The Cross

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

I've been reading a chapter a day in the book of Exodus this past month and decided to choose this morning's text from there as a result of that. The book of Exodus is known as "The Book of Redemption." In it, as you know, God miraculously delivers the Israelites from the hand of a cruel Egyptian Pharoah and in so doing, reveals His ultimate plan to deliver all of mankind from under their diabolical "Pharoah" (namely, sin/Satan).

In Exodus, God's deliverance begins with the raising up of a deliverer (Moses), continues with the executing of an awful series of plagues upon Egypt, and reaches it's climax with the passing of the Israelites on dry ground through the Red Sea. ******* But it doesn't end there. Though God had taken the people out of Egypt, He still had to get "Egypt" out of the people. ******* It's the same way with believers. God's redemption plan not only includes a salvation experience that is instantaneous when one comes to Christ, but it also includes a salvation process that is continous throughout one's life (discipleship). It's from within the midst of this process that God works to develop His character in an individual . God has not only brought us out of "Egypt," but He wants to make sure that "Egypt's" residue does not cling to our souls! *******

Which brings us to the passage at hand. Before I begin, I'd like to emphasize the significance of this experience. It's Israel's first one after crossing the Red Sea and because of this fact I believe that it is a primary discipleship experience in the life of every believer. It's a place that will be visited again and again. That being said, let's take a look at the passage.

Upon departure from the Red Sea, the Israelites were led to the wilderness of Shur. (The word "Shur" means "wall.") This was to be the first leg in what was to become known as "The Wilderness Journey." It was Israel's first step on the their way to Sinai, the mountain where Moses was to receive the Ten Commandments. The wilderness was to be a training ground--a sort of school for the people of Israel. This was where they were to receive their spiritual education. It was there, in the wilderness, that they were to learn who God was, both mentally and experientially, and along with that, what it meant to be His chosen people.

I need go no further without emphasizing the vital truth contained in this first verse (v.22). Most of you have already learned it in your own personal lives. The truth is this: More often than not, believers get their primary education on who God is and what it means to be His chosen people "in the wilderness." A number of believers would have it another way, especially American believers--sometimes myself included. These believers think, or should I say expect, that their Christian life should be marked by blessing, abundance and victory at all times. ******* It even happens that should a believer's life fall short of this expectation (by falling short , I mean that it includes "wilderness experiences" of suffering, pain, etc.) that certain segments of the Church would look at that person as lacking faith or even as badly as "having sin in their life." ******* But they are mistaken. For most certainly the Christian life includes both blessing, abundance and victory while at the same time, it can be sprinkled with pain and suffering due to the "wilderness." *******

Have you ever found yourself "in the wilderness?" Maybe recently or even at present? ******* If so, and you are a believer, then it was not by accident that you entered that place. God has brought you there so that you might receive your spiritual education. He has brought you to to the wilderness to teach you more about Himself. *******

A teacher needs curriculum to teach. And in God's classroom, He chooses to use curriculum as well. In this particular instance, God chooses the curriculum of physical thirst as His teaching tool. It is what I call the "three days without water" experience. Believers go through this same experience as well. Notice in verse 22"

Consider for a moment the effects of having no water. If I happen to be in the hot sun doing something strenuously (like work or sports) and I don't necessarily go without water but I just don't drink enough, most every time it results in an unbearable headache (for me!). And if I go without water for most of any particular day, my body dehydrates and most every time that results in a headache as well. *******

But the Israelites went three days without finding a single drop of water. Can you picture the desperateness of the situation? Can you imagine how they felt? Can you see them in their frantic search? Do you think that their parched lips may have contributed to the frustration or disillusionment of the moment? Do you think that there may have been some short fuses in the camp? You better believe it! ******* Add to that the number of people (600,000 men; a total of two million plus with the women & children!) let alone animals and you get a taste of the direness of that moment. *******

"Marah" literally means "bitterness." (It's not without significance that Moses refers to Marah three times in this verse. I believe he does so because of his vivid memory of the event--how tough it really was there.) I couldn't help but imagine the feelings of the people as they saw the waters of Marah in the distance. The exuberance of the moment. The strength that must have gripped their legs. Can you see them falling over each other, jumping, skipping, dashing to get to the waters edge? Can you see some of them, if not all, running straight into the water with uninhibited abandonment? Picture their faces--consider their attitudes when they discover the bitterness. ******* If they were frustrated before, it was only worse now. If they were filled with anxiety before, it was only heightened now. If they were angry before, it had progressed to rage now.

Have you ever been through a "three days without water" experience? Have you ever felt like you were just coming out of a hard time only to have it intensify? Do you remember how you responded? Do you remember how you reacted? *******

And rather than pose the question to you, I'll pose it to myself. Have I ever complained when I faced a tough circumstance? "Honey, don't answer that!!!" I'd be guilty of another sin if I said I hadn't. And you probably would be, too!!! *******

Isn't it something, that at present simultaneously in all of us, is the ability to express such great faith at times when faced with peril or great need, while at other times, our old nature, the "Egypt" that still clings to life within each of us, tends to beckon us towards murmuring and complaining? ******* It took incredible faith for the Israelites to walk through the midst of the Red Sea. And yet they forgot it just a few days later. The same faith that got them through the Red Sea was the same faith that would get them through their bitter water experience. The same faith that brought us/you to salvation is the same faith that will bring us/you through whatever tough time we/you will face!

Then [Moses] cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He (God) made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them (v.24). *******

With two million people breathing down his neck, Moses had no recourse but to cry out to the Lord. And the Lord answered Moses in a most peculiar and beautiful way. He showed Moses a tree--a tree that he was to throw into the water. For God knew that contained within the foliage of that tree was the agent that would sweeten the bitterness.

At first, the people may have responded skeptically towards Moses, "What do you mean 'throw a tree in the water'?" Remember, they weren't in the best frame of mind. Because of this, I'll bet that Moses was the first to try the water. The incredible relief he must have felt after he touched a finger to the water and then to his lips and discovered that the once bitter water was now sweetened and able to quench his dying thirst. I don't think Moses even took time (or had to, for that matter) to persuade the Israelites to come and drink after that. They most certainly swarmed in (like bees to honey!). Oh the power of a tree! *******

I believe that God used this experience in the lives of His people at that time to point them to another tree, yet future. That tree would also, in a figurative sense, contain miracle working power as well. It's that future tree that truly contains what I've come to call, "God's sweetening agent for life's bitter waters." The tree I'm speaking of is the cross of Calvary on which our Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself up for us all. Galatians 3:13b and 1 Peter 2:24 speak of this tree!

When a person comes to the realization that he is a sinner and because of his sin, a gulf exists separating him from God, and he cries out for deliverance, God points him to a tree, a tree that, once "thrown into the bitter water" of the soul, causes the soul to become "sweetened." Those of us that have come to Christ can testify to the truth of this statement. ******* But the power of the tree goes beyond that. Inherent in what Christ accomplished on the cross is not only the power for salvation, but also the power to face every trial and test of life victoriously. This is what the Israelites were given a lesson in that day at Marah. And this is what God wants to remind us of today. The cross is God's sweetening agent for life's bitter waters. The provision of the cross is enough to meet the enormity of human need. Have you found this to be true in your life?

******* And He [God] said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer" (v.26). *******

At first glance, it may seem that this verse is out of place. But not if you consider what thoughts may have been going through the minds of the Israelites because of their recent experience. They had seen what the Lord had done to the Egytians--the awful plagues that had come upon them due to their stubborn hearts. Could it be that this God who had freed them from slavery was really setting them up for later destruction as He had the Egyptians? The "three days without water" sure seemed to point that way. I believe that it is possible that it was because of this type of thinking that the Israelites responded to this situation with grumbling rather than faith.

Sometimes even believers can deal with those same thoughts--thoughts like: "Boy, I must not be on God's good side because of the hardship(s) I'm facing!" But God wants to reassure us as He did the Israelites in verse 26. If we commit ourselves to listening to His voice and doing what is right in His sight, He will take care of us. To assure them and us of that point, God goes one step further in the following verse.

Elim is now the second stop on the Israelite's wilderness journey. "Elim" means "terebinth " or "large trees." It was a place of refreshing and rest. You don't see any signs of grumbling at Elim. ******* As I said a moment ago, I believe that God directed Moses to lead Israel to Elim after Marah so that He could reassure them (and us!) of who He really is. He is a God who not only loves us but is at all times seeking our best even if He sees fit to lead us through a wilderness.

Which brings us back to the power of a tree, namely, the tree of Calvary. It is because of what Christ accomplished on that tree that we can rest assured of God's grace and faithfulness towards us. Jesus was, in a sense, the "Elim" that God has directed humanity to come in contact with on their wilderness journey through the ages. He was then and still is now the place where God purposes people to set up the "camp site" of their lives besides. Jesus is truly the fresh water, the rest, the fruit and the shade for our souls. Even in the midst of a crisis, the "three days without water" experiences of life, we can camp besides "Elim" in our hearts because of the reassurance of God's love for us that He has communicated in His Son. Oh the power of a tree! And ultimately, we will all cross over to the eternal "Elim" because of that same power. Oh the power of a tree!

Question/Application: Have you ever found yourself in a "three days without water" experience? Maybe recently? Maybe even right now? Maybe you've seen the experience intensify as you tried to "quench your thirst." Has it left you feeling at the end of your rope, like there's no way out? There is a way to quench your thirst. It comes via the cross where power is available to see you through your tough time. And God desires to release it in your life if you'll allow Him to. The cross is God's sweetening agent for life's bitter waters. There is power in a tree. *******


	From Our Heart To Yours \| home Christmas \| Death Of Christ \| Easter \| End Times \| Gambling \| Godly Living \| Hell \| Memorials \| Spiritual Slumber \| The Cross THE POWER OF A TREE (Sermon: October 6, 1996) Good morning. Please turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus 15:22-27. The title of my message today is: "The Power of a Tree." I' ll be reading from the New American Standard version. ***** Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What whall we drink?" Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer." 15:27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters (Ex. 15:22-27). *** There is power in a tree, my friends. Shall we pray? I've been reading a chapter a day in the book of Exodus this past month and decided to choose this morning's text from there as a result of that. The book of Exodus is known as "The Book of Redemption." In it, as you know, God miraculously delivers the Israelites from the hand of a cruel Egyptian Pharoah and in so doing, reveals His ultimate plan to deliver all of mankind from under their diabolical "Pharoah" (namely, sin/Satan). In Exodus, God's deliverance begins with the raising up of a deliverer (Moses), continues with the executing of an awful series of plagues upon Egypt, and reaches it's climax with the passing of the Israelites on dry ground through the Red Sea. *** But it doesn't end there. Though God had taken the people out of Egypt, He still had to get "Egypt" out of the people. *** It's the same way with believers. God's redemption plan not only includes a salvation experience that is instantaneous when one comes to Christ, but it also includes a salvation process that is continous throughout one's life (discipleship). It's from within the midst of this process that God works to develop His character in an individual . God has not only brought us out of "Egypt," but He wants to make sure that "Egypt's" residue does not cling to our souls! *** Which brings us to the passage at hand. Before I begin, I'd like to emphasize the significance of this experience. It's Israel's first one after crossing the Red Sea and because of this fact I believe that it is a primary discipleship experience in the life of every believer. It's a place that will be visited again and again. That being said, let's take a look at the passage. I. THE CLASSROOM. Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur (v.22a). Upon departure from the Red Sea, the Israelites were led to the wilderness of Shur. (The word "Shur" means "wall.") This was to be the first leg in what was to become known as "The Wilderness Journey." It was Israel's first step on the their way to Sinai, the mountain where Moses was to receive the Ten Commandments. The wilderness was to be a training ground--a sort of school for the people of Israel. This was where they were to receive their spiritual education. It was there, in the wilderness, that they were to learn who God was, both mentally and experientially, and along with that, what it meant to be His chosen people. I need go no further without emphasizing the vital truth contained in this first verse (v.22). Most of you have already learned it in your own personal lives. The truth is this: More often than not, believers get their primary education on who God is and what it means to be His chosen people "in the wilderness." A number of believers would have it another way, especially American believers--sometimes myself included. These believers think, or should I say expect, that their Christian life should be marked by blessing, abundance and victory at all times. *** It even happens that should a believer's life fall short of this expectation (by falling short , I mean that it includes "wilderness experiences" of suffering, pain, etc.) that certain segments of the Church would look at that person as lacking faith or even as badly as "having sin in their life." *** But they are mistaken. For most certainly the Christian life includes both blessing, abundance and victory while at the same time, it can be sprinkled with pain and suffering due to the "wilderness." *** Have you ever found yourself "in the wilderness?" Maybe recently or even at present? *** If so, and you are a believer, then it was not by accident that you entered that place. God has brought you there so that you might receive your spiritual education. He has brought you to to the wilderness to teach you more about Himself. *** With this in mind, let's consider what God was seeking to teach the Israelites in this their first experience in the wilderness. II. THE CURRICULUM. A teacher needs curriculum to teach. And in God's classroom, He chooses to use curriculum as well. In this particular instance, God chooses the curriculum of physical thirst as His teaching tool. It is what I call the "three days without water" experience. Believers go through this same experience as well. Notice in verse 22" They [Israel] went three days in the wilderness and found no water (v.22b). Consider for a moment the effects of having no water. If I happen to be in the hot sun doing something strenuously (like work or sports) and I don't necessarily go without water but I just don't drink enough, most every time it results in an unbearable headache (for me!). And if I go without water for most of any particular day, my body dehydrates and most every time that results in a headache as well. *** But the Israelites went three days without finding a single drop of water. Can you picture the desperateness of the situation? Can you imagine how they felt? Can you see them in their frantic search? Do you think that their parched lips may have contributed to the frustration or disillusionment of the moment? Do you think that there may have been some short fuses in the camp? You better believe it! *** Add to that the number of people (600,000 men; a total of two million plus with the women & children!) let alone animals and you get a taste of the direness of that moment. *** And yet, this is only the first level of God's curriculum for Israel at this particular time. The situation only intensifies. Notice verse 23: And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah (v.23). "Marah" literally means "bitterness." (It's not without significance that Moses refers to Marah three times in this verse. I believe he does so because of his vivid memory of the event--how tough it really was there.) I couldn't help but imagine the feelings of the people as they saw the waters of Marah in the distance. The exuberance of the moment. The strength that must have gripped their legs. Can you see them falling over each other, jumping, skipping, dashing to get to the waters edge? Can you see some of them, if not all, running straight into the water with uninhibited abandonment? Picture their faces--consider their attitudes when they discover the bitterness. *** If they were frustrated before, it was only worse now. If they were filled with anxiety before, it was only heightened now. If they were angry before, it had progressed to rage now. *** This is the second level of God's curriculum for Israel at this time. He saw fit to bring them to the end of themselves--to the brink of hopelessness and despair. *** Have you ever been through a "three days without water" experience? Have you ever felt like you were just coming out of a hard time only to have it intensify? Do you remember how you responded? Do you remember how you reacted? *** III. THE CRUCIBLE. The people of Israel responded. The whole nation reacted. And it was not a reaction exhibiting great faith. Quite to the contrary. Notice verse 24: So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" (v.24). The word "grumble" is translated "murmur" in the King James Version. To grumble means to "complain half out loud" (Webster's Pocket Dictionary 89). To murmur means "to complain in low mumbling tones" (AHD 823). The response of the children of Israel to the tough situation they were facing was to complain. *** And rather than pose the question to you, I'll pose it to myself. Have I ever complained when I faced a tough circumstance? "Honey, don't answer that!!!" I'd be guilty of another sin if I said I hadn't. And you probably would be, too!!! *** Isn't it something, that at present simultaneously in all of us, is the ability to express such great faith at times when faced with peril or great need, while at other times, our old nature, the "Egypt" that still clings to life within each of us, tends to beckon us towards murmuring and complaining? *** It took incredible faith for the Israelites to walk through the midst of the Red Sea. And yet they forgot it just a few days later. The same faith that got them through the Red Sea was the same faith that would get them through their bitter water experience. The same faith that brought us/you to salvation is the same faith that will bring us/you through whatever tough time we/you will face! IV. THE CROSS: God's Sweetening Agent For Life's Bitter Waters. *** Look at verse 24: Then [Moses] cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He (God) made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them (v.24). *** With two million people breathing down his neck, Moses had no recourse but to cry out to the Lord. And the Lord answered Moses in a most peculiar and beautiful way. He showed Moses a tree--a tree that he was to throw into the water. For God knew that contained within the foliage of that tree was the agent that would sweeten the bitterness. At first, the people may have responded skeptically towards Moses, "What do you mean 'throw a tree in the water'?" Remember, they weren't in the best frame of mind. Because of this, I'll bet that Moses was the first to try the water. The incredible relief he must have felt after he touched a finger to the water and then to his lips and discovered that the once bitter water was now sweetened and able to quench his dying thirst. I don't think Moses even took time (or had to, for that matter) to persuade the Israelites to come and drink after that. They most certainly swarmed in (like bees to honey!). Oh the power of a tree! *** I believe that God used this experience in the lives of His people at that time to point them to another tree, yet future. That tree would also, in a figurative sense, contain miracle working power as well. It's that future tree that truly contains what I've come to call, "God's sweetening agent for life's bitter waters." The tree I'm speaking of is the cross of Calvary on which our Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself up for us all. Galatians 3:13b and 1 Peter 2:24 speak of this tree! Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a TREE' (Gal. 3:13, NAS). He [Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His body on the TREE, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed (1 Pet. 2:24, NIV). When a person comes to the realization that he is a sinner and because of his sin, a gulf exists separating him from God, and he cries out for deliverance, God points him to a tree, a tree that, once "thrown into the bitter water" of the soul, causes the soul to become "sweetened." Those of us that have come to Christ can testify to the truth of this statement. *** But the power of the tree goes beyond that. Inherent in what Christ accomplished on the cross is not only the power for salvation, but also the power to face every trial and test of life victoriously. This is what the Israelites were given a lesson in that day at Marah. And this is what God wants to remind us of today. The cross is God's sweetening agent for life's bitter waters. The provision of the cross is enough to meet the enormity of human need. Have you found this to be true in your life? V. THE COUNSEL (The Lord, My Healer). *** And He [God] said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer" (v.26). *** At first glance, it may seem that this verse is out of place. But not if you consider what thoughts may have been going through the minds of the Israelites because of their recent experience. They had seen what the Lord had done to the Egytians--the awful plagues that had come upon them due to their stubborn hearts. Could it be that this God who had freed them from slavery was really setting them up for later destruction as He had the Egyptians? The "three days without water" sure seemed to point that way. I believe that it is possible that it was because of this type of thinking that the Israelites responded to this situation with grumbling rather than faith. Sometimes even believers can deal with those same thoughts--thoughts like: "Boy, I must not be on God's good side because of the hardship(s) I'm facing!" But God wants to reassure us as He did the Israelites in verse 26. If we commit ourselves to listening to His voice and doing what is right in His sight, He will take care of us. To assure them and us of that point, God goes one step further in the following verse. VI. THE COMFORT (Elim, A Place of Refreshing). Then [Israel] came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters (v.27). Elim is now the second stop on the Israelite's wilderness journey. "Elim" means "terebinth " or "large trees." It was a place of refreshing and rest. You don't see any signs of grumbling at Elim. *** As I said a moment ago, I believe that God directed Moses to lead Israel to Elim after Marah so that He could reassure them (and us!) of who He really is. He is a God who not only loves us but is at all times seeking our best even if He sees fit to lead us through a wilderness. Which brings us back to the power of a tree, namely, the tree of Calvary. It is because of what Christ accomplished on that tree that we can rest assured of God's grace and faithfulness towards us. Jesus was, in a sense, the "Elim" that God has directed humanity to come in contact with on their wilderness journey through the ages. He was then and still is now the place where God purposes people to set up the "camp site" of their lives besides. Jesus is truly the fresh water, the rest, the fruit and the shade for our souls. Even in the midst of a crisis, the "three days without water" experiences of life, we can camp besides "Elim" in our hearts because of the reassurance of God's love for us that He has communicated in His Son. Oh the power of a tree! And ultimately, we will all cross over to the eternal "Elim" because of that same power. Oh the power of a tree! CONCLUSION Question/Application: Have you ever found yourself in a "three days without water" experience? Maybe recently? Maybe even right now? Maybe you've seen the experience intensify as you tried to "quench your thirst." Has it left you feeling at the end of your rope, like there's no way out? There is a way to quench your thirst. It comes via the cross where power is available to see you through your tough time. And God desires to release it in your life if you'll allow Him to. The cross is God's sweetening agent for life's bitter waters. There is power in a tree. *****