"Water From A Rock"

Third Sunday of Lent; 2/24/08

Exodus 17:1-7; Romans 5:1-11

Introduction: I don’t know if you’ve thought much about the basics of what you need, but at the core is really our need for food, water, shelter, companionship, and love. There are many other things we think we need in life. But most of what we have in our lives we can do without. But we cannot do without food. We can’t do without water. Without shelter, we will probably subject ourselves to sickness. And God created us to be in relationship; and so we need to have companionship and love in our lives.

As I talk about relationship, I am talking about primarily our relationship with God, and secondarily our relationship with each other. And yet so often in our world, people are excluding themselves from one or both of these relationships. Why is that? It’s usually because we get to that place where we don’t think that we need God in our lives; we don’t think that we need people in our lives.

This morning, I want to look at why we truly need God.

I. In Difficult Circumstances- (Exodus 17:1-7)

a. Why do you quarrel? ILLUS. One of the wonderful Disney

animated movies is “Beauty and the Beast.” The movie is about a girl, named Belle, who is dissatisfied with life in a small provincial French town. She is beautiful, and has many suitors, but is not interested in any of them. One day her father goes into the forest, and takes a wrong turn, causing him to become prisoner of the one they call “The Beast.” The Beast is a prince who was placed under a spell because he could not love. The one way he could break the spell was to learn to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal from his enchanted rose fell, which would bloom until his twenty-first birthday. But who could ever learn to love a beast, especially now that he looks so hideous?

Belle finds out about her father being a prisoner, and goes to save him. She meets the beast, and attempts to free her father. The Beast will allow her father’s release only if Belle remains in the castle forever. They both agree, and her father goes free. In the beginning Belle views him as nothing more than a monster, and The Beast views her as difficult and stubborn. But the two soon taste the bitter-sweetness of finding you can change, and learning you were wrong to judge people so quickly.

I mention this story, because when people saw The Beast, they thought he looked so mean. And because of this, he acted so mean. But the truth is, we often look good on the outside, but have a mean-ness inside of us. WE ALL HAVE A DARK SIDE TO US! If pushed the wrong way, if taken to our limit, we can behave in a beastly manner.

This is what we see happening in Exodus 17. The people have been traveling around the wilderness for some time. They get to the point where they don’t have any water. This is serious, since you need water to survive. So they begin to quarrel with Moses. Here they have a man, Moses, who has been their leader, and through the Lord, provided everything they need. But whenever there is a problem, Moses gets blamed.

Here we read in Exodus 17:2-3, “So they quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses replied, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?’ ³ But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?’” Here Moses sees the dark side of the people.

b. Why do you test the Lord? Along with their quarreling, they are

also putting God to the test. Moses calls them on this. Again, he says: “Why do you put the Lord to the test?” Moses says this to them, because up to this point, God has provided for them in meaningful and powerful ways. Let’s make a list of these ways:

1. God sent Moses to stand up to the Pharaoh for the release of the Israelites.

2. When Pharaoh didn’t relent, God sent, through Moses, plagues to cause Pharaoh to understand that his position was not a strong one. Pharaoh still did not relent, until his son was killed by the plague of death. In his despair, he agreed to let the Israelites go free.

3. God guided the Israelites with a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.

4. When it seemed they were trapped at the Red Sea, and Pharaoh and his army were coming up behind them, God, through Moses, parted the Red Sea, and they crossed over safely.

5. At Marah, the water there was bitter, and they could not drink it. The Lord had Moses through in a piece of wood, and by throwing it in, the water became sweet.

6. When they needed food to eat, God provided Manna, or the bread of heaven, to fall from the sky.

So we see that time and time again God provided for His people. And yet when they had no water, instead of trusting that God would again provide, they quarreled with Moses and with God. They showed a lack of faith and thankfulness. They are in essence challenging God to again show them that He is real. And along with that, they are accusing Moses and God of bringing them out of Egypt for the purpose of murdering them: (Hear again verse 3)- “But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

c. Is the Lord among us? The truth is, they were questioning

whether or not God was real. As they stated in verse 7: “.. ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’” Either they weren’t sure if God’s presence was ever with them, or they were beginning to doubt it now. Maybe some of them were doubting whether this God of Moses was real at all. And if He was real, did He have the power to save them.

It is kind of like the saying, “What have you done for me lately.”

Moses, to them, was looking like an imposter; maybe a trickster. Maybe everything that he had done up to this point was trickery. Where was this land of milk and honey that they were supposed to be going to? Up to this point, they had been chased, drunk bitter water, and eaten manna day after day after day. If God were really as present and powerful as Moses said He was, then why weren’t they getting more? These so called miracles weren’t really making their lives any better. They were suffering more now than they had back in Egypt. At least in Egypt they had houses, and food, and jobs.

The good news, is that God understands our denseness. God knows we can miss or overlook the signs. God knows we have a short memory. That is why He gave the Israelites so many signs, and why He gives us so many. That is why the signs are so diverse. Because when the signs come in different forms, we might begin to understand.

So Moses strikes a rock with his staff, and water pours forth./ But God decides to bring another challenge to them, so that God could show His presence in another way. If we were to read further in Exodus 17, we would see that in verse 8 the Israelites come upon another challenge. They are attacked by the Amalekites. In one sense, you could see this as a product of their being in the desert and being vulnerable. But if you think about the circumstances, I believe this is God giving them an opportunity to unify together, and see that they have a purpose. It also will help them to trust God and Moses again. So Moses has Joshua gather some strong men together, and they go out and fight Amalek and his people. Up on the hill they see Moses with his staff, and whenever his staff is raised, the Israelites are victorious. As Moses’ arms get tired, Aaron and Hur help him keep his arms up. In the end, the Israelites defeat the Amalekites. This becomes another sign of God’s presence.

II. Access to the Grace of God- (Romans 3:24-26, 5:1-11; Psalm 32:1-4)

When we come to this question “Is God really with us,” we see that this is

answered in the New Testament in a way that is very real. The question is answered with God coming in the flesh, and dwelling among us. But even more, it is answered by Jesus, the Son of God, going to the cross to die for our sins.

a. Justified by faith- Because of Jesus’ death, the apostle Paul tells us

in Romans 5 that we are justified by the faith we place in Jesus Christ. Going back in the book of Romans, 3:24-26, we read: “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

The word “justified” means to be declared righteous. This is God’s merciful act to all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is more than having our sins forgiven. It is even more than having our sins removed and forgotten. It is having God look at us as being right and pure again.

Imagine a courtroom….the judge comes out, sits down, and then looks at you. He then asks you: “Chris, have you loved Me with all your heart?” Knowing that there are times when I haven’t, I answer: “No, your honor.” Then he asks: “Chris, Have you loved others as you have loved yourself?” Knowing that I am prone to be selfish, I answer: “No, your honor.” Finally, he asks: “Chris, do you believe you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ died for your sins?” I stand up a little straighter, as I am able to answer: “Yes, your honor.” He pounds the gavel and states: “Then your penalty has been paid by Jesus Christ on the cross and you are pardoned. Because Christ is righteous, and you believe in Christ, I now declare you legally righteous.” (from Growing Deep in the Christian Life, by Chuck Swindoll, p.239)

Being justified is receiving pardon from our sins, AND the righteousness of Christ.

b. Peace with God- Paul goes on to say that along with being

justified, we have peace with God. There is nothing that can disturb our peace with God, or with another person, than that of being in conflict with them. We probably have all had a situation (or maybe even more than one), where we have done something wrong against another. Because of this, the relationship is not right. Maybe they aren’t talking to you. They don’t return your phone calls or your e-mails. And in these times, it is difficult to have peace in your life.

The sin that is in our lives can do this to us all the time. In our sin, we feel guilt. That guilt weighs on us, and causes us to not feel close to God. As Psalm 32:1-4 tells us: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

² Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. ³ When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. ⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” This weight can actually create a kind of fog around our heart. This fog disorients our life. It makes it hard to see the road we are supposed to travel on.

And when we are in this fog, we don’t have peace with God, and therefore we don’t have peace in our lives. And this lack of peace is not ours alone. Look around in the world, how many hearts do you see that are lacking peace? Maybe it is because they have been dishonest, or unfaithful, or overly selfish.

But if and when we understand that as we are justified by our faith, and made right with God again, we then can have peace restored in our relationship with God. This peace comes from understanding that we have access to the grace of God. The grace of God of course is the truth that God has given us His unmerited favor. It is what God does for humankind, which we do not deserve, which we cannot earn, and which we will never be able to repay.

Think about Humpty Dumpty for a moment; you remember the rhyme:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men,

couldn’t put humpty together again.

I came across a poem that used this idea, that shows God’s grace. It goes like this:

Jesus Christ came to our wall, Jesus Christ died for our fall.

So that regardless of death and in spite of sin,

Through grace, He might put us together again.

c. God’s love poured out- Even though the question that the

Israelites brought up to Moses (“Is the Lord among us or not?), even though that question is not brought up here in Romans 5, we see that Paul answers this question by telling us that God’s love is poured out to us.

If God were not among us, He would not have come in the flesh. If God were not among us, He would not have died for us. If God were not among us, He would not have justified us, or given us access to His grace, or given us the hope we have. God has done all this to show us the full extent of His love.

THERE IS A STORY of a young woman who is in her eighth month of pregnancy. She comes to her mother’s house one day, plops down on the couch, and says: “I don’t think I can do this.” Her mother, in her wisdom, grabs a photo album, and sits down by her daughter. The mother begins to show her daughter pictures of herself; pictures of when she first crawled; pictures of her at her birthday parties; her first day of school; and on and on they look at the pictures. As the daughter looks at these pictures, she begins to think of having her own child; the joy, the laughter, the love. And in this understanding, she is given a new resolve to finish the task.

Jesus, Himself went through this struggle. It was in the garden of Gethsemane. He knew that He was going to be crucified. He didn’t know if He could do it. He cried out to His Father to take this cup from Him. I wonder if God showed Jesus a picture album; showed Him pictures of how everyone would be lost without Jesus doing this. Maybe the Father showed Jesus the kind of life everyone could have if Jesus did finish the task and go to the cross. And in this understanding, Jesus was given new resolve to finish the task. Finish the task of showing God’s love!

That is why Paul wanted us to understand that when we go through struggle, the Lord is still with us. As Paul says in Romans 5:3-5, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” God saves us from the wrath of sin, but in the midst of the turmoil of life, the Lord is with us then as well; with us to bring us greater character and love.

Conclusion: When is it that you doubt God? Let’s be honest, we all have our moments. For some, these moments may be fleeting. For others, these moments may last weeks or months. But like the Israelites, we doubt that God is with us. We may even doubt that God cares. We may think that God has abandoned us, or that maybe God wants us to suffer.

But none of this is true. And the way to overcome this, is to understand that Jesus came so that He might demonstrate to us His presence, His power, and His love. As Paul says: “For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” Even when we were lost in our sin, God still died for so that we might be made right with God. This shows that God is forever concerned about us, and the Lord is indeed with us. May we seek to show God our appreciation and trust as we continue our journey this Lenten season. Amen.