So, it's all over the place, but we don't talk about it. Biblical charact biblical characters are tested, right? Abraham was tested. Job was tested through suffering and loss. We really don't want to talk about that one. Like, yeah, let's do a preaching series on the book of Job, guys. Um, yeah, I don't I don't want to do that one. Um, Jesus, like the people of Israel, was also tested in the wilderness, but unlike Israel, actually, you know, did what he was supposed to. He obeyed God. He was faithful to the Lord. So in summary, God takes our faith to to strengthen us, right? Um not to destroy us, but to help us level up, right? To help us get to to a different stage, a different level of of faithfulness or or dependence on him. And and I think we know that like, have you ever been around like a Christian who is just like, man, that person has authority. You guys know what I'm talking about? like this person has more authority than maybe other people that I've met or I wish that I had like that level of authority or life with God that this person does. You guys know what I'm talking about? Well, that often comes through testing or through persevering, you know. Now, if you were to ask them about that, they'd probably tell you, but we don't we don't always bother asking. We just, you know, think that people come out looking like Superman in their faith, but but that's just not true. Um, the second reason I I think it's difficult to preach on God testing us is because uh a lot of you in this room are either going through a rough time in your life or have experienced a lot of pain recently. And to be quite honest with you, I don't know if that's just life throwing a curveball at you or if that's the Lord testing you, right? And and I don't I don't pretend to know, you know, and trying to answer that question would be really dumb and for you too, right? Because I think in the moment again like this is the wisdom of the community because I was going back and forth with everybody this morning. So I'm like well what do y'all think? And you know I think Kenneth was like yeah I think sometimes in the moment you don't know. Sometimes it's afterwards. Yeah I think I think maybe the Lord was putting me through that so that I could dot dot dot. But some of you have had painful experiences in your family right with your kids with your friends with your co-workers with your neighbors. I hear all kinds of story when I hang out with you, but you will never hear me say, "Yo, Maximus, I think God is testing you, you know, cuz I don't know, right? I I really don't know." And it would be cruel to like minimize your current frustration or pain or or suffering that way. Um, so I don't know that. But here's what I do know as a pastor. If it's a curveball or or or if it's testing from God, it doesn't really matter. the reality that you see before you does not have the final say on how you should see God. Okay? So, if if it's the world or if it's God, I I can't answer that for you. Um, but you know, I what I do know is that is that God is with you and that God can provide and that God uh does have the final say. So, so I think when you're going through those situations where you don't know if it's God testing you or if it's just like life throwing a curveball at you, I think instead of um because I I hear this a lot like why why would God do this to me? Do you guys hear that? Have you guys ever said that? Why would God do this to me? Uh I don't think that's the right question. I'm just going to be honest with you, okay? I I don't think that's the right question to ask. I I think a better question to ask is where where is God in this? because the assumption that God wants to beat you down theologically just doesn't add up for me, right? And it shouldn't add up for you either. Um, so maybe a better question to ask is where where are you in this? Or Lord, how would you have me respond differently today? Uh, Lord, where are you? Lord, show me. Lord, reveal yourself to me in this situation because right now I'm thirsty or I'm hungry or I'm in need. I'm desperate. Right. But but don't respond like the Israelites who who throw God out the window completely. So, I've had powerful times of prayer with Jennifer recently, and she's here right in front of me. So, I'm not going to tell you the full story because it's not my story to tell, but uh but powerful times uh with with with Jenny recently. She's had a rough few weeks. Again, I'm not going to get into the details. Um rough relationships, uh rough uh man, just needing God to provide, right, Jennifer? Um, and a few weeks ago, we went out on campus to pray together. A bunch of us in the fellowship and and I got partnered with with Jenny. She just happened to be sitting next to me. I'm like, "Okay, we're partners. Let's go pray." Uh, and we sat down to pray in the in the quad area. And the first thing out of Jennifer's mouth was, "I I'm just not feeling it, Abner. Like, I'm not I'm not feeling this prayer time. I I don't know where God is. I'm not feeling God right now." and and it was just like this just brutally honest man life is hard right now and and trust me if if if you know her story yes life is hard right now you know um but my response in the moment I you just have to know like I have a lot of relationship with Jenny and all my ELAC students um and and I am pastoral right like I love you all but my response was like what does feeling God have anything to do with praying for this campus right like like what what what does does feeling have anything to do with this. Like you know that God has been good to you, right? So I have to remind her like I know that and you know that uh so how you feel right now is is not your reality, right? So so I'm I'm not trying to like minimize the situation. I'm just kind of like trying to bring perspective, you know, and it and it and it's painful, but it does not have this the final say, right? Like let me ask you a question. How many students at Elac do you think are feeling the way that you're feeling, Jennifer? you know, and she's like, "Yeah, probably half of them." And that's true. Like, I don't, you know, I Yeah. I'm like, "Yeah, I think you're right." Well, then can you just pray from from that place and and ask the Lord, you know, to give you something? And and we begin praying. Um, and I don't think that Jenny's life is all a test from God. I don't. Uh, but I've seen God work in her life. And as we're praying, um, she she just came alive, you know, and I'm so proud of you, Jenny. You know, uh, she got this image of a well in the middle of campus in the quad area. I'm like, what do you think that means? She I I think that means that God wants, you know, a well in this campus where students can come to drink from God's water of life. That that there are needy people here and that God wants to pour his living water into them. Um and and then when when we were debriefing, so she she tells that to everybody and it was awesome. We we prayed for that. Um and then as we were leaving, she says, "Hey, I I heard something else in prayer literally as I'm walking away." Like, "What else did you hear in prayer?" Yeah, I was listening to the birds chirping as we were praying and you know something about like the birds of the air and like not worrying and like and I'm like okay so here you are worrying about your finances, worrying about life and again I'm not going to tell you all the things that she's worrying about and um and I asked my two other guys you know Fidel and and Gabe who are really savvy in scripture. Do do you do you know any passages where Jesus talks about uh him him providing and you know tell telling the people to not worry. So I had Jennifer close her eyes and I read that passage in the book of Matthew over her and prayed for her and like there there was the Lord, you know, just giving giving Jennifer all these promises. Um, so friends, when when you're going through hard things, it's easy to have that circumstance call the shots, right? It's really easy to have that the circumstance call the shots. Um, and if you've had a lot of pain in your life recently, then physically, you know, the reality that that that you're that you're dealt with is, you know, you're going to be tempted to have that thing have the final say, but you can't you can't buy into that. You know what I mean? You got to ask the question, where are you, Lord? You know, or what words do you have for me, Lord? How do you want me to respond? When you find yourself in a difficult situation and you feel like you're you're dying of hunger or thirst or that you need protection or that God is not around, that you're that you're doubting God or the goodness of God. Uh don't let your emotions have the final say. You know what I mean? Like don't let what you see have the final say. You got to fight on to the truth of who God is and the truth that that you know. And if you don't know how to do that on your own, man, you need to like bring somebody with you to pray, right? And and I think that that's why it's important to be in Christian community. That's why it's important to have people around you who could remind you, yo, God has been good to you. What are you talking about? Like I I know you don't feel that, right? But man, God God has been good to you. I I don't know what you've been smoking, but like God is so good in your life. Like let's let's pray for that, you know? And and it's a real struggle to believe in God when things get hard, you know, but but our our belief in God can't just be uh based on what we feel. You know, the experience of knowing God is multifaceted. You know, you you can feel God because you you can know God because you feel his presence. I think a lot of us quote unquote feel his presence. The problem is you won't always feel him. I don't, right? And and when I don't quote unquote feel God, um I I know God's character. So, I have to rely on what I know of his character and I have to remember the good that he's done in my life. Even if I don't feel him in the moment, right? If it's just about feeling, I mean, our feelings are emotions. I just want, you know, they're everywhere. I've tried to think of like, man, what are other times that I felt awesome? You you know, you you know what are the other times when I feel like I'm worshiping that has nothing to do with God? Um, and this is this has hasn't happened in a long time, but like but but when I'm at Rose Bowl Stadium and the Bruins are winning and it's 80,000 Bruin fans cheering on for our team and we're destroying somebody. I feel like I'm worshiping. But that's not worship, right? That's that's pagan idolatry. Um, but it's the same feeling. You know what I mean? like I I feel awesome but I I can't trust that man. Like it's I'm I'm feeling man like right now just feeling God you know like I'm worshiping here but but then you know go Bruins and it's the same feeling man. You got to you got to you got to be aware of that. You know what I mean? I'm not trying to tell you to like ignore your emotions. Obviously you could feel God. But what I'm saying is that can't have the final say y'all. You know because sometimes you're not always going to feel that. And when you're in pain you're going to be feeling pain. You're going to be feeling depressed. you're going to be feeling bitter, you're going to be feeling angry, right? And and that at the end of the day can't have the final say. Uh and I think that for Israel, there they get shortcircuited, right? And their ability to remember everything that God has done for them, everything that they knew about God. Um all his promises, all his works, everything that he's done, all his miracles, all of that goes out the window. And I just want you to wrap your mind around that, that that they saw the miracles of God and yet they don't believe, right? like like God has already provided them time and time again and there they go again, right? And it's because they got that slave mindset still that they need other people to come around them and say, man, like don't don't go there, right? Don't let your experience have the final say. God is a God of of deliverance. And again, I don't I don't I don't intend to minimize your pain or the struggles that that that you're going through because because those are real. But I just want to remind us that man, God loves you. God is God of deliverance. God is God of shalom, you know, and like whatever people have done to you, like God cares about those things too. And and and you never know when God is going to like come in vengeance for you. You know what I mean? Against the people that have done the things that they have done to you. So you just got to trust that God is the one that that that is in control. And if your temptation is like to say, uh, God, you're not good or God, you're not with me. I I I don't you know my encouragement to you is say Lord how are you with me? How how would you have me respond? Is that fair? It's heavy stuff. Maybe that's why we don't talk about God's testing. Um so Moses out there in the wilderness with this crowd of people who are accusing him of wanting to kill them and and he does the only thing that he knows how to do at this point, right? He just cries out to the Lord. Um he cries out to God. What shall I do for this people? They're you know they're ready to stone me. You know they want to they want to take me out, Lord. And he says, "Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you, taking in your hand the staff that you struck the Nile with and go. I will be there." Check this out. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. So Moses does it, right? And the Lord tells Moses to gather the elders, take them with you. I'm going to provide for them. I'm going to do another water miracle. Right? And if you've been keeping track in the book of Exodus, he's turned the Nile to blood. He's parted the Red Sea. He's turned bitter water into sweet water. And now he wants Moses to strike the the rock at at Horeb so that water will come out of it. If I'm counting correctly, I think that's four miracles. And if you want to count him being drawn out of the water, that's another water miracle, right? Like God saving him. Uh but in Hebrew the root of Horeb means to be dry or or or a dry place to be free of flood waters. This is a place it's like the you know um uh Arizona. It means aid zone, right? Arizona. It's it's a Spanish word. Uh it was named by by the Spaniards when when it was still in control and control controlled by Mexico. the arid zone. You know, that's what Horid means. Um, so Moses is going to take the elders to this dry ground, to this arid place, this dry rock where there's no water, so that he can strike the rock and that water comes out of it so that there is no doubt about who is the one who provides. So in Exodus 7 when when Moses raises his staff over the Nile, he does it in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials to prove to them that that he controlled the waters of the of the Nile, right? That to prove to them, if you remember, that that he is the one who provides life, that he is the one who gives that that sustains life around uh the Nile and and its flood basins. And in Exodus 17, Moses strikes Shrock in the presence of not not the elders of of of Egypt but the elders of Israel really to prove the same thing, right? That that God is the one who provides that God is the one who gives water that God is the one who who gives life in aid places. Water miracle different set of leaders but the same lesson God is a bringer of life. Go to God. River of life. God was gracious with these guys, right? Where when the people were in captivity, the Lord delivered them. When they found themselves without food, the Lord gave them uh mana in the wilderness. And and now that they find themselves in in this dry and aid place, he gives them water, right? But but Israel's issue has nothing to do with food and nothing to do with water, right? It's about learning to depend on the Lord and remembering that he provides for all of it. And and that is a lesson that they continue to forget time and time again. And they will continue to forget that lesson. In fact, they never get it. Uh if if we continue in the story, uh this entire generation never makes it to the promised land be because they continue forgetting God's goodness. Right? Eventually, God's patience with them does run out. Even Moses does not make it to the promised land. I want you to wrap your mind around that. And and the the story ends in verse 7. He called the place Massa and Meabbah because the Israelites quared and tested the Lord saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" Right? So, the real issue with Israel has nothing to do with water. It's just a surface level reality. The issue is, do they know that God is with them or not in the midst of whatever they're going through? Um, I watched a sermon by John Piper on this passage and was moved by his comments on verse 7. At the end of this passage, Moses does not call this place water from the rock. Right? So like usually when you name a place, it's it's to memorialize like what took place there, right? It's not called water from the rock. He doesn't name it. Uh God is faithful. God is good. God is with us. Um Piper says Moses memorializes their failure to believe God's saving presence. Right? Massa means testing and Marba means quarreling. This is not the place. This is the place where God provided water in the wilderness. But but that's not what Moses wants them to remember, right? Moses actually wants them to remember. This is the place where you put God to the test and you doubted the Lord, right? And this and and this is where where the Lord was with you that he stood with us in the in the presence of the miracle. And the people are like, we don't even know that he's here. And the Lord says, "I I will stand there in front of you when you're breaking that rock with the staff." Um, and the people's response in this waterless place as the water is coming out, you know, and and and they're doubting is does he intend to be with us? Does he intend to provide for us in this place? Piper says, and and Piper, you know, he gets really animated. Um, he says, "Don't be like that." You know, he says, "Don't be like that." And I think Piper's right, you know, don't don't be like that, right? Like don't don't allow your current reality, whether it's life's curveball or the Lord testing you uh through difficult circumstance, don't don't let that be the thing that that that defines uh whether or not God is good. Um don't harden your heart, right? And we're reminded this of in in Psalm 95:es 8 and N. Do not harden your hearts as at Meabbah as on the day of Massa in the wilderness when your ancestors tested me and put me to the proof though they had seen my work. They had seen the work of God and still question his presence in their midst and their willingness to deliver them. And they never get over it. Y'all, right? They continue trying to provide for themselves. they continue trying to like go to other people or other ways uh to provide for themselves to protect themselves. And um Piper ends his uh this his comment on this section this way. He says this failure uh reverberates through the whole Bible. When you see wilderness and God brings you to a waterless encampment, don't be like them. Trust him. He brought you into the wilderness and he could bring you out. He brought them to a place where there was only rock and gave them water in a waterless place. And the Lord will do the same for you, right? Like in that waterless place, in that place of suffering, in that place of uh in that place of depression, in that place of um maybe bitterness and anger, whatever it is that you're experiencing, I just want you to know um the Lord is there with you and and the Lord can strengthen you. And I think the question that we need to learn how to ask is is how are you with me, Lord? And and how would you want me to respond? And and if you can get through that, right, if if if you could get through that quote unquote testing, um you're going to be stronger in your faith. You're going to level up. Amen. Amen. Let me pray for us. Light reading, Lord. Thank you, God. Um I pray that you would give us Lord just the discipline uh and the courage to ask that question. How are you with us Lord God? Where where are you with us Lord God? But that our temptation would would not be to say that um that that you mean to destroy us or or that you mean uh bad for us Lord. Uh so again, Lord, I don't I don't mean to to minimize the suffering in this room, the frustration in this room, Lord, but but I do know that that you tested the Israelites, Lord. God, that you tested your people who had been oppressed for 400 years. And I know that uh I I don't like the sound of that, Lord. God, like why why didn't you give them rest for 100 years before you tested them? We don't know that, Lord. But what we do know is that you wanted their hearts to turn to you, Lord. God, you wanted them to be fully convinced that you're a God of deliverance, fully convinced that you're a God of shalom, fully convinced that you're out for their good, Lord. And I have no doubt that you want the same for us. So, Lord, I pray that when we're uh going through these situations that we wouldn't just depend on on what we're feeling in the moment because what we're feeling could just be frustration. It could just be depression. It could just be hopelessness. And Lord, that is not who you are. So Lord, for for my for my friends in the room, Lord, uh especially those who are down and out right now who are feeling depressed or feeling hopeless, Lord, would you reveal yourself to them? God, where are you in that situation? Lord God, would you uh in fact, I'm just gonna >> I'm going to ask that with you right now. I just want you to to to reflect on your life right now. I I know for a fact that some of you are down and out right now because I because I hear your stories. Just I just want L Holy Spirit, would you interact with them? And if you're not used to that, I just want you to uh you know, sometimes God God will respond uh with an image, right? Like he gave Jennifer a well or a bird chirping. Uh sometimes it's a scripture passage. Sometimes he'll remind you of a worship song. Sometimes he'll remind you of a relationship. Uh God speaks to us in multiple ways. But Lord, I I pray that that as we're uh coming before you and and giving our grief over to you, our frustration over to you, our life experience over to you that that you would reveal where are you, Lord? God, what is your word to this congregation? What is your word to us, Lord? Yeah. Don't Don't be afraid. I just just feel led to pray that out loud. Just don't don't be afraid. And I don't know who that's for. Don't I just keep hearing it. Don't Don't be afraid. I am with you. I I don't know who that is for. If if that's you, come talk to me afterwards. I I can pray for you. But I just just keep hearing that in in my spirit. Don't Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. I'm with you. So Lord, I I don't know who that is for. I'll throw that out there and hopefully it's from you, Lord. But just get the sense that you want to just comfort our friends. Lord, don't don't be afraid. The Lord is with you, Lord. Would you reveal yourself to us, Lord? And Lord, would you would you teach us to be like Jesus that when he was tested, tempted in the wilderness, he obeyed. He He He did not give in to the lies of the enemy. I pray that we would not give in either. Lord, I I pray that we would hope in you, that we would trust in you, God, that we would seek out community, God, that when we're down and out and and depressed and and tired, God, that we would cry out to our friends and say, "Yo, you you need to pray with me cuz I ain't feeling it right now, God, that we would have the courage to say, uh, I think I see God at work in your life this way, or I've seen the Lord be good to you." So, would you help us on this journey together, Lord God? Would you help us uh level up to together as a community, God, to be stronger in faith? Be stronger in faith, Lord God, so that we would show more competency in our love for you, in our knowledge of you, in our experience of you. We thank you, Lord, and we love you. Let's let's continue in a posture as worship as Carlos, Jeremiah, Janelle lead us. >> Yeah. I just wanted to share the image that the Lord gave me for I don't know if it's for someone in this congregation or a whole congregation as a whole but just this loving father who is just taking in this little child and saying come to me and there's just this holding there's this holding of this child and just a comfort that this child is receiving that only this father can give and so daddy we just say come Lord Jesus come would you just meet us in that place, God, where we are hurting, where we need your comfort, where um we don't want to just rely on feelings, God, but we want to really know and to trust and to have faith in you, Father. So, um yeah, as we sing this last song, it might be a new song to some of you. Um it's called Honey and the Rock, but it's just a beautiful song for just where we are um for the book of Exodus. And then just this last last week talking about mana. This week talking about water from the rock. And so I don't know. I really encourage you um since it's a new song, you may not know the words, but just be able to take it in whether you want to close your eyes or get yourself in a posture to just receive these words and um or if you want to sing along, but just really however you want to respond like um yeah, just definitely feel the presence of God moving. So, however you want to respond to him, I just welcome you to do that. And then don't be shy. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of how other people may see you. Just it's your time with God. So, um yeah. So, let's sing. Um yeah. So, we'll sing this song. It's called Honey in the Rock. There's honey in the rock. Water in the stone. Meadow on the ground. No matter where I go, I don't need to worry now that I know everything I need. You've got this honey in the rock. Praying for a miracle. Thirsty for the living well. Only you can satisfy sweetness at the mercy seat. Now I've tasted. It's not hard to see. Only you can satisfy. There's honey in the rock. There's honey in the rock. There's honey in the rock. The sunny and the rock. Freedom where the spirit is bouncy in the wilderness. You will always satisfy. It's sunny in the rock, water in the stone, on the ground. No matter where I go, I don't need to worry now that I know everything I need. You've got honey in the rock, purpose in your plan, power in the blood, healing in your hands. Started flowing when you said it is done. Everything you did is enough. I keep looking, I keep finding. You keep giving, keep providing. I have all that I need. You are all that I need. I keep praying. You keep moving. I keep praising. You keep proving I have all that I need. You are all that I need. Let's sing that again. >> I keep looking. I keep finding. You keep giving, keep providing. I have all that I need. You are all that I need. I keep praying. You keep moving. I keep praising. You keep proving. I have all that I need. You are all that I need. I have all that I need. You are all that I need. Yeah, there's honey in the rock, water in the stone, right on the rock. No matter where I go, I don't need to worry now that I know everything I need. You've got in the rough, purpose in your bed, power in the blood, feeling in your hands. Started when you said it was done. Jesus, who you are, is enough. There's honey in the rock. Oh, there's honey in the rock. It's honey in the rock. Oh, how sweet, how sweet it is to trust in you, Jesus. Oh, how sweet, how sweet it is to trust in you, Jesus. Oh, how sweet, how sweet it is to trust in you, Jesus. >> Uh receive the benediction, river of life. Uh let us not harden our hearts as at Mebah as on the day at Massa in the wilderness when our ancestors tested the Lord and put him to the proof though they had seen his work. The Lord provides for us. The Lord delivers us. The Lord is good to us and he is with us. Let let us level up together when he tests us and when life turns uh throws curve balls at us. Amen. Amen.